Chapter 11 Desperate

Stephanie Lindt did not come back to her senses until Lindsey Juhl hung up the phone. "I told you! We have been raising an ungrateful child for so many years, and now she’s independent, she doesn't care about our family’s survival!" The more Stephanie thought about it, the angrier she became. To her, Lindsey was akin to a dog she had raised. Now, this dog had gone rogue and was not wagging its tail at her anymore! Henry Juhl sat on the sofa without uttering a word. He had heard their conversation on the phone earlier. Last night when he found out that Lindsey had disappeared in the middle of the night, he knew something had happened. "Now Mr. Woltman is asking for her and now that little bitch won't listen! What should we do?" Henry frowned and his voice, which had been calm a minute ago, rose a little as he said, "Enough! Look at yourself! You look like a miserable old shrew!" "Why are you yelling at me? It’s a life and death situation for our family and Zayn is not letting us go. If that little bitch doesn’t serve Mr. Woltman, our family will be done for!" After being accustomed to the luxuries, Stephanie felt very anxious when their company was on the brink of bankruptcy. "Didn’t I ask you to be nice to her? Of course, you didn't listen and now it seems that she overheard our conversation last night." What else could potentially make Lindsey, who was always so meek, rebel against them, if it was not overhearing their conversation? "Even if she heard what happened that night, our family has raised her for more than 20 years! Shouldn't she be grateful and help out the family?" The Juhls fed and clothed her. If it weren't for them, this unwanted little girl would be sleeping out on the streets. "She's not the same as before. She's not that easy to control." Henry was still sensible and his gaze looked far off as if he was churning out ideas! ...... After work, Lindsey strolled on the streets aimlessly. She left the office but she did not know where she should go. Since Jenny Lenig was back, she did not have to go back to Zayn anymore. She was free, but in the end, she had no place where she belonged. Without warning, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag and swiped the screen. The voice on the other end of the call was dignified and kind. It was none other than Grandpa Guggenheim. "Lindsey, are you off work yet? I’ve asked Mrs. Jones to cook your favorites, so come back and keep me company." Lindsey's eyes instantly turned red. She tried to suppress the emotions from stumbling out and forced a smile, ready to reject the invitation. Before she could say anything, a familiar figure appeared in front of her eyes. It was the person she was trying to avoid the most and the same person she had loved with all her heart but did not want to see. Just as she was about to reject, the word, "yes" came out mystically before she could bring it back. Something sounded over the phone, but Lindsey did not hear a word of it until the call ended. Her eyes only saw the man and strayed to the woman beside him. Zayn Guggenheim was wearing a tailored suit. After being married for so long, Lindsey finally saw emotions other than indifference on his face. Was it because the girl was beside him? "Zayn, you're so busy and I still asked you to accompany me for dinner. You sure you won't be mad at me?" Jenny Lenig held Zayn's arm like a pampered princess. "Of course not. What do you want to eat?" He did not have any other expression on his face but he replied with a soft tone and his eyes focused on his beloved. Lindsey overheard their conversation and the look on her face was pitiful. Only then did she realize that she had unknowingly walked downstairs to the lobby of the Guggenheim Tower. The tears that she had held in all day poured out as she could no longer hold them back. Despite the distance, Zayn sensed something and stopped in his footsteps. He suddenly turned in her direction...