The Kiss that Sparked it All

“| really owe you and your friend a big one. If it weren’t for you guys, | don’t know where I'd be right now...” 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, “Where else could you have gone? You'd probably still be hanging around that same old spot.” Ablett scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “You might be right, but still, I’m grateful to you all.”

Regina nodded. “I appreciate your trust. Look, just came to check on you and see how you're settling in. Since you’re doing so well, | better head back. There’s a mountain of work waiting for me.”

Ablett took a few steps with her, hesitating before he finally said, “| know how tough it can be to get to the bottom of this mess. Just to let you know... I’ve found my footing now. There’s no rush on this. We can take it one step at a time, your way.”

Regina understood what he meant. It was true that for her to tackle this issue alone was a daunting task. Ablett didn’t want her to hit her head against a brick wall for his sake.

“Don't worry,” she reassured him, “I’m not alone on this journey, and I’m certainly not about to bring a knife to a gunfight.” After hearing her words, Ablett nodded firmly. “Good to hear. | wouldn’t want you making unnecessary sacrifices for me.’

Regina just smiled and didn’t elaborate. As she drove off, she could see his figure shrinking in the rear-view mirror, standing there, seeing her off.

She wasn’t doing this just for Ablett, and he certainly wasn’t 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.

That’s why she had chosen journalism as her profession; she hoped there would be fewer people like Ablett in the future.

Though she didn’t 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.

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14:34

Was this justice? Regina didn’t 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.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Ahab, Ahab?”

Ahab had been feeling the weight of someone’s 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. “Ahab.”

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.