Chapter 14
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When Wayne spoke, Cole froze, a look of confusion replacing the coldness in his eyes. It finally dawned on him.
Had they really said things like this before? Had he always let them speak this way?
As he searched his memory, trying to find something to refute Wayne’s words, he realized that Wayne was right. This wasn’t the
first time they had spoken badly of Jaycie. Whether she was there or not, or even when they spoke in front of her, but in
Frutunian, he had always let it slide. The only times he would step in were when they spoke directly to her face.
But how could that weak interference even count as standing up for her?
It was just him putting on an act in front of Jaycie, but his real thoughts–his unspoken tolerance for their words—were the truth
deep down.
At that realization, Cole felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He didn’t know what to say. All he could do was pour himself another
drink and drink the guilt away.
But at the same time, a small flicker of hope stirred inside him. Yes, she had a gambling father, a sick mother, and now, she had
no job. Maybe, just maybe, after a while, she would come back to him.
Meanwhile, the others, not wanting to provoke him further, changed the subject.
“Did you guys hear about the new CEO at TruVision Enterprise?”
“I heard it’s the Stantons‘ heiress. She’s been out of the spotlight for a while, and apparently, she was off on her own journey to
grow. Now she’s back, and they handed TruVision right over to her.”
“Well, the Stantons only have one daughter, so of course, all those companies will end up in her hands. Even though she’s just been appointed as the CEO, they must have trained her for the role. I mean, that CEO and Jaycie both have the last name Stanton
-how could the two of them be so different?”
Cole wasn’t interested in the conversation, so he didn’t participate. He sat alone in the corner, his empty bottles of alcohol piling
up in front of him.
He wasn’t paying attention, so he didn’t hear them mention that the Stantons‘ heiress had been out on a self–searching journey in recent years and had just recently returned. He didn’t consider the possibility that the note Jaycie had left him when she left
could actually be true.
By the time the night was over, it was already late. Cole had drunk far too much, and his steps were unsteady. Wayne and the others saw how badly he was swaying, and they didn’t want him to go back alone, so
