Regret Came Too Late

Liam fought through the aches in his body and quickly moved to sit at the small table. Carefully, almost reverently, he laid out the stack of books Andrea had brought. There were more than a dozen of them. They were all thick, heavy volumes packed with real-world business case studies.

Andrea was betting on her future. The better Liam did, the better her life would be down the road.

"I'll read every single one," Liam said seriously. "Will Grace come to see me if I finish them?"

It would take him at least six months to get through everything. By then, Grace would probably be ready to let him out.

Andrea smiled sweetly. "That's what she said. She's counting on you, so don't let her down."

Liam nodded fiercely, his expression turning determined. "I won't!"

For the next three days, Andrea visited him daily.

Since Grace hadn't called to check in and the guards assumed Andrea's entry to the venue was authorized by her, nobody questioned it. After all, all she did was chat with him and keep him company-nothing suspicious.

What they didn't understand was how easy it was for emotions to form when two people were thrown together every day, especially when one of them was barely 20 years old, vulnerable, and desperate for comfort.

Grace's plan had been simple. She wanted Liam to reflect on his mistakes and learn his lesson. She had planned to check on him when his 20th birthday rolled around.

Meanwhile, Liam buried himself in his studies. Every day, he pushed through his physical pain, and every day, Andrea was there to encourage him.

Whenever he was about to break down, she would softly remind him, "Grace doesn't want to see you give up."

Those words carried him through.

investment terms with Yasmine,

name pop up when her phone

business deals?" His voice was as cool and detached as

fingertips than most people could dream of. Even crumbs from his

she said lightly. "Is this charity, Mr.

said, "Meet me at Velvet Eclipse

so fast it made her dizzy. "Should I

"No."

hung up without another word. Not even a

had just been hung up on by someone who

of makeup and headed to

couldn't show up empty-handednet?

Ethan wouldn't even glance at a watch unless it cost more than most people's

that cost 200 thousand dollars. It was high-end enough to be tasteful without being

the mall, gift bag in hand, when

offered thin strings for threading. Something about it caught her eye. She crouched down, intrigued, and started picking through the beads

began threading the beads onto a thin red string. It was more work than she expected-fiddly and time-consuming-but somehow, she didn't

a feeling Ed would like something

time, it was for herself. She thought a matching pair would be a nice touch- something subtle

She didn't look up at first. Not until she heard that familiar, mocking

sneered, "Has the Lambert family really fallen so far? What are you doing, selling beads outside