Chapter 254 - 253
The road was narrow, and the packed-down snow made it a bit slippery. Joanna Kennedy didn’t dare drive too fast, and it took her over twenty minutes to get to the hotel. She parked the car, then turned to call to Anna Yates in the back seat, "Anna, we’re here. Go up to the room and get some sleep."
Anna Yates must have just fallen asleep. Hearing her, she waved a hand, her voice thick with sleepiness, "Jo, you head back first. I’ll go back to the room by myself in a bit."
"Don’t fall asleep again. It’s easy to catch a cold sleeping in the car," Joanna said disapprovingly.
Anna Yates laughed and gave a lazy stretch. "Who have you been learning from? You’re getting more and more long-winded. Alright, alright, I won’t sleep. I’ll just rest a bit then go up. You go back first."
"Alright then, but be quick about it, okay?" Joanna said. "Get a good rest tonight. I’ll take you out to have some fun tomorrow."
"Okay," Anna Yates replied with a smile.
Joanna got out of the car and headed back to the hotel. Sitting in the back seat, Anna Yates watched Joanna’s back gradually disappear from sight. The smile on Anna’s face slowly faded.
’Time flies. She and Joanna had known each other for so many years now.’
’Joanna had changed a lot. She was no longer the arrogant and domineering Miss Kennedy from their childhood, nor the down-and-out young heiress from high school who was friendly on the surface but cold at heart.’
’Joanna was bright and gentle, never hesitating to show warmth and kindness.’
’I don’t want to lose such a good friend,’ Anna Yates thought. ’I have to save Joanna, even if she ends up hating me for it.’
*
The door CLICKED open. As soon as Joanna walked inside, her eyes met those of the man sitting on the sofa.
Simon Lockwood’s face was unnaturally pale, and his lips were colorless. Joanna hurried over and placed her hand on his forehead.
The skin under her palm wasn’t too hot. She let out a sigh of relief. "Did you take any cold medicine?"
Simon Lockwood nodded. He nuzzled his forehead against her palm and, with downcast eyes, whispered, "I did..."
When a steady and aloof person shows weakness, the effect is as devastating as a nuclear weapon. Joanna felt as if someone had given her heart a gentle squeeze, making it go completely soft. She said, "I’ll go get you some hot water. Drink it and go to sleep."
She poured warm water into a glass cup and placed it in his hands. Joanna then crouched down, tilting her face up to say, "Don’t give me your down jacket again tomorrow. I’m not cold. If I’m really cold, I’ll just wear Anna’s extra clothes."
Before Simon could refuse, Joanna softened her voice, "Simon, please don’t get sick again..."
"..........."
Her voice, filled with heartache and worry, echoed in his ears. After a long moment, Simon slowly replied, "Okay..."
’My body isn’t my own; it belongs to Joanna.’
Colds are contagious, so Simon had originally planned to sleep on the sofa, but Joanna flatly refused. She said there was no way she was letting a sick person sleep on the sofa; if anyone was going to, it would be her.
Naturally, Simon disagreed. The two were at a stalemate, and in the end, they slept on the same bed. In the middle of the king-sized bed, Simon’s down jacket took up the space of one person.
The scene was a little ridiculous. Joanna couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh and posed a profound question: "Simon, why don’t we just get another room?"
"Is it because you’re out of money?" Joanna teased.
In the darkness, from across the down jacket, he could see her bright, smiling eyes. Simon felt as if he could even smell the warm, fresh scent coming from her. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently. He closed his eyes as if suppressing some desire and said in a low voice, "Yeah, I’m out of money..."
"Can Joanie give me a little money?" Simon went along with it, his voice low and deep, and incredibly pleasant to hear.
Hearing such a shameless request come from the man’s mouth, Joanna felt a strange sense of vanity being thoroughly satisfied. She wanted to transfer the money to him right away, but she held back with a couple of coughs and said with mock seriousness, "Then you’ll have to beg me."
She was just joking and didn’t actually want to hear Simon beg. After waiting for a moment and hearing nothing,
she closed her eyes, ready to sleep. Just then, she heard the man let out a soft chuckle. In the quiet space, his voice was low. "Joanie, I’m begging you..."
........
..........
Because he was sick, the man’s voice was huskier than usual. Joanna felt as if fireworks were CRACKLING and POPPING in her brain, leaving her dizzy as her heart began to THUMP-THUMP wildly, out of her control.
’Damn... that’s just playing dirty...’
She silently rolled over, burying her burning face in the blankets. After a moment, she mumbled, "I’ll transfer you the money tomorrow."
"Joanie is so amazing," Simon said slowly. "Thank you, Joanie."
Joanna: ’Hehe.’
*
「The next morning.」
When Joanna woke up, Simon had just returned with breakfast. He set it on the table and said, "Go wash up, then come eat."
"Oh, okay..." Joanna yawned, shuffling slowly toward the bathroom. After washing up with her eyes half-closed, she sat down on a stool, and the first thing she said was, "Is your cold any better?"
"Yeah, much better," Simon said.
Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again and began to eat quietly. A peeled egg appeared on her plate, and she happily picked it up and ate it.
"Simon, I’m going to transfer the money to you in a bit!" Joanna’s voice was clear and resolute.
’What a silly girl.’
A smile touched the corners of Simon’s lips, but his tone remained unchanged. "Don’t be ridiculous."
"I’m not being ridiculous," Joanna said, deadpan. "You’ve given me so many things, I want to give you something too."
Joanna said, "But I don’t know what to get you. After all, you don’t lack for anything. So I’ll just give you money. You can buy whatever you want. And don’t you dare try to save money for my sake!"
’These words were so generous and grand, she was getting a thrill just saying them. She finally understood why so many domineering CEOs in novels liked being sugar daddies.’
’It’s just too damn satisfying!’
’Being Simon’s sugar mommy? Hehe, how exciting. I like it.’
"I’ll transfer it to you right now." Joanna eagerly pulled out her phone, her eyes sparkling with a smug little look.
Simon sighed helplessly and took her hand in his. His voice was clear. "You’ve already given me a gift in return."
Meeting her confused gaze, he pointed to the scarf still wrapped around his neck. "This... is perfect."
"There’s no better gift than this," Simon said.
The man’s tone was serious, his dark eyes reflecting her image, as if his heart and his gaze were filled with nothing but her.
Joanna couldn’t quite handle his scorching gaze. Her eyes darted away as she mumbled under her breath, "That doesn’t count..."
Simon wasn’t able to stop her, and in the end, she still transferred him the money. However, due to transfer limits, she couldn’t send much, which greatly disappointed Joanna.
After he finished eating and cleared the table, it was time for Simon to head to the construction site. The dark gray scarf paired with his down jacket made him look very elegant and refined. Suddenly, Joanna felt reluctant to see him go. She grabbed his fingers. "Simon, come back early..."
Her pleading expression was too endearing. Mindful of his cold, Simon only pressed a light kiss to her forehead, his voice deep. "Okay. I will."