Chapter 2
Jordan returned to her room, her shoulder burning with pain.
She bit her lip as she carefully cleaned the wound with alcohol-soaked cotton balls. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain, but she didn’t make a sound.
Only as dawn began to break did she finally drift into a restless sleep.
“Jordan Hayes! You have the nerve to sleep?!”
The door was thrown open, her mother’s shrill voice piercing her ears. “Your sister’s been injured, spent the whole night in the hospital with no rest, and here you are sleeping soundly! Get up right now and make her something to eat! She needs nourishment!”
Jordan gripped the edge of her blanket tightly.
Her shoulder was still bleeding, yet her own mother didn’t spare it a single glance.
“Mom, don’t worry about it,” Vanessa appeared in the doorway, a sweet smile on her face. “Max says he’s taking me out for a nice meal to help me recover.”
With that, she turned to Jordan, a flicker of smugness in her eyes. “Jordan should come too. You hardly ever go out-it’ll be good for you to see something of the world.”
Jordan wanted to refuse, but her mother was already impatiently urging: “Hurry up and get ready! Don’t keep them
waiting!”
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At the upscale restaurant, Maxwell confidently ordered their meal: “The prime rib without horseradish, the poached salmon with light seasoning, and the glazed pork medallions.”
All Vanessa’s favorites.
fordan vaguely recalled how in her previous life, she and Maxwell had also dined out many times, yet over all those
He never remembered that she was allergic to cilantro, or that seafood made her stomach turn. Yet he emembered every single one of Vanessa’s preferences with perfect accuracy.
His explanation back then had been: “Vanessa is your sister. As her brother-in-law, I should understand her tastes.”
Looking back now, it was simply because he loved her.
Throughout the meal, Maxwell attentively removed salmon bones for Vanessa, served her favorite sides, and kept her water glass filled.
01:13
My Womb? No! My Pen is My Weapon Now!
4.0%
While Jordan, sitting across from them, might as well have been invisible.
“Max, I heard there’s a new movie showing that’s supposed to be amazing!” Vanessa said sweetly after the meal. “But the tickets are all sold out…”
Maxwell didn’t even frown. “I’ll have someone take care of it.”
Jordan’s head snapped up.
In her previous life, when she had influenza with a dangerously high fever and the hospital had run out of medication, she had begged Maxwell to use his connections to help acquire medicine.
What had he said then?
“Rules are rules. I can’t ask for special treatment.”
Yet now, to please Vanessa, he abandoned his principles without hesitation.
In the theater, the screen flickered with light and shadow.
Jordan sat in the corner, surrounded by the hushed conversations between Maxwell and Vanessa.
‘Max, this scene is so scary.” Vanessa inched closer to Maxwell, her voice soft and vulnerable.
‘Don’t be afraid,” Maxwell’s voice was deep and gentle, with a patience Jordan had never heard before. “It’s just fiction.”
Vanessa continued pointing at the screen, asking questions about this and that, with Maxwell answering everything, even thoughtfully explaining the plot.
ordan gripped the armrests tightly, her nails nearly digging into her palms.
She was like an unwanted outsider.
As the movie ended, the crowd pushed toward the exits.
Suddenly, a sharp cry cut through the noise: “Stop, thief! My wallet’s been stolen!”
“Ah-!”
upted instantly. In the shoving and jostling, Jordan felt someone deliberately push her hard from behind!
She stumbled and fell, her knees slamming against the floor. Before she could get up, countless feet trampled over
her.
Hands, back, legs-pain washed over her in waves as she curled up to protect her head. Through the chaos, she heard Vanessa’s voice with disturbing clarity:
“The thief is here! It’s her!”
Jordan looked up in shock, meeting Vanessa’s triumphant gaze.
The next moment, a large woman grabbed her by the hair. “You dare steal from me, you little bitch?”
“It wasn’t me!” Jordan struggled through the pain. “You’ve got the wrong person…”
“Still denying it!” The woman slapped her hard across the face.
In the dim light, the woman couldn’t clearly see Jordan’s features, only gripping her hair tightly as her fists rained
down like hailstones.
“Maxwell!” Jordan instinctively called out, her voice hoarse.
But nearby, Maxwell was rushing to Vanessa’s side. “Vanessa! I told you to stay close to me! What were you thinking?”
“Max.” Vanessa limped toward him, her voice tearful. “I twisted my ankle.”
Without hesitation, Maxwell swept her into his arms. “Don’t move. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“But Jordan’s still in there…”
“Don’t worry about her,” Maxwell walked away without looking back. “She can handle herself.”
