Filed to story: My Gorgeous Wife is an Ex-Convict Novel by Anastasia Marie
Grace left and went about her work, oblivious to a figure who was standing in one corner, witnessing the scene.
In the news agency, reporter Brian was watching the news about Lily’s visit to the Sanitation Service Center to offer her apologies to the sanitation workers.
It wasn’t the kind of fluff piece he wanted to cover, but she’d been the city’s darling, and his boss had set him on the story so he covered it.
When he saw a dark-haired woman appearing on the screen, he started to frown. He found this woman familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen her.
“Who is this woman? Why does she look so familiar?”
Brian watched the news footage over and over again, and then he
finally noticed that some other details popped out to him.
First, Lily’s hands clenched the gift box and her smile turned brittle when this woman exited the center and approached the press conference.
Second, the woman bore none of the excitement that her
coworkers had. On the contrary, she looked positively resentful
to be there. Which was odd, considering every employee that
participated in the Atkinson Dumpster Fire he laughed at his
own pun for Lily’s social media debacle had been thrilled to
receive the compensation check and luxury apparel.
Not this woman though.
Then he noticed that in the background, Sean had visibly paled and began to look very uneasy the minute this woman appeared.
“Sean …..” Brian seemed to have thought of something and he
started to search through the internet.
After a while, he found a piece of news that had been reported three years ago. A picture of the woman who had received the gift from Lily. Only she looked beautiful, vibrant in a way that he was shocked it was the same woman.
“This is too much of a coincidence!” Brian exclaimed.
Three years ago, that woman had been Sean’s girlfriend. Fast forward to today, and the successful attorney was sweeping the streets? That was a hell of a tumble. And this woman just so happened to be receiving a gift from Sean’s current girlfriend as an apology?
”
Brian rubbed his hands together. If he’d had a mustache, he would’ve given it a twirl. He laughed to himself as his excitement
grew.
There was a story here.
A juicy one.
Where others had missed this one integral detail, he’d seen it. And he was going toast on it.
He dug into forming his story and drafting it.
Although there were more salacious ways to capitalize on the direction of his thoughts, he kept to the facts. With a story like this… it wouldn’t matter. He was fine to let the public speculate.
That would just encourage more people to read.
When he handed his work to the editor, the editor rejected it and
told him to rewrite it.
“Why must I re-write it?” Brian asked unhappily. To be frank, he was offended. He’d done a damn good job catching this anomaly and building out the story around it. “Seriously, why do you want it rewritten? This is a slam dunk. You have to see that this is headline-worthy.”
“The management has passed down instructions that we’re not to
approve any write-up about Grace Cummins,” the editor replied.
Brian asked in amazement, “Is the Stevens or Atkinson family
behind this?” It didn’t make any sense to him. When he had written about Lily earlier on, the editor had approved his news.
However, he was not allowed to write anything about Grace!
“It’s not them. That’s enough, don’t ask any more questions. In any case, if this piece of news gets released, not only will you lose
your job as a reporter, but I will be sacked as well!” the editor said.
Brian rubbed his eyes. To say he was shocked was an
understatement. What the editor had said… seemed too much of
an exaggeration.
“Grace… is merely a sanitation worker. Who would want to protect her?”
“You’re too young. In this world, there are many things beyond your imagination,” the editor replied with a sigh. He was also puzzled about why Mr. ReedMr. Reed was out to protect Grace.
Meanwhile, as Jason watched Grace putting away the utensils, he
said, “I heard that the woman who told you to search for her ring has gone to the Sanitation Service Center to offer her apologies.”
“Yes,” Grace replied, “but I have given her gift to Claire.”
“Did you see Sean? I saw from the news that he showed up with
his fiancee, Lily.” As he talked, he watched Grace carefully for her
reaction.
“Yes, I saw him,” Grace replied. She looked calm, as though she was talking about someone who was of no concern to her.
Jason crossed the room toward her. “How do you feel? Did seeing
Sean again make you sad?”
When Grace heard the question, she lifted her head to look at him.
“I think I know what you’re getting at.” She smiled softly. “Jay, are you worried about me? Don’t worry. Please. I promise you, I would
not grieve over such a man.”
“Worried?” Jason’s gaze deepened. Other than being worried
about her, there was something else…
Grace lifted her hand to stroke his head. Recently, she had been doing this more frequently. It was a tender gesture, and he’d be lying if he didn’t say that he liked the feel of her hands on him.
Even if it was a touch so innocent as tucking his hair back.
“Jay, Sean is nothing to me. I will not be sad over someone who doesn’t love me. If I were sad, it would mean I still loved him.”
Jason searched her eyes for any tell that she was just saying what he wanted to hear.
“Truly,” she said. “I’m glad I no longer feel anything at all when I saw him. And I’m even more glad that I didn’t marry Sean back then.”
“Oh? Wouldn’t your life have been much easier if he’d supported you? You might be married to him right now and not have to work
a day.”
“That’s not a benchmark for happiness,” she said. “And I don’t mind work. What I meant was,” Grace said, “if my emotions could fade, then they were not that strong to begin with.”
“Hmm.”
Her statement rang true to him. And hearing her assert that her emotions had not been strong for Sean, filled him with a sense of relief.
“The accident and everything that transpired…it revealed Sean’s true nature. And for that, I am grateful. It was a blessing to know that he was not the man for me.”
Jason reflected on her words for a moment. Conflict, hardships, loss…they were what defined us. Grace had been dealt a terrible hand, but she’d risen above it. Maybe not financially, as she was strapped to a low-income job and living in a low-income apartment, but she was determined to be positive. And happy.
That was more than he could say for most of the people who ran in his circles.
They had money and opportunity. Most of them squandered it
with selfish decisions or idiocy.
Still, something of what she’d said had him wondering… “Sister, will you feel sad for me one day?”
It wasn’t fair he realized, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to possess her attention-even her negative emotions.
Grace was shocked by the question and she was at a loss for words.
“Will you?” he asked as he bent down, moving closer to her.
As he crowded her, he watched her pupils dilate and the way her pulse skittered at the base of her neck. She sucked a tiny breath.
When her gaze fixed on his, he could see her attraction-and her uncertainty.
“I… what I meant earlier was, if I loved a person, I would be sad. However, Jay, you’re my brother…” Grace replied, her mouth dry.
“Can’t you love your brother?” Jason asked. “We are, after all, family…”
He used his knuckles to lift up her chin, and he angled closer to her so she’d have no doubt of his intentions…
More please
Update please
I’m loving this novel. More please
Please update soon, really liking this one. I hope Grace tells Jason about her life in prison soon, about her lost baby because of the horrid treatment she received! She shouldn’t keep bottling it up and I really want Jason to start fully looking into the case! Why do I feel like it was Lily’s dad who orchestrated the whole thing to get lily into that role of Mrs Stevens?
There’s something fishy about her case. I don’t think they knew she was pregnant during the trial.
I the character of Jason. He is like a Mafia Boss.