Chapter 342

Teresa was never one to tolerate bullies. She replied calmly, “Whatever. If you ruin the door, you’ll have to pay for it.” Then she hung up.

She told herself she wouldn't go downstairs just because he was drunk. But even as she said it, she couldn’t help sneaking a peek from the balcony. Sure enough, she saw that familiar, drunken figure. Michael’s bedroom door was still open; he was fast asleep. She didn’t know what would happen if Jonathan came upstairs. Given Michael’s sensitivity, he’d undoubtedly wake up from Jonathan’s scent. Teresa desperately wanted to prevent Jonathan from coming upstairs and waking Michael at this hour.

She headed down and grabbed his arm as he was about to enter the elevator. “What are you doing this time?”

Jonathan stopped. He stared at Teresa for a long time before saying, “I’ve taken care of everything for you.”

Teresa, confused, asked, “What do you mean?”

Jonathan explained, “You said there were three things you couldn’t stand. First, you didn’t want your sister controlling you—done. She won’t live with you. Second, you didn’t want my mother pestering you. She promised me she wouldn’t call you again. Last, you didn’t want to be tangled up with me.” His voice faltered slightly on that last part. He continued, “I’ve wrapped up all my work in Nareigh. At most, I’ll go back two or three times a year, maybe not at all.”

Teresa finally understood. She frowned. “That’s not necessary. You don’t have to…”

Before she could finish, Jonathan cut her off. “Just answer me: do you prefer Nareigh or here? Be honest with me.”

Even though he was seriously drunk, a trace of sensibility lingered in his dark eyes. Teresa answered truthfully, “Nareigh.” Nareigh was where she was born and raised, where all her closest friends were. Of course, she felt at home there.

Jonathan said, “See? You can stop being stubborn. Go back to Nareigh. Don’t worry about me—just pretend that I’m dead.” He turned to leave.

Teresa hurried after him and blocked his path. “You drove here, didn’t you? Are you planning to drive back like this?”

“My driver dropped me off. I asked him to leave,” Jonathan said, pushing Teresa away. “Alright, go pack your things. The sooner you get back to Nareigh, the less you’ll have to see me.”

Watching him stumble, Teresa couldn’t leave him like that. She decided to drive him to a hotel and hurried to her car. Before Jonathan could hail a cab, Teresa’s car was already in front of him.

Teresa said, “Seriously, aren’t you embarrassed? You seem a successful businessman, but you’re drunk every day.”

Jonathan retorted, “Why? Successful businessmen aren’t allowed to drink?”

Teresa snapped, not in the mood to argue, “Do you not know your limits? What if you run into a robber? They’d tie you up, rob you, strip you naked, and dump you on the road. That’d be a real laughingstock. Just get in the car.”

In the end, Jonathan got into Teresa’s car.

Teresa asked, “Should I drop you off at the Golden Diamond Hotel?”

“No need,” Jonathan replied. “I asked Donald and your sister to take my hotel room.”

Teresa fell silent. Then Jonathan told her to drop him off at the Jadeleaf Apartment. She turned the car around.

While waiting at a red light, Teresa quickly texted Miriam: “[Miriam, I’m heading out. If you get home early, check if Michael is asleep; don’t wake him up.]” She’d barely sent the message before Miriam replied with a voice message. Teresa was about to click on it when the light turned green. She put her phone down.

After they arrived at the Jadeleaf Apartment, Teresa parked the car, and suddenly, Jonathan’s head slumped onto her shoulder. Teresa froze, then turned to the man whose head rested on her shoulder. She said, “Here we are. Wake up.”