Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Who knows? I can never read your mind, but either way, I'm not buying your story."

Timothy had set the stage perfectly, waiting for Vince to walk right into his trap. But Vince wouldn't play along, and now Timothy was left scrambling for another solution.

They were still deep in conversation when Yates arrived.

Timothy's expression darkened. Back when Jessica had just been Jessica, things hadn't been so complicated.

But the moment Jessica became Salome, everything turned tangled.

And now, as if things weren't messy enough, here came another fiancé.

Vince's father and Yates's father were old army buddies-their families had been close for generations, with bonds that ran deep.

Timothy rubbed his brow, feeling as if a fine drizzle had settled over his heart, making everything inside him feel damp and unsettled.

"Timothy, I found the film you were looking for. Here's the dossier."

Yates dropped into the seat beside Vince, holding two files. He handed one to Timothy. "It's the work of a well-known director back home. They're not short on investors, so I had to swallow my pride to get this for you. Take a look-if you're interested, send your people to make contact."

"Alright."

Vince glanced over, curiosity piqued. "What kind of script has you so eager to invest, Timothy?"

Yates grinned. "Oh, it's not really about the script. Mr. Smith had his eye on Jessica and passed over Sheila. Timothy's afraid Sheila will be upset, so he's desperate to find her a promising movie project."

A dark cloud passed over Vince's face. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he muttered, "Some people, huh? It's bad enough to hog the seat and refuse to move, but trying to ride two boats at once? No wonder they end up dumped."

Yates burst out laughing. "Are you taking a shot at Timothy?"

He shot Timothy a look.

Timothy didn't seem the least bit offended, though Yates was still a little miffed. "Timothy, why are you always so generous with Vince?"

Brother-in-law, that's why.

Good thing his future brother-in-law didn't know.

If he ever found out, Timothy suspected things would get a lot more awkward than just a few sarcastic jabs.noveldrama

Vince pressed on, "Why should he get upset? It's not like I'm making things up. I'm just stating facts."

Yates shrugged. “Don't take it so seriously. With Timothy's status, he could steer not just two, but ten boats at once. As long as he's got the skills, none of them would ever capsize."

Timothy shot Yates a cold, cutting look. "Are you defending me, or are you siding with him?"

Yates immediately leaned onto Vince's shoulder, chuckling. "Of course I'm siding with him. We're practically family-he's about to be my brother-in-law."

Vince's younger sister and Yates had been promised to each other since childhood. He wasn't wrong.

Timothy's fingers curled and uncurled restlessly.

This game had started strong, but now the tide was turning against him.

But he was determined to turn things around, no matter how much the odds stacked up.

"What do you mean, 'about to be your brother-in-law'? Didn't you say you didn't want to marry her? Last time you swore you'd break off that engagement. It's the twenty-first century-who even keeps childhood betrothals anymore?"

Timothy shot back.

Yates just grinned wider. "Well, the engagement's still on. Until it's officially broken, Vince is my brother-in-law-in-waiting." He leaned even closer to Vince, making their closeness obvious. "Right, Vince?"

Vince nodded. "Yates is right. We're practically family. You're just a friend."

Timothy's expression remained calm, but his eyes were sharp as knives. One day, he'd make sure Vince understood he and Vince were the ones who truly shared family ties.

He was the real relative here, but he couldn't say a word.

Maybe that's when he started to understand what it felt like to be silenced.

Was this what Jessica went through all the time?

Holding things in, unable to speak.

Even if she could use sign language, or write her feelings down-it wasn't the

same.