Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace strolled up to Jessica, her tone even. "Jessica, I don't start fights unless someone asks for one. The second you sent Chester after me, you should've known this day was coming. Go ahead and threaten me all you want, but let's see if you even have the time for that.

"After all this mess, what company will still hire you? And if I remember correctly, you've got some pretty hefty loans, don't you?"

Jessica went pale. She had taken out a huge loan to buy a car worth seven figures just to impress Peter, and her monthly payment was a gut-wrenching four thousand dollars. Without a job, she was totally screwed.

"Grace, I'll kill you!" Jessica lunged at her.

Grace slapped her.

Jessica staggered back, clutching her face in shock. She hadn't thought Grace would actually hit her.

Grace rubbed her wrist like it was nothing. "You still don't think you did anything wrong, so there's no point wasting my breath. Take care."

"Grace! Grace!" Jessica's eyes burned red, her whole body shaking with rage.

Everyone else in the department who saw Grace slap Jessica dropped their heads like clockwork. They had always thought of Grace as nothing more than a pretty face trailing after Yancey.

But now, she had driven Jessica out of the company and wrecked her career. This side of her was straight-up terrifying. No one dared talk behind her back anymore in the group chat.

Grace was perfectly fine with the change in attitude. They had never liked her anyway, and she had no intention of trying to fit into their circle. It was even better if they wanted to keep their distance.

Jessica was quickly fired. With her manager position suddenly up for grabs, everyone in the department started scrambling for it. Grace had only been there two weeks and wanted no part of it.

Almost like Yancey was doing it just to mess with her, he went ahead and slapped the manager title on her the very next day. For a rookie who was barely two weeks in, taking that job was like picking up a ticking time bomb. All it would do was stir up jealousy and backlash.

When Grace got to work that morning, she was ready to march straight to Yancey -only to find out he wasn't in. Her colleagues were clearly unhappy, but with the kind of backing she had, none of them dared to say a word.noveldrama

After a deep breath, Grace unblocked Yancey's number and called him. "Where are you?"

He had promoted her on purpose to watch her struggle while the whole department turned against her. When he saw her name pop up on his phone, he smirked.

"Well, well, Grace. Look who finally unblocked me. Never thought I'd see the day," Yancey quipped.

Grace felt a headache coming on. "Yancey, do you actually think this is fun?"

"Obviously. Watching you bite the bullet and call me just makes it even better," he said.

She had already found him unbearable, but now, he was just downright disgusting.

She hung up and headed straight to the CEO's office on the top floor, only to find out Ethan was in a meeting. Fortunately, Tim wasn't as cold toward her as before and let her wait inside.

Two hours later, Ethan finally returned. He seemed to know exactly why she was there and didn't wait for her to speak.

As he rolled past in his wheelchair, he said, "You can join the team on this floor."

There were positions up here that suited her. Before, she had kept her distance from Ethan because he made her uneasy. But now that he was offering, she figured she might as well take it.

"Thanks, Mr. Henderson," Grace said. Then, realizing it sounded flat, she added, "How about I buy you dinner?"

But the second she said it, regret twisted in her stomach. Things with Ethan already felt weird enough.

Sitting behind his desk, Ethan said flatly, "I don't feel like eating out."

"Then come over to my place. I'm actually a pretty good cook," Grace blurted out.

Ethan paused, looking up with an unreadable expression.

Her face heated under his gaze like he thought she had some kind of ulterior motive. "I just..."

She had spoken too fast. Sure, she could cook, but would someone like him really want to go to an employee's house?

Before she could take it back, Ethan asked, "What's on the menu?"

Was that a yes?

"Is there anything you don't eat, Mr. Henderson?"

"I don't like anything too strong or overpowering."

He probably meant things like cilantro or scallions. Grace let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"When are you free?" she asked.

"Tonight."

Tonight? That was fast.

Grace had no reason to turn it down, so she started planning tonight's menu. She was still lost in thought when she got back to her desk downstairs.

But her mood lifted when she spotted the official transfer notice. Finally, she was

free from that walking disaster, Yancey. That alone was worth celebrating.

Grace jotted down a few simple dishes, all on the milder side, and sent the list to Ethan.

His reply was brief. "Noted."

It suddenly struck her that he might have a bit of a prideful streak.