It was then that Scarlett saw through her devilish son's trickery, unlike everyone else who'd been completely entranced by the pitiful facade Lucas wore. He was worried about her? What a joke! Even though he was worried about his mother, a bigger part of him didn't want to go to school that day. That's why he'd rushed over to the hospital and put on this elaborate show. He'd said it himself multiple times in the past too—Lucas found it insulting to have to attend class together with the other kids who weren't half as intelligent as he was. He'd use every opportunity to skip school or adamantly refuse to leave the house in the morning. Every time this happened, Scarlett found herself faced with a splitting migraine as she wondered what to do with her son and his insistence on staying home.Now, it seemed that Lucas had found another opportunity to skip school again. His watery eyes were wide and innocent, and he looked like he was on the verge of bursting into tears. Anyone else witness
"Lucas, why don't you want to go to school? Give me a good reason why I should condone this atrocious behavior of yours." Scarlett knew that she had to settle this matter once and for all today. She was puzzled by his obstinate reluctance to go to school. There were too many underprivileged children all around the world, hungry for knowledge but sorely out of reach of the means to receive it. Scarlett had the ability to provide her child with a good education, and she would fight to keep it that way. She wished Lucas would understand and appreciate her efforts to give him a good, whole life to the best of her abilities.And yet, the stubborn monkey pouted. "What's so good about that lousy school? It doesn't matter whether I attend those classes. The kids inside are all stupid—every last one of them! They took half a day to solve a simple arithmetic problem, for God's sake! I feel frustrated simply looking at them. Dumb creatures! You know, I'd be fine if it were just the kids, but to a
Scarlett had no way of countering that and gave up. Her son was becoming more and more unruly, and she had absolutely no way of changing the trajectory of his growth. It was all still acceptable since he was a child. It could be attributed to his immaturity and youthful hotheadedness, but she wondered what would happen to him when he became an adult.Could he really live out his entire life like this, dismissive of everyone's opinions and expectations but his own? No matter what, even though Lucas himself couldn't care less about how the world viewed him, she, as his mother, could never bear seeing her son isolate himself from the rest of the world because of his own sheltered perceptions.The anxiety in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Jonathan. He knew that there was no way they would ever be able to force Lucas to see things their way, but he'd still stepped in and tried earlier when he saw the pleading gaze Scarlett had given him. Jonathan's ideals couldn't be more different from Sc
Scarlett's reply didn't affect him at all. His expression was still dark, but Jonathan started the car again and drove her and Lucas back home without uttering another word. His anger was a heavy, dark cloud that overpowered the atmosphere in the car. Even when they reached her house, he remained a brooding, sulky stone of a man.Since he refused to speak, she didn't bother to make conversation either. This wasn't her fault. Was it wrong to seek better opportunities someplace else instead of allowing herself to become completely dependent on him for the rest of her life? Scarlett found nothing wrong with that, and she decided that if Jonathan refused to break the ice between them, she wouldn't take the initiative to do so herself. After all, this was hardly reasonable, and it wasn't her responsibility to reconcile with Jonathan.Unexpectedly, the man in question called the second night after their fight.Her lingering rage caused her to initially ignore his call. Then her screen lit up
"Don't you worry about that. Of course I'll uphold my end of the bargain, but remember this carefully: during this time, you're expected to do as you're told and not mention Dylan's name no matter what. If you do, I can't guarantee what I'll do to him then!" Jonathan said, his teeth clacking with rage.No matter what, things had already progressed to this point. Even if she wasn't willing to go through with it, she had no choice but to accept her fate. Besides, if she voiced her regret to this deranged pervert, it would only lead to more harm than good. Not only would Dylan be at risk of being prosecuted, but she herself was at his mercy. She'd signed a contract with him after all, and her extensive knowledge of the law was enough to prevent her from breaching it if she could help it. Even though she wasn't sure of its legal viability, she knew that Jonathan was an influential figure with considerable power in Atville. He wouldn't let her go this easily. So, until the contract that bou
Scarlett unintentionally flipped the piece of clothing and noticed the price tag that was still attached to the back. It made her eyes widen in disbelief. She could never understand the wealthy. Who would purchase a piece of clothing that practically cost as much as a house just to gift it to someone else?Though she really didn't want to meet up with Jonathan at the jacuzzi later, she couldn't just disobey his direct orders. They had a written agreement binding her to him, so she was at the mercy of his every whim.Another clause of the agreement that bound them together was that, as long as she was going to be seen in public with Jonathan, she would have to make herself presentable. As such, she put on a light layer of makeup after she'd taken a shower. To be honest, if it weren't for the fear of Jonathan doing something terrible to Dylan if she broke the terms of their agreement, she'd scarf down a few cloves of garlic and run a marathon before she was seen in public with him out
Scarlett was filled with a sudden distaste for Jonathan. Though they had an agreement, it was supposed to be between them! If she remembered correctly, there was no additional clause in the agreement. How could he expect her to entertain his friends as well? Scarlett was practically fuming and was the first to break the stare. She didn't have the energy to deal with him right now, and just looking at him made her blood boil. It boggled her mind that looking at a crowd of drunkards could make her want to blow her top.Though Brian had been blatantly rejected by Scarlet, he didn't seem to feel awkward, nor was he the slightest bit upset. Instead, he flashed her a nonchalant smile and simply took a seat next to her as if nothing had ever happened.Scarlett, on the other hand, was completely disgusted by him. Why couldn't he just take a hint? There was so much alcohol, good food, and a hoard of beautiful women ready to entertain—why was he still sitting next to her? After a long time
Brian had never been publicly humiliated like this before in his life and was about to lose his mind out of anger. He grabbed Scarlett once he'd been hauled out of the water. His hand swung behind him, ready to slap her. He'd acted extremely quickly, and Scarlett didn't have time to react or break free from his grasp. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. However, before his hand could make contact with her cheek, somebody stopped him.He didn't even need to look to know that the person who'd stopped him was none other than Jonathan himself. Though Brian was furious and his actions were fuelled by pure adrenaline and anger, he couldn't break free from Jonathan's iron-clad grip. After all, Jonathan was much taller than Brian, so despite the latter struggling with all of his might, it was useless.Brian had completely lost his temper at this point. It was bad enough that he'd been rejected and pushed into the jacuzzi by a woman. Now, with Jonathan so easily restraining him i