Delayed Regrets: He Regretted Only After Her Death-Chapter 67: When Rivals in Love Meet

Aiden’s tall figure blocked the path ahead.

Tiana Linden merely glanced at him indifferently and responded with calmness and composure:

"No comment."

Those four short words felt like a boulder pressing on Aiden’s chest.

But he knew this was a crucial moment of life and death for Hector Chaucer.

So, he softened his tone.

"Tiana, Hector is my best brother. I don’t want him to be shot dead in the street."

"If you know anything about Hector’s situation, could you please tell me?"

When he mentioned that Hector was his best brother, past memories flashed through Tiana’s mind.

It was also on a night with stars overhead like this one.

Aiden was drunk, holding Hector and saying they would be best brothers for life.

He said, when they were old, with grandchildren playing around, they would play chess together, play golf together, find a picturesque place to paint quietly, and fish leisurely on a yacht in the sea breeze.

At that time, Tiana was sitting beside Aiden.

Their brotherhood made her feel comforted.

But she could never have imagined that Aiden would fall out with Hector.

And it was because of her that they fell out.

Did Aiden really treat Hector as his best brother?

No, he didn’t.

True brothers would stand by each other no matter what.

They would never doubt each other.

But Aiden didn’t trust Hector, didn’t trust her, and was certain that she had slept with Hector.

The grievances and pain of the past swept over her again.

But Tiana forcibly suppressed these pains and grievances in her chest.

She didn’t want those foolish past events to affect her mood anymore.

She only said, "I’ve told you, no comment."

Seeing that communication was impossible, Christopher stepped forward a few steps.

"Tiana, Hector is a death row inmate, and his escape is a very serious matter."

"None of us want Hector to be shot dead in the street. If you know anything, could you tell us?"

"At least Aiden and I can try to think of something."

Facing Christopher, Tiana changed her cold attitude and politely said:

"Christopher, I really can’t say anything. I promised Hector, I’m really sorry."

This matter concerned Hector’s life and death.

No one could reveal it.

At this moment, Aiden’s face turned cold.

He disregarded gentlemanliness and reason, pulling Tiana farther away.

He only let go of Tiana after they were more than a dozen meters away.

"Hector was with you for a while, don’t you want him to live?"

Tiana asked, "If I tell you, can you save him?"

Instantly, Aiden was left speechless, "..."

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke slowly:

"Hector is involved in murder, commercial crime, bribery of important officials... Even if I want to save him, I am powerless."

Being able to save Hector from being shot in the street was already his greatest ability.

As soon as he finished speaking, it elicited a sneer from Tiana.

Aiden was always like this.

He thought he was doing it for others’ good.

But even for his good brother, he didn’t have the most basic trust.

Hector never murdered anyone, nor was involved in any other crimes.

He was wronged.

When Hector went to prison, one charge of stealing commercial secrets was sentenced with her.

At that time she knew, Hector must have been wronged.

Because she never colluded with Hector, never stole the research secrets of Linden-Grant Pharmaceuticals.

How could she be guilty?

But Aiden was so sure, convinced his best brother committed so many crimes.

She let out a mocking smile.

Mocking Aiden’s brotherhood.

And mocking her past with Aiden.

Both were so fragile.

Under the night sky, Aiden’s temples tightened.

"Tiana, what kind of life do you really want?"

He couldn’t understand her.

"Now that you’re with Leo Sutton, why are you still entangled with Hector?"

"Do you really like to be fickle?"

Slap!

Tiana slapped him.

"You deserve this slap!"

"You don’t deserve to be brothers with Hector."

In the night wind, Aiden felt the sting in his teeth from the slap.

He turned his head slightly, looking at Tiana, silently enduring the slap.

"Tiana, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen out with Hector."

Slap!

Once again, Tiana slapped Aiden across the face.

For this slap, she didn’t need any explanation.

Aiden silently bore it again.

Because she was Tiana.

She was the only woman in his entire life plan.

He didn’t want to see Tiana flitting among so many men.

Whether it was himself, Hector, or Leo Sutton, was there no one who wanted her to stop and be genuinely treated, living a stable life?

"Tiana, you reap what you sow."

At this moment, Leo Sutton and Christopher both walked over.

Leo stopped in front of Tiana and asked, "Tiana, are you okay?"

"I’m fine." Tiana shook her head, "Let’s go."

Then she looked at Christopher, "Christopher, we’re leaving now."

Christopher watched as Tiana and Leo left side by side.

He suddenly called out, "Tiana, Hector..."

That was his good brother. He really wanted to help him, but he didn’t know Hector’s situation.

Christopher still hoped to learn something from Tiana.

Tiana, who turned back, naturally understood Christopher’s thoughts.

She smiled softly and politely said, "Christopher, do you believe in Hector?"

"..." Christopher hesitated for a moment, then replied with determination, "I would rather believe he’s innocent, but I have no evidence."

Tiana truly felt comforted for Hector.

Christopher was the true brother.

"Christopher, since Hector returned to the Chaucer Family as an illegitimate child at two years old, he’s faced continuous challenges."

"When has he ever accepted his fate?"

These two sentences enlightened Christopher.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something.

"Tiana, do you mean..."

Tiana nodded firmly, "Christopher, believe in Hector. He won’t accept his fate."

Under the night sky, Tiana and Leo left together.

They boarded a Hummer SUV.

The door closed, the car drove out of the police station parking lot, and onto the avenue.

As they disappeared from view, Aiden’s gaze still followed them.

Christopher waved his hand in front of him, "Have you not seen enough? They’ve already vanished."

In the deep night, Aiden withdrew his gaze, lost in thought.

"Christopher, Tiana listens to you."

"Find an opportunity to persuade her."

Christopher asked, "What do you want me to persuade her about? Persuade her to mend her ways? Persuade her to live well with Leo Sutton? Persuade her not to be entangled with Hector?"

Mentioning Tiana’s affairs, Aiden’s face tightened with tension.

In the heavy night, his eyes and brows were filled with gloom.

Christopher shook his head, sighing, "You really don’t understand Tiana. Although Tiana hasn’t told me anything, knowing her as I do, there must be a reason behind her sudden marriage to Leo Sutton. She isn’t a femme fatale who toys with men’s emotions, nor would she recklessly risk herself by being involved with multiple men. To think Tiana grew up with you, and you don’t even trust her that much."

Aiden didn’t take in these words at all.

Just about to refute, Christopher patted his shoulder forcefully and said:

"Aiden, you and Tiana Linden are already on different paths."

"You should interfere less in her matters."

"And also, don’t get involved in Hector Chaucer’s matters."

As he withdrew his hand from Aiden’s shoulder, Christopher sighed deeply.

"Clearly, Hector Chaucer also doesn’t want you involved."

"Otherwise, Hector wouldn’t have contacted Tiana instead of us two brothers in a crisis."

At this moment, Aiden was beyond reason.

What was tense was not just his face, but also the lines of his neck muscles.

"Don’t forget, Tiana is Hector’s old flame."

"Aiden, let’s stop this topic, end it."

Whenever issues related to Tiana and Hector came up, this man couldn’t be rational.

Christopher really couldn’t stand this man.

He walked straight to the parking lot, intending to let Aiden cool down.

...

Route 103.

A Hummer was cruising under the night sky at 80 MPH.

Today, Tiana appeared somewhat absent-minded.

After getting in the car, she hadn’t said a word.

Leo Sutton, who was driving, wanted to talk to her several times, but finally kept silent.

Leo eventually couldn’t hold back and comforted, "Tiana, I believe you. You must have been wrongfully imprisoned back then, and you and Hector must be innocent."

He then asked, "Did Aiden slander you, making you upset?"

Tiana turned her head and looked at Leo’s weary face as he drove.

Ever since Kiera Chaucer passed away, in just a few days, he seemed so much older.

Yet, he still cared about her.

He truly was like family to her.

"Leo, why do you trust me so much?"

Driving, Leo replied almost without thinking, "Because at that time you only had eyes for Aiden, you couldn’t see any other man."

Otherwise, he would have already competed with Aiden.

Tiana found it amusing.

Yes, even outsiders could see she was all about Aiden at the time.

Only Aiden didn’t believe her.

But it was all her own foolish and laughable past.

She didn’t want to say more.

"Leo, I’m not upset because Aiden slandered me."

"Let him wrong me, it’s unimportant."

"I’m thinking about Hector’s situation, and I happened to want to talk to you about this."

In fact, Leo had long wanted to ask.

Since she brought it up, he was certainly willing to help ease her worries, "Do you need my help?"

"Leo, is your car safe from eavesdropping?" Tiana asked back.

This point, Leo could guarantee.

"It’s absolutely safe to chat in my car, won’t be overheard."

He was a lawyer.

He had handled countless major cases.

If he couldn’t even ensure basic information security, he wouldn’t have survived in the industry long.

Tiana nodded, "Leo, Hector wants me to ask for your help."

Upon hearing this, Leo became curious, "Why does he want my help?"

Tiana replied, "Hector says you’re a breath of fresh air in the legal world, you wield the law as your sword and speak with justice. You won’t bend for money or power. He wants to overturn his case, and he only trusts you."

Such high praise left Leo feeling ashamed.

Even if he wanted to use the law as his sword, there were still many injustices and darkness in the harsh reality.

Even if he was well-versed in the law and battle-hardened, there were times he was powerless when facing authority or when others exploited legal loopholes.

He wasn’t very familiar with Hector.

They had met, but weren’t well-acquainted.

Yet, Hector entrusted his life and death matters to him.

That trust, heavier than a mountain.

"Tiana, it seems Hector is worth associating with."

"Tell me, what do you want me to help with?"

For this trust, he’d go through hell and high water.

Throughout the journey, Tiana spoke to Leo about Hector’s case.

Unknowingly, the car had already driven into The Sovereign.

Leo parked the car in the underground garage, saying with a grave expression, "Hector’s case involves too much; The Chaucer Family is about to undergo a drastic change."

Tiana asked, "Leo, have you thought it through? If you help Hector overturn his case, you’d be uprooting those forces, impinging on too many interests, and you’d be deeply implicated. Hector said you could refuse him, and he wouldn’t blame you."

Leo resolutely said, "For justice, I’ll take it!"

Tiana smiled with relief, "Leo, you’re still the righteous one from our youth."

...

In the next ten days, news concerning Hector’s case hit the hot search repeatedly.

[Death row escapee Hector Chaucer—surrenders voluntarily.]

[Chaucer Group Eastmere land plot murder-for-hire case, the perpetrator is someone else.]

[Chaucer Group’s Bay Area infrastructure bidding bribery case, there’s more to the story.]

[Chaucer Group’s scion Hector Chaucer’s death penalty case overturned; Hector acquitted in court.]

Especially the news of Hector’s acquittal in court spread like wildfire.

On the day Hector was acquitted, Leo Sutton, as Hector’s defense lawyer, accompanied him the whole way.

Along with them were Tiana Linden in the audience, as well as Christopher and Aiden.

Afterward, everyone left the courtroom.

In the corridor, it was inevitable for them to run into each other.

Aiden couldn’t understand why Leo, despite being considered a rival in love with Hector, would be fully responsible for Hector’s case.

His gaze fell on Tiana, Hector, and Leo.

While Hector’s gaze was on Tiana.

Hector’s gaze seemed ordinary, nothing special.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he said to Tiana, "Tiana, did this foolish past teach you anything?"

Tiana looked baffled.

She thought Hector was at least expected to thank her for his acquittal in court.

After all, she helped contact his people at the police department and Hector throughout.

How could he call it foolishness after she helped him greatly?

Hector looked at her and said, "Next time when you pick a man, don’t have such poor taste."

Only then did Tiana gradually realize that by calling her foolish, Hector referred to her past choice of Aiden.

Yes.

She really was foolish enough.

She could say it herself, but being called foolish by Hector felt a bit unpleasant.

"Why is your mouth so sharp? Had I known, I wouldn’t have saved you."

At this moment, Christopher and Aiden walked over from a few steps away.

Hector gave Aiden a cold glance and finally his eyes rested on Tiana, "Some people may have sweet mouths, but they’re just wolves in sheep’s clothing. Make sure to keep your eyes open next time."

The term "wolves in sheep’s clothing" was aimed at the approaching Aiden.

Tiana knew.

Back then, Aiden indeed had a sweet mouth.

He would always comfort her when she was upset.

Hector had warned her back then: the sweeter a man talks, the more ruthless and heartless he could be.

Hector’s words back then truly came to pass.

Aiden was more than just ruthless and heartless to both her and Daisy.

And Hector had been terribly wronged by Aiden too, their brotherhood might be ruined.

But the issues between Hector and Aiden were none of her business.

She felt as if she was nearing the end.

"Leo, let’s go home."

At this moment, Aiden looked at Hector.

Seeing his former brother suddenly acquitted in court, no longer having to dodge bullets, Aiden felt pleased.

But the betrayal of his former brother still felt like a sharp knife deeply embedded in Aiden’s chest.

He curled his lips into a sneer and said to Hector, "You probably don’t know yet, but your old flame has already married your defense lawyer?"