Chapter 307 - 306

On Jorncross Avenue, traffic was light at this hour. The Porsche drove smoothly, but it suddenly came to a stop.

Mindy asked in disbelief, "What? In the middle of the night? He’s coming to pick you up?!"

Joanna Kennedy couldn’t stop smiling. "Yeah,"

"Mindy, you can just stop at the corner up ahead," Joanna said. "Simon is waiting for me there."

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, overjoyed at the thought of Simon waiting for her. It felt like little bubbles were rising up inside her—pink ones.

Immersed in her pink, bubbly world, Joanna failed to grasp the implications of her words or understand why Mindy was so agitated. In the next moment, Mindy made it clear.

Mindy took a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm. "It’s the middle of the night. Have you ever considered why he wants to pick you up?"

Mindy felt like a worried mother, and Joanna was the clueless idiot about to be duped by a smooth-talking man!

It was eleven o’clock at night. A man and a woman who had just confirmed their relationship... even a fool could guess what was likely to happen.

Meeting Joanna’s clear, bright eyes, Mindy spoke with sincere gravity. "Jojo, dating is fine, but you have to learn to protect yourself. Men are all the same; they stop appreciating you once they’ve won you over."

"You only made things official with him a few days ago. You should check him out a bit more. You can’t let things move this fast."

She knew that Joanna had never dated during her school years. After graduating, she went straight into the entertainment industry. Under the constant watch of netizens and paparazzi, she’d had no significant contact with men outside of filming.

When it came to dating, Joanna was a complete novice!

Seeing Joanna’s utterly baffled expression, Mindy gritted her teeth and decided to spell it out. "He’s definitely not coming to pick you up with good intentions. He wants to trick you into bed. It’s better if I take you home."

Just as she said this and was about to start the car, someone knocked on the window.

Outside the window, a man stood tall and elegant. The darkness couldn’t hide his handsome features—the kind that would make your heart skip a beat at a single glance.

Mindy had been married for years, her girlish heart long since worn smooth by the grind of life and work, but even she couldn’t help her pulse quickening at the sight.

’Holy hell... No wonder he has Joanna so utterly captivated.’

Opening the car door, Mindy immediately put on a smile. "Young Master Sinclair, what brings you here?"

Standing beside the car, Simon Lockwood’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly when he heard the title, though his expression remained neutral. "I’m here to pick up Joanna."

"It’s getting late. I can take Joanna home. No need to trouble you, Mindy."

The red dot had suddenly stopped a few dozen meters away, so Simon, feeling uneasy, had come to find them.

That one word, "trouble," was brilliant. It instantly drew a line, placing Joanna in his territory and making Mindy the outsider. Mindy had mixed feelings about this.

Then she noticed he had called her "Mindy," clearly echoing the way Joanna addressed her.

"Hahaha... It’s no trouble, no trouble at all! Jojo is my artist; it’s my duty to see her home." Mindy turned and blinked desperately at the back seat. "Isn’t that right, Jojo?"

’Say yes! And reject Simon!’

Joanna didn’t get Mindy’s signal. She was staring blankly at the man who had suddenly appeared. The car door was pulled open, and the late autumn night breeze on her face finally snapped her out of it. She blinked. "Simon..."

"Mm, I’m here."

Simon bent down and lifted the girl out of the car. Before Joanna could even feel the chill, she was wrapped tightly in his jacket.

Her nose filled with a familiar, pleasant, clean scent, and his warmth enveloped her. Joanna subconsciously nuzzled against him, the movement as natural and practiced as muscle memory.

After nuzzling him, even she paused, a little embarrassed. Her voice was muffled as she said, "You can put me down. I can walk by myself."

Simon neither agreed nor refused. He simply lowered his gaze, his tone flat. "Where’s your jacket?"

His cool, detached tone matched the night breeze perfectly. Joanna: "..."

’Oh no, I forgot about that. I left my jacket at the office.’

Feeling a little guilty, Joanna obediently fell silent. She stopped asking him to let her go and, as if to curry favor, proactively wrapped her arms around his neck.

She still had her gown on, and her pale arms were strikingly visible in the night. Simon pursed his lips. Gently but firmly, he pulled her slender wrists from his neck and tucked them against her body inside his jacket.

Joanna: "..." ’What a killjoy. So petty.’

A retaliatory bite landed on his shoulder. Simon paid it no mind, his expression unchanging as he lifted his eyes to the stunned Mindy and said politely, "Mindy, drive safe."

The moment he finished speaking, Joanna froze. She shot her head up from his chest and met Mindy’s murderous glare. She wanted to die.

’AAAAAHHHH, how could I forget Mindy was still here!!!!’

Joanna’s face was burning so hot it felt like steam was rising from it. She didn’t dare look at Mindy. "Min-Mindy, drive safe..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz; you could barely hear it if you weren’t listening closely.

’Oh, so she does remember me. She actually remembers I’m here. I thought she automatically tuned out the entire world the second she saw a handsome man.’ Forced to watch the couple’s sickeningly sweet display, Mindy was about to lose her mind.

’I knew Joanna was love-brained, but is she this love-brained?!! I’m a living, breathing person standing right here, and she just forgot about me?!!!’

’Look at that dependent little act of hers. She’s giving a perfect performance of a weary bird returning to its nest!’

’This idiot who ditches her friends for a handsome face... Did she eat her brain for dinner or something?!’

Mindy slowly exhaled, forcing a smile. "Right. I’ll be careful."

If Joanna ever came crying to her about him later, she wouldn’t listen. Mindy made a secret vow to herself, then left, stewing in her anger.

As the car drove away, Joanna remained motionless, buried lifelessly in the man’s arms, the fabric of his shoulder still caught between her teeth.

Simon didn’t seem to mind. The bite on his shoulder didn’t hurt, and it had no effect on him. He naturally pulled the girl a little closer into his embrace before heading toward the corner.

She let the man place her in the passenger seat and fasten her seatbelt, her face down the entire time. With her head hanging low, she looked like a defeated little puppy.

Her chin was gently pinched, and she tilted her head up, following the pressure. Her eyes met the man’s clear, dark gaze, and she said, deflated, "This is all your fault. You didn’t even remind me..."

’Doing that right in front of someone else...’ Joanna felt she had been utterly mortified. Her image was so completely shattered, there was nothing left to break.

’Great. Now Mindy is going to be even more convinced I’m a love-brained idiot.’

"Mm, my fault," Simon agreed good-naturedly before changing the subject. "So, where’s the jacket?"

Joanna: "..."

’I’m going to lose it,’ Joanna thought. ’Why are we still on this topic?!’

Before she could explain,

Simon spoke again, his tone unreadable. "Men’s oud fragrance. Joanna, is that what you like?"