Those eyes belonged to Fiona.She stood on the third floor of the first teaching building, where her vantage point provided a clear view of Joseph and Alice’s interaction below.As she watched Alice link arms with Joseph, Fiona’s hands reflexively clenched, her fingers curling tightly. It felt as if something precious had been taken from her.That gnawing sense of loss, the feeling of something slipping away, began to consume her."Hey, sis! I’m here! Why are you all the way up here?" Heidi’s voice came from behind, breathless and winded as she finally caught up."You’re late—and you look like a mess. What happened to you?" Fiona asked, snapping out of her reverie as she glanced at her younger sister."Don’t even get me started. It’s all Charles Martin’s fault. He’s driving me crazy!" Heidi fumed, clearly exasperated."What did Charles Martin do this time?" Fiona asked, her brows furrowing."He keeps pestering me, saying he needs to meet you. I think he might be seriously ill," Heidi
"Really?" Alice blushed slightly, glancing at Joseph shyly. Hearing that he was so excited for her cooking made her feel that all her efforts were worthwhile."Of course," Joseph replied, still smiling."This will be the first time I cook for a guy. But I’m pretty confident I’ll whip up something amazing. I’ve always had a knack for cooking," Alice said, her confidence shining through."I can tell," Joseph said, leaning into her encouragement."Hehe, so you’ve noticed, huh?" Alice giggled. "Here, why don’t you pick? Order whatever you like!" She handed the menu to Joseph."What about you? Don’t you have anything you particularly want to eat?" Joseph asked curiously."Whatever Joseph likes, I like too. I’ll eat whatever you choose," Alice said sweetly, resting her chin on her hands as she gazed at Joseph with large, adoring eyes. Her intense focus on him made Joseph blush slightly."Ahem, alright then. I’ll pick something," Joseph said, clearing his throat as he began marking the dishe
"I'll tell you, Mr. Kim, Mr. Jonathan. Please, I'll tell you everything," Scrappy whimpered, on the verge of tears.Meanwhile, Joseph returned to his seat, still smiling."Joseph, is that guy with all the bandages an idiot or something? He saw you and practically fell out of his chair in fright!" Alice asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. There was something about the situation that struck her as odd, as though there was more to the story than she knew."Last night, Raymond Kim sent some guys to ambush me. That bandaged guy? I beat him up pretty badly. If I hadn’t held back, his ribs would’ve all been broken, and he’d be in the hospital for months."Joseph spoke nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. "I might’ve left a bit of a psychological scar on him. So, naturally, he’s scared out of his mind when he sees me.""What? Raymond Kim tried to ambush you last night?" Alice's face paled as she processed the gravity of what Joseph had just said."Yeah, but it wasn’t a big deal. They
“Fuck! You’re useless!” Raymond suddenly snapped at Scrappy. “You couldn’t even accomplish a simple task. You took all those people with you, and not only did you fail to hurt him, but all of you ended up injured. Worthless!”Scrappy could only lower his head in silence, unable to muster a defense.“Mr. Kim, I didn’t expect Joseph to be that strong. He’s like a demon,” Scrappy ventured, trying to explain.“Are you fucking kidding me? One man took down all of you? What is he, some kind of martial arts master? A god of war?” Raymond spat, clearly not buying it.Jonathan chimed in, “Mr. Kim’s right. You expect us to believe that one guy took on ten of you? Did he use some kind of trick?”Scrappy, on the verge of tears, felt utterly defeated. When he had tried to downplay the incident earlier, they didn’t believe him. Now that he was telling the truth, they still didn’t believe him. Life was unfair.“Regardless, it’s over now,” Scrappy muttered. “Mr. Kim, Mr. Jonathan, can we please finis
Joseph scanned the payment code, but before he could complete the transaction, Alice spoke up.“Joseph, let me pay. I wanted to treat you to lunch,” Alice offered.“No need, I’ve got it,” Joseph replied with a smile, finishing the payment.The waitress handed them the receipt and then added with a playful tone, “As part of our customer appreciation event, every guest receives one of our newest desserts and a tea to take home. I noticed the young lady didn’t eat much—she was too busy serving her boyfriend. If you get hungry on the way back, you can enjoy the treats.”Alice’s face flushed at the word boyfriend. “I didn’t eat much, but I’m already full,” she answered quietly, her cheeks turning pink.The waitress giggled. “I didn’t mean anything by it—I’m just envious of how sweet you two are together.”“Ah…”Alice blushed even more, unable to hide her embarrassment. Since when were waitresses this forward?Joseph, sensing her discomfort, smiled at the waitress to change the subject. “Th
“When we get back, I’ll give you another massage. You didn’t sleep much last night, and after the massage, you should take a bath and get some rest. While a massage can relieve some fatigue, it’s no replacement for proper sleep,” Joseph said as he drove.“Another massage?” Alice’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head slightly. She felt embarrassed yet excited, her emotions a confusing mix.“What? Don’t you like massages?” Joseph noticed her reaction and asked, slightly puzzled.“Huh? Of course I like them! I love massages!” Alice quickly denied, her voice a little too eager. “You’re really good at it, Joseph. Every time, it’s so... relaxing.”“Good to hear,” Joseph replied, glancing at her. For some reason, her words seemed to carry an odd undertone. What does she mean by ‘so relaxing’? he wondered, feeling something strange about the way she said it.“Mhm,” Alice murmured softly, biting her lip in a way that would have driven anyone crazy—good thing Joseph didn’t notice, or he migh
“Charles Martin, let’s get one thing clear: I’ve never agreed to anything between us, so stop talking nonsense,” Fiona said coldly, her expression hardening.“Fiona, I understand. You’ve just been through a divorce, so it’s hard for you to accept any changes right now. But I’m willing to wait as long as it takes,” Charles said, his gaze lingering on her with an intensity that made Fiona uncomfortable.For years, he had fantasized about being with both Cooper sisters. His mind was filled with images of them, and the thought of having Fiona—and maybe even Heidi—made his blood boil with desire.Heidi could see the lust in his eyes as he stared at her sister. It made her stomach turn. She clenched her fists, barely restraining the urge to punch him right then and there.“You say you’ve never met my ex-brother-in-law, but he’s definitely seen you,” Heidi said with a cold smirk.“Oh? Is that so? When did he see me?” Charles asked, momentarily caught off guard."My brother-in-law is also a t
“Heidi, wait!” Charles stood up, making a half-hearted attempt to follow her. He glanced at Fiona, then hurried after Heidi, putting on a show of concern.But Heidi was already halfway down the street by the time he reached the door, leaving Charles standing there, watching her retreating figure with frustration. He cursed under his breath, his expression darkening.“Little bitch,” he muttered to himself, his voice laced with venom. “So protective of that worthless brother-in-law of yours? Just wait. Once I’ve got your sister, I’ll make sure you end up in my bed too, and then we’ll see how high and mighty you feel.”His face twisted with malice as he spat on the ground, his thoughts filled with perverse fantasies. Once Heidi had disappeared from view, he plastered a fake smile back on his face and returned to the table, sitting down opposite Fiona.“She’s young. She’ll cool down and come around eventually,” Charles said, forcing a sympathetic tone. “Don’t worry—she’ll understand you’r