Chapter 44 PTSD
The next morning, Jean was still fast asleep when her phone began ringing. She was drenched from the rain the night before. Her head spun as she turned on her phone to see the messages and missed calls.
Jean, stop sleeping. Yesterday’s incident with Gigi is all over the news. Don’t head out these few days. If you need to, tell me and I’ll take you out. Reply to me if you’ve seen my message.
All the messages were from Ben. She looked through her missed calls. There were some from the debt collectors. She tossed her phone aside and buried her head in a pillow, hoping to get more sleep.
Her phone rang again. The ringtone was muffled between her bedsheets. Irritated, she snatched up the phone and answered without a glance at the caller. “Are you done yet? I don’t have any money! I’ll pay as soon as I have some.”
After a moment of silence, a low voice came through the speaker. “I can get you a job if you need money.” “Edgar?”
Jean was jolted awake. She glanced at her phone and did a double take. It was five minutes past seven in the morning. She couldn’t believe he would call her that early in the morning.
She put the phone back to her ear. “No thanks. Goodbye.” Before he could say a word, she ended the call. At the other side, a tall figure stood next to a window wall. Edgar stared at his phone, gripping it tightly.
This obstinate woman. His temples began to throb as he recalled Jean’s tone of voice in the call. His mood was ruined.
He picked up his jacket and headed downstairs in the elevator reserved for the president’s use. The company’s car door opened. Jonathan and Brad entered the car with Edgar. “Everything’s prepared, Edgar. This project proposal will definitely satisfy the business partners.”
They were aiming for the Level S project. Edgar’s face was black. “Drive the car.” Jonathan tapped Brad with astonishment. “What happened? Wasn’t he fine earlier on? Did Gigi argue with him again?”
“I don’t know.” Brad peered at the backseats. Jonathan looked through his phone, bored. He pressed into the trending news and sat up straight in surprise. “Edgar, have you seen the news? Jean beat Gigi up!”
Edgar replied with a light hum. “Should I get someone to deal with this?”
Edgar looked at him. “What are you thinking of doing?”
“Of course, I’ll get some people to… No, never mind. I was just saying.” Jonathan took back his words at Edgar’s cold gaze.
The incident was clearly recorded by the security cameras. Although Jean did push Gigi and made fun of her, she didn’t cut Gigi with a knife, nor did she hurt the fetus Gigi was carrying.
Gigi took the chance to hurt herself and laid all the blame on Jean. In the makeup room at Star Media. Gigi, with her hair done, turned on her phone hurriedly. She couldn’t wait to see how her fans and other netizens criticized Jean.
But the truth caused her disappointment.
Only a small number of people condemned Jean. Most people were worried, saying that Gigi shouldn’t have attended the reception when she was pregnant.
Some even laughed at Gigi’s appearance after the incident. “Damn it! Ben Ludwig must have paid people to tamper with the comments.”
She frowned and swore. “That hag. My image is ruined!” She made a call to Edgar. When he didn’t answer, she was forced to call Miles.
Before she could speak, Miles said, “Ms. Reece, Mr. Royden has boarded the plane. He can’t talk to you now.” “Is he on a business trip again? Why was I not told about it?”
Gigi’s anger mounted. “Tell Edgar, the incident of Jean hitting me has been exposed by the paparazzi. I feel awful now. My stomach hurts!”
“Mr. Royden knows about it, Ms. Reece. He hopes that you will take good care of yourself and the child. He instructed you to stay out of the spotlight. He also said not to participate in the fashion week event.”
“What?” Gigi’s face darkened.
“The reporters these days are a hassle to deal with. Mr. Royden can’t do anything at the moment. He hopes that you will watch your behavior. Try not to make more trouble for him. That’s all.”
Miles was only passing on Edgar’s words.
But Gigi was furious.
If the wedding wasn’t stopped because of Jean, she would have moved into the Royden family’s residence by now.
As the call ended, Gigi realized.
Edgar is mad at me!
She gritted her teeth. “Why were you released from prison? Why did you appear before Edgar?”
She opened her call log. At the end of her contact list was a number saved as ‘X’. It was a friend she met before her debut.
He was now an infamous minor leader in the underworld.
I remember that the Eyer family still has a lot of debt left.
Gigi smiled flirtatiously as she called the number. “Dumont, it’s me, Gigi.”
…
Miles placed his phone down as he reported the incident to Edgar.
Edgar lifted his hand for a moment, tiredly. “Well done.”
Miles nodded and left the business class quietly.
The plane glided through the sky.
Edgar leaned back in his seat with his eyes shut. His hands grasped the armrest tightly.
His breath quickened.
Edgar had always had trouble flying in airplanes ever since his parents were involved in the accident. When a plane took off from the runway, he would feel a dreadful sensation in his heart. It was as if he couldn’t breathe.
Every time he had a business trip, he would have to bear through it with a lot of willpower.
His psychologist said that it was post-traumatic stress disorder.
That he couldn’t accept his parents’ death.
“Dear passengers, we are now safely in the air.”
Edgar opened his eyes. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
His eyes dulled.
This was a pain the Eyer family had caused him for the rest of his life.
