“Miss, we’ve arrived at South Sinclair Garden.”
Meanwhile, the ride-share car pulled to a stop outside a luxury high-rise apartment complex.
It was late at night, and the child in Ruby Grant’s arms was squirming restlessly.
She reached down and felt Ceci’s diaper; it was completely full.
If she didn’t change it soon, it would soak through her clothes!
On such a cold day, Ruby Grant couldn’t imagine what she would do if Ceci got sick, catching a cold and running a fever.
Before leaving, she had realized she’d already used up all the diapers she brought from Kincaid Penitentiary.
She still had some formula at home, but it would only last for half a week.
Before entering the complex, she walked to an imported baby supply store nearby.
Seeing her holding a child so late at night, a clerk hurried over to greet her.
“It’s so cold outside, Miss Grant.
Why are you out shopping with your baby yourself?
Please, come in.
Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it ready and deliver it right to your door!”
The young clerk was on the night shift.
Earlier that afternoon, she had personally seen Ruby Grant enter the neighboring South Sinclair Garden complex.
South Sinclair Garden was a very high-end complex, with luxury-grade high-rise apartments.
The people who came and went were either rich or powerful, or at the very least, leaders in their respective industries.
At the time, Ruby Grant had been holding her child and wearing faded clothes.
The clerk and her colleague had gossiped, speculating she was just another mistress of some rich businessman from South Sinclair Garden, showing up with a child to demand recognition.
Who would have thought she’d say her surname was Grant and that she was the owner of a unit in Building Three?
Building Three…
that was the prime “king” building in all of South Sinclair Garden.
‘I can’t believe it.
A woman in such shabby clothes, all alone with a baby, is actually an owner in Building Three!’
Watching the security guard respectfully swipe his card and let her in, the clerk immediately saw the woman in a new light and couldn’t help but stare a little longer.
At the same time, she felt ashamed of her and her colleague’s wild speculation from before.
The woman before her was wearing a mask, but her figure was slender and her face petite.
Her glistening eyes, in particular, seemed to speak—they were like the moon, clear and serene.
“These few diaper brands…
give me three bags of each, size L.”
“And this formula, I’ll take Stage 1 and Stage 2.
Give me two cases of each.”
“These baby clothes—I want the 100% cotton ones in size 66.
This whole row, I’ll take them all.
Bag them up for me.”
Ruby Grant then picked out a few other baby essentials.
Only then did she turn to look at the young clerk, who was now staring, dumbfounded.
“Sorry, is this too much?”
Ruby Grant considered that with so many items, it would take several trips to deliver them all.
She hesitated.
‘Would this be too much trouble for her?’
She never would have thought about such things before, but after being “looked after” in prison, she had come to understand the hardships of those at the bottom.
After all, back then, she was at the very bottom of the prison hierarchy—the person Kincaid’s richest man, Mr.
Lawford, had specially ordered to be “taken good care of.” Anyone and everyone could come and step on her.
Now, she had learned not to cause trouble for anyone, nor did she want to attract too much attention.
After all…
Ruby Grant subconsciously touched her face.
Beneath the mask that covered it completely, she could faintly feel several scars deep enough to see bone.
Her fingers trembled, and she lowered her gaze, her eyes dimming.
Just then, the young clerk snapped back to her senses.
‘I’ve hit the jackpot!
I can meet my sales quota for the month with just this one night shift!
I could work this shift every day!’
“No, not at all, not at all!
Is there anything else you need?
I’ll bag it all up for you.”
“That’s all for now, thank you.”
“Alright, how will you be paying?”
“By card, thanks.”
From among the many documents in her bag, Ruby Grant pulled out a gold-tinted card.
‘As long as I have this card, I won’t have to worry about providing for Ceci.’
She rubbed the pad of her thumb over it before handing the card over.
“The total is nine thousand six hundred and forty-five yuan.
One moment, Miss Grant.”
BEEP.
The young clerk’s expression suddenly turned puzzled.
She tried several times, her gaze lifting with a hint of embarrassment.
“Um, Miss Grant…
do you have another card?
This one says it can’t be used.
Insufficient funds.”
“What?”
A sense of unease suddenly gripped Ruby Grant’s heart.
A strange feeling washed over her.
She suddenly remembered how easily she’d found those cards.
Could it be…
“Please, try these!”
She hurriedly pulled out several other cards.
‘If I remember correctly, each of these cards has several hundred thousand yuan on it.
It’s all prize money from those sensational Kincaid cases I worked on back in the day!’
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
“I’m sorry, Miss Grant, none of them work…”
The young clerk’s smile was starting to falter.
‘Isn’t she the owner from Building Three?
How could…
this be happening?’
“Do you have any other cards, Miss Grant?”
Devastated, Ruby Grant shook her head.
“No, that’s all of them.”
“Well, then…
all these items…”
“I don’t need them anymore.
Thank you.”
Ruby Grant forced a grateful smile and turned, dragging her feet as she left.
‘How could this be?
All my money is frozen.
That’s *my* money, money I earned with my own two hands!
On what grounds?
On what grounds does *he* get to do this?’
“Wait, Miss Grant.”
She was just about to walk out the door when someone called out to her.
“Your baby is crying.
She must be hungry or need a diaper change.
We have some free samples here.
Would you like to use one for her first?”
The clerk’s reminder jolted Ruby Grant back to reality.
She looked down.
Ceci…
She hugged the child tightly.
A short while later, she emerged from the store’s nursing room.
Ceci’s diaper had been changed.
The clerk handed her a large bag.
“This is full of sample packs from all different brands, plus a few cans of formula from a promotion we were running.
I stuffed it completely full.
Take it.
For the baby!”
Ruby Grant shouldn’t have accepted it, but the young clerk had said it was for the baby.
‘That’s right.
I can go without food, without anything.
But what about my child?
What will happen to Ceci?’
“Thank you…”
Ruby Grant’s nose tingled, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Caleb Lawford had pushed her into this corner, yet a complete stranger was willing to extend a helping hand.
She had loved the wrong person from the very beginning!
“Don’t mention it.
I don’t have kids yet, but I just can’t stand to see a baby cry.
I can tell you love this child very much.
It’s cold outside, you should hurry back.”
“No matter what difficulties you’re facing, you have to keep going for your child’s sake, Miss Grant.”
She figured the woman must have had a fight with her family.
‘These rich people are all the same.
The moment they’re displeased with their stay-at-home wives, they freeze their bank cards.’
‘They’re not even human!
Fucking bastards!’
Ruby Grant quickened her pace toward the apartment complex.
Just as the young clerk had said, the weather was indeed very cold, and she couldn’t let Ceci get chilled.
But with no source of income now, how were she and Ceci supposed to survive…?
“Stop!
Who are you?”
A security guard suddenly called out sternly, startling her from her daze.
Ruby Grant frowned.
“You just saw me this afternoon.
I’m the owner of a unit in Building Three, have you forgotten?”
The security guard cleared his throat.
“Of course I remember.
I was the one who swiped the card for you.
But we’ve just received news that your property has been frozen.
Your creditor has filed to freeze your apartment in South Sinclair Garden.
You cannot enter without their permission!”
“What?
That’s my apartment!
Why can’t I go in?”
Ruby Grant was in shock.
She had bought that apartment outright, in full!
What in the world did that have to do with Caleb Lawford?
The security guard looked her up and down.
“Seeing as you have a child with you, I won’t make things difficult.
Just leave now.”
“You!
What about my things?
My luggage is in there!”
The security guard held up his hands.
“Documentation.
Without a court order lifting the freeze, you can’t go in.
Not even for a minute.” He paused.
“Or, you could call your creditor.
If they agree and inform our superiors, we might be able to let you in temporarily.”
“I don’t know what creditor you’re talking about…” The color drained from Ruby Grant’s lips, as if touched by frost.
“You’d better think hard about it yourself.”
The guard shot her a cold glance, then turned and went back inside the comfortable, warm, enclosed security booth.
Ruby Grant stood in the biting wind, a chill piercing straight through her body.
From a legal standpoint, Caleb Lawford could indeed use her past conviction and imprisonment to file as an aggrieved party and freeze her property and liquid assets.
In other words, with a single word, he could leave her with nowhere to turn.
‘My money is gone, and I can’t even live in my own home.’
‘Does he hate me this much?’
‘I’ve already been to prison.
Is he still not going to let me go?’
“Caleb Lawford, you are so cruel.”
Holding Ceci, Ruby Grant had nowhere to go.
The security guard didn’t want her standing at the entrance to take shelter from the wind, feeling her presence tarnished the prestigious image of South Sinclair Garden.
He repeatedly tried to shoo her away.
Forced to stand on the empty street, Ruby Grant held Ceci and trembled all over.
It wasn’t from the cold, but from the surging hatred.
She closed her eyes, knowing she had to find a way out for herself and Ceci.
Just then, a flyer for a janitorial position drifted to her feet…
Ruby Grant crouched down and picked it up with a hand that was purple from the cold.
“‘Housing provided, two meals a day, 3,000 a month.’ I have a criminal record.
No legitimate company will hire me.
Even a decent chain store wouldn’t want me as a clerk.
But a janitor…”
It seemed to be her best option.
Holding Ceci, Ruby Grant took one last look at the cold, imposing gates of South Sinclair Garden.
Without further hesitation, she quickened her pace and left.
「In the dead of night.」
A luxury car drove out from the main gate of Mount Sinclair Villa.
Caleb Lawford leaned back in the rear seat, his eyes closed in a light doze.