Chapter 342

Chapter 342: Chapter 341

“…” Simon Lockwood pursed his lips. “I’m mad.”

Joanna Kennedy: “…”

“Simon Lockwood, you’re so petty!” Joanna Kennedy said, aggrieved. “You’ve already hit me and yelled at me. You’re not allowed to be mad anymore.”

Simon Lockwood’s calm expression cracked. “Joanna Kennedy, when did I ever hit or yell at you?”

“Just now,” Joanna Kennedy said, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her waist. She accused him indignantly, “You definitely left a bruise here from pinching me. And you yelled at me, too.”

“…”

Simon Lockwood shut his eyes, trying hard to compose himself. In that instant, he thought, ‘No wonder Old Master Sinclair got so furious.’

‘It was wrong of him to pinch Joanna Kennedy, but his voice hadn’t even been as loud as hers. He had no idea how her little brain had managed to land on the word ‘yell’.’

Shock, agitation, anger, bitterness—all his emotions vanished completely in the face of Joanna Kennedy’s accusation. Simon Lockwood sighed. “…I didn’t yell at you.”

Joanna Kennedy was an expert at pushing her luck. She turned her head aside and pouted. “Then you have to apologize. Apologize to my waist.”

Simon Lockwood: “…”

Simon Lockwood: “…I’m sorry.”

“Fine, I forgive you.”

Joanna Kennedy said it grudgingly, but she couldn’t hide the triumphant smirk that tugged at the corners of her lips.

As if to vent his frustration, Simon Lockwood gave her lip a little bite. In response, Joanna Kennedy yelped, “AOW! Simon Lockwood!”

Joanna Kennedy was fuming. “What are you, a dog?!”

“Mhm.” Simon Lockwood, feeling much better now, began placing soft, intermittent kisses on the spot he’d just bitten. He spoke slowly, “But haven’t you always thought I was a dog?”

“When did I ever…”

In a flash, Joanna Kennedy remembered something. Her eyes darted away, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. Fearing Simon Lockwood might press the issue, she launched a preemptive strike. “You have no sense of fun at all!”

“I don’t have anyone else saved in my contacts as ‘Dog,’ only you.” Joanna Kennedy began to earnestly lecture the straight-laced Simon Lockwood on romantic fun between couples. “This means that in my heart, you’re different. You’re special. You’re one of a kind.”

Simon Lockwood didn’t quite understand what was so “fun” about the label “Dog,” but he had to admit her “lecture” was actually rather sweet.

‘One of a kind. He liked that.’

His eyes met Joanna Kennedy’s as he replied in a serious tone, “You are, too.”

“A dog, too?”

“…One of a kind.”

“Ohhh.” Joanna Kennedy’s cheeks flushed slightly. “You should have just said so…”

Simon Lockwood pressed the bridge of his nose.

Joanna Kennedy regaining her memory hadn’t significantly changed their relationship. If anything, it had only made her more brazen and spoiled. Her mouth ran nonstop, primarily to dredge up old grievances.

“You only moved to Sinclair Gardens to get close to me, didn’t you?” Simon Lockwood’s wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, and Joanna Kennedy chattered away as she changed his bandages. “Something about not having your keys, or getting kicked out by the Sinclair Family… Simon Lockwood, you’re such a good liar!”

Joanna Kennedy listed her evidence, one point after another without pause, eager to expose every little scheme Simon Lockwood had ever used. She grew more and more pleased with herself as she spoke. Poking his arm muscle, she whispered, “The way I treated you back then… did you go hide somewhere and cry?”

“…”

“Say something, will you?” Joanna Kennedy pressed, not giving up. “You cried, didn’t you?”

Simon Lockwood’s silence convinced Joanna Kennedy she was right. She was inwardly gloating but put on a troubled expression. “Simon Lockwood, how can you like me this much? This is not okay.”

“You have to love yourself before you love someone else.” Joanna Kennedy let out a heavy sigh, her tone dripping with ‘I’m-only-saying-this-for-your-own-good’ concern. “You need to focus on yourself, understand?”

“…”

“If you are a flower, the butterflies will come to you.” Joanna Kennedy said after a moment’s pause, squeezing out a phrase she thought sounded very profound. She was incredibly pleased with herself. ‘I’m so brilliant!’

Lost in her own “brilliant” and “rational” mind, Joanna Kennedy didn’t notice the change in Simon Lockwood.

Simon Lockwood had frozen completely. The tips of his ears were bright red, and a vein throbbed in his temple. And yet, Joanna Kennedy, completely oblivious, just kept rambling on while draped over him. For a split second, he really, truly wanted to find a way to shut her up.

‘Any way he could.’

“Joanna…” Simon Lockwood closed his eyes. He took several deep breaths before he could finally speak again, his tone carefully neutral. “You should go get a drink of water.”

“Why?” Joanna Kennedy was on a roll, but then it dawned on her. “Oh, are you thirsty?”

Joanna Kennedy clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Honestly, if you’re thirsty, just say so. You don’t have to be so roundabout and hint at it.”

“No one’s stopping you, you know.”

Simon Lockwood: “…”

When it came to twisted logic, Simon Lockwood could never win an argument with Joanna Kennedy. He had finally worked up the courage to say something, only to have it completely misinterpreted. He gave up struggling and simply allowed Joanna to “educate” him on how to “love yourself first.”

On the windowsill, sunflowers that Joanna Kennedy had someone buy stood with their heads held high, facing the sun. Beside the hospital bed, Joanna Kennedy had her little face tilted up toward Simon Lockwood, unleashing her ultimate ability at point-blank range.

The girl’s incessant chatter carried through the door of the hospital room. It was a voice Howard Thorne had never heard before—a little fierce, a little soft, almost like a playful whine…

Howard Thorne’s hand, which had been gripping the doorknob, fell away. He lowered his head, his expression hidden. It was impossible to tell how long he’d been standing there, but eventually, Howard Thorne slowly turned and walked away.

He walked faster and faster, his expression growing more and more taut, as if it was the only way to suppress the urge to storm into that room.

Only when he had exited the hospital and a blast of cold wind hit his face did Howard Thorne finally begin to calm down.

He had come to discuss business with Joanna Kennedy. After the incident, the show’s senior producers had been taken in for questioning, and filming for *Escape* had been suspended.

Normally, Mindy Morgan would be the one to contact Joanna about work-related matters like this. But he was about to return to Jornheim and had wanted to use work as an excuse to see her one last time. He just never expected…

Howard Thorne gave a bitter laugh. He hadn’t noticed someone approaching, but a voice now spoke from beside him, dripping with amusement. “What’s the matter, Young Master Thorne?”

Howard Thorne turned his head and saw Jasper Sinclair, sitting in a wheelchair with his right leg in a cast. Despite his injury, he still carried himself with the haughty air of a privileged young master.

He didn’t know this was Joanna Kennedy’s handiwork, and he was somewhat surprised that someone actually had the guts to break the leg of the Sinclair Family’s “Crown Prince.” Inwardly, Howard Thorne felt a sense of satisfaction, but he kept his expression calm as he asked, “Young Master Sinclair, what happened to your leg?”

“It’s nothing,” Jasper Sinclair said.

“Oh,” Howard Thorne replied flatly.

He saw Jasper Sinclair’s face darken for a moment, but Howard Thorne didn’t care. He had a low opinion of the man and was in no mood to engage in a round of veiled pleasantries with him.

A car pulled up to the curb. Just as Howard Thorne was about to leave, Jasper Sinclair spoke again, his tone unhurried. “Do you like Joanna Kennedy, Young Master Thorne?”