Regret Came Too Late

Grace didn't hesitate for a second. She headed straight home.

Carmen scoffed. She figured it was only a matter of time before Grace crawled back to the Lamberts. She was eager to see how long Grace could keep the act going.

The next morning, Grace showed up at Henderson Group. She had been away on a business trip for a week and had noticeably lost weight. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she ran into Yancey.

Yancey's eyes flickered with disdain. He acted like he didn't see her, striding past as if ignoring her would somehow break her heart.

Grace, however, didn't react. She simply gave her colleagues a brief rundown of the trip's tasks and accomplishments. The trip had been a success, and she had even received an official email confirming her raise.

When Jessica heard that Grace had gotten a raise just for completing the Farm Support Project, she rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but throw in a snide remark during the noon meeting.

"I hope everyone in our department puts in a little more effort. Not all of us have certain connections. We could work ourselves to death pulling overtime and still not see an extra dime."

Seated at the table, Grace heard this and glanced at Yancey, who occupied the main seat in the room. As the department head, he outranked Jessica, who was just a manager.

Grace gave a slight smile, her gaze unwavering. "Ms. Hull must be talking about you, Mr. Henderson. So, she's saying everyone in this department could work themselves into the ground and never see a raise. That sounds like you, the department head, aren't doing your job. As far as I know, the company has always had a solid overtime pay policy-unless, of course, someone's been pocketing extra on the side."

surprised when Grace turned it around on Yancey.

Henderson, that's

a wave of embarrassment. He knew Grace was using him as a shield. Since Jessica had already gone this far, he'd look weak if he

crying out loud. Do you not know when to keep your mouth shut?" he

darkened even more, and she shot

her head, and flipped through the documents,

convinced she had used her connections to land the job. After this meeting,

evening, Grace was about to clock out when she was told there was a mandatory department dinner. She had

last thing she needed was to give anyone an excuse to accuse her of being difficult. So, she grabbed a cab

already seated by the time Grace arrived

room.

her snide remarks. "Some people sure walk in like they own the place. You even showed up later than the department head. Anyone would think you're the one running the

ignored her. She just planned to sit through a bit of it and leave. She didn't fit

booked a pretty upscale spot for the dinner-a five-star hotel suite with top-notch soundproofing and even a

never bothered with