Chapter <b>135 </b>


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    61


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    Jeffrey parted his thin lips slightly, his voice cold and sharp. “If you end up in the hospital because of an ident, of course, I’d take care of you. But don’t forget how you got there.”


    Andrea froze at his words. Back then, she tried to force Jeffrey to choose between spending time with her and with Reba and Samuel. She staged the car ident on purpose. He had been annoyed afterwards, but he hadn’t really scolded her.


    “I will take care of you and give you the life you want,” Jeffrey repeated firmly, with no hint of leniency this time. “But it’s only because of gratitude.”


    Andrea’s heart tightened. She couldn’t argue with him, so she stayed silent. Soon, the car Gregory had sent arrived, and Jeffrey got in with her.


    Nobody spoke during the ride. The tension was suffocating. “So… does that mean you won’te to Harmony Estate anymore?” Andrea asked, trying to break the heavy mood.


    Jeffrey replied simply, “It depends.”


    Those words made Andrea realize how clear–headed he was. Even in a situation like this, he could have said he wouldn’te, but instead he gave a rational answer based on that so–called gratitude.


    “I want to ask you something,” Andrea said, eager for an answer.


    “You may ask,” Jeffrey replied.


    A flicker of hope appeared in Andrea’s eyes. “If you met me first, not Reba, would you have treated me the way you treated Reba?”


    Jeffrey looked <i>at </i>her, confused. “What is it?” Andrea didn’t realize it was a tricky question. “Hard to answer?”


    “I met Reba five years ago,” Jeffrey said calmly, his deep voice carrying a hint of chill. “Actually, I met you first.”


    Before he ever got close to Reba, he had always thought about the girl who saved him as a child.


    But after meeting Reba, those childhood memories faded. She slowly entered his life and filled it. He wouldn’t fall in love with anyone besides Reba. He also didn’t want anyone besides Reba to fall in love with him.


    “I mean, after we grew up,” Andrea’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly rified, “If you met me first, would things between us-”


    “No,” Jeffrey said. He didn’t soften the words or sugarcoat them. He just gave a straight answer. “You’re not my type. You also couldn’t love me like Reba does.”


    Andrea blinked, confused. Reba was about to divorce him, but he still thought she loved him that way. “Do you misunderstand what love is?” she asked.


    Jeffrey didn’t respond. From the outside, it looked like he loved Reba and showered her with attention for


    five years. But only his friends knew Reba loved him just as much.


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    Her love was more delicate, and because it was delicate, she couldn’t tolerate the smallest w. “How can you be so sure I couldn’t love you like Reba does?” Andrea asked.


    She felt he didn’t really know her and judged too quickly. “If I were with you, I’d follow you in everything. I’d put you first in everything. I’d do everything for you.”


    Jeffrey looked at her steadily. “If Reba were my lifesaver, she wouldn’t have asked me to support her for life while I’m married.”


    Andrea froze. A rush of guilt hit her like a punch to the chest. “Her heart is purer than yours, Jeffrey said seriously, his eyes locked on hers as he spoke those words.


    “So you don’t deserve her, do you?” Andrea snapped, letting her darkest side take over. “You promised to support me for life while you’re married. How clean is that?


    “And you talk about valuing promises. Who knows if you actually care about them or if you just like the thrill of having a mistress?” she blurted, a wild look shing in her eyes.


    The driver nearly panicked. It was his first day on the job, and he heard this explosive argument. He could lose it.


    Jeffrey, however, stayed perfectly calm. He asked quietly, “Not pretending anymore?”


    The pressure in Andrea’s chest was about to explode. She desperately wanted to know how he stayed so calm and rational all the time.


    “You’ve made everything so clear. What’s the point of pretending now?” she admitted, giving up hope. “You say you love Reba. Do you really love her?”


    Jeffrey didn’t answer. Andrea wanted him to feel some pain, too. “She wants a divorce, and you won’t let her. Is that your idea of love?”


    “Yes,” Jeffrey said simply.


    Andrea let out a short, derisiveugh. If that was love, it was twisted. Jeffrey knew that if they divorced, he couldn’t help but step in if Reba ran into trouble.


    But then he would still have to take care of Andrea. It would look like Andrea had pushed Reba out of his life, and that Reba became the homewrecker after the divorce.


    He would never allow her to carry such a stain on her name. If he had no choice but to keep his promise, he had to keep her close. Even if she despised him, even if she hated him, he would never let go.


    Most importantly, he didn’t want to lose connection with her. “I will make you take care of me for life, Andrea said, making a n. “As long as I’m around, Reba will never forgive you. If I can’t be happy, neither can you!”


    If she didn’t get it, they wouldn’t be happy either. Stephen had said Jeffrey valued promises more than his own life. If she got rid of anyone who knew the truth back then and made Rebapletely forget about it,


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    it would be OK.


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    She could make him support her for life without anyone ever noticing. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it made sense.


    “Not a bad idea,” Jeffrey said coldly.


    Andrea frowned, expecting him to be furious at her shameless n. To her surprise, he remainedpletely calm and didn’t show a single hint of emotion.


    “We’re here,” Jeffrey said, ncing at his phone. His tone was slow and steady. “Gregory already finished your discharge paperwork. Grab your things upstairs, and you can go home.”


    Andrea didn’t know how she got out of the car, nor how she got back to Harmony Estate. She only knew that after Jeffrey dropped her off and left, cold sweat ran down her back.


    Thinking about what she had said, a wave of doubt hit her. She didn’t know where she found the courage to threaten Jeffrey. He was ruthless. If pushed too far, he might really create an ident that could kill her.


    Stanley asked him the same thing, too. The conversation in the car had been overheard by Riley by ident.


    “If Andrea really does what she said, you and Reba probably won’t end well,” Stanley said, sitting next to him. “When that happens, will you keep everyone unhappy, or identally let something happen to her?”


    “How is that different from what Marcus did back then?” Jeffrey said, his eyes cold.


    Stanley and Riley exchanged a nce. Riley, however, didn’t seem tense at all. She looked rxed and carefree, speaking withplete ease. “If he were still around, he wouldn’t want you to get stuck in this mess.”


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