Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Timothy reacted in a flash. As the cue came swinging down, his hand shot out instinctively.

Herbert, who'd always been a tough brawler, caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He yanked the cue back and swung at Timothy from the side. But Timothy was no amateur either. With a swift sidestep, he blocked Herbert's assault.

Herbert's eyes blazed red with anger, fury burning in his chest. Missing once didn't deter him-he kept swinging the cue, relentless.

By now, Timothy was fully prepared to fight back.

Two well-known men, both respected in their circles, were squaring off right outside the entrance to The Lawson Group.

When Jessica and Vince arrived, she could see Herbert and Timothy fighting through the windshield even before the car had stopped.

She had been right all along.

Vince, of course, noticed the commotion too.noveldrama

Herbert, armed with the cue, definitely had the upper hand-at least in theory. But even with a weapon, he couldn't gain the advantage over Timothy.

Timothy had spent years abroad, where he'd trained specifically for situations like this.

As Vince pulled the car to a stop, Jessica unclipped her seatbelt. The moment the car halted, she flung the door open and dashed out.

She couldn't let Herbert fight Timothy.

Herbert was one of the few friends she had left. If this continued, he'd only end up a target for Timothy's revenge—and it simply wasn't worth it.

With his back to Jessica, Herbert didn't see her approach. But Timothy, facing her direction, caught sight of Jessica's anxious expression. For the briefest moment, his eyes flickered with hesitation.

Seizing the opportunity, Herbert swung the cue at Timothy's right side, aiming for his ribs.

Jessica saw what was happening and rushed forward, desperate to intervene.

Sensing the incoming strike, Timothy moved quickly to dodge, just as Jessica ran into the fray-

But it was too late for Herbert to pull back his swing.

In that instant, Timothy changed tactics. He lunged forward, pivoted, and

positioned himself squarely in front of Jessica.

The golf club crashed into Timothy's back with a sickening thud.

The heavy smack of wood against flesh, coupled with Timothy's muffled grunt, stabbed through Jessica's heart.

Herbert's

come

hands trembled. He'd

avene to confront Timothy, t avenge Little Mute bet

he'd nearly hit Little Mute himself.

He'd swung with everything he had.

It was one thing to hit another man, but if that blow had landed on Little Mute...

Suddenly, Herbert let the cue drop

and

re

o forward, pulling

away and putting distance

them and Timothy.

Timothy's lips tightened into a hard line, his eyes cold as he stared at the scene before him.

Vince hurried over, reaching Timothy's side and grabbing his arm for support. "Timothy, are you okay?"

He'd seen the force of that blow-it was no gentle tap.

Clearly, Herbert's anger had been boiling over.

Qu

Jessica's only intention had been to pull Herbert away. She didn't even spare Timothy a glance. Breaking free from Herbert's grasp, she signed rapidly, her gestures sharp and frantic. "What were you O thinking? I called, I texted you ignored all of it! Do you realize what you're doing? This will only make things between me and him worse! I thought you'd changed, but clearly, you're still the same-always looking for a fight!"

Every word, every gesture, was a rebuke for Herbert.

Timothy could read Jessica's sign language just as well. He understood-her anger was born of concern.

Only Vince stood by, looking utterly lost, having no idea what Jessica was saying to Herbert.