Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

When Yancey returned to the room where Alice was staying, he arrived just in time to see her fully dressed and about to start her live stream.

Alice hadn't even bothered to check on the orchard. It was too remote, there was no air conditioning, and the place was swarming with mosquitoes at night.

She had no intention of subjecting herself to such misery. Instead, all her live streams were conducted from the most luxurious room in the guesthouse.

Alice quickly asked, "Yancey, have you seen Grace? I heard the farmers refuse to work with her because she set the prices too high. She's got over 20 thousand orders stuck with no way to ship them out. If she cancels, wouldn't that affect Henderson Group too?"

Yancey's impatience flared. "She only took on the Southbrook project to spite you. If things have come to this, she brought it on herself. Did she really think she had what it took to handle this?"

Alice was already seated before the camera, though the live stream hadn't started yet. "Yancey, do you think Uncle Ethan will fire her over this?"noveldrama

He didn't have an answer to that. He just knew that the thought of Ethan and Grace staying across from each other left an uncomfortable knot in his chest.

With so many rooms available, what was the reason for that particular arrangement?

His mind drifted back to Ethan's accident, the one that left him crippled. It had been because of Grace. Would Ethan have let them off so easily if it had been anyone else?

Yancey had never liked his cold and distant uncle, but now, his irritation deepened. Could he really be interested in Grace?

The thought made Yancey's stomach turn. If he didn't want something, he'd rather throw it away than let it fall into the hands of someone he despised. His mind wandered, and he only half-registered Alice's voice.

"Yancey, Grace is really putting on a good act this time. If you go soft on her just because she blocked you, she'll probably pull this trick again and again."

"I won't grovel." He scoffed. "I followed your advice and tried to show a little concern, but she wasn't even there. She probably panicked over those 20 thousand orders and fled back to the capital overnight."

"That's just how she is. The tiniest setback can crush her. Honestly, I wish she'd stay here a few more days and toughen up. Otherwise, how will she command any respect when she joins the company?"

Alice sounded like she was offering well-meaning advice, but every word was a thinly veiled jab at Grace.

Yancey placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're her little sister. No need to worry about her. You're only three days away from completing your assistance project for the farmers. Once you're back in the capital, I'll buy you a sports car." "Really? Thanks, Yancey!"

While the two of them basked in their sweet moment, Grace had been working non-stop throughout the night.

She had sprayed her aching knee with disinfectant spray countless times. The entire village had come together, and after working tirelessly until 2:00 pm, they had finally packed up all the orders.

It was a total of 20 thousand orders, which meant she had sold 450 thousand pounds of apples in just one night.

Grace was starving, her head spinning from hunger.

A group of young villagers approached her, their eyes filled with admiration. "Grace, you're amazing! Selling 450 thousand pounds in one night. That's incredible!"

"You must be hungry, right? The food will be ready in just a moment!"

Unlike Southbrook, where the apple stockpiles were massive, Northbrook only had around 800 thousand pounds in total. In just one night, she had practically cleared out half their supply.

The farmers who had been wary of her at first now looked at her with much softer expressions, their skepticism replaced with newfound respect.

When the food was finally brought over, Grace noticed that fried chicken was served among the dishes while the villagers themselves were eating simple boxed meals.

One of the young men placed some fried chicken on her and Mandy's plates. "Thank you both for everything. You've worked so hard.

"We started marinating the chicken last night. Eat up and regain your strength." Mandy was so touched she was on the verge of tears.

They had done good work back in Southbrook, only to be slandered and nearly beaten. But here in Northbrook, despite the villagers' initial distrust, they welcomed them as friends without hesitation once the misunderstanding was cleared up.

She dug into her food enthusiastically.

Grace ate a small portion of the rest of the food and finished her fried chicken. It was a heartfelt gesture, and she wouldn't let it go to waste.

Once she had eaten, she started her live stream.