The atmosphere in the silent ward was suffocating. Jay and Zoe simply stared at each other, with Zoe's gaze cold to the bone.Her loathing and distaste for him was just too obvious.She really loathed him—it was as if he could cause every type of tragedy!If he did not get her a stunt double and did not allow that accident to happen on his film set, she would never have been exposed and she would still be a Levine!Jay must be her jinx! She never had it easy ever since she met him!"Rest well," Jay said calmly then, trying to offer her comfort as if the gash on her forehead did not hurt.Even so, Zoe really did not need his sudden goodwill. No, she could accept anyone's goodwill, but not his.-After Jay left Zoe's ward, he started to teeter backward soon, and John quickly caught him. "Are you alright?"Jay's head was spinning, and it took a long while for him to recover. "I'm fine.""How much blood did you give?" John asked."Not much," Jay replied.John did not press
Seeing that Jay's cut on the forehead had been bandaged then, John said, "I'm going now. There's still plenty to do for Cordy's trial, so I can't divide that much attention here. Either way, I'll respect whatever your decision may be.""Johnny," Jay said somberly, "Thank you."John clapped him on the shoulder. "We're family, no?"Jay felt touched—John never said much, but he knew everything and would even offer comfort.Those who did not know him well would never be able to tell that he offered warmth despite his might.As John left the hospital in his car, he stared out the window and heaved a heavy sigh.He suddenly remembered how Zoe would always follow him around when they were children, calling his name. And that same brat grew to become an adult…His phone suddenly started to ring, and he answered it."Mr. Levine? We've found multiple outbound transfers from the personal account of Helen Zalenski.""Send it to me.""Yes, sir."John's eyes narrowed.In the end, his p
John was not stingy with his praise. "That's very smart."Cordy blushed for some reason, feeling as if John was treating her like a kid just then, and she was not used to talking to him like this.Changing the subject, she said, "You told me over the phone you'd tell me about Zoe. So?" John scowled slightly, but said, "I didn't want to tell you because you can't even protect yourself right now, but I'd never dare hide it from you."Cordy bit her lip, a little speechless from the way he used 'never dare'. He really was petty."Anyway, Zoe had an accident at the film set last night, and she's at the hospital right now…""What?!""Don't worry. She's safe although it was a little serious, just a little liver rupture causing massive bleeding. She has since regained consciousness, and she'll be discharged in a week.""Why didn't you tell me?" Cordy exclaimed a little angrily just then. "I could keep her company at the hospital."She certainly remembered that Zoe had always been a
Cordy was stubborn. "That's my own business.""Yes, but Zoe might not want to see you right now either," John told her. "She just turned from a swan to an ugly duckling—do you think she'd be able to stay composed and face you or anyone else? She might want some quiet time to herself, so let's just give her some space…"Cordy scowled. "John—""The point is, Jay will be taking care of her," John said, cutting her short.Cordy was taken aback and was soon snapping, "Are we really pinning our hopes on Jay now?! He didn't care about her at all when she was still Levine! Do you think he'd take the bullet after what happened to her?! Moreover, your aunt is denying Zoe help. What can Jay do when he's just adopted? Get chased out of the family like Zoe? Would he really go that far for her?!""Like I said before," John said. "Jay was right in rejecting Zoe." Cordy did not respond to that, refusing to listen to any of his explanations although she did not know what he was going to say.Bu
Suddenly it started to drizzle, with tiny droplets quickly pelting Zoe's body. When she was discharged, the doctor told her that she was still physically weak—she must take care of her body and not expose herself to the cold or get involved with any strenuous activities. In fact, the best option was to stay home for a month before resuming work.She ignored all that, feeling right then that her life was pointless, let alone anything else.She trudged along the streets, and for some miraculous reason, no one recognized a top star like her even as she walked along the streets without a disguise. In fact, any eyes that lingered on her would think she was some sort of nutjob. Who else would walk so slowly under the rain, not running for cover and not caring at all that she was getting drenched to the bone?She eventually stopped before a billboard, where workers were taking down her poster.It was raining, but they were working as if they could not afford to wait.She watched as
Zoe did not expect that it would still hurt in every way possible."We let you in not out of sympathy but to make sure you understand your status now. Don't appear here ever again for your own sake, because our family will never accept you," Alan said, watching her dispassionately just then. "We wouldn't have been this cold if you weren't Ivan's illegitimate child."Yes.Her fault was being an illegitimate child—her birth was impermissible in the first place. "But is this my fault? Did I get to choose my own birth?" Zoe asked with neither rage nor grief—only confusion. "Why am I supposed to suffer everything?"There was a flash of emotion in Alan's eyes, and he said, "You're not at fault, but it happened to you anyway. And that is why you must endure it."Zoe's tears trickled out along the corner of her eye—so this world was really that unfair.She never hurt anyone, but she had to suffer this anyway. "Is there a reason for our family to accept you? That would be a slap to ou
Zoe silently and somberly walked down the stairs.So that was how it felt to be scorned by a loved one.She was actually worried that she would break down for a moment.But halfway down the stairs, a figure suddenly appeared at her side.She did not turn to find out who it was, but she could hear Jay's deep voice. "Let me see you out."His voice was quiet, as if afraid he would scare her."No," she said flatly—he was the person she needed the least now."Zoe…" he murmured nonetheless."Jay." Nancy called out to him icily from the top of the stairs, and the hand Jay extended to Zoe stiffened.Seeing that, Zoe laughed coldly.Fortunately, she never held out any expectations for him, just like how he left without returning while she was at the hospital since the day she chased her out.He would never disappoint her—not when she expected nothing from him. "Don't forget the reason you're allowed to stay here," Nancy continued to warn Jay just then.Zoe did not even turn to loo
There were three days left until Cordy's trial.Meanwhile, Sachs Enterprises was celebrating their anniversary. They were not exactly keeping things quiet—the major media outlets were reporting it, at the very least.Naturally, the articles online were peppered with titles such as 'Sachs Enterprise celebrates anniversary while disregarding Cordy Sachs' trial'.Those titles drew controversy as they went online. Some netizens maintained that the Sachs were too cold, since Cordy was their eldest daughter but none of them showed concern.Others claimed that since she was on bad terms with the Sachs, and since Cordy had already left them anyway, she should be taking responsibility for her own actions no matter how terrible it was. There was considerable controversy as both sides held their ground.-On the night of the Sachs Enterprises' anniversary gala, the family was being interviewed by the media, with Plum declaring with righteous indignation before the cameras, "Cordy has