Meanwhile, in Adam's room, Arabella was sitting on the couch still wearing her white bathrobe. She just finished taking the shower and she had no plan to show up outside and see Bill Sky again. To avoid him, she planned to stay in Adam's room and wait for her son's comeback there. It would be a great relief for her not to meet Bill Sky for a while.
Starting to get bored, Arabella got her phone and browsed the internet. The happiness in her heart was still very overwhelming seeing her son again. It was too unexpected and she felt like she was still dreaming. A magnificent dream indeed! Having Adam once again was the best feeling she could ever have. With the thought of it, she wanted to surprise and give Adam something special but her mind was too excited that she could buy all the things in the world if she would follow her thoughts so she decided to browse the net for some possible gift ideas.
With the white teacup in her left hand and her mobile phone in her right hand, she opened the main browser of her phone. Suddenly, she froze. The online headline was written in bold and big letters which made it visible to capture the eyes of the online users.
JAYSON HANSEN WAS FOUND DEAD ON AN ABANDONED LAWN. THE SUSPECTS WERE UNIDENTIFIED.
"Jayson!" She blurted out in the air with goosebumps instantly appearing all over her body. Her hand was trembling tremendously. She wanted to put down her cup but her hand was not cooperating. The air seemed to go colder as her body stiffened. Her mind was baffled. There's part of her that didn't want to believe the news so she tried calling Jayson's number but it was out of reach. She didn't give up dialing his number as she refused to accept it. Her mind was protesting the news. It could not be true! Maybe they were just mistaken! It was really difficult to acknowledge as it was very sudden and she could not believe Jayson's disastrous fate.
Even though they broke up a long time ago, Arabella treated Jayson like a brother. Even before, she treated Jayson more like a family than a boyfriend. The news gave her a big shock as her heart was clenched so hard that she was unable to breathe properly. Her heart was grieving for Jayson.
"Jayson, why? What happened? Why did you leave so soon?" Her eyes could not help releasing her sorrowful tears. She was completely at a loss when someone knocked on her door. It made her snap back to her senses. Arabella quickly wiped her tears but the red marks in her eyes were visibly seen. One could easily say that she had been crying.
"Who's that?" If it was her house, she would probably say 'come in' but it was not, so she had to screen some people as she had someone whom she didn't want to see.
"Mrs. Sky, This is old butler Hanford, Mr. Sky is requesting your presence in his study room." A polite voice of a man came out behind the door.
Since Arabella was not in the mood to see and bicker with Bill Sky, she opted to turn down the invitation, "Please tell him that I am busy." It was the only alibi that came to her mind first.
"Mrs. Sky, Mr. Sky wanted to inform you that it was an urgent matter. He clearly stated that it was about Mr. Jayson Hansen." The butler replied in a detailed manner.
Upon hearing Jayson's name Arabella halted in the air. She could still feel her body trembling with intense grief. It seemed Bill had read the news too. Arabella was just so curious about Bill's intention and what it had to do with Jayson. So, she stood up and said, "Okay, I will come to him now. Thank you."
After her words, she went directly to Bill without even noticing that she was still wearing her bathrobe. Her mind was fully occupied with Jayson's death. Maybe Bill Sky had something to enlighten her. Maybe he had some good news. Just after a minute, she reached Bill's study room. Standing outside, she knocked on his door with a heavy heart.
"Come in." Bill's stern voice was heard. Arabella was trying to compose herself though she found it very hard, she didn't care at all. She had the right to mourn as Jayson held a special part of her heart.
Arabella slowly entered the huge study room and she quickly saw Bill sitting on his president's chair. Even if he was just wearing casual house clothes, he still looked elegant and intimidating. His cold eyes met her red sad eyes.
"I..." Arabella uttered trying to compose herself. Having Bill Sky in the same room, the air seemed to turn very cold. She wanted to check on Jayson but she didn't know how to inform him.
"5 minutes... We go together." Bill suddenly said like he read her mind.
Arabella looked at Bill in disbelief. She didn't know what to react or say but she felt satisfied with Bill's words.
"Okay..." That was the only word she could utter then she left.
Bill's unreadable gaze accompanied Arabella's back on her way out.
Arabella went down before the agreed time. However, Bill was already in the car with his driver. He sat at the back and Arabella was ushered by the butler in the same seat.
Upon entering the car, Arabella met Bill's unfathomable eyes, she nodded at him as a courtesy. Her door closed and the driver swiftly drove away. Inside the car, the silence was deafening. It seemed the two had nothing to say to each other or maybe they tried to suppress the things they had in mind and kept them to themselves. It was also possible that the timing wasn't right. Jayson's sudden death was just so outrageous. Arabella was still in deep shock.
The death of Jayson Hansen thunder struck the whole city and abroad but hence, the wake of him was privately exclusive by Jayson's family's arrangement.
The car arrived at the wake's venue.
Bill got down first and Arabella followed. Her steps were slow like her feet were contemplating if she would go inside and see Jayson inside his casket. Just thinking about this, her heart was clenched very hard. With her head low, she tried to walk properly not to stumble and humiliate herself in front of everyone. The trembling in her feet was surging up when she was about to enter the place. There were people inside but her bloodshot eyes were only focused on the elegant brown coffin in front of her. When she was already in the middle, Arabella stopped. She felt she wanted to go away. She could not find her courage seeing Jayson in a casket. She wanted to turn around and just run away.
Then she heaved a heavy sigh. She was clenching her fists to stabilize herself and muttered in the air, 'You can do it, Arabella. For one last time... Be there for your brother, Jayson.' She closed her eyes then released a heavy sigh again and continued walking forward.
Finally, she got a glimpse of her ex-lover Jayson.
"Jayson Hansen...." Arabella muttered in a low voice. Her tone carried immense dismay. She looked at Jayson like he was sleeping peacefully and memories with him flashed across her mind.
Jayson's smile whenever he sees her was divine. He was always there for her. When they became lovers after years of courting her, Jayson was very sweet, helpful, responsible, and protective. At that time, she felt like having a big brother in school but then, the students on their campus wanted them to be the perfect pair. They were always nominated for Mr. And Mrs. Northern Campus even on Valentine's Day, Christmas Day, and other events on the campus they were always matched. It was either they took part as partners in the said events. They even think that they were in a romantic relationship because they were very close but they had nothing until their common friends made it work for them.
She still remembered Jayson's smile and happiness when she said 'yes' to him. His eyes narrowed and it was filled with sparks. Whenever they had to study for a long night, Jayson had always something for her. Whenever she was hooked up on studying or she was chasing some deadlines, she had a habit to skip meals but Jayson was always there to feed her. He fed her just for her not to skip meals. He would not go home until she was already asleep. Sometimes, she just drove to her sofa and slept there but Jayson always carried her inside her room and settled her on her bed properly before he go. In school, he was always there to protect her. When someone wanted to kiss her for fun Jayson came to her rescue. He got into a fight for her. He got bruises all over his face but he still managed to smile at her.
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