Chapter 3

As Rose began hailing a cab by the roadside, Jay walked over with the enchanting young woman by his side. “Step aside.” He spoke with his deep and mellow cello-like voice which could cause a woman's ovaries to explode. Even so, it also contained a trace of superiority that the wealthy possessed. Rose suddenly realized that she and her kids were indeed blocking their way—they were standing right in front of a Rolls-Royce with a Spirit of Ecstasy ornament on its bonnet. Rose dragged her suitcase with one hand and her children with the other. Upon seeing Jay, she felt rather panicky, and was slow to move aside— The voluptuous woman said in a sardonic voice, “You must be in some deep sh*t to have to wrap yourself up like that. Fine, wear your sunglasses if you want, but why force your children to wear them while walking? Isn’t that a health hazard, you're not worried they might trip or something?” Rose felt sick to her stomach. ‘I wouldn’t be dressing like this if I didn't have to avoid plagues like you.’ The woman's words upset Zetty—Mommy was always right in her books. Anyone who bad-mouthed Mommy would draw Zetty's ire as she would quickly change from a baby angel into a little devil. At that moment, Zetty slammed herself into the woman. The collision knocked her sunglasses off onto the ground. The woman hastily stepped back, and Zetty's tiny body then bumped into Jay. Zetty began assaulting Jay with her tiny fists, screeching in her adorable but malicious voice, “Mommy is just worried about us getting kidnapped by human traffickers like you. That’s why she made us wear sunglasses to protect ourselves. I won't let baddies like you talk bad about Mommy, she is the best mommy in the world." Jay turned his cold gaze onto Rose. "Did you tell her I’m a human trafficker?" Faced with Jay’s accusatory question, Rose's brain was instantly depleted of oxygen. Of course, the answer was yes. By all means, she thought that he was more terrifying than any human trafficker. If Jay found out that Zetty was his daughter, he would likely make a big scene right there and then, demanding for the child’s custody. Rose did not dare to speak up as she feared that Jay would recognize her voice. Her silence did nothing but confirm his assumption. Jay's expression turned dark. Did this woman just label him as a human trafficker? “Is this how you teach your kids?” he spat. Rose's head sank into her neck like a quail but she could not muster the power to confront Jay as her mind was completely disoriented. Zetty resembled her mother, so Jay might not make the connection. However, Robbie was practically a mini version of Jay. Robbie must not show his face to Jay at all costs. Rose wrapped her arms around Robbie and clutched him tightly; she was worried that he would lose control like Zetty. Jay shoved Zetty away and patted down the spot where Zetty had touched, looking disgusted. He then opened the rear seat door for the dame, and the two of them boarded the car and drove off without another word. Robbie, still wrapped in Rose’s arms, looked at the Rolls-Royce's license plate number and made a mental note of it. That man looked exactly like him. "Mommyyy, why didn't you say anything just now?” Zetty was so aggrieved that tears were filling up her eyes. Every time she was bullied in the past, Mommy would run up to teach those bullies a lesson. "Mommy, you're like a wimp today." Her baby Robbie took off his sunglasses and rolled his eyes at his mother who still had not said anything. Rose was speechless. Did her two children just renounce her? Jay was her nemesis in every sense of the word. As soon as he appeared, her kids stopped looking up to her. It seemed that the pestilence was inevitable. Disturbed, Rose hailed a cab and the trio headed off to Splendid Town district in City North’s Third Ring Road, which was where her mother was currently staying. … Inside the luxurious Rolls-Royce. Josephine Ares crossed her arms as she peered through the window to observe the curious sunglasses-wearing family until they boarded their cab and left. She did not read much into the earlier confrontation. However, when she saw the little girl, a familiar face flashed in her mind. "Jay, don’t you think that little girl looks familiar? Her eyes looked just like… just like my sister-in-law’s!" Her older brother Jay held the steering wheel as he replied airily, "Sister-in-law? What sister-in-law?” "Jay, you were married once, remember?” Josephine reminded him. The image of Rose flashed through Jay's head, and he mentally compared the little girl’s face with Rose’s. Screech! The Rolls-Royce came to an abrupt stop. Rose? That woman, the person who made him grind his teeth at the mere thought of her? “Ouch!” Josephine jerked forward from the momentum and her forehead bumped the back of the car seat. "Jay, how could you hurt your darling sister like that? What if I got hurt? Are you going to take care of me for the rest of your life?” The Rolls-Royce stopped by the roadside. Jay rushed out of the car and glanced at the direction of the airport. Josephine rolled down the window and said weakly, "Don't bother. I saw them getting into a cab just now. We’re heading south and they’re heading north. You won’t be able to catch up to her even if you turned around.” Jay slowly returned to the driver's seat and closed the door. Josephine chattered excitedly, "Jay, was the woman just now really Rose?" Jay shifted the rearview mirror so that he was looking directly at Josephine. From the mirror, Josephine could clearly see the frigid look on her brother's face. Josephine could not help but laugh. "Yup, only Rose can drive you this crazy. Oh yeah, she even called you a human trafficker." Jay pondered about it and realized that it was indeed something that a person like Rose would do. After all, the rational thinking of men and the emotional thinking of women were essentially two distinct things. Jay frowned and wondered how likely it was for Rose to appear on this side of town. "It can't be her, she's been dead for five years." Although that was what he was told, he could find no explanation for the hint of anxiety that he felt. "Jay, don't you feel that the way Rose died was very fishy?" said Josephine. “None of us saw a photo of her actually dead. A memorial portrait is not enough to prove that she died. Think about it. Photoshopping technology is improving every day.” "I’ve already sent people to search for her. If she's not dead, why couldn’t anyone find her?” Jay stepped on the accelerator, revved the engine, and sped away. Josephine raised her eyebrows and thought about it for a long time. "The Ares Family's tracking system is pretty impressive and all, but maybe she found a way to slip through the net.” Jay said coldly, "You're overestimating that b*stard of a countryside bum." Josephine shrugged. "Even though Rose came from the countryside, you gotta admit the way she managed to play you was pretty impressive.” Jay was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning pale.