Chapter 351 Wife Checking In
Michael bit his cigarette, hesitated for a moment, then laughed at himself and said, "So, if it's something I can't do, I won't force it anymore. Giving a lighter to someone like me who doesn't smoke was a mistake."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and tossed the lighter into the deep, dark river.
The river's surface rippled slightly, then quickly returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
This lighter was a gift from Magnus when they founded SY.
Because starting a business meant socializing.
Not smoking or drinking made it hard to deal with clients.
But now, it wasn't needed anymore.
The friendship was gone, so why keep the lighter?
Magnus's gaze on the river deepened. "Whether you ever considered me a friend or not, I never wronged you, Michael. Now that you've cashed out and left, the billion-dollar fortune I promised you is fulfilled. During those three years I was in prison, I saw all your contributions to SY. You deserve this, so I won't stop you from leaving."
Michael bit his lip and asked with his head down, "The SEC didn't come after me, was that your doing?"
Magnus didn't deny it. "It wasn't a big deal anyway. Even if the SEC did come after you, it would just be a routine investigation, a slap on the wrist. If you want to leave, no one can stop you."
The cigarette between Michael's fingers glowed red in the cold wind.
His gaze became unfocused, and he said emotionlessly, "From college until now, almost fourteen years have passed. Maybe we were never on the same path. Magnus, let's go our separate ways from now on."
Magnus chuckled lightly, his voice indifferent, as if he didn't care much. "The promises of the past have been fulfilled. There's no need to continue. Let's part on good terms."
"Alright, let's leave it at that."
Michael dropped the burnt-out cigarette butt and took a few steps along the riverbank.
He stopped again, glanced sideways, and asked, "When you dealt with Patricia like that, did you ever think I would retaliate? Even if she did something terribly wrong, she's still my only sister. Why did you have to stain your hands with her blood?"
But Magnus never left any room for maneuver.
Patricia's blood had splattered all over him.
If he had had someone else handle it, it wouldn't have led to such a complete break.
Magnus leaned lazily against the railing, a faint, even cold, smile on his lips.
He said, "You know what I'm like; it's not your first day knowing me. I don't have many loved ones, besides my adoptive father, there's only Juniper. Patricia crossed my bottom line; I couldn't let her go. If you want to retaliate because of that, I have nothing to say."
His voice paused as he looked at the river, his gaze losing focus.
He continued, "Michael, whether you believe it or not, I once considered you and Robert as family. During those three years, if it weren't for you and Robert, there wouldn't be the Magnus of today."
Michael laughed bitterly, his eyes red.
He walked away from Magnus. "It's too late to say all this now."
People have feelings, but they are separated by their own minds.
Some rifts, once formed, can never be mended.
He didn't look back, only said one word, "Farewell."
After Michael left.
Magnus stood by the river for a long, long time.
The river wind was fierce, the cold biting.
Those years as classmates, spending so much time in the same trench, and now he was gone just like that.
The comings and goings, the beginnings and ends of relationships, maybe it was all destined from the start.
He had just lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, when his phone rang.
It was Juniper calling.
He adjusted his emotions before answering, his tone steady. "Have you arrived in Skyville?"
"Yeah, I toured the factory this afternoon and just got back to the hotel."
On the phone, she could hear the wind on his end.
Juniper asked, "Where are you?"
Magnus chuckled, his voice deep, "Checking up on me?"
Juniper played along, "Yeah, checking up on you. Is that not okay?"
"It's okay."
Magnus held the phone, his arms resting on the iron railing, his voice tinged with indulgence.
Juniper was looking over the business dealings of the building materials factory from the past few years, her head and shoulder holding the phone as she talked to him, but she didn't let it slide. "Where exactly are you?"
"At Night Harbor Bar, Robert called me out for a drink."
"I can hear the wind on your end."
Magnus smiled. "Sharp ears. I was inside for a while, just came out for some fresh air."
Juniper suddenly asked, "Did you and Michael part ways?"
Magnus was slightly taken aback, raising an eyebrow, "Your information is pretty sharp too. Juniper, what's going on? You know everything about me now. If we get married, won't you have me completely under your thumb?"
His tone was lazy, sounding indifferent.
But Juniper knew something was off.
Juniper deliberately said, "I haven't agreed to marry you yet. Even if you want to be a henpecked husband, I haven't decided if I want to control you."
Magnus held the phone in one hand, a cigarette loosely in the other, resting on the railing. "If you don't control me, who will?"
The cigarette ash had grown long, and Magnus flicked it off, letting it scatter.
Juniper's lips curled up, but she said, "Don't change the subject. Michael cashed out a billion dollars and left SY. Did you guys have a falling out?"
"Am I not enough for you to manage, and you want to manage Michael too?"
Magnus didn't want to talk about this with Juniper.
He was afraid that Patricia's tragic death would scare her.
But Juniper was serious this time, calling his name sternly, "Magnus."
"Yeah, I'm here."
Magnus's voice was still lazy.
Juniper's tone grew more serious, "Answer the question."
There was a few seconds of silence on the phone.
Magnus laughed, his tone unclear, but light, "Just had a falling out with him, and you're here to see the joke. Juniper, I'm a man, I have pride too."
Juniper was stunned.
She even put down her work, sat cross-legged on the chair, took the phone from her neck with her right hand, and sat up straight. "How could this happen? You guys have been friends for so many years, and now it's over just like that?"
Magnus's voice carried a hint of melancholy, "Some friendships, no matter how deep, have no meaning when they reach the end."
The more indifferent he sounded, the more he cared.
Juniper bit her lip and asked, "Is it... because of me?"
Magnus's gaze froze, his voice hoarse from the smoke, "No."
"Then why?"
He coaxed her in a deep voice, "Don't overthink it. Aren't you tired from just arriving in Skyville?"
Juniper pursed her lips, her tone serious, "Not tired. Are you very sad?"
Magnus sighed almost inaudibly, his eyes showing a hint of roguishness, and said to Juniper, "Want to comfort me?"
Juniper tried to get him to talk, "But I don't know the reason for your fallout, I don't know how to comfort you. How about you vent to me?"
"Juniper, women comforting men, venting and chatting doesn't work."
Juniper was still naive, asking without thinking, "Then what works?"
He chuckled, his voice deep and suggestive, "Comforting in bed works better."
His voice through the phone was hoarse and full of desire.
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