Chapter 85

5/6

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CHILDISH LOVE

CELINE’S POV

“Listen to what I have to say, Cynthia…” I added. “Even if it wasn’t me, he still wouldn’t have chosen you. It’s impossible for you two to be more than what you are now! You’re cousins!”

“Why do you care?!” she roared, reaching out again to close the window, but I was able to stop her as I grabbed her hands and yanked them on her sides. “If you’ve really committed yourself to doing it, down from here!”

“What?” She was unable to move because I had control of her, and her expression was one of shock as she swallowed while looking first at me and then at the water below.

I smirked and let go of her. “You don’t even have the guts to end your own life…” I spoke in a whisper. “How are you going to be able to face the rumors and the criticism that will come your way if you continue to feel the wrong way about him…?”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “W-what… that’s b ullsh it!” she stammered indignantly.

“You know about my reputation…” I said. “Are you able to hold up under the pressure if people are constantly criticizing and accusing you? Do you believe that people will not treat you the same way that they treated me? If you were just an ordinary person, perhaps the attention that has been focused on you wouldn’t feel quite so overwhelming. But you’re not! You are well-known and rich, Cynthia! If you continue to be so stubborn, the public opinion that you will have to deal with in the future will be one hundred times more nasty than

mine!”

“You’re talking nonsense, Celine…” she sneered, shaking her head as

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she stepped back and distanced herself from me.

Llooked at her panicked face and I couldn’t help but pull up the corners of my mouth. “Cynthia, you have to remember that you can’t compare yourself with me. I have nothing… Therefore, I have nothing to lose no matter what kind of risk I take!”

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.

I couldn’t help but chuckle while shaking my head. “Will you feel upset if the person you like despises you because of someone who has nothing to do with you?”

“Huh?”

“You like Jake solely due to the fact that he is kind, considerate, and smart, right?” When I asked her, she answered with a tentative yes. Will you still like him if he has a sudden change of heart and becomes mean, irritable, and angry at you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Celine!” she exclaimed while she had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring at me if there’s one thing I know for certain, it is that he will never treat in a cruel manner. Don’t drive a wedge between us. He’s not even close to being someone like that!”

“He’s not even close to being someone like that?!” I repeated. “Really,

huh? I’ll let you see, Cynthia…”

After saying that… I climbed up on the stool, and craned my body out

of the window.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Cynthia sprinted towards me with a

worried expression on her face, and she appeared as though she had

no idea what to do to me.

“Let’s make a bet, Cynthia…” my lips curled into a smile. “Let’s see what Jake will say after this…”

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As soon as I had finished what I needed to say, I released my hands from holding the window frame and allowed my body to fall down into the water below.

“Celine!!!” I could still hear Cynthia shouting my name the moment ! felt my body submerged in the cold water.

Even though I was able to swim on my own, two men came to help me out of the water. I was lying on Cynthia’s bed when I realized that the rest of the house was still making a racket. My jump caused concern for the Anderson family as a whole, particularly for Jake and

Sebastian.

On the other hand, Cynthia did not fare as well. When I opened my eyes, she was sobbing on the sofa, and her face looked as if she had been through a lot recently.

“What on earth took place?” I asked as I sat up. Even though I believe that I already know what happened, I still want to know everythi

about it.

“Jake and Sebastian were the ones who rescued you…” she

responded. “However, Jake thought that I was the one who pushed you out of the window….” She wailed as she spoke.

I waited for her to collect herself, but she didn’t do it.

“He’s so upset with me… This is the very first time that he had yelled at me, and his gaze, and his words…” Cynthia paused. “Jake was so scary. It seemed as though he would eat people…”

I uncovered myself by pulling back the sheets and placing my bare feet on the ground below me. “Is this the most that you can handle? You won’t fully understand how intimidating he can be until your love transforms into a whirlpool of public opinion and sucks the breath

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out of him…”

“Do you love him?” She asked me out of the blue, her voice suddenly a little less tense.

“Who?”

“Jake…”

“I love no one!” I said, and she appeared to be stunned for a moment, but after she regained her composure, she walked over to me and sat down on the bed beside me. “I’m nothing more than a pretend girlfriend of his…”

“But, why? What I mean is… why did you help me to recognize him for who he really is?” she inquired. “Don’t you despise me to the core?”

“I don’t hate you, Cynthia…” I said, smiling. “Except for your short fuse and the fact that you are a spoiled brat…”

The sudden color changed in her eyes occurred as she lowered her head and resumed her sobbing. She spoke with a trembling voice a she exclaimed, “But why does he like you?! He’s well aware that hi relationship with you is a sham, but when he spoke to me, he took what he said seriously and was extremely venomous. His words cut me to the core, and he even went so far as to say that if it weren’t for my dad, he would have strangled me to death. I hate that man! I don’t want anything to do with him anymore! I don’t like him!”

I heaved a sigh as I pulled her into a hug, and as she sobbed on my chest, I simply let her cry out. The love that Cynthia had for Jake was a childish thing. And I don’t believe that this was love. She had only supposed that it was…

“Tell me, how it is that I can make it up to you, Celine…” As soon as she had some space between us, Cynthia asked, and I looked at her in complete shock. “Hey! Don’t think that I’m going to like you because of this! I still don’t want to be friends with you!”

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gave a monkshrug off the shoulders while pretending to consider ow she coulitimukke amends to me.

Are you certamafftthis? inquired, and she nodded. “Well, I reallyy ant have anything to say at the moment. I’ll just let you knowoncee omething conesstommy mind to tell you…”

Okay… shemurmured, as shellay down on the dedeskie me, andd losed her eyesston sien.

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