On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 87

George acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Amy peeked at him again, thinking the man must be hard of hearing. She quickly lost interest and started playing with her new toy, which could speak three different languages. Amy, who was trilingual herself, happily chattered back and forth with it.

Jessica leaned closer to George. "Please, put me down," she whispered. "I'm fine."

A faint blush colored George's ears, but he complied, setting her gently on her feet.

Leaning against the elevator wall for support, Jessica looked at him. "I saw you earlier. Were you standing in for Mr. George again?"

"Not standing in," he replied. "I was inspecting the stores for him."

Jessica nodded in understanding.

The elevator descended to the second-level basement parking. Just before the doors opened, she said, "I'll be your date tomorrow."

With that, she took Amy’s hand and limped out of the elevator.

George stood motionless as the elevator doors remained open. His phone rang. He answered it. "Speak."

A bodyguard's anxious voice came through the line. "Mr. George, where did you go?"

"Parking garage," George said, his voice cold. "Come down. We're heading back to the office."

The bodyguards quickly agreed and rushed downstairs.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, turning to her.

Amy took a deep breath. "Daddy and Mom Catherine both said we should cherish the kindness people show us in this world. But Mom Catherine is so nice to you, and you never seem to appreciate it."

Jessica pursed her lips.

"Mommy, when you were in the hospital," Amy continued, "Mom Catherine was always telling Daddy and me how worried she was that you weren't eating or sleeping well. She even tried to persuade Daddy to visit you. She's been so good to you."

Jessica fell silent. She knew that as smart as Amy was, she was still a child. A child's innocent mind couldn't grasp the complicated webs adults weaved, especially when it came to honey-laced poison. A child would only ever taste the sweetness. Their limited life experience didn't allow for anything deeper.

It wasn't just Amy. It had taken Jessica herself being repeatedly framed and misunderstood to finally see the truth of human nature, to see the monster hiding behind Catherine's mask. She couldn't explain these things to a child from an adult's perspective.