Ice and Fire novel Chapter 216

Jackson picked up the phone.

"Hello, " he answered it.

Wilson heard Jackson's voice, and said, "This's Wilson."

Jackson was somehow shocked, because he had never thought that Wilson would call.

"What's up?" asked Jackson coldly.

"Is Cherry at home? I called on her mobile, but she didn't answer, " said Wilson, pretending to know nothing of what was happening.

"Yeah, she's at home. You can tell me why you called her, " said Jackson indifferently, as he always was with him.

"Nothing serious. My father and aunt just want to drop by and see Cherry and Joe, " said Wilson, trying to be as nice and polite as he could not to anger Jackson.

"Tonight?" asked Jackson, bewildered.

"Yeah, we were just about to leave, " answered Wilson.

Jackson thought for a moment, and coldly said, "Okay. We haven't had dinner yet, but we can eat together when you arrive here."

"Alright, we'll be there soon. Tell Cherry and Joe that we're coming."

"Okay, " said Jackson, and then hung up the phone.

Jackson entered the kitchen and told Lily, "Prepare more food. We'll be having guests tonight."

Lily seemed to be surprised, and said, "Of course, Mr. Jackson."

Jackson intended to leave the kitchen, but then he turned around, and asked, "What did Cherry do today?"

Lily thought for a moment and then stopped what she was doing. In a downhearted manner, she answered him, "Cherry didn't eat anything all day. She locked herself inside her room and didn't come out all day."

Jackson suddenly lost his temper, and shouted at Lily, "Then why didn't you put the damn food on a tray and take it to her room!"

Lily was taken aback, and said, "Even when I took the food upstairs, Cherry didn't want to open the door. What can I do?"

"Where're the spare keys? Are you stupid, or what? Why didn't you use the spare key to open it?" Jackson shouted at Lily furiously. He thought, 'Cherry hasn't eaten anything all day. Isn't she hungry?'

Lily lowered her head and fell silent, because she saw that Jackson was very angry.

Jackson turned round, left the kitchen, and went straight upstairs to her room.

After he arrived in front of Cherry's room, Jackson pushed the room door open, and saw that Cherry was sitting at the desk helping Joe do his homework.

At that moment, both Cherry and Joe turned their heads to look at the door. When Cherry saw Jackson's face, her cheerful expression suddenly changed.

Seeing his father, Joe indifferently said, "Good evening, Daddy."

Jackson didn't say anything. After he went to Cherry and looked at her for a moment, he turned to his son, and said, "I need to talk with your mother. Get out."

Joe looked first at his Mommy, and then at his Daddy, and Jackson's irate expression frightened him. He didn't dare to defy his father, so he obediently did what he was told.

Joe quickly took his books and got out of his Mommy's room. Before he closed the door, he turned around and shot a curious glance at his parents inside the room, because he was afraid that his Mommy might get bullied again.

Joe dropped his books on the desk in his own room, and then went downstairs. He had no idea of what he should do next, so he went to Lily.

When he entered the dining room, he found that there were many dishes on the dinning table. "Lily, why did you cook so much food?" asked Joe.

Lily saw Joe, and answered him, "Your father told me that some guests will arrive this evening to have dinner with us."

It then suddenly occurred to Joe that his Daddy knew that Wilson and his grandparents were coming. 'Has Daddy received a phone call from Wilson?' wondered Joe.

Joe cheerfully smiled.

Back inside the bedroom, Jackson glowered at Cherry fiercely, and asked her, "Will you stay in this room forever?"

After she saw the angry look on Jackson's face, Cherry turned around and went to the window. "Aren't you keeping me imprisoned in the house?" she asked. She continued, "Did you hire the guards outside to keep me under surveillance?"

Cherry's questions angered Jackson out of his mind. He went to Cherry, grabbed her arm, and furiously said, "I told you to stay in the villa, not to starve yourself to death!"

Cherry wasn't frightened by him. She looked into Jackson's eyes, and emphatically said, "Whether I'm starving or not isn't any of your concern. Leave me alone!"

"Cherry, are you setting yourself against me now?" asked Jackson sternly.

"No, I'm not, " said Cherry, while she looked away from him.

Jackson then suddenly pinched her chin with his fingers and turned her head towards him. "Look at me!" he shouted.

"What're you doing?" groaned Cherry in pain.

Jackson then observed Cherry's fair face and said, "Be a good girl, and don't make a fuss. Wilson is coming with your parents here to have dinner with us. I think you know how to entertain them."

Cherry wasn't surprised by the news. She stared at Jackson, and said, "I don't need you to teach me how to entertain my own family!"

"Cherry, you're getting bolder and bolder. How dare you to contradict me?" Jackson glowered at Cherry, the look in his eyes cold as ice.

"Haha, " laughed Cherry helplessly. "I'm not that stupid."

Jackson's face darkened, and he refrained from slapping the woman. He wondered how could he deal with her.

Cherry then bluntly pulled Jackson's hand, and for a moment lost her balance.

He shot a disapproving and disgusting glance at Cherry, and then turned around and left.

Jackson was sitting on the couch in the living room and watching TV, while Joe was at the dinning table, staring at all the delicious food that made his mouth all watery.

Cherry then came downstairs, and after she that saw Jackson absent-mindedly watching TV, and Joe waiting for her at the dinning table, she entered the dinning room.

"Mommy, I'm hungry, " said Joe when he noticed his mother coming to him.

Cherry gave him a big smile, and said, "Wait for a while longer, your Uncle and grandparents are on their way. We'll eat dinner together."

Joe replied to his mother with a cute node.

Then, Cherry and Joe heard something outside.

"That's Uncle!" shouted Joe cheerfully. He then quickly ran out of the dinning room.

Cherry followed him out and into the living room, and then saw Wilson coming through the door, followed by Elsa and Jacob.

When he saw her, Wilson anxiously cried out her name, "Cherry!"

"Good evening, Wilson" said Cherry warmly, and then looked at her mother and Uncle. "Mom, Uncle, thanks for coming by."

After such a long time had passed since she had last seen her daughter, Elsa cried, "Cherry, my dear daughter!" and then quickened her step towards her.

Cherry walked to her mom and embraced her. "You promised that you would come and visit us often, but you never did that, " said Elsa, pretending to rebuke Cherry.

However, the angry look on Elsa's face could hardly hide the happiness that she felt deep down in her heart when she saw her daughter again.

"Mom, I'm really sorry, " apologized Cherry while she leaned against her mom, just like a little girl.

When he saw them, Jackson also stood up from the couch and went to them. He saw Cherry and her mother embrace, but his face still remained as cold and expressionless as it had ever been. He looked at Wilson in the eye, and then shook hands with him.

Jackson also saw Jacob standing nearby. He went to him, and greeted him halfheartedly, "Good evening, Mr. Jacob."

This was the first time that Jacob met Jackson. He saw that Jackson had the same facial features as Joe, but Jackson looked somehow special and perfect in every way.

"Hello, Jackson, " said Jacob smiling. Then, he also shook hands with Jackson.

Cherry knew that Jackson was standing nearby and talking to Jacob, so she broke out of her mother's embrace and tried to suppress her emotions.

Elsa turned her eyes from her daughter to meet Jackson's.

"Hello, Elsa, " said Jackson indifferently, neither cold nor tender.

"Jackson, I hope that we haven't disturbed you with our visit, " carefully said Elsa. It was also her first time meeting him.

Jackson shook his head, and answered her, "Don't worry, Wilson called me before you left. I told him that I was free tonight."

"Alright, " replied Elsa.

Joe saw that his Grandma and Grandpa looked somehow embarrassed, and suddenly said, "Grandma, I'm starving! Can we have dinner now?" asked Joe.

After she heard Joe's request, Cherry gestured towards the dining room, and said, "Mom, Uncle, let's have dinner together as a family now."

"Okay, " said Elsa, nodding.

The family then sat at the table, with Jackson sitting beside Cherry, and Wilson opposite to them.

During dinner, Jackson occasionally chatted with Wilson, although he did that just for the sake of courtesy.

Wilson saw Cherry and Jackson's facial expressions, and they seemed to him to be quiet and calm. It seemed that they weren't quarrelling as Joe had said and besides, after he entered the villa's grounds, he found that there were no guards around the place at all. Maybe Jackson had arranged all of this to fake a normal domestic life.

"Mom, Uncle, I hope that you enjoy the food, " said Cherry. Then, she used her chopsticks to put some food on Elsa's plate.

"Thank you, Cherry. We're a family, and there's no need to feel restrained here, " said Elsa. She felt sad when she noticed that her daughter had become more thinner.

A moment later, Jackson also put some food on Cherry's plate, and whispered in her ear, "You should also eat some food."

Although he spoke in a low voice, all the other people at the table heard what he said. Elsa shot a dubious glance at Jackson, and wondered whether he had always been so kind to her daughter or not.

"Thank you, " said Cherry, while she lowered her head and continued to eat.

Deep down inside of her Cherry knew that with her mom and Uncle sitting around them, she couldn't refuse Jackson's pretended kindness. She had to keep what was happening hidden away from them.

Joe was too hungry to think about what the others thought in their minds anymore. He shouted, "Uncle, I need more food!"

"Alright, give me your plate, " answered Wilson.

After dinner, Jackson talked with Jacob in the living room, while Joe insisted that his Uncle play video games with him. Wilson was too kind to Joe to say no to him.

Inside Cherry's bedroom, Elsa held Cherry's cold hands into hers, and with deep concern in her voice, said, "Cherry, tell me dear, are you happy here?"

"Mom, don't worry. I'm fine, " answered Cherry quietly.

"Don't lie to me! Your brother told me about everything, and besides, I didn't notice any intimacy between you and Jackson back in the dinning room, " said Elsa while she looked at her daughter.