"Where is Zoe?" Mrs. Jiang asked with a frown the moment they all stepped into Grace's office.
"You should probably check father's office. She had probably finished what she was doing and headed there," Ann said with a smile.
"Oh! That's right. See you later then," Mrs. Jiang said before heading towards her husband's office.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked Ann with a worried frown the moment they were alone in Grace's office.
"What do you mean what am I doing?" Ann asked in confusion as she took off her shoes.
"This arrangement isn't working. Maybe we should just tell them the truth," Grace said with a frown.
"Then be my guest. I don't care either way. There is nothing remotely appealing about your life," Ann told her indifferently.
***********
Chairman Jiang pretended to be surprised when he saw his wife in his office.
"Honey, what are you doing here?" He asked with a smile as he stood up to kiss her.
"Can't I pay my husband a surprise visit?" She asked with a coy smile as she kissed him back.
"Sure you can. I'm pleasantly surprised," He said, playing along with her.
"Where is Zoe?" She asked, looking around the office before taking her seat.
"Oh! You just missed her. She left a while ago. You wanted her to do something?" He asked.
"Not at all. I'm here to discuss something important with you," She said before moving to a seat closer to him.
"It seems pretty serious. What is wrong?" He asked, sitting up when he saw the worried expression on her face.
"It's about Grace and her personal assistant. Don't you find their relationship weird?" Mrs. Jiang asked with a worried frown.
"No, I don't. You really do not like her personal assistant, do you?" Chairman Jiang asked, giving her a knowing smile.
"It's not that. I can tolerate her. But I think we do not understand the nature of their relationship well enough. What if Grace is a lesbian, and that is the reason she hasn't been giving any man a chance? What if Ann is her partner, and they're hiding under the guise of work relationships?" Mrs. Jiang said with a worried frown.
"I understand your concerns. Don't worry yourself, then. I will find out what I can about Ann," Chairman Jiang promised.
"I also think we should take Grace to the hospital to have the doctor carry out some tests on her. I don't think she is okay," Mrs. Jiang said with a worried frown.
"She is fine. Stop worrying about that. I will do what I can to find out more about Ann and their relationship. So quit worrying yourself and leave it all to me," Chairman Jiang said.
*************
Zoe waited for everyone else to leave after the training before picking up her bag and stepping outside. She didn't want to risk anyone following her or have someone going in her direction.
The moment she was sure they had all left, she stepped outside. She froze when she saw Zhang Wei leaning against the wall with his right foot crossed over his left, and he was standing as though he was waiting for someone.
She refused to believe he was waiting for her and tried walking past him, but the moment he saw her, he stood in front of her blocking her path with his hands and looking at her intensely.
She involuntarily lifted her hand to her forehead like she was trying to tuck her hair behind her ear nervously, but when she touched the wig, she quickly remembered she was a guy, so she quickly put her hand down.
She cleared her throat before lifting her head reluctantly to look at him. "Can I help you?" She asked, trying to sound authoritative, but it came out as a whine.
"You're sure I don't know you from somewhere?" He asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he dipped his right hand into his pocket.
"Do you harass all the students here this way, or you just have a special interest in me?" Zoe asked, cussing her luck for running into him in the elevator.
"Maybe it's you," Zhang Wei said before leaning closer to her to peer into her face.
Zoe held her breath as he kept looking at her. He shook his head before stepping back.
"I'm sure I'll remember you soon enough," He promised both her and himself before walking away.
Immediately he left, she released the breath she had been holding and cursed her luck. Who was he anyway? She wondered before rushing out of the building.
"President Zhang," His secretary walked up to him when he saw him walking towards his office. "I've been searching for you," His secretary said with a frown.
"Why? Is there something you want?" Zhang Wei asked as he walked past him without stopping.
"The CEO says I'm to remind you of your blind date," His secretary said nervously, making Zhang Wei turn to look at him in irritation.
"Tell him I'm not interested. He can go if he likes her so much," Zhang Wei said before walking into his office.
'Aish! where do I know that young man from?ʼ He asked himself as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.
His secretary stood there staring at him helplessly. How was he to tell the CEO any of what the president had just said? He wondered.
"Why are you still standing over there? You should go and tell him what I said now in case he wants to cancel the date or go there himself," Zhang Wei said before picking up his briefcase and stepping out of the office.
*********
"Howdy, Boyd!" Brad greeted as he stopped his truck in front of the house and stepped down wearing his cowboy hat and boots.
"Brad!" Mr. Boyd said, waving at him with a smile. He was on his way out after reporting to Rosalyn that he had been unable to trace Margaret Carter.
"I see you came to see my Queen," Brad said, referring to his grandmother with a smile.
"I sure did. Can you drive up to my office later in the day? I need to confide in you about something without your Queen breathing down my neck," Mr. Boyd said before getting into his car.
Brad's black eyes darkened in suspicion as he followed him with his eyes. "Is everything okay?" He asked.
"Sure. Just some old lady's concerns. Stop by later if you can," Mr. Boyd said before driving off.
Brad glanced upstairs to see his grandmother watching him and waving at him. His face transformed into a smile as he waved back and hurried in to join her.
"How is my Queen doing?" Brad asked before dropping a kiss on her wrinkled cheeks.
"What was Boyd telling you?" She asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. Or is there something he is supposed to say to me?" Brad asked, leading her to her rocking chair before sitting on the sofa.
"I'm trying to find your aunty Margaret. I know Boyd is likely going to tell you about it, so I'd rather I tell you first myself," Rosalyn said, looking at Brad.
"Why?" Brad asked with a worried frown. He had been less than eight years old when his aunt, his father's younger sister, had eloped with a stranger. Her elopement had devastated everyone, especially his grandfather, who had suffered a heart attack some days later.
His father still blamed his aunt Margaret for the death of their father and had asked her to leave when she had come for their father's funeral with a bulging stomach.
"Because I want to see her. Because it's high time she returned home. Because I want to see my other grandchild or grandchildren," She told him with a shrug.
Brad looked at her for a while, "Will that really make you happy?" He asked her. He loved his grandmother and only wanted her to be happy.
"Yes. But you can't tell your parents or sister about this. I want it to be our little secret," Rosalyn said.
"Okay. I'll help you find her myself if that is what you want. Anything for my queen," Brad said, giving a mock bow.
"Thank you, Brad. I'm glad I can always count on you," Rosalyn said, laughing happily.
When her only son Richard had decided to get married to his wife Eva, who the doctors had said could never bear children, she had been slightly worried. Still, her worries had disappeared the very moment they had adopted Brad and his sister Brenna.
Brad had been so smitten by her from the first time he set his eyes on Rosalyn that no one would have believed he wasn't her biological grandson.
"Can you remember the name of the man she eloped with?" Brad asked thoughtfully.
"I should be able to find the last letter she sent somewhere around. Why?" Rosalyn asked as she walked over to check her drawer for the letter, with Brad following behind her.
"Because I'm guessing she probably changed her name after she married him. So that should be my first step. Brad said from the doorway as he watched her rummage through her drawer.
"Ah! Here it is!" She said with a smile as she handed him the letter.
"You never read it?" He asked, glancing at it.
"I had no reason to read any of her letters. What does it say?" She asked after a while.
Brad looked at the letter and checked the name on it. "Margaret Peters. This letter makes searching for her easier since she attached her home address to it. I'll have to go in search of her... The letter states you have a granddaughter, Ann Peters."