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"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Frank. I'm sorry, Jane. I really regret my actions, and I wish I could man up and apologize to you, but it's not working out. I won't commit such a heinous crime again; please forgive me," he pleaded in his room as if the people he was talking to could hear him from there.
"I can't get you out of my mind, but I am sorry, Jane. I have to try my best to stop thinking about you," Jasper said. The following days after that, he channeled his energy into things that wouldn't give his thoughts a chance to wander around.
Chapter 14:Drastic Change
"I'll have to transfer you to York City," Valentino said sternly.
“What? Dad!”
"That's my final decision," the strict-looking man said, leaving Jasper with no other option.
“But why?” Jasper asked, struggling to control the rage in his heart.
"Can't you see you are lagging behind in your schoolwork? Is that how you want to take over from me?" Valentino asked, not waiting for a reply as he had already made up his mind.
“But Dad, I can…”
“Hold your explanation,” Valentino interrupted and continued, "I would have chosen another city for you to study in, but since you've suddenly picked an interest in York City, I made arrangements for you to be transferred to a school there."
"Dad…" Jasper tried to speak, his only concern being that he might end up in the same school as Jane, which he did not want. He did not know how to face her if that should happen.
"I picked the best school; you don't need to worry about that. You can always come back to New York City whenever you miss home. Get ready to start anew," Mr. Valentino said, dismissing Jasper.
Moving to York City, Jasper's strong resolve to forget about Jane and what had happened in the past melted away like ice in hot water. He kept coming across her no matter how much he tried to avoid her.
Trying to mark the time she went back home from school, he would attempt to go earlier or later than that, only to find out that she decided to do the same, seeing her walk along the street.
He was fortunate that he did not have to hide himself as he was always in his car with tinted glasses. One might ask why he could not just look away whenever she passed by, but his body parts seemed to have a mind of their own, and he could not always control his eyes from looking at her.
It seems they shared an unusual connection, as he would always turn to look in a particular direction as if knowing she was about to pass, and then she would pass, and in doing that, she would look straight at his car as if she knew someone was looking at her from the car. Anytime this happened, his heart would tumble in a weird but sweet way, and the ugly memory of the past would come flooding in, bringing emotional pain alongside it.
"This isn't good, not one bit," he told himself, looking at the dark sky full of stars from his apartment. Ever since that incident, he had always been in a bad mood, which prevented him from doing things he would usually do. He had stopped his old habits not because he had changed but because he hadn't had time to get out of his sour mood. So he was sure that he would go back to them after getting rid of his guilt, which he didn't want to.
After several hours of deep thought, he decided it was best to have a complete change of character. Since he could not bring himself to apologize to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Frank for his wrongdoings, he decided that turning over a new leaf was the best option, at least the heavens would bear witness to his efforts.
He stopped going to nightclubs. At first, he was always the one dragging his friends to the club, but after that incident, he would join them whenever they planned to go but would just sit back to drink and nothing more. After his decision, he decided he would stop going to clubs, which he did.
He quit smoking and excessive drinking, much to the wonder of his friends. Girls' coy attitude began to irritate him. He broke up with all his flings and decided not to have any sexual relationships with any girl. Reading, exercising, and trying out new things became habits for him. Besides that, the usual carefree and mischievous side of him was gone, replaced with a cold and aloof side that had never been there before.
Whenever he went for the usual vacation hosted by his friends, they would have to look at him more than twice to confirm if he was the same person they knew or a doppelganger because of the sudden change. It took a while before they got used to him, and whenever they asked why he had changed, he would either bring up one absurd story or remain quiet.
"How is Jasper doing?" Mr. Valentino asked his butler, who had been keeping an eye on his master's son.
"Here it is, sir." The butler bowed and presented a file to Valentino that contained all activities and plans of Jasper.
Reading through the document placed before him, Valentino's smile appeared wider than usual before he nodded, approving of his son's new attitude.
“Isn’t this good news?” he asked.
"It is, sir," the butler replied, nodding in affirmation.
"I really made a good decision." Valentino could not help but praise himself for sending his son to York City.
"Then there will be no need to change my company to a public one. This son of mine has finally made me proud!" he declared in joy.
"Bring me the best wine in the cellar to celebrate the return of my prodigal son. Hurry," he requested, and soon, a mini-celebration was held.
"All the workers in this mansion will receive twice the amount of their salary," Valentino declared with joy. The happiness he felt was extraordinary as he had lost all hope in his son changing from the rascal he was to someone responsible.
