Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Mrs. Zimmerman confessed to Mrs. Bryant that she couldn't bear the thought of Salome getting married and had even considered finding a son-in-law willing to marry into their family.

Mrs. Bryant didn't miss a beat. "That's no problem at all! If you don't mind our Yates, he can absolutely marry in. Think of it as us giving away a son and you gaining a son-in-law. We'll handle the wedding gifts just as tradition calls for. Yates is famous for being devoted to his family-he'll treat you like his own mother, I promise."

Yates was stunned.

Was this really his mother talking?

She wanted to marry him off?

He was the eldest son of the Bryant family, for heaven's sake! What would people say if word got out?

No way was he agreeing to this.

On the phone, Mrs. Bryant called out, "Yates, Mrs. Zimmerman wants a son-in-law to join their family. Do you have any objections?"

Middleton, worried Yates would refuse, jumped in, "Yates, don't forget what I told you in the car the other day when we visited the Zimmermans. As your father, I gave you a direct order, remember?"

As the saying went, a father's word was law. Yates had no choice but to bend to his parents' will. He forced a smile and said to Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman, "I have no objections. I'll do whatever my parents ask. If they want me to marry into your family, that's what I'll do."

Vince smacked Yates on the arm, then tapped his own cheek with a finger and mouthed, "Where's your pride?"

Yates just shrugged. In their family, filial piety trumped everything. What could he do?

Mrs. Bryant hurried to reassure Mrs. Zimmerman, "See? Yates is on board with marrying in. I think it's time we picked a date for this engagement."

Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman were at a loss for words.

The Bryant family's attitude was nothing short of impeccable-no, downright impressive.

They could only hope to find a chance to discuss things face-to-face.

Mrs. Zimmerman had been abroad for treatment, her health in decline. But since reconnecting with Salome, she'd recovered considerably. Soon, she'd be well enough to return to Riverside City, and then she could speak with the Bryants in person.

After chatting a little longer, they finally ended the call.

It was getting late. Mrs. Zimmerman told Vince and Yates they should get some rest.

The couple headed back to their room. Vince glanced at Yates and teased, "You're really okay with marrying in? Was that for real?"

"When did I ever say I was pretending?"

Vince shook his head in disbelief. "I knew your parents were like this, so I warned you ahead of time. I thought you'd stand your ground, but your resolve crumbled as soon as your mom spoke up."

Yates chuckled. "I told you, once we found Salome, they'd insist I marry her. And in our family, respecting parents comes first. I wouldn't break tradition."

"Whatever. I'm done talking to you. I'm heading out."

Vince got up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

He'd barely taken a few steps before turning back to add, "And don't you dare follow me!"

"I'm exhausted. I don't have time to follow you," Yates replied, already heading upstairs.

Vince grabbed his keys and drove straight to the Howard estate.

Timothy had come to Aetherion-there was no doubt he'd be staying with the Howards.

As he drove, Vince replayed Jessica's words in his mind, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

He had to make things clear to Timothy put an end to his hopes once and for all. Timothy needed to stop meddling in their lives, especially when it came to Salome. noveldrama

At the entrance of the Howard villa, Vince rang the bell. As soon as they saw it

was him, the Howards quickly let him in.

"Sandra, where's Timothy?"