SecretRomance-cloudn90

Chapter 1 She Came Back "No! Please, don't..." Grace Yoder sat up with a start, her desperate cry still hanging in the air. Her face was pale, her forehead slick with cold sweat. She looked around, panicked and lost. Suddenly, a cold, sharp laugh cut through the silence of the bedroom. She turned her head, and her eyes went wide. "R-Richard?" Her whole body was shaking, disbelief written all over her face. Her eyes reddened as she stared at the man walking toward her from the doorway. He was tall and lean, with sharp features and cold, thin lips. Dressed in his perfectly tailored suit, he looked like something out of a dream. It was Richard Lane. 'Isn't... Isn't he dead?' Grace's mind went blank. 'How is he standing here, alive?' Richard's dark eyes were ice cold. His whole presence felt dangerous. He grabbed her arm and said flatly, "If not me, then who? Your lover?" His grip was so tight that it hurt. Grace stared at him, tears spilling over. She shook her head frantically. "No. It's not what I meant." Then she caught a glimpse of the electronic calendar hanging across the room, and her breath caught. She thought, 'It's two years before the explosion that killed us both. Could it be that I've come back? That must be the only answer. That's why we're both still alive.' Tears filled her eyes again as she looked at him. In her previous life, she had hated Richard for ruining her chances with Julian Ford, her boyfriend. But she hadn't known the truth that Julian had set everything up. He had drugged her and left her in Richard's room while Richard was barely conscious. Richard had been as much a victim as she was. Later, she got pregnant and was forced to marry Richard, and her older sister, Serena Yoder, came by every day pretending to care. But every time, before Serena brought her water, Serena had slipped in drugs. They made her lose her mind, often screaming and attacking Richard. She didn't even care about her children after they were born and when they were growing. All she wanted was to escape from Richard and be with Julian. She was a wreck, so when Julian suggested they run away together, she was tempted. And when Serena promised to take care of the kids and headed straight for their room, she agreed without a second thought. Then she walked into the study, got the Lane Group's confidential files, and handed them over to Serena. The company fell into crisis. Richard had to rush back to the office, while Grace took the chance to escape. But she never expected that as soon as Julian and Serena got what they'd wanted, they tied her up in an abandoned building. They told Richard to come rescue her to stop him from saving the company, and he did come. In the end, he took a bullet for her and died. Right before she died, Julian and Serena stood there flirting. Serena giggled and told Julian, "The drugs I gave those two little brats have worked. They've both died from asthma attacks. The Lane Group is ours now." In that moment, Grace felt nothing but pure hatred. She realized she must have been too blind and brain-dead to see what Richard had done for her and their family. She wished she could have a second chance. Now, she did come back in time. She thought, 'This time around, I'm going to change everything. I'll make those two pieces of trash regret what they've done and make their lives a living hell. And I'll be the perfect wife that Richard deserves.' Richard's grip tightened. Her hand was throbbing with pain, which snapped her back to reality, and she gasped, "That hurts." Richard let go of her immediately, without thinking twice. Being kind to her was second nature to him, and remembering her previous life, she felt her chest tighten like someone was squeezing the air out of her. She looked at him, held up three fingers on her right hand, and spoke in a shaky but resolute voice, "I'm sorry, Richard. I swear on everything that I won't do those things again." Her eyes were red and shimmering with tears. For a moment, Richard's heart softened, but then he caught himself. He narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly. "You expect me to believe that?" Hearing that, Grace held his gaze, clenched her fists, and stepped closer. Then she stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her soft lips to his cold ones. Surprise flickered across Richard's face, but it was quickly buried under a cold, unreadable mask. 'Does that mean he believes me or not?' Grace wondered, still holding onto him. She was about to say something when a loud knock pounded at the door. "Mr. Lane, Sophie has a fever again," a maid said in a panicked voice. Chapter 2 A Pro at Pretending At the mention of Sophie's name, Grace's heart jumped, because that was the daughter she'd wronged in her previous life. The girl Serena had killed was now a healthy four-year-old who clung to Grace like she was her whole world. This time, Grace was determined to make things right. She'd realized her mistakes and truly regretted them now. Her face lit up. She let go of Richard and, without giving him a chance to react to her sudden excitement, ran toward the door. "I'm going to see Sophie." Richard's eyes flickered with a cold, unreadable light, and a hint of confusion passed through them before they turned flat and distant. Grace rushed into Sophie Lane's room, where the little girl was lying in her pink bed with her round cheeks, tiny nose, long dark lashes, and soft pink lips. She looked like the most delicate doll, but her face was pale right now, and she was unconscious. "Sophie!" Grace's chest ached. She walked over, took the washcloth from the maid, and crouched down by the bed to wipe Sophie's forehead. "Sweetheart, Mommy's back, so please get better soon, okay?" In her sleep, Sophie seemed to hear Grace, because her lashes fluttered, and her hand grabbed onto Grace's sleeve. She needed her mom. Grace remembered that in her previous life, Sophie had gotten a really bad fever, and even while she was unconscious, she kept calling out for Grace. However, Grace had been out of her mind back then and hadn't cared about Sophie at all. Sophie had cried and burned with fever for three days and nights. Because of that, Richard had become more disappointed in Grace, and even Shawn Lane, their son, had flown back from abroad. He hadn't said a word, but he had grown colder toward her. If she figured the timing right, this should be that exact fever. Grace blinked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She told herself that this time, she wouldn't let Sophie down again. She pulled herself together and said to the maid, "Give me a fresh wet cloth." The maid wasn't sure what to do, since Grace had never taken care of Sophie herself when Sophie had been sick. The maid looked nervously toward the door, where Richard was standing with an unreadable expression, watching Grace closely. 'What is she trying to do?' he wondered. He gave the slightest nod, and the maid immediately wrung out the cloth and brought over the dark liquid medicine. Right now, Grace was completely focused on taking care of Sophie. She wiped her down, gave her medicine, gave her water, and took her temperature. She did everything herself. An hour later, Sophie's fever finally came down. Grace let out a sigh of relief. She kept watching Sophie, a small smile on her lips, until she fell asleep right there by the bed. ***** When Richard came back after finishing some work, he saw this scene: under the soft yellow light, Grace's face looked stunning, and her right hand was wrapped around Sophie's fingers as if she was holding something more precious than anything in the world. 'Is she pretending, or has she actually changed?' he wondered. His fingers twitched as he bent down to pick her up. Then Grace's phone lit up on the nightstand. Richard glanced over. The message on the screen made his eyebrows snap together, and his eyes turned so cold that they could freeze the room. He laughed coldly, turned around, and walked out without looking back. ***** The next morning, Grace woke up to a sharp pain in her neck. "Ow," she gasped. She'd been stuck in the same position all night, and now, her neck was so stiff that it felt like it might give out. She reached for her phone to check the time, but when the screen lit up, the first thing she saw was a WhatsApp message from Serena. Serena: [Grace, did Mr. Lane agree to let you shoot "The Crown"? You're going to be paired up with Julian, and there are romantic scenes. I don't think Mr. Lane would say yes. Don't push yourself to please him. We'd feel so bad for you.] Grace's eyebrows drew together as her face turned cold. Serena was a pro at pretending. It looked like she was telling Grace to give up, but in fact, she was inciting Grace to persuade Richard. That "We'd feel so bad for you" line had convinced Grace in her previous life that Julian had still had feelings for her, so she'd thrown a fit, caused a huge scene, and forced Richard to let her shoot the TV show. But in "The Crown," her character had been a disaster. On top of that, people had said she'd gotten the role by sleeping with the producer, rewritten the script, and bullied the veteran actors. In the end, the audience had torn her apart online, which had only made her climb in the entertainment business harder. 'Would I be stupid enough to fall for that trap again?' Grace thought. She smiled coldly and typed out a few messages in reply. The next second, she heard Sophie's quiet, careful voice. "Mommy..." Chapter 3 Like a Different Person Grace lowered her eyes and saw Sophie's big, round ones, which were a little red from crying. Grace softened her voice without thinking. "It's me, sweetie. What's wrong? Are you still feeling lousy?" 'Mom's being so gentle,' Sophie thought, her eyes going wide with surprise. She bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm okay. You can go do your thing." That made Grace feel guilty. Sophie had been born weak because she didn't get enough nutrients in the womb, so she was constantly getting sick. Back then, Grace had been so wrapped up in Julian that she'd dump Sophie on the nanny every time Sophie got sick. She had never really taken care of Sophie when Sophie needed it. No wonder Sophie was telling her to leave now. 'Ignoring Sophie like that was also one of the reasons she died in my previous life,' Grace thought. She sighed and gently touched Sophie's soft, pale forehead. "I'm not busy today. How about I stay with you the whole day?" "Really?" Sophie blinked in disbelief. Then something crossed her mind, and she lowered her voice. "Mommy, are you staying because Daddy told you to? You two had a fight, and he won, right?" Grace froze for a second, surprised at how much a four-year-old picked up on. Feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness, she gave Sophie's chubby cheek a little pinch. "That's silly. I didn't fight with your daddy, and we're not gonna fight anymore. Now hold still and let me take your temperature again," Grace said. Sophie watched Grace fuss over her and puffed out her cheeks, not really buying it. 'Mommy will probably find some excuse to leave later,' she thought, dropping her eyes. 'Same as always.' But what really shocked Sophie was that Grace stuck around the whole day. They had breakfast together, read stories, did puzzles, had lunch, played games, and even ate dinner together. Grace was holding Sophie's hand, walking around the yard after dinner, when she looked down and saw Sophie's surprised eyes. "What's up?" Grace asked, confused. Sophie tilted her head and got serious. "Mommy, you're like a different person today. You're being so nice to me." Grace felt guiltier than before. She could tell from those few words how much she'd ignored Sophie and snapped at her in the past. She crouched down to look Sophie right in the eye and said, "Sophie, trust me. I'm gonna treat you this nicely from now on." Sophie nearly jumped out of her skin with joy. "Really, Mommy?" She thought, 'I really love the way Mommy is now. If she's always like this, I'll be good and listen to her forever.' Grace smiled and nodded. Right then, a tall man with a commanding presence walked into the yard. When he saw what was happening, his cold, deep eyes flickered with surprise. Then, something popped up in his mind, and annoyance crept across his sharp features. 'What's Grace's game now, sucking up to Sophie like this?' he thought. "Daddy!" Sophie spotted him first and came running over as fast as she could. Richard's cold, hard face softened right away. He crouched down, scooped Sophie into his arms, and asked her softly, "Having fun, baby?" Sophie's eyes crinkled up as she nodded like crazy. "Yeah! Mommy stayed with me the whole day. I wish Shawn were here, too." Sophie's twin brother, Shawn, was overseas at a global competition and hadn't come back yet. Grace walked over, met Richard's deep, sparkling eyes, and gave him the same sweet smile Sophie had. "Honey, you're back." Richard's eyes narrowed, a dark shadow passing through them. His lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at her with this icy, deadly look. 'He's way harder to win over than Sophie,' Grace thought. She squeezed Sophie's hand, then suddenly remembered something and asked Richard, "Now that Sophie's feeling better, would it be okay if I—" Before she could finish, Richard's eyes flashed with an I-knew-it look, and he cut her off coldly, "No." Grace's mouth fell open in shock. "I didn't even finish." Richard let out a cold laugh, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Grace, quit using Sophie to get what you want." Then he carried Sophie inside, leaving Grace standing there totally lost. Chapter 4 All I Care About Right Now 'What's up with Richard now?' Grace thought. She was about to go after Richard when a familiar voice called out from outside the gate, "Grace!" She froze, her whole body going stiff. The hatred that surged up inside her was so strong that it felt tangible. As memories from her previous life came flooding back, she wanted nothing more than to kill Serena with her bare hands. 'No... Not yet,' Grace told herself, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides, veins popping out. Serena stood across from her in a white dress that hugged all her curves, her skin smooth, her features delicate, her long straight hair falling over her shoulders, and her eyes full of fake concern. She lowered her voice. "Grace, Mr. Lane made you stay home with Sophie again, didn't he? That's such a shame. He and Sophie are really holding you back from chasing your dreams. "But how could you say no to the audition for 'The Crown'? It's tomorrow at nine in the morning. Opportunities like this don't come around often." Grace thought, 'Here we go with the sweet but pretentious routine. Serena sounds so understanding on the surface, but every single word is meant to drive a wedge between Richard and me. No way am I falling for her traps again in this lifetime.' She gave Serena a fake smile and said, "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to waste such a great opportunity." Serena froze, and then she caught sight of Richard walking up behind Grace. Her eyes lit up, and she could barely hide how excited she was. 'This is my lucky day,' she thought. She put on a worried look and said, "Is it because of Mr. Lane? Grace, Julian is in this show, too, and you told me you absolutely had to be in it." As she talked, she sneaked a glance at Richard, and the darker his expression got, the more excited she became. Before Grace could reply, she raised her voice and kept going. "But I guess you can't help it. Sophie still needs you around. Even though you've always wanted to be in the same show as Julian, you don't have to ditch your family for him," she said. Grace sneered inwardly, 'Serena was always like this in my previous life. She acted like she was looking out for me, but she was actually trying to push my buttons. She wanted me to turn my back on Richard and my whole family for Julian. 'I was dumb as a rock and did as she said every single time. Now that I've got a second chance, no way am I being that stupid again.' She gave a half-smile. "Serena, are you deaf or what? I said I'm not going. All I care about right now is my husband and kids. Julian can do whatever the hell he wants. That's none of my business." Then she turned to leave, but she came face-to-face with Richard's cold, hard stare. His face was dark, his eyes locked right on her, and the air around him was thick with a cold, dangerous vibe. Grace's face shifted a little. 'Did he hear all that? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?' she wondered. Richard watched her standing there like a scared little bird, not trying to explain herself, and the coldness in his eyes only got worse. Right then, Serena gasped, her face all twisted up with fake worry as she shook her head. "Mr. Lane, please don't get the wrong idea about Grace. She would never do anything to betray you. "She wanted that role. It's only a coincidence that Julian happens to be on the crew. She doesn't want to be with Julian. Not at all." Grace was completely speechless. Richard's face, which had started to relax a little, went right back to cold and murderous. He stared at Grace with a chill that could freeze her solid. 'Oh crap,' Grace thought. She rushed over, grabbed his arm with both hands, and looked up at him with the biggest, saddest puppy-dog eyes she could make. "Honey, I promise I'm not gonna do that audition." Serena stood there across from them, staring at Grace's hands wrapped around Richard's arm, her jaw practically on the floor and her eyes blazing with rage. 'How dare she?' Serena fumed inside. 'Right in front of me like that?' Chapter 5 Trying to Break Up Someone's Marriage Serena quickly pulled herself together and said softly, "Grace, haven't you always wanted that role? Are you seriously going to pass on it?" As soon as she finished, Grace spun around and gave her a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Serena, you've always been the one telling me to work on my marriage, haven't you?" Serena's face went stiff. 'Bullshit,' she thought. 'I want Richard and you to divorce right now.' She clenched her fists and forced out a stiff smile. "Y-Yeah, but what does that have to do with you taking the role?" Grace's lips curled up a little. She could see exactly how much Serena was seething underneath, and that was the whole point. She was only getting warmed up. Then she said, "So, for the sake of my family, it's only right that I give up the role. And from now on, don't bring up Julian in front of Richard or me anymore. "Acting is acting. Do you think I'd want a role because Julian's in the show? Can you imagine what people would say if that got around? I'm married. "People might also start thinking you're using Julian to drive a wedge between Richard and me, like you're trying to take my place." Serena's heart skipped a beat, and the color drained from her face. Before she could get a word in, Grace went on in a low voice, "Serena, don't take this the wrong way. I'm only saying it because I don't want people to get the wrong idea about you. "You're a public figure, after all. It would be so humiliating if word got out that you were trying to break up someone's marriage." Serena was shaking with rage. 'This bitch is twisting everything and threatening me!' But before she could think straight, she felt Richard's sharp stare cut right through her, and she immediately burst into tears. She explained, "Mr. Lane, please don't misunderstand. I swear, that's not what I meant. Grace used to tell me that she had a crush on Julian back in high school. I was only trying to keep her from making a mistake." Grace smiled, casually playing with the buttons on Richard's suit jacket as she spoke in a soft voice, "Well, if that's the case, Serena, then stop bringing up Julian to stir the pot. If Richard gets angry, are you ready to deal with the fallout?" Then she tilted her head back, grinning at Richard, whose expression was hard to read. "Honey, if someone tried to bully me and ruin our marriage, would you make them pay?" Richard froze for a second, watching her. She was smiling, but the way she nervously kept her eyes locked on him made something inside him soften. He found himself grunting, "Yeah," before he knew what he was saying. Grace's face lit up like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, and she turned to look at Serena, whose face had turned a horrible shade of purple. She couldn't help feeling pretty pleased with herself. "You heard that, right? Joking around with me is one thing, but you'd better watch yourself in front of Richard," Grace said. Serena was so furious that she felt like steam was about to blow out of her ears. Her whole body wouldn't stop shaking. But before she could say a single word, Grace turned to Richard, who seemed lost in thought, and flashed him a sweet, playful smile, her voice turning soft and coy. "Honey, let's go out and have some fun, please?" She pressed her soft body against his arm, her fresh scent filling the air, and she kept calling him "Honey." Richard's heart pounded hard in his chest. He glanced down and caught a glimpse of her long, slim neck. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling a little. "Okay." He was still cold as ever, but for Grace, getting him to say yes was like watching a giant iceberg finally start to crack. Her eyes sparkled. "You're so good, honey. I love you!" Before anyone could react, she threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss right on his lips. Chapter 6 I'll Prove It to You Grace's move hit Richard like a thunderbolt. But before he could taste that sweet kiss, she had already pulled away. Then she turned to Serena, who looked like she was about to blow a gasket. "Sorry, but we need some family time, and that doesn't include outsiders. We're heading off now. See yourself out." With that, Grace grabbed Richard, who was still a little dazed, and dragged him into the living room, then straight into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind them. Richard looked at her, still hanging onto his neck, his eyes full of confusion. "Grace, what are you trying to pull here?" She had changed so much. She used to hate him, couldn't wait to escape from him, and now, she got close to him. "Honey," Grace said sweetly, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his firm chest. She actually felt bad for him. She'd hurt him so badly before, and that was why he was so suspicious of her now. "I'm serious. I'm going to do my best to be a real wife to you and put our family first. You and our kids are the most important people in the world to me," she murmured. Richard froze again, staring at her eyes, which were shining like stars. He could feel a fire building inside him, everything he'd been holding back rushing to the surface. Grace pushed him down to sit on the bed and then climbed into his lap, guiding his hands to her waist. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, gave him a soft kiss on the chin, and whispered, "I'll prove it to you." Richard's hands were burning on her waist, his eyes dark, with a fire flickering behind them. "Grace," he said, his voice low and rough, "is it for real?" Grace answered by leaning in and kissing him again. Richard's eyes widened. The heat between them was building and building when all of a sudden, a shrill ringtone ripped through the room. He went stiff and shoved her away. Grace's face fell. 'The phone has to ring now? Seriously?' she complained inwardly. Richard shot a look at the screen, his face turning hard. He said, "Something came up at work. Stay with Sophie," and then left in a hurry. Grace stood there dumbfounded. 'We were this close to sleeping together,' she thought. But then she caught him practically running away, and she couldn't help smirking to herself. 'No rush. We've got time.' She shook it off and went to cheer up Sophie. Sophie still had those old memories burned into her brain of Grace always running off with Serena. Now, she thought Serena had tricked Grace into leaving again, so she was sitting in her room pouting up a storm. ***** Meanwhile, in a black Maybach racing toward Lane Group, Richard sat in the back seat. He was stunningly handsome, with sharp features and a polished look, carrying himself with an effortless air of money and class. But if one looked closer, they'd find that his deep eyes were empty, with a flicker of frustration underneath. He was lost in thought. 'Why can't I get over one little flirt from Grace? If that call hadn't come in... 'Damn it. What am I thinking? Has Grace really turned over a new leaf, or is she cooking up something bigger behind my back?' The second that thought crossed his mind, his eyes went cold, and the veins bulged on his forehead. 'Whether she's really changed or is faking it, I'm never letting her run away,' he added inwardly. Then, he took a long breath and shut his eyes. Over the next few days, Richard was swamped with work and didn't come home at all. Grace stayed with Sophie, keeping herself on his radar by firing off texts on WhatsApp. Grace: [Don't skip meals, okay? You know how that messes with your stomach.] Grace: [Honey, Sophie misses you. So do I.] Grace: [Remember you promised to take Sophie and me to the amusement park?] Chapter 7 Going to Drag Serena Down Every time Richard got a message from Grace, he couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. The sight freaked out his entire management team so much that they started wondering if he had lost his mind. Grace, on the other hand, felt a little down. Seeing that Richard either responded with a dry "Okay" or ignored her messages, she knew he still hadn't forgiven her and wasn't taking the idea of a family trip seriously. But then she thought about all the crazy stunts she'd pulled over the past four years. She sighed and told herself inwardly, 'Easy does it. I owe him this much. It's only fair.' Right then, her phone rang. She picked up, and a woman's voice came through on the other end. "Hello, I'm the assistant to the casting director for 'To Our Youth.' Am I speaking with the person who scheduled an audition for the lead female role?" the woman said. Grace's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Yes, that's me." "To Our Youth" was a novel she had loved for ages. When she found out the author had sold the film rights, she'd been keeping close tabs on it, and she'd even booked an audition on her own. In her previous life, however, she'd trusted Serena blindly, who had used Julian as bait to lure her into auditioning for "The Crown." Then, with Grace's notebook of detailed character and plot analysis for "To Our Youth," Serena had gone to the audition herself and snagged the lead role. After that, the show became a massive hit, and Serena rode that wave all the way to becoming the number one among the most popular four young actresses. Now that she'd been given a second chance, there was no way Grace was going to let that happen again. She'd been waiting for this phone call. She was going to drag Serena down, no matter what. After she confirmed the audition time and hung up, a cold, vengeful fire burned in Grace's eyes. "Mommy!" Sophie called out. The sudden voice snapped Grace back to reality. She turned around and saw her daughter running toward her with a white laptop in her arms. She quickly put her phone away and scooped Sophie into her arms. "What's up, sweetie?" Sophie poked her finger at the screen, looking a little down. "Mommy, look. This is Daddy's schedule. He's in meetings all day and doesn't have any time to hang out with us," she whimpered. Grace took a look, and sure enough, the schedule was packed solid. She was shocked. "Where did you get this?" Sophie pouted, her chubby face full of disappointment. In her sweet voice, she said, "It was on Leon's computer. I really want Daddy to come play with us, so I hacked in and took a peek." Leon Grant was Richard's special assistant and the guy in charge of his schedule. Grace's eyes went wide with disbelief. "You hacked it, Sophie?" "Yep," Sophie said, tilting her head. "Is that weird? Mommy, I've always known how. Shawn taught me. He's really good at it, and so am I." 'The other kid I barely paid any attention to can do this, too?' Grace was stunned, but more than that, she felt a crushing sense of guilt. She said, "I'm so sorry, Sophie. Mommy's been neglecting you and Shawn. I don't know the first thing about what you two are capable of. I promise I'll do better from now on." She looked at Sophie's big, blinking eyes, kissed her on the forehead, and was desperate to make things right. "Daddy might be too swamped to come home today, but I promised we'd go and have some fun. How about the two of us go now?" "But Mommy, you're scared of heights and water, and you don't like crowds," Sophie replied. She rattled off every excuse Grace had fed her before, her big eyes full of worry. "Mommy, you said you'd rather stand on the sidelines and look pretty, and Daddy would be the one to play with me. I wouldn't dream of forcing you," she added. Grace was speechless. 'Well, isn't this a classic case of shooting myself in the foot?' she mused. She was about to say something when her phone rang again. She glanced at the screen, and her expression immediately went cold. It was Julian.