?


    Murray instructed his driver, "Turn around, head to Crystal Court Mall."


    "Right away, Mr. Sherwood."


    ...


    The dinner, orchestrated to be a rxed affair by Grace, was fairly enjoyable.


    The only hup was when Murray ordered a bottle of red wine.


    By the time the wine was finished, he was visibly intoxicated, his eyes blurry with drunkenness.


    Seeing this, Grace had no choice but to help him into the car.


    The driver was a bit surprised, "Mr. Sherwood is...?"


    Grace replied, "He''s drunk. Could you please take him home?"


    Suddenly, the driver asked, "Grace, would you like toe along?"


    Grace paused for a moment.


    "Don''t get me wrong. At this hour, Sadie would have already left, so there won''t be anyone at the mansion. But with Mr. Sherwood in this state, he''ll need someone to look after him. If you don''t mind..."


    Grace responded, "Of course, I don''t mind. Let''s go then."


    After saying that, she also got into the car.


    Soon, the driver dropped them off and left.


    Grace helped Murray inside, and just as the driver had mentioned, the house was dark, and no one was around.


    She managed to get him onto the living room couch before finally letting out a sigh of relief.


    The man seemed restless in his sleep, his eyes shut tight, and his brow furrowed.


    Seeing him in difort, Grace started to remove his jacket and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt.


    This seemed to make him a lot morefortable.


    At least he wasn''t frowning anymore.


    ncing at the clock, it was nearly ten. Grace went into the kitchen, and after some light ttering, came out with a ss of warm water, which she ced on the coffee table.


    Then, she grabbed a pillow, cing it under his head.


    Finally, after checking Murray''s forehead to make sure he wasn''t feverish, she quietly left the room.


    The sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet night.


    As soon as she left, the man on the couch suddenly opened his eyes.


    Indeed, Murray wasn''t drunk at all.


    This act was merely a test for Grace.


    When she had said she "didn''t want money," Murray''s guard went up instantaneously.


    A woman who doesn''t want money might want something far more.


    Like affection?


    Or perhaps, marriage, or a title?


    Although this test was somewhat paranoid and, looking back, unnecessary, Murray still felt it was essential.


    He didn''t want to get involved with another Millie.


    At least for now, Grace seemed fairly straightforward.


    ---


    At Kingswell University, in the Life Sciences Department, the Vice Dean''s office.


    Babur looked emotionlessly at the woman in front of him.


    Just one night had passed, and Edna''s face had grown haggard.


    Her eyes were half-closed, devoid of her usual arrogance.


    "...Director White, what did the president say?"


    Babur erupted, "The nerve you have to ask! Atst night''s event, in front of so many colleagues and journalists, you confronted


    l


    Roseanne directly, as if you wanted everyone to know you were the one sabotaging her?!


    "I...I didn''t expect her to actually get the approval..."


    net


    "Not expected?! Did you expect them to seed in building theb? But look at the result! Not only did they finish it, but they also received congrattions from everyone. That should have been your cue to be cautious! To realize that Roseanne and her team weren''t just bluffing, but actuallypetent!"


    "And what did you do? You


    n


    continued to make mistakes, cause trouble, bring issues to my doorstep! Now the mess has reached the president, and what could have been covered up is now public knowledge. Even if I wanted to protect you, it''s impossible now!"


    Edna''s gaze tightened, "What do you mean? What did the administration say?"