Chapter 21
When Jonah heard about what happened at the hospital, he scolded Grace. He was furious and insisted Antonio couldn’t stay in Auroville another minute. That very night, he arranged for a private jet to fly Antonio back to Elmeburg.
But Elmeburg wasn’t exactly peaceful either.
Because Jonah and Jeffrey butted in, both the Kaufman and Parrish
families were in hot water.
The Parrish family’s project flopped, leaving them 30 million dollars in debt. They were already short on cash. To make things worse, since. Antonio had Lucile arrested, they had been shelling out whatever they could to fix the situation. It was a total nightmare for them.
Then, Eloy accidentally learned the truth about Grace’s real identity from Lucile. Without wasting any time, he packed up Silvia and they headed to Auroville overnight.
They were after Grace for money.
They showed up at Grace’s art gallery and made a scene with the media. right out front.
They sobbed, “Grace, you can’t just turn your back on us now that you’ve found your real family.
“We raised you for twenty years and treated you like the apple of our eye.
“Grace, you can’t just ditch us who raised you for twenty years, and your husband, just for the Simpson family’s wealth and status. That’s really heartless.”
Chapter 21
By the time the video got to Grace, Jonah had already dealt with the buzz online and the media.
Derick and Nancy called the cops directly. They headed straight to the police station with a lawyer, ready to charge Eloy and Silvia. They aimed to leave Eloy and Silvia not just in debt but behind bars too.
The Simpson family initially kept the whole thing from Grace. They had
at
Jeffrey keep her company at home, keeping her from leaving the house or going online.
But Jeffrey thought Grace deserved to know.
He had seen how she felt about Antonio and knew she had her own thoughts, so he filled her in.
“It’s up to you whether you go or how you handle it. I’m behind you all the way.” said Jeffrey.
This hands–off approach was a surprise to Grace. Jonah and Antonio. usually called the shots for her.
After a moment of silence, Grace got up and threw on her coat. “Take me to the police station.”
She didn’t expect that the Parrish family would make a scene in Auroville.
And this had even rattled Derick and Nancy, making her feel really guilty.
If Jeffrey hadn’t told her, she would never know how much the Simpson family had helped her over the years. And now they were stuck with the Parrish family.
At the police station, she found Derick and Nancy seated while Eloy stood off to the side and Silvia sat on the floor. Silvia was a far cry from the high–class type. She looked more like a shrew.
Grace took a deep breath and walked in. “Dad, Mom, you should go
home. I’ll take care of this.”
All of them turned at her voice. Eloy and Silvia thought she was talking to them and were thrilled. “Grace, we…”
But Grace ignored them completely. She went straight to Derick and Nancy and gently brushed Nancy’s hair. “Mom, you’ve been stressed out lately, dealing with my stuff. Go home and rest. I’ll be back soon.”
Nancy hesitated. “Fiona, I’m worried about you.”
“With Jeffrey here, no one can mess with me,” said Grace.
Nancy glanced at Jeffrey, frowned, but finally relented. “Jeffrey, take care of Fiona.”
“No worries, Mrs. Simpson,” said Jeffrey.
Once Derick and Nancy were gone, Grace pulled out her phone and played a video of Lucile.
“I heard Antonio had Lucile arrested. Even though you managed to bail her out, don’t you think if this video leaks, Lucile will be right back in?”
With a blank face, Grace put her phone away. “Intentional homicide, framing, and assault. Those charges could lock her up for years. By the time she’s out, her prime will be long gone.”
