George’s POV:
At the next turn, we would arrive at the Hesmor Law Firm. As I was about to drive to the gate of the
building, Helen requested me to pull over.
“It’s only a short distance away. I can walk the rest of the way.”
“Is it necessary?”
After all, we are married and our relationship was legal and sanctioned by the law. Why do I feel like
we’re actually having an affair?
Even so, I knew her stubbornness too well, so I slowly brought the car to a stop at the side of the road.
“It’s normal working hours now. What if someone bumps into us?” Helen unfastened her seat belt and
opened the door.
“Slow down and watch your steps!” I rolled down the window while talking to Helen’s receding back.
But in her hurry she didn’t hear me. She strutted off in her high heels, her laptop bag swaying on her
side. I watched her till her figure disappeared from my sight. I shook my head and smiled with self-
mockery.
It seemed as if I were a father concerned about the safety of his daughter. Seeing her rush off in high
heels, I was worried that she might sprain her ankle or not check the traffic lights before crossing the
road.
In short, I had endless worries when it came to her. But I enjoyed such a life, caring about the woman I
loved.
After dropping Helen off, I drove back to Zhester Technology. I found Jane discussing something with
the engineers in the meeting room. My smile disappeared. I knocked on the door to get their attention
and then instructed, “Jane, come to my office now.”
Without giving Jane a chance to answer back, I walked straight to my office. That morning, because
Libby and Helen were present, I was unable to talk to Jane. There were some things that I could not
say to Jane in their presence. Now that it was just Jane and me in the office, I no longer had to hide my
tough, icy attitude toward her. I said authoritatively, I’ll ask Chana to book a ticket for you. You are
needed at the headquarters now.”
This decision was not open for negotiation. Shocked, Jane complained in a subdued voice, “George,
you have no right to interfere with my freedom. I thought you were different from other men. Your
judgment was always dictated by reason and you always put business first. I’ve never known you to be
influenced by any woman. But now you are oppressing me like this for Helen’s sake. You are trying to
alienate me and leave me alone in the headquarters abroad forever, for her sake. Have you forgotten
about our past or must I remind you? I’m a human being, and I have feelings!”
I glared at her maliciously. After she completed saying what seemed like a threat, I reminded her,
“Jane, if I was not a rational person who puts his career first and who values our friendship, then you
would be rotting in jail right now.”
Although I didn’t spell it out directly, I knew that Jane, being a smart woman she was, would understand
what I was referring to. My words shot a lightning flash across Jane’s face. She was panic stricken.
“I have no idea what nonsense you are talking about.” Jane quickly feigned ignorance and pretended
as if she had not done anything wrong.
“Nonsense?” I was amazed by her stubborn attitude and warned her in a low voice, “Jane, you know
what I’m talking about. If it weren’t for our long standing friendship, I wouldn’t have covered it up for
you. I didn’t even tell Boswell. If you still have a little intelligence, you would know that after what you
did, you are no longer suitable to manage the technology department!”
Jane’s body shook slightly, and her eyes widened. But she was still trying to deny the fact.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
The anger that had accumulated in my chest instantly exploded. I asked angrily, “Are you still in denial,
Jane? Do you need me to remind you of what you did to the intelligent system at Helen’s apartment? If
I hadn’t found out about it in time, you would be in hot water if anything happened to Helen. You would
have to bear the brunt of my wrath. Even your death would not make up for your mistake!”
Jane’s tough attitude suddenly softened. She shook her head defensively and retorted, “No, I didn’t do
anything! You are mistaken!”
I had no conclusive evidence yet. But after confronting Jane and witnessing her reaction, I was almost
certain that she was behind it.
In fact, I was going to check the data in the database to confirm my theory, but Boswell stopped me
from doing so. So I only had a raw suspicion in my mind. Later, I cut off the network of all the intelligent
devices in Helen’s apartment.
When I returned the system to stand-alone working mode, Helen stopped experiencing hallucinations. I
then left her to sleep alone at home, and she was perfectly fine. She thought she was getting better
because she had seen a doctor. But I was one hundred percent sure that it was because I had turned
off those intelligent devices.
The only person who had access to tamper with the system was Jane. I sneered coldly.
“Jane, you learnt the subtler skills and professional knowledge from me. Do you think you can hide
anything from me?”
This was not only about Helen’s physical and mental health, but also about the security and trust of the
users of Zhester Technology’s products.
Once it was discovered by the outside world or by our competitors that the technical director of Zhester
Technology could plant plug-ins in their users’ systems at any time, it could land us in serious trouble.
If the public got wind of this, it would cause quite a sensation. Jane had always conducted herself in a
professional manner at work all these years. She was responsible and conscientious. I never for a
moment expected her to breach the moral code and stoop so low. After being exposed, Jane was edgy
for a moment, but she soon calmed down. She looked at me and suddenly smiled sarcastically, “So
what if I did it? You and I both know that for the sake of Zhester Technology you won’t expose it to the
public. Even though it hurt Helen, you will not tell her the truth, nor will you dare to punish me! Because
in your heart, neither Helen nor I are half as important as your career. You love your company more
than you love Helen!”
Her words plunged into my heart like a steel knife. And then I imagined her twisting the knife I clenched
my fists. Guilt and anger were about to flood me, but I could not deny the truth of what she blurted out.
Jane was right. I could never destroy Zhester Technology for Helen. I had worked too hard to get it to
where it was basking now.
For this same reason, I couldn’t expose Jane to the public. It was not only about me. It was also about
the whole industry, as well as tens of thousands of employees and investors who relied on Zhester
Technology for their livelihoods.
That was why I felt guilty and sorry for Helen. I wanted to try my best to make it up to her and protect
her. Helen had asked me why I married her. I replied that I loved her and I wanted to spend the rest of
my life with her. The other reason was that I was afraid that Helen would one day find out about the
truth I was hiding, and then our relationship would come to an end.
Helen was like a hedgehog, hiding all her softest parts and only showing those tough prickles to others
when she got hurt. Even if she was only slightly hurt, she would never allow anyone near her anymore.
Therefore, I could only use marriage to bind us together. No matter what happened in the future, I still
had a chance to persuade her to stay by my side as long as we were still married.
I had tried so hard to win Helen over. No matter what the future dealt us, I would never let her go.
Jane continued, “George, you and Helen will never be able to live happily together. Mark my words, the
Affleck family will never accept her.” At that moment, I stared at Jane again.
Then I realized that my marriage with Helen couldn’t be announced to the public yet, so I had to hide it
for the time being. Otherwise, once my parents got to know about it, it would cause a great uproar. I
needed to wait until my relationship with Helen grew stronger. The conversation between Jane and me
ended on a bitter note.
After some compromise, she agreed to go abroad and not to come back unless she absolutely had to,
since she did not want to tarnish her reputation. Before leaving, Jane said, “Before I go abroad, I have
to go to Philly first. My mother has purchased houses for my Grandma and uncle in Philly. There’s
some paper work that I need to help her complete there. Once I’m done there, I will leave.”
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