Prince's POV*

After shoving the door open, I look around and I don't see Grace, I also don't hear her in the kitchen cooking anything. Lifting my arms up to keep from dropping all the grocery bags, I make my way into the kitchen and see no sign of her. I place the grocery bags on the island and wonder where could she be? She knows I hate it when my employees are late getting here.

"Hey, P. You need help?" Jerome asks me after I already carried the groceries in here."

"Jerome, where the hell is Grace?" I asked him. He looks a little worried.

"Umm, P, Grace called my cell phone and said she would be a little late."

"That's just great. She's already coming in late and she hasn't even been working for me for a full month."

"Prince, she said she had an accident last night and she's a little sore, but she assured me she would be here no later than eight-thirty," he says and I become concerned.

"An accident, Jerome?  She wasn't in a car accident was she? And how bad is she hurt? Did she have to go to the hospital?"

"No, Prince, It wasn't in a car accident," I hear her voice from behind me. Once I turn myself around to look at her, I can't help but smile seeing she's okay. Jerome lowers his head next to my ear.

"Seems like you're relieved seeing Grace is okay."

"Shut up, Jerome," I whisper.

"Grace, are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me," she tries to assure me, but something is off with her. I know I don't know her all that well, but my gut instinct is telling me something isn't quit right. I make my way over to her and I can see she's trembling.

"Grace, why are you still wearing your dark sunglasses? You're in the house,-" she cuts me off by walking over to the island and proceeds to put the groceries away. Jerome looks over at me and I can see he is also concerned.

"So, Jerome told me last night that you're having a small party this weekend. Is there something special you would like me to cook for you and your guests?" She ask me without looking at me. I step in front of her and try to take her sunglasses off of her, but she steps back and pushes them back up.

"Why do you not want to remove those sunglasses, Grace?" I sternly ask her, but she isn't answering me.

"Grace, sweetheart, is there a reason you don't want to take them off?" Jerome then asks her.

"No, well, it's just I fell out of the shower last night and I now have a black eye," she tries to convince us.

"Grace, please take off your sunglasses," I say. At first, I don't think she will take them off, but she eventually slowly brings her hands up and removes them. Both Jerome and I gasp once we see her black eyes.

"Oh my god, Grace. You got that black eye from falling out of the shower?" I ask her with a concerned tone.

"I'm really okay, it barely hurts, it's just a little sore. I assure you, Prince, I can still do my job."

"Grace, I really think you need to go see a doctor. Not only is your eye black and swollen, the white of your eye ball is red. Your eye looks really bad. Come on," I say and grab her hand. She pulls it back and steps away from me.

"I don't need to see a doctor. I really am okay. I'll put some ice on it after I cook your breakfast."

"Okay, but I still think you need to see a doctor, but I won't push you to do something you don't want to do." I sigh and walk out of the kitchen.

Grace's POV*

"Is he mad at me, Jerome?"

"No, Grace, he's just concerned about you, so am I. That must have been one hell of a fall to do that to your eye," he says. I grab the last bag and put the last of the groceries away.

"I'm fine, Jerome, really, I am," I try convincing him.

"Okay, but please know, if you ever want to talk about anything, I want you to know whatever we talk about stays between us, and I know Prince would feel the same way," he kindly assures me, but I know I can't tell them anything.

"Thank you, Jerome. I really have nothing to talk about."

"Okay, I'll leave you to your cooking then," he says. After he's out of the kitchen I get a text, and I already know who it is.

"Grace, you better keep your damn mouth shut, or it will be much worse the next time.  You keep our personal life to yourself...I fucking mean it."

"Oh god, please, help me find a way out."

"A way out of what, Grace?" Prince asks me. My head lifts up to see him standing in front of me with his arms folded next to his chest and I'm now stuck with trying to figure out what to tell him.

"Oh, um, nothing. I was just thinking out loud," I lie and notice the look on his face, a look of he's not believing word I'm saying.

"You're lying, and I know you're lying, Grace. First I see a bruise on your arm, and now, your eye is black and swollen. Is someone hurting you?" He asks me. I hold my breath not wanting to answer him.

"What? No, of course not. I told you what a cluts I am. I'm known for tripping over my own feet," I lie once again. He walks in front of me and brings his hand up and gently rubs my black eye.

"I don't believe you, but I won't push you. The only thing I will say, is if you keep lying and protecting whoever is hurting you,one day, you may never get the chance to ask for help, because he will already have you beaten to death," he says, he then walks back out of the kitchen. My tears begin to flow down my face knowing he's right, but as of now, there is no way out for me. Not even Prince Nelson can help me escape.

Jerome's POV*

"Well, what did she say, P?"

"She lied to me again, Jerome. Look, I went in there and gave her a chance to tell me the truth, but she chose to once again lie to me. There is nothing else I can do for her as long as she refuses to tell me the truth. I tried, and she refused to take my help.

"So, you're just going to let her go back to the person who's hurting her, Prince? What if he ends up beating her to death the next time?"

"Jerome, I have my own things to worry about. If you think this is the one thing that's going to get me to fall in love with her and I'll give my heart to her, you can just forget it. No, I don't want to see her hurt, but I also don't want to open my heart to her either. If you think she needs to be saved, then you save her and leave me the hell out of it," he snaps and walks up the steps.

"That's just it, P, you're already starting to fall for her and you're a lot more concerned for her than you're willing to admit."