He finally reached out to her.


    She answered the call and greeted him, "Timothy."


    He''d promised he''d exin what happened that night, but hadn''t yet. She found herself hoping they could talk about something else too-maybe even get a little closer.


    For seven years, every meeting had been nothing more than cordial, polite, the kind of careful exchanges you''d expect from distant rtives. They''d never once spoken about anything deeper, anything that actually mattered to her heart.


    "Ines called, said she couldn''t reach you. Are you... stilling to Riverside City?" Timothy''s voice held a note of concern.


    "I..." She hesitated, her voice betraying her uncertainty. "I do want toe. I need Ines''s guidance, and you went out of your way to get me in touch with her. It''s just... Sallie doesn''t like me. She really lost her temper that night."


    "I''m sorry. I should have handled that better. I''ve been caught up with a few things and haven''t had the chance to talk to her yet. If you want toe back, juste back. Don''t worry about anything else."


    Ines had already shown a preference for Jessica. If She stayed away too long, Ines might just change her mind.


    And Timothy still hadn''t sorted things out with Mr. Smith. He''d have to find another way to fix that mess.


    "Timothy, am I causing you trouble?" She''s guilt seeped into every word. "I don''t know what to do anymore. Everything that''s happenedtely-it feels like it''s all affecting you. And you know I hate the thought of being a burden."


    Her remorse made Timothy''s chest tighten with guilt of his own.


    None of this was She''s fault.


    It was his own mistakes that had dragged her into this. He hadn''t even managed to stop her from getting hurt.


    "None of this is on you. Don''t me yourself. Just focus on your own goals, okay? About that night..." He paused. "I''d had too much to drink. Don''t think too much of it."


    "I''m not ming you. When I got back, I wasn''t feeling well-I''ve just been resting at home. I''ll call Ines so she doesn''t worry. If I do head to Riverside, I''ll let you know. By the way, how are things between you and Jessy?"


    Not good.


    Not good at all.


    To the point where there was no saving it. But what happened that night was something he couldn''t bring himself to say out loud.


    "We''re fine. Don''t worry about it."


    "Alright, I''ll let you go then."


    "Okay."


    She closed her phone and immediately called Ines, apologizing and exining that she''d had some family matters to handle and needed to stayhome for a few days, but would return once everything was settled.


    Ines only knew that She was Timothy''s aunt-she wasn''t aware of the rest. And with Jessy being Timothy''s wife, Ines was careful not to say too much, simply telling She toe straight to the studio whenever she got back to Riverside City.


    After hanging up with She, Timothy dialed Yates.


    "What''s got you busy?" he asked, catching Yates off guard-Timothy rarely called first.


    "Nothing much, just at the office."


    "Any animated films looking for investorstely?"


    The Bryant Group was deeply rooted in film and media. Yates hadn''t fully taken over yet, but he was already running Bryant Edge Films, their productionpany-he kept a close eye on these things.


    "Looking to invest?"


    "Yeah. Ideally, I''d like something exclusive, with a promising script."


    As it happened, Yates was flipping through a stack of recent pitch reports from


    films seeking funding. He had a knack for picking hits-over the years, his investments had mostly paid off.


    "There''s one, actually. But I''ve got my eye on it already."


    "Tell me about it?" Timothy prompted, knowing full well that Yates''s instincts in this


    area were rarely wrong.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!