Chapter 123
A smirk of unclear meaning appeared at the corner of Jason's lips.
"He was drugged, yet you weren't afraid to stay with him. But now standing in front of me, you're suddenly scared?"
Only then did I realize that Jason was worried about me.
Warmth spread through my heart. I was about to explain when the elevator reached the basement level.
Jason stepped out first. Knowing I was in the wrong, I obediently followed.
Walking to the sports car, Jason glanced at me sideways and paused, but still opened the passenger door for me first.
My feet, which had been planning to sneak away, stopped dead in their tracks. I had no choice but to get in.
Jason was furious right now.
I settled into the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt.
He started the car with a cold expression.
I sat in the car thinking for a while, then decided I should explain.
"That's not what I meant earlier. I originally thought Brian had just drunk too much, so I was helping him upstairs to rest. I didn't expect you guys to show up. You saw it yourself - nothing happened between Brian and me."
"Does something have to happen before it counts as dangerous?" Jason shot back.
I fell silent.
His fingers tapped on the steering wheel.
This was a habit that only appeared when he was depressed.
"Sue, do you know how dangerous it is to be alone with a man who's lost his reason and is acting purely on instinct?"
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "What if he couldn't control himself and I hadn't gotten there in time? What would you have done?"
I understood that what Jason was saying was true.
Many times, even when you don't want to admit it, you have to acknowledge that the physical strength difference between men and women is really significant.
Looking at Jason's gloomy expression, I said, "I know I was wrong. I'll definitely be more careful from now on. Please don't be angry, okay?"
Jason's angry expression softened a bit.
I continued, "Besides, don't underestimate me. I'm pretty capable. This kind of thing has happened before, but I..."
I instantly fell silent when I saw Jason's face suddenly darken.
Damn it, I let it slip!
Jason abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road, unbuckled his seatbelt, and leaned toward me.
"What happened before?"
"That's all in the past, there's nothing much to say about it..."
My voice grew quieter and quieter. I avoided Jason's gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
The car fell into deathly silence.
Jason hooked my chin with one hand, a terrifying storm churning in his eyes.
He bit my earlobe and said viciously, "If you keep hiding it from me, I'll teach you a good lesson. If you explain it to me, I'll go kill him."
I immediately made my choice.
"Don't be angry. It was a long time ago. Brian and I were still at the branch office in Sunrise City. He got drunk and mistook me for some other woman, tried to get handsy with me..."
Seeing Jason's expression getting worse and worse, I quickly added, "But I beat him up badly and left him unable to even crawl! After that, Brian never did anything like that to me again."
I thought that since I'd explained everything so clearly, Jason wouldn't be angry anymore, right?
Jason said through gritted teeth, "So you just put up with it and continued working by his side? Don't you know that's workplace sexual harassment?"
I said, "That was all in the past. At least my job is pretty good now."
"You can quit!"
"Impossible. The salary and benefits at DT Corp are really good. I have no reason to quit for no reason."
Plus, I promised Brian I would keep working at DT Corp until his career was stable.
Brian had helped me before. I'm not the kind of person who forgets kindness.
Jason said coldly, "...Hopeless!"
"Yes, I'm hopeless!" I looked deeply at Jason, just feeling tired and not wanting to explain anymore.
Jason sat in the car for a long time without speaking.
He suddenly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it.
He took a deep drag, then immediately opened the window to let the smoke out.
I turned to stare at him. My lips moved, but I still couldn't hold back and asked, "When did you start smoking?"
Jason never used to smoke cigarettes.
He always said smoking was bad for your health, and he wanted to stay healthy so he could always be with me and take care of me.
But now, Jason sat beside me, silently smoking one after another.
The cigarette was half-burned when Jason finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "Why won't you quit and find another job?"
I lowered my eyes. My hands resting on my knees slowly clenched into fists.
"Jason, you don't understand. Not everyone has choices."
At least back then, with young Jessica to care for, I didn't have any chance to choose.
Being able to have a job and earn money was already the best choice for me.
As for anything else, I had no choice.
Jessica and I needed to survive.
Jason's breathing hitched. He silently got out of the car.
The window was still open. I could hear the sound of a lighter from the back of the car.
I didn't follow him out.
I wasn't in a great mood either.
After sitting in the car for a while, I called Jessica.
After chatting with Jessica for a bit, my mood improved somewhat.
When Jason got back in the car, the smell of smoke on him was especially strong.
I frowned.
Jason remained silent, driving very fast.
I quietly gripped the handle, not daring to speak.
He stopped the car in front of a convenience store.
After getting out, he walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and pulled me out.
"What for?" Looking at his expressionless face, I didn't want to get out.
"To buy condoms," Jason said coldly.
"You can go by yourself! I don't want to go!"
My face instantly flushed red. I shook my head desperately, trying to pull my hand free from Jason's grip.
Jason held on even tighter.
He stared straight at me and said, "No, you have to come with me."
"Why?" I didn't understand.
Jason said matter-of-factly, "Because we're using them together, so we should pick them together."
My face turned red, and I looked at Jason pitifully. "Can you please go by yourself? I'm a girl - it would be really embarrassing for me to buy those."
"No," Jason refused. "You have to come with me, or I'm afraid you'll run away."
"I promise I won't run! I'll wait for you in the car!" I shook my head repeatedly.
Jason smiled and said, "You tricked me last time. How can I trust you this time?"