Regret Came Too Late (Grace and Ethan)

After getting back in her car, Grace quickly found a few Druville College students

and asked them questions. It didn't take long to find out the name of the so-called

Al genius everyone was after.

When she finally tracked him down, he was sitting quietly at a table with his nose

buried in a book. Her brain practically short-circuited at the sight of him.

"Jasper Thorne?" she blurted out.

Jasper looked up from his book, blinking before quickly dropping his gaze back

down.

At that moment, Grace genuinely wanted to drag Liam out and beat him up all

over again. So, Jasper was the genius in Al who Liam had bullied back then?

She strode over and sat down beside him. "Is this seat taken? I'd like to have a

"word with you."

Jasper's expression stayed calm and indifferent as if he weren't all that fond of

talking. He simply replied, "No."

Taking that as permission, Grace slid into the seat and got straight to the point.

"You're graduating in a year. Have you thought about what you want to do after

that?"

Jasper was even more direct than she expected. "Do you want me to join your

company?"

Clearly, he'd been following the news online. He wasn't nearly as aloof as he

looked.

Grace felt a flicker of awkwardness. But she recovered quickly, slipping back into

business mode.

"Yeah. I'm guessing a lot of companies have been reaching out to you lately.

Compared to those big firms, I don't exactly have the same resources. But what I

can offer is company equity."

It was a massive offer, almost unheard of.

No matter how much potential the others saw in him, Jasper was still just a

student. No major corporation would ever hand over equity to someone at his

stage.

Jasper's lashes flickered almost imperceptibly. He looked up at her, studying her.

"You play a bold game, Ms. Lambert," he said, a small smile tugging at the corner

of his mouth.

Grace, who had barely exchanged a few words with him before today, instantly

knew Jasper was no ordinary student.

The way he spoke didn't sound like a student at all. Even sitting across from

someone who could be his future boss, he was calm, poised, and completely in

control.

"If I have the guts to come here, I'd better be prepared to offer something real,"

Grace said calmly. "Otherwise, why would you choose me?"

It was true-no one else had come out swinging like this.

Equity in the company was a benefit reserved for employees who had stuck

around 15 years or more if they were lucky.

Jasper was silent for only a few seconds before he said, "Alright."

Grace hadn't expected things to go so smoothly and froze for a moment, caught

off guard.

Then, Jasper gave her a small smile and said, "I said yes."

Grace suddenly grinned. "Then I'll

have someone draft a contract. Also,

I remember there are some top Al

experts at colleges abroad. If you're

open to it, I can sponsor your

studies overseas."

"No need," Jasper said lightly.

"A professor from one of those colleges reached out to me last night. He offered

to teach me privately-online."

Grace blinked. To get a world-class professor to offer one-on-one online

instruction? That took serious weight. And yet he said it like it was nothing.

She gave his shoulder a light pat. "Alright then. I'll have the contract sent over."

She turned to leave, but before she could take two steps, Jasper asked again, "Is

Liam okay?"

Grace paused mid-stride, a little surprised. "I thought you hated him."

"I do hate him," Jasper said flatly.

The honesty caught her off guard. There wasn't much to say to that.

Grace gave a small sigh. "We've cut ties temporarily. Let him take this time to get

himself together."

"He must be panicking," Jasper said calmly. "And miserable."

Because everyone knew just how dependent Liam was on Grace, unhealthily so.

Grace gave a wry smile. "Fear and pain don't change the facts. He crossed a line,

and in cases like this... There's no looking the other way."

After stepping out of the college, she

immediately called Sebastian and

asked him to prepare the contract

Then, she dialed Ethan's number.

She asked when he'd be done on his

end, and to her surprise, he said, "I'm

already done."

He was done? What could he have come to Druville College for?

Meetings with college leadership usually took longer. And he definitely wasn't the

type to show up early, let alone wait around.

She wasn't the only one wondering.

Damien, who was there for a formal meeting with college leadership, spotted

Ethan sitting in his car and frowned in confusion.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?"

Of all people, Ethan hated meeting

with stiff, self-important college

officials. And it wasn't like he hadnoveldrama

come to see Damien either. He was

far too cold and indifferent for that.

He never made the effort with anyone. It was always the rest of them chasing him

down.

As Damien spoke, he noticed Ethan had his head down. He was focused on his

phone and typing something. It seemed he was texting someone.