Chapter 2 It Is Xavier Who Ruined Me

Jennifer retracted her hand, clenching it into a fist out of rage and resentment. Her chest heaved heavily as she said, "Charles Landon, it's completely over between us! I never want to see you again!" A hint of sorrow flickered in Charles' misty eyes. It was beyond Felicia's expectation that Jennifer, who had cheated on Charles, would lash out at her innocent son. Right as she was about to retaliate, the room door was kicked open without warning, and several uniformed police officers rushed in from outside. "We've received a report of an illegal transaction occurring here. All of you, come with us to the station!" Jennifer should be grateful that the police arrived in time, or else this place would've turned into a homicide crime scene. "Officer, you've misunderstood. The person on the bed is my wife..." Charles hurriedly approached with a smile on his face to explain. Jennifer, however, was not in the mood to listen. She collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. The only thing echoing in her ears was that ear-piercing sentence from the police about how someone was conducting an illegal transaction here. So, Xavier's really treating me as a despicable woman to vent his frustrations on? The woman closed her eyes and let her tears of humiliation slide down from the corners of her eyes. Xavier Griffin, anyone in this world can humiliate and trample on me except you! Jennifer spent the entire night at the police station. It was only until the next morning that she walked out of the police station wearily, wearing two severely dark circles under her eyes. Outside, the ground was covered in a blanket of white snow as the warm winter sun shone down. The light was so bright that it hurt her eyes, forcing her to raise her hand to shield herself from the glare. She endured the unfamiliar pain in her lower body as she walked toward the bus stop. Thanks to that devil, Xavier, every step she took now felt as if she had been run over by a heavy truck, leaving her sore and worn out. Ten minutes later, she finally boarded the bus to go home. Charles' home was obviously a place she could no longer return to, nor did she have any plans to go back. What was originally a perfectly fine wedding had ended up concluding in such a ridiculous manner. This situation was strikingly similar to the uproar that took place four years ago. Thinking back to that absurd incident four years ago and considering Xavier's actions toward her, Jennifer clenched her fists in restraint. In the corners of her eyes, tears of shame kept swirling around. Xavier is back specifically to take revenge on me! He had used the same method as four years ago, tearing her life apart once more to make her plunge into an abyss from which there was no return. She leaned against the glass window, her body swaying with the motion of the vehicle as she gazed at the white scenery outside that was moving backward. At the same time, the tunnel of time seemed to be slowly taking her back to four years ago... That year, she had just turned 18 and was a vibrant, energetic freshman in university. Back then, she had an old-fashioned nickname called "Tinkerbell." As the name suggested, Tinkerbell was a little follower. One might ask, whose little follower? Well, she belonged exclusively to the noble young man, Xavier Griffin. Xavier was born into a distinguished noble family. His grandfather was the founder of the Griffin Group, and his father, even more outstanding than his predecessor, led the fledgling Griffin Group to create its own legend in the global economic arena. Meanwhile, his mother also came from a prestigious family, which made Xavier already destined for greatness while he was still in her womb. He was the youngest in the Griffin family, thus making him the most pampered one. Preceding him were his older brother, Yohannes Griffin, and older sister, Yulissa Griffin. On the other hand, Tinkerbell, who came from a humble background, only managed to establish a slight connection with Xavier, the favored child, thanks to her father. Her father, Christopher Gabel, was handpicked by Joaquin Griffin, Xavier's father, to be the latter's personal driver due to his outstanding performance in the company. As a result, young Jennifer, under the subtle influence of her father, naturally became Xavier's personal attendant. She remembered when they first met, she was ten years old, and he was twelve. It was in May when the white jasmine flowers bloomed in abundance. As the wind blew, the petals fell gently to the ground. A charming young boy lay beneath the pagoda tree with a branch between his lips. His eyes were closed as he took a nap. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a gentle glow on the young boy's fair complexion. He looked more enchanting than the flowers around him. Jennifer merely took one glance, and he took her breath away. In the year she turned 18, her life took a drastic turn. She remembered that day, she had just returned from school when her father brought her a piece of good news that shook her world. Christopher said that the Griffin family had actually sent a marriage proposal to her in the name of the Griffin family's son, and the two would be married soon. If it weren't for the mountain of betrothal gifts piled up in her home, Jennifer would never have believed it. After all, she knew better than anyone that there was an insurmountable chasm between her and Xavier. It was a world of difference. To her surprise, though, she was fortunate enough to become his fiancée. That day was probably the most beautiful dream Jennifer had ever had in her entire 18 years of life. Alas, it was all but just a dream, indeed. It wasn't until a week before her wedding that she inadvertently discovered that the so-called son of the Griffin family her father had mentioned was not actually Xavier but Yohannes, the older brother whom Xavier greatly admired. This outcome was like a bolt from the blue for Jennifer. However, she no longer had the right to refuse, nor would the powers that be of the Griffin family allow her to challenge it. Moreover, everyone knew that the eldest son of the Griffin family had been weak and sickly since he was young, suffering from a congenital illness. A fortune teller once divined Yohannes fate and said that he would not live past the age of 24. To overcome this calamity, he must marry within the same year to bring good fortune, and Jennifer was the very bride chosen by Yohannes to bring him this much-needed luck. That year, she was merely 18, not even in her 20s yet. Had she really gotten married harmoniously just like that, it would have been fine, but alas, fate loved to play tricks on people. No one could have imagined that the ending of this wedding of the century would end up that way. Because of Jennifer, Yohannes became bedridden and fell into a vegetative state. As for Jennifer... That was the most embarrassing day in her entire life. It was a pain in her heart that could never be obliterated, and a day she least wanted to recall. On that very day, Xavier also turned her from an unworldly student into a promiscuous woman scorned by the world and, even worse, an enemy of the Griffin family. Afterward, whenever people mentioned Jennifer, they would habitually add some "extravagant" prefixes to her name, such as licentious, shameless, adulterous, and so on. That year, she was only 18, clearly still just a child. Ding, ding, ding! The phone in her pocket rang incessantly like a bomber, abruptly pulling Jennifer out of her wandering thoughts and back to reality. She exhaled heavily, only to find her palms drenched in a cold sweat. When she saw the incoming call notification on the phone, her just-relaxed heart instantaneously tensed up again. "Jennifer Gabel!" On the phone, Christopher cried out to her in anguish. He was so furious on the other end of the line, pounding his chest while stomping his feet. "What on Earth are you doing? What do you want to do!" Jennifer was rendered speechless. She bit her trembling lower lip and remained silent. Tears were welling up in her eyes endlessly. "Has the Gabel family wronged you somehow? Why do you keep causing such scandals over and over again? Why do you always have to fool around with other men on the day of your wedding? It was like this four years ago, and it's the same now, Jennifer! How much more shame do you want to bring upon our family? Haven't you already harmed Yohannes enough? I thought you'd have at least learned your lesson, but why have you repeated the same mistake again four years later? Jennifer Gabel, must you really leave me with no dignity because of your actions?" Her father's stern reproaching pierced her heart like a sharp blade, causing her teeth to chatter in pain. Tears rolled down her face continuously. "It's Xavier..." She gritted her teeth, unable to cease crying. "It's Xavier! It's Xavier Griffin!" It's Xavier Griffin who ruined me! Four years ago, it was him; four years later, it is still him! However, Xavier had no idea that the demon who destroyed her and Yohannes four years ago was none other than himself.