Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1275: Second life

Penny had always been the smart one. Grace could never deny that, even though Penny was a few years younger than her. After knowing Penny for years, Grace understood her inside and out.

Call it luck or fate, but that brief phone call had knocked Grace back on track.

She knew exactly what Penny would do and say if she found out about Grace's condition. So, after that call, it wasn't that Grace tried to forget about her health issues—rather, it gave her the push to act as if nothing had happened.

For months before Penny's arrival in Anteca, Grace reminded herself to behave as she always had. Meanwhile, she continued her regular hospital visits. This became her routine. At first, it was tough to visit the hospital in secret, only to hear that her condition was not improving-though at least it wasn't getting worse.

Eventually, she got used to it.

Did her feelings about her condition change? Not in the slightest. But Grace had accepted that her days were numbered. That was why she had been secretly training someone to take over Penny's and her clients' affairs, in case her doctor ever told her that the cancer was spreading.

She had also prepared everything for her mother in case she passed.

Grace arranged things carefully, even volunteering to look after Chairman Bennet. Although Penny was skeptical, she reassured her that no one would suspect anything. After all, Grace had been visiting the hospital regularly due to her condition. If anyone was watching the chairman, they wouldn't see a connection just by looking at her medical records.

Grace had accepted the possibility of death. It wasn't that she had lost hope-she just didn't cling to it too tightly. For her, that was better than drowning in misery.

Life goes on.

And if she was going to die, she didn't want to leave behind the few people she cared about without closure.

But then, something interesting happened.

On one of her secret hospital visits, Grace ran into a familiar face. Haines.

at the counter, she noticed a man limping into the hospital. She glanced

A nurse was assisting him, and just as

whispered. "He and

mind as she recalled the little crush she had on him when she was eighteen. She had met Penny when she

surprise, over a decade later, he still was. He maintained his lean frame and

smile but didn't leave. Instead, she lingered in the lobby with a magazine in hand. Seeing him limp, she

he had a bad leg,' she mused, humming softly as she settled in to wait.

over an hour,

the magazine to partially shield her face, she

It really was him.

admiration bloomed in her chest, and she smiled, recalling the stories Penny had told her about him. It wasn't that she had fallen for him all over again or rekindled her

up, about to approach him—when

she recognized Charles,

Glancing discreetly at them, she watched them walk out of the

she was there. She could have lied without a problem, but she didn't

softly. "I guess approaching

off the thought, she

after that day, she became even more cautious

She might run

again. Fortunately, she never did or if she had, he never noticed her. He had always been

she first met

Haines had been a fleeting, youthful

had never truly considered it beyond

this time, did she suddenly decide to pursue

all started the morning