Chapter 16. Sharon's Unease and Conspiracy
Elder Smith had been a respected prophetic werewolf in the pack, and his prophecies had never been wrong. Even though when Raphael had been with Jacintha, he had occasionally lost control of his emotions and had wanted to have sex with her multiple times, it had simply been because she had resembled Sharon so much, making him confused. So Raphael had thought that even though Jack might very well have been a werewolf, he could not have been his son.
Moreover, if Jack truly had been his son, then how could Jacintha—the woman who had loved money so much that she had been willing to do anything for it—have remained silent and raised his child without ever demanding money from him?
That had been absolutely impossible unless Jacintha had been pure and sincere. She might have become his sexual toy for money, but after he had discarded her, she had immediately sought to serve the fat man Brown. A woman like her could never have been pure and sincere.
A person like her had been no different from merchandise displayed on a shelf, with prices clearly marked.
When Jack had heard Raphael say he had been both foolish and weak, his face had immediately flushed with embarrassment. He had whispered to Jacintha, "Mommy, let's hurry up and leave. Don't pay attention to that evil giant anymore."
"Okay, let's go back to Mira." Jacintha had kissed Jack's cheek with a heavy heart. She had stopped looking at Raphael and had turned to leave with Jack in her arms.
Raphael had watched them leave decisively, feeling uneasy. His blue eyes had stared at Jacintha's graceful figure, and he had suddenly recalled her porcelain-like white skin. Jacintha's skills in sex had always pleased him. Every time he had tormented her, she had parted her red, plump lips, gasped for air, and then sweetly moaned beneath him.
Just thinking about that scene, Raphael had felt his cock harden and his throat itch slightly. Yet his face had remained cold, betraying no emotion.
Sharon had noticed him staring intently in the direction Jacintha had left, and a pang of worry had struck her. Teasingly, she said, “Look at you, already missing that beautiful woman?”
Raphael had frowned and replied, “Don’t say that. I hate her the most.”
Sharon had smirked, her lips curving. “It’s rare to see you despise someone so much. I thought her behavior wasn’t bad, and even her body and face were quite appealing.”
Raphael had smiled at Sharon, his tone flirtatious. “I think you’re not so bad yourself.”
Sharon had chuckled softly, stepping forward as she said, “Right now, I just want to focus on my career. No time for other thoughts. You know I’m not young anymore—I can’t keep playing idol roles forever. I need to transition into blockbuster films to stay relevant.”
In the past, she had often used these words to cheer Raphael up, and each time, he had reassured her not to worry before asking if she had wanted a role in a certain movie or to work with a particular director.
If she had said yes, it had only taken a short while before Raphael had made it happen. But this time, after Sharon had finished speaking, she had heard no response from him. Suspicious, she had turned to look and had found his gaze fixed on the restaurant’s entrance.
There, Jacintha had been walking out, carrying Jack in her arms. Under the restaurant’s lights, her beautiful face had looked irresistibly alluring. Sharon’s smile had faded, her eyes turning icy. It had seemed she had to do something tonight—at least give Raphael a little "sweetness" to keep him from being drawn to another woman.
……
Jacintha had carried Jack out of the restaurant. Mira had followed silently beside her before finally speaking up, “Jacintha, one day, I’ll make sure you and Jack can live freely, just as you wish.”
Jacintha had understood exactly what Mira had been worried about. She had been afraid that Mira would overthink things and neglect taking care of herself, so she had smiled and said, "It's fine, we'll wait for that day. But for now, take good care of your health, because your body is your most precious asset."
Mira nodded. Jack had leaned against Jacintha’s shoulder, his lips slightly pouting, a sad expression on his face as he said, "Mommy, I want to go home."
"Don't you want to go have some barbecue?"
"I don't want to eat."
Hearing the tired and somewhat aggrieved tone in her son's voice, Jacintha had hugged him and teased, "You don't want to have roasted lamb and buttercream sauce? Isn't that your favorite dish?"
Jack hadn't answered but had buried his face in Jacintha's neck. Jacintha had continued to tease him a little more, "What's wrong with you?"
Unexpectedly, Jack had burst into tears. "Mommy, am I really stupid and weak? I couldn't hold the ice cream cone properly. If I hadn't touched that giant, you wouldn't have been bullied by him."
Jacintha had quickly put Jack down on the ground and had squatted down to look at him. She had then seen Jack’s tears falling, his eyes and nose red from crying.
Seeing Jack cry like that, Jacintha had felt an indescribable discomfort rising in her heart. "Sweetheart, you're not stupid or weak. You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone to get the ice cream."
"It's not your fault." Jack had shaken his head, crying and sobbing, looking deeply sad.
Jacintha had suddenly realized something. It had likely been that Raphael’s cold attitude and his disdainful words at the restaurant had hurt Jack a great deal.
At that moment, she had regretted taking Jack to the buffet and had regretted even more not going with him to get the drinks. She had even felt a bit angry at Raphael for his thoughtlessness. Yet, she had still found herself drawn to someone as cold and indifferent as him. It had been truly a contradiction.
That night, Jacintha had comforted Jack for a long time, and eventually, Jack had stopped crying and had smiled. However, the boy was still angry. Before falling asleep, he had reminded Jacintha, “Mommy, if you ever meet that evil giant again, don’t pay attention to him, okay?”
“Alright.” Jacintha had lovingly kissed his forehead.
At that moment, Jack had obediently closed his eyes to sleep. He had cried a lot that night, his eyes had still been red, and his eyelids had slightly scrunched, as though he had still felt a little upset, which had made Jacintha’s heartache.
The cause of all this had been because she had taken Jack to the buffet. If she hadn’t, they wouldn’t have met Raphael, and Jack wouldn’t have been called foolish and weak by Raphael. For a child, this had been truly a huge blow.