Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 120

Ines looked at Timothy in surprise. "She came with you?"

Timothy's expression turned a little awkward. Jessica had come by herself. He'd never been much of a liar, so he simply said, "She arrived a day earlier."

"Alright, let me know when you have news." Ines glanced at her watch. "The presentation's about to start. I can't chat much longer—let's leave it here for today."

"Best of luck with the expo, Ines."

"You're too kind."

They left the lounge together. Ines followed an assistant into the exhibition hall, while Timothy stepped outside and lit a cigarette.

He couldn't help but notice how interested Ines seemed in Jessica. Was it because of that graphic novel version of *The Grand Canal, Venice*? The piece incorporated paper-cutting techniques, and Henry had learned those from Jessica. Did Ines want to know more about Jessica's skills?

Back when Henry was in kindergarten, there were always arts and crafts lessons. Jessica had only helped him with simple paper cutouts, just playing along with the child. Those basic shapes were nothing compared to the intricate paper-cutting featured in *The Grand Canal, Venice*. The three-dimensional embossing technique in that piece was a heritage craft-something an ordinary person couldn't master with a few afternoons of practice.

crafts with Henry could compare to such refined artistry; it

try and replicate that embossed look. It was impressive, but it

someone who truly understood the art of three- dimensional paper-cutting. It was clever, really-blending an old-world technique with modern animation. Not just anyone could

couldn't figure out how this all circled back to

introduced her to Ines, answers

into the expo.

to Ines's presentation, and when it's over, let me know. I'll have someone pick

but not forever. Still, delaying him by a day had been enough for her purposes. Jessica must have been

friend request. That said everything-Jessica

Sheila replied:

need to do. I'll just catch a cab back when it's over.* Timothy drove back to the hotel and knocked on Jessica's room door. She still wasn't back. He took a seat in

waited. Before he knew

Jessica still hadn't returned.

always the one people waited for-never the other way around. His patience was wearing