Dorothy was so terrified by Jeremy’s gaze that she dared not move. She failed to understand where this man’s malice came from, as they had only met for the first time.
It was not until an elegant smile played on his lips as he left, that she came back to her senses. She suddenly grabbed Juelz’s arm and asked in a trembling voice, “Is he the man that Germaine likes?”
“Yes, it’s him. However, he isn’t my uncle’s biological son. He is just an illegitimate child brought back by my uncle’s mistress. Germaine is my uncle’s biological daughter, but I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She has liked that b*stard ever since she was a child, and wanted to marry him. In the end, she was sent to Monticello by grandfather in a fit of rage. Uh… Dory, what happened to you? Were you frightened by Jeremy just now?”
When Juelz saw Dorothy’s fearful expression, he quickly put his arms around her waist, and took her to the sofa to sit down. He continued with a bitter smile, “Don’t worry, he won’t do anything to me now, for he controls the entire Sherman family, even Grandpa.”
Seventeen years ago, Jeremy’s ambitions had been revealed. Unfortunately, his grandfather and eldest uncle had not taken his warning seriously and they just thought that he was just an illegitimate child who had been adopted by the Sherman family. No matter how capable and ambitious he was, how could he turn their family upside down?
Who would have thought that Jeremy would not only turn their lives around, he would even take over his grandfather’s position as the chairperson of the board of directors, and also take control of the Sherman Group’s lifeline? He now had the final say in the Sherman family.
That was also an incredible humiliation to the Sherman family. They were not as skilled as other people, and their intelligence was lacking too. The downfall of the Sherman Group was not entirely Jeremy’s fault.
“Is this why you had worked so hard to establish J&D Group?”
Dorothy was stunned as she stared at Juelz with a look of disbelief. “He has done so many bad things. Why didn’t the Sherman family sue him? Why didn’t your family put him in prison?”
“It’s because they can’t find any evidence against him! I know he has done a lot of bad things, but I can’t find any of his weaknesses at all. Dory, do you think that I’m a useless good-for-nothing?”
After saying those words, Juelz’s face turned pale.
He had not been able to protect his parents; he could only watch as they struggled in the blazing fire. He could not protect the woman he loved; he could only helplessly watch as Credence hurt her badly. He could only watch as Jeremy took control of Gordan, and also the entire Sherman family’s estate, but he could not do anything about it-
It had been six years. He always got up at five-thirty in the morning and did not rest in bed until one-thirty in the morning. He worked twenty hours a day on average, not daring to be negligent at all. He had established J&D Group, and made it a company with a market value of more than 10 billion. However, when faced with Jeremy, who was tough and arrogant, he suddenly realized that his company of 10 billion dollars was nothing in both Jeremy and Credence’s eyes. After all, they were God’s favorites.
He had tried his best to work hard in the business industry, he really had. In the end, all Jeremy and Credence needed to do was say a word, and as long as they wanted to, they could end his company and destroy his reputation forever.
At that moment, Juelz finally accepted the fact that he was just slightly better than ordinary people; but compared to Credence and Jeremy, he was still too far behind.
How could a normal person be compared to a genius?
How could he compete for Dorothy’s love and favor with his abilities? How could he compete with Jeremy to get the Sherman family’s assets, too?
Frustration was written all over Juelz’s face. He helped Germaine up, who was drunk and groggy, and dragged her out. He looked back at Dorothy, and his eyes were filled with bitterness. He beckoned to her, “Dory, let’s go. I’ll send you back first.”
…
Germaine sat in the back seat of the car, and Belle, who was sleeping soundly, was placed in the children’s seat. Dorothy sat shotgun and looked at Juelz, whose expression was grim. She whispered, “Juelz, you’re not a good-for-nothing, you’re incredibly amazing! Without your help, Belle and I wouldn’t have been able to live peacefully until now. In my heart, you’re the best; and in Belle’s heart, you’re also the best godfather she could ever have!”
After hearing Dorothy’s words, Juelz gradually forgot about his negative thoughts about himself.
He turned his head to look at her, and he flashed her a smile as he said, “Dory, thank you.”
Over the years, she had always reckoned that he had helped her a lot. However, why was she still so reluctant to accept him?
If it weren’t for Dorothy, he would still be the same Juelz, who only ate and slept, and awaited his death in the Sherman family. He would still be in a daze, dreaming even when he was awake, and he would be living like a walking corpse whose soul had been long lost.
“Dory, promise me. If, and I’m really saying if, you really don’t get together with Credence in the future, please think about me first, and give me a proper chance to take care of you, to properly love you, okay?”
Juelz looked at Dorothy without blinking. He spoke in a serious and careful manner, as if she was the most precious treasure that he kept in his heart.
She had always known how deep his love for her ran.
However, in her entire life, she no longer had the ability to love anyone else apart from Credence.
Although her heart had been riddled with holes and shattered to pieces by Credence, those remaining shards of her heart still belonged to him.
When she had been sixteen and in despair, the warmth that he had brought her was enough to make up for her entire life, and she could not even regret what they had.
Dorothy tried her best to control her surging emotions, but her eyes still grew teary. She felt a lump in her throat as she held back her tears.
She apologized to him, “Juelz, I’m really sorry, but I can’t give you what you want!”
If she was destined to love him, she would have done so a long time ago.
With her personality, it was impossible for her to stay in an ambiguous relationship with him. If she did not love him, she no longer wanted to give him false hope.
“Dory, you won’t even lie to me, not even once. You’ve really hurt me.”
Juelz forced a smile, and suppressed the hurt in his eyes. He slowly turned his head away. When the lights turned green, he stepped on the accelerator, and rushed forwards along the street before him.
After getting out of the car, he first dropped Germaine off, who was drunk beyond belief, at her apartment. Then, he helped Dorothy to carry Belle into the room. His lips were pursed together in a tight line, and he remained silent all the way. When he was about to leave, he sighed and looked lovingly towards Dorothy. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Dory, I’m leaving since you won’t let me stay overnight. So, I can’t guarantee that no beasts will come looking for you tonight.”
“Be careful on your way back. Don’t drive too fast.”
His reaction was so abnormal that Dorothy worried about him.
“It’s fine. Good people don’t live long, while scourges will last for thousands of years. A scourge like me can live till I’m ninety-nine years old.”
The more she cared about him, the more bitter Juelz’s heart felt.
Dorothy was almost thirty, and loving her was the longest thing that he had ever done in his life. He could still remain calm upon facing the bloody past that Jeremy had brought upon him, but when facing her, all of his strength disappeared in an instant, and he was completely defeated.
“Dory, close the door. Remember to lock it from the inside too. Don’t worry about me. As long as Jeremy is still alive, I won’t die before he does.”
“Alright.”
After staring at Juelz’s back for a long, long time, Dorothy closed the theftproof door. She even locked the door before entering the toilet. After taking a comfortable bath, she returned to her bedroom to sleep with Belle.
As she was in a daze, her cell phone rang. Her heart thumped as she realized that the call was from Credence. She got so frightened and was sent into a state of panic!
His phone number was still the same number that she was all too familiar with. He had not changed it even after so many years.