Mandy was mostly convinced, but she still remembered the times Grace had tricked her in the past. Even though they had grown closer recently, Mandy remained cautious. Occasionally, she’d give Grace a few thousand dollars here and there, thinking of it as charity, but when it came to serious family matters, Mandy always kept her guard up. Grace wouldn’t just bring up such a topic for no reason—she had to have a motive. Mandy rolled her eyes. “Grace, just say what you really want.” “I don’t want anything,” Grace replied with a smile. “I’m barely scraping by as it is, worrying about where I’ll sleep or eat. How could I be thinking about all this? I’m only mentioning it so you can keep an eye out for yourself.” Mandy was skeptical. “And what’s your brilliant idea?” Grace lowered her head and smirked. “It’s quite simple, really. Find a trustworthy girl and have her marry Vincent. But this girl needs to be someone who’ll listen to you.” Mandy snorted. “So, that’s what this is about? You’re angling to get your daughter Sophia into the family, huh?” “No, no, not at all,” Grace waved her hand dismissively. “Sophia… well, she’s not fit for that anymore. We don’t have any grand delusions. You could find a girl yourself—maybe a relative? Since you’re not related to Vincent by blood, it wouldn’t be a problem if one of your relatives married him.” Hearing this, Mandy felt somewhat reassured. Sophia had spent three years working at a nightclub. She’d barely survived a psycho in the early days, and although she’d managed to leave him, she’d flitted between various men over the years. Mandy didn’t know all the details, but she was sure that no woman with a background like Sophia’s would ever be brought into the Norman family. Seeing that Grace had no ulterior motive for pushing Sophia into the family, Mandy lowered her guard a bit. She pulled a stack of cash from her purse and handed it to Grace. Grace looked pleasantly surprised. “Mandy, what’s this for?” “I was planning to donate this to the church, but since you reminded me of a few things today, I figured I’d give it to you instead,” Mandy replied, standing up and covering her nose in distaste. “This place stinks of smoke. I’m leaving.” “Let me walk you out—” Grace offered.“No need,” Mandy cut her off. “I don’t want anyone seeing me hanging around with a nightclub cleaner. I still have some dignity.” Grace forced a smile, awkwardly watching as Mandy strode out of the club. “Mom,” Sophia approached, “how much did Mandy give this time?” Grace handed her the money. Sophia grinned, quickly licking her palm before counting the bills. But as she counted, her expression darkened. “Only a thousand? Is she trying to insult us?” Sophia grumbled. Grace shot her a sideways glance. “Be grateful. You didn’t have to sleep with anyone to earn that thousand dollars. Isn’t that enough?” Still grumpy, Sophia trudged along with her mother toward the back door of the nightclub. They were temporarily living in a small shack behind the club. The room was tiny, just five or six square meters, with a shabby double bed. The space was so cramped that the old wardrobe and table barely fit, leaving no room to move around. The place had no heating, just a coal stove with a long chimney. Despite the stove, the room was still bone-chillingly cold. Sophia gritted her teeth. “That Emily had it easy. She ruined us, then she had the nerve to die. I couldn’t even get my revenge. I wish I could dig up her ashes and throw them in the sewer!” Grace sneered. “Mandy told me before that Vincent has people guarding Emily’s grave around the clock. You wouldn’t even get close.” “Vincent is so obsessed with her,” Sophia remarked. “And what did it get him? A dead wife and a dead child,” Grace said with a hint of satisfaction. “Emily’s gone, but if you still want revenge, there’s a way.” Sophia perked up. “Mom, what can we do? Vincent has made our lives miserable for the past three years, and I hate him to the core. But I don’t know how to get back at him!” Grace chuckled. “She has an uncle, doesn’t she? If you can’t get back at Emily, then go after him.” Sophia hesitated. “But… hasn’t Vincent always taken good care of Bert? If we go after him, won’t Vincent find out?” “Mandy told me today that Vincent’s health is deteriorating,” Grace explained. “I’ve already hinted to Mandy to cause him trouble. Soon enough, Vincent will be too busy with his own problems to worry about Bert.”Sophia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “What’s the plan, Mom?” Grace smirked. “It’s simple. Three years ago, Logan Morgan set us up. He tried to pin the blame for Emily’s death on us. This time, it’s his turn to suffer.” … It was a day and a night before there was news from the hospital. Allen called. “Jackson has been moved to a regular room.” Emily asked, “What’s going to happen with the accident?” Eleven people had died—Jackson wouldn’t get off lightly. Allen explained, “The primary cause wasn’t Jackson. It was an overloaded truck that crashed into several cars. Jackson’s car was in front, so it absorbed some of the impact. He was driving fast, and the truck only pushed him into the greenery, so the collision wasn’t too severe. Unfortunately, the cars behind weren’t so lucky, and that’s where most of the fatalities were.” Hearing this darkened Emily’s mood. “I consulted a lawyer,” Allen continued. “Jackson was speeding, but the accident wasn’t his fault. Don’t worry.” Emily sighed in relief. “That’s good…” “By the way, Emily,” Allen said gently, “you shouldn’t see Jackson anymore.” Emily bit her lip, staying silent. “My parents are quite traditional,” Allen explained. “In their eyes, Jackson cut ties with the family for three years because of a woman and then got into a car accident. Their opinion of you isn’t great. I know you never asked Jackson to do any of this, but he’s still part of the Parker family, and my parents don’t want you two seeing each other anymore.” Emily took a deep breath. “I understand. I won’t see Jackson again.” All she seemed to bring Jackson was disaster.