Chapter 33

The only light that was on was the bedside lamp. Its glow was dim. Carlie remained silent, beside Jona's already soundly sleeping body. He appeared infinitely peaceful. Unlike his usual aura that always radiated malice, firmness, and condemnation. The silence without Jona awake seemed to be quite calming. Carlie enjoyed it. But not long after, the silence was broken. By Jonathan Austin.

"Don't... leave me,"Carlie turned spontaneously. And at that moment, she saw a furrow on Jona's forehead. As if the man was tormented. Seeing something in his nightmares. "Mom, Nath... don't leave...."

Carlie frowned. She remembered how Jona had said the same thing on the night she was kidnapped to his mansion. How the man came with bloodstains all over his body, and hugged Carlie. Then also said,"don't leave me."

Since the last time Carlie encountered Jona, she had more than known that the man was not mentally well. Does it have anything to do with his family? His past? And related to this dream? Carlie clenched her jaw, biting her lip hard.

Damn it. Now I'm curious,"do you think i'm interested in discussing a ridiculous marriage?"Jona asked sharply, almost sarcastically.

"N-no,"Tiffany whispered, starting to tremble.

"In that case, just shut your mouth and don't ask too many questions. I told you to handle it, so handle it yourself as you wish. Understand?"he threatened.

"Your voice is giving me a headache. Be quiet."

Tiffany began to imagine a thousand and one problems that would inevitably arise if she were to actually marry this cruel man. Would he even consider her desires? Respect her opinions? Or even... regard her as an equal wife? Tiffany bit her lip.

She doubted it. It wouldn't even be surprising if when they were married, they wouldn't even talk more than once a week. If lucky, their conversations would last more than 5 minutes. It sounded like a miserable marriage. But even so, Tiffany had to do it. She would endure being treated coldly by her future husband.

All for the prosperity of her father's company, and also... A small smile crept onto her lips, so that she can have high power in the mafia world, and spend her entire life in luxury under the protection of the Austin family.

Being treated coldly by a mere man couldn't stop Tiffany from being happy, imagining a life filled with wealth that would eventually come to her.

Jona left the hotel with a crease on his forehead. His annoyance today was almost boiling over. For him, anyone bearing the name Emerald was a disaster he despised. He wanted to destroy them and while he wanted to destroy Tiffany's father, just looking at his daughter, who even slightly resembled her father, made him grind his teeth throughout dinner. He would make sure that in the near future, he wouldn't and didn't want to encounter Tiffany at all.

He reached into his pants pocket from the passenger seat, pulling out a clean white phone, wrapped in a semi-transparent silicone case in lilac purple, with the initials TE written on it. If it weren't for this object, he wouldn't bother talking to her... He sighed heavily.

'If it weren't for Carlie Eloise.'

The man's face couldn't leave Carlie's mind.

Carlie sat in silence on the couch in her boutique. She didn't even touch her phone, which lay beside her, untouched. She really did nothing. Nothing more than staring at the wall, and rewinding memories of the night three days ago, when Jonathan Austin stayed overnight at her residence. Where she heard his quiet moans. Restless in his sleep.

'What happened to him? What made him like that? These thoughts were like an endless whirlwind constantly haunting her mind and damn it,' she knew one absolute trait she always possessed. The trait to not be able to stop when she was curious about something.

Her deepest innermost being would continue to pound her chest, giving her extra motivation even when unwanted, to continue chasing her curiosity until satisfied. In any condition and even now, she found it extremely difficult to hold back her urge to ask Jonathan Austin what happened to him, in his past. 'What made him cruel like this?'

What happened that afternoon when he destroyed his own auditorium? And the most lingering, disgusting question was,

'Is there anything she can do to help him?'

Carlie grabbed a throw pillow from the couch beside her, then threw it against the wall, letting it lie helpless on the cold floor. 'Damn it!' She didn't know that her mother's advice, which was always repeated to her ears, endlessly, like a sacred testament, would influence her will like this. She wasn't at all someone who cared about others. Her empathy was low. If someone suffered a disaster, then it was God's will, not her business. If someone was in poverty, then it was their fault for not being able to make money, she didn't care. If someone is afraid of her, then she will make them even more afraid of her, they will grimace like helpless mice for the rest of their lives.However, when it comes to someone who might be struggling with their own inner turmoil, whether due to trauma, childhood fears, or inherited bad mentalities, this topic always touches Carlie's soft heart and makes it tremble.

And unfortunately, Carlie's empathy resonates in the face of Jonathan Austin's name. He is the man she despises the most.

"Excuse me, Madame,"Emma's sweet voice successfully stopped Carlie's wandering thoughts that felt like they could devour her own mind.

"What is it?"Carlie replied, calling out from behind the door.

"I received a package addressed to you, may i come in to deliver it?"Carlie furrowed her brow. She didn't remember ordering anything for this evening.

"Just come in."

Emma opened the door to Carlie's office, stepping inside. She placed a small package - not even larger than a single Indonesian dictionary, on the nightstand.

"Do you know who it's from?"Carlie asked.

Emma shook her head. "Ah, but the one who delivered the package mentioned his name,"Emma paused for a moment, recalling her blurry memory. "Um... Mr. Davin?"

Instantly, Carlie knew who the sender of the package was. Davin... a name Carlie had mentioned to Jona, her right-hand man. Her smile widened, and shortly after, she asked Emma to excuse herself from her office. After Emma's footsteps disappeared into the distance, Carlie opened the package with her scissors and sure enough, the contents of the package matched her suspicions.

Tiffany Emerald's phone.

Carlie grabbed her own phone, then dialed a series of phone numbers. On the third ring, the man she called picked up. Carlie's smile widened even further,"Ian, the package has arrived."