Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"And now, please welcome our special guest and lead judge for today-Miss Jessica Greene, master of silhouette papercutting!"

Jessica emerged from backstage, her smile warm and her poise effortless as she walked to the judges' table.

The host, clearly impressed, continued, "Miss Jessica Greene is a hidden gem in our community. Many of you may not know her yet, but you're about to see why she's so remarkable. Let's all take a look at Miss Greene's silhouette papercutting masterpiece. Staff, if you would do the honors."noveldrama

Because Jessica was so young, Lorenzo had worried people might question her credentials, so he'd brought the special birthday gift Jessica had made for Larkin as proof of her artistry.

The hall was enormous; two staff members carefully carried Jessica's work onto the stage. Cameras zoomed in, and the image was projected onto every screen around the venue.

A collective gasp swept through the audience.

Jessica's piece depicted the historic Zimmerman family estate, a local landmark in Riverside City, celebrated for its classic architecture and cherished by the community. The city council and local tourism board regularly recommended it as a must-see, and every school arranged field trips there—its photo took center stage in every guidebook. For anyone from Riverside City, the Zimmerman estate was instantly recognizable.

Jessica's papercutting brought the mansion to life in breathtaking detail, capturing not only the grandeur of the old estate, but also the bustling charm of the surrounding streets. The three-dimensional effect was so vivid, it was as if the estate itself had stepped out of history and onto the stage.

The host went on, "This piece was originally a birthday gift from Miss Jessica Greene to Mr. Larkin Zimmerman. After receiving it, Mr. Zimmerman contacted the mansion's management and decided to donate it to their permanent collection. In just five minutes, their representative will come to collect it. We are honored to showcase Miss Greene's work in this competition, and even more privileged to welcome her as our lead judge today. Let's give her a round of applause she truly deserves!"

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Most were parents of the young contestants, so they were no strangers to papercutting. Having a master like Jessica to guide their children was a dream come true.

In the crowd, young Henry stared at his mother in stunned silence.

Sheila pressed her lips together, jaw clenched, glancing sideways at the man beside her. He was watching the judges' table, his expression unreadable.

That day, when Larkin received

Jessica's artwork, Sheila had

schemed to keep it hidden-shel net

recognized its brilliance and didn't want Timothy to see it.

But in the end...

Timothy never imagined that the birthday gift Jessica brought to the Zimmerman family celebration was this very piece.

No wonder everyone spoke so highly of her.

It turned out she wasn't just skilled at creating digital designs-she could work

magic with her hands, too.

All these years, he had seriously underestimated her.

Nearby, Vince barely managed to stifle a laugh.

This had Lorenzo written all over it.

Brilliant.

Herbert, sitting in the audience, felt a surge of pride as he watched Jessica's work earn such admiration.

So what if she couldn't speak? If she

was willing she could shine just nee Oly-becoming the star t

no

one could ignore.

The host outlined the competition rules. Each child would design an original papercutting based on the theme "Me and My Parents." Five judges would score each entry, the highest and lowest scores would be dropped, and the average of the remaining three would determine the top three winners and several honorable mentions. They had one hour.

The competition officially began!