Chapter 8

On the evening of the auction, Xavier came to pick me up in person.

When he opened the door, I was sitting at my vanity table, in the middle of applying a bright red lipstick.

After having been confined for so long, I had lost a lot of weight. I could hardly recognize the woman in the mirror.

“Looks like you’ve made up your mind.”

He stood behind me and looked at my reflection with a smug, self-satisfied smile.

Then, he reached out to touch my shoulder, but I deftly avoided his touch a split second before he could graze against me.

“Yes, I will do my duty.” I turned to him and flashed a bright smile.

He frowned instantly, almost on instinct. Then, he scoffed dismissively before tossing an exquisite jewelry box onto the table.

“I had the designer customize this for you.”

“Thank you.” I picked up the box and took the necklace to put it on.

When we boarded the private jet, I saw Alice already waiting inside. She had a cashmere shawl draped around her.

“Grace, I’m glad you finally came to your senses,” she remarked softly while subconsciously rubbing her stomach. “We have to get along from now on for my child and for Xavier’s sake.”

I ignored her and settled down on the seat across from her. Then, I stared blankly out the window.

The manor on the ground slowly shrank into a tiny dot. In my mind, I said goodbye to it and made my peace with five years gone by.

When we arrived in Zurosh, it was snowing heavily.

Xavier took my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world and led me onto the red carpet.

Meanwhile, his beloved Alice attended as his stylist. She entered through a side door with her staff.

The moment I stepped into the hall, I felt two pairs of eyes fixed on me.

Hidden deep within the crowd was Noah, who was dressed in a dark gray suit and casually swirling a wineglass.

Only a short distance behind him stood a woman also dressed handsomely in a suit. Her expression was composed and stoic.

She was my personal assistant, Rosalia.

My breath caught in my throat while I unconsciously loosened my grip around Xavier’s hands.

“Watch yourself, Grace.” Xavier leaned into my ear and whispered a warning.

“I know.” I forced a smile.

That was when Noah, who had been hovering some distance away, parted the crowd and walked straight toward us.

“Hey, long time no see.” He stopped in front of us and greeted us. The entire time, he hardly paid notice to Xavier and was focused on me instead.

“Grace, you’ve lost weight since the last time we met. I take it that the cooking of Don Whitmore’s chef isn’t to your liking.”

Then, he casually put a hand out to receive my hand for a kiss.

“Noah, back off from my wife.” Xavier asserted his dominance by pulling me away from him.

Noah was not deterred by Xavier’s brazen hostility. He withdrew his hand, then traced the rim of his wine glass with his fingers before remarking with a rather audacious smile.

“Don’t be so uptight, Xavier.”

He spoke candidly, making sure to keep his volume just loud enough for the surrounding guests to hear him, “I was just worried you’d be too focused on others and end up neglecting your pregnant wife.

“By the way, I heard you brought your widowed sister-in-law to live with you, didn’t you? Sam must be glad to have a good brother like you.”

Upon hearing this remark, the celebrities around us stopped to listen in. A deep look of intrigue appeared in their eyes.

Everyone knew that coveting a deceased brother’s widow was a gravely shameful and scandalous act in the mafia world.

Xavier sneered, “It is my responsibility to take care of my brother’s widow. You don’t have to worry about what goes on in my family, Noah.

“Let’s go, Grace,” Xavier hissed through clenched teeth while forcefully dragging me away to the other side of the hall.

I turned to glance at Noah and Rosalia just in time to spot them flashing victorious smiles at me.

Everything was ready. It was time to pull the trigger.