Howard was furious and he wondered, 'What do they take me for, a garbage collector? They think they can just dump anyone on me?'
Seeing Howard, John was momentarily surprised but quickly reverted to his usual expression. "Mr. Smith, can you tell me the reason?"
"No reason. I just don't like your daughter. It's that simple." Howard's voice was cold and indifferent, even carrying a hint of disdain. "No one in this world can force me. Is your daughter that desperate? Why are you trying to push her on me?"
Mentioning Luna, John's voice raised slightly, tinged with dissatisfaction. "Mr. Smith, watch your words. My daughter is great. It's your luck that she likes you."
"Thanks, but no," Howard said coldly.
I tugged on Howard's sleeve, signaling him to tone it down. John wasn't just anybody; if he could investigate Howard, he might actually have the clout to take us on.
"Let's go, don't bother with them." At worst, Howard could just quit. This job didn't mean much to him anyway.
Hearing my words, Howard didn't say anything but turned and left with me.
Robert watched us walk away and leaned towards the car window. "Mr. Bailey, what shall we do now?"
"Go through Karena." John thought he couldn't deal with Howard, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle a female student.
That night, I received a call from home. My mom's crying voice came through the phone. "Karena, are you okay? Did you offend someone outside? Your dad got fired, and they said you should go find him."
Hearing this, my first reaction was that John did something. "I'm fine. Are you and dad okay?"
"We're fine." Hearing Saskia's words, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Saskia continued, "They said you know exactly what happened. If you don't agree, they're going after your dad next, and that's just the beginning."
I was angry, but after the anger faded, all I felt was helplessness. I knew I couldn't handle this; I was well aware of my own limits.
"Mom, don't worry. I'll handle it." After saying that, I hung up the phone without waiting for a response.
At this moment, Howard came out of the room and saw me sitting dazed on the couch. He asked softly, "What's wrong with you?"
I looked up at Howard and said with a dry voice, "John found my parents."
Howard paused in his action of drying his hair and looked at me with a deep gaze. "What do you want to say?"
I was a bit scared but still voiced my thoughts. "You got yourself into this mess, so you need to fix it. Otherwise, they're coming after my parents."
I knew it sounded harsh, but when it came to choosing between my parents and Howard, the choice was obvious.
Howard's face turned completely cold, and he gave me a look of displeasure. "So, you want me to agree to John?"
"Of course not, but things are really complicated right now. Plus, Luna is really after you. Maybe you could just go along with it for now?" The more I spoke, the less confident I felt as I saw Howard's dark expression and didn't dare to continue.
Howard stared at me angrily, his tone cold. "Karena! You're something else."
Afraid he was really angry, I quickly stood up and grabbed his hand. "I have no choice. They're threatening my parents. Or do you have a better solution?"
Perhaps knowing I was also helpless, Howard's anger lessened a bit but he was still displeased. "I do have a solution, but when will you learn to come to me for help first instead of escaping?"
Hearing he had a solution, my eyes lit up. " Howard, I knew you must have a way."
Seeing my flattering expression, Howard sneered and didn't fall for it like usual. "Cut the crap. You only come to me when you need something, and then you ditch me when you don't. You've never really accepted me, have you?"
His last question made me feel a bit guilty. Even though it was true, I couldn't just tell him that; it would be too hurtful. "I'm a bit slow to warm up. You've got to give me some time to come around."
He poked my forehead with his finger, his tone a bit resentful. "We've been together for almost two months, and even made love..."
My cheeks instantly turned red, and I covered his mouth with my hand. "Can you keep it down? Is that something to be proud of?"
Howard pulled my hand away and snorted, "Is it something shameful?"
But it was not something to be discussed openly.
I knew it was my fault for giving up on him first, so I could only keep apologizing. "Howard, come on, you’ve got to help me out. My family relies on my dad’s job. If he loses it, we’ll be in serious trouble."
"Come with me to The Bailey Villa tomorrow," Howard said.
I hesitated. "Can't you go alone? Maybe you should handle it yourself. I won't be of any help."
"You need to see how I reject a rival in love. If anyone else tries to pursue you, you should reject them like I do." Howard said.
So I was just there to watch the show.
The next morning, we headed to The Bailey Villa.
John seemed to have anticipated our arrival and was waiting at home. Seeing us, he had a smug expression. "I knew Ms. Johnson was a sharp cookie and knew what was best for herself."
Seeing his expression, I felt a bit frustrated and couldn't help but speak with a bit of sarcasm. "Not as impressive as Mr. Bailey! To steal someone else's boyfriend, you resort to threats and inducements."
If John hadn't targeted my parents, I wouldn't dare speak to him like this. But seeing his ugly face, I realized he wasn't that formidable.
John showed no anger at my belittling. "I understand Ms. Johnson's anger. Have you made your decision?" His gaze shifted between us, as if he was certain we would compromise.
'John is very confident and unafraid of Howard. Does he have someone backing him, so much so that he doesn't fear Howard? He knows Howard's identity, yet he dares to provoke him. Isn't he afraid of bringing trouble to his own family?' I wondered.