Chapter 279

[ 1,151 words ]

Grace made her way through the crowd and walked straight over to Rose, her eyes sparkling with energy.

“Rose, I knew it would be hard to get you to come find me, so I had to come find you first.”

That was exactly why she liked Rose.

She knew her place and respected boundaries. Even though Rose understood that Grace could use her influence to help her accomplish many things, she had never once asked.

That kind of character was truly rare.

Rose immediately smiled brightly. “I just saw how busy you were.”

Grace pretended to be annoyed. “We were only chatting. That hardly counts as being busy.”

As she spoke, Grace turned to Trevor. “Mr. Robinson.”

Trevor nodded politely. “Dr. Grace. It’s been a long time.”

A strange look flashed across Grace’s face. “You and Rose…”

She had only recently learned about Rose’s marriage to Ryan, and Trevor had made no secret of his feelings for Rose long ago.

She was finding it difficult to sort out the complicated relationships between them.

“We’re planning to get married,” Trevor said frankly.

Grace paused in surprise.

She immediately turned to Rose for confirmation. “Then what about you and the Knight family…?”

Rose leaned closer and whispered softly into the elderly woman’s ear. “We’re divorced.”

Grace immediately squeezed Rose’s hand.

“You did the right thing. A marriage without love can never last.”

But soon afterward, a trace of indescribable sadness crossed her face.

Her shoulders seemed to sag ever so slightly.

Back then, she had stubbornly insisted on maintaining Trevor’s engagement.

On the surface, she had appeared selfish, refusing to let Trevor marry anyone else while insisting he wait for her granddaughter.

But the truth was that she had been clinging to hope.

As long as the engagement remained, there was always a greater chance that her granddaughter might one day return and marry him.

But eventually, Grace had come to another realization.

What if her granddaughter had already settled down somewhere else?

What if she already had a happy family of her own?

Or perhaps she had long since…

Grace couldn’t help but sigh.

Rose understood exactly who she was thinking about.

Her heart tightened.

Stepping forward, she gently embraced the elderly woman. “We’ll find her.”

Grace finally smiled. “It’s alright. Don’t let my gloomy mood affect you.”

Their warm interaction caught the attention of many guests.

Including Daisy and Samantha.

The moment Samantha noticed them, she walked over to Daisy. “Mom?”

She glanced coldly toward Rose. “Dr. Grace seems to think very highly of Rose.”

Daisy’s expression darkened.

She let out a scornful snort. “Rose certainly knows what she’s doing. She’s learned how to curry favor without making it obvious. I bet she’s counting on winning Dr. Grace’s support so she can keep climbing higher.”

“Then what about us…?” Samantha asked quietly, pressing her lips together.

Daisy immediately grabbed Samantha’s hand. “Rose’s glory won’t last long. One day, she won’t even be worthy of tying your shoes.”

With that, she led Samantha straight toward them.

Watching the scene unfold, James frowned slightly.

He truly didn’t want Samantha approaching his grandmother right now.

After everything that had happened—the university’s disciplinary action and Rose’s accusations—the only people in the industry capable of preventing Samantha from being completely ostracized were individuals like Dr. Nathan and his grandmother.

Without saying a word, James set down his wineglass and hurried after them.

He wanted to stop them.

Ryan, however, merely glanced casually in their direction.

A subtle, unreadable emotion flickered across his eyes.

Oliver had already guessed what James intended.

He quietly asked, “Ryan, if Samantha accidentally says the wrong thing and offends Dr. Grace, that won’t end well.”

“Mmm.”

Ryan simply turned and walked over with unhurried strides.

Meanwhile, Alicia had also arrived.

The moment she spotted Rose, she hurried over happily, slipping her arm through Rose’s with obvious affection.

“Professor Rose! I knew you’d come!”

She clung to Rose’s arm without letting go.

In doing so, she inadvertently nudged Trevor slightly aside.

Trevor merely glanced at her without making an issue of it.

Although Rose wasn’t accustomed to such familiarity, she didn’t pull away.

She simply smiled and nodded.

Just then, Daisy and Samantha arrived.

Daisy immediately put on another warm smile. “Dr. Grace, hello. Sam, do you remember Dr. Grace?”

Grace was already somewhat displeased that her conversation with Rose had been interrupted.

She looked at Daisy and Samantha standing before her.

She had personally witnessed everything Samantha had done at the symposium.

Naturally, she disliked her even more.

The girl’s character was fundamentally flawed.

She had destroyed someone else’s marriage and falsely accused Rose.

In Grace’s eyes, Samantha was beyond redemption.

Ignoring them completely, Grace turned directly to Rose.

“Rose, come with Grandma. Let’s find somewhere quiet to sit and talk.”

Being ignored so completely caused Daisy and Samantha’s expressions to stiffen.

At that moment, James arrived and witnessed the entire exchange.

He instantly felt relieved.

His grandmother had never been someone who spared anyone’s feelings.

When she was younger, she had even refused to acknowledge her own father for more than twenty years.

She certainly wouldn’t make exceptions for outsiders.

“James,” Alicia called softly.

Her expression was a mixture of hope and hesitation.

James merely frowned without responding.

Rose noticed the subtle interaction immediately.

For siblings, James and Alicia’s relationship seemed unusually…

Distant.

Before she could think any further, Grace had already taken her hand, intending to lead her away.

Watching this, Samantha silently clenched her teeth.

Daisy became even more anxious.

She immediately nudged Samantha forward. “Dr. Grace, what happened to Sam was all a misunderstanding. I’d like to ask you to put in a good word for her. Being expelled from NYU and publicly reprimanded would completely ruin her future.”

Grace let out a cold laugh.

A misunderstanding?

And what right did they have to ask her to smooth things over?

She was just about to refuse when something suddenly caught her eye.

A jade pendant had slipped out from beneath Samantha’s neckline.

It was only a brief glimpse.

Yet Grace’s expression changed dramatically.

Her eyes immediately sharpened.

Before Daisy could say another word, Grace suddenly reached out and grabbed Samantha’s wrist.

Despite her frail appearance, the elderly woman’s grip was astonishingly strong as she pulled Samantha toward her.

“Take it off!”

Grace’s voice was unusually sharp, and her breathing had become noticeably uneven.

Her eyes remained fixed on the jade pendant peeking out from Samantha’s collar. “Take it out. Let me see it.”

Grace’s sudden reaction startled Rose as well.

She could clearly see that Grace was deeply shaken.

Tears had already begun gathering in her eyes.

But what could possibly have affected her so profoundly?

Samantha looked completely bewildered.

Lowering her head, she pulled the jade pendant from beneath her collar.

“This one?”

She spoke in her usual calm, gentle tone. “Do you like this jade pendant?”

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