Female Novel
Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Jasmine strutted in, her high heels clicking rhythmically on the floor. Long, curly locks cascaded overher shoulders, sashaying with every step she took.
“Why are you standing there all dazed, Madelyn? Are you going to tell me what happened?” she asked,reaching out.
Madelyn shrank back, a slight frown crossing her face. Picking up her lunchbox from the floor withoututtering a word, she turned and walked away.
As Madelyn made her way down the silent corridor, her face wore an expression of unnatural calm. Yet,inside, she felt a suffocating sensation like never before. Upon reflection, she realized that everyonearound her had ulterior motives. Not a single soul had been genuine with her. First, it was Zach, whohad manipulated her love for him, conned her out of her will, and unceremoniously discarded her oncehe had achieved his goal. Then came Jasmine, who had showered her with unwarranted attention atschool, heard her woes, provided counseling, and wormed her way into Hayson’s attention, eventuallygaining entry to the Jent family, only to conspire with Zach and quietly kill Hayson. Cecilia, the third,whom she had once considered her best friend, was no different.
‘Everything is fake. Everything around me is a lie,’ Madelyn realized.
In another building, she opened the lunchbox and washed it thoroughly, the metallic, blood-like smellassaulting her nostrils—a smell that would etch itself permanently in her memory. As the tap watergushed forth, soaking her injured wrist, she felt a sharp, piercing pain. Madelyn remained impassive, asif she did not feel the pain at all. By the time she finished cleaning up, her wound had turned a sicklywhite, and fresh blood was seeping out. It was a gruesome sight.
Just as she was about to leave, her vision turned black. A black plastic bag had been thrust over herhead, followed by a tremendous force that pushed her against the tiled wall. A surge of pain coursedthrough her. She felt kicks at her back and punches on her face, one after another, each leaving herwrithing in pain. She could not see anything or determine how many people were involved. When theyhad finally had their fill, they left her semi-conscious and dragged her into the bathroom, removing theplastic bag from her head. Her consciousness was fading, her spirit feeling completely drained.
Her ears were filled with the sound of laughter from several individuals. The wound on her wrist hadsplit open again during the struggle, staining the floor with blood—an awful sight. Summoning hersurvival instincts, she managed to dial the one contact stored in her phone—Zach.novelbin
Beep. Beep. Beep
Her call was met with the sound of the dial tone. Zach stopped in his tracks, pulling out his phone.Upon seeing the caller ID, his eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. He hit the mute button and tucked hisphone back into his pocket.
“Zach, who was that?” Jadie asked with a glimmer in her eyes. “If you’re busy, you can ignore me. I canmanage alone.”
“It’s a sales call, nothing important.” Zach dismissed her concern. He suspected Madelyn had lost herpatience and was resorting to her usual tactics of bothering him.
“Okay,” Jadie replied with a sweet smile, offering one of the two ice creams she held in her hand.“Here, Zach. I got this for you. Try it.”
Although Zach did not particularly care for sweets, he accepted the treat. Jadie took a bite of her own,the creamy ice cream melting instantly in her mouth.
“You should be careful with cold food.” Zach warned, a hint of concern creasing his forehead. “Youdon’t want a stomachache.”
Jadie responded with a playful stick of her tongue. “Zach, I really appreciate you taking me to themovies. But are you sure it won’t interfere with your work? You don’t have to accompany me every day;I can manage on my own.”
She was surprised that Zach, despite being so busy, would wait for her outside school and even takeher to the cinema.
Zach glanced at his watch, noting the time. “Work isn’t too hectic lately, and nothing’s more importantthan spending time with you. Come on, the movie’s about to start.”
Upon spotting the two movie tickets in Zach’s hand, Jadie pursed her lips. “Zach, isn’t Madelyn comingalong?”
“Madelyn has some after-school extra-curricular activities. She won’t be joining us,” Zach answered.
“Alright! Let’s go then.” Jadie smoothly linked her arm with Zach’s naturally.
The film they watched was a romantic one, albeit with a bitter ending. The male protagonist died,leaving the female protagonist alone in the world. In the end, she chose to grow old alone. SeeingJadie’s pained expression, still engrossed in the aftermath of the movie, Zach took her on a shoppingspree. They bought a plethora of clothes, all the latest trendy styles, till their hands could not holdanymore. The remainder was sent back home by the store’s delivery service.
By the time they had finished shopping, it was eight in the evening. Night had settled, the road wasalight with lamplights, the streets were bustling with traffic, and the view was beautiful.
Jadie, thrilled, settled into the passenger seat. “Zach, that arcade was so much fun. Let’s go again nexttime.”
Zach did not refuse, his soft laughter in agreement. “Sure, whenever you feel like going, I’ll try my bestto accompany you.”
As Zach leaned in to fasten Jadie’s seatbelt, he caught a whiff of her unique scent, a contrast toMadelyn’s. Jadie smelled sweet. Suddenly, Zach found himself recalling Madelyn’s slender, enticingfigure.
Despite having grown up with Zach, Jadie still felt a surge of nervousness when he got close to her.She held her breath, her heartbeat quickening. Zach, noticing this, withdrew himself and checked hisphone, discovering dozens of missed calls from the Jent residence’s landline. All calls went unnoticeddue to his phone being on silent. As he was about to return the call, another one came through.
Picking up the call, Rosario’s anxious voice came from the other end. “Mr. Jardin, is Miss Jent withyou?”
“No. What happened?” Zach’s voice was calm yet filled with concern.
“Ah? Miss Jent isn’t with you? Where could she be?”
“What? Madelyn’s missing?” Zach’s expression turned grave in an instant.