Chapter 587: Jump, I'll Jump with You
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Aurelie muttered with a bitter smile. This wasn't the first time something like that had happened.
She had no clue how to even react anymore.
"It's not the first time. If he wants to jump, let him." Aurelie knew Joshua was all bark and no bite, just putting on a show.
"Aurelie, how can you say that? He's your dad! No matter what he's done, he's still the one who brought you into this world and raised you. How can you be so cold?" Barbara snapped at her.
"Will he not jump if I show up?" Aurelie asked, cool as a cucumber.
Barbara was speechless.
Aurelie chuckled, "I bet if I agree to pay off his debts, he won't jump. So what's the point of this drama? It's just to guilt-trip me into bailing him out."
Barbara, seeing her plan exposed, got even more pissed, "You're just a heartless monster. You're gonna let your dad die for your own sake. I'm telling you, if you don't come today, you'll regret it."
Aurelie didn't flinch and coldly hung up the phone.
The TV was still showing live footage of Joshua threatening to jump. There were firefighters, cops, and a whole bunch of onlookers.
If you looked closely, there were quite a few reporters too.
Joshua had picked a building next to a big shopping mall, where there was a massive crowd.
They were making a big scene to scare her. The four of them couldn't have come up with this on their own; someone was definitely pulling the strings.
Aurelie didn't plan to give it any attention, but her phone rang again. This time, it was the cops, "Is this Ms. Miller?"
"Yeah, it's me," she replied.
"Your father is about to jump. He's really agitated. We've tried everything, but he won't come down and insists on seeing you. Please come over quickly," the officer said urgently.
"If you can save him, do it. If not, just leave him be. If you all leave, he'll come down on his own. If he really wanted to jump, he wouldn't be waiting for you to arrive. Besides, he's pulled this stunt many times before; he won't jump," Aurelie said.
Even though Aurelie said this, the cops and firefighters couldn't just leave Joshua there. If he really jumped, who would be responsible?
"No matter what issues you have, he's still your father. You should come over quickly. If he really jumps, you'll regret saying these things for the rest of your life," the officer's words made sense, but he didn't know Joshua's true intentions. Aurelie did, so she wasn't budging.
"I get what you're saying, but I know him. He doesn't have the guts to jump," Aurelie said, about to hang up.
The officer quickly added, "A life is at stake. Besides, if you don't come, he won't let us get close. We can't talk to him. We're all here, and if this drags on and something really happens, it won't be good for anyone."
Aurelie tightened her grip on the phone, biting her lip without saying a word.
Hearing her silence, the officer sensed an opening and quickly rattled off the address. "Please, come over as soon as you can."
Aurelie gripped her phone tight and slowly lowered her hand. Watching the news on TV, her eyes welled up, and she felt that familiar sting in her nose.
She wasn't crying for them; she was crying for herself.
Look at that, she couldn't escape in the end.
Aurelie took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
When Cecily got to Aurelie's hospital room, it was empty.
Cecily went out to ask a nurse, who said she saw Aurelie change clothes and leave.
"Leave? When did she go?" Cecily asked.
"About ten minutes ago."
Cecily couldn't figure out where Aurelie would go in her current state. "Did she say where she was heading?"
The nurse replied, "No, but she didn't seem to be in a good mood. When I passed by her room today, I heard someone constantly calling her."
Hearing this, Cecily figured it was probably the Miller family blowing up Aurelie's phone, and she didn't want to deal with it.
"Okay, got it. Thanks." Cecily thanked the nurse and pulled out her phone to call Aurelie. But before the call connected, she overheard some nurses chatting nearby.
One nurse said, "Someone's threatening to jump from a building near the mall. If he really jumps from that height, there's no saving him."
"But the news says the cops and firefighters are there. They should be able to save him, right?" another one asked.
"Hopefully. The news says it's been a standoff for a while. The guy threatening to jump insists on seeing his daughter, but she hasn't shown up yet."
Hearing this, Cecily got a bad feeling. Aurelie wasn't answering her phone, so Cecily opened the latest news on her phone.
The person threatening to jump was Joshua.
"Unbelievable!" Cecily frowned. Why was he doing this? He just wanted to force Aurelie to bail him out of his debts.
At that moment, Aurelie arrived at the building by taxi. She saw a crowd of people, police cars, and fire trucks around. The cops had set up a cordon to prevent Joshua from accidentally hurting others if he jumped. Two officers were keeping the crowd back.
In front of an open space, a big rescue air cushion had been set up, but Joshua was on the twenty-something floor, and the air cushion wouldn't do much from that height.
Aurelie pressed her lips together and squeezed through the crowd. She told a nearby officer, "I'm the daughter of the man up there."
Hearing this, the officer immediately took her upstairs. Throughout the process, Aurelie kept a stone-cold expression.
On the rooftop, Joshua was standing outside the railing, one step away from a deadly fall.
In front of him, Barbara, Nicole, and John were pleading desperately. Nearby, firefighters with safety ropes were ready to rescue him at any moment, and there were several reporters too.
But Joshua was super cautious and determined, constantly shouting, "Back off, all of you! Don't come any closer, or I'll jump!"
Aurelie's face was ice-cold, her eyes showing zero tension.
Barbara spotted Aurelie and rushed over, slapping her hard. "You monster! Your dad's about to die, and you just got here. You want to drive him to his death!"
Barbara cursed and spat, but luckily, a cop quickly pulled her away.
Aurelie took the slap, her head turning as her left ear buzzed.
Everyone's eyes turned to Aurelie, scrutinizing the daughter who had only shown up after countless phone calls.
Aurelie heard some reporters' voices criticizing her, but she kept her head down, still indifferent.
Nicole also rushed over, her eyes red as she glared at Aurelie. "You bitch, if my dad dies because of you, I won't let you get away with it. It's all your fault."
John's face twisted with rage. "Having a daughter like you is the worst thing that ever happened to Dad. Get over there and talk him down."
Each word was more venomous than the last, attacking Aurelie. She lifted her cold eyes, her gaze fixed on each of their hideous faces.
The cop who had brought Aurelie up noticed something was off. Even he found their words harsh and offensive. Frowning, he said, "How long are you gonna keep yelling? Isn't the most important thing right now to talk him down?"
Barbara grabbed Aurelie. "Get over there. Joshua has something to say to you. You'd better agree to help him, or if something happens to him because of you, we won't let you off."
"Watch your language and stop with the threats," the cop snapped, unable to stand seeing them ganging up on Aurelie.
Barbara, a bully who feared the strong, softened her tone a bit under the cop's reprimand. "We're just so angry at this heartless beast. You don't know the awful things she's done."
"Save it for after we get him down," the cop said.
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Aurelie walked toward Joshua on her own.
When Joshua saw Aurelie, his eyes lit up. "Aurelie, you're here. I knew you wouldn't be so heartless as to ignore me."
"Aurelie, you've always been the kindest. I know you don't want me to die, but I can't go on. If you don't help me, those people will beat me to death. So, please help me," Joshua said, looking down at Aurelie.
Aurelie ignored him, walking toward him like a lifeless shell.
"Aurelie, say something," Joshua shouted. "Don't come any closer."
"Stay right there, do you hear me? Stop!" Joshua watched as Aurelie got closer and closer, not stopping. He didn't know what she was planning.
Unless Aurelie agreed to pay his debts, he had no intention of coming down.
Joshua pointed at Aurelie threateningly, stepping back. "If you come any closer, I'll really jump. Don't come any closer."
Everyone watching was on edge. The firefighters wanted to pull Aurelie back, but she ignored Joshua's words and walked straight up to him.
Joshua, standing outside the railing, kept moving his feet, but he had nowhere left to go. His heels were already over the edge, making the situation extremely dangerous.
Everyone, both downstairs and on the rooftop, held their breath.
Barbara, Nicole, and the others rushed forward, "Joshua, don't jump. Aurelie, are you really going to drive your dad to his death?"
Aurelie ignored the voices around her, lifting her head to stare at Joshua. "I'm here now. Stop pretending and come down."
Joshua looked at Aurelie resolutely. "Unless you promise to help me pay off that debt."
"Dream on." Before Joshua could finish, Aurelie cut him off. "If you think I'll pay your debt, I won't help you. If you want to come down, just do it. If not, stay up there."
Joshua didn't expect Aurelie to be so heartless. He had gone this far, and she was still unmoved. "Do you think I'm joking?"
"Isn't that the case? Do you dare to jump? Go ahead, try it." Aurelie looked at Joshua coldly.
He had used this tactic too many times. Every time he wanted her to pay his debts and she refused, he would act like this.
Aurelie had no choice because he was her dad; she had compromised again and again.
After countless compromises, she finally saw her family for what they truly were. So no matter what they said this time, Aurelie wouldn't agree.
Joshua's chest heaved with anger. "You really want to drive me to my death."
"You're driving me to death. If I agree, it will become my debt, and the debt collectors will come after me. Isn't that just as good as killing me?" Aurelie looked at Joshua, her eyes cold and her expression indifferent. "Barbara was right. I'm a beast. I work, earn money, and pay off debts so you can live well, and you still call me heartless. How ridiculous."
"You want to die? Fine, I don't want to live either. Let's die together." With that, Aurelie climbed over the railing without hesitation, standing next to Joshua. "Come on. Let's jump together."
Aurelie's action shocked everyone.
Especially Joshua's family of four, their faces turned pale with fear.
Joshua didn't expect Aurelie to be so tough. Barbara, Nicole, and John didn't want Aurelie to die because if she did, Joshua's debt would fall on them, and they'd be stuck paying it off with no one to share the burden.
"Aurelie, don't be impulsive. Come down. If you die, how will we live?" Barbara shouted at Aurelie.
The others also yelled, "Don't do anything stupid. Calm down."
Joshua looked at Aurelie beside him, stunned and speechless.
Aurelie ignored the others, staring at the shocked Joshua. "Still want to jump?"
Joshua was too stunned to speak.
"Not jumping? Then I'm leaving." Aurelie climbed back over the railing and started to leave.
Joshua, shocked by Aurelie's actions, finally reacted. "Aurelie, stop. If you leave, I'll jump. Take one more step, and I'll really jump!"
Aurelie ignored his threat, her steps unwavering as she walked away.
Joshua's head buzzed with anger. He cursed at Aurelie, realizing this tactic no longer worked on her. Swearing, he tried to climb back over the railing.
But his foot slipped, and he felt the sudden sensation of falling.
Aurelie heard a chorus of short screams behind her.
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