“Grace really doesn't know her place. Not to mention, how rude she was for calling Mr. Williams by his first name." "Right. Does she think Mr. Williams would fall for her? Having just been given a chance to speak up, she acts as if she can do as she pleases.” “What a lowly woman. She is completely out of Mr. Williams' league who is an Oxford graduate." The mean words grew fiercer in the next few days. They were not only spoken behind Grace’s back anymore but also right in front of her. She was getting sick of being bullied and almost exploded, distracting her focus. Fortunately, she could still restrain herself from proclaiming the truth that she was Evan's best friend. Luckily, Mario was a wise manager. Since the beginning, he had created a good atmosphere in the HR department. When there were bad rumors about Grace, her office was a safe place for her. The staff also didn’t carelessly judge and indulge in meaningless rumors. “Grace, can you come with me to my office?” Mario appr

Returning to the office meant entering a battlefield. Grace armed herself with several ‘weapons’. Firstly, to tackle the harsh words spoken by some fellow employees. Secondly, to avoid getting involved with Evan. Grace made a request to Mario to let Nita replace her as the assistant manager for some period of time. It was initially burdensome for both Mario and Nita. Mario preferred to have Grace for having more experience and skills. Meanwhile, Nita felt more capable of working with a computer than standing in public. However, she pulled her best effort by giving some reasonable alibis until her request was finally granted. For approximately a month Grace successfully avoided Evan. Every time being asked to do something related to the GM, there was an excuse she could come up with to escape. She even left her place only when she had to go to the restroom or pantry, once a day. Not to mention how she made sure that she would finish work and leave the office on time. This proved that

Like a dream come true, more orders were pouring in. Indah got busier in making cookies and cakes every week. Either for birthday parties, social gatherings, office meetings, and so on. That was why Grace went back home on time to help her mom. Likewise, Anthony also helped out an hour or two in the evening. That's why Grace felt that her closeness to Anthony was starting to be taken to a different level. He really showed sincerity without any urge to reciprocate the feelings he had previously expressed toward her. Grace gradually found comfort near him. On the Sunday before Christmas break, Grace and Anthony delivered several cakes to a house in the Sanur Beach area. It was the second order from the Danish-Chinese couple. Since there were too many boxes, they used Anthony's pickup truck. It wasn’t a tiring trip since it took less than half an hour. Once they arrived at their destination, the two of them brought the cake into the big house. “Thank you for making such delicious cake

“—late.” Anthony walked toward the table. In his hand was a transparent plastic bag that clearly showed what was inside. He put it there before approaching Grace and Evan. Evan looked at Grace without a single word spoken, as if asking who the man was. “Ah, right. Hmm, Anthony, this is Evan, Evan, this is Anthony.” Grace introduced them to each other briefly. Anthony was thunderstruck and commented, “Oh? Isn't he …?” but didn't finish it. Grace nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. “Well, we … finally made up,” she said. Evan sensed there was something between Grace and Anthony. That man even sounded like he knew Grace's past problems with him. This made his heart restless. “You guys … in a relationship?” asked him without a second thought. “Oh, Anthony is—” “Someone who's CLOSE to Grace.” Anthony cut Grace off, Introducing himself with assertiveness. “A-ah! I thought you were Grace's hired driver. I saw you several times around the hotel, picking up Grace.” Evan del

Grace didn't believe what she'd heard. She had already known the reason why her dad and mom got divorced from the beginning. However, she never wanted to know who the third wheel was. Now that she knew who her dad had been having an affair with, she was lost for words. “Grace.” Evan worriedly touched Grace’s arm. "Grace, please say something." Instead of replying to Evan's questions, Grace lowered her head, looking at the floor. She clenched her fists tightly. Learning Grace’s reaction to the information, Evan immediately regretted telling the truth. "I shouldn’t have said it," he mumbled and squeezed his hair. Then he got up from the couch and stood by the window, looking out. ‘Why does it have to be Evan’s mom? It would mean nothing to me was it someone else. But it’s my best friend’s mom. Why?’ Grace became so frustrated thinking about it. She repeatedly wiped her tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. Not to mention she now understood why Evan once suddenly cut off their communicati