Chapter 117 - 116
The CHOP CHOP CHOP of a knife cutting vegetables echoed from the spacious, bright kitchen.
To make scrambled eggs with tomato, you first had to scramble the eggs, then add the tomatoes for a quick stir-fry. Once they were evenly mixed, you added the final seasonings.
Joanna looked at her finished product with satisfaction. ’Mmm, this looks delicious.’
An old duck soup was simmering over a low flame, and multigrain rice was steaming in the pressure cooker. Just two more dishes would be enough.
Eating lotus root was good for you this time of year. She took out a lotus root to wash in the sink, but she was only halfway through when the doorbell rang.
’It’s only been a few minutes since I texted Simon Lockwood. Is he back already?’
In the few seconds it took her to get to the door, the doorbell kept ringing, as if it wouldn’t stop until the door was opened.
’Who is it? So annoying.’
The moment the door opened, the man spoke without even looking up, his words coming out naturally: "Ma’am, is there anything to eat? Could you give me some? I—"
His gaze traveled up a pair of slender, fair calves. Sean Grant slowly raised his head, and his eyes widened. "You, you, you! What are you doing here?!"
Joanna looked like she had just gotten out of the shower, dressed in simple, loose-fitting loungewear. She looked as if she had been living here for years.
’They’re living together already?!’ Sean Grant was stunned. ’Then what was the point of tricking Joanna into moving into the apartment in the first place?!’
Joanna hadn’t expected to see Sean Grant either. Remembering he was her boss, she had been about to politely invite him in,
but seeing the dazed, ’Who am I? Where am I?’ expression on his goofball face, she couldn’t maintain her fake smile. She rolled her eyes. "The housekeeper is off today. There are snacks I bought on the table and cake in the fridge. Get it yourself if you want some."
"Oh, oh, thanks," Sean Grant said, his mouth moving faster than his brain. As he came to his senses, he saw the girl walking toward the kitchen.
He immediately followed her. "Hey, are you really living with Simon Lockwood?"
"First, my name isn’t ’Hey,’" Joanna said, placing the washed lotus root on the cutting board. She added deliberately, "Second, why should I tell you?"
Sean Grant: "..."
That familiar, snappy attitude... she and a certain someone were truly cut from the same cloth.
He huffed. "Fine, don’t tell me. It’s not like I wanted to know anyway."
Joanna ignored him, giving him a thumbs-up with her back turned.
It was the most dismissive gesture possible.
Sean Grant: "..."
"Boss Grant, what are you even here for?" Joanna asked him.
Sean Grant crossed his arms, striking a pose and mimicking her words: "Why should I tell you?"
"Oh." Joanna’s face was a mask of indifference.
Sean Grant: "..."
After waiting a moment and seeing that Joanna really wasn’t going to ask again, he grew impatient. He cleared his throat twice and said, "It’s my grandfather’s birthday the day after tomorrow. I came to give Simon an invitation."
As he spoke, he pulled a red, gilt-edged invitation from his pocket. In a proud, haughty tone, he said, "You can come along with Simon."
Joanna wasn’t falling for it. "You didn’t invite me. I’m not going."
Sean Grant: "..."
His eyes darted around. Spotting a black felt-tip pen on the TV stand, he opened the invitation, added the name "Joanna Kennedy" after "Simon Lockwood," and shoved it in front of her. "There, happy now? Why are you so petty? I’m your boss!"
"Alright, alright." Joanna looked at the two scrawled words he’d added and couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Sean Grant’s glare, she adopted a more serious tone. "I’ll be sure to pick out a nice gift. Thank you, Boss Grant."
Only then did Sean Grant nod in satisfaction.
Joanna was genuinely puzzled. How did a proper young master from a prestigious family, who was always acting like such a goofball, end up being friends with Simon Lockwood?
But she didn’t dare ask, afraid Sean Grant would go nuts again.
Joanna was quite a skillful cook. Sean Grant glanced at the time and announced he was staying for dinner. As if afraid Joanna would refuse, he immediately left the kitchen and headed for the living room.
On the living room table was a grocery bag filled with all sorts of snacks. The refrigerator was also packed with food—cake, and colorful drinks.
The warm, yellow glow of the setting sun streamed in through the open balcony. A little white cat was fast asleep, its belly exposed. The aroma of stir-frying food occasionally drifted from the kitchen.
The whole place was filled with the warm, normal scent of life.
For a moment, a complicated expression crossed Sean Grant’s face. He almost suspected he had come to the wrong place.
Joanna finally finished the last dish, a simple stir-fried vegetable, when she heard a cat meowing from the living room.
She went out to look and saw that goofball, Sean Grant, lying on the floor, burying his entire face in the little cat’s belly and rubbing it back and forth, as if he were huffing it.
The "victim," 166, struggled furiously, but its enemy was too powerful. It was fated only to be tormented.
[’Stupid human! Joanna! Get this person away from me!’] 166’s furious roar echoed in her mind.
Joanna: "..."
She slapped her forehead in exasperation and turned to leave. She really didn’t want to interact with someone who was constantly going nuts.
Behind her, 166’s cries grew even more "agonized."
Worried the food would get cold, Joanna decided to bring it to the table later. She sent another text, asking Simon Lockwood where he was.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, she still hadn’t received a reply.
’Simon must be busy,’ she thought.
At 6:10, the sound of a car was heard in the villa’s courtyard.
Joanna’s eyes lit up. She jogged outside and, before even seeing him get out of the car, began to complain playfully, "Simon Lockwood, you’re so slow..."
The car door opened, and the first thing she saw was a pair of long, powerful male legs.
"..."
’Tsk tsk, legs a mile long and so powerful. That’s my boyfriend!’
After admiring them to her heart’s content, Joanna lifted her face, about to brag about all the dishes she’d made, only to meet the man’s cold, emotionless dark eyes.
Joanna froze for a second, then subconsciously asked, "What’s wrong?"
The girl’s tone was a little puzzled. As she stared at him, her beautiful, clear eyes were filled with obvious dependence and trust.
’Her name is Joanna Kennedy. She is the one I love,’ Simon Lockwood told himself silently.
Countless images of his time with her flashed through his mind, each scene remembered with perfect clarity: falling in love, separating, reuniting...
He was a part of it all, and yet he felt like an outsider, with no emotional ripple within him.
’I know this isn’t normal,’ he thought.
Simon Lockwood lowered his gaze, not answering the girl’s question. His voice was cool and detached. "Let’s go inside."
Only after Simon Lockwood had walked past her did Joanna snap back to reality. She frowned and followed him inside.
"Simon, you’re finally back! If you took any longer, I was going to eat all the food your Joanie made, and then you—"
Sean Grant’s joking words died in his throat when he saw the indifference on the man’s face and the silent girl behind him.
’Did... they have a fight?’
He shot a meaningful look at Joanna, but she just shook her head, indicating she had no idea what was happening either.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was strange. Sean Grant couldn’t stand it and was starting to regret his decision to stay for a free meal.