Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

"Mrs. Jean..." screamed Toby with a look of unease.

'Why is there a sudden change in Mrs. Jean's emotion?' wondered Toby feeling startled.

"Don't bother me Toby. I am fine and I need to spend some time alone," answered Jean without maintaining an eye contact. While she stood outside Joy's ward, Toby detected a look of seriousness on Jean's face. It seemed like she was trying hard to repress her sadness. On the other side of the door, Joy's face had guilt and other self-loathing emotions written all over it. And this emotion deepened further as she realized that she had failed to respond appropriately and now Jean had already left.

Since she had no choice, she contemplated over each and every word which Jean uttered a few seconds ago. At the end, her pale face changed and was replaced with a smile.

After spending quite a while sitting on the chair and trying to calm herself down, Jean finally got up. It seemed nearly impossible to regain peace in her heart. Somehow, she succeeded in dragging herself near the gate.

Toby, who carefully followed her, looked at her with some worry. Several times he had almost reached out his hand to help Jean who stumbled every now and then. But in the end, he would back down since she always managed to regain her balance. Moreover, he was well aware about the disparity of status between him and Jean so he tried his best to maintain a distance. Deep in his heart, he knew he had to protect her since it was a duty given to him by Mr. Zed. But at the same time he could not take the liberty of touching her unless and until there was an emergency.

After clumsily staggering everywhere, Jean finally reached near the area where the car was parked. Being aware this adventurous journey was over, Toby let out a sigh of relief. Once Jean got inside the car, she seemed relaxed.

Now Toby got to the driver's seat and the car started to move ahead steadily. Jean gazed outside to admire the beautiful landscape. For a while, she was lost admiring the scenery but swiftly her mind went back to the problems that she was dealing with. 'Well, sometimes life is just like what is in front of me.

No matter what scenery is being shown now, good or bad, the next second it changes completely. All at once, something new is presented before me. And the worst part is, it changes so quickly that I have no time to respond. No matter how hard I try, it will keep moving. Joy has played a big role in my miserable childhood, but now I think it is time for me to let her go from my life.

But why is it that I feel disheartened to see her gradually fade away?

Am I insane since it seems like I am deriving pleasure from this pain? Did I forget all about her cruelty which I tolerated when I was very young?

When will I stop being so stupid!

You know very well it's not easy for you to let go of your hatred for her.

But she has the right to make her choice since this is her life, ' thought Jean.

Finally she rested her mind convincing herself that people had only one life, and everyone would come to an end in some way or other.

Feeling a lot more at ease, Jean let out a sigh. The grave look on her face was much softer now.

Soon, Toby stopped the car outside the gate of the Qi Mansion. He got out of his seat and opened the door for Jean carefully. She then walked slowly into the house. As soon as she arrived at the living room, she found that Zed was already back home. At the sight of the love of her life, she felt touched and kind of sad in her heart.

"Zed..." said Jean in her trembling voice.

Sensing her voice, Zed glanced up from the papers which were on his hand and smiled excitedly. He quickly placed the papers down and walked towards her. Standing in front of her, he stared at her with pure tenderness. Now he was eagerly waiting to hear what had happened.

"Why did you come home so early today? Isn't it wrong to leave work so early all the time?" asked Jean as she looked up at Zed with a smile on her face. In truth, she was glad to see him but she didn't want him to neglect his work for her.

"Well, I'm the boss so I am free to leave whenever I want. Besides, I've been paying a high salary to the people I hired. Hence they have to do their duties too. Tell me, how do you feel now?"

Zed looked at Jean and inquired in a soft tone.

Noticing the concern that was evident in his eyes, Jean understood why Zed was here at this time.

Now she wanted to know whether it was Toby who had informed Zed about what happened in the hospital. Quickly, she turned around expecting to see him. However, Toby had left already when she entered the room. There was something weird about Toby. Toby would always disappear when he wasn't needed. But when he was needed, he would follow her everywhere.

"You don't have to search for him. It is not Toby who told me," said Zed when he noticed her eyes roaming around. For Zed, it was easy to read Jean's mind. He sighed and added, "I own some stock in JH Hospital, so someone reported me as soon as you arrived there." His reply made sense and a trace of embarrassment was shown on her face.

'Jesus, I almost misunderstood Toby!' thought Jean feeling guilty.

And now she realized that Toby was a trustworthy person and would never go behind her back. Suddenly, this shame turned her face crimson. And she stuck her tongue out, flushing with shame.

Seeing the shy and guilty look on Jean's face, Zed was extremely attracted to her. He tried his best to peel his eyes from her face but that seemed nearly impossible. Finally, he changed the topic of their conversation and said, "I can't believe that Moore and Avery went out without you. I mean, you are all friends, aren't you? I will have to talk to them when they come back."

"No," retorted Jean quickly. And she added, "Give them some time to talk and get to know each other. Besides, Avery is going back to her work soon. Time is running out for the two of them."

"How can you put up with that? It is not fair that they go out together for fun while you stay at home alone. Well, this makes my heart ache," replied Zed with a sigh. He then hugged Jean to comfort her a little.

"Well, I have you. And you are all I need. Once I feel bored staying at home alone, I can go to the company with you, can't I?" asked Jean with a cute smile. She then leaned her head on his broad shoulder. All of a sudden, she let out a slight sigh. "What's the matter? Is it because of Joy? Did she say something?" asked Zed sounding concerned.

In truth, he had repressed himself from asking this question. Ever since she came back, that question had been on the tip of his tongue. But he did not want to upset her hence he decided against it.

Now he couldn't take it any longer and wanted to know what exactly had happened.

"No," replied Jean while she shook her head. She added, "I was thinking how fragile life is. Today when I saw Joy in the hospital, I came to realize that it doesn't take long for one to get old. We human-beings are just like a flower that will wither overnight."

"Don't be sad, dear. Although Joy might not be cured physically, I have a strong feeling that you have cured her mentally," consoled Zed seeing the disappointment on his wife's face. "After you left, Joy called the doctor herself and she asked him to work hard in order to keep her alive. And she promised the doctor that she would do whatever he tells her to do because she wants to live a few more years. Someone in the hospital reported this to me. Obviously, her desire of survival is now very strong. What did you say that brought such a sudden change in her attitude?"

asked Zed curiously.

"Well, I just told her to live until I stop hating her..." replied Jean with a wry smile on her face.

"Jean..." uttered Zed suddenly out of surprise. He found it hard to believe what Jean had just said.

"Yes?" answered Jean softly and waited to hear what Zed wanted to say.

"I know that you don't hate her anymore. You just never said it," said Zed with a smile. Zed felt relaxed at the realization that Jean had forgiven Joy but he also knew she was hesitant to admit it. Like always, he managed to read her mind.

"No, I'm not," Jean shook her head at Zed's words and denied it. With frustration, she added, "How could I not hate her? You have no idea what she has done to me..."

"All right, whatever you say. The last thing I want is to argue with you about this matter. We have already had enough fight because of this. I have no intention of upsetting you," replied Zed surrendering to Jean's words. Moreover, he knew Jean had suffered a lot and it might take her a while to admit it. In a happy tone, he added, "How do you feel now? Are you tired? Do you want to go back to the bedroom and have some rest?"

"Well, yes. I do feel tired right now and a little rest would be useful," replied Jean with a nod.

"Let me take you to the bedroom then," suggested Zed happily. Without giving her any time to respond, he bent down and carried her up carefully. Slowly, he made his way toward the bedroom.

"Zed," whispered Jean, as she put her arms around his neck softly. Staring into his eyes, she asked, "Did you leave the company early to check how I am doing?"

"Well, sort of! Zelda mentioned that you were going to be alone since Moore and Avery would be away. I wanted to ensure you wouldn't be bored," replied Zed as he stepped into their bedroom. Carefully, he placed Jean on their bed.

"Would you like to lie down for a rest too?" asked Jean as she gave him a big smile. She continued, "You always go to bed late at night and then wake up early the day. This is definitely not good for you body, don't you agree?"

Seeing this concern on his beautiful wife's face, Zed's heart swelled with happiness. "Please don't worry about me. I am taking good care of myself. I'm glad to see that your appetite has improved lately. How's pregnancy treating you? Do you feel better now?"☐☐☐