章 10: The Marriage Should Hold Now
Ann was the first to wake up in the morning, even though she had been unable to fall asleep.
Zoe had slept off while they were chatting. She wasn't used to such a luxurious environment, and the bed was too different from the ground she was used to.
She had carried the Duvet, which was neatly folded on the far end of the bed, and spread it on the floor. That was how she'd been able to fall asleep.
Getting up from the floor, she glanced at Zoe, who was still soundly asleep and seemed to be talking in her sleep.
The time was just 6 am. Ann entered the bathroom, and it seemed like she had stepped into a beauty parlor. There were beauty products everywhere—different soaps, conditioners, and lotions.
She glanced at all the products, and she didn't have the time or patience to read through all of them. She just needed to bathe, so she picked a familiar soap and showered.
She stood by the closet, and she couldn't seem to make up her mind on what to wear. The clothes in front of her looked like clothes a model would display on a runway.
She was known for simplicity. She didn't intend to dress up like a doll. She kept searching until she came across a simple black long-sleeved turtleneck top with black slacks to match.
She quickly pulled back her hair and banded it into a ponytail, after which she turned around to examine herself. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. If this was going to be her body for the time being, she'd make the best out of it.
Zoe had told her they always dressed well for breakfast and dinner. Hence she needed to freshen up and join whoever was preparing the breakfast.
She stepped into the kitchen, making the maids uncomfortable; they dared not speak to Grace unless she spoke first. She'd taught them that much. They all stood looking at the ground, saying nothing.
Ann looked at them in surprise, wondering what was wrong. She hadn't asked Zoe about the maids because she'd assumed Grace was at least nice to them.
"What's the problem? Why are you all just standing there looking at your feet?" She asked, moving closer to them.
None of them said a word. If this was one of the Ice Queen's tests, they intended to pass it.
Ann looked at them again, wondering what Grace had done or said to them to make them behave in such a manner.
"Loosen up. I'm here to assist you in preparing breakfast, so please, let's get along, even if it's just for today."
They were all surprised to hear that from her. They raised their faces risking a glimpse at her. She wasn't wearing makeup.
What was going on today? First, she woke up earlier than usual, and next, she was being polite to them, and now her face was devoid of makeup, and she was wearing her in a ponytail.
They hadn't been told about the accident, and neither did they have any idea about the memory issue, so they assumed she was sick. Probably she'd been diagnosed with cancer and was trying to do good deeds before she died.
"But you can't cook," The chief cook said, trying to ease the tension even though she knew she was threading on a dangerous path. The other maids stood still, waiting to hear Grace's response so they could know their next move.
"I'll just show you," Ann said, putting on the apron she had picked from the hanger as she took over from the chief cook.
**********
Mrs. Jiang observed Grace as she ate. This wasn't her Grace. Could an accident as minor as that change someone so much?
The person before her lacked basic table manners, and if anything the chief cook had said was true, then something was wrong. Her Grace would never converse with the helps talk more of helping out in the kitchen. Grace had absolutely no cooking skills, and never in her life had she held a spoon over a cooking pot.
Grace would never step out of her room with her hair in a ponytail. She absolutely hated such hairstyles since she was a kid.
Could it be possible the young lady before her was serious when she said she wasn't Grace? Was she really Ann? No, that wasn't possible. There was no logical explanation as to why someone else would be occupying her daughter's body. She needed to call the doctor. There had to be a reasonable explanation for these changes.
**********
"Sis, your fiance is here," Zoe called out to Ann from the doorway.
Ann quickly got up as soon as she heard what Zoe had said. She'd been thinking about this moment all through the night. She was going to ask him to take her out on a date. She needed time alone with him to get to know him personally.
She entered the living room to see him exchanging pleasantries with Chairman Jiang.
Tae-Joon glanced at her and then turned to really look at her. It was his first time seeing her without makeup, and she was so simply dressed. He was a simple person and was always attracted to simplicity.
She gave him a shy smile as she approached him, making him smile back involuntarily.
"How're you feeling today?" He'd lectured himself on his conduct today.
"Much better after seeing you," She said to the amusement of them all.
"I was wondering if we could go out? I need time alone with you, and I don't want to be outdoors," She said after she had taken a seat beside him.
Did this lady ever really hate him, or she'd been pretending the whole time? Maybe this accident was just revealing how she really felt, Tae-Joon thought as he stared deeply at her.
He hadn't intended to marry, but if he had to marry her, it'd be great if they got along.
Chairman Jiang looked from one to the other; maybe the whole marriage thing wasn't entirely a bad idea after all.
"Can I take her out, sir?" Tae-Joon asked Chairman Jiang.
"Sure. She's your fiancee, after all. Have fun, my princess," He said, patting her back as he saw them off to the door.
*******
"Honey, we need to call the doctor," Mrs. Jiang said as she joined her husband in the living room.
"He said he'd call us after speaking to the neurosurgeon," He reminded her distractedly as he kept reading the tabloid paper.
"Isn't Grace acting too strangely? Are you not worried? She's acting like an entirely different person," Mrs. Jiang said with a worried frown.
"Don't tell me you think someone else is in our daughter's body," He said, raising a brow as he looked at her incredulously.
"It crossed my mind for a second, but.."
"No buts. That's our princess right there. She's just going through a phase, and she'll be fine. Push those doubts aside. Let's wait for the doctors to do their job. Besides, I was thinking the marriage should hold now that she seems so attached to CEO Tae-Joon, or what do you think?" He asked with a broad smile.
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