â| really owe you and your friend a big one. If it werenât for you guys, | donât know where I'd be right now...â He rubbed his hands together, a touch of awkwardness in his gesture.
If someone had reached out to help him earlier, maybe he would have left that vagabond life behind a long time ago.
Regina replied with a smile, âWhere else could you have gone? You'd probably still be hanging around that same old spot.â
Ablett scratched the back of his head and chuckled. âYou might be right, but still, Iâm grateful to you all.â
Regina nodded. âI appreciate your trust. Look, just came to check on you and see how you're settling in. Since youâre doing so well, | better head back. Thereâs a mountain of work waiting for me.â
Ablett took a few steps with her, hesitating before he finally said, â| know how tough it can be to get to the bottom of this mess.
Just to let you know... Iâve found my footing now. Thereâs no rush on this. We can take it one step at a time, your way.â
Regina understood what he meant. It was true that for her to tackle this issue alone was a daunting task. Ablett didnât want her to hit her head against a brick wall for his sake.
âDon't worry,â she reassured him, âIâm not alone on this journey, and Iâm certainly not about to bring a knife to a gunfight.â
After hearing her words, Ablett nodded firmly. âGood to hear. | wouldnât want you making unnecessary sacrifices for me.â
Regina just smiled and didnât elaborate. As she drove off, she could see his figure shrinking in the rear-view mirror, standing there, seeing her off.
She wasnât doing this just for Ablett, and he certainly wasnât the only victim in this.
Regina knew that speaking such words might make her seem sentimental, and others might criticize her for being overly idealistic. But she was driven by the desire to decrease the number of victims and for the truth to come to light.
Thatâs why she had chosen journalism as her profession; she hoped there would be fewer people like Ablett in the future.
Though she didnât say it out loud, Regina felt a twinge in her heart whenever she saw the warmth in his eyes as Ablett interacted with those kids.
She could only imagine how much he must have adored his own children before this tragedy struck, how it had cost him his family, leaving him to only observe the joy of others with their kids.
14:34 Was this justice? Regina didnât think so.
She pressed the accelerator; her destination was New Blossom Press.
There was a deluge of stories breaking, and a plethora of assignments were waiting for Regina. Even with her experience in the field, it was becoming overwhelming.
But not all was grim.
As soon as she returned to her desk, she found herself face-to-face with that man.
The moment she looked up, she caught his evasive gaze. Regina smirked internally; her suspicions were likely correct.
This guy was clearly out of his depth, the epitome of a guilty conscience.
âAhab, Ahab?â
Ahab had been feeling the weight of someoneâs stare on him, worried that Regina had caught on to his deeds, so he had kept his head down, pretending to be engrossed in his paperwork.
Little did he expect that a colleague passing him some files had called his name several times without a response.
âAhab.â
The colleague tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and like a jack-in-the-box, Ahab sprung up. The commotion was so loud that it attracted the attention of everyone around, including Regina, who watched with amused interest.