Scarlett violently turned towards him, losing her composure. Her bravado from just now had all dissipated, and she wore an embarrassed expression."What are you talking about?" Her gaze shifted guiltily, as if she were hiding something. To prevent herself from losing control of her emotions, she quickly picked up the documents from the table. "These documents contain all the information on Theodore Langston’s case, and it includes a ten million dollar check from you. I also have a witness, and he's already signed the witness papers." She had to settle Jonathan’s involvement in this case today.As Scarlett was explaining, Jonathan slowly got up and started closing the distance between them."Now you've become the main instigator of defamation in this case. If you stop now, I'll be able to plead for leniency in court."Jonathan was already directly in front of her, and Scarlett had no choice but to raise her head to look at the despicable man. "Based on my years of experience, I may
Six years ago, Jonathan had only been a patron of this establishment, but now he was the owner of the place. Thus, it was no surprise that their attitudes toward Jonathan were completely different.Jonathan forced Scarlett into the room where they'd spent the night together six years ago. The familiar scene made her heart race and her cheeks flush red. All she wanted to do was find a corner where she could hide."Sir, here is your room." The attendant shrewdly left after delivering the wine.Scarlett was rooted to the spot. She didn't understand what Jonathan had planned for her, but she had a faint inkling of what was about to happen.When in doubt about what to do, run away. This was what her son always said.Scarlett rushed to the door, but regardless of how much she banged on it, she couldn't get it to open.She knew this was all Jonathan's plan. The attendant from just now must’ve locked them both in the room.Turning around to face Jonathan, she saw that he was lounging le
Jonathan kissed the woman passionately, getting past all of her defenses and dominatingly sucking on her skin.She was completely enveloped by the man’s breath, which was laced with the taste of red wine. It was like the lingering sweetness of wine after a tasting.Scarlett’s eyes were wide open as she stared at the dark ceiling. The fragmented memories in her head were no longer just fragments but had coalesced to form a scene.Everything was the same. The scenario. The location. The atmosphere. The only thing that changed was the timing.She wanted to resist, but her body felt weak. She was slowly losing her will to resist his kisses. Soon, her petite body started moving in sync with his under the influence of his passion.Her black tank top was slowly removed from her porcelain-white skin, revealing her breasts. A large hand caressed her waist and slowly moved toward her breasts.She exhaled lightly and furrowed her delicate eyebrows. She meant it as a sign of resistance towar
It was as if she'd completely exposed herself. She hastily tidied up her hair and clothes, but quickly stopped again."Come clean or you’ll face the consequences. If you don't give me a good explanation today, then you can forget about going upstairs to rest." He gave the table a knock as if he were actually questioning her in court."I don't know what you’re talking about." She sat defensively back on the couch and fidgeted with her long fingers. Just this small action was enough to reinforce Lucas’ hunch that his mother was hiding something from him."Then I’ll lay out the facts for you. Number one, you left the office before 12 pm. Number two, you haven't been answering your phone since 1 pm. Number three, this was because you went to Leonard Corporations and were forcefully dragged away by Jonathan Leonard. As for where the two of you went afterward, that's for you to answer."Scarlett stared at her son, who sported a serious expression. His manipulativeness was comparable to t
"Hello? Dylan? Lucas is…" She was frantic and didn't know who else to turn to. She could only think of Dylan, so she called him immediately. "Lucas is in trouble.""Scar? What happened? Slow down."Scarlett was babbling, and Dylan couldn't understand her at all.The taxi that Lucas got in drove all the way to the countryside and only stopped after about half an hour."Sir, where’s the boy who was in here just now?" Scarlett rushed to the front of the taxi, but Lucas was nowhere to be found."He gave me 300 dollars and asked me to drive to the countryside. He actually got off at a red light a while ago," the driver explained.Scarlett felt faint as she listened to his explanation."Scar, what is going on?" Dylan caught Scarlett, who nearly collapsed onto the ground."Lucas is gone. If we don't find him, he'll definitely get in trouble." She was worried that her son would impulsively search for Jonathan.If Jonathan found out about Lucas’s existence, he'd definitely take him awa
The sound of a child crying came from nearby.A boy who was around six years old was sitting at a table. He had a napkin tucked into his shirt like a bib and was dressed carelessly but also formally. It was obvious that he was from a rich family."What’s wrong?" A man walked towards the table and asked the waiter."This brat ordered all of the most expensive items on the menu and ate from each plate, but now he can't pay for it. If he hadn’t touched the food, we could’ve still found a way to return it to the kitchen, but now...""Kid, who brought you to the hotel? Where are your parents?" the hotel manager asked the boy."My mommy isn’t here, but my dad is right there." The boy raised his chubby little arm to point at the man seated near the window. The hotel manager followed his arm, looking toward the window, and felt the onslaught of a migraine.Jonathan Leonard was a regular here. Everyone knew that he was the president of Leonard Corporations and that he wasn't married. So h
He was already in his 30s, but he still hadn't had a child. But the child in front of him looked just like him—strikingly similar to a photo of himself when he was much younger.If he had a son, he would probably look just like this little kid."Jonathan, what are you saying? Why are you admitting to this? He’s just a little liar.""Everyone heard him, right? He’s my dad." Lucas gleefully hugged Jonathan’s neck, and to further sell his story, he even called him "Daddy" and planted a kiss on his cheek. After that, he even struck a victorious pose toward a nearby hidden camera.Once the crowd had dispersed, Lucas placed the camera in his backpack."Where do you live? I’ll take you home."At the hotel doors, Jonathan looked at the little liar. His deception skills weren't bad; perhaps he could've even won an award for best performance."Forget it." The kid turned and left without even looking back."Lying is bad. You should consider yourself lucky that you met me today. You should
"Wow! I can’t believe you have so many hooligans around you." The two of them were still in their pajamas and were living under the same roof. It was inevitable that Kate thought they were together.Dylan grabbed Kate’s hand and violently pushed her, making her fall painfully to the ground."You fucking adulterous couple! How dare you join hands to bully me?" Kate just sat on the floor and wept. "What did your dad ever do to you? Why are you doing this to him? How could you let your man set up a trap for your own father? I've seen ungrateful daughters, but I've never met one like you. God, please give her divine retribution.""Mommy, what's wrong?" Lucas came to the front door and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Nothing’s wrong." Scarlett walked toward Lucas and held him in her arms. All the grievances in her heart seemed to melt away when she hugged him."Mommy, did she hit you?" Lucas looked at Scarlett’s red face, which had the clear imprint of a hand."Ignore her; let’s go back i
Scarlett knew there was no real solution to the problem between her and Jonathan. The both of them were just choosing to ignore what had happened between them.There was nothing left for them to do to fix what had been broken.Until now, she still felt as if she was in a dream. Was she really married to Jonathan? Was she really living with him in such a lavish house? She found it hard to wrap her mind around it because it was all so surreal.The warm water in the tub sloshed gently over her body, and she felt her eyelids droop. These few days have been tough, and she hadn't been able to sleep well. All she wanted to do was fall asleep in this tub. If she were any less rational than she was right now, she probably would've just fallen asleep in the tub.Scarlett changed into a simple set of pajamas after her bath, completely ignoring the sexy lingerie set that Jonathan had picked out for her. She could probably wear that lingerie set if she were alone but she couldn't possibly w
Jonathan's tone was loving and teasing, and she was immediately transported back to the carefree times she had spent with Jonathan at university. Back then, they didn't have much to worry about and could just enjoy dating each other without reality holding them back."Have you had breakfast? I'm making breakfast right now. Do you want some?" Scarlett asked."No, thank you. I don't like eating in the morning. You can go ahead and enjoy your breakfast," Jonathan replied. Jonathan never got into the habit of eating breakfast; after he went overseas, he had less reason to have breakfast. As such, he never ate breakfast anymore. After Scarlett had finished her food, Jonathan drove them to city hall to sign the necessary documents for their marriage.The entire time, Scarlett felt as if she were in a dream. Everything that was happening seemed so surrea. The absurdity of the events and the fact that she had not slept well in two days only made her more dazed. Scarlett hadn't realize
Scarlett immediately understood what he was trying to say and bashfully lowered her gaze. Since when had he become so sleazy? Going overseas had done nothing to teach him to be a better man. Scarlett didn't know how to answer him, so she stared silently at the ground. Suddenly, she thought of something and raised her head to say, "Jonathan, I have to tell you something. I can marry you, but you must promise me one thing. We won't have a wedding ceremony."Jonathan was upset by that suggestion, and he huffed, "What? No ceremony? Are you planning on just getting married in secret? Is it that embarrassing to be married to me? Is that why you don't want a ceremony? If you don't want to marry me, just tell me! You don't have to do all this to show how reluctant you are to marry me!" Jonathan had no idea what was going on in her head. What woman would outright refuse to have a wedding ceremony? Any woman would love to have a grand ceremony to celebrate her marriage, but now that Sca
Just then, Scarlett heard someone call her name from behind her, "Scarlett?"Scarlett turned in confusion and realized that it was the school counselor. She never expected to see him here, and her heart was filled with warmth at the sight of him. She hadn't seen him since graduating, so she didn't think he would still remember her. She hastily wiped the tears from her face before greeting him with a brilliant smile, "Mr. Brown! Why are you here?""I had nothing to do today, so I thought I would drop by to play basketball. How's work? Why aren't you here with Jonathan? I can't believe it's been a year already. Time really flies … I still remember when Jonathan would play basketball, and you would cheer for him from the sidelines. I miss all of you, so come by with Jonathan next time! By the way, don't forget to send me a wedding invitation when both of you get married. After all, I've got my eye on both of you, and I'm sure you will end up together. I remember how nice Jonathan trea
"Hey! What are you doing? Are you going home now?" Scarlett asked."Of course! Where else would I go? Didn't we just break up? Why are you calling me again? Don't tell me that you miss me already!" Teresa's voice which was filled with glee, came from the other end of the receiver. Hearing her voice made Scarlett feel much better than before, but Scarlett was worried that she would no longer be so happy after Scarlett tells her the truth. She didn't want her problems to affect the lives of those around her. Since she made a mistake, she would be the one to bear responsibility, and no one else should have to suffer because of her … especially not her best friend.Scarlett hesitated before asking, " Teresa, do you like your job?""What's not to like? I love it! Being a teacher is my dream! My students are obedient and understanding. My job also gives me a sense of accomplishment! Why are you asking me this now? I've told you before that my dream is to be one of the best teachers in
As she spoke, Scarlett attempted to push Jonathan away, but he was too strong. She couldn't fight back at all. She felt like a fragile child in front of Jonathan, and he could crush her into pieces with just a little force. Jonathan leaned in and whispered coldly, "Do you think I’m still as compliant as before, allowing you to push me away repeatedly? Let me tell you, I’m not the same. How well do you think you know me? Let me make it clear, I will get what I want, including you!" Scarlett sensed the threat in Jonathan's words and looked at this unfamiliar man with some caution. She asked cautiously, "Jonathan, are you threatening me? What exactly do you mean? Why don't you just tell me instead of playing games? My time is not free, so let me go if you won't talk. I still have to work tomorrow." Scarlett was truly exhausted at this moment. Listening to her colleagues discuss Jonathan in the office had already put her on edge. After work, she spent so much time walking aroun
Jonathan did not take her comments to heart and continued coldly, "You came home quite late, Scarlett. It seems like you've learned to enjoy life more now, huh? Weren't you just a bookworm before? Why are you so late today? You've changed a lot after starting work and made more friends, huh? Tell me, who were you out having dinner with just now? A colleague? Your boss? Or is it your boyfriend? Whoever it is, it seems like he takes good care of you, and since you were having so much fun with him, why bother coming back home in the evening?" Scarlett could hardly believe the cruel words that came from his mouth. When did Jonathan become so heartless? Although he could be a bit carefree before, he would never say such things to her. In Scarlett's eyes, Jonathan had always been gentle and caring, completely different from the person uttering these words now. Scarlett felt infuriated and couldn't help defending herself, "It's not what you think! I was just having a cup of coffee with
The two best friends chatted, and before they knew it, time had passed as they enjoyed their coffee. Soon, night fell, and the sky that was once adorned with the setting sun was now full of twinkling stars. It was beautiful, but it also reminded Scarlett of the day she parted ways with Jonathan. That day was just like today, a beautiful night with bright stars. However, things had changed, and she could never sit here and talk with Jonathan as she did that day. Teressa noticed the shift in mood from across the table. After hesitating, Teresa couldn't help but speak up, "Scarlett, Jonathan ... He's coming back soon." Teresa didn’t know the details of Scarlett and Jonathan’s relationship, but she knew they went on a trip together during their final year while everyone was looking for internships. It was quite sudden since Scarlett barely hung out with Jonathan. Then, there were rumors that they were dating, but Jonathan went abroad to study soon after, and Scarlett never menti
Scarlett sighed heavily at these words. “Yeah, there’s no way our small magazine can get an interview with the great Jonathan Leonard. Only those major news outlets have the qualifications for that. It’s his first time returning to the country after going abroad, so this is big news. The media would be busy with this, but it’s certainly not for us to handle.” Just then, the editor-in-chief of the office suddenly appeared. He must have overheard their discussions outside and sternly said, “Am I paying you to gossip around? You’re all good for nothing. You’re all itching to gossip now that I’ve eased up on you?” Once he roared, everyone fell silent. They either looked down at their computers or pretended to be busy with their work. No one responded to him. Who dared to oppose the editor? His words were final. However, Scarlett, who had always disliked this editor, felt grateful to him at this moment. She thanked him silently for saving her from her colleague’s gossiping. This wa