My Ex-husband Begs Me Back
Chapter 1001: Useless

Chapter 1001: Useless

"We're just having a family dinner, it's perfectly normal!" Page said witha smile, her eyes filled with gentleness. If Grace didn't know theirintentions, she would never have guessed how ruthless they could be.Grace furrowed her brows, her voice uncomfortably cold as shedeclined, "No, I don't want to have dinner, and I don't want to seeCamille. I think it's better if I have less contact with her. Mom, pleasedon't force me."

Page was generally quite fond of Grace, so she was straightforwardwhen speaking with her. However, Page was persistent and had asomewhat forceful attitude, saying, "Grace, how can you say that,darling? Is Camille influencing you? You've always been obedient toMom, and you can't disappoint us. Especially not with Camille'sinfluence. She's selfish, but you're different. You're the heiress of theArmstrong family. If you want what's best for the family, then you shouldfollow the plans your father and I have made."

Grace's face tensed, and she remained still for a moment, seeminglyshocked by Page's words. She stared at Page with vacant eyes andsaid in a low, hoarse voice, "Mom, how can you say that? Camille and Iare both your children. You can't treat Camille this way. This is onlypushing her further away. Shouldn't a family be harmonious?"

Grace stood up for Camille, and Page's expression turned unpleasant.Frowning, Page said, "What's gotten into you? Why are you soconcerned about Camille? Do you even care about our family, Grace?Everything we're doing is for you. You're the future of Armstrong Corp,and we should be on the same side. Grace, you can't disappoint us.”Page resorted to persuasive tactics, saying many things that felt likebrainwashing, leaving Grace feeling somewhat dizzy.

Grace tightened her lips, her expression pale and weary. She put downthe book she was holding and, with a low, hoarse voice, said, "Mom,I'm really tired. Please, don't push me. I just want to rest. Can youleave?"

Grace gave her mother an ultimatum, which Page found impolite. In thepast, Grace had always been obedient and compliant, following theirplans without resistance. So why was she growing more rebelliousnow?

Page's gaze remained displeased as she looked at Grace. She said,"Grace, how did you become so difficult to handle? Contact Camilleright now. She must come to dinner tonight; it's your responsibility, andyou must complete it."

Page's attitude was unwavering, and there was no room for negotiationin this matter.

She didn't know whether Grace had agreed or not, but Grace remainedexpressionless throughout the conversation.

Page believed that Camille had silently consented and her expressionsoftened. Her voice turned gentle as she said, "Grace, be a good girl.Don't make your dad angry. He's already upset because you spoke upfor Camille. So, try to please him, and don't do things he doesn't like,okay?"

Grace continued to look at her mother with a furrowed brow, her voicelow and hoarse as she asked, "Mom, do you even know what you'resaying?"

"Of course," Page replied with a smile. "Our good days are still aheadof us. Everything we're doing now is for our future life. So, we can'tafford any slip-ups, alright?"

Grace didn't give a direct response but asked, "Where's my phone?Can you give it to me now?"

Page hesitated for a moment, considering that she wanted Grace tocontact Camille. She then took the phone out of her pocket and handedit to her, saying, "Here's your phone. Make sure to handle the situationproperly, okay?"

"Okay," Grace responded in a detached manner.

Page gave a few more instructions before finally leaving Grace's room.Grace didn't call Camille but instead clutched her phone tightly, sittingon the bed without getting up. After a moment of silence, she unlockedher phone and sent a message to Horace: "Are you available? Can wetalk?"

Horace replied almost instantly, and the phone call came through.Grace quickly got up, locked her bedroom door, and then answered thecall.

Horace's voice came through from the other end of the line, "Grace?Are you okay?"

He had a naturally cold personality, but his attitude toward Grace wasinstinctively gentle. So when Grace heard his voice, she felt anindescribable excitement, and her nose tingled as if she might cry.

The fact that Grace and Horace had ended up together was quiteunexpected because neither of them had any interest in each otherbefore.

Her voice was soft as she replied, "I'm fine. Are you busy? Am Ibothering you?"

"Not at all. You can call me whenever you want, Grace. We don't needto be so formal with each other, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm not being formal. I just don't want to disrupt your work."

“No, I'm just handling some things right now, so I'm not busy." Horace'svoice was deep and a bit stiff, but Grace didn't notice. He asked, "Whatabout you? What are you doing?"

“I'm daydreaming."

Grace smiled weakly, then asked in a soft, low voice, "I have aquestion.”

"Sure, go ahead."

"What would you do if a person closest to you forced you to schemeagainst another close person?”

Grace didn't know what to do and whom to confide in, so she chose toseek a reason that would firmly resolve her inner conflict.

Horace didn't ask her any questions. He simply replied, “If both of themare close to you, then they are close to each other as well. In that case,it's surprising. But I believe that some actions cross the line. It's notgood to accept just because the other person is close or difficult tohandle. This would hurt the other close person. Instead of doing that,it's better to extricate yourself and let them resolve their issues on theirown. That should be the best way."

"Should I remind the other person?"

"Does the other person know that someone is planning against them?""Probably."

"If they know, then there's no need to explicitly remind them. Just dropsubtle hints."

“I understand what to do now. Thank you." Grace began with ametaphor but gradually accepted that she was the person beingreferred to in the metaphor.

Horace never asked her directly and never broke the conversation. Hecontinued to provide answers in a cooperative manner.

As they continued to talk, Grace felt there was no need to keep hiding,and she softly asked Horace, "Why are my parents always so biased?Even though they favor me, it's not what I want. I hope the Armstrongfamily can be harmonious, that's when we're complete. If we keepscheming against each other, the Armstrong family will eventually fallapart. What should I do to change the situation? I feel like I can't doanything, am I useless?"

Grace's emotions became more agitated as she continued speaking.She took a deep breath, and her mood started to intensify.

She said, "What can I do to change the current situation? I feel like Ican't do anything. Am I completely useless?"

Grace seemed to be under a lot of psychological pressure, and she hadmany concerns. This made her thoughts heavy and her anxietypalpable, affecting her mood negatively.

Horace sensed this and his tone became much more serious. His deepvoice echoed, "Grace, you can't put so much pressure on yourself. Noteverything can be changed just because you want it to. As for the bias,it's your parents’ decision. As long as you treat Camille well, it won'taffect your relationship with her. I don't think Camille would mind,right?”

"Of course, but I still feel guilty towards her. Am I just really useless?"Grace asked bitterly.