Jonathan brushed his fingers against the smooth skin on her cheek with a straight face. He joked, "What? Don't you know that you have to send me to work as well?"She silently cast a glance at him and followed closely behind him like a dutiful wife. He was surprised at how long she went without speaking and chuckled because he found it rather hilarious. "Wow, Scarlett, that was impressive. I'd love to see how long you'd last without speaking. You've been like this the entire morning. Are you putting on a silent protest?"She was really something. He had never seen her in this hilarious situation before. She had learned to utilize silent protests against him. No matter what he said or did to her, she would give no response, just like an empty husk. Her lack of reaction bugged him immensely.However, she easily ignored his question, which only turned his rage up a notch. He pressed her against the wall, thinking that he might break her calm by kissing her.She put on an even more stoic e
The opulent surroundings added to Scarlett's discomfort, making her feel like a fish out of water. It was dinner time when the men finally wrapped up their discussion. Oddly, Mr. Weissman might have been warned off by Jonathan because he had stopped openly leering at her. Although she felt more at ease, she wondered if Jonathan had pulled something on Mr. Weissman. Not only did Mr. Weissman treat her with more respect, but he also looked meek throughout dinner as well.She silently grumbled at having to witness the drama between the two men. Even though she was clueless about their dynamic, she assumed they must have been bound by a business relationship in which Jonathan had the upper hand.Even though a feast was laid out for her, she had no appetite at all. She wished that the dinner would end soon so she'd be free from boredom. However, time ticked away at its usual pace.Noticing her bored expression, Jonathan thought she was being a Debbie Downer. Irked at her lack of enthusiasm
Mr. Weissman did not know the severity of the consequences that awaited him, but his desire had overrun his rationality at this point. He never thought of himself as a beast, though. Most men, he believed, would be interested in a charming woman like Scarlett. It'd be abnormal not to react to her beauty.Although the thought of Jonathan's threatening gaze sent some shivers down his spine, he was overtaken by his desire and threw himself at a dumbstricken Scarlett. Thankfully, she was not too deep under the influence of alcohol yet and reflexively dodged the advance of the sleazy man. He did not even have a chance to touch her, and he almost fell flat on the ground.However, his determination remained unshaken. His yearning for Scarlett was the only thought in his mind. Even after she dodged his touch, he still went up to her with a lewd smile on his face that made her tremble. Slowly, she stumbled back into the restroom. She ran out of ideas on how to escape. Never had she imagined tha
Unfortunately, Mr. Weissman asked the wrong man for help. Jonathan was even angrier at Mr. Weissman, and he punched Mr. Weissman in the face, leaving the man bleeding and confused. "Mr. Leonard, w-what are you doing?"Soon after, Mr. Weissman was kicked hard by Jonathan, which only added to his confusion. He no longer saw Jonathan as the man he used to respect. At that moment, Jonathan seemed like a different person altogether.Jonathan was finally satisfied after he left Mr. Weissman immobile on the floor. He thought, "Son of a bitch! How dare he lay a finger on my woman?"When he turned around, he saw Scarlett slumped on the ground as she succumbed to the influence of alcohol. Her dazed eyes were sparkling, and he almost forgot to breathe for a moment. The woman was a vixen, he decided, as he felt a heat rising in his body.Although Jonathan did not drink much that night, he felt as though he was under the influence—under Scarlett's influence. Feeling unsettled because of the heat, h
Scarlett paled as Celeste's footsteps drew closer. If Celeste entered, she would walk in on Scarlett and Jonathan, who were both naked in bed. Scarlett's heart pounded hard. She didn't want to hurt a nice young lady like Celeste, who was deeply in love with Jonathan. She wouldn't want Celeste to be heartbroken over Jonathan's infidelity.The events of last night introduced a new thrill to her, but she regretted it immensely and wished that she could turn back time and undo everything from yesterday. The only thing she could do was to put a stop to this wicked affair to avoid hurting the innocent.Her eyes darted left and right in search of a good place to hide. Before she could do so, Jonathan saw through her and pinned her underneath him with an amused smile. "This is no big deal. Are you feeling guilty? It's okay. If I don't give a damn, you shouldn't either."Feeling ashamed and humiliated, she attempted to push him off her. Unlike him, she wasn't shameless enough to keep her calm w
"Johnny, I'm yours. Sooner or later, no matter how unwilling you are to see it, I will be yours. You can't run away from that. And I don't want to wait any longer!" Celeste's voice trembled, hoarse from nervousness. With no regard left for anything else—not her reputation as a lady, nor her family's prestige—she unbuttoned her shirt in front of him with the sole hope that Jonathan would love her properly once.But instead of what she had hoped, Jonathan stopped her, displeasure framing his features. He didn't know how to tell her this, but he was apathetic toward her, regardless of what she did. While her tender, fair skin was on par with Scarlett's, it did nothing to stir his desire. It was simply the inexplicable nature of feelings—they could never be fabricated. Pretending to like someone he didn't truly like would only make matters worse for the both of them.Initially, Jonathan had thought that whoever he married didn't matter, for it was a ritual he had to undergo sooner or later
Celeste didn't expect Jonathan to continue being so unconcerned even when she'd put herself out there for him. Was it not enough for her to be proactive and show him whatever goodwill she could muster? She was a lady, for goodness sake. She'd grown up with self-respect and self-love at the core of her upbringing. Not once had she stooped to the level of seducing a man so shamelessly just for them to notice her.But she was desperate now. Celeste was afraid that if she continued to be passive, she would lose Jonathan. The idea of losing him scared her more than she cared to admit, especially when it loomed in front of her now, too tangible to be a mere shadow of her fears. So, she did what she could. She knew she couldn't lose him, and she refused to.Of course, she wasn't a woman devoid of pride. Jonathan's repeated rejection of her advances unearthed humiliation so deep within her that she wished there was a hole she could crawl into, never to be seen again.It was probably her first
Just like that, Jonathan stood beside her, his arms wrapped around his chest as he watched Scarlett's mechanical actions coldly. He had no idea what she was playing at, what he had done to wrong her now. Hadn't he prevented Celeste from discovering Scarlett's presence earlier? Was that not enough for her? Instead of thanking him, all she did was give him the cold shoulder, and for no apparent reason too. Jonathan didn't know when she had become so sensitive. What could he have possibly done to ignite her anger to this degree?His initial decision to not speak was soon overridden as Scarlett showed no signs of ending her shower. At last, Jonathan started, "How long are you planning to be in the shower for? Haven't you had enough? And do you think my shampoo is free for you to use so much of it?"Without even turning her head, Scarlett replied hotly, "I'll buy a new one to replace it if I finish it! Happy now?"At that moment, she really hated the person she was yesterday. How could she