Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Joanna Kennedy said nothing, stubbornly keeping her head turned away from the man.

His fingers tentatively, carefully, took hers. Joanna Kennedy’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She lowered her head. "If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t..."

She had just made a suggestion. Why did it seem like she’d hit a raw nerve with Simon Lockwood?

Joanna Kennedy: "I don’t like it when you talk to me like that."

There was a slight grievance in the girl’s voice. Simon Lockwood couldn’t help but tighten his grip slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly. "I won’t do it again."

"Really?" Joanna Kennedy was skeptical.

Simon Lockwood pressed his lips together. "Yeah..."

"Then what was wrong with you just now?"

But Simon Lockwood remained silent, changing the subject with a somewhat stiff tone. "Didn’t you want sea worm rice? There’s a place up ahead."

His attitude—refusing to talk no matter what and trying to bluff his way through—reignited the fire in Joanna Kennedy’s heart. "Are you going to talk or not?"

"..."

The girl’s brows furrowed, her fair cheeks flushed with anger. Simon Lockwood stiffly averted his gaze, his face taut, refusing to look at her.

He still wouldn’t talk.

In a fit of pique, Joanna Kennedy flung his hand away and strode forward. Simon Lockwood stood frozen for a few seconds, his fingers twitching unconsciously, before slowly following her.

As if afraid of making her angrier, he kept a measured distance between them. No matter how fast Joanna Kennedy walked, Simon Lockwood always stayed about a meter away.

When they returned to their villa room, Joanna Kennedy put on her headphones without a single glance at the man, plopping herself down on the bay window on the balcony to play with her phone.

Her agent had sent over a few more scripts. This time, there were several offers for a leading role, but Joanna Kennedy hadn’t decided which one to choose yet.

Between movies and TV series, she leaned more toward movies. The big screen, solid box office numbers with no inflated figures—it was better for an actor’s personal development.

But after reading through all the scripts, she found herself drawn to a low-budget suspense web series. The story was about a female doctor with a dual personality. After work one day, she comes home and witnesses a tragic crime. The victim turns out to be her boss, who always gives her a hard time. Her conscience is tested, but she ultimately chooses to call the police.

As the case progresses layer by layer, suspects surface one after another, only to be ruled out. The investigation hits a deadlock.

Just then, another victim appears: the doctor’s boyfriend. All eyes turn to the doctor. Finally, a young police officer discovers a medical report diagnosing the doctor with schizophrenia...

Joanna Kennedy was engrossed until a faint aroma reached her nose. Her eyes twitched, and she instinctively looked up.

On the small square table sat a serving of sea worm rice. Simon Lockwood was slightly bent over, taking the other dishes out of their containers.

It was unclear whether he had grabbed them too hastily or if the food was just that hot, but the man’s large, well-defined hands were scalded a faint red.

But Simon Lockwood seemed not to feel it, continuing to handle the remaining food without any protection. There was still a soup at the bottom...

Joanna Kennedy forced her gaze away from the man’s reddened fingers, but in her peripheral vision, she still saw him reach for the soup.

The soup was filled to the brim, and the bowl looked thin. His fingers were about to touch it...

Joanna Kennedy couldn’t take it anymore. She shot up, stalked over with a sour look on her face, and gave the man an unceremonious shove. "Do you think you have hands of steel?"

Joanna Kennedy: "Stop showing off those hands of yours. They aren’t that special; everyone has them."

"..."

The girl’s small face was cold, and her tone was none too pleasant.

Simon Lockwood stumbled back half a step from her push. Hearing her words, he stiffly withdrew his hand, his eyelids lowering, hiding the emotion in his eyes.

Joanna Kennedy grabbed a wet towel, wrapped it around the bowl, and carefully carried it out. Then she turned to go back to the bay window to read her script, showing no intention of eating.

Simon Lockwood took two steps forward and grabbed her wrist, his voice muffled. "Eat first..."

"Not hungry."

"There’s sea worm rice..."

"Not hungry."

"..."

Simon Lockwood took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Be good..."

Joanna Kennedy ignored him and made a move to pry his fingers off. Simon Lockwood’s expression tightened. Finally, he said slowly, "I’ll talk."

The two words were like a signal of surrender. Joanna Kennedy froze, lifting her small face to look at him, her expression clearly saying, ’Well, go on.’

"...I don’t like the way you look at him."

"Who?" Joanna Kennedy was confused.

"Liam Valentine," Simon Lockwood said slowly.

"..."

There was no discernible change in the man’s expression as he spoke. His eyes were downcast, his handsome lips pressed into a tight line.

Joanna Kennedy froze for a moment, then it finally clicked. So it wasn’t about the sea worm rice or not wanting to try new things. Simon Lockwood had been sending her a message, and in such a roundabout way.

She’d only looked at Liam Valentine for a few seconds, yet Simon Lockwood had managed to imagine so much. Joanna Kennedy hadn’t expected that.

Thinking this, her tone softened. "I wasn’t looking at him. And what does it matter to me how ’new’ he is..."

Simon Lockwood lifted his eyes and stared at her for a second before lowering them again, his lips pressing together even tighter.

Joanna Kennedy: "..."

"Alright, fine, I looked at him for a few seconds." Seeing Simon Lockwood’s face darken, Joanna Kennedy quickly explained, "It’s because I thought he looked a lot like you!"

’Otherwise, why would I stare at a man I’ve known for less than two days?’

Hearing this, Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t improve. Instead, he closed his eyes, as if trying to calm himself down. When he opened them again, his tone was placid. "Okay, I believe you."

Looking at his stone-cold face, Joanna Kennedy: "..."

’That’s what you look like when you believe me?!’ Joanna Kennedy screamed internally. Outwardly, she maintained a pleasant tone as she explained, "It’s true. Don’t you think his eyes look like yours?"

It wasn’t just the eyes. His height, build, and even his mannerisms were very similar to Simon Lockwood’s. It was as if Simon had put on a mask to look gentle and ordinary.

"I don’t." Simon Lockwood’s voice was heavy and dull. "I said I believe you. You don’t have to find such... clumsy excuses."

Liam Valentine looked like him? Their personalities, appearances, and backgrounds were polar opposites. Simon Lockwood figured Joanna Kennedy must be desperate to come up with a line like that.

He then recalled something Joanna Kennedy had said when they were younger. Simon Lockwood almost hated his own good memory—"He’s my type, and I’m not tired of him yet..."

Joanna Kennedy... was someone who chased novelty.

Simon Lockwood was a little lost. ’Has Joanna Kennedy’s taste changed? Does she prefer Liam Valentine’s type of looks now? Or is she just tired of looking at me?’

Joanna Kennedy didn’t know what he was thinking. She only saw the man’s face grow paler and the grip on her wrist tighten. She couldn’t help but struggle slightly, which only made him hold on tighter.

So, Joanna Kennedy didn’t dare to move again. Even though Simon Lockwood didn’t believe her, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry. Instead, she was filled with helplessness. "I really did think he looked like you, that’s why I took a second look. I won’t do it again."