Chapter 3
The wind was whistling through the building, urging those who stood in front of the door to leave.
The rain now was pelting down. Jackson was hesitating about running through the rain to get his car while Bianca took out an umbrella and opened it for him.
Jackson looked at her, and Bianca showed a smile at him and took his arm. Then, they walked to the parking lot.
The parking lot was just more than ten meters, and it took them a few minutes to get there. Standing in front of the car, Jackson said in a low voice, "Em, I gotta go home right now."
Bianca still took his arm and pressed her head against Jackson's chest, unwilling to let him go. "Just stay here with me for a while! I'm so afraid that it's just a dream when day breaks."
Jackson pressed his lips and looked around with embarrassment.
After a moment, he still raises his hands and hugged Bianca.
Standing under the same umbrella, they were very close now. Rain dripped down Bianca's neck and Bianca couldn't help but make a shiver. However, she still hugged Jackson tightly.
"Are you cold?"
Jackson asked.
Bianca hugged Jackson more tightly and said, "No, as long as you're here with me."
"Well," Jackson said, "but I have to go now! I still need to go to work tomorrow."
Hearing what Jackson said, Bianca unwillingly let go of Jackson. She raised her head and looked at him with her watery eyes femininely as if she would cry out the next second.
She hooked Jackson's finger with her pinkie and shook slightly. "Jackson, I hope you can think carefully about what I said today. I can give you everything, including things she can't give to you!"
Then, she held back her hand and whispered, "My uncle is waiting for me. I gotta go now."
Jackson watched her walk to a Rolls-Royce and get into it. His eyes shone with something indefinable. His throat constricted and he swallowed hard.
He turned around and walked slowly to his car.
At night, the darkness blurred his eyes. Jackson took out the key and unlocked the car. He reached out to pull the door but touched a tough thing.
When he saw what it was, his heart started to beat more quickly. Fear clutched at his heart, and he immediately went blank. He became so nervous that he shook violently.
...
At 3:45 am.
The rain stopped. Drivers honked their horns.
Vanessa lay on the bed and watched the ceiling. So many thoughts whirled around in her mind, but inside, there was an aching emptiness in her heart.
After she came back, she immediately went to the utility room and took an empty big box. Then, she put all the things that Jackson gave to her into the box.
There were some things that she had used. She made a list of those things, including the tickets to Rachel's concert. Vanessa planned to give Jackson the money at the price he paid for those.
She was going to the concert with Jackson, but now, she could only give him the money for the tickets.
All she had to do now was to wait for Jackson to come.
After a while, the doorbell rang.
As for Vanessa's understanding of Jackson, he must now stand outside the door appealingly with his clothes all wet by rain, waiting to explain to Vanessa and begging her forgiveness.
Vanessa could even know what he would say after she opened the door. "Please, I can explain!" Then, he would pull her sleeve with red-rimmed eyes, just like what he did when he told her that he loved her.
Thinking of that, Vanessa couldn't help but laugh.
She felt so unreal now.
Vanessa felt so tired but still kept her spirit up. She got out of the bed and opened the door.
There was only one light on in the corridor. The light was dim, but it was enough for Vanessa to see Jackson's face.
There was a blue lacy umbrella in his hand. His hair stuck on his head, but it wasn't wet at all. Actually, Jackson's clothes weren't wet either.
It was a bit different from Vanessa's imagination.
Jackson lowered his head with his shoulders hanging down. He glanced at Vanessa and immediately looked down at the ground.
"Vane..."
Vanessa raised her chin. When she was about to tell him that she would never forgive him, Jackson spoke first, "I want to break up with you."
Vanessa suddenly didn't know what to say.
"I love you, and I want to be with you forever, but life is so hard. I can't even see our future! I can't even buy a house here! I..."
"Hold on!" Vanessa came back to her senses and interrupted him at once. "What do you mean?"
"Vane," Jackson spoke out his real thought with a frown, "I mean we should be realistic! She has a good background! Her uncle even drives a limited Rolls-Royce, which is the only one in the whole Lantrie! As I said, her family is rich and powerful! It might be my chance to have a meteoric rise in my life. So, I think... Maybe we can just be friends."
Vanessa was so angry that she could even hardly believe what she had heard.
"Am I dumped by him?" she thought.
"Jackson!" Vanessa took a deep breath and grabbed the door frame while saying word by word, "Where is my phone?"
"Here you are."
Jackson didn't dare to look straight at her, so he just glanced at Vanessa out of the corner of his eye and lowered his head to take out the phone.
Vanessa immediately grabbed her phone and took a deep breath. Then, she kicked Jackson out with his stuff at once.
"I don't want to be your friend! Fuck you!"
...
The sound of slamming doors echoed in the corridor. Leaning against the door, Vanessa could feel it shaking slightly. She covered her chest and managed to calm down.
After a while, she heard footsteps outside the door.
Vanessa still expected that Jackson would come back to her.
Therefore, she turned around and looked out through the door peephole. However, Jackson just held the box of his stuff and walked away. After a moment, he suddenly squatted down and put the box on the ground. He seemed to look for something in the box.
There were all the things that Jackson gave her, including ceramics, ornaments, books, and some other things.
After a while, Jackson suddenly took out one little thing and put it into his pocket. Then, he just left that box of things on the ground and walked into the elevator.
"Holy shit!" Vanessa thought.
She was so surprised that she could hardly believe what she had seen. She blinked her eyes.
If she was right, the little thing Jackson took away was the only valuable thing in the box, a golden brooch.
Her cheeks flamed with rage. At this time, she suddenly felt that she was such a fool that could even get into a relationship with such a shameless man! All her love for Jackson had gone with the memories at this moment.
Vanessa threw herself to the bed and thumped the pillow in frustration, but she still couldn't erase the memory of Jackson.
Every time she closed her eyes, Vanessa would think of Jackson's wronged look, as if it was a mistake to be with her. Vanessa regretted it so much that she couldn't even fall asleep.
However, Vanessa just got half a day off. She still had to work in the afternoon.
One could live in this world without love but money.
...
"The Mondred Bank called and said that the interview has been pushed to next Thursday at 3:00 pm." Zoie said to Vanessa in the office while looking at the computer, "But, it will be better to change the topics, so you need to hand me the new outline as soon as possible!"
"Okay."
Looking at Vanessa's downcast look, Zoie raised her eyebrows. "It happens all the time. You always work smoothly, just because you're pretty. There are so many reporters who call 10 people, but five of them are always in a meeting, three of them always answer ambiguously, and two of them are never available for interviews! You now feel mad at it! What can you do in the future?"
"No, I didn't get mad at it! Besides, I even want to thank him!" Vanessa said calmly, "Otherwise, I still didn't know that my boyfriend has cheated on me now!"
"What? You broke up with your boyfriend?"
Zoie raised her voice and asked in surprise, but her face suddenly became animated, as if she was very glad to hear that.
Vanessa made no answer.
"Sorry!" Zoie bombastically cover her mouth with her hand and said, "I shouldn't be so happy!"
Vanessa was so tired that she just said calmly, "It doesn't matter! Just there are fine wrinkles around your eyes when you smile."
Zoie immediately held back her smile and looked at the computer with her fingers pressing around her eyes. "I told you that your boyfriend wasn't a good man! You deserve better."
"Like what?" Vanessa again thought about what happened last night. She spoke in a low mumble, as if to herself, "A man who drives a Rolls-Royce?"
"That sounds good!" Zoie stood up and handed her a document. "You're smart and beautiful. Besides, you have a good job and a promising future! You can match a rich man!"
Of course, the promising future meant what Zoie had planned for Vanessa a long time ago.
When Zoie poached Vanessa from the other newspaper office, she planned to make her the number one in the "Financeweek".
It was all because Vanessa not only graduated from one of the top universities of Finance and Economics majoring in journalism but also had an excellent professional ability. Moreover, she also worked very hard.
Most importantly, Vanessa was incredibly beautiful.
Though they worked in the newspaper office, the beauty was still very important to gain attention.
With beauty, knowledge, and ability, Vanessa would definitely make it to the top in her career.
After Vanessa wrote several impressive articles, with the flow of the "Financeweek", she would be a famous journalist soon. Then, she would successfully enter the financial circle, which naturally would bring more benefit to the "Financeweek".
"Well!" Vanessa didn't want to waste time talking to Zoie about this. She lowered her head and looked at the thing in her hand. "What's this?"
"There was a Financial Summit this afternoon. I need you to attend that and get more information!"
Zoie waved at Vanessa, motioning her to leave. "Besides, don't forget the interview at the Mondred Bank! Be prepared."
This was the advantage of having an insensitive boss. Vanessa didn't even have time to feel sad about her lost love. She went to the bathroom to fix her makeup and then left the company in a hurry.
This summit was held in the new financial center of Lantrie, located on the remote Fourth Road. The new financial center was only completed last year. The surroundings were still developing, so there were basically no pedestrians on the road except for cars.
But Vanessa wasn't unfamiliar with this place because she often went here to do interviews and Jackson worked here.
She used to come here to wait for Jackson to get off work, and then they would have dinner together and watch a movie. Then, they would go to her favorite dessert store for cupcakes.
After the Financial Summit had finished, Vanessa subconsciously went to the dessert store.
By the time she realized where she was, the clerk was already greeting her warmly.
Vanessa picked up her favorite tart out of the cupboard. Two red grapes were adorning the yellow cheese, which looked like Jackson's face.
The clerk stood by and watched Vanessa, who gave a hostile look to a tart.
"Miss, the tart..." said the clerk cautiously, "It's afternoon, buy one tart and get one free!"
As soon as the clerk finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and the clerk immediately went to greet the new customer who had come in.
And Vanessa was still staring at the tart until a familiar voice came behind her.
She looked back at once and met Jackson's gaze.
Jackson froze for a moment. He stood at the door, not knowing whether he should come into the store or not.
After a moment, he looked at the woman beside him and said, "Let's come here tomorrow to buy the tarts."
Then, Vanessa realized the woman by his side was exactly the one she saw in the hospital last night.
Vanessa frowned while wondering, "Is it a bit soon that they go public with their romance?"
After all, Jackson just broke up with her last night, but now he showed up with his new girlfriend!
"No!" Bianca saw Vanessa, but she didn't mean to leave. "I like the cake here so much that I want to come here every day!"
She walked to Vanessa and took out a whole box of tarts while secretly glancing at Vanessa.
She knew Vanessa, but she didn't feel shame at all. Instead, she looked very proud, although she was "the third woman".
Vanessa was so angry at this time.
But she didn't want to argue with Bianca.
Vanessa put down the tarts and left without looking back.
As she just walked out the door, Vanessa suddenly thought about something. She stopped to look back and met Bianca's triumphant gaze.
Vanessa's eyes suddenly alighted on the shiny and golden thing on Bianca's scarf. "Is it the brooch that Jackson took away last night?"
Vanessa thought in silence.
Vanessa stayed calm on the outside, but inside she was boiling with rage.
After leaving the store, Vanessa finally couldn't suppress her anger anymore, and she kicked the tree on the street heavily to vent her anger!
Vanessa had never been so angry before.
She lowered her head and breathed violently. She could feel her face reddening with rage.
Cars ran across the street with honks. Vanessa turned her head sideways and saw Jackson and Bianca, who walked out of the store together.
Jackson held a box of desserts in his hand while Bianca took his arm and bounced to a car happily.
Vanessa couldn't help but roll her eyes while wondering in her heart, "Does she never learn how to walk?"
Vanessa stared in the direction they left and gritted her teeth. After the car disappeared at the end of the street, Vanessa walked forward.
She didn't know where she was going.
She neither took a taxi nor the subway. She just walked on the wide street aimlessly and alone.
It was getting dark. Vanessa didn't know how long she had walked. She stopped at a crossing and was going to take a taxi.
Vanessa looked at the street, and suddenly, a car parked across the street caught her attention.
She looked closely at that car and saw the shiny, golden sign of the Rolls-Royce.
It was the limit Rolls-Royce that Jackson had mentioned before.
A thought flitted through her mind. Vanessa also thought of the words Zoie said to her.
"You're smart and beautiful. Besides, you have a good job and a promising future! You can match a rich man!"
The cold wind blew, and there were all kinds of thoughts running through Vanessa's mind.
Irrational and impetuous, Vanessa made a big decision at this moment that even changed her life in the future.
Sometimes, people should pay for what they had done to learn from their mistakes. Before that, he would think that the others were all fools.
"Have a meteoric rise? I want it too!" Vanessa thought angrily.
Even though she couldn't let Jackson pay for what he had done right now, maybe she could let him call her aunt with respect in the future.
Thinking of this, Vanessa walked to the Rolls-Royce.
She looked at her reflection in the window and smoothed her hair with her fingers.
She looked a bit tired now, but it also gave her a different vulnerable charm at this moment.
Vanessa raised her hand and knocked on the window.
But she was greeted with silence.
Vanessa almost thought there was no one in the car, but the window was slowly rolled down.
At first, Vanessa saw a pair of eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses.
Then, she saw a face. Immediately, Vanessa cursed in her heart.
Anyone who had seen this face wouldn't forget it in a short time, and so neither Vanessa. The man was exactly the one who had offered to take her home at Warner Manor last night.
Vanessa never thought that Bianca looked so ordinary, but her uncle looked so handsome!
The man looked not surprised at all, and he looked at Vanessa calmly.
Although Vanessa felt a bit awkward, she didn't think it was a bad thing.
At least, he even offered to take her home last night, which meant that he probably had a feeling for her!
Therefore, Vanessa bent down and whispered, "Sir, my phone is dead, and I can't get a cab, so can I borrow your phone to call my friend?"
Shawn didn't even look straight at Vanessa. He just slightly inclined his head and glanced at Vanessa out of the corner of his eye.
Vanessa didn't know what he meant, so she just said directly, "That will be okay if you'd like to give me a ride!"
Shawn stared at her for a moment.
His eyes were long and narrow, and his glasses just neutralized the coquettish feeling in his eyes.
A few seconds later, Shawn slowly turned his gaze.
"Well, my car doesn't carry the woman who has a boyfriend!"
Vanessa was speechless.
Then, the car just backed up and sped off towards the highway in front of her.