Just as Henry was lost in the thoughts of his secret crush, he suddenly heard the sound of a car pulling up outside.
Grace is heading out!
Henry didn’t feel particularly alarmed. Grace frequently attended events in the evenings—charity balls, parties with her friends, and various social gatherings. These past few days, she hadn’t exhibited any unusual behavior.
But then, about ten minutes later, he heard the distinct sound of high heels clicking rhythmically on the ground.
Da da da. The sound was sharp and steady, giving the impression of a graceful and elegant woman approaching.
A faint sense of unease crept into Henry’s mind.
"Ah, Mrs. Nelson, you’re here again?"
"Yes, the usual. Room 606," Grace’s gentle voice replied.
"Since you’ve been coming to our L Beauty Salon, you’ve been looking younger every day!" A woman nearby said with a flirty laugh.
"Oh, you’re just teasing me, Manager. I’m getting older by the year, sigh..." Grace responded with a light laugh.
The two women chatted briefly before Henry heard the door open, followed by the typical sounds of beauty treatments.
Henry considered turning off the listening device—it was, after all, the last night—but decided to endure just a little longer.
About half an hour passed, and things seemed to quiet down.
"Miss, are you feeling tired? How about resting for a bit?" a voice asked.
"Miss?" Grace’s voice responded, with a note of probing in it.
Henry frowned in confusion. Why was the beautician suddenly feeling drowsy? After all, L Beauty Salon was one of the strictest and most prestigious salons in S City!
Suddenly, Henry shot up from his seat.
Why would the beautician feel sleepy all of a sudden? Something was wrong—this was no ordinary salon.
And then, Henry heard the unmistakable sound of a door locking.
After the door locked... there was a knock?
The door opened, and a man’s voice came through. "Stop using this tactic. Every time the beautician gets sleepy, it’ll raise suspicion. If we keep meeting , someone will notice. From now on, send the beauticians away and pretend to rest here alone."
"I understand," Grace responded in an indifferent tone.
Henry felt as though lightning had struck him, leaving his mind completely blank.
Every muscle in his body tensed, his nerves straining under the weight of what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe it. Grace, his supposedly kind and loving mother, was secretly meeting someone in private. This could only mean one thing—nothing good.
Was this man her lover?
"I told you we need to meet less often, but you don’t seem to listen," the man whispered, a hint of sadness in his voice.
Grace’s laughter, unusually flirtatious, filled the air. "Oh, you! We’ve already come this far—what more do you want me to pretend?"
"It’s been seven days... I’ve missed you," the man said softly, lowering his voice, while Grace teasingly responded, "Don’t rush me!"
"When are we going to act?"
"The police are watching too closely right now. Haven’t you seen the officers all over S City? We can’t act yet. We’ll wait until the heat dies down, until Eric lets his guard down."
The mention of *Eric* sent Henry’s heart racing.
His eyes widened, and he clenched his fists tightly, his whole body shaking. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing—Grace, the woman who had always been so gentle and loving, was involved in something .
Grace had raised him to be kind, to be charitable, to be honorable. She had always taught him to be magnanimous and upright.
But now... her true nature was laid bare, revealing a hypocritical and sinister side that he had never seen before. Could this really be the same woman who had cared so deeply for him and Eric?
"Thank you for your hard work, darling," Grace giggled softly.
"If you’re so grateful, shouldn’t you do something for me?" the man teased.
"Grace, I’ve loved you for so many years and never forced you. I’ve done so much for you... haven’t you ever felt moved?"
At this point, Henry couldn’t take it anymore. He tore the earpiece from his ear and began stomping on it furiously. "No... this can’t be! That person is not my mother! She’s not my mother!"
His face turned ashen. The crushing betrayal and shame made Henry feel like his heart was being torn apart. His chest tightened, and his breathing became labored as rage surged inside him.
"It’s not true... she’s not my mother... she can’t be!"
Henry lost control, his eyes red with fury as he pounded his fist into the ground where the listening device had fallen. He went into a frenzy, destroying everything in the study—except for his computer, which still displayed photos of Ella.
A servant passing by the study heard the commotion and, terrified, called James and Grace to inform them of the situation.
When Henry’s outburst finally subsided, he weakly collapsed into the chair at his desk, his body trembling. His eyes were filled with anger and pain, and as he glanced at the screen showing Ella’s photo, he smashed his fist into it, leaving a gaping hole in the monitor.
How could he have such a mother?
No wonder Eric had always looked down on him, and no wonder Ella had never once shown him any warmth. They probably thought that he, Henry, was no different from Grace.
Hatred, shame, and agony boiled inside him, and his breath came in ragged gasps as his eyes reddened with tears.
For years, Henry had never doubted Grace. He always thought it was Eric’s personal grudge—rooted in Victoria’s death—that led him to despise Grace.
But the bet he had made with Eric had now backfired in the cruelest way possible. He had been so sure that he would win, so sure that Eric would be the one to lose... But reality had slapped him in the face.
"Henry, what’s going on? Mrs.Wilson said you were smashing things in here..." James rushed into the room, having just left a party after hearing that something was wrong with Henry.
When he opened the door to the study, he found Henry sitting motionless at the desk, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
Grace arrived moments later, panting as she hurried in. "Henry, what happened? Are you okay?" she asked, rushing toward him, a deep sense of unease gnawing at her.
Henry looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers. Grace was as immaculate as ever, her clothes perfectly neat, her makeup flawless, and her expression full of genuine concern.
The truth burned him—his mother was a deceitful and vicious woman. But her love for him, that was real. After all, he was her biological son.
Suppressing all his pain and fury, Henry forced a stiff smile. "It’s nothing... I was just in a bad mood, so I needed to blow off some steam."