Sam eyes widened in surprise. He immediately held Beryl in his arms. He took a glance at Beryl and to Jacob to whom he cautiously explained, "Don't worry, Mr. Jacob. Maybe Miss Beryl is just king of estranged of you, considering that it has been a long time since she saw you. I'm sure she will be fine after a while..."
Sam stopped talking. Before he could finish, Jacob had turned his back and ignored them without even looking back at them.
Sam's eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. He patted Beryl's back again, trying to coax her once more to stop the poor little thing from crying. This little girl had been crying ever since she probably met her father and how her father had treated her cold and indifferent. Sam had been patient all this time, but he really had to find out soon why Jacob became like this, hoping that the family would once more be reunited and happy.
Meanwhile, in the VIP ward of the hospital, Jack stared blankly on the wall in front of him. The food on his bedtop table were starting to get cold and looked barely touched.
Jack's mind was off somewhere. The doctor's words before he was left alone, echoed in his ears, affecting his mood like a magic spell. "Sir, you had been seriously injured from the accident. I am sorry to say this, but although the injury is no longer life-threatening as we all hoped, your legs couldn't be saved and it will be very difficult for you to stand up again."
Bang! The sound of a crash echoed on the room, taking Jack back to reality. He unconsciously let go of the glass of water he was holding, smashing the cup on the cold tiled floor. He stared at the glass that was splintered into pieces and wet with drinking water.
His eyes moved to a huge piece of glass just right next to a man's feet, covered with expensive handmade black leather shoes. The man stepped forward avoiding the glass shards and made heavy footsteps towards the foot of the bed that was free of broken pieces of glass.
Jack knew without having to look at the man's face and just the shoes, who that man was. He turned away to the other side of the room, which was a huge glass window with a small potted plant and air humidifier on the sill. He then said with disgust, "Why are you here, Jacob? Are you here to laugh at me? Mock me? Cuff me and take me back to jail?"
As if Jack's words never affected him, Jacob looked impassively at Jack. "Sign the contract."
He dropped a contract on Jack's leg. Jack's eyes turned towards the contract and wonderd if Jacob placed the folder there on purpose to remind him how useless it was now.
Jack's face suddenly turned dark and gloomy when he opened the folder. He stared over the contract for a while and then turned to look at Jacob with blank but piercing eyes. He asked coldly, "What do you mean? Is this a compensation? Who do you take me for? A beggar? Really? Are you trying to pay me off after what you had done to me?"
Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes in disdain. Jacob looked back at him expressionless with obvious of its indifference. "I'll save you the bother of reading the contract. It entitles you to own money in stock, real estate, and stock deposits of the company. I believe that amount and the properties it entails will be enough to spend the rest of your life without worries of the future."
Jack sneered and repeated, "Without worries? Are you hearing yourself?" He muttered those words over and over again. He started to feel the hype and adrenaline surge over him, making him explode into a sudden excitement. "Do you think what I've been looking for and lived for all my life is just for something like this? Of course not! What I want, what I had, are all taken away from me now!"
Jacob's eyes remained emotionless. There wasn't even any hint of pity or guilt in those hollow eyes as he sneered and replied, "It serves you right."
Jack's eyebrows furrowed into a frown. He felt anger and rage burning inside of him. "All of this is your fault! You took my career, ruined my reputation, lowered down my status, and you even stole my beloved woman from me! You! You took that all away from me, and you tell me that I deserve all this? What the hell did I ever do to you? And now this? You've even made me lose my legs, and let me become a good-for-nothing as if everything that you had taken from me wasn't enough yet to satisfy your greed. I really wish that you go to hell, you son of a bitch!"
Despite Jacob's ignorance on Jack's sentiments ever since he came in here, the words "beloved woman" caught his attention.
His eyes squinted unconsciously and thought, 'I took the woman he loved? Really? Then, can the woman he was talking about be Emily?
If it is really Emily, then it was no wonder Jack risked his life to save Beryl.'
Because everyone insisted that Jacob was a father to Beryl and a husband to a woman named Emily, Jacob was convinced that he lost some of his memory. He didn't show this realization in front of Jack and just ignored his words without replying or uttering a single word.
Jack looked at Jacob, but he couldn't read his expression nor his mind, making his mood anything but calm. Jack scoffed and chuckled under his breath in mockery. His eyes turned red when he turned to face Jacob again and asked, "Jacob, why don't you just die? If only you were dead and everyone would have been happy! You just bring misery to the people around you! Why can't you just leave and hide yourself where you don't interact with anyone? Why do you have to keep coming back and making things worse?"
Vicious and evil words didn't faze Jacob at all as if he was used to getting death threats and cruel words thrown at him, rendering him numb and immune to influence. Finally, his blank eyes turned into a mocking glance. "Let me remind you that escaping from jail is a felony. If it weren't my daughter you tried to save, then I would have thrown you back in prison where you could rot forever, considering that it looks like you wouldn't be able escape anymore in this state. Anyway, I will leave the contract here and ask someone to pick it up tomorrow. It's up to you if you want to sign it or not. Also, if you want to die, feel free to do so." Jacob finished, raising his chin up to declare his dominant stand, ready to leave this room.
"You son of a bitch!" Jack couldn't help it any longer and was not able to control himself. He suddenly lounged at Jacob and tried to reach for Jacob's neck.
However, he forgot that his legs were so weak and broken that he fell heavily on the ground before he could even touch Jacob. A few nearby glass shards pierced his skin. Jack winced in pain and looked terribly awkward and humiliated as he was sprawled on the floor like that.
Jacob didn't even flinch and budge as if he already expected that something like this would happen. He looked down at him like a noble emperor looking down at a disgusting town criminal even without looking at Jack with disdain and contempt.
"Such a shame," Jacob commented, making Jack's anger burn once more.
He raised his head and stared back at Jacob still with red eyes. He wished that the earth would just swallow him alive, but he wasn't going to give Jacob that satisfaction of making him feel powerful. "I swear to God, Jacob, you are going to pay the price and get what you deserve for all that you have done to me! You will pay!" Jack howled.
"Well, I'm afraid that you will never succeed. You'll be spending the rest of your life bound to a wheelchair. If I were you, I would not waste my energy into unnecessary plan of actions." Jacob turned and didn't look back at him again, not even waiting for a response as if Jack was just a mere nobody.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Call That Changed Her Entire Life