Chapter 55
Jason's expression changed slightly as he stared seriously into my eyes. "So you're still going to work under him? Face a boss who has feelings for you every single day?"
I pulled away from Jason's embrace, my voice calm. "That was just a joke Mr. Ethan made. Now that everything's out in the open, there's nothing to worry about."
"A joke?" Jason was so angry that he laughed at my words.
He asked coldly, "What kind of joke involves telling your subordinate you like them? He went straight to Terry, said he liked you and wanted to marry you. Terry disagreed and quickly arranged blind dates for him. You think that's a joke, too?"
I lowered my eyes to avoid his gaze, pressing my lips together in silence.
Perhaps my attitude made Jason angrier. His tone grew more furious. "Sue, you're usually pretty smart when dealing with me. Why are you different when it comes to Brian? He likes you. That's never been a joke. He only said it was a joke because you didn't accept him!"
Jason got angrier as he spoke.
He grabbed my shoulders and shook them twice. "Sue, I've said so much to you. Do you understand or not?"
I lifted my eyes very slowly to meet his angry gaze and said, "Why does this have to be made clear?"
This could be treated as a joke.
I didn't want to lose my job at DT Corp.
Even though I vaguely sensed Brian's feelings, as long as he gave me an excuse, I could accept it.
I really needed this stable job.
High salary, stable, and most of the time I could take care of Jessica.
If not here, where else could I go?
Jason's pupils contracted, as if he'd heard something unacceptable.
"You know he really likes you, and you're still willing to stay by his side as his assistant?"
"Jason." I said slowly, "I really need this job."
"Even like this, you still need it?"
"Yes."
I was already afraid of the hardship of having no money.
I worried constantly. What if Jessica got sick?
What if some other accident happened?
Just thinking back to those days made me feel this emotional issue was nothing.
Jason's face darkened with anger.
He stared at me through gritted teeth and said, "Then resign from DT and come work for me! Don't you like money? I can pay you even more!"
I silently stepped back, putting distance between Jason and me, and refused. "No."
"Why?" Jason didn't understand.
I shook my head gently and said, "You don't get it."
Compared to working with Jason every day, I'd rather stay at DT Corp.
Jason took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.
"I can support you, support Jessica. I can make sure you're both comfortable for the rest of your lives." Jason's tone was very firm.
With Jason's capabilities, he really could do it.
But his things were ultimately his. What did they have to do with me?
I looked at Jason seriously and said, "Don't say things like that casually."
If Kean from five years ago had said this to me, I would have felt happy, felt valued.
But standing before me was Jason, who had hidden his identity while dating me.
When we were together, it started with lies.
How could I possibly trust him again now?
Besides, I'd known since childhood that in this world, besides myself, no one was worth entrusting everything to.
Even my own mother couldn't be relied on. Could I trust anyone else?
I had to rely on myself. That way, I could give Jessica a decent life, too.
"Sue, I'm serious." Jason stepped forward twice, trying to take my hand. "If you don't believe me, we can sign a contract. Contracts have legal force. Trust me, okay?"
I stepped back twice to avoid him, looking at him with unprecedented calm clarity. "I'm sorry."
Seeing Jason's eyes clearly become dejected, I looked away, forcing myself not to look any longer.
I walked toward the door, saying, "It's getting late. You should head back too."
This time, Jason didn't stop me.
After going upstairs, I still couldn't help replaying what Jason had just said.
Shouldn't he hate me? Why would he say things that could be so easily misunderstood?
I walked to the balcony and looked down.
Jason still hadn't left. His head was hanging, looking particularly dejected.
I stood upstairs watching for a long time.
Even when I went back to my room to rest, Jason was still downstairs.
......
After a busy week of work, seeing the nice weather on the weekend, I planned to take Jessica hiking.
Jessica happily agreed.
After preparing food and water and packing everything in a backpack, I set off with Jessica.
On the way there, Jessica was exceptionally happy.
Looking at her, I felt she seemed even more excited than usual.
But I didn't think much of it, just assuming Jessica rarely went hiking, so she was this happy.
I thought everything should go well.
But suddenly the car's main control screen went completely black.
My heart jumped, and I quickly turned on the hazard lights and pulled over.
How unlucky was this? I'd just been in an accident recently, and now there was another problem.
Just as I was annoyed about having to contact the dealership, someone knocked on the car door.
I turned my head and saw Jason standing by the window.
"What are you doing here?" I was surprised.
I thought Seaside City wasn't small. How did I keep running into Jason?
Jason raised an eyebrow and didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Jessica, then changed the subject. "Why did you just stop your car on the side of the road?"
"The car broke down. The main control suddenly went completely black." I was really frustrated about this.
"It's okay, you two get in my car first. I'll handle this."
As if guessing I would refuse, Jason said directly, "It's not easy to get a taxi here either. From the looks of it, you're planning to go out. You wouldn't want to waste your weekend, right?"
Jessica also looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I nodded helplessly in agreement. "Okay, thank you."
Jessica also leaned out and said, "Thank you!"