Ch. 41..50
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 41-He paused for a while before glancing at the two people, who were still dumbstruck. “Then don’t let them step into this house again.” Harold rocked back on his heels in shock and Lily immediately shivered.
Jason’s words were undoubtedly telling these two that if they left without finding the ring, it would mean severing all ties with the Reed family.
Seeing that Jason had left, Harold and Lily looked at each other in dismay.
Although the pool in front of them was not too deep, it was still about 100 square meters. Even worse, the bottom of the pool was covered with mud and algae, so it would not be easy to find a small ring.
Lily was about to cry. “Dad, what should I do? Do I really have to go down and look for the ring? Can’t we call someone or try and reason with Jason? This is ridiculous!” “The man doesn’t give a shit about your excuses, Lily. Whatever trouble you’ve caused, you have to solve it yourself. If the Reed Group really breaks ties with our family, you no doubt know what will happen to us in the future!” Since it was related to the future of his family, even though it was his daughter, Harold could not tolerate any resistance.
Lily was silent. Of course, she knew that many of the big businesses in her family’s holdings relied on the Reed Group. If Jason turned hostile, it would be a devastating blow to her family.
Lily felt helpless and could only walk into the pool step by step. It was so cold and the water smelled like a swamp. She began to look for the small ring, bending down and feeling along the bottom.
She winced and screamed several times. When she scraped against rocks and god-knew-what.
What if there were turtles? She could lose a finger.
She had not expected Jason to take revenge for Grace.
And now that he had, she wondered what else he might do to her next.
When Jason returned to the apartment, he saw Grace washing clothes.
Her hands were soaked in ice-cold water and they had already turned red from the cold.
“Why don’t you use hot water?” he asked with a frown.
“Hot water needs to be boiled, which will use a lot of electricity.
Besides, if you wash with cold water for a while, your hands will start to heat up.” Grace said. She soaked the clothes again and wrung them out to dry.
He took her hands in his. They were so, so cold.
“Next time, use hot water when you wash clothes. Just use the electricity, and I will earn the money,” he said.
She could not help laughing. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder. “It’s alright, I should save money whenever I can.
There’ll be many places to spend money in the future. How was dinner with your colleagues tonight, was it enjoyable?” 4 “Not bad,” Jason replied. Dinner with his colleagues had been his excuse tonight. If he had guessed correctly, then Lily would still be looking for the ring in the Reed family’s pond.
He wondered how long Lily would spend.
“It seems to have grown a little longer,” Grace muttered, bringing Jason back to reality. He saw the person before him raising her hand to gently press his hair back.
“Jay, why don’t I trim your hair for you? When it’s long like this, it’s got to be annoying, getting in your face and whatnot.” He laughed.
His hair was tied back during the day, and he only left it down around her and while in her environment so people wouldn’t recognize him.
She ran her hands through his hair again. “I think it will look so good,” she said as if already envisioning it.
He stared at her with a bright glint in his eyes. Moments later, he slowly said, “Alright.” Grace only had simple tools-a comb and a pair of scissors. Then, she took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Jason’s neck.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 42-She combed his bangs gently with a comb, then began to trim the hairs on his forehead bit by bit. All of her attention was concentrated on the task at hand.
Jason watched her. The way she studied him, so focused on her task.
That singular focus had served her well in her life-first with her education and graduating top of her class at University and later at Law School. And then in surviving prison.
Guilt stabbed at him.
He saw how she’d been abused in the time that he knew her.
What must her life be like behind bars, with no one to champion or protect her, and countless criminals coming after her all in the hopes of pleasing him?
She sucked in a breath and he hung on to that little sound.
Her mouth was pretty. Full lips, a bright smile.
She didn’t smile enough, he realized.
Her skin was still red, likely from the wind and cold, and though it pinkened her cheeks and nose, it only enhanced her beauty.
If he looked hard enough, he could see that she’d been beautiful once.
Her features carried symmetry and character.
But it wasn’t the outward appearance that drew him, but rather what came from within.
This woman… she’d been the one to fight for him. To sacrifice so that he could have a roof over his head, warm clothes, and something good to eat. She’d asked for nothing in return.
And knowing that she appreciated him for him… awakened something inside him.
“It’s done.” After an unknown amount of time, her voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
“Oh, already?” he asked. It was as if time spent with her passed extremely quickly.
“Mmm.” She smiled, took two steps back, and carefully looked at him for a while. “My skill isn’t too bad. In fact, it’s rather good, and we’ve saved twenty dollars.” She smiled as she spoke. Then, she took out a dry towel and flicked off the fine strands of hair that were stuck to his face, neck, and on his clothes.
“Alright, go take a shower,” Grace said.
Jason took the change of clothes and walked into the narrow bathroom.
Knowing that she wanted to conserve energy and keep their bills low, he didn’t set the shower to hot as he normally would. Warm water rushed over his body as he stepped in and lowered his head to rinse away any shorn hairs. As he glanced down, he saw the scar on his chest.
With time, this scar had grown very shallow. However, every time he saw it, he would think of that woman.
The woman who had abandoned him and his father.
Perhaps this wound was the only thing he had left of her.
He recalled her pushing him away as he knelt and begged her not to leave, and not to abandon him and his father.
The woman had shaken her head and pried his hands free.
When she shoved him aside so she could leave, he’d fallen on a bit of rebar. Jason’s memories didn’t remember the construction or the details of the day, aside from what she wore, how her beautiful smile had transformed into a snarl, and how he’d been unable to breathe when the metal he fell on pierced his chest.
The doctors had said that the metal had gotten very close to his heart. He was lucky, a centimeter to the left and they would not have been able to save his life at all.
At that time, he had told himself that that woman was no longer his mother.
He walled himself off.
After his father’s death, he stopped having expectations of anyone.
As long as he did not have expectations, he would never be disappointed.
It was just that… Jason turned off the tap, wiped his body dry with a towel, and put on his clothes. When he walked out of the bathroom, his eyes fell on Grace. She was sitting at the table and seemed to be looking at something.
Since when had he started having expectations of her? He was looking forward to seeing her smile, looking forward to her happiness.
He lived for those moments when she looked at him with gentle eyes and smiled. Her smile lit up the whole room.
“Jay”.
Even the sound of his name on her lips brought him joy.
“Jay, you’re done washing up? I’ll help you blow dry your hair,” she said as she stood up to get the hairdryer.
He walked to the side of the table and saw some documents placed on the table by her side. They were… copies of the record of her original case.
His eyes flashed. “What are you looking at, Sister?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“Some of the related information from my case back then,” she said. “Lina helped me collect them.” “Why are you reading this again?” he asked.
Yes, why? Grace had asked herself the same question.
It had been three years, and she could not reverse the verdict. She did not even know where the witnesses from that year were now.
What else could she do just based on her status as a sanitation worker?
But could she really give up and accept her false conviction?
She knew what the evidence said, but she also knew it wasn’t true. She had not been drinking. So there must be some kind of mistake. It simply wasn’t possible for her tests to have shown a high level of alcohol in her system. Because she hadn’t consumed a drop.
Chapter 42 “Perhaps… this case, there are still some things that I don’t understand,” Grace mumbled.
And she was determined to get to the bottom of them… She also did not understand why Jennifer’s car had been rushing toward her.
What made her even more confused was why those witness statements were all targeted at her.
She could not explain. All the witnesses and evidence at that time had proven that she was the perpetrator.
surrounding the investigation that followed were still murky. She’d been in shock.
But she couldn’t for the life of her understand how there was so much security or camera footage. Almost every street in the city had some kind of traffic camera. And the people who’d been witnesses, they’d all had the exact same version of events.
But as an attorney, she knew that rarely happened either. People always had different perceptions, based on their physical position in relation to a crime, their age, sex, and perspective.
Even something as simple as running a traffic light could be interpreted in different ways, depending on who you asked.
Could it have been something else entirely?
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 43-Jennifer had been about to marry Jason Reed, President of the Reed Group.
She had been in the prime of her life and there had been no reason for her to want to commit suicide by crashing into a car.
“Grace, do you want to appeal the case?” Jay asked.
“Somehow, I don’t think that will do me much good.” Grace laughed self-deprecatingly. “I just feel a little unreconciled. I know I’m innocent, so it’s hard for me to let it go.” Jason grunted.
“Besides,” Grace said, closing the folder. “It’s not easy to overturn a case. I’m out now. I should be thankful for that and just look forward. No one ever said life would be fair, right? Well, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ll blow dry your hair.” As she spoke, she put away the documents and then used a hairdryer to help him dry his head of wet hair.
Jason’s eyes gradually deepened…and a plan took form.
The next day, Terrence saw the dramatic change to Mr. Reed’s hairstyle. Gone was the drawn-back ponytail, and in its place were layers that while still maintaining some length, were short enough to frame his face. He didn’t remember scheduling an appointment with a hairstylist, and he knew Mr. Reed’s schedule inside and out.
“What’s wrong?” Perhaps it was because he had been staring at him for a long time that Jason asked.
Terrence tilted his head. “It seems you haven’t had a haircut for a long time. Do you want me to arrange an appointment with the stylist?” Terrence asked.
“There’s no need. Grace helped me trim my hair last night.” So it had been Grace! However, what surprised Terrence, even more, was that Mr. ReedMr. Reed had actually… allowed Grace to cut his hair.
Mr. Reed wasn’t vain but he did insist on the highest quality products for everything in his life, and that included having his hair maintained by a top-tier hairstylist.
Grace was… Now she was just a street sweeper, but even in the past, Grace had been a lawyer, not a hairdresser.
“The trim isn’t too bad, huh?” Jason fiddled with his bangs, seeming quite satisfied.
The corner of Terrence’s mouth twitched. “I like it.” Mr. Reed had always been very picky. If the top-tier hairstylists that had been specially chosen by him found out that they could not compare to the skills of a street sweeper, what would they think?
At noon, Lina took time off to meet up with Grace.
The two of them found a small restaurant near the Sanitation Service Center to eat at.
“Lily made things difficult for you that day and asked you to go through the garbage for a long time. Why didn’t you tell me?” Lina complained. As a good friend, she had only found out about this matter through the news.
“It’s not a big deal,” Grace said with a faint smile.
Looking at such a good friend, for some reason, Lina’s heart ached. “It is. It’s not fair to you, Grace. You’ve been through enough!” Back in the earlier days of their friendship, Grace seemed to have been blessed by luck. She had made great strides in her studies and had always been the top student in school. Once out in society, she had gotten into the best law firm in the City and even began a relationship with Sean-the most eligible bachelor around.
Almost everyone envied her. If she was being honest, even Lina had her days of envy. She was always happy for her friend, but admittedly, sometimes she’d wanted some of that good fortune for herself.
After everything that happened to Grace, she felt extra guilty about that now.
They would never have expected that one day, Grace would be falsely convicted, subjected to all kinds of horrors in prison, and left to take the only job she could find as a street sweeper.
The last insult from Lily… having to dig through garbage for hours, it was too much!
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Grace could not help but sigh as Lina shook her head and frowned. “Hey, I’m fine. Really. It’s just some garbage.” A small smile played on Grace’s lips. “Besides, if the social media sites are anything to go by, Lily is the one to pay the price for it. People hate her for what she’s done. It’s an affront on common people, it seems.” “It’s not enough, Grace. Lily has gone overboard. It is one thing for her family to find someone to deal with you in prison. However, they continue to create such difficulties even after you’ve been released.” Lina huffed indignantly.
Grace remained silent. Back then, she had suffered a lot in prison. Part of it had come from those who wanted to please Reed Corporation, and the rest had come from those who had been bribed by the Atkinson family.
She bore scars from their efforts. Some of those scars would never heal… My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict!
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 44-“In the Atkinson family’s opinion, I was the one who caused Jennifer’s death,” Grace said after a long time. She’d expected them to resent her. It was a tragedy.
1/6 It was just that before Lily had given the order to pull out her nails in prison, she had never known that people could be so vicious!
“In my opinion, compared to her sister’s death, she would probably have been happier if you had been the one to pass away.” Lina’s furious expression had yet to fade. “When you were sentenced back then, it wasn’t even a month before Lily and Sean got together. With that speed, I don’t believe that Lily didn’t have any feelings for Sean in the past.” “This shows that the relationship between Sean and me in the past was insignificant. I know that now. And so does the whole world. When I needed him most, he abandoned me and sided with the people trying to persecute me.” “It was an accident!” “I know,” Grace allowed. “But you were there in the courtroom. The evidence.
The way they painted me. It didn’t matter that what they said wasn’t true. In reality, Lily did me a favor.” “How’s that?” Lina was incredulous.
“By showing me who my true friends really are.” Lina’s eyes were misted with tears.
Grace clasped her hand and squeezed. “You’ve been a good friend to me. I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you.” “Stop! You’re going to make me cry! It’s what any person would’ve done.” Grace laughed bitterly. “Any person, like say, my parents and half-sister? Or my other friends and work colleagues? Or, I know, what about Sean? The man who’d vowed to love me forever.” Lina whistled. “Wow. Okay, when you put it like that…I am a superior human being.” They both laughed.
“Soo,” Lina allowed. “We’ve established the shitty people in your life. Let’s talk about the good ones.” She steepled her hands and rested her chin on them. “How are you getting along with that new younger brother? Do you really intend to live with him like this forever?” “Mm,” Grace said, nodding. “If Jay is willing to stay with me, I would be very content with the arrangement.” “If it were someone who didn’t know, they would think that you two were dating and living together.” Lina asked worriedly, “What about him? He doesn’t have any improper intentions toward you, does he?” “No,” she said. However, for some reason, when she thought of his dark eyes and strong body, her heart seemed to beat faster once more.
“Hey, you…” Lina looked at the red flush on her good friend’s face and said in surprise, “Don’t tell me that you’re interested in him!” “No,” Grace denied. “Lina, you know, I’ve experienced so many things. Even when I was in prison, I… I don’t intend to be interested in anyone. Those things aren’t in the cards for me.” When the matter of prison was brought up, Lina’s face darkened.
“Hey, maybe we can consult a doctor again, maybe-” “No, since I don’t intend to get married, there’s no point in consulting one,” she said.
While she was in prison, she had been beaten up so brutally, that she suffered internal hemorrhaging. Her uterus was damaged. Although she had recovered after surgery, if she were to get pregnant in the future, she would be facing much higher risks than an ordinary person would. If she could conceive at all.
Even the doctor had once advised her not to get pregnant in the future. The complications could prove fatal for both her and her baby.
But Grace had no intention of bringing a baby into this world.
What kind of life could she provide for her child? A simple existence in a shitty little apartment? And what of the stigma her baby would bear as the child of ‘an ex-convict’? She knew how cruel people could be and she would never do that to an innocent baby.
Lina’s heart ached for her good friend, but she did not know how to comfort her. She could only change the topic and say, “By the way, that younger brother of yours after all, he was a stranger before. And I’m not saying this to take away from your happiness -you deserve only the best things!-but when you talk about Sean and your dad and our friends… they all knew you.
This guy is a total stranger. Who’s to say he won’t someday change? Just be careful. ok?” “I will,” Grace said. “However, even if I don’t know much about Jay, there’s one thing I’m certain of. No matter what, he will not harm me.” Lina was glad to see the smile on Grace’s face, but inside, Lina was panicked.
Grace had walled herself off from everyone, except for this young man who was now living with her. She cared about him, deeply.
It’s like she took all the emotion and affection she couldn’t give to anyone else and lavished it on him.
If Jay were to hurt her… Lina wasn’t sure Grace would survive it.
Lily had been wading through the pool of the Reed family for almost a whole night before she finally found Jason’s ring.
She was on the verge of collapse and hypothermia when she was taken to the hospital. She even had to get an IV drip. Of course, when she got hooked up to the drip in the hospital, she did not forget to let her agent take photos and post them on the Internet to gain sympathy.
After what happened, Lily held a press conference with a sickly appearance.
At the press conference, she apologized in public and said that because the ring was given to her by her boyfriend Sean, she cherished it very much. On that day, she had thought that had been the ring she was wearing when she went out. When she was outside, a friend had alerted her that the ring was not on her hand, so she thought that it had fallen off. Therefore, in a moment of anxiety, the situation of her asking people to help her find the ring emerged.
“I’m sorry. It was because of my carelessness that so many sanitation workers had to help me find the ring. I, on the other hand, stood to the side and did not look for the ring together with them. I sincerely acknowledge my mistake.”
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 45-Lily apologized with a sincere expression. She looked as if she was on the verge of collapse and gained a lot of sympathies.
After a pause, she continued, “I’ll go to the Sanitation Service Center to express my sincere gratitude to the sanitation workers who helped me. I’ll also donate all of my income from this year’s work and use it to set up a breakfast stall. The sanitation workers can get a free breakfast every day with their work pass.” Once the video of the press conference was uploaded on the Internet, many people felt that Lily’s crisis had been handled well. Even the fans kept posting endlessly to help Lily regain her previous ‘darling’ image.
As a result, many people felt that this had indeed just been a misunderstanding.
Lily’s gratitude towards the Sanitation Service Center was also very impressive and even attracted many reporters.
The director of the Sanitation Service Center arranged for the sanitation workers who had looked for the ring that day to shake hands with Lily one by one and to receive gifts that she had provisioned for each of them.
Each worker had to line up for a press release in which they’d accept Lily’s gift of gratitude.
Claire took the gift and was very happy. This gift, in addition to the check for ten thousand dollars, had come with a down jacket.
Looking at the label, she saw that it was a designer brand. She contemplated whether she’d keep it or sell it online for more money.
Claire came back into the center and was surprised to see Grace. “Hey, I was wondering where you were. Hurry and go outside. Everyone is lined up from the third shift. Lily is handing out gifts and cash compensation for her mistake. You worked harder than anyone. Go get what’s due to you.” Claire nudged Grace, who was sitting alone on the chair.
“I don’t need it.” Grace smiled.
“This down jacket costs more than a thousand dollars. And the check is for 10k.
Are you crazy?!? Why don’t you want them?” Claire couldn’t mask her disbelief.
Grace shook her head.
“I’m not sure what you’re thinking right now. Just take the things and leave, you’ll be fine,” Claire said. She directly pulled Grace up and walked towards the door.
“There’s no need, Claire. There’s really no need,” Grace said.
However, before she could release herself from Claire’s grasp, her entire person had already been pulled outside.
“There’s still one left who didn’t receive the gift!” Claire called out.
All of a sudden, the cameras and the reporters were aimed at Grace.
Grace automatically used her hands to block them.
Those cameras made her think of the time when she had been outside the court being swarmed and photographed by the media. The reporters had all been holding microphones and persistently wanting to interview her.
And Sean at that time… Grace’s eyes spotted Sean standing outside the frame of the cameras.
Three years ago, in prison, that man had stood there coldly.
When Lily had said that she was going to impair her hand, he had looked down at her fingers, which were already stained with spots of blood, and said “good” in a frosty tone.
Three years later at the country club, when his bastard friend Gregory had accosted her, he’d also stood by.
There were some things that, even after three years, remained the same.
Grace put down her hand and her heart seemed to calm down a little.
It’s okay. You’re okay.
She breathed deeply.
Lily was the one in the crossfire today, not her.
This media circus wasn’t out to condemn Grace.
Sean stepped into her line of vision. He wouldn’t break her gaze.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 46-Although Grace looked the same as before, she seemed to have weathered many storms. She was no longer wearing high-end fashion but a fluorescent uniform.
Sean was in a daze. The scene of her crawling to him in prison, begging him to believe her appeared before his eyes again.
Back then, her gaze had been eager, hopeful, and pleading… However, she looked calm at the moment.
Like she didn’t need him. Or anyone in this world.
Her strength was a force all its own.
Lily sensed it too and her smile slipped. She was terrified, he realized.
With the cameras and press closing in and snapping photos, what if Grace were to start railing about how they’d treated her and abused her? What if she attacked them for this ridiculous stunt with the ring?
The press would devour such a story and no one would believe that this ring episode that happened at the exact place where Jennifer Steven’s murderer worked was a coincidence.
As it was, it was a stretch for Lily to be anywhere near this neighborhood.
Sean held his breath, waiting to see what Grace would do next.
Lily glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, and he knew that she was thinking the same things as him.
She smiled amicably as she handed the gift box to Grace and said, “This is for you. I’m sorry for making you search for my ring the other day.” Her behavior was entirely different from how vicious she had been previously!
Grace quietly took the gift box without saying a word and turned to leave.
After Grace got back into the center, she handed the box to Claire, saying, “Here, you take it.” “Oh? Don’t you want to keep the clothing?” Claire asked in amazement.
“I have enough clothes,” Grace replied.
“The check’s still in here…” “I don’t want it,” Grace said.
She looked at the clock and saw that the lunch break was about to end. After picking up the tools, she headed toward the section of a highway that she had been assigned to sweep.
Grace heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the reporters who had come for the event had left.
However, when she stepped out of the Sanitation Service Center, she saw Sean walking toward her.
Fear trickled up her spine and she hated herself for that momentary reaction.
“How… have you been?” Sean asked. He had used to hate this woman. He hated her for causing Jennifer’s death and for all the drama that followed. She had caused him to be reprimanded by his family, and his family had almost been destroyed by her. No one wronged the Reed Group. No one.
Because of Grace, he’d had to pay the price for it.
However, when he saw her wearing the sanitation worker’s uniform, he frowned. After all, he had once loved this woman.
She shook her head. “I believe that it is none of Mr. Steven’s business whether I’m doing fine,” Grace replied flatly as she tried to walk away from him.
“Grace, you don’t know what’s good for you!” Sean said as he blocked her way.
“Do I not know what’s good for me?” Grace sneered. She looked at Sean directly and asked, “Do you intend to get Lily-your fiancee to pull out my fingernails and break my fingers again? Will it make you happy if I become unable to even hold a broom in the future?
It had been three years, Sean. I still have pain!” She shuttered down immediately, likely resenting that she said that much.
Sean rubbed his chin. He did what he’d had to do back then. And she had brought it upon herself.
Grace laughed harshly. “I can’t believe you’re even here right now.
Back then, when I had needed you the most, you treated me like some stranger on the street. You let me suffer, you encouraged people to torture me. And now you’re standing here, asking if I’m doing fine!
What a joke!” Sean frowned. What she said was true.
“You have to bear the consequences of your actions, Grace. You deserved to be punished. You caused the death of Lily’s sister, and she was within her right to seek revenge. You can’t complain about what she did to you!” Grace’s face turned pale. “Actually, I can. We have laws, Sean. And while we both know that no one will care about the accusations of some lowly sanitation worker, the fact remains that you and Lily broke the law. You abused your power. What you did was criminal, and someday that truth might come out What then?” “I’m not going to debate with you,” Sean said. “You killed an innocent woman.
And not even your own family sympathized!” Sean snapped. Then he calmed down. “Look. The past is behind us.” After letting out a sigh, he said, “When I’m back in the office, I’ll inform the manager in my Human Resource Department to get you a clerical job in one of the companies under the Stevens Group. It will be better than sweeping the streets every day.”
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 47-Grace pursed her lips, finding Sean’s offer to be absurd. He…what exactly?
Wanted to assuage his guilt by getting her a job? It was his fault she’d been unemployable everywhere else in the city.
She started to walk away from him.
“Don’t walk away from me,” Sean said angrily. “I’m still talking to you. Seriously, Grace. I’m already taking a risk by offering to help you!” “Did anyone ever ask you to take that risk?” Grace asked flatly. “Did you ever hear of too little, too late, Sean? When I needed you most, you abandoned me.” She shook her head.”There is no need for this. Moreover, aren’t you afraid that your fiancee will hear?” “Hear about what?” a sharp voice asked. Sean’s eyes widened. “What is it that you’re keeping from me?” Sean froze. He released his grip on Grace’s arm immediately and turned to look at Lily, who was walking toward him.
“It’s nothing,” he said quietly.
Lily arched a brow. “Hmm.” She swept up to Sean and looped her arm through his. “Sean, darling, why did you stop to talk to this kind of person? Aren’t you afraid that Jason Reed will hear about it? You know my sister is the only woman Jason ever loved. Although my sister has been dead for three years, he has never had another woman…” Although Lily did not complete her sentence, everyone knew what she meant.
had been taken down and Jason Reed’s refusal to attend their engagement banquet.
There were far-reaching effects of angering Mr. Reed. Effects neither he nor Stevens Corporation could afford.
His family reckoned that it was because of Grace that Jason had refused to meet them. But now, he didn’t know what to think.
“Grace, you’re only fit to be a sanitation worker.” Lily smiled cruelly. “And you’re so good at it!” Grace’s eyes narrowed. She was furious.
Lily’s recent actions weren’t helping, and for once, Sean wished she would just shut up instead of being so spiteful.
“Do you think Mr. Reed knows that you’re already out of prison?” She tapped her chin with her free hand. “He made your life a living hell in there, didn’t he?”.
Grace shuddered.
“Funny, if he doesn’t know it already, he just might recognize you on the news from our interviews today. Maybe you should think about relocating. I believe that before long, you will no longer be able to survive in this city,” Lily said. With that, she walked away with Sean, holding him by the arm.
Grace watched them leave.
She took her tools and headed toward a section of the highway, riding on the bicycle provided by the Sanitation Service Center.
Grace had already buried the feelings that she had had for Sean. Any emotions she had for him, had died long ago. Seeing him. again, while a bit of a surprise, didn’t stir anything in her heart. It didn’t even raise much amity. He was just…dead to her.
She didn’t feel anything for him. And seeing Sean and Lily holding each other intimately, bah. They deserved each other.
Grace left and went about her work, oblivious to a figure who was standing in one corner, witnessing the scene.
In the news agency, reporter Brian was watching the news about Lily’s visit to the Sanitation Service Center to offer her apologies to the sanitation workers.
It wasn’t the kind of fluff piece he wanted to cover, but she’d been the city’s darling, and his boss had set him on the story so he covered it.
When he saw a dark-haired woman appearing on the screen, he started to frown. He found this woman familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen her.
“Who is this woman? Why does she look so familiar?” Brian watched the news footage over and over again, and then he finally noticed that some other details popped out to him.
First, Lily’s hands clenched the gift box and her smile turned brittle when this woman exited the center and approached the press conferencie.
Second, the woman bore none of the excitement that her coworkers had. On the contrary, she looked positively resentful to be there. Which was odd, considering every employee that participated in the Atkinson Dumpster Fire he laughed at his own pun for Lily’s social media debacle had been thrilled to receive the compensation check and luxury apparel.
Not this woman though.
Then he noticed that in the background, Sean had visibly paled and began to look very uneasy the minute this woman appeared.
“Sean …..” Brian seemed to have thought of something and he started to search through the internet.
After a while, he found a piece of news that had been reported three years ago.
A picture of the woman who had received the gift from Lily. Only she looked beautiful, vibrant in a way that he was shocked it was the same woman.
“This is too much of a coincidence!” Brian exclaimed.
Three years ago, that woman had been Sean’s girlfriend. Fast forward to today, and the successful attorney was sweeping the streets? That was a hell of a tumble. And this woman just so happened to be receiving a gift from Sean’s current girlfriend as an apology?
” Brian rubbed his hands together. If he’d had a mustache, he would’ve given it a twirl. He laughed to himself as his excitement grew.
There was a story here.
A juicy one.
Where others had missed this one integral detail, he’d seen it. And he was going toast on it.
He dug into forming his story and drafting it.
Although there were more salacious ways to capitalize on the direction of his thoughts, he kept to the facts. With a story like this… it wouldn’t matter. He was fine to let the public speculate.
That would just encourage more people to read.
When he handed his work to the editor, the editor rejected it and told him to rewrite it.
“Why must I re-write it?” Brian asked unhappily. To be frank, he was offended.
He’d done a damn good job catching this anomaly and building out the story around it. “Seriously, why do you want it rewritten? This is a slam dunk. You have to see that this is headline-worthy.”
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 48-“The management has passed down instructions that we’re not to approve any write-up about Grace Cummins,” the editor replied.
Brian asked in amazement, “Is the Stevens or Atkinson family behind this?” It didn’t make any sense to him. When he had written about Lily earlier on, the editor had approved his news.
However, he was not allowed to write anything about Grace!
“It’s not them. That’s enough, don’t ask any more questions. In any case, if this piece of news gets released, not only will you lose your job as a reporter, but I will be sacked as well!” the editor said.
Brian rubbed his eyes. To say he was shocked was an understatement. What the editor had said… seemed too much of an exaggeration.
“Grace… is merely a sanitation worker. Who would want to protect her?” “You’re too young. In this world, there are many things beyond your imagination,” the editor replied with a sigh. He was also puzzled about why Mr.
ReedMr. Reed was out to protect Grace.
Meanwhile, as Jason watched Grace putting away the utensils, he said, “I heard that the woman who told you to search for her ring has gone to the Sanitation Service Center to offer her apologies.” “Yes,” Grace replied, “but I have given her gift to Claire.” “Did you see Sean? I saw from the news that he showed up with his fiancee, Lily.” As he talked, he watched Grace carefully for her reaction.
“Yes, I saw him,” Grace replied. She looked calm, as though she was talking about someone who was of no concern to her.
Jason crossed the room toward her. “How do you feel? Did seeing Sean again make you sad?” When Grace heard the question, she lifted her head to look at him.
“I think I know what you’re getting at.” She smiled softly. “Jay, are you worried about me? Don’t worry. Please. I promise you, I would not grieve over such a man.” “Worried?” Jason’s gaze deepened. Other than being worried about her, there was something else… Grace lifted her hand to stroke his head. Recently, she had been doing this more frequently. It was a tender gesture, and he’d be lying if he didn’t say that he liked the feel of her hands on him.
Even if it was a touch so innocent as tucking his hair back.
“Jay, Sean is nothing to me. I will not be sad over someone who doesn’t love me. If I were sad, it would mean I still loved him.” Jason searched her eyes for any tell that she was just saying what he wanted to hear.
“Truly,” she said. “I’m glad I no longer feel anything at all when I saw him. And I’m even more glad that I didn’t marry Sean back then.” “Oh? Wouldn’t your life have been much easier if he’d supported you? You might be married to him right now and not have to work a day.” “That’s not a benchmark for happiness,” she said. “And I don’t mind work. What I meant was,” Grace said, “if my emotions could fade, then they were not that strong to begin with.” “Hmm.” Her statement rang true to him. And hearing her assert that her emotions had not been strong for Sean, filled him with a sense of relief.
“The accident and everything that transpired…it revealed Sean’s true nature.
And for that, I am grateful. It was a blessing to know that he was not the man for me.” Jason reflected on her words for a moment. Conflict, hardships, loss…they were what defined us. Grace had been dealt a terrible hand, but she’d risen above it.
Maybe not financially, as she was strapped to a low-income job and living in a low-income apartment, but she was determined to be positive. And happy.
That was more than he could say for most of the people who ran in his circles.
They had money and opportunity. Most of them squandered it with selfish decisions or idiocy.
Still, something of what she’d said had him wondering… “Sister, will you feel sad for me one day?” It wasn’t fair he realized, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to possess her attention-even her negative emotions.
Grace was shocked by the question and she was at a loss for words.
“Will you?” he asked as he bent down, moving closer to her.
As he crowded her, he watched her pupils dilate and the way her pulse skittered at the base of her neck. She sucked a tiny breath.
When her gaze fixed on his, he could see her attraction-and her uncertainty.
“I… what I meant earlier was, if I loved a person, I would be sad. However, Jay, you’re my brother…” Grace replied, her mouth dry.
“Can’t you love your brother?” Jason asked. “We are, after all, family…” He used his knuckles to lift up her chin, and he angled closer to her so she’d have no doubt of his intentions…
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 49-Grace shook her head to clear it.
This was her ‘brother’ and he likely didn’t mean what he’d said the way she was taking it.
It was an innocent question. She shouldn’t read too much into it.
This attraction she felt…was one-sided and couldn’t go anywhere. If she crossed that line, she’d only stand to lose him. He deserved better than that.
They both did.
She swallowed hard and averted her gaze.
“Of course, I would be sad over you. I care for you deeply.” “As you did for Sean before you learned the truth about him?” Actually, she felt more for Jay. But she couldn’t tell him that. If he misinterpreted her meaning, there would be no putting the genie back in the bottle.
And the last thing she wanted was any awkwardness or distance between them.
She valued his friendship too fiercely.
Grace cleared her throat and said, “I can love my younger brother but that isn’t the same kind of love.” “Oh?” Jason wasn’t letting her off the hook, and the whole conversation was making her want to cringe. “It’s two different feelings. I thought loving someone was forever and irreplaceable. I even… thought that lovers could live and die together.” What a romantic notion, Jason thought.
Surely, this was the stuff of fairytales, 3D projector billboards, and living happily ever after. He had no experience with such things. His parents certainly were no example. Nor any of his colleagues or associates.
That kind of love… to live or die together. It seemed all-encompassing. All empowering.
Why did he suddenly want to experience such a thing? And with Grace.
What did this mean for him?? Had he fallen in love with her?
No. Of course not.
He didn’t believe in that kind of love, and he challenged anyone who did to prove that it was honest and true, and lasting.
But he did admit, that he had feelings for her. There was a … sentimental attachment, yes. That was it. And physical attraction.
He studied her and realized that he also had become reliantobsessed?- with the feeling of being next to her. He wanted to know her whereabouts, to be there when she came home, and to ensure her safety. He acknowledged that he liked being near her, and he was okay with it. Why else would he have played this game for so long?
There was nothing wrong with enjoying someone else’s company.
If he was really honest with himself, he was falling into deeper emotional territory.
But to fall in love… he couldn’t have done that.
He’d made a promise to himself long ago to never fall in love with any woman!
“And Jay would never make me sad, right?” The gentle tone of her voice resounded in his ear.
He chuckled lowly as he studied her blushing cheeks and a faint smile. He’d give her the out, for now, and fall back into their comfortable position of brother/sister and this little insular world they’d created.
“Your brother will never make you sad,” he said. Because that was the answer she wanted to hear. And he meant it. Protecting her for life was as easy as lifting a finger for him. Hell, his accountants could probably find some tax write-off for it.
When she stared at him, her eyes so earnest and hopeful, he felt a pang of unease.
He’d promised not to make her sad, yet… when she one day discovered that he was not Jay Smith, some vagrant worker, and was actually Jason Reed, President of Reed Corporation, how would she react to the lie he’d been living?
Sad was likely an understatement.
This woman had built up walls all around her and he’d been let in.
It wasn’t really a question of if he would hurt her, but when.
Grace went to work the next day. After she finished sweeping the streets with Claire, they returned to the Sanitation Center for their lunch break. However, she noticed that her colleagues were giving her sidelong glances one at a time.
Some glances were looks of curiosity, while others were filled with disdain, mockery, and pity.
And many of them were pointing at her as they whispered amongst themselves.
Grace found it weird and noticed Claire walking toward her from the supply closet, who then pulled her aside and quietly asked, “Grace, were you in jail?” Grace was shaken and her face instantly paled. It was as if all of her previous doubts had suddenly been clarified.
She’d never lied on her application and she was forthright with her incarceration and her commitment to being a productive member of society again But that information should have been private.
Although… she’d already mentally prepared herself for this, knowing that every secret had its way of surfacing.
This one, about her past, was inevitable. She supposed she was lucky to have made it this.
And yet, when surrounded by people who were gazing at her with varying degrees of shock and disgust and disdain as they casually discussed her past as if they had any right to judge her, she still felt like she was standing naked in a frozen tundra.
Her coworkers stared and pointed. The secret was officially out. They all knew about her imprisonment.
“Hmm,” she hummed in agreement.
“Oh, you’re such a good kid, why were you in jail? What did you do?” Claire asked. She had rushed over for confirmation after someone else had told her about it. So apparently the gossip mill hadn’t filled her in yet on the specifics.
“Manslaughter caused by drunk driving,” Grace said.
“In most cases of drunk driving, even if it causes death, the punishment is usually imprisonment with a suspension of sentence as well as having to provide compensation, but the Atkinson family was adamant about not taking a single penny from me. They just wanted me to be in jail.” She swallowed hard and waited for Claire to rebuff her. “I spent three years in prison before being released.” “Oh… you…” Claire sighed. “I heard you were a lawyer back then but now you’ve fallen so low that you sweep the streets with me, which is very sad indeed. You should never drink and drive.” Claire chattered on but did not use a critical gaze to study Grace, which filled her heart with relief.
My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Chapter 50-Just then, Farah Steele walked over, glanced briefly at Grace with unmasked contempt, and said, “Honestly, Claire, why are you talking to her?” Before Claire could reply, she went on, “This woman has been to jail! She’s taken a woman’s life!” “Farah, we’re all colleagues. And there are privacy issues to consider-” “It isn’t ‘private’ if it’s all over the internet.” She had a point.
“Why are you defending her, Claire? Grace went to jail for drunken, reckless driving. She killed someone!” “That’s not fair, Farrah. People make mistakes, accidents happen Claire had barely started speaking when Farah interrupted her again. “But the person she killed was Jennifer Atkinson. Do you know who Jennifer Atkinson is? She’s Lily Atkinson’s sister! It was no coincidence that Lily was here. I was wondering why Lily wanted so many of our colleagues to look for a non-existent ring. But it’s all clear now! It was because she was targeting Grace and we all got dragged into it.” “But didn’t she also apologize and compensate us?” Claire asked. “Farrah, that compensation is half of what many of us make in a year.” Farah sputtered. Her mouth turned down and her eyes narrowed. She was clearly not pleased with Claire standing up for Grace.
“I knew you would take her side,” she said. “When I told the others…” So it was obvious who had been the one to leak the news of Grace’s imprisonment. No surprise there. Farrah had never made any false show of being friendly with Grace.
“…I knew it…when I saw her on the roadside talking to Sean and then Lily. I was like, wait for a second, this isn’t right!? I knew things were not as they seemed.” She stared at Grace. “I don’t know how you live with yourself. You should’ve stayed in prison. It’s what you deserve.” “Now, hold up,” Claire argued. “That’s enough of that talk. This is none of your business, Farrah. You can’t go harassing another employee-” “Harassing!?! She is a killer. Honestly, Claire, what, did your receive a bribe from Grace or something? Why are you standing up for her?” Farah mocked her, but Claire also took a step back. She had, indeed, accepted the jacket and payment Grace received from Lily.
Grace opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, but someone beat her to it.
“All right, what else is there to say?” A man’s voice interrupted. “The car crash was an accident. Grace didn’t intend to do it.” Grace saw that it was Chase defending her.
However, that only angered Farah more. Farrah was interested in Chase, but he wouldn’t give her the time of day. The fact that he was defending Grace instead of taking Farah’s side, was only instigating the situation.
Farrah’s expression turned uglier. “Chase, what’s the point of standing up for Grace? Do you think she’ll like you? Do you know that her ex-boyfriend is Sean Stevens? He’s the heir to the Stevens Corporation!” Chase’s face abruptly flushed red.
Farah continued her vicious assault. “But when Sean saw Grace as a sanitation worker that day, it probably spoiled his appetite.” She clicked her tongue and continued, “You know, I’m thinking he’ll probably vomit in disgust when he thinks about dating Grace in the past.” Grace looked at Farah coldly. “Are you done talking?” “What? Are you trying to deny the fact that you were in jail or are you saying that you aren’t Sean’s ex-girlfriend?” Farah retorted proudly. “Why are you pretending to be so innocent when you’ve been to jail?” “I’m not pretending about anything. So what if I’ve been to jail? I’ve paid my taxes and I’ve served my time. And I don’t think it’s any of your business who I dated before. Furthermore, I may be a sanitation worker now but does that mean I can’t have dated anyone before? Or is the role of a sanitation worker only to make someone throw up their dinner? Just what are you saying about sanitation workers?” Farrah recoiled and eyed the room warily. She’d offended many of the people here by bringing the sanitation aspect into things.
Grace spat out a succession of questions. “Farah Steele, just because you’re an established employee in a management position, that does not mean you can look down on my profession.” Farah’s words stuck in her throat as some of the other workers nodded in solidarity.
There were so many sanitation workers in the center and now they all looked angry.
“I get it,” Grace said. “You have a slightly exalted position and you want to abuse that power and look down on everybody beneath you. Whatever. It’s fine for you to insult me, but take a good look at the people in this room, Farrah. They’re honest and hardworking and they do what they do to support their families. Why don’t you think about that before insulting them or their professions?” A smattering of agreement sounded behind her and Grace smirked. “You bullies, you’re all the same…” Farah glared at her hatefully. “Grace, you… wait and see!” Grace just nodded. “Yeah. Uh-huh. I’ll be here. You know where to find me.” Grace exhaled a deep breath and turned to leave, but Chase + shouted after her, “Wait… Grace, I… I don’t think you’re the person Farah says you are.” She stopped walking for a moment but she did not respond to him.
and resumed walking away.
She was very grateful that Chase was willing to stand up for her just now, but that didn’t mean anything. He knew who she was and what shadows were in her past. Even if he’d liked her before, those feelings would change now.
They always did.