“Kenneth, you’re being totally national. Don’t count on me giving In,” Joanna sipped. She wasn’t about to sacrifice har self–resport and decide
make her solt
As she twisted the doorknobs, a knack sounded on the door, Brielle’s voice floated through the wood. “Mr. Wesley, are you in there?”
Joanna paused, her hand still on the knob, as Brielle continued, her tone soft and timid. “Mr. Wesley, It’s Brielle. Im hare?
Joanna’s animosity Blared as memories of Lillian’s murder swamped her thoughts. Her mind raced, desperate for a new plan. She turned slowly.fighting to keep her emotions in check.
“Kenneth, it’s not that I’m saying no. It’s just too sudden,” she said. “Let’s take our time and get to know each other. Wait till the end of next month, then I’ll renew the contract. After that, you can have your way in bed, deal!”
Kenneth listened to her excuse with a casual flick of his wrist, extinguishing his cigarette, his face a mask of disinterest. “Ms. Mayfield, you flatter yourself I’m not short on women.”
Brielle’s knock on the door reverberated through the silent room. “Mr. Wesley, it’s me. Please open up.”
Joanna nibbled on her lower lip. She felt trapped, with no easy way out.
Wesley had never been short on women. The moment Joanna left, Brielle would likely spend the night, and by the next day, he’d be hers.
Joanna couldn’t stomach the thought. The one–night stand with Kenneth had been a mistake, a result of Brielle and Susan’s underhanded trickery. She’d told herself it was out of her hands, that she wasn’t really cheating.
But now, if she let herself fall into Kenneth’s arms again, there’d be n denying it—she’d be cheating, plain and simple
Suddenly, Kenneth’s phone vibrated, it had to be Brielle, who’d been knocking without getting an answer.
“Don’t answer it!” Joanna said urgently.
Kenneth stood there in a black bathrobe, exuding an intimidating, regal vibe. Finally, he silenced his phone, choosing not to pick it up. He moved to the floor–to–ceiling window, his voice icy, like the rain.
“Ms. Mayfield, if you’re not ready to show some sincerity, you might as well leave and stop wasting everyone’s time. But remember, once you walk out that door, you’ll never see me again,” he said.
Joanna felt the weight of his words. They pierced her heart, making it hard to breathe.
“Ms. Mayfield, if you’re looking to buy me, this is your only chance,” Kenneth said nonchalantly. He picked up a bottle of red wine from the windowsill and poured himself a glass, swirling it thoughtfully as he stood tall by the window, watching the rain fall.
ht like this, all he
Samuel, his private doctor, had warned him to steer clear of both alcohol and sex, but on a night
The wanted was a taste of both,
Joanna’s face drained of color as memories surged within her. She recalled her cold, distant husband, Norbert, and the haunting image of her mother, Lillian, who had been murdered. Mixed in were other painful memories.
Yet, the thought of using her body as a means for revenge was something she had never imagined.
Just then, her phone rang. With trembling hands, she fished it out of her pocket and saw Norbert’s name on the screen. A spark of hope ignited in her as she quickly answered the call
Downstairs the office building, when Kenneth had called, Norbert had been there too. Joanna remembered how she’d used some suggestive words. Now, late at night, she still hadn’t returned home, and she wondered if Norbert was calling out of concern for her.
At that moment, Joanna thought that if Norbert showed even the slightest hint of worry, she would walk away from this deal. Even if it meant giving
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Kenneth to Brielle, she would find another way in trek her revenge.
As soon as Joanna answered the phone, Norbert’s voice greeted her, dripping with resentment. “Joanna, did you tell my mom
out place? Just to get her to kick Susan buit
Her hopes crumbled, Joanna let out a sad laugh, her heart heavy. “Norbert, is this why you called me?”
Joanna’s silence furled Norbert’s fury. It seeped through the phone, scorching her insides. “Susan is homeless now. Can’t you just let her stay for a while? You got my mom involved because you knew I wouldn’t unap at her, didn’t you?”
“Joanna, you’re pretty cunning, aren’t you? But Susan’s your cousin, tho you really have to push her to the brink
His concern for Susan stung. Joanna gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white. “Norbert, you cherish her. What about me? I’ve loved you for years–what does that mean to you?”
Norbert’s cold laughter echoed in Joanna’s ear, a chiting response to her plea. “Joanna, drop the act. You claim you love me, but when was behind bars, you got pregnant by someone else and then forced me to marry you
“You say you saved me? Ho
How, Joanna? Are you really going to tell me that you kept me out of prison by sleeping with another man? Joanna, how can you
live with yourself?”
Joanna closed her eyes, her voice a faint whisper. “Norbert, you’re making me feel like the scum of the earth.”
Norbert shot back, his words as cold as ice. “You should be. Joanna, you better hope Susan is okay, if anything happens to her, I swear, you won’t get away with it”
Joanna’s heart sank, and tears blurred her vision. “So, it seems like no matter what happens to me, you just don’t care. Am I right?”
Norbert sensed the change in her tone but dismissed it. “I’m heading out to find Susan. You should go home and wait. And this time, you have to apologize to her.”
Joanna grinned. “Sorry, Norbert, can’t make it tonight. I’m tied up with a gigolo at the moment.”
Norbert fell silent, his tone slicing through the air. Joanna, what was that
you said? Say it
Joanna’s voice was firm. “I can’t live without a man, and you can’t give me what I want.”
it again!
to say. Norbert’s breaths grew heavy, his emotions barely in check. “Joanns!” he managed to
Joanna added, “You left me no choice. She ended the call, her eyes lingering on the phone’s screen. After a while, she sighed, accepting that Norbert wasn’t going to call back, too preoccupied with his search for Susan.
“Susan is homeless, crashing in our home. What a joke. If Norbert thinks I’m playing around, what does it matter if I really did? Nobody gives a damn, she
thought.
er life was one dead end after another. If she was going to lose Norbert, she’d cling to revenge.
Kenneth, hearing the muffled sounds, looked over his shoulder and spotted Joanna’s shadow through the glass.
She’d been on the phone with her husband, tears in her eyes. He twirled his wine, the whole thing losing its shine.
“They’re splitting up, so why the tears over getting close to me? if she’s so high and mighty, why did she try to buy me?” he mused.
Outside the windows, the rain fell steadily. Kenneth, losing patience, downed his wine in one swift gulp. His phone vibrated incessantly, so he answered without checking the screen.
“Mr. Wesley, you finally picked up Brielle hurriedly replied. “I’m outside your room, knocking, but no one answered.”
He recalled that Brielle had his pendant, a sign of some band they shared before he lost his memory.
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Chapter 17
As he reached for the door, the lights flickered out, plunging the room into darkness. The only light came from a bedside lamp, de ararms, pellow cutting through the shadows.
“Kenneth a voice called from behind him. Joanna stood there, her hands shaking as the lowered the ripper of her
The wet fabric fell away, lesing het in just her undergarments. She pained, took a deep breath, and then with a decisive motion, the shed the last of her clothes, letting them diep to the floor,
Cold and shivering, she hugged herself, but her gaze was fixed on him. Ignoring Brielle mutside, she moved toward him by the window, letting go of he pôde, and giving in to the night.
Kenneth slowly turned around, his eyes slicing through the dis light until they fell on Joanna, She radiated a natural charm, alluring in every way. In the quiet of the night, desire sparked inside him.
“Are you satisfied now?” Joanna asked.
