Listening to Scarlett and Dylan's lively chatting bothered Jonathan more than he would admit. Scarlett was never this happy when she talked to him. "What's your mom's relationship with Dylan?" he asked Lucas, whose body was still intertwined with his.Lucas, who was still quite drowsy from sleep, answered seriously, "I don't know. They met in Amerstica."Lucas paused before continuing, "Uncle Dylan seems to have a crush on Mommy, and Mommy seems to like Uncle Dylan too. So, I guess he will be my future daddy."Future daddy! Jonathan fumed at this thought."Do you like him?" Jonathan asked with thinly veiled jealousy.Lucas was much more honest in the morning as his brain was yet to be calculative, so he said earnestly, "He's alright. As long as mommy likes him, so do I. Anyone mommy wants to be with will automatically be my new daddy."Lucas always put his mom first and could accept people he didn't like as long as his mom did. However, Lucas wasn't a fool either—he knew that D
Jonathan and Lucas looked so similar that Scarlett had to fight the constant urge to kiss Jonathan on the cheeks due to their stark resemblance."Mommy, did Uncle Dylan leave?" Lucas asked, even though he knew the answer."Yeah, come eat breakfast," Scarlett said as she led him to the dining room to have breakfast.Breakfast was the most important meal for a growing child.Lucas grabbed Jonathan's arm as Scarlett led him to the dining room. "Let's eat!" he cheerfully said.Jonathan's heart swelled when Lucas invited him to breakfast, but he looked at the breakfast spread prepared by Dylan and thought, "Why did he, the president of Leonard Corporations, have to eat breakfast that was prepared by another man?"His expression soured at that thought. Scarlett noticed his demeanor, but she was already used to his mood swings at this point, so she just ignored him and shifted her attention to Lucas.Lucas had excellent table manners, and he ate his breakfast elegantly. Jonathan also h
"I'm not scared. Besides, it's not like Mommy can find anyone to have babies with," Lucas said smugly to Jonathan.Jonathan couldn't help but guffaw at Lucas' blatant insult toward his mom.Scarlett was fuming—how could her son be like this? She glared at Jonathan. It must be his stupid genetics again. Lucas had inherited Jonathan's savage way with words and none of her kindness!Jonathan felt aggrieved at Scarlett's hostile glare and said accusingly, "Why are you glaring at me? He said it, not me!"Scarlett turned her head away, deciding to ignore them both.After they had finished their breakfast, Scarlett was annoyed to see that Jonathan was still in her house, and he didn't look like he was planning to leave anytime soon either. She furrowed her eyebrows. It looked like he was going to be here for a while."Why aren't you going to work? Are all president's this carefree?" she shot at him."What's the rush? Who would scold me for not showing up to my own company?" he drawled.
The sand at the beach was fine and unpolluted with trash, so they didn't need to worry about hurting their feet.Scarlett and Jonathan each held one of Lucas' arms and strolled leisurely along the beach. Lucas was excitedly skipping and eventually broke free to run toward the ocean to swim.Jonathan did not follow. Instead, he leaned in, whispering in her ear, "Your body is so sexy."She was stunned, and when she came to her senses, Jonathan had already run over to Lucas to play with him. Scarlett yelled at his retreating figure, "Jonathan Leonard, you shameless bastard!"Scarlett didn't swim with them and instead chose to sit on the beach to watch the both of them play. They were quite the sight to behold and easily the most attractive ones at the beach. Many middle-aged women were gushing and cooing at Lucas, while the younger women were busy drooling over Jonathan. Some bolder women actually tried to make a move on Jonathan, but they were all scared away by Lucas' harsh words. A
Jonathan didn't know where the overwhelming urge to kiss her came from, but once he had kissed her, his hands also roamed all over her body, making her blush.She tried to push him away but couldn't. Eventually, Jonathan released her after he had his fill of her.Scarlett's head was still reeling from the passionate make-out session, and she glared at him viciously. Suddenly, she thought of Lucas. What if he had seen them kissing? She hurriedly searched for Lucas in the ocean but could not find him.Scarlett started to panic. Where had he gone? She frantically got Jonathan's attention. "Where's Lucas? He's missing!" she shakily said as she pointed at the ocean.The severity of the situation dawned on Jonathan, and he ran toward where Lucas was last seen to look for him. He searched for a long time but did not find any traces of Lucas. Eventually, he asked a few people about Lucas and discovered that Lucas had returned to the shore a while ago and hadn't returned back to the ocean.
Jonathan was determined not to be lenient with the people who kidnapped Lucas. He wasn't entirely sure what got him so worked up, but he knew that Lucas was precious to Scarlett. If anything were to happen to Lucas, she would be devastated, and his heart would ache to see her like that.Besides, he also really liked Lucas. Though he still wasn't sure what it was that he felt for Scarlett, he had this overwhelming urge to protect them. Moreover, Lucas wouldn't have been kidnapped if it wasn't for him. So, since this had all happened because of him, he was responsible for bringing Lucas back to Scarlett.In order to be one of the most powerful men in Atville, Jonathan expanded his work beyond Leonard Corporations. As such, Jonathan was not only the president of one of the most successful companies in Atville but also the boss of a notable gang in Atville.He had founded the Demonic Gates for the sole purpose of guarding himself against his stepmother and stepbrother, and finally, it s
Lucas had deliberately wailed loudly for the guards to hear so that they would lower their guard and think that he was just a regular child. However, Lucas was worried that the kidnappers had planted a camera in the room to observe him. So, he, too, decided he was going to look like a child.He kept rubbing at his eyes with his hands, forcing the tears to fall, which further sold his pitiful child act, and his crying got progressively louder. Eventually, Lucas' voice had become rough from all the wailing. Soon, his wailing also decreased in volume as if he had no more energy to cry, and he guessed that someone would come in to check on him soon. As expected, a stoic guard entered, holding a tray of food for Lucas. He studied the guard closely, the guard had a sturdy gait and an incredible poker face, and Lucas concluded that this guard must've had specialized training. After crying for a long time, Lucas' voice was practically gone, and he settled for staring at the guard in fear.
"If Lucas returns safely, I will tell you that he is your son," Scarlett thought. She decided that she couldn't be so selfish. He had the right to know that Lucas was his son."I have to leave for a while. Will you be alright here?" Jonathan suddenly asked.Scarlett knew he had other matters to attend to, so she reassured him, "I'll be alright."Jonathan thought about it for a while longer and eventually assigned two guards to protect Scarlett while he was gone. After that, he went to Leonard Manor to figure out what his stepmother and stepbrother, who wanted Leonard Corporations all to himself, were up to.Jonathan's father loved Jonathan immensely, but he detested him for marrying his stepmother, Phoebe, just three months after his mother's death.How could he do this to his mom?The scene at Leonard Manor was one of chaos. Doctors and nurses were scurrying in and out of the manor. What in the world had happened? Jonathan rushed into the house and discovered that the doctors we
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