Regret Came Too Late

Edric's lips curved into a smile as he turned to Thomson. "Come, say hi to Grace. You youngsters will have more to talk about with each other. Also, Grace, Thom's popularity has been growing lately. With our support, he's bound to become a top star."

He grinned affectionately as he continued, "Imagine dating a superstar. That would certainly make you proud to take him out in public."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Thomson's eyes.

He had already been thoroughly prepped beforehand to behave well in front of Grace and make her fall for his looks. Once the marriage certificate was signed, he could do whatever he wanted-cheat on her, abuse her, and even drive her to ruin. Domestic violence wouldn't lead to any serious consequences, after all.

What mattered was marrying her and gaining control over her, thereby keeping a leash on Liam.

However, upon seeing Grace's face, his irritation yielded to astonishment. He hadn't expected her to be so stunning-far more beautiful than any A-list celebrities. Sleeping with a woman like her wouldn't be a loss at all.

The smile on his face softened, becoming unexpectedly sincere as he stepped forward and offered her his hand. "Hi, Grace. I'm Thomson."

Grace stared at his hand for a moment before slowly reaching out to shake it. "Hi."

Not far from them, Liam was growing increasingly anxious. He feared Grace might fall for this ploy. Unable to hold back, he called out, "Grace!"

Edric quickly pressed his arm down on Liam's shoulder. "Liam, this is your sister's personal affair. You really ought to stay out of it."

Liam felt a wave of discomfort, coupled with deep disappointment in Grace. How could she be so easily swayed by every man she met?

Seeing the subtle shift in dynamics, Edric and his men were visibly pleased, their expressions smug with satisfaction.

"Thom, why don't you spend more time with Grace these days?" he suggested casually.

Thomson settled beside Grace, feeling utterly satisfied. She was breathtaking, and all he could think was how badly he wanted to sleep with her.

Dad. Don't you

took his leave, leaving

rage, Liam pointed straight in his face and started cussing him out, "Get the fuck out of my

he reached out to take Grace's hand. "Grace, your brother wants us

she was falling for his

rose to her feet and walked

followed behind, throwing

don't need to worry about her anymore. Besides, your father just passed away recently. Aren't you supposed to listen to her now? I'm confident that soon enough, she'll ask you

for a moment-just a moment-Grace had

approached her car, a collection of broken fragments of memory drifted through her consciousness, yet they remained

the door for her. "Grace, where shall we

to him, her gaze lingering on his face as her thoughts slowly

paused for a split second before curving

was here. He looked too much like Yancey. That was the

slid into the passenger seat and closed her eyes briefly as discomfort enveloped her. Leaning back, she murmured, "Just

slid into the driver's seat at once. "Perfect. A friend of mine

at a conversation. All she wanted was a quiet moment to make sense of the disjointed images in her

and Thomson left, Liam wasted no time in

here's what happened. Grace just went off with that man. I've no idea where

line, Yancey could no longer keep his composure. Wasn't she already dating someone?

just how good-looking that

Liam. I'll find her