“Hey, sweetheart, what’s on your mind? Your eyes are wandering.”
Axel noticed Alyssa’s vacant gaze and reached out and waved before her eyes.
“Axel, I…”
Alyssa pondered the resemnce to the woman who bore a striking likeness to her, causing her to
hesitate before uttering her thoughts.
“What’s wrong, Lyse? You’ve always been straightforward. Why are you hesitating now?” Axel asked in
surprise.
“It’s nothing.”
That woman was no han counter. Besides,
a she was far away in Mosgravia.
Even if she had a slight doubt in her heart, she couldn’t investigate it through that woman. She could
only
investigate through Zoe.
However, delving into these matters seemed futile.
Jasper had explicitly stated in front of Newton that their rtionship was a thing of the past. Any
possibility of rekindling their connection was long gone.
Despite this explicit deration, she still found herself hesitating and was at a loss.
Alyssa sneered quietly, curling her lips into a chilly smile. Then, she grabbed the chilled remnants of
tea in
her hand and downed it in one swift gulp.
In the depths of her heart, she pondered the irony of her situation. She was dwelling on a man who had
left her stranded not once but twice. She should’ve been grateful that she managed to avoid falling into
the same pitfalls again.
Jonah, who was seated next to Alyssa, observed theplexity of her feelings but chose to remain
silent. He opted to cradle her chilly hand within his warm grasp.
“Jonah, have you told Mandy and Winston about Julien?” Alyssa asked in a soft voice.
Winston had taken L abroad to a vi for a vacation to help her cope with her feelings. Mandy and
Colene went along, but they stayed in separate vis. With the elders away, the Taylor family mansion
now only housed the younger generation.
“I’ve already called Mandy,” Jonah said with a smile.
“Mandy said not to treat him like a guest, handle him however you see fit. As long as Lyse is happy,
she
can practically disregard the fact that he’s her nephew.”
Alyssa couldn’t help butugh. She knew her stepmothers cared deeply for her.
*Hey, are you calling this cutting off ties with family or disowning rtives?” Ss couldn’t help but
exim.
Axel’s hand slid into the depths of his ck windbreaker. Retrieving a cigarette, he held it between his
slightly raised lips, exuding an air of nonchnt defiance.
“Hmph, assisting others is almost like cutting off ties with family. But aiding that Jasper guy? Now, that’s
truly disowning your own kin.”
Once again, Axel’s audacious remarks rendered everyone momentarily speechless.
Alyssa’s eyshes trembled, yet she maintained a stoic silence.
“Lyse, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say.
“Just don’t say it,” Alyssa interjected, already anticipating that Axel’s words wouldn’t be polite.
*Jasper is now grappling with severe after-effects in his brain because of me. That incident had
impacted
his nervous system. I don’t know what the future holds for him. He might suffer intermittent fainting or
even potential paralysis.” 1
Alyssa’s throat tightened.
Axel’s brows furrowed upon hearing Alyssa’s words.
“I don’t want anything to do with him anymore, but I also don’t want to owe him anything.”
Alyssa looked at Axel again, her eyes clear and cold yet strangely heart-wrenching.
“I don’t want to save him. I just want to redeem myself.”
The atmosphere in the living room grew heavier.
Out of the blue, Ss, the witty one, dropped a question. “Hey, Jonah, about that Julien… Is he really a
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
man?”
Jonah replied, “Yes.”
Ss continued in curiosity, “How does it feel to hold him in your arms?”
Jonah remained silent, offering no response.
Axel ciuddert hely but ta “Oh used to Mr Jonah Taylor was upright next not enterested an women. Now
it tums out you have unique tastes as you should have mentioned your neendo estiver
There was no need for me to go. Lyse, you should have let Ss do it. He would here loved to?
“What the hell are you thinking, you punk