Chapter 98
“Mr. Kaufman, what did I do wrong? I just wanted to share the cake with you. Did I mess up somehow?”
As she talked, Molly grew upset, even starting to sniffle.
People nearby noticed the scene and cast peculiar glances in their direction.
Antonio had to keep his cool, even though he was furious. He just had to bite his tongue and hold it all in.
“No, you did nothing wrong. It’s my fault.”
Closing his eyes, Antonio squeezed the wine glass so hard that it was about to break.
Molly blinked. Thinking he wasn’t angry anymore, she quickly wiped away her tears and excitedly threw herself into his arms.
“Mr. Kaufman, you’re really nice.”
Antonio’s gaze was vacant, silently cursing himself for choosing a fool like Molly out of defiance.
Worried that Molly would continue to cause trouble without tact, Antonio didn’t join in any more conversations for the remainder of the time.
If someone came up to chat, he just made small talk for a moment.
11:22.
Most of the time, he sat on a couch in the corner, drinking one glass of wine after another.
When the party finally ended and he said goodbye to the hosts, Antonio hurried out of there.
By the time he got home, the drunkenness had set in.
Antonio held his head, stumbling as he pushed open the door.
“Grace, bring me some water.”
But all he got was silence.
Antonio looked up and saw the dark living room, then realized Ivan and I left yesterday.
Turning on the light, Antonio headed to the kitchen…
He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and only then noticed it was plastered with stickers–mostly cartoon characters kids adored.
Normally, he’d think these drawings were too childish, but now he couldn’t help but chuckle at them.
It was like he could see Ivan sneaking into the study, holding a kids‘ book, and timidly asking, “Dad, can you read with me?”
And what had he said?
Antonio paused while drinking, his gaze deep.
He said, “I’m busy, you know, I don’t have a lot of time.”
Thinking of this, Antonio felt a sudden surge of annoyance.
11.22
He took out his phone and couldn’t help but message me.
“Text me your address. I’ll come get you guys tomorrow and take you home.”
But after typing that, he thought it sounded off and changed his
tone.
“Where have you and Ivan been staying? I’ll pick you up and bring you home tomorrow.”
Taking a deep breath, Antonio clicked send.
But then, a glaring symbol appeared.
“IvanAce has enabled friend verification. You are not yet friends with her. Please send a friend request. You can chat once she verifies you.”
Antonio slammed the can down on the ground.
His eyebrows were knotted tight as he hurriedly checked the work chat group.
Not there.
He scoured the group chat with hundreds of people, but my avatar was nowhere to be found.
“Could Grace have left the group?
“No, that’s not possible.
“She hasn’t quit her job, so she couldn’t have left the group,” Antonio thought.
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Chapter 98
He forced a smile, though it looked somewhat strained.
The resignation letter he hadn’t opened that morning was eating at him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of panic.
Without hesitation, he called Trent.
“Hello?”
The background noise on the other end was loud, like a family gathering around the TV.
Through the speakerphone, Antonio could even hear a kid’s sweet voice.
“Dad, the cartoon is starting.”
Trent made an acknowledging sound, then seemed to move to a quieter place.
“Hello, Mr. Kaufman, is there something you need me to do?”
Trent’s deep voice jolted Antonio out of his momentary daze.
“No, nothing like that. I’m wondering why I can’t find Grace in the work group chat.”
Trent paused for a moment, then quickly replied, “She has resigned.”
Duapter 99
