Chapter 3
When I got home that evening, Evelyn and Henry were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, watching TV.
Seeing them, I took Mom to her room.
Then I walked over and tossed my keys onto the coffee table.
Evelyn dove straight into Henry's arms, clinging to him. "Mr. Quinn, I'm scared."
Henry gave me a look full of resentment, but I just smiled and turned to Evelyn.
"Evelyn, you're fired," I said.
"What?" Henry's eyes went wide, totally stunned.
"You're firing Evelyn?" he blurted out.
He said, "What for?
"Evelyn's been with us for years. Maybe she hasn't done anything spectacular, but she's always worked hard.
"You can't just fire her for no reason."
"Work hard?" I scoffed, raising an eyebrow.
I said, "What do you mean?
"You mean the thing going on between you and her?"
"Ridiculous!" Henry's eyes flashed with panic. "Don't you dare make baseless accusations.
"I just admire Evelyn, that's all."
If just a moment ago I still had any doubts about whether the two of them had already slept together, those doubts were gone now.
I forced myself to nod, even though the thought of them made my stomach turn.
I gave a short laugh. "Because this is my place. Is that reason enough?"
Henry lost his cool at my attitude and jumped to his feet. "No way!
"Evelyn's got a brand meet-and-greet coming up in a few days.
"You can't fire her, even just for that."
A brand meet-and-greet?
I remembered when the contact person first reached out, I never actually agreed to anything.
Since when did Evelyn get the gig?
No wonder nobody'd checked in with me lately.
Guess they went ahead and made the decision without me.
It was clear as day. Henry must've pulled the strings.
I couldn't help but let out an angry laugh right then and there.
I shot Henry a death glare, my eyes nearly bulging. "What, is the Jensen family so short on people that we have to put a servant in the spotlight for us?
"A crybaby who does nothing but whine all day thinks she can show off at a brand event?"
As soon as I said that, Evelyn bit her lip hard, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt between her fingers.
She said, "Grace, that's really harsh.
"I've always thought of you as my big sister and idol.
"But you..."
As she spoke, her eyes shimmered with tears.
I shot her a cold, blank stare. "Pack up your things and leave tonight.
"Don't let me catch sight of you again."
"Don't you dare!" a world-weary voice suddenly rang out above my head.
I looked up and met a pair of clouded, aged eyes.
He said, "Grace, apologize to Evelyn now."
I frowned and lowered my head. "Grandpa."
He let out a cold snort. "So you still remember you have a grandpa, huh?
"Spare me your respect.
"I was against your father giving you the company when he was dying.
"Now you think you're tough enough to talk back to the very person who helped you.
"I wouldn't dare have such an ungrateful granddaughter."
She helped me?
While I was still trying to figure it out, Grandpa continued, "If Evelyn hadn't been backing you up all these years, do you really think, with that blockhead of yours, you could've gotten the company this far?"
Backing me up?
From what I remembered, I did have Evelyn as my assistant for a bit at the start.
But she couldn't even get the simplest things right, like printing a few documents, so I sent her home pretty quickly.
The company was only still running because I'd been busting my ass, doing everything on my own.
Even when I was pregnant, I couldn't afford to take a single day off.
I was so exhausted that I ended up in the hospital more than once.
I drank so much at business dinners that I gave myself a bleeding ulcer.
When Mom's old illness came back, I could hardly spare a moment to look after her.
If I should be grateful to Evelyn because of that, then the whole Jensen family should take me as their savior.
But before I could say a word, Grandpa's face went cold. He said, "You want to fire Evelyn?
"Fine. But first, sign over everything your father left you to Evelyn."
"Why should I?" I shot back, jaw clenched. "The only reason this company is still alive is because of me.
"Why should I just give it away to Evelyn for free?"
"Because she's the one who landed the Jensen family a 300-million-dollar deal," Grandpa said.
He slammed his cane down for emphasis.
Henry let out a mocking laugh. "Give it to her for free?
"How long are you gonna keep hogging all the credit?
"How dare you say that? At best, it's just returning it to its rightful owner."
That made my blood boil.
I'd busted my ass for three years to land that deal.
It was only because I kept at it and showed real sincerity that they finally agreed to work with the Jensen family this year.
Nobody else knew the hell I went through to get it done.
With just a few words, all my sweat and tears were wiped out, just like that.
I couldn't just stand there and take it. I stepped forward, ready to argue.
But Grandpa, his jowls quivering with rage, bellowed, "I'm not dead yet. I still call the shots in the Jensen family.
"If you won't accept it, then go ahead and announce you're stepping down from the company.
"I'll take care of what comes next.
"If you keep this up, then you can pack your bags and leave for good.
"Having Evelyn as my god-granddaughter is more than enough for me."
With that, he waved Evelyn over and gave her a doting pat on the head.
He said, "You've been a real blessing to the Jensen family, and that means you're a blessing to me, too.
"From now on, everything in the Jensen family is yours."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and clamped down on my wrist, squeezing hard.
He yanked the family head's ring right off my finger and jammed it onto Evelyn's finger.
"Keep this safe. Don't let anyone try to steal it from you," he warned.
Evelyn was so excited that she nearly jumped up. Then she gave a quick bow. "Thank you, Grandpa."
Just then, a crisp voice rang out from the doorway.
A man in a sharp suit stepped inside.
He said, "Are you getting senile, too, Mr. Jensen?
"The real benefactor of the Jensen family is standing right here. How could you mistake her when she's right in front of you?"