Chapter 116 - Better Off Him.
[My new book THe Villian is available now.]
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It was the middle of the night when Long Jie returned to his home. Four days of futile attempts to locate Esma. It was like she disappeared into the thin air.
There was no state, no country where he didn't look for her but in the end, he was graced with disappointment.
The time had flown by in a haze of new places, search for Esma, and search for Esma. Not even for a second, another thought invaded his mind.
Long Jie entered the house, he saw Mrs. Xie waiting for him in the hall. He looked around to find Zhenyi but unsurprisingly she was not there waiting for him along with Mrs. Xie. An hour ago he had informed Mrs. Xie that he would be returning home and it was reasonable that she had not informed his wife in fear of disturbing her sleep.
"Would you like to have some tea or maybe dinner? " Mrs. Xie smiled down at him as she questioned him.
"No. I already had dinner. I would like to rest now." Long Jie straightly declined her.
The long flight had worn him out. This time rest was much appreciated than food or perhaps a cup of tea.
Mrs. Xie nodded.
Long Jie could sense that she wanted to say something else but was hesitating.
"Any problem, Mrs. Xie?" Long Jie inquired.
"Uh--Um---"
"Mrs. Xie?" Long Jie asked again as he saw the elderly woman stammering to complete a sentence that was very unlike her.
It was odd for Long Jie because Mrs. Xie was like a motherly figure in his life and if she even hit him with a duster for committing a mistake he wouldn't mind because he was used to it.
"I'll be here, Young master. If you need anything please just call me. " Mrs. Xie said with a hesitating smile.
Long Jie nodded and ascended the stairs leaving the tense Mrs. Xie behind.
If she still wanted to talk to him, she knew where to find him.
He opened the door to their bedroom and as he stepped into the room, a pitch dark room welcomed his sight which was quite unsettling to him considering his wife's habit of sleeping with the lights on.
Nevertheless, he switched on the lights and once the room was illuminated, his gaze fell on the neatly prepared bed. The blanket was primly folded on the rims of the bed. It seemed like no one slept on the bed seeing the undisturbed state of the bedding.
Did she leave him? Was she fed up with him?
He shut the door on that thought immediately and ignored the bad premonition that had reared its ugly head in his heart and walked forward. He tossed his suit jacket on the bed and strode towards the bathroom.
As the cold water touched his skin, he opened his eyes and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He was exhausted; mentally and physically and wished for nothing but to hug his wife to sleep.
He eyed the bathtub and after four days a genuine smile bloomed on his face recalling the last time he had spent with her. She was mischievously delighted and seeing her happy a gush of warmth knock his heart.
Walking out of the washroom, he took out his phone to look if Zhenyi had messaged or called her but oddly enough, there was nothing. He had not called his wife either because he didn't know what to say to her or how to make her understand his circumstance.
It was complicated. Very much so. She would not understand and he was sure of it.
He opened the wardrobe and then the actual gravity of the disaster hit him. The disaster which was brewing since the time he had left China unannounced. What had happened, what was going to happen next, and What Mrs. Xie was trying to tell him? All of his questions were answered at once.
Zhenyi's side of the closet was empty, not even a single thing belonging to her was there. He went back to the washroom, the cabinet containing her daily necessities was empty too. Why he didn't notice it before?
She had an annoying habit of scattering her beauty products in front of the mirror. Why didn't he notice it earlier?
He rubbed his forehead in frustration, anxiety, and distress. How could she do this to him? Did she forget that she had signed a marriage certificate with him? Did she really think that she could escape their marriage?
If she believed she was mighty enough to break their marriage much less leave this house, she was wrong very very wrong.
A thought hit him hard almost knocking the remaining life in him.
His grandmother's coin. That bloody coin.
She could use that coin anytime and leave him and his family for once and for all.
He unlocked the safe where she had put that coin. He saw the coin was still placed in the same wooden box Zhenyi had put it in.
So what if she had not used it yet, there was no guarantee that she would not use it in the future. But if there was no coin, there would be no means for her to leave him either.
His grandmother was wrong, he didn't need to give her a reason to stay when he hadn't one either, but he could certainly take away the means she provided her wife to leave him at least for now.
However, the primary question still remained unanswered -- where was his wife?
The void in his heart expanded as numerous possibilities rushed to his mind. It was painful to think what she could do to him. She held the power to crush him.
"Mrs. Xie?" Long Jie called out.
He took a deep breath and steadied his mind not to lose control. It was neither the appropriate time nor the situation.
"Mrs. Xie " He shouted again but less loudly this time.
As if Mrs. Xie was expecting his call, she knocked on the door to let him know that she was there.
"Where is my wife?" He asked her calmly.
Though his heart of steel was cracking open, he managed to remain unscathed.
"She is here. She has not left the residence yet." Mrs. Xie said, stressing on the last word.
Getting the cue, he harshly spoke, " You mean she was intending to leave her home. And you are also saying that she is at home but where is she? Why she is not here? Most importantly why is her closet empty? "
Long Jie fired away multiple questions in a single breathe.
"Madam asked for a separate room on the second floor," said Mrs. Xie in a polite yet powerful voice. She paused and then added, "She said that the room has a nicer view. And later she asked the servants to shift her belongings to her new room."
Mrs. Xie's attitude indicated Long Jie that she was team Zhenyi this time.
"And you fulfilled this unreasonable demand of her without giving a second thought? Do you not even think about asking me once?"Long Jie asked her in a loud voice.
All the forbearance he gathered snapped in a single second. It was true Zhenyi brought out the worst of him and no matter how much he tried to deter her influence on him, he just couldn't instead each passing second she kept on amassing more and more power to affect him; to destroy him.
"I tried to call you but your phone was unreachable," answered Mrs. Xie. " Besides she is the mistress of the house, your wife, and my employer. And you said to give her whatever she asks for."
"Do you informed her about my arrival?" He asked her hopefully.
"She specifically told everyone not to disturb her, " she said. " At any cost."
Huh...
Long Jie chuckled mirthlessly. Of course, she had. What was he expecting that she would be dying to see him? She would cry when he would tell her ' wife I'm back till I don't vanish into the air again.'
No idiot, she was Zhenyi. She gave you a chance but you chose to protect your dire self-esteem. She was better off him and better than him.
He laughed bitterly again.
Mrs. Xie was worried about seeing him behaving like this but she wanted them to resolve their issues themselves. No matter how close she was to him, at the end of the day she was an employee and not family so she didn't comment further.
"Thank you, Mrs. Xie. You should rest too. Good night, "Long Jie told her.
"Good night, Young master."
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