Grace lay face up on her bed in the hotel room, staring at the ceiling as different thoughts ran through her mind. She needed to know the basics about Ann's family background before leaving with Brad.
The sound of her ringtone got her attention. She frowned when she realized it was a foreign number. Who could be calling her so late at night amongst all her foreign contacts? She wondered before remembering it was Ann's number and not hers. She sighed before taking the call.
"Hello! This is Ann Peters," She greeted.
"It really is you? My Maggie's daughter?" Grandma Rosy asked with a shaky voice making Grace sit up instantly. Had Brad given the old woman her number already? Grace wondered as her heart started racing.
"Grandma?" Grace asked hesitantly.
"Oh, my child!" Grandma Rosie cried.
"I'm sorry I'm calling you so late at night, I spoke with Brad earlier, and when he told me he found you already, I just couldn't wait to hear from you," Grandma Rosie quickly added.
"Oh!" Grace said, not knowing what else to say.
"Brad says my Maggie is dead?" She asked in a sad voice making Grace rack her brain. Who could Maggie be? That had to be Ann's mother, right?
"Yes, she is," Grace said, making sniffing sounds.
"Oh, my poor darling! You'll be coming with Brad, right? I really want to see you and hold you in my arms. You need to be around family," Grandma Rosie said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Yes, I will. I can't wait to see you, Grandma. I have so much I want to ask and tell you about," Grace said, thinking about what Ann had said. Maybe she could just help Ann do the asking and record the conversations for Ann.
"I'm so excited. I will start preparing your room at once. This old heart is dying to meet you. I will let you sleep now but will call you in the morning. I want to talk to you every day until you get here, if you don't mind," Grandma Rosie asked.
"Of course, I don't mind. I've been waiting all my life to be reunited with my family," Grace said, making Grandma Rosie smile.
"Okay, my dear, have a good night's rest," Grandma Rosie said before disconnecting the call. Immediately after the call ended, Brad's call came in.
"I'm sorry, I tried asking her to give you time to come to terms with everything, but she wouldn't listen," Brad apologized the moment the call connected.
"It's fine. She's such a sweet old lady," Grace said with a smile, making Brad relax. If she got along well with his grandmother, then she was going to be just okay with him.
"Okay then. I just wanted to be sure you were okay with it. Goodnight then," Brad said, wanting to end the call but stopped when Grace called his name.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Thanks for last night... for not taking advantage of my drunken state," She said quietly, hoping she would get the answer she needed to be sure he hadn't touched her.
"Let's pretend we never knew each other before today," Brad said quietly before disconnecting the call.
Did that mean something happened other than the brushed lips? Grace wondered with a frown before drifting off to sleep.
***********
"What is it again today? I didn't go anywhere last night," Brad said sleepily the moment he opened his door and saw Tae-Joon standing there.
"Were you adopted?" Tae-Joon blurted out without thinking, making Brad's eyes widen in surprise.
"How did you know such a family secret? Are you, by chance, my twin?" He asked with a yawn before stretching out.
"I'm being serious here. Were you adopted?" Tae-Joon asked again.
"I was being serious too. Look, I really need to sleep," Brad said, returning inside the room with Tae-Joon following behind him.
"I was adopted too," Tae-Joon said, making Brad, who had just sprawled on the bed, sit up immediately.
"Really?" He asked with a frown.
"Yeah. Do you think we are by chance related?" Tae-Joon asked.
"Well, there is a possibility, but we will never know if we don't carry out a DNA test," Brad said, yawning again.
"You don't mind us doing that, do you?" Tae-Joon asked hopefully.
"You really want to have this handsome hulk for a brother, don't you?" Brad asked with a grin making Tae-Joon glare at him.
"Why do you have to joke over everything?" Tae-Joon asked with a frown.
"Because there's no need to be so serious over anything. I could give you my toothbrush or a strand of hair or whatever it is you need, to do whatever you want to do. But just so you know, I still intend on returning to my family the moment Ann makes up her mind about leaving with me," Brad said.
"Sure. I'm not asking you to be my brother or anything. The test may even come out negative. I just want to be sure we are not related. That's all," Tae-Joon quickly assured him.
"You really think if I find out you're my brother, I'm going to let you be? Family means everything where I come from. So I'll suggest you pray it turns out negative 'cause now that I know of your existence, I won't let you be," Brad said before allowing Tae-Joon to take his leave.
Tae-Joon had been unable to sleep all night after his discussion with his grandfather and had decided to do as his grandfather had said before going about the day's business.
He frowned when he saw Grace's Personal assistant walking out of one of the VIP rooms. Did she make it a habit of passing the night with different men? He wondered.
"Miss Ann!" He called loudly, making Grace jump in surprise before turning to look at him. She still was shocked every time someone called her Ann and not Grace.
"Good morning. Is there something I can do for you?" She asked him with a frown which quickly transformed into a smile when she reminded herself that she was in Ann's body and Ann liked Tae-Joon, so she was supposed to treat him nicely.
"Whose room were you coming out from a while ago?" He asked, looking at her with Interest. He couldn't allow someone as indecent as her to hang around Grace much longer, even though she was related to Brad.
"My room. I'm staying here for the time being," Grace said politely, even though she saw no reason to explain herself to him.
"Since when?" Tae-Joon asked with a slight frown.
"Since you made them throw me out of the Jiang house because they thought I was a lesbian," Grace said with a stiff smile. She just didn't know how to pretend to like someone she really did not like.
"Oh! I'm sorry about that," Tae-Joon apologized quickly.
"There's no point in apologizing. The deed has been done already," Grace reminded him before walking away.
"Can I buy you lunch later in the day?" Tae-Joon asked, running after her.
"No. I don't want anyone to misunderstand and think I'm doing something with my boss' fiance," Grace said as she kept moving very fast.
"I will ask your boss for her permission," Tae-Joon offered, making Grace pause.
"It will have to be at the company's cafeteria during lunch break," She told him before walking away. She was really curious as to the reason he was insisting on having lunch with her.