Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Grace's mind snapped back to the drink she had. Still, pulling off something like that at an event this size required precision.

She swept her gaze across the room and quickly spotted someone familiar- Yancey.

He headed toward her the second their eyes met.

"What's wrong, Grace? Are you okay?"

She tried to answer, but the heat slammed into her again-sharp, unbearable, like ants crawling all over her skin.

It wasn't just a surface itch—it felt like it was rising from her bones, deep and maddening. Scratching barely helped.

She averted her gaze and gave a slight shake of her head.

Too many familiar eyes were here tonight. If they saw her clinging to Yancey, they would only revive the old whispers that she was still hopelessly in love with him.

She instinctively turned to leave, hoping to find somewhere to hide.

But Yancey caught her wrist.

"Grace, seriously, what's going on? If you're not okay, I'll take you home."

Her vision was already swimming. There was no point trying to explain.

Right now, all she wanted was for someone to hold her. The drug was wreaking havoc on her.noveldrama

Yancey moved closer, but Grace shoved him hard.

"Don't come near me," she said.

He stumbled back, clearly caught off guard by her strength.

Given their history and the rumors that never seemed to die, the moment they got near each other, all eyes would turn their way.

Now, half of the room was watching, the mood thick with amusement and anticipation.

Grace felt she was already at the brink of collapse. She reached toward a

stranger's wine glass, ready to smash it on the floor and grab a shard—maybe the pain would clear her head.

However, Yancey calmly adjusted his outfit and blurted, "I'll take you home, Grace."

He leaned in again.

The fire burning inside her was out of control now, and she couldn't take much

more.

Just then, the crystal chandelier overhead flickered twice, and the entire room was swallowed in darkness.

A heavy crash rang out, followed by the sound of glass breaking. It had to be the champagne tower collapsing.

Every head turned toward the noise, and

bet

tr Whispers started. People were

trying to figure out what just

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happened.

SV

In the darkness, Grace felt someone near her. It was a presence that stirred something familiar.

Thus, without thinking, she leaned toward it.

The person paused, then slipped an arm around her waist and quickly steered her away.

It all happened in under 30 seconds.

When the lights came back on, Grace was gone.

Yancey stood frozen, his expression darkening. Whoever took her had moved fast -too fast.

He looked around frantically, trying to figure out where Grace had gone.

But she

nowhere to be found

the first floor.

One Heart pounding, / made a beeline for theel.ne

only to find Dylan there.

Dylan stood there with a glass of wine in hand, looking as polished and composed

as ever.

The blackout had thrown everyone off, even him. He was here to watch the show, waiting to see when Ethan would make his move, so he could catch him in the act and rat im out to Jordan.

But this? It had caught even him off guard.

Yancey didn't even glance at him. He brushed past Dylan, heading upstairs.

Dylan, however, raised an arm and blocked his way.

"Going after her is pointless now, Yancey. We need this mess to grow first. Go get some rest," Dylan said.

Yancey slapped his hand away with a scoff. "Save your advice. You're the one who needs to rest, not me."

Dylan had been recovering from a serious injury lately, yet no one knew the details.

His expression turned cold, and he didn't argue further.