"You alright?" Jenny was worried at the sight of her pale face. At the end of the day, Janet was not at fault. She and Gilbert merely thought that Janet wasn't suitable for Zack. However, judging from recent events, it would be impossible to separate the two—at least, she had given up on that. She'd rather peacefully accept the fact that she might have Janet as a sister-in-law."I'm good." Janet nodded and forced a smile. Jenny didn't press on, knowing that no one would feel okay given the circumstances. "Where are you going? I'll give you a lift."Janet wanted to turn down the offer, but Jenny insisted, "Get into the car." She held the door open for Janet, and Janet had no way to reject her. Janet thanked her and went into the car.Alec was in the driver's seat, Jenny beside him. Janet settled into the back seat without a word. It was Jenny who finally broke the silence, "Gilbert can be harsh. Don't take his words to heart. As long as you and Zack are truly in love, no one can stop
The car rolled to a stop in front of Zack's villa. Jenny told Janet, "Rest well. Have a good sleep. Zack might already be awake by the time you're up.""Okay." Nodding, Janet left the car. Jenny let Alec drive away only after she watched Janet enter the villa.On their way back, Alec joked, "I thought you hated her. Looks like you've accepted her.""Well, she must be someone he loves dearly if he's willing to give up his life for her. If so, why should I hate her? I should accept her instead."If she refused to change her attitude, she might alienate herself from Janet, or worse, Zack. Every individual had the right to make their personal decisions. It might not be an acceptable decision at the moment, but sooner or later, people around them would come to accept it."You're quite cool about it." Alec smiled and admired her carefree attitude. Since she couldn't change Zack's decision, she tried to accept it. The world would be simpler if everyone acted this way. She put a hand on
Everyone knew what Zack was up to. No one called him out or said a thing, saving for a slight snort from Gilbert. Still, Janet felt bad about the incident, especially when she saw how Zack was protecting her in front of everyone. But what else could she do for him? Not only was she helpless, but she might also cause more trouble for him. She hated herself for being incompetent."I've arrested the man who stabbed you. He's not the main problem, but he's backed by the Britts." As Gilbert spoke, he turned to Jenny. He believed the man's connection to the Britts complicated the situation more than they had expected. The man was the club owner on papers, but he was financially backed by the Britts, hence the impudence. Although Gilbert was doing well in Bardoff City, he was far from being as influential as the Ten Elites. Therefore, he'd need Jenny's help with this.Zack felt frustrated because he knew he couldn't take down the Britts. At the same time, he didn't want to trouble Jenny. "I
Jenny could tell that Gilbert was upset. She quickly added, "Gilbert, I know you're doing this in Zack's best interest. But he's an adult now. We can't make decisions for him."He merely waved his hand. "That's enough. You should leave." Then, he trudged ahead and disappeared from her sight. Perhaps, it was time to have a life of his own instead of focusing all his attention on Jenny and Zack. As the eldest, he always acted like a father, worrying they'd date partners who were unsuitable for them.She was woeful at the sight of Gilbert leaving. "Was I too harsh to him just now?"Alec gave her a back hug and said affirmatively, "No. You were right. It's Gilbert who needs to think about it. He puts himself in the role of a father by disciplining you. But in truth, he's not that much older than both of you, and he never had the experience of being a father. He doesn't have more life experience compared to you. You're not at fault. He's the one who has confused his role."Despite that,
Janet shook her head while crying. "No one bullied me." No one dared to bully her with Zack by her side. He badly wanted to hug his inconsolable lover, but he was unable to move and was forced to watch on helplessly. "Janet, don't cry. I can't even give you a hug right now."She cried even louder at his remark. "Why are you…so foolish?""I'm not foolish. If I were a fool, I wouldn't have come across a lovely girl like you," he answered with a chuckle, feeling like the happiest man on earth at that moment.She felt his love, but the love had become such a suffocating burden for her. She loved him too, but she believed she wasn't a good match for him. It took her a while to calm down. She patted her eyes dry. "Zack, I'm sorry. You got hurt because of me." She thought an apology was warranted."Janet, we are one. We don't owe each other anything. If I were the one in trouble, I believe you would have rushed over to save me." He didn't need her apology because she wasn't at fault.
In the following days, Jenny would drop by Zack's room for a quick visit before work. Most of the time, she didn't need to enter to check on him because Janet was right by his side. Her presence would only be an interruption.Zack was almost fully recovered. It was then he reached out to Jenny to ask her opinion on the best way to deal with Janet's parents. He received news that the Fausts and Walters had worked together to destroy the Britts, starting with an investigation into the club. The Britts were deeply corrupted and were in a precarious position after the targeted attacks by the two families.Since Zack didn't need to worry about the Britts, his full attention was on Janet's parents, who might pose endless trouble for him if they were not handled well. He never ran from trouble, but he knew the last thing Janet wanted was to see her parents being a source of trouble. At the end of the day, none of them would be happy if her parents weren't taken care of.After hearing Zack
While Jenny, Melissa, and their bodyguards were on their way to Janet's parents, Janet had just ended a conversation with them. Her eyes were red and glistening as she panted, clearly just emerging from a fight. How could she not fight with them? They had the audacity to say that they wanted to come to Bardoff City for Zack and that they wanted him to be their meal ticket forever.At that instance, her only thought was to die and bring her parents along. She wondered why God had to make her suffer. Why was it so tough to stay with a man she loved?"Janet?" Zack came searching for her when she didn't return to his room for a long time. He was worried after finding her alone in the corridor. Hearing his voice, she hurriedly wiped away her tears. "Why did you leave the room? I'll be there right away."He didn't see her crying, but he sensed that something was wrong from her reddened eyes. "Are you okay?""I'm fine. I had sand in my eyes." She smiled as not to worry him. The more s
"I'm sorry, Zack, that was too sudden. I haven't…" Words stumbled out of her mouth, and thoughts jumbled up in her head. She was telling him that she wasn't ready, that it was too sudden, and that she needed to think about it. But her words were stuck in her throat in the next second because he had pulled her into a hug.She was quiet. Feeling the warmth from his body, she badly wanted to say yes without any care in the world, but…she didn't have the courage to do so. Perhaps, just like Gilbert had said, life for Zack would be easier without her. Zack wouldn't have had to face the hazards of getting involved with her parents. "It's alright, Janet. I can wait." Zack accepted her explanation of the proposal being too sudden. After all, he had indeed acted impulsively. He had been thinking about marriage, but the early proposal was outside his original plan. He understood her panic and her refusal to say yes. Instead of feeling angry, he was upset at himself for rushing the proposal. I