Chapter 8

"Where's Joanna?" Jeremy scanned the interior of the place before asking Janet coldly.

His eagle eyes attempted to locate Joanna in the apartment. Unfortunately, the exquisite room divider at the entrance obstructed his view.

"What's sizzlin'? I can't believe you're here, Mr. Hansen." Elliot interrupted sarcastically before Janet could answer. The next moment, he sneaked out from behind the room divider with scorn.

Jeremy's face fell upon seeing Elliot.

Unbothered, Elliot approached them at the entrance and met Jeremy's scrutiny with a smile. He chirped, "Woah, must be a really special occasion!"

"Mr. Becker, we're here for Ms. Thompson. Please get her." Marie was annoyed at Elliot, who had taken a jab at Jeremy. She immediately came forward to confront Elliot.

The mention of Joanna's name wiped the smile off Elliot's face. Lips twitching in fury, he snorted. "Who do you think you are? How dare you boss me around?"

"Mr. Becker, Ms. Thompson has stolen—"

"Marie Kinsey!" Jeremy cut her off sternly when she tried to retaliate after being humiliated by Elliot.

"Huh?" Elliot heard Marie clearly, and his face promptly clouded over. He set a frightening look on Marie. "Who did you accuse of stealing? Repeat that again. Try me."

But she wasn't intimidated by Elliot at all. He might be the CEO of Eterna Group, but his little company was no match for Hansen Group, the corporate giant in Clementson City.

She showed her reverence to no one but Jeremy. She stole a glance at Jeremy before shutting up.

"Is this your apartment, Mr. Becker?" Jeremy blurted out a random question.

"Is that any of your business, Mr. Hansen?" Arching an eyebrow, Elliot folded his arms before his chest and leaned against the cabinet at the entrance.

He drawled, "Mr. Hansen, what are you here for? Just spit it out. I'm a busy man, you know."

Joanna didn't plan to leave the dining table, but she overheard their conversation loud and clear.

Marie had accused her of stealing, which piqued her interest. What had she stolen that prompted Jeremy to come to her place and confront her for it?

Jeremy remained courteous. "Mr. Becker, please get Joanna if she's here."

The Eterna Group might not be as powerful as the Hansen Group, but one had to take into account the long history of the Hansen Group when making the comparison. The Eterna Group was established five years ago, while the Hansen Group was a century old.

Yet, within five years, the Eterna Group had achieved a valuation of over 10 billion dollars. It was a matter of time before its success rivaled that of the Hansen Group.

"Jo isn't here," Elliot replied curtly. "You may leave, Mr. Hansen."

"Is that so?" Jeremy's voice deepened. His face frosted over. "Since you don't want me around, I have no choice but to cross a line here."

With that, he tried to enter the place. Elliot blocked him. "Hey, Mr. Hansen."

However, Jeremy was surprisingly strong. He moved Elliot's arms out of his path before dashing into the apartment unit. Marie shot Elliot a look of disdain before strutting behind Jeremy.

Jeremy walked a few feet further from the room divider. The dining room was to his side. Joanna hadn't moved from her seat, and she smiled at him when he turned to her.

Joanna's sweet smile and relaxed manner caught him by surprise. Somehow, he felt that Joanna was more carefree and at ease here than at Clementson Bay Villa.

Although she still looked as pale as ever, she shone with confidence and charm.

However, his expression darkened when he noticed the two sets of used utensils on the table, placed on opposite sides on the table. Clearly, Elliot and Joanna had been enjoying a hearty breakfast before he barged in.

The fact they had breakfast together suggested that they had been living under the same roof and possibly sharing a bed.

Anger colored his eyes when he thought about the twins Joanna was carrying.

Sensing that he was stewing in anger, Joanna checked out Marie, who came in after Jeremy. Raising an eyebrow in amusement, she spoke, "Did Ms. Kinsey accuse me of stealing? I'm curious. What is it that I stole that made you drop by, Mr. Hansen?"

Elliot marched over and took a seat beside Joanna. He advised, "Jo, don't listen to her bullshit. I'll call security."

"It's fine, Elliot. I'm sure Mr. Hansen isn't here to make a scene." Joanna shot Elliot a faint smile before turning to Jeremy. "Am I right, Mr. Hansen?"

She carried a nonchalant gaze. Her tone had an unhurried and sarcastic edge to it.

"Ms. Thompson, didn't you insist on leaving empty-handed? Why did you bring along the jewelry Mr. Hansen bought for you and a pair of his starry night cufflinks?" Before Jeremy even started, Marie interrogated Joanna as though she was Jeremy's spokesperson.

"Oh, did I steal the jewelry and cufflinks?" Without so much as looking at Marie, Joanna stared straight at Jeremy.

Elliot's eyes swept past her face, and he kept his mouth shut after getting her hint. He too looked at Jeremy, awaiting an answer.

Jeremy would be the biggest jerk in the world if he said yes to Joanna's question.

"Ms. Thompson, did you not steal those items?" Marie gathered her courage and questioned Joanna on Jeremy's behalf after seeing Jeremy clenching his jaw in silence and glaring at Joanna.

Snorting, Marie added with contempt, "When you left, you put on an entire act, even taking off the clothes that Mr. Hansen bought for you. And yet, you had the nerve to secretly swipe a few things that didn't belong to you."

Elliot gritted his teeth in fury after listening to Marie's bold accusations. If he weren't a gentleman, he would have gotten into a fight right there and then with Marie.

He made a mental note of Marie's name, vowing to teach her a good lesson when the opportunity arose.

Unlike Elliot, Joanna remained unfazed. Never once did she take one look at Marie.

In fact, she had been aware of Marie's hostility after she married Jeremy. Now, on the brink of divorce after three long years, Joanna wasn't surprised that Marie was seizing the opportunity to trample on her.

Joanna suspected that the only reason Marie hadn't gone too far was because her divorce from Jeremy wasn't finalized yet. But Marie's baseless accusations and slander didn't faze her; her only concern was Jeremy's stance.

If Jeremy truly believed she had stolen anything, there was nothing left to say. If he didn't think she was guilty… Well, that seemed unlikely. After all, he had come to her home with Marie in tow—hardly the actions of someone confident in her innocence.

Joanna already knew what was in Jeremy's mind when he hesitated to answer. A faint scoff escaped her lips as she turned away, concealing the bitterness and pain that welled up inside her.

"Mr. Hansen, the items aren't with me right now. Can I return them tomorrow?" she asked flatly.