LM
CHAPTERS 1033 - 1038
CHAPTER 1033
“You are my wife.” Every time he wanted to reassure her, Edwin would give Jane this same answer. It was a simple sentence, but it contained deep affection.
Jane was his wife, so, of course, he wanted to give the best to her, otherwise, would he want other men to be nice to her and care for her instead?
Of course not!
He should be the one to protect his wife and to bring her happiness. He needed to pamper her so much that she would not care for anyone else.
“Of course I know that I am your wife.” Jane knew what Edwin was thinking. She snuggled up in his arms and said, “Mr. Carter, thank you!”
She thanked him for giving in to her, thanked him for spoiling her, thanked him for supporting her, thanked him for loving her, and thanked him for giving her a complete and happy home.
“Are you confused again?” Edwin lowered his head and bit her playfully. He punished her for thanking him again. In his perception, loving her was his duty. These were his obligations, and she need not thank him at all.
“Well, I’m confused by your sugar-coated bullets!” Jane chuckled and snuggled in his arms. “Mr. Carter, you should go and rest for a while, I’ll be here to watch over Andrew.”
It had been two days since the operation. During these two days, Jane and Edwin had been guarding Andrew in the hospital day and night.
When she got too sleepy at night, Jane would sleep in Edwin's arms for a while. When Jane was asleep, of course, Edwin could not be sleeping too. He barely slept a wink these two nights, so Jane wanted him to have a rest in the lounge for a while.
Although he would feel much better after resting for a while, given the long period of exhaustion, Edwin shook his head and said, “I’m not sleepy. I’ll wait with you.”
At this moment, how could he bear to leave his wife alone? While she was suffering in silence outside the ward? He needed to be with her.
Jane knew that Edwin was stubborn. He already said he would stay here with her, so as long as she didn’t leave, he would never leave.
Jane stopped insisting after that. After thinking for a while, she then said, “I’ll sit down, so you can sleep on my shoulder for a while, okay?”
Edwin said, “No..”
“Don’t reject me, just listen to me this time.” Edwin had no choice but to listen to her because she insisted on it.
They sat on the couch together and Jane shrugged. “Mr. Carter, come on. You can lie on my shoulder. You can depend on me this time!”
“Alright,” Edwin even responded to her.
He sat down next to her and leaned against her shoulder. He didn’t feel sleepy at first. However, he leaned on her shoulder and sniffed her comforting scent, and listened to her calm breathing. Unconsciously, the drowsiness gradually kicked in and he fell asleep.
Listening to Edwin's soft breathing, Jane gently turned her head and leaned closer to him. She smiled subtly as she kissed his face.
This man was really good looking. He looked like a perfect sculpture, without any flaws. She had been looking at him for so many years yet she never got sick of looking at him. His eyebrows, his eyes, and his face. He looked as handsome as he did on the day they met for the first time. It seemed that he did not age.
If she had to point out a difference between his younger self and his current self, it would probably be the evolved maturity and intelligence he had acquired throughout the years. Wherever he went, attention would be on him.
Besides, there were countless women who took the initiative to get close to him throughout the years too, trying their luck to seduce him. Fortunately, this man had strong self-control, otherwise, he might have been snatched by those women long ago.
Every time she reminded herself that this was her man, it made Jane feel extremely proud and honored to be his wife. He belonged to her, and no one else could take him away from her.
“Am I really that handsome?”
Suddenly, Edwin's seductive and deep voice sounded.
“Aren’t you asleep?”
He caught her staring at him. Even though they were husband and wife for many years, Jane was still embarrassed and her face blushed immediately.
“If I was asleep, how would I know you were looking at me?” He was glad that he was not really asleep, so he was able to catch her looking at him secretly.
“Stop fooling around. Hurry up and go to sleep.” She didn’t want him to know that she was a little infatuated with him, so she urged him to sleep again.
“You haven’t answered my question yet!” Edwin had this habit. When he asked her a question, he would not give up until he got her answer.
Jane had no choice but to admit shyly, “Well, yes. It’s because you’re too handsome that I’m mesmerised, I didn’t even realize that you noticed my stare.”
“Okay!” Edwin was very satisfied with Jane's answer. He closed his eyes and continued to sleep.
He did not rest for two nights. Edwin was still a human being at the end of the day, so he leaned on her shoulder and fell asleep after a short while. No matter how Jane stared at him, he didn’t wake up again.
Janell Joy rushed to the hospital and saw the scene where her mother and father were leaning against each other. Her father was leaning on her mother’s shoulder, and her mother was looking at her father sweetly. They both looked extremely content with each other.
Seeing such a beautiful and warm scene, Janell Joy couldn’t bear to ruin it. She left quietly, giving her parents some time alone.
Most of the time, Janell Joy would define true love’ as the love her parents had for each other. No matter how routine their lives were together, as long as they had each other, every day would be a special and lovely day.
……..
Two days passed quickly.
Under Doctor Jesse’s care and medication, Andrew's body recovered much faster than imagined. Presently, the doctors transferred him from the special ward to the general ward.
Coming out of the intensive care unit meant that Andrew had passed the critical period. As long as everything went well, he would definitely wake up fine.
Previously, it was Edwin and Jane who stayed in the hospital because they were worried that Janell Joy couldn’t take up the heavy role of taking care of her brother. However, under Janell Joy’s strong insistence, the couple went home to rest, and Janell Joy stayed in the hospital to take care of Andrew.
Although she knew that Andrew would wake up, looking at the pale Andrew lying on the bed, Janell Joy quietly wiped away her tears. She then held his hand and said to him, “Brother, it’s going to be the New Year’s holidays soon. You’ll wake up and spend it with us, won’t you? It’s been more than a decade of us spending it together every year. You won’t let everyone down, will you?”
She held Andrew's hand and talked to him persistently. But no matter what she said, he could not respond to her.
In the past, she always disliked him for being nosy and meddlesome. Now, she wanted him to get up and continue to annoy her, but he didn’t.
Janell Joy didn’t know whether Andrew could hear her talking or whether he knew how much she wanted him to wake up.
CHAPTER 1034
Perhaps, the reason why Andrew didn’t want to wake up was not because of his injuries, but because he didn’t want to see Janell Joy.
It must be that!
She used to think that he was annoying, which hurt him severely. Now, he didn’t want to care so much about her anymore, so he simply stayed asleep. That way, he could see nothing and would not feel frustrated anymore.
Thump! Thump!
The sudden knock on the door interrupted Janell's thoughts. She immediately calmed down and said, “Come in.”
Blake opened the door and walked in. He said, “Miss, there’s a girl called Yaya, and she wants to see you.”
“Sister Yaya?” Janell Joy was a little surprised how Yaya got the news, so she nodded and said, “Ask her to wait for a while, I'll go there right away.”
“Yes, miss.” Blake left respectfully.
After Blake left, Janell Joy pulled up the quilt for Andrew and said, “Brother, I’m going to see my friend, I’m not leaving you, don’t worry! Get some rest and I'll be back in a minute.”
She got up and left. After a few steps, she suddenly turned back. She hoped that when she turned back, she could see Andrew open his eyes and look at her, just as he used to do.
But…
Janell Joy shook her head in disappointment. What on earth was she thinking? How could she think that Andrew was pretending to be in a coma?
All this while, he had been a child that his parents never needed to worry about. He was so sensible, so he would never pull a trick like this.
Janell Joy saw Yaya as she came out of the ward. When she saw her, Yaya immediately ran to her and said, “Janell Joy, I...”
Seeing Yaya’s worried look, Janell Joy knew that Yaya was not here to see her, she must be here to see Andrew.
She said, “Sister Yaya, you’re here to see my brother right?”
Yaya would never beat around the bush. Janell Joy was right about her purpose of visit, so Yaya admitted, “Yes. I heard that he was injured, so I came here to see him.”
After a slight pause, Yaya continued, “Janell Joy, can I go in and talk to him alone?”
Yaya asked sincerely, and from her expression, it could be seen that she was worried about Andrew from the bottom of her heart.
Janell Joy didn’t want to stop her too. “Sister Yaya, he hasn’t woken up yet. He may not be able to respond to you. But you can try anyway, maybe he can hear you.”
The doctor had told the Carters that they should spend time speaking to Andrew while in his coma. Perhaps this would increase his will to survive with the affection of family and friends.
They had tried hard, but it didn’t work. Perhaps, if someone else talked to Andrew, it might yield different results.
“Janell Joy, thank you!” After saying thank you, Yaya opened the door to the ward and looked back. “Janell Joy, don’t worry. I’ll only say a few words to him, I will be out soon.”
“Okay.” Janell Joy nodded and said, “Yaya, take your time to talk to him. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Then, Yaya went into the ward.
As soon as she stepped into the ward, Yaya was surprised by the layout of the room. It didn’t look like a hospital ward at all, it was such a well decorated and cozy suite. At first glance, it was totally different from the setting outside the ward.
There were all kinds of furniture inside, and the decoration was also extremely exquisite, which was almost better than that of a six-star hotel.
If it weren’t for the scent of the medicine in the room, Yaya would have thought that she had gone to the wrong room.
Yaya sighed. The Carter family was indeed one of the richest families in the world. Even their hospital ward was different from ordinary people’s.
She took a few more steps forward and walked towards the center of the room. There was a bed, and Andrew was lying quietly on the bed. He lay there quietly, and his face looked pale and lifeless.
No matter how Yaya looked at him, he was not the decisive and brave man she had seen at work. Yaya opened her mouth and wanted to call his name, but a sudden wave of heartache rendered her speechless.
A few months ago, after meeting him in the disaster area, she had been obsessed with this man. Later, she decided to pursue him and applied for a job to work under him.
Andrew was a workaholic and often worked throughout the night. But no matter how busy he was, when Yaya saw him the next day, he was always energetic and did not look exhausted at all.
Most of the time, Yaya would wonder if this man was made out of steel.
Why was he never tired?
Why did he never smile?
In the past, she couldn’t even think of an answer. Now, she understood why he was so relentless, why he was so powerful, and why she never saw his smile.
She stood by his bed and stared at Andrew. As she looked at him, tears silently slipped down from the corner of her eyes.
"Andrew, was it worth it?” She asked him.
Although Andrew could not answer, Yaya knew that if he could answer, he would definitely say, “Yes, it was!”
Yaya could not forget Andrew ever since she first laid eyes on him, similar to how persistent Andrew's love for Janell Joy was.
Love was just indescribable most of the time. If love happened, it needed no reasons.
Staring at him for a long time, Yaya took out a memory card from her pocket. She took a deep breath and said, “The person you love doesn’t love you back. No matter how much you strive, she won’t even look back at you. This doesn’t feel good, and I can understand that.”
There was someone in Andrew's heart, a person who he clearly loved, but he couldn’t get her. Yaya understood this feeling deeply. It was because she was on the same boat. Yaya loved Andrew, but she could not have him.
“I found this memory card by accident when I was cleaning up the office. Don’t worry, I won’t show it to any other person. When you wake up, I will give it to you."
From the contents of this memory card, Yaya realized why this man never looked at her. Because there was someone else in his heart. There was a woman he had fallen in love with, but she was a woman he couldn’t love.
“Mr. Carter!” Yaya closed her eyes and forced the tears back into her eyes. At the same time, she opened her eyes and watched how the sunlight fell on him through the window.
Under the sunlight, he looked so serene and at peace, as if he could leave the world at any time.
After a long pause, Yaya said, “Mr. Carter, even if you don’t like me, I still hope you can get the happiness that you should have.” She would hide her love for him in the corner of her heart, and she would not mention it to anyone else for the rest of her life.
However, when she realized how she could love someone so deeply, it was still a comforting feeling to her.
As Yaya came out of the ward, she saw Janell Joy. She was anxious and worried, “Sister Yaya..”
“I spoke to him already.” Yaya forced a smile and said bitterly, “Janell Joy, I’m leaving.”
Janell Joy asked her, “Sister Yaya, where are you going?”
CHAPTER 1035
Yaya turned around and looked out of the window, “I’m going to leave Coast City and go back to my hometown. It’s quite far away, in a remote area near the mountains, and the children there do not have access to a good education. I am planning on going back to teach them.”
Janell Joy pursed her lips and asked cautiously, “Sister Yaya, do you want to leave because of my brother? Did he..” She knew that Andrew might have feelings for her, but she didn’t stop Yaya from pursuing him or getting near him.
Seeing Yaya so upset now, Janell Joy did not feel good either.
“No.” Yaya shook her head. “Everyone wants to find value in their lives, I want that too. Back then, so many people spent their hard-earned money to support me in my studies. Now that I have achieved success in my academics and my job, I want to go back to my hometown to do something for my people.”
Yaya already had this plan in mind previously. So, when Andrew didn’t reciprocate her affection, it helped Yaya make this decision sooner.
Janell Joy was very upset as she thought about things more deeply, “Sister Yaya..”
“Janell Joy, see you again! Oh no, we may never see each other again.” Yaya shook her head and said bitterly.
It was a rare opportunity for Yaya to meet the daughter of the famous Shengtian leader and become friends with her. In the future, they would go back to live their respective lives, it would be very hard for them to meet again.
Janell Joy bit her lip hard and said, “Sister Yaya, please take care of yourself!”
“Okay.” Yaya nodded, but she did not dare to look back at Janell Joy. Parting with a friend would always feel terrible, that was why she was feeling extremely sad.
After a few steps, Yaya suddenly stopped and looked back. She opened her mouth and finally said something out loud, “Janell Joy…”
“Sister Yaya, just say it.” Janell Joy also had a lot of things to say to Yaya, but she didn’t know where to start.
“It’s nothing.” Yaya forced out a reluctant smile. In the end, she didn’t say what she wanted to say. She turned around and walked out of the ward.
Andrew had never acknowledged Yaya’s presence before. She was wondering, how would Andrew speak of her when he finally woke up? She probably expected too much.
These were the woes of women. They would always have unrealistic expectations on a man who did not even fancy them. They were so silly!
“Sister Yaya!” Seeing Yaya walking further away and just as she was about to disappear from her sight. Janell Joy caught up with her and gave her a big hug. “Sister Yaya, I will not change my phone number, so you can call me whenever you think of me.”
After coming to Country A, Janell Joy didn’t interact with many people. Yaya was someone special who left a deep impression in Janell Joy’s heart. Yaya was a strong and optimistic young lady, who changed Janell Joy’s view of the world.
It didn’t matter where a person came from or what her background was. The most important thing was to have a kind and courageous heart, just like Yaya. Surely, she wouldn’t go wrong when she had such pure intentions.
Janell Joy wanted to cherish the relationship with Yaya. Even if she could not meet her that frequently in the future, she would still reach out to Yaya occasionally. It would be comforting to know that Yaya was having a good life.
“Alright, okay!” Yaya smiled and waved goodbye to Janell Joy. However, just as she turned around, tears rolled down her face like a waterfall and she was sobbing instantly.
“Goodbye!”
“My friend!”
“Goodbye!”
“To the man who accidentally stole my heart.” Yaya said silently.
If she had not befriended Janell Joy during the rescue mission back then, she might never have met Andrew, and she would not have given her heart away.
Now, Yaya couldn’t undo what had been done, but she did not regret it. She did not regret meeting Janell Joy, nor did she regret meeting Andrew.
From now on, she only hoped that everyone would move on and live well!
Time passed day by day. With the doctor’s effective treatment, Andrew's condition was getting better.
Early in the morning, Doctor Jesse brought his team to Andrew's ward. He ordered his men to move things away in an orderly manner.
“Doctor Jesse, what are you guys doing?” Janell Joy stayed by the hospital bed for the whole night. She only went to the bathroom to wash her face, and when she came out of the bathroom, she saw a group of doctors moving things in the room.
“We’re taking Andrew back to New York.” Doctor Jesse did not answer Janell Joy, instead, it was Edwin Carter. He glanced at Janell Joy and continued, “Jesse, be careful. It will be a long flight, and we can’t afford any accidents.”
“Dad..”
“My baby Janell, come here,” Jane Ronan walked forward and took Janell Joy aside. “We decided to take Andrew back to New York to continue his treatment. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to worry.”
“Mom, I.”
“I know you don’t want to leave Brother Lucas. It doesn’t matter whether you want to go back with us or stay here. We will support you anyway.” It took Jane a long time to change Edwin's mind, and finally he decided not to force Janell Joy to go back with them.
“Mom, brother is in a coma because of me. Do you think that I will just abandon him?” They were obviously hinting for her to go back, but they wanted Janell Joy to make the decision instead.
There seemed to be two roads in front of her, one was to leave and the other was to stay. In actual fact, there was only one road for her to walk on. It was impossible for her to leave Andrew behind, who got injured because of her.
“Baby Janell, I’m sorry!” Jane also knew that her daughter would feel obligated to return home, but she didn’t know what else to do too.
For the sake of her daughter, she nagged Edwin every day, and Edwin even ignored her. Finally, she managed to persuade Edwin to take a step back.
Although Edwin agreed that he wouldn’t force Janell Joy to come with them, but, they all knew that Edwin wanted to take her away. He was a stubborn person.
Janell Joy was the gem of the family. Edwin wouldn’t think twice for a man who couldn’t cherish his daughter.
“Sister..” Little Precious tugged at the corner of Janell Joy’s shirt and looked up at her. “I hope you can go back with us. I don’t want you to stay here alone, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
This was not a good place. There was a big liar here who took away his sister and got his brother injured. He wanted to take his sister home and never come back here again.
“Okay, I’ll go back with you guys, let’s go home together.” Janell Joy squatted down to comfort Little Precious, but her tears unconsciously flowed out of her eyes.
“Sister, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for us at home. If you go back, they will be very happy, I will be very happy too.” Little Precious reached out his hand and thoughtfully wiped her tears.
“Sister, don’t be sad! Brother will get better.”
“Yes, he will!” Janell Joy wiped her tears, but heartfelt tears rolled faster down her cheeks. She was about to leave this place where Brother Lucas was, but she didn’t have the courage to say goodbye to him.
“Brother Lucas!”
“Sorry!”
“I can’t stay by your side anymore.”
“You have to work hard to weed out those who want to hurt you. You need to secure your position as the President so that your country will be strong, safe, and prosperous.”
CHAPTER 1036
At the Coast City International Airport.
As the largest airport in Country A, many flights were flying in and out of the country every day. The majestic planes flying across the vast sky daily served as beautiful scenery in the city.
On that day, the Carter family plane would take off from this very town too, and its destination was New York. Therefore, before the Carter family arrived at the airport, there was a person waiting at the watchtower.
He looked the same as usual. He was donning a black suit, standing still at the entrance, quietly watching the planes flying in and out of the airport.
When a plane with a special logo slowly approached the boarding entrance, he became alert. He stared at the plane and did not even look away.
The private plane of Shengtian's boss looked similar to other planes. However, there was a special logo on the body of the plane, Shengtian Airlines. This caught Nathaniel’s attention in an instant.
“Sir, your binoculars.” Jason Lesley handed over the binoculars that Nathaniel Cooper wanted. “Miss Carter and her family are preparing to board.”
Nathaniel took the binoculars and looked at the entrance of Gate 88, the person whom he was most reluctant to part with was standing right there.
He was only a few hundred meters away from Janell Joy, but he seemed to be so far away from her. He could only see her but he couldn’t touch her.
Most of the time, Nathaniel wanted to leave everything behind and just persuade her to stay, but his rational mind prevailed.
As much as he wanted her to stay here with him, what was the purpose of that anyway? So that she could be hurt and harmed every day?
He could not bear for that to happen. He had to take care of his affairs as soon as possible. When that’s done, he could rush to her side and assure her loved ones that he would be able to look after her for the rest of their lives.
“Janell.”
He saw her walking behind the crowd, holding her eight-year old brother’s hand tightly. She lowered her head and slowly stepped into the corridor that will lead her into the plane.
The weather in Coast City was still very cold, so she was wearing a white down jacket today. Although her jacket was very thick, she still looked very thin, as if the wind could blow her away.
Along the way, she kept her head down. He couldn’t see her expression and didn’t know what she was thinking. He could only guess that she was probably unhappy.
Perhaps she was unhappy because Andrew got injured and fell into a coma because of her. Perhaps she was sorrowful because she had to leave Nathaniel, but she didn’t tell him. She probably thought that he didn’t know that she was leaving Coast City today, but did she know that he knew everything about her?
In the end, her slender figure stepped into the cabin and disappeared from his view. In an instant, Nathaniel felt his heart twitch with bitterness.
His heart ached, and he felt a strong surge of sadness and guilt.
Soon, Janell Joy’s plane began to move, it was slowly getting farther and farther away from him. A few seconds later, the plane flew up into the sky and out of his view.
She left!
She really left!
Originally, he also planned for her to go back to New York first and he could fly over to meet her during the New Year. However, she had now really left him behind and disappeared in front of his eyes, he didn’t expect his heart to hurt this much. It hurt so much that he felt numb and exhausted. It felt as if this heart had already left his chest.
He stared blankly at the blue sky where he last saw her fly away. Just like a sculpture, he stood still for a very long time.
“Sir, Miss Carter has left for some time now. There are some matters for you to attend to at the North Palace.” After some time, Jason’s cautious voice sounded in Nathaniel’s ears.
That was right!
His beloved Janell had already flown away. Where was she at this time? Was she thinking of him while she sat on the plane?
He didn’t know!
His mind was in a mess. He only knew that he missed her and wanted to chase after her, without caring about anything else.
After long silence, he took out his phone slowly from his pocket and pressed on Janell Joy’s number. He sent her a brief text message. It read, “Janell, wait for me!”
Wait for him!
This time, it would not be too long. He would be by her side soon and give her everything she ever wanted, in addition to providing her a happy life she yearned for. He asked her to just give him a little more time.
“Sir, Young Master Leves has called several times.” He looked at Nathaniel helplessly. Jason thought he took a big risk by disrupting Nathaniel’s thoughts and silence.
“Let’s go.” Nathaniel responded and turned around to leave. After a few steps, he turned back to look at the blue sky once again.
The airport still remained the same. There were still planes flying in the airport and flying out of the airport. The world still spun, and nothing stopped for him.
Meanwhile, there was a huge political turmoil in Coast City. Many high-level officials of the North Palace had been exposed as accomplices to the massacre of the Leves family. They were brought into custody within a day.
The Leves family’s murder had always been an unresolved case. For a year now, the government never mentioned it, as if it never happened.
However, as soon as the news about the Leves family massacre broke out this time, evidence showed that the mastermind behind the scene was actually the former President, Griffin Cooper.
In the beginning, the former president, Griffin, was still trying his best to defend himself. When Hannah Elliott stood in court and testified against him, he was so infuriated that he fainted on the spot.
Witnesses and hard evidence had been discovered. The former President, Griffin, was ordered to be under house arrest. He lost his hard-earned reputation overnight and became a national traitor that everyone hated.
Griffin was arrested. The high-level officials he had placed in North Palace were exposed one by one. As a result, the forces against Nathaniel in the North Palace had been eliminated completely.
Nathaniel led his team firmly and strongly as they weeded out these malicious people in the government. No one dared to cause trouble behind his back anymore.
The North Palace, which was the governmental office of Country A, was finally at peace.
“All the murderers of the Leves family have been dealt with. What are you going to do next?” Standing on the highest city gates of the North Palace, Nathaniel looked into the distance and asked Jackie, who was standing next to him.
“My revenge plan is complete, but the lives of the Leves family are gone forever. I can no longer be the Jackie I used to be.” Looking down at the busy traffic of the city, Jackie sighed.
At that time when he was seriously injured, he gritted his teeth and fought hard to survive in order to avenge the lives of the Leves family. Now, after all this had been realized, he was not as happy as he imagined.
Perhaps, he had caught those murderers but could not get rid of the hatred in his heart. Or maybe, the hatred in his heart would gradually fade away, and maybe this was enough justice for the Leves family.
“I heard that you’re going to leave this place?” Nathaniel turned to look at Jackie. “Are you really not going to stay and help me?”
“Do you still need my help?” Jackie chuckled. “You’ve gotten rid of your enemies here and led Country A on the right path. Do you still want to stay in this position?”
CHAPTER 1037
The person who knew Nathaniel best was definitely not Janell Joy, but it was Jackie, who had been Nathaniel’s good friend for decades. He was like a brother to Nathaniel.
Being the President of Country A was much coveted by many people. They would sacrifice their lives and fortunes to attain such a noble and influential position.
However, for Nathaniel, being President of Country A was just a means to fulfill his mother’s wishes, and to prove his capabilities to the country, His goal was to ensure that the heartless Griffin, who had never loved his wife and son, could realize that Nathaniel was comparable to his other sons. He wanted Griffin to know that abandoning Nathaniel and his mother would be the biggest mistake in his life.
Jackie asked, “Tell me, I really want to hear it from you.”
“You want to know?” Nathaniel responded with a faint smile, “I’ve tried so hard and eliminated so many people to get to this position, do you think I’ll give it up that easily?”
“It’s not up to me.” Jackie raised his hand and poked Nathaniel’s chest. “You have already made a way out for yourself, I know it. You can fool others, but you can’t fool me.”
“What about you?” Nathaniel did have his own plans. He had no intention to compete for power, so he had already prepared a way out for himself. Now, he cared more about his good friend's future plan.
“I will do what Serene wants to do. I will be with her wherever she wants to go.” Jackie looked into the distance. “Even though this is where we grew up, we have nothing left here. Perhaps we are being heartless, abandoning our home, but maybe this city has also brought too much pain upon us.”
They grew up in this city and they loved it too, but they were also scarred by the memories here. Instead of staying, it was better to leave. There was a big world out there, so there must be a place that would welcome them with open arms anyway.
“No matter where you go, just call me if you need anything.” Hearing that Jackie was going to leave, Nathaniel did not try to persuade him to stay. Nathaniel knew that it was pointless for Jackie to stay if his heart wasn’t in it anymore.
It was just like Nathaniel. He was still standing on the top floor of the North Palace. He was talking about life, but he felt that a part of him had already flown to some other place.
“Nathaniel, even though I don’t have the money you have, I can still give Serene a comfortable life.” Jackie looked away again and patted Nathaniel’s shoulder. “Nathaniel, take care! No matter how far I go, you are still my brother.”
“Take care!” Nathaniel responded. He watched helplessly as Jackie turned around and left. He watched sadly as Jackie walked further and further away.
Perhaps, they would not be able to meet again for the rest of their lives. However, knowing that Jackie was going to be with the woman he loved, Nathaniel was relieved.
He looked down at the busy traffic below, without the company he once had by his side, Nathaniel’s mood also changed.
No matter how high a person could climb in life and how much wealth he had, if he was not with the person who cared for him, what was the point of having everything he had?
After pondering upon it, Nathaniel really couldn’t think of any reason for him to stay here and continue to sit in this position of power.
While Nathaniel was still immersed in his own thoughts, Jason asked fearlessly, “Sir, it’s getting dark. Do you still want to go to the Manor House?”
Yes!
Of course he wanted to go!
Nathaniel wanted to see what the man would say to him and if he had any regrets!
………..
At the Manor House.
Compared to the past, the number of guards there had doubled. In the past, the guards were there to protect the former President’s safety, but now their duty was to monitor and keep the former President under house arrest.
By the time Nathaniel arrived, it was already dark. The lights were turned on at the yard and the place appeared bright. It looked just like daytime.
Griffin was sitting in a comfortable lounge, and he had been sitting there in a daze. He looked into the distance distractedly, and he lacked the arrogance he used to have. Nathaniel had been standing there for a long time, but Griffin did not even acknowledge his presence, as if he was emotionless.
“Do you regret it?”
After waiting for a long time, Nathaniel asked this question. It was a simple question, but it still attracted Griffin’s attention.
“Regret?” Griffin slowly raised his head and looked at Nathaniel, as if he was looking at an enemy who had a deep hatred for him. “Regret? Of course, I regret it!”
“You regret it?” Obviously, Nathaniel knew that Griffin was not referring to the same ‘regret’ as he did.
As expected, Griffin quickly gave him an answer. “I regret that I didn’t get rid of you when I knew you would betray me! I regret that I didn’t do my best to help your brother when he wanted to murder you. If I had been wiser back then, I wouldn’t have been fooled by you for so long!”
Griffin never had the thought of eliminating Nathaniel despite his disloyalty because he assumed that Nathaniel was powerless. Even if Griffin continuously tormented Nathaniel, he thought that the young Nathaniel would never be able to escape from his grasp.
It was not until later, when Nathaniel assumed the position of President, that Griffin knew that he had underestimated his youngest son’s competence. Nathaniel was good at hiding his strength and he was good at disguise, that was how he could deceive his old man, and how he became the President easily.
Nathaniel fooled him and made him lose his reputation. How could he not regret it? He regretted it so much, but what was the point of it?
Regret could never cure anything.
Once again, Nathaniel willingly allowed Griffin to take a stab at him mercilessly. He thought that Griffin would feel a little remorse at this point.
In fact, this made him realize that he expected too much. In his heart, he was still thinking about the father and son relationship between them.
But now, Griffin disregarded the bond between them brutally, hence, Nathaniel decided to give up on it.
He asked, “I know what your purpose was for exterminating the entire Leves family, but why did you murder your own sister and her husband more than 10 years ago?”
Nathaniel learned from Hannah that Griffin framed the Silas couple, allowing them to be captured and executed for espionage. However, what was Griffin’s purpose?
“You want to know?” Griffin asked.
“Yes. I can’t figure it out, so I have to ask you.” Nathaniel thought of many possible reasons, but it didn’t make sense. He still wanted to get the answer from Griffin.
“Nathaniel, you really want to know?” Griffin asked again, and his voice became a little louder.
“Yes.” Nathaniel nodded again.
“You want to know!?” However, Griffin suddenly burst into manic laughter. After laughing for a long time, he covered his chest and looked at Nathaniel fiercely. “You want to know, but if I don’t want to tell you, what can you do?”
CHAPTER 1038
“What can I do to you?” Nathaniel chuckled and looked at Griffin as he squinted. “Perhaps you want the whole world to know what you did? If so, you can keep your mouth shut.”
Griffin was so mad that he slammed the table and stood up. “Nathaniel, you unfilial son. You disrespected your elders and you brought disaster upon your family! You’ll die a miserable death! You’ll be despised by the people of the world… "
Nathaniel cut him off. “Griffin, before you slander me with your words, you can think about why I’m not willing to respect you as a father. Or perhaps, why you are not worthy to be respected as a father at all.”
Blood was thicker than water, and a bond between family was hard to sever. However, Nathaniel could no longer endure Griffin’s continuous betrayal and diabolical schemes. The bond between them had long been ruined by Griffin’s selfishness. And yet, Griffin was shamelessly accusing Nathaniel of being unfilial.
Unfilial?
As a father, Griffin had no respect for others. He did not treat his wife well, and even wanted to kill his own son. As an irresponsible, heartless father, how dare Griffin accuse his son of being unfilial?
That was probably the most preposterous joke that Nathaniel had ever heard. He laughed sarcastically and said, “Griffin Cooper, please spend the rest of your life here peacefully. Don’t even dream of walking out of here.”
Griffin was so mad that he roared, “Nathaniel Cooper! If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t exist in this world. You can be ungrateful, but how dare you treat me like this?!”
Nathaniel responded smugly, “If I could choose how I was born, I would definitely not want a father like you.”
Griffin was so angry that he thumped his chest. He scolded with a gloomy face, “Nathaniel, since you do this to me, you will definitely be punished by God!”
Nathaniel answered calmly, “If I am punished because I didn’t respect you, then God must be blind. And if God is blind, how would he be able to pass judgment on others?” After that, Nathaniel turned around in a dignified manner and walked away steadily.
Griffin looked at the aloof figure of his son leaving. “Nathaniel..”
Griffin really wanted to grab him and drag him down with him, but he even lost the strength to step out of the lounge.
His health was deteriorating day by day. He realized that he couldn’t live without a specific drug, and he couldn’t live without a specific person. For a long time, he thought that his poor health was due to his strenuous career.
Everything changed when Griffin saw Hannah in court the previous day. When Hannah resolutely handed in the evidence, Griffin realized that he was not in poor health. It was Hannah, the vicious woman, who had been drugging his food.
For 30 years, he had always felt sorry for her and kept her by his side. He never hid any of his secrets from her.
He had never expected that he had been wary of everyone but not the woman closest to him. In the end, it was Hannah, a vicious snake, who pushed him to his demise. And now, he had nowhere else to go.
Now, he was not only forced to abdicate his position, but he was also burdened with accusations. Therefore, he could not even live peacefully for the rest of his life.
He hated Nathaniel deeply.
If he had known that Nathaniel would be a major obstacle in his life, he should have gotten rid of him when he was still in his mother’s womb.
He hated Hannah even more!
In his life, he had never failed, but he was defeated by this woman whom he trusted the most.
He couldn’t accept it!
He really couldn’t accept it! But what else could he do?
As Nathaniel had mentioned, Griffin was already a thorn in the flesh of the country. Even if he could get out of the country, there would be no other place that would accept him.
He was afraid that he would never be able to get out of this place for the rest of his life, so he could only wait for his eventual death in manor.
“Wow.”
Thinking of these events and the people who harmed him, Griffin suddenly felt a sense of resentment rising from his stomach and his blood was boiling.
As a result, he spat out a mouthful of blood on the small coffee table in front of him.
Looking at the scarlet blood and inhaling its sharp scent, suddenly, Griffin thought that he saw a woman appear before him.
The woman was wearing a long red dress with disheveled hair. She was smiling at him, but her smile became really creepy. In an instant, the woman’s eyes disappeared, and blood gushed out from her eye sockets, forming a terrible image. Griffin was frightened as he widened his eyes in disbelief.
How could it be possible?
How could it be her?
Her death had nothing to do with him. How could she find him?
“No, no, no… Your death has nothing to do with me. I didn’t do it. Go away, don’t come near me.” He wanted to avoid her as if he had seen a poisonous snake or a fierce beast, but he couldn’t remove the figure in front of him.
She approached him slowly, step by step, getting closer and closer to him, and she finally stood in front of him.
She smiled and said scarily, “Griffin, after I married you, I did my best to plan for you and help you in every way. But yet, you and that b*tch, Hannah, worked together to kill me. Today, I will make you pay with your life.”
That woman stretched out her hand and grabbed Griffin by the neck with her long nails. Griffin felt that he was being suffocated to death
“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me..” He waved his hands and kept shouting, trying to push the woman who was strangling him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not touch her.
“It wasn’t I who killed you. Go find Hannah if you want. Not me, not me..” He pleaded in a hoarse voice.
Inside the room, Griffin was behaving like a lunatic. He had one hand strangling his own neck, and the other hand was waving wildly.
Outside the room, Nathaniel looked at everything that was happening inside, his face emotionless. No matter how the person in the room struggled, Nathaniel remained indifferent.
“Sir, the drug that Hannah gave him, would eventually bring him discomfort, and also cause hallucinations. These days, Griffin would go insane from time to time.” Jason, who was standing behind Nathaniel, reported his findings carefully to his master.
“Keep observing. I must know the reason why he plotted against and killed his sister." Then, Nathaniel turned around and left.
This time, he left firmly without any hesitation. In the lounge, Griffin, who was still hallucinating, was still fighting with his imagination. Perhaps, until the day he died, he would never be able to escape from the ghosts and nightmares of all his sins.
…………
In New York.
It was still the same busy metropolis.
Traffic was bustling, and people from all over the world were rushing around the city. Everyone appeared so busy.
However, in a beautiful corner of New York, there was a manor with a magnificent landscape. It was as peaceful as paradise, a safe haven away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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