Too Late For Regrets

I was the son of the wealthiest man in Capital City, but I had never enjoyed the flattery and fake smiles that came with that title. All I had ever wanted was a normal life.

Now that I was pushing twenty-eight and still single, my mom finally lost her patience. She gave me an ultimatum: go on a blind date or she’d disown me.

On my way to the date, I passed by a luxury boutique and spotted a watch that immediately caught my eye. I was just about to pay for it when, out of nowhere, a man barged in from behind and slapped a black card down on the counter.

“I’ll take this watch. Wrap it up for me,” he said.

I stayed calm and said politely, “Sir, I saw this watch first.”

However, he just scoffed and snapped back, full of arrogance, “A broke nobody like you can look but not afford it. Get lost. I’m the assistant to Ms. Jackson, the CEO of Jackson Group. In this city, if I want something, no one will fight me for it.”

Ms. Jackson? Isn’t that the exact woman I was supposed to be meeting for the blind date?

Without another word, I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

“Selena,” I said calmly, “do you know your assistant is out here throwing your name around to bully people?”

My mom had been singing Selena Jackson’s praises nonstop, and I figured this was the perfect chance to see just how she handled things. If even her assistant could act so arrogantly in public, and she didn’t do anything about it, that would only bring trouble down the road.

However, her cold, dismissive voice came through the phone. “How I manage my assistant is none of your business. You’re meddling too much.”

Before I could say anything else, she hung up.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. No wonder her assistant was so unabashed. His boss clearly enabled it.

Across from me, the guy—Leo Woodalf—was already laughing like he’d won the lottery.

“What a joke. Just look at yourself, all broke and pathetic, and you actually think you can cozy up to our CEO, Ms. Jackson?”

I usually kept a low profile. I dressed simply, but that didn’t mean I would just let someone walk all over me.

“Judging people by appearances is the dumbest thing you could do,” I said calmly. “I’d suggest you watch your mouth, or you’re going to regret it.”

However, I wasn’t about to waste any more words on a clown like him.

I reached into my bag, pulled out a card, and handed it to the sales associate for her to ring up the watch for me.

The associate looked at my card, then at Leo, clearly hesitant. She froze, not knowing what to do.

Leo just laughed louder. “You lowlife piece of trash! Are you still trying to act like you’re somebody? This entire mall belongs to the Jacksons. If I don’t give the word, you can’t even buy a single screw in here!”

Then, with a smug grin, he yanked the card from my hand and flung it toward the entrance. “Waving around some cheap-ass card, thinking you’re hot shit? I’m not falling for it. Get lost!”

In all my life, no one had ever dared to humiliate me like that. Leo had seriously crossed a line.

Without another word, I grabbed his arm in one swift motion and dragged him to the front of the store.

My voice dropped cold as ice as I ordered, “Pick up my card.”

The salesgirls in the store stared in shock.

“Oh my god… Did he really just say that to Mr. Woodalf?”

“Is he crazy? Mr. Woodalf is Ms. Jackson’s right-hand man. Offending him is the same as offending her!”

One of the employees tried to talk me down. “Sir, it’s just a watch. It’s not worth angering the Jackson Group over this. Please, just let him go.”

“Yeah, you should apologize to Mr. Woodalf while you still can. Beg for forgiveness. It might not be too late.”

Leo, clearly feeding off the attention, yanked his arm away and shouted, “You worthless trash! Get down on your knees right now, and maybe I’ll consider letting this slide. Otherwise, I hope you're ready to lose everything!”