Possessed by Destiny

Chapter 3 What is meant to come will come.

Ethan was rendered speechless by Jack’s foolish behavior. Ethan, the epitome of an impeccable gentleman, found winning over women a trivial task. Having inhabited Jack’s body for over a week, he naturally knew that this young girl was Jack’s secret crush. He couldn't help but appreciate Jack’s taste—though Rose was still quite young, she was undoubtedly a budding beauty. Her innocent charm could captivate even someone as experienced as Ethan. He fully supported Jack's pursuit of her, but this boy was far too inexperienced. It seemed Ethan would have to step in and assist.

When they were about ten meters from the office, Jack heard a commotion inside. A woman's hysterical scream pierced the air, "Bring that little brat out here! I’ll beat him to death! My poor baby!"

Then a man's voice followed, trying to calm her down, "Don’t shout. Let’s get the facts straight first." His voice, however, couldn’t hide his anger.

The woman, apparently beyond reason, screamed back, "Facts? What facts? My son is still unconscious! Bill said it was that brat Jack who beat him!"

"Uncle, it really was Jack. Yesterday, Danny just told him not to cheat, and Jack suddenly attacked him. Everyone in class saw it," Bill's voice, irritating as always, chimed in. "Auntie, don’t worry. That kid didn’t come to school this morning—probably too scared—but I promise, I’ll help Danny get his revenge."

Then the homeroom teacher, Mr. Shawn, spoke in a tone uncharacteristically gentle, probably cowed by Danny’s mother’s fierce demeanor, "Please, both of you, calm down. I’ve sent a student to find Jack, but we haven’t been able to reach his home."

Jack forced a bitter smile. His home phone had been disconnected ages ago. Who would try calling it? He had a mobile phone, but only for work-related calls—no one at school knew the number.

Just as Jack was about to enter, a small hand grabbed his shirt. He turned to see Rose, her eyes filled with concern. "Maybe you shouldn’t go in," she suggested, glancing at the door. Her meaning was clear—she didn’t think Jack could handle the people inside. While she didn’t entirely agree with Jack’s actions the previous day, finding Ethan’s assault too harsh, she had even less sympathy for Danny and Bill, who insulted classmates and their families. She knew she might have lost her temper in such a situation as well.

Rose's concern warmed Jack’s heart. It had been a long time since anyone worried about him. He was afraid of the people inside, and he didn’t want to face them. But he knew some things couldn’t be avoided—this he learned after losing the people closest to him. He simply smiled at Rose, his smile reassuring, and said, "I have to go in. This can’t be avoided; it has to be resolved. Besides, I did it, so I have to take responsibility."

With that, Jack gently removed Rose’s hand from his shirt and pushed open the door.

Rose stood at the door, momentarily stunned. This Jack seemed different from the Jack she used to know.

Jack regretted entering the room the moment he stepped in. The once orderly office was now in disarray, with books scattered everywhere, shards of glass and water pooled near his feet. In the middle of the room stood several people: a middle-aged man in a suit with a sullen expression, holding back a rather hysterical and plump woman, while Bill stood beside a helpless Mr. Shawn. Bill’s somewhat effeminate face looked especially sinister to Jack.

Mr. Shawn was the first to notice Jack, and he began signaling for him to leave. Jack’s usually indifferent homeroom teacher now showed concern, making Jack feel a warm rush of gratitude. However, Jack couldn’t heed his teacher’s kind gesture, as Bill had already spotted him following Mr. Shawn’s gaze. Bill’s pale face lit up with a smile as he loudly announced, "Jack, you dare to come here!"

Instantly, all eyes turned to Jack, especially the crazed woman whose gaze was filled with venom. Fear was inevitable. Facing such a madwoman, Jack’s heart pounded with trepidation, but he steeled himself. He greeted Mr. Shawn, who sighed deeply and was about to speak when the woman’s piercing voice rang out again, "You little thug, did you hit my son?"

Jack frowned. If anyone was a thug, it was Danny. But he had to answer; after all, the boy was badly hurt, and it was his body, though driven by another soul, that had caused it. "Yes, it was me. I’m sorry. I’ll take responsibility for Danny’s medical expenses." Heaven knows, his heart bled as he said this.

The woman, upon hearing his admission, began shrieking again, "You little b*st*rd! You dare to hit my son? Pay for the medical bills? Hah! With your poor appearance, how much can you afford? If anything happens to my son, I’ll make sure you pay dearly. Even if you kneel and beg, it won’t help. Kids without parents are all uneducated, attacking people like mad dogs. If anything happens to my son, I’ll send you to join your dead parents!"

Jack’s eyebrows shot up, feeling a familiar stir within him. He knew he was getting angry, and whenever his emotions went haywire, Ethan had a chance to control his consciousness. Over the years, Jack had forgotten what anger felt like. Even when angry, he would suppress it. Ethan’s presence had become a barometer for his emotions.

He struggled to contain his emotions, unsure what Ethan might do if he took over again. Ethan's methods were often the most direct and satisfying but were privileges of the few, a category Jack didn’t belong to.

"Excuse me, I am not the thug you describe. My parents did pass away early, and I did lack proper upbringing." Pausing, Jack took a deep breath and continued, "But to insult someone and their deceased parents without knowing the facts, I think your son inherited this from you. If this is your so-called upbringing, I’d rather not have it."

Ethan’s influence was evident. This was something the old Jack wouldn’t have said—not out of cowardice, but because life had weighed him down so much. He often forgot to argue. Now, whether it was the spirit inside him giving him courage or Ethan’s prolonged stay subtly changing him, for the first time in a long while, Jack faced his emotions honestly. He didn’t need to suppress his youthful temper anymore; even if life had worn down many of his edges, a person’s dignity should never be lost.

His experiences made him different from other kids his age; he wouldn’t resort to vulgar insults. Sometimes, a civilized rebuttal using one's own words was the best defense.

Rendered speechless by Jack’s words, the woman grew even more enraged. For a hysterical woman, words were superfluous; action was more effective. Breaking free from her husband’s grip, she lunged at Jack, looking ready to scratch and bite. Jack, startled by her madness, instinctively dodged to the side. He was safe, but the elderly Mr. Shawn, slower on his feet, wasn’t so lucky. The woman’s misdirected lunge sent Mr. Shawn, for the first time in his life, sprawling to the floor.

The middle-aged man watched his crazy wife throwing another tantrum, this time even pouncing on a man, and his face darkened instantly. Meanwhile, the deranged woman was oblivious to how outrageous her actions were. She struggled to get up and continue attacking Jack, spewing vile curses from her mouth.

Faced with a woman, particularly a crazed one, Jack, who wasn’t very aggressive himself, could only dodge left and right to avoid her. Thankfully, the black-faced middle-aged man started to pull his mad wife away. Bill, who was watching the scene unfold, momentarily forgot to help the headteacher lying on the ground, maintaining his image as a good student while he hid in a safe corner, snickering.

This chaotic scene was quite spectacular but didn’t last long. The office door was pushed open, and a somewhat trembling but pleasant voice said, "Stop!"

Everyone in the room froze. The middle-aged man seized the opportunity to grab his insane wife. Jack looked towards the door, and there stood Rose, the class belle. Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, a hint of nervousness crossed her delicate face, but she mustered the courage to raise her pink little phone and said, "Threatening and harming a minor is illegal. I just recorded everything."

After Jack entered the office, Rose, feeling uneasy, didn’t leave. Hearing the woman’s shouting and the sound of objects being thrown, her concern grew. It wasn’t that she had any special feelings for Jack; she was just a kind-hearted girl. She believed that although Jack was at fault, Danny’s behavior was even more disgraceful. Knowing Jack’s pitiable background, she figured Danny’s family would likely face retribution. Jack, relying solely on his own strength, was powerless to resist, which made Rose want to help him. Although Jack’s recent actions gave her a new impression of him, it was far from making her fall for him.

As for the crime and all, Rose didn’t know the law; she was simply making it up. She didn’t actually record anything; she wasn’t that meticulous to think of recording from the start. She just wanted to divert their attention and scare the woman a bit.

Seeing Jack still standing there stupidly, staring at her, Rose grew anxious. This fool, why is he still daydreaming instead of running? The pretty girl rolled her eyes in frustration and urgently called out to Jack, "Jack, come out quickly."

Jack finally snapped out of it and ran to Rose’s side, but he didn’t leave. He still believed that running wouldn’t solve the problem, but he also didn’t want to be inexplicably beaten by the crazy woman.

The people in the office were visibly stunned by Rose’s appearance. Teacher Shawn, who had just stood up, frowned, wondering why the usually aloof class monitor was here. Bill, seeing Rose’s defense of Jack, had a flash of jealousy in his eyes, which only strengthened his resolve to deal with Jack. The middle-aged man looked at Rose with a hint of confusion, as if trying to recall something.

Only the mad woman was initially startled and showed some panic. However, her next move was to lunge at Rose standing at the door, attempting to snatch her phone.

The woman charged aggressively, and Rose, having never encountered such a situation, froze in shock, forgetting to dodge. Jack, who had been tensely watching the woman, immediately noticed her rushing towards them again. It would have been easy for him to dodge, but with Rose standing beside him, Jack's protective instincts kicked in. Forgetting that he could simply pull Rose aside, he instead pushed her behind him. As the crazed woman lunged, Jack instinctively raised his foot in self-defense. Being a young man who occasionally did hard labor, Jack had considerable strength, and his kick sent the unbalanced shrew sprawling to the ground.

Seizing the moment, Jack pulled the still-stunned Rose to a safe distance away from the woman. Although the woman wasn’t seriously hurt, she lay on the ground wailing and refused to get up, now including Rose in her stream of curses.

By this time, the early morning class had ended, and students and teachers, drawn by the commotion, began to gather outside the office. The man, seeing his wife making a disgrace of herself, wore a dark expression as he walked over to pull her up, delivering two heavy slaps to her face. The woman's actions abruptly ceased as she stood there with her mouth agape, clutching her face—this was certainly not part of the script she had in mind.

Seeing his wife finally quiet, the man turned his gaze towards Jack, or more precisely, towards Rose standing behind Jack. His previously stern demeanor instantly transformed into one of extreme obsequiousness. "Miss Rose, I didn't realize you were at this school. How is General Manager Donald lately? I apologize for the earlier commotion; your Aunt Baccarin was rather emotional due to Danny's serious injury. I hope she didn't scare you?"