Ice and Fire novel Chapter 481

"Mommy, I want to always be with you and Daddy. I want our family of three. I believe that Daddy will protect us well, and I also know that Daddy loves you most. He won't fall in love with anyone else, " Joe finished firmly. He was much more confident than his mother, especially in his powers of observation. He knew his Daddy and Mommy well.

Cherry sighed in relief. "Joe, I am so lucky to have you as my son; you really are the apple of my eye." It was easy to be proud of Joe. He was smart, considerate and cute. She often thought it was because he had inherited excellent genes from Jackson.

"I love you too, Mommy. You are the greatest and nicest Mommy in the world, " Joe giggled and snuggled her closer.

Sitting leisurely in an armchair in his room, Mond enjoyed the glass of red wine in his hand. But contrary to appearances, his inner mind was in turmoil.

The dark yellow light showed his face, young, energetic and charming like a teenager's. However his appearance was rarely consistent with his deep inner heart, which often seemed to be aged and gloomy. Was it because he had suffered too much?

He swallowed the rest of the wine in his glass, his eyebrows furrowed together. He pondered, why was life so unfair to him? Why did he have such a miserable life? And why was he born to suffer from all this?

His teeth grit together, he dialled Jackson's number on his cellphone.

Jackson finally answered after three rings.

"Are you alone?" Mond shouted. "Do you feel lonely?"

"What the hell do you want to say?" Jackson's cold voice replied.

He put the wine glass on the nearby table and lazily leaned back in his chair, unbuttoning the top two buttons on his shirt.

"You should already know what I want to say to you, " Mond taunted him. "Don't you feel lonely all alone in that big house of yours? Your beloved woman and son are both living in my villa. Jackson, do you now feel the bleakness of being alone?"

The tremble in Mond's voice told Jackson he was drunk. He could tell what Mond was trying to do. He was trying to mock Jackson, because Jackson was alone in a big house. Cherry and Joe were at Mond's house, and so he didn't feel lonely, nor was he alone. Jackson wondered what Mond felt instead. He had to admit, Mond was right. Jackson was indeed alone in his big, cold house. It was driving him crazy, missing Cherry so much. He could hardly bear it any longer. Mond's words, drunken and slurred as they were, hit their mark.

Jackson took a deep breath as he listened. "Mond, I have no time to play games with you. Listen to me. I will never hate you, but don't ever try to challenge me. Don't ever try to hurt the ones I love and cherish. I allow them stay with you currently because I believe in you, and I honestly believe you won't hurt them. Don't let me down."

"What if I let you down?" Mond retorted. He had nothing to lose now. He wasn't afraid. What should he care about now? He cared for Cherry, but had she ever cared about him? Did she know he loved her? All her attention was for Jackson, and her heart taken by him too. Had she ever spared others a little space in her heart?

"Jackson, I have to admit that you're right. I won't hurt them. But if your wife were anyone but Cherry, I would surely do unimaginably horrible things to her, " Mond found himself confessing. He had no choice now, Jackson's wife was Cherry.

Jackson remained silent.

"Do you know why, Jackson?" Mond continued, tauntingly. "I've suddenly understood Stephen's feelings. Five years ago, Stephen started fighting with you. He helped Cherry run away from you, and kept her location secret. No matter how fiercely you would hurt him. He did too much for Cherry."

Mond paused, listening to Jackson breathe for a moment before continuing. "But now, I have the same feelings Stephen did. I want to protect Cherry and defend her from the evil things. I don't want her to be distressed and unhappy. I would do anything for her. If she wanted the stars in the sky, I would pick them for her. I don't know why she is the exception for me. I just don't know..."