Ch. 31..40
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 31-Jason’s body tensed slightly but he did not resist. He lay his head on her shoulder and felt her smell enveloping him.
Her scent with its faint fragrance inexplicably gave him a feeling of contentment.
It was as if being by her side allowed him to relax completely.
“Jay, didn’t you say that you would never abandon me? I vow the same, I will never abandon you. No matter what happens in the future, I will stay by your side.” Her voice was a whisper in his ear.
“Would you really stay by my side no matter what happened?” he mumbled.
“Of course,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“Won’t you be scared of me?” he asked.
She chuckled lightly. “Why would I be scared of you? My Jay…” She leaned back to smile at him.
My Jay… there she went again with that wording. Like he belonged to her. Oh, he wasn’t averse to hearing it. He might even be happy about it.
But right now he was thinking too much and when he raised his head suddenly their faces were only inches apart. The tips of their noses were almost touching.
And he stopped thinking entirely.
Her face flushed red, and when she instinctively backed up, he looped his arm around her waist, stopping her from moving away.
Grace froze. It felt like all the blood in her body was rushing to her head. When Jay was this close to her, she felt lightheaded.
The arm wrapped around her was strong. She could feel the thick muscles that he held in check.
His eyes were nearly black, the pupils were blown out making her wonder what could affect a man like this.
Surely not her, with her scars, baggage, and worthlessness. But in his arms, she didn’t feel so insignificant. She felt seen.
As something more than an ex-con.
As a human.
As a … woman.
She stayed there, suspended in his arms as her gaze darted between his eyes and mouth.
“Still see me as your brother?” Jay whispered.
No. There was nothing brotherly about him at all.
His big body was strong and he cradled her like she was something precious.
And his face. When his dark eyes crinkled at the corners and his mouth turned up in a knowing grin, she realized that he saw straight through her.
She was attracted to him. The way a woman wanted a man.
And he saw it.
Jason’s phone rang and the moment was shattered.
Or maybe she’d been saved by the bell, so to speak.
Grace wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole ‘near kiss’ moment with him.
Part of her thought she’d cooked up the intimate embrace and that she was reading too much into it.
The other half of her felt… alive. Like her mind and body were coming back to life after years of being dormant.
It was probably just his good looks. He was so attractive that she’d have to be dead to not respond to him in some way.
“Grace, please sweep the rubbish next to the garbage can. The garbage truck is coming in a while,” Claire said.
And just like that, she was jolted from the memory. “All right,” Grace said.
She caught a glimpse of Chase coming into the center and she shot a quick glance at her friend. Nice of Claire to take her out of Chase’s path. For a while, she wasn’t sure if Claire was going to respect her decision or if she was going to keep trying to convince Grace to give Chase a chance.
He was a nice enough man.
But… he deserved better than her!
So did Jay for that matter.
Grace frowned.
She cherished his friendship. She tried to imagine her apartment without him in it. If she came home one day and he wasn’t there.
It sent a pang through her chest.
More of her coworkers were gossiping about the Stevens ad drama. She meant what she’d said to Jay, she didn’t care one way or the other about him. If she still had feelings for Sean maybe she would’ve enjoyed seeing him embarrassed. It was nice, don’t get her wrong, it made her believe that maybe karma did work. But if she subscribed to all of that then she’d have to think that she’d done something to earn all the turmoil and pain she’d experienced.
It’s okay. You’re okay.
Today is a new day.
She walked to the garbage can and started to sweep the surrounding area.
Suddenly, a pair of Dior high heels came into Grace’s view.
She had once seen plenty of luxury brands and was aware that these particular shoes cost more than she’d make in several months.
She then lifted her head and Lily’s beautiful face came into sight.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 32-Grace had not been expecting to come across Lily again so quickly.
Lily looked the same as when Grace had met her for the first time all those years ago.
She was tall and thin in the way only actresses could be. Her skin had a perfect glow. Meticulously applied makeup, haute couture clothes, expensive designer handbag… She looked every bit the actress and fiancee to one of the richest men in the city.
ww If not for either of those things, she was still the only daughter of the Atkinson family and a socialite in her own right.
Even then, when Lily permitted others to rip out her nails, she was still dressed exquisitely. Her expensive and branded clothes stood out in the dark prison.
She looked so radiant and glamorous, then. And now.
It was also this city socialite, highly esteemed by everyone else, who’d made it her goal to see Grace tortured and abused. There was a moment when Grace understood Lily’s plight. Jennifer, Lily’s sister, had died. But it was an accident!
Lily hadn’t even been close to Jennifer. They were related, but for Lily to be so vengeful, so focused on hating Grace at every turn, even years later, it made no sense.
Maybe if Grace had been unrepentant. But that wasn’t the case. She deeply regretted the accident.
Annabelle, who was accompanying Lily, also noticed Grace and immediately sneered. “I was wondering who this is. Isn’t she the perpetrator who killed Jennifer? This sure is karma. I can’t believe she’s now here working as a sanitation worker.” Grace’s complexion paled and she remained silent. She lowered her head and continued to sweep up the rubbish that had fallen around the dumpster.
“She sure is thick-skinned,” Annabelle said. “If it were me who had killed someone’s sister, I’m afraid I would cry bitterly as I knelt down and begged for forgiveness. I can’t believe that some people would see it as not a big deal,” Annabelle taunted further.
Grace took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. She looked at the two of them and said, “I’ve already paid the price.” She held the broom in front of her, a physical barrier to encourage these two women to keep their distance.
There were surveillance cameras all around the building— it was a government building-bul government officials could be bought, as she’d learned in the course of her trial and when she’d been tricked into delivering the papers to Mia.
“I was incarcerated for three years over an unwarranted accusation and my lawyer license was suspended. I suffered through all sorts of hardships in jail and could only be a sanitation worker after being released.” “Oh, poor you,” Annabelle mocked. “You have a shit job. Big deal. You’re alive, aren’t you? While Jennifer is dead!” “You think you’ve paid the price? It was only three years in prison and you think that’s the price?” Lily asked coldly. “It should’ve been a life for a life.” “What do you want now?” Grace retorted calmly. “I’m already living the worst life possible. I have no family. No friendships. Everything I’ve worked for was taken from me. Did you come here to gloat? I can now say that I have nothing to my name, and therefore I have nothing to lose.” Lily stared at her, making a sweep from the top of Grace’s messy head to the bottom cuffs of her neon orange sanitation worker uniform.
In three years’ time, the woman’s originally dark and long hair had withered and yellowed.
Lily could still recall the first time she had met Grace and had been surprised by her hands. They were smooth and fair, and the nails were meticulously manicured. They had seemed even prettier when holding a pen.
However, this pair of hands were currently not holding a high-quality fountain pen but a rough and dirty broom.
“It seems like your hands have not been completely crippled!” Lily said, huffing coldly. “We were too gentle with you last time.” Grace tensed, her hands clutching the broom and tightening.
“Grace, you have nothing to do with Sean anymore. Do you understand me?
Don’t let your younger sister make a fool of herself by trying to get close to him again. If she does, you’ll both pay the price for it. And next time, I’ll see that you don’t even have hands to hold.
it happens again, don’t think of holding anything with your hands ever again!” Lily thought of the projection ads that depicted Sean’s proposal being taken down, and she resented Grace with all her heart.
When they had found out that the person behind the ads being taken down was Jason, the Stevens family had been like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow-string. They were unsure if Jason had done it because of Jennifer’s death and was still taking his anger out on them. They had originally thought that when Jason had agreed to attend the two families’ engagement dinner, he had not minded the marriage between them, but now they were not so sure…
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 33-Grace found the statement laughable. “Then you can say those words to my younger sister but not to me. I still need to work, so if you could excuse me.” Annabelle replied angrily, “If it weren’t for you, why would the projection ads of Sean proposing to Lily have been taken down? You killed Jason’s fiancée and he’s taking it out on Sean and Lily’s families, and yet you’re just fine, casually sweeping the streels here.” Grace was stunned. The thought had not occurred to her that it had been done by Mr. Reed.
Mr. Reed…as a matter of fact, it was also because of him that she was able to escape from Greg the last time.
The Reed family was the most powerful and the wealthiest in all of the city. Mr.
Reed controlled the huge Reed Corporation, and that meant that he could have whatever he wanted.
Grace had found that out the hard way.
In the beginning, when Sean was rushing to break up with her, not a single lawyer in the city was willing to handle her case. Wasn’t that also because of Jason Reed?
All the pain she suffered in prison was ignored by the prison. guards, wasn’t that also because of him?
Because the person she killed was Mr. Reed’s fiancée.
There was even a time during her imprisonment when she’d nearly been drowned in the bathroom sink. She could still recall almost suffocating and the fear of death enveloping her-much as it did with Gregory at that awful reunion party.
And the reason behind her treatment in jail was just because someone had heard that the Reed family had given orders to punish her there. Those who wanted to curry favor with the Reed family had hastened to stomp on her several more times, torturing her.
Grace continued to sweep, ignoring Annabelle’s scolding.
Annabelle was angry beyond belief and rushed forward to slap Grace but was stopped by Lily.
“Lily! Grace has no respect for anyone, I want to teach her a lesson!” Annabelle jerked her hand free.
“Why bother?” One corner of Lily’s lips suddenly tugged up. “One of my rings has gone missing. I’m not sure if it fell around here and then got swept up like rubbish. It seems like I’ll have to trouble the employees of the Sanitation Service Center to help me look for it.” Annabelle was stunned but she immediately snapped out of it. She also smiled and said, “Yeah, they do need to look for it properly. Your ring isn’t cheap. They will have to go through all of the garbage in this dumpster lest they miss it.” As Annabelle spoke, she turned toward Grace and continued, “Since you were sweeping here just now, you must know where it is. You’ve probably already swept the ring into the garbage. bin, so hurry now and look through the bin to find it.” Grace stopped what she was doing and stared at her coldly.
“What are you looking at? Go and find it! If you can’t find it, it means that you must have stolen it!” Annabelle responded maliciously.
Claire, who was sweeping across the street, noticed the commotion and walked over to ask what had happened.
It was at that moment that Grace noticed Lily dialing a number. Sure enough, it was not long before Claire received a call from the director, stating that they had to find the ring Lily had lost, no matter what.
Grace pursed her lips tightly. She was aware that today’s incident was just Lily deliberately making things difficult for her, and now she had no choice but to find this non-existent ring.
A few moments later, their group leader also rushed over. When he heard that Lily’s ring was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, he immediately turned to Claire and Grace. “Hurry and look for it in all of the places that got swept just now and in the garbage bins that were just filled. You must find the ring!” “Oh, thank you, Director.” Lily held a hand to her heart. “I would be gutted if we didn’t find it!” It was a pathetic performance.
Grace’s boss assured her it would be found.
Lily nodded appreciatively. “Then we’ll wait in the car. If you find the ring, inform us,” Lily ordered gracefully and turned to leave.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 34-“Ah? In the car?” The group leader was clearly stunned. He was surprised that a ring worth hundreds of thousands of dollars had been lost and that the two women had decided not to supervise the search.
“After all, our Lily is a popular celebrity. If she were to stand here and watch you searching for the ring, it would probably only be moments before she got surrounded by movie fans,” Annabelle said.
The group leader thought so too. And probably didn’t want any bad press for the Sanitation Center. “You’re right. Please about your day. We’ll contact you the moment we find something.” go Lily’s car was parked nearby. Even if she sat in the car, she could still easily see Grace, digging through the garbage, looking dejected and insignificant.
“She’s only qualified to go through rubbish,” Annabelle said cruelly with a smile.
“Despite how she was so smug moments ago, she still has to wade through a garbage dump now.” Lily calmly replied, “Let’s leave after a bit.” Grace’s current appearance was making her seem not as threatening.
Even though this woman was once loved by Sean, in the end, she was also abandoned by him.
And yet, back in the prison, even when all ten of Grace’s fingertips had been bleeding, all fingernails ripped out and all of the bones in her fingers had been broken, she still insisted that she was framed and that she was innocent!
Why did that woman suffer through such pain and still insist that she was innocent? Did she actually think that if she persisted in proclaiming her innocence that she would not really be guilty? Or that they’d somehow believe her and go easy?
Jennifer was dead!
The law looked at the evidence!
“Oh right, best to commemorate it,” Annabelle said and took out her phone to take a picture of Grace inside the huge dumpster, hefting broken bags and sifting through all kinds of refuse and rotting food.
Annabelle shook her head. “You’re right. I’m glad we’re in the car and going to leave. Can you imagine that stench?” Grace did not know when this farce would end but it was clear that it would be impossible to get off work at her usual time. She had also gotten Claire and several other coworkers in trouble by making them stay behind with her to look for a non-existent ring.
Grace removed the plastic gloves she was wearing and reached for her phone to dial a number. “Jay, it’s me, today I’m… there. are some issues at the center, I’m afraid I’ll not be back until very late. Make a little something for yourself for dinner, you don’t have to wait for me.” A strong male voice rang out from the other end of the phone. “What happened?” “Oh, it’s you.” Just hearing his voice brightened her spirits.
“It’s just… uh, some work-related issues. Anyway, you don’t have to wait for me,” she replied. She saw that the group leader was glaring at her and she hurriedly ended the call. She put on her gloves again and continued to look through the trash.
In the president’s office of the Reed Group… Jason gave an order to his secretary. “Terrence, go and look into what’s happened to Grace at the Sanitation Service Center.” “Yes, sir.” Terrence agreed dutifully and left the president’s office.
Contemplation flashed through Jason’s eyes. In the call just now, he could clearly sense that she was hiding something, but… what was she hiding?” Terrence was able to uncover the incident with minimal effort. “Lily is alleging that she has lost a ring worth hundreds of thousands. She called the director of the Sanitation Service Center, and he ordered Miss Cummins to go through the rubbish then and there to look for the ring.” Terrence called Lily by her full name but addressed Grace respectfully, which proved both of their statuses within Jason’s heart.
Jason’s eyes narrowed immediately. “Go through the rubbish?” The iciness of his tone made Terrence freeze. “Yes.” “Is it worth going through rubbish for one stupid ring?” Jason laughed coldly. He muttered to himself momentarily before continuing. “Since Lily likes searching for rings so much, then let her look for it properly until she’s had enough of it!” Terrence had been at Jason’s side for many years and was aware that his employer had lost his temper.
This was so rare.
Throughout these years, there have only been a few incidents that have angered Mr. ReedMr. Reed. And at this moment, he’d never seen his boss more furious.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 35-Lily and Annabelle seemed as if they had had enough of looking at Grace’s dejected form searching through the rubbish and decided to drive away.
Annabelle asked, “How long are you going to let her look for it?” Lily replied casually, “Let her look for it till late at night, just before I go to bed.
Then, I’ll call the director and tell them that it’s fine if they can’t find the ring. I’ll just acknowledge my misfortunes.” “Heh, you let her off easily,” Annabelle said. “If Sean saw her now, I’m afraid he’d vomit. Grace is not worthy of people like Sean. Only a socialite such as you can match him.” Just as the red Maserati started its engine, several police cars suddenly drove toward them. In the blink of an eye, the Maserati was surrounded by the police.
A policeman stepped out of one of the cars and knocked on Maserati’s glass window.
Lily lowered the window and heard the policeman say, “We received a report that a ring worth hundreds of thousands was lost here. We’re going to lodge a report now to investigate if the ring was lost or stolen.” “Lodge a report?” Lily and Annabelle were both stunned.
Chapter 35 2/4 “But we didn’t call the police!” Annabelle shouted noisily.
However, the policeman paid them no mind and continued, “Anything worth over a hundred thousand dollars is considered a major case. We would appreciate your cooperation and we also hope to help the two of you recover the ring.” But the problem is… no ring was lost! The two of them exchanged looks. Lily spoke through clenched teeth, “I don’t want to investigate the missing ring further. It’s fine if it can’t be found.” “If this is a theft, then the value of the item qualifies it as a criminal case and we have to lodge a report to conduct an investigation. If you could please get out of the car and confirm the general area where you realized the ring was lost.” The officer handling this case wasn’t taking any chances.
“We’re going to do this by the book, ma’am.” He opened the car door for Lily.
“Now, if you’d please step out of the car. We’ll take a statement from each of you, separately…” personnel who was handling the case said insistently.
Lily and Annabelle exited the warm car and were welcomed by a cold blast of air. They walked to the spot where they had been speaking to Grace just then.
However, the place was now covered with piles of rubbish.
A large mass of rubbish that had originally been in the bins had now been poured out. The piles had been placed out in the open to facilitate the search for the ring.
The stench of the rubbish drifted over ceaselessly. Lily and Annabelle were both dressed flashily and stood out even more in the midst of the piles of rubbish.
And yet, the personnel handling the case was not willing to let them leave, insisting that they stand still as they recounted their experience.
Their recounting was an ordeal. After they finished, they thought they would be able to leave but the personnel said, “Since we’re already looking for the ring, then would the two of you just stand here and wait a moment? If the ring is found, you’ll be able to immediately confirm if it’s yours.” “Stand here?” Annabelle asked with surprise.
“Yes.” “But it’s so dirty and smelly here…” Just then, an alarming voice suddenly rang out nearby, “Oh my god, that must be Lily! I’m actually getting to see a huge celebrity!” Immediately after, a large crowd of people gathered around them.
“Why is she standing in the middle of a rubbish pile?” ‘Are those police standing next to them? Are they filming a movie now?” The surrounding crowd erupted in wild discussions.
“I think it’s best if I leave now. I will let my assistant and lawyer assist the police regarding this matter,” Lily said, mentally wishing to leave the place as soon as possible.
“Miss Atkinson, I know you’re a celebrity, but the sanitation workers are currently working hard to find the ring for you. You’re the party concerned and your role is to just stand aside and wait, can’t you even do that? Or do you think you’re better than everyone else?” the policeman retorted righteously.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 36-Even if Lily really thought she was indeed better than everyone else, she was unable to say it out loud as the crowd gathered around her had gotten bigger.
Lily grew even angrier, especially when she saw that some of the gathered people had taken out their phones to record them. And yet, on the surface, she still had to maintain her composure.
It was not long before more Sanitation Service Center workers, along with people sent by the police, arrived to help look for the ring.
This was ridiculous!
It was freezing cold and she and Annabelle were surrounded by onlookers as they were interrogated by the police, all while standing next to piles of garbage and breathing in waves of noxious fumes.
Needless to say, the ring was ultimately not found. When the police finally allowed Lily and Annabelle to leave, the two of them were close to vomiting from the stench.
“Lily, what do we do? This incident has been blown way out of proportion.
They’re deeming it a criminal case,” Annabelle said nervously when they were back in the car. She didn’t mind the occasional prank or joke, but having the police involved was never a good thing. “Who on earth reported the case? Even the “I’ll handle it. It’s not like the case can be resolved,” Lily said, her face grim.
Lily was less worried about the criminal case and more concerned about her self-image. She was a celebrity who was often photographed in high-class venues and she’d spent the last hours beside piles of garbage. Between the fans, workers, and police, there were plenty of people at the scene recording her and she was afraid it would turn into a trending topic. That was all she needed Ugh! She hurriedly called her agent and publicist to suppress all related news.
Grace’s body was engulfed in the stench of the garbage.
Although she’d worn gloves and had washed her hands multiple times, a faint odor still lingered on them. As for her body, even after changing out of her uniform into her day clothes and jacket, the smell still clung to her skin. “These rich people are too much. They just lose a ring and suddenly, we’re the ones tortured for it!? If it’s such an expensive ring, why didn’t they look after it more closely themselves?” Claire grumbled.
Grace gave her a few words of comfort, then took her bag and left.
After Lily’s farce, she went back home later than usual. The street lamps had already been lit. The Cold wind blew at her face and pricked her.
Today, she once again sensed the difference between her past and her present.
When Lily had asked for the ring to be searched for, she had not even an ounce of strength with which to fight back.
Because she needed this terrible job. No one else would hire her.
Her past self could have given up on this kind of job and still have found plenty of other opportunities, but it was extremely hard for her present self to find even this one posting.
If she wanted to survive, stay warm, and eat well, she could only continue on.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and stared dazedly at the nearby figure standing by the gate of the apartment complex.
Jason!
He waited for her to come back!
The light from the street lamp shone on him and his handsome face was the balm she needed.
My present self is different from my past self, at least. I’m no longer alone.
“Jay.” Grace quickly ran toward him but right before she reached him she hurriedly halted her footsteps.
He lifted his pretty eyes to stare at her confusedly. “Sister?” “I… There’s a strong stench on me now, so don’t come too close to me,” she said. “It’s been a hell of a day,” she said and managed to laugh about it now. “I stink. Let’s go in. It’s cold out here.” As she spoke, she started toward the building, thinking if she got there quickly enough, she could jump into the shower and wash her clothes before she stunk up the room.
But a pair of arms looped around her from behind and in the next moment, she was pulled into a tight embrace.
“Jay!” she cried out faintly.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 37-Jason hugged her.
He lowered his head and gently placed his cheek against her neck. She wasn’t kidding about the smell, but beneath the sharp. garbage scent, her skin smelled like her.
Lily had intentionally made things difficult for her today and he’d hated that she was not only upset by Lily’s antics but also forced to labor so terribly. She leaned against him, tired and weak. And he hated that too.
“Sister, no matter what odor you have on your body, you don’t have to stay away from me.” “But…” Grace squirmed with embarrassment and Jay didn’t know if it was because of the way she smelled or his hug.
“Since we’ve already promised to depend on each other, then what is there to avoid? Does it mean that one day if I smell or sweat, you will deliberately stay away from me?” he retorted.
Grace remained silent for a while. She then took a deep breath and said, “All right, I understand. I won’t do it again.” He nodded victoriously. “Come, it’s cold.” He held her hand and return to the cramped apartment.
“You go shower and change, I will make dinner.” She tilted her head at him, no doubt wondering if he could cook. And she wasn’t wrong, he had virtually no experience in the kitchen, but cooking was based on measurements and cooking times. He was an engineer by nature, he understood numbers.
“Go,” he insisted, pushing her forward.
Grace went into the bathroom and closed the door.
He rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
She stayed in their close to an hour. And though he’d done a decent job of cooking the meat and rice, by the time she came out and sat across from him, the food had cooled.
Grace didn’t seem to notice and she ate with relish.
“What happened today?” Jason asked.
Grace hesitated and she chewed slowly before setting her fork down.
“It’s silly, really. And today’s event has been blown out of proportion. But given all the people and all the workers and police involved, I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it already on social media.” “I don’t want to hear about it online, I want to hear about it from you.” “Okay,” Grace said and then she recounted the whole story for him.
Jason listened to her in silence. Once she was done narrating, he asked, “Aren’t you angry?” She chuckled at the question. “There’s nothing to be angry about.” “She hadn’t really lost a ring, she was just making trouble, wasn’t she? Why aren’t you angry?” “Because there’s no point in getting angry,” she replied. “Do you know Jason Reed?” she asked suddenly.
His expression was a little stunned and his eyes flashed as they studied her. He shifted and his hair covered his face “He’s pretty much the most powerful person in this city. Of course, he’s rich. A billionaire or something, and either for his money or influence, people want to curry favor with him,” she said.
“What about him?” Jason said neutrally.
“When I was still incarcerated, because I was charged as the driver who caused his wife’s death, there were plenty of people who ingratiated themselves to him by hurting me in prison. If I got angry over everything, then, other than ultimately angering myself to death, there would be no other benefit from it.” She said this offhand while scooping more rice into her bowl. It might have been said dismissively, but his heart suddenly started to twinge.
Even if she didn’t spell it out explicitly, he could guess what she went through in prison. Just as she said, there were too many people trying to curry his favor.
There were even some who’d actually mentioned to him how they had “taught her a lesson” in prison. How did he respond?
He probably dismissed them with a laugh.
After all, this was a very trivial issue for him.
And yet now, he was suddenly feeling somewhat regretful. If he had known then that she was this kind of woman if he had known he would have crossed paths with her, and maybe even gotten along with her like this, would he have let anyone lay a finger upon her in prison? No. Absolutely not.
He might even… not have let her be imprisoned at all!
“Are you okay?” It was as if he had stared at her until he was entranced. She raised a hand and waved it before his eyes.
He abruptly grabbed her hand and felt the rough callouses on her palm.
“Did you suffer in prison, Grace?” She swallowed hard and looked away. She shuddered and her hand trembled in his as she recalled those horrors.
When she turned back to him, her expression was clear. Grace smiled faintly.
“It’s all in the past.” And yet the more indifferent she acted, the more his heart ached.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 38-What kind of suffering did she endure to be so dismissive when recounting these experiences?
“In the future, if anyone hurts you, I won’t let them get away,” he said as if he was making an oath.
She rubbed his head of black hair. Treating him very much like the younger brother she professed him to be.
But he knew better. He’d gotten close to her and saw how she responded to him.
She might try to keep him at arm’s length, but they were far past that.
“Jay, I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself. Don’t keep saying stuff like that.” She smothered a yawn. “Hurry up and eat.” As she spoke, she lowered her head and continued eating. the food before her.
A spark flashed through his eyes as if he was thinking of something.
The incident had indeed been blown out of proportion and yet it did not occur to Lily that her company would be unable to suppress this top search.
There were simply too many sites and too many people talking about the event.
And while her people could bribe some news outlets, there were simply too many and the scene of her standing at the roadway while an entire dumpster of garbage was opened and sorted… that was sweeping the world and trending.
Damn it!
Between the missing ring and speculation of what it cost and looked like, and the sanitation workers going through the trash looking for it, there was more than enough fodder to keep people talking.
The corresponding images were especially publicized. In it, she was dressed flashily as she stood beside the rubbish piles, and next to her were several sanitation workers bent over the trash looking for the ring.
Such a contrast immediately generated the ire of many. They all accused her of being morally flawed and putting on airs.
The ‘rich bitch’ who watched while others labored.
There were even some online who stated, “She lost her own ring and still wanted the sanitation workers to find it. They have already been working hard sweeping the roads for the entire day. Why didn’t she look through the rubbish herself?” “So she’s better than everyone just because she’s a celebrity?” “Who is she to hog the city’s resources? She doesn’t pay the sanitation workers’ salaries. Why does she need so many people to help her look for a ring?” Even if Lily’s fans worked hard to clear their idol’s name, they were unable to curb those negative comments. There had been plenty of people at the scene and many of them had recorded videos of the incident and uploaded them online.
It was a PR nightmare!
“Why can’t the top search be taken down?” Lily saw that the negative comments online had increased and she was no longer able to sit still.
“There’s nothing we can do. I don’t know what’s wrong with these key influencers. We’re reaching out and asking them to stop posting. We’re offering to compensate them. But they just aren’t willing to take down all of the related content.” “This is absurd!” Lily shouted. “Offer them more money!” “We have,” her manager said. “And we have to be careful not to push too hard because that could blow up in our faces. We don’t want them to start saying that we’re trying to buy them. or silence them. Free speech and all that.” There was some rustling on the other end of the phone as if he was covering the mouthpiece. “Not for nothing, but if you’d called me immediately, instead of just your agent and publicist, I would’ve told you to keep your money and to lavish it on the workers. Or to forget about the ring and go buy a new one-it would’ve cost a fraction of what we’re spending now on damage control. Damn it, Lily, you could’ve spun this way better, if you’d rewarded those poor people or if you’d actually gotten your hands dirty yourself.” Lily sucked in a breath. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just run your mouth at me,” she said icily.
But his words struck a chord with her.
She could’ve handled this better.
Better if she hadn’t started this farce in the first place.
The manager relented. “Sure. Fine. Hopefully, we won’t run into a situation like this again.” He was quiet for a moment. Then: “Lily, did you offend someone, I mean not the public or those workers today? I mean someone big…” “Why do you ask?” “Because money cures most everything, and this situation…we aren’t able to pay to sweep it away. So I’ll ask again, who did d you piss off?” “Who could I have offended?” She pondered over it. “I’m an Atkinson, and I’m engaged to Sean. Everybody else should be afraid of offending me, unless…” Lily froze. Could it be Jason Reed?
There were very few people more powerful than her family or the Stevens-family. And it would take a lot of power and money for her to be refused. The ones who were capable of hiding the truth from the masses and who would be able to influence those key opinion leaders and the media…were few, and Jason was one of them.
“Could it really be that because of Jennifer’s death, he was taking out his anger on her and Sean?
There had been no change, and their businesses had continued as usual with Reed Group. Jason had accepted their wedding invitation.
And yet, as Lily thought of the previously taken-down projection ads, she was suddenly not so sure.
“Oh no,” her manager whispered.
“What!? What is it?” “Turn on your television.” Lily flipped on the tv. It showed aerial footage of the Sanitation Center and people sweeping the street and spraying it down where they’d emptied the dumpster to sort through the garbage.
Then the scene cut to security footage photos of her, with closeups of her hand.
“Police in the city launched this investigation in a matter of hours. And they made a shocking discovery…’ the reporter said.
6/6 ‘A composite of a series of security camera footage to prove that Lily had not lost a ring.’ The reporter shook her head at the camera. ‘It’s clear from the photos that she wasn’t wearing it. The cameras show that she had only been wearing a pinkie ring. Other than that, there had been no other ring.’ The reporter shrugged. “The ring in question was purported to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. She frowned. ‘Perhaps Miss Atkinson just misplaced it.’ At that line, the co-anchor arched a brow. “Oh, yes, Joann. I can see how hard it must be to keep track of millions of dollars of jewelry.” The sarcasm was brutally effective.
In the blink of an eye, Lily was utterly hated on the internet. The fans who had originally defended her were powerless against such circumstances.
What else could they say? The police had already issued a detailed investigation report.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 39-There was even a large number of fans declaring online that they were going to leave the fandom, and swore to hate Lily forever.
Meanwhile, several of Lily’s loyal fans expressed their disbelief and suspected that there had been a mistake made during one of the investigative stages.
Similarly, Lily was also skeptical.
The police had actually issued an investigative report, and yel she had found out about it at the same time as the other online users.
A shiver ran through Lily’s body. How could this be?!
Did it mean that the public image she had built up these past few years and the career she fought so hard for would be ruined in a day?
And yet, the worst had yet to come… At the Reed Group, Jason’s personal secretary, Terrence directly called both the Atkinson and Stevens families to inform them of his employer’s non-attendance at their engagement dinner.
Everyone naturally associated it with Lily’s current negative press.
When Grace saw the police-issued investigation report, she was somewhat surprised.
She had not been expecting it to be released so quickly and that both Sean and Lily had been unable to brush this under the table.
“That Lily sure is detestable. That day, she wanted so many of us to look for the ring, and ultimately, she hadn’t really lost anything!?” In the Sanitation Service Center, everyone was wildly commenting on the incident.
“It’s no wonder this is going viral-she’s heinous.” “But this really doesn’t make any sense. I mean, she’s such a huge celebrity, why would she claim that she lost a ring and want us to look for it?” Someone asked confusedly.
“She has nothing better to do.” Claire pulled Grace aside and asked, “That day… I noticed Lily speaking with you for quite some time. Do you know her?” Farah Steele, who happened to be walking past at that moment, heard the question and mockingly replied, “Claire, are you joking? Grace might know Lily, but how would Lily know Grace? She’s a socialite from a respected family.” “But I saw Lily and Grace talking the day of the incident.” “Maybe Grace offended Lily. That’s why such a huge celebrity would intentionally claim that she lost a ring,” Farah replied.
Then, she continued as if she had captured the culprit, “Well done, Grace. It turns out that you were the one who dragged everyone into looking through the rubbish with you.” Farah persisted in finding fault with Grace because Chase had a crush on her.
“That’s not true nor is it fair,” Claire said. “Why would you blame this incident on Grace?” Grace’s cold gaze swept across Farah. “So if someone is being deceitful, you don’t shame that person but blame someone else for hurting that deceitful person? Your perception of right and wrong sure is interesting.” Farah’s face turned red and she had no way of refuting. She could only glare at Grace with hatred before stomping away.
In the Atkinson family mansion, Lily and her father stood with bated breath in the large hall as they waited for Jason.
“You immature girl, how could you have stirred up such trouble? Grace is currently just a sanitation worker. There’s such a huge difference in both of your social standings. What is there to compare?” Harold blamed his daughter.
“Why did she have to murder my sister? If it weren’t for her, Jason wouldn’t have taken his anger out on the Stevens family. It’s all her fault! And what about the projection ads that Sean commissioned -did you forget about those? Jason Reed had all of those taken down too!” Lily shouted.
Harold’s expression shifted. His lips moved slightly but he ultimately remained silent.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 40-“Dad, you must really miss Jennifer too,” Lily said. “It’s really laughable how when I saw Grace that day, she had no hint of remorse for Jennifer’s death.” “All right, don’t speak of that woman,” Harold replied.
As they spoke, they could hear footsteps from the stairs. The father and daughter duo raised their heads to see Jason coming down the stairs.
“Did you come to see me for something?” Jason asked calmly as his gaze swept across the two people before him.
As Jason’s cold eyes took in Lily, she could feel her body tensing slightly. There was a time when her sister had been madly in love with this man!
Lily still remembered her sister talking to her with a dreamy expression on her face. “I once thought that I could never get a man like Jason in this life. He’s too cold, too logical, and even if you hug him, it’s as if you can’t feel any of his warmth. We can be together in a room, and he’s still a hundred miles away. He’s just like exquisite and beautiful porcelain. You can see his surface but you can never see what’s beneath.” “Yes.” Lily thought so too. Every time she saw Jason, she was unable to see the man clearly. In hindsight, her sister’s choice of a husband may not have been the best one. Oh, for political and financial reasons, Jennifer couldn’t have done better, but there was something glacial about Jason.
Something cold and callous.
It’s why Lily had never tried to make a go of things with Jason, neither before nor after the accident. Even though Jason was very good-looking and backed by the large Reed Group, capable of doing anything within the city, the man was too scary and too cold.
1 Her sister may have been head-over-heels in love with Jason and had finally gotten his consent to marry, but Lily doubted the feeling was reciprocal. She didn’t think Jason had ever loved Jennifer.
Not because Jennifer wasn’t wonderful in every way.
But because this man was incapable of love.
At her sister’s funeral, Jason did not shed a single tear.
“Jason, My daughter made a grave mistake, Lily is an impetuous child, who caused an incident that impacted us negatively. I’ve already scolded her. We hope that you can still attend Lily’s and Sean’s engagement dinner. Lily is Jennifer’s only sibling, and I’m sure Jennifer would wish that you could attend Lily’s engagement dinner,” Harold said with a sincere expression.
Jason looked at Harold with a forced smile. Harold felt as if his throat was turning dry and he could not finish what he wanted to say.
Harold had-mingled in the business sector for many years and yet now it was as if his entire person was being stifled by someone who was almost his son-in-law. He felt as if Jason could see through his every thought.
“She really is quite indignant. And petty, I think. I was quite surprised that she would cause so much trouble. Lying about jewelry and then forcing minimum wage workers to search for some imaginary ring.” Jason shook his head. “I mean, even if she had lost such a ring, so what?” Harold nodded. “Yes, Jason. This was handled very poorly.” “Harold, you raised quite a daughter,” Jason said with a faint smile. “Children should be blessings, not burdens.” Harold smiled embarrassedly.
Lily flushed repeatedly. She was the darling daughter of the Atkinson family and also a celebrity. People chased after her the world over. When had she ever had to suffer such mockery?
Jason’s dark eyes cut to her. He knew what she was thinking. He smirked.
Then he glanced back at Harold, all but dismissing Lily. “If you want me to attend the engagement dinner, it’s not impossible,” Jason said. “Since your darling daughter is so fond of looking for things, then there’s no harm in her helping me look for something.” What does that mean?
Harold and Lily looked at him and then at each other, clearly confused.
They watched as Jason walked to the other end of the hall to open a sliding glass door. Outside the door was an artificial pond. It was large and deep, with algae-covered rocks and an assortment of koi. Jason threw the ring in his hand straight into the pond, then spoke to Harold, “Once your darling daughter finds the ring, I’ll attend the engagement dinner.” Harold’s mouth opened but no words came out.
Lily looked dazed.
He wanted her to… find a small ring in this pond?! Is he kidding?
Jason ordered a nearby servant, Keep an eye on them. Miss Atkinson has to find it herself. The moment the ring is found, then that’s when they can leave. Of course, if they have to leave no matter what…”