Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Melissa's temper flared fast and faded just as quickly. It was easy to tell she was the straightforward type, not the kind to hold grudges. If she were, she wouldn't have blurted out her whole family background just because someone laughed at her.

"Honestly, he's about on par with Simon," she said, thinking hard. "Maybe even better. Can't really explain it... He just looks otherworldly. Too bad he's got a nasty temper."

As she spoke, she moved closer to Grace, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Hey, you live here too, right? Which floor? If you also like good-looking guys, we should totally hang out more!"

Melissa was definitely from an affluent family, and she had to be someone who'd been spoiled all her life.

Grace didn't hesitate. Aside from Selene, she didn't know many people in this neighborhood. So, there was no harm in making another connection. She exchanged numbers with her right away.

Melissa waved her bandaged wrist as she left. "Grace, let's catch up later! I'm heading to have lunch with my cousin now."

"Sure," Grace said, smiling, watching her bounce away before finally heading to her car.

She drove straight to Lambert Group. Even though Jasper had signed his contract, he was still a "future investment". It would be at least a year before he could create any real profit for the company.noveldrama

For now, they still needed more orders.

At the last few company meetings, Grace had laid it all out clearly. From here on, every executive had to pull their weight, leverage every contact they had, and hustle for new business.

As the CEO, she had no choice but to lead from the front. She flipped through recent market reports and paused when one small entertainment company caught

her eye.

Lambert Group specialized in electronics; they had nothing to do with the

entertainment industry. But back in their prime, they had paid a few mid-tier

celebrities to endorse their products. Quentin had never liked dumping huge sums

into endorsements, though. He was old-school that way.

If you wanted fast money, though? There was no industry faster than the entertainment industry.

This particular company wasn't huge, but they had a powerhouse manager named Yasmine. Recently, rumors said Yasmine had fallen out with her boss and was setting up her own studio. That implied that she desperately needed money.

Grace needed money too. But after selling off all the Lambert family's properties, she had enough runway to float the company for at least six months. If she could flip a fast investment, that cushion could buy her and the company time.

She exhaled slowly, then immediately reached out to Yasmine and proposed a meeting. To her surprise, Yasmine agreed easily. They scheduled a meeting spot promptly.

When Grace showed up, she was genuinely stunned. Yasmine was ridiculously young and beautiful.

Grace's eyes lit up as she smiled warmly. "Ms. Evans, ever thought about getting

in front of the camera yourself? You'd blow up overnight."

Today, Yasmine was dressed

sharply in a sleek, boss-lady outfit. Compared to Grace's naturally cool distant beauty, Yasmine's

leaned more toward se

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and

polished. It was one step away from being too much, but she carried it perfectly.

"I'm married," Yasmine said simply, sliding into her seat across from Grace. "This industry isn't for me anymore."

Grace nodded and politely placed an order for coffee for both of them.

But just as they were settling in, Yasmine tilted her head and studied her with a faint smile. "Grace, looks like you really did lose your memory, huh?"

Yasmine leaned her chin on her hand, still smiling casually. "We're friends," she said. "Otherwise, why would I have agreed to this meeting? My time's pretty valuable, you know."

"Good friends?" Grace asked cautiously.

"Depends on what you mean by good," Yasmine said with a shrug.

"But if you ask me, we're close. When my old company screwed me over, it was you who paid off my 40-million-dollar breach-of-contract penalty. My own family didn't lift a finger. Only you did."

She said it without a trace of flattery. She gave a slight grin, exuding the strong, confident energy of someone who owed nobody anything.

Grace sat back. She didn't

remember any of this. All she knew was what she had picked up from bits and pieces from her so-called family and from the rumors spread by people like Yancey's circle of friends.