Jean shook her head and replied, "I don't really know much about the personal affairs of the two coaches, but as far as I know, the one who gave out leaflets just broke up with his girlfriend. He isn't dating anyone, I think."
"That's great!" one girl said excitedly. "How much is the registration fee again?" the other one asked.
"This is the pricelist. You can take a look. As you can see, there are two options for the payment schemes—you can pay it either monthly or quarterly. I would recommend choosing the quarterly payment, since you can save more money that way..." Jean suggested with a smile.
The two girls paid the fees immediately and left the boxing gym in high spirits. Jean hadn't thought that it would be this easy to recruit new students.
She hummed, pleased with herself, as she looked at the list of new names. In her excitement, she gave James a call to share the good news with him.
It was as if the delight in her voice was contagious. James listened to her speak cheerfully on the other end, a smile on his lips. Wasting no time, he headed back to the boxing gym. Upon arriving at the entrance, he found her at her desk, and called her loudly. "Well done, Jean. You're amazing! Thanks to you, we got two extra students," he praised.
Jean returned his compliment with a laugh. "I'm doing this for my salary. Do I get a raise now?" she quipped, raising her hand.
James laughed at her remark, and with a beaming smile, he slapped his hand to her raised one.
As the two continued their banter, Jean sensed a movement from behind her. Instinctively, she turned around and saw Zed standing there.
He had a brooding expression as he stood and stared at the two of them.
Noticing that Jean had gone quiet, James followed her gaze, finding Zed as well. The bright smile on his face froze as he saw him. He strode forward and stopped right in front of him. Looking Zed over, he asked in a displeased tone, "What are you doing here?"
Zed returned his stare with an icy gaze of his own. "What? Did you forget I paid the fees? I came here to take classes. Is there any problem?" he countered.
James was taken aback by his response. "No. If you're a student of course you can come here," he said and paused, as if considering his answer. "I hope there won't be problems later on too," he finished meaningfully.
Jean could almost see the air sizzle as neither of the two men showed any desire of backing down. She went to James and nudged him, saying, "James, I need to talk to him alone."
After James went inside, Zed and Jean stood across each other, only staring as neither of them spoke.
"I don't think you came here to take any class. What do you want? Spit it out," Jean began after a few seconds.
"I drank too much last night. I was sent to the hospital because of it," Zed said, fixing his eyes on her and looking for any trace of emotion in those distant eyes of hers.
"I knew," Jean said casually, as if he had just told her the most inconsequential matter in the world.
Zed's face was plastered all over with astonishment at her detachment. "I called you yesterday, but your pho
"Do you know what you did wrong? It's alright if you just wanted to own me. But you should not have helped Molly leave me!"
When Brian learns the truth, there is no chance for Hannah to win his heart.
Molly, who wants to run away from Brian, seems to be the only one to blame for Hannah's misfortune...
h..." He picked up the sound of feet shuffling alternatingly with faint coughs. A few seconds later, Julie appeared behind the now-open door.
She wore nothing but thin silk pajama. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at him.
"Come in please. I'm sorry for the mess," she said before lying down on her bed.
Zed put the medicine down on a table and surveyed the room. 'It's not messy at all. It's actually even cleaner than I imagined, ' he commented inwardly.
"Could you bring me the medicine?" Julie asked with an expectant look.
Zed nodded his head and made his way to the table. He picked up the medicine bottle, and got some warm water. Then, he walked to her bed and handed them to her.
Julie gave him a small smile before taking them and swallowing the tablet.
"I came here because I have something to tell you," Zed began in a serious tone. Julie visibly stiffened at his words, although her face did not change. Zed continued, "I don't know what you're up to, or why you're doing this, but whatever that is, I hope you can stop."
"What... What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly saying these things?" Julie asked, affecting an air of astonishment.
Zed only gave her a wry smile. "You know, I don't exactly hate women who go after they want, but there is nothing I detest more than women who scheme. They would do anything and go through any and all means for their own self-satisfaction. I don't think any sane person with enough self-respect would do that. It would probably sound fatalist, but I believe that if it is meant for you, you will get it, eventually. There are also people who like forcing things to go their own way, however, that almost always ends up in tragedy," Zed said cryptically as he looked Julie in the eye.
He went closer to her and asked, "Did you tell Jean that you stayed with me in the hospital?"
Julie maintained her cool expression, even if she felt cold under Zed's scrutiny. "No," she replied. "I didn't. If you don't believe me, you can check my message or call records." Julie anxiously tried to cover her lies.