"Well, since some people have expressed their opinions, I am going to give the rest some time to think
it through. If a good idea strikes you, don't hesitate to bring it forward,"
Jacob said and stood up, his face bereft of any expression. Interpersonal relationship wasn't the only
matter he had to deal with presently. A dozen other things were at the back of his mind.
They were a lot but he was going to deal with them one by one. The hatred he felt for Jonathan was
quite strong. Every now and then, it surfaced, bringing an urge to teach him a lesson.
"Well, I have no objection. Concerning the matter of Mr. Michael, you can do as you please. Also, I am
sorry," an elderly man said, sorrow evident in his eyes.
These were the most pleasing words Jacob had heard today. He remembered this man. He was his
father's cousin.
Jacob couldn't bring himself to smile but he nodded his head to show his gratitude. Soon almost
everyone present there consented with the old man's words. The only person who showed signs of
hesitancy was Jonathan. However, his hand was still aching, so he couldn't muster up the courage to
contradict them.
In the past, he had behaved quite unscrupulously, believing that no one could hurt him. But now, things
were different. He had begun to learn James was a very capable man. In spite of this, Jonathan's
attitude hadn't changed but he did a great job at suppressing his negative emotions.
Pain had taught him to become smart. He knew terrible consequences would follow if he continued to
speak his mind.
Sara's scrutinizing gaze fell on him. If she had known it was so easy to shut him up, she would have
taught him a lesson a long time ago. What Jonathan had done was inexcusable and disgusting. She
was repulsed at the sight of him.
After the discussion was finished, people scurried out of the room. When almost everyone had left,
Jacob let out a sigh of relief.
He lay on the sofa. His body was resting but several thoughts ran in his mind.
"Uncle James, do you know I was overcome by a strong urge to kill Jonathan?" Jacob stared at the
ceiling in a daze. If it wasn't for James's support, he couldn't imagine what would have happened to
him.
At present, James stood near the door. Hearing his nephew's words, he shifted his attention to him.
"Me too," he replied without a second thought. What he said was true. Nobody wanted to kill Jonathan
as much as he did. But he knew he couldn't do it. He was no longer the man who used to kill others
without even blinking an eye.
Sara, who had been silent all this while, regarded Jacob with concern and asked, "Are you tired?"
Perhaps this was a silly question to ask considering the situation.
"Not really," he said, narrowing his eyes. Recent events had made him stronger. It took a bad
experience for a man to actually grow up. This was absolutely right. Jacob glanced at the crowd
outside the French window.
In this world, one couldn't rely on people, not even friends, and family members. People stayed as long
as they felt comfortable. Once they were done, they would leave. In such a wretched world, the best
thing to do was to please oneself, rather than others.
This was the main reason he hadn't been in contact with his family members. People mistook Jacob for
an indifferent man but that wasn't the case. He had no desire to waste his time and energy with people
who were perfunctory and scheming.
What happened wasn't the company's fault. It had to do with people and the endless desires they grew
in their hearts. While his thoughts strayed, Jacob dwelt more on the desires that arose in people.
Human beings were born with desires but some were capable of overcoming them. He disliked those
who allowed their desire to get the better of themselves.
He did his best to maintain a distance from them. He knew it wasn't possible to attain peace while in
their company. After his father's demise, he was afraid that his peace would vanish into the thin air.
Outside the house, Jonathan had no choice but to leave. He spat at the door and said, "Bah! Like I
care." Then he left hastily. The funeral was held two days later. Everything went as per the
arrangement.
Everyone present was clad in black.
In order to keep trouble at bay, no one was given entry into the venue without an invitation.
On the day of the funeral, Jacob was also dressed in black. He looked like a prince. Next to him, Sara
stood wearing a black dress. She looked noble and elegant in this attire. If it wasn't such a melancholy
occasion, people would have stopped to admire this eye-catching couple.
Today, no one cared about beauty or the outer appearance. Not many people came to the funeral, but
those who came were all Jacob's best friends and Michael's good friends when he was alive.
Everyone seemed to be grieving for the dead man.
Life, in a way, began and ended with tears. People entered the world letting out a cry and once they left
the world, people who cared for them shed tears. Some were quite unfortunate for they left the world
before they had a chance to have a good look at it.
Jacob had never had the opportunity to ask his father what his biggest regret in life was. As for him, he
knew his biggest regret was he couldn't have spent more time with his father.
Standing here, he realized he was doomed to live the rest of his life with this regret. People stood near
Michael's gravestone and mourned for him. Watching this, Jacob wished to cry but he suppressed his
tears.
If he had a chance, he was willing to give a bit of his life-span to his father, just so he could spend more
time with him. However, Jacob knew his dreams would never be fulfilled. The dead would remain dead
and the ones who were left behind had to suffer endless pain.
At this moment he was convinced that he was a stupid man who didn't know how to cherish things
when he had them.
He wasted his youth, and now he was reaching the threshold of middle-age. He didn't know how to
cherish the time, hence he had neglected taking care of his father. And when he had a lovely wife to
shower him with love, he had been ruthless to her, ending up with a divorce.
He felt like a masked clown was looking down at him and laughing at his miserableness.
Tears blurred his vision. With the back of his hand, he rubbed his eyes. Using all his might, he
attempted to control the pain he was feeling. Then he stood watching others cry but tears were no
longer in his eyes.
Turning around, he got a glimpse of James. His uncle had an indifferent look on his face. The truth
was, James had spent a whole night crying. And now, he managed to look strong.
Jacob knew more than anyone that the people who looked strong on the outside felt the weakest
inside. Such people never complained about the injustice the world had shown to them. Instead, they
chose to endure it all in silence.
Sara had remained by his side through thick and thin. If she had decided to leave him, he wouldn't
have made it through this miserable time. She and his uncle were the reasons he was able to manage
this loss.
Will, one of Michael's best friends, stood there and had chat with some people. Then his sympathetic
gaze turned to Jacob.
Michael had very few friends outside the business world and Will was one of them. When everyone
was busy following success and money, Will chose to be a lecturer in the university.
He had done this job for thirty years. Since he wasn't hungry for promotion, in spite of his experience,
he never became a professor. Jacob's father often stood up for Will. With his ability, he could defeat
even the most skilled professors.
However, Will didn't want that. He was a humble man who claimed his abilities were quite limited. He
also made it clear he had no desire to defeat anyone. He was more than happy to remain a lecturer.
Will wasn't the type of man who craved success. Instead, he was the type of man who knew how to be
content with what he had.
All these qualities made him seem quite appealing to Jacob. He admired this man from the bottom of
his heart. Like everyone else, there were many ups and downs in Will's life too. Many people would
allow a problem to destroy them. Will, on the other hand, could work through it patiently.
Perhaps it wasn't that Will wasn't greedy. Perhaps he was just good at controlling it. All in all, Jacob
admired this man and wished to become like him.
"Let's talk about the thing at some other place, okay?" he whispered in Jacob's ear as he passed by
him.
It had been a long time since Will last saw his friend's son. However, he often heard about him from
Michael. From what he heard, he had gathered that Jacob was an extraordinary man.
So today, he decided to have a conversation with him. Even though he didn't know the truth, he
discerned from Jacob's sadness that it wasn't as simple as it looked on the outside.
Being both sensitive and intelligent, Will was quite intuitive. He could say with certainty that something
was being hidden.
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