Chapter 112 - 111
’He just walks off after saying half a sentence, deliberately leaving her hanging. He wants her to be the one to go and explain things.’
’It’s the same thing every time. Why can’t he just ask directly? He always has to put on this little show.’
’Simon Lockwood must have known all along. He just watched her get all flustered and didn’t call her out, teasing her like some little kitten or puppy.’
’Back in the day, Simon Lockwood used to dote on her so much and listen to everything she said.’
Joanna Kennedy made up her mind. This time, she absolutely could not let Simon Lockwood lead her by the nose again. She was determined to reclaim her sovereignty.
She stubbornly sat in the living room, watching TV. The sofa was soft and plush, and the temperature was just right. Lulled by the sound of the characters’ voices from the television, she curled up and drifted off to sleep.
As she slept, her slender legs were slightly curled, and her face was flushed. Her long, curly eyelashes cast curved shadows beneath her eyes, making her look inexplicably quiet and docile.
Simon Lockwood came downstairs to this exact scene. He unconsciously lightened his steps as he walked over and turned off the TV. The living room fell silent, save for the sound of the girl’s soft breathing.
’A beautiful and proud little peacock.’
Simon Lockwood stared for a few seconds before letting out a silent chuckle. He bent down and gently tapped the tip of her nose with his finger.
The sleeping Joanna Kennedy seemed to sense it and wrinkled her nose. Simon Lockwood tapped it again. The girl’s eyelashes trembled, but her eyes remained closed.
Simon Lockwood watched her trembling eyelashes for two seconds, then suddenly bent down, scooped her up by the waist with one arm, and gave the soft flesh under his fingers a subtle squeeze.
Startled by the sudden feeling of weightlessness, Joanna Kennedy quickly threw her arms around the man’s neck to keep from falling. Unable to keep up the pretense of being asleep, she exclaimed in a low voice, "Simon Lockwood!"
"Hmm?" The man drew out the sound, his tone inexplicably flirtatious. "What’s wrong?"
"Why did you suddenly pick me up!" Joanna Kennedy demanded, smacking him angrily on the shoulder.
Simon Lockwood furrowed his brow, feigning innocence. "I thought you were asleep."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
’She was just asleep, not dead! He’d woken her up the first time he touched her, okay?!’
’But she couldn’t just say that, or she’d be giving herself away.’
Joanna Kennedy felt utterly wronged. "Put me... OW!"
Before she could finish, he squeezed her waist again. It was a sharp, tingling pain that made her cry out. The man, however, just casually bounced her in his arms and said deliberately, "You’ve gotten heavier."
Joanna Kennedy: "!?"
’She had just weighed herself two days ago and had even lost four pounds! Simon Lockwood was taking advantage of her, and now he dared to complain?!’
This was unbelievable. Joanna Kennedy snorted. "Too weak? Then you should work out more."
Simon Lockwood didn’t get angry. He just raised an eyebrow, moved his large hand down a couple of inches, and gave her soft, full backside a couple of firm pats. "Alright. More practice it is."
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
Joanna Kennedy gave up.
While things were all quiet and peaceful on their end, the internet was in an uproar. What began as wild speculation had escalated to people slowing down footage and doing frame-by-frame analyses of the celebrities’ expressions.
[I swear on my dog’s life, there’s something fishy about Wendy Campbell’s award. When she won, the audience paused for several seconds before they started clapping!]
[Agreed. I thought something was weird when I was watching it live.]
The comment thread grew long with replies, all speculating about Wendy Campbell’s expression. But then, a new wave of netizens suddenly appeared.
[I think Joanna Kennedy’s award is the suspicious one. She debuted two years ago, how can she still win Best Newcomer??]
[Right? It feels like this award was just handed to her. And has anyone else noticed she’s been getting amazing opportunities lately?]
[She must have a powerful backer. Both Shirley Shepherd and Brian Lynch are going out of their way to be friendly with her. That backer must be a big deal.]
As more comments like this appeared, some netizens were inevitably swayed, and they couldn’t help but recall her previous appearances on the trending charts.
[Right, right, right! And she’s always trying to outshine everyone. She’s clearly playing a supporting role, so she should just be a good foil for the lead actress. But no, she has to step all over her. I’ve never seen anything like it.]
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. When you put it that way, you have to feel bad for any lead actress who works with Joanna Kennedy. They get their popularity leeched off of for no reason and then get put down. My heart goes out to them.]
A small number of Joanna’s Fans tried to argue back, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the endless flood of malicious comments.
In an elegantly decorated apartment, the glow of a computer screen illuminated a young woman’s delicate face.
Serena Sutton watched the comments, an unconcealed smile playing on her lips. Things were developing even more smoothly than she had imagined.
She carefully selected a few photos from her album and sent them to a certain marketing agency.
A few seconds later, a reply came back.
[XX Media]: Sorry, we can’t post these.
Serena Sutton frowned. "Why?"
[XX Media]: We can use our troll army to fan the flames, but we really don’t dare to post those photos. Fullstar is backed by the Southland Group, and we absolutely cannot afford to offend them.
Serena Sutton’s expression soured as she closed the chat window and vigilantly deleted the conversation history.
Her phone rang. When she saw the contact name on the screen, a flash of panic crossed her eyes. She suddenly regretted contacting the marketing agency.
She answered the call, trying her best to sound as normal as usual. "Char—" she began with a smile.
"I told you not to do anything unnecessary."
The man’s voice on the other end cut her off, his tone more serious than usual.
Serena Sutton immediately sounded aggrieved. "Charles, you said you would help me, but you still haven’t told me what your plan is. I just feel so insecure..."
The man on the other end was silent for a while before saying something. Serena Sutton’s face stiffened for a moment, her eyes filling with terror. "...Do we really have to do that? I thought if Joanna Kennedy just gave up on her own, then..."
"Joanna Kennedy already gave up once. You knew that, didn’t you?" Charles Jennings said, cruelly shattering her naive fantasy.
"If you want Simon Lockwood to fall in love with you, you have to target Simon Lockwood himself."
"..."
Serena Sutton bit her lip. Images she had once dreamed of flashed through her mind again—that spectacular seaside wedding that had stunned the world.
After a long silence, she said submissively, "I understand."
*
In the bedroom, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Simon Lockwood saw the trending topic that Sean Grant had shared with him, and his brows furrowed deeply.
"Not sure who started this narrative, but I’ve already got the PR team on it," Sean Grant said over the phone.
Simon Lockwood grunted in acknowledgment, his brow still tightly furrowed. His gaze instinctively fell on the award Joanna Kennedy had placed on the table, and his heart sank. "Go investigate what’s really going on with Joanna Kennedy’s Best Newcomer Award."
Sean Grant: "?"
Sean Grant was surprised. "What’s wrong? Fullstar didn’t buy an award for Joanna, did it? You suspect there was foul play?"
He’d said it with a laugh, but Simon Lockwood’s tone was serious and cold. "Yes."
Sean Grant: "...?"
"Alright, alright, I’ll look into it," Sean Grant said, resigned.
The call ended, but for a long while, the dark look in Simon Lockwood’s eyes did not fade.