Mary's fists were clenched so tightly that her palms stung from the bite of her fingernails as they attempted to pierce through her skin. She so desperately wanted to grab ahold of something, if only to help ground herself.
A mix of negative emotions were swirling around inside her making her feel weak. She felt lonely, helpless, and hateful and it just made her so tired.
"Come one Mary, you're the only person I have left to turn to!" The voice was whiney and unpleasant. "I don't have any money or power," Jay continued. "Do you really want to see your brother dead when he's only one year old?"
The words shocked her enough that she stood frozen. "Brother?!" Mary spun around to glare at Jay, her vision going red out of anger. "I don't have a brother!" Her voice wavered slightly. "That is your son! Not my brother! And now you think you can come and beg me for help? Did you forget how determined you were when you left home all that time ago?! Where is that determination now? !"
Standing at Mary's side, William could feel her trembling, and see the tears glistening in her eyes as she tried to hold them back.
"You put yourself in this situation! You deserve it." Mary clenched her teeth, her molars grinding harshly together. "You deserve to know loneliness. And you deserve to be helpless."
The words flowed out of her without stopping, leaving her breathless and panting. They seemed to irritate Jay as he puffed up his chest in anger, and stalked towards Mary with a menacing snarl.
William scowled, shifting as if he were going to move forward and block her father's path, but the small hand on his arm stopped him.
He glanced down at her in question, wondering what she was thinking.
There was a sudden, sharp sound of flesh on flesh that echoed around them.
Everyone seemed to freeze as the sound slowly died off. Even the air was stiff and unmoving.
Mary made no sound as her tongue flicked out to lick the blood from the co
out the window, becoming lost in their own thoughts.
Mary's thoughts seemed to run away from her as time pressed on. People like William, cold through and through, treated others well only when they pitied them. Frank must feel incredibly lucky to have William's heart. Was it actually warm?
The situation that had occurred in the AJ Group hall quickly disappeared from the memories of anyone who had witnessed it. No one recalled a man who called himself Mary's father ever showing up.
Mary had expected for everyone to forget about it, but expectations were usually meant to be exceeded...
She found she couldn't forget that the blood coursing through her veins was that of her father's. Her stubbornness had definitely been inherited from him.
The previous weekend had come and gone, and the next seemed so far away.
A headline had found its way onto the internet that forced the memory of what had happened in AJ Group hall to the forefront of everyone's mind.
Some of the discussions and headlines stated, 'The wife of AJ Group CEO has refused to support her father.'
One of the worst ones read, 'Despite becoming really wealthy, the wife of CEO refuses to save her sick brother'.
Mary went on to read how she had no decency, and was indifferent when it came to her family. That it went against human nature to not assist your family when they were in need. The last comment, 'How could the wife of AJ Group CEO do this?', had her seething.
Mary's teeth ground together and her muscles grew tight in agitation.
Loud, hollow bangs echoed all around her.
Mary cursed Jay Lu as she pounded the table.
'What does he think he'll achieve by running to reporters and crying? Does he believe it will ruin my reputation? Make me give in to his demands?' She hadn't seen him for two years! And he was still the same, heartless bastard he had always been.
She felt no pity for him, only hatred. There was no kindness for him left in her.