Ice and Fire novel Chapter 130

Jackson said nothing. When he heard of Cherry's answer, he became petrified, and his heart ached and eventually numbed.

When Cherry saw that Jackson didn't move anymore, she quickly pushed him away off of herself, stood up from the bed, fixed her clothes and ran from the resting room as fast as she could.

After she got out of the room, Cherry saw that Selina wasn't at her desk. She then walked towards the administrative area and couldn't find Caroline either. Cherry felt confused, and wondered whether everybody had left the top floor of the JS Group's building. Had she been left alone with Jackson there?

A week passed and Wilson's company was running smoothly. The impending Future Project had been the center of everybody's work, and all were wondering which would be the leading business of the city. Who would control the city's fate in the near future?

At noon, Cherry and Caroline were having lunch at the company's canteen. Cherry was watching the news on TV, and she saw John interviewed by a journalist speaking on behalf of the government about the Future Project.

Cherry lowered her head, and thought that Stephen, Wilson and the JS Group which she worked for, all took part in competing for the Future Project. Only one of them could win, but who would be the winner? She had no idea, but according to the current circumstances, the JS Group was most likely to win. Selina had been working around the clock recently, and every now and then Jackson would also come to the company to discuss with her. Sometimes their meetings would last for several hours in a row, and although Cherry didn't know exactly what they were talking about, she knew that it certainly had something to do with the Future Project. After all, Jackson had a serious influence in the business world, and also in politics. How could Selina ever refuse his help?

In the evening, Cherry came back home and saw that her mother and Joe were watching TV together in the living room, but not her uncle and Wilson.

After Cherry took off her shoes, she asked her mother, "Mom, I'm back. Where are uncle and my brother?"

Elsa kindly answered her, "They're talking about something in the study."

"I see, " answered Cherry quietly. She then saw Joe running towards her.

"Mommy, is there a large-scale competitive bidding conference to be held in a few days?" asked Joe in a naive tone.

Cherry was taken aback by his question, and wondered how could a little kid know of the Future Project. She asked him, "How do you know that?"

"I heard it on the news broadcast. Besides, when uncle brought me home this afternoon, I heard him mentioning about this conference over the phone. It seems to be pretty important, " said Joe, but without any idea of the details of the conference.

Cherry took Joe's hand and walked him into the living room. She fondled his hair, and said, "You're just a kid and shouldn't worry about this. Your uncle has been very busy recently, so try to not bother him. Try to play on your own for some time, okay?"

"Alright, mommy. I'm a talent and big enough to know how to behave myself, " boasted Joe.

Elsa watched the happy interaction between the mother and her son. She felt satisfied that she was lucky enough to have such a wonderful daughter and grandson.

"Joe, go and get your uncle and grandpa to have dinner together with us. Meanwhile, I'll prepare the dishes, " said Elsa, and after that walked into the kitchen.

Cherry hastily asked, "Mom, have you cooked dinner?"

"Yes, I have. We've been waiting for you, " replied Elsa.

Cherry then followed her into the kitchen, and said to her mother, "Mom, let me help you."

A short while after, they started to eat their supper together in the dinning room. Wilson seemed to be tired, which worried Cherry. She knew that Wilson stayed up late to work in his study, and got up early in the morning.

Concerned about him, Cherry said, "Brother, you've been too busy recently. I hope that you take good care of yourself."

Wilson appreciated Cherry's concern, and while he smiled at her, he said, "Don't worry about me, it will all be over in just a couple of days. I have to win the Future Project to considerably boost the company's development."

"Son, you're right, " said Jacob, agreeing with Wilson's words. He continued, "Do what I told you earlier. Tomorrow I will go and visit several of my old friends, and with this I hope we will succeed in our endeavors."

"Thank you, father, " said Wilson delighted.

Cherry ate her supper with her head lowered, but she somehow felt a little bit worried. At work she also saw that Selina was busy with the Future Project, and back at home, Wilson also thought of nothing but the project. Besides, she also hadn't met Stephen in a long time, but it was more than likely that he was also occupied with the project. Although the Future Project was huge, in the end, only one party would be the winner. Who would the winner be? Selina, Wilson and Stephen were all very important to Cherry. Stephen was one of her best friends, Wilson was her beloved step brother, and Selina was her boss. Besides, Selina was closely connected with Jackson, and how could she ever compete with Jackson?

All of a sudden, Jacob turned to look at Cherry, and asked, "Well, Cherry, you're Selina's secretary. Have you noticed any change in Selina?"

Confused, Cherry answered, "The JS Group is also preparing itself for the Future Project, but I don't know any details. Ms. Selina's been quite busy recently, but me and Caroline just deal with some of the company's much pettier things, so I'm not really familiar with the JS Group's involvement with the project."

Hearing Cherry's answer, Jacob nodded, and said, "I see. With such a huge project, Selina is cunning enough not to disclose any details to her secretaries."