Chapter 369
“Ow! That really hurt!”
Milly was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realise Jordan had stopped walking right before her. Bumping into his back made her nose throb painfully.
Turning around, Jordan saw Milly clutching her nose, her eyes brimming with tears from the pain. A mix of annoyance and sympathy washed over him. “What, you don’t use your eyes when you walk?” he scolded gently.
Milly’s lips turned downwards as she murmured in defence, “I was thinking about something.”
Jordan gently pulled her hand away from her nose to check for swelling. It carefully examined her face to ensure she wasn’t seriously hurt. After confirming she was okay, he let out a relieved sigh.
“What had you so distracted?” he inquired, looking at her with a hint of curiosity. Milly peeked at Jordan, noticing his softened expression. She carefully broached her thought, “Jordan, what if… just as a thought… what if I wasn’t really your sister?
Would you believe that?”
Expecting anger, Milly was met with Jordan’s typical stoic face, though his presence seemed slightly icier. “You know your DNA test is right on my desk. Go have another look if you’re unsure,” he suggested coldly.
Milly frowned slightly. “But this isn’t about DNA. Do you believe in time travel? Or the idea of souls swapping bodies?”
Jordan observed her quietly for a moment, his gaze profound and enigmatic. He momentarily pulled her in before abruptly shutting it down, leaving no evidence of his brief lapse. It was as if she’d imagined the whole thing.
“I don’t believe in those things.”
Yet, Milly pressed on with more confidence, trying to get her point across, “What I’m saying is, could it be possible that I’m not really Milly, you think I am, but just a different soul that’s somehow ended up in her body?”
Jordan’s response was gentle yet held depth, “Milly, in our world, nothing is entirely accurate or false. The person you’re talking to might differ from the one you knew in the past.
“Is it fair to say I am no longer the person I was before? If I use the abilities I have now to correct my past errors, does that erase the mistakes I made back then?
“Regardless of whether you’re Milly to me, one thing is crystal clear in my mind. Once al mistake is made, it’s made. Trying to fix things afterwards is like shutting the barn door when the horse is gone. All I can do now is make the best effort to heal the wounds and bitterness of this life; in doing so, I’m actually saving myself.”
Jordan spoke softly yet with conviction, almost like he was musing aloud.
His profound words left Milly, who prided herself on her scholarly intellect, baffled for quite some time. With a heavy sigh, she ultimately had to admit defeat. “I knew it. Such a ridiculous reason would sound like nonsense to anyone.”
Jordan quickly glanced at her, seemingly oblivious to her quiet mumbling, before walking away. “Okay, now we need to address how you’ve been treating your life as if it’s some sort of joke.”
Milly looked puzzled.
“Hold on, Jordan, I thought we had settled this issue? Why are we going back to it?”
Jordan replied with a mocking sneer, “Settled? When did I ever say it was settled? How many times have you made promises only to forget them later? I need to keep reminding you, hoping someday you’ll remember to avoid this in the future!”
Milly was speechless.
Sigh, Jordan really knows how to hold onto a grievance.
Half an hour later.
Milly sat on a small stool in the corner, staring blankly at an A4 sheet in front of her. After spending more than ten minutes writing, all she had managed to scribble down were three words. ‘Self-criticism letter!’
The thought of having to write a three- thousand-word self-criticism letter as punishment for her forgetfulness left her feeling utterly deflated.
Considering that most novelists nowadays aim for around two thousand words per chapter, Jordan’s demand for three thousand words seemed especially excessive.
She had mentally prepared for other forms of punishment from Jordan, like losing her allowance, being made to skip meals, or even physical discipline – which she believed she could handle. But why did he have to resort to this kind of intellectual punishment!
She had never faced the task of writing a self-analysis in her two lives – the previous and the current.
Now, facing the challenge, she pondered how to start.
‘Dear Jordan’ didn’t feel right, and ‘Beloved Jordan’ even less so.
On the opposite side, Jordan appeared calm and collected, focusing on the TV while casually holding the remote control.
He had completed all essential work and handed the rest to Ivan, now simply waiting for Milly to finish her self-critique.
Initially considering having her write it before him, Jordan decided against it, thinking it might stir unnecessary sympathy seeing her struggle. He preferred she learned her lesson in isolation.
The TV wasn’t showing the news but some average soap operas, which weren’t his thing. He only had the TV on to kill time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother turning it on now.
But he overjudged his self-control. In under three minutes, with his brows knitted and his attention fixed on the screen, the sight of Jonathan was too much for him, leading him to quickly switch the channel. A familiar face suddenly popped on the screen as he thought about shutting the TV off.
The news anchor announced, “Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the afternoon social news.
“In the latest news from our reporter, the Lloyds Group made a surprise announcement this morning, revealing they’ve discovered the long-lost daughter of the Lloyds. Interestingly, it’s commonly known that the Lloyds had just one daughter, the actress Hannah Lloyd.
“Interestingly, the newly disclosed daughter of the Lloyds, who once was the only daughter of Burnett Group, Stephanie, played a significant role in the Burnetts, and it has caught everyone’s attention. What could have happened? Keep an eye out for what the reporter uncovers next!”
Jordan merely glanced at the TV news with a subtle disinterest. The mention of Stephanie didn’t matter to him at all.
However, he did slightly raise an eyebrow when he noticed the young girl who had quietly slid her chair closer, her neck outstretched in surprise, her eyes wide and fixed on the TV screen in front of her.
Jordan remained silent.