Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

So Joy had changed her mind. All details of her crime were crystal clear to Jean so she knew she had to die sooner or later. In her heart, she thought it was better to ensure that Shirley would survive. Now when she heard Jean threatening her saying she will soon see the dead body of Shirley, Joey's face turned as white as a paper. Her weak body started to shake like a withered leaf in the autumn wind. "Jean, I am not compromising because of your threatening words. I just don't want my poor Shirley to lose her life. Okay, I promise you. As long as you can guarantee that Shirley will be fine, I will tell you the truth." Joy finally made up her mind to come clean.

"Let's go. I think it is time for us to go downstairs now." Zed stood up and asked Moore to go with him.

"Maybe we should stay a little longer. Joy may get suspicious if we enter so soon..." Moore replied, trying to stop Zed.

Zed looked at Moore with a little surprise and then he nodded. "Okay, then we will wait for a few more minutes. I believe Jean will call us soon..."

Before Zed could finish his words, they heard Joy's loud voice. "You ask Zed and the other guy named Moore to come over here. Only after Zed promises me personally about Shirley being alive, I will be satisfied. Jean, I can't trust you now," Joy said to Jean, not caring about her feelings at all.

"I know." Jean grimaced and took out the cell phone. "I will call Zed and ask them to come down," she said.

Joy nodded and relaxed hearing her response. After she saw Jean make the call, she asked with puzzlement, "There is one thing I don't really understand. When you already know what had happened many years ago, why do you ask me to tell it to you again personally?" "Because..." Jean watched Joy's face and hatred appeared in her eyes. "I need to really hear it from your own mouth. I need you to admit what you had done so as to give justice to my mom in heaven. This is the least I could do for her as her daughter."

Jean fixed her eyes on Joy steadily and there was an unwavering determination in her voice.

Joy was startled and a little afraid. At that moment, there was fierce hatred in Jean's eyes. It never occurred to her that Jean's aim was so simple.

However, this simple act reflected the depth of love Jean had for her mother.

Joy thought if her daughter Shirley loved her half as much as Jean loved her mother, then she wouldn't have ended up here today.

'Why didn't I get this love?

Yvette died when Jean was very young and Jean probably had no recollection of her mom. Her memory of her mother should be nebulous.

However, she is still willing to take risks in order to get justice for her mother, 'Joy realized.

Joy cried a little inside and eyed Jean differently for the first time. Jealousy towards Yvette surged up in her heart.

'It is ridiculous that twenty years later, I become jealous of you again, Yvette, 'thought Joy.

Thinking of the absurdity of it, Joy laughed out loud. Suddenly, the laugh changed into tears.

Zed and Moore came downstairs just in time to witness Joy's miserable side. For a second, the two of them stood startled.

'Why is she crying all of a sudden?

Did she realize her own sins? Were they tears of guilt?' wondered both.

"We are here. Sorry that we can't help you save Shirley," Zed said wanting her to stop crying.

"I know I made it hard for you," Joy replied while she wiped the tears off her face.

"Since everyone is here, you can start speaking now," Jean said wanting to put a full stop to this drama. She wanted to get straight to the point.

There was a tint of impatience on her face and her tone was authoritative.

Zed and Moore detected the change in Jean and watched her in puzzlement.

Joy was still lingering in her own thoughts and didn't sense the difference in Jean's tone. She drew a long breath and looked at Zed with a complicated expression. "Zed, I need you to promise me verbally that you will keep Shirley alive. I don't care what happens to me as long as Shirley is alive. So unless you promise me now personally, I won't speak up."

Joy stared at Zed with her pleading eyes.

Zed was slightly surprised. Actually he had already seen from the surveillance system the purpose for his presence, but seeing Joy beg so hard still surprised him.

He turned to Jean and Jean nodded. "Zed, you can guarantee that Shirley will be alive, can't you?"

"Yes," Zed replied in a low voice. And then he turned to Joy who was looking at him expectingly. "I promise you. As long as you tell the truth about Jean's mother's death, I will keep Shirley alive."

"Okay, I believe you." Joy's uptight nerves relaxed after she heard Zed's promise. A small smile crept to her face since the burden was lifted off her shoulder.

Somehow seeing Joy in this pathetic condition, Zed's heart started to hurt.

'However disgusting, wily, evil she was, she is still a mother.

Motherly love is the most selfless and the greatest love of all.

For Shirley, Joy is willing to sacrifice her own life,' he thought sadly.

At this moment, Zed admired Joy.

He had never seen a weak lady look so calm in the face of death.

"The story was pretty much the same as the stereotyped plot of TV drama. I met Henry at a party. He was young, promising, charismatic and stylish. He attracted my attention the second I saw him. Back then, I was young and aggressive. I ignored all my friends' words and went out to pursue Henry."

Joy's words were still very conservative. The truth was that she pursued Henry so badly that almost everyone in the city knew about it.

"Wherever Henry showed up, I made it a point to see him. I used all the resources available to me in order to draw his attention to me. However, after three months passed, he still hadn't even given me a look," Joy said looking dejected.

Jean was surprised. She had no idea that Henry was indifferent to Joy's persuasion at the beginning.

'This doesn't sound right. Then why did he insist on getting divorced with my mother? Why did he marry Joy? Why did he treat me like trash and ignore me all these years?' Jean's mind was muddled with these questions.

"I started to get anxious. Months passed and my efforts seemed to have no effect on Henry. I consulted all my friends for help. Finally, from the contribution of all of my friends, the best solution was selected. It was an old trick and that was to frame your mother, Yvette." When she spoke of this, Joy showed a wry smile.

"Frame my mother? How?" Jean's face changed and she snapped fiercely.

"We conspired to make Yvette and her first love Charlie Wu stay in one room. We invited Charlie in advance. When Henry and I broke into the room, Charlie made passes at Yvette as planned. Henry saw them hug together in messy clothes and that did the job," Joy said in a very casual tone.