Chapter 28

Corace settled into her new room for the night. Just as she was about to unwind, her phone buzzed with a message from the work group chat. Intrigued, she opened it to find her coworkers gossiping about her, with someone even posting a picture of her back.

"Valy is Grace staying in a hotel. She probably has some date tonight. She's always surrounded by men, right? Honestly, she only got into the company because of her connection with Mr. Henderson."

Grace raised an eyebrow, realizing they had likely forgotten she was in the group. She swiftly typed a response, "Since when have I had a lot of men around me? How come I didn't know about this?"

The chat had been lively, with speculations about her relationship with Yancey, but upon seeing her message, they suddenly remembered she was part of the group. Grace tagged the person who had taken her photo and asked, "Have you never seen a sweetheart stay in a hotel before?"

The group chat fell silent. If it wasn't a work-related chat, it would have probably disbanded by now. Grace went to sleep undisturbed, knowing it wasn't her fault they were talking behind her back. Their embarrassment was not hers to bear.

The next day at the office, Grace sensed the awkward tension but chose to ignore it, focusing on her work at her desk. After work, Joanne called her and suggested going shopping. Grace had recently bought a new house and still needed to check out some furniture pieces in person, despite having ordered some items online.

The house was new, and so was the future it held. With a clear vision in mind, Grace picked up a few small things and could soon move in.

Joanne was taken aback upon hearing that Grace had purchased a $15 million house. Her smile seemed forced as she asked, "Grace, weren't you struggling financially? How did you suddenly come into so much money?"

"Unexpected windfall," Grace replied casually as she selected a table lamp. Turning to a nearby sales clerk, she inquired, "Do you have any more vintage styles?"

As they navigated a large mall filled with luxury brands, Grace purchased the lamp and left her address for delivery before continuing their shopping spree. Joanne trailed behind, her eyes widening at the $50,000 lamp, unconsciously clenching her fists.

"Did Yancey give you that money? Or someone else?" Joanne asked.

Follow new episodes on the CrushnovelS.Com

Grace selected a few more items for delivery, already thinking about her new home. She invited Joanne to visit later, saying, "Neither. It's a long story. Would you like to come see the new place?"

Joanne forced a smile. "Sure, I've never seen a $15 million house before."

Passing by a designer handbag store, Grace didn't pause. She preferred a simple canvas tote over those worth tens of thousands. But a familiar voice called out, followed by a hand grabbing her wrist.

"Grace, long time no see. Hurry up and pay for this bag. It's only $30,000, and I really like it."

The woman, in her 40s, well-maintained but with a calculating look, furrowed Grace's brow. Gently pulling the woman's hand away, Grace asked, "Who are you?"

The woman's expression shifted instantly. "Come on, what are you playing at? Just pay already."

Grace found the situation amusing and turned to leave. But the woman grabbed her wrist again, this time with a threatening tone. "Grace, what's your problem? I told you to pay. Don't make this hard. Don't you want me to go to Yancey and say something nice about you? Hurry up. I have other people to meet for dinner."

Grace's expression darkened. "Let go."

Joanne, standing behind her, calmly stated, "This is Yancey's second aunt. You used to spend a lot of money on bags for her and others like her. Oh, and Yancey has an older aunt whose husband owes a huge gambling debt. You helped pay that off too."

Grace's head spun at the revelation. It took her a few moments to process before she chuckled softly. "Are you sure?"

She had been financially strained because she spent everything on these leeches!

At that moment, Yelena Parker crossed her path with a smug look. "Hurry up. Where's your card? You're not short on money."