Chapter 128 - 127
As soon as they got in the car, Anna Yates wouldn’t stop talking. "You beat up Charles Jennings?! Wait, how did he piss you off this time?!"
"I heard he’s been hospitalized! What on earth happened?!"
Anna Yates recalled what the bodyguard had said and was utterly stunned. ’Is my Jo really this violent?’
’Was this revenge for what happened all those years ago? No, she wouldn’t have waited this long to make a move. Charles Jennings must have done something else in the meantime to provoke Joanna.’
"He insulted me," Joanna Kennedy said, trotting out the same excuse again.
Anna Yates wasn’t sure if she believed her. Her eyes went wide, and after a good ten seconds, she snapped her jaw shut and said, "Good for you. I’ve wanted to punch him too..."
Seeing that she wasn’t going to press the issue, Joanna Kennedy breathed a sigh of relief. As the car turned toward Central Avenue, Joanna asked, confused, "Where are we going?"
"A friend is hosting a party. It’s all the well-known heirs and socialites from our circle," Anna Yates said. "You should come along, have some fun, and make some more friends."
In truth, she had another idea.
’Lately, she’d come to understand Simon Lockwood’s current standing in Aethelburg. He was a true business mogul, and a ruthless one at that.’
’And Joanna, that silly little pig, hadn’t wised up at all over the years. She was still hopelessly captivated by Simon Lockwood’s good looks, convinced he was the same boy he used to be, completely unchanged.’
’Anna was genuinely afraid that Simon Lockwood would snap one day, lock Joanna up at home like a canary in a gilded cage, and cut her off from the outside world.’
’I have to prevent that from happening,’ Anna Yates thought. ’Helping Joanna make more powerful and influential friends can’t be a bad thing.’
*
"The examination revealed an anomaly in the emotional center," the young, blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner said, his expression regretful. "It seems to have been caused by an external force, but we can’t determine what that force was. It’s very strange. Oh, Lockwood, please give me some time. I need to consult my professor, then I’ll get back to you."
Kenley Kim was a graduate student at a top university in Meridia, majoring in biopharmacy. He was three years ahead of Simon Lockwood. Southland provided fixed annual funding to Kenley Kim’s research institute.
"Thank you." Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t change, showing none of the disappointment or sadness Kenley Kim had expected.
’Such a quiet, reserved Eastern man,’ he thought. ’I have no idea how Heidi Kim fell for someone so cold.’
’In the Celestran language, the phrase is ’to secretly pledge one’s heart,’ isn’t it?’ Kenley Kim mused. He quickly checked his phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, yes. He’d remembered correctly.
"Until the results come in, why don’t you stay at my place, Lockwood? It’d be more convenient," Kenley Kim offered.
’The pavilion closest to the water gets the moon first,’ he mused. A new Celestran phrase he’d just learned.
’Oh, he was truly the best brother in the universe, willing to do whatever it took for his sister’s happiness. And he remembered that ’unscrupulous’ was a compliment, of course.’
However, the man politely but distantly refused, saying he had already booked a place to stay and didn’t want to impose.
Kenley Kim grit his teeth. "Well, we can at least have lunch together, right? Let me play the part of a proper host."
The offer having been made, refusing again would be too impolite. Simon Lockwood naturally understood this.
When the man nodded, Kenley Kim clapped his hands in delight and ran off to the side to call his dear sister.
’Opportunity knocks but once! Love itself is being served up on a silver platter! Sis, you have to seize this chance! This is as much as your big bro can do!’
*
In a large private room on the top floor of a bar, Joanna Kennedy’s right eyelid twitched twice without warning.
’As the saying goes, a twitching left eye brings wealth, a twitching right eye brings... Ugh, can’t be giving in to old superstitions.’
She gently rubbed her eyelid.
The private room was filled with dazzling lights, and smooth, relaxing pop music played in the background. In the center was a circular, transparent stage where several men and women in the bar’s uniform danced, swaying to the rhythm.
"What’s wrong? Your eye bothering you?" Paul Pemberton asked considerately. His voice was a little deeper than before, and his demeanor a bit more composed.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t look at him, her eyes still fixed on the stage. "It’s nothing," she replied.
’She hadn’t expected Paul Pemberton to be here. She’d heard that a few years ago, the Pemberton Family had been double-crossed by a business partner and had teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. They’d had to sell off many family assets just to keep the company afloat.’
’After that, Paul Pemberton had gone abroad to study and had only recently returned. Instead of taking over the family business, he’d chosen to pursue a career in politics.’
’This party was his doing—one last get-together before he took up his official post. Who knew when they would see him again after this? Politicians frequenting places like this could easily have it used against them.’
Joanna Kennedy had been quite surprised when she found out, and she couldn’t help but sigh at how unpredictable life was.
’The devil-may-care Young Master Pemberton, who used to bully men and prey on women, had now gloriously become a public servant.’
Most of the party-goers were the children of wealthy families. A few faces were familiar—people she’d seen with Paul Pemberton and Anna Yates in the past—but she didn’t know most of them well.
People gathered in small groups, chatting about investments, luxury cars, and business deals. Joanna Kennedy had no interest in any of it, nor did she understand it, so she just sat and watched the attractive dancers.
Paul Pemberton placed a fruit drink by her hand. "I remember you’re not much of a drinker. Have this instead."
Joanna Kennedy was a bit surprised, but since he was making a friendly gesture, she couldn’t just ignore it. "Thanks."
She picked up the juice and took a sip. It was sweet and sour, and very refreshing. She couldn’t resist taking another sip.
Paul Pemberton watched her and chuckled softly. "Jo, you’re still the same as always."
’Over so many years, all their friends had changed, and he had changed too. He’d assumed Joanna Kennedy would be different from the person he remembered, but to his surprise...’
Paul Pemberton gave another low chuckle. Then, a thought seemed to occur to him, and he asked, "Anna told me you’re back together with Simon Lockwood?"
"Yeah," Joanna Kennedy admitted openly.
Paul Pemberton took a sip of his wine, toying with the glass for a moment. Seeing her gaze fixed on the dancers with such fascination, he joked, "Should I request a few new dances for you?"
"No, thanks." Joanna Kennedy leaned back against the black sofa in a relaxed pose. "I’m heading home in a bit."
The room was noisy, and the thick smell of smoke and alcohol was making her head spin. Combined with how down she’d been feeling lately, she had no desire to stay any longer.
Paul Pemberton glanced at the time, surprised. "You’ve only been here half an hour. Leaving so soon? Does he control what time you have to be home?"
"...No." The corners of Joanna Kennedy’s lips straightened. Her gaze on the stage seemed to lose focus as she said quietly, "He’s on a business trip. He’s not in Aethelburg."
’Even if the Simon Lockwood of today were in Aethelburg, he’d probably just give her a lukewarm ’be safe’ and nothing more. He certainly wouldn’t care what time she got home.’
’Just a dutifully considerate boyfriend.’
"Back then... why did you two break up?"
Paul Pemberton didn’t know the full story. He’d only heard a passing mention that Simon Lockwood had gone abroad to study and Joanna Kennedy had disappeared.
Paul Pemberton had tried to find Joanna Kennedy, but with no success. Then his family’s troubles started, and he was forced to go abroad for school.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t answer. She finished her juice, and as she stood up, her head felt a little dizzy. At that moment, the phone in her pocket started to vibrate.