The serene quietness of the church reflected in the elderly woman's eyes who held a soft smile on her lips. Though Jun didn't remember the conversation in the time-space realm, she did very clearly.
She looked at him with stars twinkling in her irises. "So. Did you get what you wished for?"
Jin threw a scowl at her. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you want your brother and your love to be together?"
He was quick to clarify. "I don't love her."
"Ah but your heart doesn't say so."
Her playful smile was frustrating the hell out of Jin. "Okay you might be God or something but you are annoying! Why are you here? What do you want from me? I already told you that I am keeping my distance from Shui!"
She sincerely nodded. "And I came here to offer my generous help."
"I don't want your help."
"Aish, did my intervention with your accident cause such a trauma?" She innocently blinked. "Don't worry, this time it's very safe."
He glared at her. "I don't care about your assurance of safety! You…you not only orchestrated the accident but that time, you locked me up in that strange, cloudy place…showing me all those memories of my childhood and forcing me to…"
"But you were denying reality, dear. Running away from your emotions to achieve your wish or turning your head away from something or someone that matters to you is not the path you must take. Acceptance eases the heart."
Jin stood on his feet, carrying the weight of his anguish and annoyance for this 'Godly' woman before her. "I don't remember much, but I do remember the condition that made you grant my wish. Rest assured, I will never waver from my stance. I will never…" his eyelashes faintly fluttered, "allow myself to give into my feelings for Shui."
He didn't spare her single glance and left in a huff. The woman could clearly see an imaginary steam of fury escaping from his ears.
A chuckle escaped her lips. "Very stubborn indeed. And here I wanted to help him with good will."
"Your good will always sounds suspicious," a voice sneered at the woman, seemingly echoing from within the walls of the church.
She smiled. "What do you mean, God of Fate?"
"Hah! Don't you try to act innocent. You cannot blame the soul for being so vigilant about you. You were always the crafty one among us."
"I don't understand what you are talking about."
"Save your ignorance for someone who doesn't know you."
The woman aka the God of Time could imagine the God of Fate rolling its eyes.
"You never really wanted him to sacrifice his future in the first place, didn't you?"
"Oh my but the deal between him and us does exist."
There was a scornful pause after which God of Fate asserted. "You are the entity to govern time. As such, you know that turning time back will have repercussions because fate has changed for many souls in a ripple effect. Souls who were dead in the past are alive in this second life which brings a different set of problems. You put the condition before the soul not to test his loyalty for his brother or make him pay a price for his wish but because you have seen the future. An event will happen which will prove to be devastating to his family."
"So?"
"Heh. You made the condition because you knew that it's possible to dissolve it by making another soul prove its worth."
The God of Time was amused. "Oh my, you really do know how to read me so well."
It scoffed. "The one who suffers by rewriting the fates is me. ME! As such, I am fully aware of all your shady conspiracies!"
"What can I do?" The God of Time waved its hands sideways as if it was beyond its control too. "I have always found humans fascinating, especially when their limits are pushed. It shows us the true face lying beneath that mask. And I want to see the true face of one such soul. What decision that soul takes. To prevent the dreadful future from happening," an indecipherable light swirled in its enchanting irises, "or to bring doom."
—
Jin aimlessly drove around, not being able to decide at any particular place to go to. The meeting with that strange elderly woman had rattled him, and he couldn't concentrate on anything. Eventually, he felt tired and turned the car towards the Liu Corps.
I will just bury myself in work and not step out of my office for the whole day…
The employees greeted him with a smile as he entered and he nodded at them. He asked his assistant, "Bring me all the files I have to work on. And bring as many as you can. I am not in any hurry to go home today…" he mumbled.
His assistant instead put a flight ticket before him, making Jin raise his brows. "What is this?"
"Your ticket to Guangzhou, Sir."
"Huh? I don't understand."
"Sir Jinhai said that you know about this trip. You and Miss. Han were supposed to go together for the project you are working on and give a presentation together."
His jaw dropped. "I-I don't know anything about this!"
"Sir Jinhai said that he had already informed you."
"That was ages ago!"
It was true that Jinhai had mentioned about a business trip with Shui but due to unexpected situations arising at Sky and with Jun, the trip went into the back burner for sometime.
Jin rushed towards his father's office and demanded an answer. "What is this trip! I am just coming to know about it!"
Jinhai didn't even raise his head to face him and continued working on his laptop. "You were well-informed about it before. Things just got postponed and you know why."
"But I am not ready!"
"I don't think the son of Liu Jinhai has to mentally prepare himself for a simple presentation."
"Not the presentation but…!" He pressed his lips, hesitant to express the true source of his problem.
"Then keep your personal and professional matters aside."
His gaze darkened. He knew that Jinhai was being unreasonable on purpose.
"I-"
"The flight is in two hours. Your bags are already packed. Leave for the airport already. Shui is waiting for you."
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om