Chapter 98 Reconciliation
Jennifer's eyes widened. "Weren't you supposed to take Aurora home? Why aren't you staying at her place?"
Before she could finish, Francis's lips pressed down on hers, forceful and burning hot. After their tongues intertwined, he whispered against her cheek, "Do you really want to push me away?"
Of course she didn't want to, but he chose Aurora himself—she couldn't help but feel concerned. Jennifer said nothing and turned her face away. But Francis wouldn't let her go. He turned her face back to look into her eyes. "What are you thinking? Don't you want to have sex?" As he asked, he slipped his hand inside her pajamas.
Her skin tingled where he touched her. Jennifer said softly in embarrassed annoyance, "No, it's too late. I'm tired."
Francis rubbed his nose against hers, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Really don't want it? But your body's saying something else." He knew her body too well—he could easily arouse her desire. As Francis explored downward, kissing her body, he said, "You always suspect I've been with other women. Look at me now—do I look like I just had sex?" He guided her hand down to touch his penis.
Jennifer's fingertips trembled slightly, and her cheeks flushed bright red. "Who knows if you just have natural talent and boundless energy?"
"Then why don't you find out." Francis's movements became bolder. Jennifer could barely take it and started begging for mercy. Just then, Francis's phone rang. Both of them froze and looked over at the same time.
Jennifer glanced at it and saw Aurora's name flashing on the screen. Her expression immediately turned cold. "Answer it. It's Aurora."
Francis frowned and reached over to silence the phone. Jennifer had already turned her back, not wanting to look at him. He knew she was jealous again. He held her from behind and whispered in her ear, "I'm not answering. She and I aren't what you think."
Jennifer replied in a muffled voice, "I know."
Francis began caressing her skin again. The phone call had interrupted them, but his desire hadn't subsided. Wanting Jennifer to agree to have sex, he said a few more sweet words. "She and I just have a bit of friendship left, that's all. Since you care so much, I'll try not to see her anymore. Okay?" As he spoke, he kneaded her full breasts.
Jennifer's body went soft under his touch. She said somewhat aggrieved, "You said it yourself—I'm not forcing you."
"Of course." Having gotten her consent, Francis eagerly nibbled at her neck. Jennifer didn't refuse again, though she was really tired. They only did it once before falling asleep.
The next morning, not fully satisfied, Francis pestered her for another round. Satisfied afterward, he asked while getting dressed, "When's your studio opening? I'll arrange to make an appearance."
Jennifer felt a bit happy. She confirmed again, "Should be at the end of the month. Are you really going? That day is very important to me—my dad will be there too."
Francis leaned down and tapped her nose. "What, it's not like we're some secret relationship. So, how are you planning to introduce me?"
Jennifer looked down, a bit shy. "How do you want me to introduce you?"
Francis leaned close to her ear and said a word. Jennifer's eyes widened. "No, he'll get the wrong idea."
Francis laughed heartily. "Just say I'm your boyfriend. That's how I introduce you, isn't it?"
Jennifer looked at him, a spark of hope lighting in her eyes. She'd always thought his introductions were just jokes—could it be he was actually a bit serious about her? But she didn't dare ask more. Maybe he was just in a good mood today. She helped him with his tie as usual and saw him out.
Though physically tired, Jennifer quickly got ready and headed out. Today she was meeting Sandra to inspect the studio renovation—if there were any problems, they needed to fix them quickly. As soon as Sandra saw her, she joked, "Jennifer, you look so well-loved by a man. I'm jealous. Once we're done with this busy period, I need to find myself a young guy and have a romance too."
"Sandra, stop teasing me." Jennifer touched her face self-consciously, embarrassed. She was in a good mood today—was it that obvious?
Knowing she embarrassed easily, Sandra didn't say more. The two spent the morning checking the studio renovation—basically no problems. Jennifer then went to her usual coffee shop and sat by the window to continue working on her semifinal design.
The sun was brilliant today. The afternoon light fell on the beautiful glass vase, and the flowers bathed in the colorful rays looked especially dreamlike and beautiful. She suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly sketched a ring in the shape of blooming flowers. The blossoms pieced together from various colored gemstones were lifelike, luxurious and gorgeous. She'd thought about this theme for a long time, drawn many versions, never satisfied. Today, she was finally happy with this design. Next came the detail adjustments and rendering.
Two days later, Jennifer submitted her design. This time the results wouldn't be announced on the spot. First there would be an internal evaluation to screen out half the entries, then the remaining works would be posted online for public voting. The final vote count would determine the semifinal rankings—only the top ten could advance to the finals. Jennifer was confident she'd pass the first screening, but what ranking she'd get in the online voting was hard to say.
Coincidentally, when submitting her design, Jennifer ran into Aurora again. This time Aurora was all smiles. "Ms. Brown, I hope you advance smoothly." The final competition would be broadcast on TV—if Jennifer couldn't even make the finals, Aurora felt beating her wouldn't mean much. Aurora wanted to crush Jennifer in front of more viewers, in a high-profile way. To let both Ryan and Francis know that she was the real design genius! Francis rejecting her two days ago had really embarrassed her. What made her even angrier was that when she called him that night, he actually hung up on her. She really didn't know how Jennifer had bewitched Francis!
Jennifer's attitude was mild. "Wishing you success in the competition too." There really hadn't been any gossip about Francis and Aurora these past few days. Jennifer was starting to think Aurora was quite pitiful—a well-born, beautiful woman constantly chasing after a man who no longer loved her.