He’s still a kid at the end of the day. Not only are the few documents inadequate in explaining the intricacies of business, but it’s even uncertain whether he can make sense of all the figures at such a young age. It’s futile that he wants to delve into the adult world.
Clocking his enthusiasm, I couldn’t bear to rain on his parade.
I only hope that he’ll learn his limits and back down later. It’s too tiring for someone of his age to study all that. Not everyone is as talented as Gregory and finds it effortless.
That night, I finally had a good night’s sleep and only woke up at half-past eight in the morning. After preparing breakfast in a hurry, I rushed over to the hospital.
It was already ten o’clock when I arrived at the ward. John was so hungry that he wailed as soon as he caught sight of me, “Ah, I’m dying! Letty, you actually want to starve me to death, don’t you?”
Good Lord! He’s really blasé that he’s still in the mood to tease me when his right hand is already in such a condition. Oh well, what can I do? No matter what, he has all the power since he’s the patient here. Hence, I had no choice but to mollify him, saying, “Sorry, my bad! I overslept. Here, I brought your favorite chicken soup. Besides, there are tacos, pancakes, and also super delicious casserole. Hurry up and eat!”
Narrowing his eyes, John swept his gaze over the spread. He then arched an eyebrow and regarded me shrewdly. “You cooked all this?”
I bit my lower lip and nodded guiltily. “Yup. You’re picky about food, so you would’ve long since gone on a hunger strike if I were to cook the same thing every day.”
For some inexplicable reason, John snickered. Then he picked up the fork and took a forkful of casserole, bringing it up close and scrutinizing it. “This dish needs to bake for a long time. Considering its golden color, it must have baked for at least twenty minutes, no?”
Without even thinking about it, I nodded in agreement. “Yup! I baked it for almost half an hour.”
Shaking his head, John put down the fork. The smile playing on his lips was peculiar, making me feel awkward for some unknown reason.
Only after a long time had passed did I realize that it took half an hour to bake a dish of macaroni and cheese, so it would only take longer for a casserole. Worse still, I said I had overslept just now, so I would definitely make something simple. As such, that dish shouldn’t appear.
Argh! He saw right through me, yet he said nothing. Anyway, what else can I say when he’s smirking in such a manner? Feeling deflated, I admitted, “All right, stop laughing at me. I’ll tell you the truth. It was Mrs. Kingsley who prepared all these dishes. I only made the chicken soup. I was in a rush, but I was worried that it wouldn’t be enough for you. Anyway, Mrs. Kingsley made you this hearty spread sincerely. And it makes no difference whoever cooked them…”
A sliver of guilt crept into me as I spoke. Fearful that John would start getting picky again, I shot daggers at him and threatened, “Are you not going to eat, then?”
Timidly shrinking back, John picked up the fork again. “No, no, of course not. If I don’t finish this, would I still be able to eat Mrs. Kingsley’s and your cooking again in the future? I’m no fool.”
At that, I breathed a sigh of relief. It looks like a patient isn’t all that difficult to handle, after all.
I watched him eat for some time before it dawned upon me that I hadn’t seen any sign of Emma. While opening another lunchbox, I asked, “Where’s Emma? Why hasn’t she returned?”
“She went home.” John didn’t even bother lifting his head.
“No, she didn’t. I didn’t see her.” I thought he was referring to the Featherstone residence.
“I’m speaking of her parents’ house.” John swallowed the taco in his mouth before he explained, “It’s hectic at my father-in-law’s company these days, and she’s their only daughter. It’ll seem unreasonable if she doesn’t go back and help out.”
“So, that’s what the two of you did back when you both went out together every so often?”
“Yeah.” When John spoke of that, his gaze dimmed. The spoonful of chicken soup in his hand remained suspended in mid-air as he lamented, “In order to locate you back then, I took their only daughter abroad. Since we’re back now, I naturally have to help out whenever possible.”
For a moment, words eluded me. Love and marriage are never a matter between two people. Instead, everything is closely related.
Receiving no response from me, John instantly changed the subject. “Anthony kicked you out of the company?”
“How did you know that?” I instinctively exclaimed. It wasn’t until after I had said that did I realize my slip of the tongue and hastily changed my tune. “It’s nothing. Anyway, I wasn’t going to interfere in the matters of Featherstone Corporation any longer. Furthermore, there’ll only be incessant bickering when two people with differing opinions work together. It’s better to split and go our different paths.”
“Then why don’t you two just get a divorce and go your separate ways?” John suddenly retorted out of nowhere.
I didn’t know whether he truly felt that way or was deliberately teasing me, so I took it to mean the latter. Chuckling, I tried to brush it off, countering, “That’s not the same at all. Family and career don’t necessarily have to be linked together. Isn’t it nice to both shine in our respective fields before going home to each other at the end of the day? If everything we’ve got to say is the same, then only one can speak while the other listens. As time goes by, we’ll inevitably lose interest in each other. Anthony has always been more visionary than me, so perhaps this time—”
“I didn’t know when you got so good at lying to yourself.” John didn’t even allow me to finish speaking, his eyes that could effortlessly steal the hearts of many young maidens fixated right on me. “Have you forgotten Uncle Louis’ identity? Did you think that I wouldn’t know about Anthony trafficking drugs if you don’t say anything?”
Then, he continued, “What kind of people are involved in that? They are all heinous and callous people who only have money in their eyes. Once you have a foot in it, you can never get out for the rest of your life. You are well aware of Chanaea’s stance toward drugs, right? No matter how smart Anthony is, he will make mistakes. At that time, you’ll also become a fugitive with him. Don’t be a fool, Letty. Put away your hopes toward someone like him.”
I didn’t dare look him in the eye. I merely hung my head silently without uttering a single word.
As an independent person, I naturally had the right to give my all to the man I love. Regardless of how irrational it appeared, it was my own choice.
But having lived thus far, I knew my life was no longer just mine. I couldn’t simply disregard John’s feelings after accepting his infinite care.
In the end, John was afraid that he would upset me, so he eased off before I could even respond to him. “Think about it carefully. I’ve never really stopped you from making your own choices, but it’s different this time. No matter the conflicts between the two of you in the past, Anthony was at least a decent person with good family background. Now, however, he’s cold-blooded and vicious. He keeps getting himself involved in illegal activities, challenging the government. That’s only courting death!”
After saying that, he continued, “You’ve got to understand something, Letty. We do our best to continue living in order to see more of the world and experience the love and beauty in this world, not to plunge into hell and be an emotionless machine with only profit in our eyes. I understand that you’re reluctant to accept the reality because you’re waiting for him to come to that realization like me. However, people are different. Although I was lower than pond scum, I never touched drugs. Your waiting is entirely meaningless.”
For some reason, Anthony’s words of “not smart enough” flashed across my mind when I heard John’s last few words. Now that I thought about it, the reference to that remark was rather vague. Was he referring to Joseph, or was he deliberately giving me a hint with words that carry a double meaning?
When I realized that I had zoned out, I immediately snapped back to reality. Alas, it was already too late. John wore a dark expression on his face, his very being exuding his chagrin at my inattentiveness.
Everyone had their bottom lines, and respecting him meant staying far away from his bottom line.
Of course, I was no saint either, for I had driven him through the roof more than once. Even if our relationship never suffered any ill effects, it still imperceptibly consumed our ardor. If I were to be wilful and selfish forever because of my love for Anthony, I would only end up like Rylee.
Anthony, this is the last time I’m going to try with you.
Looking at John, I made my greatest resolution to date. “Let me try for the final time. There’s still one thing I’m uncertain about when it comes to him. When I know for sure, I promise to give you a definite answer.”
Exasperated beyond words, John relented. “I hope that answer will be to my satisfaction.”
A bitter smile tugged at my lips, and I said nothing to that. If only there were a choice that would satisfy everyone! But in reality, there’s nothing such as the best of both worlds. Ultimately, there has to be a resolution between a lover who insists on walking his own path and a family member who stays through thick and thin!
As I slowly walked out of the hospital, my mind remained fixated on the issue with Anthony.
He can never be rid of the accusations Nathaniel made about him, but it may not have necessarily tainted his heart. I would never believe that the man—who was willing to go against his moral code and his good friend’s dying wish for my sake, and in doing so, suffer the weight of his conscience for more than ten years—would be so foolish as to insist on walking that path when he knows full well that he’d lose me if he did so. It must be because Nathaniel is too cunning, so he has no choice but to use a different way to deal with him. If that’s the case, it means things that seemingly make no sense are actually normal instead. Then everything can be explained. But how can I prove that?
Engrossed in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice that the stairs had ended. Stepping a leg hard onto the ground, I felt as though I was stepping on air.
At that scare, I lifted my hand and patted my chest. Phew! Fortunately, it was just a step. If I were on the road, I might have lost my life before I even realized it!
Just as I was exulting in the fact that I missed a brush with death, an extended Lincoln slowly came to a stop at the other side of the road. The car door swung open and Nathaniel alighted from the car. From afar, one couldn’t find any flaws in his countenance that bore a close resemblance to that of Anthony. Instead, they would presume that he was sure to be a natural gentleman. No one would suspect that beneath the hypocritical facade lay an open Pandora’s box. Anyone who drew close to him would only bring infinite calamity upon themselves. He was nothing more than a plague.
I stared at him coldly, having no plans to maintain my superficial calmness. “What kind of fright have you prepared for me today, Mr. Hall?”
Nathaniel stopped before me and flashed me an innocent smile. “You think I’ve got nothing to do every day and that I’m merely racking my brains to think of ways to make your life difficult?”
“Well, that can’t be the case. I’ve got self-consciousness and knew that I don’t have that much sway when I’m just someone of no consequence.” I regarded Nathaniel placidly.
A fleeting smile flashed across his eyes. He then shifted sideways and made a path for me. “Get in.”
He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, seemingly all too sure that I wouldn’t dare decline.
However, I simply wanted to irritate him. “I’m sorry, but I’m very busy now. I’ve got no time to play your twisted games with you.”
After saying that, I strode away. I initially thought that he would hound me relentlessly, but he unexpectedly made no move to stop me. He merely stood there and watched me leave without a single word. Even when I had climbed into the Featherstone family’s car, he didn’t come over.
“What exactly is his motive?” I couldn’t help griping, with the car window separating us.
The car had started moving, but he still had no intention of leaving.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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