Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Yates's eardrums were about to burst from his mother's shouting.

"Mom, calm down. Doesn't your throat hurt from yelling like that?”

"I'll calm down when you do something about this. Hurry up and figure it out."

"Alright, alright."

Only then did Mrs. Bryant hang up.

Meanwhile, Timothy was moving fast-he'd already pushed out a string of trending social media posts.

On top of that, since the advance screening, plenty of critics had started to weigh in with their reviews.

The Zimmerman Group's marketing team was going full throttle, following the original publicity plan to the letter, and soon the movie was dominating the charts.

Everyone was buzzing about the premiere on the fourth.

Yates sat in deep thought.

It had only been a single day of advance screenings, but the hype had already exploded. Timothy was willing to pour money into this without hesitation.

If Yates tried to do the same, it would be pointless.

Vince had already called him about theater screenings—he'd handled everything in advance, not just at their own Starlight Grand Theater, but with other partner chains as well.

Yates had seen the film. With years of experience investing in this industry, he could almost guarantee it would be a hit. For a movie like this, the big theater chains would naturally increase showings, giving it an even better shot at blowing up.

So, there really wasn't anything left for him to do on that front.

Timothy's speed was impressive, though.

If only he'd shown Jessica this much care and support earlier, maybe their marriage wouldn't have fallen apart.

Vince probably realized the same thing. His earlier outburst was just a flash of anger-he hadn't truly meant to push Jessica and Vince together. Now that he'd cooled off, he had no intention of making Yates do anything.noveldrama

Vince stood up. "I'm heading to bed."

"Yeah."

Once Vince left, Yates dialed Timothy's number.

Timothy answered, his voice a little hoarse. "What's up?"

"You two are getting divorced, and now you're going public about her being your wife. What are you playing at?"

"Yates." Timothy's tone grew heavier. "I'm not getting divorced."

After a pause, he added, "Don't compete with me."

Yates snapped, frustrated, "You think just because you don't want a divorce, it's not happening? I've made it clear-Jessica can play

Salome, and if she does, it's net

got

nothing to do with you. Whether you get divorced or not, whether the papers are signed or not it doesn't matter anymore."

Of course, Timothy knew that was true.

But he still didn't want a divorce.

He'd never wanted one in the first place.

"I'm telling you, I'm not letting her go. If she wants to be Salome again, I'll pursue her You never wanted this arranged marriage anyway. For the sake of our years of friendship, I'm asking you don't get involved. Give me a little time to explain things to

her."

"Timothy, have you even thought about why she doesn't want you anymore? Why she wants a divorce?"

Listening to Timothy, Yates realized even more clearly why Jessica, despite loving Timothy deeply, was so determined to leave him now.

"I know," Timothy admitted, full of remorse. "I neglected her. I never considered how she felt."

"It's not just that." Yates, who'd been his friend for years, was still upfront even though they might end up vying for the same woman. "The real issue is that you're selfish. Your values don't align with hers at all. Sure, emotions are part of it, but there's a lot more to this, isn't there?"

Timothy remembered how Jessica had said their values just didn't match.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked quietly.

“Because I'm not as selfish as you. I know I want a chance with her too, but I'm not about to guilt-trip you with our friendship and beg you not to compete. And Jessica isn't that kind of person either."

Yates's words hit Timothy hard, echoing in his mind.