Lahat ng Kabanata ng Too Late to Regret: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

A long arm blocked the body falling toward him.“Jessica, I know you’re not drunk. Drop the act.”Charlie’s patience had reached its limit.Jessica opened her eyes. They were perfectly clear as she gazed at him with a wounded expression. “Does it have to be like this?”“That’s my line,” Charlie snapped. “Either sit properly or get out!”His voice was icy, brimming with intimidation.The driver in the front seat didn’t even dare to breathe.Candice couldn’t help sneaking a glance into the rearview mirror.She saw Jessica stubbornly holding back tears, her misty eyes wide open, as if trying desperately not to let the tears fall.“Stop the car!” she suddenly shouted.Naturally, the driver didn’t stop. He only took orders from Charlie.Fearing she might really try to jump, Candice quickly had the driver lock the doors.Sure enough, the next second, Jessica reached for the door handle—thankfully, it was already locked.But even when Jessica tried something as extreme as jumping from a movi

The dinner gathering dispersed.When Charlie came out, he looked perfectly sober—His eyes were sharp, and his steps steady.But the moment he handed them the room card and told them to settle the bill, they realized... their boss was totally wasted.Jessica wasn’t as drunk as she had been the night before. She hurried over on tiny steps and tugged at his arm.“Wanna come to my place? I have your favorite wine.”“No.”Charlie rejected her flatly.There was a spot in the hallway carpet that wasn’t quite flat. As he walked over it, his foot caught, and just as Candice and Jerry were about to step in to help, Jessica rushed ahead with open arms, ready to catch him—At the last second, Charlie reached behind him.Candice was yanked forward so hard she practically flew—And ended up crashing straight into Jessica’s arms. They nearly kissed.Candice: “…”Was he even human?Was she his personal crash dummy? His human shield?Jessica was fuming. So he’d rather toss his secretary into her arms

Candice’s expression shifted slightly.She suppressed the irritation in her heart and calmly asked, “Why did you lock the door? Is the question I just asked…” She paused and glanced around the room. “...a confidential matter?”Edward quickly smiled and replied, “No, no, Miss Hale, don’t misunderstand. Director Yang didn’t mean anything by locking the door. It’s just that… well, this matter isn’t really appropriate to discuss publicly.”“Oh? Sounds like there’s more to the story.”“Yes. Miss Hale, there’s something you might not know. The two people you mentioned were actually among the first group of workers at this factory. They’re a married couple. Later on, they were involved in a workplace accident, which left them disabled and unable to work. At the time, in order to keep things from escalating, we negotiated compensation with them. Interestingly, the couple proposed to continue receiving a salary for fifteen years despite their condition.”“……”That's quite the tale.Candice pur

Everyone turned to look at him.Those blocking his way hurriedly stepped aside.The people at the factory had never seen the new CEO of the group, but the moment he walked in, his natural aura of authority instantly subdued them.With a dark expression, Charlie walked to the center of the conference table.“Have you found her?”His gaze swept across every face in the room.Not a single soul dared to make a sound.But someone had to answer. As the head of the factory, the plant manager was the obvious spokesperson.Everyone turned in unison to look at Edward.Charlie’s cold, fox-like eyes fell on him too.Whether it was from fear or being stunned by Charlie’s impeccable looks, Edward’s heart pounded wildly.“M-Mr. President, we… we haven’t found her yet.”“You’re Edward?”“Y-yes.”“As far as I know, you were the one assigned to receive Miss Hale today. That means, logically, you should be the one who knows her whereabouts best.”His tone was calm and measured, but the pressure behind i

Everyone was stunned.They followed the voice toward the doorway.There stood a woman, drenched from head to toe, pale as a ghost, with scratches on her forehead and cheeks. She looked battered and weak, yet still beautiful enough to take one’s breath away.Candice!It was Candice!Everyone from the company and the factory recognized her—the breathtakingly graceful Miss Hale.Charlie shot to his feet and strode quickly over to support her, his eyes gleaming like stars in the night sky.“Candice, you’re okay.”Relief flooded through him like a crashing wave, overwhelming his heart and triggering a near-irresistible urge to pull her into his arms.Candice managed a faint smile.“I got lucky. Didn’t die.”Her grandmother’s house was by the sea, and before elementary school, she had grown up in a fishing village. She was a strong swimmer and knew how to navigate when the waves hit.She was also fortunate that when she jumped, she hit the reef with her leg—not her head.Nick’s face turned