Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

"Ah... haha," Jack Warren forced a laugh in response.

This was clearly not the answer Simon Lockwood wanted. He frowned, his tone growing heavier. "These are all marks from Joanna Kennedy."

"I don’t like girly things at all," Simon Lockwood said.

"Ah, right, right, of course," Jack Warren said dismissively.

Simon Lockwood: "..."

"Your year-end bonus is cut in half," Simon Lockwood said, his voice ice-cold.

Jack Warren: "???"

Looking thoroughly "ravaged," Simon Lockwood swaggered into the company. In a rare move, he skipped the CEO’s private express elevator and took the employee elevator instead.

In just ten short minutes, the Southland Group employee group chat blew up.

Jack Warren’s phone buzzed nonstop. DING! DING! DING! He opened the app and saw 99+ messages in the group chat. His soul sank into silence.

Southland’s Front Desk Ornament: [Huge news! Huge news! Mr. Lockwood is at the office! AHHHHHH!!!!]

Southland’s 38th-in-Command: [The big boss came to the office. What’s the big deal? Tina, why are you fangirling?]

The receptionist, Tina, immediately replied: [It’s not like that!! Just wait till you see him!]

[The big boss is heading for the employee elevators. If you want a look, hurry! And pay close attention to his face and neck!!]

Her mysterious comment piqued everyone’s curiosity. The allure of good gossip makes people bold, so employees immediately started heading toward the elevators.

A few seconds later, the group chat was flooded with a solid wall of exclamation points.

[I must be seeing things... I must be...]

[What did you see? I saw... on the big boss’s face and neck... Okay, never mind, I must be seeing things too...]

Seriously!! Could someone please tell them what on earth the big boss had been through? That neck, that face, that bite mark on his chin...

Mind. Blown.

Everyone there was an adult; no one was naive enough to think those marks were from a brawl. Who fights by biting someone’s face and chin? This was clearly a sign of some lovers’ games—oh no, not just some, a LOT of games!

Collars, little toys, leaving hickeys on his cheeks... Tsk, tsk. The crowd’s expressions were a mixture of shock and awe. City folk sure are wild!

Mr. Lockwood’s partner must be a real wild one. A woman’s woman, an alpha female!

As expected of the woman who could tame Mr. Lockwood!

This future Mrs. Lockwood? They gave her their wholehearted approval!

Reading the wild speculation in the group chat, Jack Warren had gone completely numb. He took a long look at the man behind the black desk.

After a long moment, he couldn’t resist asking, "Mr. Lockwood, aren’t you afraid Miss Kennedy will be angry?"

His tone was indescribable. Simon Lockwood, who was now in a perfectly good mood, didn’t get angry. Without even looking up, he said unhurriedly, "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Jack Warren: "..." ’Psycho.’

After his silent jab, Jack Warren handed over a file. It detailed issues that had been submitted regarding road construction in the economic development zone.

Oakhaven was surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, which was the main reason the government had designated it as the first experimental zone. However, it was precisely because the area was so untouched that it posed significant challenges to the construction work.

Some roads were not only narrow but also had steep, rolling slopes. The decision was made to completely rebuild them, widening the roads further into the mountains. And because of that decision, an untapped coal mine was discovered, located smack-dab in the middle of the project.

After surveys by a team of experts, it was determined that there were likely many more such deposits in the vicinity.

"All work has come to a complete halt, with no plans to resume." Jack Warren’s expression grew serious as he spoke. "Mr. Lockwood, what do you think the higher-ups are planning?"

With Southland funding the project, any work stoppage meant a financial loss. Though the amount was negligible to Southland, nobody likes losing money.

"What else could they be planning?" Simon Lockwood closed the file, his voice devoid of emotion. "They’re just waiting for Southland to pull out voluntarily."

In the current climate, mineral resources are still a valuable commodity. It was tantamount to stumbling upon a massive, intangible asset. If the contract hadn’t been signed, the government could have openly reclaimed the mine, since all mineral resources are, after all, state property.

But the contract was already signed. All subsequent construction, as well as the preservation and excavation of the mine, required funding from Southland. If any problems were to arise later, Southland would be the primary party held responsible.

Coupled with the various restrictive clauses in the contract, it was clear the higher-ups had their own agenda.

They wanted someone to put up the money, do all the work, and assume all the risk, but they weren’t willing to give up a share of the profits. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Simon Lockwood’s voice was cool and detached. "Get the car ready. I’ll go there myself."

"Now?" Jack Warren asked, surprised. He subconsciously added, "Then what about Miss Kennedy?"

Meeting the man’s puzzled gaze, Jack Warren explained, "We don’t know what the situation is over there or when you’ll be back. Aren’t you going to take Miss Kennedy with you?"

Jack Warren had recently come to a conclusion: Simon Lockwood found it very difficult to be separated from Joanna Kennedy for any significant length of time. Even when she was filming a movie, he would visit the set from time to time, even if just to catch a glimpse of her from a distance.

This time, however, the man was silent for a moment before replying, his voice unreadable, "She has her own work to do. It’s a mess over there. If I get busy, I won’t have time to look after her."

Jack Warren nodded in understanding. "Should I go get your bags for you, then?"

"No need. I’ll go home and pack myself."

*

At the villa, Joanna Kennedy was leisurely catching up on sleep when she suddenly sneezed. The sound startled 166, her cat who was also napping nearby, making its fur stand on end.

"There, there, it’s okay..." Joanna Kennedy soothed the cat, though not very gently.

Having successfully annoyed 166 into leaving, Joanna Kennedy sneezed again. At the same time, she thought she heard the sound of a car.

She climbed out of bed and looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately threw on a jacket and ran downstairs.

The black Maybach had just come to a stop when the villa’s front door flew open. Simon Lockwood got out, and before he’d taken two steps, he saw the girl jogging toward him.

"Simon Lockwood!" Joanna Kennedy’s eyes sparkled. "You’re back so soon! Wait, you... you..."

Joanna Kennedy was stunned, staring at the man’s neck as if she’d seen a ghost. "Didn’t I cover that up for you?!"

’What happened?! Can someone please tell me what happened?! Is the foundation really that bad? That’s impossible! It’s a high-end brand!’

Simon Lockwood, who had just stretched out his arms for a hug: "..."

’He’d actually forgotten about that.’

Simon Lockwood silently retracted his arms. He subtly dodged the hand she was extending toward his neck and said, completely deadpan, "Maybe it just wore off after a while."

’It just... wore off?’

Seeing her unconvinced expression, Simon Lockwood unhurriedly delivered the killing blow: "You should use less of that stuff in the future. It’s clearly not very effective."

Joanna Kennedy: "..."

The same pressed powder that she needed makeup remover to get off had somehow become "ineffective" on Simon Lockwood. Joanna Kennedy was speechless with frustration.

And yet, looking at the obvious red mark on the man’s neck, she had no choice but to believe him.