Once Scarlett was settled in her seat, Justin slowly drove them to an area that resembled a military base. Was Justin's family part of the army, or were his family members high-ranking officials in the army?The dread in Scarlett's heart steadily rose as she saw a large mansion, which not only had an incredibly beautiful garden but also a massive swimming pool. Scarlett was completely stunned by the sheer size of the mansion. It was comparable to the castles that she'd seen in the past. She couldn't wrap her mind around just how rich Justin's family was. Though he'd said that his family was well off, she hadn't thought that they would be this ridiculously rich.Scarlett was suddenly filled with annoyance at Justin for not explaining his family background to her before. Now that she was here, she suddenly felt as if she was incredibly underdressed and that her clothes didn't fit in with the lavish mansion at all. After all, she knew how judgmental people from wealthy families co
Just then, she heard a young woman's melodious voice ring out from just outside the living room. "Aunty! It's been too long! You have no idea how much I've missed all of you. I didn't enjoy my time overseas at all, and I feel like I had more fun here with all of you. Your house is always so lively, and there's always so much good food to eat, and … Who's this?"The woman had trailed off when she'd entered the living room and seen Scarlett standing awkwardly beside Justin. Her sudden question made everyone except for Jonathan, who was still expressionless, chuckle. Justin flashed a good-natured grin at her before saying, "This is my girlfriend, Scarlett. I brought her home to meet everyone today!"He then turned to Scarlett. "Scar, this is my aunt … no wait," he corrected jokingly, "This is my future aunt, Celeste Sloan."Scarlett stared at Justin in shock. If she was going to be his aunt, then that meant that she was going to be Jonathan's wife. Scarlett studied the kind-looking wom
It was just then that she suddenly heard Justin's voice ring out to address everyone in the room. "I have something to announce to everyone. I've already decided that Scarlett is the one for me, and I won't marry anyone other than her. Since Grandfather is so pleased with Scarlett, why don't you grant us your blessing so we can set a date for our marriage?"Scarlett could only stare at Justin in disbelief after his sudden announcement. Why didn't he discuss it with her before dropping such a bombshell on his family? Wasn't he worried that they would misunderstand and think that Scarlett was the one coercing him into marrying her? Scarlett had absolutely no idea that Justin wanted to marry her, so she was as shocked as everyone else in the room. Just then, she felt a prickling sensation on her neck and saw, from the corner of her eye, that Jonathan was glaring at her with murderous intent in his eyes, making her shudder in fear.Scarlett hadn't expected Justin to suddenly do somethi
Nancy flashed a gentle smile at Scarlett before casting a glance at Celeste, who'd been sitting quietly in a corner. Then she said, "I think this arrangement sounds great. Whatever the case, it's true that Scarlett is still studying, so let's just let them get engaged first, and we can discuss wedding plans in the future. In fact, why don't we take this opportunity to set a date for Celeste and Jonathan to get married as well? Then, there would be two weddings, which would mean double the celebrations! Wouldn't that be nice?"Celeste had been silently watching the entire situation between Justin and Scarlett unfold and hadn't expected to be dragged into the mix as well. She bashfully lowered her head to mumble, "I have nothing to say about this arrangement."Jonathan was also suspiciously silent throughout the entire exchange, even though he was the one who was about to get married. He simply lit up a cigarette with an unreadable expression on his face while the entire family watched
Julian immediately rushed to comfort Scarlett. "Silly girl. Don't worry, we're just going to get a few drinks. Although my uncle's words sound crass, he's actually a nice guy. Besides, you're his future niece-in-law, so he wouldn't actually do anything to you. He's just joking around. It'll only be us and a few close friends. There's nothing to worry about!"Hearing Justin say that, Scarlett knew that there was no going back now. If she continued to insist that she didn't want to go, it would definitely make things awkward. As such, she could only stay silent and watch helplessly as the entire situation slowly started to spiral out of her control.After Scarlett and Justin had left, only Jonathan and Celeste were left standing outside the house. Jonathan watched silently as their car sped off, whereas Celeste was looking at him. Jonathan didn't know it, but Celeste had noticed the odd way he'd looked at Scarlett.Celeste had practically grown up with him, so she could tell that it h
As expected, Daphne, who'd arrived in good spirits, was almost immediately crestfallen at his words. She hadn't expected him to say anything like that at all and was understandably embarrassed. Regardless, she still plastered a smile on her face and whined, "Do you really have to say something like that, Mr. Leonard?"Jonathan's expression seemed to warm minutely afterward, so Daphne mustered up the courage to get closer to him again. Seeing as he didn't object to their close proximity, she boldly clung onto his arm as well.Jonathan looked at Scarlett knowingly before reaching out to pull Daphne into his embrace and letting his hands roam all over her thighs, painting a lewd sight.Scarlett turned her head away from them, unwilling to watch such a lewd scene.On second thought, she realized that she had no right to be disgusted by Daphne and Jonathan. After all, she'd also been in Daphne's position before and had also been felt up by Jonathan in front of a crowd. That explained wh
Liam continued after a pause, "The person who picks out the most powerful card would then be the boss and would be able to ask the person who picked out the least powerful card to choose between truth or dare. Though I have to warn everyone here that if anyone here chooses 'truth' but lies, they would have to suffer my wrath!"Scarlett's heart skipped a beat at his warning. Her luck had always been mediocre at best, and she never participated in such games because of that. Besides, what if Jonathan forced her to choose between truth or dare? As such, she shakily raised her hand to protest weakly, "I'm not feeling so good right now; may I please go home first?""No can do! No one here is allowed to leave! Let's start!" Liam announced it with finality, and the game officially started. Scarlett could only begrudgingly accept it. It seems as if she'd sealed her fate when she'd agreed to meet Justin's family. If she hadn't agreed to dinner tonight, none of this would've happened. In the e
Before Scarlett could decide her next plan of action, she was already forcefully pulled into Justin's embrace and passionately kissed by him. Scarlett had never seen Justin so out of control like this before, and she struggled to catch her breath in between his relentless kisses. Justin, on the other hand, seemed to have completely forgotten that this was all just a game and refused to just let her escape. It was as if he'd forgotten that there was a crowd around them, watching them make out. Scarlett was surprised that the usually gentle Justin would have such a wild side. Eventually, after five minutes, Justin reluctantly let her go. Scarlett couldn't help but look at Jonathan after she was released. His expression had darkened immeasurably, which was completely at odds with the laughing faces of the others in the room.Scarlett was terrified and decided to just ignore him. The entire room was laughing except for her, Justin, and Jonathan, and their boisterous laughter made her
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