Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers!
Chapter 264: Uncontrollable Anger

James looked at her, standing there in an elegant purple silk dress that accentuated her perfect figure. Even though Grace was in her forties, her body and face were impeccably maintained, making her look as though she were only in her early thirties. She was still the type of woman that middle-aged men would find attractive.

But all James felt was the overwhelming urge to slap her. He restrained himself, however, determined to see how Grace would talk her way out of this one.

Inside, a tempest of fury and shame was brewing, but outwardly, James remained calm. He was a skilled actor, after all.

"Tell me, who is that man?" James asked coldly. Though he didn’t explode with anger, the icy chill radiating from him made Grace’s heart skip a beat. Could it be...? Had her affair been exposed?

Impossible!

She had been so careful, meeting the man at the beauty salon where even the ever-cunning Eric hadn’t suspected a thing.

Grace quickly masked her fear with a look of innocent surprise, setting down her glass of milk. "James, what are you talking about? What man?"

The veins in James’ temple throbbed with rage. His anger was reaching a boiling point, threatening to consume him entirely.

"Still pretending?" James sneered. "You really are a fantastic actress. I can’t believe I was fooled by you for over twenty years!"

Grace’s face grew pale. "Honey, what are you saying? I don’t understand a single word," she replied, feigning confusion. She played the part of the innocent victim perfectly, her wide, doe-like eyes glistening with unshed tears, practically begging for sympathy.

James, shaking with anger, erupted into laughter—bitter, painful laughter. "You don’t understand? You... you should just die!"

Unable to contain his fury any longer, the image of Grace’s innocent face contrasted sharply with the seductive, scheming Grace from the recording. The same Grace who had conspired with another man to kill Eric and himself.

It was too much to bear—the lies, the betrayal, the humiliation.

James raised his hand and, before Grace could react, slapped her hard across the face. Then, without hesitation, he struck her again. The sound echoed in the room, as Grace, wide-eyed in shock, sat frozen in her chair.

"You whore! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You played me for over twenty years, and now you think you can just lie your way out of this?" James roared, his chest heaving with rage. "You clawed your way up from being a mistress and claimed the title of Mrs. Nelson for yourself—didn’t that make you feel powerful and proud?"

James had finally unleashed all the anger and shame that had been building up inside him for years. To be tricked for so long—what man wouldn’t feel humiliated?

It was like a giant, glaring betrayal hanging over his head.

Grace was stunned. She sat in the dining chair, her face stinging from the blows, staring at James, who had transformed into a man consumed by fury. She had never seen him so enraged.

"Husband... why... why did you hit me?" Grace’s eyes filled with tears as she pressed her hands to her burning cheeks, her voice trembling. Her tears started to fall, turning her into a picture of pitiable innocence.

But James was beyond reason. He couldn’t stand her act any longer. He stormed toward her, grabbing her by the hair, yanking so hard that it felt like her scalp might tear.

"You bitch! Still pretending? The recording of you and that bastard was exposed! You’re truly vicious, plotting to kill Eric again and again. And what’s worse, you used your body to do it! How filthy are you, Grace? Why don’t you just die already?"

James slapped her again, and again, until Grace’s once-beautiful face swelled with red marks. The once pristine, delicate features were now distorted by bruises and swelling.

The maids stood frozen in shock. They had both worked in wealthy households before, but never had they witnessed such a brutal fight between the master and mistress.

Grace cried out in pain, her sobs muffled as she gasped for air. Fear and shock gripped her heart—James had gone mad, and it seemed her and "his" secret had been fully exposed.

Damn it!

Who had the precision to leak the entire affair, leaving no trace of their involvement? Was it Eric?

Grace’s tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "Please... stop... Honey, I was wrong, I’m sorry!" she sobbed, desperately pleading for mercy.

At this point, what could she deny? James had always trusted her; he wouldn’t be beating her like this if the evidence weren’t irrefutable.

James’ eyes were bloodshot, and he had lost all sense of reason. He continued his brutal assault on Grace, kicking her relentlessly.

She collapsed to the floor, clutching her stomach in agony as James kicked her again, forcing her to curl into a ball, crying from the intense pain.

"Did your lover give you happiness? Or did you repay that bastard with your body? He trained a hit squad for you! Isn’t that just fantastic—right out of a sci-fi movie, Grace! You two even wanted to get rid of me? You filthy whore!" James spat.

Just then, Henry burst into the house, horrified by the sight of James violently kicking Grace. He rushed over and quickly pulled James away.

James, panting heavily, had already exhausted much of his strength from the beating, so Henry had little trouble pulling him back.

"Dad, stop! Don’t hit Mom anymore... you need to calm down! Right now, the priority isn’t this—it’s figuring out how to deal with the crisis at Nelson Group!" Henry’s eyes were wild with urgency. He couldn’t believe how quickly Eric had leaked the recording online!

And there was more—he hadn’t even heard some of the details in the recording. They had plotted to kill James!

This revelation had obviously pushed James over the edge. Henry knew how much his father had trusted Grace...

James, overcome with grief and rage, let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "I thought I’d found the perfect woman in the world. I believed she was staying at home, dutifully raising our children and treating her stepson as her own. She never had an affair, no bad habits. The most she ever did was visit the beauty salon... How blind I was. How utterly stupid!"

"Dad, please, calm down!" Henry pleaded, trying to hold James back as he prepared to lash out again.

James laughed bitterly, his face twisted with pain. He thought about how he had been so heartless to his biological son, Eric, yet had been so generous and trusting with Grace—the woman who had betrayed him and even plotted to have him killed.

And Henry? Could he even be sure Henry was really his son? The absurdity of it all was overwhelming.

"I’ve been blind, fooled by my own stupidity!" James roared, pushing Henry away and storming out of the house.

The beating had released some of his pent-up fury, but as Henry had pointed out, they now had to deal with the fallout—how to handle the crisis looming over Nelson Group.

Recently, because of Grace’s previous scandals, the company’s stock had plummeted. And now, with this secret recording leaked, the damage to Nelson Group’s reputation would be catastrophic. Grace was, after all, the wife of the company’s vice president.

Henry glanced at Grace, who was now slumped on the floor. Her face was so swollen and bruised that it was impossible to recognize her once-beautiful features.