LM
CHAPTERS 911 - 917
911
Time flew by very quickly. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed just like that.
Serene Silas was discharged from the hospital today, and Janell Joy originally wanted to bring her home. Unexpectedly, her Brother Lucas had arranged a residence for Serene and asked someone to take care of her.
Not only did he hire special personnel to take care of her, but he also personally ordered the domestic helper over there, "Miss Silas is in poor health. You have to take good care of her these days."
She hoped that Brother Lucas could help Serene out, but when she saw how Brother Lucas could take care of another woman so thoughtfully, Janell Joy began to feel jealous again.
She felt that she was really a strange woman. She was extremely confident, but she always lost that part of herself in her relationship with Brother Lucas.
Perhaps it was because Brother Lucas had a fiance in name and she was entangled in an awkward relationship, that was why she feIt insecure.
"Janell Joy, don't worry, I am totally fine." Seeing Janell Joy being so silent, Serene thought she was worried for her, so she gracefully spun twice in front of Janell Joy, proving that she had really recovered.
"Sister Serene..." Serene's body was now fine, but what about the wound in her heart? Could Jackie heal Sister Serene's wound in her heart?
In the past week, Jackie had not appeared, nor had there been any news of him. Sister Serene didn't seem bothered, but Janell Joy could see that in fact, Sister Serene had been thinking about Jackie in her heart.
"Janell Joy, what's wrong?" Serene asked gently.
"Sister Serene, when I am not by your side, you must take good care of yourself. Don't get hurt again." Janell Joy gave Serene a big hug.
"Yes! My dearest Miss Carter!" Serene said with a smile.
"Sister Serene, you're mocking me!"
"Our President is here, I don't have the courage to laugh at the person he loves." When Serene said this, Nathaniel came right towards them.
"Hmm?" Nathaniel continued, "Who bullied my Janell?"
"Who's your Janell?" Janell joy rebuked. Since they were not officially a couple yet, he should not say such flirty words and make others misunderstand!
"Are you not? But everyone knows that you are my girl." It was rare to see Janell Joy's shy face, so Nathaniel wanted to continue teasing her.
"Don't go too far, Nathaniel." She shot him a warning look. Now, she would tolerate as there were others. If there were only the two of them, he would have to see how she would get "revenge" on him.
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll stop." Nathaniel rubbed her head and took her hand. "Serene, we'll go first. We'll come to see you another day."
"Mm, okay." Serene sent them off to the door and watched their car leave. Then she turned back to the house.
As soon as she turned around, she bumped into something. She hurt her nose badly and she cringed in pain.
She covered her painful nose and looked up to see a masked face.
She was so frightened that she took a step back, but the next moment, she fell into the man's broad and strong arms. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not escape.
In the past, when she did not know that this man was the Jackie she had been thinking about every day and night, it would make her sick whenever he touched her.
Now, she knew that he was the man she was thinking about every day and night. Although he changed his face, he was still the same man deep down. When he touched her, it didn't feel as disgusting as before, and she was even willing to let him touch her, actually.
When his body temperature and breathing gradually merged with hers, she seemed to have felt a sense of familiarity that had been gone for a long time.
In the past, when they were together, when he would make her angry and she would throw a tantrum, he would hold her in his arms and kiss her in spite of her struggle and resistance.
For a long time, Jackie had always been very domineering. He was so overbearing that she couldn't even mention another man's name in front of him.
However, he also doted on her and treated her preciously. As long as he was around, no one could hurt even a strand of her hair.
But...
He definitely didn't know that he would be the one who hurt her the most in the end.
She wasn‘t too saddened when she was being used by the Silas family, because they didn't love her and she didn't love them anyway. She could disregard their doings and their mistreatment of her.
But Jackie was different to her.
Jackie was the only person she could rely on over the years and the person she loved deeply. In her opinion, even if everyone in the world could betray her and bully her, Jackie would never, absolutely not!
For a long time, she firmly believed in Jackie and his love for her. However, he still let her down, and he betrayed her love for him...
Thinking of this, Serene bit her lips hard and pushed away the man who was holding her with her greatest strength. "Get out! Don't let me see you! You devil!"
Jackie froze, and he looked at Serene coldly. His masked face seemed icy and unapproachable.
His gaze was cold, but Serene seemed to be able to see the gentleness in his eyes that she was familiar with.... Her heart suddenly ached for him.
It was as if someone had took her heart out and tried to crush it, the grip getting tighter and tighter. She found it hard to breathe and she felt as if her heart was about to be crushed.
She didn't look at him, and she didn't want to be influenced by his gaze. She turned around and tried to avoid him.
However, she knew that Jackie was definitely not a person who would give up easily. Therefore, before she could turn around, Jackie pulled her back with his long arms.
Jackie held her shoulders with both hands and stared at her. He didn't blink and didn't say anything.
"Let go of me! Don't touch me! If you touch me, I will feel dirty!" Serene punched him and shouted with all her strength.
"I was wrong! I misunderstood you because I didn't find out the truth!" Jackie said loudly and very clearly. "I'm sorry!"
He was an extremely proud man. She had never heard him say these words out loud before, and it was not easy for him to say it out loud this time.
Serene understood him and knew how difficult it was for him to say these words. Serene‘s heart throbbed again and she was in a panic because of the pain.
" I'm sorry?" Serene smiled, but tears ran down her face. Did he think that a simple 'sorry' was enough?
Did he know how much psychological trauma he had given her?
For a whole week, every time she fell asleep, she had the same nightmare; a nightmare where she was raped by a man with a mask and a face that couldn't be seen clearly.
"Serene, I'm sorry!" Jackie said again. His voice gradually crumbling as he repeated his apologies.
"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" Serene roared at him, and her tears rolled down her cheeks like floodwater. She couldn't control herself.
912
Jackie was speechless.
He was stunned as he looked at her quietly. What was he sorry for?
He was sorry for too many things.
Even If he had to spend the rest of his life to compensate her, he wouldn't be able to make up for the damage he had done to her.
"You're sorry, sorry?... If saying 'sorry' has any use, why would there be a need for law and order? So when the rapists say sorry, will the victims just forgive them?"
Not giving Jackie a chance to speak, Serene shouted over and over again as she was wiping her tears, as If she was venting the grievance she had suffered from him during this period of time.
Hearing that she compared him to a rapist, Jackie sighed and looked down, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
In fact, Serene was right. Not long ago, he imprisoned her and didn't give her any freedom. He even did whatever he wanted with her. Those actions were diabolical to say the least! Comparing him to a common rapist was already being kind to him.
"Go! I don't want to see you! I beg you, please let me go! I really don‘t want to see you again, not even a glance." She couldn't forget how kind he used to be to her, so she couldn't accept that the person who raped and tortured her, was actually the person whom she loved.
During the time in the Misty Mountain, whenever she was bullied by him, she would call out Jackie's name in her mind, imagining that the man on top of her was him.
She had never expected that the man was indeed her Jackie...
Jackie's tall body stood in front of Serene like an unmovable mountain. No matter how she pushed him, she couldn‘t push him at all. After a long time, Jackie gently opened his mouth and said, "I'm sorry!" It was still these words he could utter.
"I asked you this. What are you sorry for?" Serene didn't know what was In her mind. She just had to get an answer from him.
Jackie was speechless.
Once again, Jackie could not answer her question, because he owed her too much, so much that he was too guilty to say anything.
Serene bit her lips and asked aggressively, "Can't you say it? Well, tell me, who are you? What is our relationship? Why do you have to say sorry to me?"
"I have not known who I am for a long time, and I can't even find the courage to live... But I have never forgotten that I still owe someone a promise. I said that I would give her happiness, but I haven‘t done it yet. I hope she can give me a chance to continue to do the things that I haven't accomplished." He spoke every word slowly and surely, and Serene heard every single word he said.
Serene remembered clearly. It was snowing heavily that day, and the snow engulfed every patch of land, like a thick fluffy cloud.
A man, with a silly look on his face, took her hand and ran into the thick snow. He ran to the top of the snowy pile and held her hand as he shouted to the sky, "God be my witness, I, Jackie Leves, swear here today that I will love Serene Silas for the rest of my life and give her happiness. I will absolutely not allow anyone to hurt her again."
Such a childish thing did not look like what the usually calm and rational Jackie would do, but for her, he did do such a childish thing.
Just as Serene looked at him in a daze, he suddenly turned his head and caught her gaze. He smiled and said, "Serene, from now on, you will be my woman. I will take care of you, and I will never let anyone hurt you again."
"Okay.” Although his words sounded ambitious, Serene did not care about that at all. She let out a wide smile. "With you around, I won't be afraid." She put her slender hands into his hands. "Jackie, I will give you happiness from now on too."
They promised each other that they would make each other happy. However, not long after, a huge tragedy separated them.
She was waiting for him to come back, while he was recovering on a sickbed, and was looking forward to coming back to find her.
They were not together, but they were thinking about each other.
However, no one had expected that another tragedy had taken place one day before Jackie planned to come back.
Jackie asked Daryl to secretly investigate the extermination of the Leves family. After half a year of investigation, he finally got a clue. The information that he obtained pointed at Serene for being involved in the homicide.
In this one year, his source of support and strength became the culprit of the extermination of the Leves family. When he received this information, Jackie felt like his world had collapsed.
"Can you give me another chance?" Without waiting for Serene's answer for a long time, Jackie clenched his fists and asked cautiously.
Serene looked at him. He had changed his face and voice, but the way he looked at her did not change, which made her see the tenderness that she was so familiar with.
"Is that okay?" He asked again in a more cautious tone, as If he was worried that he might scare her if he spoke louder.
Serene did not answer him. Instead, she stretched out her hands, slowly approaching him, and finally touched his half masked face.
One year ago, when the tragedy happened to the Leves family, she heard the news and got there immediately. She saw how the mansion of the Leves family was burned down. There were more than a dozen burnt bodies in the house, and no one could tell who died and who survived. Later, after the forensics were done, it turned out that the dead bodies were all members of the Leves family.
However, Serene couldn't tell who survived and who did not. So, Serene didn't know whether Jackie was still alive or dead from that big fire.
Since she didn't know, she persuaded herself that he would be fine since he was so smart and skilled. He would definitely have escaped and be fine.
She was waiting for him for a whole year with this belief.
Now that he finally came back, it didn't matter if he changed his face, or even if he did something to hurt her...
She still had no way to blame him.
Most of the time, her body was more honest than her thoughts. Before she could say anything, her hand had already touched his face. She could only Imagine his pain in the past year.
"Serene..." He said.
"I'll give you happiness too." This was the answer she gave him.
……..
"Janell?" Seeing Janell Joy Carter lowering her head, Nathaniel Cooper reached out and patted her head, but the little girl did not respond and kept pouting.
"Janell, what's wrong?" Nathaniel held her face and asked again.
"Nothing." Janell Joy said sullenly.
"Nothing?" All her emotions were reflected on this girl's face. How could it be possible that it was nothing?
"I just suddenly feel depressed, I feel a little uncomfortable." Janell Joy looked up and met Nathaniel's gentle gaze.
Nathaniel understood what she was thinking and knew what she was worried about. He stroked her head and said softly, "Janell, can you give me some more time?"
913
"Brother Lucas, I'm just a little scared." Janell Joy Carter said.
"What are you scared of?" Nathaniel Cooper replied with a question.
"I'm scared that, just like when I was a child, I would wake up one day and not see you again." When she was a child, she went through two traumatic experiences. As a result, she was afraid of darkness, and she was afraid that she couldn't find her Brother Lucas after she wakes up.
These days, Brother Lucas was clearly with her, but her heart was inexplicably in a panic. She always felt that she would lose him.
"No! I will never leave you alone like that." Nathaniel took her into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her forehead gently.
She had this worry, so did he. She certainly did not know that he was more afraid that she would disappear from his sight too.
"By the way, Brother Lucas, has Jackie figured things out? Would he secretly come and cause trouble to Sister Serene?" As they talked, Janell Joy thought of Serene Silas again. If she did not see Serene live a happy life with her own eyes, she would feel bad to be with her Brother Lucas.
Nathaniel rubbed her head and said, "Jackie is already at Serene's place. How could he not figure things out?"
"Jackie is at Sister Serene‘s place? Really? Brother Lucas, are you sure you're not just comforting me?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
"Hehe, of course not.“ Janell Joy smiled awkwardly. "Jackie, that big idiot, he actually figured it out so quickly?"
"He is not an Idiot, but the evidence he got led him to a dead end. With someone reminding him of the truth, he could see things quickly. He will shoulder the responsibility that he should and protect his woman well from now on." Nathaniel looked at Janell Joy tenderly. "Janell, don't worry about Serene anymore."
Janell Joy smiled and said, "Well, I will only care about you in the future. Not others!"
"Janell, I'm sorry!"
"Brother Lucas, are you crazy? Why did you suddenly apologize?" Janell Joy was confused.
"I made you suffer." Nathaniel said again.
As the almighty Miss Carter of Shengtian, Janell Joy had been well taken care of by her family since she was a child. When did she ever need to worry so much and suffer so much? However, since she came to Nathaniel's side, trouble had been following her.
"Brother Lucas!" Janell Joy smiled brightly. "It doesn't matter if I am suffering now, as long as you take extra care of me in the future."
"Okay." After saying that, Nathaniel lowered his head and kissed her, stopping the little girl from saying what she wanted to say.
Ring...
The annoying ringtone suddenly rang. B*stard, how could someone call her at this time?
Janell Joy clenched her fists and couldn't wait to tear up the person who called to harass her at this time.
She wanted to ignore It, but the annoying ringtone kept ringing, so she couldn't enjoy Brother Lucas's kiss. She had to push him away. "Brother Lucas, wait for me. Let me attend to whoever's calling me and beat him up, and then we'll continue."
"Mm, okay." Nathaniel tried not to laugh. The little girl was so adorable that it made him want to swallow her up in one bite. Her words were hilarious.
However, when Janell Joy saw the caller name on the screen of the phone, she immediately became frightened.
The phone call was from her dearest father. Hence, she needed to play nice. Immediately, she put on a lovely smile and said softly, "Dad, I miss you so much. Do you miss me too?"
However, no one spoke on the other side of the phone.
Janell Joy knew that her prideful father was still angry with her. The last time he called her, she didn't pick up the phone. She called him back, but he didn't pick it up either.
Every time she encountered this kind of situation, she would try a little harder. No matter how angry her father was, he would not be able to withstand her pestering and he would surrender. However, she did not do that this time around. She had forgotten everything since she was so busy these days, so her father might be even angrier with her.
Janell Joy immediately said something pleasing to her father, “Dad, don't be angry at me. Even though I didn't call you, I've been thinking about you every moment I get."
There was still no sound from the other end of the phone. She could even imagine how cold her father's face looked.
Her evil father would only bully her. He
treated her so differently than her mother did sometimes.
Janell Joy was dissatisfied with her father now, but she didn't dare to say It out loud. She just pulled an ugly face, but she still said sweetly, "Dad, are you going to ignore me for the rest of your life?"
There was still no response. As expected, he was coId-blooded! He was indeed arrogant!
She had to remember this grudge. When her mother argued with him in the future, Janell Joy would surely not side with him anymore. She would definitely add oil to the fire.
"Cough -" Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, the prideful man on the other end of the phone deliberately coughed to show that he was listening.
When her father gave the signal, Janell Joy knew that her cold father was slowly melting.
Her beautiful eyes blinked, and there was a cunning light flashing in her eyes. She put on a pitiful look, "Dad... you don't like me anymore. Brother Lucas also has another woman behind my back, and all of you don't want me anymore. I am just a poor child that nobody loves."
"That kid got another woman behind your back?" Hearing his daughter's aggrieved voice, Edwin Carter couldn't be more nervous.
He said in a low voice, "Janell, don't cry. I will bring you home immediately. As for the person who betrayed you... Nick, find someone to beat him up."
This was the arrogant, cold, and very proactive Edwin Carter.
Earlier, he was still showing his temper at his daughter, but when he heard that his daughter had been bullied, he immediately ordered to send his men to beat up the person who made his daughter sad.
No matter who the other party was, even if he was the leader of Country A, if he made his daughter sad, Edwin would not let him go.
Because in his point of view, his daughter was his world. The President was nothing compared to his daughter.
These days, every time he thought of how Nathaniel had stolen his lovely daughter‘s heart, Edwin was so angry that he wanted to send someone to assassinate that brat.
Janell Joy was scared out of her wits after listening to her father's words. Did her father have to be so protective of her?
She quickly explained, "Dad, no, no, I'm messing with you. Brother Lucas didn't betray me."
Edwin was very unhappy. "You're still protecting him?"
"No, he really didn't betray me. It's because you were not talking to me, I deliberately teased you. Dad, I am your most lovely, beautiful, and smart daughter. Have you ever seen me stoop low for others?"
Besides having to deal with her father, there was also another sharp gaze staring at her.
914
Janell Joy Carter felt chills run down her spine when she saw the look In the eyes of the person next to her. She turned her head and saw Brother Lucas looking at her coldly.
Both her father and Brother Lucas were not men to be trifled with, so why was she so courageous to mess with both of them?
She smiled at him and didn't say anything. She continued to talk to her father, ”Dad, look. If you don't talk, I will feel anxious, and I feel like a child that no one loves. Dad, I am your lovely and sensible little daughter, please talk to me."
In comparison, her father was more Important. Janell Joy decided to comfort her proud father first. As for Brother Lucas, she had a lot of ways to comfort him later.
”Mm." Edwin Carter scoffed, she didn‘t know If he meant his word.
Jamel Joy pouted angrily and shrugged helplessly. To face such a cold and arrogant father everyday, It must be hard on her beautiful and gentle mother.
If her Brother Lucas was like her father, she would definitely collapse one day.
“Dad..."
"Tell the boy next to you, what I said earlier was definitely not a joke."
"What?"
Then, Edwin just hung up.
Sigh...
She was so pitiful. She was like a poor unloved child. After so many days, her father was still angry with her.
Her father didn't even say goodbye to her and hung up her call so heartlessly.
She looked at Nathaniel next and pouted, "Brother Lucas, it's all your fault!”
"You said that I've been seeing other women behind your back?" Nathaniel also held grudges. He did not forget how the little girl badmouthed him.
"Brother Lucas, I know that you like me so much. How would you possibly cheat on me? Tell me, who said that? I'll help you deal with her." Janell Joy smiled ingratiatingly and was ready to act dumb. As long as she behaved coyly, Brother Lucas would never punish her.
"I don't need your help. I will personally “take care' of the naughty little girl who said that I‘ve been seeing another woman." He deliberately emphasized on the word "take care", which made Janell Joy feel a little frightened. She was worried he might mean something else...
Brother Lucas just went up to her and kissed her hard, and his hands were wandering around her body. This was a first, and she was stunned. She was so nervous that she did not know what to do. She was ready to just accept whatever Brother Lucas wanted to do.
When Brother Lucas finally let her go, Jamel Joy was so shy that her body turned red. She lowered her head and didn't even dare to look at him.
She swore that she would never dare to provoke him again in the future. Brother Lucas was a huge wolf in sheep's skin!
She was just a naive girl. How could he use such a shameless way to "take care" of her?
"Do you like it?"
Suddenly, she heard his familiar, seductive voice.
Janell Joy loved hearing his voice. She looked at him and nodded stupidly. Soon, she felt that something was wrong and shook her head hard, "No, I don't like it."
She was not a masochist, so how could she enjoy Brother Lucas's "punishment"?
Earlier, his hands were... She was too embarrassed to think about it.
Janell Joy touched her blushing face. She could imagine that she was probably blushing as red as a tomato.
"You don‘t like it?" Nathaniel asked again. Janell Joy felt that Brother Lucas was approaching her again. She could feel that his breath near her earlobe, which was tickling her.
She felt that her face was getting even redder… She must have looked very funny and ridiculous.
Nathaniel carried her up to sit on his thighs. He was strongly expressing how much he wanted to love her.
"Brother Lucas... Please don't do this!" Janell Joy exclaimed and put her hands on his chest. She was so scared that she didn't dare to move.
For a long time, she had underestimated how strong a man could be when he wanted a woman. He was so strong that she couldn‘t refuse him at all. She felt immersed in his aura.
"Little girl, there is no next time." Every part of his body was yearning for hers. He wanted her to become his woman so badly.
But in the end, his rationale still defeated his impulse. How could he eat her up before he even publicly declared their relationship?
Janell Joy calmed herself down. Fortunately, Brother Lucas was not so cruel, but there was a trace of unspeakable disappointment in her heart after he pulled away.
She didn‘t know why either.
At the same time, Edwin Carter, who had just hung up the phone with his daughter, also had a bad time.
When he hung up her call, he didn't expect his wife to be standing at the door of the study and staring at him.
He felt a little guilty and asked, "it's late, you're not going to sleep?"
Jane Ronan still did not speak and she just stared at him. Edwin Carter put down the document In his hand and walked over to her. "Jane, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you not talking?"
Jane pressed her lips together, but did not say a word.
Edwin stretched out his hand to hug her, but she stepped back to avoid him. "When I'm not talking, you can sense that something's happened? You're feeling anxious aren't you?"
"Yes." Edwin answered honestly.
"You know that it's not a good feeling, so why would you ignore Baby Janell? She is alone in a foreign country, and her parents are not by her side. You called her but didn't talk to her. Don't you know how upset she will be?"
Most of the time, Jane wanted to give him a long lecture. Obviously, he loved his daughter more than anyone else, but he treated his daughter poorly at times. One day, if his daughter really ignored him, he would have to hide in a corner and cry. She would not pity him then.
“I..." Edwin was speechless.
Jane rolled her eyes at him and said, "You don't know? Do you think that after she has her Brother Lucas, she wouldn't care about her father? Mr. Carter, don't you think you are too childish? Our Baby Janell is your child too, you're the one who raised her, how would she not care about you?"
" I just don't like that boy, who is he to steal my precious daughter away?" Janell Joy was his child that he raised lovingly. She had just grown up and she ran so far away to find that boy so soon. Every time he thought of it, Edwin felt as if his heart was soaked in jealousy.
Jane did not agree with Edwin's point of view. "What's wrong with Lucas? I think he's a good boy. He doted on our Janell since she was a little baby. The last time I saw him, he still cared for Janell a lot. These days, he has protected our Janell well, I'm getting more and more satisfied with him."
Edwin looked at Jane with dissatisfaction, she looked like a typical mother-in-law who was happy with her son-in-law.
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"What are you looking at? Do you think I'm wrong?" In this matter, Edwin Carter was very stubborn. Although Jane Ronan had persuaded him many times, he still did not like Lucas.
Edwin remained quiet.
Jane said in a gentler voice, "You're not talking again? So you disagree with me?"
Edwin still kept his peace.
Jane added, "Mr. Carter, if you are not happy, just say it. Let's have a good talk. You being silent like this, are you mad at me?"
Edwin replied, "No, I'm not."
Jane asked, "You‘re not what?"
Edwin said, "I think you are right."
Hearing Edwin's words, Jane did not know how to react. “If you are unhappy, just say it directly. I am not an unreasonable woman."
Edwin said lightly, “Are you not?"
"What?" Jane raised her eyebrows and suddenly smiled gently. "Apparently I am an unreasonable woman in your eyes."
Edwin realized that he had said something wrong and immediately explained, "I didn't mean that."
Jane smiled even more gently, and her beautiful eyes were shining very brightly. "Mr. Carter, tell me, what did you mean?"
Edwin did not answer her.
In front of Jane, he couldn't just debate his way out of anything.
Jane smiled and said, "Hmm? Are you going to explain yourself, Mr. Carter?"
Edwin did not want to.
Jane finally said, “Mr. Carter, get busy with your work. I'm going away with your son for a few days. Goodbye!"
After that, regardless of Edwin's expression, Jane turned around and walked out of the doon
She came to her son‘s room and said, "Son, pack up. Let's go find your sister."
Little Precious raised his head, he frowned and asked, "Mom, has Little Aunt been chatting with you lately?"
Jane was stunned. “I'm inviting you on a trip, why did you suddenly mention your Little Aunt?"
Little Precious said seriously, "As far as I know, only Little Aunt would do something as childish as running away from home. My mom is gentle and forgiving, she would never do such a thing."
Jane rubbed Little Precious' face and said lovingly, "Little Precious, are you saying that your mother is childish?"
Little Precious shook his head and said, "I'm saying that my Mom is gentle and forgiving, but my Little Aunt is childish."
Karen chuckled and said, "Little one, your mouth is smarter than that evil Dad of yours."
Her son looked as cold as his father, but his emotional intelligence was much higher than his father's. He knew how to please people with his words.
Little Precious said again, "Mom, moreover, could you really bear leaving dad all alone, by running away from home?"
He didn't wait for his mother's reply, he only stared at her conflicted look. Little Precious already knew that his mother absolutely didn't want to part with his father.
Besides, even if his mother really wanted to run away from home, would his father let her?
See, what did he just say? As soon as his mother arrived at his room, his father was just behind her.
Jane tried to reason her stance. "Your father accused me of being unreasonable. if I didn't get mad at him, he will continue to bully me in the future."
Little Precious winked at his mother, indicating that there was someone behind her.
Jane was still a little angry. She knew that Edwin had already caught up with her, but she didn't want to look back at him.
Edwin walked to her side and reached out to hold her hand. "I was just joking with you. Do you have to make it such a big deal and run away from home?"
Jane kept quiet. She did not appreciate a "joke" like this.
Edwin said softly, "Even if you are unreasonable, even if you have all kinds of bad qualities, why does it matter?"
Jane rolled her eyes at him and said, "How could it not matter? It's related to my reputation, okay?"
Over the years, she had been working hard to be a woman worthy of him, so she didn't want him to dismiss her efforts.
Edwin added, "No matter what you are like, you are still my wife. You are the woman I like and the woman I want to take care of for the rest of my life."
Jane pouted and smiled like a happy child. "Good that you know to say nice words to make me happy. Okay, I will forgive you this time."
Edwin stroked her head and asked, "You're not angry anymore?"
Jane pretended to be confused, "Who's angry?"
Edwin shook his head. No wonder their daughter would always play dumb and innocent whenever she was in trouble, because she learned this trick from his wife.
It was said that a woman's marriage is truly blissful if she could still laugh silly like a child after many years of marriage.
In addition, if a woman could still throw
childish tantrums in her marriage after so long, then she must be someone whom her husband really cherished.
For so many years, Edwin showered her with unconditional love and care. She understood his love, hence, she cherished their relationship even more.
………….
There was no need for him to talk about what the Leves family had gone through in this year. Serene Silas knew the gist of it.
But knowing that his face had been destroyed by the fire, and knowing that Old Master Leonard had spent a lot of effort to reconstruct his face, and that he took care of Jackie for nearly a year so that he could recover, Serene still felt so sad and pained that her face turned pale.
They had removed the burnt skin and surgically grafted the skin from his thigh onto his face. It was as if he was being reborn.
An ordinary person would not be able to endure that kind of pain.
"It must have really hurt!" After stroking Jackie's face for a long time, Serene choked and said these three words. As soon as she spoke, her tears fell even more quickly.
"It doesn't!" Jackie shook his head and reached out to hold Serene's hand on his face. In order to comfort her, he emphasized, "It really doesn't hurt."
"How can it not hurt!" Serene wiped her tears and bit her lips to control her crying.
"It's all in the past." Jackie said again. He was calm when he thought about the wounds he had suffered, but Serene's tears were something unexpected to him. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how to.
After a long time, Serene finally calmed down. “The fire was so huge that most of your family were killed. How could it not hurt you?"
Besides the physical pain, the despair and pain in his heart must be the most terrible. When he was so desperate and scared, she was not by his side.
A year ago, she tried her best to look for him, hoping to stand beside him to bear the pain of the incident with him.
However, Jackie seemed to have vanished from the world. She could not find him no matter how hard she tried.
"At least I still have you!" Jackie stretched out his hand and wanted to hold her in his arms, but he thought of the evil things he had done to her before. He stretched out his hand and stopped halfway, as he did not dare to do anything else to make her feel uncomfortable.
“ I'll be with you from now on." Over the past month, Jackie had hurt her deeply. She hated him and even thought that she would not forgive him for the rest of her life.
However, every time she thought of the living hell he lived through this past year, she could not bear to blame him.
916
"Ser..." Jackie Leves opened his mouth, but he was so emotional that he couldn't call out Serene Silas' name.
He looked at her quietly. He quietly observed her smooth forehead, her beautifully shaped eyebrows, and her dark eyes...
She was the Serene he knew. She had not changed at all, but he mistakenly thought that she was the culprit of the extermination of the Leves family because of the fake information he received. He didn‘t investigate further and even imprisoned her and hurt her so deeply.
"Jackie, I will be with you from now on!" Serene took the initiative to hold his hand instead.
Her hand was very thin and small. Her delicate hand appeared so small in comparison to his.
"Okay!" His response was brief, but it took him a lot of energy to say so.
From now on, with her by his side, he suddenly felt much calmer. No matter how difficult the road ahead was, he had enough courage to go on.
"Have you... eaten?" After looking at each other for a long time, the two looked a little awkward, and Serene broke the ice.
"Not yet." He shook his head.
"Then I'm going to cook. You wait for a while." Serene rolled up her sleeves and was about to go into the kitchen, but she was grabbed by Jackie as soon as she took a step.
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Serene, let me hug you."
At this moment, he still did not dare to believe that she had forgiven him just like that. He thought that she would not forgive him and might even hate him forever. However, she was so kind and did not fault him at all, she even felt sorry for what he had gone through.
He had always known that she was a kind soul, but… Thinking of what he had done during this period of time, he felt extremely remorseful. He could only hug her tighter and tighter.
Serene was much shorter than he was. When he hugged her in his arms, her head fitted perfectly on his chest.
Breathing him in, Serene greedily rubbed her face against his chest. Over the past year, her anxious heart finally found a harbor to rest on.
She came back to life again.
She was no longer the Serene who lived like a walking dead. Instead, she found the strength to carry on now.
………
After escaping from Brother Lucas's evil hands, she returned home. As soon as she entered the door, Janell Joy Carter received a phone call from Yaya.
Yaya told Janell Joy excitedly that she had passed the interview and was ready to treat her for a celebratory meal.
It was Yaya‘s treat, so Janell Joy decided to go anyway. She picked up her backpack again and rushed to the place that Yaya had suggested.
When she arrived at the place, Yaya, Burly, and Shane had already arrived. Burly said, "Our Yaya is so brilliant, as long as she wants something, there's nothing she can't do."
Shane, who had always liked to rain on others' parades, spoke really sweetly today, "Yes, our Yaya is the best.“
"Yeah, Sister Yaya is the best. It's my honor to have you as my friend." Janell Joy joined everyone's compliment competition as soon as she entered the room.
"Little Jar is here." The three of them looked.at her and greeted her enthusiastically, "Let's order. Let's pick the most expensive food. Our Yaya will have a job and a salary soon, so this bill will not affect her too much.“
"Then I won't show any mercy." Although Janell Joy said she would pick expensive dishes, she did not actually do so. In her heart, her friendship with the group was very precious and priceless.
Each of them picked one of their favourite dishes. Yaya ordered another two dishes generously because she was ecstatic. She said boldly, ”Waiter, please give me another bottle of the most expensive red wine in your restaurant."
Burly quickly stopped her and said, ”Waiter, don't listen to her. You can just serve us our dishes later."
Yaya was dissatisfied. "Burly, why did you stop me? Are you afraid that I can't afford it and that I would borrow cash from you?"
Burly said again, "Yaya, you only passed an interview, you didn't find a pot of gold."
They were all children from the countryside. Usually, they lived frugally. When they came out to eat, they always tried their best to pick the cheapest places.
Today, they chose a high-end restaurant and she wanted the most expensive wine, was Yaya planning to pay for her debts over a long period of time?
Yaya nodded and said with a smile, "You're right. I really found a pot of gold."
She had successfully gotten the job and passed the entry assessment. She would begin her job as the secretary of the general manager tomorrow and see the man she wanted to see every day. If that wasn't a pot of gold, what else could it be?
Shane asked, “What kind of company is it? Is it really as good as you said it is?"
"Hehe..." Yaya glanced at Janell Joy bashfully and said, "In fact, you all should have heard of this company before."
"Shengtian Real Estate, the subsidiary company of Shengtian Corporation Inc?" Seeing Yaya‘s blushing face, Janell Joy guessed that she must have gone after Andrew Carter.
"Yes, congratulations, you're right!" Yaya said.
”Sister Yaya, are you really going there?" Janell Joy was a little surprised. At least to her, Andrew was not that charming of a man, for someone to give up their passion to serve as his secretary.
Of course, that was because Janell Joy didn't know much about Andrew's charm. Well, her heart was filled with Brother Lucas, so how could she think about other men?
In the past few years, there were too many women who wanted to be the secretary of the Young Master of the Carter family, but many of them failed to do so. In the end, they all did not pass the interview. Yaya was lucky enough to get the job at the first try and pass the entrance assessment.
"I think we have to work hard to get what we want. We can't always rely on luck." The more she spoke, the more excited she became. "Look, I've succeeded in my first step. I'll continue to work hard in the future."
"Shengtian's subsidiary?" Burly and Shane were still shocked. Both of them opened their mouths in surprise.
Burly said again, "Yaya, are you sure it's Shengtian Real Estate? How can such a large financial group recruit a non-professional? Are you sure you got the right job and it's not a scam?"
Shengtian Corporation Inc was a multinational conglomerate. Its big boss had been ranked top of the richest people in the world for many years. So far, no one else could challenge his ranking and status.
"Sister Yaya, make sure you read things clearly and don't get cheated." Janell Joy's words had another implied meaning, as she was afraid that Yaya would be lost in Andrew's charm.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Andrew didn't seem to have any hidden intentions or plans...
If Yaya could get together with Andrew, and Andrew could also fall in love with her, that would be great. Yaya was such a nice girl. It would be nice to be her sister-in-law in the future.
917
The group of friends ate very happily together.
When they left, Yaya gave Janell Joy Carter a big hug. "Little Jar, I don't want to hide it from you. I wanted to work there to pursue your brother. But no matter what happens between your brother and l, I hope we can be friends for the rest of our lives."
Janell Joy smiled and said, "Sister Yaya, of course, as long as you don't fault me, you will always be my good friend.”
Previously, Janell Joy was a little worried that Yaya was so impulsive and worried she would blame her if she could not get what she wanted. Now, what Yaya said completely eliminated Janell Joy's internal worries.
On the way home, Janell Joy sighed again. The biggest joy of coming to Country A was to meet Yaya and her friends.
In this superficial world, it was really difficult to have sincere and innocent friends like Yaya and the two boys.
"Janell Joy..."
Hearing a crisp and tender voice calling her name, Janell Joy looked up and saw the little master of the James Family, Levi James, standing at the elevator.
Seeing that the seven-year-old little one was here alone, Janell Joy did not feel strange. She stepped forward and pinched his face. “Little one, I am older than you, you have to call me sister. You can't just call me by my name directly."
Levi corrected her, "Janell, I am your elder.”
Janell Joy pinched his face hard and said, "You brat, you are my Little Aunt's son, so you are my cousin. How could you call yourself as my elder, do you want to be punished?“
Levi said again, "But yet, my father is your Great Uncle. He is your father's uncle! So am I not your elder?" Janell Joy was taken aback by his words.
This little one was only seven years old, but he was good at refuting her. It was really not that easy to fool him.
Janell Joy rubbed his little head and sighed. "What a complicated relationship. Forget it, since you are still a little kid, I won't argue with you.”
"What do you mean you won't argue with me?" Levi didn't want to accept her concession, so she decided to debate with Janell Joy.
"You are a little man, can't you forget about arguing and just call me sister?" He didn't want Janell Joy to just surrender, but Janell Joy was insistent.
Levi pouted and said, "Dad is right. The women in the Carter family really like to take advantage of the men."
His mother often snatched his sweets, and she did take advantage of him, and so did Janell Joy. Well, she looked sweeter and lovelier than his mother.
They were relying on their lovely and innocent faces to dazzle the men in their family.
"Oh, brat, so that's what your father taught you behind my back!" Angela Carter suddenly jumped out and patted Levi's head while looking unhappy.
Levi dodged Angela's hand. "Mom, you‘re playing runaway again. Don't you think it's tiring? I'm tired of it. I think Dad is tired of it too. Be careful, one day he will really decide to ignore you."
Angela put her hands on her waist and pretended to say ferociously, "Brat, if you are tired of it then go home. Don't follow me here! You are not allowed to refute me, if you refute me again, I will sell you away to another family."
Levi silently complained, "What a heartless mother. But it's not your fault. It's my fault that I ran too fast when l was getting reincarnated. I didn't lodge myself in the right womb."
Angela said, “Brat, you‘re despising your own mother."
Levi said, "How would I dare despise you."
Angela said, "That's more like it."
Levi added, "If possible, I really want a kind and virtuous mother like Janell Joy's mother.”
Angela was angry as she said, "You brat, don't... don't follow me then. I will no longer acknowledge you as my son."
Levi said, "Very well. I don't want others to know that you‘re my mother too."
Angela kept quiet.
She was so angry with her own son that she couldn't say anything.
One of them was more than 30 years old, while the other was only seven years old. How could they quarrel for such a long time? Janell Joy really admired their patience.
The mother and son duo would probably not stop quarrelling for a while, so Janell Joy coughed softly and said, "Little Aunt, Levi, if you two want to quarrel, go on, I'm going home first."
"Janell, you can't leave. You have to stay here to be the judge." This time, the mother and son spoke in unison, like they were best friends once again.
"Okay, I won’t go.“ Janell Joy had foreseen this, so she said, "Since you two have run away from home and came here, then come and stay with me.“
"My Baby Janell is the best." Angela hugged Janell Joy tightly. "Let's go. Let's go to your place.”
After returning home, Janell Joy served some water for Angela and Levi and asked, "Little Aunt, how did Great Uncle offend you this time?"
Angela took a sip of water and said, "Take a guess."
Janell Joy thought for a moment and said, "You thought he cheated on you?"
Angela rolled her eyes at her and said, "Guess again."
Janell Joy thought about it again and said, "Little Aunt, does he think you're not as loving as you used to be?"
”Guess again."
"He's sick of your bad temper?"
"Nope."
"Then what is it?" Janell Joy really couldn't guess it, because she knew that her Little Aunt was always coming up with odd reasons to run away from home.
Angela put down the glass of water angrily, and said, "He lied.“
Janell Joy was doubtful. "How could Great Uncle lie to you? What did he lie to you about?"
Angela held her face and said, "The old bastard, Victor, said that my skin was better than when l was 18 years old."
Upon hearing Angela's words, Levi, who was sitting next to her, immediately rolled his eyes. His mother was really the weirdest lady in the world.
His father said those things because he wanted to praise his wife. He didn't understand how could she feel offended and got so angry that she ran away from home.
His father was also one that could tolerate such an unreasonable woman. Levi wondered, if he were to marry a wife like that in the future... No, he would never marry such an unreasonable wife. He needed a gentle and kind woman who could take care of his family.
Janell Joy's reaction was similar to Levi's. She answered calmly, "Little Aunt, Great Uncle was praising you. What were you thinking about?"
"I wasn't thinking about anything, that old b‘stard Victor was insulting me.” Angela took Janell Joy‘s hand and put it on her face, saying, "Janell, try and touch my face, how does my skin feel?"
