Chapter 4 They Are Not Close

• Yvonne did not think too much about Ximena's offer. She gulped the glass of water because she was coincidentally feeling a little thirsty at that moment.
• She wanted to leave after drinking the water. “I don't think I'll stay for the meal. Make sure you keep this monetary gift well. Since I have prepared the gift, you shouldn't complain to our relatives again that we are impudent. My mom is still in the hospital. I should go back to take care of her now.”
• Ximena desperately persuaded Yvonne to visit her place, mainly because she wanted to show off her luxurious mansion.
• However, Yvonne had stayed in the Lawson residence previously, and so she had seen a mansion a hundred or a thousand times larger than the place Ximena was staying in. Therefore, Yvonne was not at all impressed by what she was seeing, nor was she jealous of Ximena.
• “Ahh!”
• Yvonne was about to walk down the stairs when a shriek rang out behind her. Then, a figure suddenly fell down the stairs in front of her.
• “Someone pushed Ms. Ximena down the stairs!” someone shouted all of a sudden.
• By the time Yvonne regained her senses, Ximena had tumbled down the stairs before her eyes.
• The staircase was not tall, so one would at most suffer a few scratches after falling down the stairs, much less experience a bone fracture.
• Yvonne stood rooted to her spot. Before she could process the unexpected turn of events or figure out how Ximena had fallen down the stairs, she saw the frosty expression of a man appear in front of her.
• That man was none other than her ex-husband, Jonathan.
• Why is he here?
• Still in shock, Yvonne saw Jonathan shoot her an impassive look laced with a hint of disgust. He uttered coldly, “Why did you push her?”
• She looked up and stared at him, slowly making sense of his words.
• Push her? It was Ximena who was grasping my wrist the whole time while I stood motionless. Am I supposed to take the blame after she fell down the stairs?
• “Did you witness me pushing her?” Unwilling to concede, Yvonne stepped forward and questioned him directly.
• I've never met an unreasonable man like him. He's accusing me groundlessly without figuring out the whole situation.
• Ximena scrambled to her feet and sneaked a look at them. Jonathan and Yvonne were clearly treating each other like strangers, especially Jonathan, as he did not even spare a glance at Yvonne.
• Only then did Ximena feel relaxed.
• “Jonny, this has nothing to do with my cousin. I accidentally fell down the stairs because I wasn't paying attention to where I stepped.”
• Ximena tenderly spoke while gazing at Jonathan affectionately.
• He reciprocated Ximena's gentle demeanor too.
• Yvonne came to a realization. So, Ximena is the person he cares about? He is good-looking, but his taste in women is horrible.
• “It was her who pushed Ms. Ximena! I saw her reach out her hands to push Ms. Ximena.” A maid standing at the side pointed at Yvonne. “That lady saw Ms. Ximena staying in a fancy mansion, so she wanted Ms. Ximena to introduce a few wealthy men to her. Ms. Ximena rejected her request, so she was infuriated. If that lady isn't the culprit, why didn't she reach out to hold Ms. Ximena and stop her from falling down the stairs?”
• Jonathan fixated his piercing gaze on Yvonne.
• Then, he finally recognized who she was.
• He stared at her while remarking inwardly. Yvonne Walker, as expected. She told me she did not want any compensation from the divorce. So, she's actually harboring this plan.
• Yvonne regarded the maid with a sneer. “Why didn't I reach out to hold her? Do you think my effort will be fruitful if she's determined to fall down the stairs?”
• I'm afraid if I really reach out to hold her, there will be no way I can clarify my innocence.
• The maid glanced at Ximena. Evidently, she had not anticipated Yvonne to be so aggressive.
• “What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Ms. Ximena fell on purpose?”
• “I think you two should know her intention better than anyone else!”
• “You!”
• “Xenia, shut up!” Ximena frowned and turned to look at Jonathan, who was wearing a darkened expression. “Jonny, don't listen to her nonsense. I grew up with Yvonne, so I know her personality. Perhaps this was her first time seeing such a magnificent mansion, so she got distracted and failed to notice me standing behind her. It’s all my fault. I accidentally ran into Yvonne and fell down the stairs after losing my balance,” Ximena uttered convincingly.
• She played her role as Yvonne's thoughtful cousin perfectly. No man could have seen through her pretense. Moreover, Jonathan had never been in a relationship, so he was absolutely clueless about women's trickery.
• The corners of Yvonne's mouth curled into a mocking smile after she listened to Ximena's speech.
• Ximena hasn't changed a bit, even after so many years. She's pretending to be a nice person and indirectly putting all the blame on me.
• Suddenly, someone with an iron grip grabbed her arm.
• He exerted brute force as he gripped Yvonne's arm, just like how he did that fateful night. On second thought, Yvonne thought Jonathan was grasping her more forcefully now, to the extent of almost crushing her bones.
• “Let go of me!”
• “Apologize to her!”
• “I did not push her. Why should I apologize to her?”
• “I don't want to repeat myself.” Jonathan's voice was hoarse, just like the voice she remembered from that night.
• Yvonne was on the verge of an emotional breakdown after hearing his words.
• She knew her resistance would be futile, and she would be the one to suffer in the end for putting up a fight against Jonathan.
• She struggled mightily while her mind raced to figure out how to escape his grip. However, due to his immense strength, Yvonne failed to come up with any helpful ideas.
• Not knowing what else to do, she bit the back of his hand fiercely and immediately fled after he loosened his grip.
• As she ran away, Yvonne arrived at a conclusion. His temper is indeed as horrible as Old Mr. Lawson described. Someone like him can only be a perfect match for Ximena. I should count myself lucky for having divorced him. Otherwise, I'll have to endure much more trouble in the future.
• Jonathan's assistant did not expect Yvonne to react in that manner. Before he could even take a step forward, Yvonne had dashed past him.
• “Are you all right, Jonny?” Ximena did not expect Yvonne would bite Jonathan.
• Jonathan stared intently at the wound on the back of his hand. The bite mark overlapped with the bite mark he received that night, sharing an identical pattern.
• Yvonne Walker.
• He frowned at the thought of her.
• Why do I feel that she's giving me such a familiar vibe?