Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace took a deep breath, her tone softening as she said, "I'll go buy the matching cups and flip-flops right now. At least give me an address, or how am I supposed to find you later?"

Ed quickly sent her an address, but it was in a really remote area, way out in the suburbs.

Grace checked the address against nearby buildings and saw that it was mostly rundown factories, completely deserted.

She felt her heart sink. Had he been working all this time in the dark and still couldn't afford a decent place?

Still, she didn't say anything. She just told him she'd be going over in the evening.

It had been a while since Grace had gone shopping, so she invited Joanne to join her. Joanne happily agreed, and they met at the mall.

While browsing through the luxury section, Grace immediately spotted a pair of expensive flip-flops, two hundred dollars a pair, and of course, they were the matching kind.

Joanne, who had dressed up specially for today, gasped when she saw the price. "Grace, isn't that a little too expensive?"

Grace reached for the flip-flops, but before she could grab them, someone else snatched them up. The voice that followed was dripping with sarcasm.

"People like you shouldn't even think about buying shoes like these. This kind of stuff isn't for people who need to save for months just to buy a pair."

Grace looked up, recognizing the voice. It was Jodie.

Jodie, wearing a hat and black sunglasses, was the picture of a spoiled rich girl. She smirked when she saw Grace and shook the flip-flops she had taken.

"Grace, your family doesn't even give you enough money, and here you are pretending to be rich. And your friend-what's the deal with her? She looks like she works as a waitress somewhere. Even if she could buy these, I'd love to know where the money's from."

Joanne bit her lip, embarrassed by the attention they were getting. Her face turned a shade of bright red.

Grace pulled Joanne behind her and calmly looked at Jodie.

"Ms. Henderson, you're being a little rude, don't you think?" Grace pointed out.

Jodie threw the flip-flops at Grace, hitting her in the head. The pain made Grace wince slightly.

"You call that rude? I haven't even gone all out with my words yet. You little bitch, you've made Alice cry every day, and now she's got depression. You even threw a file at me at Henderson Group. Running into me today? Bad luck for you. I've hated your guts for a long time."

Before Jodie could say more, Grace hurled her handbag at her. The bag hit Jodie's forehead with a sharp thud, causing her to bleed. She screamed in shock, clutching the wound and bursting into tears.noveldrama

"Grace! You wait! I'll get my uncle to fire you! I'll make him have you killed! Just wait!"

Jodie had come shopping alone, hoping to buy a gift for Ethan. Now, she was sobbing as she rushed to her car, calling him.

Grace stood at the entrance of the luxury store, unmoving, and turned to check on Joanne. "Are you okay?"

Joanne's face was pale as she shook her head. She said, "Maybe we should go somewhere else? Ms. Henderson was right. Everything here is just too expensive."

Grace gave her a pat on the shoulder and said, "It's fine. No one says you can't browse just because you can't afford it. Plus, I'm in a good mood today've just started dating

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recently, so I'm in a good mood. Why not let me get you a pair too?"

Joanne managed a small smile, but her eyes dimmed slightly. Grace bought two

pairs of matching flip-flops and a few white button-up shirts.

She'd noticed Ed's build, and from what she could tell, he was easily over six feet tall and pretty muscular.

Joanne stayed close behind, clearly curious about Grace's new boyfriend.

"Grace, if you have the time, why don't you bring your boyfriend out for dinner? I'll treat. I'm just really curious about what kind of guy you're dating."

Grace quickly answered while paying. "He's not that good-looking, actually. He's pretty insecure about his looks, but if he doesn't want to, I won't pressure him. I'll ask him later, but he's probably not up for it anytime soon."

A guy who wasn't attractive, working as a server? It seemed so unlike what Grace would go for.

Joanne swallowed hard, clearly struggling to process it. "So, how far have you two gone?"

Grace laughed softly, bagging her purchases. You sound so interested in him.

moved fast. We've

done thing we should have by

now. Honestly, we're both happy. But he's kind of quick to get angry. He's usually easygoing, but once he's mad, it's tough to calm him down."

Joanne finally let out a breath, realizing that Grace had actually started dating a guy who worked in a service job. With a cautious tone, she asked, "Does Ethan

know?"

"Ethan?" Grace asked, surprised. She didn't see how her relationship with Ed had anything to do with Ethan, but she answered anyway. "Yeah, I've told him. He didn't say much about it."

They continued shopping, picking up more clothes, shoes, and mugs. Grace had a lot of bags to carry by the time they were done.

She had originally planned to take Joanne out for dinner, but just as they were about to leave, Joanne received a call and had to return to work. So they parted ways.

Grace dropped off her shopping bags in the car, and as the clock neared 7:00 pm, she gave Ed a call. "Have you eaten yet? I'm still at the mall. Do you want me to grab anything for you?"

"I'm not hungry. I'm just waiting to get you," Ed replied.

Grace could feel her phone heating up, and her cheeks reddened at his words. "Ed, you're not mad anymore?"

Wasn't he upset earlier when he left while they were at the hot springs? Now, he was suddenly not angry anymore? Men's moods were all over the place— impossible to figure out.

"I'm not mad at you," Ed answered.

"Well, if you're not angry, then it's all good. I'll come to see you," Grace said.