Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 10

Grace marched into her room to change. She wanted to take a shower, but figured she didn't have the time. It didn't matter anyway—as long as she put on a pretty dress and offered a few sweet words, Arthur the pushover would be eating right out of the palm of her hand.

Lucian completely tuned her out. He thought she was being incredibly dramatic. Without Amber dragging him down, his life was going to be infinitely better!

But Grace was far more calculating than her arrogant son. She immediately headed over to the Newmans' apartment.

When she knocked on the door, Amber was just carrying the last dish of food out of the kitchen.

Arthur, still overwhelmed by the massive shift in his daughter's life plans, was sitting alone on his balcony chair, smoking a cigarette.

He rarely smoked in the apartment, especially when Amber was home.

"Amber, where's your dad? Let me talk to him for a minute, okay?"

Before Amber could say, *Was I not clear enough earlier, or are you just dense?*, Arthur called out from the balcony, "Amber, let her in."

Amber frowned. "Dad..."

"Just give me a minute to handle this, okay?"

Even if Grace truly had no intention of marrying him, they had been neighbors looking out for each other for twelve years. He couldn't just severe all ties without a single word.

Amber knew her father had a soft heart, which was exactly why she wanted to sever this toxic relationship as brutally and quickly as possible. But she also knew she couldn't push him too hard. It wasn't like she could just casually drop the fact that Lucian had murdered her over Joanne in their past life.

She slowly let go of the doorknob. Grace walked in, carrying a bag of fruit and some cheap health supplements meant for exam prep. She was wearing a delicate, tailored floral vintage dress.

Grace was stunning. Even though she worked long hours at the diner, her skin was luminous, and she never slacked on her appearance. Years ago, it was exactly this look—a delicate floral dress—that had completely stolen Arthur's heart.

If her husband hadn't died in a car crash, Arthur would never have stood a chance with her.

Back then, she had plenty of suitors, but because she came with a young son, most of the men in their working-class neighborhood weren't willing to take on the financial burden. Fortunately, she had received a decent payout from her husband's accident, and Arthur was both hardworking and remarkably sweet to her.

At the time, Joanne's father had pursued Grace aggressively and had almost forced himself on her. Arthur had stepped in to protect her, which was the only reason she had ever given him the time of day.

Amber watched the entire exchange coldly.

If the exams weren't right around the corner, did Amber really think she would bother trying to please her?

"Amber..."

Grace put on a deeply wounded expression, deliberately softening her voice. "Arthur, I just wanted to..." As she spoke, tears perfectly welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Arthur's brow furrowed. He could never stand seeing the woman he loved cry.

"Amber, she bought this out of the goodness of her heart. Just accept it. She's helped you out with clothes over the years, you can't be this disrespectful."

Amber almost laughed. Her father had absolutely no idea that the "expensive" clothes Grace supposedly bought for her—claiming they cost hundreds of dollars—were actually just cheap, second-hand garments she snagged online after someone else had worn them out.

Even more disgustingly, some of them were literal belongings of deceased people that were in too good of a condition to burn.

How did Amber know? In her past life, she had accidentally overheard Grace complaining to Lucian.

*"Lucian, I know we're rich now, but you need to talk to Amber. Tell her to stop wasting your hard-earned money! Spending three or hundred dollars on a single lipstick? How can she be so financially reckless? And that purse—how could you possibly buy her a bag that costs thirty thousand dollars?"*