Free Web NovelChapter 207: Chapter 210: Hitting Him for Jasper Linden
"Let go!"
Jasper Linden repeated.
Liam Joyce looked up at him, bewildered. "And who are you? Do you think you have any right to meddle in my business with Lynn?"
Jasper Linden didn’t answer, simply repeating, "Let go."
At the same time, he silently tightened his grip, making Liam Joyce’s wrist throb with pain.
"You..." Liam Joyce’s brow furrowed, anger flaring in his eyes.
"Let go!" Jasper Linden applied more pressure, determined to make Liam Joyce release Lynn Preston.
Lynn Preston glared back at him. "Liam Joyce, you let go of me!"
This restaurant placed a high value on customer privacy, with each table separated by a screen. But the commotion from the three of them was so great that it still attracted the attention of guests at other tables.
Facing two opponents, Liam Joyce was losing badly in terms of both momentum and dignity.
The gossiping stares made him antsy. He shot Jasper Linden a vicious glare and reluctantly released Lynn Preston’s hand.
"Hmph," Jasper Linden scoffed, and immediately let him go as well.
He rubbed his numb, aching wrist, his voice dripping with mockery. "So, tell me, what are you to Lynn? Her boyfriend? Or some pathetic simp who can’t take a hint?"
"Liam Joyce!" Lynn Preston reached out and pulled Jasper Linden behind her protectively.
"If you can’t speak properly, then you’d be better off as a mute. Don’t blame me for what comes next if you dare disrespect my friend again!"
Liam Joyce sneered. "Was I wrong?"
SLAP!
Lynn Preston wasn’t joking. She swung her hand and slapped him across the face.
His head snapped to the side, a fiery sting flaring at the corner of his mouth.
"Gasp—"
The gawking patrons gasped in unison.
Liam Joyce’s eyes widened in astonishment. He never imagined Lynn Preston would actually hit him over Jasper Linden.
He lowered his gaze to the floor, feeling as if his heart had been lashed by a thorny vine. The pain was accompanied by a fine, creeping cold.
Lynn Preston’s brow was tight, her eyes churning with endless disgust. "Who do you think you are, to have the right to mock my friends?"
"I’ve told you before, from now on, we are enemies. If you think I’m joking, feel free to test me again."
"..." Liam Joyce stood frozen, not saying a word.
"Let’s go." Lynn Preston took Jasper Linden’s hand, turned, and walked away from Liam Joyce without a backward glance.
Although snow had yet to fall in Aethelburg, the temperature had been steadily dropping. After nightfall, it plunged to near-freezing temperatures.
As they left the restaurant, a bone-chilling wind hit Lynn Preston full in the face.
Lynn Preston shivered, and the cold shock instantly cleared her emotionally clouded head.
Her hand went slack as she subconsciously tried to drop Jasper Linden’s hand. But unexpectedly, he tightened his grip in return, leading her forward with a pull that was both gentle and firm.
"My car’s this way."
Lynn Preston gave him a stunned look, replying numbly, "Okay."
Jasper Linden’s car wasn’t parked far, and they reached it after a short walk.
BEEP BEEP!
Jasper Linden took out his key fob, unlocked the car, and raised his eyebrows, motioning for Lynn Preston to get in.
Lynn Preston said, "Thank you," opened the door, and slipped into the passenger seat.
Jasper Linden got in after her but only turned on the heat, showing no intention of driving off.
"The heat takes a minute to kick in. Just bear with it for a second."
"Mm-hmm." Lynn Preston pulled her coat tighter, shrinking into her seat.
"Jasper Linden, thank you for earlier." She turned her head and smiled at him.
Jasper Linden let out a soft sigh. "It was nothing," he said casually. "Besides, your brother and I are friends now. It’s only right I help his sister out of a jam."
Lynn Preston smiled and nodded. After a moment, she asked, "Isn’t Flynn Trading pretty far from here? What brings you to this restaurant?"
"I’m here for a blind date," Jasper Linden said, sounding a bit helpless.
"Another one?" Lynn Preston was shocked. "Didn’t you already find someone you clicked with? Why are you still going on these dates?"
"Hiss..." Jasper Linden rubbed his forehead, looking troubled. "That girl was easy on the eyes, sure, but I really wasn’t a fan of her habits."
"I texted her last time to see if she was free to go see a movie, but a guy ended up replying to me."
"...A guy?" Lynn Preston’s mind raced. "Who was he? Her boyfriend?" she asked in disbelief.
Jasper Linden shook his head. "Not her boyfriend. Her ’male bestie.’ When he messaged me back, she and this ’bestie’ were at a hotel, having gotten a room to play video games."
"..." Lynn Preston’s mouth hung open in horror, finding it hard to process what Jasper Linden just said.
"A male bestie... getting a hotel room... to play video games?" It was the first time she’d ever heard those phrases put together. "Th-that’s just ridiculous! Forget whether her ’male bestie’ is decent or not, just the act of getting a room to play games is wildly inappropriate."
Jasper Linden shrugged. "So I said goodbye to that. My mom saw it was a bust and immediately introduced me to a few more girls."
"Sigh..." Lynn Preston suddenly let out a breath. "You’re so handsome and accomplished, you don’t really need to go on blind dates. With what you’ve got going for you, girls would be lining up even if you didn’t try. Why go on them so frequently?"
Jasper Linden replied, "I don’t want to, but my mom won’t let up. She’s convinced I’m getting too old and that if I don’t find someone through these dates soon, I’ll never get married. I tried to rebel a few times, but I made her cry, so after that, I stopped fighting it and just let her have her way."
"So I go on the dates. It’s just a waste of time, that’s all."
"I see..." Lynn Preston nodded slowly, her expression turning sympathetic. "Thank goodness my mom is open-minded about this stuff. Even if I never got married, she wouldn’t have a problem with it."
"Oh, so have you finished your date for today? How was she?"
Jasper Linden grinned, looking a little guilty. "I haven’t actually had it yet. The moment I walked into the restaurant, I saw Liam Joyce hassling you. I didn’t even think—I just pulled you out of there."
"...Huh?!" Lynn Preston was taken aback. "You—you just left the girl sitting there in the restaurant all alone?"
Jasper Linden’s brow furrowed in consternation. "Well, not exactly. She left early, too."
"...What do you mean?" Lynn Preston didn’t understand.
Jasper Linden pulled out his phone and found a photo on WeChat to show her.
The photo showed a lone man—obese, short, with a sleazy demeanor and a tacky sense of dress.
"This is..." Lynn Preston looked at Jasper Linden, confused.
Jasper Linden looked utterly exasperated. "My date got the wrong person. She thought this guy was me. She arrived at the restaurant, and before she could even sit down, she got scared and ran off!"
