The whispers that could be heard were enough to suppress Joe mentally. He had always lived under pressure, so he wasn't used to standing up for himself. However, a few minutes ago, he had promised Jesslyn that he would succeed in selling the property like everyone else, so he couldn't just give in at the moment.
"I'm sorry, sir. But I can't accept your challenge. It’s not possible to do 100 sales in a day." Joe started to fight back and tried hard to maintain his pride.He understood that he wanted an excuse to increase his workload tougher."Wow, how dare you go against the manager of this company!" Rocky, who had been paying attention, chimed in this time."Right!" Some of the other staff chimed in."Very well. If you feel aggrieved by my challenge, I will make a very favorable offer to you." Oliver looked at Joe for a moment, then continued, "If you win, then I will help you get a promotion or even a gift like a car or something else. How about it?"Instantly, the horde of staff watching the two of them erupted, especially Rocky and Rizky. "You can't do that, sir! You can't give promotions and even gifts to losers like him!" Rocky protested.Oliver raised his hand, signaling that he was playing around and didn't mean what he said. "How? Do you agree, hm? If you get promoted and get a gift, you won't be seen as a loser anymore." The man was trying to provoke Joe."You don't have to accept the challenge, Joe." Jesslyn came over.The news about the challenge given by Oliver had spread throughout the office. Even Jesslyn herself had heard about it. That's what made her come to see Joe and stop her husband from making a stupid decision."Ma'am?" Oliver looked at Jesslyn with a mocking look in his eyes. He didn't show her a respectful gesture because he hated her."Don't like making a scene in this office, Mr. Oliver. Please work professionally." Jesslyn stared at the marketing department manager with a deadly gaze. "And you too. Get back to work!" She said dryly, giving orders to her employees."Why are you so angry, Mrs. Jess? Is it because this man is your husband, so you're always defending him?" Oliver challenged Jesslyn, and he was trying to provoke her anger so that the employees in the company would dislike her personality."No, I don't. I'm not defending him because he's my husband, but rather because your challenge is unreasonable." Jesslyn defended herself."Really? Unreasonable how, Mrs. Jesslyn?""How can you challenge a new staff to sell 100 properties in less than 24 hours? Are you crazy? Even the most competent staff can't sell that many!" Jesslyn explained."I still have my wits about me, Mrs. Jesslyn. Just think of the challenge I gave you as a consequence for Joe. Because of that guy, the marketing department is the butt of people's jokes! They consider this department incompetent because of him." Oliver pointed at Joe's face with his forefinger."Besides, why did you protest when I gave your husband a challenge? You should be thanking me, ma'am. With the challenge I gave him, he can be motivated to carry out his duties. I was right, wasn't I?"Jesslyn was silent, she looked at Joe, who had not made a sound after she arrived. It was this trait that made her dislike her husband. She was too weak and had no stand at all."Joe doesn't need to be promoted, Oliver. He'll succeed independently, not with the rewards you promised." Jesslyn was still trying to defend her husband."Really? Do you know how your husband is? How much effort can Joe give to the company? No need to be evasive, Mrs. Jesslyn. Everyone knows what your husband is like. He's a loser who takes refuge behind his wife's back! Yuck, disgusting!" Oliver snorted, wanting to spit in front of Jesslyn, but he was trying to maintain his image in front of the employees at the company.Joe, who heard insult after insult, was starting to get provoked, his hands clasped tightly, indicating he was very emotional. "I'm not-"Before Joe could finish speaking, Jesslyn gave her husband a sharp look. "Shut up! All this is because of you! Don't make things worse!" Jesslyn warned.Oliver, who saw the scene, smiled happily, he liked to see the couple's quarrel."So, you'll accept my challenge, right, Joe? Your wife won't be able to save you this time. If she continues to defend you, I will ensure she will also be fired for always keeping useless staff like you just because you are her husband.""Let's say I was kind enough not to report your wife's mistake of accepting you to work in this company because you have a relationship with her. If I were the wrong person, I'd report Jesslyn to the owner of this company, and you can be sure she'd be fired!"Jesslyn was getting more and more helpless. She knew the company she worked for highly valued one's work effort. The CEO of this company even hated people who managed to work there by using connections instead of their skills."Since you've been silent all this time, I'll assume you agree. Remember, 9 am, 100 property sales. If you succeed, I'll give you a promotion and a raise, but if you lose, you must leave! Understood?"Joe could only nod. He looked at Jesslyn, who seemed to be holding back anger. "You idiot! Loser!" The woman whispered in her husband's ear.Feeling like she had no business being there, Jesslyn prepared to leave, as did Joe. Unfortunately, their steps were halted as applause entered their eardrums."Wow, what's going on? Why do you guys look so tense like this?" Aaron, who had once professed love to Jesslyn, asked the question.Aaron was a man who was very obsessed with Jesslyn. He had even once almost harassed her but to no avail."Hello, Jesslyn, it's been a long time." Aaron blinked his eyes at Jesslyn.Jesslyn, who saw that, could only snort in annoyance. "What are you here for?" She asked."What for? I'm the new business partner of this company. It's only natural that I came here to see the company's employees that just became my business partner, right? I don't want to have a business partner that harms me, so I came to observe firsthand."Jesslyn stared at the man in front of her. If Aaron were the new business partner of the company she was working for now, she would meet that man often."CK, whatever." Jesslyn prepared to leave, but again and again, her steps were stopped because of the words that came out of Aaron's lips."By the way, the challenge your husband agreed to earlier is too risky. I can help you, but it's not free." Aaron grinned."I don't need your help!" Jesslyn suppressed every sentence that came out of her lips."Think carefully, Jess. I could have cost you your job, let alone your husband. I could have helped him get a high position, and that would have made you proud, right?" Aaron looked at Jesslyn with a lustful look in his eyes. "Have dinner with me tomorrow. Then I'll ensure your husband gets a high position in this company."Jesslyn's eyes widened. Not wanting to talk to Aaron for too long, she decided to leave and left Joe alone with the few people who had been insulting him.Seeing the departure of the woman he adored, Aaron turned his attention to Joe. He approached the man and whispered, "I will ensure your wife will fall into my arms. She'll warm my bed, and I'll make sure you see how naughty she is."Joe clasped his hands tightly at the provocative words Aaron had just uttered. He was determined to fight back and avenge the people who had dared to insult him, especially the one who had degraded his wife.He would change. Yes, he will change!Joe took a deep breath, exhaling the cigarette smoke to escape his lips. He was in the lobby of the Seattle Group, the company he had been frequenting for the past three months, to distribute property sales brochures."Shh, what else did he come here for? Doesn't he know any shame at all?" One of the company employees who had just passed Joe to get into the elevator whispered to his friend."Yes! Moreover, he smokes like that. Doesn't he know that smoking is not allowed in this company?!" Another employee snorted in annoyance, narrowing his eyes as a sign of dislike for Joe's behavior.Joe, who heard that, immediately put out his cigarette, then walked towards the receptionist, watching him with a pronounced expression of dislike on her face."Good afternoon, is Mr. Lucas in his office? I have an appointment to meet him this afternoon," Joe asked flatly. He tried to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling of being bullied."Mr. Lucas? He's not here!" The receptionist replied curtly."Rea
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lucas, I came here to discuss the sale of the property we agreed on earlier." Joe cut Lucas off, a cold sweat starting to break out on his body as he realized the words that had escaped Lucas' lips had he not replied quickly earlier."I forgot," Lucas replied. He noticed Joe's strange behavior. "How about we discuss this in my office? We need a more private place to discuss this." He offered Joe to go upstairs to his office precisely because, by now, they had become the spectacle of almost all Seattle Group employees."No need, Mr. Lucas. We can settle it here." Joe breathed a sigh of relief because he had diverted the topic so that Lucas would not tell anyone about his true identity.An identity that Joe had been hiding from everyone, including his wife and in-laws. "Can you come to my company before 9 a.m. tomorrow to purchase the 100 properties I've offered? How?""Yes. You can wait for me tomorrow, and I will come." Lucas promised. He gave Joe a faint smile. He, wh
Joe walked into his in-laws' house in a hurry. He didn't even have time to change his clothes, so he went straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner."I need to cook something simple and quick. I'm sure Zack and Mom have been waiting for it."With quick movements, Joe made an omelet and fried some vegetables. Once everything was cooked, he quickly served it on the dining table."What is this?!" Zack, who had been waiting with Rosetta, frowned. He slammed the fork that he had been holding because he felt unappetizing with the food served by Joe."Have you lost your mind, Joe? You're serving me and my mom this kind of junk food for dinner? Seriously!" Zack pushed away the plate filled with vegetables."Sorry, Zack. But that's the only thing I can cook quickly. If I cook anything else, you'll have to wait over an hour." Joe explained. He wiped the sweat that had fallen from exhaustion. Just as he had come home and started cooking immediately after his fight with Hudson, he now had to face
Joe tried to recall his meeting with Aaron yesterday, and he tried to dig into his memory and analyze the most appropriate reason for his wife's anger."Asshole! That guy said something degrading about you, Jess. He told me that he would sleep with you. Is that what scared you? Is that what makes you hate that man so much?" Joe pulled Jess' hand, making his wife wake up from her lying position."Answer me, Jess. Has he ever abused you? From what he said yesterday, he must have done some disrespectful things to you, right?!" Joe continued to force Jesslyn to explain everything. His mind was at a loss, and he was confused about where his wife knew a depraved man like Aaron.From when they went to college until they married, Joe didn't know Aaron. He never even met the man once. So, he didn't know when his wife got to see the man, which led to the fear and hatred felt by his wife."Don't keep quiet, Jess!" Joe, who had been curious, continued to force his wife to answer. If his wife was
Joe, who was left in the room by Jesslyn, was brooding. He was thinking hard to find a way to calm the showdown. Although Lucas promised to come, all possibilities could still happen, especially since their appointment time was long."What about this? What if Mr. Lucas doesn't come and breaks his promise like Jesslyn said? What if my wife's suspicion turns out to be true?" Joe massaged his sore forehead, having been overthinking lately.While busy with his thoughts, Joe was surprised by Jesslyn's sudden arrival. His wife hadn't knocked at the door, so she quickly approached her husband and said, "Joe, get ready. My father has invited us to have dinner together tonight. He just got home and wants the whole family to eat together in the dining room." That was all Jesslyn said before she walked out of the room again.Joe felt a little confused. It was rare for his father-in-law to invite him to dinner together. Usually, the man didn't care whether the members of this house had eaten."Wha
Zack stared at his sister and brother-in-law with a lazy look in his eyes. He snorted in annoyance as he sneered at their departure, saying, "It's good that you're self-aware, Joe. You two should leave as soon as possible, if possible next Sunday. If you don't leave, don't blame me if I kick you out."Joe and Jesslyn didn't say anything. They both walked away without a care in the world for every diatribe from Zack's lips.Like the couple, Zack turned his eyes to his girlfriend."I'm sorry, Baby. I said some harsh words in front of you." Zack changed his expression for a fraction of a second from looking annoyed to smiling sweetly."No problem, Zack. I understand your position. They need to realize themselves because this house is rightfully yours, and we can't possibly live with both of them after marriage, right? We need our privacy after marriage, and I'm so glad your parents understand that." Noona glanced at Ben and Rosetta, then gave them the sweetest smile possible.Zack felt v
Seeing Aaron's disrespectful behavior towards his wife, Joe immediately reacted. He, who initially did not want to make trouble before Lucas came, now retaliated against the man by pulling his body and then staring at him while saying, "Shut your foul mouth, Aaron. Jesslyn is my wife, and your mouth full of garbage has no right to utter a single word about her."Joe pushed Aaron's body, causing the man to connect to the back."How dare you!" Oliver rushed forward, he wanted to get back at Joe, but Aaron first raised his hand as a stop code."Don't get violent with him. Think of it, I accepted his rough treatment earlier as a form of battle in getting Jesslyn's heart," Aaron forbade. He looked sarcastically at Joe, who seemed to tighten his grip on his hand due to overwhelming emotions."But, Mr. Aaron, he acted disrespectfully towards you. How could he push a business partner of the company he works for? How dare he!" Oliver was trying to make things worse, and he loved cornering Joe.
In the car, Jesslyn looked at her husband, who was driving, with admiring eyes. Her fingers linked. She didn't expect the husband she had always looked down upon and despised to defend her to such an extent. The man even proved his words and was able to fight back against the people who had insulted him with unexpected attacks."Why are you looking at me like that, Jess? Is there something wrong with my face?" Joe raised one eyebrow. He knew what was in his wife's heart but wanted to play with her for a while.With a mischievous look, Joe occasionally looked at Jesslyn, who looked embarrassed at being caught staring at her husband's face for a long time."N-no, I'm just ...." Jesslyn was nervous, her eyes wildly staring here and there until it made Joe laugh softly."Honestly, you must be fascinated with this handsome husband of yours, right?" Joe gave a seductive smile, which was rewarded with a gentle punch by Jesslyn on his arm."Hey, don't hit me. Do you want us to get hurt later?"
Jonathan accelerated his footsteps towards the place his father had indicated. His heart was beating so fast it was hard for him to hold back his anger towards the man who had deceived him. "Yesterday, you got away because I was still kind to you, Mark. But not this time. I will make you feel what is called hell on earth!" Jonathan was determined. With one step left to the warehouse where his captive was kept, Jonathan tried to control himself. He inhaled and exhaled many times to keep his emotions and expressions under control, so Mark would have no opportunity to fight him later. "Wow, didn't I see it wrong? The person I thought had gone to the other side of the world is still loyal to this country," Jonathan chuckled. Not forgetting, he showed a cruel grin to intimidate his opponent. Mark, who Jonathan had already tortured, was naturally very scared now. If he were free from the shackles that bound him at the moment, he would indeed run as far away from the man as possible. "W
Joe visits Oddie after not seeing the man for a long time. The relationship between the two of them was quite good, especially after Sarah died and Oddie decided to consider Jesslyn as his daughter. And now, Joe's purpose for coming to see Oddie was to discuss what was happening at Skyland Company. He wanted to get some advice that might help him to overcome the problems that were happening, especially since the man was quite an influential person and had a lot of experience. "So, the news about SkyLand Company going downhill is true?" Oddie asked. He, whose condition had improved, took a sip of tea served by one of the servants in his house. "Yes, Mr. Oddie. I would like to hear your opinion on the problems that SkyLand Company is facing. Moreover, you are one of the investors in my company, so you might be able to give some thoughts from your perspective as an investor," Joe pleaded. "Call me dad, Joe. Aren't we family now? Don't be so formal when we're not in the office," Oddie
Joe returned to work as usual, and Cristine welcomed her boss with great joy. After a long time of authorizing Cristine to take care of the company, Joe finally sat down in his work chair as he began his task of solving the many problems that had befallen Skyland Company lately. "What about the investors who have withdrawn their funds, Cristine? Are they willing to come back and entrust their money to SkyLand Company after I start working again?" Joe asked Cristine who was handing over some important files that required the man's signature. "No, Mr. Joe." Cristine took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly to ease the tightness attacking her chest. "I've investigated everything, Mr. Joe. And there seems to be a reason why they withdrew the investment." Hearing the explanation from his secretary, Joe looked interested. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, then looked at Cristine and gave her the code to explain further."When you handed over the main task to me to lead SkyLan
Aaron and Esther left Zack who was still faithful to shouting incoherently, berating and insulting Aaron so that the man would come back and deal with his current behavior. Unfortunately, Aaron was not provoked at all. He didn't care about Zack's screams, and neither did Esther. After coming out of the room that held Zack, Esther immediately dropped her body onto the sofa located not far away. She looked tired. "It turns out that dealing with someone like Zack is tiring too, huh? I didn't expect him to still be able to fight back when he's in such a tight spot." Esther chuckled, as if she had forgotten what Zack had done to her earlier. "Zack is like that. Why do you think Joe chose to kick him out of the house instead of forgiving him?" Aaron narrowed his eyes, then snapped his fingers as Esther looked back at him with furrowed brows. "Yep, Zack is the type of person who doesn't know himself. That's why, Joe would rather let him go than have to live with him for the rest of his l
Joe took a deep breath, he asked Cristine to go home first and he would think about what he would do next. Ben, who was visiting his daughter at the time, immediately approached Joe and patted him on the shoulder. "You can focus on your work again, Joe. As for Jesslyn, let me take care of her. When she regains consciousness, then I'll let you know." "But, Dad?" Joe wanted to argue. He wanted to be by his wife's side at all times. He doesn't want that when she woke up, he wouldn't be by her side. Joe knew that Jesslyn would be devastated to learn that their future child had died in her womb, and he wanted to be by her side to give her encouragement and strength. "There's no refusal, Joe. This is all for the good of everyone." Ben tried to open Joe's mind. "Think about it, if your company were to go downhill, you would have to cut back on employees, which would affect the families of those employees because the head of their family would no longer have a job. In addition, your finan
"We're sorry, your future child cannot be saved. Mrs. Jesslyn's condition is also still not improving, she is still in a critical condition and will have to be admitted into the ICU after this. This is because she was brought to the hospital too late, and the patient has already lost a lot of blood." The doctor's explanation was like a sledgehammer hitting Joe's heart. He sat down, then covered his face. Not long after, there was a numb voice. The man was crying, because he had to get such a painful fact when his life was already on top. Joe didn't expect that this painful thing could happen to him. And this time he couldn't do anything but wait for his wife's condition to improve. "Joe." Rosetta approached her son-in-law and put her hand on his shoulder as a form of transferring strength and encouragement.Honestly, in the deepest corner of her heart, Rosetta felt very guilty for having to lie about the real reason for Jesslyn's fall. However, she was forced to do this so that Zac
Rosetta rushed over to her daughter who had fallen and was moaning in pain. With shaky steps from shock, she struggled to help Jesslyn up. "Argh! It hurts!" Jesslyn cried out, her breathing labored and her face starting to turn pale. Rosetta was getting more and more worried and scared when she saw the condition that befell her daughter, her mind was too raging that she couldn't think clearly to find another way out so that her daughter could be saved immediately. Meanwhile, Zack, who didn't know that the impulse he was making had a very bad impact, immediately trembled. Instead of helping his sister, Zack pulled his mother and threatened the woman who had given birth to him. "Mommy, don't tell anyone what happened today! If you dare to do that, then I will act recklessly!" After saying that, Zack quickly left Rosetta who was rooted to the spot. The middle-aged woman's mind was raging, and her consciousness seemed to return after hearing Jesslyn moan for the last time before col
"Yes, Mommy was expelled by Grandpa from the house after the resistance she put up. I'm actually confused as to why Mommy even fought back, even though from the stories of some of the bodyguards, since the beginning of Mommy's punishment she doesn't dare to fight Grandpa. Even facing or looking into Grandpa's eyes, Mommy doesn't dare." Jonathan explained. "Then, where did Aunty Quina go? Does she have somewhere to sleep tonight?" Joe asked, wanting to extract more information from his cousin. "I don't know because I didn't have time to ask Mommy either. Mommy chose to leave after being kicked out and she doesn't say anything either. But, I think Mommy must have somewhere to go whether it's a hotel or an inn to sleep tonight. Moreover, Grandpa also gave her money before Mommy." "So, that means aunty Quina didn't leave empty-handed, right?" Joe asked again, which was immediately greeted with a nod by Jonathan. "But why did Aunty prefer to go together with Aaron instead of looking fo
Quina was sitting restlessly at the front of the cafe near her house that provided a place to relax for customers who wanted to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere. "Where's Aaron? What took him so long?" Quina chuckled in annoyance. Every now and then she took a sip of the coffee she had ordered in order to sit in that part of the cafe. After taking a sip of the coffee, Quina's face looked different. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes narrowed. "What is this coffee? It doesn't taste very good." Quina looked disgustedly at the coffee, then pushed the glass away from her body. "It turns out that I was right in my assumption that the food and drinks usually consumed by the lower middle class are very bad. I feel like spitting out the coffee I just drank." Quina said quite loudly, and her words provoked various reactions from the people around her, especially the visitors who were mostly students. Those who heard the inappropriate sentence immediately booed Quina openly and it made her even mo