Ice and Fire novel Chapter 81

Jackson drove his car from the military's residential compound to the pub at full speed.

When he got out of his car, Jackson saw that his gangsters had already surrounded the pub. He was impressed by Bobby Li's smartness, because Bobby knew exactly what he was talking about on the phone with him earlier.

It was afternoon, and Jackson walked straight into the pub and saw that lots of people were already having fun at that hour of the day. His presence there drew lots of attention from the pub's customers.

Jackson passed through the hall and rushed to Stephen's office.

Bobby and the rest of the gangsters followed him closely from the back.

When he reached the door, Jackson kicked it open with a bang.

Inside the office, Stephen was sitting at his desk in front of his computer, and as soon as he saw Jackson's furious face, he immediately knew what was happening.

Jackson said nothing, and instead came to Stephen's desk, lifted him up from his chair by his collar, and stared at him with an intense fury gleaming in his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Stephen. Stephen's face also turned dark, because Jackson treated him in an extremely rude and violent manner.

"As you wouldn't know already." Jackson was so angry that he wanted to punch Stephen straight in the face.

He added, "Tell me, where is she?"

Jackson gritted his teeth in silent fury. Why did Stephen know of Cherry's whereabouts, when he, Cherry's own husband, didn't? 'What the hell is he planning with Cherry?' he thought.

Stephen tilted his head and avoided the fierce look Jackson gave him. He answered, "I don't know."

When he heard him, Jackson couldn't help but punch him in the face.

The pub's security personnel, who were standing outside, wanted to rush inside the office to protect their boss, but were intimidated and stopped by Bobby Li's gangsters.

Jackson's sudden violence completely angered Stephen, and he started to fight back.

"Jackson, you're only a bastard! You can't even keep your wife around you, but you come here to make trouble for me! Why are you so sure that I know where she is?" answered Stephen.

Jackson didn't reply in a positive manner. He was still holding Stephen by the collar, and answered, "Stephen, I must have underestimated your abilities, my apologies. I have every confidence that you're involved with Cherry's disappearance."

Stephen then became quiet, since he knew that Jackson must have realized by now of Cherry's disappearance. However, even if he told Jackson about Cherry's hiding place, Jackson still couldn't bring his wife back.

"Jackson, what's wrong with my abilities? Haven't I always been in your control? You're just beating the air around here in my office." Stephen didn't resign himself to be intimated by Jackson.

"Stephen, don't play games with me. Tell me where she is, now!" Jackson was losing his patience, and he desperately needed to know where Cherry was. If Stephen decided to waste his time, then he would push him hard to tell him the truth.

"Jackson, do you actually think that I'll tell you everything?" retorted Stephen.

When he heard him, Jackson punched Stephen in the face again.

"Stephen, I'm warning you, if you don't want to die, tell me immediately!" Flames of fury had already started to burn bright inside Jackson's heart.

Stephen endured Jackson's violence without any kind of protests. He was doing this for Cherry's sake, and he was more than willing to endure the beating for her.

Stephen wiped the blood off his mouth and smiled wryly. He said, "Jackson, you've gone insane for Cherry, like a rabid beast."

Jackson stared at Stephen, and slowly and clearly said, "She's my wife."

When he heard this, Stephen started to laugh loudly.

Jackson stared at Stephen, and said nothing.

Stephen wasn't scared by Jackson's infuriated expression. He had already known Jackson's fury a couple of years ago, and he held no curiosity towards it, even though he was just a few inches away from him.

After he said this, he turned around and left his office, and left Jackson and his gangsters behind.

Jackson slammed his fist onto the table so hard that the computer jumped. He felt resentful, not at Stephen, but at Cherry.

'Cherry, who allowed you to leave my world? Who allowed you to run away?' thought Jackson.

Back at home, Jackson was engulfed by his fury. He smashed everything he grabbed into pieces, and left a whole mess around him. Derek closely followed him and didn't dare to say anything, because he knew that Jackson, at that moment, could never be consoled by words.

Jackson then went upstairs and into the bedroom, and he pulled the wedding picture off the wall and smashed it onto the ground.

The back of his hand was cut by a piece of glass, and blood started to ooze out of his wound.

When Derek saw the blood, he grabbed Jackson's arm, and said, "You're bleeding; your wound should be dressed."

"Leave me alone! If Cherry's gone, then why should I still keep this bedroom?" Jackson then pushed Derek away with an uncontrollable fury. The only thought on his mind was Cherry, and all of his former love towards her had turned into hate. He hated her for running away from him like that.

When they had first met, it was Cherry who had sneaked first into his bed in his hotel room, and it was also she who had agreed to marry him, but now she had disappeared, and had left him in the dark. He had thought that she would be a lovely and well-behaved wife, and that she would greet him every night when he came home. What a fool he was for believing that...

Derek couldn't bear to see Jackson behave so unreasonably any longer, and as he grabbed Jackson's shoulder firmly, he furiously shouted, "Jackson, stop doing this to yourself!"

Jackson was shocked by Derek's sudden outburst of anger, because this was the first time that Derek, as Jackson's subordinate, had ever dared to behave like that.

He then soon calmed down. Derek ignored the possible reproach from Jackson for his rudeness, and added, "Can't you live without her? You're an ambitious and brave soldier, and most of all, you're a man. Just look at what you're doing to yourself!"

Although Derek's words couldn't bring reason back into Jackson's mind, they successfully mitigated his anger.

After Jackson calmed down, Derek grabbed his arm, and said, "Come, we should return to the residential compound."