Russell was learning how to cook from Nora herself. Tom was just watching from the side.As a result, Jessica was now alone with Elora in the tuition hall.Elora expressed her gratitude by kissing Jessica on the cheek. “I know you are a good friend of my son, but I never got to properly thank you, and you also tried to help him when he’s at his lowest. You really are a good girl, Jessica. Whoever marries you will be a lucky guy.”“Um… do you think I’m pretty?” Jessica asked.“As in the face? Or the heart?”“How about both?”Elora smiled softly. “That’s not quite possible. After all, a pretty face is far-flung from a pretty heart. You can’t have both in the same person as the world treats them very differently. There may be some exceptions, but they are very rare.”Jessica felt somewhat better after hearing that because Elora words sort of ensured her that the chances of Jessica having a better heart than Kyra were high by default because Kyra had a much more pretty face. “You are so w
Teresa was talking with her grandchildren, Viola and James, in one of the secret rooms in her big mansion, showing them very intriguing and also scary things because there were heads of what looked like monsters and vampires in the jars.“Why do you keep this museum a secret, grandma?” James asked. “If you put these up for viewing, then won’t you earn a lot of money? These look so cool, after all.”“Haha, let’s say, it’s better that these things are not shown in public,” Teresa said. “Because it will be dangerous if someone might get in possession of a vampire head such as this one.” She showed them a decapitated head of a vampire that looked like a mix between a human and a lizard. “If this thing bites, then the people are either going to die from fear and paralysis, or they’re going to foam at their mouth and then go into a frenzy and turn into zombies.”“Like with rabies?” Viola wondered. “One of my friend’s sibling got it. Unfortunately, he passed away.”“That is unfortunate, but
A black limousine oozing nothing but luxury thanks to its golden linings, stopped in front of a small restaurant, grabbing many people’s attention. Teresa, who was inside the car, took one look at the street-side restaurant which didn’t even have a roof. All it had were ten tables, a board, and the chef, who also seemed to be the owner, was multitasking. “Are you sure this is the restaurant?” she asked the driver, even though she had already confirmed the name on the dirty board to be the one that Elora had shared. “Yes, ma’am. Do you want to step out?” the driver, a handsome man with a military haircut and trimming asked politely. Teresa had trouble formulating a reply. “She wants to talk in this filthy environment where house flies and dirt mar the food? I should have guessed something like this would happen, given she used to be a poor loner with no parents or background. And she’s been in her bed for two decades. This crappy road-side cookery must look pleasing to her sullen eye
Teresa was able to bear most insults except when they were directed at her failed marriage. It was a long story, but to put it short, she did not give any freedom for her husband and made him a slave of the house, not even letting him go out on weekends. After ten years, her husband went crazy and ran away. She found him and brought him back, but he ran away again. This happened a few times, and when he ran away for the tenth time, she did not go looking for him anymore.So, when Elora said the words ‘your husband ran away from you,’ they hurt the depths of Teresa's soul. If it was her younger self, she wouldn’t have taken it to heart that much, but now that she had grown old and seen many things, she knew that she treated her husband wrongly. Though, she still wouldn’t accept that if anybody were to ask about it.“I don’t know who told you that bullshit, but you better take back your words,” Teresa said, “Or…” she glanced toward the driver. “It’ll only take a single bullet for me to
Jessica and Russell were playing chess. Nora supported Russell, whereas Tom supported Jessica. The bet was that the loser would do anything the winner wanted. After a long drawn out fight, Jessica ended up winning.“If you ask me something ridiculous, then don’t blame me for rejecting it,” Russell quickly said.Jessica grinned. She felt really tempted to ask him to marry him, but she controlled herself because there were Nora and Tom around them. “I want to know about your mother’s past if it’s possible.”Russell’s expression froze because he was not at all expecting such a question. “My mom’s past? I don’t know what she used to do before marrying my dad, but I think she realized one day that she got cheated, and so she decided to get a divorce.”“Why did she give up on your dad? Didn’t she love him?” Jessica asked. “Didn’t she want to bring your dad away from Jennifer?”Russell frowned. “I’ve never thought about it that way, but maybe she was just heartbroken, you know. I never asked
Later that day, Elora returned home and thanked Nora for helping her by giving her a gun and a sniper.“If not for you, she might have probably killed me, or at least kidnapped me,” Elora said. “You said she’s crazy, but I didn’t know she was this crazy.”“That woman worked under me to get the inside information about our businesses,” Nora said. “After I realized that, I had to find other valid reasons to send her away because I was afraid that she might harm me or my family. I don’t know who she has behind her back, but they’re definitely not ordinary people.”“She made it sound like the people who control the government are backing her,” Elora stated a bit tensely. “She’s a much bigger threat than I ever imagined. And I plan to keep myself and Russell as far away from her as possible.”“That’s the best thing to do,” Nora agreed. “But what are you going to do about your son?”“Mm? What about him?”“I mean, he doesn’t seem to have a plan on what to do, moving head,” Nora’s tone contai
In Regan’s office. “You want another day’s leave?” Regan frowned as he talked with Jessica on mobile. “Is your wound really that serious?” “Y-Yes, Boss. I’m fully resting, so I’ll be back the day after tomorrow, and then work overtime! I promise!” Jessica assured. Regan sighed. “Fine.” He ended the call and then looked at Gage who was standing by the wall, with his arms crossed. “Yesterday, she was learning to drive from Russell,” Gage said. “She’s clearly recovered enough to come to work, sir, so why didn’t you just force her?” “Both Jessica and Russell are going to get very busy soon,” Regan said. “So, it’s best that they spend some time together now.” “Mm…” Gage, however, wasn’t too sure if this was a good idea. Just then, he received a text message that made him frown. “Boss, Teresa Jones has come to meet with you. The guards refused her entrance because she didn’t have an appointment, but she used her bodyguards to manhandle our guards. Now, she’s on her way to your room.”
After Teresa left, Regan got thinking about a lot of things.Gage entered the room with many wounds on his body.“Are you going to be okay?” Regan asked, looking a little worried.“I’m fine. These kinds of injuries are nothing new to me,” Gage said, slightly cringing in pain because one of his ribs probably fractured a bit. “So, what did you two talk about?”“Nothing pleasant,” Regan said and swiveled the chair to the backside, so he could view the city through the glass wall. “She was right about one thing. I was self-consumed back then, and I couldn’t be satisfied with any victory because I always kept looking for more. At the expense of love and peace, I chased the short-lived thrill that only success could offer. As a result, I couldn’t spend more time with my family. That’s what led to this day, where I eat my meals alone most of the time. I know I’m not alone because I still have my daughter and grandson, but… I do feel the pain whenever I remember I don’t have a family member o