Chapter 99 Insight Into The Conspiracy
Jessica took a sip of the cold smoothie as she browsed Amazon on her laptop. Meanwhile, Yasmin went to grab new bedsheets for Jonathan.
Jonathan stood at the doorway, watching Yasmin change the sheets. As she kneeled on the bed and smoothed out the sheets, her backside was facing Jonathan.
Yasmin was wearing a pair of jeans that accentuated her bottom nicely.
Jonathan stared at her for a moment before hurriedly averting his gaze, feeling somewhat guilty. He regarded Yasmin like his own precious sister. Hence, it was not right to have such blasphemous thoughts.
At the same time, Jonathan was vexed by his feelings. Yasmin was too sensible and mature that it made one’s heart ache for her.
Just then, she finished laying out the sheets. Yasmin stood up and walked toward Jonathan.
Two wisps of hair had fallen, covering her beautiful eyes. Jonathan casually reached out and tucked the strands of hair behind her ears.
His actions made Yasmin blush bright red to the tips of her ears.
Jonathan also felt a little embarrassed after he realized what he had done, so he coughed and tried to strike up a conversation. “There aren’t many virtuous and capable girls like you anymore. Look at you, you’re good at housework and have your own source of income. Whoever marries you in the future will be an extremely lucky fellow.”
In the meantime, Yasmin had managed to regain her composure. Smiling faintly, she said, “I’m going out to buy you some daily necessities. You can check to see if you have anything else you need to be moved. Hurry and get it done before the sun sets. Jessy and I are throwing you a housewarming party tonight.”
Jonathan nodded in agreement.
With that, the two of them headed out to their own destinations, with Jonathan going to his old place, while Yasmin was headed to the supermarket to buy daily necessities for Jonathan.
Jessica had been too lazy to move, declaring she wanted to take an afternoon nap. Thus, the two of them had decided not to bother her.
As they exited the door, Jonathan suddenly asked, “Yasmin, why are you so nice to me?”
Yasmin was slightly taken aback by the question. After a moment, she asked, “Then, why are you nice to me?”
Jonathan laughed. “Hey, I asked first.”
“Well, it’s because you treat me well,” she replied. Yasmin stared at Jonathan with clear and unwavering eyes. There wasn’t a hint of apprehension in them at all. “I still don’t quite understand why someone as capable as you is acting as our bodyguard, protecting me. You’re like my personal guardian angel, appearing when I needed you the most.”
As Jonathan stared at Yasmin, he suddenly had the urge to tell her about Connor. However, he held her tongue. Smiling, he said, “I’m not sure why myself. Perhaps it’s fate. Fate works in mysterious ways.”
A hint of disappointment flashed across Yasmin’s eyes. She did not know what to say in response to that.
After a moment, she said, “Jonathan, maybe I’m not nice to you just because you treat me well.”
Jonathan’s heart sank, and he was suddenly afraid. Could Yasmin have fallen for me?
Yasmin continued, “Perhaps it’s because you remind me of my brother, Connor. I feel some sort of kinship with you.”
Jonathan let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
After parting ways with Yasmin, Jonathan took a taxi to the hotel. He had left the AMC Gremlin parked near the hotel. After retrieving his car, he drove to Jennifer’s place.
It was four o’clock in the afternoon when he arrived at the residential area.
Jonathan felt uneasy at the thought of seeing Jennifer. He longed to see her, but at the same time, he dreaded seeing her.
He made his way to the front door and pulled out his keys. However, he wasn’t able to unlock the door.
Jonathan was speechless. Sh*t, did Jennifer change the locks? How cruel of her!
He held his breath and tried to sense the inside of the house. He immediately sensed Jennifer’s presence inside.
He raised his hand to knock on the door. However, the door flew open before he had even touched it.
Jennifer stood at the doorway, clad in light blue pajamas, and her hair gathered in a ponytail. Her face was bare of any makeup, yet she looked so breathtakingly beautiful.
Jonathan gazed at her attractive body and faintly caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance from her. He was immediately tempted to pull her into his embrace.
However, Jennifer stared at him with a cold expression. “What do you want?” she asked.
Jonathan could not blame Jennifer for being so ruthless. After all, it was his fault. He coughed and said, “I came to get my clothes.”
Jennifer said nothing and stepped aside to let him in.
Without another word, Jonathan numbly went into his room and immediately made a beeline for his notebook. Thankfully, the notebook was still in the bathroom filled with surveillance cameras. It contained precious footage of Jennifer bathing.
Jonathan could not help but be grateful he had this prepared before he had moved out. Otherwise, he would not have anything left in the future.
He quickly checked the notebook, sighing in relief after he was sure that it had not been tampered with. He put his notebook away and packed up his clothes. Following that, he retrieved all the surveillance cameras from the bathroom.
After packing up all his stuff, Jonathan took his suitcase into the living room. “Jen, I’ll be leaving now!” he said casually.
Jonathan pretended to be carefree, but in truth, he hoped Jennifer would stop him. Maybe he even wished for her to cry and try to stop him physically. Jonathan’s willpower wasn’t strong, to begin with. If she had done that, he would definitely succumb. He would regret his actions for sure, but he would enjoy every bit of it while it lasted.
Jennifer was sitting on the couch, calmly watching the television. She acted as if she did not even hear Jonathan’s words.
Jonathan had no choice but to take his suitcase and leave, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Thud!
Crystalline tears started rolling down Jennifer’s cheeks uncontrollably the moment she heard the door shut.
Jennifer did want to cling to Jonathan and make him stay. In fact, she regretted her actions. She thought that if she did not say anything, the two of them could act like before. However, it was far too late to go back to the way things were before.
Jennifer was a proud woman. She could not bear to trample on her own pride to retain Jonathan.
Jonathan’s heart was also filled with sadness as he left the house. He got into his AMC Gremlin and drove some distance away before pulling to the side. After parking his car, he took out the notebook and checked the most recent footage. It contained a new clip of Jennifer bathing.
Jonathan was overjoyed at the sight of that. It seemed like he would have something to keep him occupied later that night.
He planted a soft kiss on the notebook and turned it off with great satisfaction.
However, he felt apprehensive the moment he shut it. He quickly turned it back on to set a password. The reason for doing so was because he was afraid Jessica would sneak a peek at his notebook once he got to her house.
If the notebook’s contents were to be discovered, Jonathan probably would have to throw himself into the river. He had to take this secret to the grave with him.
With that, Jonathan made a phone call to Polly, informing the latter he was going to move in with Yasmin and Jessica.
On the other end of the line, Polly was eerily quiet. Jonathan could feel the shift in her attitude even through the phone.
Polly laughed. “I think you’re more suited to be with young girls. It must’ve been boring to be cooped up with me.”
“Polly, you’re not a boring person! You’re serious and dignified!” Jonathan insisted.
“So, is there anything else?” she asked.
Hearing her words, Jonathan’s face fell. “Let’s meet up. I need to talk to you about the Golden Sword Tournament,” he said.
“Sure, come over to my coffee house,” Polly replied.
“Okay.” Jonathan proceeded to drive to Polly’s coffee house.
Under the setting sun, the clouds in the sky were dyed a fiery red.
Upon entering the coffee house, Jonathan encountered the two brothers, Donovan and Dominick. The two of them greeted him politely.
“Ms. McDaniels is inside. Please come with me.” Donovan led the way.
Jonathan smiled and nodded.
Inside the building, Jonathan saw Polly leaning against the window, savoring a glass of red wine as she basked in the glow of the setting sun.
Jonathan sat down on the couch across from her and shamelessly helped himself to a glass of red wine.
Donovan exited the room after leading Jonathan there.
“Let me guess why you aren’t participating in the tournament.” Polly grinned. Pausing for a moment, she continued, “Your Destino Art isn’t about becoming stronger. Hence, you feel that even if you participate in this competition, you are unable to obtain what you truly wish for. Even if you defeat more opponents, you are no closer to your goal.”
Jonathan smiled as a warm and fuzzy feeling washed over him. Despite having the least contact with her, Polly was somehow the person who understood him best. It was comfortable to converse with her.
“Then, shall I guess why you insist on taking part in the tournament?” he said.
Polly smiled. “Go ahead.”
Jonathan smiled. “Your life has been too uneventful thus far. It is tranquil and everything you do has been well under your control. Hence, you wish to break the mold. The Golden Sword Tournament is unworthy of someone of your status, but still, you wish to give it a try to see if you can discover something new.”
“That sounds about right. When I heard about the tournament, I was excited. It was an emotion I rarely experience,” Polly replied.
“I just don’t know what Strikezone Martial Arts is planning to do in this tournament. They haven’t taken any action against me recently. In fact, I’d almost forgotten them,” Jonathan admitted.
“That’s the beauty of it. They will come for you if you enter the tournament, but if you don’t, they would be absolutely livid,” Polly said.
Jonathan frowned. “I’m afraid Strikezone Martial Arts will make a move soon and force me to enter the tournament. They will definitely come at me repeatedly and won’t be satisfied until they are staring down at my corpse. I don’t relish the thought of playing right into their hands. Thus, I’m not keen to enter the tournament.”
“The best solution is for you to leave Horington. Once you leave, you can do whatever you want,” Polly suggested.
Jonathan rubbed his nose. Polly was right. However, he did not want to leave. He had too many fond memories of Horington.
