Chapter 24

“In my third year of high school, during a mock exam, I arrived late and saw your mother hiding at the door to watch you. She asked me not to tell you, fearing it would affect your studies, and later, I forgot to tell you too.”

“How did you know it was my mother?” Honestly, the memory was too distant, and she had almost forgotten what her own mother looked like.

“She told me herself, she is very beautiful, with big eyes, and oh, she has a maple leaf-shaped birthmark on her neck,” Terrell said.

Angelia’s eyes sank.

Her mother did have a maple leaf-shaped birthmark on her neck.

So, she was still alive and had come to see her. She didn’t know if she had seen her grandmother. It had been nine years since her third year of high school, and she still hadn’t shown up. If her mother had appeared to take her away when her father kicked her out, her ending would have been different.

With a slight smile, she didn’t want to continue on this topic and turned to the game.

Tyler and Terrell were both good at chatting and talked about things related to the gaming market, capital market, user market, and so on.

Angelia listened carefully and even recorded some key points on her phone.

After chatting, it was already two hours later.

Angelia rushed to pay the bill, “Excuse me, waiter, can we have the bill?”

The waiter smiled and said, “Another guest has already paid for you.”

“Guest?” Angelia scanned the surroundings and saw Jerome sitting by the window.

He didn’t look at them, sipping his tea leisurely. Just a side view was enough to attract people’s attention with his noble and handsome appearance.

Angelia took a deep breath and adjusted her mood.

People can’t change others, so they must change themselves, otherwise, how can they live on.

She prepared a standard smile and walked towards Jerome, politely greeting him, “Jerome.” Jerome put down his teacup and looked deeply at her, “I already paid for it. It was reimbursable because of company business.”

“Well, thank you, Jerome. I’ll be leaving now.” Angelia said softly.

Jerome looked at her gentle and elegant appearance. The scene of their argument in the afternoon was still vivid in his mind. He chased after her, but she was already out of sight, and Alyssa was crying in the car. He couldn’t leave his child behind.I came back and had someone track her location through her phone number.

‘I’m heading back now, I’ll give you a ride,’ Jerome said in a low voice.

‘No need, I’m walking with my friends, and I have something to do,’ Angelia replied with a smile.

Jerome turned his head, concealing his anger, picked up his glass of water, and drank it all at once.

Angelia pretended not to notice his anger, looked up, and left.

Jerome stood up, blocked her way, looked down at her, and said domineeringly, ‘Come with me.’

Angelia shook her head, ‘I really have something to do.’

Jerome grabbed her hand and walked towards Tyler.

He said bluntly, ‘Angelia and I have something to talk about. Can I take her with me?’

Tyler hesitated and didn’t know what to say while looking at Angelia’s face.

Terrell recognized Jerome and asked admiringly, ‘Excuse me, are you Jerome?’

‘Yes, Angelia and I will go first,’ Jerome said, pulling Angelia away.

Angelia looked at Tyler and Terrell, who didn’t stop her, and could only follow Jerome, sighing helplessly, ‘Jerome, don’t you think you’re too domineering?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Jerome said in a low voice.

‘Huh?’ Angelia thought she had misheard.

Jerome didn’t say anything else.

He had said ‘sorry’ less than five times in his life.

He was the kind of stubborn man who would continue to walk even if he was wrong.

When he couldn’t contact her at the arcade earlier, he became anxious.

Later, after bringing Alyssa downstairs and seeing her get into the ambulance with Neville holding her hand, he felt like a tsunami was erupting inside him, impacting his rationality.

That was just his personality.

He never gave anyone any mercy when he dealt with people or things.

Perhaps standing at the top of the pyramid for too long, he forgot that women, businessmen, and subordinates were different.

‘You’re angry with me, aren’t you?’ Jerome asked in the elevator.

Angelia smiled, lowered her head, and shook it slowly without looking at Jerome.Jerome feels that at this moment, she is like a mist, looking soft but also elusive, giving people a feeling that they cannot catch her at all.

“You can be angry with me,” Angelia gently asks, “After you’re angry, can I stop working for Jerome?” This sentence is like a thorn that directly pierces his heart. How much does she not want to work for him!

Looking at her eyes now, they are watery, as if gentle and harmless. Angelia is this kind of girl. The more gentle and elegant she is, the more cold and indifferent she is in her heart. It’s not that she is broad-minded, but that she doesn’t care. She can cut off all emotional ties with a single stroke, resolutely leave, and be ruthless.

“What if I give you a choice now that you don’t have to work for me?” Jerome asks her, looking at her. Angelia thinks seriously. To be fair, the job that Jerome gave her is good, the salary is extremely high, the opportunity is also very good, and the benefits given are also very many. But if she doesn’t work here, she can return to her own life faster.

She never thought about what she could get from Jerome.

Maybe she will never see him in her life, at least her heart is still her own and she won’t lose herself.

Angelia made up her mind and looked at Jerome, ready to say she won’t do it anymore, but heard Jerome say, “Just kidding, you don’t have to think about it for so long.” Angelia: “…”

The elevator bell rang, Jerome walked out with a cold face. Angelia followed him helplessly and got into the car. She vaguely felt that the atmosphere between them was not good, and she didn’t want to argue. No matter how the employees argue, they can’t argue with the boss.

She took out her phone and downloaded Snake. Last time, Jerome won her a lot. She bumped around and lost fifty thousand in just one minute. The two people who won the most together only had more than forty thousand. In the end, she lost more than 110,000.

Jerome parked the car on the side of the road, turned around, and looked at her with a floating and focused gaze. Angelia noticed his gaze, put away her phone, and asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong?”

“What kind of person do you think I am?” Jerome asked her.”Strong work ability, strong leadership ability, strong investment ability, strong learning ability, knowledgeable in everything, capable in everything, loyal, just, kind to people, very compassionate.” Angelia tried to speak positively.

Jerome looked at her more seriously. “Your evaluation is different from what others say.”

Angelia didn’t know what Jerome meant.

“Others say that I am a fierce beast, that I will definitely sweep everything away, and that I won’t let anyone go. I am cold-blooded and ruthless, making people feel chilled, and even towards women, I have no pity in my heart. I am harsh and indifferent…”

“That’s just a misunderstanding they have of you,” Angelia said with a smile.

“That’s because I only want to be special to you,” Jerome corrected.

Angelia’s heart trembled. She looked at his serious expression, without any joking tone.

Breathing became even tighter, holding onto the seat belt, her hand slightly clenched into a fist, resisting the present palpitations.

She could feel his special treatment towards her. Previously, she thought she was overthinking it, but later, she truly and clearly felt his help towards her.

Because of this special treatment, her heart wavered, even exceeding the degree of wavering.

But she was not a young girl of 18 or 19 years old anymore, and her thoughts no longer had that kind of innocence and purity.

A man’s kindness to a woman, one is to want to be a wife, to have children together, and the other is to want to deceive her into bed, to be a woman who cannot see the light by his side, and to be dominated by him.

She has seen too many wealthy people, who go through great difficulties to pursue women.

When they finally get them, they will go through great difficulties to pursue other women.

She and Jerome, aside from the unfamiliar time in college, have only truly known each other for less than a month.

She didn’t think that there would be love in a month, even if she had some vague liking towards him. Besides, she didn’t think she was so outstanding that someone would fall in love with her in just a month.

Angelia has figured it out and smiled, saying politely, “Thank you, I must have done something right in my past life to receive Jerome’s special treatment. However, things will turn around eventually. Happiness and misfortune are intertwined. Look at me, I ended up marrying a playboy. Oh, Jerome, please drop me off at the entrance of the community later. I want to buy some fruit. Dinner was too greasy, and I feel a bit oily.”

Jerome could tell that Angelia was deliberately changing the subject.

By mentioning her marriage, she was reminding him of something.

Happiness and misfortune are intertwined.

Ha, she really denied the good parts between them. Was he too hasty, or did she never have feelings for him from the beginning to the end?

Jerome felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, and he furrowed his brows irritably. His hand on the steering wheel tightened, and his fingernails turned white. He was enveloped in darkness.

During the drive, his phone rang, and it was Adela. He asked coldly, “What’s the matter?”

“Jerome, I’m sorry. It was my fault before. I care too much about my reputation and am too stubborn. That’s why I wanted to pretend you were my boyfriend. After all, Angelia is from my grandmother’s side, and I can’t let my grandmother know that I’m pretending. Please don’t be angry,” Adela said in a low voice.

Jerome looked ahead coldly without saying a word. There was no need for him and Adela to have any interaction. He was angry at her before because she bullied Angelia, but he had already punished her and slapped her face. It could have ended there.

“Do you have anything else to say?” Jerome asked indifferently.

“Oh, well, your aunt just called me and asked me to buy a deep blue diamond,” Adela said, trying to change the subject.

Jerome sneered sarcastically, “Some small actions don’t need to be taken. It’s a good thing to cut losses in time. Being too involved will only lead to more losses. Trying to make amends can cause even greater resentment. If you want to sell it, just communicate with her. You don’t need to tell me.”

“You know, the deep blue water diamond is the centerpiece that I dug up at a high price. I spent a lot of money, energy, and connections to buy it. I don’t care about the price because it is a brand.

So, Jerome, can you help me for the last time? You know, my grandmother thinks you’re my boyfriend now, and if you leave, she’ll be worried about me and won’t let me go abroad.” Adela said pitifully.

“That’s your business,” Jerome said decisively.

“Don’t you want the deep blue water diamond? Your aunt really wants it,” Adela immediately said.

“No matter how good something is, it loses its value the moment I decide not to want it. Whether you sell it or not is up to you. You don’t need to call me anymore. We really don’t need to have any more interactions.” Jerome said, not giving Adela a chance to speak, and hung up the phone, putting Adela’s number on the blacklist.

Immediate, decisive, and without any hesitation or consideration for old feelings, the decisive action of a domineering CEO was displayed in full.

Angelia looked at him.

If she angered him one day, she would also be dealt with cleanly like this.

She remembered that she didn’t know why before, she went to find him, he was clearly there, but let Whitfield say he wasn’t.

She called him, but he didn’t answer or tell her anything, and just went back to France.

Therefore, Jerome was a man who could leave her life at any time. When he made a decision, he wouldn’t give her any breathing room. The one who felt uncomfortable and heartbroken was herself.

She was very grateful for her rationality just now, not going in and losing herself.

At the entrance of the community, Jerome put her down to buy fruit and left without waiting for her.

Angelia wandered around the fruit shop, bought a big watermelon and five bananas, paid for it, and came out of the fruit shop with the plastic bag in her hand.

Suddenly, someone took the plastic bag from her hand.

Jerome turned around in surprise and saw Jerome, asking in amazement, “Didn’t you leave first?”

“I just went to park. It’s inconvenient for you to walk back with such a big watermelon,” Jerome said, walking towards his car.Convenient, it’s okay, I ate too much for dinner and want to take a walk,” Angelia said with a smile. The implication was that she didn’t want to ride in his car.

Jerome calmly replied, “Actually, I’m also full and want to walk. Let’s go together. I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, Jerome, let me carry the watermelon,” Angelia said, going to pick up the watermelon.

Jerome lifted the watermelon and said, “Angelia, you should use available resources reasonably. I am your boss, but I am not the kind of boss who takes advantage of women. You are a girl, is it appropriate for you to carry such a big watermelon for me?”

“The watermelon is mine,” Angelia explained.

Jerome frowned slightly and asked, “Are you sure one person can eat such a big watermelon, or do you want to share it with me?”

“Um…” When she bought the watermelon, she didn’t think about eating it alone.

Jerome walked ahead with the watermelon, and Angelia followed him.

“I have someone investigating. They will tell me when they find the person who ordered the assassination. Until then, you can move in with me,” Jerome said in a low voice.

“Huh?” Angelia stopped in shock, as if her soul had been hit by something. Living together?

Jerome looked at her coldly and said, “My apartment has three rooms. You can choose whichever one you want. Or are you afraid of falling in love with me?”

Jerome hit the nail on the head with Angelia’s hidden thoughts. Because she was so nervous, her thinking wasn’t as agile.

“I live across from you. If there is danger, I’ll call you,” she said.

“How will you call me? By phone? You may not even have a chance to make a call. Shout for help? There are two doors and a corridor between us. I may not even hear you. Angelia, you are my employee and, to put it plainly, my most trusted and relied-upon partner in North Carolina. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Jerome spoke in a professional manner.

If she refused because of her nervousness, it would only make people suspicious of her true intentions. Angelia brushed her hair from her forehead and thought about how to respond. He still liked to watch her hair-flipping motion. She remembered that she used to do it a lot in college, when she was annoyed, thinking, or nervous.Once upon a time, when he saw a woman make that gesture, he would instinctively glance at her. But ultimately, the person making those movements wasn’t her, and it was just a passing fancy.

“Have you decided?” Jerome asked.

“So, for breakfast tomorrow,” Angelia paused and asked a string of questions, “what do you want to eat? What time do you usually wake up? Are we going to the company tomorrow?”

Jerome answered one by one, “You decide, I’m not picky except for lobster. I usually wake up around six and go for a morning run for about an hour. After that, I’ll take a quick shower and we’ll head to the company before nine.”

He explained to her in great detail, his voice deep and resonant, like the tail end of a cello, it was beautiful and could touch people’s hearts.

She deliberately avoided his gaze and walked ahead. Angelia, you must be rational. Soon, they arrived upstairs. Jerome opened the door to his room and said, “I’ll go down and start the car, it’ll take about ten minutes. Wait for me at home, don’t go out, and lock the door.”

The word “home” made Angelia’s heart flutter. How could this be home? Jerome would only stay here for a month at most and then leave. She shook her head, not wanting to overthink it.

Just as Jerome walked downstairs, his phone rang. It was his aunt calling, and he answered, greeting her, “Have you eaten yet?” Viola smiled and said, “I’m about to eat, but I got a few phone calls and missed you.”

“Let me guess, one of those calls was from Adela?” Jerome asked as if he knew.

“She told me that you were entangled with a married woman and didn’t even buy her necklace because of that married woman,” Viola complained coquettishly.

“I didn’t buy her necklace because of her own character issues. I don’t need to help her. As for that married woman she mentioned, she must be referring to Angelia, my college classmate… I do like her,” Jerome said bluntly. Something in his heart tightened and stung slightly.

Viola paused. Jerome had never been so straightforward about telling her that he liked a girl.”Oh, I don’t object to whoever you like. After all, she’s a married woman. You need to be careful about your status. If your father finds out, he’ll probably be furious,” Viola reminded.

Jerome took a deep breath. “Let’s wait for her to get divorced first. She’s quite stubborn.”

Remembering how she had rejected him several times, Jerome frowned. “Besides having bad taste and being stupid, she also has a brain injury.”

“What? Is she okay? Will there be any after-effects?” Viola thought he was serious.

“It’s okay. The after-effect is just worse taste and being even more stupid,” Jerome said helplessly.

“Then why do you still like her? Your taste can’t be that bad,” Viola couldn’t understand.

Jerome sneered. “When she got her head stuck in the door, I accidentally stuck my head in too.”

Viola: “……”

She seemed to understand that Jerome wasn’t serious. “You’ve been bullying me since I was young, growing up in France, I don’t understand, do I?”

“Anyway, I’ll prepare a birthday gift that you’ll like. I have something to do, so I’ll hang up,” Jerome said.

“Will you marry her?” Viola asked anxiously.

Jerome’s eyes deepened as he looked into the endless night. “I’ll see how she behaves.”

He hung up the phone, leaving Viola confused. Did he mean he’ll see how she behaves or if she wants to get married?

In short, Viola was worried. This was the first time she had seen Jerome really like a girl…

Jerome came back with cherries, cucumbers, pumpkin vines, and other vegetables from Angelia’s grandmother’s house in the countryside.

Angelia had already moved her things over, and there wasn’t much to begin with. She had even made the bed.

“I told you to do it after I came back,” Jerome frowned.

“I made sure no one was following me. Jerome, do you want some watermelon? I’ll cut it now,” Angelia said kindly.

“Mm,” Jerome answered and placed the items on the table before heading into his study.

Angelia put the vegetables in the fridge and found that there was nothing in there except for a dozen bottles of beer.

She ordered takeout and bought rice, noodles, chicken breast, salad, tofu, milk, steak, and other ingredients.Originally, I wanted to cut the watermelon into slices, but when I saw that Jerome had a juicer in the kitchen, I thought it would be more convenient to drink it as juice.

Angelia made a large glass of juice and brought it to Jerome.

She knocked on the door and Jerome said in French, “Come in.”

Angelia understood and went in.

Jerome was in a video conference, his eyes fixed on the computer screen.

He spoke fluent French and said, “I don’t need to hear excuses, and I don’t want to hear you making excuses for your failures.

What I need are solutions and actual actions.

I will come over next Saturday, and you have five days to resolve the issue.

If you can’t, you won’t just be fired.”

Angelia put the watermelon juice on Jerome’s right side and left since he was busy.

She had thought he was leaving in a month, but it seemed like he was leaving earlier than expected.

She felt a strange sourness and melancholy in her heart, but it was okay.

She wrapped the leftover watermelon with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

She boiled water using the kind of kettle that automatically shuts off.

She went back to her room and lay down on the bed, feeling uneasy.

People always have some minor emotional ailments that are beyond rational control.

For example, even though she knew that this woman had nothing to do with her man, seeing them laughing and talking together made her feel uncomfortable.

Whether Jerome stayed or left was not her decision.

She didn’t want to think about it and just let things happen naturally.

Eventually, Jerome would leave her world.

She took out her phone and played Snake.

Jerome had won a lot for her last time, and she had too much gold to go to the beginner’s area.

She was killed in the junior area and became more annoyed.

She scratched her messy hair.

If it wasn’t something she could play, then it wasn’t something she could play.

Even with so much money, she would still be beaten back to her original state quickly.

She coveted things she shouldn’t have and challenged things she shouldn’t have, resulting in various forms of abuse.

After a few rounds, she only had 150,000 left.

She exited the interface, bought a day’s worth of skins, used up 100,000, and had 50,000 left.

Finally, she went to the beginner’s area.Still free in the new book area, at least she could kill small snakes instead of being killed all the time. After playing a few rounds, she heard a knock on the door and remembered that her takeaway should have arrived.

She went out.

Jerome also went out.

The two looked at each other.

Angelia still felt a little uneasy in her heart, but she covered it up with a smile and said, “It should be the things I bought.”

She went to open the door, and it was indeed the takeaway.

Jerome saw that there were two large bags, took the things from the delivery guy’s hand, and asked Angelia, “Where do you want to put these?”

“In the fridge,” Angelia said, about to go and carry them.

Jerome took a step ahead and put them on the table next to the fridge.

Angelia neatly put everything in the fridge.

Jerome looked at her heavily, “There was a problem with a project in Wilmington on my side, and I have to leave tomorrow.”

Angelia paused.

She thought he was leaving on Saturday, but he was leaving tomorrow.

Realizing her strangeness, she quickly adjusted and responded, “Okay.”

“You’re coming with me,” Jerome said again.

It was a statement, not a question.

Angelia looked at him in surprise, scrutinizing his eyes, trying to see if there was any joking element, but there wasn’t. “Me?”

Jerome nodded seriously, “This project is special. It’s in a chemical plant in Wilmington where I work. A large amount of methylpropylamine and ketamine were found inside, in simple terms, it’s a raw material for making some kind of drug.”

The issue of drugs is a big deal no matter where you are.

“Did your subordinates do it, or was your factory framed?” Angelia asked worriedly.

“I don’t know yet. My manager is in charge over there. He said he didn’t know anything, but from the way he spoke, he wasn’t telling the truth. I told him I would go there this Saturday, but in fact, I will go earlier. If this matter is not handled properly, it will affect the capital market, and I suspect that it is already part of someone else’s plan,” Jerome explained.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Angelia wanted to help him. Based on the fact that he had helped her several times, she was willing to do so.

“I don’t want the headquarters to know about this for the time being. I trust you the most here. When we get there, there will be a lot of things to deal with, and it may be hard work for you,” Jerome said.”I’m not afraid of hard work. If we leave tomorrow, do we need to confirm with the person we made plans with tonight?” Angelia reminded.

“We originally planned to meet on Monday, so it’s not like we’re standing them up. It’s just that you can’t go to work at the company for the time being,” Jerome explained.

“I have no problem with that. One day in the morning and one day in the evening won’t affect anything. What time are we meeting tomorrow?” Angelia asked.

“I checked, the flight is at 2 pm in the afternoon and it’s about a 14-hour flight. North Carolina is about 10 hours faster than Wilmington, so we should arrive in Wilmington around 6 pm Wilmington time. Do you get motion sickness?” Jerome asked carefully.

“Motion sickness? Well,” Angelia was a little embarrassed and scratched her head. “I haven’t flown before, so I don’t know if I get motion sickness, but my health is generally good and I don’t get sick often.”

Jerome was a little worried. Even though he travels frequently, he still gets uncomfortable on a 14-hour flight.

“You stay at home, I’ll go out and buy some medicine. It can effectively relieve motion sickness, and you can take it before going to bed tonight,” Jerome said.

Angelia was also worried that if she got motion sickness, she wouldn’t be able to help and might even be a burden. She nodded in agreement.

When Jerome wasn’t in the room, Angelia went to the bathroom, locked the door, and took a shower.

She heard her phone ringing, but didn’t answer it. The phone rang again, and she looked at the caller ID, it was Sammie. She hung up and sent a message back, “I’m taking a shower now, I’ll call you back after I’m done.”

The door suddenly opened, and Angelia was startled. She realized she was only wearing a towel and instinctively wanted to grab something to cover herself.

Her clothes were still in the bathroom, and the rest were in her luggage. Moving the blanket would be too obvious, so she hid behind the bed, but that was also too obvious.

Then she thought, he couldn’t see anything while she was wearing a towel, so she tried to calm down and brushed her wet hair to the side of her face.

Jerome didn’t expect her to be dressed like this and staying in the room. He felt a surge of heat rising from his abdomen, boiling his blood and then settling down, making him tense up.

He could clearly feel the changes in his body and cleared his throat, saying, “I knocked on the door.”She was replying to a text message when she didn’t hear, “Um, I just finished taking a shower.”

Jerome handed her the bag of medicine, his eyes flashing dangerous information.

Angelia was afraid her towel would fall off as she walked towards Jerome.

She reached out and took the medicine.

Jerome didn’t let go of her hand, his gaze burning into her.

Angelia felt like her face was on fire, “What’s wrong?”

“Do you think I can’t touch you, or that I’m not a man, dressed like this, with no lock on the door. Or is it intentional?” Jerome said in a low voice.

“I didn’t mean to,” Angelia explained.

When she went to take a shower, she thought about locking the door, but the phone ringing annoyed her and she forgot, only remembering the towel.

“So you don’t think of me as a man?” Jerome asked, the danger escalating, possessing her, and he blocked her lips…

His kiss was like opium, capable of trembling a person’s soul.

Angelia panicked and pushed him away.

He didn’t give her the chance, once they touched, her softness penetrated his marrow, and he didn’t want to let go.

He closed his eyes, hugged her waist, spun her around, pushed her against the wall, and intensified the kiss.

The breath was chaotic, swelling in the air, and thoughts were completely controlled by emotions.

Angelia felt hot and pushed his shoulders.

The towel fell to the ground in a struggle, like a flower blooming.

Angelia became increasingly unable to think, as if a flood was overwhelming her, trapping her, unable to breathe, unable to struggle, her whole body powerless, and a thought was telling her.

Just like this, just like this, just like this…

Even if he was just playing, even if there was no future, she liked him, didn’t she?

Whether it was due to the lack of oxygen or the deep poisoning, her body became weaker and weaker, and her resistance became weaker and weaker.

Jerome’s hands became more and more presumptuous, and Angelia shuddered, becoming somewhat sober, and avoiding his kiss, taking deep breaths of air.

Jerome followed her neck and fell into her tight nest.

“Jerome, we can’t,” Angelia said breathlessly.Jerome suppressed the screaming pain in his body and looked at her with red eyes. “Why can’t we?” he asked.

“You’re too charming,” Angelia bit her lip, unsure of what to say. “What I mean is, when I was taking a shower, Neville called and I hurried out to answer, forgetting to lock the door. It wasn’t intentional, and it’s not like I don’t see you as a man.”

“And then?” Jerome asked. “What are you afraid of? Do you not believe me or trust me?”

“I’m married, don’t you remember? You said you don’t bother with married women,” Angelia reminded him.

“I’ve changed my mind now,” Jerome touched her face and held her hand, pressing it against his abdomen. “Do you feel it?”

Angelia withdrew her hand and looked at him. “You know what? I hate mistresses. My mother was left by Ariel, and I suffered the biggest tragedy of my life because of Lillian.”

“You’re not a mistress, and I don’t have a girlfriend,” Jerome frowned. “I have a husband. Do you really want to stain yourself by sleeping with a married woman? Pursuing someone else’s wife is not a respectable thing to do. Because of guilt and shame, and because I really did something wrong, I will be condemned by my conscience when facing the criticism of others.”

“If you don’t love Sammie, then divorce him. I will get you the best lawyer and help you fight for Alyssa’s custody. We don’t need anything else from him,” Jerome said.

Angelia looked at him. There were some things she didn’t want to say, didn’t want to expose her most dirty and ugly side to the world.

But she also didn’t want Jerome to look at her with disappointment when he saw the truth.

“I actually have nothing. I used to read books when I was young, but I lost my talent in the struggles of life. I have a face that’s considered good-looking, but I’m not young anymore. Even if it comes to my body, I’m at an age where it’s easy to gain weight. I have many memories that I don’t want to look back on. I was raped, I have a child, and I suffered from depression for two years,” Angelia’s tears rolled down.

She didn’t want to talk about her depression, not even her grandmother knew about it.During her illness, her whole world collapsed.

If she didn’t think about what would happen to her grandmother and Alyssa if she died, she would have died long ago.

Jerome was stunned, looking at her with heartache, “You have depression?”

She still didn’t want to talk about that experience.

“There are many beautiful girls in the world. There are many beautiful and talented girls, and there are also many beautiful girls with a good past and a good future. You can find someone better.”

“I don’t need someone better,” Jerome said in a deep voice. He only wanted the one he liked.

But he didn’t say that, he took off his clothes and put them on Angelia, looking at her tearful eyes.

Alyssa really looked like her.

“Don’t wear this in front of me in the future. I can’t guarantee that I can control myself next time. Rest well tonight, good night.” Jerome said, turned around and left her room.

Angelia stood there blankly, not sure what she was feeling.

Logically, she hoped that Jerome would leave, and she also knew that she was not worthy of Jerome.

She was afraid that even if she was with Jerome, there would be so many excellent girls coming after him, and she would lose him one day. Just like Neville back then.

She was scared, had no confidence, and felt even more inferior.

But he just left like that, and she felt lost in her heart, as if a strand of soul had been lost.

This is the difficulty of being human. She wanted it, but couldn’t get it.

She knew herself well and could only regretfully watch it slip away.

She put on her clothes, lay down on the bed, and her phone rang again, it was Neville’s.

Angelia answered.

“Have you taken a shower?” Neville asked.

“Yes.”

“I reported Adele’s case to the police and followed your suggestion to denounce it with consumers. The effect is not bad, after all, I am also a victim.” Angelia listened quietly without speaking.

“I handled this matter well, and today’s news is out. Have you seen it?” Sammie continued.

“No, congratulations,” Angelia said flatly.”Grandeur Gardens has successfully overcome the crisis, and you played a crucial role in it. I also told my mom about it, and I’ll be back tomorrow. Let’s have dinner together as a family. I want to thank you for your suggestion.” Sammie said with a smile.

“I’m going abroad tomorrow,” Angelia said in a flat tone.

“Going abroad? Are you going with Jerome again?” Sammie frowned.

“What are you worried about? Do you think Jerome and I could be a thing?” Angelia replied.

“It’s impossible, but rich men can play around as they please. He won’t lose anything, but I’m afraid you might get hurt,” Sammie said.

“I’m a woman who is too emotional, timid, and self-righteous. In reality, I have nothing. He’s not blind, and there’s nothing else going on. I’ll hang up now,” Angelia said, not in a good mood.

“Can’t you quit your job?” Sammie asked.

“I’ve already signed a contract. If I don’t work, it’ll be a breach, and I’ll have to pay 10 million,” Angelia replied.

“10 million is nothing to my family. I’ll pay the penalty for you, and I’ll arrange for you to work at Grandeur Gardens so that you don’t have to work so hard,” Sammie said domineeringly.

Angelia’s eyes sank, and she said seriously, “Sammie, I hope you understand one thing. We will be getting divorced in a year. The 10 million you’re giving me back now, I won’t be able to repay it later.”

“Divorce, divorce. Every time we talk, it’s about divorce. What have I done wrong to you?” Sammie said irritably.

“What have you done well for me? I pretended for you for five years, and every time I was at your house, I suffered. Besides helping you deal with a bunch of messes, I never received any warmth from you. I’m glad and grateful that I never asked you for a penny in our marriage,” Angelia said.

“I’ll give you the warmth you want, and I’ll give you the money you want. I’ve also broken up with Quinton and Read. What more do you want from me? Let’s not talk about this for now. Go on your business trip, and we’ll talk more when you come back,” Sammie hung up the phone.

Angelia ran her fingers through her hair, feeling agitated. For herself, for Alyssa’s future mental and physical development, she had to get a divorce. It would be even better if Sammie agreed to an early divorce.She didn’t sleep well all night, tossing and turning and having several vague dreams.

Every time she woke up, the image that flowed through her mind was the one where she was kissing Jerome.

She sat up in annoyance.

Was she crazy? Or had it been too long since she had a man, so she wanted one now?

She got up from the bed, went out, poured herself a glass of water, and gulped it down.

There was a thud.

It came from Jerome’s study.

Angelia was startled, thinking it was a thief or something, and cautiously walked towards Jerome’s study, quietly opening the door to peek inside.

The study was lit by a desk lamp, and Jerome was sitting on a chair, pinching his nose and closing his eyes, looking a bit tired.

There was a water glass on the floor that had previously contained watermelon juice.

Angelia knocked on the door.

Jerome looked at her and said, “Sorry for waking you up.”

“No, the sound didn’t reach my room. I came out for a drink. You still haven’t slept yet?” Angelia walked in and picked up the water glass from the floor.

Jerome handed her a few napkins and said, “Before I leave, I have to finish all the other work. It’s okay, I can sleep on the plane tomorrow.”

“You’re so busy and yet you’re going to pick up Alyssa to keep her company.” Angelia scolded him.

In fact, she was concerned and grateful for his efforts, and her tone unconsciously softened, “Staying up late can be bad for your health. You don’t feel it when you’re young, but you’ll know when you’re older.”

Jerome smiled slightly.

He was indeed very tired, annoyed, and exhausted, but listening to her voice and feeling her concern, he suddenly felt much better.

Even his voice was filled with the charm of the night, “I know what I’m doing. You go rest first. I have about two more hours of work here, and then I’ll have some time to rest.”

Angelia felt even more sorry for him.

If she had known how busy he was, she wouldn’t have wasted his time.

Great people aren’t successful just by chance.

“I’m not sleepy anyway. Are you hungry? I bought a lot of food ingredients. We won’t be able to finish them tomorrow, so I’ll prepare some snacks for you now. Eat them and then you can work with more energy.” Angelia suggested.Jerome nodded. “Then don’t get up tomorrow morning to make breakfast. Sleep until you wake up naturally.”

Angelia smiled slightly. “Wait for me, I need about half an hour. I’ll make you a cup of coffee first.”

He watched her leave and liked what she said, “wait for me.”

As long as she asked him to wait, he would wait no matter how long.

Soon, Angelia brought a cup of cat poop coffee and a piece of bread. “Have a snack first, an empty stomach is not good for your stomach,” Angelia said softly.

“Mm-hmm,” he responded, reluctant to see her go.

Angelia went into the kitchen, cooked pasta, fried steak, made a poached egg, and poured a glass of milk. After putting everything on the table, she called Jerome to come out for a midnight snack.

Jerome glanced at the table and said, “It looks pretty good.”

“Try it,” Angelia handed him a knife and fork.

“You only made one serving?” Jerome asked.

Angelia smiled apologetically, “I’m afraid of getting fat.”

“You’re too thin now. Go get a bowl. I’ll split it with you. I just had bread and can’t eat that much now,” Jerome said, cutting the steak.

He ate while she watched, but it didn’t taste that good.

“Okay then,” Angelia went to the kitchen and brought a bowl.

Jerome cut the steak into small pieces, one by one.

Angelia put the bowl in front of him.

Jerome put the cut steak in her bowl and split the pasta and poached egg in half. Angelia felt a little embarrassed. They really looked like a couple living a simple life.

She sat opposite him, lowered her head, and took a sip of the pasta.

“Are you worried about the plane ride? That’s why you can’t sleep,” Jerome asked.

Angelia’s face turned red.

She had been reminiscing about his kiss all night and couldn’t even lift her head, nodding randomly.

“Did you take the medicine I gave you?” Jerome asked again.

“I did.”

“Don’t worry, it’s similar to riding in a car. There’s enough oxygen on the plane, and you might experience some high-pressure reactions, but just yawn a few times and you’ll be fine.”

Angelia looked at the time. It was almost three o’clock. “So, if I don’t sleep now, it’s actually better. I’ll have a continuous wave of yawns later.”Jerome laughed along with her and said, “Wilmington is tropical. Do you have sunscreen?”

“Yes, by the way, Jerome, I want to bring some food on the plane. Is that okay? I saw a movie before that said you can’t bring milk, and then a celebrity just drank all the milk.”

“Liquids cannot be brought, but you should be able to bring things like vegetables. I haven’t brought those before, but there is food on the plane that you can order.”

“But I heard that the food on the plane isn’t good.”

“It should be okay, not worse than the food at the Detroit hotel.”

Angelia looked at Jerome and understood that he wasn’t lying.

The bad food on the plane should be in the domestic economy class.

Jerome was in first class on international flights, so it should be different.

She looked down and ate her steak.

He looked at her, and no matter how he looked, she was pleasing to the eye.

Angelia was thinking and didn’t notice Jerome’s gaze. She finished her food and looked at Jerome, feeling embarrassed. “Do I eat really ugly?”

Jerome cut his steak and said, “You ate a bit fast.”

“Oh, haha. I’m used to it. The company I worked for before had a work lunch with more than a dozen people at a table. Everyone ate quickly. The last person to finish would feel embarrassed, so basically, I would finish a bowl of rice in three minutes. Over time, I just got used to eating fast.” Angelia explained with a smile.

“That’s not easy to digest.”

“It’s okay, my stomach is okay. By the way, Jerome, I don’t plan on sleeping. Is there anything I can help you with for work?” She asked sincerely.

She wanted to help lighten his burden.

Jerome looked at her deeply.

His computer was full of confidential information.

Not to mention ordinary people, even his aunt was not allowed to look at it. If even one project’s information leaked out, the loss would be in the billions.

But he didn’t have any defenses against her.

He even had an evil thought that if she did leak something, he could be entangled with her for the rest of his life. Even if she couldn’t pay him back, it didn’t matter. Offering herself was the best option.After I finish eating, I want to rest for a while.

I still have over 90 emails to process, most of which are in English.

Please take a look and let me know which ones are important and urgent, which ones are important but not urgent, which ones are urgent but not important, and which ones are neither important nor urgent.

For the ones that are not important and not urgent, you just need to tell me what they are about and I don’t plan on reading them,” Jerome said.

“Or, you can forward all the emails to me. I heard that there is a virus that is being sent through emails. Once you open it, your computer will crash, and your data can be stolen. You might even receive ransom calls. If I accidentally click on it, what should I do? My computer doesn’t have anything important anyway, I can just get rid of it,” Angelia suggested.

“Don’t worry, my computer is protected from viruses and won’t be infected,” Jerome said confidently.

“Oh, okay.”

After dinner, Angelia washed the dishes and went to Jerome’s study. He was sleeping on the couch, with his right hand resting on his forehead. “The computer is on, I’m going to take a nap,” he said softly.

“Or you can go to the bedroom to sleep. It’s not comfortable to sleep on the couch,” Angelia suggested.

Jerome looked at her, his eyes bloodshot. “I’m afraid I’ll oversleep.”

“If there’s anything urgent, I’ll wake you up. If not, it’s okay if you oversleep. We can still work at the airport when we wait for our flight,” Angelia said.

Jerome thought about it and sat up. “I won’t lock the door for you.”

“Okay,” Angelia didn’t respond and didn’t catch his hint.

Jerome felt a little helpless and went back to his room, lying on the bed. After thinking for a while, he anonymously sent an email to his own mailbox…

Angelia worked very seriously, looking through each email one by one. She marked the important parts so that Jerome could quickly see the focus of each email. She also made notes on each email about the main content and whether it was important and urgent.

Finally, after two hours, she had almost finished reading all of them, except for the last one. She opened it and found that it was all pictures of Jerome. There were pictures of him practicing martial arts, receiving awards, attending business celebrations, and even some artistic photos. Jerome was really handsome.

She was fine anyway, leaning on the table, her fingers touching his eyebrows, nose, and lips on the screen until she remembered his kiss earlier, and her heartbeat accelerated again.

Actually, she knew very well that if she hadn’t pushed Jerome away in time, she might have gone wrong without hesitation in the next second.

Jerome is too easy to fall in love with and too easy to make mistakes with.

The sound of the door opening next door interrupted Angelia, and she nervously closed the page.

Jerome pushed the door in and she stood up uneasily, “Um, aren’t you going to sleep for a while? It’s still early.”

“Enough.” Jerome walked towards her.

As he approached, Angelia felt her breath become uneven and moved to the right, smiling to cover up her nervousness, “I finished reading it all. I’ll go make breakfast now.”

Jerome wanted to say something, but he saw her hurriedly leaving his study without giving him a chance to speak.

Jerome sat down helplessly in his chair.

In fact, there was surveillance in his study. He installed it on the first day he came here. After all, he lived here, and security measures had to be taken.

He looked at the email and Angelia did it very carefully and accurately. He almost just had to scan it to know the focus of the email, which saved him a lot of time reading.

But what he most wanted to see was what she had annotated on the photos she gave him.

He scanned it and saw that she had annotated all the other emails except for his photos, which she had not annotated.

Jerome felt a bit disappointed.

Those photos were his private collection, and no one had seen them. He couldn’t show them to others either.

Did she think his photos were not even urgent or important enough?

He didn’t know if it was his selfishness, or his dissatisfaction, or his expectation, but he opened the surveillance and fast-forwarded it.

In the 15 minutes before he entered the room, Angelia opened the email with only his photos.

He saw Angelia leaning on the table, her fingers imitating his portrait, and her fingers stopped at his lips.

His blood boiled and rushed into his brain.

Was she just innocently admiring his looks or was it not as she claimed… that she didn’t like him?He stood up impulsively and walked to the kitchen.

Angelia, wearing an apron, was skillfully stir-frying diced chicken.

Jerome suddenly hugged her from behind.

Angelia was shocked and her back stiffened, her hand holding the spatula frozen.

It took her a while to regain her senses.

“You…”

“Don’t speak,” Jerome said in a deep voice.

Angelia felt it was inappropriate for them to be like this and struggled to break free.

“Don’t move,” Jerome said again, holding her tighter, burying his face in her hair, smelling the sweet scent on her body.

Angelia didn’t know what had happened to make Jerome act so abnormal.

Was it something that happened in Wilmington that upset him, or was it something else that bothered him?

We often only see a person’s success, but we don’t see the effort they put in to achieve it, nor do we see the pressure they face after succeeding.

She didn’t know how to comfort him and could only say gently, “Everything will be okay.”

In a place out of Angelia’s sight, Jerome’s previously empty heart felt like it was filled with something.

He liked the sentence Angelia said, “Everything will be okay.”

Angelia was worried that the diced chicken would burn, so she turned off the heat.

Jerome hugged her for a long time before letting go.

Angelia turned around and looked at him worriedly, “Are you okay?”

Jerome looked deeply into her eyes and shook his head.

“I’ll go for a run and be back in 45 minutes. The computer is still on, you can use it if you need to.”

“I have my own, you can turn it off,” Angelia said.

Jerome’s face looked a bit strange as he found an excuse, “You can reply to the emails you marked as not important or urgent.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll make breakfast then,” Angelia looked at Jerome, worried about him. But she couldn’t tell his emotions from his face.

Are all successful people so good at controlling and hiding their emotions?

“If you’re not happy, you can tell me. Maybe I don’t have other abilities, but I won’t tell anyone,” Angelia said.

“Hmm,” Jerome responded.

However, he still didn’t say anything and went to his room to change and go for a run.

Angelia didn’t want to ask anything else.

She cooked various beans in a pressure cooker and stir-fried the diced chicken, putting it on a plate for later.She fried two more sunny-side up eggs, cooked bacon and sausages, washed lettuce, and stir-fried pumpkin vines.

After everything was done, she waited for the beans in the pressure cooker to finish cooking.

During this break, she went to the study and saw that Jerome’s desktop had been changed to his photo.

Angelia smiled and propped her chin up, looking at Jerome on the desktop.

She didn’t expect the cold and serious Jerome to be quite narcissistic.

She replied to the email, and most of the replies were thank yous, saying the idea was great and that they could discuss it further in the future.

Some thanked her for the support and said it was an honor.

A new email came in, and Angelia opened it.

It said simply, “Is this him? At this time, Jerome should be running.”

Angelia thought the person should be familiar with Jerome and replied, “No, it’s not him, it’s Jerome’s assistant. If you need anything, it’s best to contact him directly on his phone.”

Whitfield was shocked because Jerome never let anyone touch his computer.

He asked Angelia if Jerome had let her use it, and she explained that he had asked her to reply to emails because he had only slept for two hours the previous night and was currently running outside.

Whitfield couldn’t believe it and was heartbroken.

Angelia replied to all the emails, and since Jerome didn’t have any other files to save, she shut down the computer and went back to the kitchen.

The beans were almost done, so she poured them out and let them cool.

She had bought a bag of toast yesterday.

She spread bacon, sausages, and eggs on the toast, tore one of the slices of bread, put it on top, added cheese, and put it in the oven for only three minutes.

Jerome came back from his run and smelled the strong aroma, heading straight to the kitchen.

Angelia had just taken out the bread and pinched a bit, putting it in her mouth.

It was sweet, fresh, and fragrant, and she was quite satisfied, so she made two more and put them in the oven.Jerome looked at her busy figure.

Angelia is really suitable to be a wife – beautiful and intelligent, a virtuous wife and good mother.

Even if he is tired outside, when he sees her, he will not feel tired anymore.

Angelia noticed someone at the door and turned to look at Jerome.

He was just wearing sportswear, leaning on the door frame.

The reason for his exercise was evident from the sweat on his body and face, making him look sunny.

Angelia’s heart skipped a beat.

When she was a child, she used to play a very childish game with her female classmates: what kind of boys do you like?

Many people answered tall, handsome, and good grades.

What she liked was the kind of man who made her feel very sunny.

When she was in elementary school, she particularly liked Liu Yong’s book, which had a section that roughly meant that people and shadows are always together.

When you face the sun, you cannot see your own shadow.

If you turn your back to the sun, you will only see darkness.

For some reason, her face became hot and uncomfortable.

“Um, breakfast is almost ready. What time will we leave at noon?” Angelia asked.

Jerome walked in, “Around 12:30. Sloan will take us to the airport. Why is your face so red? Are you uncomfortable?” Jerome put his hand on her forehead.

Angelia’s heart was pounding, and she felt like she had been electrified.

She stepped back, put on a smile, and brushed her hair to the side of her face, explaining with her head down, “No, maybe the kitchen is too hot. I’m prone to blushing, just like Alyssa.”

“Hmm.” Jerome turned on the switch on the wall, “There’s a fan in the kitchen. Remember to turn it on next time. I’m going to take a shower.”

Angelia nodded, turned around, took a deep breath, adjusted her erratic heartbeat, and realized what had happened to her.

She slapped her forehead and became infatuated again. However, the desire to look beautiful is normal for everyone, right?

“Angelia.” Jerome called her.

“Oh.”

“Come down.” Angelia went to Jerome’s room and heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, “What’s wrong?”

“I just dropped the clothes inside when I was getting dressed. They’re in the storage box in the closet. Can you help me get them down?” Jerome said.

“Okay.” Angelia opened the closet and looked at the storage box. Did Jerome mean a certain pair of pants when he said “clothes inside”?She cleared her throat.

If she treated people with a normal heart and didn’t overthink, she wouldn’t need to be shy.

She quickly picked up the pants and walked to the bathroom door, looking around.

“Open the door a little, I’ll hand it to you.”

Jerome opened the door slit, and Angelia handed him the pants inside.

“Not this one,” Jerome said.

“Hmm? Not this one, which one?” Angelia asked, puzzled. Why was he being so picky about the pants inside?

Jerome opened the door.

He was only wearing a bath towel, which revealed a clear eight-pack abs and a well-proportioned body with water vapor still on it, too sexy and charming.

Angelia instinctively turned away.

She remembered that Jerome had taken off his clothes in front of her in Denver, but visually, it was far less shocking than this time.

Jerome stood behind her and wanted to get closer to her.

Angelia could clearly feel his strong male hormones, with a bewitching breath, enveloping her.

She was about to avoid it, but he grabbed her wrist and took the pants from her hand along her hand.

Wherever his palm touched, it caused a surge of electricity.

Angelia hadn’t recovered from the shock of the electricity yet, and heard Jerome’s low and hoarse voice: “The clothes you were supposed to take were inside, why did you take the pants inside?”

“Huh?” Angelia turned her head to look at him and met his eyes that were as vast and enchanting as the universe.

He focused on looking down at her, adding a layer of dreamy color to his voice, “The summer shirt is thin, and I’ll wear a white vest inside.”

Angelia understood and nodded.

His gaze moved down and fell on her lips, slowly and charmingly, leaning towards her lips.

Angelia felt his breath between her nose, and her mind was a bit confused.

Ding, the oven was ready.

She came back to her senses, blushing, and stepped back nervously, feeling uncomfortable.

“Um, um, um, I’m still burning breakfast. I’ll go to the kitchen and take a look.”

Without waiting for Jerome to recover, she turned around and walked out of his room without looking back.

Jerome’s eyes, full of desire, became even more profound, and there was a hint of helplessness in his eyebrows.Is it because she has too much self-control, or is it because he lacks charm for her?

Angelia rushed into the kitchen, splashing cold water on her face, her mind calming down a bit as she envisioned him almost kissing her…

No, if she continued like this, she would definitely lose her way and her soul.

She brought out breakfast, and Jerome came out dressed, his gaze flowing over her face without any ripples or strangeness, still his usual strict and meticulous self, as if the enchanting scene from earlier had never happened, giving off a feeling of distance.

Angelia didn’t know how to refuse him clearly.

“Um, try this, if it’s not enough, I also made a stir-fry, it’s very light and can be eaten with toast directly.” Angelia said.

“Mm.” Jerome responded, eating breakfast leisurely, his gaze on his phone, browsing today’s news, without any desire to talk to him.

Angelia looked at him, then looked at him again, “Um…we…”

Jerome looked at her, as if he understood everything, interrupting her, “I have to go out for a while.”

“Huh?”

“Do you know Waldron Harris?” Jerome asked.

Angelia nodded, smoothly shifting her thoughts, “I don’t know him, but I know of him. He sponsored many students from my former high school. He’s a wealthy man from Detroit, who started a steel pipe business when he was young, then opened a special steel factory, and later, he seemed to have sold over ten billion and started doing the internet, establishing a portal website. He does a lot of things, but I’m not sure of the specifics.”

“He invited me yesterday, and I want to meet him before I go abroad.” Jerome said.

“Are you coming back for dinner?”

“Mm.” Jerome responded, looking at her with a burning gaze.

Before, there were many dinners he didn’t want to attend, but because of his face, he had to find an excuse. Most of the time, he would say, “The company has some things to deal with, and I have to go back.” Once at a dinner, someone didn’t want to go, citing, “It’s my wife’s birthday, I have to go back.”

At that moment, he was touched.

Not to mention a wife, he didn’t even have a girlfriend. It was at that moment that he thought of Angelia, leaving a message on her QQ, but…

Because Angelia had long stopped using QQ, she never replied to him. He was also depressed for several days.

Now, he can finally say, “My woman is waiting for me to go back for dinner.”

Isn’t that cool?

Jerome left, and she looked at the time, planning to clean up the house first. She estimated that there wouldn’t be enough time to clean up after dinner.