Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Jessica caught Herbert's arm and motioned for him to sit down.

She didn't care how Timothy saw her. There was simply no point in arguing with him.

The mere thought of how little Timothy valued Little Mute made Herbert seethe with anger. Still, out of concern for her feelings, he took a seat.

Timothy had never seen Jessica touch another man before. The way she held Herbert's arm, so naturally and without hesitation, made his patience snap. She wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she was a married woman.

Fine, he thought. If she didn't care, then neither would he.

Timothy wanted this conversation over as quickly as possible. He took out his phone and, right in front of all three of them, dialed Secretary Allen.

His voice was cold and direct. "Allen, spread the word. I want a full acquisition proposal for the Wheeler Group on my desk. Remember, I don't care about the cost-whatever it takes."

Jessica shot to her feet, her glare sharp as daggers. Her fists clenched in fury. "Our divorce is between us! Why drag other people into this? How can you be so low?"

Her anger was almost palpable. So, because he had money, did that mean he could do whatever he wanted?

She turned to Little Mute, her tone urgent but steady. "Don't be afraid of him. If he wants to try and buy out the Wheeler Group, let him try. It's not as easy as he thinks."

But Jessica knew Timothy wasn't bluffing. He wasn't just the richest man in Riverside City—he was the youngest billionaire on the Forbes list. Backed by generations of the Lawson Group's wealth and his own vast tech empire, if Timothy set his sights on something, he could make a company disappear overnight.

Just recently, after a minor scandal at the Wheeler Group, Mrs. Reynolds had come to see Jessica in person. It was obvious—the Wheelers didn't want Timothy as an enemy.

She didn't know the entire Wheeler family hierarchy, but she'd overheard Timothy call Herbert "Mr. Herbert." That probably meant Herbert had an older brother above him—maybe a blood brother, maybe a cousin. In any case, things were far more complicated than she'd imagined.

Vince cleared his throat. "Timothy, Herbert is the Wheeler family's second son, and he and Jessica used to be neighbors. Don't get the wrong idea. But if you do have the wrong idea, instead of making threats, shouldn't you be trying to win your wife back? Or are you admitting your own charm can't compete? Aren't you even a little embarrassed?"

But what was there to be embarrassed about when your wife was about to walk away?

Timothy could hear the sarcasm in Vince's voice, but he ignored it. He simply lifted his eyes and stared at Jessica. "You have two choices: come home with me and finish our wedding, or watch the Wheeler Group go under. Your call." Jessica's knuckles were white, her hands shaking with the force of her grip.

"Little Mute, don't let him scare you. The Wheeler Group isn't going down that easily. If you don't want to go back with him, then don't. Don't worry about me. You finally have a new job, a fresh start, and even a glimpse of hope for your future. Are you really going to throw that all away?"

Herbert could see the pain Jessica was trying so hard to swallow. Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt. If he hadn't been here, Timothy wouldn't have had the chance to threaten her with the Wheeler family. She was bound to worry about dragging him into this and might give in to Timothy just to protect him.noveldrama

Jessica wanted so badly to treat her mutism, to escape the marriage that had trapped her dreams. She'd just started to find confidence again, to build a life of her own. Yet Timothy, who never cherished her, was still determined to destroy everything.

Herbert couldn't take it anymore. In a flash, he shoved his chair back, crossed the room in three strides, and swung his fist straight at Timothy.