Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace had a lingering sense that something about Ed was amiss. His demeanor

had shifted, and he had grown strangely fixated—almost to the point of

obsession.

Also, "that guy" he had mentioned-who was that supposed to be?

"I'm not playing you." She reached out and took his hand, guiding him to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. "And I don't hate you either, so don't let your thoughts get carried away."

"What about the shells?" Ed pressed.

There was something relentless in how he clung to her words, even the ones spoken in passing, as if each word held the weight of a vow.

Grace began to wonder if she had really gone too far this time.

"I forgot," she said. "I'll make it up to you next time."

Ed fell silent. His lips trembled for a moment before he finally said, "You're just making a fool of me, Grace."

She was beginning to grow weary of it all. Needless to say, she wasn't someone who knew how to coax or comfort another.

The atmosphere between them instantly became tense. She simply admitted, "If that's what you think, then we should break up."

No sooner had she said it than she felt an overwhelming sense of hostility, a wave of killing intent that seemed to roll in from all sides. Yet she knew that it wasn't meant for her personally but for the world in general.

He slowly rose, then abruptly framed her face with his hands and brought his mouth down in a fierce kiss.

The metallic taste of blood spread between them when a jolt of pain bloomed on her lips as she reflexively tried to push him away, but he only bit down harder, to which she furrowed her brows in pain.

"Ed!" he called out, and he finally released her.

His voice came out raspy with frustration as he said, "You'll regret this, Grace. You'll regret this."

Grace pursed her lips, wincing from the pain. Nothing about that kiss held tenderness in it.

She reached out, intending to hold him, but he shoved her away. He moved toward the door, then paused as if waiting for her to stop him.

Grace touched her lips, her mind a whirl of thoughts. After a long silence, she finally said, "Never mind. I'm tired too, Ed. Maybe you're right. You were just someone who happened to show up when I was desperate."

The moment the words left her mouth, he left. However, this time, he was faster than ever.

She listened as the main door slammed shut, the sound resonating through the silence. She took a deep breath and slowly lay back down, but after avoiding reality and sleeping for two days just before, sleep was now a distant prospect.

Frustration mounted as she went to wash her face to clear up her mind. The sky outside had darkened, and just as she felt the weight of the evening settle, her phone suddenly rang.

It was Liam.

"Grace, you're back in Druville?"

Hearing his voice, Grace felt a warmth spread through her chest, easing the relentlessness that had been gnawing at her.

"Yeah. Have you gone through the materials I prepared for you?" she asked.

"I have. But there are still a few people causing trouble."

A flicker of darkness crossed Grace's eyes. Without delay, she got into the car and drove straight to Liam's villa.

When she arrived, she noticed the dark circles rimming his eyes. He was only 19 years old, but he looked as though he had matured overnight. Even his chin was stippled with the onset of stubble.

Grace reached out and ruffled his hair. One glance at the stack of documents on the coffee table was enough to tell her that he had been working diligently for the past few days.

In the next moment, Liam threw his arms around her, his face full of dependence. "I've been so obedient while you were gone. I read through everything. Mr. Fenwick has even been teaching me how to manage the company. But you're still the best, Grace. I only need to glance at the materials you prepare to understand them."

Grace felt the thrill of relief. In truth, Liam wasn't actually dim-witted, just spoiled. He was simply mischievous and had been sheltered to such an extent that his sense of right and wrong had been diminished.noveldrama

But when he put his mind to it, none of these concepts was beyond his grasp.

As he released her, his eyes immediately landed on the wound on her lip. He had never encountered anything like that before and looked genuinely surprised. "What happened to your mouth?"

Grace's lips were swollen with a faint cut marring their surface. Even the slightest movement sent a sharp twinge through her, making speech an act of quiet endurance.

She raised a hand to touch her lips before stepping toward the coffee table. "Has Edric been bothering you again?"

"Yeah. He even brought some of his senior executives with him, saying I'm too young to manage the company," Liam replied.

Edric was, without a doubt, a man driven by great ambition.

Grace sat down on the couch, her gaze falling on the stack of documents before her. Each page was filled with thick markings of annotations in handwriting that she recognized belonged to Liam.

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she spent the next ten minutes carefully reviewing them before settling to a firm conclusion-Liam would turn out just fine. She had just opened her mouth to speak when the doorbell rang from outside. Edric had come again.

As long as Liam refused to relinquish his shares, peace would remain a luxury.

What made it worse was that Edric now held 10% of Alice's shares and was therefore the second-largest shareholder. Half of the senior executives had already sworn their allegiance to him.

As for Liam, the young man who was shoved into the presidency overnight, the majority treated him with barely concealed disdain. Everyone knew how frivolous he had once been.

Liam drew in a deep breath and instructed someone to open the door.

The minute Edric and his entourage stepped inside, they spotted Grace seated on

the couch. Yet no one paid her any heed. After all, she held no shares.

With a smile, Edric clapped Liam on the shoulder, taking on the air of a seasoned elder. "Liam, have you given it some thought? If you agree, we can sign the papers right now," he said with persistence. "I'll offer you 30 million dollars, and in return, you hand over all your shares. Surely, you don't want to see your father's hand-earned legacy collapse under your hands, do you?"

Anger twisted Liam's facial features. He was on the verge of cursing outright, but after catching a glimpse of Grace in his peripheral vision, he forced himself to hold back. "Mr. Trenholm, I've already told you I'm not selling my shares." Edric gave a cold chuckle and brushed past him as he stepped toward Grace.

"Grace," he called out. "I was a bit too harsh in the office last time, so I'm here to apologize. You're about the same age as my son. There's no need for hostility between us. I could introduce you two. After all, we should work together for the company's benefit."

A well-spoken and carefully considered calculation, indeed. Everyone was aware that Liam adored his sister, Grace. If Edric could have her under his thumb, then Liam would be malleable.

Edric clapped his hands, and a young man who had been standing behind the entourage stepped forward.

The young man's name was Thomson Trenholm. To her surprise, he was a rising star, a fresh face in the entertainment industry. Rumor had it that he came from a wealthy family, though it had never once occurred to Grace that he was Edric's son-at least not until now.

The moment Liam saw Thomson's face, his expression shifted. It wasn't for any

other reason than the fact that Thomson was genuinely good-looking.

Grace wouldn't be interested in him, would she?

She had always been overly romantic in the past. Back then, she was so infatuated with Yancey that she was willing to throw everything aside just to chase after him. Now, she had learned her lesson-but who knew if she would still fall for a captivating face?

Grace's gaze lingered on Thomson for a few seconds. Her brows drew together

as a frown formed almost instinctively. She couldn't immediately explain why there was something oddly familiar about him.

Then, realization struck. Thomson bore a startling resemblance to Yancey.