Chapter 56: Chapter 55
"What’s given to me is mine." A cold, barely perceptible sneer touched Simon Lockwood’s lips. "Didn’t you just tell me to throw it away? I think that’s an excellent suggestion."
The cold, heartless words were spoken so casually. Whose heart they wounded, who could say? But Joanna Kennedy couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.
The bright, spacious office returned to silence. The corners of Simon Lockwood’s mouth gradually straightened into a line. He silently stared at the open meal on the corner of the black desk.
After a long moment, he picked up a stalk of a green vegetable and put it in his mouth. It was perfectly seasoned, countless times better than the plate of greens from six years ago.
He ate with refined grace, bite after bite, as if savoring a rare delicacy, only stopping when it was all gone.
Joanna Kennedy returned to the film set. She had scenes scheduled for the next few days. The historical idol drama didn’t require too many fight scenes—it was mostly just forming hand seals—and Joanna Kennedy meticulously covered the bruises on her wrist with foundation.
Today, they were filming the scene where she has a falling out with the second male lead. They were childhood sweethearts, but he ultimately couldn’t stop himself from falling for the female lead.
When the director yelled, "Cut!" Joanna Kennedy was still in character.
The food on set was decent—three meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. Just as Joanna Kennedy carried her meal to her usual spot under a large tree, a few people approached.
It was the show’s female and male leads.
The main actors had their own private lounges and always ate in air-conditioned rooms. They would never subject themselves to eating under a tree.
Joanna Kennedy hesitated, wondering if she should move.
The lead actress, June Holloway, had already spoken up. "Joanna Kennedy, why are you eating here all alone? I was wondering why I couldn’t find you the last few times. So this is where you’ve been hiding."
’Since when was June Holloway looking for me?’
Joanna Kennedy replied politely, "Is there something you need, Miss Holloway?"
"No, I just wanted to eat with you. We’re all on the same cast. But you never talk to us..."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
’Who isn’t talking to whom?’ In just a few words, she had somehow made it Joanna’s fault. Joanna Kennedy couldn’t let it slide. Feigning confusion, she then acted as if she’d had a sudden, shy realization. "Oh, so that’s how it is. I must have misunderstood. Last time we ran lines, you didn’t say any of your dialogue, so I thought Miss Holloway looked down on a D-list actress like me."
"...How could that be?" June Holloway couldn’t continue the pleasantries. She exchanged a look with the male lead.
The male lead quickly tried to smooth things over. "Let’s eat, let’s eat. We can always talk later."
"Yes, let’s just eat," June Holloway said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Each was lost in their own thoughts. Only Joanna Kennedy was truly digging into her food. Halfway through the meal, the lead actress couldn’t hold back any longer.
She asked, feigning casualness, "I heard you’re with Southland, Joanna. How come I’ve never heard that before? You’re being awfully low-key."
"I’m not," Joanna Kennedy said flatly, then added with a joking tone, "It’s all rumors. Everyone knows how those gossip accounts operate, taking things out of context and spreading rumors everywhere."
It was unclear whether June Holloway believed her. She smiled, changed the subject, and then continued to probe slyly from different angles, but Joanna Kennedy refused to say another word.
Having gotten nothing out of her, the two left in disappointment.
Then it was the director’s turn. He tactfully mentioned that he could add more scenes for her and asked what she thought.
Joanna Kennedy sighed and explained once again that she had no connection to Southland’s Mr. Lockwood.
The director just laughed. "Alright, alright. Well, whenever you do want more scenes, just let me know in advance, okay?"
’Figures. He still doesn’t believe me.’
After a month, Joanna Kennedy’s scenes were finally all filmed. The production team organized a special wrap party for her, which she couldn’t refuse despite trying multiple times.
The director also mentioned mysteriously that he had invited the investor to dinner.
’The biggest investor is Southland, so who did the director invite?’
On the way there, Joanna Kennedy was a nervous wreck, her fingers twisted tightly together.
For this kind of dinner, the company would usually just send some high-level executive. Joanna Kennedy knew perfectly well that someone of Simon Lockwood’s status wouldn’t show up at a wrap party.
’But... what if?’
She hadn’t seen Simon Lockwood at all since they had parted on bad terms.
"166, I feel like things are getting more and more chaotic," Joanna Kennedy said, her voice filled with confusion.
had been unusually quiet lately. Joanna Kennedy had a feeling it was planning something big.
Sure enough, after nearly a minute of silence, 166 finally spoke, its mechanical voice steady and cold: "Hesitation is defeat. Host, you are always hesitating."
’The subtext being: you are always being defeated.’
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
She was taken aback, then chuckled in spite of herself. "I’m surprised you can say something so profound."
"I learned it from you."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
’Was that a compliment? It didn’t feel like one.’
Inside the private room, the investor hadn’t arrived yet. Joanna Kennedy sat with her colleagues, with the director to her left.
People trickled in until everyone was there, except for the representative from Southland Group. Joanna Kennedy stared at the napkin in front of her when she heard the door open.
A familiar yet unfamiliar male voice followed. "My apologies, everyone. I’m late."
He spoke apologetic words, but his tone held little actual apology.
Joanna Kennedy’s head snapped up. It wasn’t Simon Lockwood. It was the man who had led her to the door of Simon Lockwood’s office last time.
"Not late at all, not late at all! Special Assistant Warren, what brings you here in person? It’s just a small wrap party, we didn’t mean to trouble you..."
"Our Mr. Lockwood is busy with work and couldn’t make it, so he asked me to come in his stead. I hope you don’t mind." It was unclear who Special Assistant Warren was addressing as he offered the explanation.
The others immediately beamed. "Of course, we understand."
At the director’s eager invitation, Special Assistant Warren sat in the seat of honor, right next to Joanna Kennedy, who was looking down, not saying a word.
He maintained his plastered-on smile and imperceptibly scooted his chair a little further away.
’No kidding,’ he thought. ’If I accidentally bump into the future boss’s wife, I’ll be fired tomorrow for stepping into the office with my left foot first.’
He had become a special assistant not because of his outstanding work ability, but because... he was Simon Lockwood’s classmate.
Yes, the reason was just that simple and unadorned.
Jack Warren had met Simon Lockwood during his second year of studying abroad. At the time, Simon had just enrolled. The tall young man was unnaturally thin, and he had a lifeless air about him.
Normally, the two of them wouldn’t have been assigned to the same dorm room. But after less than a month as a freshman, Simon Lockwood skipped a grade to become a sophomore and moved into his room.
He then earned his degree in just two short years, earning him the nickname "the mysterious power from the East" among his classmates.
During their time as roommates, he discovered that Simon Lockwood truly wasn’t a talker. His cold demeanor wasn’t an act. Besides studying, it seemed nothing could capture his attention. For a long time, Jack Warren thought he had psychological problems.
Back then, he was still brave and fearless, and he had sincerely tried to persuade Simon Lockwood to see a therapist. Simon had only given him a cold glance. In the ensuing scuffle, Simon’s phone fell to the ground.
The screen showed a very beautiful and radiant girl with a high ponytail, smiling with uninhibited joy beneath a wall of roses.
