Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 37
It was already dark when Simon Lockwood got home. Through the window, he could faintly make out the light shining from inside, looking just like any other ordinary house.
He could have just pushed the door open and walked in, but he deliberately knocked twice. Footsteps sounded from inside, and a moment later, the door before him opened.
The girl’s eyes lit up. "Simon Lockwood, you’re back."
"...Mm," he grunted, ruffling the girl’s fluffy hair with his palm. He walked inside, put down his backpack, and paused when he saw the food laid out on the table. "You haven’t eaten yet?" he asked.
"I was waiting for you," Joanna Kennedy replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, bringing over the reheated congee.
Simon Lockwood took the bowl from her hands. "You don’t have to wait for me. If you’re hungry, just eat."
He asked, "Did you finish your homework?"
"..." Joanna Kennedy paused, then guiltily lowered her head and sipped her congee.
"Joanna Kennedy." Simon Lockwood’s voice grew stern.
Joanna Kennedy immediately found the perfect excuse for not doing her homework. "I-I-I couldn’t do it. I wanted you to come back and explain it to me..."
"You couldn’t do a single one?"
"...That’s not exactly true."
Simon Lockwood’s lips pressed into a thin line. Joanna Kennedy immediately caved. "Fine, fine! I’ll do it in a bit, okay? It’s not like I’m not going to do it..."
Her voice trailed off, getting quieter and quieter until she sounded utterly aggrieved.
Simon Lockwood opened his mouth, about to say more, but when he saw the girl’s exaggerated pout, a sense of helplessness ultimately took over.
’Forget it. Being too strict will only make her rebellious. Joanna Kennedy has been trying really hard lately. I should take it slow.’
Joanna Kennedy waited anxiously for a while, but when Simon Lockwood didn’t scold her, her eyes widened in surprise.
’Did Simon Lockwood have a change of heart?’
As it turned out, Simon Lockwood was still a "tyrant." After dinner, he used a mix of coercion and coaxing to make Joanna Kennedy complete a comprehensive science exam paper.
Simon Lockwood quickly graded it and was about to go over her mistakes with her when he glanced over and saw that Joanna Kennedy had already fallen asleep.
Joanna Kennedy looked exhausted. She was sleeping with one hand cupping her cheek, which was flushed red. Under the dim yellow glow of the small night light, her eyelashes were long and curled, her nose was delicate and upturned, and her lips were a rosy red.
’My Joanie, who doesn’t like to study but is willing to try.’ freēwēbηovel.c૦m
He didn’t disturb her. Quieting his breathing, he gently lifted her into his arms, laid her on the bed, and pulled the nearby blanket over her.
Once he was done, Simon Lockwood remained bent over, his gaze fixed deeply on Joanna Kennedy’s face.
They were very close—so close that Simon Lockwood could feel her warm breath on his face.
The air suddenly grew charged. In that tiny space, his breathing grew heavier, and his usually calm, deep eyes became dark and unreadable.
It was the look of a hunter gazing at his readily available prey.
But the "hunter" didn’t claim his "prey." He just placed a restrained kiss on the corner of the girl’s lips.
Lips brushing against lips, Simon Lockwood closed his eyes and, with extreme restraint, nuzzled against her.
Joanna Kennedy, still asleep, smacked her lips and groggily opened her eyes. She hadn’t yet registered what was happening as she met the dark, inscrutable gaze of the man above her.
She obediently extended her two long, fair arms and wrapped them around him, like a lamb offering itself for sacrifice. Her voice was thick with sleep. "What are you doing...?"
"...Joanie, how old are you?" Simon Lockwood’s voice was low and deep. As he spoke, his hot breath washed over Joanna Kennedy’s pale neck.
Joanna Kennedy couldn’t help but shrink back. She wasn’t fully awake yet and answered instinctively, "Eighteen."
Simon Lockwood let out a low chuckle. "Just turned eighteen?"
No matter how fuzzy her brain was, she could tell Simon Lockwood was deliberately teasing her. She turned her head away, pouting silently with her lips pressed tightly together.
Simon Lockwood placatingly ruffled the top of her head. "Don’t be angry. Go to sleep."
’Who’s the one being a perv in the middle of the night and insisting on waking me up?’
Joanna Kennedy glared at him indignantly, but when her eyes met the smiling, handsome features of the man above her, all her words caught in her throat.
’Fine. Good looks really are the ultimate weapon.’
She grumbled, "You go to sleep, too..."
"Mm..." Simon Lockwood agreed but didn’t move.
Joanna Kennedy blinked. A blush slowly spread across her cheeks, and soon even the corners of her eyes were tinged with red. "...Do you want to?"
"Want what?" Simon Lockwood asked deliberately.
It had taken all her courage for Joanna Kennedy to say that much. After speaking, she didn’t even dare to look at Simon Lockwood, only to get a response like that.
She blustered, "Go sleep on your folding bed!"
"Getting bold, are we..." Simon Lockwood chuckled softly and slowly straightened up. His handsome face looked even more defined in the light.
Joanna Kennedy swallowed hard and angrily pulled the blanket over her face. She was determined not to look.
Having taken full advantage of the situation, Simon Lockwood was afraid she’d suffocate herself. He reached out and tugged at the blanket, but it didn’t budge. He said helplessly, "I’m going to the folding bed now. You be good."
A slender, pale hand emerged from under the blanket, its fingertips slightly red. It waved twice at him, the meaning clear—goodbye, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Simon Lockwood: "..."
Simon Lockwood turned off the light and put his hand on the doorknob. He opened the door a crack.
Simon Lockwood didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood at the threshold between the light of the living room and the darkness of the bedroom and looked back.
His gaze fell on the small, slightly raised lump on the bed.
After a long moment, the door was finally closed, and silence returned to the bedroom.
In the darkness, Joanna Kennedy pulled down the blanket, her bright eyes staring silently at the ceiling.
What Paul Pemberton had said that afternoon flashed through her mind again, and she sighed.
For the first time in her life, she didn’t want so many romantic prospects—especially not a "rotten peach blossom" who drank, fought, bullied people, and was capable of any evil.
had just recovered from the shock of her "seducing" Simon Lockwood. Its mechanical voice stuttered as if it were short-circuiting. [Y-Y-You actually dared to dream of defiling the male lead’s innocent body!]
Joanna Kennedy was already used to its selective blindness. She gave up, resigned. [Yes, yes, it was me.]
’She didn’t even argue?’
suddenly grew wary. [What scheme are you plotting now?]
’What kind of treacherous impression have I left on 166?’ Joanna Kennedy was simply speechless and didn’t want to answer.
watched her with utmost vigilance for a few minutes. For the first time in its system life, it had a smart idea and said excitedly, [I know! You’re worried that passerby will harm the male lead, right?!]
The passerby was Paul Pemberton.
Joanna Kennedy clapped twice for it.
*
Joanna Kennedy’s sixth sense had always been sharp. On Friday night, after school, she waited at home for over an hour, but Simon Lockwood still hadn’t returned.
Half an hour ago, Simon Lockwood had suddenly sent a message saying they were short-staffed at The Crimson Hall and the manager had asked him to come in.
It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. It was perfectly normal for Simon Lockwood to be called in to work overtime when they were busy.
But for some reason, the more Joanna Kennedy thought about it, the more flustered she became. Sitting at her desk, she couldn’t focus on her problems at all. A black gel pen twirled between her fingers.
A few seconds later, Joanna Kennedy suddenly slammed the pen down on the desk.
’No, I have to go check on him.’
