Chapter 2
Jordan returned to her
to her room. her shoulder burning with pain.]
shrt her lip as she carefully deased the wound with alcohol soaked cotton halls. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain, but she didn’t make a amund.
Only as dawn began to break did she finally drif into a restless sleep ||
Jordan Hayes! You have the nerve to sleep?”
The door was thrown open, her mother’s shrill voler 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 signess in her eyes. “Jordan should come
me too. You hardly ever go out–ill 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
0
At the upscale restaurand, Maxwell confidently ordered their meal: “The prime nib without horseradish, the poached salmon with light seasoning, and the glazed pork medallions.
All Vanessa’s favorites.
-Jordan vaguely recalled how in her previous life, she and Maxwell had also dined out many times, yet over all those years, he never remembered that she was
allergic to cilantro, or that seafood made her stomach turn. Yet he remembered 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
While Jordan, sitting across from them, might as well have been invisible.[]
filled.]
Max. 1 heard there’s a new movie showing that’s supposed to be amazing!” Vanessa said sweedy after the meal. “But the tickets are all sold out…”
Maxwell didn’t even frown. T 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 medidae.
What had he said them?
Rules are rules. LeanTask for special treatment.||
now, to please Vanessa, he abandoned his principles without hesitation
In the theater, the screen flickered with light and shadow ||
sat in the corner, surrounded by the hushed conversations between Maxwell and Vanessa
*Max, this scene is so scary.” Vanessa incived closer to Maxwell, her voice soft and vulnerable ||
\Don’t be afraid,” Maxwell’s voice was deep and gentle, with a patience fordan 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
Jordan gripped the armrests tightly, her nails nearly digging into her palma ||
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 stolent
Chaos erupted instantly. In the shoving and justling, Jordan felt someone deliberately pash her hard from behind![]
Ah-
She shambled 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 the curled up to protect her head. Through the chaos, she heard Vanessa’s voice with disturbing clarity.
“The thief is here! Its her
Tordan
looked up in shock, meeting Vanessa’s triumphant gaze
The next moment, a large woman grabbed her by the hair. “You are steal from me, you little bitch? ||
“It wasn’t me!” Jordan struggled through the pain. “You’ve got the wrong person.
“still denying IE” 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 halstones.
“Maxwell!” jordan instinctively called out, her voice hours.]
nat nearby. Maxwell was rushing to Vanessa’s side. “Vanessal I told you to stay close to me! What were you thinking?“]
“Max” Vanessa limped toward him, her voice tearful.” 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 hersel
