On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 71

Jessica didn’t even spare him a glance. “Amy, let’s go upstairs and change your clothes.”

Amy blinked. “Mommy, why don’t you call Grandpa ‘Dad’? That’s not polite.”

Jessica took a sharp breath.

Kevin, however, chuckled. He stepped forward and lifted Amy into his arms, his words laced with sarcasm. “Some people can live for over twenty years and still not have the manners of a child.”

Amy patted his shoulder. “Grandpa, I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Amy missed grandpa, huh?” Kevin laughed. “I’ve been so busy at the Brown Group, but I sent Catherine to take care of you, didn’t I? Seeing Catherine is just like seeing me.”

He quickly put Amy down and went to offer his sympathies to Susan.

Jessica led Amy upstairs. On the way, Amy looked up at her, puzzled. “Mommy, why don’t you get along with anyone? It seems like you don’t have any friends. Why is that?”

The innocent question left Jessica speechless. If even a child could see it, what must others think? It was true. A conflict with one person could be anyone’s fault, but when you’re at odds with everyone, people naturally assume you’re the problem. But Jessica knew, deep down, that she hadn’t done anything wrong.

She stroked Amy’s hair. “It’s very complicated, sweetie. You’ll understand when you’re a little older.”

Amy tilted her head. “But I think Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, my uncles, and Mom Catherine are all nice people. I like them, and I get along with them just fine.”

Inside the bedroom, as Jessica helped Amy change, she asked quietly, “So, does that mean you like them more than me?”

Amy didn’t answer.

The sight of her defiance infuriated him. “We haven’t seen each other in half a year, and this is how you act? You don’t greet me, you don’t call me Dad, you don’t even ask how I am. All you care about is property. Have you lost your conscience?”

Jessica remained silent.

“Don’t think you can get something for nothing,” he huffed, clasping his hands behind his back. “I’m already planning to renovate that apartment. Once it’s done, Catherine will move in. It’s closer to her studio.”

Jessica’s gaze turned glacial. She took a step toward him, then another.

For a split second, her expression reminded him of someone from his past, and he instinctively recoiled.

A strange, chilling smile spread across Jessica’s face. “If you dare to touch Willowbrook Gardens,” she said softly, “I will destroy your reputation.”