Delayed Regrets: He Regretted Only After Her Death-Chapter 68: Came Back Too Late

Hearing Aiden Grant’s words, Hector Chaucer glanced at Tiana Linden and Leo Sutton.

Finally, his gaze landed on Leo Sutton.

Leo Sutton followed Aiden Grant’s topic and responded blandly, "Yes, we got the license."

It was just a license, but they were not a real couple.

If it were before meeting Kiera Chaucer, getting the license with Tiana Linden, even if fake, would have thrilled Leo Sutton.

But now, getting the license with Tiana Linden was merely to quickly secure custody of Daisy.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the right to a lawsuit against Aiden Grant for custody.

After all, Aiden Grant was Daisy’s biological father.

Tiana Linden’s greatest wish before her death was to sever the ties between Daisy and Aiden Grant.

In this nominal marriage, Leo Sutton carried only responsibility, without any other thoughts.

Tiana Linden’s health was deteriorating recently.

Today, she was able to go out like a normal person solely because an old herbalist prescribed some herbal medicine.

Those few mountain herbs could reduce the pain before Tiana Linden’s death and make her appear more spirited briefly.

But Tiana Linden’s time was running out.

After Tiana Linden leaves, he would wholeheartedly raise Daisy to adulthood.

The response to Leo Sutton was a silence from Hector Chaucer.

He said nothing, asked nothing, only gave Tiana Linden a light glance.

That glance lingered on Tiana Linden for a while.

Finally, Hector Chaucer looked at Leo Sutton again.

"Lawyer Sutton, I remember you were married."

"Divorced?"

Whenever someone mentioned his late wife, a stab pierced Leo Sutton’s heart.

The suffocation and pain in his chest left him momentarily unable to answer Hector Chaucer’s question.

Aiden Grant beside him let out a cold snort, "On the fourth day of Mrs. Chaucer’s death during childbirth, these two got the license."

Saying this, Aiden Grant’s gaze fell on Hector Chaucer.

A mocking smile involuntarily curled at the corner of his mouth.

He didn’t know if he was mocking Hector Chaucer or himself.

"Hector Chaucer, it seems the woman you wanted despite everything wasn’t all that devoted to you."

At that time, Aiden Grant thought that after Tiana Linden got together with Hector Chaucer, they would be together forever.

Unexpectedly, the two ended up like this today.

Truly laughable!

I wonder what Hector Chaucer feels.

Is his heart as mixed with emotions as mine, while feigning calm?

Beside him, Christopher Grant knew that Aiden Grant was about to lose his rationality again.

He tugged at Aiden Grant, "Enough, say less, don’t make a fool of yourself here."

However, Aiden Grant did not heed the advice.

"Hector Chaucer, that’s the woman you set your sights on!"

"For her, you wouldn’t even show up when I visited you in prison."

A hint of pain was intertwined with his words.

That year, he faced a medical corruption incident, and an emotionally charged patient’s family member charged at him with a knife.

His arm and shoulder were slashed several times.

The final stab was directed straight at his heart.

Hector Chaucer risked his life and rushed in to block the knife for him.

At that time, Hector Chaucer bled profusely, and the knife pierced his spleen and stomach, nearly killing Hector Chaucer on the spot.

Such a life-saving grace, Aiden Grant remembered forever.

He had always valued his brotherly bond with Hector Chaucer.

He thought they could be brothers for life.

But his best brother slept with the woman he loved the most.

Even sleeping wasn’t the end; in the end, Tiana Linden didn’t choose Hector Chaucer either.

In Aiden Grant’s bitter laughter, Hector Chaucer picked up his collar with a sullen face.

"Aiden Grant, listen to me, Tiana and I..."

"Hector Chaucer, stop it," Tiana Linden interrupted Hector Chaucer.

She didn’t want to cause more trouble with Daisy’s lineage.

She looked at Aiden Grant and said:

"Aiden Grant, I’m just a rotten person, thoroughly rotten."

"I cheated on you with your brother Hector Chaucer while being with you."

"While being with Hector Chaucer, I took a liking to Leo Sutton."

"For such a rotten person like me, please don’t waste any more words or energy on me in the future."

At this moment, she looked at Hector Chaucer, and he was also looking at her.

She then said to Hector Chaucer, "Hector Chaucer, come over, I have something to say to you."

Only then did Hector Chaucer release Aiden Grant’s collar and walked a dozen steps away with Tiana Linden.

Tiana Linden told Hector Chaucer everything that had happened to her and Daisy.

Then, she added:

"Hector Chaucer, Daisy has almost lost her life twice in Aiden’s hands."

"I don’t want Aiden Grant to know Daisy is his daughter anymore. Can you help me just once?"

Hector Chaucer said nothing.

Tiana Linden continued, "Leo Sutton is a dependable man and will be a gentle, responsible father. Please don’t explain the past to Aiden Grant anymore. Otherwise, Aiden will surely fight for Daisy’s custody."

Hector Chaucer’s silent response continued.

In the silence, he glanced at Leo Sutton in the distance.

Leo Sutton was a rarity in the legal world, wielding law like a sword, standing for justice everywhere.

Any wrongful conviction could be overturned in his hands, no matter how powerful the opposition.

Leo Sutton truly was a man worth entrusting.

Hector Chaucer continued to look at Leo Sutton and said, "It seems I came back too late."

"What did you say?" Tiana Linden was somewhat confused by his words.

He chuckled, "Nothing, this time you have good taste."

Tiana Linden smiled wryly.

Getting the license with Leo Sutton was merely a temporary measure.

She didn’t explain further.

Hector Chaucer added, "Let me keep being the fool. Don’t you think you should compensate me?"

"Huh?"

"I’ve been a father to Daisy for six years now."

"Daisy just turned five."

"Does the year in your belly not count?"

Oh, right, when Daisy was in her belly, Aiden had mistakenly thought she was Hector’s child.

Hector Chauser had indeed become uncertainly Daisy’s father for six years.

Tiana Linden thought for a moment, "I’ll treat you to dinner?"

"For losing my innocence for you, just a meal?"

His tone was filled with Hector Chaucer’s disdain.

Hearing this, Tiana Linden frowned, "What else do you want from me? I’m a victim too."

"That’s why you’re stupid," Hector Chauser stated blandly, "Who told you to fancy such an unfeeling man?"

Tiana Linden was unhappy, "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

Hector Chauser didn’t reply.

He quietly looked at Tiana Linden, his gaze calm and straightforward.

The night’s breeze was particularly gentle tonight.

The air was also exceptionally fresh.

Compared to his years in prison and his days on the run, it was much more refreshing.

Seeing him just watching her without speaking, Tiana Linden couldn’t help but mutter, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Hector Chaucer knitted his brows, "Tiana, you’ve lost a lot of weight."

Slightly bowing her head, Tiana Linden smiled bitterly, "With this illness, it’s impossible not to."

"Don’t worry too much about the illness. Isn’t Linden-Grant Pharmaceuticals’ cancer drug entering clinical trials soon?"

Speaking of this matter, Tiana Linden smiled bitterly.

"Aiden Grant and the Linden Family always believed that Hector and I conspired to steal their R&D secrets. If this medicine can really undergo clinical trials, they wouldn’t give it to me."

Hector Chaucer responded with a brief moment of silence.

He seemed to be pondering something.

After a while, he spoke again, "You and Leo Sutton should head back first. I need to attend a media interview."

Tiana nodded and turned to walk towards Leo Sutton.

After taking a couple of steps, she turned back to look at Hector Chaucer standing in place.

"Hector, be careful when you return to The Chaucer Family."

"If they dared to harm you once, they’ll dare to do it a second time."

Sometimes, Tiana felt.

Hector was also a man with a tragic fate.

She and Hector shared a shadow of shared miseries.

As the illegitimate child of Mr. Chaucer and a servant.

On the day three-year-old Hector returned home, his body was covered in scabs from being beaten by the Chaucer siblings.

Mr. Chaucer saw his weak state and simply said: Send him to the hospital.

At the age of eleven, Hector finally won Mr. Chaucer’s favor with his outstanding intelligence.

At twenty-two, he took charge of The Chaucer Family, only to become a scapegoat on Mr. Chaucer’s chessboard.

Hector was used to the intrigues and malevolent schemes within blood relations.

Even his own father, Mr. Chaucer, saw him only as a tool for calculation and use.

From his youth, he was accustomed to numbness and coldness.

There was never any warmth in his eyes.

Yet Tiana had an illusion that whenever Hector met her gaze, despite his calm eyes, there was a rare warmth of humanity.

Perhaps it was because, as a child, when Hector was pushed into the water by his brother, she jumped in to save him without hesitation, even though she couldn’t swim.

She sincerely said, "Hector, just be careful, all things considered."

Hector’s gaze remained calm, "Are you concerned about me?"

There’s no denying Hector’s immense presence.

Even with such calm eyes, the energy they conveyed was like a torrent.

Tiana couldn’t ignore his question.

"..." For a moment, she couldn’t find an answer.

But she was nearing the end of her life.

With someone she felt comfortable with, she’d say a few more words.

She would also express true feelings, "Of course, we’ve been friends since childhood."

"I don’t want to be friends with someone as foolish as you," Hector’s gaze remained calm as he replied to Tiana.

So calm that Tiana couldn’t gauge his emotion.

Yet, his words clearly expressed disdain for her stupidity.

Just because she foolishly trusted that scoundrel Aiden in her youth, why did that make her extremely foolish?

She turned away displeased, walking towards Leo Sutton, "Let’s go."

Behind her, the calm gaze remained fixed on her slender, tall back.

...

In the evening.

Daisy and Laura were practicing piano lessons.

Tiana was drinking tea in the living room with her newly recognized parents, Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong.

Although Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong were Kiera Chaucer’s parents,

in the past half-month, they treated her like a biological daughter and were extremely kind to Daisy as well.

On the television, Hector Chaucer walked out of the courthouse.

A swarm of reporters blocked him.

Microphones were aimed at Hector.

The camera focused on his buzz cut style, his face hard-edged and calm.

Few men could carry off such a buzz cut.

Yet Hector, with his buzz cut, exuded an extreme iron will and fierce presence.

Hector was extremely intimidating.

Even through a screen, Tiana could clearly feel his decisiveness and immense pressure.

Tiana recalled the night Daisy fell from the elevator.

Hector cornered her in the hospital corridor.

The police came to arrest him, and he fled over the wall amidst a barrage of bullets.

The police ordered that he could be shot on sight during the chase.

Yet in just less than two months, he managed to overturn the case and was acquitted in court.

Hector Chaucer!

A truly legendary figure!

Otherwise, the news about him these days wouldn’t be so overwhelming.

Kiera’s father, Gabriel, asked, "Tiana, when you went to prison, it was with Hector, right?"

"Yes, for the crime of stealing business secrets." Tiana recalled those times with lingering resentment.

Catherine chimed in, "Tiana, since Hector could overturn his case, you can too. Let Leo help you, so the two Linden men and that Grant fellow stop wrongfully accusing you."

Leo Sutton had mentioned this to her as well.

Wanting to help clear her name.

But she didn’t have much time left.

She only wanted to spend her remaining time with Daisy, Laura, Penelope, and the elder Chaucers, cherishing this last bit of warmth.

She thought her body could hold on a bit longer.

The next day, she unexpectedly fainted when she left the house.

Leo Sutton was out handling a case.

When Catherine couldn’t reach Tiana for the second time, she began to worry.

She quickly called Leo, "Leo, Tiana isn’t answering my calls; something must be wrong."

At that moment, Leo Sutton was about to go to court for a criminal case.

He had two minutes before trial started.

He reassured Catherine, "Mom, Dunn drove Tiana out, so she should be fine. Try calling Dunn; I have to attend court now."

After hanging up, Catherine called Sutton family driver Dunn.

Dunn said, "Miss Linden is on the mountain visiting her mother’s grave; she asked me to wait here for her."

Mrs. Linden was James Linden’s deceased wife, Wanda Townsend.

At this moment, Tiana’s recognized mother, Catherine, had an ominous premonition.

She was cooking in the kitchen when she accidentally burnt her hand on the hot pan.

At that moment, the ominous feeling deepened.

"Dunn, quickly go check on Tiana."

However, when Dunn went to Wanda Townsend’s gravesite, Tiana was nowhere to be found.

...

Court.

Leo Sutton finished the court session and walked out. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

His assistant hurriedly approached with his phone, "Louis Sutton, something’s wrong. Miss Linden is missing."

The cemetery surveillance happened to be broken.

Tiana disappeared at her mother Wanda Townsend’s grave.

Yet Leo and the others couldn’t find Tiana anywhere.

Her phone was also turned off.

Two hours later, Leo Sutton called Aiden Grant.

Receiving Leo Sutton’s call, Aiden was somewhat surprised.

At that moment, he was in a meeting with a few R&D staff.

Looking at them, he calmly said, "Let’s take a ten-minute break; thank you all."

Then, he answered the call.

On the other end came Leo Sutton’s anxious voice, "Aiden, has Tiana contacted you? Have you seen her?"

Aiden: "Leo Sutton, though I’m Tiana’s ex-boyfriend, I haven’t fallen so low as to get entangled with her despite knowing you two are married."

Leo Sutton: "I’m asking if you’ve seen Tiana; she’s gone missing."

Hearing this, Aiden got up from the meeting table, striding out, "When did this happen, and where was she last seen?"