Watching her slim figure disappear behind the door, Liang Jian Amal walked back to her patio to smoke quickly. Closing the solid gla.s.s door behind him he leaned against the railing while flicking the lighter into life.Slowly releasing a trail of smoke from his lips Liang Jian Amal gripped the cold steel of the railing with one hand, until his knuckles stood up in a shocking white contrast to the rest of his skin.
"I should have been there for her so long ago. I f.u.c.ked up." Sighing he thought about all he had come to know over the past few days.
"I f.u.c.ked up so bad, if I had been there she never would have had to face all that she did. She would have never had a need to dirty her hands. She shouldn"t need to do that."
As he leaned against the rail brooding Liang Jian Amal felt a buzzing from his pocket. Pulling it out he saw an unknown number dialing his.
"Huh? There should not be many people who would know this number." Curious he clicked accept on the call and quickly brought it to his ear.
"Wèi?"
"What? Speak in a manner that I can comprehend." An older man"s clear voice rang out in impeccable French, his voice rippling with irritation.
"Ah. Jean-Jacques Dumont. Mystery solved." Inwardly clicking his tongue Liang Jian Amal greeted the older man.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call. I would prefer to make this quick though, as much as I enjoy the surprise, I am busy actively wooing my estranged wife."
"By a.s.saulting members of her family in public? You had better stop causing trouble for my grand-fille!" Hearing Liang Jian Amal"s warm response Jean-Jacques Dumont"s tone became even p.r.i.c.klier.
"Can that man truly be considered as part of her family? I doubt that you are unaware of all that he and his accomplices have done to her and continue to do. I was merely metering out some belated justice for her as no one else had."
The sound of a dismissive snort answered him.
"Do not speak of what you do not know. I am aware, and those involved were punished."
"Really? I somehow have a hard time believing that. How is it that Robert Dumont is still causing trouble for my wife on a daily if you know what he has done to her? I would say that he was not duly punished." His lips curling in disgust at the name, Liang Jian Amal spat it out with vehemence.
"I do not care what you believe Mr Liang. I do care about you creating difficulties for my grand-fille. If you must know, there was no way for me to prove what my brother"s grandson had done. He was punished internally... as well as with your physical brutalizations."
"Your family"s internal punishment structure then leaves much to be wanted. The man obviously fears or regrets nothing as he continues. You failed your "grand-fille" with your half-hearted feelings. Chang is now fighting for her own justice, since no one fought for her then. Well besides me, but then you hid that from her."
"What do you mean?"
"Chang has been trying to get ahold of you to let you know. She is picking up a battle against Robert Dumont and wanted to talk to you about it."
"Oh." Silence reigned for a moment before Jean-Jacques Dumont cleared his throat and continued. "Tell her this; just so long as she does not drag the Dumont family name through the mud, she can do as she pleases in whatever way. I will support her in whatever way she needs and does through this."
"Will you really? Yet why did you not support her last year when she truly needed it?" Gripping his phone tightly Liang Jian Amal questioned him.
"Nothing could be proven as it was heresy. If we had pressed it, the Dumont family name would have been disgraced." Sounding slightly trepidatious Jean-Jacques Dumont answered.
"So Chang alone had to deal with the disgrace." His anger fully rising Liang Jian Amal"s tone grew louder and more harsh. After his statement silence hung in the air heavy.
Cursing him as a coward in his heart Liang Jian Amal took agitated drags from the cigarette between his fingers waiting for the older man to finish.
"Regrettably so. That is why if she has found a way to destroy him legally I will back her. No matter what."
"Hmph. I will tell her don"t you dare renege on your promise."
"I would not on the Dumont family honor."
"Is there truly such a thing? After all I"ve seen and heard be done to your precious grand-fille I highly doubt that it truly exists."
"Watch your tongue. While certain members of the family may not exemplify this, an outsider has no right to comment. I only called to tell you not to make trouble or I will withdraw the hand of grace I have extended to you." While his tone had for a moment almost been remorseful it quickly reverted to igdignance before the call was ended. Holding the now dead line Liang JianAmal made a sour face at the phone before repocketing it.
"What grace? Old hypocrite." Angrily lighting another Liang Jian Amal stayed outside trying to calm himself so that he could present his best self to Chang.