Chapter 220

Jessica stared at him impassively, watching his performance. "That's your problem."

"My stomach hurts." Stanley's voice dropped to barely a whisper. He pressed a hand against his abdomen, his face deathly pale without a trace of color. Cold sweat beaded at his temples. He looked at her with eyes like a homeless stray. "I came straight here from the airport. Haven't eaten, haven't booked a hotel. I don't know Rosewood City. Could you... just have one meal with me?"

He laid his wretchedness and vulnerability bare, all for the chance she might stay even one second longer.

Jessica noticed his trembling fingers. She knew his perforated ulcer wasn't an act. She didn't want to make a scene on a Rosewood City street corner with a man, drawing stares.

"There's a restaurant around the corner." Jessica's tone remained flat, offering no unnecessary words as she walked ahead.

A flash of wild relief crossed Stanley's eyes. Clutching his stomach, he followed behind her with a slightly unsteady gait.

Inside, the restaurant's heating enveloped them in warmth.

Jessica found a window seat and summoned a server, ordering hot soup and easily digestible risotto. For herself, she requested only red tea.

The food arrived quickly.

Stanley picked up his spoon and ate slowly.

His gaze clung to Jessica's face, as if one blink might make her vanish into thin air.

Jessica held her teacup, watching the street scene outside, not sparing him even a peripheral glance.

"How long are you planning to stay in Eldoria this time?" Stanley finally couldn't contain the fear churning in his chest.

Jessica took a sip of tea and set down her cup.

She turned her head, meeting his eyes with calm directness. "The PineTech and Smith Corporation integration is complete. There's a dedicated team for follow-up. From now on, unless absolutely necessary for work trips, I won't be returning to Empire City."

Stanley's hand froze mid-motion, the spoon clattering against porcelain.

"What do you mean?" His voice tightened, his breathing immediately ragged.

"I mean, I'm planning to settle in Eldoria." Jessica's tone remained even, as if stating a business decision that had nothing to do with him. "This is where the Simpson family's foundation is, where headquarters is located. This will be my life's center going forward."

The air died instantly.

Stanley's complexion turned even more ashen than it had been on the street.

Settle in Eldoria. Those words were a blade that severed all his lingering hopes.

She wasn't just leaving him—she was cutting the final geographic thread between them.

Across an ocean and time zones, she would excise him completely from her life.

Overwhelming panic and despair closed around his throat. His mouth opened, but no sound emerged.

They sat in mutual silence.

The meal tasted like sawdust.

Afterward, Jessica called the server to settle the bill. Stanley tried to intervene but was stopped by her cold glare.

"Let's go." Jessica picked up her purse and left the restaurant first.

She led Stanley to a five-star hotel in the adjacent block.

At the front desk, she handed over her bank card and booked him a deluxe suite.

Taking the key card, Jessica turned and held it out to Stanley.

"Accommodations are arranged, Mr. Smith. You've had an exhausting journey—get some rest early." Jessica's tone was polite yet distant, as if receiving an ordinary business associate. "If you come to Rosewood City on business in the future, have your assistant prepare an itinerary in advance. Goodbye."

Without a trace of reluctance, she turned toward the hotel's revolving door.

Stanley clutched the cold key card, watching her unhesitating back. The last thread of rationality in his mind snapped completely.

"Jessica!"

He lunged forward and, in the hotel lobby's side corridor, grabbed her wrist and yanked hard.

Caught off guard, Jessica spun around.

The next second, Stanley's arms locked around her like iron shackles, crushing her against him.

"Let go!" Jessica's brow furrowed as she struggled forcefully.

"Don't leave..." Stanley buried his face deep in the curve of her neck, his voice thick with nasal congestion and barely suppressed sobs. He held her so tightly, as if trying to embed her into his bones, his body trembling violently with absolute terror.

"I was wrong, Jessica. I truly know I was wrong." He abandoned all dignity and pride, scalding tears falling against her neck. "I won't force you back to Empire City anymore. If you like Eldoria, we'll stay in Eldoria. I'll relocate Smith Corporation's headquarters here. I'll transfer all my assets into your name..."

He poured out his guilt and remorse incoherently, like a drowning man clutching the last piece of driftwood.

"As long as you let me stay by your side, I'll make amends however you want. Please... don't throw me away..."

Jessica was held immobile in his arms, feeling his chest heave violently and the burning wetness against her neck.

She didn't struggle. Nor did she give him any response he might have hoped for.

This stagnant calm hurt more than the fiercest resistance.

"Stanley." Jessica finally spoke, her voice devoid of inflection, cold as Rosewood City's winter fog. "Don't you understand yet?"

She pried open his fingers locked around her waist, one by one—slowly but decisively.

Stanley didn't dare use force that might hurt her. He could only release his grip helplessly, watching as she stepped back, creating distance between them.

"I don't need your assets, and I don't need you to relocate Smith Corporation's headquarters to Rosewood City." Jessica looked into his bloodshot eyes, each word crystal clear. "Your attempts at redemption are nothing but a burden to me. I've already moved on."

Stanley froze in place.

He stared at her cool, distant features, at the lifeless stillness in her eyes.

The terror of losing her completely—like vines instantly constricting around his heart—strangled his remaining rationality entirely.

He couldn't bear this detached expression. He'd rather she hate him, rather she curse him, than this complete indifference.

"You're lying..." Stanley's voice came out raw, desperation and madness roiling in his eyes.

He suddenly closed the distance, his palm clamping the back of her head as he bent down and kissed her fiercely.

Jessica's pupils dilated sharply.

Her mouth was instantly flooded with his sharp, cold scent and a faint taste of blood.

His kiss had no technique—brutal as he pried open her lips, plundering her breath almost violently.

She felt a wave of visceral revulsion.

Jessica shoved hard against his chest, but the disparity in strength was insurmountable. He was like a wall of despair, pinning her against the corridor.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes. She jerked her head aside and raised her hand—

A crisp, resounding slap exploded in the empty corridor.

Stanley's head snapped to the side, vivid red marks blooming rapidly across his cheek.

His hand finally released the back of her head.

Jessica stepped back twice, her chest rising and falling slightly.