Looking for Benjamin

Grace was at the airport. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she stared at her phone's screen, which had already turned black.

Maybe she had been under too much pressure at Hawkins Manor for too long. Now she felt like she had gotten a weight off her mind.

She looked at the travelers around her. Was she sad that she would be leaving Pamore soon?

Perhaps she was, but what she felt more was relief.

She had thought that Benjamin didn't love her. But it turned out that he already had someone else in his heart.

In that case, what was the point of continuing to cling to him?

Grace went to the first-class check-in counter to board the plane bound for Darai.

Years ago, she had left her family and hidden her true identity to stay in Pamore.

Had it not been for her grandfather's wish to meet her and Benjamin, the medical expo deal with Hawkins Group would never have been sealed.

Yet, Benjamin had sent her there alone instead of going together.

It was time for her to return now.

The female employee at the counter tactfully said, "Miss, your flight ticket is currently on hold. I can't issue you a boarding pass at the moment."

"On hold?" Grace was stunned.

"It can't be. Can you please check again?"

"Did you book the ticket with a corporate account? There may have been some refund processing earlier. Could you please show me your identification card for verification?"

It wasn't until Grace heard that that she realized what was wrong.

Since she had been Benjamin's secretary, almost all of her accounts were managed by Hawkins Group.

As for her identification card, the HR department had taken the original for some sort of registration purpose not long ago.

Grace had wanted to leave the city as soon as possible. So she hadn't considered everything carefully.

"Sorry. I'll make a call to ask about it."

She stepped aside and pulled out her phone to call the HR department.

Before she could even make the call, she realized that her phone number had been deactivated.

How could she forget that her phone number was also managed by Hawkins Group?

"Hawkins Group!" she cursed inwardly.

As soon as she left the airport, she hailed a cab and headed to Hawkins Tower. It was starting to rain.

Soon, the towering building came into her view.

She gave 100 dollars to the driver and stepped into the futuristic building with her luggage in tow.

Fortunately, the news of her resignation hadn't been widely circulated yet. The only thing was that she looked a little disheveled due to the rain.

It took her several attempts to pass the facial recognition system and finally gain access to the elevator.

Then, she went directly to the HR department on the 12th floor.

"Oh my, Ms. Lewis, why are you in such a sorry state? Those who don't know would have thought that you were fleeing for your life," said Jason Gray. He was the director of the HR department.

He was a sissy and a good bootlicker.

Given how Benjamin treated Grace, Jason naturally wasn't respectful or kind to her either.

"Where is my identification card?" Grace cut straight to the chase.

"Identification card? Larry just came and took it away two minutes ago."

Grace was stunned. She should have expected something like this!

Benjamin was infamous for his cold and unyielding character. There was no way he would allow her to challenge his authority like that.

Just as Grace was about to go and look for Benjamin, Jason suddenly called her. "It's fine to be dismissed, but please mind your attitude, okay?

"They are having an important meeting on the top floor now, and I heard that Mr. Hawkins' fiancée is here too."

Yvonne Called Her

Fiancée?

Her marriage to Benjamin had been kept secret from the public. Hence, everyone in the company only thought that she was his secretary.

In that case, it seemed that the "fiancée" Jason mentioned was Yvonne.

Grace had just divorced Benjamin, and now Yvonne was already here at Hawkins Group.

Not only that, but Yvonne would also stay at Hawkins Manor and sleep in her bed, enjoying Benjamin's company.

Grace's heart stung just thinking about it.

Nevertheless, she still thanked Jason for telling her and left the HR department.

Jason stared at her receding figure intently.

He thought even a fool could tell that Grace had feelings for Mr. Hawkins. No wonder she had been dismissed.

As he turned on his computer, he sarcastically remarked to himself, "It looks like a good show is coming up soon."

When Grace stepped out of the elevator on the top floor, she bumped into Larry.

"Ms. Lewis, you're here." Larry cast a look at the luggage in her hand. He guessed that she was here for her identification card.

He pointed in the direction of the conference room and said, "I've handed your identification card to Mr. Hawkins.

"He's in his third meeting of the day. Are you in a hurry? Do you need me to call him out for you?"

"It's okay. I'll wait for him here." Grace sounded aloof.

"Sure. How about some coffee?"

Larry knew Benjamin had no intention of letting Grace resign.

Grace had a lot on her plate, not to mention important projects. If she were to resign, it would be difficult to immediately find someone to take over her role.

"It's Tursmain hand-brewed coffee. I've just learned how to make it," Larry added. His attitude toward her was evidently more gentle than before.

"Thanks, but no, thanks." Since Grace was planning to sever ties with Benjamin, she didn't want to be nice to anyone around him.

After that, Larry didn't say anything else. He entered the conference room to give the documents to Benjamin.

Grace walked past the office area and spared a glance at the conference room.

The door was opened a crack. As expected, a lot of people were sitting around the meeting table.

Benjamin's back was facing her. He was listening to the reports from the people on either side of him. His expression was cold, and she saw him saying something from time to time.

He was always focused during meetings.

Grace withdrew her gaze. She looked down at her soaked clothes and the luggage in her hand.

As much as she wanted to barge in, she knew it was inappropriate for her to do so.

Then, she flitted her eyes to the president's office. Although the glass was frosted, she could still see the woman sitting on the chair.

It seemed like that was Yvonne, whom Grace had seen at the hospital.

Grace would only feel more awkward and bad if she went there now.

Hence, she put her luggage aside and went to the restroom instead. She turned on the tap and washed her face with cold water.

As she tried to calm herself down, she also wondered how to ask Benjamin for her identification card later.

"Ms. Lewis, you're late today," said an intern who came over to wash her hands.

Grace hummed in acknowledgment and didn't say anything more. When the intern left, she pulled out a tissue and wiped her face.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, remembering her brother saying how thin she had become when she had visited Darai the last time.

She had tried to make light of it by claiming that she was on a diet.

It seemed like the marriage had indeed caused her a lot of suffering.

Ending it was a good choice.

All of a sudden, the restroom door was pushed open again.

A slender and fair woman entered, radiating an air of grace and nobility. Her belly was slightly curved.

Grace inexplicably felt insecure at the sight of Yvonne. She immediately wiped her face dry and regained her composure. Then, she turned to leave.

"Hey," Yvonne suddenly said.

"I heard someone calling you Ms. Lewis earlier. You must be Benjamin's secretary, right?"

Grace froze. The footsteps behind her were getting closer and closer.

Yvonne walked in front of her and shot her a gentle smile. "Benjamin's meeting should be ending soon.

"Can you help me brew a cup of coffee and send it to his office? You should know what flavor he likes, right?"

I Have Something With Him

Grace was somewhat hesitant. She had already submitted her resignation, and she no longer had any obligations to handle matters like this.

Moreover, although Yvonne's words sounded like a request, her tone made it seem like an order.

Grace didn't like it.

Then again, Benjamin did have her identification card, and this would be the last time she would be dealing with such trivial tasks.

She could also use the chance and ask him for her identification card when she sent the coffee over later.

She took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

"Thanks." Then, Yvonne walked away.

After getting pregnant, Yvonne's demeanor had a touch of motherliness. Nevertheless, her confidence as the affluent daughter of a prominent family still contrasted with Grace's.

Back then, thanks to Grace's distinguished family, Yvonne had been nowhere on par with her. However, as the years had passed, Grace seemed to have ended up losing her poise and elegance.

Grace stood there in a daze for a while before she collected her thoughts. Then, she went to the pantry to brew the Americano with three-quarter black sugar and one-quarter milk.

That was how Benjamin liked it.

As Grace walked back, she saw that the meeting had ended and everyone was walking out of the conference room.

Noticing that Benjamin wasn't around, she assumed that he must have gone to his office.

With the coffee in her hand, she knocked on his office door.

"Come in." It was Yvonne's coquettish voice.

Grace almost spilled the Americano. It took her a while to pluck up her courage and finally push the door open.

The moment she did, she saw Yvonne wrapping her arms around Benjamin's neck and sitting on his lap.

Although Grace had mentally prepared herself, her heart still stung like hell upon seeing such a scene.

Yvonne seemed somewhat embarrassed that Grace had seen her intimacy with Benjamin. "You can leave after putting down the coffee," she said.

Hearing that, Grace came to her senses and slowly raised her head. She looked Benjamin in the eye.

His gaze was laced with such coldness that it seemed like he could devour her right then and there.

Grace felt like Benjamin was doing this on purpose. He was aware of her presence, yet he chose to let her stumble upon his intimate moment with Yvonne, all to embarrass her.

"Ms. Lewis?" Yvonne looked over when she didn't receive any response from Grace.

Grace hummed in response and nodded. After putting the coffee down, she turned around to leave.

After taking two steps forward, she suddenly halted in her tracks.

Listening to their voices behind her, she couldn't help but imagine Benjamin getting intimate with Yvonne.

Her legs turned to jelly, and she had to use every ounce of willpower to keep herself from collapsing.

"Ms. Lewis, is there anything else?" Yvonne was a little displeased that Grace was still hanging around.

"I ..." She finally mustered up the courage to look at them.

"Mr. Hawkins has something important of mine. I hope he can return it to me."

At that instance, the atmosphere in the spacious president's office grew heavy.

Even though the desk was piled high with stacks of documents, they weren't enough to conceal what the two people were doing on the genuine leather chair.

Benjamin's white collar was unbuttoned, and a hickey could be seen on his neck.

"Oh?" Yvonne was curious.

She tightened her grip on Benjamin's arm and asked, "Benjamin, what is it that you have of hers?"

"Nothing important." Benjamin pulled Yvonne into his embrace.

Looking at how close their bodies were pressing against each other, Grace pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't say anything.

A while later, Benjamin parted his lips and said frostily, "You can leave now."

He looked at her as if she were a stranger to him.

It seemed like he wasn't going to return the identification card to her so easily.

"It's my identification card."

Since Yvonne was around, Grace decided to speak frankly. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to get her identification card back and leave the company for good.

"Actually, I've resigned, but Mr. Hawkins has seized my identification card. I can't help but wonder if he's harboring other thoughts about me.

"Hawkins Group is full of capable employees. There's no need for him to resort to such lowly methods against a mere secretary like me."