Chapter 513: Miss Hancock, Beware of Fire Hazards
Before Grace could finish speaking, Jared had already stood up and waved to someone in the distance, “Tina, I’m here.”
Grace was stunned. Tina? Why was she here?
Wasn’t she supposed to be taking care of the old lady at the Lyon family?
Grace turned around to see Tina in a biker suit, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders, holding a helmet in one hand. She looked both cool and fierce!
Tina walked over, set the helmet on the table, and kissed Jared on the lips in front of Grace.
“I’m late.”
“No, you’re just in time,” Jared said, taking Tina’s hand and pulling her into a seat next to him. He pushed a plate with freshly cut steak towards her. “Just cut, eat up.”
“Thank you, uncle,” Tina replied with a smile, happily digging into the steak.
Jared ruffled Tina’s hair, then turned to Grace, “What were you saying?”
Grace clenched the tablecloth under the table tightly, her fingertips turning pale from the force, her veins bulging.
Yet, to maintain her image, she forced a smile.
“I was saying, shouldn’t we have a wedding ceremony in Clearwater before heading back to Ashbury to have another?”
Grace couldn’t believe it; she had made her point clear, yet Tina seemed oblivious. She was the one recognized as the future granddaughter-in-law of the Lyon family!
Jared smirked, “Tina and I only want to have it in Ashbury, since we don’t have many relatives in Clearwater.”
Grace nearly bit her lip through, “Mr. Farrell, are you mistaken about something? We’re sitting here because it was arranged by our families.”
Jared gave a cold smile, “The reason we’re sitting here isn’t that it was arranged by our families, but because I wanted to tell you that Tina is my fiancee. I didn’t introduce her properly last time, but now, do you understand?”
Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes; she couldn’t believe Jared could be so heartless.
What was so good about that Tina?
Just a perfumer, a clothes designer, an artist?
Simply put, she was just a worker for their noble kind, a country bumpkin who thought a little skill could turn her into a phoenix?
Nothing but a clown!
Why on earth did Jared want to be with Tina?
She was a daughter of the Hancock family, one of the top families in Clearwater, even the esteemed Lyon family had to curry favor with them.
How could a country bumpkin compare?
Whether by birth or by beauty, Grace believed she was in no way inferior to Tina!
Had Jared gone blind?Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.
After finishing her meal, Tina pulled out a napkin to wipe her mouth and noticed Grace’s untouched steak, kindly reminding, “Miss Hancock, the steak will not taste good once it’s cold.”
“No need to worry, Miss Reed!” A tear fell from Grace’s eye as she glared at Tina.
She wished she could tear Tina to pieces right then!
Tina shrugged, “Then take your time.”
Jared also stood up, taking Tina’s helmet and tenderly wrapping an arm around her slim waist, not looking back as they left.
Tina, with her back to Grace, said lightly, “Miss Hancock, you should head home early, beware of fires!”
Grace stared fiercely at their departing figures, her palms nearly bleeding from the grip.
Tina, you wait!
The resentment in Grace’s heart spilled into reality as she violently pulled on the tablecloth.
Stephanie had specially arranged a candlelit dinner for her and Jared, and the candles on the table were knocked over by the cloth.
Wine spilled over Grace along with the plates.
The candle fire, fueled by the spilled wine, caught on Grace’s clothes.
“Ah! Help!”
Grace was wearing a short, flammable dress made of light material, which caught fire from a candle! Fortunately, a quick-reacting waiter sprayed her with a fire extinguisher, preventing any harm to her skin. However, the dress was badly burned, exposing more than intended, including her sexy black lace thong. Who would have thought that such an outwardly pure woman would wear something so provocative underneath?
Grace tried to cover up with her purse, but it was too small to hide everything. Thankfully, the waiter kindly offered his jacket to her. Without a word of thanks, she wrapped herself in the jacket and rushed out.
Once home, Grace locked herself in her room and cried. She felt she had faced all her most embarrassing moments in just these past two days! Hearing his daughter’s sobs, her father Max, knocked on her door worriedly, “Grace, what’s the matter?”
Opening the door, Grace cried inconsolably in her father’s arms. “Dad, Tina has gone too far. You need to teach her a lesson, get her away from Mr. Farrell!” Max frowned, “Tina… Could it be that Tina?”
As her father seemed distracted, Grace cried out, “Dad, are you even listening? I’ve been humiliated today, and you seem not to care!” Coming to his senses, Max asked, “Grace, who is this Tina?”
“She’s just a country bumpkin, Mr. Farrell’s fiancee, an orphan no less, and she dares to compete with me for a man. Dad, you have to deal with her. I want to marry Mr. Farrell, I will marry him!” Grace was being stubborn.
She had always been the pampered princess of the family, her every whim catered to by Max. Back when the Hancock family was a minor name in Ensford, Max worked tirelessly for his business, even to the detriment of his health which led to a car accident costing him his fertility. It was only because of his elder brother that they welcomed Grace, a child born before Mrs. Hancock passed away from illness.
Raised single-handedly by Max, Grace grew up spoiled and cherished. Later, the Hancock family moved to Clearwater, prospered through inherited technology, and became one of its most influential families. Even the Lyon family sought their favor, leading Max to demand that Grace marry Jared Lyon as part of a business deal.
Hearing Grace’s demands, Max felt reassured. He remembered Tina had a father, Hugo Reed, although he wasn’t aware of the significant changes in the Reed family and believed Hugo was not Tina’s biological father, thinking it was merely a coincidence of names.
Patting his daughter’s head, he reassured her, “There, there, you’re a Hancock, what can’t you have? It’s just a Tina. Daddy will handle it. Now, go wash your face and have a good sleep.” Comforted by her father’s promise, Grace finally felt at ease, knowing her father would never fail to fulfill a promise.