In the hospital, Penelope felt like time was crawling. I grabbed two cups from the triage desk and filled them with warm water for her and Annette.Penelope took a sip and sat staring blankly, lost in thought.Worried about Jon, Annette kept checking on him at his bedside.After receiving a sedative injection, Jon had been unconscious throughout the examination, showing no signs of waking up.During his violent outburst, he seemed unaware of pain. His hands were covered in wounds, which the doctor had already treated.Annette didn't dare touch his hands. Her eyes welled up again as she asked me, "Ms. Middleton, do you think Jon will start breaking things again when he wakes up?""Annette, we're in the hospital now. The doctors are here," I said softly, trying to calm her."You're right, the doctors are here. I'm sorry, Ms. Middleton. I'm just so worried."Seeing Annette like this made me start to doubt my intuition.There was a knock, and Luke opened the door. Annette quickly
"My phone! Ms. Parker transfers the daily expenses online," Annette said as she took out her phone, about to unlock it, before suddenly stopping."Annette, did you remember something?" I asked."The medicine Jon has been taking recently... I didn't buy it!" she exclaimed."Who bought it?" I asked urgently."It was..." Annette hesitated, "No, it can't be! How could she possibly harm Jon?""Are you talking about Joey?""You've misunderstood, Ms. Middleton. Ms. Parker would never do such a thing," Annette said, her eyes darting around, clearly lying.Penelope, who had been listening to our conversation, suddenly stood up. "Annette, you were there the whole time when Jon went berserk. Even now, are you still trying to protect the person who hurt him?"Annette protested, "There must be some misunderstanding!""If there's a misunderstanding, we can confront her and get an explanation. If she can't provide a reasonable one, we'll need to call the police to find out who hurt Jon," I s
When Penelope saw me stop her, she thought I was taking Joey's side. She looked at me in disbelief and said, "Jen...""Let's talk outside," I said, finding it difficult to explain my complicated thoughts.As I led Penelope towards the partially open door, we saw Luke standing there like a barrier.Penelope saw him as a potential ally and pointed at Joey, saying, "Mr. Walker, Joey claims you won't allow us to call the police!"Like Penelope, I looked at Luke hopefully, waiting for his response.Luke pursed his lips slightly before speaking, "You should go home and rest. I'll handle this.""Mr. Walker, are you going to let her—" Penelope's hopeful expression turned to disappointment. My heart sank too, but I interrupted her, saying, "You must be shaken up. Let me take you to get something to eat.""I can't leave without a resolution!" Penelope stubbornly stood her ground."You're not even related to my brother. What right do you have to stay?" Joey turned around, her eyes filled
"I didn't know about that," I said, surprised."Actually, Mr. Walker..." Penelope paused, then changed direction. "Jen, doesn't it bother you when Mr. Walker defends other women?""If you're referring to him protecting Joey, yes, it does upset me!" In fact, it made me want to shake some sense into him."What about other women besides Joey? Would that upset you?""It depends on whether the woman has done something wrong. If she's in the right and he defends her, that's fine.""Jen, don't you feel even a little jealous of the women he protects?" Penelope watched me intently, as if trying to read something in my expression."Why would I be jealous? It's not like I have feelings for him!" I found Penelope's questions odd.I cracked open a hazelnut. "We're from different worlds. I need to know my place to work comfortably as his assistant."If I developed inappropriate feelings for him, it would affect my work with all the emotional ups and downs.As Luke's assistant, I needed to b
That's her own brother, for goodness' sake!It's a good thing that Jon is able to support himself and not be a burden!I couldn't hide my anger any longer; my words were laced with cold fury."Luke said, 'She didn't buy the medicine.'""If not her, then her assistant?" I scoffed. Joey's assistant had no grudge against Jon. Why would they want to harm him? Only Luke, blinded by love, would believe such a ridiculous lie!I wanted to shake some sense into him, to see if his brain had turned to mush!Not wanting to say another word, I angrily shoved the leash into his hand.As I withdrew my hand, Luke tightened his grip, holding onto my fingertips.Compared to my cold hands, his were warm and broad. The sudden warmth startled me, and I instinctively tried to pull away.Luke didn't let go, and I couldn't free my fingers. Flustered, I looked up. "Luke, you..."Just as I started speaking, the pressure on my fingertips vanished. Luke glanced at the bandage wrapped around my palm, the
"I still prefer my own bedroom."Late at night, being alone together, a single man and woman could create an unintended sense of intimacy. I didn't want to give myself any chance to develop feelings for Luke."Isn't your guest room vacant? I could stay there."Was he worried about my nightmares and offering to sleep in my guest room to keep me company?Does Luke treat all his employees like this?If he showed this level of thoughtfulness to Joey, they would probably be together by now!"Mrs. Walker isn't the most frightening person I've ever met. I was exaggerating earlier. I'm not really scared."Learning that Luke's reason for not calling the police wasn't to protect Joey, my mood gradually improved.It was getting late, so I bid Luke goodbye and went home. I called Annette to inquire about Jon's condition."Jon woke up once. He doesn't remember what happened before. He fell asleep again, still groggy. I asked the doctor, who assured me that Jon should be fully awake by tomo
Jon's situation was delicate. Compared to Joey, they had more ways to hurt Jon. We needed to protect Jon and keep him out of the spotlight.Penelope thought I was exaggerating, so I briefly explained Luke and his family's situation."Is Mr. Walker's family really that bad?" Penelope drew a connection to her own life. "Children who aren't loved have a tough time.""Hard to believe, isn't it?"If the rumors were true, it would explain the Walker family's behavior.Since the rumors weren't confirmed, I didn't mention them to Penelope.Then I remembered how Luke referred to his mother as "Mrs. Walker" - the same way I did.Mrs. Walker - a cold, emotionless title, as if they were strangers, not mother and son.This made me believe the rumors even more."Jen, your ex-husband's family was bad enough. The Walkers are rich and powerful, and they'll chew you up and spit you out. Even if Mr. Walker is a good person, having a family like that makes him a bad match. You really shouldn't ge
It was the first time I heard her laugh so heartily.Penelope said, "Mr. Walker is a good person. If he could completely break free from his family, he'd make a great partner.""No matter how good he is, it's none of our business," I replied. Having been through a marriage that nearly ruined me, I hesitated before adding, "Penelope, some people seem great on the surface, but it's hard to tell what's really inside. Be very careful when you're looking for a boyfriend in the future.""When it comes to relationships, I believe in fate. I've been single for so long that I'm used to it. I'm not in a rush to change that.""You've got good judgment. Your ability to read people is much better than mine!"I had been blinded by love before, both figuratively and literally!Penelope's ability to stay clear-headed and avoid being taken advantage of put her miles ahead of where I had been."You're so sincere! Sincerity and kindness are your greatest strengths! That's why you've met people lik