Chapter 50: Chapter 49: A Little Interlude
Ryan Lawson closed the glass door and said with a smile, "Jojo, darling. I thought I saw you earlier, but I wasn’t sure. Why didn’t you come find me? Hiding out here all by yourself."
The old man’s "Jojo" made Joanna Kennedy’s stomach turn. "Aren’t you afraid Charlotte Underwood will come looking for you?"
Ryan Lawson gave her a smug smile and retorted, "Jealous?"
’Screw you.’
Joanna Kennedy said with a deadpan expression, "I prefer things spicy."
"Hahahaha." Ryan Lawson’s lecherous gaze fixed on her exposed, fair skin. "You certainly are spicy enough."
"..." Joanna Kennedy frowned in disgust. "If there’s nothing else, President Lawson, I’ll be going."
She was maintaining the last shred of politeness. If she weren’t afraid of provoking President Lawson, Joanna Kennedy really would have gouged out those roving eyes of his.
"Hey... what’s the rush?" Having finally cornered her here, there was no way Ryan Lawson would let her go so easily. "My offer still stands. As long as you’re with me, I’ll give you all of Charlotte Underwood’s resources. I can even give you better."
Ryan Lawson boasted, "Lead roles, supporting roles, whatever you want, I’ll hand them to you on a silver platter... Jojo, where else are you going to find someone as generous as me? Hm?"
As he spoke, he reached out a groping hand to grab Joanna Kennedy’s waist, but she stepped back and dodged him.
Seeing her face as cold as ice only made Ryan Lawson’s desire burn hotter. He wished he could drag her away right then and there. He took a step forward and roughly grabbed her wrist. The smooth, soft touch of her skin excited him. He panted, "Don’t hide, don’t hide. Just let me have one kiss, and I’ll make you a leading lady tomorrow... AH!"
The girl’s leg was half-raised, her beautiful face flushed red with anger, making her stunningly vibrant. But Ryan Lawson was in no mood to appreciate the view.
He was bent over in pain, clutching his crotch, a pathetic sight to behold. His face twisted as he snarled, "You little bitch! I tried to be nice, but you’re shameless! There are plenty of women in this industry willing to be with me. You really think you’re some kind of goddess? You dare to play hard to get with me!"
The pain muddled his brain, and he rambled incoherently, "What, you won’t be with me because you’re trying to land someone better? Take a good look at yourself! You’re nothing!"
"That’s right, I can’t stand the sight of you." Having already offended him, Joanna Kennedy saw no reason to hold back any longer. Besides, the man’s mouth was absolutely filthy.
She gave a contemptuous smile and, without a second thought, kicked him again.
’I’m about to die anyway. Why would I be afraid of you?’
A scream like a pig being slaughtered erupted behind her, but it was drowned out by the glass door and the music from the banquet hall.
Joanna Kennedy quickly locked the glass door behind her, buying herself a little more time to get away. After all, Ryan Lawson was a shameless man, and after she’d kicked him into such a sorry state, he would definitely come after her again once he got out.
Skirting the dessert table, Joanna Kennedy kept her head down and walked briskly toward the exit, ignoring the strange looks from others. It wasn’t until she was outside that she noticed the seam of her dress had split during the struggle.
’Unbelievable. The quality of this dress is just criminal.’ Luckily, the skirt was long enough to prevent any truly embarrassing situations.
She was a public figure, more or less. In her current state, it wasn’t realistic to go home on her own. If she were recognized on the way, she could expect to be on the front page tomorrow.
Joanna Kennedy reached for her phone to message her assistant, only to realize she was in an evening gown and her phone was in the nanny van.
’When it rains, it pours.’
Defeated, Joanna Kennedy turned back, planning to hide in the restroom for a while and wait until the banquet was almost over before coming out.
She went up to the second floor, which was mostly empty, and walked along the corridor. Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice someone coming around the corner and walked straight into the arms of a man in a suit who smelled faintly of smoke.
"I’m so sorry, I—"
Joanna Kennedy’s voice died in her throat the moment she looked up.
Simon Lockwood was even more handsome than before. Up close, she could see that the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were as cold and indifferent as ever.
The last traces of boyishness were gone. He looked like a noble, aloof ruler, high and untouchable.
In a daze, only one thought crossed Joanna Kennedy’s mind: ’When did he start smoking?’
Simon Lockwood had just stepped out of a private room after a cigarette, not expecting to run into her here.
The girl was even prettier than before. Her delicate features had fully matured. With light makeup, her lips were red and her teeth were white. Her almond eyes shimmered. The black hair she always wore in a high ponytail was now pinned up. When she bumped into someone, she was flustered and quick to apologize.
The spoiled and headstrong girl from his memory had become gentle and poised.
’It seems she’s really grown up...’
Simon Lockwood said nothing. Joanna Kennedy frantically lowered her gaze, stepped out of his embrace, and said regretfully, "I’m sorry..."
"It’s fine." Simon Lockwood’s voice was cold. He brushed off his wrinkled shirt. As he started to walk away, he caught a glimpse of a red mark circling the girl’s wrist.
It was the mark left by a forceful grip.
The sound of high heels echoed in the corridor again as the heiress who had been chatting with Simon Lockwood walked over. "Mr. Lockwood, I thought you... What’s going on?"
She seemed to have only just noticed Joanna Kennedy and asked in surprise.
Joanna Kennedy still hadn’t come to her senses, her mind replaying the way Simon Lockwood had brushed off his shirt.
Back when she had been chasing him relentlessly, she seemed to recall Simon Lockwood making that same gesture.
Disgust... Coldness... Estrangement.
Joanna Kennedy heard Simon Lockwood’s deep, cool voice say, "Just a minor incident."
The wealthy heiress understood immediately. "I see."
From the look in her eyes, Joanna Kennedy knew this heiress had probably pegged her as a social climber who had staged the encounter on purpose.
’Thinking about it, it does seem a bit like that. What a coincidence, bumping right into his arms. I wonder if Simon Lockwood is thinking the same thing?’
Joanna Kennedy’s face suddenly burned with shame. "I won’t disturb you two any longer," she said in a low voice and hurried away.
She nearly tripped as she walked, letting out a small gasp. Simon Lockwood frowned, his eyes instinctively flicking toward her, just in time to see the split seam on her long white dress.
The heiress didn’t know what had happened, but she saw the man whose expression had been calm just a moment ago suddenly darken.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t stop until she reached the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hall.
All was quiet around her, with only a few faint notes of music drifting up from downstairs. Joanna Kennedy suddenly let out a laugh. ’166,’ she said internally, ’how did he get even more handsome?’
was speechless, then it sneered, ’Is this really the time to be fangirling?’
Joanna Kennedy understood the subtext. He wasn’t hers anymore.
She fell silent for a few seconds, a pang of sadness hitting her. ’He seems to... kind of hate me...’
’It’s not "kind of,"’ 166 thought. ’He treated her like a complete stranger, not even deigning to acknowledge her.’
kept this thought to itself, afraid of pushing Joanna Kennedy over the edge.
But even with the system staying silent, Joanna Kennedy wouldn’t let it off the hook. ’This is all your fault!’
was utterly speechless.
’It figured as much.’
The little system was too angry to communicate, which seemed to improve Joanna Kennedy’s mood considerably. The tightness in her chest eased. She remembered something and asked, ’What about Serena Sutton? Why haven’t I seen her?’
