Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace didn't hesitate for a second. She headed straight home.

Carmen scoffed. She figured it was only a matter of time before Grace crawled back to the Lamberts. She was eager to see how long Grace could keep the act going.

The next morning, Grace showed up at Henderson Group. She had been away on a business trip for a week and had noticeably lost weight. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she ran into Yancey.

Yancey's eyes flickered with disdain. He acted like he didn't see her, striding past as if ignoring her would somehow break her heart.noveldrama

Grace, however, didn't react. She simply gave her colleagues a brief rundown of the trip's tasks and accomplishments. The trip had been a success, and she had even received an official email confirming her raise.

When Jessica heard that Grace had gotten a raise just for completing the Farm Support Project, she rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but throw in a snide remark during the noon meeting.

"I hope everyone in our department puts in a little more effort. Not all of us have certain connections. We could work ourselves to death pulling overtime and still not see an extra dime."

Seated at the table, Grace heard this and glanced at Yancey, who occupied the main seat in the room. As the department head, he outranked Jessica, who was just a manager.

Grace gave a slight smile, her gaze unwavering. "Ms. Hull must be talking about you, Mr. Henderson. So, she's saying everyone in this department could work themselves into the ground and never see a raise. That sounds like you, the department head, aren't doing your job. As far as I know, the company has always had a solid overtime pay policy-unless, of course, someone's been pocketing extra on the side."

Jessica had planned to make a jab at Grace but was surprised when Grace turned it around on Yancey. The truth was, he had a far stronger backing than Grace.

Jessica's face went pale. "Mr. Henderson, that's not what I meant."

Yancey felt a wave of embarrassment. He knew Grace was using him as a shield. Since Jessica had already gone this far, he'd look weak if he didn't respond.

"You're a manager, Jessica, for crying out loud. Do you not know when to keep your mouth shut?" he snapped.

Jessica's expression darkened even more, and she shot Grace a venomous glare.

Grace raised an eyebrow, lowered her head, and flipped through the documents, saying nothing more.

Jessica had always disliked Grace, convinced she had used her connections to land the job. After this meeting, Jessica was set on turning Grace into her enemy.

That evening, Grace was about to clock out when she was told there was a mandatory department dinner. She had no interest in going, but the group chat announcement made it clear that attendance wasn't optional.

She wasn't exactly well-liked in the department, and the last thing she needed was to give anyone an excuse to accuse her of being difficult. So, she grabbed a cab and headed to the venue.

Everyone was already seated by the time Grace arrived at the hotel's private

room.

Jessica wasted no time with her snide remarks. "Some people sure walk in like they own the place. You even showed up later than the department head. Anyone would think you're the one running the department."

Grace ignored her. She just planned to sit through a bit of it and leave. She didn't fit in with this group and saw no point in trying. All that mattered was getting her paycheck.

Henderson Group had booked a pretty upscale spot for the dinner-a five-star hotel suite with top-notch soundproofing and even a karaoke setup.

Surprisingly, Yancey showed up too. He never bothered with these kinds of events in the past.

Although Grace had lost all respect for Yancey, his status in the Henderson family still carried weight. Marrying into the Hendersons of Druville was a fast track to high society, so plenty of women would kill for that chance.

Sure enough, someone pretended to have a little too much to drink and started cozying up to Yancey, murmuring drunken nonsense as she leaned against him.

Yancey was good-looking, and the moment she touched him, his first instinct was to glance at Grace.

Back then, Grace had been fiercely possessive. If another woman so much as got close to Yancey, Grace would shove her aside and start cussing her out.

Yancey used to love how obsessed she was with him. He still did. So, he was convinced Grace would snap and step in any second now.

The woman's hand had been all over his chest for a while, but Grace didn't seem

to mind. Finally, Yancey lost his patience and shoved the woman away.

He turned to Grace, who was calmly scrolling through her phone. His ego took a hit.

"Grace! Are you blind? Didn't you see her all over me?"