“She woke up in the afternoon. Her situation is stable now, but she is a little weak.”
Liam was relieved that Emily still cared for the old madam. However, the young madam seemed to be unconcerned with Wendy’s suicide attempt. She had not asked about her at all. It seemed like she was quite cold-hearted toward Wendy. Even though Liam did not like Wendy, he could only respect her after the fire incident. The old madam’s life-saving benefactor was a distinguished guest for the entire Jackson Family! Furthermore, she was also hurt in the fire and even attempted suicide after that.
“Young Madam, Second Young Miss Gale is at the WongRiver Pavilion, do you want to go see her?”
“Is she dead?” Emily asked.
Liam froze for a moment, and then he sighed helplessly. “Young Madam, she is not pretending this time; she almost died.”
“Then I shall go and have a look at her.” Liam said that it was not an act. She was curious to find out if Wendy’s acting skills had risen to new heights. Was it done so perfectly that even Liam and Hunter did not notice that she had staged it?
However, Emily was stunned when she saw Wendy’s appearance. Her face was pale, and her breathing was weak, as if she was dying. It was not merely an act, but she lost too much blood and had almost died. Peter said that when the maid discovered Wendy, she was already in a coma. If she was found a few minutes later, even God could not have saved her. Emily did not understand it. If she had truly rescued Grandmother and then tried to commit suicide, was she still the same Wendy that Emily knew?
“Do you still think that she is acting?” the man at the door asked plainly.
Emily suddenly wanted to laugh. Yes, she still thought that Wendy was acting, but her actions had been flawless! That woman had fought so hard for a man and eventually had Emily killed in a road accident. How on earth did she become so vulnerable? Was she not afraid of death?
“Yes, I still think that she’s acting, and I have no compassion for her.”
She turned her head around and met Hunter’s gaze, with stubbornness written all over her face! Hunter did not speak, but he had his sharp gaze locked onto her. As for Emily, she noticed the constant indifferent look in his eyes and the wound on his forehead. A day had passed, and it had felt like a lifetime. She wondered about the time that they had spent the night before that.
“I’m going back to rest.” Emily walked past him and left.
Hunter did not stop her, so she managed to return to her room without any obstruction. Eldest Young Master Jackson stood at the entrance of Wendy’s room, but she was not sure if he had stared at the woman there in a daze.
She locked herself up in the bathroom as she sat under the warm water that rained from the showerhead. Emily hugged her knees. She was so overwhelmed with sadness that she felt like crying.
If she could pinpoint the problem, she would have tried her best to expose it against all the odds! However, she could not detect any slip-ups. Everything seemed logical and natural.
They had all thought that Wendy was a good person, and even Eldest Young Master Jackson had shown pity for Wendy. She never thought that she would be with Hunter, but she was not willing to resign to fate! She was reluctant to accept that the person who killed her in her previous life would get to be with Eldest Young Master Jackson. As for herself and that man… Emily could only sigh.
Before she had the chance to figure out the seemingly notable yet non-existent feeling, it was gone. The water continued to pour on top of her head, and it drenched her completely. The cold feeling had withdrawn to the bottom of her heart.
…
Hunter was not in Wendy’s room. He left not long after Emily had gone back to her room. They had another guest at the WongRiver Pavilion that night. After the servant had served the tea, the old master waved his hand, and all the servants in the hall retreated immediately. The old master had something to say to the young master, who would dare to stay with them? Even Liam was gone.
Hunter held the cup in his hand, and his long and elegant finger gently swept around the edge of the cup. He had no interest in the tea at all. He was such an outstanding grandson, indeed. Calm, composed, and lordly. He was like a prince and, sometimes, even a king. Even the old master would unconsciously look at him with a gleam of admiration. Old Master Jackson had never admired anyone in his entire life.
“How are you getting along with Third Young Miss Gale?” the old man suddenly asked.
“Not bad.” Hunter’s answer sounded casual. No one knew if it was the truth or not.
“If it’s only not bad, then find a way to get her to return to the Gale family.” The old man was straight forward. His gaze that landed on Hunter sparkled with a sharp glow.
“Just give her the amount of compensation that she asks for. Your Grandmother would not insist now that she has a better candidate in her mind.”
“Did Grandmother tell you so?” Hunter did not reply to the last question.
He raised his hand and downed the tea in one go. Then he held the empty cup in his palm, as he toyed with it nimbly like he was in control of everything.
“I could tell that she prefers Wendy to Emily since the day she invited her to stay with her.”
Hunter did not refute what the old master had said. The old master did not know why the old madam liked Wendy, but Hunter knew. Wendy was the old madam’s granddaughter. The old madam liked her because of her responsibility for her.
“So, my marriage is just a game that you guys could play around with?” He smiled coldly.
If the old master knew the truth, he would be disgusted. Hunter had his own opinion.
“Didn’t you get engaged just to make Grandmother happy? Now, I want you to be with Wendy and send Third Young Miss Gale home to make her happy.”
The old master seemed apathetic when he said that. To him, there was no value in humanity.
“Don’t forget that Wendy is the Jackson family’s benefactor. We must return this favor.”
“Then let Manson get engaged to her and repay her with a lifetime of happiness.”
Hunter placed the cup on the table. He was a bit heavy on the hand as the cup made a dull noise when it made contact with the table.
The old man frowned unhappily. “You have developed feelings for Third Young Miss Gale?”
Hunter did not answer him; he did not have to report his private life to the old master.
The old master’s face darkened, and his eyes were cold. “You should know that feelings have no value to the men in our family.”
“So, what is Grandmother to you?”
“Responsibility.”
Hunter said nothing more. He was familiar with the old master’s personality. Perhaps, Grandmother was really just a responsibility to him. He had always been a responsible person, and since he took on the responsibility as her husband, he would carry it for a lifetime. The old madam looked very happy. After all, she had a husband who cherished her. However, Hunter did not want his life to be bound by that sort of responsibility.
“I’ll make the decisions on my own marriage. It is entirely my choice whether or not I marry Emily in two years.”
He had made himself clear.
“From now on, no one meddles with my marriage.”