Chapter 525

I called Jared right away, and he picked up in his usual unhurried way.

“Victoria, did I scare you?” Jared said, his voice as cool as ever, even though he could hear me panting. “Honestly, I was pretty shocked too. You really have guts.”

I thought Jared took those photos to use them against me, maybe even to threaten me. But to my surprise, he actually seemed worried about me.

“How could you put surveillance in my place? That’s against the law!” I shot back, my voice sharp with anger.

Jared sighed, sounding tired. “Victoria, you think I wanted to do this? I just don’t trust you to keep yourself out of trouble. Someone’s got to look out for you. You’re Yvonne’s mom–she’s still a kid, and you need to be there for her. I can’t just stand by and watch you self-destruct.”

“Since when did you get so thoughtful?” I sneered.

Jared gave a helpless, self-deprecating laugh. “Yeah, I admit, my motives aren’t exactly pure. But that doesn’t mean I want to see you get hurt.”

Victoria snapped, her mind a mess. “What exactly do you want from me?” she demanded, unable to think straight.

Jared raised his voice. “It’s not about what I want–it’s about what you’re going to do next. You don’t seriously think you can juggle those two guys, do you? Yeah, they might lift you up to the clouds, but don’t forget–when you crash from that height, it’s gonna be brutal.” His anger was starting to show. “If you’re just a pretty face with no real game, you’ll get chewed up all the same.”

His words snapped me out of it, sending a cold shiver down my back.

“I get what you’re saying,” I replied weakly, rubbing my forehead as a few loose strands of hair fell down. I couldn’t help but remember how earlier, Edward had reached out to brush a leaf from my hair; the way he looked at me was so gentle, almost doting. “But if I told you I never once tried to seduce Edward, would you actually believe me?”

“I believe you,” Jared said with certainty. “We’ve known each other for two lifetimes–I know you better than anyone.”

“So, because you know me so well, you think you can just manipulate me like a pawn, huh?” I shot back, unable to resist bringing up old scores from our previous life.

“Yes,” Jared admitted bluntly. “Manipulating people is one of the reasons I’ve been so successful. In our previous life, you were like a shallow pool–one glance and I could see right through you.”

His words hit me hard. I was pissed and frustrated all at once.

But Jared’s voice dropped low, trying to comfort me. “Don’t be mad. At least you’ve wised up this time. You’re not the same person you used to be.”

“Jared, I’m not letting you bully me in this life,” I snapped, biting my lip and grinding my teeth.

“Bully you?” Jared let out a helpless laugh. “I don’t want to bully you anymore. Honestly, fate hasn’t been too cruel to us. We’ve survived so much, even death, and we’re still here. Victoria, my feelings for you have changed. There’s no one else in this world who’s been through what we have. We’re kindred spirits.”

'Wow, that’s actually pretty new coming from Jared,' I thought. He never used to talk like this. 'The old Jared, back when he was younger, could never have come up with something like that,' I mused.

“Jared, no matter how nice your words are, I still won’t trust you,” I said firmly, the grudge I held from our previous life still lingering.

“Then just stay alive and stop trying to get yourself killed,” Jared shot back, sounding pissed.

“I will. But you’d better get those cameras out of my place, and don’t make me take you to court,” I said, my voice icy.

Jared laughed. “Look at you, finally threatening me with the law.”

“Jared, you’re just asking for it,” I snapped, beyond frustrated.

“Guess you’re finally learning. That’s progress. Fine, I’ll have the cameras taken down. But seriously, keep your distance from Edward–he’s way more dangerous than Ryan ever was.”

“Spare me your concern,” I said coolly, then hung up and deleted every last photo he’d sent me.

The next evening, I called my brother Aiden and his girlfriend, Sophia, to meet up for dinner.

Sophia’s full name was Sophia Langley. The last time I saw her, she was still a student, traveling with Aiden in Hachester. She had this fresh, innocent look about her. But now, she was different. She was dressed in a sharp bank uniform, her hair flowing down, and her eyes sparkled with ambition, like she was ready to take on the world. Compared to Sophia, my brother still had that clueless, wide-eyed look–like he’d just stepped out of college and hadn’t been hit by the real world yet.