Chapter 2

I once called the cops, but Jack used a power of attorney that contained my parents' signature to veto my accusation.

From then on, I just ignored Jack as if he weren't there.

My house included two bedrooms, and one of them belonged to Grandma.

Now, Jack occupied Grandma's old room. He cooked and did the cleaning for me.

Hey, wasn't he a free servant? I began to enjoy his service with a clear conscience after I came round.

However, there was one problem. Every day, he urged me to go home as soon as school was over. He could find me no matter where I hid.

He began to tutor me the moment he got home.

I was a poor student, but he was a knowledgeable tutor.

"Jack, let's be frank..." I couldn't help but ask after I was once again found and dragged home by Jack. "Are you on a mission that you will get some great reward, like wealth or magic potions, after you get me into college?"

Jack gave me a tap on the head and answered, "Going to college is for your own good."

"How?" I grumbled, rubbing my forehead. "I don't want them to come back anyway..."

"Are you serious?" Jack interrupted me. He looked me in the eye and said seriously, "Don't you want to prove to them that you can become outstanding even on your own?"

Hearing this, I clenched my fists as I thrilled.

There was a tiny mole right at the outer corner of his eye.

I looked him in the eye and found a galaxy there, so dazzling...

Midterms rolled around. I went from second to last in my year all the way up to the top 50.

My scores came out, and my classmates looked at me with suspicion.

I was over the moon, thinking how to share the good news with Jack that night.

'I will tell him that I made no progress this time. Then, I will tell the truth and ask for the steak as the reward. Jack is good at cooking steak,' I thought happily.

However, I was summoned into the teacher's office before school was over.

My teacher suspected that I'd cheated in the tests, so she annulled my scores.

After school, I went to a bar. That night, Jack found me at the police station.

The cops said that I, wearing the school uniform and madly dancing with the punks, had been the most eye-catching person during their raid at the bar.

Instantly, Jack's face darkened.

I watched Jack whisper to the cops, sign some papers, and then come over to lead me away.

Honestly, I didn't drink much wine that night. Thanks to the drafty hall in the police station, I had sobered up.

Jack didn't say a single word to me the whole way home.

Looking at his grave face, I was finally angered.

I stormed toward my bedroom, and he stopped me by shouting, "Stop right there! Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Instantly, I was irritated. "I don't need you telling me what to do! What are you, my dad or my mom? Do you really think that you can control me with that piece of paper?"

Jack strode right up to me. He was skinny, but his stern face was seriously intimidating.

He towered over me, who was about a head shorter than him, and stared at me coldly. His voice was colder and harsher than ever as he said, "Do you know how disappointed your parents would be in you?"

Hearing this, I hurled my backpack at him and then screamed at the top of my lungs, "How disappointed can they be? The grass on their graves is taller than me now! They know nothing!"

I saw Jack's stern expression change inch by inch.

The atmosphere in the room became dull. After quite a long time, Jack rumbled, "When did you find out?"

I clenched my fists and soon got a hot flush in the head. It seemed the alcohol took effect again. Then, my whole body became feverish.

Biting my lip hard, I looked Jack in the eye and then said word by word, "Don't treat me like some child. I know that my parents died long ago. You tried to keep the truth from me, and so did Grandma... I know a lot. I know that they were undercover agents and that you are a cop too."

Jack and the room became hazy to me. Memories drowned me like tidal waves. I felt dizzy and then got a splitting headache.

On the other end of the line, Richard was still pressing me.

I came to life again. Then, I blurted out, "Where are you? I want to see you. Right now."

I missed him. I missed him so much that I wanted to see him right away. Richard went quiet.

Over the phone, I heard taunts. Some people called me shameless, others said that I was playing hard to get. A few of them teased Richard.

In the end, Richard sent me an address. I hurried over without dressing up.

Richard and his friends were still at the bar when I arrived. Richard, sitting in the middle of his friends, noticed my pale face and seemed shocked.

"Christine, only a few months have passed. You... are you dying?" he asked.

I ignored the question and the mocking gazes around me. I approached Richard. After my eyes adjusted to the dim room, I clearly saw Richard's face. Then, a wave of anger washed over me.

"Where's your mole?" I demanded.

I cupped Richard's chin, and my eyes searched for that mole.

A few months had passed, and Richard had a different face now.

The shape of his eyes and the bridge of his nose seemed different from before. Most importantly, that mole at the outer corner of his eye, the same one Jack had, was gone.

He didn't look anything like Jack anymore.