The marks that her nails had left on him last night had left wounds on his body, and they stung slightly when he moved, which irritated him. She was such a defiant bitch, so why was he even thinking about her in the first place? He impatiently grabbed his documents at his own realization and decided that if he had so much free time to think about her well-being, he could spend that time on his work instead. As he was looking through his documents, he heard the doors to his office swing open, and Celeste walked in. She cheerfully flashed him a smile as she said, "Johnny, is the online meeting over?"Johnathan's face was thunderous when he saw Celeste in his office. He despised dealing with personal affairs during working hours, and he especially hated it when people from his personal life visited his office to look for him. Not even Celeste was allowed that privilege. He asked gloomily, "Who let you in?"His secretary was visibly trembling at the door of his office as he asked tha
Jonathan pulled out another document from his drawer and impatiently replied, "Why are you asking me? I'm not her fiancé; how would I know? Go ask Justin."Celeste studied his seemingly nonchalant reaction to her question. To everyone else, it would probably seem that there was no problem at all. However, Celeste knew Jonathan's facial expressions all too well. Though Jonathan said that he didn't know Scarlett's number, Celeste could tell that he wasn't being completely honest with her.If Celeste guessed correctly, Jonathan actually knew Scarlett's number, but why did he say that he didn't?Regardless, since he was unwilling to tell, Celeste wasn't foolish enough to expose him either. He'd already said he didn't know, so she was just going to have to play along.That was how Celeste usually was. She was calm and quick-witted. Besides, she was already used to playing dumb around Jonathan. After all, playing dumb was probably the only way she could maintain some form of amicable rel
The police officer, who'd been brutally scolded by Jonathan, was just about to retaliate when the chief inspector hurried over frantically. The simpering smile on his face was an utter surprise, and his words shocked the officer even further. "Mr. Leonard, we're really sorry. This is all just a misunderstanding! It's all our fault. I swear to you, I'll let her out right away!"The officer was stunned by his chief's behavior; his arrogance was reduced to this submissive figure apologizing left and right now. In retrospect, he supposed he should feel fortunate that he hadn't gotten the chance to argue with the man earlier. His job would've been on the line if he'd happened to offend the man his chief appeared to admire and venerate.As soon as the chief finished speaking, Scarlett saw her cousin, Florence, being supported out of her cell. She was still inebriated, her eyes glassy, and her stance unstable. Scarlett was about to ask Florence what had happened when her cousin caught sight o
In hindsight, it didn't matter. Jonathan had always been beyond capable of comforting himself. Since Scarlett was his woman—in name and in spirit—it was only appropriate for him to protect her. No man could stand watching the woman who belonged to them be wrongfully insulted by another. Besides, Florence had been aiming at him with her slap. Despite his confidence in ducking the blow, Scarlett's unwavering action of shielding him from harm comforted him immensely. He considered this a reward for her selfless bravery.What he didn't know was how completely wrong he was. Jonathan thought of Scarlett's actions as a reflex instinct to protect him from harm when she'd really been afraid of Jonathan targeting Florence just to get back at her should her slap land on him. She knew how rotten his temper was. For an ordinary drunk to slap him without rhyme or reason would definitely not go over well. She had personally experienced the consequences of his anger just last night. Jonathan's threats
Scarlett glared at Jonathan. "You and I have nothing to do with each other anymore! I am not your assistant—and I never will be! I don't know what you told my cousin, but whatever it is, it won't work on me! I gave you that one night you requested! That's it! We're over! Please have some self-respect, Mr. Leonard!"Jonathan's indulgent expression darkened immediately. "What did you just say? Say it again if you have the guts to!" he bellowed. The young doctor, who had already been antsy around Jonathan in the beginning, jumped at his sudden bellow, the tray in her arm rattling precariously. Immediately, she excused herself from the room, having no courage to remain in the lion's den even a second longer.Scarlett, however, was unmoved by Jonathan's rage. She knew him long enough to understand that no amount of words on her part would convince him. She'd said all she wanted to, and the rest was on him. If he honored the promises he made, he should have the sense to abide by his own word
Midway through her musings, Scarlett inadvertently realized something bizarre. Why would Jonathan, a man who never stayed long with any woman, insist on her staying by his side forever? She suspected her blunt treatment of him played a part in piquing his curiosity, unlike other women who fawned over him relentlessly. Maybe she had been mistaken all along—perhaps she should've treated him like everyone else did. Perhaps, then, he would've gotten sick and tired of her company sooner or later.Who knew staying true to her nature would turn out to be detrimental to herself?Scarlett didn't expect Jonathan's jarring lack of anger despite her rudeness. His smile was maniacal, brimming with ill intent as if she had fallen straight into his trap. The man swept her into his embrace with a laugh. "Alright. Remember, this is your choice. Since you've made your decision, Monkey is yours to take care of now!"Scarlett remained silent. Taking care of his dog didn't seem that different from taking c
Contrary to Natalie's excitement, Scarlett's first response was frantic denial. She'd initially intended to keep everything that had happened with Jonathan a secret, even from Natalie, because of the amount of humiliation it brought up, but she simply couldn't stand the notion of hiding it from her best friend anymore. Scarlett didn't want to bear this burden alone, so, in the end, she confided in Natalie, entrusting every last detail to the person she deemed closest to her.Her first encounter with Jonathan, her pregnancy, the conflict between the two of them, along with Jonathan's threat for her to be his mistress for a month to protect Dylan's innocence when his return from abroad exposed Justin as Jonathan's younger brother … Scarlett did not spare Natalie any of the details as she recounted, quite literally, every bit of her long, painful history with Jonathan.As she spoke, her embarrassment grew—it was only natural for her to feel ashamed, though she felt a shuddering relief as
Scarlett wasn't about to let such a life-changing opportunity slide. If she could star in a TV show, the ludicrous pay could tide her over for a long while, not to mention the line of other opportunities that was bound to come along with it. This was a chance she had been waiting for all this while—a break in her career where she could be taken to greater heights in the industry and consequently live a better life.The suddenness of her grandfather's death seemed to have deeply affected her grandmother, so much so that she was currently hooked up to a respirator to help her breathe. Her grandma's unexpected illness still pained her to this day, and she decided to head over to the hospital to visit her after work.Unfortunately, the old woman showed no signs of regaining consciousness, her reliance on the ventilator growing by the day, a pallid sheen having taken residence permanently on her face.Scarlett's heart ached as she beheld her beloved grandmother lying lifelessly on the hospi