Chapter 428

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Jonathan’s phone rang a call reminding him about an online meeting in fifteen ?
minutes . He rubbed his throbbing temples and muttered of see
He walked into his study and sat down at his desk , staring blankly at the screen .
Suddenly , thunder boomed outside . Jonathan glanced toward the window – dark clouds were tolling in , and the wind was howling .
He picked up his phone from the desk and saw that the weather had turned to thunderstorms . He frowned , remembering how lightly Teresa had been dressed when she left .
Another clap of thunder shook Jonathan’s ears . He grabbed his jacket and car keys and ordered , “ Cancel today’s meeting . ”
“ Mr. Lynn- ”
Jonathan didn’t even bother shutting down his
muter before rushing out the door .
Teresa had planned to fly out of Shaville and head back to Nareigh . But when she saw how bad the weather was , she had no choice but to find a nearby hotel and check in for the night .
Because of the storm , a lot of guests who’d booked ahead couldn’t make it . The hotel staff upgraded Teresa to a luxury double suite for free .
Raindrops hammered against the windows . Staying so high up in the hotel suddenly made Teresa a little uneasy . She wanted to ask Miriam how Michael was doing , and if it was raining in Nareigh too .
She pulled out her phone – which she’d silenced earlier – and realized Jonathan had been calling her nonstop for the past hour . He’d called every two minutes , over thirty times in total .
Teresa frowned and called him back .
“ Where are you ? ” Jonathan demanded .
Teresa was a bit exasperated . “ I’m at a hotel . Why are you yelling at me ? ”
Knowing she wasn’t stranded on the street , Jonathan softened his yoice . “ Which hotel ? Send me your location , now . ”
Annoyed , Teresa told him the hotel name and hung up directly .
Ten minutes later , there was a loud knock at the door . Teresa opened it to find Jonathan standing there . He was completely soaked , water dripping from his jet – black hair onto his broad shoulders .
Teresa froze . “ How did you – mmph ! ”
Before she could finish , he pulled her into a scorching kiss . He cupped her face in both hands as he kissed her hard and shut the door behind him .
Teresa could hardly catch her breath . She started pounding on his shoulder in frustration .
Jonathan stripped off his drenched clothes and pressed her down onto the big bed behind them .
“ You win . I lost again this time , ” he muttered , his large hand sliding under her shirt , fingers tracing the edge of her bra .
Teresa grabbed his hand . “ What’s gotten into you ? Why don’t you go find that woman ? ”
“ Who ? I don’t even know her . She spilled red wine on my shirt , and how was I supposed to know she’d follow me ? You just stormed off without listening .
Teresa finally got it . She kicked him in frustration . “ Then why are you here ? ”
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Jonathan pinned her hands beside the pillow , lacing his fingers through hers . “ Because I’m a fool .
The rain outside gradually eased , and the room grew quiet . Jonathan , shirtless , leaned back against the headboard and glanced sideways at reret ) had her eyes closed , pretending to be asleep .
As he was about to say something , his phone rang . Seeing the caller ID , he frowned . “ Hello ? ”
Upon hearing what the caller said , Jonathan sat up straighter , his frown deepening . “ Is that so ? Please thank your sister for her interest , but she’s just not my type . ”
Teresa’s eyelids fluttered slightly as she heard Jonathan continue , “Thanks , but I don’t need another female friend . I’m divorced with two kids – not exactly a catch . Just let her know for me , okay ? ”
After hanging up , Jonathan set his phone on the table and smirked in Teresa’s direction . “ I know you’re not asleep . Drop the act . You definitely heard all
that . ”
Teresa rolled over , ignoring him .
Jonathan reached out and gently gripped her smooth shoulder . “ If you still don’t believe me , I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you again . ”
Teresa finally opened her eyes . “ I’m really tired today . I don’t want to keep going .”
Jonathan turned her toward him and kissed her cheek . “ Then let me carry you to the shower . ”
Teresa shook her head . “ No need . Why did you say you’re divorced with two kids ? ”
“ It’s okay when you make excuses , but not when I do ? ” Jonathan bent down and tossed the scattered tissues into the trash .
Teresa stared at his back , noticing the scratch marks her nails had left all over it .
Soon , Jonathan disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower .
After the two of them checked out , Jonathan told Teresa to get in the car first . “ Let’s go to the mall . I’ll buy you a new bag , ” he said .
“ Forget it , I already owe you enough money . I don’t want to be in your debt forever , ” Teresa replied . Besides , she couldn’t take much back to Nareigh
anyway .
“ Don’t worry about that . I’ll have someone air – ship everything to Rosary Estates for you , ” Jonathan said . Just then , his phone rang – he really was busy .
Teresa’s back suddenly went rigid – she thought she heard her son’s voice on the call . She held her breath .
She couldn’t make out what was being said on the other end , but Jonathan’s expression looked a bit conflicted .
After he hung up , he turned to Teresa . “ That was Michael calling , ” he said .
“ Oh , that kid . What did he want with you ? ” Teresa asked .
“ He wanted to know if I could go back
to
Nareigh for his birthday ,” Jonathan replied .
Teresa froze . She hadn’t even figured out how to ask , and Michael had already called Jonathan himself . “ So , are you going to celebrate his birthday with him ? ” she asked .
“ I told him we’ll see . ”
Teresa didn’t ask any more .
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Jonathan looked at her . “ Who’s taking care of him now ? ”
“ I don’t know either , ” Teresa said , turning her eyes away .
Just as they were about to get out of the car , Jonathan suddenly grabbed her wrist and slipped an emerald bracelet onto her hand .
“ What’s this ? Some kind of glass – type emerald ? ”
Jonathan smiled . “ You’ve got a good eye . It is called ‘ First Love ! It’s a high – quality emerald with incredible clarity . ”
Teresa looked into Jonathan’s eyes , as if she could see a thousand emotions flickering there .
He patted her head and said with a helpless smile , “ It looks good on you . Just keep it .”
Teresa lowered her head , staring at the bracelet that fit her wrist perfectly . By the time she snapped out of it , they were already back at the villa . Her flight reminder pinged , telling her not to forget to board tomorrow .
Jonathan had already gone into the kitchen when Teresa noticed a voice message from Michael .
She converted it to text : [ Mom , are you still on your business trip ? I called Mr. Lime , but he said he might not have time for my birthday . When are you coming home ? ]
Remembering Jonathan’s words , she paused and then texted : [ I’ll be home soon . I promise I’ll make sure he celebrates your birthday with you . ]