The woman's eyes widened and she moved her body back, her face white from horror, it was as though there was a pause in the table.
It was small but visible. Jasmine continued chewing looking at the woman whose hand was paused. Mrs. Redmond handed a napkin to her.
"I'm so sorry Mrs. Smith, I really am." She repeatedly said, Jasmine kept on eating.
"I'm not surprised at her poor table manners." Mrs. Grayson, the second woman, spoke.
"She still has a lot to learn. Please forgive her. Jasmine, apologise immediately." She said to Jasmin.
Jasmine paused and raised her head innocently, she blinked rapidly and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her finger.
"I'm sorry." She said, trying to sound genuine. She had not done it on purpose. Everyone awaited Mrs. Smith's reply.
Jasmine finished when Mr. Smith stood abruptly from her chair pushing her chair back.
"I need to wash my face, this is so disgusting." She turned to Mrs. Redmond, "did you bring your daughter to embarrass me?"
"She is not my daughter.' Mrs. Redmond corrected before adding, "she is just a distant relative."
"I don't care what she is." Mrs. Smith matched off the dinning area, off to the living room where her bag was. After picking her bag, she returned to the dining area, "I will not forget this."
She returned her gaze to Jasmin, "but I think you should watch the way you feed her. I didn't want to say this earlier," she paused assessing Jasmine with her eyes.
"She eats like a pig." Then she stormed off.
Jasmine brushed off her words. Mrs. Redmond excused herself to run after Mrs. Smith.
Jasmine went back to eating, thinking about how the woman overreacted. She could have just whipped it off.
When Mrs. Redmond returned, she tried to hold her anger all through the remaining part of the lunch but couldn't when the other women also left.
Kera wiped her lips with a napkin, "mom, what do you think about the completion. I really want to participate." She asked.
"We'll talk about that later." Her tone was soft and Kera nodded before pushing her chairs back and standing. She looked at Jasmine who was finishing her food for a brief moment, before leaving.
When Kera was out of sight and hearing, Mrs. Redmond yelled, "Jasmine!" She yelled.
Jasmine flinched starlted.
'It won't hurt to speak slowly.' she thought.
Vera pulled the plate away from her front
"How can you eat comfortably after what you did?" She questioned.
Jasmine had not come down with her note so she remained silent. Earlier, she had only gave a reply to Mrs. Smith because she had been warned repeatedly by Vera, to speak on such occasions.
If she had to introduce her as a distant cousin or anything, the least she could do was try to speak.
"Go up to your room, you won't be having dinner." She looked around the table, "you've had enough for today."
Jasmine closed the door behind her. She wasn't surprised that was the punishment she was given. She placed one hand over her stomach, rubbing it.
Picking up the journal she had left under the pillow, she moved to her study table which she barely used in her past life.
"Things happen the way they always have, but thighs change."
She tilted her head to the side and tapped the pan on her jaws slowly.
If things can be changed, what are the things she'd like to change and things she'd like to stay the same?
Then she began writing.
She wanted her love for Liam to stay the same.
She wanted to change his fate. She would do anything to stop his death.
These two clashes. If she wanted him to be with her, then he was bound to die from over exhaustion just like in her previous life.
She began pacing around the room, chewing the cap of the pen.
Then it hit her.
She had not lived a life she desire in the past. She had withheld herself, and not tried to change things.
She couldn't get a job either. If she had a job to support Liam, then he would not have died.
She went back to her table and began to scribble, "make money, save money, but how?"
She twisted her lips, biting on her lower lips.
She knew all that was going to happen in the future. She knew the stock that would end up benefiting her and the once that would fail.
She knew which company to invest in. And she thought about crypto currency. She began writing all these points in her notepad.
After deciding to make money, she thought of other things she wanted.
"I don't want to shrink myself. I don't want to hide myself or be under Kera's shadow anymore."
She would change herself. So she began scribbling.
"I don't want to be bullied."
"I want to be loved and pampered."
"I don't want to pass my opportunity to someone else."
"I want to live my dream life."
By the end, Jasmine looked at her notepad with confidence and admiration.
She traced her main plan with her hand. Liam. She will not lose him this time.
If she can change herself, save enough money, then, his parents would accept her. She smiled at this thought.
She walked to the mirror, staring by herself. It took a lot of courage to do this.
In her past life, she saw herself through others eyes and refused to look at herself in the mirror, afraid of her own reflection.
"You can change this." She whispered to herself, fisting her palm.
Now, she has a body goal she plans to achieve. She would lose some pounds. If she doesn't want Kera to steal her life, then she needs to look good.
She touched her round face then shook her head.
"That's not possible." She went back to her note and struck out that goal.
Liam likes her like this in the past, he will this time too, all she had to do was be herself.
It was past 12 pm when Jasmine finally set the notepad underneath h
er bed.
There was a knock on her door.
Who could be here in this hour?
She walked to the door ready to open it.