Anyone who got too close would feel intimidated by the men in black's presence, but Cordy walked up to them nonetheless.One of them spoke into the microphone attached to his lapels, and waited until the person inside gave her approval before opening the door for Cordy.The interior of the VVIP room was naturally different from the other rooms, and the extravagance of the decorations inside would leave everyone's eyes lighting up.Naturally, Cordy was in no mood to admire the elegance. She limped with difficulty up to the coffee table…where Jessica sat, elegantly taking a sip of tea.There were four bodyguards in the room with her, and two were standing right behind her. It was obvious that she was wary of Cordy. Nonetheless, there was a flash of surprise in her eyes when she saw that Cordy was alone, though she hid it well by habit."Sit," she beckoned.Cordy didn’t refuse, and sat opposite her."What would you like to drink, Miss Sachs?" "Blue Mountain." After Cordy ga
Jessica’s face dropped immediately after she took the phone and saw the photos on it.No matter how good she was at covering up her feelings, there was no question that she was incensed."What is this?!" she demanded. Cordy just said she had cut all ties with John Levine, yet now, she was showing Jessica a photo of herself in bed with him?!Was it to brag? Or to rub it in Jessica’s face?!Those thoughts only infuriated Jessica further.After all, her engagement and wedding date had been announced for a while, but there was still no spark between her and John at all—they didn’t even hold hands!"Did you really think I won't kill you, Cordy?!" Jessica growled through her teeth.Cordy ignored her and said, "I'm showing this not to prove how intimate John and I were, or to brag about it. This is just to tell you that I can make this public if you push me too far."Jessica's gaze turned cool as she studied Cordy. "To put it bluntly, if you lay a finger on the one who matters m
The only thing that could really threaten Jessica right now was John. If John were hit with a scandal and caused severe controversy, the Stuarts would annul Jessica's engagement with him to protect their reputation.However, said annulment would be a terrible loss to both the Stuarts and Jessica. The former would have their ambitions thwarted, while for Jessica, anyone could tell how crazily in love she was with John.Therefore, if the Stuarts wouldn’t hurt Cordy for that reason, Jessica would not do it either.Even so, Jessica wasn’t so easily threatened. "Did you really think my family and the Levines can't enforce a media blackout even if you publicize this? No one even knows Jay was almost killed in a car accident. You know very well that our families' influences are far beyond what you can ever imagine!""But what if it's Patrick who publicizes these photos?" Cordy asked in return.Jessica scowled, as the threat obviously registered.Cordy regarded Jessica coolly as she cont
Cordy regarded Jessica coolly while her body stiffened ever so slightly, a chill unwittingly running down her spine.Even so, she repressed the terror seizing her chest and remained incredibly calm. But even if Cordy didn’t show it, Jessica knew for sure that Cordy was afraid—no one would feel nothing in this situation."Never crossed your mind that I'd go this far, have you?" She laughed savagely. "Don't you regret dying by my hand in this fashion? I won't mind admitting trying and failing to take your life so many times, only for you to be so kind as to send yourself to my doorstep. You really shouldn't get full of yourself, y'know?""Do you think John would forgive you if you killed me?" Cordy asked her."Would he forgive me even if I don't?" Jessica asked in return. "He'd treat me the same, and it's just better for me if I eliminated a potential threat. And who knows? With you dead, maybe he'd completely give up when there's nothing left for him."Cordy pursed her lips, her
Nonetheless, Jessica didn’t give up. "Do you think you'd still be a Stuart if you did this? That your grandfather could defend you for this? Forget your grandfather—you'd be arrested! And that would be the end of your family!""If you put it that way…" Patrick muttered, clearly hesitant.Jessica's eyes flashed with smugness, pleased by her own cunningness. When it comes to the Stuarts, they never did care who they hurt and would bury their conscience when they stood to gain from something.Cordy saved Patrick's life, but so what? They would abandon family at the drop of a hat!However, that was the same reasoning that foiled Jessica's ploy, as Patrick suddenly said, "Actually, it just occurred to me… If this stalemate continued, your grandfather or brother would order you to kill Cordy anyway. I’d kill you in retaliation, which gives them the excuse to have me arrested immediately, since that would leave my family leaderless and powerless against yours. They'd kill so many birds
Cordy couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief after following Patrick back to his car.She was a lot less calm as she appeared—but no one would really be fearless when facing down a barrel.All she could do was endure, and tell herself that Patrick was worthy of her trust.If said trust was misplaced…so be it."I thought you weren't afraid," Patrick teased, though his tone soon turned stern. "Did you really think yourself invincible, going in to face Jessica alone?!"Cordy turned to look at him. "You came, didn't you?""You'd be dead if I didn't give you that transmitter," Patrick told her somberly.It was only fortunate that he had been thoughtful, and knew that Jessica was the type who wouldn’t let anything stop her from getting what she wanted."Actually, I had you escort me so that you’d protect me. But I won't mind coming alone either," Cordy admitted.Patrick did a double take, and his tone changed. "Does that mean you knew I'd protect you from the start? That I'd prote
The days went by without anything out of the ordinary occurring… Until one day, when every article and news piece was reporting about John Levine and Jessica Stuart's grand wedding.Just three more days? That was quick.Nonetheless, Cordy put away her phone and rose to her feet, leaving her office for another meeting just then. The four bodyguards Patrick arranged for her followed her as if it was natural. They really did stick with her ever since Patrick sent them—save for when she went to the ladies' room or was changing clothes.Neither she nor her employees were used to it at first, but she eventually got used to it. During the meeting, Noel kept calling her, but Cordy simply rejected every call and muted her phone.After all, she knew all too well the only reason Noel would call her now was to gloat since in the end, Jessica Stuart was the one who would be with John Levine.And since Noel was now Jessica's lapdog… But if Cordy were to be honest, she had no idea how long
Cordy stared at her phone, watching as John appeared on screen in his white swallowtail tuxedo and a bow tie, looking sharp and imposing.The instant he showed up, the live comment section was immediately spammed, though the content was more or less the same.[He's so handsome!][I'm in love!][Why isn't he an actor?]Cordy was just about to close the live comments section when her phone started ringing.She hesitated a little when she saw that it was a call from Patrick, but answered it eventually."Are you checking out the news?" He asked immediately."Which one?" Cordy asked in return, despite knowing exactly what he meant."Since you can still make a joke, I guess you're not in a bad mood.""It's only expected. Why be moody about it?" Cordy asked in return."I like that attitude of yours, y'know. Staying stoic even if the world falls apart."Cordy didn’t want to waste her breath, and so asked, "Shouldn't you be there right now?""I am," Patrick replied."Then why did