Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Larkin didn't know the full truth about what was going on between Timothy and Jessica, but the fact that Timothy was willing to give Jessica his mother's keepsake—and didn't even get mad when Jessica went ahead and sold it-made Larkin suspect Timothy couldn't possibly be completely indifferent to her.

For people of the older generation, divorce wasn't something you rushed into unless things were truly beyond repair. If there was even a glimmer of hope, most would try to smooth things over.

Still, Larkin noticed Jessica didn't seem interested in accepting Timothy's gesture, so he wasn't about to start playing peacemaker in front of both of them.

After all, he was there to support Jessica.

Clearing his throat, Larkin said, "Timothy, Jessy's decided to divorce you. You show up with expensive gifts now, hoping she'll have a change of heart. It's not that simple. Wounds like that don't heal easily, not just because you want them to. Since Jessy doesn't want it, you should take it back for now."

Just then, Timothy's phone rang. It was Sheila Howard.

Timothy answered.

"Timothy, you should have finished dinner at the family house by now, right? Could you spend some time with me this evening? The moon is full tonight. I'm sitting on the terrace at Moonstrand Villas, looking up at the sky, and I can't help but feel a bit lonely-not being able to spend the holiday with my father. If it weren't for what happened seven years ago, the Lawsons would have invited me over tonight. Maybe then I wouldn't feel quite so alone..."

There was a sadness in Sheila's voice. Timothy remembered how cold his family had been toward her at the cemetery that morning. They'd never treated her that way before.

It all changed seven years ago because of-

Whatever happened back then, Timothy felt deeply responsible. Sheila had borne the brunt of it all.

"All right, I'll come over soon."

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and glanced at Jessica, his gaze lingering on her.

If she didn't want him, then he'd go to the person who actually needed him.

The pearl necklace was his mother's keepsake. If he was going to give it to Jessica, he should do it in person.

If it were just the two of them, maybe he could hold her, kiss her, coax her until she softened. Maybe, if the mood was right, they'd end up in bed. Physical intimacy had always helped smooth things over between them, and truth be told, the root of their cold war was that they hadn't had a real moment together in so long.

But right now, he didn't have the time to take her home and make things right.

That would have to wait.

Timothy slipped the necklace into the pocket of his coat and turned to leave.

Vince called after him on purpose. "Timothy, just a minute ago you wouldn't leave when we asked. Now you're in a hurry to go?"

Timothy shot Vince a cool look. "I've got things to do."

"I'll walk you to your car."

Vince accompanied Timothy out to the driveway. Timothy slid into his car and buckled up. Vince leaned in and said, "Don't forget to help us run that data analysis soon. My family's worried about my little sister, and we're in a hurry to find her."noveldrama

There was a faint smile at the corners of Vince's mouth, but to Timothy, it sounded like a veiled threat.

Timothy let out a short, mirthless laugh. "You sure know how to get what you want."

Vince just shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? You're tough to deal with. Your moods are unpredictable, and my mom doesn't have much time left. I can't afford to wait around forever."

Vince knew full well that unless something urgent was forcing Timothy's hand, a project like the shared power station would just sit on his desk. Timothy might accept it on the surface, but he wouldn't lift a finger afterward, and there was nothing Vince could do about it.

After all, the shared power station had been Timothy's idea in the first place. He'd only handed it over so it wouldn't interfere with the company's development, buying The Zimmerman Group's new energy division a much-needed two-year reprieve.