Chapter 296

Jonathan put away his phone and smiled at me. “You must have heard of me before—idle and cynical, right?”

I pursed my lips. Indeed. After my father had a love child, he began to see me as a thorn in his side, always wishing I would leave the house. My mother used to cry every day, scolding me for being useless. She said she had raised me for nothing, then begged me to stand up for myself.

“But she wanted to compete with a fallen person; how difficult that is, right?”

Jonathan smiled, still wearing that roguish look, but his eyes were tinged with sadness and self-mockery.

Later, Reynaldo found me and asked me to join him in business. I used to think of myself as a nobody, so I approached it skeptically, but unexpectedly, I succeeded. My dad is asking me to go back now, but I’m not going back.

I nodded and smiled. “You’re great.”

“No, no, no…” Jonathan shook his head. “It was Reynaldo who was amazing. Everyone used to say he was just a pretty face, but mediocre—they just didn’t see his decisive and wise side.”

Chapter 226

“Just say Winston—where can he compare with Reynaldo? I don’t know how you fell for that kid in the first place.”

Jonathan looked at me with great disdain. I was about to say something when footsteps were heard at the door. I quickly got up and saw Reynaldo and Kimberly enter. A slight relief washed over me; I thought it was Matthew. Our eyes met Reynaldo’s gaze. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly averted my gaze.

The man’s face was still icy cold, the chill in his eyes undiminished. I pursed my lips, feeling quite annoyed. If this continues, my days back in Freybourne won’t be any better.

“Ms. Duffy…”

Just then, Kimberly warmly took my hand. I pulled my hand away in disgust and sat beside Jonathan, annoyed at the woman and wanting to avoid future trouble.

Kimberly’s smile froze. With a hint of grievance, she said, “Ms. Duffy, do you dislike me? I thought we could sit together and take care of each other later.”

Chapter 290

I pursed my lips and said expressionlessly, “There’s no need for consideration. I can’t even take care of myself, let alone Ms. Palmer.”

“Let Mr. Humphrey sit beside you; he’s best at taking care of someone as fragile as you.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Reynaldo gave me a cold glance. I lowered my eyes, pretending not to see.

“Reynaldo…” Kimberly started crying again. “It seems Ms. Duffy still looks down on me…”

I snorted coldly. “What do I care if I look up to you? As long as that client looks up to you, isn’t that enough!”

“Esmeralda!” Reynaldo warned me with a low growl.

I smirked, looking at Jonathan mockingly. “Do you still dare to say Reynaldo likes me?”

Jonathan touched his nose, then gazed at his eyes, and observed his nose, without saying a word.

Kimberly was still sobbing. “I know, I shouldn’t have come to this dinner party with my poor health, but the client insisted on my presence. I can’t ruin Reynaldo’s big deal.”