Could he have used too much force last night without realizing it? It made sense, Jonathan supposed. He had trained in the army, after all—strength was nothing if not an asset when one was in the army.A surge of inexplicable heartache flooded him. "Does it still hurt, darling?"Scarlett ducked from his touch instinctively. "What do you want?"She would not cave into whatever this was without a fight.Last night's events replayed in her mind, the sequence of events unbelievably vivid.Jonathan fumed. "How ungrateful can you be? You're worse than a dog that bites its owner for feeding it!""You're the dog!" Scarlett retorted. "Quit your manipulation and your tricks! I'm not going to fall for any of them!"She no longer understood what Jonathan wanted. Did he really think she was a toy for him to play with? His treatment of her varied depending on his mood; when he was in a good mood, all was well, but anything below that had him humiliating her with no regard for her feelings.She wasn'
If he could, Jonathan wouldn't mind living like this every day for the rest of his life—he wouldn't mind having his breakfast made by Scarlett, nor would he mind falling asleep with her in his arms. Jonathan had never had any expectations about what kind of life he would lead since his family had paved his path for him from the very beginning. He never had to contemplate what he wanted; in fact, there had never been a need for him to think about such matters.As a result, he'd never put much thought into the kind of lifestyle he aspired to lead. Regardless of what kind of life he led, living was a matter of getting through the days for him. And yet, with Scarlett in his life now, Jonathan couldn't help but feel like a different man—and he liked it. Somehow, he didn't think he would mind any more changes if they all progressed in this direction.The minute she spotted him, Scarlett greeted him like an enthusiastic hostess. "Come," she said amicably. "Have a seat."Jonathan agreed, altho
Besides, nothing good ever came from her drinking. Scarlett thought about talking Natalie out of taking her to the bar, but her friend's excitement triumphed over her own reservations. Scarlett sighed, accepting her fate. It seemed like she wasn't going home until Natalie was satisfied with her drunkenness.The two of them headed to the bar, their grasps on their respective emotions slipping after a few drinks. Scarlett couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Natalie, but she didn't give much thought to it. After all, today was Natalie's birthday. Perhaps she was simply excited about meeting up with her friends again.Yet, as Natalie took it upon herself to brave the dance floor in the midst of their drunkenness, a figure cropped up in their line of sight.It was Alexander Scott, Natalie's boyfriend. If he'd been alone, things would've been fine, but his arms were currently wrapped around a feisty beauty. The two of them were dancing like there was no tomorrow.Not only
Without thinking, Scarlett splashed her drink onto Alexander before screeching, "Alexander Scott! Are you even still a man? Despite everything that has happened, both you and Natalie had a wonderful relationship before this! Besides, did you forget how much you loved her? You're the one who chased after her in the first place! I don't care that you've fallen in love with someone new; you're just one of the many ungrateful men in this world! However, as a man, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others for hitting a woman?"Alexander simply stared at Scarlett silently. There was nothing he could say to defend himself because, in the end, Scarlett was right. The fact that he'd lost control and hit Natalie was irrefutable, and he also felt slightly ashamed of his actions.Sierra watched on as Alexander frowned at Scarlett's screeching without saying anything and felt a slight twinge of disgust at his cowardice. She couldn't just let Scarlett badmouth them, so she retorted on his be
Julian rushed to Scarlett's side to ask gently, "Ms. Langston, are you alright? Which of these assholes hit you? You don't have to worry; Mr. Leonard is on his way here right now."Scarlett had no idea how to respond to this man. Who even was he? How did he know who she was? Hearing him assure her that Jonathan was coming made her guess that the two were probably acquainted.Great. Though there had already been a considerable crowd around her when the fight broke out, now that this man had approached her specifically, everyone was unabashedly staring at her. Scarlett felt her cheeks burn, not because her cheeks hurt from the fight but because she was embarrassed by the attention. She silently wondered if she could just stick her head into the ground like an ostrich; at least she wouldn't need to deal with all of these prying eyes then. Julian didn't mind that she didn't answer him and pointed an accusatory finger at the group of thugs before shouting to his men, "Arrest these good-
Seeing that Scarlett was being so sincere in admitting her own wrongdoings without any of her usual snarky remarks made Jonathan's mood improve immensely. He simply looked at her wordlessly before turning his attention back to the road. Scarlett had no idea if Jonathan was upset or not. Regardless of his mood, she decided it would be best for her to just lower her gaze silently, hoping that her obedient behavior would improve his mood.They arrived at Jonathan's home soon after. Scarlett hastily exited the car before Jonathan had even parked it. She rushed into the house to feed Monkey. Since she'd unintentionally upset Jonathan tonight, she had to make it up to him somehow, and she opted to take care of Monkey.Jonathan had to suppress a laugh at how unexpectedly nice Scarlett was being tonight. It seemed like she'd finally learned her lesson after all the time with him and was finding ways to make it up to him for everything she'd done tonight. Though she was clearly barking up the
She didn't know what was going on in his brain for him to constantly be so horny, but she didn't want to sleep with him right now. She struggled against him, but it was all in vain. She could only desperately hit his broad chest as she yelled, "Jonathan! What are you doing?"Jonathan hadn't expected her to ask such an obvious question, but his lips curled into a mischievous grin as he replied simply, "You."Scarlett's face heated up at his lewd words, and she stared incredulously at the shameless man on top of her. Did he have no shame? How could he say something like that so casually? Scarlett was getting anxious and blurted out, "Why are you like this? Get off of me!"Jonathan loved the way she was behaving and didn't feel the slightest bit phased by her annoyance. In fact, his mood lifted as she struggled against him. He couldn't help but tease her just a bit more, so he leaned down to say in a mock-threatening tone, "Don't push your luck. Did you really think you could do whatev
Scarlett was rendered speechless by him again. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He'd never said that he'd let her answer the phone after a kiss; she'd just assumed that's what he'd meant. She'd only kissed him to get him off her back; if she'd known that a simple kiss would've made things more difficult, she wouldn't have kissed him to begin with.In the end, she could only blame her own rotten luck for meeting a man like him in the first place. There was nothing left to say now, nor was there any point in regretting her actions. "Alright, fine. Can I pick up my phone now?" Scarlett asked angrily. What more did he want from her? She'd already kissed him and allowed him to take advantage of her. He couldn't possibly want any more than that, right?Her unpleasant tone made his mood sour as well. He'd been in a perfectly good mood up until her annoyed retort, and he roared, "What are you trying to say? Don't forget, I paid for you, so I own you!"Scarlett was fuming at
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