The jinx and the voice - 2

                                                                         2

While Chan was thinking about Jina, he saw a person walking through the garden along the Lilacs as a cover and entering the house. The lazy shirt and jeans outfit with a bag on the shoulders and high tied hair made Chan recognize that person as Jina. Her always calm face was now tired and she seemed to be tensed. She hurriedly went inside her room before anyone could notice. Chan saw all these and doubts filled in his brain. She wasn't home last night and it seemed like no one else knew. So, where was she and why all the secrecy? Chan also noticed some ash marks on her white face and hands that stood noticeably. It was obvious that she was up to something and Chan couldn't help but worry. 

Though Jina was one of the daughters of the Shaw family and meant to be pampered like Anaya, she was instead considered as a jinx by all others. She was always a weird and closed person. And whenever she spoke, something bad happened. Similar as Chan considered Jina as a curse, all others saw Jina as a bad omen. The only difference was that, Chan was mocking her, while others were serious. It can be even said that, they were a bit afraid of her. Afraid, the jinx would bring bad luck to them. So everyone kept their distance from her, except nanny Shu; and Jina was happy to have her freedom. But Chan knew she was more than what everyone was seeing. And it seems he was right at that.

Later, when Chan locked his room to set off to the office, he heard Anaya's voice from the study room. The study and central hall stood in the middle of the whole upper floor. Chan's and Jina's rooms occupied at each end of the floor and there was an additional guestroom beside Jina's room which was always kept locked. It was attic above that floor, which was now a storage room. Chan had only seen Jina going there from time to time. The Shaw's never even came to the upper floor. It was as if the floor didn't even exist. So what was Anaya doing here? Naturally, Chan went to the door of the study to know what was happening.

Jina and Anaya were having a heated discussion. Obviously Anaya was angry and Jina was calm as if she was watching a child's tantrums.

“So are you not going to say where you were? Did you go to meet Ron last night? I know you have been meeting with Ron. So don't try to hide it from me.” Anaya was fuming with anger.

Jina, who was still reading the newspaper, looked up at Anaya and said, “Will you believe what I say? If I say no, will you believe me? And If I say yes, will you accept it? Obviously, you won't take in anything I say. So why bother asking?” Jina returned to her paper.

Anaya, found it unable to reply. Feeling mocked at, she rushed towards Jina, who was sitting beside the reading desk, to attack. Sensing that, Jina looked up fiercely. Her piercing eyes made Anaya stop two steps away from the desk. Anaya wasn't ready to admit defeat. So she pointed at Jina and warned, “You better stay away from Ron. He is my mine. If you have any interest in him, better drop it here. I won't let it slide the next time.”

Jina started laughing on hearing that. Anaya felt humiliated at Jina's arrogance. But before Anaya could spout nonsense again, Jina said, “You are an idiot! So you sees only what you want to see. But not everyone is like you.” Jina stood up from her chair, folded her paper and placed it on the desk neatly. Then she walked around the desk and stood in front of Anaya, who now looked like an idiot unable to grasp what Jina said. Jina continued, “Aren't you ashamed to say that, Ron is yours, when you are already someone's wife? Ah! You might not know that such a word exists, right? Anyway, I don't have any interest in any men around you. After all I have better standards.” Then Jina walked out of the study, leaving a dumbstruck Anaya alone. It took another minute for Anaya to get all the essence of Jina's words. She started to kick at Jina's desk to vent out her anger.

Jina met Chan at the door. Both were too awkward of the situation, so Jina quickly nodded at Chan and went downstairs. Chan looked at Anaya who was still kicking and lashing out at the desk and then with a sigh he followed Jina downstairs. Jina went to the kitchen and Chan, after greeting Mr. and Mrs. Shaw set out for the office.

Chan walked straight out of the mansion, without looking for the car arranged for him. When he made sure that he was at a distance from the mansion and there were no one around, he let go of his office bag, which he had been clutching on to, with all his might. His right hand fingers had turned white from all the pressure exerted and the bag now had a dent on it. He let out a shriek out of anger and started punching at the invisible enemy in front of him. He was good at boxing and after a while, when the exertion made his bruises to inflict pain, he calmed down. He was panting and tired. He placed his hands on his hip, and took deep breathes to come back to normal. After a moment, he continued walking to the bus stop. He sat there waiting for the bus.

When he thought about the conversation between Jina and Anaya, anger began to surge in him again. But another thought popped in. What was the thing that actually made him lose his control? He already knew what Anaya was up to. He had heard it from Ron's mouth when he was in the caravan. He wasn't even bothered by that. So what was the cause? The fact that, Jina was meeting with someone? Or that she despises everyone around Anaya? Now, that included him, Anaya's husband. Chan got more flustered when he realized that Jina will be more unapproachable from now on. So, it was Jina. She was the cause of his anger. He can’t let this happen again. He wasn’t in a position where his emotions can have better hold on him. He needed to stay in the Shaw family no matter what; even if that was as a useless husband, whom everyone despised of.