Chapter 15
On Monday, Jessica had the day off from school. After I prepared her lunch, I set off for the subway station.
Having driven to work before, I now realized just how awful taking the subway could be.
People packed together, perfume and sweat mixing into all sorts of smells. I felt like a sardine crammed in a shipping container, squeezed and jostled all the way to my destination.
At 8:15, I arrived downstairs at DT Corp.
While waiting for the elevator, I carefully straightened my outfit using the reflective surface.
At 8:20, I clocked in for work.
Before I could even sit down, I noticed two new people in the office.
I asked a colleague nearby about them.
From my colleague's evasive tone, I immediately realized that the two new assistants had been personally arranged by Mr. Terry Ethan.
Rather than helping Brian with his workload, they were more like spies Terry had planted around him.
Although Brian was now the general manager of DT Corp, Terry controlled him at every turn.
After working alongside Brian for a year, I'd heard plenty about his situation.
Brian had been kept abroad by Terry for the past two years. If it weren't for something happening to the eldest son in the family, Terry wouldn't have called Brian back.
He wanted Brian to work for DT, yet didn't trust him, constantly keeping him in check.
Just thinking about it, I felt he had it pretty rough.
I shook my head, stopping myself from dwelling on it further.
I must not have woken up properly this morning - otherwise, how could I be feeling sympathy for my own boss?
I should be grateful he wasn't exploiting me more.
When lunchtime arrived, the two new assistants Mr. Terry Ethan had arranged came carrying lunch boxes and knocked on the office door.
I had just finished my report and was about to leave.
Brian suddenly stopped me, asking, "Want to eat lunch together?"
I turned back in surprise.
Brian pointed at the two large boxes on the desk and said, "I can't finish all this by myself. Eating together would avoid waste."
I could clearly feel the probing gazes of the two assistants Mr. Terry Ethan had arranged, landing on me.
Although I didn't know why they kept staring at me, my instinct made me uncomfortable.
"No thanks," I shook my head and declined softly. "I've already ordered lunch, but thank you for the offer."
Brian didn't insist, waving his hand to let me go.
The two assistants Mr. Terry Ethan had arranged worked just like the rest of us normally, without any unusual behavior.
Time flew by, and soon it was Friday.
I ate lunch downstairs. The ramen shop downstairs was one I frequented regularly.
After a busy morning, being able to eat a steaming hot bowl of ramen felt especially wonderful to me.
Tomorrow was Saturday, a day off. Where should I take Jessica to play? I wondered if my car had been fixed yet.
Jason said he'd arranged for someone to repair it, but a whole week had passed and I still hadn't heard from Jason.
Unless necessary, I really didn't want any contact with Jason.
Every time I saw him, I couldn't help but recall our past.
The bittersweet pain constantly reminded me that everything I missed was long gone.
But without the car fixed, it would be inconvenient to take Jessica out, and she might be very disappointed.
I sighed silently to myself.
Forget it, the repair shop would contact me eventually.
Surely Jason wouldn't actually wait to contact me personally to pick up the car, right?
After giving myself this pep talk, I finally dialed Jason's number.
The phone rang for a long time with no answer, until it automatically disconnected.
I stared at my phone, unsure whether I felt relieved or disappointed.
After lunch, I went back to work.
In the afternoon, Jason called back.
I quickly grabbed my phone and went to the stairwell to take the call.
"Mr. Cooper."
"You called me at noon." Jason's voice was as cold as ever. Even through the phone, I could imagine his cold, distant, handsome face.
"Yes, sorry to bother you. I was wondering if my car has been fixed?" I asked softly.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. I might have been imagining it, but his voice seemed to carry a hint of gritted teeth. "You called just to ask about this?"
What did he mean by "just this"? I felt a bit annoyed.
This was something I'd worked hard to earn money to buy. Rich people just don't get it!
Despite my inner dissatisfaction, I kept my tone gentle. "Yes, the car is important. Mr. Cooper, when can I pick it up?"
Jason snorted coldly, then gave me an address. "Come here after work."
With that, without giving me any chance to respond, he hung up directly.
Well, my car should be there. I just didn't know why Jason was angry again.
Whatever, when it came to anything involving me, he always seemed to be angry.
I shook my head, choosing not to dwell on it.
I called Lily and asked her to pick up Jessica from school for me today.
Lily agreed.
After work, I followed the GPS to the place Jason mentioned.
The closer I got, the more confused I became. This was a wealthy residential area! Could my car really be here?
When I arrived at the destination, I saw a magnificent villa before me. Two luxury cars were parked at the garage entrance next to the villa.
One was a black Alphard, the other a silver Lamborghini.
My gaze paused. I looked around the garage area but couldn't find any trace of my SUV.
I pressed the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened.
It was actually Jason who came to open it himself.
Jason wore a beige-colored loungewear set that softened his cold demeanor somewhat.
He looked down at me and said, "You're here."
Facing Jason like this made me feel uncomfortable all over, my heartbeat disobediently quickening.
I nodded and asked directly, "Mr. Cooper, where's my car?"
I pointed toward the garage. "I didn't see my car when I came over just now."
Jason's eyes were deep and dark, staring straight at me.
An invisible sense of pressure descended.
I instinctively held my breath and lowered my eyes to avoid meeting Jason's gaze.
My car was still in his hands.
What if I upset Jason and he refused to return my car?
I heard his cold laugh in my ear. "Go sit on the sofa and wait."
I assumed my car wasn't parked here and that Jason had called someone to drive it over, which would take time.
After saying this, Jason went straight upstairs.
I sat alone on the living room sofa waiting.
The sofa was made of full leather. The floor was covered with an Italian handmade carpet I'd only seen in art magazines. The crystal chandelier overhead was so dazzling that it was almost blinding.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to look anymore.
The decorations visible everywhere here constantly reminded me of the vast gap in status and position between Jason and me.
"I ask you to wait two minutes, and you fall asleep again?" Jason's voice suddenly rang out.
"No... why are you dressed like that?!"
I opened my eyes, about to say I wasn't sleeping, but was so startled by what I saw that my words came out much faster.
Jason, who had been wearing loungewear earlier, was now loosely draped in a bathrobe, his muscular chest and abs with their smooth, defined lines completely exposed.
Even worse, there were water droplets on his abs, glistening with an ambiguous, alluring sheen under the lights.
My gaze was irresistibly drawn to it. I pathetically swallowed hard.
Jason raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? You want to touch?"