She pointed at her own face, saying, "You can hit me back. Right here! Come on!"Stephen was already angry, and Joey's words were like pouring oil on fire.He stared at her defiant eyes, clenching his jaw so hard it seemed his rage might erupt like a volcano any second.Years of legal practice had tempered Stephen. He quickly composed himself, saying, "I'll take you home.""I don't want your help!" Joey tried to shake off Stephen's hand. "I know your kindness is out of guilt. I've had enough of you controlling my life under the guise of helping me. I don't want this to continue. Stay out of my life from now on!"Joey's mention of atonement reminded me of what she had said to Luke in the meeting room this morning.Was that unchangeable incident related to Stephen?"The old Joey was more understanding," Stephen said."Being understanding only led to years of nightmares. Seeing you reminds me of what you did. It's torture for me. You wanted to atone; I gave you that chance. Please
At that moment, I felt a surge of carefree joy, reminiscent of my youthful days in school.In stark contrast to my mood, Joey was far from happy.By the time she reached the door, Wendy and I had already sprinted about 15-20 feet away.Joey attempted to chase us in her high heels but quickly stopped after a few steps, her feet in pain. She abruptly halted and angrily shouted, "Stop right there!""Only an idiot would stop!" Wendy turned back and stuck her tongue out at Joey. This childish act left Joey speechless, pointing at Wendy with her mouth agape.Back at the auction hall, Wendy was laughing triumphantly. "Joey's face was even darker than squid ink!""I've done the same thing twice in one day," I said. If I were in her shoes, I'd be angry too.I looked at Wendy expectantly."Honey, quickly, tell me what you overheard the first time," Wendy urged, her eyes sparkling."Joey confessed her feelings to Luke but was rejected. Even after the medicine incident, Luke was still cau
The Smith family was extremely wealthy, but Wendy only wanted what was rightfully hers; she didn't covet anything more.Her attitude both pleased and frustrated her father. To avoid discussions about the family business and marriage, Wendy rarely visited home."I'm only missing a sidekick named Jen," Wendy joked, her gaze moving away from where her father had been.Not wanting to discuss her family matters, we changed the subject and went to get the card and documents from Luke to complete the paperwork.After successfully finishing the paperwork and confirming that the painting was properly packaged, we gathered our things and left the auction with Luke and Wendy.Wendy, who had had drinks at lunch, rode in Luke's car to go home.On the way back, just as Wendy was about to doze off, she suddenly perked up, her eyes bright with energy. In an instant, she was wide awake. "Hey, pull over!""Are you feeling sick?" Luke asked.Ever the gentleman, Luke had taken the front passenger
Seeing my confusion, Luke continued to explain, "The person who delivered the message was his assistant. I had bought off his assistant beforehand. Now, his assistant is on a plane heading overseas.""Mr. Walker, you're very thorough," I said.I knew Luke was meticulous and strategic, but I never imagined he was this detailed!Everything that happened at the auction was under his control, with careful arrangements made in advance. Even I, his assistant, had been kept in the dark.Fortunately, I wasn't on the opposing side. With my intellect, I'd have been utterly crushed."You have a lot of work. I assigned these tasks to Brian," Luke explained, clarifying why I didn't know about these matters.I hadn't handled such things before, so it made sense to give them to Brian. I gave a soft "mm" in response.Once, when I mentioned this to Wendy, she pointed out that it wasn't that Luke feared I'd handle things poorly, but that he didn't want to drag me into his affairs with the Walker
He tried to hand the card back to me, but I'd anticipated this and quickly moved to the other side of the car. I reminded Luke, "Mr. Walker, it's getting late. If we don't go upstairs soon, Professor Killiney might be going to bed.""Bring the items," Luke said."Yes, sir."From Luke's words, I realized Mrs. Walker was nearby. In front of Luke, I tried to act as if we weren't close, hoping he might even scold me a bit.I acknowledged his order, opened the car door for him, and after he got out, I retrieved the painting from the back seat and followed him."Mr. Walker..." the man in sunglasses tried to approach but was blocked by the driver."Mr. Walker has another engagement. If you want to see him, you'll need an appointment," the driver said.The man tried to persuade the driver to let him through, but the driver, loyal after years of service to Luke, didn't give him a chance.In the elevator, I pondered Luke's relationship with Mrs. Walker. It seemed to have deteriorated to
I sat down across from Professor Killiney with Luke.The professor brewed some tea and poured cups for Luke and me.Luke took a sip and said, "Please go ahead, Professor.""I've spoken with Joey. She doesn't agree to Jon living in Brookshire," the professor said."That's not unexpected," Luke replied, understanding Joey to some extent. "I'll try to persuade her. If she insists, we can attempt online lessons."The professor was elderly and had lived in Brookshire for a long time. He had his social circle there and was accustomed to the climate. Asking him to stay in Johnsonville would be too much.Luke was considerate and wouldn't make unreasonable requests."After the recent incident, I'm concerned about his personal safety," the professor said, already caring deeply for Jon despite knowing him for a short time. "He's naive and doesn't understand deception. He could easily get hurt.""The last incident was an accident. It won't happen again," Luke assured him."I hope Mr. Walk
"Young lady, be cautious around him. Don't end up getting schemed by him.""I don't have much value. Mr. Walker won't be interested," I smiled at Professor Killiney.The professor's lips moved, but Luke glanced at him, and he simply waved at me. "Off you go, then.""Rest well, Professor! Please let Grandpa know that I will have breakfast with him tomorrow!"After Grandpa Shaw leaves, we don't know when we'll meet again, so I want to spend as much time with him as possible while he's in Johnsonville.The professor didn't respond, but I assumed he would relay the message. I left the hotel with Luke.The driver was waiting at the hotel entrance and promptly opened the car door for us.Luke gestured for me to get in first, then went to the other side.I scanned the surroundings before getting in.Luke reminded me to fasten my seatbelt. "They've already left."By "they," Luke meant Mrs. Walker and the man in sunglasses. I discreetly sighed in relief and relaxed my posture.As the
I didn't ask any more questions. As the car stopped in front of my house, I opened the door and got out, ready to head inside."Just getting home from overtime, Ms. Middleton?" Mrs. Walker's voice rang out.My scalp tingled and the hairs on my body stood on end. Instinctively, I wanted to quicken my pace. But reason told me this was someone I couldn't afford to offend. I had no choice but to stop and look towards her car. Addressing Mrs. Walker, who had already stepped out of the car, I said, "Mrs. Walker, you're still up so late?"Mrs. Walker had previously insisted, time and time again, that I shouldn't tell Luke about our meeting. By calling out to me in front of him, she was clearly letting him know that she had met with me before and that we were quite familiar!She was using the same tactic on me that Luke had used on the man with sunglasses earlier today, trying to drive a wedge between Luke and me. But her attempt at being clever was rather clumsy!Perhaps she was using th