Chapter 7
Mia crushed the note in her fist, her veins popping.
She asked, "That woman. Is she Grace? Derek's dream girl?"
Ethan replied, "She said she was Grace."
Mia muttered something harsh under her breath, then yanked the money out of the envelope and slammed it down on the table.
"We can't take this money," she said.
Ethan was quiet for a moment and asked, "Why not?"
Mia replied, "She's not doing this out of kindness. Luna told me about her, Derek's favorite, the one he keeps on a pedestal.
"When Luna was alive, this woman never did a thing for her. Now that Luna's gone, she shows up with money and a note telling you to stay away.
"You really think she's helping you? She wants you gone, doing Derek a favor."
Ethan sat in his chair and said nothing.
Mia looked at his profile, and his pale gray eyes turned toward the window. There was light outside, but he couldn't see it.
"Ethan, Luna once told me something," Mia continued.
Ethan tilted his head slightly.
Mia continued, "She told me if anything ever happens to her, please watch over you for her. You can't see what the world is really like, and she is worried someone will hurt you."
She took a deep breath and added, "Luna didn't make a mistake picking me as her friend. If anyone messes with you, I'll fight them with everything I've got."
Ethan reached out and found Mia's hand.
He said, "Mia, I'm not here to fight them. I want Derek to pay for Luna's funeral. She was his wife, and now she's gone. He should pay for it."
"He won't pay," Mia said.
"Then I'll keep coming back," Ethan said.
Ethan's voice was calm, like always, no anger, no complaint.
It was the kind of stubbornness only someone blind to the world could have.
He couldn't see how long the road ahead was, how tough it'd get, or how many people would stand in his way.
So he wasn't afraid. He'd keep going.
Meanwhile, up on the thirty-second floor, Grace was lounging on the sofa across from Derek, legs crossed, a cup of coffee in her hand.
She said, "I bumped into that boy at the door just now. He looked pretty pitiful, so I slipped him six hundred dollars and told him not to come again."
Derek shot her a look and said, "This isn't your business."
Grace replied, "I know, but he's blind, and he came all this way just to stand outside your company. If someone snaps a photo and posts it online, it could look bad for you."
Grace set down her cup, her voice tinged with concern as she said, "I'm just worried you'll get caught up in Luna's drama."
Derek frowned as he said, "She's not going to pull any more stunts. I know her too well. She'll make a fuss for a bit, then settle down."
Grace gave a small smile.
She said, "You're too soft. Anyone else would've kicked her out ages ago.
"But you let her crash in the basement and kept sending her money every month. She was never grateful."
Derek didn't say anything. He picked up a file from his desk and flipped through a couple of pages.
Grace stood up, walked over, and draped her hands over his shoulders.
She said, "By the way, I tried on that dress for my birthday party this Saturday. It looks amazing. But there's something I wanted to tell you."
"What is it?" Derek asked.
Grace replied, "The eye specialist you set me up with called back. He said there's a donor who's a perfect match, and all the tests came back great.
"If I want the surgery, it can be scheduled for next month."
She said it so casually, like she was just mentioning something random.
Derek turned to look at her and said, "Really? That's awesome. Your eyesight's been getting worse these past couple of years, and it's been stressing me out.
"Now that there's a match, let's get you scheduled right away. Don't worry about the cost. I'll handle everything."
Grace leaned down, pressing her face against his shoulder.
"Thanks. I always knew you were the best," she said.
As she pressed her face against his shoulder, the curve of her smile was hidden by his collar.
The smile was faint and fleeting.
But if Ethan could see, he'd probably think it was the same smile she gave him when she handed him that envelope.
Almost unnaturally perfect. Not a single flaw.
Oliver checked out the basement without Derek ever finding out.
He tracked down the address. In the company's financial records, he found my account, tied to my ID number. The address on my ID matched the basement.
It was an old neighborhood with no elevators. There were only a handful of apartment buildings, which were built back in the eighties.
Most of the exterior tiles had crumbled away, exposing the dingy yellow-gray concrete underneath.