Sabrina looked up in surprise. “Norton, what are you trying to imply? Shouldn’t I be happy for you? You are at the right age to start a family after all.”
“You… are doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Norton’s face sank as he stared fiercely at her.
“I…” Sabrina was startled. She didn’t know how much clearer she should explain things to make Norton understand. She said, “Norton, Carmella is amazing. She’s pretty, has an amazing career, and a strong family background. She is a good match for you. I can tell that you two have a bright future together. On top of that, Madeline likes you, and your Mom likes Carmella too. You two are destined to be together. Norton, you should appreciate this more. I give you my blessings.”
Norton did not say anything, and he stared at Sabrina instead. His gaze was icy, and at the same time, terrifying.
“Sabrina, it seems like I’ve been barking up the wrong tree. Even after everything we went through, you’re still making fun of me and my blind date with Carmella. Even if what you said is right, why does it matter? I don’t have feelings for her. Don’t you know how scary it is to get married to someone without loving them? How good of a marriage do you think this will be?” Norton said with a dark expression. It was as if he was suppressing his rage.
Sabrina looked up in confusion and said, “Norton, you can slowly develop feelings for her after getting married. There aren’t many married couples out there who got together out of love. Take Jenna as an example. She went through so much to finally get to where she is today. Yet, her love life with Hansen is still not progressing smoothly, especially with Liya making her return again. I think you get what I mean now, and you know what decision you should be making. Your Mom wants you to be with Carmella, and she’s right. It shows how much Madeline prioritizes your family for her to make a personal visit. This is a wonderful piece of news for you. Norton, we’re adults now. We have to focus on the present. I’m already engaged to Sergio, and this is the reality we can’t change.”
Sabrina advised him earnestly. She did have feelings for him, but that was back in those days when she was still young and innocent. She had always been following him everywhere he went. He was family to her. She really wanted him to be happy.
Norton’s expression darkened. He stood up with a scary expression.
“Sabrina, is this what you really think? Are you a fool all this while, or are you someone with a heart made of stone? You don’t even understand my feelings. Do you really want to marry Sergio? He doesn’t love you at all, and he has no feelings for you. Can’t you see that? Judging from what you said, you sound like you’re determined to marry him. Is this how you plan to make me forget about you?” Towards the end, Norton almost roared, “Do you know the consequences of your decisions? Sabrina, why can’t you wake up and look at this matter seriously? You’ve studied abroad, and you should know better than this. You will only ruin your whole life if you marry him.”
Norton threw the pillow in his hand onto the floor furiously as he said, “Sabrina, it doesn’t matter if you don’t love me or if you don’t want to marry me. I admit that you deserve better than me, and I don’t deserve your love, but you don’t have to do this to yourself. You shouldn’t marry a man like Sergio who has no feelings for you at all. That will only destroy you. It’s the same for me. If I marry Carmella, then I will only end up like you do if you marry Sergio. I don’t want this to happen to either of us. I used to have the same thoughts as you. But Jenna taught me what love is, as well as being committed. I want to fall in love wholeheartedly. I want my life to be meaningful and beautiful. I don’t want to get married for the sake of starting a family. I got to learn about my feelings for you recently. I want to make it up to you. I want to love you. I know that I was wrong, but you aren’t even giving me a chance. You’re looking down on me, but that’s okay. I was fine with that until now. Even if we are to cut ties completely, I still won’t allow you to marry Sergio. You can’t marry someone that ruthless and cold-blooded. That’s my bottom line in this.”
Norton let out a heavy sigh and said, “Sabrina, think about what I’ve told you. You saw how Sergio reacted to you getting injured today. He couldn’t be bothered at all. Didn’t you see that? As for me, you don’t have to worry, as I’ll no longer annoy you. I just hope that you can be responsible for your future.”
Speaking of that, Norton’s eyes reddened, and he stormed out, leaving a loud thump as he slammed the door shut.
Meanwhile, Jenna was still concerned about Sabrina’s injury. After sending off Madeline, she rushed to Sabrina’s room and ran into Norton, who was storming out of the room in a fit of rage. She gasped and asked, “Norton, is Sabrina okay? What happened to you?”
Norton suppressed his anger upon seeing Jenna. He stood there and tried his best to reply in a calm manner, “She’s fine. It’s just some external injuries, but she needs to rest for at least a week for the wounds to heal completely. Please help to arrange some servants to take care of her.”
Jenna nodded, but then she felt that there was something off in his words. She asked in a daze, “Norton, what about you then? Aren’t you going to take care of her?”
Norton’s gaze darkened as he put on a pained expression. He said, “Jenna, she doesn’t want me to take care of her. She deserves someone better, but that someone will never be Sergio. I’ll leave her to you for now. I’ll be leaving for another country in a couple of days.”
Jenna was a little confused when she heard that. He was carrying her when they got back from the hospital. They looked fine just earlier, but what happened to them for him to look like a different person?
A quarrel must have happened. It was only normal for Norton to be carried away by his emotions that he couldn’t see his future clearly. Once Jenna heard that he was leaving the country, she was reminded of something and quickly asked, “Norton, is the second batch of cars ready yet? The international car exhibition will be held soon. You can’t miss this golden opportunity.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve been working on it. I’ve been especially prioritizing your model. I believe we’ll see it making a profit soon. By the way, I’ve added two billion dollars to the Richards Group account from our sales. You can allocate it by then. Now that the Richards Group is going through a tough time even financially, and you can’t stop the Regional Games municipal project in hand too. You need money and funding for all of those, but you can rest assured that I will back you up with my company. We can’t let the hundred years of traditional Richards family business be defeated. I’m confident.”
Norton spoke with great confidence.
Jenna nodded and said, “Thank you, Norton. I’m more confident in getting through this, now that I have you on board with your cousin.”
She smiled encouragingly at him.
The Richards family was in a tight position, now that they were accused of leaking confidential information, but with her foresight, she diverted his company beforehand. So, Norton’s company was still able to support them through that crisis.
After the conversation, Norton then walked away, looking all lonely.
Jenna stood there with a thoughtful look, before heading to Sabrina’s bedroom.
She opened the door with the key in her hand.
She just stepped into the room, and she had already heard someone sobbing inside. The sobs sounded heartbroken and lonely.
Since when had the optimistic and cheerful Sabrina started crying with her heart broken into pieces?
“Sabrina, what’s wrong? Did you fight with Norton?” Jenna asked gently as she walked up to Sabrina and held her trembling shoulders.
Sabrina was still crying miserably. Upon hearing Jenna’s voice, she rushed into her embrace and started crying again.
Jenna sighed and hugged her tightly. Her heart ached to see Sabrina like that. She didn’t say anything and just allowed Sabrina to cry her tears out. Once she was done crying, Jenna then wiped away her tears and said in a soft voice, “Sabrina, do you trust me enough to share with me your troubles?”
Sabrina shook her head while still looking sad. She said, “It’s fine, Jenna. I’m just having a bad mood. I’ll feel better after crying it out.”
Jenna was reminded of the scene where she ran into Norton earlier. He was in low spirits as well. She then poured a glass of water for Sabrina before sitting on the bed by her side and starting a heart-to-heart conversation with her.
“Sabrina, can you tell me if you still have feelings for Norton? Even if it’s just a little bit?” Jenna asked.
Sabrina lowered her head and said nothing.
“Sabrina, we’re no longer teenagers. We should be making clear judgements in every situation. If you trust me enough, then tell me how you feel. I will think of a way to help you. You are like a sister and a best friend to me. I want you to be happy,” Jenna said tenderly.
“Jenna, it’s impossible for me to be with Norton ever again. My father will never forgive him for what he did back then,” Sabrina said in a low mood, wiping away her tears.
Jenna smiled faintly. “Sabrina, I’m asking about your feelings, not your father’s.”
Sabrina sank her head even lower and said, “I won’t forgive him either.”
“Sabrina, tell me. Do you look down on Norton? Do you think that he can never achieve anything in his life? Or are you still hurt from what he did back then that you can no longer trust him anymore?” Jenna asked with all of her patience. How could it be that Sabrina no longer had feelings for Norton when she looked so heartbroken? She had always been straightforward in expressing herself. Yet, when it came to that matter, she chose to keep everything to herself.
“Jenna, it’s not because of those things. Anyway, there can’t be anything between us anymore. My father already agreed to my engagement with Sergio. We can’t afford to go against the Xanthe family. Everything I had with Norton back then was already gone by now. Carmella is eager to marry him, and I’m happy for him. She is a great match for him,” Sabrina said as she raised her head and stared outside the window. She had a wry smile on her face.