Chapter 535 Jessica's Memory (Part 4)
"Yeah." The servant nodded, "You didn't know?"
After all, the two seemed to have a good relationship before, so the servant was surprised that Jasper didn't even know Jessica had gone to Novaria for school.
Seeing Jasper's genuinely confused expression, the servant added, "She's been gone for almost a month already. Zoey said Jessica wouldn't be back for New Year's, so she bought Zoey a ticket to Novaria to spend the holiday there."
Before the servant could react, Jasper suddenly stood up and rushed out. The servant had never seen Jasper so unsettled before. She was stunned for a moment before picking up the cup from the floor.
Jasper ran all the way to the housekeeper's quarters and immediately turned the door handle. Zoey never locked the front door at night, fearing someone might need her, making it convenient for others to knock.
Jasper opened the small room where Jessica used to stay, only to find it completely empty. Even the desk where he often saw Jessica writing at had been cleared out. The room didn't even have a bed now.
Instantly, Jasper's eyes turned icy, exuding a chilling aura. Jessica had really left, and he had no idea.
"Mr. Murphy?" Zoey's puzzled voice came from behind.
When Jasper turned around, Zoey saw it was indeed him. She asked in confusion, "Mr. Murphy, is there something you need?"
Jasper's tall and straight figure stood by the door. Seeing Zoey, he furrowed his brows and asked, "Zoey, where is Jessica?"
Even now, he found it hard to believe what the servant had just said. Because he remembered clearly that Jessica had told him she was going to college here.
Zoey widened her eyes, "Mr. Murphy, Jessica went to college."
"I know, I mean, where is she studying?"
Zoey replied, "Mr. Murphy, she is in Novaria."
Upon hearing this, Jasper's cold eyes narrowed sharply, and he exuded a distant aura. He swallowed hard and asked, "Why did she go to Novaria?"
Zoey sighed and said, "Jessica said the university there suited her better. I also thought it was quite far. She even mentioned she wouldn't be back for New Year's and would bring me over there instead."
At this point, Jasper had no choice but to believe it. Jessica was indeed very far from him now.
Jasper's thin lips moved slightly, and he asked, "Then why is her room like this?"
Jessica wasn't never coming back, so why was everything removed? Jessica was so sensitive; if she came back and saw this, she might be heartbroken.
Jasper's face was covered with gloom, and he sternly asked, "Zoey, whose idea was it to clear out Jessica's room? Was it my father's?"
Furious, he turned to leave, "I need to ask, is this mansion too small to spare even one room!"
Seeing Jasper looking like he was about to settle scores, Zoey quickly stopped him, "Wait, Mr. Murphy!"
She panted heavily before catching Jasper and said, "Jessica cleaned out the room herself."
Jasper thought he had misheard, "She did it herself?"
"Yes," Zoey nodded, "A while ago, she gave me a sum of money, which was the allowance I had given her that she hadn't used, along with the money she saved from working. We went to the suburbs and picked out a small house. She said when she comes back, she'll go to our own home and won't come to the Murphy Mansion to bother anyone."
Jasper didn't expect Jessica, at such a young age, to be so decisive. She even bought a house, clearly intending to sever ties with the Murphy family.
He didn't understand; she didn't seem that angry at the time, so why? Years of friendship, cut off just like that. Jessica was truly ruthless.
Jasper's eyelids drooped, his expression weary and devoid of any vitality. He said nothing, not even remembering to say goodbye to Zoey, and just turned and left the room.
Zoey watched Jasper's desolate figure, her worry deepening. She suddenly felt that Jessica distancing herself from the Murphy family was a good thing.
Seasons passed. Jasper continued his work as usual, time slipping away in the busyness. Until one day, a representative from Novaria sought to collaborate with the Murphy family's shipping company.
Novaria was far from Auroria, and considering the costs, it wasn't a profitable route and might even lose money. So the company had never considered expanding to Novaria.
This time, however, Jasper accepted the invitation for an on-site visit. It was deep winter in Novaria, and after more than a day's flight, he arrived.
The weather here was much colder than in Auroria. Jasper couldn't understand why Jessica, who hated the cold, would choose to come to the icy Novaria.
On the first day, after a brief meeting with the potential partners, Jasper declined their party invitation and drove to the Virtual School of Visual Arts.
The school was large and beautiful. After a simple registration, he was allowed to tour the campus. He walked around and came to the girls' dormitory, standing there for a long time. He didn't know what he was thinking, maybe just hoping for a stroke of luck.
The light snow turned into heavy snow, and Jasper saw boys bringing hot food to their favorite girls. The scene was beautiful, instantly bringing back memories of youth.
At that moment, a couple walked towards him. The girl wore a khaki wool hat and a down coat that reached her ankles, nestled in the boy's arms like a couple in love, reluctant to part.
Jasper's heart suddenly tightened. Even though she was wrapped up tightly, he could tell at a glance that it was Jessica.
The snow fell heavier, covering Jasper's shoulders. He stood in the shadow of a tree, almost blending into the white wall behind him.
He suddenly found it laughable, not knowing why he was standing there. Jessica had gone so far to avoid him, and he had gone to great lengths to find an excuse to come to Novaria. Knowing it was a losing route, he still came to discuss it, as if he were crazy.
It was only five minutes, but to Jasper, it felt like an eternity. As Jasper turned to leave, it was clear he was furious. The snow from the trees fell off due to his movement, startling the two people nearby. The boy looked at Jasper's retreating figure and said in surprise, "Was there someone standing there just now?"
Jessica had a terrible headache and couldn't see clearly, only catching a blurry figure, which was strangely familiar. It looked just like the person she had buried deep in her heart.
Jessica lowered her eyelashes, knowing that the figure couldn't possibly be Jasper.
She thought that by coming to Novaria, changing her number and social media accounts, and cutting all ties with her past life, she could slowly forget Jasper. But unexpectedly, she still occasionally saw Jasper's shadow.
The trees looked like him, the snow looked like him, even a blurry figure resembled him.
Jasper had been eager to send her away, yet she was still so weak-willed. Time hadn't made her forget him. Instead, she missed everything about Jasper even more.
It had only been a few months since she left, but Jessica felt like it had been half a lifetime since she last saw him. She silently warned herself to stop missing Jasper. Even if she couldn't truly forget, she at least had to pretend to be indifferent.
"Jessica?" The boy next to her called out, concerned, "Are you still feeling unwell? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Jessica shook her head and said, "No, it's fine. This happens often. I'll just take some medicine and sleep it off."
She wasn't used to the cold in Novaria and often caught colds and fevers after arriving. Because she was frequently ill, Jessica had lost a lot of weight. Fortunately, the loose winter coat hid it well, so it wasn't too obvious.
Just now, during her class, she felt increasingly hot, making it impossible for her to walk back to the dorm. The professor had a classmate escort her back. She managed to walk a few steps with his help at first, but later she had to lean on him entirely, unable to muster any strength.
"Jessica, are all girls from Dreamlandia this tough?" the male classmate joked, "Small body, big energy."
Jessica could no longer maintain a smile, and the classmate noticed, saying, "Jessica, should I help you upstairs?"
Jessica shook her head, "No, I'm fine."
The classmate still asked the dormitory manager to help Jessica upstairs. The dormitory manager felt sorry for Jessica, who was studying abroad and working hard from morning till night, never slacking off. Even when she was sick and her voice was hoarse, she insisted on attending classes. She was truly dedicated.
The dormitory manager gave Jessica some medicine and water, helping her take it. The warmth of the manager made Jessica think of her mother.
She mumbled, "Mom..."
Jessica, already dazed, tightly held the dormitory manager's hand, tears streaming down her face. "I want to go home so badly, but he doesn't want to see me."
The dormitory manager didn't hear her words clearly, but she understood the word "Mom." She assumed Jessica was homesick and comforted her gently. "Jessica, if you miss home, go back and visit."
Jessica clung to the dormitory manager's hand, her tears falling like pearls. She was only 19, experiencing the pain of unrequited love for the first time. The pain was unbearable, as if a piece of her heart had been torn out. She never wanted to feel this way again.
By early morning, her fever had subsided. Jessica didn't take time off because of her illness. She got up on time to go to the cafeteria for breakfast before heading to class.
Walking past the tree from last night, she suddenly thought of that figure. It really looked like Jasper, but unfortunately, it wasn't.
The white snow hurt her eyes after looking at it for too long. Suddenly, something reflected a red light, catching her attention. She looked down and saw a red four-leaf clover, half-buried in the snow.
Jessica thought she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes, but it was still there.
She bent down to pick up the clover, only to find it was a long four-leaf clover necklace, intricately crafted and very beautiful. And coincidentally, the rose gold frame of the clover had a small custom symbol engraved on it.
Jessica looked closer and saw the letter 'J'! What kind of fate was it to find a necklace that matched the initial of her name?
She liked the necklace very much, but it wasn't hers, so she didn't keep it. Jessica handed the necklace to the school's lost and found. She knew that luxury necklaces had serial numbers that could help find the owner.
About three days later, she received a call from the school's lost and found. They informed her that the luxury brand had confirmed the necklace's owner was Jessica.
Jessica was puzzled as she retrieved the necklace. She was sure she hadn't bought the necklace. After checking the official website, customer service said they couldn't disclose who purchased it. The database only retained the owner's information.
Jessica had no choice but to keep the necklace.
Four years of college passed quickly. For the first three years, Zoey came to Novaria for New Year's. In the last year, Jessica returned home to spend New Year's with Zoey in their new house.
During the twenty-day holiday, Jessica hardly went out. It was only when she was about to return to Novaria that she went out to visit familiar malls and schools.
As expected, she didn't run into anyone she knew. But Jessica didn't want to meet anyone either. The long isolation had made her lose her social skills.
On her last night in Auroria, she heard a bit of news about Jasper from Zoey. It turned out that three years ago, Jasper had left the company, saying he was tired of it. He had switched careers to become a professor at a university, focusing on research.
Jasper was exceptionally talented and excelled in everything he did. Within a year, he had gained significant fame. But Jessica had been so focused on her studies, deliberately avoiding any news about him, which led to her delayed awareness.
She also heard that before Jasper left, he had opened a route to Novaria. It was clearly a losing business, which had even made Clayton angry, a rare sight in the family, but Jasper insisted on opening the route. Later, whenever Zoey visited Jessica in Novaria, she would coincidentally meet people from the Murphy Group on business trips, making her travels much easier.
To everone's surprise, that unprofitable route was later praised by Novaria's leaders, who commended the Murphy family as benevolent entrepreneurs. This praise caused the Murphy family's shipping stocks to soar, leading to a booming shipping business.
Jessica didn't let her imagination run wild. She knew Jasper's capabilities; he wouldn't engage in losing business or take uncertain risks.
After graduation, Jessica stayed in Novaria for a year before returning to Auroria. At a social gathering, she unexpectedly met Jasper and his friend Oscar. The memories that followed were ones Jessica didn't want to recall. It was the darkest period of her life, a nightmare she could never forget.
To her, Oscar was more terrifying than a monster.
As midnight approached, sleepiness overwhelmed her, and Jessica's eyes were about to close. In a daze, she heard her phone beep with a message.
Jessica hadn't seen the screen yet, but it was from Oscar.
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