Regret Came Too Late

Just when Lyle thought Grace had given up, she suddenly turned around and ordered, "Beat him within an inch of

his life, then dump him back into the slums."

With that, she left and made her way to Joanne's unit.

Both units were barely 30 feet apart, close enough that the sounds from Lyle's side could easily carry through

the walls.

However, Joanne showed no reaction as she sat there on the couch. It wasn't until Grace entered that she stood

up.

"Grace, who was that man with you earlier? Did you run into trouble lately?" she asked.

Grace slowly shook her head and walked over to the coffee table. She reached for the cup of water but paused in

mid-air in hesitation.

"Joanne, have | ever told you about my past?" she asked gently.

"Not really. Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

Grace nudged the cup away and smiled weakly, saying, "Oh no. | just had a bit of a problem with Liam. That

boy's gotten good at lying recently. | have to teach him a lesson. You see, if you wear a mask for too long, ripping

it off will tear at your skin. It'll hurt for sure."

Joanne's carefully constructed expression nearly crumbled. She couldn't fully comprehend the true meaning

behind those words. Had she been exposed?

However, ever since they ran into Lucian, she had acted perfectly normal. Lucian had also played his part and

shut his eyes just in time. There had been no eye contact between them.

Aside from that one initial glance...

But Grace couldn't possibly be so sharp as to catch something from just that. If she were truly that perceptive,

would she have been so easily fooled by Yancey for so long?

Joanne tried to calm herself down, quietly exhaling as if a weight had just been lifted from her chest. She said,

"He's your brother, after all. If there's any problem, you just need to talk it through."

Grace rose to her feet and gave a casual wave of her hand, saying, "I'm leaving. Don't mention anything about

tonight to anyone."

Joanne nodded as she silently watched her leave.

Once in the hallway, Grace let out a faint breath before slipping into her car. She didn't wait long before Lyle

appeared before her with Lucian hanging over his shoulder.

He shoved the man into the backseat without consideration, then slid into the passenger seat.

"This idiot says it was all Jodie's idea," he said.

With an unreadable expression, Grace stepped on the gas and drove toward the outskirts of the slums.

Lyle scanned for any nearby surveillance cameras, then hauled Lucian out and dropped him beside a reeking

drainage ditch.

He expected Grace to drive off right after, yet the car remained parked at a short distance. It puzzled him.

"Grace, what are you waiting for?" he asked.

From dusk till dawn, no one clooking for Lucian. Eventually, it was a gang of his men who found him.

The corner of Grace's lips curled up as she said, "I was just wondering... if anyone would show up."

Lyle yawned. "There are always people around here. Someone was bound to find him. It's not like you want him

dead. You just need to know who sent him. Still, Jodie... | don't buy it. Feels like he's pinning this on the wrong

person."

No sooner had he spoken than Grace slammed her foot down on the gas and said, "Whether he's framing her or

not, we'll know soon enough."

Jodie never expected to run into Grace on her way home. Her eyes widened in shock, and the first words out of

her mouth were pure disbelief.

"You're still alive?!"

Grace's brows furrowed, the certainty in her gut beginning to waver. Could this really be connected to Jodie? Had

Lucian been telling the truth all along?

Yet there was something about the way he had looked at Joanne-something far from innocent.

Grace had always trusted her instincts, which had saved her life countless times. However, standing face-to-face

with Jodie now, she no longer held onto that certainty.

Lyle let out a derisive laugh from the passenger seat. "Don't tellthat idiot was actually telling the truth?"

Jodie quickly realized that her reaction had been too extreme, but she didn't care in the slightest. Grace would

never dare to lay a hand on her.

In fact, a spiteful thought crossed her mind. If something "did" happen to her

because of Grace, wouldn't that be even better? As the idea took root, her eyes lit

up.

Right, why should she rely on someone like Joanne?

She could send Grace to hell herself.

Before Grace could even speak, she planted her hands on her hips, the smug satisfaction in her eyes making her

confidence unmistakable.

"You were lucky this time, Grace. But

mark my words, so long as I'm alive,

I'll keep coming" "for you until you

finally cto your senses and stay away from Uncle Ethan." s

Before Grace could even register the full weight of the threat, Lyle, who was beside her, was already bristling

with anger.

His hand reached for the door handle, only to be halted by Grace's warning. "She's a Henderson. Have you

considered the consequences of laying a hand on them?"

Lyle's face contorted with frustration, then he quietly shut the door again. "So, what now? Are you going to just

let her keep sending people to kill you?"

Just when he thought Grace was going to fet it go, she suddenly slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The

ear lunged forward,

charging straight at Jodie at full speed. s

Jodie, of course, never saw it coming. She felt as though a violent gust was crashing into her. Just as she braced

for the impact, the car screeched to a stop no more than eight inches away from her s

She instantly locked eyes with Grace through the windshield.

Jodie was the first to falter.

She dropped to her knees, trembling from head to toe. Her nails scraped against

the hard dirt as the stark truth settled upon her. This was a warning to her.

Grace stepped out of the car and walked to her side.

This time, Jodie didn't cry, but her gaze was filled with unmistakable hatred. Why should she fear Grace?

Jordan had promised to protect her. Even if Ethan were to find out Jodie had attempted to kill Grace, he would

need to side with her for Jordan's sake.

Nevertheless, at that moment, her nails cracked from the pressure of her clenched fists. She gritted her teeth

and glared up at Grace with seething resentment.

Grace gave her a light chuckle. "I thought you weren't the type to be scared, Ms. Henderson."

Jodie's chest heaved with rage, but she quickly composed herself and slowly rose to her feet.

"Grace, do you really think I'll keep losing to you like | did before?" she

challenged.

That faint lift of Grace's eyebrow went unanswered. Jodie had already clambered

into the car.

What now?

In the next second, Jodie floored the accelerator, sending the car straight toward where Grace and Lyle stood.

If Grace's charge had been a warning, then Jodie's response was nothing short of

a death sentence.

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