Grace Exposes Family Plot

I reached into my pocket, my fingers closing around the cool metal of my phone. The weight of it felt reassuring as I slipped it out, keeping my movements casual despite the rage simmering beneath my skin.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Graham?" Wade's voice dripped with false concern, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction at what he perceived as my submission.

"No problem at all," I replied, my voice steady as I unlocked my screen. "Just making a quick call."

I tapped the dedicated app my father's security team had installed—a simple interface with only three options: Security, Father, and Financial Controls. My thumb hovered over the last one for just a moment before pressing down.

Wade's tirade continued, growing louder as he noticed the other employees watching us. "You know, in my day, young ladies like you learned their place quickly. No attitude, no backtalk. Just good old-fashioned respect for authority."

The phone rang once before connecting to our family's private banking line.

"Graham Enterprises Financial Control Center," a crisp voice answered.

"This is Grace Graham," I said softly, turning slightly away from Wade. "I need to execute Protocol Freeze on all supplementary cards linked to Connor Hudson's accounts. Immediate effect."

There was a brief pause. "Confirmation code?"

"Alpha-seven-delta-nine-four-two," I recited from memory.

"Processing now, Ms. Graham. All supplementary cards linked to Connor Hudson will be deactivated within sixty seconds. Would you like a confirmation notification?"

"Yes," I replied, then ended the call.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket just as Wade stepped closer, his breath hot against my face.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice you ignoring me?" he snarled, his face flushing with anger. "You're not even listening to what I'm saying!"

"On the contrary," I said, meeting his gaze with a calm that seemed to unnerve him. "I'm listening very carefully."

Something in my tone made him falter for a moment, but his confidence quickly returned as he pulled out his own phone.

"Since you clearly need a reminder of who's in charge here," he said, tapping the screen aggressively, "let me introduce you to some real authority."

The phone rang loudly in the sudden silence that had fallen over the office. Every employee within earshot had stopped pretending to work, their attention fixed on the confrontation unfolding before them.

"Put it on speaker," someone whispered—probably Diana Walsh, the senior sales rep who had been watching Wade with thinly veiled contempt all morning.

Wade's lips curved into a cruel smile as he accepted the video call and tapped the speaker button.

Rebecca's face filled the screen, her perfectly styled hair and heavy makeup a stark contrast to the simple ponytail and minimal cosmetics I'd chosen for my undercover role.

"Dad?" Her voice was high, affected. "What's going on? I'm in the middle of something important."

"So am I, sweetheart." Wade's voice changed entirely when speaking to his daughter—becoming almost obsequious. "We have a situation down here in sales. Some new girl who needs to be taught a lesson."

The camera panned, and suddenly Connor's face appeared beside Rebecca's. My fiancé—the man whose entire lifestyle I had been funding through supplementary credit cards—looked annoyed at the interruption.

"What is it, Wade?" Connor asked, his tone dismissive. "I'm in the middle of reviewing quarterly projections."

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Hudson," Wade said, his spine straightening as he addressed Connor with a deference he showed no one else in the office. "But this new employee—Grace—is causing problems. Disrespectful attitude, insubordination. I think she needs to be terminated immediately."

Rebecca leaned closer to the camera, her red lips curving into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Put her on, Dad. Let me talk to her."

Wade turned the phone toward me, his expression triumphant.

"Go ahead," he said. "Say hello to the future CEO's wife."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. "So you're the new girl my father mentioned. Let me make something very clear to you—and to everyone else in that office who might be listening."

Her voice hardened, taking on a brittle edge that reminded me of breaking glass.

"If you don't show proper respect to my father and the rest of your superiors, you'll find yourself out on the street faster than you can blink. And that's not all." She glanced at Connor, who nodded encouragingly. "If the entire sales staff can't manage to show the appropriate deference, then maybe it's time we found a whole new team. One that understands how things work around here."

The threat hung in the air, chilling in its casual cruelty. Several employees exchanged worried glances, their futures suddenly precarious because of Wade's vendetta against me.

I stood perfectly still, my expression neutral despite the storm raging inside me. What Rebecca and Connor didn't realize was that their elaborate power play was about to collapse—because the cards they were so confidently playing had just been permanently revoked.