Jacob Jefferson kneeled on one knee while his hand holding a little box, then he opened the box. It was a diamond ring inside the box. Amy Brooke gasped as she didn’t expect Jacob to propose to her tonight.
“We have been together for a short time. Maybe three months is too fast, but I have met no woman that I feel more suitable to be my wife than you.”
Amy put her hand to cover her mouth as she was too surprised. Since Jacob was hot and cold consecutively, she even suspected Jacob might want to end their relationship tonight. But who would have guessed that Jacob proposed to her?
“I ….”
Then the people in the restaurant, who sat near the young couples, shouted, “Accept him! Accept him! Accept him!”
Amy bit her lower lip. Then she whispered, “Jacob, please have a seat.”
“Will you accept my proposal?” Jacob’s eyes pleaded with her.
“Let’s talk first. Then I’ll give you my answer.”
That was when Samuel Hoffner saw what happened. Samuel was a famous billionaire who owned so many hotel networks and restaurants, including the restaurant where Amy and Jacob were currently there. He was there with his date, Cecilia Smith.
“Do you see them?” Samuel moved his chin over Amy and Jacob.
“Yes, the man proposes to his girlfriend. Isn’t it romantic?”
“Ha! Romantic? What if the girl rejects him?”
Cecilia shook her head. “I don’t think she will do that. But, wait! I think I know them. The man is Jacob Jefferson, the heir to The House of Glam, while the woman is Amy Brooke, the first daughter of Peter Brooke. Peter Brooke is a genius at creating jewelry. Do you know Jewelry Palace?”
Samuel nodded as he had just bought a blue diamond necklace Cecilia loved in the Jewelry Palace. He even met with Peter Brooke, the designer of the necklace and the jewelry store owner.
He squinted his eyes and shook his head slightly. “See? The girl will reject him. She is too young to get married.”
“Who said? I think Amy is twenty. She can marry now. Can you imagine if they get married? The fashion world will have a big party!”
What Cecilia said was correct as The House of Glam and Jewelry Palace were two famous places for all fashionistas. As Cecilia was a model, she knew exactly who’s who in the industry.
Samuel glanced at Amy and Jacob again. Then, he saw how Amy bit her lower lip and bent her head. He made up his mind and threw his napkin. “Let’s go there. I think the girl needs to be rescued.”
“What will you do? They are lovers! You will disturb them.”
“Let’s walk there just to ensure that she’s okay.”
Cecilia had no choice other than to follow Samuel. She grabbed Samuel’s hand, so she wouldn’t be left behind. Then she walked beside him with chin lifted high. Many restaurant visitors glanced toward them in awe. Samuel smiled and nodded at some of them as he recognized some of the restaurant’s regular customers.
Before he could walk further, a tall man towered in front of him. “Samuel Hoffner?”
“Yes, and you are?”
“Jason Doherty.”
Samuel frowned for a second and shook his head. “Sorry, but never heard of the name.”
“Maybe you won’t remember any of your victims’ names. But you should remember Cassiopeia Village.”
Samuel stared at Jason. “Sure. I bought them last week. All papers have been managed by my lawyers.”
“Your men have tricked us!” Jason clenched his fist. “We lost our inheritance land for centuries because of your sly scheme.”
“Really?” Samuel raised his eyebrow. It was ridiculous since he had never forced anyone to sell their land. It’s a pure business!
Eavesdropping on what Samuel and Jason said, the restaurant’s visitors talked about it. That was when two bodyguards came.
“Any problem, boss?”
Samuel only moved his chin a little. “Please escort this man out of the restaurant. He makes our customers uncomfortable.”
Both guards immediately grabbed Jason’s arm. “Sir, please don’t humiliate yourself. Otherwise, you will find yourself in jail soon.”
“Are you threatening me?! Your boss is the one who you should send to jail. He took our land!”
But both guards pulled Jason’s hands and escorted him to the door. Their huge bodies made Jason unable to escape.
Jason kept screaming and kicking. “Let me go! You won’t get away so easily! I’ll get revenge! Samuel Hoffner, wait and see!”
Samuel only smiled, as receiving threats was a casual occasion for him. Nevertheless, he glanced around and smiled at the customers in the restaurant.
“Sorry for the inconvenience. It’s only a man who wants to blackmail me in public.” Deliberately Samuel shrugged. “I should protect myself.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hoffner! We are witnesses to how the man threatened you!” A man sitting at the following table shouted.
Samuel nodded and offered his hand to the man. “Thank you, Mr. ….?”
“Bernard. Bernard Brown. Just call me Bernard.”
“Then please call me Samuel too. Thank you for your support, Bernard.” Both men shook hands and smiled at each other. “Can I have your business card, Bernard? Maybe I want to make a business or two with you.”
Bernard immediately reached out his wallet and handed over a card to Samuel. “It will be a great honor and pleasure.”
Samuel inserted the card into his pocket, smiled, and nodded. Then he raised his hand. A server immediately approached him. He bent his body forward.
“Yes, Mr. Hoffner?”
“Please know that I treat Mr. Bernard. So, no charge for his table, please.”
The server bowed again. “Understand, sir.”
Bernard smiled and nodded. “Wow, it’s a big surprise. I know that what I read is wrong.”
“Oh? What do you read?”
Bernard scratched his back neck, unsure to tell Samuel. “Uh, you know. Don’t be mad since I only read about it.”
“Sure, sure. I won’t be mad.”
“Uh, they said that you’re as cold as ice in Alaska and as mean as voracious shark.” Bernard shook his head. “I think they are all wrong.”
Samuel only smiled. “It depends on who they are. But let’s meet a week from now. Enjoy your dinner, Bernard.”
“Thank you, Samuel.”
Samuel nodded. When Samuel was about to walk back to his table, the breaking glass sound suddenly filled the room.
After sitting, Amy did not answer right away. She stared at Jacob for a moment before asking, “Why did you propose to me?” “My mom likes you. According to her, it would be great if our family were united. Our family business would be bigger.” Amy clasped her hands together. “Oh...” “Not only that.” Seeing Amy’s eyes dimmed, Jacob rushed to add. “I feel comfortable with you. You are a kind and understanding girl. What else can I ask for?” He took Amy’s hand and held it. “So?” Amy considered it for a moment. “Will you allow me to finish college? This is my last year. It would be a pity if I stop my studies just because we will get married.” “Of course!” Jacob answered quickly. “Honey, I know we are still young. Twenty-two may still be too young to marry and you are twenty, but why should we wait? Besides, next year my mom will start handing over bigger responsibilities in the House of Glam to me. Marrying you would be the right move.” Amy took a deep breath. Jacob was her first lov
The trip to the hospital felt so long. Amy bit her lower lip while praying that her parents and sister would be okay. She was worried because the hospital staff who contacted her said that her parents and sister were treated in the emergency room (ER). If they only had slight wounds, surely they wouldn’t stay in the ER. “Amy, everything will be alright. Don’t worry.” Jacob squeezed Amy’s hand. She nodded while still sobbing. “I hope so.” They didn’t speak anymore until they arrived at the hospital. Jacob and Amy rushed inside to go to the registration department. There was no queue, so they could go straight in. “I’m Amy Brooke. I just got a call from here, probably from the registration staff. She said my parents (Peter and Melanie Brooke) and my sister (Jillian Brooke) had a car accident and are now in the ER.” Amy took a deep breath and shed her tears. “Is the information correct?” The registration staff did not immediately respond. “Wait a moment, please. Let me check our data
After staying awake from night until dawn, despite her efforts to stay awake, the mixed feelings of grief, shock, and anxiety were too strong to resist. She stretched to straighten her sore arms, waist, and back. As soon as she opened his eyes, Amy saw Jacob who was still fast asleep. Amy smiled a little. She touched Jacob’s cheek gently. “Jacob, wake up. It’s morning already.” Jacob groaned, then took Amy’s hand and held it. “Beautiful. You are beautiful, my dear,” he mumbled at sleep. Amy stroked Jacob’s cheek and sighed. At least in this tragedy, she was not alone. There was still Jacob beside her. Everything would be fine she said to herself, trying to lift her mood. Jacob was still asleep while holding Amy’s hand. At that moment, Amy remembered she had not paid the hospital bill. Last night when signing the operation agreement letter, in one form, it was written how much she must pay. The bill already reached ten million for the surgery and the ER handling for his parents and
Amy was about to go to Jillian’s room, but then she heard her cell phone ringing. It was Sunday morning, and it was rare for her friends to call so early. Usually if they wanted to invite Amy to hangout, they would call in the afternoon or evening or just leave a message. They knew Amy would reply to the messages immediately. Looking at the phone screen, it was from an unknown phone number. So, Amy ignored the call and rushed to Jillian’s care unit. However, soon there was another calling. It was from the same number. Amy sighed because it was annoying. As the daughter of a billionaire family, her phone number was linked to the bank account and credit card. Thus, many telemarketers often called her to offer many things: to apply for other credit cards and insurances. Thinking the phone call was from a telemarketer, Amy finally snapped. She turned off her phone and let out a heavy sigh. Her temple throbbed right away because of her lack of sleeping. She rushed to room 305. Opening t
After asking Doctor Benjamin if Jillian could eat regular food, Amy waited for the nurse to bring breakfast for Jillian as meals were provided. Sadly, Jillian couldn’t eat the fast food until she truly recovered. Jillian ate porridge a little, then complained of headache and nausea. Later, she vomited and stopped eating. Amy panicked and called the doctor again. Doctor Benjamin rushed to Jillian’s room to find she was unconscious. Doctor Benjamin pressed a button. “I must check Jillian’s condition again through CT Scan.” Then some hospital staff entered Jillian’s room. They asked Amy to leave the care unit first and waited in the waiting room while they moved Jillian to the CT Scan room. After a while, Doctor Benjamin approached Amy. “Ms. Brooke, your sister’s condition needs the second surgery as there is a ruptured aneurysm—bleeding in the brain.” Amy clenched her hands together and asked, “Why does she experience it, Doctor?” “It can be because of the high blood pressure,
Jacob turned off his phone, sighed, and then rubbed his temple. It was around ten a.m., but he had already got a headache. Being an only child wasn’t easy. With a dominant mother, Jacob could only succumb to his mother not because he couldn’t fight her, but because he didn’t want to have a headache every day. When he returned to the table, Amy smiled at him. “You must be hungry. I have opened your box. Eat it now.” Jacob ate without talking. He didn’t know what he would do if his mother pressured him to end his relationship with Amy. But he could only hope everything would work well in the end. Though it might be a new hell for Amy if she married him later. Jacob let out a heavy sigh again. “What’s wrong? Did your mother complain you didn’t visit her?” He shook his head. “No, but my mother loves to force her will against mine. It’s a common problem for me. Maybe it’s because of lack of sleep, so I find she is quite annoying today. I know she does it because she loves me, but somet
Jacob went to his parents’ house. Knowing from his experiences, if he didn’t visit his mother soon, she would be more and more angry with him. He drove his silver sports car after sending a text message to his mother. ‘I’m on my way to visit you. Please wait for me, Mom.’ The traffic was crowded, and it took him twenty minutes more than it used to be. He calmed himself first before going out of his car. As his mother would bombard him with her demand, Jacob intended to do his best not to ignite his mother’s rage. Since no matter what he said or did, he wouldn’t win against her. Then he rang the bell. A butler opened the door for him. “Young master, great to see you.” “Where is my mom, Gerald?” “She is waiting for you in her room.” What Gerald meant by Tanya’s room was her working room. It was a spacious room fit for receiving guests. The socialite guests often visited Tanya in her room, as they would talk and share the latest gossip. Jacob nodded and headed to the room. Tanya wa
Gwen dabbed her eyes carefully with a handkerchief, so she wouldn’t smear the mascara. Then, after letting out a sigh, she pouted at Jacob. “Is this how you treat the one who will help you?” “Help me?” Jacob wrinkled his forehead. “How can you help me?” Gwen smiled prettily, then sat on the couch. She waved at Jacob, gesturing for him to come and sit next to her. He finally relented and sat next to her. She scooted to sit nearer to Jacob and reached out to hold his hand. “Jacob, before we will start planning everything, I want to make a confession.” “A confession?” He raised his eyebrows. “What is it about? That you only pretended to be Amy’s best friend to stab her?” “No!” She shook her head. “Of course not! It’s about you!” “Me?” He frowned. “What is it?” Gwen bit her lower lip. Then she lifted her eyes shyly to stare at him. “I have fallen in love with you for a long time, even before you knew Amy.” Jacob widened his eyes. “But why have you never approached or showed your fee