Jennie parked her car beside the road and placed her cell phone down. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly.
The conversation between Hanbin and Feng Rao had upset her. It would have hurt less if they had said these things to her face.
It seemed as though her eyes were blinded by a dense fog. Everyone had their own excuses but she had been kept in the dark. Who was she supposed to believe?
Ye Kun had nearly killed her during an insane outburst.
Lisa kept his thoughts to himself. He never allowed her to ask unnecessary questions.
Hanbin mysteriously appeared and vanished while repeatedly stirring up trouble for her...
"Mistress?" Yan Jun stopped his car beside hers. He got down and knocked on her car's window. "Mistress, why did you park your car here? Did it break down?"
Jennie calmed herself down when she saw Yan Jun. She pressed a button to wind down the window. A pained expression still lingered on her face but she had to restrain herself in front of Yan Jun.
"No... Nothing... I'm just unwell!"
Jennie turned her head toward the side as she spoke before her complexion slowly returned to normal.
"Do you want me to drive you?"
Initially, Yan Jun had secretly followed Jennie out of the Night Owl Bar. They drove to an area that was close to the mansion before he noticed that she parked her car beside the road for a long time.
Yan Jun approached her because he was slightly worried.
"It's fine, I can drive myself."
Jennie forced a smile before she drove away at a snail's pace.
Frankly, she did not know how to face Lisa when she returned to the Hibiscus Garden.
*
Hibiscus Garden
Lisa had yet to return when Jennie came home. Ah Fu said that she had not prepared anything for dinner tonight.
"The Old Mistress said that everyone will go to Upper Mansion for dinner in awhile. Mistress, would you like me to make you something at home if you're not feeling well?"
Ah Fu asked in a concerned manner when she noticed that Jennie looked slightly tired.
Jennie pondered briefly before realizing it would be inappropriate. The Old Mistress rarely asked everyone to go over and have a meal with her at Upper Mansion after the Spring Festival. The Manoban Family would probably have something to say if she refused to attend this time.
"I'll go after my shower. Inform the Young Master when he returns and ask him to go over first."
Jennie flung her backpack off her shoulders and focused on going upstairs.
*
In the afternoon, Lisa and Jisoo spent some time in the estate. Lisa had built a miniature golf course here because the estate was very close to the mansion. Both of them had just played several rounds.
The two men were fully dressed in white but the clean, bright, and unblemished color could not hide the brilliance that radiated off their bodies. It was rare for someone to look so eye-catching in white.
Yan Jun had called to inform him about today's findings. Lisa's heart was filled with unease when Yan Jun mentioned that Jennie looked rather absent-minded and depressed after meeting Feng Rao. His gaze turned profound while the emotions that surged through the depths of his eyes made him lose the desire to continue playing.
Jisoo noticed the changes in Lisa's emotions. The man placed his golf club on his shoulder before he maliciously smiled at Lisa.
"I think that Jennie's only purpose in life is to fill your heart with turmoil! She hasn't even done anything but your expression has changed, your mind's uneasy, and you can't even stay still. If she had exerted the slightest bit of force, I'm afraid that the Kim Family would be able to crush you completely without having to waste a single soldier!"
Jisoo had hit the nail on the head. Lisa put his golf club on the ground. His noble and elegant posture looked enchanting when he faintly smiled. "You're right!"
He never wanted to hide his weaknesses. He was indifferent toward them because he was no longer his previous self who was controlled by his flaws.
"Everyone knows that Jennie is everything to me!
"I want to protect her but the outside world won't leave her alone."
Lisa had always been coldly arrogant. He had never felt lonely even as he thread further along his difficult path alone.
He only shared his personal feelings with others as a means of informing them, not because he wanted their opinions.
"She wanted to look for Hanbin again just now!"
Lisa placed the golf club aside when he spoke. He snatched a white cotton towel from the towel rack and gently wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead.
Hatred seeped through Lisa's voice when he mentioned Hanbin.
That man was also from the Kim Family but he was treated in a completely different manner.
When Jisoo gained an inkling of this, a mocking look faintly appeared on his handsome face. He smiled, saying, "Are you worried that she'll come home and argue with you again?"
Lisa's gaze darkened. He raised his glass of water and gently sipped it. "It's fine if she throws a little tantrum and kicks up a fuss, I'll just coax her out of it. However, Kim Hanbin will probably forget about being a loving sibling when he goes insane. If he manipulates Little Nini, I'll worried that the stupid woman will do as he says without thinking about her own safety!"
Jisoo was amused by Lisa's appraisal of Jennie and the words that he used to describe her. He could not help but laugh heartily. "Yes!Sometimes, women are rather adorable when they behave foolishly. They're more attractive this way than when they lash out for no reason!"
A smile appeared on the corners of Lisa's lips when he heard this. "Are you talking about yourself?"
Jisoo was faintly tormented. He carelessly combed through his messy hair while looking rather agitated. "My woman is too unreasonable! It looks like I'll have to wait for you to wrap this up. I have no choice but to violently drag her back to Capital City!"
"I must hurry up then!"
Lisa glanced at the sky. Summer nights came later. He kept his tools and prepared to return to the mansion. His grandmother wanted everyone to come over for a meal. Everyone had come home because she had not held a family banquet in a long time.
"When are you planning to make your move?"
Jisoo knew that Lisa still had an impressive trick up his sleeve.
"Jae-wook's transfer order to Capital City has been held up so he can't leave Luo Hai for some time. I was planning to toy with him briefly but from the looks of it now, it'd be better to end this sooner because of Hanbin and Jennie."
Lisa's flat tone concealed murderous intentions.
A hint of darkness flashed across the man's unusually handsome face.
*
During the family feast in the Upper Mansion
The Old Mistress had not organized family banquets like this for a long time. She knew that young people like her grandchildren preferred spending time alone with their spouses now that they were married.
Nancy refused to come out and socialize because Yanni's incident had upset her. Meanwhile, Jennie was her only granddaughter-in-law who remained at home while Tzuyu was hospitalized. However, the Old Mistress liked her the least.
The family banquet was held in the main dining room. Lisa was the last person to come home. Everyone was already seated when he came here after his shower.
Zhuan usually spoke the least. However, he cracked a joke when he saw Lisa today. "The last person to come home was supposed to drink as punishment. Your brothers and sisters looked so helpless before you arrived!"
Zhuan shifted his gaze toward Jennie as he spoke. Lisa saw the dejected expression across that woman's face. The maid pulled out a chair for him to sit when he walked forward.
The Old Mistress told the kitchen staff to serve the food once everyone was present.
Lisa's sudden arrival shrouded the dining area in a mysterious silence. Jae-wook and Minho who were happily chatting earlier were now quiet. Second Uncle glanced at Lisa with a penetrating and unreadable gaze.
Lisa did not look away when his uncle's eyes met his. A mocking smile appeared on the corners of his lips while a hint of irritation stirred in Jae-wook's heart.
Now that the young wolf had finally matured, there was no need for him to conceal his violent nature anymore!
The Old Mistress appeared to be in a rather good mood. After all, everyone still attempted to hide the conflict between family members from her. On the surface, this household still looked harmonious.
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