Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace was too drained to eat after seeing Jodie again.

After a quick shower, she collapsed into bed.

The next day at work, following a morning meeting with the executives, her gaze fell on a recently released government project.

It promised just enough gain—about 100 million dollars—to be interesting but not competitive.

She tapped on the file, turning over to Zachary. "Who's in charge of the bidding for this project?"

"Some newcomer who got promoted not long ago," Zachary replied. "He's

showing up at a big charity gala tonight. The Sidlers are backing him, if I'm not mistaken."

Politics ran deep in the Sidler family, which explained their disciplined way of life.

Oscar Sidler, the patriarch of the Sidlers, and Jordan had both once held immense power. Their retirement marked a slow handoff to the next generation.

Julian, now at the helm, was running operations closely integrated with

government contracts. Everything followed protocol.

Ethan, in contrast, steered clear of politics. His strategy was acquisitions and expansion-business over influence.

The man behind the new project had ties to the Sidlers, but not enough to matter much. He was probably just a distant cousin or friendly connection.

Grace lowered her gaze and leaned back in her seat. If they could land this project, things would start looking up for the Lamberts.

She hadn't attended any public events since her return-tonight might be the right time.

Turning to Zachary, she asked, "Do we have an invite to the charity gala?"

Zachary's expression turned uncomfortable.

"Not quite. Ever since the company's scandal, even our long-time partners have been keeping their distance. We're stuck handling small contracts. And with all the negative press, no one wants to be associated with us publicly."

Grace pulled out her phone and called Selene.

"Any chance you can get me into the gala tonight?" she asked.

Selene let out a sigh. "Since I cut ties with the Jensens, I've only been working on small-time projects. I'm nowhere near the orbit of those families who attend events like that. If you're serious about attending, you'll need to go to the Sidlers, Ethan... or maybe Simon."

She wasn't even going to consider Damien-things were too tense between them.

And the way he had gone quietnoveldrama

lately? That was always a bad sign. When he went silent, it meant something was coming. She had to look out for it.

Grace didn't know Julian, and things with Ethan were lukewarm at best.

As for Simon...

Grace immediately thought of Yasmine and gave her a call. To ber surprise, Yasmine did have an invite, and since she had zero intention of attending, she simply tossed it over to Grace.

The charity gala was set for 7:00 pm, so she headed to a salon to get ready.

Just as she settled into her seat, Ed sent her a text.

"There's heavy snow outside."

She smiled, tapping out a reply.

"Yeah, I saw. I'm getting ready for something right now-getting my hair done."

Her hair was pinned up in clips while

theed a quick selfie and sent

the stylist worked on her makeume

it to Ed.

"How do I look?" she asked.

She didn't normally wear such heavy makeup or dress up this much.

"You look amazing. I want to see it in person."

"The gala ends at 11, so I'll be going home to take it all off and rest afterward."

"I'll see you then," Ed responded firmly.

His whereabouts were always uncertain, and Grace figured it wouldn't be surprising if he appeared at the gala.

She smiled softly, typing a reply.

"Alright, make sure you take a good look. I'm definitely stunning tonight."

Ed stared at his phone. He saved the photo and changed his phone's wallpaper.

He didn't want anyone else to see her like this.