Chapter 5

Angelia was surprised, “Mr. Taylor is allergic to lobsters?”

But he went to eat lobsters with her yesterday?

Jerome hasn’t spoken yet, and Dawn speaks for him, “Yes, he came to my house for dinner before, and the chef prepared lobsters. My aunt told me that he is allergic to lobsters and he doesn’t want to take medicine. He acts like it’s a matter of life and death.”

“Hmm?” No wonder he had diarrhea and vomiting that day. She asked him to go to the hospital, but he refused.

“You talk a lot.” Jerome looked unhappy and glanced at Dawn.

Dawn pouted and continued to speak to Angelia, “Don’t mind him. He’s always like this. He looks cold and aloof, and also, don’t tell anyone about his allergy to lobsters. Keep it a secret.”

Angelia now knew it was a secret, because her assistant didn’t mention it in the information given to her.

She looked guilty at Jerome and said, “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t blame you. No one forced me to eat it,” Jerome said in a deep voice, succinctly.

Angelia felt a strange feeling in her heart, thinking of her behavior last night.

She was the one who peeled the lobster for Jerome. Although he said no one forced him, he was actually saving face for her. She was the one who was not sensible at that time. What was she thinking?

“I will pay more attention in the future,” she said sincerely.

Jerome looked at her apologetic eyes and felt a little sorry for her. Dawn sensed the unusual atmosphere between them and concealed her jealousy.

She smiled at Angelia and said, “If you want to eat here, you can call me. My friend is a regular customer here and can get a 20% discount.”

“Thank you,” Angelia politely replied, handing the menu to Dawn. “I’ve made my order. Take a look and see if there’s anything else to add.”Dawn flipped through the menu and said to Jerome, “Angelia is a bit thin and works hard. I want to order fish maw soup, is that okay?”

“You can order whatever you want,” Jerome replied.

Angelia felt awkward being stuck in the middle.

The fish maw soup cost over a thousand dollars, and if it was just for her, she would refuse.

But if Dawn wanted to eat it and used her as an excuse, refusing would embarrass Dawn.

In the end, no one said anything.

The waiter took their order, and soon the restaurant manager came over to toast them.

When he saw Angelia, he was surprised and said, “Oh, it’s you! Why didn’t you call me? I could have arranged a better private room for you.”

“Hehehe,” Angelia laughed awkwardly.

Earlier, Dawn was bragging about how good the private room was, and the manager’s words felt like a slap in the face to Dawn.

Angelia tried to save Dawn’s face and said, “This private room is already very good. Ordinary people can’t even book it.”

The manager felt pleased and smiled happily, “You guys were invited by Kenney, right? You often go to Kenney’s house to play. I’ll toast to you.”

Kenney poured Angelia a drink.

Angelia stood up with her glass and said, “I should be toasting to you.”

Jerome said coolly, “After drinking, are you not planning to drive?”

Angelia was in a dilemma.

Kenney noticed and said with a smile, “Since you have to drive, don’t drink. Safety is the most important thing. Come back another day when you’re not driving.”

“Thank you, Kenney,” Angelia sat down.

Kenney toasted to Jerome, who only touched his glass to his lips and didn’t drink any of it.

When the manager left, Dawn deliberately said, “Angelia, the manager here seems to be very familiar with you. He seems to like you a lot.””Kenney and Andrea have a good relationship. I introduced their family chef,” explained Angelia.

“Well, you must have a good relationship with them too, otherwise, why would you introduce the chef to them?” Dawn joked.

Angelia didn’t want to explain further and kept silent, just smiling.

Jerome looked unhappy and wasn’t interested in any food.

He looked at Angelia, who felt uneasy under his gaze.

“Go settle the bill,” Jerome ordered.

“Huh?” Angelia was confused. Was Jerome asking her to treat him?

He put his wallet on the table. “I don’t like others paying for me, especially my woman.”

Angelia agreed. This dinner was Jerome’s treat for his girlfriend, and it would be embarrassing for someone else to pay.

“I understand.” She took Jerome’s wallet and went downstairs to pay the bill.

Jerome saw her obedient look and felt angry because she was too likable, not just by him.

Dawn was jealous and trembling. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Angelia settled the bill downstairs. Kenney insisted on giving her a discount, but they compromised at a 32% discount.

She went back to the third floor and saw Dawn at the elevator.

“Let’s talk,” Dawn said directly. “Follow me.”

Out of politeness, Angelia followed her to the hallway.

“How much do you know about Jerome’s family background?” Dawn asked.

“They run a big business,” Angelia replied truthfully.Dawn sneered, “You also know that his family is wealthy. Not only do they have money, but they also have a strong position in the military and politics. His marriage is not something he can decide on his own. Not just anyone can approach him, and his family won’t accept someone who has nothing. Do you understand?”

Angelia picked up on her insinuation and said, “I think you have misunderstood. Mr. Taylor and I don’t have the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”

“You know exactly what kind of relationship I’m talking about. I really dislike women like you who put on a show and don’t take responsibility. You hide your true intentions and laugh while holding a knife behind your back. And you still try to act innocent. Don’t you find that disgusting?” Dawn sarcastically remarked.

Angelia’s expression darkened and she said, “If you’ve already made up your mind, then there’s nothing to say between us.”

“What makes you so arrogant? Isn’t it just Jerome giving you money to spend? You’re not even a good match for Jerome. Even if you were Cinderella, you would still come from a wealthy family. I think you have some looks, so find someone who matches your social status. Don’t waste your time and miss your chance to find someone with good conditions as you get older.” Dawn criticized.

Angelia became annoyed and patiently explained, “Mr. Taylor gave me his wallet to pay for something, not to give me money.”

“He didn’t give you any money? That’s why you look poor. The Taylor family doesn’t think highly of someone like you.” Dawn continued to insult her.

Angelia sneered and had nothing more to say to her, so she walked away.

She really doubted Jerome’s taste in girlfriends.Dawn stood in front of her, feeling embarrassed and angry, “What are you smirking at? Are you so ashamed that you don’t want to listen? I was just trying to remind you that Jerome is not someone you can mess with. Don’t decorate yourself and disgust others.”

Angelia looked at her, her face darkened, “You said so many nasty things about me and you don’t allow me to smirk? You came to warn me, is it because you are not confident in yourself?”

“What? What am I not confident about? My family background is better than yours, my job is better than yours, I’m prettier than you, I have a better figure than you, and even my temperament is better than yours.” Dawn said arrogantly.

“Dawn lives in her own world.”

Dawn widened her eyes, “What do you mean?”

“Everyone lives in their own world. I can support myself with my hands and feet, and I don’t feel inferior. Money earned through labor is more reassuring than money given by men. If you measure my value with money, I can only say that you lost at the starting line.”

“Are you trying to compete with me for Jerome?” Dawn became uneasy.

“Men are not something to be fought over. Only true feelings can last forever. I’ll say it once, Jerome and I don’t have the relationship you think we do. I have no romantic feelings for him.”

“You don’t like him?” Dawn didn’t believe it.

“I don’t.” Angelia answered without hesitation.

Outside the hallway, Jerome’s gaze was silent and deadly, with hidden sharpness. He clenched his fists and walked directly towards the elevator with a gloomy expression.

Angelia returned to the private room, but Jerome was already gone.

Dawn called Jerome and spoke softly, “Jerome, where are you?”

“I have something to do, that’s it.” Jerome hung up the phone in a concise manner.

Dawn’s face turned pale. Jerome’s attitude towards her was cold and distant.

She pretended to still be on the phone, smiling and saying, “Hmm, okay, I’ll come over now. What about Angelia, should I invite her too? Oh, okay, it’s just the two of us then. I don’t want her to come along anyway, after all, it’s our private time. Alright, got it, I’ll be right out.”

Dawn hung up the phone and proudly told Angelia, “Jerome invited me to a hotel. It’s been a while since we’ve been together, and men have certain needs, you don’t need to come along.”

Angelia nodded, but felt a sudden discomfort that quickly disappeared. Dawn got into the elevator.

She went to grab her bag from the private room and suddenly realized that Jerome’s wallet was still in her hand.

She hurried to catch up with Dawn, but she had already gone downstairs.

She called Jerome, but he didn’t answer and hung up.

She thought they might be intimate at this time, so it was inappropriate to call. She returned to Marriott International and asked the front desk, “Has Mr. Taylor come back yet?”

“Not yet,” they replied.

Angelia went to Jerome’s room, put the wallet on his desk, and went to the business department. Darcey immediately came over and said, “Have you heard? Gallagher resigned this morning.”

“Yeah,” Angelia replied, opening her computer.

Darcey looked around sneakily and whispered, “Marriott International suddenly had a power outage last night. The security and maintenance staff went to the power room to check, but didn’t find any problems. Some say Marriott International is haunted.”

“That’s unlikely. People are scarier than ghosts. The sudden power outage is probably due to excessive electricity load. Don’t spread rumors, or you’ll get into trouble,” Angelia reminded her.

The computer was on, and group emails started coming in.Angelia clicked on it and saw Jerome’s photo, the one she took, shirtless.

Angelia looked at Darcey in shock, “Did you send this?”

Darcey widened her eyes, shaking her head frantically, raising her hand to swear, “I didn’t send it. If I did, I’d be hit by a car when I left, and I only appreciated it myself. I didn’t show it to anyone else.”

The pager rang, and it was from Jerome.

“What should we do? Will Jerome blame you? I heard he hates it when people invade his privacy. If he gets angry, Mr. Diana will definitely fire us. We’re done for. My family is still waiting for my salary and mortgage,” Darcey said with a pale face.

“I’ll take full responsibility. Adding you won’t change anything, let alone slip up,” Angelia said in a low voice, answering the phone.

“Come to my room,” Jerome said, hanging up the phone, his tone was commanding and sounded not good.

Angelia went to Jerome’s room. He was sitting in front of his desk, full of anger, looking at her, and asked seriously, “Did you take it?”

“Yes,” Angelia admitted. She couldn’t deny it.

Jerome stood up, with a stronger aura of oppression.

Angelia’s heart beat faster, her eyes flickered, but she couldn’t avoid it. She gathered the courage to explain, “It wasn’t me who sent it. Give me three days, and I’ll find out who sent it and give you an explanation.”

“Explanation?” Jerome stood in front of her, looking down at her. “If you didn’t take it, would anyone have sent it?”

Angelia knew it was her fault and couldn’t explain. She could only bear it and lower her head, “Please give me another chance, Mr. Taylor.””I gave you a chance,” Jerome raised his voice, turned around decisively.

Angelia was anxious and wanted to hold him, but accidentally pulled his clothes and opened his buttons, revealing his shoulder muscles.

She felt remorseful, as she did more and more wrong things and said more and more wrong things. At the same time, Jerome grabbed her wrist when she let go.

“What do you mean?” Jerome asked, looking at her with a complex expression.

“I didn’t mean to,” Angelia replied.

“I’m talking about taking photos without permission,” Jerome said.

Angelia didn’t want to implicate Darcey, “I can’t explain, and I don’t know how to say it. Because of certain selfishness, I did something wrong, I can’t make up for it, and I can’t change the fact. I’m sorry.”

She sincerely apologized to him and to herself.

“Is it enough for you to just say sorry?” Jerome asked.

“I will take the initiative…” Angelia was about to say “to resign,” but Jerome stopped her by kissing her.

Angelia was shocked and looked at him, meeting his angry eyes.

His eyes were devoid of emotion and desire, only anger, like flames that could ignite and devour her.

Angelia’s legs went weak and she took a step back, trying to avoid him.

But he didn’t let her, holding the back of her head and intensifying the kiss.

“Mmm…” She was almost out of breath, and between her gasps, all she could feel was Jerome’s breath, drowning her, biting his tongue in embarrassment.

Jerome winced in pain and stopped.

Angelia took the opportunity to break free from his embrace and said in embarrassment, “Mr. Taylor likes to kiss people when he’s angry.”

Jerome looked at her and said, “It depends on why I’m angry.”Yes, it was me who took the photo of you.

I have responsibility for it, but I only took a photo of your upper body.

Compared to the kiss you just had, it should be even.

I… Angelia hesitated, biting her lip and turning her head.

This was not her first kiss.

She may have been kissed by a stranger five years ago, and a few days ago, she was also kissed by him.

But she felt wronged, with many negative emotions building up inside her, causing her eyes to turn red.

“What about you? Why didn’t you say anything? Even if we’re even now, why did you bite me?”

“Then you can bite me back, can’t you?” Angelia said angrily.

Jerome looked at her but didn’t say anything.

Angelia stared back at him, and his anger gradually disappeared in her restrained tears.

If she cried more, he would feel even more upset.

Angelia’s phone rang.

She saw it was Walden and turned to answer.

“Angelia, come to the conference room. The big boss is here and wants to ask you about the photo.” Walden’s tone was heavy.

Angelia’s eyes filled with tears, it seemed that she couldn’t keep her job.

She had a feeling that she might never find another job in a hotel again.

“I understand,” Angelia hung up the phone and looked at Jerome.

“Wettiner wants me to go.”

“Remember what you said just now,” Jerome reminded her.

What did he mean?

That she should bite him back or that she would resign on her own?

Mr. Taylor was indeed as cold-blooded and ruthless as the rumors said.

She wanted to argue with him and give many reasons, like an anxious rabbit biting people and venting her anger hysterically.

But in the end… she didn’t complain and respectfully left his room to go to the conference room.In the meeting room, there were not only the big boss, Wettiner, the vice president, but also several responsible persons from different positions.

 “Angelia, protecting customer privacy is the professional ethics of the room manager. How could you take Mr. Taylor’s photo and send it out without permission?”

Whitmore was the first to challenge her.

“I took the photo, but I didn’t send it out,” Angelia replied. “Whether you sent it out or not, we’ll talk about it later.

 Taking photos without permission is not allowed, and now you have committed a crime and violated the customer’s privacy,” Vice President Kenny Diana said angrily.

“I will resign voluntarily,” Angelia said. “Is your resignation useful? If Marriott International’s reputation is damaged, Mr. Taylor may not cooperate with us anymore. Can you afford the losses?”

Kenny Diana said furiously. She couldn’t afford it.

Her savings were only a few hundred thousand Dollar, and she had to support Alyssa, her grandmother, and herself.

She lowered her head, looked down, and said nothing.

Walden sympathetically looked at her and said to Tam Diana, “It’s better to ask Mr. Taylor specifically, as his opinion is more important.”

“Yes, yes, please ask Mr. Taylor,” Tam Diana said worriedly.

Soon, Jerome entered the meeting room with Walden’s guidance.

Tam Diana stood up, apologized with a smile, “I apologize for my company’s employee taking photos of you without permission. We will do our best to compensate for the losses you suffered.”

Jerome looked at Angelia. She stood straight, with her eyes lowered, quiet and peaceful.

Her long eyelashes left a black silhouette under her eyelids.

She didn’t struggle, didn’t resist, and didn’t argue. Instead, it made him feel a little heartache.

 “There’s no such thing as taking photos without permission. I asked Angelia to pose for the photo, and she didn’t send it out,” Jerome said in a deep voice.

Angelia’s heart trembled as she looked at Jerome in surprise.

She didn’t expect him to help her and her mind was a bit foggy.

“Oh, I see,” Tam Diana laughed.

As long as Jerome didn’t investigate, Marriott International’s reputation would be preserved.

“Angelia, let’s go,” Jerome said, walking directly towards the door.

Angelia hesitated and looked towards Walden.

Walden signaled for her to follow.

Angelia followed, but before they could take the elevator down, Jerome pressed the button ahead of her.

She looked at him, confused.

Wasn’t he angry before?

“Um, why did you…help me?” Jerome looked down at her and asked deeply, “What do you think?”

Angelia thought carefully and asked uncertainly, “Because I’m your classmate?”

Jerome didn’t say anything, turned his head, and the elevator arrived.

He walked in first and pressed the button for the 19th floor.

Angelia stood at the elevator entrance without moving.

Jerome frowned and urged her, “Aren’t you coming in?”

“Oh.” She entered the elevator.

She thought her career was over and she might even have to shoulder unbearable debts.

Now, she could stay in the hotel safely.

Even though she had a lot of unpleasant experiences with Jerome in the past, compared to his help, they seemed to have turned into smoke and disappeared into the air.

At this moment, all that was left was gratitude.

She followed Jerome to his room and saw his shirt lying on the couch.

“Um, I can sew the buttons on the shirt,” she said.

Jerome turned to look at her.

His clothes were usually made by a specific designer.

“Wait for me,” Angelia avoided his gaze and felt a bit embarrassed.

She went back to her room and took out a ball of white thread.

“Did you pick up the button?” Jerome answered, “No.”Angelia was searching on the ground with her head down.

She saw a button lying under the chair, squatted down, picked it up, and sat on the sofa, skillfully sewing it up.

Jerome watched Angelia’s careful and meticulous appearance, and his eyes softened a lot.

He made two cups of coffee and handed one to her.

Angelia took it, took a sip, and frowned slightly.

It was bitter because Jerome didn’t add sugar.

He was used to drinking coffee without sugar, sat down next to Angelia, and also took a sip of coffee.

For him, time was precious, but he was willing to spend it quietly with her and didn’t think it was a waste.

When Jerome wasn’t paying attention, Angelia secretly put the coffee cup aside and deliberately changed the subject: “You sewed this button loosely. I’ll sew it tighter.”

“Why didn’t you say you had such strength and dared to pull my clothes? You’re the first person.”

Angelia thought of the scene at that time, her face slightly blushing because she was too anxious.

But the first person, it shouldn’t be like that.

His girlfriend should be happy to help him undress.

If it wasn’t for the photo, he should be with his girlfriend in a hotel now.

“Uh, I accidentally did it. I won’t do it again in the future.” Angelia said kindly.

Jerome looked at her deeply, with a meaningful and somewhat helpless expression, “I really don’t know what you want?”

Angelia lowered her head and sewed the button.

She wanted to work hard, earn money, give it to Sammie, divorce him, and give Alyssa and her grandmother a good life.

“Jerome.” Angelia shouted.

“Hmm.” Jerome responded.

He liked to hear her call his name.

“I want to take a leave tonight.” Angelia said.

Jerome’s gaze froze, “Do you have anything to do tonight?””I want to go to Century Park. There’s a performance tonight at Century Park, and I have some business matters to attend to,” Angelia explained in a friendly tone.

Could he stop her from going? “Okay, I understand,” Jerome replied.

Angelia was happy and grinned, “You’re such a good person. I’ll go get ready now.” She put down her shirt and got up to leave.

Jerome didn’t want her to leave just yet, “Are they all sewn up?” he asked.

“Yep, all sewn up,” Angelia replied as she backed away and disappeared from his sight shortly after.

Jerome put down his coffee cup and noticed that Angelia had hardly touched her coffee.

It was his first time making coffee for someone, and it seemed like he was being criticized.

He sighed lightly and called Whitfield, “Tell them I’ll be at Century Park tonight.”

Whitfield: “…”

Jerome went to Century Park early and someone arranged for him to have a front-row center seat with fruit, snacks, and drinks on the table.

He unconsciously looked for Angelia’s figure but couldn’t find her. His brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

Whitfield cautiously approached and reminded him, “Is Jerome looking for Angelia? I heard she came to meet an actor this time and should be in the lounge now.”

“Who said I came to find her?” Jerome stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Whitfield watched Jerome’s back, but the direction he was heading was clearly the lounge, not the bathroom.

As soon as Angelia arrived at Century Park, she contacted Adeline’s assistant Ferris, who took Angelia to the lounge door.

Lisa came out of the lounge, “Ferris has already told me your purpose.”

“I hope Lisa can prioritize our hotel,” Angelia said with a smile.

“There have been some problems with the investors, and the specific time for the project to start shooting has not been decided yet. Let’s talk about it when the shooting starts. I’m busy here, so I won’t entertain Ms. Green.” Lisa said in a polite but distant manner.

Angelia wanted to say something, but Lisa had already entered the lounge and closed the door. She could feel the other party’s perfunctory attitude, but it would be annoying to go in and say it at this time.

If the shooting doesn’t start in June, Adeline probably won’t come to Columbia.

She walked out dejectedly and saw Sammie… pinning Read against the wall.

She turned away and headed for the corner, where she heard Sammie invite Read to his newly decorated villa that night.

“Where is your wife?” Read asked.

“She doesn’t have the qualifications to live in my villa. That’s our villa,” Sammie said ambiguously, looking at Read’s beautiful eyes.

“Why don’t you divorce her?” Angelia heard the topic she was interested in and stopped in her tracks. She took out her phone, hid in the shadows, and started recording.

“Don’t even mention it. Whenever I bring up the idea of divorce, she throws a fit and even sets me up to go to the police station to accuse me, forcing me not to divorce her. I don’t even want to see her now,” Sammie said irritably.

Angelia rolled her eyes. Sammie must have learned from a book on how to be shameless.

“That must be tough for you,” Read said with concern.

Sammie hugged Read’s waist, leaned in close, and softened his voice, with an indulgent expression. “That’s why you have to accompany me. If only you could marry me.”

Read was excited and took the initiative to kiss Sammie.Angelia hung up the video, saved it to the cloud, cleared her throat, put her hands behind her back, and walked out swaggering.

Sammie saw Angelia’s face change drastically and sharply asked, “Are you following me?”

Angelia sneered, leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and lazily said, “How lowly am I to follow someone like you? But I have nothing to do now, let’s chat.”

“Sweetheart, you go into the room first, we’ll contact later,” Sammie said to Read and kissed him on the face. Read went back to the lounge. “What do you want to say?” Sammie said angrily.

“Aren’t you afraid of being filmed by others and put online? Then both you and him will be finished,” Angelia reminded.

“This is the corner of the lounge, ordinary people won’t come over,” Sammie said righteously. Angelia was helpless. A vase like Sammie, who was arrogant and brainless, would die miserably one day.

“I’m sorry, I just filmed that scene,” Angelia said slowly, playing with her ponytail. Sammie’s face changed drastically and she raised her voice, “Angelia, what do you want to do? If you hurt him, I will kill you.”

“Hurt him?” Angelia walked towards Sammie and stood in front of him.

“Didn’t you say you don’t even want to look at me? It’s hard to be married to me because I won’t divorce. How about this, you go to the civil affairs bureau with me tomorrow to get a divorce. I’ll delete all the footage I took and promise not to bother you. I owe you 400,000, and I’ll pay you back within ten years. How about it?”

With each word Angelia said, Sammie’s confidence decreased. He was a little afraid of this kind of Angelia, feeling extremely guilty and softened his attitude, “Read and I were just fooling around, joking around. How can you take what men say during their romantic moments seriously?”

 “Whether it’s sincere or fake, you know it in your heart, but I don’t care. I want a divorce and to be free. I don’t want to live with the identity of Mrs. Johnson burdened by your mother and your disgust. “

“I don’t dislike you,” Sammie explained.

“Tomorrow at ten o’clock, we will go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce. Otherwise, this video will be posted online. I hope you think it over. After all, we have no love for each other. It’s better to part on good terms and forget each other. I don’t want to break things and hurt the innocent,” Angelia said resolutely, turning around and leaving the building.

The performance is about to begin, and the host is introducing it loudly.

Angelia has no mood to enjoy it, walking with her head down, hoping that Sammie can come to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow to divorce her, otherwise, if that piece of paper is torn up, her face will lose all its luster, and it will be even harder to get a divorce in the future.

Suddenly, a pair of leather shoes appeared in front of her, and Angelia almost bumped into him. “Sorry.”

Looking up, she saw Jerome and was stunned. “What are you doing here?”

“The Cultural Bureau invited me this morning. Do you always walk with your head down?” Jerome asked in a deep voice.

“Oh, no. I was just thinking about something,” Angelia explained, turning her head to look at the stage and reminding him, “The show seems to be starting. Mr. Taylor, you should go.”

Jerome didn’t even look at the stage and asked, “Aren’t you going?”

Angelia shook her head, “I came here to talk about business. Now that the business is done, I’m not interested in the fashion show. I’ll go back first.”

“Shall we go together? Do you know how to cook?” Jerome asked.

“Yes,” Angelia replied truthfully.

“What can you cook?” Jerome continued to ask.”Basically, I can do anything, but it might not taste very good,” Angelia humbly said.

“I haven’t eaten yet, let’s go to your place. I’ve had too much food from restaurants and it’s starting to get boring,” Jerome said naturally.

Angelia felt like she had been struck by lightning, feeling both excited and nervous.

Going to her place might not be appropriate.

“At this time, the market doesn’t sell vegetables anymore. The hotel’s refrigeration room will have a lot of fresh ingredients, and besides, the hotel’s kitchen facilities have everything. How about we go to the hotel’s kitchen?” Angelia said with a smile.

“Okay,” Jerome agreed.

Angelia got into his car and suddenly wondered why she had agreed to cook for him.

“What are you thinking about?” Jerome asked.

She had already agreed, and he had helped her before, so she should treat him, “Um, besides lobster, what else don’t you eat?”

“I’m just allergic to lobster.”

“What do you like to eat the most?”

“I don’t have a favorite. Just make something you’re good at.”

“Oh.”

Angelia went to the hotel’s kitchen, and most of the chefs had already gone home, leaving only two on duty.

She greeted them and borrowed the kitchen, taking out chicken wings, steak, eggs, cucumbers, and spaghetti from the refrigerator.

Jerome walked towards Angelia and handed her an apron.

“Thank you,” Angelia put on the apron and was about to tie it, but Jerome beat her to it and helped her tie it.

Angelia’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at their shadows overlapping on the table. This action seemed like something lovers would do.

Had she been without a man for too long and become infatuated?

Feeling awkward, she put on a smile and turned to look at Jerome.”The kitchen has a strong smell of smoke. You go back to the room first, I will need about half an hour here,” she gently dismissed.

“I’m hungry,” Jerome said, not moving from the kitchen chair, picking up his phone and browsing something.

“Then…I’ll cook quickly,” Angelia turned around, took a deep breath, and suppressed her anxiety.

She focused all her thoughts on cooking, skillfully marinating chicken wings and steak, cracking eggs into a non-stick pan, and boiling water in another pot.

Jerome’s gaze slowly moved away from his phone and rested on Angelia.

She was focused on cooking, busy like a virtuous wife, with the gentleness of a traditional woman and the beauty of a modern woman, able to handle both the living room and the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, she finished cooking the spaghetti, chicken wings, and cucumber rolled beef, and brought them to Jerome’s table.

“Try it, I don’t know if it suits your taste,” Angelia said, sitting opposite Jerome.

Jerome took a bite of the cucumber rolled beef, it was delicious, at least it was the only dish he had paid attention to so far, “It’s good.”

Angelia was happy, “I was afraid you wouldn’t like it. I also prepared some salad dressing that you can dip it in.”

She demonstrated for him, mainly because she liked food that was slightly sweet.

Jerome looked at her with a smile, her eyes seemed to be embedded with stars, shining with the brilliance of a world.

He felt a strange emotion surging in his heart, stood up, and held Angelia’s chin, kissing her lips.Angelia was stunned, her heart pounding wildly.

Even though she was slow to catch on, she felt that this kiss was unusual, too gentle, too ambiguous, and too passionate. She backed away in alarm, meeting Jerome’s deep gaze.

“Thank you for the dinner you prepared. I really liked it,” Jerome said softly, with a slight smile.

That smile could almost overturn all living beings. Mr. Taylor’s smile was simply mesmerizing and could captivate people’s hearts. But… did he kiss her just because he was grateful for the dinner she prepared?!

She wanted to be angry, but she couldn’t get angry with his gentle expression. She wanted to explain to him, but it might be his foreign etiquette, and if she insisted too much, she would appear to be making a fuss and lacking in manners. Her face turned red.

“Jerome,” Angelia called out…

He looked at her calmly, as if that kiss was really nothing. “What’s wrong?”

Angelia’s hands were trembling. Why was her heart beating so fast, as if it was about to jump out of her throat? But then she thought that he had a girlfriend, and maybe that kiss really didn’t mean anything.

She stared at this matter, feeling more like she was being self-important. “It’s nothing, you don’t need to thank me. I also want to thank you for helping me this afternoon.”

“So, you’re just sending me away with a meal?” One meal seemed a bit ungenerous.

“How about two meals?” Angelia joked.

Jerome laughed. This man looked really good when he smiled.

“Then let’s have dumplings tomorrow at noon,” Jerome said.

Angelia lowered her head. She retracted her earlier statement about him looking good when he smiled.

They arrived at the door of Room 1908.

Jerome didn’t enter, he turned around and looked at her.

“You’ve had a long day. You don’t need to follow me tonight. Go back and rest well.”

Angelia couldn’t get what she wanted, “Okay. Then, Mr. Taylor, if you need anything, just ring the bell.”

Jerome’s eyes sank, “Angelia, we are classmates. Is it too distant to call me Mr. Taylor?”

The sound of Angelia was too charming, as if they were very familiar with each other.

Angelia felt uneasy and tried to cover it up with a playful smile. She explained, “When we were at the hotel, you were my guest. It’s not distant, it’s respect. In private, don’t I call you Jerome? Hehe.”

“When no one is around, you can also call me Jerome.” Jerome’s voice was very gentle.

Angelia’s heart was beating fast, “Thank you.”

Jerome turned his face away uneasily and couldn’t help but remember the night five years ago.

Angelia hurried back to her room, took a deep breath, let her heart calm down, patted her blushing face, and regretted, “Angelia, what are you thinking? It’s just because he’s a classmate that he calls you Angelia. He can’t like you, are you crazy?”

She went into the bathroom and subconsciously turned on the faucet. The cold water left on the faucet fell on her head.

She was scared and woke up a lot, quickly turned it off, and adjusted the warm water again…

The next day, Angelia got up very early, or rather, she didn’t sleep well, so she got up early.

At ten o’clock, she didn’t know if Sammie would go to the Civil Affairs Bureau. No matter what, there was no time to make dumplings at noon.

She instructed the kitchen to prepare dumplings and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Jerome said in a deep voice.

“Good morning, Mr. Taylor.” Angelia greeted politely. “Um…”

Jerome saw her hesitant look and knew she had something to ask for, “Do you think it’s easier to talk to a guest or a classmate?””Jerome.” Angelia called out with a pleasant tone, “I didn’t have time to make dumplings for lunch, so I had the kitchen prepare some for you this morning. Is that okay?”

“When will you make dumplings for me then?” Jerome asked, holding back his temper.

“Tonight, is that okay?” Angelia could tell he was getting upset.

“Fine.”

Angelia made a call to the kitchen to have the dumplings brought up and introduced them to Jerome, “I had them prepare corn and meat dumplings and cabbage and meat dumplings. What else would you like to eat?”

Jerome didn’t say anything. Did she make any herself?

Seeing that Jerome was ignoring her, Angelia didn’t push it and instead made him a cup of unsweetened coffee, reminding him, “Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach, it’s not good for your stomach.”

Even though Jerome was still angry, her concern calmed him down.

The kitchen brought up the dumplings and Angelia respectfully placed them on the table, pouring vinegar on top, “Do you like spicy food?”

“No, sit down and let’s eat together.” Jerome nodded towards a chair.

Angelia sat down across from him and picked up a dumpling, taking a bite.

“How do these dumplings compare to the ones you make?” Jerome asked.

“Of course these are better, they were made by a professional chef. How could mine compare?” Angelia replied honestly.

“Why did I not find the ones I just ate as delicious?” He held her wrist and took a bite of the dumpling she was holding, “I think yours taste better.”

Angelia blushed. Was Jerome really that easy-going?

“I just ate the corn and meat ones, maybe those are better than the cabbage and meat ones. Let me find you some corn and meat ones.” Angelia earnestly searched for the corn and meat dumplings.

Jerome looked at her deeply.

He thought they tasted good because she had already eaten them…After finishing breakfast, Jerome had a meeting to attend, so she went back to the business department first.

Darcey ran over and asked, “Angelia, I heard about what happened yesterday. Did Jerome really ask you to pose for the photo?”

Angelia pulled out a chair, sat down, and explained, “He just did me a favor because of our classmates’ face.”

“Does he like you?” Darcey blurted out.

“Impossible. He has a girlfriend. I met her yesterday. She is the chief of the ballet troupe, very beautiful, with good family conditions, and they are a perfect match. Don’t talk nonsense, or someone with ulterior motives might hear it and make a fuss. You won’t even know how you died.”

Darcey immediately covered her mouth.

Angelia’s phone rang, it was Walden, and Angelia answered. “Angelia, come to my office.” Walden hung up after speaking.

Angelia went to Walden’s office first. “How did your talk with Adeline go yesterday?” Walden asked.

“Not good. The project has been delayed, and it may not be filmed in June.” Angelia replied truthfully.

“There is a party at Marriott International tomorrow night. My friend will take Adeline to attend. You can arrange an activity at the front desk. Customers who participate in the recharge can get a ticket to the party.” Walden gave her a task.

“Okay.” Angelia went to the front desk and put up a notice on the blackboard. She glanced at the clock, it was already 9:10. She had to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, so she turned around.

Sammie walked in from the door. He walked to the blackboard, glanced at it, and looked at Angelia, “Do you want me to charge 100,000 or 1 million?”

Angelia saw that he was still careless, not like someone who came for a divorce, and said seriously, “Come with me.”

Sammie raised a wicked smile and followed Angelia out.

Angelia didn’t notice Whitfield waiting for the elevator at the door.Whitfield went to the 1908 room with a pensive look and saw that Jerome was still in a meeting. “Jerome…” he began.

“What’s up?” Jerome’s gaze was still fixed on the computer screen.

“Just now, there was a handsome guy downstairs. He looked good, had a high facial value, and was well-dressed. It seems like he’s pursuing Ms. Green, and the two of them went to the backyard.”

Before Whitfield could finish his sentence, Jerome had already stood up and walked towards the door as if he was catching someone in the act.

His face was pale, and he didn’t even bother to turn off the computer video.

Whitfield couldn’t bear to remind him that Mr. Taylor, he and Angelia were nothing…

Backyard

“You should have gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau, not here,” Angelia said directly.

“Weren’t we good before? Why are you suddenly like this?” Sammie said irritably.

“Suddenly? Huh.” Angelia found it funny and frowned. “We agreed before that we would get married as a game, live our own lives, and I would give you 400,000 Dollar and we could get divorced. Now, you have been suppressed, threatened, kidnapped, and slandered by your mother. You tell me, is this sudden?” Angelia felt sick just thinking about it.

“Aren’t these things all in the past? If it wasn’t for my help back then, would you have the good life you have now? Why are you so petty and unreasonable?”

“This good life? I spend every day in anxiety, afraid of your mother’s sharp tongue, afraid of your troublemaking, and I have to deal with a bunch of messy things for you. If we divorce, I believe my life will be better. I’ll ask you one question, if I give you 400,000 Dollar back, will you divorce me?”

“The 400,000 Dollar I gave you back then is now worth more than one million. What do you say?””But I have been your wife in name for five years, isn’t that what you paid forty thousand for originally? Even if you rented a temporary actor, it wouldn’t cost you forty thousand for five years.” Sammie’s face turned cold and gloomy, disgusted, “So now you want to run away?”

“I just want to part ways with you peacefully. The car you bought for Read cost more than forty thousand, so why bother targeting me and making things difficult for me?”

“He can sleep with me, can you?” Sammie raised her voice.

Angelia looked at Sammie firmly. This shameless talk, he could say anything.

Yes, this kind of scum who was used to this kind of lifestyle had nothing to say.

“You either go with me to get a divorce now, or I’ll post your affair with Read online, it’s your choice.” Angelia said coldly, giving her ultimatum.

Sammie fiercely grabbed Angelia’s collar, his eyes also becoming fierce, “Let me tell you, men, I can have many, but a wife can only be you. I will never divorce you, even if you return the forty thousand, I will not divorce you.”

Angelina felt a chill run through her blood to her heart, her eyes becoming resolute as she opened Sammie’s hand, “Then I’ll see you in court.”

“As long as you reveal a single word to the media, I guarantee you will never see your daughter again.” Sammie warned in a sinister tone.

“What do you mean, Sammie?” Angelia became nervous. Alyssa was more important to her than her own life, she was everything to her.

Sammie smiled evilly, “What do you think it means? Don’t think that by hiding Alyssa at your grandmother’s house, I don’t know where she is? I know exactly which kindergarten she’s in right now.”Angelia’s face turned pale instantly.

Sammie is the kind of person who can do anything illegal. Last year, she even forced a male model, and Angelia had to step in to handle it.

“If you dare to touch Alyssa, I guarantee that you will die a miserable death,” Angelia warned firmly.

Sammie was a little afraid of Angelia and softened her tone. “So, let’s live a good life. I won’t force you to have a son anymore. You can help me with some acting. If you lack men, I can give you money. You can go with anyone you want, and we can do it together. I can bring you along.”

Angelia stared at Sammie’s smug face, and a raging anger surged towards her, as if she wanted to burn all her rationality. She really wanted to go crazy and bite Sammie, tearing off his human skin.

But even biting him made her feel nauseous. She clenched her fists, shaking with anger.

If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times over.

She muttered a few words through her teeth, “Be careful of getting sick.”

Sammie heard the curse in Angelia’s words and said sharply, “What did you say?”

“Can’t you hear what I said? Or is your intelligence only as good as a rice bug? You play with men all day long, how many of them are clean?” Angelia said bluntly.

Sammie was also a little scared, so when she heard Angelia say this, she trembled and grabbed Angelia’s chin, “If I get sick, I’ll infect you.”

Angelia was not afraid at all. She sneered, lowered her eyes, and mocked and despised him calmly, “Can you do that?”

This sentence unintentionally hit his fragile heart.Since that incident, he has not been able to rise to the occasion with women.

It’s unclear whether he’s trying to prove something or if he’s just embarrassed and angry, but he leans in to kiss Angelia on the lips.

Angelia furrows her brow and reflexively pushes Sammie away, slapping him across the face.

Sammie is stunned for a moment, but the hot blood pumping through his veins causes him to charge towards Angelia.

A sudden thought flashes through Angelia’s mind.

If she resists, given Sammie’s personality, he will definitely try to kiss her whether she likes it or not.

Unable to overpower him, she takes a risk and moves towards him.

Sammie is taken aback and moves away.

Angelia succeeds in her plan and prepares to leave, fearing that Sammie will come to his senses and try to kiss her again.

Just then, Jerome walks over.

She doesn’t want to face Jerome at the moment; it’s difficult to explain and she feels embarrassed.

She turns and walks in the opposite direction.

Jerome sees Angelia slap the man and then move towards him when he tries to kiss her.

He doesn’t understand what’s going on and feels a sourness in his heart, as if he’s been entangled in vines.

He walks up to the man, taking a good look at Sammie.

Sammie has a handsome face, inheriting his parents’ good looks.

Growing up in a privileged environment, he has developed a luxurious and debauched air with money.

As Jerome examines Sammie, Sammie is also examining Jerome.

He had seen Jerome in a magazine before and had thought to himself how handsome he was.

With his sharp and profound features, intelligent eyes, outstanding bearing, and restrained kingly aura, he was even more attractive in person than he was in the magazine.

He instantly forgot about his disagreement with Angelia and smiled, “Do you need something from me?”

“Do you like Angelia?” Jerome asked directly, looking coldly at Sammie.

“What… What’s going on?” Sammie was confused, feeling uneasy. This man’s voice was also very pleasant, deep and low like the tail end of a cello.

“It’s nothing, I’m just advising you to like someone else,” Jerome said forcefully, turning around and walking towards the hotel.

Sammie looked at Jerome’s back in confusion. Could it be that he was confessing to him? Did Jerome mean that he liked him?

Jerome went back to the hotel lobby and waited for Angelia to come back. He waited for five minutes, ten minutes…

He became impatient and took out his phone, dialing Angelia’s number directly.

“Hello, Mr. Taylor,” Angelia respectfully answered.

“Where are you?” Jerome asked in a deep voice.

“I’m outside doing a billboard, why?” Angelia asked cautiously, worried that Sammie might have said something inappropriate.

“Give me your lunchtime, I have something to tell you,” Jerome said succinctly.

After speaking, without giving Angelia a chance to refuse, he hung up the phone.

He felt that some relationships should be established earlier, slowly developed, so as to avoid having too many dreams at night. After all, if things were not properly named, some things were not easy to ask, let alone manage.

He went to a jewelry store and carefully selected a jade and gold diamond necklace, then returned to the hotel.

Angelia had already set up the billboard, prepared pastries, and was entertaining clients in the lobby.

“Jerome is really handsome, like the male protagonist who walked out of a comic book, tall and strong, with outstanding bearing, and exuding a restrained aura. He really makes people’s hearts flutter. Any woman would like him,” Darcey said in a fangirl-like manner.

Angelia’s eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Darcey. “Why did you suddenly bring him up?”