Chapter 17 The Drunk Woman

• Jennifer was utterly drunk that night. She had suffered so much misery.
• Because she was unlike the other women in the bar, Jonathan still respected and pitied her.
• Nonetheless, he still had to carry Jennifer to the bedroom and put her to bed.
• While he was doing that, Jennifer muttered, “Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't do you proud. I should've listened to both of you. I deserve it...”
• Jonathan understood how much suffering she had endured.
• She put up a tough front to protect her pride, and showed no one her vulnerable side.
• With a sigh, Jonathan turned around and went to get some water. Then, he came back with a basin and her towel.
• Once the water had boiled, he wiped Jennifer's face with much care before washing her feet. He got her a blanket and tucked her in. Then, he switched on the air-conditioner.
• After all that was done, Jonathan left Jennifer's bedroom, closing the door behind him.
• He left straight away. He believed that a man should always be the gentleman in spite of one's lust.
• Jennifer opened her eyes once Jonathan had left.
• She had certainly drunk a lot, but that didn't mean she wasn't sober. She just didn't want to suppress her feelings any longer.
• In truth, she knew all that Jonathan had done for her while she was drunk. She knew he had wiped her face and cleaned her feet.
• Jennifer felt a surge of warmth swelling in her. She was finally able to trust Jonathan.
• Honestly, she would accept him even if he forces himself on her that night.
• With nowhere to release his pent-up desire, Jonathan went back home.
• He regretted deeply for missing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
• However, it was impossible to turn back time.
• Jonathan went to get himself breakfast. He planned to go to work after he had his fill.
• Just then, his phone rang. It was from Jessica. He accepted the call. Jessica's raging voice echoed from the other end. “Do you know what time it is? Where are you?”
• Jonathan glanced at the time in the navigation system. It was already half-past eight in the morning.
• It was then he remembered that he had to fetch Yasmin at half-past seven.
• “I'm on my way.” With that, Jonathan hung up the call.
• On the other end, Jessica was fuming at Jonathan's arrogance.
• It was nine in the morning when Jonathan arrived at Maple Mansion. He soon noticed the dour expressions on Yasmin's and Jessica's faces. They were waiting outside the mansion.
• Jonathan quickly got out of the car and opened the door. Smiling servilely, he said, “Ms. Smith, Jessy, please get in the car.”
• Yasmin and Jessica both got into the car.
• Next, Jonathan started the engine.
• “Why do I detect a woman’s scent in the car?” Jessica pointed out before adding, “What did you do last night?”
• Jonathan's heart skipped a beat. He had been with Jennifer last night. Have I carried her scent into the car?
• He laughed as he drove. “Jessy, your sense of smell is really impressive.”
• “Don't think you can wiggle your way out of this. You had better explain yourself. How did the scent get here? Don't you know that this is the company's car?” reprimanded Jessica. She was not a calculative person by any means. She was just irritated after having waited for Jonathan for two hours.
• Right then, Yasmin finally spoke up. She uttered impassively, “Jonathan, you are a man. I won't ask much of you. However, I hope you can manage your time wisely.”
• Jonathan replied, “I understand, Ms. Smith. I'll try my best! By the way, you should smile more. You will age quicker if you keep up that stony face.”
• Yasmin turned to look outside through the window, ignoring him.
• Realizing that his words were not well-received, Jonathan fell into silence.
• Yasmin and Jessica shared a look. They wondered if they had hurt his pride.
• Just when Yasmin wanted to console Jonathan, he began to hum a tune.
• Both Yasmin and Jessica were struck dumb by his action. They had never met such an eccentric person in their lives. Furthermore, Jonathan's humming was too suggestive. The two women could not help but blush as they listened.
• When he noticed their expressions, he responded, “Oh, don't you like the song? Shall I switch to another one?”
• Both Yasmin and Jessica exclaimed at the same time, “Shut up!”
• Jonathan laughed inwardly. It was amusing to see their reactions. He would tease them every once in a while.
• Meanwhile, Jane and Cyclops could be found in a luxurious office on the eighteenth floor of Central Tower in Horington.
• Some might wonder who Jane was.
• On the surface, she was the manager of Empiric Corporation. In reality, she was Eddison's lover, and Eddison happened to be the director of Empiric Corporation.
• Empiric Corporation was renowned in Horington as an entertainment agency.
• The company also dabbled in various industries. What outsiders did not know was that Eddison had a close relationship with Dragon King, an influential figure of the underground.
• That was the reason why many companies dared not go against Eddison.
• Eddison had delegated Cyclops to establish a security company as a show of power.
• Jane was a capable woman, and she knew her way around. She knew that relying on Eddison was not a long-term solution. Secretly, she had long since opened a restaurant with Eddison's money. She had to help Eddison by earning more money to prove her worth.
• This was a key factor why she had set her sights on Rose Couture.
• Jane had also managed to seduce Cyclops. Cyclops might have been Eddison's subordinate, but Eddison relied on him a lot and respected him very much. Cyclops also had great combat skills and a bunch of fellow apprentices at his beck and call. Every one of them was in a league of their own.
• Just then, Jane took hold of Cyclops's hand and asked, “Cyclops, just who is that security guard?”
• Cyclops' face darkened when he heard that. “I had my people do a background check on him. He's Jonathan Lawson. He came back from Smealand four months ago, and is now working as a security guard in Rose Couture,” he answered.
• “Came back from Smealand?” Jane uttered, “Looks like he's not an ordinary guy. Why would he work as a security guard in Rose Couture with such formidable skills?”
• Cyclops replied, “Hmph! I've also found out that Yasmin has an older brother, who has long since escaped to other countries after killing someone by accident. I suspect Jonathan's current employment has something to do with Yasmin's brother. It's obvious that Jonathan had been recruited specifically to protect Yasmin.”
• Cyclops was clever to have connected the pieces of information and come up with a plausible inference.
• Jane asked, “Then, what did Jonathan do in Smealand?”
• “Actually, I can feel the murderous intent coming from him. That can only be borne after one reaches a certain body count. I guess he's either worked as a mercenary or assassin back in Smealand.”
• Jane was shocked by his speculation. “Which means that guy is bad news! What do we do now? If we succeed in closing a deal with Rose Couture, we could secretly earn up to fifty million! The old man would surely be delighted with our stellar performance. Are we going to let this go?”
• Cyclops' eyes glinted just then. He said, “Of course not! We are at Horington, whereas Jonathan is just one man. Despite his extraordinary skills, he would still have to go by our rules as long as he remains on our turf.”
• Jane concurred, “That's right! Cyclops, you have so many fellow apprentices. If worse comes to worst, you can call your senior apprentice for help! I remember Nirvana is your senior's name, right?”
• “I won't call them unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to alert my fellow apprentices, especially Nirvana.”
• Confused, Jane asked, “Why not?”
• Cyclops sighed. He went on to explain, “Jane, you have to know that fame can work for you just as well as it can work against you. I'm the best security guard in Horington. If word gets out that I can't even handle Jonathan alone, and that I have to rely on my fellow apprentices for help, it will damage my reputation! After that, I'll still owe them a huge favor even if we're equals.”
• “But Cyclops, we have shamed ourselves at Yasmin's place yesterday. We have to redeem ourselves no matter what!”
• Humiliation flashed in Cyclops' eyes upon recalling what had happened the day before. He was not the type to take things lying down. “Regarding this matter, I have already sent people to warn the staff in Rose Couture not to speak of it to outsiders. Besides, nobody will believe them even if they spread the word. It will only show that I'm worthless if I have to call in my fellow apprentices for help.”
• Feeling anxious, Jane inquired, “Then, what now?”
• With an ominous smile, Cyclops said, “Jane, we have different identities now. Force isn't our only solution. We can always borrow help from the police to check whether Jonathan has any criminal records.”
• “What do you mean?” Jane's eyes shone with anticipation.
• “We can arrange a few subordinates to provoke Jonathan. Once he fights back, the subordinates will call the police. We can send some money to Captain Carter from the investigation team beforehand. He will know what to do. In short, if Jonathan fights back, he will be labeled as an offender. If he doesn't, he will be rotting in prison anyway.”
• After hearing that, Jane got excited. She kissed Cyclops hard on the cheek, leaving a sensuous lipstick stain on his face.