Chapter 386

Chapter 386:

Late at night, Gracie had been staring at the safe for nearly thirty minutes.

She searched every memory she could reach for anything that might hint at the password, but not a single number surfaced. “Mom… what could the code be?” she whispered. “It’s not our birthdays, and it’s not my grandparents’ either… so what could it possibly be p>

Just then, the office door slowly creaked open.

Phoebe walked in, rubbing her eyes as she stifled a yawn. “It’s really late. Aren’t you going to rest? Everyone else has already gone home p>

“I’ll be staying at the company for a few days,” Gracie said softly.

If she went home too early, her excuse about working late might fall apart. And she wasn’t even sure Theo fully believed her tonight. Any slip right now could undo everything she had built.

Phoebe glanced at the heavy safe sitting in the center of the room. “You brought that safe in over an hour ago, and you still haven’t remembered the code? If you’d like, I can arrange for a locksmith to come first thing tomorrow p>

“It won’t help,” Gracie replied, shaking her head again.

Ever since her mother died, Alan had used every method he could think of to open that safe—force, tools, even chemicals—but none of it worked. If he hadn’t been afraid of damaging whatever was inside, he probably would have broken it open long ago.

“Go home and get some rest. Don’t worry about the safe for now,” Gracie said, waving her hand weakly.

After Phoebe left, Gracie wrapped herself in a blanket and lay down on the couch nearby. Without trying to, her thoughts drifted back to Brayden’s angry face from earlier that day.

“What is he even so upset about? I really don’t understand him,” she muttered softly.

Her mind stayed restless as that tense moment replayed again and again. She tossed from side to side until sleep finally took her near dawn.

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Early the next day, loud voices outside broke the silence.

“I need to see Gracie right now! I know she’s in the company. Let me see her immediately. Move aside! Do you know who I am? I’m your boss’s stepmother. I can make all of you lose your jobs if I want. Step aside now, or you’ll regret it p>

Jane’s sharp voice echoed straight into the office.

Gracie frowned and opened the door. Right away, she saw Jane being stopped by security.

Jane’s hair was in disarray, and her eyes were red and swollen, like she hadn’t slept at all.

“Let her in,” Gracie said calmly.

Phoebe hesitated, then finally nodded.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Jane rushed toward Gracie like someone who had reached the end of all hope. The staff stayed alert, ready to step in at any sudden move. In Jane’s frantic state, she truly looked like someone who might act without thinking.

But to everyone’s shock, Jane suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Gracie. All her usual pride and sharp edges vanished in an instant, leaving only a mother desperate to save her child.

“I saw the video. Please, help me! You’re the only one who can help now. If I had any other choice, I would never have come here,” she said bitterly as tears streamed down her face. “I’ll do anything—anything at all—to protect Ellie p>