Chapter 318: Chapter 315: There Was Never a "Sorry," Only an "I Love You" (11)
*
After what happened last night, a dead silence hung over the Grant Residence from the moment morning broke.
When Quentin Grant woke up, his mind was a complete blank.
But soon, he realized where he was.
’Where’s Nora?’
He sat up, put on his shoes, opened the door, and ran downstairs.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but the living room was completely empty.
"Where’s Nora?"
Mrs. Grant emerged from the kitchen and answered listlessly, "She left last night."
Quentin Grant had never felt like this before. He was terrified, terrified that she had vanished from the face of the earth.
But he also knew full well that she wasn’t the type of woman to run from reality.
He was afraid of seeing the coldness in her eyes.
He was afraid of hearing her cold, harsh words.
He was afraid of hearing her say she didn’t love him anymore.
He was afraid of losing her forever.
But more often than not, your greatest fears become your reality.
"Did you drive her away?"
Of course, Mrs. Grant wouldn’t admit it. "She left on her own."
He took a step back, the light seeming to drain from his eyes.
This uncontrollable situation pierced his heart with a deep, profound pain.
Mrs. Grant had never seen him like this. The high-spirited man he once was had vanished without a trace.
It was as if his most beloved person had died, and nothing else mattered anymore.
"This is the outcome you wanted to see, isn’t it?"
"I did this for your own good." Even now, Mrs. Grant didn’t think she had done anything wrong. Instead, she felt her son was blind for falling for a woman like Nora Ainsworth.
"For my own good? Hah—" He turned, his desolate figure disappearing out the main door.
Mrs. Grant’s heart clenched. She chased him to the doorway and watched her son’s figure disappear through the main gate of the Grant Residence. A vague, ominous premonition crept over her.
"Mom, what are you looking at?"
Mrs. Grant turned around. "Your brother left."
Jean Grant, holding a cup of coffee, said nonchalantly, "It’s normal for him to leave. It’s not like he’s never coming back."
"But I have a feeling... that this time, he really won’t be back."
Jean Grant scoffed. "Aren’t you the one who’s always saying a man only has one mother, but he can always find another woman? Didn’t it happen like this the last two times? He came back in the end."
Mrs. Grant nodded. "You’re right. Is Catherine up yet?"
Jean Grant shook her head. "She’s the hero of the hour. Why would she get up before noon?"
"Then let her sleep. That’s how it is when you’re pregnant. You have to eat well, drink well, and sleep well to have a chubby, healthy baby."
Mrs. Grant then added, "Why have you been staying at home so much lately? You haven’t even gone back to your own place."
"What, are you already tired of me keeping you company for a few more days?"
For once, Mrs. Grant smiled. "You’re my daughter. Even if you stayed at home for the rest of your life, I would never get tired of you."
Jean Grant turned away. "You know, I’m your only daughter. You won’t be able to count on your son in the future; you’ll have to rely on your daughter."
Mrs. Grant huffed, "You still have to rely on your son. Once a daughter gets married, she belongs to another family."
"Hmph. Mom, what kind of old-fashioned thinking is that? What century are we living in?"
"It doesn’t matter what century it is. In any era, people have always preferred boys."
Jean Grant sat cross-legged on the sofa, placed her coffee on the table, and pulled out her phone. Her fingers flew as she typed a message, no longer replying to her mother.
Catherine Callahan, who had been standing at the top of the stairs, had a change of heart and returned to her room.
She stood before the mirror, lifted her shirt, and gazed at her slightly protruding belly, a mix of complicated feelings stirring within her.
’To be honest, I never wanted to resort to such a low-down trick.’
’I could never forget the days when we were together, when he cherished me.’
’Now that it’s gone, I find myself wanting to possess it forever.’
’When it comes to loving him, I believe I love him even more than Nora Ainsworth does.’
’I would give my life for him. Would Nora?’
’If it weren’t for the sake of being with him like this, I wouldn’t have made such a sacrifice.’
’Even though the child in my belly isn’t his.’
’But I have my ways of making it Quentin Grant’s child.’
’That’s where my talent lies.’
That night, no matter how she caressed his body, he didn’t react at all.
Let alone have sex.
She suspected Mrs. Grant had used too much of the drug.
So, that night, all she could do was strip naked and hold him as they slept.
To make the timing work, she had deliberately worn a mask and hat, paid a high price for a handsome and healthy male escort, and spent a day having frenzied sex in the dark.
Although she’d heard through the grapevine that Zoe Ellsworth had beaten a woman half to death for carrying another man’s child, she wasn’t afraid. That woman had no backing, but she did.
No matter what, Mrs. Grant was her most powerful backer, a fact no one could dispute.
With this thought, Catherine Callahan sat down at her vanity with a clear conscience and started putting on her makeup. That afternoon, she was to accompany Mrs. Grant for afternoon tea with several high-society ladies.
Around noon, Nora Ainsworth woke up to find that Leon Lynch had prepared a meal.
After eating, she decided to go back to the office and check on things.
"Do you want me to drive you?"
Nora Ainsworth nodded. "This place is a bit far from the city center. Sorry to trouble you."
"Come on, what’s with the formality between us?"
Nora Ainsworth smiled faintly. "And what are we to each other?"
"Queen and bodyguard."
"Let’s go."
Because her visit to Zenith Corporation was unannounced, the media hadn’t caught wind of it yet.
After dropping her off at the company, Leon Lynch waited by the entrance.
He couldn’t risk losing contact with her again in the blink of an eye.
The people at the company were both surprised and delighted by her sudden appearance. "Nora, you’re back?"
"Nora, long time no see!"
She simply smiled and nodded in response to the various greetings.
Once she stepped into the elevator, however, the smile vanished, and she found she couldn’t bring it back.
When the elevator doors opened, she walked straight to the door of Ethan Ellsworth’s office.
Ethan Ellsworth froze when he saw her.
"Nora? You’re back?"
He shot up from his seat, rounded his desk, and stood before her.
Nora Ainsworth’s eyes were red and swollen. Looking at the man in front of her, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
The force of the blow left her hand tingling slightly.
Alice immediately shrieked, "How dare you hit—"
Before she could finish, a gesture from Ethan Ellsworth silenced her.
"Ethan Ellsworth, what right did you have? What right did you have to let Chloe die because of you? She loved you quietly and dutifully all this time! What did she ever do wrong?"
"It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect her. Not only did I fail to protect her, but I can’t even bring her killer to justice."
Nora Ainsworth covered her face with her hands, feeling as if her entire body was shutting down.
The pain was unbearable.
She slumped into a chair, speechless for a long moment.
Ethan Ellsworth looked at Alice. "Leave us."
"Alright." Alice left reluctantly.
Ethan Ellsworth sat down beside her. "I’m looking for Zeke right now, but it’s like he’s suddenly vanished. I can’t find him."
Nora Ainsworth replied sullenly, "Chloe and Zeke have had such hard lives already. Now that this has happened to both of them... it’s just so upsetting. Ethan, I’m only just now realizing how a simple word like ’love’ can drive someone to such extremes of resentment and revenge."
He leaned back in his chair, overcome with grief. "I made a deal with my mother. A three-year deadline."
"What?"
"She’s giving me three years to get over this. Even if I can’t forget, for the sake of the Ellsworth Family, I have to marry someone else and produce an heir."
Hearing this, Nora Ainsworth silently got to her feet, swaying slightly. "The Grant Family already has an heir, and in three years, you’ll have one too. We can never afford to play the games you rich people play."
It wasn’t until she closed the door behind her that Ethan Ellsworth slowly processed what she meant.
He immediately called Quentin Grant to ask what was going on.
Hearing his reply, Ethan Ellsworth could hardly believe his ears.
"Nora just left my office. She didn’t seem to be in a good state of mind. It looks like she’s been through a major shock—"
A curse came from the other end of the line. "Fuck! Why didn’t you say so sooner?!"
The call was instantly disconnected.
Ethan Ellsworth looked at his phone and shook his head with a bitter smile.
By the time Quentin Grant rushed to Zenith Corporation, Nora Ainsworth was already on her way to the film studio.
She had asked President Harding to give her a role immediately. Things normally wouldn’t have moved so quickly, but because no one had taken the part in Madam Shaw’s previous film, the production company had asked them to find an actress, and President Harding thought it was a perfect fit.
He hadn’t expected her to agree without even looking at the script.
It was a film with a niche subject, about a woman in the Republican Era who endures a series of tragedies and rises from the ashes like a phoenix.
Madam Shaw had determined that a film like this wouldn’t be a hit, so she’d turned it down.
Nora Ainsworth headed straight for the film studio, with Leon Lynch acting as her driver.
After dropping her off with the film crew and making some special arrangements, he finally headed back to the city.
Quentin Grant didn’t hesitate. He drove straight to the film set.
By this time, Nora Ainsworth had already finished her costume photo shoot.
She had just returned to her room to rest.
Just then, the door was forced open.
She turned to look at him, her tone indifferent. "What is it?"
This was what he feared most—her cold indifference.
"Nora, have you forgotten what we said? We were going to be together forever and ever. No obstacle was too great. Why are you the first one to give up?"
Nora Ainsworth pressed her lips together. "I’m not the one giving up. This team was never right for me in the first place. Quentin, I don’t want to lose my temper, I don’t want to throw a tantrum, and I don’t want to fight with you. Nothing can change what’s already happened."
"Nora, don’t give up on me. Lose your temper with me, throw a tantrum, please. I’m a man, not a god. I want so badly to control everything, to protect you, but sometimes, I’m clearly powerless and helpless. In this world, you can’t always have things your way. There are always unforeseeable threats."
Nora Ainsworth’s voice was strained. "Your world... I find it filthy. I don’t want to wade into these muddy waters anymore. You should go back."
Quentin Grant took a few steps forward and embraced her. "Nora, are you leaving me? I’m willing to abandon everything and run away with you, just to be with you for the rest of our lives. Please?"
"But—" Tears streamed down her face. "I don’t want you to carry the stigma of being looked down on by countless people. Have you forgotten? You’re now the father of an unborn child. No matter how bad his mother is, what has the child done wrong? And your company, the Grant Group... What’s so bad about this? There won’t be any more schemes. I can live my life peacefully here, without having to worry that I might just disappear at any moment, like Chloe did."
