"I wouldn't even care if the woman was a street cleaner. I just want you to find someone who really loves you," Jonathan said.
After a thoughtful moment of silence, Jack said, "Father, most street cleaners are over forty years old nowadays..."
When his father heard that, he almost spat the tea out of his mouth. After clearing his throat, he said sullenly, "That's not the point!"
"Then... since you already agreed on our divorce, why should I spend a year with Rachel?"
Instead of answering him directly, Jonathan stood up and walked over to the desk. He fished through the drawer until he found a certain piece of paper, which he took out and put it in front of Jack.
The title at the top of the page, which was in bold, caught Jack's attention. He looked at the divorce agreement and his fingers tightened.
Jonathan sat down again, and said, "You should sign this agreement first. I'll prepare another one for Rachel and let her sign it later."
He placed a pen in front of Jack, but the latter was in no hurry to sign. He was carefully reading through the contents of the agreement.
There was nothing unusual in it. Jack didn't care about the money or the property that they would compensate Rachel with. He read through the provisions of the agreement, one after another.
He finally found something in the document that made him raise his eyebrows. There was no date on which the agreement would take effect.
But that was exactly what his father wanted.
Jack said, "The agreement has no date to say when it will take effect."
With a smile on his face, the old man said, "It will come into force exactly one year after you sign your name."
Squinting at his father, Jack said, "Why should we wait until a year later?"
"Didn't I tell you? I have a request."
Jack nodded, and said, "Tell me."
"For the next year, I want you to live with Rachel and take good care of her. Even if you are despised and abused by her, you can't lose your temper at her, scold her, or move out."
Jack got angrier with every word his father said. What the hell was the crazy idea behind this? He would be forced to live with Rachel before the divorce!
"Oh, yes. Additionally, you can't be involved with any woman except Rachel!" Jonathan added smilingly.
Jack's mouth was twitching with disbelief. He replied coldly, "Are you kidding me?"
"No, I'm not kidding. Seriously, if you can agree to this, I'll have the document sent to Rachel for her signature."
Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't you think it's a ridiculous idea? Is it necessary?"
The old man nodded seriously, and said, "Yes."
Jack put down his pen, leaned back, and said after a pause, "Let me think about it for a while."
"You don't see the sense of it?" Somewhat disappointed by his son's reluctance, the old man said, "If I were you, I would quickly agree to this proposal. Anyway, it's not such a big deal.
I'm sure that when Rachel sees this agreement, she won't hesitate to sign it."
Jack still kept his poker face.
Seeing this, Jonathan continued trying to persuade him. "Besides, do you really feel wronged? I don't think it's a big deal. You owe her a lot. A young girl just twenty years of age blundered into this loveless marriage with you. You are having fun with your woman, and she never even has a boyfriend.
What's the most valuable thing a woman has? Youth! Her youth!" The old man made such a strong gesture as he emphasized his point that he knocked against his beloved board.
"How precious her youth is! How can you compensate her for spending five years in vain? Think about it. You should compensate her for a year. Then you can be free." Having said that, Jonathan stood up and turned around. "I'm going to take a walk."
Seeing him leave, Jack was at a loss for words. He had never known his father to be so talkative before. His father would make quite a good salesman!
Perhaps his father had better not retire. With his energy, he could continue to fight well for the business for more than ten years longer. Perhaps even Jack was no match for his father.
Feeling weary, Jack rubbed his forehead with his fingers. His old man's idea about the divorce really gave him a headache. He felt as if there was a big cake in front of him, which had tempted him for a long time, but a deep pit lay in front of it.
Maybe he could take another road to reach his prize, but he hadn't been able to find the way. He couldn't resist the temptation for much longer.
The old man knew perfectly what was in Jack's mind. He had presented this cake to Jack, and set a trap for him.
Then it was up to Jack whether to fall for it or not.
He was really free to choose.
Jack closed his eyes and leaned back, lost in thought.
'A
woman who really loves me?
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