Chapter 43. A question
Jackson Johnson
I ran a hand over my chin, staring at a fixed point on the desk. I had gone over the report Richard had given me about Oliver again and again. And then that photo. Of the two of them smiling happily. Richard's words had made me think carefully about my own feelings. Did I know what I had to do? Yes. But... She was still engaged, from what I had read, and the arrival of Oliver and what her sister had said at the restaurant hammered in my head, making me burn with jealousy.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Come in," I announced, clearing my throat as Maxima peeked in. "Maxima."
"I'm heading out for lunch. Are you going to eat here?" she asked curiously.
"I still have work to do. I think I'll eat here," I said, diverting my gaze to my computer screen.
"Alright, I was going to invite Lilly," she said, catching my full attention, "but it seems she went out with the other roommates. It's strange because she usually eats in the office or... with you." I raised an eyebrow.
"With me?" I asked, intrigued by her words.
"Yes, Jacob invited me to the new restaurant that opened last week. I wanted to stop by and eat, and I saw you with Lilly. I also saw your parents, so I left..."
"Weren't you supposed to eat at the restaurant you told Lilly about after checking the plots?" she smiled broadly.
"Yes, I ate there. Why the look?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Okay, if you want, send Richard to confirm it."
"I don't need to confirm anything," I said, still looking at her.
"Just in case," she cleared her throat. "So, you're not going out?" she asked again.
"No," I confirmed.
"Alright, enjoy your meal. See you later," she waved and closed the door.
I grabbed my phone and texted Richard. Minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," I said. He entered and stood in front of my desk.
"Yes, sir?" he asked, but the words didn't come out immediately. I cleared my throat and looked at him intently.
"I want to know what to do in these cases. I don't...," I cut off my sentence, unsure if I had phrased it correctly. "Well, this is, I don't know if she's engaged."
"Do you want me to find out?" he asked quickly.
"No, wait," I felt like an idiot in front of Richard. "Sorry, I've never courted a woman," he raised an eyebrow briefly at my last words. "I'm a Neanderthal when it comes to..."
"I understand," he said, saving me from embarrassment.
"Thank you," I said, letting out a big sigh of relief. "I want to get closer to her," I stood up, "I want her to look at me, not him. For example, where is she right now...?" I stopped my question halfway, "roommates," Maxima's voice echoed in my head.
"She went out to eat with her roommates. I saw her with them when I came up here to see you."
"Oh," I cleared my throat, feeling nervous for a moment. "Do you know where they're eating by any chance?" Richard smiled discreetly.
"Give me a moment." Richard typed something on his phone, then waited.
"If not..." I began to say when I heard the message tone on his phone.
"They're at the Korean food place. With Mrs. Yang." I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh, that place. I loved the ramen. It's the best in the city," but I had stopped going when I started opening my own restaurants. Another message tone.
"I've been informed that she took a separate table," I raised an eyebrow. "It seems she's meeting someone." I tensed up, immediately imagining it was Oliver.
"Let's go." I turned towards my chair and grabbed my jacket. Richard went ahead, and I followed him. We went down to the lobby, and I saw the SUV waiting for us in the distance.
During the short drive, my mind played scenes of the two of them, smiling, hugging, then kissing in a corner. I growled under my breath at the entire movie in my head.
"We've arrived." Emmeth, the driver, parked in front of the restaurant's glass window. To my luck, I saw Lilly sitting alone at the table. My heart raced at the sight of her still alone. I was relieved not to see her...-the relief lasted a second-when I saw Oliver approach to greet her. She extended her hand, a sign that she was drawing a line between them, which meant there was tension. He hugged her unexpectedly, and then they sat down.
"Do you want to go down, Mr. Johnson?" Richard asked me from the passenger seat.
"No, no. I need to find an excuse..."
"You can say you bought ramen to go. Mrs. Yang is at the register, so she'll recognize you."
"Alright, Richard." I looked ahead again. "I'm about to ask you for a manual," I joked.
For several more minutes, we watched Lilly say something, and from her hand movements and expression, she was upset. They started arguing, and I felt the need to approach.
"Let's go." I got out of the car, trying not to look through the window. I pushed the door open, and Mrs. Yang was surprised to see me. She was about to approach, but my gaze went to Oliver, who had grabbed Lilly's hand, preventing her from leaving.
"Let go of me," Lilly said in a strong tone. Her back was to me. If Oliver looked up, he'd see me approaching, but he was too focused on not letting her go.
"I said I'm not going back to London without you," he replied, barely containing his anger. I couldn't help but intervene.
"And she told you to let go, or I'll make you do it the hard way." My gaze was fixed on him. Oliver looked at me, surprised, and immediately let go of her. I was burning with rage inside.
"Mr. Johnson," Lilly said. I gently pulled her elbow to place her behind me as he recognized me.
"You're the real estate guy." His surprise turned to intimidation, but he didn't know who I was.
"And you're the one who supposedly came to the city for his fiancée." I felt Lilly's fingers clutch the fabric of my jacket, pulling subtly backward.
"Mr. Johnson, can we go?" she asked, trying to cut off our confrontation. He tilted his head to look at Lilly from there.
"What is this?" His tone was as if he was offended. "You've only been in the city for four weeks, and you already have someone to defend you."
"It's none of your business."
"Did he let you go?" he asked me, but I didn't understand.
"OLIVER!" Lilly exclaimed, scandalized. Then I understood what he meant. My anger finally surfaced, and my fist went to his face, sending him falling backward like a sack of potatoes. "Jackson!" she hung on my arm to stop me.
"Is that your upbringing, to offend a woman's privacy? Are you such a piece of crap that you have to fall so low?" I exclaimed furiously.
"Sir," Richard stopped me along with Lilly. I heard murmurs from the other diners.
"Stay with her, she's already used," Oliver said mockingly, and at the same time, the gasps of the people around us. I reacted like never before, lifting him by his dress shirt while he tried to break free. I could see fear in his eyes.
"Stay away from her. I don't want to hear that you bother her, because if you do, you have no idea the reach I have. I'll ruin you and expose you all over England. Count on it... Oliver Alexander Chester Ferguson. I know who your family is and their businesses." Oliver's eyes widened.
"Jackson, please." I heard her plea behind me. I let him go, and he tried to wipe the blood from his nose.
"Let's go." I turned to her and took her hand to check it. There were pink marks from the force he used to hold her.
"I'm fine," she whispered, looking at me for a moment.
"Good." I escorted her to the SUV. I signaled Richard, and he knew what I meant. We got in and stayed silent for a few moments.
"How do you know who Oliver is?" she asked, breaking the silence. Emmeth got out of the SUV to give us more privacy. I sighed and then looked in her direction.
"First, answer me a question." She nodded without hesitation. "Are you really engaged to him?" She shook her head.
"We broke up four weeks ago." She frowned. "Why are you smiling?" Damn, I hadn't realized.
"I'll just say it's an advantage," I replied, feeling my heart race.
"An advantage for whom?" she tried to hide a smile.
"For me." She raised an eyebrow.
"For you?" she asked, still not understanding what I meant.
"Yes, because now I can ask you out on a real date."