Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Joanna Sherman, Will He Spare You?
Sophia Shaw watched him coldly as he coughed and cried. Her own heart had long since withered.
’Not a shred of sympathy!’
"Vincent Grant, for ten whole months, if you had just been willing to look at those emails, you would have known I was pregnant."
"Even if you didn’t check your email, if you had just come home to talk to me—even just to see me—I would have told you I was pregnant."
"But you didn’t!"
"You never cared whether I was pregnant or not. Who are you putting on this act for now?"
"Yeah, who’s it for!"
An old man standing nearby chimed in, his hands on his hips.
"You’re dressed so well and look so refined, so why are your actions so classless!"
"If my daughter ever ran into a man like you, I’d take an ax to you!"
The old man looked like he wanted to swing an ax right then and there!
"I-I’m sorry."
Vincent Grant whispered, his voice trembling and short of breath.
His throat felt tight, and his eyes were filled with anguish.
Sophia Shaw turned her face away slightly and sneered.
"Vincent Grant, do you know what I saw the day I gave birth?"
"I saw you standing right outside the delivery room, just a door away."
"I was in agony, the baby was in a breech position, and both our lives were in danger. I was waiting for you to sign the papers, waiting for you to save me!"
"But you were with your unforgettable love, holding her in your arms, telling her not to be afraid."
"And her? She was just scared from watching someone else give birth!"
"Aiyo, you bastard! You bastard!" the old man cursed again, his finger jabbing right at Vincent Grant’s nose.
"A piece of scum like you, why don’t you just die? It’d be for the best!"
"Aiya, this is making me so angry! I’m furious!"
Sophia Shaw watched the old man, hands on his hips, pacing in circles with rage. She couldn’t stop her tears from welling up. "See? Even a stranger has a heart, but you don’t!"
Vincent Grant bent over even further.
A sharp pain shot through his entire body as an overwhelming sense of guilt ensnared him.
’So, is this the kind of man I am?’
He had been so sure that he had wronged Joanna Sherman and was trying his best to make it up to her.
He had always thought of himself as a fair and just person, but as it turned out...
’As it turned out, I wounded Sophia Shaw this deeply?’
’So that was it. Back then, only a door separated me from Sophia.’
’When she was at her most painful and dangerous, I was comforting another woman, worrying over another woman’s trivial fears.’
’It turns out I was the one doing wrong all along!’
Vincent Grant couldn’t imagine what Sophia Shaw must have felt in that moment. Just hearing her describe it was enough to make him double over in pain.
But Sophia Shaw’s next words would cut him even deeper.
"Vincent Grant, the first time I ended up in your bed was not of my own free will. And the second time was also not my intention!"
"For these two incidents, you’ll have to ask your unforgettable love about one, and your dead mother about the other!"
Vincent Grant’s body was so tense he could barely move. He could only raise his head stiffly to look at her.
Sophia Shaw met his gaze and spoke, enunciating every word. "When Joanna Sherman first came back, I was indeed very anxious. I was afraid you would divorce me, afraid that our perfectly good family would fall apart just like that."
"But no matter how desperate I, Sophia Shaw, became, I would never scheme my way into a man’s bed!"
"The most I ever did was call you countless times, send you countless messages, and write countless requests, trying so, so hard to get closer to you!"
"Do you know why I was so scared? Because I could clearly feel your attitude toward me changing. I thought that after five years, I had finally warmed your heart!"
"A heart that took five years of effort to warm... I couldn’t bear to let it go!"
"Vincent Grant, if you don’t love me, then don’t give me hope. To give me hope only to abandon me, running off to be all chummy with your Joanna Sherman!"
"Scum, scum, scum!"
The old man’s foot finally connected with Vincent Grant’s body.
It was a hard kick.
After kicking him, tears started streaming down the old man’s face.
"Young lady, this old man’s heart aches for you. If you were my daughter, I’d never let you suffer so much."
"Even though you’re not my daughter, I’ll still get justice for you! I’ll kick this black-hearted bastard to death!"
The more righteous the old man acted, the more Sophia Shaw’s tears flowed.
A stranger’s kindness only served to highlight Vincent Grant’s cold indifference—and her own pitiful, debased situation.
After a while, Sophia Shaw managed to hold back her tears and pull him away. "Sir, please stop kicking him. You don’t want to end up at the police station at your age over a piece of scum."
"Young lady, I’m not afraid! I only have a few years left anyway. If I can get rid of a scumbag and benefit society, it’ll be worth it!"
The old man then kicked Vincent Grant several more times.
The other onlookers had heard what Sophia said, and they all watched coldly as the old man kicked Vincent Grant. Not a single person called for security, let alone the police.
The old man didn’t stop until Miles Grant ran down and shielded Vincent Grant with his own body.
He walked away, still cursing under his breath.
Miles Grant helped Vincent Grant up. Seeing his disheveled clothes, his face as pale as paper, and his agonizing expression, Miles turned to look at Sophia Shaw. "Faye, how could you..."
Sophia Shaw didn’t respond. She simply turned and walked away.
——
Joanna Sherman hadn’t been able to find Vincent Grant for several days, but she was still quite happy that Cedric Grant was growing more and more dependent on her each day.
For the past two days, she had been picking Cedric Grant up from school right on time every day and eating with him. Their relationship was getting better and better.
This was a good sign.
Joanna Sherman parked her car in front of a dim sum shop. "Give me a box of crystal dumplings."
These were Cedric Grant’s favorite crystal dumplings.
After buying them, Joanna Sherman slyly added some fresh seasonings she had learned to make from a top chef.
Cedric Grant loved new things. As long as she could pique his interest, he would stick to her like glue!
"Joanna Sherman!"
Joanna Sherman turned around, only to find someone blocking her path.
She glanced at Mira Quinn, who was standing in her way, and said with a look of cold arrogance, "Get out of my way!"
Not only did Mira Quinn not move, but she also held out her hand. "Give me money!"
Mira Quinn had asked her for money before, but never so directly.
Joanna Sherman’s expression shifted several times before she pulled a thousand dollars from her wallet and threw it in Mira’s face. "Take the money and get lost!"
Joanna Sherman had humiliated her like this before.
And every time, Mira Quinn would meekly pick up the money and leave.
This time, however, she didn’t even glance at it. "Is this pittance for a beggar?"
Joanna Sherman sneered. "And you think you’re not?"
"Ten million!" Mira Quinn retorted, holding up a finger.
Joanna Sherman’s eyes went wide with anger. "Mira Quinn, who the hell do you think you are, daring to demand ten million from me?"
"My family’s company lost ten million because Vincent Grant targeted it. Don’t you think you should be the one to pay?" Mira Quinn said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
She threw a card at her. "You have three days to transfer the money to this card. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next!"
The card hit Joanna Sherman hard, stinging her skin, and she was just about to erupt in fury.
When she heard Mira Quinn say, "Do you know why Vincent Grant is targeting my family? Because he knows I was the one who sent Sophia Shaw to his room back then!"
At the mention of this, Joanna Sherman was so enraged she wanted to slap Mira Quinn. "You dare bring that up! If it weren’t for you, how could Vincent Grant have ever gotten involved with Sophia Shaw?! And why would I be in all this trouble now!"
"I haven’t killed you for it yet, and now you have the nerve to blackmail me?"
Mira Quinn admitted it freely. "That’s right. I deliberately put Sophia Shaw in Vincent Grant’s room just to spite you."
"You’re always lording it over me, bullying me. I had to make you suffer!"
"You!" Enraged, Joanna Sherman swung her hand, aiming to slap her.
But Mira Quinn caught her wrist in a tight grip. "However, you still have to give me the money. Because I have proof that you were the one who told me to find a woman to pop Vincent Grant’s cherry!"
"If Vincent Grant were to find out that the messy affair that made him feel so guilty toward you was all your own design... do you think he would ever forgive you?"
