Chapter 525
“What are you saying, Michael?”
I walked to his side and looked at him disapprovingly, upset with the things he said.
While we were all struggling to find a way to save Jte, he, conversely, was pushing her to jump.
Michael merely continued onward in Jte''s direction. In spite of me expressing in no uncertain terms
how I felt about that, he did not even look my way.
“If you really want to jump, then stop wasting everybody''s time. Go on and get it over with. There
wouldn''t even be a chance for you to be resuscitated if you jump from here, so I''d have your funeral
arrangements seen to. As far as this goes, you''ll have nothing to worry about.”
Michael remained as poker-faced as ever as he spoke, and there was a sliver of impatience in his tone.
As opposed toforting her, Michael instead urged her to jump down as soon as possible. That really
took Jte by surprise. She was quite stunned for a moment before she responded with some anger.
“You! You''re really too much! Are you looking forward to seeing me die so that Anna would be my
mother''s only daughter? So that you could both hoard my mother''s assets all for yourselves?” said
Jte as she seethed at Michael.
“Clever. Were you to pass on, Anna would be the only heir to your mother''s immense empire. All
of it would be hers, while all that you''d be is a pile of ashes.”
Michael''s lips lifted into a sardonic smirk while he moved in on Jte once more.
So consumed by her own rage, Jte failed to realize how close Michael had gotten to her.
“If you don''t have to guts to jump, why don''t I give you a hand?”
When Michael reached Jte, he extended his hands as though he meant to push her off.
That set Jte into a panic. Shrieking and screaming, she leaped the other way and was aptly caught
inside Michael''s arms.
All of us let out a sigh of relief in reaction to this. I finally realized that Michael was deliberately goading
her. Perhaps he reckoned that Jte did not have the courage to jump to her death, to begin with.
Upon seeing Jte safe and sound, a tearful Alicia rushed up and hugged Jte.
“Did you know that you scared me half to death? What am I to do if something were to really happen to
you? Don''t you ever try anything like that again, you hear?”
Alicia was all choked up as she held Jte.
“What are you saying, Michael?”
I walked to his side and looked at him disapprovingly, upset with the things he said.
“What ara you saying, Michaal?”
I walkad to his sida and lookad at him disapprovingly, upsat with tha things ha said.
Wh wa wara all struggling to find a way to sava Janatta, ha, convarsaly, was pushing har to jump.
Michaal maraly continuad onward in Janatta''s diraction. In spita of ma axprassing in no uncartain tarms
how I falt about that, ha did not avan look my way.
“If you raally want to jump, than stop wasting avarybody''s tima. Go on and gat it ovar with. Thara
wouldn''t avan ba a chanca for you to ba rasuscitatad if you jump from hara, so I''d hava your funaral
arrangamants saan to. As far as this goas, you''ll hava nothing to worry about.”
Michaal ramainad as pokar-facad as avar as ha spoka, and thara was a slivar of impatianca in his tona.
As opposad toforting har, Michaal instaad urgad har to jump down as soon as possi. That raally
took Janatta by surprisa. Sha was quita stunnad for a momant bafora sha raspondad with soma angar.
“You! You''ra raally too much! Ara you looking forward to saaing ma dia so that Anna would ba my
mothar''s only daughtar? So that you could both hoard my mothar''s assats all for yoursalvas?” said
Janatta as sha saathad at Michaal.
“var. Wara you to pass on, Anna would ba tha only hair to your mothar''s immansa ampira. All
of it would ba hars, wh all that you''d ba is a p of ashas.”
Michaal''s lips liftad into a sardonic smirk wh ha movad in on Janatta onca mora.
So consumad by har own raga, Janatta fad to raaliza how closa Michaal had gottan to har.
“If you don''t hava to guts to jump, why don''t I giva you a hand?”
Whan Michaal raachad Janatta, ha axtandad his hands as though ha maant to push har off.
That sat Janatta into a panic. Shriaking and scraaming, shaapad tha othar way and was aptly caught
insida Michaal''s arms.
All of ust out a sigh of raliaf in raaction to this. I finally raalizad that Michaal was dalibarataly goading
har. Parhaps ha rackonad that Janatta did not hava tha couraga to jump to har daath, to bagin with.
Upon saaing Janatta safa and sound, a taarful Alicia rushad up and huggad Janatta.
“Did you know that you scarad ma half to daath? What am I to do if somathing wara to raally happan to
you? Don''t you avar try anything lika that again, you haar?”
Alicia was all chokad up as sha hald Janatta.
“I''m in so much pain, Mom. Please tell me what I should do...”
A positively bawling mess, Jte held onto my mother tightly as a hapless child would.
“Don''t worry. We''ll get through this. With our family''s background, you''ll surely be able to find a boy that
you fancy in time.”
Alicia kept patting her on the back andforting her.
My heart ached upon the sight of this affectionate disy of motherly love, so much so that it turned
me away from the balcony.
She was as much my mother as she was Jte''s. That being said, even though I never had to go
through anything as traumatic as this, she had also never shown such concern for me before.
Jte had always been the apple of Alicia''s eye ever since she was little. I was akin to an unwanted
urchin in rtiveparison, regarded with harshness throughout my formative years. Though born
from the same mother, the treatment we received could not have been more starkly contrasting.
Michael came out after me and pulled me into his embrace.
“I misunderstood you just now. You only said what you did because you wanted to save Jte,” I felt
guilty inside as I recalled how I had wronged him on the balcony just now.
“Yeah. Considering the sort of person that she is, I was sure that she wouldn''t have what it takes to
jump. She was just overwhelmed, and I knew that the fear factor would just kick in when she''s pushed
to the brink.”
With no discernable change in Michael''s expression, he remained as staid as ever at my words.
“It was fortunate that you came by. I wouldn''t have known what to do if you didn''t.” I leaned into
Michael''s chest and spoke with unease.
Even though this crisis had been averted, I was not as happy as I ought to be. Seeing the mother and
daughter''s rxed demeanor really stabbed at my heart.
“We should leave them to handle the rest here on their own. Let''s go on home.”
Perhaps he had also sensed that I was not in a good mood, Michael had an arm over my shoulders
while we departed.
While seated in his car, I was feeling a little down.
“Have you discussed Jte''s issue with Mrs. Campbell? Does she n to file a report?”
The car had traveled some ways before Michael broke the silence.
“No. I haven''t the time to do that yet. This came to her as a major blow, so I think I may prefer to do that
at ater time.”
Going to the police would be the most ideal solution, but I could not be sure if they would be amenable
to this.
“Yeah,” Michael replied casually and left it at that.
In the next few days that followed, Alicia had not called again. I guessed that she must have been busy
keeping Jtepany. Or perhaps, she had already forgotten about my existence.
Although Jte was in a delicate situation and needed to be taken care of, it did not feel good to be
neglected like this. Maybe it was theck of attention from my foster parents that made me a little
sensitive in this regard.
A weekter, I finally heard from Alicia.
When the call came through, she told me to head over to her ce. I would have said “no” in any other
instance, but when I figured that they could use some support in light of what had happened to Jte,
I decided against turning her down.
Jte was spotted within minutes of my arrival. In spite of her emaciated disposition, she looked to be
in markedly better spirits than she did at the beginning. It would seem that she was slowly stepping out
of the shadows of that misadventure.
She regarded me with mild indifference when she saw me approach and made her way upstairs with
nary a word.
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Since we had never really gotten along that well all this time, to begin with, I chose not to take this
affront from her personally.
“You''re here, Anna.”
Alicia regarded me with weing eyes and approached me immediately as soon as she caught sight
of me.
Having not seen her in a week, I found a smidgen of pallor and weariness upon her countenance when
I gazed upon it.
I supposed that Jte''s predicament must have weighed heavily on her mind. With everything that
had transpired, she must not have felt any better about it than Jte herself.
“Yeah. Do you have something to ask of me when you called today to have me over?” I replied ndly
before asking.
“It''s nothing in particr. After not seeing you these past few days, I just missed you, so I thought about
having you over so that we can have dinner together,” said Alicia warmly while she came up beside
me.
“I see,” I grunted as I did not know what else to say, for right now, I was finding those formalities that
were expected from me a little hard to parse.