Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

A bodyguard stepped forward and opened the door. A wave of darkness and the smell of dust rushed out. Only a dim, yellow light emanated from the very back, and the faint sound of voices could be heard.

Joanna Kennedy’s pretty face was expressionless as she stepped inside, the villa’s main door closing behind her.

She walked past one dark room after another until she reached the end of the hallway. The door there was ajar, and she could hear heavy, pained groans mixed with a strange man’s vicious shout, "Stay fucking still for me!"

It was a study blanketed in dust, but its former splendor was still vaguely visible.

Inside the room, two tall, sturdy men in black stood guard. A man was tied to a chair, his eyes covered by a black blindfold. His hands and feet were bound tightly, and several messy footprints marred his black suit pants.

Joanna Kennedy pressed a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. The two men in black tactfully shut their mouths, swallowing the two words "Miss Kennedy."

The sound of the door opening, followed by the sudden silence, made the man tied to the chair turn his head to the side. He couldn’t see, of course, so he could only use his hearing to guess where the newcomer had moved.

’To be able to intercept me on the way down the mountain, and to know my exact departure time... it means the person behind this must have been at the birthday banquet.’

’The Jennings Group may be in decline, but as the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. No one would be stupid enough to cross me right now.’

’I’ve made plenty of enemies in the business world, but none of them would resort to tactics like these.’

’Then, who could it be?’

The events of the birthday banquet flashed through Charles Jennings’s mind. Only one person came to mind.

Sensing the person stop a short distance in front of him, Charles Jennings sneered and said, "And here I thought Mr. Lockwood was some noble and upstanding figure. Turns out... you’re nothing special after all."

His voice dripped with open mockery and disdain.

Joanna Kennedy was taken aback for a moment, then she was amused.

Listening to the confidence in the man’s tone, Joanna Kennedy was simply disgusted.

’Does he really think he’s so brilliant, some master strategist? What a joke.’

When the person before him didn’t speak, Charles Jennings assumed he had guessed correctly. The smile on his face grew more malicious. "Mr. Lockwood, kidnapping and intimidating others is against the law, you know?"

"Such a blatant disregard for the law... that doesn’t quite match Miss Kennedy’s impression of you."

’Hah, giving me a lecture on the law. And even using *me* to threaten Simon Lockwood. I don’t even know how to describe this mix of speechlessness and disgust.’

She unhurriedly took two more steps closer. The young woman’s light fragrance wafted to his nose, and the smile on Charles Jennings’s lips froze.

The next second, the girl’s voice sounded by his ear. "What, did your system not tell you who I am?"

It was as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head. The malicious smile on Charles Jennings’s face vanished completely.

After a long moment, as if accepting reality, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief. His tense body suddenly leaned back, and he chuckled lightly. "So you found out..."

He let out a sigh, his tone laced with a faint, unreadable emotion. "Joanna Kennedy... so clever."

The praise, so full of tenderness, was enough to make Joanna Kennedy thoroughly nauseous. She moved away from him in disgust and got straight to the point. "Talk. What exactly did you do to Simon Lockwood?"

"Didn’t you already figure out who I am? As for what I did, didn’t your system tell you?" Charles Jennings said deliberately.

"Hah," Joanna Kennedy sneered. "Don’t play dumb with me. I want a solution."

"Oh..." Charles Jennings nodded as if in sudden realization. "A solution..."

He said, "What a pity. No comment."

"Charles Jennings!" Joanna Kennedy was furious, her face flushed with anger. "Do you really think I don’t have the guts to touch you?!"

"Since I was able to have you brought here, I can also get rid of you without a trace!" Joanna Kennedy’s voice was cold as she mocked, "Did you think having a system made you invincible? As it turns out, your ’advanced’ system only knows how to use cheap tricks!"

The bodyguards were standing watch outside. Hearing the noise from within, one knocked on the door, concerned. "Miss Kennedy, do you need us to come in?"

Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. "It’s fine. Don’t come in."

In response to her threat, Charles Jennings just gave a faint, detached smile. He couldn’t see the girl’s expression through the black blindfold. ’Her pale cheeks must be flushed with anger,’ he thought. ’The corners of her eyes must be red, too, her almond eyes glaring furiously.’

Charles Jennings chuckled. "Joanna Kennedy, take off this thing covering my eyes. I’ll tell you what you want to know."

The cold look on Joanna Kennedy’s face hadn’t faded. At his words, she frowned, hesitated for a few seconds, then stepped forward and roughly ripped the black cloth from the man’s eyes.

It had been tied too tightly, and with her rough, forceful movement, a distinct red mark quickly appeared on Charles Jennings’s face.

Joanna Kennedy tossed the cloth aside, crossed her arms, and looked down at him. "Talk."

After being in darkness for so long, his eyes stung from the light. It took Charles Jennings a moment to adjust before he could open them. He saw the girl toss the blindfold away in disgust, and his gaze casually drifted to her.

’Under the dim yellow light, she looked even prettier. Her eyes were sparkling, and her condescending gaze made her look just like an arrogant kitten.’

He narrowed his eyes, his tone unreadable. "Come a little closer, and I’ll tell you."

Joanna Kennedy’s face turned cold. "Don’t try that with me. Just say it here."

’I was a fool before, completely oblivious to Charles Jennings’s disgusting feelings for me. It was only after that casual remark he made in the back garden of the Grant Estate that I suddenly woke up.’

’It feels like I’m being watched by a slimy viper, making my whole body recoil with a reflexive urge to vomit.’

The girl’s face was a mask of wary vigilance, her clear eyes filled with undisguised loathing...

Charles Jennings stared at her fixedly, then suddenly laughed. His eyes were dark and deep. Under the girl’s glare, he slowly began to speak.

Joanna Kennedy first froze, then she was seized by a furious rage. She was so angry she almost lunged forward to tear him apart.

’I can’t believe it. Charles Jennings actually repeated the same insulting words he’d said in the back garden.’

"Say that again if you have the guts." Joanna Kennedy’s face was cold as she stepped closer, deliberately taking off the bracelet on her wrist and putting it in her coat pocket.

The smile on Charles Jennings’s lips didn’t change. He narrowed his eyes, slowed his speech, and began to repeat himself. He was only halfway through when a crisp "SMACK!" echoed through the room. One could only imagine the force behind it.

The man’s head snapped to the side from the blow. Joanna Kennedy’s hand was numb, but her face remained cold. "Still want to say it?"

"I said you’re really—"

"SMACK!" Another merciless, crisp sound. Joanna Kennedy shook her hand, which was now aching and numb. "Keep talking."

The corner of the man’s mouth was bleeding from the blows, his once fair and gentle-looking face now badly swollen. But a strange glint flashed in his eyes, and he actually opened his mouth to continue.

Before he could spit out the disgusting words, Joanna Kennedy switched hands. "SMACK!" Another slap landed on top of the already swollen side of his face.

"Go on," Joanna Kennedy said coldly.

Charles Jennings slowly turned his head back, a trickle of blood running from his lips. He stared at her with an eerie gaze, as if the beatings had knocked something loose.

Joanna Kennedy only froze for a second, but he seized the opportunity to slowly open his mouth. "I said, you’re really asking to be fucked."