Chapter 344: Keep Me

Chapter 344: Chapter 343: Keep Me

For a moment, Old Master Sinclair wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. A descendant of the Sinclair family was actually washing a woman’s clothes? What a scandal that would be if word got out!

He almost erupted in curses, but then he remembered the purpose of his visit and forcibly suppressed his anger. His gaze toward Joanna grew even more dissatisfied.

Joanna was speechless. ‘I want to curse him out, but I can’t,’ she thought, ‘I’d hate for Old Master Sinclair to get so mad he faints again.’ Thankfully, a male voice from behind her broke the tense, explosive atmosphere.

“What’s wrong?” Simon Lockwood had come out of the bathroom when he noticed Joanna taking a long time to answer the door. He frowned upon seeing Old Master Sinclair, then turned and said softly, “Joanna, go back inside. It’s cold by the door.”

The heating in Sinclair Gardens was excellent, so Joanna usually just wore a sweatshirt at home. The cold draft from the hallway was indeed making her a little uncomfortable. At his words, she nodded.

It was incredibly rude for a junior to leave an elder standing at the door. But since Old Master Sinclair wouldn’t even step inside, making it clear he looked down on Joanna, she saw no reason to shamelessly try to curry favor.

Joanna went into the bedroom, put on her headphones, and started playing on her phone, blocking out the sounds from the living room.

In the living room, Old Master Sinclair scanned the entire apartment, his gaze sweeping from the few pots of devil’s ivy on the windowsill to the dried flowers scattered about, finally landing on the tall, straight-backed man.

Simon Lockwood had been hanging up laundry before he came out, and his rolled-up sleeves were still up. He looked very much at home, but Old Master Sinclair’s expression was grim. “Is this what you do here all day?”

“Like a nanny? Is this the life you want?!”

‘A nanny at least gets paid,’ Old Master Sinclair thought, ‘but Simon is just giving his services away for free.’ The thought made his chest tighten even more.

Simon Lockwood, however, was unfazed. He casually picked up a small cat toy from the sofa and put it away. “Did you come all this way just to say this?” he asked coolly.

“…”

Old Master Sinclair, who had intended to put on airs, was choked by the question. His face turned blacker than the bottom of a pot. “Is this the attitude a son should have?!”

“Simon Lockwood, have all your manners and upbringing gone to the dogs?” Old Master Sinclair’s gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing. “Or have you become so incorrigibly defiant from spending too much time with disreputable people?!”

Though he didn’t name this “disreputable person,” everyone knew who he was referring to. Simon Lockwood’s face instantly turned cold.

Simon Lockwood sneered. “This has nothing to do with anyone else. I’ve always been this way.”

He didn’t want to make things too ugly; after all, he was occupying the identity of this world’s “Simon Lockwood.” But Old Master Sinclair’s actions and words were becoming unbearable.

‘He can say whatever he wants about me, but dragging Joanna into it is not an option.’

“If there’s nothing else, I must ask you to leave.” Simon Lockwood’s tone was flat. “After all, this isn’t my house.”

“Simon Lockwood!” Old Master Sinclair slammed his hand on the table, the force sending a small trinket on top tumbling to the floor with a crisp CLINK. The sound startled the sleeping kitten.

“MEOW MEOW MEOW!” The kitten scurried into the bedroom, immediately followed by Old Master Sinclair’s furious roar.

“All of Sinclair Gardens belongs to the Sinclair Group! What is she, some little starlet? I could make her lose everything with a snap of my fingers!”

As his words faded, the air fell silent. A soft sound came from the bedroom, and Joanna emerged. She leaned against the wall, watching Old Master Sinclair with great interest.

Old Master Sinclair: “…”

Nothing is more awkward than being caught bad-mouthing someone by the person themselves, especially since the Sinclair Family had just suffered a major setback at Joanna’s hands.

Old Master Sinclair’s face flushed red then paled—it was quite a show. Once Joanna had enjoyed the sight enough, she held out her hand to Simon Lockwood. “Hand me that toy. Mimi is terrified and needs to be comforted.”

The “culprit” who had scared the cat turned even paler. After Joanna went back into the bedroom, Old Master Sinclair looked like he was about to grind his teeth to dust.

Old Master Sinclair finally realized that putting on airs here was useless. He had come for an important matter, not to quarrel. He glanced at his secretary, who had been trying to act invisible.

Taking the hint, the secretary pulled a document from his briefcase and placed it in front of Simon Lockwood.

In the bedroom, Joanna put her headphones back on and went back to scrolling through the comments section. She was curled up on the tatami mat, her finger swiping continuously down the screen.

Thorne Entertainment’s PR team was very effective; the hot search about Joanna’s relationship had quickly dropped in ranking. But her popularity was so immense that discussions were still bound to pop up.

Most people supported her relationship. Only a small fraction of anti-fans and paid trolls took the opportunity to jump in, claiming it wasn’t a real relationship, but that she was a sugar baby.

The anti-fans described it so vividly, as if they had personally witnessed Joanna signing some unconscionable sugar-daddy contract. Joanna found it hilarious.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Joanna turned her head in surprise and was met with a kiss on the lips.

“What are you looking at that’s making you so happy?” Simon Lockwood asked.

Joanna glanced toward the door behind him and looked up. “He’s gone?”

“Mhm, he’s gone.”

Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Finally. If he hadn’t left, I was about to kick him out myself. I’ve never met such a combustible old man.’

“Look at this comment,” Joanna said, holding her phone up to Simon Lockwood. She pouted, pretending to be upset. “Someone’s saying I’m your sugar baby.”

The comment was surprisingly well-argued. Simon Lockwood looked away from the screen and back at Joanna’s slightly aggrieved expression. “You’re not happy about it?” he asked.

“Nope,” Joanna said, lifting her chin.

Simon Lockwood: “Why not?”

‘Why not?’ Joanna’s pout could have stretched for a mile. She couldn’t tell if Simon Lockwood was playing dumb or was genuinely confused.

“Would *you* be happy if people said that about you?” Joanna retorted irritably. But to her surprise, Simon Lockwood nodded, his gaze serious. “I am happy.”

Joanna froze.

“Joanie…” Simon Lockwood rocked the woman in his arms. “Be my sugar mama…”

“…”

They were words that should have sounded coquettish, but Simon Lockwood said them with a completely straight face. Joanna’s face was burning hot. ‘Where did this unromantic old soul learn these kinds of lines?’ she wondered. ‘It’s so…’

‘…embarrassing.’

“D-don’t even think about tricking me out of my money,” Joanna said, trying hard not to be charmed by his good looks. “I know you have money. Stop trying to fool me.”

Joanna had just discovered yesterday that Simon Lockwood was super-rich, and she was not happy about it. He was that wealthy, yet he was still spending the money on her supplementary credit card? Who could tolerate that!

‘He can swindle my body and my heart, but he can’t swindle my money!’

“But what if I like spending your money?” Simon Lockwood asked, as if seriously negotiating.

Joanna was indignant. “Well, I like spending your money!”

“Okay, it’s all yours.” As if he had been waiting for her to say just that, Simon Lockwood pulled a stack of cards from a nearby drawer and stuffed them all into Joanna’s hands, leaving her completely stunned. He kissed her dazed face, a hint of imperceptible delight in his voice. “It’s all yours.”