Grace took the lead this time after the social event ended, stepping directly behind Ethan.


    "Mr. Henderson, I have something I need to ask you."


    After exchanging pleasantries and handshakes, the business partners politely excused themselves, saying they were stepping outside to wait.


    Tim seemed a bit displeased but, surprisingly, didn''t object. The private room quickly emptied, leaving only Grace and Ethan.


    Grace couldn''t hold back any longer.


    "Mr. Henderson, if I''ve ever done anything to hurt you in the past, please don''t take it to heart. My so-called father was right. You''re the kind of person who can put up with a lot. I was young and didn''t know better at the time."


    Ethan casually spun the ss in his hand without saying anything.


    Grace quickly grabbed an empty ss from the table and poured wine into both sses. "I''ll start by drinking three sses to make up for it."


    The gossip she had overheard earlier had her feelingpletely disoriented.


    How good-natured could Ethan be to not have torn her apart if she had really pped him in the past?


    She downed the first ss, then immediately followed with the second and third.


    Ethan parted his lips as if to say something, his eyes drifting to the wine bottle. Thebel showed a high alcohol content. Even someone with a strong tolerance would get drunk after three sses.


    Grace felt a searing heat rise in her belly after those three drinks. The sensation had already hit with the first ss, but there was no turning back after she said it.


    She put the ss down, and the fiery feeling seemed to shoot straight to her head.


    She gripped the edge of the table to steady herself. She even tried shaking her head to keep her wits.


    But her grip was too strong, and the table jolted downward. She lost her bnce and toppled right onto Ethan.


    Ethan instinctively reached out to steady her, but as she clutched the tablecloth, it pulled loose, causing him to jerk his wheelchair backward to avoid having the remnants of the meal spilled all over him.


    Then, he pulled her into his arms as he tried to regain control.


    Grace felt the world spin.


    Before she could react, the wheelchair tipped sideways, and shended directly on Ethan''sp with her weight pressing against his waist.


    Ethan was still dressed in his suit, but now, the buttons on his shirt hade undone, exposing his delicate corbone.


    Grace felt a chill run down her back, and she instantly sobered up. She was about to scramble to get off when the door to the private room swung open.


    The people outside were understandably concerned after hearing the loud crash.


    The business partners and Tim appeared in the doorway, and the first thing they saw were the dishes scattered across the floor, with the wheelchair tipped over nearby. And there, Grace, the foul beast, was straddling Ethan''s waist.


    Ethan furrowed his brows, looking deeply ufortable.


    The business partners stood frozen for a few seconds before rushing forward. Everyone had drunk a little too much, and their words flowed freely without hesitation.


    "Ms. Lambert, what do you think you''re doing here? How could you be so rude?"


    "Exactly! You said you wouldn''t p Mr. Henderson just a moment ago. But look at the kind of position you''re in now!"


    "Ms. Lambert, as a youngdy, you should maintain some decorum. If Mr. Henderson doesn''t want this, you can''t force him into it."


    Grace''s face instantly flushed bright red, and she tried to scramble to get off Ethan. But in her panic, she didn''t even realize that she was still clutching a corner of his shirt.


    When she pulled at it, the remaining buttons snapped off with a sharp crack, scattering across the floor.


    Ethan frowned again, turning his head away. After a long pause, he muttered in a low voice, "Don''t do this."


    His words, more than anything, seemed to confirm what the business partners


    had been saying-Grace, shameless as she was, was forcing herself onto him.


    Tim grabbed the back of Grace''s


    cor with a forceful tug. The veins


    on his forehead were visibly


    throbbing, and he was clearly reaching the breaking point of his patience. "And you still say you have no ulterior motives, Grace? You really have no shame!"


    Although Tim disliked her, he rarely ever spoke with such harshness.


    Grace was speechless and unable to defend herself.


    She saw Ethan quietly reaching up to adjust his shirt, trying to cover his well- toned chest.


    It was done. She had no excuses left.


    "I... I just drank too much."


    The business partners'' faces flushed with alcohol. They had never seen the usuallyposed Ethan in such a vulnerable position. The alcohol had loosened their tongues even more.


    "Drinking isn''t an excuse for this behavior. We all know what''s going on here. You wouldn''t have had the energy for this if you had really drunk too much."


    "People typically drink to gather the courage to do things they wouldn''t otherwise do."


    Grace felt the crushing weight of


    guilt. She froze for a few seconds,


    then nced at Tim as he helped


    let


    Ethan up and righted the overturned


    wheelchair. At that moment, it seemed like Ethan was the one


    being victimized.


    She bit her lip, and a thought slipped from her mouth out of nowhere. "So, what


    now? Do you expect me to take responsibility for this?"


    Ethan''s fingers faltered for a moment, but he didn''t respond.


    The business partners all shook their heads, muttering among themselves.


    "Honestly, that sounds like something a ssic jerk would say."


    "Yeah, yeah! I also provoke women like this when I want to avoid getting into a rtionship."


    Grace, now drenched in cold sweat,


    was frantic She wanted to step


    forward and exin, but Tim was


    blocking her path. He stood close to her as if keeping an eye out to ensure she wouldn''t get up to her antics.