Chapter 94

"What do you mean by this?" Johnny asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Grace truly was an odd one. He had been in the middle of sharply rebuking her, laying bare his frustration and disappointment, when she suddenly extended a bank card toward him. What exactly was she trying to say with this gesture?

"I know you're upset about what happened today,and I do regret losing my temper and hitting Beatrice," Grace said softly. "This is my personal bank card. I know Dad suspended yours, so I'm giving you mine."

It was the first time Grace had ever been so compliant-so unusually eager to make amends.

Of course, she didn't actually regret slapping that two-faced Beatrice. If anything, she'd do it again without blinking. But there was no reason Johnny

needed to know that.

"You're giving this to me? Are you serious?" Johnny asked, still eyeing her with skepticism.

"Yes. I'm serious."

"You're not worried I'll max it out?" he pressed. The card was nothing special-just a regular debit card,certainly not the sleek black one their mother had once handed her, the kind that came with no spending limit but didn't allow cash withdrawals.

This one probably held whatever meager savings Grace had managed to squirrel away through her frugal habits. Honestly, it might not even be enough to buy Beatrice a full skincare set before it hit zero.

"No," Grace said evenly. In truth, it would take a lot more effort than he realized to drain her account.

Johnny paused, battling with himself in silence.

Eventually, he drew himself up, adopting a tone he imagined sounded firm and effortlessly cool. "Alright then, since you're insisting, I'll accept it. But you better not lay a hand on Beatrice again, understand?"

"Understood," Grace replied.

"And stop being so cold and withdrawn," he continued, gaining steam. "When you see me,say hi and smile. Focus on your grades instead of selling those shady, unapproved products at school. It reflects badly on the family. Got it?"

"Got it."

Johnny blinked, taken aback by how easily she agreed. The long, stern lecture he'd rehearsed in his head suddenly felt unnecessary. He cleared his throat. "Okay, you can go now."

Grace turned to leave. She had barely taken two steps when Johnny called after her, "Wait-I don't know the PIN!"

"I'll text it to you," she replied sweetly, flashing a soft smile over her shoulder.

That wide-eyed, innocent look made Johnny waver.For a split second, he wondered if he'd been too harsh.

But he quickly shook off the guilt trying to creep in and waved her away. "Never mind, just go."

He couldn't afford to go soft. Tomorrow, he was going to use that card to get Beatrice something nice.

"Alright," Grace said with a nod and left the room.

As the door clicked shut behind her, a small,triumphant smile curled on her lips.

She'd played Johnny like a fiddle.

No, she hadn't apologized properly. And no, she hadn't comforted him either. But it was all for his own good.

She knew without a doubt that he would end up using the bank card to buy luxury gifts for Beatrice.

During her time in the Holden household, she had kept her distance on the surface-but in truth, she had been carefully studying each family member's personality. She had figured out early on that Rodger and Julia genuinely cared about her. James, for all his soft-spoken charm, was emotionally detached. And Johnny? He was hopelessly blinded by love. He never spent on himself, always savng his allowance to splurge on Beatrice.

So when Beatrice's flings with other men eventually surfaced one day-as Grace knew they would-Johnny wouldn't even try to take back the gifts he'd showered on her.

But now, things had changed. From this moment forward, every shilling Johnny spent on Beatrice would be Grace's money. Each transaction would be clearly documented.

And when the breakup finally came, Grace would make sure Beatrice returned everything she had taken.

Grace wasn't the type to let things slide. Anyone who.dared to mock or challenge her would eventually face the consequences.

When the time was right, she would repay them-not equally, but double.

The next day.

Within just a few hours, Grace's phone had been buzzing nonstop with bank alerts-each one for a modest transaction.

Annoyed by the constant interruptions, she eventually switched her phone to silent.

She hadn't expected Johnny to be this restrained.For someone born into privilege, he was surprisingly tight-fisted.

Maybe he was still testing the waters, trying to confirm if her card truly had enough funds for him to spend freely. Or maybe he hadn't started shopping for Beatrice yet and was just easing into it.

But that was fine. Grace was certain it was only a matter of time before he began using her card to spoil Beatrice with expensive gifts.

Once Beatrice started receiving them regularly, her greed would only grow. She would begin to expect more-demand more-never satisfied with what she had.

If, by then, Johnny managed to open his eyes and cut ties with that vain, materialistic woman, it would be a relief.

If not, he would be the one left broken.

Because he was no match for someone as manipulative and cunning as Beatrice.