Chapter 7 Nicolas Shen

Stark pressed his thin lips, stared at Jean for a long while, and asked, "Are you speaking the truth?"

"I'm honest with you. Please forgive me and let me go." Jean didn't think twice to reply.

In Stark's mind, the words "let me go" echoed what Joe had said earlier. Stark's firm grip on her wrist loosened up.

After a prolonged silence, he withdrew his hand, and his eyes revealed a great complexity that was hard to read.

His sharp voice was tinged with hate. "Okay! Jean, remember what you said today. Please don't ever show yourself to me after this, or I'll never let you walk out of my life again!"

After he was done talking, Jean didn't even have a chance to work out what was going on since Stark had already gone inside his car and drove away.

Meanwhile, behind the wheel, Stark was furious.

He pressed down on the gas pedal harder and sped up as sudden coldness crept around his heart. His breath was scary, and the depths of his eyes showed imperceptible sadness.

Let her go just like that?

She was the one who recklessly barged into his life without taking everything else into account, and now she was asking him to let her go.

Jean heaved a sigh of relief after he left. Shaking her head, she also turned to go home.

Granted that she did everything in her power to avoid Stark, she wouldn't want their paths to cross ever again.

The moment she arrived at home and pushed open the door, she saw Eric, Amanda, and Andy sitting on the living room couch, waiting for her.

With only a single glance and without any presumptions, it was apparent how eager they looked to hear an update about the blind date.

Jean made her way to join them.

"Hi, Dad and Mom," she greeted.

Amanda made eye contact with Eric and asked, "How did your date go today? Garry is a decent man with a family background no different from ours. Although he has a brother who's quite an egocentric man..."

When the subject of Nicolas came up, Amanda looked sullen at once. It looked like she had a rather bad impression of him.

Jean ended up not telling her that it was Nicolas who showed up on the blind date. She avoided annoying her mother again.

"It went all right. He turned out to be a very thoughtful man who knows how to look after girls." Jean racked her brains and barely managed to say these words.

Amanda was beside herself with joy. "Did you swap contact details with each other after? Anyway, why did you come back at such a late hour today? Were you with Garry the entire time?"

"Yes, Mom. We had coffee first, and then we went out to eat at a restaurant. Afterward, we went to the cinema."

"It sounds like you guys are getting along just fine."

Seeing how happy Amanda looked, Jean thought twice for an instant but still mentioned what she had been thinking on her way back.

"Mom, do you remember telling me last time that I should go to B City and work as the lobby manager in a hotel there? I think I'll give it a go and be on my way in a couple of days."

"You've only been back for a few days, and you now want to run away to another city? I think you should rest for a few more days at home," Andy said.

Jean saw through his cause for concern. The corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile. "Andy, you know me. I can't allow myself to rest for long. I should go to B City early, so I can come back at the earliest possible date to be with you, Mom and Dad again. For now, I have to acquaint myself with the hotel operation process."

"But..."

"Listen to your sister and let her do whatever she wants. When she gets accustomed to her work, she could perform her job better and come back to us."

With Amanda's decision already final, Andy had no choice but to swallow the words that were hanging on the tip of his tongue.

Amanda took Jean's hand, and her usual stern expression revealed a trace of sorrow.

"Your dad and I will call the hotel tomorrow and make arrangements for you to be there next Monday. After a few days, you may come back home. If you get tired, don't push yourself. Remember to keep us posted about your work, okay?"

Jean nodded, "Yes, Mom. I'll do that.

Anyway, I'm feeling drained from my date earlier. I'll head to my room now and rest first."

When Jean headed upstairs, Eric watched her back for a moment, lost in thought. Then he turned to Amanda and asked, "Are we pushing our daughter too hard? I mean..."

"I think she's okay with it, and it's all good. Aside from Nicolas and Stark, regardless of whom Jean ends up with in A City, I believe she will live a better life than she did four years ago."

Eric seemed like he had something to add, but in the end, he kept to himself. He took his wife's arm and escorted her upstairs to go to bed.

Meanwhile, Nicolas also reached home.

As he walked in, he heard Garry's voice sneering on the sofa. "As expected, a bastard's taste in women is truly unflattering. He is even interested in this promiscuous woman in A City that Stark had ditched."

It enraged Garry when he found that the girl he was supposed to go out with was Jean. He was looking through a portfolio with a compilation of Jean's details. In his anger, he tossed the folder and started cursing.

Nicolas picked up the portfolio and saw a photo fell out with Jean's smiling face on it. He smirked and said, "Garry, since you don't want to go, let me take your place instead. I'll be her date."

Seeing Nicolas leave carrying Jean's files, Garry gritted his teeth with hatred instead of feeling reassured. He hated it when his things were blatantly snatched away by others, even if it was something he never wanted or it was his brother who took them.

Suddenly, Nicolas paused in his tracks when he was about to head upstairs. With a cold-eyed gaze, he did an about-face and turned in the direction of his brother.

He stood quietly behind where Garry sat, his hands casually resting on the sofa. With a faint smile, he leaned over and whispered in Garry's ear, "Here's a bit of brotherly advice. I suggest you look after yourself than worry about my affairs. Would you like me to recommend you an andrologist?"

"Damn you, Nicolas! Shut the fuck up!" Garry's body shook with anger.

Garry was eight, maybe nine years older than Nicolas. He was also a known heartbreaker in college. As soon as he got his degree, a girl came to him with a pregnant belly.

Vincent was so angry that he asked the two to proceed to the hospital for a check-up. If the baby was really his, they needed to get married right away.

The laboratory test result was not in line with everybody's expectations. Garry had a fertility problem.

As a result, a month later, the illegitimate son Nicolas was taken back to the Shen family, where he was later introduced to society as Vincent's second son.

"Garry, don't get upset. I'm only doing what's right for you. You wouldn't expect that someday when you inherit all the family wealth, you'd have to give it to a stranger, would you?"

Garry's face turned purple with rage. He clenched his fists on his lap and couldn't wait to rip Nicolas into pieces.

On the other hand, Nicolas was in high spirits. He tapped Garry's shoulder, whistling a happy tune as he went upstairs.

Garry remained seated with a grim expression.

'Nicolas! You wait and see. I'll make you pay for what you said and did to me eventually!'

Meanwhile, Stark was driving back to his villa.

After reaching home, he went straight to the wine rack, took out a bottle of Merlot, and popped it open at once. He took a big swig of the red wine straight from the bottle like his throat was parched.

A short time later, half the bottle was gone.

Stark's body soon became limp and dropped directly to the floor. His scrawny hand covered the top half of his face, making his expression difficult to see.

Stark snuck under the wine cabinet and pulled out a yellow-skinned notebook. His name was delicately inscribed on its front page, and judging from the handwriting, one could say that a girl had scribbled it down.

He cracked open the notebook, and a photo with discolored edges turned up. It appeared as somebody had often touched it.

The girl in the picture had a bright and youthful smile on her face. It was an image of Jean from three years ago.

After a long while, Stark took out his phone and dialed a number.

"The subsidiary company in B City has made preparations for a land bidding, right? Make arrangements for me to go there tomorrow."