“How did she…
end up like this?”
The man, whose stunning features were marked by radiant, almond-shaped eyes and a beauty mark just beneath one of them, murmured to himself in disbelief.
It was unclear if he was asking someone else or just himself.
Miles Spade’s gaze was lowered, his long, fan-like lashes trembling slightly.
His pale pink lips were pressed into a thin line, a flash of pain crossing his mind.
‘He’d never regretted what happened back then.’
‘Now, at the height of his success, he could give her a better life.’
‘And the price was just one year of her life in prison!’
‘It didn’t matter that she had nothing.
It didn’t matter that she’d been to prison.
He didn’t mind.
He could provide for her, compensate her!’
“Mr.
Spade, how could that woman with the baby be Lawyer Grant?”
The driver said in surprise, “You must have been mistaken!”
‘Has Mr.
Spade been pining for Lawyer Grant for so many years that he now sees her everywhere?’
‘Even if Lawyer Grant had gone to prison, there was no way she was that street cleaner from a moment ago, dressed in that bulky outfit!’
Back in the day, Ruby Grant was Kincaid’s renowned, rising star—a genius lawyer.
A slight curve of her lips was enough to make defendants tremble and prosecutors break out in a cold sweat.
Countless famous law firms were vying to recruit her, but she chose to settle for a humble position as chief counsel at The Lawford Group.
Some said she was blinded by love, but no one truly knew what she was thinking.
But regardless, how could such a graceful and accomplished figure from the past possibly be that woman from just now—splattered with mud, holding a baby, and sweeping the streets?
Miles Spade’s long, slender fingers slowly curled into tight fists.
The half-open window of the luxury car slowly rolled up, casting his impossibly handsome profile in a certain dark, inscrutable beauty.
“I also hope I was mistaken.”
“Investigate it.
See if she was released from prison early.”
“And that child…
is it Caleb Lawford’s?”
Hearing this, Miles Spade’s driver and assistant, Nathan Axton, quickly wiped the smile from his face.
‘Mr.
Spade means…
that woman really is Lawyer Grant?’
‘Impossible!’
Unconvinced, he gave a lazy reply.
“Yes, Mr.
Spade.”
The car slowly drove forward.
As if to confirm whether the woman was truly Ruby Grant, Nathan Axton deliberately followed her for a long stretch.
On the side of the narrow road, the woman shielded the swaddled baby in her arms, using her free hand to push a heavy cleaning cart.
The cold wind blew relentlessly.
The woman couldn’t walk fast.
She was bundled in a faded, bulky cotton coat with a non-windproof, fluorescent work vest over it, yet her body still shivered from the cold.
Because of the weight, she had to bend her frail body forward, pushing with great effort.
The cart’s wheel unfortunately ran over a stone, and the cart suddenly tipped over!
She quickly protected the bundle in her arms with one hand while reaching out to steady it with the other!
She couldn’t hold on, and it dragged her down with a THUD!
Her knee was likely scraped.
She clenched her brow, unable to get up for a long moment…
Only the tiny infant in her arms was unharmed, nuzzling its little head in its mother’s embrace, seemingly looking for something to eat.
The baby pouted its little lips, looking famished.
Its mouth trembled, on the verge of wailing.
The woman hurriedly tried to soothe her, but it was clearly no use.
The baby soon realized her mother wasn’t going to feed her.
Famished and frightened, she could no longer hold back and began to howl with hunger.
WAAH!
WAAH!
There’s nothing more heart-wrenching than the sound of a child crying.
Ruby Grant bit her lip, mustering all her strength.
A sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead before she finally managed to right the cart.
“I’m sorry, Ceci.”
“Just a little longer.”
“Wait for Mommy, we’ll have food soon…” the woman cooed softly.
The car had been following for a while now, and it caught her attention.
She glanced over warily.
‘Who is that?
Just a car passing by?’
Hmph.
‘Could a woman in such a wretched state really be Lawyer Grant?’
Nathan Axton didn’t think so.
He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time on this street cleaner.
He stomped on the gas and sped away.
In the back seat, Miles Spade was completely unaware of what Nathan had done.
A Bluetooth earpiece glowed blue in his ear as the man spoke elegant English, conducting an international conference call.
He was immaculate, exuding an air of elite superiority.
The tires sent a huge SPLASH of dirty water from a puddle on the road, drenching the woman!
Of course, people in luxury cars rarely bother to notice the trouble their actions cause for others.
But Ruby Grant had no choice but to turn her back, taking the full force of the filthy water.
It was the only way to keep Ceci safe.
“Ceci, did Mommy see that wrong?”
“That car looked so familiar.”
“No,” Ruby Grant murmured, a lost look on her face.
“It can’t be.”
‘How could it be him?’
‘Miles Spade.
The man she’d treated like a big brother, the one she could talk to about anything—the one she’d shared every last detail of her crush on Caleb Lawford with.’
‘Even though he was Caleb Lawford’s mortal enemy, she had never doubted him.’
‘But a year and a half ago, he had used that confidential file to defeat Caleb Lawford, crowning himself with glory.’
‘He’d won the Spade Family’s approval, rising up from his status as an illegitimate son to become the family’s official heir!’
‘He was dazzlingly successful.’
‘And she was dragged through the mud.’
‘But why her?’
‘Why did he have to use her, step on her, to climb his way to the top!’
‘Miles Spade, the one who urged her to endure it when she was detained, who said he would personally be her defense attorney and clear her name.’
‘But when the verdict was read in court, he had suddenly switched sides, becoming a witness for the prosecution!’
‘Miles Spade…
Mr.
Spade…’
‘You used false evidence to personally send me to prison.
You’ve probably long forgotten the Ruby Grant who was thrown in jail because of you.’
The thought of him no longer stirred even a ripple in her heart.
Ruby Grant held Ceci tighter and tried to quicken her pace against the biting wind.
「Twenty minutes later.」
They were back at the staff dormitory.
She used money from an advance on her salary to buy a new baby bottle for Ceci.
After sterilizing it with boiling water, she prepared the formula.
Finally getting her milk, Ceci was content.
Her tiny, soft hands gripped her mother’s finger tightly.
Ruby Grant wrung out a cloth and wiped Ceci’s face clean, seeing a trace of that man in her daughter’s features.
That man was grim and severe, his expression cold, never smiling.
But Ceci’s smile was so sweet, and her eyes curved like crescent moons hanging in the treetops.
Watching her, Ruby Grant couldn’t help but fall into a daze.