Ice and Fire novel Chapter 385

When he saw that Rosa was being led away by Sally, Mond turned his focus onto Jackson and then sat opposite to him.

"Well, how come you have time to play here?" teased Mond, with his eyes fixed on Jackson.

"Aren't you playing here too?" asked Jackson in reply, even though he didn't feel like answering him.

Mond suddenly burst into laughter when he heard him, and said, "Haha! The Mr. Jackson that I heard of from the others should've been a cautious toff, not at all like this. How come you're out on the tiles?"

Mond paused for a moment, and then continued to ask, "Are you in a bad mood?"

When Jackson heard Mond's words, he suddenly recalled of his Grandpa's accident. Jackson firmly believed that it had to be related to Mond, and if he guessed right, then his Grandpa had died because his heart couldn't bear the pain of seeing Mond again.

"It's not beeen long since my Grandpa passed away; do you think that I could feel in the best of spirits?" replied Jackson with his eyes fixed on Mond, eager to see his reaction to the question.

Mond's face instantly changed the moment he heard about Jackson's words. That accident had already turned into a nightmare for him these days. He nearly dreamed himself standing in front of the Chu Family's house every night. If he had had a better attitude, and hadn't rushed to that place so?impulsively, maybe Jackson's Grandfather would have still been...

When he noticed that Mond's face had started to turn pale, Jackson could tell that he actually cared about that accident too.

Jackson and Mond then just stared at each other in silence.

Some time later, Mond broke the silence. "I apologize for what happened to your Grandpa, " said Mond.

"Do you think it's any use to apologize to me now?" Jackson refused to accept Mond's apology, because he didn't need any of it. Jackson didn't hate Mond in his heart, because he knew that the Chu Family had also had a direct influence on Mond. He couldn't have become the person that he was and led a life full of hate without the Chu Family's deeds. Although he wanted to hate him, he would eventually wash out that idea from his mind when he thought of his Grandpa and his parents who had been apart from him for so many years.

Mond lowered his head, speechless with regret. He didn't dare for a moment to meet with Jackson's eyes.

"Isn't this what you wanted all along? Our Family has now been finally ruined. Are you satisfied with this?" said Jackson. Cherry then also came into his mind, and his heart started to ache even more painful than it already was.

Mond raised his head, and said to Jackson, "Yes, but this is just a small part of the final result that I want to achieve. The next step will target you."

When he said those words, Mond had lost all of the strength that he had remaining in his heart. He also suffered and grieved Andrew's death, but he would never forget the tough times and trials and tribulations that he had gone through in the past years.

Sparks of fury suddenly started to gleam in Jackson's eyes. He sharply gazed at Mond, and said word by word, "I'll be right here waiting for you."

Derek also arrived, and from the distance he saw Jackson talking to Mond. Jackson's expression didn't seem to be good, and Derek clearly knew that his conversation with Mond couldn't possibly be a calm?and sensible one.

He then walked to them and took a seat beside them. He looked at Mond, and said, "I never expect that the president of the ZM Group is here too."

Mond looked back at Derek, and after he slightly smiled at him, said, "Haven't seen you for a long time."

"Haha, yes. Do you like patronizing the surrounding as well?" said Derek, smiling, while he looked at Mond up and down. Obviously, Mond had come to Jackson for a specific purpose. Both Jackson and Derek hadn't paid close attention to what was happening in the business world recently because of Andrew's death. They also didn't know about Mond's current status, and what was his next action with the ZM Group.

Mond indifferently shrugged his shoulders, and with a softer expression than Jackson's, he said, "No, not so often; I just come here sometimes."

Derek didn't reply, and instead picked up his wine glass and took a sip out of it.

"Mr. Jackson, how about you? Do you come here often?" asked Mond, but deep down inside his heart, Mond was actually wondering why would Jackson, a married man, ever come to a place like that? Had Cherry allowed him to have fun there?

Derek shook his head, and said, "Do you think that the two of us have much free time?"

He paused for a moment, and then continued, "We came here only to celebrate our retirement. We are no longer soldiers from now on."

Mond was flabbergasted when he heard Derek's words. 'What's that? Did Jackson leave the army?' he thought.

Mond then averted his sight to Jackson, but Jackson didn't want to see him, and instead looked sideways.

Mond then focused back on Derek, and asked, "Did both of you leave the army?"

"Is it really so surprising for you to hear that?" replied Derek, without giving him a direct answer.

After he heard Derek's inquiry, Mond immediately adjusted his emotions, and said, "No, I was just asking..."

But Derek's following words bewildered Mond even more.

"There are some limitations to what a soldier can do and not do, but an ordinary civilian is much freer to do everything he wants. Even if he wants to do business, he won't be breaking the law, right?" slowly said Derek while he stared at Mond.