Ice and Fire

Chapter 89 Please Don't Tell Him

When she saw him, Cherry quickly wiped away her tears, and said, "Hi, John. Long time, no see..."

All of his betrayals and feelings mattered too little for her, and she calmly greeted him without any sort

of emotional distress.

John quickly asked, "When did you come back?"

"Yesterday, " replied Cherry.

John knew her well, and nodded gently. The first thing that she did after her return was to visit Emily's

grave.

John put the flowers in front of Emily's tombstone, and as he looked at it, he said, "She wasn't lonely;

Stephen and I have often come to see her in the past five years."

When she heard him, Cherry quickly asked, "How is Stephen nowadays?"

Cherry was very concerned about Stephen, because he had helped her escape. Except for Emily and

Jackson, he was the only one that she ever cared about in the past five years.

John didn't intend to hide anything from her. He looked at Cherry, and said, "He's had both good times,

and hard times."

"What do you mean by that?" Cherry didn't understand John too well.

"My uncle eventually found out that Stephen was the one who helped you leave, " said John. He

believed that Cherry would then understand him.

Cherry then just stared at him, and wondered what Jackson had done to Stephen.

When John saw Cherry's expression, he guessed that she already understood what he wanted to say

to her. He continued, "So my uncle always made things more difficult for him. That, and..."

"And what?" When she heard him, Cherry became a little more anxious. She wondered what had

happened during her absence.

John said, "Stephen is no longer in charge of the underground organization of the city now. Bobby, who

is under Jackson's command, took it over from him. You should know what that means..."

Cherry got lost in thought for a few moments, and then said, "When did he become so powerful?"

John looked up at the sky, and then started to tell her everything. "Bobby appeared shortly after you left

the city, and almost all the city's major forces were on his side then..." John paused for a few moments,

and then continued, "To be more accurate, they were on the Chu family's side, and Jackson didn't let

Stephen go off so easily. Stephen's career was destroyed little by little, and he now just has the bar, but

except for that, he has nothing else."

Cherry felt a sense of guilt. She had never expected Stephen to suffer so much because of her

escaping.

Sensing her guilt, John comforted her immediately, "Anyway, Stephen's life is okay now. He told me

that he was satisfied with his current status, and that he doesn't hate Jackson. There's no need to

blame yourself for his mishap."

Cherry murmured, as if she hadn't heard John's words, "No, it was all my fault. If I hadn't asked

Stephen to help me, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

John was distressed to see Cherry like that. Although years had passed, she had never changed, and

had still remained as considerate as ever.

John patted her shoulder, and said, "Don't feel too guilty about it; it wasn't your fault. If you ever have

time, go and visit Stephen. He'll be more than happy to see you."

Cherry looked at John's eyes. The man still knew her well, but they didn't belong to each other

anymore; they could only get along like ordinary friends.

Cherry nodded, But before she left, she said, "John, would you please keep my return a secret for the

moment? Don't tell Grandpa Andrew or Jackson about it, please."

Cherry was not ready to meet them, and if it were possible, she would have liked to never see them

again. She just wanted to live a peaceful life, as she had started to.

"Aren't you going to see Jackson?" said John, surprised by her request. He continued, "You're still his

legitimate wife. Don't you really want to meet him?"

Cherry nodded, and said, "I have no idea; at least not now."

John thought that he could somehow understand her, because she had just come back, and it might

take some time for her to adjust herself and deal with her own affairs. Her mind was a mess now, and it

might not be the right time for her to meet Chu family's members again.

"Okay. I promise that I won't tell anyone, " said John. He would support her, no matter what she wanted

to do, and he believed that she knew what was best for her."

"Thank you, " said Cherry.

After she said goodbye to John, Cherry drove to the mall to buy some clothes. She planned to start the

job hunting from tomorrow on, and to start a new life in the city with her beloved son. She felt energetic

because of Joe, and although it wasn't easy for her, she would work hard to make hers and Joe's life

better and better.

Cherry walked out of the mall with bags in her hands. In the parking lot, after she put everything inside

the car, she drove away nobly.

When she went back home, she found that Wilson and Joe were still away. She somehow worried and

called Wilson, but he told her that he was still busy with the new company affairs.

Cherry knew that Wilson had come back to set up a subsidiary. With the headquarters' help from

abroad, the subsidiary had a chance to develop pretty well in the city, and to provide more business

opportunities all over the country.

Wilson didn't bring Joe back home until the evening.

As soon as they got home, Joe called loudly, "Mommy, mommy!"

Cherry heard Joe's voice, and happily replied, "Mommy's here!"

Joe then went to the kitchen and saw that his mother was cooking soup. He quickly walked over to her,

held her by the waist with his short arms, and said, "Cooking is really hard work! I'll ask uncle to teach

me how to cook, so that mommy can rest."

Cherry was very happy when she heard her son's words; nothing else could have made her more

happier.

Cherry said with a smile, "Well, mommy can't wait to have her meal cooked by chef Joe!"

"Mommy, I've already made up my mind and I'll learn to cook from tomorrow on, " firmly said Joe.

At that time, Wilson also came to the kitchen, and as Cherry looked at him with a smile on her face, she

said, "Evening, Wilson."

"Evening, " said Wilson gently.

"You two go and wash your hands. The soup is almost ready and we can have dinner right away, " said

Cherry.

Joe cheerfully said, "Yeah! I'm already hungry!"

He then turned to Wilson, and said, "Uncle, let's wash our hands first and then enjoy the food mommy

has cooked for us!"

"Okay, let's go, " said Wilson.

After that, they all sat in the dining room, and happily ate their dinner. Wilson spoke highly of the meal,

but also teased her. He said, "Well, it tastes very good now, but if you go on and work even harder, it'll

taste even better next time."

Before Cherry could say anything, Joe quickly replied, "Uncle, please don't ask my mommy to work

hard anymore! Will you please teach me how to cook? I want to cook for my mommy!"

As she looked at Joe, who was so considerate, Cherry didn't say a word.

Wilson said to his naughty nephew, "Okay, I'll teach you tomorrow morning."

"That's a deal, don't forget!" said Joe.