Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Chapter 80 Relentless Teasing
Michaela woke up the following day feeling completely stunned.
Why am I in Jonathan’s bed again?
The last thing she remembered was the shameless man teasing her again on the way back from the Xander residence the night before. She must have fallen asleep after that.
Perhaps I have been exhausted from yesterday’s exertions. In addition to the sleepless night before that thanks to Jonathan’s confession, I’ve been having less sleep than I need. I must have been so tired to have fallen asleep and not remembered anything. Could Jonathan have brought me back here? I must have slept like a log!
Though annoyed and disoriented, Michaela did not lose her composure. She held her breath and listened carefully and found herself alone in the room.
Upon ascertaining that fact, Michaela tiptoed off the bed and ran barefooted to the room across the corridor.
Only after the door clicked shut that Jonathan, who had changed into a suit in the cloakroom, walked out and glanced at the closed door across the hall with a slight smile upon his lips.
Jonathan was already seated in the living room listening to Walter’s report when Michaela arrived downstairs after washing up and getting dressed.
Despite being clad in a simple white shirt and black trousers ensemble, Jonathan still looked elegant.
The top button of his shirt was undone to reveal his attractive collarbone. Coupled with his chiseled brow and his cold temperament, Michaela thought he looked delectable.
Jonathan was sipping coffee with his head bowed when he heard her descending footsteps. Glancing upward at Michaela, his eyes were as arrogant and indifferent as ever.
Michaela felt a little guilty under the scrutiny. “Good morning, Mr. Jonathan!” she chirped with a slightly sheepish smile.
“Far from it.” Jonathan’s tone was a little solemn. “You’re getting braver by the day, Michaela. You’re leaving just like that after having your fill of sleep? Do I look like someone you would do that to?”
At the time the remark was made, Wayne happened to walk out of the kitchen to alert the couple that breakfast was ready. He froze in his tracks upon hearing it.
However, upon seeing Michaela blush and freeze in her own descent down the stairs, he smiled and shook his head before heading back into the kitchen.
Did the pair of them finally sleep together? Jonathan finally got his wish! It seems like Shappiray Mansion is about to have cause for celebration soon.
Michaela, who was rooted to the spot, subconsciously pursed her lips in the face of the scorching gaze and flushed a deep crimson.
Though I did sleep on his bed, we didn’t do anything he was insinuating! He’s distorting the facts. Somehow, I’m getting the feeling he’s doing that on purpose.
Unable to bear the indignity of being misunderstood any longer, she blurted defensively, “Why didn’t you send me directly back to my room after I fell asleep in the car last night, Mr. Jonathan?”
“I was intending to,” Jonathan replied coolly, “but you held on to my clothes and refused to let go. What could I have done? Would you have preferred it if I slept in your room?”
After watching how Jonathan had demolished an opponent as formidable as Yvonne, a tough woman in the world of business dominated by men, Michaela’s status as a fledgling girl was naturally no match for him.
Michaela was beside herself with indignant rage at Jonathan’s feigned innocence.
However, Jonathan had no plans to let her go that easily. “It was my fault for not understanding your intentions better, Mich. I’ll know what to do next time!”
No!
Michaela felt the sensation of millions of insects all over her, making her skin crawl with embarrassment.
“That’s not what I meant!” Michaela flatly denied it.
However, Jonathan merely smiled indulgently. “Do you prefer my bedroom, Mich? Well, I’m sure we can accommodate your wishes next time.”
Michaela had no more words to convey her horror. Bowing her head to hide the redness in her cheeks, she gritted her teeth to steady herself. “Excuse me, Mr. Xander, you must have misunderstood. Under whose tutelage did you learn to be this shameless?”
“Did you forget that your grandfather was my teacher?”
Ouch! Way too close to home! Please, somebody stop him!
By then, Michaela was more convinced than ever of the fact that Jonathan was teasing her on purpose. Having no way of knowing when she was asleep, he took the opportunity to push the blame on her. Of course, his word was the truth as usual.
Rogue! Scoundrel!
“Don’t feel embarrassed, Mich. We’re family, after all. I’ll be more than happy to oblige you. Let’s have breakfast!”
Jonathan, who remained in control the entire time, saw that Michaela was already sufficiently embarrassed and annoyed. Deciding to stop teasing her finally, he got up and pulled her to her feet before leading her toward the dining table. Walter was left standing alone in the living room halfway through his sentence.
Oh my God, what did I just witness? Mr. Jonathan has forgone every shred of dignity he has for the girl!
Walter was worried for Michaela. Ms. Lingard is too innocent for his vicious bullying. How is she going to fend for herself once she becomes his wife?
After breakfast, Michaela rejected Jonathan’s offer and drove to work alone.
Having either been flirted with or bullied every time she was in his presence, Michaela had enough of him for a little while.
If this goes on, I’ll be left a shadow of my former self from all the teasing I’m subjected to. What can I do? I miss my mom!
After parking her car at the foundation, she saw Lorelei getting off her Maybach which was parked across from her. The latter trotted over and opened the door for Michaela with a flattering expression.
“You want something.”
Michaela raised her eyebrows and exposed Lorelei’s intent.
The two have not seen each other since the morning of their hangover.
In fact, Lorelei was so taken aback upon learning of Jonathan’s identity that she did not even have time to meet Michaela when they departed Shappiray Mansion.
Although the two had spoken on the phone later that day, Lorelei only mentioned that she would be back to work on time on Monday before hanging up in a hurry.
After letting the revelation set in over the weekend, Lorelei had already come to terms with the discovery. At the same time, her admiration for Michaela had only grown since then.
What’s so bad about being cheated on by her fiancé? After locking down Jonathan, she would be even better off than if she had married Zack!
Even Lorelei could not help but applaud Michaela for the swing in her fortune.
After holding on to the knowledge over the past couple of days, she could not hold back her curiosity any more. Clinging to Michaela’s arm affectionately, she attempted to lead the discussion toward what had been gnawing at her over the weekend. “I say, Mich, you hid it well, didn’t you? If I had not accidentally stumbled upon the truth, how long would you have hidden it from me?”
“What truth? What do you mean? I don’t understand.” NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
Michaela was thoroughly confused by Lorelei’s ambiguous expression.
“Come on!” Lorelei glared at her. “Mr. Jonathan has already admitted that day that the two of you are now a couple. That’s not very nice to hide something this big from me!”
“He said that?”
“He did!”
Lorelei interpreted Michaela’s stumble as embarrassment and was about to say something when she looked up and saw Alois walking out of the cafe on the first floor.
Though her expression froze, the steps beneath her feet did not. Tugging at Michaela’s arm, she walked over in front of Alois with her eyes straight ahead.
Michaela was a little surprised by Lorelei’s sudden change. It was not until they had managed to stride out of Alois’ earshot that Michaela asked, “Are you really past it?”
“What do you think?” Lorelei shot her a sideways glance. “Weren’t you the one to tell me that I should live for those who care about me? By the way, my mother arranged a blind date for me at night. Come with me!”
“What would I do there?” Michaela felt a chill at the mention of “blind date”.
At the thought of two complete strangers sitting together with nothing to talk about, Michaela felt a preemptive discomfort. Showing up was even further out of the question.
“I know that every other man pales in comparison to Jonathan, but you still need to spend time with your friends, don’t you? You’re only there to keep me company, not meet somebody. We’ll leave after dinner, I promise.
“Perhaps you have a date with Jonathan? By the way, I haven’t had the chance to ask you this. At what stage are you and Jonathan currently at? Have you held hands? Have you kissed? He really is a handsome man. You should be very happy.”
Michaela glared at her friend for her heavy emphasis on the word “happy”. Feeling goosebumps all of a sudden, she relented in compromise. “All right, I’ll come with you.”