Chapter 226 - 225:
A half-sweet latte with extra milk was what Joanna Kennedy had ordered on a whim, but she hadn’t managed a single sip. Thomas Warren tsked. "They’re so slow with the coffee. They deserve a bad review."
The waiter: "..." ’What did I do to deserve this?’
Once on the plane, Walter Young and Julie were in their seats catching up on sleep, but Joanna Kennedy couldn’t seem to drift off. She felt inexplicably restless.
’What did Thomas Warren mean by that? Was he intentionally bad-mouthing Shirley Shepherd in front of me?’ Joanna Kennedy couldn’t make sense of it and decided to just drop it. ’We probably won’t cross paths much in the future. No need to stress over it.’
Thinking this, she began to relax. The exhaustion from waking up so early finally caught up with her. She yawned, slipped on an eye mask, and began to catch up on her sleep.
She had woken up early to begin with, and adding jet lag to the mix, she was completely out once she fell asleep. It was the sound of the in-flight announcement that finally managed to stir her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our flight is now on final approach. Please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. We will be dimming the cabin lights. Thank you! Ladies..."
’Are we here already?’
Joanna Kennedy groggily patted her cheeks and checked the time on her phone. The better part of the day was already gone. She had actually slept for more than five hours...
"Jojo, are you hungry?" Julie asked with concern the moment she saw her wake up. "You were sleeping so soundly. We tried to wake you up to eat, but you wouldn’t budge..."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
No wonder her stomach felt so uncomfortably empty. Taking the small bread roll Julie handed her, Joanna Kennedy polished it off in two bites.
But it was no use. If anything, it only made her hungrier. Which is why, the moment she saw the man sitting inside the black Maybach, Joanna Kennedy completely forgot her composure and lunged for him.
Joanna Kennedy’s lunge was so dramatic that Simon Lockwood’s heart clenched. His hand shot up instinctively to shield her head and prevent her from bumping it against the roof of the car. But when he met her wide, sparkling eyes, the scolding he had prepared got stuck in his throat. A bit helplessly, he said, "Close the car door..."
People were passing by outside; a few curious individuals slowed their steps.
Joanna Kennedy obediently shut the car door, then immediately dove back into Simon Lockwood’s embrace, her sparkling almond eyes gazing up at him.
The car windows insulated them from the outside world, creating a quiet space filled only with the sound of Joanna’s heart, still racing from her sprint.
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP... Her heartbeat seemed to knock his own out of rhythm. The image of her eagerly rushing toward him just moments ago made Simon Lockwood’s heart melt, but there was also an indescribable ache...
’So impulsive, just like a little kid.’
He felt his throat go strangely dry. He leaned in, his voice hoarse, "Joann—"
He’d barely gotten a word out before she cut him off.
The girl’s voice rang out, crisp and clear, "Simon Lockwood, I’m starving! I didn’t even get to eat lunch!"
Simon Lockwood: "..."
Her tone was sullen and whiny, full of the misery of an empty stomach. ’Right,’ he thought. ’Of all the things in the world, food is the most important.’
Any romantic notions Simon Lockwood might have had vanished in an instant. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Didn’t the airline serve lunch?"
"I don’t know..." Joanna Kennedy pouted. "Maybe they did, but I was asleep so I wouldn’t know..."
Simon Lockwood: "..."
"What do you want to eat?" Simon Lockwood asked, sounding resigned. He gave her soft, fair cheek a squeeze and frowned. "You haven’t been eating well these last couple of days, have you?"
’They don’t feel as nice to pinch as they used to.’
Joanna Kennedy looked a bit guilty and mumbled, "I have a Celestria stomach, you know..."
’A "Celestria stomach," right. Funny, that wasn’t an issue when we were having steak and hamburgers.’
Twenty minutes later, they arrived home. The moment she walked through the door, Joanna Kennedy flopped onto the sofa without a care for her appearance, her suitcase standing forlornly beside her.
Simon Lockwood matter-of-factly arranged both their pairs of shoes, carried the suitcase upstairs, and had already changed into comfortable clothes by the time he came down.
On the sofa, the girl was lying facedown, perfectly still. Her position had caused the hem of her dress to ride up her thighs, exposing her long, slender, pale legs.
Simon Lockwood, however, just frowned. Even with the heat on in the villa, she could easily catch a cold dressed like that in this weather.
A sudden pinch on her thigh made Joanna Kennedy bolt upright as if she’d been zapped. "What do you think you’re doing?!" she snapped.
The man’s grip hadn’t been too hard or too soft—it wasn’t painful—but a tingling numbness lingered on her thigh. Joanna Kennedy’s face was flushed and burning with embarrassment. "Simon Lockwood, you... you’re being a pervert!"
Unfazed by her furious accusation, Simon Lockwood placed a pack of soda crackers and a mug of hot chocolate on the table. "Eat this for now. I’ll go make dinner."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
Joanna Kennedy looked at the fragrant treats on the table, then at the man’s back as he walked toward the kitchen. Her brain hiccuped. ’Is this supposed to be my compensation?!’
’Hmph. He takes liberties with me and this is all I get? A few snacks? He didn’t even give me a pack of spicy strips. So insincere.’
Joanna Kennedy took a resentful bite of a soda cracker and washed it down with a large gulp of hot chocolate. Her empty stomach finally grew warm, and the painful ache began to subside.
The sound of a knife on a cutting board drifted from the kitchen. Joanna Kennedy set aside the soda cracker she’d only half-eaten, having lost her appetite for it, and headed for the balcony.
The housekeeper had filled the food and water bowls before leaving for the day. At that moment, little kitty 166 was leisurely munching on its kibble. After a few bites, it would flop over and sprawl out belly-up on the heated floor.
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
’Living the good life, I see.’ Joanna Kennedy felt a pang of jealousy. [All you do is eat! Just look how much weight you’ve put on! What she-cat is ever going to want you?!]
rolled over, its tail swishing back and forth. [Oh? And if Simon Lockwood got fat, you’d dump him?]
Joanna Kennedy: [............]
166, contemptuously: [Hmph. Superficial humans.]
At this faint mockery, Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath. ’A good person doesn’t stoop to fighting with a bad cat. A good person doesn’t stoop to fighting with a bad cat. A good person doesn’t stoop to fighting with a bad cat...’
After chanting it in her head three times, Joanna Kennedy just about managed to calm down and stopped herself from committing any acts of feline abuse. Her tone grew serious. [About that thing I told you about last time... did you find anything out?]
Joanna Kennedy hadn’t forgotten. During her kidnapping by Charles Jennings, she’d seen a flickering, shadowy figure in the room. From what Charles Jennings had implied, that figure was his system.
As soon as she got back, she had told 166. She could still remember its reaction—its tail had fluffed up in shock. [I-i-it upgraded?!]
[Impossible! How could it have upgraded? And even if it did, there’s no way it could be this fast...] 166 said, its tone full of disbelief.
To be able to manifest a shadow meant it wasn’t far from taking human form. An advanced-level system... How was that possible...?
Although Joanna Kennedy didn’t understand the rules governing systems, 166’s reaction told her this was far more serious than she’d imagined. So she also told it about Charles Jennings transferring the "protagonist’s energy" to her.
166: [.........]
166: [??!!!]