Chapter 169 - 168
Outside the resort lay the scenic Old Town of Marinus. After their meal, Joanna Kennedy pulled Simon Lockwood outside.
Remembering the conversation at the dinner table, she tilted her head to look at him and asked, "Did you send someone to the hospital to scare Ron Warren?"
Simon Lockwood’s brow furrowed, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "Don’t mention other people’s names."
Joanna was speechless. ’So petty.’
"I just had Jack Warren send him something," Simon said, his tone casual.
Joanna grew curious. "What was it?"
"The Warren family’s corporate cash flow statements."
Joanna was speechless.
Simon’s expression didn’t so much as flicker as he spoke, as if discussing something as trivial as eating or drinking. It almost fooled Joanna into thinking that corporate cash flow statements were easy to come by.
’But are records like that something you can just look up at will?!’
’Anyone could guess that a nouveau riche family like Ron Warren’s would keep two sets of books—one for public display, and another one hidden away.’
’And the one Simon had sent over had to be the hidden set, the one the Warren Family never wanted anyone to see.’
"Isn’t this... considered a white-collar crime?"
Secretly obtaining another company’s financial records... no matter how you looked at it, something seemed off. There was a hint of worry in Joanna’s voice.
Simon raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, his tone unreadable. "You’re quite interested in this?"
’How did this suddenly become about my interests?’ Joanna looked completely baffled. "Huh?"
But Simon simply nodded to himself. "Good. You can major in law or finance in college."
Joanna was speechless.
’Oh, great. So he was just waiting to spring this on me?!’
She decided she wouldn’t speak to Simon for one whole minute.
Thirty seconds later, at a street corner, Joanna spotted a familiar, tall figure. It was Liam Valentine. A girl was standing a short distance away from him.
The girl turned her head to say something, and as Joanna saw her face clearly, she exclaimed in surprise, "Vicky?!"
In the Old Town of Marinus, the buildings were a jumble of different heights, and the walls along the streets were covered in murals of various anime characters.
As the four of them walked along such a whimsical, cartoon-like street, their moods seemed to lift as well.
Vicky seemed overjoyed. "I never thought I’d run into you here, Joanna! What a coincidence!"
Joanna couldn’t argue; it really was a coincidence. She had never imagined Vicky was the young lady of the Marinus Valentine Family. She had hidden it without a single slip-up.
"It really is. When I first saw you, I thought I was seeing things," Joanna said with a smile.
Vicky looked a bit sheepish. "Joanna, you’re not upset with me, are you? I didn’t deliberately hide my identity. I just... didn’t think it was a big deal..."
Her pretty face was an open book, full of a simple innocence that made her guilt plain to see.
Joanna laughed. "Of course not..."
She was just a little surprised; beyond that, she really had no other feelings about it. After all, everyone had their secrets. She hadn’t told Vicky about Simon, either.
Joanna considered her relationship with Vicky to be that of a casual friend, so there was no need to know every last detail about her.
Vicky visibly relaxed, a smile returning to her face as she launched into the latest gossip she had heard.
"Miss Kennedy has a wonderful personality." Liam Valentine chuckled softly, speaking to the man beside him. "You have excellent taste, Mr. Lockwood."
It was a perfectly ordinary compliment, delivered with a proper attitude and well within the bounds of courtesy, but Simon inexplicably found it unpleasant.
His brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he replied with polite distance, "Thank you."
Simon accepted the compliment without a hint of modesty. Under the bright sun, the smile on Liam Valentine’s face seemed to deepen.
Joanna turned her head just in time to see Liam Valentine smiling, his serene dark eyes like polished gems. A strange yet familiar feeling made her freeze for a second.
When she came to her senses, Joanna immediately tore her gaze away, an action that, for some reason, felt like a guilty attempt to hide something.
Simon’s lips pressed into a thin line, and his expression turned completely cold.
Joanna didn’t notice his change in demeanor and continued chatting with Vicky. As noon approached, Liam Valentine suggested they have lunch together.
Simon spoke up. "Apologies, but we have other plans, so we won’t be able to join President Valentine and Miss Valentine for a meal."
Joanna swallowed the acceptance that was on the tip of her tongue. A flicker of confusion passed through her eyes, but she played along, "Ah, right. We have other things to do."
Liam Valentine’s gaze flickered between the two of them before he chuckled lightly. "In that case, we won’t keep you."
Vicky looked disappointed. Blinking her big eyes, she said softly, "Well, let’s have dinner together tonight then, Joanna. Bye!"
"Bye..."
Once the other two were out of earshot, Joanna couldn’t hold back any longer. "So what ’things’ do we have to do?"
Simon remained silent, staring at her for a while, his dark eyes seeming to pierce into the depths of her soul. The intensity of his gaze made her skin crawl. "Wh-what is it?"
Simon still didn’t speak. After a long pause, he finally pursed his lips. "Nothing."
Joanna: "?"
’If it’s nothing, why was he staring at me like that? It’s seriously creepy.’
"So what are we having for lunch?" Joanna, ever the carefree one, quickly shifted her focus to food. "Simon," she said enthusiastically, "have you ever had sea worm rice? It’s super delicious."
Sea worm rice was a local specialty in Marinus.
The look in Simon’s eyes grew colder, his voice betraying no emotion. "No."
As soon as she heard he’d never had it, Joanna immediately made up her mind. "Then we’re definitely going to eat that!"
If she thought something was delicious, she absolutely had to make Simon try it too.
Unexpectedly, Simon replied coldly, "We’re not going."
His refusal cut through Joanna’s enthusiastic sales pitch. Not ready to give up, she tried to persuade him, "Just try it once! You’ll absolutely love it!"
Her eager, hopeful expression was reflected in his eyes as she worked hard to persuade him, using the classic line—"Once you try it, you’ll..."
Simon suddenly let out a soft laugh, though his eyes held no trace of amusement. He enunciated each word clearly, "I don’t like trying new things."
It was as if he were merely talking about "sea worm rice," but also alluding to something else.
Joanna frowned, suppressing her own little fit of pique. Her voice softened. "Then what do you want to eat? We can just go back to the resort, if you want."
"Why the reluctance?" Simon said with a faint, humorless smile. "Go eat whatever you want. I’m not going to let you starve, am I?"
By the time he finished, Joanna could almost hear the icicles in his tone, sharp enough to make her own temper flare up. "Simon, what is wrong with you?"
As soon as the exasperated words left her mouth, the air seemed to fall silent.
Joanna wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought Simon’s face had turned a little pale.
The heavy silence began to feel suffocating. Joanna couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling in her chest, but her eyes began to sting, and she turned her head away.
Simon gazed at the slight redness rimming her eyes. After a long moment, he said slowly, "I’m sorry..."