Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

”Why not?” Cheryl Chaney didn’t understand. She joked, ”Are you trying to form a clique?”

Cheryl Chaney pretended to be serious. ”Sophia, my dear, that’s not a good look.”

Sophia’s face flushed red at her words, and she didn’t know how to explain herself. It was Susan Lee who stopped Cheryl Chaney as she was about to dial the number.

”Jojo has probably gone back to rest. We shouldn’t bother her,” Susan Lee said in a gentle, considerate tone. ”We can go to the third floor first, and then share the clues with Jojo when we get back.”

It was a good idea. Cheryl Chaney nodded in tacit agreement and put her phone away. Sophia let out a sigh of relief.

The elevator doors weren’t far from where they were standing. If she had actually made the call, they probably would have heard the phone ring. Joanna Kennedy was still wearing Julius’s clothes, which would have definitely aroused suspicion.

Susan Lee didn’t know what she had missed. Of course, she wasn’t as kindhearted as she sounded. Cheryl Chaney’s words had just given her an idea.

’A clique?’

’Why not?’

’Joanna Kennedy’s personality was already less likable than hers anyway. It was only natural that she’d be disliked and isolated.’

*

A few staff members were on duty at the hotel. Joanna Kennedy took off the windbreaker and had her assistant hold it, only taking it back once she reached the fifth floor.

”I don’t want to go down for dinner. Order some food for me,” Joanna Kennedy said.

This was part of her assistant’s duties, so Tina had no objections. After some hesitation, she finally spoke up. ”Jojo, this windbreaker is a man’s, isn’t it?”

”This is something I need to report to Mindy.” After saying this, Tina quickly added, ”Don’t worry, I’ll only tell Mindy.”

Tina didn’t know that Simon Lockwood was also on the show, so she subconsciously assumed that Joanna Kennedy had met another man, or perhaps one of the male celebrities filming with them.

As Joanna Kennedy’s assistant, it was her job to help her hide things from her boyfriend, but she couldn’t hide them from her agent.

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’It’s so frustrating when your assistant is too perceptive,’ Joanna Kennedy thought, rubbing her temples. ”Don’t say anything. I’ll tell Mindy myself.”

”Oh, oh, okay.” Tina touched her nose, embarrassed. ”I’ll go order the food then.”

”Make it a large portion,” Joanna Kennedy explained. ”I don’t know how late filming will go tonight, so I want to eat a bit more.”

Tina didn’t suspect a thing. ”Okay.”

Not long after her assistant left, Simon Lockwood arrived.

Joanna Kennedy closed the door and pinned Simon Lockwood against it. ”Tell me, how did you know Jasper Sinclair was here?”

’She had only seen him by chance. Simon Lockwood couldn’t have possibly seen him by chance too, right?’

Joanna Kennedy adopted a look of harsh interrogation. Simon Lockwood didn’t resist, letting her press him against the door. ”I saw him.”

”So, he really came here for you?” Joanna Kennedy asked, a mix of shock and uncertainty in her voice.

Simon Lockwood’s mouth twitched. His tone was impassive. ”Don’t make it sound so disgusting.”

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’What is he even talking about?’ Joanna Kennedy almost got sidetracked again. She put on a stern face. ”I saw him go into Susan Lee’s room.”

”Tell me, do you think he’s up to no good again?”

The more Joanna Kennedy spoke, the more worried she became, her pretty face clouded with concern. Simon Lockwood reassuringly brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. ”He wouldn’t dare.”

His calm, clear voice was devoid of emotion, yet it was deeply reassuring. Simon Lockwood had that kind of magic, making it easy for people to believe him.

Most of Joanna Kennedy’s worries dissipated, but she couldn’t help but ask, ”Why wouldn’t he dare?”

”I told him that if he dared to bother us again, I would go back and fight him for the family inheritance.”

As Simon Lockwood’s words fell, Joanna Kennedy’s eyes widened in shock. She never would have thought of that.

”Then why did he still have the production team pair you with Susan Lee?” Joanna Kennedy asked.

Simon Lockwood’s expression darkened. Jasper Sinclair enjoyed doing these petty, inconsequential things just to annoy people. He probably just wanted to get one last jab in.

On the day he arrived at the filming location, he had hacked into the Sinclair Group’s database. Inside, he discovered that the Sinclair Group had numerous funds from questionable sources.

The most recent large sum had come from Vientara, and a project Jasper Sinclair had just negotiated was also related to Vientara.

It wasn’t just issues with the funds. Simon Lockwood had also found other evidence—enough to send Jasper Sinclair to prison.

He had packaged up all this evidence and sent it to Old Master Sinclair and Jasper Sinclair. Sure enough, Jasper Sinclair immediately came to him, promising that he would stop targeting them if Simon Lockwood didn’t release the information. Even Old Master Sinclair had compromised.

”A parting shot, I suppose.” A cold glint flashed in Simon Lockwood’s eyes. ”This will be the last time.”

’He wouldn’t give the Sinclair Family another chance to act against him.’

Joanna Kennedy didn’t quite understand what he meant, but she knew she could relax and focus on the show now without worrying about the Sinclair Family causing trouble.

’As for Susan Lee, I can handle her.’

Just as she was about to bring up the old topic and tell Simon Lockwood to stay away from Susan Lee, there was a knock at the door. It was her assistant, back with the food.

Her assistant didn’t come in, just handed the food containers to Joanna Kennedy. ”Jojo, I bought a lot of food. You eat first. I’ll come back later to clean up.”

”Mhm, mhm.” Joanna Kennedy agreed with a smile, then said, ”I transferred you the money. Don’t forget to accept it.”

Joanna Kennedy was always generous with her staff. Tina’s face immediately lit up with a smile. ”Thank you, Jojo!”

Just as her assistant had said, she had bought quite a lot of food: four dishes and a soup, plus rice and rice cakes. It was more than enough for two people.

After they finished eating, Simon Lockwood skillfully got up to clean. He placed the trash by the door, then wiped the table clean. His movements were unhurried and quite graceful to watch.

’That black turtleneck sweater makes him look even more aloof and refined. How could such a noble person get involved in something as absurd and tacky as fighting over a family inheritance?’

’I can tell Simon Lockwood genuinely has no interest in the Sinclair Family. In fact, he probably doesn’t even consider himself one of them. After all, he refuses to even change his last name.’

’I’m an orphan, so I’ve never experienced the warmth of a family. Simon isn’t an orphan, but in moments like this, I feel like he might as well be.’

’In this world, I’m the person he cares about most.’

At six in the evening, they arrived back at the filming location. The sky had already darkened. Following the production team’s instructions, Joanna Kennedy grabbed the tools from her luggage.

Everyone gathered in front of the three-story building in the village. Susan Lee was late, and her expression was awful. In a spot the cameras couldn’t see, she shot Joanna Kennedy a vicious glare, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

She had just seen Jasper Sinclair. She had originally planned to act cute and ask him to help her snatch away all of Joanna Kennedy’s opportunities, but to her surprise, Jasper Sinclair had told her not to provoke Joanna Kennedy anymore!

Jasper Sinclair was the one who had paid to get her on this show! They had agreed that they would make Joanna Kennedy the most hated person on the internet during this program. How could he suddenly change his mind?!

The jealous gaze was so intense that Joanna Kennedy couldn’t ignore it. She looked up and saw that Susan Lee’s pretty little face was contorted with hatred. ’Just how much does she hate me?’

Joanna Kennedy was simply speechless. She truly had no idea where Susan Lee’s hatred for her came from.