~Three months later ~

Mom and I, with our arms locked, descend the jet's stairs leading to the ground. Her heels click while my sneakers squeak. The pleasant weather, with the sun shining brightly in the middle of the sky, brings a smile to my face.

I most definitely won't miss London's weather, with its unreasonably chilly days and heavy downpours. I like rain, but not that frequently, not to mention I hate wind.

Mason is standing a few paces away from the building of the private jet airport, with his arms raised, holding up a placard I can't read.

We cross the ground and my smile turns to a scowl when I see what he's written on it.

'Welcome back, Grassy.'

"Grassy!" He throws the placard away and throws his arms around me in a tight hug, squeezing me and lifting me off the ground.

I squeal and slap his back.

"I missed your snobby ass back at the office." He laughs and puts me down before giving Mom a brief hug.

I roll my eyes, fixing my hair, and smoothening my shirt.

"You've got fat by the way." He drapes his arm around my shoulder as we enter the airport, heading straight to the exit doors. A man carries Mom and I's suitcases, scurrying behind us.

"You're an ass," I mutter under my breath.

"Mason," Mom says his name like she's scolding a ten-year-old.

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"What? She has. See." He pinches my cheek as though proving his point.

I swat his hand away and glare at him as he laughs it off.

"Any special plans for lunch?" Mason asks as we step out of the airport, leading us to the black Mercedes waiting for us, with its door held wide open by the drive.

Mom climbs in first and I follow her, Mason sits on the passenger seat, and the car sets into motion.

"Not really, I think it'd be best if we just go home. But can you send someone to pack a few things for Gracie, she'll be staying with me until we leave," Mom says.

I sigh and twirl a strand of my hair around my finger. Until we leave for my wedding.

The thought itself is horrifying. I can't believe it, we're eight days away from the big day.

I draw in a sharp shaky breath.

The past three months went by too quickly. Mom didn't let me work, not one bit. All I did was focus on my physiotherapy, exercise, stay healthy and rest.

She also forbade Mason from saying anything work-related to me.

But now we're back and she can no longer stop me. "So how's work been, Mason?"

Mom's gaze snaps to me but I fix my attention on Mason.

He shifts slightly on the front seat to face me. "We'll talk about it when we reach Mom's place. I'll tell you everything, I promise."

I squint at him with suspicion but nod anyway.

Mom and Mason carry on talking about light topics and I zone out, gazing out of the window as the car takes us to the heart of Manhattan and straight to Mom's place. My mind travels miles away from us.

Even though I hate to admit it, a huge part of me is curious about what Spencer's been up to.

The letter is the last thing I got from him and ever since then, it's been nothing.

No. I didn't throw away the letter. I tried, but couldn't.

Despite my efforts to not think about him and occupy myself and fill the hours of the day with anything to keep my mind busy, numerous times I thought about Spencer. Sometimes late at night when I couldn't sleep. Other times in the middle of doing something completely unrelated to him.

One thing was the same though. It was always bitter-sweet.

I'm no longer mad at him for the way he spoke to me that night. Sure, it broke my heart, but hating him was too draining.

He said something out of anger and regretted it instantly. There's no point in dueling on it and hurting myself more than I've already been hurt.

I've left it in the past, because I know it's the best thing to do. At least, it is for me.

I don't know what this decision says about me, but whatever it is, as long as I have peace of mind, it doesn't really matter.

It'd be a lie if I say I didn't miss Spencer. I don't care if it makes me weak, pathetic or anything else, I'm done denying my emotions and not acknowledging them.

We reach Mom's place and I tell Mason to ask Erika, my assistant, to grab a few of my belongings and send them to the house I'll be staying in for the remaining days of my freedom.

Everything is decided for the wedding, yet none of it was chosen by me. At this point, it almost feels like it's not even my wedding and it's all for someone else. Or perhaps it's a very messed up dream.

I wish it was though.

We enter the house, everything is pristine, not a speck of dust visible. It's half the size of the mansion we had, Mason and I's childhood home, but I guess it's enough since it's only for Mom and the two maids who stay over.

The three of us walk past the wide hallway and on our left is the living room, with its white wood plank flooring and a light grey rug in the middle of the area, along with the huge comfortable sofas placed in a half-circle. From the high ceiling a gigantic crystal chandelier hangs low, and the glass railing of the second floor glints from the illumination. A plush armchair is placed next to the fireplace, across from the largest sofa, and a TV hangs above it.

Mom takes the lone armchair while I sit on the long couch and Mason flumps down on the loveseat, rolling up the sleeves of his dark grey button-up shirt.

I cross my legs and expectantly stare at Mason. He throws an uncomfortable glance at Mom and my brows draw together.

"Well, what are you waiting for you? What happened in these three months?"

Mom subtly nods and he sighs, leans into his chair, scratching his chin. "A lot of stuff happened," he says with a breathy chuckle.

I frown and glare at him.

He holds his palms up and says, "I don't know where to start from."

I groan and glower, "Are serious!"

"Okay, okay!" Mason shifts on his seat and glances at Mom again, before leaning forward. His eyes take on an odd gleam as he announces, "Hell broke loose."

My eyes widen with surprise and I watch him with intrigue.

"No need to be so dramatic, tell her all the things she needs to know and get on with your day. Didn't you have a meeting later today?" Mom pointedly raises her brow as she takes off her heels and sighs, sinking into the chair.

Mason ignores Mom's comment and turns back to me. "A week after you and Mom left, the case was set on trial."

I gasp. "What!" Sliding to the edge of my seat, I gape at him. "What do you mean the case was set down for trial! William specifically told me not to do anything! Oh my God! What have you done, Mason! What's going to happen to the contract! You've ruined everything!"

A wicked smile arches his mouth as he shakes his head. "I didn't do anything," he pauses for the dramatic effect and I eye him suspiciously. "Sophia and the asshole did it."

Confusion flits past my mind. "First of all, Sophia was told by William's men not to do anything, I don't understand why she did that. And second of all, we have too many assholes in our lives at the moment, be more specific."

Mom huffs and plants her elbows on the armrests. "Your brother means, your lawyer, Spencer and his lawyers set the case in motion."

My head whirls to her as I gawk. Spencer!

"The point is, Benjamin is in deep shit, and he's bailed out of jail, but has to go to the station, twice a day to sign some papers," Mason says with a wide grin.

I stare at him dumbfounded, my mind refusing to believe whatever he's saying.

"Obviously, Stewart company's shares have gone down massively. I've applied for a loan and it's been approved. It should be ready in less than two weeks. Once we have the money, we can easily buy over the company," he adds.

"What about William?" I ask, my heart thumping, from fear of all of this might be a trick. Something that'll plummet us to our ruin. Yet a small part of me dares to hope we might be nearing the end of it

He shrugs and leans back to his seat. "What about him? He can't do anything, because technically, we didn't start anything, his son did. No clause in the contract states anything about that."

I bite my bottom lip and drop my gaze to my lap. Spencer went against his father because of me. I suck in a sharp breath and regain my composure, pushing aside my spiraling thoughts. "What else?"

A heartfelt chuckle rumbles out of Mason. "Rae, Rae, Rae, you missed some big drama."

From the corner of my eye, I glimpse Mom shaking her head as she crosses her legs.

Unaware, Mason goes on enthusiastically, "So William didn't want this to happen, because well, we won't be needing his deal anymore. Anyway, so Spencer obviously knew that, right? He went against him regardless, and William kicked him out of Judy Corp!" Mason throws his head back, guffawing as I gape at him.

I turn to Mom with my mouth hanging open and she nods, confirming his words.

"William fired his own son in front of all of his employees!" Mason chortles.

With disbelief, I stare at him. "That's not funny, Mason. Spencer got fired because of us!"

He quiets down and shrugs. "Frankly, Grassy, he deserved way worse than getting fired," he mutters.

I glare at him before rolling my eyes. "Whatever. Where is-" I stop myself right before asking about Spencer's whereabouts. I catch Mom squinting at me, her face twisting with disapproval. "Who's Judy Corp's CEO now?"

"No one... I mean, William himself. He didn't replace Spencer, so now he's the CEO and the chairman," Mason replies.

I nod, intertwining my fingers.

"But that's not it!" He says, scooting to the edge of his seat. "Did you know, Spencer bought Nathan's shares?" he looks at me with wide eyes, probably expecting me to be shocked.

I am surprised, but not because of what Mason thinks, rather the fact he knows about this too.

"The entire thirty percent! And can you believe it, he sent his lawyer with prepared documents, and transferred all of it to me, without asking for a single penny in return!"

The air knocks out of my lungs as I freeze.

"His lawyer said Spencer's plan was to transfer the shares to Mom, but since she was in London with you, he had to make do with me," Mason grumbles, rolling eyes.

My chin quivers as I gape at him.

Spencer wasn't lying that night when he told me he bought those shares to help me.

A pang of guilt pierces my heart and my throat tightens painfully.

I started the fight that night for no reason.

Mason slaps his hands on his thighs as he gets to his feet. "These were the breaking news, and the highlights of the past three months. I'll check up on you guys tonight before going to my place. Call me if you need anything."

Numb and too dazed to process anything, I feebly nod at him as he claps my shoulder and Mom gives him a side hug before he leaves.

Once the door shuts and Mom returns to the living room, I glare up at her. "You knew all these things," I accuse her bitterly.

Nonchalant, she nods and gracefully sits down on the armchair. "I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you needed rest and you had to stay away from this atmosphere. I did it for your own good."

My mouth hangs open, disbelief whirls in me. "Unbelievable."

Mom opens her mouth to reply but the doorbell rings, halting her. Wordlessly, she gets to her feet and leaves me to receive the door.

I shove my fingers through my hair.

So much has happened and yet neither of them found it important enough to tell me!

I feel betrayed by my damn family and it fucking stings!

And Spencer!

Oh, God! Spencer!

My chain of thoughts is interrupted by a soft feminine voice, approaching me with a kind smile.

"I'm so happy to see you've recovered so well," Savannah says.

I stand up, offering my hand for a handshake, but she ignores it and draws me into a hug. "It's nice to have you back."

I blink with confusion as we pull away. "Thanks," I hesitantly mumble.

She flashes me a smile and sits down next to me. Mom takes Mason's spot on the loveseat on my right.

"It might not be the best time right now, but since not much time is left to the wedding, I thought I shouldn't waste it." Savannah shifts and faces me. "Your dress is ready and it'd be great if you could go for a fitting test, in case something is wrong so they'd have the time to fix it. I was also thinking if you're up for it, we should go to the catering, just to check the taste and everything-"

"What do you say I bring coffee then we discuss all these things," Mom offers.

"That'd be great." Savannah beams and Mom stands up, heading away from the living room and straight towards the kitchen.

Knowing this might be my last opportunity, I turn to Savannah, but before I can open my mouth, she starts, "I'm sorry I was rude to you. It wasn't my place to act like that."

My eyebrows jump up with surprise.

What's it today with everyone! "It's okay, it's in the past."

She nods and tucks a beautifully curled hair behind her ear. Her brilliant blue eyes search my face, as though wanting to say something, yet she's holding herself back.

"How's Spencer?" I ask quietly.

Her brows knit together as she tilts her head, her caramel hair falling over her shoulder. "You don't know?"

"That he's no longer the CEO in your family company," I say, though my statement sounds more like a question.

"Yes, but, no. He's been off-grid for the past two-three weeks. No one knows where he is."

Unease churns my stomach as I try to school my expression and hide my horror. Glacial worry grips my core. The need to just hear his voice to ensure he's doing okay suddenly grows to be unbearable.

"W-what do you mean? Not even you?" I stammer, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Not even me." She sighs and leans to the sofa. "I guess he just wanted to get away from the shitstorm he cause for a while, you know, to let things cool down." She lifts an uncertain shoulder.

"Julia must know where he is."

Her eyes snap back to me as she watches me incredulously.

"What?"

A corner of her mouth twitches up and the action painfully reminds me of Spencer. "He broke up with Julia the day after your accident."

I gasp.

"Oh come on, we both know they wouldn't have worked out. I was preparing myself for their divorce after a year or so, but looks like Spencer's brain started working sooner than I expected."

My head spins with the number of shocking news I've received in the span of less than an hour. I fail at wrapping my mind around it.

Her gaze wanders to me and she frowns. "You okay, Gracie?"

Distractedly, I nod. After a beat, I turn around to her. "Are you sure he's okay?"

A sad smile curls her lips. "He left because of your wedding. I'm sure he's not, but he'll live through it, but he won't be coming back, unless..." her voice trails down.

Cold sweat gathers on the back of my neck. "Unless what?" I anxiously press.

"You call off the wedding... or maybe offer William to swap Kristian's place with Spencer. I'm damn he'd be ecstatic with that."

With a huff, I roll my eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?" She straightens herself and looks me dead in the eyes. "I get it, he messed up, and I might be a little biased over because he's my brother, but... he really cares for you and... I don't know," her voice gets small by the end and she lifts a shoulder, dropping her gaze to the floor.

I wait until she inhales sharply and continues, "I don't know about your feelings towards him, and he told me the accident happened because of him, and maybe you already hate his guts, but, if you don't..." She picks at her light pink nail polish and glances up at me.

"If you think what you two had is worth working out, I don't get why both of you are quitting."

My heart clenches painfully and the back of my throat aches. I twirl a strand of my hair around my finger and blink rapidly. "Because sometimes, right people meet in the wrong time and under wrong circumstances and things end up getting so messy and complicated that... the only way of working it out, is letting go." My voice quivers and I press my lips to a thin line to hide the slight tremble.

"Nothing is ever under perfect circumstances. Even right people, at right time, have to work hard to make their relationship work."

I gulp hard and look up, meeting her vivid blue eyes, shining with determination.

I might have agreed with her... but now, I fear it's too late.

Neither of us trusts the other. We've hurt each other far too many times. If anything was between me and Spencer, we destroyed it before it had the chance to form. 

Mom walks back to the living room with a tray and three coffee mugs atop it, not letting me ponder over Savannah's words a minute longer.

Soon, we're discussing the details of my dreaded big day, all the while my mind keeps wandering back to Spencer.

❦ ♥︎ ❦

So... a lot has happened in this 3 months gap. Spencer has done a lot, were guys expecting this or not? And are you guys still mad at him?

I think it's a good time to ask again, do you guys think, Spencer and Gracie should end up together or not? Do you guys think Gracie is right? That there's no hope for them anymore.

And aahhh not much is left until Gracie's wedding =) But definitely, more than 8 chapters are left for this story hehehe I've got some drama coming up for you guys =D

Do you guys think she'll marry Kristian, or not? =))

Well, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts.

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading ♡