Goodbye, Mr. Regret novel Chapter 101

No matter whom the professor chose as a mentee, as long as it was someone he had set his sights on, Jessica was always happy for him.

After all, the professor never made such decisions lightly. Anyone he picked was sure to make real contributions to the future of animation.

Timothy and Sheila were both in Capital City. Jessica hadn't really wanted to go, but with nowhere else to be and an unshakable longing to see her mentor, she found herself considering it anyway.

On the day the professor visited The Gilded Whisper Estates, Jessica couldn't muster the courage to go out and greet him.

People always want to be close to those they care about.

After a moment's hesitation, Jessica booked herself a flight to Capital City.

—

After lunch, Timothy returned to his room to pack his suitcase.

"Timothy, are you heading home already?" Sheila asked.

"Yeah," he replied, "I promised Jessica I'd make it up to her for missing her birthday."

Sheila felt her heart sink.

"If it's just a belated birthday, a day or two won't make much difference, right?" she ventured. "I just saw that Ines is hosting an exhibition in Capital City the day after tomorrow. Could you stay and go with me before you head back?"

Timothy had forgotten all about the exhibition. It was one he'd sponsored, so he knew about it—he just hadn't realized it was this soon.

He paused, considering.

"Alright," he agreed.

Sheila was in the middle of creating her piece, The Grand Canal, Venice.

Last time at The Gilded Whisper Estates, Ines had said she'd consider mentoring her—she just needed a final push, something to tip the balance. That "push" would be Sheila's new animation, The Grand Canal, Venice.

Sheila had been studying animation since she was a child. Timothy was confident in her talent.

He remembered how exhausting it had been the night he'd cared for Henry himself.

But Jessica still hadn't taken his number off her blocked list.

So he had no choice but to borrow Sheila's phone.

Sheila eyed him, puzzled. "Are you sure it's okay to use mine?"

"It's fine," Timothy said, not about to admit that Jessica had blocked him.

Sheila didn't press him further and handed over her phone.

Timothy dialed Jessica's number.

Jessica was sitting in the airport lounge, waiting for her flight. When she saw an unfamiliar number flashing on her screen, she ignored it and let the call ring out.

She rarely picked up calls from strangers. The fact that she hung up meant she was holding her phone, so Timothy sent her a text message instead.