Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

The next morning was bright and sunny. Sunlight streamed through the glass window and into the bedroom. The person on the bed stirred, but only rolled over to continue sleeping.

After an unknown amount of time, Joanna Kennedy could no longer ignore the protests from her empty stomach and finally decided to get out of bed.

’If tasty food-replacement capsules existed, she would definitely be the first to buy them. That way, she wouldn’t be woken up by hunger in her sleep.’

Joanna sighed. She washed up like a zombie, then slowly opened her bedroom door. She hadn’t taken more than two steps before she caught the faint scent of fried eggs.

?

’Am I so hungry I’m starting to hallucinate?’

Besides the smell of fried eggs, there seemed to be other delicious aromas wafting through the air, making her mouth water. She instantly felt even hungrier.

’No noodles this morning. I’ll fry an egg and some ham,’ Joanna decided silently. But when she saw the man in an apron in her kitchen, she froze on the spot.

.........

Eight-thirty in the morning. Her home. Simon Lockwood was cooking, dressed in casual loungewear. Joanna felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

’I must not be fully awake, or maybe I’m delirious with hunger,’ Joanna thought. ’How else could I be seeing Simon Lockwood!’

After staring blankly for several seconds, her brain slowly rebooted. Scenes from last night flashed through her mind, finally freezing on the moment she had offered to let the man stay at her place, and he had agreed.

Joanna: "........."

Joanna considered herself a well-mannered person, but at this very moment, in this very situation, she couldn’t help but mutter a soft "shit" under her breath.

’Does Simon Lockwood move this fast?! We just talked about it last night, and he’s already here this morning?? Does he have to be so quick?!’

’Wait, how does Simon Lockwood know the code to my apartment??’

’Oh, right. I gave it to him.’

............

After this series of mental replays, Joanna finally accepted reality. At the same time, she realized an even more important problem—she was still in her nightgown!

She couldn’t say why, but she just didn’t want Simon Lockwood to see her looking so disheveled. Just as she was about to turn back to change, the man spun around without warning.

Their eyes met. Joanna could almost hear the sound of her carefully constructed image shattering.

Simon Lockwood, completely oblivious to her embarrassment, looked her up and down, then furrowed his brow slightly. "The temperature dropped today. You might want to put on a jacket."

It was a very considerate suggestion, not a command, yet for some reason, it made one want to obey. Joanna pouted, not even realizing how obediently she responded, "Oh..."

She came back out wearing a thin sweater. The man had already placed a freshly made sandwich on the table and was pouring soy milk into a bowl. His movements were unhurried and natural.

’He acts more like the master of the house than I do,’ Joanna thought to herself. But she didn’t feel offended in the slightest; it was as if this was how things were always meant to be.

The warm soy milk slid down her throat, instantly soothing her empty stomach. She took a bite of the sandwich; it was loaded with ingredients, including her favorite fried egg.

Sunlight, delicious food, and... a handsome man across from her. Joanna narrowed her eyes in contentment, suddenly feeling that this was how life was meant to be.

A large, peeled shrimp was placed on her plate. Across from her, Simon Lockwood was still diligently peeling more. Joanna said awkwardly, "If I want to eat shrimp, I can peel them myself. You eat yours."

’I’m not a child who needs to be waited on at every meal.’

Despite her thoughts, she couldn’t suppress the smile forming on her lips. For some reason, these shrimp tasted much sweeter and fresher than usual.

After breakfast, Joanna was so full she didn’t want to move, leaning back in her chair contentedly. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the pile of shrimp shells in front of the man’s place setting. Realizing all those shrimp had ended up in her stomach, she felt her face flush. She stood up to clear the table, but Simon Lockwood stopped her.

"I’ll get it," Simon Lockwood said. "This is what a life assistant is supposed to do."

Simon Lockwood’s tone was perfectly natural, but Joanna froze, a look of utter confusion on her pretty face. "Huh?"

’What life assistant?’ she thought. ’I don’t get it.’

"Isn’t a bodyguard also a life assistant?" A dejected look appeared on Simon Lockwood’s face at just the right moment. "I thought that’s what you meant..."

"No, that’s not... I didn’t..." Joanna’s expression went blank for a second, and she rushed to explain. But as the words reached her lips, she met the man’s eyes and found she couldn’t say it. So she just gave in. "Fine, that is what I meant..."

Seeing the man’s tense expression soften, Joanna let out a sigh of relief.

’Anyway, Simon Lockwood is living here now, so it’s not that different from having a life assistant,’ she reasoned. ’Besides, he’s such a good cook. I’m not getting the short end of the stick here.’

Having convinced herself, Joanna thought of another problem. She had agreed so hastily last night that they hadn’t even discussed his salary.

She had one assistant who handled her work matters and occasionally helped with her personal life, and her salary was fifteen thousand a month.

Simon Lockwood would be an assistant and a cook, so his salary couldn’t be lower than that. But she was afraid if she offered too high a salary from the start, he might get the wrong idea. After thinking it over, Joanna said, "How about we start with a one-month probationary period at twelve thousand?"

The man didn’t say anything. Just as Joanna was about to add that his salary would increase after the probation period, Simon Lockwood agreed without hesitation. "Okay."

Joanna: "........." ’He agreed so quickly. I feel like I got ripped off.’

Joanna had an interview today, and Mindy Morgan came to pick her up. After getting in the car, she kept craning her neck to look up at the building.

Her longing expression was so intense it was almost cloying. Mindy Morgan found it strange. "What are you looking at?"

"Huh?" Joanna immediately sat up straight. "Nothing."

"I was just thinking how nice this complex is decorated. Look at this exterior, look at these huge floor-to-ceiling windows, look how tall it is, look at the little devil’s ivy on that balcony..."

Joanna’s praise was so effusive, she was one step away from complimenting the elevators on their ability to close automatically. Mindy’s mouth twitched, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Alright, that’s enough."

"Oh, okay." Joanna obediently shut her mouth.

As the Porsche drove away from Sinclair Gardens, Simon Lockwood still hadn’t looked away.

The tall, imposing man stood silently before the top-floor, floor-to-ceiling window. Only when the car was completely out of sight did Simon Lockwood slowly shift his gaze.

The girl’s voice still seemed to echo in the living room. Walking into the bedroom, he could smell a familiar, fresh scent—the girl’s scent.

Next to the wardrobe was a laundry hamper. A pale yellow nightgown lay quietly inside—the one the girl had just taken off...

He stared at it for an unknown length of time before slowly bending down. His slender, well-defined fingers paused for a moment upon touching the pale yellow fabric, but he ultimately picked it up.

CLICK. The sound of a buckle being undone.

An unknown amount of time later, Simon Lockwood finally emerged from the bedroom. Draped over his arm was the crumpled nightgown, now dotted with spots of some unidentifiable liquid.

The room behind him was tidy, seemingly unchanged, except that the window was wide open, the curtains billowing in the breeze.

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