On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 180

Frank rubbed his nose.

“Well,” he thought, “if you hadn’t decided to impersonate your own bodyguard, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

George considered for a moment. “Tell him I don’t have time to meet,” he instructed. “If it’s truly urgent, he can call me. Give him my number.”

“Understood,” Frank said. He glanced around the empty room. “Should I arrange for a nurse?”

George frowned. “Don’t be nosy.”

Frank backed away. “Right. I’ll be going, then. Rest well.”

…

Jessica bought groceries at a nearby market and returned to Rebecca’s apartment. “Rebecca, I’m going to use your kitchen. I’ll cook for you, too.” She couldn’t just be a freeloader.

A muffled “okay” came from the bedroom. Jessica put down the groceries and went to the door. “What’s wrong?”

“I just went back to The Kensington,” Rebecca said from her bed.

Jessica went inside to listen.

Rebecca let out a hollow laugh. “I saw my mother. You know what she said? She said a family needs a son. That when I get married, if my in-laws mistreat me, I won’t have a brother to stand up for me. I’m not even married yet, and she’s already inventing a family that bullies me. But the people bullying me right now are my own family.”

Jessica gently patted her shoulder.

“And you know what else she said?” Rebecca continued, her voice brittle. “She said if I refuse to let the illegitimate son into the family and the company, then I’d better find a way to marry into the George family. If I can manage that, she said, then the entire Jones family fortune will be mine.”

That evening, Rebecca was still asleep. Jessica left her dinner in a warmer on the table and took a thermos of soup to the hospital.

George was sipping the soup when Nathan walked in after his own dinner. He raised an eyebrow. “I was just about to order you some takeout. Looks like you’re already set. Eating well, are you?”

George shot him a look. Nathan had always been a professional pest. He ignored him.

Jessica hesitated for a moment before asking George, “Since you’re Mr. George’s bodyguard, I was wondering… does he have a fiancée?”

At this, Nathan’s ears perked up.

George nodded solemnly. “Mr. George leads a very disciplined life. There are no women in his life, let alone a fiancée.”

Nathan stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he actually complimenting himself?