Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

And right in front of Joanna Kennedy!

Men have their pride, especially in front of a woman they like. They want nothing more than to show their best side, so how could he stand being intimidated by a love rival?

Anger getting the better of him, he spoke without restraint. ”Why are you looking at me like that, Young Master Sinclair? Am I wrong?”

The atmosphere grew tense. Howard Thorne’s provocation was practically out in the open, but Simon Lockwood remained expressionless, though the coldness in his eyes was undeniable.

The more impassive Simon Lockwood was, the more Howard Thorne found him hypocritical. The words that blurted out were even more outrageous, his anger at being ignored making him say, ”What, can’t even speak now? Can’t you hear me, or what?”

Howard Thorne put on an expression of sudden realization, his tone laced with sarcasm. ”Oh, I forgot. Young Master Sinclair’s ears—”

”Howard Thorne!”

His unfinished sentence was cut short by a cold female voice, and the sarcastic expression on Howard Thorne’s face froze.

Joanna Kennedy’s voice was frigid. ”You’ve gone too far.”

”...”

The man opposite him remained expressionless, yet Howard Thorne seemed to detect mockery and... pleasure in those dark eyes.

Simon wasn’t embarrassed that his weak spot had been targeted. On the contrary, he seemed pleased that Joanna Kennedy had defended him. In that instant, a single thought crossed Howard Thorne’s mind—’Simon Lockwood did it on purpose.’

Joanna Kennedy’s icy words echoed in his ears. Howard Thorne felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, chilling him to the bone—and to the heart. He felt no better than a beaten dog.

”Was I wrong?” Howard Thorne practically spat through gritted teeth. ”Joanna Kennedy, can’t you just wake up?!”

”He’s not harmless like you think he is!”

Howard Thorne’s voice was loud, and his eyes were red, filled with a look of frustration over her failure to see reason—as if he genuinely had her best interests at heart.

Howard Thorne, Mindy Morgan, and even Jasper Sinclair, whom she barely knew, had all said, to some extent, that Simon Lockwood wasn’t as gentle and harmless as he seemed.

But what was the standard for judging a person as good or bad?

There was no standard, Joanna Kennedy concluded.

Everyone just judged others from their own perspective.

She was the one who spent her days and nights with Simon Lockwood. She was the one dating him. She didn’t need to learn about Simon Lockwood from others.

”I know what kind of person Simon Lockwood is better than anyone,” Joanna Kennedy said.

Her tone was calm, but the trust within it was palpable. Howard Thorne felt as if something indescribable was stuck in his throat, making it painful to even breathe.

’She unconditionally trusts Simon Lockwood’s character, yet she doubts my affection for her. How is that not a double standard?’

”...Joanna Kennedy, we’ve known each other for eight years,” Howard Thorne said, his voice soft.

Eight years of knowing each other, yet he couldn’t compare to a stranger she’d known for only a few months. Howard Thorne’s voice trembled by the end.

Joanna Kennedy felt bad as well. She truly considered Howard Thorne a friend—a friend with no ulterior motives or benefits attached. But now things had come to this, a situation she had never wanted to see.

She clenched her fists. ”This has nothing to do with how many years we’ve known each other.”

”Howard Thorne, you’ve always been my best friend. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have renewed my contract with Thorne Entertainment without a second thought.”

Joanna Kennedy had risen to fame quickly. And while she had many anti-fans and a lot of ”scandalous material” spread about her, it was undeniable that her popularity generated a level of traffic no other female star could match.

It wasn’t as if other entertainment companies hadn’t tried to poach her, offering resources and terms far better than Thorne Entertainment’s. But she had still chosen Thorne Entertainment.

Joanna Kennedy had never mentioned these things to Howard Thorne before. So when she brought it up, he was stunned, then fell into a long silence.

An indescribable joy bloomed amidst the heartache, but beneath the weight of that one word, ”friend,” the joy seemed tinged with bitterness.

He had never wanted to be just a ”friend,” but besides being a friend, it seemed there was no better role for him to play in her life.

The tea in front of him had gone cold. Joanna Kennedy silently refilled his cup. This gesture only made Howard Thorne’s heart ache more, a bitter taste rising in his throat.

Simon Lockwood frowned. Without a word, he intercepted the teacup from Joanna Kennedy’s hand and placed it in front of Howard Thorne. He remained expressionless the entire time, but the action itself was startling enough.

”Aren’t you going to drink it?” Simon Lockwood finally spoke, his tone flat. ”Don’t let it get cold again.”

Howard Thorne: ”...”

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’Could you please stop adding fuel to the fire?!’ Joanna Kennedy shot Simon Lockwood a glare. Simon pressed his lips together. He was still annoyed, but at least he shut up.

In Howard Thorne’s eyes, their exchange of glances was the very picture of mutual affection.

The bitterness in his heart was immediately replaced by a surge of anger. His face paled and flushed in turns. Staring at the tea in front of him, he felt as disgusted as if he’d swallowed a fly.

’He won’t even let Joanna pour tea for him. That’s a frightening level of paranoia. This is just while they’re dating. If they actually get married, wouldn’t he lock Joanna up at home?’

Howard Thorne looked at Joanna Kennedy, but she seemed completely used to it. Her expression was one of slight helplessness, not anger.

”...”

Howard Thorne was seething with frustration. Seeing his face darken with anger, Joanna Kennedy worried he might actually make himself sick and quickly changed the subject. ”By the way, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with me?”

”What is it?” Joanna Kennedy asked.

Howard Thorne was still fuming. He had been provoked several times in just the last ten-odd minutes, and for a moment, he couldn’t even remember what he had come to say.

It took him a moment to recover before he finally spoke, his voice stiff. ”About the variety show, Mindy Morgan told you, right?”

”She did,” Joanna Kennedy replied. ”What about it?”

Howard Thorne wouldn’t have come to see her just for that. Sure enough, his next words confirmed her suspicions.

”Susan Lee was a last-minute addition,” Howard Thorne said. ”The production team never sent an invitation to her people. She just suddenly parachuted in, and even the crew behind the scenes has no idea what’s going on.”

Joanna Kennedy froze for a second, then frowned. ”What do you mean?”

’If the production team never sent an invitation, how did Susan Lee get on the show? No matter how resourceful her team is, they don’t have that kind of power.’

”Did she invest in it?” Joanna Kennedy guessed.

She’d heard from Mindy Morgan that this Susan Lee came from a good family that owned a company. She wasn’t short on cash.

”No.” Howard Thorne shook his head and suddenly looked at Simon Lockwood, his gaze unfriendly. ”I found out the Sinclair Group invested.”

”...”

The Sinclair Group had never shown any interest in the entertainment industry, so why would they suddenly invest in a variety show? No one would believe there wasn’t an ulterior motive.

An answer formed in Joanna Kennedy’s mind. She didn’t feel surprised or panicked. Instead, it was as if the dust had finally settled. What’s meant to happen will happen; there was no use trying to avoid it.

Since she had made her choice, she should have expected these kinds of consequences. After all, the Sinclair Family of Jornheim was not to be trifled with.