The Apocalypse Is My Second Home

4

Frank helped Jason into the car.

“Thank you, man,” Jason said.

“I’ll call you later,” he promised.

“All right. Take care of yourself. I’ll make sure to check up on you, too, all right?” Frank replied.

He helped Jason close the car door before turning around, only to find himself alone with Emmanuella.

She glared at him, her eyes burning with indignation.

“What are you even doing here? I told you to stay away from my husband! We don't want you anywhere near us. Do you think he hasn't told me all the terrible advice you've been giving him? This is the last time I want to see you anywhere near Jason.”

With that, she opened the driver's door and got into the car.

Noah had overheard their entire conversation. He stared in disbelief.

This Jason is really something else, he thought. He even told his wife about all this?

It was true that he wasn't the same person anymore, but they still shared the same body. Knowing that Jason had told his wife about Frank's advice filled Noah with embarrassment. He couldn't help feeling ashamed on the young man's behalf.

The car drove off, and the two occupants remained silent. Neither spoke as they continued down the road.

After several minutes, Emmanuella could no longer stand the silence.

“Aren't you going to say something?” she asked.

“Say what?” Jason replied with a frown.

“What do you mean, 'say what'? Don't you think you should apologize for the way you spoke to me the other day? And for stalking Brian and me?”

Noah concluded that the woman was insane. Rather than waste his time arguing with her, he decided to ignore her completely.

Emmanuella continued ranting for a while, but when she realized he wasn't listening, her anger flared.

“You do know that I can divorce you right now and take back everything I've ever given you, don't you? Even that useless aunt of yours, who doesn't care about you and only wants my money, won't be able to save you. You know she would never take it easy on you if I divorced you. I'm sure she'd probably kill you because you'd have to go back to her. After all, you have nothing to your wretched name!”

Noah continued to ignore her, refusing to dignify her threats with a response.

Emmanuella gritted her teeth, but eventually fell silent. They drove the rest of the way home without exchanging another word.

When they arrived, the servants greeted Emmanuella warmly. However, their attention quickly shifted to Jason, and their expressions changed. They regarded him with undisguised contempt, making no effort to hide their disdain.

Noah paid no attention to their hostile stares. He simply followed Emmanuella into the house.

As they entered the sitting room, he noticed two older people sitting inside, a man and a woman. They looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, but the moment they saw Jason, their expressions fell.

So this bastard survived?

The thought crossed both their minds. Neither needed to voice their disappointment. Their faces said everything.

Noah recognized them from Jason's memories. They were his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

The woman immediately turned to her daughter.

“Sweetheart, you're back!”

She rose to embrace Emmanuella and planted a kiss on her cheek before turning her attention to Jason.

“Looks like you're feeling better now. That means you can drive a car, doesn't it?”

She glanced at the expensive wristwatch on her wrist, which was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Oh, it's already time! Go and prepare the car immediately. I have a meeting to attend tonight, and you'll be driving me there.”

Noah stared at her in disbelief.

Had this woman really just ordered someone who had spent more than a week in a coma and had only just returned from the hospital to drive her to a meeting?

“What are you standing there looking at me for? Take these keys and get the car ready!” she barked, throwing the keys at him.

Noah slowly looked her over from head to toe.

For some reason, Mrs. Richard felt threatened by his gaze. She couldn't explain why, but it felt as though a predator were silently sizing her up. An inexplicable fear crept into her heart, and she instinctively took a step backward.

The moment she realized what she was doing, however, embarrassment gave way to fury. Without a second thought, she raised her hand.

Pah!

The slap landed squarely across Noah's face.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to remain still. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to keep from slapping her back. However, he knew that retaliating now would only cause him more trouble than it was worth.

Sometimes, it was better to play the coward, but only temporarily. One could never afford to remain a coward long.

For now, he would let them have their way.

Emmanuella hurried over to her mother.

“Mom, why did you have to hit him? You know he just came back from the hospital! You should have considered his condition. He can't possibly be expected to drive you to a meeting right now. You have a driver. You should have gone with him instead!”

Noah left them to their argument and headed upstairs to Jason's room, relying on the memories he had inherited from the young man to find his way.

Behind him, Mrs. Richard's voice rose in indignation.

“Emmanuella, what do you mean by that? Are you suggesting we should allow him to laze around the house? It was just an accident, and he already spent weeks doing nothing! Now he can move around normally and use his hands again. What's so difficult about driving a car? It's not as though I asked him to carry bricks!”

She paused, her expression darkening.

“He can't expect to live off our money for free! Does he have any idea how much we spent on his hospital bills? How is he supposed to repay us if he doesn't do something for this family?”

Emmanuella took a deep breath before explaining.

“Mom, it's not that he shouldn't do anything. I'm only asking you to give him a day or two to rest after the accident. You know it wasn't a minor one. Please, just leave him alone for now. We shouldn't keep pushing him until he asks me for a divorce.”

She practically begged her mother to understand.

“Isn't that a good thing, though? If he divorces you, you'll finally be free to be with Brian in the open. Isn't that what you've always wanted?”

Mrs. Richard studied her daughter's face, waiting for an answer.

“Mom, I never told you I wanted to divorce Jason!” Emmanuella protested. “We've already discussed this. I can't do that, and I've explained everything to Brian as well. He understands. We can continue living the way we are now, provided Jason stops being jealous.”

Mrs. Richard said nothing more, but inwardly, she was seething.

She knew perfectly well that Jason was the only reason Brian hadn't agreed to fulfill all their demands. If Emmanuella divorced Jason and married Brian instead, their family would finally get what it wanted.