I've Been There Before

Chapter 138 Plot

“Mrs. James, to where do you want me to return?” Grace hid away the affliction she felt and stared blandly at her mother who had given birth and raised her. She had clarified the kinships between them when she addressed her as ‘Mrs. James’.

An indiscernible awkward look appeared on Mrs. James’s face and vanished in the blink of an eye. She grasped Grace’s hand and intended to drag her toward the direction of the James’s household’s entrance. “Grace, stop messing around, I beg you. Please stop messing around at all costs for an occasion like this. Leave, please?”

As if being struck by lightning, Grace gave a shudder and her heart hurt as if being torn apart. She slowly recollected herself and her eyes landed on the middle-aged woman before her.

The woman before her had smooth skin like pottery which was maintained by exorbitant skin products and there was only slight trace of wrinkles at the corner of eyes when she smiled. She was wearing a gown worth more than a hundred thousand and a set of jewelleries which was a limited edition sold by a luxurious brand recently. Her makeup was exquisite and she looked elegant. Yes, the woman before her was the ‘Mrs. James’ from the James family in Shanghai.

“Mrs. James, you are a qualified ‘Mrs. James’,” Grace said slowly to her, “To become a qualified ‘Mrs. James’, you can abandon other identities you should possess. Is that so?” For example, the identity as her biological mother, the mother who should love and protect her…Yet the middle-aged lady before her must have already forgotten this identity.

Mrs. James’s face flushed and went pale at the same time. How could she be able to withstand such an accusation when she had enjoyed luxury and fame for half her life? And the one who accused her was even her own flesh-and-blood. She caught a glimpse of her husband and son who were not far away from the corner of her eyes and she decided to swallow back her grievance.

A smile though extremely strained was worn once again by her exquisite face. She held Grace’s hand and persuaded her with effort. “Grace, mom begs you, please go. After today…after today, mom would go visit you. There’s still something ongoing at home, so please go.”

Grace lowered her head and her shoulder suddenly shuddered. As the shudder grew stronger, a suppressed rough laughter was slowly heard bit by bit.

“Mrs. James, come and visit me? Who would care about it?” If she had missed her, she would have already visited her since she had been out of jail for such a long time and there was no need for her to stand here and say those kinds of words today.

And who had given her the confidence that the child she gave birth to would yearn for her visit?

After suffering from a round of despair, Grace had gone clear-headed and understood that the moment her mother said she would visit her after today, her attitude towards her was revealed. “Mrs. James, do you think that you’re doing charity by visiting me?” If not, how could you say that with such ease!

Grace extended her hand and pried Mrs. James’s hand which was clasping her arm open. She tossed her hand away and spoke blandly. “Excuse me for leaving now, as I still have some work to do.” She turned and wobbled towards Caden on her high heels which were not so balance. She no longer approached Jafar and Payne as there was no need to interrogate them anymore!

Both Jafar and Payne heaved a sigh of relief when they saw her not walking towards them, yet they panicked the next moment before they had even recovered. “Why did she walk towards President Shaw?” Jafar asked Payne in a hurry, yet how would Payne know if Jafar did not.

Mrs. James on the other hand was startled and slightly annoyed when she was pushed away by Grace. She was innocent! A complete family with a son and daughter had broken apart to this mess, and she was deemed as a joke by outsiders. If Grace did not have the bad intention to harm that Venus girl, none of these would have happened today! She scampered towards her husband and son and JafarCcontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

quickly dragged her back to the corner, questioning her forcefully with his voice lowered. “What’s wrong with you? Why did you still let her stay here?”

Mrs. James was irritated when her husband blamed her too. “I didn’t expect that she would push me off!”

“It’s all your fault for giving birth to a jinx that keeps on bringing bad luck to the James family!”

“How could that solely be my fault? You hold the responsibility for the birth of that kid too!”

“I’ve been busy all day long doing business outside, and everything in the household is being taken charge by you. It’s your fault to not educate that jinx well that leads to this kind of situation today! Look at the powerful and noble families we know, no one has ever gone to jail!”

Mrs. James was more provoked and she blabbered on. “Was I held responsible to educate Grace? Grace was educated by the old man in the house since young! How could you blame me when she made a mistake?”

Payne who was standing near to them felt annoyed to watch and listen to his parents quarrelling and blaming each other and he bawled. “Alright, dad, mom, stop quarrelling! No matter how, Grace is still part of the James’s family and has lived with us for more than twenty years! She has paid for the bad deed she did in the past and she must have changed after getting out jail. Plus, didn’t you already clarify about that on newspaper? Dad.” Both of them were convinced and their looks became slightly relieved.

Payne wrinkled his eyebrows and glanced at Caden’s direction. “We need to think of a solution. Now that Grace has come today, could the auction still be carried out as usual?”

Jafar snorted. “Why not?”

“But…”

“I know what you want to say, but when that old man handed Wei’ai Foundation to that jinx back then, he has mentioned that she could not make a huge mistake before she’s married, or else, the foundation would be ours. Yet that jinx did not cherish it…If conducting homicide is not a huge mistake, what is? Alright, I’ll take charge of the auction this time later. Since Wei’ai Foundation has been ours, we can do anything we want to it, why should we listen to her? If she has the capability, I dare her to buy it back!” Payne and Mrs. James watched Jafar walking away and no longer utter a word when facing his domineering attitude.

Payne glanced at Caden’s side once more and he felt awkward when he coincidentally met Caden’s eyes. He was looking at his side too. As Payne prepared to greet him with a gesture feeling slightly embarrassed, Caden’s eyes swept past him lightly as if it was just a coincidental glance.

Meanwhile, Caden was asking Grace blandly. “You don’t want to have a meet with Mr. and Mrs. James anymore?”

Grace was in a silence and did not speak a word, yet her clenched fists had disclosed her current emotion.