Chapter 113: One Year Later
By the time Magnus arrived in Imperial Capital, and it was already ten o'clock at night. Only a small night light was on in the villa when a small figure suddenly rushed out and tightly hugged his thigh.
"Jennifer?" He reached out and rubbed her little head.
Jennifer, in a muffled voice, said, "Daddy, I thought you wouldn't come back either."
"How could I? I wouldn't leave you."
"Mom said the same, but she still left me."
The little one looked up at him. Magnus's heart was violently struck. He forced a smile, "I'm fine."
"Liar, after Mom left, you kept staring at the ring she wore every night, sometimes sitting in the living room all night, not saying a word. Daddy, don't leave with Mom, I'm scared."
Jennifer held onto his trousers tightly, afraid that if she let go, Magnus would leave.
Magnus raised his hand, wiped her tears, and said softly, "I promise you, I will always be with you."
After all, that was Juniper's last wish. No matter how unbearable the pain, he would raise Jennifer.
"Mom's gone and won't come back, right?" Jennifer's dark eyes stared straight at Magnus. Although she was very young, she understood everything.
Magnus knelt down, looking her in the eye. His warm, dry hands firmly held her soft little ones. He hugged the child, patting her back gently, whispering, "Jennifer, don't be afraid, Daddy will always be by your side."
"Daddy, it's just us from now on, you have to be okay. You still have me."
Magnus's eyes reddened, and he replied, "Yes, I know."
That night, Magnus took Jennifer to her bedroom. Jennifer snuggled in a small blanket, leaning against him.
Magnus took a book of fairy tales and read to her until she fell asleep, not daring to leave even after she did.
He turned off the light and stayed by her side, knowing how uneasy Jennifer would feel that night.
He had experienced the feeling of being abandoned. The terrifying part wasn't surviving after being abandoned, but the moment when someone you unconditionally trusted and relied on suddenly abandoned you without warning. There was an immense sense of destruction, as if the whole world had forsaken you.
From then on, he walked alone, never seeing a glimmer of light again. Because he had been hurt, he didn't want Jennifer to suffer.
Over the next few days, Magnus brought work back home and stayed close to Jennifer. His constant presence gradually eased her anxiety.
Time was the best healer for children. They didn't dwell on things too much, maybe shed a few tears, but quickly moved on.
For mature adults like Magnus, loss was like a prolonged battle. At any random moment, a word, a familiar silhouette, or a similar scent could trigger memories like a flood, engulfing a person entirely.
A year later, on a summer night in Imperial Capital, Magnus took Jennifer to a hotel.
"Daddy, are we having dinner with Michael tonight?"
"Yes, Michael is getting married, so he wants to introduce his girlfriend to us."
A year ago, due to Magnus's outburst, Michael left SY Group with Patricia. They hadn't been in touch much over the past year, with Robert mediating between them.
Patricia was stubborn and bossy, but Michael had always been diligent at work and hadn't done anything wrong. SY's success was partly due to Michael's efforts. Michael had received dividends from the company, and Magnus hadn't taken back his shares.
Jennifer pouted and asked, "Is Patricia coming too? I don't want to see her; I might end up arguing with her."
"No, tonight Michael only invited me, you, Robert, and Ophelia."
"That's great, I haven't seen Robert and Ophelia in a long time."
As they approached the private room, Magnus heard Robert's voice inside. Robert was patting Michael's shoulder, saying, "Michael, Magnus was just angry at the time, he wanted Patricia to leave, and you confronted him and embarrassed him, so he yelled at you to leave too. It's been a year, why are you still bothered by it?"
"I don't want to go back, Robert. You know how I am; I don't like confrontations. If I stayed at SY, there would inevitably be disagreements with you guys, but I don't want to have unpleasantness with friends over work. Besides, SY is strong enough now, it doesn't need me."
Robert tried to persuade him. "We were all in the same camp in college. Are you really leaving your friends to start your own business?"
"I'm just leaving the company, I'm not leaving you guys. I invited you all to dinner tonight, didn't I? If my business does well, I'll invite you to invest."
Just then, Magnus walked in with Jennifer, handing a considerable sum of money to Michael, "Congratulations in advance on your wedding."
"I haven't even gotten the certificate yet, let alone had the wedding. You're giving this too early."
Robert pointed at Magnus, teasing, "Magnus, when I got married, you didn't give me this much. You're biased!"
"Are you short of money? Besides, what was the market value of SY back then? I didn't have that much money. When you and Ophelia have a child, I'll make up for it."
Ophelia, who was nearby, almost spat out her coffee. "No, I don't plan on having children!"
"Then we'll wait for Robert's thirtieth birthday in a few days."
Robert retorted, "Who are you calling thirty? I'm only eighteen!"
Jennifer sat next to Ophelia and asked, "Ophelia, do you and Robert really not want a baby?"
Ophelia, feeling a headache coming on, chuckled. "Jennifer, you're so young, why are you already urging others to have babies?"
Everyone had arrived, but the hostess was still missing.
Ophelia asked, "Michael, why hasn't your fiancée arrived yet?"
"She said she's stuck in traffic and will be here soon."
As they spoke, the door to the private room opened. "Sorry for being late, the traffic was terrible!"
Ophelia looked up and stared for a few seconds at the newcomer. How did Michael's fiancée resemble Juniper so much?
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