Chapter 8

In the evening, at the school gates.

"Jake, I was wrong today. Please don't be mad, okay?" said Helen, her eyes red and full of helplessness, as she grabbed Jake's arm.

After they left the Phantom family, Jake’s face was still dark. Even though he was taking her back to school, he didn't say a word during the whole ride.

Jake pulled his arm away from her, his face expressionless as he said, "Helen, let's break up. Don't show up in front of me again."

With his words, tears instantly fell from Helen's eyes.

She trembled as she asked, "W-why?"

Jake sneered. "Who do you think you are? How dare you frame Emily?"

Helen froze.

Jake was breaking up with her because of Emily?

Didn't he hate Emily?

Jake didn't pay attention to her. When he got back into the car, he immediately drove off.

While driving, he made a phone call.

"Campbell, get the others and let's grab a drink."

Campbell chuckled, teasing, "Aren't you just taking your little girlfriend back? How come you still have the mood to drink?"

Jake frowned slightly. "Are you going or not? If not, forget it."

"Of course, since Jake said so, we have to go."

Half an hour later, Jake arrived at the private room.

Campbell looked surprised as he saw Jake walk in alone. "Huh? Where's your girlfriend?"

"Bored of her."

Jake walked inside.

Campbell paused for a moment.

"Bored of her? How long has it been?"

The other friends started joking when they heard Jake's words.

"He’s used to having Emily around all the time."

Jake leaned back on the sofa in frustration and lit a cigarette, biting it in his mouth.

Campbell looked at him with a complicated expression.

He couldn't understand. Jake obviously cared about Emily, yet he kept hurting her again and again.

Even if Emily liked him so much, she couldn't bear this kind of treatment.

Campbell sat next to him and cautiously suggested, "Jake, why don't you call Emily?"

Jake shook his head and said in a lazy voice, "What do I need to call her for?"

Campbell paused for a moment and then made a thumbs-up gesture. "I’ll give you a thumbs up, man. You’re doing the right thing by not looking back. Otherwise, Emily will think she has you."

Jake said stubbornly, "What's there to turn back for? Is she a fairy? Why should I turn back?"

Though he said that, his gaze still fell on the phone sitting on the table.

As Jake's university roommate and friend, Campbell knew exactly what he was thinking.

A typical stubborn guy.

He grabbed Jake's phone.

Jake frowned. "What are you doing with my phone?"

"Calling Emily to come over."

Jake frowned more, clearly displeased. "Call her over for what? Just looking at her annoys me."

Though he said that, he didn't stop Campbell's action.

Campbell found Emily's number in the contacts and dialed it.

The phone rang once, then a mechanical female voice came from the other side. "Sorry, the number you dialed is busy. Please try again later."

Campbell was stunned. "Huh? Why can't I get through? Did she block you?"

Jake's expression darkened immediately when he heard that. He snatched his phone back.

Looking at the rejected call, he said coldly, "Who the hell told you to touch my phone?"

Campbell was taken aback. "No, man, I'm just doing it for your own good."

"For my own good? So, contacting Emily is for my good? Don't you know I can't stand her?"

Campbell was silent.

"Fine, just let it be. But don't regret it."

Seeing Campbell silent, Jake suddenly lost his temper. He slammed the wine glass he was holding to the ground.

"Listen up, from now on, anyone who contacts Emily will no longer be my friend."

There was a loud crash.

Glass shards flew everywhere, some even landing on Jake's face, cutting him, but he seemed to not feel it.

The room fell silent instantly. No one dared to say a word.

Jake sneered, "What? Are you all deaf?"

Everyone nodded and agreed, "Yes, yes, we heard you."

Jake stood up in frustration, grabbed his coat, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Someone leaned over to Campbell and asked, "Campbell, what's the deal with Jake and Emily? What kind of grudge do they have?"

Campbell shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Actually, Emily's not bad. She's pretty, has a good figure, a great temperament, and, most importantly, she likes Jake. What a pity..."

Campbell didn't respond, and the person continued, "We've all seen what Emily's done these past few years, right? I remember once when Jake was hurt, just a small wound, and Emily was so heartbroken."

"Yeah, I remember. Once, Jake got drunk, and Emily took care of him the whole night."

"If I had such a beautiful and caring girlfriend, I'd be happy."

Jake stood by the door, hearing their conversation, and his irritation grew.

They were all giving useless comments.

‘I broke up with her, and now you guys are saying she's good.’

Jake sat in the car, still feeling incredibly frustrated.

It had been a week.

Emily didn't contact him at all and even blocked him.

She had grown some guts.

He wanted to see how long Emily could bear it.

When the time came, she would come begging him, but he definitely wouldn't be soft-hearted. He would teach her a lesson.

Jake drove home, and when he saw his mother sitting in the living room, he stopped in his tracks.

"Mom."

Linda glanced at him indifferently and said, "That Helen girl, I don't approve of her."

Jake sneered sarcastically. "You don't approve of anyone I like."

Linda's expression darkened instantly. "Isn't this for your own good?"

Jake spoke in a mocking tone, "Yeah, that's why I broke up with her, are you happy now? Every woman I like, you disapprove of. I'm not an emperor, and you're not an empress dowager."

Linda said coldly, "I think you've drunk too much. Joanne, bring Jake something to help him sober up."

"I didn't drink too much."

Linda seemed to not hear him, continuing, "I told you about the blind date before. I've arranged it. You're meeting tomorrow."

Jake's frustration boiled over at the mention of the blind date.

He lifted his foot and kicked a vase by the elevator door.

"In high school, you wanted me to join the company. Fine, I listened to you. I majored in finance in university. Now I've graduated and joined the company, you want me to enter politics, and told me to be careful with my words. You told me to break up, I did it. Now you want me to go on a blind date, I'll go. But I'm a person, not your property."

Jake literally shouted the final sentence.

Linda was startled by his outburst, but with decades of noblewoman's composure, she maintained her elegant demeanor.

"What’s wrong with being connected to the Freeman family? What? Are you still thinking about that gold-digger, Emily?"

Jake pursed his lips and didn't speak.

Linda continued, "Don't forget why Emily stayed by your side."

Jake shouted, "Wasn't it for the money? I have plenty of it."

After that, he went straight into the elevator.

Jake lay in bed, feeling terribly uncomfortable.

The wound on his eyelid also stung.

"Emily, my stomach hurts," Jake mumbled to himself, pressing on his aching stomach.

He had no idea what got over him, but he dialed Emily’s number.