"Sis..." Tony put on a cheeky, pleading face. "You haven't been home for a year. Why are you interrogating me as soon as you get back?"

  Grace gave him a sidelong glance and hummed lightly. "You've made Mom worry, so that I won't let you off easy either. I actually brought you a lot of gifts, but I've now decided to give them all to Glory."

  Glory was her cousin, her aunt's child.

  Hearing this, Tony immediately widened his eyes. "No way, Sis! Chloe said you bought her tons of stuff. What did you get for me? Show me quick!"

  "We'll talk about it tomorrow after our chat."

  Grace finished indifferently and, ignoring Tony's cute pleading, left him behind and went back to her room.

  Lying in her own small bed, the familiar scent and feel brought her immense comfort. She slept dreamlessly through the night—the most peaceful and sound sleep she'd had in a long time.

  The next day was bright and sunny.

  Grace had just groggily opened her eyes when she heard a soft knock on her door. "Grace, Mom's going to work. I left your breakfast warming in the microwave. Remember to eat when you get up."

  "Got it, Mom," Grace called out in response.

  Hearing that her daughter was awake, Audrey pushed the door open. Looking at her daughter, she said gently, "What would you like for dinner tonight? Mom will stop by the market after work to get the ingredients and cook for you."

  Grace smiled, her heart as warm as the morning sun. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Beef noodles."

  "I knew it," Audrey said with an expression that said she'd guessed it. She glanced at the time. "Mom has to go. Sleep a bit more if you want. Remember to eat breakfast."

  After her mother left, Grace got out of bed. She was just about to go into the bathroom to freshen up when she heard a crisp ding.

  Having read many rebirth novels, she instinctively froze in place, wondering—was her rebirth coming to an end?

  But after waiting quietly for a while with no other sounds, she blinked, coming to her senses.

  Oh, it was just the microwave finishing warming her breakfast.

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  After washing up, she was enjoying the delicious poached chicken and steamed dumplings when a voice message from her mother.

  Grace converted it to text: ?Grace, Mom forgot my work pass at home. It should be on the cabinet in the entryway. Remember to bring it over for me after you finish breakfast.?

  Grace quickly replied, asking: ?Is it urgent??

  ?No rush, just bring it before noon is fine.?

  Around 10 o'clock, Grace found her mother's work pass and took a taxi to the Ray International Hotel.

  Her mother's job was as a housekeeping staff member at this five-star international hotel, where she had worked for over a decade. She was now the Team Leader of Group One in the Housekeeping Department.

  Her daily tasks involved cleaning guest rooms and promptly handling guest requests.

  It wasn't exactly easy work, but the environment was decent—no exposure to wind and sun—so Audrey herself was quite satisfied with her current job.

  The only drawback was her educational background—she only had a junior high school education, so she couldn't climb to mid-to-high-level positions like manager. Team leader was the highest position she could achieve.

  At the hotel front desk, Grace politely stepped forward and inquired, "Hello, I'm looking for Audrey from Housekeeping Group One. She forgot her work pass."

  "You're Audrey's daughter?"

  The front desk staff, seeing how pretty Grace was, couldn't help but ask a follow-up question.

  Grace nodded with a smile.

  "Audrey should be cleaning rooms on the floors her group is responsible for at this hour. Use my card to access the elevator and check the 26th and 27th floors. If she's not there, you can try asking at the Housekeeping Department on the 5th floor."

  The staff member handed over an internal elevator access card, reminding her, "The rooms being cleaned will have their doors open. Be careful not to knock on the doors of occupied rooms. Remember to return the card to me when you come back down."

  Grace took the card and nodded in thanks.

  She first messaged her mother to ask which floor she was on, but there was no reply. Grace had no choice but to search according to the front desk staff's directions.

  First, she went to the 26th floor, quickly walking along the corridor and searching. When she saw open doors with staff inside, she would check if it was her mother. The hotel was huge, with dozens of rooms on just one floor.

  From Suite 2788, the sound of an argument was spilling out.

  ?That's just bizarre, then? It's not some trinket. How could a brooch the size of a cup base just fly out of the room??

  ?Sir, might it be possible that someone in your party put it away, or perhaps misplaced it somewhere??

  ?What are you implying? That I'm crying thief? Take a look at who's staying in this room. Would we need to pick on a housekeeping staff??

  ?Sir, that's not what I meant. I was just suggesting a possibility. Our intention is the same as yours—to help you find the lost item, isn't it??

  In the middle of the suite's living room, the Housekeeping Manager in a suit seemed to be handling a crisis. Opposite him, a lean man wore an angry expression, clearly furious.

  Standing beside the Housekeeping Manager was Audrey, the staff member who had entered the room earlier upon guest's request to clean it.

  Just half an hour ago, the guests in this suite called to report a lost valuable item, demanding that the Housekeeping Department handle it, leading to the current scene.

  The lean man pointed at Audrey, raising his voice to accuse, "From the time we checked in until we discovered the item was missing just now, you were the only staff member who entered this room. How dare you say you didn't see the diamond brooch on the table?"

  Audrey looked at him. Even though his attitude was aggressive, she showed no trace of timidity or fear. She replied politely yet firmly, "I'm sorry, sir, but I truly did not see any brooch."

  Having worked at this hotel for over ten years, this wasn't the first time she'd faced such a situation, so she wasn't flustered inside.

  Seeing her unyielding attitude, the lean man flew into a rage. "You won't admit it, huh? If you don't admit it, I'll call the police. Stealing valuables of significant value can land you in jail! Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

  "Sir, without evidence, you cannot conclude that I stole it. Since you've lost a valuable item in our hotel, we also support you in calling the police. We are willing to cooperate fully," Audrey stated, neither servile nor overbearing.

  The lean man held his phone, initially intending to scare the staff member into handing over the item quickly. He didn't expect her to be completely unfazed.

  At this moment, the person who had been sitting gloomily on the sofa finally stood up. He said to the lean man, "We can't call the police now. We'd have to go to the station for statements, and the event starts at noon. We don't have any extra time."

  Hearing this, the lean man said with a worried face, "Gavin, then what should we do? That brooch was borrowed from the brand. It's worth over 500 dollars! We'll have to pay compensation if we lose it!"