Instant Regrets Book II

Chapter 46

The sun was high in the sky, casting long shadows over the construction site. Lisa stood near the edge of the building, her eyes focused on the workers below as they moved about, the sound of tools clanging and machinery humming filling the air. She was in her element here—on-site, hands-on, making sure everything went according to plan.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. With a sigh, she pulled it out, expecting it to be a routine update or a message from her team. But when she saw the email notification, her expression darkened.

*Appointment Reminder: Important Meeting at Headquarters Tomorrow at 9 AM.*

Lisa frowned, quickly skimming through the details of the email. It was a mandatory meeting, a briefing with the higher-ups at the head office. A day spent in meetings, stuck in an office, away from the site. She hated it.

“Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, her annoyance growing. She had too much to do here. There were projects to oversee, workers to manage, and deadlines to meet. Being away from the site even for a day felt like a massive setback.

She tucked her phone back into her pocket, her frustration bubbling under the surface. *Meetings, reports, pointless discussions...* All things she had little patience for, especially when there were real problems that needed her attention out here in the field.

Lisa clenched her jaw, trying to push the irritation aside. There was no way around it. She had to go to the meeting, like it or not. But the thought of sitting in a sterile conference room tomorrow, talking in circles, made her blood boil.

“Guess I’ll just have to deal with it,” she muttered, her voice tight with frustration. Turning back toward the site, she called out to one of her foremen, determined to make the most of the time she had today before being trapped in an office chair the next morning.

The next day,

The morning light filtered softly through the curtains as Jennie stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her blouse, her face a mix of determination and tension. Today was the day they were going to meet Lisa, and the weight of it all hung heavy on her shoulders. She glanced over at Jiyong, who sat on the edge of the bed, silently tying his shoes. He hadn't said much since last night, but she could feel the storm of emotions brewing beneath the surface.

Last night had been intense. Jiyong’s eyes had flashed with anger and frustration when she brought up Lisa, but he had kept his cool, something that only made Jennie more anxious. He’d agreed to go along with the plan, but with a condition: he wanted to know everything—every detail, every step of the process. Jennie had agreed, knowing it was the only way to keep him involved without causing more friction.

As Jennie slipped on her blazer, she couldn't help but glance at Jiyong again. His movements were slow, methodical, but she knew him too well to miss the tension in his body. He hadn’t slept much—neither had she—but the way he carried himself now told her everything she needed to know. Jiyong was playing along, but he was far from okay with this.

“You ready?” she asked softly, her voice carrying an undercurrent of uncertainty.

Jiyong glanced up, his expression carefully neutral, but there was a tightness around his mouth. He stood, straightening his jacket before looking at Jennie. “Yeah,” he said, his tone calm but distant. “Let’s go.”

Jennie swallowed hard, walking toward him. She placed a hand on his arm, trying to bridge the growing emotional distance. “Thank you… for supporting me in this.”

Jiyong looked at her, his eyes softening for a brief moment. He nodded, his jaw still tense. “I’m doing this for Hyeong,” he replied, his voice low but controlled. “But I meant what I said last night. I need to know everything—every plan, every move. We do this together, no surprises.”