Chapter 24 His Worried Look
Speaking of the man, he was just someone Jessica once saved in the mountains…
Jessica recalled it carefully. During that winter, she went out searching for a rare herb, and she did have saved a man on her halfway.
It was already too dark to get back home by then, so Jessica had no other choice but to save the man and take him to a hunter’s hut to get rest. They spent the night there.
Jessica lit many torches around the place to keep away wolves and other beasts. However, it was still very cold at night in the mountains. She and the dying man was nearly frozen.
Jessica could only hug the man tightly so that they could warm each other, for a plummeting body temperature could be fatal in that situation.
Her careful care dragged the man back from the gate of hell.
She was too young to have other thoughts about the man. Moreover, she did have medical knowledge, making it nearly impossible for her to give up on a patient.
She had tried her best to save the strange man, which was supposed to be something to be praised for. However, Juliette slandered her, saying that she was hooking up with the man slatternly.
“That’s the truth. Juliette is a disgusting person with a filthy mind, and she just has to portray everybody else as a slatter as she is.”
Amara texted it to Jessica.
“As for that strange man… It has been so long, and I can’t remember his face. Even if he stood before me just now, I’m not sure if I can still recognize him. Actually, he had given me a seal with a dragon totem on it and said that this would be the token if we meet next time.”
Jessica suddenly remembered about the seal.
“Where is it now?”
Amara asked.
“I don’t know… I may have lost it.”
Jessica really couldn’t remember.
“That is such a dramatic and formulaic story. I think I might even have read it in a novel. According to that plot, the strange man would be the young master of a powerhouse in some country. He was very grateful for being saved and decided to marry this little girl. Then the girl rises to fame and privileges in his doting love.”
After sending this message, Amara added a sticker in which a man was kicked away.
“You’re just overthinking it. I don’t read novels much… I clearly remembered that I had put the seal in the little box in my room, but when I opened it again someday, it was gone.
Jessica still didn’t know why the seal just disappeared for no reason.
When she was trapped in the mountains that day, she and the strangers were alone there. Preston and Juliette were also there, spying on them.
There were actually plenty of people right there.
“Jessica, great news! I’ve located Preston’s phone and his calls based on the spying instrument. I found the number he called was in a hunter’s home in a remote county of Ameriart. You’ve been looking for Rosa, and I think she might be there. Let me send you the screenshots of the location.”Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
It didn’t take Amara very long to send Jessica a screenshot and a text message.
Jessica stared at the chat history on the cellphone and grinned a smile. She agreed to meet Preston on that day only to trip him up. She asked him to call Rosa because she had concocted Amara and let her capture the positioning as quickly as possible.
She was surprised when knowing Preston hid Rosa in that hunter’s home in some remote county. Preston must have spent a lot to prepare for this.
It was great news. She finally found Rosa!
“Thank you for helping me! I love you so much! Muah!”
Jessica posted a hugged sticker after that. It was late at night, and also the best time of the day for her to save Rosa out.
Juliette kept slandering Jessica for so many years. An eye for an eye, Jessica decided to bring Juliette a big surprise today.
However, Jessica also knew that the priority was to save Rosa out now. She could tell that Rosa was seriously ill and didn’t have much time left.
Jessica was about to go out when her phone rang.
She looked down and saw Lorenzo’s name on the screen.
It was Lorenzo’s call, just as she had expected.
Jessica’s heart skipped a bit. She squeezed the phone harder, yet she didn’t dare to press the answer button. The phone rang again and again.
Then, after a ding-dong tune, the screen showed a text.
“Asleep?”
Lorenzo only typed one word. He loved simplicity, which was part of his lifestyle.
Jessica had mixed feelings. It had been quite a while since the last time Lorenzo sent her a message.
At that time, Jessica felt so sweet and always blushed at Lorenzo’s treacly sentiments. Her heart was all for him by then, but now she had grown back to how she used to.
Jessica didn’t want to be gratified or mooned over by Lorenzo anymore, nor did she want to put her heart out for him again, for she didn’t want to give anyone the chance to hurt her. She needed to be strong.
Before meeting Lorenzo, Jessica was always independent and tough. She had never given up on anything, even when the whole world had abandoned her.
Jessica put away her phone. Later, she left the house as soon as possible, heading to some hunter’s home in a remote county in Ameriart to meet Rosa.
…
Lorenzo finally got back to Ameriart after a long trip. As soon as he got out of the airport, he saw Felix and Lucian coming to pick him up. The three of them got into an extended minivan.
It had been a while since Lorenzo texted Jessica, yet he still hadn’t received her reply. Lorenzo was frowning. He didn’t understand what had taken Jessica so long.
“Dude, why did you suddenly work overtime hard and hurry back overnight? Do you have some unspeakable secret on your phone? What is it? Why are your eyes sticking to it? Are you keeping some beautiful mistress secretly?”
Seeing that Lorenzo couldn’t move his eyes away from the phone, Lucian decided to tease him.
Lorenzo didn’t talk back, but he didn’t look very happy.
“Can’t you see his worried face? He’s thinking about how to face the fornicators at home. That’s why he was in such a bad mood.”
Felix folded his arms on his chest and sat there with his legs crossed, as if there would be a tremendous drama coming on.
“Just shut up if you can’t talk right.”
Lorenzo said that in anger. Then he kicked Felix hard to make him shut up.
“Is Jessica asleep?”
Lorenzo called back home. His tone was cold.
“She just left in a hurry. I didn’t ask where she was heading.”
The housekeeper had no choice but to tell Lorenzo the truth, but she had a bad feeling about this.
“Okay.”
Lorenzo answered and hung up the phone.
“Oops, is this really about fornication?”
Felix acted like a very interested onlooker. He teased as he dusted Lorenzo’s footprints off his pants.
“Damn… What’s happening, dude? It’s almost 9 o’clock in the evening! You’ve traveled a long way to get back. It has been quite a while since you left home. I thought Jessica would get herself dressed to welcome you home, and serve you well… Why did she leave home in a hurry at night? Dude, I think you might have been cuckolded…”
Lucian was the youngest among the four, but he was also the most gossiping and curious one.
“Go and find out where she is now.”
Lorenzo looked at Lucian, hushing him. Then he looked at Levi that was sitting aside.
“Okay, on my way!”
Levi quickly replied.
…
Jessica has a strong sense of direction. It hadn’t taken her much effort to find the location Amara sent her.
Just as Jessica walked to the gate, she sniffed a strong smell of herbal soup. After looking around, she was sure that there were no traps around. So she opened the door quietly. Preston was using Rosa to lure Jessica, but fortunately, he seemed to have provided Rosa all the medication she needed.
“Rosa, I…”
Jessica choked on her sob. Rosa was lying on a plank bed near her. It had been so many years since the last time they met, and Rosa must have been tortured miserably by the illness. Her body looked bony, and her face morbidly gaunt.
“Rosa, I’m here to see you. It’s me, Jessica! Open your eyes and look at me!”
Jessica hurried over to the bed and touched Rosa softly with her hands.
“Are you… Are you really Miss Jessica? Mr. Saunder wasn’t tricking me! He said we would meet soon.”
Rosa trembled upon hearing Jessica’s voice. She tried very hard to open her eyes and looked at Jessica. She was so excited because she had missed Jessica for decades. Tears rolled down her face.
“Miss Jessica, you’ve grown out of yourself. You’re prettier. Your mother would feel glad if she knew this in heaven.”
Rosa sobbed as she held Jessica with quivering hands. She was apparently thrilled.
“Cough cough…”
She coughed violently because of the mood swing, as if she were about to cough herself out. A sickly smell spread in her throat. She suddenly vomited and puked blood.
Jessica hurriedly helped Rosa to lie down. Then she covered her with a thick blanket and felt her pulse. Jessica was mentally prepared before she came here. When she saw Rosa, she already knew that this poor woman was at the end. Rosa was holding her last breath just to meet Jessica for the last time.
“Hang in there, Rosa. I know what you want to say. I’ll take you to the best hospital in the city, and I’ll be taking care of you there. You won’t have to drift around afterward. I swear I’ll heal you!”
Jessica exerted all her strength to wrap Rosa with the blanket. Then she helped Rosa to get out of bed. They staggered towards the door.
However, they hadn’t walked far before the dim room was suddenly lit up. Preston showed up.