Belated Remorse

Sunlight poured into the room as Grace threw off the covers and got out of bed, still feeling so anxious she

thought she might throw up.

Sebastian stepped into the bedroom just as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her face pale and drenched in

cold sweat. "Ms. Lambert, did you have a nightmare?"

She'd given him the code to her house door ages ago, but she hadn't expected him to show up that day.

Grace rubbed her temples and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the emotional wreckage from whatever

she'd dreamt.

Sebastian walked over and opened the curtains. "You went to bed really late last night. Sorry for overstepping,

but | wanted to remind you to take care of yourself. If Mr. Lambert were still around, he wouldn't want to see you

running yourself into the ground.

"Also, something's up with Julian. Tristan's been stripped of his position, but there's no word yet on who's

replacing him. I'm worried he's going to suspect you had something to do with it."

Grace lowered her gaze. The heat in her body still lingered, and the fear from her dream left her thoughts

muddled.

"Sebastian, | underestimated Julian," she said quietly. "He definitely knew about Tristan and just chose to ignore

it. Tristan was nothing but a joke to him. Even if his dad secretly gave that position to Tristan, Julian didn't care

enough to interfere."

Julian basically ran his whole family. If his father did something behind his back, chances were, Julian knew long

before anyone else. He just didn't care enough to call it out.

But once Tristan got exposed in public? Then he'd have to act. Tristan couldn't afford to be seen anymore.

Julian was ruthless, but fortunately, he hadn't cafter her over this. If she ever did something like this again,

she couldn't afford to leave any loose ends.

"Ms. Lambert, you should eat something. | ordered takeout."

Grace nodded and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. Sebastian was already setting everything out when she

sat down at the dining table.

He'd worked late into the night to get the backlog of paperwork under control.

Grace took her teating the oatmeal, then suddenly asked, "Did | really hate Ethan that much before?"

Sebastian's hand froze for a second as he peeled the plastic off an appetizer. "Yeah, you did."

"That's so strange," Grace muttered. "I hated him. Everyone knew | hated him. Ethan's the kind of guy who

doesn't tolerate disrespect. And I'm the reason he lost the use of his legs. Yet he never retaliated? When he goes

after rivals in business, he doesn't leave anything standing."

The Ethan everyone else knew used the law like a weapon, grinding his enemies into dust.

Sebastian sat down with his oatmeal. "What do you think the real story is, Ms. Lambert?"

Grace still felt drained. The dream had left her rattled. And because of Ed, she couldn't just dig into her old

memories. He'd freak out.

The one person most afraid of her regaining her memory was Ed. And right now, he was also the one she liked

the most. She had to factor in his feelings.

"I don't know. | really don't," she said softly.

She only got through half the oatmeal before setting her spoon down.

With Tristan out, the project had to be shelved for now. Working with them might be nearly impossible,

depending on who took over, especially if it was someone from Julian's circle.

She started gathering her things to head to the office, but suddenly remembered her promise to Ed last night-

she was supposed to bring him something good to eat.

She lifted a hand to her forehead, rubbing her temples, and placed an order at the restaurant in advance-

something she could take to go.

As she headed out the door, Sebastian followed behind her, quietly carrying a case of documents.

Inside the elevator, Grace caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked tired and drawn. She'd only slept

two hours last night, and the dream had been eating at her all morning.

She yawned just as Sebastian offered, "The entertainment division's cash flow looks strong. Honestly, the

company is stable for at least another two years. If we invest in Jasper and guide him right, he could take over in

ten. That means you could finally step back and do your own thing. Maybe visit old places. Or go check on Liam."

Grace smiled faintly and sighed. "I just keep thinking the whole company could fall apart overnight. It's hard to

let go. But you're right, Christmas is coming up. Let's hit pause on the projects and give everyone a decent

break."

Once she got in the car, she made a quick detour to check in on Liam.

From the window, she saw him sitting at a desk reading. Relief washed over her.

He looked up like he could feel her watching. He jumped up, knocking on the window grate with excitement.

"Grace!"

He looked noticeably more energetic.

He had finally Py owt of

He lquistateheé'd b en in when he

first started using that substance.

Grace exhaled deeply and hurried to his room.

The space was spotless. The caretakers had called recently, saying Liam had insisted on cleaning it himself.

Those early days had been

brutal-constant pain, cold sweals,

But once he Rusheddticdudh, he d

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near that stuff again. He'd learned his

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Liam's biggest fear had always been the same. He had always been afraid of being abandoned by her.

Grace stopped at his desk and picked up one of the finance books he'd been scribbling in. She flipped through

his notes.

These notes were all taken very carefully. She could sense a vitality in them.

Liam had finally cback to life. He

grinned, showing the faintest trace of

: QL

a sharp tooth, apd, $idGface, I'm

dally Qo 0 leave the house now.

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Let's go get stuff for Christmas.

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chapter there!

He grabbed her sleeve, tugging it back and forth. "I've read every book in here! You gotta lettry it out for

real!"

Grace smiled and ruffled his hair. "Alright. Let's go run errands together this morning."

His eyes lit up instantly. With a loud cheer, he began stuffing all his books into a bag, tears streaming down his

face as he packed.