Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 58
There was only one express elevator to The Sky Garden. Fortunately, it was spacious enough to accommodate their entire group.
Inside the elevator, Joanna Kennedy stood rigidly at the front, her eyes fixed on the doors. In their reflective surface, her gaze met the dark eyes of the man behind her. Her heart leaped, and she hastily looked down.
It was only a minute, but it felt agonizingly long. With a soft DING, the elevator came to a smooth stop. The moment the doors began to slide open, Joanna Kennedy rushed out. From behind, Julie whispered, "Jojo, wait for me..."
Joanna Kennedy didn’t stop until Simon Lockwood was out of sight.
Julie patted her chest, the fear still lingering. "Was that the top brass doing an inspection? They were so intimidating. I didn’t even dare to breathe."
"...I suppose so."
"And did you see that young man in the middle? He’s so tall and handsome! He just looks so cold, though. A little scary," Julie remarked.
"That’s the President of Southland."
"......" Julie was dumbfounded. "Huh?"
The President of Southland?
’The one rumored in our circle to have bankrupted Ryan Lawson’s company? The one who supposedly flew into a rage and did it all for Joanna Kennedy?’
Julie wanted to ask, ’Then why were you two pretending not to know each other? Were you worried about how it would look?’
Joanna Kennedy could see her confusion and said with a sigh of resignation, "I’ve told you, it’s not like that between us. Everything he does is surely for the company’s benefit. He’s way out of my league..."
As she finished, a hint of disappointment flickered in Joanna Kennedy’s heart.
’This reversal of our roles is just depressing.’
"...But you’re beautiful," Julie couldn’t bear to hear her being so down on herself. "So what if he’s the President of Southland? He’s an ice block. He looks completely emotionless, like he wouldn’t know how to love someone. You should date someone fun."
Joanna Kennedy didn’t respond to her comment, offering only a small smile.
’Simon Lockwood, incapable of love? Boring?’
’As the one who knows him, no one has a better right to say,’ Joanna Kennedy thought. ’There’s no one better than Simon Lockwood.’
The Sky Garden must have been recently completed. It was filled with rare and valuable flower species, and in the peak of summer, they were all in full bloom. To stay there for even a moment was to be completely steeped in their fragrance.
Joanna Kennedy’s leg was hurting, and she was also afraid of running into a certain someone again. She sat on a swing, not wandering far.
Twenty minutes later, figuring the group must have left, she told Julie she wanted to go back down to her room to rest.
Julie was having a blast taking pictures. When she heard this, she let out a disappointed "Huh?" and said, "We’re leaving already?"
Joanna Kennedy could see her reluctance. "You don’t have to come with me. Consider yourself off the clock. Have fun, and just head back to rest when you’re done."
"Yay! You’re the best, Jojo!"
After getting out of the elevator, Joanna Kennedy had planned on going straight back to her room. But she felt a little bored and her stomach was rumbling, so on a whim, she decided to go out for a late-night snack.
There were many restaurants near the five-star hotel, each more upscale than the last and brilliantly lit. Joanna Kennedy glanced down at her oversized T-shirt and baggy trousers.
’Better not go in and make a fool of myself.’
The night wind, carrying a hint of sweltering heat, brushed against her skin. It gave her an unexpected sense of real, everyday life that calmed her heart. Walking for a bit like this seemed nice, too.
Something caught her eye, and Joanna Kennedy stopped in her tracks.
Under the dim yellow glow of a streetlight, a black Maybach was parked quietly by the curb. The license plate, Jing A888, was easy to remember. She had just seen it recently; Joanna Kennedy recognized the number.
The car door opened, and Joanna Kennedy’s fingers tightened involuntarily. She stared at the person getting out of the driver’s seat. But a moment later, her clenched fist relaxed.
It was Simon Lockwood’s assistant, Special Assistant Warren.
Jack Warren held a brown paper bag and walked straight toward her. "Miss Kennedy, this is for you. Mr. Lockwood asked me to bring it over."
’Mine...? What is it?’
Joanna Kennedy saw a clean lunchbox inside. She was silent for a moment before taking the bag and saying, "Thank you."
"You’re most welcome." Jack Warren’s smile was textbook perfect, and his tone was sincere. "Miss Kennedy must be an excellent cook."
Joanna Kennedy: "?"
"Mr. Lockwood ate every last bite. He even washed the lunchbox himself."
".........."
After Jack Warren left, Joanna Kennedy still hadn’t processed what happened. She stood there, stunned, her grip on the brown paper bag tightening.
The black Maybach pulled away slowly. It was silent inside, save for the faint hum of the engine. From the dim back seat, the man’s gaze lingered on the rearview mirror until the girl’s figure disappeared from view. Only then did he look away, his voice low as he asked, "What did you say to her?"
Joanna Kennedy wore her heart on her sleeve. Simon Lockwood had naturally seen the exchange—had seen what Jack Warren said and the suddenly shocked look on the girl’s face.
"Nothing. I just told her you were in the car." Jack Warren kept his eyes on the road, his expression tight. He didn’t dare glance back.
After a long moment, the voice from the back seat finally spoke. "Watch your mouth."
"Mhm." Since Simon Lockwood didn’t press the issue, Jack Warren let out a quiet sigh of relief.
A passing car kicked up a gust of wind, finally snapping Joanna Kennedy out of her daze. She started walking back the way she came, stopping to buy a jianbing guozi from a roadside stall and eating it as she went.
While eating, she suddenly stopped. Wiping fiercely at a tear, she asked out of the blue, ’Do you think he’s doing it on purpose?’
’It’s the classic carrot-and-stick routine. Is he training a dog?’
’Do I look that pathetic?’
was tempted to roll its eyes. ’I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
’Don’t you think he’s being strange? On the surface, he ignores me, cold as a block of ice from the last millennium. But behind the scenes, he gets me a new agent and secretly eats all the food I made...’
For some reason, 166 felt like it was being forced to watch a public display of affection. Before it could figure out where this strange feeling was coming from, Joanna Kennedy’s next sentence made everything crystal clear.
’I think... I still have a small place in his heart.’
166: ’... ... ...’
Joanna Kennedy was like a resilient blade of grass. Give her a little sunlight, and she’ll brighten up; give her a drop of water, and she’ll be back at full strength.
’He’s helped me so many times. I should thank him, right?’
was mentally exhausted. ’...What are you planning now?’
Joanna Kennedy didn’t answer. Her eyes just sparkled like crushed diamonds.
The next day, a moderately popular female idol joined the show and was assigned to the same team as Joanna Kennedy.
During the lunch break, she suddenly leaned in close. After looking around to make sure no cameras were rolling, her friendly expression vanished. "You’re Joanna Kennedy?"
’We’ve been filming together all morning, and she’s only asking my name now? Clearly just looking for trouble. So fake.’
Joanna Kennedy didn’t stop eating. "I’m not," she replied casually.
The female idol: "........."
"What are you playing at? Denying it now? You think I’m as easy to fool as Charlotte, is that it?!" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
’So, she’s here for Charlotte Underwood.’
’Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Charlotte Underwood in a long time. Not since Ryan Lawson’s downfall.’
"What happened to her?" Joanna Kennedy asked offhandedly.
