After Xanthus left, she began to take care of Jepherson. Although there was not much to do, she didn't get a wink of sleep at night. After all, she was looking after a patient with a high fever. In the morning, Raeleigh fell asleep leaning against the bed. Jepherson got up and opened his eyes, looking at Raeleigh. She was exhausted all over. He raised his hand and touched her. Then, he continued to lie down. Raeleigh woke up to Jepherson staring at the roof. Sitting for a while, she raised her hand and touched Jepherson's forehead. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. Jepherson raised his hand and held Raeleigh's. "I don't think death is all that terrible. On the contrary, I feel so warm that it wards off the cold. Do you know why?" Raeleigh froze for a moment, trying to pull her hand back, but she was held down by Jepherson. Staring at Raeleigh, Jepherson said, "It's you. You're the source of the warmth!" Raeleigh said sarcastically, "Yeah, right.
What should Raeleigh have said? Silence was sometimes the best answer. Jepherson sat there for a while. He had planned to go out, but then he called Santiago and informed him that he might have to hold off the plan. "You don't have to worry about me. You can leave now." Raeleigh wiped the sweat off her face. All of a sudden, Jepherson held Raeleigh from the side. The look in his eyes wasn't what one would call amiable. Sitting on one side was Xanthus. He did not expect that Jepherson would feel uncomfortable. "Jepherson, let go..." "It will be better this way." Jepherson held Raeleigh in his arms and gently caressed her back. Raeleigh was completely at a loss. She hadn't seen this coming. It seemed as though he was in more pain than she was. After holding Raeleigh for a while, he let her go. Jepherson studied Raeleigh's head. It was alright then. "C'mon. I'll take you out for a walk." Jepherson stood up, took Raeleigh's shoes, and w
A trace of suspicion rose in Raeleigh's heart when she came in. Logically, the Whalen family would not act like this if Zorion's parents were at home. There would at least be someone who would come out to welcome them. After all, Deanna and Zorion had a different upbringing from the other families. But right then, there was no one around other than the Whalen family's butler, Tetsuo. It seemed like Zorion's parents were not at home. Could it be that... Raeleigh's head shook, and she looked at Jepherson. His facial expression was dark, yet he still followed Tetsuo inside without a word. Meanwhile, Santiago followed behind them and entered the house nonchalantly. Tetsuo invited Raeleigh and the others to sit down. Jepherson sank into the couch as he waited for Zorion to attend to them. It didn't take long for Zorion to come downstairs. He was wearing matching purple pyjamas, and his physique no longer seemed as fit as before, with his thin face terrifyingly
Zorion pondered for a moment, and he then asked, "So, what can I do to make her like me?" Raeleigh and the others froze. Raeleigh thought for a while and said, "Treat her like how you treat Deanna. If you can't be honest with her, then you should let her go. It will be good for both of you. In fact..." She hesitated for a moment. Zorion asked, "What?" "Actually, she's not your prisoner. You chained her up, and she can't go anywhere. Although keeping her by your side might have prevented her from escaping, you'll never win her heart. If I were her, then I would also find ways to escape. It's better to let her go and let her realize who treats her the best." Raeleigh stared at Zorion quietly. For the first time, Zorion thought that this was a painful and bad decision. Leaning against the couch, Zorion remained silent for a long time before replying, "I understand now. Thank you." Raeleigh's grip on the apple tightened. "Thank you too." Zorion smi
Zorion hesitated for a long while before he spoke, "I'll prepare some money and bank in the amount to your account tomorrow. I'll change your name, nationality, passport, and everything else, and I'll enrol you into a new school overseas, so you may continue your studies. Please don't contact me anymore and pretend that I don't exist. Starting from tomorrow, don't come back. Since this place is like a prison for you, you don't have to return." Rossie slowly turned her head towards him and asked, "Are you really allowing me to leave?" Zorion laughed. "Have I ever lied to you?" Rossie pondered over his words carefully. Actually, he had lied to her more than once. But what was the point of saying all these then? It would be best if she kept quiet. She stared at Zorion intently and smiled. It was her first time seeing him from such a close distance. "If what you said is true, then I'm extremely grateful to you." Zorion was stunned for a moment. "Can I stay her
Initially, Raeleigh thought they were going back to the hospital, but instead, they went to Jepherson's company. She stared at the company building from inside the car, wondering why Jepherson would return to his company at night. She did not know what to say. So, she only sat there in silence. "Come out." Jepherson got out of the car and waited for Raeleigh. However, she didn't seem to acknowledge him. Instead, she stayed in the car, refusing to come out. She came out to relax, not to follow Jepherson to the company. She felt that she was not ready yet, and it was not the right time to go to work, not to mention it was then late at night. "I'm not coming out. You may go in if you have something to do. I will wait for you outside," she said. Then, she turned her face away from him. Jepherson gazed at the company's entrance. Just like any other company, they were also closed at night. But sometimes, there were exceptions. His eyes wandered to Ra
Raeleigh became silent. Jepherson was right. However, she still felt upset. Although she was the one who made those choices from the beginning, she could not rule out the fact that Jepherson might have lured her into making such a decision step by step. As she stood there in silence, Jepherson's lips curled into a crooked grin, and he said, "Actually, there is a way." She glared at him disdainfully. "What did you say?" "I said there's a way for you to redeem yourself." He flashed her a meaningful smile. Her senses told her that this was a bigger trap. But she couldn't help but to ask, "What are the terms and conditions?" "Three months, Raeleigh. If you're willing to accompany me for three months without a word of complaint and without leaving my side, then I'll publish one of my works to buy your freedom." Raeleigh was stunned for a moment. Then, she asked, "Are you kidding me?" Jepherson chuckled and replied, "Am I a dishonest person to you?"
After that, it was Raeleigh's turn to draw. She sat down and prepared herself before she began sketching. When she was about to make her first line, Jepherson patted her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him and asked, "What's the matter?" She instinctively thought that he must be trying to disturb her so that he could win. But instead, he said, "Take off your clothes. It's too hot here." Only then did she remember that she was still wearing her coat. She shrugged off her coat and handed it to Jepherson, and he took it away and put it aside. Then, he went to boil water for her. Raeleigh stared at him until he finally left. Then, she began to focus on her work. ...... Over two hours later, Raeleigh finally set down the drawing. Meanwhile, Jepherson seemed to be in a daze as he sat beside her. She put down the pen and stretched her neck. Every time she did this, she felt drained, as if she had fought a life-and-death battle with all her might.