Chapter 16

Serenity couldn't help but tense when she heard those names. The mention of them itself was enough to give her the feeling of falling into a nightmare! Naturally, she also knew about the six-carat diamond ring. After all, she had seen it in the news. Even if she tried to avoid seeing anything related to them, she would always come across something when she opened her phone and browsed the internet. Back then, when she and Zeke had browsed through a jewelry store, she had also seen that pink diamond in its raw form. At that time, he had told her, "Serenity, if you like it, I'll buy it and make it into our wedding rings when we get married." But in the end, Zeke wasn't hers, and even that diamond ring didn't belong to her. "Serenity, um... are you heading back now?" A clear and slightly shy male voice drifted into Serenity's ears from nearby. She looked up to see a man in his early thirties with short hair standing nearby. He was wearing the sanitation worker's uniform, and his face was slightly flushed as he looked at her. She paused momentarily before she recalled that this man was from the convoy team, and his name was Peter Wall. "Yeah," Serenity replied after a while. "Let me send you back, then. I happen to have some free time," Peter spoke as if he had mustered up all his courage to say those words. Serenity recalled that Xyla had mentioned that Peter was interested in her, so... was he trying to pursue her right now? But she currently had no intentions of entering a romantic relationship. "No, it's fine," Serenity refused. "It's alright. I have a car, so it'll be convenient for me to give you a ride," Peter spoke hurriedly, trying his luck once more for her to agree. "Hmph! Who cares about your car? Serenity wants a luxury car for transportation, okay? Or maybe you should also buy her a six-carat diamond ring. Maybe then she'll agree to let you give her a ride!" Quinn Fender, who was from the equipment team, piped up sarcastically. Peter's face turned red, and he was at a loss for words momentarily. Serenity glanced at Quinn and said calmly, "So if someone offers to give you a ride home one day, would you refuse because you only want to ride a luxury car or want a six-carat diamond ring? Or would you agree regardless of who offers to give you a ride?" "You...!" Quinn was rendered speechless and could only glare fiercely at Serenity. Serenity ignored her and turned to Peter before saying, "Thanks for the offer, but I live nearby and I'm used to walking home." With that, she turned and left. On her way home, Serenity bought some lean meat and vegetables. She would cook soup with shredded meat and vegetables when she arrived home for dinner with Jackson. *** "Does your stomach still hurt?" Serenity asked in concern. "No, it doesn't hurt anymore," Jackson replied. "You should still take the medicine for another day so that you won't relapse. Also, have your meals on time from now on. Distributing flyers isn't a long-term solution. You should find a more stable job," Serenity suggested. "Or I can search online for something more suitable for you." "No need. I can find it myself," Jackson assured her. "If you want me to find a stable job, I'll get one." Oh, he was such an obedient boy! Serenity couldn't help but reach up to pat Jackson's head with a gentle smile. This must be what having a younger brother felt like. Jackson paused for a moment and looked into her eyes, his own looking like it was covered in a layer of mist. Her action of patting him on the head was as if he was being treated like a child. Come to think of it, how long had it been since someone had touched his head like this? It seemed that his father used to pat his head like this when he was very young and say, "Jack, you have to be strong, stronger than anyone else. Don't be as weak as me." Yes, he had to be strong and ruthless. Only then could he obtain what he wanted and avoid ending up like his father. Now, he had control over the entire Valor Group, and he stood at the top of the city. He had achieved what he once desired, but he still felt dissatisfied. It felt like there was something more that he wanted. What he wanted... Jackson's gaze shifted and fixed firmly on the person before him... Suddenly, a phone rang, breaking the trance he was in. It was Serenity's phone. Serenity removed her hand and picked up her phone. The warmth Jackson had felt vanished instantly, and he frowned, feeling uncomfortable at the absence of it. It seemed that he was becoming increasingly attached to her warmth. Serenity checked the caller to find that it was from an unknown number. When she answered, she heard a hesitant voice from the other end. "Um... Serenity? This is Peter. I just wanted to say... don't take what Quinn said to heart, okay? I know you're not that kind of materialistic girl. Even though my car is cheap and a local model, I'll work hard to get a better car in the future!" Before Serenity could respond, Peter hurriedly hung up the phone. Serenity pulled the phone away from her ear, feeling slightly overwhelmed. She wondered if she should give a more explicit rejection to the man to avoid wasting his time and feelings. "Who was it?" a cold voice suddenly rang out in the room. "It was a colleague from the Sanitation Office," Serenity replied as she placed her phone on the table. Jackson glanced at the phone and asked, "A male colleague?" Even though Serenity had not put the call on speaker just now, Jackson could vaguely make out the sounds coming from the other side because he was sitting near her. "Yeah." "Does he like you?" Jackson asked as a hint of unease slipped into his eyes. "Maybe," Serenity replied. "And what about you? Do you like him?" "If I were to mention that I was once an inmate, he would probably back off," Serenity replied. "So, whether I like him or not is completely irrelevant." "What does it matter that you've been to prison? If someone genuinely liked you, they wouldn't care about that," Jackson argued. Serenity smiled bitterly. While that statement may be true in theory, far too many people cared about such things in reality. It was what had happened back then when she had believed in love and thought it was sincere, only for it to become even less than scrap paper once she ran into trouble. "If he could accept your past as an inmate, would you like that person?" Jackson asked. Serenity paused. If there was someone who could truly accept her as she was... Her absent-mindedness seemed to displease Jackson slightly. He reached out and took her hand before gently nibbling her fingers. "Hey!" Serenity exclaimed, returning to her senses immediately, only to find his beautiful inky eyes staring straight into her. "Would you like that person?" Jackson repeated his question, seemingly insistent on getting an answer. "No," Serenity replied. "I would still only see him as a colleague." Besides, she had no interest in romantic relationships at the moment. Her answer made Jackson smile, and his already handsome face seemed even more alluring than usual as his eyes sparkled with a captivating light. Serenity instantly felt drawn to him and was unable to look away. Jackson was obviously in a good mood as he said lightly, "Then, you should just continue treating him as a colleague."