Grace patted Mandy on the shoulder. "Send out the apology letter first and make it sincere. Oh, and I just tried an apple. It really is sweeter and crisper than the ones from Southbrook." Mandy quickly wiped her eyes and straightened up. "Got it." Orice turned to the young man beside her. "How much are you selling them per pound?"

"It has always been ninety cents."

"Mandy, make sure to mention in the letter that we'll send an extra pound for free as compensation."

The original price was eight dollars for five pounds, so adding one more pound would more than make up for ninety cents. As soon as the apology letter was sent out, they anxiously watched the backend. A flood of order cancellations started rolling in within moments like a blizzard.

Mandy clutched her head. "We're doomed, we're doomed! What if all one thousand orders get canceled? It's all because of Alice running her mouth, saying we deceived customers. Now, with this apology letter, people might really believe it."

Grace gave her a reassuring pat. "Keep watching the backend," she said, then stood up and looked at the group of young workers.

"There will still be a few thousand orders left. Get more people over here. We're packing apples through the night." These young people had been stuck in the tent for days, struggling to sell just a few orders due to low footfall. Even so, over 20 people had volunteered to help with packaging. With a surge of orders, the nearby fruit farmers quickly joined the effort.

Some were in disbelief. "Did we really just sell a few thousand orders that fast?"

Grace briefly explained the situation to clear up any confusion.

No one objected, and as long as customers knew these apples were from Northbrook and had nothing to do with Southbrook, that was enough.

One person put their hands on their hips and called out, "What are you all standing around for? Grab a loudspeaker and announce it from one end of the village to the other and wake everyone up. We're packing until these thousands of orders are ready to go!"

Immediately, a young man grabbed a loudspeaker and sprinted off, knocking on doors and rallying the villagers. Nearly everyone over 15 years old had arrived within no time, seamlessly falling into the rhythm of packing. They worked tirelessly for three straight hours until every single order was packed.

Just as Grace stifled a yawn, Mandy suddenly let out a shriek.

"Grace! It's not just a few thousand orders left! I checked again, and only a few thousand people canceled. Over ten thousand customers have confirmed they're keeping their orders." Grace was taken aback. That meant more than ten thousand confirmed orders were still waiting to be shipped.

She had thought that keeping just a few thousand orders would already be a win.

Mandy's face flushed with excitement. "I asked around, and most people said they kept their orders simply because they trusted you."

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Grace had indeed handled herself well in front of the camera. She was confident and composed, patiently answering every question without the slightest irritation. It was clear at a glance that she came from a well-mannered background. Mandy finally had good news after holding in her frustration for so long. She jumped on the spot a few times in delight.

"There are still a lot of people who haven't responded yet. We should get clearer numbers by tomorrow, but with over ten thousand confirmed orders, we'll be packing until morning for sure."

The weight on Grace's shoulders eased considerably. Looking at all the eager faces in front of her, she raised a hand in a sweeping motion.

"Well then, let's push through tonight. It's going to be an all-nighter."

A collective cheer rang out before everyone lowered their heads and got back to work. Meanwhile, in Southbrook, Ethan sat with one arm resting on the desk. He was idly flipping through the documents before him.

Beside him, Tim hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Mr. Ethan, Mr. Yancey is staying in the same room as Alice tonight. Should we inform the Henderson family?" Though he disliked Grace, the fact remained that Yancey was still engaged to her. The scandal would be unavoidable if word got out that Yancey had shared a room with her sister Violet's number, Lily Parker, before successfully marrying into the Henderson family, and it was a stain on their reputation.

In high society, it was rare for a mistress to secure her place, and when Lily had done so, the wealthy socialites had looked down on her for years.

If people found out that her son, who was still bound by an engagement, had spent the night with his fiancée's sister, it would be another juicy gossip topic. And since Ethan was the one in charge, he needed to handle it carefully.

Ethan turned another page, his tone calm. "No need."

Tim's eyes flashed with tension, and he couldn't help feeling uneasy. "Like mother, like son. Anyone with a shred of intelligence would protect their own reputation. They could have their fun in private, but to openly entangle themselves with the fiancée's sister lacked integrity."

Tim quickly fell silent, busying himself with tidying up the documents. Leaning back slightly in his chair, Ethan looked up at the room. It was already past 1:00 am. The world around him was quiet. Everything was still, with only the muffled sound of footsteps moving softly across the stone path, its echo dwindling in the still night.

He stopped in front of a painting displayed on the wall. The brushwork was exquisite and must have been a rare find.

A gentle voice broke the silence.

Alice stepped forward, moving with deliberate grace. "I didn't expect to run into you, Mr. Henderson. It's a peaceful night, isn't it? The air is fresh, and even the moon seems to hang lower."

A look of satisfaction flickered in her eyes, and she was determined to leave a good impression on Ethan. After all, she firmly believed that with just a little effort, he would fall for her like all the other men did.

Besides, she had learned her lesson this time.

She called him "Mr. Henderson" instead of "Uncle Ethan".