Chapter 267 - 266
’Who would end up with the "flower"?’ she wondered silently. After the final bid, the CEO of the gaming company fell silent, his face ashen.
’Do all stars make this much money now? So the rumors about those astronomical celebrity salaries were true, after all,’ many people wondered.
Even if they had the money, they wouldn’t have spent it on something like this. They never expected that the one to make the highest bid of the night would be a celebrity they all looked down on.
"Thirty-two million. Congratulations, Miss Kennedy, on your contribution to the charity foundation," Jasper Sinclair said.
After the banquet ended, Joanna Kennedy followed an attendant to a lounge to make the payment.
Joanna Kennedy went inside and saw the Blue Rose displayed in a glass box. She didn’t touch it, signing the check for the amount first.
A staff member handed the signed check to the man standing by the window.
"Mr. Sinclair, I’ll be taking this. Thank you." Joanna Kennedy closed the glass box and carefully picked it up.
Jasper Sinclair gave it a casual glance, then tore it in half right in front of Joanna Kennedy.
The ruined thirty-two-million-dollar check fluttered to the floor. Joanna Kennedy frowned. "Mr. Sinclair, what is the meaning of this? Don’t tell me you’re backing out of the deal?"
Joanna Kennedy hadn’t expected him to tear up the check. She wasn’t sure what Jasper Sinclair meant, but he gave her an answer the very next second.
"No need to be alarmed, Miss Kennedy. What you won is yours; there’s no reason to take it back. As for the money..." Jasper Sinclair paused, the corner of his lip curling up. "Consider it a little trinket for you. No charge."
An item worth tens of millions being called a "little trinket." If anyone else had heard that, they would have rolled their eyes to the back of their head. Only someone like Jasper Sinclair could say something so outrageous.
"I haven’t done anything to deserve this. Please, Mr. Sinclair, take the money." Joanna Kennedy’s frown deepened.
"’I haven’t done anything to deserve this...’" Jasper Sinclair repeated the phrase a few times, let out a soft chuckle, and stepped toward Joanna Kennedy.
He was half a head taller than her, but since Joanna Kennedy was wearing high heels today, the difference wasn’t that great.
A faint, fresh scent filled the air. Jasper Sinclair leaned closer, his voice low and strange. "Miss Kennedy, you’re about to earn it..."
They both knew exactly what "it" was. A cold glint flashed in Joanna Kennedy’s eyes. With a hint of a smile, she asked, "So, is this my commission from you, Mr. Sinclair?"
"You could see it that way." As if not detecting the sarcasm in her voice, Jasper Sinclair took a gentlemanly step back. "I hope you won’t disappoint me, Miss Kennedy."
The glass box in her hands suddenly felt heavier, pressing down on Joanna Kennedy’s heart.
On the way out, Howard Thorne chattered endlessly, telling her she shouldn’t have been so impulsive. She had finally saved up some money, and there was no need to spend it on something so flashy and impractical.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t respond, her grip on the glass box tightening. Back at the company, she changed out of her gown and into her own clothes.
As she was leaving the company building, she saw a man standing across the street.
It was 10 p.m., and the city was still bustling. The dim yellow light of a streetlamp shone down on the man, casting him in a filtered, golden glow.
Joanna Kennedy paused for so long that Howard Thorne followed her gaze. He, too, saw the man under the streetlamp—handsome, with an exceptional air about him.
An indescribable sense of crisis rose from deep within him. Howard Thorne instinctively stepped in front of Joanna Kennedy. "I’ll take you home."
Joanna Kennedy dodged his hand and lowered her eyes. "No need."
"What if he’s—"
"I know him," Joanna Kennedy said calmly, cutting off Howard Thorne’s worried words.
In her peripheral vision, the man under the streetlamp raised a hand, his fingers touching the hearing aid on his ear. Joanna Kennedy pulled her gaze back and repeated to Howard Thorne, "I know him."
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. Reluctantly, Howard Thorne turned and strode away, his back screaming "angry."
The girl across the street didn’t move. Simon Lockwood hesitated for a moment, then walked over, stopping a little over a meter away. He finally said the words he had been holding back for so long. "I’m sorry about the other day. I shouldn’t have lied to you. It won’t happen again."
"Can you... forgive me?"
The man clearly had little experience apologizing; his face was tense as he forced out the few short sentences.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t say whether she forgave him or not. Instead, she tilted her head and asked, "How did you know I was here?"
"Simon Lockwood, you’ve been following me." Joanna Kennedy’s tone turned cold.
She hadn’t been sure at first, but seeing the man’s jawline suddenly tighten, she understood everything.
"Why would you do that?"
She didn’t just leave. She asked for a reason, though it was more like she was fishing for an answer—the one she already suspected in her heart.
Simon Lockwood saw it, but he didn’t dare to be sure. He was silent for several seconds before his Adam’s apple bobbed sharply. "Because... I wanted to see you."
A simple, clear sentence meant to be taken literally. Because he wanted to see her, he couldn’t help but follow her. Because he wanted to see her, he came.
It was no different from what a stalker fan would do. Joanna Kennedy should have been angry, but the words that came out of her mouth were, "Did you drive here?"
Simon Lockwood’s eyes shot up, then quickly lowered again, gentle and harmless. "Yes..."
Once in the car, Joanna Kennedy leaned back, relaxed. After waiting for a long time without the man making a move, she spoke, her voice clear in the quiet car. "Why aren’t you buckling my seatbelt?"
...
Her calm words were like a drop of water hitting a hot pan of oil, setting off a violent sizzle.
An unknown amount of time passed before Simon Lockwood felt he could move his stiff body again. He turned sideways, almost reverently, avoiding any physical contact as he clumsily pulled the seatbelt across.
Fortunately, muscle memory took over. CLICK. The seatbelt was fastened. Inhaling the girl’s familiar, fresh scent, Simon Lockwood forced himself to sit back up. "It’s buckled..."
Joanna Kennedy said nothing, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.
The car drove to the Sinclair Gardens Parking Lot and came to a smooth stop. Joanna Kennedy still hadn’t woken up.
Simon Lockwood’s gaze fell on the girl’s face. Her bright, beautiful, almond-shaped eyes were gently closed, her lashes long and curled. Her full, red lips were slightly parted, as if waiting for a kiss.
In the dim light, every emotion was magnified. Knowing no one could see made him all the more audacious.
Simon Lockwood leaned in closer. He paused, holding back for a moment. When the girl didn’t react, he dared to gently press a kiss to the corner of her lips.
The moment he pulled back, he was caught off guard by her clear, dark eyes. They were wide awake, without a trace of drowsiness.
Simon Lockwood froze in place, his body turning cold inch by inch. He could already picture the look of "disgust" that would appear on her face in the next second.
But Joanna Kennedy just watched him quietly, her voice devoid of much emotion. "Simon Lockwood, you like me, don’t you."
It was a question, but her tone was certain.
Simon Lockwood’s hand, gripping the back of the seat, squeezed so hard his knuckles turned white. His chest felt constricted, as if he couldn’t breathe. "Yes..."