Chapter 5
"Here, sir," Nolan said before he handed Jace an envelope containing the pictures taken at the party the other night.
"You may go," Jace said, leaning back on his swivel chair. Minutes had passed, but he was still looking at the envelope, wondering whether he would look at it.
After a long thought, he stretched his arms and reached for the envelope. He opened it, and Emerald's beautiful but lonely face welcomed him. It was when he left her at the entrance of the event venue with Emerose. The cameraman had captured his wife's exquisite demeanor.
Jace looked at the photos one by one, and no matter where he looked at his wife, Emerald's beauty stood out. He chose the dress, thinking she would look like an assistant. Instead, the dress became classy and elegant on her.
Emerose suggested that he bring her to the party. He thought about it, and just as he had planned, he kissed another woman in front of her. He saw the pain on his wife's face, which Emerald failed to hide no matter how much she tried.
As Jace continues to look at the photos, his heart aches when he sees what Emerald looks like after he and Emerose leave her at the party. Icing from the cakes fell on her all over her body. The way she covered herself with her arms as she tried to cover herself from the flashing of cameras hit him like a heavy blow to his gut. He couldn't breathe thinking how much his wife had suffered last night, especially when he let her go home by herself.
"Are you happy now?" Kyle asked, startling Jace. He didn't notice that his friend was already inside his office.
"Don't you know how to knock?" Jace asked, annoyed.
"For your information, I did. You just didn't notice because you were too busy looking at those photos," Kyle replied casually, pointing to the pictures in his hand with his lips. "And you didn't answer my question: Are you happy with what you accomplished last night?"
There was a long silence before Jace responded. "Of course. That bitch deserves what has happened to her."
"If you say so." His friend said, "Anyway, how's Jack?"
Jace sighed heavily after hearing that. The last time he visited his brother, Jack was furious that he had been given another nurse to take care of him. Then he remembered that he was scheduled to go to their mansion today.
"I'm going to see him later."
"Don't stop encouraging him to do the surgery."
"Of course. It's also the reason I ignore his anger now," Higginson replied. Kyle is Jack's friend, and he treats him like a big brother, although he is closer to Jace since they are the same age.
"Jace," Kyle called him suddenly, "Do you really trust Emerose? I mean, I don't think she's a good fruit. Should she treat Emerald like how a sister treated her younger sibling? I saw how Jack to you; that's why I understand your vengeance. But for those siblings, I don't know."
"The reason why Emerose was like that to Emerald is because my wife has been bad. The eldest Morgan tried to stop her younger sister from stepping on people, but she didn't want to. Emerose was crying when she told me that she only agreed to make Emerald suffer so that she could learn her lesson and not do bad things to people anymore." Jace replied, "And don't forget, I don't care about Emerose either. She's merely a tool for me to teach my wife a valuable life lesson. I never cared about other people before, I will never care about anyone now, and I will never care about anyone in the future. The only people that matter to me are you, Mom, Dad, and Jack. That's all. The others were just dispensable objects for me." Jace added but couldn't help thinking about his wife. 'No, I shouldn't care about her the most.' He thought.
"Get the fuck out of here!" Jack shouted as he threw his food on the nurse's face. It was the scene that Jace witnessed as he entered his brother's bedroom.
"Are you really not going to eat?" He asked. Jack turned to look at him as if he could see.
"How often do I need to tell you that I don't need anyone to look after me?" Jack asked, looking furious.
"I'll just bring this to the kitchen," the nurse said, interrupting them before she left.
"You can't walk, you can't see, how can you do things alone?" Jace replied, making his brother even furious when he screamed.
"I don't need you here as well. Leave me alone!" He shouted.
"And who do you need, Emerald? The reason why you're tied to that fucking wheelchair and living in darkness?" Jace asked angrily. His anger for his wife intensified whenever his brother acted like this.
Jack was a soft-spoken person; he didn't know how to curse and was always sweet and considerate. But after the accident, he became a totally different man. Something Jace never expected that he'd become.
"You have no right to say her name in this house. Leave NOW!!" With his arms stretched Jack shouted, trying to touch anything he could throw at his younger brother. The least he wanted to hear was the name of the woman that caused him pain.
After a deep sigh, Jace decided to do what his brother wanted. He looked at him pitifully before turning his back and leaving his room without saying a word.
Nick and Jessica are waiting for their youngest son in the living room. More than Jace, the couple is most affected by what happened to Jack. "What are we going to do about your brother?" Jessica asks worriedly. She has been in pain and has been thinking about her eldest son. They've been telling Jack to undergo surgery to bring back his eyesight and to be able to walk again. The doctor informs them they need to do it as soon as possible.
"Have you told him again about the surgery?" Asked Jace, and his parents replied with a nod. "He still didn't want it?"
"He doesn't even want anyone to come near him, Jace," Jessica answered. "You've seen it. Even his nurses left him because of his unreasonable anger. I just felt relieved that Eunice decided to stay even if Jack had verbally abused her, and I know she got hurt physically whenever your brother threw things at her."
Jace believed it, and honestly, he was relieved that the nurse didn't leave and managed to stay for a month now. With the scene he witnessed earlier, he wouldn't be surprised if she decided to go now. "But you have to make him understand that he needs to recover. Acting that way won't do him any good. Look what kind of mess he is!" he exclaimed. Then, the nurse named Eunice passed them on her way to Jack's room.
"Excuse me," Jace said, stopping her. "Eunice, right?" he asked, and the nurse nodded. "Have a seat."
"What's this about, Jace?" Nick asked, but Jace's eyes were on the nurse.
"Do everything you can to make my brother agree to surgery. I'll give you a bonus. The sooner you make him agree, the bigger the bonus." Nick and Jessica were speechless. Although they liked the idea and were okay with paying anyone who could make their son agree, they also thought it was impossible. Even they couldn't. How much more, other people? They thought.
"I will try my best, Sir," Eunice replied, and then they let her go to Jack.
Jace stayed for a couple more hours before leaving and going home. His thoughts were on his wife again and how much he wanted to make her pay, especially after seeing how miserable his brother was. His face hardened and dimmed, thinking Emerald stirred something in him other than anger, and he didn't like it. He wanted to stay resentful towards her and was resolute to feel that way, making his anger rise as he arrived at their mansion.