Chapter 274: His First Time Making Love Didn't Go Well
He lowered his head, his lips pressed against her forehead, his breath hot and rapid. "Jessica."
She opened her eyes and looked at him.
His face was so close to hers that she could see herself reflected in his pupils—hair disheveled, eyes reddened, lips slightly parted, like a version of herself she'd never seen in a mirror before, both strange and exposed.
He kissed her lips.
The kiss was deep. His fingers threaded through her hair, the warmth of his palm burning against her scalp, his fingers tightening slightly, as if he didn't want to let her go, yet also afraid to completely lose control.
Her body arched slightly in climax, taut like a string pulled to its limit.
Her lips pressed against his ear, letting out a suppressed, brief sound.
He closed his eyes, burying his face in the curve of her neck, letting the tremors sweeping through his body completely overwhelm him.
The rooftop was quiet, so quiet that only two people's heavy breathing remained, those breaths tangled together, hard to tell which belonged to whom.
Moonlight streamed in through the glass dome, falling on their sweat-dampened skin and on the deep creases in the blanket.
Joseph rolled over and pulled her into his arms.
They lay facing each other, nose to nose, breath to breath.
His fingers traced across her back repeatedly, using these small movements to slowly calm the turbulence inside him.
"Jessica, I love you so much."
Jessica nuzzled against his chest and answered softly, "Thank you for loving me."
This sentence reignited his desire.
A young man's energy was nearly inexhaustible, and besides, he felt his first time making love hadn't been that impressive.
He tentatively pressed against her with his not-yet-fully-softened penis. Jessica's face flushed red and she turned away, but didn't push him off.
Joseph joyfully embraced her from behind, his penis sliding in without resistance along her already wet opening. As she let out a muffled groan, he began thrusting rapidly.
The night was still long, and Joseph had plenty of time to make Jessica truly understand what his young, vigorous body could do.
Just as Joseph's life was reaching its peak, the Jones family was already in turmoil.
Benjamin, armed with over a decade of accumulated experience from his previous life, officially launched a business war against the Jones Group. He knew every weak point of the Jones Group inside and out.
He knew where Nathan's vulnerabilities were, which shareholders could be bought off, which projects couldn't withstand scrutiny, and which contracts contained clauses that could ruin Nathan's reputation.
He quietly bought up shares from retail investors and allied with old shareholders who had been dissatisfied with Nathan for years. In just one week, he had backed Nathan into a corner.
The Jones Group's stock price fluctuated wildly like a roller coaster. The board was unstable—some switched to supporting Benjamin, some watched from the sidelines, and some were still waiting for Nathan to come up with a counterattack.
But Nathan had nothing to offer. The relationships, connections, and resources he'd built over decades seemed unusually fragile before Benjamin, barely able to hold up any real defense.
Because Benjamin knew him too well—knew every one of his weaknesses, every one of his habits, and every card he held.
When Nathan called, Jessica was sitting in her study looking at documents.
An unfamiliar number appeared on her phone screen. She answered and heard a hoarse, exhausted voice on the other end, carrying a tone of almost humble pleading she'd never heard from him before.
"Jessica, it's me, Nathan."
Jessica's fingers paused. She didn't respond immediately, but waited for him to continue.
"Benjamin is coming after me. Do you know that?" Nathan's voice was urgent, urgent like a drowning man grasping at the last floating object. "He's allied with people on the board, forcing me to give up control. I can't hold out much longer. Please, help me—"
Jessica leaned back in her chair. She thought of Nathan's fate in her previous life—a plane crash with no survivors.
She had Fox save him, not out of sympathy, but because she needed a piece to use against Benjamin.
Fox succeeded. Nathan survived. But so what?
After surviving, he hadn't really changed anything.
He still treated Benjamin as the natural heir, still wavered between Azalea and Henry, still spent his energy on those old, outdated things destined to be replaced.
"Now you're asking me for help?" Her voice was calm. "Do you remember that you already owe me your life?"
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
"The plane crash—Fox was sent by me, and I had him bring the parachute. He saved your life. All of it was arranged by me. What you owe me isn't just a favor, but your life."
Nathan's breathing grew heavier. He opened his mouth as if to explain something, but couldn't form a complete sentence.
He knew she was telling the truth.
From the moment Fox suddenly appeared before him, he should have realized it.
But at the time, he'd rather believe Fox genuinely wanted to repay a debt, rather believe his impulsive act of saving Fox's mother mattered, rather believe fate had specially favored him.
It turned out everything was Jessica's doing.
"What do you want?" His voice was very low, so low it was like talking to himself.
"The Northgate City dock, the supporting project for that land in Valewin City's eastern suburbs, and the Jones Group's three shipping routes at Varuna Isle." Her tone remained steady. These conditions were the price she'd calculated long ago. "Transfer these to me, and I'll help you."
Nathan's breathing paused.
Combined, these things amounted to nearly half of the Jones Group's core assets.
If he handed all this over, what little he had left would barely be enough to maintain the status quo. But he knew he had no other choice.
If he refused, Benjamin would eventually swallow everything, and he'd be left with nothing.
If he agreed, at least he could keep the Jones Group name.
He'd originally planned that everything he held would eventually go to Benjamin anyway.
But Benjamin was too uncontrollable, too ruthless. He'd put a knife to his throat multiple times, and Nathan had long been pushed to his limit of tolerance.
He'd rather hand these assets to an outsider than let Benjamin benefit.
"Fine." His voice seemed to be squeezed painfully from his throat.
Jessica hung up and swiped through her phone, finding Fox's number.
She didn't dial immediately, but stared at the name for a long time.
"Fox." She said the name softly.
Right now he was still by Nathan's side, still Nathan's most trusted bodyguard.
But she knew clearly that Benjamin wouldn't spare Fox, because he knew Fox was her man, knew Fox was the mole she'd planted beside Nathan.
She had to warn Fox—not to make him run away, but to let him prepare in advance.
Just as she sent the message, Joseph pushed the door open.
He saw her looking down at her phone, frowned slightly, sat down across from her, and waited for her to speak.
Jessica put her phone on the desk and looked up at him. "Nathan asked me for help."
Joseph didn't respond. He was just waiting for her to finish.
"I agreed. He'll transfer the Northgate City dock, the supporting project for that land in Valewin City, and the three shipping routes at Varuna Isle to me."
Joseph's brow remained furrowed. "These things aren't worth much money right now. If Benjamin swallows up the Jones Group, these assets will immediately become worthless paper. If you're helping him, your purpose can't be just for these things."