Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

If Grace had once paid off a 40-million-dollar penalty fee for Yasmine, their relationship had to have been tight.

She stayed quiet, and Yasmine didn't press further. Instead, Yasmine asked, "You really don't remember anything, huh? Alright, I won't dig into the past. But just so you know, I've got a couple of solid projects on hand right now. A few investors are already circling. You're strapped for cash these days, right?"

Grace nodded without hesitation. She wasn't in the mood to sugarcoat reality.

Yasmine leaned back in her chair, casually flipping through her phone. A few minutes later, she set it down and said,

"I'm working on five projects right now. Two are... decent. You'll make some profit, but nothing crazy. The other three are near sure-things-high return, low risk. The question is, Grace, do you trust me enough to take the leap?"

After all, to the current Grace, who had lost all her memories, Yasmine was just a stranger now.

Grace studied her for a second, then smiled. "I trust you," she said. "When I pulled your background file, even your name felt familiar."

Yasmine smiled back, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm swamped lately. I have a meeting with my studio team after this. If there's anything you need, just call me."

"Got it."

Both women stood up and headed toward the exit without dragging things out.

Yasmine had just opened her car door when she paused, hesitating. She looked like she wanted to ask something, but ended up pressing her lips together and staying quiet.

It was Grace who broke the silence. "Yasmine," she said, voice steady. "You know about my past. Do you know what happened between me and Ethan? Was his accident... really my fault?"

It was hard to even say it out loud. In this circle, Ethan was a god among men. Everyone believed she had been the reason for his accident and that he hated her for it. But what was the real story?

Yasmine frowned, clearly weighing her words carefully. It took a few seconds before she finally said, "You weren't the type to talk much before, definitely not about personal stuff and never about Ethan. Back then, you did have someone you liked, though. I remember that before we lost touch, you told me you were planning to confess. But you never said who it was."

She paused. "As for you and Ethan... I honestly don't know the full story. Grace, you were tough to get close to. I never understood why you stayed by Yancey's side all that time. But if you ask me, it always felt like you were using him as a shield for something... or someone... else."

Grace froze. A shield? Grace had thought Yancey was someone's stand-in. It turned out that she had been using him to protect someone else entirely.

The web around her memories felt even messier now. She rubbed her temples, her head pounding harder.

Suddenly, Yasmine stepped forward and pulled her into a quick hug. "If I'd known you were gonna lose your memory, I would've asked you more questions while I had the chance," she said softly.

Grace let out a breath. Some things couldn't be rushed. She had to take it one step at a time.

She climbed into her car, waving goodbye at Yasmine before pulling away.

Yasmine watched her leave, then turned to open her own car door. However, she froze when she heard footsteps from around the corner.

Narrowing her eyes, she stepped closer and found a man leaning lazily against the wall, smoking. It was Yancey.

She recognized him instantly, though he didn't know her. She turned to leave without acknowledging him. But he called out to her, his voice low and mocking. "Are you sure about that?"

Yasmine paused, frowning slightly. "Sure about what?"

Yancey chuckled, but there was no

humor int. "You said that all her kindness to me-all that loyalty was just use me as a shield for

someone else," he repeated, his voice growing colder.

So, he had overheard. And judging by the look in his eyes, he'd been standing there for a while, stewing in it. Had he followed Grace here? Did Grace even know?

Yasmine sighed lightly. "Mr. Henderson, I was just speculating. Don't take it so seriously."noveldrama

But Yancey took a step closer, the cigarette falling from his hand. He ground it into the pavement under his heel with a vicious twist. "Speculating?" he said, his voice dripping with anger.