Chapter 20
Shawn stood at the doorway of his house. It was his home, yet he hesitated to enter. He leaned against the wall for a long time before entering the password and pushing the door open.
The house was silent, as if no one were there.
His gaze swept across the couch, and he couldn’t help but recall what he had done.
He didn’t know what he was thinking earlier.
All Shawn knew was that when he saw Kathleen’s innocent pair of eyes, he desperately wanted to taint her.
She had gotten closest to him the past year, and the one who had spoken the most words that touched his heart. Although she was fake, there were moments when his heart beat for her.
He didn’t know if it was because he had been alone for way too long, or whether his heart had grown bleak like his life. The moment he felt even a trace of warmth, it suddenly stuck, as if it had found a flicker of hope in the dark.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open, and Kathleen walked out yawning. She was heading to the bathroom.
When she noticed a figure standing in the living room, she nearly jumped out of her skin. “When did you come back?” she asked.
“I just arrived.”
“Oh. Rest well, then,” she stated and headed straight to the bathroom.
When she exited the bathroom, Shawn was still standing there, smoking a cigarette.
“You should cut back on smoking.” She frowned.
“About what happened today…”
“Don’t worry.” Kathleen cleared her throat. “I won’t take it to heart. Also, just to be honest, your kissing skills are terrible, and I didn’t enjoy it.”
He looked at her without a word, and the cigarette between his fingers dimmed slightly.
She pursed her lips and continued, “I’m going to bed. You should get some rest and don’t stay up late.”
Before he could give a reply, she quickly returned to her bedroom and shut the door. Then, she raced to the bed, pulled the cover over herself, and lay wide awake.
She didn’t want to hear his explanation as there was no need to go over what had happened.
That night, she lay in bed and scrolled through TikTok for an hour before the sleepiness kicked in.
In the following days, neither Kathleen nor Shawn brought up what had happened.
They greeted each other when they met. She acted the same as before, but she noticed a subtle change in him as he didn’t seem as hostile toward her. With just two days left until Christmas, Peter called Kathleen, but she didn’t answer.
She had made it clear to him not to contact her again.
Meanwhile, Judy called her personally and asked her to swing by the Vance residence for the holidays. After all, she was now a member of the Vance family and should celebrate the residence with them.
“If we head to the Vance residence, we’ll definitely have to stay together,” Kathleen told Shawn. “Why don’t you make up an excuse, and we’ll head back after dinner on Christmas Eve?”
“I have no excuses.”
Katherine frowned at Shawn’s reply. “What if they make us share a room?”
“You can either sleep on the couch or the floor.”
Upon hearing that, she was momentarily speechless. And to think he was no longer hostile toward her!
Kathleen pouted, took her coat and laptop, and left the house.
The office was becoming emptier, and the majority of the remaining employees were slacking off.
Kathleen was also the same as she was texting Chelsey.
Chelsey told her that Damian had asked her to the movies, so she was going to do a facial and a manicure.
Kathleen could tell Chelsey was excited about the date from her statements. She chuckled and sent a voice message, saying, “Have fun on your date!” Chelsey responded with a thumbs–up emoji, and their conversation ended.
Chapter 20
212
At noon, Kathleen and two coworkers went out to lunch. As they exited the restaurant, they were complaining about how tiring the work was and how there were no salary increments.
A sports car was parked by the curb. As they walked by, a person got out of the vehicle.
Ryan dashed over and grabbed Kathleen’s hand. “Kathleen.”
Her other two coworkers were startled and instantly stepped aside. The moment Kathleen saw him, she felt a headache coming on.
He was impossible to get rid of and always popped up to irritate her.
“Let go of me!” she demanded and frowned.
“Come with me.” Ryan tightened his grip, trying to drag her to the car.
She tried to break free, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Do you want to go to the police station again?” Then, she turned to her coworkers and instructed them to call the police.
They snapped out of it and instantly pulled out their phone.
However, Ryan was shameless as ever and ignored them completely.
“Are you insane?” Kathleen threw punches and kicks at him, but he just forced her into the car.
After forcing her inside, he immediately locked the car and ignored her struggles.
He then turned to one of her coworkers, who was already calling the police, and growled, “She’s my girlfriend. Stay out of our business!” With that, he entered the car.
Just as he was about to drive off, another car swerved in and slammed into the driver’s side. The impact of Ryan’s car pinned him on the spot, where he couldn’t move forward, and his door wouldn’t budge.
The sudden crash shook Kathleen and her coworkers.
Ryan tried to push the door open in fury and shouted at the other driver.
Just then, a man got out of the other car.
Shawn was clad in a black shirt, and his sickly pale face was cold and grim. His deep eyes emitted danger as he walked toward Ryan’s car.
Upon seeing him, Ryan glared at him with hatred, while Kathleen was taken aback.
Shawn opened the car door from the outside and pulled her out of the car.
She couldn’t help but frown at how cold his hand felt, and she wondered whether he was cold from wearing such a thin shirt.
“Get into the car,” he urged, opening his car door for her.
She didn’t argue and entered the car. Then, she saw Shawn roll up his sleeves as he approached Ryan’s car.
Since the driver’s door was jammed, Ryan got out through the passenger seat’s side and met eye–to–eye with Shawn.
Kathleen was a little anxious watching the scene.
kyan was insane, and she was afraid he might hit Shawn.
Although Shawn was taller and didn’t seem any weaker than him, she was concerned for his health.
“You again!” Ryan growled and took a swing at Shawn’s face.
However, Shawn quickly dodged the blow, grabbed his arm, and in one swift motion slammed him against the car. Ryan was pinned down and couldn’t move from the pain in his arm.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve harassed Kathleen, and I’ve tolerated you long enough,” Shawn snapped.
Ryan gritted his teeth and glared back at him. “The same goes for you. Let go of me if you dare!”
“Do you even have a brain? Judging by how dumb you are, it’s no wonder she left you,” Shawn mocked him. “You!” Ryan was embarrassed and upset, but he couldn’t move at all.
Shawn gently patted his head, as if stroking a puppy. “Let this be a lesson. Otherwise, you’ll never learn.” With that, he let him go.
Ryan’s arm hurt so terribly that he couldn’t lift it. He wanted to retaliate, but the police had arrived.
Unsurprisingly, they were all brought back to the police station, and coincidentally, the officers were the same two who had previously visited Kathleen’s home.
When they saw Ryan, they couldn’t help but frown.
