Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

Jodie's lips trembled, her gaze blazing like she wanted to tear Grace apart.

Grace's brows knitted as she stared at the crushed flowers on the ground, anger bubbling in her chest.

Jodie's voice was cold and deadly as she spat, "You'd better watch your back!"

Then, she turned on her heel, walked off to pay, and told the staff to send every last magnolia to Palm Bay.

Grace stood frozen, her emotions wiped clean in an instant.

Selene gave her shoulder a quick pat. "Keep an eye out. I don't think she's in her right mind."

Grace let out a dry smile. Not acting right was putting it mildly—she felt like she was hunted by a rabid dog.

She exhaled, gave up on the idea of buying flowers, and just headed home with her groceries.

Jodie, on the other hand, walked into Palm Bay with an armful of magnolias, practically glowing as she handed them to the maid.

"Handle these with care-put them in something nice."

One maid piped up, "The best vase was taken by Mr. Henderson already. He went through a whole bunch before Mr. Bennett brought one in from elsewhere."

Jodie blinked in surprise. Since when did Ethan care so much about magnolias?

When she saw Tim step out, she rushed straight over.

"Tim, can you take these flowers to Uncle Ethan for me?"

After getting scolded for going into his bedroom without asking, she hadn't dared to set foot in there again.

Tim was her only way in now. He looked at the mountain of magnolias in the hall and sighed.

"Get rid of them. The scent's overpowering-he'll hate it."

She frowned. "But I asked the maids. They said he's really into them lately. Isn't that your job to know? He's even got some in his room tonight."

Tim's eyes flicked to the maids. At Palm Bay, they were trained to keep quiet- nothing about Ethan was to be shared.

The maids looked stricken and quickly turned away.

Tim smiled calmly. "Ms. Henderson, you should really just take them back."

Jodie felt her mood dip instantly. With a wave, she told the maids to toss the flowers.

She had spent so long trying to figure Ethan out, only to discover he lived like a man untouched by the world-untouchable and unreachable.

So when she learned he liked magnolias, it felt like a golden opportunity.

And now, Tim had casually crushed that idea.

Still, the maids wouldn't lie. Ethan really had kept that one bouquet tonight.

If it wasn't the magnolias he liked...

Jodie's eyes widened, and her breath caught. She crushed the bouquet in one swift, violent

its shards nearly slicing intonoveldrama

skin.

The maid flinched and went to grab a first-aid kit, but Jodie smiled tightly.

"Don't worry. Just clean it up. I have somewhere else to be."

She stormed out and drove straight to Grace's address.

Inside, Grace was making dinner when the door suddenly rattled from harsh pounding.

She opened it and froze.

Jodie stood there, her face pale with rage and eyes burning.

Her eyes

bere bloodshot, and her

whole body trembled with rage, Bwas still dripping from b

fist. Content bell

She looked up at Grace, her voice hoarse as she demanded, "Did you send those

magnolias to Uncle Ethan tonight?"

Grace frowned and began to close

the door, but Jodie slammed here

hand into the gap. The door crushed down on her palm, but she didn't

react.

Grace blinked-did she break her hand?

"Just tell me the truth, Grace. Was it you?"

"Yes. He wanted them," Grace said coolly.

Jodie's face turned as white as a sheet. She stumbled back, fury and heartbreak flashing in her eyes.

Grace slammed the door in her face with a deafening bang.

Jodie stood motionless, shattered.

She had known something was wrong, but why did it have to be Grace?

She wandered outside in a daze and ran straight into Yancey.

The moment she saw him, tears spilled over. She clung to his arm like a lifeline.

"Yancey..."

But even as she cried, her pain hollowed out. Her tears dried as grief gave way to numbness.

And in that numbness, hate bloomed like poison.

She wiped away her tears violently.

That was it. She wouldn't doubt herself and wait patiently.

She would destroy Grace and erase her from this planet.