Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace climbed out of the car, feeling thoroughly humiliated. As she was about to

shut the door, she still couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Henderson, do you still want me

to arrange for the chef?"

The only response she got was the sharp slam of the car door. She stood there

for a second, the message loud and clear.

Yeah. She had definitely pissed Ethan off again. Somehow, she had a real talent

for it too. Managing to irritate someone as cold and detached as Ethan this many

times wasn't easy. Unfortunately, it seemed to be her specialty.

Before she could fully gather herself, Andrea appeared, her eyes lighting up at the

sight of her. But her tone turned cutting almost immediately.

"I thought you'd be riding off with him," Andrea said mockingly. "I guess you're not

as special as you think."

Grace's brows knitted together as she turned to face Andrea.

A month ago, Andrea had been timid, practically shrinking into herself. Now, she

had somehow learned to sneer.

Grace asked quietly, "Andrea, did someone put ideas in your head?"

Andrea gave a cold, brittle laugh. "What's wrong? Are you afraid I'll expose you?"

She took a step closer, her voice growing sharper.

"You only came to me to use me. You made it sound like you were doing me a

favor, introducing me to Mr. Henderson. Then, you left me hanging, making me fall

for someone I was never going to see again. You gave me hope and then crushed

it."

She scoffed bitterly. "That woman was right about you. You look down on women

like me-women with nothing. To you, I'm just a toy-someone you can call up

and toss aside whenever you feel like it."

Grace stayed still, her heart sinking a little.

Andrea's sudden shift in attitude was too extreme to come from nowhere.

Someone had clearly gotten to her. Someone had fed her the exact words

designed to influence her thoughts. And it was working.

Grace turned to leave, but Andrea followed close behind, refusing to back down.

She shouted, "Grace, I'm not letting this go! I will marry Ethan!"

At that, Grace stopped in her tracks. She turned around slowly, finally losing her

patience. "When I first approached you, I thought you had enough self-awareness

to stay in your lane. Clearly, I was wrong."

She stepped closer, her voice cool and cutting. "You think you can marry Ethan?

With what, exactly? That empty head of yours? Women who manage to marry into

families like his, who actually cross class lines, have two things-exceptional

beauty and an elite education. And you've got neither.

"As far as I know, you didn't even finish high school. What are you going to talk to

him about? Finance and global markets? You'd be lost after the first sentence."

The humiliation hit hard. Andrea's face froze, a flicker of rage flashing through hernoveldrama

eyes.

This bitch! She'd pay for this.

Grace got into her car without sparing Andrea another glance. She started the

engine and drove off, not bothering to look in the rear-view mirror.

Behind her, Andrea stood seething. Why did women like Grace get to walk all over

her? She had dignity too. She deserved better. Fury burning in her chest, she

pulled out her phone and made a call.

"I'll do it," she said the moment the line connected. "Whatever you want, I'm in. If it

means dragging Grace down, I don't care what it costs me."

On the other end, Joanne let out a soft laugh. Her lips curled into a slow, amused

smile.

She laughed for a few more seconds before finally replying with an address. "If

you're serious, come find me here."

Then she hung up, still grinning.

She wasn't like Alice, charging out recklessly and getting herself wrecked.

Real players never stepped into the spotlight themselves. They let others take the

hits, draw the fire, and be the ones out front. And the best part? Every one of

these women hated Grace.

All Joanne had to do was tap into that resentment and they'd burn the whole place

down for her.

Grace finally made it home just past 9:00 pm. She had just stepped into the

hallway when her phone rang. It was Sebastian.

"He has signed the contract," he said.

She let out a quiet breath. At least the biggest task of the day was done.

She was still on the phone as she

unlocked her door, her voice calm

and focused. "Keep building rapport

with Jasper. The more emotionally

invested he is in the company, the

better. His potential is off the charts.

If we can position ourselves at the

right moment in Al-"

Before she could finish, Sebastian gently interrupted her, "Ms. Lambert, Mr.

Lambert called me today. He said he wants to see you."

Grace froze in the doorway. The key hung in her hand for a moment before she

slowly exhaled.

"Block his number."

Sebastian paused, caught off guard. He hadn't expected her to be that ruthless.

"But-"

"Mr. Fenwick, wrong is wrong. I don't care if he was manipulated or misled. The

moment he chose to keep Alice's secrets from and the moment he returned

those two billion dollars to Edric, he made his bed. He should've known betrayal

was only a matter of time."

She paused, her voice calm but cutting. "He's 19, not a child. If he stays that naive

and soft, he's only going to cause bigger disasters down the line."

Sebastian steadied his tone before

replying. "Understood, Ms. Lambert.

Don't worry: I've already been in

touch with Jasper. He's sharp and

far more composed than he looks.

And you might not know this yet, but

he's currently working with a

professor overseas on a household

robot project. If that gets out... it'll

draw serious attention."

Grace's eyes lit up.

Now, that was unexpected. So, Jasper had been sitting on something that major

and hadn't even mentioned it. Something as promising as a household robot

project and he hadn't even breathed a word of it.

When she offered him 5% equity, she had done it on instinct-an impulsive

gamble.

Even with Lambert Group in their current state, 5% would still sell for tens of

millions. And he hadn't tried to haggle or rushed to show off. Maybe he really had

believed in her sincerity. Maybe this really was the start of something good.

That thought settled her.

She gave Sebastian a few more quick instructions, then ended the call and quietly

shut the door behind her.

Just as she reached for the lights, a pair of arms wrapped gently around her waist

from behind. There was only one person who held her like this, and that would be

Ed.

She quickly ended the call, her tone softening as she leaned back into him.

"You're here? I thought we agreed you'd text first before showing up."

But she didn't sound annoyed. She was in a good mood tonight, so there was no

point picking at small things.

Ed rested his head on her shoulder, his voice low, almost a whisper. "I missed

you. So I came."

She let out a soft laugh and didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead, she took

his hand and guided him toward the couch by memory.

Once they sat down, she pulled out her phone and opened the official app for one

of the top luxury brands.

She handed him the phone without

lifting her eyes, her voice low and

relaxed. She said, "I made five

million dollars off my former boss

today. Honestly, he didn't even seem

mad about it. Maybe he enjoys being

taken for a fool. Go ahead, pick

something. I'll use his money to

spoil you."