Chapter 427

Jonathan’s phone rang, a call reminding him of an online meeting in fifteen minutes. He rubbed his throbbing temples and muttered something unintelligible. 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 rolling in, and the wind was howling.

He picked up his phone and saw that the weather had turned stormy. 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 muting 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, many 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 voice. “Which hotel? Send me your location, now.”

Annoyed, Teresa told him the hotel name and hung up.

Ten minutes later, there was a loud knock at the door. Teresa opened it to find Jonathan standing there, 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.

“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 understood. She kicked him in frustration. “Then why are you here?”

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 Teresa, who 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 they 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, 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.

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.]