"If you want to turn right, can you give clear instructions?"
Kenzo, who was replying to one of his clients' messages, furrowed his brow in confusion. His mother had left, leaving the two of them in an awkward situation. How could they not be awkward? Jess was left helpless with a lot of implied messages and a load of attention she was receiving.
"What do you mean, Jess? I don't understand."
Jess frowned in displeasure. "What did you say to Mom?"
A thin smile played on the man's lips. He set aside the phone that had captured his attention since earlier and this time, he chose to get closer to the girl sitting in the middle of the bed with pursed lips. Her eyes looked very annoyed, and her face switched back to a fierce mode.
"I told her you're pregnant."
She squeezed her eyes shut while massaging her temples. She tried her best to rid herself of the growing frustration in her heart, but it was almost unbearable. "You're asking for trouble!"<
"It's my home. My world. And I don't want to leave them. Regardless of whether you think the house is small or if you can rent another apartment for me to stay in, you can watch over me as you please.""I'm worried about your condition, Jess. There's no other intention. I understand that you work here. But when you lived in New York City a while ago, everything was fine, right? No problems, right?"Kenzo was right in giving his opinion. Because from what he saw, it was indeed like that. Everything Jess did always went according to her wishes. Also, the people who worked under her could cooperate well. Her leadership style, in Kenzo's eyes, seemed different."What's the difference between you living with me in Metropolis and you living in New York City a while ago?"Jess huffed. "That's not what I want. You're imposing something. I hate being forced.""So, what do you want then?" Kenzo asked, exhaling deeply. "I can't leave you here alone while I ha
Jess returned to the room that had become her private sanctuary. After the silly hug Kenzo gave near the garden, she quickly let go. She chose to flee like a teenage girl who had fallen in love for the first time. The unfortunate part was that Jess stiffened because the hug turned out to be warmer than she remembered. There was a ton of desire in her to reciprocate Kenzo's embrace, to share an unspoken feeling, but... no. Jess didn't want to do that.Their relationship was over. Completely over.Nothing had changed about the man she was so eager to remove from her life. For a year of not meeting, their communication could be described as very poor. Jess didn't want to initiate contact. For Jess, it was Kenzo who had decided to leave. Although she asked, it felt different if she was asked to go with him.Ah, ridiculous.Go with him? Who was Jess to Kenzo?Nobody. Oh no. There was one thing that could actually bind them; marriage. But Jess canceled i
"When, exactly, aren't you annoying?" Jess grumbled, her eyes giving a sharp glare to the driver of the sedan now cruising on the outer ring road of New York City. Since earlier, the man had been silent, and Jess wasn't interested in starting a conversation with him. However, when Jess inadvertently glanced at him, Kenzo yawned. "When in your eyes, am I ever enjoyable?" Kenzo asked, turning briefly. He smiled faintly and reflexively rubbed the side of the girl's head. "Just go to sleep. I can still drive to Beverly Hills, no problem." "You're sleepy, Ken," Jess whispered as she gently pushed Kenzo's hand aside. "Why do you like torturing yourself?" Jess's remark finally made Kenzo laugh. "Not torturing, Lyn. I have to make sure you get safely to your destination." "Mr. Dennish can drive me, you know?" "You're inconveniencing others." Jess sighed. "And now you're the one inconvenienced. Isn't it the same thing?" "I enjoy being i
For the past year in Malaysia, Kenzo's life had been monotonous. He did nothing but repeat the same routine day in and day out: wake up, shower and have breakfast, go to work, come back home, and sleep. Occasionally, he'd spend two to three hours at a coffee shop just to unwind. That was it. And it had been going on for the past few months.And now, as he arrived in New York City upon hearing that Jess was staying at Fathia's house, he felt like he was back in the same place. He had taken his accumulated leave days for a future visit, but because of this unexpected opportunity, Kenzo decided to return without much thought.During his year away, he had endured quite a bit of torment, especially the feeling of longing. When was the last time he felt this unusual emotion? It seemed like never. When he realized that Jess had a special place in his heart, he had grown accustomed to being around her. For some reason in the past, he had chosen to leave.When he opened
Jess was driving her car in quite a hurry. She had to stay calm, no room for haste, especially when it came to her childhood home. Even though she hadn't lived there for a while, don't ask how much she cherished all the memories inside.Wearing a short-sleeved mustard-colored shirt slightly tucked into her wide-legged jeans, and a tote bag with a big sunglasses print, her hair was tied up in a somewhat messy ponytail that actually added to her charm. Her large black sunglasses perched sweetly on her stylish nose. Only up to a meeting with the developers, which might turn contentious, as they hadn't reached an agreement in three months.And luckily, Jess visited there last week. Otherwise? Who knows what her fate would be later. It could be that after everyone agreed but she didn't, she would be forced to agree. Jess couldn't imagine if it came to that.Her mind was filled with sweet memories of living there. Preparing breakfast with Amah, going to school with Ap
Jess didn't immediately go home, whether to her apartment or to the cafe. She headed to An Flower. She needed calmness. She needed a lot of oxygen supply that she might find in the flower garden there. Her body shivered. Her hair stood on end relentlessly. Her head kept replaying what Roy had said.So annoyed that she often honked the horn as an outlet. This often resulted in sharp glares from other drivers. Jess didn't care. Her heart was furious. She felt like crushing Roy in one grip. That damn guy."Hey, what's up? You rarely stop by." Melly furrowed her brows in confusion. Plus, she felt that this beautiful girl wasn't in good shape. Her eyes were red, her breathing was rapid, and she walked without looking anywhere except her destination.Without answering, Jess just glanced briefly. "There are snacks in the car. You can take them. I'm going to the backyard garden."Melly could only nod, letting Jess intervene in the workshop, which was also used as
Throughout the day in Jess's apartment, Kenzo felt quite bored. While he was on vacation, there were no work emails coming in, which actually made him bored. Maybe because he was really left alone here. Want to tidy up this apartment? There wasn't even a speck of dust on the table's corner. Jess was really skilled when it came to cleanliness.Suddenly, Kenzo chuckled when he remembered Jess and cleaning. His memory was drawn to a time when he and Jess were cleaning the apartment together."Can't you just stay quiet, Ken?"Kenzo, who was cleaning the dining table, was stunned. "Why? Did I do something wrong?""Dirty! Oh my God! You're making my job harder!"Not accepting being called like that, Kenzo slammed the cloth Jess had given him. "Dirty how? This cloth is from you! How would I know if it's dirty or not? Why are you getting mad?""Just stop it! Sit over there!""I want to help, Lyn. Don't tire yourself too much.""Come on
Three days have passed with Kenzo stubbornly refusing to return to New York City. It actually infuriated Jess because of Kenzo's presence, she couldn't move around freely. There was always something she had to deal with along with the guy. Including... oh God! Jess felt like hitting the guy on the head with her collection of heels.Enjoying her time around Beverly Hills where that agenda had once been brought up. Back then. And now, Kenzo had executed it without hesitation. He said, "Back then wasn't the right time to invite you, Lyn. Now you can't refuse. You have to accept.""Mr. Annoyingly Persistent, now?"Kenzo just chuckled."Do I need to bring clothes?"The man paused. When Jess walked while checking the contents of her bag, it wasn't because of the clothes the girl was wearing, but more because of the question that implied... they were on a date. Spending a lot of time outside with many conversations Kenzo had prepared, more focused on pull