Chapter 0003

"S-sorry." Zoey quickly withdrew her hand from Jonathan's head. He was now staring at her coldly, with a warning look.

"Hahaha…" The laughter of the people in the room echoed. They all knew Zoey used to like Jonathan, and they often teased the two, trying to match them up.

But what they didn't know was that now Zoey was terrified of Jonathan. This cousin of hers had once threatened her and even terrorized her. Her feelings had shifted from admiration to fear. Especially after that night, Zoey was even more scared!

"Since you touched your future husband's hair, why don't you kiss him too, Zoey? So you can memorize his scent."

"Your future husband is back, Zoey. Why haven't you said hi?"

Zoey winced in embarrassment, wishing she could leave. Her heart was racing, and her face turned pale. Good grief! Zoey was breaking into a cold sweat. Everyone was teasing her about Jonathan, but none of them realized how terrified she was.

How could they know? Zoey had never told anyone about Jonathan's threats.

"I think I need to get back to the office. Some urgent business came up," Hayden suddenly said, then turned to his sister. "Zoey, stay here with the others. I'll pick you up later, or someone else will drop you off..." Hayden left his sentence hanging, glancing at their cousins to see who could give Zoey a ride if he couldn't.

"I'll take her home," Jonathan said suddenly, his voice low and deep—heavy and resonant, making Zoey's heart pound with both fear and tension.

His voice was so seductive, sending shivers through Zoey's entire body. Added to the fact that she used to admire him, Zoey's body couldn't help but respond. But she couldn't deny that Jonathan's smooth voice also made her feel threatened.

"No." Zoey shook her head quickly. She couldn't stay here any longer. She had promised herself to avoid Jonathan. "I have something to do at the café," Zoey said hurriedly, gripping Hayden's arm tightly, afraid of being left behind by her brother.

Maybe Jonathan had forgotten about that night, but Zoey was still scared to face him.

Actually after five years of not seeing him, Jonathan had returned home more charming than ever. Handsome, yes, but now much more terrifying. Especially when Zoey recalled the threats Jonathan had directed at her over the years. Hah. She could hardly remember the time she had been in love with him.

To be honest, Zoey had used to idolize Jonathan. She had even dreamed of becoming this cold man's wife. She had tried to get his attention, confessed her feelings, and even asked Jonathan to marry her. But all those feelings had slowly faded. It started when Jonathan suddenly moved abroad and got a girlfriend, which broke Zoey’s heart. One night, he had contacted Zoey with a threat.

"You'll know the consequences if you try anything, Zoey. I'll make your life a living hell!" Jonathan's threat still haunted Zoey to this day. Back then, Zoey was naive and innocent, so she had been genuinely frightened. She even fell sick from the fear caused by Jonathan's words.

But to this day, no one knew how cruel Jonathan had been to her. Zoey chose to keep it to herself. The crazy thing was that she had ended up having a one-night stand with this very cousin she feared, and now, here she was, face-to-face with him again. She had spent the last three days trying to avoid him.

'Please let him have amnesia!' That was Zoey's desperate prayer.

"Good grief, Zoey! Weren't you the one who insisted on coming here? You wanted to meet your dear Jonathan, didn't you?! Well, here he is, right next to you."

'You sneaky liar! When did I ever say that?! You tricked me, and that's how I ended up here,' Zoey thought in shock, staring at her brother in disbelief.

The worst part was that it wasn't just her cousins who liked to tease her about Jonathan. Her annoying brother did it too. Yeah, her own brother!

"You wanted to see me, but now you don't want to talk to me? Strange," Jonathan said, his voice low, without looking at Zoey. He was still engrossed in reading a thick book in his hands. His face looked cold and expressionless, his eyes serious and focused on the pages.

"Sit next to me, future wife," Jonathan added, his tone deep and heavy, suddenly turning toward Zoey, making her even more nervous and awkward. "Practice sitting by my side before we walk down the aisle."

"Ooooh…." Everyone in the room cheered, laughing together.

Gah! Zoey wished the ground would swallow her up whole. Jonathan was still as mischievous as he had been five years ago. He always joined in teasing Zoey, just like their other cousins.

'In front of everyone, you seem sweet. But behind them, you're the devil, Jonathan Roberts! I know your dark side, and why am I the only one who knows that?!'

Awkwardly and extremely nervous, Zoey finally agreed to sit next to Jonathan. What choice did she have? Her brother kept nudging her, and her cousins kept cheering her on. If Zoey refused to sit next to Jonathan, they'd all get the wrong idea, thinking she still had feelings for him and was just too shy. So… reluctantly, Zoey had to muster the courage to sit beside him, just to prove she didn't have any feelings left.

"How have you been?" Jonathan asked after a long silence, once their other cousins were preoccupied with their own conversations.

"Fine," Zoey replied flatly, pretending to be busy with her phone, though in reality, she wasn't doing anything on it. Argh! She was so nervous, awkward, and scared.

But…

Jonathan's behavior seemed normal. Had he really forgotten that night? Or were they both just too drunk to remember? The question was, why had Jonathan been there? He should have still been in Paris at the time.

Ah, in any case, Zoey could only hope he had amnesia.