Regret Came Too Late

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 wantto 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 ctoto use me. You made it sound like you were doinga favor, introducingto Mr. Henderson. Then, you lefthanging, makingfall for someone I was never going to see again. You gavehope 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 extrto cfrom 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 her 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, cfindhere." 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 hjust 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 calledtoday. 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, ning on the ki she took his hand and guided him toward the couch by memory.

Once they sat down, she pulled out her phone and opened the officialfor 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."