Chapter 187: Chapter 187

Dear Sweetheart Chapter 187 You Are A Jerk Clutching the money in her hand, Rayna suddenly did not know what to do.

At the end of the day, Jefferson was the one who diffused the awkward situation when he said that it was not a big deal for him to lend a helping hand to a newcomer at the university. Then, he accepted Rayna’s money and left.

Since Jefferson and Rayna were both in the Faculty of Translation, they ran into one another frequently and eventually became friends. On top of that, they had common interests, so Rayna agreed to be Jefferson’s girlfriend during one of the Christmases when he confessed his love for her.

The relationship they shared was loving and peaceful, without arguments, and Jefferson had always spoiled her like a princess.

“If I had not gone over that day...” Rayna’s voice trailed into silence as she turned away to look at the shimmering surface of the river, unwilling to recall what happened that fateful day.

A glint of sadness shone in Jefferson’s eyes, and he held Rayna’s hand, saying softly, “Belle, I will tell you everything when the time comes.”

“There is no need for that anymore.” Rayna pulled her hand away and smiled faintly. “Let’s just leave the past in our memories.

We can think about it occasionally, but our lives are good enough as they are now.”

“Belle...”

“Jefferson, I’m not Belle anymore. Call me Rayna,” she corrected.

Jefferson’s Adam’s apple bobbed as distress rose in his heart.

He felt the urge to disclose everything to her at that moment so she could view him in a new light, but he knew it was still not the time for him to do so.

Bearing in mind the purpose of her visit to Hallsbay with Jefferson, Rayna quickly composed herself.

For the subsequent days, she brought Jefferson around for sightseeing according to the route that the lady Rayna met on the subway recommended.

They went to a museum, a small shop hidden in an alley that sold rare items, and the theatre, covering two to three attractions in just a single day on foot.

When the fifth day came, Jefferson told Rayna he wanted to visit the Divine Mountain.

Rayna looked it up online, and her legs promptly turned to jelly. ”That mountain is too high. It will take four hours to go up.”

“Well, the weather is not too hot. It will be nice to relax outdoors.”

Rayna smiled resignedly.

All right. I don’t mind relaxing on a mountain.

They took the hotel’s limousine and departed at six-thirty, arriving at the foot of the Divine Mountain at ten past seven. Many stores were spotted on both sides of the road, selling ceremonial and ritualistic objects.

Rayna teased Jefferson for suggesting a lame getaway when she saw hardly anyone at the bottom of the mountain. However, two and a half hours into hiking up the mountain, they saw a group of people resting and eating before continuing their climb.

Rayna guzzled half a bottle of water and asked Jefferson, “Why are we doing this? Is there something you want to pray for at the top of the mountain?”

“Yes.” Jefferson cast his gaze afar at a small statue. “I’m praying for something really important,” he added in an inaudibly soft voice.

Rayna smiled at his answer. “Well, most things are earned through hard work rather than prayers. If prayers worked, I would have been one of the world’s most powerful women on Forb’s list.”

“Is that what you want? I can help you with that.” Jefferson fixed his watery blue eyes on her, his gaze deep like an abyss that could captivate anyone.

Cough!

Rayna choked on her water, and water spilled from the bottle, wetting her clothes.

Seeing that, Jefferson passed her a piece of tissue.

“L-Let’s go. We need to keep going up.” Jefferson’s heart sank in disappointment when Rayna changed the topic and shot to her feet frantically.

By noontime, they finally made it to the top.

The summit was packed with people, and a calming chant could be heard as a mild scent of burnt incense wafted in the air.

Although Rayna was an atheist, she still followed Jefferson around, visiting the different statues, from the smaller ones to the bigger ones, and praying for her family’s health.

When she had finished praying, she stood up only to see that Jefferson, who was beside her, still had his knees on the cushion.

Sprinkles of sunlight landed on his shoulder and face, making his usually cold side profile look soothing and tender.

For a moment, Rayna lost herself in the sight, but Jefferson’s profile gradually merged with another person’s face in her memory.

“You...” Aghast at the realization, Rayna stumbled backward, but when she gazed at Jefferson again, her previous recollection had all vanished as if what occurred to her earlier was nothing but her own imagination.

When Jefferson heard the commotion, he opened his eyes to look at her. “What’s the matter?”

“I-It’s nothing,” Rayna replied, forcing a smile.

Was it just my imagination?

Since the Divine Mountain was the only destination on their itinerary that day, they went home after that. Disturbed by what happened earlier, Rayna was so absent-minded she almost ran into a car if Jefferson had not pulled her back.

“Rayna!”

“Yes?” Rayna snapped out of her daze and looked at Jefferson blankly.

“Are you tired of me already? You don’t seem yourself today,” he noted.

“I was just thinking about where we should go tomorrow. We’ve been to most of the attractions in Hallsbay, so why don’t we—”

“We’re going parachuting tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

Before Rayna could even come to terms with the plan, Jefferson tugged her into a private jet the following day.

When Rayna looked out at the foggy sky through the windows, she felt her strength drain from her legs and muttered to Jefferson, “I-I like roller coasters better.”

“Well, we can go to a theme park after this,” Jefferson replied calmly, putting on the equipment for her as if parachuting was not a big deal to him.

Meanwhile, Rayna was on the verge of crying.

If she had known that he was serious about parachuting, she would have refused to get on the plane by hook or by crook.

This is too dangerous!

When everything was ready, Jefferson signaled at the crew, who then pulled open the cabin door, ushering in a gush of a chilling gale. Feeling like the skin on her face was pierced through by the forceful wind, Rayna clung to Jefferson and cried out in fear, “J-Jefferson! Why don’t you go instead? I’ll wait for you here.”

“Don’t you want to try it?”

“No. Not at all! I just want to stay alive.”

Jefferson chuckled lightly and positioned her body gently before whispering in her ear, “Don’t be afraid. We’re tied together with a harness, so nothing will happen to you.”

Then, he slowly pushed Rayna downward.

“No! I’m not jumping! I’m not!” Rayna wanted to grab the door, but before her fingers could even touch the door, Jefferson had already caught her hand. Subsequently, the sense of weightlessness inundated her.

“Arghhh! Help!” Rayna shrieked and grabbed Jefferson’s hand, keeping her eyes tightly shut.

I’m dying! I can’t die now. I’ve just saved up some money and bought a house. I haven’t even moved in! I can’t die now!

The wind scraped painfully against her face, but Jefferson’s voice was calming and assuring. “Rayna, open your eyes.”

“You’re a jerk, Jefferson!”

“Open your eyes. The view is marvelous. I’m here. Nothing will happen to you,” Jefferson said, laughing beside her ear.

“No!”

“Then should I unbuckle you and let you fly away?”

“All right! Fine!” Rayna shouted.

Since she did not have a parachute of her own, a free fall from that height would shatter her to unrecognizable pieces, so she held onto his hands tightly and slowly opened her eyes.

The tailwind was carrying them downward when Rayna beheld the view. The earth glimmered in sparkles of gold like an oil painting, and Rayna felt the urge to add more strokes to the magnificent artwork with a brush.

The view took her breath away as she mumbled, “This is so beautiful. This must be why so many people are crazy about parachuting! This is definitely worth the risk.”