I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden)
Chapter 91  Ripping Hope

His hand suddenly grabbed her chin and lifted her head with strength. Their handsome and beautiful faces were almost within reach! Caden stared at her face tightly with his cold gaze, "Go to the hospital or the bank? Grace, I'm giving you a chance to choose." He was so close that Grace could clearly see the fine hairs on his face.

Her eyes looked persistent and unyielding, "I want to go to the bank." she said it word by word without any intention of giving in. "You still have the guts to drink alcohol with one less kidney." his cold voice reminded her indifferently, "Do you want to die?" "I want to go to the bank!"

"You still want to go to the bank even losing your life?"

She deeply looked at him before opening her mouth and indifferently said, "Yes."

It's not the first time she had put her life at stake. Not to mention, that it was only two sips of whiskey.

She subconsciously used her hand that was hanging on the side of her body to tug the cuff of his suit coat.

He saw everything but Grace didn't realize it herself. His cold eyes drooped down and glanced across her hand, which was tugging his suit coat. Her blue veins were bulging on that very hand. His incomprehensible gaze landed on her face again...

While staring at her, Caden thought that she had always like to frequently appear and wander in front of him. She had wished that he would take another look at her and make her mood better. Since when did everything change, when he wasn't paying attention? Even if... She would lose her life, she still wanted to go to the bank and leave him?

There was something insane inside his black eyes.

His profound and tranquil eyes stared at Grace's face deeply, and it became harder to understand.

"Grace, do you really want to go to the bank in a hurry?"

Are you really anxious about leaving my side as soon as possible?

It's not like that! It shouldn't be like this! He's the only one between them who could say "finish".

His two slender fingers pinched the check away from Grace's hand and swayed it slowly, "What can you do if I let you go to the bank? The bank is closed, could an ATM process a check?" Could an ATM process a check?

... Of course not!

Grace felt like she was struck by a lightning!

She stared blankly at the check he was holding between his index and middle finger... So the check she worked so hard to get was actually just a piece of paper? So... Did she endure everything just for this single piece of paper?

All of the sudden, she lifted her head, "President Shaw, I beg you... It's still five million and not a single cent less, there's no difference. What's the difference in depositing it to the bank card today, or tomorrow?"

She said that and prepared to kneel, "President Shaw, I beg you! I'm kneeling to beg you! I don't have anything else left than my knees! I'll give it all to you... I'm giving the last thing I could give to you! Everything! As long as you say it, I'll be free! I'll be able to leave..." Caden looked cold when he threw the check between his fingers.

With a 'patter', the check slapped Grace's face, "The last thing? Is it not your freedom?"

Knees? The last thing she could give him?

Caden endured his anger, it was hard for him to vent off... The last thing she could give him was that pair of knees which would kneel in front of anyone?

In the past, she had always been head over heels for him. Whether it's an obsession or love, everything was dazzling and valuable to him.

And what did she say today?

The last thing she could give him was her knees?

Fucking knee!

She even wanted to leave him!

No way!

Absolutely not!

He didn't understand why he wanted to stop her from leaving him. In his subconscious mind, the mere thought of that matter was unacceptable and it made him go crazy. He didn't understand the reason behind it, but he absolutely would not let that happen!

No means no!

Grace went pale... she understood everything.

"Freedom! Grace, you better remember one thing about freedom. If I say that you don't have it, then you won't have it!"

Gloria's heart was shaken while driving the car.

What sort of deep hatred, could make him torture someone like that.

"Gloria, faster." he didn't even look at the woman beside him.

He took his phone out and pressed the call button with his slender fingers, "Go to the hospital immediately, she drank some alcohol." "Who?"

"Grace."

Humbert flared up on the other side of the phone, "What? She had the guts to drink alcohol? She wants to die."

"I'll bring her over now, be ready."

After speaking, Humbert still wanted to say "he's off duty today", but he ended the call right away.

Humbert jumped out of the bed, "Fuck!"

Damn it! It's a huge mistake for having such a bad friend!

In the car, Grace picked the check and stared at it blankly before laughing... Caden, did you know?

What I had to go through for this check?

"Gloria, open the window." a woman in the car said that with a hoarse voice.

Gloria hesitated for a while and asked Caden from the rear view mirror.

Caden narrowed his eyes at the back seat. He took a glance at Grace and slightly nodded.

Gloria pressed a button to slowly lower the car's rear window.

She cautiously glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror. She unwittingly almost forgot to breathe because of it!

The woman on the back seat looked calm while ripping the check again and again into pieces... That five hundred thousand check turned into pieces of shredded paper in her hand.

She stretched her hand out of the window, and those pieces were blown away from her palms.

Gloria didn't hold back because that action shocked her.

She said, "Are you crazy?! Did you forget what you had to go through to get that check? How could you let it turn into a scrap like that?!"

Grace did not even blink! Her expression was so tranquil that it looked so scary.

She slowly looked over after hearing Gloria's words and answered lightly, "It's unimportant."

Unimportant!

How could that be unimportant!

She was annoyed and at loss for words after seeing Grace's calm expression.

Right, how could that be unimportant?

The most humiliating thing was she had knelt, crawled over the glass shards and below someone's crotch, begged for mercy, and even risked her life by drinking alcohol in front of her former partner and old friends... How could that be unimportant? They all said that Grace was obsessed with money and could do anything for it.

Could that be true?

People only saw her wagging her tail happily while bending over to pick money off the ground with a smiling face, and thought that smile was hideous.

No one would ask Grace, why would you do that?

Did Grace feel no pain?

At that time, Gloria hated herself and Caden... Grace ripped her only hope. Gloria could not imagine how much pain was concealed within her calm expression and how much effort that pure girl had put to bear the pain.

What did this stupid girl think when she ripped that check? Gloria suddenly admired her... Everyone said that Grace was petty and low but the girl that they thought was worth nothing was actually one of the strongest and most tolerant people in the world. Caden looked at Grace with his profound eyes, "Why did you rip it?"

Grace answered calmly, "It's just a scrap of paper."

It was a scrap of paper that she earned with so much effort.

She was desperate and gave up... Would that be enough?

She was waiting for him to be fed up with this game and set her free.

But before that, she felt exhausted because she couldn't break free...000