Chapter 157 - 156: Stealing Home
"I want to eat..." Joanna Kennedy lifted her small face and looked at him pitifully.
Simon Lockwood knew exactly what she was up to. His expression didn’t change. "Get up. Get dressed."
Only then did Joanna Kennedy realize she was just in a nightgown, and her face flushed. "Then... turn around..."
This time, Simon Lockwood didn’t tease her. He turned his back and only turned around again when Joanna Kennedy said, "Okay."
When he saw Joanna Kennedy was wearing a black sweatshirt, he frowned. "It’s cold outside. Put on a jacket."
Joanna Kennedy was still a girl who cared about her appearance. She pouted at his words. "No."
A jacket over a sweatshirt? ’I’d look puffy as a ball. So ugly.’
"Hot pot," Simon Lockwood said unhurriedly, deploying his secret weapon.
Sure enough, at the sound of those two words, Joanna Kennedy’s eyes lit up. She immediately dug out a jacket and put it on.
The bathroom space in the room was a bit small. After Joanna Kennedy managed to wash up, she eagerly grabbed Simon Lockwood’s hand and pulled him out the door.
Just as they stepped out, they ran into Valentine and Vivian Bishop, who were also coming out of their room.
"What a coincidence," Joanna Kennedy said with a smile.
"Joanna," Valentine greeted her enthusiastically. Her gaze then shifted to the man beside her, and she said nervously, "Mr. Lockwood..."
Valentine hadn’t slept well all night, worried that Mr. Lockwood would hold a grudge against her. After all, Joanna Kennedy had only gotten hurt because she was saving her.
Simon Lockwood gave a polite, distant nod, showing no other emotion. Valentine breathed a sigh of relief.
Vivian Bishop’s eyes lingered on their intertwined fingers before she snapped out of it and also offered a polite greeting.
As they walked downstairs, Vivian Bishop trailed behind, noticing the focused look in the man’s eyes as he gazed at the girl. Her feelings were complicated.
’This seems different from what I thought. His attitude toward Joanna Kennedy isn’t like he’s treating a mistress... it’s more like a lover in the throes of passion...’
Downstairs, there were so many people that two tables had been set up. The hot pot base was stir-fried in an induction cooker, releasing its fragrance, before bone broth was poured in to simmer. Before long, the entire hall was filled with a rich, savory aroma that made one’s mouth water.
Eating hot pot first thing in the morning—it was absolutely epic.
A four-sectioned pot sat in the center of the table: one with clear broth, one with spicy red chili oil, one with a tomato base, and another with a pork-stomach-and-chicken broth.
Both tables were laden with prepared ingredients, along with two platters of large, steaming meat buns.
Joanna Kennedy pulled Simon Lockwood to a seat, and only then did the others dare to sit down. They were all a bit reserved, staring at the feast before them, but no one dared to pick up their chopsticks. It wasn’t until they saw Simon Lockwood pick up a meat bun out of the corner of their eyes that everyone else dared to start eating.
Joanna Kennedy couldn’t wait. She used the serving chopsticks to dip some lamb rolls into the pot. A meat bun appeared in her bowl, and she naturally picked it up and took a bite.
Halfway through the bun, a bowl of steamed egg custard appeared before her. Simon Lockwood’s voice was soft. "Have some of this first, or your stomach won’t be able to handle it."
He knew that when Joanna Kennedy ate hot pot, she only ate from the spicy pot and the pork stomach from the pork-stomach-and-chicken broth.
The way Simon Lockwood doted on Joanna Kennedy, acting as if no one else was there, was frankly terrifying to watch. The director, holding a glass of wine, didn’t dare to go over and propose a toast. He just mumbled a few pleasantries before lowering his head and eating in silence.
Owen Jennings and Vivian Bishop were lost in their own thoughts, unable to taste their food. Valentine also did her best to make herself invisible.
The other crew members at the table also ate reservedly, but inwardly, they were thrilled. After all, getting to eat at the same table as the President of Southland Group was a story they could brag about for the rest of their lives.
The other table, however, free from Simon Lockwood’s intense, oppressive presence, was much more lively.
During the meal, everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Only Joanna Kennedy was having a blast, devouring lamb rolls and shrimp paste one after another. When she fished out some duck intestine she didn’t like, her eyes darted around before she placed it in Simon Lockwood’s bowl, saying sweetly, "Don’t you just love this? Go on, eat up."
Simon Lockwood, who never ate duck intestine: "..."
Everyone watched as President Lockwood’s expression stiffened for a moment before he ate it with a deadpan face.
...
...
That confirmed it. This definitely wasn’t a sugar daddy and his mistress. What kind of mistress would be so bold as to have her patron serve her food and then dump her unwanted scraps into his bowl?
These two were a genuine, head-over-heels-in-love couple!
After the meal, once everything was cleaned up, everyone gradually returned to their rooms to rest. With the heavy rain, it wasn’t like they could go anywhere.
By the afternoon, the rain had tapered off, but the flooded roads still needed time to drain. After some discussion, it was decided they would leave early the next morning.
That evening, Simon Lockwood was off to the side, handling work emails, while Joanna Kennedy packed her luggage distractedly.
After folding the last piece of clothing and placing it in her suitcase, Joanna Kennedy worked up her courage and said, "Simon, I want to donate some money to the girls of Oakhaven in your name."
The production crew had already decided on a donation amount, and each actor had contributed a portion. Owen Jennings had given the most. As the second female lead, Joanna Kennedy couldn’t donate more than the male and female leads, or she’d be accused of stealing the spotlight.
But she couldn’t get the little girl’s words out of her head—that in Oakhaven, girls could get married at fourteen, and that school was useless, just a waste of money.
’How could it be useless?’ Joanna Kennedy thought. ’You can’t choose where you’re born, but you can change your future. No one is destined to rot away somewhere just because of their birth.’
After thinking it over and over, she came up with this solution: a special fund in Simon Lockwood’s name, dedicated to the education of the girls in Oakhaven.
"Mm," Simon Lockwood said without asking any questions. "I’ll have Jack Warren handle it. You don’t need to worry."
*
On the way back to Aethelburg, a light rain was falling. The roads were still waterlogged, so the SUV drove slowly until it reached the main road and could proceed at a steady pace.
In the back seat, Joanna Kennedy snuggled up against him in a comfortable position and fell asleep without realizing it. When she woke up, they had already arrived at the villa.
The housekeeper was cleaning. Hearing a noise, 166 came darting out at top speed. ’Joanna Kennedy! Joanna Kennedy!!’
Even its mechanical voice was filled with excitement. For a rare moment, Joanna Kennedy’s heart softened. She bent down to scoop up the little cat, her tone gentle. "Did you miss me—"
cut her off, cursing impatiently, ’You big idiot!’
Joanna Kennedy: "..." ’So much for that rare moment of tenderness. Completely wasted on a cat.’
’How dare it curse at me?’
The gentleness on Joanna Kennedy’s face vanished, replaced by a blank expression. She rolled her eyes and unceremoniously flicked the little cat on the head.
jumped back. ’You big idiot, you dare hit me?!’
And here it was, always taking her side. 166 was furious.
’You deserved that. Now shut up,’ Joanna Kennedy retorted coldly.
was incensed. ’Fine, fine, fine! I won’t tell you then! Just you wait until someone steals your man!’
’Steals my man?’
Joanna Kennedy frowned. ’Are you having another one of your fits? Is this a side effect of a system turning into a cat?’
’The female lead came looking for your Simon Lockwood a while ago,’ 166 said directly. Seeing Joanna Kennedy freeze, it huffed and added, ’And your Simon Lockwood went out to meet her!’