“Is there really nothing that you want to say to me? Our relationship, in your view, is totally worthless?”
He held me with his hands, stirred, “I am such a jerk that you don’t care to condescend to talk to me?”
I frowned, sighed, and looked up at him, “Jane Shaw is about to give birth, right?”
He was frozen, and said, “Is it she that is in your mind?” He paused, and continued, “Her pregnancy is just an accident. If you mind, I’ll let her go back to Country M after the baby is born. And it won’t affect us.”
Caught in an outrage at his words, I snatched myself off his hands, “Affect us? Let her go back to Country M? Hank, do you know the difference between you and Dennis? He has his bottom line and principle! He would take responsibility and would never hurt a girl that he doesn’t love! He may be awkward but he respects.”
Trying to calm down, I took a deep breath and continued, “Well, I may not be entitled to judge you. And I know that I am still in a debt to you due to what you did four years ago. You can ask me to do anything, except for loving you, as a compensation. But as a man, how could you be so cruel to Jane, who loves you but you don’t love? Her only mistake, if any, is just in love with you.”
Maybe it’s the miserable part of human nature that the one in front of you is not cherished yet the one far away is being missed.
He bit his lips, silenced, and squinted his eyes, “I can ask you to do anything?”
“Except for loving you, anything is ok!” I had to face this.
He raised his eyebrows, “Go to work in the Gibson’s. Leave Dennis George’s house and never meet him again.”
I bit my lips, a little angered, “I cannot work because of an exam in November. And you cannot decide whether I leave Dennis or not, meet him or not. It’s my life! You must make us enemies to each other?”
He sneered, “So you were just lying when you said ‘anything’?”
“I…I can go to the Gibson’s. But not now, because I have to prepare for my exam.”
He bit his lips, quiet for quite a while, and said, “Since you are going to take an exam, I wouldn’t be your barrier. How about this, you go to the Bluemoon to cook for me every day, as a way to repay my help years ago.”
I bit my lips, “for how long?”
“One year.”
“Hank, I have my own life. One year is too much.” Our relationship had been complicated since we met for the first time.
“Half a year!” He said with a firm look at me, “I saved your life and took care of you for a month. I deserve half a year’s cook from you.”
“Deal!”
I was a little tired and agitated. After finishing my words, I was about to leave.
He didn’t stop me, yet said, confusingly, “The best way to treat whoever takes advantage of you is to retaliate. If you don’t want to see Yara anymore, just tell me and I’ll let her disappear.”
Shocked at his words, I stopped my steps and looked back at him, frowned, “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, “Nothing. It’s just that you are too naive sometimes. You should know that some people are too nasty to deserve living.”
“The death of Bernice Miller…you did it?” I blurted without a second thought.
Snubbing out the cigarette, he said coldly, “She asked for it.”
“Hank!” I suddenly felt like being covered by ice.
How did he become like this?
He didn’t care about my response, and said, “She was just a barrier and should be wiped out from this world.”
I slapped him heavily.
His driver came out of the car and stood before me, to prevent my second slap at Hank.
But Hank pulled him away, and while looking at me, he wiped off the blood, which oozed from his mouth.
Then raising his eyebrow, he said, “you are sad at her death? Or you are disappointed in me?”
I took a breath, stepped back, and said, “Hank, you should have a bottom line.”
With a sneer and a cold look, he said, “what’s the bottom line of Dennis George? You think he is what he looks like, a gentleman? Have you ever seen how he treated his adversaries in business?”
He approached me, with a low and cold voice, “he is much crueler than me. Clara, only seeing the appearance is not enough.”
“That’s enough!” I felt a little breathless, “it’s getting late. I must go.”
I walked as fast as I can, feeling overwhelmed mentally.
Noticing he didn’t come along with me, I relaxed a little.
But how did he become like that?
Back in the villa, without Dennis in here, I cladded myself with a quilt, yet feeling freezing.
I received a call from Dennis that he was very busy with a business trip.
He had been so busy that he had had to work after going home from office.
Knowing that he was busy and with my own work to do, I didn’t feel bored.
But accidents did happen.
The next day, I was about to go to P University for class when I noticed a crowd outside the house.
It was the media.
This property that Dennis purchased was very secret. Few people had known it.
Someone must have made it public.
But the reporters didn’t come here for nothing. Something must have happened.
I picked up my cell phone and was about to call Dennis when suddenly a picture ejected out on the screen. It was me and Hank. The photo was taken yesterday.
The photographer was deliberately choosing a angle, from which the two of us seemed very intimate.
Thinking that I had been slandered by Bernice Miller ago, I felt not surprised this time.
The fact that I was now in a relationship with Dennis should not be a secret anymore, I supposed.
I might have to stay home for a few days.
Dennis called, with a calm voice, “don’t be afraid. There are bodyguards in the house so those journalists won’t come in. You stay at home and wait for me.”
It was the first time I encountered this, yet I was not afraid.
I replied, with a gentle voice, “It’s okay. You can just concentrate on your work. I will prepare for my exam.”
There was enough food in the house for several days.