Unforgettable Regret

Unforgettable Regret (part 3)

Adrian leaned comfortably against the couch, completely unaware that Marco was already losing patience.

“To court her,” Adrian repeated with a grin. “Relax. I’m not stealing company secrets. I just want your beautiful cousin’s attention.”

Marco’s expression turned colder.

“She’s not interested.”

Adrian laughed confidently. “Women usually say that at first.”

Marco almost snapped the pen in his hand.

Before he could respond, the office door suddenly opened slightly.

“Marco, the maid said—”

Shane froze the moment she saw Adrian inside.

Adrian immediately stood up.

And for the first time since entering the mansion, the notorious heartbreaker himself looked genuinely stunned.

Because in simple morning clothes, with slightly messy hair and no makeup at all, Shane somehow looked even more beautiful than she did at the party.

Adrian slowly smiled.

“Well…” he said softly. “Now I understand why you hid her from me.”

Shane looked confused while Marco’s eyes darkened instantly.

“Shane,” Marco said firmly, “go back to your room.”

But Adrian quickly stepped forward before she could leave.

“Wait,” he interrupted smoothly. “At least let me introduce myself.”

He offered his hand politely.

“I’m Adrian.”

Shane hesitated for a second before shaking his hand lightly.

“Shane.”

Adrian smiled the moment she said his name.

“Dangerous name.”

Shane blinked. “What?”

“Because now I’m probably going to think about it all day.”

Shane looked surprised.

Meanwhile, Marco silently glared from behind them.

Adrian was famous for this.

Smooth words.

Natural charm.

The kind of confidence that easily attracted people.

And Marco hated how effortlessly Adrian made Shane smile.

“I didn’t know Marco had such a beautiful cousin,” Adrian continued casually. “Honestly, I thought he was hiding you from the world.”

Marco suddenly stood up.

“That’s enough.”

Adrian looked back innocently. “What? I’m just being friendly.”

But Marco knew Adrian too well.

Friendly was never just friendly.

Especially when Adrian became interested in someone.

The rest of the morning became unbearable for Marco.

Because somehow, Adrian refused to leave.

Instead, he stayed near Shane the entire time.

At breakfast, Adrian pulled out a chair for her before Marco could.

While walking through the mansion garden, Adrian casually removed his coat and placed it over Shane’s shoulders when the wind became cold.

And every time Shane laughed at Adrian’s teasing—

Marco’s mood became darker.

“You know,” Adrian said playfully while walking beside Shane near the fountain garden, “if Marco gets any colder, his mansion might turn into Antarctica.”

Shane accidentally laughed.

From the balcony above them, Marco watched silently with crossed arms.

A maid nearby carefully avoided looking at him because his expression looked terrifying.

Adrian noticed Marco watching them and smirked slightly.

Interesting.

For the first time, Adrian realized something was strange.

Marco was not acting like an overprotective cousin.

He was acting like a jealous man.

Later that evening, Shane sat quietly in the living room reading a book when Adrian suddenly appeared beside her carrying two glasses of wine.

“One for the beautiful lady,” he said smoothly.

Shane laughed awkwardly. “You flirt with everyone like this?”

Adrian placed one hand dramatically over his chest. “I’m offended. I only flirt when I’m serious.”

“And how many women have heard that line already?”

Adrian grinned. “Too many. But somehow it sounds more honest when I say it to you.”

Shane shook her head while smiling despite herself.

Then suddenly—

a voice interrupted coldly from behind them.

“She doesn’t drink tonight.”

Both of them looked up.

Marco stood there with dark eyes fixed directly on Adrian.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Adrian slowly leaned back against the couch, amused.

“There he is,” Adrian sighed dramatically. “The jealous cousin.”

Marco’s jaw tightened.

“I said,” Marco repeated coldly while staring at Adrian, “she’s not drinking tonight.”

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then unexpectedly—

Adrian smirked.

Because now he was completely certain of one thing.

Marco was deeply in love with Shane.

Adrian slowly swirled the wine glass in his hand while secretly observing Marco’s expression.

And the more he watched him…

the more amused he became.

Because that was definitely not the face of a protective cousin.

No.

That was the face of a man barely controlling his jealousy.

Adrian had known Marco for years.

He knew all of Marco’s real cousins. Some of them even treated Adrian like family already. And never—not once—had Marco acted this hostile just because Adrian visited or flirted harmlessly.

But now?

Marco looked one second away from throwing him out of the mansion.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Adrian leaned back comfortably on the sofa and smiled slowly.

“You know,” he said casually while glancing between them, “I suddenly realized something.”

Marco’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What.”

Adrian ignored the warning in his tone.

“You don’t look at Shane the way cousins usually look at each other.”

The entire room instantly became silent.

Shane froze.

Marco’s expression darkened immediately.

Adrian smirked internally.

Bingo.

For the first time since arriving, he saw something crack in Marco’s cold composure.

And honestly?

That alone entertained Adrian more than anything else.

“Careful,” Marco warned coldly.

But Adrian only laughed softly.

“Relax. I’m not judging you.” His eyes shifted meaningfully toward Shane. “I’m just surprised.”

Shane quickly looked away, her heartbeat becoming faster.

Adrian stood up slowly and walked closer toward Marco.

Then in a lower voice only he could hear, Adrian whispered:

“You’re in love with her.”

Marco’s jaw tightened instantly.

“And she’s not really your cousin.”

For a brief second, the atmosphere became dangerously tense.

But Adrian only smiled wider because Marco’s silence already confirmed everything.

“Well,” Adrian sighed dramatically, “that explains the death stare you’ve been giving me since yesterday.”

Marco suddenly grabbed Adrian’s arm and pulled him slightly away from Shane.

“Outside,” Marco said coldly.

Adrian laughed. “Now this is getting interesting.”

A few moments later, the two men stood alone on the mansion balcony while the cold evening wind blew around them.

Marco’s face looked darker than ever.

“You talk too much,” he said sharply.

Adrian leaned casually against the railing. “And you hide too much.”

Marco stayed silent.

Adrian stared at him carefully this time, less playful than before.

“So what really happened here?”

Marco looked away toward the distant city lights.

For a moment, he almost said nothing.

But then Adrian noticed something unexpected in his eyes.

Pain.

Real pain.

And suddenly, Adrian understood this was far deeper than simple attraction.

“You love her that much?” Adrian asked quietly.

Marco laughed bitterly.

“She was the reason I changed.”

That answer alone shocked Adrian.

Because Marco before was soft-hearted, patient, and calm.

But the man standing beside him now looked colder, harder, and emotionally exhausted.

Whoever Shane was…

she had affected him deeply.

Inside the mansion, Shane quietly remained in the living room, completely unaware that the conversation outside was entirely about her.

She glanced occasionally toward the balcony where Marco and Adrian were talking seriously, but she simply assumed they were discussing business or personal matters between friends.

Still, something about Marco’s expression before leaving bothered her.

He looked tense.

Almost angry.

Meanwhile outside, Adrian suddenly laughed softly while shaking his head.

“You’re really doomed,” he said.

Marco frowned. “What now?”

Adrian smirked knowingly.

“You kidnapped the woman you love, pretended she was your cousin, glared at every man who gets near her…” He chuckled. “And somehow you still think you’re hiding your feelings well.”

Marco’s face darkened immediately.

But before he could answer, Adrian added one final sentence that made Marco completely silent.

“The scary part is…” Adrian said quietly while glancing toward the living room window where Shane stood unknowingly, “…I think she’s already falling for you too.”

“What are you talking about?” Marco said coldly, his brows furrowing.

Adrian only looked at him knowingly.

Marco let out a bitter laugh and looked away toward the dark city lights beyond the mansion.

“She already likes someone else.”

Adrian raised one eyebrow. “Oh?”

Marco’s jaw tightened.

“And the worst part?” he continued quietly. “The man she likes already has a family.”

This time, Adrian looked genuinely surprised.

Inside the mansion, Shane remained unaware that her name was the center of the conversation outside.

She simply sat quietly on the sofa, hugging a pillow while absentmindedly staring at the rain outside the tall glass windows.

Meanwhile, Marco’s eyes darkened with painful memories.

The humiliation Shane caused him before was not the only reason he changed.

There was another truth he never told anyone.

A truth far more painful.

Back then, before Marco became cold and distant, there was someone he admired deeply.

Not because she was rich or glamorous—

but because she looked kind, hardworking, and caring.

She carried herself like someone who understood responsibility, and Marco thought she was different from everyone else.

For a while, he truly believed he was in love with her.

But one night changed everything.

He accidentally discovered the truth behind her image.

The woman he admired—

was secretly involved with a married man.

Not only that…

she knew the man already had a wife and children.

Yet she stayed with him anyway.

Marco still remembered the disgust he felt after learning the truth.

The disappointment.

The betrayal.

It completely shattered the way he looked at love and relationships.

And strangely enough…

that was also around the same time Shane started occupying his thoughts more and more.

Unlike that woman, Shane was painfully honest with her emotions.

She wasn’t rich.

She worked endlessly for her family and carried all their burdens alone as the breadwinner of their home.

Stubborn, prideful, and sometimes harsh—

but real.

She never pretended to be perfect.

Adrian quietly listened while studying Marco’s expression carefully.

“So that’s why you stopped trusting people,” Adrian said softly.

Marco gave a humorless smile.

“You can admire someone for years and still know nothing about who they truly are.”

The wind outside became colder.

Then Marco suddenly added something that surprised even himself.

“But Shane…” his voice lowered quietly, “…she’s different.”

Adrian smirked faintly.

“There it is again.”

Marco frowned. “What?”

“That look in your eyes whenever you talk about her.”

Marco immediately looked away.

But Adrian already understood everything.

No matter how much pain Shane caused him…

Marco’s heart had already chosen her long ago.

And that was exactly why he was terrified of loving her completely again.

The next morning, Shane was surprised when Marco suddenly told her to get ready.

“We’re going out,” he said shortly while fixing the buttons of his black suit.

Shane blinked in confusion. “What?”

“I have an important meeting.”

“Then why am I going?”

Marco looked at her coldly.

“Because Adrian is still in the mansion.”

Shane almost laughed after realizing the real reason.

Marco still had no plans of leaving her alone with Adrian.

Even until now, Adrian continued shamelessly flirting with her every chance he got, clearly enjoying Marco’s silent jealousy.

A few minutes later, they left the mansion together.

Inside the car, the atmosphere quickly became tense.

Marco sat beside her quietly while looking outside the window, but before Shane could even relax, he suddenly spoke without looking at her.

“Don’t even think about escaping.”

Shane frowned immediately.

Marco finally glanced at her with dark eyes.

“No matter where you run,” he said calmly, “I can find you anywhere.”

Something about his possessive tone irritated Shane instantly.

“So what?” she snapped. “How long are you planning to keep me locked up in your mansion?!”

Marco’s expression hardened.

“Send me home already,” Shane continued angrily. “I miss my family.”

For a moment, silence filled the car.

Then Marco answered coldly:

“I’ll decide when you’re allowed to leave.”

Shane stared at him in disbelief.

“You don’t own me, Marco.”

His jaw tightened.

“And you don’t understand how dangerous it is for you outside.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

But Marco suddenly looked away, ending the conversation completely.

When they arrived at a luxurious hotel for his meeting, Marco stepped out of the car first before leaning slightly toward Shane near the open door.

“Stay inside the car,” he warned firmly.

Shane crossed her arms stubbornly.

“I mean it, Shane.”

Then without another word, Marco walked inside the building.

The meeting lasted longer than expected.

By the time Marco finally returned outside, he looked exhausted and irritated already.

But the moment he glanced toward the black car—

his expression instantly changed.

Shane was gone.

Marco froze.

A dangerous feeling immediately rose inside him.

Then his eyes suddenly landed on a familiar figure not far away near the hotel garden.

Shane.

She was talking to a man.

And the moment Marco saw the man’s face clearly—

something dark exploded inside him.

Because he recognized him immediately.

It was the same man Shane secretly liked before.

The married man.

The man with a wife and children.

Marco’s fists clenched violently.

His blood boiled as he watched the two standing close to each other.

The world around him suddenly became unbearably quiet except for the sound of his own anger.

So this was the man?

This was the person Shane chose over him?

A man who already belonged to another family.

Marco’s jaw tightened so hard it almost hurt.

Then suddenly—

the man gently touched Shane’s arm while talking to her.

And that was enough.

Marco completely lost control.

Without hesitation, he stormed toward them with terrifying eyes filled with rage.