Goodbye, Mr. Regret

She must have fought back with everything she had-so fiercely, so desperately, that her voice was damaged all over again, the strain turning into a fresh infection. And yet, when he saw her, she just smiled at him, gentle as always.

She swallowed all her pain in silence, bearing it alone.

Herbert felt like he was about to lose his mind.

Thud, thud, thud-

A knock sounded at the door.

Herbert quickly took off his glasses, turned on the faucet, and splashed water onto his tear-stained face. After drying off, he stepped out.

Jessica was waiting just outside the bathroom, her hands fluttering in anxious sign language: "You were in there for so long-I thought something happened to you."

She fixed her gaze on his eyes, pausing in surprise. "Why are your eyes so red?" He could wash away the tears, but not the redness.

He forced a faint smile. "I was trying out contact lenses. Guess I'm not used to them-my eyes got irritated."

"Then don't wear contacts," Jessica replied, smiling back. "I think you look handsome in glasses anyway."

The glasses suited him. They softened the edge he'd carried as a teenager, transforming his whole presence into something calmer, more approachable.

And that, Jessica had always hoped for.

She hated seeing him get into fights-no matter how skilled he was, he always ended up hurt now and then.

“Alright, no more contacts,” Herbert agreed.

He really had planned to switch to contacts. He was tired of hiding behind a mask, tired of being the Herbert his parents wanted to see.noveldrama

But if Little Mute ought he looked good in glasses, then glasses it would be.

They settled onto the couch. Jessica, still worried, asked if her throat injury would affect her ability to speak.

"Don't worry," Herbert reassured her. "It's only a superficial injury. With a few days of rest, you'll be fine. You've just arrived in Aetherion Mr. Smith won't rush you straight into work Tomorrow, I'll schedule you for a minor procedure. After that, you'll need a little time to recover, but once your throat heals, you can start rehab right away. That way, you'll save time, and your recovery will go much faster than before.”

Reassured, Jessica finally relaxed enough to ask what had happened after that

day-had Timothy retaliated against The Wheeler Group?

"No," Herbert fold her. "He just wanted to bring you home. If he'd gone after The Wheeler Group, it would have cost him dearly. Now that you're back with him, there's no point in wasting resources on

revenge. Little Mute, you eve

don't have

to worry about any of this. My father

and my brother are still at the helm-they won't let anything happen to The Wheeler Group.

Jessica nodded.

"I'll go with you to pick up your medicine," Herbert said.

"}

After a follow-up exam, he adjusted her prescription, adding some new medications to aid her recovery.

Once they had the medicine, Herbert drove Jessica back to her apartment and

told her to get some rest.

Afterward, he returned to his car and made a call.

"You've always worried Dad might hand The Wheeler Group over to me, haven't you? You must have plenty of dirt on me stashed away. I've

never wanted to compete with ne

you none of this means anything to me. So I'll give you a chance: get me out of the Wheeler family and I won't fight back. But if you can't even manage that, I'll have nothing but contempt for you."

With that, Herbert hung up.

His mother had been the love of his father's life, but their worlds were too far apart. They'd been forced to separate, and his father married for family interests instead.

If Inman Wheeler had been born on schedule, Herbert would have been the eldest son. But Inman's mother had health issues, and Inman was born prematurely at seven months-making him two months older than Herbert.

While Timothy was recuperating in the hospital, bored and scrolling through his phone, a tabloid headline caught his eye.

The Wheeler family's eldest son, Inman, was officially named heir to The Wheeler Group today. Mr. Herbert Wheeler has been cut out-disowned and banished from the Wheeler family.