ã€ŠBedding My Vampire Mateã€‹


 Chapter 1 The Reality Of Her Life

    ?Help

    ''Ahhhh!''

    She wanted to yell. Yet kept her silence. She knew if she yelled, she would be beaten more. Closing her eyes, she weed the pain. But they didn''t stop beating her. Instead, she received a kick in her belly, making her crouch into a ball. She writhed in pain but they didn''t show any mercy.

    "Enough of the beating!" They heard a strong masculine voice.

    Joanna, who was lying on the floor knew clearly to whom the voice belonged. Instead of feeling happy that someone came to stop her mother from beating her, she felt her heart turn cold further. Instead of his help, she preferred this beating.

    She would rather get beaten to death than beg for his help!

    "Are you feeling sad for your daughter?" Adhara asked loudly. Her pissed off expression showed how she would act and what would be Joanna''s fate if the man dared say ''Yes''.

    "No, Adhara. I am just damn hungry. If you continue to beat her, who would cook for us and the entire household? Let her cook first, and then continue beating her," Mr Anderson said with ack of concern. His expression showed he didn''t care whether she lives or not.

    "Fine, I am tired of beating her too. I will eat and get some energy," Adhara, the madam of the house said.

    But Joanna had already passed out from exhaustion. After all the daily dose of beatings, less food which was equal to no food, daily chores of the household, getting bullied in the school, and facing the double of these mental tortures, she was tired both physically and mentally. How could she not?

    Even though she was born in the strong bloodline of werewolves, she was not gifted with a wolf by the moon goddess. And adding to the fact she was just a crossbreed of a human and a werewolf, how could they ept a lowly born girl like her into the household?

    But her mother begged her father, Mr Anderson, to take her in and protect her as her dying wish. The madam of the house was enraged when she got to know that her husband had a mistress outside and even had an illegitimate child with a fickle human. She loathed the presence of Joanna.

    How could she not? She was the constant reminder of her husband''s cheating.

    She didn''t fail to torture the poor child in her way. Joana now only wished to have a life where no one would scold her, beat her, and would have enough food to eat and a ce to live.

    She only wished to have basic needs fulfilled. She wasn''t greedy. After all, she wished for these things after years of suffering. She hoped the moon goddess would at least grant her this wish.

    When she saw boys and girls of her age growling, howling and turning into werewolves, she wished she could be like them.

    Maybe, just maybe if she could possess the powers of a werewolf, then everyone wouldn''t be so mean to her.

    Right now, all she wished for is to endure the suffering till she finished schooling. The moment she finishes schooling she will run away as far as she can.

    It doesn''t matter where she goes as long as she can escape being beaten to death by those that loathed her existence.

    She didn''t think that it was too much to ask for. After all, it was something basic she needed. She deserved a peaceful life too, didn''t she? But who knows what fate holds for her.

    "You, B***h! Wake up," Adhara kicked Joanna with her pointy heels on her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. But Joanna was really out of energy when she passed out.

    If she was to be admitted to a hospital, then she would have been admitted for fifteen days at a minimum because of her condition. But would they care about her or her health? No! How could they? They only wanted her to suffer.

    "Ahh! Why the hell is she not waking?" Adhara yelled, kicking her hard again.

    "Mom, I think she is faking this to escape from cooking," Adhara''s daughter said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We can pour some cold water on her to wake her up," Adhara added, grinning evilly.

    The moment the words left her mouth, Laura went inside the kitchen and brought a bottle of ice-cold water.

    "Mom, I got this," Laura said as she passed the water bottle to her mother.

    Adhara smiled evilly, as she unscrewed the bottle cap and sshed it on her face harshly.

    Joanna woke up in a sh coughing and shivering at the contact of the ice-cold water with her bruised skin.

    She felt her bruises and the swells on her body burn with pain making her whimper. Hot tears pooled in her eyes, but she knew if they saw her tears, they would only make her suffer more just to see her crying badly and beg for their mercy.

    She couldn''t let that happen. All she could do was endure the pain as much as she could.

    "Now since you finished your act, get your ass up and cook food for everyone," Adhara said as she pulled her up while gripping her hair hard.

    Joanna wanted to say it was painful, but she knew if she said it was painful, Adhara would pluck harder just to see her in pain further.

    Closing her eyes shut, she nodded meekly. Adhara pushed her hard into the kitchen before strutting away proudly to the dining hall.

    The Master of the house watched everything that his wife and daughter did to his youngest daughter.

    For the first time, he felt a pain in his chest. After all, Joanna was his daughter and that made her his flesh and blood.

    He never felt guilty for her conditions, he only cursed her existence. But today he felt pity. Earlier he could see that she was unconscious but wasn''t faking it. He chose not to help her.

    Mr Anderson spun and walked away without uttering a word to the hurt Joanna.

    After one and a half hours, Joanna finished cooking and served the dishes on the table. She waited for everyone to finish the food. When they finished their food, she noticed that they didn''t leave anything for her as usual.

    She went back to the kitchen. She took out two eggs and bread. She made double half-boiled eggs with toasted bread. She searched for some milk but there was none. When she returned to eat what she made, she saw her half-sister was already gobbling up her freshly made meagre breakfast with a smirk on her face.

    Joanna said nothing, she took a water bottle and gulped down the whole bottle. She walked to her room and took a quick shower. She arranged her books in the bag and left the house. Taking a bus, she reached her school.

    She went to her favourite spot to have some peace. But¡­..

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers wee to my new book. This is my entry for Webnovel''s biggestpetition called WSA. Please kindly support me with power stones, reviews andments.

    Actually, this is my first time attempting the werewolf genre so have a pleasant read.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 2 The Mean Witches Showed Up

    ?It was the time of the year when the sun shone the brightest. A girl in her grey and white uniformy on the grassy area of the big premises surrounded by tall fences enjoying the sun.

    Sheid there enjoying the sunlight caressing her delicate skin. Her life has always been full of darkness.

    How she wished she could kidnap a bit of this brightness into her life to give it a little brightness. That way she would have to suffer less.

    How awesome that would have been!

    "So beautiful!" The girl lying on the grass said.

    She shielded her eyes with her right hand only allowing a bit of the ray to pass through the spaces in between her fingers.

    She doesn''t only have a lovely voice but also the most unforgettable face in the entire kingdom-if not in the entire world.

    But what is the use of these two things when it always gets her into trouble?

    Because of the noises drawing closer, the girl with a pair of lovely purple eyes could no longer enjoy the beauty of the sun in peace.

    She sits up and turns her face to peer at the side the noisees from. She saw about four angry girls stomping towards her. Even from afar, she could recognise the four girls.

    She and her best friend call them The Four Witches Of Twilight Academy. "I guess my peaceful moments are over now," The girl muttered.

    "You sneaky thief! How dare you steal from me," the girl with shiny yet slightly curled ck hair said. She was poprly called the Queen by the blind students who knew nothing other than fawning over a rich brat like her.

    Yes, she is beautiful and always wears designer dresses, shoes, handbags and other essories. But this expensive thing can not hide her nasty temper and prideful character. She thinks she owns the world because her father is the richest person in the kingdom.

    Nobody in the school does not know Tiffany Noel and her lousy group. They were the most popr girl group not only in school but also in the kingdom.

    "Today you must produce all that you have stolen from us all these years," Doris, the girl with blonde hair said. She charged forward and jerked to her feet Joanna, the most unfortunate girl in the Academy.

    Joanna tried to free herself from the girl''s firm grip but Doris just won''t let go.

    "Let go of me," Joanna continued struggling. She was about to free herself when Nora, the youngest girl in the group, pushed her down.

    The prideful look on their faces seeing her nurse her bruised hands, made Joanna feel like pulling their hairs out but she held herself back.

    She knew very well that nothing good wille out of trying to fight back. She will only end up suffering more not only from the cruel girls'' hands but also from the hands of their male admirers.

    Her stepmother and stepsister will not spare her from ruining the family''s name if she caused a ruckus.

    She is a werewolf but a werewolf born without powers. Tiffany and Sophie are vampires while Nora and Doris are werewolves.

    The girls even without their powers have outnumbered her not to mention if they decide to use their powers.

    She will not only be beaten blue-ck but she will end up suffering from bone damage.

    Even though she was always wronged by them she could only swallow the injustice.

    She knows people think she is a coward for not fighting back but she would rather be a coward and be alive than try to y a hero and get herself killed by the ruthless girls.

    "That is the most suitable ce where a thief like you belong~,"

    "I never stole your things so why are you treating me this way?" Joanna asked, struggling to stand up only to be violently pushed backwards by Tiffany, the leader of the group.

    Her butts and her entire body hurts  but she didn''t say it or show any expression of pain. She has always been good at enduring pains.

    "Who said you could talk with that annoying voice of yours without being permitted to?" Tiffany said ring at Joanna. She used her hard ck leather shoe to step on Joanna''s right fingers.

    Joanna screamed in anguish but the girls didn''t care about her pain. Their expression showed they enjoyed seeing her in pain.

    "Hey group of witches, will you let go of my friend or do you want me to show you what happens to mean witches like you?" They all heard a cold girl''s voiceing from their back.

    They didn''t need to turn around to know who it was.

    In the Academy, only one person would dare to stand up to them for a lowly girl like Joanna. This girl was none other than Audrey Lopez, the girl poprly known as a tomboy.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Audrey wasn''t a tomboy but only enjoys wearing male clothes but the four witches gave her the title of a tomboy and that is why everyone refers to her as such.

    "Herees the tomboy!" Nora said. The girls paid no attention to Audrey. They turned back to continue what they were doing.

    Before Tiffany could p Joanna as she wanted, Audrey appeared in front of her and pushed the girl away.

    Tiffany moved about five steps backwards due to the vampire strength Audrey applied to her hands.

    "I said no one is allowed to touch her," Audrey shouted, her voice carrying a hint of threat. What she did made the four girls angrier.

    "How dare you hit Tiff because of that low life girl¡­.,"

    "And that lowlife girl is my best friend so you better watch not only your actions but your words because I don''t know where I would hit you at," said Audrey fiercely. She helped Joanna up from the warm ground.

    "You might get unlucky to get hit on your face. Who knows what your face will look like if it suffers a punch from me."

    Audrey helped Joanna to dust her clothes. She paid no attention to the girls whom he was sure were grim with anger.

    Sophie subconsciously touched her face after Audrey spoke. She didn''t even want to think about what will be of her wless face if Audrey peradventure hits her as she said.

    "How dare you defend a thief like her? Don''t you know that harbouring a thief will make you a suspect?" Doris asked, moving closer to where Audrey stood shielding her friend.

    Audrey shot the girl who talked a murderous nce. "Did you say Anna stole from you?" Audrey asked like she didn''t hear her words.

    She has been Joanna''s friend for over ten years so she knows what Joanna can do and what she will never do.

    "Anna has principles, there is no way she would steal. Also if she really stole from you why didn''t you guys report her to the teachers or principal?"

    Nora charged forward like she was the most powerful among the girls. "What principles does the daughter of a thief who almost got beaten to death have? Her mother was a thief and so is she, or what do you expect?" Nora asked with pride. Audrey clenched her fist hearing the girl bring Joanna''s mother into the picture.

    "I wonder why the vigers didn''t beat her pregnant mother to death. If they had done that then we wouldn''t have to put up with a girl like her everyday~,"

    "Sophie, didn''t your mother run away with another man from home when you were barely five years old?" Audrey, who couldn''t handle their insolence asked to the further annoyance of the girls whose fangs and eyes had transformed.

    "Does that mean you will do the same thing to your child and husband when you grow older?" Audreypletes her sentence despite how hard Joanna tries to stop her from annoying the four demons further.

    "And Tiffany, isn''t it a known fact that your father often beat your mother when she was alive? Rumours had it that your father beats your mother to death, will you end up¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up, tomboy!" Tiffany''s angry voice filled the air. Joanna took two steps backwards when she saw the transformed girls'' murderous nces.

    She knew that a great disaster awaits her.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 3 Their Threats

    ?Joanna and Audrey began moving backwards seeing that the girls wanted to attack them. "See what I always meant when I told you not to provoke them for my sake," Joanna said with a trembling voice. Thest ces on her body the girls scrapped her with their long fangs hadn''t recovered. She can still recall how painful the wounds were two days ago when they beat her up.

    Even the bruises caused by her stepmother''s beating were still fresh.

    Thinking about the pain now made her shudder. She was certain she won''t be able to take it anymore if the angry girls pounce on them.

    "I have always told you that one of us being the victim is enough. You don''t need to be added to the list. At least with me alone being bullied by them, I have you to take care of me but what if the both of us gets~,"

    "Stop worrying because I have got this," Audrey said, her eyes, nails and teeth transformed at the same time.

    Although all the girls except Anna had transformed into their true form, they didn''t look less beautiful.

    In fact, their true forms were the definition of hot vampires and werewolves. Those who thought that vampires and werewolves were ugly will get rid of this mindset after setting eyes on these sets of beauties.

    "Get them," Tiffany ordered the other girls. And immediately the three girls charged forward.

    "Tiffany, don''t forget the principal punished you girls just three days ago. She said you girls are prohibited from using your powers for a week. Tell me what will happen to you girls if I report you for disobeying her orders?" Audrey''s words made the three girls stop in their tracks. The expression on their faces showed they had forgotten about the principal''s punishment.

    If they hadn''t beaten up another girl from a reputable family and the girl''s family threw a ruckus, the principal wouldn''t have been forced into punishing the four evil girls.

    "You can''ty a hand on me until your punishments are uplifted. Also, don''t even think of picking on Anna because I will make sure I am by her side throughout the remaining days of you guys'' punishments," Audrey said firmly.

    With the four girls on punishment, she had the upper hand. She wouldn''t hesitate to beat them up using her powers if they dare try anything stupid with her or Anna.

    Tiffany''s eyes, teeth and nails returned to normal when she heard Audrey''s words. No matter how stubborn she is, she can''t go against the principal''s punishment, especially when her dad had told her not to act up during the period of her punishment.

    "That we can''t beat her doesn''t mean that we don''t have people to do the dirty work so what''s there to be proud of," Tiffany said with pride.

    "You¡­," Audrey pointed her finger at Tiffany only for Sophie to beat her hands away.

    She knew very well what Tiffany meant by they had others who would do the dirty work for them. The boys they often sent to deal with Anna always beat her friend up without mercy. She can''t imagine her best friend going through such a thing twice a week.

    This is just too cruel!

    "I suggest you save your breath and strength forter because I am sure you are gonna need it when they arrive," Doris said, a wicked smile appearing on her face.

    "That will be your punishment for flirting with the man Our Queen has set her eyes on," Nora said with a stern expression. The four girls approached the entrance of the grey building after passing their messages.

    Joanna fell on the floor when the girls had left. Audrey turned to see what was wrong but she saw her curling up into a ball.

    She did not need anyone to tell her that the girl''s words reminded her of all the pains she had to go through at the hands of the six boys who always beat her up terribly following the four witches'' orders.

    "I am sure they are just bluffing so there is no need to look so terrified," Audrey squats in front of her. She pats Joanna''s hands affectionately.

    "You and I know they are not joking?" Joanna said as she tried to fight the tears. "The girls can joke about every other thing but absolutely not about this," Joanna said, pushing Audrey''s hands away. She sprang up to the amazement of Audrey.

    Audrey stood up when she saw Joanna walk away. "Where are you going?"

    Joanna halted, turned and stared at her best friend''s worried face.

    "To hide from the boys so you won''t have to suffer because of me," Joanna said as she turned to leave. She didn''t even take up to three steps before Audrey appeared in front of her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You know you don''t have to do this. I will always stand with you through thick and thin. Besides I am not afraid of them~,"

    Joanna forced on a smile, her gaze focused on Audrey''s face.

    "I know you are fearless as a lioness but I still choose to do this~,"

    "But~,"

    Joanna walked away before Audrey could finish her words. "Don''t even try to follow me. I will be very upset with you if you do this," Joanna threatened in a cold tone when she heard Audrey''s footsteps.

    Audrey peered as her friend walked away without being able to do anything. "Although she isn''t as strong as all of us who have powers, I still believe that she is the bravest girl I have ever met." Audrey walked back into the building.

    Throughout that day in school, Audrey didn''t set eyes on Joanna. Thest time she saw her friend was when she walked out on her in the field.

    Even when school was over she went in search of her but Joanna was nowhere to be seen.

    Audrey concluded that Joanna must have gone home early when she searched the entire Academy but still couldn''t find her.

    Joanna only came out of her hiding ce when it was dark.

    She exhaled deeply and with a smile on her face after she realised that the school was deserted.

    Unlike the bubbling atmosphere at daylight, at night the school was akin to a graveyard.

    It was so damn quiet.

    Joanna found her way to the fence where she kept adder she often used in escaping from the school premises whenever the four witches or the boys tried to beat her to death.

    "I know it was cowardly of me to hide but as far as I can escape from their brutality for even a day, I am not ashamed of it," Joanna muttered as she climbed the wooden leader. She jumped down to the other side after confirming that the area was safe.

    Joanna didn''t even leave the school premises when she felt the presence of someone behind her.

    Terrified that the boys had found her, Joanna took to her heels after confirming the person behind her to be a guy.

    Although she wasn''t a trained runner, having to escape from others all the time turned her into a fast runner. She ran as far as her legs could carry.

    She didn''t even know when she ran into the forest surrounding their school.

    Joanna only realised she was in the forest when she ran into the broken branch of a tree.

    ''This is not the time to stop. I need to escape from here as far as my legs can carry me. I am afraid I will end up dying in this bush without anyone knowing if they catch up to me''

    The fear of dying unjustly without the knowledge of anyone gave Joanna an unparalleled strength. She sprang up to her feet.

    Joanna was about to resume running when she saw a dark figure standing in front of her.

    ''I can''t believe I am unable to escape from fate despite all my efforts,'' Joanna shed silent tears as she stares at the one standing in front of her.

 Chapter 4 King Kayden

    ?The guy extended his hand and seeing this Joanna assumed he wanted to strangle her to death.

    "Joan, it''s me," the one in the dark finally said something.

    The familiar voice and touch made Joanna snap out of it.

    "Kayden!" Joanna shouted in a mixture of shock and anger. She couldn''t believe that the one whom she ran away from was Kayden Greyson, the only King of the Twipera Kingdom. She is his mate.

    "Joan, why did you take to your heels on seeing me¡­,"

    Joanna beat his hand away in annoyance. "Hey Kayden, you scare the freaking hell out of me," Joannained bitterly. She squats to catch her breath.

    Kayden, despite being surprised to see her like this, squats in front of her.

    "Joan, I am sorry. It wasn''t my intention to scare you and I was surprised to see you run earlier. I thought you were trying to avoid me as you usually did that is why I pursued you," Kayden''s innocent voice while talking to her didn''t resemble that of a king but instead resemble that of a concerned lover.

    Joanna raised her gaze to stare at him. "You should have at least said something earlier. Because it was dark I mistook you for those wicked werewolves and vampire boys who are out to get me," said Joanna, standing up to her feet. She began walking with Kayden following her closely.

    "You didn''t let me speak. You took me by surprise when you ran like you had seen a ghost. I had no choice but to run after you," Kayden said, walking closer to her so that their hands brushed against each other. He repeated the same thing the second time and this time around he grabbed her left hand.

    Joanna stopped walking the instant he held her hand. She wriggled her hand out of his grip thereby making the atmosphere awkward.

    "Shouldn''t you have been long gone after attending to the urgent matter in the principal''s office so why are you still here?" Joanna resumed walking. She acted like nothing was wrong.

    "Don''t tell me you returned here to hang out with your girlfriend without any disturbances from the Queen mother, the maid or guards at the pce," Joanna didn''t stare at him as she talked and this made Kayden unhappy.

    He halted, held her right hand and spun her so she was facing him. "You are my only mate, the only woman destined for me so how could I ever have a girlfriend aside from you?" Kayden asked in a serious tone, his gaze centred in her pure eyes that of innocence.

    "You clearly know how I feel about you so why do you always pretend not to know of my deep feelings for you?"

    Joanna couldn''t handle the intensity of his burning gaze so she immediately looked away.

    "You are the King of the Twipera Kingdom. The supreme king of both the werewolves and vampires while I am a girl with no powers. Even though I am stupid I wouldn''t aim for where I know my hands can not reach~,"

    "Joanna Anderson, you look so gentle and harmless but why do you always have the tendency to hurt me most viciously?" Kayden asked as he pulled her onto himself. He ced his left hand around her slender waist to prevent her from running away like she normally did.

    "You are my mate and that makes you the most qualified girl to be with me¡­,"

    "Your majesty, if you don''t care about your reputation I care about my life so I advise that you watch your words and you mind your manners," said Joanna in a formal tone as she tried to free herself. Even without his powers she was no match for a warrior like the king who works out everyday both alone and with his soldiers.

    "Earlier in the day, you only held my hand and the four witches used me of stealing and even tried to beat the hell out of me. I am sure I won''t be able to keep my poor life if they sees us in this manner¡­,"

    "Joan, why do you always used the girls as an excuse to keep a distance from me¡­,"

    "Because no matter how wretched my life is, I still love my life. I don''t want to die just yet," Joanna stated fiercely, taking Kayden by surprise with her harsh tone.

    "Why am I telling you this when I am sure you don''t understand what I mean".

    Joanna''s words made Kayden release her at once. His fallen expression didn''t escape Joanna''s notice.

    He has been protecting her in the dark without anyone knowing. He is aware that she will be in even bigger danger if he do it in the open.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It might seem like the world and everyone in it adores him but he understands that isn''t the case at all. No ruler doesn''t have enemies no matter how good he is.

    Publicly protecting Joanna will make her be their target and that is why he has been secretly protecting her. How he wished he could tell this to Joanna and Everyone who mes him for Joanna''s suffering.

    The only sure way he knew he could protect her is by making her the Queen, the mother of the Kingdom and that is why he has been eagerly waiting for her to reach the legal age of marriage.

    ''Damn! It looks like I hurt him with my words again.''

    Joanna tried toe with ways to make him brighten up a bit.

    "Kay, I didn''t mean to sound so harsh. I just don''t want to get into any more trouble with the girls, my stepsister and stepmother. You know how brutal they can be, so I hope you understand my point of view," said Joanna in a soft tone.

    "I know despite having prophesied to be my mate since you were in your mother''s womb that you don''t love me. I won''t force you¡­,"

    "Hey Kay, stop looking so sad because I know that you are not that weak to get affected by what I said. As the King, you are supposed to be strong minded which I know you are¡­,"

    "So what if I am the King, I am a living being with feelings too and I get hurt especially by you," Kay said as he walked further into the dense forest.

    Before he was the one who always cause after her but this time around it was Joanna''s turn to chase him.

    ''Is he really hurt or is he pretending to be sad to make me feel guilty for what I said?'', Joanna  questioned Kayden''s real emotions at the moment.

    Since she was afraid Kayden would keep on pursuing the issue, she followed him without uttering a word.

    She was too busy caring about how Kayden felt to realise that instead of leaving the forest they were walking further into it.

    Joanna abruptly stopped walking when she realised this. "Kay, why are you taking me further into the forest? Shouldn''t we be leaving the forest?" Joanna asked the guy still walking.

    She began feeling afraid when she saw that Kay wouldn''t stop walking further away from her.

    "Kay, stop walking and say something," Joanna shouted momentarily forgetting his title.

    Before Kay became the king, they were good friends and this was obviously in secret since she was scared of not only her life but also ruining his reputation.

    Although he became the King not long ago, she still talks to him as friends do. And this is majorly because when Kayden is with her, he doesn''t act like the king he was.

    He always talks and treats her more than a friend would.

    "Kayden Greyson, stop right there?" Joanna ordered coldly. She was so relieved when he turned to stare at her. "Damn he has transformed!" Joanna eximed on seeing his crimson red eyes from afar. She subconsciously began walking backwards when she saw him approach her.

    Getting closer she could see that his once friendly look was gone. It was now reced by his cold look. Seeing him this waybined with the environment they were in made Joanna tremble.

    Her heart raced rapidly against her chest. Joanna bit her lower lips to suppress her fears.

    "Kay¡­Kay¡­ I¡­," Joanna gave her fears away the moment she stammered.

    "Kay, what do you think you are doing? Don''t tell me you have suddenly be a beast who takes advantage of the weak?" Joanna asked amidst her fears.

 Chapter 5 His Heartbeat

    ?Just when she was about to fall backwards Kayden grabbed her hand and hauled her himself. As a result of the impact of his pull, Joanna ended up embracing him tightly.

    It took Joanna two minutes to get over the earlier fright Kayden''s cold expression gave her.

    ''Why is his heart beating so rapidly?'' Joanna was still in a daze that she forgot to let go of him.

    The pumping of Kayden''s heart made her attempt to pull away but she couldn''t since Kayden''s arms were wrapped around her body.

    ''I heard another thing that makes a person''s heart beat rapidly apart from exercising is when a person is in love or suffers from a heart disease. Which out of these two is the reason why his heart is racing so hard?''

    The thought of Kayden, the most handsome vampire of all time falling in love with her made her heart smile. She couldn''t stop herself from smiling for some unknown reason.

    "No matter how angry I am. Even though I go crazy and hurt others, you are thest person I would harm so please never give me that look you did earlier because it makes my heart hurt immensely," Kayden''s masculine voice filled with so much affection said. He removed his right hand from her back and brought it to her hair. He strokes her silver hair affectionately.

    "Joan, I know why you are so hellbent on keeping your distance from me but I promise I will make sure I get stronger so that I can protect you from all dangers".

    Kayden''s affectionate words and promise made the racing of Joanna''s heartbeat increase.

    "I will get stronger so I won''t have to worry about those greedy werewolves and vampires eyeing my throne. And when that dayes, I will make sure you won''t have to worry about anything¡­," Joanna, whose heartbeat was getting out of hand, pushed Kayden away with all the strength she could muster up.

    "Keep¡­ Keep your distance from me," Joanna stammered despite all her efforts not to show how affected his closeness has made her.

    She turned her back on him almost immediately.

    "Joan, what is wrong?" Kayden asked, cing his hand on her shoulder. He tried to turn her around but Joanna refused to budge. "Why is your heart beating so fast? Are you sick¡­," Joanna hurriedly walked away before Kayden couldplete his words.

    Joanna covered her flushed face with her hands, walking in big strides. She was so d it was very dark in the forest.

    If Kayden had seen her reddened face and insisted on knowing what was wrong with her, she wouldn''t have known the response to give him.

    "That is the problem with vampires. Their increased sense of hearing makes it impossible for one to hide anything from them," Joanna muttered, not knowing that she was walking further into the forest.

    "What on earth is wrong with her? Didn''t she say she wanted to leave the forest so why is she walking deep into it?" Kayden thought aloud his gaze following Joanna''s soon disappearing back.

    Just then his eyes widened like he had recalled something.

    "Damn it! She is going the wrong way," Kayden vanished after speaking these words. He reappeared in front of Joanna. Kayden embraced her just before she could roll down the sloppy part.

    Ahhh***

    Joanna screamed as they rolled down the bushy path. Thank goodness Kayden embraced her the time he did; because of the way he shielded her, Joanna didn''t get injured in any way.

    After about three minutes of constantly rolling, Kayden''s body bumped hard into a big tree causing the rolling movement to stop.

    Kayden''s painful groans made Joanna pull away from him. She sat up and stared at the guy still struggling to sit straight. Joanna assisted him to sit leaning against the huge tree they bumped into.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked, looking very concerned. She searched his body for any sign of injury. Her eyes became misty seeing a big stick stuck into Kayden''s right arm.

    "Kay, you are badly injured!" Joanna raised an rm as she brought her hand close to the ce the huge stick was.

    "This is all my fault. You wouldn''t have gotten injured if I had watched my path. Now look at what has happened to you," Joanna med herself. For a moment there, she forgot Kayden''s identity as a vampire.

    Kayden opened his mouth to tell her that the injury wasn''t a big deal, but for some reason he didn''t say those words seeing how concerned Joanna looked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She has never cared for him this way, he wanted it tost even for another two minutes.

    "Kay, you are bleeding a lot. What should we do?" Joanna said not able to control her emotions anymore? The tears she was holding back began to flow down her face.

    "Hey Joan this isn''t enough for you to cry. Besides you never used to cry even when the others beat you up so why are you crying now when you are not the one injured?" Kayden asked in a yful tone. He raised his hands and cleaned her tears.

    "That''s¡­ that is¡­,"

    "Stop stuttering and pull the stick out. No matter how much I want to see you care about me a little while longer, I can''t stand to see you in tears," Kayden instructed, turning around so that Joanna had full ess to his wounded arm.

    "But it will hurt a lot¡­,"

    "Hmm it will hurt a lot but it will heal in no time. You wouldn''t be moved to tears if the wound is no longer there so pull it out," Kayden ordered on seeing the hesitation on her face.

    He had to resort to pulling the stick out of his arm when Joanna couldn''t bring herself to do it.

    "I have been wounded several times. Compared to dagger and sword wounds including werewolves bite, this is nothing. The only one who could hurt me is none other than you but not these wounds," Kayden said as he waited for his wounds to heal up. Joanna only calmed down when she saw his wound close up.

    "Is getting wounded something to be proud of?" Joanna asked, sitting on the dry leaves with her legs folded.

    "Scars are the pride of soldiers like us. Although we vampires don''t sustained scars because of regenerating abilities, we are happy each time we are wounded despite that the injuries are temporarily¡­,"

    "You might have been a soldier two years ago but right now you are our king. Both werewolf and vampire race are under your reign so I think your safety shoulde first," Joanna said in a serious tone.

    "Despite the fact that your reign isn''t solid, you are still very important to us. Can you imagine the chaos that will happen if you suddenly die?".

    A painful smile appears on Kayden''s face the moment she finishes speaking;

    "I am not the first king who has died nor will I be thest. The deceased King was killed by some unknown men, and who knows they might alsoe for me~,"

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 6 The Surprise

    ?"Hey stop talking about death huh. You are barely 24 years old. It''s still too early for you to talk about death," Joanna said, tapping him gently on the shoulder.

    "You are right about that," Kayden said with a smile on his face.

    "I still have a lot of things to do on this earth. I haven''t made you fall in love with me nor have I given you a proper title apart from that of the King''s mate. My goal to train my little brother-inw into the finest young soldier hasn''t been fulfilled so how can I just die like that~,"

    "I don''t recall ever agreeing to be your Queen so what are you talking about?" Joanna asked, standing up to her feet. She dusted the dirty off her clothes. Kayden also stood up from the ground.

    "You are already my mate so what''s there to agree to?" Kayden asked. He carried her blue backpack lying on the ground.

    "I might be your mate but you still need my permission, your majesty," Joanna said sarcastically; she began walking away.

    "Actually, I didn''t leave the school premises earlier because I was waiting for you," Kayden said, his words causing Joanna to pause walking.

    "I had something to show you that is why I waited for you all day. Won''t you at least follow me to see it?"

    Kayden waited for her to turn around but she soon resumed walking without uttering a word.

    Joanna, now about six steps away from Kayden, stopped walking when she felt that Kayden wasn''t following her. She turned to face where he was still standing. "Didn''t you say you had something to show me or have you changed your mind already~,"

    "Of course not," Kayden said, only to appear in front of Joanna. His charming smile made Joanna smile along with him.

    "Let''s go," Kayden held her left hand and led the way.

    Kayden led the way without letting go of Joanna''s hands. Joanna was about toin when Kayden abruptly stopped walking.

    "We are almost there but you have to close your eyes since it is a surprise," Kayden instructed in a serious tone.

    "It''s already dark so why do I still need to close my eyes," Joannained.

    "I will leave if you don''t want¡­,"

    "Please hmm¡­ Close your eyes. I promise it will be brief," Kayden resorted to pleading when he saw that she was serious about abandoning him there.

    Since he was child, he was groomed up to be aloof and strict and he has been living this way almost all his life. This even became worse when he became the King.

    He has to not only watch the friends he makes, but he also needs to watch the way he carries himself, the way he speaks and so on.

    The only time he is himself is when he is with her. No matter how busy he is he always tries his best to sneak out just to have a glimpse of her beautiful face.

    Merely hearing her sweet voice takes his worries and tiredness away. She is like a drug he will never get tired of taking.

    His feelings for her have been this way for over ten years and he believes it will never change.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna''s heart softened seeing how sincere he looked. He has always been treating her sincerely so how could she say no to him?

    Kayden covered her eyes with his right hand while he led her with the other hand. He led her gently for about four minutes.

    He halted afterwards. "Are you ready?" Kayden asked, beaming. He removed his hand from her face when she nodded affirmatively.

    Joanna slowly opened her eyes. The scenery she met left her breathless. Her mouth dropped open in shock making her temporarily unable to say a word.

    "This is beautiful!" Joanna remarked as she walked into the colourful area. Apart from the colourful flowers and their various fragrances, the fireflies hovering about added a lot of charms and beauty to the already beautiful ce.

    "Wow, I can''t believe such a ce existed in the kingdom," Joanna said absentmindedly, trying to catch the fireflies hovering around there.

    "You are right when you said no such ce exists in the kingdom," Kayden said, closing the gap between them.

    "I created this ce".

    Joanna momentarily stopped what she was doing and spun so that she was looking at him. "You nted all these flowers, why?"

    Kayden raised his hand and settled it on her head. "For you, of course," He said beaming at her. The revtion stunned Joanna.

    He is the king, and although she is his mate he didn''t necessarily have to treat her so kindly. Even though he joined others to jeer at her, no one would question him but for as long as she can recall he has always been very nice to her.

    Out of everyone in the kingdom only three people treat her well and Kayden happens to be one of them.

    At first she thought he did this because of the fact that she was his mate but she knew how wrong she was the day he took an arrow for her. Since that day they became friends although in secret.

    When he said he was in love with her, she thought he was bluffing but after listening to his heartbeat earlier, she thought maybe she was wrong about his feelings.

    "I wanted to show you this ce on your eighteenth birthday which is in a few weeks but I couldn''t wait any longer and that is why I decided to do it tonight," Kayden said, taking a step closer to her.

    "Joan, I had nned to formally propose to you on the full moon of your eighteenth birthday; the same day you will get your powers. I will still go ahead with that despite the fact that I have shown you this ce," Kayden said as he brought his other hand to the back of her neck. He peered into her eyes with an intense gaze that made Joanna''s heart flutters.

    "Kay~,"

    "I love you, Joan. I have loved you for a long time now. No matter what others say or what other opinions the ministers have, I will make you my queen; my world and everything," Kayden gave her no chance to utter negative words.

    His face inched close to her face, causing Joanna''s cheeks to burn hotter. Her heart pounded like it was gonna jump out of her chest any moment from then.

    "All I want from you is to wait for me for just a few more weeks until your birthday. I only need that much time hmm," Kayden said, bending to kiss her.

    ''Joanna, why are you only standing there staring at his face like a moron? Do something or else he is gonna take your first kiss away,'' Joanna''s thoughts run wild seeing that their mouth was a few inches from interlocking.

 Chapter 7 Joanna Got Caught

    ?Joanna closed her eyes and mustered all her strength to resist her desires. She pushed Kayden away. "Kay, I am not an adult yet. Let''s leave  aside what the girls will do to me if they find out that we got intimate. My stepmother will break my legs if she learns about this."

    Joanna turned her back at him after she had said what was on her mind.

    "Thank you so much for tonight but I think we should leave now. Adhara and Laura will beat the living daylight out of me if I arrive hometer than this," Joanna said before she started walking away.

    To Joanna, her stepmother and stepsister are the cruelest people she has ever known.

    Other people might bully her but not always. But both mother and daughter haunt her any time and any day. Since she resides with them there is nothing she could do to escape their maltreatment; she could only swallow everything while hoping for better days ahead.

    "I have waited for a long time for you to love me back. I don''t think waiting for a few more weeks or months is a big deal," Kayden said, immediately following her.

    He didn''t only walk her out of the forest but he insisted on walking her home.

    Because Joanna was worried about passersby recognising him as the king, he had to put on the ck hoodie Joanna took out of her blue backpack.

    "Goodbye, your majesty. Make sure you get home safely and on time or else hell will be let loose if the Queen Mother learns that you are missing," Joanna jokingly said when they reached the front of her gate.

    "Since my future Queen is the one who gave the orders then I will surely do as she said," Kayden yed along beaming.

    "Cut that out, Kay," Joanna hits him on the shoulder before she hurries in. She adjusted the way she carried her backpack after she entered the gate.

    Her smile vanishes. Joanna''s mood took a 180 degree turn the moment she set foot into her second most dreaded ce in the world.

    Kayden left only when he saw her enter the brown front door.

    Reaching the sitting room, the tiptoeing Joanna unfortunately met her father, Mr Anderson, a man in his early forties sitting on the brown couch reading the newspaper.

    Mr Anderson shifted his attention to the main entrance where footsteps came from. "Hasn''t school closed over seven hours ago so why are you just returning?" Mr Anderson''s cold voice broke the silence in the sitting room.

    All the decors and furniture in the sitting room were mainly dark colours of brown and ck while the walls were painted in yellow.

    "I was with a friend," Joanna replied without stopping. She badly needed to get out of there in case her stepmother was still awake.

    She wouldn''t be spared for returning sote no matter the reason she has if she is caught by the evil woman.

    Mr Anderson mmed his right palm hard against the brown wooden table. "Apart from Audrey, which other friend do you have? Do you mean to tell me that you were with Audrey and yet she rushed home to ask about your whereabouts?" Mr Anderson thundered in annoyance.

    Joanna turned to face her father. Her hatred for the man who is her flesh and blood rose to the peak.

    "Why lie when you know you will be caught¡­,"

    "You have never cared about me or my wellbeing so what if I lied?" Joanna replied angrily.

    Other kids'' fathers will panic if their kids don''t return the time they were supposed to get home but never has her father cared about her.

    There was a day she was beaten until she fainted in a bush. She was in that bush for two nights but yet her father and those she called family never cared whether she returned home.

    In fact he didn''t even know that she wasn''t home despite the fact that he was at home in these two days.

    If not Kayden and Audrey who searched for her, maybe she would have died in that bush without the knowledge of others.

    Her father never cared whether she lived or died that is why she often acted the same way.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The only difference between her and her father is that;

    She always asked whether he was home whenever she returned but he never did.

    Today she knew her father wouldn''t have known that she didn''t return from school if Audrey didn''te in search of her.

    The angry Mr Anderson stood up in fury. "Say that again and I¡­,"

    "You know that I am stating the truth, that is why you are so angry. You have never cared about my living and death so stop acting like¡­,"

    "Wee home Miss Joanna," the old woman standing at the end of the stairs greeted in a cool voice.

    "Little Master has been throwing tantrums after he waited for you and you didn''te back," The elderly woman said, seeing that Joanna still wanted to argue with her father.

    Joanna hurried up the stairs when she learned that her little brother of nine years was asking after her. "Has he had his meal?" Joanna asked, her once angry expression was long gone.

    "You know how Madam hates whenever he talks about you so she forced him to eat when he insisted on waiting for you toe back and feed him," The Nanny said her gaze focused on the direction of Adhara''s room.

    Joanna wasn''t surprised to hear what the evil woman did to her son. Because of Anthony''s love for her the woman and Laura had beaten her until she fainted after using her of bewitching the future master of the house.

    And as usual she was woken up by pouring iced-cold water on her only for them to resume the beating.

    She fainted twice that particr day because of their brutal beating so she wasn''t surprised that the woman took out her anger on the innocent boy because she wasn''t around to vent her spleen on.

    "Don''t worry Nanny Susan, I will check up on him," Joanna left for her brother''s room leaving her father still fuming.

    Nanny Susan went away after bowing to the angry man of the house.

    Opening the brown door, a little figure ran towards where Joanna stood. Knowing whates next, Joanna knelt with her hands spread.

    "Howe my little prince is still awake huh?" Joanna said in a yful tone as she pats her brother''s brown hair lovingly. The little boy of nine years pulled away after getting a good hug from his sister.

    "Because I was waiting for my big sister toe home and y with me".

    Joanna raised her hand and ruffled her little brother''s hair. "Little rice ball, do you know what father and Mrs Anderson will do if they heard you talk about ying huh?"

    "They will lock me up in my room with my books without letting me out of the house for a week..,"

    "If you know the punishment so well then why do you still talk about ying even at the risk of getting spank," Joanna asked, tickling him. She tickled him once again when he didn''t burst outughing like he normally did.

    At her second tickling, Anthony''sughter came. For fear that her father and stepmother wille and scold her brother, Joanna extends her hand and shuts the door. She continued with her tickling. Theughing Anthony ran around the room to escape from her.

    After a few minutes of ying Anthony fell onto his huge bed. They continued tough for another two minutes before theirughter finally died off.

    "Big sister, why did you returnte tonight? Did the mean girls or the wicked vigers pick on you today?" Anthony Anderson, whom Joanna loves calling ''little riceball'', asked. He raised his right hand and stroked her face.

    "My little riceball knows what goes on in school even without being told. I guess I should start calling you my little dad since even my father doesn''t know this much. He thinks I am the troublemaker because that is what he is told," Joanna said in a carefree tone. She raised her hand and caressed her brother''s face.

    They might be step sisters and brothers but they love each other very much. He and Nanny Susan are the only ones in the house who treat her like a human, the rest treat her worse than an animal.

 Chapter 8 Is Someone There?

    ?These two people were the only ones who will get worried if she doesn''t return home.

    As much as her little brother likes her, she also loves him very much; she will never transfer the hatred she has for his mother and step sister to him just because he is their flesh and blood.

    She will pay back each individual ording to how good or bad they treat her.

    "That is because Tony treats big sister the best," Anthony said with a smile.

    "Big sister, don''t worry after your birthday party and you get your powers, those who bully you will not be a match for you," Anthony tried to cheer his sister up.

    "Also, when I grow up I will take revenge on all those who beat you up. I will teach them a lesson on your behalf, don''t worry," Anthony beats his chest to show how serious he was.

    "Then that means I will have to count on my little rice ball to grow up into a fine young man. I can''t wait for that day toe," Joanna said beaming. She embraced Tony before she made himy down on the bed. She covered his body with the blue quilts.

    "It''s already time for bed so let me tell you your normal bedtime stories," Joanna said, adjusting the way she sat on the bed. Joanna didn''t even start narrating the bedtime story when Laura barged into the room and ordered Joanna out.

    Laura nced behind her when they were some distances away from Tony''s room. "There are some clothes in theundry and mum said she wants it washed, dried and well ironed before morning," Laura said in a carefree tone.

    "My uniform is among and I want it washed, dried and well ironed¡­,"

    "Didn''t you warn me never to touch your uniforms so what¡­,"

    "I have changed my mind so do as I say. Also you know what happens if you ruin any of the clothes right?" Laura asked, staring at Joanna''s right thighs as a reminder.

    Joanna subconsciously touched her right thighs after Laura left. Thest time she burned Adhara clothes, the wicked woman had pressed her right thighs with the hot iron.

    Even though that happened about three months ago she still feels the pain like it happened yesterday.

    Joanna didn''t bother to go to her room, she rushed to theundry to get her task done for the night.

    The scene she met at theundry made Joanna''s legs go weak.

    Joanna stares at the heap of clothes lying before her not knowing whether to cry,ugh or pity herself.

    "I guess no sleep for me tonight again," Joanna muttered. She didn''t have time to waste. She hurriedly got to work.

    If she wanted to finish the heap of clothes before the evil woman woke up, she knew she needed to wash faster than she has ever done and that is what she did.

    The fear of hot water being sshed all over her body didn''t dare make her ck or doze off.

    By the time she finished everything it was time for her to do her normal early morning routine and that is exactly what she did.

    As usual she left the house with an empty stomach but after receiving her daily dose of beating from the woman whoined that the meal she cooked was salty when that was a big fat lie.

    Joanna left the house feeling terrible and her heart grew heavier when she recalled the event that took ce yesterday. She knew there is no way the mean witches will let the matter slide. They will only stop chasing her until they take revenge.

    She barely escaped yesterday and today she has to continue hiding if she doesn''t want to be beaten blue-ck.

    Joanna was only able to hide away for three days.<novelnext></novelnext>

    On the third day, after writing the exam, she went to the restroom to ease herself only for the door not to open when she wanted to get out.

    ? "Is someone there?" Joanna repeatedly knocked but none answered her calls. She was still seeking for help when she heard footsteps close to the washing hand sink outside.

    "I know you are there so stop pretending and help me out."

    Joanna waited for the one outside to help her only for someone to pour a liquid substance over the wall and onto her head.

    Lowering her gaze to see what was poured on her, she was shocked to see blood all over. She was drenched from head to toe by the strange blood. The blood even sshed on the white tile walls.

    She didn''t need to be a seer to know those behind this cruel act.

    "Something stinks, can you perceive it?" Nora standing a wall away from where the locked Joanna stood said.

    "What could stink so much, oh my gosh?" Tiffany asked, pretending as though she wanted to puke.

    The other girls wanted tough seeing Tiffany''s dramatic look but they suppressed theirughter.

    "What could it be if not, stinky Joanna," Doris said, causing others to burst outughing.

    "We know you have just offloaded the meal you ate in the morning into the toilet that is why we specifically came to feed you. I hope you love it, stinky Joanna?" Sophie said, smirking evilly.

    "Thinking back now, I see that we brought her the wrong meal. Since she is a werewolf, her meal is supposed to be raw or cooked meat right¡­," Doris dragged toy emphasis on the fact that Joanna wasn''t a vampire. She signals Tiffany to talk.

    "How could you call it the wrong meal? Have you forgotten that stinky Joanna is neither a vampire, werewolf or a human, haha¡­," Tiffany jeered at Joanna,ughing hard at the end of her sentence. The others ended upughing even harder.

    The drenched Joanna stood there not knowing what to do.

    Who should she me for her predicament?

    Should she me her deceased mother for giving birth to her or should she me her fate for being so unkind to her.

    Even when she was in her mother''s womb she began suffering both from starvation, cold and even heat.

    All these became worse when she came into this world.

    Her mother died of poor health two years after giving birth to her. She was almost frozen to death after being born because her father didn''t care about her.

    She is considered his biggest mistake so how could he care about her living or death?

    Right now she has no mother to me so she could only me it on her cruel fate.

    "Be careful stinky Joanna because the next time you go close to our beloved king, Tiff''s man, it might be the effect of scorching water you will be suffering from," Nora said with pride. The girls left the restroom afterpleting their task.

    "Hey Joanna, why are you sulking? You should be happy that they let you off by doing this instead of hitting you until every part of your body aches. Be happy," Joanna muttered to herself. A painful smile appears on her face.

    "Maybe things will get better when you regain your powers on the full moon which is also your eighteenth birthday," Joanna tries to make herself feel better by saying these words. But these words didn''t stop her heart from bleeding even more.

 Chapter 9 Audrey Lost Her Cool

    ?Joanna kept calling for help but none came to her rescue. Vampires have heightened senses of hearing. They can hear from afar.

    She was certain a lot of vampires had either walked past the restroom or were ying close to the restroom but they were only ignoring her because they didn''t want to get into trouble with the mean girls.

    While Joanna was busy yelling for help, Audrey noticed her disappearance and began searching the entire school premises for her.

    Audrey went to all the ces she knew Joanna would have been but she was nowhere to be found.

    She also went to the different ces the girls always bullied her at but she couldn''t find her best friend.

    After hours of searching Audrey went to confront the mean witches.

    Furious Audrey stomped into their ssroom after her numerous failed attempts to find Joanna.

    She ignored every other person in the ssroom and went to where Tiffany and her friends were leaning against the wall chatting and also giggling.

    "What is that crazy girl up to now?" Laura talking with her best friend muttered on seeing Audrey approach the mean witches'' direction.

    Reaching where they stood Audrey held the hand of the most talkative girl of the group, Nora and yanked her away from where she was standing.

    Her action made the other girls furious. "Hey tomboy, have you suddenly lost your mind? How dare you treat Nora this way¡­,"

    "You call this crazy?" Audrey thundered in anger. Her eyes turned crimson red in an instance. Her transformation was apanied by her long fangs and front teeth.

    "If you want I can go even crazier if you don''t tell me what you guys did to Anna," Audrey said, her grip around Nora''s wrist tightened causing the girl to groan in pain.

    This showed that she wasn''t kidding.

    If the girls dared to keep quiet about Joanna''s whereabouts then she would risk everything and make sure she broke Nora''s hands.

    "You are the one who is her best friend so how dare youe to ask us¡­,"

    "I know that you girls know what exactly I am talking about so don''t you dare try to y smart with me. I am not that patient," Audrey said fiercely, twisting Nora''s wrist even more. Her action was apanied by a cracking sound and a low scream from Nora.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Undergoing this torture the girl in Audrey''s possession could no longer keep her cool. She began swearing at Audrey but Audrey acted like she didn''t hear the girl''s words.

    "Let go of her f*cking hands, you lunatic of a girl," Sophie shouted angrily. She tried to charge forward to rescue Nora only to halt when Audrey grabbed Nora''s neck with her free hand.

    "Your best friend is in my mercy now so I suggest you think carefully before you answer my question. I don''t know what I would do to her if you keep wasting my time," Audrey threatened coldly. She didn''t care that the teachers might catch her or that someone might report her to the principal. All that was on Audrey''s mind was to find her best friend as soon as possible in case she was in danger.

    "Girls, don''t you dare think I am afraid of you just because I always followed Anna''s words and kept a cool head. The one who would have kept me in check isn''t here so don''t you dare think I will go easy on you girls¡­,"

    "You talk as if you can defeat the four of us? Don''t overestimate yourself, tomboy because you are no match for us," Tiffany said with her haughty attitude.

    "I know I don''t stand a chance against four of you¡­," Audrey said, admitting reality. Her words earnedughter from other supporters of the girls in the ssroom.

    "But that doesn''t mean that I can''t take perfect care of the one in my possession," Audrey said unwaveringly. Her words stopped the three other girls from carrying out their ns of seizing Audrey.

    With the way she grabbed Nora''s neck, any slight mistake will lead to Audrey snapping the girl''s neck.

    No matter how much they wanted to teach the gutsy girl a lesson for embarrassing them in front of so many people, they couldn''t take the risk.

    Just then a girl with her hair tied into pigtails rushed into the ssroom.

    "Audrey, I heard Joanna''s voice crying for help¡­,"

    "And where the hell did you hear her voice?" The impatient Audrey asked sharply, not allowing the girl toplete her sentence.

    "It came from thedies restroom. I think she is locked in there," The girl finished her words in a hurried tone. Audrey spun and red at the three girls knowing very well that this was all their handiwork.

    ? "You girls should pray that she is all right or else I will get back at all of you even if it is thest thing I do," Audrey said angrily. She released Nora and almost immediately she turned and jumped out of the window despite that they were on the third floor of the building.

    Those in the ssroom thought she did this because she was afraid of the wicked girls'' wrath but the truth was jumping out of the window instead of running all the way to the first floor was the fastest way to get to Joanna.

    "I swear I will make those two good for nothing friends pay dearly for this embarrassment they caused me today," Nora said fiercely, as she continued massaging her aching neck and hands.

 Chapter 10 The Aftermath Of The Girls Bullying

    ?Using her vampire speed, within a minute Audrey was inside thedies restroom. With her heightened sense of smell, she didn''t need to search to know which of the restrooms Joanna got locked in.

    With one slight push, the nks used in blocking the brown door fell.

    Opening the door, Audrey saw Joanna sitting on the white toilet seat shivering. She hurried to her best friend''s side and embraced her, not minding the stinky smell or that her uniform might get stained.

    "Anna, what is wrong with you? Why are you shivering so much?" Asked Audrey in a worried tone?

    "I¡­ I¡­," Because of the excessive trembling of her lips, Anna had difficulties constructing a simple sentence.

    "Did they force you to swallow any pills or concoctions like the other time? Is this why your body is reacting this way?"

    Audrey tried to guess what was wrong since Joanna couldn''t talk.

    "No¡­. But¡­ I am extremely cold," Joanna managed to speak with so much difficulty. It was after she spoke that it dawned on Audrey that Joanna caught a cold.

    She is a vampire. Cold or heat don''t affect her and this is why she oftens forgets that her friend''s body wasn''t the same as hers.

    Joanna is weak like a human. She suffers from cold and heat. She also often suffers from sickness too which wasn''t the same with her.

    Audrey assisted Joanna to her feet. "Don''t worry I will get you home and Nanny will do something about it," Audrey said, lifting Joanna off the floor like she would lift a piece of paper.

    "I can''t¡­ I can''t go home looking like this. Adhara and Laura will seize this opportunity to kill me and thereby me it on my condition. I¡­ I don''t want to die yet," Joanna said, shaking her head weakly.

    When the girls poured the stinky blood on her earlier, she thought it was no big deal and thought it was mere blood. She realised that something was wrong with the blood when she started trembling from the cold.

    Although she can''t tell what was the cause she was certain the girls added something to the blood and this thing triggered the cold.

    "If you are worried about their viciousness then I will take you to my home. My father is on a business trip and my mother won''t be around until night so my house is free," Audrey said . She walked out of the restroom carrying Joanna in her embrace.

    Getting outside there was arge gathering. Audrey was too concerned about Joanna''s health to care about the bunch of gossip staring at them. She paid no attention to their mumbling.

    She halted when her eyesnded on the girls responsible for Joanna''s condition. "You all should wait and see. Everyone in this Academy will regret ever belittling Anna when she regains her powers at her eighteenth birthday," Audrey yelled out in anger. She resumed walking only to vanish after taking five steps away from the crowd.

    Although the gap between her home and school wasrge, Audrey didn''t stop running.

    When people saw her running with someone in her embrace, they paused to see the one with her but when they saw that it was Joanna they became uninterested.

    Audrey even heard someone say it was her fault and that she deserved it.

    She was sure that if it was another person she was carrying, everyone would have wanted to know what happened. Some would have even made a scene if it was someone they are acquainted with.

    Audrey has seen them so biased for over 10 years and shouldn''t be surprised by their attitude towards Joanna but she still thinks they are being unfair to her best friend.

    Joanna never did anything to deserve these from them so why are the werewolves and vampires so cruel to the poor girl?

    Are they acting this way because the poor girl they called the daughter of a sl*t was chosen in her mother''s womb as Kayden''s mate instead of their precious daughters?

    Audrey ran until she reached home.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The instant she barged into the sitting room one of the maids obstructed her path.

    "Master and madam warned us not to let her into¡­,"

    "Get me as many quilts as you cany your hands on," Audrey ordered sternly, rushing past the maid.

    Audrey effortlessly carried Joanna to her room upstairs and took her to her bathroom.

    Audrey turned the hot shower on and assisted the shivering Joanna to shower. In the process of bathing Joanna, she got soaked.

    After she was done she took Joanna back to her room and kept her on my bed. She collected the quilts from the maid''s hands and covered Joanna with it.

    "Switch off the air conditioner and get us a hot cup of chamomile tea," Audrey instructed, seeing that the quilts alone were not doing justice to suppressing Joanna''s cold.

    Instead of doing as she was told the maid stood to question Audrey.

    "Miss Audrey, both master and madam, has forbidden us from letting Joanna into the house so why do you vite their orders?" The maid questioned firmly.

    Audrey turned and shot the maid a murderous re.

    "I can give you the reply you want right now but will you be able to handle the consequences if something bad dares happen to her?" Audrey asked, her words carrying a hint of threat. The maid quivered at the thought of what the consequences will be.

    Yes, their young miss is very friendly with them but all of them in the house know her temper when she is mad.

    Their young miss is everything except kind when she is furious and that is why all of them always tried not to get her enraged especially when the master and madam were not around to save them.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 11 No Treatment Worked On Her

    ?"I am on it already," the maid replied, hurrying out of the room. Audrey couldn''t wait for her maid to return when she saw Joanna''s condition worsened by the passing second.

    She went to her bathroom and came back with a bowl of water and a clean towel.

    She sat down beside where Joannaid and tried to relieve her coldness by dipping the towel in the bowl and using it to wipe her body and hands.

    "Why the hell is nothing working on her?" Audrey shouted, throwing the towel to the floor out of frustration.

    "I am afraid she is gonna be in danger if her condition goes on like this. Those mean witches are to be med for this!"

    Audrey stood up and was about to take out her anger on the orange wall before the maid entered.

    "Come here quickly," Audrey said, taking back her position on the bed. She carefully lifts Joanna''s upper body up and lets her rest against the headboard. She took the white cup from the tray and began feeding Joanna using the silver spoon.

    Carolina stood there and watched her young miss take care of her sick friend.

    "Miss Audrey, if her condition won''t improve why don''t you take her to the hospital or let one of the guards get a doctor over here to take a look at her," Carolina, a slenderdy with curly blonde hair suggested in a meek tone.

    Audrey paused what she was doing and took some time to think about the suggestion Carolina gave.

    Be it vampires or werewolves, they rarely fall sick and that is why they don''t usually require the services of doctors or the hospital and this is why Audrey never thought of these two suggestions Carolina gave.

    They are doctors in the kingdom, both those that deal in herbal medicines and those that deal in modern day medicine. But the ones who deal in modern day medicine are few and almost all of them are humans who came from the human world.

    Vampires and blood are never friends and that is why it is hard and if not impossible for a vampire to be a doctor.

    How can they be doctors when they will always crave for the blood of their human patients.

    Although there are only two hospitals in the kingdom that cater for humans, one of them happens to be not far away from her home.

    "Let''s see how her condition improves in a few minutes. I will take her to the hospital if she doesn''t get any better then," Audrey said as she stared at her best friend''s pale face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although Joanna''s body is as weak as that of a human there is only a handful of times she has naturally fallen sick all these years.

    Other times she falls sick is always attributed to the handwork of others. The number of times people caused her to fall sick is greater than the times she falls sick naturally.

    When they were both twelve years old, someone pushed Joanna off the bridge and onto the river.

    That day would have been thest day on earth for Joanna had Audrey and Kayden not seen the poor girl violently beating the water while shouting for help.

    Kayden had jumped into the river even at the risk of his life to save Joanna. His mother, who is now the Queen Mother, was furious back then. She almost rained down brimstone.

    Because of that incident Joanna slept for three days and three nights without waking up.

    Everyone had concluded she was dead until she miraculously woke up on the fourth day.

    "Ok, but I wonder where you will get the funds to foot her bills if you take her to the hospital. It''s a very well know fact that Mr Anderson doesn''t care about his second daughter¡­,"

    "You can leave," The irritated Audrey said in a cold tone. Carolina exited the room after taking the white mug and tray with her.

    "So what if that cruel man doesn''t care whether she lives or dies? I have savings which is enough to pay her hospital bills," Audrey said angrily.

    A few minutester, Joanna fell asleep after her condition had improved. She didn''t wake up even when night reached.

    Audrey had to leave Joanna''s side for the first time when she overheard that her mother was back.

    "Hello mum, wee back," Audrey greeted, climbing down the stairs. The woman''s angry expression showed she had a lot to say.

    "Audrey, why is it that you never listened to me? Are you gonna start being obedient after you have gotten your father and I killed?" Mrs Lopez asked in annoyance. Audrey stood in front of the woman wearing a short sleeve red dress.

    With how young the woman looked no one could ever guess that she is over fifty years old. Her ageless beauty made her look as though she is just twenty-five.

 Chapter 12 He Came At The Nick Of Time

    ?"Mum, what are you talking about?" Audrey said, pretending not to know what her mother was talking about. "Mum, I have been well-behaved today¡­,"

    "Disobeying your parents orders is called being well-behaved? Audrey, how could you bring her into our home despite all we told you?"

    "Mum, Anna is my childhood best friend? How could I turn a blind eye to her when she was in danger? How did you expect me to do that?" Audrey asked?

    "Also, mum, how did you know that she is here? Who rat me out to you?"

    Audrey looked around to see whether she would get a glimpse or even a scent of any of the servants around. If she dares find anyone lurking around she would make that person pay dearly for not keeping his or her mouth shut.

    "My nose doesn''t have a problem that I won''t perceive her scent on you?" Mrs Lopez replied harshly.

    "Even without her scent how wouldn''t I have known what you did after the stunts you pulled in broad daylight in the entire streets?"

    Hearing how her mum learned about the news that she brought Joanna to the house made Audrey frown,"I thought they all hate Anna so how dare they gossip about her?"

    Mrs Lopez grimaced at her daughter''s statement. She climbed the stairs while shaking her head in disappointment.

    "Audrey, if it was only two people or even ten that hated Joanna, your father and I wouldn''t have asked you to stay away from her. We can''t risk everything we have, especially now that everyone is against her. All the nobles in the kingdom despised everything about her. Try to understand our point of view¡­,"

    "Mum, what you are saying is the problem of adults who im that they know it all, so why should I try to be understanding?" Audrey said as she followed her mother by the back.

    "Why should I stay away from the girl who hasn''tmitted any crimes or hurt anyone just because everyone dislikes her entire existence for no reason?" Audrey asked without caring about the consequences of her words.

    "If I follow others'' footsteps and make the life of that poor girl miserable, then who will understand her suffering? Who will understand my point of view?".

    Mrs Lopez halted, spun and shot Audrey a piercing re;

    "Audrey, do you know the consequences of speaking to me that way?"

    "Mum, you can hit me with the whips as many times as you want but I will never abandon Joanna as others do. I will stand with by through thick and thin. That is what best friends are?".

    "I can see that you don''t understand what you are saying. You are too young to understand how cruel the world is?" Mrs Lopez resumed walking again.

    She paused when she reached Audrey''s bedroom door.

    "Mum, I won''t drive her away even though you tell me to¡­," Mrs Lopez pushed the door open and entered it before she couldplete her words.

    "I am the mother and you are the child. That means I have the final say here and not you?"

    Mrs Lopez walked into the room and immediately turned to face where Audrey''s bed is kept.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She was surprised to see a guy in ck suits sitting at the bed caressing Joanna''s face. Mrs Lopez became even more stunned when the guy lifted his gaze and stared in their direction.

    "Kay¡­," She was too surprised to say anything.

    "Your Majesty!" She eximed, bowing to show her respect to the young king.

    "Kayden, what on earth are you doing here? Who said you coulde into my room¡­," Mrs Lopez raised her hand and beat the back of her daughter''s head.

    "Show the king the due respect. And what did you just call him?" Mrs Lopez scolded angrily.

    "Your Majesty," Audrey reluctantly greeted with a bow of the head and her upper body. If not because her mother was there she wouldn''t have greeted him so formally, not when she is so angry at him.

    "Madam, you don''t have to reprimand her because it is true that I am the one who sneaked into your home without your permission," Kayden admits his mistakes.

    If there is one thing people like about the young king, it is hispassionate heart towards his people and the fact that he doesn''t shrink from responsibilities.

    About a year ago, the king driver ran over someone. Proud kings would have abandoned the boy there or even asked his men to take the boy to the hospital using public transport but King Kayden Greyson didn''t do that.

    He asked his bodyguards to get the boy inside the car he was in. He personally took the human boy to the hospital and paid his hospital bills.

    He won themoners heart with this single act of his.

    "I know the two of you were friends in the past but Your Majesty, you don''t have to indulge her for old time sake," Mrs Lopez said.

    "Wait here while I get you a cup of tea," Mrs Lopez said, turning to leave.

    "That won''t be necessary Madam Lopez," Kayden said when the woman was at the door.

    "Actually, I should be the one to give you something. I was in a hurry earlier that is why I came empty handed but I promise that won''t happen again¡­,"

    "You are too kind, Your Majesty," Mrs Lopez, now staring in his direction, said with a smile.

    "I will leave you youngsters to yourselves," Mrs Lopez said. She shifted her attention to Audrey.

    "Audrey, make sure you watch not only your manners but also your words in front of the king. I will make sure you don''t get to talk for a whole month if I dare learn that you disrespected His Majesty in any way," Mrs Lopez threatened sternly. She shut the door behind her.

    "Anna will be the Queen one day. I wonder why none ord her the same respect they showed you. Everyone in the kingdom is biased. They all suck up to the powerful," Audrey muttered in annoyance. She walked closer to the bed to examine how Joanna was faring.

 Chapter 13 She Couldnt Help But Blame Him

    ?"Audrey, what is wrong with Joan?" Kayden questioned in a worried tone. "Why won''t she open her eyes no matter how many times I talked to her and even touched her?".

    Audrey shot Kayden a murderous re after listening to his words. Her expression was the one that says he is responsible for Joanna''s condition.

    "Why are you asking me that when I am sure you are already aware of what those crazy admirers of yours did to my beloved Anna?" Audrey snapped, like he was the one who sent the girls to do this to Joanna.

    None of them talked after herstment. Audrey sat down on the bed too but she made sure she kept her distance from Kayden.

    "Kayden, I know that you are not to me for this but I sometimes hate you a lot especially each time the girls or the guys bullied Anna," Audrey said in a moreposed tone.

    "I keep thinking that Anna would have suffered less if she was not your mate. She wouldn''t have to put up with their constant bullying even after what she goes through at home. She wouldn''t have to hurt so much if you were not in her life," Audrey said how she truly feels.

    "It''s not her fault that she was born without her powers; neither is she to be med that her mother fell in love with her father so why do they pick on her because fate chose her as your mate?".

    "I also feel the same way, Audrey. I feel immensely hurt when I see her in pain but there is not much I can do at the moment¡­," Kayden said, clenching his hands into a fist.

    "I promise this will onlyst for a short time. Nobody will dare to publicly disrespect not to mention to bully her when I confer her as my Queen".

    Audrey stares at Kayden. If he was someone else she wouldn''t have believed a word he said but he is Kayden after all. The three of them practically grew up together. Although she doesn''t know much about love, she is aware that he is sincere to Joanna.

    No matter how many women flock to him, he always brutally rejects them. She has even seen him reject Tiffany in front of the public.

    She has also seen him stand up for Joanna a few times, although this always puts Joanna in more trouble than help her.

    "I really wish you will keep your words," Audrey said.

    Kayden got over his pains faster than other people would have. His expression turned all serious once again.

    "Audrey, her little rice ball must be eagerly waiting for her to return. What about going to keep himpany for the night while I watched over Joan?" Kayden suggested out of concern for Anthony. Apart from his concern for Anthony, another reason he was doing this was so that she won''t get into trouble with her stepmother.

    There are a few people he worries about and many of these people happen to be those Joanna cares about.

    Whoever Joanna loves, he always tries his best to do the same thing. He tries to respect them, not minding his identity.

    He might be considered a cold guy but for her sake he could be the most gentle and loving man ever; that is how much he loves her.

    "What!" Audrey remarked in surprise. "I am sure you must have been damn busy in the pce before you came here so you don''t have to force yourself to stay¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "For her, I can abandon everything so you don''t have to worry about me not returning to the pce".

    His firm response left Audrey who was so eager to chase him away speechless.

    "I know you have always loved Anna for a long time but don''t you think it is a waste of your efforts especially when you don''t know how she feels for you?" Audrey asked in a calm tone. She stares at his sad expression, only to watch it go back to how it previously was.

    "I know that Joan feels the same way for me but is forced to stay away from me because she doesn''t want to get into trouble," Kayden replied.

    "But I know that she won''t have anything to be afraid of after she gets her powers on her eighteenth birthday. I am sure she will ept my proposal then."

    The way Kayden sounded so confident made Audrey shake her head.

    ording to the bucket list of things Joanna wrote down to do after she regained her powers, nothing about Kayden or marriage was mentioned there.

    She couldn''t help but feel pity for him because for the first time, the King who had always gotten whatever he wanted was going to get rejected by the girl people looked down on.

    "Since you are so confident then I wish you all the best, Your Majesty," Audrey said standing up from where she sat. She bent and caressed Joanna''s face for thest time.

    "Inasmuch as you said the Queen Mother won''t turn the entire kingdom upside down to search for you then I will go spend the night with Tony in Anna''s stead," Audrey agreed to Kayden''s earlier suggestion.

    "But before I leave I want to make one thing clear to you. Despite that you are the King and way stronger than me, I will not hesitate to fight you to thest drop of my blood if you darey hands on my friend," Audrey threatened, showing him her clenched fist.

    She did something she wouldn''t dare to do if her mother, father or outsiders were present there.

    "I am not a beast that willy a hand on a woman without permission. If I am sexually starved, I know where to go to get ady toy with. I would never do such a thing to any woman, not to mention Joan," Kayden defended himself with a stern expression.

    It''s true he loves Joanna a lot and for this same reason he would never force himself on her.

    He would rather resort to seducing her to fall in love with him if necessary than do such a despicable thing as forcefully having his way with her.

    He was trained better than that.

    "You can defend yourself however you want but it will never change the fact that I see all men as beasts. Only my darling little prince, Tony is an exception".

    Audrey turned and left the room after speaking her mind.

 Chapter 14 Kayden Spent The Night With Joanna

    ?Because she left Joanna in Kayden''s cares she could feel at ease knowing very well that he will not neglect her in any way.

    "What about the King?" Mrs Lopez asked, staring at the stairs with the expectation to see Kayden climb down the stairs.

    "He insisted on staying over to take care of his future Queen or should I say his Luna like the werewolves often say it," Audrey said, feeling very happy that Kayden came the time he did.

    She wouldn''t have known how to stop her mother from throwing the sick Joanna out of the house had he not showed up at the right time.

    "You¡­,"

    "Mum, I am going to spend the night at Anna''s house¡­,"

    "How many times have I told you to stay away from her house to avoid troubles?" Mrs Lopez said stretching her hand to grab Audrey but with the help of her vampire''s speed she slipped away before her mother could hold her.

    "You can punish me however you want when I return but right now I must go to her house. We both know what that cruel woman and her daughter will do if she is absent for a night," Audrey shouted waving her hand in the air. She ran out of the house before her mother could utter another word.

    "That girl is just too stupid. I wonder what I need to do to make her understand that going against everyone for the sake of one person isn''t worth it," Mrs Lopez thought aloud, feeling worried about Audrey''s behaviour.

    In the past Audrey was stubborn as she is now but she has always respected them and their decision. Audrey started acting rebellious after they forbade her from being friends with Joanna.

    Joanna might be the King''s mate chosen by the prophecy but that title is merely by name.

    Nobody respects her as the future Queen but instead so many people, if not everyone in the kingdom wants her dead.

    None wants a weak Queen, who will not be able to stand side by side with the king and defend the kingdom in times of trouble.

    Though Joanna might be the king''s mate it''s very obvious whomoners and all the noble''s want as their Queen.

    Duke Noel, the father of Tiffany had already pulled some strings thereby making his daughter the best candidate to be the future Queen.

    The Queen Mother support towards Tiffany crowns it all. Nobody can fight with Tiffany for that position and that is why the girl is so haughty.<novelnext></novelnext>

    What people didn''t know was that the kingdom and the people would be in deep trouble if the proud peacock eventually became the Queen.

    She is already doing so much even when she isn''t crowned the Queen. It''s not an understatement to say that she will tantly make people her footstool if she is given the title of Queen.

    Mrs Lopez prefers living peacefully than getting entangled in the politics of the kingdom.

    Let those who fight for power keep on fighting. As long as she and her husband are able to do business in the kingdom in peace like they are doing then that is fine with her.

    Back in Audrey''s room, Kaydenid beside her. Heid sideways with his left hand on her body so that he was staring at her beautiful face.

    "Joan, you have always told Tony bedtime stories since he was still a baby. I bet you never get anyone to tell you any bedtime stories until you grew up to this age," Kayden spoke as though the one he was keenly staring at was listening to his masculine voice.

    "Don''t worry Joan, today that I am here I am gonna tell you a bedtime story and I can assure you that you will love it very much," Kayden said with a smile as his hand moved from her body to her silk silver hair.

    "Once upon a time, a cute girl was conceived by a woman whom everyone looked down on. Despite the difficulty surrounding her mother during her pregnancy this little cute girl strives to survive," Kayden takes a pause only to continue his story.

    "The cute little girl was still inside her mother''s womb when she was prophesied to be the chosen mate of the five years old boy called Kayden Greyson. Everyone found this prophecy and this child strange because this is the first time in history that such a thing has ever happened," Kayden said with a smile. He continued with the story for a long time. His gaze never moved from her body for a split second as heid there.

    He was so immersed in the storytelling that he didn''t realise time passed. He only turned to stare at the window when he heard a cking on the ss window.

    He decided to ignore the sound. He shifted his attention back to Joanna again. And it was at this moment Joanna snuggled into his warm embrace.

    "How I wish she will be this bold with me whenever she is around me," Kayden mumbled, raising his hand to stroke her face.

    Before his hand could touch her face, he saw her eyshes twirled repeatedly.

    "She is about to wake up!" Staring at her fluttering eyshes. He took a long look at her before her eyes finally flew open.

 Chapter 15 Kay Was Here?

    ?Joanna opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She felt strange when her hand touched the right side of the bed and realised that it was warm; like someone was lying there just before she opened her eyes.

    Looking around the room, she realised that she was still in Audrey''s home. The memories of what happened the previous day shed through her memory.

    "I survived another day of their torture, that is great!" Joanna remarked happily.

    To her nothing feels better than waking up and seeing that she was alive and well.

    She still being alive is her haters greatest misery so it kinda feels nice that those who dislike her won''t have yet another peaceful day since their ns failed woefully.

    Joanna pushed the heavy quilts aside and was about to climb out of bed. Someone entered the room before her legs could touch the floor.

    "Good morning, Aunt," Joanna greeted politely. Mrs Lopez didn''t reply to her greeting but instead let her eyes scrutinise the room in search of the one she left in the roomst night.

    "Aunt are you looking for, Drey?" Joanna asked, seeing Mrs Lopez looking around. "Actually, I didn''t see her when I woke up. I guess she must have left the room before I woke up".

    Mrs Lopez turned and nced at Joanna after she had confirmed what she wanted to know. "Audrey spent the night at your house because she was afraid of what your stepmother and sister will do to you". Mrs Lopez said nonchntly.

    In the past she adored Joanna a lot. She loved how the two girls hung out and also watched out for each other. Even until this moment she still thinks Joanna is one kind and considerate girl but she wouldn''t risk her family''s safety because of mere emotions.

    Vampires and werewolves might act like they get along well but everyone knows that each race including the human abhors each other. They were only pretending to get along well because of the treaty that binds them together.

    "If Drey slept over at my homest night then does that mean it is Aunt which took care of mest night?" Joanna asked curiously. "Thank you so much...,"

    "You have got the wrong person," Mrs Lopez interrupted sharply. "I wasn''t the one who took care of you throughout the night".

    Mrs Lopez refused to take another''s praises. Her words left Joanna very confused.

    If it wasn''t either Audrey nor Mrs Lopez who took care of her the entire night then who did? Who was the one lying beside her that made the side of the bed warm when she woke up?

    "If it wasn''t you then who did?".

    "His Majesty was the one who did," Mrs Lopez broke the news in a cold tone. "Even up until this morning I still perceived his scent but I don''t know why he left right before you woke up".

    "Kay was here?" Joanna asked in total bewilderment.

    ording to the rule of the pce the king wasn''t supposed to leave the pce anyhow he felt like. Although Kayden has snuck out of the pce a few times just to spend time with her, she has never seen him sleep out of the pce. He always made sure to return to the pce before the pce gate would be locked.

    She couldn''t believe that Kayden didn''t only break the rules of the pce for her but also risked his safety just to be with her.

    Thinking about this made her cold heart feel warm and this is because none has ever ord her with such importance. The only one who has done a simr thing is Audrey.

    "Audrey asked Carolinest night to prepare her spare uniform for you so you could use it today. Get ready to leave. I don''t want people seeing youe out of my house," Mrs Lopez said without hiding how she feels.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t worry Aunt, I will get ready in a few minutes before it is totally bright outside," Joanna assured with a smile.

    Although she feels hurt that the woman who once adored her in the past now treats her coldly, she understands the woman''s fears perfectly.

    No parent in the world would want to see her child or family in danger. Getting entangled with her won''t do her family any good but it will only harm them.

    She understood how society works perfectly.

    Only the rich and powerful can protect themselves and those he loves but the weak are used as stepping stones by the powerful.

    They can''t speak out even though they are being oppressed because no one will listen to them. That is how society works and that is why she has learned to swallow all the grievances.

    She has learned her lesson that speaking out or reporting them to the authorities won''t solve anything but instead it will give them an opportunity to trample on you more.

    She did rather be a coward and preserve her poor life than try to be a hero and get killed.

    The moment Mrs Lopez left the room Joanna stood up from the bed and got prepared to freshen up and leave the house.

    On the street, two men were seen walking side by side. Because of the ck overall they were wearing that covered their hair and face none could see their faces. Only vampires or werewolves familiar with their scent will guess their identities but too bad not too many people could be found at sight since it was still dark outside.

    ? "Chris, why did you throw pebbles at the window earlier? What if Joan wasn''t about to wake up before you threw the pebbles? Would you have been able to handle the consequences that came with your irrational action?" Kayden asked his personal bodyguard with a stern expression.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 16 The Domineering Queen Mother

    ?Christian might be a guy with average looks but he has a killer build just like that of the king. His six-packs and firm biceps and height were enough to make up for his looks.

    "I had no other way of contacting you because you strictly warned me not to call you on your cell phone...,"

    "Was that enough excuse to throw pebbles at someone else''s house?" Kayden scolded fiercely. "What was so urgent that you couldn''t wait for me to return to the pce?"

    Chris halted, "The Queen Mother ns to go to His Majesty''s chambers," Chris'' words made Kayden stop in his tracks.

    "What!" Kayden asked in surprise but he got over the shock in a sh just like it came. "The Queen Mother never visits my quarters except she has something important to ry to me so why does she want to go to my quarters this early in the morning?"

    Chris covered the gap between him and the king. "I don''t know how their spies working in our quarters learned about the news of your absence but I overheard Tracy telling her about it," Chris replied. Because the king didn''t want the Queen Mother toe to his quarters unannounced and discover he didn''t spend the night at the pce, he asked Chris to watch over the Queen Mother''s quarters. He was hiding in the Queen''s quarter the entire time and that is how he overheard the Queen Mother''s conversation with her most trusted maid.

    "Why didn''t you say so earlier?" Kayden snapped angrily. If they were in the pce he would have punished Chris for being so slow in passing such information to him.

    Making him sort out the annoying documentsid on the table waiting for attention would have been the perfect punishment.

    "And didn''t I say none should know about my absence so howe her spies were able to leak the information? How should I punish you for not carrying out your duties properly?"

    Chris stares at the angry king. He tried to think of ways to escape from the angry king''s punishment. "She should have already left her quarters as we are speaking...,"

    "Then what are you waiting for? Let''s go back to the pce," Kayden vanished into the dark streets after his words. Chris followed him closely.

    About five minutester Chris and King Kayden reached the huge mounted pce gates. Normally they wouldn''t have gotten to the pce gates the time they did but because of their speed, it became possible.

    The guards at the gate stopped them. Chris pulled off the cap of the overall covering his head and showed the guards his badge.

    The guards let the two of them pass without insisting that the one standing at Chris'' back should take off his cap. They resumed their positions after the two people had left.

    King Kayden and Chris walked in big strides. All they wanted was to beat the Queen Mother into reaching their quarters.

    The Queen Mother wouldn''t dare to press the issue further as long as she sees the King in his quarters.

    When they reached his quarters, they both separated; Kayden took the backyard side while Chris took the front.

    Chris didn''t even reach his post before he sighted the Queen Mother in thepany of two maids and three bodyguards.

    Without wasting time Chris took off the ck overall and hid it behind one of the flowers nted very close to the pathway. He hurried to the front door leading to the King''s chambers.

    Queen Mother Theresa walked gracefully until she reached where Chris and two other guards stood guarding the door.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Her Highness," Chris greeted with a bow.

    "Inform his Majesty that the Queen Mother is here," Tracy gave the orders on the Queen Mother''s behalf just as she usually did.

    "Her... Highness...," Chris stuttered, his reaction made him look suspicious. The way he acted further proved right the information the Queen Mother had received.

    "What are you still standing for without going in to inform His Majesty about my presence?" Queen Mother asked, throwing murderous nces at Chris.

    "Your Majesty is in his study going through some papers. He gave orders that none should disturb his peace," Chris said with fluttering eyshes that showed he was lying.

    "Who the hell are you to make suchments? Does Her Highness look like just anyone to you?" Tracy asked fiercely. The Queen Mother tried to walk into the room but Chris stood at the door with his hands spread to block the huge entrance.

    "You dare to obstruct my path?" Queen Mother asked with raised eyebrows.

    "I wouldn''t dare. I am just obeying the King''s order," Chris replied with a stern expression. He didn''t let the title of the Queen Mother intimidate him.

    Although she might be the respected Queen Mother, the one he served is the King; the only supreme ruler of the kingdom.

    The Queen Mother didn''t argue with Chris, she signalled her bodyguards to seize Chris and immediately the bodyguards in ck suits executed her orders.

    "Her Highness..,"

    "I will deal with youter," Queen Mother said, as she walked past Chris, who had been kept under control by the three bodyguards.

    "Wait and see how the Queen Mother deals with you after she has gotten the evidence that you have failed in your duties of watching over and protecting the King," Tracy said pridefully as she walked into the King''s quarters too.

    I never knew I was a good actor until a moment ago. I have tried my best, I hope His Majesty will not let me down.

    Chris thought, grinning within. He is a well-trained warrior who has practised with the King and his elite warriors for so many years. If he really wanted to stop the Queen Mother from intruding on the King''s chambers, not even five guards would have been able to subdue him.

    ....

    A/N: HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    As long as you continue supporting my work throughments, reviews and power stones, I will try my best to reward you guys for your hard work.

    Thanks so much for the support ??????

 Chapter 17 He Beat Them At Their Game

    ?Tracy was already smiling when she searched the King''s bedroom and still didn''t find him despite searching the sitting room and the porch. They forgot that Chris told them that the King was in his study.

    The Queen Mother and Tracy got the shock of their lives when they opened the study and saw King Kayden sitting on his desk working on some documents they couldn''t clearly see due to the distance.

    The Queen Mother was momentarily too shocked to utter a word not to mention walking further and confirm whether it was really her son she was seeing.

    "Howe you are here?" The Queen Mother finally let the words out, causing Kayden to take his eyes off the papers in front of him.

    "Her Highness," King Kayden addressed his Mother following the rules of the pce. He didn''t stand up from his huge ck seat but leaned back against the ck chair.

    "The news got to me that you spent the night outside of the pce...,"

    "If the authenticity of the information you got was true then that means I shouldn''t be here right now," Kayden said, adjusting the reading sses on the bridge of his nose.

    The Queen Mother nced back at Tracy. Her murderous res could pierce through bones. It made Tracy shiver.

    The Queen Mother''s piercing res made Tracy guess the punishment that is awaiting her. Sacking her would not be enough for embarrassing the Queen Mother in such a grand manner.

    The fear of the woman''s wrath made Tracy go down on her knees.

    "Her Highness, it''s true that the King slept outside the pce today. I just don''t know how he arrived here so fast."

    Tracy tried to prove that she was right. Even though the Queen Mother wanted to believe her words, she couldn''t because the King was right there. It would have been a different issue if the King wasn''t there.

    "Do you know the consequences of lying against your King?" Kayden asked coldly, his face deprived of any emotions. "Even your death and that of your entire family will not be enough punishment," the King helped to enlighten thedy kneeling in front of him.

    If Chris didn''te to get him the time he did then he wouldn''t be proudly talking like he is doing. His mother would have been the one doing most of the talking.

    She would have gone as far as reciting the rules of the pce and the responsibilities for him. He was certain she would have talked until his ears almost bled.

    He couldn''t fathom what his mum would have done to Joanna behind his back if Tracy''s words were proved true.

    "It hasn''t gotten to that, Your Majesty," Queen Mother Theresa decided to step in; not because she liked Tracy but because she didn''t want the matter to blow out of proportion.

    The mistake made by those serving under the Queen Mother can also be seen as the Queen Mother''s mistake and she is not the type to ever admit that she is wrong.

    "She is like this because I spoiled her. As long as you let it go I will make sure this doesn''t happen again," Queen Mother reluctantly pleaded with the King.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I will let it slide since Her Highness pleaded on your behalf but I can''t guarantee that the same will happen if you repeat the same thing," Kayden said with a stern expression. He shifted his gaze to the woman who was trying so hard to control her temper.

    The woman standing in front of him might be his mother but the times he has spent with her is fewer than the years they have been apart.

    In the past his mum was always busy. She barely had time for him and that is why at the age of seven he went to live with his father.

    Although they were living in the same kingdom they rarely got to see each other. The times he spent in school and at home practising with his martial art master gave him not enough time to spare for his mother. And she also never cared to visit him. She was busy doing business. He only goes to her house on his birthdays and spends only thirty minutes or an hour there.

    Sometimes she was even too busy to spare him that thirty minutes a year. They only began living together after he became the King. The gap they have created all these years is still there.

    Their current status and difference in opinion further widened their gaps.

    Kayden snapped out of it. The past between him and his mother wasn''t worth remembering because hardly anything memorable happened in those memories.

    "Since Her Highness forced her way into my chambers I am sure you had something important to ry to me right?" Kayden asked, pretending not to know what brought the woman there.

    Queen Mother Theresa didn''t reply immediately. She couldn''t tell him that she barged into his chambers because she wanted to confirm the information her spies living in his quarters told her.

    She wouldn''t only lose the ess to keep tabs on him but revealing the truth will be a big blow to her ego.

    "Your private tutor will be arriving soon, get ready before he arrives," Queen Mother said.

    "Exams are ongoing in the University, I need to take the exams if I want to graduate from the University," Kayden said firmly. The Queen mother frowned at his words.

    "You are the King; the supreme ruler of the kingdom and shouldn''t mingle with low lives," Queen Mother said.

    "Since the establishment of the kingdom over thirty years ago has it ever been recorded that the king or princes and princess went to the Academy or University?"

    "No, right and that is because royalties are not supposed to mingle with low lives. You are above everyone and that is how it should always be?" The Queen Mother stated with a tone of finality.

    "I will leave His Majesty to continue with his work," She turned and left, not wanting to give the King the chance to argue with her.

    "Thank you, Your Majesty for your benevolence," Tracy bowed like the humble maid she is. She stood up and followed her Madam.

    "Howe she forgets so soon that we were not royalties before I became king? How soon she forgets that," Kayden said, staring at the door.

 Chapter 18 Tracys Punishment

    ?About two minutes after Tracy left the anxious Chris appeared in the King''s room using his vampire powers. "Your Majesty, so how did it go? Were you able to pull off the act without my help...,"

    "Sshh...," the King signalled Chris not to utter another word. Seeing him stare at the door made Chris get the hints that the Queen Mother and her people were still close by.

    True to the king''s words Tracy was standing at the king''s sitting room with the Queen Mother trying to hear the king''s conversation with Chris.

    They left after two minutes of silence in the king''s room.

    "You can go ahead and say whatever you want but don''t pass the boundary," the king gave Chris the permission to talk.

    "Was your Majesty able to set the stage with the little time I bought for you before they barged in?" Chris asked curiously but just like the king earlier warned heposed himself and maintained his manners while trying to satisfy his curiosity.

    The king didn''t speak, he only signalled him to take a good look at him and where he was.

    Chris stared at the King. Earlier he was too excited to notice that the king was putting on his sleeping robes and sses. He smiled seeing that the king was smart enough to take off his clothes and alsoe to his study. That proves that his prediction was right.

    He would have been in trouble had the Queen Mother not found the king in his study like he said. She would have looked for excuses to take out her anger on him since her ns to catch the king unawares didn''t work.

    Thank goodness the king was smart enough not only to save himself but also his ass.

    "Your Majesty was so smart to make use of the study...,"

    "That''s because she will nag me less if she sees that I was going through official documents and my ns worked. You should have seen how speechless she was when she saw me sitting here?" King Kayden said, his lips curling into a sly smile.

    His mind went back to what happened after he parted ways with Chris.

    He had used his powers to hasten to reach inside his chambers. When the maids offered to help him undress he quickly sent all of them away. He hurried to his dressing room where his clothes were neatly arranged section by sections.

    It didn''t take him up to two minutes to undress and put on his sleeping robes. His powers really came handy in doing all these.

    Although he was in his room, he overheard everything that happened outside. He was outside his sleeping chambers when the Queen Mother tried to barge in but Chris blocked her path.

    He used the time Chris stalled to get to his study and that is how he got everything set before his mum barged in.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We beat them in their games," Chris said, sounding very happy that he performed his duty well. He can''t bring himself to think about what the troublemaker Queen Mother would have done had their ns seeded.

    "I am sure after what took ce here Tracy will think twice before she does anything like telling on you to the Queen Mother...,"

    "Although we won this time around, that doesn''t mean that we should let our guard down...," King Kayden said.

    "This is a crucial time for me, the sess of my n to make Joan my Queen on her eighteenth birthday will greatly decrease if the Queen Mother got any leverage on me so we need to be more careful than ever".

    Although he always listens to the Queen Mother and does the things she wants to make her happy, the thing he will never do that she wants the most is letting her intervene in his choice of wife and Queen.

    He will use his position as king not only to defy her but anyone who thinks that Joanna isn''t a suitable wife for him.

    "I will make sure nothing goes wrong with your arrangements to make Young Miss, your wife and Queen," Chris gave the King his words. He has been with the king the longest so he knows his feelings for the hateddy very well.

    "Have two of our men watch over her in in clothes to make sure nothing happened to her before her eighteen birthday," King Kayden passed his orders.

    "I will do that right away," Chris exited the study after paying his respect to the king.

    Kayden left his study some minutester.

    Meanwhile at the Queen Mother''s quarters, the Queen Mother turned andnded a thunderous p on the cheek of thedy following her closely.

    Tracy went down on her knees holding her cheeks. The other maids on seeing this quickly hurried out of the room for fear that the angry Queen Mother would transfer the aggression on them.

    "How dare you make a fool out of me in front of the King?" Queen Mother asked ring daggers at the kneelingdy asking for mercy.

    "Your Highness, I verified the news and made sure the king wasn''t at his chambers before I disclosed the news to you...,"

    "Of course I know that the king was out of the pcest night but where is the evidence to prove our ims?" Queen Mother asked.

 Chapter 19 Her Mistake

    ?She went to sit on the golden chair not far away from where Tracy knelt.

    "Do you know why you were pped and why I am so angry?" Queen Mother asked with a stern expression.

    "No, Your Highness," Tracy said with her head lowered. The rule in the pce was that when the royals were speaking all employees in the pce must not look at their faces except asked to do so.

    "It''s because you dared to use the king without evidence. Do you know what would have happened to you had I not spoken up for you?".

    "Not even I would have been able to save you and your family if the king decided to pursue the matter".

    "Your Highness is gracious. Your benevolence...,"

    "Don''t praise me when you haven''t realised what you have done wrong," The Queen Mother cut her short abruptly.

    "Your biggest mistake today was not making sure that the King had no way of returning to his chambers before we arrived there," The Queen Mother said in a calmer tone.

    "I will make sure such a thing doesn''t happen...,"

    "Don''t make promises that you can''t fulfill especially when you know very well that you can never outwit the King and his smart head of guard".

    Meanwhile at the road close to Audrey''s house Joanna bumped into Audrey on her way home.

    "Hey, why did you leave so early? Did mum chase you out of the house?" Audrey asked worriedly. She held Joanna''s hands and examined her to make sure she was ok.

    "I want to reach home early so I can meet little rice ball before he leaves for school. He will be upset if he doesn''t see me...,"

    "That''s not true. Tony is more understanding than you think. He was very worried when I said you fell ill," Audrey replied.

    "He said he is my husband, I guess that is why he is ying his role well," Joanna said smiling when she recalled the day Anthony fought with Kayden over who is her husband and who is not. She almostughed her guts out that day because of them.

    "Hehe... He wants to take the king''s ce, doesn''t he know that is a capital crime?" Audrey saidughing.

    "I never agreed that I would marry him...,"

    "Although everyone hates you, no one in the kingdom doesn''t know that you are the king''s chosen mate...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Stop saying that except you want the vigers to murder me on my way home," Joanna said as she tried to walk away but Audrey held her hand, preventing her from leaving.

    "You areing to school right?" Audrey asked, her gaze focused on Joanna''s face.

    "After how I almost died yesterday I think it will be better I keep away from school for some days...,"

    "What would happen to your remaining papers if you don''t show up to take the exams? Do you want everyone to have another reason for hating you? Do you want them to say that the King''s mate is an illiterate who didn''t even go to the university?"

    "We are still in the Academy and yet I live on yours and little rice ball''s allowance, how am I gonna fare if I go to the university?" Joanna asked feeling sentimental.

    She can''t recall thest time her father has given her allowances. As far as she can recall it is Audrey and Anthony who have been secretly sharing their allowance money with her. She would have long starved to death was it not for them.

    Because of her situation she has tried applying for a job but employers always told her that she wasn''t of legal age to work.

    The fact that she was the king''s wife-to-be also contributed to some of her rejection. Those in the kingdom who hated her didn''t even wait to hear her out but always chased her away from the gates like she was a gue.

    "I still owe you money for the three spare uniforms you have given me since this...,"

    "I never said you should pay for the spare uniforms so what are you saying?" Audrey said, tapping Joanna by the shoulder.

    "What are friends for if they can''t do that much for a friend?".

    "Also you don''t have to worry about university because things will turn out for the better after you regain your powers. Who knows your father might start sparing you some attention and Adhara might hate you less..,"

    "I doubt if that will ever happen," Joanna said dejectedly. She began working away. She nced behind when she recalled something she failed to tell Audrey.

    "You will escort me to the cafe today after school to meet the boss of the ce. Who knows I might be lucky and she epts me to work for her," Joanna said waving to Audrey. She resumed walking away.

    Audrey stood there and stared at her friend''s departing back. "Anna is the loveliest girl I have ever seen. She has never hurt anyone before so I wonder why everyone hates her so much?"

    "I have never seen or heard of the mate or future Queen of a big kingdom as ours ever suffering but Anna has suffered for as long as I have known her. Her father doesn''t love her, her stepmother and stepsister make life a living hell for her. Almost everyone in the kingdom despises her. When will her suffering end huh?" Audrey said while gazing up at the cloudy sky.

    She turned and left for her home after Joanna was no longer at sight.

 Chapter 20 She Started Working At The Cafe

    ?The instant Audrey entered the house, her mother blocked her path to interrogate her. "I hope no one saw you when you left their home?"

    "Mum, neither you and dad are weak so what are you both so afraid of?" Audrey asked not understanding why her mother was so concerned about others connecting them to the Anderson.

    Meanwhile as Audrey and her mum were talking Joanna, already at her home, was warmly weed at the door by her little brother who ran to embrace her.

    "How are you, little rice ball, I hope you didn''t miss big sister too muchst night?" Joanna, still embracing Tony said as she stroked his hair affectionately.

    "I missed you a lot but despite this, I was very well behavedst night," Tony said, not wanting his big sister to think that he misbehaved when she wasn''t around.

    "Drey told me that earlier. So what does my little rice ball want as a reward huh?"

    "Hmmm¡­," Tony said, hitting his head with his tiny finger to show that he was in deep thoughts.

    "Little rice ball, you know that you can ask for anything you want but before you do that I want to remind you that big sister has little money¡­,"

    "I want us to go to the beach like we normally did in the past," Anthony said giggling. Joanna was surprised at what he wanted.

    When she told him to ask for a reward she thought he would ask for a dagger, games or things of mary value. Never had it crossed her mind that her brother would make a request.

    "It has been a very long time since west went to the beach to y so how about we go to the beach as my reward hmm?" Anthony said, making adorable faces at his sister.

    "By ''Us'' who is our little rice ball referring to?" Joanna asked as she lifted her right hand to his face.

    "Big brother Kayden and Sister Audrey. These are the only people I can think of that treat big sister very well," Anthony replied.

    He deliberately didn''t mention his father, mother or eldest sister because he is a witness of just how cruelly they treat Joanna.

    Thank goodness his mum hurriedly left the house before Joanna arrived, he wouldn''t have been able to talk to Joanna this way if she was around.

    "Asking Drey toe with us won''t be difficult but I can''t promise you that Kayden will join us like he usually did in the past. He is now the king, don''t forget that," Joanna said feeling sentimental when she recalls the good old days.

    In the past not everyone hated her as much as they did. Even though people mistreated her back then it was still manageable and this is all because of Audrey and Kayden.

    Back then they usually did everything to cheer her up anytime she was bullied.

    Kayden always snuck out of his home to spend time with the two of them.

    To avoid being seen they always either yed in their hideouts in the forest or went to the beach or other fun ces.

    Those times she spent with them were the happiest days of her life but so many things changed after Kayden became the king.

    People became more hostile to her because they knew that a powerless girl like her would be the Queen.

    Kayden on the other hand had no time for them because of his busy schedule in the pce. The only times she gets to see him is when he sneaks out of the pce to see her.

    It has only been three years since he became king but so many things had changed between them.

    Their rtionship would have been worst if Kayden was the proud type of guy.

    "If he won''t listen to big sister''s words then I will talk to him. I am sure he will agree if I tell him," Anthony said innocently.

    Joanna only smiled at him. She knows that it wasn''t as easy as Tony said.

    Although Kayden is the ruler of the kingdom he still needs to obey the rules of the pce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    What if hees out of the pce and he suddenly got attacked by the enemies?

    What will she do? Won''t the people in the kingdom burned her alive saying that she brought harm to their beloved king.

    "What about father?" Joanna decided to change the topic.

    "Nanny said he left very early before I woke up," Tony replied like he was told.

    "I am not surprised," Joanna stood up from where she squat. She held Tony''s left hand and led him upstairs to his room.

    "I will take you to school today," Joanna said as she continued leading her brother upstairs.

    After they finished their papers for the day, Joanna dragged Audrey out of their ssroom before Audrey had the chance to confront the girls for what they did to her the previous day.

    Audrey was upset that Joanna wanted to let the issue go just like that but she had no choice than to do what Joanna wanted.

    Joanna and Audrey didn''t think that the owner of the cafe would employ Joanna because of her situation in the kingdom but surprisingly the woman asked Joanna to start working after the interview.

    They didn''t have to plead or coax the woman like they had thought they would.

    Although Joanna knew that it won''t be easy working especially in a household like hers, she still wanted to give it a try despite knowing that Adhara will burn her alive if she discovers this.

    For two weeks Joanna avoided the four mean witches like a gue. She even made sure she didn''t bump into the girls or the mean boys by coincidence.

    She tried as hard as possible to manage both her work in the house and cafe. As long as she could make a little money to sustain herself, Joanna didn''t mind the suffering thates with it.

    It was her choice to work after all!

    About five days to Joanna''s eighteenth birthday, Audrey came to her cafe after school since Joanna didn''t go to school that day.

    "I am leaving tonight," Audrey break the sad news to Joanna. The white tray almost fell off her hands had Audrey not held it on time.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 21 Hilmert Forest

    ?"Where to?" Joanna asked, pulling Audrey to a corner so her employer or the customers won''tin.

    "Didn''t I mention some days ago that I am gonna find my master after thepletion of ourst exam?"

    "Of course not," Joanna remarked with a frown.

    "I guess I forgot to do that since you are always running away for the past few days," Audrey said leaning against the ss walls. She went ahead and narrated everything to Joanna.

    "You want to go to Hilmert Forest to search for your master? Are you crazy? IAreAuntie and uncle aware of these crazy ns of yours¡­,"

    "Keep your voice down and stop acting as though I said I wannamit suicide¡­.,"

    "What is the difference between suicide and going to a dreaded ce like the Hilmert forest?"

    "Don''t you know that ce is a ce solely for werewolves and that vampires are not weed there?" Joanna asked.

    Although the peace treaty was signed after the great war, they were still vampires and werewolves that were against the treaty.

    They were so against the peace treaty that the elders and the high ranking humans at that time had no choice but to give in to what they wanted.

    Those werewolves that were against the peace treaty left the kingdom and went to a far ce to build their homes and this ce was none other than the Hillmert Forest.

    Werewolves residing there are not governed by the rules of the Twipera Kingdom nor do the human rules apply to them. They are amunity on their own. It is said that an Alpha presides over everyone there.

    Since the establishment of theirmunity called the Golden Core Pack in Hilmert Forest, they have never staged a battle with humans or the Twipera Kingdom and this was all because of the promise they made.

    As long as the human world and Twipera Kingdom do not stage a battle against them, they will continue to remain at peace in their pack.

    In this pack no humans or vampires are weed there. The ce was solely inhabited by werewolves.

    And this is why Joanna reacted the way she did when she heard her friend wanted to go to the pack to look for her master that normally trains her martial arts.

    "As you know he went to visit his aging mother in the pack three months ago and until today he hasn''t returned and neither has he sent a message. I am worried that something might have gone wrong¡­,"

    "And what can you do if you go there, that is if they will not kill you for trespassing into their sacrednd?" Joanna asked angrily but not even her anger will make Audrey do otherwise when she has made up her mind.

    "I amcking in my training. I need to at least know whether or not he is alive so I will know if I need to choose a new master," Audrey said grinning. Her smiles made Joanna angrier.

    Joanna continued trying to talk Audrey out of what she was nning but all her attempts were futile. Audrey was still hellbent on going there despite all her words.

    "Since you have decided to get yourself killed then add me to the list too. Let''s die together," Joanna said sarcastically.

    "Do you mean you wannae along too¡­,"

    "What else were you expecting?" Joanna asked, leaning on the ss wall beside where Audrey stood.

    "What about your job in the cafe, your father, evil stepmother and stepsister¡­,"

    "Because my eighteen birthday is approaching I already asked Mrs Parker for a week off and she agreed," Joanna proved Audrey''s worries were unnecessary.

    "And even though I was to go missing for a month I doubt whether my father will notice it so what is there to worry about?" Joanna said in a carefree manner too.

    Others would have sounded emotional while saying such words but she has witnessed this all her life to waste her emotions on such things.

    If she was to act emotional each time she thinks or talks about her father''sck of concern towards her then that means she would cry every day.

    She is going through a lot already and doesn''t have the luxury to waste her tears on such topics.

    "But¡­,"

    "Don''t forget toe and call me at home when you are ready to leave. I will be waiting for you," Joanna yfully tapped Audrey on the shoulder before resuming her work.

    "Over here," a man in the red shirt called Joanna''s attention.

    "Coming...," Joanna hurried to take the man''s order. Audrey watched as her best friend ran about the entire cafe taking and serving the customer''s orders.

    "Running around is a daughter of one of the most prominent ministers in the kingdom but she looks more like the daughter of a pauper. I wish she was the daughter of a pauper then she would have received lots of love from her parents," Audrey muttered, her gaze still focused on Joanna. She left after standing there for close to ten minutes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Later that day Audrey went to Joanna''s home to get her but she was surprised to see that Anthony was alsoing together with them.

    ording to Joanna, her little brother began crying and throwing tantrums when she told him that she was gonna be away from home.

    He insisted on following her and Joanna after exhausting all her options and had no choice but to give in to what he wanted.

    She hoped they would return home before Adhara and Laura return from their three days visit to Adhara''s parents home.

    That is the only way she would survive for taking the heir of the household to a ce like the Hilmert forest.

    The three of them left the house after taking some basic necessities with them.

    The maids watching them started gossiping after they left.

    "Where is she taking the Young Master without asking for the Master''s and Madam''s permission? Who the hell does she think she is to do such a thing," the maid with blonde hair and freckles on her chin said.

    "Let her enjoy her reign while itsts because she is gonna go back to being the servant she is after madam returns," the maid with the messy brown bun said spitefully.

    She stomped away like she was the one Joanna should have asked permission from.

    The taxi they boarded halted when it got to the border that separates the kingdom from the Hillmert Forest.

    From there onwards they began trekking in the forest full of trees covered with snow.

    There was nothing to admire about the forest since the ground up to the trees were covered in snow.

    Because of the snow Joanna experienced extreme chilliness. They all had to stop walking and wait for her to put on the fur ck coat she brought along with her.

    They walked for almost an hour plus yet no building came at sight. They didn''t evene across any living thing that showed the area was inhabited.

    "Aren''t we there yet?" The exhausted Anthony cried out after two hours of walking on the snow.

    "When you said you were gonnae with us, I recall telling you that the journey wasn''t gonna be a bed of roses but you still insisted so you are not allowed toin ok," the panting Joanna said fiercely. Anthony had no choice but to forge ahead seeing that hisment made his elder sister angry.

    Before they realised how long it had been, it was already getting dark.

    "Did we perhaps miss the way?" Audrey asked leaning against the tall tree to take a break.

    "The map can never be wrong," Joanna assured, looking at the brown map in her hands. "I believe we are on the right path," Joanna assured even though she was also extremely exhausted.

    Out of the three of them she believes she is the most tired.

    They took a five minutes break before they resumed their journey.

    They were in the region of the forest surrounded by tall trees covered in snow when Audrey heard growls from afar.

    "Stop," Audrey ordered startling Joanna with the way she acted.

    "What is¡­.,"

    "Ssshh¡­," Audrey puts her index finger on her lips as a signal for Joanna to keep quiet.

    The growling became even louder as seconds ticked. As the howls drew closer, Joanna, now able to hear the sound, trembled.

    Her heart pounds hard against her chest. Joanna''s eyes flutter and she bites her lower lips hard to suppress her fears.

    Before the three people knew it they were surrounded by werewolves from all angles leaving them with no escape route.

    "What the heck is going on here?" Audrey cursed constantly turning around to avoid being attacked by the fierce looking beings.

    "I told you entering their territory was likemitting a suicide, do you know understand what I mean?" The terrified Joanna said, hugging her brother tightly for fear that he might get harmed.

    .....

    END OF MASS RELEASE!!!

 Chapter 22 The Three In Danger

    ?Her stepmother would rather prefer she lose a hand or even get killed than let her beloved son, the only heir of the household, sustain even the tiniest thing as a scratch on his body.

    If any danger dareses to him in this strange ce, then she is sure that her stepmother and sister will surely bury her alive. They will make her die in the cruellest way possible.

    "I will try to create a path for you and also distract them so during their distraction take Tony with you and run," said the already transformed Audrey in a soft tone.

    "What about you?" Joanna asked worriedly. "You know I would never let you sacrifice yourself...,"

    "Hey, silly girl, who says I am gonna sacrifice myself for you huh?" Audrey said trying to act cool even in this dangerous situation. She knows very well that Joanna will never agree to leave by herself if she didn''t act this way.

    "I can take care of myself or have you forgotten what I am?" Audrey said secretly keeping an eye on the fearsome-looking werewolves which were drawing closer.

    "Do as I said. I wille back for you after I have made sure it is safe," Audrey tapped Joanna by the hand. She stared down at little Anthony whose eyes had changed.

    "That is good of you little prince, don''t forget to protect your big sister when I am not by your side," Audrey pats Anthony''s hair. She turned her gaze and red at therge number of werewolves. With only her to protect them, she knew they were greatly outnumbered but Audrey wasn''t one bit scared.

    She was trained to be fearless since childhood and not even therge number of werewolves ring at them will make her cower in fear.

    To distract the mean-looking werewolves Audrey repeatedly runs around the free space. When the werewolves didn''t expect she removed something from her backpack and threw it in their direction. Thinking that it was something dangerous the werewolves moved backwards.

    "And now Anna," Audrey yelled when the thing she threw began emitting smoke.

    "Haven''t you guys always imed to be the most powerful then let me see what you have got. Let''s see whether your ims were right or that of the vampires," Audrey said provocatively on seeing that some of them wanted to chase after Joanna and Anthony.

    Her words made them turn and pursue her. Audrey stamped her feet on the snowy ground and with one powerful leap, she was out of the circle they created.

    She took to her heels afterwards and the scary werewolves with powerful teeth that could tear anything chased after her from all angles.

    Audrey didn''t only run but made sure to leap as she ran so as not to get caught by the werewolves pursuing her at full force.

    As she was running, so also Joanna and Anthony. As Jonna runs she holds her little brother''s hand tightly. They were still running when Anthony tripped over a rock buried under the snow and fell.

    Ahhh...

    Anthony yelled in pain.

    "Little rice ball, get up and let''s go. We will take care of your woundter but not now. Our priority is to get out of here before they get to us," The panting Joanna said, trying to pull Anthony up.

    Arghh...

    Anthony screamed in pain only to fall back on the snowy ground.

    "What''s wrong? " Joanna asked worriedly. She quickly bent to check up on him after confirming that the werewolves hadn''t caught up to them yet.

    Apart from the bruise on his knees she also found out that Anthony had sprained his ankle.

    Joanna reached out to take out something from her backpack to tie the injured leg only for her to hear growling from afar.

    "Little rice ball, bear with the pains for a little while. Big Sister will take care of it after we are safe," Joanna said instantly, making her injured brother climb her back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After giving him a piggyback she stood up and decided to run. Normally she would have long gotten exhausted but because of the fear of danger, Joanna didn''t feel tired.

    While running Joanna was concentrating her gaze at the back to see how far her pursuers were away from them she slipped at a hill and fell.

    Ahhh...

    Her screams caught the attention of Audrey leaping on tall trees to avoid getting by the beings that had caught up to her on the ground.

    "Damn! The silly girl is in trouble!" Audrey muttered, turning to stare in the direction the yelling came from.

    "Sorry, but I won''t y with you guys anymore. I am urgently needed somewhere else," Audrey said to the werewolves howling at her from the foot of the tree she was currently sitting on.

    Meanwhile, as Audrey hurried back toe to her friend''s aid, Joanna, currently holding onto a rock to avoid falling down the bottomless hill, continued screaming for help.

    Because her brother was still holding onto her tightly, the rock she was holding onto could not support their weight.

    Apart from that, her right hand was beginning to lose strength with each passing second.

    "Hold on tight, little rice ball," The terrified Joanna said to her little brother, who was starting to lose bnce.

    [Is this how I am gonna end up?]

    Joannamented thinking that there was no hope for them anymore.

    "Little rice ball, I am sorry for taking you along with me to such a dangerous ce. Even though you had insisted oning with me, I should have stood my ground and kept on saying no to you. I am sorry that because of me you will never get to see your mother, sister and father anymore...,"

    "Don''t you think yourst words are so boring or am I the only one feeling this way?" a hand grabbed Joanna''s hand before it could slip away from the rock.

    Seeing the smiling face of her best friend made Joanna see a glimmer of hope.

    "Yay! Sister Audrey is here to save us," Anthony said excitedly.

    "Hold on tight Tony. I won''t be held responsible if you slipped off ok," Audrey said yfully. She supported her right hand with her left hand. With the strength of her two handsbined, she pulled the two people with ease.

    They were already smiling since she had almost pulled them out when a burning silver iron encircled her two ankles.

    Ahhh...

    The sudden burning sensations made Audrey let out a cry of pain. The strength around her hands weakened thereby almost letting the two people she was holding onto fall down the cliff.

    ...

    A/N: A/N: Let''s set a goal to motivate your darling author!!

    With every 50 PS we receive every week on this book, there will be an extra one chapter given the following week.

    So if we reach 100 PS this week, I will release 3 chapters on Monday. Come on, let''s voteee!

 Chapter 23 Captured

    ?"Drey, what is wrong?" Joanna , unable to see what was happening, asked, looking very concerned.

    "Nothing that I can''t manage," Audrey forced on a smile. With one powerful pull she sent the two siblings flying to the levelled side of the heel.

    It was after Audrey pulled Joanna onto the ground that she realised that they were surrounded by the werewolves again. And this time around Audrey''s legs were each bonded with a silver chain to prevent her from ying tricks on them.

    They were immediately seized and taken away without being questioned.

    Some minutester the threepanions were seen being shoved each into a different cell. The ck clothes covering their head were taken off.

    "Where the hell is this?" Audrey said hurrying to grab the iron bar.

    Ahhh***

    Audrey''s scream of anguish filled the entire ce causing Joanna to stand up from where she was pushed down.

    "Drey, what is going on? Did they hurt you?" Joanna asked worriedly. She strained her neck to see whether she would be able to get a glimpse of the next cell where Audrey was locked in.

    "That hurts," Audrey shot a murderous nce at the guy standing outside the iron bar smirking while staring at her burning hands.

    "The iron bar of your cell is made from silver and I am sure you know what werewolves bane does to the skin so I advise that you stay away from the iron bars if you don''t want to get burned into ashes," The guy said with a prideful look.

    "You should have said that earlier but how dare you wait until I get myself burned before you let out the information? Is this the way your pack treats your guests?" Audrey asked angrily. How she wished she had a hold of the stupid security guard; then she would have definitely had her sweet revenge.

    "You are not the one to decide for us whether you are guests, enemies or spies sent to get information about our pack. We will be the one to decide that...,"

    "Did you just say we are spies and enemies, what bullshit are you talking about...,"

    "I have told you to get away from the iron bars," the guy with a cold look warned seeing Audrey charged forward. If not that the iron bars were made of silver, it wouldn''t have taken Audrey up to five minutes to take it down.

    "Drey, calm down. I am sure they are gonna let us out of here soon after confirming our identity. Let''s just wait for the higherup toe," Joanna, the most cool headed among the three captives, spoke in aposed tone.

    "All the cells here are made from special materials that can hurt certain intruders depending on their identity so I advise that none of try anything stupid since at the end you are only gonna end up getting yourself killed faster," the guy said with a stern expression. He turned and walked out afterwards.

    "Just wait and see what I will do when I get out of here," Audrey yelled loud enough for the departing guy to hear.

    "She has such a nasty temper," the guy mumbled as he walked out of the dimly lit dungeon used for keeping their prisoners.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Little rice ball, where did they lock you in?" Joanna asked as she let her eyes wander about the open space. "Did they hurt you? And what about your injured leg?"

    Joanna waited to hear from her little brother but his response didn''te after waiting for three minutes.

    "Hey little rice ball, stop scaring me and answer me now, will you?" Joanna panicked at the thought that something terrible might have happened to him.

    Apart from the thought that her stepmother and sister will cook her alive, the mere thought that they might have harmed her little brother scares her.

    In the entire household he is the one who always got her back so how could she ever wish for something bad to happen to him?

    "Anthony this isn''t funny anymore so answer me...,"

    "Can you shot the fuck up and let me have some peace, mad girl," the husky tone of a man said angrily.

    "You can fucking close your damn ears if you don''t want to hear her voice stupid fool?" Audrey chided the man angrily. She couldn''t stand the man calling her best friend mad even though she didn''t know what he looked like.

    "You...,"

    "Shut the fuck up if you don''t have anything better to say," Audrey shut him up abruptly before she turned and punched the side of the wall where she heard Joanna''s voice came from.

    "Anna, stop freaking out and wait for some time. I am sure they wouldn''t dare to hurt him. And if they dare do something terrible to him then together we are gonna set the entire forest aze," Audrey said as she peeped at Joanna through the hole she made on the wall.

    Seeing that her words weren''t enough of an assurance to stop Joanna from worrying, Audrey closed her eyes. With her eyes closed, all her senses became thrice sharper and she let them travel as far as they could.

    "Big sis...," Audrey''s ears pick up the inaudible voice of Anthony. She listened again to make sure she wasn''t wrong.

    "Anna, Tony is fine. He was knocked out when they seized us and he didn''t wake up early that is why he didn''t answer you earlier," Audrey ryed the words she picked up to her anxious best friend.

    "He is fine!" Joanna eximed, sounding very delighted.

    "Little rice ball, make sure to stay far away from the iron bars. You will get harmed if you touch them," Joanna shouted so that Anthony would hear her voice wherever he was.

    Even though she didn''t see him, the assurance that Audrey would never lie to her saw Joanna through the tiresome night of her life.

 Chapter 24 Furious

    ?Audrey, Joanna and Anthony spent three nights in the freezing dark prison without anyoneing to interrogate them. The threepanions weren''t only starving but also very tasty.

    Audrey became weak due tock of blood consumption.

    "Is there someone there? Get us out of here," Joanna shouted with the little strength she can muster up.

    "Hey, you guys are fucking messing with the wrong people so let us out," Joanna yelled. She moved closer to the iron and banged on it. Joanna was surprised to see that nothing happened to her.

    [Was that stupid guard lying to us all this time]

    Joanna continued hitting the iron bar but none came there; not even the security guards in ck that always parade the area were in sight.

    "Girl, haven''t you always stayedposed and avoid swearing because as the future Queen you are not supposed to behave unrulily...,"

    "Stop it, Drey, I am in no mood to listen to your teases. We have been here longer than we nned, I am afraid Adhara and Laura would have already returned from where they went....,"

    "And they will rain down brimstone when they learned that their beloved son is gone," Audreypleted the sentence for her. Staying in a dark cell without a cell phone or freedom to go out makes her feel frustrated. She has been shouting ever since they were locked up there and she is exhausted.

    Her strength has been greatly reduced since she hasn''t consumed blood for close two days now.

    An hourter a man sitting on a brown couch with his legs crossed was seen talking to the guard that talked to Audrey on the night they were locked up in the prison.

    "I guess this is the perfect time to talk to our prisoners... or should I say our guests?" The tan looking man with long grey hair said while grinning wickedly. He stood up and left the room where he was sitting with the other guy heeling him.

    Some minutester, Audrey was taken out of the prison with her legs and hands bonded with silver chains; she was taken to the interrogation room where all manner of torturing equipment was hung on the ck wall.

    [This is not the 70''s when such cruel tools were used in torturing people. I wonder what era they think they are in]

    Audrey''s gaze moved from one torturing tool to another. She was too distracted to pay attention to the man sitting in front of her.

    "Who are you and who sent you to spy on us?" The tan looking man with grey hair asked after Audrey was made to sit on the chair opposite his.

    The man continued questioning Audrey but Audrey didn''t make a sound, not to mention answering his questions.

    "You won''t talk right but let''s see whether you will be able to keep up the arrogance in a few minutes," The man said coldly. He turned and faced the guard standing close to him.

    "Go get them," He ordered and immediately the guy left only to return with another guard with Joanna and Anthony in their possession.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Joanna and Audrey yelled at the tan man when they saw each other.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I thought you were deaf and dumb but I guess I was wrong. I am happy that my guess that you cared a lot about them more than you cared about yourself wasn''t wrong?" An evil smirk appears on the man''s face.

    "Get them talking," the man passed the order to another guard standing close to the furnace. The guard with brown hair took out the iron from the furnace and walked to where Joanna also bonded was held in ce by a guard.

    "Hey do you think this is some ancient time that you could just torture people, don''t you know that we have the police...,"

    "So what if they are police from where youe from; here we make the rules," The tan man said as he signalled the guard with the hot iron to do as he had ordered.

    "So what if you make the rules here, would you be able to handle the consequences of your actions? Would your pack remain safe after making the King your biggest enemy by hurting his future Queen?" Audrey asked before the guard could ce the square hot iron on Joanna''s chest.

    "Does that mean it was the King of Twipera kingdom which sent three of you to spy on us....,"

    "Stop trying to change our statement because that was never what she meant. You can do whatever you want to us but I will advise that you think carefully about the consequences of your actions. A wise man will think before he startsying usations...,"

    "Are you trying to say that our chief isn''t wise?'' The guy who locked them up the day they arrived asked fiercely.

    "You said it yourself so you can''t hold me liable for it," Joanna said, sounding aloof. If she needs them to believe that she is the king''s future Queen then she has to act like one or else...

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and herpanions were being interrogated, King Kayden almost brought down hell on earth when the men he told to be on the lookout at the boundary separating them and the pack returned to ry the news that Joanna and her friends hadn''t left the forest since they entered.

    "Since all of you can''t perform a single task then I will go and find her myself," Kayden said angrily as he stood up from the golden colour couch and made to leave the room.

    Chris previously standing inside the room appeared at the door with his hands spread. "You dare to block my path?" Kayden red at the guy standing in front of him.

    "And I might do worse than this if my king doesn''t calm down," Chris said with a stern expression without fear.

    "Then don''t me me for being heartless," Kayden punched Chris on his stomach with his right hand. The powerful punch sent Chris moving about seven steps away. The stubborn Chris appeared again from where he stood before Kayden could leave the room.

    "Get out of my way right now, Chris," Kayden ordered sternly.

    In the pce, Chris was the closest to him. He feels bad hitting him but he could do even worse since this concerns his beloved safety.

    "I am sorry but I can''t obey that order, Your Majesty," Chris said, not moving from where he stood. The other guards signalled him to obey the king''smand but Chris acted like he didn''t see their signals.

    Kayden hit Chris again but this time around on his face. As stubborn as he was, Chris still refused to leave the king''s path.

    "His Majesty can beat me to death but be sure that I won''t obey your orders," Chris said when the king raised his hand to hit him again. His words made the furious king retract his punch.

 Chapter 25 A Rare Visitor

    ?"Why are you so adamant? Who puts you up to this Chris?" Kayden asked, his murderous nce directed at the poor Chris.

    "I thought you were the only one who understood my feelings the most. I have always assumed that even though everyone goes against me that you would never go against me so what happened? Did you suddenly changed sides...,"

    "I am disobeying your orders this time around because I am on your side," Chris said, not daring to sound rude.

    No matter his closeness to the king the fact that Kayden Greyson is the King still remains and he will never cross his boundary especially in front of others.

    "Didn''t His Majesty say that you didn''t want the Queen Mother to get any dirt on you before you sessfully made Young Miss Joanna your Queen but what is my king trying to do now?" Chris asked in aposed tone.

    "Do you know that not only the Queen Mother but also the ministers will get dirt on you and thereby try to enforce their will on you if you step foot into the territory of the pack?".

    "Let''s leave the Queen Mother and ministers aside. Do you know what will happen if you trespassed into their territory; the treaty that exists between us will cease to exist and this will happen in your reign. Those with evil intentions will use this opportunity to stir up trouble so, I beseech the king to calm down and think twice about the pros and cons of your actions".

    "Would his Majesty risk not only your reign but also Miss Joanna''s safety or would your majesty wait just two more days for us to make sure of what has happened to her before we take action?" Chris asked.

    If the king still insists on breaking the treaty then he would do everything within his power to make sure such a thing doesn''t happen.

    He doesn''t care whether he ends up killed at the end for defying royal orders, what matters is keeping his king, friend and his reign safe.

    King Kayden walked back inside the room and sat down on the couch he sat earlier. "I will wait two more days but don''t expect me to listen to you or anyone else if Joan, Tony and Audrey don''t return safe and sound," Kayden said in a serious tone.

    For the safety of his people he will sit there and wait for two more days even though he is capable of doing something to save them.

    But after two days passed, he won''t think as a king anymore but as a concerned friend, brother and lover. With these three titles he will do everything to save them.

    "With Miss Audrey with them I am sure she won''t let any harme to them," Chris tried to sound optimistic despite knowing that it wasn''t as easy as he said.

    ...

    Back in the cell where the three were being doubted and interrogated, Joanna continued to talk senses into the guards head and the man the guards referred to as chief. But the man wouldn''t believe whatever she says.

    "Instead of creating troubles for your people, how about bringing Elder Carter''s son here, he will be able to identify us," Joanna said, maintaining her aloof demeanor.

    "Elder Carter''s son?" The guard who locked them up whose name they learned to be Patrick aske. He exchanged puzzled nces with the chief.

    "You heard her right. Elder Carter''s son is my master and I came here in search of him. He will be able to identify us if you get him here," Audrey, who is fed up with trying to convince them, said.

    "Elder Carter''s son is the master of a vampire girl, how is that possible?  And why should we do as you want....,"

    "If you are not gonna believe whatever we said then why did you bring us here in the name of interrogation? And do you have any other option other than believing us this once?" Joanna loses her cool after trying so long to stay cool headed.

    "Chief, why not get Elder Carter''s son here to identify them. There is no harm in doing this but we will not be able to handle the consequences if it ister proved that they were telling the truth after we harmed them," Audrey''s sharp ears picked up every word Patrick whispered into the man''s ears.

    "And get ready to render a sincere apologies to us if it is proved that we aren''t spies nor criminals like you treated us," Audrey said sternly.

    About thirty minutester Elder Carter''s son, Magnus entered the interrogating room with Patrick.The first person his eyesnded on was Joanna standing at the side with a guard holding onto her.

    "Joanna, what the hell are you doing here?" Magnus asked in astonishment.

    "Your student dragged me here and I don''t know whether I should thank her for the experience or I should spank her," Joanna replied, signalling Magnus to look ahead of him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Audrey?" Magnus eximed looking even more surprised.

    "I know you must be feeling very proud of your disciple for being so fearless but you can save that forter," Audrey said narcastically. Her words made Magnus shake his head.

    What was he expecting from a hot headed girl like Audrey?

    "Right now all I want is for you to get us out of here and get us fed. I need to eat to have my revenge," Audrey said while ring at Patrick and Chief.

    "What happened? I at least need to know what happened before I can know my next action...,"

    "They fucking call us spies. They treated us worse than criminals.  How dare they?" Audrey threw murderous res at the two men responsible for locking them andter treating them as criminals.

    Since Audrey''s words weren''t enough for Magnus to know what exactly happened, the now cool-headed Joanna went ahead to narrate everything including the reason they came there.

    It was at the end of her narration that a very rare visitor visited the prison.

    "Mother, what are you doing here?" Magnus blurted out, shocked just like other members of the pack to see a prominent figure like Elder Carter in the prison.

    "I heard you got yourself into trouble and that is why I came to have a look for myself," Elder Carter said, her eyes moving from one unfamiliar face to the other.

    "She is Elder Carter? She is quite younger than I imagined," Audrey said, examining the woman from head to toe but she didn''t do this in a disrespectful way.

    She had always assumed that her master''s mother was an olddy with grey hair but the woman standing in front of her was far beyond her imagination.

    Apart from the fact that she exuded this cold aura, she looked quite young for her age.

    "They must be the troublemakers I heard arrived at our sacrednds," Elder Carter asked for confirmation.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 26 The Voice

    ?"We are no troublemakers Elder Carter. Our visit was harmless. We had no intention of causing any trouble," Joanna replied with confidence that the elderly woman had never seen any girl of her age possessed.

    "Let me be the judge of that after hearing the entire story," Elder Carter said, beckoning them to narrate the reason they were there. The story of all that happened was once again narrated but the difference was that it was Audrey who did the narration.

    The angry girl exaggerated most of the facts but she didn''t tell a single lie. At the end of everything Elder Carter asked the guards including the chief to apologize to the three of them.

    If it was Magnus or another person of low rank who asked the chief to apologize, he wouldn''t have done that. But since it was elder Carter which ordered him to do so, he had no choice but to swallow his pride.

    Elder Carter was one of the closest Elders to the alpha, anyone who offends her will not have an easy sail in the pack.

    "I am sorry. I admit it is my fault that such high profile people like all of you had to suffer inconveniences because of me, I will take responsibility for everything," Chief bowed to them. The guards also did likewise.

    "That''s how it should be," Audrey scoffed. She paid no attention to how displeased the man looked. Maybe if he had treated them a bit nicely she would have felt sympathetic to him and even spoken up for him but because of what he did she felt nothing for him.

    "And you all should be happy that this is not the kingdom because never would I ever let the injustice we suffer end with a mere apology," Audrey held Anthony''s hands and together they stomped out of the prison.

    Joanna tilted her head to look at the man who treated them unkindly and even dared to use them of being spies.

    "I always appreciate people who are good at their jobs but I will say that you overdid your job. You really messed up and that is why I can''t praise you for being good at your job," Joanna said with a stern expression, she also walked away. And Magnus followed her to show her the path.

    "You should be happy that the future Queen is benevolent or else this issue wouldn''t have been easily resolved. Maybe our pack would have experienced a major problem if she was one to hold grudges," Elder Carter said firmly. She also left the prison afterwards.

    Elder Carter brought the pack''s guests to her home and made themfortable. Audrey, Joanna and Anthony took turns in having a refreshing shower. Audrey never knew how awesome it was to have a bath daily until they stayed in that dark prison for three nights.

    Elder Carter at first wanted to give them different rooms but the wary Audrey declined the offer and instead opted for all of them to stay in the same room.

    What if while sleeping they sent assassins to kill us?

    That was her thought when the elderly woman offered to settle them down in three rooms.

    "I can''t believe how stingy they are; how could they feed you and Tony and refuse to feed me too?" Audrey vented her anger out by kicking the cold sand.

    "Stop sulking but instead you should be happy that they are finally treating us as people and not as criminals or spies," Joanna joked just to make Audrey smile but the angry girl refused to smile.

    "It was their fault for mistreating us in the first ce so why should I be pleased hmm?" Audrey said angrily.

    Audrey was the type to hold grudges. She doesn''t easily forgive or forget the person who has offended her. And that''s why Joanna knows she will remember the grievances she went through here in a long time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Gosh, I am starving," Audrey cried out for the third time. "How I wish an animal could just appear from nowhere. If that happened I wouldn''t mind chasing that animal to the end of the earth".

    Audrey continued walking. Werewolves have always hated vampires and those living in this pack did not hide their hatred like those residing in the kingdom.

    In fact their hatred for vampires was the reason why they chose to move to the forest instead of living in the kingdom among vampires and humans.

    She isn''t surprised about their hatred towards her nor the fact that they tantly refused to give her blood to drink. Right now she is just very hungry and she can''t think straight because of that.

    They were still walking on the beach enjoying the cold night breeze when they heard a faint voice asking for help.

    Audrey abruptly halted, "What was that?" Audrey said as she immediately looked around. Surprisingly she didn''t see anyone at sight.

    "What is it?" Joanna asked. She also scrutinized her environment but she didn''t see or hear anything.

    "Didn''t you hear that voice?" Audrey asked, staring at Joann''s face.

    "What voice are you talking about?" Joanna said. Her heart suddenly began beating rapidly. After what happened she gets easily scared and she doesn''t think this will get better as long as they are in this pack.

    The fact that they are strangers in a strangend made her believe that they are vulnerable to attacks.

    Audrey is the only one who is powerful so how will they survive if they suddenly get attacked in this strange ce?

    "Hey, Drey, stop trying to scare me. If it''s a joke then I advise that you stop because it isn''t funny one bit...,"

    "I am not joking. Try to listen and you will hear that someone is asking for help," Audrey''s firm expression made Joanna believe that she wasn''t joking.

    Joanna closed her eyes and focused her attention on hearing the voice Audrey heard. Her eyes flew open after a few seconds. "You were right. Someone is indeed asking for help and I kinda feel like it ising from the direction of the sea," Joanna said. The two friends diverted their attention to the sea at the same time.

    Because it was quitete they couldn''t see things clearly from where they stood but when their eyes became ustomed to the darkness of the sea, they really saw someone in the sea struggling while beating the water violently.

    "Oh my God! Someone is drowning!" Joanna shouted. She tried to run towards the water but Audrey grabbed her hand firmly.

    "Hey, let''s get out of here," Audrey said. She pulled Joanna but she refused to move an inch.

 Chapter 27 Joanna Choose To Save Her

    ?"What are you talking about?" Joanna gasped. "She will die if we leave her in there...,"

    "And why do you care if she dies or not; we don''t even know anyone here," Audrey said with an indifferent expression.

    "We didn''t do anything wrong and they treated us like criminals and even called us spies, I am sure we will definitely get killed or even used of being responsible for this if we are seen here....,"

    "That person''s lifees first. We will think about the aftermath after saving whoever it is," Joanna, who just freed herself, said. She ran into the water before Audrey stopped her again.

    "That girl is nuts! I am scared that this kindness of hers will be the end of her one day," Audrey said. She stood there contemting whether or not to help the one drowning in the sea.

    "Anna''s kindness might be the end of her but I know she will end up being the death of me one day," Audrey said. She pulled off her outer clothes and in a sh she was already inside the water.

    Audrey grabbed Joanna''s hand, not letting her dive into the water. "You don''t know how to swim, I recall you almost drowned when your stepmother pushed you into the swimming pool so wait outside for me," Audrey said firmly. Her tone showed that the topic was non-negotiable.

    "That was all in the past but not anymore," Joanna said. She trickishly free herself from Audrey''s grip and dive into the violent water before Audrey could stop her again.

    "Is she crazy she will drown before she even gets to save...," The words refused to form when Audrey turned around and saw that Joanna was swimming just fine.

    "When did she learn how to swim and I wasn''t aware of it?" Audrey muttered her gaze glued on Joanna''s body which wasn''t that visible at the moment.

    "Mm... That isn''t important now. I will ask her about thatter after I grant her wish of saving the drowning person," Audrey said immediately diving into the water. Because of her powers Audrey was the first person to get to the drowning girl who was already sinking to the bottom of the sea.

    Together Audrey and Joanna brought the girl with long blonde hair out of the water. When they got out of the water Audrey carried the blonde girl while Joanna followed closely.

    When they had gotten far away from the sea, Audrey dropped the pale lookingdy on the cold sand. Joanna was quick enough to check the girl''s condition first.

    "She isn''t breathing? Is she dead?" Joanna said, her eyes widened in horror.

    It was at this moment she recalled Audrey''s earlier words.

    They didn''t do anything wrong and theybelled them as spies, what will be their fate if the girl they tried to save died.

    The thought of dying in this strangend without a grave made Joanna shuddered.

    She has imagined a thousand ways of dying but getting killed because she tried to save someone was never part of it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    While Joanna was busy fearing for her life, Audrey used her index finger to check the girl''s pulse around her neck. She heaved a sigh of relief;

    "She isn''t dead but her airways is blocked¡­,"

    "Then what are you waiting for, get it unblocked now or we are gonna get into huge trouble if she dies on us," the once terrified Joanna said, her fears visible on her face.

    "Weren''t you fearless when you insisted on saving her so why do you look so scared now huh?" Audrey teases her friend to get rid of her fears.

    "That¡­ that was¡­.," Joanna didn''t know how to defend herself. Although she is powerless and often bullied, if ever shees across anyone who needs her help she always tries her best to offer her help in the best way she can.

    No matter how cruel the world has been to her and notwithstanding the price they will pay if something went wrong when trying to save the drowning person she doesn''t have the heart to walk past a dying person.

    She is not that heartless!

    "It doesn''t matter whether or not I was fearless earlier, what matters is that we unblock her airways if we want to leave this dreaded ce alive," Joanna said in a hurried tone. She signalled for Audrey to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the dying girl but Audrey was reluctant to do it so Joanna pushed her out of the way and took over her ce.

    It was when she had started performing CPR on thedy that four men in ck outfit came out of nowhere.

    Joanna was so focused on saving the dyingdy that she didn''t spare them a nce.

    "Why hasn''t she woken up?" Joanna gasped. Her breathing feels strained and this was as a result of the strength she applied in performing the CPR.

    "If it won''t work then perform mouth to mouth resuscitation," Audrey blurted carelessly. Joanna instantly tried to do like Audrey suggested but surprisingly to them one of the four men grabbed Joanna by the shoulder.

    "What do you think you want to do?" The tallest of the four men asked with a cold expression.

    Joanna shifted her gaze to the face of the man and red at him, "I should be the one asking you that?".

    "Do you know who she is¡­,"

    "We don''t know and we don''t wanna know but I what I wanna you is if you will be able to handle the consequences if she dies because all of you stopped us from saving her?" Audrey asked with a stern expression.

 Chapter 28 Jocelyn Kyle

    ?"If she is really someone important like you want us to believe then would you be able to keep your life huh?" Audrey added harshly. The man holding onto Joanna''s shoulder released her immediately after Audrey finished talking.

    [Seeing how they are scared about her death I guess she isn''t a nobody like we thought]

    Audrey muttered her gazes glued on the man who held Joanna earlier. She scrutinized his body for any sign of something that will make her recognise the men and their background but she couldn''t.

    She looked away when the guy looked at her.

    Joanna performed the mouth to mouth resuscitation on the dyingdy. After her fifth attempt, thedy finally coughed out a mouthful of water.

    "Gosh, I am saved!" Joanna yelled in relief and fell back on the cold sand when she saw the blonde girl slowly open her eyes.

    When the CPR failed she became even more terrified not because of herself but for the sake of her little brother who was still in Elder Carter''s guest room.

    At the moment she regretted catering to Anthony''s wants.

    If she came here alone and ended up killed in this unknownnd none will care about her death. She was certain that people like her stepmother and stepsister would even throw a big banquet to celebrate her death.

    But since she brought Anthony here without the knowledge of his mother or father, that was different.

    Apart from what her stepmother and father will do to her, she considered her little brother too small to lose his life; he is still very small and hasn''t lived long to enjoy life to the fullest.

    "Young Miss, are you ok?" The men rushed and circled the girl that just regained consciousness.

    [So I was right, she isn''t an ordinary person but a prominent figure. What would have be of us if such a big figure had died on us]

    Audrey thought as she stared at her best friend who was trying to catch her breath.

    The tallest of the four men helped blonde hair girl to sit up. They treated her so delicately that Audrey couldn''t help but be more curious about the girl''s identity.

    The blonde girl wasn''t too big or small but she estimated her age to be the same as theirs and even though she was older than them then it would be only a year difference. She was as tall as Audrey and almost had a simr figure like Audrey too.

    "How are you feeling¡­,"

    "I am fine so keep your distance," the girl said authoritatively and in an instance three of the men did as she wanted. The one that refused to obey the orders was the tallest one that looked like the leader of the group.

    The blonde girl raised an eyebrow when the guy holding onto her refused to let go. "Carl, are you also going to disobey me as everyone else does? Do you also look down on me because I am some crazy girl¡­,"

    "I wouldn''t dare do that?" Carl, the guy still holding onto her said with his head bow.

    "You said you wouldn''t dare but that is exactly what you are doing now," the blonde girl said with a stern expression. When the blonde girl continued ring, Carl let go of her, stood up and moved about three steps backwards.

    "I want all of you to move five metres away¡­,"

    "But the Alpha ordered us to bring you back¡­," Carl kept quiet when the blonde girl threw him a murderous re.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You all can go ahead and disobey me, that is ok but get prepared to get punished by Elder bro when we return to the packhouse," Jocelyn Kyle, the only sister of the Alpha of the pack, threatened coldly.

    Jocelyn looks quite normal like every girl of her age but those in the pack will beat their hand on their chest and tell you that she is nowhere close to being normal.

    Behind her back, those living in the pack call her the crazy girl and this is because of how she normally acts.

    Carl signalled his colleagues to do like she wanted and together they moved away from where the girls sat.

    Jocelyn after getting what she wanted turned to look at the two girls that saved her.

    Her bright smile made Audrey wonder whether this was the same girl that was threatening the four men with a stern expression.

    "You both saved me right?" Jocelyn asked while staring at Audrey in particr. Audrey, still examining the blonde girl, forgot to answer the girl''s question.

    Joanna sat up from where shey, "Yeah and I wonder why a young girl like you tried tomit suicide".

    "You should count yourself lucky that you ran into a kind-hearted girl like my best friend over then because I can assure you that you would have been roaming around the Nethends at this moment," Audrey said with an indifferent expression.

    "I wasn''t trying to kill myself," Jocelyn blurted out.

    "You didn''t try tomit suicide!" Audrey and Joanna chorused. The two girls exchanged puzzled nces.

    [If she wasn''t trying tomit suicide then why was she inside the water]

    Joanna stared at the girl with lots of questions on her mind.

    Apart from the fact that she couldn''t walk past a dying person, the main reason she was eager to save the girl earlier was because she thought the girl was an unfortunate person just like her.

    No matter where one finds herself, the rule of the jungle where the powerful trample on the weak is always the order of the day.

    And that is why she thought that the drowning person was an unfortunate person like her who decided tomit suicide because she could no longer handle the maltreatment anymore.

    Now, hearing the girl say she wasn''t trying tomit suicide made her even more astounded.

    "If you weren''t trying tomit suicide then why were you drowning?" Audrey asked curiously.

    "Don''t even try to give me the bullshit that you got carried away while ying in the sea because I won''t believe such a lie".

    "Would you believe me if I told you that I woke up after being knocked out and found myself at the deepest part of the sea?" Jocelyn asked, her eyes moved from Audrey to Joanna. Their widened expression showed how shocked the girl''s statement left them.

    "Do you mean someone tried to murder you in the guise of a suicide?" Joanna asked with her mouth dropped open.

 Chapter 29 The Crazy Girl

    ?Jocelyn turned and nced behind her to confirm whether the guards were still at the position she asked them to stand. When she had confirmed that they hadn''t moved a muscle she brought back her attention to the two girls staring at her.

    "I know since you both are strangers I am not supposed to divulge too much information but since you are my survivors I will not hold back," Jocelyn said seriously. She readjusted the way she sat.

    Afterwards, she went ahead to narrate what happened before they met her inside the water earlier.

    As usual, she had snuck out of the packhouse that had the best security in the pack. She was bouncing and smiling after she sessfully snuck out of the tight security house when she felt the presence of a second party.

    She turned around only to see two masked men standing in front of her. Before she could react a third person whom she never knew existed hit her hard at the back of her neck. Owing to this she passed out.

    The next thing she realised after regaining consciousness was that she found herself in the deep part of the sea.

    As the sister of the Great Alpha of Golden Core Pack, swimming was supposed to be a child''s y to her but she has never been fond of training whenever it was time for training.

    Instead of training like those of her age in the pack she was always fond of sneaking out to y.

    When she found herself drowning in the water earlier, she had regretted always being yful. If not because of her persistence she wouldn''t have been able tost inside the water until Joanna and Audrey coincidentally arrived at the beach the time they did.

    "Here I thought that this ce would be a little humane since it is secluded from the rest of the world but I guess I was wrong. It is no different from the world where wee from," Audrey remarked with a nk expression.

    "The world where youe from?" Jocelyn asked. She gave them curious nces as she waited for their response.

    "At first nce, I knew that you both were strangers since I couldn''t recognise you but I am very curious to know where youe from. Are you both from the human world or Kingdom Twipera?" Jocelyn''s eyes sparkled as she waited for their response. Seeing the excitement in her eyes Joanna wondered why the girl looked so excited.

    "Why are you asking for our origin, isn''t the basic pleasantries to exchange names before anything else?" Audrey asked.

    After what she experienced there she was reluctant to make friends with anyone and Joanna could see this whenever she talked.

    And she couldn''t me Audrey for being wary of everything and anyone. Anyone who went through what they did for the past three nights would behave exactly as Audrey did or even worse.

    "Sorry about my manners," Jocelyn said. She extended her hand for a handshake. "My name is Jocelyn Kyle but I am poprly called by the name Crazy girl here. It''s nice to meet you both".

    Jocelyn''s smile broadened as she waited for either Audrey or Joanna to respond first.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am Joanna and I am poprly known as Weakling in the kingdom," Joanna said yfully as she shook Jocelyn''s hands.

    "Who says you are a Weakling? Have you ever seen a weakling who rushed into the sea to save someone without thinking about her life?" Audrey refuted Joanna''s words.

    "Everyone thinks so, you are the only one who thinks otherwise¡­,"

    "Not only me but also Tony and Kayden. The others are just blind that is why," Audrey said firmly. Jocelyn watched them talk. The lingering smile on her face showed she was enjoying the two friends'' bickering.

    Joannaposed herself when she saw how keenly Jocelyn was looking at them.

    "She has a weird way of defending me and that sometimes leaves me speechless," Joanna said as she forced a smile.

    "She is Audrey, she is poprly known as tomboy, I am sure you don''t need me to tell you the reason why she is called this way judging from the way she is dressed," Joanna said. She resisted the urge to burst outughing when her eyesnded on Audrey''s pouty lips.

    "Hey what does that mean Anna huh? Do you mean to say I dressed like a boy¡­,"

    "You said that yourself but you didn''t hear it from my mouth," Joanna quickly denied her allegations.

    Jocelyn pulled closer to them to the surprise of both Joanna and Audrey.

    Although they haven''t had the opportunity to meet a lot of people since they got to the pack, the few people they ran into always avoided them like they were gues.

    The way they looked at them showed nothing but contempt. Seeing this strange girl get closer and even talk to them nicely surprised them.

    "So what''s your world like hmm?" Jocelyn asked. Her eyes glistened as she stared at Joanna''s face for a reply.

    "Magnus and a few of the people who had left the pack for one reason or the other often tell stories about the human world and the Kingdom. I always feel like their narration is often exaggerated so I want to listen to what you both say."

    "I have this feeling that you both will not lie or exaggerate about what the world out there is like," Jocelyn concluded with a smile.

    "If you are so curious about how the world out there operates then why don''t you go out and see it for yourself¡­,"

 Chapter 30 For What Reason?

    ?"I would have long done that if it were that easy," Jocelyn said with a fallen expression.

    People would ask if the distance between the kingdom and the pack isn''t just a walk across the forest, what is so difficult there?

    Yes, the distance between kingdom Twipera and the Golden Core Pack is a walk across the Hilmert forest but it is easier said than done.

    "There is no big difference between your pack and the kingdom," Joanna began. She didn''t see anything wrong in telling the girl stories about life in the Kingdom if that is what will make the girl happy.

    "There is electricity, hospital, school, television, cellphones, cars and so on. I also noticed that your pack also has these stuff too¡­,"

    "I heard that life in Kingdom Twipera is better and more fun than one here¡­,"

    Audrey grimaced, "That''s only for the wealthy people and I am sure that is applicable here right?".

    "Hey Drey, there is no need to get sensitive¡­,"

    "I was only stating the truth and the reality of life so she won''t get deceived by anyone," Audrey said firmly.

    "I know that but let''s tell her about something else other than that. There are a lot of exciting things to tell her about the Kingdom apart from discussing depressing topics so let''s start from there," Joanna said. She knew the reason Audrey was getting irritated about the topic was because of her.

    Audrey has always hated the fact that Joanna had to suffer for no reason.

    Joanna is the blood and flesh of Mr Anderson, a renowned man in the Kingdom.

    His wife and daughter parade the kingdom in designer clothes but Joanna goes around in rags. She has always found this situation unfair and she will continue feeling this way until Joanna''s situation changes for the better.

    The three girls kept on talking. Theirughter could be heard at intervals. Audrey, who was quite sensitive at the beginning, became more rxed after a while.

    If not for the four men intervening, maybe they would have spent more time on the cold sand.

    Jocelyn offered to walk them home but they rejected the girl''s offer. Since Jocelyn wasn''t the type to do like she is told she didn''t listen to them and escorted them to Elder Carter''s house where the two girls were staying.

    When they reached the front of Elder Carter''s gate a girl in white with her ck ebony hair tied into a ponytail ran towards them from the opposite direction.

    The girl paused just in front of Jocelyn. Her breathing was heavy. It was evident that she ran all the way there. "Where have you been, I searched everywhere for you," Rachel gasped. She tried to catch her breath.

    "Am safe and sound, am I not¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "Since I am back you can go home and keep Grandmapany. Carl and his men will make sure that I get home safely," Jocelyn said, not letting Rachel nag her like she normally did.

    Rachel was about to talk when Elder Carter came out of the house. "What are you all standing out there doing, none is prohibiting you from entering my home right?" Elder Carter asked, her gaze focused on those standing outside her gate.

    From the staircase she stood she could clearly see what was happening outside the gate. In fact, the noise outside was what brought her outside her home.

    "None is stopping us but it''s just that I am in a hurry. I wanted to drop off my new friends but I guess we must have disturbed you right?" Jocelyn asked.

    "Your new friends?" Elder Carter asked, her eyes moving from Jocelyn to the two girls standing close to the gate.

    Jocelyn waved at the elderly woman, "I don''t have time to go into details right now but I promise you that you will hear the full details of what happened tomorrow".

    "Please take good care of my friend''s Auntie," Jocelyn said. She brought back her attention to Audrey and Joanna.

    "It was nice meeting the two of you. We will meet again tomorrow ok¡­,"

    "We are leaving here tomorrow¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sorry but I really have to go now. I will make sure we spend time tomorrow hmm," The impatient Jocelyn said with a smile. Only if she allowed Joanna toplete her sentence then she would have known that they were leaving the next day.

    Joanna and Audrey watched as Jocelyn left with her entourage while holding onto Rachel''s hand.

    They only went into the house after they disappeared into the far away street.

    When they reached the sitting room they met Elder Carter sitting on one of the ck couches.

    They greeted the elderly woman before they turned to walk to their room upstairs. They didn''t even climb the stairs when Elder Carter''s question came.

    "How did you both run into the Alpha''s little sister?" She asked in a cold tone. "I hope you girls didn''t forget your ce and caused trouble¡­,"

    "Sorry to interrupt but we are no troublemakers ok," Audrey said firmly. She tried to sound as polite as she could.

    "Also, what did you mean by knowing our ce? In the kingdom, our status is not small. In fact, Anna is the King''s¡­," Joanna didn''t let Audreyplete her words. She nudged Audrey gently and shook her head as a signal for her not to talk anymore.

    "Although we are strangers here we know what to do and what not to do. You don''t have to worry about a thing," Joanna said with a stern expression.

    "If you don''t have anything else to say we will take our leave now," Joanna said. She held Audrey''s hand and together they went to their rooms.

    "Why do kids nowadays have quite a temper? I was only trying to caution them for their own good, I can''t believe they misunderstood my intentions," Elder Carter muttered, her gaze focused on the spot the girls stood.

    When they got to their room Audrey let out her anger by kicking the waste bin lying close to the door.

    "What the hell does she think we are? Does she think we are some spoiled brat who goes around causing trouble wherever they go¡­," Joanna grabbed Audrey''s hand not letting her kick something else in the room?

    "There is no need to get angry about a thing. Let''s go to sleep early so that we will get out of this ce as soon as possible. I mean we have seen that Magnus is not dead like you assumed so there is no reason for us to remain here right," Joanna asked in aposed tone.

    "You are right about that. I can''t wait to leave this goddamn ce in which no one respects us," Audrey said, sounding more rxed than previously.

    Since they didn''t bring a change of clothes they slept with their clothes on. Joanna slept in the same bed with Anthony while Audrey slept in the second bed.

    Audrey pretended to be fast asleep but when she realised that Joanna was asleep too she stood up from the bed.

    "In this weird ce I can''t trust anyone so I will take it upon myself to protect those who are important to me," Audrey muttered as she stared at the sleeping siblings.

    Audrey sat there and kept watch the entire night without getting a wink of sleep.

    The moment it was 5:00 am, she woke the two siblings up and made them prepare for their departure.

    They had finished dressing and were ready to leave when a knock suddenly came on their door.

    Joanna was the closest to the door so she went to check on who it was. She was a bit relieved to see that it was Magnus.

    "We were just about toe to inform you that we are ready to leave," Joanna said.

    "Sorry but I don''t think that is possible?" Magnus said. His expression showed that all was not well.

    "And what does that supposed to mean?" Joanna asked. She was confused.

    "Because the Alpha''s elite guards are here to get all of you¡­,"

    "For what reason?" Audrey, overhearing their conversation, asked angrily.

 Chapter 31 Alpha Benjamin

    ?Magnus shook his head negatively, " They never stated their reason even when asked so we are clueless about why the Alpha sent for you guys".

    Audrey hurried to the door. "Don''t tell me he also wants to talk about our visit here? I thought we were done with this so why are they doing this to us?" Audrey asked with sped fists.

    "We have exined our reason for being here over three times so why won''t they just let us leave this goddamn ce in peace?"

    Audrey was too angry to recall that little Anthony was listening to their conversation.

    "Big Sister, is there something wrong? Are we no longer going home anymore?" Anthony asked innocently. He didn''t understand why Audrey was so angry.

    Joanna abandoned Magnus at the door with Audrey and went to meet her brother still sitting on the bed where she kept him.

    "Of course, we are going back home today. I am sure you must miss your mum, Laura and father, right?" Joanna forced on a smile despite that the situation right now wasn''t one that anyone was supposed to smile.

    No matter how much they hated the new development, they couldn''t disobey the order of the Alpha, the ruling man of the pack.

    When the car stopped in front of a huge mansion the three guests came out of the car. They stared at the magnificent house in front of them.

    Although the Alpha''s house couldn''t bepared to King Kayden''s pce; out of all the houses they havee across during their short stay there, this particr house stood most.

    "No wonder it is called the Alpha''s house. Compared to other homes there is a big contrast," Joanna muttered.

    Audrey''s attention was more on the securityyout of the building and not on the building itself. She counted how many guards in total were stationed at the gate.

    "Stop staring and let''s go," Joanna knew Audrey well to know what she was doing. She pulled Audrey along with her and together they followed the lead of one of the guards.

    Meanwhile, in the sitting room, Jocelyn was seen standing close to a white couch decorated with gold. On this white couch sat a man with neatly styled long brown hair which stopped below his shoulders.

    Jocelyn held the right sleeve of the guy and shook it gently.

    "Elder brother, you have to do this for me. You must ask them to spend another day in our pack ok?" Jocelyn said as she shook the guy''s sleeve gently.

    "You must let them spend the night here and attend the annual festival¡­,"

    "Hey naughty girl, what are you saying? How could you ask me to force them to stay here? Don''t you know that no matter my position I can''t force them to do anything against their will except they agree¡­,"

    "Does that mean as long as they agree you will give them the permission to stay at the pack for today?" Her eyes twinkled as she eagerly waited for her brother to seal her excitement with his reply.

    "Hmmm¡­," Alpha Benjamin hesitated. He deliberately tried to make Jocelyn anxious even though he hade up with a decision long before she even made the request.

    He had the power to force anyone to do anything against their will but he isn''t a tyranny Alpha neither is he an unreasonable one.

    Jocelyn shook his sleeve a little rough when he didn''t say the words she wanted to hear. "Stop hesitating and say it already. They will be here anytime soon".

    "My answer is yes. As long as they agree to stay over today then I won''t say otherwise but before that, you need to promise me something Lyn," Alpha Benjamin''s expression turned all serious after hisst words.

    "You must promise me that you won''t get too attached to them since they will be returning to where they came from¡­,"

    "Sorry, but I can''t promise you that," Jocelyn said smiling. She quickly ran and stood at the entrance before Benjamin could scold her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That silly girl tricked me into getting what she wanted again," Alpha Benjamin muttered, his gaze focused on his excited little sister''s back.

    Just then, Audrey, Joanna and Anthony were escorted into the sitting room by a tan skin man with a heavy body built.

    Jocelyn hurried to wee them. Her excitement was visible in her smile. "Wee to my home," Jocelyn''s smile broadened as she directed them to where the couches were neatly arranged.

    "Guys, meet my Elder brother and the Alpha of the Golden Core Pack. And Elder brother, these are my friends," Jocelyn took it upon herself to do the introduction.

    The three guests took turns in greeting the young man sitting on the couch that resembled a throne.

    "Alpha Benjamin, I don''t mean to sound rude but there is something I am very curious about," Audrey said after the salutation had ended. Joanna signalled her not to say anything but Audrey wouldn''t listen. She ignored Joanna''s signal.

    "Go ahead then," Alpha Benjamin said with a stern expression. He was a tall handsome guy with a refined jawline and sharp looks. His pair of raven eyes had a lot of beauty to his already handsome face.

    "Why did you invite us here?" Audrey asked the question that has been on her mind since the guards came to get them in Elder Carter''s house.

    "You didn''t invite us here to measure out punishment because we trespassed into yournd right?"

    "I admit it was my bad for entering yournd but seriously we had no malicious intentions in doing that. We have already exined everything to the people who locked us up. We were even about to leave when your men¡­,"

    "Miss Lopez, I think there is a misunderstanding here," Alpha Benjamin said in a serious tone.

    "Misunderstanding? Are you trying to say that you don''t believe us or our intentions for being here?" Joanna asked. Her grip around Anthony''s hand tightened as she waited for the man''s punishment.

    They simply came here to check up on Magnus. Had they known that this was what they were gonna go through here then they wouldn''t have made the mistake of evering here.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 32 Alpha Benjamin Asked Them To Make A Request

    ?"I think there must have been a misunderstanding on you guys'' side because the reason I invited you both to my home wasn''t for some punishment like you said but because you both saved my little sister''s life," Alpha Benjamin''s cool voice made thedies recall what happened the previous night and how they got to meet Jocelyn.

    They were all very eager to get out of this ce that theypletely forgot the good deed they did during their stay there.

    "Oh¡­ was that why you called us," Joanna said. The way she acted looked strange.

    "I have heard so much about the two of you from that little brat¡­ I mean from Jocelyn," Alpha Benjamin quickly corrected himself.

    "Ever since she woke up today all she has been talking about is the two of you and how you both saved her from drowning. Seeing how she won''t stop singing your names I guess you both must have left a good impression on my little sister".

    "We did no such thing. You are overpraising us," Joanna said smiling. She and Audrey could finally breathe normally after learning the reason why they were invited to the Alpha''s home.

    "Elder brother, you know that is not true. I admit I have been talking about them for a while now but definitely not to the point of singing. You know I am bad at singing right," Jocelyn''s words and funny expression made them chuckle. They chuckled in moderation but that wasn''t the case with Anthony. Heughed out loud causing everyone''s attention to be on him.

    Hisughter ceased when he turned and saw Joanna''s stern expression.

    "Pardon his manners¡­,"

    "He must be the little rice ball you mentionedst night right?" Jocelyn interrupted Joanna, not letting her tender her apologies. She stood up and squatted in front of Anthony.

    She extends her hand for a handshake. "Hi, little rice ball¡­,"

    "Only my Big Sister can call me that," Anthony corrected Jocelyn fiercely.

    "Anthony, don''t be rude¡­,"

    "It''s ok Joanna. It''s only right he corrected me if he has preserved that title only for you," Jocelyn said not taking offence at what Anthony said. He was a little boy after all.

    "Anthony, I have heard a lot about you from Joanna. I heard you are her little Superman just like my Elder brother is my Superman. Let''s get along ok," Joanna said, not retracting her outstretched hand.

    Anthony raised his hand and shook Jocelyn''s hands. "Ok," He said while beaming at Jocelyn.

    Alpha Benjamin let out a dry cough to call his sister to order. Jocelyn stood up and sat on the couch after seeing her brother''s cautious look.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am very grateful that the two of you went out of your way to save my little sister. To show you both my gratitude I am not going to thank you both with mere words alone," Alpha Benjamin said firmly.

    "As a reward for saving Jocelyn''s life you both can ask me for whatever you want. As long as that thing which you asked isn''t for my throne or the life of anyone, I will dly grant your request".

    Joanna and Audrey turned and stared at each other not knowing what to say.

    Actually, when they saved Jocelyn they expected nothing in return so hearing the Alpha ask them to make a request made them lost for words.

    Tales about Alphas always paint them as cruel beings so his gentleness further made their head go nk. They couldn''t tell whether he was a gentleman like he wanted them to believe or a heartless man like the legend says.

    "Joanna, you can go ahead and ask for anything you want. He is the ruler of the entire pack, he can afford to give you whatever you want," Jocelyn intervened when she saw that Joanna and Audrey were hesitating to make a request.

    "Give my Big Sister plenty of money; enough to make her stop getting beaten each time she asks my mum for money. Can you also make her powerful too so she won''t ever get bullied¡­," Joanna covered Anthony''s mouth with her palm to prevent him from making such a bold request.

    His request made the Alpha turn and look at his Beta, the tan man who escorted the guests into the sitting room.

    He indeed asked them to make a request but one of Anthony''s requests was way out of his reach.

    He can grant Anthony''s request about giving them plenty of money but the request about making one of the girls powerful was something he cannot grant.

    "About your request¡­,"

    "Alpha Benjamin, you don''t need to take what he said seriously. He is only a child so he was only spewing nonsense," Joanna said before the Alpha could make his final judgement. She didn''t know how relieved her words had made the uneasy Alpha.

    He is not a God neither is he the moon goddess so, how could he grant someone powers?

    Anthony''s request was just an impossible one and that is why the Alpha was very happy despite that he didn''t let it show.

    "Since you said his request is invalid then what are youdies'' real requests?" Alpha Benjamin asked coldly.

 Chapter 33 The Golden Token

    ?Joanna stared at the Alpha. Her gaze moved to look at the sparkling eyes of Jocelyn sitting at her right-hand side. She looked away from her expectant face.

    She has so many requests and wishes but which out of all her wishes can this Alpha grant?

    Can he wipe away the title of her being the child of a mistress from the memory of everyone who taunts her daily because of her lowly birth?

    Will he be able to make her more powerful than everyone in the kingdom so that she will never get bullied ever again?

    Even though she has a wish that humans can fulfil, this is not the kingdom of Twipera so the Alpha''s promise is restricted only to this ce.

    He has no authority over anything that happens in the kingdom so how could he possibly help her?

    Even though she asked for money right here it will eventually end up being pocketed by her greedy stepmother and stepsister so what is the use of making a request?

    "I have no request," Joanna broke off the silence with this short sentence. Her words stunned everyone under the sound of her voice.

    Anyone would have jumped up in excitement if given such a golden opportunity. They could even ask to be the only Luna of the Golden Core Pack. The title of Luna is every girl''s dream in the Pack.

    Being the Luna, you will not gain fame and prestige but as the only wife of the Alpha, you will be pampered all your life.

    Such a golden opportunity and Joanna let it slip by just like that.

    "Besides, we didn''t save the Young Miss to get rewards in return for our good deeds".

    "Are you sure you don''t want anything?" Jocelyn asked. Even she was surprised like others to hear Joanna''s words.

    Anyone would have jumped at such an opportunity but Joanna proved to be different.

    "I am sure," Joanna said, unfazed by the way everyone was staring at her.

    "Are you also of the same opinion as her?" Alpha Benjamin asked the quiet Audrey.

    "Yes," Audrey''s reply was concise. Their words left the Alpha momentarily speechless.

    Yes, he was hoping that they wouldn''t make an impossible wish but it never crossed his mind that they would turn down his offer.

    "Get me the token," Alpha Benjamin addressed his Beta, Noah.

    Noah left the room only to return with a golden token. He collected the token from Noah and brought back his attention to his guests.

    "Since I have made a promise I can''t take it back so I will give youdies this token in ce of my promise," Alpha Benjamin said. He signalled Audrey toe to collect the token.

    "This token represents my promise to the two of you. If ever you need help or have a request, you cane to me anytime and whatever might be your request I will surely grant it as long as it is within my power," Alpha Benjamin handed the token to Audrey. She bowed and returned to her seat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Is this tiny thing that valuable," Audrey muttered as she examined the golden token that was in the form of a square shape. The head of a werewolf was carved on the token making it look unique.

    "Of course, it is very valuable. As long as you have the token, not only the Alpha but the entire pack will respect you. The token has no expiry date. Whether or not the Alpha who gave you the token is alive or not, its value will never diminish. That is how awesome the token is," Jocelyn said with pride.

    "If that''s the case then I guess I was wrong then," Audrey took back her previous words.

    The Alpha made known his wish to host them for the entire day but Joanna and Audrey, who were eager to leave, turned down his request.

    Jocelyn that was looking forward to having them stay with her the entire day was disappointed by their reply but that didn''t put to death her desire to make them stay.

    Jocelyn extended her hands and held Joanna''s hands.

    "Please will you stay and let me repay you for saving me?" Jocelyn said. Her gentle words and sad expression tuck Joanna''s heart. Joanna could see her desire to leave faltering as she stared into the girl''s gentle gaze.

    "We are hosting our pack''s annual festival. It''s usually lively during the festival. Apart from the huntingpetition that will be held in a few hours, there will be a party at the night. As long as you agree to stay just for today, I promise not to make you guys regret staying behind," Jocelyn made a juicy offer.

    It wasn''t that her offer was too irresistible but it was the sincerity in her eyes and voice that touched the cold heart of these two girls.

    "Please stay for my sake huh," Jocelyn said. She squeezed Joanna''s hands gently when she saw the reluctance in her eyes.

    "Jocelyn, our guests have made it clear that they won''t stay for the festival so let it go already," Alpha Benjamin said sternly. He signalled Noah to go get Jocelyn away from the girls.

    It hurts him to see his little sister acting so pitifully but there is nothing he can do at the moment. He can''t force the girls to stay behind if they don''t want to.

    This is what he was afraid of when Jocelyn asked him to make them stay behind. He couldn''t believe that his fears hade to pass.

    "Are you really sure that you will make our stay worthwhile?" Joanna asked while staring into Jocelyn''s eyes. Noah stopped in his tracks on hearing Joanna''s question.

    "I¡­ I¡­," Jocelyn stuttered. She was too excited to say a word.

    "Aren''t you the same confident girl earlier so what is wrong now? If you can''t give us your words about this then how do you expect us to¡­,"

    "I can do it," Jocelyn said in a hurried tone.

    "Does that mean we are staying over today?" Anthony who was as anxious as Jocelyn asked curiously.

    ...

    A/N: Don''t forget our mission. Let''s reach 50 or 100 PS this week to receive extra chapters. Let''s votee...

 Chapter 34 They Went Shopping

    ?"Yes," Audrey and Joanna chorused to the excitement of Anthony and Jocelyn. Even the Alpha couldn''t resist smiling when he saw the excitement on his little sister''s face.

    "Yay! Big Sister is the best," Anthony yelled in excitement. He jumped on Joanna''s legs.

    "Since you have given us your words to keep us entertained the entire day then I don''t see any harm in staying here one more day," Joanna said smiling. She patted Anthony''s hair affectionately.

    "We will only have a problem if you fail to keep your words...,"

    "That won''t happen, I can assure you of that. I wasn''t given the title of the Queen Of Entertainment for nothing," Jocelyn said as she tapped her chest confidently to show that she was equal to the task.

    The Alpha let out a dry cough to get their attention once again.

    "The annual hunting contest willmence in a few hours. As our guests you both are free to participate in the contest if you are fond of hunting just like the people here," The Alpha said with a firm expression.

    "I will let Jocelyn enlighten you more about the annual hunt. You both can decide whether or not to join the contest afterwards".

    Jocelyn stood up from where she sat. "I ept the Alpha''s order with pleasure," Jocelyn said. She got all dramatic by bowing in adylike manner.

    "Dear brother, you will have to forgive me for my impudence because I am gonna steal your guests from you. As you know we have a lot of things to do," Jocelyn stretched her hand and immediately pulled Joanna to her feet.

    She also held Anthony''s hand before she dragged the two siblings along with her. Audrey followed them closely after paying respect to the Alpha.

    "That silly girl will never change," Alpha Benjamin remarked. He stared at the direction they took while shaking his head.

    He turned to face his Beta, Noah. "The silly girl is gonna need a lot of money to sessfully execute her words so get her my card," Alpha Benjamin said. He stood up and left the sitting room after passing his orders.

    Jocelyn and her newfound friends didn''t leave the packhouse when Benjamin caught up to them.

    "The Alpha said you should use this for today," Noah said, as he handed the ck card into her hands. Jocelyn''s happiness knew no bounds when she lowered her gaze and saw what Noah had shoved into her hands.

    "I have always known that my Elder brother is the absolute best. Help to ry to him that he is the best brother in the world to me and I love him a whole lot," Jocelyn''s smile broadened as she caressed the card in her hand like it was such a precious treasure. All she could think about at the moment was the thing she could do and buy with the card.

    Earlier she was already starting to get worried about what she was gonna do since her card had a limit she could use. Now that she has her Elder brother''s card she could see her problems being solved in a sh.

    "Let''s go and have fundies," Jocelyn said delightfully. She led the way towards the huge gate.

    "You can use the car, he didn''t forbid you in using any of the cars...,"

    "Sorry but I reject your offer. How do you expect me to entertain my friends while driving inside the car?" Jocelyn said. She took her guests and together they left the packhouse.

    "Carl, you and your men should keep a close watch on them. No harm shoulde near the Young Miss nor her friends," Noah said to Carl who was about to follow Jocelyn.

    "I will do just that," Carl bowed slightly to honour the hierarchy. He and his men left the packhouse.

    They started their day with the first activity being sightseeing. Thoughpared to where they came from Kingdom Twipera was bigger and better than here but the pack wasn''tcking either.

    It had ces of entertainment like clubs, malls, cafes, restaurants and so on.

    Jocelyn, the Queen of Entertainment took them around all the ces in the pack worth seeing.

    The girl was too carefree to care about the mean gaze passersby were giving her.

    She didn''t need anyone to tell her that the reason they were all ring at her was that she was moving around with a vampire which was supposed to be the greatest enemy of all the werewolves residing in the pack.

    Jocelyn finally took them to the zoo. The zoo was huge and filled withmon and rare animals.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Whoa¡­ is that what a peacock looks like for real?" Joanna eximed with her right hand covering her agape mouth.

    "It looks a lot better than the one you often see in movies or textbooks, right?" Jocelyn asked, smiling.

    Joanna shook her head affirmatively. "Mm¡­ it looks a lot prettier and awesome than the ones I often see in books. Wow¡­," Joanna was so fascinated by the beauty of the peacock. She couldn''t take her eyes off the beautiful animal.

    "I am sure you must have a zoo too where youe from so why does it look like this is your first time going to a zoo¡­,"

    "That is because this is really her first time entering a zoo. She never had the luxury to visit the zoo," Audrey replied to Rachel''s question. Her reply left Rachel even more confused.

    "But why is that so¡­,"

    "Because my stepmom would have broken my legs if I did. She isn''t a very nicedy if you were to know," Joanna replied. She tried to sound nonchnt about the topic at hand but she couldn''t pull it off perfectly.

    "Although you couldn''t visit the zoo in the past, you have me now," Jocelyn beats her chest confidently.

    "You are unrestricted here. You can walk around the zoo as many times as you want, none will dare to utter a word with me around".

    How Jocelyn said these words made thedies chuckle.

    "I have heard you, Your Royal Highness", Joanna jokes. Everyone burst outughing because of how dramatic she acted while saying the words.

    All of them walked about the zoo. Joanna was fascinated by the sight of so many of the animals at the zoo. Anthony almost got bitten by a snake when he put his finger into the snake''s cage.

    "Big Sister, that is a giraffe. The neck is way longer than it is in the storybooks I have read," Anthony pointed at one of the giraffes.

    "Mm¡­ you are right about that," Joanna replied smiling.

    The five of them had fun in the zoo for about an hour before Jocelyn dragged them to the mall which is the biggest one in the pack.

    Because her new friends are only gonna spend a day at the pack time was limited and that is why Jocelyn tries to manage time as much as she could.

    "Joanna, that will look awesome on you so let''s buy that," Jocelyn pointed at a red long sparkling gown.

    Actually, she noticed that Joanna has been staring at the dress since they got there and that is why she decided to buy it.

    "You don''t have to. Besides, it looks expensive¡­,"

    "I am the boss today so you will listen to me ok," Jocelyn said yfully. She signalled the salesperson to wrap up the clothes.

    "Also no matter how expensive it is, I can afford it. Besides it''s not our card so you don''t have to worry about the money ok," Jocelyn said as she held Joanna''s hand and dragged her along.

    "I want that, this and those," Jocelyn said beaming.

    Jocelyn made sure there was no dull moment. She made sure they had tons of fun just like she promised them.

    As they were having fun, back at Kingdom Twipera Adhara was venting out her anger by talking.

    "I swear I will kill that witch when she returns," The enraged Adhara said with sped fists.

    "And I will make sure she doesn''t die an easy death for what she did".

 Chapter 35 So, Will You Join The Hunt?

    ?"You have been saying these same words since yesterday, aren''t you tired of speaking the same words over and over again¡­,"

    "Why should I get tired?" Adhara shouted, springing up to her feet. "And would I have been repeating the same words if that illegitimate daughter of yours didn''t take my son, the only heir of this household to that hellhole?"

    "If she had ns of ending her wretched life then she should have done that alone instead of dragging my beloved son along with her. So how dare she wants to die with my son¡­,"

    "Mum, does that daughter of a mistress deserve to die with noble blood like my brother?" Laura said spitefully.

    "If ever she made it back alive I will strangle her with my bare hands after torturing her to my heart''s content. My name will cease to be Adhara if I don''t take my revenge on her," Adhara shouted. She stomped out of the sitting room angrily.

    While Adhara was enraged with Joanna, King Kayden Greyson was on the brink of losing his mind.

    Because he is the King, in everything he does he is always required to consider the overall effect it will have on the kingdom and his people.

    This is not the first time this has happened and each time this happens he always hated the fact that he was the King.

    If he was an ordinary lover and not the King, he wouldn''t have to think about anything apart from saving his woman.

    "Joan, you must return alive from there because even I don''t know what I will do if something terrible happens to you," Kayden sitting in the garden muttered.

    Since he learned about the incident, he has been unable to concentrate his mind on anything. So many documents piled up on his table unattended. The only thing that will make him return to his normal self is the news of Joanna and her friends'' return.

    ...

    Back at Golden Core Pack, Joanna and her friends made the very best out of the little time they had left.

    They were out having fun. It was two hours before the scheduled time of the annual hunting that they returned to Elder Carter''s home.

    "Joanna, why don''t you and Audrey join us for the hunting?" Jocelyn said with a serious tone. Her expression says that she will be thrilled if they decide to participate in the huntingpetition.

    "Hunting is usually fun and thrilling, I can assure you that you will enjoy yourself if you participate with us too," Jocelyn added.

    Jocelyn secretly nudged Rachel sitting on her right-hand side to say something. "Although Joce can be very yful, her skills in hunting are superb. In fact each year she is always among the top five hunters with the most catch," Rachel said.

    Joanna adjusted the way she was sitting. "Hunting sounds fun and I would have loved to participate too but as you both might have noticed I possessed no power of the original being that I am," Joanna said sadly.

    Joanna and her friends were too immersed in their conversation, they didn''t notice Elder Carter enter the sitting room. The Elder woman stood at a corner and chose not to interrupt their discussion.

    "My father, Mr Anderson Simon is from a family of renowned powerful werewolves but unfortunately out of all his children I am the one who possessed no powers of a wolf. For this reason, I can''t join you guys for hunting even though I would love to¡­," Joanna said.

    Though she has only met this sassy Young Miss and her best friend for a few hours, it feels like she has known them for a long time. For some reason, she feels very free around them.

    Is the reason she is like this because they are the only ones apart from Audrey who epted her for who she is?

    "Even though I can''t make it because of my circumstances I am sure Drey will be d to join. She has always loved hunting since she was a child. Because of their food, she has be an excellent Hunter...,"

    "Hey, are you trying to call me a foodie now?" Audrey interrupted Joanna with a displeased expression.

    "How can you be a foodie when you don''t gain weight no matter what you eat," Joanna said yfully.

    Anthony, who has been listening to their conversation, burst outughing.

    "Stopughing at your Sister Audrey or she will spank you hard," Joanna covered Anthony''s mouth to stop him fromughing anymore.

    "Even though I were to spank anyone it would be none other than you for teasing me," Audrey said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So, will you join the hunt?" Rachel and Jocelyn said at the same time. It was as if they read each other''s minds.

    Audrey stared at the two girl''s faces not knowing what to say.

    Because of what they went through during the three nights they spent at the prison she loathes this ce. It was just yesterday she wanted to leave this ce so badly. She didn''t even see herself spending a minute more here but everything changed including her opinion about this ce. And this was all because of these two girls, especially the yful Jocelyn.

    The two girls have been so good to them. Seeing their expectant look, she finds herself not wanting to dash their hope by saying no.

    "Let''s see which out of the two of us is a better hunter in a few hours," Audrey finally said the words Jocelyn was dying to hear.

    "Wow, you are gonna join the hunt, this is such incredible news!!" Jocelyn beamed. She would have given Audrey a tight hug if she was the one sitting beside her.

    "So what weapons do you guys use for the annual hunt?" Audrey asked curiously.

    "Guns, bow and arrows¡­,"

    "Is your father''s name really Anderson Simon, the son of that proud man, Simon Potter?" Elder Carter asked as she revealed herself atst. They shifted their attention to where the voice came from. They were all surprised to see that she was there.

    "Do you know my father?" Anthony asked innocently.

    "How could I not know him when Joanna''s mother and I were best friends?" Elder Carter took Joanna and Audrey by surprise with her reply.

    "Did you just say you were my mother''s best friend?" Joanna asked subconsciously standing up to her feet.

    She has always looked for means to know about her birth mother.

    For the past seventeen years, all she has known about her mother was her name and this was when Adhara spat the name out of anger.

    Another thing she knew about her mother was the fact that she was an immoral woman who seduced a married man and even dared to give birth to his child.

    Was this her chance to learn about her biological mother?

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 36 Joannas Biological Mother

    ?"Of course I knew Lucinda Martin more than anyone else? No one would im to know her better than I do, not even her parents," Elder Carter''s confidence while saying these words further aroused the girl''s curiosity. The girls adjusted the way they sat so that Elder Carter sat in between Jocelyn and Joanna.

    "It is recorded in history that you were among the founder of the pack so how on Earth would you know someone who is part of Twipera Kingdom?" Jocelyn asked curiously.

    Although she hasn''t always been a fan of reading she at least has good knowledge of almost everything about the pack and how it came to existence.

    Out of all the other elders it is well known that Elder Carter yed a huge part in the building of the pack. It is for this same reason that everyone holds her in high esteem.

    "Before the merging of the werewolf and vampire race, the vampires and werewolves lived separately. They were mortal enemies for more than a millennium but everything changed after the great war at the broken bridge. Her mother was a werewolf and we were best friends before the establishment of the pack," Elder Carter exined calmly.

    "If her mother was a werewolf then why do people always say that she takes after her mother in terms of being weak?" Audrey asked curiously.

    She and Joanna have been friends for over a decade but she doesn''t know anything about her best friend''s biological mother. The only thing she knew was the fact that she was a frail woman and a homewrecker. Apart from that none really says anything specific about her.

    "Lucinda Martin at the age of ten was very popr not because of anything but because of her powers. She was more powerful and skilled than her age mates but¡­," Elder Carter trailed. Her expression fell and her eyes depict sadness. They couldn''t help but wonder why her prideful look had suddenly turned sad.

    "Then what happened?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "She was the pride of her parents. Her life was just perfect but everything fell apart the day she woke up and realised that she has lost her powers of original being," Elder Carter ryed sadly.

    "What does that mean?" Rachel, who has been listening attentively, asked.

    "Her once perfect life came crashing down when she woke up one day and realised that she had lost her powers. She couldn''t transformed, every powers associated with being a werewolf was gone including the scent of a werewolf¡­,"

    "What? But how is that even possible?" Jocelyn asked in disbelief.

    A werewolf who has manifested his or her powers will forever be a werewolf no matter what happens and that is why she was shocked to hear such a revtion.

    "That was the same question on everyone''s mind when this happened. And that is why they sort for answers from far and near¡­,"

    "And Granny, did they find the answer?" Anthony asked meekly.

    Although he was still a child he knew one or two things about his kind and that is why he could follow the discussion the adults were having.

    "For a year, her parents took her from one ce to another seeking a solution. And at the end no physician, seer, witch or any being could say so sure why Lucinda the child prodigy lost her powers overnight," Elder Carter said.

    "That is so sad," Jocelyn replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She is a werewolf too, she could not imagine a life without her powers especially when she had already gotten a taste of how it feels to be what she is.

    Life would be so hard and painful.

    "I am sure everyone must have empathized with her, right?" Rachel asked, her gaze focused on Elder Carter''s face.

    "Empathized with her?" Elder Carter chuckled.

    They didn''t see anything funny about what Rachel said so Elder Carter''s chuckles made them confused.

    "Instead of empathy, everyone was happy about her misfortune. They jeered at her saying ''That serves her right''....,"

    "What cruelty!! How can people be so mean?" Jocelyn said. She stole a nce at Joanna''s face to see how she was epting the revtion about her mother.

    Joanna''s expression looked neutralpared to the expression she imagined. She couldn''t tell what was going on through that girl''s mind.

    "You call that cruelty?" Elder Carter asked, while looking at Jocelyn.

    "If you call that cruelty then what would you say if you learned that her parents were so ashamed of what she has be. They cut off all ties with her because of this¡­,"

    "That is a lie!!" Rachel and Jocelyn remarked. They were even more shocked than the girl whose mother Elder Carter was talking about.

    "I would never lie about such a thing. Your father knows the story well, you can confirm with him whether what I said is a lie or true," Elder Carter, now looking at Joanna, said seriously.

    "This is the reason why I get very mad when I recall the pains my 16 years old friend went through. I get so furious when I recall that she died in suffering," Elder Carter said emotionally. She wiped the tears that fell from her eyes.

    "I thought those who lived at that time would be matured but I can''t believe that they were as small minded as those in the present. Be it those in the past or the present, they think that power is everything?" Audrey said coldly.

    "What a rotten mindset they have. They don''t realize that nothingsts forever. The tide might change anytime".

    "Power has always been what defined our race since time immemorial and I don''t think that will change any time soon," Elder Carter said with a firm expression.

    "If everyone considers her such a failure then how did she meet my father?" Joanna asked with a stern expression.

    "Is it true that she seduced a married man and shamelessly gave birth to his child? Was she an immoral woman like everyone out there calls her?"

 Chapter 37 Lucinda Was His Mate

    ?"Who said Lucinda was an immoral woman?" Elder Carter asked angrily.

    "If she wasn''t what they call her then why did she get pregnant for a man who is married with a child?" Joanna asked. She didn''t only sound angry but looked furious. It was as if all her piled up anger she has been suppressing all these years had suddenly sprung up from within.

    She has always wanted to me someone for her predicament and years of suffering and this seems to be a perfect time.

    "If she didn''t get pregnant for a married man then my life wouldn''t be what it is. I wouldn''t have to live my life in hell if she didn''t do this? So why? Why did she do this?" Joanna asked, not able to control her pains.

    Tears bubbled in her eyes when she recalled all she went through all these years.

    If she wasn''t a strong-minded girl and have high pain tolerance, even though she didn''t end up dying because of everyone''s bullying then she would havemitted suicide.

    "Lucinda was your father''s mate," Elder Carter blurted out. She couldn''t stand seeing the girl in pain.

    "What? But howe nobody ever mentioned that? They instead always refer to my mother as the other woman," Joanna asked the same question which was on Audrey''s mind.

    Elder Carter went ahead to narrate all she knows to them. She was very detailed about everything, especially when she learned that her best friend was wrongly used of being an immoral woman.

    Lucinda was never what those people all called her.

    At the end of the narration, everyone was left perplexed.

    Joanna and Audrey couldn''t believe that all they have ever known about Joanna''s mother were big fat lies.

    "From what I know mates always spend their lives together so howe this is different?" Jocelyn asked, looking disappointed at what she heard.

    "How could he be a coward and forsake his mate only to marry a wealthy and powerfuldy all because his mate was powerless?" Jocelyn added angrily.

    "He is the one who got her pregnant because he couldn''t withstand the bond that joins them together so how dare he keeps quiet when that mean mother and daughter duo always talk bad about your mother?" Audrey sped her fists. She felt the urge to hit something.

    She knew very well that the centre table would fall apart if she punched it and that is why she tried to control her anger.

    "So my mother was innocent of all their usations after all. If there is anyone who should be med for my birth it should be none other than my father," Joanna said.

    All these years she has always believed those despicable words said about her and her mother. She never knew the entire story.

    Because her father''s family was powerful he couldn''t settle down for a mate who was nothing but a powerlessdy whom everyone referred to as a failure.

    He chose to overlook their bond and settled for another woman whose family wasn''t only wealthy but has a reputation for producing powerful werewolves.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Since he chose the wealthy and powerful Adhara over her poor and weak mother then how dare he go back to her iming that he couldn''t resist the bond that he shares with her.

    He was the one at fault for having intimacy with her mum despite knowing that he has a wife and a two years old girl so why did everyone push all the me to her mum?

    Were they not in the same vige when all this happened so why did they turn the innocent Lucinda into the bad guy?

    Joanna had so many questions going through her mind but none was avable to answer them.

    "Even though I had left after the war, your mother and I were still in contact. I remained her best friend and confidant despite everything," Elder Carter said.

    "When I first saw you I should have recognised you through those rare purple eyes of yours but unfortunately I couldn''t since you looked so different from your mum," Elder Carter said as he stared at Joanna''s face.

    "Granny, are you trying to say that my big sister looks ugly?" Anthony asked, frowning.

    "Haha¡­ that is not what I meant little boy," Elder Carter smiled on seeing how overprotective Anthony was.

    "I meant to say thatpared to her mother who was an average beauty, she is a goddess. She looks very beautiful. She has be prettier than when she was a baby. The only thing which hasn''t changed from the baby picture of her that I have is those rare sets of eyeballs," Elder Carter beamed at Joanna.

    "Do you mean that you have a picture of Joanna when she was a baby?" Audrey asked. Her lips curled into an evil grin.

    "Not only do I have a picture of when she was a baby but I also have pictures of her mum," Elder Carter replied. Joanna exchanged nces with Audrey.

    After Adhara burned the only picture of her mother she had when she was a kid, she doesn''t have anything that reminds her of her mother.

    In fact, she doesn''t know what her biological mother looks like.

    "You have my mother''s pictures? Can I have a look at it?" Joanna said politely.

    "I will be more than pleased to show it to you," Elder Carter said. She stood up and began walking away.

    "Please don''t forget to bring her baby''s picture. Let''s have someughs while looking at it," Audrey yelled so that the woman now far away from where they sat would hear her.

    "Why do you have that mischievous look on your face huh?" Jocelyn asked yfully. She is the master of mischief so she would know if she sees that someone is up to no good.

    "What are you nning to do with Joanna''s baby picture?"

    "What else if not to tease her for alwaysughing at mine?" Audrey said, smiling.

 Chapter 38 Discovering Hidden Secrets

    ?Elder Carter soon came back with a grey album. She sat on the couch while every other person circled her to get a glimpse of the album.

    "This was your mum when she was 15 years old. This picture was taken some days before she lost her powers," Elder Carter pointed at thedy wearing a green dress with her long ck hair well-styled.

    She looked pretty and sophisticated. Although she wasn''t the prettiest out of the threedies in the picture, her charming smile stood out most.

    "Her smile looks very beautiful. Judging from the way she dressed and the manner she carried herself in the picture I can tell that she was from a wealthy family," Jocelynmented, her eyes centred on the picture.

    Joanna sitting beside Elder Carter at the right pointed at the picture of a haggard-lookingdy wearing a grey faded maxi dress, "When was this taken?" She asked without taking her eyes off the picture.

    Joanna was more interested in knowing more about her mother rather than her family.

    Why would she care about the family which cruelly abandoned their daughter because she no longer met their expectations?

    Why would she give a fuck about people who have never shown up in front of her to ask about her wellbeing.?

    She would rather pretend they don''t exist than try to know them. She knows that the oue will not be different from that of her mother if she finds them.

    They will consider her a bigger disappointment since she wasn''t even born with powers like her mother in the first ce.

    "That was on her eighteenth birthday," Elder Carter said.

    "In the past, we had imagined Lucinda''s eighteenth birthday party to be borate and extravagant, unfortunately, the very opposite of what we imagined was what happened".

    "Your mother went through a lot¡­,"

    "I know you both got separated a long time before I was conceived but I am curious to know whether you are aware of why she chose to give birth to me even though she wasn''t doing fine herself?" Joanna asked.

    For the longest time, she has always questioned her existence.

    If her father considers her his biggest w then why was she given birth in the first ce?

    Instead of bringing her into the world to suffer then why didn''t they put an end to her existence before she came out of the world.

    Why on Earth did they bring her into the world when she was never wanted?

    "I am sure she would have been able to start afresh if she got rid of me in her stomach so why didn''t she do that?"

    "What reason could there be if not because she loved you," Elder Carter replied to Joanna''s question.

    "Your mother loved you more than she loved herself. Believe me, Lucinda would never have sent you to that household if she wasn''t dying," Elder Carter said. She tapped Joanna''s hands lying on herp.

    "What was the use of that love when it brought me nothing but endless pains and suffering," Joanna muttered. She stood up from where they all sat and went upstairs to her room.

    Everyone was surprised by her attitude but none said anything.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Audrey followed and looked through the album for a little while longer. She left others still skimming through the album and went upstairs to check up on Joanna.

    She met Joanna standing looking out through the window.

    Audrey walked over to where she stood and tapped her on the shoulder. The startled Joanna jumped up in fear. She was so absent-minded that she didn''t feel Audrey enter their room.

    "Why are you sulking?" Audrey asked. "Shouldn''t you be happy that you have one more person in this world who loves and cherish you more than her life¡­,"

    "What is the point of her love?" Joanna said coldly. "What is the point of the fact that she loves me when I can never feel her love? Her love only brought me endless pains, I wish¡­,"

    "There is no need to say anything negative right now. I am sure everything will change for the better tomorrow when your eighteenth birthday reaches. You need to pull through this one day no matter how difficult it is because this is your chance to make a breakthrough," Audrey said with a stern expression.

    Joanna turned to face Audrey. "Whether or not I can pull through it is not up to me. There are thousands of people who would do anything to make sure that I don''t see my eighteenth birthday. It will be a miracle if I make it¡­,"

    "Why would you say such a thing when you have such a capable friend like me?" Audrey said displeasingly. "You have me to protect you so chill hmm?" Audrey tapped her on the shoulder. She smiled brightly at unhappy Joanna.

    Joanna and Audrey talked until Jocelyn came to inform them that it was almost time for the hunt.

    At thest minute, Anthony insisted that he wanted to hunt along with the three girls. Joanna had trouble persuading Anthony to stay back with her.

    Audrey took Joanna aside when she was about to leave with Jocelyn and Rachel.

    "Although I know that Jocelyn and her brother the Alpha won''t harm us in any way, I can''t trust the other members of theirmunity so make sure to be in your room and lock the door," The worried Audrey said in low tones.

    "Always be on alert. Elder Carter will take you to the venue when the hunt is over. Be safe ok," Audrey said lovingly.

    "I should be the one saying that to you. I will be rooting for you, don''t worry," Joanna said. She smiled at Audrey to show her that she has got this.

    "Come back safely and don''t you dare get hurt," Joanna embraced her despite knowing that Audrey didn''t want to go overboard by hugging her.

    "Since it''s our future Queen of Twipera Kingdom who gives the order, I won''t dare to disobey," Audrey jokes. She released Joanna almost instantly.

    Anthony and Joanna saw the three girls to the gate. They went back into the house after seeing them leave.

    Leaving Elder Carter''s home, the three girls didn''t go straight to the venue the hunt wouldmence but Jocelyn took them to the packhouse.

    At the packhouse, they changed their casual wear to an outfit befitting of the event at hand. They all selected weapons for themselves but left the weapons in the care of Jocelyn''s bodyguards.

    When they reached the town square and everyone saw Audrey dressed in herbat clothes, people began talking in low tones but none dared to speak out loud with the Alpha present in their midst.

    Despite knowing that she was the reason they were all mumbling, Audrey didn''t spare them a nce.

    She followed Jocelyn to the Alpha''s shade where their seat was already made avable.

 Chapter 39 Jocelyn, The Matchmaker

    ?"I thought you were having too much fun with your new friends and forgot about the huntingpetition," Alpha Benjamin said when Jocelyn had sat down on the seat closest to his.

    "How could I ever forget about such a thing when it''s something I have been looking forward to for the past twelve months?" Jocelyn''s smile spread across her pretty face.

    The town square was well decorated with the skin of the animals made from some of the prey captured at every annual hunt since it came into existence.

    Audrey never thought animals were anything special apart from serving as food to her kind but her opinion changed when she saw that animals had other uses apart from being a source of food.

    The annual hunt was one of the events you would see so many of the pack members gather together at the same time.

    Another event that always made them gather this way is the Alpha''s birthday.

    Since the establishment of the pack, the Alphas had always made it a point of duty to throw borate parties and all pack members were invited to the party.

    The party was a way for the Alpha getting to know his people closely.

    After Benjamin became the Alpha he also observed this ritual.

    Not too long after Jocelyn, Rachel and Audrey arrived some dignitaries in the pack were called to talk about the annual festival that includes the huntpetition in particr.

    After two people made their speech, Alpha Benjamin, the ruler of the great Golden Core Pack was called to speak.

    Alpha Benjamin was weed onto the stage with thunderous apuse.

    As usual, he began talking by addressing everyone. He talked for a few minutes.

    "I can''t wait for them to get over with this so that we canmence with the game," Jocelyn muttered, frowning.

    "Your brother looks quite handsome, I wonder why he is still single?" Audrey said in low tones.

    "He is the most eligible bachelor in the pack. So manydies are crushing over him. Some are desperate enough to seduce him just to get the title of his Luna," Jocelyn spoke with pride. she stole a nce at her aloof elder brother standing on the podium. His Beta, Noah stood very close to the Alpha performing his duty of protecting the Alpha.

    "If he is so popr among women then why is he still unmated? You know I won''t believe you if you tell me that he is yet to find his mate," Audrey said, her gaze fixated on the tall handsome guy speaking.

    Apart from having a perfect body, Alpha Benjamin was blessed with the looks too. He had the weapons to bring every woman to her knees.

    Even men who were not half as perfect as he were either married or were in a serious rtionship with their mate so she wondered why such a fine species like the one standing in front of her was still single.

    "Just like every werewolf my elder bro also had a mate, a very beautiful and loving one at that¡­,"

    "If he had such a woman then why is he not married?" Audrey asked. She didn''t pay enough attention to listen that Jocelyn was using the past tense when she mentioned the Alpha''s mate.

    "Because she is dead. She died a few days after their engagement," Rachel decided to help Jocelyn out on seeing her fallen expression.

    It was after Rachel spoke that Audrey realised that she had touched on a sensitive topic she shouldn''t have done.

    "I am sorry, I didn''t know he had such a history. I would have never had brought it up if I knew¡­,"

    "It''s ok. You are not at fault anyways," Jocelyn replied calmly. She diverted her attention to where her brother stood.

    He turned and looked in her direction almost at the same time and Jocelyn forced a smile on.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She died about five years ago but my Elder brother is still not over her yet¡­," Jocelyn trailed. "Or should I say he hasn''t been able to imprint on anydy after she died. The bond he shared with her is something he hasn''t been able to feel for any other woman".

    Jocelyn didn''t avoid her brother''s eyes as she spoke, she knew he couldn''t hear what she said from where he stood.

    "Wow, I never knew he was such a loving man. Although he is quite handsome there is a cold aura he exudes so I thought hecked female admirers because of this," Audrey brought back her gaze to Jocelyn.

    "Yeah, my brother is such a good catch. He is the type of guy that is rare to find. If you like him, I don''t mind ying the matchmaker¡­,"

    "What!" Audrey''s eyes widened in shock. She blinked repeatedly. Jocelyn''s assumptions left her speechless.

    "You look very interested in my elder brother and I don''t mind having you as a sister-inw¡­,"

    "Sorry but I would have to reject your offer," Audrey interrupted her abruptly.

    "But why?" Jocelyn asked, sounding pretty upset that Audrey rejected her elder brother.

    "My Elder brother is not only tall but also handsome, rich and the most powerful werewolf in the pack. If you be his wife you will be well protected so why did you reject him?"

    Audrey didn''t know why Jocelyn seemed so upset but that didn''t stop her from speaking her mind.

    "I am nobody here and your people are ring and ready to tear me into pieces. Do you think they would hesitate to rip me apart and feed my flesh to the vultures if the news of me being the Alpha''s future Luna reaches their ears?" Audrey shudders. The mere thought alone made her shiver.

    "It''s not like you are afraid of them so why¡­,"

    "Aren''t you gonna listen to what he is saying? His gaze seems like a cautionary warning for you to behave yourself," Audrey said, immediately staring at her front. With Audrey acting this way she gave Jocelyn no chance to talk about the ongoing topic.

    "The Golden Core Pack''s annual festival is not only the medium for us to gather, dine and wine but the festival is our culture, our heritage and what defined our existence and where we originated from," Alpha Benjamin words echoed in the hearts of the people who had forgotten the essence of the annual festival.

    "Let''s never forget who we are or where we came from as we strive to be the best," Alpha Benjamin said.

    [I have to admit, he has a very enticing masculine voice that lingers in the mind of those under the sound of his voice]

    Audrey subconsciously smiled at him. She shook her head violently to drive the thoughts away when she realised what was going through her mind.

    "Let the annual huntingpetition begin," Alpha Benjamin finally said the words everyone gathered there was longing to hear.

    Jocelyn jumped to her feet the instant she heard her brother''sst sentence.

    Alpha Benjamin and the three guards following him closely reached the girls just in time when they were about to leave for the forest.

    "It doesn''t matter whether you make it into the top ten hunters with the most catches, always remember that safetyes first. I will still be very proud of you even though you don''t make the top ten list," Alpha Benjamin advised. He knew just how stubborn his little sister could be.

    "I will see what to do about that," Jocelyn said. She grabbed both Rachel and Audrey''s hands and pulled them along with her.

    Alpha Benjamin turned to face Carl and the other bodyguards who were still holding the girl''s weapon.

    "Make sure no harmes to any of them," He instructed in a cold tone.

    Carl and his men left after giving the Alpha their words.

 Chapter 40 The Annual Hunt Commence

    ?"I can''t help but feel uneasy about the hunt, especially since the one who drowned her hasn''t been caught," Alpha Benjamin said, only enough for Noah standing beside him to hear.

    "Although Jocelyn can be very naughty we both know that she can protect herself. Also, Carl went with her so I am sure that he will not let any harme to her," Noah said to reassure the worried Alpha.

    Noah escorted the Alpha back to the packhouse.

    Fifteen minutester, Jocelyn, Audrey and Rachel were seen standing in the middle of a greenish area surrounded by tall trees.

    Not only she but other contestants of the huntingpetition were too busy attending to the matter at hand to enjoy the chirping of the birds.

    "Isn''t this the same forest we passed through two days ago¡­ Howe the snow that covered the trees and the entire ground of the forest is nowhere to be seen?" Audrey asked in awe. She looked far ahead of her to the point that her vision could cover but the result was still the same; the snow was gone.

    "Every year, a few months before the festival, the forest and everything in it is always covered by snow. But surprisingly we always wake up on the day of the festival and realize that the snow in the forest is gone¡­," Rachel said beaming.

    "It''s a sign that even the moon goddess is happy and bless the day of the hunt."

    Audrey shifted her gaze to Jocelyn walking beside her, "Is it true?"

    "No man can perform such miraculous things¡­ It can only be the handiwork of our great moon goddess," Jocelyn had a proud look as she talked.

    "Does the mood goddess really exist?" Audrey''s question made other hunters stop in their tracks. They all turned and give her murderous res.

    Audrey saw their murderous res but pretended not to.

    "I mean Anna has been praying to her for the past thirteen years to deliver her but she hasn''t done anything¡­,"

    "Hey, Audrey don''t say that; not here or in the presence of any other pack members," Rachel stopped Audrey from saying more words about the moon goddess.

    "Ladies, we are not here to talk about the moon goddess but to hunt. At this rate we are not gonna go back with any prey if we keep up with this attitude," Jocelyn said before the two other girls would continue talking.

    She can already tell that their little talk has made Audrey and Rachel forget the reason they are in the forest.

    "Ok, so where do we start hunting?" Audrey said the words Jocelyn wanted to hear.

    "As you know I am not familiar with theyout of the forest¡­,"

    "Now you are talking baby girl," Jocelyn said grinning only to appear in front of them.

    "This way Audrey, try to keep up with my pace so you don''t go missing," Jocelyn said, this time around she appeared ten feet away from where they stood.

    "Girl, I can do that even better," Audrey imitated the same tone Jocelyn used. When it was her turn to use her powers, she covered more distance than Jocelyn.

    Jocelyn and Audrey repeated the same thing while Rachel stood at the same spot she stood staring at them enjoying being what they truly are.

    "This is what she has been yearning for all these years and now that she has met the match she has always wanted, I am sure that they will both set the forest burning hot," Rachel muttered. Using her powers she catches up to them in no time.

    They kept on running further into the forest. On their way, they passed so many hunters until they got to a cliff.

    Jocelyn leading the hunt halted and moved a few steps backwards from the edge of the cliff.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s take another way down¡­," Audrey stepped forward, not letting Jocelynplete her words.

    Before others could fathom what the hell she was up to Audrey jumped andnded on the edge of another cliff that was separated by a huge and long hole.

    "What did she just do!" Rachel''s mouth dropped open as she stared at Audrey standing at the opposite side of the cliff they currently were at.

    "Don''t tell me that is all you have got Jocelyn?" Audrey grinned at the girl that was staring at her.

    "What you saw earlier is not up to one-third of what I can do," Jocelyn replied confidently. She moved so that there was a huge space between where she stood and the edge of the cliff.

    "It''s dangerous¡­,"

    "I have got this," Jocelyn gently pushed Carl''s hand holding onto her right hand.

    "Also you are a part of the pack and very eligible to join the hunting contest so I permit you to join the contest¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "You and the others are exempted from protecting me today. Go have fun too," Jocelyn said with a smile.

    She leapt into the air and instantly she shifted to a brown werewolf which had some touches of red on her fur.

    "Jocelyn, don''t¡­," Jocelyn gave one powerful leap and she was propelled forward by her powers.

    Rachel covered her mouth in astonishment as she watched her best friend jump over the cliff.

    There was a loud crack the moment Jocelynnded on the opposite cliff. The crack resulted from the impact of her powers.

    "You are not that bad I must admit," Audrey said beaming as she pats Audrey''s fur.

    "They are crazy!" Rachel let out the words. "Those two girls are damn out of their minds".

    Rachel still didn''t get over the shock despite Jocelyn havingnded safely on the other cliff.

    "Off we go. See you guyster," Audrey waved at those standing at the opposite cliff. She disappeared before Rachel could say anything.

    Jocelyn also left the cliff.

    Reaching the foot of the cliff, the first thing the transformed Audrey noticed was that this part of the forest was quiet.

    Even with her powers, she couldn''t sense the activities or the presence of anyone around.

    [I guess she wasn''t lying when she said that she is the master of this part of the forest]

    Audrey stared at the werewolf walking beside her.

    "I guess the real hunting begins now, little Wolfie," An evil grin appeared on Audrey''s face after she finished speaking.

 Chapter 41 Who Sent You To Kill Us?

    ?Audrey stamped her right foot hard on the grassy ground and with one powerful leap, she was standing on the branch of the tall tree beneath where the werewolf Jocelyn stood.

    "Let''s have fun hunting, little Wolfie," Audrey leapt on another tree with ease.

    [Why the hell does she keep calling me little Wolfie? What on Earth is little about me?]

    Jocelyn repeatedly growled to show her displeasure.

    The two friends began hunting in full swing.

    While they were busy having tons of funpeting against each other, the likes of Carl, Rachel and the Alpha were worried about them.

    A few hourster Jocelyn and Audrey were seen running at top speed scrambling to catch the same prey.

    Seeing that Jocelyn was ahead of her, Audrey took the right path. As she runs and leaps, Audrey still nces at Jocelyn to make sure that their distance from the prey wasn''t toorge.

    When they were some distance away from the running deer, Audrey and Jocelyn leapt at the same time.

    "Gotcha!" Audrey grinned the moment shended on the ground with the deer in her right hand.

    [She was ahead of me this time around]

    Jocelyn howled as she turned to face her back where Audrey is.

    Behold she saw Audrey biting the poor animal repeatedly. The deer screamed as Audrey repeatedly feasted on him without mercy.

    After Audrey has drunk the blood of the deer to her fill, she shoves the dead animal aside and stands up from her squatting position.

    "Sorry, I couldn''t help it. I have been trying to control my thirst since we entered the forest but unfortunately, as you can see¡­," Audrey tried to exin when she saw the way the werewolf girl stared at her.

    Even though she wasn''t in her human form she understood the questioning stares Jocelyn gave her.

    "Don''t worry, I will try not to go berserk again and devour another precious prey," Audrey cleaned her mouth. Although she had given Jocelyn her words Audrey wasn''t sure whether or not she would be able to keep her promise.

    The forest itself was full of so many temptations how could she be sure of what she will do again.

    "Let''s continue¡­.,"

    "Watch out!" Audrey shouted and jumped at the same time and collided with Jocelyn so the two of them fell to the ground.

    Jocelyn didn''t know what was going on until she saw a bullet pierce the tree close to where she stood earlier.

    Had Audrey not been fast to get her out of the way then she would have been the one that was shot.

    They didn''t recover from the first attack when Audrey''s heightened sense of hearing heard the person pull the trigger again.

    This time around Jocelyn didn''t need Audrey to save her, they both got out of their current spot at the same time.

    "I would consider the first shot as the mistake but definitely not when he repeats the same thing twice. Whoever shot that bullet is aiming for either of us," Audrey hiding behind a huge tree said loud enough for Jocelyn shielding herself behind a tree too to hear.

    The shooter didn''t let the girls finish analysing what was happening before he shot the third bullet.

    The third bullet cleared whatever doubts the girls had about the shooter.

    "This isn''t funny anymore," Audrey muttered as she remained in her spot.

    "It looks like the one shooting is ready for us. I mean he even dared to use a revolver so that others won''t hear the gunshot ande to our rescue".

    Jocelyn growled to signify that she agrees with what Audrey said.

    Audrey closed her eyes and tried to identify the particr spot the shooter was. Just when she thought that she had gotten the person, another bullet came from a different direction from where she spotted the first person.

    Before the bullet could hit her, Audrey jumped and rolled to the ground.

    She didn''t know whether thest bullet was a blessing or curse since she got to hide at the same spot with Jocelyn.

    Jocelyn and Audrey thought they had spotted the shooters but to their greatest surprise, they discovered two more shooters after dodging five more bullets.

    As if shooting at them wasn''t enough the shooters drew closer to their hiding spot.

    "There are four of them so that means we are outnumbered but I don''t think that should be a problem right?" Audrey said in a low tone. And Jocelyn responded by rubbing her face against Audrey''s face.

    "To be able to defeat them we need to follow this strategy," Audrey said. Since for some reason she couldn''t tell whether the assassins were humans, werewolves or vampires, she decided to whisper the words into Jocelyn''s ears to be sure that their ns didn''t leak.

    "All we did earlier was just practice but this is the real deal. Any mistakes can lead to death or serious injuries and I am sure you don''t want this," Audrey said while looking into Jocelyn''s eyes.

    "Even though we are outnumbered I can already tell that those fools are not our match, we have got this hmm," Audrey caressed Jocelyn''s fur affectionately.

    Audrey stood up and cross-checked her arrow carrier to see how many arrows she had left.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Since the assassins decided not to let other hunters know what was going on there Audrey decided not to use her gun except if necessary.

    "Wolfie, I trust you ok," Audrey smiled at Jocelyn. She tapped her as a signal that it was time for them to carry out their ns.

    Almost immediately Jocelyn ran ahead and just like they had predicted the assassins focused all their attention on her.

    The pattern in which Jocelyn ran made it difficult for the gunmen to aim at her properly

    When Audrey saw that their ns had worked, she leapt onto the tree which she used as a shield.

    "Hey motherfuckers, isn''t it me you are looking for?" Audrey distracted them further with her loud voice.

    The men all paused and turned to face her instead.

    "Do you think you are powerful? Come let me show you what it really means to be powerful," Audrey grinned when she saw them shoot at the same time.

    Before they knew what was going on she had leapt on another tree.

    Jocelyn used the men''s distraction andnded a fatal attack on them.

    She jumped and bite off the hand of one of the men with her powerful teeth.

    The guy whose hand was lying in front of him with the gun stuck to the amputated hand screamed in pain.

    Jocelyn didn''t wait for the guy''spanion to attack her. She jumped on another guy and bit his neck. She had aimed to bite off the guy''s neck but another of the assassins kicked her hard before she could achieve her aim.

    She was sent flying in the air because of the kick. She collided very hard against a big tree trunk.

    Jocelyn whined and couldn''t stand up immediately. The one who looked like the leader of the group seized this opportunity and tried to shoot Jocelyn.

    Audrey whistled instantly to get their attention. "Hey isn''t it me you are looking for?" Audrey grinned evilly as she threw at the two guys the fruit she picked from a tree.

    The two men dodged her attack swiftly.

    "Is that all you are capable of?" Audrey said provocatively. She secretly stole a nce at Jocelyn to see whether she was able to stand up.

    "If the one who ordered you for the job was to see how incapable you guys are I am sure he would be grim with anger, don''t you agree with me?"

    Audrey''s provocative utterances worked like opium because the moment she finished saying these words the assassins, especially the leader, turned red in anger.

    "I guess it is time to rip off that damn mouth of yours, little girl," The leader that was wearing a ck cape said angrily.

    Audrey gasped, "A vampire!".

    Audrey''s expression widened and her mouth parted like she had seen a ghost when she saw the guy''s crimson eyes and long fangs.

    [But how is a vampire here in the homes of werewolves~]

    The man didn''t let Audrey wrap up her thoughts; he hopped on the tree Audrey stood on. But hended on a branch lower than the one Audrey stood.

    Audrey jumped onto another tree before the man in the ck cape could leap and grab her legs.

    While Audrey tried to handle the leader of the group, Jocelyn, who just recovered from her injuries, took care of the remaining one.

    When she made sure that they were a far distance from where Jocelyn was, Audrey stopped running and jumped down from the tree. And so did the cape man.

    "Who sent you to kill us?" Audrey standing face to face with the vampire guy asked.

    "Your ancestors," The guy replied. He rushed forward to attack Audrey but smart as she was, Audrey vanished only to appear at his back.

    "Am I your target or is she the one?" Audrey continued.

    "Ask your ancestors when you get to the underworld," The guy shot a bullet at Audrey but she caught the bullets with her bare hands.

    "It''s true that one day I will reach the Nethends but absolutely not today," Audrey said confidently. She cracked her knuckles and twisted her neck.

    "If there is anyone between the two of us who will be the candidate of the Nethends today it''s you and not me".

    Audrey charged forward with her fists sped.

    He punched her hard on the stomach, causing her to stagger about five feet backwards.

    She crunched in pain.

    "Ouch¡­ that hurts," Audrey grasped her belly, the spot the guy punched. "Was that what you were expecting to hear me say?"

    Audrey''s arrogant words and expression made the cape guy feel small. Everything about Audrey irritated him after Audrey''sst utterance.

 Chapter 42 They Won

    ?"That might not have been enough to make you whine in pain but I assure you that you won''t have that haughty look in a few minutes," The assassin threw the gun to the floor and brought out a brown dagger he hid underneath his cape.

    Audrey took her stance ready to attack and also defend against the guy''s attack.

    The battle wasn''t an easy one since both Audrey and the man were equally matched in terms of strength, flexibility and agility.

    The man repeatedly pierced Audrey all over with the dagger in his possession.

    Thank goodness for her quick regenerating ability or Audrey would have be an handicapped due to the man''s brutality.

    Audrey, leaning on the huge tree to catch her breath, moved away in a sh when she saw the man charged toward her with his sped fist.

    Because Audrey moved away at thest minute the man punched the tree hard. The impact of the punch caused the tall tree to sway violently.

    Had it been Audrey''s head he punched he would no doubt have splitted Audrey''s skull into two with his punch.

    The guy swayed his right hand backwards and also turned around at the same time to attack Audrey standing behind him.

    The next thing he felt was a burning sensation on his chest. He lowered his gaze and was stunned to see a dagger stuck to his chest.

    "You¡­," The guy whom Audrey has stabbed through the heart with a silver dagger fell to the ground unable toplete hisst sentence.

    Audrey moved closer to where the man in ck capey. She didn''t need anyone to tell her that he was near disintegrating to ashes since it was very obvious.

    "Do you know the set of people I never forgive?" Audrey squat in front of the man.

    "It''s the set of people who think that they can hurt me or those who are important to me and go scot-free".

    Audrey showed no form of sympathy or guilt as she squats there and sees the guy gradually disintegrate to dust in front of her.

    If she wasn''t on par with him then she would have been the one dying right now so why should she feel sympathetic towards a guy whose motive was to kill her.

    Audrey stood up and turned her back on the ashes covering the green spot some distance from where she stood. "It was your bad luck for running into a girl called Audrey Lopez today".

    Audrey swaggerliciously dusted off her shoulder. She disappeared almost immediately.

    When Audrey returned to the spot she left Jocelyn, she was shocked to the marrow not to see Jocelyn there.

    Her heart began beating fast against her chest when she still couldn''t find Jocelyn even after searching the nearby surroundings.

    "Don''t tell me she got taken away by the gunmen?" Realisation struck Audrey hard as she grabbed her head.

    "Sh*t! Goddamn it!" Audrey cursed loudly. She ran deeper into the forest with hope of finding Jocelyn.

    Audrey halted after running for over ten minutes nonstop. "Damn! I am afraid I am gonna lose my mind if this goes on" said Audrey as she held her forehead.

    She stood there with her eyes closed. Audrey let her senses travel as far as they could. Her eyes flew open when she sniffed the familiar scent.

    Audrey spun around in a sh and behold there stood the smiling Jocelyn.

    She stood there staring at the smilingdy without knowing how to react.

    She almost went insane thinking that harm had befallen her and here Jocelyn is smiling like someone who had no care in the world.

    "I never thought that you loved me so much until a moment ago," said Jocelyn, still maintaining her charming smile.

    "If I had be so important to you then what are you gonna do when you leave in a few hours?".

    Audrey got over the shock as fast as it came. She walked closer to where Jocelyn stood.

    "Hey, how could you do that? Do you know how scared I was? I even thought that they¡­," Audrey hesitated onpleting what was on her mind.

    "Actually, that wasn''t a prank but I went in search of you too and unfortunately I couldn''t find you," Jocelyn said, her smiling gradually faded from her pretty face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Some minutes ago when Audrey was confronting one of the assassins which turned out to be a vampire she also was busy taking care of the remaining men.

    She was distracted by the fight and didn''t see when Audrey left the ce.

    Jocelyn was stunned when she couldn''t find Audrey and tried to follow her scent.

    She searched and searched the forest but she couldn''t find Audrey. She didn''t even know when she drifted farther into the forest.

    Jocelyn was trying to retrace her steps when she heard Audrey screaming her name at the top of her lungs.

    Something inside of her told her to hide and watch Audrey in secret. She could no longer handle the pains in Audrey''s voice when she was yelling her name and that is why she finally made her presence known.

    "I was also searching for you too¡­,"

    "And that was in opposite directions and that''s exactly the reason we didn''t bump into each other earlier," Jocelyn smiled at Audrey.

    Audrey''s racing heart slowly returned to normal after making sure that Jocelyn was fine. It was after she calmed down she realised that Jocelyn had shifted back to her human form and was even wearing clothes.

    It was in her presence that Jocelyn shifted to a werewolf some hours ago. She saw Jocelyn''s clothes ripped into pieces when she shifted so where on Earth did she find the set of clothes she was wearing.

    "Where did you get clothes?" Audrey pointed at the ck short sleeve shirt and trousers Jocelyn wore.

    Because Jocelyn wasn''t wearing bras, her tits were shooting out from underneath the shirt.

    "This is all thanks to Rach or else I would have beenpletely nude when I shifted back to human," Jocelyn said smiling. She didn''t look a bit ashamed that she looked disheveled.

    Audrey looked confused. She didn''t understand what Rachel had to do with the clothes Jocelyn was wearing. "What does Rachel have to do with this? Did you meet up with her here?"

    Jocelyn began walking. And as they made their way out of the forest Jocelyn went ahead to tell Audrey why she attributed the credits to Rachel.

    Rachel has always been a caring girl. They met when they were barely six and this happened when Rachel was getting bullied.

    Just like her, Rachel is an orphan. The only difference between them is that she has a big brother who is an Alpha to always protect her while Rachel only has an old grandmother.

    And because of this Rachel was always picked on by the Pack''s children but all their bullying stopped when she and Rachel became friends.

    Because Jocelyn''s loves shifting to her true form whenever they enter the forest, Rachel developed a habit of always hiding clothes in the forest.

    This was so that Jocelyn would not go home nude after shifting back to her human form. The hidden clothes alwayse in handy just like today.

    "You both share such a deep bond just like Anna and I do," Audrey smiled.

    Jocelyn abruptly stopped walking and held Audrey''s hand so that she did the same.

    ? "Tell me more about your friendship with Joanna. You both are leaving soon and I am not even sure whether we will meet again in this lifetime. At least I will use the stories you will tell me to remember you both for a long time," There was a hint of sadness in Jocelyn''s eyes as she spoke.

    "Let''s go. I will tell you as much as I can," Audrey said carefreely.

    Jocelyn and Audrey chatted as they went around the forest collecting their catch. Audrey also pulled out her jacket and gave it to Jocelyn to wear so that her nipples won''t be too exposed .

    When they were almost about to reach the pack Jocelyn held Audrey''s hand again. She turned and paid full attention to Audrey.

    "Audrey, please don''t tell anyone about what happened at the forest earlier," Jocelyn said meekly. She dropped on the ground the prey she had tied into three big bunches.

    "Although I don''t know how a vampire and human infiltrate our pack and even dared to attack me, there will be a big catastrophe if my brother or any of the pack members learn about this¡­," Jocelyn trailed.

    Audrey could swear that she hasn''t seen Jocelyn this serious about a discussion since she knew the girl.

    "It might even threaten the treaty the three worlds have managed to keep despite the difficulties".

 Chapter 43 The Festival

    ?"I also wanted to tell you the same thing when you told me there was a human among the attackers but I didn''t know how to say it. I thought it would be unfair to you since you are the one who was their target," Audrey said soberly.

    "Both vampires, werewolves and humans suffered a great deal to attain this peace treaty we have been enjoying for thirty years. The incident that took ce earlier will threaten the peace of the three races if your people learn about it¡­.,"

    "And I am very sure this is exactly what the mastermind wanted. I mean there is no way my brother would have taken things lightly if they had sessfully killed me", Jocelyn said firmly.

    "Whoever nned this is an enemy of the three races. I wonder what he wants to achieve by trying to cause a rift between the three races," Audrey thought aloud.

    "Whatever he desires by trying to cause a wedge between us, let''s not give it to him. I mean his n will be a total failure if we don''t tell anyone about it right?" Jocelyn asked, trying to get a confirmation from Audrey that she agreed with her suggestions.

    "Is this what you want? You got hurt by them¡­,"

    "I would rather that the three races be at peace than try to get Justice for myself. I was trained to always look at the overall situation and that is exactly what I am doing. I am sure my Elder brother would be happy if he learned about this," Jocelyn smiled happily as she picked up her prey she had dropped on the floor.

    "We arete. Let''s go. I am sure the festival must have started," Jocelyn said as she led the way.

    On reaching the town square Jocelyn wasn''t surprised to see that the festival had begun.

    She has expected this much so why would she still be surprised?

    Carl, Rachel, Joanna and the remaining of Jocelyn''s bodyguards that were staring in the direction of the forest hurried to meet the twodies when they saw them from afar.

    Carl and his men collected the prey from thedies while Joanna and Rachel spun Audrey and Jocelyn around respectively to confirm that they were fine.

    "What kept you both so long until it was dark? What if something terrible had happened to you both?" Rachel scolded the twodies.

    "Drey, I recall ordering you to take care of yourself, is this how you look after yourself¡­,"

    "Rach, Joanna, you both can nag us as much as you want but not right now. I mean the festival is bubbling right now, I don''t want to miss out on the fun," Jocelyn said in excitement.

    All that was on Jocelyn''s mind at the moment was having fun, making great memories with her new friends and most importantly making the most out of the remaining time she had left with them.

    "Celyn¡­,"

    Jocelyn held Audrey''s right hand and pulled the girl along with her before Rachel could get to scold her.

    "Let''s freshen up ande join the others. We can''t avoid beingter than we already are," Rachel heard Jocelyn say these words while dragging Audrey in the direction of the packhouse.

    It took Jocelyn and Audrey just a matter of thirty minutes to get ready and arrive at the venue of the festival which was at its peak at the moment.

    On seeing what Jocelyn was wearing Rachel stood up from where she sat, held Jocelyn''s hand and pulled her to a corner where the music ying would not overpower her voice.

    "There was a green dress ced on your bed. I am sure you knew it was prepared for you to wear to the festival so why didn''t you wear it and choose to wear this instead?" Rachel asked as she took a closer look at the clothes Jocelyn wore.

    Instead of the green dress prepared for her, Jocelyn was wearing nk shiny leather trousers, a pair of ck heels boots, a red long sleeve leather shirt and big round earrings.

    Instead of wearing light makeup that befits her title as the princess, she wore dark makeup like she was going to the pub.

    "The Alpha had the maids prepare the clothes for you. You know he will give you an earful if he sees you dressed this way¡­,"

    "And what is wrong with what I am wearing, Rach? Also, this is not a ball party so why should I settle for a dress or skirts instead of what makes mefortable?"

    "How does he expect me to dance and go wild in a dress? Don''t you know how ufortable it feels?" Jocelyn asked.

    "Ady shouldn''t¡­,"

    "If you are worried that my brother will cause a scene then let me tell you that you are worried for nothing. He dotes on me and will not be able to do that¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "I have got this Rach so chill and let''s have fun. Don''t forget that we might never get to see our new friends again after tomorrowes so let''s not be so uptight. Let''s try to make beautiful memories with them," Jocelyn winked naughtily at Rachel.

    She tapped Rachel on the shoulder before she walked over to where Audrey and Joanna sat.

    "Don''t you know that this is not the way to enjoy a party?" Jocelyn''s voice that was filled with excitement interrupted what the twodies were doing.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You don''t enjoy a party by sitting but you enjoy a party by dancing, shaking and twisting every freaking muscle in your body," Jocelyn demonstrated by twisting her slender waist and swinging her right hand in the air.

    When thedies won''t stand up, Jocelyn stretches her hand and pulls them off the chair.

    "We are beautifuldies. The rarest of them all. We have the shape and the looks, let''s show everyone what wedies are made of. Let''s dance till we drop," Jocelyn pulled them along with her to the dance floor which was the hottest at the moment.

    Jocelyn was too distracted to see her brother waving at her from his seat to get her attention.

    Anyways even though she saw him, she would have acted like she didn''t since she could already guess what he would say.

    After dragging thedies to the dance floor, Jocelyn returned to where thedies previously sat.

    She squatted in front of Anthony. "Tony, stay here with Carl while me, Audrey and your sister dance ok. You can also have fun too but never leave his sight," Jocelyn said softly.

    "Ok," Anthony replied with a nod.

    "What a good boy you are," Jocelyn caressed his face. She stood up afterwards to address Carl.

    "Starting from this moment your duty is to protect him for the night. You can join your friends and have fun but never must he leave your side ok," Jocelyn said sternly.

    "The Alpha specifically ordered us¡­,"

    ? "That wasn''t a request but an order ok. My brother won''t do anything to you if he learns that it was my order," Jocelyn said firmly. She spun and walked away in big strides. She didn''t give Carl the chance to keep on arguing with her.

    "Now that I have settled this problem, I and the girls can go wild as much as we want tonight," Jocelyn murmured grinning.

    On the dance floor, the excited Jocelyn spared her time to teach Joanna who doesn''t know how to dance.

    "You are doing it wrong. Watch and learn how it is done," Jocelyn was more than happy to demonstrate the dance moves again.

    With her hands in the hair, she twisted her slender waist to the rhythm of the music.

    After her demonstration, Joanna wearing blue denim and a white shirt repeated the dance moves. And this time around she got it correctly.

    "Yeah, that is how it is done. Haha¡­," Jocelynughed heartily.

    As everyone danced and enjoyed themselves, the once fresh air got mixed up with the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and sweats.

    Everyone was too excited to care about this. They made the best out of the festival that happens only once a year.

    About three hourster the music was momentarily paused. And the result of the huntingpetition was announced.

    Among a hundred people who participated in the huntingpetition, Jocelyn still made the top ten list.

    Even Audrey who was a visitor got herself the title of the top ten best hunters of Golden Core Pack.

    When it came to sharing the reward Audrey tried to reject it but the Alpha insisted that she must ept the gifts of gold, daggers and money.

    Audrey had no choice but to ept the gift. And Joanna, who couldn''t join the hunt, was very excited on her friend''s behalf.

    After the announcement, the Alpha, Noah and his other bodyguards left the venue of the party after spending another ten minutes there.

    With the Alpha gone, the pack members got wilder. Carl had no other option but to take Anthony home when the party got heated up to the fullest.

    Seeing people kiss and romance each other, he knew it wasn''t healthy for a small boy of Anthony''s age.

    ...

    A/N: Lovely readers don''t forget our goal. For every 50 PS, we receive an extra chapter will be uploaded so let''s work harder and reach the goal.

    We can do it!!!

 Chapter 44 Why Is Your Face Beet Red?

    ?He returned to the party after he had settled Anthony down at Elder Carter''s ce but unfortunately, he could not find Jocelyn or the other girls where he left them.

    Even the two guards whom he left to keep watch over the girls were nowhere to be seen.

    "Where could she have gone?" Carl who was beginning to lose his cool muttered angrily as he forced his way into the crowd.

    He finally found Jocelyn after ten minutes of constantly searching for her. He found her kissing a guy in a dark corner.

    With the annoyance he was feeling, Carl walked over to where they stood. He gently pulled Jocelyn to himself while he pushed the guy away in anger.

    "What do you think you are doing huh?" Carl asked coldly, his murderous res shot at the guy with brown hair.

    "Who the hell¡­,"

    "Scram if you still want to walk out of here with both legs," Carl''s piercing res made the guy retrace his steps. He reluctantly went away.

    After he left Carl gently made Jocelyn lean on the white wall. He helped to arrange her messy hair before he looked into her wild eyes.

    "You are not of age yet so why did you go against the Alpha''s words and drink alcohol?" Carl asked while staring into her eyes. Her eyes were staring at different ces except for his face.

    "Don''t you know how dangerous it is for a drunkdy¡­," Jocelyn lifted her right hand and pushed his chest away.

    "I am not a child anymore but I am 17 years old for crying out loud. It''s time for you to stop treating me like a child," Jocelyn said. She yelped and hupped at the same time.

    "Also I am not some weak girl that anyone could easily take advantage of. Any man who thinks that he can take advantage of me should get ready never to have a child because I will crush his little thing so much until it never functions ever again".

    Jocelyn demonstrated what she meant by sping her fist.

    "If you don''t want me or anyone else to treat you like a child then I guess it''s time you start acting like an adult. We will¡­,"

    "Enough with your nags because I am not in the mood to listen to it right now. Also, I won''t let you ruin my mood so stay away," Jocelyn pushed him aside and started walking away.

    Because of her drunkenness, her steps were wobbling. She couldn''t walk without staggering back and forth.

    She was walking and didn''t watch her steps. She stumbled the moment she stepped on a pebble.

    Carl, who was staring at her, hurried to her side using his powers. She fell into his powerful hands which were waiting to catch her.

    Jocelyn whom the fall made her sober stared at Carl''s face. At that moment time froze for the both of them.

    For the first time since she knew him, Jocelyn took a closer look at his face.

    He had a well-sculpted face and a fine jawline. His long eyshes that continually fluttered made her heart skip a bit. His moving red lips made her swallow non-existent saliva.

    She suddenly felt thirsty staring at him. His hazel eyes were one she hasn''t taken her time to admire.

    Because he was always around her, she never took a good look at him.

    Both their faces inched closer. She was about to quench her thirst by kissing him when a voice interrupted them.

    Jocelyn pulled away in a sh. She almost fell again had Carl not held her by the hand.

    "So here you were and we have been searching all over for you," Joanna said as she studied the two people''s faces.

    Their flushed faces showed that something was about to happen before she interrupted.

    Rachel, who was standing behind Joanna, stepped forward. She pointed the shlight of her cellphone at Jocelyn''s face.

    "Why is your face beet red? Did you eat something your body system doesn''t like¡­,"

    "I am fine," Jocelyn replied sternly. The way she looked and sounded made her look even more suspicious.

    "You don''t look fine at all," Audrey said. She stares at Carl. Instead of his usual cold expression, he looked more inviting at the moment. His faltering gazes made her find them more suspicious.

    "Carl, what were you and Jocelyn both doing here in the dark? Were you both making out¡­,"

    "Hey, that is not true," Jocelyn overreacted by shouting.

    Even she felt like pping herself in the face when she realised what she had done.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s continue partying a while more before we call it a night," Jocelyn knew better what to do to avoid their questioning look. She hurried away to avoid answering their questions.

    "Hey, where do you think you are running off to, wait up," The Girls'' all hurried to catch up to her.

    The moment they left, Carl that was holding his breath exhaled heavily.

    "Gosh that was very close," Carl muttered as he ced his right hand on his racing chest.

    He followed thedies to the venue of the party where it was still bubbling. Jocelyn and the girls danced for two more hours before they decided that they had had enough fun for the day.

    The four friends on leaving the party decided to walk Rachel home. Her home was a bit far away and they deemed it dangerous for her to go home alone sote at night.

    "Whoa¡­ I have never been so happy and free all my life," Joanna, who was sweating profusely, said with a broad smile.

    "Today is undoubtedly the happiest day of my life. I am so happy. I still feel energetic despite all the rigorous dancing. Is this the power of freedom," Joanna spread her hands in the air as she talked. She sniffed the fresh night breeze.

    "You can alwayse over anytime you feel like sh*t and I promise that I will make all your troubles go away," Jocelyn said proudly.

    "How I wish it was that easy," Joanna remarked unhappily.

    She didn''te to the pack because she nned on doing that. If not that she was worried about Audrey''s safety she wouldn''t have done a silly thing like leaving home for a ce like this despite the dire consequences she will face when she returns home.

    Joanna halted and shifted her gaze to where Rachel and Jocelyn stood.

    "Guys, thank you so much for today. Because of you both, I feel like a person and not some unwanted piece of trash. Thank you for showing me what it means to truly be happy," Joanna said with a smile.

    Audrey has always gone to parties but never had she had the privilege to go to parties except parties organized by the pce. And this is because Kayden always made it a point of duty to send an invitation, especially to her.

    No matter how Adhara hated the idea, she dared not disobey the king''s orders.

    Parties organized by the pce are not always so lively. Everyone is expected to act sophisticated and as the King''s mate even though by name only, she had to lead by example.

    To put it in short words the party is always boring. Tiffany and her friends'' schemes always made her leave those parties embarrassed.

    "I am the one who should thank you and Audrey for letting us be your friends. I am a hundred per cent certain that I wouldn''t have had so much fun at the party if the two of you were not present there," Jocelyn said with a smile.

    "Yeah, you are right. The party wasplete because we had the two of you apanying us as friends," Rachel added with a smile.

    "Hehe¡­ I guess you are right about that," Joannaughed heartily.

    All of them continue making their way to Rachel''s home with Carl following them closely.

    When they almost reached Rachel''s home, she saw her grandma standing outside the gate looking around.

    Rachel, on sighting her grandma from afar, hurried to the elderly woman''s side. "Grandma, why are you standing outside the house on this freezing night?" Rachel asked worriedly. She rubbed her grandma''s hands which had gone cold.

    Grandma Andy raised her wriggled hands and caressed Rachel''s face.

    "I couldn''t help but worry about you and I am sure you wouldn''t me me for being worried right?" Grandma Andy asked as she stared at Rachel''s face lovingly.

    Grandma Andy''s face had lots of wrinkles and these wrinkles were a sign of how long she had lived.

    The pain of losing her grandchildren so early further made her age quickly. She is a woman who has lived for over 300 years.

    She is the eldest werewolf not only in the pack but also in the kingdom.

    Those who were older than her or at the same age as her all died during the battle at the broken bridge. Only she survived the terrible war that imed millions of lives.

    "Grandma let''s go inside hmm," Rachel held her Grandmother''s hand and led her into the bungalow house. Herpanions followed her closely leaving Carl and the other bodyguards to keep guard outside the gate.

    In the sitting room, Rachel offered her friends seats. That wasn''t Jocelyn''s first or second time there so she made herselffortable, unlike Audrey and Joanna.

    Joanna scrutinized the house. The colour of the walls was grey and the colourbination of the furniture including the decors was brown and milky.

    Though the room had no expensive decorations nor was it anywhere close to Elder Carter''s house or the Alpha''s home, Rachel''s home feltfy. It made Joanna subconsciously feel rxed without putting in any effort.

    "Dear, what are you still sitting there doing? Get your friends tea," Grandma Andy said to Rachel who was now sitting close to Audrey.

 Chapter 45 The Great Seer

    ?"Granny, that is not necessary. We are leaving in a moment," Jocelyn said with a smile.

    Grandma Andy diverted her attention to Audrey and Joanna. The way she stared at them made the two girls wonder what was wrong.

    "Granny, those are our new friends. They came to our pack for a mission and they will be leaving soon," Jocelyn tried to exin. She thought that the woman might have problems with Joanna and Audrey being there just like the other pack members.

    "Your eyes are unique. What is your name?" Grandma Andy asked while settling her gaze on Joanna whom she was talking to.

    Joanna quickly adjusted the way she sat, "My name is Joanna".

    "Don''t you remember me?" Grandma Andy asked. Her question made Joanna exchange puzzled nces with the other girls.

    "Do you know me?" Joanna asked while pointing her index finger at herself.

    "Of course I do¡­ Oh and I forgot you were not even delivered when we met. How could I expect you to remember me," Grandma Andy muttered as she leaned against the brown couch?

    [Howe people know me here when in fact I never knew about their existence?]

    Joanna stared at the old woman suspiciously.

    "Grandma, don''t tell me you were also a friend of her mother just like Elder Carter¡­,"

    "The age difference between her mother and me was over 200 years so how could we be friends¡­,"

    "If you weren''t her mother''s friend or a rtive then how do you know her? And what do you mean by you met her before she was even delivered?" Audrey asked the same question that was on others'' minds.

    "Because I am the one who made the prophecy about her being King Kayden''s mate," the old woman blurted out to the shock of Audrey and Joanna.

    "What!" Joanna remarked in amazement.

    "You are the Great Seer? Rumours had it that you were dead since you never showed yourself after you made the prophecy," Joanna said with widened eyes.

    None in the kingdom doesn''t know who the Great Seer is. Those who haven''t seen her must have heard about her from others. Grandma Andy''s prophecy about Joanna and Kayden further boosted her poprity.

    "Seeing that you are even aware that Kayden Greyson became the King of Twipera Kingdom, I can attest that the rumours about your prophecy being fake is a big fat lie¡­," Audrey trailed. Everyone could tell that what she said wasn''t really what she wanted to say.

    "Since you are so powerful, I am sure you are aware of Anna''s condition right?" Audrey asked boldly. She focused all her attention on the old woman with grey hair.

    "While we are at it, can you tell me when she is going to ovee all this suffering? She is going to regain her powers tomorrow right?" Audrey asked. For some reason, her heart began beating rapidly as she waited for the woman to satisfy her curiosity.

    Her greatest wish at the moment is for Joanna to regain her powers and put to shame everyone who has ever looked down on her.

    Audrey can''t wait for her best friend to get strong so she can start physically fighting for herself.

    She felt so optimistic as she stared at Grandma Andy for answers.

    "Grandma, the moon goddess is going to bless Joanna with a wolf on her eighteenth birthday right? Our guess is right hmm?" Rachel asked when she saw the hesitation on her Grandma''s face.

    "Greatnesses after the third death," Grandma Andy finally spoke but not the words the girls wanted to hear.

    "That is all I can tell you," Grandma Andy said sternly. She stood up from the couch and made to leave.

    "What does that mean?" Joanna asked hurriedly.

    "You will understand what it means when the timees. And if you don''t, then you cane back to see me for an exnation in the future," Grandma Andy said. She left the confused four girls to themselves.

    "I am sure what Granny said doesn''t symbolise a bad thing so there is no need to worry. I am sure that the moon goddess will grant your greatest wish," Jocelyn tried to break the tension with her yfulness.

    "I hope so," The worried Joanna replied lifelessly.

    The three of them went out to join Carl and his group after spending seven minutes there.

    Ten minutes after they had left, Rachel went to her Grandma''s room. She met the old woman standing staring at the sky through her window.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rachel walked over and stood close to her Grandmother. "Grandma, what did your earlier words mean?" Rachel asked. She shifted her gaze to her Grandma''s wrinkled face.

    "Despite that, you had made the prophecy about her back then I find it hard that you recognize her at first nce. Did you perhaps see a vision about her? Was that why you recognised her with ease?"

    Rachel pressed further.

    Her Grandma''s expression earlier showed that there was more to what she said. She won''t be able to have a peaceful night if she doesn''t find out what her Grandma was hiding.

    "Is she a special wolf? Was that why you were hesitating¡­,"

    "What special wolf are you talking about a girl who is going to die soon? She is no special wolf," Grandma Andy said to Rachel''s bewilderment.

    Rachel''s legs lose strength at the hearing of her Grandma''s words. She would havended on the floor with a loud thud had she not leaned on the wall.

    "Joanna is going to die? But why and how?" Rachel asked.

    "The thing one can never fight against no matter how hard a person tries is one''s destiny. She was lucky to escape fate twice but¡­ That is why I will advise you not to mention anything to her¡­,"

    "But Grandma¡­,"

    "She is already so happy that she is going to regain her powers so there is no need to dampen her mood with something that can not be changed," Grandma Andy said sternly. She went over and sat on her medium size bed covered with floral quilts.

    "Why does destiny have to be so cruel to her? This is so unfair to a girl who has been looking forward to her day of liberation all her life," Rachel said angrily. She left the room feeling sad and angry at the same time.

    Meanwhile, Jocelyn escorted Joanna and Audrey to Elder Carter''s home. They parted ways there after bidding themselves farewell.

    When they reached their room they were not surprised to see that Anthony was still awake.

    The little boy has gotten so used to having Joanna tuck him to bed that he finds it hard to fall without Joanna around.

    Joanna and Audrey freshened up after Anthony finally fell asleep.

    "Aren''t you gonna switch on your cell phone? I am sure your mum and dad might have sent you tons of messages¡­,"

    "And that''s exactly why I switched off my cell phone the moment I left home that day. I knew that she would call and send me tons of messages until my cell phone exploded," Audrey said as she dropped the blue cell phone on the bed.

    She hadn''t made use of it except when they went to the zoo and the boutique earlier. Immediately after they were done taking pictures, she switched off the cell phone again.

    "At least you have someone who cares about you when you are not around unlike me so you should be happy¡­,"

    "You have me to worry about you right?" Audrey interrupted Joanna sharply.

    "Also, there is one person back in the kingdom who must be worried sick about you now. I am sure he must have developed grey hairs by now," Audrey said yfully. She didn''t need to mention a name for Joanna to know who she was talking about.

    "I am sure Kay must have been too preupied with official work to even spare me a thought¡­,"

    "If you are afraid that he didn''t think about you then I will tell you not to worry about that. Instead of sparing you just a thought, I am sure that you are all he could think about for the past two nights and today will make the third night¡­,"

    "Hey, why are you suddenly saying such cheesy words? It''s so unlike you," Joanna said. She pretended like she didn''t like what Audrey was saying.

    "Because I know that you love hearing such mushy words. Also, I heard that werewolves go crazy about their mate because of the mate bond. I can''t wait to see you go insane for Kayden after you both have mated¡­," Joanna hurriedly covered Audrey''s mouth, not letting her finish her words.

    "Hey, little rice ball is there so watch what you are saying," Joanna scolded the smiling Audrey. The look in Audrey''s eyes showed that she was having fun teasing her best friend.

    "He is sleeping. Also, you know that I am stating the truth. In the past, you never really cared much about him but I can see some changes now. Instead of seeing him as a friend, I can tell that you are drawn to him romantically¡­,"

    "Since when did you be a love expert huh, Miss Audrey?" Joanna asked sarcastically.

    "Since the day I saw you drool over his naked body¡­," Joanna covered Audrey''s mouth which she released not long ago.

 Chapter 46 Happy 18th Birthday Joanna

    ?"Hey, that is not true," Joanna quickly denied Audrey''s allegations.

    Audrey pushed Joanna''s hands away from her mouth gently.

    "Don''t forget to share your experience with me when he has finally eaten your forbidden fruit¡­," Audrey paused what she was saying when Joanna red at her.

    "I will keep quiet and go to bed now, Her Royal Majesty," Audrey teased Joanna again. Shey on her bed and pretended to do what she said.

    Joanna kept throwing Audrey warning gazes as she returned to her bed where Anthony was sleeping in.

    She slept at the edge of the bed while Anthony slept at the inner part close to the wall. He often turned so much in bed and that is why she never used to allow him to sleep close to the edge of the bed.

    Joannay on thefy bed and stared at the white ceiling. Although she was there her subconsciousness had travelled to the first time she set eyes on Kayden''s body after he turned into a mature man.

    [He is so freaking hot!]

    That was the only thought on her mind the day she set her eyes on Kayden''s ravishing body.

    Kayden didn''t only have good looks to brag about but he was bestowed with a god-like body.

    Or should I say this was as a result of his constant exercising and training? His well-toned body was a gift from above but his efforts perfected the gift.

    His well-toned abs were already enough to drive ady insane and the water dripping from his body made it worse.

    Maybe she had developed a nosebleed that day due to his sexiness without even realising it.

    That wasn''t the only time she ogled at Kayden''s heavenly body but she has done that a few times. Audrey would have teased her to death if she was aware of this fact.

    "Isn''t it a normal thing to admire and even want to take a bite from a delicious meal? And that is exactly what I did. The only thing I didn''t do was to have a taste of it," Joanna muttered without even realising that she was saying these thoughts of hers.

    Audrey who was pretending to be fast asleep pulled down the nkets covering her head. She turned and stole a nce at her best friend who was in her fantasynd.

    "It''s not my fault that he is so devilishly handsome and hot," Joanna''s smile spread across her face.

    Audrey smiled along with her. She felt the urge to tease her some more.

    "Of course, it isn''t your fault that he is dripping with sexiness. Also, we vampires can''t resist having a taste of a delicious meal and I am sure that is the same with your kind. It''s also not your fault that you want to have a bite of him," Audrey said as she grinned wickedly.

    Her words jolted Joanna back to reality. She felt like digging a hole and burying herself when she realised that Audrey had heard her lewd thoughts.

    "Also, I am sure that Kayden will not hesitate to throw himself at you if he learns about even a little of what you think of him. He will offer himself to you on a tter of gold¡­,"

    "This is all your fault. I wouldn''t have thought about such lewd things if you didn''t feed my head with those silly thoughts¡­,"

    "Oh, yes it is all my fault, Her Majesty," Audrey said sarcastically. "It''s all my fault that you can no longer keep your inner demon in control after fantasising about him".

    "I won''t talk to you again so that you will not further corrupt my mind," Joanna said. She turned her back to Audrey whose bed was ced not far away from hers.

    Joanna didn''t fall asleep after almost ten minutes of lying there.

    Her mind went back to all that happened since they stepped foot into this strange ce.

    In all her life she has never felt at peace except in this strange ce. Even when she was in that dark prison for three nights she still felt at peace.

    There was no Adhara to rain insults and beating on her. She didn''t step foot into that hellhole called a school.

    There was no Laura to snatch her breakfast daily like she always did.

    No Anderson was there to remind her how big of a mistake her entire existence is. No one was there to make her feel small.

    She was able to be her real self in this strange ce. She was free from everyone. Maybe this is the kind of freedom she has been yearning for.

    The freedom to be the real her without anyone pointing fingers at her.

    [Instead of a curse I can proudly say that being here was a huge blessing. I am d I embarked on this adventure]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna smiled as she closed her eyes.

    Joanna soon drifted to sleep. For the first time in her life, she went to sleep with a broad smile on her face.

    The next morning Joanna, Audrey and Tony were woken up by Jocelyn that came by very early. A look at her face and one could easily tell how much she wanted them to stay.

    She didn''t say how she felt because she knew asking them to stay was impossible. It would be selfish of her.

    "Happy 18th birthday, Joanna. May the moon goddess grant all your piled up wishes on this special day. Also, may this birthday make a significant difference in your life," Jocelyn wished Joanna with a broad smile. Joanna was surprised and excited at the same time. She gave Audrey a questioning gaze to ask if this was all her doing.

    "How did you know that today was my birthday?" Joanna asked in surprise. She had deliberately refused to mention anything about her birthday to the girls because she didn''t want them to feel bad about not being able to celebrate her birthday.

    "Auntie Carter told me yesterday when she stumbled across a letter your mum sent not long after you were born," Jocelyn said as she went and sat on Audrey''s bed.

    "When Auntie Carter told me about your birthday I was excited and sad at the same time. I was sad because I couldn''t think of the reason why you and Audrey decided to keep such important information a secret from us".

    Audrey and Joanna hurried to her side on hearing herst sentence.

    "Jocelyn, it''s not what you are¡­," Jocelyn sprang up from the bed before Audrey got the chance to exin.

    "Nevertheless, I am happy I got to celebrate your birthday with you. I am very happy that I was able to prepare a gift for you," Jocelyn said smiling. She bent and picked up the bag she had kept at the foot of Audrey''s bed.

    "Happy Birthday once again, Joanna. Knowing the three of you has been the happiest thing that has happened to me in a long time," Jocelyn said as she passed the ck bag to Joanna. The ck bag contained a box wrapped with golden colour wrapping paper.

    The girls continued talking for a long time. Audrey and Joanna were astonished when they saw the feast Elder Carter prepared.

    As if preparing a feast to celebrate her birthday wasn''t enough, Elder Carter also gave Joanna a gift.

    Rachel and Magnus didn''t also forget to present Joanna with a birthday gift.

    Joanna and herpanions had fun until it was time for them to leave.

    "If ever you run into trouble in the future, know that I am here to help you. I owe your mother this much for our years of friendship," Elder Carter said, her gaze focused on Joanna''s face.

    "Thank you so much for everything. It was my pleasure to meet you," Joanna said. She bowed slightly to show gratitude.

    "Thank you so much Auntie for hosting my friends," Jocelyn said, beaming.

    "It was an honour to host such prominent figures like them. I am sure mum will brag about this day when Joanna bes the Queen," Magnus said yfully.

    "I am sure you are the one who is dying for that day toe so you can brag to your friends and not me," Elder Carter said smiling.

    "Make sure to take care of them until you return to the kingdom. And make sure to extend my greetings to your uncle," Elder Carter said. She beckoned them to set out on their journey.

    "Goodbye, Granny," Anthony waved at Elder Carter with a smile.

    ...

    A/N: Hello awesome readers, I am happy to announce to you that our very own beloved book has just been offered a contract.

    This means that the book might go premium (Chapters will get locked) anytime soon so I advise that you try as much as possible to follow the novel''s updates daily.

    This is so that when it gets locked you would have already read the chapters without you having to unlock it with coins.

    Guys, I am waiting for all of you to shower me with abundant gifts like MAGIC CASTLE OR SPACECRAFT hehe... I can''t wait to get showered with gifts.

    Save all your GOLDEN TICKETS for the day this book will get locked so that you will shower this book with it.

    Let''s get this book to the top with ourbined efforts.

    I know we can do this!!!

 Chapter 47 Welcome, Your Majesty

    ?Jocelyn and Rachel refused to listen when Joanna and Audrey told them to return home and that they could manage just fine.

    Rachel and Jocelyn apanied them until they reached the boundary separating their pack from Kingdom Twipera.

    At this junction, they all felt reluctant to part ways despite knowing that there was nothing they could do.

    They have only spent a short while together and it had already felt like they knew each other forever.

    "Rachel, we are merely returning home and not dying so why are you giving me that look huh?" Joanna asked yfully when she saw the unexinable sadness in Rachel''s eyes as she stared at her.

    Joanna went and embraced Rachel. "We will meet again in the future. I have this feeling that we are gonna meet again sooner than you think so there is no need to feel so sad because we are leaving," Joanna pats Rachel''s back affectionately.

    She assumed Rachel was upset because they were leaving not knowing that it was even a more serious topic which was on Rachel''s mind.

    "You must stay alive no matter what, ok? Even though you have to fight against destiny to achieve that you must do it hmm," Rachel said as she wrapped her hands around Joanna''s neck.

    Her grip was so firm that Joanna found it hard to breathe.

    Although Rachel''s words sounded a bit strange none of them saw anything wrong with it.

    When realisation struck Anthony that he might never get to see the two girls again, he broke down in tears. He bawled his eyes out.

    With so much pain they parted ways. Jocelyn waved at them until they were no longer in sight.

    "How I wish those moments we spent togethersted forever¡­,"

    "We knew from the beginning that this wasn''t possible. We knew they would eventually return to where they came from," Rachel said. She ced her hand on Jocelyn''s shoulders to console her.

    She, Rachel and her guards returned to the pack where they belong.

    Joanna and herpanions had a difficult time hailing a taxi from the lonely street. They had to walk a very long distance before they were able to hail a taxi.

    Meanwhile, as they were returning home Kayden''s men who had been keeping watch over the boundary immediately called him to ry the good news to him.

    "Make sure they don''t leave your sight. I wille by myself to wee my woman home," Kayden''s smile broadened as he stood up from the Golden Chair he sat on.

    His once foul mood took 180 degrees turn the instant he heard the news of his mate''s return.

    "Your Majesty, you want to wee her home, isn''t that too much¡­,"

    "I have waited for a very long time for this very day and I have exhausted every little patience left in me," Kayden said with a stern expression.

    "It''s time to dere to the whole world that Joan isn''t merely the mate chosen by the prophecy for me but that she is the one I have chosen to be my wife, the only Queen of this kingdom and the Queen of my heart".

    Kayden''s face lit up even more as he spoke. He made his way to his dressing room to change into something even more fantastic.

    As the taxi draws near home Joanna could not help but get very nervous especially since she didn''t know what the situation at home was like.

    Her hands suddenly became sweaty and her heartbeat quickened. Audrey notices the sudden change in her temperament so she lifts her right hand and pats Joanna''s hand.

    "I am sure everything will be fine so there is no need to worry. Besides, you have me here to protect you, don''t you?" Audrey said yfully to make Joanna cheer up.

    "Yeah, with you by my side I have nothing to be afraid of," Joanna forced a smile even though she was still very scared from within.

    How could she not fear for her life when she knows the mother and daughters duo brutality.

    It would be a very great miracle if she can survive this.

    Audrey so much wanted to apany Joanna home but unfortunately, the cab passed through her home first.

    And since this happened Joanna vehemently said Audrey should go home first so that her parents would know that she was still alive.

    After about five minutes of argument, Audrey gave in to what Joanna wanted but with the promise that she would rush over to Anderson''s home the moment she showed herself to her parents.

    The moment the car pulled over at their gate, Anthony and the shivering Joanna climbed out of the cab.

    Joanna''s legs be extremely weak as she stares at the house she has spent her entire life in.

    "Big Sister, what''s wrong?" Anthony asked innocently when she saw the beads of sweating forming on Joanna''s forehead.

    "Are you perhaps feeling unwell?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Of course not. I am fine," Joanna lied. She held Anthony''s hands and together they entered the gate which the security guard had opened for them.

    Joanna stopped in her tracks the moment she walked into the gate and raised her gaze to see her stepmother standing close to two security guards. Laura served as her fourth bodyguard.

    "How dare you have the guts to return after kidnapping my precious son?" The woman whose anger was visible on her face asked coldly.

    Her gaze directed at Joanna was deadly.

    "Today I won''t waste my breath or strength on you but I will let the guards show you what it means to die a horrible death," Adhara thundered angrily.

    "Mum, Big Sister didn''t do anything wrong¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up if you don''t want mum to take it out on you too," Laura cut her brother short sharply. She walked over and yanked him to where they stood.

    "Get her," Adhara gave the orders that the two guards had been waiting for.

    Hearing this Joanna went down on her knees and pleaded. "I know I was wrong. I know I shouldn''t have left home without permission and I am even more aware that I shouldn''t have taken Tony with me so please forgive me¡­,"

    "I swear I will rip that mouth of yours apart if you dare to call my son''s name with that filthy mouth of yours again," Adhara said. Her fury eyes which were red in anger show she won''t spare Joanna.

    "What are you both still waiting for, I said to grab her," Adhara angrily kicked the guard standing at her right-hand side.

    "No one dares touch her," A cool voiceing from outside the brown gate said before the gate flew open to reveal the owner of the masculine voice that exudes nothing but authority.

    Everyone''s mouth dropped agape when they set eyes on the dashing figure that just entered with his entourage.

    He was tall, and handsome with a perfectly sculptured face. His natural peach-coloured lips sentdies crazy.

    "Your¡­ Your Majesty," Laura stammered in shock. She didn''t even know how to react.

    On seeing Laura and Adhara''s expressions that looked like they had seen a ghost, Joanna tilted her head sideways to see whether what she said was right.

    How could the Kinge to her home?

    She didn''t believe it.

    Joanna''s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she set her eyes on the devilishly handsome guy''s face. "Kay¡­ Kay¡­," Joanna stammered, not able to hide her astonishment.

    Kayden smiled at her. He stretched his hand to help her to her feet but Joanna refused to budge.

    She knew her punishments would double if she dared disobey Adhara at that moment.

    "It''s an order," Kayden said sternly. His expression and tone were stern but his eyes were full of love.

    "Wee, Your Majesty," Adhara reluctantly greeted. Kayden was more concerned about Joanna than caring about the woman''s attitude.

    "Your Majesty, this is a family matter. Even the local authorities stay off such cases," Adhara said, not daring to sound impolite.

    "The King reigns over everything in the Kingdom, how dare youpare him to mere local authorities?" Chris red at the woman as he spoke.

    If not that the King had ordered him not to harm the cruel woman, he would have long taught her a serious lesson for always maltreating Joanna.

    The King wants Joanna to be the one to take her revenge on the woman. Nothing feels better than trampling on those who trampled on you. It won''t feel good if it was another person that was to do it.

    "I am not here to exchange words with you neither am I here to punish you for the crime of daring to force the future Queen to kneel for you¡­," Kayden smirked devilishly on seeing Adhara tremble at the mention of punishing her because Joanna.

    "I am here to get my Queen¡­,"

    "You don''t know the crime shemitted so how could you defend her? And also who will ept a powerless girl of low birth for a Queen?" Laura said, panting heavily.

    She momentarily forgot that the one standing before her was the King and not Audrey she always raised her voice at.

    She shivered when her mum nudged her to behave.

    Kayden turned to look at Chris standing by his left side. "What was the punishment for anyone who dares to interrupt the King?"

    "p her hard ten times," Chris replied coldly. His words made Laura subconsciously touch her cheeks with her hands.

    "And what also was the punishment for anyone who dares to belittle the Queen?" Kayden asked again. He directed his fierce res at Laura and Adhara.

 Chapter 48 Lauras Punishment

    ?"The least punishment is hitting her twenty times and the worst is¡­,"

    "Have mercy your Majesty," Adhara went down on her knees before Chris could make the pronouncement. She stretched her hand and pulled the terrified Laura to her knees.

    Joanna could not help but smile at such a rare sight.

    [Was this the ever proud mother and daughter duo begging on their knees?]

    She rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn''t imagining things.

    "It is written in thew that it is your Grandmother who wrote that particrw. I wonder whether she had foreseen that this was how her grandchild was going to turn out, that is why she made thew so rigid," Kayden said coldly. His face was cold and deprived of any emotions. Laura and Adhara''s pleas fell on deaf ears.

    "Since I wasn''t apanied by any of the maids it would be unfair of me to ask Chris or any of the guards to carry out the punishment so Miss Joanna Anderson will be the one to carry out the punishment," Kayden said sternly to the shock of everyone.

    For a moment Laura and her mother thought they misheard what the king had said.

    Joanna gave Kayden disapproving res but he immediately avoided staring at her. He turns and faces the mother and daughter duo.

    "Get ready to receive your punishment, Miss Laura Anderson," Chris said sternly following Kayden''s signal.

    "Your Majesty, it''s my fault for not teaching her well so please temper justice with mercy. I promise I will teach her well¡­,"

    "Mercy is only avable for those who are merciful," Kayden replied with a stern expression. He wasn''t moved by their cries or pleas.

    Joanna pulled the left sleeve of Kayden''s shirt after Chris signalled him to proceed with the punishment.

    She pleaded with him with her eyes but Kayden who always listens to her for the first time didn''t do what she wanted.

    "p her ten times and each p must be hard and painful just like it is stated in thew," Kayden''s fierce tone made Laura tuck at the hem of her mother''s clothes. She pleaded with her eyes for her mother to save her.

    "It''s an order, Miss Joanna," Kayden said in an even colder tone.

    Since it was a royal order Joanna didn''t waste time executing it. She went over to where Laura and Adhara were kneeling.

    She deliberately avoided staring into the woman''s face because she knew that the woman''s murderous res were directed at her.

    "Sorry, Laura but it is a royal order and I can''t disobey it. No matter how wretched my life is, I still value it too much to throw it away for your sake," Joanna said before she descended her raised hand on Laura''s right cheek.

    Bam**

    The p was so loud that the Andersons'' maids, now on their knees, held their cheeks. The intensity of the p made them feel as if they were the ones being hit.

    Laura held her burning cheeks. She red daggers at Joanna who was secretly grinning at the girl''s misfortune.

    Joanna didn''t allow Laura to recover from the first p before shended another hot p on Laura''s opposite cheek.

    Bam***

    The second p was even louder and more painful than the previous one. Thank goodness Anthony was taken into the house earlier or else Joanna wouldn''t have had fun inflicting bodily injury on Laura.

    The usually chatty Adhara could only watch her daughter being punished with clenched fists.

    At that moment she swore to make Joanna pay dearly for the humiliation.

    Joanna kept on pping Laura. Each p was hard and merciless. At the fifth p, Laura whose cheek had swollen began crying.

    Bam***

    The tenth p came. By this time Laura''s cheeks were reddened and badly swollen.

    "You should be happy that it is Miss Joanna who carried out the punishment. She went easy on you because she is kind-hearted. I am sure you wouldn''t have been able to make use of your mouth for at least three days if it was the female warriors or the maid who did it," Chris said.

    He resisted the urge to burst out in a peal of deafeningughter when he saw the sorry state Laura''s face was in.

    [The King has barely started avenging his woman''s suffering for all these years and they are already like this. I wonder the state they will be in when they realise just how vicious their king really is]

    Chris focused his gaze on the mother and daughter duo who were now hugging each other tightly.

    "I will take her with me now," Kayden said as he grabbed Joanna''s right hand to the astonishment of everyone. They turned to leave only for Kayden to pause walking due to Laura''s utterance.

    "How dare the daughter of a mistressy a hand on me, a true born? Cutting her into tiny pieces won''t be enough to subside my anger," Laura said with a clenched fist.

    Kayden turned and shot a murderous nce at Laura. "Did you just say something?"

    "I said, thank you for letting me live, Your Majesty," Laura said with her head bowed.

    King Kayden and his entourage left Anderson''s home afterwards. The moment their car zoomed off, Laura went mad in rage. She took out her anger on the security guards and the maids.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As if that wasn''t enough she turned her room into a mess within a matter of seconds.

    Back in the car Joanna sitting in the backseat with Kayden turned and red at him.

    "Kay, do you hate me so much to the point that you want to end my life on my birthday¡­,"

    "How could you say that?" Kayden interrupted her sternly. In the car, Chris was his only subordinate so he didn''t have to care about the rules or whatnot.

    "Why are you pretending not to know what I am saying? After what I did, I am very sure that today will be myst day on earth. Roasting ten of me alive for what I did won''t be able to pacify the hatred Laura and her mother feels towards me. I am afraid I won''t get to live passed today¡­,"

    "Who says you were ever going back to that house?" Kayden asked sternly.

    "Also, instead of you, they should be the ones fearing for their lives since starting from this moment they will be at the mercy of the Queen of Twipera Kingdom''''.

    "Queen!" Joanna gasped as she stared at his handsome face.

    "Yes, Queen. Starting from today you will officially be the Queen of Twipera Kingdom. I am going to announce itter at the banquet tonight. My word is Law and no one will dare to defile it," Kayden said fiercely.

    He was surprised when Joanna raised her right hand and ced it on his forehead. Because of the sudden closeness, Kayden''s heartbeat doubled per second.

    His cheeks became reddened.

    Chris handling the steering suddenly turned into a deaf, dumb and blind person overnight. He acted like he didn''t see anything when he clearly did.

    "Did you suddenly lose your mind after waking up or did you consume too much alcohol? Is that perhaps the reason you are saying such nonsense¡­," Kayden raised his hand and grabbed her hand still ced on his forehead. He brought her hand to his chest which was beating so rapidly.

    "Does it still feel like I am joking to you?" Kayden asked while staring into her purple orbs that emanate innocence. She looked so innocent that he felt the urge to tease her right there.

    Joanna''s cheeks suddenly grew hot and her heartbeat increased as she stared into his dark eyes that spoke of endless darkness.

    Despite that, all she could see in his eyes was darkness she couldn''t stop her heart from beating for him.

    She pulled her hand away when she could no longer handle the foreign feelings anymore.

    She swirled her body so that her back was facing him. "Don''t¡­ Don''t you know that a single man and a woman are supposed to keep their distance? What will you have me do if you ruin my chances of finding a good husband¡­,"

    "What other husband do you need when he is sitting right beside you?" Kayden asked. He raised his hand and touched her shoulder.

    "I never agreed to marry you so whatever you are thinking is just your wishful thinking," Joanna said.

    She pulled even further away from him. The funniest thing was that she avoided looking at Kayden''s face as she talked.

    When Kayden wouldn''t stop pulling closer to her, Joanna pretended to be fast asleep. He shook his head smiling when he saw how hard she was trying to keep up with the act.

    [Teasing her is a thousand times more fun than watching the mostedic movie. I guess I am in for even greater fun now that she will be living with me as my wife]

    Kayden''s smile spread across his face as he stared at Joanna''s fluttering eyshes.

    Kayden kept on staring at her face until the car pulled over in front of his Quarters.

    Joanna was weed into his chambers in a manner befitting for the Queen.

    Although she didn''t know what Kayden was up to, she decided to y along since going home after what happened wasn''t an option.

    Two hours to the time of the banquet, Joanna got prepared for the banquet by the maids who were ordered to oversee that Joanna looked her best for the party which was going to be attended by many dignitaries.

    "You look just perfect," Kaydenplimented after examining the gorgeously dresseddy standing not far away from where he sat.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, I am happy to announce to you guys that this novel has been sessfully contracted. Gifts function has been opened.

    Apart from being able to send gifts, you all can now cast GOLDEN TICKETS to this book so keep the gifts and GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    Shower this book with abundant gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Together let''s take the book to the top!!!

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    Please do support my book in the best way you can.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 49 The Banquet

    ?Kayden, now wearing his royal regalia, stood there admiring the gorgeousdy standing in front of him.

    The white dress and new hairdobined with the expensive jewelry decorating her hands and neck made her look very different from the simple Joanna he knows.

    She looked like an angel who descended above from her throne.

    Joanna covered her chest when she saw how passionately Kayden was staring at her. "I know I look exceptionally beautiful but stop staring or am gonna change my mind about following you to the party¡­,"

    "You can''t me me for staring. It''s not my fault that my mate''s beauty is so enticing that I can''t take my eyes off her for a minute," Kayden said shamelessly. He closed the gap between them.

    "You look dashing in that red and white regalia but I am not ogling at you¡­,"

    "It''s your fault for not staring and not mine," Kayden said yfully. He offered his right hand for her to lean on for support.

    "Why have you suddenly be so shameless and cocky¡­,"

    "I have been acting stern and gentle at the same time for years but that hasn''t gotten your attention," Kayden stares into her rare purple eyes as he speaks.

    "I realised that for me to seduce you into loving me, I need to drop every side of me that has to do with a King. I need to act like a real lover for you to see me as one".

    Kayden tapped her nose teasingly.

    He led her to the couch and made her gently sit on it.

    Since he had sent all the maids and guards away, he could do whatever he wanted.

    He brought out his left hand he had been hiding behind his back. Joanna was surprised to see a rectangr ck box in his hand.

    "Happy birthday. This is my gift for you," Kayden handed the ck box to her.

    Joanna collected the box from him with a smile.

    "And here I thought you forgot about my birthday," Joanna smiled as she tried to open the box and see the content of it.

    "Don''t open it now. Do itter after I have revealed my biggest birthday surprise for you," Kayden bent and held her hand, not letting her satisfy her curiosity by getting a glimpse of what his gift was.

    "Your biggest birthday surprise?" Joanna asked in confusion. She gave the guy now sitting beside her questioning gazes.

    "What is that? What exactly are you nning by acting so sneakily? I hope instead of surprising me you are not gonna make me suffer from a heart attack¡­,"

    "That''s never gonna happen. I have prepared for this day for over five years. No one can change my mind about this. All you need to do is to look forward to it".

    Kayden raised his hand and patted her well styled ck hair. Her natural silver was long gone because of the dye.

    "Also, how could I ever forget your birthday when you are so dear to my heart¡­,"

    "Do you know that you have been acting quite strangely ever since we met today?" Joanna asked.

    She has known Kayden well enough to know that whatever he was nning might be something huge; one that might shake the entire kingdom.

    "Learn to get used to it because you are gonna see this side of me for a long time," He smiled at her despite that he hasn''t answered her question.

    Kayden and Joanna didn''t leave for the party immediately. They left for the party about an hour after it had started.

    Joanna didn''t enter the hall with Kayden and this was all because of Kayden''s arrangements.

    She was escorted upstairs by two maids and four bodyguards.

    He was weed into the party with the respect befitted for a king.

    The moment Kayden sat on the table set aside for only the royal family, Tiffany put her n in motion.

    "So how do I look?" The nervous Tiffany asked her friends who were rooting for her sess.

    "Perfect! You are so beautiful that none present in the party willpete with you for the title of the most beautifuldy," Sophie showered Tiffany with praise.

    "Perfect!" A familiar voice let out a chuckle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you even know the definition of perfect that you dare to use it on her?" Audrey, who was sitting on the table next to the girls, scoffed.

    The girl''s on turning around to see that it was Audrey fumed in anger.

    "And who said she is the most beautiful girl here? Don''t tell me that you girls have suddenly gone blind too and here I thought Tiffany was the only blind and delusional one¡­,"

    "How dare you!" Tiffany asked in anger.

    "Hey be careful of that frown on your face I am sure you wouldn''t want your delusional prince charming to see it," Audrey said mockingly.

    She stood up and left the chair knowing very well that the girls won''t act up since Kayden was present there.

    Sitting close to the girls table wasn''t a coincidence, she did it deliberately and for a very good reason.

    "I swear I will¡­,"

    "Don''t let her ruin your chances. Don''t forget what is at stake right now. It''s the title of the Queen of Twipera Kingdom we are talking about here," Doris tried to warn Tiffany.

    Tiffany instantly calmed down. She bent and carried the gifts she had kept beside where Doris sat.

    She approached the Royal table with the gifts in her hands.

    Unluckily for her, people began trooping to wee the King and also use this opportunity to curry favour with the most powerful figure in the kingdom.

    "Happy birthday, Your Highness," Tiffany bowed to the Queen Mother to show her respect.

    "You are blessed," Queen Mother Theresa collected the gifts from Tiffany with a smile to show her bias towards her.

    She handed the gifts over to Tracy waiting upon her.

    "Where have you been darling? I have been waiting for you toe greet me in the pce but you didn''t," Queen Mother Theresa stretched and held Tiffany''s hands.

    She caressed Tiffany''s hands affectionately and the reporters quickly captured this.

    Kayden was busy talking to his guests to care about whatever his mother was scheming.

    No matter what she was scheming he was certain he would be the ultimate winner with the ns he had put in ce.

    "I am sorry if I made Her Highness worried," Tiffany instantly puts on her fake mask.

    She continued talking with the Queen Mother until an opportunity for her to approach King Kayden surfaced.

    The Queen Mother was even the one who signalled her that it was time to take the initiative.

    "Your Majesty¡­," Kayden stood up from his chair the instant the lights on the staircase went off. He didn''t act like he saw Tiffany.

    Kayden went and stood in front of the staircase. The moment he took his position in front of the long staircase, the lights in the hall went dim and then the spotlights settled on the stairs.

    These took everyone by surprise. Everyone at the hall began murmuring while focusing their gaze on the staircase. They couldn''t wait to behold what surprisey in wait for them.

    Another spotlight surfaced on the stage to reveal a group of violinists waiting for the perfect timing.

    "What on Earth is that cunning son of mine up to?" Queen Mother muttered.

    It was as if the violinists were waiting for her to speak because immediately she talked, the melodic sound of the violins filled the room.

    A few seconds after the angelic sound of the violins filled the room, the next thing they saw was that a white heel stepped on the first staircase.

    Then a second heel became visible. The owner of the long legs began descending the stairs.

    The nging white heels apanied by the anticipation that had built up in the mind of everyone was killing.

    Everyone anxiously waited for the revtion of the owner of the heavenly figure.

 Chapter 50 The Grand Entrance

    ?"I have told her that she will leave everyone on their feet but she wouldn''t believe me, now see my prediction came true," Kayden muttered as he stared at the half figure of thedy still descending the stairs.

    Kayden began climbing the stairs after seeing that the figure in a white dress would soon reach the middle of the staircase.

    "Who the hell has the power to keep everyone on their feet waiting to wee her," Tiffany, who is also anxious to know who thedy at the stairs was, mumbled.

    On reaching the figure in white Kayden offered her his right hand.

    "What are you up to this time around?" Joanna, who didn''t know the chaos her entrance had caused in the minds of everyone present at the party asked innocently.

    "Why the haste when you can slowly take your time savouring the moment?" Kayden grinned mysteriously as they climbed down the stairs together.

    Everyone''s mouth dropped open in awe the moment they behold the beauty of the owner of the figure.

    At first, none recognised her because of the total makeover. But her rare pair of eyes soon gave her identity away.

    "It''s her!" Queen Mother and Tiffany remarked in shock.

    The moment the Queen Mother saw whom she had stood up just to get a glimpse of, she quickly sat down not wanting everyone to see that she paid respect to a ''Nobody'' like her.

    "Yes, this is the kind of respect the future Queen deserves. I can''t believe he seeded in making everyone pay her the due respect she truly deserves," Audrey smiled at her best friend who was the centre of attention.

    "I can''t wait to meet those mean witches so that I can add more fuel to the already burning fire inside of them".

    The thought of seeing the girls fuming in anger gave Audrey so much satisfaction. She has been waiting for this day to get back at them for everything they did to Joanna.

    Now that Kayden has decided to y the viin then she will y the bigger viin and make sure everyone who ever looked down on Joanna regrets ever not currying favour with the King''s mate.

    As if shocking everyone with her grand entrance wasn''t enough, King Kayden walked Joanna to the Royal table and pulled out a seat for her.

    Joanna was dumbfounded at the recent developments. She so much wanted to say something to Kayden but swallowed back the words on seeing that all eyes were on the two of them.

    Everyone thought that the third seat at the royal table was meant for Tiffany Noel but they got the shock of their lives when the girl they looked down on sat on the future Queen''s chair.

    [This is not true! I must be dreaming. Yes it must be a dream that the King choose her over me]

    Tiffany standing close to the Royal table raced out of the hall when she could no longer handle the embarrassment.

    Although almost everyone at the party was dissatisfied with the King''s actions, none was gutsy enough to walk up to him and question his actions. Neither could anyone leave the party since it was the Queen Mother''s birthday party.

    Only someone who has a death wish will dare to publicly question the King.

    The Queen Mother who had her own ns for the position of the future Queen was furious at what Kayden did but she didn''t say a word about it.

    [So this is what this sly son of mine has been up to. I can''t believe he yed me for a fool by always acting stupid]

    Queen Mother clenched her fists as she stared at her son who was busy flirting with Joanna.

    Kayden made the party ufortable for everyone while he had a st seeing their displeased expression.

    Some hourster, Chris walked up to where the King sat and whispered in his ear.

    "Everything is set. We are only waiting for you to give the order," Chris whispered into the King''s ear.

    "I will bring her out in a few minutes. But if the ancient artefact fully absorbs the full moon before wee out then sound the signal," Kayden whispered back.

    "I will do just that, your Majesty," Chris bowed and left in the same manner he came.

    "It will be your cue soon my Queen so get ready to steal the show," Kayden whispered to Joanna.

    "What are you¡­,"

    "There is no need to get overly anxious. Harming you is thest thing I would ever do so calm down and enjoy your eighteenth birthday. Leave all the stressful work to me," Kayden said. The evil grin on his lips made Joanna realize that Kayden was far from being done.

    The MC climbed the stage once again when he received the signal from the King''s men.

    "I know everyone is all here to celebrate Her Highness, Queen Mother Theresa but the truth is there are two more reasons for us to celebrate," the MC said with his voice that carried so much excitement.

    "Miss Joanna Anderson''s birthday is also today. She is dressed like an angel to indirectly tell us that on this day an angel was brought into this world. The brightest angel which stands out even amidst a thousand people," the MC showered Joanna with des.

    He kept on praising Joanna. He only stopped praising her when her smile shone the brightest. It was as if he was ordered to stop when her smile shines the brightest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "As for the third reason for gathering here, may we stand up as we wee our King, the ruler of our great Kingdom, His Majesty King Kayden Greyson," The MC said with his head lowered to show his respect.

    King Kayden Greyson stood up from his seat and offered Joanna his hand. Together they climbed the stage with elegance.

    "I will not beat around the bush about what I am going to announce," Kayden said sternly.

    "It''s a triple celebration and I am happy to announce to you the third reason for the celebration".

    He turned and faced Joanna as he got ready to make the announcement. He stared into her eyes passionately.

    Kayden made her unwrap her hand around his right arm.

    Looking into his eyes that emit so much passion and hotness, Joanna could feel her heartbeat double. Her stomach tightened. She started feeling butterflies in her stomach.

    [Was this the manifestation of the mate bond or is there something wrong with me]

    Joanna questioned these foreign feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her.

    "I announce that as of this day, Joanna Anderson is the¡­,"

    Bang, bang boom***

    The loud sound of the drum disrupted what Kayden wanted to say. It disrupted the tension that had built up in the mind of the audience.

    "Darn! Why did he have to beat the drum at such an important moment?" Kayden cursed underneath his breath.

    "Everyone please step out. There is an even bigger surprise waiting for you," The MC announced when he saw the King lead Joanna down the stage.

    When they had taken the exit prepared only for the royal family, Joanna let go of Kayden''s hand.

    "Kay, what on Earth are you up to?" Joanna asked with a stern expression.

    "Why did you prepare such a grand entrance for me? Why did you make me sit at the royal table? What on Earth are you nning?"

    Instead of getting furious at her for questioning him, he raised his right hand and stroked her face.

    "What else could I be nning if not to give my mate the best birthday ever. I wanted to make it up to you for all the years you had to suffer¡­,"

    "And you think throwing an borate party and making me be in the spotlight will be enoughpensation for all I went through?"

    Joanna couldn''t mask her emotions as she spoke. Her eyes became misty all of a sudden.

    "I never said this was enough to make up for all that you went through. I know what I did earlier is far from being enough for the pains you went through and that is why I have vowed to spend my entire life repaying you," Kayden said while staring into her misty eyes. He cupped her face with his palms.

    "And why do you want topensate me when you were never among those who inflicted the pains on me¡­,"

    "Because I love you," Kayden blurted out.

    "I love you so much that my heart aches badly anytime I see you in pain. Joan, I love you a whole lot that I feel dead inside if I don''t see you for a day. I almost went crazy when¡­," Joanna quickly moved backwards when she felt her cheeks burn hot because of his touch.

    She so much wanted to look into his eyes and tell him that she didn''t feel the same way for him as she has always done but unfortunately, she found out that she couldn''t do it.

    "Hey, what nonsense are you spewing¡­," Kayden pulled closer and grabbed her hands. He ced her hand on his beating chest.

    "I am not lying. This is exactly how I feel for you. Can you sense it through my heartbeat?"

    Kayden asked. He looked into her wavering eyes as he spoke. He lifted his left hand and caressed her face.

    "My love for you is far wider than the oceans and firmer than the most solid rock. It can withstand any tribtions. All I ask is that you be my wife hmm".

    Kayden''s face inched closer as he continued staring into her eyes.

    He was just about to seal his confession with a kiss when someone barged in on them.

    In a sh, Chris turned his back on them when he saw what was about to take ce.

    ...

    A/N: The story is now contracted, please show some support by sending gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS.

 Chapter 51 Failed Transformation

    ?Joanna whocked the strength to do anything a few seconds ago finally found the strength to push Kayden''s chest away after Chris''s interruption.

    She tried to use this opportunity to run away but Kayden quickly grabbed her hand.

    "What are you doing here?" Kayden asked coldly. There was a hint of anger in his voice as he spoke. And Chris knew that there would be serious consequences if Kayden''s proposal didn''t work.

    Chris instantly turned to face the two of them but with his head lowered for fear that he might see what he shouldn''t have seen.

    "I was worried when His Majesty and Miss Anderson didn''t show up even though all the guests had gathered around the mounted equipment".

    "Couldn''t you have waited¡­,"

    "Stop being so hard on innocent Chris and let''s go already or didn''t you say you wanted to show me the highlight of the party?" Joanna decided to help Chris out since she already knew what Kayden would do to Chris because of his mistake.

    "But¡­,"

    "I am going to get mad with you too if you don''t show me what other surprises you have prepared for my birthday," Joanna said sternly.

    Kayden didn''t need to think too much to know what he wanted. He red at Chris before he held Joanna''s hands and led her out of the dimly lit pathway.

    When they reached outside and Joanna saw the crowd she became curious to know what on Earth Kayden had prepared.

    Joanna has never felt so confident in her life as she did today. With Kayden by her side for some reason, she felt like she could touch the sky and pull down even the tallest mountain.

    There was something about him that made her feel calm and special. And she loves this feeling so much.

    Reaching where the stage was set, Joanna was dumbfounded to see the biggest surprise Kayden talked about.

    She turned and stared at him with a gaze full of so much gratitude.

    "There is no need to tear up nor should you feel indebted to me. I just wanted my Queen''s transformation day to be the grandest of all in history. I am satisfied as long as you are happy with what I prepared," Kayden said as he smiled at her.

    "How on Earth did you get the ancient twins'' mirror? I thought rumour has it that it didn''t exist so¡­,"

    "We will talk about thatter but not right now. This is the time for you to shine the brightest just like the meaning behind this butterfly dress you are wearing".

    "I picked this particr dress because it is my greatest wish for you to be free like the butterflies. And not only for you to be free but also for your life to be colourful just like the colourful wings of butterflies," Kayden said.

    He let go of her hand and beckoned her to step into the circle in which the twin mirror was ced on each side.

    "It''s your time to show the world what you have got so that never will they look down on you again. Steal the show". Kayden ushered her to go step into the circle.

    "Thank you," Joanna felt nothing but gratitude for Kayden.

    She turned and walked closer to where everything was set up. She ignored all the mumblinging from the angry crowd.

    This is her time for a breakthrough and she will ignore everything and everyone. She will only think about herself and what awaits her after she transforms into a werewolf tonight.

    Joanna stepped on the full moon symbol coated on the floor. A huge circle houses the full moon while gs with the image of a werewolf and a full moon were mounted around the circle.

    The ancient twin mirrors ced on both sides of the circle shone brightly. The light was so bright that it lightened everywhere.

    History has it that the ancient twin mirror absorbs the full moon and thereby makeste shifters transform with ease.

    It was recorded that the mirror went missing. She knew that Kayden must have gone to great lengths toy his hands on these sets of treasures.

    [That son of mine is crazy? He has lost his gone damn mind because of this lowlife girl]

    Queen Mother Theresa who just came out of the hall and saw what Kayden had done red at Joanna whose eyes were now closed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    While others were either jealous or angry Audrey watching everything in the crowd felt so happy for her best friend.

    "It''s so nice to see that he kept his word. I am going to invite him for a drink after everything is wrapped up. I can''t wait to tell him how pleased I am for giving all citizens of Twipera Kingdom the greatest shocks of their lives," Audrey grinned as she stared at her friend who was ready to shift into a werewolf.

    Joanna opened her eyes after a few seconds expecting to see herself turned into a cute looking werewolf but surprisingly nothing had happened.

    Thinking that maybe she had done something wrong and that is why she didn''t transform, she tried again but the result didn''t change.

    For years she has seen people shift into werewolves and this is exactly how they did. She has memorised everything like the back of her hands so why wasn''t it working?

    Why hasn''t she changed into a werewolf?

    Joanna got confused but she didn''t give up.

    She clenched her fist, groaned and tried to leap. Nothing changed even on her third try.

    Everyone''s mumble became louder. Joanna could tell that they were all mocking her just like they had always done.

    "Don''t give up, Anna. You can do it. I believe in you," Audrey shouted at the top of her lungs so that her voice overpowered all the murmurs.

    "You can do it, Anna," Audrey shouted again when she saw that her words of encouragement weren''t working.

    Joanna closed her eyes and tried to shut out all the murmurings still going on. She tried to think of something positive and the only face that popped up in her head was the smiling face of Kayden when he offered her his hands.

    [I am not a failure neither am I a sore loser like they are saying. I am Joanna Anderson, the world''s most beautiful girl. I believe I can do it]

    Joanna tried to motivate herself as she leapt once again.

    She didn''t need to open her eyes to know what had happened. The powerful thud apanied by the pains in her hands and legs made her realize the painful reality.

    She didn''t turn into a werewolf!

    Audrey ran towards her but she got violently pushed back because the circle was activated.

    "Joan!" Kayden tried to rush in and help her but a powerful hand grabbed his left hand.

    He turned and red at the one who stopped him.

    "No matter how crazy you have gone, never forget that you are the King and as such you must act like one," Queen Theresa, who has been praying for this to happen, said with a stern expression.

    "But she is injured and bleeding¡­,"

    "And that has got nothing to do with you. You have done all you can for her. If there is anyone she should me it should be her ill luck".

    ....

    A/N: Guys don''t forget to send the gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS. Also,ment and leave a review.

    I need gifts guys and this is why I am shamelessly asking you guys. I would be very thrilled if someone could gift the book MAGIC CASTLE so that it will boost the book''s poprity and ranking.

    Please help out a poor author ??????

    Also, don''t forget the goals. If I promised my readers something I always do it so you can believe that I will give a mass release if we reach the goals.

    Love you ???

 Chapter 52 Joanna Lost Her Mind

    ?Kayden tried to free himself from his mother''s grip but her grip grew even tighter.

    Joanna finally mustered up the courage to open her eyes. The first ce her gaze went to was where Kayden stood.

    She stared into his eyes and all she could see was the look of disappointment. Her vision was clouded by her current situation to see that Kayden had nothing but concern in his eyes as he stared at her.

    "He is disappointed in me. He must hate me now," Joanna chanted as tears flowed from her eyes.

    With her confidence gone, the murmurs she had blocked off came and this time around it was a thousand times louder.

    The picture of Adhara, Laura, Tiffany and her friendsughing at her upied her mind.

    Joanna''s head began spinning. In a matter of seconds, she saw her entire worlde crashing down.

    "No¡­ no¡­ this can''t be happening," Joanna screamed in anguish. She stood up and ran out of the ce.

    "Let go, Your Highness," Kayden spoke coldly. His tone showed he had lost every patience he had left in him.

    "I said let go, Mother. Don''t try my patience¡­,"

    "Let''s see how thin your patience is because I am not letting go of you. The only way you will get what you want is by killing or cutting off my hand so choose," Queen Mother Theresa said unfazed.

    Kayden looked at Joanna''s disappearing back. He was lost at what to do.

    No matter how often he and his mum sh that doesn''t change the fact that she is still his mother.

    How can he cut off her hands or kill her?

    "Chris, follow her and make sure she is safe," Kayden gave the orders when he saw that nothing he did would make his mother change her mind.

    Audrey chased after her friend who was running like someone who had lost her mind.

    "Anna, stop running and wait up," Audrey shouted as she tried to catch up to the girl who was running like a cheetah.

    She resorted to using her powers when she realised that there was no way she would catch up to Joanna.

    "Let go of me," Joanna violently pushed Audrey''s hands away. She resumed racing again afterwards.

    These actions repeated until Audrey realised that they were in the forest. By this time there were so many injuries on Joanna''s body because of the constant fall she suffered from.

    Even her long white dress was torn so badly. Audrey''s red dress wasn''t spared from the cruelty of the sharp branches either.

    ? The running Joanna bumped her feet against a big root of a tree shooting out from the ground.

    Audrey ran to help her up but Joanna rejected her help once again. She stood up and took to her heels like some invisible beings were pursuing her.

    "Are you going to keep this up, Anna?" Audrey shouted, not moving an inch from where she stood.

    "If you are so eager to kill yourself then why don''t I join you huh? I am sure you won''t feel bored or inferior to them, right?"

    Audrey''s words made the weeping Joanna stop in her tracks. Audrey felt so relieved that her words had some effect on Joanna.

    She appeared in front of where Joanna stood.

    "Do you think that they will praise you and take pity on you if you fall off a cliff or jump down from a building andmit suicide?"

    Audrey asked. She hated seeing her best friend so miserable.

    Her heart ached badly to see her in this state. How she wished there was something she could do to ease her best friend''s pains just a little.

    "No, they will not pity you neither will they praise you. But instead, they will use this opportunity to mock you even more. In fact, I am sure they will spit on your corpse so snap out of it already," Audrey grabbed Joanna''s shoulder and shook her violently.

    "They want you to feel small. They are all dying to see you break down since all their attempts have failed. Anna, don''t give them what they want. You¡­,"

    Joanna squats and buried her head in her legs. She cried her heart out.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All the tears she has been suppressing all these years flowed down like a river.

    "Drey, what should I do now? How am I gonna survive?" Joanna asked in between her sobs.

    Audrey squats also. She raised her hand and patted Joanna''s back. "We can do this. We can fight through this together". Audrey tried to sound optimistic.

    "Being powerful is not all that there is to life. Even the most powerful get mocked too. In fact, there is no guarantee that they would let you be if you had shifted earlier so there is no need to beat yourself up over what happened¡­,"

    "Who am I? Who on Earth is Joanna Anderson?" Joanna asked rhetorically.

    "I am not a werewolf, human and neither am I a vampire. If I am neither of these three things then what am I?"

    Joanna wept inconsbly.

    "Am I even my mother''s daughter? Is my father really my father or am I someone else''s child¡­,"

    "Anna, stop saying all these. You are breaking my heart all the more. Also, it hasn''te to the point of questioning your origin," Audrey said.

    Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to wipe Joanna''s never-ending tears.

    She kept on consoling Joanna. After what felt like forever she finally got Joanna''s emotions stable.

    They were quietly sitting on the ground covered with dead leaves when Audrey felt the presence of third parties.

    "Who is there?" Audrey asked coldly. She tapped Joannaying on her legs for her to sit up.

    ng***

    The broken sound of a dead branch made Audrey jump to her feet. In a sh, she transformed and took her stance. She made Joanna stand at her back.

    "Come out now! I swear I will break all your bones if you keep on ying a prank on me," Audrey turned around to face the direction the growl came from.

    At first, she heard howls from one direction but after she spoke the growls came from all directions. It was as if those hiding in the dark were just waiting for her to say the threats.

    Audrey was still observing her environment when two werewolves from opposite directions jumped at her.

    In the process of dodging their attacks, she got spared from Joanna.

    When she realised this she tried to go and stand with her friend but two vampires who were hiding in the forest emerged and obstructed her path.

    While Audrey tried to fight her way out, Joanna got surrounded by fearsome-looking werewolves.

    When the attackers saw that they stood no chance against Audrey they resorted to ying foul.

    Audrey was still fighting and exchanging punches with the two vampires when suddenly a chain appeared from nowhere bound both her hands and legs.

    She tried to free herself but those holding the chain wouldn''t budge.

    "If you think you are gutsy enough then I dare you guys to let go of me if you all will not find your dead bodies on the ground," Audrey shouted.

    She tried every trick she knew to free herself but in the end, she still couldn''t free herself.

    "Save your breath tomboy because we are not here for you. We just wanna have fun with her. It will be quick so just be a little patient¡­,"

    "You scoundrels!" Audrey charged forward to grab the guy who talked. She was violently pulled backwards with the chains before she had the opportunity to rip the guy''s mouth off.

    "I swear you all will die in my hands if you darey your filthy hands on her. I will kill you," Audrey shouted furiously when she saw the werewolves begin attacking Joanna.

    "Let go of her you scum," Audrey yelled desperately. She tried to free her hands when she saw how cruelly the werewolves were all biting Joanna despite all the poor girl''s pleas.

    "Please have mercy on me," Joanna pleaded with tears in her eyes but the cruel werewolves didn''t let go.

    In a matter of seconds, Joanna''s gorgeous white dress was turned into rags.

 Chapter 53 The Vengeful Audrey

    ?"I swear I will kill you all. Don''t you dare think you will go scot-free by hiding behind that hideous animal skin because I know all your scents? I know you all by name," Audrey shouted furiously.

    When she saw that threatening them would not work, Audrey resorted to pleading with them but the werewolves and vampires wouldn''t let go of Joanna.

    "Please that is enough," Tears fell from Audrey''s eyes when she saw the sorry state her best friend was in.

    She was badly tortured to the point that every part of her body was bleeding. Although her eyes were opened, Joanna could not move a muscle.

    They didn''t rape her as Audrey thought but they made sure they dealt seriously with her.

    "Hey, what do you guys think you are doing?" Audrey yelled when she saw the two vampire guys lift Joanna towards the direction of the cliff.

    And it happens that beneath that cliff lies the dreaded ANCIENT FOREST OF NO RETURN.

    "Do you know the punishment for murder not to mention murdering the future Queen? Not even your third generation will be spared¡­,"

    "You call this thing the future Queen?" The guy in the green shirt chuckled.

    "Open your eyes tomboy because she is no Queen and even though she is a queen then she is nothing but the Queen of Disappointment?" The guy added. His words earned fierceughter from his partner.

    They continued walking. They stopped just at the edge of the cliff.

    "No¡­ no.. don''t do it. Please¡­," Audrey pleaded with tears in her eyes. The boys acted like they didn''t hear her. They violently threw Joanna off the cliff.

    "You guys are crazy. You are out of your damn minds," Audrey broke down in tears.

    "With her gone, everything will begin falling in ce," the guy in the green shirt said with a broad smile on his face.

    The guys and their werewolves''panions abandoned Audrey there without setting her free.

    The moment they let go Audrey crawled on her belly to the edge of the cliff.

    "Why did it have to end like this? Why did I have to be such a useless friend? Why?" Audrey yelled in agony. Her voice echoed in the dense forest, waking up all the animals that were asleep.

    The wind howled in response as its sweetness weed the body that was thrown into its embrace.

    "I have suffered too much all my life to end up like this. I don''t want my life to end like a joke. I deserve more than what I got from life. I, Joanna, refused to die."

    Tears rippled through her face as she closed her eyes waiting for the final destination at death''s door.

    ¡­

    Audrey stomped into the Royal Pce Hotel in which the party was held with unsheathed double daggers in her hands.

    Those who saw her gave way to her.

    Audrey was out of her mind and everyone who passed by her could see it.

    They could see the killing intent in her crimson red eyes.

    Audrey halted in front of the hotel.

    "Get out here, you murders," Audrey yelled at the top of her lungs.

    She kept on shouting and breaking things shey her hands on. She didn''t spare the security guards who dared to stop.

    People trooped outside the hotel because of themotion Audrey was causing outside.

    "Here are all the murders. Are you happy now that you have finally gotten rid of your eyesore?" Audrey''s enraged gaze moved from one face to another.

    "Tell me, are you all satisfied now?" Audrey charged forward with the daggers pointing at her front.

    Everyone moved backwards in fear because of the way she was pointing the daggers at them.

    "What are you talking about?" Tiffany decided to y the hero. She stepped forward from the crowd.

    "I know that you have always been crazy but make your point clear even though you have gone nuts".

    "Did you just say something?" Audrey shot Tiffany a murderous re.

    The furious Audrey vanished only to be seen standing in front of Tiffany. Audrey didn''t give Tiffany the chance to assimte what was going on, she grabbed Tiffany''s neck tightly.

    "I ask you, did you say something?" Audrey red at Tiffany. She strangled her even harder.

    Audrey ignored the numerous times Tiffany tapped her hand for her to release her neck.

    Mrs Lopez standing in the crowd on seeing what her daughter was doing stepped out.

    "Aud, that is enough!" Mrs Lopez shouted as she approached where Audrey stood with her hands still firmly choking Tiffany.

    "You are gonna kill her at this rate so release her¡­,"

    "That is exactly what I want," Audrey shouted for everyone to hear her voice.

    "I am gonna kill every single person responsible for Joanna''s death. I don''t care about the consequences. All I know is that I will avenge her even if that''s thest thing I do".

    "I don''t know what you are talking about but this is the Queen Mother''s birthday party. Not even taking your life will be enough punishment for ruining¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t worry, I don''t mind offending the Queen Mother as long as I have my revenge," Audrey abruptly interrupted Nora.

    "Also, you are the next in line after I am done with her so prepare your head for me because I am gonna make sure it''s no longer joined to your head tonight," Audrey said fearlessly.

    She acted like she didn''t hear what the onlookers were saying.

    "Let¡­ Let¡­ Let go, Audrey," Tiffany, who was on the brink of copsing, tried to push Audrey''s hands away but Audrey didn''t budge.

    "Where is your scoundrel of a cousin and his group of murderers'' friends? I want them right now so don''t you dare test my patience," Audrey shouted. She let her eyes scrutinize the crowd in search of the one she was talking about.

    "Since you won''t stop then don''t me me for being merciless," Mrs Lopez charged forward to stop her daughter frommitting more mistakes.

    Audrey quickly pointed the dagger at the location of Tiffany''s heart. Her mum stopped in her tracks. Audrey''s actions left everyone dumbfounded.

    "Mum, don''te anywhere closer because I will not hesitate to shove the dagger into her heart. Believe me".

    Although she was staring at Audrey, Mrs Lopez thought she was staring at a stranger.

    The one standing here might have the face of her beloved daughter but the rage in her eyes and her attitude made her think she was looking at a stranger.

    How could the bloodthirstydy standing in front of her be her sweet Audrey?

    "You have gone crazy?" Doris grimaced.

    Even though anyone had ns of challenging Audrey earlier because of how she was threatening them, none dared move an inch.

    "Yes, I am crazy and get ready to see me go crazier," Audrey yelled.

    Just then she sighted a guy in a brown suit standing among the crowds at her right-hand side.

    "I wille back to you after I have taken care of your minions," Audrey violently throws Tiffany in the air, not minding the direction.

    She charged toward the guy in a brown suit.

    Audrey didn''t waste her breath on the guy. She had already lost all her patience and how she attacked the man showed it.

    The guy didn''t want Audrey to do whatever she wanted with him. He put up a strong fight.

    He had the illusion that he would win and earned the title of a hero but the vengeful Audrey didn''t let her best friend down.

    She had a sweet time tormenting him.

    With the silver daggers, Audrey stabbed and pierced the guy repeatedly. All her attacks were cruel and merciless.

    By the time she was done with him, blood was dripping from almost every part of his body. Even his face was not spared from her brutality.

    [What hase over that daughter of mine]

    Mrs Lopez was lost at what to do or say to stop Audrey.

    "She was innocent. All Anna has ever wanted was to live a normal life but you guys made it impossible for her to achieve that," Audrey said. She sounded more like a person instead of a vengeful psychopath like earlier.

    "You didn''t only snatch that normal life from her but you dared to take away her life, why? What crime has she evermitted?" Tears rippled through Audrey''s eyes when she recalled the terrible state Joanna was in after she failed to shift.

    "I told you and your guys earlier in the forest that I am gonna rip out your hearts for what you did and that''s exactly what I will do. A life for a life, that''s real justice," Audrey wiped the tears from her eyes.

    The misery in her eyes disappeared in the same manner it came.

    In a sh, her fangs shoot out. She raised her right hand slightly.

    "Audrey Lopez, don''t be silly and let go of him," Mrs Lopez shouted in desperation.

    Not only she but every other person could guess what she wanted to do from the few words she said.

    "She is crazy,"

    "Has she gone out of her mind?"

    "Does she even know the son of whom she has brutalised like this?"

    "How could a girl of her age be so brutal?"

    "She is insane and someone should please stop her,"

    Everyone talked all at once, making it impossible for a person to differentiate who was talking.

    Audrey descended her hands with full force making the guy whom she had under her control shut his eyes.

    "That''s enough Miss Lopez," a guy appeared just in time to stop Audrey from making history with her public brutality.

    Audrey didn''t care to look at who held her hand. She hit the person very hard on the chest.

    ...

    A/N: Please support the book with power stones,ments and reviews. Gifts and TICKETS will be very much appreciated.

 Chapter 54 The Queen Has Returned

    ?"Not even the King can stop me from avenging my best friend," Audrey said as she raised her hand to continue with what she was doing. The same person stopped her for the second time.

    "What audacity you have there to challenge the King''s authority," a woman''s cold voice said.

    Audrey paid no attention to the one who spoke but she turned to see who was gutsy enough to stop her.

    "Chris!" Audrey eximed, sounding a little relieved.

    "Don''t do it, Audrey," Chris shook his head in disapproval.

    His words didn''t go down well with Audrey. She pushed him violently away. "Do you want to stop me too? You want to side with them even though they brutally murdered Joanna," Audrey replied angrily. The veins in her neck and forehead pop out.

    "What you are doing is not right so get a grip¡­,"

    "I want their life in exchange for my best friend''s life so what is so wrong with that?" Audrey asked fiercely.

    "Tell me would you have been so calm if it was the King he had killed?"

    "What effrontery to wish the king dead!" The Queen Mother said coldly.

    People began condemning Audrey almost immediately.

    "I only said a few bad words about the King and look at how furious all of you are," Audrey said.

    "They actually killed the future Queen so why is none of you reacting the same way huh?" Audrey shouted angrily.

    "Since none of you is ready to make her murderers pay then I will do it. Besides, I never needed any of your help," Audrey said. She turned and grabbed the guy who was trying to run away.

    "Don''t even dream of getting away," She tried to stab him in the chest but someone grabbed her raised hand.

    "Fuck off," Audrey forcefully wriggled her hand out of the person''s hand. In the process, she pierce the one who stopped her in the face with the dagger.

    The screams that followed made her turn to see what was wrong. She was shocked to see that it was Kayden who tried to stop her.

    His guards didn''t waste time seizing Audrey immediately.

    "How dare you hurt the King?" A p flew across her face. And the one who pped her was her mother.

    "How could you?" Mrs Lopez hit her hard again.

    Mrs Lopez kept on reprimanding Audrey for a few more minutes hoping that the King would show mercy if not for Audrey but for her sake.

    "Take that crazy girl to the Royal prison," Queen Mother Theresa ordered sternly.

    "That''s not necessary. Let her narrate all that happened. She deserves that much," Kayden said before the guards could obey his mother''s orders.

    "Your¡­,"

    "Go on, tell us your grievances and I will try my best to see that you get the justice you deserve," Kayden didn''t allow the Queen Mother to utter another word.

    He was the King and he will make the final say. He will not let anyone lead him by the nose. His mother was not an exception.

    Audrey, still held in ce by the guards went ahead to narrate all that happened. She had expected Kayden to get furious and ordered the death of all the names she mentioned but surprisingly Kayden''s expression remained unmoved.

    "Miss Lopez must have had a lot to drink and that is why she is saying these words. Get her home to sober¡­,"

    "I am not drunk and I won''t go anywhere until I avenge Anna," Audrey pushed the guards away.

    She tried toplete her unfinished business but following Kayden''s order more guards emerged and subdued her.

    "Kayden, didn''t you say you love her? You promised me that you will protect her, so what are you doing?" Audrey shouted. She felt so betrayed.

    He was the one who gave her a splendid entrance and even made people stand on their feet to pay her respect.

    Kayden was the one who went through a lot just to get the Ancient twins'' mirror to aid Joanna''s transformation so what happened?

    Howe he changed so quickly.

    "Do you want me to repeat myself?" Kayden asked as he red at the guards holding Audrey.

    Immediately the guards did as he ordered.

    "Your Majesty, how could you let her go like that after the scene she caused. She even dared to harm your handsome face," Tiffany said.

    She raised her hand to clean the blood on Kayden''s face but the quiet King''s murderous res made her retract her hand instantly.

    "This is not the end so don''t you dare think it is over. The Kingdom owes me a life and I will make sure I get it back no matter what," Audrey, who was being dragged away shouted to the hearing, everyone.

    "Today you have created a demon so from now onwards I will be your worst nightmare. I will hunt all those who owe me this debt so prepare yourself for me," Audrey yelled even louder.

    Because of the incident, the Queen Mother''s 60th birthday party ended in disaster.

    For six months everyone went on living their lives as if nothing happened. It took only a month for everyone to forget about the incident that happened at the Queen''s Mother''s 60th birthday party.

    Only a handful of people mourned Joanna''s demise. Some were even happy that the eyesore was gone.

    The likes of Tiffany and her friends threw a party to celebrate her death.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    Tonight everywhere in the forest was quiet. It was quieter than any other day. The only sound that could be heard was the loud howls of a werewolf standing close to where Joanna was mercilessly thrown down the cliff.

    There was immense sadness in the werewolf howls.

    The werewolf was still showcasing his sadness with his howls when suddenly the atmosphere changed.

    The sky became darker thereby making the light from the full moon disappear.

    A blinding light shot out to heaven from the Ancient forest of no return. It made not only the entire forest bright but also the sky.

    The strange bright stayed that way for ten minutes before it diminished in the same way it came.

    After this strange phenomenon took ce, a figure stood in front of the werewolf who seemed to be oblivious of his presence.

    On sensing the presence of the werewolf the figure wearing a strange blue outfit turned and red at the werewolf.

    For a moment the world came to a halt for the previously weeping werewolf. In excitement, he shifted back to his human form.

    [Is this happening? I must be either dreaming or hallucinating as always right]

    The werewolf stared at the girl standing in front of him in awe.

    "Kay!" The figure with shimmering blue eyes eximed in shock.

    [Kay is a werewolf? But how on Earth is that possible]

    The figure was so lost that it didn''t realize that the man standing in front of her was totally nude.

    And when she did, her mouth dropped open in shock.

    "OMG!" She eximed but only for the figure to hurriedly embrace her.

    "Joan," he called out as he embraced her tightly.

    Joanna stood there frozen to a point. She was shocked to the point that she couldn''t move away from the guy. Neither was she able to utter a word.

    "You are alive, Joan. You are alive," Kayden holds her tighter, afraid that she will disappear if he lets go.

    "I am d you are back. I am very happy".

    Kayden was too ovee with excitement to know that he was nude just like the day he was born.

    When Joanna got over the shock she violently pushed him away, "Get the fuck off me".

    Kayden''s expression turned sad in a sh when he heard her cold voice. He thought she was angry at him.

    "Joan, I know you must hate me right now. You must resent me a lot since you think I didn''t properly get Justice for you but that is not the whole truth," the persistent Kayden rushed and held her hand.

    Desperation was written all over his face.

    "Please don''t push me away from you. I am gonna lose my mind again if you do that¡­,"

    "You are gonna lose your mind but I am already losing my goddamn mind ok," Joanna interrupted him sharply.

    "And I believe I am gonna go even crazier if you keep ruining my poor eyes and corrupting my innocent mind with that," Joanna pointed her right index finger in the direction of his mighty rod.

    She quickly covered her eyes with her hands.

    "Put something on or you are gonna regret trying to seduce me in such a manner".

    It was after Joanna made herself clear that Kayden lowered his gaze to look at what she was talking about.

    His legs lost strength and he staggered backwards when he saw that he waspletely nude from head to toe.

    ...

    A/N: Hello let''s make a bet if you guys win I will give you three extra chapters but if I win you guys will send gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS, what do you think?

    Do you guys dare to take the bet?

    As you can see our Queen is back, who do you think she will take revenge on first?

    If you guys can correctly guess who is the first person she will take her revenge on then I will give three chapters of mass release.

    But if guys lose then you all will send me gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    What do you think about the deal, it''s fair right?

    P.S: You guys have until the next update to supply the answer. My part of the bet will no longer be valid after I have updated the next chapter so be warned.

    Hurry up!!!

 Chapter 55 Their First Intimacy

    ?He wished the ground would just open and swallow him that instant but his wish wasn''t granted.

    [Goddamn it! I can''t believe I just unted my biggest assets in front of her]

    Kayden stared at thedy whose eyes were still covered.

    He contemted what to do. He so much wanted to go and wear clothes but he was scared of leaving her there all alone.

    What if he returned and didn''t find her? What if hees back only to realise that their reunion was only a part of his illusion?

    He didn''t think he could handle the pain that woulde with these oues.

    "Get going already," Joanna yelled angrily.

    "Wait here. Don''t move a muscle. I will be back before you know it," Kayden said. He gave a long stare at her before he vanished into the dark.

    Joanna unshielded her eyes the moment he left. The memory of the scene reyed in her head repeatedly.

    Her face suddenly burned red. Corrupted thoughts began upying her once innocent mind.

    Joanna gave a tight p to her face when she realised the dirty thoughts that upied her mind.

    "Snap out of it, girl," Joanna reprimanded herself coldly.

    She was still standing at the same spot waiting for Kayden when the weather suddenly grew colder.

    The sky changed drastically and a fierce cold breeze began blowing.

    The wind was so strong that it raised both dead and fresh leaves from the ground and flew in the hair.

    Tree branches shook violently distracting the birds whose shatter was on these tree branches.

    The sudden change was so great that Joanna got scared. She quickly ran away from the cliff for fear of being hauled back into the lion''s den she just escaped from.

    "What the hell is going on?" Joanna muttered as she stared at the sky in which lightning started shing.

    The lightning and thunder were so great that they scared away birds and animals in the forest.

    From where she stood Joanna could hear birds chirping and the sound of many animals.

    She has never witnessed something so phenomenal and she found it very strange.

    "Don''t tell me that even the universe is celebrating my return?"

    Joanna smiled as she stared at the lightning shing across the sky.

    Droplets of rain started pouring.

    Kayden arrived three minutes after he left. He wore a huge purple cotton overall that looked like a bathrobe.

    "Come let''s go and take shatter in the hut," Kayden grabbed her hand before she could say a word.

    As they run Joanna stole secret nces at him. The first change she noticed about him was the fact that he had grown his ck hair longer.

    His long hair repeatedly tried to cover his handsome face as they ran.

    [Why do I feel like his jawline has be sharper? Is this perhaps because I haven''t seen him for a long time?]

    Joanna quickly looked away when she saw Kayden momentarily turn and look at her face.

    The rain graduated from mere droplets to a heavy one.

    Just when the rain threatened to grow even heavier a hut came into sight.

    Joanna was surprised to see a hut in the middle of the forest but she didn''t say anything. Her main focus was to shield her body from the heavy downpour.

    Both she and Kayden took shatter in front of the hut.

    "Why does it have to suddenly pour so heavily? Why did it choose today of all days?" Kaydenined with a frown as he ruffled his hair to drain out some of the water in it.

    "Yeah, you are right about it," Joanna muttered as she dusted off the blue denim jeans she wore.

    The denim jeans and the ck shirt she wore were so faded that one would mistake it for a piece of rag.

    "Let''s go in so I can help you properly dry your hair. You are going to fall sick if you don''t dry it now," Kayden held her hand and led her inside the hut.

    Stepping into the hut all they could see was thick darkness and nothing else.

    "Wait here while I get my cell phone from where I kept it," Kayden said as he let go of her hand.

    Not long after, the shlight of Kayden''s cell phone came on, almost overpowering the darkness.

    After he switched his cellphone''s shlight, he went ahead and turned on two torchlights lying on the table close to the bed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When the lights came on Joanna was stunned to see how beautiful the hut looked.

    There was a bed on the left-hand side of the room. Two beautiful red chairs and a centre table could also be seen there too.

    A medium-size wardrobe and some decorations were also present in the room.

    Instead of some ugly hut like Joanna expected she was surprised to see the beauty of the hut.

    "Take this and dry your hair. I will immediately take you home after the rain has subsided," Kayden said as he handed a white towel to her.

    "I am not yet ready to reveal myself," Joanna said sharply. She collected the towel from him.

    "Besides what is the use of rushing when I can take my time enjoying the moment".

    Joanna grins evilly while drying her hair.

    "What do you mean?" Kayden grimaced.

    "Everyone thinks you are dead. Audrey has been mourning you ever since that night. Think about your little rice ball¡­,"

    "I am not saying I won''t ever show myself so why are you nagging me?".

    Joanna looked away from his eyes afterwards. "I have a score to settle with a few people so I don''t have any ns of revealing myself until I settle this score. I can''t wait," Joanna smirked devilishly.

    Seeing her like this made Kayden doubt whether she was the same sweet girl he knew.

    "What score are you talking about?" Kayden asked curiously. He couldn''t help but want to know what she was thinking because of her evil grin.

    "And what exactly happened to you that night? Where would you have been if you were not dead?"

    Kayden waited for her to satisfy the question that has been on his mind since he set eyes on her.

    "Not now. Maybe some other days. I will tell you everything when I am mentally ready to recall the hell I went through," Joanna said with a fake smile.

    "But¡­,"

    "Your hair is still dripping wet. Take care of it first before you start asking questions," Joanna said. She extended her two hands and tried to help him dry his hair with the white towel covering his hair.

    Joanna dried his long hair with the white towel. She was still drying his hair when her eyes unintentionally caught a glimpse of his bare chest.

    Her mind subconsciously went back to that moment close to the edge of the cliff. This time around it wasn''t only her face which grew hotter but her entire body.

    For some reason, she couldn''t look away from his bare chest. She gulped hard as she fixed her gaze on his fine bare chest.

    Joanna was lost in her fantasy to see how passionately Kayden was staring at her. Their faces drew closer without any of them realising it.

    It was as if there was an invisible ma pulling them together.

    Joanna stiffen in shock the moment their soft lips met. The softness of his lips made her recall the cotton candy she ate when she was a child.

    She wanted to pull away but a part of her refused to let go of such a tasty candy.

    Kayden''s fiery tongue forced her mouth open and took their kiss to the next level.

    The heat burning up in Joanna''s lower region made it feel painful down there.

    She moved closer so that the only thing separating their body from joining was the piece of clothes they were wearing.

    Joanna''s hands moving frantically on Kayden''s body soon pulled off the overalls he was wearing.

    "More¡­ More¡­," Joanna whimpered in pleasure as she encircled Kayden''s bare body with her hands.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you all that we now have a mission for this month.

    MISSION/GOAL 1:

    For every 50 PS we get there will be an update of extra two chapters. I.e if we get 300 PS this month I will give an extra 6 chapters. The daily updates aren''t included in the extra chapters.

    GOAL 2:

    Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get will earn you guys 3 extra chapters. That''s to say that if we hit 500 GT this month, you guys will get an additional 30 chapters, isn''t this amazing?

    The goal is only valid for June 2022, you might not get the chance to get so many extra chapters so hurry up.

    Also, I am happy to announce to you that our bet has been prolonged. If you can guess the answers right before the next update I will definitely give the extra chapters that I promised yesterday.

    P.S: For the first MAGIC CASTLE we will get for this book as a gift I promise to give ten chapters mass release to show my appreciation.

    Enjoy the chapter ??????

 Chapter 56 Lets Officially Mate Tonight

    ?Joanna was too lost in the pleasure to realise that Kayden was nude just like when she saw him at the cliff.

    The only piece of clothing that was covering his nakedness was the purple robe and she had taken it off as they were kissing.

    Kayden''s body felt like he was bathing in fire and the only thing that could quench that fire was only her.

    He feasted on her mouth trying to sip every bit of breath and sweetness left in her.

    His body was excited that he transformed into a vampire without even realising it.

    His long fangs ripped off any part of her clothes that itnded on.

    Joanna was lit in her own desires to realise any of these things.

    "I love you. Let''s officially mate tonight," Kayden muttered in between the heated kisses.

    He gently made hery on the medium size bed. In one go, he ripped off the trousers she was wearing.

    The bewitched Joannay there staring at the ferocious beast as he got ready to im her as his.

    Kayden pinned her hands on the bed and got ready to seal their bond with just one powerful thrust.

    "I will try not to go crazier," He gave her his words as he positioned his mighty rod in front of her tiny hole.

    He was just about two inches away from burying his starved rod inside of her when suddenly a strange noise interrupted them.

    He paused and tried to see where the noise came from but the sound instantly vanished as it came.

    "Let''s continue, I am sure it was nothing," Kayden brought back his full attention to thedy lying underneath him waiting to be taken.

    He was about to thrust his mighty rod inside her when the chattering came again. This time around it was louder.

    Joanna, who looked like someone who was under the effect of drugs, finally snapped out of it.

    She was shocked to a stupor when she realised what had transpired between her and Kayden in a matter of six minutes.

    [Fuck, what did I almost do? What has suddenlye over me]

    Joanna felt so ashamed of herself. She quickly pulled the nkets over her nude body when Kayden went to check on her moving backpack.

    The moment Kayden opened the backpack, a medium-sized ck bird flew out andnded on the floor.

    He rushed forward to attack the bird but the bird immediately flew towards the bed where Joanna sat wrapping herself with the thick nkets like someone who was suffering from a terrible cold.

    "How dare you try to attack my woman," The furious Kayden tried to capture the bird from where it stood on Joanna''s legs but the bird jumped onto her shoulder.

    "Bacon, stop being naughty and behave," Joanna''s words made Kayden retract the hand he had stretched forward to catch the bird.

    "Is it yours?" Kayden asked. He was so distracted to know that he was standingpletely nude once again.

    "Yeah, it is mine¡­," Joanna trailed. She immediately looks away when her eyesnd on his forbidden region.

    "I know you must be excited to see me once again but can you put on some clothes?" Joanna''s words sounded more of an order than a request.

    "I can bet with myself that I am gonna suffer from a heart attack if you keep on scaring me with your mighty soldier standing at attention," Joanna''s tone sounded shy as she talked.

    Instead of doing what she said, Kayden jumped on the bed and held her. "Sorry, I momentarily forgot that we were in the middle of creating our eternal bond," Kayden sitting behind her showered her with rough kisses.

    "Let''s continue from where we stopped. I promise to make it up to you for the interruption," Kayden licked her bare skin in between her neck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His actions made Joanna''s body vibrate. The spot in which he showered kisses on burnt hot.

    Joanna jumped to her feet when she couldn''t take it anymore. The nket she had used to cover her nakedness fell on the bed.

    For that split second, Kayden had a good look at her body. He gulped her as he stretched to pull her back on the bed.

    "Hey, Kay gets a grip of yourself ok because nothing is gonna happen between us," Joanna said. She bent and picked up the fallen bed sheet. She wrapped her body up once again.

    Kayden stood up and walked closer to where she stood on the floor. "You were enjoying every bit of our intimacy earlier so what is wrong? Did I perhaps¡­,"

    "That is enough Kay," Joanna, who was scared she might jump on him if he initiated another skin contact between them, pushed his hands away when he touched her.

    "Yeah, I craved for you when I saw your bare chest but it was because I must have lost my mind seeing you nude. Maybe not being around a human after staying in that dark hellhole for so long made me lose my senses¡­.," Joanna trailed coldly but she didn''t look at him as she talked.

    "I am sorry to say this but that''s not what I wanted and I wish you will respect my decision," Joanna concluded seriously.

    She waited for him to say something but he didn''t utter a word. Five minutes passed and he still refused to talk.

    "Don''t tell me you are hurt by what I said¡­," Joanna was stunned on turning around to see Kayden dressing up.

    "We just met after a long separation so you might be feeling a bit confused. You must be experiencing a lot of emotions all at once¡­," Kayden said as he continued buttoning the white shirt he was wearing.

    "There is no need to rush things. I have a lot of time and opportunity to make you mine," Kayden said confidently as he raised his gaze and stared at her.

    "Aren''t you too confident about this? Or have you forgotten that I rejected you in the past¡­,"

    "I might have had some doubts about your feelings for me in the past but not anymore," Kayden said as he strolled to where she stood.

    He bent so that their faces were just a few inches from joining.

    He stared into her eyes affectionately, "What happened between us made me sure that you feel something for me and I won''t stop until I make that feeling bloom into love," He smirked devilishly when he heard her heartbeat increase and her face started reddening.

    [With this much feelings she has for me I am confident that I will make you love me back. I won''t miss my chance as I did back then, never again]

    He brought his face even closer but to his further delight, she didn''t reject him.

    "Get dressed. We are returning to the pce now," the cruel Kayden pulled away after getting her innocent heart excited.

    "I thought I made myself clear that I am not gonna reveal myself until I have settled the debt with some people who owe me?" Joanna said coldly.

    She sounded very different from the innocentdy he just teased.

    "I won''t stop you from leaving for your pce but you will have to do that without me," Her purple eyes emitted a blue light the moment she finished talking.

    It was the same blue shimmering light he saw in her eyes when she red at him at the cliff.

    Back then he had thought he saw the shining blue eyes incorrectly but seeing them again he realised that what he saw was right all along.

    [What the hell has she turned into? What the heck is she]

    Kayden''s eyes turned red too as he stared back at her. He stood at alert ready for a battle.

    ....

    A/N: To get extra chapters then let''s try our best toplete the missions. Please help out a poor author hmm?

 Chapter 57 Shameless Kayden

    ?The angry Joanna soon calmed down. And when she did her eyes returned to that pair of purple eyes he was familiar with.

    "Rx, I won''t harm you," Joanna said when she saw that his eyes were still crimson red.

    "But I can''t guarantee that I won''t punch you in the face if you dare to peep at me while I change," Joanna said jokingly as she signalled him to turn around.

    Seeing that she had returned to the lovely girl he knew, Kayden also calmed down and just like her, his eyes returned to the original ck colour that it has always been.

    "I have seen all that needs to be seen so what is use to¡­," Kayden abruptly paused what he wanted to say when Joanna extended her hand to punch him.

    "You might be the King but I won''t hesitate to hit you if you dare peep or tease me with what you saw," Joanna threatened him with her fist pointing at his face.

    "Also, I saw everything on your body that needs to be seen so you can say we are even," Joanna said without sounding the least embarrassed.

    Kayden turned his back at her like a gentleman would have done. "I am sure you must have loved what you saw right?" Kayden decided not to withhold himself anymore.

    If given a second chance he had promised himself to drop every form of formalities. He had vowed to pursue her like a normal person would woo the woman he loves.

    Now that he has been given a second chance he intends to keep his word.

    "I am sure you must agree with me that the size is perfect and it is solid just as it should have been. With one thrust you will be sent to the nine heavens¡­,"

    "Kay, what the hell do you think you are doing huh?" Joanna asked sharply.

    She was trying to take her mind off that scene and yet his words were making her visualize the scene of his naked body afresh.

    "What else if not that I am telling you the benefits you are gonna get from being my woman. You will enjoy me every night¡­,"

    "What has happened to you Kay? Did you eat or drink what you shouldn''t have or did something else happened to you while I was away¡­,"

    "Something terrible did happen and that was, I missed you to the point that I lost my mind," Kayden said seriously.

    "I was insane for a few days and when I regained myself, I vowed that if heaven had mercy on me and brought you back that I will do everything I couldn''t do in the past¡­," There was a pain in his voice as he spoke.

    He fought back the memories of the past six months that were threatening to surface.

    "I had promised to do everything with you so that there will be no room for regret in the future and that is what I''m gonna do," Kayden said firmly.

    Everywhere turned quiet and awkward after Kayden''sst statement.

    Joanna went to sit on the bed after putting on one of the clothes she picked from the wardrobe.

    "There is no need to sound so serious when telling such lies or else¡­,"

    "I wasn''t lying," Kayden said firmly as he went to sit beside her.

    Seeing how serious he looked Joanna didn''t know how to brush off the topic so she decided to change it instead.

    "Instead of dwelling on depressing topics, why don''t we talk about something more exciting while you keep mepany for a few minutes," Joanna said as she rearranged the oversized shirt which was threatening to swallow her up.

    "Something exciting like what?" Kayden asked as he stretched his hand and held her right hand.

    Their sudden closeness made Joanna''s eyes widen. Her thoughts run wild just within some seconds.

    [Gosh, what the hell was I thinking? What on earth is wrong with me after I returned]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna felt so embarrassed and guilty when she saw that Kayden was only trying to roll up the sleeve of the shirt since it was bigger than her.

    "Something exciting like what has happened and how everyone has been living after I died," Joanna said.

    Kayden stared into her eyes to see how she was feeling but her expression was nk.

    "Since I became the King no one has been gutsy enough to ask me to do what you are asking me to do but since it is you, I will make an exception," Kayden said. He sat down properly after he had rolled up her two sleeves.

    "I feel honoured that I am an exception, Your Majesty," Joanna said sarcastically but this did not stop Kayden from narrating all that happened while she was away.

    He started telling the story from the day she went missing. He tried to be as detailed as he could.

    Thank goodness for Chris who always gives him the news on some of the things that happened or else he wouldn''t have been able to satisfy Joanna''s curiosity.

    "I wonder why I am not the least surprised that everyone has been living quite well even after they murdered me," Joanna said as she pets the head of the ckbird sitting on her legs.

    "Now you have told me how they are living, I guess it is time for me to see things for myself¡­,"

    "Joan, I know you must be feeling so hateful right now but I will advise you not to try anything stupid. They might try to kill you again¡­,"

    "They will kill me?" Joanna chuckled as she stared at Kayden. "They can give it a try but that is if they have what it takes to do it".

    "What do you mean? Are you perhaps a werewolf now¡­,"

    "That''s a story for another day. Get going now. You have stayed longer than you usually do. I am sure Chris waiting in front of the forest will get worried about you," Joanna interrupted him sharply.

    It was obvious she was trying to avoid the topic.

    "I never mentioned that Chris was waiting for me so how do you know this and you even know exactly where he is waiting? And what did you mean by I have stayed longer than I normally do?" Kayden asked suspiciously.

    He has been finding Joanna strange and what she just said proved her more suspicious.

    "That''s a secret. I will tell you everything on the day you decide to tell me why you are both a vampire and a werewolf?" Joanna said yfully.

    Kayden wanted to spend the night there. In fact, he didn''t want her out of his sight for even a second but Joanna insisted he must leave.

    She was afraid her return would no longer be a secret if the guards came in search of Kayden and found her there.

    "The hut is mine so you can stay here for as long as you want. I will bring the necessities you will need to make youfortable," Kayden took a long gaze at her before he forced himself to leave in the heavy rain which had refused to stop.

    "Bacon, I think this is the perfect time for us to return home and settle some scores, don''t you agree with me?" An evil grin appeared on her beautiful face. Her eyes turned blue and they shone brightly.

    She looked scary as she gazed into space. She disappeared almost immediately.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    I am happy to announce to you that the book will be officially going premium (Chapters will get locked) on Monday, June 12, 2022. So I will advise you to follow the daily updates so that you will not be caught unawares.

    P.S: As you can see this chapter supplied answers to our previous bets. From here you can see that you guys lost the bet while I won so send my gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS like we had agreed on.

    Rain down gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS on me.

 Chapter 58 Joannas First Target

    ?In a bright room illuminated by the beautiful chandeliers and bulbs, twodies in their pyjamas were seen talking with their voices raised.

    The olderdy said something the otherdy didn''t ept and she reacted by jerking to her feet.

    "Mum, how could you tell me to resort to drugging the King if seducing him doesn''t work when you know clearly that Rafael is my mate and I love him...,"

    "What is love, stupid girl? Can it put food on your table, buy designer and limited edition clothes and other essories for you or can it give you the power and influence you need to survive in this harsh world?" Adhara asked, her voice rising more than previously.

    She waited for her daughter to say something but Laura couldn''t say anything.

    "See, you can''t say anything because you know that love cannot give you a luxurious life but instead will make you live a wretched life".

    She shifted closer to Laura, lifted Laura''s right hand and ced it in her palms. She caressed Laura''s hands affectionately.

    "Can you stand living a wretched life, a life of misery? Will you be able to stand being looked down on by your age mate? Are you ready to live a filthy life like that of your dead step sister...,"

    "Never," Laura said with a disgusted look.

    "How could you ever wish me such a bad thing...,"

    "I know you hate that kind of life but if you don''t want to live with your head lowered for the rest of your life then do as I said and get closer to the King now that he hasn''t taken in any wife...,"

    "Mum, Rafael''s family are not poor. Although their wealth cannot bepared to the Noels or us they are still considered among the top ten richest families in the kingdom," Laura said with a smile as she tried to make her mother understand her point of view.

    "Why are you opting for thest when you can be the number one. Being the Queen will give you not only wealth but immense power. After the King, you will be the next in line...,"

    "Mum, why is it that you are not understanding what I am trying to say? Rafael is my mate. Our mate bond has grown stronger after we mated. I can''t just do away with him just because he is not the King," Laura said seriously.

    [Why does it look like she has grown wiser after I left. Although she has grown wiser too bad Adhara won''t get what she wants since I am back]

    Joanna watching them from where she hid smiled.

    "Besides, one cannot do away with his or her mate''s life that. One mate is supposed tost for a lifetime...,"

    "Your father wasn''t my mate but aren''t we married with kids now?" Adhara shouted as she threw Laura''s hand away in anger.

    "Just to be in this household I killed my mate. If you don''t get your act together then I will be forced to put an end to your madness with his death," Adhara was so angry to the point that she let out the secret she has been hiding for so long.

    Laura''s body weakened at the sudden revtion.

    She weakly stood up from where she sat. She stared at the fuming woman in front of her.

    She had always known that her mother was not a nice person but never had she thought that she would go as far as killing her mate, the one who should be her other half.

    "You killed your mate?" Laura asked as she stared at her mother''s face.

    At first, Adhara was surprised when she realised what she had said but when she recalled that it was only the two of them around, she decided not to keep the secret to herself anymore.

    Even though not for anything but to give her lovestruck daughter a wake-up call.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes, I killed him, so what?" Adhara replied with pride. She sat down on the couch with her legs crossed.

    [I have always known her to be a cruel woman and today she has further proved that she has no heart]

    Joanna red at the woman who had no sense of guilt as she went ahead to narrate the story of her life to her daughter.

    Joanna listened keenly to the mother and daughter conversation. Had Adhara known that they had unwanted guests, maybe she wouldn''t have divulged too many secrets.

    "How dare he try to force me to live a wretched life with him just because we share a bond?" Adhara said at the end of her narration.

    "Mum!" Laura shouted. She couldn''t recognise the woman sitting beside her to be the same woman who has been doting on her ever since she was a child.

    Adhara stood up and squatted in front of Laura. She held Laura''s hands lying on herp.

    "And this is why you have got to do like I said. The King is the best option any woman can ever choose for a partner. Only a crazy person will be asked to choose between gold and wood and he will choose wood," Adhara said.

    Who could resist the temptation of being always referred to as the Queen Mother?None can me her for the way she acts.

    "It looks like we were created to forever snatch things from that Miserable Lucinda. First I stole her mate and not long you are gonna be the one married to King Kayden Greyson...,"

    The flower vase lying on the table suddenly falls off causing Adhara and Laura to jump to their feet in fear.

    They looked away to see what must have caused the flower vase to suddenly fall but they couldn''t find anything.

    The windows and doors were tightly closed so the cold wind outside caused by the heavy rain couldn''t enter the house.

    "What just happened?" Laura asked as she looked around to see whether someone else was around.

    The angry Joanna hiding in the corner slowly retracted her outstretched hand facing the ce the vasey earlier. But her shimmering blue eyes didn''t disappear.

    [You might have driven my mother to death and also tried to do the same to me but history will never repeat itself. I didn''t go through those tortuous six months in that hellhole just because I was dying to return and say hello to you. I came back for revenge and guess what...]

    Joanna grinned evilly.Immediately there was a power outage in the room. And it was at this time the thunder decided to roar louder.

    Suddenly the windows including all the doors flew open.

    "My revenge starts now," Joanna muttered, her smile growing darker as the cold wind rushed into the house.

    ....

    A/N: Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews. Please also buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Guys, please let''s try and reach this month''s goals because this is very important to me. And this is because whether or not we reach the goals will have a huge impact on the future of the book.

    If we reach the goals especially the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock and the GOLDEN TICKETS goals, the book will stand a chance to get more features. To a book and authors, more features mean more readers.

    So please help me out, guys. I really really want this book to do well. Help out this poor author.

 Chapter 59 Joannas Ghost

    ?Laura and Adhara bent at the same time and grabbed the couch when it felt like the mighty wind was gonna lift them off the floor.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Laura cried out, sounding terrified.

    "I haven''t witnessed something like that before," Adhara replied as her grip around the couch tightened.

    There was a thick darkness in the entire Anderson building for about five minutes. And afterwards, the lights came on making the once terrified mother and daughter duo very excited.

    "Thank goodness the light has been¡­," Laura didn''t get to finish her words before all the light bulbs including the chandeliers began shaking.

    The shivering Laura hugged her hands to her chest as she remained in the same spot as instructed by her mother.

    Everything going on was so confusing and terrifying at the same time that Adhara was lost about what to do.

    "Bacon, it''s your cue now. Go and do what you are best at," Joanna grinned evilly as she released the bird sitting on her left shoulder.

    The bird flew away to show that he understood hermands.

    Fear crept into Laura''s heart when she saw a ck bird flying in their room. She hurriedly went and hid behind her mother with her hand grabbing the elderly woman tightly.

    "Mum, what is happening here? Has our house suddenly be haunted?" The terrified Laura asked.

    She immediately squatted when the bird flew in her direction.

    "I don''t believe in ghosts or such superstitions," Adhara said despite feeling very scared and uneasy.

    "Laura, go and check up on your little brother sleeping upstairs to make sure that he is alright," Adhara said, not letting go of the couch she was holding onto.

    Laura refused to let go of her mother''s clothes despite that she repeated the words twice.

    Adhara forcefully pushed Laura''s hands away from her clothes. "Do as I said and stop being a scared cat".

    "I am scared Mum¡­," Just then a shadow in white ran past them making Laura scream in horror.

    She jumped into Adhara''s body, refusing to let go. "Mum, did you just see that?" Laura cried out in fear when the shadow in white circled them only to disappear immediately.

    "Mum, there is a ghost in the house. Our house is haunted," Laura cried out in terror.

    "Silly girl,e down from my body and go upstairs to make sure that your brother is not affected by all this," Adhara tapped Laura''s butt but Laura refused to climb down from her body.

    She had to use force to get Laura to release her atst. "Go on now," Adhara shouted angrily.

    With trembling legs and body Laura took a step forward. Her eyes were everywhere as she took a second step.

    On her third step, a figure in a white long ir dress appeared close to the foot of the stairs making Laura run back to where her mother stood.

    The figure standing before them had long ck hair that stopped at her waist.

    "Who¡­ who¡­ who is that," Adhara''s shaky voice gave her fears away.

    "Stop ying pranks on us and show your face. Who knows I might be a bit merciful if you quit this nonsense," Adhara tried to act brave despite being scared to her wits.

    The moment Adhara said these words the cold wind that had once settled down began blowing violently.

    Things in the sitting room started falling to the floor. The chandeliers shook greatly, making Adhara and Laura scared that the one above their heads will fall on them.

    As if the strong wind wasn''t enough, creepingughter filled the room, making Laura and Adhara cover their ears to block off the sound.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The cold wind soon came along with sand, making Laura and Adhara cover their eyes with their hands.

    When they felt that things had calmed down they opened their eyes slowly. They looked at the ce the figure in white stood. They were so relieved to see that it was gone.

    "It''s gone finally. Gosh, that was terrifying," Laura heaved a sigh of relief as she turned to sit on the couch.

    ? What she saw on turning around made her freeze to a spot.

    "Ahhh¡­.," Laura screamed immediately, taking to her heels.

    "Ghost. There is a ghost here," Before Adhara knew what was going on Laura had already run out of the house through the front door.

    Curious to know what was wrong, Adhara turned to face the couch only to see a terrifying Joanna with pale skin sitting on the couch.

    Instead of water, blood dropped from her eyes as tears.

    "You are dead. Ghost¡­," The horrified Adhara ran out of the house into the rain in the same manner Laura did.

    "Haha¡­.," A girl''sughter filled the entire sitting room.

    "Wow! I never knew that a heartless woman like her knew fear. What a wonderful sight to behold," Joanna said amidst her creepingughter.

    "I never knew that ying a ghost like this could be so thrilling until now. I guess I have to keep up with this act until the day I decide to reveal myself," Joanna''s words were apanied by her evilughter.

    Joanna crossed her legs as she let her eyes examine the room which has be a mess all because of her.

    "I am just getting started and they almost ran insane. I wonder whether my next targets will have the same look on their faces when I showed myself to them," Joanna said grinning devilishly.

    "My killers have lived way too peacefully after murdering me but not anymore. Now that I, Joanna, the girl who rose from the dead, am back. I will make their life a living hell," Joanna muttered as her eyes turned shiny blue.

    The instant she stared at the family photo hanging on the wall in which she was not included in it, the photo frame fell and shattered into pieces.

    "Their peaceful days are now over," She mumbled as she stared out through the opened door.

    The heavy wind ceased and even the electricity returned to normal. It was as if all of them were obeying her orders.

    "Bacon, I never said you should stop. Go and continue with the torture. It will be even better if you can make sure they don''t return here tonight," Joannamanded the ck bird that was perching on the centre table.

    "I have missed my little rice ball a whole lot. As you know I can''t watch him sleep the entire night if they return, so go and do it. But make sure not to kill them just yet. It won''t be fun that way," Joanna said as she stood up from where she sat.

    "Don''t worry now that we are back here I will give you a lot of yummy food but just make sure toplete the task," Joanna said firmly.

    She stared at the bird which was scratching his left feather with its mouth.

    The bird flew away into the dark sky. Joanna walked majestically upstairs like she was the owner of the house.

    "Now that I am back I am gonna make everyone pay. They created this demon here and so they must take full responsibility for it," Joanna''s eyes turned shiny blue again, this change in her eye colour was apanied by the door and windows of the entire house closing on their own.

    ...

    A/N: Tell me what you think about this chapter throughments and reviews. Also, send gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS if you love the chapter.

    Also, we are gonna do another bet on who is her second target so get prepared to put your imagination to work?

 Chapter 60 He Woke Up Excited

    ?When Joanna reached Anthony''s bedside she met the little boy sleeping soundly. It was as if someone had deliberately blocked everything that took ce downstairs from affecting him.

    Joanna went and sat on his bed. She stared at the little boy whose face she has mixed seeing for the past six months.

    She examined him with her eyes from head to toe. Joanna pulled the nket to cover the tiny figure.

    While doing this she noticed that he was holding something in his hands.

    Her curiosity got the better part of her so she stretched her hand and slowly straightened his fingers one after the other until he had loosened his grip around what he was holding onto.

    "Superman!" Joanna eximed in astonishment as she raised her gaze and stared at Anthony''s sleeping face.

    She can still vividly recall that this was thest gift she bought for Anthony when they were at the Golden Core Pack.

    "I guess doting on you all these years wasn''t a waste. Your love for me is as true and pure as your innocent heart," Joanna caressed Anthony''s face as she returned the doll to him.

    After watching him sleep for a few minutes Joanna lowered herself on the bed. She embraced Anthony tightly as she closed her eyes.

    "It''s so great to be back and alive. Spending six months there had made me almost forget how it feels to experience warmth," Joanna''s grip around Anthony''s body tightened as she moved even closer to him.

    [I wish I could wipe off every memory I have of that ce]

    Joanna thought with her eyes closed.

    Tears rippled through her face as she clutched the sheets tightly.

    "But how can I remember my suffering if those memories are gone? Wouldn''t my hatred for them also go away along with my memories?"

    She raised her right hand and wiped off the tears.

    "Only when I remember those memories will I be heartless when exerting my revenge so no matter how much I hate the memories, I can''t and I must not forget it," Joanna muttered.

    After about an hour ofying there, she soon drifted to sleep. For the first time in six months, Joanna had a peaceful sleep.

    She didn''t sleep with one eye open like she has been doing ever since she was hauled down the dreaded forest.

    The following morning at about 5:10 am Bacon flying at the window of Anthony''s room constantly pecked the ss window with his beaks.

    His chirps made Joanna turn and groaned angrily at the bird. "I have heard you Bacon so can you please shut up?" Joanna said in anger as she slowly sat up on the bird.

    "I will be forced to make you unable to speak again if you wake my little rice ball up so early on a Saturday morning".

    Joanna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She turned and peered at Tony''s sleeping face.

    "Wait for your sister to officiallye back. I will make sure that you don''t have to sleep hugging your Superman anymore," Joanna smiled as she patted the little boy''s hair.

    She vanished after pecking him on his left cheek.

    When Morning finally came, Adhara and Laura returned to the house looking dishevelled and haggard.

    They looked like beggars who had not taken their baths and changed their clothes for six months.

    Had it not been for the house which was aplete mess they would assume what happened the previous night to have been a horrible dream.

    "Does Joanna''s ghost really live in this house?" Laura asked as she looked at the mess their once beautiful sitting room had be.

    The thought of Joanna''s ghost living there made the hair on her body stand up.

    ...

    In the Pce, for the first time in a long time, Kayden woke up with a broad smile on his face.

    Four maids walked into his room immediately after the rm rang. "Your Majesty, it''s time to freshen up," Announced the head of the maids whose outfit was different from the other maids'' clothes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I would have done that even though you didn''t remind me," Kayden said, he looked so lively, unlike his usual cold voice and expression.

    "Everything is set for your bath¡­,"

    "Leave that task for the others for today, Josephina," Kayden interrupted thedy holding a white towel in her hand.

    "Your task this early morning is getting me the best set ofdies'' clothes, shoes, underwear, jewellery¡­ In fact, I want you to get everything ady would need to live a normal life. She has almost the same figure as you so get everything in your size," Kayden said as he stood up from the magnificent bed he was sitting on.

    He was too distracted to notice that Chris had entered the room.

    "Also, ask the chefs to prepare the tastiest dish they have ever cooked in their entire lives. I want it packed in three lunchboxes," Kayden said as he slowly took off his sleeping robes without asking for the maid''s help.

    "Let me help you with it," Josephina stepped forward to help the King take off his clothes like she normally did.

    "Didn''t you hear what I said?" Kayden turned and red at thedy who was holding his clothes.

    "I will ask the other maids to pass your orders to¡­," The King''s murderous res made Josephina pause what she wanted to say.

    "I will get the task done right now," Josephina who knew the King''s temper like the back of her hands decided not to push her luck.

    She handed the towels, soap and other items in her possession to other maids.

    "I want everything ready in two hours," Kayden said. He looked away when he got a glimpse of Chris standing at the door.

    "I will do just that, Your Majesty," Josephina replied politely. She bowed and left the room.

    The maid next inmand took over Josephina''s task immediately. She helped the King to undress.

    "Why are you still standing there, don''t tell me you want to enter the bathroom with me?" Kayden asked coldly when he noticed that Chris was still at the spot he saw him earlier today.

    "I have no intention of taking a bath with you, Your Majesty," Chris replied firmly.

    "If not, then are you trying to say that you are spying on me now?"

    "I wouldn''t dare¡­,"

    "Of course, you would. If you had the guts to disobey my orders back then that means you are capable of doing even worse things," Kayden said angrily, making the maids shift away from him in fear.

    ...

    A/N: Ok guys, as I said in the previous chapter, this is our new bet.

    If you can guess correctly who Joanna''s next target I will give extra two chapters but if you fail the guess, you guys must promise to hit the 50 GOLDEN TICKETS GOAL.

    If you dare to ept the bet then drop ament and let''s see whether you guys will win this time around.

    Let''s see whether your sense of imagination is on the same level as your dearest author LMAO.

    You guys have two days to guess the answer correctly so, let''s go!!!

    P.S: As you noticed I didn''t lock the chapter on the 12th of June like I had said and this is because I care so much about you guys, isn''t your dearest author great?

    Nevertheless, I am going to lock the chapters on the 15th of June so this means you have less than 24 hours to catch up on thetest chapter.

    You don''t have much time so hurry up and read the novel now while the chapters are not locked yet.

    Send gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS and alsoment as you read.

    Have a pleasant read.

    And I love you ??????

 Chapter 61 He Met An Empty Hut

    ?There was dead silence in the room after the King''s outburst.

    "I just wanted to remind his Majesty about the fact that you were supposed to have breakfast with the Queen Mother today¡­,"

    "I am in no mood to eat with her so make sure to pass my words to her," Kayden said as he turned to head towards the restroom.

    "You have been avoiding having a meal with her once a month ording to the Pce rules for six months now¡­,"

    "If you pity her so much then I permit you to wear the King''s robe and dine with her. I don''t mind you bing her son too," Kayden said harshly.

    He walked away in anger.

    [Even though he hates me I am d to see him smiling for the first time in a long time. I am even happier to see that he is not only willing to date Miss Noel but he went as far as preparing a meal to please her]

    Chris turned and walked out of the King''s bedroom.

    Kayden freshened up and got dressed by the maids who were waiting for him.

    By the time he had finished, breakfast was served but s Kayden shocked everyone once again when he said he wasn''t gonna have breakfast.

    Josephina returned just in time to deliver all that the King asked her to get.

    "I didn''t know her likes so I tried my best to purchase the same thing in different colours¡­,"

    "It''s ok," Kayden left Josephina perplexed with his response.

    For the past months, the King''s mood has been at its worst ever since she started working for him.

    Heins about every little thing and punishes them for the slightest mistakes. Everyone in the Pce has been trying their best to avoid him because of his temper and this is why she was shocked to hear him say that it was ok.

    "Your Majesty, sorry to ask but, are you alright?" Josephina made the bold step to ask since she was very ufortable with the King''s sudden change in mood.

    "Do you perhaps need me to send for the doctor¡­,"

    "I couldn''t be better than I am right now so there is no need to send for the doctor," Kayden was too excited to understand the hidden meaning behind Josephina''s words.

    "Are the lunchboxes packed yet?" Kayden raised his gaze from the shopping bagsid on the centre table.

    He stared at Josephina for an answer.

    Chris entered the sitting room before Josephina could respond.

    "The kitchen just delivered the lunchboxes now," Chris informed.

    "Get the lunchboxes and all the shopping bags into the car. I am going out now," Kayden said as he stood up from the couch.

    His actions showed that this was the piece of news he was waiting for.

    "But¡­," The piercing res Kayden shot at him made Chris swallow back whatever he wanted to say.

    "I will get it done now," Chris said. He signalled the two maids waiting on Kayden to get the stuff.

    After everything was carefully ced inside the car Kayden approached the car from where he stood.

    "I will drive today so give me the keys¡­,"

    "What?" Chris asked in bewilderment. Out of subconsciousness, he hid the keys behind his back.

    "I said, the keys," Kayden stretched his hand for Chris to hand the car keys over to him but he refused.

    "Your Majesty, I know you are upset with me about the incident six months ago but you can''t put yourself into danger because of your hatred for me," Chris, who has always been known to be strong-headed, said without doing as Kayden ordered.

    "Do you think I am doing this because I am mad at you?" Kayden asked.

    "Don''t you think you are ording so important to yourself?" Kayden scoffed.

    "It''s doesn''t matter what is your reason for wanting to do this, all I know is that I won''t hand over the keys¡­,"

    "What insolence?" Kayden thundered angrily. Chris'' decision remained unmoved despite how angry he had made the King.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kayden didn''t wait for Chris to talk further. He turned and signalled three guards standing not far away toe closer.

    "I want the keys so get it from him," Kayden ordered sternly.

    "Your Majesty, it''s hasn''t¡­,"

    "Don''t you dare try to plead for him this time around because it won''t work on me today," Kayden shut Josephina up knowing too well what she wanted to do.

    "Today is not like every other day. I am already runningte for my appointment, I have no time to waste arguing with him," Kayden said.

    His expression showed that he won''t go easy on Chris.

    When Chris saw that the King was very serious about his words he decided to give in to him for the first time. "Here are the keys, Your Majesty".

    Kayden stretched his right hand and collected the keys from Chris. "It''s good to see that we are beginning to understand each other now," Kayden said carefreely.

    He entered the white Mercedes Benz which one of the guards had just opened.

    They all watched him drive off.

    The guards whom he ordered to get the keys from Chris returned to their post feeling very relieved that they didn''t have to fight with their senior.

    "Howe you changed your mind so easily, it''s so unlike the Chris I know," Josephina said when the King''s car was out of sight.

    "Didn''t you see him repeatedly stare at his wristwatch ever since he finished dressing up?" Chris asked his gaze glued on the direction the King took.

    "And what does the King checking his wristwatch have to do with you giving him the keys?" Josephina asked in confusion.

    She didn''t see a connection between the King looking at his wristwatch repeatedly and Chris handing over the keys to him without putting on a strong fight.

    "That is to say that he has someone he is eager to see," Chris broke the news to him.

    "Are you trying to tell me that the King is now over Miss Anderson?...,"

    "I am not sure but let''s hope my guess is right. I want nothing more than to see him return to his former happy self," Chris said.

    He made to leave but Josephina held his hand.

    "Where are you going?" She asked curiously.

    "Where else if not to follow the King and make sure he is safe at all times?"

    Chris smiled at her.

    "Or did you really think I would let the King go out alone? What if he got attacked by assassins?" Chris asked as he began walking away.

    "He hates your guts now and you still want to provoke him further by disobeying his orders, do you still want to live anymore?" Josephina asked with her voice a little louder so that Chris who had walked far away would hear her.

    "I can see that they still care about each other very much but I wonder why they are behaving like cat and dog," Josephina muttered. She returned to the King''s chambers afterwards.

    In the forest, Kayden parked his car at a ce not very obvious before he journeyed into the forest on foot.

    He giggled all the way only to find an empty hut when he got there. His heart started racing against his chest as he ran out of the hut with the stuff he brought with him.

    Thinking that she might be behind the hut he searched for her around but he couldn''t find her.

    "Our reunion wasn''t another of my nightmares, right?" The stuff in his hands subconsciously fell off when realisation struck Kayden.

    ...

    A/N: Don''t forget our bet. This is your chance to get extra chapters so don''t miss it for anything ok?

    Have a pleasant read.

    ??????

 Chapter 62 Is He Here Now?

    ?Kayden abandoned everything and ran around the forest in search of Joanna.

    He ran around the forest like someone who had lost his mind.

    While doing this the only name on his lips was only her name. "Joan, I beg you if it''s a prank I ept defeat soe out already. Stop scaring me hmm," Kayden said miserably.

    He looked around expecting Joanna to jump out from her hiding ce with a triumphant smile on her face to showcase the sess of her prank.

    Behold there was no one in sight despite all these.

    "It can''t be a dream. No, I forbid our reunion to be a dream," Kayden chanted these words before he resumed running again.

    Meanwhile, as Kayden was losing his mind searching for Joanna in the vast forest, in the Queen Mother''s chambers, she was seen sitting on the dining table with a frown on her face.

    She turned and stared at her right-hand side when she heard footsteps.

    She waited for the approaching figure to reach the dining table.

    "Is he here now?" She asked hopefully.

    Despite that Tracy''s fallen expression had already hinted to her about the oue she still wanted to hear it from the horse''s mouth.

    "He sent his men to deliver the same words he has been saying for the past six months," Tracy said meekly.

    Although she felt bad for the Queen Mother who had been waiting for the King to show up so that they could eat breakfast, she dared not make her feelings visible.

    The Queen Mother will only end up punishing her with the offence of pitying her if she dared show on her face that she felt bad for her.

    The next things Tracy heard were the nging and shattering of tes and spoons on the tiled floor.

    "How dare he stood me up once again," The angry Queen Mother now standing said with a clenched fist.

    "He should be happy that I got rid of a girl who should have caused him trouble in the future so what gives him the guts to treat me this way just because he realised that I was involved in her death?"

    The Queen Mother was so furious that she forgot to filter her words like she has been doing for so long.

    "Our spy informed me earlier that the King left after ordering the royal kitchen to prepare tasty dishes befitting for a Queen," Tracy ryed the news with hopes of getting the Queen Mother''s anger eased even the tiniest bit.

    "Apart from that he also told me that His Majesty ordered his personal maid, Josephina to purchasedies'' dress of top qualities¡­," Tracy trailed to make sure that the Queen Mother was following the point she was trying to make.

    "Everyone knows that the closest woman to the King in the Kingdom right now is Young Miss Tiffany¡­,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that he did all these for Tiffany?" Queen Mother asked. Her face lights up at the mere thoughts of reiming her authority in the pce.

    "The spy made me understand that the King was in a hurry when he left. He almost had Chris beaten up by the guards..,"

    "Is this true?" Queen Mother Theresa asked, wanting a confirmation.

    Instead of a glimmer of hope she could see a bright light descending on her.

    [Does this means that Tiffany has made a breakthrough in her pursuit]<novelnext></novelnext>

    The Queen Mother could not resist smiling at the thought of making one of her people be the Queen of the Kingdom.

    "Yes, Your Highness. I believe our spy would never lie about such important news knowing very well what the consequences will be ifter proved that he lied," Tracy assured her firmly.

    "I recall Tiffany telling mest night that she had an appointment with the King, I strongly believe that your guess is correct," Queen Mother Theresa said as she walked away from the dining table.

    "I can see I didn''t spoil her all these years for nothing. She didn''t let me down just like she promised".

    "Have the maids clean the mess up," Queen Mother ordered when she got a glimpse of the mess she had caused.

    "Yes, Your Highness," Tracy replied. She turned and signalled one of the maids waiting on the Queen Mother to tidy up the mess the Queen Mother made.

    "Call Tiffany to give her heads up about the surprise the King has prepared for her so that she will act ordingly," The Queen Mother ordered in a stern tone.

    "Also, tell her to also buy a gift for the King too. She can present it to him while pretending like it was fate that made them think alike".

    "I will deliver all that Your Highness has said to Young Miss Tiffany," Tracy said firmly.

    When the Queen Mother didn''t seem to have any urgent task for her, Tracy left to ry the Queen Mother''s message to Tiffany.

    Back at the forest, Kayden kept on running around the forest tirelessly. He didn''t care how many times he had run past the same ce.

    All he wanted was Joanna and as long as he could find her everything else was meaningless to him.

    Kayden was still running aimlessly when he came across a river in the forest. He had already run past but only for him to retrace his steps when he spotted a figure inside the water.

    On taking a closer look at the person he recognized it to be Joanna. "Why is she trying tomit suicide?" Kayden muttered.

    Without wasting any time he appeared close to the mouth of the river.

    The figure inside the water was too focused on what she was doing to notice that a second party was around.

    The sudden sshing of the water startled her so she turned around to see what happened.

    To Joanna''s bewilderment, she saw someone emerge from under the water.

    Her eyes almost fell out of their socket when she lowered her gaze and saw the spot Kayden was holding.

    Joanna screamed eyes widened with terror.

    ...

    A/N: As you can see the chapters have been locked. To those who adhered to my suggestion and followed the daily updates, I want to say congrattions.

    Now that the chapters have been locked, please help me out by unlocking the chapters with coins.

    Also, I am proud to announce to you that starting from next month July, you are gonna be receiving two chapters as a daily update. Privileged chapters will also be set so please save all coins you have so you will support this dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    P.S: In the next update I am gonna announced the result of our bet and the names of the readers who guessed the answers correctly.

 Chapter 63 Her First Mission After Being Reborn

    ?In a sh, Joanna pushed Kayden violently away so that he removed his hands from the breasts he was holding.

    "What do you think you are looking at, won''t you turn around?" Joanna hurried to cover her chest with her hands when she saw how intensely Kayden was staring at her nude body.

    "I had already seen everythingst night when we made love¡­,"

    "Kay, believe me, I will gouge out your eyes if you continue giving me that look," Joanna threatened fiercely.

    "You have such a nice body so you can''t me me for staring¡­," Joanna sshed the water at him to prevent him frompleting his sentence.

    Kayden, who didn''t expect her to attack him this way, gulped a handful of water because of her action.

    "I admit defeat so stop ring at me already. I will turn around if that is what you want," Kayden said when he got a glimpse of her fierce res.

    He smiled as he stared at the river''s environment surrounded by bushes.

    "After what happened between usst night I didn''t expect you to act very shy around me. I mean aren''t those who have sex supposed¡­,"

    Joanna turned and red at the guy whose back was facing her. "Why do you keep saying that we had sex when that didn''t happen?"

    "Are you perhaps trying to ruin my chances of getting married to a dashing guy¡­,"

    "Where can you find a man as handsome, dashing, tall, rich and powerful as me?" Kayden said with pride.

    "Are you seriously selling yourself to me right now?" Joanna asked. She couldn''t help but notice that Kayden had changed a lot.

    In the past he was cheerful but he became very careful with the way he speaks or does things when he got crowned as the King.

    She was so used to this cold side of him that she got the chills with his newfound self.

    She couldn''t believe that the shameless guy standing in front of her was the aloof King of Twipera Kingdom.

    He looked like a totally different person.

    "How would you know my worth if I don''t make the advertisement catchy?" Kayden''s reply made Joanna realize that she was wasting her time trying to talk sense into the guy.

    "What a narcissist!" Joanna muttered enough for him to hear. She started swimming out of the river afterwards.

    "I wonder where you sold my darling Kay in the past only to rece him with this perverted being?" Joanna now standing on the grassy ground said.

    "Your darling Kay?" Kayden asked excitedly as he turned around. Herment made him forget that he wasn''t supposed to look at her.

    He looked away when she shouted at him for staring.

    "Does that mean you had a crush on me in the past but were only ying hard to get me to make me fall head over heels for you?" Kayden said.

    Anyone who saw this shameless man and heard what he was saying will doubt whether he was the same King they knew.

    "Joan, since this has always been your aim, what are you gonna do now that you have seeded in making me fall madly in love with me?" Kayden asked, imitating a cute tone.

    "I don''t mind offering myself to you free of charge¡­.,"

    "Shameless," Joanna eximed as she shook her head.

    His words made her recall Audrey''s words back at Golden Core Pack. Audrey''s words back then rang in her memory.

    "Also, I am sure that Kayden will not hesitate to throw himself at you if he learns about even a little of what you think of him. He will offer himself to you on a tter of gold,"

    These were Audrey''s exact words that night and she could still recall them vividly.

    [Why are Drey''s words proving true? Did she perhaps foresee this day]

    Joanna focused her gaze on the back of the guy still standing inside the water.

    "Kay, I am curious to know whether your subjects are aware of this perverted side of yours," Joanna said as she put on her clothes after drying her body.

    "You are the only person I will show this side of mine to so you don''t have to get jealous of me charming other women with my cuteness¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are a nutcase and I won''t bother arguing with you anymore," Joanna said when she couldn''t win against Kayden.

    "I know you love my current self so you don''t have to pretend. Don''t worry you will keep seeing more of this side of me for a long time," Kayden said smiling.

    Kayden stayed in the water until Joanna finished dressing up.

    "Come let''s go. You can keep on staying there if you n to spend the entire day in the river," Joanna said.

    She started walking away with her Bacon hovering around her. Joanna didn''t wait for Kayden toe out of the water.

    "Wait up Joan," Kayden yelled, his loud voice echoing in the dense forest.

    Kayden and Joanna walked side by side until they finally reached the hut.

    When they had settled down in the hut and Kayden tried to show Joanna the gifts he brought for her, he recalled that he had left the stuff in the forest when he was searching for her.

    "Wait here, I will be back," Kayden said. He hurried out of the hut before Joanna had the chance to ask him what he was up to.

    Kayden returned with the shopping bags and lunchboxes in his hands. Joanna hurried to assist him on seeing the many loans he was carrying.

    "Did you bring these things by yourself from the entrance of the forest to the hut?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "Yes, I did. I couldn''t afford to bring Chris or the other guards with me and that is why I left them in the Pce".

    "Wow, I feel honoured that the King is willing to serve a humble girl like me. And I can''t help but think that you are such a sweet¡­," Joanna paused when she saw how attentively Kayden was staring at her.

    She decided to withhold herpliments after realising the big trouble she is gonna bring upon herself if she darespliment Kayden.

    "Why did you pause?" Kayden asked displeasingly. "I know you were about topliment me so go on and do it¡­,"

    "I perceive the sweet aroma of a tasty dish, so let''s eat," Joanna said as she started opening the lunchbox.

    "I am so famished. I kinda doubt whether I will be able to recall how human food tastes after I have lived on garbage for six months".

    Joanna''s eyes lit up when she saw that the first lunch box contained all her favourite delicacies.

    "I brought everything all for you so take your time and eat as much as you can," Kayden said in a meek tone.

    "Seeing all you brought I can''t help but admit that you are the one who knows me best apart from Drey," Joanna said beaming.

    She began devouring the food after setting it on the centre table.

    Kayden spent the entire day with Joanna. With his cell phone turned off none could disturb his sweet time with his beloved.

    Even when night reached he was reluctant to leave. Just like the previous night, Joanna had to force him to go back to the Pce.

    "I wille to visit tomorrow so look forward to another exciting day," Kayden said as he stole an embrace from her.

    He turned to leave.

    Joanna was waving at him when suddenly a white notification screen popped up.

    <Congrattions on sessfully being reborned>

    Joanna ignored the notification and was about to smile at the guy who just turned to look at her for thest time when another notification came on.

    <Main mission: Seduce and make your mate hard and say I LOVE YOU>

    "What the f*ck," Joanna caused loudly.

    <Reward: 50 experience points>

    <Failure: returning to level 1>

    "Tell me this is a joke right?" Joanna asked, her words making Kayden stop walking and turn to stare at her.

 Chapter 64 His Endless Teases

    ?"What is wrong?" Kayden hurried to her side. The anger in her eyes, while she stared at him, made Kayden confused.

    He didn''t know why she was angry when he was the one who should be after she brutally rejected his proposal yet again.

    [I barely rejected him not long ago and the system wants me to seduce him? This must be a freaking joke right?]

    Joanna red at the innocent guy who was genuinely concerned about her.

    He lifted his hands and held her shoulders, "Did I do something wrong?" Kayden asked when she would not stop ring at him.

    <Mission deadline: 2 months>

    Joanna ran her ten fingers through her well-styled hair when the notification popped up again.

    It was after this notification came that Joanna realised the mission wasn''t a joke as she wanted to believe.

    She looked like a freak acting this way but she didn''t care.

    [Hey, I have always thought that you hated me so much but you have now proved my assumptions to be very true. Did He perhaps bribe you]

    Joanna bit her lower lip to suppress her anger.

    "Aren''t you leaving?" Joanna asked in a distant tone. The way she stared at Kayden was so cold just like her tone and this made Kayden a little worried.

    Although she had rejected him yet again he was not affected by her rejection but seeing how she was acting right now, he was beginning to doubt whether he was too confident about the result.

    [I think I need to try harder by speeding things up. That''s what I will do]

    Kayden stared at her without answering her question.

    Joanna frowned when Kayden only looked at her face without uttering a word, "Don''t tell me that you are gonna insist on spending the night here again".

    "I am leaving but before I do there is something I wanted to ask you but forgot to do earlier," Kayden said.

    "And what is that?" Joanna asked nonchntly.

    "The news that your stepmom and stepsister ran madst night in the heavy rain after seeing your ghost is the trending topic now¡­," Kayden trailed as he stared at her face keenly to see what her reaction would be.

    Seeing howposed she looked after what he said further proved his hunch correct.

    "Do you have something to do with what happenedst night?"

    Joanna turned her back on Kayden when she couldn''t suppress the urge tough after recalling the incident at her home the previous night.

    "I am a weak and innocent girl, how could I ever pull such a prank on an intelligent woman like Adhara?" Joanna said as she tried her best to resist the urge to burst out in a peal of deafeningughter.

    "Maybe they were pricked by their consciencest night and that is why out of a guilty conscience they began seeing things that don''t exist," Joanna smiled as she talked and because her back was facing him, he could not see the evil smirk on her face.

    "Really?" Kayden asked suspiciously as he stared at her back.

    Only a fool will believe what Joanna said although she tried to make it sound so believable.

    Six months have passed and yet her ghost hasn''t appeared so why did it choose to appear on the same day she returned?

    And why would Adhara see Joanna''s ghost when the person in question is well and alive?

    Only a fool would believe in such a coincidence and he happens not to be a fool or anywhere close to being foolish?

    He knew she must have been responsible for it although he didn''t know how she wlessly managed to execute it.

    [I guess the one standing before me is not that innocent Joanna everyone bullied in the past. A person who is capable of making Adhara lose her mind showed just how capable she is]

    Kayden thought, still staring at her. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn''t see her turn to look at him because of his silence.

    [It doesn''t matter whether or not she is still that innocent girl I knew in the past but what matters is that she is back and I will do everything within my power to protect her this time around¡­]

    Joanna disrupted his thoughts as she waved her hand at his face, "Kay, don''t tell me that you are having naughty thoughts about me right now?"

    "Naughty thoughts like what if I may ask?" Kayden asked as he took big steps forward and covered the space in between them.

    Joanna''s eyes widened in shock. She tried to move backwards but Kayden grabbed her by the waist and pulled her even closer so that there was no space between them.

    Joanna raised her gaze to re at him only to be trapped by the intensity of his gaze.

    Her heartbeat increased against her will. It took just a passionate gaze and a little closeness to soften the heart of the once furious Joanna.

    "Have you stripped me naked in your head or are you already at the stage where our body interconnects?" Kayden asked with his husky voice that exuded endless seduction.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He raised his left hand and held her chin lifting her head so that she would not avoid his stares under any circumstances.

    "If that is your wish then I don''t mind fulfilling it¡­,"

    "What¡­ what¡­ what¡­," Joanna found out that she couldn''t construct one sentence correctly for some reason.

    "I didn''t say it''s me who is having naughty thoughts about you so why are you trying to call white paper ck?" Joanna said on her third attempt.

    "How do you know what I am thinking if you are not thinking the same?" Kayden asked as he caressed her face passionately.

    "You¡­You...," Joanna was left speechless by Kayden''s words.

    "Why do you need to imagine it when you can have it and even enjoy it to the fullest?" Kayden bent so that his mouth was only a few inches away from meeting hers.

    He smiled when he saw her close her eyes.

    [Hehe¡­ my woman is such a bad liar. I wonder whether she is doing this deliberately to tempt me]

    Kayden stared at her lips which were waiting to feel his warmth.

    He contemted whether or not to grant her wish and in the end, he kissed her when he realised that she would get angry if he chose not to satisfy her.

    Joanna subconsciously trapped him by wrapping her hands around his neck.

    Kayden kissed her gently. Although his kiss was gentle and sweet, it caused a lot of havoc to Joanna''s system.

    She started kissing him roughly when she wasn''t satisfied with his gentleness.

    As they kissed he made her move backwards until her back was pressing hard against the white wall.

    At first, Kayden merely wanted to tease her. The stage they were in right now wasn''t a part of his ns but it just so happened.

    Kayden left her mouth and brought his mouth to her exposed cleavage.

    "Ummm¡­," Joanna groaned in pleasure as she held his head and buried it in her breasts.

    ...

    A/N: I am happy to announce to you guys that you have won the bet for this month. And since I lost to you guys I am gonna give the two extra chapters as I promised.

    The two readers who guessed the answer to our bet correctly are:

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Clumsy_N1nja

    Thank you so much for participating in the activities and I wish that you will keep this up as the story goes on.

    It''s because of your wild imagination that everyone else is gonna enjoy the extra chapters.

    P.S: Starting next month I am gonna list out the names of some awesome readers in each category:

    1) Top fans

    2) Comments

    3) Reviews

    4) GOLDEN TICKETS

    5) Gifts.

    There will be three readers in each category and since the story is new all of you stand a great chance of getting your names mentioned as one of the best readers of this novel.

    I will do these for four months so this means that you stand a chance to get your name on that list for four consecutive months and this depends on how active you are.

    Do you want to be crowned as the top fan, bestmenter, top gifter, best reviewer and top GOLDEN TICKET giver?

    If you want your name to mention in this category then you need to buckle up and start being active.

    Also, we are very close to reaching 50 GOLDEN TICKETS. If you want another extra chapter then rain down all your GOLDEN TICKETS on this book.

    Thank you so much for your support.

 Chapter 65 Who Is She?

    ?"Arghh...please," Joanna gasped the moment his hot breath touched her breasts,

    As he kissed her, Kayden''s hands unbuttoned the white shirt she wore. He kissed her roughly, sending Joanna mad with desires.

    "It hurts¡­ very painful," Joanna whose pains had built up in her lower region moaned when that spot hurt even more due to his actions.

    Kayden on hearing this pulled off her trousers and positioned her in a way that her right leg was lifted and ced on his shoulder.

    "Don''t worry I will help you find relief," Kayden said with his husky tone as he got ready to let his fingers be the ones to first taste her insides.

    He was about to thrust his two fingers into her tiny hole when the bird that was previously standing on the bed flew on his hand.

    This action of the bird startled Kayden who didn''t expect this.

    "Get off," Kayden said angrily, trying to scare the bird away but Bacon didn''t move an inch.

    This got Kayden infuriated. He abandoned what he was doing and tried to catch the bird but Bacon flew andnded on Joanna''s shoulder.

    Joanna, who was in her world of fantasy, was pulled back to reality following Bacon''s action.

    Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the stage she and Kayden were in.

    [What the hell happened here again]

    Joanna screamed in her mind on seeing that she was nude while Kayden''s upper body was bare.

    [Getting into an illicit intimacy with him was never part of my ns so what happened? What has he done to me?]

    Joanna lifts her hands and pushes Kayden away before covering her chest with her hands.

    "Get away from me," Joanna said, feeling very embarrassed and ashamed of herself.

    Kayden walked closer and tried to touch her, "Get dressed and leave right now," Joanna said authoritatively.

    "I don''t know what else you are gonna make me do if you stay here for even a minute longer," Joanna said. She bent and picked her clothes lying on the floor and covered her nude self with them.

    "I didn''t do anything but the truth is you feel exactly what I am feeling for you. Although you keep denying it, your body betrays you," Kayden said, smiling inwardly.

    "Instead of constantly lying to yourself how about you ept me as your lover. I promise you won''t have to sneakily enjoy me since I am all yours to¡­,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense and get dressed or I will be forced to chase you out of here naked," Joanna threatened fiercely with her res directed at him.

    "It''s not a bad thing to crave my body. I mean I am tall, hot, rich and powerful. No normaldy in her right senses will be able to resist my charms so it''s normal you¡­," Kayden paused what he wanted to say when Joanna''s res turned murderous.

    "Isn''t it just to dress?" Kayden asked, smiling.

    "I will dress up so stop acting like a woman who got her virginity stolen because we didn''t go that far although I doubt that it won''t happen¡­," Kayden stopped talking when he saw her face turn grim with anger.

    He bent and picked up his shirt lying on the floor just beside his right leg.

    He was about to put on the shirt when he saw a bite mark on his chest just beside his right breast.

    "Since you have marked me as yours that means you are gonna take responsibility for me all my life right?" Kayden asked, pointing at the red teeth mark on his chest.

    He resisted the urge tough when he saw her frown deepen.

    "This is not the 80''s where a man and woman get married after getting intimate so what responsibility are you talking about?" Joanna decided to go all shameless just like him.

    "Besides you are the one who came at me so why should I take responsibility for what¡­,"

    "You are the one who started everything by imagining us making out in bed¡­,"

    "You¡­," Joanna pointed her index finger at Kayden but he bent and tried to lick her finger making her retract her hand in a sh.

    "You are also the one who enjoyed it the most. If you deny that you don''t recall it then I don''t mind reminding you," Kayden said. With one big stride, he covered the gap in between them.

    The suddenness of his action made Joanna''s body stiffen. She subconsciously forgot to breathe.

    [She looks so innocent. Her innocent face keeps tempting me into doing something naughty to her. I am afraid she might really throw me out naked if I tease her one more time]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kayden grinned evilly as he lowered his upper body so that his mouth was very close to her right ear.

    "Arghh¡­ Please Kay," Kayden imitated her alluring moans when they were making out.

    Joanna stood rooted to the floor the moment he reenacted the intense workout session that urred earlier.

    Her body suddenly felt hot. The pain started building up in her lower region once again.

    Joanna sped her fists to suppress her urges that were threatening to burst out.

    "It hurts¡­ it''s very painful. Make love to me, Kay. I want you inside of me," Kayden licked her earlobes making her yelp.

    "Liar, I never said anything like that," Joanna said as she pushed his chest away.

    "If that is the case then that means you recalled everything that happened between us so why didn''t you say so earlier?" Kayden asked as he slid the shirt into his body.

    "Were you dying to get close to me despite that you almost took away my innocence?" Kayden teased yfully.

    "Your innocence?" Joanna scoffed as she turned her back on him.

    "Judging from how experienced you were these two times, who knows how many women you have had sex with?"

    Joanna tried to wear her clothes as she talked.

    "If there is anyone who should be worried about his/her innocence being stolen it should be me and not you," Joanna said sternly.

    There was a bit of anger in her voice as she spoke.

    "You sound angry, does me getting intimate with other women make you jealous? Does this mean that you love me¡­,"

    "Even though you are the King, I won''t hesitate to chase you out of here if I finish dressing up before you," Joanna said sternly.

    "Although I have seen and touched every part of your body, I won''t peep since you don''t want that. So you can dress up with ease," Kayden said as he went over to sit on the bed with his back facing her.

    After sitting down on the bed Kayden turned and red at the bird looking at him.

    [Although you are her pet, I won''t hesitate to kill you if you dare ruin my chances of making her forever mine]

    The infuriated Kayden looked away when he recalled just how the bird managed to ruin his sweet time with Joanna twice.

    Joanna saw Kayden off after she had dressed up.

    Kayden didn''t part ways with Joanna for long when someone bumped into him in the forest.

    "Chris!" Kayden eximed. He turned and looked in the direction he left Joanna.

    "What the hell are you doing here?"

    Kayden was a bit taken aback when Chris moved forward and sniffed his shirt.

    "You have another scent on you," Chris said as he let his eyes wander around the dark forest.

    He brought his gaze back to the King when he didn''t see what he was searching for.

    "I heard you talking to ady earlier, is she also the owner of the scent?" Chris asked curiously.

    "Who is she?"

    Chris'' question came as a shock to Kayden who didn''t expect that he would bump into anyone in the forest.

    ...

    A/N: About the extra chapters, I am gonna give them on Tuesday, I hope you guys are ok with it?

    Also, I hope you enjoyed the chapter?

 Chapter 66 Kaydens Warning To The Queen Mother

    ?"If you were really with someone else then let me check who it is to make sure that she is not a danger to you," Chris said as he tried to walk in the direction he heard the King talking to ady.

    Kayden grabbed his right hand before he could walk away. "Am I your ve that you keep a tab on?" Kayden asked coldly.

    "Your Majesty, you know very well that is not what I meant. You are not only the King but someone very close to me. Your safety is my¡­,"

    "If I was so close and dear to you as you want me to believe then why did you do that back then?" Kayden asked fiercely.

    He stole a secret nce at the direction he left Joanna to make sure that she wasn''t around.

    Since she chooses not to reveal herself then he will do everything to protect her secret from everyone. Chris was not an exception.

    "If I am so dear to you then you should know just how important she was to me. You should have known that she was my life¡­," Kayden trailed as he stared into Chris'' guilty-filled eyes.

    "She wouldn''t have died if you didn''t disobey my orders. Because of you the woman I love was snatched away from me. You betrayed my trust in you first so what right do you have to be nosy now".

    Kayden''s harsh words pierced through Chris'' heart like a sharp sword.

    His ever cold facade fell.

    "I know that Miss Joanna got harmed because of my decision and I feel bad about this but I don''t regret the choice I made that day," Chris said sternly.

    "It''s good that you are aware of this. So don''t you ever expect us to go back to how we were in the past because I doubt whether that will ever happen".

    Kayden let go of his hand and stomped away in anger.

    The hurt Chris stood at the same spot and thought about what the King had said.

    The King and he was not merely servants and employers but they were friends and he treated him nicely.

    He is the reason why the King is so hostile towards him so he could not me him for being so mean.

    He deserves this much treatment for the crime hemitted and this is why he won''tin about the King being unfair to him.

    Chris hurried to meet up with the King after he had sorted out his emotions.

    Kayden was about to open his car when someone held his extended hand. He turned and red at Chris.

    "And what do you think you are doing?" Kayden asked coldly.

    "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has been trying to contact you but to no avail. We need to return to the pce now¡­,"

    "Does it look like I take orders from the Queen Mother?" Kayden asked as he violently pushed Chris''s hand away.

    "All my thoughts were that you left the pce with those things to meet up with Miss Tiffany. I realised that my assumptions were wrong when Tracy called me earlier," Chris said while staring at the angry King''s face.

    "It''s not my fault that you let your imagination run wild so why are you telling me this?"

    "Because right now, Josephina is in the Queen Mother''s chambers and you know what exactly she will do to her if you don''t leave for the pce now," Chris said firmly.

    "Your Majesty, I know you hate me and I won''tin since I deserve this but Josephina is innocent. Let''s not punish her for my sins," Chris pleaded when he saw Kayden''s unmoved expression.

    "How dare she try to mess with my people again? Was the warning I gave not enough?" Kayden muttered angrily.

    "I heard the Queen Mother was thrown into a fit of rage after Miss Tiffany called to inform Her Highness that you stood her up the entire day," Chris ryed the little he knew about what happened at the pce.

    "I guess they are quick to forget things and that''s why they forgot my words so soon. I guess it''s time to remind them who is in charge here," Kayden said as he stretched his hand to open the door of the car.

    The stubborn Chris held his hand for the second time, causing Kayden to turn and re at him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Didn''t it sound like you wanted to save her or don''t tell me you have changed your mind?" Kayden asked sternly.

    Chris couldn''t resist smiling when he realised that Kayden had agreed to leave for the pce with him.

    Chris quickly released Kayden''s hand and opened the door of the car for him.

    While Kayden took the lead Chris driving at a lower speed followed him closely.

    On reaching the pce, Kayden didn''t go to his chambers to get changed but he visited the Queen Mother''s chambers.

    On his way to her quarters, so many pce maids and guards greeted him but Kayden was too angry to answer their greetings.

    "Your Majesty, please have a seat. Her Highness is¡­," Kayden walked past thedy who was trying to obstruct his path.

    "Where did the King go?" Kayden from where he stood overheard his mother''s voice in the room she was in.

    "Are you trying to tell me you value your loyalty to him more than your life?" The frustrated Queen Mother asked fiercely.

    "I have already told Her Highness that I don''t know where His Majesty went. There is nothing¡­,"

    "If you are so curious to know where I went, why don''t you ask me instead of taking it out on the innocent," Kayden, who just kicked the door open, asked sternly.

    He walked into the room Majestically.

    The moment he entered the room he red at the two guards who were pinning Josephina.

    Understanding the signal, the guards immediately let go of Josephina who was bleeding from the hand.

    "Chris take her away to get treated," Kayden ordered the guy standing behind him.

    Chris after saluting the Queen Mother helped Josephina out of the room. The two guards were also excused from the room.

    "I wouldn''t have gone that far if you didn''t stood up the Prime Minister''s grandchild," Queen Mother said without feeling any remorse for what she did.

    "Did you justy a finger on my person because I didn''t meet up with that murderer?" Kayden asked coldly. He turned and squatted in front of the woman sitting in a red chair.

    "Had been quiet these while made you and that senile old man forget what I said or are you really eager to step down from your position as the Queen Mother?" Kayden asked while staring into his mother''s eyes.

    "If you are so eager to retire as the Queen Mother I don''t mind granting your wish but if you have no such thoughts in mind it would be better you stop meddling in my business".

    Kayden stood up from where he squatted. "Because I have been letting her hover around me like flies, doesn''t mean that I have forgotten what you all did¡­," Kayden trailed. He raised his right hand and punched a hole into the wall.

    "Neither have I forgotten my words. Let this hole here always be a reminder that you owe me the life of my Queen. Never forget this debt ok, Your Highness?" Kayden asked coldly as he turned and red at the quietdy.

    He left after making sure that she had understood his message.

    Tracy, who was waiting outside the door, ran in to check on the Queen Mother.

    "Your Highness, are you ok?" Tracy asked worriedly as she kept examining the woman''s body.

    "If he thinks that he can threaten me with my position just because he has got one dirt on me then he is very wrong," Queen Mother said with clenched teeth and fist.

    Meanwhile, as the King was returning to his chambers, somewhere in the Kingdom a girl in a white dress was seen watching a group of people partying on the porch of a two-storey building.

    "I was thinking of how to get my revenge on all of them and here they are together. I am so thrilled that they choose to make my work easier," Joanna grinned evilly as she red at the group of people whoseughter she could hear from where she stood.

    "I guess it''s time to rece the mean witches''ughter with screams of terror," Joanna pats the bird sitting on her shoulders. Her smile turned even deadlier.

 Chapter 67 Joanna Visited The Mean Witches

    ?Joanna vanished from where she stood on the grassy area afterpleting her words.

    On the porch, four girls dressed morously were seen partying with lots of whiskey bottles at their front.

    Three of the girls had malepany while only one drank alone.

    "So what did the Queen Mother say after you threw tantrums about the King''s misbehaviour towards you?" Sophie asked, momentarily taking her attention away from her ss of whiskey.

    "She promised to talk to the King about it and she even assured me that His Majesty will make it up to me," Tiffany, wearing a red glimmering short dress, replied smiling.

    "I have waited for so long to have the King in my arms and hear him call none another name except mine. I can''t believe that my dream ising true soon".

    Tiffany ced her hands on her chest which was beating erratically.

    "With that loser of a girl gone no one in the Kingdom will dare to stand in your way of bing the Queen. Looking back now, I can''t help but think that it was worth all the trouble," Doris said as she took a sip from the ss of wine.

    "Girl, when you finally be the Queen, don''t forget us, your friends who stood with you through thick and thin," Nora said yfully as she yed with the bare chest of the young guy she was leaning on.

    "How could I ever forget you guys huh?" Tiffany said. The mere thought of having the Queen crown on her head was enough to keep her smiling.

    "I will always recall that without the three of you, I wouldn''t have sessfully gotten rid of that nuisance of a girl who was dragging the position of the Queen with me?"

    The mere mention of Joanna''s name infuriates Tiffany.

    "She and her stupid friend had always gotten on my nerves. How I wish I was there that night to watch her get torn about by those beastly guys¡­,"

    "She is dead and gone. Let''s not ruin our mood by talking about an insignificant person whose carcass must have long been devoured by wild animals," Nora said as she stretched and dropped the ss of wine on the ss table.

    She started kissing the guy whose upper body was bare.

    "I agree with Nora on this. Today is her birthday so let''s have fun the entire night as we had nned. Let''s not let this freedom to have a good time with these hotties go to waste," Sophie said as she brought her left hand to the guy''s thigh.

    She teased him seductively until her hands reached his sensitive region.

    Sophie stroked that area flirtatiously until the guy groaned in pleasure.

    "I am not gonna leave here until I have eaten this sexy pie to my satisfaction. This is an opportunity that is hard toe by and I won''t let it go to waste," Doris said as she also flirted with the guy with her.

    Tiffany smiled at her friends who were acting so unlike their sophisticated selves. Actually, she can''t me them for being this way.

    Because of their family status, they always have to act sophisticated and uptight. There are more things they are prohibited from doing than those they can do.

    And that is why they always go wild each time they get the slightest opportunity to get away from their families.

    It was always a fun time not having to be tied down by the family rules and principles.

    "Enjoy yourselves to the fullest tonight because when my timees I am not gonna act shy and reserved even though he is the King," Tiffany said smiling.

    Just then the scene of her and the King being naked in the bathroom popped into her head.

    Her smile broadened as she imagined the thousand and one things she would do to the naked Kayden.

    "I am gonna bounce on him and make sure he never dares to stare at any other woman except me after the unforgettable night we will share," Tiffany concluded with a smile.

    [That is your wishful thinking, stupid girl so wake up! Kay is mine and I won''t let the likes of you get anywhere close to him not to mention his bedroom]

    Joanna, now standing at a corner on the same floor, red at them with sped fists.

    [I can see that you girls are still daydreaming so why don''t I give you guys a wake-up call that you will forever remember in this lifetime]

    Joanna grinned evilly as she extended her right hand to where Sophie sat still kissing her man''s bare chest.

    They were still drinking and having fun with their men when suddenly Tiffany''s sharp ears picked up a hiss.

    Curious to know what made the sound she looked in the direction she heard the hiss and behold she saw something that jerked her to her feet.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This sudden action of hers got the attention of her friends who were drunk in pleasure.

    "Sop¡­ Sophie, is that a snake on your shoulder?" Tiffany, already on her feet, asked in a trembling voice.

    "What nonsense are you¡­," Nora jumped to her feet when she turned and saw the big ck snake on Sophie''s right shoulder.

    "What is wrong with you both huh?" Sophie asked. Her tone and expression showed she didn''t believe whatever her friends said.

    "If it is a prank then call it quit¡­," Sophie jerked to her feet when she felt a crawling feeling apanied by a hiss.

    Out of subconsciousness she held the snake and flung it on Doris'' body.

    The girl screamed in terror the moment she lowered her gaze and saw the big snake lying on her legs.

    The guy who was her y toy for the night stood up and ran for dear life leaving Doris screaming and cursing.

    After battling with the snake, they were finally able to throw it downstairs.

    A quarrel broke out among the girls after they had sessfully calmed themselves.

    "Hey, Sophie, I have always known that you are not only jealous of my good looks but also my family background but how could you do that to me knowing very well that I hate snakes?" Doris asked, sounding extremely offended.

    "Are you so jealous of me that you wish me dead?" Doris added furiously.

    "I am jealous of you?" Sophie, who was as offended and angry as Doris, chuckled to the annoyance of the girl.

    "Have you looked yourself in the mirror¡­,"

    "Hey girls, it hasn''te to this so stop it already," Tiffany intervened, being the leader of the group.

    "Tiff, this is between Doris and me so I will advise that you stay out of it¡­,"

    "That is very rude of you to speak to Tiff in that manner," Nora scolded firmly.

    Sophie was about to snap at Nora too when she got a glimpse of a white shadow running past the entrance of the porch at the speed of light.

    "Hey, what was that?" Sophie called out their attention when the white shadow repeated the same thing.

    "What are you talking about?" Nora asked when she turned around and couldn''t see anything but an empty room.

    "If this is another prank from you I suggest that put an end to it¡­,"

    Bam***

    A p flew across Doris'' pretty face before she could finish what she wanted to say.

    Because they were all distracted trying to find out what Sophie must have seen they didn''t see what really happened or who pped whom.

    If not that they saw Doris holding her right cheek they wouldn''t have known that she was the one pped.

    "How dare you raise your filthy hands to my face?" Doris asked furiously.

    She didn''t wait for Sophie to exin herself before she returned the dirty p to Sophie.

    "You dared p me?" Sophie red at Doris. Her eyes turned crimson red and her fangs shot out.

    She took her stance ready to return the p but in double folds.

    A/N: Ok, so this is one out of the two extra chapters that I am owing you guys for the bet. The remaining chapter including the daily one ising up soon so look forward to it.

    How did you see the chapter?

    I hope you enjoyed it?

 Chapter 68 Did They Just Faint?

    ?Tiffany and Nora realising that the misunderstanding was no longer a trivia issue decided to intervene.

    Tiffany grabbed the angry Sophie while Nora pinned Doris, preventing them from exchanging blows.

    They were aware that their group which is the envy of so many girls in the Kingdom will get disbanded if the girls get physical.

    "Let go of me and let me teach that sly b*tch a lesson she would never forget," Sophie said trying to break free from Tiffany''s hold.

    "That''s enough. Don''t make me lose my cool because none of you will be able to handle me¡­," Tiffany paused talking when a figure in a white dress appeared at the back of the chair Doris and Nora sat on.

    "Joanna!" Tiffany blurted out in shock. Her grip around Sophie''s hands loosen.

    "Joanna, where?" Nora asked. Together she and the other girls turned and looked in the direction Tiffany was staring at.

    Surprisingly they didn''t see anything, not even a shadow.

    "Have you drunk so much that you have begun seeing things?" Sophie asked, sounding pissed.

    "How could Joanna possibly be here when she is dead except¡­. It is her ghost," Doris jumped to her feet at the mention of the ghost.

    The girls exchanged puzzled nces before they looked around the house.

    Just to be very sure, they left the porch and went into the house to search for what Tiffany saw.

    "When I saw the news that Laura and her mother went crazy after seeing a ghost, I thought those who wrote the article were bluffing¡­,"

    "Could it be true that wretched girl''s ghost exists?" Doris asked. She hugged her chest tightly as she looked around in fear.

    "Did the ghost reallye back to take revenge on us¡­,"

    "My mum has always made me believe that ghosts don''t exist. Besides she deserved to die so why would shee back to haunt¡­,"

    "See it at your back," The three girls shouted freaking Tiffany out with their yells.

    Tiffany screamed in horror the moment she turned and saw the scary-looking ghost standing behind her.

    She took to her heels along with her three other friends.

    "Didn''t she just say ghosts don''t exist so why is she running haha¡­," Joanna who was having fun tormenting the girlsughed hysterically.

    "Let''s see whether after today they will dare to say they don''t believe in ghosts," Joanna''s grin grew darker as she approached the direction the girls took.

    In a room upying three brown furniture, a big t-screen sma television, a centre table and some other decorations, four girls were seen trembling like wet leaves.

    "Are¡­ Are you sure that you locked the door properly?" Tiffany sitting on the couch asked with a trembling voice.

    Doris was too scared to utter a word so she just nodded her head in response.

    The stories of ghosts have always remained a legend since such things never urred in real life so witnessing something which should have been a fairytale scared them out of their wits.

    If it were a person who tried to attack them, they would have joined hands and beat the living daylights out of the person but who canpete with a ghost?

    ? The girls were still shaking in fear when suddenly the yellow curtains started swaying.

    "What the heck is going on here?" Nora hugged her hand to her chest when suddenly the ceiling fans started rolling on their own.

    "Is this house haunted?" Sophie said as she stood up from where she was sitting and ran to a corner to hide.

    She was standing close to the wall when suddenly she felt someone touch her.

    With fear she slowly turned to see what it was and behold she saw a pale hand touch her neck.

    The already scared Sophie freaked out even more. She ran and went to hug Tiffany where she was standing.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Tiff, I am too scared to remain even a minute here so let''s go," Nora, who couldn''t handle the torment anymore, said.

    The four girls held each other''s hands tightly as they approached the exit. They unlocked the door only to realise that the door wouldn''t open.

    "Girls, don''t tell me we are trapped in this ce with a ghost?" Nora asked. There was a look of horror in her eyes as she moved backwards.

    "So what if it has locked the door? I don''t believe we won''t be able to break the ss wall and get out of this creepy ce," Tiffany found a little bit of confidence due to her survival instincts.

    She hase this far to get killed by the mere ghost of a girl she murdered.

    If she was able to get rid of her biggest obstacle she believes that she can also get rid of her annoying ghost.

    "Let''s get the ss wall," Tiffany ordered despite still being scared within.

    They were almost about to reach the wall when suddenly the lights went off leaving them terrified to the bones.

    Even without the lights, the room was already creepy not to mention now that the lights were off.

    The creepy sound andughter that filled the room made the girls go insane. Their shouts and screams could be heard even from miles away but too bad for them resident buildings were not sited close to the vacation vi.

    And because of this none coulde to their rescue.

    The lights came on after leaving the girls in the dark for three minutes.

    For the girls, the three minutes felt like they had been in the dark for three years.

    The girls were still trying to catch their breath when the curtains started folding on their own.

    Words written in blood started appearing on the ss wall, making them horrified more than they already were.

    They hugged each other tightly as if they would die if they separated.

    "You killed me. Now that I am back, I want your heads in return," They read the words on the wall with trembling lips.

    Nora jumped to her feet after she read the words. "No¡­ no...I can''t die this way," Nora said with tears in her eyes.

    "I am just 19 years old for crying out loud so how could I possibly die? I am too young to die. In fact, I refuse to die," Nora said, she ran like a crazy person and tried pushing the door open.

    No matter how much strength she applied, the ck wooden door refused to open. Even trying to break down the door was futile.

    As if Joanna torturing the girls mentally wasn''t enough, Bacon joined in the fun.

    They were still running around trying to avoid the bird which will not spare their hair or flesh when suddenly the figure in white hung in the ceiling with her head descending on them.

    Because of the fear, the girls fainted at the same time.

    "Did they just faint?" Joanna asked with a frown as she red at the girlsying on the floor.

    "I had always thought they were the most hardhearted girls alive but I guess I was wrong. They can''t even take a little scare, what a disappointment," Joanna said disappointedly.

    "And here I had thought I would have fun torturing them throughout the entire night," Joanna added.

    At that moment she felt the urge to stab them in the heart but she changed her mind when she thought about the consequences.

    "What''s the fun of killing them when I can make them pay the price of killing me for as long as I live," Joanna approached the door afterwards.

    "Bacon, you can go ahead and do whatever you want with them. Since they have fainted I guess I will have to give my beloved stepmother and stepsister a scare tonight," Joanna said without taking a second nce at the fainted girls.

    A/N: Hello lovely readers. Our mission of 50 Power Stones for a week to get an extra chapter remains unchanged.

    Same with our 50 GOLDEN TICKETS goal. Please endeavour to do this so you guys can stand chances of winning extra chapters and also help the novel to gain poprity

 Chapter 69 She Became Their Worst Nightmare

    ?Joanna was on her way out of the building when she sensed the presence of someone approaching the entrance of the building.

    Without wasting a second she hid behind the door. The intruder opened the door and walked into the house without noticing the figure hiding behind the door.

    Joanna remained in her hiding ce and watched the intruder, contemting whether or not to take action.

    Because the person was wearing a ck cap and a hoodie, Joanna had a hard time identifying the person.

    [Audrey!!!]

    Joanna''s eyeballs widened in astonishment when she got a glimpse of the pendant dangling around the person''s neck.

    [What the hell is she doing here?]

    Joanna even went as far as catching her breath so that the alert Audrey would not discover her presence.

    The figure in a brown leather outfit frowned when she searched the entire ground floor and didn''t find whatever or whoever she was searching for.

    "I wonder whether they went into hiding after perceiving my scent from afar," Audrey said as she positioned the face cap in a way that her face would not be captured by the CCTV cameras in the house.

    "Whatever they may n, I don''t care. What I know is that I won''t leave here without having my fair share of revenge," Audrey said with sped fists.

    She climbed the staircase without making a sound to alert those in the room.

    [My n will be a total failure if Drey finds me here so I better get out of here before she discovers anything]

    Joanna opened the door without making a sound and slid out of the house after making sure that Audrey was not in sight.

    After Joanna left there, she went to her father''s house and also caused another mess.

    With the maids on their annual holiday and her father not around she didn''t have to be very cautious.

    The only one she had to protect in the entire house was Anthony and she made sure whatever she did not affect him.

    Joanna returned to the hut that night feeling very satisfied with the result of her ghost game.

    ¡­

    For eleven days Joanna tormented all those who had a hand in her death. Because of this, the perpetrators had no peaceful sleep ever since she returned. Those who managed to get sleep overdose themselves with sleeping pills.

    The story about the King''s deceased mate''s ghost became the most trending news on the inte.

    Wherever two or three are gathered, the news of Joanna''s ghost terrorizing people in the Kingdom was all they talked about.

    Some even went as far as spicing up the reason behind the sudden emergence of Joanna''s ghost.

    Some said she was venting out her hatred on everyone in the Kingdom and that is why the ghost suddenly appeared.

    Others say that she was only targeting her murderers.

    Another group says the deceased was furious because the King is nning to crown a Queen.

    No matter what people believe, the truth was that everyone was scared and horrified by the happenings in the Kingdom recently.

    There was fear in the minds of everyone. Those who have been mean to Joanna in the past were so scared that they might be the next victim and as such people in the Kingdom went to sleep early after carefully shutting their doors and windows.

    Because of the news of the ghost so many people were haunted by their guilty conscience.

    In the forest, Joanna was sitting on a big tree trunk going through the news headline.

    Her constant giggling and broad smile showed she was having a st seeing the result of her handiwork.

    She was so engrossed watching the video that she didn''t feel someone walking up to her.

    "You sure are having a lot of fun seeing them go crazy after encountering your supposed ghost," Kayden said yfully as he turned around and had his seat beside her.

    "And you are not even hiding your excitement¡­,"

    "And why should I do that?" Joanna snapped.

    "It''s so funny seeing those who always bullied me in the past go insane at the sight of my ghost? Some even go as far as begging for their lives, don''t you find this hrious too?"

    Joanna grinned wickedly as she brought the phone closer so that Kayden would see the video she was watching.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you have to use this method to have your revenge¡­,"

    "How many times have I told you that I have nothing to do with this?" Joanna lied without batting an eyelid.

    "I am just a weak delicate girl, so what power do I have to bring such big shots to their knees¡­,"

    "Bacon was also captured in some of the videos so you don''t have to keep up with the act," Kayden said.

    "Besides, I wasn''t nning to scold you for what you did¡­,"

    "I am not the only one who has a ckbird so what are you saying?" Joanna still kept on feigning ignorance for what was very obvious.

    Joanna dropped the cell phone on the space in between them. "Although I have no hand in this thrilling ghost game. I am gonna have a st watching this rare sight. Who knows when I am gonna have such fun again?"

    Joanna said, still maintaining her smile.

    "As long as you don''t disappear again then I am ok with whatever you do. It doesn''t matter whether you drive everyone in the entire Kingdom crazy¡­," Kayden trailed as he raised his left hand and pats her hair.

    "They deserve this much for the pains they have caused you all these years¡­,"

    Joanna pushed Kayden''s hand away from her head, "I know I have let you pat my hair frequently these past days but I will advise that you don''t get used to it".

    "I am not a puppy that needs to be pet¡­,"

    "Yeah, you are right. You look more like an innocent kittenpared to a puppy," Kayden said as he raised his hand and patted her hair once again.

    "You¡­," Joanna red at the guy still patting her hair despite knowing that her re was of no use.

    Ever since she returned he has been doing whatever he wants and she has kinda gotten used to it.

    "Do you know that you look very much like a kitten when you re at me like that?" Kayden said as he continued stroking her hair.

    "You look so innocent and this makes me want to protect you¡­,"

    "I have decided to reveal myself," Just to shut him up Joanna deliberately says the piece of news he has been dying to hear from her.

    "What!" Kayden jumped up to his feet. "Really? This is not another one of your pranks right?"

    Kayden''s excitement soon died off when he recalled how Joanna promised to reveal herself a week ago only for him to realise that it was a prank.

    He would only fall for that prank once and never again.

    "I am dead serious," Joanna said, her smile gone.

    "I overheard people discussing what they are gonna wear for your fourth anniversary as the King of Twipera Kingdom¡­,"

    "It was afterwards I recalled that you normally threw a party this time of the year to celebrate your coronation day," Joanna said.

    "And I asked myself what day could be more perfect than this very day for me to reveal myself to the world hmm?" Joanna asked as she winked naughtily at Kayden.

    The mischief in her eyes made Kayden guess that there was more to what she was saying.

    "You¡­," Joanna''s sudden closeness to him after standing up from where she sat made Kayden swallow back what he wanted to say.

    "Can you get me the same butterfly dress and other essories you gifted me on my birthday back then?" Joanna asked as she lifted her right hand and ced it on Kayden''s chest.

    Something she has never done.

    "I want it on the same night the party''s gonna take ce. Will you be able toy your hands on it".

    Joanna''s further actions proved Kayden''s assumptions correct.

    "And what are you gonna do with that dress on that night?" Kayden asked suspiciously as he stared at thedy who was fiddling with his chest.

    "What crazy n have you exactlye up with huh, tell me?" Kayden stared into her purple eyes as he spoke.

    ...

    A/N: This is the end of the mini mass release.

    I hope you enjoyed the chapters?

 Chapter 70 His Fears

    ?Kayden lifted his hand and ced it on her right cheek. "I need to at least know what you are up to so I won''t end up suffering or getting swept off my feet¡­,"

    "It''s a secret and also a surprise too. You will know exactly what I have nned in three nights so just be patient hmm," Joanna said. The wicked grin never left her face as she spoke.

    "Just wait and see how I will give everyone the most amazing surprises of their lives. I am sure that all of them will have no choice but to testify that this year''s anniversary is the most memorable of all the anniversaries¡­,"

    "Trust me on this hmm," Joanna tapped Kayden on the shoulder.

    Kayden bent and tried to kiss Joanna but the slippery girl managed to slip away as she has always done.

    "I thought you wanted to kiss me so where are you running off to. Come and let''s continue with what we were doing," Kayden said as he stared at thedy who was about five steps from where he stood.

    "Your wish," Joanna said before she started running away.

    "It is you who is having wishful thinking by assuming you can outrun me," Kayden said as he pursued her.

    As they ran around the forest theirughter echoed in the dense forest mixing with the birds chirping to form a magical sound.

    For hours Kayden and Joanna made the forest their yground.

    Kayden was so free and jovial just like every other time he visited her in the forest.

    Just like he vowed, he was more like a lover when with herpared to the King he was and this made Joanna very happy even though she would never admit that.

    After running for a long time Kayden finally caught up to her. He embraced her from the back tightly.

    "Joan, when you finally reveal yourself you are not gonna keep your distance as you did in the past right?" Kayden asked, refusing to release her.

    "You are not gonna treat me like a stranger. We are gonna be like we are right now hmm?"

    There was fear in his voice as he spoke and Joanna could sense that fear notwithstanding how hard he tried to hide it.

    ? "No matter how much the two of us love how we are now, the fact that you are the King. The number one person in the Kingdom will never change¡­," Joanna trailed in a tone that contained mixed feelings.

    "We are never gonna remain the same way and that is a fact we all know¡­,"

    "I know you are right but Joan promised me that you will not ignore me as you did in the past. I will be very happy if you don''t treat me like a stranger," Kayden sounded desperate.

    He bent and kissed her bare neck. " I don''t think I will be able to handle the pain of being treated like a stranger after what we shared these past days".

    Joanna pulled away and turned to face him. "That will depend on how you behave and my mood," Joanna said yfully.

    "I am confident that instead of making you love me less I will make you fall head over heels for me¡­,"

    "You and your confidence. I think that is the next thing I need to get used to," Joanna said as she turned to leave.

    She didn''t take up to three steps before Kayden stretched his hand and pulled her to himself.

    She falls back on him with her hands on his chest. She lifts her eyes and looks into his eyeballs.

    "You know as much as I do that this is not mere confidence. The look in your eyes while staring at me gives me this confidence and I have faith in what I see," Kayden said as he bent and kissed her on the lips.

    Joanna pushed his chest away, not letting the kiss get intense. "Are you aware that you keep taking advantage of metely?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can''t seem to stop myself from touching you whenever you are around me so you can''t me me for that," Kayden said as he lifted his right hand and touched her face.

    "If you don''t like it then I don''t mind taking responsibility¡­,"

    "Your wish," Joanna remarked firmly before she turned and walked towards the direction of the hut.

    The hut was just in front of her when Kayden appeared right behind her and held her hand.

    "What is it?" Joanna asked meekly when she saw that he wasn''t looking as yful as he was earlier.

    "I am leaving now¡­,"

    "Now?" Joanna remarked in shock. "But why?" Joanna asked, looking unhappy.

    She was so used to having Kayden around her to the point that even she didn''t realize this fact.

    "Don''t you want me to leave?" Kayden asked. He took advantage of her absentmindedness and pulled her closer so that there was no space in between them.

    He lifts his right hand and ys with her face flirtatiously. "If you don''t want me to leave then you just have to say the word¡­,"

    "Cut out with it already," Joanna pushed him away when he tried to kiss her.

    "I am really leaving. Are you not gonna see me off?" Kayden stared at her departing back.

    He watched as she waved her right hand in the air without turning to look at him for thest time.

    "She is just right before my eyes and I am already missing her. I wonder how I am gonna deal with not being able to spend the entire day with her after she has revealed herself," Kayden muttered sadly.

    He stood there and stared at the hut for a few minutes.

    He left not long after.

    On sighting the King from afar, Chris waiting beside the car went and opened the door of the car for him.

    He took his position on the driver''s seat after Kayden had sat down.

    While driving Chris repeatedly steals nces at Kayden who was ying with his cellphone, acting like Chris didn''t exist.

    The silence and awkwardness were killing Chris from within so he initiated a conversation.

    "Everyone is so terrified by the story of Miss Joanna''s ghost haunting many people in the Kingdom¡­," Chris trailed as he looked at the rear camera to see whether Kayden was listening.

    "The story has graduated from a mere joke to something very serious. I will organise some men and make sure that whoever is pulling this prank is caught¡­,"

    "Let it be. Don''t do anything about it," Kayden said without diverting his attention from the cellphone in his hand.

    "But this is not right¡­

    "Didn''t you always want to avenge her grievances when she was alive?" Kayden asked, lifting his gaze to stare at Chris'' face through the mirror.

 Chapter 71 Tiffany And Joanna At The Boutique

    ?"Were you perhaps pretending that you wanted to publicly avenge all her sufferings?"

    "Of course not, Your Majesty," Chris was too interested in defending himself and didn''t pay attention to the road.

    He was about to drive into a big tree had Kayden not stretched and grabbed the steering, diverting the course of the car.

    "I am sorry, Your Majesty," Chris apologized with his head slightly bowed.

    "If you cared about her sufferings like you wanted me to believe then you will turn a blind eye to the Queen''s ghost story," Kayden said sternly, not pursuing the near-ident case.

    "Since her ghost has decided to take revenge then let it take revenge as much as it wants¡­,"

    "Also isn''t it funny seeing everyone tremble at the sight of the girl they trampled under feet in the past?" Kayden''s lips curled into a sly smile as he talked.

    "If you are not having fun seeing them this way then I do. In fact, it would be better if she drove them crazier than she has already done," Kayden took Chris by surprise with his words.

    Chris had nothing more to say following the King''s words so he ignited the car and drove off.

    Joanna, who was pretending earlier that she didn''t care about Kayden''s absence, came out of the hut immediately after he left.

    She stared nkly at the spot shest saw him standing.

    "Why did he have to leave so early?" Joanna muttered with a sad expression.

    "Now that he is gone then how am I supposed to spend the long day ahead? Who is gonna keep me smiling and angry at the same time for the entire day," Joanna subconsciously smiled when she recalled the memories of her time with Kayden in the forest.

    The instant she returned he was right at the cliff to wee her.

    He has made her smile and angry so many times. There were times she even pretended that she didn''t like hispany.

    He has been nothing but extremely good to her. Within these short periods, he has made her feel all sorts of emotions.

    Even some emotions she has never felt before in her entire life.

    If she was asked to list some of the happiest memories of her life, the past days she has spent with him would have undoubtedly been included in that list.

    "I guess I have no other choice than to enter the Kingdom to find things to break my boredom," Joanna grinned evilly as she turned and went back to the hut.

    When she came out of the hut she was wearing a ck hoodie and a face cap.

    "I am good to go now," Joanna muttered as she disappeared immediately.

    Joanna roamed about the streets looking for something interesting that might catch her interest.

    She was about to cross the road when from where she stood she saw a familiar car pulling into a boutique.

    "I was looking for what to do and she brought herself to me on a tter of gold. Should I perhaps thank her for this?" Joanna smirked as she stared at thedy who had juste out of the car and walked into the boutique.

    Some minutester, a girl in a ck hoodie approached the entrance of the boutique. Unlike other customers who were let into the boutique, she was blocked by the security guard for some unknown reason.

    "Sorry but you are not allowed into the boutique," The security guard in ck suits said as respectfully as he could.

    It was after she was stopped from entering the boutique that Joanna recalled one of the policies of the boutique.

    People of the lower ss were not allowed into the boutique. Only the elites of the elite were let in.

    Joanna lowered her gaze and stared at what she was wearing.

    At the moment she was wearing blue ripped jeans, a pair of blue sneakers and a ck hoodie.

    She didn''t need anyone to tell her why she was not allowed into the boutique.

    "You won''t let me in even though I have this?" Joanna asked as she showed the security guard the ck card she removed from her trousers pocket.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The security guard was shocked at the sight of the limitless ck card.

    He apologized repeatedly to Joanna to show how sincerely sorry he was.

    "It''s ok. Mistakes can be made. Besides, it was my fault for dressing shabbily," Joanna said smiling as she walked gracefully into the boutique.

    "His ck card sure came handy when I needed it the most," Joanna beamed on recalling the day Kayden shoved his ck card into her hand and refused to collect it back no matter how hard she tried.

    Joanna was following Tiffany, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike when she saw Audrey approaching their direction.

    Joanna looked away in a sh to avoid being seen by Audrey.

    [What the hell is she doing here?]

    Joanna gritted her teeth. She turned her back on her and pretended as though she was checking out the green dress in front of her.

    "Wow, look at who is here! I never knew that swans wear designers," Tiffany said sarcastically when Audrey reached where she stood.

    "Swans don''t wear clothes not to mention wearing designers, howe you are too dumb to know such simple facts," Audrey snapped, not backing down.

    "You¡­," Tiffany lowered her raised index finger and also paused what she wanted to say when she realised that people were staring at her.

    "I won''t me you since it is very obvious that you are still mourning over your dead loser friend," Tiffany said loudly for others to hear.

    "It''s true that I am still mourning her but I will advise that you be careful of how you call her name in case you get visited by her ghost wwuuhhaa¡­," Audrey demonstrated what she meant, making Tiffany jerk backwards in fear.

    "Rx, I was just kidding but I will advise that you still be careful. Who knows her ghost might be hovering around you right now," Audrey grinned evilly before she resumed walking.

    She walked past the girl in a hoodie without sparing her a nce.

    Tiffany was still terrified two minutes after Audrey left.

    [I am sure she was only saying that to get back at me for getting on her nerves]

    The scared Tiffany tried to reassure herself that everything was fine.

    "Madam, do you still want me to package the dress," the sales representative in a white long sleeve shirt asked politely.

    "I will try it out first," Tiffany replied. She collected the white dress from thedy''s hands and proceeded to the changing room.

    [Since Drey has given me the go-ahead, why don''t I do as she said. I can already tell that it will be fun seeing her dashed out of the boutique like a crazy person]

    Joanna''s smile grew creepy as she stared at thedy who was now far away from where she stood.

    She also proceeded to the changing room after picking a pink dress.

    In the dressing room, Tiffany was happily changing her dress when suddenly she felt as if someone was standing behind her.

    Raising her gaze to stare at the mirror she saw the same figure they saw at the vi.

    "Ghost arghh¡­," Tiffany yelled instantly, taking to her heels.

    On sighting Tiffany running, other customers who didn''t know what happened took to their heels on hearing her scream the word GHOST.

    "Hahaha¡­ Have I been too hard on them that is why everyone is acting this way," Joannaughed seeing how everyone was running out of the boutique.

    [Seeing how terrified they are at the hearing of my name, I guess I have realised my wish of bing their greatest nightmare]

    Joanna smiled broadly. Amid themotion, she exited the boutique.

 Chapter 72 Why Is It You?

    ?What Joanna didn''t know was that Audrey was still at the boutique''s premises when Tiffany and the others ran out of the boutique crying about ghosts.

    Unlike others who were afraid of Joanna''s ghost, Audrey wasn''t. And she proved this by walking into the boutique that none wanted to step foot into.

    Audrey searched every nook and cranny of the boutique searching for Joanna''s ghost.

    It didn''t matter whether she talked to the ghost or not, all she wanted was to get a glimpse of her even though it was a ghost.

    "Do you hate me so much to the point that you wouldn''t even do me the honour of seeing your ghost hmm," Audrey standing in front of the mirror asked while looking into the mirror?

    "I am sure you must me me for not saving you. You hate me because I didn''t keep my word to protect you. Is this why you won''t even appear in my dream or let me get a glimpse of your ghost like the others?"

    Tears whelmed up in Audrey''s eyes as she stared at herself in the mirror.

    "Am I so hateful, Anna?" The tears she was suppressing fell.

    Too bad Joanna wasn''t there or else she would have revealed herself to her best friend in that instant because of her inability to see her friend in pain.

    At the pce, Kayden moved from one meeting to the others.

    At some point, he got so bored and distracted that Chris standing by his side had to call his attention to what was being discussed.

    "When is the darn meeting gonna be over?" Kayden muttered in annoyance as he stared at his wristwatch for the twenty-fifth time since the meeting began.

    Joanna continued roaming around the Kingdom after the incident at the boutique.

    She walked aimlessly until she somehow found herself at herte mother''s tomb.

    Joanna stared at the tomb which was covered with weeds.

    Since she died no one has paid money for the maintenance of the tombstone so she wasn''t surprised to see the sorry state the tombstone was in.

    Her mother was miserable when she was alive and she became even more pitiful when she died.

    What an irony of life.

    Joanna bent and pulled off the weeds from the tombstone. She spent ten minutes clearing the tombstone and the surrounding until it became presentable.

    "Hello, how have you been?" Joanna asked, her attention focused on the tombstone which had her mother''s name boldly engraved on it.

    Unlike other tombstones which had a picture of the deceased, her mother''s tombstone was missing a picture.

    "I am sorry it took me so long to visit you. I know you won''t me me foring just now since you are well aware of my situation right?"

    Joanna stared at the tombstone with mixed feelings. She has seen other people weep at their loved ones'' tombstones but she didn''t feel like crying for some reason.

    She was still very tiny when her mother died so she doesn''t recall a thing about her, maybe that is why the connection was missing.

    Maybe she would have felt sad if she had been visiting her tombstone but unfortunately she was forbidden by Adhara froming anywhere close to her mother''s graveyard.

    Thest time she snuck here was when she was six years old and Adhara learned about it, she was beaten severely and denied food for two days.

    Ever since then she hasn''te anywhere close to the graveyard.

    "I have heard of what you went through and I kinda feel bad for you¡­," Joanna trailed.

    "Although I went through simr things and almost ended up dying miserably, I have been given a new chance at life. Now that I am reborn, I am no longer that weak girl everyone once knew," Joanna said with sped fists when the memories of thest years of her life shed before her eyes.

    "We might be mother and daughter but I promise that I won''t end up like you. I will fight for myself and what I want. I won''t let what should have been mine get taken away by others, never!" Joanna said fiercely.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Watch me as I go around teaching a lesson to my enemies and at the same time climbing to the top," Joanna said sternly.

    She took ast nce at the tombstone before she left.

    Since there was nothing fun to do at the Kingdom Joanna returned to the forest which had served as her home.

    She was going through the cabs at the hut when she came across a familiar gift box.

    "Why does it look so familiar?" Joanna muttered as she stared at the rectangr t gift box in her hand.

    Pushed by curiosity she opened the gift box and in the gift box was a jewel set containing a ne, bracelet and earrings.

    All were made from gold and the shape of a phoenix.

    "They are so beautiful. I never knew he had such great taste in jewels," Joanna smiled as she stared at the jewel set.

    "In the Kingdom, it''s well known that only the Queen can wear anything rted to phoenix, I wonder whom he bought it¡­,"

    Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she recalled where she saw the jewel box.

    "Isn''t this what he gave me on my eighteenth birthday?" Joanna asked, subconsciously smiling to herself.

    "So he was serious about the proposal and here I thought he was kidding around," Joanna''s heart softened at the thought of Kayden proposing to her.

    Joanna was still daydreaming when suddenly the notification popped up for the second time that day.

    <Daily mission: Do two more good deeds to earn a reward>

    "Yeah, it''s true that I still have to do good deeds to win my 5 experience points," Joanna muttered standing up from the bed.

    She folded the gift box and dropped it on the bed.

    "And for this, I would rather help the helpless animals in the forest like I normally do than save people who by far don''t deserve my kindness".

    Joanna walked out of the hut with Bacon flying ahead of her.

    <Main mission: yet to be aplished>

    Another notification came on after she stepped foot out of the hut.

    Joanna frowned at the sight of this particr mission. If she had the power she would have made sure to mute the notification but too bad she doesn''t.

    "If it''s your wish to see my mood ruined that is why you suddenly made the mission pop up then you have failed. Because I won''t give you the pleasure," Joanna muttered before she ran at an incredible speed into the dark forests.

    Some minutester Joanna was seen sitting on their usual big tree trunk enjoying the beautiful sky full of twinkling stars.

    She lost her senses to the beauty of the sky when suddenly she felt a presence behind her.

    In a sh, she jumped to her feet ready to defend herself.

    "Why is it you?" Joanna asked with widened eyes as she stared at the person standing in front of her.

    ...

    A/N: To all the readers who have been supporting this book, I just want want to say a big thank you.

    Thank you for your love and support. Please keep it up.

 Chapter 73 Lets Sleep Together

    ?Joanna dropped her clenched fist on realising that it was Kayden. "Why is it you?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "Didn''t you say you had something important to do, so why are you here?"

    Joanna sat back down after realizing that it was safe.

    Although it sounded like she hated to see him there, the truth was that she was smiling within.

    "Did you miss me so much that you can''t hide your excitement to see me?" Kayden made Joanna roll her eyes with his conceited words.

    He didn''t care about this but walked to sit beside her on the tree trunk.

    "And I indeed said I had important things to do but I never mentioned that I wasn''t gonnae back," Kayden smiled as he stared at her face.

    "I can see that you are having a st teasing and making me angry each day and that''s why you were so eager toe back and continue from where you stopped," Joanna was so excited that she failed to filter her words.

    Kayden stared at her face. Seeing her indifferent expression hurt him.

    "Do you really think the reason I made it a point of duty toe here every day is that annoying you brings me happiness?" Kayden asked. His tone and even his expression carried a hint of pain.

    Joanna felt like pping her face when she realised what her words had caused.

    "Do you think I am so crazy that I will abandon all my work every day just to spend time with you¡­,"

    "Kay, that is not what I meant¡­,"

    "If that is what you think then you are wrong. I am not that crazy neither am I so jobless," Kayden said.

    "You are the reason I am so happy and always smiling. I abandon my work in the pce daily to spend the day with you but only to spend the entire night working is not because I am crazy but because I love you," Kayden stood up from where he sat.

    Joanna stood up and grabbed his left hand, not letting him walk away as he wanted.

    "I know I was wrong in saying those words so I am sorry that I hurt you," Joanna apologized sincerely.

    "Really?" Kayden asked, beaming.

    Joanna was surprised to see him smiling when he was very upset a moment ago.

    She let go of his hand when it dawned on her that he was pretending.

    "How could you prank me like that huh?" Joanna asked as she stumped away.

    She didn''t take up to four steps when someone embraced her from behind.

    "It''s true that I was hurt by your words although not as hurt as I pretended to be," Kayden said without letting go of her despite her struggling.

    "You know how much I love you so you shouldn''t have deliberately tried to hurt me with those words¡­,"

    "It wasn''t intentional. I was only trying to tease you but¡­," Joanna trailed as she stopped struggling with him.

    "Is this what they call TEASING GOES BAD?" Kayden asked yfully.

    "If you are bad at teasing then you can learn from me. I am a very good teacher and we can even experiment some of them like this¡­," Kayden grinned wickedly as he blew hot hair on her bare neck causing Joanna to stiffen immediately.

    "I can assure you that your teases won''t ever go bad if you learn from a great teacher like me," Kayden said smiling.

    "Get off me," Joanna yelled, pushing him away from her immediately.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She walked towards the tree trunk.

    "I am telling the truth. I will even let you experiment on me, isn''t that a great bargain?" Kayden asked, following her closely.

    He sat down beside her and started talking again. "You will never find a greater teacher and one who is willing to be your teases experiment subject so isn''t this a good bargain¡­,"

    Kayden kept quiet when Joanna turned and red at him.

    Everywhere went quiet with their breathing and the chirps of the birds being the only sound heard.

    "I heard about your feat in the boutique. I heard as usual you drove everyone insane with merely your appearance," Kayden said as he sneaked a peep at thedy looking at the stars.

    Joanna shifted her gaze to him. There was a frown on her face. "Didn''t I say I have nothing to do with the ghost story so why¡­,"

    "Ok, I will act as though you are telling the truth but now that you have decided to reveal yourself can you tell me what exactly you are?" Kayden asked in a gentle tone.

    "Are you a werewolf now or something even more unique?"

    "Joan, I need to know what exactly you are so that I will be able to protect you very well this time around¡­,"

    "What are you too?" Joanna asked. She lifts her right hand and ces it on his face.

    She stared into his ck eyes that had started wavering following her question.

    "I and everyone else have always known you as a vampire so why is it that you were a werewolf that night?" Joanna didn''t look away from his eyes as she spoke.

    "Your Dad was a vampire and so is your mum. As such you were supposed to be a vampire so howe you are a werewolf too? How many secrets are you hiding?" Joanna stroked his face as she talked.

    The usual talkative and yful Kayden went quiet after her questions.

    He looked away from her eyes which seemed to be prying into his soul. He rejected the first intimacy she had ever initiated by pushing her hand away from his face.

    Instead of gazing at her face like he normally does, he looked at the sky. "Isn''t the sky so beautiful?" He asked.

    [He has never acted this way so I wonder what''s so hard for him to tell? Him acting this way makes me find him strange]

    Joanna quickly looked away from his face when he saw him turn around.

    "Yeah, it''s so beautiful," Joanna replied.

    "It''s so beautiful that it calls for spending the night with your loved one and this brings me to say¡­," Kayden trailed intentionally arousing Joanna''s curiosity.

    Joanna diverted her attention to his face. "Why are you pausing, say it," Joanna ordered sternly.

    Had she known what crazy thoughts were going through Kayden''s mind she wouldn''t have dared to ask him to finish his words.

    "Let''s sleep together," Kayden blurted out to the shock of the girl who jumped to her feet immediately.

    "What!" Joanna yelled with widened eyes.

    ...

    A/N: We have almost reached the end of the month so kindly cast all the GOLDEN TICKETS you have to this book. That way you guys will get extra chapters to keep you smiling for a long time.

    Thank you as you do this

 Chapter 74 Sleeping Together

    ?Seeing her react this way surprised Kayden but when his words reyed in his memory he understood why she reacted the way he did.

    [Since she has taken that direction, why don''t I take full advantage of it. As usual, it will be thrilling to tease her]

    Kayden smirked devilishly as he stood up from where he sat.

    He went and stood beside her.

    "I want to hold and feel you in my arms," Kayden whispered erotically into her ears making Joanna tremble.

    "I want to feel your warmth and sniffed your natural scent that is capable of driving¡­,"

    "No¡­ no¡­ Never!" Joanna shouted as she ran and stood far from him.

    "Even though you are the King, I won''t let sleep with you, never!" Joanna yelled instantly covering her chest with her hands crossed.

    Kayden couldn''t suppress theughter anymore so he burst outughing hard.

    Hahaha¡­.

    Hahaha¡­

    Hisughter echoed in the forest. Joanna frowned, not understanding what part of her sentence was so funny to crack him up this way.

    "Hey, silly girl! I was only asking you to sleep together on the same bed with me so what were you thinking huh?" Kayden burst out in a peal of deafeningughter yet again.

    Joanna felt like strangling herself when she learned that she misunderstood his definition of ''SLEEPING TOGETHER''.

    "What exactly were you thinking huh?" Kayden asked as he winked naughtily at the embarrasseddy.

    "Did you think that I wanted you to have sex with me hmm?" Kayden asked him as he went and stood very close to her.

    "What¡­ what¡­," Joanna''s head momentarily went ck.

    "Do you love me so much that you can''t wait to bed me?" Kayden suppressed theughter that was threatening to burst out.

    "I also love you and I don''t mind bedding you too if that''s what you want¡­,"

    "Hey, what are you saying? Stay away from me," Joanna said. She took to her heels in embarrassment.

    Kayden stood and watched her run away as fast as a cheetah.

    "Hehe¡­ She is so adorable. And her cuteness is one of the reasons I can''t resist teasing her," Kayden''s smile brightened.

    He walked to the hut too.

    When he got there, he met Joannaying on the bed with her body covered from head to toe.

    He tried talking to her but she didn''t reply or react to what he said.

    "Don''t talk to me," Joanna said angrily without pulling off the nket from her head.

    "It''s true that I want to sleep with you. I wasn''t joking around when I said this," Kayden said seriously. He stood up and walked to the bed where shey.

    He sat on the bed.

    "I won''ty a hand on you if you don''t want me to¡­,"

    "But why would you want to sleep here and share this tiny bed with me when you have a huge bed to yourself at the Pce?" Joanna asked as she slowly pulled the nket off her head.

    "Because I don''t know when I am gonna get the opportunity to get close to you like this again. And I don''t want to lose this chance," Kayden said, staring at her face lovingly.

    "But¡­,"

    "You are owing me a wish and I want to use my wish right now. So that means you are not allowed to say no," Kayden said sternly.

    "You want to use your wish for an opportunity toy with me?" Joanna asked in astonishment.

    She was hoping for him to ask for something difficult but here he was asking for something trivial.

    "You could have asked for something huge with the wish so why did you ask for¡­,"

    "Because sharing a bed with you is priceless," Kayden replied with a smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s something I can''t buy despite my riches, power and influence. Don''t you agree with me that what I asked for is precious," Kayden concluded.

    Joanna stared at him in silence. She has always thought that she knew Kayden very well but right this moment she realised that she was far from knowing him.

    "You can sleep on the same bed with me but¡­,"

    "I promise on my honour as the King that I won''t go beyond any boundaries and even though I wanted to, I promise that I will ask for your permission," Kayden said.

    He quicklyid beside her on the bed. He wrapped his hands around her body but only for Joanna to try to remove his hand from her body.

    "Hey, why are you cuddling me? I might have let you sleep beside me but you are not allowed toe so close to me," Joanna said. She still tried to free herself from him but Kayden wouldn''t let go.

    "Also, don''t forget what you promised me¡­,"

    "Indeed I said I wouldn''t have sex with you but I never mentioned that I wouldn''t hug you," Kayden said shamelessly.

    "You are cheating¡­,"

    "And I might have said I won''t touch you in that way but I can''t promise that I will reject you if you suddenly bounce on me because you could no longer control your desires¡­,"

    "I am the one who should be saying that. You are full of mischief and I''m scared I might fall victim to your tricks," Joanna said as she struggled to stand up but the strong Kayden held her in ce.

    "Since I have given you my word then you can trust me to keep it. And if peradventure you bounce on me in the middle of the night, don''t worry I will tie you up so you don''t tempt me too," Kayden whispered into her ears making her body stiffen due to his hot breath that grazed her skin.

    "You¡­,"

    "Stop talking and let''s sleep or I will be forced to tease you the entire night," Kayden''s threats made Joanna keep quiet instantly.

    Kayden fell asleep cuddling Joanna. Even when he fell asleep his grip around her body didn''t loosen.

    Joanna also drifted to sleep in his embrace.

    The next day Joanna was awakened by the chirping of birds and the ray of light that shone into the room through the window.

    She tried to sit up but only to realize that Kayden''s grip around her body didn''t loosen

    [Does he love me so much that even in his subconsciousness he doesn''t want to let go of me]

    Joanna stared at his face. She couldn''t help but find him even more handsome asleep.

    She kept on gazing at his face. She was tempted to touch his wless face which hadn''t sustained a scratch.

    Even though he did sustain an injury his wound will always close up since he is a vampire.

    "Although he can be quite a handful, I have to admit that he is not that bad," Joanna said smiling. She raised her hand and touched his sexy natural pink lips.

    "Wow, they are so soft, even softer than the pillows," Joanna smiled.

    For a moment she forgot that she was ying with the shameless Kayden''s lips and not a log of wood.

    "If I am not that bad then why do you keep rejecting me," Kayden said as he opened his eyes to stare at the awestruckdy.

    Joanna tried to remove her hand from his lips but the cunning Kayden grabbed her hand.

    He pulled her so close that Joanna could feel his warm breath on her face.

    He grabbed her waist with his left hand, making sure that there was no escape route for her.

    ...

    A/N: This week is just starting and I want to remind you about our weekly and monthly goals.

    WEEKLY GOAL: For every 50 Power Stones we get there will be extra 2 chapters given every week.

    MONTHLY GOAL: For every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get there will be 3 extra chapters.

    I promise I will do my own part of the game by updating daily and now it is left for you guys to do your part.

    So please let''s work hard to achieve this goal together. Remember you are not in this alone. You have me, your lovely author here.

 Chapter 75 He Gave Her The Gifts

    ?"Hey, Kay let go right now," Joanna said as she tried to climb down from his body.

    "I am helping you to take a closer look at me at the perfect angle, who knows you might change your mind about me if you get a perfect picture of my face," Kayden said, not attempting to let go of her.

    "I have viewed you from all angles and I don''t see any difference so I don''t think there''s any need¡­,"

    "Take a closer look hmm? You might have missed something," Kayden said. He turned his face to the left and then to the right to give her a perfect view of all sides of his face.

    "Don''t be hasty with your decision so you don''t regret missing such a perfect husband¡­,"

    "Cut out with it already," Joanna said. Kayden was stunned to see that she was able to free herself despite the amount of strength he applied.

    With the amount of strength he applied no normal human would have been able to break free from his hold no matter how hard they tried.

    That Joanna was able to break free from his grip further proved his assumptions of her powers right.

    His surprise vanished in the same manner it came. He didn''t let her climb out of the bed before he pulled her onto himself.

    He rolled her over and took position on top of her.

    "Kay, what do you think you are doing huh?" Joanna asked, seeing the ambiguous state they were in.

    "Don''t forget what you promised me. You said you wouldn''ty a hand on me¡­,"

    "My promise was only valid for the night and unfortunately this is morning. That means it doesn''t count," Kayden said with his husky tone.

    He lowered his head and tried to kiss her but Joanna shifted her head to the right to avoid his kiss.

    He blew a hot breath at her bare skin. He could feel her body stiffen as a result of his actions.

    "If you are too shy to take the lead then I don''t mind doing it. Anyways the one who takes the lead doesn''t matter but what is important is that we both enjoy ourselves," Kayden said flirtatiously.

    He pretended as though he wanted to unbutton the grey shirt she wore.

    [He has always been taking advantage of me at every given hour. Since he wants to y why don''t I beat him to his game]

    Joanna grinned evilly as she stared at the guy who was oblivious of the wicked ns she was having about him.

    "Taking a second look at you I admit that you are not bad at all," Joanna said. She raised her hand and caressed his face, taking Kayden by surprise with her sudden boldness.

    "You are tall, handsome, rich and undoubtedly the most powerful man in the Kingdom? What more could any woman look for in a partner?" Joanna said as she stroked his eyebrows passionately.

    Kayden stared at her like he was looking at a stranger.

    [What has suddenlye over her? Have I provoked her too sexually which is why she suddenly developed an outburst of emotions?]

    Kayden stared at her as she linked her lips flirtatiously.

    He looked away when the mere looking of her lips made him feel aroused.

    "Look at these long eyshes, these enticing, pair of eyes, this well-sculpted nose and oh¡­ these sexy lips," Joanna touched every part of his face that she mentioned.

    "There was a god in front of me all this while and I didn''t notice. I must have been out of mine to reject such a heavenly being," Joanna said.

    Seeing that he was distracted she quickly toppled him over so that he was lying underneath while she stayed at the top.

    "What¡­,"

    "Sshh¡­ today it''s my turn to make you happy and I promise that I won''t disappoint you," Joanna ced her index finger on his lips to stop him from talking.

    Not long afterwards she started unbuttoning his shirt. She was about to undo thest button when Kayden grabbed her hands.

    She raised an eyebrow, "Isn''t this what you always wanted so why are you stopping me?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Did you suddenly grow tired of ying hmm or am I doing it the wrong way?" Joanna asked the guy who was staring at her.

    "You¡­,"

    "I wasn''t nning to do anything to you in the first ce. I only wanted to show you that what you can do I can also do it and even better," Joanna said as she climbed down from him.

    "Does that mean you have no ounce of feelings for me¡­,"

    "Stop talking and get dressed or I will be forced to strip you and confiscate your clothes¡­,"

    "Don''t do that ok," Kayden sat up from where hey.

    "Although I don''t mind being embarrassed in front of you since you will be my wife in the future that is not the same¡­,"

    "I haven''t epted your proposal so what wife are you talking about huh?" Joanna asked immediately, standing up from the bed.

    She turned her back on him so that he would not see her blushed face.

    "Not right now but in the future. I am confident of making you love me back," Kayden said seriously.

    He stood up from the bed and carried the gift boxying on the table.

    "And that is why I will entrust you with these gifts. It is yours and it will forever be yours since to me, you will always remain my only Queen," Kayden said as he extended the gifts to her.

    "But¡­," Kayden didn''t let her say anything. He shoved the gift box into her hands.

    "It was my birthday gift to you and you had already epted it but entrusted it to that day to hold it up until the end of the party¡­," Kayden trailed with a smile.

    "The day of returning the gift has been long overdue so it is only right that I return it today," Kayden said. He buttoned up his shirt.

    "I will hand over the gift¡­,"

    "To our kids in the future as an heirloom so don''t worry about holding onto it forever," Kayden shamelesslypleted the words for her despite knowing that wasn''t what she wanted to say.

    "You¡­,"

    "Are you upset that I will be leaving soon?" Kayden asked. He resisted the urge tough when he saw her bite her lower lips hard.

    "How about we shower in the river together? That way we will spend more time¡­,"

    "Do you believe that I will forget your title as the King and gag your mouth right now?" Joanna threatened fiercely.

    She and Kayden continued talking until it was time for him to leave.

    For the remaining days until the party, Kayden continued dropping by at the forest to keep herpany.

    On the night of the party in his full regalia, he came to the forest not only to pick her up but to deliver what she asked of him.

    Joanna stared at the dress spread on the bed with mixed feelings.

    The white butterfly dress made her recall the most horrifying night of her life.

    In this dress, she received the happiness and respect she has never received all her life.

    Also in this same dress, she was buttered and pushed to her death.

    "Now that I have this dress and essories I guess it is my time to surprise everyone," Joanna said. The sadness in her eyes was long gone.

    "Aren''t you gonna tell me what are your ns until the very end?" Kayden asked curiously, his gaze focused on thedy who had applied makeup on her face.

    "In an hour or so it will be showtime so long forward to it," Joanna''s evil grin made her look like the Daredevil.

 Chapter 76 At The Party

    ?"Although I don''t know your ns in detail I can already imagine the shocked expressions everyone will have at merely seeing you¡­,"

    "Yeah, it will be fun to reveal myself normally but don''t you think it will be a thousand times better if I make it dramatic?" Joanna smirk.

    There was pure evil in her eyes as she spoke but Kayden didn''t mind it.

    "I will be your audience then. I will join you in enjoying seeing everyone go insane," Kayden smiled back at her.

    Because she was afraid of getting the dress torn Joanna didn''t wear the dress in the hut.

    They reached outside and Kayden went as far as trying to open the door of the car for her but Joanna stopped him.

    "I won''t be going with you," Joanna said firmly.

    "What?" Kayden who didn''t see thising was caught off guard by her words.

    "But why?" He asked after calming down a little.

    "Because there will be a great disaster in the Kingdom if it ister discovered that you knew that I was alive all along but acted deviant about the ghost issue," Joanna said seriously.

    "They will hate your guts if such facts areter proved and I don''t want this to happen. I want your subjects to hate you less¡­,"

    "But I don''t care," Kayden said sternly.

    "You may not but I do so let''s go our separate ways from here," Joanna said. She looked so cool saying these words.

    "How are you gonna get there? The distance from the Royal Pce Hotel is far from here," Kayden said unhappily.

    His fallen expression showed that if he were to have his way he wouldn''t let her get her way with this particr request.

    How could he feel at ease after leaving her here?

    "There is no need to make that expression because I can manage just fine. I have got this hmm," Joanna smiled at him to show that she was fine.

    It took her a lot of coaxing to get Kayden to leave her there.

    "Although I have almost made use of all my teleportation devices, I won''t implicate you or your reign since you have been nothing but very good to me," Joanna muttered as she focused her attention on the direction Kayden''s car took.

    Joanna started walking on the dark pathway. She didn''t walk up to ten steps before she vanished into space.

    Some minutester in front of the popr Royal Pce Hotel, cars of different models trooped into the building.

    On the red carpetdies and men of the upper ss disyed the weight of their wealth through their expensive dresses, shoes, jewels and other essories.

    No one felt out of ce except the few lower-ss people who were privileged to attend the party because their King was benevolent enough to invite them too.

    The reporters had thought they had seen it all until the mean witches stepped on the red carpet.

    They took the party by storm with their gorgeous dresses and super expensive jewellery.

    With the morous dressing, one would mistake them for angels not knowing that they were the real demons.

    They were stopped on the red carpet by the reporters. Out of the four girls, Tiffany was the reporter''s main focus.

    "Is it true that you and His Majesty are in love?"

    "How far have you gone in your rtionship with him?"

    "It''s said that he is making ns to make you the Queen, is that information reliable?"

    "How does it feel to be the King''s woman?"

    "A word please, Miss Noel,"

    The reporters bombarded Tiffany with tons of questions. Almost all the reporters were interested in confirming her rtionship with the King.

    Although Tiffany pretends to be annoyed the truth was that she was overjoyed merely hearing their questions

    "His Majesty and I have been friends ever since childhood. I am only but a woman so it''s only right he announces such an important topic," this was Tiffany''s reply to the reporters before she and her friends walked into the huge building.

    The first person Tiffany searched for was Kayden after she entered the hall. She searched for him in the entire hall but in the end, didn''t get a glimpse of him or his shadow.<novelnext></novelnext>

    About an hour after their arrival the Queen Mother graced everyone with her presence.

    Socialites trooped out to wee her and in the process maybe get her attention.

    The unhappy Tiffany was sitting in her friend''spany chatting when Tracy walked up to her.

    "Hello Miss Noel," Tracy greeted politely, not paying respect to the other girls.

    Tiffany shifted her attention to thedy standing by her side.

    "The Queen Mother wants you at her table," Tracy passed the instructions she was asked to ry.

    "Ok, tell her I will be there in a minute," Tiffany replied.

    Watching Tracy walk away without greeting them until thest minute made the other girls furious.

    "Who the hell does she think she is to ignore us?" Sophie asked as she red at Tracy''s departing figure.

    "So what if she is the Queen Mother''s right-hand woman, she is nothing but amon maid so how dare a mere servant treat us like dirt?" Doris said with sped fists.

    "Like you said she is nothing but a mere maid so she is not worth you girls losing your temper for," Tiffany said as she stood up gracefully from where she sat.

    As usual out of all the dresses at the party, hers stood out most.

    "But she needs to be taught a lesson¡­,"

    "If you want to deal with her I won''t stop you guys but don''t forget that all the elders from our various homes are present at the party¡­," Tiffany said as she took a quick look in the direction her father and grandfather sat.

    Before even the day of the party, they had both warned her against causing trouble at the party.

    There will be dire consequences if she dares provoked her father and grandfather.

    "Don''t forget that death awaits you if you dare provoke not only them but also the Queen Mother," Tiffany gave them a piece of advice.

    "If you still want to deal with her after tonight then you girls can wait until I be the Queen. By then dealing with the likes of Tracy will be a piece of cake," Tiffany said smirking devilishly.

    A figure emerged from the group. Her chuckle caught the attention of the already angry girls.

    "Is your brain made of nothing but water?" Audreyughed once again.

    "Because I am sure you wouldn''t have just spew that nonsense you did if you possessed the normal brains people do¡­,"

    "Do you have a death wish too?" Sophie snapped angrily. She stood up from where she sat.

    "If you have a death wish then I don''t mind granting you that wish so that you will go and reunite with that stupid dead friend of yours," The prideful look on Sophie''s face while uttering these words made Audrey clench her fists.

    She was certain that she wouldn''t let go of the haughty girl if she didn''t break every goddamn bone in her body.

    Audrey walked closer to Sophie''s seat and stood facing her eyeballs to eyeballs.

    "If you are so confident of your powers you can give it a try," Audrey said looking into Sophie''s fury eyes.

    "Let''s see between you and me who will end up dying," Audrey said coldly. Not only was her voice cold but also her expression.

    "Since you are so eager to kill me, how about we hold another match here and keep everyone entertained. What do you say?" Audrey challenged provocatively.

    ...

    A/N: This week is just starting and I want to remind you about our weekly and monthly goals.

    WEEKLY GOAL: For every 50 Power Stones we get there will be extra 2 chapters given every week.

    MONTHLY GOAL: For every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get there will be 3 extra chapters.

    I promise I will do my own part of the game by updating daily and now it is left for you guys to do your part.

    So please let''s work hard to achieve this goal together. Remember you are not in this alone. You have me, your lovely author here.

 Chapter 77 Lights Out

    ?Memories of three months ago popped into Sophie''s memory.

    That day she was very angry that Audrey challenged them in front of so many people in the University so out of rage she challenged Audrey to a fight.

    She was so confident about her powers and her chances of winning until she stepped into the school''s fighting arena.

    Right now she doesn''t even want to think of what happened to her after the fight started.

    "You¡­,"

    "She is nothing but a frustrated soul who goes about looking for who to frustrate so let her be. Because nothing good wille out of reasoning with a lunatic," Tiffany said, signalling Sophie to sit since people were looking at their table.

    "And this lunatic here is gonna make sure you don''t get married to the King, not to mention smelling the crown of the Queen so I will advise you to stop daydreaming," Audrey said smiling.

    Her smile and words annoyed Tiffany to the bones and normally she would have attacked Audrey right there but because people were looking she had to suppress her anger.

    "I would rather marry the King than letting someone like you get married to him. I have told you this so many times¡­,"

    "You can keep on ranting but I won''t keep youpany. I have better things to do than stand here listening to the words of a lunatic," Tiffany said sternly.

    She turned and strolled away.

    "While walking I will advise that you watch your back because you don''t know in which direction you are gonna get knocked dead," Doris threatened sternly but in low tones.

    "Isn''t that supposed to be my line? I mean for heaven''s sake you guys are the murderers and not me. Be careful when you walk because you don''t know in what direction karma is gonna hit you," Audrey said unyieldingly.

    She walked away after sessfully getting the girls more enraged.

    "If she is not careful, I swear I am gonna bury at least five bullets into her head," Sophie said with clenched teeth.

    At tonight''s party, the Queen Mother didn''t fail to show everyone that the chosen one was Tiffany.

    She achieved this great feat by embracing Tiffany, something she is known never to have done before.

    As if that wasn''t enough she offered Tiffany a seat at the royal table.

    "What do you think about getting the Queen''s crown aspensation for the way my son has been treating you all these years?" Queen Mother asked as she held Tiffany''s hands and caressed them lovingly.

    "What!" Tiffany could not hide her excitement and shock on the hearing of the Queen Mother''s proposal.

    Never in her wildest imagination had she thought that the Queen Mother would make such a proposal in the presence of so many people.

    "Does your expression say that you are about to decline my offer?" Queen Mother Theresa asked as though she wasn''t aware of the reason Tiffany was speechless.

    "Of course not, Your Highness. I would love that," Tiffany replied with a broad smile.

    "That is good. Don''t worry, with me around, never will you suffer any injustice as my daughter-inw," Queen Mother Theresa said smiling.

    They were still talking when Kayden made an appearance. To ord the respect due to him, everyone stood on their feet to receive him.

    Tiffany stood up and walked to where he was standing.

    "Your Majesty, wee," Tiffany greeted with a broad smile. "Happy 4th anniversary as the King of Twipera Kingdom. Our greatest blessing as your subject is having such a wonderful man like you as the King," Tiffany showered him withpliments thinking that she would win his admiration.

    What she didn''t know was that she was expecting the impossible from the wrong person.

    Although she spoke so eloquently Kayden acted like she didn''t exist. It was as if she was talking to a piece of rock.

    "Let me walk you to your seat," Tiffany took the initiative to hold his hand.

    This action of her hers earned murderous res from Kayden.

    "Touch not because my woman might get mad at me for letting just any random woman touch me," Kayden said, dropping the bomb carefreely.

    Everyone was shocked by his words and how he treated Tiffany.

    Apart from Tiffany''s family, the Queen Mother was another person who got enraged by Kayden''s words.

    "Your Majesty¡­.," Kayden only needed to re at his mother to get her to shut her mouth tight.

    As if that wasn''t enough humiliation for the day Tiffany got stopped by the King when she tried to sit on the empty seat at the royal table.

    "That seat has always been reserved for the Queen, and as far as I can remember I don''t remember crowning anyone as Queen not to mention you," Kayden''s words were rude and direct

    He was never the type to hide his hard feelings for someone and recalling what Tiffany and her group did to Joanna made him feel immense hatred for them.

    "But¡­,"

    "Do you want me to repeat myself?" Kayden threw a murderous nce at thedy who wanted to make known her displeasure.

    "You can keep staying if you can handle the consequences of provoking the King?"

    Kayden''s threats made Tiffany leave the royal table like a loyalmb.

    While sitting at the royal table, Kayden got bored despite the fun activities that were going on in the hall.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Thirty more minutes passed and yet Joanna didn''t make an appearance like she had promised Kayden.

    [What on Earth is keeping her?]

    Kayden''s forehead creased into a frown as he checked his wristwatch for God knows how many times.

    [Don''t tell me she got cold feet at thest minute and changed her mind about her n]

    Kayden got a little worried when time continued ticking and he couldn''t spot Joanna in the hall nor could he perceive her scent.

    He was just about to stand up and go in search of her when the lights went off.

    "I believe this is her cue," Kayden grinned wickedly, not looking surprised like others who had no idea of what was going on.

    Even the MC of the party was awestruck since this wasn''t a part of their ns.

    "What the hell is wrong with the lights? Go and find out what''s the problem," from where he sat Kayden using his powers overheard someone passing an order to another person.

    Everyone was still wondering what was going on when creepy music that could only be found in horror movies began ying.

    "What on Earth is going on here?" Everyone talked at once and then suddenly a ray of lights appeared on the upper side of the right wall.

    An invisible hand started scribbling something on the wall.

    "Why did you all hate me so much?"

    "What wrong have I evermitted against you¡­,"

    "That you had to push me to my death on my birthday?"

    "Now that my soul can''t rest, who among you should I take with me to keep mepany in theherworld?"

    Everyone trembled on reading the text on the wall.

    None needed to say anything for everyone to know what was going on.

    "It''s her ghost," Everyone cried out in fear. Those who previously sat close to the right wall stood up and searched for shelter elsewhere.

    "She is here for revenge. She is gonna kill us all," came their cries again when creepingughter filled the room.

    People were trying to run out of the hall for dear life when suddenly the nking of loud heels filled the room.

    The sound was so loud that everyone present in the hall heard it.

    Everyone was looking for where the noise came from when a spotlight appeared on the staircase.

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????!!!

    First of all, I would like to apologise to regr readers for not updating chapters for the past three days.

    Sorry, I couldn''t meet up with the daily updates for you guys, it''s just that I was trying to set up the privileged chapters that is why.

    As you know it''s a new month and as usual time for new goals.

    GOALS FOR JULY 2022

    GOAL 1: Reach 1,000 (1k) privileged chapter unlock to get five (5) extra chapters the following month.

    To reach this particr goal you guys have to buy the privileged chapters and not just buy them but make sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Please support my work by buying the privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily because this is the only way the privileged chapter unlock will count.

    Apart from the 5 chapters mass release, those who buy privileged chapters will stand a chance to win a coin code worth 100 coins the next month.

    Isn''t this amazing?

    GOAL 2: Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month guarantees you guys 3 extra chapters.

    That is to say that if we receive 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this July 2022, you guys stand a chance of getting extra nine (9) chapters. The daily updates are not included.

    Isn''t this such a fantastic bargain?

    GOAL 3: For every 100 power stones this book receives each week, three (3) extra chapters will be uploaded the next week as a reward for the goal.

    This is to say that if we get 200 power stones this week, in the following week I will give six chapters mass release without the inclusion of the daily two chapters.

    Please let''s try hard toplete the goals. I strongly believe we can do this, don''t you agree with me on this?

 Chapter 78 Joannas Showtime

    ?They were still staring at the stairs when a long sexy leg wearing white glittering high heels became visible.

    Just then the memory of six months ago shed into everyone''s head. They recalled that these were the same shoes and even the same manner she appeared back then.

    "She is here. She is here to kill us all," Nora''s scream of terror added even more fear to the mind of the guests who were already scared out of their wits.

    Everyone in the hall shivered, hugging tightly whatever they had in their hands.

    They were only two people in therge hall who were not the least affected by what was happening.

    And these two people were none other than Kayden, the aplice and Audrey, the one who has been dying to meet Joanna again even though it was her ghost.

    "Is that really you, Anna?" Audrey muttered.

    Instead of running toward the exit like the others she walked towards the stairs.

    Joanna walked gracefully down the stairs. Although her expression was stern, she was having a st seeing everyone in the hall shake to their bones.

    If they had treated her like a human and given her a little bit of love. If they had not made her the thing of ridicule.

    Maybe, just maybe they had not trampled on her pride including her life she wouldn''t have gone to the extreme.

    The moment she revealed her face, all the limelight centred on her and everyone''s scream grew louder. They went even crazier than they have been.

    Kayden who was enjoying the show couldn''t resistughing especially when he saw his mother grabbing the terrified Tracy and using the maid to shield herself.

    [This is a thousand times more thrilling than I had imagined. She didn''t let me down]

    Kayden smiled at thedy who had changed her previous makeup to a scary one.

    Her skin including her face looked unbelievably pale. She didn''t resemble thedy he had been spending the night with but she looked so pale like a real ghost.

    He could not help but wonder how she managed to pull off this horror movie vibe.

    Joanna paused at the foot of the stairs and the lights in the room came on. She took time in staring at the faces of everyone in the hall.

    Looking at their faces she could recall every way each one of them had wronged her.

    If anyone should be med for the heartless girl she has be then each one of them was guilty of it.

    Joanna could not help smiling when her gazended on Kayden. She could see how the naughty guy was trying his best to suppress hisughter.

    Everyone was too busy fearing for their life to see just how much fun the King was having watching them suffer.

    [I originally wanted to wrap up my ghost game with this much performance. But why do I strangely want to see himugh even more]

    Joanna stared at  the silentlyughing guy who was secretly giving her a thumbs up.

    [Since he is looks even more thrilled than me, why don''t I keep him even more entertained. I mean there is nothing wrong in doing this right?]

    It was as if Bacon could read Joanna''s mind because immediately after she finished thinking he began flying around the hall.

    [Let''s finish this one and for all]

    Joanna started walking towards the corner everyone had sandwiched themselves.

    The creepy music and screams in the background became louder as she approached where they all stood.

    "It feels so dark and lonely down there. Which one of you wants to keep mepany," Joanna said as she stretched her hand and tried to grab someone.

    She felt likeughing when she saw all of them run backwards trampling on each other.

    "Will you keep mepany?" Joanna asked as she tried to grab Sophie causing the already horrified Sophie to freak out even more.

    "Get behind me ghost," Sophie shouted, beating the air as she ran backwards.

    "No one will keep mepany, why? Why did you kill me if none of you is willing to apany me in that dark ce?" Joanna shouted. Her voice echoed in therge hall repeatedly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The lights started blinking making everywhere creepier.

    "Since you won''te to me then I will make my choice," Joanna said coldly.

    She walked over to Laura and grabbed her by the hand.

    "Mum, I don''t wanna die, please save me," Laura shouted as she struggled to free herself from Joanna''s grip.

    They were all too scared to reason that if Joanna was a ghost, she wouldn''t have been able to grab Laura.

    "Save me, mum," Laura pleaded as she kept on struggling. Warm tears fell from her eyes as she screamed for help but none came to her rescue.

    Joanna hauled Laura to the floor after they had climbed the stage. Immediately after she was released, Laura who was desperate to survive went on her knees and pleaded.

    "I know I was wrong in treating you badly in the past but please don''t kill me. Think of the fact that we were once siblings and let me live," Laura pleaded as she repeatedly rubbed both of her palms.

    Hahaha¡­

    Joanna burst out in a peal of deafeningughter. Sheughed so hard that everyone wondered what was so funny that made the ghostugh the way she did.

    "Hahaha¡­ this is so goddamn funny. My stomach hurts but surprisingly I can''t seem to stop myself fromughing," Joanna said amid her hystericalughter.

    "Should I be grateful to you, Laura or the others for putting a smile on my face after such a long time?"

    Joanna got everyone confused with the way she was talking. Although she was talking like a normal person the fear in the heart of everyone was still immense.

    They dare not leave their spot for fear of falling victim to the vengeful ghost.

    "It''s so hrious to see you all treating me like a ghost when I am very much alive. Hahaha¡­," Joannaughed as she stared at their faces once again.

    Judging from their expression she knew that they didn''t believe her and she can''t me them for this.

    The Ancient Forest Of No Return just like the name says, is a ce where no one returns either alive or dead after setting foot into it.

    Even powerful warriors of both the werewolf and vampire race nevere back after stepping foot into the dreaded forest so who on Earth would believe that a weak girl like her would make it out there alive?

    "Anna, are you really alive?" Audrey standing in front of the stage asked as she stared at the girl whose scary makeup had disappeared.

    "Is that you?" Audrey asked once again. Some secondster she was seen standing on the stage staring at Joanna from up close.

    Out of everyone there, she was the only one daring enough to voluntarily go close to Joanna.

    "You are not dead, hmm?" Audrey asked as she took slow steps towards Joanna.

    Memories of the night of Joanna''s eighteenth birthday shed before her eyes.

    Recalling that day caused a stir in Audrey''s emotions. Tears bubbled in her eyes as she stared at her best friend''s face.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joanna shook her head affirmatively. She paid no attention to Laura who was still shivering close to the podium.

    "I am very much alive," Joanna said as she smiled at Audrey.

    Her eyes became misty for some reason.

    When she was close enough Audrey threw reasoning out of the window and ran into Joanna''s embrace.

    Her tears flowed even more after confirming that the one standing there was really her best friend and not her ghost like people think.

    ...

    A/N: Happy end of the month lovely readers. I am here to get your mind prepared for the goals of the new month we will enter in a few hours.

    And also to let you know about our privileged chapters. For the privileged chapters you will get the chance to read 20 chapters in advance, isn''t that great?

 Chapter 79 Hello Stepmother

    ?Everyone only calmed down a little after realising that Audrey didn''t vanish after hugging Joanna.

    "Thank you foring back alive and well," Audrey hugged Joanna tighter, refusing to let go.

    "Does this mean she deliberately scared us even though she was alive all along?" Tiffany asked as she red at the two friends having their little reunion on the stage.

    "If she had the guts to do that to everyone despite that she is not dead, then she is a psychopath," Nora shuddered at the remembrance of the hell they have gone through ever since they encountered the ghost at the vi.

    Because of this same ghost, their friendship suffered a major setback.

    Their Girl Group would have stopped to exist had they not done their best to make Sophie and Doris resolve their misunderstanding.

    "So what if she is alive and pulled such a major prank on us?" Doris scoffed.

    Some minutes ago she wasn''t able to say a word because of fear but after realising that Joanna was no ghost she had suddenly regained her confidence.

    "I can''t perceive a werewolf scent on her so that means her miraculouslying back to life is of no use. She will forever remain our sidekick. That is her fate," Doris said proudly.

    Her speech earned apuse from her friends.

    "That''s right. And just like in the past we are gonna show her where she rightfully belongs¡­,"

    "Which is underneath our feet," Tiffanypleted the words for Sophie.

    Everyone was astounded when they saw the King stand up from his seat and approach the stage.

    When he reached the stage he maintained a miserable look. Although he looked miserable, to Joanna, his expression looked funny.

    She almost burst outughing forgetting where they were currently at.

    He went and embraced her to the further surprise of people who didn''t expect such a thing from the King.

    "It''s so great to have you back," Kayden said, hugging her tightly.

    "A light hug would have been enough so why are you taking advantage of the situation?" Joanna whispered enough for only him to hear.

    "You are very good at acting¡­,"

    "Aren''t you an expert at that?" Kayden asked not still not letting go of her.

    People staring at them could only see their moving lips but couldn''t hear what they were saying.

    Even vampires who have an incredible hearing ability for some unknown reason couldn''t hear their discussion too.

    It was as if someone had deliberately sealed their conversation making it impossible for them to hear.

    "I almost stood up and awarded you with the world''s best actress of the century," Kayden said.

    He so much wanted to hug her for a long time but when he recalled that they were still at the party, he deemed it improper for him to do that.

    So he slowly let go of her.

    Although they were in the presence of so many people Audrey could not mask her hatred for the King.

    She red at him with her fists sped to suppress her anger.

    "As I said earlier, I am alive and well so there is no need to be afraid of me anymore," Joanna said smiling before she climbed down the stage with Kayden and Audrey both apanying her.

    The embarrassed Laura climbed off the stage with her head lowered.

    "Join us at my table," Kayden said seriously, not sounding like his usual yful self that Joanna was used to.

    This was the reality of their rtionship. He was the King and while she was his subject.

    No matter how close they are, he was way above her in status.

    "Sorry but I will have to turn down your offer, Your Majesty," Joanna replied respectfully as she held Audrey''s hand.

    "But you¡­," Kayden stopped what he wanted to say when he saw that there were too many prying eyes.

    "If you can''t join my table then I will join you both on your table," Kayden suggested to the annoyance of Audrey whose res turn deadlier on hearing Kayden''s suggestions.

    "Although I managed to survive, I have no ns of dying for the second time and I wish that His Majesty will not make things difficult for me," Joanna said.

    She waited for Kayden to permit them to go since they couldn''t walk out on him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The moment he excused them Audrey led the way to her table.

    "I want to greet someone first. You may go and sit first if¡­,"

    "It''s ok," Audrey said, not wanting Joanna to leave her side for even a second.

    Joanna went to where her family was sitting.

    The only one who was absent there was Anthony.

    After greeting her father, Joanna shifted her attention to her stepmother who was on her feet.

    There was fear in her eyes as she stared at Joanna.

    Actually, it would have been very weird if she had remained normal after the hell Joanna''s ghost put her and her daughter through for the past few days.

    "Hello stepmother," Joanna greeted with a smile. She stretched her hand to touch Adhara but out of reflexes and fear she shrank backwards.

    "You and Laura must have been terrified these past days right?" Joanna asked, pretending to care about their wellbeing.

    "Actually, I tried telling you both that I wasn''t dead but the two of you always go crazy on seeing me. I had no choice but to y along¡­," Joanna trailed.

    She stared at Laura who couldn''t even stare her in the eye.

    She suddenly extends her hand and grabs Laura''s hands lying on the table.

    Laura freaked out. She reacted by shouting manically.

    "You and stepmother are not gonna me me for what happened right?" Joanna asked, resisting the desire to smile.

    "Hmmm¡­," Laura mumbled while shaking her head. It was so obvious she wanted Joanna to leave there as fast as possible.

    "If you say so then I am very relieved," Joanna said, letting go of Laura''s hands.

    "I will leave you all to enjoy your party. We will talk again when we get home¡­,"

    "Home?" Adhara yelled, fear visible in her eyes. "What home are you talking about?"

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????!!!

    First of all, I would like to apologise to regr readers for not updating chapters for the past three days.

    Sorry, I couldn''t meet up with the daily updates for you guys, it''s just that I was trying to set up the privileged chapters that is why.

    As you know it''s a new month and as usual time for new goals.

    GOALS FOR JULY 2022

    GOAL 1: Reach 1,000 (1k) privileged chapter unlock to get five (5) extra chapters the following month.

    To reach this particr goal you guys have to buy the privileged chapters and not just buy them but make sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Please support my work by buying the privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily because this is the only way the privileged chapter unlock will count.

    Apart from the 5 chapters mass release, those who buy privileged chapters will stand a chance to win a coin code worth 100 coins the next month.

    Isn''t this amazing?

    GOAL 2: Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month guarantees you guys 3 extra chapters.

    That is to say that if we receive 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this July 2022, you guys stand a chance of getting extra nine (9) chapters. The daily updates are not included.

    Isn''t this such a fantastic bargain?

    GOAL 3: For every 100 power stones this book receives each week, three (3) extra chapters will be uploaded the next week as a reward for the goal.

    This is to say that if we get 200 power stones this week, in the following week I will give six chapters mass release without the inclusion of the daily two chapters.

    Please let''s try hard toplete the goals. I strongly believe we can do this, don''t you agree with me on this?

 Chapter 80 Did You Say Something?

    ?"What home could I be possibly referring to if not our home?" Joanna asked, sounding irritated.

    "You have no ce¡­,"

    "Come back home after the party. Your little brother has been missing you ever since you disappeared," Mr Anderson said. His neutral expression while saying this infuriated Joanna.

    For the 1001 time, she wondered if this man she has knew all her life was really her father or some stranger.

    "Sorry but Anna is gonna spend the night with me today," Audrey said, not giving Joanna the chance to speak.

    Instead of letting Joanna sleep in a house full of her enemies she would rather she spend the night over at her ce.

    Besides, she has missed Joanna way too much to send her to that hellhole on the night of her return.

    Since none of them objected or agreed to what Audrey said, the two friends went to their table.

    Not long after they sat down Kayden gave a speech.

    His speech wasn''t long nor was it boring. Everyone apuded after he finished giving his speech.

    Joanna was surprised when she saw Chrise to stand beside her after Kayden had concluded his speech and was apuded.

    "To celebrate my wife''s return¡­," Kayden paused when he realised what he had said.

    "To celebrate Miss Joanna Anderson, my mate''s safe return, I would like to propose a toast to her," Kayden said.

    Kayden only needed to say this much to get everyone''s gossipy side wild.

    "Let''s invite Miss Joanna to the stage as we do this," Kayden said as he stared at where Joanna''s seat was located.

    "This way Miss," Chris said politely. It was when he did this that Joanna understood the reason Chris was standing there.

    Joanna stood up and followed Chris'' lead.

    "What the hell is wrong with the King?" Doris asked angrily when she saw how Joanna was escorted like a Queen.

    "Has he drank so much wine that is why he is getting delusional¡­,"

    "That is not a proper way to talk about the King so watch your mouth because not even I would be able to save you if others overheard your words," Tiffany said coldly.

    Although she looked so unaffected, the truth was that she was very angry just like her friends.

    The way she was clutching her dress was evidence of just how hard she tried to suppress her anger.

    "Sophie''s words are very correct because how on earth would he treat her this way if he wasn''t delusional," Doris supported firmly.

    "You are the future Queen and everyone knows that so how could he call her his wife in front of¡­,"

    "She is nothing but a lowlife girl. She isn''t only the daughter of a mistress but a weak good for nothing. Do you think that the King would choose her over me?" Tiffany asked pridefully.

    She turned and red at Joanna now standing on the stage with the King.

    "Besides, she was once his mate so I am sure His Majesty is merely doing this to save her face," Tiffany tried so hard to look for every way possible to justify Kayden''s behaviour.

    Nora nodded her head affirmatively. "You are right about that. From the beginning His Majesty wasn''t known to be a heartless person so his actions are understandable," Nora agreed with a nod.

    "To safe return and a happy reunion, cheers," Kayden raised his ss of wine in the air. Others followed suit even though they were not happy to do this.

    "Wee back," Kayden said as he clicked sses with Joanna.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna smiled at him and took a sip from the wine without uttering a word to him.

    Seeing that the King was going to climb down from the stage soon. Tiffany hurried to her family''s table.

    "Grandpa, please do something about this," Tiffany pleaded.

    "Even though you didn''t ask me to intervene I would have done it, do you know why?" Tiffany''s grandpa, a man who looks like he was in histe forties when he was over 150 years old asked, staring at his granddaughter.

    "Because thest thing I will ever do in my life is let anyone disgrace our family and go scot-free. It doesn''t matter whether that person is the King," The prime minister, Tiffany''s grandpa, said fiercely.

    He stood up from where he sat and approached Kayden''s direction.

    Reaching where the King was walking he obstructed his path.

    "What do you think you are trying to do?" Chris asked angrily, not able to tolerate the man''s insolence.

    [See how my grandpa will put that lowlife girl in her ce. Let''s see whether His Majesty will still save her face after grandpa intervened]

    Tiffany''s smile broadened on seeing that her grandpa was about to take action.

    "I want to have a word with His Majesty, do you have a problem with that," the prime minister snapped rudely.

    "This is no way to approach the King¡­.,"

    "Since he said he has something to say then let him be. He is a prominent minister and I can see whatever he wants to say is urgent," Kayden stopped Chris from causing a scene over the issue.

    Chris was still very angry with the elderly man, if not that it was the King who intervened he wouldn''t have let the senile old man have his way.

    "It''s a known fact that the sham seer prophecised Anderson''s bastard child to be your mate but it''s also a well-known fact that you cancelled her title as your mate after she died¡­,"

    "Did you say something?" Kayden asked coldly as he red at the man standing in front of him.

    Joanna standing beside Kayden pretended like she didn''t hear what the old man said. She was certain that she would end up ripping off the man''s foul mouth if she decided to intervene.

    "Although I couldn''t hear what you said because I was a bit absentminded while staring at your grandson¡­," Kayden trailed as his murderous res centred on the man.

    He smiled when he saw the prime minister trembled at the mention of the word "HIS GRANDSON"

    "I will advise that you filter your words carefully. As you are aware, I tend to get into a bad moodtely and I can''t fathom what I will do if that happens here. I am sure you understand the point I am trying to make, right?" Kayden asked.

    "Yes¡­ Yes, Your Majesty," The prime minister, Mr Martinez stammered, not able to keep hisposure.

    "So what were you trying to tell me again?" Kayden asked sternly.

    ...

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

    Also, don''t forget our goals for the month because these goals will guarantee whether or not you guys will get all the extra chapters as a reward.

    Also for those who don''t have money to buy the highest tier of privileged chapters, you can buy the affordable ones because this is the reason I shared the tiers into five.

    I wanted every one of my readers to be able to afford it so please support this poor author by buying the privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily.

    If you want to stand a chance to win 100 code coins next month, your only ticket to getting the code is by buying privileged chapters, so what are you waiting for?

    I believe we can achieve the goals so you guys need to believe in yourselves too. Fighting!!!

 Chapter 81 Audrey Got Tricked

    ?"I beg to take my leave now, Your Majesty," Mr Martinez bowed his head slightly.

    Joanna was stunned to see the prime minister so docile and obedient when he was ever so talkative.

    Apart from the Queen, the second person who always tried to detect things for the King was Mr Martinez, the prime minister.

    He has so many supporters and influence and this is why he isn''t afraid of anything.

    Seeing him so afraid and obedient made Joanna wonder what on Earth Kayden did to take the man this way.

    "You may leave but are you sure you don''t want to¡­," To the utter surprise of everyone who was waiting for the prime minister to put the King in his rightful ce, the elderly man hurried away before Kayden could finish talking.

    The moment he left Joanna turned and gave Kayden a questioning gaze but he looked away.

    "Let''s go," Kayden said as he led the way.

    When they reached outside Audrey wanted to stop Kayden from taking Joanna away but Chris stopped her.

    "What is he trying to y at now?" Audrey asked fiercely as she tried to push Chris out of her way but Chris didn''t move a muscle.

    "Wasn''t he indifferent when she died so what¡­,"

    "Miss Audrey, the King is not as bad as you think. And what you see is not always entirely true. You will get to understand what I mean in the future¡­.,"

    "I don''t believe what you say and I won''t understand what you and he did so let go of me now?" Audrey said fiercely. Audrey struggled to free herself but Chris won''t let go no matter what.

    "I made a huge mistake in the past and I won''t repeat the same thing. If you want to separate the King and Miss Joanna then you have to go through me first," Chris said sternly.

    He let go of her hand and took his stand ready to battle it out with Audrey.

    As he tried to stop Audrey from separating Joanna from the King, he stole a nce at them to make sure that they were far away.

    "Do you think I wouldn''t fight you just because you are the King''s person?" Audrey asked angrily as she also took her stance.

    Before Chris knew it, her eyes, fangs and teeth had transformed. "If that''s what you think then you are very wrong. Now that she is back then I will do everything to protect her from everyone including herself," Audrey said fiercely.

    "So bring it on," Audrey said coldly. From her words and expression, it was so obvious that she was ready to fight Chris right there and then.

    Seeing the King''s car drive away, Chris smiled. He dropped his hands.

    "What is wrong? Are you too scared to fight me?" Audrey said provocatively.

    "I can never be too scared to defend the King no matter how mighty the enemy is," Chris said softly.

    "The King and Miss Joanna are gone so fighting with you here is meaningless right now," Chris said as he left her path.

    Audrey red at him when she realised that the King and Joanna were really gone.

    "You¡­," the angry Audrey pointed her index finger at Chris when noticed that she was tricked by him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You might have seeded today but I promise you that you won''t next time. I will make sure I uncover his real face to Anna. Let''s see where she will follow him next time after she learns the kind of heartless person the two of you are," Audrey said. She deliberately bumped into Chris as she made to walk away.

    "Although His Majesty is very tolerant of your bad attitude towards him there is a limit to what he can do to protect you," Chris said before Audrey could walk far away.

    "That is why I will ask you not to overdo it because they wille a time he won''t be able to protect you from the wrath of others. You guys might be friends but he is still the King¡­,"

    "Point of correction, I am no friends with him ok," Audrey interrupted Chris sharply. She stomped away in anger afterwards.

    "She is mad at His Majesty because he sent her away and pretended not to believe what she said that night¡­," Chris said while staring at Audrey''s departing back.

    "If only she knew that he did what he did to protect her that night,"

    "I am sure she wouldn''t hate His Majesty so much if she is aware of the length he went through to avenge Miss Joanna. It''s just unfortunate that she is in the dark about all these things," Chris turned and walked back into the hall after Audrey had disappeared into the dark.

    Some minutester Kayden was seen parking the car in front of a tall building. Because it was veryte, hardly anyone was in sight.

    The first to step out of the car was Joanna. She went and stood in front of the car.

    Kayden came out of the car with a bottle of champagne and two wine sses in his hands.

    "Wait here, I will be back," Kayden smiled at her after dropping the things in his hands on the bo of the ck sports car.

    He walked to the passenger seat and opened the door. He returned with a small size cake carefully wrapped.

    "What are all these?" Joanna asked curiously, not understanding why he had prepared so much.

    "From the onset, I knew you wouldn''t like it the party and that is why I asked Josephina to get these things ready, including your favourite vani cake," Kayden said, bringing the cake near for her to get a closer view at it.

    "Vani cake!" Joanna remarked in shock as she raised her gaze from the cake and stare at Kayden''s smiling face.

    [Even Drey doesn''t know that this particr cake and vour is my favourite so how did he know all these things?]

    Joanna wondered as she continued looking at Kayden.

    "I know I look exceptionally handsome today but are you gonna stand here all night staring at my face?" Kayden asked teasingly.

    His tease made Joanna snap out of her daze.

    "Your cold facade earlier almost made me forget how shameless of a person you are. I can''t believe I almost got fooled," Joanna replied in a casual tone too since it was just the two of them.

    "To others, I am a cold King but with you, I am nothing but a passionate lover who is head over heels for you. I have told you this before, you must have forgotten¡­,"

    "Don''t you feel embarrassed saying these words? I often wonder about this, so fulfil my curiosity," Joanna said.

    She tried to sit on the bo of the car but she realised she couldn''t do it because of her floor-length dress.

    "What is there to be ashamed of when we are gonna spend our entire lives together?" Kayden said.

 Chapter 82 He Strangled Chris

    ?He dropped the cake on the bo and went to stand in front of her.

    "Since we are gonna see the best and worst of each other while spending our entire lives together, why don''t I show you every side of me that there is now?" Kayden asked as he held her slender waist.

    "This was what I asked myself," Kayden said. He tried to lift her but Joanna resisted.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Joanna asked with widened eyes. She looked around to see whether anyone was around.

    "I am trying to help you sit or what were you thinking I was trying to do?" Kayden''s lips curled into a wicked smile as he effortlessly lifts Joanna onto the bo.

    After he made her sit on the bo, he also did the same thing. He sat beside her while the thing preparedid on the other side of the bo.

    "You keep getting weird thoughts about metely and I have told you that I can satisfy all of your desires as long as you ept me¡­,"

    "I swear, I am gonna push you off the car if you keep this up," Joanna threatened firmly.

    "You can continue if you want to have a taste of being kicked out of your own car," Joanna said sternly when she saw Kayden open his mouth to talk.

    "I wanted to say stop frowning and let''s enjoy our first official date together," Kayden said as he corked open the bottle of wine in his hands.

    "First date? I haven''t agreed to your proposal so how can this be our first date?" Joanna asked with a frown.

    She watched as Kayden poured the wine into the two sses.

    He passed one of the sses to her.

    He smiled bewitchingly at her. "You are right. How can this be the King''s first date with his Queen?" Kayden said, still maintaining his bewitching smile.

    "This is just a preamble. I will make sure to think of a better set-up for our first date," He took a sip from the ss of wine in his hands.

    As he drank Joanna stared at the movement of his Adam Apple. She gulped hard and subconsciously licked her lips as she ogled over his sexy Adam Apple.

    [Gosh, what the hell is wrong with me? Why are my sexual urges always out of control whenever I am with him?]

    Joanna on realising what she was doing looked away not letting Kayden catch her in the act.

    Kayden turned to see her drink the wine like it was water she was drinking.

    "Drink it slowly or you will upset your stomach if you gulp it down that way?" Kayden said as he held the ss of wine stuck to her mouth.

    "If you love the taste they are more in the car and I can have Chris deliver it to you every day".

    "I have no ns of bing an alcoholic so I will have to reject your offer," Joanna said, her gaze subconsciously going to his neck again.

    [At this rate I am gonna end up bouncing on him. I need something for a distraction]

    Joanna looked away from his face when she realised that she was ogling him for the second time.

    "Why is your face red, are you¡­,"

    "I saw that Tiffany''s grandpa was scared of you at the party earlier, why is that?" Joanna quickly changed the topic, knowing very well that Kayden will not stop until he finds out the truth.

    "Did you do something to the proud old man while I was away?"

    "What do you think?" Kayden said. The evil glints in his eyes showed that something really happened between him and the old man.

    "Seeing your evil smile, I guess something interesting must have happened right?" Joanna asked curiously.

    Seeing his evil smile made her want to know exactly what happened.

    Joanna''s question made Kayden''s mind go back to that night he had tried his best to forget.

    Although having her back now makes him happy, he could not forget the pain he went through.

    He has vowed never to get helpless to the point he was that night and he will do all it takes to make sure such an asion doesn''t repeat itself.

    That night after Audrey''s revtion he had left the hotel and rushed to the exact spot Audrey mentioned in her narration.

    In that forest, he had met the evidence of what took ce there.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At first nce, he recognised the pieces of dresses scattered on the ground.

    How could he not know what her dress looked like even though in rags when he was the one who personally picked it for her.

    Kayden went mad in rage.

    "Get me all the evidence left behind in the forest," Kayden thundered, only to appear on the edge of the cliff.

    "How high exactly is the cliff from the foot of the forbidden forest?" Kayden muttered as he stared down.

    All he could see was endless darkness. Not a single thing was visible.

    A figure who was lurking in the dark emerged the moment the King finished talking.

    "Your Majesty, you are not trying to do what I am thinking right?" Chris, who just emerged from the dark, said as he grabbed Kayden''s right hand.

    "Haven''t I told you that I don''t want to set my eyes on you?" Kayden asked as he turned and red at Chris.

    "Are you going to keep on disobeying my orders? Will you stop pushing me to the extreme when I issue a royal order?" Kayden asked angrily as he shove Chris''s hands away.

    "You can do whatever you want to me I won''tin but I promise you that I won''t let any harme to you¡­,"

    "Hey stop pretending as if you care about me because you don''t," The infuriated Kayden pushed Chris violently away.

    Chris moved about ten steps away as a result of the push.

    "You are the reason she was harmed. Any of this wouldn''t have happened if you had followed her like I had ordered you to do," Kayden shouted, startling the guards who were trying to gather all the material evidence.

    Kayden ran at an incredible speed. When he reached where Chris stood he grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

    "Just as those scums are guilty of murdering her so are you so stop acting because seeing you this way infuriates me even more," Kayden didn''t release Chris despite how hard he was swinging his legs.

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????!!!

    First of all, I would like to apologise to regr readers for not updating chapters for the past three days.

    Sorry, I couldn''t meet up with the daily updates for you guys, it''s just that I was trying to set up the privileged chapters that is why.

    As you know it''s a new month and as usual time for new goals.

    GOALS FOR JULY 2022

    GOAL 1: Reach 1,000 (1k) privileged chapter unlock to get five (5) extra chapters the following month.

    To reach this particr goal you guys have to buy the privileged chapters and not just buy them but make sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Please support my work by buying the privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily because this is the only way the privileged chapter unlock will count.

    Apart from the 5 chapters mass release, those who buy privileged chapters will stand a chance to win a coin code worth 100 coins the next month.

    Isn''t this amazing?

    GOAL 2: Every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month guarantees you guys 3 extra chapters.

    That is to say that if we receive 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this July 2022, you guys stand a chance of getting extra nine (9) chapters. The daily updates are not included.

    Isn''t this such a fantastic bargain?

    GOAL 3: For every 100 power stones this book receives each week, three (3) extra chapters will be uploaded the next week as a reward for the goal.

    This is to say that if we get 200 power stones this week, in the following week I will give six chapters mass release without the inclusion of the daily two chapters.

    Please let''s try hard toplete the goals. I strongly believe we can do this, don''t you agree with me on this?

 Chapter 83 The Proud Prime Minister Got Taught A Lesson

    ?Although he was running out of breath, Chris didn''t struggle nor did he plead for his life.

    "Stay far away from me because even I don''t know what I will do to you if I set my eyes on you. I might even stab you in the heart for this betrayal so leave now," Kayden threw Chris away not caring the direction.

    He turned his back on Chris not wanting to see his face.

    Chris, who was thrown into a big tree trunk, slowly stood up from the ground. He stared at the King whose back was facing him.

    "I will take my leave now, Your Majesty," Chris bowed and walked away.

    Even when Chris was gone Kayden didn''t turn around.

    "Your Majesty, we have got all the evidence," Gideon, Chris''s second inmand, said.

    "Let''s return to the pce and take a look at the CCTV cameras in the forest," Kayden said.

    He walked away without taking a look at the stuff in Gideon''s hands.

    Some minutester Kayden and three of his close guards were seen in a dark room full of big screens.

    Footages could be seen ying on the screen. He sped his fist when he saw the suffering Joanna went through.

    "I want all the boys in the footage brought to the pce. Make sure their parents are aware of their crimes before you take them," Kayden passed his orders.

    Gideon and the other guards bowed and left the room to carry out the King''s order.

    Reaching outside they were not surprised to see Chris waiting outside.

    After learning about the mission the King gave them, he joined them but he made sure the guards promised not to mention his involvement to the King.

    It wasn''t until an hour after they left that they returned to the Pce with all the boys in the video in theirpany.

    The boys who were subdued were hauled into the throne room by Gideon and his men.

    Not long after they returned, the guy''s father rushed to the pce seeking an audience with the King.

    The angry Kayden refused to grant them an audience for an hour. All their pleas fell on deaf ears since the guards didn''t let them go anywhere close to where the King was.

    Kayden was with the five guys for an hour before he finally let in their anxious parents.

    Despite being in front of the King, the Minister didn''t mind their manners. The terrible state they met their sons made them go mad in rage.

    "Do you admit your guilt?" Gideon asked the five guys sternly.

    When they were brought to the throne room they were all proud because of their different family influence.

    Just an hour of torture and they were humbled to their knees.

    Anyways who on Earth wouldn''t get terrified after what they went through in the hands of the King''s elite guards.

    "There is no evidence to prove your ims so why do you want them to admit a crime you falsely used them of?" Mr Martinez asked angrily as he red at Gideon.

    "You think there is no evidence?" Kayden asked, his voice was still like water but the danger in it was very obvious.

    "Watch carefully and tell me if this is enough evidence to shut you up?" Kayden asked as he stared at Gideon.

    Understanding the signal Gideon turned and looked at another guard and almost immediately a video started ying on the projector.

    The video started ying from when the guys entered the forest before they shifted into werewolves.

    The clip yed until it reached the scene where the guys started attacking Joanna and Audrey.

    The clip skipped from there to when the guys left the forest. The scene of Joanna''s clothes getting ripped off was deliberately removed.

    "How is that possible?" Logan, Tiffany''s cousin, said in disbelief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All their thought was that there was no evidence of what they did in the forest and that is the reason they had refused to confess no matter how hard they were tortured.

    Now that they were clips of themmitting the act, they knew without being told that they were done for.

    "Gideon, what is the punishment for the crime of murdering the Queen?" Kayden asked coldly.

    Hearing the crime of murdering the Queen made the boys and their parents trembled like wet leaves.

    "Death," Gideon said fiercely. The word DEATH repeatedly echoed in the perpetrators''head.

    The scene of being hanged until every bit of it slipped out of him popped up in Logan''s head.

    Logan shook his head violently to shake off the thoughts in his mind.

    "Not just mere death but a very painful one at that," Gideon concluded firmly.

    "I don''t need to tell you all to brace yourself for the¡­,"

    "Your Majesty, it hasn''t reached this extent. The kids were just being naughty. You know how children y nowadays," Mr Martinez said shamelessly.

    "For the sake that they are just immature kids, please have mercy on them," Despite that his grandsonmitted such a crime, he wasn''t sincere or repentant while talking to Kayden.

    "Did I hear you say then murdering the Queen was an act of y?" Kayden asked, standing up from the throne he was sitting on.

    "She was just 18 years old today while these boys are 20 years and above and you call them children?" Kayden asked as he climbed down the stairs.

    With the King''s counterattack, Mr Martinez was momentarily lost at what to say to defend his grandson.

    "They brutally killed the Queen and you want me to show them mercy? Do you really take me for an idiot or is it that you have no respect for the crown?" Kayden thundered, making everyone go down on their knees.

    The only one who didn''t kneel was Mr Martinez who thinks that he could drag honour and respect with the King.

    "We wouldn''t dare, Your Majesty," They chorused with trembling voices.

    Who could withstand the wrath of the King?

    Even though he decided to kill all of them, none would dare to challenge him.

    A few people will criticise him for a few weeks for brutally murdering his subjects and Ministers but this will be forgotten in a matter of weeks.

    Why would they risk their lives to annoy such a being who has their lives in his hands right now?

    "My grandson and his friends only helped you to get rid of a problem you have been wanting to rid yourself of all these years," Mr Martinez said with pride.

    "They saved you the trouble of dirtying your hands with her filthy blood so you must be very happy right now so there is no need to pretend in front of us," Mr Martinez concluded, smiling broadly.

    He was still grinning when Kayden, who just appeared in front of him, grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor with one hand.

    ...

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

    Also, don''t forget our goals for the month because these goals will guarantee whether or not you guys will get all the extra chapters as a reward.

    Also for those who don''t have money to buy the highest tier of privileged chapters, you can buy the affordable ones because this is the reason I shared the tiers into five.

    I wanted every one of my readers to be able to afford it so please support this poor author by buying the privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily.

    If you want to stand a chance to win 100 code coins next month, your only ticket to getting the code is by buying privileged chapters, so what are you waiting for?

    I believe we can achieve the goals so you guys need to believe in yourselves too. Fighting!!!

 Chapter 84 They Got Scammed By The King

    ?"Repeat the nonsense you just spew and I promise not to only rip your goddamn mouth to tiny pieces but I will make sure that your head is not sticking to your body when you breathe yourst," Kayden said, his bloodthirsty eyes focused on the man who was swinging his legs to and fro.

    "Grandpa¡­," Logan shouted when he saw just how tightly the enraged King was grabbing the prime minister by the neck.

    The look in his eyes was evident that he didn''t give a damn whether or not he choked the man to death.

    Logan crawled on the leg to where Kayden was holding the man still struggling to preserve the little consciousness left in him.

    "Please your Majesty, save my Grandpa. Please don''t kill him," Logan pleaded profusely with his palms together.

    "Your Majesty, he might not be able to withstand it if you don''t release him now," Gideon spoke up when he saw that the King wasn''t with his senses.

    Gideon spoke two more times before the King finally released Mr Martinez.

    The proud mannded on the floorwith a big thud. He coughed severely while holding his burning neck.

    "Didn''t you say I am happy that my Queen got killed¡­," Kayden said as he approached his throne.

    He turned to face them when he was standing right in front of his throne.

    "So why don''t I show you guys just how happy I am by killing each one of them right in front of your eyes?" Kayden stunned everyone with his words.

    "He is not serious right"

    "The King must be joking right,"

    "He is not going to really kill them hmm,"

    The boy''s parents mumbled among themselves.

    "Get me the sword. I am going to behead them myself," Kayden''s words made everyone in the hall tremble.

    Even the guards could not hide their shock.

    They stare at the King as though he was a stranger and not the person they have been serving all these years.

    "When I am done, I am sure that all of you will be happier than I am so there is no need to fret," Kayden said as he collected the sword from the guard who provided him with one.

    "Your Majesty¡­.. Please¡­ please don''t," Mr Martinez let go of his ego and pleaded like the desperate man that he is.

    His wife never had sons so he didn''t have an heir to will his properties to after his death.

    After so many years  seeking for a male child, his second daughter gave birth to a son he has been yearning for all his life.

    From the day he was born until these moments he had showered all his love and attention on Logan.

    He has so many expectations of him. He wouldn''t be able to survive the night if he lost him, not to mention watching him die in front of him.

    What kind of torture could be more painful than watching your very beloved child die in front of you while you as a parent are helpless.

    The nging of the sword generated by how the King was dragging the sword on the floor sent shivers down their spine.

    The nging was like the ticking of a timebomb which means that the moment the ticking stops is the time they lose their lives.

    It was so horrifying for every single parent there including the boys.

    "Please¡­," pleads and wailing filled the room as they watched the King draw closer.

    He he acted as if he didn''t hear any of their pleas.

    "In a minute or two let''s see whether each one of you will be happier than me," Kayden said as he paused in front of Logan.

    Mr Martinez''s heart stopped beating for a few seconds when he realised that his grandson was the King''s first target.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kayden lifted the sword just above his head. All pleads fell on deaf ears.

    He descended the sword immediately. Just before he could chop Logan''s head off his body, Mr Martinez went down on his knees.

    If he was just a secondte then he would have lost his grandson forever.

    "I admit they were wrong in killing the Queen. No matter what was their reason they shouldn''t have killed her so please forgive them," Mr Martinez pleaded profusely when he saw that Kayden wasn''t kidding around neither were his words mere threats.

    "Even though not for anything but for the sake that I have been a good minister who has served under many Kings. For the sake of my merits please spare their lives".

    "And why should I listen to you when you have always made it a point of duty to challenge my authority?" Kayden asked coldly.

    "Also, didn''t you just say I was happy that she died so why are you so scared to experience the same happiness?Or is it that you are allergic to happiness?"

    Normally Mr Martinez would have said something but he was very sober at the moment for some reason.

    "As long as you let my son live then I promise to do anything you want. Also, I won''t undermine your authority starting from this moment," Mr Martinez said, not stopping to plead.

    He knew very well that the fate of his grandson relies on what the King''s judgement would be.

    He knew that provoking the King by acting stubborn will only push his grandson nearer to his grave.

    "It''s the Queen your grandson killed and not somemoner so how could your mere promises be enough for a bargaining chip for his life?" Kayden asked, swinging the sword left and right to remind the Mr Martinez what was at stake.

    "You name the price. I will give you whatever you want as long as you let him live," Mr Martinez said with a secretly sped fist.

    "I want the army your family has been building up to be made into the royal army," Kayden stated firmly.

    "Starting from this moment you will promise never to instigate the Ministers to go against my orders¡­," Kayden trailed.

    "Also, from this day onwards never will anyone in your household ever be the Queen¡­.,"

    "What?" Mr Martinez, who has eyed the Queen''s position for his granddaughter ever since Kayden became the King shouted.

    "Do you have a problem with that?" Kayden asked fiercely.

    Even though Mr Martinez wanted to say something he swallowed back whatever he wanted to say when Kayden brought the sword close to Logan''s neck.

    "No, Your Majesty," Mr Martinez said with his head lowered.

    Kayden went ahead and stated more conditions not only for the prime minister but also for the other parents too.

    All the conditions he stated were immediately printed on paper and given to all the parents to sign in case they decide to do otherwise in the future.

    [Joan, I am so sorry that I had to use your death to get what I have always wanted from them but believe me, I am not doing this for myself but for the people you love]

    Kayden was in a daze as they signed the documents.

    [With these I will be able to publicly protect everything and everyone you love. I won''t have to sneakily do it like how I did with you when you were alive. I couldn''t publicly protect you despite how important you were to me. I don''t want the same thing to happen and this is why I am doing this]

    Kayden''s eyes became misty as he kept on staring into space.

    [Although I have decided to spare their lives, that doesn''t mean that I won''t avenge you so don''t get me wrong. Because I will make sure they still pay the price of murdering you]

    Kayden snapped out of his daze when he heard background voices.

    "Your Majesty, now that we have signed the papers can we go with our sons?" One of the boy''s parents asked curiously.

    Kayden shifted his gaze to the man who talked. "Did you say you want to take them with you?" Kayden asked, his expression was emotionless.

    "When did I ever mention that they were going to go with you?" Kayden stunned everyone with his words.

 Chapter 85 Stay Away From Me Beast!

    ?"What!" Mr Martinez who has made so many sacrifices just because he wanted to take his grandson with him shouted with widened eyes.

    "Your Majesty, you are¡­,"

    "Take them with you. I am sure you don''t need me to tell you where they belong right?" Kayden said emotionlessly to his guards.

    He strolls away paying no listening ears to their pleas.

    "If they had the guts to kill someone then they must be gutsy enough to face the consequences," Kayden muttered before he vanished into space.

    That night he didn''t sleep at the Pce but went to keep Joannapany in hopes that she won''t feel lonely.

    Remembering that incident Kayden could not resist smiling.

    "Why are you grinning now hmm?" Joanna nudged him gently to bring him back to the present.

    "Are you not going to teach me how you tamed him? I want tips so I will know how to tame Adhara and Laura¡­,"

    "Why do you need tips when everyone in the Kingdom including them has been tamed by you?" Kayden chuckled when he recalled the incident at the party.

    Maybe for fifty years toe, he will stillugh anytime he recalls this fateful night.

    "But¡­,"

    "If you think they are still not tamed enough then hold a dagger to their necks? There is nothing people love more than their lives, believe me," Kayden said confidently.

    "Why does it sound like you have be cruller after I was away?" Joanna asked. Her questions were supposed to be a joke but Kayden didn''t see it as one.

    "I have always been like this. I never showed this side of mine because there was no reason for it¡­," Kayden trailed as he took a sip from the ss of wine.

    "But I lost every bit of humanity left in me the day they stole the most important thing in my life," Kayden said, this time around he gulped down the entire champagne in the ss.

    "Why are you suddenly acting so serious?" Joanna asked, seeing how drastically his mood had changed.

    She watched him as he dropped the ss on the bo.

    "I am so used to seeing that sly look in your eyes and get very scared when you act so serious¡­,"

    The words stoppeding when Kayden cupped her face catching her unawares.

    "And you will continue to see this lovely side of mine for as long as you want. All I want is for you to promise never to leave me again hmm," Kayden said as he stroked her face affectionately.

    There were pains and desperation in his eyes as he stared into her purple eyes.

    "I didn''t love you this much and I went insane when you left. Joan, I can''t imagine the kind of havoc I will cause if you leave me again so promise me¡­,"

    "I know we have gotten very closetely but don''t you think you are asking too much for a girl who isn''t¡­,"

    "Please Joan, just promise me ok? And in return, I promise that I will never stop loving you. You will be the only woman I love in this lifetime," Kayden made his vows right there and then.

    Joanna stared into his eyes. Seeing him this way for some reason she couldn''t bring herself to push him away.

    "I have juste back from the dead so I have no ns of going anywhere or dying for the second time ok?" Joanna replied, deliberately not making promises.

    Nothing hurts more than broken promises and shattered dreams.

    She didn''t want him to experience these two things.

    "That''s good enough then," Kayden smiled at her.

    "Do you know that you are such a weird guy? How could your mood change so drastically?" Joanna asked seeing that his mood had brightened up after she replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "This is not the first or second time you have told me this so this means I must really be a weird guy hmm," Kayden said jokingly.

    "What a weird King you are," Joanna replied.

    She and Kayden sat and enjoyed themselves on the bo for a few hours before they entered the car.

    Kayden and Joanna spent the night inside the car right at that spot.

    They talked throughout the night. It was about an hour to daybreak that Joanna fell asleep with her head resting on Kayden''s shoulders.

    "I never knew it was so fascinating to watch someone sleep until now," Kayden mumbled as he stared intensely at Joanna''s sleeping face.

    "I wonder when I am gonna have another opportunity like this," Kayden said as he lifted his right hand to touch her face.

    Just when his hand was about to reach her, Joanna''s eyes opened. He didn''t retract his hand or pretend to be doing something else.

    "What were you trying to do to me this early morning?" Joanna asked as she quickly shielded her face with her palms.

    Kayden drew closer when he saw how overprotective she was of her face.

    "I wanted to have a feeling of how your mouth tastes early in the morning. I wanted to see whether it tastes as sweet as it tastes at night." Kayden said as he shifted closer.

    "Thank goodness you woke up at the perfect time. Now I won''t have to sneakily have a taste of it. I will¡­,"

    "Stay away from me, you beast," Joanna blurted as she immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

    Hahaha****

    Kaydenughed hysterically as he pulled back from her.

    Heughed until Joanna got annoyed with hisughter but that didn''t stop him fromughing further.

    "Stop acting so cutely or I might really lose control of myself and pounce on you. By then you will know just the kind of beast I am," Kayden said amidst hisughter.

    "And who says I am weak too in that aspect?" Joanna asked, sounding very confident.

    "Why don''t we give it a try right now to determine who is the real beast and who is still learning?" Kayden said as he drew closer to her.

    He shifted closer to her until her back was pressing hard against the car''s door.

    "Let''s see whether you are strong enough to handle my roughness," Kayden said as he lowered his face to kiss her.

    "You will have to call me Daddy if you get tired before I do," Kayden said as he kissed her.

    ...

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

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 Chapter 86 Hands Off, Young Lady

    ?Before he kissed her, Joanna had gotten ready to put on a strong fight so that he would not have his way but the sweet taste of his lips made her lose the desire to fight him.

    [Wow, she loves me. I can''t believe this!]

    Kayden''s heart danced in excitement when he noticed Joanna respond to his kiss immediately without him having to work so hard to make her open her mouth.

    He kissed her gently but passionately. He was still trying to take things slowly when Joanna suddenly dominate things.

    She kissed him roughly and made him subconsciously move from where he sat.

    She made him move until his back was pressing against the door of the car.

    Before Kayden could fathom what was happening Joanna started unbuttoning his shirt.

    [Goddamn it! She is gonna strip and im my innocence if we keep this up]

    Kayden momentarily regained his consciousness. Although he so much wanted to stop her from going further, his body and heart weren''t listening to what he wanted.

    It keeps craving for more and he knew very well what will be the endpoint if he doesn''t pull himself together.

    "Hands off, Young Lady," Kayden said as he immediately grabbed her hands still undoing his buttons.

    Despite he was holding her hand Joanna who was acting like a sexually starved beast kept on kissing him passionately.

    "Joan, get a grip or we are really gonna have our first intimacy right in the car," Kayden said, shaking her gently with the hope of getting her to snap out of it.

    The moment Joanna got her senses back she pulled away from him in a sh.

    She sat with her back facing him. She was so embarrassed that she lost cool of herself.

    [Oh what is wrong with me? I was never this way so what hase over me? Could this be as a result of the mission]

    Joanna was confused as she kept on avoiding him despite that he talked to her twice.

    [I can see she is very embarrassed. I think I need to say something funny to get her to rx around me once again]

    Kayden stared at the back of thedy who has refused to look at him after what urred between them.

    "The early morning kiss wasn''t that bad and I have this feeling that it will taste even better if we go for another round," Kayden said yfully as he drew closer to her.

    "How about we go for another¡­," He was surprised when Joanna suddenly opened the door and jumped out of the car in a sh.

    "Stay away from me. And always make sure to stay two metres away from me whenever you want to talk to me," Joanna said acting all flustered.

    Kayden resisted the urge to burst outughing when he saw how she was acting.

    "Also, don''t you ever kiss me again. I will sew up your mouth if you dared to kiss me again," Joanna said.

    To Kayden''s further surprise she started running away.

    He wound down the ss of the car and stick out his head so that she will hear what he say.

    "About the kiss, it is not left for us to decide," Kayden shouted after her.

    He watched her as she continued running without looking back.

    Kayden returned to his original position after she was gone. "She is one funnydy. She is gonna kill me withughter one of these days," Kayden bursted outughing theughter he had suppressed.

    "I had nned to drive her home and use that opportunity to be with her a while longer but unfortunately she deemed me dangerous so she ran away," Kayden muttered as he ignited the car.

    "I guess it''s time to return to who I really am now," Kayden said. He drove off at top speed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    On her way back home anyone who set eyes on Joanna runs to go and hide.

    Unlike in the past when passers-by always stopped to gossip about her, everyone in the Kingdom was afraid of her.

    Because of them, Joanna had a broad smile until she reached the gate of her home.

    Some distance to reaching the big gate Joanna was stunned when she raised her gaze and saw Anthony standing with Audrey.

    Staring at him she noticed that he has grown a bit taller than when she left him six months ago.

    The moment Anthony turned and saw Joanna, he ran at top speed to go and meet her.

    Even before he reached her, Joanna had already squatted. She lifted him off the ground when he got to her.

    Joanna spun him around repeatedly. There was a broad smile on her face as she officially reunites with her little brother.

    "Yay! Big Sister is back!" Anthony kept on chanting the words refusing to let go of Joanna.

    Their reunionsted for five minutes. Had Audrey not intervened maybe Anthony would have still gone on with it.

    "Tony, you are a big boy now soe down from her body," Audrey said as she tapped Anthony on the back.

    "But¡­,"

    "You are going to get her exhausted this way soe down. Besides you have the entire day to hang out with her right?" Audrey said gently.

    Although he didn''t want toe down from Joanna''s body he had no choice but to do it when he recalled that his sister often got tired in the past.

    "Little rice ball, so what were you doing outside the gate huh? Do your mother and Laura knows that you are here?" Joanna said as she stared down at Anthony.

    "He was waiting at the gate to wee you. I even met him here even though it was still quite early," Audrey said ruffling Anthony''s brown hair.

    "Really huh?" Joanna said jokingly.

    She smiled when she saw the look in his eyes as he shook his head affirmatively.

    "So how long has my little rice ball been waiting for Big Sister toe back hmm?" Joanna asked with arge sense of humour.

    "About two hours I guess¡­,"

    "Whoa... Two hours?" Joanna asked with widened eyes.

    Audrey watched with pleasure as Joanna talked with Anthony.

    Although she has barely spent three hours with Joanna ever since she returned, Audrey could notice that she has changed

    the way she talked changed. She became bolder and her smile looks so genuine and beautiful.

    "Why are you staring at me like that hmm?" Joanna asked when she saw that Audrey was staring at her and seem to be in deep thought.

    "Do you think I have be more pretty from thest time you met me?" Joanna asked yfully.

    "Boring," Audrey said jokingly. Although she wanted to look stern she ended up smiling.

    While Joanna and Audrey were busy talking andughing, inside the Anderson home, everyone was busy searching for their Young Master who had suddenly gone missing.

    "I swear I will skin every single one of you alive if any harm dares toe to my son," Adhara shouted in rage.

 Chapter 87 Joanna At Home

    ?"Let''s go inside or your stepmother who has been desperately searching for Tony might cause a scene on your first day home after such a long time," Audrey said holding onto Joanna''s hand.

    "Does that mean, Little rice ball didn''t tell anyone whileing outside?" Joanna asked pretending to be upset.

    "I knew that they wouldn''t let mee out to wait for you. And that''s why I snuck out without getting seen by anyone," Anthony said without feeling any remorse for what he did.

    Anthony knows that if he had told his sister or motherst night that he was going to wait for Joanna outside the gate, without any doubt they would have locked him up in his room.

    They would have made sure he doesn''t step foot out of his room and this way his ns would have gotten ruined.

    "Don''t worry, Big Sister here will help you to rub ointment if you end up getting spanked," Joanna said teasingly.

    She held Anthony''s hands and together they entered the gate.

    Stepping foot into the gate Adhara was waiting outside like she had known that they were gonna enter the building.

    The angry Adhara hurried to where they stood and violently pulled Anthony away from Joanna.

    "How many times have I told you never to take my son out of the house without my permission, stupid girl?" Adhara shouted furiously.

    "Are all my beating and tortures not enough? Are you craving more beatings? Is that why you dared to disobey me again?" Adhara said as she raised her leg to kick Joanna in the stomach.

    Audrey who had superb reflexes pulled Joanna away before Adhara''s leg could touch Joanna.

    Had Audrey seen the evil glints in Joanna''s eyes when Adhara tried to hit her maybe she wouldn''t have intervened?

    Instead of going down on her knees pleading like she normally did, Joanna looked unaffected.

    "Bacon, stop fooling around ande here to say your greetings to mu stepmother," Joanna said deliberately emphasizing the word STEPMOTHER, a word she never dared to call Adhara in the past.

    The moment the ckbird flew andnded on Joanna''s right shoulder, Adhara who seemed to have forgotten what happened nights ago drew backwards.

    Right there the memories of all the tortuous night reyed in her memory.

    Her legs grew weak and her hands trembled when she recalled the terror she went through.

    "Stepmother, I¡­,"

    "Stop¡­ stop standing there ande in," Adhara said to the astonishment of Audrey and the maids standing outside with her.

    She held her son''s hand and hurried inside without waiting for Joanna to reply.

    "What hade over that stepmother of yours? Did she eat the goodness pill or did she lose her memory overnight?" Audrey asked, not believing that the woman was the same Adhara she knew.

    Even at trivial things, she would cause a scene not to mention that what happened involved her son and yet she didn''t only choose to let it go but invited Joanna in.

    It was just unbelievable.

    [I can see he was right when he said I had tamed them? I wonder for how long my taming pill is gonnast on her]

    Joanna smiled as she stared at the entrance of the house Adhara stepped into not long ago.

    "Maybe not seeing me for a long time has made her realise my worth and that is why her attitude has changed towards me¡­,"

    "Don''t be fooled because people like her never change even in their dying bed. Her type is the kind who does evil to the very end of their lives".

    "I guess you are right about that," Joanna said yfully as she and Audrey approached the entrance of the building together.

    Adhara stunned everyone again when she offered Joanna a sit instead of ordering her to sit on the floor like she normally did.

    "Your father went out in the morning, I don''t know when he is going to return," Adhara said.

    With the way she talked it was very obvious that she was forcing herself to talk nicely.

    An evil woman like Adhara suddenly talking softly made Audrey feel like she was sharing the same table with the Devil.

    While Adhara talked she constantly stole nces at the bird. There was fear in her eyes and Joanna could see this but the wicked girl decided to have a bit of fun.

    "Stepmother, I can see that you have taken quite a liking to Bacon. If you like her then I don''t mind giving it to you¡­

    "No, no, I don''t want that devilish thing¡­," Adhara who jerked up in fright tried topose herself when she realised how she acted.

    "I mean the bird is yours so how could I ever ask you to give it to me," Adhara said trying not to look scared.

    "Stepmother, I am not that selfish to keep the bird when my elder likes it so you can keep it ok," Joanna said as she signalled Bacon to go to Adhara.

    The moment she gave the signal Bacon jumped on Adhara without any warning.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This single action of Bacon sent Adhara shouting in terror and jumping up from the couch.

    As if that wasn''t enough scare Bacon tried to jump on top of Adhara''s head but Adhara ran away.

    As she ran away Bacon pursued Adhara who values her image more than anything and was seen running around the sitting room trying to get rid of the ckbird.

    Joanna the perpetrator sat down on the couch silentlyughing at her stepmother who was acting like a crazy person.

    "Since stepmother is afraid of Bacon then I will reluctantly take her back," Joanna said trying her best not to burst outughing.

    "Bacon, stop fooling around with an elder ande back here," Joanna spoke to the bird. And instantly, Bacon obeyed Joanna''s orders.

    [She knew how to stop the bird but she deliberately humiliated me in front of my workers, how dare she?]

    Adhara red at Joanna, her blood boiling in rage.

    [For this embarrassment I am gonna make sure to make you pay dearly]

    Adhara sped her fists and smiled when Joanna turned to look at her.

    Adhara was about to reach the couch when Laura climbed down the stairs.

    The moment Laura lowered her gaze and saw Joanna and the bird she raced to the top of the stairs.

    "Mum, why did you let that ghost into our house why?" Laura demanded angrily.

    "I want her out of my house right now. I don''t want to ever set my eyes on her," Laura said, her eyes bing misty.

    She turned to re at the guards standing in the room when none obeyed her orders.

    "What are you still waiting for, I said to get her out of here?" Laura ordered fiercely.

    Two of the guards approached where Joanna and Audrey sat after Laura passed the orders.

    Joanna stood up from where she sat when the guards stopped in front of her.

    Joanna turned and red at the girl standing at the top of the stairs.

    "Laura, are you really sure you want to do this?" Joanna said as she folded her hand into a fist.

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????!!!

    First of all, I would like to apologise to regr readers for not updating chapters for the past three days.

    Sorry, I couldn''t meet up with the daily updates for you guys, it''s just that I was trying to set up the privileged chapters that is why.

    As you know it''s a new month and as usual time for new goals.

    GOALS FOR JULY 2022

    GOAL 1: Reach 1,000 (1k) privileged chapter unlock to get five (5) extra chapters the following month.

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    This is to say that if we get 200 power stones this week, in the following week I will give six chapters mass release without the inclusion of the daily two chapters.

    Please let''s try hard toplete the goals. I strongly believe we can do this, don''t you agree with me on this?

 Chapter 88 Adhara Put On A Show

    ?"Get that ghost out of here! I don''t want to set my eyes on her," Laura shouted angrily.

    Before Joanna could get to show them exactly what she was capable of, Anthony, who had been quiet, jumped up and stood in front of Joanna.

    "Big Sister is going nowhere," Anthony yelled. He red and growl at the guys telling them to back off.

    He was so ready to bite off the hand of anyone who dared to touch his sister.

    "You little brat! Watch and see how I teach you a lesson," Laura said as she stomped down the stairs.

    "Stop that Laura. And you are not allowed to call your little brother like that¡­.,"

    "But he is acting like a brat. How dare he betray us for that daughter of a mistress¡­,"

    "That''s enough, Laura," Adhara shouted at Laura to the surprise of Audrey who hasn''t witnessed such a sight before.

    If there is any good quality about Adhara it was the fact that she dotes on her two children.

    She treats them like King and Queen. It''s rare to see her get furious at them especially at Laura since she always listens to whatever her mother says.

    Seeing Adhara shouts at her daughter for the sake of Joanna was a very rare sight.

    "You are not to speak to your little brother like that. Also, your father has already permitted her to live here so she is going nowhere¡­,"

    "But mum," Laura said unhappily.

    "You always treat her as an eyesore in the past so why are you suddenly humouring her?" Laura said furiously.

    "Did you suddenly develop a soft spot for her just because she arose from the dead?" Laura asked.

    She stomped away in anger before she could let her mother exin.

    Adhara turned to face Joanna after Laura has left. "Don''t mind whatever she said. I won''t chase you away just because she dislikes you," Adhara said softly.

    Any other person would have felt happy hearing a person who has treated and spoken to you harshly all your life suddenly treat you nicely but Joanna was different.

    She had goosebumps hearing her talk nicely like a good person.

    Suddenly a popr phrase suitable for this situation popped up in her head.

    [Is this really what people call ''A Calm Before A Storm?'']

    Joanna stare at thedy not understanding what exactly she was trying to get at by being nice to her.

    Did she really scare the heartless woman so much or is she pretending to be afraid of her so that she could use this opportunity to strike her unawares?

    "Although none upied your room after you died¡­. No, I meant after you left," Adhara corrected herself almost instantly.

    "Some unused things were moved into the room but don''t worry I will have the maids clean it up so that you can spend the night here," Adhara said. She stretched and pulled Anthony away from Joanna.

    [Whatever she is nning I will make sure to see it to the end but since she is quite good at acting why don''t I show her my acting skills too]

    Joanna grinned inwardly as she stared at thedy putting on a fake smile.

    "I will have to trouble you and the maids then," Joanna said as she smiled at Audrey.

    Audrey had to nudged her for Joanna to stop smiling.

    "Stepmother, I haven''t seen Drey for a long time. I n to hang out with her today, I hope you are ok with that right?" Joanna asked pretending to be an ideal daughter.

    F*ck the title of an ideal daughter, she doesn''t want it.

    "Suit yourself then," Adhara said to the surprise of the maids who were expecting her to yell and also kick Joanna for daring to want to ck from home chores.

    ''Is the Madam ok'' This was the question on their minds as they watched the charade called a family reunion?<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Big Sister, can Ie¡­," Adhara covered Anthony''s mouth not letting himplete his sentence.

    "Be good and stay at home. Big Sister wille hometer, don''t worry," Joanna waved at Anthony.

    She and Audrey left the house with Bacon flying around them.

    Joanna and Audrey went to a cafe to do some catching up.

    In the cafe whose interior design was a mixture of milky and brown colour, they were only a handful of customers.

    Joanna and Audrey sat close to the ss wall with only a cup of coffee and dessert in front of Joanna.

    "Anna, what was that in there? Are you and Adhara on good terms? Have you forgiven her for all she put you through all these years?" Audrey asked curiously.

    "Forgiven her?" Joanna chuckled as though there was something funny about what she said.

    "Do you think someone like her deserves that?"

    "If you haven''t forgiven her then what was that earlier? You guys were talking like real family¡­,"

    "She was putting on a show so I helped her to perform well, is there a problem with that?" Joanna asked carefreely.

    She took a sip from the coffee only to spit it out. "Gosh, that was too bitter," Joanna said as she returned the cup of coffee to the milky colour centre table.

    Audrey smiled on hearing Joanna''s exnation. "Oh¡­ so you were only acting? That is good to hear".

    For an hour Joanna and Audrey chatted. Because they have missed half a year of each other''s lives they were a lot of catching up to do.

    Audrey did most of the talking since Joanna refused to mention anything about what happened to her during thest six months.

    "So what are your ns now that you have returned?" Audrey asked seriously.

    "I know I shouldn''t have asked you this since you only returnedst night but as you know you have missed a lot in these six months and need to make up for it".

    Audrey took time to exin herself in case Joanna misunderstood her intentions.

    "It''s ok. I am cool with answering your question," Joanna said. She adjusted the way she sat on the brown chair.

    "My ns, for now, are simple. Since my elementary school to university schrship is still valid I want to continue schooling," Joanna said firmly.

    "That is nice," Audrey gave her thumbs up to show that she was in full support of that n.

    "I also want to continue working so I can save money and get out of that hellhole called a home¡­," Joanna trailed as she leaned back on the chair.

    "Since you have always wanted the best for me, I am sure you wouldn''t want me to remain in that home in which I could get poisoned anytime and my body quietly disposed of right?".

    Audrey stretched and held Joanna''s handsying on the table.

    "Actually, you don''t have to work very hard. I have an apartment now so you cane live with me I don''t mind¡­,"

    "My whole life has been depended on you and I don''t want this to continue..,"

    "But Anna, you know that I have neverined of these things¡­,"

    "Are you nning to take care of me all my life?" Joanna asked seriously.

    "Why not?" Audrey said without any hesitation.

    She has always known how deep Audrey''s love for her was but seeing how confident Audrey was while saying this word made Joanna feel a sense of warmth in her heart.

    How could a person''s love be so selfless?

 Chapter 89 Joannas Dream

    ?"I know you are willing to take care of me all my life but that is not what I want, Drey," Joanna replied seriously. She made sure to stare into Audrey''s eyes while saying these.

    "No doubts, you are an amazing friend. But for once I want to fight for what I want. I want to fight for my dreams and what makes me happy," Joanna said emotionally.

    She stared at Audrey waiting to see how she will receive her words.

    At first, Audrey was hurt that Joanna rejected her help but hearing what her best friend said made her very happy.

    "You now have a dream hmm?" Audrey asked as she yfully tapped Joanna''s hands.

    "Hmm..," Joanna shook her head affirmatively.

    In the past, she never dared to dream. To her living to see another day was a very great blessing.

    She lived her entire life in fear of what the next day holds for her. How could someone like her dare to dream?

    "And what is your dream?" Audrey asked smiling. "Tell me and together we are gonna make it a reality".

    "I have suffered all my life so for these remaining years of my life I want to spend it having loads of fun and living a carefree life," Joanna said.

    As simple as her dream may sound they both know that this was a very expensive dream.

    "Although it may take a long time to achieve it this doesn''t mean that achieving your dream is impossible. This Big Sister here is gonna help you to achieve it, believe me," Audrey hits her right chest to show how confident she was.

    "Big Sister? Are you referring to yourself or me?" Joanna asked beaming.

    "Hey little girl, have you forgotten that I am a year older than you¡­,"

    "Not a year older but six months older so stop adding more months to your years ok," Joanna said with a huge sense of humour making Audrey burst outughing.

    Joanna didn''t want to return home early so Audrey who was searching for this type of opportunity spent time with her until it was night.

    When it was time to call it a day, Audrey escorted her back home.

    Joanna was passing by Laura''s room when she heard them talking in low tones.

    ? With her incredible sense of hearing she didn''t need to stress herself to hear what they were saying even though they spoke in low tones.

    She paused walking when she realised that they were talking about her.

    "Mum, why did you let her live with us after what that psycho did to us?" Laurained bitterly.

    "She didn''t only embarrass me in front of so many people but videos of us acting like mad people because of her supposed ghost are everywhere¡­," Laura trailed.

    "How are we gonna live in the Kingdom now that it''s proved that she is not dead? Because of the video, people will see us as lunatics¡­,"

    Adhara raised her hand and grabbed Laura by the shoulders, "How do we have our revenge if we don''t keep her here?" Adhara grinned evilly as she stared into her daughter''s eyes.

    "How do we know our enemy''s strength and the extent of her powers if we don''t keep her here¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What do you mean by that mother?" Laura asked curiously. She sounded less upset after hearing that her mother had a n.

    "Apart from keeping her here to avoid people''s criticism, I allowed her to stay here despite my hatred for that witch because¡­," Adhara pulled closer and whispered the remaining words into her daughter''s ears.

    "What!" Laura shouted in shock. Her lips curled into an evil grin when her mother''s words resounded in her head.

    "That''s why I will advise you to stop worrying. Go about your life like you have always done and leave getting rid of that bastard to me. That is a job I am very good at," Adhara said grinning evilly.

    She pulled away and sat properly on the bed.

    "I have always known that mother loves me the most," Laura said, not able to stop herself from smiling.

    Joanna quickly left the front of the door before the mother and daughter duo who are conspiring against her could sense her presence.

    Reaching her room Joannay on the medium size bed covered with grey quilts.

    Shey with her back against the bed and her head upwards.

    "If this was the old Joanna, I can assure you guys that you could have seeded without having to put on a strong fight but this is me¡­," Joanna trailed as she stared into space.

    "If you think that you can easily get rid of me then you are very wrong? I will not only scare the life out of you but I will make sure you don''t get what you want," Joanna mumbled with sped fists.

    "This is a promise from the girl whom all of you collectively pushed to her death".

    Since she couldn''t fall asleep Joanna brought out the cellphone Kayden had bought for her.

    She was ying with her cell phone when her sharp ears picked up approaching footsteps.

    Judging by how hard the person was trying to conceal the sound of her footsteps, she knew that person was up to no good.

    She quickly hid the cell phone and pretended as though she was asleep.

    As the footsteps get closer Joanna tried to recognise the person through the scent but she couldn''t.

    Her heart started pounding as whoever owned the footsteps got closer to her room door.

    She clenched her fist she had hidden under the quilts when the door creaked open.

    She tried to regte her heartbeat but it was futile.

    Joanna listened as the person closed the door and started walking towards where shey.

    After making sure that she was asleep the person sat down on the bed.

    Joanna''s heart momentarily stopped when the person brought her hand towards her neck.

    [Is she perhaps trying to strangle me in my sleep?]

 Chapter 90 Someone Is Coming

    ?Before the person could fathom what was going on the agile Joanna grabbed the person by the neck and pressed him hard against the bed.

    "How dare you try to strangle¡­," Joanna was speechless when she lowered her gaze and saw that the person she was pinning down was Kayden and not a killer as she thought.

    "Howe it''s you?" Joanna asked, instantly releasing him.

    Kayden sat up on the bed and stared at her face.

    "I have always known that you were one gentle and loving girl so howe your grip is so hard?" Kayden asked.

    He held his neck pretending to be in pain.

    "What did you expect when you sneaked in on me? I thought you were a bad person and that is why I applied a lot of strength¡­,"

    "Are you trying to tell me you had ns of breaking the person''s neck if it had turned to be a bad guy like you had assumed?" Kayden asked yfully.

    He made himself veryfortable on the bed notwithstanding that this was his first time entering Joanna''s room.

    "Why not?" Joanna said nonchntly. "It would have been the person''s luck and not my fault. I mean you don''t expect me to go easy on my enemies or do you?"

    "Of course not. You have the permission of your husband, the most powerful man in the Kingdom to break the necks and bones of anyone who poses a threat to you," Kayden said.

    He beats his right chest yfully.

    "You¡­,"

    He stretched his hand and tapped her on the right shoulder. "You have this influential man as your backer, what is there to be afraid of?"

    Joanna yfully pushed his hand away from her shoulder. "You can say whatever you like I won''t argue with you because I am sure we are gonna wake up the entire neighbourhood if I follow your footsteps¡­,"

    "It''s good to know that you are aware of this," Kayden said smiling as heid down on her bed.

    There was quietness in the room afterwards.

    "So why were you acting sneakily in the room of a single woman huh? What would you have me do if someone were to barge in on us?" Joanna said.

    she was quite taken aback when Kayden sat up without giving her any warnings.

    "It has only been a few hours since we parted ways and it felt like an eternity. It was as if I was gonna lose my mind if I didn''t see you and that is why I am here," Kayden said without an ounce of shame.

    He loved her and this he is very proud of. So why would he feel embarrassed about confessing his feelings for her every single day?

    It''s not like it is a crime to fall in love?

    "You could have taken care of your feelings one way or the other instead of barging into a singledy''s room? Don''t you know how dangerous this is?" Joanna said sounding scared.

    An idea popped into Kayden''s head seeing her act this way.

    "How dangerous can it be?" Kayden asked as he pulled very close to her. He stretched his upper body so that his face was a few inches from hers.

    "Is it like this huh?" Kayden circled her slender waist with his powerful left hand and pulled her waist closer.

    Due to the shock, Joanna suddenly stopped breathing.

    "Or like this?" Kayden said as his face inched closer to hers.

    Normally Joanna would have closed her eyes when he tried to kiss her but when she recalled the incident in the car that morning she quickly pushed his chest away.

    She stopped him from having a taste of her delicious lips that he has subconsciously gotten addicted to.

    "Don¡­. Don''t¡­ Don''te close to me," The flustered Joanna stammered as she shielded her chest with her hands crossed.

    "Didn''t you hear when I said you must keep two metres distance from me?" Joanna asked while avoiding looking at his face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her heartbeat was so loud that it made Kayden listening to it very happy.

    He decided to tease her further.

    "Your heart is pounding so fast thump¡­ thump¡­ ba¡­. boom¡­ ba¡­. bump¡­," Kayden said as he drew closer to her once again.

    "Your heart is very excited about me just like your body keeps failing what your brain wants," Kayden''s smile broaden.

    He lowered his head and brought his mouth to her right ear.

    "This is the sign that you love me too so stop rejecting me ok," Kayden''s smile spread across his face as he quickly licked her lips causing Joanna''s body to immediately stiffened.

    "You¡­," Kayden didn''t give her the chance to push him away but he pulled away after he was done saying what he wanted to.

    Seeing that she was bing a joke because of her body and heart, Joanna decided to change the topic.

    "Don''t you know how dangerous it is for you to be here? Can you imagine the rumours that will spread about us if someone sees both of us here?" Joanna asked.

    "They will think we did that¡­ you know what I mean," Joanna deliberately refused to say the word so that Kayden will not use it against her.

    "Instead of letting them wrong us by specting things why don''t we do those things here so that we will feel less wronged even though they spread the rumour," Kayden said.

    He tried to make hery on the bed but Joanna resisted with all her might.

    Joanna shielded her chest with the quilts after she was able to escape from Kayden.

    "Stay away from me. You are a great danger to my system so keep away ok," Joanna said.

    They were still talking when two of them heard someone approaching her bedroom.

    "Someone ising," Joanna and Kayden said at the same time.

    Kayden turned and gave her a puzzled look.

    "Is your sense of hearing the same as mine?" Kayden asked curiously.

    "That is not what is important right now. The most pressing issue is that you need to leave before the person reaches here," Joanna said as she quickly pushed him out of bed.

    "But why do I need to sneakily leave? Have you forgotten that I am the King¡­,"

    "Yeah I did forget that you are the King because you are the first King I have seen sneaked into a singledy''s room at night," Joanna said as she urged him to go.

    Unlike the nervous Joanna, Kayden for some reason looked very rxed even though the person wasing very close to Joanna''s door.

    [Is it Adhara this time around]

    Joanna''s head was all over the ce trying to find a ce for Kayden to hide.

    ...

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

    Also, don''t forget our goals for the month because these goals will guarantee whether or not you guys will get all the extra chapters as a reward.

    Also for those who don''t have money to buy the highest tier of privileged chapters, you can buy the affordable ones because this is the reason I shared the tiers into five.

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    If you want to stand a chance to win 100 code coins next month, your only ticket to getting the code is by buying privileged chapters, so what are you waiting for?

    I believe we can achieve the goals so you guys need to believe in yourselves too. Fighting!!!

 Chapter 91 Joannas First Day At The University

    ?As the anxious Joanna tried to look for what to do Kayden who has been standing at a spot staring at her pulled closer and pecked her on the cheek.

    "What¡­,"

    "Although it pains me that I have to leave you so early I have to say my good night here," Kayden said beaming at her.

    "Goodnight and make sure to dream about me," Kayden walked to her window as he talked. He turned and gave a long gaze at her face before he jumped out through the window.

    "What¡­," Joanna ran to peep out of the window after he had jumped.

    "He will be the death of me one day," Joanna mumbled as she continued staring at the guy who was sending her blowing kisses.

    Noticing that the footstep was very close by, Joanna closed the window and appeared on her bed.

    It was just when she had pulled the quilts over her body and shut her eyes that the door flew open.

    "Sleep as much as you can because very soon you will find yourself in theherworld after falling into an evesting slumber," Adhara, the one who had entered the room said.

    Joanna opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling after Adhara left.

    It wasn''t long after Adhara left that Joanna heard footsteps in front of her door. For the third time that night, she pretended to be asleep.

    Even with her eyes closed, she was able to perceive the person''s scent.

    "Why are you acting sneakily instead of sleeping?" Joanna''s voice made the intruder jump up in fear.

    Joanna sat up on the bed and stared at the small boy who was in his pyjamas.

    "Gosh, you scare me!" Anthony said holding his throbbing chest.

    "You wouldn''t have gotten scared if you were not acting like a thief sote at night," Joanna said yfully.

    "It''s quitete so why haven''t you slept yet? Do you perhaps need something?"

    Instead of answering her immediately, Anthony sat on Joanna''s bed.

    "Big Sister, have you forgotten that I find it hard to sleep without you by my side?" Anthony asked while looking at Joanna''s face.

    "Ever since you left, I haven''t slept properly. I always have nightmares¡­,"

    "And did you tell your mother or Laura about it?" Joanna asked seriously.

    "No because I will only get yelled out if I did that," Anthony said sadly.

    Although Laura was his biological sister they don''t get along well. Because he always sides with Joanna he got on not only her bad side but also his mother.

    And this always resulted in him being yelled at.

    Out of everyone at home, Joanna was his clothes person and then followed by his mother.

    He might be a little boy but he was smart enough to know that his mother and everyone else hate Joanna.

    "You know Big Sister here doesn''t have a problem sleeping with you every night but Little rice ball, you need to start sleeping alone. And not merely sleeping alone but you need to get used to it¡­,"

    "But why is that? Will you stop sleeping with me and telling me bedtime stories?" Anthony asked unhappily.

    "Because I will not always be around all the time¡­,"

    "Are you leaving me again?" Anthony asked looking very sad.

    "Of course, I am not going to leave but Big Sister has to get married someday right or do you want me to remain single forever?" Joanna asked yfully as she pulled the boy into an embrace.

    "No, I want sister to get married and have plenty of kids," Anthony''s face lit up immediately.

    "Brother Kayden treats Big Sister very well. He says he wants to marry you and I approve but you can''t tell him this ok?" Anthony said innocently.

    "I didn''t say I want to marry him so why is that he already has your approval huh?" Joanna said as she yfully tapped Anthony on the nose.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Brother Kayden is a good guy and I like him a lot¡­,"

    "Didn''t you act as if you dislike him in the past so why are you singing of his praises today? Did he perhaps bribe you hmm?" Joanna asked pretending to be angry.

    "I liked him in the past but I didn''t say it because I didn''t want him to take you away from me¡­,"

    "So what made you so benevolent now, my little prince?" Joanna asked as she stared at his innocent face.

    "He snuck out of the pce to be with me when you were not around. He even brought me to the cliff to talk to you. That''s why I like him more now," Anthony said softly.

    There was quietness after Anthony finished talking. There was a shift in Joanna''s emotions following Anthony''sst words.

    "Big Sister, why are you crying? Did Tony say something wrong?" Anthony said sadly.

    "What are you saying I am not crying¡­," Joanna paused talking when she touched her cheek and realised that there were indeed tears there.

    [What is wrong with me? It''s hard for me to get emotional to this extent so why did I cry without even realising it]

    Joanna wiped her tears and turned to look at Anthony.

    "Are you crying because¡­,"

    "You can sleep with me if you are scared of sleeping alone. I will make sure to take you to your room before your motheres to your room in the morning," Joanna quickly changed the topic.

    "But you were crying¡­,"

    "Go to bed now so that you will wake up on time for school," Joanna said seriously.

    Anthonyy on the bed and rolled to the inner part of the bed to leave space for Joanna.

    The two siblings fell asleep cuddling each other tightly that night.

    After that night Joanna spent so many days trying to get her university issue sorted out.

    It took her two weeks to get everything finalized for her to start university.

    Today being her first day to officially start university, Joanna and Audrey chatted happily as they walk to school.

    Unlike how her mood normally turned sour when almost getting to the school gate she didn''t feel this way.

    Apart from today, she can''t remember going to school happy. She is always sneaking around to avoid being picked on but today she was very confident.

    The school gate was just ahead of them when suddenly a caring at top speed without blowing its horn almost ran into her.

    ? Had she not jumped to the side she would have been run over by the red sports car.

    "I know you girls were never seeing clearly in the past but have you all suddenly gone blind?" Audrey asked furiously ring at the girls who wereughing.

    "You and your stupid friend are the ones who are blind and everyone can testify to that," Nora said sticking out her tongue at the end of her sentence.

    "And you should be happy that she ran away or else it would have been her dead body you would have carried¡­,"

    "I dare you to repeat that and I will¡­,"

    Joanna grabbed Audrey''s right hand not letting her attack Sophie like she wanted to.

    "Drey, save your breath because these mindless fools are not worth it," Joanna said to the shock of everyone around.

    "Did you just say something?" Tiffany asked not believing that it was Joanna who just insulted them.

    Ever since they knew Joanna she had never raised a voice at them not to mention insulting them, so how did such a girl insult them in public.

    "They have no better things other than bullying the weak. They are nothing but thugs in designers," Joanna said fearlessly.

    Audrey''s mouth dropped open in shock. She could not believe that the girl she had known for the best part of her life was the one who just insulted the mean witches she had always avoided in the past.

 Chapter 92 Joanna Ran Into The Mean Witches

    ?"That was savage, girl?" Audreyughed hysterically when she saw the girl''s furious expression.

    She went as far as giving Joanna thumbs up just to see the girls mad in rage.

    "Girl, where did you hide this side of you huh¡­,"

    "It has always been a part of me. I guess it was just waiting to be awakened," Joanna said grinning wickedly.

    She acted as if she didn''t see the girl''s murderous res directed at her.

    "Anyone can talk because it is everyone that was given a mouth but I wonder whether you are as powerful as the weight of your word," Sophie said as she opened the door of the car and tried toe out.

    "I guess she thinks she is something just because everyone is afraid of her. Why don''t we remind her where she belongs?" Nora said as she jumped out of the car in which the top was opened.

    Seeing that Nora and Sophie approached them, Audrey handed her chained handbag to Joanna and tried to push her to stand behind her.

    "The two girls are no match for me so stand behind me so you don''t get hurt," Audrey said afraid that Joanna will get targeted by the girls.

    "Living with various types of Demons and wild animals for six months, I have learned a handful of moves so don''t you to worry about me," Joanna said as she tightened her fist and lift it to her chest.

    She stood with her legs parted ready for a fight.

    Other students passing by stopped to watch what was going on.

    Hahaha***

    Nora and Sophie burst outughing as though they suddenly inhaledughing gas.

    "What can your few moves do to us huh?" Nora asked mockingly.

    "Yeah, don''t you know that you have to be something like this before your little moves can count," Sophie said as her eyes instantly turned red and her nails shoot out.

    "If you are not this or a werewolf your punch will be like an air sack filled with air, don''t you know this much after getting beaten up blue-ck for so many years¡­,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense and bring it on," Joanna said rudely. Her newfound confidence made Audrey very happy.

    "Let''s see whether or not my punch can hurt after you have had a taste of it".

    "Stop wasting your breath on those lunatics and teach them a lesson," Doris gave the orders.

    Nora and Sophie proceeded to teach Joanna and Audrey a lesson like they had wanted to.

    Sophie was about to grab Joanna by the neck when the loud horn of a car distracted them.

    On turning around to see the car that distracted them Sophie hissed in annoyance.

    She turned to continue with what they were about to do and the car horn came again.

    This time the car didn''t horn once but it kept on horning.

    "Who the hell is the owner of that stupid car? Do you want to ruin our eardrums because of that cheap thing you call¡­," Doris now standing outside the car stopped talking when she got a glimpse of the face of the owner of the car?

    "Chan¡­ Chancellor!" Doris remarked instantlyposing herself.

    She wished that the man didn''t hear what she said earlier.

    "Is a show going on here?" The fat man asked. His eyes darted from one person to the other as he waited for one of them to speak.

    "I don''t recall hearing that a famous girl Group was going toe to our university today so tell me what is happening here?"

    Other students started dispersing on hearing the man''s question.

    "Why are you girls all quiet huh? Wasn''t the reason why everyone gathered because you are celebrities who go around creating free shows for others to watch?" The man asked as he red at the quiet girls.

    "It has been a long time we saw her so we were only exchanging freely pleasantries and nothing else," Nora said smiling with her front teeth.

    To convince the man that she was telling the truth she tried to touch Joanna but Joanna beats her hand away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We are not friends and we will never be so stop putting on an act because it doesn''t suit you," Joanna said coldly.

    She turned to face the fat man in a grey suit.

    "We will take our leave now, Sir," Joanna said. She grabbed Audrey''s hands and together they left Tiffany and her friends faced the man alone.

    Mr Aidan is known for always making a mountain out of nothing and that is why the students tried their best not to get on the man''s bad side.

    "We will take our leave¡­,"

    "I never said you girls can leave," Mr Aidan said before Nora could walk away.

    Since the man didn''t permit them to leave Tiffany and her friends had to listen to him talk despite how much they loathed the sound of his voice.

    "When did that fat fool get a new car?" Tiffany asked angrily after the man has drove away.

    "And why is it that none mentioned this to me. We would have avoided what happened if I was informed¡­,"

    "Who knew where he got his hand on a new car overnight," Sophie who was just as angry as the other girls said as she climbed into the car.

    "He should count himself lucky that he is friends with your father, Tiffany or else I would have long snapped the neck of that annoying man," Nora said with sped fists.

    She hit her fist against the door of the car.

    "I know you are angry and so I am but I will advise that you don''t take out your anger on my car. I bought the car just yesterday and I wouldn''t want the car ruined," Tiffany said.

    She takes a look at the spot Nora punched. She was happy when she didn''t see a crack in the car.

    Tiffany drove into the huge gate afterwards.

    Today being Joanna''s first day on campus, Audrey took her around campus to get her familiar with theyout of the ce.

    On her first day, Joanna got to attend two lectures and surprisingly these two lectures happened to be her favourites.

    When it was lunch, just like the other students'' Joanna and Audrey went to the cafeteria for their meal.

    In the hall filled with tables and chairs, students could be seen sitting in groups talking and ying.

    For all those who are vampires, blood customized with a tomato paste sachet could be seenid in front of them.

    While for the humans and werewolves tray of food could be seen in front of them.

    After collecting her food Joanna and Audrey choose a table and sat down.

    As they were happily chatting, a group of four girls sitting far away were seen constantly ring in their direction.

    After she was done eating Joanna stood up with the tray in her hand.

    "Let me help you drop it," Audrey said trying to collect the tray from Joanna.

    "Don''t worry, I will do it. Just sit and wait for me¡­,"

    "I know you can but I am afraid that those evil girls will pick on you. And apart from them, the other students keep on throwing you murderous nces¡­,"

    "Stop worrying because I am not that weak timid girl in the past. I have got this," Joanna said. She tapped Audrey''s hands gently before she walked away.

    Joanna walked passed so many students and tables.

    When she got closer to where the mean witches'' table was all the students focused their attention on her waiting to see what showy in stock for them.

    Joanna was about to walk passed when suddenly Sophie stuck out her right leg.

    Arghh***

    Screams of anguish filled the entire cafeteria.

 Chapter 93 Oops

    ?The moment Audrey heard the scream she sprang up from where she sat and ran in the direction the shout came from.

    Before she got there people who were waiting for a good show had already gathered.

    "Oops¡­.," Joanna eximed covering her mouth with her right hand.

    "I heard a crack? Was it perhaps a dislocation or fracture?" Joanna said smiling.

    There was no guilt on her face as she speaks. The look on her face shows she was enjoying seeing Sophie in pain.

    How could she not be happy when she would have been the one crying and even being mocked by the students who were waiting for her to make a joke of herself.

    "How dare youugh after you did this to her?" Doris thundered.

    She walked closer and raised her hand to punch Joanna in the face.

    Thank goodness her punch was blocked in time by Audrey who just arrived or else Joanna would either dislocate her jaw or nose.

    "I would advise that you watch where you swing your hand to because as you might have known, I won''t hesitate to break your hand too," Audrey flung the girl''s hand away.

    Arghh***

    Sophie screamed in pain when Tiffany tried to find out what was wrong with her leg.

    "Are you ok?" Nora asked despite seeing that Sophie was in immense pain.

    "You should be grateful that you aren''t a human or else clutches would have been your best friend for at least a month," Joanna said causing a chuckle to escape from the other students'' mouths.

    The angry Tiffany and her friends turned and red at the directions the chuckles came from.

    "Yeah, I would have loved to see the sight of her in clutches and I am sure we would have been able to behold this rare sight if you had pressed her a little harder. I wonder why you didn''t step on her legs a bit harder¡­,"

    "You¡­," Nora pointed her index finger at Audrey but it was no use because the two friends walked away almost immediately.

    [Just watch and see how I will get back at you for this humiliation I have suffered today]

    Sophie sped her fist as she red at Joanna''s departing back.

    "Even though I cut her into tiny pieces I am sure it wouldn''t be enough to relieve my anger," Doris said angrily.

    She frowned when she saw that the others were still there watching them.

    "What are you looking at huh? Is it fun?" Doris shouted as she showed them her fist.

    "Do you want to have a taste of getting your bones fractured? I don''t mind granting your wish," Doris threw them murderous nces.

    Since they were known for being very mean none of the students wanted to be cklisted by them so they quickly dispersed.

    "Sop, how about we take you back home¡­,"

    "That is not an option, you know that very well," Sophie said amidst the pain. She adjusted well on the chair.

    "If I go home what would I tell them happened to me huh? Should I tell them that my leg got fractured by a nobody girl like her?"

    "But¡­,"

    "Instead of getting yelled at I would rather choose to stay on campus and endure the pains until the wound heals up," Sophie concluded firmly.

    "Are you sure this is what you want?" Nora asked worriedly.

    Meanwhile, as Tiffany and her friends nursed Sophie''s injury, outside the cafeteria Audrey started hailing Joanna.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Whoa¡­girl what was that in there huh?" Audrey asked frowning.

    She got Joanna worried with her expression. "What happened? Didn''t you like it?" Joanna asked.

    "Of course not but I love it. That was epic," Audrey said, the smile spread across her pretty face as she gave Joanna a thumbs up.

    "I almost gave you a kiss in there but I held myself back so why don''t I do it now¡­,"

    Joanna quickly pushed Audrey away when she tried to kiss her.

    "Hey that is gross," Joanna said before she burst outughing.

    The two friendsughed hard. They were not able to control theirughter thereby making passerby students mistake them for psycho.

    "Anna, tell me that I am gonna see this side of yours often. Also, promise me that you won''t go back to being that weak girl in the past¡­," Audrey said after theughter had died off.

    "Even though you are not as strong as us, promise me that you will asionally stand up for yourself just like you did in there¡­,"

    "Don''t worry, Girl," Joanna tapped Audrey on the shoulder yfully.

    "This fearless baby girl is here to stay. She isn''t going anywhere," Joanna said confidently.

    "Though I love this newfound side of yours very much I will still advise that you always stay by my side at all times. I am afraid they wouldn''t spare your life if they decide to strike," Audrey still recalled to inform Joanna to take precautions despite the excitement.

    Joanna jumped and ced her right hand around Audrey''s neck. "Yes, Mother, I will take precautions so don''t worry," Joanna said yfully.

    Audrey stared at her with a puzzled look. "Mother? Why?" Audrey asked inquisitively.

    "Because you sounded so much like a mother. Always nagging me," Joanna said jokingly.

    "If that''s what you think then I don''t mind bing your mum from now on¡­,"

    "Hey cut out with it already because it doesn''t suit you," The beaming Joanna jokingly pushed Audrey away when she tried to pat her hair like mothers normally do.

    Since Joanna and Audrey had sses almost at the same time, they had to separate even though they didn''t want to.

    After sses ended Joanna was waiting for Audrey at the spot Audrey texted her to wait when the mean witches nned to go home.

    Seeing that she was standing alone, the mean girls devised a n to get rid of her once and for all.

    "Girls are you sure of this. Don''t forget that we are in the open here, many eyes are watching¡­,"

    "So what if so many people are watching, what are you afraid of?" Doris interrupted Nora sharply.

    "Tiff''s Grandpa is the prime minister and her father the wealthiest man, who would dare to go against those two prominent people for a lowly girl like her?" Doris said with pride.

    "Crush her, Tiff. I want her dead this time around since there is no one to save her," Sophie said in anger.

    "So, here we go. Today we are goanna forever say goodbye to our enemy," Tiffany said as she ced her leg on the elerator.

    Despite seeing the car drive at top speed in the direction of the girl wearing earpieces, none of the students standing close by cared to warn her of the danger.

    Seeing the ugly thing that wanted to happen some ran away for fear of being called as witnesses after the incident urred.

    Joanna was listening to music where she stood oblivious of what was happening.

    "Go to hell b*tch," Tiffany screamed as she stepped on the elerator causing the speed limit to increase more.

 Chapter 94 Audrey And Chris Clashed

    ?Even when the car got very close to where she stood, Joanna was still unaware of what was happening.

    The car racing at top speed was about to hit her when a guy running at the speed of lightning grabbed Joanna''s hand and together they disappeared from the front of the car.

    Everything happened so fast that the girls didn''t see that their n failed.

    "Come let''s confirm whether she is dead," Sophie said as she opened the door and stepped out of the car.

    The first ce she looked at was the floor. She searched for signs of blood that indicates the ident that happened but to her greatest surprise there was no blood.

    Sophie raised her gaze to stare at her friends now standing outside the car.

    "Is it that I am not seeing clearly or is it really true that there are no blood stains on the ground?" Sophie said.

    "Wasn''t she standing right here so where the hell had she disappeared to?" Tiffany asked.

    She bent and looked under the car but still no dead body was under the car nor was there any blood stain.

    To them, everything felt like a very big joke.

    When they got far away from where the incident took ce, the one who saved Joanna released her hands.

    "Why is it you, Chris?" Joanna asked, not able to hide her astonishment.

    She stared at the guy wearing a ck outfit for answers.

    Chris didn''t get the chance to answer Joanna''s question when someone bumped into him and pushed him away to take over his ce.

    "Anna, are you ok? Did you get hurt anywhere?" Audrey spun Joanna around as she examined her body.

    "I am fine¡­ but why do you look so anxious?" Joanna asked not understanding why Audrey was acting the way she did.

    Audrey let go of Joanna after confirming that she was not hurt.

    "I was rushing toe to meet you when I overheard the students talking about how the mean witches were nning to run you over with a car," Audrey ryed seriously.

    "I was so scared that it would be toote before I reached you but I am happy to see you unscathed".

    "Was that what they were nning to do?" Joanna asked carefreely.

    "Do you mean to tell me that you didn''t know about their ns?" Audrey asked suspiciously.

    "If you were not aware of their ns, howe you are fine?"

    Joanna turned to face the guy whom both she and Audrey had ignored.

    "That was the same thing I was about to ask Chris before you arrived. I guess that must have been the reason why he suddenly grabbed my hands and brought me here," Joanna was quick to analyze what happened.

    Audrey, who didn''t see Chris earlier, frowned on getting a glimpse of his face.

    "Chris, why are you on campus instead of at the pce?" Joanna asked, giving Chris suspicious nces.

    She took a look at him again. It was then she realised that he wasn''t wearing his official clothes.

    "And how exactly did you know that I was going to get attacked toe to my rescue at the nick of time?"

    "Who knows what he and his stupid King are nning," Audrey sneered.

    "Did you just call our King stupid?" Joanna asked looking around to make sure that none was eavesdropping on their conversation.

    "What would you do if others hear you say that¡­,"

    "As if I care," Audrey said nonchntly. She turned her back on Chris.

    "His Majesty is not stupid, point of correct Miss Audrey," Chris said sternly.

    "Second he is not nning anything bad about Miss Joanna¡­,"

    "As if I will believe that bullshit," Audrey said hatefully. Her harsh words and attitude didn''t go down well with Chris.

    "And it doesn''t matter whether or not you believe what I said. What''s important is that Miss Joanna believes me," Chris said fiercely.

    "Chris, don''t take what she says to heart. She has always had a bad temper¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You think I am acting this way because of my bad temper?" Audrey asked, turning to face Joanna.

    "You think I am an insane person who goes around picking on innocent people¡­,"

    "You know that is not what I mean so why are you acting this way?" Joanna was surprised to see Audrey react this way to the words that were supposed to be a joke.

    "I have always been very good to him in the past. Do you think I would have gotten this furious if not because of what this heartless jerk and Kayden did on the night you disappeared?"

    "He¡­,"

    "Ever since you came back His Majesty is always scared that you might get into trouble and that is why he specifically assigned each of his guards to protect you daily," Chris deliberately cut in not wanting Audrey to disclose what happened that night to Joanna.

    "He ordered us never to mention this to you but I have no choice but to tell you all this because I am scared that someone might misguide you into thinking that the King is a bad person¡­,"

    "Did you just say I would misguide her huh?" Audrey asked, ring at Chris.

    She walked forward and closed the gap between them.

    "Say that just one more time and I will¡­,"

    "Drey, let''s not make a scene ok, people are staring?" Joanna grabbed Audrey''s hand and pulled her away from Chris.

    "We were about to go hang out together so let''s go ok?" Joanna said seeing how Audrey had refused to budge.

    "I don''t know whatever the two of you are nning concerning Anna but let me tell you, with me around I will never let you both seed," Audrey said coldly, her murderous res directed at Chris.

    "Neither will I let you seed either," Chris said, not backing down.

    Audrey breaks free from Joanna''s grip the instant she hears Chris''s provocative words.

    She stood in front of him looking at him from eyeballs to eyeballs.

    Seeing them exchange murderous res made Joanna wonder what has suddenlye over her best friend.

    "Say that word again," Audrey ordered in a cold tone.

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

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 Chapter 95 Joanna Went In Search Of A Job

    ?"Girl, anyone who sees you looking at him this way will assume he cheated on you with another woman so let''s go before you cause further misunderstanding," Joanna pulled Audrey away from Chris for the third time.

    "Cheat on me?" Audrey snorted.

    "He stands no chance in being my boyfriend, not to mention cheating on me".

    "You both have so many things inmon," Joanna said yfully. She still went ahead and continued with her sentence despite the disapproving stares Audrey gave her.

    "You are both great friends who are willing to go to any length for their friends. Both of you quick to get angry...,"

    "As if you are better than me in that aspect," Audrey said.

    "Everyone knows I am more cool-headed than you so I don''t have to argue with you on that, right?".

    Joanna brought her attention back to the guy standing there quietly watching them talk.

    "As I was saying. Despite your bad temper, you both have angelic hearts. With so many simrities I won''t be surprised if you both fall in love...,"

    "That is impossible. Why on earth will I fall in love with this heartless jerk. Instead of falling in love with him, he might end up getting killed by me if he is not careful around you," Audrey said coldly as she showed Chris her tightened fist.

    "There is nothing like an impossibility in this life. I havee to realise this aftering back from that dreaded ce people think no one coulde out there alive...," Joanna said seriously.

    Hearing her talk about the topic none of them wanted to recall made Chris and Audrey kept quiet.

    What could they possibly say to Joanna to make her feel better?

    They had no idea of the ordeal she went through in that horrible ce for an entire six months so how could they possiblyfort her?

    "That is why don''t say you both can''t be in a rtionship because anything can happen¡­,"

    "That won''t happen?" Audrey replied with so much certainty.

    "And how are you so sure about that?" Chris said to the astonishment of Joanna.

    She stared at Chris wondering why he would make such a statement.

    "I just know it¡­,"

    "I heard there is a thin line between hate and love. Who knows this might be your case¡­,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense and let''s go teach those witches a big lesson for what they did," This time around Audrey was the one to drag Joanna along with her.

    "Don''t worry, this time around I am gonna kill at least one of them".

    Joanna halted hearing Audrey''s ns. "I am fine so there is no need to go to the extreme. Besides, your hands are too precious to get dirtied with their filthy blood?"

    "But¡­,"

    "Leave teaching them a lesson to Bacon because that is what he is excellent at," Joanna said grinning wickedly.

    In her quest for revenge, Bacon has never failed her. He obeys every one of her orders.

    Although Bacon is just a bird she likes it so much that she feels ufortable when it is not around.

    When she was at that dark hellish ce he was her solepanion so how could she have not developed a strong bond with the bird?

    "Let''s go meet Mrs Parker and see whether she will be merciful enough to let me work in her cafe just like she did back then," Joanna said as they took the direction leading out of campus.

    As thedies walked in front, Chris walked at the back. He didn''t have to hide anymore and protect her since they were already aware of his mission.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When they reached the ss building and Chris tried to follow them in, Audrey blocked his path.

    "Don''t you dare try to follow us in or else I am gonna make a scene? Let''s see whether you will still be able to follow us again when everyone knows that you are the King''s right-hand man," Audrey threatened fiercely with her hands spread to stop Chris from going in.

    "You¡­," Chris pointed his index finger at the mean girl not knowing the perfect words to scold her with.

    "If you think it''s mere threats then try me and see," Audrey said coldly. She turned and walked into the cafe.

    She tried to catch up to Joanna now standing inside the cafe.

    "She is so beautiful yet so mean? I wonder why her temper is not even the tiniest bit as that of Miss Joanna?" Chris muttered.

    He moved away from the front of the cafe and stood at a spot where he would get a full view of the entire cafe.

    Leah, Joanna''s former colleague went and called Mrs Parker, their boss when she saw Joanna.

    Just like every other person in themunity, there was fear in her eyes whenever she looked at Joanna.

    While Mrs Parker and Joanna talked Audrey sat two tables away from them.

    As she sat there she made sure to keep an eye on Joanna to prevent any harm froming to her.

    "Mrs Parker, although I really need this job I would understand you perfectly if you don''t give me the job," Joanna concluded firmly.

    Although she said she would be fine if Mrs Parker refused to ept her back as her employee the truth was that she wasn''t fine.

    In the past, Mrs Parker was the only one in the Kingdom willing to give her a job.

    If Mrs Parker rejects her services now then she was certain her dream of getting a job will not be realised any time soon.

    Joanna anxiously waited for the woman to talk but she didn''t utter a word even after three minutes passed.

    "Mrs Parker is your silence indicating that you don''t want to¡­," Joanna paused when she realised that Mrs Parker''s attention was somewhere else.

    Curious to know what or who was capable of attracting the woman''s attention Joanna followed her line of sight.

    "What is wrong Mrs Parker?" Joanna''s gentle touch on the woman''s hand made her snap out of it.

    Mrs Parker brought back her attention to Joanna.

    ? "So what were you saying again?" Mrs Parker tried topose herself but she failed to do that properly.

    "Is he someone you know?" Joanna asked while staring at Chris.

    ...

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

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 Chapter 96 Mrs Parker

    ?"No¡­ No¡­ I don''t know him," Mrs Parker replied. She looked very flustered following Joanna''s question.

    The way she refused to look at Joanna''s face made Joanna suspicious.

    [What could she possibly be hiding?]

    Joanna shifted her gaze to Chris standing outside.

    Judging from the way he stood she couldn''t tell whether or not he was pretending not to be looking in their direction.

    "So when are you willing to start working?" Mrs Parker quickly changed the topic.

    The way she changed the topic so hastily showed there was something she was hiding.

    "When am I willing to start work?" Joanna repeated in astonishment. Her heart began beating hard against her chest.

    "Are you trying to tell me that I am hired?" Joanna asked dumbfounded at the turnout of the event.

    Mrs Parker frowned, "Are you not willingly?" Mrs Parker asked.

    Joanna startled her when she suddenly jumped to her feet.

    "Of course, I am very willing," Joanna couldn''t stop smiling as she stood there staring at the woman in the brown dress.

    Although Mrs Parker has confirmed it everything felt surreal.

    A moment ago she had made up her mind to go as far as begging Mrs Parker if she refused to reemploy her.

    The fact that she didn''t have to talk much or plead with the prettydy wearing a brown dress made Joanna ted and shocked at the same time.

    "Your partner has beenining of workloads I would really love it if you can start as soon as possible to relieve her of some of the workloads," Mrs Parker said.

    The ted Joanna sat down realising that customers were staring at her.

    Joanna tried topose herself first before she started speaking. "I have a few things to sort out first so I will only be able to resume work in two days¡­,"

    "That is fine then," Mrs Parker readily agreed and this made Joanna kinda suspicious.

    Although she was happy that she got her work back she couldn''t resist doubting Mrs Parker.

    Back then when she was searching for a job, she and Audrey went to so many ces and applied for different jobs.

    But she was rejected without any second thoughts. Some went as far as pushing them out of their workce.

    Out of all the ces she has been to only Mrs Parker was willing to ept her. In fact, she epted her without asking too many questions.

    At that time the naive her didn''t see anything wrong. Just like now, she was ted that at least someone was willing to employ her but she is not that naive girl anymore.

    "Since you are of legal age to work now I am happy to announce to you that there will be an increment in your sry," Mrs Parker said smiling.

    She expected Joanna to jump up in joy but she was surprised to see her staring at her strangely instead.

    "What is wrong? Are you not happy with the conditions or do you have a problem with the sry?" Mrs Parker asked out of concern.

    "Mrs Parker, can I ask you something?" Joanna asked seriously.

    Mrs Parker signalled her to go ahead with her question.

    "Why are you so nice to me?" Joanna asked firmly.

    She focused all he attention on Mrs Parker. She didn''t only want to hear her answer but also wanted to see all the expressions and movements she makes.

    It is easy to lie to a person with the mouth but very hard not to let out some hints with facial expressions and body movements.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You didn''t look terrified like the others when you saw me. Neither did you ask me too many questions, it was as if you had already prepared your mind for this moment, why?"

    Mrs Parker chuckled. She didn''t look flustered despite the difficult question Joanna threw at her.

    "Why would I look horrified like the others when the news clearly stated that you proved that you were not a ghost?", Mrs Parker countered her question with another question.

    Joanna watched as Mrs Parker crossed her legs.

    "Also, I am not the type of boss who pries into her employees'' privacy so what is so surprising about that?" Mrs Parker asked.

    Her reply wasn''t satisfactory to Joanna and her expression showed it.

    "If that is only the case then why is it that you said I should start working without giving me the contract to sign?" Joanna asked yet again.

    Audrey that was listening to their conversation as though she wasn''t was awestruck to see Joanna interrogate her boss the way she did.

    "You have never let anyone work for you without signing the contract¡­,"

    "And who says you weren''t gonna sign the contract?" Mrs Parker said, standing up to her feet.

    "But¡­,"

    "Since you are so eager to fill the employee contract form then you will get to do that when you resume work but not right now¡­," Mrs Parker trailed.

    The noise belonging from the group of people that just entered the cafe caught her attention.

    "As you can see we are very busy. I will no longer keep youpany," Mrs Parker said.

    She walked away before Joanna could get another opportunity to question her.

    Joanna watched as Mrs Parker weed the newly arrived customers instead of letting Leah do her job.

    [Although she looks so gentle and sweet why am not still convinced by her reply? I still feel like there is more to why she had been unbelievably nice to me]

    Joanna jolted back to reality when Audrey now standing beside her tapped her.

    "Aren''t you gonna let us leave or have you changed your mind and decided to start working today so you can keep your eye on her?" Audrey asked seeing how Joanna was secretly watching Mrs Park.

    "Although the snake Adhara hasn''t fully shown her true colours she is slowly going back to how she was so I can''t start work today even though I wanted to¡­,"

    "How about staying in my apartment. It will just be the two of us¡­,"

    "Sorry but my answer is still no," Joanna said yfully. She picked up her handbag lying on the table.

    She started walking away. And Audrey didn''t fail to follow her.

    When they got outside and Chris wasn''t standing where they left him, Audrey was very happy and her expression showed it.

    "So what was that in there? Why were you questioning your boss like she was so criminal guilty of some crime?" Audrey asked curiously as they kept on walking.

    "Although I can''t say for sure whether she is a criminal, the truth is that she is guilty of something¡­,"

    "And what is that?" Audrey asked. "Didn''t she answer your questions so why are you still suspicious of her?"

    Joanna abruptly stopped walking. "And that''s exactly the problem," Joanna said seriously.

    Audrey stopped walking and looked at Joanna. "See you are not the one I asked those questions and you are upset on her behalf but didn''t you see howposed she was in there?" Joanna asked.

    "Anyone would have gotten angry after hearing my questions but the problem is that she didn''t look or sound the slightest bit upset, don''t you find this suspicious too?" Joanna asked.

 Chapter 97 Joanna And Lauras Challenge

    ?"And why is that a problem, Anna?" Audrey asked not getting Joanna''s point.

    "You don''t get it¡­,"

    "Of course I do and I think you are the one acting paranoid. Mrs Parker didn''t get angry because she doesn''t have anything to hide. Also, not everyone gets angry at every little thing," Audrey trailed to make sure that Joanna was following the point she was trying to make.

    "Only those who have a skeleton under their cupboard will overreact and she didn''t get mad because she is hiding no secret. Why didn''t you think this far hmm?" Audrey asked.

    Even though she has said so much Audrey could see that Joanna still wasn''t convinced.

    Joanna resumed walking, "I know you think I am being paranoid but I am a hundred per cent sure about what I am saying. My instinct cannot be wrong," Joanna was very confident as she talked.

    "You will see¡­,"

    "Anna, you promised you were gonna hang out with me at my apartment¡­,"

    "Sorry, but I will have to take a rain check on that. I received a text from Laura not long ago, she said Adhara wants me home with immediate effect¡­,"

    "Why are those two alwaysing in between us?" Audrey asked angrily.

    "Be it now or the past they always shortened our time of being together. Why does it feel like nothing has changed¡­,"

    "Of course so many things have changed. Your darling Anna has be more daring and cute, have you forgotten that?" Joanna said yfully just to bring a smile to Audrey''s face.

    Audrey chuckled, "Boring," She said and started walking away.

    Audrey apanied Joanna to the gate of her home. She turned back after watching Joanna walk through the gate.

    When Joanna reached the sitting room, she met Laura sitting on the couch watching television with her legs crossed.

    "Hey, what took you so long huh?" Laura demanded like she was Joanna''s madam or master.

    "Did you expect me to fly here?" Joanna answered back with the same tone Laura used on her.

    Laura stood up from where she sat. "Did you just talk back at me?" She approached where Joanna stood.

    "What does Stepmother need me for? You said it was important," Joanna said ignoring Laura''s question.

    "Hey, why is it that ever since your return you treat me like a passing breeze? Have you forgotten what I always do to you...,"

    Joanna halted, turned and stare at the fuming girl. "Have you also forgotten so soon that I am not the same Joanna back then?"

    "All of you joined hands and killed her so why are you searching for her or are you perhaps wishing that her ghost should visit¡­,"

    "I recall clearly stating that the word GHOST is forbidden in this house¡­,"

    "Can you stop wasting my time and tell me what your mother asked me to do? If you feel too proud to tell me then I will¡­,"

    "Why did the evil bird have to arrive at such bad timing?"

    Laura on sighting Bacon fly into the room quicklyposed herself.

    She returned to the couch where she previously was sitting

    "She asked you to carry money from the drawer, purchase groceries and prepare food¡­,"

    "In the past didn''t she forbid me from touching the drawer so why is she asking me to do otherwise now?" Joanna asked.

    She stared at Laura suspiciously.

    "Are you perhaps lying to get back at me¡­,"

    "As you can see you are disturbing me from enjoying the program so keep shut. And you can go confirm with Mum whether or not she asked you to touch the drawer, that is if you are gutsy enough?" Laura said with pride.

    She avoided looking in Bacon''s direction.

    "Mum said the food must be ready in an hour. She specifically told me to tell you that there will be consequences if you fail to meet the deadline," Laura said carefreely.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She lifted her long legs and ced them on the centre table like she was a Queen ordering her maid around.

    "What?" Joanna remarked in shock. "There are no groceries at home. It will take me almost an hour to go and return from the market and you expect me to prepare a meal within an hour? This is just absurd," Joanna said angrily.

    Adhara had been slowly returning to her old self after she came back but this is the most ridiculous of all the things she had asked her to do.

    She knew Adhara must have been aware that it was impossible for her to meet up with the time but deliberately gave her the task because she wants her to fail.

    "That is your business and not mind. You can take an hour or even five hours to prepare the meal but Mum is starving and you know what happens¡­,"

    "If she wants to use this opportunity to hit me then tell your Mum that I will have to disappoint her today," Joanna said firmly.

    "There is no need to talk big because we both are aware that you can''t meet up with the deadline¡­,"

    "Let''s watch and see who wins this round then," Joanna brought forth a challenge.

    She rushed upstairs to get the money and list for grocery.

    Her blood boils in rage when she returned downstairs and met Lauraughing at what was happening on the television.

    [If you all think that you can bully me then you are wrong. I am not that kind girl in the past so I suggest that you all think twice before you attempt to bully me because poisoning all of you is not a big deal to me]

    Joanna clenched her fist and dashed out of the house.

    "Stupid girl, I can''t wait to see Mum put you in your rightful ce after you failed to prepare the meal in an hour just like she knew you would," Laura sneered while looking at the main door.

    She brought back her gaze to the television almost immediately.

    ...

    A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????!!!

    First of all, I would like to apologise to regr readers for not updating chapters for the past three days.

    Sorry, I couldn''t meet up with the daily updates for you guys, it''s just that I was trying to set up the privileged chapters that is why.

    As you know it''s a new month and as usual time for new goals.

    GOALS FOR JULY 2022

    GOAL 1: Reach 1,000 (1k) privileged chapter unlock to get five (5) extra chapters the following month.

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    This is to say that if we get 200 power stones this week, in the following week I will give six chapters mass release without the inclusion of the daily two chapters.

    Please let''s try hard toplete the goals. I strongly believe we can do this, don''t you agree with me on this?

 Chapter 98 The Loser Of The Challenge

    ?Since it was taboo for her to buy groceries from the supermarket, Joanna had to go to the main market which was about thirty minutes walk.

    The long-distance she always trekked to and fro to get groceries in the past was shortened today when she entered a cab with thest cash she had saved up.

    Out of the one hour from her time ten minutes were gone from reaching the market.

    If the list was short she would have seeded in buying groceries in ten minutes but not when the list of items to buy was very long.

    She didn''t need to be a seer to know why Adhara made such a long list.

    Unnecessary things were included in the list.

    Just to buy all the things on the list it took Joanna thirty minutes.

    Realising that she only had twenty minutes left Joanna decided to risk it and used her teleportation device.

    After using the teleportation device, she appeared right in front of her family''s gate.

    Without wasting even a second Joanna hurried in.

    "There is no use running like a man person. Just admit that Mum and I won," Laura said on seeing Joanna dash into the sitting room.

    "It''s not over yet¡­,"

    "What can you possibly do in less than twenty minutes? Don''t forget just like in the past none of the maids are allowed to help you. You are all alone," Laura said in a proud tone.

    "I will show you what I am capable of doing in this short time. Don''t forget to call me Big Sister if I win," Joanna said.

    She hastened away not letting Laura continue wasting her time.

    While Joanna was in the kitchen trying to meet the deadline, Laura was in the sitting room watching television.

    Adhara the mastermind of this was inside her room painting her nails.

    The maids that should be in charge of household chores walked leisurely around the house like jobless fools.

    While watching the television Laura kept on staring at the wall clock to make sure that Joanna doesn''t exceed a minute more than the time allotted to her.

    The instant the one hour psed Laura threw the remote control on the centre table.

    She stood up from the couch and approached the direction of the kitchen.

    Hahaha***

    Laura burst out into a peal of deafeningughter when she reached the kitchen and meet it sparkling clean.

    "Don''t tell me she ran away from home for fear of what Mum will do to her?" Laura said amidst herughter.

    "She can run for now but can she run away from home forever¡­," Laura stopped talking when she saw Joanna enter the kitchen.

    The shocked expression on her face was evidence of how she was feeling.

    Joanna walked into the spacious kitchen. "Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?" Joanna asked.

    She walked passed Laura and proceeded to where clean utensils were normally stocked in the upper cab.

    "I had thought you ran away from home for fear of punishment but I am d you didn''t because it would have been such an embarrassment¡­,"

    "If you have something to say then stop beating around the bush and just say it instead of wasting my precious time," Joanna snapped rudely.

    Laura who hated the tone Joanna used on her sped her fist to suppress her anger.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Let''s see whether she will still have this haughty expression when I and mumbined forces to deal with her. I can''t wait to beat the hell out of her]

    Laura smiled. The mere thought of having Joanna constantly beg her for mercy threw her into a happy mood.

    "Do you want to be the one to report yourself for punishment or do you want this big sister here to help you out?" Laura said proudly.

    The glistening of her eyes showed just how excited she felt.

    "Report me for punishment?" Joanna asked in confusion. "And why should I do that".

    "We both know that you clearly failed to aplish the task mum gave you so stop pretending. Pretending won''t save you¡­,"

    Joanna chuckled, "And who says I had failed toplete the task within the spected time?"

    Joanna walked out of the room with the clean utensils in her hand.

    "Is she trying to tell me that she finished cooking?" Laura thought aloud. She turned and looked at Joanna''s departing back.

    Laura shook her head in denial when she recalled that it was impossible for Joanna to cook within that short amount of time.

    "That is just impossible I am sure she must be bluffing," Laura said.

    She followed Joanna to see what she was up to.

    When she reached the dining room and saw that it was set Laura''s eyes widened in shock.

    Her legs subconsciously stopped walking. With an astounding expression, she stared at the dining table.

    "This is impossible. It''s not just possible!" Laura chanted when she regained her voice.

    She ran to the dining table and began examining the food one after the other.

    It was she and her mother who came up with these difficult dishes just so there will be no way she can finish cooking within the allotted time.

    So she didn''t need to go through the list of food again to know that the exact dishes on the list were the ones on the table.

    Laura pulled away from the dining table after confirming the dishes on the table. "How is this possible?" Laura shook her head and repeated in denials.

    "What did you do?" Laura asked ring at the smiling Joanna.

    "You cheated, right? I am sure that you must have secretly got the maids to help you¡­,"

    "The maids were right there with you so how could any of them have snuck out to help me unnoticed by you?" Joanna asked.

    "You¡­,"

    "Just ept that you lost to me, it''s that simple," The victorious smile on Joanna''s face irks Laura.

    Not long Adhara arrived at the dining with three whips in her right hand.

    ....

    A/N: Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews. Please also buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

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 Chapter 99 Her Enemies Fought Among Themselves

    ?Just like Laura, Adhara was dumbfounded to see that all the dishes she asked for were present on the dining table.

    "If you still do not ept that I cooked the entire meal alone then you can check the kitchen''s CCTV or wasn''t that installed to monitor my movement in the kitchen?"

    Joanna asked boldly.

    She walked to where Adhara stood.

    "Stepmother, enjoy your meal. I will be in the sitting room," Joanna said.

    The evil smirk on her face as she walked passed Adhara didn''t escape the angry woman''s eyes.

    "Mum, tell me we didn''t just lose to that stupid girl. Tell me this is not true," Laura said, running her ten fingers into her well-styled hair.

    She lifted her head just in time to see one of the maids staring at her intently.

    "And what the hell are you looking at?" Laura took out her piled-up frustration on the innocent maid.

    She stood up from where she sat and walked to the maid. "Won''t you scram or do you want to have a taste of being beaten up to the point you can''t move any part of your body?" Laura red at the maid with fury eyes.

    "I...I¡­ I will take my leave now," the maid stammered. She took to her heels in fear.

    While hurrying to leave she almost bumped her head into the wall.

    "Mum, we have already prepared everything. I was looking forward to beating her until she bled so what are we gonna do now? What about all our ns?" Laurained bitterly.

    She was too upset to see that her mother was more furious than her.

    The difference between the anger was that she was showing how furious she was while her mother was suppressing it.

    "Ever since she came back she has been oveing the traps we set for her, how are we gonna deal with¡­,"

    "Will you just shut the hell up?" Adhara shouted angrily. She used the whip in her hand and hit the pir startling Laura in the process.

    "Mum¡­,"

    "I said to keep quiet," Adhara red at her daughter who still wanted to talk despite her warning.

    "By being loud, are you nning to announce to her that the two of us have been setting traps for her, eagerly waiting for her to fall into our traps?" Adhara asked.

    Adhara left where she stood. She went and sat opposite Laura at the dining table.

    "She has been lucky these past days that is why she was able to avoid the traps we set for her¡­," Adhara trailed with a sped fist.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on, Joanna staying in the sitting room was having a st listening to her enemies fight among themselves.

    "Point of correction stepmother, it''s not that I am lucky like you want to believe the truth is that I am way above all of you now. And that''s why you can never win against me," Joanna grinned wickedly.

    She stretched her hand, picked up her cell phoneying on the centre table and began ying with it.

    As she was ying with her cellphone Joanna lost track of time. She was so immersed in going through the pictures in her gallery and didn''t see Laura approach where she stood.

    Noticing how focused Joanna''s attention was on her cellphone, Laura became interested to know what Joanna was happily giggling at.

    She walked closer to where Joanna sat without making a sound.

    Laura was so close to seeing what Joanna was doing when Joanna jumped up to her feet.

    "Don''t you know that it is bad manners for you to peep at other people''s phones?" Joanna said angrily.

    "Are you the one to teach me manners or what?" Laura snapped angrily.

    "I just wanted to see what you were looking at that made you smile like a little fool. What is bad about it?" Laura said without any remorse.<novelnext></novelnext>

    On realising that Joanna was distracted Laura extended her hand to snatch the phone from Joanna.

    Joanna swiftly lifted the phone in the air like she had seen thising.

    "What were you doing on the phone, were you perhaps chatting with a boy? Give it to me, I want to see it?" The persistent Laura shouted as she jumped to take the phone from Joanna''s hand.

    The two continued fighting over the cell phone.

    With Joanna not willing to give her the phone Laura refused to give up. She was hell-bent on going through Joanna''s cell phone.

    In the process of struggling the cell phone slipped from Joanna''s hands and fell on the centre table.

    "Get off me," Joanna pushed Laura off her body. Because she applied a lot of force Laura fell on the couch with a loud thud.

    Laura didn''t take this lightly. She jumped to her feet to retaliate. "How dare you use force on me huh?"

    She pushed Joanna on the chest as she talked.

    "I said I want to go through your cellphone so who are you to fight with me over that?" Laura pushed Joanna once again.

    "I am going to go through your cell phone right now whether or not you like it and you are not gonna stop me," Laura concluded authoritatively.

    Instead of fighting with her over the phone, Joanna sat down on the couch with her legs crossed.

    "What are you¡­,"

    "Don''t you want my cellphone?" Joanna asked firmly. "You can take it from there if you are capable of doing that".

    Joanna crossed her hands and stared at her stepsister.

    Laura looked at the cell phone lying on the table and then shifted her gaze to Joanna.

    Seeing how Joanna refused to fight over the phone, she couldn''t help but suspect that something was wrong.

    "Do you think you are powerful now that you have returned?" Laura asked.

    "No, you are nothing but still that weak loser girl in the past. You are powerless without that stupid bird¡­,"

    "Bacon isn''t around now and since you said he is my source of strength how about you try picking up the cellphone. Let''s see whether you can do it," Joanna said provocatively.

    She watched as Laura contemted whether or not to pick up the phone.

    "I won''t argue with an idiot like you. It''s nothing but a waste of my precious time," Laura said and hurried upstairs.

    "Since she believes she is so powerful then she should have picked up the cellphone and see whether her hand wouldn''t have been set aze immediately," Joanna grinned evilly.

    She stretched and picked up the cell phone.

    Joanna stayed in the sitting room for five more minutes. She decided to take a stroll when she felt bored.

    She strolled on the bustling streets for a long time.

    Joanna didn''t know how it happened but when she became conscious of her environment she was stunned to find herself in the forest.

    "Why the hell am I here?" Joanna asked as she looked around the environment she has be very ustomed to.

    She was about to turn and leave the forest when she felt the presence of someone on top of the tall she was standing underneath.

    Joanna slowly raised her head to see who was sitting on the tree. She was very alert as she did this.

 Chapter 100 He Shifted To A Werewolf For Her Sake

    ?"Kay!" Joanna eximed in shock when she got a little glimpse of the person''s face.

    "Why are you up there? Won''t youe down?" Joanna asked wondering why he was still sitting on the tree branch when she had recognised him.

    Joanna frowned when he remained seated up there despite that she talked.

    "Kay, are you gonna sit there all night? It''s so unlike you to act this way," Joanna said unhappily.

    "Are you really sure you want me to climb down?" Kayden asked staring down at the girl standing beneath him.

    Even though the forest was dark he could have a glimpse of her face with the help of the bright moon.

    "Would I have asked you if I didn''t want you toe down?" Joanna replied sounding a bit upset.

    "Since you are the one who wants me down then you can''t me me or change your mind after I have done that ok?" Kayden''s words sounded like a threat.

    He jumped down from the tall tree almost immediately after he talked.

    "What the f*ck!" Joanna yelled instantly turning her back on him.

    Kayden chuckled when he saw her turn her back on him in a sh.

    "What his wrong? Didn''t you desperately ask me toe down so why are you acting shy now huh?" Kayden bent and whispered into her ears.

    The mere feeling of his hot breath grazing her bare skin made Joanna''s body tremble violently.

    "You..," Joanna stammered. She moved five steps away from him when her heartbeat tripled.

    "Why didn''t you tell me that you were nude?" Joanna asked with her back facing him.

    "You never asked why I was on the tree and refused toe down so how would I have told you?" Kayden asked.

    He tried to walk towards where she stood.

    "Stop right there. Don''t evene closer?" Joanna ordered sternly.

    "You¡­,"

    "I am gonna run away if you take one more step forward," Joanna hurriedly said when she felt him approach her despite her asking him to halt.

    Kayden stood right where he was as she wanted. "I won''te closer. But just know that you are the only person in the entire kingdom who would order me and I will obey".

    Joanna felt a bit rxed after he had given her his word. Although she didn''t feel scared like earlier, her heartbeat didn''t reduce.

    It kept throbbing to the point that Joanna wished she could do something about it.

    "And why is it so?" Joanna demanded softly.

    "Because whatever my wife says goes," Kayden replied seriously.

    Joanna subconsciously smiles on listening to his exnation.

    "Aren''t you afraid that you will be the one suffering at the end if you spoil your wife so much?" Joanna asked secretly beaming.

    "Why should I be scared when she is my one and only?" Kayden said grinning too.

    Although he didn''t see her face, from her tone he knew she was smiling just like him.

    "Also she is my wife, if I don''t spoil her then who will?" Kayden said proudly.

    "You didn''t deny this time that you are not my wife, does that mean you have epted my proposal?" Kayden asked anxiously.

    His heart beat doubled as he eagerly wait to hear what will be her response.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was so optimistic despite the countless time she has rejected him.

    "In your dreams," Joanna replied.

    "Although making you my wife is my dream it''s a matter of time before that dreames true," Kayden said confidently.

    Though she rejected him yet again he didn''t feel sad or heartbroken. He had so much fate in his love for her.

    He strongly believes that it is a matter of time before he will make her fall head over heels for him.

    "Did you change into a werewolf again?" Joanna broke the two minutes silence with her question.

    "Hmm¡­," Kayden remarked while shaking his head.

    Joanna so much wanted to turn and look at him as she talked but she couldn''t when she recalled that he was nude.

    "That night I was in shock and I didn''t get to take a good look at what you look like in werewolf form¡­," Joanna trailed deliberately withholding her main question.

    "Although you have refused to tell me what happened to you that made you be both a werewolf and vampire, won''t you give me the honour of admiring you?" Joanna asked seriously.

    "Because I thought you would have loved for this identity of yours to be a secret I didn''t even tell Drey about it¡­," Joanna said faking a sad tone.

    "I did so this for you despite not knowing what you¡­," Joanna jumped up when something poked her leg.

    Eager to know what was that Joanna turned around. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the lovely creature standing close to her legs.

    Joanna squatted and touched the beautiful fur of the werewolf standing in front of her.

    "Almost all werewolves I have seen possess the same or simr colours but why is yours different?" Joanna asked as she continued patting the fur of the werewolf.

    The way and the look in her eyes as she stroked the fur of the werewolf showed that she was in love with the colour of the creature.

    "The colour of your fur is my favourite. I wonder why everything about you is special," Joanna kept on caressing the animal.

    She was so lost in her admiration to recall that the werewolf she was stroking so lovingly was a man.

    The colour of Kayden''s fur was abination of ck, grey and blue. Amid a thousand werewolves, he would stand out.

    He was so unique and no wonder Joanna could not help but fall in love with his beautiful fur.

    Kayden''s sudden growl made Joanna wonder what was wrong.

    For the second time, he didn''t only growl but also rub his body against her face.

    "What is he trying to say?" Joanna asked in confusion.

    ...

    HAPPY 100TH CHAPTER ??????

    A/N: Please continue to support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones,ments and reviews.

    Also, don''t forget our goals for the month because these goals will guarantee whether or not you guys will get all the extra chapters as a reward.

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 Chapter 101 His Official Proposal

    ?"Is he perhaps trying to tell me that he doesn''t like me stroking his fur¡­," His loud growls interrupted Joanna''s thoughts.

    It took Joanna a lot of time and brainstorming to understand what Kayden was trying to tell him.

    "I can''t believe this is what he was trying to tell me but I failed to understand. Thanks for your help Bacon," Joanna sitting on the back of the huge werewolf said smiling.

    She looked at the bird flying ahead of her.

    "You said you wanted to take me on a ride on your back so let''s go have some fun," Joanna said. She patted Kayden''s fur gently.

    The moment she gave him the go-ahead, Kayden leapt causing Joanna''s grip around his body to tighten.

    At first, Kayden ran slowly but his speed soon doubled making the excited Joanna scream at the top of her lungs.

    Ahhhh***

    Joanna''s cheerful screams echoed in the forest.

    "Whoa¡­ This is more fun than going on a ride in a car," Joanna shouted.

    Although it was dark in the forest and normally others would have felt scared with the speed Kayden was racing and leaping at, Joanna didn''t feel the least scared.

    She felt so thrilled. Her subconsciousness trusted him so much that even she didn''t realize this.

    Riding on his back, she forgot all her problems. At the moment it was as if only she and Kayden existed in the world.

    After about an hour of taking Joanna on a ride around the forest, Kayden finally stopped in front of the garden he had prepared for her in the forest.

    Joanna climbed down from his back and walked into the beautiful scenery.

    Memories of that night he showed her this ce for the first time popped up in her memory.

    She chuckled when she recalled how hard she ran that day thinking he was a bad guy but only for her to realise that he was the one.

    "It''s still the same as that day," Joanna said beaming. "Nothing has changed but unfortunately we have both undergone a drastic change, especially me," Joanna said sentimentally.

    "Although things aren''t the same, back then my greatest joy was that we could enjoy this scenery together again," Joanna heard a husky man''s voice behind.

    "Why¡­ why did you shift back to a human?" Joanna asked, sounding frightened.

    She didn''t dare turn around knowing very well that Kayden was nude.

    For the night she has already seen him nude once, she didn''t think she would be able to control herself if she saw him naked twice.

    "Why do you keep tempting me with your naked body? Couldn''t you have waited for me¡­,"

    "And who says I am nude?" Kayden asked. He couldn''t resist chuckling when she turned around and saw that he was wearing trousers leaving his upper body bare.

    "Do you call that being dressed?" Joanna asked. Instead of staring at him, she stared up just to avoid looking at his tempting upper body.

    Kayden walked closer to where she stood, bent so that his mouth was close to her right ear.

    "If you want me to show you the difference I don''t mind taking off my trousers¡­,"

    "Pervert," Joanna eximed instantly, turning her back on him.

    There was quietness after she finished talking.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Right in this ce, I had designed our future more than two years ago. To make this future a reality, I had schemed and pretended to be what I was not," Kayden said seriously.

    Joanna raised her gaze and stared at his face.

    "Just when my ns were about toe true, a little negligence I almost lost you¡­," Kayden trailed emotionally.

    Although she has known him for her entire, Joanna could swear that she hasn''t seen him this emotionally before.

    "Losing you was equivalent to losing my future and that is why nothing mattered to me anymore after you left," Kayden said as he lowered his gaze to stare at her.

    He lifts his right hand and strokes her smooth face.

    His passionate eyes locked with hers.

    "You are my present and future and that is why I came to loathe not only this ce but every other thing when you left me".

    "This ce was a constant reminder of my failed n and that is I never sent foot here when you were gone. That is why I left Chris in¡­,"

    "Why do you love me so much?" Joanna asked, lost in the intensity of his burning eyes.

    "I mean, I am nothing. My father hates me. In fact, I was condemned and left to die even in my mother''s womb. I have nothing to offer you, so why do you choose me?"

    "Does one need a reason to fall in love with someone?" Kayden whispered with a dangerous tone that made Joanna''s entire body vibrate.

    "Also, because others hate you doesn''t mean that I should follow suit. Besides it''s not my fault that everyone failed to see what my heart saw in you that made it inexplicably fall in love with you".

    Kayden cupped her face when he saw that she wanted to avoid his eyes.

    "Joanna Anderson, I love you. I love you so much to the point that even I can no longer control my feelings for you," Kayden stared into her innocent eyes as he spoke.

    "May the stars, the moon, the flowers, the fireflies, the forest and everything in it bear witness to my love for you. I promise that in this life I will always love you and never fail you in this lifetime," Kayden said seriously.

    "I love you with everything within me. My entire being says it wants no one else but you, will you give me a chance to love you and cherish you for as long as I live?" Kayden said his official proposal that he wasn''t able to make back then.

    His face inched closer as he stared into her affectionate eyes.

    [Why can''t I say no to him like I always did in the past? Why am I feeling this way? Am I really in love with him like he imed?]

    Joanna stared at him confused at the foreign feelings she was feeling.

    She couldn''t look away from his burning gaze nor could she avoid his advancing lips.

    Against her will, her eyes closed the moment their lips met.

    ....

    A/N: Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews. Please also buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Guys, please let''s try and reach this month''s goals because this is very important to me. And this is because whether or not we reach the goals will have a huge impact on the future of the book.

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    So please help me out, guys. I really really want this book to do well. Help out this poor author.

 Chapter 102 His Upcoming Surprise

    ?Joanna wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled even closer so that there was no space in between them.

    Being taller than her Kayden circled his left hand around her slender waist so that her legs won''t ache quickly.

    Kayden pushed his wet tongue into her mouth and explored every part of her mouth.

    He sucked every sweetness that there was in her mouth.

    Although he was kissing her so deeply he still felt quite thirsty. His body burned hotter as minutes passed.

    His entire being grew so excited that his eyes subconsciously turned red. He kissed her roughly until her lips were swollen.

    When her lips could not satisfy his thirst he brought his mouth to her exposed neck.

    He rendered soft kisses to her neck.

    He let out a low grunt when his mouth wanted to move further but had to pause because of the clothes she was wearing.

    They were still kissing passionately when Joanna felt movement.

    Opening her eyes to see what had happened she was surprised to see that instead of standing amid the flowers they were standing underneath a huge tree.

    "Kay¡­," Kayden crashed his lips against hers before she could say a word.

    One more time Joanna lost sense of herself and her surroundings. All that was on her mind was to quench her insatiable thirst.

    As Kayden kissed her, his right hand gently unbuttoned her white shirt.

    When he had created enough space he abandoned her lips and shifted his attention to her exposed cleavages.

    He kissed her and sucked, making sure to leave a hickey there as evidence of what happened tonight.

    Kayden''s mouth was about to im her breasts as his when her right hand brushed against his hardened cock.

    "F*ck!" Kayden cursed with gritted teeth.

    "What was that?" Joanna asked innocently.

    "Nothing, let''s continue¡­,"

    "I don''t think it was nothing. It was quite hard. Let me check what is it¡­,"

    "It''s a gun," Kayden blurted out before she could grab his erect cock.

    He was sure he would go insane if she was to grab him there.

    "A gun?" Joanna asked in disbelief. "Do you take guns with you wherever you go?"

    Seeing how she didn''t understand the terms he used Kayden didn''t know whether tough or cry due to her innocence.

    "It''s for safety. So can we continue now?" Kayden asked. He tried to kiss her but she wouldn''t let him.

    "What if you get hurt by it?" Joanna asked worriedly. Before Kayden could fathom what she was up to she grabbed his erect rod and pulled it.

    "Uhmmm¡­ Darn," Kayden let out an erotic groan. He punched the tree trunk just above her head causing the tree to sway violently.

    Joanna''s eyes almost fell out of her sockets when she realised that what she had grabbed wasn''t a gun but his manhood.

    The next thing she did was scream and ran away.

    Ahhh***

    Joanna continued screaming as she ran without looking in the direction she was going.

    "Why is she going in that direction," the helpless Kayden muttered with a sped fist.

    He disappeared from where he stood and reappeared in front of Joanna.

    Joanna ran into him since she wasn''t looking at where she was running to.

    "You¡­," Joanna pulled away as though she was electrocuted. She avoided looking at his face.

    "I know you are eager to run away from me but just likest time I am gonna get hurt trying to save you," Kayden said seriously.

    When she heard his words she turned and looked at her surroundings. Although it was at night she could still recall that the direction she wanted to take was the same ce she and Kayden rolled down a steep slope.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you¡­,"

    "Why did you say that it was a gun when it wasn''t true?" Joanna asked with her head lowered.

    She didn''t have the confidence to look at his face as she spoke.

    "Are you sure you want us to talk about that?" Kayden asked. Instead of a question, his words sounded more like a warning.

    Joanna didn''t say anything further.

    "Follow me to the hut so I can change clothes," Kayden said. He grabbed her hand, not giving her the chance to reject his request.

    With the aid of his powers not long they were standing in front of the hut.

    Joanna followed Kayden into the hut so he could get changed into better clothes.

    "Joan, I am sure you must have already guessed the reason that I am here but unfortunately you haven''t told me why you are here," Kayden said as he put on the pair of trousers in his hand.

    "At home, I was going through my cellphone gallery and I got reminded of the wonderful time we had here¡­," Joanna trailed, staring at the house she had gotten so used to.

    "I missed the days we spent here. It was amazing¡­,"

    "Are you indirectly telling me that you missed me?" Kayden ran to sit down beside her on the bed.

    "Is that your confession huh?" Kayden nudged her gently.

    "You are¡­,"

    "Actually, you don''t need to reply. Even though you didn''t miss me, I did and that''s enough?" Kayden was scared she wouldn''t say the words he wanted to hear so he interrupted her.

    "Apart from missing you so much to the point of insanity, I have been doing a lot of thinking these past days¡­,"

    "What exactly were you thinking about?" Joanna looked away when her eyes met his bare chest.

    "About how to be around you and protect you without endangering your life or attracting too much attention to you".

    "And what was the result of your thinking huh, Your Majesty?" Joanna asked sarcastically.

    Kayden''s lips curved into a sly smile following her question.

    "Why are you acting mysterious, say it. What exactly are you nning?" His mysterious smile aroused Joanna''s curiosity.

    "It''s a surprise and you will get to know what it is about in two days¡­,"

    "Why wait till then? Can''t you tell me now?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "You¡­,"

    "Let''s go. You are still growing, you need to sleep early," Kayden said standing up from the bed.

    He started walking away before Joanna could force him into spilling the truth.

    On their way back despite Joanna''s efforts to make Kayden reveal his ns for her, the cunning guy refused to give in to what she wanted.

    They were almost close to her gate when Kayden sighted Audrey standing in front of Anderson''s main gate.

    He stopped walking, turned and faced Joanna.

    "Sorry, but I will have to leave you here. Your girlfriend hates me, definitely, she will cause a scene if she sees us together¡­," Kayden said as he stared at the girl in red trousers standing in front of Joanna''s gate.

    "It''s not that I am afraid of her but it''s just that I don''t want us to fight to the point that you have to resort to choosing between me and her. I don''t want to put you in that awkward position," Kayden exined meekly.

    "What about your n¡­,"

    "As I said, in two days you are gonna see what it is and I bet that you will love what I came up with so look forward to it," Kayden smiled.

    He stole a kiss and hurried away.

    "He is such a bad thief but I wonder why I don''t hate it," Joanna smiled at his departing back.

    "He has aroused my interest and because of this I can''t help but look forward to what he has in store for me," Joanna waved at him.

    She turned and started walking towards the gate where Audrey was standing.

 Chapter 103 Audrey Suspect Joanna Of....

    ?The first thing Audrey noticed when she raised her head after sensing Joanna''s presence was the broad smile that spread across her beautiful face.

    Audrey flips her finger at her face to get the giggling girl''s attention. "Why are you smiling so much? Did you win a jackpot on your way home huh?" Audrey asked yfully.

    Even though she talked, that didn''t stop Joanna from smiling. She didn''t even reply to Audrey''s question.

    [Why did he have to tell me about his ns when he was gonna keep it a secret from me? He is mysterious]

    Joanna grinned, flickering the tip of her hair around her finger.

    Seeing that talking to her didn''t work Audrey grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her immensely.

    "Snapped out of it already or am gonna have to punch you in the face to bring you back to your senses".

    This action of hers startled Joanna greatly. She tried topose herself after noticing the way Audrey stared at her.

    "What¡­ What is it? Did you say something?" Joanna asked innocently.

    Audrey stared at her for a minute without responding.

    When she saw her grinning like a fool she should have guessed that her mind was elsewhere thinking about heaven knows what.

    "Why are you smiling so much without paying attention to your surroundings? Did you win a jackpot by chance?" Audrey asked, her gaze focused on Joanna''s face.

    Looking at her she could see how hard Joanna was controlling herself from smiling.

    [I wonder what is capable of making her so happy? I have never seen her smile so beautifully before]

    Audrey was lost in her thoughts and didn''t realize that she was looking at Joanna for too long.

    Joanna touched her face when Audrey wouldn''t stop gazing at her. "Hey, why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

    "You haven''t answered my question yet so stop trying to evade the question and tell me what happened to throw you into such a good mood," Audrey saw through Joanna''s truck immediately.

    "Nothing happened. Also, I have never had any luck ever since I was born so why would you think that I won a jackpot¡­,"

    "If nothing happened then why were you smiling so much huh?" Audrey walked closer.

    Her suspicious res made Joanna ufortable.

    Audrey dislikes Kayden and anything about him. She knew that Audrey would definitely get angry if she learned that Kayden and she were closer than she thought.

    She didn''t want to risk anything and the best option to keep things as they were was to keep the truth from Audrey.

    "I guess my mood got a lot better after taking a stroll¡­,"

    "If everyone''s mood gets so fantastic after taking a stroll then I should have been happier than you since I strolled from my home here right?" Audrey asked not buying Joanna''s lie.

    She knew Joanna very well to know that she was lying.

    Audrey knew that for Joanna to be this happy it wasn''t something trivia that caused it.

    "I¡­," Joanna took a step backwards when Audrey suddenly sniffed her clothes.

    "Anna, why do you have another scent on you?" Audrey asked, her suspicious res directed at Joanna''s eyeballs.

    "What¡­ what are you talking about?" Joanna stammered, not able to convince Audrey with her reply.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In fact, the way she avoided Audrey''s eyes made her look more suspicious.

    "Anna, tell me were you with someone before you got here¡­ Anyways you don''t have to answer. I have the confidence of finding out the identity of the person you were with if I sniffed you one more time," Audrey said sternly.

    She shifted closer and tried to sniff her clothes again but Joanna ran and stood with her back resting against the gate.

    "Why¡­ Why are you sniffing my clothes, hmm? Are you a dog who goes about sniffing others?" Joanna asked, looking very ttered.

    Instead of scolding her, Audrey chuckled. "Hey silly girl, are you going around sneakily dating someone behind my back huh?" Audrey asked, winking naughtily at Joanna.

    "Is that why you are scared that I will discover who he is?"

    Joanna smiled in relief when she realised that Audrey couldn''t associate the scent with Kayden.

    Anyways, why would Audrey have suspected that Kayden was the person she was with when Audrey assumes that she hates Kayden just like she does.

    In her wildest dreams would she suspect that out of all the people in the Kingdom it was Kayden she chose to hang out with.

    "Stop letting your imagination go wild and return home now," Joanna said grinning.

    "You are hiding secrets¡­,"

    "Goodnight. Make sure not to hunt all night and forget that you have sses in the morning," Joanna waved at Audrey.

    She opened the gate and walked in. She didn''t allow Audrey to ask her further questions.

    "Whatever may be the reason for her newfound happiness, then I am in full support of it because seeing her happy makes me triple happy," Audrey muttered, her gaze fixated on the ck gate.

    She only left the premises after seeing Joanna switch on the lights in her room.

    Joanna freshened up and got ready to go to sleep.

    She had alreadyid down when her cell phone dinged.

    Picking up the cellphone she quickly checked who sent her a message.

    Her lips curved into a beautiful smile when she read the message that contained a heart emoji.

    "Goodnight my Queen. Don''t forget to dream about your lover and King tonight. Heart".

    This was the message Kayden sent to Joanna that got her grinning for three minutes.

    Joanna was lost in her fantasy and didn''t hear someone approaching her room until the knock at the door snapped her out of her daze.

    She dropped the phone under the quilts and ushered the person in.

    "Was I disturbing your sleep?" Mrs Adhara asked as she entered the room fully.

    .....

    A/N: Please continue showing your support by leavingments as you read. Send gifts and cast your GOLDEN TICKETS. While enjoying the book don''t forget about our goals for this month.

    Thank you so much as youply

 Chapter 104 He Raised His Hand On Her

    ?"Not really," Joanna said. She adjusted the way she sat on the bed.

    "You know I am not the type to beat around the bush so I will go straight to the point and not waste your time," Adhara said. She made herselffortable on the only chair in the room.

    [Isn''t it exhausting acting like someone she is not? I have seen the lowest point she can go so I wonder why she is stressing me out with her pretence]

    Joanna stared at Adhara with a nk expression.

    "I am going to a friend''s party tomorrow and I need some sets of clothes washed and ironed tonight so that I will have varieties of options to choose from for the party," Adhara said bluntly.

    [Wow, the wolf is finally showing her true colours¡­ Keep on doing this stepmother because it is only when you act up that I can deal with you]

    Joanna smirked devilishly as she faked a gentle look.

    "Oh¡­," Joanna remarked, not sounding surprised.

    In the past she has done this almost every week so why would she be surprised by what she said.

    "You know I hate having my clothes washed with a washing machine. I will have to trouble you with this tonight," Adhara said.

    The way she sounded as though she didn''t have a choice made Joanna roll her eyes.

    "It''s not like I have a choice," Joanna said standing up from the bed.

    Adhara stood up from the bed pretending like she didn''t hear Joanna''sment.

    "I will go check up on your Laura to make sure that she is not ying with her phone, refusing to sleep on time," Adhara said.

    She left without feeling any sense of guilt that she wanted to steal another girl''s sleep while she was afraid her daughter didn''t go to sleep.

    "Kay, even though there was a 0.00001% that I would dream about you tonight, the she-devil has reduced that chance to 0%," Joanna muttered, taking her cellphone from where she kept it.

    When Joanna got to the bathroom and saw the heap of clothes sitting there for her to wash, she didn''t know whether to shed a bucket of tears orugh.

    "Be it now or in the past, she really has the cruellest way of keeping me awake all night," Joanna muttered massaging the space in between her eyebrows.

    She walked and sat on the stic chair kept close to the wall.

    "I would have loved to use my powers and let their efforts go in vain but I am afraid I would freak them out if I made them lose twice in a roll today¡­," Joanna said.

    "I mean seeing them jubte thinking that they have won only to get their hopes crushed during their next try will be more fun than winning now".

    Joanna stood up and poured water into the big bowl used forundry.

    Just like she said with her powers she would have been able to finish washing the clothes earlier but she chose to make her stepmother and sister think they had won.

    While she was washing the clothes Laura snuck to the bathroom and watched her.

    [Mr Fin doesn''t only hate studentsing to his sseste but he loathes when he is teaching and a student is dozing. I can''t wait to see you fail his course aftermitting these two things he considered an abomination]

    Laura grinned evilly. She thought she was well hidden not knowing that Joanna had sensed her presence from a distance.

    The smart girl was only pretending to be ignorant of her presence to give Laura a sense of satisfaction.

    She walked away after confirming their ns had worked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna spent the entire night getting her stepmother''s task carried out.

    By the time she was done it was already time for her to freshen up and get set for her early morning lecture.

    After freshening up Joanna took her bag with her. She didn''t fail to drop by Anthony''s room to make sure that he was set for school too.

    Reaching downstairs she met her father and Stepmother in the sitting room talking.

    She nonchntly greeted them and tried to leave.

    "Joanna, why are you leaving so early? Are you not going to prepare breakfast for the household before you leave?" Adhara said to Joanna''s annoyance.

    She could tolerate anything but not anyone trying to mess with her studies.

    She has missed six months'' worth of study and hasn''t caught up with that already.

    She is not gonna let anyone stand as a stumbling block to her road to sess, never!

    "As you can see I am going to school so I don''t have time to cook anything," Joanna said, not able to mask her dislike for the mean woman.

    "Besides, I am not a chef, the household chef is around you can ask him to prepare breakfast for everyone or you can as well cook for¡­,"

    "Is that the manner to talk to your mother? Were you never taught manners on how to treat your mother?" Mr Anderson asked, standing up in anger.

    "I never had a mother or father to teach me manners, do you have a problem with that?" Joanna asked, not cowering away like she always did in the past.

    Instead of being disappointed, she was furious that her father sided with her stepmother.

    Mr Anderson was a bit taken aback by her sudden boldness.

    "Also, she is not my mother so why should I watch the¡­.," Mr Anderson took Joanna by surprise when he appeared in front of her with his right hand raised, ready to p her.

    "Don''t you dare talk to her like that ever again or else¡­,"

    "Or else you will hit me right?" Joannapleted the words for him.

    The look in her eyes didn''t show any fear instead it was zing with fury and he could see it.

    He could see that the girl standing in front of him with her head raised wasn''t the same daughter he has known all his life.

    "You can go ahead and hit me. I have been disappointed in you all my life and you can go ahead and make me more disappointed by hitting me, so do it?" Joanna said provocatively. She kept her cheek properly so that her father would have ess to p it.

    ...

    A/N: Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews. Please also buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Guys, please let''s try and reach this month''s goals because this is very important to me. And this is because whether or not we reach the goals will have a huge impact on the future of the book.

    If we reach the goals especially the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock and the GOLDEN TICKETS goals, the book will stand a chance to get more features. To a book and authors, more features mean more readers.

    So please help me out, guys. I really really want this book to do well. Help out this poor author.

 Chapter 105 Adharas Plan Succeeded

    ?Talking to him this way when she has always kept silent made Joanna wonder why she never spoke up when it was this simple.

    Why was she so scared of speaking or standing up for herself in the past?

    Why did she always take it in whenever her stepmother beats her up in front of her father?

    Was it because she was weak or was it because she was afraid he will be more disappointed in her than he ready was.

    Mr Anderson lowered his hand after raising it in the air for about two minutes.

    "If it is your n to get murdered in my hand then I will have to let you down today," Mr Anderson said coldly.

    If only he saw the disappointment on his wife''s face when he lowered his hand down.

    [Why on Earth did he have to change his mind. I would have been so satisfied seeing him beat some senses into her]

    Adhara clenched her fist as she stared at her husband who hasn''t moved from where he stood in front of Joanna.

    "Sweetheart, you don''t have to be so hard on her. It''s my fault for¡­,"

    "Nothing is your fault so there is no need to spoil her further by taking her side," Mr Anderson shunned his wife from pretending further.

    He diverted his attention back to Joanna afterwards.

    "Silly girl, do you know how worried your mother has been ever since you returned?" Mr Anderson asked fiercely.

    "For days she hasn''t been able to sleep properly other than worrying and thinking of solutions to your weird behaviour after you returned".

    "She has been worrying about me? Are you sure it is the same woman I know that you are talking about¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up Joanna," Mr Anderson ordered fiercely raising his hand to p her for the second time.

    Hearing her father call her by her name Joanna didn''t know whether to feel happy or sad.

    She could not recall thest time or year that her father had referred to her by name and when he finally did it is because he wants to call her to order because of this evil stepmother she has.

    What an irony of life.

    "If you don''t behave yourself then I will be forced to straighten you out today," Mr Anderson threatened coldly.

    "That is what she has been doing under your nose all my life so I don''t think it will make a difference if you join them to do it," Joanna said coldly.

    She watched as the angry man returned to his seat.

    "Whether or not you like it you are gonna prepare breakfast for the household before you can set foot out of the house¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna shouted angrily.

    She red at Adhara whom she could see was trying to suppress herughter.

    "This is just so unfair," Joanna said as she stomped to the kitchen in annoyance.

    [Laugh as much as you can because it''s gonna be my turn toughst and I will make sure of it]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna stood at the kitchen door and stared in the direction of the sitting room.

    She entered the kitchen and started preparing breakfast afterwards.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was cooking Adhara staring at the kitchen side diverted her attention to her husband.

    "Do you now believe what I told you that she is acting like someone possessed by a Demon?" Adhara said, staring at her husband''s face.

    "You are right about that," Mr Anderson agreed without any hesitation.

    "Sweetheart, it doesn''t just end with her being rude and violent but she is constantly seen talking and roaming around with a devilish bird whose origin nobody knows," Adhara said making sure to stress each point so that it sunk into her husband''s head.

    "Sweetheart, now that she hasn''t gotten out of hand we need to find a solution to it before she ends up killing us one after the other," Adhara said faking a terrified look.

    "With me around that will never happen," Mr Anderson said confidently.

    "If you have any suggestions to how we can cure her then your suggestions and solutions will be warmly weed by me," Mr Anderson replied softly.

    Adhara secretly smirked wickedly seeing that she has gotten what she wanted.

    Adhara lifted her hand and ced it on her husband''s thigh.

    "I haven''te up with a solution yet but I promise to do something about it after I ask for others'' help," Adhara said, pretending to be a good stepmother.

    Only a muddle-headed man like Mr Anderson would believe every one of her lies.

    "If that''s the case then I will wait for good news then," Mr Anderson replied, he patted his wife''s hand lovingly.

    As others went about doing their things Joanna as usual struggled in the kitchen alone.

    Sooner than Adhara had expected Joanna finished cooking and even set up the dining table.

    Joanna was on her way upstairs to freshen up and get changed when she bumped into the smiling Laura at the stairs.

    "How does it feel to go back to what you were in the past?" Laura asked mockingly.

    "Do you feel bad to go back to being that ve and daughter of a mistress who has no voice in this house?" Laura asked proudly.

    "Will you get out of my way before this ve and daughter of a mistress beats you up until you cry a bucket?" Joanna replied rudely.

    "You¡­,"

    "I have no time o waste on a silly brat like you so I will leave you to your foolishness," Joanna walked passed her deliberately making sure they brushed shoulders.

    Stop halted just at the top of the stairs. She looked at Laura standing below.

    "Oh¡­ and one more thing while eating beware of poison," Joanna grinned wickedly. She turned and walk away without waiting to borate on what she meant.

    "Poison!" Laura repeated not understanding what Joanna''s word meant.

    She continued descending the stairs so she could go join her parents at the dining table.

 Chapter 106 Did You Poison Us?

    ?Before going to her room Joanna first stopped at Anthony''s room to pass a very important message to him.

    Joanna was hurrying to take off her clothes when her cell phone dinged.

    For fear of dying herself, she didn''t take a look at her message box but instead rushed into the bathroom to freshen.

    She was in the middle of putting on her undies when her cellphone rang.

    Realising that the caller was Audrey, Joanna answered the line instantly.

    "Girl, have you read the message I sent to you about today''s morning lesson being postponed to tomorrow morning?" Audrey, who was on the line, asked.

    Joanna puts on her white shirt before replying. "Did you send me a message?" Joanna asked carefreely.

    "Since you are not on the school''s tform and you haven''t read the message then that means you must not be aware that my Mr Fin postponed his lecture to tomorrow¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna remarked in a mixture of surprise and anger.

    "I am hurrying right now just to meet up with his ss and you are telling me that he has cancelled his ss? What the hell is wrong with him?" Joanna talked as though Audrey was Mr Fin who cancelled the lecture.

    "Anna¡­,"

    "Just because I was scared ofingte to his ss on my first day, I didn''t get wink of sleep after the strenuous work I didst night. I even went as far as getting into a fight with Adhara and Mr Anderson¡­,"

    "Hey Girl, did something happen at home?" Audrey asked jumping up from the bed she wasying on.

    "Did they perhaps gang up on you¡­,"

    "Gang up on me?" Joanna chuckled, turning to sit on the bed.

    Since it has been confirmed that she didn''t have sses in the morning she didn''t see any reason she should hurry to dress up.

    "Are they capable of even doing that or do you think this Anna here is the type anyone can try to bully and go scot-free?" Joanna said proudly.

    "Girl, I know you are not that timid girl in the past but, are you trying to tell me that you are capable of defeating your stepmother, Laura and father if a fight were to break out?" Audrey asked curiously.

    She has been hearing Joanna say these same words on different asions but never had she stopped to think seriously about what she said.

    Hearing her say these words made her wonder whether she was really as capable as she wants to make her believe.

    "Do you think I was only bluffing or did you believe that I was attending parties with Demons and monsters while I was in The Ancient Forest Of No Return?" Joanna sounded a bit offended by Audrey''s question.

    Audrey sat back on the medium size bed and stare at the window.

    "I have already guessed that you must have gone through a lot when you were there but you never mentioned what happened after that night so how did you expect me to know what you experienced there?" Audrey said meekly.

    She was hurt by Joanna''s words and the tone of her voice showed it.

    "Also, you know that is not what I meant so why are you talking this way?"

    Joanna realised she shouldn''t have said those words to Audrey when she thought back on what she said.

    "I didn''t mean to hurt you with my words. Maybe I am acting this sensitive because of what transpired between me and my family. It was wrong of me to transfer the aggression to you so I apologize," Joanna said softly.

    If there is someone whom she knows loves her a hundred per cent then that person is none other than Audrey.

    In fact, she recently realised that the hotheaded girl loves her to a fault.

    "Are you still mad at me?" Joanna asked ying with the tips of her long silver hair.

    "Will you stop being angry at me if I sing for you¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hell no," Audrey who has been quiet on the other end shouted.

    "You are good at every other thing except singing. It''s too early to get my eardrum blown off by you¡­,"

    "You know that you are over exaggerating, Drey. And I have been practising how to sing with Bacon for a long time now. I am a better singer now¡­,"

    "You know that I am right¡­,"

    "If you don''t believe me how about I sing for you now," Joanna said. She cleared her throat and was about to sing when Audrey spoke up.

    "You can save that forter. But for now, tell me what your family did to you and together we are gonna take revenge on them¡­,"

    "I don''t think that is necessary because as we are speaking I am sure they must be suffering from the aftermath of my revenge," Joanna said grinning evilly.

    "Did you do something to them? Tell me what is it?" Audrey asked curiously, adjusting well on the bed.

    Instead of her response, Audrey could hear Joanna''sughter at the other end.

    "Anna, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me exactly what you did¡­,"

    "Not now, I will tell you everything in detail when we meetter. Wait for me in your apartment," Joanna said hurriedly.

    "Anna¡­," Joanna disconnected the call not letting Audreyplete what she wanted to say.

    Joanna took her time to dress up. She stayed in her room for fifteen minutes and then went downstairs with her ck chain handbag hanging on her shoulder.

    Reaching downstairs she met her stepmother and Laura lying on the couch in the sitting room.

    The manner theyy with their legs parted and their hands spread made Joanna almost burst out in a peal of deafeningughter.

    "Stepmother, Laura, are you both ok?" Joanna waited and asked looking very concerned.

    "Didn''t you look very energetic earlier so why do you look so weak and paled right now, are you sick¡­," Joanna ended up chuckling before she couldplete her sentence.

    "Hey, witch what are youughing at?" Laura mustered up the little strength left in her to talk.

    "Are you perhaps responsible for this huh?" Laura asked struggling to sit up on the couch.

    "Hmmm¡­. Let me think about that question," Joanna said tapping her head with her index finger as though she was in deep thoughts.

    "Indeed I am responsible for it but I recall warning you to be careful of poison or didn''t I?" Joanna asked grinning evilly.

    Joanna''s words made Laura and Adhara''s eyes widen in shock.

    "Did you poison us?" Adhara and Laura asked not able to hide their fears.

    ....

    A/N:

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 Chapter 107 Joanna Laughs Last

    ?"Hmm¡­ did I poison your food, your drinks or your spoon?" Joanna trailed pretending to be in deep thoughts.

    Seeing them in suspense and fear of their lives gave her a sense of satisfaction.

    She has suffered so much in their hands for as long as she can remember. And now she hase back they want to still do the same thing, why?

    Why should she always be the one to suffer? Why can''t it be the other way around?

    These are the questions that lead her to do what she did today and she is loving every bit of it.

    "You evil witch, how dare you to poison us¡­,"

    "Be careful ok because talking and moving will only elerate the rate of the poison. Although you are still gonna die I still want to see you live even a minute more, my dearest stepsister," Joanna said smirking devilishly.

    She used her index finger to push Laura on the forehead, causing her toy back on the couch.

    "You are evil and I am gonna make sure to kill you for this¡­arrghh¡­," Adhara''s mean words were reced by a scream of anguish.

    She grabbed her hurting stomach with both hands.

    "Yeah, I am evil and¡­ I won''t deny it butpared to your evilness I guess I am still an amateur or don''t you agree with me, stepmother?" Joanna now standing in front of Adhara asked.

    Her evil grin never left her face as she tormented the twodies.

    "And besides me and you who do you think is gonna die first? I mean aren''t you the one who is poisoned huh?"

    "Do you think you are gonna go scot-free after poisoning us? Hell no, you won''t even though you managed to seed with your ns?" Laura said trying to instil fear in Joanna.

    If only she knew that her threats wouldn''t work on Joanna then she would have saved the strength of talking.

    "The police is gonnae for you and the maids and security guards will make you pay¡­,"

    "Will there be evidence of my crime if the tes used in serving the food are properly disposed of?" Joanna asked, there was no fear in her eyes as she spoke.

    "Also, who do you think the maids and security guards will choose. Is it the old Madam and Young Mistress who treats them like animals or the new Madam of the house which will be me?" Joanna asked, her gaze darted from the petrified Laura to her awestruck stepmother.

    Seeing that she was well prepared to kill them made Laura and Adhara go quiet.

    "I would have loved to stay here and see you both breathe yourst but unfortunately I have an appointment to catch," Joanna said as she started walking away.

    "Hey, are you just leaving like that what about the antidote," Laura shouted, the thought of dying scared her?

    Joanna smiled when she heard Laura''s scared tone. She turned and look in their direction.

    "Do you think you would have still been talking right now if I had really poisoned the food?" Joanna''s lips curled into a wicked smile.

    "You¡­," Adhara red at Joanna. At that moment she felt like strangling herself to death.

    "It''s true that I added some substance into your food and drinks which is why all of you are in this helpless state. I didn''t do this because I like you or what not¡­," Joanna trailed smirking.

    "I might not have poisoned your food this time around but that doesn''t mean that I won''t do it if you guys don''t watch the way you treat me in this house".

    Joanna strolled away with swag after making sure that her message sunk into their head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Laura turned to look at her mother whose condition seems to to have worsened than hers.

    "Did she just do this to us and even dared to scare us with poisoning?" Laura asked still in disbelief that they got dealt with by the girl they always looked down on.

    "To have been able to do this to us then she is nothing but the reincarnation of the devil. She is demonic, Mum".

    Adhara was too ashamed to talk despite that Laura was talking to her.

    She has always thought that everything in this world was within her grasp but she knew she was wrong after today''s incident.

    Although she is smart and always alert she didn''t see thising.

    Had she known that one day she will end up getting bullied by the girl she has used as her punching bag these years then she would have long slit her throat with a knife.

    "For this humiliation, I am gonna make sure she dies a painful death. I will achieve this no matter what it might cost me," Adhara muttered with a sped fist.

    ¡­

    Walking on the streets Joanna couldn''t stop herself from smiling and this caused everyone who passed by her to stop and stared at her.

    "Hahaha¡­ I have always heard people say that the one whoughsstughs best but never know what it meant until today. It feels so awesome to be the oneughingst," Joanna mumbled as she walked on the less busy road.

    She didn''t stop smiling even when she got to Audrey''s apartment.

    "Anna, why is it that you are always smilingtely each time I see you? What''s your secret?" Audrey asked the girl that just sat down on her bed.

    "Don''t you like that I am happy or would you prefer to see me in tears always¡­,"

    "I love it. It''s because I want to smile every day like you that is why I am asking," Audrey replied jokingly.

    "Trying having a stepmother who wants nothing other than your downfall every day and you¡­,"

    "Did something else happened other than the one you told me on the phone or is this¡­,"

    "Girl, why are you such a bad host huh? You didn''t offer me anything but starts asking me question¡­,"

    "You know I don''t have anything but if you want blood I don''t mind giving¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna jumped onto Audrey''s body and started yfully hitting her.

    "You can hit me as much as you wantter but right now you must tell me all that happened at home. I am dying of curiosity if you don''t know," Audrey said as she grabbed Joanna''s hand.

    Joanna climbed down from Audrey''s body and arranged her clothes. She started rying what happened afterwards.

    Although it was just the story of what happened that she was telling, she had so much fun reliving that moment.

    Joanna stayed in Audrey''s apartment that day. Knowing very well that none will care whether or not she returned home she spent the night there.

    The next day the moment Joanna woke up the first thing that was on her mind was Kayden''s surprise.

    She waited for him to appear beside her like he is fun of doing but throughout the entire morning he didn''t show up.

 Chapter 108 Joanna Saved A Guy

    ?She kept staring at her cellphone to make sure that she didn''t miss an iing call or message.

    Joanna became so restless that she jumps up to go and check the door anytime she heard footsteps outside.

    Audrey noticed this strange side of hers but pretended not to.

    Just to get her mind off whatever she was expecting Audrey took her out on a walk.

    On the streets, Joanna''s gaze was in so many ces at the same time. Audrey became very affected by this and couldn''t keep silent anymore.

    She held Joanna''s right hand and made her stop walking.

    "What is wrong? What exactly are you looking for, your boyfriend?" Audrey asked, looking around to see whether she would be able to find familiar faces.

    "Did he promise to meet you today but forgot about it? Is that why you are so restless?"

    "If he is bullying you because he thinks you are too kind then tell me and I will¡­,"

    "I am not looking for anyone," Joanna lied sounding irritated.

    "Also, I have told you that your guess about me having a boyfriend is wrong so why are¡­,"

    "You seem to be expecting someone, a call or a message from him. I saw you staring at your cellphone and you kept looking around when we came out and that is why I came to this conclusion," Audrey said softly.

    "Apart from me, there is no one you are close to so if I am not the one whose message or call you are waiting for then, who is it?" Audrey asked curiously.

    Just like that night she also avoided his eyes.

    "Are you scared that I will not approve of your boyfriend if I know who he is?" Audrey asked but despite talking so much Joanna remained quiet.

    "You¡­," The ringing tone of Joanna''s phone disrupted what Audrey wanted to say.

    "It''s my rm indicating that it''s time for my ss," Joanna said silently jubting.

    [Thank goodness foring to my rescue because I wouldn''t have known how to escape from this]

    Joanna smiled from within as she started walking away.

    "Where are you running off to, wait for me," Audrey hurried to meet up with Joanna.

    Joanna''s distraction didn''t end during her stroll with Audrey but she carries it to the lecture hall.

    Unlike how attentive she always is she was very distracted to the point that if asked the topic of their lecture she wouldn''t be able to say the correct answer.

    "I didn''t sense Chris''s presence around throughout today neither did Kay show up nor text me like he often does. Is this a sign that he had encountered some problem?" Joanna muttered.

    She was so absent-minded as she walked and didn''t feel that someone was secretly following her.

    Because there was still time before Audrey''s ss would be over Joanna decided to wait at the basketball field for her.

    Although she pretended to be going through her notes the truth remains that her attention was divided.

    While skimming through the notes her attention was also on the cellphoneid beside her ck handbag.

    Not long, her cellphone dinged and in a sh, Joanna threw the book on the floor and picked up the phone.

    She was so upset when she saw that it was just an ad notification that made the cellphone ding.

    "He can choose not to call, text or show up, why do I even care?" Joanna said angrily.

    "I was the fool for believing what he said," Joanna frowned. She bent and lifted off the book from where she dropped it.

    Since she knew that there was no way she is gonna concentrate on her books, she decided to take a stroll around campus.

    She was strolling on the secluded part of the campus when she sighted a guy on the rooftop of the building where she stood.

    "What the hell is going on? Is he being bullied?" Joanna paused and tried to listen to what was happening on the rooftop.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She didn''t get the chance to hear anything when she saw the guy fall off the top of the building.

    The first thing she did was to look around to make sure that no one was around.

    When Joanna had confirmed that it was only she around, with one powerful leap she soar into the air.

    In mid-air, Joanna caught the guy and in her arms, she descended to the ground in the same manner she soar into the sky.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked as she let down the bewildered guy from her body.

    The tall handsome guy with ck well-styled short hair stared at Joanna dumbfounded.

    He was in a daze until Joanna snapped her finger at his face.

    "Did you get hurt?" Joanna asked out of concern. She looked at the visible part of his body to make sure that he wasn''t injured.

    The guy shook his head negatively to answer her question.

    "Is he dumb?" Joanna said inaudibly as she stared at the guy who had beautiful brown eyes.

    [Why did he have to possess such a disability. I wasn''t even deformed in any way and I was bullied, I can already imagine how much he had suffered all these years. His biggest disadvantage of all has to be that he is handsome]

    Joanna felt pity for the guy even though she hasn''t met him before.

    She could see herself right through his eyes.

    [Since he can''t talk I guess I don''t have to feel worried that he will disclose my secret to others]

    Joanna forced a smile when she saw how intently he stared at her.

    "I know exactly how it feels to be bullied and as a person who has been through this, I will advise that you avoid high ces whenever they want to bully you. This is the only way you can live a bit longer," Joanna tapped him on the shoulder before she turned to leave.

    The guy in a grey shirt extended his hand and held Joanna''s hand, not letting her walk away.

    "Sorry but I have to meet someone so I can''t talk with you. Try to be careful ok," Joanna smiled at him genuinely this time around.

    She walked away almost immediately.

    The guy stood there and stared at her departing back. Even though she was gone he didn''t look away.

    Joanna was approaching the building of Audrey''s department when someone suddenly held her hand and pulled her onto his body.

    Her first reaction was to p the fool hard on his face. Instead of pping him, she was stunned when she rose her head and got a glimpse of the person''s face.

    "Kay!" Joanna remarked in astonishment.

    "Why the hell are you dressed like this?" Joanna stared at the guy wearing sses. His long ck hair that she has grown to love was gone.

    Taking a second look at him, there was only a tiny simrity to the Kayden she knows.

    He looked like a different person.

    "It''s Amos and not Kay," the guy corrected in his husky enchanting voice.

    ....

    A/N:

    Please support the book by buying the privileged chapters. Cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book so that we can achieve our GOLDEN TICKETS goal this month.

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 Chapter 109 Kayden As Amos

    ?Joanna took a closer look at the guy who just introduced himself with another name.

    No matter how many times she examined him, the conclusion was that he was Kayden.

    Even though she was to be woken up from sleep and asked to recognise him she would have done that with ease so why on Earth was he denying that he wasn''t her Kayden.

    "What Amos are you saying you are. You are Kayden¡­,"

    "Kayden?" Ady''s voice repeated Joanna''sst words.

    Raising her gaze Joanna was stunned to see Audrey standing in front of her. In a sh, she quickly pushed the guy standing beside her to her back.

    She used her body to obstruct him so that Audrey won''t see who he was.

    If she was to ask why she did that she wouldn''t have had an answer for that.

    "You just said Kayden, where is he?" Audrey asked, looking around in search of Kayden.

    "Did you hear me say Kayden?" Joanna asked, pretending like she didn''t know what Audrey was talking about.

    "What would the King be doing on campus, you must have heard it wrongly," Joanna said, faking a smile.

    Bringing her gaze back to Joanna''s face, the first thing Audrey noticed was the uneasiness on Joanna''s face.

    She looked anxious for some reason. Audrey was about to press Kayden''s topic further when she got a glimpse of the person Joanna was trying so hard to hide in broad daylight.

    "Who is he?" Audrey asked curiously. She moved to the right to get a glimpse of the guy''s face but Joanna also moved in the same direction, blocking her view.

    She repeated the same thing to the right and Joanna obstructed her view yet again.

    "Who is he and why are you obstructing my view?" Audrey asked displeasingly.

    Audrey was still trying to outsmart Joanna to get a look at the guy''s face when she recalled how sneakily Joanna has been actingtely.

    "Was he the reason why you were in a terrible mood all day? If he is your boyfriend you don''t have to¡­,"

    "Hey, stop¡­ stop spewing nonsense, he is not my boyfriend," Joanna''s stammering made her look so guilty.

    She felt like pping herself hard on the check for messing up at such an important time.

    "If he is not your boyfriend then no problem, let me have a look at his face," Audrey said. She held Joanna''s hand and tried to pull her out of her way but the stubborn Joanna refused to move a muscle.

    "He is very shy and¡­,"

    "If he is too shy and can''t even show me his face then how is he gonna get my approval huh?" Audrey asked. She tried to push Joanna out but she didn''t budge.

    [Knowing her temperament very well, I am almost certain that she is gonna make things difficult for Kay in front of so many people and I won''t let this happen. I must somehow save the situation]

    While Joanna was busy worrying, the curly hair guy standing behind her was secretly beaming.

    "He¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sorry Drey, today is my first day at work so I can''t afford to arrive therete. I need to leave now," Joanna hurriedly said. She grabbed the guy''s hand and hurried away before Audrey could stop them.

    "Why is she acting sneakily like shemitted a crime? Doesn''t she know that it is not a bad thing to fall in love?" Audrey muttered, her gaze centred on the back of the girl who was almost running.

    At first, Audrey wanted to escort Joanna to the cafe but since Joanna left without her, she had no choice but to go back home.

    When she realised that they were far away from the University premises Joanna let go of Amos'' hand.

    "There is nobody here so you can stop pretending now. No matter how superb your disguise is I have seen through it at first nce so quit it now," Joanna said angrily.

    "I was nning to tease you some more but seeing that you have seen through my disguise then I won''t keep on acting," He finally admitted to being Kayden.

    "Why are you dressed like this and what did you mean when you asked me to address you by another name¡­," Joanna paused midway when she recalled what he told her two days ago.

    "Was this perhaps the surprise you were talking about?" Joanna asked in astonishment.

    "Bingo!" Kayden said beaming.

    "Kay, you are crazy, right? How could you do this? Don''t forget your title as the¡­,"

    "Everyone may address me with whatever title they want but to me, I am nothing but just a helpless lover who is hoping that the woman I love will spare me a nce," Kayden said emotionally.

    He walked to the bench kept not far away from where they stood. He sat down there with his head lowered.

    Joanna stood there and stared at him not knowing what to do anymore.

    She walked over to the bench too and sat down beside him without saying a word.

    "I know you think I am insane and I am sure others who know about this will think that I have lost my mind too but I don''t care¡­," Kayden said fiercely.

    "I want to be around you and the only solution that I coulde up with that will not bring you any harm or unnecessary attention was this," Kayden said. He turned and looked at her.

    "I love you. I have told you this so many times but you won''t believe what I said. I believe maybe you will feel my sincerity if I be someone ordinary like you instead of the aloof King¡­,"

    "Are you sure this is what you want? Think carefully about this Kay because living an ordinary life after enjoying the taste of being a king isn''t that easy," Joanna said in a bid to change his mind.

    Kayden smiled at her, "Wasn''t I once an ordinary person before I got chosen as the King so what is so difficult about being who I was?"

    "Also, for your sake, I can do anything and be everything. Where can you find such a man huh?" Kayden asked yfully as he nudged her gently.

    ...

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 Chapter 110 Your Boyfriend?

    ?Joanna stared at him intently. Hearing him say these words she was momentarily lost for words.

    Everyone avoids her but he is the only one who is willing to do anything to spend every minute of the day with her.

    Thinking about it she can''t help but conclude that he is crazy.

    "It''s easy to make up a fake identity but how are you gonna get admitted to the university¡­,"

    "Is that even considered something to be worried about?" Kayden said proudly crossing his legs with his back leaning on the bench.

    "Have you forgotten that your man is the King? Getting that sorted out is a piece of cake for me¡­,"

    "Stop being cheeky, Kay¡­," The words refused to form when he leaned in without any warning.

    Her body automatically stiffened.

    "I have told you that it''s Amos and not Kay, so learn that by heart except you want everyone to know that I am the King?" Kayden whispered into her ears.

    Joanna was scared that she might suffer from another sexually outburst so she jumped up from the bench to get rid of their closeness.

    "So what if you managed to gain your way into the school with a fake identity, how long do you think you are gonnast?" Joanna asked trying to hide how flustered she looked.

    With her back facing him, he couldn''t see her reddened cheeks caused by him.

    "You might be able to fool everyone for a few days but it''s just a matter of time before they discover who you are¡­,"

    "I don''t need a long time. I just need this identity for a month or so," Kayden said standing up from the bench.

    He stood beside her. "I just need a month before the period of the year I get very busy reaches so that when that time reaches I would use our memories together to keep me alive," Kayden said smiling.

    Joanna turned to look at him. "Do you know that you have a smooth tongue? You have a way with words that will makedies go crazy for you¡­,"

    "I don''t need otherdies to go crazy for my sweet words. It''s enough if only you go crazy for it," Kayden whispered flirtatiously.

    "That word wasn''t supposed to be apliment. It meant that you are such a flirt¡­,"

    "I can be the worst flirt just for you," Kayden said as he winked naughtily at her.

    Joanna rolled her eyes like she hated his words.

    "You are a dangerous species," Joanna muttered as she sat back down on the bench.

    There was silence after the two of them sat on the bench.

    "So did you like my surprise?" Kayden said, diverting his attention from the road to her face.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joanna trailed not able to find the suitable words to answer his question immediately.

    "Although I think this is crazy I must admit that it was worth the wait and trouble," Joanna said beaming.

    She didn''t realise that her face was radiating as she said these words.

    "You waited for the surprise?" Kayden asked while still gazing at her face.

    Looking at his glistening eyes Joanna knew that she would be in serious trouble if she said the words he wanted to hear.

    She quickly thought of a perfect way to save herself from this.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her face lits up when she recalled just that one thing that would save her at the moment.

    "Gosh, I am almostte for my part-time job and this is all your fault," Joanna jumped up from the bench with her handbag handing on her shoulder.

    She didn''t wait for Kayden to talk, she hurried away.

    "Joan, you are being stingy again and you know that is not fair," Kayden shouted after her. He hurried to catch up to her.

    Kayden followed her to the cafe where she was supposed to resume work.

    Realising that Kayden wanted to follow her into the cafe Joanna obstructed his path.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Joanna asked, sneaking a peep at the cafe to make sure that Mrs Parker didn''t see her.

    "What else if not that I want to spend time with you¡­,"

    "This is my workce so that is not appropriate. You can..,"

    "As a lover, it might be inappropriate but what if I want toe in as a customer?" Kayden asked.

    "You¡­,"

    "Don''t tell me you are nning to make your employer goes bankrupt by chasing away customers right?" Kayden asked.

    He slide into the cafe before she could object further.

    Seeing him being directed to a table by Leah, Joanna shook her head. "He is such a nutcase and I am afraid that there is no escape route for me anymore," Joanna muttered her gaze focused on Kayden.

    She entered the cafe when she noticed that Leah had seen her.

    At the cafe, Joanna talked with Mrs Parker for a few minutes. After her discussion, she got changed in the locker room.

    Kayden refused to order anything until Joanna fully resumed work that day.

    Just to continue staying in the cafe he bought four cups of coffee. The way his eyes followed every of Joanna''s movements made Mrs Parker suspicious.

    Joanna was on her way to serve him his fifth cup of coffee when Mrs Parker started monitoring her, wanting to confirm her doubts.

    "Aren''t you tired of drinking coffee?" Joanna said as she dropped the tray on the table.

    "Are you not afraid of not being able to fall asleep the entire night?" Joanna spoke in between her teeth as she pushed the cup of coffee to his front.

    "And why should I be scared when I can spend that entire night gazing at your beautiful face?" Kayden said flirtatiously as he tried to hold her hands lying on the table.

    Joanna retract her hand before he could touch her.

    "I should have known better than to try to talk you out of this," Joanna said as she took the tray and started approaching the counter.

    When she reached the counter and saw how suspiciously Mrs Parker stared at her, she couldn''t help but want to know the reason.

    "What is it, Mrs Parker?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "Who is he?" Mrs Parker asked, her gaze focused on Kayden''s direction. He happened to be staring at Joanna at that moment.

    "Your boyfriend?".

 Chapter 111 The Strange Joanna

    ?"What!" Joanna''s eyes widened in shock hearing Mrs Parker''s question.

    "I just asked you whether he is your boyfriend and not whether you had sex so why are you overreacting?" Mrs Parker asked, staring at Joanna''s widened eyes.

    "You know normally I am not the gossipy type but I couldn''t help but notice that his gaze has been following you wherever you go ever since he arrived," Mrs Parker exined.

    Mrs Parker brought back her attention to Joanna. "He seems to have fallen head over heels for you and can''t take his eyes off you that is why I asked¡­," Mrs Parker trailed.

    "Forget it if he is not your boyfriend. He happens to be my cousin''s type of guy, I will go ahead to ask him out for her¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna yelled once again. Her loud voice caught the attention of the customers who turned to look in their direction.

    "Didn''t you say he is not your boyfriend so why are you reacting this way? Do you perhaps have a secret crush on him¡­,"

    "What¡­ what¡­what are you saying?" Joanna stammered, unable to control her emotions.

    "I am only reacting this way because I am trying to look out for you and your cousin," Joanna said, trying her best topose herself.

    She didn''t know that Kayden was listening to everything they said.

    "And why did you say that?" Mrs Parker asked curiously. She waited for Joanna to satisfy her curiosity.

    "You don''t even know him, where hees from or the type of person he is and you want to arrange a date with him and your cousin? What if he turned out to be a bad person, a womanizer or even a killer¡­," Joanna trailed to make sure that Mrs Parker followed everything she said.

    Hearing what she was spewing from her mouth about Kayden, Joanna couldn''t help but think she was the most pathetic girl in the world at the moment.

    "He¡­,"

    "There is no need for you to worry about that. As long as he loves and treats my cousin very well then nothing else is important," Mrs Parker said, her gaze centred on Joanna''s face to see what her reaction would be.

    She could see disappointment in the young girl''s eyes.

    "But¡­,"

    "The customer over there wants to ce an order, stop saying silly things and go to attend to him," Mrs Parker didn''t let the frowning Joanna speak further.

    Joanna reluctantly left to attend to the customer in a gold colour suit.

    [I asked such a simple question but she couldn''t give me a definite answer. She didn''t admit or object to what I said]

    Mrs Parker stared at thedy who was trying to get the customer''s order.

    "I can see that she is still in the denial stage so why don''t I add some spice to help the silly girl before her man is taken away from her?" Mrs Parker grinned evilly, her gaze focused on Joannaing in her direction.

    "He and his girlfriend want a cup of coffee, cappino and beef sandwich," Joanna stated the order.

    "Prepare the order by yourself, let me go and answer the guy who has been staring at you. It seems like he wants something. I will try to use this opportunity to talk to him about my cousin" Mrs Parker said as she tried toe out from where she stood.

    "No¡­ no, no," Joanna yelled while swinging her hand in the air. Everyone raised their gaze and stared at her.

    She tried topose herself when she realised that she had unnecessarily garnered too much attention.

    "You don''t have to worry, I have got this," Joanna said, faking a smile at Mrs Parker.

    "But what about the other person''s ord¡­," Joanna had already hurried away before Mrs Parker could finish her word.

    "Hehe¡­ she is one funny girl," Mrs Parker couldn''t resistughing when she saw how quickly Joanna walked to Kayden''s table.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Leah after serving the orders to the customers returned to the counter.

    "Mrs Parker, what is wrong with Joanna? She is acting strangely today," Leah, now looking at Joanna, said curiously.

    "Why don''t you ask her? Who knows she might be kind enough to tell you the truth since you both are close," Mrs Parker said as she shifted her attention away from Joanna''s direction.

    Back at Kayden''s table, Joanna stood making sure to keep a gap between them. "How may I help you, Mister?" Joanna said smiling.

    Her smile looked so fake that one could easily see that she was trying to hide her annoyance with the smile.

    "I was hoping to talk to your Madam but why is it that you are the one who answered instead?" Kayden asked, acting like he didn''t see how annoyed she was.

    To tease her more he lifted his hand and touched her. "Young Miss, I have been noticing that you keep throwing flirtatious nces at me. Is it because you like me or¡­,"

    "If you n to get my blood pressure high then I am sorry to disappoint you," Joanna said, turning to leave.

    She didn''t get the opportunity to walk away because Kayden stood up and held her hand properly.

    "I haven''t finished what I was trying to say so be a little patient," Kayden said softly.

    Joannaposed herself when she realised that she had again garnered others'' attention to herself.

    "I was hoping I could get to talk to your Madam about my desire to work here. It doesn''t matter whether the pay is little because I have got the money. All I want is to spend time with the one I love," Kayden said, giving her his most enchanting smile.

    Looking at his enchanting smile Joanna could feel her anger dissipate.

    [This is why I said his species is bad for my system. He keeps flirting with me and I have no way to get away from this]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she stared at his bewitching smiles that lured her in without her realising it.

    "Joanna, are you gonna stand there all day staring at him? Don''t you have ns of attending to other customers besides him today?" Mrs Parker deliberately shouted for others to hear.

    "I know my beauty is more enchanting than the spell of an enchantress and my smile more intoxicating than opium and I would love to see you stare at me with those lovely eyes all day but unfortunately your Madam is calling you," Kayden said gently touching her face.

    Seeing her look so startled after jolting back to reality made everyoneugh.

    "See what you have done?" Joanna whispered when she saw how everyone wasughing at her.

    "Wait and see how I will deal with youter¡­,"

    "I will be waiting sweetheart and I wish thatter wille sooner than I expect," Kayden said grinning.

    He watched as she hurried away with her head lowered.

    ....

    A/N:

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 Chapter 112 Jealous?

    ?For the sake of her sanity, Joanna stayed away from Kayden''s table.

    Joanna worked until an hour before her evening ss.

    After informing Mrs Parker about it and the woman gave her permission to leave, Joanna went to the locker room to change clothes.

    When she returned to the counter and couldn''t find Mrs Parker, she decided to ask her colleague Leah about her whereabouts.

    "I saw Mrs Parker leave the cafe with the guy that was sitting over at that table," Leah said pointing at the table Kayden sat.

    It was then Joanna realised that Kayden wasn''t where she left him.

    [Don''t tell me Mrs Parker called him out to arrange for him and her cousin to meet?]

    Joanna''s thoughts run wild. Right there the images of Mrs Parker advertising her cousin to Kayden popped up in her head.

    She violently shook her head to shake off the thoughts from her mind.

    "The look on her face showed she had something important to discuss¡­," Joanna was already at the entrance of the cafe when Leah realised that she wasn''t by her side.

    "Why is she acting strangely and so unlike herself? Is the rumour that she is possessed by a demon true?" Leah muttered, her gaze glued on the entrance.

    All Joanna''s thoughts were that she would find Mrs Parker and Kayden in front of the cafe but unfortunately, on getting outside she couldn''t find them there.

    "Where could she have taken him to for crying out loud?" Joanna said angrily.

    She instantly activated her inner senses and in no time she could sense him where he was.

    "As I was saying, my cousin¡­," Mrs Parker was surprised to see Joanna appear from nowhere and grabbed the guy''s hand.

    "Sorry Mrs Parker, we need to leave. I''m almostte for my ss," Joanna said, immediately walking away while holding onto Kayden''s hand.

    Mrs Parker stared at her momentarily speechless. " I never knew she was such a fast runner until today. What a waste that she hasn''t realised her feelings for him?" Mrs Parker said, staring at Joanna and Kayden''s departing back.

    She returned to the cafe almost immediately.

    Kayden willingly let her lead the way while holding his hand tightly like she was afraid he was gonna slip far away.

    "Is this your way of announcing to everyone that I am yours?" Kayden asked, beaming.

    "If my guess is true then I mustpliment that this is a very unique method and I love¡­," Kayden paused when she turned and red at him.

    "Can you be at least serious when I am this upset?" Joanna said, releasing his hand atst.

    "I mean it''s even more upsetting to see you smiling when I am this furious," Joanna said, sounding pretty upset.

    "Why are you upset, did someone annoy you when I was not around? Tell me and I will not hesitate to go back and teach that person a serious lesson¡­,"

    "And just how are you gonna teach yourself a serious lesson huh?" Joanna asked, staring at his face.

    "Oh¡­ so you are trying to tell me that I am the reason you are upset. But why?" Kayden asked innocently, feigning ignorance about what she was saying.

    "You clearly knew that she wanted to arrange a meeting with you for her cousin whom you happened to be her spec so why did you still follow her? And to worsen matters you were smiling so sweetly at her?" Joanna was too upset to think straight.

    She was speaking about how she felt and didn''t pause to think about what she was saying.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you eager to get yourself another woman huh?"

    Kayden stared at her momentarily lost at what to say.

    He had guessed why she was so furious but hearing her state the reason by herself he found her angry side rather cute.

    [She always acts very toughly like she can defeat the world. I wonder whether she is aware of how cute she is]

    Kayden subconsciously smiled while in deep thoughts. His smile wasn''t well-received by the angrydy standing in front of him waiting for his reply.

    "Why are you smiling huh? Does your smile indirectly mean that you like the thought of hanging out¡­,"

    "Are you perhaps jealous right now?" Kayden asked as he moved two steps closer to her.

    "Jealous?" Joanna spits out the word as though it was bitter in her mouth.

    "Would would I be jealous¡­,"

    "Why does the mere hearing that I was gonna be introduced to another woman upsets you? Have you asked yourself this question huh?" Kayden asked, looking into her purple eyes in which there was still so much anger in them.

    He raised his hand and held her cheek to keep her face in position.

    "What other reason could there be other than the fact that I was trying to look out for you?" Joanna asked, maintaining her stern facade.

    "Really?" Kayden asked, not sounding convinced at all.

    "Of course, yes. You don''t know what their household is like so I was only trying to look out for you and our people because there will be chaos in thend if our people lose such a good King¡­,"

    "I never knew that you value so much the people who made life hellish for you all these years hmm," Kayden interrupted her softly.

    As they were staring at each other passionately, the mean witches happened to drive by and unfortunately, they sighted Joanna and the guy whose gaze she couldn''t avoid.

    They parked and watched what was happening.

    "Also, is telling her that I could be a womaniser, a bad person and a killer also considered as watching out for me too¡­,"

    "You¡­ you listened to our conversation," Joanna said, frowning.

    "Your story was so interesting that my ears couldn''t help but want to listen," Kayden said carefreely.

    Joanna couldn''t say anything to her defence anymore causing silence to take over.

    "You were so very upset and disappointed earlier thinking that I had forgotten the promise of the surprise I made to you. You also went as far as lying to chase a prospective love rival away¡­," Kayden said, bringing his face very close to hers.

    He didn''t care about the passerby or anything else all he wanted was her sincere confession.

    Everything else other than this was unimportant to him.

    "Isn''t all these signs indicating that you are in love with me so why won''t you stop being in denial hmm?" Kayden stroked her face affectionately as he continued staring into her eyeballs.

    "Isn''t the girl standing there the Loser Joanna?" Nora asked despite already knowing that she is the one.

    "Did I just hear that the swine is in love with that nerd in sses?" Tiffany chuckled, an evil glint appearing in her eyes.

 Chapter 113 Audrey And Her Mother

    ?"Yeah the swine has found her match and they happen to be of the same ss hahaha¡­," Sophieughed hysterically.

    Tiffany smiled as she carried her sunsses from where she kept them and put them on.

    "It''s good to see that she is finally epting her reality instead of trying to touch where her hands cannot reach," An evil grin appeared on Tiffany''s face as she zoomed off leaving Joanna to continue what she was doing in peace.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Kayden were talking on the street, back at Audrey''s apartment, she was lying on the bed when someone knocked at her door.

    "Just a minute, I aming," Audrey shouted when the knock sounded for the second time.

    When Audrey opened the door and realised that her mother was the visitor, she refused to get out the door.

    "Mummy, what are you doing¡­,"

    "Is that the first question you are supposed to ask me or were you supposed to invite me in and offer me a seat before you start asking me questions?" Mrs Lopez replied, looking very upset.

    "I would have loved to invite you in but unfortunately I was about to¡­," Mrs Lopez who knew exactly what Audrey wanted to say pushed her out of the door and entered the house.

    Audrey quickly closed the door and ran to catch up to her mother.

    Today was Mrs Lopez''s first time entering Audrey''s house. The first thing she did was to take a careful look at the room.

    Audrey''s apartment wasn''t huge nor was it small, it was just perfect for a girl like her.

    It contained a sitting room, kitchen she has never made use of, bathroom, restroom and bedroom.

    The interior design of the room wasn''t the best. Apart from the three paintings hanging on the grey wall and the flower potid on the brown table, there were no other decorations worth mentioning.

    "Is this the ce where ady lives?" Mrs Lopez asked, frowning.

    "Howe it''s so in and lifeless¡­,"

    "That is because this whole set-up depicts my life back then perfectly. My life was in and sad but thank goodness to Anna who returned and add some sweetness to it," Audrey replied casually as she sat on one of the couches.

    Mrs Lopez didn''t speak immediately, she went and sat on the empty couch opposite Audrey''s.

    "Weren''t you rebellious and moved out of the house in anger because your friend was no longer around. Now she is back won''t you return home to stay with your parents¡­,"

    "Mummy when you want to talk I will advise that you said the words correctly to avoid misunderstanding," Audrey said but not sounding rude to her mother.

    "I didn''t leave the house because Anna was gone. The reason I left the house which you and Dad are both aware of is that none of you believed what I said, not to mention supporting me¡­," Audrey trailed.

    Although it was all in the past she still felt hurt when she recalled the past.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She was treated as a psycho by everyone including her family just because she told the truth.

    The most provoking part was that those whom she thought would always take her side decided not to take her side, why?

    "I was forced to move out of the house when you and Dad tried to prevent me from taking revenge on those evil people. That is exactly what happened if you had forgotten".

    Her parents didn''t only forbid her from taking revenge but they even went as far as locking her up.

    She wasn''t only mad at herself but also furious with everyone and that is why she decided to move out of the house so that she would have the freedom to avenge her friend however she wanted.

    Thank goodness for the savings she made all these years, she was able to achieve the goal of living an independent life.

    "Whatever might be the reason I don''t care, what I want to hear you say is that you are going to return home with me," Mrs Lopez said sternly.

    "Your father has missed you a lot¡­,"

    "Mummy, you know that it''s just impossible for me to return home. Also, I will be turning 19 years old in a few months. I have long passed the age of living independently¡­,"

    "Hey Audrey Lopez, how could you say that to me huh?" Mrs Lopez said angrily standing up from where she sat.

    "Is that how you will repay me for the years I have raised you and everything I and your father have done for you?" Mrs Lopez instead of calming down got angrier as she talked.

    She walked to where Audrey sat unmoved by her words.

    "When other girls wore dresses and dolled themselves up and you chose to wear trousers and act like a boy, your father and I let you be. We didn''t force you into doing what you dislike¡­," Mrs Lopez trailed emotionally.

    "During the past 18 years, we raised you in the best way we could and we gave you whatever you wanted so why¡­,"

    "Yeah, it''s true you and Dad raised and gave me all the love and care any parent could ever offer. You gave me whatever I wanted but the truth is you and Dad failed to give me what I longed for the most¡­," Audrey said emotionally.

    There was sadness in her eyes as she spoke.

    "Which was epting my best friend for who she was," Audrey said as she stood up and walked away from where her mother stood.

    "If you both had treated her a bit different from others and given her even a tiny bit of love from the share of love you showered me with¡­," Audrey sniffed to fight back the tears.

    "Maybe if you and Dad had epted my idea of adopting her back then when she was just a little harmless girl she wouldn''t have had to suffer so much. She wouldn''t have been pushed to her death after being deprived of love and care all her life," Audrey poured out all her heart.

    All the things she wasn''t able to say all these years she was finally able to let out today and it felt quite good.

 Chapter 114 Audreys Vehement Declaration

    ?Audrey turned and looked at her mother.

    "Mummy, do you know how I always feel whenever Anna smiles at me and says I AM FINE?" Audrey asked, looking at her mother eyeball to eyeball.

    "I always feel like my heart is being ripped into tiny pieces and do you know why I always feel this way?" Audrey said a painful smile appeared on her face.

    "It''s because I know very well that she was nowhere close to being fine. I was always in pain when I saw her in pain but unfortunately, I was useless and helpless and this was because I was a child but guess what, Mummy¡­," Audrey smiled and turned her back on her mother.

    "I am not gonna just sit and watch anyone bully my best friend and this is because the era of being a helpless child is over¡­,"

    "Do you think things are that easy Audrey?" Mrs Lopez sneered.

    "Hell no! And you are gonna realize this very soon," Mrs Lopez said. She left where she stood and walked to the window.

    She stood and stared outside.

    "I know you might say you had no obligations to take care of her since she wasn''t your child but Mummy, one needs no blood ties to take care of a child¡­,"

    "You said these because it is very easy for you to say these words but Audrey let me tell you something," Mrs Lopez diverted her gaze to her daughter''s face.

    "The world is not as simple and safe as you think. They are those who call the shots for everything that happens. You dared not go against them if you want to keep your life intact¡­,"

    "And who are these people who call the shots that none dares to go against them?" Audrey asked sternly.

    "You don''t have to know it now but I wish that one day you will get to realise that everything your father and I did was for your safety and that of our family," Mrs Lopez said seriously.

    She walked back to where she had dropped her handbag and took out a brown envelope and dropped it on the centre table.

    "The money in there is enough tost you for a long time. Make sure to return home because your Dad and I are waiting to receive our only child back home," Mrs Lopez said.

    She took a long lingering gaze at Audrey before she turned and left the room in the same manner she came.

    After her mother had left Audrey walked back to the couch and sat down.

    "No matter what anyone or society says, I will never give up on my best friend. We grew up together and did everything together, society or others can never get to define our rtionship and this is because I believe this is how best friends are supposed to be," Audrey said with a clenched fist.

    After the conversation she and her mother had, Audrey didn''t feel too good so she decided to take a stroll to clear her head.

    She wasing out of the building when she sighted Chris from outside.

    Her whole countenance changed the instant she set eyes on him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I thought the words I told you had sunk into your brain, that is why you stopped following us so why have you started again?" Audrey, now obstructing Chris'' path, asked angrily.

    "Are you not tired of seeing my angry side or do you think my words weren''t harsh enough¡­,"

    "You don''t own this ce so why do you think I am following you?" Chris replied in the exact tone she used on him.

    "Besides, you are not that important to me or the King so why would I bother to follow you¡­,"

    "You¡­," Audrey pointed her index finger at his face, not able toe up with the proper words to scold him.

    "You can act as proud as you want right now but let me tell you something," Audrey said after about a minute of silence.

    "The day I see you following Anna or talking to her about the King is the same day we will totally fall out with each other and do you know why¡­," Audrey said while looking into his eyes.

    "Because I won''t just talk that day but we are gonna fight and not merely fighting but we are gonna battle with each other to the point that people would not resist asking the reason why we are fighting".

    "Why do you hate the King and me so much?" Chris held her hand to stop her from walking away.

    "Do you even need to ask that question?" Audrey snapped, instantly flinging his hand away.

    "If you are still angry about what happened on the night that Miss Joanna went missing, isn''t she back now so¡­,"

    "What does her return have to do with what you and that wicked King of yours did? Did her return change how the two of you behaved that day?" Audrey asked harshly.

    "You know you are just being unfair by hating the King for what happened that day¡­,"

    "Point of correction, it''s not just the King that I hate but I hate everyone who had a hand in her death that night," Audrey corrected fiercely.

    "Also, let me tell you that I am the type to hold grudges for a long time so don''t even expect me to be reasonable because I won''t," Audrey stomped away not allowing Chris to speak further.

    Chris stared at her back until she was no longer in sight.

    "I really want to tell her that everything she thinks about His Majesty is wrong but what can I do when the King has ordered us not to disclose anything to her?" Chris muttered.

    He was lost in thoughts as he stared into space.

    "This is no time to pity the King because I would be the one pitying myself if I don''t get the task he gave mepleted in the allotted time," Chris muttered as he walked into the building Audrey came out from.

 Chapter 115 Homeless Kayden

    ?The lecture room Joanna''s evening ss was held was big enough to contain 200 students but only half of the hall was upied.

    During the lecture, all Kayden did was stare at Joanna''s face. On so many asions he would have been caught staring intently at Joanna but thanks to her timely intervention she was saved the humiliation of being called out by the lecturer.

    Because she had to keep Kayden in check Joanna felt as though the ss was taking longer than usual when in fact the man didn''t exceed the time he was supposed to teach.

    "Gosh, thank goodness it''s finally over!" Joanna eximed in relief after the man left the lecture hall.

    Kayden and Joanna didn''t spend extra time in the lecture hall, they left almost the same time the lecturer left.

    Kayden following Joanna was attentive to see that she has been constantly massaging her left shoulder.

    When he saw her massage her shoulder for the third time ever since they left the lecture hall, he held her hand and dragged her to the bench situated some distance away from the main road.

    He gently made the reluctantdy sit on the bench while he hurried to stand at the back of the bench.

    "What are you up to now?" Joanna asked trying to stand up but Kayden who had already anticipated this held her in ce.

    "You keep massaging your shoulders so I guessed you must be feeling ufortable there," Kayden said in a soft tone as he raised his hands and ced them on each of her shoulders.

    The sudden feeling of his hand startled Joanna. She tried to stand up but Kayden''s firm grip made her unable to do this.

    "Let me help you to massage. I am sure you will feel better after I am done," Kayden said, he gave a little squeeze to her shoulder.

    He was surprised when he saw her jump up from where she sat.

    "I know you want to help me but no matter how I think about it this is not just right," Joanna said seriously.

    "You are the K¡­," Kayden stretched and covered her mouth before she couldplete her sentence.

    "I have told you not to call me that. I will lose my chance to stay with you for a month like I had nned if everyone realises my identity," Kayden said not letting go of her mouth.

    "I know you might not like the fact that I am around you. You might have even concluded in your mind that I am annoying¡­," Kayden trailed emotionally as he released her mouth.

    "You might think however you want but the truth is this is very important to me, Anna so I wish you would respect what I want this one time," Kayden concluded seriously.

    Joanna stared at him with a conflicted look. She was so used to seeing his yful side that she feels very uneasy when he suddenly gets serious while talking to her.

    "I never said I hated having you around neither did I say I no longer wanted you to follow me so, why get all serious?" Joanna asked frowning.

    "Are you perhaps trying to make everyone believe I bullied you¡­," Joanna was a little surprised when he suddenly appeared in front of her.

    "If you don''t hate having me around, does that mean you love it huh?" Kayden asked as he winked naughtily at her.

    Joanna chuckled when she saw that he was back to his normal self that she is used to.

    "Hmm¡­ Although you can be a bit annoying I must admit that you are not that bad," Joanna said beaming.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She started walking away leaving Kayden to think about what she just said.

    "Did Joan justpliment me?" Kayden''s face lits up like he just received the news that his wife is pregnant with their first child.

    "Joan, wait up. I didn''t hear what you just said so can you repeat it one more time?" The thrilled Kayden ran after her.

    "Say it one more time hmm," Kayden said as he tried to keep up with her pace.

    Joanna was having so much fun with Kayden around and didn''t realise that they had covered a huge distance.

    When she realised it they were already in front of her gate.

    "Hey, why did you follow me all the way here? Won''t you return to the pce?" Joanna made sure to whisper herst sentence so that vampires nearby won''t overhear her words.

    "I have already told everyone that I was going on a business trip to the human world so unfortunately, I can''t return to the pce," Kayden said as he leaned on the magnificent gate.

    "Right now your man is homeless I won''t say no if you decide to take me in. In exchange for taking care of me for this one month I willpensate you by taking care of you in this lifetime¡­," Kayden smirked evilly as he spoke.

    "Isn''t this a very good bargain hmm?" Kayden winked naughtily at her.

    "Tell me you are kidding?" Joanna said with bewildered eyes.

    "Who is there?" A voiceing from inside called out to them.

    Without waiting for the security guards to open the door and meet them there, Joanna held his hand and pulled him along with her.

    She stopped walking when she realised that they were far away from her home.

    "Aren''t you very influential so why are you homeless¡­,"

    "If I am using my real identity, getting where to live would have been a piece of cake but have you forgotten who I am now?" Kayden asked waving his right hand at his face.

    "Right now, I am nothing but a university student who is a nerd from the middle ss".

    Kayden''s face suddenly lit up when he realised that Joanna hasn''t released his hand yet.

    "Do you know that you are the one who has been doing everything to initiate intimacy with metely?" Kayden asked his eyes glued on their hands which were interlocked.

    "What¡­ what are you saying," Joanna denied trying to let go of him but the cunning Kayden who had other ns refused to let go.

    "If you had missed my touch you didn''t have to use such silly tricks. All you needed to do is to say the word made this hubby is gonna immediately grant your wish," Kayden said with a sly smile on his face.

    Before Joanna could fathom what he was up to he had already pulled her onto himself and circled her waist with his powerful hands.

 Chapter 116 Damn!

    ?"I am all yours so you don''t have to act sneakily whenever you want me, are you listening?" Kayden asked with his husky tone that exudes endless sexiness.

    He lifted his left hand to her face while his right hand held her waist to prevent her from running away.

    "Be it holding hands, teases and kissing I will satisfy them all. I will even go as far as satisfying you down there¡­,"

    "Hey, I know you are shameless and well experienced in this but I am not so stop corrupting my poor brain ok?" Joanna tried to push him away but he wouldn''t budge.

    Kayden lowered his face so that his mouth was close to her right ear. "It doesn''t matter whether or not you are experienced. It will be this hubby''s pleasure to teach you everything," Kayden whispered seductively into her ear.

    His words caused Joanna to develop a funny feeling. She clenched her fist to exercise self-control.

    "And I am over the moon to know that this hubby is gonna be your first¡­,"

    "I don''t recall us getting married so what hubby are you talking about?" Joanna asked, trying to put on a cold front so that she won''t lose to Kayden this time around.

    "Really?"

    "Are you aware that I know of a very good way to make you admit that you are mine?" Kayden asked, lowering his face so that their face was just about an inch from meeting.

    Those who saw them from afar will assume that they were kissing when that was a big fat lie.

    "You¡­," Joanna tried to make use of her hands but he seized her hands instantly.

    "Do you want me to show you what I am talking about?" Kayden''s provocative words were apanied by his hands wrapped around her neck.

    He acted as though he wanted to kiss her only for him not to push through with it.

    He stayed in that position for three minutes before he finally pulled away from her.

    "You can rx now. I am not a thug who would take advantage of you in public. I saw your father passing by with friends that is why I did that so he won''t see you or sense¡­,"

    "Is he still there?" Joanna asked as she pulled Kayden closer so that he could shield her.

    She wasn''t scared of her father but she doesn''t have the patience to exin anything to him.

    Joanna knew that they were gonna end up falling out more than they already did if he was to ask for exnations after seeing her in an intimate position with a man.

    "He was gone before I let go so you don''t have to worry," Kayden said softly.

    Joanna rxed after hearing that her father and his friends were gone.

    "Kay¡­," Joanna paused when she saw his disapproving gaze.

    "I mean Amos, are you happy now," Joanna corrected herself without letting him say the word first.

    "Be serious for once, do you really not have a ce to stay?" Joanna asked, looking very concerned.

    "No, I am crashing at a friend''s club and I am gonna continue staying there until I find a house¡­,"

    "You are living at a club?" Joanna remarked with bewildered eyes.

    "Isn''t that ce very unsuitable for you to go to, not to mention living in?" Joanna asked worriedly.

    "Before I became the King, I normally hung out there since staying home alone was very boring," Kayden said in aposed tone.

    "Even when you were gone that ce became my second home for two months so I don''t see anything wrong in living there for a few days".

    "Besidespared to those days of loneliness and heartbreak, I have you with me now so I am sure it won''t feel horrible," Kayden said smiling.

    There was silence after he finished talking.

    "Would you like to follow me to see where I live?" Kayden asked softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He anxiously waited for her response.

    Seeing the hesitation in her eyes he knew he stood no chance of making here with him to the club.

    [With those friends of his around nothing good wille out of going home now. I will only be annoyed to death by them so why don''t I follow him to see where he lives]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she spaced out in front of him.

    "If you don''t want toe then you don''t have to force¡­,"

    "Where is the club located? I hope it isn''t out of town?" Joanna asked to the shock of Kayden who had already concluded that he stood no chance of getting her toe to the club with him.

    "Are you trying to say you will follow me to the club?" Kayden asked to make sure that he wasn''t the oneing to conclusions when that might not be what she meant.

    "Who said I was following you to the club?" Joanna asked with a frown.

    "I am only following to see where you live so don''t you dare get a weird idea," Joanna showed her clenched fists so that it would serve as a warning to him.

    "Yes, Madam," Kayden replied with a huge sense of humour which the two of them chuckled.

    "Let''s go," Kayden held her hands and together they headed to the club holding hands.

    When they reached the club, Kayden carefully guarded his woman, not letting any lecherous many a hand on her.

    After showing his room to her he took her outside.

    "Wait here while I get something inside," Kayden said as he made her wait close to his room.

    Joanna patiently waited for him just like he wanted to.

    While waiting for him she fed her eyes with what was happening in her surroundings.

    She became quite uneasy when he didn''te out ten minutes after he left her there.

    "Didn''t he say he wanted to take something inside so what''s keeping him inside?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "Don''t tell me he is having fun inside and forgot that someone is patiently waiting for him outside?"

    Joanna approached his room almost immediately. She was so ready to scold him fiercely for daring to keep her outside without care.

    Reaching the door Joanna pulled the door open with force. Shepletely forgot that this was a single man''s room and not her room or Audrey''s room.

    "Kay, how could¡­," The words refused to form the moment Joanna raised her gaze from where she stood.

    "Damn!" Joanna remarked with her mouth dropped open in shock.

    "F*ck!" Kayden cursed the moment he lifted his gaze and met her bewildered eyes.

    ....

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 Chapter 117 The Notification Came At The Perfect Timing

    ?Standing there with her eyes glued on his naked body from which water was dripping, Joanna subconsciously licked her lips hungrily.

    Her eyes grew wider as she gulped hard. For some reason she couldn''t take her eyes off him nor could she close her eyes.

    Seeing how she was drooling over his nudity Kayden quickly covered his cock with his hands to prevent Joanna from boiling a hole on them.

    "Haven''t you looked enough or don''t tell me you have ns of standing there staring at me all night?" Kayden asked, his gaze glued on the girl who was still intently staring at him like he was some delicious meal she had been craving for a long time.

    "Oh¡­," Joanna eximed when she was back with her senses.

    She turned her back on him and shut the door in case someone passed by.

    There was absolute quietness in the room and because of this Joanna''s innocent mind started imagining naughty things.

    To get her mind off this Joanna decided to make the room a little lively by talking.

    "Didn''t you always behave like the King of shamelessness so why are you different today hmm?" Joanna''s question made Kayden raise an eyebrow.

    The super embarrassed Kayden clenched his fist. Despite being so embarrassed he didn''t want to lose to her.

    "Do you love seeing my nudity?" Kayden asked shamelessly.

    Joanna''s heartbeat doubled when she heard his footsteps approach her direction.

    "You can turn and stare as much as you want if you are certain you can handle the consequences thate with it¡­," Kayden trailed, stopping just at her back.

    "What¡­ what consequences could there possibly be?" Joanna said trying to act brave when in fact her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest.

    "If you are trying to scare me by talking about consequences¡­,"

    "And who says I was trying to scare you?" Kayden said closing the gap between them.

    From where he stood Joanna could feel the warmth of his body.

    [I guess he is this warm thanks to the fact that he is a werewolf too]

    Joanna subconsciously smiled forgetting the issue at hand.

    "If you are not scared of delivering my child in nine months then you can turn around¡­,"

    "You¡­," Joanna hastily turned around without thinking. She tried to turn her back on him again when her eyesnded on his bare chest but Kayden who seems to have an evil n off his sleeve held her in ce.

    At that moment her head went momentarily nk. The memories of the numerous times she has met him nude reyed in her memory.

    Her body grew hotter with each passing second. Joanna''s throat felt dry like she hasn''t drank water in a week.

    Seeing how she couldn''t take his gaze off his body made Kayden smile happily.

    [I can see that going through those hassles in the past to maintain this heavenly body wasn''t a total waste. All my efforts have really paid off]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kayden''s smile broaden when he saw Joanna licking her lips hungrily. Seeing her gulped hard gave him a sense of joy.

    "I know in this entire Kingdom it''s hard to find a body this good so you can keep on fantasying about me, this hubby here won''t me you orin," The grinning Kayden pats her hair as he talked.

    Joanna snapped out of it the moment his hand touched her. She quicklyposed herself.

    "I wonder why I keep seeing you nude. What on Earth do I have with your naked body for crying out loud?" Joanna said angrily.

    Hearing Kayden''s chuckle made her frown deepen.

    "Maybe your greatest regret while falling down the cliff was that you had to die as a virgin. In your subconsciousness you might have vowed to bed the most powerful man that is capable of satisfying you in a way no man will ever do¡­," Kayden trailed, making sure to make his voice more alluring than usual.

    "If that''s your wish then I don''t mind granting your wish," Kayden said, swiftly wrapping his hands around her waist before she could move away.

    "Your wish!" Joanna spat the words out as she pushed his chest away.

    "If I say that is my wish then does that mean you will grant it?" Kayden asked shamelessly.

    His words made Joanna ashamed on his behalf.

    "I mean I have been looking for the chance for us to activate our mate bond so if that''s your wish, I don''t mind fulfilling it right now so that our bond will be forever sealed," Kayden whispered the words into her ears seductively.

    Joanna had to exercise all her willpower to resist being seduced by his enchanting voice.

    "Are you willing¡­,"

    "You are so shameless," Joanna muttered sounding pissed. She turned her face sideways to avoid looking at him.

    "If you are unwilling then I will let go. I have promised you that thest thing I will do is force myself on you," Kayden said cool-headedly as he released her.

    Just like her, it felt like his entire being was on fire being so close to her. He had to exercise self-control to stop himself from pushing her against the wall and taking her whole.

    "I might be a beast and the fiercest of them all but believe me even the Demon can''t afford to hurt the one he loves. He will protect her no matter what," turned his back on her and started walking to the bed where he kept his shirt and trousers.

    Joanna was standing there staring at him when suddenly the green notification box popped up.

    <Main Mission: Seduce and make your mate hard and say I LOVE YOU>

    Joanna frowned when she saw the mission whose notification always threw her into a bad mood.

    <Deadline: Remaining 23 days>

    Seeing that she had so few days left Joanna knew she could no longer ignore the mission anymore.

    She knew the day to finally aplish the mission had reached and she will do it no matter what.

 Chapter 118 The Intruder

    ?Kayden didn''t waste his time asking the person to turn around. On seeing that it was a man he picked his dagger from where he hid it on the bed and threw the shiny dagger at the intruder.

    He was aiming at the guy''s neck but thank goodness the guy was fast so he was able to save his neck.

    "I am sorry. It wasn''t intentional," the intruder apologized and quickly shut the door, not allowing Kayden to throw the second dagger.

    "I am sorry Kay," The guy standing outside the door kept apologising knowing very well that he messed up big time.

    Instead of subsiding his anger, the guy''s apologies infuriated Kayden even more.

    "Won''t you shut the hell up or are you waiting for me to sew up your mouth before you would keep quiet?" Kayden asked, his words sounded more of a threat than a suggestion.

    "Take your time. I will be waiting for you downstairs," Thee guy said and hurried away in a sh.

    He knew that nothing good woulde out of him standing outside his door when he was already furious.

    Inside the room, there was awkwardness after the intruder left. They sat in the same position they were.

    None was willing to be the first one to talk.

    "Maybe this is a sign that the time for us to mate isn''t today so how about you put on your clothes and wait for me downstairs¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "The flow has already been disrupted¡­,"

    "We were the one who created the flow so we can definitely create another one," Joanna was fast enough to counterattack his points.

    Seeing her so anxious to bed him made Kayden feel uneasy instead of happy. He could see from her eyes that she didn''t love him but he couldn''t pinpoint why she was so hellbent on having sex with him.

    "Are you saying you are ok with having a child for me¡­,"

    "Because people have sex once doesn''t guarantee pregnancy," Joanna said sternly.

    "That''s what I heard," Joanna went far to exin when she saw his suspicious nces directed at her.

    "You are right about that but what if you get pregnant¡­,"

    "When we get to that bridge we will cross it," Joanna said as she tried to kiss him but Kayden resisted.

    He stood up on the bed with her on his body when it felt as though she wanted to overpower him.

    He tapped her legs straddled around his waist gently when she refused toe down from his body.

    "Joan, be a good girl ande down now because I am sure you will be the one screaming for help if I really do what you want," Kayden said softly.

    Getting Joanna to do as he wanted wasn''t very easy. He let out a heavy breath after he managed to get her out of his room.

    "I guess it''s now time to go into the shower and get this little one cooled down," Kayden muttered, his gaze focused on his erect cock shooting out of his underpants.

    Inside the bubbling club, it wasn''t very hard for Joanna to find the owner of the club at his table.

    The guy who happened to be the one that interrupted their intimacy earlier constantly steals secret nces at Joanna while pretending to be talking to the twodies keeping himpany.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [I have heard people talk about the club but I haven''t been privileged to be here. I must say it is exactly like people say. The club is not a ce for innocent girls like us]

    Joanna was lost in thought as her eyes moved from one corner of the club to the other.

    Apart from the strippers dancing on stage, there were so many other things going on around.

    At every corner, she could see couples smooching each other. Some were even expressing their love by biting each other.

    All her thoughts were that people in the Kingdom were reserved and innocentpared to the rumours of the human world she often heard about but being here she knew her assumptions were wrong.

    Sitting right here watching things unfold she didn''t see anything reserved about anyone in the club.

    They were all beasts unleashing their sexual terror on their partners.

    Joanna thought that everything would be sorted out if she just closed her eyes but she realised she was wrong when her sharp ears began picking up ungodly sounds from every corner where the unholy act was taking ce.

    "Goddamn it!" Joanna''s eyes flew open.

    "What''s wrong?" The owner of the club whom Kayden ordered to watch over Joanna asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick? ''''

    Joanna raised her gaze to stare at the guy looking at her with a gaze full of concern.

    The guy was handsome no doubt but he looked like the yboy type thatdies would die over.

    His ck long hair was tied into a messy bun while the white shirt he wore was practically opened, leaving his chest bare for thedies to feed their eyes on.

    Although he had such an awesome physique he was consideredcking in a ce where Kayden was present.

    "I am fine at the moment but I am afraid I might go crazy if I don''t do something to distract myself," Joanna, who was covering her ears, said.

    "This must be your first time being at a club that is why you are feeling this way but I am sure you will get used to it if you visit often¡­,"

    "And why would I do that?" Joanna asked sternly.

    With the way she asked the question the guy didn''t know how to reply to her question.

    "Speaking about doing something for a distraction, can we talk about him?" Joanna broke off the awkward silence with her question.

    "By him are you talking about¡­," the guy paused when he saw how attentively thedies by his side were staring at him.

    ....

    A/N: Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews. Please also buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

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 Chapter 119 Kyle Riley

    ?"Sorrydies but you will have to excuse us now. Nevertheless, we will continue from where we stopped so don''t worry," The guy addressed his femalepanions.

    He smiled at them as they stood up and left the table to give the two of them privacy.

    "Although, I have known him ever since we were little he sometimes feels like a stranger to me so I was hoping to learn about him from someone who knows him better than I do", Joanna said seriously after thedies left.

    "If you are looking for someone who knows Kay better than anyone else then you have met the perfect person to satisfy your curiosity," the guy said smiling.

    "Really?" Joanna adjusted the way she sat. She moved closer to where he sat so that she won''t have difficulty hearing him because of the noise going on around them.

    "If that is the case then I am d I asked," Joanna leaned against the couch and stared at the guy''s face.

    "So what exactly do you want to know about him?" The guy in the white shirt asked, his gaze centred on her face.

    [I have always heard that she is beautiful and I must admit that she lives up to what people say. In fact, she is the most prettydy I have ever seen]

    The guy subconsciously smiled at Joanna.

    "Start telling me about him from when you both knew each other," Joanna said.

    [I wish I will be able to find out why he is a hybrid when his parents are both vampires. I wonder whether this is a result of unfaithfulness on the Queen Mother''s part]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she waited for him to start the narration.

    "The mean guy didn''t introduce me properly earlier so let me go ahead to introduce myself," Thesaid as he extended his hands for a handshake.

    "My name is Kyle Riley, Kay''s good friend and the owner of the club. It''s a pleasure to finally get to meet you," Kyle formerly introduced himself.

    Joanna, for the sake of being polite, shook his hand.

    "Can I ask what you meant by it was a pleasure to finally meet me? Do you know me somewhere?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "Some weeks ago you were even a million times more popr than a celebrity so why wouldn''t I know you?" Kyle replied meekly.

    "Apart from stuff on the inte about you, I personally knew you from someone who wouldn''t stop talking about you whenever we meet¡­,"

    "And who is that?" Joanna asked anxiously, not letting himplete his words.

    Although she knew he might not be the one who mentioned her to his friends, something inside of her still wished that her guess was correct.

    "Who else if not the one whom you are very curious about?" Kyle replied yfully.

    "He mentioned me to you?" Joanna asked, surprised that her guess was true.

    "Of course, it''s normal for a guy to talk about the woman he loves to his friends so what is so shocking about that?" Kyle asked not understanding why Joanna looked so surprised.

    "Or has he not mentioned that he wants to marry you not because of the prophecy but because he has long developed feelings for you?"

    Kyle waited for Joanna to reply but she avoided staring in his direction instead of satisfying his curiosity.

    [I was hoping to know whether he had proposed to her since he refused to tell me about it but I guess I won''t be able to get a reply from her too]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kyle cleared his throat to get her attention since she wouldn''t look at him.

    "Kay and I knew each other since we were 7 years old. Since his father and my father were close I and Tom were asked to be his training partner¡­,"

    "Tom? Who is that?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "He and I were taken to be his training partners at the same time. He is the one in charge of Greyson''s properties in the human world," Kyle exined patiently.

    "He has another friend apart from you? I wonder why I never knew about you both existence".

    There was a bit of sadness and disappointment in her tone as she spoke.

    "You were restricted ever since you were a child so it''s not a surprise that you don''t know about us," Kyle tried to make her feel better with his words despite knowing that his words might not work.

    Unlike children of her age which were usually at the yground hanging out with friends, she was made to work like a horse ever since she mastered how to walk.

    "And because of this restriction, I missed so many things including the chance to be a child. I mean I was practically forced to be an adult at a tender age," Joanna said staring into space.

    Recently anytime she recalls her childhood she felt the urge to kill those who steal her childhood from her.

    "Although it''s quite sad that nothing could be done about the past you can still do something to change the future so there is no need to feel bad about that which you have missed¡­," Kyle trailed.

    "Instead you should prepare yourself to embrace what the future holds in store for you".

    Joanna decided to go back on the right track when she realised that they were deviating from their main discussion.

    "So what happened after you became training partners?"

    "When we met we realised that unlike other boys his age who were cheerful he was nowhere close to being cheerful and we found this weird. It took Tom and me a great deal to be friends with the Grumpy Kay," Kyle smiled when he recalled the past.

    "And why was he not cheerful when he didn''t have a Stepmother to keep him unhappy all day just like mine?" Joanna asked eager to know every detail about him.

    "He never mentioned it but I guess he was that way because he was raised by his father since his mother was too busy to care about him back then".

    "I have always thought that he led a very happy life since he had both parents who loves him dearly but listening to you, I guess I was wrong," Joanna said sadly.

    "He had his fair share of troubles. His childhood wasn''t a smooth sail just like mine".

    ¡­

    A/N: So how have you been enjoying the story so far?

    When you read, don''t just read, please take out time toment and also leave a review to share your thoughts about the book.

    That''s the way you can help me improve and let me know whether I am on the right track.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 120 What Do You Mean?

    ?"You are right about that. Not all people who smile are happy. Just in the same way in which not all those who wear fancy clothes are necessarily rich¡­," Kyle got all emotional when he recalled the past.

    "This is what so many people are not aware of. It''s not until you cry and say IT HURTS that you are in pain. Even those who smile the brightest might be silently crying for help".

    "You a hundred per cent correct. Not everyone who looks happy is happy like they try to portray," Joanna supported firmly.

    "Let me not bore you with life talks and continue with what we were talking about," Kyle said.

    "The little boy who knew nothing other than fighting and reading became more cheerful when we became friends and this was all thanks to me and Tom''s efforts".

    "We did everything together in the past but we realised sometimes that he always snuck out without telling us his destination. We noticed this so many times and we got worried that he might be doing something bad within our back¡­,"

    "So did you both find out what he was doing by sneaking out?" Joanna asked curiously.

    [I wonder if this is the truth that I have been waiting for? I can''t wait to know what happened to him]

    Joanna subconsciously smiled thinking that her quest to know more about what actually happened to Kayden wille true here.

    "We realised after secretly following him that he wasing to meet you¡­.,"

    "What!" Joanna remarked, not knowing whether or not to feel happy about this.

    "Yeah, we were just as surprised as you when we discovered his secret. I mean everyone had thought that you both weren''t close, so you can imagine how surprised we were to know that you and your friend were his secret ymates", Kyle smiled happily.

    Kyle stretched his hand and picked up the ss of whiskey. He took a sip from it and returned the ss to its original position.

    "At first Tom and I had nned to disclose the truth to his father but when we saw just how happy he was we had second thoughts about it".

    Kyle smiled like he had recalled something.

    "Can you imagine what the Grumpy guy said when we asked to join you guys too after we forced him to tell us about you?" Kyle''s smile broadened as the memory of that incident flushed into his head.

    "What did he say?" Joanna asked, her disappointment was long gone.

    [What is there to be disappointed that I couldn''t find out the truth from his friend. I will just wait for Kay to tell me the truth by himself when he is ready]

    Joanna smiled as she got prepared to learn more about Kayden without getting distracted.

    "The stingy guy refused. He even threatened to break our legs if ever we secretly followed him again," The hrious manner in which Kyle ryed the incident made Joannaugh.

    "Since he was the type to be feared whenever he is angry Tom and I dared not follow him because of the consequences¡­,"

    "Haha¡­ I never knew he was that scary until you said it¡­,"

    "The Grumpy guy has always been scary sincere he was young and this made him unapproachable. I guess that is why he doesn''t have many friends¡­," Kyle deliberately trailed to get her attention.

    "In the entire Kingdom, you are the only one he treats so nicely. He has never shown you his scary side because he truly loves. In fact, I believe he had always loved you even when he was little but didn''t just realise his feelings for you," Kyle said seriously.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ever since she sat down with him, Joanna could swear that this is the first time she had seen the guy so serious.

    "Since he hardly let women close to him, we had thought that he was gonna die a lonely man but Tom and I were so thrilled when he told us that he had feelings for you," Kyle said his gaze centred on Joanna''s face to make sure that she was listening to him.

    For his friend''s happiness, he will go to any length to make sure that he got his own happy ending.

    "Although our rtionship became a bit strained after he became King, can you believe out of everyone else that you are the only one whom he made sure that his position didn''te in between your friendship?"

    Joanna has always thought that Kayden still keeping in contact with her even after he became the King wasn''t a big deal until Kyle said it just now.

    "Will you believe that I get jealous of you sometimes?" Kyle asked as he adjusted well on the chair.

    "You are jealous of me? But why?" Joanna asked confused.

    For as long as she can remember she doesn''t have anything worth anyone being jealous of.

    "Because you are the only one Kay has in his heart. He is willing to do anything just for you".

    "I mean in this century which man would be willing to go this far for the sake of love?" Kyle asked seriously.

    "Just because he wanted to spend time with you he didn''t hesitate the slightest bit to live his home and everything important to him just to live here¡­," Kyle demonstrated with his hands as he talked.

    Joanna took a second to think about what Kyle said.

    Everything she always took trivia just because she got it without working hard, she just realised that it wasn''t as trivia as she thought.

    ? "Can you believe that even when his father, his only closest family suddenly died, he didn''t break down¡­," Kyle said emotionally. For the first time, he avoided Joanna''s eyes as he spoke.

    "But he didn''t only break down but he lost his mind and did things he has never done all his life when everyone thought that you had died".

    "What do you mean?" Joanna asked worriedly.

    "Didn''t he tell you what happened during the period you went missing?" Kyle asked shifting his attention back to her.

    "Of course, I know what he did¡­,"

    "Does that he told you how he bit and killed¡­,"

    "What are you guys seriously talking about?" A guy''s cool voice stopped Kyle from divulging the truth to Joanna.

    Kyle was stunned when he saw that the one who interrupted him was Kayden.

    [I didn''t sense his presence anywhere close so how did he get here so fast?]

    Kyle thought his gaze centred on Kayden''s smiling face.

 Chapter 121 His Glares

    ?Though he seems to be smiling Kyle who has known him better than anyone else could see killing intent in his eyes.

    "Kyle was trying to tell me some secret that you forgot or should I say¡­. refused to tell me," Joanna said smiling at him.

    "Really?" Kayden asked his gaze centred on Kyle.

    He sat down on the chair opposite theirs.

    "So what were you trying to tell her, Kyle?" Kayden asked, his murderous res directed at him.

    Seeing the killing intent in his eyes Kyle knew he was in deep trouble for saying things he was never supposed to say to Joanna.

    Joanna, who was oblivious of what Kayden''s gaze was doing to Kyle''s system, turned to look at Kayden when she saw Kyle trembling.

    "Why are you staring at him like that?" Joanna asked frowning when she saw Kayden''s gaze which was full of deadly threats.

    Sitting there all Kyle wanted to do was to find an excuse to escape from there because that is the only way he can save himself from this impending danger.

    "Aren''t you the one who told me toe to him so that he could keep mepany so¡­,"

    "I only said he should talk to you so you won''t feel bored but I never said he could get so close to my woman or did I, Kyle?" Kayden asked his gaze not shifting from Kyle''s body.

    "Grumpy¡­ No¡­ I mean Kay," Kyle quickly corrected himself, not letting Kayden be the one to do it.

    "I just realised that I have some unfinished business to attend to. I will leave the two of you now," Kyle stood up and left their table in a sh.

    Joanna didn''t even have the opportunity to call him back.

    She diverted her fierce res to Kayden''s face when she saw that he had sessfully driven the nice guy away.

    "Why are you so stingy huh?" Joanna asked, sounding pretty upset.

    "You are stingy even to your friends how¡­,"

    "Of course, I need to be stingy when ites to those who are close to my woman," Kayden said without an ounce of shame.

    He jumped and took his ce beside her.

    "He is so handsome thatdies who set their eyes on him go crazy. What if in the process of being generous you fell in love with him, what will you have me do huh?" Kayden said as he yfully nudged her by the side.

    His childish behaviour made the once angry Joanna chuckle.

    "I have always known that you are a nutcase. Getting angry over such things is a waste of emotions," Joanna said as she shifted away from him when she realised that they were sitting too close to each other.

    "I was beginning to enjoy hispany and you chased him away¡­,"

    "I am here so you can also start enjoying mypany," Kayden winked naughtily at her.

    "In fact, I bet you will even enjoy mypany more since I will entertain and do to you things he would never be able to do," Kayden said teasingly as he yfully brought his hand to her thigh.

    The feeling of his hand on her legs made Joanna jump up from her seat.

    "Hey, keep your hands off me if you don''t want me to scream and attract others'' attention¡­," Kayden stretched his hand and dragged her back onto the chair.

    "You can go ahead and scream but I bet that none will care about that because this is a club. If you scream they will all think you are screaming in sheer pleasure¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You¡­," Joanna was left speechless again by his shameless words.

    "That is why just be a good girl and sit down here or I will be tempted to tease you right in front of so many prying eyes," Kayden said teasingly.

    He released her hands when she was no longer struggling with him.

    Joanna stopped struggling when she heard his words. She knew very well that his words were not mere threats and the best way to avoid his troubles was to do as he had said.

    "So what were you so curious to know about me?" Kayden broke off the awkward silence with his question.

    "Were you eager to confirm from him whether my love for you is true¡­,"

    "No, I was curious to know why on earth that cool guy in the past became so shameless within the space of just six months," Joanna replied jokingly.

    "From his words, I got to know that you were never the type to socialize and that I am the only woman you have gotten so close to in the way you¡­," Joanna trailed as she turned and looked him in the eyes.

    "But why is it that I don''t believe what he said when I think about the things you have said and done ever since I came back?" She lifted her hand and brought it to his face.

    "You are so experienced like you have done it so many times," Joanna concluded as she yed with his face.

    Kayden stared at her not knowing what to make out of her sudden closeness to him.

    He has always been the one who initiated closeness to her so seeing her do this he couldn''t help but feel uneasy about it.

    Logically he knew he was supposed to be happy about the new development but he didn''t know why he was feeling this way.

    Was he feeling this way because it was too sudden or was there another reason for it?

    "I didn''t go to lessons to learn all these things but it came naturally," Kayden said as he held her hand which she had brought to his chest.

    "Try losing the man you love with all your whole heart but only for the person to return. It''s then you will realise that not everything that¡­,"

    "Why are you getting all serious again?" Joanna asked unhappily. "Those words were supposed to be a joke¡­,"

    "Although I told you that I will be nothing but a lover whenever I am with you, that doesn''t mean that I will always have this smiling face," Kayden said seriously.

    "I might be a man who loves you so much and is willing to go to any length for you but I am also the King and that fact will always remain¡­," Kayden trailed as he lifted his hand and ced it on her face.

    He stroked her face affectionately.

    "Since this man sitting beside you is not only a helpless lover but also the King, are you willing to embrace me for what I am just like I did with you?" Kayden stared into her eyes.

    There was so much hope in his eyes. He was so hopeful because he wouldn''t know what to do if she rejected him for who he really was.

    ¡­

    A/N: So how have you been enjoying the story so far?

    When you read, don''t just read, please take out time toment and also leave a review to share your thoughts about the book.

    That''s the way you can help me improve and let me know whether I am on the right track.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 122 The Bad Guys After Them

    ?Somewhere inside the club, a guy sitting in thepany of threedies sprang up to his feet startling not only thedies but his group of friends.

    "The King is here!" He remarked, he turned and scanned the club, especially where his ears picked up the information.

    "They are here!" Kayden''s ears twitched. He averted his gaze to the direction he heard the voice.

    "They are here?" She asked, looking around to see whether someone wasing in their direction. Joanna brought back her attention to his face when she didn''t see anyone.

    "Who is here?" She demanded in a subtle tone. Looking at his face she could see uneasiness on it and she wondered what could be responsible for his uneasiness.

    He startled her when he suddenly sprang to his feet and held her hand, " Let''s get out of here". He started walking, not giving her the chance to speak.

    Meanwhile, as Kayden was trying to get out of the club those whose voices he heard were searching for him. As they struggled to get out of the crowded club Kayden bumped into Kyle.

    "Where are you going?" Kyle grabbed his hand. Seeing Kayden constantly looking behind himbined with the uneasiness on his face made Kyle realize that something was amidst.

    "What is...,"

    "They are here?" Kayden repeated the same words he told Joanna. Not knowing what on earth they were running away from made Joanna further confused.

    Who were the THEY, that Kayden was referring to?

    And what did he mean by they areing?

    These two questions were on Joanna''s mind as she stared at Kayden''s anxious expression.

    "What!" Kyle''s eyes widened as he let his eyes scrutinise the club. One look at him you would think he was pursued by the demon.

    Kayden took his woman''s hands and tried to lead her out before any drastic thing urred.

    "Kay...," He paused what he wanted to say when he saw that they had already mixed in the crowd.

    "Where is he?" The guy with a snake tattoo on his hand asked hispanions. Standing with his hands on the bar of the second floor, the tattooed guy scrutinized the ground floor with his eagle-like eyes.

    In no time he spotted a familiar figure approaching the exit.

    "He is trying to leave. Hurry!" Without hesitation, he jumped down from where he stood. Those on the ground floor pulled away from where hended.

    The deadly aura following him dared not make them mutter a word. Even the humandy whom he bumped into while jumping held her peace.

    From merely looking at his face she needed no one to tell her that he was aDANGERhimself.

    When they had reached outside Joanna gasped for air. She forcefully freed her hand from his firm hold.

    "What was that?" She looked at his face with anger visible in them. "If you hated my touch you could have just...," Kayden grabbed her hand making her unable to finish her words.

    "Joan, let''s go. We don''t have time for that," Kayden hurriedly said, his gaze focused on the club''s door guarded by two hefty men in ck suits.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His eyes widened when the heavy footsteps grew louder. "I will exin thingster but for now we must go. Things are gonna get bloody if we don''t leave here right this moment," Kayden vanished along with Joanna the instant he finished talking.

    The men arrived almost immediately Kayden and Joanna left there. The three men would have caught them had they waited for a second more.

    "Fuck, he is gone," the guy with the tattooed snake spat out in anger. He was so angry that the veins on his neck and forehead popped out.

    "He just left. I can still feel his scent so that means we can still catch up to him," the guy with a low cut said, gazing up at his angry boss.

    The tattooed snake guy''s mouth curled into an evil snicker only for his brown teeth to be revealed. "You are right," he hit the guy who talked on the shoulder.

    "Let''s see where he will run to or who will save him from our clutches today," He disappeared almost immediately and so did his men. A faint ck smoke apanied their disappearance.

    ? Kayden ran and resurfaced. He repeated this so many times. When they got to a secluded ce far from residential buildings he stopped running.

    "Who are those pursuing us, Kay?" She peered at him inquiringly. "Did you offend anyone...,"

    "Does a King needs to offend anyone to have enemies?" Kayden asked, smiling at her. He did this to put her mind at ease but Joanna concluded he was out of his damn mind to be smiling in this ce and situation that they were in.

    "Kings from ancient times up until this day have endless enemies. Whether or not they offend someone, there is always someone out there after their lives".

    "You..,"

    "Go and stay over there until everything is over. I promise I will protect you no matter what," said Kayden as he pushed her gently to the ce he wanted her to hide.

    Joanna staggered, not moving away as he wanted.

    "Kay...,"

    "Please just go and hide there ok, Joan?" Kayden pushed her one more time. "Or it will be toote if the brutal men reach here before you take cover".

    When she still refused to take refuge, he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the right-hand side of the street where a ce to take cover was.

    He raised his gaze and peered into her innocent eyes. "Even though I end up dying today I will make sure no harmes to you so be a good girl and stay here," said Kayden. He lifted his hand and stroked her hair.

    "I won''t be able to live if something terrible happened to you so be good," He vanished and resurfaced in the middle of the street just before the mean men arrived there.

    In no time the men in ck circled him leaving him no escape route.

    "I guess I am not so lucky today," Kayden brought his daggers from where he hid them.

    Under the shimmering moonlight, the daggers glowed.

    Kayden took his stance, his chins upward. There was no fear in his eyes.

    "Enough with his nonsense. Get him," The tattooed snake guy thundered. Together the four men advance towards Kayden making it a four against one match.

 Chapter 123 I Surrender

    ?Kayden moved swiftly with the daggers held sideways. He appeared and disappeared a quite number of times and Joanna watching the battle from her hiding ce lost count of it.

    She dug her nails to her fleshy palms seeing the tattooed snake guy shing Kayden''s back with his daggers.

    Arrghh***

    A scream of anguish left Kayden''s mouth as he staggered backwards. The men charged forward again giving him no chance to rx.

    If they assumed that a mere sh would weaken Kayden then that means they were not aware of their opponent.

    He proved them wrong by standing erect with his daggers stuck out, waiting for a throat to slit.

    Kayden fought like the man of valour that he was. He didn''t care whether his enemies were more in number he stood his ground.

    As the battle went on, punches that could boil a hole in a wall were seen flying and glowing daggers swayed.

    From merely watching the men fight Joanna knew they were assassins. Not just mere assassins but those that underwent serious training.

    After fighting for close to ten minutes Kayden changed the method he used.

    He decided to use the misdirection technique.

    When he moved left the assassins will assume that is the direction he would attack from but only for him tounch a vital blow on the right.

    Seeing that Kayden had the upper hand now made Joanna less anxious.

    Arrghh***

    Deafening screams filled the void as Kayden slit the throat of the guy with a low haircut.

    The guy started disintegrating to dust before his body touched the ground.

    The tattooed snake guy lost his sense of reasoning as he watched his right-hand man drop dead in front of him.

    His gaze turned deadlier as he turned and looked in Kayden''s direction. "Don''t spare him," He bellowed, charging forward along with his remaining men.

    "Come on, I am not scared of you," Kayden smirked evilly. He beckoned them on with the movement of his hands.

    Just when the men charging toward him thought they had him, he vanished into thin air leaving them confused.

    [Hehe¡­ that is my man]

    Joanna was so thrilled by his move to care about the thoughts upying her mind.

    When he vanished the clustered men that ganged up on him separated and searched for him.

    He appeared in the same manner he vanished. Kayden didn''t give the opponent whose front he appeared the chance to react.

    He shoved the right dagger into the guy''s chest. The guy''s eyes widened in shock as he tried to pull the dagger out.

    Kayden pushed the dagger in causing it to rupture the guy''s heart.

    Kayden got distracted when he tried to pick up his dagger. He didn''t see the tattooed snake guy advancing toward him.

    "Watch¡­," Joanna covered her mouth when she realised that she had said the words out.

    Not only Kayden but the remaining two assassins'' sharp ears captured her words even though she didn''t say them loudly.

    The growling tattooed snake guy diverted his attention from Kayden he wanted to attack to where the voice came from.

    Realising that Joanna has be their target Kayden grabbed the distracted guy by the neck and pulled him to the wall.

    Refusing to be trapped, the tattooed snake guy whom Kayden seized ran backwards with full force.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Bam***

    He mmed Kayden''s back against the wall. Kayden groaned in pain but he didn''t let go.

    Noticing how stubborn Kayden was, the guy repeated the same thing. This time Kayden''s clutches around his neck loosened.

    As Kayden was trying to keep the guy away from Joanna''s hiding ce he didn''t see the second guy approaching her.

    When he realised this he tried to go to her rescue but the tattooed guy kept him upied.

    The second guy was about five feet away from Joanna''s hiding ce when Joanna sprang out of her hiding ce.

    This action of hers made the second guy move backwards. His lips curled into an evil smirk when he saw Joanna lift both hands in the air.

    He couldn''t believe he was worried for nothing.

    "I surrender," Joanna muttered. Her shaky voice caught Kayden''s attention causing him to lose focus once again.

    Joanna suddenly burst outughing to the confusion of others. "Hey, don''t tell me that is what you were expecting me to say, right?" Sheughed harder.

    The guy''s frown deepened. He could take so much bullshit but mockery wasn''t part of it and he was ready to teach Joanna a lesson she would never forget.

    "Rip her mouth and feed it to the dogs," The tattooed guymanded.

    sh***

    The dagger pierced Kayden on his handsome face.

    "Kay!" Joanna shouted, her heart pounding hard as she stared at the guy holding his bleeding face.

    She tried to force her way toward him but the second guy obstructed her.

    "I am fine," said the bleeding Kayden.

    Really he was fine because if he hadn''t dodged the dagger which the guy aimed at his throat it would have been his pile of dust that she would have been crying to.

    "Let me give you a dagger¡­,"

    "That is not necessary because my hands alone hurt more than a thousand daggers," Joanna smirked devilishly.

    "After tonight''s battle, you are only allowed to call me Boss Lady¡­,"

    "Forget about calling you Boss Lady, I will even call you My Queen from tonight''s onwards if you can stall him until Ie to your rescue," Kayden''s words showed he didn''t believe her.

    "If only he knew that this Joanna here is no longer a damsel in distress," Joanna muttered, her gaze focused on the guy fighting so hard despite his bleeding face.

    Suddenly her right palm glowed red causing the second guy to stagger backwards.

    As if that wasn''t enough shock for the night her left hand glowed bright green.

    The second guy sauntered backwards. His eyes almost fell out of their sockets. "What the hell is she?" His shaky voice gave away his fears.

    "I really didn''t want to use my powers but you both forced me. And now you are going to be the first person I used this on," Joanna''s lips curved to a wicked smile.

    She charged forward at an incredible speed that made her invisible. She was too fast for the astounded guy to dodge her attack.

    Joanna covered her zing right hand on his face and her glowing left hand on his chest.

    Arrrgh***

    Screams that could be heard from miles filled the quiet street.

 Chapter 124 They Won The Fight

    ?Kayden lifted his head and gazed at her almost at the same time that the guy screamed. Behold the sight he saw left him speechless.

    Smiling at him was Joanna whose both hands glowed even in the dark. Her hands weren''t the only part of her body glowing but so were her eyes. A beam of brightness surrounded her making her look more enchanted and badass.

    If not for the fact that they had the same face and figure he wouldn''t have recognised her as the woman he is in love with.

    Apart from that if someone had told him such an urrence took ce he wouldn''t have believed it in a thousand years toe.

    The blinded guy''s face and stomach burn hotter as minutes passed. As time ticked so also did his screams intensified.

    "How dare...," A ball of glimmering fire thrown by Joanna entered the tattooed snake guy''s mouth.

    Arrghh***

    Deafening screams of agony erupted in the street once again. He went crazy as he ran to and fro searching for water or anything that could quench the fire in his mouth.

    "That happened because you talk too much," Her nonchnce after what she did make her look like a totally different person.

    There was no ounce of sympathy in her eyes as she watched the guy banging his head against the wall with the hope that his suffering will subside a little.

    At the time she wanted to stroll to Kayden''s side Bacon showed up. He soar in the air and after pping his wings a few times itnded on Joanna''s shoulders. The grinning Joanna pats the bird''s hairy head.

    "I didn''t even call but you showed up. What a good boy you are?" With the bird on her shoulder, Joanna strolled to where the astounded Kayden stood.

    "Since you are here then go and do your work. I will leave the rest to you," Joanna tapped his head gently. As if he understood what she said Bacon chirped and flew towards the assassin''s direction.

    Joanna diverted her attention to Kayden. Staring at the deep cut at a close range, her chest tightened. Her hatred intensified for the two men still struggling with the pains of her attack.

    "Bacon, don''t forget to gouge out their eyes as punishment for hurting his face," Joanna instructed the bird that was already carrying out his task.

    Bacon responded with a loud chirp and instantly flew on the tattooed snake guy''s head. The guy swung his hand repeatedly trying to chase the bird away. No matter how hard he tried Bacon didn''t move a muscle.

    Bacon poke the tattooed guy''s right eye sending him screaming in pain.

    "That serves him right," Joanna grinned listening to the guy''s wild scream. She brought back her attention to the guy gazing at her as if she has just fallen from the sky.

    "Are you ok?" Asked Joanna worriedly. She lifted her hand and tried to touch his face. The burning sensations made Kayden groan.

    "Does it hurt very much?" Joanna moved away from his face and checked his back injuries. Because of the special weapons the assassins used Kayden''s wound had refused to heal.

    "It''s not hurting. You are the most effective medicine to cure my pains," His lips lifted but only for him to whine before they could form a smile.

    Joanna didn''t know whether tough or scold him for trying to act cool even though his whine was an obvious sign that he was in pain.

    "I won''t scold you today since you are hurt because you were trying to save me so let''s go," said Joanna as she held his hand and made him lean on her.

    Although he wasn''t hurt to the point that he couldn''t walk he pretended to be in severe pain all because it was her.

    "You want us to leave?" Asked Kayden in a soft tone. He turned and gaze at the men whom Bacon was pecking every part of their body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t worry, Bacon knows exactly what to do with scums like them. With my Bacon around they won''t live passed midnight," Joanna said subconsciously smiling in Bacon''s direction.

    "He¡­,"

    "He isn''t just an ordinary bird. It''s more intelligent and powerful than you think."

    Kayden didn''t need to speak for Joanna to know what was on his mind. His reluctance and the look on his face were enough for her to guess his thoughts.

    Holding onto his hand they walked further away from the Kingdom.

    Joanna leads the way to their hideout.

    The swaying of tree branches and leaves. The chirping of the night owl and growls of wild animals from afar was the sign that they had arrived at the forest.

    Joanna made him sit on the big tree trunk which normally served as their chair. She dashed into the hut and returned with the white and red box that Kayden prepared just for her.

    There was a lot of gentleness in her touch as she went about undressing him. Unlike how she normally gets flustered in the past whenever she saw his bare body, she didn''t feel her cheeks burnt nor did she feel the urge to look away.

    She was so used to seeing his nudity and this felt like a normal thing when it shouldn''t suppose to be so.

    The wound stings as she cleansed it with the methted spirit. Kayden bites down on his lower lips as he stares at her face which stands out even in the dark.

    All his thoughts were that thisdy nursing his wound was the same fraildy he knew in the past. He had thought he would always be her knight in shiny armour.

    But today he saw her in a different light and surprisingly his desire to protect her didn''t change even though he knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself.

    Gazing at her face he could feel all his pains fade away in the twinkle of an eye.

    "I love you," He muttered, his gaze fixated on her purple eyes.

    Her hands dressing his wound stopped in their tracks. Joanna raised her gaze only for her eyes to get locked in his.

    "I love you a whole lot and I won''t get tired to say this to you every day".

    Joanna was lost in the intensity of his eyes and couldn''t avoid his eyes no matter how hard she tried.

    ¡­

    A/N: So how have you been enjoying the story so far?

    When you read, don''t just read, please take out time toment and also leave a review to share your thoughts about the book.

    That''s the way you can help me improve and let me know whether I am on the right track.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 125 What Is Love?

    ?Joanna was lost in the intensity of his gaze. As she stared into his passionate eyes her face subconsciously drew close.

    With her eyes fixated on his, the two of them felt a strong force pulling them towards each other. They both had no control over this strange force.

    Joanna closed her eyes ready to feel the warmth of his tender lips against hers. She was eagerly waiting to feel the sweet taste of his addicting lips when he let out a loud groan.

    Arrghh***

    His screams made her eyes fly open. "What... what''s wrong?" Joanna asked, her worried eyes centred on his.

    Kayden''s eyes fluttered open. He released his reddened lower lips. "It hurts... so will you let go," Kayden twitched his cheeks where her fingers were pressing hard on.

    Joanna pulled away from him when she realised what she had done."Sorry.. sorry it wasn''t intentional...,"

    "Of course, I know that," Kayden said confidently. He extended his hands and held her hand and brought them to his bare chest.

    He lifted his eyes and made sure they were locked in hers. "I know you could never hurt me no matter what," His confidence while saying this was on another level.

    She tried to pull her hands away from his grip but he refused to let her have her way.

    "What always gives you this confidence and assurance. I mean I don''t recall ever giving you that assure...,"

    "Your eyes of course or where did you think I got the confidence?" Kayden''s face lit up as he continued staring into her eyeballs.

    There is a strange feeling he always had whenever he looked into her eyes. And this is why he always misses those strange yet amazing feelings each time he doesn''t see her.

    "My eyes? What do you mean?" Joanna touched her eyes hoping to find what he was talking about.

    "You won''t see it now no matter how hard you try but I assure you, you will understand exactly what I mean when you fall in love with me too" His smile never left his handsome face as he spoke.

    Joanna threw away the used cotton wool and sat down close to him. She stared at him in the eyes, "What does it mean to fall in love with someone," She demanded in a subtle tone that carried endless gentleness.

    "Love?" Kayden repeated as his lips curled into a beautiful smile. He cleared his throat, stood up and got ready to give her the answer she wanted.

    "The feeling of being in love and receiving love in return is the most amazing feeling in the world...," Kayden trailed as he looked up at the starry night which seemed to be shining just for his sake.

    The memory of the day he confirmed that he was in love with Joanna cropped up in his mind.

    He could still recall how amazing he felt that day. His smile shone brighter than normal. His temperament took a new dimension.

    Mere looking at her picture frame hanging in his bedroom made him feel full. His life never remained the same again after he confirmed the doubt he has been having about her.

    "When you are in love with someone even though that person is right before you, you will miss him. Doesn''t that sound crazy?" Kayden stared at thedy who was gazing at him intently.

    Her purple orbs followed every movement he made.

    "As crazy as it sounds, that is how I often feel. Even though I spend 24 hours with you it will still feel as though that isn''t enough...,"

    "That is madness," Joanna spat out the words without thinking. She folded her long legs and rxed her back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And I am gonna make sure you join that league of thousands of mad people in the world...,"

    "Your wish," Joanna rolled her eyes as she spoke.

    "Of course, it''s my greatest wish for you to fall madly in love with me just like I am with you so I don''t think you need to remind me about that," Kayden winked naughtily at her.

    "Shameless," Joanna muttered. Her pouty lips almost made Kayden burst outughing.

    "Ok, I won''t tease you again so back to what I was saying," Kayden''s mischievous look vanished and was reced by his seriousness.

    "When you are in love with a man, seeing him hurt will make you feel twice the pain. If he is in danger you would wish you could rece him in that situation. It is the feeling of being full merely seeing her eat even though you haven''t eaten for a day...,"

    "Why does love sound soplicated?" She shrieked.

    She has heard a lot of stories and saw a lot of instances where those in love do crazy things for the sake of love.

    Although she doesn''t understand what it means to love a man romantically she finds some of these things barbaric.

    Why does love have to be soplicated?

    These things lead her to question the real essence of love.

    "Love is the purest feeling in the world," Kayden started. He strode to the trunk and sat down.

    "Love itself is notplicated but it is people who make it sound and lookplicated".

    Kayden stared into space as he sat there. Her question made him recall the past.

    When he was still a kid he never had the privilege to spend quality time with his mother.

    He was raised by his father for as long as he can recall.

    Kayden can still vividly remember what his father always told him whenever he asked why their mother wasn''t with them.

    "Mummy loves us. She is just too busy working to make sure that you have a worried-free future?"

    Back then he always foolishly epted what his father said but as he grew up he no longer believed that bullshit.

    Kayden was lost in his thoughts and didn''t see Joanna turn to look at him when he didn''t utter a word.

    Merely looking at him she could read sadness on his face.

    Just then Kyle''s words echoed in her head, "Even those who smile the brightest might be silently crying for help".

    Joanna tapped him on the shoulder. She beamed when he turned and gave her questioning res. "If you are sad then you can lean on me, I have got you covered," Joanna tapped her left shoulder.

 Chapter 126 The Second Words He Desperately Yearned For

    ?Kayden stared at her for about two minutes without uttering a word. Joanna''s smile faded away when she realized how strangely he stared at her.

    "Did I say something wrong?" Joanna scratched her head. "Or do you perhaps think that my shoulders aren''t solid enough," Joanna said jokingly, expecting to see himugh like he usually did but he didn''t.

    His gaze remained fixated on her face.

    Merely knowing that there was at least one person in the world willing to offer him a shoulder to lean on made Kayden feel warmth in his heart.

    A kind of warmth he has never felt before rose up in his heart the moment he heard her words.

    Everyone thinks he has it easy just because he is the King. They assumed he is leading a worried free life not knowing that there was nothing worried free about the life of a King.

    If only they knew that being a King doesn''t mean just sitting in the Pce eating and enjoying the life of affluence.

    Being a King is more than eating and merrying. It means having to cater for the needs of thousands of people living in the Kingdom.

    It has to do with putting up with the Minister''s disloyalty and nonchnce behavior towards him.

    It means being wary of everyone and everything if you want to remain alive for a long time.

    Maybe a shoulder to lean on was what he needed all these years and didn''t even realize it until now.

    [Thank you for saying those words, Joan. I have just realised that apart from hearing you say I LOVE YOU, those were the second words I desperately needed to hear from someone. I am so happy that the one who said those words is you]

    Kayden smiled at her. Seeing him smile when he was only staring at her nkly made Joanna feel uneasy.

    "Can you stop scaring me¡­,"

    "Loaning me your shoulder to lean on sure sounds like a fabulous idea but¡­," Kayden trailed to arouse her curiosity.

    Noticing how she frowned when he stopped midway showed he had achieved what he wanted.

    "But what?" Joanna demanded, not looking away from his face.

    "But I don''t need a stingy person who would only lend me a shoulder for a day. I need someone who I will lean on her shoulder for a lifetime. Are you willing to be that person?" Kayden changed his method of proposing.

    He hopefully waited to see whether this method would work better than his direct proposal.

    "Of course yes. That is a simple thing," Joanna beats her chest and lifts her chin slightly.

    "Was that what you were worried about?" Joanna enquired, oblivious of the meaning of what she had said.

    "You are not allowed to go back on your promise ok?" Kayden''s smile broadened. At that moment he felt like pulling in and giving her a sensational kiss that would leave her breathless.

    "I won''t," Joanna assured him not seeing anything wrong with how much his smile glowed in the dark.

    Quietness soon erupted where they sat after their little chit-chat.

    "So are you ready to tell me what happened in the street when those men attacked us?" Kayden calmly asked.

    It was so obvious he was waiting for the perfect timing to bring up the topic.

    "Many things happened on the street when you fought them so which of them exactly are you asking me to tell you?" Joanna avoided his eyes.

    She looked far ahead of her like there was something captivating happening there.

    "You and I both know that you are aware of what I am talking about so there is no need to put on an act¡­,"

    "Just like we both know that with your power you could have easily defeated those men no matter how skilled they were. But you decided to go easy on them, why?" Joanna asked with widened eyeballs. She stood up and paced about in front of him.

    "Did you do that just to see me unleash my powers that I have been trying hard to hide from you¡­,"

    "Joan!" Kayden tried to call her back to order. There was awkwardness in the air after her utterances.

    She avoided looking in his direction while Kayden refused to be the one to talk.

    He asked her the question about the earlier battle not because of anything but because he wanted to know more about her.

    He had no ulterior motives so he wondered why their conversation turned out that way.

    "It''s not that I went easy on them as you said but I didn''t want to go overboard after how I kept on losing control of my powerstely," said Kayden softly. He stood up and turned his back on her.

    "With Chris and Gideon not around I was worried that I might scare and even hurt you if I lost control of my powers once again," He concluded in the same manner he started.

    Joanna, who was acting like she wouldn''t look at him for at least two days, ran and stood in front of him.

    "What do you mean by you lost control of your powers?" Asked Joanna with furrowed eyebrows.

    Staring at her excited pair of eyes made Kayden realize that in a bid he had spilt words he shouldn''t have said in front of her.

    "Aren''t you going home? It''s getting quitete," Kayden avoided her eyes and tried to stroll away but Joanna grabbed him and held him in ce.

    "Nobody cares if I return or sleep out, especially after what I did to them so you don''t have to use that as an excuse to evade the topic," said Joanna, not willing to leave there without hearing the secret he was trying so hard to hide.

    For some reason, she felt this was what Kyle wanted to tell her but had to stop halfway when Kayden showed up.

    "What exactly did you do that you won''t even tell me?" Joanna looked into his eyeballs with the hope that he would confide in her.

    [Nothing scares me more than the thought that you might keep your distance from me if you learn the truth. I don''t want to take the risk]

    Kayden was lost in thought as he looked into her eyes. He was lost at what to do at this moment.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????

    HAPPY AUGUST 2022 ??????

    Although we didn''t achievest month''s goals I want to say thank you to all my readers. Thanks so much for the love and support you have shown this book since the day it was published.

    Last month was very tough for me. I had a mental breakdown more than three times and it was all because of the book.

    I had a hard time writing but all thanks to your immense support I was able to pull through this.

    Thank you so much for always being there to give me the support I need to go on writing.

    All of you did well but among you are readers who did exceptionally wellst month and I want to recognise them with their names.

    These readers have been super supportive and would be an ingrate if I don''t thank them specifically.

    Before I start listing the categories, I want to say that the names on the list weren''t randomly picked. So please don''t say that author is partial.

    TOP FANS

    These are our three top fans and from the dept of my heart, I want to say thank you to the three of you and other fans who didn''t make it to the top 3 list.

    Thank you for the coins, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and gifts you have showered on this book.

    If I want to go on thanking you guys a page won''t be enough to contain it. Thanks for your endless support once again. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    1) flower_goddess

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GIFTERS

    The three of you gave me the most gifts throughout July 2022. I just want to let you know that I appreciate every single gift you gave to me.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face with your awesome gifts.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Teresa_Burns

    3) nkeeavenlymortal

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments? I love it just as much as I love GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts and coins. Leavinments makes me know whether or not you are following the book and these three readers made their presence known in almost every chapter of this book.

    I want to say a big thank you for all thements you left on this book. Yourments always put a smile on my face.

    Thank you once again, guys, yourments mean a lot more than you think to me.

    1) Clumsy_N1nja

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    To the readers that cast their GOLDEN TICKETS to this book, I want to say a big thank you to all of you.

    For taking it upon yourselves to give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS, I say I am grateful.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Clumsy_N1nja

    3) Magali_78

    To all those who voted with power stones, I want to say thank you to all of you. For giving me all your power stones daily, this poor author''s heart is full of gratitude.

    ...

    One more thing the 100 coin code will be announced when it is ready. It will only be avable to readers who purchased privileged chapters, so kindly buy the privileged chapters if you want to win the coin code.

    THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL MY READERS

    P.S:Guys, do you want to know the secret to make me happy and staying motivated?

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock the chapters daily, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review then you will see just how motivated your author will be.

    YOUR AUTHOR BEING MOTIVATED MEANS MORE DAILY CHAPTERS AND MASS RELEASES, SO GIVE ME MOTIVATION GUYS.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 127 Kayden Set A Game

    ?"Hey," Joanna snapped her finger to bring him out of his daze. "Say something because your silence is not gonna save you today," Joanna''s pouty lips made Kayden press his temple.

    He didn''t want to hurt her and neither was he ready to reveal the truth to her.

    For some reason the adage you cannot eat your cake and have it all came to his mind.

    But he didn''t care about that. These two things are important to him and he wants to satisfy both conditions.

    [Please save me, I really need help]

    Kayden silently cried for help as he stood there lost at what to do. He was scared he might lose his mind if this went on.

    "I¡­ I¡­,"

    ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

    The roar of an animal made them turn at the same time and face behind them with their clenched fist at their front.

    As she focused her gaze on the direction the heavy footsteps and grunts came from the white notification box popped up.

    <Analyzed activated>

    The system scanned all the things in the direction she focused her gaze on.

    <A wild boar>

    Joanna''s lips curved into a sly smile when she saw that she was worried for nothing. She cracked her knuckles and legs and got ready to attack.

    "It''s a wild boar," Joanna announced as she tilted her neck and looked at him.

    "Hide behind me¡­," Kayden paused when realisation dawned on him that the one standing beside him wasn''t that weak Joanna in the past.

    Protecting her had long be a habit that even though she showed her fighting prowess not long ago he forgot about it.

    He smirked, "I almost forgot that the one standing beside me is our badass Boss Lady".

    "You are¡­,"

    "I haven''t had blood for the entire day so why don''t we y a game," Kayden cut in, not letting her finish her sentence.

    He turned and lookedahead of him; the direction the roar came from to be precise.

    As the wild animal drew closer, his roar grew louder. The snapping of nts caused by the pressure of his weight became more pronounced.

    "What game is that?" Joanna questioned, her eyes sparkling as she waited to hear what naughty n he had in mind.

    "The game is quite simple," Kayden started. "Anyone of us who catches the wild boar first can ask anything from the loser," Kayden gave her a sly smile.

    "You can even ask me to make love to you in the wild and I won''t reject¡­,"

    "Why is your head always filled with such thoughts?" Joanna demanded as she rolled her eyes.

    "You¡­,"

    "Watch and see how I will make you lose to me," Joanna ceased his momentary distractedness and ran about a few steps away from where he stood.

    "You cheated," Kayden yelled with pouty lips. He raced to catch up to her but Joanna started running.

    The wild boar on seeing them turned and leapt in the air.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As the animal ran for dear life the leaves rustled underneath its powerful feet. Any nt it stomped on was not saved. This action was usually apanied by a loud crack.

    To catch up to her Kayden leapt in the air now and then. In a matter of ten minutes, he had outrun her.

    "If you dare to lose I am gonna make sure I ask you to marry me tonight," Kayden''s excited voice echoed in theforest.

    "Your wish," Joanna said, in the same manner, she always did.

    <Average speed activated by user>

    The white notification box popped up again and almost immediately the rate at which she ran doubled.

    As they raced fearlessly on the dark forest illuminated by the shiny moon, Joanna could hear squeaks and chirpings of birds.

    Apart from the mouse, squirrels and birds, other animals ran for safety due to the disturbance in the usually peaceful forest.

    "Now it''s obvious who is gonna be the loser between the two of us," Joanna, who was now the one leading, turned and smiled at Kayden.

    She didn''t stop running as she talked.

    "Get yourself ready to be severely tortured by me because you are not gonna have it easy today," Said the grinning Joanna.

    Because her gaze was focused on him while running, she didn''t see that there was a huge tree in front of her.

    She was close to bumping her head against the tree trunk when Kayden noticed this.

    Ugh***

    Kayden groaned. Before Joanna realised what had happened he was gone from where shest saw him.

    If not for the cold breeze that brushed past her she wouldn''t have noticed that someone ran past her.

    She turned to look at where he was going but only for her head to bump hard into something.

    Crack! Crack! Crack!

    The loud bone crack was apanied by Kayden''s slight groan.

    Joanna''s eyes widened when she realised that it was Kayden''s chest her head banged against.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna grabbed him before he could fall. He slowly lowered himself while grabbing his chest tightly.

    "I think I suffered a fracture," said Kayden as he closed his eyes to endure the pain. "It hurts like hell, help me to massage it," Kayden held her hand and rubbed it against his chest.

    Fear crossed Joanna''s face the moment she heard that he fractured his ribs.

    "Why¡­ why did you have to carelessly jump in?" Joanna asked with furrowed brows.

    "Aish¡­. It hurts a lot," Kayden winced as he continued using her hands to rub his chest.

    "If you asked me why I saved you, I wouldn''t be able to give you a satisfying answer," Kayden coughed while holding his chest.

    "The truth is because it was you, I didn''t even need to think much. All the thought in my mind was to save your delicate head from banging against the tree," Kayden said weakly. He coughed again.

    The grease on Joanna''s forehead faded away instantly. She used her fingers to massage the part of his chest her head bumped into.

    Two minutester she was still massaging his chest when a hissing from behind caught her attention.

 Chapter 128 Is It That Delicious?

    ?She frowned as she stared at the snake that was staring at her.

    "How dare you think you can attack us?" Joanna spoke as though she was talking to a person.

    The snake turned and crawled away the instant her right hand glowed red.

    Hahaha***

    Loudughter erupted behind her making her turn to look at her back. She was stunned when she saw Kayden standing far away from where she squatted.

    He wasughing so hard. She doubted whether he was the same personining of chest pain.

    And just then it dawned on her, "You were faking it!" Joanna shouted, her frown deepened on realising that she was tricked.

    "Everything is fair in love and war so don''t be so angry. Just get ready to be Mrs Joanna Kayden Greyson tonight," Kayden grinned.

    He took to his heels when she charged toward him in anger.

    "I still need to catch the wild boar so I won''t keep youpany anymore," said Kayden, not stopping to follow the trail of the wild boar.

    "I swear the way I am gonna hit you when I catch you, you won''t believe that I am the one who did it," Joanna, who was far behind him shouted.

    Not long Kayden and Joanna heard the roar of the boar.

    [I have told him that I won''t lose and I will make sure to keep my words]

    Joanna''s mouth curved into an evil snicker as she kept on running.

    [Maximum speed activated]

    The notification box appeared again and vanished.

    Joanna''s speed after the notification appears tripled per second. Within a minute she caught up to Kayden.

    "I guess you are still gonna be the loser no matter how hard you try," Joanna grinned as she passed him.

    Compared to winning the game Joanna had more fun just running this way with him.

    In the past everything about her life was limited. All she wanted was a quiet life without being picked on.

    She dared not dream like children of her age who could effortlessly outline what they wanted to be in the future.

    She was satisfied with a mediocre life but that wasn''t the case right now.

    At the moment her dream is to do all the things she was unable to do in the past. She wished to live her life doing what she wants.

    The current Joanna doesn''t want to live following the ns others had set for her.

    [It''s so nice to have someone like you in my life, Kay. Because of you, I was able to know the real essence of being happy. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be genuinely happy]

    Joanna turned and smiled at him. At that moment she saw him leap into the air.

    "What the fuck!" Joanna''s eyes widened at the height Kayden jumped.

    She has seen vampires jump their highest, especially since her best friend happens to be one of them.

    She knows that in terms of climbing a tree werewolves can''t beat vampires'' speed but no matter this, she hasn''t seen any vampire leapt so high without support.

    "Is this the power of a hybrid? This is awesome," Joanna said her gaze fixated on Kayden.

    She once again lost concentration because of him and just like before he gapped her.

    Kayden leaping on the trees jumped down after he had outrun Joanna once again.

    The wild boar that ran as though it were under a spell finally came into sight.

    Kayden''s eyes rolled seeing the boar bleeding hindlegs. He licked his lips hungrily as he growled with pleasure.

    With one powerful leap, he caught the wild boar in mid-air.

    Without even letting itnd on the ground he sucks his fangs into the fleshy stomach of the wild animal.

    The boar grumbled as it shook his body violently. If Kayden was a human the wounded boar would have no doubt killed him but no matter how powerful it was, his strength could not match that of Kayden.

    Joanna got there when Kayden was devouring the blood of the boar. She leaned against a tree, folded her legs and watched him.

    She stared at him like he was doing something captivating.

    The first time she saw Audrey kill an animal she was scared and disgusted by the sight.

    Joanna can recall running as fast as her legs could carry her.

    Recalling that scene she couldn''t help but smile at her young gullible self.

    The time to get scared and disgusted by the sight of vampires had long passed.

    Instead of being scared their way of devouring their prey always captivates her.

    She knows she sounds wanky right now but that is how she feels and won''t hide it.

    "Is it that delicious?" Joanna whispered as she folded her hands just below her breasts.

    Kayden that was so into his meal and didn''t realize when she arrived removed his fangs from the lifeless boar.

    Blood dripped from his lips and he used his fingers to clean them.

    ? He licks the finger seductively making sure to let out a slurp.

    Joanna swallowed a lump and subconsciously licked her lips like she just finished eating a very tasty candy.

    "It''s delicious, I won''t lie about that¡­," Kayden started, standing up erect.

    He appeared right in front of her, taking her by surprise with his sudden closeness.

    Kayden lifted his right hand and held her chin. He made her unable to avoid his passionate orbs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He caressed her smooth face lovingly without looking away from her eyeballs.

    Joanna felt her face burn hotter. Apart from her face, the heat was beginning to build up down there.

    She could feel the heat spread across her entire body.

    "No matter how delicious it tastes it can never bepared to the sweet savoury taste of your lips," He stroked her red lips flirtatiously.

    "Uhmmm¡­," Joanna let out an inviting groan.

    His lips curled into an evil smile when he realized what his little teasing had done to his innocent puppy.

    [She is such a tease. She has a unique way of making me lose my mind. I wonder whether she is even aware of this?]

    Kayden circled her slender waist with his powerful hands. With just one slight push, the space in between them stopped existing.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????

    HAPPY AUGUST 2022 ??????

    Although we didn''t achievest month''s goals I want to say thank you to all my readers. Thanks so much for the love and support you have shown this book since the day it was published.

    Last month was very tough for me. I had a mental breakdown more than three times and it was all because of the book.

    I had a hard time writing but all thanks to your immense support I was able to pull through this.

    Thank you so much for always being there to give me the support I need to go on writing.

    All of you did well but among you are readers who did exceptionally wellst month and I want to recognise them with their names.

    These readers have been super supportive and would be an ingrate if I don''t thank them specifically.

    Before I start listing the categories, I want to say that the names on the list weren''t randomly picked. So please don''t say that author is partial.

    TOP FANS

    These are our three top fans and from the dept of my heart, I want to say thank you to the three of you and other fans who didn''t make it to the top 3 list.

    Thank you for the coins, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and gifts you have showered on this book.

    If I want to go on thanking you guys a page won''t be enough to contain it. Thanks for your endless support once again. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    1) flower_goddess

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GIFTERS

    The three of you gave me the most gifts throughout July 2022. I just want to let you know that I appreciate every single gift you gave to me.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face with your awesome gifts.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Teresa_Burns

    3) nkeeavenlymortal

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments? I love it just as much as I love GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts and coins. Leavinments makes me know whether or not you are following the book and these three readers made their presence known in almost every chapter of this book.

    I want to say a big thank you for all thements you left on this book. Yourments always put a smile on my face.

    Thank you once again, guys, yourments mean a lot more than you think to me.

    1) Clumsy_N1nja

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    To the readers that cast their GOLDEN TICKETS to this book, I want to say a big thank you to all of you.

    For taking it upon yourselves to give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS, I say I am grateful.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Clumsy_N1nja

    3) Magali_78

    To all those who voted with power stones, I want to say thank you to all of you. For giving me all your power stones daily, this poor author''s heart is full of gratitude.

    ...

    One more thing the 100 coin code will be announced when it is ready. It will only be avable to readers who purchased privileged chapters, so kindly buy the privileged chapters if you want to win the coin code.

    THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL MY READERS

    P.S:Guys, do you want to know the secret to make me happy and staying motivated?

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock the chapters daily, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review then you will see just how motivated your author will be.

    YOUR AUTHOR BEING MOTIVATED MEANS MORE DAILY CHAPTERS AND MASS RELEASES, SO GIVE ME MOTIVATION GUYS.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 129 Are You Ok?

    ?Joanna felt the wave of helplessness, the surging passion that left her limp.

    Kayden bent back her head across his arm and kissed her, softly at first, and then with a brisk gradation of enthusiasm that made her cling to him.

    His insistent mouth parted her shaking lips, sending feral vibrations along her nerves, eliciting from her sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling.

    And before she knew what was happening she realised she was kissing him back.

    The intoxicating smell of jasmine emanating from his body made Joanna lose control of her senses again.

    Kayden swallowed hard as his hand slid fast onto the silk dress, sending impulses down her spine.

    Her body grew hotter and weaker as time tick. Not long her legs gave him.

    Seeing this Kayden shoved her upwards, letting her legs crossed around his waist.

    Joanna''s hands explored his smooth skin as the kiss intensified.

    Kayden kept his eyes half open, sneaking a nce at her every time he came back for air.

    As his hands moved on her back his right hand moved south. He was just about to bring his teases to the next level when her cellphone rang.

    The flow got disrupted by the loud ringing tone. There was a moment of awkwardness even though the ringing tone continued.

    Joanna jumped down from his body when the cellphone rang for the second time. "It might be important?" She gasped.

    Kayden stared at her nkly without uttering a word. He watched as she took out her cellphone from where she kept it in her skirt pockets.

    "What!" Joanna yelled, her eyes widened in shock. She turned and stole a nce at Kayden.

    "Are you ok? I hope you didn''t get hurt?" Joanna''s eyebrows raised as she turned and walked two steps away.

    "Your Girl isn''t that weak or have you forgotten that?" said Audrey standing gazing out of her window.

    Her lips curled into an evil smirk when she saw men in ck clothes running away.

    Memories of a few minutes ago popped up in her head.

    Ten minutes ago she was ying games with herptop when she heard suspicious footsteps.

    Instantly she switched off herptop and lights in her room. Unknowingly to the intruder that she was hiding behind the door, they had illegally unlocked her door and crept in.

    "Where are they?" The men said in a low tone after they scanned the room and couldn''t find anyone there.

    When they had least expected it, Audrey that had managed to hide her scent emerged from her hiding ce andunched a surprise attack on them.

    Since they were amateurs making them reveal the mastermind wasn''t a difficult task for her.

    "Of course, I trust my baby. I was only worried they yed foul," Joanna heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that Audrey wasn''t hurt from the men''s attack.

    "Although I taught them a lesson I am afraid it might not end with this failed attempt since you were their main target¡­,"

    "How dared they?" Kayden blurted out with a tightened fist. His fury eyes red into space.

    Joanna turned and gave him a disapproving gaze.

    "Who was that?" Audrey questioned as she spun and approached her middle-sized bed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shey on the soft bouncing bed with her face looking up at the ceiling. "Are you with a guy?" Audrey asked to let Joanna know that the voice she heard was masculine

    "Guy¡­ Guy?" Joanna stuttered. The mere mention of the word GUY brought back memories of the intense workout that urred between them.

    She was so sure that she wouldn''t have hesitated to let him make love to her had the call not entered the time it did.

    "What guy are you talking¡­,"

    "I have already heard his voice so you don''t have to lie," Audrey started. She changed position on the bed and started fiddling with the blue bedsheets.

    "Is he the perhaps the one with sses I met with you¡­,"

    "I have told you that you are wrong¡­,"

    "And I have equally told you that you don''t have to lie about things like this," Audrey cut in calmly.

    She stood up and walk around the room whenying on the bed proved to be not the best option.

    "Anna, let me make one thing clear to you because you seem to be misunderstanding something here," Audrey said seriously as she leaned against the hard grey wall.

    "I am not against you being in a rtionship. As far as he makes you happy and treats you well then he will automatically be my best friend too".

    Kayden listening to their conversation from where he stood giggled hearing that Audrey approved of their rtionship.

    "Drey¡­,"

    "You don''t have to worry that this elder sister of yours here has failed to identify her mate before you do," Audrey smiled at her words.

    "Boring," Joanna imitated not only Audrey''s expression but also the tone that she always made whenever she said her ng.

    "I know I sound like an old granny talking like this but the point that I want to make is that you should be happy with your choice," Audrey said in a serious tone.

    "Don''t worry about what that jerk Kayden will do because this big sister has got your back," said Audrey as she hits her chest three times.

    Joanna almost burst outughing when she saw Kayden''s once smiling face turn to a scowl.

    "We will talk more tomorrow. I am scared someone might rain down brimstone if you utter a word more," Joanna''s smile spread across her face as she hung up the call.

    Audrey lowered the cellphone and stared at the screen of the phone. "I thought she kept on denying that she was alone. She spilt the beans without me even having to force her to say it," Audrey shook her head, her gaze still on the phone''s screen.

    She strolled back to her reading table and continued with the game she had to pause because of the attackers.

    Back at the forest, Joanna joined Kayden where he stood. "Are you not scared that you might go ugly if you keep making that face?" Joanna asked, suppressing herughter.

    She was afraid of how he will punish her if she dared tough at him at that moment.

    ¡­

    A/N: So how have you been enjoying the story so far?

    When you read, don''t just read, please take out time toment and also leave a review to share your thoughts about the book.

    That''s the way you can help me improve and let me know whether I am on the right track.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 130 The Old Hag Is Coming?

    ?"Besides, I am not the one who said those words. If you have a problem with what she said then go and tackle her, that is if you dare," said Joanna in a yful tone.

    She started walking away.

    Kayden reluctantly followed her. "She indeed said those words and as such, she is the one I am supposed to have problems with but you didn''t refute her," said Kayden walking beside her.

    Joanna halted and tilted her head in his direction.

    "Do you know the three people I can''t win over in an argument?" Joanna looked into his eyes as she spoke.

    "And who are those, I hope I am included in the list¡­,"

    "If you were not on the list then I don''t think the remaining two would be qualified to be on the list," Joanna started.

    "You are the first person I can''t win over in an argument. And this is because your shamelessness is something I can''t beat at the moment although I am still learning to do that," Joanna said. The hooting just above her head made her raise her gaze.

    On the tree branch, she stood under an owl sat hooting.

    She resumed walking almost immediately without harming the bird.

    "And who are the remaining two?" Kayden asked, his eyes narrowed as he stole a nce at her face.

    "Do you even need to ask to know?" Joanna questioned. She disappeared from where she stood in a sh.

    "I am afraid we are not gonna make it back to the Kingdom the entire night if we keep up with this pace," Joanna informed. She vanished from where she stood once again and resurfaced some distance away.

    "Wait up," Kayden''s eyes turned crimson red. He vanished from where he stood only to reappear beside her.

    Together they made their way back. With the aid of their powers, they retraced their steps quickly.

    Joanna and Kayden didn''t return to the Kingdom directly but they headed to the hut first to get the shirtless Kayden dressed up.

    As they headed back home Joanna struck up a conversation with Kayden.

    "So who were those men after your life earlier?" Joanna started in a cool tone. "Do you have a clue to who they are or do you need my¡­,"

    "They are the Prime Minister''s Family trained assassins," Kayden replied carefreely. His words made Joanna stop in her tracks.

    "If you knew that they were that senile old man''s men then why did you kill them? You could have used them as evidence¡­,"

    Kayden stopped walking and spun to look at her. "Because keeping them alive is useless. No matter how much you tortured them they wouldn''t utter a word," Kayden said firmly. He continued walking and this time around it was Joanna''s turn to try catching up to him.

    "Judging from your words that means this was not their first attempt right?" Joanna asked.

    Merely learning that the senile old man has been attempting to assassinate Kayden made her blood boil in rage.

    Even she couldn''t understand why she was this angry.

    "Not only him but the family of the boys responsible for what happened to you that night now hates me to the core¡­," Kayden trailed as he turned left when he got to the intersection.

    "Anyways, I can''t me them for bing more hostile towards me after what their sons went through in my hands. In fact, I should be happy that apart from the Prime Minister other families are not bold enough to murder the King".

    It sounded from his words as though Kayden was benevolent but only the likes of Kyle, Tom, Gideon and Chris knew that the King was nowhere close to being benevolent.

    "I knew the senile old man never liked you in the past and that is why I was stunned to see him acting so docile that night," Joanna said smiling.

    Anytime she recalled the defeated expression of the Prime Minister on the day of her showdown, she always felt happy.

    "What exactly did you do to make them hate and fear you so much at the same time?" The corner of her eyes lit in anticipation as she waited for his response.

    "You will know what happened sooner than you think so be patient," Kayden dashed Joanna''s hope with his brief sentence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are being stingy once again¡­," Kayden vanished before she caught the chance to grab him and force him to spill the beans.

    "I won''t see you at your gate today," Kayden''s voice echoed in the dark. Thank goodness they hadn''t reached the residential area or else he would have woken up the entire neighbourhood.

    "Don''t stay upte gazing at my picture because you couldn''t stop thinking of me. Remember you have sses in the morning," Kayden''s voice resounded in the air even though he was nowhere to be seen.

    "He is such a narcissist. The woman who marries him will be in serious trouble," Joanna muttered. She vanished into the air almost immediately.

    Thanks to her foresight she didn''t run into the bunch of annoying people called her family.

    She freshened up and went to bed. As she went to sleep all she could think about was the fun and exciting things that happened that day.

    Joanna woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. As she went about her daily routine there was a lingering smile on her face; something none in the household had noticed before.

    That morning she had tried her best not to let anyone or anything ruin her perfect mood. But seeing the smug look on Laura''s face as she descend the stairs she knew that the little devil waiting for her in the middle of the room was up to no good.

    "There is a certain daughter of a mistress who thinks that she is somebody important¡­," Laura said as she gave a dirty look at Joanna.

    "But I know her peaceful days will soon be over since grandma ising soon," Laura''s smile broadened when she saw Joanna abruptly stop in her tracks.

    "The old hag ising?" Joanna asked with a dropped jaw.

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

    As you know new month always calls for new goals so let''s go.

    Before I list out our goals for this month I want to say a big thank you to all my readers who bought privileged chaptersst month.

    I also want to say thank you to all my readers who supported this book in one way or the otherst month.

    Thank you guys and I wish we will try harder to aplish this month''s goal.

    So these are our goal goals for this August 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privilege chapter unlocks = 10 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks this month I will give 10 chapters mass release.

    Guys, it''s one thing to buy privileged chapters and it''s another thing to unlock the privileged chapters daily. Unlocking privileged chapters daily is as important as buying privileged chapters, please never forget that.

    Since I started my journey as an author, this is the highest chapter mass release I have offered my readers for reaching privileged chapters unlocks, this is to show how desperate your darling author is.

    Guys, I really want to get the banner feature and the surest way to get it is by reaching 1k (1,000) chapter unlocks. So please help me to aplish my dream.

    Please guys.... ??????

    GOAL 2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. For every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS, the book receives there will be 2 chapters mass release i.e if we reach 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month, your 8 chapters mass release is guaranteed.

    Let''s try our best aplished the goal.

    GOAL 3:50 power stones = 2 chapters mass release. That is for every 50 power stones this book receives weekly there will be a 2 chapters mass release in the following week so keep your power stonesing.

    P.S: They are also rewards for super gifts so don''t forget to give a MAGIC CASTLE to stand a chance for mass release.

    I believe and trust you guys that you will help out this poor author. Guys, please don''t let me down just like I won''t let you guys down.

 Chapter 131 Laura Lost Her Cool

    ?"When Grandmaes you will see just how she will straighten you out. You will ask for mercy as usual but none wille to your aid?" Laura said in a haughty tone.

    She ignored the fact that Joanna addressed her Grandma as an old hag.

    Joanna that has descended the stairs walked to where Laura stood dressed in her orange off-shoulder short dress.

    Suddenly, Joanna''s hands started shaking, her knees knocked and her teeth chattered. "Oh¡­ I am so scared," Joanna muttered audibly.

    Her mockery made Laura''s blood boil in rage. She fought so hard to stop herself from shifting.

    This orange dress was his birthday giftst year, she couldn''t afford to get it ruined.

    "Was that what you expected?" Joanna scoffed. She flipped her hair as she stood straight.

    "I swear I will make sure I asked Grandma to deal with you in a way she has never done¡­,"

    "And can''t you see how scared I am?" Joanna questioned with raised eyebrows. Her hands started shaking once again.

    "Your mother who is best known for showing her prowess on a weak innocent child wasn''t able to straighten me out or deal with me and you think your old hag will be able to achieve that?" Joanna snickered.

    She folded her hands just below her breasts.

    "Don''t you think you are hyping that old hag¡­,"

    "My Grandma is not an old hag so stop calling her that," Laura shouted. Her eyebrows narrowed as she raised her transformed hand to p Joanna.

    Joanna grabbed her hand in the hair, not letting ite close to her face.

    "Do you know what happened to thest girl who put out her leg to trip me?" Joanna questioned her deadly res directed at Laura''s hand in her possession.

    "I broke her leg¡­ but you are very lucky. And do you know why I say that?" Joanna yanked Laura''s hand.

    "Because my little rice ball hasn''t left for school today. Be careful on how you lift your hand because I am certain you won''t be as lucky next time," she said, turning to leave.

    Laura, whose anger was burning inside of her reached out her hand and grabbed Joanna''s hair.

    "And who the hell do you think you are to order me around, daughter of a b*tch," Laura yanked Joanna''s hair not letting go.

    Joanna''s right hand swinging behind her glowed red. She was about to grab Laura''s right leg with her hand when a masculine voice foiled her n.

    "And what do you both think you are doing so early in the morning?" Mr Anderson''s stern voice disrupted their squabble.

    "She¡­," Laura paused what she wanted to say when her gaze met that of her father.

    His furrowed eyebrows were enough to call her to order.

    "Are you both trying to announce to the whole Kingdom that I am the only man in the Kingdom that has two daughters who don''t¡­,"

    "Dad, she started it so she should be the one you punished," Laura who hardly gets scolded by her father shouted in anger.

    "This witch called grandma an old¡­,"

    "Bacon, where are you?" Joanna cut in as she let her eyes scrutinise the room like she was searching for Bacon.

    "She called Grandma an old¡­,"

    "Here you are. I almost concluded you didn''t want me as your master anymore," Joanna smiled at the bird which just flew in through the opened window.

    The sight of Bacon made Laura move backwards.

    "What insolence¡­,"

    "Sorry but I am alreadyte for sses so I can''t wait for you to finish talking," said Joanna nonchntly as she arranged her messy hair.

    She knew very well where her father''s scolding would end up. Despite that, she was the victim she knew that he would end up painting her as a bad person.

    Instead of listening to his bullshit, she doesn''t mind getting a piece of mind by strolling with the precious time.

    Joanna strolled outside after throwing Laura murderous res.

    "She is damn rude. Your mother better does something about this rudeness of hers or else I might really end upbelled as the heartless man who murdered his daughter in cold blood," said Mr Anderson in a cold tone.

    He went upstairs almost immediately.

    Outside the gate, Joanna turned and looked at her home.

    "So the old hag ising?" Joanna muttered her gaze focused on the white walls of the tall building.

    "I was looking for ways to pay her back for the way she treated me in the past and she is about to bring herself to me?" Joanna''s lips curved into an evil grin.

    She resumed walking away. "I wonder who should I thank for doing me this great favour¡­ is it the old hag, Adhara or Laura?" Joanna''s evil grin spread across her face.

    After hearing the piece of good news she considered it a waste to board a cab so she decided to stroll to campus.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was hurrying to reach the campus on time, in Mr Martinez''s study, his Butler entered the room full of books neatly arranged on shelves.

    With hope in his eyes, Mr Martinez sitting on the ck chair behind his desk raised his gaze to look at the tall handsome guy.

    The tall Butler was neither ugly nor handsome. His stern expression gave a bad vibe about him.

    There was a dangerous aura that followed him wherever he went. At first nce, he gave off the bad guy vibe.

    "How was it?" Mr Martinez asked not able to hide his anxiety. "Is there any good news?".

    The Butler in ck suites went over to the brown wooden desk and dropped a white envelope in front of Mr Martinez.

    Mr Martinez scanned the envelope with his eyes and picked it up. "What is this?" The envelope rustled as he tried to bring out its content.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Behold he was surprised to see that the content of the envelope was photos of two men taken from different dimensions and ces.

    Although the faces of the people were not fully captured they looked very familiar.

    "Those are the pictures of the King and his personal bodyguard after they arrived in the human world," the guy exined in a firm tone.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????

    HAPPY AUGUST 2022 ??????

    Although we didn''t achievest month''s goals I want to say thank you to all my readers. Thanks so much for the love and support you have shown this book since the day it was published.

    Last month was very tough for me. I had a mental breakdown more than three times and it was all because of the book.

    I had a hard time writing but all thanks to your immense support I was able to pull through this.

    Thank you so much for always being there to give me the support I need to go on writing.

    All of you did well but among you are readers who did exceptionally wellst month and I want to recognise them with their names.

    These readers have been super supportive and would be an ingrate if I don''t thank them specifically.

    Before I start listing the categories, I want to say that the names on the list weren''t randomly picked. So please don''t say that author is partial.

    TOP FANS

    These are our three top fans and from the dept of my heart, I want to say thank you to the three of you and other fans who didn''t make it to the top 3 list.

    Thank you for the coins, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and gifts you have showered on this book.

    If I want to go on thanking you guys a page won''t be enough to contain it. Thanks for your endless support once again. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    1) flower_goddess

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GIFTERS

    The three of you gave me the most gifts throughout July 2022. I just want to let you know that I appreciate every single gift you gave to me.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face with your awesome gifts.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Teresa_Burns

    3) nkeeavenlymortal

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments? I love it just as much as I love GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts and coins. Leavinments makes me know whether or not you are following the book and these three readers made their presence known in almost every chapter of this book.

    I want to say a big thank you for all thements you left on this book. Yourments always put a smile on my face.

    Thank you once again, guys, yourments mean a lot more than you think to me.

    1) Clumsy_N1nja

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    To the readers that cast their GOLDEN TICKETS to this book, I want to say a big thank you to all of you.

    For taking it upon yourselves to give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS, I say I am grateful.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Clumsy_N1nja

    3) Magali_78

    To all those who voted with power stones, I want to say thank you to all of you. For giving me all your power stones daily, this poor author''s heart is full of gratitude.

    ...

    One more thing the 100 coin code will be announced when it is ready. It will only be avable to readers who purchased privileged chapters, so kindly buy the privileged chapters if you want to win the coin code.

    THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL MY READERS

    P.S:Guys, do you want to know the secret to make me happy and staying motivated?

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock the chapters daily, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review then you will see just how motivated your author will be.

    YOUR AUTHOR BEING MOTIVATED MEANS MORE DAILY CHAPTERS AND MASS RELEASES, SO GIVE ME MOTIVATION GUYS.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 132 Do You Feel Hot?

    ?"Our men over there sent the pictures to me via email¡­,"

    "You don''t have to go into details," Mr Martinez said standing up from the brown chair.

    There was an obvious change in his moodpared to some minutes ago.

    "As far as it has been confirmed that the King travelled to the human world for an important task then I am happy," He confirmed as he strolled to the window.

    When he reached the window he stared outside.

    "Inform our men that the time to carry out our ns has reached. They should get to work but make sure to inform them that they should be discreet about it," Mr Martinez, now gazing at the Butler, gave out his orders.

    "I will see to it now," replied the Butler. He spun to leave but only for Mr Martinez to call him back.

    "Your brother Viper was supposed to see me today so howe he isn''t here yet?" Mr Martinez demanded.

    The Butler turned and looked at Mr Martinez. "Thest time he was seen was at the clubst night. I have tried calling him but none answered my calls," The guy amplified.

    "I will track him down and make sure he sees you. I will make sure his bad conduct doesn''t continue," The Butler said. He bowed to apologize for his brother''s mistakes.

    "I have a very serious business to discuss with him. Make sure he sees me the moment you get a hold of him," Mr Martinez ordered sternly. At the wave of his hand, the Butler bowed and excused himself.

    He turned and looked out of the window once again. His lips curled into a devilish grin as he stared into space.

    [If he thought he could dare to go against me and humiliate me in public and go scot free then he is wrong]

    Mr Martinez sped his fist when he recalled the numerous times he had to swallow his pride in front of Kayden for the past months.

    Despite his position, he was reduced to nothing just because the King had a hold on his weakness.

    "My surprise will be waiting to greet him when he returns from his adventurous trip. Let''s see how he will be able to rule the Kingdom in peace after my n is executed," He mumbled, and his grin became broader.

    On campus, as usual, Kayden now known on campus as Amos followed Joanna wherever she went, an exception was the restroom.

    He didn''t let her leave his sight. With this newfound opportunity he got, he made sure to do all the things he wasn''t able to do with her.

    After sses, Joanna and Amos strolled to the basketball field to get some fresh air and also used this chance to get away from all the toxic people around.

    "I lost to you yesterday so why didn''t you ask me to marry you as you had said?" Joanna walking on the lowest stairs asked.

    She tilted her head and stared at the guy walking on the levelled ground.

    "I wouldn''t believe it if you said you forgot to make your request so spill it now and stop keeping me on edge," Joanna said sternly. She averted her gaze back to the front when he turned to look at her.

    Mere talking about the previous night brought back memories she had momentarily forgotten.

    Even though it has been over 12 hours since the incident, her heart still flutters when she recalls those wonderful moments with him.

    [Gosh, what am I thinking of now? Why is my mind getting more and more corruptedtely]

    Joanna begins fanning her burning cheeks with her hands.

    "Do you feel hot?" Amos asked, suppressing theughter that was about to burst out.

    "Apart from the water I know of another thing that can quench your heat. Do you want to know what it''s?" The corner of his lips lifted to reveal an evil grin.

    He extended his hand and held her right hand. He pulled her, making sure to apply more strength to his hand.

    Joanna lost bnce and collided with him. With her hand resting on his firm chest, Joanna raised an eyebrow.

    She bnced herself on the floor and tried to pull back but Amos circled her slender waist with his left hand and pushed her closer so that there was no space in between them.

    Their ambiguous position made others stop and watch them.

    "And what do you think you are doing?" Joanna demanded, her brows knitted as she red at him.

    "You looked hot so I am just trying to quench the heat for you but in a sexy way," Kayden shrugged his shoulder and gave her the innocent boy look.

    "Don''t think I will buy that?" Joanna berated. She tried to pull away for the second time but the stubborn Amos refused to loosen his grip around her waist.

    "People are staring! Stop being headstrong and let go now¡­,"

    "And let them stare, as you know I don''t care¡­,"

    "Shameless," she growled with her head tilted to the right.

    "Go on a date with me," Amos said in a more serious tone. Joanna turned and shot him a fierce re.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The onlookers'' mumblings intensified when Amos mentioned going on a date. Most of their words are insulting words.

    "Shameless,"

    "How dare she flirt with a man in such a sacrednd which is meant for education,"

    "She is a disgrace,"

    "What a horny freak,"

    "Look at herflirting with a man like a seductress. No wonder she is her mother''s daughter,"

    These were some out of the tons of despicable words they spouted.

    "Your wish¡­,"

    "What if I say that is my wish as the winner ofst night''s game? Would you still deny my wish?" Amos said. His eyebrows lowered and the corner of his lips drawn downward.

    "Would you refuse me even though I am this pitiful?" Amos proved to be a very persistent guy when she didn''t respond.

    Amos'' face lights up when she opens her mouth to talk.

    Joanna was about to respond to Amos'' question when her eyes met the group of boys standing at the upper side of the stairs.

    Even though there were so many people around she was able to spot and identify them with ease.

    How could she ever forget the faces of her murderers?

    "What are you looking at?" Amosined. He followed her line of sight to see what on Earth had caught her attention.

    "Ever since I returned I have been searching for them but they were nowhere to be found¡­," Joanna smirked as she stared at the guys.

    She cracked her knuckles and neck.

    "I don''t have to search any more now that they have brought themselves to. I wonder why I am so luckytely to get my enemies at my doorstep without working hard for it," Joanna muttered. She raised her leg and climbed the stairs.

    She approached the guys'' direction.

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

    As you know new month always calls for new goals so let''s go.

    Before I list out our goals for this month I want to say a big thank you to all my readers who bought privileged chaptersst month.

    I also want to say thank you to all my readers who supported this book in one way or the otherst month.

    Thank you guys and I wish we will try harder to aplish this month''s goal.

    So these are our goal goals for this August 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privilege chapter unlocks = 10 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks this month I will give 10 chapters mass release.

    Guys, it''s one thing to buy privileged chapters and it''s another thing to unlock the privileged chapters daily. Unlocking privileged chapters daily is as important as buying privileged chapters, please never forget that.

    Since I started my journey as an author, this is the highest chapter mass release I have offered my readers for reaching privileged chapters unlocks, this is to show how desperate your darling author is.

    Guys, I really want to get the banner feature and the surest way to get it is by reaching 1k (1,000) chapter unlocks. So please help me to aplish my dream.

    Please guys.... ??????

    GOAL 2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. For every 50 GOLDEN TICKETS, the book receives there will be 2 chapters mass release i.e if we reach 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month, your 8 chapters mass release is guaranteed.

    Let''s try our best aplished the goal.

    GOAL 3:50 power stones = 2 chapters mass release. That is for every 50 power stones this book receives weekly there will be a 2 chapters mass release in the following week so keep your power stonesing.

    P.S: They are also rewards for super gifts so don''t forget to give a MAGIC CASTLE to stand a chance for mass release.

    I believe and trust you guys that you will help out this poor author. Guys, please don''t let me down just like I won''t let you guys down.

 Chapter 133 They Took To Their Heels

    ?Joanna was on the third staircase when the guys whose attentions were elsewhere looked in her direction.

    The moment they got a glimpse of her face the guys shivered. Logan staggered backwards and almost lost his bnce.

    Even from where she stood Joanna could sense fear all around them. Their erratic heartbeat depicts nothing but fear.

    The guys started moving backwards and before she knew it they took to their heels like they had seen a ghost.

    Their actions left not only the others perplexed but also Joanna. They wondered what hade over the most popr guys on campus.

    Her eyes followed the running guys until they disappeared from her sight.

    Joanna spun and face the guy standing beside her. "The news that I am not a ghost is all over the inte so why do they look very scared of me?" Joanna questioned in confusion.

    No matter how hard she thought about it she didn''t see the reason why the guys were afraid of her.

    When she was haunting her murderers, she couldn''t find any of them no matter how hard she tried.

    It was as if they had vanished into the surface of the Earth. She hasn''t had her revenge on them so the way they stared at her as though she was the DEVIL himself left her confused.

    "You are right about youreback news being on every media content," said Amos. She was too bothered by the guy''s behaviour to see him suppressing the urge tough.

    "If that is not the case then do I perhaps look scary?" Joanna centred her gaze on his face.

    "Hmm¡­," Amos trailed and hits his head with an index finger like he was in deep thoughts.

    He raised his right hand and touched her face. "You are kind of gentle but I wonder whether you know just how scary you are when you scowled?" Amos'' eyelids lowered and pulled together, his lips curled inwards and a vertical wrinkle appeared in between his brows.

    "How dare you make such an ugly face and imply that is how I look like when I scowled?" said Joanna as she raised her hand to hits him but Amos pulled away.

    "Because that is exactly how you look when you scowl. You just haven''t looked at yourself in the mirror when you make that look that is why," Amos said repeating the same expression he did earlier.

    Joanna chased him but he ran onto the next staircase narrowly escaping her hold.

    "You will see just how I will deal with you for making fun of me," Joanna pursued. They were too concentrated on each other to even notice that the onlookers were still there.

    The jobless people walked away in anger when they got fed up with their shamelessness.

    "Stop right there," Joanna yelled as she kept on chasing him.

    They forgot that they were on campus and not in the forest where they can y all they wanted without restrictions.

    Joanna and Amos were still running around the stairs when theughing Joanna bumped into Audrey.

    "Drey!" The words escaped from Joanna''s mouth. Her eyes widened in shock and her smile slowly faded away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?" Audrey asked. Instead of looking at Joanna her gaze was on the guy whom Joanna yed with.

    "I know I told you that I am not against your rtionship but I never said you should abandon me for him¡­,"

    "Hey, stop exaggerating¡­,"

    "But you know that I am not joking," Audrey said, her eyes squinted as she walked two steps down so that she was standing on the same staircase as Amos.

    "I am a loner. You are my only friend. Life is boring without you," Audrey took a step forward, trying to close the gap between where she and Amos stood.

    Joanna rushed to stand in their midst when she noticed that Amos was her target.

    "Do you know what I did in these past six months to get over my grief?" Audrey turned and stared at the sunny sky.

    The sky was a mixture of blue and white. It was a beautiful sight to watch.

    "I drown myself in alcohol despite knowing that I could never get drunk no matter how many bottles I took¡­," Audrey trailed. Her words evoked Amos'' emotions too.

    He could still recall he did the same thing. Despite knowing how impossible it was for his kind to get drunk, he kept on drinking.

    To be able to get drunk he had wished he wasn''t a vampire but a human.

    "Clubbing and video games became my new best friend¡­.,"

    Joanna lifted her right hand and tapped Audrey on the shoulder. "I know I am your only friend so there is no need to feel sad about the past. But instead, think about the fabulous things you want to do to make up for your past regret," Joanna gave Audrey a reassuring smile.

    Averting her gaze back to Joanna''s direction made Audrey recall what she had wanted to say when she got a glimpse of Amos'' face.

    "So you are the dude who has been stealing my Anna away from me huh?" Audrey asked sternly. She fixated her gaze on his face.

    No matter how many times she stared at Amos she found him to look very familiar but she just couldn''t pinpoint where she saw him.

    "You¡­,"

    "Get out of my way. I am not talking to you right now," Audrey yfully pushed Joanna away from her front so that the gap between him and Amos was breached.

    "So who are you and what do you do for a living?" Audrey asked her stern res centred on Amos'' face.

    The aura surrounding her and the way she questioned Amos will make others assume her to be Joanna''s mother.

    When Amos didn''t respond Audrey bent so that her face was very close to his face.

    "Why do you look so familiar? Have we met before?" Audrey asked. She took a closer look at his face.

 Chapter 134 Why?

    ?"Why¡­," Amos stammered and pulled back. He shifted his gaze and stared at Joanna for help.

    "Stop looking at her because she is not gonna help you. In fact, I won''t let her," Audrey said, seeing Amos plead with Joanna with his eyes.

    "If you are this shy in front of me then I wonder what you are gonna do when the big bullies strike," Audrey began in a subtle tone. She pulled away and sat down on the staircase.

    "You both should stop staring at me and sit," Audrey ordered as she beat the space she wanted them to sit on.

    Despite feeling uneasy about this Joanna still sat on her left-hand side. Amos sat at her right-hand side and stole nces at Joanna.

    He wondered what Audrey was up to with how serious she was acting.

    "I don''t know whether you are aware of who she is and what she has gone through these past years but I will tell you," Audrey said with her hands on her thigh and her gaze focused on Amos.

    "Sure, I would really love to hear more about her," Amos faked another person''s voice to talk to Audrey.

    "I almost thought you were dead and dumb. I am surprised to see that you can talk. And not only that. You have such a nice voice," said Audrey teasingly. Her lips curved into a beautiful smile.

    "I wonder whether if it is this sweet voice of yours that she fell in love with¡­,"

    "Hey," Joanna nudged Audrey by the side and gave her a disapproving look.

    Amos chuckled when he saw how shy Joanna was acting.

    "I don''t know. She is here so why don''t you ask her," Amos started. He resisted the desire tough. "I would also love to know".

    Amos said not avoiding Joanna''s murderous res directed at him.

    "He said he wants to know what made you fall in love with him so why don''t you tell us? I am also dying to know¡­,"

    "Hey, why are you both ganging up on me?" Joanna pretended to be angry. She tried to stand up but Audrey stretched and pulled her back onto the staircase.

    "It''s ok if you don''t want to tell us. I will just assume you are too shy to say it because he is here," Audrey said. She averted her gaze back to Amos'' face.

    "You¡­,"

    "Like I was trying to say Anna here is my BFF. I love her a whole lot and as her friend, I am willing to do anything to see her happy, do you know why?" A painful smile appeared on Audrey''s face.

    "Why?" Amos asked as he adjusted his sses well on the bridge of his nose.

    "Apart from the fact that she is my best friend, another reason that I am willing to do anything for her happiness is that I know just what she went through until this moment".

    They were all too focused on their discussion to care about their noisy environment.

    "She has been through a lot of bullshit. She deserves to be happy and I won''t be against you if you don''t do these four things to her that I hate¡­,"

    "Hey, Drey what are you saying? I never mentioned that I am in love with him nor did I ever say we were in a rtionship. So why do you want to give him your¡­,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that you don''t like him? Not even the slightest bit?" Audrey now staring at Joanna asked.

    Joanna''s eyes wavered the moment Audrey asked the question. She suddenly went quiet.

    In the past, she was quick to reject him whenever he proposed. Her stance about their rtionship was always firm.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Buttely, she realised that whenever asked the question about her feelings for him or the status of their rtionship, she is always lost at what to say.

    Why was she like this?

    Whenever she is around him, she gets foreign feelings she has never felt for anyone.

    Is this what people called the mate bond?

    But if this is the mate bond then why is hers so different? Why doesn''t she feel the exact way mates feel for each other?

    She has 1001 questions but unfortunately, there is no adult she can talk to. She doesn''t have a mother or father she can share all these things with.

    "Anyways it doesn''t matter whether or not you both are in a rtionship but to everyone on campus you are considered the newest couple¡­,"

    "Really?" Amos asked. He tried so hard to hide his excitement but his glistening eyes still gave him away.

    "But why?" Amos pretended to be unhappy when he realised that Joanna was staring at him.

    "Right now you both are trending on the school''s tform. Videos and pictures of what took ce between the two of you earlier were posted on the school tform¡­,"

    "What?" Joanna remarked with widened eyes. She turned to stare at her surroundings and true to her guess people were staring at her while talking in low tones.

    Even though they were speaking in low tones she could hear them from where she sat.

    [You all do even more heinous things so how dare all of you hypocrites to point fingers at me]

    Joanna red at the mean girls passing by who were badmouthing her.

    Noticing the scowl on her face Amos brought out his cellphone from his trouser''s pocket and captured her face just the way it was.

    Joanna frowned as she turned to look at him.

    "You are using thetest iPhone. That means your family must be super rich," Audreymented when she got a glimpse of the iPhone 13 pro max that Amos was holding.

    It was after Audreymented that Amos realised the type of cellphone he was holding.

    He felt like pping himself when he realised that in a hurry he must have mistakenly taken his cell phone instead of the new one Chris purchased for him.

    "If your household is so wealthy then howe I haven''t seen or heard about you before?" Audrey asked.

    She didn''t notice just how anxious her question had made the two people by her sides.

    Joanna had thought that the problem was over when Audrey stopped pressing to know more about Amos. Right now she knew that the trouble was far from over.

    "I am quite familiar with almost all the top wealthy families in the Kingdom so which of these families do youe from?"

    Audrey stared at Amos as she waited for his response.

    "Oh that¡­.," Amos eximed, not knowing what to say. He had never expected that he would make such a silly mistake so he never made arrangements for such an urrence.

    He will be so furious if Audrey discovers his identity.

 Chapter 135 Raymond Is Here?

    ?Since Amos couldn''t think of an excuse to give to Audrey, Joanna also tried to think of something.

    She was able toe up with two ideas but because her ideas were not convincing enough she knew that the smart Audrey would not fall for them.

    They will only be in bigger trouble if she sensed that they were hiding things from her.

    "What''s taking you so long to reply? Are you hiding something¡­,"

    "Here is the world''stest lovestruck fool," A voice full of mockery disrupted Audrey''s sentence.

    Without their scent or raising her head Joanna knew the owner of the voice.

    How could she forget the voice of the girl who had done nothing but makes the fourteen years of her life miserable?

    Audrey frowned when she noticed that the Mean Witches had arrived.

    People started gathering although the fight hadn''t started. They knew very well that drama follows whenever these sets of people meet.

    They all looked forward to a good show once again.

    "And herees the biggest bullies of the century¡­ oh did I just say, bullies?" Joanna asked, pretending that she made a mistake.

    She stood up along with her friends. "You guys are not even qualified to be called bullies. You are just a bunch of rich brats who go around terrorizing people to get rid of your boredom," Joanna said not avoiding their eyes or lowering her head waiting for what they will do next like she always did in the past.

    "Only jobless fools like you girls will go around¡­,"

    "How dare you insult us?" Sophie demanded as she walked forward to where Joanna stood.

    "I can see your leg is fine now," Joanna said as she stared at Sophie''s leg that she had broken at the cafeteria.

    Herment made Sophie subconsciously move two steps backwards.

    "If you hate making use of your legs and hands, I don''t mind breaking them," Joanna grinned when she saw the fear in the girl''s eyes.

    "How dare¡­,"

    "I have been wondering¡­," Audrey started her murderous res focused on Nora who was about to take action.

    "Why is it that everyone has grown up while you guys have refused to grow up? You still go around making a joke of yourselves thinking that you are something special¡­,"

    "You¡­,"

    "Back off if you don''t want to get your entire bones broken," Amos said as he showed Doris his fist.

    "And who is this ugly nerd?" Tiffany said, her deadly res centred on Amos.

    "I wonder who gave you the permission to talk¡­,"

    "Don''t you dare speak to him in that tone if¡­,"

    "And what the hell will you do if I don''t listen to you?" Tiffany demanded sternly.

    Joanna moved away from where they stood. She proceeded to stand in front of Tiffany.

    With this much closeness, everyone looked forward to seeing some punches exchanged.

    "Mess with him and see what I will do to you. I am sure you won''t even be able to recognize yourself when I finish dealing with you," Joanna stared into Tiffany''s eyebrows. Her piercing res were not wavering.

    Seeing her looking so furious while fighting for him, he felt so happy and satisfied at the moment

    "I would really love to see what a weak fool like you can do for your stupid lover," said Tiffany as her eyes turned blood red. Her ws and fangs emerged immediately.

    "That is enough, Anna," Audrey pulled Joanna away in a sh, not letting the two angrydies exchange blows.

    "I am not doing this because I like them or whatever. In fact, I would love to see you teach her a lesson but definitely not on campus if you still want to keep studying here," Audrey said when she saw Joanna''s questioning gaze.

    She did make the mistake of letting go of Joanna for fear that she might charge forward and fight the meandies if she did.

    Audrey''s words made Joanna recall one of the important rules of the university.

    The rules state that, under no circumstances must students participate in private fights. The school only epts challenges between individuals or groups of individuals and there is a procedure for that.

    Expulsion is the only oue for students who disobey the rule. None shall be spared if caught participating in private fights.

    "I know fighting for yourself is good but if you ask me, I will tell you that fighting with them at the expense of your expulsion is not worth it," Audrey continued calmly. Her grip around Joanna''s hand loosens.

    "They are a bunch of jobless fools, don''t stoop to their level¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Say that again and I will rip¡­,"

    "He is here," Ady''s scream interrupted Doris from saying whatever she wanted to say.

    The moment thedy shouted this she ran in the direction she came from. All the females abandoned what they were doing and ran toward the direction thedy who made the announcement took.

    Like magic, all thedies ran like there was an invisible being pursuing them.

    "What the hell is wrong with everyone?" Tiffany''s frown deepened as she red at the runningdies who were too eager go their way to notice her angry face.

    Joanna and Audrey were perplexed at the manner all thedies ran.

    "Hey,e here," Nora called ady in a white shirt with curly hair.

    Thedy stared at otherdies who were running. She contemted whether or not to answer Nora''s call.

    Because it was one of the members of the mean witches that called her she had no choice but to spare a little of her time.

    "What is going on?" Nora began with a frown. "Why are all thedies running like mad dogs disturbing our peace?" She demanded.

    "World Swimming Male God just arrived. Everyone can''t wait to have a glimpse of his heavenly face," Thedy ryed with enthusiasm.

    "Raymond is here!" Doris eximed with widened eyes.

    "Yes," Thedy confirmed their doubts. She joined the otherdies in running to get a glimpse of the one whom she just mentioned.

    "Ray is here, wow¡­," Sophie''s eyes lit up. She subconsciously smiled.

    "If Ray is here then what are we still waiting for¡­ let''s go," Nora grabbed Doris'' hand and ran towards the direction the otherdies took.

    Theypletely forgot about their other friends.

    "Tiff, let''s go. We will take care of these scum after we have properly weed Ray," Sophie said impatiently as she sped Tiffany''s hand.

    "You are so lucky today but I promise you won''t be so lucky every time," Tiffany''s cold voice said before she and Sophie vanished from there.

    "Ray?" Joanna asked. She shifted her attention to Audrey. "Who is this dude that is capable of making all thedies including the mean witches so nervous?".

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

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 Chapter 136 How Do I Seduce A Man?

    ?"Hmmm¡­," Audrey trailed as she tried to recall whether she had heard the name on campus before.

    "Raymond?" Audrey repeated. She tapped her head with her index finger.

    Joanna''s eyebrows furrowed when it took Audrey a lot of time to respond.

    "They just said he is quite popr so howe you don''t know who he is?" Joanna demanded, a bit disappointed that she failed to know the identity of the mysterious guy.

    Audrey gave up on recalling the guy''s name. "I don''t socialize with the other students that much so I don''t think this shoulde as a surprise to you," Audrey defended herself with these few words.

    She tucked her hands into her blue denim trousers pockets.

    "You¡­,"

    "Let''s stop talking about some insignificant people," Audrey interrupted Joanna meekly. She diverted her attention to the quiet Amos who has been acting like a good boy.

    He was acting like he wasn''t the same shameless and outspoken guy that Joanna knew.

    "Let''s continue with what we were talking about before those rich brats rudely interrupted us," said Audrey.

    The dreaded moment that Joanna and Amos thought that they had gotten over with surfaced once again.

    Amos thought of what to do to get out of this mess he created. He sneaked a peek at his surroundings and then an idea dawned on him when he saw ady running.

    "Sorry but I want to see what the said guy looks like. I want to see whether he is as handsome as me, like thedies said," Amos informed.

    He ran off, not giving Audrey the chance to question him any longer.

    "Hey, Anna, I can see you have a lot of work to do with him," Audrey mumbled. Her gaze followed Amos who hadn''t stopped running.

    "What work are you talking about?" Joanna asked. She was also looking at Amos departing back.

    "He is shy. It means that all the job will be on you¡­ you know what I mean," Audrey winked naughtily at Joanna.

    [Did she just say Kay is shy? Is she kidding me]

    Joanna subconsciously rolled her eyes. If Kayden is considered shy then what is she?

    "Stop teasing me because we haven''t gotten there yet¡­,"

    "Because you haven''t gotten to that stage doesn''t mean that you won''t so you know¡­," Audrey yfully nudged Joanna by the side.

    Joanna couldn''t resist chuckling. Her face turned red merely thinking of their hot body joining.

    "Drey, how do I seduce a man?" Joanna pulled in and whispered into Audrey''s ear. She pulled away and avoided Audrey''s eyes.

    "What!" Audrey remarked with widened eyes. She looked around to make sure that none was paying attention to them.

    "Are¡­ Is your love perhaps one-sided?" asked Audrey in a concerned tone after she had gotten over the shock.

    "What¡­ what are you saying?" Joanna stammered. Her flustered look made her look very suspicious.

    Audrey raised her hand and tapped Joanna on the shoulder. "It''s not a bad thing to be in love with a guy. As long as you are confident enough that you will be able to make him your mate forever¡­,"

    "Just tell me whether you know of a tip to seduce a man," Joanna said hurriedly. She was so eager to get over the topic as fast as she could.

    "It''s ok if you don''t know. You can rmend a movie or story that deals with seducing to me". Joanna concluded. She still wasn''t able to look at Audrey as she talked.

    How could she tell Audrey that her mission was to seduce Kayden and that she wanted to know how to seduce a man because she wants toplete her mission.

    "Anna¡­,"

    "Forget it if you don''t know. I will look it up on the inte," Joanna started walking away.

    She wouldn''t know what to say if Audrey decided to ask her further questions.

    [Seeing how she went as far as asking me for ways to seduce a man I guess this is very serious]

    Audrey stood there staring at Joanna''s departing back. She was so lost in thoughts to remember to follow Joanna.

    [My Anna, is beautiful in and out, tall, slender, caring, kind-hearted¡­ in fact she is an all-around perfect woman. The rarest gem anyone can ever find. I wonder what that jerk doesn''t like about her]

    Audrey was still lost in her thoughts until Joanna turned and stared at her when she couldn''t feel her presence.

    "Try and catch up if you want to see who this mysterious Raymond of a guy is," Joanna shouted to get Audrey''s attention. She waved her hand as she talked.

    Audrey snapped out of her daze on Joanna''s second wave of the hand. "Go on. I will try to catch up," Audrey waved back at her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna hurried away when Audrey gave her permission to go ahead.

    When she reached the ce everyone gathered she was surprised to see them already dispersing.

    Through the dispersingdies'' conversation, she got to learn that the guy left just before she arrived there.

    "I can''t believe I was toote to catch a glimpse of the mystery guy that all thedies on campus are crazy about," Joanna muttered as she turned to leave.

    Suddenly, a hand grabbed her right hand from behind.

    "There is no need to feel regretful about not seeing him because your man here is a thousand times more handsome than him," Amos said, not releasing her hand.

    Thedies remaining there all turned and threw murderous nces at Amos at the same time.

    "How dare this ugly thingpare himself to our male idol?" Ady in green berated her disgusted look centred on Amos.

    "Your problem is that you are such a narcissist," said Joanna as she pulled her hand away from his hold.

    "Be careful so you don''t get beaten up by a bunch of crazydies," Joanna strolled away. She made sure she marked the face of thedy that just bad-mouthed Amos before she left.

    Amos chased after her. He overtook her. As he walked, he moved while looking at her face. He didn''t care to look in the direction they were going.

    "Aren''t you supposed to be heading to the cafe now¡­,"

    "Watch where you are going," Joanna yelled as she stretched her hand and yanked him to her side when he was about to collide with the red-haireddy at the front.

    The atmosphere around them became tense after the near collision. Joanna resumed walking again afterwards.

    "Anna, there is something I am very curious about. Do you care to broaden my horizon?" Amos asked his gaze centred on her face as he walked.

    Joanna sneaked a peep at his face. From the glistening of his eyes, she could see he was up to no good.

    "You can save your curiosity for¡­,"

    "I will still go ahead to ask the question even though you didn''t permit me. You should have known this of me by now," Audrey cut in grinning.

    "Why did you bother asking in the first ce," Joanna snarled as she avoided looking at his face.

    She looked around for Audrey as they retraced their steps back to the basketball court.

    "I am just wondering¡­," Amos trailed to get her attention. When he had sessfully gotten her to pay attention to him, he continued;

    "Why do you get so angry each time any of the students speak badly of me?" Amos'' question made Joannae to an abrupt halt.

    She turned her head to face Amos who looked like he still had a lot to say.

    "I mean you were so ready to blow that Tiffany girl in the eye. And just a while ago I could see the way you red at thedy that bad-mouthed me¡­," Amos'' eyes locked in hers as he talked.

    "Aren''t you this overprotective of me because you love me?" Amos nailed his real question at the right time.

    With smiles on his face and hope in his eyes, he raised his hand and held her right hand.

    He caressed her hands lovingly. He made sure he didn''t look away from her eyeballs as he did this.

    "You have now realised that you are in love with me right¡­," Joanna abruptly retract her hand from his hold. She turned her back on him in an instance.

    "The crime of insulting the King is a price none of them will be able to pay so I am indirectly saving their poor heads¡­,"

    "Since when did you be so benevolent?" Amos questioned. He turned and stood in front of her.

    He raised his gaze and looked at her face. She avoided his eyes yet again.

    [Gosh¡­ what is wrong with metely? Why can''t I seem to control myself in front of him]

    Joanna fidget with her long silver hair as she tried not to look at his face in hopes that she will be able to calm herself down.

    "Are you still going to keep on denying your feelings for me¡­,"

    "Drey must be waiting for us to return. Let''s not keep her waiting any longer," Joanna hastened away as though someone was pursuing her.

    "Seeing how she is in such a hurry to avoid my question I guess I still have a long way to go to make her realise that she loves me too," Amos muttered as he stared at her departing back.

    He hurried to catch up to her when he saw that she was walking too fast.

 Chapter 137 14 Days To Seduce My Mate

    ?When Joanna and Amos got to the stairs they met Audrey sitting on the stairs watching the basketball teams y on the field.

    Audrey has never been interested in idols'' talk except when it had to do with fighting or games so she wasn''t surprised that she stayed back.

    Together the three of them headed to the cafe.

    At the cafe, it was very bubbling that day. Leah and Joanna were not able to handle the number of customers trooping in so Audrey decided to assist them.

    Since Joanna has no other sses that day she was at the cafe until night.

    She closed from work at the normal time she was supposed to.

    ¡­

    For eight days Joanna spent all her spare time trying to get tips on how to seduce a man.

    She watched lots of movies, anime and novels to widen her horizons.

    After three days of intense learning and preparation, she was so confident that seducing Kayden to say the words she wanted to hear would be a piece of cake.

    Joanna sitting on her desk ced very close to the window grinned as she stared at the note in front of her.

    "14 days to seduce my mate," Joanna giggled as she read out the title of her mission.

    She stood up from the brown wooden chair and dusted off her white swagerliciously.

    "Let''s see how he will not fall on his knees and say I LOVE YOU after I have executed all the seduction ideas on my list," Joanna smirked, not staring away from the book.

    Joanna was still staring at the book when a knock came at the door.

    In a sh, she closed the blue notebook, stretched her hand and opened her drawer.

    She shoved the notebook into the drawer and with the creak of the drawer it closed.

    "Who is it?" Joanna questioned as she hastened to face the door.

    The door creaked open and a tiny figure out out head first to survey the room.

    "You cane in. I am not dressing up now," Joanna beckoned him in with a smile.

    Seeing how cautious Anthony was she could not me him for being this way.

    Three days ago, she had freshened up at noon and got ready to leave for Audrey''s apartment since it was her day off.

    She had juste out of the bathroom and was about to dress up when her door flew open.

    Ahhh!

    Innocent Anthony screamed in horror the instant he set his eyes on his naked Big Sister. He covered his eyes and dashed out of the room.

    BAM*

    The door mmed closed. The surprised Joanna could hear his running footsteps from outside.

    She heard Laura shouting at him to slow down but his continuous footsteps were evidence that he didn''t listen to her.

    Joanna''s thoughts were cut short by the m of the door.

    "What is it, Little Rice ball?" Joanna questioned her gaze on Anthony wearing a pair of brown trousers and a blue shirt.

    He looked smart and neat with his new haircut.

    Joanna walked three steps forward and covered the gap between them. "Do you need help with your assignments? Or do you want Big Sister to y with you?" Joanna raised her right hand and slightly ruffled his brown hair.

    "I have done my assignment¡­,"

    "Whoa¡­ my little rice ball is now a big boy," Joanna cut in. She yfully ruffled his hair once again.

    "He doesn''t need Big Sister to help him with assignments anymore," Joanna fell as she went and sat on the bed.

    Anthony ran to sit beside her on the bed seeing her fallen expression.

    "Of course, I still need Big Sister in many ways even without her helping me with my assignments," replied Anthony, his innocent eyes centred on his unhappy sister''s face.

    "And isn''t it a good thing that I am improving so why does Big Sister look unhappy?"

    He let go of her hand when she wouldn''t talk or look at him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His fallen expression rmed Joanna, who was trying to pull a prank on him.

    "Are you angry with me because Mother and Sister Laura has been making things hard for you¡­," Joanna gently hit his head with her middle finger causing him to raise his gaze to look at her face.

    "That hit is to get those silly thoughts out of your head," Joanna said smiling.

    She lifted her hand and held his chin and made sure he was looking at her face.

    "My little rice ball is this handsome, cute and considerate," Joanna''s smile broadened as she looked at his chestnut eyes full of so much innocence.

    Although Anthony has never joined in with her mother, father and stepsister to torment her, there was a time in the past that she really resented him.

    She was so overwhelmed by the pains of her family''s maltreatment and at a point, she transferred her hatred to the innocent boy.

    Thinking back now she knew just how much she wronged him. Thank goodness she came to realise her mistakes.

    She would have longmitted suicide in this hellhole called HOME if not for her little brother who stood up for her asionally even at the expense of being scolded and spanked.

    "You are my only little rice ball, the apple of Big Sister''s eyes. You are nothing like your mother, father, sister or others or who bully me so, how could I ever hate you huh?" Joanna stroked his face lovingly.

    She could hate everyone and turn the world upside down but they are certain people she would never harm no matter how crazy she turns out.

    These few people are none other than Audrey, Kayden and Anthony. Maybe a few others will be added to the list in the future that she isn''t sure of.

    "I am thrilled to see that you are making progress with not only your studies but also your training¡­ I also can''t stop myself from being sad¡­,"

    "But why?" Anthony asked as he held Joanna''s hands still on his face.

    His heart felt calm hearing that his assumptions were wrong.

    "Because as you grow up little by little, this Big Sister of yours is gonna be less useful in your life¡­,"

    "Big Sister can never be useless to me," Anthony replied with a broad smile. He raised his hand and cupped her face.

    "I will still need Big Sister to bless my mate and me when I grow up¡­,"

    "You are still too young to think about that naughty boy¡­ I wonder who fed your little head with such ideas," Joanna scolded yfully.

    They were still talking andughing when Anthony jerked to his feet. His flustered look made Joanna worried.

    "What is it?" asked Joanna as she stood up from the bed.

    "I was so happy earlier that I forgot to tell you that someone is waiting for you downstairs," Anthony said with his head lowered.

    Here couldn''t believe he got carried away and forgot the reason he came to his sister''s room in the first ce.

    "Someone is waiting for me?" Joanna asked with raised eyebrows.

    She has already set up an appointment with Audrey to meet her in the evening after work so she knew the one downstairs wasn''t Audrey.

    "Yes. He said he was your friend so I let him in¡­,"

    "You know that I don''t have any other friends apart from Drey so how could you let a stranger into the house without confirming his identity?" Joanna reprimanded in a serious tone.

    "Although he looks quite weird wearing those ssesand his curly hair looks kinda odd, he didn''t look like a bad person that is why I let him into the house," Anthony mumbled with his hands folded at his back.

    Joanna''s eyes widened when she heard Anthony''s description of the visitor. She bent and grabbed Anthony on the shoulder.

    "What did you just say he looked like?" Joanna demanded. She grabbed his shoulders tighter.

    "He wears sses and a blue backpack. His hair is a bit long and curly. It covers half of his face," Anthony described but didn''t understood why Joanna looked so anxious.

    "Oh my gosh¡­ What the hell is he doing here?" Joanna remarked standing up straight. She raked her fingers through her well-styled hair.

    "Big Sister, do you know him?" Anthony inquired seeing how abnormal his Big Sister was acting.

    "Of course I do¡­ he is the biggest troublemaker of all. I have always known that he will be the death of me someday," Joanna stated absentmindedly as she paced about the room.

    "Anyways what am I still doing here when I am sure he must have caused havoc downstairs," Joanna muttered. How she dashed out of the room left Anthony dumbfounded.

    His Big Sister has always beenposed so he wondered what must have possessed her to make her behave this way.

    "I wonder what is wrong with Big Sister," Anthony mumbled, his gaze on the brown door Joanna had forgotten to shut.

 Chapter 138 Laura Barged In

    ?Meanwhile downstairs, Amos was seen looking at the picture frame hanging on the walls.

    Two maids kept a close eye on him as he moved from one corner of the room to the other.

    "It''s so cruel of them to exclude her from every picture they took," Amos said as he stretched his hand and lifted a family picture sitting on the long brown table connected to the wall.

    His eyebrows creased to form a frown as he stared at the smiling faces of the family of four on the picture in his hand.

    Adhara wearing a green off-shoulder evening gown had the broadest smile in the picture.

    [How dare she smile after bullying my woman by excluding her from all the family pictures?]

    Amos grabbed the picture frame tighter.

    He was about to apply more strength and break the frames into pieces when loud footsteps descending the stairs caught his attention.

    He resisted the desire to chuckle seeing her running like a cheetah.

    "Don''t forget to catch a breath because it''s gonna be very funny if you pass out¡­," Joanna, who just got there staggered to a stop.

    She frowned when she saw the picture frame in his hand. Without wasting time she collected the picture frame from him and returned it to its original position.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" Joanna gasped.

    "I missed¡­," Joanna raised her hand and covered his mouth when she saw how attentively the maids stared at them.

    "Let''s go," Joanna grabbed his left hand. "We will talk upstairs in my room," She proceeded to the stairs not letting go of his hand.

    She ignored the maids'' mean res. They can only re at her but not harm her. The era that the maid could easily bully her has long passed.

    Reaching her room Joanna pushed him in and mmed the door closed behind her.

    She stepped toward Amos, ring at him. She pushed him backwards, demanding, "What are you doing in my house?"

    "Do you perhaps have ns to see my family and I fight to our death? Is that why you showed up¡­," He raised his hand and held her shoulders.

    "Don''t be angry. I just wanted to see what your house looked like in the daytime," There was gentleness in his voice and eyes as he talked.

    "Also you don''t have to worry about Adhara meeting me here. I made sure she was preupied outside before I came," Amos grinned. He released her shoulders, noticing that she was a bit calmer.

    "You kept her upied?... What does that mean?" The now rxed Joanna asked curiously.

    Amos grinned when he recalled the scene of two women holding each other at the cor on the road when he wasing to her house.

    "I just got a perfect match to deal with her. It''s nothing worth mentioning¡­ so let''s talk about us instead," Amos said. He turned and looked around the room.

    He has snuck into her room thrice but has never realised just how small her room was until today.

    "Your room is quite small¡­ and you happen to be ady at that," Amos said as he stared at the room in room.

    No decors or paintings were hanging on the wall.

    The room wasn''t fancy like all thedies'' rooms he had been to.

    He walked to the deskid close to the window and rested his butt against the edge of the table.

    "Compare to all thedies'' rooms I have entered yours happened to be the less attractive¡­ It''s lifeless unlike how adies'' room should be," Amos diverted his gaze to the bed.

    Her bed wasn''t huge nor was it very small. It was just enough to fit her and another tiny figure.

    "This is enough for me if you were to ask me," replied Joanna as she walked to the bed and had her seat.

    "It''s better than being thrown out on the cold street to survive," A painful smile appeared on Joanna''s face when she recalled how she got to own a room.

    In the past, she didn''t have a ce to sleep on. She has experienced how it feels to sleep on the cold floor the entire night without any nkets to shield her from the coldness of the night.

    She has slept leaning against the wall throughout the night so many times. When Adhara kicked her out of the house she even had to make do with sleeping at the gate.

    It was like a dreame true when she was given this room after she fell sick and was almost at death''s doorway.

    She had this room all thanks to Anthony''s tantrums back then.

    "And what did you mean by my room is the less attractive roompared to all thedies'' rooms you have been to?" Joanna asked her eyes glued on his face.

    "Does that mean my room is not the first girl''s room you have snuck into¡­,"

    "What¡­ what are you saying?" Amos stammered as he avoided staring in her direction.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am not a pervert¡­,"

    "But that''s what your word means¡­ and you dared topare my room to theirs," Joanna stated. She crossed her legs and ced her hands on her knees.

    "I¡­ I¡­," Amos was lost at what to say to save himself from this awkward situation he has put himself at.

    He wondered why he even had topare her room to otherdies'' room. He must have been momentarily out of his mind.

    His hands began fidgeting with her table. Joanna was still waiting for his response when she saw him open the part of the drawer she shoved the notebook into earlier.

    The blue note caught Amos'' attention. He puts his right hand into the drawer and brought the notebook out from where Joanna kept it.

    "What''s this?" Amos said as he bent the notebook to the side and tried to open it.

    "No¡­.," Joanna yelled with her hands extended in Amos'' direction.

    She ran like a wounded lion to where Amos leaned against the table.

    He was just about to get a glimpse of the first page when the running Joanna lost her bnce.

    With the force she came at, Joanna collided with him causing the book to fall to the floor with a thud.

    Amos leaned back and embraced her. His powerful hands circled her back preventing her from slipping off.

    In this ambiguous position, they both raised their gaze at the same time to look at each other.

    With their eyes locked together, they couldn''t look away from each other''s eyes.

    Joanna''s world spun and came to aplete halt.

    At that moment he was the only thing she could see. In her head, his face glowed more than it had ever done.

    Joanna''s heart started thumping and before you know it the little throbs turned to an erratic heartbeat.

    "I love you," Amos stared into her lovely eyeballs as he confessed his love one more time.

    His words resounded in Joanna''s head so many times.

    I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!

    Joanna''s heart swells in excitement. She couldn''t believe she got him to say the word without having to work hard for it.

    [Whoa¡­ I havepleted the mission. Now my powers are saved]

    Joanna grinned. She was so distracted and didn''t see Amos bring his hand to her face.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on in Joanna''s room, Laura returned to the house from her outing.

    Irene, the busybody maid didn''t even wait for her to sit when she left her post and approached Laura.

    Laura lifted her gaze off the shopping bags on the table on feeling the presence of someone beside her.

    "What''s it?" Laura was irritated that the maid had toe at the time she did.

    "Miss Laura, I wanted to confirm whether Joanna informed the Madam that she was going to bring a male visitor home," Irene said, pretending as though she was only doing her duty.

    "What!" Laura eximed in shock. She removed her hand from the pink shopping bag and stood straight.

    "Did you just say that stupid girl brought a man back home?" Laura asked to confirm that she heard the right words.

    "Yes," the maid said with so much confidence. "As we are speaking he is in her room right now. Heaven knows what kind of abominable act they might be doing in there," Irene made sure to emphasize the words as she spoke.

    "How dare she bring her lover into the house and not only that she even let him into her room?" Laura demanded with a clenched fist. She lifted her gaze and stared in the direction of Joanna''s room upstairs.

    "If she has a n of being just like her mother then she should do that in a hotel¡­ I will never let her turn my parents'' home into a motel. Never!" Laura yelled.

    She abandoned what she was doing and stomped upstairs.

    Back in Joanna''s room, he was about to kiss her when the white notification screen popped up.

    <Deadline: You have only 14 days toplete your mission>

    Joanna''s fist clenched into a ball setting her eyes on the notification. She couldn''t believe she rejoiced earlier for nothing.

    It was at this moment that the door flew open. Laura met them right in this position.

 Chapter 139 I Will Do It

    ?"Hey!" Laura shouted to get their attention. She stomped to the table when neither Joanna or Amos pulled away from each other.

    She extended her hand and tried to yank Joanna away from him. Joanna turned in time and grabbed her hand.

    "I recall saying that you should know how you swing your hand whenever I am around. But why does it feel like you forget things easily?" Joanna questioned her fierce res on Laura''s hand.

    "How brazen of you to challenge me after the despicable things you did with him in this room¡­,"

    "Watch your tongue," Amos, now standing beside Joanna, reprimanded the furious Laura.

    "And who is this idiot?" Laura bellowed, her fiery eyes diverted to Amos'' face. She tilted her head back slightly as she red at him.

    "You are so¡­,"

    "You don''t talk when I am talking, got it¡­," Joanna applied pressure to her hand while still holding Laura''s hand.

    Laura let out a painful groan. She struggled to free her hand but Joanna refused to let go.

    "You can insult me as much as you want but I won''t spare you if you try to use the tone you used with me on him¡­,"

    "Hahaha¡­ you want to shamelessly protect him?" Lauraughed mockingly, ignoring her painful hand.

    "Let''s see whether you will still be able to keep on this haughty attitude of yours when I report you to Mum and Dad¡­,"

    "You wouldn''t dare!" Joanna''s gaze grew darker as she stared at Laura.

    Laura grimaced, "Watch me do it". She yanked her hand away from Joanna''s hold.

    She proceeded to the door.

    "If you want to report to them, go ahead¡­," Joanna trailed her gaze glued on the back of thedy about to reach the brown door.

    "But I wonder what Stepmother will do when she learns what you did with him on that fateful night," Joanna''s lips curled into an evil smirk seeing Laura stopped in her tracks.

    "When she heard that you didn''t only disobey her order and met him but was even kissing him in the dark alley. He gropes your¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up," Laura snapped, spinning to look at where Joanna and Amos stood.

    Joanna strolled to the bed ced at the far right corner of the room. She sat down majestically with her legs crossed.

    "Ever since that night I saw you both together a thought keeps bothering me¡­ do you care to satisfy my curiosity?" asked Joanna as though the fuming Laura had any choice.

    No matter what Laura chose she will still do what is on her mind.

    "Do you think Stepmother will really go ahead and kill him like she said she would that night? Or¡­,"

    "How dare you threaten me?" Laura lost her cool and charged towards where Joanna sat.

    She was about five steps away when her ws became visible.

    "Back off if you don''t want to get hurt," Amos held her hand and pushed her backwards to create a space between the meandy and his mate.

    "Seeing how angry you are merely hearing my word I can see that you really care about him. And if you really care about him like you want me to believe¡­," Joanna said as she stood up from where she sat.

    "Then you will keep your mouth shut¡­. In fact, you will stay away from everything that concerns me from today onwards if you want him to remain safe for a long time, got it?" Joanna concluded coldly.

    Laura sped her fists, her murderous res centred on Joanna.

    "You have done your share but I promise you, this is not over. Sooner orter you will understand the feeling of being threatened using a loved one," Laura stated. She spun and stomped out of the room in the simr way she did when she entered.

    BAM!

    The door mmed closed.

    HAHAHA!

    Amos burst out in a peal of deafeningughter the instant the defeated Laura stomped out of the room.

    "What''s so funny that is causing you to crack up so much?" Joanna frowned, strolling back to the bed.

    "Do you even need to ask?" Amos questioned. He proceeded to stand in front of where she sat on the bed.

    "Don''t you love and feel satisfied seeing her defeated look?" Amos bent and squatted in front of her.

    "I mean even though I was aware of how capable you are I was still worried that even with your ability they wouldn''t stop to maltreat you¡­,"

    "Maltreat me?" Joanna scoffed as she crossed her long legs. "If they are not all careful they will be the ones who end up getting mistreated by me. Do you know why?" asked Joanna as she lowered her gaze to look at his face.

    "Why?" Amos asked.

    Although he witnessed just how immense her power is he couldn''t stop himself from worrying about her.

    He was afraid that instead of stopping, their maltreatment would worsen if they found out about her powers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    But after what he witnessed, he realised that the woman sitting in front of him was not one to easily mess up with.

    Knowing that she could protect herself physically and mentally made him very happy.

    "Because right now powers have changed hands," Joanna said grinning.

    She stretched out her hands and within the space of a second, her hands glowed red and green respectively.

    "Having this is cooler than being a werewolf, vampire or human and they will alle to admit that," She said. Her palms returned to normal in the same manner the fire emerged.

    With the way she talked and the fiery look in her eyes, Amos needed no one to tell him that she was in a bad mood.

    "You seem to be in a bad mood¡­ although I don''t know why you are like this I happened to know the perfect way to lighten up your mood¡­," Joanna jerked to her feet, almost knocking Amos down.

    She proceeded to stand in front of the window and gazed outside.

    [He definitely said I LOVE YOU so why didn''t the notification screen show that the mission waspleted?]

    Joanna stood there staring into space despite Amos being in the same room with her.

    "Let''s go on a date," Amos stated, as he strolled to where she stood.

    The echoing of his words in her head made her snap out of it. She stared at him with widened eyes.

    "Your wish¡­,"

    "If you go back on your words and disagree then get ready to put up with me the entire day," Amos said with a stern expression.

    He disappeared only to reappearying on her bed.

    "Because I am not gonna go anywhere," Amos spread his arms and legs. He upied the entire space on the bed.

    "You¡­," Joanna pointed her index finger at him but he tilted his face to the other side.

    Seeing him act wilfully like a child made Joanna speechless.

    "Don''t forget to tell me when you have made up your mind. I need to know whether or not to call Chris to bring my nkets," Amos informed as he closed his eyes.

    Joanna stomped to the bed realising that he wasn''t kidding around this time around.

    "Do you know how shameless you are acting¡­,"

    "Don''t you think the one going back on her words is the shameless one?" Amos questioned.

    His eyes fluttered open to reveal his ck sexy orbs. "Or would you have preferred I asked you to marry me instead¡­,"

    "I¡­," He lifted his upper body slightly off the bed, extended his hands and pulled her with a bit of force.

    She fell on the bed crashing into him. In a sh, he wrapped his hands around her waist leaving her no escape route.

    Joanna raised an eyebrow. She wanted her eyes and expression toe out stern but looking into his eyes she felt her anger dissipate.

    Her heartbeat began to increase. She struggled to free herself knowing very well what woulde next if she keptying on his body in this condition.

    "Since you prefer being my wife to going on a date with me, why don''t we make it official¡­,"

    "Isn''t it just going on a date?" Joanna cut in. "I will do it," She finally said the words he wanted to hear.

    "Really?" Amos asked suspiciously.

    "Yeah," She replied without wasting time. He didn''t release her until he confirmed that she wasn''t ying a prank on him.

    She jumped to her feet and straightened her clothes after he let go of her.

    "Since you have agreed, you are not allowed to go back on your words," He stated, sitting up on the bed.

    "Neither are you allowed to regret your decision," Amos grinned evilly as he stood up from the bed.

    The sly smile on his face made Joanna realize that there was more to the date. She has walked into his trap without knowing it.

    ¡­

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, please support the book and authors by buying privileged chapters and unlocking them daily. Please let''s try our best to reach this month''s 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock.

    I will promise I will give you guys a huge surprise if we reach this particr goal.

    Also support the book with gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS and power stones.

    Thank you so much as you do this.

 Chapter 140 The Scars On Her Body

    ?"Get out," Joanna said, pointing her finger at the door. Amos'' expression fell the instant she said these two words.

    He hurried to where she stood and held her hands. "You promised you will go on the date so¡­,"

    "And how am I going to go on the date with you if I don''t get changed?" Joanna started. "You don''t expect me to wear this right?" Joanna lowered her gaze at the dull clothes she wore.

    Amos'' eyes glimmered hearing her words. "Oh¡­," His lips curled into a beautiful smile realizing that he misunderstood her intentions.

    Joanna shook her head seeing him act like a little child whose parents finished promising him to purchase his favourite toy.

    In the past, she has always thought that she knew this guy standing in front of her like she was the back of her palms.

    But she realised that she knew nothing about him after spending two weeks in the forest with him.

    Staying with him, she got to discover a lot of things about him. Things that even his best friends are not aware of.

    Being with him feels like she is ying a puzzle or reading a mystery book. Every day she gets to discover new sides of him she never knew he had.

    She snapped a finger at him, "If you are done daydreaming will you go out so I can freshen up and get changed?" Joanna questioned.

    "I have seen your naked body not once or twice so why¡­,"

    "Do you believe that I will kick your butts out of this room if you don''t get out while I am saying the words nicely?" Joanna asked, showing him her tightened fist.

    Amos stared at her, weighing his chances of winning if he decided to go on arguing with her.

    When he recalled all the ns he had set up for that day, he concluded that it was a waste of time bickering with her.

    He knew he would be at a loss if he kept bickering with her and she changed her mind about the date.

    "Let''s just say you won today," Amos conceded defeat. He approached the door.

    Standing outside the door, he refused to shut the door. He leaned against the brown door and stared at her.

    Though this is not the first or second time he had stared at her so intently, for some reason she felt so nervous.

    She felt butterflies in her stomach.

    "Do you need me to shut the door on you or will you do it by yourself?" asked Joanna with furrowed eyebrows.

    She clenched her fist to suppress the strong emotions threatening to burst out.

    "I will leave but I won''t say that you should take your time. I am already missing you as it is. I doubt I won''t barge into your bathroom if you take time¡­," Joanna stretched her hand and carried the flower vaseying on a small stand.

    Just when she was about to throw the vase at him. He mmed the door shut.

    "I wonder why I didn''t do that sooner," Joanna muttered. She extended her hand and returned the flower vase to where she carried it.

    Joanna walked to the small size wardrobe situated on the right side of the room, just some distance from the bed.

    She raised her hand, grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

    Inside the wardrobe, there were less than thirty clothes inside it; abination of both ones hanging and those folded and ced inside.

    Out of the few clothes she had, only about three or four were presentable ones.

    The remaining ones were worse than clothes worn by some of the beggars she often saw on the road.

    "I can''t believe this is the wardrobe of a person," Joanna muttered as she skimmed through the clothes hanging inside the wardrobe.

    "I must get myself some decent clothes after I receive my paycheck. It doesn''t matter whether this will cost me my entire paycheck this month".

    Joanna continued checking out the clothes. No matter how many times she examined the clothes she didn''t find anyone appealing.

    Never had she hated her wardrobe so much as she is doing today. She had the urge to just gather everything and set them on fire.

    On her third try at finding decent clothes to wear, she finally settled for the yellow tight-fitted dress Audrey got for her about two years ago.

    When it reached to choosing a handbag, she had not had many alternatives since she has only two chained handbags. The handbags happened to be gifts gotten from Audrey and Kayden.

    Adhara never saw the need to buy her clothes and other essoriesdies need.

    But she and her daughter find delight in destroying these things given to her as gifts.

    She can''t recall the numbers of her shoes, handbags, jewellery and makeup sets they had destroyed in these past years. They went as far as converting some as theirs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After what she went through in their hands whoever says she should go easy on them must be out of his/her damn mind.

    She is not a bloodthirsty girl but a saint is thest thing she will be.

    Joanna removed her clothes. Unlike otherdies whose body was blemish-free. Her body was full of scars. And behind each scar lies a story she will never forget in this lifetime.

    Staring at herself in the mirror made her feel irritated. Joanna was about to cover her nakedness with the white towel in her hand when the scar below her waist caught her eyes.

    She could still vividly recall how she got that scar.

    That day, it was a sunny afternoon. She was climbing down the stairs with a cup of warm tea in her hand when the twelve-year-old Laura racing down the stairs collided with her.

    Even though the content of the mug wasn''t hot, Laura had screamed and rmed her grandma sitting on the couch in the sitting room watching television.

    "It''s burning," Laura chanted the words as she ran to her grandmother.

    Because of Laura''s reddened hand, the elderly woman didn''t care to know what happened. She grabbed the knife the maid was using in slicing the apple and threw it at her.

    Seeing the swinging knife she turned to run up the stairs but before she took a step forward, the knife pierced her deep just below her waist.

    Ahhh!!!

    She let out a scream of pain. Warm blood immediately gushed out from where the knife stuck to her body.

    She wailed and writhe in pain but none came to her rescue.

    After Nanny Susan had defiled the wicked woman and bandaged her wound, she was still made to work the entire day.

    She was barely about nine years old back then and the wicked woman didn''t spare her.

    Each time she sets eyes on the cruel woman who always made sure to leave a scar on her body each time she visits, she feels the urge to poison or strangle her to death.

    Because she wasn''t the woman''s match she always behaved even though she hated her to the core.

    But now that everything has changed. She will meet the shock of her life when she visits this time around.

    "I will be the one whoughsst, I promise," Joanna wrapped her slender body with the white towel and proceeded to the bathroom.

    As Joanna was inside the bathroom freshening up Amos was busy studying theyout of the Anderson building.

    He was strolling when he suddenly got pulled into a room and the door shut behind him.

    "Who¡­," He rxed when he saw the little boy standing in front of him with his arms folded.

    His scowled should have made him appear angry but Amos found his expression funny.

    "Why are you staring at me like I just stole your favourite toy?" Amos asked. He raised his hand to touch his hair but Anthony pushed his hand away.

    "What are you to Big Sister?" Anthony inquired, still scowling at him.

    Instead of answering his question, Amos walked further into the spacious room that was twice the size of Joanna''s room.

    [I guess this is a privileged thates with being that cruel woman''s flesh and blood¡­ you get to enjoy the life of luxury]

    His eyes scrutinized the room as he walked in.

    In the middle of the room, there was a huge shelf that demarcated the room into two.

    On the shelves, toys of different models were neatly arranged. His collections of toys were mostly superheroes.

    On the walls hung paintings of murals,ndscapes and so many others. Two family picture frames hung on the wall.

    Anthony jumped to stand in front of him with his hand spread. "What are you looking at?" Anthony demanded.

    Amos lowered his gaze at the little boy frowning at him. "Don''t you think you are being rude to your future brother-inw?" asked Amos as he yfully hit his forehead with his index finger.

    Anthony squinted his eyebrows, "Brother-inw?" He scoffed. "Your wish".

    His expression and the tone he used made him recall the many times Joanna said the same words to him.

    [When they said the Apple doesn''t fall far from the tree, I guess that wasn''t a lie¡­ it sure runs in the blood]

    "And why do you say so?" Amos asked, not understanding why the boy was hostile to him.

 Chapter 141 Anthony And Amos Clashed

    ?"Because I already have a man for my Big Sister and she also likes him so you don''t stand a chance," Anthony said with his head slightly tilted back.

    "Oh¡­," Amos said, shaking his head. Although he looked so calm, inwardly he wanted to spank Anthony hard for daring to say such words to him.

    "And who is this man if I may ask?" Amos asked. He strolled to one of the chairsying on the left-hand side and sat down.

    "Is he as intelligent, handsome, tall and well built as me?" Amos crossed his long legs and brought back his attention to the little boy.

    "Are you even considered good-looking?" Anthony snarled. His dislike was visible not only on his face but also in his tone.

    He sauntered to the chair opposite that of Amos and sat down imitating the way Amos sat.

    "My brother-inw is very handsome¡­ in fact, all thedies in the Kingdom say he is the hottest man alive," He spoke with pride.

    "He is the richest and the most influential man in the kingdom," Anthony counted his merits with his fingers.

    [He is the hottest and the most influential man in the Kingdom?... Was there any man in the kingdom except me?]

    ? Amos began to think of all the young men Joanna was acquainted with but after an intensive analysis, he couldn''t find anyone that fits into Anthony''s description.

    "He is super intelligent and has a very nice body¡­ I dream to have the same body as him when I grow up," Anthony said, disying his tiny biceps for him to see.

    "The most important of all the points is that he loves my sister a whole lot and is willing to do anything for her¡­,"

    "But I also love your sister too¡­,"

    "Maybe but I can tell you that it isn''t on the same scale as his," Anthony countered his points with ease.

    [Was there someone in the Kingdom who loves Anna as much as I do¡­ but howe I wasn''t aware of this?]

    Instead of Anthony''s words enlightening Amos, they left him more confused.

    He thought he had no rival but hearing Anthony''s words he realised that he might have been overconfident in himself.

    "You are just ten years old, what do you know about love?" Amos questioned, not able to hide his displeasure anymore.

    Anthony''s expression turned gloomy the moment Amos said hisst sentence.

    "Kiddo, you don''t need to take what I said too seriously. In time you will grow up¡­,"

    "Yes, it''s true I might not know what love is but¡­," Anthony began in a serious tone.

    He lowered his gaze and looked at the ss table at the centre.

    "I know in the entire Kingdom, he is the one who treats my sister the best¡­. He cried a lot after she disappeared back then. He cried more than I did," His chest tightened and his words became not so audible as he talked.

    [Why does he want to cry?... I am sure Anna will think I bullied him if she met him like this]

    Amos became quite uneasy seeing Anthony so emotional. He tried to listen to what was going on outside to make sure that none was approaching Anthony''s room.

    "Doesn''t this mean he loves her?" Anthony questioned. He raised his head and revealed his misty eyes.

    "That is¡­,"

    "Even though you lie and say it isn''t love you still don''t stand a chance because he has long been prophesied to be my Big Sister''s mate," Anthony cut in not wanting to hear Amos reply.

    The word MY BIG SISTER''S MATE rang in Amos'' head. His lips curved into a sly smile when he realised that it was him Anthony has been talking about this entire time.

    "Your Big Sister''s mate?" Amos chuckled in between his words. He couldn''t mask his excitement at that moment.

    "Why are you smiling?" Anthony asked, confused to see Amos smiling. He didn''t recall saying anything nice about him.

    "Because I am very happy and I feel like rewarding you¡­,"

    "With what?" Anthony asked, jumping up to his feet with his tightened fists held in front of his chest.

    "You might be bigger than me but I am not weak. Big Sister has taught me to always defend¡­,"

    "Kiddo, I think you misunderstood me," Amos said standing on his feet. He tried to approach Anthony but the little boy moved backwards.

    "I am not going to hit you¡­," Joanna chose this time to show up in the room.

    Seeing them like this she misunderstood the situation and thought he was trying to bully her little brother.

    She hurried to Anthony''s side and hugged him.

    "What did you do to him?" Joanna berated as she continued patting Anthony''s head. "He is just a kid¡­,"

    "Anna, you misunderstood. I didn''t do anything bad to him," Amos started, as he covered the gap between them.

    "He was just going on and on praising me¡­," Anthony''s growl and fierce look made Amos pause his words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I mean he was praising the King and when I said I wanted to reward him, he acted defensively. He is here. He will confirm that what I said is true," Amos exined in a calm tone.

    He knew it was better to put an end to the misunderstanding early rather than make it escte.

    Joanna lowered her gaze at her little brother still hugging her waist tightly. "Were you praising the King in front of him?" Joanna questioned.

    Her fierceness made Anthony mellow down. He unwrapped his hands around her waist and walked two steps away from her.

    "It''s not like I was praising him¡­," Anthony said, not confident to look in his sister''s eyes as spoke.

    "I only told him the truth about him that everyone knows¡­.,"

    "Truth like what are you talking about?" Joanna questioned, her suspicious nces fixated on Anthony''s face.

    The little boy tends to act this way anytime he did something wrong so she could already guess that he might have said or done something he wasn''t supposed to do.

    "Did you say something you shouldn''t have said to him¡­,"

    "No, no, no¡­," Anthony shook his head vehemently. Amos decided to watch them talk without interrupting their conversation.

    He will only talk if necessary.

    "Then what were some of the so-called truths you told him?" Joanna asked, not willing to let Anthony off the hook.

    "I¡­ I said¡­," Anthony stammered, stealing secret nces at his Big Sister. His instincts told him to move away from his sister and that is what he did.

    Anthony, now standing very close to the entrance raised his head when he felt that he was safe from where he stood.

    "I told him that Big Brother Kay is handsome¡­ rich, powerful and¡­ and that you like him a lot¡­,"

    "Hey," Joanna shouted, startling not only Anthony but also Amos with her scream.

    "Come here Little rice ball," Joanna beckoned him with her hands toe closer but being very smart, he refused to move a muscle.

    "I saide here¡­," Anthony took to his heels before Joanna could take two steps forward.

    "Geez¡­ he sure thinks he can run," Joanna scoffed. She lifted the down part of her dress so that it stopped on her knees.

    "I wonder if no one told him that I am the best runner there is in the Kingdom¡­,"

    "Are you really sure you wanna pursue him?" Amos asked with his arms folded and his legs crossed.

    "Are you sure you have the answer to counter all his points¡­ because even I ended up losing to the smart boy".

    For the first time since she entered the room, he took a closer look at the pretty damsel adorned in a yellow tight-fitted dress.

    Although neither the dress, handbag nor any of the essories look morous and exotic, he found it just perfect.

    In fact, he hasn''t seen anydy who dresses so simply and yet manages to pull off the vibes of a goddess just like she is doing.

    "It''s because you have been spoiling him that is why he had the guts¡­,"

    "Which parts of his sentence got you infuriated?" Amos asked, appearing in front of her.

    He obstructed her path. "Was it the part where he said I am handsome or¡­ that you love me a whole lot?"

    "You¡­,"

    "Are you angry that the secret you thought nobody knew has been discovered by someone¡­. Not just by anyone but by Tony huh?" Amos said provocatively.

    He lifted his hand and stroked her beautiful face. She only applied a little makeup yet she looked so beautiful and irresistible.

    "Are you trying to test my patience or how many minutes it will take me to change my mind and take off this dress¡­,"

    "Hey, it hasn''te to this right?" Amos cut in hearing that she was having second thoughts about their dates.

    "I was only trying to say that you look way too pretty right now to let him ruin your mood," He raised his hands and held her by the shoulders.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, please support the book and authors by buying privileged chapters and unlocking them daily. Please let''s try our best to reach this month''s 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock.

    I will promise I will give you guys a huge surprise if we reach this particr goal.

    Also support the book with gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS and power stones.

    Thank you so much as you do this.

 Chapter 142 They Garnered Attention

    ?He made sure she was staring into his eyeballs. "You look very beautiful to let a frown appear on your face. Leave the scolding to me. I will do it¡­ but after we go on our date," Amos smiled at her. He couldn''t take his eyes off her.

    Joanna rolled her eyes. She pushed his hand away from her face.

    "There is no need to pretend because I know that you love the fact that he praises you. You can go ahead and brag and evenugh as much as you want¡­,"

    "How did you know that I am about to die of over-excitement right now?" Amos let out the smile he had been trying to suppress.

    His smile shone brighter than she had ever seen.

    "I am so happy that I almost showered kisses on Tony''s face earlier¡­,"

    "Yuck! So gross," Joanna shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to the exit.

    She reached the door yet Amos didn''t move a muscle. "Let''s go now before I change my mind," She said and started walking away.

    "Wait up," He shouted as he ran to catch up to her. Amos caught up to Joanna at the stairs.

    In the sitting room, Laura sat there ying with her cellphone. Even though she saw Amos and Joanna descending the stairs, she acted ignorant of what was going on.

    Joanna and Amos also ignored her¡­ in fact as they chatted happily they treated her as though she didn''t exist.

    "You can act as prideful as you want, this is your turn. But I promise to get even with you for this humiliation," Laura muttered, her fist sped.

    She red in the direction leading to the exit door that Joanna took.

    Laura only needed to shoot the gossipy maids'' murderous res to send them scrambling for dear life.

    When they reached outside Joanna was stunned to see Amos approaching a white sports car parked outside their gate.

    "Don''t tell me that is yours?" asked Joanna, her index finger pointing at the car he just opened the passenger''s seat.

    "Bingo!" Amos remarked beaming. He beckoned her toe to the car. "I got this specifically for our date," He hits the top of the car slightly.

    Joanna ced her ck chained handbag well in her right shower and sauntered to where he stood.

    "I thought you wanted to keep a low profile that is why you did away with your other identity¡­,"

    "Sorry to disappoint you but I won''t do less on our first date just because I want to keep a low profile," Amos abruptly interrupted her.

    He signalled her to hop into the car he opened not long ago.

    "Isn''t it too much opening the car for me considering your identity?" Joanna asked, feeling ufortable entering the car.

    "I have my two hands¡­,"

    "Of course, I am aware of that. You are my date today so you deserve no lesser treatments," Amos said. He pulled her closer and gently made her sit on the front row.

    "Besides, I am Amos now so you can feel at ease and enjoy our date to the fullest¡­ I will be upset and unhappy if you see and treat me like someone else other than your boyfriend that I am¡­,"

    "Whoever said you are my boyfriend?" Joanna snapped. Her eyes trailed him as he walked to the driver''s seat.

    Amos pulled the door open and with a jerk, he took his position on the driver''s seat and ignited the car.

    "I did. Audrey and your little rice ball confirmed that," Amos replied grinning. He zoomed off, not giving her the chance to scold him.

    Joanna stopped talking after the car started driving on the traffic-free road.

    Inside the car, she wound down the ss by her side and stared outside.

    Running errands for the best part of her life has made her very ustomed to the City they reside in the Kingdom.

    She knows every nook and cranny of the City that even with her eyes closed she wouldn''t get missing no matter what.

    After staring outside for about fifteen minutes she felt emotional. So she rolled the ss up.

    Amos that was driving sneaked and peeped at her. When he saw her gloomy expression he reduced the speed of the car.

    "What is wrong?" Amos asked, ncing at her. "Are you already getting bored because hubby is too busy to focus his attention on you huh?" His sense of humour made the frowning Joanna chuckle.

    "If you missed hubby''s teases already I don''t mind making you happy even at the expense of getting into an ident¡­,"

    "Hahaha¡­ Has anyone ever told you how hrious your words are?" Joanna tried to suppress herughter.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She rarelyughs in the past since they was nothing to make her happy but she has been finding herselfughing so much these days.

    And it''s all because of him. Almost all her bestughter is shared with him.

    "Everyone finds me scary except you. So who do you think would have been gutsy enough to call my words hrious?" He questioned.

    Seeing her smiling face also put him in a very good mood.

    "Maybe you are right about that," She replied, still not able to stop smiling.

    Amos smiled along with her as he tried to maintain his previous speed.

    "If your thoughts are wandering way too far then you can stare at my face. I am confident that looking at my face is enough to keep you smiling the entire day," Amos removed his right hand from the steering and hit his left chest twice.

    "You are not only a narcissist but also shameless¡­,"

    "Aren''t those some of my attributes that endear me to you?" Amos cut in. He nced at her but had to return his gaze to the road in an instance.

    "Where in the world will you find an all-around perfect man like me?".

    "Hmmm¡­ you are right about that," Joanna admitted with a nod of the head. "You are one of a kind if I must admit and that is why I won''t argue with you on that¡­,"

    "That is a given," Amos'' smile broadens as he hits the steering wheel.

    Amos kept on talking to Joanna until their car jerked and came to a stop in front of the biggest and the most popr boutique in town.

    After making sure that she didn''t get out of the car, Amos majestically stepped out of the car and strolled to open the door for her.

    He extended his hand for her to lean on even though Joanna deemed this unnecessary.

    To make him happy she decided to do whatever will put a smile on his face that day.

    Joanna lifted her gaze to have a full view of the three-storey ss building; the biggest ss building in the Kingdom.

    "Isn''t this the same boutique the mean witches frequent?" Joanna questioned. She tried to let go of his arm when she saw that passers-by were gazing but he refused to let go.

    "Do you have ns of setting the restaurant on fire¡­,"

    "If you are worried that you are goanna run into them here then you don''t have to be because that will never happen¡­,"

    "And how are you so sure of that?" Joanna asked, diverting his attention to his face.

    The guy wearing white denim ripped trousers and a white shirt also turned his face to look at her at the same time.

    "Because I made sure they were preupied too just as I did with your stepmother," He grinned evilly.

    "I am not stupid enough to make them ruin my perfect first date".

    With her hand wrapped around his, they approached therge ss entrance with style.

    "If I had known that you were gonna wear a yellow dress today, I would have made sure I wore clothes that matched with yours," Amos muttered seeing how much attention they garnered.

    The moment they stepped foot into the boutique, other customers began mumbling while looking at Joanna in particr.

    Some even dared to bad-mouth her loudly for her to hear.

    "If they make you feel ufortable then you can wear this," Amos said as he held the ck sunsses in his right hand.

    "That way you won''t have to look at their ugly faces," Amos said loud enough for the gossipy socialites to hear him.

    "You are right," Joanna smiled bewitchingly as she collected the sunsses from him.

    She puts the sses on and holds Amos'' hands once again. This time around she held his arms tighter to give them what to gossip about more.

    [They can talk as much as they want. It''s not that I give a fuck about jobless beings like them]

    Joanna lifted her chin and held her shoulders a bit high as she walked hand in hand with Amos.

    There was a frown on Amos'' face after they walked around the ground floor and yet he didn''t see a dress which was eye-catching enough for him.

    "I heard that your boutique is top-notch but why doesn''t it live up to its name?" Amos said to the sales representative wearing a ck suit on top of a knee-length tight fitted skirt.

 Chapter 143 At The Second Floor

    ?Despite Joanna''s nudge he still went ahead to speak his mind. "The clothes were just fine, there is nos need to be picky¡­,"

    "Maybe you found them ok but not to me," Amos replied looking at her face.

    "Those clothes have been selected and rejected by them," Amos said, tilting his head and looking in the direction of the women sneaking nces at them.

    "My woman is not a dumpster, she deserves nothing but the absolute best. Nothing lesser than the best is befitting for her," Amos left Joanna speechless with his amazing words.

    As far as she can recall none has spoken so highly of her before.

    In fact, her family thinks she is worse than a dumpster and that is why even clothes, shoes and handbags discarded by Laura were not usually given to her.

    Listening to him speak so highly of her in front of so many people made her feel the warmth she hasn''t felt before.

    [He sure has a way of making me feel loved and valuable. He is one of a kind]

    Joanna smiled as she stared at him. At that moment she found him more dashing than ever.

    She shifted her eyes from his face when he turned to look at her.

    "If they have nothing better to offer then I don''t mind taking you to as many boutiques as there are until we meet the one that suits our taste," Amos said angrily.

    He held her hand and turned to leave.

    "Please Sir, Madam, don''t be in a hurry to leave," the sales representative called out to them.

    She ran to stand in front of them.

    When they had halted, the sales representative dropped her hands.

    "If the clothes on the ground floor don''t capture your attention or suit your taste then I can assure you that the ones upstairs will be to your satisfaction," she said politely.

    "How sure are you that we will be satisfied with the things you have downstairs? And that it won''t be a waste of our precious time?" He asked, not convinced by her mere words.

    "I am a hundred per cent sure that you will not be disappointed with our collections," the sales representative assured them with a smile.

    Amos turned to look at Joanna to see whether or not she was against the idea of checking out the boutique once again.

    "Since you are so confident then we will believe you¡­. So can you lead the way?" questioned Joanna.

    The sales representative was more than happy to lead them upstairs for them to continue with their shopping.

    "I am sure he was just bragging to save himself some face when he realised that he couldn''t afford any of the clothes here¡­ let''s see what excuses he will give again now they have taken him upstairs," Joanna climbing the stairs overheard ady saying these words at the ground floor.

    [If only you guys know who he is, then in your wildest imagination would any of you have dared to look him in eye not to mention belittling him]

    Joanna shook her head at how ignorant the socialites were.

    The nging of her high heels sounded as she ascended the stairs.

    Joanna was almost blown off her feet when they reached the second floor. Her mouth subconsciously dropped open as she fed her eyes with the beauty of the designer collections.

    "I must admit they sure have some good stuff here," said Amos, lost at which side of the hall to look at.

    Almost all the clothes were eye-catching and he was even confused about what to do.

    "That is right¡­ but I can already tell that they are as pricey as they look, so let''s go," Joanna said with a fallen expression.

    She turned to walk back downstairs but Amos, whose hand she was leaning on, didn''t move a muscle.

    "And where are we going if I may ask?" Amos asked with raised eyebrows.

    Joanna raised her right hand and held his shoulder. She pulled him a little so that his face was very close to hers.

    "We both know that no matter how rich you are, you can''t use your card since your cover will be blown," Joanna whispered.

    Her eyes moved around to make sure that none was paying attention to them at the moment.

    "I know it will be embarrassing for us to leave without purchasing anything after the scene we made downstairs but this will save us from bigger embarrassment, don''t you think so?" Joanna moved backwards to have a proper look at his face.

    When he didn''t speak she mistook his silence that he was on the same page with her.

    "It''s good that we are on the same page. Let''s sneak out now that the sales representative is busy," Joanna said. She tried to execute her ns of them sneaking out but for the second time, Amos refused to budge.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She frowned as she turned and gazed at him. "Why¡­,"

    "Joan, I never knew that you cared so much about me and my reputation until today," Amos said his loving eyes focused on her face.

    He unwrapped her hand from his.

    "We don''t have time for all this so let''s go already," Joanna stated as she grabbed his hand.

    She was so anxious when she saw that the sales representative was about to wrap up her conversation with her colleague.

    "We can talk about thister, let''s just leave¡­," Amos lifted his hands and cupped her face.

    He could swear that he hasn''t seen her this anxious ever since she returned.

    At the moment she was acting like a thief that was eager to sneak away after stealing a wealthy man''s precious gem.

    "Indeed, I am not really who I am but believe me, we are not gonna leave here empty-handed¡­,"

    "Do you know how crazy you sound?" Joanna cut in. She pushed his hands away from her face.

    "You are gonna get locked up in jail or even beaten half dead if you¡­,"

    "No matter how it turns out I promise that I won''t let anyoney a hand on you. It doesn''t matter if I get beaten blue-ck but I will make sure you get the absolute best today¡­,"

    "You are just so impossible," Joanna said with gritted teeth. She tried to leave by herself but he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto himself.

    "Nobody is gonna get beaten or locked up today, I was only kidding so calm down ok," Amos said softly. He was so concentrated on his woman and didn''t see that other customers had paused to look at them.

    "This is our very first date and I recalled promising to make it memorable. I would never bring you here to get you humiliated so chill and let''s have fun hmm," Amos exined seeing that her frown will not go away.

    "Are you sure?" Joanna questioned. Her face muscles rxed a bit and her frown dissipated.

    "I may be poor but I wouldn''t have brought you here without having a n to resolve the billing issue right?" Amos winked naughtily at her just to see her smile.

    "And even though I didn''t have a n I would you just sneaked you out with the things and get prepared to be beaten to death¡­,"

    "You¡­,"

    "The whole essence of our date is for us to have a good time so rx and let''s have fun ok?" Amos lifted his hands and immediately held her by the shoulder.

    "No more getting upset or frowning ok?" Amos asked as he waited for her reply.

    The sales representative that was speaking to a colleague got back to where they were standing atst.

    "Is there any problem Sir, Madam," The sales representative enquired? Her eyes darted from Joanna''s face to Amos'' face.

    Amos averted his attention to the sales representative. There was a bewitching smile on his face as he stared at the average-heightdy in heels.

    "It''s nothing much actually," He started. "I fell in love at first sight with that clothes over there," Amos pointed his finger to his right.

    The sales representative and Joanna followed his line of sight to see what he was pointing at.

    Joanna''s gaze softened when her eyes met the mannequin he was pointing at.

    On the mannequin was a ck ruffle jumpsuit.

    "Oh that¡­," the sales representative brought back her attention to the couple in front of her.

    "Yeah, that is one out of the many clothes which caught my attention at first nce," Amos said smiling.

    "That is a cold shoulder backless ruffles jumpsuit. It''s among one of ourtest collections," The sales representative exined politely.

    "Your girlfriend has such a lovely shape. I can already imagine how gorgeous she will look in it," The sales representative sealed her words with these irresistiblepliments.

    Amos'' lips curled into a sweet smile the instant he heard the words YOUR GIRLFRIEND.

    "My girlfriend!" Amos repeated the words not able to hide his happiness.

    Joanna pinched him by the sides because of how weird he acted. "I know you love hearing that wordbut stop smiling that way. She is gonna think you are a weirdo," Joanna whispered into his ears.

 Chapter 144 Amos The Crazy Shopper

    ?Amosposed himself when he noticed that thedy was waiting for his reply.

    "Actually, my girlfriend was just telling me how much she loves the clothes¡­," Joanna nudged him hard by the side making him unable to finish his sentence.

    "Are you ok?" The sales representative asked. Too bad she was a human and couldn''t hear what on Earth they had been whispering to each other.

    "I am fine¡­ she tends to act a bit aggressive when she is over-excited," Amos smiled in between his teeth.

    He ignored her fierce res.

    "We will take the jumpsuit," Amos announced to her surprise of Joanna.

    "Are you serious about that?" She asked curiously. "Or didn''t you perhaps hear the description she made¡­,"

    "As long as my girlfriend will look spectacr in it, nothing else matters so chill," Amos said beaming.

    "I will get it wrapped up in her size then," the sales representative said and walked away to get the task done.

    After thedy was gone, Joanna turned to look at Amos properly. "You better recall the words you just said¡­. Don''t regret itter when you see me wear it," She warned.

    She strolled away with her chins up and her shoulders held high.

    As they walked around, Joanna did more admiring of the clothes than shopping for them.

    When he realised that she wouldn''t order a single thing, he decided to take full charge of her shopping.

    "What do you think of that dress, Girlfriend?" Amos asked. He held her hand and gently dragged her along with him to where the dress was worn on a mannequin.

    Joanna looked at the whitece one-shoulder casual dress. Her face lights up as she imagines herself in this high-ss dress.

    "It''s very beautiful but¡­,"

    "Then we will take it," Amos cut in after hearing the words he wanted to hear. His action showed that whatever followed afterwards was not that important.

    He turned and passed his orders to the sales representative who had been following them.

    Standing there he turned to the right and just then a red dress caught his eyes. He excitedly held Joanna''s hands and pulled her along.

    "Oh my! Look at this dress. It''s just spectacr," His eyes shone as he stared at the long red dress.

    The scene of Joanna wearing the long dress popped up into his head. Her mere presence alone was enough to make the otherdies at the party feel inferior to her.

    The nging of her white heels as she approached where he stood under the spotlight made him hold his breath in anticipation.

    "You look gorgeous," Amos muttered to the imaginary woman. He didn''t realise that he had said the words aloud until she snapped her finger at his face.

    "The dress is awesome," Joanna replied absentmindedly.

    "The luckydy to get her hands will not only look sexy and chic but¡­ In fact, anydy who wears it will be in the spotlight the entire day¡­,"

    "And why can''t that luckydy be you huh?" Amos cut in softly. Hearing his words made Joanna divert her gaze to his face.

    "Don''t tell me you wanna buy it?" Joanna asked frowning.

    "Oh my! How did you guess my thoughts so urately," Amos asked covering his mouth as though he was shocked.

    "Stop being silly¡­,"

    "You haven''t seen anything yet so I will advise that you save your strength and words forter. Because I can already tell that you will need itter," Amos yfully tapped her on her nose.

    He turned and asked the sales representative to get the dress for him.

    After the sales representative did what he ordered they went around shopping some more.

    The most baffling thing was that ever since they arrived at the boutique he hasn''t shopped a single thing for himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He didn''t even take a nce at the men''s section.

    On the third floor, Amos came to an abrupt halt in front of the handbag shelves.

    On the wooden white shelves, handbags of different varieties and designer collections were neatly arranged on them.

    Almost all the handbags on the topmost shelves caught Amos'' attention. For a minute he couldn''t take his eyes off this beautiful set of essories.

    "That''s enough staring ok," Joanna scolded as she grabbed his hands.

    "If someone sees the sparkles in your eyes as you stared at the bags they would think you have weird taste¡­,"

    "And let them do that," Amos said not moving even though Joanna was trying to drag him away from the bag section.

    "It''s not like I care about what others say. The only person''s words which can affect me is you," Amos said.

    He titled his head so that he was looking right into her eyeballs. "Only your words have the power to hurt me¡­ and that is why you must always be careful with your words around me," He lowered his head so that his face was very close to hers.

    Their sudden closeness made Joanna stiffen. The tingling feeling of his warm breath against her bare face made her heart momentarily stop beating.

    "You can rx now¡­ and don''t forget to breathe," he whispered teasingly and pulled away.

    Joanna frowned realising that he was just teasing her.

    His sweet smile made Joanna feel the urge to hit him for daring to tease her in front of so many prying eyes.

    [Just wait until I put my seducing ns into action¡­ I will make you have a taste of your own medicine]

    Joanna stared at the guy whose smile grows brighter as seconds passed.

    His smile slowly dissipate when his eyes met her frowning face. "I won''t tease you anymore¡­ that is if you don''t keep on tempting me so rx," He said, bursting outughing at his own words.

    "Would you stopughing if I hit you hard on the mouth and cause your three teeth to fall out?" Joanna questioned, showing her grasped fists.

    He brought hisughter to an abrupt end. "Isn''t it just to stopughing?" asked Amos as he held her clenched fist and pushed her hand to her side.

    "I will do it so there is no need to resort to violence," He said like an obedient boyfriend.

    Anyone who saw him will mistake his behaviour for the fear of Joanna when that was far from the truth.

    Although he enjoys teasing her, he hates seeing her angry. He would do anything to put a smile on her face.

    When he saw that she wasn''t angry anymore he brought his attention to thedy standing by his right-hand side.

    "We will take all the bags from here to there," Amos said, making sure to mark out his orders with his hands.

    Joanna''s eyes widened in shock when she saw the number of handbags he wanted to buy.

    "Hey, you are not really gonna buy all these bags right?" Joanna demanded his confirmation.

    She stretched her hands and held his left sleeve. "Tell me you are kidding?" Joanna tucked his sleeve gently.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, please support the book and authors by buying privileged chapters and unlocking them daily. Please let''s try our best to reach this month''s 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock.

    I will promise I will give you guys a huge surprise if we reach this particr goal.

    Also support the book with gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS and power stones.

    Thank you so much as you do this.

 Chapter 145 His Advantages

    ?Amos lifted his hand and touched her right cheek. "I would have really loved to say the words you want to hear¡­ but sorry to disappoint you, Girlfriend," Amos asserted as he yfully pulled her cheeks.

    Even the sales representative standing by his side was more astonished than Joanna.

    Her widened eyes fixated on Amos'' face was enough evidence of her astonishment.

    Ever since she started working here, no matter how rich the socialites have bragged to be, never has any one of them bought such arge quantity of bags at the same time.

    Apart from getting a huge bonus, she was certain she was gonna get her long-awaited promotion if she managed to make

    such huge sales that none in the boutique has ever made.

    "I know I have let you do whatever you wanted until this moment but not anymore," Joanna said sternly, adjusting the way she stood.

    "Since you might not know things about shopping then let me widen your horizon. Maybe you will start thinking straight afterwards," Joanna said in a firm tone.

    She strolled to the beginning of the shelf where Amos marked. One by one she started describing the handbags and thepanies that designed them.

    This left the sales representative in awe at her profound knowledge of the designer collections.

    "This one is the Louis Vuitton Montaigne Monogram Vernis handbag," Joanna pointed at the red handbag. Thest one on the row that Amos marked.

    The red handbag looks shiny and eye-catching. It was beautiful and enough to catch one''s attention at first nce.

    "It''s worth over $2,800¡­ are you listening to me?" Joanna emphasizes with the help of making him change his mind.

    She has never purchased all these luxurious handbags whose descriptions she has finished giving but she has heard Laura, Adhara, the mean witches and other girls mention these brands.

    She has heard the brand names and the prices of their collections so many times and this had stuck to her brain.

    "Wow¡­ do they really cost that much?" He asked carefreely as he examined the row of handbags he had chosen.

    The handbags were ten in number. All of them looked spectacr.

    Their different colours were enough to match her wardrobe.

    "Now that you know, I am sure you are not gonna do the stupid thing of insisting on buying them for me¡­,"

    "How did you know that was exactly what I was gonna do?" He asked, trying to hold her shoulders but she dodged his hands.

    "Why are you always so impossible? You never listen to me," Joanna said as she turned her back on him.

    Of course, the thought alone that he was willing to purchase so many good things for her makes her happy but she couldn''t stop herself from getting angry when she thinks about how much he is gonna spend on her.

    She believed she didn''t deserve that much, not from him or anyone else. It was just too much and it made her feel terrible.

    "Joan, listen to me," Amos said as he turned to stand in front of her.

    He had a hard time making the furiousdy look at him.

    The sales representative was wise enough to give them privacy when she realised that things were not going smoothly with the couple.

    "Just like I said earlier, you deserve nothing but the absolute best. And I am ready to pay whatever price it''s to make sure you get nothing but the best¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "There is no but ok?" He interrupted her softly. He extended his hands and held her hands.

    "The King has a lot of advantages like the fact that he is the most powerful and richest man in the Kingdom¡­ but the one standing in front of you isn''tcking," Amos said with the hope of making her understand him a little.

    He has always wanted to do lots of things with her; things that normal couples do but his identity restricts the extent he can go.

    Now that he has gotten this rare opportunity, he intends to use it to the fullest.

    He will do all the things he couldn''t do with her all these years. He will make up for his past regrets.

    "Going on shopping with you and holding your hands like this in front of so many people is something he can''t easily do," Amos smiled while stroking her hands.

    He bent a little so that his mouth was very close to her right ear.

    "He can''t publicly tease you while I can¡­,"

    Joanna freed her hands, lifted them and pushed him in the chest.

    "Hey, always remember to keep your distance," Joanna said.

    "See you are already blushing," Amos'' lips curled into an evil smile as he stretched his hands to touch her face.

    She tried to beat his hand away but he somehow manoeuvred and grabbed her hand instead.

    "You can''t publicly show your love to him in the way you are doing to me now¡­,"

    "Stop trying to turn white paper ck," Joanna scolded him. She applied more strength as she tried to free her hand but he refused to let go.

    "I know you would never agree to that¡­ but the essence of what I am trying to say is that let''s shop as much as we can since we are not sure whether we will get this opportunity again," Amos said on a more serious note.

    He let go of her hand after noticing that her frown was gone.

    He averted his gaze back to the handbags disyed on the shelf in front of him.

    "This money I want to spend is a result of my sleepless nights all these years¡­ they will only be stacking up if I don''t spend it, right?" He shifted his gaze back to her as he asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What could be the perfect way to spend my sweat, blood and tears, if not on my woman hmm?" He winked naughtily at her as he talked.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????

    HAPPY AUGUST 2022 ??????

    Although we didn''t achievest month''s goals I want to say thank you to all my readers. Thanks so much for the love and support you have shown this book since the day it was published.

    Last month was very tough for me. I had a mental breakdown more than three times and it was all because of the book.

    I had a hard time writing but all thanks to your immense support I was able to pull through this.

    Thank you so much for always being there to give me the support I need to go on writing.

    All of you did well but among you are readers who did exceptionally wellst month and I want to recognise them with their names.

    These readers have been super supportive and would be an ingrate if I don''t thank them specifically.

    Before I start listing the categories, I want to say that the names on the list weren''t randomly picked. So please don''t say that author is partial.

    TOP FANS

    These are our three top fans and from the dept of my heart, I want to say thank you to the three of you and other fans who didn''t make it to the top 3 list.

    Thank you for the coins, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and gifts you have showered on this book.

    If I want to go on thanking you guys a page won''t be enough to contain it. Thanks for your endless support once again. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    1) flower_goddess

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Teresa_Burns

    TOP GIFTERS

    The three of you gave me the most gifts throughout July 2022. I just want to let you know that I appreciate every single gift you gave to me.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face with your awesome gifts.

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    Comments? I love it just as much as I love GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts and coins. Leavinments makes me know whether or not you are following the book and these three readers made their presence known in almost every chapter of this book.

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    1) Clumsy_N1nja

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    To the readers that cast their GOLDEN TICKETS to this book, I want to say a big thank you to all of you.

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    ...

    One more thing the 100 coin code will be announced when it is ready. It will only be avable to readers who purchased privileged chapters, so kindly buy the privileged chapters if you want to win the coin code.

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 Chapter 146 Miss Viviana

    ?He turned back to look at the handbags screaming for him to purchase them.

    "If you don''t want me to think that all of my years of hard work was in vain then no more arguments ok," He concluded seriously.

    When she didn''t say a word against his choices anymore, he took her silence for consent.

    "Get them all wrapped up," Amos said to the sales representative. He led his woman to the shoe section afterwards.

    Other customers that didn''t notice their presence before started to notice them after therge order of rare designer handbags that he ordered.

    Their eyes followed every movement the couple made. The sales representative followed them making sure that none of her colleagues stole her thunder.

    At the shoe section, Amos took his time to examine the shoes carefully.

    "I want this¡­ that¡­ and those," Amos finally decided after some minutes of careful examination.

    He made his orders known by pointing at the shoes.

    Because they had earlier agreed, she didn''t scold him about therge number of shoes he bought.

    She knew arguing with him too won''t make him change his mind so she decided to save herself the trouble.

    "You just went ahead to choose the shoes without asking for my shoe size¡­ what if none of them fits?" Joanna asked while looking at him.

    "That''s impossible," He said with absolute certainty.

    "I know your shoe size and I have earlier told the sales representative about it¡­ so it''s impossible that I made a mistake," His confidence while saying these words made Joanna unable to talk.

    "Let''s check out the other side," He pointed to the left-hand side where they hadn''t checked out.

    "And afterwards let you try on the clothes¡­ and then conclude our shopping here," He said, not letting go of her hand as he walked to the left side of the room through the provided walkway.

    Even though Joanna had told him that all the clothes he had bought for her were enough for the day, that didn''t stop him from picking more clothes.

    "Are you nning to buy me the entire boutique huh?" Joannained as she stared at the guy who had just finished picking three dresses five minutes after reaching the left section.

    He turned to look at her with a smile on his handsome face. "Hmm¡­ That doesn''t sound like a bad idea¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted, forgetting that they were still at the boutique.

    Everyone in the area all turned to look in their direction. And this made her quicklypose herself.

    "That wasn''t supposed to be apliment so stop smiling," Joanna said, instantly strolling away.

    He abandoned everything and followed her just like she had guessed.

    She was so certain he would keep buying tons of clothes for her and that is why she decided this means to make him stop.

    After finally catching up to her, he extended his hand and grabbed her left hand.

    "Where are you going?" He demanded softly. "Don''t forget you still need to try the clothes on for me to see how spectacr you look on them".

    He didn''t let go of her hand even though he had made his points known. "You want me to try those piles of clothes you bought?" Joanna asked with furrowed eyebrows.

    "Hell no!" She remarked sternly.

    "You know it will make me happy to see¡­,"

    "Don''t even try to persuade me because it won''t work. Even though you were to hold a knife on my neck and ordered me to wear them, I would rather choose an easy death than try them on," Joanna said, not changing her stance.

    The clothes he bought for her were close to thirty or even more than that. Asking her to try on over thirty clothes is a suicide mission.

    It''s not even an option!

    "Since you don''t want to try on all of them, how about you try on just five of them, hmm?" Amos cut down on the number seeing that he was on the losing end.

    "I don''t think¡­,"

    "Please hmm..," He held her right hand and shook it gently.

    The way he tilted his head to the right and pouted his lips almost made Joanna burst outughing.

    [I never knew he had this cute side to him until now. He is so goddamn cute]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna lifted her hand to pull his cheek but someone bumped into her before she could do this.

    Had Amos not spread his hands and caught her, Joanna would have sustained a very bad fall.

    Maybe it would have been her bleeding head they would have been trying to stop had the agile Amos not embraced her tightly.

    Thedy paused only to resume working without apologizing for what she did.

    Realizing what she wanted to do, Amos held Joanna and made her stand properly. When he made sure she wasn''t hurt, he let go of her and proceeded to catch up to the woman in a green dress.

    Reaching where she was, he held her hand. "You pushed her, don''t you know how to apologise?" Amos asked, frowning.

    Thedy tilted her head and shot him a murderous re. "Apologize to whom?" She snarled, without any sense of guilt.

    "Should I apologize to her?" Thedy diverted her gaze to Joanna standing not far away.

    There was disgust in her eyes as she looked at Joanna.

    "Or to you?" Thedy shifted her disgusted look to Amos. She instantly flung his hand away as though she was touched by trash.

    She turned and started walking away in elegance. A victorious smile lingered on the corner of her lips as she approached the lift.

    "You¡­,"

    "There is no need to waste your energy on her," Joanna, now standing beside him, held his hand, not letting him confront the arrogant woman.

    "Miss Viviana, don''t forget to watch your steps as you approach the lift," Joanna shouted after the woman in a green dress.

    There was an evil grin on her beautiful face as she watched the woman inched closer to the lift.

    It wasn''t up to two minutes Joanna said these words that screams erupted in the entire boutique.

    Ahhh!!!

    With a loud thud, the scream finally ceased.

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

    As you know new month always calls for new goals so let''s go.

    Before I list out our goals for this month I want to say a big thank you to all my readers who bought privileged chaptersst month.

    I also want to say thank you to all my readers who supported this book in one way or the otherst month.

    Thank you guys and I wish we will try harder to aplish this month''s goal.

    So these are our goal goals for this August 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privilege chapter unlocks = 10 chapters mass release.

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 Chapter 147 Did You Do That To Her?

    ?"What was that?" Amos asked with widened eyes. Just like other customers, he hurried to see what had happened.

    Getting to the top of the lift he was dumbfounded to see the once proud woman sprawl on the white tiled floor. Her legs were twisted to the back and her neck sideways.

    Her shopping bags that had fallen from her hands littered the floor.

    Two sales representatives on the second floor ran to the woman''s aide.

    "What the hell happened?" Amos muttered to himself as he stared in the direction he left Joanna.

    Out of all the customers around, she was the only one who didn''t leave her spot even after themotion.

    [Did she do this?... But how on Earth was she able to do that? She was just right beside me]

    Amos looked at the elderly woman who wasn''t able to stand without the help of the sales representative.

    "Take it gently please," Amos heard the woman scream in pain.

    He turned and walked back to where his Joanna stood unfazed by all that was going on.

    He stared at her suspiciously when got to where she stood.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Joanna demanded sternly.

    "If you have a question for me then go ahead and ask¡­ Besides you were never the type to wait for permission to speak so why hold back now?" Joanna asked in a casual tone.

    There was no sympathy on her face as she talked. It was as if what happened wasn''t a big deal to her.

    "Did you do that to her?" Amos asked the question on his mind.

    "Hmmm¡­ did I do that to her?" Joanna muttered.

    She turned and looked around the hall filled with beautiful designer clothes, as though the answer to her question was engraved on the clothes.

    "I told her to be careful of the lifts but she just wouldn''t listen," said Joanna as she started walking away.

    "That is what a proud woman like her deserves. She can''t me anyone for her plights," Joanna grinned while she kept on walking.

    [Maybe¡­. Just maybe I would have pardoned her for pushing me and even postpone taking revenge on her for always joining her best friend Adhara to bully me¡­ too bad she had to belittle Kay]

    Joanna''s smile grew darker. She didn''t notice that he was looking at her all this while.

    [I know I am supposed to be surprised and wary of her after seeing this side of her but why do I kinda love it?... Does this makes me weird]

    He couldn''t resist beaming seeing that she was in a good mood. Had he known the reason why she taught Miss Viviana a lesson she would never forget, he would have definitely been happier than this.

    With the assistance of the sales representative, the couple was able to locate the fitting room.

    While Joanna tried to get changed inside the fitting room Amos sat on the milky colour couch with his cellphone in his hands.

    As he sat there, all his attention was on the images of her and Joanna taken as they were shopping.

    He stopped scrolling through the pictures when he reached a certain picture where Joanna had murderous res.

    Obviously, those murderous res were meant for him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I wonder how a person can have the most gentle and yet deadliest res in the world at the same time?" He muttered his eyes glue to the picture on his cellphone''s screen.

    He was so focused on his cellphone that he didn''t see Joannae out of the fitting room in full glory.

    She frowned when he didn''t spare her even a nce after a minute of standing there waiting for him to notice her.

    "What on Earth are you seriously looking at that you won''t even spare me a nce?" Joanna asked, her annoyance evident in her tone and face.

    "Is what you are doing more captivating or beautiful than me?" She enquired in a subtle tone.

    The instant he heard her alluring voice he raised his gaze away from his cellphone to behold that which was a thousand times more beautiful than the one on the phone screen.

    Looking up, his eyes widened when he saw that she had tied her long hair into a messy bun.

    Seeing how bewitching she looks, he didn''t need to ask to know the reason why she came up with the idea of tying her hair this way.

    His eyes moved from her hair to her fluttering eyshes which refused to look straight at him.

    His eyes moved further to her sexy rosy lips. The way she constantly licked her lips made him swallow a lump.

    His eyebrows furrowed when it reached her bare neck.

    Amos'' eyes grew wilder when theynded on her full chest.

    Because of how the off-shoulder red dress was designed, her breasts were visible. He licked his lips hungrily as he drooled at her exposed cleavages.

    His eyes then shifted to her slender waist and then to her exposed long legs. He swallowed a lump for the second time in a row.

    [I really need to keep my emotions in check or else¡­ even I don''t know what I am gonna do if I suddenly have an outburst here]

    He sped his fist not taking his eyes off her.

    [Does he think I look beautiful in it or not¡­ it''s so unlike him to remain so quiet]

    Joanna bites down on her lower lips as she waited for him to say something.

    She finally found the courage to look in his direction when he still didn''t utter a word ofpliments or teases to her.

    Her heart leapt in joy and her lips curved into a beautiful smile when she realized it wasn''t that he didn''t feel the need topliment her.

    But he couldn''t do it because he was bewitched by her overwhelming charms.

    "Stop ogling already¡­ I am afraid you are gonna bore a hole in this beautiful dress if you keep this up," Joanna said teasingly.

    Her teases made him jolt back to reality.

    Instead of being embarrassed that he was caught red-handed, he put his cellphone aside on the couch and stood up.

    He raised his ck orbs and directed them at her. "You were the one anxious for me to take a look and appreciate your heavenly endowed assets and now that I am doing that you areining," He said strolling towards where she stood.

    Getting to her, he raised his hand and lifted her chin so that his eyes were locked in hers.

    "What exactly do you want from me, Girlfriend?" His husky tone that depicts endless dangerbined with the warmth of his touch was enough to get Joanna''s system excited.

 Chapter 148 Boss Lady

    ?He bent slightly and brought his mouth very close to her right ear. "Do you want only mypliments or¡­ do you prefer it with teases as an appetizer?" He asked flirtatiously, making Joanna''s head hazy with his sexually provocative words.

    As if that wasn''t enough, he licked her sensitive earlobe causing Joanna to clutch his sleeve.

    A sly smile appeared on his handsome face witnessing her reaction.

    ? "You don''t only look beautiful but ravishing," Heplimented, his sly smile not leaving his handsome face.

    "I want to eat you whole here but I will hold back because they are a lot of third wheels here," He pulled away after teasing her earlobe once again.

    He was too shameless to care whether or not people were watching.

    If he wants to y or tease his woman, he will do it regardless of who is or is not around.

    When he saw that she was still frozen to a spot, he bent and whispered again, "Rx, I am not gonna tease you again. It''s over for now," He smirked as he tapped her gently on the shoulder.

    His touch pulled her out of her daze. Watching him walk away in elegance made Joanna clutch her fist.

    She can''t believe she lost to him once again. Why?

    [My turn to tease the hell out of you ising soon so you better prepare yourself for me because I am not gonna be merciful at all]

    Joanna turned and walked back into the fitting room.

    He let out a sigh of relief the instant he saw her enter the fitting room.

    [Oh my gosh! That was so close. I really need to be very careful around her if I don''t want to scare her away]

    With his eyes glued on the fitting room, he patted his chest with the hope of regting his breathing.

    While Amos was waiting for her toe out and showcase the clothes, Joanna inside the fitting room was struggling with the choice of which of the gorgeous set of clothes to wear.

    After about ten minutes of battling with her mind, she made her choice. Before she fits on the clothes she let down her long silver hair.

    With the help of her finger, she straightened the hair to cascade down her back.

    The first thing that caught his attention even before she came out was the nging of her white boots.

    "Whoa¡­," Amos eximed with a dropped jaw. The bright glow surrounding her made him shake his head to get back his senses.

    "You look chic and gorgeous, like the female CEO of a very big Company," Amosplimented, giving her thumbs up.

    He took another look at her. His eyes trailed from her sparkling white boots to her long legs covered by the fitted green trousers.

    He gulped when his eyes got a glimpse of her exposed naval. His eyes stayed on this region of her body the longest.

    Amos'' eyes then moved upwards to get a glimpse of her white inner that came as a pair with the green long sleeve jacket and pair of trousers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do I look that good?" asked Joanna when he wouldn''t stop staring at her.

    His eyshes fluttered as he raised his gaze to behold her beautiful face.

    "Do you look good?" He muttered, standing up to reveal his full height. "Looking good is an understatement¡­ the right word is that you look fabulous, dope, awesome, dazzling and so on," Amos began covering the distance between them.

    "I was even about to scream out Boss Lady since you look like one right now," He asserted, his eyes not leaving her body for even a second.

    He was about five steps to reach her when she turned and hurried towards the fitting room.

    "Since you said I look awesome in it I will believe your word," She said, and slide into the VIP fitting room.

    Amos couldn''t resist chuckling when he saw just how she was in a haste to run away from him.

    Joanna sank into the ck chair, in front of the huge mirror fixed to the wall. Her lips curled into a triumphant smile as she looked at herself through the mirror.

    [Gosh! I can''t believe I almost fell helpless to his teases again. Thank goodness I was fast enough to escape]

    Joanna''s smile broadened as she bent and unzipped the white boots that stopped some distance above her ankle.

    As Joanna was busy getting ready to try on the next set of outfits, Amos turned and looked in the direction of the sales representative standing some distance away from where he sat.

    As she proceeded to where he sat her movement was apanied by the nking of high heels.

    "Wrap up a white handbag for me. Preferably a portable one that has a chain handle," Amos said, stealing a nce at the fitting room.

    "Ok, but do you have a particr collection you prefer?" Thedy asked politely.

    "None¡­ but choose the best and most importantly, the one that wouldpliment herst outfit. The price is not the problem," He instructed in aposed tone as he brought back his gaze to the sales representative.

    "Ok, Sir. I will get it done right away," She said and immediately excused herself.

    He waited for her toe out and when she didn''t exit the fitting room at the spected time, he picked up the magazine at the centre table and kept himself busy with it.

    He was skimming through the magazine when approaching footsteps made him raise his gaze.

    Behold stood in front of him a beamingdy wearing ck ripped jeans and a white shirt.

    The front of her shirt was tucked in while the back was left to sway ording to her movement.

    "No matter what you put on, you dazzle in it," Amosplimented when he was done examining her.

    "That''s a given. I was born naturally beautiful or don''t you know that?" Joanna asked as she swayed her ponytail hair back and forth.

 Chapter 149 The Furious Queen Mother

    ?"You are so damn correct about that," Amos asserted standing up from the couch. "We were born to be the best among millions of people, and this makes us a perfect match¡­,"

    "I quite agree with the first part of your sentence but I don''t know about us being a perfect match," replied Joanna.

    Just like the previous time she started approaching the fitting room before he could get to her.

    "She is hell-bent on running away from me. She is one interestingdy. I wonder for how long she thinks she can keep this up?"

    Amos muttered his gaze glued on the fitting room.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Amos were having a great time shopping, in the Queen Mother''s chambers Tracy was seen constantly looking at the entrance leading to the dining room.

    Tracy''s once worried expression turned to that of relief when she saw a maid in a blue outfit walk into the dining.

    "Is he here already?" Tracy hastened to ask. "The Prime Minister is such an important figure so why didn''t you lead him here if he had gotten here?" Tracy continued without waiting for the other maid to speak.

    Seeing the hope in Tracy''s eyes made the ck hair maid hesitate to announce the news to her.

    "What is it? Say it or will you be able to handle the consequences of keeping Her Highness in suspense?" Tracy threatened, not knowing that bad news awaited her.

    With the head lowered, the maid broke the news. "Hazel just returned¡­,"

    "Everyone at Her Highness''s chambers knows that he went to pick up the Prime Minister so that is not something surprising right?" Tracy asked, not able to hide her annoyance.

    "He didn''t return with the Prime Minister," The maid broke the news not daring to lift her head.

    She was so scared that it will be a dagger the Queen Mother will throw into her eyes if she dared to raise her head.

    "What!" Queen Mother Theresa and Tracy eximed in unison.

    The Queen Mother sprang to her feet from where she was sitting at the dining table waiting for her guest to arrive.

    "Hazel said he got there but only for the Prime Minister''s security guards to stop him at the gate. He was informed that the Prime Minister suddenly fell sick¡­,"

    "That senile old man fell sick?" Queen Mother sneered, hitting the dining table in fury.

    A big crack appeared on the table following what she did.

    "The senile old man who just promised me some hours ago that he was gonna finallye to visit me fell sick? Who is he trying to deceive?" Queen Mother Theresa thundered as she sped her fists.

    "Does he thinks that I am a fool or does he have no respect for me?" Queen Mother Theresa left the dining and strolled to the next room.

    Tracy quickly followed her after shooing the other made away.

    "Mr Martinez has been bringing up excuses not to meet up with you. It''s so obvious he is avoiding you or¡­," Tracy trailed not daring toplete her remaining sentence.

    The Queen Mother paused in her track and shot Tracy a fierce re, "Or what?" She grimaced.

    "Or he is acting this way because he has no respect for her Highness¡­,"

    "How dare he?" Queen Mother Theresa thundered. The roaring of her voice made Tracy kneel instantly.

    "His Majesty can stand me up, he is the King but never will I let anyone disrespect me or think he is above me just because he has control over the ministers," Queen Mother stated sternly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I will regain my firm hold on the Kingdom before the King returns whether the Prime Minister likes it or not," Queen Mother Theresa asserted as she sauntered to her inner chambers.

    Back at the boutique, Amos and Joanna headed to the counter after they hadpleted their shopping.

    Socialites who were waiting for this faithful moment were shocked to the marrows when they saw Amos hand over a ck card to thedy wearing a white long-sleeved shirt.

    "Who the hell is he?"

    "Howe none of us knows that such a big shot like him ever existed in the Kingdom?"

    "Whose son is he?"

    "How on Earth is a nerd like him able to possess a ck card?"

    "Like mother like daughter. I bet she must have used her body in exchange for these luxurious goods".

    "What a cheap wh*re she is,"

    "Are you sure he didn''t steal it?"

    "Does anyone knows whose household he is from?"

    "Where did that idiotnd herself a big shot?"

    These were the few words Joanna was able to pick up from since they were all talking at once.

    Joanna was unfazed by their insults. She held her head and shoulder high as she walked out of the boutique holding onto Amos'' hand.

    She didn''t do anything she needed to be ashamed of so why should she let the words of jealous people like them get to her?

    "Let''s go home," Joanna sitting beside him in the front seat of the car said leaning her back against the ck seat.

    "And who said we are heading home now?" Amos asked to the astonishment of Joanna.

    She turned and looked at him with a frown. "Didn''t you say in there that our shopping has been concluded¡­,"

    "Of course I did¡­ but I was talking about our shopping in the boutique," Amos said as he pointed at the tall ss building on their right-hand side.

    In front of the building, three sales representatives stood constantly smiling and bowing in his direction.

    "After the whooping sum of money you spent there, are you sure there is still more for you to spend?" Joanna asked.

    He lifted the ck card from where he dropped it and wave it at her face. "It''s a no-limit card," he smiled.

    "So you don''t have to worry about anything because I have got this, baby," He tried to touch her face but Joanna''s fierce res made him retract his hand immediately.

    "Frowning will not make me change my mind so smile because you look the prettiest when you smile," He said teasingly but she didn''t smile.

    "We have indeed shopped a lot but we still need to purchase jewellery. I can''t bear to leave your neck, ears and wrist empty. Everything needs to beplete for it to be perfect," He said and ignited the car.

    The jewellery shop happened to be a street away from the boutique so Joanna and Amos didn''t have to drive far.

 Chapter 150 The Date Isnt Over?

    ? ?At the jewellery shop, Joanna for fear of what Amos might do refused to leave his side.

    He had already scared her with his shopping prowess at the boutique, her poor heart won''t be able to take another shock from him.

    "Wrap up that for us," Amos pointed at a pearl bracelet inside the ss disy showcase.

    "No¡­ no¡­ no," Joanna waved her hands at thedy in a blue shirt who was about to take out the bracelet from its showcase ss.

    "He was just kidding," Joanna added.

    "I wasn''t¡­," Joanna nudged him by the side. She turned and red at him when he still wanted to talk.

    "No more spending recklessly on me," Joanna scolded him.

    When she noticed that he couldn''t take his eyes off the white pearl ne she held his hand and pulled him away from the disy showcase.

    They kept on moving from one ss showcase disy cab to the other.

    If he had his way, Amos would have purchased over ten jewellery sets for Joanna but with the Boss Lady around, she didn''t let him have his way this time around.

    At the end of walking about the huge jewellery shop, Amos was only able to pick five jewellery sets for her.

    Joanna and Amos were heading to the counter when a wristwatch caught her attention.

    She halted and walked closer to the ss showcase disy on her left-hand side. Her eyes glimmered as she gave a long stare at the shiny silver wristwatch.

    "It''s so beautiful," Joanna remarked.

    Amos that was walking in front only realised that she wasn''t following him when she talked.

    He sauntered to where she stood to get a glimpse of what caught her attention. "Yeah, it''s indeed beautiful but¡­ this is a man''s watch," Amos reminded in case she didn''t have an idea about it.

    She tilted her head sideways to look at him. "Of course, I know that," Joanna asserted. She shifted her gaze back to the showcase disy.

    "I wish I had money¡­ I would have bought it for you as a gift," Joanna said with a fallen expression.

    She turned and walked away after revealing her intentions.

    Amos took another look at the wristwatch and then nced behind him.

    He watched as the dejected Joanna strolled out of the shop without waiting for him at the counter as she did in the boutique.

    Amos hurried to the counter to settle his bills.

    While at the counter his eyes were fixated on the front ss wall. From where he stood, he got a perfect view of his car parked outside.

    As he stood there, he thought of ideas to cheer her up once again.

    "Your card, Sir," thedy called his attention as she extended the ck card in his direction.

    Amos stretched his hand and collected the car from her.

    "Thank you for¡­," Amos had already walked away before thedy could finish her sentence.

    Inside the car, Amos sitting on the driver''s seat extended his right hand to drop the shopping bags in the back seat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He brought his face very close to hers and even made sure to rub his body against her body just to get her to talk but she didn''t scold him like she normally did.

    He dropped the shopping bags and readjust to his normal position when he realised that his ns didn''t work.

    "Girlfriend," Amos called teasingly like he has been doing ever since the sales representative at the boutique referred to Joanna as his girlfriend.

    "Joan, are you so upset that you won''t even spare me a nce or speak to me?" Amos asked, dropping all forms of yfulness.

    He removed his hands from the steering wheel and stretched his right hand to hold her handsying on her thighs.

    "You have bought so many things for me but unfortunately I can''t buy even a single thing for you," Joanna said with her head lowered.

    "That wristwatch looked so beautiful¡­ I know it would suit you but¡­,"

    "Are you upset you can''t afford the wristwatch even though you would have loved to buy it for me?" Amos asked despite already knowing what was the reason for her change in mood.

    "Joan, lift your head and look at me," He ordered softly. He lifted his right hand and held her chin so that she was looking at his face.

    "Although you were unable to purchase the watch for me, the thought alone that you wanted to buy me a gift is enough to make me happy for at least three nights," Amos amplified.

    He squeezed her hands gently. His radiating smile made Joanna feel less guilty.

    "Also, if you are still hell-bent on buying me a gift even after what I have said then go for it¡­ I can wait. I am very good at that, I am sure you are aware of that huh?" He winked naughtily at her.

    Joanna pushed his hands away when he started teasing the hands he was holding onto.

    "Howe you are never serious about anything¡­,"

    "I have always been serious about everything but it''s just that you are the one who never noticed it," Amos said. He ignited the car but didn''t zoom off immediately.

    "I mean I have always loved you. I have lost count of how many times I have proposed to you. Joan, I wouldn''t be right beside you with another identity if I wasn''t damn serious about my feelings for you," He exined in a soft tone.

    There was an awkward silence in the car after his confession.

    To avoid his face Joanna looked out through the window while he fiddled with the car''s steering.

    [I wanted to cheer her up but I wonder how things got so serious instead]

    He stole a nce at her as he yed with the steering wheel.

    "Let''s go," He said and drove off.

    Inside the car despite looking outside Joanna''s mind was in chaos to take note of her surroundings.

    She was stunned when she raised her gaze after the car stopped and saw that they were in front of Audrey''s apartment building.

    Joanna turned and gave him a questioning gaze, "Weren''t you supposed to take me home so why¡­," Joanna pointed her hand at the tall building as she spoke.

    "Our first date isn''t over yet¡­ also we both know that you can''t possibly take all these things home at once so it''s safer to keep it with Audrey," Amos exined as he pointed his hand at the backseat upied by shopping bags of different colours.

    "The date isn''t over?" Joanna asked with widened eyes.

 Chapter 151 Her Tricks Failed

    ?"It''s night already¡­,"

    "We still have one more important thing to do which is the highlight of today''s date¡­,"

    "And what''s that?" Joanna cut in. Her eyes sparkled as she waited to get her curiosity satisfied.

    "It''s a secret¡­ which you will soon find out in two hours," Amos grinned as he pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.

    Joanna climbed out of the car and hurried to meet him.

    "What is the surprise about huh?" Joanna nudged the guy trying to bring out the shopping bags from the car.

    Joanna frowned and grabbed his right hand when he wouldn''t spare her a nce. "Stop acting like you are not hearing me and say something," Joanna demanded.

    "It will no longer be a surprise again if I reveal it to you so how about you exercise a bit more patience hmm," Amos said, staring at her frowning face.

    He almost burst outughing when he got a glimpse of her pouty lips.

    "And it would be really nice of you if you give me a helping hand¡­ that way we can move on to the next stage sooner," Amos continued.

    "Tsk. I will not ask you again since you are being too stingy," Joanna snarled and stomped away from his side.

    She approached the ss entrance without sparing him another nce.

    "She looks pretty upset but that will not make me ruin my surprise. I will take care of her angerter on," Amos mumbled.

    He extended his right hand to pick up the shopping bags but to his greatest dismay, all the shopping bags in the backseat disappeared, only remaining those in his hands.

    "What the hell happened?" Amos eximed in astonishment. He lifted his eyes and looked at thedy walking into the building.

    "Was this her handiwork¡­ I must find out," Amos jammed the door of the white sports car closed and hastened to catch up to Joanna.

    He caught up to her when the elevator was about to close.

    Amos stuck out a leg before the elevator closed properly. With the shopping bags in both hands, he stepped into the elevator and stood beside Joanna.

    "Were you the one that made the shopping bags disappear?" Amos asked after the elevator had closed.

    "What exactly are the things you can do¡­ Will you be kind enough to tell me so that next time I won''t be caught off guard," Amos continued despite that she was ignoring him.

    [Let''s see whether he won''t reveal his surprise if I keep ignoring him]

    Joanna stared at the elevator''s door acting like she wasn''t the one he was talking to.

    Joanna had thought that she would be able to get Amos to reveal his ns to her but the smart guy didn''t fall for her tricks.

    He remained unfazed even though he had to be speaking to himself.

    The elevator dinged when they got to the third floor.

    "Let me apany you to¡­," Joanna snatched the shopping bags from his hands and got out of the elevator alone.

    "That won''t be necessary," she said and was about to turn and leave but he held her right hand.

    "I will send you a text message on where toe. Make sure to dress and get ready in an hour," Amos said softly.

    She wriggled her hand free from his firm hold. "We will see about that," She replied nonchntly.

    Joanna turned and strolled away. He stepped out of the elevator and watched her walk past other apartments on the walkway.

    He returned to the elevator after seeing her enter Audrey''s apartment.

    At the apartment, Joanna threw the shopping bags on the bed after reaching the bedroom.

    "Gosh, I can''t believe I failed to know what he is up to¡­ now I will have no choice but to deal with the anxiety until the time for the revtion reaches," Joannained bitterly.

    She has always hated anything that has to do with suspense especially when ites to him.

    Thest time he prepared a surprise for her on her birthday she almost suffered from a panic attack.

    Now he talks about another surprise she didn''t know what to look forward to.

    His life itself is full of surprises and being a very unpredictable person, she doubts she would be able to guess his mind.

    "Since he wants to give me a surprise I will use this opportunity to give him a surprise too which is¡­ putting my very first seducing n in motion," Joanna grinned evilly as she stared into space.

    Her grin spread across her face when she recalled the face point she jotted on her notebook.

    "It''s all about the teases¡­ All is fair in this game of teases." Joanna''s face glowed remembering her first n after she analysed books and movies that had to do with seduction.

    "Although I don''t know what he is up to, I still need to pick an outfit¡­ one that will make me the deadliest weapon to a man''s inner demon," Joanna smirked as she lowered her gaze at the shopping bags spread across the ground.

    To save him the trouble of having to go downstairs so many times she had used her teleportation skill on the bags.

    Joanna walked over to the shopping bags, one by one she opened them and examined the outfits.

    Despite that Amos picked the best outfits the boutique could offer, Joanna''s standards seemed to have risen to the peak.

    She wasn''t satisfied with wearing any of the ones she had checked.

    For over thirty minutes she spent her time going through the shopping bags, she was about to give up searching when she saw the particr clothes she was looking for.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Gotcha!" Joanna remarked, an evil smile appearing on her beautiful face.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ??????

    HAPPY AUGUST 2022 ??????

    Although we didn''t achievest month''s goals I want to say thank you to all my readers. Thanks so much for the love and support you have shown this book since the day it was published.

    Last month was very tough for me. I had a mental breakdown more than three times and it was all because of the book.

    I had a hard time writing but all thanks to your immense support I was able to pull through this.

    Thank you so much for always being there to give me the support I need to go on writing.

    All of you did well but among you are readers who did exceptionally wellst month and I want to recognise them with their names.

    These readers have been super supportive and would be an ingrate if I don''t thank them specifically.

    Before I start listing the categories, I want to say that the names on the list weren''t randomly picked. So please don''t say that author is partial.

    TOP FANS

    These are our three top fans and from the dept of my heart, I want to say thank you to the three of you and other fans who didn''t make it to the top 3 list.

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    If I want to go on thanking you guys a page won''t be enough to contain it. Thanks for your endless support once again. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    1) flower_goddess

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    ...

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    I love you ??????

 Chapter 152 Chris And Audrey At The Bar

    ?She was about to go on admiring the clothes in her hands when her eyes met the wall clock.

    "Goddamn it¡­ I have so little time to freshen up and dress up," Joanna muttered as she threw the shopping bag on the bed.

    She hurried to the grey wardrobe, pulled it open and among all the clothes there she bent and picked a white towel that had the word ANNA on it.

    Within five minutes Joanna was inside the bathroom under the flowing shower.

    The sensation of the warm water against her delicate skin felt so damn good.

    The effect of the warm water against her skin coupled with the sweet fragrance ofvender emitting from the shower gel calms her nerves.

    "It feels so good," Joanna muttered in a drunken tone. The soothing effect of water andvender made Joanna lightheaded.

    She sped things up when the ringing of her rm intercepted her sweet time.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was trying to get ready on time, in a bar about three streets away from Audrey''s apartment, ady wearing a shiny ck jacket was seen constantly looking at her diamond wristwatch.

    "She promised me she was gonna spend the night with me so why isn''t she here yet," Audrey''s eyebrows greased as she stared at her wristwatch for the tenth time since she got there.

    "I will be so mad if I learned that she forgot about our ns today," Audrey muttered. She picked up her cell phone lying close to the bottle of vodka.

    She was too absentminded to notice that someone has been watching her ever since she entered the bar.

    [I guess this is my cue now]

    The guy wearing a red jacket adjusted the cors of his jacket and then strolled towards Audrey''s table.

    He stopped right in front of Audrey''s table. "Whoa¡­ look at who we have here," Chris remarked as though it was a coincidence he met her there.

    Audrey raised her gaze to look at the one standing in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed on getting a glimpse of his face.

    "Why are you always everywhere?" Audrey spat out the words irritatedly. "Are you following me?" Audrey asked, her hatred for him visible in the way she talked.

    Out of the three ck couches at her table, Chris sat down on the one on the right-hand side.

    He knew very well that if he wanted to wait for her to invite him to sit down, he would stand the entire night without getting her invitation.

    "I never said you could seat," Audrey stated, her murderous res directed at Chris''s butts.

    "I know you didn''t¡­," Chris decided to tread with caution when he saw that she was in a bad mood.

    "You are not intending to chase me away¡­,"

    "And why not?" Audrey cut in. "You are not my friend but my enemy so why should I share a table with you?" asked Audrey without beating around the bush.

    She was never the type to hide her feelings. If she dislikes someone she will not only let him be aware of it with her words but also with her actions.

    She won''t go around pretending to like someone she hates and thereby displeasing herself in the process.

    Why should she do that?

    "Audrey, I don''t think it hase to that right?" Chris asked. He stood up and sat on the same couch with her.

    The way she red at him made Chris return to his previous position without letting her say the words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Audrey, we were cool in the past. Can''t we go back to how we were¡­,"

    "That was when I didn''t know your true colours," Audrey interrupted sharply.

    She and Chris paid no attention to the other customers nor did they have the luxury to enjoy the soft music ying in the background.

    "Also, maybe I will consider going back to how we were in the past if youe with me to the cliff and I push you down there. We will even be best friends if youe out of the ANCIENT FOREST OF NO RETURN alive," Audrey said while staring at his face.

    There was no sympathy on her face as she spoke. She meant what she said and her expression made Chris realize it.

    She hated him to the point that she wouldn''t hesitate to slit his throat with a knife.

    "Audrey¡­,"

    "Since you won''t leave, I will leave," Audrey said standing up on the couch with her cellphone in her hands.

    "Besides I was busy trying to get in touch with Anna before you rudely interrupted me. As you can see I have no time for you," Audrey said as she manoeuvred her way out of the table.

    As he stared at her, the King''s threats reyed in his memory.

    "Forget about not having even a minute rest for at least a month if you fail the mission but I will make sure I cut down your blood supply for at least two months. I will make your life a living hell if you ruin my first date, it''s a promise".

    Merely recalling the King''s words made Chris shuddered.

    He has been with Kayden longer enough to know that he always keeps his promise.

    Nothing is more terrible than being in the King''s bad book.

    Thest time he provoked the King with Joanna''s incident he knew the hell he went through just to get the King to talk to him without losing his temper.

    Never does he wants to go through such an ordeal ever again.

    [I must keep her away from her home no matter what if I want to remain alive and see tomorrow''s sunrise]

    Chris sprang up to his feet. With big strides, he covered the distance between him and thedy now approaching the counter.

    "Audrey, wait," Chris called out as he extend his right hand and grabbed her hands.

    "Don''t touch me," Audrey grimaced. She flung his hand away like he was diagnosed with a contagious disease.

    Chris who wanted to keep a low profileposed himself when he saw that her loud voice had attracted other customers'' attention.

    "Ok, I won''t touch you but let''s return to your table, please¡­," Chris pleaded with the hope that she will agree if he was polite.

    "And why should I do like you said?" Audrey snapped, turning to walk away. For the second time, Chris grabbed her hand.

    "I said, let go," Audrey ordered sternly, her piercing res focused on Chris''s hand.

    ...

    Please kindly support the book by buying privileged chapters. Also, remember toment as you read.

 Chapter 153 He Loves Her?

    ?To save his life Chris would do anything and he proved it by not letting go of Audrey''s hand even though she had ordered him to let go twice.

    "Don''t me me for¡­,"

    "Audrey can we talk for a minute, please¡­ I will tell you what you don''t know about the incident that took ce that night," Chris threw the bait with the hope that she would grab it.

    "I have nothing to say to you so leave my hand while I am still talking nicely," Audrey refused to see reasons for anything he said.

    "Even though you don''t have anything to say to me, I do¡­. Listen to me talk while you wait for Miss Joanna to join you or don''t tell me you are going to call off your appointment with her because of me?" Chris asked despite knowing that there was no way Joanna was gonnae to the bar.

    With Kayden keeping her upied he doubted whether she still recalled her appointment with Audrey.

    "You are not that important so why should¡­,"

    "Then prove it," Chris cut in abruptly. He silently prayed that hisst trick will work. He has exhausted all his options to make her stay, he wouldn''t know what to do if she insisted on going.

    "I will not leave and that is to prove to you that you are not important to me and never will you be even in the future," Audrey stated fiercely.

    She flung his hand away and walked back to her seat.

    Chris secretly let out a sigh of relief seeing that he has momentarily saved himself from the King''s wrath.

    He heeled her. And when he reached her table he took his previous position on the ck couch.

    "The future is still very far. Anything can happen¡­,"

    "Cut out with the nonsense if you don''t want me to kick you out of my table," Audrey threatened, her fierce res directed at him.

    Because she was waiting for Joanna''s arrival she didn''t touch the bottle of vodka.

    Now she was provoked and in need of something to calm her down, she picked up the bottle of vodka and poured its contents into one of the wine sses.

    "Audrey, His Majesty isn''t as bad as you think," Chris said in aposed tone, his gaze glued on the angrydy''s face.

    The way she sipped from the ss of vodka was as though she wasn''t the one Chris was talking to.

    "He loves her a whole lot more than you or anyone else thinks¡­,"

    "He loves her?" Audrey chuckled. She lowered the ss of vodka and dropped it on the brown table.

    "If he loves her as you said then why did he just watch them kill her?... Why didn''t he avenge her death but instead treated me like an insane person?" Audrey said with clenched fists.

    "He loves her¡­,"

    "Enough with the cock and bull story Christopher," Audrey cut in sharply. "Although I haven''t been in love with anyone I have a little knowledge about love so don''t you dare think you can fool me with your lies¡­,"

    "But I am not lying right now," Chris asserted. He leaned back on the couch and crossed his long legs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know you are mad at me and His Highness because of what happened that night but what if I tell you that his Majesty behaved the way he did that night to save you?" Chris asked not to take his eyes off Audrey.

    "And what if I proved you wrong by saying that his Majesty didn''t spare those involved in the incident that night?" Chris questioned.

    Audrey, pretending that he was invisible, raised her head and stared at him after he finished hisst sentence.

    "And what is that supposed to mean?" Audrey demanded in a firm tone.

    "He made me promise not to utter any word to you or Miss Joanna but I know exnations are needed to resolve the misunderstanding between the two of you," Chris exined softly.

    It doesn''t matter if anyone criticised him for the incident that took ce that night, he can''t see the King being misunderstood for what happened that night.

    The King was innocent of all allegations made against him by Audrey.

    "That night the King had ordered me to follow Miss Joanna after she dashed out of the hotel that night but¡­," Chris trailed.

    Though he feels terrible for what Joanna had to pass through in the hands of those scums that night, he doesn''t regret choosing to stay behind to protect the King.

    "But what happened?" Audrey asked, diverting her gaze to Chris'' face.

    "But I disobeyed his orders and stayed behind when I saw strange men at the hotel constantly watching the King," Chris said without saying an ounce of lies.

    He could still vividly recall what happened that night.

    When he saw the strange men, he had asked two of the guards to follow Joanna while he chose to stay behind to keep an eye on the King.

    "You disobeyed the King and you are still alive?" Audrey asked, sounding unconvinced.

    "I know you don''t believe what I said but let me tell you how it all began," Chris replied. He adjusted well on the couch and started rying the full incident of what happened that fateful night.

    As Chris was rying his story, back at Audrey''s apartment, Joanna was seen leaving the house after she got a call from someone.

    She proceeded to the elevator after jamming the apartment door.

    "I wonder why he asked me to go to thendy''s room on the fifth floor," Joanna standing inside the elevator waiting for it to stop at her designated floor muttered.

    Two minutester the elevator dinged on the fifth floor. Joanna took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before she majestically stepped out of the elevator.

    With calcted footsteps, she approached thendy''s apartment which happened to be the only apartment on the fifth floor.

    DING DONG! DING DONG!

    Joanna rang the doorbell and waited for a response.

 Chapter 154 Kaydens Surprise... (1)

    ?As Joanna waited for a reply, her heartbeat doubled for some unknown reason.

    She could feel her hands trembling repeatedly also.

    For the second time, Joanna lifted her hand and pressed the doorbell with her index finger.

    "If there is no response this time around then I promise I am gonna leave here. Besides I don''t know why I am even here when thendy and I were never close," Joanna mumbled.

    She waited for about two minutes more. She was about to turn and leave when the door creaked open.

    Joanna expected to see someonee out to answer her after the door opened slightly but surprisingly only a hand was stuck out of the door.

    From the bulging veins on the person''s hand Joanna recognised the hand to belong to a man.

    "Take this and blindfold yourself," The guy''s cool voice instructed, the ck cloth swaying in his hand as he talked.

    "Kay!" Joanna remarked with widened eyes.

    When he asked her toe over to thendy''s apartment, she had imagined a lot of scenarios but never had she expected this turn of events.

    "Why are you in thendy''s room huh?" Joanna asked. Her eyebrows furrowed as she held the door handle and pulled it.

    Thank goodness Kayden had expected this much and grabbed the door handle from inside or else she would have pulled the door open fully.

    "Can you wear the blindfold first?... I will tell you all about thatter," Kayden said without diving into any exnation.

    "But why should I wear the blindfold?...,"

    "Didn''t I tell you earlier that I have a surprise for you¡­,"

    "And your surprise is in thendy''s room, why?" Joanna asked, sounding very irritated.

    The way she kept on repeating and stressing the word LANDLADY showed that she had a very huge problem with that word.

    "Joan, just trust me and put on the blindfolds hmm," Kayden''s desperation showed in his tone.

    Joanna lowered her gaze and looked at the ck cloth in his hands. It took her a few minutes to decide what to do.

    "Joan, are you still there?" Kayden asked when all he could sense was silence.

    "Isn''t it just to blindfold my eyes?" Joanna questioned, snatching the cloth from his outstretched hand.

    "I will do it but¡­ get ready to receive some beating from me if I end up realizing that you are messing with me," Joanna threatened.

    Holding the cloth in front of her eyes, she took a long stare at the door before she finally wrapped the cloth around her eyes and knotted it at the back of her head.

    The world around her turned dark the moment she closed her eyes.

    "I have blindfolded my eyes, are you satisfied now?" Joanna demanded as she tried to feel her surrounding with her hands.

    "Are you sure?" The nervous Kayden standing just a wall away asked not letting go of the door handle.

    "I will count to three. If you don''t open the door after my countdown then I will have to forget about your surprise," she said sternly.

    She lifted her right hand in the air ready to start the countdown. "1¡­2¡­," He pushed the door open, not letting herplete her countdown.

    Kayden''s mouth dropped open at the sight he met. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the gorgeousdy wearing a ck off-shoulder jumpsuit.

    He could still vividly recall that this was the first outfit he chose at the boutique earlier.

    He remembered the exact words the sales representative said when she gave a brief description of the outfit.

    "That is a cold shoulder backless ruffles jumpsuit. It''s among one of ourtest collections," These were the sales representative''s exact words.

    "You look mouth-droppingly beautiful. Just perfect," Kayden, who was not wearing his disguise,plimented.

    "Of course, I am aware of that¡­ so will you get over with this so that I can remove this darn cloth from my eyes," Joanna spat out the words without hiding her feelings.

    "Oh¡­ Your beauty and charms almost made me forget about why we are here," Kayden said smiling.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He hastened to stand beside her. He held her right hand and led her into the house.

    When they were both inside the house he pushed the door close with his extended right leg.

    With her eyes closed, Joanna couldn''t see what her environment looks like so she let him take the lead.

    As they walked into the room, the first thing Joanna sensed about her environment was the sweet fragrance of different flowers.

    The sweet fragrance was so strong and addicting that she couldn''t resist stopping to take in a few sniffs to calm her nerves.

    [Wow¡­ It feels like I am in a flower garden. I can''t wait to see what this is all about]

    Joanna tilted her head to the right when their movement suddenly came to a halt.

    "What is it? Are we here?" Joanna asked. She lifted her hand and tried to feel him but unfortunately, she couldn''t touch him no matter how many times she tried.

    Kayden standing about three steps in front of her takes ast look at the set-up he has put in his best to bring to life.

    He was so confident earlier that she would love the surprise but now that she is here, he began to doubt whether there was something wrong with his choice of decorations.

    [Will she love this?... What if she opens her eyes and doesn''t find the decorations appealing?... Wouldn''t that mean I got too ahead of myself]

    Kayden was full of doubts as he looked at the well-decorated room.

    "Kay, are you there?" Joanna called out. "Is it time to take the blindfolds off?".

    Joanna took a step forward when she didn''t receive any response.

    She walked until she covered the distance between them.

    Sensing that he was standing in front of her, she raised her hand and started feeling his body.

    Just like that her hands moved upwards and stopped moving when they reached his face.

    Joanna caressed his face with her hands, she frowned when she felt his creased eyebrows.

    "What is wrong?" Joanna asked worriedly.

    Kayden stared at thedy that looked sincerely worried about him.

    He looked at her for two minutes before he finally arrived at a decision.

    "Whatever will happen should happen, I won''t hesitate anymore," Kayden muttered.

    He lifted his hands and brought them to the back of her head where the knot was.

    He gave a slight pull to the knot and it came off.

    Joanna''s eyes fluttered open.

    "OMG!" Joanna remarked with widened eyes the instant she caught a glimpse of therge sitting room.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, since it''s so obvious we can''t reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock this month, can we reach 300 privileged chapter unlock instead?

    Please help out this poor author and let''s do all it takes to reach 300 privileged chapter unlock this August 2022.

    For us to be able to reach the goal, I need all of you to buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    You don''t have to aim for the highest tier if you can''t afford it and that is why the privileged chapteres in tiers.

    Please help me out hmm?...

    Please guys ??????...

 Chapter 155 Kaydens Surprise .... (2)

    ?Joanna took a step forward, her eyes glued on the glowing walls.

    On the walls hung decorative lights, flowers and paintings of butterflies.

    Apart from the flowers used in decorating the walls, fresh flowers in a vase were kept on a stand in four corners of the room.

    Joanna paused admiring the room and nced at her right-hand side when her eyesnded on the picture frames of her and Kayden hanging on the wall.

    "The house looks spectacr but¡­ why is our picture here? What about thendy?" Joanna asked the question which has been on her mind ever since she got his message.

    Kayden let out a sharp breath as he held his chest. "Thank goodness you like it. I was so worried you wouldn''t like it¡­,"

    "You managed to create a perfect dreamy scenery that any girl would do anything to have so why were you worried?" Joanna asked with her hands spread in the air.

    "Also, the Kay I know is the type to be very confident about everything he does¡­,"

    "Of course, I am still that Kay you know but this is our very first official date. I wanted everything to be perfect in all sense¡­,"

    "And you have managed to bewitch me with this splendid atmosphere, are you happy?" Joanna asked yfully. She lifted her hand and tapped him on the shoulder.

    Her eyebrows widened when theynded on his bare chest. She swallowed a lump as her eyes fluttered repeatedly.

    Earlier she was so fascinated by the beauty of the room after the blindfold was taken off. She didn''t take a proper look at the fine species standing in front of her.

    [Snapped out of it Anna¡­ you can''t let yourself fall into his tricks. Don''t forget your ns and what is at risk if you can''t manage to seduce him and make him say the GOLDEN WORDS]

    Joanna scolded herself inwardly. With great difficulty, she looked away from his tempting bare chest.

    Luckily for Joanna, he didn''t see the way she ogled at his bare chest or else she would have been in deep trouble with her shameless man.

    "Are you really bewitched?" Kayden asked the corner of his lips lifted to reveal an evil smile.

    "If yes, then how bewitched are you?" He tried to nudge her by the shoulder but Joanna walked away.

    She walked closer to where the painting of a butterfly hung on the right wall.

    Staring at the butterfly at this close distance, there was so much life in the painting. It immediately pulled her into painting.

    She closed her eyes and got teleported into the painting.

    The chirping of birds, the cool breeze and the sensation of the warm sun against her skin made her feel as though she was on a fantasy ind; a fantasy ind built only for her.

    "Do you like the painting? Does it make you feel as though you are inside the painting?" Kayden asked as he touched her by the shoulder.

    The warm feeling of his hand against her bare body made Joanna''s eyes flutter open.

    "It''s enchanting. It was as if a spell was cast on the painting, causing anyone staring at the painting to get pulled into the scene," replied Joanna, her eyes still glued on the painting.

    "He is a great painter. I just needed to tell him what I wanted and he gave me exactly what I wanted and even went as far as exceeding my expectations. He made the paintinge alive," Kayden said, his eyes glued to her face.

    "Do you like butterflies?" Joanna asked as she shifted her attention to his face.

    Her gaze faltered when she saw how intently he looked at her.

    "Howe I didn''t know about this?" Joanna took another proper look at his face.

    This was his face that she was familiar with. Although his disguise wasn''t terrible, she just realised that she had missed seeing his real face.

    "I don''t dislike butterflies but this painting is made for you and it''s gonna be hung in our bedroom when we get married," Kayden said, averting his gaze to the painting hanging on the wall.

    "Is it for me?" Joanna asked. "If it is for me then why is it hanging in thendy''s room?" Confusion masked her pretty face as she waited for his exnation.

    "Yeah, it''s for you. I recall you said years ago that butterflies were your favourite animal in the world," Kayden said, his lips curled into a beautiful smile as he stared into space.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can still recall your reply when I asked you why it was your favourite animal in the world¡­,"

    "I recall mentioning that once when I was ten years old and you still remembered that?" Joanna asked, surprised that Kayden remembered such trivial things she said when she was a child.

    "Of course I do. Everything you said to me whenever we are together is locked up in my memory¡­," Kayden trailed. He brought his gaze back to her face.

    "Although I can''t promise to give you freedom which is one of the characteristics of butterflies that you love so much I promise that you will be the only woman I will forever love," Kayden said, his passionate eyes interlocked with hers.

    He extended his hands and took her hands in his.

    "I will love you and devote my life to loving and making you happy. I will protect you from all dangers¡­,"

    "Kay, this¡­," Joanna tried to free her hands but his grip on her hands became firmer.

    "Joan, though I can''t promise to give you the exact life of a butterfly I promise to make sure you never get bullied orck anything throughout your life," Kayden said as he stroked her hands passionately.

    "Please give me a chance to be the man who will stand by your side and share thick and thin with you forever hmm," Kayden was very hopeful as he stared into her eyes.

    Maybe the reason she always rejected him was that she considered him out of reach, that is what he guessed after a lot of thinking.

    Now that he has reduced himself to this, he was hoping that she had felt his love and how far he is willing to go for her.

    He wished that she wouldn''t think that he was still that man who was out of her reach.

    "Say yes, Joan," Kayden pleaded with his eyes when she didn''t say anything.

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

    As you know new month always calls for new goals so let''s go.

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    So these are our goal goals for this August 2022.

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    I believe and trust you guys that you will help out this poor author. Guys, please don''t let me down just like I won''t let you guys down.

 Chapter 156 Joanna Puts Her First Plan In Motion

    ?"Joan, though I can''t promise to give you the exact life of a butterfly I promise to make sure you never get bullied orck anything throughout your life," Kayden said as he stroked her hands passionately.

    "Please give me a chance to be the man who will stand by your side and share thick and thin with you forever hmm," Kayden was very hopeful as he stared into her eyes.

    Maybe the reason she always rejected him was that she considered him out of reach, that is what he guessed after a lot of thinking.

    Now that he has reduced himself to this, he was hoping that she had felt his love and how far he is willing to go for her.

    He wished that she wouldn''t think that he was still that man who was out of her reach.

    "Say yes, Joan," Kayden pleaded with his eyes when she didn''t say anything.

    Looking into his eyes Joanna felt her heartbeat start throbbing. Her body began reacting in a way she doesn''t have control over.

    A part of her wanted to pull away while another part wanted to stay. It yearned for more of his touch.

    "Joanna, please say yes," Kayden said, desperation evident in his eyes and voice.

    He raised his right hand and caressed her face.

    "Joan, I love you so much. My life will be meaningless without you. In fact, I will willingly give up my life for you," Kayden said.

    As he caressed her face, his left hand explored her bare back.

    "I¡­ I¡­," Joanna stammered as she avoided his eyes.

    [Why?... Why can''t I give him a response]

    Joanna sped her fist as she tried to pull away from him once again.

    She tried toe up with an excuse to save herself from this and just then her roaming eyes caught a glimpse of the flower vaseid close to the window.

    "Say it¡­,"

    "Whoa¡­ isn''t that jasmine?" Joanna asked as though this was the first time she was seeing the flower since she entered the apartment.

    She quickly manoeuvred her hand and freed herself from his firm hold.

    She walked closer to where the flower stand was kept closer to the window.

    He stood at the same spot staring at her as she admired the flower.

    [I had believed she loved me too so what went wrong?... Haven''t I shown her how much I love her enough and the length I am willing to go for her sake so why¡­?]

    Kayden stood there not knowing what to do anymore. He couldn''t bring himself to ept the fact that his proposal had failed just like that.

    What did he do wrong this time around?

    "Do you like jasmine?" Joanna asked not looking in his direction.

    "I am asking because I have noticed that your body fragrance smells like jasmine," Joanna continued when he just stood there without replying to her question.

    [I was nning to surprise her but why is it that I am the one who ended up getting surprised by her nonchnt attitude towards me? Does she really not love me like I believe she did?]

    Although Kayden''s body was present there, his mind had travelled far away. His mind was in chaos as he stood gazing at thedy he loved with his entire being.

    Joanna talked a few more times. She had no choice but to look at him when he didn''t utter a word ever since she left him there.

    "Kay, are you ok?" Joanna asked. Even though she was talking he didn''t blink an eyelid nor did he utter a word.

    Noticing the sudden change in his temperament Joanna was forced to walk to where he stood.

    "What is it? Are you sick?" Joanna raised her hand and ced it on his forehead.

    For a minute there she forgot that he was a vampire and his kind don''t run temperature as humans do.

    [Even though I tell her that I tried to get used to the scent of jasmine because she liked the fragrance she wouldn''t appreciate it so I think it''s better I save it to myself]

    Kayden''s eyelids fluttered as he stared at her worried face.

    "Rx your facial muscles because I am fine," Kayden said, forcing a smile. He lifted his hand and massaged her creased temples.

    "Avoid frowning so you won''t develop wrinkles," Kayden said teasingly when she still looked very worried even though he had assured her he was fine.

    "You are...,"

    "Let''s go," Kayden started walking to the right-hand side of the room without holding her hand like he always does.

    "I still have one more surprise left to show you," Kayden concluded.

    He walked into the passage at the right with Joanna following him closely.

    "Where are you taking me¡­," the words refused to form on getting a glimpse of the huge table full of tasty dishes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sweet aroma of the dishes was enough to make Joanna''s mouth watery.

    She licked her lips as she walked closer to the dining table.

    "I had all the popr cuisine prepared so why don''t you sit, take a bite and tell me whether they are to your liking," Kayden said as he walked over to the right-hand side of the dining and pulled out a chair.

    He beckoned her to have a seat. And with pleasure, the smiling Joanna sat down on the chair he pulled out.

    "You don''t eat food so why prepare so much?" Joanna demanded, tilting her head to look at the guy about to sit down on the chair closest to her by her right-hand side.

    After he sat down, about six more chairs remained upied.

    "They were prepared especially for you," Kayden said as he grabbed the bottle of whiskey and a wine ss lying in front of him.

    With ease, he popped open the ss of whiskey and poured the content into the long wine ss.

    Joanna watched as he took a little sip from the ss and returned the ss of wine to the brown table.

    "They are all for me?" Joanna frowned. "You are talking as if you are raising a pig," Joanna sneered.

    She reached out her hand and removed a drumstick of chicken from one of the tes.

    Joanna had expected him to bicker with her after what she said but to her surprise, he didn''t utter a word.

    He picked up the ss of wine and started drinking again.

    [Is he mad because I didn''t give him a reply?... He has never treated me this way even though I rejected him twice a day in the past so what hase over him now]

    Joanna stared at him momentarily forgetting that she was holding the tasty fried chicken drumstick to her mouth.

    Joanna swallowed a lump seeing him lick his lips.

    [He is not only handsome but also very considerate¡­ In fact, he possessed all the necessary weapons to bring every woman to her knees so why do I always reject him? Is it that I don''t find him attractive enough or what?]

    Joanna was lost in thoughts and didn''t see Kayden turned and looked at her face.

    [Anyways, whatever may be the problem, I will think of how to sort everything out but not right now. At the moment I have no luxury to waste my time on anything except my mission. I need to aplish it no matter what]

    Joanna tried to strengthen her resolve when she realised that she was beginning to lose focus.

    "Are you waiting for me to feed you huh?" Kayden asked, seeing how she was intently looking at him.

    "I don''t mind feeding you if that is your wish," Kayden''s words were meant to be a tease but Joanna decided to add cheese to it.

    "And why not?" Joanna asked, to Kayden''s shock.

    "It will be such an honour to get fed by his Royal Majesty and¡­ I think that it will be very romantic to get spoon-fed by a handsome man like you," Joanna said flirtatiously as she winked at him.

    "Also, I know of a better and sexy way to feed you, do you want me to show you?" Joanna asked, not caring about how he was staring at her like he was looking at an alien.

    Joanna stood up, she did this in a very seductive manner. She took a bite from the chicken and made sure it was sticking out of her mouth.

    She drew even closer to him and bent slightly.

    Staring at her Kayden even forgot to blink.

    Joanna bent a little more so that her mouth was very close to his.

    [What the hell is she up to now]

    Kayden''s eyes fluttered repeatedly. Their sudden closeness made his heartbeat double.

    He gulped in anticipation when he realized what she was up to.

    Joanna smirked devilishly when she saw him subconsciously close his eyes and shoot out his lips.

    "Make sure to enjoy it ok," Joanna said provocatively before she finally kissed him.

    ....

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, since it''s so obvious we can''t reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock this month, can we reach 300 privileged chapter unlock instead?

    Please help out this poor author and let''s do all it takes to reach 300 privileged chapter unlock this August 2022.

    For us to be able to reach the goal, I need all of you to buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    You don''t have to aim for the highest tier if you can''t afford it and that is why the privileged chapteres in tiers.

    Please help me out hmm?...

    Please guys ??????...

 Chapter 157 Blue Glow Necklace

    ?As she kissed him she used her tongue to push the piece of chicken into his mouth.

    She didn''t stop kissing him even though she had achieved her aim, Joanna kept on kissing him.

    Just when she realised that she had gotten him where she wanted she brought an abrupt end to the sensational kiss by pulling away.

    "What do you think about my method of feeding you?" asked Joanna as she wiped her wet lips with her index finger.

    She grinned inwardly when she saw him staring at her in a daze.

    [My first step was a sess. This is great. I am just this close to aplishing my mission]

    Joanna''s heart leapt up as she turned and sat on the ck chair which had a touch of brown.

    "Seeing how you are staring at me with so much love, I guess it will not be wrong of me to conclude that you love it right?" Joanna demanded. She didn''t forget to lick her lips seductively.

    Although he was looking at her, it felt like the one sitting beside him was a different person from thedy he has known for more than half of his life.

    [What hade over her?... Is she the same Joan who rejected my proposal some minutes ago¡­ or does she perhaps have a split personality]

    Instead of being happy, Kayden was confused. He was confused by how bold she was when she has always been the one who tries to avoid getting close to him.

    To even get to kiss or hold her hands he either had to tease her first or trick her.

    Seeing her so sexually proactive makes him feel uneasy for some reason.

    "You can go on eating while I get my blood from the refrigerator so I can join you," Kayden said standing up from his chair.

    He left before she could get the chance to say a word.

    While waiting for him to return Joanna went ahead to taste some of the delicacies disyed on the long dining table.

    She waited for him for ten minutes and yet Kayden didn''t return from getting blood from the refrigerator as he said.

    Joanna who was conscious of the time became rmed when she didn''t hear movements in the sitting room.

    "What is keeping him for so long?" Joanna muttered her eyes glued on the pathway leading to the sitting room.

    She dropped the cutlery on her floral te, wiped her mouth with the white napkins and stood up.

    Joanna was about to go in search of him when he returned with two pints of blood in his hands.

    "You are here," Joanna eximed as she let out a sharp breath. "I almost thought that you got kidnapped by some skilled assassins or mysterious beings," said Joanna as she sat back down on the chair.

    Her eyes followed Kayden until he has his seat beside her in the dining.

    "I was about to take out the blood from the refrigerator when I recalled that I forgot an important thing in the car earlier," Kayden said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He brought out his right hand he has been hiding behind his back since he returned.

    "I had to go downstairs to get it. Sorry I kept you waiting," He added as he extended the medium size blue squarebox to her.

    Joanna stared at the box before she returned to looking at his face.

    She contemted on whether or not to take the box from him for about two minutes.

    "What is this?" Joanna said, collecting the box from him. Looking at his face she slides the box open.

    "Wow¡­," Joanna''s remarked. Her eyes glimmered as she stared at the sparkling blue ne inside the gift box.

    Joanna abruptly averted her gaze to his face when she noticed that the ne was ady''s one. "This is not for me right?" She asked despite already guessing that much.

    "You are right¡­,"

    "But you have already bought so many jewellery sets for me," Joanna cut in. She dropped the blue box on the table and pushed it to his front.

    "I can''t ept it, "Joanna said without beating around the bush.

    "Indeed, I have already bought many pieces of jewellery for you but this is different," Kayden replied standing up from the chair with the jewellery box in his right hand.

    He went and stood at the back of her chair. He bent so that his upper body was almost resting against her right shoulder.

    "But this is different from all the pieces of jewellery I have given you¡­,"

    "And what makes it different? Aren''t there all pieces of jewellery?" Joanna asked acting unfazed even though his closeness was making her developed funny feelings within.

    "It''s different. Very different," Kayden said. He opened the blue box and took out the glowing blue ne designed in form of a rose petal.

    "The phoenix jewellery sets I gave you signified my desire to make you my Queen. The jewellery sets I bought earlier were because I hated to see your neck, wrist and ears bare but¡­," Kayden trailed making sure that she was following his exnation.

    ? "But this ne called the Blue Glow is a symbol of my love for you. It has your initials on it," Kayden said as he brought the ne closer so that she would see the initials.

    "J.A?" Joanna eximed. She tilted her head sideways to get a glimpse of his face.

    "J.A. J stand for Joan while A represents Anna. J. A as in Joanna," Kayden took his time to exin the meaning of the initials.

    "Why is the ne called Blue Glow? Is it because the sparkles are blue?" Joanna asked as she caressed the ne in his hand.

    "I named it blue glow after spending almost a month designing it because I felt that is the phrase that perfectly defines my love for you," Kayden said. He left the ne in her possession and adjusted his body to stand straight.

    "Blue Glow stands for evesting love. A love that will forever continue to burn. Not even the cold wind of trials or time itself will be able to dim the light of my love for you," Kayden said smiling.

    "Blue Glow standing for an evesting burning love?" Joanna said, staring into space.

 Chapter 158 She Got Swayed Again

    ?"That sounds romantic and very magical," Joanna added. For some reason, she didn''t want to let go of the ne in her hand.

    "A first date can not beplete without a special gift and flowers, and that is my special gift to you," Kayden said. He pushed out the chair at her right-hand side and sank into the ck chair.

    After sitting down he bent and stretched his hands into the under of the table.

    "And where are the flowers¡­," Joanna''s mouth dropped open when he pulled out a bouquet of roses from under the table and stretched it toward her direction.

    "I was supposed to give it to you earlier but I can''t get carried away. Sorry it camete," said Kayden as he handed the bouquet of roses to her.

    Joanna collected the bouquet and sniffed the sweet fragrance it a bit before she dropped it on her legs.

    "Ever since the beginning of today, I have been the one receiving things from you. I feel kinda guilty that I didn''t give you anything¡­,"

    "If you can give me your heart in exchange for these gifts, then it will be worth more than any gift you can ever offer me," Kayden said while looking into her eyes.

    Even though it hasn''t been up to an hour since she rejected him, Kayden the persistent guy began to see a glimmer of hope.

    But seeing her scoop a side dish into her te instead of replying to his question crushed his hope once again.

    "It''s ok if you don''t have a response now. I will wait until you are ready to reciprocate my love," Kayden faked a smile despite that his heart and hope were crushed twice within the space of an hour.

    He stretched his hand and picked up the ss of whiskey on the table.

    In a mouthful, he gulped down the remaining whiskey down his throat.

    Instead of drinking the blood, he brought from the refrigerator like he had wanted to, he drowned himself in alcohol.

    [Am I really heartless for doing this to him after how well he has been treating me?]

    Seeing how he was drinking so much, Joanna''s resolve got swayed.

    Watching him in secret, her chest tightened. She was about to open her mouth and tell him something when the notification came.

    <Main Mission: Seduce and make your mate hard and say I LOVE YOU>

    <Deadline: Remaining 14 days>

    Joanna clutched her fist when she saw the white notification screen.

    At that moment she had the urge to punch the table and ripped it into pieces.

    [Joanna, you have got to calm down¡­ Don''t forget that all your abilities and your over six months of sleepless nights to build up these stats to where it is on the line now. Failing to aplish this mission is equivalent to losing all]

    Joanna reminded herself as she dazed at the te of food in her hands.

    She started eating in silence since he wouldn''t talk to her.

    After eating in silence for fifteen minutes Joanna couldn''t handle the awkwardness anymore so she struck up a conversation with him.

    "Did you rent the apartment from thendy?" Joanna asked as she abandoned the food to look at his face.

    "What did you say to convince her to leave here¡­,"

    "I didn''t rent the apartment from her but I bought the entire building¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What!" Joanna remarked with widened eyes.

    Kayden diverted his attention to her face when he noticed her reaction. "It was bought under your name¡­,"

    "But why?" Joanna asked, sounding a littleposedpared to earlier.

    "Because my love for you is worth more than all the treasures in the world," Kayden said as he avoided looking in her direction.

    She was eager to know what he was doing at thendy''s house earlier but now that she knows his reason for being here, she didn''t know what to say anymore.

    [Am I doing the right thing by treating him indifferently? Is using his love for me just to aplish my mission right¡­]

    Joanna shook her head to get the thoughts off her mind when she noticed that she was getting swayed once again.

    [Using him to aplish my mission is equivalent to saving him the troubles of always having to save me if I lose my powers so I am sure he wouldn''t be mad at me if heter discovers the truth]

    Joanna strengthened her resolve again with these few thoughts.

    She lifted her hand to pick up the cutlery but only for her to let out a painful cry.

    "Ouch!" Joanna shouted for the second time. She tried to reach her back but only for her to realise that her hand was dirty.

    "What is it?" The rmed Kayden jumped to his feet.

    "Ouch, my back!" Joanna cried out as she hit the table.

    The way she acted made the alwaysposed Kayden panicked and confused.

    "What is on your back?" Kayden asked after examining her back and seeing nothing on her.

    "There is a bug on my back. Can''t you see it," Joanna asked as she wrinkled her body repeatedly?

    Kayden took another look at her bare back in case he had missed something due to panic.

    He even resorted to rubbing her back when she wouldn''t stop crying out in pain.

    "Darn it, it hurts," Joanna remarked, grabbing his left hand resting on her left shoulder.

    "But nothing is¡­,"

    "Move your hand a little downwards," Joanna instructed, her flexible back moving along with her frantic body movements.

    "Is it here?" Kayden asked as he brought his hand to the middle of her back.

    "No. Go a bit downwards," Joanna said, not letting go of his left hand.

    The worried Kayden moved his hand down just as she told him. Even though his hand was almost at the end of her clothes she still demanded him to go even further.

    "Move your hands even more¡­,"

    "But I am already at the end of the dress and I haven''t seen anything," Kayden said, sounding a bit frustrated.

    "It''s there. You can''t possibly be thinking that I am lying right?" Joanna questioned. She tilted her head so that she was looking at his face.

 Chapter 159 Joanna On Her Second Move

    ?"You know that¡­,"

    "Since you think I am lying then leave me alone," Joanna said, pushing his hands away from her body.

    She adjusted the chair so that she was facing her front.

    [Goddamn it! I can''t believe that my ns to get him heated up by touching my body didn''t work... It''s so hard to believe I failed this round]

    Joanna''s grip around the silver spoon in her hand tightened. She applied too much strength which caused the spoon to bend backwards.

    Kayden hurried to his seat when he saw that he had infuriated her with his words which were supposed to be harmless.

    "Joan, I didn''t mean to insinuate that you were lying so don''t be angry ok?" Kayden said, wishing that she would stop avoiding him.

    Even though she was angry at him, he would feel satisfied if she talked to him. With that, he would be able to ease her anger but he won''t get the chance to do that if she continued keeping quiet on him.

    [Since that didn''t work I need to think of something else to stimte and bring alive his inner demons. Only when I summon those baddies will I get the chance to seduce him]

    As she sat there in a daze faking an angry look, Kayden was unaware of what was going through her corrupted mind.

    He wasn''t aware that she was nning against him.

    After about four minutes of intense thinking, Joanna finally nailed her perfect idea.

    [I believe this idea suits my first goal which deals with everything that has to do with teases¡­ I don''t believe he will remain unmoved after I am done carrying out my ns]

    Joanna''s lips curled to form an evil grin as she stole a nce at him using the corners of her eyes.

    "The soup looks yummy. Let me have a taste and see whether it lived up to its beauty," Joanna said absentmindedly.

    She picked up the bigger spoon and scooped the sweet aromatic soup into her white bowl.

    Joanna lifted the bowl of warm soup and brought it close to her mouth. Despite that Kayden has been talking to her, she acted as though she was deaf.

    "Joan, please talk to me," Kayden said as he extended his hands and tried to hold her right hand.

    SPLASH!

    The entire bowl of soup poor on his sparkling white trousers. Kayden jerked up to his feet the instant the soup poured on him.

    "Oh my gosh," Joanna said jumping to her feet. She bent and started wiping his pair of trousers with her hands.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna faked an innocent look as she made him sit back in his seat.

    "I am fine¡­,"

    "There is nothing alright about what happened so how could you possibly be fine?" Joanna reprimanded.

    As she continued to wipe his trousers, her hands began touching the region that was supposed to be out of bounds fordies.

    "Gosh, look at what I have done to your expensive trousers. I wonder whether the stains will ever be washed off," Joannamented.

    Her hands slowly moved from his thighs to the area of his sacred region.

    Although his body was starting to react to her touches Kayden didn''t stop her when he saw just how worried she looked.

    "Oh my¡­ just look at this stain here," Joanna threw all reasoning out the window as she lifted her hand and brushed the sacred ce in between his inner thighs.

    For a minute Kayden''s entire body stiffened and his time froze.

    As minor as her touch might have looked his cock twitched underneath his trousers.

    Pretending as though she didn''t see what her touch did to him Joanna continued brushing that particr region repeatedly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kayden clutched the right hand of the chair to suppress his desires.

    Joanna secretly smirked when she saw that he was on the brink of losing it.

    [I think I am almost there]

    She smiled resorting to slowly rubbing his cock.

    "Oh fuck!" The words escaped from the mouth of the guy who had been trying to remain sane but couldn''t keep his cool again because of the devilish woman by his side.

    Crack!

    The right arm of the chair he was holding onto cracked to Joanna''s shock.

    "Kay, are you ok?" Joanna asked innocently feigning ignorance of what she did.

    "Do you feel hot? Do you want me to help you take off¡­," Kayden sprang up to his feet and frantically moved backwards, causing his chair to fall.

    "No¡­ no.. no," Kayden said waving his hand at her. He kept on moving backwards.

    "I can handle it," Kayden said. He immediately dashed out of the dining room like he was being pursued by a scary masquerade.

    Joanna that was about to burst out in a peal of deafeningughter covered her mouth to suppress theughter.

    "Kay, are you ok?" Joanna shouted after the guy who just banged close the brown door inside his bedroom.

    [Hehehe¡­ that was super hrious? I can''t believe he couldn''t stand that much teases]

    Joannaughed inwardly. She covered her mouth to make sure she didn''tugh out.

    The instant Kayden reached his bedroom he jammed the door close and bolted it from within.

    "Oh my gosh, what was that in there?" Kayden standing in front of the huge mirror muttered as he stared at his vibrating body on the mirror.

    "I am normally a man of self-control¡­ I can''t believe it took so little teases from her to get me aroused," Kayden said as he looked at the region in between his thighs.

    Right there, a bulge has begun to form.

    Thank goodness he took to his heels the time he did or else¡­

    "I better hurriedly freshened up to cool down myself so that I can go join her in time," Kayden mumbled as he began unbuttoning his white shirt.

    All this while he talked he wasn''t aware that Joanna possessed a heightened sense of hearing and heard all he said.

    ? [It''s just starting Boyfriend and as long as you don''t give me what I want I promise it''s gonna continue so I advise you get yourself ready for what isying ahead of you]

    Joanna smirked as she walked away from the dining table. She followed the direction he took and not long she was inside his bedroom.

    ....

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, since it''s so obvious we can''t reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock this month, can we reach 300 privileged chapter unlock instead?

    Please help out this poor author and let''s do all it takes to reach 300 privileged chapter unlock this August 2022.

    For us to be able to reach the goal, I need all of you to buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    You don''t have to aim for the highest tier if you can''t afford it and that is why the privileged chapteres in tiers.

    Please help me out hmm?...

    Please guys ??????...

 Chapter 160 Then Prove It

    ?Meanwhile, as Kayden was freshening up inside his bathroom, Joanna was inside his bedroom getting herself familiar with theyout of the room.

    Apart from their pictures in the sitting room, two picture frames of the two of them also hung on thewhite walls of his bedroom.

    At first, she thought that the wardrobe was the only ce his clothes were kept but she realised she was wrong when she opened the room at the far end of the room.

    Therge room serves as his walk-in closet. There were more than five wardrobes, two long wooden shoe shelves, cabs for neckties, and wristwatches were also present.

    With how borate his walk-in closet was, Joanna thought she was in the boutique.

    "Whoa¡­ he sure made a lot of efforts but I thought he told me his identity was gonnast for a month so why does it feel like he is gonna spend his entire life living with this fake identity," Joanna standing at the door of the walk-in closet muttered.

    She turned and nced at therge room one more time.

    The interior decoration of the room was white and ck. All the five wardrobes were arranged on the right-hand side.

    The shoe cabs were ced on the upper side of the room while cabs for wristwatches, nes and neckties were kept on the left.

    The arrangement was so eye-catching that one will not forget theyout of the walk-in closet after entering it once.

    Joanna was still admiring his beautiful walk-in closet when she heard footsteps inside his bedroom.

    [I guess he is done¡­ It''s time for the next step]

    Joanna closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered open not long after.

    [I am ready!]

    There was a newfound determination in her eyes after she opened them.

    Joanna raised her right hand and turned the door''s knob. With a slight push, the door creaked open.

    Kayden was in front of his wardrobe which was some distance away from his King size bed when he heard footsteps.

    Tilting his head to the far end of the room he was stunned to see Joanna approaching his direction.

    For a moment he stood there fixated on a spot.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Joanna asked as she went and sat on the blue sheet King size bed.

    "Do I have something on my face or do you perhaps think I look even more beautiful after washing your face?" Joanna asked as she crosser her long legs and shot him her seductive res.

    "You are always at your prettiest when you are around me ¡­. But I guess I am not sure about having you around, especially since you always evacuate the room whenever I want to dress up," Kayden, having only a white towel wrapped around his waist said.

    Apart from his dripping wet long hair, even his body was wet

    Seeing drops of water dripping down his well-toned body made Joanna swallow a lump.

    Noticing that her intense gaze was fixated on hischest and abs, Kayden turned around.

    He continued searching for an outfit from his wardrobe like he was doing before she interrupted him.

    "If you like it, I can always be around you in the future whenever you want to get changed. In fact¡­," Joanna trailed standing up from the bed.

    Kayden''s heart stopped beating for a minute when he heard the nking of her heels approaching his side.

    His grip around the ck shirt he was holding onto tightened. His heartbeat increased for some unknown reason.

    "I can even help you dress up," Joanna said, halting just behind him.

    She stretched her body slightly so that she was at the same height as him. She bent so that her mouth was very close to his left ear.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What do you think?... Don''t you think I am so considerate?" Joanna questioned, making sure to blow hot tingling air on his delicate skin.

    The grip around the clothes he was holding onto tightened causing the shirt to be badly squeezed.

    Her hot breath was enough to get his body excited.

    "Why are you not answering?" Joanna asked, she raised her right hand and ced it on his wet right shoulder.

    "Do you dislike the¡­," Kayden who couldn''t take it anymore held her hand and turned around so that they were looking at each other.

    With his left hand, he pushed the wardrobe''s door closed, let go of her hand and moved backwards so that his back was pressing against the white wardrobe.

    "Keep¡­ keep your distance from me," Kayden said but his voice came out shaky.

    Joanna almost chuckled seeing how terrified he looked.

    "And why is that? Are you mad at me because I sshed the soup on your expensive clothes?" Joanna asked with pointy lips.

    "That''s¡­,"

    "And oh¡­ why is your heart beating so rapidly?" Joanna demanded, she pulled in and close the space between them.

    She ced her hands on his wet chest. Her sudden action made Kayden''s body vibrate.

    "Joan¡­," Kayden called out with gritted teeth. He lifted his hands and hold her hands still moving on his chest.

    He tried to remove her hands from his throbbing chest but instead of letting go, she bent and ced her face on his chest.

    "Wow¡­ it''s beating so fast thump¡­ thump¡­ thump¡­," Joanna said as she adjusted her face so that her ear was on his chest.

    "Joan please¡­," Kayden mumbled trying to wriggle his way out but unfortunately he was trapped by the cunningdy.

    Joanna ignored his pleas and continued romancing his bare chest.

    She raised her head when she noticed that she had melted him with her touch.

    Looking into his eyes, she asked, "Do you love me?".

    She stared into his passionate ck eyes as she waited for his response.

    "Of course I do," Kayden was quick to reply. For such a question he didn''t need to think to know the answer for it.

    He didn''t know that he had fallen into the sly girl''s traps.

    "Then prove it," Joannamanded. She adjusted to stand well. Before Kayden could fathom what she was up to, she had already trapped his neck with her hands.

    ...

    Please lovely readers let''s reach 300 privileged chapters unlock before this month (August 2022) ends.

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 Chapter 161 He Ripped Her Clothes

    ?Joanna tried to kiss him but at thest minute, Kayden tilted his face sideways.

    He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes he felt much calmer than he was.

    For fear that his resolve might notst long, he gently unwraps her hands from his neck.

    "Joan, that is enough," He scolded sternly. He pushed her away so that there was a gap between the two of them. "Let''s go to the sitting room," Kayden informed, trying to walk away.

    He stopped in his tracks when the white towel wrapped around his waist fell onto his legs suddenly.

    His first reaction was to cover his cock and balls. He turned around so that he was looking at her.

    "Oops¡­," Joanna remarked covering her mouth with her right hand. " I must have forgotten to let go of the towel, now look at what has happened," Joanna said indifferently.

    She didn''t sound or look shy even though he was standing naked like the day he was given birth to.

    "You¡­," The words choked on his throat when she covered the gap between them, catching him unawares with her closeness.

    "Do you need me to pick up the towel for you?" She asked bending to pick up the towel even though he hadn''t said anything due to shock.

    "Oops¡­ it fell off again," Joanna dropped the towel on the floor and pretended like it was a mistake.

    "Kay," Joanna called, despite that all his attention was centred on her. "Don''t you think it''s such a waste of your fine body covering it up?".

    "Huh?" Kayden''s mouth dropped open in awe. He has never seen ady as shameless as the one standing in front of him.

    "You have one of the nicest biceps and abs in the Kingdom," Joanna walked closer and touched his chest.

    If she only touched his chest maybe Kayden would have been able to endure it for a few minutes but she didn''t stop only by touching his chest.

    She knew that he wouldn''t be able to stop her so she took the liberty of exploring his body with her hands.

    Every part of his body her hands touched was as if it was set on fire. Kayden mustered up all his willpower to resist her temptation but he could only do this for a short while.

    "You¡­," Kayden removed his hands from where he covered his sacred region, held her and lifted her like a balloon.

    Even Joanna who wanted this was a bit taken aback by his aggressiveness but she yed along.

    After lifting her, he made her straddle his waist before he raised his passionate eyes to stare at her eyeballs.

    "You must take responsibility for me ok," He said in his husky tone. His lips crashed against hers before she could say a word.

    Kayden kissed her roughly. He dominated not only her mouth but also her entire body.

    He didn''t give Joanna the chance to do anything. His rough hands explored her delicate back as he kissed her intensely.

    Within a few minutes, he had left Joanna gasping for air.

    "Kay, do¡­," Kayden, whose body seems not to belong to him at the moment, kissed her again two minutes after he had given her the space to breathe.

    He kissed her until her head went nk. She had thought that everything was within her grasp and would remain that way even after they kissed but things turned out to be different.

    She started losing a grip on herself. Her pounding heart, her exciting body and even her always proactive brain refused to listen to her.

    Joanna wanted to pull away but the desire of her body to remain in his embrace was stronger than her will to pull away.

    She should have known better not to y with fire.

    She should have known that her determined heart could never win against the heart of a lovestruck guy.

    As the kiss intensified so also did the heat building up on Joanna''s body, especially her lower body.

    It was so painful that Joanna feared that she might explode if she wasn''t relieved anytime soon.

    As he kissed her, Joanna subconsciously made him move toward the direction of the huge bed.

    He was oblivious to what was going on in his environment; he didn''t even realize that he was walking until he bumped into the edge of the bed and fell onto the soft bed with Joanna still on his body.

    Kayden lying on the bed with his hands wrapped around her body spared a minute to stare into her purple orbs.

    He was trapped by the passions in her eyes.

    "Do you love me?" In a daze, he heard her question his love for her for the second time that day.

    His eyes fluttered, sending him back to reality. "Do you even need to ask that?" Kayden replied with another question.

    "You¡­," His lips crashed against her before she got the chance to trick him into saying the words she wanted to hear.

    He toppled over her, making hery on the bed while hey on top of her.

    His mouth steadily moved from her lips to her neck. He sucked and licked her neck until it was red.<novelnext></novelnext>

    When he had appreciated that region for a few minutes, he abandoned it and moved to her bare chest.

    "Uhm¡­," he let out a low groan when his movement got restricted by her clothes. Without giving her a heads up he held the off-shoulder dress at the breasts region.

    "Don''t¡­," Joanna who had momentarily gotten back her senses tried to stop him but it was toote.

    With ease, Kayden ripped her fine outfits into two. He frantically continued ripping it until nothing was obstructing him from getting full ess to her body.

    "I love that outfit," Joanna said unhappily. "So why did you¡­,"

    "I loathe anything that serves as an obstruction between us, be it humans or clothes and that is I couldn''t stop myself from ripping it off," Kayden said, hurrying to pin her hands to the bed when he realised that she wanted to stand up.

    "If you liked the dress. I will have the exact dress delivered at your door in the morning so don''t be angry ok," Kayden coaxed not looking away from her eyes.

    "Is this how you are gonna rip off my clothes every time we get intimate in the future?" Joanna asked with pouty lips.

    "If you get annoyed and rip every piece of clothing I wear during intimacy, I will be left with no clothes in the future so don''t you think you should get rid of these habits huh?" Joanna asked, not realising what she was saying.

    Kayden stared at her with widened eyes. His lips curled into a radiating smileas he stared into her lovely eyes.

    [She is talking about the future¡­ does this mean that she had also envisioned a life with me in the future?]

    Looking at her, his happiness knew no bounds.

    She wasn''t aware that these were the words she needed to utter to summon his inner demons.

    "If this habit really graduates into the future then for every pair of clothes I rip, I will get you two outfits to make up for the ripped ones," Kayden said, his smile growing broader.

    "You¡­,"

    "And if you don''t like that then there''s a second option," Kayden said grinning devilishly. He lowered his body so that his mouth was almost on her chest.

    "And what''s that?" Joanna asked with squinted eyebrows.

    "If you don''t want your clothes to always get ripped then you can walk without clothes around me¡­,"

    "You¡­," Joanna red at him as she struggled to free her hands. But he refused to let go.

    "Your husband has the money to purchase as many clothes as you want so don''t worry about matters of the future," Kayden said as he scanned her fine body with his piercing eyes.

    His entire body got excited once again when itnded on her sulent breasts.

    "But let''s concentrate on what''s happening. I will take care of things in the future,"he said, lowering his mouth to devour her right breasts.

    "Damn!" Joanna cursed, the instant his warm tongue circled her breast.

    Kayden''s tongue swirled around her nipples causing Joanna''s movement on the bed to be more frantic.

    "If you are gonna torture me then will you let go of my hands?" Joanna, who could no longer handle the flushed emotions, asked.

    "Stop ying foul by enjoying me while I can''t even do anything to you," Joanna said displeasingly.

    She kept on trying to wriggle her hands out of his firm grip.

    "If you call this ying foul then what will you call it when I prate it you with your hands pinned against the bed¡­,"

    "You wouldn''t dare," Joanna said to the guy that had momentarily let go of her breasts.

    "Stop provoking me or you might force me to move to thest stage and show you what I am capable of," Kayden refused to get provoked by her.

    "You are a coward," Joanna continued with her provoking words while Kayden ignored her.

    He bent and continued from where he stopped.

    "You know that you can''t win against me and that is why you had my hands pinned ahhh¡­," Joanna let out a pleasurable moan the instant he bit her nipples.

    ...

    A/N:

    Please support the book with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS andments. Also make sure to leave a review.

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 Chapter 162 What Happened?

    ?She arched her back, pushing her breast more into his mouth.

    "Fuck!" She cursed once again.

    [I have seen so many men act aggressively with their women during intimacy but I choose to be different¡­ I will not act aggressively with the one I love just to show my dominance. It''s only if she says she loves this kind of rough intimacy will I grant it to her. It''s my promise to her]

    Kayden stole a nce at thedy moving on the bed like someone who was electrified.

    "You are mean¡­," Kayden released her breasts and kissed her half-parted lips.

    The words ofints she wanted to say got muffled by their passionate kiss.

    As he kissed her, his right hand fondled her plump breasts.

    He squeezed her breasts and made her nipple twirl around his finger.

    The overwhelming pleasure was too much for the delicate Joanna to handle. She behaved as though she was on drugs.

    Joanna''s right hand that he had released found its way into the space separating their body from joining.

    "Ummm¡­ fuck!" Kayden cursed amidst the pleasurable moans he let out.

    His grip around her hands loosen and he abruptly stopped kissing her.

    "Do you like it?" Joanna ying with his erect cock asked grinning evilly.

    "I saw thedies do this in movies and the men seemed to like it a lot so I decided to try it on you¡­ I hope it feels good like it is shown in movies?" Joanna asked, unaware of the gravity of what she had just done.

    Although she was grinning the innocence in her eyes made Kayden confused. He didn''t know whether tough or cry for getting tortured by thedy he thought was inexperienced in this aspect.

    "Didn''t your teachers tell you that kids are not supposed to watch such things¡­,"

    "And how was I supposed to meet up to your standard if I didn''t do that? It''s not my fault that you are more experienced in this than me," Even though she was talking, her hands didn''t forget to tease his cock in a way that sent electrifying sensations down his spine.

    Every stroke was amazing even though he clutched the bedsheets and acted like it was nothing.

    "You should have left all the work to me since I am¡­,"

    "Intimacy is more fun when it is the man and woman who takes time in taking control but not when all the work is done by one person," Joanna replied sternly.

    "You are prohibited from watching all those weird movies¡­,"

    "Your wish," Joanna said, her grip around his cock became firmer and her strokes grew harder now that her hands were not trapped by him.

    "Let''s see which out of the two of us will be the first to wish to be relieved," Kayden said bending to render soft kisses to her earlobe.

    Kayden was having the best time of his life getting all naughty with his inexperienced woman when the scene of what took ce between them a few minutes ago popped up in his memory.

    He was ovee with anger when he recalled how she brutally rejected him in the sitting room when he proposed to her.

    At that moment his fangs and ws shot out and his ck eyes turned crimson.

    Joanna was having too much fun to notice that the manying on top of her has lost control of his sanity.

    [Bite her now and you will get what you have always wanted; the activation of your mate bond. She will forever be yours after the bond is activated]

    Kayden''s mind got upied by evil thoughts.

    His mouth opened and his fangs got ready to sink into her flesh.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At thest minute, he mustered up all his willpower to stop himself.

    [Why are you such a coward? Haven''t you always dreamed of having her by your side forever¡­ will you learn your lesson if she gets stolen from you by another man]

    Kayden''s mind was in chaos as he put up a strong fight with his inner demons.

    When he realised that he couldn''t win against his inner self, he abruptly sprang up from her body and bed.

    Joanna was dumbstruck when he did this.

    "What happened?" Joanna asked staring at the guy standing in front of the wardrobe.

    "If you didn''t like it I can change¡­,"

    "Get dressed up. We will stop here tonight," Kayden said instantly disappearing from the room after picking a white shirt and ck trousers from the wardrobe.

    Joanna was still in shock when she heard the door jammed closed.

    "He seems to have been enjoying my touch so what happened?" Joanna muttered, her gaze glued to the entrance to the room.

    "Did I perhaps do what I shouldn''t have done¡­ someone should please tell me," Joanna run her fingers through her slightly messy hair.

    She didn''t give a fuck if she ended up injuring her scalp with her long nails.

    To get to this stage she has thrown her shame out of the window. She was so close to aplishing her mission but he had to leave at that moment.

    Now she is back to square one.

    When is she gonna get a perfect opportunity like this one again?

    While Joanna wasmenting over her failed attempts Kayden paced about the sitting room and couldn''t get a hold of his powers.

    When he found himself having the urge to tear his bedroom door apart and storm in there to im her body as his, in haste he slid the trouser and shirt into his body.

    He didn''t even look if he was wearing the clothes the right way or if he had worn them inside out.

    [Joan, I am sorry I had to lose control of myself at such an important moment. I promise to make it up to you in the future]

    While staring at the bedroom door, his mind was upied by the thought of how terrible she must be feeling.

    He dashed out of the house when the bedroom door knob turned.

    Joanna was stupefied when she heard the front door closing. "Did he just leave the house?" Joanna was speechless as she lowered her gaze to stare at her nude body.

    ...

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 Chapter 163 Get Her

    ?"Is it that Ick something otherdies have or does he not find my body appealing anymore because of the heinous scars?"

    The thought that her scars might have been the reason he ran away from her made Joanna loathe her scars and those who inflicted them on her more than she has ever done.

    As she was busy resenting herself and her scars, Kayden standing on the ground floor looked at the window of his room.

    [So what if our mate bond will be activated through bite or sex?... Yes, I will get what I want but what was not destined to be yours will never be yours even though you use force or unhandy means to get it. This is not what I want]

    Instead of regretting that he abandoned a very tasty meal at his home to stand outside in the dead of the night, he was happy he chose to do the right thing even at such a difficult time and ce.

    "So what if I choose to be a coward? I have the confidence of making her fall in love with me so why should I resort to such means without her permission?" Kayden mumbled.

    He turned and walked further away from the building.

    The angry Joanna went back to his bedroom, removed a white towel from his wardrobe and wrapped her slender body up with the towel.

    She returned to the sitting room and sat on one of the couches waiting for him.

    At every one hour, Joanna went and stood at the window with the hopes of seeing him return from wherever he must have gone.

    Joanna repeated this until it was way over midnight.

    "Why the hell hasn''t he returned?" The frustrateddymented, her res focused on the picture of the two of them hanging on the wall.

    She kept on waiting for him until she dozed off on the white couch.

    The next morning Joanna was awakened by the bright rays of the sun prating through the ss window.

    After waking up she didn''t need to search the apartment to know that he still hasn''t returned.

    "Maybe next time, I will tie him up to make sure he has no way to escape from me," Joanna, putting on only his white long sleeve shirt, muttered.

    She stood up from the couch and took another nce at the room.

    After feeding her eyes with the beautiful decorations of the room, she extended her right hand and carried her white chain handbag lying on the side table.

    Joanna didn''t bother to go to his bedroom and get the white high heels she had left there during their intimacy.

    She left his apartment and returned to Audrey''s room to get changed.

    Having to exin where she was and why she was stressing so shabbily had been Joanna''s biggest worry as she got closer to reaching Audrey''s apartment.

    She was so relieved when she entered the house and discovered that not a single soul was around.

    "Did she spend the night outside¡­," Joanna palmed her face the instant Audrey''s smiling face telling her to meet her at V. L bar popped up in her head.

    "I am so fucking dead!" Joanna was ovee with guilt as she stood in the middle of their bedroom.

    "How could I have forgotten such an important appointment?" At that moment Joanna felt like banging her head against the wall.

    Why on Earth did she forget about Audrey after Kayden showed up?

    Joanna would have loved to wait for Audrey toe back but she had no choice but to get changed and leave her appointment when she recalled that she had sses that morning.

    Coming out of the taxi in front of her home, Joanna let out a sharp breath as she stared at the magnificent building.

    "I swear, I might end up killing someone if the mother and daughter duo try to provoke me this morning," Joanna, who was already in a terrible mood, muttered.

    She adjusted her ck chain handbag well on her shoulder and approached therge gates.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Entering the gate, Joanna was surprised to see four security guards standing in front of the gate.

    "Did something happenst night when I was away?" Joanna asked looking around the premises to see whether there was destruction or any sign to show that something huge happened the previous day.

    "We were asked to bundle you into the house after you returned¡­,"

    "By whom?" Joanna shouted her murderous res focused on the tall average looking guy in a ck suit.

    "Madam, calls the shot here¡­,"

    "And what if I resist?" Joanna shifted her gaze to the guy at the right that just finished talking.

    "Then we will apologise in advance for hurting you," Another guy said fiercely.

    "If there is anyone between the two of us who should be apologising in advance then it should be me," Joanna replied.

    She took her stance, removed her chain handbag and rolled the chain around her right hand.

    With the bag in her right hand, Joanna was prepared for what wille next.

    [I am afraid with how angry I am I would end up killing all of them if I punched them directly so let me use the bag as a weapon instead]

    "Because you will need to suffer in your Madam''s stead even though you are doing your job," Joanna added, as her lips curled into an evil smirk.

    "Let''s see if you are capable of defeating four hefty men like us," the first security guard to talk to her replied sternly.

    "Get her," he ordered two of his colleagues to seize Joanna.

    Meanwhile, as the men approached her, Joanna wasn''t aware that their little squabble had grabbed the attention of the twodies staying in the sitting room.

    Eager to see how Joanna got dealt with, the two of them hurried to the porch on the first floor to watch the show that was about to unravel.

    The men now at arm''s reach, extended their hands to grab Joanna but to their greatest dismay, she vanished before their eyes.

    "Don''t forget to ask your Madam forpensation for whatever part of your body will get damaged¡­ because I am not going to hold back."

    Joanna took the four guys by surprise when she appeared at the back of the guy giving the orders.

    Before the guy could react she kicked him hard at the back of his knee.

    CRACK!

    Loud bone cracks apanied by a man''s scream of anguish erupted in the once quiet atmosphere.

    ...

    A/N:

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 Chapter 164 A New Quest

    ?"Sshh¡­ don''t scream so much or your shout will attract the entire neighbourhood," Joanna said as she ced her index finger on her moist lips.

    She stared down at the guy now on his knees nursing his broken leg. "I am sure you wouldn''t want them to know who beat you up or am I wrong?" There was no form of sympathy in her voice as she spoke.

    "Shut the hell up¡­,"

    "If you are looking for someone to shut you up then I am willing to be that person," Joanna cut him short rudely.

    She charged forward towards where the guy who just spoke stood.

    The guy that was already waiting for this moment advanced towards her also.

    He raised his hand tond a punch on Joanna''s face but she swiftly moved to the right.

    Even though the guy didn''t hit her, the passing of his punch was enough for Joanna to know that it was a jaw-breaking punch.

    It would have severely damaged any part of her face itnded on if she didn''t dodge.

    As Joanna battled the three guards, Laura and Adhara watched everything from their hiding ce.

    They thought they were well-hidden not knowing the alert Joanna had already sensed their presence from the minute they reached the porch.

    "She was nothing but a weakling, the world''s most useless being; our punching bag. I had imagined thissting for as long as she lives so howe she can fight well now?" Laurained seeing just how well Joanna can fight.

    She was so dissatisfied with the current oue and her expression showed it.

    "What if she can fight?" Adhara asked with spite.

    "Almost everyone in the Kingdom is a good fighter so what makes the fact that she can exchange a few blows special?"

    Adhara stared at the girl handling the skilled security guards like they were amateurs while she was the professional.

    "Even though she can fight, she is nothing but a useless being without a wolf. She is not a human, a werewolf or a vampire," Adhara said with pride.

    "You are right about that mum," Laura''s face lit up like she had just recalled something.

    "She isn''t a human, werewolf or a vampire so that means she is a nobody. Now that I think about it I am beginning to wonder whether Dad is her father like her slutty mother had imed," Laura said with her shoulders held high.

    Hearing them nder her mother made Joanna sp her fists.

    [I am sure if it was the old Joanna who heard this she would have run to the wall and cried her heart out but sorry stepmother, I am not that weak-hearted girl in the past who shed tears at every grievance]

    Joanna was distracted and didn''t see Adhara give a signal to one of the guards.

    The moment the guard received the signal, he shoved his right hand into his ck suit and started approaching where Joanna stood.

    [Today I will show you what you or any of the other werewolves in the world can ever do. I will show you a tiny bit of what I am capable of to serve as an eye-opener]

    Joanna smirked devilishly pretending not to see the guard approaching her.

    <An enemy weapon detected>

    <Initiating battle mode>

    <You have received a new quest>

    <Mission: Defeat your opponents>

    <Reward: 25 Exp>

    The notification box that just appeared made Joanna smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Are these fools even considered opponents? Although the Ancient Forest Of No Return was like another hell on Earth, one thing I love about this ce is the opponents there. Fighting them is a thousand times more exciting than fighting these proud fools]

    Joanna let her thoughts wander. Even though she was in the middle of a fight, she acted like she was in the middle of a conversation with a group of friends.

    She fretted not even in the face of three opponents.

    "Let''s see who will dare to question me after I end your life today," Adhara muttered underneath her breath.

    Her lips curled into an evil grin seeing that the guard was just an arm''s reach from Joanna.

    The security guard Adhara secretly gave instructions to, took out the dagger underneath his suit when he reached where Joanna stood.

    <Shield activated>

    The notification came on and a blue holographic barrier surrounded Joanna thereby preventing the guy from thrusting the dagger into Joanna''s back.

    Joanna, whose back was facing the guy, turned around. She red at the guy still trying to stab her even though his attempts had failed.

    "Do you know what I always do to enemies who sneak up on me?" questioned Joanna, her face deprived of any emotion.

    "I normally killed them and not just killed them but¡­," Joanna said as she raised her left palm in the air.

    Her left palm glowed green, taking everyone witnessing this by surprise.

    "I always kill them slowly¡­ and do you want to know how I normally do it?" Joanna smirked seeing the guards'' bewildered look.

    Although it is said that magic existed among them in the past none of the generations alive witnessed it. But they''ll read it from history books.

    If there really existed vampires or werewolves among them who witnessed the time of magic then it would be very few of them since almost all the elders lost their lives in the greatest battle that urred years ago.

    So she wasn''t surprised to see their astonishment because even she had this same look the first day she witnessed what she is capable of.

    Not long after, the once tiny glow grew into a sizable green ball.

    Joanna sneaked a peep at where Laura and her mother were standing. Just then an evil idea popped into her head.

    "Like this," Joanna said, instantly throwing the green ball towards the porch on the first floor.

    "What is that?" Laura blurted out. In an instant, she and Adhara disappeared from the porch.

    BOOM!

    The ball exploded like a bomb as it hits the iron bar of the porch. The explosion shook the entire building.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, since it''s so obvious we can''t reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock this month, can we reach 300 privileged chapter unlock instead?

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 Chapter 165 Who Said You Could Talk?

    ?The impact was so great that it sent Laura and Adhara flying in the air even though they were a huge distance away from the porch.

    Lauraying on the tiled floor struggled to sit up. Her eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she looked back and saw the state of ruin the porch was in.

    "Does this mean we would have been dead if we had remained there?" Laura asked with trembling lips.

    Mere imagining how many pieces she would have exploded into if she had remained on the porch made her shudder.

    Chilliness washed over her.

    "The girl possessed a dark heart. And that''s why we must get rid of her forever," Adhara said, still in shock.

    She couldn''t look away from the ruins of the once beautiful porch.

    Back at where Joanna stood, merely listening to the mother and daughter''s throbbing heart puts a smile on her face.

    She brought back her attention to the security guards which had moved backwards after seeing what she did.

    "I always burn them alive and watch them slowly burn up until nothing remains of them except their ashes," Joanna said, her voice stern and her expression devoid of any emotions.

    "If you want to win the best security guard of the year''s award then you can go ahead and try me¡­ that''s if you want to have a taste of being roasted alive," Joanna asserted.

    She waited for a minute to see whether any of them would be gutsy to still want to fight with her.

    When none of them attempted anything stupid, she turned and approached the huge building whose entrance the fallen walls of the porch had covered.

    Joanna didn''t take up to five steps when she stopped in her tracks and nced behind her.

    "Oh¡­," Joanna eximed to get the attention of the guards trying to assist the guy whose leg she had broken.

    "I forgot to give you guys a little surprise I prepared," said Joanna.

    She lifted her right hand and a tiny red me resembling a ball appeared on the tips of her fingers.

    Before the guys could fathom what the fearsomedy was up to, she sent the mes in their direction with the slight movement of her hands.

    Arghh!

    Screams of agony filled the air the moment theflying mes touched the body of the guards.

    Even the one with an injured leg wasn''t spared from her punishment.

    "With this, you will forever remember what I am capable of. That way even though someone sends you to kill me in the future, you will think twice about ever carrying out such a mission," Joanna said as she turned and strolled towards the back door.

    She paid deaf ears to the screams of the men still being tortured by the flying mes that follow them wherever they run to.

    Joanna made her way into the house through the back door located at the far end of the huge building.

    <Mission Completed>

    <25 Exp received>

    <10,000/15,000 Exp>

    The white notification screen popped up just before she entered the sitting room.

    Entering the sitting room, she met Adhara and Laura sitting on the couch.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She acted like she didn''t see them and proceeded to the stairs.

    "You know how to return huh? With the way you shamelessly paraded yourself with the man yesterday, I thought you became his mistress and wouldn''t return just like your mother who died as a mistress," Adhara said, her spiteful nces focused on Joanna''s back.

    Her words made Joanna stop in her tracks. She turned and threw murderous res at the woman sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.

    From how quiet Laura sitting beside her on the couch, she knew the youngdy hadn''t gotten over the fright she gave them earlier.

    "So what if I decided to spend my entire life with him, how is that your business?" Joanna snapped. She strolled close to the centre of the room where they sat.

    "Also between my mother and you, who is really the mistress and who was supposed to be the legal wife?... Do you need me to say it?" Joanna asked.

    "You don''t talk to my mother like that. Show some respect¡­,"

    "And who said you could talk?" Joanna cut in, directing her fierce look to Laura.

    "Also, if she had a bit of respect for me, do you think I wouldn''t respect her in return?" Joanna asked, still staring at Laura whose head was lowered.

    In her entire 18 years of existence, this is the first time, she has seen Laura so timid, especially in front of her.

    This is the real essence of power. Even those who looked down on you before will bow their head in respect when you possess immense power.

    Adhara stood up from the couch. "Anyways I won''t press on the matter of you hanging out with a man. Whether or not you be a slut or a mistress it''s none of my business. What I am concerned about is why you did that to Viviana," Adhara demanded an exnation.

    Although she was domineering at the moment if this was in the past, Joanna knew that she wouldn''t have been given the chance to exin.

    She would have been rolling on the floor pleading for mercy even though she did nothing wrong.

    "Did I do something to Mrs Viviana?" Joanna questioned. She hits the corner of her head with her index finger as she stares up.

    "Hmm¡­ I don''t know what happened to her so will you tell me what happened to that proud best friend of yours¡­,"

    "How dare you pretend not to know what happened when so many people witnessed what you did to her at the boutique?" Adhara yelled. She charged forward and raised her hand to p Joanna.

    "If I were you, I would drop my hands," Joanna said unfazed when she saw the woman''s hand descend.

    "Because I will make sure that you are unable to use your right hand for at least three days if it descends more than this?" Joanna stared at the woman''s hand which had stopped in the midst air.

    Looking at Joanna''s murderous res made Adhara recall the incident that urred less than five minutes ago.

    "What are you waiting for, hit me as you have always done and see whether it will still be the same?" Joanna said provocatively, seeing the hesitation in Adhara''s eyes.

    She has always been looking for the opportunity; the chance to teach her stepmother the lesson she would never forget.

    Putting stuff in their food was a preamble. She will not deal with her lightly if she dared to as much as continued to lower her right hand.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, please support the book and authors by buying privileged chapters and unlocking them daily. Please let''s try our best to reach this month''s 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock.

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 Chapter 166 You Will Kill Me?

    ?Adhara kept on looking at Joanna''s stern expression. As she stood there the memory of the earlier incident kept on reying in her memory.

    [What if it turned out that she is more powerful than I assumed? Won''t I be aughing stock in my own house if I get defeated by a little girl like her?]

    Adhara was lost in thoughts. She was confused about what decision to take.

    Even though she didn''t see any of the maids or her employees in sight, she knew very well that they were eavesdropping on their conversation.

    Whether or not she pped Joanna right there she knew that they would still gossip about the incidents.

    So atst she decided that although it was embarrassing to retrieve her hand, it was the best choice since this will save her from an even bigger embarrassment.

    She will be the Kingdom''s main topic of gossip if she gets beaten by her stepdaughter whom she always trampled under her feet in the past.

    "I won''t do anything to you, do you know why?" Adhara slowly dropped her hand.

    Laura who was watching everything on the sideline was surprised to see that her mother didn''t pull through with her ns.

    "Laura, let''s go and wait for her in the sitting room. Just see how I will deal with that stupid girl for all she has done and I overlooked," Laura could still recall her mother''s angry words after the destruction of the porch.

    "Because I am afraid I would end up murdering you if I take it out on you with how angry I am," Adhara said as she moved a few steps backwards.

    "You will kill me?" Joanna chuckled, as she shook her head.

    "Stepmother, don''t tell me that is the phrase you are using to console yourself?" There was mockery in her voice as she stared at the frowningdy.

    Without fear, Joanna walked closer to where Adhara stood close to where the quiet Laura sat.

    "Isn''t getting beaten up by me better than being cowardly¡­,"

    "You can say whatever you like but I refused to be provoked," Adhara said as she turned and sat on the couch.

    "Rather than dirtying my hands with your filthy blood, I will wait for your father toe back and deal with you¡­,"

    "Since when did the Almighty Queen of Bullying, Adhara, need the help of someone else to deal with me?" Joanna kept on provoking Adhara hoping that the woman would lose her cool and try to attack her.

    She just needs the tiniest reason to deal mercilessly with the proud woman.

    She has vowed to deal with her in a way she would never be able to show her face in public if she dares as much as try any nonsense.

    "I know you are looking for whom to put an end to your wretched life and I won''t let you seed," For the first time in her life, Adhara tried every possible way to keep her anger in check.

    Joanna had expected Adhara to spring up to attack her after her constant provocative words but she was surprised to see her keep calm.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am sure the neighbours had called the police after the explosion. Let''s wait and see how they will deal with you when we tell them that you tried to kill us. The ruin outside is the evidence¡­," Adhara said, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.

    The always talkative Laura chooses to be an onlooker today.

    Whoever was the winner of the ongoing battle she didn''t care. If her mother wins, nice but if she doesn''t that is also fine with her as long as she isn''t dragged into the fight.

    "After the police deal with you, it will then be the turn of your father to deal with you. Let''s see whether he will not strangle you to death himself when I revealed to him that you are possessed by a demon¡­,"

    "Do you even know what a demon looks like," Joanna cut in rudely?

    She turned and pushed the itemsid on the centre table. She sat down on the table with her legs crossed.

    "If you don''t know what Demons look like, I don''t mind giving you a little brief about them. I spent six months dining with them so I don''t think there is anyone in this world who is familiar with Demons more than I do¡­," Joanna sitting facing Adhara trailed.

    "So what do you want to know about them huh? I can go as far as telling you the categories of Demons we have so take a pick and I will do the narration," Joanna said her fierce res directed at Adhara.

    Sitting there waiting for Adhara''s response Joanna jerked to her feet on getting a glimpse of the wall clock.

    [Darn! I can''t believe I got carried away and forgot that I have a morning lesson to catch¡­ Now I have less than fifteen minutes to get prepared]

    Joanna lowered her gaze and stared at the mother and daughter duo.

    If it was up to her, she would have loved to see this battle end but since time wasn''t on her side she had no choice but to bring it to an end.

    She spun and proceeded to the stairs but only to stop at the foot of the stairs.

    She turned and nce at Adhara.

    "And about reporting me to the police and your husband I am sure you wouldn''t dare to say a word to them¡­,"

    "Do you think I am scared of you?" Adhara said standing up from the couch. "Watch and see how I will¡­,"

    "Sorry stepmother but when I said you wouldn''t utter a word about me to them it wasn''t a suggestion," Joanna cut in.

    "Not only will youe up with something to tell the police and your husband but you will also make sure that none of the employees here utter a word to anyone¡­,"

    "You¡­,"

    "Don''t be so impatient. Watch what Bacon has to show you and decide on what to do afterwards," Joanna said. She resumed climbing the stairs.

    "Bacon, this is your cue. Don''t forget to show them everything," Joanna''s voice echoed in the sitting room even though she was out of sight.

 Chapter 167 Anthony Overheard Everything

    ?Adhara and Laura exchanged puzzled nces as soon as Joanna left the sitting room.

    Just then Bacon flew into the sitting room through the window. It pped its wings as it flew around the huge sitting room.

    "What the hell did it ask the evil bird to show us?" Laura muttered, her piercing res directed at the ckbird hovering around them.

    "Also, it''s merely a bird. Can I understand what she said¡­," Laura didn''tplete her words when a transparent screen that looked like a projector appeared on the wall?

    In shock, Adhara and Laura''s eyes scrutinized the room in search of whoever was controlling the screen.

    Their mouths dropped open in awe when they noticed that the blue mes emitting from Bacon''s eyes were what formed the screen on the wall.

    [I had thought that this was just an evil bird she picked up from wherever she came from but I guess there is more to the bird that meets the eyes¡­ It''s as mysterious as the evil girl¡­]

    Laura''s thoughts got disrupted by the video that appeared on the blue screen on the wall, just beside the television.

    "Besides, one cannot do away with his or her mate like that. One''s mate is supposed tost for a lifetime...,"

    "Your father wasn''t my mate but aren''t we married with kids now?" Adhara shouted as she threw Laura''s hand away in anger.

    Adhara''s legs weakened the moment she saw the scene ying on the screen.

    "Turn it off," Adhara shouted knowing too well the next words that wille.

    She charged to the wall and started hitting it with hopes of making the video stop.

    Even with all the hitting, the video ying on the screen didn''t stop.

    "Just to be in this household I killed my mate. If you don''t get your act together then I will be forced to put an end to your madness with his death".

    Listening to Adhara''s yells made an evil smirk appear on the face of thedy walking to her room.

    Reaching her room there stood Anthony. Joanna was a bit taken aback when she saw her little brother looking at her in a way he had never done.

    Unlike his usual twinkling eyeballs, she could read fear in those innocent eyeballs of his.

    "Little rice ball, what are you still doing at home? Weren''t you supposed to be in school long ago," Joanna asked as she walked toward him.

    She was dumbfounded to see him move two steps backwards.

    Due to her anger, she had forgotten to make sure that Anthony wasn''t around.

    Even though she had found out he was around, she would have made sure that whatever happened was blocked from him just like she has been doing.

    She let her anger blind her thereby making her overlook such an important detail.

    "You heard everything right?" Joanna tried to confirm her guess.

    She didn''t try to walk further toward him seeing that he was scared of her.

    "Big Sister, will you really harm Mum and Sister Laura as you had said?" Anthony asked after two minutes of silence.

    "Will you kill them¡­,"

    "What are you saying Little rice ball," Joanna cut in and took a step forward momentarily forgetting that Anthony was still afraid of her.

    Just like earlier he still walked a step backwards.

    Seeing how he wouldn''t even let here close to him made Joanna realize that things were more serious than she thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She tried toe up with what to say and do to make him feel safe with her once again.

    "I was just trying to scare them Little rice ball. You don''t need to take what I said to heart¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "Or does Big Sister look that cruel to you?" Joanna questioned faking a pitiful expression.

    "Does Big Sister resemble someone who can kill a person¡­,"

    "Of course not," Anthony said firmly. He took the initiative to close the gap between them.

    "Big Sister is the kindest person in the world," Anthony said smiling.

    Joanna bent and embraced him. She pats his hair lovingly.

    [Tony, I am so sorry I have to lie to you. Your Big Sister standing right here is not the one you knew in the past. I have been through a life-changing event which has made me hardhearted. Never had I imagined that I would be what I am today. I was pushed into being who I am today so you can''t me me for being heartless]

    A painful smile appeared on Joanna''s face as she kept on caressing Anthony''s back.

    After two minutes of hugging, Joanna let go of Anthony.

    "Little rice ball, go and meet Nanny Susan to get you prepared for school¡­,"

    "But you promised to take me to schoolst time but you didn''t. And that''s why I was waiting for you to send me to school today," Anthony said.

    "Did I¡­," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she recalled that she really promised to send him to school.

    On the day she was supposed to take him to school she was in the forest having a good time with Kayden.

    Just likest night she had also forgotten that she had made a promise to her little brother.

    "Big Sister is runningte for ss so I can''t send you to school today but I promise to send you to school next time," Joanna promised. She ruffled his well-styled hair.

    "But¡­,"

    "It''s a promise and I won''t break it this time. To make it up to you forst time I will also take you out on a date on my off day," Joanna said.

    "Really?" Anthony asked. His eyes lit up in excitement.

    "Yeah, so get ready and go to school. We will talk more about it when I return from campus," Joanna assured him with a smile.

    "Ok, Big Sister. I will go and change into my uniform now," Anthony said. He waved at Joanna before he dashed to get ready for school.

    Joanna stared at him until he was out of sight. She hastened into her room and hurriedly got prepared for her ss.

    She didn''t waste time searching for clothes, she picked whatever clothes sheid her hands on.

    Because she waste, she didn''t even bother to apply makeup on her face.

    She hurried downstairs after she was done.

    Joannaposed herself when she reached the stairs.

    "So what did you think about my surprise? Have you made up your mind on what to do?" Joanna asked as she descended the stairs.

 Chapter 168 Joannas Conditions To Adhara

    ?"How did you¡­,"

    "Do you want to know how I managed to get a video of you revealing your ugly secrets when none was around when you made the revtion?" Joanna asked.

    There was a sly smile on her pretty face as she approached the centre table where Laura and Adhara sat.

    "Why do you think Bacon is always with me wherever I go? Because I like it?" Joanna questioned.

    At a snap of her finger, Bacon that was hovering around the sitting room flew onto her right shoulder.

    "Of course I love Bacon. It was my onlypanion for over five months so it''s natural that I love it but the reason it follows me around isn''t because of my love¡­," Joanna smirked as she lifted her index finger and stroked Bacon''s head.

    "It''s because of one out of the many qualities it possessed, which is its ability to capture and video everything that goes on around him with its magical eyes¡­,"

    "What!" Laura shouted, jumping up to her feet. "Are you trying to tell me that everything that went on in this house ever since you returned has been recorded by the evil bird?" Laura asked with widened eyes.

    "Bingo!" Joanna maintained her evil smile, her eyes not moving away from Adhara''s astounded face.

    Listening to Joanna''s words made Adhara recall some of the things she had done and said ever since Joanna came back.

    From all the things she recalled they were more vicious words and actionspared to good ones.

    [Does this mean that not only my life but also my doom is in this stupid girl''s hands?... How did ite to this?]

    Never had Adhara imagined that she would be at the mercy of her stepdaughter whom she regarded as nothing in the past.

    In fact, if someone had prophesied that such a day would evere to pass, without hesitation she would have shut the person up with a tight p on the face.

    Now it was toote to regret. She has lost to her cruel stepdaughter without even getting the opportunity to put up a strong fight.

    "Bacon''s eyes are far better than cameras. I am sure you will agree with me after seeing the quality of the video even though it was captured at night¡­,"

    "What do you want in order not to reveal this video?" Adhara admitted defeat to Laura''s surprise.

    Even Joanna was a bit taken aback to see that she easily conceded defeat.

    "Hmmm¡­ what do I want you to do for me in exchange for keeping your biggest secret?" Joanna asked. She tapped her lips and walked to and fro twice as though she was in deep thoughts.

    Although she had longe up with what to ask of her stepmother, seeing her and Laura on the edge gave her a sense of satisfaction.

    Nothing feels better than seeing your enemy suffer and that was how she was feeling.

    "About what happened today, you will make sure none mentioned anything to anyone outside this house and that includes the police," Joanna finally decided to put an end to their suffering.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She stood in a way that she was looking directly at Adhara''s eyeballs.

    "That is my first condition".

    Just then a maid walked into the sitting room with a tray containing two sses of juice.

    The maid only needed to see Adhara''s murderous res to run for dear life.

    In haste to leave, the ss of juice fell from the tray and smashed on the tiled floor. "I¡­ will get it cleaned¡­.,"

    "Will you get your filthy body out of here before I descend on you," Adhara took out her frustration on the innocentdy with brown hair?

    With a trembling heart, the maid scrambled for dear life.

    "My second condition is that you will stay out of my business from now on," Joanna stated.

    "Although we are living in the same house, you will mind your business. In fact, it will be better for everyone if all of you avoid me like a gue because I can''t guarantee what I will do if any of you dares to provoke me¡­," Joanna trailed to make sure that her points had sunk into their head.

    "Apart from roasting two of you alive, I have 1001 ways to kill and get rid of your bodies so don''t you dare try any nonsense with me. I am everything except kind. Let this stick into your thick skulls because I promise you, I won''t be talking next time if this nonsense repeats itself," Joanna issued herst warning to the evil set of people.

    Sitting there anyone who doesn''t know them and sees them will think that they were angels not knowing that they were the true definition of evil.

    "Isn''t it just concealing the truth and keeping away from your business?" Adhara asked, standing up. She bent and pushed Laura''s legs to the sides and afterwards proceeded to where Joanna stood.

    "I will do it as long as you take this secret to your grave. Your father can''t know about this, ok?" Adhara said. Her eyes were full of desperation as she waited for Joanna''s response.

    Although she looked so pitiful at the moment, Joanna didn''t feel the least moved by her expression of misery.

    "I will think about whether or not to keep your secrets if you meet my two conditions¡­ but don''t be deceived that this is my only condition for concealing such a huge secret," Joanna said.

    She turned and strolled towards the back door.

    "More conditions will being in the future so get yourself prepared stepmother," Joanna said before she vanished into space with her bird.

    Adhara''s legs lose strength the instant Joanna disappears. She staggered backwards and almost fell but Laura came to her rescue.

    Laura standing at her mother''s back prevented her mother from falling with her body weight.

    "Mum, what is wrong? Are you not feeling fine?" Laura asked with a worry-stricken face.

    "I am doomed, Laura. I can''t believe that my downfall is in that vicious girl''s hands¡­ what will I do now?" Adharamented.

 Chapter 169 Gideons Report

    ?"Mum¡­," Laura was lost at what to say tofort her mother. Even she was in this same situation. To keep Rafael, her mate alive she dared not confront Joanna.

    Just like her mother she was lost at what to do to save herself from her evil stepsister''s clutches.

    As Laura and her mother were stillmenting over their plights, Joanna appeared in the university''sdies'' restroom.

    "Gosh, that was close," Joanna gasped. She stepped out of the cubicle and stopped in front of the mirror.

    Realising that her hair''s parting was a mess, she stood in front of the mirror and rearranged her hair.

    After she was done, she walked out of thedy''s restroom and stepped onto the long pathway.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was hastening to meet up with her ss Kayden now wearing his disguise was seen opening the door of his room to go out.

    "Howe you are here?" Kayden asked the instant he set eyes on the tall handsome guy standing in front of his door.

    Without wasting a minute he extended his right hand, grabbed the guy in a blue shirt and pulled him into the room.

    He stepped out of the room and surveyed the area to make sure that none was in sight.

    Kayden returned to his room after making sure that everywhere was safe.

    "Didn''t I tell you not to show up around me during my one-month absence?" Kayden demanded on reaching the sitting room where the guy stood.

    "Your Majesty¡­," Kayden''s fierce res made Gideon abruptly pause what he wanted to say.

    "I meant Sir," Gideon corrected himself, recalling that Kayden forbade them from addressing him as the King after he left.

    "I tried to contact Chris to update him about the daily reports but I couldn''t get through to him. I had no choice but toe here myself¡­,"

    "What was so important that you couldn''t wait for him to get back to you?" Kayden cut in sharply.

    "What if someone saw you?... Wouldn''t that give away the fact that I am still in the Kingdom?".

    "I made sure that I wasn''t followed¡­,"

    "And how sure are you about that?" Kayden questioned, not calming down the slightest bit.

    Gideon lowered his head without replying.

    Although he made sure none knew about his whereabouts when he departed from the pcest night. And went as far as roaming the streets the entire night to cut off anyone who was on his tail, he didn''t know how sure he was that his n worked.

    Also, he could understand why the King was so scared about anyone discovering his identity.

    Apart from the trouble that will arise among the ministers, his vacation and ns to win over Joanna''s heart wille to a premature end.

    As a King getting this much freedom is rare and that is why maybe he would have reacted more than Kayden if he was in the King''s shoes.

    "So what was so urgent you had to report that you couldn''t wait for Chris to get in contact with you?" Kayden asked as he strolled to the couch and sat on the golden colour couch with his legs crossed.

    "Tom called yesterday, about an hour after I received his email," Gideon said as he proceeded to stand at the back of the couch opposite the one Kayden sat on.

    He dared not sit while making a report without the King''s permission.

    "He sent an email and also went as far as calling?" Kayden asked. "That is so unlike him. Did something happen over there?".

    "There is a new development over there in the human world. He wanted to make sure we received the information as soon as possible," Gideon amplified.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There is a new development over there?" Kayden asked, adjusting the way he sat on the couch.

    He couldn''t bring himself to lean on the couch after sensing the urgency in Gideon''s tone.

    "Why? What happened? Did the prime minister''s men see through our ns?" Kayden demanded.

    "He called to inform us that his men in charge of protecting the fake you over there are being followed by some mysterious beings," Gideon exined calmly.

    After he finished talking he pulled off the blue hoodie he wore and started unbuttoning his shirt.

    "What are you trying to do and what did you mean by they were followed by mysterious beings?" Kayden asked not understanding what Gideon was up to.

    The fact that he was taking off his clothes baffled him.

    "He said the beings which are keeping an eye on you over at the human''s world are neither humans, vampires or werewolves. They are a set of being with unparalleled magical powers¡­,"

    "Beings with magical powers?" Kayden asked, jerking to his feet.

    "This was the content of his email. I had to print it out to show it to you," Gideon said as he shoved his right hand into his shirt he had unbuttoned until it was remaining the twost buttons.

    He brought out a medium size envelope and walked closer to the King''s couch.

    He handed the brown envelope over to Kayden.

    "Did you have to go as far as hiding it underneath your clothes?" Kayden asked as he stretched his hand to collect the envelope from Gideon.

    "Holding it in a briefcase or my hands would have attracted unnecessary attention. Also, I had no choice but to protect it this way since it contains ssified information," replied Gideon.

    He walked three steps backwards after handing the envelope to Kayden.

    Kayden unsealed the envelope and brought out the two documents inside the envelope.

    Apart from the medium size envelope, there was also another envelope and a document inside.

    "So apart from the skilled assassins his family own he also has under his possessions men with magical powers¡­ I must say I underestimated the senile old man," Kayden said dropping the bigger envelope and the document on the centre table.

    He proceeded to open the smaller envelope.

    "The mysterious beings are not the prime minister''s men. Tom confirmed that before he sent the email," Gideon''s words made Kayden take his eyes off what he was doing.

    "If they are not the prime minister''s men then who sent them?" Kayden asked his attention fixated on Gideon''s face.

    ....

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, since it''s so obvious we can''t reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock this month, can we reach 300 privileged chapter unlock instead?

    Please help out this poor author and let''s do all it takes to reach 300 privileged chapter unlock this August 2022.

    For us to be able to reach the goal, I need all of you to buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    You don''t have to aim for the highest tier if you can''t afford it and that is why the privileged chapteres in tiers.

    Please help me out hmm?...

    Please guys ??????...

 Chapter 170 The Enemy In The Dark

    ?"He hasn''t found out about their identities and the one behind them. He said their whereabouts are just as mysterious as their identities," Gideon ryed some of his conversation with Tom over the phone.

    "They are not the prime minister''s men neither are they some of my enemies'' men so who could they be?" Kayden was in deep thoughts as he lowered himself on the couch.

    "Who could this new enemy that emerged out of nowhere be and what is their purpose in keeping an eye on me?" Kayden questioned still staring into space.

    He tried to think about the recent happening and who he might have offended but despite spending two minutes thinking he couldn''te up with any name.

    He has been well-behaved ever since Joanna returned.

    The only one he might have offended was the Queen Mother and he knew she wasn''t the one who sent the men after him.

    "The enemy is in the dark while we are in the open and that is why he called to inform us to be extra vignt at every time. He said it is a matter of time before the mysterious men will discover that the one in the human world is a fake," Gideon went ahead to further ryed Tom''s words.

    Kayden lowered his gaze and stared at the picture he had taken out from the small envelope.

    On the three pictures spread on the table, three men in ck were captured. All three of them wore ck in the three pictures even though the pictures were captured on different days and locations.

    If not for their familiar outfits and physique, it would have been very difficult to recognise them as the same men in the three pictures.

    From the pictures, the men were floating in the air and it was something he hasn''t seen before.

    [With new trouble arising, I guess the time I have to spend with her is very limited. I need to speed up my ns to make her fall in love with me before things get out of hand. I don''t know how often I will be able to meet her if I returned to the pce]

    Instead of worrying about his safety Kayden was more concerned about the reason he left the pce in the first ce to be with her.

    After getting a proper look at the pictures Kayden pushed them aside and picked up the printed document lying on the table.

    Tom''s email had three paragraphs. His message was concise and precise. It matches with what Gideon told him.

    "Tom asked me to inform you to call him the instant you received the message. He said he still had some information to pass to you directly," Gideon said noticing that the King had finished reading the printed copy of Tom''s email.

    "I will call him but you need to leave right now. We can''t afford to let anyone find out that we know each other," Kayden said springing up to his feet.

    "But¡­," Kayden had ready led the way before Gideon could say anything.

    He wished he could spend more time with the King but since the King desired for him to leave who is he to make demands?

    He should be happy the King puts him in charge of managing the affairs of the pce in his absence instead of demanding favours from him.

    "Never should you show up around me except I sent for you," Kayden warned sternly when they reached the door.

    Gideon was trying to keep up with the King''s pace when he abruptly came to a halt.

    Had he not stopped moving forward on time he would have collided with Kayden.

    "Audrey!" Kayden eximed with widened eyes.

    In a haste, he grabbed Gideon by the hand and pushed him back into his apartment.

    Steadily he walked closer to the edge of the floor wall and peeked outside.

    "Not only was my perception urate but Chris is with her¡­ I never knew that he was so diligent about missions except for today¡­," In a sh, he squat when he saw Audrey raise her gaze.

    [I must keep Gideon in my apartment until I am sure that everywhere is clear. I can''t afford to let her discover my identity because I am sure she is going toe in between me and Joan]

    Kayden didn''t bother to listen to what Audrey and Chris were discussing downstairs.

    He went back inside his room with Gideon following him closely.

    "You will stay here until I make sure that it is safe outside," Kayden informed. He bent and carried his cellphone lying on the table.

    Kayden strolled to his bedroom, leaving the sitting room for Gideon to make himself feel at ease.

    "His apartment looks so exquisite. Chris did a good job to make sure that Sir feelsfortable in his new environment," Gideonplimented. His eyes moved from one wall to the other.

    Meanwhile, as Gideon was taking his time admiring the apartment Audrey and Chris were downstairs talking.

    [I wonder whether His Majesty seeded with his proposal. How awesome would have this been!... Unlike others, I know the amount of effort he puts into the proposal to make sure that it was nothing less than perfection. I wish he seeded this time around]

    Chris was lost in thought while staring in the direction of Kayden''s apartment. He didn''t notice Audrey turned to re at him when he refused to leave as she had told him to.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What are you staring intently at?" Audrey asked as she raised her head and followed his line of sight.

    "Did you drop something important over there or¡­,"

    "I will leave. I will visit you again when Miss Joanna is around," Chris cut in. He turned and started walking away not wanting to entertain any of her questions.

    Audrey only entered the building after making sure that he was gone.

    There was a frown on Audrey''s pretty face as she entered the elevator.

    Standing inside the elevator all Audrey wanted was to reach her home so she could freshen up.

    After spending an entire night in the bar she reeked of alcohol. She was in dire need of a refreshing bath.

    Entering her room, the first sign Audrey noticed that someone had entered her room was the arrangements of slippers at the door.

    Instead of one slipper, there were two slippers. The sweet fragrance ofvender when she reached the sitting room further proved her doubts right.

    Reaching her bedroom Audrey was astounded to see so many shopping bags arranged at the foot of the bed.

    "Don''t tell me this was one of the reasons why she forgot all about me and made me spend the night like a fool in the bar?" Audrey muttered as she strolled to where the shopping bags were kept.

    She bent and picked up one of the shopping bags. Unfortunately for Joanna, out of all

    the shopping bags, Audrey had to pick up the Louis Vuitton bag.

    "So the silly girl went shopping with him?" Audrey asked, her gaze glued to the bag in her hand.

    Because of how angry she was she didn''t have the luxury to appreciate the beauty and quality of the bag.

    "Since she had the guts to forget all about me because of him, just wait and see how I will deal with her for this," Audrey said as she bent and returned the bag to its original position.

    Audrey walked over to the side table and dropped her purse and cell phone on the brown table. She took off her clothes.

    Half naked she proceeded to the wardrobe and took out a clean white towel from it.

    She walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

    As Audrey was freshening up so was Joanna receiving a lecture in arge hall.

    Although she is always distracted whenever she was in a lecture with Amos, today she was more distracted without him around.

    Because she kept on looking at the back entrance of therge hall she barely focused her attention on what the middle-aged man in a ck shirt was saying.

    She let out a sigh after the lecture she paid no attention to came to an end.

    Joanna had over three sses that day so after her first lecture, she didn''t go home. She stayed on campus until it was time for her next lecture.

    Her distraction continued in her second and third lectures. She became frustrated after spending almost four hours looking forward to seeing a person whose shadow wasn''t in sight.

    Joanna was walking in the corridor leading to Audrey''s lecture hall when she bumped into Audrey.

    Despite seeing Joanna, thedy wearing blue ripped jeans and a cored white shirt walked passed Joanna like she didn''t exist.

    Joanna was stunned by Audrey''s actions.

    If Audrey was ying with her cellphone or if she didn''t wave at her, Joanna would have assumed she didn''t see her but¡­

    The astounded Joanna turned and run towards thedy walking in big strides.

    "Drey, what is wrong?" Joanna holding onto Audrey''s right hand asked worriedly.

    "Do I know you?" Audrey demanded to Joanna''s shock.

    ...

    A/N: I am sosorry for thete update, guys.

 Chapter 171 Finally Found Her

    ?She pushed Joanna''s hands off and started walking away. To catch up with her Joanna also had to quicken her pace.

    After two minutes of running, she finally caught up to the angrydy.

    "Drey, I understand I messed up and that you must be mad at me right now but it hasn''t reached the point of you pretending not to know me right?" Joanna asked, her gaze focused on Audrey who was avoiding looking at her.

    "You are the one at the wrong here and as far as I know you are not in the position to call the shots here," Audrey said.

    For the second time, she held Joanna''s right-hand clutching her left hand. She wriggled her hand out of her grip but she was gentle about this.

    No matter how upset she was she could never bear to hurt her best friend.

    "Drey, wait up?" Joanna shouted after thedy who had used her vampire speed to cover a huge distance.

    Although there were so many students on the walkway, Joanna ignored all of them.

    She never had a good rtionship with anyone else except Audrey so she had no reason to pause to exchange pleasantries with them.

    This time around Audrey made sure Joanna didn''t catch up to her with ease. To achieve this she kept on using her powers to create a huge gap between them.

    "What''s wrong with those stupid girls?" Tiffany standing on the stairs outside the basketball field asked her gaze following every movement Joanna and Audrey running inside the basketball field made.

    Even though she was standing in the midst of her friends her shy clothes and essories made her stand out.

    She stood in the middle while her friends shared themselves into two groups, each group stationed themselves at her side.

    "They are running like cat and mouse. It''s so rare to see them fight. For them to bring their misunderstanding to the public, I believe it isn''t a small argument¡­,"

    "And this makes it the perfect time to strike. With no one there to protect her, she will be nothing but a weak girl like she was in the past," Doris cut in, her piercing res concentrated on Joanna in particr.

    "So what if she and Tomboy are on bad terms? Don''t forget she still has the evil bird that follows her wherever she goes," replied Nora.

    The mere thought of that dreadful night in the dark vi made her shudder.

    Although she yearns for revenge, never does she want to experience the same thing or anything simr to what transpired in the vi that night.

    "The evil bird isn''t in sight so that means she is alone," An evil smirk appeared on Tiffany''s pretty face as she red at the girl she hates to the core.

    On the field, Joanna was trying to hold Audrey but somehow she couldn''t even get an arm''s reach to Audrey who kept on using her powers.

    Just like how werewolves and vampires using their powers publicly in the Kingdom wasn''t prohibited, so also it was in all schools of all levels.

    The difference between using powers in the schools and the Kingdom, in general, was that the rules guiding the usage of powers in school were stricter.

    "Teaching her a lesson is all we need to show her who are the ones in charge here. We have been letting her do whatever she wants that is why she is acting proud¡­,"

    "I am not against us showing her where she belongs¡­ In fact, I want us to deal with her in a way we have never done to avenge my leg she broke but¡­," Sophie standing at Tiffany''s right-hand side paused to catch a breath.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She brought back her gaze to her friends standing by her side. "I just want to remind you guys whether you have forgotten where we were heading before we bumped into these good-for-nothing friends," Sophie reminded.

    "OMG!" Nora eximed with widened eyes. "Gosh, I can''t believe we almost missed Raymond''s first officialpetition after his return".

    "We can think about how to teach her a lesson but that will beter. Right now we must hurry if we don''t want to miss Ray''s firstpetition. He needs our support," Sophie said in a calm tone.

    "What is the use of panicking?" Tiffany asked, rolling her eyes. "With our powers, we can arrive there before the match starts," Tiffany added.

    "Let''s go. Who knows we might get a glimpse of him in the dressing area before he goes to thepetition arena," Doris said.

    The mere imagination of getting a glimpse of his godly body at a close distance made her eyes lit up.

    "Let''s leave for the swimming arena," Tiffany said, instantly vanishing afterpleting her sentence.

    The other threedies followed suit.

    Joanna was more concerned about appeasing her best friend to care about what was going on.

    Audrey took Joanna and cracked almost the entire huge campus. All Joanna''s pleas and coaxes seem to fall on deaf ears because Audrey didn''t spare her a minute of her time despite all their running.

    They were still circling the buildings and before Joanna realised it she found herself in a bubbling environment.

    The screams, cheers, apuds and chatters mixed together made the Twilight University Swimming arena very lively.

    Because everyone was talking at the same time it was very hard to distinguish who owned which voice.

    The increasing screams of crazy fans made Joanna momentarily shift her gaze to the pool to see those participating in thepetition.

    Since they were swimming while covering their heads with caps and wearing goggles Joanna couldn''t see the faces of thosepeting.

    Just when thepetitors were close to the finishing line, Joanna recalled why she was here in the first ce.

    "Drey, please hear me out huh?" Joanna begged as she continued walking.

    Despite the cheers of victory which soon erupted in the air, Joanna paid no attention to the ongoingpetition.

    Meanwhile, inside therge pool, six guys who had taken off their goggles took pleasure in their fans'' cheers as they looked around the arena.

    The guy in the middle wearing a blue cap stopped looking around. His eyes widened and came to a fixation when theynded on a girl in a green dress chasing anotherdy.

    "She is the one," He muttered his eyes following Joanna wherever she went.

    "I can''t believe I have finally found her. This is great," His natural pink lips curled into an evil smirk as he watched Joanna exit the hall.

 Chapter 172 Was That Kay?

    ?When they were a building away from thepetition arena, Joanna looked around her to make sure that no student was in sight.

    After confirming that it was just her and Audrey around, she used her powers.

    She disappeared only to surface in front of Audrey. To make sure that she didn''t continue to run away, Joanna held her by the shoulders.

    "How long are you going to run away from me huh?" Joanna questioned in anger.

    Even though she was this angry Audrey still tried to break free but Joanna refused to give her what she wanted.

    Through her unwavering grasp, she showed Audrey that she wasn''t weak.

    "If you are mad at me, you can scold, hit and scream at me but not avoid me," Joanna said emotionally.

    Seeing how upset Joanna was when she was the one who should be angry at her made Audrey calm down a bit.

    "I know I didn''t keep my word yesterday and stood you up but we can talk things out or can''t we?" Joanna demanded. She let go of Audrey''s shoulders and turned her back on her.

    "If our bond was this weak that something trivia like this cane in between us then I think we shouldn''t remain friends¡­,"

    "Hey, how dare you make such a suggestion?" Audrey cut in sharply. She held Joanna''s right hand and spun her a little so she was facing her.

    "And who said you can initiate our break up?" Audrey scolded fiercely.

    "Do you think I would have been this upset if I didn''t find out that the reason you stood me up was because of him?" asked Audrey, not able to hide her emotions anymore.

    "Him?" Joanna muttered, a little taken aback that she found out that she was with Amos yesterday.

    And not only that but she also discovered that he was the reason she didn''t show up at the bar as promised.

    [How did she find out¡­]

    Joanna paused her thoughts when she recalled that all the things Amos purchased for her yesterday were kept at Audrey''s apartment.

    [Even I would have been very upset if I discovered that my best friend stood me up because of a man]

    Joanna was lost at what to say or do to appease the angrydy standing in front of her.

    "You let me spend the night at the bar so you have no right to get mad at me," Audrey scolded. She turned her back on Joanna in an instance.

    Audrey was never the type to act petty over trivial things, especially not with her. Seeing how mad she is made her realize just how much she had hurt her feelings.

    Joanna ran to stand in front of her when she noticed that Audrey was hurt.

    "Drey, I know I was wrong in standing you up. I know I shouldn''t have done that to you but believe me, I didn''t have any choice," Joanna tried to exin.

    "Stop giving me that pitiful look because I know you had a choice. You could have just said no to him when you knew that you had already promised to give me your night¡­,"

    "Not when I held him a wish and he decided to use it yesterday," Joanna interrupted her softly.

    "You held him a wish?" Audrey asked.

    "Yes, we had a battle and I lost to him¡­,"

    "Does he hits you?" Audrey demanded. Her expression showed what she would do if Joanna proved her suspicions right.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Not that kind of battle you think it is¡­ and he would never in his lifey his hands on me¡­,"

    "Is that how much you trust him?" Audrey asked, sounding a little cool-headed.

    "I don''t know whether this could be called trust. I just have this strong feeling that he would never hurt him¡­,"

    "I thought you liked that jerk Kayden. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that you would fall in love with another man like a fool," Audrey said. She started walking away with Joanna walking side by side with her.

    She was too engrossed in the conversation to remember that she was very upset with Joanna.

    "Who said I am in love with him¡­,"

    "You can deceive every other person in this world except me," Audrey said. She didn''t stop to walk.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Audrey were trying to sort things out, Kayden was on a phone call in his room.

    "Kay, how is your first ever vacation after bing our King?" A guy sitting on a luxurious couch with his legs crossed asked. A sly smile appeared on his handsome face.

    "I heard that you have been quite busy with a project even though you are on vacation. Tell me what this project is about?" Tom asked teasingly as he dusted the dirt off his green well-ironed trousers.

    "Who told you that¡­ anyways why do I even bother asking when I know that it is only Kyle who is gutsy enough to make reports about me," Kayden said as he stood up from the couch and walked to the ss window.

    "You are tall, dashing, rich¡­ in fact, you are the best man anydy can ever have so why is it difficult for you to win over a girl? You even had to embark on a mission just for her¡­,"

    "Are you aware that you are speaking to your King?" Kayden asked as he lifted his right hand and stuck it into his trousers pocket.

    "Do you know the punishment for mocking your King¡­"

    "Yes, your Majesty," Tom said sarcastically.

    "You are still ridiculing your King. Do you know that the punishment for mocking your King is¡­,"

    "I don''t care about the punishment since you can''t deal with me even though I break the rules of the Kingdom," Tom said with pride.

    "I will deal severely with you anytime Ie to the human world," Kayden said as he lowered his gaze.

    He was dumbfounded when his eyes met the wristwatch on his hand.

    "Fuck I askte!" Kayden muttered as he turned and dashed out of the room.

    "What is the problem¡­,"

    "It''s all your fault for being such a talkative," Kayden puts all the me on Tom.

    "I¡­,"

    "We will talk again some other day but not right now," Kayden said, instantly disconnecting the call.

    "But¡­," Tom was surprised to see that Kayden had cut the call on him

    Tom was still not over the shock when a tall slenderdy in white heels entered the room with files in her hands.

    "Was that Kay?" She asked. Her voice was melodic. The beautifuldy''s red lips curved into a beautiful smile.

 Chapter 173 Toms Sister

    ?"Yes," Tom said. He stretched out his hand and dropped his cellphone on the ss table at the centre.

    His eyes darted to thedy''s direction not long after.

    "We talked on the cellphone for over two hours. Unfortunately, you missed¡­,"

    "That''s not a problem or something to be proud of Bro. I can always call him on the phone," Thedy now standing close to the centre table said with a confident smile on her face.

    She bent and reached out her hands and dropped the files on the table. Her glimmering white suit made her resemble an angel.

    "If that was in the past I would have said he would definitely answer your line but at the moment he is too busy to spare you a minute of his time¡­,"

    "Isn''t he on vacation so what could he possibly be busy with?" Thedy in a white suit let her curiosity get the better of her.

    "That is a secret," Tom said standing up to reveal his full height.

    He was a tall man with sharp facial features. Even though he was wearing a suit one could easily tell that he had a well-built body.

    He was only a few months younger than Kayden.

    Tom, the tall guy with ebony hair abandoned the centre table and strolled to his desk kept in the northern part of the vast room.

    "Why are you being so stingy with your little sister? Also, why did you mention it when you knew you would not disclose the full reason he is busy on his vacation¡­,"

    "Not even your frowns will make me disclose the truth to you so I will advise that you save your breath," Tom said unmoved by his sister''s res directed at him.

    "Don''t worry we will be among the first set of people to hear the good news if his ns seed¡­,"

    "Good news?" Thedy asked as she hurried to stand in front of the CEO of Greyson''s Corporation.

    "What good news¡­,"

    "I have told you I won''t divulge anything that has to do with this particr topic so you better heed my advice and return to your office now," Tom said unwaveringly.

    He picked up a file on the table and began skimming through the documents.

    He acted like thedy in a white suit was invisible.

    "You are so mean.," Thedy said as she turned and stomped out of the office in anger.

    Although his sister was angry, that didn''t make Tom change his mind. He proved to be a man of his words with his actions.

    Back at Kayden''s apartment, Gideon jumped to his feet the moment the King entered the sitting room.

    "There is no need to follow me," He said when he saw Gideon try to lead the way outside.

    "When I get outside I will call to inform you if everywhere is safe," He said without turning to look at Gideon as he wore his shoes.

    In a haste, he dashed out of the house.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I wonder why he is in such a haste," Gideon muttered, his eyes glued to the entrance.

    He sat down on the couch. "I have never seen him so anxious before. It hasn''t been a long time since we saw each other but it feels like I haven''t seen him for a year. He has changed so much," Gideon said as he turned his head to stare out of the window.

    ¡­.

    At the campus, after walking for quite a while Audrey and Joanna found a spot to sit and rx.

    On the bench despite talking to Audrey, Joanna''s eyes were always roaming around her surroundings.

    Half of her attention was with Audrey while the other was searching for something Audrey didn''t know.

    "Drey, forst night''s incident don''t worry I will make it up to you," Joanna said, her eyes focused on those climbing up and down the stairs outside the art building.

    "With how absentminded you are right now, I doubt whether you will remember your words again¡­,"

    "What are you saying?" Joanna asked, instantly shifting her gaze to thedy sitting at her right-hand side.

    Although they were sitting in an open area, Joanna didn''t feel hot because the sun wasn''t high up in the sky.

    "Who is distracted huh?" Joanna asked with pointy lips.

    "You can pretend as much as you want but it''s very obvious that you are searching for someone. And I know that it won''t be an understatement to say that you are looking for none other than your boyfriend¡­,"

    "I have corrected you that he is not my boyfriend¡­,"

    "Yes, Madam," Audrey replied in a sarcastic tone as she turned her gaze and looked far ahead of her.

    "I noticed that I haven''t seen him around, which is so unusual¡­ I mean he is always sticking to you like a glue that I can''t help but feel jealous of him sometimes. So where is he?" Audrey asked, averting her gaze to Joanna''s face once again.

    "Did you both perhaps quarrel?" Audrey added. She was surprised to see Joanna''s expression turned gloomy at the mention of his name.

    "I thought you both went on a date or did the date turn sour?" Audrey tried to guess the reason why Joanna''s mood turned out this way.

    "We didn''t argue¡­ In fact, it would have been even better if we had quarrelled. That way I would know how to make up with him but¡­," Joanna trailed.

    She subconsciously dug her nails into the hand she was clutching when she recalled how he abandoned her in bedst night.

    "Instead of sitting here being all miserable, you can be the bigger man and call him¡­ if you are scared to call him then I will do it," Audrey said as she stood up and brought out her cell phone from her trousers pocket.

    With her fingerprint, she unlocked her cellphone and was about to dial someone''s line when Joanna stood up and held his hand.

    "Don''t," Joanna shook her head disapprovingly. She sat down afterwards.

    Her miserable expression made Audrey feel terrible even though she wasn''t aware of what was going on between them.

    "Drey, can I ask you something?" Joanna asked Joanna while looking at Audrey''s face.

 Chapter 174 Joannas Questions

    ?"Go on, I am listening," Audrey replied.

    "If a man who always initiates intimacy with the woman he loves suddenly abandoned her in bed during intimacy, what does that mean?" Joanna asked with hopeful eyes.

    "Does that insinuate that the man no longer loves thedy?" Her eyes faltered as she summoned the courage to ask the question which has been eating her up within.

    "Huh?" Audrey was left speechless with her question.

    For a few seconds, Audrey couldn''t say anything. She couldn''t believe that it was her best friend who asked her such a heartfelt question.

    Audrey raised her hands and ced them on Joanna''s forehead. When she realised that she wasn''t running temperature, she brought her right hand to Joanna''s neck.

    Her actions startled Joanna. "What is it?" Joanna asked as she grabbed Audrey''s hand still on her neck.

    "I can see that you are not running temperature so tell me, are you feeling ufortable anywhere else?" Audrey questioned as she turned Joanna''s face to the right and then to the left.

    "If you are feeling sick then you can tell me and I will take you to the hospital¡­," Joanna pushed her hands away from her face.

    "You can stop overreacting," Joanna said with a frown.

    "You can answer my question or choose not to¡­,"

    "I was just dumbfounded you asked me such a question. I am sure even you would have reacted the same way I did if you were in my shoes," Audrey said as she leaned against the wooden bench.

    "Will you answer the question now?" questioned Joanna in a stern tone.

    She was more concerned about the answer than anything else.

    "Although I haven''t been in romantic rtionships, I know a thing or two about rtionships so I can help you," Audrey said.

    "For a man who loves a woman to abandon the woman he loves in bed during intimacy, two factors could be responsible for it¡­,"

    "And what are these two factors?" Joanna cut in, not letting Audreyplete her words.

    [She was normally a smart girl¡­ in fact even smarter than me so why has she be a fool after falling in love]

    Joanna stared at her friend''s glistening eyes.

    "What are you waiting for, say it," Joanna ordered, not able to hide her anxiety.

    "Hmmm¡­," Audrey acted as though she was in deep thoughts.

    She stood up and walked to and fro in front of the bench.

    "The first thing that would make a man do such a thing to the woman he loves is¡­," Audrey trailed once again. A sly smile appeared on her face on seeing Joanna''s scowl.

    "It is because he no longer loves her¡­,"

    "I knew it," Joanna remarked as though she was waiting for Audrey to say the words.

    "I knew the reason he would heartlessly abandon me in bed was that his feelings for me had changed¡­,"

    "I told you there were two reasons so why are you jumping to conclusions before I even finished?" Audrey scolded in a stern tone.

    She walked closer to the bench and sat down at Joanna''s right-hand side. "I know he doesn''t like me anymore¡­,"

    "What if you find out that the second reason was why he left you on the bed," Audrey cut in softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And what is the second reason?" Joanna demanded. There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she waited for Audrey''s reply.

    "The second reason a man would do such a thing is fear," Audrey finally puts an end to Joanna''s curiosity.

    "Fear?" Joanna gasped. "Fear of what?" She grimaced.

    Joanna stood up from the couch and walked about in front of Audrey.

    The memory ofst night reyed in her mind.

    They were enjoying themselves: at least that is what she thought so what does fear have to do with why he left her in such a manner?

    He didn''t even nce back at her. It was as if she was something cheap he could easily abandon.

    "He is fearless. I don''t think there is anything which scares him in this world¡­,"

    "That is exactly where you are wrong, Anna," Audrey said. She stood up and proceeded to stand beside Joanna.

    "Those who are in love are the most fearful but also the bravest so don''t you ever think that anyone who is in love is afraid of nothing. There is no such thing," Audrey corrected in a calm tone.

    "That''s what my Dad told me," Audrey added.

    "If what you said is correct then what could he be afraid of?" Joanna said as she tilted her head so that she was looking at Audrey''s face.

    "There are so many things that could caused fear in rtionships¡­ like fear of hurting, change of feelings and so on," Audrey said like she was an experienced love expert.

    There was silence after Audrey concluded herst sentence.

    "Anna, you know I am not against your rtionship with him¡­ And I am very surprised to see that you guys have gotten to this stage even though you met not long ago¡­," Audrey paused to make sure that Joanna was paying attention to what she said.

    "But what I am against is giving him your body, soul and everything when you are not even sure of what you mean to him," Audrey said like a good older sister would have done.

    "He is¡­,"

    "There is a special bond created when people have sex especially if it is your first time and you the good girl type. And this bond is hard to break especially for beings like you so be sure about what you mean to him before you give him your body¡­ Also, don''t forget to use a condom¡­," Joanna jumped and covered Audrey''s mouth with her right palm.

    She looked right and left to see whether anyone heard what Audrey said.

    "Hey, how could you say such a thing in public¡­," Audrey pushed her hand away from her mouth.

    "We are all adults so what is there to be ashamed of¡­ Also, I don''t think there is anyone on this campus who will im that she has never made love¡­,"

    "Does that mean you have done it too huh?" Joanna asked as she yfully rubbed her shoulder against Audrey''s right shoulder.

    "You sounded like someone who has done it a couple of times so why don''t you be my mentor hmm?" Joanna winked rubbing her shoulder against Audrey''s for the second time.

    "Hey, silly girl! How dare you tease your elder," Audrey shouted. She stretched her hand to grab Joanna but she slipped away.

    "Mentor¡­.," Joanna said teasingly again.

    "Wait and see how I will deal with you," Audrey said as she started chasing Joanna.

    Joanna ran towards the staircase. She was racing up the stairs when her head bumped into a man''s broad chest.

    "Why does his scent feel familiar?" Joanna mumbled. She pulled away and raised her gaze to get a glimpse of the face of the one she collided with.

 Chapter 175 Logan And His Friends Caught

    ?"Logan!" Joanna eximed in astonishment. She didn''t finish talking when the guy got a glimpse of her face.

    His eyes wavered and his hands trembled. Subconsciously, the guy began moving backwards.

    While moving backwards, he bumped into his group of friends whose reactions were no different from his.

    The was so much fear in their eyes as they looked at Joanna.

    "What the hell¡­," Joanna didn''t get to finish her sentence when the four guys turned and took to their heels like they had seen a ghost.

    Although this wasn''t her first or second time witnessing this, Joanna was still surprised to see them run like they were pursued by the King of Hades.

    "Drey," Joanna called as she turned to face thedy standing beside her.

    "Do I look pale like a ghost or do I have some invisible heinous mask on my face that others can see while I can''t?" Joanna stroked her face as she talked.

    "There is nothing like that. You can only me them for being the weird ones," Audrey said her gaze fixated on the direction the racing guys took.

    "In the past, they were always the ones whom the Mean Witches sent to terrorise me. Seeing them terrified of me, I can''t seem to get used to it especially when I don''t know the cause of their fears¡­,"

    "Last night when Chris mentioned the incident that happened on your 18th birthday and how the King had the guys who did that to you arrested, he didn''t go into details about what the King did to them," Audrey said absentmindedly.

    She let out the secret she was trying to hide from Joanna without realising it.

    She wished she had the powers to take back her words when she realised what she had said.

    "You were with Chrisst night?" Joanna asked with widened eyes.

    "You spent the night with him¡­,"

    "We only talked while drinking so how is that considered spending the night together?" Audrey defended herself sternly.

    "You didn''t only spend the night with him but you also drank with him?" Joanna covered her mouth with her right hand.

    She made sure to exaggerate her shock as much as she could.

    "Didn''t you always say you hate him so howe you drank and also spend the night with him¡­,"

    "The answer you are trying to find out is not that important. What is important is that we get the truth out of those guys," Audrey tried to evade the question.

    Seeing how nervous she looked made Joanna wonder what she and Chris discussed the entire night.

    "What¡­,"

    "Or don''t tell me you are not curious to know why the usual proud guys always act terrified whenever in front of you?" Audrey interrupted.

    [Anna, forgive me that I have to keep my conversation with Chrisst night a secret. You are happy now and I don''t want anything that wille in between your happiness and your newfound love¡­ Even though Chris told me that the King did so much during your disappearance there is no way to prove whatever he says]

    Audrey tried to satisfy her conscience with these few words. She was in a daze and didn''t notice that Joanna''s gaze was concentrated on her.

    "Hey, snap out of it already," Joanna said waving her right hand at Audrey''s face.

    Audreyposed herself after jolting back to reality.

    "Anyways if you are not curious to know what happened to make them behave the way they do, I am curious and I must find out today," Audrey said.

    In a sh, she disappeared from where she stood and reappeared five steps from where Joanna stood.

    "Try to catch up if you are interested," Audrey shouted and disappeared once again.

    "Why is she acting so weird after the discussion of Chris surfaced? Is something going on between both of them?" Joanna muttered her gaze focused on where Audrey ran towards.

    She chased Audrey not long after.

    After minutes of running the four guys finally halted at a secluded area of the campus.

    "Is she after us?" The breathless Logan looked behind.

    "I don''t think so," Seth gasped as he tried to regte his breathing.

    "And what if I tell you that your guess is wrong?" Ady''s stern voice emerged at their back.

    In an instance, the four of them turned to look at their back. They almost wet themselves when they saw that it was Joanna.

    They started walking backwards and were about to run away again when Joanna appeared in front of them.

    They turned to their back and wanted to repeat the same thing but unfortunately for them, Audrey finally got there.

    With Joanna standing at the front and Audrey at the back they couldn''t run away.

    "And where are you going huh?" Audrey questioned. The corner of her lips lifted to reveal a sly smile.

    "We are doing as we were told so why are you after us?.... Why won''t you spare our lives even after what we went through for over four months for your sake?" Seth cried out with fear in his eyes.

    "Who told you to run whenever you see us?" Joanna and Audrey demanded at the same time. They both exchanged puzzled nces seeing that they had simr thoughts.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And what do you mean by what you went through for four months for my sake?" Joanna asked fiercely.

    Realising that the twodies were not aware of what they were talking about made the guys exchange nces.

    Earlier it looked like they had a lot to say but after their discovery, there was hesitation on their faces.

    "Forget about leaving this ce with every part of your body intact if you don''t tell us what we want to know," Audrey said coldly.

    She brought her right hand to her waist and took out the dagger she always carried around with them.

    Audrey pointed the daggers at them.

    ...

    HAPPY ENDING OF THE MONTH EVERYONE!!!

    I only get to do this once a month so I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of my readers who supported this book this August 2022.

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    Lately, my mind has been in turmoil. For my old readers who followed me from my previous books, I am sure you know that I would have given multiple mass releases each month even though you guys didn''t reach the goals. But this didn''t happen because of the current situation I am going through.

    My mental health has been suffering for over two months now. Just so I won''t disappoint you (My lovely readers) who must be waiting for updates daily, I have been trying my best to update daily.

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 Chapter 176 The King!

    ?"Out of all the people responsible for my death that night the four of you are the only ones I haven''t had my revenge on. So make a choice¡­," Joanna''s fierce words made the guys avert their attention to her side.

    "Do you want to disclose what happened and save yourselves from suffering for even a day or do you want me to carry out my revenge now¡­ choose wisely, I advise," Joanna''s voice was chilly as she talked.

    Although she wasn''t holding a dagger, the threat in her tone scared them more than the dagger in Audrey''s hand.

    "I will say it," Seth obliged despite the warning signs Logan has been giving all of them.

    "If you have decided to say it then shoot and don''t waste our time," Joanna ordered with a stern expression.

    Seth scrutinized their surroundings to make sure that there was not a third party eavesdropping on them.

    After making sure that it was only them around he made up his mind to disclose everything to the twodies.

    "Will you say it or do you want me to make you say it¡­ I have so many ways to get words out¡­,"

    "On the night we hauled you down the cliff, we thought that the case was concluded after his Majesty intervened and saved Logan from Audrey''s clutches but we were very wrong. We didn''t know that was the beginning of our suffering," Seth ryed.

    The mere recalling of what they went through because of their actions made him wish he could turn back the hands of time.

    If he had foreseen the consequences of their actions never would he have partaken in the act that night no matter the juicy offer the girls gave him.

    Too bad the deed has been done and there is nothing anyone can do to change the past.

    "What happened that made you say that?" Audrey questioned. She looked more eager than Joanna to listen to what transpired after she was forced out of the hotel that night.

    Seeing Seth open his mouth to talk made Logan grab him by the shoulder.

    "Seth, don''t say anything. Don''t forget we promised him not to mention anything that happened to anyone else apart from our family. He will kill us if he discovers that we went back on our promise," Logan said as he shook his head disapprovingly.

    Joanna raised her hand and grabbed Logan by the cor. Without wasting time she pulled him away from Seth.

    "Who is ''He'' you are referring to?" Joanna went ahead to ask after keeping Logan away from Seth.

    "His Majesty, the King," Don, the guy in tan shirt replied. The mere mention of the King''s name made the four guys shivered.

    [What on Earth did Kay do to them to tame this to this extent]

    Joanna wondered the moment she saw the fear in the guys'' eyes.

    "The King!" Audrey remarked with a bewildered expression.

    "Yeah, the King. In the past, I have always thought that the King was a coward and a pushover whose entire decisions are detected by the Minister''s but he gave us the shock of our lives¡­,"

    "What exactly did he do? Stop beating around the bush," Joanna was too anxious to hear all the bullshit Don had to say about the King.

    "That night we barely arrived home when the King''s elite guards stormed our homes. We were hauled away from our homes like animals," Seth narrated.

    Even though they were roughly handled by the King''s men when they were taken from their home they had thought it would be like every other day where they would be released some minutester.

    But that night they got the shock of their lives. None of them would ever forget what transpired in the King''s throne room that fateful night.

    [So Chris was telling the truthst night]

    Audrey was in deep thoughts when she realised that Seth''s words marched with what Chris told her.

    "I am sure his arrest was just for a show. I know he must have released you guys after a few minutes of detention¡­,"

    "That is where you are wrong, Tomboy," Don was first to reply.

    At first, they were eager to run away but after talking with the girl they calmed down a little.

    "We were taken to the King''s throne room and afterwards our parents arrived to take us home and that is where the suffering started," Seth continued.

    Out of the four guys only he was brave enough to ry what happened on that dreadful night.

    "Behave yourself if you don''t want me to deal with you," said Joanna sternly to Logan. She released Logan when he stopped struggling with her.

    "Go on," Joanna ordered. She walked away from where the guys stood. She moved to the white wall and leaned on it with her attention concentrated on the guys.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We were interrogated in front of our Dads and at that moment Log''s grandfather had to provoke the King¡­," Seth paused.

    The mere thought of what happened afterwards sent shivers down all the guys'' spine.

    Seth kept on narrating the story. At the end of the narration, Joanna and Audrey marvelled to learn the extent the King went to avenge Joanna''s murderers.

    "For over four months we didn''t see the light of the sun. We only got to eat once a week. Staying in that dark dungeon was hell," Jick, the fourth guy among them retold the story even though Seth has already done that.

    "I have always known Kay to be cool-headed. Never did I know that he had such a crazy side to him¡­,"

    "And that crazy side was all he needed to put those old fools which called themselves ministers in their rightful ces. That serves them right," Audrey said.

    A satisfactory smile appeared on her pretty face.

    If it was in the past that Audrey insulted the guys'' father, a fight would have long broken out but right now none of them said a word even though they knew Audrey was talking about their fathers.

    "Since we have told you guys everything that happened that night that the entire Kingdom isn''t aware of, can we leave now?" Seth asked like an obedient littlemb.

    "You are dreaming to think¡­," Joanna paused her words when she perceived a familiar scent close by.

    With hopeful eyes, she tilted her head to the left to confirm her doubts.

    "Amos!" Joanna shouted with a mixture of surprise and excitement.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

    Because of the review, I feel so optimistic about this month. I have this amazing feeling that more surprises are gonnae my way this September 2022 from you guys.

    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

    One more thing before I list our goal for September, I just want to say a big thank you to all my readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1K (1,000) = 6 chapters mass release. As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked this month, this lovely author here is gonna surprise you guys with 6 chapters mass release.

    Please, guys, support me to reach this particr goal this month. I promise I will be good to all of you.

    Also, you don''t have to buy the highest privileged tier if you can''t afford it. No matter the tier you purchase as long as you unlock the privileged chapters daily, this author here is gonna be forever grateful to you.

    GOAL2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. Give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS and you won''t regret it, everyone, I will make sure of it.

    GOAL 3: 100 Power Stones = 3 chapters mass release. Guys, I realised recently that there is a mistake I have been making concerning this particr goal.

    The power stone goal is a weekly goal and not a monthly goal. And this is because the power stone ranking gets renewed every month.

    Now you know this, then what are you waiting for? Give me all your power stones and stand a chance to get 3 chapters mass release every week.

    P.S: Don''t forget that there is also a reward attached to SUPER GIFTS so send the giftsing... (Coughs) I won''t reject it if you decide to send me a MAGIC CASTLE or a SPACECRAFT.

    Your dearest author loves you all very much ??????.

    Let''s hear your confession, do you love me too?

 Chapter 177 He Showed Up

    ?In an instance, Joanna left where she stood and went to stand in front of him. Together, Joann and Amos walked closer to where the guys stood.

    "It''s them again!" Amos eximed with a frown on his face. "Are they making things difficult for you?" He questioned, his murderous res darted from one face to the other.

    "Do you know them?" Audrey asked, her suspicious gaze focused on Amos'' face.

    "Of course I do. I know them very well," Amos said. He ignored Joanna''s nudge by the side which was meant to call him to order.

    [What the hell is he up to now? Is he willing to reveal the identity that he had suffered so much to hide?]

    Joanna looked at Amos as though she was staring at a stranger. She decided not to interrupt again seeing how suspiciously Audrey looked at the two of them.

    "I thought you said you returned to the Kingdom not long ago. How do you know the notorious boys of the Kingdom?" Audrey questioned.

    As the three of them were busy talking, the four guys had a proper look at the guy who arrived not long ago.

    Logan didn''t find anything special about the guy in sses until his eyes met with his.

    The moment they looked eyeballs to eyeballs the memory of all that happened during their detention in the pce shed before his eyes.

    Logan''s legs weakened. He staggered backwards like an intoxicated man despite the fact that he didn''t sip alcohol that day.

    How could he forget the dreadful eyes of that wicked man which made life a living hell for them for over four months?

    His eyes always felt like it was piercing through his soul, how could he ever in his entire life forget those eyeballs?

    "They are the guys who always ran away each time they saw Joan so how could I not recognize them?" Amos replied to Audrey''s question with another question.

    The once anxious Joanna was only able to rx when she listened to his response.

    After satisfying Audrey''s curiosity, Amos focused his attention on the four men.

    [Wasn''t he very rxed earlier so why has he gone back to his previous self?... He is acting as though he had just seen a ghost, why]

    Audrey was surprised to see Logan trembling like a wet leaf.

    Curious to know why Logan was reacting this way, Audrey followed his line of sight to see whom he was looking at among the three of them.

    [It''s him?]

    Audrey was stunned to see that it wasn''t Joanna who made Logan react this way but the man by her side.

    "Your Ma¡­,"

    "Will you guys scram from here or are you waiting to see what I will do?" Amos was quick to interrupt Logan.

    The chilliness of his masculine voice made Logan tremble even more. He began moving backwards.

    "What are you guys still waiting for?" Logan shouted when he noticed that his friends hadn''t moved an inch from their previous position.

    "Would you only leave when he shoved a dagger into our hearts?" Logan asked fearfully.

    He soon disappeared there. His friends followed suit almost immediately.

    After they had left Audrey left where she stood and moved to stand in front of Amos.

    "Why is it that the guys are more afraid of you than they do with Anna?" Audrey asked, her doubtful nces not moving from Amos'' face.

    "Is there something about you that we don''t know?" Audrey added.

    "What could he possibly be hiding¡­,"

    "Anna, I wasn''t talking to you so let him be the one to reply," Audrey cut in before Joanna finished what she had to say.

    "Maybe they are more scared of me than she because I am a guy¡­,"

    "Those guys you see there are not weak-hearted so forget the fact that they act the way they do in front of Joanna. They would never react the way they did except someone did¡­,"

    "If there is another reason they reacted differently toward me, how would I have known?" Amos interrupted sternly.

    Although Amos had a reasonable defence Audrey didn''t look convinced with his reply. She didn''t press the matter further despite her doubts.

    "I will leave you two lovebirds to talk¡­," Joanna extended her hands and held Audrey''s right hand.

    "Why don''t you stay¡­,"

    "I refuse to be a third wheel so talk with your man without any restraints," Audrey was smart enough to reject Joanna''s suggestions.

    She pushed Joanna''s hands away before she strolled away.

    There was silence and awkwardness after Audrey left. Although they were standing beside each other, none was confident enough to turn and look in the other''s direction.

    "Aboutst night¡­," the two of the choruses at the same time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At the same time, they turned and looked at each other.

    "Go on first," Amos said meekly.

    For two minutes Joanna didn''t say anything. In fact, her head went nk at that moment. Earlier she had tons of questions andints but now that he was around, her mind instantly froze and was not able to think of anything.

    With her gaze lowered she started, " As you know, I am a bit inexperienced in the aspect of intimacy¡­," She started fiddling with her nails.

    "I am sorry if I got carried away and did something I shouldn''t have done," Joanna swallowed her pride and apologized even though she had constantly told herselfst night she did nothing wrong to deserve what he did to her.

    Hearing her apologise when he was the one at fault made Amos feel more guilty.

    "I am the one who should be apologising and not you," Amos said in remorse. "No matter what would have been the reason, I shouldn''t have left you alone in the house the way I did. So, I apologise," Amos apologised with all sincerity.

    There was still awkwardness even though two of them had apologized and they didn''t like this at all.

    "Also, I am sorry I ruined our first date. I will try my best to make it up to you," Amos said.

    "Why the fallen expression? You are making me look like the viin here," Joanna said as she started walking in the direction leading to the main campus.

    Amos followed her closely.

    "Also you are making it sound like I had looked forward to how things will progressst night more than you did," Joanna muttered shyly.

    Amos startled her when he jumped and stood in front of her.

    "Didn''t you?"Amos asked as he stared into her wavering eyeballs.

    He lifted his right hand and ced it on her face. "What sounds were these beautiful lips of yours makingst night again¡­," Amos'' index finger stroked her moist red lips. He looked as though he was in deep thoughts.

    "I think I have recalled it now," Amos smirked as he brought his mouth close to her right ear.

    Before he could open his mouth to talk Joanna raised her hands and pushed his chest away.

    "Stop fooling around¡­. People are watching," Joanna said as she resumed walking.

    He only did so little but her ears had turned beet red. She walked in big strides so that Amos walking behind her would not see her reddened ears.

    "It''s not like I care about them¡­,"

    "I know you are shameless but save my face ok. I am still an unmarried woman and I wouldn''t want my chances of getting the most eligible bachelor in the Kingdom as my husband to get ruined by you," Joanna said smiling.

    She was caught unawares when he appeared in front of her. She halted in her track.

    "That most eligible bachelor in the Kingdom and beyond is standing right in front of you so you don''t have to search anymore," Amos said grinning.

    His grin grew darker when he got a glimpse of her beet-red ears.

    "And why are your ears so red?... Do you feel hot?" He asked, his evil grin hidden behind his innocent expression.

    He raised his hand to touch her left ear but Joanna quickly beat his hands away.

    "Keep¡­ keep your hand away from my face," flustered Joanna warned as she covered her ears.

    "Why are you acting so shy? It''s not like we haven''t gone beyond seeing and touching each other''s nude body so¡­,"

    "I won''t talk with you anymore because I know I will only end up getting bullied by you," Joanna said as she pushed him aside and started walking away.

    "Where are you going? Have you forgotten that you need to go to the cafe," Amos shouted after thedy hurrying away like she was being chased?

    "It looks like you know my schedule even more than I do now¡­,"

    "That is because in the entire world it''s I who loves you the most," Amos shouted, not giving a damn that his words attracted the attention of other students.

    "Shameless, that is what you are," Joanna said, not stopping to look at him.

    As usual, Amos followed Joanna to the cafe. After being directed to his reserved seats by Leah, Amos patiently waited for Joanna to get changed.

    "Please what can I get you, Sir," Leah, a slender and not-so-prettydy, asked politely, not minding that they were almost the same age.

    "Leah, leave his orders to Joanna and go attend to other customers," Mrs Parker, whose gaze has been on Amos ever since he arrived, said loud enough for Leah to hear.

    "Sorry, our other staff will attend to you soon," Leah bowed and left the brown table.

    When Joanna came out of the dressing room after changing into her work outfit, she was surprised to see Mrs Parker standing at Amos'' table with a sweet-looking youngdy standing by her side.

    "Who is that? And why is she making flirtatiously nces at my man?" Joanna asked her res directed at thedy smiling bewitchingly at Amos.

    "Be careful of what you say because that is Mrs Parker''s cousin you are talking about¡­,"

    "Mrs Parker''s what?" Joanna shouted, not able to hide her emotions.

 Chapter 178 Mrs Parkers Cousin

    ?Joanna''s gaze turned murderous as she stared at thedy who was about to pull out a chair opposite the one Amos sat on.

    Frantically, she turned and searched for what to do.

    Seeing the tray of ice Americanoying on the coffee counter, Joanna picked it up.

    She started walking in big strides towards Amos'' table.

    "Joanna, that is not his order. Besides you are the one who always served him so you should know that is not his specialty," Leah tried to warn but Joanna was already about two steps away from Amos'' table which happened to be not far away from the counter.

    Reaching there Joanna pretended like she tripped and bumped into thedy in a pink short dress.

    "Sorry, I tripped," Joanna apologised without any sense of remorse. As she turned to drop the tray on the table she red at Amos.

    "It''s ok. Mistakes ur, I don''t hold you ountable for that," the youngdy said in a refined tone which made Joanna roll her eyes.

    [One who would be deceived into thinking that she is a sweetdy because of her gentleness but I can already tell that behind that angelic expression lies the true her¡­. Hearing her pretentious tone makes me recall Tiffany. What a fake she is!]

    Joanna lost control of her powers and grabbed the ceramic floral tray tightly.

    "Did you mistake someone for his order, Joanna?" Mrs Parker questioned her gaze concentrated on the tray in Joanna''s hands.

    "Where is your mind, Joanna? How could you make such a mistake when you are the one who always served him anytime he patronizes us?" Mrs Patrick scolded.

    With thedies talking Amos deemed it not right for him to intervene.

    [Why did shey so much emphasis on the words ''You are the one who always served him?''... Is she belittling me by calling me a lowlife while her sister is the Madam]

    Joanna''s mind was hyperactive more than it has ever been.

    She red at the woman in a pink dress standing by her left-hand side.

    Her grasp on the tray subconsciously grew tighter causing the ss of Iced Americano to shake violently in rhythm to the trembling of the tray.

    "And did the tray and the ss annoy you in any way?" Mrs Parker asked, pretending as though she didn''t see Joanna''s piercing res directed at her.

    [Let''s see whether she will remain calm after today]

    Mrs Parker smirked inwardly.

    "Is that why you want to break them¡­," Thedy in the pink dress held Mrs Parker''s right hand and shook it gently.

    "I know it must not have been a deliberate action so there is no need to be so harsh on her, Auntie," thedy in pink spoke up for Joanna.

    "Amelia, you are just too kind. If I was as kind as you I would have long gone bankrupt¡­,"

    "Auntie¡­," Amelia, the beautiful damsel, tucked Mrs Parker''s hand once again.

    Although she wasn''t as pretty as Joanna she wasn''tcking in terms of beauty at all.

    The fact that she had proper manners was a bonus to her.

    Her features were sharp, making her stand out among many women. Her shiny long brown hair that cascaded her back added a lot of charm to the already beautifuldy.

    "Miss Amelia, I appreciate your help but I don''t think it''s proper for you to annoy your Auntie just to stand up for a stranger like me," Joanna said, not sounding polite at all.

    No matter how hard she tried she couldn''t hide her hard feelings toward thedy she met not long ago.

    If only Amelia wasn''t messing with the wrong man may be Joanna wouldn''t have been so harsh.

    Joanna averted her attention to the guy who hasn''t uttered a word ever since she got there.

    [Why is he so usually quiet right now?... He seems to be enjoying this. Don''t tell me he had taken a liking to this fake personalitydy at my side?]

    Joanna sped her fist while staring at Amos'' neutral expression.

    "What are you still waiting for? Won''t you get him the correct order now or do you need me to remind you about that," Mrs Parker questioned sternly.

    Joanna bent and carried the tray from the table, "I will get that done right away," Joanna said, turning to leave.

    There was so much anger in her heart as she proceeded to the coffee counter.

    "While at it don''t forget to get Amelia an espresso¡­," Amos let out a dry cough as he stared at Mrs Parker.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you ok?" Amelia hurried to his side. "Have a ss of water. I am sure you will feel better afterwards," she picked up the ss of waterid on the table and brought the ss to his mouth.

    Joanna halted and spun in time to see Amelia trying to feed him the water.

    "I can drink it by myself but thanks for the care," Amos said, he extended his hand and collected the ss of water from her.

    "At least he still has some decency left in him," Joanna muttered as she continued with what she was doing before the interruption.

    "I won''t disturb you, youngsters, anymore. I will give you space to talk freely," Mrs Parker smiled at the both of them.

    She turned and left after secretly passing a signal to Amelia.

    Mrs Parker moved to the coffee counter to join her employees.

    As Joanna was in the process of getting the order ready, half of her attention was on what she was doing while the rest was used constantly on peeking at Amos'' table.

    At Amos'' table, Amelia specifically chose the brown chair opposite Amos.

    "Judging from your reading sses I am not wrong to say that you love reading right?" Amelia was quick to initiate a conversation.

    "You are right," Amos replied as he stole a nce at the coffee counter. His gaze was focused on onedy even though there were threedies at the counter.

    "I understand you love reading but why do you wear sses even outdoors¡­," Amelia asked, her gaze not moving away from his face.

    "Do you perhaps have problems with your eyes?" Amelia asked worriedly as she raised her right hand and stretched it towards Amos'' face.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

    Because of the review, I feel so optimistic about this month. I have this amazing feeling that more surprises are gonnae my way this September 2022 from you guys.

    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

    One more thing before I list our goal for September, I just want to say a big thank you to all my readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1K (1,000) = 6 chapters mass release. As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked this month, this lovely author here is gonna surprise you guys with 6 chapters mass release.

    Please, guys, support me to reach this particr goal this month. I promise I will be good to all of you.

    Also, you don''t have to buy the highest privileged tier if you can''t afford it. No matter the tier you purchase as long as you unlock the privileged chapters daily, this author here is gonna be forever grateful to you.

    GOAL2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. Give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS and you won''t regret it, everyone, I will make sure of it.

    GOAL 3: 100 Power Stones = 3 chapters mass release. Guys, I realised recently that there is a mistake I have been making concerning this particr goal.

    The power stone goal is a weekly goal and not a monthly goal. And this is because the power stone ranking gets renewed every month.

    Now you know this, then what are you waiting for? Give me all your power stones and stand a chance to get 3 chapters mass release every week.

    P.S: Don''t forget that there is also a reward attached to SUPER GIFTS so send the giftsing... (Coughs) I won''t reject it if you decide to send me a MAGIC CASTLE or a SPACECRAFT.

    Your dearest author loves you all very much ??????.

    Let''s hear your confession, do you love me too?

 Chapter 179 Is She Your Girlfriend?

    ?"No. Wearing sses even outdoors became a habit that is hard to do away with," Amos replied as he leaned back against the brown wooden chair.

    "What a coincidence I happen to love men who wear reading sses. I find them dashing," Amelia''s reply made Joanna roll her eyes at where she stood.

    [I love men who wear sses. I find them dashing¡­ instead of beating around the bush why doesn''t she just go ahead and say it''s you I like]

    Joanna was hell-bent on finding faults in whatever Amelia did or said.

    As they continued to talk, Joanna continued with what she was doing. Because her attention was divided it took her a long time to get the order ready.

    "Are you gonna spend the entire day preparing just one order today?" Mrs Parker questioned seeing that Joanna was not done.

    "You are always diligent and fast so what hase over you today?" Mrs Parkerined.

    "Sorry, Ma. I will get it done right away," Joanna spoke with gritted teeth. With the way she wasn''t able to hide her emotions, it was very obvious to guess what she was thinking.

    "Don''t just stand there saying sorry but instead do what you ought to do," Mrs Parker said.

    She was about to continue with her scolding when a customer arrived at the counter.

    "Yes," Mrs Parker answered. She turned and gave her attention to the man in the blue suit.

    [Why does it feel like Mrs Parker is picking on me today?... Is she trying to make me lookzy and irresponsible to make her cousin stand out?]

    Joanna''s murderous res shifted from Mrs Parker''s back to her cousin whoseughter she can hear from where she stood.

    "Joanna, what are you seriously looking at huh? Do you want Mrs Parker to scold you again," Leah nudged her by the hand seeing how distracted Joanna was?

    "Mind your own business," Joanna snapped. She lifted their different orders and ced them on the tray. She walked away with her head held high.

    "Why the hell is she so hostile towards me, did I say something wrong?" Joanna''s attitude left Leah confused.

    Getting closer to their table, Joanna''s attention was on Amos and didn''t see a customer approaching her direction.

    She collided with the man with the tray. If not for her flexibility, the coffee would have spilt on the man wearing a white outfit.

    "I am sorry¡­ very sorry," Joanna apologised with her head bow. The littlemotion made other customers direct their attention to her side.

    Other customers turned and focused on what they were doing when they saw that it was nothing serious.

    "Watch where you are going if you don''t want to get yourself into trouble," the man in the white suit warned and walked away.

    Noticing that she wanted to look in their direction Amos whose gaze was on her averted his attention to thedy in front of him.

    "She looks so absent-minded while working, I wonder what is wrong with her," Amelia muttered as she returned her gaze to the face of the man sitting in front of her.

    "You were about to say something¡­ what was that?" Amos ignored what she said.

    "I was about to say¡­.," the violent hitting of the tray against the table disrupted Amelia''s sentence.

    "Are you ok?" Amelia raised her gaze to look at the frowningdy.

    "I couldn''t be better than I am," Joanna forced a smile before she brought her gaze back to the tray.

    "Your order," Joanna said as she ced the respective orders in front of them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "As I was trying to say, I hardly get angry or throw tantrums. My Auntie said this makes me boring and that my future husband is gonna have problem with my outgoing attitude¡­,"

    "Liar," Joanna, who was about to carry the tray, blurted out.

    "I beg your pardon," Amelia raised an eyebrow as she red at Joanna.

    "Huh?" Joanna feigned an ignorant expression.

    Amos almost burst outughing seeing her expression.

    "Did you say something?" Amelia''s frown deepened.

    Joanna lifted the tray from the table and held it to her chest. "Did you hear me say something?" Joanna questioned while looking into her eyeballs.

    Amelia was exasperated. She couldn''t bring herself to say a word in her current mood, especially not in front of him.

    "If you don''t have any more instructions for me, I will take my leave now," Joanna said as she turned and strolled away with her shoulders and chin held high.

    "She is so darn rude. No wonder Auntie scolded her earlier," Amelia muttered.

    Turning to look at him, she tried not to show her annoyance on her face.

    Even though Joanna hated Amos talking with Amelia there was nothing she could do about it.

    She had no reason to tear them apart.

    For hours, Amelia and Amos talked. It was as if they didn''tck what to talk about.

    So many customers left and others trouped in but only the two of them remained where they were.

    It was night and about an hour for Joanna to get off work when she saw Amos standing up from his seat.

    He and Amelia were close to the door when she caught up to them.

    She held him by the hand and pulled him back a little.

    "Where are you going?" Joanna demanded in a soft tone. "Have you forgotten you said you would make up forst night''s incident?"

    "Last night''s incident?" Amelia asked with widened eyes. Her eyes darted from Joanna to Amos'' face

    "Amelia has opted to show me around the Kingdom and I obliged¡­,"

    "What does that supposed to mean?" Joanna said, letting go of his hand.

    "It means I will have to take a raincheck with you¡­. We will go out some other day," Amos said, his gaze not moving from her face.

    "Suit yourself then," Joanna turned and stomped away.

    "Is she your girlfriend?" Amelia''s question brought Joanna''s movement to an abrupt halt.

    "If she is your girlfriend then it will prove her attitude towards me reasonable so, are you her man?" Amelia asked when he didn''t reply immediately.

 Chapter 180 She Was No Longer Herself

    ?"No," Amos replied, his gaze not moving away from Joanna''s back.

    Joanna sped her fists when she heard his reply. "So much for saying he loves me," Joanna''s muttered before she stomped away.

    "Are you¡­,"

    "I will use the restroom," Joanna walked passed Mrs Parker without sparing the woman a nce.

    "If she isn''t your girlfriend then why was she acting like a jealous wife?" Amelia asked. She turned in time to see Amos'' gaze focused on the restroom''s direction.

    "Although she isn''t my girlfriend I have known her all my life. She is someone very dear to my heart," Amos said absentmindedly.

    He looked in the restroom direction for a few minutes. He turned and walked out of the cafe and Amelia made sure she was beside him all the way.

    Inside the restroom, Joanna whose entire body was on fire paced to and fro the front of the sink.

    "Yes, he was telling the truth that we are nothing to each other except mere friends so why am I so furious?" Joanna questioned as she looked at herself in the mirror.

    "Why is it that I am about to burst due to rage?... What is wrong with metely?" Joanna asked as she lowered her raised hands.

    Her right hand merely held the top of the washing hand sink when a crack appeared on the side of the white sink.

    Lowering her gaze she was stunned to see what she had done.

    "Why does it seem like everything is against metely huh?" Joanna kicked the air with her right leg.

    She dared not kick the wall for fear of what will happen. She might end up copsing the wall with a kick.

    As Joanna tried to cool down in the restroom, at home Adhara and Laura got ready to undergo another series of questioning when they perceived Mr Anderson''s scent from afar.

    "Though I hate to admit that I lost to that stupid daughter of a mistress, we must adhere to our previous n," Adhara spoke in a low tone, her attention focused on the entrance door.

    "We were able to deal with the police and neighbours'' questions. He is thest person whose questions we need to deal with. Making mistakes is not allowed¡­ In fact, we can''t afford to make mistakes so watch what you say, Laura," Adhara warned her daughter.

    Laura raised her right hand and held her mother''s trembling handsid on her left thigh.

    "We are in this together, Mum so you can trust me to do just like we practised," Laura gave her mother a reassuring smile.

    Just like others have been doing, Mrs Anderson entered the house using the back door.

    "What was that out there?" These were his first words the moment he entered the sitting room and met his wife and daughter.

    "Did a terrorist attack happen while I was away?" asked Mr, Anderson, as he approached where his wife and daughter sat.

    The next thing that happened was that Adhara broke down in tears instead of answering her husband''s questions.

    "That is the exact questioned I have been asking myself ever since I almost got blown off by the explosion¡­,''

    "What!" Mr Anderson''s eyes widened in shock. He rushed to his wife''s side.

    Laura was smart enough to stand up in time and give space to her father.

    "Yes, Dad. That was exactly what happened. Mum was rxing on the porch when the incident urred," Laura began with a miserable expression.

    "If Mum didn''t take to her heels when she saw the strange ball-like material flying in the air, she would have been blown off into tiny unrecognizable pieces," Laura said.

    Merely recalling the ruins outside always sent cold shivers down her spine.

    Would my stepsister have really blown us off if we didn''t escape from there on time?... Were her intentions to kill me and my mother?

    These questions have been bothering her mind ever since the incident.

    "Are you ok, Sweetheart?" Mr Anderson asked as he exined his wife''s body for injuries.

    "I was lucky to have narrowly escaped," Adhara said amidst her sobs.

    "Has anyone reported the case to the police?... If yes then what has been done about the incident? Had the culprit been caught?" Mr Anderson demanded standing up from the couch.

    [I want nothing more than for that vicious girl to be caught. In fact, my anger would not subside even after tearing her into pieces but unfortunately, I can''t do that right now]

    Adhara clenched her fist when she remembered the helpless situation there are in right now.

    "The police were here to interrogate us. And we told them all we knew about the incident without hiding anything from them. They promised to get back to us when they have gotten any leads on the incident," Laura said, not forgetting to look as miserable as she could.

    "Nobody can harm my family and go scot-free," Mr Anderson thundered as he spring to his feet.

    "I will call the policemissioner and make sure that the perpetrator gets punished in the soonest time possible," Mr Anderson said not calming down.

    He stuck his hand into his trouser pockets and brought out his phone.

    After dialling a person''s line he walked ten steps away from where his wife and daughter were.

    "Hmmm¡­," Laura exhaled deeply as she sank into the couch beside her mother.

    "Thank goodness, we sent Tony over to Viviana''s ce because I am sure we wouldn''t have been able to get ourselves out of this mess with him around," Adhara replied wiping her tears.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Back at the cafe, Joanna strolled back to the main cafe after managing to keep her anger under control.

    Looking around, she was surprised that Mrs Parker was nowhere to be seen.

    She turned to look at Leah who was making a cup of coffee.

    "Leah, what about Mrs Parker? Did she go somewhere?" Joanna leaning against the counter asked.

    "She left after receiving a phone call. She asked us to lock the shop when the time for getting off work reaches," Leah replied, not taking her eyes off what she was doing.

    "She left without waiting to oversee that we wrapped up everything¡­ that is so unlike Mrs Parker I know," Joanna muttered absentmindedly.

    ...

    HAPPY ENDING OF THE MONTH EVERYONE!!!

    I only get to do this once a month so I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of my readers who supported this book this August 2022.

    Although my expectations were far from being met and so were the goals far from being aplished, I still want to let you guys know that I appreciate all the hard work and resources you have put into this book.

    Lately, my mind has been in turmoil. For my old readers who followed me from my previous books, I am sure you know that I would have given multiple mass releases each month even though you guys didn''t reach the goals. But this didn''t happen because of the current situation I am going through.

    My mental health has been suffering for over two months now. Just so I won''t disappoint you (My lovely readers) who must be waiting for updates daily, I have been trying my best to update daily.

    I just want to use this medium to tell you guys that I might be forced to take a break from writing if this continues. But let''s all hope it doesn''t get to that stage.

    As I give my all to make sure you get nothing but the best, please help this poor author out. Let''s try our best to do much better next month. I believe that you guys are capable of making your darling author proud so I will look forward to seeing some improvements next month.

    SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE READERS IN ALL THE CATEGORIES BELOW

    So these are some of our special readers who has done extremely wellst month. I just want to let you guys know that your lovely author is watching and knows those readers who are active.

    Thank you so much for your immense supportst month. Thank you for the coins, gifts,ments, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thank you immensely for showering your love and care on this book. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you very much.

    ...

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A special shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters for August. I would have loved to mention your names also but unfortunately, authors on Webnovel don''t know readers who bought privileged chapters except the readers leave ament on the purchased chapter.

    ...

    Thank you so much to all my readers, both the active and the silent ones.

    To all my silent readers, I wish one day you will let go of your quietness and be a source of motivation to me too.

    Thank you so much once again, everyone.

    P.S:The reason why there was no review category was that as usual all of you had decided not to leave a single review on the work.

    Also,st month it was only one person who repeatedly keptmenting which is why DaoistTzoOew is the only reader who dominated that category.

    Keep on supporting the book if you want your name to be included on the list

 Chapter 181 He Has Another Woman?

    ?"She took off in haste so whoever called her must have been someone important. Someone she couldn''t refuse," Leah replied. She carried the two cups of coffee and ced them on the tray lying on the counter.

    She spun and went to deliver her orders.

    Turning around to look at the customers, Joanna''s expression changes when her gaze went in the direction Amos previously sat.

    "They must be having tons of fun right now," Joanna mumbled.

    Throughout the remaining minutes they spent in the cafe Joanna really wasn''t herself.

    Apart from acting sensitive to every little thing, she was unable to smile.

    After locking the ss door, with her head lowered Joanna turned and walked away.

    She was so absent-minded that she wasn''t even aware of her environment.

    Aimlessly she walked to wherever her legs took her.

    When she became aware of her surroundings she was surprised to find herself on a dark street.

    "Gosh, what the hell am I doing here and how did I get here?" Joanna muttered as she looked around the dark environment.

    Apart from the fact that the street was dark, there were no single souls around.

    There was endless quietness around.

    "Why does this ce look so familiar?"Joanna asked.

    The yellow building on her left-hand side and the status of a lion on the right rang a bell in her memory.

    "Where on Earth did I see this?" Joanna mumbled. Standing there something inside of her told her she was forgetting something important.

    She closed her eyes and tried to recall whether she had been there before.

    Joanna''s eyes fluttered open with a sparkle in them. "Yes, I remember it now," Joanna''s face lit up.

    "How can I forget that this was the ce Kay brought me to celebrate my victory after I dealt seriously with everyone at the party," Joanna''s smile broadened when she recalled that fateful night.

    All that happened on that night shed before her eyes like it happened just yesterday.

    "He was so sweet to me, I wondered what changed?... Why did he choose her over me?" Joanna sped her fist when she remembered how he said he would take a raincheck with her.

    "He abandoned mest night but only for him to do the same tonight. I really hate him right now," Joanna said. She was about to turn around and retrace her steps when she felt the presence of someone.

    In a sh, she spun and looked at where she felt the person''s presence. "Who is there?" Joanna demanded sternly, her gaze focused on the white pir.

    "Show yourself," She ordered. When no response came, she disappeared and reappeared in front of the pir.

    "I was so sure that someone was here so howe none is here?" Joanna scrutinized the ce with her sharp eyes.

    She was even more astounded to find out that none was around.

    "Did I make a mistake?" She asked.

    Joanna began walking away after confirming that no one was around.

    Knowing that Anthony was not at home, Joanna didn''t see the need for her to sleep over at her home, especially after the mess she caused.

    Even though she knew Laura and Adhara won''t make things difficult for her after her warning, she wouldn''t feelfortable sleeping under the same roof with them.

    In her bedroom, Audrey was seen ying games on herptop at her study table.

    Her gaze averted to the entrance when she heard the main door dinged.

    "Wasn''t she supposed to sleep over at her home so why is she here?" Audrey mumbled.

    She stood up and walked to the door. Before she could hold the door''s handle, the door flew open.

    "Anna, how¡­," she was stunned to see the gloomy face Joanna walked past without sparing her a nce.

    Reaching the bed Joanna threw her handbag on the bed and sprawled on it like someone who doesn''t have a life inside of her.

    Audrey was surprised to see the usual vibrant Joanna so lifeless.

    "What is wrong, Anna?" Audrey questioned. She spun and walked to the side of the bed Joannay.

    "Are you feeling sick?" Audrey extended her right hand and examined Joanna''s forehead.

    "Even though I was sick, do you think you would have been able to detect it with your hand," Joanna said as she brushed Audrey''s hand away from her forehead.

    "And that''s why I asked you," Audrey said as she lowered herself on the bed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I had no choice but to imitate what humans always do because you ignored my question".

    "Do you care for something to eat?" Audrey asked as she stood up from the bed.

    "I am sure you must be starving and guess what?" Audrey said smiling with hopes that she will cheer Joanna up.

    "What is it?" Joanna replied gloomily.

    "Take a guess hmm," Audrey bent and grabbed her handying on the bed. Even though Audrey looked very excited, her excitement didn''t have any impact on Joanna.

    "I have learned how to cook egg omelette, one of your favourites. I am sure you will feel better¡­,"

    "I am not hungry," Joanna''s reply made Audrey''s smile fade away.

    "If you can say no to an omelette dish that is one of your favourites then I guess whatever happened is not trivial," Audrey replied as she sat back down on the bed.

    "Weren''t you with Amos, so what happened? Didn''t you guys settle your misunderstanding?" Audrey tried to guess what was wrong.

    Instead of answering Audrey''s questions, she turned her back on her.

    "What exactly did he do to make you act this way? Did he hurt you?... Tell me and be sure that I will avenge you," Audrey coaxed. She extended her hand and stroked Joanna''s hair.

    Audrey continued to coax her but Joanna still would not tell her what was wrong with her.

    "Since you won''t tell me anything then I will call to ask him what he did to my darling best friend..,"

    "Don''t," Joanna turned and grabbed Audrey''s hand not letting her stand up from the bed.

    "He must be having a good time with her so don''t disturb them¡­,"

    "He is having a good time with whom?" Audrey asked in confusion.

    "He has another woman?".

    ? ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

    Because of the review, I feel so optimistic about this month. I have this amazing feeling that more surprises are gonnae my way this September 2022 from you guys.

    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

    One more thing before I list our goal for September, I just want to say a big thank you to all my readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1K (1,000) = 6 chapters mass release. As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked this month, this lovely author here is gonna surprise you guys with 6 chapters mass release.

    Please, guys, support me to reach this particr goal this month. I promise I will be good to all of you.

    Also, you don''t have to buy the highest privileged tier if you can''t afford it. No matter the tier you purchase as long as you unlock the privileged chapters daily, this author here is gonna be forever grateful to you.

    GOAL2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. Give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS and you won''t regret it, everyone, I will make sure of it.

    GOAL 3: 100 Power Stones = 3 chapters mass release. Guys, I realised recently that there is a mistake I have been making concerning this particr goal.

    The power stone goal is a weekly goal and not a monthly goal. And this is because the power stone ranking gets renewed every month.

    Now you know this, then what are you waiting for? Give me all your power stones and stand a chance to get 3 chapters mass release every week.

    P.S: Don''t forget that there is also a reward attached to SUPER GIFTS so send the giftsing... (Coughs) I won''t reject it if you decide to send me a MAGIC CASTLE or a SPACECRAFT.

    Your dearest author loves you all very much ??????.

    Let''s hear your confession, do you love me too?

 Chapter 182 The Phone Call

    ?Joanna released Audrey''s hand. And without answering her questions she sat up with her back leaning against the headboard.

    "I don''t know¡­. I don''t know Audrey," Joanna muttered as she stared into space.

    Audrey stared at Joanna not knowing how tofort her at the moment.

    Seeing Joanna behave like this was her first time so she didn''t know the right words to say.

    She squeezed herself into the tiny space. Because she wasn''t bncedying on the edge of the bed, she almost fell off had Joanna not grabbed her in time.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna shifted inwards to create more space for Audrey.

    "I am, all thanks to you," Audrey whose hand was wrapped against Joanna''s waist replied with a smile.

    There was quietness in the room afterwards.

    "If something is going on between the two of you then I suggest that you talk to him about it," Audrey puts an end to the awkward silence.

    "Coming home sulking daily won''t change anything. There are no misunderstandings talking things out won''t resolve. Keeping quiet will do more harm than good¡­," Audrey trailed.

    "That is what my mum always told me and I have seen it work wonders in my family so heed my advice. If you like him so much then have a heart-to-heart talk with him¡­,"

    "I never said I like him¡­,"

    "Being in denials won''t change anything so be a good girl and listen to Big Sister''s suggestion," said Audrey while lifting her hand to pat Joanna''s hair.

    "Boring," Joanna eximed as she pushed Audrey''s hand away.

    She closed her eyes with her hands ced on her stomach.

    [Drey is very right about this. This is no time to act willful or throw tantrums. Every passing second is indicating that I am running out of time¡­. If not for anything but my mission, I need to get my act straight and avoid any form of distraction]

    Joanna cautioned herself.

    Laying there with her eyes closed she began strategizing what to do the next day.

    "You will catch a coldying this way," Audrey said when Joanna didn''t move for a long time.

    Assuming that she was asleep Audrey sat up, and pulled the nkets to cover the two of them.

    "Let me hug you to sleep tonight. Who knows you might feel better with this," Audrey mumbled as she pulled closer and embraced Joanna with her left hand.

    [My best friend will always remain the best¡­ and not unreliable like Kay]

    Joanna opened her eyes a few minutester.

    To confirm that Audrey was asleep, she waved her right hand at her face. "She is asleep. I wonder whether I will be able to get a wink of sleep tonight".

    Joanna lifted her hand to stroke Audrey''s face but only for her to retract her hands. "How could I forget that she gets sensitive getting touched by the face whenever she is asleep?" She said as she stared at her best friend''s sleeping face.

    Although Audrey was nowhere close to ugly there was a different kind of charm she exudes whenever she is asleep.

    "I can tell that her mate will not resist falling in love over and over again with her each day he wakes up to behold her sleeping face," Joanna mumbled. A sweet smile lingered on the corner of her lips.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Goodnight best friend," she said. She soon closed her eyes.

    After about an hour of tossing on the bed, Joanna''s desperate wish got granted. She soon drifted to sleep.

    The next day, the twodiesying on the bed cuddling each other were awakened by the loud ringing tone.

    "Drey¡­," Joanna called with her eyes still closed.

    "Drey," She called for the second time when no response came. With eyes still closed she began feeling the bed for Audrey''s face.

    "Drey¡­ that is your phone so pick it up now¡­ the ringing tone is giving me a headache," Joanna gave a gentle pull to Audrey''s cheeks when she found her face.

    Just as she expected, the half-awake Audrey sat up on the bed.

    Sleepily, she stretched her hand to the side table where she kept her cellphone.

    The half-awake Audrey struggled to pick up her cell phone lying on the side table.

    Without checking the caller ID Audrey answered the line and brought the phone close to her ear.

    "Hello, is that Young Miss on the line?" An anxious voice asked.

    Audrey needed to only hear the word "Young Miss" for the sleep in her eyes to vanish. Her half-closed eyes opened to reveal her ck orbs.

    "Yes, and who is this?" Audrey''s tone while answering the line caused Joanna''s eyes to flutter open.

    With ease, Joanna listened to the conversation even though it wasn''t put on speaker.

    Audrey was sitting way too close that her heightened sense of hearing automatically worked without her having to activate it.

    "Who are you, stop keeping quiet and say something?" Audrey''s heart began beating rapidly despite the that the caller hadn''t said anything.

    Only a few people liked referring to her by that title and the first group was her family''s employees.

    For some reason, she felt restless after hearing thedy''s voice whose phone call woke her up from sleep.

    "It''s me, Miley, Young Miss," Miley finally introduced herself.

    "Yes, Miley, what is wrong and why does it sound like you are crying?" Audrey asked worriedly.

    "The house got attacked by some unknown and someone got hurt¡­,"

    "What!" Audrey yelled with widened eyes. She jumped up from the bed in a sh.

    "Repeat that?" Audrey demanded still in disbelief. Joanna climbed out of bed and joined the anxious Audrey where she stood.

    "The house was under attack by some men while we were fast asleep. Someone got hurt during the attack," Miley repeated her words in case Audrey didn''t hear what she said.

    "Miley, try to keep everything under control over there. I will be home in a minute," Audrey replied instantly approaching the brown door.

    "But¡­," Audrey disconnected the call before Miley could talk further.

 Chapter 183 The Terrified Audrey

    ?Joanna stretched her hand and grabbed Audrey''s left hand seeing her about to open their bedroom door.

    "Where are you going and in this condition? It''s still quite dark outside¡­,"

    "I will take care of that, Anna. I need to check the situation at home and make sure that everything is fine," Audrey, who wasn''t in her right mind, replied, brushing Joanna''s hands away.

    "Do you need me toe with you¡­ and won''t you freshen up first?" Joanna questioned as she examined Audrey''s clothes she has been wearing sincest night.

    "That''s not important right now," Audrey replied absentmindedly as she pushed the door open.

    She walked into the sitting room with Joanna following her. "Also, you don''t have toe with me now. When I get there, I will call to update you so don''t worry and go back to sleep," Audrey turned and looked at Joanna when they reached the main entrance.

    "I am sure you didn''t get enough sleep because of your state of mind so don''t worry about me," Audrey forced a smile.

    She bent and shove her legs into her ck sneakers.

    "Since you won''t let mee along with you then let me escort you downstairs¡­,"

    "You don''t have to. I can manage just fine¡­,"

    "I know my best friend is a strong girl but I still insist," Joanna refused to let Audrey have her way.

    She held Audrey''s hands and together the twodies found their way downstairs.

    Getting downstairs, Joanna was reluctant to let Audrey leave in her condition. She suggested still following her but Audrey was firm about her decision.

    So she won''t dy her anymore Joanna decided to do what she wanted.

    "Bestie, don''t forget to give me a call ok?" Joanna yelled waving at Audrey.

    Audrey didn''t reply but instead waved her right hand in the air.

    Joanna watched her vanish into thin air almost immediately.

    "I wish everything is ok with her parents. Despite that, she always acts stubborn with them only I know how much she adores them," Joanna muttered her eyes still looking into space.

    Turning to walk back into the building the first ce Joanna''s eyes went to was the direction of Amos'' apartment.

    "Before I fell asleep he didn''t return home so I wonder if he slept over at his apartment or¡­," Joanna didn''t even want to say out her thoughts.

    Getting her mood ruined so early by imagining things that might not be true will do more harm than good.

    "I will find out whether or not he came back home in an hour or so after I freshened and get dressed," Joanna muttered as she walked back into the building.

    Knowing very well that trying to fall asleep was a waste of time, Joanna used the time she would have spent tossing in bed to freshen and get dressed.

    While she was doing this, Audrey was in front of her gate.

    The instant the security guards set eyes on her, they opened the huge gate for her.

    Out of all the houses she has passed by only her home''s entire lights was turned on.

    "Young Miss¡­," Audrey ran passed the security guards before they could say any meaningful thing.

    "Mum¡­," Audrey yelled on reaching the sitting room.

    In the sitting room, she met the maids trying to put in order the room which was turned upside down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The knife cut mark on the brown centre table indicated that a fight happened there.

    "Wee, Young Miss," the maids previously working abandoned what they were doing and bowed the moment they saw Audrey.

    "Where are Mum and Dad?" The anxious Audrey demanded with widened eyes.

    "They are in¡­," the maid needed to only point at her parent''s room for Audrey to understand what she wanted to say.

    She didn''t wait for the maid to finish her sentence before she dashed upstairs.

    Reaching her parent''s room door, with trembling hands Audrey lifted her hand and turned the door''s knob.

    "Mum!" The words escaped from Audrey''s lips when she opened the door and met her mother standing in front of her.

    "What are you¡­," Audrey ran into the room and embraced her mother in a sh catching the woman in blue pyjamas unawares.

    "Thank goodness you are ok," Audrey muttered, her grip around her mother''s neck tightened.

    "Audrey¡­," Mrs Lopez tapped Audrey''s right hand but Audrey refused to let go.

    "If this goes on, I am afraid you are gonna squeeze the life out of me so let go already Audrey Lopez ok," Mrs Lopez said as she hits Audrey''s hand once again.

    Audrey loosen her grip and soon pulled away.

    "What happened? Did you dream about us dying, is that what worked the magic that all my pleads couldn''t?" Mrs Lopez asked pretending as though she wasn''t happy to have her daughter home when in fact her heart was about to burst with happiness.

    "Mum, how could you say that?" Audrey asked frowning. She let her eyes examine the sitting room.

    When she didn''t see her father, Miley''s words echoed in her head "Someone got hurt".

    [If my Mum is alright then was my Dad the one who got hurt?]

    Audrey''s eyes widened at the thought that her father was hurt.

    "Why won''t I say¡­," Audrey gently pushed her mother aside and ran into the room properly.

    "Where is Dad?" She demanded. Without waiting for her mother''s response, she ran toward their bedroom.

    "Damn it!" Audrey cursed instantly turning her back to their parent''s bedroom.

    "Audrey, what is wrong? Why are you home so early? Did something happen¡­,"

    "Finish dressing up Dad. We will talk afterwards," Audrey cut in. She jammed her parent''s bedroom shut.

    Audrey walked back into the sitting room to meet her mother sitting on the green couch.

    "Mum, why didn''t you tell me that Dad was dressing up?" Audrey questioned, her lips pouting as she walked to the second couch.

    "You didn''t let me say a word before you barged into our bedroom so how would I have done that huh?" Mrs Lopez replied as she crossed her long legs.

    "That is¡­," Audrey paused on remembering why she barged into her parent''s bedroom in the first ce.

    "If neither you nor Dad was the one who got injured then who did?"Audrey questioned her gaze concentrated on her mother''s face.

 Chapter 184 Audreys Issue With Her Parents Resolved

    ?"Did you run all the way here because you heard someone at home got wounded?" Mrs Lopez grimaced.

    "Yeah," Audrey replied as she leaned her back against the brown couch.

    She raised her legs and ced them on the centre table.

    "Miley called to inform me that our house was under attack and someone got wounded in the process," Audrey ryed.

    Audrey stretched her hand and carried the remote from the middle of the centre table. She pressed the power button and waited for the television to boot.

    "She was almost in tears and that is why I rushed here to confirm what happened¡­,"

    "Are you trying to say you wouldn''t havee home if you didn''t misinterpret her words?" Mrs Lopez frowns her attention still on her daughter''s face.

    "That''s a given," Audrey blurted while concentrating her eyes on the television.

    "Are you saying you would only return to us when either your father or I had turned to ashes huh?" Mrs Lopez said emotionally seeing her daughter''s nonchnce.

    "Mum, stop being dramatic. You know that''s not what I mean¡­,"

    "Am I the one being dramatic or you?" Mrs Lopez asked as she sprang up to her feet.

    "If you are not being dramatic then tell me what wrong your father and I havemitted that you didn''t hesitate to cut ties with us¡­,"

    "I didn''t cut ties with you and Dad. The house was no longerfortable for me that is why I moved out¡­,"

    "Geez¡­ are you even listening to yourself, Audrey Lopez?" She asked with her right hand stationed on her waist.

    Mr Lopez tried toe out of the room when he heard the mother and daughter start raising their voices but after holding the door''s knob, he changed his mind.

    [She hardly gets to meet Audrey not to mention being chanced to talk to her so I think I should give them time to talk things out¡­ Besides, I won''t be of much help even though I barged in on them]

    Mr Lopez let go of the door''s handle. He turned and returned to their King size bed.

    He sat and listened to whatever they were saying in the other room.

    "It''s true that as parents we are not perfect but was it wrong of us to look out for our daughter and our family?" Mrs Lopez demanded, almost in tears.

    All the emotions she has been suppressing ever since Audrey left home spurted, almost bing very overwhelming for her.

    "No matter how close you are with her, she can never be a family. She has a family of her own while you have yours¡­,"

    "That is where you are wrong mum," Audrey said while standing up from the couch.

    She stood in a way that she and her mother were looking at each other. "Family is not defined by blood Mum¡­ If all families were defined by blood then does that mean adopted children and their parents are not families?" she asked.

    "Yes you are right about that," Mrs Lopez hated to admit defeat but she had no other choice. Audrey had brought up a point that she couldn''t refute.

    "Does that mean you will never return home nor will you forgive your father and me because we tried to protect you along with our family?" Mrs Lopez questioned. She bent and took Audrey''s hands in hers.

    Mrs Lopez stroked her daughter''s hands with their eyes locked together. She waited for Audrey to say the words she has been wanting to hear for so long but Audrey didn''t say a word.

    "You are the only child we have in this world. To get you back in your lives I can do anything including going on my knees¡­," Audrey grabbed her mother''s hands and pulled her up seeing her lowered herself to kneel.

    "Why would you kneel for me, Mum," Audrey scolded not letting go of her.

    "Drey," she called. She raised her hand and cupped Audrey''s face. "If you still consider us as your parents thene home to us. The house has be boring without you around," Mrs Lopez pleaded with her eyes.

    "I wish I could do that but I can''t¡­,"

    "Does that mean you are still mad at us?" A masculine voice made Audrey spin to look behind her.

    "That''s not the case, Dad," She replied softly.

    "Then what''s the problem?" Mr and Mrs Lopez chorused.

    Audrey turned and sat on the couchid just behind her.

    "As you are aware of Anna''s situation, nothing has changed even though she came back from the dead¡­," Audrey exined while staring into space.

    "She often spends the nights over with me I can''t just leave her alone over there and return home. It''s just not possible, Mum," She tried to make her parents understand.

    [To my daughter, her best friend will alwayse first above every other thing including her parents¡­. Should I be happy or sad that she has found a bosom friend]

    Mrs Lopez stared at her daughter''s face with mixed feelings.

    Meanwhile, as Audrey and her parents continued to talk, at the apartment Joanna wearing a short backless orange bodycon dress was seen standing in front of Amos'' apartment.

    "Is he not inside?" Joanna muttered when there was no response even on her second attempt.

    She punched in the six digits passwordbination when none answered the door on her third try.

    Entering the sitting room, Joanna was a bit surprised to see that the decorations from their first date were still there.

    "At least he still has a bit of conscience left in him," the corner of her lips lit up when she saw the picture frame of the two of them hanging on the right-hand side of the wall.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She didn''t need to search for him in the sitting room to know that he wasn''t there. So, she proceeded to his bedroom.

    "Is he perhaps sleeping?" Joanna, now holding onto the silver door handle, hesitated in opening the door.

    "Will you win a trophy by staying outside or did you do something despicable that you are scared of punishment," A man''s masculine voice interrupted Joanna''s thought?

    She pushed the door open after confirming that he wasn''t asleep.

    "What could I have¡­ damn!" Joanna cursed as she instantly turned her back on the nude guy.

    ...

    HAPPY ENDING OF THE MONTH EVERYONE!!!

    I only get to do this once a month so I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of my readers who supported this book this August 2022.

    Although my expectations were far from being met and so were the goals far from being aplished, I still want to let you guys know that I appreciate all the hard work and resources you have put into this book.

    Lately, my mind has been in turmoil. For my old readers who followed me from my previous books, I am sure you know that I would have given multiple mass releases each month even though you guys didn''t reach the goals. But this didn''t happen because of the current situation I am going through.

    My mental health has been suffering for over two months now. Just so I won''t disappoint you (My lovely readers) who must be waiting for updates daily, I have been trying my best to update daily.

    I just want to use this medium to tell you guys that I might be forced to take a break from writing if this continues. But let''s all hope it doesn''t get to that stage.

    As I give my all to make sure you get nothing but the best, please help this poor author out. Let''s try our best to do much better next month. I believe that you guys are capable of making your darling author proud so I will look forward to seeing some improvements next month.

    SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE READERS IN ALL THE CATEGORIES BELOW

    So these are some of our special readers who has done extremely wellst month. I just want to let you guys know that your lovely author is watching and knows those readers who are active.

    Thank you so much for your immense supportst month. Thank you for the coins, gifts,ments, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thank you immensely for showering your love and care on this book. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you very much.

    ...

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A special shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters for August. I would have loved to mention your names also but unfortunately, authors on Webnovel don''t know readers who bought privileged chapters except the readers leave ament on the purchased chapter.

    ...

    Thank you so much to all my readers, both the active and the silent ones.

    To all my silent readers, I wish one day you will let go of your quietness and be a source of motivation to me too.

    Thank you so much once again, everyone.

    P.S:The reason why there was no review category was that as usual all of you had decided not to leave a single review on the work.

    Also,st month it was only one person who repeatedly keptmenting which is why DaoistTzoOew is the only reader who dominated that category.

    Keep on supporting the book if you want your name to be included on the list

 Chapter 185 Amelia!

    ?"Howe it''s you?" Amos remarked. He turned his back on her too.

    "Why are you pretending you didn''t know I was the one at the door when I am sure you must have picked up my scent from afar?" Joanna questioned.

    She exhaled deeply to keep her excited heart under control.

    "That''s¡­,"

    "Or was it your n all along for me to see your nakedness yet again¡­,"

    "It''s not like this is your first time you are seeing it so why are you pretending to be shy huh?" Amos asked shamelessly.

    He reached out his hand and carried his ck underpantsid on the bed.

    "I am sure you must love what you see so why must you pretend to be¡­,"

    "I am not shy¡­ Also, why would I pretend¡­,"

    "Then I dare you to turn around if you are telling the truth," Amos interrupted sharply. He started approaching where she stood with a ck short sleeve button shirt in his hand.

    Joanna''s heartbeat became erratic when she heard his footstepsing in her direction.

    The anticipation his footsteps and steady heartbeat built were so overwhelming that Joanna feared that her heart might burst out of her chest if this continued.

    Reaching where she stood, Amos bent so that his mouth was very close to her right ear.

    His sudden closeness made Joanna''s body stiffen.

    [Stupid heart! Why are you beating so fast huh? Are you dying for me to get teased by him huh]

    At that moment Joanna wished she had the power to make the heart stop beating for a minute or two.

    He lifted his right hand and held the silver hair covering her right ear. As he tried to tuck her hair behind her ear, his warm hand grazed her bare skin.

    Joanna sped her fist to suppress whatever emotions she was feeling right there.

    She was scared she would lose control and do something she might regret if she let her emotions get the better part of her.

    "I will believe that you are not acting shy to seduce me into doing what you want if you would just turn around?" Amos whispered into her ear.

    His tingling warm breath made Joanna''s right ear twitch.

    Seeing her body tremble when he teased her earlobe with his tongue, he almost burst outughing.

    [Let''s see whether she will be able to keep on acting tough after this]

    An evil grin appeared on Amos'' face as he pulled away from her.

    Joanna tightened her fist, her eyes fluttered several times.

    She contemted whether or not to turn around after what her innocent eyes saw.

    "Does this mean that you have admitted that you were acting hmm?" Amos'' provocative words made Joanna bite down on her lower lips.

    [I am sure he will not stop teasing me if I don''t turn around so why don''t I do what he wants¡­ As he said, this is not the first or thest time I would be seeing his nudity]

    Joanna let out a sharp breath after making up her mind.

    Slowly she pushed her body to the side until she was standing face to face with him.

    Lowering her gaze Joanna felt like a fool seeing that he was wearing his underpants.

    "Why didn''t you tell me you were not naked huh?" Joanna demanded, her lips pouted.

    "And where would have been thrilled if I had ruined the fun?" Amos asked, smirking.

    "Oh¡­ if you think that my body alone is not a much deadlier weaponpared to my dick, I don''t mind pulling it off," Amos said.

    An evil grin lingered on his lips as he held the underpants and tried to pull them off.

    "Stop that," Joanna blurted, reaching out her hands to stop him not knowing that this was his trap all along.

    As she reached out her hands to stop him, he used her distraction to wrap his powerful hands around her waist.

    He pulled her onto him causing her lips tond on his chest.

    At that moment Joanna''s time spins to a stop. Her heart pounded hard against her chest.

    When she got back her senses she tried to pull away but his grip was just too strong for her to break.

    "You trickster¡­," the flustered Joanna hits his chest with her right hand as she keeps on struggling to break free from him.

    "I know you like everything I do so you don''t have to go on acting because your heart has already given you away," Amos said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You¡­,"

    "That is why I will suggest you take a good look at what you have that you keep on rejecting¡­ You don''t know what will happen in the future. You might not get the chance to admire it again," Amos said. His husky voice felt like a sweet drug that she was addicted to.

    Joanna calmed down after this. She started taking a proper look at him like she was hypnotized.

    Joanna ogled Amos'' well-toned body like this was her first time seeing these marvellous abs.

    She swallowed a lump when his well-toned abs moved in rhythm with his breathing.

    As if drooling over him wasn''t enough, she raised her hand to feel his body.

    Amos stood there and let her enjoy herself without stopping her.

    "So what do you think? Do you like it huh?" Amos asked thedy whose hands were on his abs.

    Joanna shifted her gaze from his body to his passionate eyes.

    [Why can''t I seem to control myself around him? This feeling is so damn killing]

    Joanna wanted to look away but her body and mind wouldn''t listen to her.

    Her face inched closer to his.

    [Since I can''t control myself then why don''t I let things take their due course¡­. Besides what is the worst that can happen if not that we will end up making love?]

    At that moment Joanna concluded not to fight against what her heart wanted anymore.

    She lifted her right hand and held his neck firmly. In this manner, she pulled him so that their lips met.

    Thedy whose entire body was in mes of desire tried to pry her tongue into his mouth but Amos stood there like a log of wood. He didn''t respond to her kiss.

    Frowning Joanna pulled away. "Don''t you want it or¡­ is it that you no longer feel attracted to me? Is that why you are¡­," Amos'' lips crashed against hers, not letting her finish her words.

    His tongue found its way into her half-parted lips and explored her mouth.

    The intensity of the kiss was so much that Joanna''s head went nk. Her legs grew weak as second ticks.

    He sucked and bit her lips only to soothe the pains with his warm tone.

    Amos pulled away, noticing that she was short of breath. "Do you love my reply?" His husky tone asked, his eyes focused on her misty eyeballs.

    Joanna''s racked breath made her unable to reply.

    "Hmmm¡­ No," Joanna responded. She lifted her hands and wrapped them around his neck.

    She took him unawares when she stretched a little and captured his moist lips.

    "You are the one who started it so however it ends you are not allowed to regret it," Amos spoke in between their hot kisses.

    As they kissed Amos brought his hand to her neck and gave a slight pull to the knot holding her entire dress together.

    The dress fell and stopped at her stomach.

    Amos was ready to have a taste of her sulent breast when his cellphone rang.

    "You can call the person backter. Let''s continue with what we were doing?" Joanna held him in ce seeing that he wanted to go and pick up his cellphoneying on the bed.

    "But¡­," Joanna shut him up with a kiss on the lips.

    The cellphone rang and stopped but only for it to ring for the second time. Joanna tried to do the same thing but her tricks didn''t work a second time.

    "Wait here while I check who is calling," Amos smiled and patted her hair. He spun and proceeded to where his cellphone was.

    "Amelia¡­," Amos remarked after picking up his cellphone from the bed.

    "Amelia!" Joanna eximed. Her expression changed instantly.

    ...

    Please lovely readers let''s reach 300 privileged chapters unlocked before this month (August 2022) ends.

    Please buy the privileged chapters and unlock them daily starting from today. I believe we can reach 300 chapters privileged chapter unlocks before this month ends so please help me out.

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 Chapter 186 He Left Her Again

    ?Joanna sped her fist until there were loud cracks of bones. "Why did it have to be her¡­ And why on earth did she have to call at this time," Joanna''s frown deepened, her gaze glued on the cellphone in Amos'' possession.

    At that moment she felt the urge to snatch the phone from his hands and smash it against the wall.

    "Give me a few minutes¡­,"

    "Don''t tell me you are gonna answer the darn call?" Joanna demanded fiercely. Before he knew it she was standing in front of him.

    "She keeps calling," Amos said, his gaze focused on the phone''s screen which was the third ring.

    "It might be something important¡­,"

    "And was what we were doing not important?" She questioned angrily.

    "I am sorry¡­," Amos apologised. Before she knew what he was up to, he had walked away from the bedside.

    He moved to stand in front of the wardrobe.

    Joanna looked at the guy whose cell phone was held close to his ear.

    At that moment she came up with a crazy idea that the Kayden she knows might not be the one standing in front of her.

    If he was Kayden she knew he wouldn''t prioritize some insignificant woman over her.

    He wouldn''t dare to do anything to displease her but mention angering her.

    Joanna was furious and because of this, she forgot the most important thing, which was listening to their conversation with her powers.

    Seeing Amos frantically open the wardrobe after throwing the cellphone on a table close by made Joanna wonder what happened.

    "What is it?" She asked. She proceeded to where he now stood trying to wear the white pair of trousers in his hands.

    "I have to leave right now¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna yelled, not able to hide her anger in front of him anymore.

    "You stood me up on such an important night but I didn''t ask you what exactly happened or where you went¡­ I didn''t want to sound petty by bringing this up but it''s just that I can''t believe you want to do the same thing to me again¡­,"

    "I am sorry, Joan," Amos apologised. As he apologized he was too busy trying to wear clothes to spare the woman he was apologising to a nce.

    His actions infuriated Joanna more than the fact that he wanted to leave her alone yet again in the middle of their intimacy.

    "I promise I will make it up to you¡­,"

    "And that is exactly what you said yesterday but only for you to go back on your promise the same day," Joanna said.

    Amos didn''t speak afterwards.

    When he was done zipping up his trousers, he went over to where he had dropped the shirt earlier and picked it up.

    Hastily, he slid the shirt into his muscr body. Joanna stood there and watched him ignore her.

    "Joan¡­," He called as he struggled to arrange the cor of his white shirt.

    "Amelia''s apartment got attackedst night. I need to drop over to make sure that she is ok¡­,"

    "And what about me huh?" Joanna snapped. She turned and walked to the bed in anger.

    "Also, you both met yesterday and I can''t believe you didn''t only give her your line but knows where she lives too¡­,"

    He tried to walk to where she was now sitting on top of the bed. "Joan¡­,"

    "Don''t call my name," Joanna cut in sharply. Not wanting to see his face she tilted her head to the sides.

    "I wish I could stay a few minutes more and talk to you but unfortunately I have to leave. She was in tears when she called me," Amos amplified.

    "I promise we will talk after I return¡­ Also if we can''t meet before time for sses reaches then let''s talk on campus ok," Amos said, his gaze concentrated on the fumingdy''s face.

    He waited for her to talk and why when she wouldn''t look at him, not to mention speak to him, he turned and approached the door.

    At the door, he took a long gaze at her before he opened the door and shut it behind him.

    Hearing the main door jammed shut, her frown deepened. Her hatred towards Amelia rose to the peak.

    "Geez¡­ I can''t believe he left me here alone again," Joanna muttered as she jumped up from her bed.

    The fuming Joanna paced about with her fist sped. "What wrong did Imit to deserve this huh?".

    "I really hate her and if she is not careful, I might end up killing her," Joanna mumbled. She focused her fiery eyes on the brown door.

    ¡­.

    At Audrey''s home, she was seen sitting beside ady lying on a medium size bed with half of her body covered with a brown duvet.

    "Caroline, I am d to see you were not badly injured but don''t worry, your Young Miss here will make sure those who did this to you will not go unpunished," Audrey gave the woundeddy her word as she gave a slight squeeze to her hand.

    "You don''t¡­,"

    "Stop talking and take a lot of rest so your injury can heal. Recuperatinges first before any other thing, don''t forget that," Audrey said as she returned Caroline''s hand underneath the duvet where she met it.

    She stood up from the bed and started walking towards the entrance which also served as the exit.

    "Young Miss, don''t tell me you are leaving now?" Caroline took a guess. She tried to sit up on the bed but Audrey turned around in time to stop her.

    "I have told you not to move around if you want your legs to heal quickly," Audrey scolded.

    "I will take care of myself but¡­,"

    "Just do like I said Caroline. Mum and Dad won''t make things difficult for you. In fact, they were the ones who suggested that you should take time off work because of your injury," Audrey interrupted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She bent and pulled the duvet so that it covered Caroline''s hand.

    "Young Miss, I am sure that Madam and your father are happy to have you back home after a long time, how about staying over¡­,"

    "I wish I could but I can''t," Audrey cut in softly. She let go of the duvet and walked two steps away from Caroline''s bedside.

    Staring into space, she continued, "I left a sick friend at home and as you know, it''s not good to leave a sick person all alone".

    "Miss Joanna is ill?" Caroline eximed with widened eyes. She tried to sit up but Audrey stopped her in time.

    "Hmmm¡­," Audrey trailed when she realised that Caroline had misunderstood what she meant.

    [Lovesickness is also another form of illness so that means I am not lying]

    Audrey forced on a smile as she looked at Caroline''s face. "Something like that I guess".

    Audrey didn''t spend much time in Caroline''s room. She spun and headed downstairs after leaving her in the care of Miley, Caroline''s friend.

    As Audrey was trying to get home as soon as possible to be with Joanna, Joanna on the other hand out of anger had left the apartment.

    Mr Anderson, Adhara and Laura were in the sitting room talking when the backdoor creaked open.

    At the same time, all of them tilted their heads and stared in the direction the footsteps came from.

    "Good afternoon Sir, Stepmother," Joanna greeted grudgingly as she immediately proceeded to the stairs.

    Mr Anderson''s deep frown showed he wasn''t at all pleased with Joanna''s attitude. "Is that how you greet your parents?" Mr Anderson questioned. His masculine voice stole the silence and peaceful atmosphere in the room.

    "Where are your manners?" Mr Anderson thundered.

    Joanna sped her fist and grit her teeth to suppress her anger.

    If she was to answer her father with the way she felt she knew the words she will tell him might make himmit suicide.

    She took a step forward and pretended like she didn''t hear what he said.

    The next thing the angry Mr Anderson did was to pick up the ss cup in front of him and throw it at Joanna.

    Joanna squatted in time to dodge the flying ss cup.

    Clink! Clink!

    The ss shattered into pieces as it hit the stairs bar. The bouncing piece of ss pierced Joanna on her thigh.

    Slowly she turned and red at the fuming man.

    The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Looking into Joanna''s fiery eyes gave Laura the chills.

    She waited to see what would happen between the father and daughter duo.

    Even Adhara chose to keep quiet at that moment.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

    Because of the review, I feel so optimistic about this month. I have this amazing feeling that more surprises are gonnae my way this September 2022 from you guys.

    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

    One more thing before I list our goal for September, I just want to say a big thank you to all my readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1K (1,000) = 6 chapters mass release. As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked this month, this lovely author here is gonna surprise you guys with 6 chapters mass release.

    Please, guys, support me to reach this particr goal this month. I promise I will be good to all of you.

    Also, you don''t have to buy the highest privileged tier if you can''t afford it. No matter the tier you purchase as long as you unlock the privileged chapters daily, this author here is gonna be forever grateful to you.

    GOAL2: 50 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 chapters mass release. Give me all your GOLDEN TICKETS and you won''t regret it, everyone, I will make sure of it.

    GOAL 3: 100 Power Stones = 3 chapters mass release. Guys, I realised recently that there is a mistake I have been making concerning this particr goal.

    The power stone goal is a weekly goal and not a monthly goal. And this is because the power stone ranking gets renewed every month.

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    Your dearest author loves you all very much ??????.

    Let''s hear your confession, do you love me too?

 Chapter 187 Adhara Stood Up For Joanna

    ?"How dare you have that attitude after sleeping outside the house without your parent''s permission?" Mr Anderson bellowed his fierce re centred on Joanna.

    "Where are your manners and dignity as a woman?" Mr Anderson asked as he started walking towards Joanna.

    "Maybe I amcking in manners because when other parents were busy teaching their kids, my father was too busy to care about whether I am alive or dead," Joanna replied with her chin held high.

    She climbed a step down. "Also, maybe I don''t have dignity because I take after my married father who couldn''t exercise self-control and had to impregnate unmarried¡­,"

    "How dare you little brat talk to me like that?" The furious Mr Anderson raised his hand to hit Joanna on the face.

    His raised right hand was about to descend on her pretty face when someone grabbed it amid the air.

    "Who has the guts to stop me," Mr Anderson raised his free hand to hit the one who held his hand.

    His eyes widened on turning around to hit the person but only for him to see that it was none other than his wife.

    "As you can see she was already in a bad mood so why don''t you let it slide hmm," Adhara pleaded softly, still holding onto her husband''s raised hand.

    For a minute Mr Anderson could not utter a word. He wondered whether the woman interceding for Joanna was the same woman he has spent over twenty years of his life with.

    Joanna rolled her eyes seeing how her father and Stepmother were looking at each other. "Bunch of pretenders," Joanna turned and continued scaling the stairs.

    She halted at the middle of the stairs and turned to look at the couple still standing at the foot of the stairs.

    "Also Sir, you can stop pretending to care about my existence because everyone in this house and Kingdom knows that you don''t," Joanna said as she stomped up the stairs afterwards.

    Mr Anderson lowered his hands and raised his gaze to stare in the direction of a door that just jammed close.

    "She is bing very unruly. If none teaches her a lesson I am sure her unruliness will worsen¡­,"

    "That is how kids are when they reach puberty. Being rebellious is part of growing up so let her be hmm," Adhara said smiling as she held her husband''s right arm.

    "Mum is right Dad. I am sure she wille around after a while," Laura supported with a forced smile.

    Mr Anderson found his wife and daughter''s attitude strange.

    As far as he can recall, his legal wife and daughter hate his illegitimate child to the core.

    Every day he witnessed the two of them maltreat her, so since when did they be so close that they would stand up for her in front of him?

    They have lived together for over sixteen years and nothing of such happened so how could their rtionship get better overnight?

    It was just impossible!

    "Why are you both acting weird?" Mr Anderson asked, his questioning gaze moved from his wife to his daughter''s face.

    "Did something happen in my absence¡­,"

    "What could possibly happen Sweetheart," asked Adhara. Mr Anderson found her more suspicious when she let go of his hand and started approaching the couch.

    "Now that our family is finally harmonious don''t you like it or do you prefer always seeing us at each other''s throats every day?" Adhara now sitting with her legs crossed, questioned in displeasure.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mr Anderson proceeded to join his wife at the centre table. "You know that''s not what I meant," Mr Anderson said as he tried to hold his wife''s handsying on her thighs but she beat his hand away.

    Laura used this opportunity to slip out of the house.

    After sessfully getting out of the gate, Laura let down the long brown hair she had tied into a ponytail.

    She ran her fingers through her hair to straighten the hair.

    "Gosh¡­ the atmosphere in there was tense and horrible," Laura shook her head as she turned and nced at the tall building behind her.

    "There is no way I am gonna get used to treating that lowlife girl nicely¡­ In fact, I felt like an insect was crawling over my body while I spoke up for her," Laura mumbled.

    She turned and took the right direction when the campus was located on the left.

    "Mum, better think of ways to get us out of this mess because I don''t think I would be able to keep on pretending for long".

    Laura slid her hand into her right chained handbag hung around her left shoulder.

    She brought out the cell phone vibrating inside her bag.

    "Where are you now?" A guy''s anxious voice demanded at the other end the instant she lifted the phone to her ear.

    "Where you able to get away or do we need to postpone our meeting like how we have been doing¡­,"

    "I am sorry, Babe that you had to wait for so long but don''t worry the wait is over," A bright smile appeared on Laura''s face as she walked on the less busy street.

    [Although I hate her guts, I must admit that getting away under my Dad and Mum''s watch wouldn''t have been easy with her]

    A sweet smile lingered on her pretty face as she turned left when she got to the three that split into two.

    "You seed this time around?" The guy previously sitting on the couch with his two friends jumped to his feet.

    His eyes lits up. He paid no attention to the fact that his friends wereughing at him.

    "Hmm¡­ expect me because I will be there in fifteen minutes or lesser," Laura replied.

    "Hurry Baby, I am afraid I might lose my senses if you take longer than this," He said as he licked his lips hungrily.

    He disconnected the call and shot his friend''s piercing res.

    "Hey, dudes, what was that about huh?" Rafael started. "If you had something to say couldn''t you both have waited until the phone call ended? What if she heard you guys?" He asked as he returned to his seat.

    "And what if she did?" The guy in the green short sleeve shirt asked without any sense of remorse.

    "I have told you guys to respect her because she isn''t only my mate but the love of my life¡­,"

    "Hahaha¡­love of your life?" The guy wearing a knitted long sleeve shirtughed to Rafael''s annoyance.

 Chapter 188 Did You Just Say Kayden

    ?"And what''s so funny about what I said huh?" He demanded.

    The guy in the white shirt picked up the wine ss in front of him and took a sip from the ss of highly intoxicated wine.

    "Everything about the two of you is funny," he replied without beating around the bush.

    "It''s funny how you are sneakily meeting her when her mother doesn''t want to set eyes on you¡­,"

    "Mates are bound to each other for a lifetime so what is so funny about¡­,"

    "Mates?" The guy in the green shirt chuckled. "Who the hell goes out with a woman/man in this century just because he/she is his mate?" He questioned.

    Rafael''s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at his friends.

    Yes, the two of them are notorious for ying around with any woman theye across but why must he be like them just because they are his friends?

    They chose to live their lives recklessly while he chose to take his seriously so what is wrong with that?

    "Yeah, that is an outdated tradition meant for the elders¡­. Also, what is the fun of sticking to one woman when you can enjoy as many as you want?" The white shirt guys support.

    The mere thought of having fun with many women made him lick his lips hungrily.

    "You are being reckless with your words because you are human. If you know the importance of mate bond the two of you won''t be spewing nonsense in front of me¡­,"

    "So what if we are humans¡­,"

    "Guys, I don''t want to hear you mention this ever again," Rafael warned as he stood up from the white couch.

    "I love Laura and she is the only one for me and I hope you would respect that. I won''t ever tolerate you guys disrespecting her in any way, got that?" Rafael made his stance known before he walked away.

    "Why is he getting all worked up?" The guy in the white shirt asked after Rafael jammed the bedroom door closed.

    "He is blinded by love so let him be. Maybe he would learn his lesson in the next life after he gets murdered by Laura''s mother," the other replied as he sipped from his ss of whiskey.

    Inside the bedroom, Rafael took off his maroon shirt and ced it on the bed.

    "I reeked of alcohol. My love ising over. I can''t make her feel sick because of me so let me shower and smell good for her," Rafael muttered in excitement.

    The mere thought of seeing and having her in his arms made him unable to stop smiling.

    Inside the bathroom, as the warm water fell on his body Rafael couldn''t resist humming his favourite tone out of excitement.

    Meanwhile, as this was happening, inside Joanna''s room, the moodydy groaned, pulled the nkets off her face and red at the one that opened her bedroom door.

    "Little rice ball!" Joanna eximed in shock.

    "Why does Big Sister look so astonished?" Anthony asked, smiling as he entered the room.

    "Was Big Sister doing something naughty and that is why you didn''t perceive my scent from afar as usual," Anthony asked innocently as he settled himself down on Joanna''s bedside.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Yes, he is telling the truth¡­ why is it that I wasn''t able to pick up his scent before he reached my room?]

    Joanna was confused as she stared into space.

    After searching her memory for what might have been the cause, her eyes widened.

    [Gosh, how can I forget that I will start losing my abilities gradually as the deadline for the mission draws near¡­]

    The warm feeling of his hand against her delicate face puts an abrupt end to Joanna''s thoughts.

    "Big Sister, what''s wrong," He began in a subtle tone. "I overheard Dad scolding you from my room¡­ is that why you are in a daze? Are you sad because he scolded you?" He asked in a concerned tone.

    "I am sad because of what your father said?" Joanna scoffed. "Little rice ball, your big Sister here has gotten too thick-skinned that nothing anyone says will affect me¡­,"

    "Is Brother Kay and I included too?" Anthony cut in his innocent eyeballs fixated on Joanna''s face.

    "And if you are not sad because of what Daddy said then what is wrong¡­ Did that weird guy make you sad?" Anthony took a wild guess.

    [Sister Audrey would never make Big Sister sad or upset so I am sure it must be the weird guy with sses]

    Anthony clenched his fist at the thought that Amos was the reason for his sister''s sadness.

    "If he is the one who made you sad then you can leave him to me. I will teach him a lesson¡­,"

    "Little rice ball, can you not mention his name in front of me," Joanna interrupted sharply.

    She raised her hand and stroked his face. "Hearing his name alone infuriates me. I am afraid I might lose my cool and hurt you if you keep mentioning his name," Joanna''s hands moved to his shiny brown hair.

    She forced on a smile and patted his hair.

    "Did he bully you¡­,"

    "Also who said Big Sister is sad?" Joanna deliberately didn''t let Anthony finish his words.

    "Your expression said it¡­ it''s all over your face," Anthony replied firmly as he waved his hand at her face.

    [Does my expression depict sadness?] Joanna brought her right hand to her face and subconsciously caressed her face.

    "If hearing his name makes you sad then I am sure that hearing Brother Kay''s name will put a smile on your face," Anthony said ignorantly.

    If only he knew that the two men were the same people then he wouldn''t have made the mistake he just did.

    "Did you just say Kayden?" There was anger in her eyes at the mention of his name. Joanna tightened her fist and tilted her head sideways.

    ..

    Support the author withments, reviews and gifts. Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 189 Tonys Offer

    ?"Yes," Anthony was quick to reply. He didn''t notice the sudden change in Joanna''s mood after he mentioned Kayden.

    "He had promised to take me out but he hasn''t visited me ever since you returned neither did he sneak toe and see you like he normally did¡­," Anthony trailed.

    He stood up from the bed and walked a few steps. He halted when he was standing in front of Joanna. "Did the two of you fight¡­,"

    "Why do you keep talking about Kay huh?" Joanna lost her cool and shouted at Anthony when he wouldn''t drop Kayden''s topic.

    Her action took the innocent boy aback.

    "You promised you would take me on an outing and that is why I was hoping four of us could go together but it''s ok if you are upset now," Anthony spoke with his head lowered.

    Seeing his once-happy expression fall after shouting at him made Joanna feel guilty.

    "Come here, baby boy," Joanna beckoned him toe to sit on her legs. "Sit here," She tapped her right thigh as she talked.

    "Little rice ball, sorry that Big Sister yelled at you. It''s just that I am not in a very good mood right now¡­,"

    "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Anthony asked as he stared into Joanna''s eyeballs.

    If there is anything Anthony hated so much, it''s seeing his Big Sister sad or in tears.

    He can see Laura crying and will not feel affected because the bond is not there but Joanna was different.

    She is his favourite person and he loathes seeing her sad.

    "Hmmm¡­.," Joanna trailed, smiling as she touched his face. "I think I feel much better after setting eyes on my little rice ball face," Her sense of humour while saying this made Anthony chuckle.

    The two siblings continued talking in this position until Anthony recalled one out of the many reasons he came to his Sister''s room.

    "Big Sister, don''t you have sses this morning so why aren''t you getting ready to leave¡­," Joanna sprang up to her feet almost causing Anthony sitting on her feet to fall to the floor.

    Thank goodness to Anthony''s awesome reflexes he was able to save himself from the disastrous fall that would have taken ce.

    "Darn¡­ I must be out of my mind to get carried away and forget that I have Mr Fin''s lecture this morning," Joanna muttered, racing to her wardrobe.

    "Since you arete why don''t you go in and shower while I help you to pick an outfit," Anthony standing close to her bed suggested.

    Joanna nced behind, "You will help me select an outfit?" Joanna asked in an almost chuckle.

    "Do you even know¡­,"

    "Big Sister, trust me and go into the bathroom if you don''t want to bete. Your little prince has got you covered," Anthony beat his chest with his head held high.

    "Hahaha¡­," Joanna couldn''t resistughing. "If that''s the case then I guess I did a great job raising you into a reliable man," Joanna smiled.

    She abandoned what she was doing and went to where he stood. "Since you are so confident then Big Sister will count on you to save the day ok?" Joanna ruffled his hair while smiling at him.

    "I have got this," Anthony sounded even more confident.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna took a long nce at her little brother who was approaching her wardrobe.

    [Since he is so excited to help me pick an outfit I don''t have the heart to say no to him¡­. I will just pick an outfit to wear when Ie out of the bathroom]

    Joanna smiled as she turned and proceeded to the bathroom at the far end of the room.

    Having only about thirty minutes to prepare and reach campus, Joanna tried as much as possible to manage the little time she had.

    "Little rice ball," Joanna called out loud enough for Anthony to hear her from the other room.

    "Yes, Big Sister," Anthony paused what he was doing and listened to what she wanted to say.

    Joanna, covered inther, reached out her hand and felt the wall for the shower handle.

    With thether covering her face she dared not open her eyes. "Were you able to pick out an outfit already?" Joanna yelled.

    Joanna waited to hear his response but none came.

    "There is no need to feel bad if you can''t do it. The thought alone that you were willing to help me is enough to make me very happy," Joanna said, hoping that her words would make him feel less disappointed in himself.

    She let out a sigh of relief when her right hand grazed against the shower handle.

    Joanna turned on the shower and stood under it.

    With time not on her side, Joanna had no luxury to enjoy the sweet fragrance of hervender shower gel nor the soothing effect of the warm water falling on her skin.

    "Little rice ball," Joanna shouted when he still didn''t reply. She waited to hear some movements in her room but unfortunately, she couldn''t.

    And because her ability to pick up a scent from her far was gone, she couldn''t tell whether or not he was still in her bedroom.

    "Tony, are you still there?" Joanna called out for the second time.

    Joanna became a bit ufortable with the new development.

    "Don''t tell me he is crying in a corner or sitting in a spot with his head lowered because he failed to do as he promised?" Joanna mumbled as she stole a nce at the bathroom door.

    "I guess ying along with what he wanted wasn''t a good idea after all," Joanna concluded.

    With both hands, she massaged her scalp with her fingers.

    Before seven minutes Joanna was done showering.

    The bathroom door creaked open and ady with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her delicate body stepped into her bedroom.

    "Surprise!!!" Tony jumped out from where he hid beside the bathroom wall. He was too excited to notice how much his sudden jumping out from his hiding ce scared Joanna.

    "Come Big Sister, look at the dress I picked for you," Anthony grabbed the astonished Joanna''s right hand and pulled her to the bed.

 Chapter 190 He Is Coming

    ?"Do you like it?" Anthony asked, his gaze glued on his sister''s widened eyes.

    Joanna stared at the knee-length short sleeve glimmering white dress spread on the table with a pair of white pearl earringsid beside it.

    "Wow¡­ Little rice ball, I never knew that you were such a natural stylist," Joanna said, shifting her gaze to look at the boy at her side.

    "Maybe Big Sister should make you her stylist starting from today or what do you think?" Joanna asked yfully.

    "Hmmm¡­ I agree," Tony''s response made Joanna chuckle.

    "And I forgot something," Anthony said as he turned and ran to the shoe racks where all Joanna''s shoes were neatly arranged.

    He ran back to the bed with a pair of ck shiny leather high heels in his hands.

    "What do you think about wearing the shoes with the dress?" Anthony asked as he bit down his lower lips.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joanna trailed, frowning. His expression fell on seeing her frown. He couldn''t believe he failed.

    "They are just a perfect match for the dress," Joanna gave him a thumbs up.

    His face lights up in a sh.

    [I am so sure he is gonna love the set of outfits you picked for me little rice ball]

    Picturing herself in the beautiful dress made Joanna''s lips curl into a charming smile.

    "Big Sister, I will leave you to dress up now," Anthony smiled. Seeing the beautiful smile on Joanna''s face made him so proud and happy.

    "Ok, don''t worry. I will reward you with a bacon dish treat after I return," Joanna said beaming.

    "Yay!" Anthony threw his hands in the air and jumped in excitement.

    To Anthony, no other dish can rece a treat of bacon dish. Bacon''s dish will always remain his favourite delicacy.

    And his likeness to bacon was the reason Joanna called her ckbird Bacon to always remind her about her brother.

    "My little brother is full of cuteness. I can''t believe he was able to cheer me up with such a trivia thing¡­. I guess this is why people always say that it''s the most trivia thing that brings real happiness," Joanna mumbled, her gaze on the brown door the excited Anthony forgot to shut after dashing out of the room.

    The moment Anthony left Joanna hurried to the dressing table kept some distance away from the bed.

    Hastily, she blew her hair dry with the pink hairdryer. Still, at the same speed, she brushed her hair and applied lotion to her body.

    Despite she was runningte for sses Joanna for some reason spared some time to apply light make-up on her face.

    A few minutester a beautiful youngdy was seen standing at the entrance of Twilight University.

    Her gorgeousness was so great that passers-by couldn''t resist turning their necks to get a glimpse of the dazzling youngdy.

    "I can''t wait to see his surprise face when he set eyes on me," Joanna muttered smiling as she looked far ahead of the walkway where students of different backgrounds were trouping into.

    Standing outside the campus gate Joanna kept looking out for Amos among the many faces entering and exiting the huge gate.

    She started pacing about when he didn''t show up at the estimated time.

    "I thought he said he was almost at the gate so where is he?... I just have four minutes remaining until the lecture starts," Joanna mumbled stretching to get a better view of those approaching from far.

    Joanna was about to give up waiting when she saw him from afar.

    "He ising," Joanna''s face lit up as she looked around her. Seeing the white pir at her right-hand side which was a suitable spot for hiding Joanna hurried and stood there.

    Hiding there, for some reason Joanna''s heart started pounding hard against her chest.

    While fiddling with her nails she bites down on her lower lips.

    After a minute Joanna peeped outside expecting to see Amos close to the gate but only for her to see someone she never wanted to set eyes on.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why is it her again?" Joanna walked out from where she was hiding with her fists sped.

    Seeing the guy in the grey sweaterugh along with thedy wearing a tight-fitted mini-red gown made Joanna dig her long nails into her fingers.

    "I can see the reason he didn''t arrive at the estimated time," Joanna mumbled.

    In anger, she turned and stomped away.

    She didn''t take up to three steps when someone jumped out of nowhere and stood in front of her.

    If not that she stopped in her track on time she would have collided with the person.

    [Gosh, not them right now]

    Joanna closed her eyes when she got a wimp of the perfume from thedy standing in front of her.

    Her eyes fluttered open almost instantly. Not wanting to get into an argument with thedy in front of her, she avoided her and walked to the right but only for another person to stand in her way.

    Joanna grit her teeth as she raised her head.

    "Will you leave my path before I do something¡­,"

    "Do you own a path?" Tiffany asked as she stared into Joanna''s eyeballs.

    "She can''t even afford decent clothes and has to rely on others for a living so how could someone like her own something of importance?" Doris replied mockingly.

    Joanna, who was in a haste to leave so that Amos wouldn''t see her, tilted her head sideways to see whether he noticed her.

    Sophie standing beside Tiffany on the right happened to see Joanna acting so suspicious.

    Curious to know why she was acting this way instead of talking back at them, she let her eyes scrutinize the faces of those entering campus.

    "You girls should be thankful that I am busy because it wouldn''t have ended with a few exchanges of words today," Joanna bumped into them, creating a path for herself.

    Sophie''s lips curled into a sly smile when she saw Amos and the tall slenderdy in red dressing talking andughing with him.

    She almost knocked Tiffany wearing high heels off her feet.

    "Is it that you are busy or that you are too ashamed to face a certain person?" Sophie''s words made Joanna stop in her tracks.

    Because of how loudly Sophie talked, her voice attracted the attention of everyone close by.

    Looking like a fool in front of the two of them was what she was trying to avoid, she couldn''t believe that the girls even stole the right to preserve her dignity.

    ...

    A/N: Hello, it''s your author again. Guys, I just want to remind you about our goals for the month.

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 Chapter 191 Trash Vs Trash

    ?Joanna nced behind, her murderous res directed at Sophie. "Did the rtionship end before it even started¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up if you don''t want me to rip off that darn mouth of yours," Joanna threatened as she turned to leave again.

    "How unlucky of you to get dumped by a guy who isn''t much better than you before anything even brewed between the two of you," Sophie said her gaze glued on Joanna''s departing back.

    Noticing that her n to provoke Joanna didn''t work Sophie signalled Doris to say something.

    At first, Doris and the other girls didn''t know what to say until they caught a glimpse of Amos talking with ady.

    He was so preupied talking with thedy that he paid no attention to the littlemotion happening.

    "Since you were dumped by a trash like you, does that make you the biggest trash of all huh?" Doris mocked. Mockingughter erupted from the otherdies'' mouths following Doris'' mockery.

    "If I am a trash then what does that make the four of you which take this trash as apetitor?" Joanna asked not backing down.

    She sped her fist when she realised that the guy whom she was worried about was too busy to spare her a nce.

    "Doesn''t that make you girls the biggest trash of the century?" Joanna asked with her chin and shoulders held high.

    The onlookers chuckled and started mumbling seeing the scowl on the girls'' faces.

    "How dare¡­,"

    "I have better things to do rather than spend my precious time on trash like you," Joanna cut Tiffany shut before she spun and walked away.

    "I can''t believe I was anxious for nothing," Joanna muttered as she kept on walking without looking back.

    Amos whose attention was on thedy in front of him raised his gaze to see Joanna''s departing back.

    "That back and that outfit¡­," Amos mumbled, his gaze not shifting from thedy''s moving back.

    "Who?" Amelia asked as she turned and nced behind her. She was lucky to have gotten a glimpse of thedy''s back Amos was looking at before she disappeared into the crowd of students.

    "Do you know her?" she questioned as she returned her gaze to Amos'' face.

    [That back looks exactly like Joanna''s back including her silver hair but¡­ I recalled she said she wouldn''t wear that dress so¡­]

    The feeling of someone''s hand on his put an end to Amos'' thoughts. He red at Amelia''s right hand holding onto his hand.

    Amelia lifted her head in time to see his piercing res fixated on her hand. She needed no one to tell her that he disliked it.

    "I won''t touch your hand without permission if you don''t like it," Amelia said despite that he didn''t utter a word.

    There was a bit of awkwardness between the two of them after what she did.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Since we are here, I guess it''s time to say our goodbyes," Amos took it upon himself to put an end to the awkward silence between them.

    "Sure¡­. But don''t forget we still have a lot to talk about. Also, you are yet to behold even half of the beauty of our Kingdom. So let''s meetter ok," Amelia said.

    She stretched to peck him on the cheek but Amos pulled away pretending as though he didn''t see what she wanted to do.

    "Were our assumptions wrong about him or is he pretending to be a saint because there are many people around?" Tiffany who has been watching Amos along with her gang questioned when she saw what he did.

    "Whether or not he is acting, we know just how to get them together or don''t we?" The sly Nora winked at her friends.

    "You are right about that Nora," Doris supported, an evil smirk appearing on her face.

    "There are so many ways to take revenge. It doesn''t always have to be physical. Getting this girl together with her boyfriend while finding a way to make him loathe her will be our perfect way of revenge or what do you think?" Doris asked.

    Her eyes moved from one face to another to confirm whether her friends agreed with her suggestion.

    "There has never been a better way of exerting revenge other than doing it emotionally so I am in for it¡­ It can result in an act of physical revenge after we make her watch her boyfriend slowly slip away," A sly smile appeared on Sophie''s face as she looked at Amos.

    She has always been searching for a perfect way to avenge herself and now that she has gotten one, she would make sure that Joanna pays for the humiliation she suffered in her hands.

    She and her friends will make sure they crushed her in a way she would never be able to recover from.

    "Nothing gives me so much joy than seeing my enemy broken so it''s a yes from me," Tiffany replied grinning.

    Meanwhile, as they were scheming against her, Joanna on the other hand was trying her best to make sure she gets to the lecture hall on time.

    Joanna was running in the hallway when a man in a blue suit came out of one of the halls.

    This happened so suddenly that she didn''t have the time to stop herself. She bumped into the man in a blue suit.

    The files in the man''s hands fell on the floor.

    "I am sorry," Joanna apologised without caring to look at the person''s face. She bent and reached out her hands to pick up the files.

    Bending, she didn''t know that the man''s gaze was focusing on her chest where the see-through materials made him get a glimpse of her glowing breasts.

    "I am so sorry," Joanna apologised once again as she reached out her hands to pass over the files to the man.

    "Damn!" Joanna cursed under her breath when she lifted her head and saw the face of the man she collided with.

    [F*ck! I can''t believe out of all the people on the campus it had to be him I bumped into¡­ Why am I so unluckytely? Did someone cast a spell on me]

    Joanna was lost at what to say. She waited to hear the mansh out at her like she often sees him do with other students.

 Chapter 192 Mr Aidan

    ?"How dare you bump into the Chancellor? Where was your attention¡­," Joanna was stunned to see the grumpy Chancellor, Mr Aidan stop the lecturer who was trying to reprimand her.

    The fat man wearing a pair of reading sses averted his attention back to Joanna.

    "Are you ok?" Mr Aidan asked to Joanna''s further astonishment.

    She was surprised to see him worry about her instead ofshing out at her like he is known to always do.

    [Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed, eat the wrong thing or did he get possessed?]

    Joanna refused to believe that the man known for his grumpiness would be so nice to her.

    "Did you get hurt?" Mr Aidan asked as he reached out his hand to touch her shoulder.

    Out of reflexes, Joanna moved a step backwards. " I am fine, Sir," Joanna said, not feeling the leastfortable with how strangely the man was acting.

    Other students passing by bad and those seated in the hall he came out from were surprised to see the nagging man acting so gentle with Joanna.

    They would have mistaken him for someone else if they didn''t see him exit the hall after giving them an earful.

    "You¡­,"

    "I am very sorry for what happened but please can I leave now?" Joanna cut him short thinking that he wanted to start giving his ear-piercing sermon.

    She was already runningte, she had no time to listen to him give his 20-30 minute sermon.

    Even though she had the whole time in the world, she would have still chosen not to spare him that time.

    "I am runningte for a lecture," Joanna added.

    "What impudence¡­,"

    "What lecture?" Mr Aidan asked as he turned to re at the man who kept on interrupting her without permission.

    [What the f*ck is wrong with him? Why on earth does he want to know what lecture I am runningte for? Is that any of his business?]

    These were some of the questions she wanted to ask the nosy man but she tried her best to calm down.

    Forget about reaching the lecture hallte but she won''t be able to attend Mr Fin''s ss today if she asked Mr Aidan, these questions.

    "Mr Fin''s lecture," Joanna replied. She waited expecting to hear the man give her permission to leave but what he said left her dumbfounded.

    "Actually, I was about to pass information to his ss so let''s go together. Who knows I might be able to put in some words for you," Mr Aidan said to the astonishment of not only Joanna but everyone under the sound of his voice.

    "...," Joanna was speechless. She wasn''t surprised to see the man in a brown suit standing beside Mr Aidan had the same expression as she.

    "Didn''t you say you were runningte so what are you still waiting for?" Mr Aidan was way too calm after leaving everyone speechless.

    "Lead the way," Mr Aidan ordered as he moved to the right to create a path for Joanna.

    Joanna reluctantly walked ahead of the two men while they followed her from behind.

    Inside the hall whose entrance the incident took ce, there was Logan watching everything, including the lecherous nces Mr Aidan was throwing at the oblivious Joanna''s back.

    "I guess the old hag has found his next targets¡­ Too bad he picked the wrong target. I wonder if he will live to tell the story," Logan muttered as he shook his head at the elderly man''s ignorance.

    Every other person might think that Joanna is the easiest target for anything bad but only he and his friends who have experienced hell because of her would know that was a big fat lie.

    She was a walking temptation that everyone should avoid, too bad, not many people know this.

    Reaching therge hall, Joanna wasn''t surprised to see that the hall was filled up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Unlike other lecturers, only Mr Fin will set a time for his ss and students will arrive at the hall on time.

    Forget about taking his course if you missed or arrivedte three times to his ss. He was such a strict man that none offering his course dared to take his words lightly.

    The student in the hall started murmuring the instant Mr Aidan stood in front of the hall.

    Their murmurs caused Mr Fin to tilt his neck sideways to see who the hell was disturbing his ss.

    "Sir," Mr Fin bowed to show respect.

    "There is no need for formalities, Fin," Mr Aidan said, waving his hand at him. He paid no attention to the students'' murmurs.

    Mr Aidan called out Mr Fin who was getting ready to start his ss.

    As he approached their direction Joanna bowed a bit but Mr Fin did as though he didn''t see her.

    While they were talking Joanna didn''t give a damn what the two elderly people were whispering. To her, the most important thing was attending the ss.

    "Ok, Sir I will consider it because you are the one who asked me to do it," Mr Fin said. He bowed and walked back to the podium without sparing Joanna a nce.

    "Because Mr Fin''s ss is way too important I won''t interrupt his lecture so stop standing here and go in to attend the lecture," Mr Aidan addressed Joanna before he and his personal assistant turned and walked away.

    "Didn''t you hear what he said or are you waiting for me to echo his words?" Mr Fin''s stern voice startled Joanna a little.

    "Thank you, Sir," Joanna said as she walked into the hall. She was about to proceed to find a seat but Mr Fin''s words made her halt.

    "Because Mr Aidan interceded for you doesn''t mean you would attend the lecture after arrivingte," Mr Fin said. Joanna spun so that she was looking at the man while her back was facing the students.

    "If you can''t answer the question from ourst ss then forget about ever attending my ss again," Mr Fin stated, his piercing res fixated on Joanna.

    "Would I be allowed to attend the lecture if I answer your question¡­,"

    "Answer the question first before you think about attending it," Mr Fin interrupted sharply.

    As Joanna was waiting to hear the man''s question, Amos who was hurrying to reach the lecture hall got blocked by the mean witches.

    Amos red at the fourdies standing with their hands folded just below their breasts.

    "Do you need something?" Amos asked firmly.

    "Do you even need to ask that when we are standing in front of you?" Nora snarled to further annoyance of Amos.

    ...

    A/N: Hello, it''s your author again. Guys, I just want to remind you about our goals for the month.

    Please support the book by buying and unlocking privileged chapters. I will forever be grateful to all of you if we can reach our goals this month.

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 Chapter 193 Amos And The Mean Witches

    ?"And does it look like I have even a minute of my time to waste on four of you?" Amos replied, his dislike for them visible on his face and tone.

    He tried to walk away but Doris jumped and stood in front of him.

    Wherever the mean witches go there is always drama so seeing that they had picked their target this time around, other students started gathering around them.

    They started videoing the impending fight with their cell phones.

    "I can see being with that idiot has made you be cheeky and not able to recognise the hierarchy so let me tell you¡­," Doris, the one standing in front of Amos said.

    She walked two steps forward so that they were standing very close to each other.

    "In everything, we are above you and as such you should be lowering your head whenever we walk by, got it?" Doris asked while staring into his eyeballs.

    "Another thing, you dared not talk without permission¡­,"

    "Are you all the Kings in this Kingdom?" Amos interrupted sternly.

    He turned and walked two steps backwards. With his back facing them, he stated, "As far as I can recall there is only one King in the Kingdom and¡­," Amos trailed as he turned around to look at the fourdies.

    "Unfortunately he isn''t a woman¡­," The students watching the fights burst outughing thereby interrupting Amos.

    "So that means youdies are not the King or anything higher than him so what gives you the right to order me around?".

    His mockery didn''t go down well with the fumingdies.

    "We just wanted to have a peaceful discussion with you but since you don''t like it this way¡­,"

    "Is this what you call peaceful discussion?" Amos asked as he pointed his hands at those watching them.

    "Are you so dumb that you don''t know the meaning of peaceful¡­," another round ofughter erupted.

    "Shut the hell up," Doris whom Amos called dumb turned and shouted at the onlookers. There was a bit of quietness afterwards.

    "I can see it''s a waste of time talking to you. And I know that no one on campus will take us seriously if we don''t teach you a lesson today ¡­," Tiffany trailed as she turned and faced her squad.

    "Get him," She ordered. And instantly her three friends charged toward Amos.

    "So much for your peaceful discussion," Amos muttered as he started walking backwards.

    Noticing that things were going to get ugly other students who didn''t want to fall victim created space for them.

    The threedies advanced toward Amos with their ws aiming at his stomach.

    Smart as he was, he snatched a white shawl from ady standing by his side. And before thedies could fathom what he was up to, he used the shawl to bind their hands together.

    Breaking free from his bind wasn''t difficult but even with that, an experienced fighter like Amos had so many ways to deal with the proud girls.

    [I wish this fight had taken ce outside campus, I would have dealt seriously with the girls but¡­]

    Amos bent and dodged Nora''s ws aiming at his neck causing her to leave her five finger marks on the white wall.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Apart from Chris making a mountain out of a molehill when he learned about this, I am afraid I will end up implicating Joan if I do anything to the girls and this is thest thing I want. I must keep a low-key like Kyle and those nagging guards advised]

    The angry Amos tried to caution himself as he continued dodging the girl''s attack.

    Effortlessly dodging the three girls'' attack despite that he was outnumbered made the girls look like fools.

    As this was taking ce Joanna who was still in the middle of answering Mr Fin''s question was oblivious to what was going on.

    As she continued to speak there was satisfaction on Mr Fin''s face. He subconsciously shook his head whenever she nailed an important point.

    [His Majesty sure did pick an intelligent woman for a wife. I can see she is worth all the troubles he is going through right now]

    Mr Fin was lost in thoughts and didn''t notice that Joanna had concluded her answer.

    "Sir, are you satisfied with my answer or do you want me to continue?" Joanna asked when Mr Fin didn''t say anything.

    Mr Fin snapped out of his daze. Heposed himself instantly.

    He turned and looked at the ss ahead of him.

    "You can go sit over there," Mr Fin pointed at the empty chair in the front row.

    "What the f*ck just happened?" A student blurted out with widened eyes.

    The shock on other students'' faces was evident that they didn''t expect this from the strict lecturer.

    "Do you have a problem with my decision?" Mr Fin turned and red at his students who had begun mumbling.

    Joanna pretended as though she didn''t see the envious looks on others'' faces.

    She walked elegantly to the front row in the middle and sat on one of the empty brown seats.

    "Anyone who thinks I am being unfair can have a try in answering my question as brilliantly as she did and you will get the chance to take the second empty seat beside her," Mr Fin said. His eyes darted from one student''s face to the other.

    In Mr Fin''s ss, the two seats in the front row in the middle column are known to always be vacant.

    All students which have undergone his course are well aware of this fact. They are also aware of the fact that none have gotten the privilege to sit on these special seats.

    So seeing him ask Joanna to sit on the special seat came as a shock to the students.

    "Why are you all suddenly so quiet now huh, say something," Mr Fin said loudly.

    Mr Fin''s eyebrows creased when all of the students went quiet like cold water had been poured on all of them.

    "Are you trying to tell me that none of you is willing to take the challenge?" Mr Fin asked as he focused his gaze on the guy in the green shirt who yelled when he asked Joanna to sit on his special seat.

    "Will I get the privilege to sit close to that beautiful damsel if I can answer your question?" A guy''s cool voiceing from outside the hall echoed in the air.

    Everyone in the hall turned to look in the direction the voice came from at the same time.

 Chapter 194 Mr Fins Question

    ?There was a look of astonishment on Joanna''s face the instant the owner of the voice stepped foot into therge hall.

    [What the hell is he doing here? Wasn''t he busy with her so¡­]

    Joanna didn''t know what to make out of Amos'' entrance.

    [What is he doing here?]

    Mr Fin couldn''t mask his expression of shock. And luckily for him, the students were too busy looking at the gutsy student who dared to challenge him to see his dumbfounded look.

    "You didn''t say anything, Sir," Amos, now standing some distance away from the podium, said as he folded his hands behind him.

    "Don''t tell me you want to go back on your words Sir," Amos questioned. The way he kept emphasizing the word Sir made Joanna a bit worried.

    "What the hell is he up to now? Isn''t he afraid of making a fool out of himself if ends up not being able to give Mr Fin a satisfactory response?" Joanna mumbled.

    She was so nervous that she didn''t realize it when she locked her hands together.

    "Ok, since you are so eager to prove yourself then I will ask you a very simple question. I will consider letting you take the empty seat beside her if you can give me a satisfactory answer," Mr Fin said as he turned and focused his attention on Amos.

    "A simple question?" Ady in a purple dress sitting just behind Joanna scoffed.

    "Is there any question Mr Fin asked his students that is simple?" She added.

    "I bet he is saying this to make the guy feel less intimidated," thedy with sunsses hung around her V-Neck cor replied.

    "Many people have different opinions of what qualities make a great King and Queen but if you can give me four satisfactory qualities that make a great Queen, then the seat beside her is yours," Mr Fin said as he lifted his hand and ced it on the podium before him.

    Amos turned and stared at Joanna after Mr Fin made his question known.

    "The four qualities that make a good Queen¡­," Amos muttered as he dived into deep thoughts.

    Everyone waited to hear his answer but for some reason, he didn''t say a word. He just kept on staring at one spot which was Joanna''s face.

    [Why does he keep staring at me intently, do I have something on my face?]

    Joanna subconsciously lifted her right hand and touched her face when Amos wouldn''t stop looking at her.

    "It''s ok if you haven''t ever thought of that¡­,"

    "For me, a Queen needs to possess the following qualities to be considered a great Queen¡­," he trailed, his gaze still fixated on Joanna''s face.

    "She must be smart to be able to assist her husband. Virtuousness has always been one of the qualities that determined a good Queen. Andstly, she must not be too humble or too arrogant," Amos said. He finally tilted his head to look at Mr Fin after listing out his points.

    "Can I ask you why you made yourst sentence?" Mr Fin asked. His eyes followed the young man who was moving to stand in front of the ss.

    "Because as a Queen, being too humble will make your subjects undermine your authority. While being too arrogant because you are next in line to the King will make you lose your subjects'' love and respect," As he talked Amos gestured with his hands as he moved about the front of the ss.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mr Fin couldn''t resist shaking his head hearing Amos'' wisdom-packed reply.

    "Ok, I have heard your answer but can you tell me the reason why you didn''t mention powerful as one of the qualities?" asked Mr Fin.

    His question caused an uproar in the once quiet hall.

    "I knew that no matter how good his reply was Mr Fin would still find fault in it. I can''t believe I was right," Joanna heard one of thedies sitting behind herment.

    "Seeing how all of you are mumbling does that mean you all want to give me a response on his behalf?" Mr Fin asked, his stern res focused on his students.

    It wasn''t so surprising to see the hall go quiet once again.

    Mr Fin averted his gaze back to Amos. "Are you trying to tell us that physical strength is not a quality a Queen must possess?" Mr Fin demanded.

    "The reason I didn''t mention physical strength is that¡­," Amos trailed as he spun so that he was looking directly at Joanna''s eyeballs.

    [Why is he looking at me again?]

    Joanna bit her lower lips as she stared back at Amos.

    "That quality should be for a warrior and not for a Queen¡­ I mean what is the use of a warrior if the Queen has to be selected based on the qualities of a warrior¡­," A student interrupted Amos with a raise of his hand.

    He went ahead to talk after Mr Fin permitted him. "Are you trying to tell us that it doesn''t matter whether our beloved King married a weak woman?" The guy in a brown long sleeve shirt challenged Amos.

    "Don''t get me wrong everyone¡­. I didn''t say our Queen should not be powerful but I was trying to say being powerful should not be criteria for selecting a Queen," Amos exined further in case anyone misunderstood his points.

    "Instead our Queen being powerful should be a bonus if she possessed all the above-mentioned qualities," Amos said. He brought back his attention to Mr Fin.

    [I knew that His Majesty would never disappoint me with his reply. No wonder he is such a good King despite being surrounded by a bunch of hungry wolves who call themselves ministers¡­. He has yet again enlightened me]

    There was sheer admiration in Mr Fin''s eyes as he looked at Amos.

    "Was my answer good enough, Sir?" Amos asked.

    "Before I give my verdict I would like to ask whether anyone has a contrary opinion to what he just said¡­," Mr Fin trailed as his eyes moved from one calm face to the other.

    "If anyone among you thinks there are better qualities a Queen must possess thene out and challenge him. If it''s this topic we will deal with the entire day then I am ready to give you all the floor to educate me," Mr Fin urged them on.

    Amos turned and faced the ss waiting for anyone toe out to challenge him.

    Unfortunately, none of the students was confident enough to step forward.

    "Since none of you has anything to say, let me tell you that I do," Mr Fin said to the surprise of Amos and the other students.

    Joanna''s smile faded in an instant.

 Chapter 195 What Is It?

    ?Joanna and other students nervously waited to hear what Mr Fin would say.

    "In my entire journey of life I have never met anyone who shared the same ideal with me about the true qualities that make a Great Queen except¡­," Mr Fin trailed as he diverted his attention back to the dude standing in front of him with a puzzled look on his face.

    [I am sure my answer was satisfactory so what game is he trying to y now? Is he perhaps going to use this opportunity to punish me for disrupting his ss¡­. And has he forgotten that I am still the King?]

    Amos felt nervous for some reason since he wasn''t aware of what Mr Fin was scheming.

    "You. So, young man, I mustpliment you for sharing the same ideal with me on this issue. You are a man of wisdom and I foresee that you will go many ces," Mr Fin said to his relief of Joanna.

    She couldn''t resist smiling when she saw the broad smile on Mr Fin''s face.

    The students whose apuds were now echoing in the hall could swear that this is the first time they have seen Mr Fin smile.

    His face was always deprived of a smile, some students even concluded that he had facial paralysis which is why he couldn''t smile.

    With this broad smile of his, he proved their assumptions incorrect.

    "If he was going topliment him then why did he have that long face? I can''t believe he made me worried for nothing," Joanna let out a sigh of relief and leaned her back against the brown chair.

    "Like I promised the seat close to her is yours but... I will advise that you exercise great self-control so you don''t get distracted by her beauty," Mr Fin joked as he pointed at the empty chair beside Joanna''s seat.

    His words made the students chuckle.

    "I never knew a stern man like Mr Fin knows how to joke. He looks less scary and very approachable now. I wish he is always this way," one of the girls sitting behind Joanna''s seat said her gaze glued on Mr Fin''s face.

    Although Mr Fin was advanced in age more than them, he still looked very young. In fact, in terms of looks and youthful vigour, there was no difference between him and his male students.

    Some of his students couldn''t hold a candle to his handsome look.

    "I have always had the belief that being physically powerful is not one of the qualities of a Great Queen and this will never change in years toe," Mr Fin addressed his ss after Amos has taken his seat right beside Joanna.

    "And this why I alwaysughed each time ignorant people say that physical strength is a criteria for choosing our Queen¡­," Mr Fin trailed. He walked about as he talked.

    "I mean Luna Sharon was a human with no supernatural abilities like vampires or werewolves but she is known as one of the greatest Luna, so why must our King''s chosen woman be powerful before she is epted as the true Queen?" Mr Fin asked.

    He paused for a minute to let his words sink into the mind of the students hoping that he would be able to change their rotten mindset.

    "Also what''s the guarantee that the powerfuldy you choose to be the Queen won''t turn a tyrant after she has a taste of power?" Mr Fin asked.

    Joanna whose gaze has been patiently following every movement Mr Fin makes,waiting for him to avert his attention from the two of them finally got her golden opportunity when he walked to the left side of the room.

    She turned in time to see Amos looking at her face intently.

    "What''s it?" She questioned frowning. "You have been constantly looking at my face ever since you stepped into the hall, do I have something on my face?" Joanna asked in almost a whisper.

    "Because you look astonishing," As usual, Amos was blunt with his reply but unfortunately it didn''t have the same effect, unlike other days.

    For a minute Joanna''s heart leapt in excitement hearing his reply.

    [How could you get excited after what he did to you? Have you no shame huh?]

    Joanna scolded herself. She tilted her head sideways to avoid looking at him.

    Seeing that she was trying to avoid him, Amos drew closer and bent slightly so that his mouth was close to her right ear.

    "I recalled you said that fateful day I got you this dress that never will you wear it so what happened huh?" Amos asked, making sure to rub his shoulder against hers.

    Joanna moved a bit to avoid getting close to him but Amos was too shameless to keep his distance knowing very well that they were in a lecture hall.

    "Did you go back on your words and wear it today because you wanted to look good for me¡­,"

    "You are mistaken if that is what you think," Joanna cut in softly. Although she made sure to maintain her low tone she didn''t know that thedies sitting behind were watching them with frowns on their faces.

    "I was in a hurry so Little rice ball offered to pick an outfit for me. He was the one who selected the dress and everything I am wearing so don''t get the wrong idea," Joanna went into unnecessary exnation despite that Amos didn''t ask for it.

    Although she made it clear that Anthony picked the dress for her, he didn''t look convinced by her reply.

    [Why do I feel like my hunch about her wearing the dress to look good for me is correct¡­ Is she perhaps scared I would tease her if she admits?]

    Amos was so distracted looking at Joanna that he didn''t hear a single word Mr Fin said. The same with Joanna.

    "Is it so hard for you to admit that you wore the dress for me huh?"Amos asked as he stretched his hands to touch her but Joanna beats his hand away.

    "If they want to flirt then why must they do it in the lecture hall and served as a source of distraction for other students?" Amos, who was trying to touch Joanna again, stopped in his tracks when he heard theint of one of thedies sitting behind them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    HAPPY ENDING OF THE MONTH EVERYONE!!!

    I only get to do this once a month so I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of my readers who supported this book this August 2022.

    Although my expectations were far from being met and so were the goals far from being aplished, I still want to let you guys know that I appreciate all the hard work and resources you have put into this book.

    Lately, my mind has been in turmoil. For my old readers who followed me from my previous books, I am sure you know that I would have given multiple mass releases each month even though you guys didn''t reach the goals. But this didn''t happen because of the current situation I am going through.

    My mental health has been suffering for over two months now. Just so I won''t disappoint you (My lovely readers) who must be waiting for updates daily, I have been trying my best to update daily.

    I just want to use this medium to tell you guys that I might be forced to take a break from writing if this continues. But let''s all hope it doesn''t get to that stage.

    As I give my all to make sure you get nothing but the best, please help this poor author out. Let''s try our best to do much better next month. I believe that you guys are capable of making your darling author proud so I will look forward to seeing some improvements next month.

    SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE READERS IN ALL THE CATEGORIES BELOW

    So these are some of our special readers who has done extremely wellst month. I just want to let you guys know that your lovely author is watching and knows those readers who are active.

    Thank you so much for your immense supportst month. Thank you for the coins, gifts,ments, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thank you immensely for showering your love and care on this book. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you very much.

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A special shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters for August. I would have loved to mention your names also but unfortunately, authors on Webnovel don''t know readers who bought privileged chapters except the readers leave ament on the purchased chapter.

    ...

    Thank you so much to all my readers, both the active and the silent ones.

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    Keep on supporting the book if you want your name to be included on the list

 Chapter 196 He Got Taken Away

    ?"Can''t they wait for the lecture to end so that they can do whatever they like?" She added angrily.

    He adjusted and sat well on his chair.

    "Despite that you deny it, I believe that I am the reason you wore the dress and that is final," Amos mumbled.

    He turned and looked at the other end of the podium where Mr Fin stood.

    "I¡­,"

    "If you want to keep on arguing then I won''t stop you but I will advise that you get ready to stand in front of everyone until the ss ends," Amos interrupted, not looking at her as he talked.

    Joanna found it weird that he wasn''t staring at her as he talked so she tilted her head to look at what caught his attention.

    Stunned, she quicklyposed herself when she realised that Mr Fin''s gaze was concentrated on her.

    In a sh, sheposed herself and eagerly waited for the ss to end so that she can deal with him.

    With half of Mr Fin''s lecture time spent on both Joanna and Amos, the remaining time wasn''t enough for him to finish his ss.

    The moment the lecture finished a guy in a ck short sleeve shirt was waiting outside the hall for Amos.

    "You are needed in the Chancellor''s office immediately," The guy informed in a stern voice.

    "The Chancellor''s office!" Joanna eximed not able to mask her astonishment. She turned and looked at Amos for an exnation.

    "What happened? Did you get into any sort of trouble in my absence?" Joanna questioned worriedly.

    Those invited to the Chancellor''s office are always for misconduct or something important.

    And as far as she can recall she knows that Amos had no dealing with Mr Aidan so it is very likely that the former was the case.

    "I am fine, don''t worry," Amos faked a smile as he raised his hand to pat her hair.

    "You look so breathtakingly beautiful today so try your best not to frown today because you look less beautiful when you do so¡­,"

    "Is this time to joke around?" Joanna scolded. As they stood at a corner beside the entrance of the hall, students trooped out of the hall but they didn''t let it bother their conversation.

    "Forget about getting rusticated, what if your identity¡­," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she realised that the guy waiting to take Amos with him was still there.

    "Be a good girl and wait for me to return ok," Amos said as he lowered his hand to her face.

    "Since you spared your time to make me happy by wearing the dress for me, there is a reward for you so look forward to it," Amos beamed seeing her temple creased.

    "I have told you¡­,"

    "Let''s go," Amos said to the guy waiting for him. The two of them started walking away.

    Joanna watched them walk in the long hallway. She only took her gaze away from the direction they took after they were no longer in sight.

    "I wonder who are those gutsy enough to pick on my man¡­," Joanna raised her hand and pped her mouth when she realised what she had said.

    ? Joanna was about to scold herself when her cell phone rang, catching the attention of passers-by who turned and looked at him.

    Taking out her cell phone from her handbag, there was guilt in Joanna''s eyes when she saw the caller ID.

    "I can''t believe that because of my problems I forgot to call Drey earlier to find out how her parents are doing. I am such a terrible friend," Joanna refused to pick up the line despite that the cell phone in her hand kept on ringing.

    Joanna turned right and took the same direction Amos took. "Because of what is going on I have noticed that I haven''t been myselftely. I need to sort things out and return to how I was," Joanna was in deep thought as she walked on the busy hallway.

    She was so distracted to the point that she didn''t see ady in ripped jeans and a white crop top sneaking up to her from behind.

    Joanna jumped up the instant a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind.

    A sigh left her lips turning around to see that the one who pranked her was Audrey.

    "Why do you look so absent-minded and troubled? Is something bothering you," Audrey asked, her gaze not moving away from her best friend''s face?

    "Also, where is the man of the hour? Howe he is not with you?" Audrey asked, pretending as though she was searching for someone.

    "Man of the hour? What man of the hour are you talking about?" Joanna asked in confusion.

    "Amos, your boyfriend of course¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have told you many times that he is not my boyfriend. Also, I have said I have no feelings for him so why won''t you listen to me," Joanna said in an upset tone as she started walking away.

    "Really?" Audrey asked teasingly as she ran after Joanna.

    "Are you sure you won''t regret not waiting to listen to what happened and why I called him the man of the hour?" Audrey asked as she jumped and stood in front of her.

    Joanna had toe to an abrupt halt because of this.

    Nonchntly she asked, "And what exactly happened?"

    "He fought with the mean witches and the video of the fight is all over the inte¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna yelled with widened eyes.

    Sheposed herself when she saw other students turn and looked at her.

    "You are always the one with him so I am surprised to see that you are thest person in the Kingdomto know about this¡­,"

    "F*ck! I now understand why the Chancellor sent for him¡­,"

    "Amos is with Mr Aidan?" Audrey asked with a dropped mouth. "Does that mean he is gonna get rusticated for fighting¡­,"

    "I am never gonna let that happen," Joanna stated as she tried to run past her but Audrey held her hand preventing her from running off.

    "I recall you said he is not your boyfriend neither do you like him so why are you acting like you are the one who is gonna get rusticated and not him?" Audrey questioned her anxious friend.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

    Because of the review, I feel so optimistic about this month. I have this amazing feeling that more surprises are gonnae my way this September 2022 from you guys.

    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

    One more thing before I list our goal for September, I just want to say a big thank you to all my readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

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 Chapter 197 At Mr Aidans Office

    ?"Stop being inquisitive and let''s go so we can save him before the Chancellores to a decision," the anxious Joanna said as she grabbed Audrey''s hand and tried to pull her along with her.

    With a deep frown on her face, Joanna tilted her head to look at Audrey, "What''s it now?" Joanna demanded.

    Instead of answering Joanna''s question, Audrey wriggled her hand out of Joanna''s grip.

    She ignored Joanna''s baffled expression and walked to the wall.The way she was so rxed as she leaned against the wall made Joanna upset.

    "Drey, what is wrong with you¡­,"

    "In the past, I was nice to him because I thought you were in love with him. But now that you have confirmed that nothing is going on between the two of you, that means he is nobody to me so why should I care about what happens to him?" Audrey whose back was leaning against the wall asked with her hands folded below her breasts.

    "Why are you acting so weird huh¡­,"

    "Girl, you are the weird one here and not me. Make your stance so that I will know which side to take. Stop getting yourself confused¡­,"

    "Since you won''te with me then I will go alone. I will make sure that nothing happens to him," Joanna stated sternly. She swirled and stomped away in anger.

    Audrey stood and stared at her angry best friend''s departing back.

    "It''s so obvious she likes him quite a lot so why doesn''t she even realize her feelings for him?"Audrey muttered.

    She let down her leg and stood properly on both feet.

    "I have this feeling that she is gonna regret this if she keeps up this attitude with him," Audrey mumbled.

    She followed Joanna immediately.

    Although she pretended not to care, the truth was that she was worried about her friend.

    On the Chancellor''s office floor, Joanna who was running came to a halt in front of the brown door.

    The gaspingdy was about to extend her hand and pulled the door''s handle when the door suddenly flew open.

    Before she could react the person stomped out, almost knocking her off her feet.

    Because she didn''t expect someone toe out at the time she wanted to enter the man''s office, the fuming Tiffany was able to get away but she didn''t repeat the same mistake twice.

    The moment she saw Nora stomp out of the room almost in the same manner Tiffany did, Joanna grabbed the angrydy''s right hand.

    "How dare you¡­,"

    "I am the one who should be asking you how dare you girlsy a finger on him?" Joanna, who was equally mad that thedies had to drag Amos into the mess, cut Nora short.

    "I remember saying I won''t take things lightly if youdies go after him also. I thought all I have done to youdies will serve as a warning but I can see you all are still thinking that you own¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And what can you do huh?" Nora asked her piercing res looking directly into Joanna''s eyeballs.

    She flung Joanna''s hand away.

    "Also, don''t tell me you were expecting to see me shiver in fear like that night huh?"

    Unlike the usual fear she always sees in Nora''s eyes ever since she scared the girls in the vi that night, Joanna was surprised to see newfound confidence in the girl''s eyes.

    "If that is what you expected then I am sorry to disappoint you because I have passed that stage¡­," Sophie also tromp out of the office before Nora finished her sentence.

    "Also, if there is anyone who should be scared between us it should be you," Sophie said. There was anger all over her face.

    The vibration of her entire body showed just how angry she was.

    "If there is one thing you should know after today''s incident it''s the fact that you have bitten more than you can chew. And as such you should better prepare for what ising your way," Sophie threatened. As she walked away, she collided hard with Joanna, almost dislocating Joanna''s shoulder.

    Nora also walked away leaving only Doris whose silhouette Joanna got a glimpse of inside the Chancellor''s office.

    Standing outside, Joanna stretched her neck to confirm whether Amos was inside the mean man''s office.

    Hiding behind the wall she was able to get a full view of the man''s desk when Doris came out of the office.

    As she came out of the office Joanna noticed that Doris'' expression was no different from those of her friends that had left.

    She grasped Doris'' right hand, not letting her walk out on her as she wanted.

    "Tell your friends that it''s one thing to make a threat and it''s another to carry out the threat. Anyone can make threats but it''s that person who says and does exactly what she says is the true winner," Joanna said with a stern expression.

    She ignored Doris'' annoyance. Why should she care about how she felt when they were the ones who started it first?

    "I will make the four of you regret the day you came into this world if I find out that he had sustained the slightest thing as a scratch on his body. Mark my words because this is not a threat," Joanna said as she let go of Doris'' hand.

    This time around she refused to let Doris walk out on her also. She left the ce before the angrydy did.

    Joanna was running out of the building when she bumped into Audrey at the entrance.

    Audrey grabbed her anxious friend''s hand, and take a peep inside the building with the aid of the transparent ss door.

    She returned her gaze to Joanna standing in front of her when she didn''t see the one whom she was looking for.

    "Why is he not with you?" Audrey demanded with a worried tone. "Don''t tell me he really got rusticated because of the fight?" Audrey took a wild guess.

 Chapter 198 Joan!

    ?Joanna was about to respond but the nging of high heelsing from inside the building interrupted their conversation.

    Audrey''s worried stares turned murderous at an instant when she saw the oneing out of the building.

    With head and shoulders held high Doris walked past them. Even though she had any grievances with her friends not being around she dared not utter a word to them.

    Audrey diverted her attention back to Joanna after Doris was gone.

    "What is he gonna do¡­,"

    "I don''t know what happened. Before I got there Mr Aidan had already finished addressing the issue. He wasn''t there" Joanna said, not able to hide her anxiety.

    "Mr Aidan was done addressing the issue so quickly?" Audrey muttered in astonishment as she released Joanna''s hand.

    "That''s so weird because Mr Aidan I and everyone on campus knew would have taken at least an hour addressing the issue¡­," Audrey trailed as she lifted her gaze and stared at where Mr Aidan''s office was located on the second floor.

    "I can still recall the day I almost got into a huge fight with the mean girls before you returned. He talked for close to forty minutes¡­,"

    "I also know exactly how he is and that is why I am so worried that he concluded the matter so quickly. I want to look for him so that I can know Mr Aidan''s judgment," Joanna said as she tried to hurry away.

    Audrey reached out her hand and held Joanna''s right hand.

    "And I will help you. Don''t worry I will make that old man pay if I find out that his judgment was in favour of the mean witches," Audrey beats her chest with her free hand after she finished speaking.

    "Let''s go," Joanna said as she turned and led the way.

    Even though Joanna''s sense of smell wasn''t active at the moment with Audrey by her side it wasn''t that hard to find Amos.

    <Analyse activated>

    The white notification box popped up after Joanna started scrutinising the crowded field for Amos.

    The system started scanning the faces of the students. Even those who were not within eyes reach were scanned.

    "Isn''t that him?" Joanna heard Audrey shout.

    Joanna turned and looked in the direction Audrey''s finger was pointing at.

    <Analysepleted>

    The message appeared on the transparent white screen after it finished scanning Amos and thedy standing beside him.

    "But who is thatdy holding his hands?" Came Audrey''s question when she got a glimpse of thedy who was staring into Amos'' eyes intently.

    "It''s her again!" Joanna sped her fist without even realising it the instant she saw Amelia who was shamelessly looking into Amos'' eyes even though there were so many people around.

    Audrey averted her attention to thedy standing beside her when she heard the killing intent in her voice.

    "Is she thedy whom he has been giving all his attention totely?" Audrey asked despite having already guessed the answer from Joanna''s murderous res.

    She was making it so obvious that she hates the beautiful youngdy so how could she not know?<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I hate her so much¡­,"

    "Even though you didn''t say it I know you do because it shows all over you,"Audrey cut in.

    "You¡­,"

    "I know you can''t hear what they are saying so how about we move closer so you can hear it too? I mean it is no fun since I am the only one hearing their sweet conversation," Audrey said smiling.

    She held Joanna''s hand and pulled her along before she had the chance to say no.

    Joanna and Audrey moved closer until they were within the range she was certain Joanna could hear their conversation.

    "I like you very much, Amos. In fact, I fell in love with you from the moment I set my eyes on you¡­," Amelia who was holding Amos'' hands said while looking into his eyeballs.

    Joanna bit her lower lips as she stared at the two people who looked so engrossed with what they were doing.

    For some reason, she could feel her chest tighten. Her right hand clutched the hold of her white dress seeing that Amos wasn''t looking away nor did he make an attempt to reject Amelia.

    "I know maybe deep down you don''t like me romantically but I promise you that I won''t give up until I make your heart, soul and body mine," Amelia said as she began stroking Amos'' hand.

    "She is such a flirt¡­,"

    "I know but I must admit that she is very beautiful just like you¡­,"

    "Don''t you darepare her to me because she is nothing like me," Joanna snapped, taking Audrey by shock with her reaction?

    Because of how loud Joanna spoke, she garnered the attention of those going about their own things on the field.

    Amelia and Amos also turned to look at them.

    "Anna, he is looking at us now. Won''t you go and ask him what happened," Audrey asked as she tried not to make it obvious to Amos that she was looking at them.

    "He now has someone else, it''s so clear that I am no longer needed," Joanna said. She raised her gaze and shot Amos and Amelia a murderous re. She turned and walked away instantly.

    "Joan!" Amos called but she pretended as though she didn''t hear.

    "Continue with what you were doing, I will take my leave now," Audrey said with a fake smile. She spun and ran after her angry best friend.

    "Joan¡­," Amos as she tried to chase Joanna but Amelia grabbed his hand.

    He turned and shot thedy by his side with murderous res when she wouldn''t let go.

    "Let go now," he ordered sternly. He tried to walk away the second time but Amelia refused to let go.

    "I told you she would get mad if she saw us like this as you can see what I was afraid of has urred¡­,"

    "And why do you think she is angry huh?" Amelia said. She let go of Amos'' hand but she moved to stand in front of him for fear that he might run after Joanna.

    "I mean you said she is not in love with you right so have you asked yourself why she is mad because I confessed my feelings to you?" Amelia questioned not avoiding his eyes.

 Chapter 199 Tiffanys Scheme

    ?Amelia waited for Amos'' response but he couldn''t talk. He was too busy trying to analyze her question to have time for her.

    "Judging from her attitude I can tell she took your love for granted so if you really want her to realise her true feelings for you then you won''t run after her ok?" Amelia asked avoiding his eyeballs.

    Standing there watching the distance between him and the woman he loves get wider Amos was lost at what to do.

    He doesn''t want to hurt her or be the reason why she shed tears but as much as he wants this, he also desires to make her reciprocate his feelings.

    He hates seeing her upset and he wants her to love him even though not as much as he loves her.

    The situation was soplicated that he didn''t know what to choose again.

    "Think about what you want. You are doing this not only for yourself but also for her so don''t be rash about your decision," Amelia said softly, seeing Amos sped fist.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on Tiffany sitting down on a ck bench at the edge of the field clenched her fist when she saw Joanna being chased by Audrey.

    "I hate that girl''s guts," Tiffany muttered her murderous res glued on Joanna.

    "I know and I also feel the same way as you," the guy in blue denim jeans that just walked up to her muttered as he leaned against the white pool mounted close to the bench on the right-hand side.

    "But unfortunately we have to put up with her no matter how much we loathe her¡­,"

    "And why should we do that when we can have our revenge," Tiffany replied. She tilted her head to the right to look at the one leaning against the tall pool.

    Because of his body weight the pool swings to and fro.

    "Tiff, don''t tell me you are still not over your ns of making her life miserable after all that happened¡­,"

    "And why should I be tired when she is still alive and breathing?" Tiffany snapped. She stood up from the bench and stared at the spot she saw Joanna before she disappeared.

    "This is why I will need your help and that of your boys," Tiffany now standingbeside Logan paused walking in front of him.

    "What!" Logan shouted. Instead of astonishment, there was fear in his eyes as he walked a step backwards.

    "You must be out of your damn mind right?... Have you forgotten what the King and his heartless men did to us?" He shook his head while talking.

    "We barely came out of that horrible ce alive and you want to send us to our grave¡­,"

    "Why are you being such a coward, Gan? You are more than this," Tiffany coaxed. She lifted her hand and held Logan''s shoulders but he pushed her hand away.

    "It must have been easy for you to forget what we went through because you were not the one in my shoes but I haven''t forgotten what the lunatic King and his men did to us because of her," Logan amplified.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The mere recalling of that dark room and the series of torture they went through during those days made the usually fearless Logan shudder.

    "In fact, I still have nightmares about that ce so never will I want to go back there¡­. No his Majesty promised to kill us if we dare as to go close to her so¡­,"

    "Hey, snap out of it already because his Majesty didn''t lock you guys up because of her," Tiffany said with a stern expression.

    She reached out her hand and held Logan''s hand. She swirled him so that he was looking at her.

    Tiffany raised her hand and ced it on his shoulders, "His Majesty did that to the four of you because Grandfather didn''t only provoke him but hurt his ego. It wasn''t because of that lowlife girl¡­," Logan pushed Tiffany''s hands away from his shoulders.

    This time around he was so determined to reject his cousin''s request and it showed on his face.

    "It doesn''t matter what you say is the reason for His Majesty''s actions. But what I know is that I won''t go an inch close to that girl," Logan was firm about his decision.

    He gave no damn whether his decision would upset Tiffany.

    "We have made her life miserable for a long time and I think that is enough already¡­. But if you are not satisfied, you can ask Seth and the others but I doubt they won''t turn down your request also," Logan said. He washed his hand off the matter.

    Although he can be a bit reckless, he cherished his life of immortality too much to want to get killed so soon.

    He turned to leave but the obstinate Tiffany grabbed his hand.

    "Gan, I have already told my friends that you and your friends are gonna take care of it like you all always did in the past¡­,"

    "Tiff, drop it already¡­. Even though I was stupid enough to forget the King''s warning I wouldn''t forget what Grandpa said. He will kill me¡­,"

    "Grandpa loves you more than he loves his own life. Do you think that someone like him would kill his precious grandson?" Tiffany continued in her quest to convince her cousin to do her will.

    "I am sorry, Tiff," Logan apologised. He brushed off Tiffany''s hands and proceeded to leave.

    "What a disappointment he is," Tiffany mumbled, her piercing res directed at her cousin''s back.

    Logan stopped walking after taking about four steps from where he stood. He spun and looked at his fuming cousin.

    "The lustful Chancellor is at it again. If you are patient enough I am sure that you will get what you want without having to lift a finger¡­ I don''t know whether this is considered good news to you," Logan said meekly. Tiffany''s face lights up in a sh.

    She hurried to stand beside Logan.

    "What does that mean? Be a little more detailed about it," There were sparks in her eyes as she waited for his exnation.

 Chapter 200 Fear

    ?Logan went ahead to reveal what he noticed about Mr Aidan to Tiffany.

    An evil grin appeared on Tiffany''s face even before Logan finished talking.

    "The foolish man is about to make the biggest mistake of his life by coveting the King''s woman, so keep calm and reap the benefits," Logan said, a sly smile appearing on his face.

    Although he can''t take revenge because of the King, this can also be considered his revenge too.

    With this incident, he would be able to take revenge on the cruel King who made his lifefortable and also used this opportunity to get rid of the nosy Chancellor who always gets in his way on campus.

    "Hehe¡­ This sounds like it will be fun," Tiffany said, her evil grin broadening. She stood up gracefully from the bench the two of them were now sitting on.

    "Since the old fool has set the fire burning, why don''t I add some fuel to it? It will be really fun to deal with that old fool who always used Grandpa to threaten me," Tiffany muttered, the evil smile not leaving her face.

    She clenched her fist when she recalled what the man said some minutes ago in his office.

    "If you are going to continue causing trouble why don''t I call your Grandpa here? I am sure he will have a lot of ways to keep you under control?" Tiffany''s fists tightened when she recalled the smug look on his face when he said these words.

    How dare he threaten her? Who gave him the guts to threaten her and her friends?

    Maybe he has forgotten whose granddaughter she is just because he has seen her mingling with her grandfather.

    With this, she will be able to show him who is in charge. If he survived this incident never would he dare to challenge her anymore?

    "What are you nning to do?" Logan demanded with fear in his eyes.

    "The lunatic King will not hesitate to kill you if youy a hand on her¡­,"

    "And does it look like I am scared of him?" Tiffany cut in sharply.

    As Tiffany and her cousin were busy schemings, somewhere on campus the one whom they were scheming against was busy trying to run away from heaven knows what.

    "Will you stop acting like a sore loser," Audrey shouted and halted. All her attempt to make Joanna stop running has proved abortive and she believes the result might change if she goes the hard way.

    Joanna halted and spun to look at her friend to make sure that she was the one who talked.

    "Are you talking to me?" Joanna asked while pointing at herself.

    "And who else would I be talking to if you and I are the only ones here?" Audrey replied. She took this opportunity to close the wide gap between them.

    "Hey, how could you call me that huh?" Joanna red up. These are the words she has been trying to avoid hearing ever since she saw the two of them at the campus gate.

    She was afraid that she would really be a sore loser and right now her fears seem to have be reality.

    "Are you even my friend¡­,"

    "It''s because I am your friend who loves you a lot. That is why I want us to talk about your problem so we can find a solution to it," Audrey said. She stopped walking further when they were arm''s reach away.

    Because this was the secluded part of campus they didn''t have to worry about someone eavesdropping on their conversation.

    "Let me tell you, I wouldn''t have wasted my time chasing you if you were not my friend so get rid of that pride of yours and let''s find somece to sit and talk. Because that is the only thing you need to resolve the problem at hand," Audrey said sternly. She extended her hand and grabbed Joanna''s hands.

    She tried to make Joanna move along with her but she refused to budge.

    Audrey tilted her head so that she was looking at Joanna''s face, "Except you really want to lose him for good to that girl," Audrey said.

    A sly smile lingered on her face when she noticed that Joanna had stopped resisting after herst sentence.

    [I can''t believe I have found a way to tame this temper of hers¡­ he sure is the most effective medicine to cure her stubbornness]

    Audrey smiled as she pulled her best friend along. Together they approached the dusty ss door at their right-hand side.

    The building that upied the hall, they walked into was very dirty but the two best friends paid no attention to it.

    They proceeded to the stairs at the right-hand side of the hall and together scaled the four-storey building.

    When they had reached the rooftop which was their final destination Audrey released Joanna''s hand.

    Looking at the space Audrey discovered there was no chair. With no chair to sit on they were left with only one option. And that was the edge of the rooftop.

    "Let''s go sit over there," Audrey pointed at the bnce edge of the rooftop. She held Joanna''s left hand and together they walked there.

    "My clothes will get¡­," Before Joanna could finishying down herint, the considerate Audrey had already pulled out a ck jacket from her bag and spaced it on the rectangr edge.

    "With this, you don''t have to worry about dirtying your white dress," Audrey said as she sat down. Joanna also did likewise.

    Despite the great height, there was no form of fear in the two friends'' eyes as they enjoyed the view of the campus.

    "So how did you and your boyfriende to the stage where you are avoiding each other huh¡­,"

    "I am not avoiding him but he is the one who is hanging out with her while ignoring me," Joanna snapped. The veins on her neck popped out as she spoke.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It doesn''t matter who is avoiding or ignoring whom. All I want to know is what led to your current situation because as far as I know Amos was head over heels for you¡­," Audrey said as she shifted to the right so that she was looking at Joanna.

    "He was so good to you that there was even a point I got jealous of your rtionship," Audrey said honestly.

    "So what went wrong exactly?" Audrey demanded her gaze centred on her angry best friend.

    ...

    HAPPY ENDING OF THE MONTH EVERYONE!!!

    I only get to do this once a month so I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of my readers who supported this book this August 2022.

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    My mental health has been suffering for over two months now. Just so I won''t disappoint you (My lovely readers) who must be waiting for updates daily, I have been trying my best to update daily.

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 Chapter 201 Audrey Offered To Help Her

    ?"I don''t know Drey. We haven''t had any arguments. He decided to keep his distance from me for no reason," Joanna ryed her plights.

    Her blood boiled in rage when she recalled the manner Amos abandoned her in his room after Amelia''s phone call that day.

    "Go easy on your poor hands ok? You are gonna ruin them at this rate," Audrey, whose gaze was on Joanna''s bleeding right hand, cautioned.

    Lifting her right hand Joanna was surprised to see that she had dug her nails into her delicate flesh until it bled.

    "Anna, I will advise that you try to recall all that happened before the day he started acting weird because I am sure he wouldn''t be treating you this way. Except you are epting that he is crazy," Audrey said meekly.

    Seeing her friend this way also affects her mood so the best way to make everyone happy again is to find the root of all that happened and that is exactly what she is doing.

    "I didn''t do anything¡­,"

    "Anna, take a deep breath ok," Audrey ced her hand on the agitateddy''s right shoulder.

    "Don''t be rash with your reply, take your time to recollect all that happened that night you said he left you in bed in the middle of¡­you know what I mean," Audrey joked just to lighten the atmosphere a little.

    "I have this guy feeling that everything started going awry because of what you might have said or done so take your time ok," Audrey said softly. The calmness of her voice served as an effective soothing medicine to Joanna''s anger.

    Joanna ryed all that happened starting from how he barged into her home to ask her out on a date.

    She was so immersed in her narration and didn''t see herself smiling at every interval.

    "He looks so reserved. I never knew he had that badass side attached to him. Also, I never knew that nerds like having fun¡­,"

    "Don''t call him like that," Joanna was quick to correct Audrey.

    "Yes Madam," Audrey replied sarcastically. Joanna chuckled seeing the funny face Audrey made while saying the word.

    "So what happened after he almost bought the entire boutique for you huh?" The inquisitive Audrey asked.

    Even though she wasn''t with them on the mentioned day, she was having fun merely hearing Joanna ry the events that took ce.

    Joanna went ahead to ry their experience in the jewellery shop. Audrey couldn''t resist cracking up when she heard the method Joanna adopted just to stop her man from purchasing the entire jewellery in the jewel shop for her.

    "Hahaha¡­ you will never change. I can''t believe you adopted the same method you always used on me," Audreyughed.

    "You¡­," Audrey was about to talk when the loud noiseing from the northern part of the campus interrupted her.

    "The mysterious guy is here and I can''t believe the girls are at it again," Audrey muttered. A frown appeared on her face as she kept on looking at where the students'' cheers wereing from.

    "They can go crazy for him as much as they want, I don''t care. Besides, I have a lot on my tes to care about," Joanna replied as she looked away from where the students'' shouts came from.

    Audrey brought back her gaze to her friend by her side. "I know thedies are going overboard by losing their soul to him but I must admit that he is devilishly handsome. When I came across his picture I couldn''t believe that someone could be so handsome¡­.,"

    "Is he better looking than Kay?" Joanna blurted out without thinking. She covered her mouth when she realised what she said.

    She tilted her head to peep at Audrey''s face expecting to see Audrey re up at the mention of his name.

    Joanna was stunned to see that Audrey''s mood didn''t change a bit even after calling Kayden''s name, the name Audrey didn''t want to hear.

    "Hmmm¡­," Audrey trailed with her index finger on her lips.

    "Do you even need to think that much," Joanna asked. It was so obvious what answer she wanted from Audrey.

    "I can''t seem to pick. That''s to tell you how handsome he is," Audrey replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You should see his abs, Anna. They are killers¡­,"

    "Why are you diverting from what we were talking about huh?" Joanna questioned while avoiding looking at Audrey.

    Noticing Joanna''s reddened cheeks, the corner of Audrey''s lips lifts to reveal a sly smile.

    "Why is your face red? Do you feel hot?" Audrey asked teasingly. She raised her hand to touch Joanna''s cheek but she was fast to beat Audrey''s hand away.

    She cupped her reddened cheeks.

    Audrey chuckled seeing how her best friend was acting like a child who was caught stealing.

    "Let''s get back to real business. We will talk about his killer body next time," Audrey said, giving Joanna the floor to continue with her narration.

    Joanna''s face lit up once again when she reached the part where she entered thendy''s former apartment and met the surprise he had prepared for her.

    "He proposed to you?" Audrey shouted trying to jump up. For a minute she forgot that they were sitting on the edge of the rooftop.

    Audrey tried to keep her astonishment under control after almost falling off the rooftop.

    "Also why didn''t you tell me that I and your boyfriend are now neighbours¡­,"

    "I didn''t get the chance to. As you know things have been hectic and I haven''t been in my right mindtely. I am sorry I forgot to tell you that," Joanna apologised.

    "We will talk about thatter but for now tell me what your response was," Audrey was more eager to hear the continuation of the storypared to the fact that Joanna kept a secret from her.

    Joanna fiddled with her fingers when the time for her to satisfy Audrey''s curiosity reached.

    "Stop keeping me in suspense and say it already," Audrey ordered with a frown. "You must have said yes right and that is how things graduated to you both being on the bed naked right?" Audrey lets her imagination run wild as she winked at her best friend.

    The way she behaved was as if she had multiple personalities.

    "I rejected his proposal," Joanna replied with her head lowered.

    "What?" Audrey shouted. She jumped and stood on the space which had only enough space for her two legs to stand on.

    "Tell me you are joking right?"

    ...

    A/N: Hello, it''s your author again. Guys, I just want to remind you about our goals for the month.

    Please support the book by buying and unlocking privileged chapters. I will forever be grateful to all of you if we can reach our goals this month.

    Apart from the promised mass release for thepletion of the goals, I promise to give a THANK YOU MASS RELEASE if we reach the 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock.

    Please help out this poor author ok... (blinks repeatedly with her lips pouted)

    Also, don''t forget that apart from this month you only have October to get your name on the list of extremely supportive readers which alwayses up at the end of the month.

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 Chapter 202 Are You In Love With Him?

    ?"I am not" Joanna''s meek reply did nothing in calming Audrey down.

    "You rejected him after such an borate proposal?" Audrey asked with both her hands ced on her waist.

    "So what were you expecting from him after rejection?... Were you expecting him to spread his hands and embrace you for a job well done or did you expect him to act as though nothing happened?" Audrey said not sounding sympathetic anymore.

    All this while she had thought that there was a possibility that her best friend was wronged but hearing it from the horse''s mouth that she was the one at fault she dared not indulge her anymore.

    "He didn''t look hurt at all after I rejected him. Besides this is not the first or second time I have rejected his proposal. He is way too thick-skinned to get hurt by my rejection," Joanna said. She stood up on the rectangr stone so she won''t have to strain her neck to look at Audrey.

    "This is not your first or second time rejecting his proposal?" Audrey asked with disbelief on her face.

    She couldn''t believe that so much happened without her knowledge. "Also why does it feel like you are proud about always rejecting him?" Audrey demanded.

    Joanna kept quiet when she didn''t know what to say.

    Was she proud of always rejecting him or was she so used to it that she thinks such a thing isn''t a big deal?

    Maybe she was never careful with her words while rejecting him because he never made it obvious that he was hurting.

    "I thought all you did was always deny your feelings for him but I can''t believe that you have been taking his feelings for granted¡­,"

    "Why are you scolding me? Didn''t you say we were gonna find a solution to it?" Joanna asked unhappily.

    "I am scolding you because you deserve it, Anna. How could you do such a thing to him repeatedly and still expect him to act as though nothing happened?... Do you think he is a piece of wood without feelings or what?" Audrey asked.

    Despite that Joanna was her friend she didn''t hold back with her scoldings. She condemned her actions to let her know that she wasn''t in support of what she did.

    "Why are you making it sound as if I am the bad guy here Drey?" Joanna asked, feeling wronged.

    "You are, Anna. If you never had feelings for him in the past you should have maintained your stance instead of leading him on after each rejection. It was a cruel thing to do," Audrey said as she jumped down to the levelled grey floor.

    Audrey offered Joanna a hand, noticing that she wanted toe down also.

    "Also, if you are not in love with him like you always say then can you answer a question from me?" Audrey asked meekly as she concentrated her attention on Joanna.

    "Why are you acting this way? You acted like someone whose lover has stolen away from her, why?" Audrey asked sternly.

    Joanna started fidgeting after Audrey''s question. She bit her nails and in the next minute, she started fiddling with her chained handbag.

    "Let me ask you another question, are you in love with him?" Audrey demanded, her gaze not moving away from the nervous Joanna''s face.

    "I¡­I¡­," Joanna stammered, not able to give any definite answer.

    "See, you are not even sure of your feelings for him neither can you give the reason for being jealous that he is treating another woman better than you¡­," Audrey trailed. She lifted her hands and held Joanna''s shoulders.

    She made sure her friend''s wavering eyeballs were locked in hers before she began talking.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Anna, you need to be certain of your feelings for him and what you are fighting for. It will be very unfair to him if you act rashly and chase away another woman from him when you don''t even love him," Audrey said.

    "Search your heart," Audrey pokes Joanna''s chest with her index finger.

    "Ask yourself whether you really love him. You need to ascertain what you feel for him before you do anything and while doing this I will ask that you be fast about it if you don''t want to lose him to another?".

    Audrey let go of Joanna''s shoulders after making sure that her words had sunk into the deepest part of her heart.

    "If you don''t lose what you have you will never know its worth. Let that not be your case, Anna, because I can assure you that you will regret your decision forever," Audrey advised like a true friend would have done.

    "As you take out time to sort your feelings I will suggest you don''t assume you have a whole year to think about it because the longer you take, the faster he is slowly slipping away from you," Audrey said, lifting her hand and tapped Joanna''s right shoulder.

    "I will give you privacy so take your time ok and make sure to tell me if you have found the answers, so I can know whether or not to fight alongside you," Audrey squeezed her shoulder with care.

    She forced on a smile before she turned and strolled out of the building.

    In a daze, Joanna stood on the rooftop alone. Her mind was in turmoil as Audrey''s question began reying on her mind.

    In the past, all she believed was that he would be around her forever.

    But if one was to ask her what gave her the confidence she wouldn''t be able to answer that question.

    Where and how did her confidencee about?

    Also, why was she so mad the moment she set eyes on Amelia on the field earlier?

    Why did her heart ache so much when she saw that he didn''t reject her advances?

    Joanna''s mind was flooded with many questions as she paced about the rooftop.

    She had 1001 questions on her mind but unfortunately, she didn''t have answers to many of them.

    Standing there battling with her thoughts Joanna lost track of time.

    She was stunned when she lowered her gaze and looked at her wristwatch.

    "F*ck! It''s almost time for work," Joanna eximed as she started hurrying away.

    "Let me leave now or else I will bete. I will try to talk things out with him when hees to the cafe to apany me like he always did. I believe everything will be alright afterwards," Joanna tried to assure herself even though deep down she was having doubts.

    ....

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

 Chapter 203 Are You Waiting For Someone?

    ?As she tried to meet up with her time of resumption for work, Joanna kept her hopes alive by having positive thoughts.

    Thinking negatively would not only ruin her mood but the rest of her day and that is why she tried her best to keep negative thoughts at bay.

    At the cafe, Joanna met a very busy environment. Noticing that work was overwhelming she rushed to the counter ignoring all the noises around them.

    "I will go get changed now," Joanna said to Mrs Parker holding a tray of orders in her hands.

    This wasn''t her first time seeing Mrs Parker assist them with serving the customers and that is why she didn''t freak out.

    "Hurry up," Mrs Parker replied. She hastened to go deliver the order to the man who was already calling for her attention.

    Joanna dashed into the changing room lockers and opened the tall brown locker with her name on it.

    Even though she wanted to take her time to dress up, the loud noisesing from the main cafe wouldn''t let her do that.

    Joanna was careful in taking off her white dress to avoid getting it stained.

    She hung the dress on the hangers and picked up the blue work shirt and ck trousers she kept on top of the tall locker.

    Without wasting time she slid the shirt into her slender body.

    As she was busy tying her long hair, she spared a bit of her time to take a peep at her cell phone.

    The disappointment was apparent on her face when she confirmed that she doesn''t have missed calls or in boxes.

    "After seeing me walk away like that how could he be so cruel not to call or text me at least once?" Joanna muttered. Out of annoyance, she threw the cell phone into the locker not caring whether or not the screen breaks.

    "The Kay I know would have called and texted me to the point that my cell phone shuts down so why is he acting indifferently now?" Joanna mumbled.

    She never really saw the value of his constant calls and text messages until today.

    "Was Audrey''s guess that my rejection hurt him true? Is this why he is acting this way?" Joanna was in a world of her own forgetting that they were people outside waiting for her toe out and loan them a hand.

    Joanna shook her head realising that she was beginning to have bad thoughts she has been avoiding.

    "I believe that nothing works more magic than talking things out in a rtionship just like Drey said. So I will await positive results. And I will make sure I get back at him for all these after we settle our differences¡­," The violent mming of the door made Joanna jump up.

    She spun and looked at the door ready to attack whoever startled her.

    "It''s you, Mrs Parker!" Joanna eximed, not able to do what she had in mind.

    "If you are done then will you get your ass out of here, we need help in there," Mrs Parker said with a frown.

    "Ok, I will be out in a minute," Joanna replied as she jammed the locker door close.

    Mrs Parker had no patience to wait for her to finish up so she returned to the cafe first.

    Before Joanna left the locker room, she exhaled deeply thrice.

    "Girl, you need to rx and get your acts together if you want to keep this job," Joanna warned herself.

    The reason she took on a job was to be independent. She didn''t want to rely on her careless father or wicked stepmother for her survival.

    At least she should have something to fall on in case anything happens in the future. That way she won''t be left stranded.

    Joanna left for the main cafe after she was done.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Take this and deliver it to table four," Leah shoved the tray containing strawberry dessert and two cups of coffee to Joanna the moment she arrived at the counter.

    With the order in her hands, Joanna hastened to go and deliver the order so she would have time to answer other customers.

    "Over here please?"

    "Hello?"

    "Come here?"

    "Why isn''t anyone taking my orders?"

    Almost all the customers were talking at once and this kept Joanna and her colleagues on their toes.

    With how busy they were for over three hours Joanna had no time to think about Amos.

    After three hours of running around, the cafe became a little free.

    "Gosh, that was hectic!" Joanna exhaled as she leaned against the counter.

    Although Mrs Parker''s cafe wasn''t doing badly, ever since she started working here she hasn''t seen the ce as crowded as it was today.

    Standing there enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that has returned to the cafe once again, Joanna''s eyes subconsciously went to Amos'' special table.

    Her eyebrows creased seeing that Amos still hadn''t shown up.

    "Why isn''t he here?" Joanna muttered with a sped fist.

    Joanna was distracted and didn''t see Mrs Parker approach her. Reaching where she stood Mrs Parker stared at the girl who was oblivious of her presence.

    Mrs Parker lifted her hand and touched Joanna''s right handid on the counter.

    "What''s wrong? You have been distractedtely unlike your usual self. Is there anything eating you up?" Mrs Parker asked out of concern.

    [How could you ask me that when you and your cousin are responsible for my problems? I wouldn''t be so miserable if you didn''t introduce your cousin to him]

    Joanna clenched her fist as she looked at Mrs Parker in silence. She was afraid she would take out her frustration on the woman standing before her if she opened her mouth.

    "Is there something on my face?" Mrs Parker said while touching her face.

    Joanna looked away realising that she had stared at the woman''s face for too long.

    "You have nothing on you so you don''t have to worry," Joanna said.

    Just then the ss door dinged open and immediately Joanna diverted her attention to the entrance with hope in her eyes.

    Her countenance fell on seeing that the customer that just arrived wasn''t Amos

    "Are you waiting for someone?" Mrs Parker asked when she saw sadness in Joanna''s eyes after her hope got crushed again.

    "If it''s him you are waiting for then I will advise that you don''t waste your time because at the moment he must be too busy enjoying himself to think about someone else," Mrs Parker said.

    She only needed to say this much to get Joanna''s full attention.

    "What do you mean?" Joanna demanded. For a moment she forgot that she was talking to her boss.

 Chapter 204 Joanna Transferred Her Anger To Mrs Parker

    ?Mrs Parker grinned inwardly when she noticed that Joanna had taken the bait.

    "Hmmm¡­," Mrs Parker trailed as she walked over from the front of the counter to where Joanna stood.

    "By this time I believe they should be in the movie theatre having a great time in their booked room," Mrs Parker said with a broad smile on her pretty face.

    "What!" Joanna shouted with widened eyes. She didn''t give a fuck that her loud voice attracted the attention of the customers.

    As if dropping the bomb wasn''t enough torture for the poordy Mrs Parker raised her hand and ce it on Joanna''s right shoulder.

    "Because of how he always dressed, I never imagined that he was a rich dude. I was awestruck when Lia began listing the assets under his family''s name," Mrs Parker was merciless with her torture this time around.

    She acted as though she didn''t see Joanna''s tightened fist and the burning rage in her eyes.

    "My sister was able to meet and fall in love with such a capable man like him all because of you, so you deserve all the thanks¡­," Mrs Parker trailed.

    "Tell me what you want. As a way of showing appreciation I will give you whatever you want¡­," Joanna walked away almost causing Mrs Parker to lose bnce.

    Joanna was too angry to care about what she did.

    [If I said I want your sister''s head would you be able to give it to me because that is what I really want right now]

    Joanna sped her fist as she strolled out of the cafe in anger.

    Leah standing in front of the counter walked over to Mrs Parker''s side frowning.

    "What hase over hertely??" Leah asked her gaze following thedy who was now outside the cafe.

    "She has been so sensitivetely. She gets angry at every slight mistake. I can''t believe she also got angry at you," Leah added.

    "She is suffering from every being''s worst sickness so you can''t me her for taking it out on me," Mrs Parker said grinning.

    Leah had expected her to get furious andshed out at Joanna and that is why Mrs Parker''s smile left her in awe of the woman.

    She has worked with so many bosses and never had she seen any boss as good as Mrs Parker.

    She isn''t only nice but treats her employees with respect. Maybe her temperament is the reason many people adored her.

    [I must admit she is one weirddy]

    Leah was lost in thoughts as she looked at the smilingdy''s face.

    Leah was still in a daze when Mrs Parker''s words resounded in her head. Her eyes widened in an instant.

    "Joanna is sick?" Leah asked with widened eyes. No matter how surprised she was she didn''t treat Mrs Parker as though they were friends.

    "If she is sick then why didn''t she mention it to us?" Leah''s eyes were full of worry as she spoke.

    "I can see why she has been acting weirdtely¡­. I would have been a little more caring had I known that she was sick". Leah added as she turned and stared at thest ce she saw Joanna standing.

    Mrs Parker couldn''t resist chuckling when she realised that Leah had mistaken what she just said.

    "Mrs Parker, please did she mention anything about her illness to you? Is her condition serious or is what she is suffering curable?" Leah flooded Mrs Parker with questions, nevertheless, she kept her manners all the way.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The sickness she is down with is a unique one. It''s the sickness which brings even the mightiest to their knees. No medicine in this world can cure that sickness," Mrs Parker said with a smile on her face.

    Leah was about to ask another question when Mrs Parker''s cell phone lying on the table rang.

    Leah watched the woman''s face. She was fortunate enough to see a sh of fear across Mrs Parker''s eyes the instant she saw the caller''s ID.

    She looked as the woman hurried away towards the locker room.

    "She just said Joanna is sick so why was she smiling?... Why is everyone around me acting weirdtely?" Leah muttered.

    Just then a customer''s call put an abrupt end to her thoughts.

    After leaving the cafe Joanna strolled to the public resting area located not far away from the cafe.

    She and Amos always love sitting there every time she gets off work since that is the only private time they have.

    Merely looking at the brown bench from afar memories they have spent on that spot reyed in her memory.

    They were always very happy. And most importantly he takes pleasure in teasing her every time.

    Standing there she couldn''t help asking herself what exactly went wrong between the two of them. How did they get to this point?

    With mixed feelings, Joanna walked to the bench ced under a beautiful shade.

    She came outside to clear her head but sitting there all she could think about was the beautiful times she spent with Amos.

    Even when she tries not to think about him she always ends up doing the same thing she didn''t want to. It was as if her mind was under a strong spell.

    Joanna spent almost an hour reminiscing about the old days. She was still in her fantasy world when her cell phone rang.

    With ack of interest, she removed her cell phone from her trouser pockets.

    "What''s it, Leah?", Joanna demanded sternly.

    "Some customers just arrived¡­,"

    "And how is that my concern?" Joanna snapped as she stood up from the bench.

    "It''s your concern because one of these customers is someone you know very well," Leah said in almost a whisper. She stole nces at the man sitting at a table not far away from the counter.

    "Someone I know very well?" Joanna asked in confusion.

    "Hurry ande over. I am sure you will be surprised to see who he is," Leah said in excitement.

    "Who are you talking about¡­," Leah had already disconnected the call before Joanna could find out who she was talking to.

    "Who is she referring to?" Joanna muttered. She was still trying to guess who it was when her face lit up.

    "Does that mean he hase for me?" Joanna''s smile broadened.

 Chapter 205 Mr Aidan Made His First Move

    ?She started walking back to the cafe in big strides. There was a point she even ran just to be able to get there sooner.

    Reaching the front of the ss building, the gasping Joanna halted. She tried to regte her breathing.

    Standing there, her palpitating heart won''t stop racing even though her breathing has returned to normal.

    "Gosh, I feel so nervous!" Joanna remarked as she rubbed her palms together.

    After standing there for over two minutes Joanna approached the ss door. She tried as much as she could not to show her excitement on her ck face.

    Entering the cafe she scanned the entire cafe with her eyes. They were only a handful of customers there so she didn''t need to look too long to realise that Amos was not there.

    Joanna''s expression fell instantly. As she approached the counter she didn''t notice that a man''s eyes had been fixated on her ever since she stepped foot into the cafe.

    "Didn''t you say he was here so why can''t I see him?" Joanna questioned out of annoyance when she reached where Leah stood trying to prepare a cup of coffee.

    Joanna was too upset to appreciate the sweet fragrance of the high-quality coffee beans.

    "Were you ying a prank on me¡­,"

    "And why would I do that?" Leah cut in. She spared Joanna a few seconds of her time before she returned her attention to what she was doing.

    "If it wasn''t a prank so where is he?" Joanna demanded. She turned and looked at the customers again in case she had made a mistake earlier.

    "How dare you lie to me with a serious face?" Joanna turned and faced Leah. She was so ready to transfer the aggression to the innocentdy.

    "If you needed me back in the cafe you should have just said so instead of lying about him being here¡­,"

    "But I wasn''t lying," Leah defended herself. "He is sitting right over there so why are you saying you can''t find him?... Do you have a problem with your eyes?" Leah questioned as she pointed at the far left corner of the spacious hall.

    With sparkling eyes and a smile on her face, Joanna turned and looked at where Leah''s finger pointed.

    For the second time in less than ten minutes, Joanna''s expression fell when she couldn''t behold the face of the one she was longing to see.

    "All I could think about was you the moment I set eyes on the Chancellor of Twilight University," Leah said with a smile on her face.

    If only she knew what was going on in Joanna''s mind then she wouldn''t have been so excited while talking.

    "If you serve him well today you will not only earn brownie points but you will also get on his good side so go for it, girl. You are the reason I dyed serving their orders," Leah said with a broad smile on her face.

    "Was he the reason you called me here?" Joanna asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she turned back to look at the smiling Leah.

    Leah''s smile faded seeing the frown on Joanna''s face when she was expecting to see her smiling.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you not happy that I saved the opportunity for you to get on his good side¡­,"

    "And why should I be happy?" Joanna snapped. For a moment there she lost her sense of reasoning. "He is not someone close to me.... I don''t smile even when my father returns from a long journey so why should I smile because of him?".

    She spoke her mind without giving a fuck that others were overhearing their conversation.

    "Also, do I look like someone who will bootlick just to curry favour from someone¡­,"

    "Joanna, it hasn''t gotten to this extent so why are you angry?" Leah said. "Besides I was doing this for your good¡­,"

    "If you don''t want to see me lose itpletely then try not to make the same mistake," Joanna interrupted, only to walk away.

    Leah was perplexed to see how she was treated because of the good deed she wanted to do.

    "I know I should be very understanding of her because she is sick but I just can''t stop myself from being angry," Leah clenched her fists, her gaze following thedy who was moving towards the right-hand side of the hall.

    "What''s taking you so long?" The man whose order Leah was holding onto shouted with his right hand in the air.

    "I aming," Leah replied. She hurried to make a heart shape on the two cups of coffee per the customer''s orders.

    As she was trying to finalize everything Joanna who was almost at the table to whom her presence was required paused walking when a hand held her from behind.

    Joanna tilted her head sideways, ready to give whoever held her hand without permission a piece of her mind.

    "Sir!" Joanna remarked with widened eyes.

    "It''s really you," Mr Aidan, the fat man in sses replied with a broad smile on his face.

    "When I first set my eyes on you, I found your face familiar so I kept on trying to recall where I saw your face," Mr Aidan said, still maintaining his smile.

    The way Joanna red at the man''s hand whose firm around her right hand hasn''t loosened showed exactly what Joanna was thinking.

    "And when I finally recalled that you are thedy I helped at the campus today, I was scared to approach you thinking, what if I made a mistake? Thank goodness it''s you¡­," Joanna pulled her hand away from his hold when she couldn''t pretend any longer.

    "I forgot to thank you for your help back then so how about I take care of your bills here as a show of appreciation?" Joanna said acting like she did nothing wrong.

    "I didn''t approach you because I wanted you to repay me for what I did. I only came to you because I wanted topliment you," Mr Aidan said. He retracted his hand and acted as if nothing happened also.

    "Compliment me for what?" Joanna asked in confusion.

 Chapter 206 Chris Got Caught

    ?"That you are among one of the serious students on campus. Seeing how you work so hard shows you are a responsible person, a model students everyone on campus should emte," Mr Aidan replied.

    Although he justplimented her, Joanna didn''t feel ufortable with him or his words.

    She is a witness to how to mean the man standing in front of her was so she couldn''t help but find him weird.

    Outside the cafe, ady in ck shiny leather trousers smirked, her eyes focused on the man and woman who were talking while looking at each other.

    [Now I have set the stage, I can''t wait to see how the fat fool takes it up from here]

    Thedy''s grinned darker as she stuck her hand into her matching ck leather jacket.

    She turned and strolled away in the same mysterious manner she came there.

    Meanwhile, as this was happening, outside the front of Audrey''s apartment building, she came to stop and instantly go into hiding when she saw a man standing there gazing at the tall building.

    Shielded by the white statue, Audrey monitored the man in a ck hoodie who was still fearlessly looking at a particr side of the building.

    Wanting to know what the person was up to Audrey did everything to make sure that she didn''t give her presence away.

    She even resorts to holding her breath.

    [Why is he here again? And howe he is acting sneakily here? Is he perhaps looking for Anna]

    Audrey thought she was well-hidden as she watched the man''s every movement. She was still trying to figure out what he was up to when the man in the ck outfit turned in a sh and looked at the statue.

    "Who is there?" He demanded sternly. He waited for the person to show himself but when that didn''t happen he started walking towards the statue.

    Audrey stepped away from the statue with her head held high.

    "Audrey!" Chris shouted with widened eyes and dropped jaw.

    "Yeah, it''s me but why do you look so astounded like you were caught doing something terrible?" asked Audrey as she walked to where Chris stood.

    "What ¡­ what are you talking about?" Chris stammered as he avoided her eyes. At that moment he felt like giving a tight p to his face for acting like a fool.

    "Seeing how you are stammering I guess I was right and this leads me to my real question¡­," Audrey trailed. She moved a little to the right so that she and Chris were standing face to face.

    "Why are you lurking around here?" Audrey asked, her eyes fixated on him.

    "You don''t own this¡­,"

    "Also don''t give me the bullshit that this ce doesn''t belong to me because I won''t let you off easily if you don''t tell me the reason you are here," Audrey said. Her fierce expression was enough to make Chris believe that Audrey wasn''t joking around.

    "I will call the police. Apart from me, I am sure other residents saw you lurking around so let''s see what you will tell the police?" Audrey said with her chin lifted a bit higher.

    "Hey, Audrey!" Chris eximed. He looked around when he realised that he talked too loudly.

    "Let''s see whether you will choose to deal with the police instead of me?" Audrey said as she blinked her eyes.

    She waved her cell phone in the air when Chris wouldn''t do as she said.

    "I had thought that you would find dealing with the police bothersome due to your position¡­ but I will take your silence that you choose to deal with the police more than me," Audrey said.

    She lowered her raised hand and started punching numbers into the cell phone.

    In a sh, Chris snatched the cell phone from her.

    "And what do you think you are doing?" Audrey asked with furrowed eyebrows.

    Chris hid the cell phone behind his back seeing Audrey bring her right hand towards his direction.

    "I will tell you why I am here but don''t call the police," Chris conceded defeat before things got out of hand.

    Dealing with her will be much better than dealing with the police.

    "Shoot," Audrey ordered as she backed away from him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [I can''t tell her that I came here to check on the King or else I will give his Majesty''s identity away. He will not hesitate to slit his throat if he dares ruin the King''s n]

    Chris stared nkly as he tried toe up with what to tell Audrey to save himself from her clutches.

    "Hey, what are you waiting for?" Audrey waved her hand at his face.

    "I came to check up on Miss Joanna following his Majesty''s orders¡­,"

    "Didn''t the news say that the King had gone to the human world for an important meeting so where did you get the orders from?" Audrey asked, her suspicious nce focused on Chris'' face.

    "Also, you are his right-hand man so why are you still here? Shouldn''t you be with him?" Audrey added. Her piercing res made Chris ufortable.

    "He was worried about her, that is why he ordered me to stay behind and look after her¡­ As you know he loves her more than he loves himself," Chris said as he started approaching the entrance of the tall building.

    "With me around what could possibly happen to her? Besides, Anna isn''t that weak girl we knew in the past. Even without us, she is capable of protecting herself," She replied while following him closely.

    "You can never understand the heart of a person who is in love. He can never stop worrying about the one he loves no matter how strong or capable she is¡­,"

    "And why do you act like you are the one who is in love?" Audrey cut in sharply.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY SEPTEMBER ??????

    Hello amazing readers, happy new month once again. It''s a new month and as you all know, it''s also time to set new goals but before we dived into our goals for this month, I have something to tell you guys.

    Guess what????

    I just received my first review after a long time, yay!!!

    And can you guess when I got this review?

    Surprise... I got it on the 1st of September. I am so happy right now.

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    Guys please prove me right and surprise me bypleting the goals listed below.

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    Thank you and let''s do even better this month. GOALSFOR SEPTEMBER, 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1K (1,000) = 6 chapters mass release. As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked this month, this lovely author here is gonna surprise you guys with 6 chapters mass release.

    Please, guys, support me to reach this particr goal this month. I promise I will be good to all of you.

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    GOAL 3: 100 Power Stones = 3 chapters mass release. Guys, I realised recently that there is a mistake I have been making concerning this particr goal.

    The power stone goal is a weekly goal and not a monthly goal. And this is because the power stone ranking gets renewed every month.

    Now you know this, then what are you waiting for? Give me all your power stones and stand a chance to get 3 chapters mass release every week.

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    Your dearest author loves you all very much ??????.

    Let''s hear your confession, do you love me too?

 Chapter 207 They Refused To Leave

    ?Chris paused walking and tilted his head to the right so he was gazing at her. "And what if I am also in love, do you have a problem with that?" He asked, his eyeballs fixated on hers.

    "As if I care," Audrey scoffed. "I am just afraid you will be a fool because of your feelings¡­,"

    "Fool?" Chris questioned, his eyebrows squinted as he stared at thedy who seemed to be avoiding his eyes.

    "Don''t give me that look because I know what I am saying," Audrey defended herself. She and Chris moved away from the ss entrance to give way to thedy in a tight-fitted short dress approach where they stood.

    "Someone very close to me became aplete fool after falling in love and that is why I am scared on your behalf," Audrey amplified with confidence.

    [Someone close to her turned a fool after falling in love?]

    Chris'' eyes glimmered when he thought about Audrey''s words.

    [Because she is a loner, Miss Joanna is the only person she gets along with¡­ does this mean Miss Joanna is in love?... Wouldn''t his Majesty be over the moon if he learns about this?]

    A broad smile appeared on the face of the guy who was staring nkly.

    Audrey didn''t like the fact that she was being ignored so she snapped her finger at his face. "Hey!" Audrey shouted.

    "Do you like her so much that you couldn''t resist smiling like a fool?" Audrey asked with a frown.

    Chrisposed himself and acted as though nothing happened. "You just said someone close to you is in love, is that person Miss Joanna? And who is the person she is in love with?" Chris seized the opportunity to find out the truth.

    If there is any information that could help the King realize his wish early, he wouldn''t relent to doing anything to make sure that information is in his possession.

    The twinkle in his eyes made Audrey arch her eyebrows as she wondered what on Earth was making him so happy.

    "Why are you so interested in me tonight?" Audrey put her guard upon realising that she was divulging too much information to him.

    "If not that I am well aware of our rtionship I would have thought that I am the one you are in love with¡­,"

    "Stop speaking rubbish," He interrupted with his voice raised higher than usual.

    "If you are not then stop acting suspicious and leave before you cause a misunderstanding," Audrey said sternly as she turned to walk through the automatic ss entrance.

    Chris spun and grabbed her hand, not letting her walk through the door that just opened.

    "Since we have cleared up our misunderstanding, why don''t we be friends, hmm?" Chris was quick to offer the hand of friendship first.

    "Have you ever seen enemies be friends?" Audrey snapped while ring at Chris'' hand which was still holding onto her.

    "We have settled our differences so why are you still saying we are enemies?" Chris asked, frowning.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Since Anna is in love with Amos, it will be unfair if I lead him on and make him believe that Anaa and his Majesty will still be together in the future. Although it saddens me that Kayden will be left with nothing after his sacrifices, I believe it''s only right I stand by my friend]

    Audrey shoved Chris''s hand away when he wouldn''t let go.

    "Although you told me what really took ce that night I never said I have forgiven you and him so what are you talking about?" Audrey asked firmly.

    She tried to enter the building but for the second time, Chris held her hand.

    "Even though you haven''t forgiven me, that doesn''t stop us from bing friends," Chris said, not willing to back down. He was so ready to see to the end of this argument.

    "When his Majesty and Miss Joanna be husband and wife, we are gonna see each other very often so instead of making things difficult for ourselves and them why don''t we seize this opportunity to let bygones be bygones¡­,"

    "And who said my Anna is gonna get married to the King huh?" Audrey attacked, her fierce res directed at Chris.

    "You¡­,"

    "Stop lurking around and leave because I won''t be able to save you if other residents call the police," Audrey cut in sharply. She walked into the building instantly.

    Chris didn''t proceed into the building. He had barely managed to make her believe him, what would he tell her if she caught him entering the building?

    He didn''t even want to imagine what the crazydy would do.

    [I have seeded in copsing the huge wall between us. Now it''s only remaining to get her to open up to me¡­ Getting her on our side will be more beneficial to the King than making her our enemy. Besides, she is a nicedy despite her foul temper]

    Chris took a long stare at thedy who was standing in front of the elevator.

    He swirled and disappeared into the night.

    Back at the cafe Joanna and Leah couldn''t close the cafe at the time they were supposed to because Mr Aidan and his three friends refused to leave.

    For the tenth time, the frowning Leah looked at her wristwatch.

    "Fuck!" Leah remarked as she banged her hand against the wooden table causing the fourughing customers to turn and look at her.

    "When are those old fools gonna leave here? Was it their ns all along to make things difficult for us?" Leah questioned with a sped fist.

    "Weren''t you happy that their bill is huge so what happened now? What made you so irritated with them huh?" Joanna standing with her back leaning against the grey wall asked nonchntly.

    "Of course, I am happy that everything they purchase was the most expensive products we offer but that doesn''t mean they should make us work overtime ok?" Leah snapped.

    "Besides I have a little sister waiting for me at home to return. You don''t expect me to be happy just because they were the ones who made the biggest purchase today," Leah said as she paced about.

 Chapter 208 Someone Else Answer The Line

    ?Joanna stared at the restlessdy as she walked to and fro the little space around the inner counter.

    Seeing her this way made her recall that this was how she was in the past.

    In the past, she was always more worried about her little brother who couldn''t fall asleep without her by his side than she worried about herself.

    It became a habit she couldn''t do away with. It got to a point that she forgot that apart from her, Anthony had a mother, father and sister to look after her too.

    "I am sure she must be outside waiting for me to return. What will I do if any harmes to my little sister?" Leah kept on pacing about as she talked in a hushed tone.

    "You can go home and be with your sibling, I will handle things here from now on," Joanna said out of the blue. Her words made Leah stop in her tracks.

    With hope in her eyes, Leah turned and looked at Joanna. "Are you sure you can handle things here?" Leah asked meekly.

    "Yes, I can," Joanna gave the worried girl a reassuring smile.

    Leah couldn''t make up her mind immediately. She tilted her head and looked at the men who were acting as though the cafe was their private bar or their home.

    ? Her eyes darted back to Joanna afterwards. "I will go now but make sure to call me if anything happens¡­,"

    "What you are afraid of won''t happen tonight. Only someone who has a death wish will dare try nonsense with me and I doubt that they do," Joanna stared at thedy whose eyes had given her fears away.

    "If you say that then I will believe you and leave now. I will return the favour in the future," Leah said meekly.

    She took one long gaze at the men before she turned and dashed towards the locker room.

    Joanna wasn''t shocked to see Leahe back from the locker room wearing her casual clothes in less than five minutes she entered there.

    "I will leave now. Don''t hesitate to call me if¡­,"

    "Nothing of such will happen so leave now before I change my mind," Joanna threatened just to make the worrieddy leave.

    "Even though you pretend not to care about me, I know you love me so I will not get mad at you ok?" Leah said beaming as she turned and proceeded to the door.

    "She is one weirddy," Joanna muttered.

    Mr Aidan who was pretending to be very engrossed in the ongoing conversation with his friends stole a nce at the departingdy.

    An evil smirk became visible on his face.

    With only she around Joanna couldn''t stop herself from thinking even though she wanted to.

    "I know I was waiting hoping he would make the first move and call me but it''s not a crime if I call him first right?" Joanna muttered as she stared at her cell phone whichy on the lower part of the counter.

    She lowered her hand and carried the cell phone. Without wasting time she dialled the number saved as K which happens to be her first dial.

    Nervous, Joanna waited for the recipient to answer her call.

    "Just wait and see how I will nag you after you answer the line," Joanna said as she exhaled deeply.

    The nervous yet excited Joanna frowned when there was no response on her first try.

    "I am sure his movie date with her must have ended so why isn''t he answering my calls, what would have been keeping him busy?" Joanna''s frown deepened.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Even though there was no response on her first try that didn''t dissuade Joanna from trying again.

    She dialled the line again. As the cell phone rang, she bit down her lower lips as she waited for a reply.

    On the third attempt, the response she was looking forward to came atst.

    "Finally you have decided to answer the line," Joanna said the instant the recipient answered the line.

    "Why did you have to wait so long before you answered the line?" She questioned with pouty lips.

    "Sorry, if I made you wait for too long. I just didn''t know whether it was proper for me to answer his call, that is why it took me a long time to make up my mind," Ady''s voice came on, making Joanna jump up to her feet.

    "Who are you and why are you answering his phone?" Joanna asked. Her eyes shotsers as she grabbed the white mug cup lying on the table.

    "He is in the shower that is why he couldn''t answer the line and the cellphone happened to be lying beside me on the bed that''s why¡­ you know what I mean," Amelia skipped the first part of her question and jumped to answer thetter part.

    "You¡­ you are in his house and even on his bed?" Joanna asked with trembling lips. Her legs grew so weak that she had to lean against the chair to stop herself from falling.

    The shattering of a cup made Amelia jump up from where she sat. "Are you ok?" She asked worriedly.

    "I am fine," Joanna replied weakly as she stared at her bleeding hand in which the cup she had smashed with her hand had pierced her badly.

    Even though she was bleeding so much she didn''t flinch or groan in pain. Her nk expression was as if she was incapable of feeling pain.

    "You¡­,"

    "I won''t disturb you both anymore. I will leave you guys to enjoy yourselves," Joanna disconnected the call in an instant.

    She sank into the wooden chair in front of the counter.

    Sitting there staring into space, all kinds of images of the two of them began popping into her head.

    Joanna''s mind was so upied by her crazy thoughts that she wasn''t aware of what was happening around her.

    Mr Aidan who had been waiting for the perfect time decided that this was his cue when he noticed that she was in a daze.

    His friends began talking when they saw that the old man had made his move.

    [She is alone now and this is the perfect moment to act. Let''s see whether she will be able to resist me now]

    Mr Aidan licked his lips hungrily as he approached the counter.

    ...

    A/N:

    Please support the book and author by buying the privileged chapters. It doesn''t matter if you can''t afford the highest tier, you can always purchase the tier which is within your reach.

    Also, guys don''t forget the Author''s monthly appreciation that ising up at the end of the month. If you want your name to be included among the loyal readers of this great book then keep the power stones,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    One more thing, please don''t forget our goals.

 Chapter 209 Failed Plans

    ?He was about five steps away from reaching the counter when ady who came out of nowhere dashed towards the counter.

    Thedy beat him to get to the counter first.

    "What the fuck! You are bleeding!" She remarked in astonishment. In an instant, she took Joanna''s bleeding right hand stillid on the top of the counter and ced them in her hand.

    She was gentle as she held the hand of thedy who wasn''t reacting at all to what was happening.

    "What happened, Anna?" Audrey demanded with worry in her eyes. She tried to help Joanna up the chair but the bleedingdy fell back onto the chair like she had no bone in her body.

    Audrey was perplexed to see her best friend in this state.

    "Who did this to you? Who dared to hurt you huh?" Audrey questioned, she tilted her head left and right as she searched for any sign of suspicious people around.

    "He doesn''t like me anymore¡­," Joanna, still in a daze, muttered as she staggered to her feet.

    She took a step forward and staggered two steps backwards. Had Audrey not supported her with her hands she would have fallen and gotten hurt.

    "He even took her to his house. They were on the same bed together," Joanna said with misty eyes.

    The pain in her eyes as she talked made Audrey''s chest tighten. She has never seen Joanna broken to this point before so she was left confused.

    What happened to make her best friend react this way?

    She really wanted to know the answer.

    Audrey turned and stood in front of Joanna. How she couldn''t stand without leaning on something for support was as if every life in her was sucked away.

    Audrey held Joanna''s shoulders and shook her violently, "Snapped out of it already, Anna," Audreymanded sternly.

    "Besides what does he not liking you or being on the same bed with her have to do with¡­," Audrey paused midway.

    She was so worried earlier that she couldn''t assimte what Joanna was mumbling but repeating her words made her get a hang of what she was talking about.

    She tilted her head to take a proper look at the counter. The bloodstained ss shards made her realize that Joanna was not hurt by anyone but herself.

    "What if he doesn''t like you anymore? And what if he is on the same bed with her or they are making love together, what does that have to do with¡­,"

    "Audrey!" Joanna shouted. Just a brush of her hand sent Audrey moving five steps backwards.

    Joanna''s eyes widened when she saw what she had done. She ran to where she had pushed Audrey.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked. She pulled Audrey away from the wall and examined her back which had collided hard against the wall.

    "Did I hurt you?" Joanna examined Audrey''s body for the second time. She couldn''t believe she just used force on her friend.

    What came over her?<novelnext></novelnext>

    "This is what I was trying to tell you, Anna," Audrey said as she held Joanna''s hands which she was carelessly using without caring about the bleeding wound.

    "You will never know the actual value of what you have unless you lose it. This is what I was afraid of Anna," Audrey said without taking what happened to heart.

    Mr Aidan standing not far away watched the little drama with a deep frown on his face.

    Despite that his friends were speaking in hunched voices he heard them but he pretended not to.

    If not for thedy who arrived at thest minute and ruined his perfect ns, would his friends have the guts to mock him?

    He red at thedy who had made all his efforts go futile merely with her appearance.

    [I can''t believe this golden opportunity slipped away because of her¡­ where the hell did shee from]

    The fat man sped his fists as he kept on throwing murderous nces at Audrey.

    "There is no use hurting yourself, Anna. If you don''t want to lose him to herpletely then you need to get your acts together ok?" Audrey gave a little squeeze to Joanna''s shoulders as she talked.

    "But she and he are¡­," Joanna didn''t even want to think about what Amelia told her over the phone.

    "Also, she has Mrs Parker to back her up¡­,"

    "You also have me as your biggest supporter right, so what are you scared of?" Audrey said as she beat her chest with her right hand.

    "As far as you have discovered your true feelings for him then this best friend of yours is ready to give you all the support you need. Forget about Mrs Parker, not even his Majesty would be able to stop me from getting two of you together," Audrey said with a huge sense of humour.

    She was so d to see that a little life has returned to Joanna''s face.

    "Are you sure?" Joanna asked sceptically.

    Audrey let go of her shoulders and moved a step backwards.

    "Although I can''t help you with discovering what your true feelings for him are, you can count on me to help you if your feelings end up being positive," Audrey said.

    "An important piece of advice, Anna¡­ Though I told you to take time to search your heart to know what he means to you, don''t take much time. Because I won''t be able to help you if she seeds in making him fall head over heels for her before you realize your feelings," Audrey cautioned.

    Audrey gave a long stare at her friend''s face to see whether she understood what she said.

    "If you are done throwing tantrums then let''s get your wound treated," Audrey said. She reached out and held Joanna''s hand.

    She was about to drag Joanna along with her when she felt the presence of someone in front of the counter.

    "Wait a minute, Young Ladies," A man''s hoarse voice called out.

    At the same time, Joanna and Audrey turned and looked at the person.

 Chapter 210 He Lost His Cool

    ?Audrey was a bit taken aback when she saw that the man standing in front of them was none other than their Chancellor.

    Sheposed herself and tried to mask her surprise when she noticed the way the man stared at her.

    "Are youdies alright?" Mr Aidan said his gaze centred on Joanna''s wounded handid on the counter.

    "If you need help then be free to ask us because we are more than willing¡­,"

    "It''s ok, we can handle this alone," Audrey cut in.

    "If you say so then we will pay our bills and leave youdies to handle things over here," Mr Aidan forced on a smile despite that he was secretly clenching his fist.

    He brought out a brown wallet from his trousers, opened it and started counting notes.

    The rustling of the notes didn''t freak either Audrey or Joanna. All they wanted was for the old men to leave so they could lock the cafe and leave also.

    "Sir, your bill wasn''t that amount," Joanna informed realising that the money Mr Aidan was counting was higher than his bill.

    "It''s ok. I really liked your services so you can consider the excess as tips," Mr Aidan said as he extended the money to Joanna.

    "No Sir, that is way too much," Joanna said, refusing to collect the money from him.

    "My friends and I arete for our next appointment so I will leave the money here. It''s left for youdies whether or not to take the money," Mr Aidan said. He took thedies aback when he dropped the notes on the table.

    He turned and strolled to where his friends were already standing waiting for him.

    Joanna and Audrey stood and watched the man and hispanions leave. They were too surprised to talk.

    "Howe the mean man is suddenly acting generous, what the hell is he up to?" Audrey said in almost a whisper, her gaze still following the men which were now outside the cafe.

    "I don''t give a damn about what he is up to¡­ in fact I don''t even have the luxury to waste my time thinking about it," Joanna said with ack of interest.

    "You are right about that. We have far more important things to do than to think about what is going on through their heads," Audrey said as she turned and looked at Joanna.

    She didn''t see Mr Aidan swirling and shot murderous res at her from where he stood.

    "Let''s go get your injury rinsed," Audrey said as she took Joanna by the hand and led her towards the restroom.

    Inside the restroom, the sting as Audrey rinsed the wound with mild water made Joanna let out a slight groan.

    "I thought you were incapable of feeling pain or isn''t that why you hurt yourself so why are you whining now?" Audrey scolded.

    She went a little gentle on her friend when she noticed that Joanna was in pain.

    After the bleeding stopped, Audrey removed Joanna''s hand from the running water. "We will get your wounds dressed up," She said and together they left the restroom.

    Meanwhile, as Audrey was trying to get Joanna''s wound treated, in a hotel room a guy was seen walking into a well-furnished room with a bed kept in the upper part of therge room.

    His eyebrows creased when he raised his gaze and saw ady sitting on the magnificent bed.

    The guy whose upper body was bare turned his back on the woman in a sh.

    "What the hell are you doing here¡­no I mean how the hell did you get in?" Amos asked.

    Because the clean clothes provided by the hotel were kept on the bed, there was nothing he could do to cover his upper body which was dripping wet.

    "Don''t get furious just yet and let me exin¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I recall leaving you outside the room so what''s there to exin if it''s not that you deliberately entered the room?" Amos asked. The veins on his forehead popped up as he talked.

    "I didn''t enter your booked room with any ulterior motives. I was only worried that you might need help and that is why I entered the room when the room service guy came to deliver your clothes," Amelia exined.

    She reached out her hand and picked up the white shirt and the ck trouser neatly ced on the right side of the bed.

    She stood up and approached him.

    "Stop right there," Amos ordered thedy whose footsteps he knew wereing toward him.

    "But I just want to give you your clothes¡­,"

    "Just leave before I lose my temper," Amos shouted. The intensity of his voice made Amelia jump up not knowing what to do.

    She didn''t wait for him to repeat himself. She hurried to the bed almost falling because of her trembling legs.

    Within a few seconds, Amelia rushed out of the room as though she was chased with a whip.

    "My body solely belongs to one woman. I have given her that right and I don''t intend to take it back. No otherdy has the right to see my nakedness except her," Amos muttered as he stared at his bare chest.

    Memories of the many times Joanna bumped into him naked reyed in his head.

    He couldn''t resist beaming when he remembered her hrious reactions on each asion.

    "I wonder how she is doing?" He mumbled, turning to look at his phone which was still in the same position where he threw it on.

    He strolled to where his cellphoney, picked it up and clicked on his contact.

    He reached out his hand to click on the first dialler but only for him to change his mind.

    "I am sure she must be very angry at me now. I will just call her tomorrow when she is not very angry," Amos said as he threw back the cell phone on the bed.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, guest what?

    Our coin code is ready, yay!!!

    With the coin code, each reader will be able to win 100 coins. Unfortunately, they can only be ten readers who stand a chance to win the coin code.

    I will be giving out the first coin code on Sunday, 25 September 2022.

    Sorry to say that only readers who purchased privileged chapters will first get ess to the code.

    There is no need to feel sad about it because you still stand a chance to win the code as long as you purchased privileged.

    Giving out the coin code is my little way of thanking my readers for being supportive of me.

    I just want to let all of you know that I am grateful and that I appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you very much guys, you are more than awesome.

    I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 211 At His Doorstep

    ?He got dressed within the twinkle of an eye. After he was done he left the presidential suite without taking time to enjoy the luxury of the room in which so many were dying to witness at least one in their lifetime.

    Tonight neither Joanna nor Amos had a peaceful sleep. With their minds preupied with thoughts, they spent half of the night tossing on the bed.

    Audrey stayed awake throughout the time Joanna was awake just to keep herpany.

    The next morning the constant movement and noises in the room made Audrey''s eyes flutter open her eyes.

    The reflection of Joanna''s glowing face on the mirror made her blink her eyes twice. She was surprised when she opened her eyes again and still see Joanna wearing the white mini dress.

    It was after this she realised that her eyes didn''t make mistakes.

    Even the make-up on Joanna''s face wasn''t a part of her imagination.

    "What is it? Where are you going?" Audrey demanded as she tried to keep her half-opened eyes awake.

    To ascertain what was the time Audrey tilted her head to look at the window. She was surprised to see that it was just beginning to brighten outside.

    "You are dolling yourself up this early in the morning, who are you nning to seduce huh?" Audrey asked sleepily. She forced her heavy eyes that were threatening to close to stay awake.

    "For whom I am dressing up for... you will get to know thatter so you can go back to sleep. I am sure you need that right now more than getting fed with gossip," Joanna, who was sitting in front of the dressing mirror arranging her hair, replied with a bewitching smile on her face.

    Audrey blinked her eyelids repeatedly as she tried not to lose consciousness just yet.

    Because she has to take care of her heartbroken best friend, she hasn''t had a good sleeptely.

    She couldn''t wait for them to resolve their misunderstanding so things would go back to how they normally were.

    She missed her old best friend very much.

    [Although I don''t know what she is up to I can predict that whosoever she is dolling up for is in serious trouble]

    Audrey''s body finally gave way and her eyes closed.

    "Good luck," Audrey muttered with her eyes closed. Through the mirror, Joanna looked at her best friend who had stopped talking.

    "She must be exhausted. I must really take better care of her after this is all resolved," Joanna muttered as she lowered her gaze.

    On the long brown table were different kinds of cosmetics, make-up sets and otherdies'' beauty products.

    Although she rarely dresses up, Audrey still had all the items which would make a woman''s daily life a bit easier.

    "It doesn''t hurt anymore so I wonder whether it''s healed up," Joanna muttered when she caught a glimpse of the white bandage wrapped around her injured hand.

    Eager to confirm her doubts, she unpinned the bandage and started unwrapping it gently.

    When she was done Joanna stared at her hand which had healed up. Her palm which was badly pierced was now spotless as if nothing had happened.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Though my healing ability has reduced due to my inability toplete the mission I am still d I didn''t lose this abilitypletely?]

    Joanna stared at her palm. It felt so good to know that she wouldn''t be ufortable anymore.

    Despite that, her wound had healed something inside of her wanted her to still pretend to be hurt and that is what she did.

    She stood up and went to the top of the tall wardrobe where Audrey kept the first aid kit which was specifically purchased for her sake.

    A smile appeared on Joanna''s pretty face seeing that there was a bandage inside the kit.

    Without wasting time she cut a sizable piece from the bundle of brown bandages. It took her two minutes to wrap the bandage around her non-existent wound.

    After she was done dressing up, Joanna took a proper look at herself in the mirror. She gave a satisfying nod realising that she had achieved the exact look she wanted.

    As she walked out of the room Joanna tried her best to make sure that she wasn''t making so much noise.

    She let out a sigh of relief after managing to leave the room without waking Audrey up.

    She strolled to the elevator. Luckily for her, the elevator dinged open the moment she got there.

    The twodies in the elevator stared at the gorgeously dresseddy. Joanna had a lot to worry about to care about how strangely they looked at her.

    Even inside the elevator, they began talking while stealing nces at her. By this time the nervous Joanna was more focused on what was ahead of her and couldn''t hear a single word they said.

    As the elevator got closer to the floor Amos lived Joanna''s hands became sweaty due to her nervousness.

    "Why am I so nervous?... I wasn''t a bit nervous even on the day he prepared the surprise so what is wrong with me," Joanna muttered. She was trying to deal with her sweaty hand and now her heart had to add to it.

    With her heartbeat increasing, she was lost at what to do but she didn''t change her mind about going to his room.

    Outside Amos'' apartment, Joanna took a deep breath and exhaled. When she noticed that she was a bit more rxed than earlier she rang the doorbell and waited for a response.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was waiting for Amos to open the door, the guy whom she was waiting for was seen rushing to finish wearing his trousers.

    Hurriedly, he dashed to the dressing mirror to take a quick look at himself. He was still trying to part his hair when his sensitive ears picked up the punching of keys into the front door lock.

    He had already opened the bedroom door when he recalled that he had missed something due to haste.

    "Fuck! My cologne," Amos turned and looked at where his cell phoney on the dressing table. Then his eyes moved to the direction of the main door which he knew would be flung open at any second.

    As Amos rushed back to get his cologne the main entrance clinked open.

    Joanna whose hand was on the door''s handle pushed the door opened and stepped in.

 Chapter 212 Sweet Lady?

    ?Since none answered the door when the bell rang all Joanna thought was that he was sleeping.

    And that''s why she couldn''t mask her shock when she entered the sitting room and met him sitting with his attention focused on theptop in front of him.

    Amos raised his gaze and looked at thedy standing before him. He tried his best not to show how flustered he was.

    "Why are you just standing there?" He asked without sitting up properly. "Have you forgotten that you are not a guest in my home?" He added when she didn''t move an inch.

    Realising that she was acting strangely, sheposed herself and worked closer to the centre table.

    Apart from his bare upper body another thing that caught Joanna''s attention was the pile of documentsid on the centre table.

    [Didn''t he spend the night with her so why is he working so early in the morning]

    As Joanna stood there in a daze she wasn''t aware that Amos was also looking at her.

    [Why is she all dressed up? Is she going somewhere?... Perhaps she is here to inform me she is going out but with whom?]

    He lowered his gaze in a sh seeing her about to raise her head.

    "Why didn''t you answer the door when I rang the bell?" Joanna asked. She moved away from where she stood and circled the couch at the right until she was standing behind the couch he sat on.

    "Were you nning to ignore me outside the entire day?... Did I do something wrong?" Joanna said her voice a little inaudible when saying herst sentence.

    Amos didn''t want to tell her that he was trying to dress up and look nice to her, which is why he was unable to answer the door.

    Amos picked up one of the files lying in his right hand and began skimming through the five pages documents.

    "And why are you all dressed up so early? Are you nning to go out on a date, is that why you woke up so early despite not having sses today?" Amos asked.

    He regretted asking the questions the minute he finished saying them.

    Not only did he sound like a jealous husband but he was indirectly telling her that he knew all of her schedules.

    How stupid of him to do that.

    He clenched his fist as he waited to hear her response.

    [What does he think of me?... That I am like him who forgot about our bond at the arrival of a new girl]

    Joanna gritted her teeth but she didn''t move away from his back.

    "Shouldn''t I be the one asking you that?" Joanna asked with her sped fist behind her back. "Shouldn''t you still be fast asleep after what happened between the two of you?" Joanna asked in almost a whisper.

    Was it not for the fact that Amos had a heightened sense of hearing he wouldn''t have heard a single word she said even though she was standing behind him?

    "Do I have a reason why I should still be in bed right now? Also, what do you mean by what happened between me and her?" Amos asked. His eyebrows squinted as he tilted his head sideways so that he got a glimpse of her left hand.

    [Wouldn''t I sound like aplete loser if I confront him about what Amelia told me? As Drey said, I have no right to question him about what he does with any other woman. I am not his girlfriend or his wife]

    Joanna was in a bid as she stood there. She was unaware that Amos was awaiting her response.

    "Is there something you know that I don''t?" Amos added. To know why she was so quiet after arousing his curiosity he turned his head a bit more until his neck hurts.

    "Whatever," Joanna replied, not giving him the reply he wanted.

    She strolled to the right and made herselffortable on the grey couch.

    "Since you won''t say it, I won''t pry further," He said as he returned his attention to theptop in front of him.

    As she stood there ncing at the grey-coloured back of hisptop, there was awkwardness all around them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    They were sitting so close but the distance between them was like that of heaven and Earth.

    The two of them were ufortable with the silence but none of them was willing to be the one to speak first.

    They had so much to talk about in the past. In fact, they could spend the whole day with each other and would not get bored so what happened to them?

    Why can''t they say or act out what was on their mind?

    "Amelia, what do you think about her? Do you like her?" Joanna mustered up the courage to confront her fears.

    Her heart momentarily stopped beating when the keypad stopped clicking.

    Joanna''s grip on the grey couch tightened seeing him lift his head to look at her.

    "Amelia is a nice girl," Amos started, his eyeballs locked in hers.

    "She doesn''t onlye from a reputable family but she has one of the best temperaments that is hard to find indies nowadays. She is a sweetdy¡­,"

    "Sweetdy?" Joanna repeated as she emphasized the words. Despite being so angry she forced on a smile to fool him.

    She didn''t know that he had long seen through her.

    "Yeah, why? Don''t you agree?" Amos asked innocently.

    "Does that mean you like her?" Joanna blurted only to regret why she ever asked such a question.

    What if his answer turned out to be positive? What would he have her do?

    She was already boiling in rage even though he hadn''t confirmed he was in love with Amelia.

    Won''t she pull down the entire building if he said yes?

    "Why?" Amos replied with another question. "Do you wish I was in love with her?" He added.

    Although his expression looked so calm, only the one who was standing close to him would have seen that the part of the table he was holding onto had started cracking.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, guest what?

    Our coin code is ready, yay!!!

    With the coin code, each reader will be able to win 100 coins. Unfortunately, they can only be ten readers who stand a chance to win the coin code.

    I will be giving out the first coin code on Sunday, 25 September 2022.

    Sorry to say that only readers who purchased privileged chapters will first get ess to the code.

    There is no need to feel sad about it because you still stand a chance to win the code as long as you purchased privileged.

    Giving out the coin code is my little way of thanking my readers for being supportive of me.

    I just want to let all of you know that I am grateful and that I appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you very much guys, you are more than awesome.

    I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 213 I Am Your Man?

    ?For about a minute Joanna stared at him without uttering a word. Through his expression, she tried to guess what might be running through his mind but this didn''t yield any positive result.

    What kind of response would he wish she gave?

    Was he hoping she said yes or no?

    At the end of all her thinking, she decided it was better she answered the question with wisdom.

    "Why are you asking me that¡­,"

    "Because I consider you my BFF. Whatever you say I will do it as long as it''s you," Amos said with a nk expression while his grip on the wooden table tightened more.

    [Would she be heartless enough to say yes?]

    Amos became scared for some reason after allowing Joanna to make the final decision.

    What if she said yes?

    Wouldn''t that mean his actions backfired?

    What would he do¡­ no the right word was, would his poor heart be able to take it?

    "Sorry but to me, you are not my BFF so I won''t answer that question," Joanna said as she looked away.

    She stood up and walked to the right-hand side of the wall where the butterfly portrait hung.

    His eyes followed her until she stopped in front of therge portrait hung in a way that a person standing in front of it could easily touch it.

    "If I am not your BFF then what am I to you?" He questioned with all his attention concentrated on thedy whose back was facing him.

    "What exactly is our rtionship?".

    "My man," Joanna blurted out without thinking. At that very minute, the world came to a halt for these two young people.

    The word ''MY MAN'' rang in their subconsciousness so many times.

    While Joanna had the urge to p her mouth for saying such words Amos on the other hand was thrilled to hear her bold deration.

    His lips curled into a beautiful smile. At that instant, he felt the urge to pin her down and shower her body with sensational kisses in a way he has never done.

    But he decided to exercise self-control.

    "I am your man?" He repeated as though he didn''t hear her words clearly.

    [Hey, Joanna, get your acts together¡­ this is your chance to correct your mistake]

    Joanna took a few seconds to sort her thoughts out. She closed her eyes and opened them almost immediately.

    "You have been saying that word recently more often than you say my name so what is it? Are you trying to take back your words huh?" Joanna asked.

    Despite talking to him she didn''t turn back to look at him as she spoke.

    "Really?" Amos asked as he resisted the urge tough.

    Yes, he has constantly said he loves her and proposed to her many times also but he doesn''t recall ever iming to be her man.

    He knows that she was lying just to save herself, so how could he expose her? And what is the fun of doing that if he can use this opportunity to tease her and get rid of the tension between them?

    Joanna turned around to look at him. "Yes," she replied with her hands wrapped just below her breast and her shoulders and chin held high.

    "If you¡­," Amos, who was about to tease her, jumped to his feet the moment he caught a glimpse of the brown bandage around her right hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His reaction caught Joanna unawares. She was about to think that she might have said something wrong which is why he reacted that way until he disappeared and resurfaced in front of her.

    Without wasting a minute he reached out his hand and held her right hand. "You are hurt?" He asked.

    Caressing her hand, his nose wrinkled and his upper lips raised. The sharp pain that ran across his chest was so immense.

    It felt as if his heart was poked with a needle.

    "Who hurt you?" He asked. His once pained expression was reced with fury.

    "Tell me and I will not hesitate to skin that person¡­,"

    "I am fine," Joanna said as she pulled her hand away from his possession. She turned and walked back to the couch.

    He was only that close and barely holding her hands but her entire system was so excited like a woman who hasn''t been touched by her beloved husband for an entire year.

    Forget about him finding out her body''s reaction but she was scared that she might be caught up in mes before he even discovered this.

    "Why are you and Drey so much alike?" Joanna questioned, sounding a bit upset.

    "Why is your first reaction always that someone hurt me whenever you both see me unhappy or with an injury¡­,"

    "Do you even need to ask when the answer is very simple?" Amos asked.

    He was seen sitting beside Joanna on the couch after finishing talking.

    "And what''s that simple answer?" She questioned while looking into his eyes.

    He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Because in this entire world it''s the two of us who love you the most so you can''t me us for always overreacting whenever it concerns you".

    Joanna''s heart swells in excitement the instant he finishes talking. Hearing his firm confirmation made her lips curl into a charming smile.

    "Why are you smiling? Do you find what I said funny?" Amos asked, a little taken aback to see her smiling.

    "You are still in love with me?" Joanna asked, unable to avoid his eyeballs.

    "Why? Don''t you like it that way?" Amos asked, his eyeballs locked in hers. At that moment he found it hard to look away.

    "Or were you perhaps wishing that I was in love with someone else so that you will get rid of the guy who you might consider a nuisance¡­," the feeling of her soft lips against his made Amos'' eyes widened in shock.

    Instantly his head went nk. All he could do was stare into space with widened eyes.

    Joanna was too focused on nibbling her tongue against his half-parted lips to realize what she had done to Amos.

    Hisck of response made the exciteddy a bit sane. She pulled away, and in the same manner, she kissed him.

    She became a bit flustered when her eyes met his questioning gaze.

    "You¡­ you talk too much," Joanna blurted without feeling any ounce of shame.

    "...," Amos was left speechless by her reply.

    A/N:

    Please support the book and author by buying the privileged chapters. It doesn''t matter if you can''t afford the highest tier, you can always purchase the tier which is within your reach.

    Also, guys don''t forget the Author''s monthly appreciation that ising up at the end of the month. If you want your name to be included among the loyal readers of this great book then keep the power stones,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    One more thing, please don''t forget our goals.

 Chapter 214 Her Tricks

    ?Seeing Amos'' dropped jaw made Joanna regret saying the words she did. She thought of what to do to save herself and only one idea came to her mind.

    And that was to run as far as her legs could carry her.

    "I will take my leave now," Joanna muttered as she stood up, bent and tried to push his legs away to create a path for herself.

    Amos grabbed her hand just in time before she could stand up. "Since you shut me up in that manner, how about I do the same to you?... Let''s see whether you will like it too," Amos said.

    His face inches closed as he tries to reenact what happened earlier.

    Ahem!

    Joanna let out a dry cough when their lips were about to meet.

    "Don''t you dare think you can deceive me¡­,"

    Ahem!

    She coughed yet again. He realised she might not be joking on her third cough.

    "Wait here while I get you something to drink," He said as he let go of her hands.

    He stood up and proceeded to the kitchen in a rush.

    Joanna was able to breathe normally again after he left for the kitchen.

    [I was so angry aboutst night and that is why I came here unprepared¡­ What am I gonna do about my mission now? It''s a matter of time before I will lose all my powers. I don''t want to ever be helpless like I was in the past. I need to get my act together and focused on the mission right now]

    Joanna used the few seconds she had to think about her situation.

    She resumed coughing again hearing his approaching footsteps.

    "Have this," He said and passed the ss of cold water to her.

    "Isn''t cold water deemed bad for coughing?" Joanna raised a question as she stared at the ss of water in her hand.

    "I didn''t know about that so let me return it and get you another¡­,"

    "It''s ok," Joanna cut in. She moved the ss cup to the right, not allowing him to take it back.

    "I am already feeling bad that with your title you had to run an errand for me¡­,"

    "When I am with you whatever title I have is invalid, don''t you know that?" Amos said while beckoning her to take a sip from the ss of water.

    "Does that include the title of my mate and soon-to-be husband?" Joanna asked. Her eyes narrowed as she strainedher neck to get a glimpse of his face.

    "It¡­," the nervous Joanna held his right hand and pulled him hard so that his face was close to hers.

    She didn''t give him a chance to assimte what was going on when she kissed him again.

    She extended her hand and dropped the ss cup on the table.

    Afterwards, she slowly stood up without disconnecting their lips.

    Standing there Amos didn''t know whether or not to feel happy that she was making the first move.

    Was it a sign that she was in love with him or was she doing this out of jealousy?

    He didn''t know what to believe anymore but he decided to go along with the flow.

    He loves her a whole lot. Even though he finds out that she was only using him to satisfy her jealousy, he might feel hurt a little. Nevertheless what really matters was that he loves her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amos circled her slender waist with his left hand while his right hand held her chin in position.

    He dominated her lips and sucked the sweet nectar out of them. Joanna groaned in displeasure when he disconnected his lips at the most crucial moment.

    "You are injured, I don''t want to hurt you¡­,"

    "Let me worry about that," Joanna crashed her lips against his, not allowing him to resist anymore.

    In the process of kissing, she pushed him onto the grey couch while she fell on top of him.

    She kissed him roughly, making him lose his senses with every passing second.

    [Why do I feel so happy that she is the one in control even though something inside of me tells me that this might be a fake show of emotions?]

    Amos, who felt like he could touch the moon, was in deep thought while he let thedy on top of him take care of his needs.

    His thoughts get fuzzy the instant she bites his lips and begins to soothe the pain with her tongue.

    [I must admit I sure taught her well seeing the way she is using my method against me]

    Amos grinned inwardly as his hand on her back began moving. With the backless dress, she wore, he was able to explore her smooth back as much as he wanted.

    He was still immersed in the sweetness of their intimacy when he recalled something.

    [I forgot to take my pills, damn it!]

    Amos cursed in his mind. He looked at thedy whose hungry mouth had moved to his bare chest.

    A sharp pain ran across his chest seeing how much she was enjoying herself.

    Failing to take his pills means there was a great possibility he might lose control if they go further.

    Thest thing he wanted to do was to harm her but he also didn''t want to hurt her feelings by putting a premature end to their intimacy.

    "Say you love me," she said with desperation in her eyes. She took hold of his nipple and started stroking it with her left hand.

    Amos'' eyebrows bulge the instant she begins teasing his nipples. He subconsciously spread his legs giving her more ess to his sensitive region.

    [This is my best chance to get the words out of him, I can''t miss this moment no matter what]

    Joanna thought of what to do again seeing that Amos was doing a great job in resisting the overflowing emotions.

    Just then an idea popped into her head and without wasting time she executed it.

    Joanna''s right hand crept into the space into his legs.

    "Fuck!" Amos cursed his eyes widened as he wriggled his butts on the couch.

    ¡­

    A/N:

    Like I said the code coin is ready, don''t forget to tune in on Sunday to im yours.

    Thank you for all the love and support, guys. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    One more thing, please don''t forget that our monthly goals are still ongoing. Shower me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews.

 Chapter 215 Joannas Desperation

    ?"Say you love me huh?" Joannamanded eagerly, waiting for him to say the only words capable of sealing her mission.

    She didn''t want to even imagine what will be of her if the two months deadline psed.

    The system indeed said she was gonna return to level 1 if she failed to aplish the mission but there is no guarantee that she wouldn''t be weaker than she was in the past if this happens.

    She has been through hell and back just to get to where she currently is, she can''t just sit and do nothing knowing what is at risk here.

    Joanna''s teases around his erect rod became more profound after her second futile attempt to get him to say I LOVE YOU.

    Amos who was about to go insane clutched the couch sinking his long fangs into the brand new couch.

    "Joan¡­ please stop¡­. Fuck," He cursed as his movements became more frantic.

    Noticing that clutching the couch wasn''t having any effect on stabilising his overwhelming rush of emotions Amos lifted his right hand and held her back.

    "As long as you say you love me, I will let you find relief so just say it huh," Joanna told. Her words sounded more of a plea than an order but Amos was too intoxicated to notice this.

    Joanna''s fingers somehow located the tip of his erect cock.

    "Say it or I will keep on teasing you until you do as I say," Joanna threatened.

    Although she enjoyed seeing him turn wild because of the magic of her hands she was also desperate toplete her mission.

    "Joan, do¡­ uhmm¡­," Amos let out the ungodly sound he had been forcing himself to not say it the instant her fingerunched its first strokes on the tip of his erect cock.

    [Darn it! Without any doubt I am gonna lose control of my powers again if I don''t force myself to stop now]

    Amos, who could feel changes in his system, began looking for a perfect way to put an end to this without hurting her feelings.

    "That is enough," Amos said, holding her hand before it could creep his way into his trousers.

    "Why¡­," He stood up from the bed with his left hand carefully guiding her slender waist.

    She ced her right hand on his bare chest and tried to y with it but his free hand got hold of her hand.

    "I said that is enough," Amos said with a stern expression.

    Had Joanna known how hard he was holding back himself from pouncing on her then her poor mind wouldn''t have gone wild with so many thoughts flooding in.

    [Didn''t he say he still loves me? So why did he stop once again?... Was he lying about this? Or was it because he thinks she is better than me in this aspect after spending the night with her]

    Joanna clenched her fist as she bites her lower lips. The iron taste in her mouth made her release her lower lips from the torture.

    "As you can see I have a lot of work to do. Chris has been nagging me about neglecting my work¡­,"

    "But it won''t take long. We can continue and wrap it up in an hour or two¡­,"

    "Sorry but I can''t. I need toplete the work before anything else," Amos stated. He tried to move back to avoid her hand but a disaster ended up happening instead.

    CRACK!!!

    The ripping of a fabric material left Amos astounded. Taking a careful look he was astonished to see that his fingers which were stuck at the back of Joanna''s backless dress had ripped her fine dress into two.

    "Damn! Not again," Joanna groaned when she saw what Amos had done to her dress.

    "You¡­,"

    "It wasn''t intentional," Amos defended not allowing her to scold him.

    "Phina stocked my wardrobe with somedies'' clothes which are all in your sizes. From the variety of outfits pick anyone you like," Amos replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    How he sounded well prepared made him look guilty for ripping her dress on purpose.

    "While doing that, I will take a shower," Amos said in a hurried tone as he turned to leave.

    "Didn''t you take a shower before I came?" Joanna asked, her gaze glued on his back.

    Amos stopped in his tracks the moment he heard her question.

    He slowly turned to look at her face. "Took a shower?" His eyebrows furrowed as he asked. "Who told you that?" Amos questioned without giving her a definite answer.

    With this, he hastened to the bedroom door located not far away.

    Joanna''s eyes didn''t stop following him despite that he jammed the door closed.

    [From the strong fragrance ofvender that emitted from his body I believe that he must have showered some minutes before I arrived¡­ I can''t be wrong about this so why was he denying it? Was this one of his tactics to run away from me?]

    Joanna gazes at the door not knowing what to believe anymore.

    She was still spacing out when his voice came on. "I will be entering the bathroom now, don''t forget toe in and get changed," his masculine voice echoed in the sitting room before she heard the mming of the door.

    Though not happy that her ns failed Joanna had no choice but to do as he said.

    To her that he was still in the apartment was better than being abandoned by him like the two times he did.

    Inside the bathroom, Amos stood in front of the mirror gazing at his nude body. He sped his fist when he brought his attention to his lower region.

    "I wonder when my cock will have the honour of tasting her insides. It''s getting harder to get a hold of myself whenever she is around," He muttered and strolled to the bathtub now filled with cold water.

    Slowly he lowered himself into the bathtub and waited for the cold water to take effect.

    While Amos was waiting to get relieved Joanna was inside his bedroom going through his wardrobe.

    In the wardrobe only three sets of outfits belonged to him, the rest were all female outfits.

    [Should I be happy that he has so many varieties ofdies'' clothes in his wardrobe or should I be worried he might use this opportunity to bringdies home]

    Joanna shook her head, noticing that she was beginning to think negatively again.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, guest what?

    Our coin code is ready, yay!!!

    With the coin code, each reader will be able to win 100 coins. Unfortunately, they can only be ten readers who stand a chance to win the coin code.

    I will be giving out the first coin code on Sunday, 25 September 2022.

    Sorry to say that only readers who purchased privileged chapters will first get ess to the code.

    There is no need to feel sad about it because you still stand a chance to win the code as long as you purchased privileged.

    Giving out the coin code is my little way of thanking my readers for being supportive of me.

    I just want to let all of you know that I am grateful and that I appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you very much guys, you are more than awesome.

    I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 216 Her Proposal

    ?[Should I be happy that he has so many varieties ofdies'' clothes in his wardrobe or should I be worried he might use this opportunity to bringdies home]

    Joanna shook ahead, noticing that she was beginning to think negatively again.

    Joanna changed into a green V-Neck silk dress and a pair of ripped blue jeans. She sat on the bed and waited for him toe out.

    She sat there for fifteen minutes and yet Amos didn''te out of the bathroom nor did she hear movements inside.

    She became very worried when she called out and he didn''t respond.

    "Are you ok, Kay?" Joanna now standing in front of the brown door knocked with worry on her face.

    She ced her right ear in the door and tried to listen.

    "I will pull out the door if¡­,"

    "Don''t," Amos, whose grip was holding firm onto the edges of the white bathtub, replied with gritted teeth.

    "Stop panicking and wait for me in the sitting room. I will be out in a minute," Amos said with his eyes closed.

    "Are you sure you are¡­.,"

    "Just do like I said hmmm?" Amos cut in when he realised that the stubborndy would not listen to his instructions.

    Joanna removed her ear from the door and stood straight. "If you say so then I will do just that," Joanna said, her gaze concentrated on the door.

    The way she stared at the door was as if she could see through the brick wall.

    Amos exhaled deeply the moment he heard the bedroom door jammed close.

    [It''s taking so much time to get this damn thing to return to its normal size. I wonder what on Earth I got myself into]

    Amos was in deep thought as he continued to soak himself in the chilled water.

    For ten more minutes, he continued to stay inside the bathtub filled with water. Joanna panicked once again when he still didn''te out despite waiting for him in the sitting room for so long.

    "Let me go in and confirm whether everything is fine with him," the restless Joanna muttered standing up from the couch.

    She didn''t take up to five steps away from the centre table that Amos emerged from the room.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked worriedly as she scanned his body with her sharp eyes.

    "What could possibly be wrong with me?" Amos replied with his head held high.

    He walked to the centre table where his materials were kept without giving her a chance to pry further.

    He wasn''t confident he would be able to keep on the tough font if she went on asking questions for five minutes.

    He shrugged his shoulders, not daring to think about the hell he would go through in that five minutes.

    Joanna chooses to ignore the awkwardness that envelopes the room following his arrival. She spun and returned to her position on the couch at his right-hand side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At the centre table, despite focusing his attention on the screen of theptop in front of him, the ufortable Amos wasn''t able to concentrate on anything with Joanna''s piercing eyes focused on him.

    Outwardly he looked so calm unbeknownst to Joanna that a war was taking ce inside his mind.

    "Weren''t you nning to go out with someone so howe you are still here?" Amos, who couldn''t handle it anymore asked as he dropped the file in his hand on the keypad.

    "Wouldn''t the person get angry for standing him up for so long?" Amos asked as he lowered his gaze and took a peek at his wristwatch.

    He was stunned to see that an hour had passed since Joanna graced his home with her presence.

    How time flies.

    This made him recall the statement ''That a thousand years with a loved one feels like a year while a year without your loved ones feels like ten thousand years.

    "You guessed it right when you said I had ns to go out with someone but you got it wrong when you said the person would get angry for getting stood up," Joanna said, her gaze concentrated on his face.

    In the past, she tends to avoid his face when talking buttely, she realised that she takes more delight in looking at him as she speaks.

    "He wouldn''t get upset no matter howte I arrive at our appointment," Joanna said with so much confidence that made Amos wonder whom she was referring to.

    "And how are you so sure of it?" Amos asked, his doubtful res focused on Joanna.

    "Hmmm¡­ Because I know him that well. Also, he is the one who gave me this confidence," Joanna said, a beautiful smile lingering on her pretty face as she crossed her long legs.

    "And who is that?" Amos asked with a nk expression. "Little rice ball, Audrey or a new friend?" He added, his voice a little lower than usual.

    "And why did you omit your name from the list huh?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    Through her expression, it dawned on him that he might be the one she was referring to.

    His heart pounded as he stared at her affectionately. "Are you trying to say I am the one you are talking about?" Amos guessed nervously.

    "Apart from Little rice ball, which other guy is the closest to me except you? And why did it take you so much time to discover that you were the one I was talking about¡­ or don''t tell me, you think I am wrong?" Joanna questioned as she clutched her hand into a fist.

    "If I am the one you are talking about then does that mean you are nning to ask me out on a date?" Amos asked. He tried as much as he could not to show his feelings on his face.

    Joanna didn''t reply to his question. She took her time before she decided that it was the right time to say the words.

    She exhaled deeply and raised her gaze so that she was looking directly at his eyeballs.

    Joanna mustered up all the courage j in her and asked, "Will you go out on a date with me?".

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, if you will be avable to retrieve the coin code here on Sunday 25 September 2022, pleasement so that I will know that you all are ready for this.

    Thank you as you make things easier for your poor author.

 Chapter 217 Playing Hard To Get

    ?Although it looked like he guessed her thoughts correctly, the truth was that he had randomly said what came to his mind. Never had it crossed his mind that the reason she woke up very early and dressed up in her finest outfit was to ask him out on a date.

    Her proposal felt like a beautiful dream to him. He dared not believe it neither did he want to wake up from this sweet dream.

    "Say that again," Amos ordered, his gaze didn''t shift from her face for even a second and neither did he blink an eye.

    The moment he asked, Joanna didn''t suspect anything. In fact, she was more than ready to repeat her words.

    "Will you go out on a date with me?" Joanna repeated her sentence without missing a word.

    [In the forest he has always been very eager to spend time with me. For this reason, he didn''t think twice about abandoning all his work in the pce. I am sure he was just in shock that is why he asked me to repeat my words. He must be dying to spend time with me]

    A beautiful smile appeared on Joanna''s face as she waited for his reply.

    Just like Joanna, his head was upied with so many thoughts. He didn''t know how to react to her proposal.

    Her proposal was like a dreame true for him.

    [Did I hear it well she just asked me out on a date. This is crazy. I still can''t believe it despite that she has said the sentence twice¡­. What should be my response]

    Amos'' heart was in jubtion as she stared at thedy whose glimmering purple eyeballs were centred on his face.

    Staring at her three minutes passed in a whim.

    Although to him these three minutes felt like time had stopped rotating, that wasn''t the same for thedy who was awaiting his answer.

    "Because of one thing or the other our rtionship has suffered a bit of setback so how about we used this opportunity to strengthen our rtionship hmm?" Joanna asked.

    After thinking for so long and dies popped into the excited man''s head.

    He might not get this kind of opportunity again so why not use it wisely?

    [I love her a whole lot and I have made my feelings known to her for a long time. I have done everything within my capability to make her feel the same way for me. I became a fool for this same reason. She just took the initiative to ask me out on a date and who said my answer should be yes?]

    Because he was spacing out he didn''t see the lights in Joanna''s eyes fade out with each passing second.

    He didn''t even notice her moving closer to the edge of the seat so their gap wasn''t too huge.

    "Say something ok?" Joanna waved at his face but there wasn''t any reaction from him.

    [Who says a King can''t y hard to get with the woman he loves?]

    He grinned inwardly as he blinked twice before he shifted his attention to his right-hand side.

    "I have told you before that I have a lot on my te today and that I won''t do anything else unless Iplete the pile-up work so why won''t you listen to me?" Amos questioned, his expression stern.

    Joanna''s expression fell the instant he said these words.

    [I was so sure he would say yes so how did this happen?]

    Joanna''s grip on the grey couch tightened as she tried very hard not to show the disappointment on her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Does that mean your answer is a no?" Joanna asked for confirmation despite already understanding what his words meant.

    "Unfortunately yes," Amos replied.

    "As you can see from the documents on the table I have so much pending work to tend to so I will advise that you leave now," Amos said the opposite of what his heart wanted.

    "It''s rare for your day off to fall on the same day you don''t have sses and that is why I will advise that you spend this precious time with Audrey and Little rice ball. I am sure he must miss having you all to himself like in the past," Amos said.

    He extended his hand and carried the documents he had earlier ced on theptop''s keypad.

    He began skimming through the documents in his hand.

    The upset Joanna was unable to utter a word. She gazed at the guy whose attention was glued to what he was doing.

    [As he said it is rare for me to get this kind of opportunity. With that flirtydy always hovering around him like a fly who knows when I am gonna get this kind of opportunity? I must aplish my mission today or never. If he thinks he can get rid of me easily then he is wrong]

    Joanna grinned evilly as she leaned her back against the grey couch.

    "If you can''t go out with me today then it''s ok. I will just spend my day with you right here," Joanna said to Amos'' surprise.

    The documents fell off his hand as he stared at Joanna with his mouth dropped open agape.

    "You are not serious about this right?" Amos asked in disbelief. She has only been here for a few minutes and he had lost all focus.

    He couldn''t imagine spending three to four hours with her looking at him. This will be pure torture for him.

    "Of course, I am damn serious," Joanna responded with her hand ced on her crossed legs.

    "I will offer you water when you are thirsty, give you food when you are hungry. I will even massage your shoulders when you are tired," Joanna said beaming.

    "I don''t think there is any date more romantic than this or what do you think?" She questioned, her smile not leaving her face.

    "...," Amos was in shock. He couldn''t believe that his actions had backfired in a way he hadn''t imagined.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Joanna asked, feigning ignorance of why he reacted this way.

    "Aren''t you gonna continue working or do you feel tired and would love to get a massage," Joanna asked springing up to her feet.

    Joanna proved him wrong when she strolled to the back of his seat and tried to massage his shoulders.

    ¡­

    A/N:

    Like I said the code coin is ready, don''t forget to tune in on Sunday to im yours.

    Thank you for all the love and support, guys. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    One more thing, please don''t forget that our monthly goals are still ongoing. Shower me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews.

 Chapter 218 Audreys Intrusion

    ?He jerked to his feet the instant her hand touched him. It was as though he was electrocuted.

    "It might take me the entire day to finish working on the documents and replying to the emails so how could you say you would stay with me?" Amos'' eyebrows creased as he stared at the woman standing in front of him.

    "And I am notining so get to work already. Who knows you might be able to spare your evening for us if you are fast enough," Joanna replied.

    The way she was able to counterattack his points showed she was fully prepared for him.

    Their argument continued but no matter how hard he tried to talk sense into her and make her change her mind, the persistent Joanna refused to be moved by his words.

    "Since you are hell-bent on doing what is on your mind, suit yourself then," Amos finally conceded defeat.

    He sat on the chair and tried to continue with what he was doing.

    At that moment he regretted choosing this option to chase her away.

    "Now you are talking Joanna remarked. A triumphant smile appeared on her face as she returned to her seat.

    With Joanna''s intense gaze glued on him, Amos had a hard time concentrating on his work just as he had predicted.

    For a long time, Joanna and Amos sat at a spot without walking about.

    He was typing on the keypad when he let out a dry cough.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked as she put down her legs.

    Ahem!

    Joanna jumped to her feet when he coughed for the second time.

    "Wait while I get you water," Joanna said. She started walking away before she even finished speaking.

    "You don''t¡­," She was already out of sight before he could finish saying aplete sentence.

    [She is a nutcase but why do I love seeing her this way?]

    Amos smiled as he stared at where she disappeared to.

    Joanna returned with a ss cup in her hand. Despite not feeling thirsty he still collected the ss of water from her and took a sip.

    Joanna continued to attend to his needs even without him having to ask her for anything.

    When it was time for lunch Joanna stood up from where she sat.

    "Wait while I get you blood from the refrigerator¡­,"

    "Joan, that is enough already," Amos said. He stood up and grabbed her hand, not letting her leave the sitting room.

    "You don''t have to serve me. I am already feeling ufortable that you had to run errands for me. You don''t have to keep this up," Amos said in a calmer tone.

    "You are used to getting served. I am sure you must have a hard time adjusting to having to do everything by yourself so I just wanted you to have the feeling of getting served. I did this of my own ord so you don''t have to feel bad or ufortable¡­,"

    "Indeed, I am kinda used to that kind of lifestyle but that doesn''t mean I will let you serve me. Besides you are not my maid or guard so why should you do that?" Amos refused to be convinced.

    "Is it only your maids and guards who can serve you?" Joanna demanded meekly. She didn''t stop looking at his face as she talked.

    "Of course not, but your title is way too important¡­,"

    RANG! RANG!

    The loud sound of the doorbell disrupted what he wanted to say.

    "Audrey!!!" Amos'' eyes widened as he shifted his gaze to where the main entrance was located.

    "What the hell is she doing here?" Amos questioned with widened eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you trying to say the one at the door is Drey?" Joanna asked in disbelief.

    She was about to ask how Audrey knew he residing here when she recalled that she was the one who disclosed these facts to Audrey.

    How could she be so stupid to do that when meant his identity was at risk of getting exposed?

    "Yes," Amos shook his head.

    "What... what¡­," Joanna was speechless.

    Amos picked up one of the files and scribbled something on the white paper which Joanna hurriedly read.

    "Let''s pick whatever will give away my identity as King Kayden Greyson from the room. We will think about what to do next afterwards," Joanna read the text on the sheet of paper.

    "You are right. Let''s get to work now," the panicking Joanna hastened and carried the documents lying on the table.

    As she was busy doing this Amos tried to take down the picture frames hanging on the walls.

    "Anna, I know you are in there so get your ass out of there?"Audrey shouted after running out of patience waiting for them to open the door for her.

    "My original scent lingers in the apartment because I reside here so let''s do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn''t enter my house ok?" Joanna nodded after reading the words Amos scribbled on a different white paper.

    Amos and Joanna took a long nce at the room to make sure that they had removed all that shouldn''t be there at the moment.

    They made their way to the entrance afterwards.

    "Hey, what kept you in there for so long?" Audreyined bitterly the moment Joanna opened the door.

    She tried to push the door open properly and enter his apartment but surprisingly Joanna stood in her way.

    "What are you trying to do huh?" Audrey''s frown deepened as she moved back from the door.

    "Don''t tell me, you are going to drive me away from the door?" Audrey asked but Joanna didn''t say anything. Instead, her grip on the door tightened.

    "Tell me, I am wrong, Anna?" Audrey said despite already guessing this much.

    Audrey tried to push Joanna out of the way but Joanna, who had expected this much, didn''t budge.

    "Hey!" Frustrated, Audrey shouted angrily.

    "Is he the one who puts you up for this? Call him out of¡­,"

    "He didn''t say anything," Joanna cut in not letting her guard down for even a second. She knows her best friend too well to know what she is capable of.

    "And it''s of free will that I don''t want to invite you into the house but it''s just that we were in the middle of something. The house is kinda dirty¡­,"

    "How dirty could it be that you will not let your best friend into the house huh?" Audrey interrupted, not allowing herself to get fooled.

    "You must be¡­," Audrey''s eyes suddenly widened and her mouth dropped open just before she could finish her sentence.

    "OMG!" Audrey eximed making Joanna a little taken aback by her reaction.

    Eager to know what made Audrey suddenly react like this she slowly turned to look behind her.

    A/N:

    Please support the book and author by buying the privileged chapters. It doesn''t matter if you can''t afford the highest tier, you can always purchase the tier which is within your reach.

    Also, guys don''t forget the Author''s monthly appreciation that ising up at the end of the month. If you want your name to be included among the loyal readers of this great book then keep the power stones,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    One more thing, please don''t forget our goals.

 Chapter 219 Audrey Gave Her Permission

    ?Joanna''s mouth dropped open also when she turned around and saw the guy standing behind her with his upper body bare.

    [Wasn''t he fully dressed earlier so why is his upper body bare?... What on Earth is he up to?]

    Joanna was still in shock as she stared at the guy who seemed not to care that they were both drooling at his fine body.

    "He is so damn hot!" Audrey licked her lips hungrily as she took a step forward.

    She raised her hand to touch his bare body but Joanna was quick to push her best friend''s hand away.

    "Do you now believe that she wasn''t lying?" Amos asked as he resisted the urge tough.

    Audrey, who couldn''t take her eyes off him, nodded twice.

    Noticing that her best friend was still looking at his body Joanna used her body to shield him.

    Audrey snapped out of it after Joanna did this. She blinked repeatedly as she moved a step backwards.

    "So you both were doing that¡­ why didn''t you make it clear earlier," Audrey chose to demonstrate with her hands rather than say the word.

    "That''s not what you¡­,"

    "That''s why she said the room was dirty but if you don''t mind despite knowing what we were doing then you cane in and we won''t stop you anymore," Amos cut in not allowing Joanna to ruin their ns.

    Joanna turned and red at him but he acted as though he didn''t see this.

    "Hey!" Audrey shouted, startling Joanna in the process.

    "Although I cannot be counted among the top most sexually experienced youngdies in the Kingdom, I am not stupid ok. I know when to press further and when to give up so¡­," Audrey said. A sly smile appeared on her face as she winked at Joanna.

    "You both can continue with what you were doing," Audrey said grinning.

    [I am sure he clearly knew that Drey would misunderstand us to be having sex if he came out naked so why did he still do it?... Why didn''t he allow me to clear the misunderstanding?]

    Joanna had so many questions to ask him but with Audrey around, she could only keep her curiosity to herself.

    Joanna was still spacing out when Audrey grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the door.

    She pushed Joanna against the wall and whispered, "You were so upset that he abandoned you in the bedroom naked, now that he has fulfilled your wish, I am sure you must be dying of happiness right?".

    "You¡­,"

    "Geez¡­ why am I even asking that when the reply is very obvious huh?" Said Audrey, not able to stop smiling.

    She pulled Joanna further away seeing Amos stuck out his head from the door.

    "I know you love him a whole lot but make sure to ask him to wear a condom if you don''t want to get pregnant at the age of twenty¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna yelled as she pushed Audrey away from her body. Even at this, the smilingdy didn''t look the least upset.

    "Why are you saying that when you know he is hearing us¡­,"

    "The deed has already been done so what is there to get embarrassed about huh?" questioned Audrey. She didn''t sound a bit embarrassed.

    "Also, I am sure you must be feeling very happy and fulfilled that you are doing it with the one you love right?" Audrey winked at Joanna again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You¡­," Audrey grabbed Joanna''s hand and yanked her back into the room in the same manner she pulled her out.

    "Amos, I heard that the first time is usually painful so I will ask that you go easy on my sweetheart ok?" Audrey said, her gaze centred on the guy whose head was the only part of his body visible.

    "Also, don''t bully her too much or I will be sure to take revenge on you¡­,"

    "Hey, Drey why are you saying this¡­,"

    "Sorry for the interruption. I was just worried about her since she spent a long time in your apartment. Since I have confirmed she is more than alright both physically and emotionally, I will leave you two to continue with what you were doing," Audrey said.

    She winked at Joanna before she hurried away.

    With her acting this way it was useless even though Joanna wanted to exin.

    Joanna turned and red at Amos after seeing the elevator door closed. She pushed him out of the way and stomped into the sitting room.

    "Didn''t we already n what we will say so why did you have toe out looking that way?" Joanna questioned the instant they reached the centre table.

    "And howe you took off your shirt so quickly? Don''t tell me this was your n from the onset huh?" Joanna asked, her piercing res focused on him.

    "She was about to barge in after calling you a disloyal friend, did you have a better way of keeping her away without hurting her feelings?" Amos asked as he stared at the angrydy.

    Joanna went quiet after his question. She knew there was some truth in what he said.

    She was already in a bid when Audrey tried to barge her way in. How would she have solved the issue without making Audrey upset?

    "See, you can''t say anything because you also believe that I did the right thing," Amos said as he walked past her. He went to sit down in his previous position.

    "Apart from making it look like we were making out didn''t you have a better way to make her leave¡­,"

    "Are you angry that I came out topless or does your anger lies in the fact that you got misunderstood for what we didn''t do?" Amos interrupted meekly.

    He gazed at the fumingdy who was ring at him.

    "If you feel wronged that I made it look like we were having sex when that is not true then how about we make whatever your friend must have imagined a reality hmm," Amos said.

    He stood up and strolled to where she was standing.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers about not dropping the coin code on Sunday 25th September 2022, I am sorry about it.

    I was waiting for you guys toment on whether or not you will be free on that day but unfortunately, I only received ament from one reader about the coin code.

    Since I was not able to give out the code on 25th September as I promised, how about we do it on Wednesday 28th September 2022?

    What do you think of me giving out the coin code on this day?

    Pleasement so that the giveaway won''t get postponed again.

    THANKS AS YOU DO THAT ??????

 Chapter 220 Dont You Wanna Come?

    ?Watching him get closer to where she stood, her heart started throbbing.

    As if her erratic heartbeat wasn''t enough her entire body started getting excited in anticipation of what was gonna happen.

    She bit down on her lower lips and clenched her fist but these weren''t enough to keep her excited heart and body in check.

    "I am sure you will feel less wronged if we do this so I will fulfil your wish," Amos, who was now an arm''s reach away, reached out his hand to hold her but to his dismay, she disappeared at thest minute.

    "Hey, stay away from me? And who said I wanted us to act out what Drey imagined huh?" Joanna''s voice echoed in the sitting room but she was nowhere to be seen.

    Amos spun as he tried to guess where exactly she was hiding. "Weren''t you angry because you felt wronged so why are you busy running away now that I have decided to grant yours and your best friend''s wish?" He asked, not stopping to spin around.

    His eyes scrutinized the sitting room as he tried to find out where she was.

    "You can think about whatever you want, it''s your right after all. Besides I am too hungry to argue with you," Her voice and chief in the room once again.

    Amos searched for her but he couldn''t find her. He was still searching for her when herst sentence resounded in his head.

    [She said she was too hungry to talk to me so that means she must be in the kitchen]

    Amos smiled. He hastened to the kitchen.

    There he found her standing in front of the opened refrigerator just like he had guessed.

    "Don''t you live on blood so howe your refrigerator is full of human dishes?" Joanna, who could feel his presence without having to turn around, asked.

    "You are right about that. The food is for you," Amos replied. He strolled to the kitchen counter and leaned his back against it.

    "For me?" Joanna asked with widened eyes. She spun and looked at him with a bewildered expression.

    [He went as far as filling up his refrigerator with my favourite food despite not knowing when I was gonna visit his home. Doesn''t that mean he still loves me¡­]

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Amos demanded. He subconsciously touched his face seeing that she wouldn''t stop looking at him.

    "If you have something to say then do it and stop making me ufortable with your intense stares,"Amos added as he dropped his hand.

    "I know there is a possibility you haven''t tasted normal food apart from the blood before but I will still ask you this question¡­," Joanna trailed. She appeared in front of him after she finished talking.

    "Would you like to taste the food prepared by me?" Joanna asked while looking into his eyeballs.

    [She wants to cook for me even when the refrigerator is stocked to the brim with her favourite dishes? But why?]

    Amos was lost in thought as he kept on looking at her face.

    "Say something hmm," Joanna asked as she pouted her lips.

    "There are no groceries¡­,"

    "There is no need to worry about that. Just say yes and you will see the magic happen," Joanna beamed and eagerly waited for a positive response from him.

    "As long as it is you who will prepare it then I am ready to give it a try," Amos agreed, his eyes focused on her dancing eyeballs.

    "Hahaha¡­ this is great," a beautiful smile appeared on her face as she walked backwards.

    "Wait for me. I will be back in a jiffy," Joanna announced. She vanished before Amos could get to ask where she was going.

    "She keeps acting weird but why do I love this side of hers? I mean I have never seen her so eager to spend time with me. I wonder if this is all thanks to Amelia''s ns?" Amos mumbled.

    He walked to the refrigerator when his eyes met the door Joanna had forgotten to shut.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amos waited for Joanna to return. Five minutes passed and then fifteen yet she didn''te back as he had expected.

    He panicked when an hour had passed and she still didn''t return.

    "The way she talked was as though she won''t take up to five minutes so why isn''t she still back yet?" Amos muttered pacing about the kitchen.

    He was still pacing about when his cell phoneid on the centre of the sitting room dinged.

    Without wasting even a minute he was already in the sitting room. He took the cell phone in his hand and quickly checked who sent a message.

    "I am caught up in something. I don''t think I will be able toe right now but I promise I will immediatelye to keep youpany like I had said after I am done here," Amos read out Joanna''s message.

    His expression fell as soon as he finished reading her text message.

    "If I knew that she wouldn''t end up returning immediately then I would have stopped her from leaving," He mumbledas he returned the cell phone to the couch.

    He sat down with a fallen expression for close to ten minutes without moving a muscle.

    "There is no need to cry over spilt milk. The best thing I can do for the both of us is to get over with this damn work so I will be able to spend premium time with her when she returns," Amos said as he shook his head.

    He picked up one of the undone documents and started going through it. With his zeal toplete the work quickly, he immersed himself in what he was doing.

    Despite focusing on the work at hand he still wasn''t able to finish the work before Joanna returned.

    Because he had left his work undone for so many days the work piled up and so no matter how fast he was he still wasn''t able to finish on time.

    He let out a heavy sigh the moment he attended to thest email that required his reply. He leaned back against the couch and raised his head to look at thedy whose gaze was concentrated on him.

    "You must be tired and in need of rest right so I will leave you now¡­,"

    "I will go shower and change into something more decent so we can go out together," Amos cut in standing up from the couch.

    "We are going on a date?" Joanna asked with a bewildered expression. She couldn''t hide her surprise.

    "Why? Don''t you wannae?" Amos demanded as he shifted his gaze to her direction once again.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, guest what?

    Our coin code is ready, yay!!!

    With the coin code, each reader will be able to win 100 coins. Unfortunately, they can only be ten readers who stand a chance to win the coin code.

    I will be giving out the first coin code on Sunday, 25 September 2022.

    Sorry to say that only readers who purchased privileged chapters will first get ess to the code.

    There is no need to feel sad about it because you still stand a chance to win the code as long as you purchased privileged.

    Giving out the coin code is my little way of thanking my readers for being supportive of me.

    I just want to let all of you know that I am grateful and that I appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart.

    Thank you very much guys, you are more than awesome.

    I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 221 A Last Minute Call

    ?A broad smile masked her pretty face when he confirmed her guess. "Do you even need to ask to know I woulde when I am the first one who asked you out on a date?" She asked with her chin raised.

    "That is good to hear," He replied while smiling back at her.

    "I will go freshen up now. You know the nook and cranny of my home, if you need to freshen up, touched up your make up and changed into a different outfit, you know where to get it," He said meekly.

    He spun and headed to his bedroom.

    Joanna jumped up but with caution, the instant his bedroom door jammed.

    [Whoa¡­ I can''t believe he asked me out on a date. I am so happy that I decided to make the first move in settling things between us. All my efforts didn''t go to waste. This is great]

    Joanna''s radiating smile as she pace out was enough to brighten the day of anyone who saw her.

    She patiently waited for him in the sitting room.

    Inside his bedroom, Amos freshened up in the fastest time possible.

    [I have kept her waiting the entire day. I can''t afford to keep her waiting for me any longer]

    Amos beamed as he stared at the brown door leading to the sitting room.

    Without wasting time he spun and proceeded to his dressing table where his body lotion and other cosmetics were neatly ced. All his cosmetics and products were the best of the best which befits his title.

    Amos ran here and there as he tried to get ready in the quickest time.

    A problem urred when it reached the time for him to choose an outfit for himself.

    "Fuck! Why can''t I make a choice on which clothes to pick," Amos muttered as he stared at the different sets of outfits neatly arranged on the racks?

    "I haven''t been so nervous about picking an outfit before. What is wrong with me now?" Amosined. He reached out his hand to pick out the red shirt in the middle but only for him to retract his hand midway.

    "The shirt looks way too formal. Besides, I haven''t made up my mind about where I will be taking her to so the red shirt won''t do," Amos mumbled. He was quick to find faults with the first shirt.

    He extended his hand to pick the green one but he dropped his hand just when he was about to hold the shirt.

    "The darker shade of green isn''t suitable to wear at the night. What if we end up going to a dimly lit ce, won''t I be unnoticed if I wear this?" Amos frowned not satisfied with the casual green shirt either.

    He went around criticising almost all the clothes he had in the walk-in closet.

    After walking around the huge room he finally returned to his first spot. "I am not satisfied with all the clothes here, now what am I¡­,"

    "I love that one over there," Ady''s sweet voice interrupted him. In a sh, he turned to look at where the voice came from.

    He was dumbfounded to see Joanna standing by his side with her hand pointing at his clothes racks.

    "Which one?" He asked as his eyes followed where her hand was pointing at.

    "The grey one," Joanna moved over to the closet. From Among the clothes hanging she picked out the particr shirt she was talking about.

    "I love everything you wear but I particrly love it whenever you wear a grey shirt so I will advise that you wear this," Joanna said, extending the shirt to him.

    "Today is a special day and since you are the one that choose this for me then I will definitely wear it," Amos smiled at her. He puts on the shirt without any hesitation.

    "Today is a special day?" Joanna asked. "I remember your birthday is not today nor of the Queen Mother, did anything special happen on this day that I am not aware of?" Joanna added.

    She started searching her memory for anything memorable that might have happened on this day.

    "Yeah, today is the first day you asked me out on a date and this makes it a special day," Amos replied beaming.

    "And wearing the clothes you pick for me will make it even more special so go ahead and pick all the essories I am gonna wear," He added as he walked to therge mirror in the northern part of the room.

    [So he thinks today is special because I asked him out?]

    Joanna spaced out while grinning from ear to ear.

    "What are you waiting for, aren''t you gonna do it now?" Amos asked as he stared at her through therge mirror.

    "I will do it," Joanna smiled and walked to the wristwatch section.

    As she tried to pick the essories she thought he needed Amos stood in front of the mirror arranging his hair.

    Joanna picked every essory Amos wore including the cologne he used.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After he finished he took ast nce at himself before he turned and faced thedy standing behind him.

    "Let''s go, Girlfriend," A broad smile appeared on his face as he offered his hand to her.

    Hearing him call her Girlfriend made Joanna recall their first official date and the way he kept calling her Girlfriend.

    She couldn''t resist smiling when she remembered those moments.

    "Sure," She replied and wrapped her hand around his.

    In this manner, two of them left the walk-in closet. Amos was about to bend and picked up his car key from the centre table when Joanna''s cell phone rang.

    Grudgingly, she removed the cell phone from her ck handbag.

    "Today is my day off work so why is Mrs Parker calling me?" Joanna mumbled. She hesitated for a few seconds before she swiped the answer button.

    "I really hope it''s not what I am thinking," He muttered with a clenched fist as he watched her walk two steps away from him.

    "Hello Joanna, where are you?" Here came Mrs Parker''s first word.

    "Hmmm¡­," she hesitated not knowing whether it was a good thing to tell Mrs Parker that she was with Amos when she is the one who wants Amos for her cousin.

    "I am at home," Joanna lied as she stole a secret nce at the frowning guy whose gaze was concentrated on her.

    "Ok, that is great. This means you cane over to the cafe right now¡­,"

    "You want me toe to the cafe now?" Joanna shouted not able to mask the shock.

    "Yes, why?" Mrs Parker standing at the counter asked frowning. "Were you doing something important?" She added in a suspicious tone.

    "I was in the middle of something so if it''s not something important I will¡­,"

    "It''s an emergency," Mrs Parker cut in. If only Joanna wasn''t distracted she would have seen the murderous res Amos directed at the cellphone ced on her right ear.

    "I am not stupid to have called you on your day off if not for something important¡­,"

    "But I was doing something¡­,"

    "I will be expecting you at the cafe from this moment," Mrs Parker said sternly.

    "Mrs¡­," Joanna was shocked to realise that Mrs Parker had disconnected the line.

    "I was practically sitting idly here waiting on you so why didn''t she call then?" Joanna bellowed throwing the cell phone in her hand away.

    Amos thought he was the only angry person but hearing the smashing of her cellphone screen made him realise that she was angry.

    Or should he say even more angry than him?

    "Why did she choose to call this moment," Joannamented.

    "There is no need to get so worked up. We will just go and hear what she has to say. We can go ahead with our date afterwards," Amos said in a bid to calm her down.

    "Yeah, you are right," Joanna said. "Besides she never said she wanted me to work on my day off so that means we can still go ahead with our date," Joanna''s mood changed faster than the hand of the clock.

    He was a bit taken aback to see that the deep frown on her face was gone in the same way it appeared.

    "Let''s go. We have no time to spare," Joanna said as she walked towards the entrance.

    Amos followed her closely.

    ¡­

    At the cafe, Mrs Parker was seen using one of the cafe tables with three young people sitting around her.

    "Since I have told you all that needs to be said, I hope you and Leah will support her to manage the cafe well during my five days absence," Mrs Parker concluded.

    With sparkling eyes, Amelia turned to look at Amos sitting on her right-hand side.

    "You once told me that you managed one of your family''spanies all by yourself. I am sure managing a tiny cafe like this will be nothing to you," Amelia said smiling.

    "I will rely on your guidance to manage the cafe well Amos ok," She added still maintaining her smile.

 Chapter 222 The Guys In The Dark

    ?Joanna red at thedy seeing how excited she was.

    [I am more than certain that you are capable of taking care of the cafe even without anyone''s help. You are just looking for a perfect chance to hover around him like a fly]

    Joanna clenched her fist, not able to hide her hatred for thedy that finished talking not long ago.

    Amelia stretched her hand to hold Amos left handid on the table but only for him to remove his hand.

    "I am good at managing things generally but I will have to¡­," His cell phone dinged just before he couldplete his sentence.

    Amos choose not to check his cell phone and diverted his gaze to Amelia''s face.

    "I will have to let you¡­," The phone didn''t ding once but twice this time around.

    He was left with no choice but to answer his call when he saw the way other customers looked at their tables.

    As he read the first line of the ten-line text message, Amos'' expression changed. The temperature around him dropped drastically.

    ? Joanna who happens to be staring at him shivered.

    "Is there something wrong?" Joanna asked worriedly. She tried to peek at the white screen but Amos ced the phone upside-down on the brown table.

    He raised his zing gaze. Joanna grabbed his hand seeing that he was furious.

    "Why are you ring at Mrs Parker like that?... And who was the sender of the message?" Joanna demanded.

    Despite that his fury res were glued on Mrs Parker''s face, the woman happened not to be looking at Amos.

    Joanna didn''t know whether or not this was a coincidence.

    She didn''t find anything fishy so she tried not to think too much about Mrs Parker''s reaction.

    "Amos, you will assist me to manage the cafe during my Aunt''s absence right?" Amelia asked not minding that he was already in this state.

    "Sorry, but he is way too busy to¡­," Amelia''s sudden cough made Joanna unable toplete her sentence.

    "I will¡­,"

    "That is good to hear that you are willing to assist my cousin in taking care of everything in the cafe," Mrs Parker cut in smiling.

    Amos'' deadly res became more intense following Mrs Parker''s interruption.

    Mrs Parker took Amelia''s right hand in hers and caressed it affectionately. "Not only did Lia develop a deep feeling for you on your first meeting but she has been praising you non-stop. She never stops singing your name and how capable you are¡­," Mrs Parker trailed.

    "After all I heard from her about you, with your assistance I can be rest assured that the cafe will be well taken care of without me. I won''t have to worry about the girls turning my precious cafe inside out," Mrs Parker said with a huge sense of humour.

    But none on their table smiled except Amelia.

    [Is it having him assist your cousin which will make you relieved or making him a part of your family¡­ I have never known you to be very sly except for today]

    Joanna bit down her lower lips to prevent herself from voicing out her thoughts. Apart from losing her job, she will only make Amos garner unnecessary attention and this is not what she wanted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Auntie, I have never done any of the things you mentioned so why are you trying to ruin my image in front of him," Amelia said.

    Though she sounded displeased, she was smiling so radiantly and this irked Joanna even more.

    [Talk of an image? Do you even have any image left worth ruining?]

    Joanna dug her nails into her palms until it hurt.

    While this was happening outside the cafe, in a dimly lit corner two young men in ck outfits were seen looking at the cafe.

    The truth was they were not merely looking at the cafe because they fancied it. Instead, there was a particr person on whom their gaze was centred and that person was none other than Joanna.

    "Didn''t the rumour about her says she was as gentle as a dove and weaker than humans but why does her expression say otherwise?" The guy with a ck haircut asked averting his attention to look at the guy standing by his side.

    The difference between the two men wasn''t only in their looks and power but also in their height.

    The guy''s height was at hispanion''s shoulder length.

    "Also, since you know who she is why don''t you meet her instead of making us sneak around like thieves? What will you do if passers-by misinterpret our intentions?" He said as he stuck his hands into his trousers pocket with his chin held high.

    "If you don''t value your reputation I do so¡­,"

    "Will you shut up, Derrick? Or I will be forced to shut you up," the tallest guy interrupted sharply as he shot his talkative best friend a deadly re.

    His threats were only enough to keep his friend quiet for only a minute.

    "Just to find her using only her scent since that is the only thing you knew about her, I have been following you around the entire Kingdom without a minute rest. So how could you shout at me¡­,"

    "I shouldn''t have believed that bullshit when you said you were second to none when ites to ying an undercover agent," The tall guy with a ck haircut interrupted out of annoyance.

    He took a long nce at Joanna''s fuming face. He turned and walked away just before Amos looked out through the ss walls.

    "I should have known that someone like you would bring nothing but trouble," He said as he continued walking further away from the cafe.

    "I may be a troublemaker but at least I am better than a timid fellow like you," Derrick said not sounding affected by his friend''s words.

    He walked faster so that he was ahead of his friend. He turned so that he was facing his friend while he walked backwards.

    "You searched for her for o many days and when you finally found her, you were too timid to walk up to her¡­,"

    ¡­

    A/N:

    Like I said the code coin is ready, don''t forget to tune in on Sunday to im yours.

    Thank you for all the love and support, guys. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    One more thing, please don''t forget that our monthly goals are still ongoing. Shower me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews.

 Chapter 223 Dont Touch Me

    ?"This is not timidness, Rick," He started with confidence. "I didn''t show up in front of her because the right time hasn''t reached yet¡­,"

    "You can call it whatever sweet name you want but I don''t care. All in all, it all boils down to the fact that you didn''t reveal yourself you are timid," Derrick refused to yield to his friend.

    "You can say whatever you want, I won''t argue. I should be happy you didn''t ruin things for me due to your talkative attitude," The tall guy replied.

    Back at the cafe, the way they kept on talking without including her in their conversation made Joanna feel out of ce.

    Joanna could do nothing other than re at Amelia.

    [I have had enough of this!]

    Joanna sped her fist until it bled. She sprang up to her feet, startling Amelia that was about to whisper in Amos'' ears.

    "What''s wrong?" Amos asked as he gazed at her face.

    Joanna ignored him and shifted her attention to Mrs Parker''s direction. "If you don''t have anything else to say I will take my leave now," Joanna said.

    She tried her possible best not to sound rude. But that she didn''t sound rude didn''t mean her expression didn''t convene her inner feelings.

    "You can go home so you cane to work as early as possible since you don''t have morning sses tomorrow," Mrs Parker replied.

    The moment Mrs Parker said the words she wanted to hear, she pulled out the chair and walked away without sparing Amos a nce.

    "Joan, wait let''s go together¡­,"

    "That won''t be necessary. Because we came together doesn''t mean we should leave together," Joanna spatted out the words harshly.

    "Besides you seem very busy so I will leave you to continue with what you were doing," Joanna said. She shot Amelia a murderous re. She spun and stomped out of the cafe afterwards.

    "Joan..," She was already gone before he could call out to her.

    "Amos, let''s continue with what we were saying¡­,"

    "Don''t touch me," Amos shouted to the bewilderment of Amelia and Mrs Parker.

    "I have touched you not to go to the extreme so why won''t you listen to me huh¡­,"

    "Please lower your voice now," Amelia said as she stretched her hand to pull him back onto the chair.

    Her hands were violently pushed away by the angry guy.

    "I made it clear to you that I won''t be a part of anything that will hurt her extremely¡­,"

    "Calm down hmm," Amelia pleaded with everything within her when she noticed the way other customers looked at them.

    "Others are listening. Also, she hasn''t gone far. All our progress will go down the drain if she overhears¡­,"

    "To hell with that bullshit," Amos said. In anger, he pulled out the chair and left the cafe in anger.

    "Go after him and make sure he doesn''t go after her," Mrs Parker instructed.

    "You can see how angry he was. I am afraid I might end up getting strangled if..,"

    "He won''t do that so go and do like I said," Mrs Parker ordered sternly.

    With reluctance, Amelia stood up and ran after him.

    "It''s a matter of time before we achieve our aim. I can sense that this day is not far from today," Mrs Parker muttered, her gaze following her cousin''s back.

    Outside the cafe, Amos followed the direction he saw her take but s she was nowhere to be seen.

    The narrow street was quiet with no soul in sight at that moment.

    While he was busy looking for her, Joanna reappeared in Audrey''s apartment. Thedy who was changing clothes was startled out of her mind when someone suddenly appeared at her back.

    "Fuck! It''s you!" Audrey remarked while holding her panting chest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why did you¡­,"

    BAM!

    The shattering of the flower vase following Joanna''s assault divided the beautiful blue vase into two.

    As if that wasn''t enough she threw her designer handbag against the floor not caring about the damages.

    "Anna, what is the problem?" Audrey asked worriedly. She put back on the trousers she wanted to take off.

    "Did something happen between you and him¡­,"

    "I don''t want to hear his name. I hate him and that flirtydy¡­ In fact, I hate them all," Joanna said almost in tears.

    She stomped to the bed,id down and pulled over the nkets until every part of her body was covered including her head.

    "Things were going very well between the two of you when I dropped by earlier so what happened again?" Audrey asked, walking to the bed.

    She took her position beside Joanna. "Did he do something to upset you or were you at fault¡­,"

    "What could I possibly do to upset him huh?" Joanna yelled as she pulled down the nkets in anger.

    "I did everything to please him but still, she only needed to say a few words for him to forget everything about our ns," Joanna said with misty eyes.

    She felt so pathetic but she couldn''t help it.

    "From what I saw you both look more like newlyweds so what did he do to make you so mad in rage?... You are getting me all confused," Audrey said.

    From what she noticed about Joanna after she returned, she knew that her best friend had a strong mind, not the type to get hurt to the point of almost being in tears.

    For Joanna to behave like this she knew something must have happened that really hurt her. And she wants to know what exactly he did.

    "I don''t want to talk about him or what happened?" She said as she pulled the nkets over her head once again.

    "You..,"

    "Drey, can you please leave me alone? I want to be left alone right now," Joanna said meekly.

    "Whatever it is, we can talk things out instead of hiding away. I am certain we can find solutions¡­,"

    "Please, Drey hmm¡­," Joanna pleaded. Underneath the sheets, she quickly cleaned the tears that were about to fall.

    Audrey stared at the wriggling figure underneath the nkets. Her heart ached to see her best friend this way.

    Knowing their situation very well she was aware that their problems were very simple. She wondered why her strong-headed friend was making things difficult for herself.

    "Are you sure you want me to leave?" Audrey asked not knowing whether leaving her best friend in this condition was the right thing to do.

    "Hmm..," Joanna replied softly.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers about not dropping the coin code on Sunday 25th September 2022, I am sorry about it.

    I was waiting for you guys toment on whether or not you will be free on that day but unfortunately, I only received ament from one reader about the coin code.

    Since I was not able to give out the code on 25th September as I promised, how about we do it on Wednesday 28th September 2022?

    What do you think of me giving out the coin code on this day?

    Pleasement so that the giveaway won''t get postponed again.

    THANKS AS YOU DO THAT ??????

 Chapter 224 Chris Showed Up Again

    ?"Since you are sure about this then I will leave you alone. If you feel like crying then do so or you will feel sick," Audrey said. She reached out her hand and touched Joanna.

    She gazed at Joanna not wanting to leave. She had no choice but to leave knowing that Joanna would only let out everything bothering her after she leaves the room.

    Audrey walked over to the table where she had thrown her shirt on. She took her clothes, and take a long look at Joanna before she left the room.

    "Just wait and see how I will deal with you for messing with my best friend," Audrey bellowed, jamming close the main entrance door.

    Audrey stomped to the elevator. Instead of pressing the button going to the ground floor Audrey pressed the button leading to the floor Amos stayed.

    After she got out of the elevator on the designated floor, Audrey got ready to give Amos a piece of her mind.

    But her disappointment turned out to be as big as her expectations.

    "They spent the entire day having a good time in his room so why isn''t he here now?... Did he run away because he knew I was gonnae for¡­," Audrey moved and stood in front of the pir when she got a glimpse of a figure in ck lurking downstairs in front of the building.

    Curious to know what was happening she stuck out her head from her hiding ce and peered down.

    The figure standing upstairs was so far away and didn''t notice her existence on the floor.

    She returned to her hiding ce in a sh when she noticed that the figure wanted to look in her direction.

    When she felt that it was safe she stuck out her head and peeked downstairs for the second time.

    On her third attempt, she was lucky to get a glimpse of the figure''s face. Her eyebrows furrowed when she sets eyes on the face of the figure downstairs.

    [What is Chris doing here?... Also, my apartment isn''t this way so why does he keep looking at this area of the building in particr?]

    Instead of finding solutions she was left confused by Chris'' sudden appearance there.

    ? [Also, didn''t I tell him not to wear those tacky ck outfits because it makes him look suspicious? Will he gets back to his senses after he sleeps in the police cell for a day?]

    Audrey stuck out her head only to return to her hiding spot noticing that Chris was still looking at her sides.

    So he won''t know that she has been watching him secretly, Audrey waited for him to leave before she came out of her hiding ce.

    "Although he can be very annoying and I kinda hate his guts, I am d that I won''t have to spend two to three hours alone. I will use this opportunity to repay the favour of him always getting on my nerves," An evil grin masked her pretty face as she gazed in the direction Chris took.

    Chris walking on a lonely street can to a halt when he felt someone''s presence behind him.

    "Hey, don''t you think that we have been meeting way too often," Thedy''s stern voice echoed in the dark streets causing him to turn around.

    "You are kinda right, I guess the heavens want us to be friends¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Boring," She eximed with her hands stuck in her trouser''s pockets. She walked passed him.

    Chris tried as much as possible to keep up with her pace.

    Tonight Audrey didn''t return to her home except after midnight.

    She was so relieved when she reached the bedroom and meet Joanna sleeping with her hands wrapped firmly against a pillow.

    "I wish the two of them would settle things. I don''t want to get kicked out of my home once again," Audrey whispered as she bent and pats Joanna''s silver hair.

    The next day, Joanna woke up pretty early but she wasn''t in the mood to go to work. After what transpired the previous night she already knew that nothing good wille out of Amelia being in charge of the cafe.

    The mean girl would do everything to frustrate her, she already knew that much.

    With reluctance, Joanna freshened up and got set for work. While she got ready to go to work, Audrey who had sses in the morning also got ready to leave.

    The two friends said their farewells when they reached downstairs.

    "We will see each other when you return," Audrey said when they wanted to part ways downstairs.

    "I am nning to spend the night over at home today. Little rice ball has been texting me so muchtely because I haven''t been home so many nights," said Joanna in a meek tone.

    "I am afraid he might cause problems and get spanked by Laura and his mother," she added.

    Although a night had passed Audrey could still see traces of sadness on Joanna''s face.

    Because it will only make Joanna sadder if she mentioned anything about the previous night, she decided not to pry further.

    "The two meandies are capable of doing anything so you are right about it. I will put a call to you after my sses," Audrey replied.

    The two friends said their farewells and parted ways.

    Getting closer to the cafe, Joanna had this strange feeling about returning home. Her imagination of some of the things they will do began ying in her head, thereby worsening things.

    "I did nothing wrong so why should I run away like a coward?" Joanna questioned with her fist sped.

    "Besides, wouldn''t I be giving her the liberty to do whatever she likes with him if I refused to go to work?" Joanna, who had already turned her back in the direction of the cafe, found a new reason to fight.

    "With my chin and shoulders held high. I am gonna go in there and prove to her that the winner hasn''t been decided," Joanna smiled as she pressed on.

 Chapter 225 Amelias First Day At Work

    ?At the cafe, the first thing Joanna did on entering was to search for him.

    For some reason, she was so happy when she didn''t see him after scanning thece for him.

    "Are you gonna stand there spacing out all day?" Ady''s stern voice impeded Joanna''s thought.

    Joanna refused to get provoked by thedy''s words. She sauntered to the counter without paying much attention to the customers sitting at their various tables.

    "I would have still gotten here even though you didn''t say it," Joanna retorted when she reached the counter.

    Amelia watched as the smilingdy strode toward the employee''s locker room. She spun and nced at Leah by her side when Joanna was gone.

    "Why does she always sound hostile whenever she speaks to me?" Amelia demanded seriously.

    "You are not the only one she talked to this way, I am not an exception neither is Mrs Parker. Joanna has been getting very sensitive ever since she got sick," Leah said. There was a bit of sadness in her eyes as she spoke.

    "She is sick?" Amelia inquired with a dropped mouth. She swivelled and looked at the door Joanna ambled into not long ago.

    "What is she diagnosed with?" Amelia quizzed as she moved her gaze back to thedy by her side.

    "I don''t know. Mrs Parker just said she is seriously sick so I would very much appreciate it if you don''t take things she says or do to heart," Leah implored on Joanna''s behalf.

    "Ooh¡­ so it was my Auntie who said so?" Amelia interrogated, not sounding moved by Leah''s words at all.

    Leah affirmed with a nod of the head. "I have been trying to care more about her after I learned about this," Leah amplified.

    Amelia strode two steps away and turned her back on Leah. "If it''s my Auntie who said it then I guess she must be very sick," Amelia said grinning.

    [I wonder why Auntie would cause such a misunderstanding when we both know what is wrong with Joanna?]

    Amelia was in a daze as she stood there.

    Not long after Joanna soones out of the locker room to join the twodies at the counter.

    Joanna happily worked and strived not to get affected by the presence of thedy she hates.

    She knew getting worked up every single time she sets eyes on thedy would not do her any good.

    Whether or not she likes it, she is gonna keep seeing thedy''s face for five days. It would only be a waste of her precious time if she keeps getting angry.

    Joanna kept on this mindset for three hours until Amos entered the cafe. His arrival didn''t go down well with Joanna and her expression indicated it.

    "Here I thought he had a bit of conscience left in him but I guess I was wrong," Joanna muttered, her murderous res directed at the two people talking at a corner in the room.

    "Joanna," Leah cried out. Despite Joanna standing beside her, herck of response made Leah know she didn''t hear her.

    "Girl, will you let go of that or you are goanna injure yourself with that," Leah said but this time around she hits Joanna to get her attention.

    Joanna''s grip around the steaming jug of water loosened the moment Leah touched her.

    "You were doing very well so what hase over you now? Where is your mind at?" Leah chastised.

    "Also, will you only get back to your senses if you sustained a bad injury¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are not my mother nor my father so stop lecturing me ok?" Joanna snarled.

    Leah was a bit taken aback by Joanna''s response. She couldn''t see anything wrong with what she said to make her this furious.

    "You¡­,"

    "A cup of coffee please," A customer called out to them before Leah had the opportunity to give Joanna a piece of her mind.

    "Coming," Joanna responded to the call. While Leah prepared the coffee Joanna waited for it to be ready so she could go deliver the customer''s order.

    After the order was ready she moved toward the table which happens to be closer to Amos and Amelia''s table.

    Even though she didn''t want to see what they were doing and heard what they were talking about she had no choice with how obvious and loud Amelia was.

    Joanna''s grip on the white tray tightened the moment she got closer and saw that Amelia''s right hand was on Amos'' hand.

    She was so distracted and didn''t even know when she got to the customer''s table.

    "Fuck you!" Joanna muttered under her breath as she took out the cup of coffee from the tray and bent to drop it on the table.

    "I beg your pardon," The customer remarked with raised eyebrows as she stared at Joanna.

    Joanna, who didn''t even realize that she said those words, was surprised to see the customer''s angry look.

    "Did you just say fuck me? Is that how you treat customers?" Thedy demanded in annoyance.

    "It''s a misunderstanding Madam. I wasn''t talking to you. I am sorry about that, Madam," Joanna apologised without any argument knowing too well that she was the one at fault.

    Thank goodness the customer was a cool-headed person and because of this, the issue didn''t escte.

    "Amos, look at this, what did you say I need to do again to get the right figures?" Amelia said to the guy whose gaze was on Joanna.

    "Are you listening to me?" Amelia asked the guy who was acting as though she didn''t exist.

    Despite that she tried to call his attention twice Amos didn''t respond. He only returned his gaze to theptop in front of him when he noticed that Joana wanted to return to the counter.

    "I have told you that getting the figures right is simple. You just need to¡­," Amos paused after Joanna walked past them.

    Reaching the counter Joanna dropped the tray on the inner table and turned to look at the cafe which had just the right number of customers.

    "Miss Amelia is very polite, intelligent and respectful. She is just like Mrs Parker. I guess these qualities run in the blood," Leahplimented while smiling.

    She tilted her head slightly so that she was facing Joanna. "Don''t you agree with me that she and Amos look perfect together?" Leah asked ignorantly.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, if you will be avable to retrieve the coin code here on Sunday 25 September 2022, pleasement so that I will know that you all are ready for this.

    Thank you as you make things easier for your poor author.

 Chapter 226 Paycheck Day

    ?She brought her gaze back to the direction of Amelia''s table. Leah''s eyes shone as she looked at the people who were talking and beaming.

    "Look at how well they get along despite it hasn''t been long since they knew each other. I am sure you agree with me that they look amazing together. They would make the best couple in¡­," The snap of metal made Leah turn and look at Joanna.

    With widened eyes, she stared at the broken price of the silver spoon in Joanna''s hand and the broken piece on the floor.

    "Joanna, are you ok?" Leah asked with her eyes still left open. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" She added, reaching out her hand to touch her hand.

    [I think I should better get out of here before I do some harm to someone''s previous daughter]

    Joanna gazed at thedy that was trying to pull out the broken still spoon from her hand.

    "Handle things here, I will be back after using the restroom," Joanna spoke up after three minutes of silence.

    Leah extended her hand and grabbed Joanna. "Are you sure you ok and don''t need¡­,"

    "That your head is still on your neck and you are not screaming in anguish shows that I am still with my senses so you can be rest assured," Joanna replied sternly.

    She gave a gentle push to Leah''s hand and proceeded to the restroom.

    Inside the restroom, ady standing slightly bent in front of the sink could be seen sshing the chilled water over her face.

    [Joanna, you are not a sore loser like she wants you to be seen as so get your acts together?]

    Joanna tried to calm down her fury heart as she kept on sshing cold water over her face.

    [Just a few days ago he treated me way better than he is doing to her so there is nothing special about what they are doing now]

    Despite these encouraging words she didn''t calm down nor did she sound convinced by herst thoughts.

    She returned to the cafe not fully calmed but her mood was way better than when she didn''t use the restroom.

    For hours everything Amelia did was deliberately done to frustrate Joanna. She found every slight opportunity to get close to him.

    After a few minutes for Joanna to get off work, Amos walked up to the counter where Joanna was the only one there.

    "How are you doing?" Amos asked. He lifted his hand and ced it on the brown table.

    Yeah, he was there but thedy standing opposite him behaved like he didn''t exist.

    [Should I just let go of my anger and answer him since he has decided to spare me a little of his time]

    As she stood there pretending to be so engrossed in the cups she was wiping, her thoughts were in chaos.

    She didn''t know what to do or how to react since she had been ignored by him for so many hours.

    "I am sure that as usual, you didn''t have breakfast so how about I treat you¡­,"

    "Amos, can you please hurry here? I kinda need your help," Amelia shouted, as though she was eagerly waiting for this moment.

    Amos didn''t answer Amelia''s call, he kept on looking at the face of thedy whose expression he couldn''t read no matter how hard he tried.

    Was she angry, jealous or hateful?<novelnext></novelnext>

    He couldn''t tell from her nk expression.

    "Go on," Joanna said, her nk expression not changing.

    "You don''t even have a second to spare for yourself so how could you possibly have any to spare for me," she added.

    "Joan¡­,"

    "Leah,e take over. I need to go in and get changed," Joanna cut in. She didn''t wait for Leah to reach there before she turned and abandoned Amos at the counter.

    [Who knows maybe with this he will get to experience just how horrible it feels to get ignored, especially by a friend]

    Joanna held the door handle of the locker room door and pulled it open. She didn''t spare Amos a nce until the door jammed close.

    Even when she was gone he was still gazing at the door she vanished into.

    "Amos, pleasee over here. I think I made a mistake over here," Amelia pointed to theptop as she talked.

    "I aming," he replied.

    Reluctantly he looked away from the brown door and tilted his head toward Amelia''s direction.

    Joanna emerged from the locker room wearing her casual clothes. She walked over to Amelia''s table.

    "Auntie had already given me your schedule so you can get off work now," Amelia said meekly.

    She shoved her hand into her handbagid on the table. And just when Joanna tried to leave Amelia called her attention.

    "Auntie had nned to give you your paycheck yesterday but unfortunately she couldn''t because of the emergency. She asked me to give it to you," Amelia said as she extended the brown envelope to Joanna.

    "My paycheck?" She asked, not looking the least excited about it. As she collected the brown envelope she stole a nce at Amos.

    Some days ago she was excited and looked forward to this day but now that it hase to pass she didn''t feel the least happy for some reason.

    What was wrong with her?

    Joanna turned to leave but a hand reached out and held her. With hope in her eyes, she tilted her head sideways and looked at him.

    "Though I am kinda busy now and can''t follow you to campus, let''s go out to celebrate your first paycheck after sses ok?" He asked meekly.

    Joanna''s lifeless face saw a bit of light the moment he said those words.

    "You wille right?" He demanded while secretly stroking her hand. Amelia stared at them without uttering a word.

    "We will see about that?" She said and pulled her hand away from his hold.

    Joanna strolled out of the cafe afterwards.

    The moment she got far away from the cafe, she let out the smile she had been holding back.

    "I thought he wouldn''t care about me or remember the ns I told him about my paycheck but I guess I was wrong. He still remembers it very well," Joanna''s smile broadened as she looked at the brown envelope in her hand.

 Chapter 227 Who Is There?

    ?As she made her way to campus she was too excited to notice her environment.

    On reaching therge campus gate, she raised her head and stared at her surroundings.

    "When did I get here huh?" Joanna mumbled her gaze glued on the entrance where students trouped in and out of campus.

    Joanna soon got over the surprise and made her way into campus. Joanna was on her way to the lecture hall when a guy walked up to her.

    "Mr Aidan requires your presence in his office right now," the tall guy in a sky blue shirt informed me.

    Joanna lowered her head and gaze at the glittering watch hugging her right hand tightly.

    A mild frown appeared on her face as she lifted her head to look at the guy standing in front of him.

    "Sorry but I am alreadyte for my sses," Joanna replied. "Inform him that I wille over to his office when I am done with lectures," She said firmly and walked past the astounded guy.

    The guy spun and left to ry her response to the old man in his office.

    In the lecture hall, Amos'' earlier words were enough to keep Joanna concentrated on what the lecturer was teaching.

    Though her attention was fully present in ss the way she kept looking at her wristwatch would mistake one to think that she was runningte for her wedding.

    The instant thedy lecturer said closing remarks Joanna who was eagerly waiting for this moment get a hold of her handbag and dashed to the door.

    Because of this everyone''s attention was on her but she was too much in a haste to even notice this.

    With the kind of speed she ran out of the ss Joanna didn''t recall anything else except her ns with Amos.

    Mr Aidan''s invitation was long forgotten by her.

    Inside the Chancellor''s office, the smiling man raised his head and looked at the man in a ck suit standing in front of his desk.

    "Do I look good?" He asked as gave a little stroke to his moustache.

    "...," The man in the ck suit was left speechless with his question.

    "I just asked you a simple question so why are you looking at me like that?" He demanded, frowning.

    "You look absolutely amazing, Sir," the man in a ck suit was quick to reply. Thest thing he would want to do was get on the bad side of the mean man.

    As his assistant, he would be the one who ends up suffering if he does that.

    "Even though you didn''t say it, I already knew that I look my best," He spoke with pride as he adjusted the golden wristwatch around his wrist.

    "Yes¡­,"

    "So what is the development now? Is she almost here?" Mr Aidan asked as he looked at the ck door. He listened carefully to check whether someone wasing but unfortunately his sensitive ears couldn''t pick up any footsteps close by.

    "Our man informed us that she left the lecture hall in a haste. I believe she will be here in a minute or two," The man in a ck suit responded.

    "I remained on campus up till this moment just for her. In a few minutes, she will make my wait worth it," An evil grin linger on his lips as he adjusted the ck necktie around his neck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Meanwhile, as Mr Aidan was waiting for Joanna''s arrival, Joanna on the other hand was already out of the campus gate.

    As Joanna hurried into the dark into the bright street illuminated by the street lights, she didn''t notice that someone was secretly following her or should I say watching her.

    With the speed, she was going Joanna reached the cafe faster than she would have done if she wasn''t hurrying.

    A block away from the cafe, Joanna paused walking in front of a ss wall.

    With her fingers, she arranged her slightly messed up hair.

    "I can''t go this way or he will realise that I was running," Joanna muttered. She exhaled deeply a few times to regte her throbbing heartbeat.

    "Hoo¡­ I guess I am ready now," Joanna smiled at herself through the transparent wall.

    She turned and proceeded to the cafe which was located on her right-hand side.

    Getting to the front of the cafe, Joanna raised her gaze and peered through the ss wall.

    The scene she met made the excited youngdy stop in her tracks. Her eyes moved from one face to the other.

    Seeing a smiling faces as they talked happily made Joanna grab her chest. She subconsciously takes a step backwards, her gaze not moving from their smiling faces.

    [Why does it hurt her so much?]

    Joanna''s grip on her chest tightened.

    Her chest tightened when she saw Amelia move closer and whispered into Amos'' ears only for the two of them to burst tough.

    [In the past he only had eyes for me. He didn''t let any other womane close to him as I do¡­]

    The tingling sensation around her eyes made Joanna close her eyes.

    [Has he fallen out of love with me and chose her instead? Is it just my wishful thinking that her feelings are one-sided?]

    Just then he raised his gaze to peer out through the ss wall.

    Joanna, who had seen thising, disappeared in time before he could see her.

    She appeared a street away from the cafe. Dejectedly she walked further into the dark streets.

    "Maybe this is what I deserve for always hurting him in the past," she muttered and kept on walking aimlessly on the lonely streets.

    She was about to turn to the right, the path leading to her home when suddenly she felt as though someone was following her.

    So she would not alert the enemy; she pretended not to be aware of his presence and continued walking.

    A few minutester when she had estimated that the lurker might have let down his guard, she turned around.

    "Who is there?" She demanded coldly.

 Chapter 228 Laura!

    ?Her eyes widened on seeing that none except her was on the dimly lit street. She looked around her left and then right but no matter how hard she searched the answer remained;

    There was no other person on the street except her. And this came as a shock to her.

    "I am more than certain that someone was following me up to the moment I turned around so howe none is here right now?" Joanna muttered.

    As though searching with her eyes wasn''t enough, to prove that she was not hallucinating Joanna appeared in front of the ck pir at the right corner of the road.

    She run her fingers through her well-styled hair realising that no one was hiding behind the pir.

    "I am a hundred per cent sure someone was tailing me?... And the question boils to this; who was it?" She mumbled.

    She looked far ahead until her vision had covered the entire street, hoping to see someone lurking by but nothing changed.

    [If it was a vampire or a werewolf which tailed me, they wouldn''t have disappeared in that amount of time without any traces¡­]

    Joanna was confused as she kept on scrutinising her surrounding with her sharp eyes.

    What happened didn''t make sense no matter how many times she thought about it.

    [And neither could a human have gotten away so quickly¡­ If the one that tailed me was neither a human, vampire or werewolf then what could it be?]

    "If only I had gotten a tiny glimpse of him then my eyes would have been able to analyze his identity within a split second¡­ it''s just so unfortunate," She said.

    Joanna took ast nce at the street before she resumed walking away.

    After the incident that took ce, she no longer felt the urge to go home, especially when she knew very well that Anthony must be eagerly waiting at the doorstep for her.

    In her current mood, she wouldn''t only dampen her brother''s mood but she might end up losing her cool like she has been doing at the cafe.

    She could harm anyone at home and not feel remorse about it but he is the only person at home she would never want to hurt no matter how angry she is.

    He is the only genuine family she has.

    After roaming the streets for a long time, Joanna headed home. Walking in the cool night breeze soothes her pains and calmed her down.

    Even though she returned veryte, the guards at the gate dared not questioned her like they often do.

    When they recalled what she did, they forced themselves to behave well even against their will.

    Getting to the sitting room, Joanna was stunned to see Anthony lying on one of the couches with the television still turned on.

    "He is one stubborn fellow," She shook her head, her gaze not moving away from the sleeping figure on the couch.

    "Despite this, I can''t bring myself to get angry at him. He is just too loved and pampered by me," Joanna smiled.

    She moved closer to the couch and bent slightly with her hands extended.

    Joanna lifted Anthony off the couch with ease. "Let''s take you to your room, Little rice ball," Joanna mumbled.

    With Anthony in her arms, she proceeded to the stairs. She scaled the stairs without breaking a sweat.

    In Anthony''s room, Joanna was about to pull the bedsheets over his body when he suddenly woke up.

    While trying to coax him back to sleep Joanna ended up falling asleep beside him.

    The next morning Joanna woke up very early. Without wasting a second she proceeded downstairs. To be precise her destination was the kitchen.

    As other members of the household were busy enjoying their beauty sleep, Joanna busied herself trying to prepare breakfast.

    When other members of the household woke up and realised that not only was breakfast ready but also served, they couldn''t hide their shock.

    Laura standing in the middle of the dining room exchanged nces with her mother.

    "She is being way too nice today. I wonder what she is scheming?" Laura whispered. Fear dare not let her and her mother proceed to sit in the dining.

    "What if she¡­,"

    "Don''t worry, I didn''t poison your food today," Joanna who just walked into the room with the pot of soup cut in as she approached the table.

    "As long as you all continue to mind your business then I will try my best not to burn all of you to death but I can''t say what I will do if you go around sniffing your nose in where you aren''t supposed to," Joanna said sternly.

    She spun and walked to the exit after dropping the pot of soup in the middle of the table.

    "How can we believe that you didn''t poison the food¡­,"

    "To be precise, you get to enjoy this luxury on a tter of gold because I want to make Little rice ball happy so don''t act so proud because you are not that important to me," Joanna snapped stopping in her track.

    She tilted her head sideways and peered at Laura. "Also, whether or not you believe it is up to you," She concluded and resumed walking out of the room.

    Both of them watched her walk away without challenging her as they often do.

    "I believe her," said Laura as she turned and looked at the long table in front of them.

    "She loves that little brother of hers way too much to want to harm him so I believe she didn''t poison the food nor did she add any harmful substance into it¡­,"

    "He is your blood brother so why are you acting as though he isn''t?" Adhara scolded, her fierce eyeballs directed at Laura.

    "He never listens to whatever I say to him. He is so annoying that sometimes I often ask myself if he really is my blood bro¡­,"

    "Laura!" Adhara yelled, not letting her finish her sentence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You know I am saying the truth so there is no need to give me that look," Laura replied unfazed.

    She walked to the dining table and sat down at the left-hand side of the long table. Together, she and her mother waited for Mr Anderson to join them.

    ...

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH LOVELY READERS

    As you know the end of the month is always the time for this author to appreciate all the readers who have done exceptionally well.

    Guys, I just want to say a big thank you to all of you.

    A bigger thank you to all the readers who bought privileged chapters, send gifts, Cast GOLDEN TICKETS, voted with power stones and leavements on the book (coughs**... I didn''t mention review because there was no review in September)

    Thank you very much. It was because of your immense support that I got the strength and motivation to write.

    When I was at my weakest point you all gave me a reason tough and something to feel grateful for.

    Guys, to the bunch of you who has been exceptionally supportive, I will forever remember you.

    Thank you for the love, care and support you have showered on this book. You all have won my heart ??????.

    Guys, just a pleasant warning from the author who loves you a lot. Don''t be surprised or angry if you see some readers dominate all the categories. It''s this way because they worked hard for it.

    If you want your name to be on the list then do everything within your power to support the book.

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    Thank you for showing me support all round. Thanks for all the coins,ments, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS. Words alone can''t express how grateful I am to all of you.

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A big shout out to all the readers who purchased September 2022 privileged chapters. Although I don''t know your names, know that your impact has been greatly felt by your lovely author. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for making me feel that putting up the extra chapters was not a total waste of my time and efforts.

    To all the readers who voted with their power stones in September, I just want to say thank you. Your author noticed you so don''t ever feel like I have forgotten you or I don''t see what you are doing.

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 Chapter 229 Joanna Finally Found The Answer

    ?Meanwhile upstairs Joanna was seen sliding into Anthony''s room with a white tray in her hand.

    Inside Anthony''s room, she carefully dropped the tray of food on the side table and proceeded to wake him up.

    "Waking, Waking, Waking¡­.," Joanna whispered in his ear and pulled away. Anthony groaned and changed his sleeping position instead of waking up.

    "Waking, Waking, Waking¡­," Joanna tried it the second time. She watched as his eyes fluttered open.

    Anthony rubbed his eyes with his right hand as he tried to sit up. Joanna hastened to assist him to sit on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard.

    "Big Sister!" He shouted the instant his eyes cleared up.

    "You are¡­.," He pulled in and embraced her tightly, making her swallow back her words.

    "Big Sister is back. I have missed you," He said, his grip around her neck tightening.

    "I was only away from home for a day or two but if someone sees the way you are acting they will think I haven''t been at home for a year or so," Joanna replied yfully. She raised her hand and patted his back.

    "The number of days you have been away doesn''t matter. The truth is that I have missed having Big Sister around," He said not letting go of her.

    "And this is why I prepared you this to make up for not returning home these past nights," Joanna said. She wasn''t the least surprised to see him pulled away in a sh.

    "What did you prepare?" His eyes sparkled as he waited for the surprise.

    "This¡­," She replied while pointing at the tray of food by their sides. His eyes moved to where she pointed at him.

    His eyes shone brighter when he got a glimpse of the content of the tray. "Bacon and omelette!" He shouted, shifting his attention back to his sister''s smiling face.

    "Yeah, this is called breakfast in bed. Do you like it?" questioned Joanna as she reached out her hand and stroked his glowing skin.

    "Hmm¡­," he shook his head affirmatively. "I love it". Anthony couldn''t stop smiling as he looked at his sister''s face.

    "If you like it then go into your bathroom and take care of your teeth. You need to eat it while it''s still hot," Joanna instructed. And immediately Anthony jumped out of bed.

    "I will do that now," He said and raced towards the bathroom.

    Because of how excited he was feeling Anthony forgot to close his bathroom door. From where she sat she could see him rushing about trying to take care of his teeth and face in the quickest possible time.

    He returned to the bedroom sooner than she thought. With the two of them sitting facing each other and the tray in their middle, Joanna picked the bacon with the fork and brought it close to his mouth.

    In this way, she fed him so many times. After making him eat a few spoons, the smart boy noticed that his sister wasn''t eating.

    "Let''s eat together," Anthony said. With the spoon, he scooped the sweet fragrant soup and brought it to her mouth but Joanna refused to open her mouth.

    "You don''t like the soup right?" Another question. Without waiting for her reply he returned the soup to the blue bowl.

    He took the fork, picked a sizable piece of omelette from the floral te and lifted it to her mouth.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am sure you will like your favourite. It''s quite tasty ahhh¡­," He said while opening his mouth the way he wanted her to do.

    She raised her hand and held him by the hand. "I don''t have an appetite, Little rice ball," Joanna replied as she forced a smile.

    "You prepared all this so how could you not want to eat, Big Sister?" Anthony asked, frowning. He brought the food to her mouth once again but she still refused to eat it.

    "Big Sister, this is thest time we are gonna eat in our home before we move to the hotel so let''s eat hmm¡­ We don''t know how long it will take for the house to be repaired," Anthony coaxed softly.

    "Are we moving into a hotel?" Joanna questioned with widened eyes.

    "Yes," He replied firmly. "Daddy wants to get the broken porch repaired as quickly as possible since Granny will being over. And that is why we will be moving out of the house in four days," He exined, his gaze focused on his sister''s surprised face.

    "Daddy asked Laura to inform you about it so don''t tell me, she refused to do that?" Anthony took a guess.

    He decided not to press further when Joanna didn''t respond. "And that is why you must eat with me today since I am not sure when we are gonna eat homemade food," Anthony said. He tried his luck the third time.

    He pouted his lips and blinked his eyes repeatedly when Joanna still didn''t open her mouth to receive his food.

    "Hehehe¡­ stop making that face ok," Joanna couldn''t resistughing seeing her brother''s cute expression.

    Being with Anthony made Joanna forget all her problems, even though it was only for a short while.

    Time flew by quickly and when it reached the time to go to the cafe Joanna became depressed.

    ¡­

    For three days Amos gave Joanna the cold shoulder. If it was only him not talking to her, she wouldn''t have been so affected.

    The fact that Amelia takes the slightest opportunity to infuriate her was the worst of all. No day passed by without her going home furious.

    As if not being able to talk to him despite seeing him every day wasn''t enough torture, the gradual loss of her abilities added more to her pile-up problems.

    Tonight after doing everything to calm her hurting best friend Joanna and Audreyid down to sleep.

    Audrey was slowly drifting to sleep when Joanna lying beside her jumped to her feet.

    The startled Audrey sprang up to her feet after what Joanna did. "What happened? Was there an attack or an earthquake?" Audrey asked as she searched the room for signs of an intruder.

    "No one is here so what exactly happened, Anna?" Audrey questioned as she sat back on thefy brown duvet.

    "I have the answer to your question now," Joanna shouted. There were sparkles in her eyes as she talked.

    "Answers to what exactly?" Audrey asked, frowning. She couldn''t believe that Joanna has just woken her up from sleep because of something as trivial as this.

    "I love him," Joanna yelled, beaming.

 Chapter 230 Audreys Suggestion

    ?"That is the answer I came up with after thinking extensively for days," Joanna''s smile shone as she hugged the pillow to her chest.

    "What!" Audrey''s eyes widened as she stared at her giggling best friend.

    "Are you sure of what you are saying?" Audrey questioned her gaze not moving away from Joanna''s face.

    "Are you certain you did note up with this answer because you are jealous¡­,"

    "I didn''t arrive with this answer out of jealousy, Drey," Joanna replied with a stern expression. She stood up from the bed, and walked to and fro the foot of the big bed.

    "My answer is as a result of careful thinking¡­ the truth is I have long fallen in love with me. I am in this situation because I didn''t understand what it means to be in love with a man but now I do," Joanna said softly. She paused walking and look at Audrey eyeball to eyeball.

    "I love him very much. This is something I am a hundred per cent sure of. I could never be wrong about what I feel for him," Joanna said with all certainty.

    Her erratic heartbeat was as though she just finished running a marathon.

    A beautiful smile lingered on Audrey''s face as she stared at her best friend. She stood up from the bed and strolled to where Joanna stood.

    "This is great!" Audrey remarked beaming.

    Although it took her best friend a few days to find the answer that she knew on the first day she set eyes on Amos, she was very happy that her best friend hade to this realisation.

    "I am so proud of you, baby girl," Audrey said while raising her hand to stroke Joanna''s hair.

    "This is something worth celebrating. If it wasn''t veryte into the night I would have definitely popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate your first step¡­,"

    "Why are you patting my hair so seriously, Drey?" Joanna interrupted, holding Audrey''s hand which was moving on her hair. "You are acting like my mother, do you know that¡­,"

    "I thought you had long given that title to me so why the fuss¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna yelled. She tried to put on a stern expression but her dancing eyes and the sweet smile lingering on the corner of her lips betrayed her.

    "Let''s stop here hmm," Audrey said grabbing Joanna''s swinging hand.

    "It''s 2:00 am. If you are too excited to sleep, I am afraid that is not the same with me so let''s save it forter ok. I am afraid neighbours wille knocking at our door¡­,"

    ? "How did you know that I am too excited to sleep huh?" Joanna asked, her radiating smile gave Audrey a sense of satisfaction.

    Looking at Joanna''s radiating smile she felt so full even though she ended up going to bed on an empty stomach because of Joanna.

    She felt so happy like she has won a jackpot.

    Maybe she feels this way because for the past few days all she saw was a furious and heartbroken Joanna.

    "Because it shows all over your face," Audrey said as she waved her hand at Joanna''s face.

    "I guess you are right about that," She replied as she took a step forward and sat on the foot of the bed.

    "I feel so happy and for some reason, I can''t stop myself from smiling. My heart beats faster any time I try not to be¡­,"

    "That''s the first sign of being in love, I guess," Audrey said. She worked over and sat beside Joanna.

    Joanna was a bit taken aback when Audrey turned and cupped her face. "Congrattions baby girl on officially bing a fool," Audrey said jokingly.

    Joanna also raised her hand and cupped Audrey''s cheeks. "And I wonder when you are gonna be a fool too just like me," Joanna said grinning from ear to ear.

    "It has to do with meeting the right man who struck the right cord. There is no need to rush things. I have so many millennials to live so there is no need to rush," Audrey replied, the smile not leaving her face.

    "You¡­,"

    "I am sure you are gonna rush off to tell him your answer the moment it''s morning so let me give you a tip," Audrey said standing up from where she sat. She moved and squat in front of Joanna.

    "Listen to me, you are gonna wake up and act natural; as if nothing happened. Do you hear me?" Audrey questioned.

    "And why do I have to behave as you say¡­,"

    "Because today is a special day not only for you but also for him so you are gonna make your confession special too," Audrey said cutting in softly.

    "You are gonna confess your love to him in a romantic set-up perfect for love confession¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Although I received my paycheck not long ago, I don''t think the money is enough to hire the services of¡­,"

    "And who says you are gonna need to lift a finger when you have your best friend here to do all the work?" Audrey questioned as she beats her chest with her right hand.

    Joanna shook her head as she stood up from the bed. "You have done so much for me. I can''t let you¡­,"

    "And who says I can''t do more huh?" She asked. She stood up and follow Joanna. Together they stood in front of the window staring at the sky.

    The quiet atmosphere was perfect for thinking but not for Audrey whose ears could pick up sounds from miles.

    "You are my best friend. You deserve the best¡­,"

    "I really can''t let you do that¡­,"

    "If you think my title as your best friend isn''t enough for me to do this much for you then that is alright," Audrey said sternly. Thinking that her action might have hurt Audrey, she turned and looked at her friend.

    She didn''t care about the cold night breeze rushing in through the opened ss window.

    "You can consider me as your Sugar Daddy then," She said confidently.

    Joanna''s eyes widened in bewilderment.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks = 6 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, you guys will stand a chance to win 6 chapters mass release.

    Guys, I know some of you may think that I am shameless for constantly begging you guys to achieve goals we have neverpleted before but what can I do?

    If begging you guys will make me aplish my dream of reaching 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, then I wouldn''t mind begging you guys every day.

    GOAL 2: For this goal, there is a twist this month. As long as we stay in GOLDEN TICKET TOP 100 RANKING for the entire month I will give 4 chapters mass release.

    You might not get the opportunity to enjoy such treats again so please give it all you have got to make sure we remain in GOLDEN TICKETS TOP 100 RANKING this October 2022.

    GOAL 3: 100 = 3 chapters mass release.

    This is a weekly goal so don''t get confused. For any week we reach 100 power stones, I will give 3 chapters mass release the following week.

    Grab this opportunity now that it''s avable.

    P.S: There will also be a mass release depending on the number ofments, gifts and reviews we get this month.

    Also, guys don''t forget this is thest chance you have got to get your name included in the list of loyal fans of this book.

    Give it your best if you want your name to be included in the list.

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily, send gifts,ment, review and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book. Do it like you have never done before because these are what will guarantee whether or not your name will be on the above list.

    This poor author loves all of you dearly, show me that you love me too by partaking in thepletion of the goals.

    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 231 Her Longest Bath

    ?"Sugar Daddy?" Joanna questioned, her eyebrows squinted as she looked at her best friend''s smiling face.

    "Yeah," Audrey replied firmly.

    "Don''t you think you said the wrong words¡­,"

    "That doesn''t matter. What I am trying to say is that you should leave everything in my care. This best friend of yours will make sure your love confession is perfect," Audrey beats her chest with her head held high.

    "But¡­,"

    "Since you are worried about me utilizing a huge sum to set up the date, we are gonna use my apartment instead. Bring him over at dinner and I can assure you, he will be blown off his foot," Audrey said with a lot of confidence.

    Audrey, who had suggested they went to bed, talked with Joanna deep into the night. Time flew by quickly as the two friends talked happily.

    When they realised what the time was, they hurriedlyy down to catch up on some sleep.

    In thefort of theirfy bed, Joanna and Audrey drifted to sleep. Because of the time they spent talking they were only able to sleep two hours before the time for Joanna to get ready for work reached.

    The next morning, the radiance of the sun prating through the window caused Joanna''s eyshes to flutter twice.

    She stretched her body before her eyes fluttered open. Slowly she climbed out of bed making sure that she didn''t disturb Audrey''s sleep.

    What she didn''t know was that Audrey had also woken up but was only pretending.

    "I barely slept two hours but why do I feel so energized and refreshed, as I have slept for ten hours?" Joanna standing in front of therge dressing mirror mumbled as she looked at herself through the mirror.

    Although she had just woken up, her skin was glowing more than usual. It was as if she had used some secret recipe before she went to be.

    "Is this one of the magical effects of being in love?" Joanna muttered, the corner of her lips lifted to reveal a charming smile.

    Audrey, who was still pretending to be fast asleep, rolled her eyes as she listened to her best friend talk to herself.

    "Though I am not sure what is responsible for this, I just know that I love it and I wish this feeling will remain forever," Joanna smiled.

    She turned and looked at the bed. After confirming that she hadn''t disturbed Audrey''s sleep, she tiptoed to the wardrobe.

    After removing the white towel from the lower cab, she left the wardrobe opened and proceeded to the bathroom.

    Audrey''s eyes fluttered open the instant the bathroom door creaked close. She sat up with her gaze facing the brown door where the sound of a running tap wasing from.

    From where she sat her sharp ears could hear her humming her favourite lyrics.

    [When people said those who are in love are mad, I didn''t believe it but I do now. My best friend is out of her damn mind right now]

    She shook her head, her gaze not moving away from the door. The humming gets louder as time ticks.

    [I was worried about her condition and even eager for her to discover her feelings for him but why do I feel worried and scared for myself now?]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Audrey climbed out of bed. She pulled the ck pyjamas so that it covered her exposed skin.

    [With the way she is now, I know I am in trouble. I will have to endure having to always be the third wheel. I can already feel that dog food will be abundant¡­ poor me]

    The scene of Joanna and Amos being lovey-dovey that is ying in her head made her shake her head repeatedly.

    [Despite being aware that I am the one who is gonna end up getting bullied by them, as a sister from another mother, I will give her all the support she needs. I will make sure she gets her own happy ending no matter what]

    Audrey smiled and moved to the opened wardrobe. As she freshened up, all Joanna''s thoughts were that Audrey was fast asleep not knowing that she was wrong.

    Audrey went about doing her thing with the hope that Joanna will be out of the bathroom soon.

    Even after she finished with what she was doing Joanna still didn''t get out of the bathroom. She waited some minutes more and yet she still didn''te out.

    If not for Joanna''s humming, Audrey would have panicked and assumed that she might have fainted there.

    [What the hell is still keeping her inside? Does she want to use an hour just to shower?]

    Audrey couldn''t take it anymore. She made up her mind to do something about this.

    She stepped down from the bed and was about to proceed to the bathroom but the brown door opened just in time.

    The smiling Joanna moved a step backwards when she raised her gaze and saw her best friend''s piercing res focusing on her.

    "You¡­ you are awake," Joanna stammered. "Has it been long since you woke up?" She asked as she walked further into the room.

    "Why?" Audrey began. She sat back down on the bed. "Are you eager to know whether I heard your hums or that you took forty-five minutes just to shower?" Audrey added.

    "Did I take that long?" She asked. Her nonchnce as she moved to the wardrobe made Audrey shake her head.

    "I have helped you to pick an outfit so be sure to only pick your undies," said Audrey. She decided not to pursue the fact that Joanna almost spent an hour in the bathroom.

    What has happened has happened. Even though she scolds her, nothing will change.

    "Really?" Joanna asked. Her eyes sparkled as she spun to look at Audrey. She looked at the bed hoping to see the outfit Audrey selected for her but it wasn''t there.

    "Where is it?" She demanded.

    "Over there," replied Audrey with her hand pointing at the white chair ced in front of the dressing table.

    Joanna''s eyes followed where she pointed at. The sparks in her eyes faded when she set eyes on the ck denim jeans and the blue cropped top neatly ced on the chair.

    "Isn''t that too ordinary?" Joanna asked as she brought back her gaze to the bed.

 Chapter 232 Nervous

    ?Standing up from the bed Audrey strolled to the left-hand side of the room where she had kept the clothes.

    "You think this outfit is ordinary?" asked Audrey as she took the designer''s shirt and trousers in her arms.

    "Yeah, I was thinking of wearing an eye-catching dress that outlines my perfect figures¡­,"

    "And have you forgotten when I said you should look natural and keep low-key?" Audrey asked, frowning.

    "Also, if you think this outfit looks ordinary then I bet with you that even after you go through your entire wardrobe you will be unsatisfied with every piece of clothes you have," Audrey said.

    She leaned against the brown table with the outfit in her hands.

    "No matter what you say I still think¡­,"

    "Be good and do like I said hmm," Audrey cut in not allowing her toy down herints.

    "Because you spent almost an hour showering, you have a little time to prepare. Get on it now except you want to lose a point for arrivingte at work¡­,"

    "Even Mrs Parker doesn''t deduct my paycheck if I arrive at workte so who is she to do that?" Joanna said, frowning.

    "But I wasn''t talking about Amelia," Audrey replied. She couldn''t resistughing at how offensive her friend became at the mention of Amelia.

    "Really?" Joanna asked, her angry expression fading away. "Who were you talking about if not her?"

    She used the blue towel in her hand to wipe her wet hair.

    "I was talking about your prince charming of course," Audrey''s smile broadened seeing Joanna be shy at the mention of Amos.

    What an irony that the mention of one name irks her while merely hearing the other''s name makes her smile like a fool.

    "Oh¡­ him," Joanna eximed while smiling from ear to ear.

    Audrey shook her head seeing how Joanna was acting. "Yeah, so get your ass moving if you want to earn some brownies points," Audrey beamed and returned the outfit to the chair.

    With Audrey there to keep her on her toes, Joanna didn''t spend a lot of time dressing up.

    "Girl, that is enough. Even with your natural face you already look extraordinarily beautiful so there is no need to get extreme with the makeup," Audrey leaning against the chair Joanna sat on extended her hand and picked the tissueid on the table.

    Before the smiling Joanna could fathom what she was up to, Audrey held her jaw and used the tissue to wipe her lips.

    "Hey, Drey what are you up to?" Joanna shouted as she struggled to free herself.

    She shook her head repeatedly but Audrey refused to let go.

    Audrey didn''t let go despite her struggle. She only released her jaw after she had wiped off the red lipstick from her mouth.

    "Hey, why did you do that?" Joannained bitterly as she stared at her in lips.

    "I have told you not to wear anything that will make you stand out. You are the one who didn''t listen to me," Audrey responded. She threw the dirty tissue on the table.

    "Even without makeup you had already stood out. You are just too beautiful. If it was up to me, I would have suggested you wear a mask¡­.,"

    "Hey!" Joanna yelled as she gave Audrey a disapproving look.

    "There is no need to yell or re at me. As you know I am not afraid of you one bit," Audrey said with her chins raised and her hands wrapped just below her breasts.

    With Audrey acting this way Joanna was lost at what to do. There was no way she would win against her friend, especially when she was already runningte.

    "Let''s postpone this. I will deal with youter¡­,"

    "Forget about dealing with me because it''s your man I will be dealing with tonight after your love confession," Audrey said while dropping down her hands.

    "Since he is gonna officially be my best friend''s man, I will need to carefully assess him to make sure that he has got what it takes to protect and make my best friend happy," Audrey stated firmly.

    "You are¡­,"

    "Are you really sure you want to lose some brownies points by going to the cafete?" She cut in noticing that Joanna was too engrossed in their little conversation.

    "Never!" Joanna remarked as she jumped up to her feet.

    She walked away from the chair and stood beside the chair instead. Joanna took a proper look at herself in the mirror to make sure she wasn''t missing out on anything.

    "You look just perfect and natural. All you need to do now is to act like your real self¡­,"

    "I know that but I can''t help feeling very nervous," replied Joanna as she rubbed her sweaty hands.

    "I feel like my heart is gonna jump out of my chest due to excitement so how am I gonna go about acting normal in front of him when I am already feeling this way?" Joanna asked meekly.

    "You were long in love with me but you still managed to act normally right? So I am sure you can do this?" Audrey said while tapping her on the right shoulder.

    "But if you still think you can''t do this I don''t mind following you to the cafe to make sure I keep you in check. As you know I don''t have sses¡­,"

    "Today is your day off. You don''t always get such days so I advise that you use it on yourself. If you don''t have other friends to hang out with, you can go visit Auntie and Uncle," Joanna was quick to reject Audrey''s help.

    How can she let her best friend waste her only resting day on her when she had better ways to spend it?

    "I am sure Auntie would be very happy if you take her out on a date," Joanna suggested, making sure to rub her shoulder against Audrey''s.

    "You already have a lot on your te. You don''t have to worry about me. Instead, go show thatdy who is the real Queen," Audrey hyped yfully.

    "Be sure to take your man back," Audrey said smiling.

    "You can be rest assured that I will do just that," She replied beaming.

    Afterwards, Joanna walked over to the bed and carried the ck chained handbag. She proceeded to the entrance afterwards. Audrey watched her until Joanna jammed the door close.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I really wished this would work out so there will be an end to her heartaches," Audrey muttered. She moved to the bed and sprawled on it.

    A few minutester, Joanna was seen walking into the sparsely upied cafe.

    Leah, who was on her way to return to the counter, paused and turned to look at the door.

    At first nce, she could notice that there was something different about the youngdy although she could not pinpoint what exactly that was.

    Even Amelia and Amos who was busy working on ount books tilted their heads to look at the entrance.

    From her raised chins, shoulders and calcted steps, Amos could see that there was something different about her.

    "I know I see her every day but she looks kinda different today¡­.,"

    "Yeah, she is practically glowing although she is trying so hard not to show it," Amelia added her gaze following thedy who was approaching the counter.

    "And I wonder what is responsible for that?" Amos muttered absentmindedly.

    "Only a few things can make ady glow the way she is doing. Do you want to take a guess," Amelia questioned, diverting her attention to his face.

    "She is¡­,"

    "There is no need for that," Amos cut her short sharply. He lowered his gaze back at theptopid on the table in front of them.

    Meanwhile, as he was busy trying to focus his attention on what he was doing Joanna paused walking after taking her position behind the counter.

    She looked in his direction. She subconsciously bit her lower lips when she noticed that he wasn''t looking at her.

    [Did he even notice me?... Ohh¡­ and did I do well?]

    Joanna was about to bite her nails when she got a glimpse of Leah who was staring at her as though this was their first meeting.

    "Why are you staring at me like that huh?" she demanded sternly. "Do I have something on my face?" She added as She touched her right cheek.

    "No¡­," Leah shook her head negatively. "I just wanted to say that you look nice and approachable today," Leah said smiling.

    Joanna''s temple creased to form a frown following Leah''s words, "And are you trying to say I was unapproachable every other day except today?" She asked.

    Judging from her frown Leah already knew that how Joanna will react depended on her reply.

    "The customers will be trouping in anytime soon, won''t you go and change now?" Leah asked.

    "You didn''t answer my question¡­,"

    "Yes, I aming," Leah was smart enough to flee from the counter the instant she saw a customer''s raised hand.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks = 6 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, you guys will stand a chance to win 6 chapters mass release.

    Guys, I know some of you may think that I am shameless for constantly begging you guys to achieve goals we have neverpleted before but what can I do?

    If begging you guys will make me aplish my dream of reaching 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, then I wouldn''t mind begging you guys every day.

    GOAL 2: For this goal, there is a twist this month. As long as we stay in GOLDEN TICKET TOP 100 RANKING for the entire month I will give 4 chapters mass release.

    You might not get the opportunity to enjoy such treats again so please give it all you have got to make sure we remain in GOLDEN TICKETS TOP 100 RANKING this October 2022.

    GOAL 3: 100 = 3 chapters mass release.

    This is a weekly goal so don''t get confused. For any week we reach 100 power stones, I will give 3 chapters mass release the following week.

    Grab this opportunity now that it''s avable.

    P.S: There will also be a mass release depending on the number ofments, gifts and reviews we get this month.

    Also, guys don''t forget this is thest chance you have got to get your name included in the list of loyal fans of this book.

    Give it your best if you want your name to be included in the list.

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily, send gifts,ment, review and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book. Do it like you have never done before because these are what will guarantee whether or not your name will be on the above list.

    This poor author loves all of you dearly, show me that you love me too by partaking in thepletion of the goals.

    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 233 Joanna Finally Found A Chance

    ?Joanna shifted her focus to Amos'' direction. Her frown deepened when she saw Amelia constantly touching him while talking.

    [Enjoy it as much as you can because I promise, you won''t have that opportunity ever again in a few minutes¡­ just wait until I tell him that I love him, never will he spare you a nce. Once again I will be all he thinks about]

    Joanna clenched her fists and bit her lower lip.

    She spun and strolled towards the locker room. Because she was already wearing ck trousers Joanna only needed to change her shirt.

    Due to this, she didn''t take a lot of time in the locker room.

    After she returns to the counter Joanna steals nces at Amos every five minutes.

    She started bing paranoid when things seemed not to work in her favour.

    "When on Earth is she gonna leave him so I can ry the message to him?" Joanna spat out the words like she just swallowed something bitter.

    It was as if heaven had heard her pleas because not long after she made this statement, Amelia who has been sticking to Amos like glue stepped out to answer a phone call.

    The moment Amelia stepped out of the cafe, Joanna considered that her best opportunity to execute her ns.

    "Hi," Joanna, who just arrived at his table, greeted him like she was some stranger.

    Slowly he lifted his gaze to look at the one who interrupted him like he wanted everyone to believe.

    "Joan, it''s you," He eximed as he leaned his back against the chair. He waited for her to say something but she didn''t utter a word to him.

    "What''s it? Do you need something or do you want to tell me something?" Amos asked. He gave her all his attention.

    Standing in front of him, the anxious Joanna who was dying to confess her love for him was lost at what to do.

    A part of her wanted to desperately tell him how she feels right now to put an end to her yearnings while another part of her wanted to follow Audrey''s suggestions.

    [Should I just tell him how I feel now¡­ or should I wait until dinner?]

    Joanna stared at him nkly. She didn''t realize that her fluctuating expressions were making Amos panic from within.

    [I don''t want my love confession to be easily forgotten by him since it will be a day I will never forget so as Drey said, I will make it very memorable so that he will not have any choice but to remember it forever¡­]

    "Are you ok?" He asked. His sudden touch made Joanna jump up." Did something happen or are you not feeling well¡­You know you can tell me anything right?" Amos whose hand was holding her asked worriedly.

    "I.. I¡­ I am fine," flustered Joanna stammered, brushing his hand away. The panicked Amos tried topose himself. He returned his hands to his side and sat down on the chair.

    "Are you really sure?" He questioned, his scrutinising gaze concentrated on her face.

    "Hmm¡­," She shook her head affirmatively. As they were talking Amelia who was still on a call peered at them through the ss wall.

    [It will be over soon! It''s just remaining for me to y myst ultimate card and it will be over]

    A broad smile stered on her face as she looked at the man and woman who were busy looking at themselves without any of them saying anything.

    "It looked like you wanted to tell me something," Amos broke off the awkward silence with this short sentence.

    "Yeah¡­," Joanna trailed. She took a bit of time to calm her excited heart before she proceeded to talk;

    "I wanted to ask you out¡­ no¡­ no.. no," Joanna shook her head when she realised that she had said a different thing from what she wanted.

    "I mean I wanted us to meet at Drey''s apartment during dinner¡­. I have something to tell you," Joanna was able to convey her words but with difficulty.

    "You want to tell me something?" Amos asked. He subconsciously rubbed his palm against each other as he stared at her.

    "What''s it?" He demanded. "Can''t you tell me now?".

    He nervously waited to hear what on Earth she wanted to tell him but her following reply dashed his hope. "You will know that when we reach Drey''s apartment," The mysterious Joanna said beaming.

    "But¡­," She walked away before he could pry further.

    Amos gazed at her as she strolled away in the same manner she came. His mind was flooded with questions after she left.

    [What does she want to tell me? Is it something good or bad?... Her grin gives me a bad feeling¡­. Gosh I hate that I don''t even have an idea about what she wants to say]

    He looked away when he noticed she wanted to raise her gaze after taking her position behind the counter.

    Amos was busy brainstorming about the possible thing Joanna would talk to him about when Amelia returned.

    Quietly she sat on the chair beside him.

    "I saw her talking to you. What does she want?" Amelia asked softly as she fiddled with the fileid on the table.

    "You are a vampire so I am sure you overheard what she said so why do you bother asking?" Amos snapped. He shifted his gaze back to theptop in his front.

    As she worked Joanna wished time would go faster. But anytime she checked her wrist watch it felt like time was moving slowly for some reason.

    At 2:00 pm, about an hour before Joanna gets off work, a customer stepped foot into the cafe.

    His presence was so overwhelming that other customers couldn''t resist pausing what they were doing just to get a glimpse of him.

    Unlike others, Joanna was busy looking at her cell phone clock to care about what was going on in the cafe.

    "Wow, he is so hot!" Leah remarked as she hugged her chest. Her voice was so loud that it caused Joanna to raise her gaze.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna''s eyes widened when she set eyes on the charming face of the guywho was almost at the counter.

    "It''s him!" Joanna eximed, her eyes widened as she looked at the dashing guy in a white shirt.

    ...

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH LOVELY READERS

    As you know the end of the month is always the time for this author to appreciate all the readers who have done exceptionally well.

    Guys, I just want to say a big thank you to all of you.

    A bigger thank you to all the readers who bought privileged chapters, send gifts, Cast GOLDEN TICKETS, voted with power stones and leavements on the book (coughs**... I didn''t mention review because there was no review in September)

    Thank you very much. It was because of your immense support that I got the strength and motivation to write.

    When I was at my weakest point you all gave me a reason tough and something to feel grateful for.

    Guys, to the bunch of you who has been exceptionally supportive, I will forever remember you.

    Thank you for the love, care and support you have showered on this book. You all have won my heart ??????.

    Guys, just a pleasant warning from the author who loves you a lot. Don''t be surprised or angry if you see some readers dominate all the categories. It''s this way because they worked hard for it.

    If you want your name to be on the list then do everything within your power to support the book.

    So here are the names of readers who supported me exceptionallyst month.

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    1) Flower_goddess

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    Thank you for showing me support all round. Thanks for all the coins,ments, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS. Words alone can''t express how grateful I am to all of you.

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    Thank you for all the GOLDEN TICKETS. You give my novel a rank on the Webnovel Golden Tickets ranking, I am grateful for this. Thank you for giving me a sense of worth and aplishment. What you have done means more than you think, I just want you to know that.

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    Thank you so much guys for showering me with gifts. Your gifts don''t always bring a smile to my face but it gives me a sense of satisfaction and aplishment. Nothing feels better than receiving a gift from a loved one. No matter how little or big it''s, your heart is always ted.

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A big shout out to all the readers who purchased September 2022 privileged chapters. Although I don''t know your names, know that your impact has been greatly felt by your lovely author. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for making me feel that putting up the extra chapters was not a total waste of my time and efforts.

    To all the readers who voted with their power stones in September, I just want to say thank you. Your author noticed you so don''t ever feel like I have forgotten you or I don''t see what you are doing.

    Thank you for all the power stones you have given to this book.

    A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY READERS OUT THERE. I KNOW I HAVE THE BEST READERS IN THE WORLD.

    P.S: The author''s monthly appreciation will be ending in October 2022. I have said this before and I am saying it again to readers who might not be aware of it.

    If you want your name to be forever remembered as a loyal fan of BEDDING MY VAMPIRE MATE then I will advise that you do everything within your power to make sure your name is in there in October. This is because you might not get this chance again.

    ALL IT TAKES FOR YOUR NAME TO BE ON THE LIST; is to buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily,ment, send gifts, cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book, vote with power stones andstly, leave a review on the book.

    THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND GOOD LUCK.

    I look forward to seeing the readers whose names will be on this list on October 2022.

 Chapter 234 Jealous Amos

    ?Leah was busy daydreaming about the tall handsome dude approaching the counter to hear what Joanna said.

    Before the guy with slightly long brown hair that stopped just beneath his shoulders could reach the counter Leah had already run out to attend to him.

    "Wee, handsome," Leah said beaming. Joanna could swear that she has never seen Leah smile so brightly at any other customer ever since she started working there.

    Leah was busy trying to grab his attention to notice that the handsome guy''s intense stares were centred on Joanna''s face.

    "Let me show you to your table," Leah said, immediately leading the way. The table she happened to choose was a table away from that of Amos and Amelia.

    "So, what can I offer you, Handsome?" Leah asked after the guy had settled down. The smile never left her face as she looked at him.

    Joanna, whose gaze was still on the handsome guy, shed back to the day she met him.

    Just then she recalled a secret that Leah doesn''t know. Without wasting time she left the counter to the cashier and approached where Leah stood.

    "If you don''t have a specialty then you can choose from our list of menus over there," Leah said, pointing her finger at where their menu was disyed on the wall.

    "Our desserts happen to be the best in the entire Kingdom so¡­,"

    "I will attend to him," Joanna''s cold voice disrupted Leah''s words. The unhappy Leah turned and gave her a disapproving gaze. Unfortunately, Joanna ignored it.

    "I will take his order so go and attend to other customers," Joanna ordered.

    Leah who so much wanted to attend to her prince charming refused to budge. "He has a special condition so just do like I said ok?" Joanna stated seriously.

    "But¡­," Joanna''s murderous res made Leah swallow back whatever she wanted to say.

    Reluctantly, she moved away from the front of the table and gave way to Joanna.

    Even though she had moved away Leah didn''t leave as Joanna ordered. In fact, she never wanted to leave.

    "Can I get my bills, please...," A customer called out? With this, Leah didn''t have any choice but to leave.

    "It''s you again," Joanna said after Leah was gone.

    What Joanna didn''t know was that the guy sitting a table away from where she stood has been keenly watching her ever since she left the counter in a haste.

    Amos sped his fist the instant Joanna bent and brought her mouth close to the guy''s cheek.

    Anyone who saw this at first nce will assume that she was trying to peck the guy.

    "I know you might have found my action strange. The truth is I did that because I didn''t want her to know about your condition, I hope you don''t me me for acting without your permission right?" Joanna whispered.

    She pulled away almost immediately to look at his face.

    His bewildered look made Joanna wonder whether she said something wrong.

    If only she knew that her sudden closeness was the reason the guy reacted the way he did.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wait here while I get you a writing pad and a pen," Joanna said. She turned and walked away before the guy could stop her.

    "Look at him ogling at her even though this is their first meeting¡­ His heart is throbbing, this is so annoying," Amos snarled, his fist remaining sped.

    "He is not blind so what were you expecting? No doubt her beauty is one that no man can resist," Amelia said, her gaze focused on his hand whose ws had started shooting out.

    "Also, are you gonna loosened your fist only after your blood has spilt over the entire table," She asked, still looking at his bleeding hand.

    "The wound is gonna heal up in a few seconds so there is no need to amplify," Amos replied, his gaze not moving away from the face of the guy he was ring at.

    His nonchnce as he spoke made Amelia a bit upset. Her sincerity was once again trampled underfoot by him.

    Joanna came back to the guy with a pen and a notepad in her hand.

    "Write down your orders," Joannamanded. She dropped the things on the table and pushed them to his front.

    She watched as he scribbled down words she couldn''t see because of his left hand which was obstructing her vision.

    After jotting down some words, the guy lifted the paper and gave it to her.

    Assuming that what he wrote was his order Joanna lowered her gaze and looked at the notepad in her hand.

    "I wasn''t able to thank you properlyst time I apologized¡­ Also, I hope you are well?" Joanna smiled when she was done reading the guy''s words.

    [Although he is dumb, I must admit that he is kinda handsome and cute. Too bad I only have eyes for one man now or else¡­]

    Joanna''s smile broadened and her eyes danced at the thought of Amos.

    Amos, whose gaze was on her radiating face, dug his ws into the same spot in which his wound had closed up barely a few seconds ago.

    "I am fine," Joanna replied, still maintaining her beautiful smile.

    If only she knew how furious and jealous Amos was, that the one she was smiling at wasn''t him but another man.

    "In fact, I couldn''t be better than this¡­ Also, you don''t have to worry about not thanking me. I decided to help you and besides I am the one who left in a hurry so it isn''t your fault," Joanna spoke as she handed the notepad over to him again.

    "She looks so happy and can''t seem to stop smiling. Tell me, what could they possibly be talking about because I couldn''t understand a word she said," Amelia said to the frowning guy sitting by her side.

    He had long lost focus the instant Joanna proceeded to the guy''s table.

    Seeing the guy hand over the white notepad to Joanna again made Amos grit his teeth.

    "Such a bad flirt," He spat out the words. "How dare he try to seduce my woman?" He bellowed. His voice was a bit loud causing Amelia to fear that Joanna and the guy might hear him.

    Amelia rxed again, noticing that Joanna was way too busy to hear what he said.

    "He hasn''t said a word or done anything so how is he a bad flirt? And in what way is he trying to seduce her¡­," The words refused to flow the instant her eyes met with his murderous res.

 Chapter 235 His Harsh Reality

    ?Amos shifted his gaze back to look at the smiling Joanna.

    "Also, about what happened that day, I would love it if you could keep it a secret ok," Joanna said to the guy whose gaze was focused on her.

    Back at Amos'' table Amelia turned and spoke in a hushed tone, "She even shares a secret with him?" Amelia questioned. She stressed the word SECRET, making sure it sank into Amos'' head.

    "What could have happened between a young woman and man for her to ask him to keep it a secret¡­,"

    "Can you stop talking for once?" Amos who was already in a foul mood snapped, standing up from the chair. He stomped away in anger.

    Amelia''s lips curled into an evil smirk as she watched Amos stroll toward the restroom direction.

    [Love is a funny feeling¡­ I can''t believe it has the power to humble the most powerful man in the Kingdom. The usually cool-headed man has been made irrational by this feeling called love. I want to know what it feels like to be in love at least once in my lifetime]

    Amelia''s eyes darted to where Joanna stood. For some reason, she wasn''t surprised to see that she was looking in the direction Amos disappeared to.

    At the handsome guy''s table, Joanna reached out her hand and collected the notepad from the guy.

    She read the few words he scribbled on the notepad. "A cup of coffee and an almond cake," Joanna read out the words he wrote.

    She lifted her gaze and look at him. She didn''t find it strange that ever since she got there the guy''s gaze hasn''t left her body for a split second.

    "I will bring your order in a few minutes," Joanna said and smile at him. She spun and proceeded to the counter.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna busied herself trying to get his order ready, Amos that just entered the men''s restroom paced about in front of the washing hand sink.

    As he walked to and fro the front of the white sink, the scene of Joanna smiling bewitchingly at the new guy reyed in his head.

    Each time the scene reyed in his head, his anger rose higher.

    "They have barely met, how could she smile so sweetly at a stranger?... Is she perhaps smitten by him?" Amos muttered raising his tightened fist to punch the white walls.

    At thest minute, he retract his hand when he recalled what will be of the restroom if he daredunched a blow at the wall.

    "To get her to smile at me the way she smiled at him I know many years and how hard I worked to achieve that. They barely met and she smiled at him so sweetly, isn''t she being biased?" Amos mumbled.

    He was is mad with jealousy and couldn''t think straight. He stayed very long in the restroom but even at that, he didn''t seed in calming himself down.

    At the main cafe, Joanna was about to turn and leave after delivering the second cup of coffee to the handsome guy, when the guy coughed.

    When he coughed the second and third time, it rmed Joanna that something was amiss.

    Instantly she swivelled and dropped the tray on the table and bent down close to him.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna questioned the guy who was still coughing violently. Because of his coughing, he and Joanna became the centre of attention once again.

    She reached out her hand and rubbed the back of the one who was still coughing. Because of his repeated coughing, his eyes became misty as a result.

    "I have had enough of him," Amos sprang up to his feet. Amelia grabbed his hand in time before he could carry out what was on his mind.

    "And what do you wanna do?" Amelia asked not letting go of the hand of the furious guy.

    "It''s so obvious he is pretending, I will put him in his ce. I will never let anyone take advantage of her good heart¡­,"

    "And as what are you gonna interfere in her affairs?" Amelia cut in as she stood up also.

    "As her lover, friend,brother, an admirer or what?" Amelia asked. Her question mellowed Amos down. His angry expression faded.

    "Although you are in love with her, she isn''t in love with you. In fact, she has always taken your love for granted. Your rtionship with her is undefined so what are you gonna say you are to her if you interrupt them?" Amelia questioned softly.

    Despite that, her voice was mellowed, her words pierced deep into Amos'' heart.

    Though he hates to admit it, he knew that Amelia was saying the truth. Hearing the truth made his heart hurt.

    The pain was so immense. It was akin to his heart being stabbed repeatedly with a dagger.

    Because he was practically nothing to her, he had no right to get angry or voice out his dislike.

    Maybe if he was Kayden he would have used the identity of him being her mate to interfere but with this identity of his, he couldn''t even though he wanted to.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Slowly, he lowered himself back on the chair.

    "There is no need to feel miserable just because she doesn''t like you. You are a nice guy. A very loyal one at that. I am sure you will find someone who will love and cherish you¡­,"

    "I don''t want any other woman except her, only she," Amos interrupted.

    Joanna was preupied trying to make the guy feel better and didn''t know the chaos her single act had caused.

    She exhaled deeply after making sure that the guy was ok.

    "Be careful so you don''t choke. You might not be lucky to meet such an angel like me the next time you choke on your food," Joanna said as she picked up the tray from the table.

    Before she walked away she stole a nce at Amos. Too bad his head was lowered and didn''t see her passionate eyes.

    The new guy stayed at the cafe for thirty minutes. And as long as he was around Amos'' mood didn''t get better the slightest bit.

    When it reached the time for the guy to pay his bills, he started by searching his right trousers pocket.

    His eyes widened in shock after he checked the two possible ces his wallet should have been but were not there

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks = 6 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, you guys will stand a chance to win 6 chapters mass release.

    Guys, I know some of you may think that I am shameless for constantly begging you guys to achieve goals we have neverpleted before but what can I do?

    If begging you guys will make me aplish my dream of reaching 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, then I wouldn''t mind begging you guys every day.

    GOAL 2: For this goal, there is a twist this month. As long as we stay in GOLDEN TICKET TOP 100 RANKING for the entire month I will give 4 chapters mass release.

    You might not get the opportunity to enjoy such treats again so please give it all you have got to make sure we remain in GOLDEN TICKETS TOP 100 RANKING this October 2022.

    GOAL 3: 100 = 3 chapters mass release.

    This is a weekly goal so don''t get confused. For any week we reach 100 power stones, I will give 3 chapters mass release the following week.

    Grab this opportunity now that it''s avable.

    P.S: There will also be a mass release depending on the number ofments, gifts and reviews we get this month.

    Also, guys don''t forget this is thest chance you have got to get your name included in the list of loyal fans of this book.

    Give it your best if you want your name to be included in the list.

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily, send gifts,ment, review and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book. Do it like you have never done before because these are what will guarantee whether or not your name will be on the above list.

    This poor author loves all of you dearly, show me that you love me too by partaking in thepletion of the goals.

    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 236 He Is The King!

    ?[Damn it! That silly dude must have yed a joke on me. Gosh, he even stole my cellphone too]

    The guy was lost at what to do. He didn''t even know the way to begin telling her that his friend stole his wallet and cellphone.

    After looking around and not seeing an acquaintance at the cafe he didn''t know whether to cry orugh at his predicament.

    [I am doomed!]

    Joanna''s eyes didn''t miss any tiny expression that appeared on the handsome guy''s face.

    She was smart enough to understand the situation without him having to say a word.

    [I have always known that people are wicked¡­ even crueller than some demons. They didn''t hesitate to beat him up and go as far as leaving him penniless. What a poor guy he is]

    Joanna was ovee with pity as she looked at the guy still fiddling with his shirt pockets.

    Realising that there was no use in him still searching for his wallet and cellphone, the guy stretched his hand to carry the notepad from the counter.

    "The bill is on me. Don''t worry about it," Joanna said. She picked up the notepad before his hand could reach it.

    The guy shook his head negatively the moment he heard her words. He signalled her to pass the notepad to him but she refused.

    "Consider it as me bribing you to keep my secret ok," Joanna smiled at him as she talked.

    The guy stared at the smilingdy, and just then a question popped into his head.

    She is so nice to him. Would she have treated him the same way had she known that everything was a misunderstanding?

    When he arrived at the cafe and she opted to attend to him, a part of him wanted to clear up the misunderstanding while another wanted him to keep up with the act.

    From what happened, it was only obvious which part of him ended up winning.

    He couldn''t help feeling a bit guilty seeing how well she treated him.

    [Rick, just wait and see how I will deal with you for messing with me. When I am done with you, never would you want to y such a prank on me ever again]

    The handsome guy clenched his fist when he remembered that the reason he was in this predicament was because of his naughty friend.

    He smiled at her and turned to walk out of the cafe. The instant he left the counter, the anxiousdy shifted her gaze to Amos'' table.

    Her gaze wavered on noticing that Amos was not on his table. Immediately she surveyed the cafe hoping to get a glimpse of him but unfortunately, she couldn''t see him.

    "Where did he go?" Joanna muttered, her anxious heart racing faster as she continued looking for him frantically.

    Just then Leah arrived in time and saw Joanna''s intense stares centred on Amelia''s table.

    "Amos rushed out of the cafe while you were talking to the handsome guy earlier," Leah was kind enough to tell her what she saw.In a sh, Joanna diverted her focus to where Leah stood beside her.

    "How long has it been since he left?" Joanna demanded as she started unknotting the ck apron around her neck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Maybe two minutes ago¡­," Leah trailed. She extended her hand and grabbed Joanna, preventing her from rushing off.

    "Although it hasn''t been long since he left, I doubt you will catch up to him. He left in a haste and while on a phone call. Some emergency likely urred¡­,"

    "But he promised to leave for the campus with me so where did he run off to?" Joanna questioned as though Leah was Amos.

    Dejectedly, she rested her back on the counter and cupped her face.

    "I saw him stealing a nce at you before he left so I am sure he recalls whatever appointment you made with him," Leah said. She reached out her hand and touched her right shoulder.

    "You still have about thirty minutes before your time at the cafe pses. There is a huge possibility he wille back so there is no need to feel sad about it," Leah said seriously.

    Though she was surprised to see Joanna so miserable because of the guy''s departure, she still tried to make her feel better without asking questions.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on in the cafe, Amos was seen talking to someone in front of the apartment building.

    Audrey, who was returning to the apartment, halted beside a statue when she saw two figures talking.

    [Isn''t that Chris and Amos?... But why are they talking to each other with serious expressions?- Do they know each other? But how?]

    Standing there Audrey''s head was flooded with so many questions. If Chris was just an ordinary man and not the King''s most trusted aide she wouldn''t have been so surprised to see him talking to anyone.

    [Does that mean he has connections in the pce?]

    Audrey''s eyes darted from one face to the other as she tried to listen to their conversation.

    "Didn''t I tell you not to show up around me except I sent for you so why on earth did youe here? And during the daytime for that?" Amos demanded coldly. His eyes moved from one corner of therge premises to the other.

    After confirming whatever he wanted, he brought back his gaze to Amos'' face.

    "What would you do if someone were to recognise me because of your stupidity?" Amos bellowed, not calming down the tiniest bit.

    "Are you dying to make Audrey discover my identity?- Don''t you know how the hot-tempered girl will react if she learns the truth?" His pitch rose and the veins on his forehead popped as he spoke.

    Amos'' angry words began reying in Audrey''s head.

    Just then memories of their encounter since their first meeting upied her brain.

    Slowly she started connecting the loose knot and not long she was able to figure out what on Earth Amos was desperately trying to hide from her.

    [Chris''s constant night visit. And not only that but his attention was always glued on Amos'' direction during all the times I caught¡­ Chris wouldn''t care so much about anyone except¡­]

    Audrey''s eyes widened her gaze glued on Amos'' face.

    Looking at his face, she could see the familiarity. No wonder she found his face and voice a bit familiar when they met for the first time.

    [He is the King!]

 Chapter 237 Audrey Discovers Amos Identity

    ?Audrey was still in disbelief despite having guessed Amos'' real identity.

    No matter how hard she thought, she couldn''t find any reason why the number one man in the Kingdom would take on the identity of amoner.

    Why?

    What was his reason for taking on a new identity?

    "Your Majest¡­," Chris paused what he wanted to say when his eyes met Amos'' deadly res.

    "I meant Sir," He corrected himself without waiting for him to do that.

    "It''s not that I deliberately want to make things hard for you. Something came up¡­,"

    "Let''s get out of here because I don''t know what I will do to you if anyone sees us together," Amos said angrily. He turned and took the left pathway with Chris following him closely.

    If only he had taken the pathway by his right they would have seen Audrey hiding behind the statue.

    Audrey stepped out of her hiding ce after making sure that they were far gone. Staring at the direction they took, a lot of questions flooded her mind, causing her to be momentarily confused.

    [This is not the time to think about his reason for being Amos instead of Kayden so Audrey gets your act together¡­ He deceived us. That is what you should be thinking about so don''t you dare get confused]

    Audrey scolded herself realising that her confusion was making her miss the most important point.

    [He didn''t even stop at deceiving us but he had the guts to make my poor best friend fall in love with him to the point of no return. This is uneptable!]

    Audrey sped her fist when she recalled the several nights'' Joanna returned home heartbroken because of him.

    "I pushed her into realizing her feelings for him, what have I done¡­ I can''t believe how hurt Anna will be when she learns the truth and it''s all my fault," Audrey ran her ten fingers through her well-styled hair.

    Merely imagining Joanna weeping made her heart tighten.

    "What am I gonna do with that best friend of mine now?" Audrey muttered. Her chest tightened more when she recalled that she had already set up everything for their dinner date.

    She turned and walked in the direction she came from. She didn''t take up to five steps when she stopped in her tracks.

    "I think I should wait for her to return to break the news to her. I am afraid she might not be able to handle it if I disclose the truth to her now," Audrey mumbled.

    She spun and walked to the ss entrance.

    Reaching her apartment Audrey''s heart bled for her best friend when she set eyes on the decorations she had put up.

    Not long after Joanna left for work that morning, she called the services of one of the best event nning centres just to decorate her room into this perfect sight that it was.

    She didn''t want anything to go wrong on her best friend''s special day. Audrey couldn''t believe that despite being so cautious something still managed to ruin the day for her best friend.

    Her chest heaved up and down the instant she set eyes on Amos'' picture she had framed on the wall for the special asion. Her eyes burned in rage.

    "This is all your fault," Audrey yelled angrily. She appeared in front of the picture frame.

    Stretching her hand she ripped the frame off from where it hung and threw it on the floor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Back at the cafe, Joanna was eagerly waiting for Amos to return oblivious of what had happened.

    Joanna, who was brewing coffee spun and looked behind her the moment she heard the entrance door ding.

    "Amos¡­," She paused what she wanted to say after noticing that the one who entered wasn''t the one she had been waiting for.

    Sadly, she brought back her attention to what she was doing.

    Just then Leah walked up to her. "Joanna, leave it to me and go change into your casual clothes. Don''t forget you have sses in less than twenty minutes," Leah said, reaching out her hand to collect the cup of coffee from Joanna.

    "I still have a bit of time left so I will leave a bitter," Joanna said, not handing over the cup of coffee to Leah

    "But¡­,"

    "It''s ok. Just go on with what you were doing and don''t mind me at all," Joanna said, faking a smile. She swirled and ced the cup of coffee on an empty tray.

    Leah looked at Joanna as she carried the tray of coffee and left the counter.

    Although this is the most gentle Joanna has spoken to her ever since they started working together she didn''t feel the least happy.

    She had the same feeling a friend would have if her cheerful friend who normally pulls a prank and teases her goes all quiet overnight for no reason.

    Leash felt weird for some reason.

    "She loathes arrivingte to lecture and that is why she always leaves the cafe thirty minutes early but why hasn''t she budge though she has less than twenty minutes left before her lecture," Leah mumbled, her gaze not shifting from Joanna''s departing back.

    Because Joanna said she still had time left, Leah let her do as she wanted.

    Ten minutester Joanna didn''t go in and change clothes nor did she show any sign of leaving any time soon.

    For fear that she might have forgotten about her sses, Leah walked up to her once again.

    "Joanna, you really need to leave now or else you are gonna arrivete to your¡­,"

    "There are still ten minutes left," Joanna cut in. Her reply left Leah astounded.

    She couldn''t believe that the girl she knew not to joke with her studies was sitting leisurely even though she recalled that she had sses.

    "I can just skip ss today if that is what you are worried about. Besides, I don''t have Mr Fin''s ss today," Joanna replied without moving an inch.

    Leah stared at her not knowing what to make out of Joanna''s sudden behaviour.

    Just then she recalled that Joanna was sick.

    "Are you feeling ok?" Leah blurted as she examined Joanna''s body with her eyes.

    Joanna whose gaze was on the ss entrance diverted her gaze to look at Leah. "Was I sick before?" She asked.

 Chapter 238 Derrick

    ?She peered intently at Leah''s face as she waited for her to respond.

    "Mrs Parker said¡­,"

    "If you want to work overtime then nobody will stop you but be aware that you are not gonna get paid for it," ady''s cool voice disrupted their conversation.

    Almost at the same time, Joanna and Leah shifted their attention to the right where the voice came from.

    "I never wanted to ask for extra pay for the excess hour I will be working so you don''t have to worry," Joanna replied sternly.

    Unlike the gentle tone she used with Leah, thedy standing beside her could sense a bit of hostility in Joanna''s tone as she addressed Amelia.

    "Also, I am gonna leave the moment the person I am waiting for gets here," Joanna added.

    "I never asked you that," Amelia snarled. She spun and walked away from the counter.

    "Joanna, there is something I notice about the way you speak to Miss Amelia¡­,"

    "And what''s that?" Joanna snapped, sounding very impatient.

    "The hostility on your face and voice," Leah responded. "Why are you hostile towards her?... Were you both acquaintances before?" Leah asked the question which has been on her mind.

    Though Joanna has been quite sensitivetely, she wasn''t stupid to notice the difference between the way Joanna treats her and the way she treats Amelia.

    "Leah, I know you care about me and I appreciate that. But mind your business if you don''t want me to take out my frustrations on you," Joanna replied with a stern expression.

    "I can be quite petty at times. I am saying this for your own good," she added. She shifted her focus back to the ss entrance afterwards.

    Leah stared at the face of thedy whom it was so obvious that she was ignoring her.

    [She is happy one minute and acts like a total b*tch the next minute. I wonder why she is so weird andplicated. I never knew her to be this way in the past¡­ Were the rumours that she became a totally different person after returning from the dead true?]

    She quickly lowered her gaze when Joanna turned to look at her.

    ¡­

    On a less busy road, a tall handsome guy in a white shirt was seen walking with his hands stuck in his trousers pocket.

    He kept on walking with his head lowered. He was some steps away from the big billboard when his sensitive nose picked up a familiar scent.

    Instantly he came to a halt and turned to look at his right-hand side where the scent was the strongest.

    The guy in a brown long sleeve shirt standing with ady raised his gaze just in time to see the handsome guy ring at him.

    "Damn! I am fucked up," The guy said, pulling away from thedy in an instant.

    "Here you are enjoying yourself after putting me through that embarrassing moment," The handsome guy amplified as he walked into the field where his friend was standing with a girl.

    "Derrick, what the hell is going on¡­,"

    "Babe, leave now or you might get hurt," Derrick cut in. He moved back further when the handsome guy got closer.

    "You promised you were gonna spend the night with me¡­,"

    "And I promise that I will make it up to you if I survive through the night so just be a good girl and leave now," Derrick said with gritted teeth.

    "Huh¡­ I am the fool for believing the wordsing out of that darn mouth of yours," thedy said and stomped away.

    Derrick waited for thedy to evacuate the field before he brought back his gaze to the angry guy standing not far away.

    "So how was your first meeting? It was far better than you imagine right¡­,"

    "How dare you ask me that after the prank you pulled on me huh?" The handsome guy bellowed. He took a step forward only for Derrick to move five steps backwards.

    "Ray, you didn''t only pretend to be dumb and flirt with her but you also had your bills paid by a rare beauty like her. How better could your first meeting have been if not this¡­,"

    "Hey!" Raymond shouted. He charged forward to grab Derrick.

    Having expected this, Derrick slipped away unharmed. He appeared about six steps away from where Raymond stood.

    "You think you can run away after embarrassing me today¡­,"

    "There is no need to pretend to hate what I did because I know you love it. Because of what I did you will get the perfect opportunity to meet her again¡­ You should be happy you have a friend who has your best interest at heart," Derrick said with pride.

    "You think that making me look stupid in front of her is a perfect opportunity?" Raymond asked fuming.

    "If that is what you think then why don''t I give you an opportunity to die a less painful death right now," Raymond said coldly. He advanced towards him again but the smart Derrick took to his heels.

    ..

    At the cafe, Joanna waited for Amos to show up but there was no sign of him, not even his shadow.

    He didn''t return even after the cafe closed. Joanna left the cafe feeling very terrible. She couldn''t believe that her ns were still futile although she skipped ss just to make sure nothing goes wrong.

    Joanna was walking on the bubbling street with her head lowered when suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder.

    "Kay!" She blurted without turning to see the face of the one who touched her.

    The moment she turned around and got a glimpse of his face, she jumped and hugged him.

    His eyes widened as he stood there like a log of wood. For a minute he couldn''t react.

    "Joan, are you alright?" He asked, lifting his hand to stroke the back of thedy whose grip around his neck was tightening as seconds passed.

    When Joanna realised what she had done, in the same manner she hugged him, she pulled away in an instant.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Damn it! Why did I do that?]

    Joanna kept her head lowered after leaving his embrace.

    "Do you¡­,"

    "Why didn''t you return to the cafe?" Joanna rushed to ask, not allowing him to question her.

    ...

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH LOVELY READERS

    As you know the end of the month is always the time for this author to appreciate all the readers who have done exceptionally well.

    Guys, I just want to say a big thank you to all of you.

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    Thank you very much. It was because of your immense support that I got the strength and motivation to write.

    When I was at my weakest point you all gave me a reason tough and something to feel grateful for.

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    Thank you for showing me support all round. Thanks for all the coins,ments, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS. Words alone can''t express how grateful I am to all of you.

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A big shout out to all the readers who purchased September 2022 privileged chapters. Although I don''t know your names, know that your impact has been greatly felt by your lovely author. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

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    P.S: The author''s monthly appreciation will be ending in October 2022. I have said this before and I am saying it again to readers who might not be aware of it.

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 Chapter 239 Her True Feelings

    ?Amos pulled backwards without answering her questions. The hesitant look on his face made Joanna wonder where he ran off only to show up by this time.

    "Were you running away from me again¡­,"

    "Of course not," He blurted without thinking. Heposed himself afterwards.

    "Something important came up and I had no choice but to leave," He said softly.

    "Something important, like what?" Joanna asked while looking at the guy whose gaze was concentrating on the ground instead of her.

    "What is it?... You stood me up the entire day because of something important, don''t I have the right to know what it is that made you forget about me?" Joanna questioned.

    She got so carried away and let out a secret she shouldn''t have revealed. When she realised what she had said, it was already toote.

    "Do you mean you waited for me at the cafe all this while?" Amos asked with widened eyes. "What about your sses?" asked Amos while peering at her face.

    This time around she was the one gazing down instead of looking at his face.

    "How could you be so stupid¡­,"

    "I indeed skipped sses today but I had my reason for doing that so don''t you dare jump to conclusions and think you are the reason I skipped sses," Joanna said as she resumed walking.

    Unlike her lifeless expression before he showed up, at the moment her face was practically glowing.

    What was remaining was that radiating smile she was trying so hard not to reveal.

    "I never said anything," Amos replied as he hurried after her. He ran past a few others on the street before he finally caught up to her.

    "From how you are acting I believe I am the reason you skipped sses today¡­,"

    "Your wish," Joanna remarked. Her quickened footsteps made her look suspicious. Amos couldn''t resist smiling as he tried to catch up to her.

    When he caught up to her again he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto himself.

    Passers-by were too busy minding their own businesses to care about the two shameless people who were acting so affectionately in public.

    And Amos and Joanna were too thick-skinned to care about what others thought of them.

    "Joan, why is it always very hard for you to admit it whenever I am the cause of your actions huh?" Amos demanded while staring into her twinkling purple orbs.

    "If I missed you, I wouldn''t hesitate to say it even in the presence of a thousand people. And when I am jealous I won''t hold back from telling you but why is it very hard for you to do the same with me?" He questioned. He removed his right hand from the back of her neck and brought it to her face.

    Still looking into her eyeballs he stroked her tender skin.

    His mere touch was enough to get Joanna''s momentarily tamed heart excited.

    At that moment nothing mattered to the two individuals. Not the starry night, sweet melodic music yed by the music band not far away from where they stood or the voices of the passers-by.

    All that mattered to them was each other''s voice, face and every expression of the other person.

    "Why do you tend to hide your true feelings¡­,"

    "That is all in the past," Joanna cut in, trying to pull away from him. But he didn''t let go. Instead, his hand around her waist became firmer.

    "All in the past?" He asked, his eyebrows squinted as he kept on peering at her face. "What does that mean?" He continued, his gaze not moving away from her face for a split second.

    "I meant that you are talking about the Amos in the past and not the current you," Joanna replied with her head hanging in the air.

    Her pouted lips almost made Amos crack up had he not controlled himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ooh¡­," Amos eximed. His grasp around her slender waist loosened.

    "In the past, you were all over me. You wouldn''t leave my sight even though I asked you to but everything changed after you got yourself another woman," Joanna said. She walked two steps forward and turned her back to him.

    "You are always around her. She is all you see. It has be very hard for me to talk to you. I am afraid you might even forget what my voice sounds like if this continues," Joanna subconsciously bare out her heart to him without even knowing about it.

    Amos'' face lit up after hearing her heartfelt words.

    [She is affected by my closeness to Amelia¡­ and here I thought she wouldn''t bat an eyelid even though I was to kiss Amelia in front of her. I was wrong all along!]

    Amos'' smile broadened. He was lost in his thoughts and didn''t see Joanna spinning and looking at him when he didn''t say anything.

    [If she is affected by Amelia, then does that mean she is jealous?...]

    Joanna snapped a finger at the smiling guy''s face thereby putting an abrupt end to his thoughts.

    "Why are you smiling? What part of what I said was funny?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "The part where I smelled jealousy all over you," he replied, grinning.

    "I am jealous of her?" She scowled with her chin held high.

    "I am more real, prettier and I bet more intelligent than her so why would I be jealous of her?" Joanna retorted, dusting off her shoulder with swag.

    "You must be talking about another person right?" Joanna added.

    "I was doubting whether my guess was right but after hearing all you said I am convinced you are jealous of her¡­,"

    "I can see you are all out to annoy me so I better take my leave," Joanna interrupted. She swirled and tried to walk away but he reached out his hand and held her.

    He waited for her to turn and spare him a nce before he started talking. "Actually Amelia is my¡­," Amos was suddenly pushed away from Joanna without getting to reveal a secret Joanna didn''t know.

    "How dare you¡­," Joanna''s mouth dropped wide open on turning around to see that the one who used violence on Amos was none other than Audrey.

    "Audrey!" Joanna and Amos chorused as they exchanged puzzled nces.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers it''s your darling author here again. Guys, the participation from you this month are not encouraging at all.

    Please guys, encourage your darling author by buying privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily. Don''t forget we have 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock goals to reach this month.

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    PLEASE PAMPER YOUR DEAREST AUTHOR EVEN THOUGH IT''S JUST FOR THIS MONTH.

 Chapter 240 Audreys Confrontation

    ?"Audrey, you hit me quite hard. I almost thought I did something wrong and that is why you were mad at me," Amos, who was pushed about five steps away, said.

    He rubbed his right side where Audrey hadnded the punch at.

    "Be more gentle next time or I am afraid you might break my ribs¡­,"

    "And I can''t promise that it will end with just breaking your ribs the next time I see you close to my best friend again," Audrey said bellowed. She reached out her hand and yanked Joanna to her side.

    Joanna, who didn''t know what was happening, frowned at her best friend''s words.

    She pulled closer and whispered," Drey, I know I didn''t disagree when you said you were going to assess him tonight but let me make it clear that you are going too far with your assessment".

    She moved backwards and faked a smile seeing the way Amos stared at them.

    "Yeah, I am afraid that with how furious I am, I will forget his identity and do something terrible to him so let''s go," Audrey said.

    She tried to pull Joanna along but Amos extended his hand and grabbed Joanna''s left hand.

    Audrey nced behind when Joanna didn''t budge. Her frown deepened on seeing that Amos was the cause.

    "Although I don''t know why you are suddenly acting this way, I won''t let you take her away. We were in the middle of a conversation if you may know," Amos said firmly.

    Not even Audrey''s murderous res could make him release Joanna''s hand.

    "How dare you act so proud after what you did?" Audrey, who only wanted to take Joanna away, lost her cool at that instance.

    "Drey¡­,"

    "You didn''t only lie to us but you dared to deceive me and Anna with a fake identity. Haven''t you had enough fun pretending to be who you are not?" Audrey shouted.

    Her angry voice attracted the attention of others who were busy minding their businesses.

    Audrey''s angry words echoed in Joanna''s head a few seconds after she finished talking.

    Her mouth dropped open when realisation dawned on her.

    [Don''t tell me she knows that he is Kayden¡­ But how did she discover this?]

    Joanna''s eyes widened as she stared at her fuming best friend''s face.

    "I lied and deceived her? What are you talking about?" Amos asked, still not getting the point Audrey was trying to make.

    "Quit pretending because your cover has been blown," Audrey snapped. She used his momentary distraction and pulled Joanna to herself.

    Audrey turned to look at her speechless best friend. "Anna, he not only lied and deceived you but he also cheated you big time so you need to stay far away from him starting from this minute. He is not to be trusted¡­,"

    "Audrey, I can tolerate your harshness because I can see you are upset but one thing I won''t tolerate is you ndering my name," Amos cut in sharply.

    "Also, I respect the fact that you are her best friend; someone very special to her but you can''t tell me what to do. Whether I want to be with her or stay away from her is left for me to decide. You have no right to order me around¡­,"

    "And I can''t believe this ising out from the mouth of a double identity man like you. I would have fallen for that bullshit had I not discovered the truth today but unfortunately, you have failed," Audrey said.

    Noticing that things were going to get out of hand if she didn''t interfere, Joana tried to pull Audrey away but she didn''t move an inch.

    "Joan, do you want to know what other identity he has?" Audrey asked, diverting her gaze to Joanna''s face.

    [She can''t possibly want to reveal the truth that Amos is Kayden in front of all these people right]

    Joanna''s gaze moved from one curious onlooker''s face to the other. Surrounding them were over twenty people.

    The news will spread like wildfire if Audrey dared to reveal that the one standing in their midst was the King.

    [Drey, please don''t do it]

    Joanna shook her head in disapproval seeing Audrey open her mouth to speak.

    "The truth is that he had been deceiving us. His real name and identity are Kay¡­," Joanna lifted her hand and covered Audrey''s mouth out of desperation.

    "Don''t do it," Joanna mumbled as she shook her head in disapproval.

    Audrey was taken aback by her best friend''s actions. It didn''t take her up to a minute to connect the loose ends.

    No matter how good his disguise was, how could Joanna who is always by his side not discover the truth about his real identity?

    "You knew about this?" Audrey asked in disbelief even after already guessing the answer.

    "You were in this together. How could you do that to me, Anna?" Audrey asked. She pushed Joanna''s hands away before she could cover her mouth once again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Drey, let me¡­.," Audrey staggered backwards before Joanna could hold her hand.

    "You are the first person I thought about when I discovered the truth. I was in pain when I imagined how heartbroken you were but I guess my worries were not needed in the first ce. You were in cohort with them. You joined hands with them and deceived me¡­,"

    "Drey, it''s not as you think so let me exin¡­,"

    "I said don''t touch me," Audrey spat out the words not allowing Joanna''s hand to touch her.

    She turned and disappeared into the crowd before Joanna could get the chance to exin.

    "Don''t just stand there. Help me out," Joanna turned and addressed the astonished Amos.

    He believed he had hidden the truth well. He was extra cautious so that none would know about his double identity.

    He was in shock as to how Audrey found out the truth.

    "What are you still looking at huh?" Joanna shouted angrily. How she wished she didn''t lose her teleportation ability.

    All she would have done was disappear and appear in front of her.

    Amos didn''t allow her to talk for the third time. He grabbed her right hand and together they vanished into the dark.

    With Amos having to cater for Joanna, it wasn''t quite easy for him to catch up to Audrey as he would have done if it was only him.

    "Drey, stop acting like you are the only one hurt here and give me the chance to exin ok," Joanna yelled seeing that the furiousdy was about to escape again.

    "Did you just say I am acting?" Audrey asked, turning to gaze at her.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks = 6 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, you guys will stand a chance to win 6 chapters mass release.

    Guys, I know some of you may think that I am shameless for constantly begging you guys to achieve goals we have neverpleted before but what can I do?

    If begging you guys will make me aplish my dream of reaching 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, then I wouldn''t mind begging you guys every day.

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    You might not get the opportunity to enjoy such treats again so please give it all you have got to make sure we remain in GOLDEN TICKETS TOP 100 RANKING this October 2022.

    GOAL 3: 100 = 3 chapters mass release.

    This is a weekly goal so don''t get confused. For any week we reach 100 power stones, I will give 3 chapters mass release the following week.

    Grab this opportunity now that it''s avable.

    P.S: There will also be a mass release depending on the number ofments, gifts and reviews we get this month.

    Also, guys don''t forget this is thest chance you have got to get your name included in the list of loyal fans of this book.

    Give it your best if you want your name to be included in the list.

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily, send gifts,ment, review and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book. Do it like you have never done before because these are what will guarantee whether or not your name will be on the above list.

    This poor author loves all of you dearly, show me that you love me too by partaking in thepletion of the goals.

    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 241 Fight And Blames

    ?"You both were the ones who put on a wless act. You yed me for a fool all this while. You knew I hated him but you didn''t care about my feelings. Who could be a better actress than you huh?" Audrey retorted.

    "You think I didn''t care about your feelings huh?" Joanna questioned letting go of Amos'' hand.

    "Because you didn''t like him, I had to pretend to dislike him too. I was practically walking on eggshells all this time because I was afraid you would get hurt if you discovered the truth¡­,"

    "And are you trying to say it was my fault?" Audrey cut in sharply.

    If only it wasn''t Joanna, she wouldn''t have forced herself to be so cool-headed. Her fist would have been the one which does the talking.

    "Drey, that''s not what¡­,"

    "Anna, do you want me to begin telling you why I hate him? Do you need me to remind you that he is the reason why our rtionship hase down to this?" Audrey questioned while ring at Amos.

    "Audrey¡­,"

    "Don''t mention my name or else I might really lose the little bit of sanity left in me," Audrey interrupted him rudely. She brought back her attention to the sad Joanna.

    "Anna, we have been friends ever since childhood. And during these years we have been through a lot. We have gone through life-threatening moments and came out alive several times¡­," Audrey trailed. She tried so much not to show that she was hurting as she talked.

    Her voice was calm but behind that calmnessid a pain so immense.

    "For over a decade we have been friends never had we hid anything from each other. I had always thought our friendship will remain forever and our bond will grow stronger but I guess this was all my wishful thinking¡­,"

    "Drey, why are you talking like this?" Joanna said with fear in her eyes. She moved a step forward, trying to close the gap between them.

    "It hasn''te to this¡­,"

    "I have told you to stay away from me," Audrey said as she moved two steps backwards to avoid Joanna''s extended hands.

    "The times we were friends were the happiest for me although I don''t know about you. In you, I didn''t only find a friend but a sister. We shared the same bed, cup, clothes¡­ we practically shared everything hehe¡­,". A painful smile stered on Audrey''s face.

    The smile made Joanna''s chest tighten. Seeing the painful smile on her face made Joanna feel immensely hurt. Her heart felt more painful than it would have been to see Audrey in tears.

    From the beginning, she knew that Audrey would be upset if she learned that she was seeing Kayden behind her back but never in her wildest imagination did she fathom that things will escte like this.

    Maybe she would have considered telling Audrey about her secret rtionship with Kayden had she known that their actions would hurt her best friend this much.

    "During our years of friendship, I always try my best not to make you feel inferior in any way. I did all I could to make sure that my love was enough to make up for the one your family couldn''t give you¡­," Audrey trailed. She turned her back on them not letting them see her fallen tears.

    "I did everything I could to make sure that never did my actions make you unhappy but what did you do?" Audrey asked.

    "Drey, I am¡­,"

    "With how strong our bond is I thought nothing would evere in between us¡­ Since it looks like our friendship and everything we shared was all in my head I guess it''s better to put an end to it before we hurt each other more than we have already done," Audrey said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She took a step forward but Joanna hurriedly held her right hand before she could take another step forward.

    "Drey¡­ are¡­ are you trying to say that we are no longer friends?" Joanna said with a shaky tone while shaking her head.

    For as long as she could remember Audrey has always been there for her. Like she said they had been through life-threatening events so many times but never did Audrey give up on her once.

    They have been through thick and thin and have shared weals and foes.

    She has gotten so used to having Audrey in her life and doesn''t even dare to think what her life would be like without Audrey in it.

    "I think it''s better this way¡­,"

    "Don''t you think you are being childish by making her feel guilty?" Amos, who couldn''t stand seeing Joanna in pain, intervened despite knowing that this might not be what Joanna wanted.

    So what if she might not have wanted him to intervene¡­ how could he possibly watch their friendship go south in front of him.

    "Also, I know she lied to you which I am aware I am responsible for but don''t you think you are going too far by breaking off your friendship?" Amos ignored Joanna''s disapproving gaze and still went ahead to say what was on his mind.

    "You are very aware that she won''t be able to handle not being friends with you so why do you still choose to punish her this way¡­,"

    "You think I am childish?" Audrey asked. She turned and shot a deadly re at him.

    "Is that all you have got to say after ruining our friendship and the bond we shared?" Audrey questioned with gritted teeth.

    She pushed Joanna''s hand away and began approaching Amos.

    When Joanna lowered her gaze and saw Audrey''s hands which were clenched into fists she guessed exactly what was going through the furious Audrey''s mind.

    [This can''t be happening!]

    Although she already knew what Audrey was up to by advancing toward Amos, she was lost at what to do.

    One was her best friend and the other was the man she loves.

    ¡­

    A/N:

    Like I said the code coin is ready, don''t forget to tune in on Sunday to im yours.

    Thank you for all the love and support, guys. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    One more thing, please don''t forget that our monthly goals are still ongoing. Shower me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and reviews.

 Chapter 242 Joanna In Tears

    ?She was aware that stopping her would make Audrey more disappointed in her but she also didn''t want to see him hurt in any way.

    And that is why she was in a dilemma.

    Should she stop her best friend even at the expense of making her angrier or should she watch the man she loves so dearly get severely hurt by her best friend?

    Joanna knew that no matter what choice she made, one out of the two people she loved so much would end up getting hurt.

    As Audrey drew closer to where Amos stood Joanna became even more confused.

    She didn''t make up her mind until Audrey revealed her sped fist and tried to punch Amos in the chest.

    The instant Audreyunched her secret attack which was aiming at Amos'' right chest, Joanna ran in between them with her hands spread.

    Had Audrey not withdrawn her punch at thest minute, she would have punched Joanna in the chest.

    With that just one resentful blow Joanna''s ribs would have been damaged beyond repair.

    "Hehehe¡­," Audreyughed and staggered backwards as she lowered her hand.

    "Congrattions, Joanna Anderson. You have sessfully made me look like the guy even until the end," Audrey said. She disappeared into the dark street before Joanna could utter a word.

    "Drey¡­,"

    "It''s no use chasing after her right now," Amos said, grabbing her hand. She didn''t let her chase after Audrey as she wanted.

    "Let go of me. I need to exin things to her¡­,"

    "And you think she would listen to whatever you say in her current state of mind?" Amos asked not letting go of the strugglingdy.

    "But¡­,"

    "Let''s leave her to calm down first. Right now her mind is a mess. Nothing you say or do will make sense to her so let''s wait until tomorrow hmm," Amos said softly.

    "We can try talking to her then. I am sure she would have been calmed when morninges," Amos tried to assure her.

    Looking in the direction Audrey disappeared, Joanna squats with her hands on her head.

    "This is not how things are supposed to turn out¡­," Joanna said as she cupped her face.

    Tears brim down her pretty face when she recalled just how happy they were when she left home in the morning.

    Everything was perfect. They were even bickering and smiling happily.

    How did theye to where they are now within just the space of a few hours?

    "Joan¡­," Amos called out. He squats in front of her realising that she was crying.

    "Audrey is just very mad now and that is why she acted the way she did. It hasn''te to the stage of you crying so stop it already," He coaxed while trying to break her hands-free from her face.

    Joanna refused to remove her hands from her face despite his coaxing.

    "She didn''t say all those words merely because she is mad like you said. But she meant every word she said, I know her very well," Joanna sobs as she talks.

    Kayden was never the type to easily get emotional over things. He was trained to be this way ever since he was a little boy but seeing her cry so hard broke his heart.

    "Drey is the type to hold grudges and that is why I know she meant all she said¡­," He pulled her into his embrace before she couldplete her words.

    He stroked her silk silver hair lovingly. "If she won''t listen to what you have to say then I will talk to her," he assured her.

    Joanna abruptly pulled out of his embrace, remove her hands from her face and look him in the eyes. "Really?" She asked with hopes in her eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes, as long as it will make you happy, I am willing to do anything including pleading with her¡­,"

    "Your identity is way too Noble for you to lower yourself in front of anyone so you don''t have to do that¡­,"

    "To see that beautiful smile return to your face I don''t think it''s a costly price for me to pay. To be honest, my actions pushed you into this situation you are in now so it''s only fair I do something about it," Amos said. He drew her closer and embraced thedy whose tears were still falling.

    "I know what her existence means to you in your life and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that youdies are alright again," Amos said caressing her back affectionately.

    Still, in his embrace, he wiped the warm tears off her face. The two of them stayed in that position for a long time.

    It was after Joanna felt better and pulled away that he stood up from his squatting position.

    "Now that Audrey is mad at you, I don''t think she would want to share the same room with you, so where are you gonna live now?" Amos asked thedy walking side by side with him.

    Even though she had long stopped crying there was a lot of sadness in her eyes. He wished there was something he could do to make her smile.

    He was aware that the only thing he could give her right now to see a smile on her face was her perfect rtionship with Audrey.

    And that was something he knew he couldn''t give her at the moment because of how furious Audrey was.

    "How about staying over at my ce¡­,"

    "Thanks but I will spend the night at the hotel with my family," Joanna was quick to reject his offer.

    If it was when she didn''t realize her feelings for him maybe she would have been quick to ept his offer but not now.

    Barely being in a ce with him in public and she can''t control herself not to mention them being in the same confined space.

    She didn''t want to even imagine what will happen between the two of them if they were to spend the night in the same ce.

    "Ooh¡­," Amos remarked. The disappointment was evident on his face and voice.

    "Nanny Susan called to inform me that Little rice ball has been unable to sleep properly ever since they moved to the hotel. She believes I am his sleeping pills¡­,"

    "You are not his wife so why would she say so?" Amos muttered under his breath with a deep frown on his face.

    Joanna shifted her gaze to the guy walking by her side. "Did you say something?" She questioned.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers it''s your darling author here again. Guys, the participation from you this month are not encouraging at all.

    Please guys, encourage your darling author by buying privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily. Don''t forget we have 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock goals to reach this month.

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    PLEASE PAMPER YOUR DEAREST AUTHOR EVEN THOUGH IT''S JUST FOR THIS MONTH.

 Chapter 243 The Mess

    ?"I said good for him that he has a big sister who is ready to go to any length for him unlike people like me who don''t," Amos replied sadly. His sad expression looked so real that anyone who saw him wouldn''t know that he was pretending.

    "You have over 50 employees working at the pce to attend to every one of your needs so what''s there to feel jealous about¡­,"

    "Indeed I have so many aides at my disposal but unfortunately they are not you. There is only one Joanna Anderson in this world," Amos interrupted meekly.

    Normally Joanna''s heart would have leapt up in joy listening to hispliments but at the moment her heart was too heavy to get excited.

    "That is a fact," Joanna replied gloomily.

    If this was before the incident that urred earlier he could imagine her smiling and saying these words with pride.

    But at the moment even the way she said those words sounded sad.

    As they walk on the road Amos kept on talking with hopes of taking her mind off the sad incident that happened not long ago.

    Meanwhile, as Amos was escorting Joanna to the hotel, at the apartment Audrey was seen jamming the door close with force.

    She stormed into the sitting room without taking off her shoes from the door.

    Arghh!

    Audrey screamed with veins popping up on her forehead and neck.

    As if screaming at the top of her lungs wasn''t enough to relieve her anger the fumingdy took out her anger on the decorations.

    She ripped about the flowers and portraits of Joanna and Kayden hanging on the wall.

    Even the tes and cutleriesid on the well-decorated table of red and white were not spared from her wrath.

    "How dare he says I am childish," Audrey bellowed. Picking the two wine sses she threw them against the wall.

    Smash! Smash!

    The ss broke into several pieces.

    Despite destroying all the beautiful set-up that was meant for Joanna and Amos'' dinner date Audrey''s anger was far from getting eased.

    Just then the scene of Joanna covering her mouth while shaking her head surfaced in her head.

    Her right hand lying on the white table clenched into a fist. There was so much rage in her eyes when the scene of Joanna jumping in to shield Amos from her attack reyed in her head.

    "She lied to me," Audrey screamed in anger. Picking up the ss jar where the rose flowers were ced inside, she threw it towards the main entrance.

    Thank goodness the person who entered the door saw the flying ss jar in time and dodged or else, she would have forever remained blind if the jar aiming for her eyes had struck her.

    "What the hell was that!" The woman remarked, ncing behind her to see the damage the broken ss jar had inflicted on the door.

    Walking into the sitting room the beautifuldy''s mouth dropped ajar on seeing the current state of the room.

    "What the hell happened here Audrey Lopez? Did an earthquake ur?" The woman asked with widened eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her eyes moved from one corner of the room to the other. In the entire room, the only side of the sitting room which remained untouched was the side the television was kept.

    Apart from that, every part of the medium size sitting room was a mess. The centre table and couches were littered with flowers while the white tiled floor was messed up with ripped portraits, broken tes and sses.

    Mrs Lopez couldn''t believe the state her daughter''s room was in. For fear that she might have entered the wrong room, she looked around again to make sure this was her daughter''s room.

    The portraits of her and Joanna hanging on the wall confirmed that this was indeed the right room.

    "Mum, what are you doing here?" Audrey asked absentmindedly, sauntering to the couch at the centre table.

    She sat on the couch not caring that broken flower petals littered the entire couch.

    "Forget about what I am doing here and tell me what happened here," said Mrs Lopez as she hurried to her daughter''s side.

    Instead of answering her mum''s question, Audrey lowered her head.

    "Audrey¡­," Mrs Lopez called softly but she refused to raise her head or utter a word.

    "Audrey, you know I always tell you that keeping things to yourself isn''t a very nice thing to do right?" Mrs Lopez asked. She lifted her hand and gave affectionate strokes to her ebony-like long hair.

    "Keeping things to yourself won''t only make you sick at the heart but it can also affect you mentally¡­," Mrs Lopez trailed to make sure that Audrey was following the point she was trying to make.

    "You know you can always tell me anything, hmm," she said. Despite saying so much Audrey didn''t act as though she was the one her mother was talking to.

    Since Audrey refused to disclose anything to her Mrs Lopez looked around the messy room for anything that would give her an idea of why her beloved daughter was in this crappy mood.

    After scrutinising the room for a while luckily she got a glimpse of Joanna''s face from one of the ripped papersid on the floor.

    [Ooh¡­ it''s Joanna that is the cause. No wonder she is acting this way]

    Mrs Lopez was relieved that at least she would be able to initiate a conversation with Audrey.

    "Did you and Joanna get in a quarrel?" Mrs Lopez asked meekly. She waited for Audrey to speak but still, she remained quiet.

    "Girls your age gets into a misunderstanding with friends so it''s only normal¡­,"

    "This was no misunderstanding mum. She lied to me and deceived me for a long time. This can never be considered a misunderstanding," Audrey said, jerking to her feet.

    "What exactly did she lie about that is making you this mad huh?" Mrs Lopez asked curiously.

    "She joined hands with him and deceived me. She didn''t tell me that he is the¡­," Audrey paused at thest minute when she realised what she was about to do.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, if you will be avable to retrieve the coin code here on Sunday 25 September 2022, pleasement so that I will know that you all are ready for this.

    Thank you as you make things easier for your poor author.

 Chapter 244 Mrs Lopez Advise

    ?She stared down at her mother. In her eyes, she could see so much curiosity in them.

    "Go on Audrey, I am listening," Mrs Lopez urged her after seeing her daughter''s hesitant look.

    [Although I hate her right now, seeing how she was hell-bent on protecting him and his identity even from me, I will do the silly girl thisst favour and conceal his identity from others. This is thest thing I can do for her]

    The angrydy looked away from her mother''s curious face. She sat back down on the couch beside her mother.

    [I can see she is hell-bent on protecting her best friend until the end even though she is furious at her¡­ this is what I love about the girl''s friendship]

    Mrs Lopez adjusted the way she sat so that all her attention was focused on Audrey.

    "Is the reason you are so furious and went as far as ripping her portraits just because she deceived you¡­,"

    "Mum, do you also think I am overreacting?" Audrey questioned standing up from the couch for the second time.

    "Of course not," Mrs Lopez said. She reached out her hand and pulled Audrey back on the chair.

    "Although I know you have a bit of a temper, I am also aware that you are not unreasonable. You must be acting this way because you are deeply hurt by what she did right?" Mrs Lopez asked while looking at Audrey''s angry eyes.

    "You have every right to be angry and I am in support of you for this but can you answer my question first¡­," Mrs Lopez trailed her gaze not moving from Audrey''s face.

    "What''s that?" Audrey asked. She sounded a bit more rxed than she was before her mother started talking to her.

    "There is one thing I don''t understand. Are you mad at Joanna because she lied to you or because she didn''t trust you enough and resorted to lying to you due to herck of trust?" Mrs Lopez questioned meekly.

    Despite that Mrs Lopez''s question was simple Audrey couldn''te up with a response immediately.

    [Of course I am mad at her because she didn''t trust me enough to share her problems with me... Did she think I would make things difficult for them if I knew the truth?]

    Mrs Lopez was patient enough to give her enough time to think about her question but Audrey still didn''t utter a word even after making her mother wait for three minutes.

    "Since childhood, you girls always do things together. You get along more than real siblings do. You girls share everything and never keep a secret from each other so I can understand why you are so furious that she chose not to trust you this time around¡­," Mrs Lopez paused.

    She extended her hands and held Audrey''s hands lying on her thighs.

    She gave a gentle squeeze to it before she continued.

    "It took youdies so many years to build your friendship to where it is now, are you sure you want something as trivial as this toe in between you?" Mrs Lopez asked.

    Yeah, she was so against Joanna and Audrey being so close to each other. After the drift between her and her daughter, she hase to terms with the fact that her daughter cherishes her friendship more than anything.

    As a mother what she can do is ensure that her daughter is happy at all times. She has learnt her lesson to want to repeat the same things she did in the past.

    "But Mum¡­,"

    "As I said, you have the right to get angry for what she did so don''t get me wrong that I am taking her side ok," Mrs Lopez stressed to make sure that there was no further misunderstanding.

    "The point I am trying to make is that you shouldn''t be angry with her for a very long time because it''s gonna cause a strain in your friendship. It took youdies so long to build this bond to where it is, don''t let your anger make you lose what really matters," Mrs Lopez advised. She caressed Audrey''s cold hands lovingly.

    Mrs Lopez continued staying with Audrey for a long time. She made sure Audrey feels much better.

    "Audrey, your home is a mess. Apart from that, I am also afraid that you will not be able to get a wink of sleep if you stay here so why don''t you spend the night with us huh?" Mrs Lopez suggested meekly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was so much hope in her eyes as she waited for Audrey''s reply.

    "It''s also fine if you don''t¡­,"

    "Ok, I wille with you," Audrey agreed to her mother''s bewilderment.

    She stood up from the couch and moved to the main entrance.

    Mrs Lopez stared at her daughter like she was some stranger she just met.

    She only made that suggestion because she was worried about her. Never in her wildest imagination did she think that Audrey would agree so quickly to her suggestion.

    Audrey nced behind her when she didn''t feel her mother''s presence behind her.

    "Let''s go. I don''t want to spend another minute here," She said. She resumed walking out of the room without waiting for her mother.

    ¡­

    In front of the tall hotel Amos was reluctant to leave the moodydy alone especially when he knew what her family were capable of.

    None will be there tofort her, instead, they will make her sadder.

    "You can go now. I will be fine. It''s a promise," Joanna faked a smile as she waved at him to start going.

    "I will go but I promise I will be waiting for you here very early in the morning," Amos said while waving at her.

    [For the past days I have been trying my best to keep him by my side. I have been yearning to have his attention to myself like it was in the past and now I have it. Why don''t I feel thrilled about it¡­ Should I forget everything and be happy that the quarrel with my best friend gave me what I couldn''t get no matter how hard I tried]

    Looking at his waving hand and smiling face made Joanna have mixed feelings. She turned and approached therge ck door.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers it''s your darling author here again. Guys, the participation from you this month are not encouraging at all.

    Please guys, encourage your darling author by buying privileged chapters and unlocking the chapters daily. Don''t forget we have 1k (1,000) privileged chapters unlock goals to reach this month.

    Recall the amazing rewards thate with reaching the 1k privileged chapter unlocks.

    Make me feel loved and special by showering me with gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Don''t forget there is a reward attached to gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS too.

    Put a smile on my face with yourments and reviews. Be one of the reasons for myughter this month.

    Also, remember depending on the number ofments and reviews we receive this month you guys stand a chance to win a special mass release.

    Voting with power stones is just as important as the other missions so please keep the power stonesing.

    One more important thing, our author monthly appreciation ends this October 2022. If you want your name to be included in the list of the most loyal fans of this book then buy privileged chapters and unlock the chapters daily, keep thements, GOLDEN TICKETS, reviews, power stones and giftsing.

    PLEASE PAMPER YOUR DEAREST AUTHOR EVEN THOUGH IT''S JUST FOR THIS MONTH.

 Chapter 245 The Slap

    ?In front of the tall hotel, Amos was reluctant to leave the moodydy alone especially when he knew what her family were capable of.

    None will be there tofort her, instead, they will make her sadder and hurt.

    "You can go now. I will be fine. It''s a promise," Joanna faked a smile as she waved at him to start going.

    "I will go but I promise I will be waiting for you here very early in the morning," Amos said while waving at her.

    [For the past days I have been trying my best to keep him by my side. I have been yearning to have his attention to myself like it was in the past and now I have it. Why don''t I feel thrilled about it¡­ Should I forget everything and be happy that the quarrel with my best friend gave me what I couldn''t get no matter how hard I tried?]

    Looking at his swinging hands and smiling face made Joanna have mixed feelings. She turned and approached therge ck door.

    ¡­.

    Amos stood there and stared at her departing back. Watching her leave made a sharp pain run across his chest.

    [Was my decision to spend time with her as normal lovers do wrong? Was I being too selfish with my decision?]

    Amos raised his hands and grabbed his chest when the memory of her weeping in his arms earlier popped into his head.

    He could swear that he hasn''t seen her weep so hard ever since he knew her.

    "I must do something about this," He muttered. He spun and walked away when she was no longer in sight.

    In front of room 101, ady was seen knocking on the door for the second time.

    "Wait, a minute. I aming," A voiceing from inside the room responded.

    It wasn''t up to two minutes when the door opened.

    Without waiting to be invited thedy with silver hair pushed the door opened and made her way into the sitting room.

    "Hey, how dare you push the door against my face?" Laura shouted angrily, running after thedy who was now in the sitting room.

    "It wasn''t my fault that you had to get in my way at that minute so you can''t me me for that," Joanna said nonchntly as she strolled to one out of the two couches at the sides of the centre table.

    She sat down majestically with her legs crossed.

    Seeing Joanna''s proud look after what she did makes Laura''s blood boil in rage. She had no choice but to sp her fist and clenched her teeth when she recalled what the cruel girl did to her and her mother on the porch.

    She was the reason why they had to reside in a hotel.

    [Laura, you must control yourself¡­ Let her enjoy as much as she wants now because, in the end, you will be the one whoughsst]

    Laura sped her fist until it hurt badly.

    Just then Adhara, who was in the next room, entered the sitting room but didn''t utter a word.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Judging from her wet brown hair Joanna believed she came out of the bathroom not long ago.

    "Weren''t you acting all proud like you would never set foot into this hotel room again so what are you doing here huh?" Laura asked with her shoulders raised high.

    "Have you finally realised that you are nothing without us¡­,"

    "So what if I had changed my mind, what can you do?" Joanna asked as she reached out her hand and dropped her handbag on the centre table.

    "Also what have I ever benefited from this so-called family that makes you think I can''t do without all of you?" Joanna trailed. All this while she pretended as though she didn''t see Adhara who was standing in a very obvious ce.

    "You¡­,"

    "Between the two of us, who is it that can''t do without the protection of her mother and father? Without your parents, you are nothing¡­,"

    "How dare you say that about me?" Laura cut in sharply as she advanced toward Joanna.

    "That''s enough, Laura," Adhara intervened, not letting her daughter carry out what was on her mind.

    She left where she was stood close to their bedroom door and proceeded to stand beside Laura.

    Joanna who had subconsciously held her breath exhaled deeply seeing Laura stop in her tracks after her mother talked.

    [Joanna, no matter what happens you can''t let them know that you are as powerless as you were before the tragedy on the cliff¡­ Today will be the day you die if they know that you have lost all your powers]

    Joanna tried to calm her throbbing heart. She raised her deadly res and focused them on Laura''s face after she had sessfully calmed herself.

    "Don''t stop her stepmother, let here closer. I was already in a terrible mood and looking for a way to vent my spleen. I will be thrilled to teach her on your behalf," Joanna said with a haughty attitude while ring at the fumingLaura.

    "Mum, she is indirectly saying you didn''t educate me well. How could you tolerate such an insulting from the daughter of a slut¡­," A pnded on Laura''s cheeks before she could finish her sentence?

    Laura turned and stared at her mother with a bewildered look.

    She couldn''t believe that her mother just pped her not for anything else but because of her stepsister, she loathes to the core.

    "You pped me for¡­," Adhara raised her hand and grabbed Laura by the shoulders. She bent so that her mouth was very close to Laura''s right ear.

    "Your father is in there so this is no time for you to act up so get your act together if you don''t want me to p you again," Adhara cautioned, her grip on Laura''s shoulders tightened.

    "Oops¡­ that must hurt a lot right," Joanna flinched while holding her left cheek.

    "No matter what you must control yourself tonight, ok?" Adhara ordered when she saw Laura''s sped fists.

    After making sure she has kept Laura under control Adhara turned and stared at her stepdaughter who was sitting like a Queen on the couch.

    Her hatred for her stepdaughter rose to the peak seeing her haughty look after she bullied her daughter.

 Chapter 246 Her Happy Pills

    ?[Adhara don''t forget what you just told your daughter¡­ you must calm down no matter what. Anderson can''t find out about the secret his second daughter knows]

    Adhara tried to caution herself also. At that moment concealing the secret Joanna knew was more important than her hatred for her stepdaughter.

    "You are also a daughter of this household which means you are wee here anytime," Adhara said with a fake smile.

    "So don''t take whatever she says to heart. She is just furious because her father didn''t allow her to hang out with her friends tonight," Adhara tried to appease Joanna despite that everyone in the room knew that her affection was fake.

    "My hands were itching to burn someone to death tonight but I guess I won''t be able to do that now that you have managed to calm down my beloved stepsister," Joanna said, rising from the couch with elegance.

    "You¡­," Adhara quickly nudged Laura who was about to talk when she saw her husbande out of the same room she came out from earlier.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Mr Anderson demanded. His eyes moved from onedy to the other.

    A deep frown stered on his face the instant he set eyes on Joanna.

    Just like him, Joanna didn''t look the least pleased to see him and it showed on her face.

    "The prodigal daughter has finally returned. Should I be proud of this?" Mr Anderson''s sarcastic words made Laura chuckle.

    Her chuckle earned a disapproving gaze from her mother.

    "You don''t have to be proud of it because you guys are not the reason I am here, sorry to disappoint you more than you already are, Sir," Joanna, who was not in a good mood, replied smiling.

    Her smile irk the already irritated Mr Anderson.

    "You¡­,"

    "Sorry, but Little rice ball is searching for me. I need to leave now, Sir," Joanna replied bowing slightly. She made her way out of the room afterwards.

    "That darn girl''s temper is getting out of control. I am afraid she is gonna get worse if we don''t deal seriously with her¡­,"

    "Girls at her age are usually rebellious. You don''t have to let her actions annoy you¡­,"

    "Wasn''t Laura once the same age as her so why didn''t she behave the same way then?" Angry Mr Anderson questioned while ring at the door Joanna exited from.

    "Yeah Dad, and I will forever remain the apple of your eyes," Laura said beaming.

    "Will you go to your room now Laura?" Adharamanded. Her fierce res dare not make Laura do otherwise.

    Laura reluctantly exited her mother''s room as she was ordered to.

    In the long corridor, she stood in front of the brown door which was just opposite her parent''s room.

    She eavesdrops on the conversation happening inside the room.

    Inside the room which Laura was standing in front of, ady who was seenying facing a handsome boy on the medium size bed.

    "Big Sister, you don''t look so happy even though we haven''t seen each other for two days. Did Mum and Laura make things difficult for you again?" Anthony asked as he kept on looking at his sister''s face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although Joanna had tried her best to fool him with her fake cheerful look the smart boy was still able to see through her mask.

    If there are people who know her in and out her little brother will definitely be on the list.

    Although he was still a kid he has been with her long enough to know when she is happy and sad. Not even her fake smiles can fool him at times.

    "Of course not," Joanna said smiling. She extended her hand and stroked his handsome face.

    "Laura and Stepmother have been really nice to me¡­,"

    "The day they will treat you nicely from their heart may be the day that the Moon Goddess will reveal herself," Anthony cut in.

    Despite that, he wasn''t an adult but he was smart enough to know the reality of his family.

    He hase to terms with the fact that his mother, father and Laura will never treat his beloved sister in the same way they treat him.

    He has wished and prayed for this day toe true to the point that he hase to ept what adults call REALITY.

    "You don''t have to keep on lying about such things, Big Sister. I am not a kid anymore," Anthony said as he took his sister''s hands in his.

    "Whoa¡­ so my little rice ball is all grown up huh?" Joanna asked yfully. Before Anthony could guess her next actions she started tickling him.

    Hahaha! Hahaha!

    Hisughter made Laura that was eavesdropping from the door sp her fist.

    [How dare you be in the mood of ying after you made mum p me huh?]

    Laura red at the door with her fist remaining sped.

    [Just wait and see, a day ising where I will avenge myself from all the ps I received from mum because of you¡­ hehe¡­ when that dayes I will make sure you crawl and beg for mercy]

    Laura stomped out of there in anger. She walked past her room whose door was next to that of Anthony''s and proceeded to the elevator.

    With the yful Anthony by her side, Joanna was able to forget her problems even for a moment.

    After chasing Anthony about the room for a few minutes the two siblings sprawled on the bed almost at the same time.

    The panting Anthony raised his head just in time to see his Big Sister wiping a drop of tears off her face.

    [I wonder what is wrong with Big Sister that is making her cry¡­ did some bad people bully her like they always did in the past?]

    Amos spaced out as he looked at his sister who was oblivious of his stares.

    "Big Sister," Anthony called meekly. Joanna turned around on the bed so that she was looking at his face.

    "Everything will be fine, have faith," Anthony said while giving her his broadest smile.

 Chapter 247 He Kept His Word

    ?Although his sentence was short, it turned out to be the word Joanna needed to feel a bit of inner peace.

    There was silence in the room after his utterances.

    "Little rice ball, I don''t have a ce to spend the night in. You don''t mind Big Sister sharing your room with you, right?" Joanna asked.

    "Of course," Anthony said beaming.

    Tonight, Joanna had difficulties sleeping but it wasn''t as bad as it would have been if she had spent the night alone.

    The next day Joanna woke up very early. She carefully climbed out of bed making sure that she didn''t wake Anthony up in the process.

    After tiptoeing into the bathroom, she rinsed her face and took care of her teeth. She had wanted to take a bath afterwards but had to change her mind when she recalled that she didn''t have spare clothes.

    Joanna returned to the bedroom soon. She gave a long stare at her little brother''s sleeping face before she approached the door.

    Joanna was lucky enough to bump into Nanny Susan the moment she stepped out of Anthony''s bedroom.

    "Miss Joanna," Nanny Susan called and bowed to show her respect.

    "There is no need for the formalities Nanny," Joanna said in almost a whisper. There was so much gentleness in her tone as she spoke.

    Anyone who didn''t know the identity of Nanny Susan will mistake her for Joanna''s aunt because of the way the youngdy addressed the middle-aged woman.

    For fear that they might disturb Anthony''s sleep, Joanna beckoned Nanny Susan to follow her outside.

    "Nanny, I will be leaving now. I leave him under your care," Joanna said softly.

    "I know he can be a handful sometimes so please do call my line if anythinges up. And I will try my best to show up as soon as I can," Joanna concluded, her gaze centred on the elderly woman''s face.

    "I will do just that Miss Joanna so you don''t have to worry," Nanny Susan replied politely.

    Joanna took a nce at her father and Stepmother''s room before she turned to leave.

    "Take good care of yourself, Miss Joanna," Nanny Susan said before Joanna could walk away.

    Joanna nced behind her with a smile on her face, "I will do just that. Thank you, Nanny," She said and proceeded to the elevator.

    Reaching downstairs Joanna didn''t need to start searching for him.

    At the entrance of the tall building, she was greeted by the handsome face of a guy waving at her while leaning beside a white Mercedes Benz.

    Before she left the room she had doubted whether he would get there that early. But seeing him waiting there made her believe that maybe he had been there for quite some time.

    Joanna beamed at the guy waving at her. She went ahead and descended the stairs.

    She proceeded to meet him where he stood.

    The first thing Joanna noticed after reaching where he stood was that he was still wearing the maroon shirt and ck trousers he wore the previous day.

    Even his golden wristwatch and the ck shoes he wore were the same as yesterday.

    "You are still wearing the same outfits from yesterday. Don''t tell me you stayed here the entire night?" Joanna questioned. She patiently waited for him to prove her wrong.

    If she was to find out that because of her the King resorted to spending the night in such an ufortable ce she would feel so terrible about it.

    "I thought you promised me not to stay here the entire night¡­,"

    "It''s true I didn''t go homest night but don''t get me wrong, I didn''t spend the night here," Amos cut in meekly.

    "Really?" asked Joanna, her suspicious res focused on his face.

    "Yes," He replied unwaveringly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I was overseeing an important task. By the time I realised how far it had gone, it was already morning. Though I had wanted to go home and freshen up to look nice for you, I had no choice but toe here first because of the promise I made to you," He exined in a calm tone.

    He lowered his gaze and took a proper look at thedy standing in front of him.

    "You are also wearing the same outfits fromst night," Hemented as he slowly lifted his gaze to look at her face.

    "Did they chase you out of the room? Is that why you didn''t get the chance to freshen¡­,"

    "It''s only Joanna in the past they would have been able to do that to but not the one standing in front of you," Joanna said with her chin lifted higher than usual.

    Even without her powers she still managed to bully the mother and daughter duo. No matter what, they are not her match especially when the trump card is in her possession.

    "You are¡­," She pulled the front door open and slid into the car before he got toplete his sentence.

    "Get in and let''s go," Joanna urged the guy whose gaze was on her.

    "Coming," He replied and strolled to the driver''s seat at the other side.

    Amos ignited the car after making sure that she had strapped the seatbelt.

    Midway through their journey, Joanna initiated a conversation.

    "You said you had to oversee an important task and that is why you didn''t go homest night¡­," Joanna trailed, her gaze centred on the guy whose attention was on the busy road.

    "You have so many men working for you, including Chris, did you have to oversee it yourself?" Joanna asked the question which has been bothering her.

    "Even Chris couldn''t handle the problem. I had no choice but to oversee it myself¡­,"

    "And did you manage to solve whatever problem it was?" Joanna asked out of sheer concern.

    Momentarily he shifted his attention to thedy sitting by his side, "Hmmm¡­ no," he replied meekly.

    "Is the task so difficult that even you and Chris couldn''t tackle it?" She demanded in a soft tone.

    "They have been giving Chris and the others a bit of a headache but I believe that we will¡­,"

    "If you need help know that I am avable and willing to help out¡­,"

    "That''s not necessary," Amos interrupted sharply.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers it''s your darling author here again. Guys, the participation from you this month are not encouraging at all.

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 Chapter 248 Home?

    ?Joanna frowned at the manner he behaved before she could even finish talking.

    "Don''t you trust me or do you think I am not powerful and skilled enough to help you guys out?" Joanna asked unhappily. Her heavy frown coupled with her displeased tone made Amos pull over at a suitable spot.

    He diverted his attention to her after he had sessfully parked the car.

    "I trust you Joan but this is not a matter of trust," Amos said softly.

    "This is a matter of your safety and that''s one thing I would neverpromise. I have lost you once and I am not ready to lose you a second time," Amos said seriously.

    His response left the once angry Joanna speechless. She was upset that maybe he looked down on her which is why he didn''t think twice about rejecting her offer. But listening to his reason made her unable to say a word.

    "You are way too important to me to get exposed to danger," He concluded while still looking into her eyes.

    The intensity of his stares coupled with his sweet words made Joanna''s heart race.

    "If I was able toe out of a ce like Ancient Forest Of No Return unscathed, that means I am difficult to kill. I will surely live for a long time¡­,"

    "It''s because I have experienced what it means to lose you once and that is why I won''t repeat the same mistake. I won''t change my mind no matter what you say so give up on persuading me," Amos said in a tone of finality.

    "I am not weak at all but you are just being overprotective¡­,"

    "Let me take you home so you can freshen up and change into something new before we embark on talking to Audrey," Amos deliberately interrupted her so they wouldn''t have to talk about their earlier topic.

    He ignited the car and zoomed off.

    "Home?" Joanna asked in confusion. "Whose home are you taking me to?" She demanded softly.

    As far as she can recall her home was still under construction and this was the reason her entire family lounged in a hotel.

    "My home of course¡­,"

    "I won''t follow you into your apartment¡­,"

    "But why not?" He demanded while ncing at her face. "This is not gonna be your first or second time entering my apartment so why do you suddenly hate the idea now?" He asked seriously.

    He wished he could stare at her face for a long time but he knew that wasn''t possible since he was in charge of driving.

    "Because¡­ because¡­," Joanna realised that she couldn''t find a valid reason to give for not wanting to enter his apartment.

    "If you are worried that I will make advances at you when we are alone, I promise I won''ty a hand on you no matter what," Amos gave his word despite knowing that this promise wasn''t up to him to keep.

    It''s his heart which has the final say about this but he still went ahead to do it.

    "Since when did the shameless Kayden I know start keeping his promises huh?" Joanna questioned yfully.

    [How can I bring myself to tell him that it''s not him I don''t trust but myself¡­ I am afraid I might lose control of myself and pounce on him. It will not be fair to Drey and that is why I am trying my best to prevent it from happening]

    Joanna was in a daze as she stared at him. She looked away from his face when she noticed he wanted to divert his attention to her.

    "Maybe, I will start it today, you never know," He replied teasingly just to make her get rid of the frown on her face.

    His teases earned a chuckle from her.

    When they reached the tall building Joanna kept on insisting on going to check up on Audrey first but with how persistent Amos was she ended up sumbing to what he wanted.

    So as not to make her feel ufortable in the slightest way Amos stayed in the sitting room while he let Joanna make use of his bedroom and bathroom.

    After showering Joanna who had only a towel wrapped around her slender body stepped onto the grey tiled floor.

    Carefully she made her way to his dressing table which had moredies'' cosmetics than that of the male.

    Anyone who stepped foot into his bedroom and got a glimpse of his dressing table would immediately think that he normally bringsdies home, not knowing that he was a loyal lover to the core.

    With the hairdryer, she blew her silk silver hair dry. She went ahead tob and let down the hair so that it cascaded her back.

    When she was done applying lotion on her body, Joanna stood up and strolled to the wardrobe.

    Opening the wardrobe Joanna was astonished to see that onlydies'' essories upied the entire wardrobe.

    The wardrobe was very different from thest time she used it.

    Her face turned beet red on getting a glimpse of the undies and bras neatly arranged inside the wardrobe.

    "He is such a pervert¡­ but why do I love the fact that he is very attentive," Joanna smiled on realising that all the undies and bras were purchased ording to her taste in colour, texture and materials.

    "Is he trying to seduce me into making his apartment my new home with all these fabulous things?" Joanna muttered as she reached out her right hand and picked thecy red panties.

    Back in the sitting room Amos who was listening to what she said chuckled. "How did she know that I want her to move into my apartment," He mumbled. His smile radiated even more.

    After Joanna came out of the bedroom Amos stood up from where he sat and moved to the bedroom door.

    He stopped in front of the brown door and turned to look at her. "You are not allowed to peek while I am having my bath".

    ...<novelnext></novelnext>

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH LOVELY READERS

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 Chapter 249 Disappointed

    ?"What¡­ what.. what the hell are you saying?" Joanna stuttered.

    "Exactly what you think so¡­,"

    "I don''t peek at others while they bath¡­,"

    "And how will I know that? I mean I don''t stay with you to know what you are capable of right?" Amos asked teasingly.

    "You¡­ you¡­," Joanna jerked to her feet with her index finger pointing at the grinning guy.

    "You are free to fantasize about my body as much as you want but be aware that you are forbidden from peeking ok?" Amos said.

    He entered the room and jammed the door shut. He didn''t allow her to scold him or defend herself.

    "Geez¡­ Although I admit that he has one of the finest bodies in the Kingdom, how dare he think I will peek at him while he takes a shower?" Joanna muttered, her cheeks puffed as she red at the bedroom.

    Amos standing with his back leaning against the brown door grinned due to her words.

    [I am happy that at least she admits that my body is one of the best¡­ Also, I managed to get rid of that sad look on her face]

    He giggled as he left the door and made his way to the bathroom.

    In the bathroom, at first, Amos took his sweet time having his bath but he made haste when he recalled their ns for the morning.

    The quicker the girls settled their quarrel, the faster Joanna will return to her normal self. And the same with him.

    Since she won''t be sad anymore if things get sorted out with Audrey his heart would no longer ache to see her heartbroken.

    The moment he stepped foot into the sitting room Joanna jumped to her feet with her cell phone in her hand. It was as if this is the moment she has been patiently waiting for.

    "Let''s go," She urged him on and hastened to the exit without waiting for him.

    With how she was acting Amos believed that she would have abandoned him and entered the elevator first to Audrey''s apartment if she had a choice.

    Too bad for her, the two of them had made ns to go speak with Audrey together.

    Immediately the elevator halted and dinged at their designated floor Joanna was quick to leave the elevator.

    Just like earlier she lead the way while he followed behind.

    As she rang the doorbell and waited for a response, Joanna''s heart started throbbing.

    Her hands became sweaty for some reason.

    Although she was nervous, she was also very optimistic about whaty ahead for her.

    She became a bit worried after her third attempt. Despite ringing the doorbell thrice, there was no response nor were there any movements inside the room.

    [I can''t perceive her scent nor do I sense any activity inside¡­ this means that Audrey isn''t inside. How could I bring myself to tell her this knowing how heartbroken she will be?]

    Amos was lost at what to do as he stared at the anxiousdy.

    Noticing that she wanted to press the doorbell for the fourth time, he extended his right hand and grabbed her hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Maybe she doesn''t want to open the door for you since she is very mad at you so how about you try unlocking the door with the passcode?" He suggested while pointing at the door''s lock.

    Her head was in a mess that she forgot that something like a door''s lock existed.

    If only she wasn''t muddleheaded then she wouldn''t have spent so much time waiting for Audrey to open the door when she could do that.

    After punching in the six digits code which was abination of hers and Audrey''s birthday, the door dinged and opened instantly.

    "Audrey," Joanna called out while hurrying into the room. Amos followed her instantly.

    Stepping foot into the sitting Joanna and Amos were dumbfounded at the state of the room.

    "What the hell happened here?" Amos asked, his mouth still hanging open in shock. He scrutinised the spacious room with his eyes.

    "Why does your home resemble a dumpster¡­," Amos paused what he wanted to say when his eyes met one of the ripped portraits on the door.

    Subconsciously his legs propelled his entire body to where the ripped portraity.

    As he tried to assemble the broken portrait Joanna dashed towards their bedroom and pushed the door open.

    The first part of the room her eyes went to was the magnificent bed.

    "Audrey¡­," the words refused to form when she saw that the bed was neatly arranged as if none has spent the night there.

    Joanna didn''t let her disappointment get to her.

    "Maybe she is in the bathroom¡­," Joanna refused to ept reality even though the signs were very obvious.

    In the sitting room after walking around picking up pieces of the ripped portrait and assembling them, the assembled pieces formed his face and that of Joanna.

    "I don''t understand why they would be a portrait of me and that of Joan¡­," He paused what he wanted to say when he got glimpses of the broken rose petals littering the couches.

    After going around assessing the mess he was able to connect the knots.

    "Did Audrey set up a date between me and Joan?" Amos looked around in confusion as he let his words trail.

    Just then he recalled what Joanna told him at the cafe the previous day.

    [Was the dinner date the important thing she wanted to discuss with mest night¡­ but why?]

    Despite having managed to connect the knots he was left even more confused.

    Amos got out of his daze when he saw Joanna running around searching for Audrey in every single room.

    He hastened to her and grabbed her hand not letting her run to the kitchen.

    "What are you doing?" Joanna asked as she red at his hand whose grip firm on her hands didn''t loosen.

    "I have to look for Drey¡­,"

    "She is not here. I am sure you might have guessed that much the moment you stepped foot into the bedroom right?" He asked, not releasing her hands.

 Chapter 250 A Different Joanna

    ?"I need to find her and exin things to her¡­,"

    "And that''s exactly what you will do but before that, you need to calm down ok?" Amos said meekly. He let go of her hand, he turned and hold her shoulders instead.

    "For us to do that you need to be in your right frame of mind because you are the one who is gonna lead us to where youdies always hang out," He gave a gentle squeeze to her shoulders while staring into her eyeballs.

    His words worked magic because as soon as he said these words her struggling stopped.

    Her tensed face eased up a bit.

    He slowly lead her to the couch and made her sit down. He made sure she was a bit calm before they talked about their next ns.

    After leaving the apartment Joanna directed Amos to some of the ces she and Audrey normally hung out.

    Despite searching all these ces for hours they didn''t see any traces of Audrey not to mention her shadow.

    Amos sitting on the brown bench in a quiet field lean his back against the arm of the bench.

    "If she is not in any of the ces you took us to then where on Earth could she have been?" Amos muttered his gaze focused on thedy who was gasping.

    Listening to Amos'' words made Joanna''s brain immediately get to work. Her brain started analysing the ces they have been to.

    After two minutes her eyes widened like she had remembered vital information they had missed.

    "How could I forget the most important ce," Joanna said, jumping to her feet.

    A bit of life returned to her once lifeless face.

    "And where is that?" Amos demanded sternly.

    "Her parents'' home," Joanna said smiling. She could see a glimmer of hope despite that things were full of uncertainty.

    "Didn''t you say she and her parents were on bad terms¡­,"

    "That was all in the past," Joanna replied. She bent and grabbed his hand lying on the bench''s arm.

    "Let''s go," She muttered and pulled him along with her.

    As they made their way to Audrey''s home, there was so much hope in Joanna''s heart. But that hope soon got dashed the instant she reached the huge gate of the Lopez family.

    When the security guards at the gate refused to let Amos'' car into the house Joanna had assumed that maybe the security got tightened because of the incident that urred not long ago.

    But her assumptions soon got proved wrong after the security guards started talking.

    "Nat, I am here to see your Young Miss, is she in?" Joanna standing in front of the magnificent gate questioned one of the guards with which she was very familiar.

    There was hesitation on Nat''s face as he took a step backwards. "I don''t know," he replied without looking at her face as he talked.

    His reply and attitude didn''t go down well with Amos. "Your duty post is the gate. All of you oversee those who entered and exits the house so how could you say you don''t know whether your Young Miss is in or not?" Amos snarled, his fierce res directed at Nat.

    "Is that how you do your job and how dare you to speak to her using that tone? Was that how you were taught to address your visitors?" Amos demanded.

    He ignores the signals given by thedy by his side for him not to pursue the issue further.

    To her entering Audrey''s home was more important to her than anything but to him protecting her dignity was the most important.

    "And who are you to teach me my duties¡­"

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted, her deadly res concentrated on Nat. "You don''t talk to him like that ok?" Joanna said coldly as she stared at the three guards at the gate with her chill gaze.

    "I can tolerate you disrespectfully speaking to me but never should you use that tone and expression on him," Joanna warned sternly.

    "I swear I will do more than just talking the next time you disrespect him in any way," Joanna said.

    Although the guards had known her for a long time, the one speaking to them right now felt like a stranger.

    Her cold voice didn''t only send chills down their spine but they carried something in it which makes anyone who listens to it trembled.

    The one who just talked to them was nowhere close to that sweet Young Miss who always smiled and talked to them politely each time she dropped by.

    Joanna was too furious to care about the way the guards stared at her like she were a stranger.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s get out of here," Joanna retorted. She grabbed his hand and lead him to where they parked the car not far away from the gate.

    "Since they won''t let us in I will just call Drey toe down and get us. Let''s see whether they will keep up this proud attitude of theirs after Audreyes downstairs," Joanna mumbled in annoyance.

    She was about to reach out her hand to open the door but Amos beats her to open the door first.

    She diverted her piercing res at him after what he did. "I thought I have prohibited you from opening the car''s door for me¡­,"

    "Yeah, you did but I don''t recall agreeing to that," He said shrugging his shoulders. He strolled to the other side of the car, leaving the speechless and angry Joanna to gaze at his back.

    She had no other choice but to enter the car since he had already opened the door of the car for her.

    Inside the car, Amos fiddled with the steering wheel pretending as though he didn''t see her fierce res which were directed at him.

    Two minutes passed and she didn''t do any other thing apart from ring at him.

    Atst, he turned to look at her when he couldn''t handle her burning gaze anymore.

    "Are you aware that I won''t grow ugly even though you stare at me like that?... Instead, I will be more handsome¡­,"

    "You¡­," Amos grabbed her, outstretched her and pulled it so that it was resting on his chest.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

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    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 251 Her Calls Got Ignored

    ?"That''s why I would advise that you don''t look at me so passionately or else¡­,"

    "Shameless," she spat out the words as she tried to free her hands from his firm hold. But he refused to let go.

    "You have already called me that so many times that I have lost count of it¡­ also it''s not like I will be less shameless if you say so," Amos teased just to get rid of the tension created from their earlier argument with the security guards.

    "I know that talking to you won''t make you stop and that''s why I won''t argue with you further¡­ instead I will use that time I would have used arguing with you to call Audrey," she said and immediately tilted her head to the right to avoid staring at him.

    Meanwhile, as this was happening Joanna and Amos were not aware that Audrey who has long pieced up their scent from afar was listening to their conversation from her bed where she sat.

    [Are they deliberately acting shameless and showcasing just how much they love each other to get back at me for not supporting their rtionship?]

    Audrey muttered as she threw her cell phone she was using on the bed. The cell phone bounced and ended up rolling to the floor.

    Just then Caroline who was wearing her floral maid gown entered the room and met Audrey''s cellphone on the floor.

    Caroline frowned upon seeing Audrey''s cell phone again on the floor.

    Ever since in the morning, she has seen her cell phone on the floor over three times.

    Now instead of being surprised to see the phone on the floor, she was furious instead.

    "Young Miss, your cellphone is on the floor again," Carolineined as she bent and picked up the phone lying close to the foot of the bed.

    "Do you need me to get you a new cell phone? I am afraid you will not be able to make use of the phone again before todayes to an end¡­,"

    "Were you not the one who got me the new cell phone this morning so why do you talk about changing phones again?" Audrey questioned, a deep frown cut across her forehead as she looked at the wine ss inside the tray in Caroline''s hands.

    Instead of wine the content of the wine ss was blood, which was her brunch.

    "Because¡­," the loud ringing tone of the cell phone disrupted their conversation.

    "Who is the caller?" Audrey asked not reaching out her hand to collect the cellphone Caroline was trying to pass over to her.

    Caroline lowered her gaze and looked at the caller ID. "Anna, heart," Caroline replied, making sure to draw an imaginary heart just like it was on the cellphone screen.

    "Disconnect the call," Audreymanded sternly. She spun and gazed at the ss window instead.

    "It''s Miss Joanna that is calling¡­,"

    "Of course, I know and that is precisely why I am telling you to disconnect the line," Audrey said, the veins on her forehead shooting out as she spoke.

    "I have noticed ever since morning that Miss Joanna has been calling your line. She has called over twenty times. Why do you keep ignoring¡­," the words got stuck in Caroline''s throat the instant Audrey turned and shot her a murderous re.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I¡­I will disconnect the call now," Caroline stammered as she tried to disconnect the call. Because of her frantic movements, the cell phone almost fell off her hands.

    After disconnecting the line she dropped the cell phone on the bed and with the tray, in her hand, she proceeded to where Audrey sat.

    "Young Miss, your meal," Caroline said. She removed the ss of blood from the tray and extended it toward Audrey''s direction.

    "I have lost my appetite so take it away," Audrey said coldly. Shey back on the bed with her back resting against thefy bed.

    "That is exactly what you said at dinnerst night and breakfast this morning. You haven''t tasted a sip¡­,"

    "And that''s because I am not hungry. You don''t expect me to force myself to eat when I am not hungry or do you?" Audrey retorted, her piercing res focused on Caroline''s face.

    Despite her domineering aura Caroline refused to be intimidated.

    "Humans and werewolves can choose not to eat for two or three days but you know that is not the same with us vampires. Whether or not we are hungry we must eat, that is our fate¡­," Caroline trailed.

    "Also, Miss Audrey, you don''t need me to tell you what will happen if you don''t consume blood¡­,"

    "I am just fine despite missing dinner and breakfast so will you stop lecturing me, Caroline? I am really not in the mood for that right now," Audrey replied irritatedly. She rolled on the bed so that her back was facing Caroline.

    "You can''t me me for being loquacious today. Madam has ordered me not to take a step out of your room if I failed in making you have your meal¡­,"

    ? "Suit yourself then," Audrey interrupted sharply. She picked up the pillow and covered her ears with it.

    Even with the pillow covering her ears she could still hear people talking from miles away. Covering her ears turned out to be useless.

    Caroline proved to Audrey that she was also stubborn too by walking over to the chair at her reading table.

    She sat down with the trayid on her thighs.

    The phone kept on ringing so many times. Audrey refused to be bothered by it. Shey on the bed staring into space.

    When the ringing of the phone became too annoying she reached out her hands and switched off the phone.

    "There is finally some peace here," Audrey muttered and threw the phone back on the bed.

    Not long after a cellphone ringing tone disrupted the once quiet atmosphere. This time around it wasn''t Audrey''s cellphone which was ringing but Caroline''s.

    "It''s Miss Joanna," Caroline informed. She answered the line before Audrey could tell her to do otherwise.

 Chapter 252 The Lies

    ?"Hello, Caroline sorry to bother you but is Drey over there?" Joanna asked at the other end.

    "I have been calling her for hours but she has been ignoring my calls. I had no choice but to call you instead," Joannamented.

    Caroline stared at Audrey to know the next step to take.

    Understanding the meaning of her stares, Audrey crossed her hands as a signal for her to say no.

    Caroline hesitated, not knowing whether that was the right thing to do.

    "No, she is not here right now," Caroline responded after making up her mind.

    "Really?" Joanna asked suspiciously. There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she talked.

    There was quietness on the other end despite that Joanna''s question was very simple.

    Caroline felt bad about having to lie to Joanna but since it was her Young Miss who asked her to do it she couldn''t go against her orders. Although they were quite close, the fact that they were still masters and servant remains. She dares not to overstep her boundaries.

    "Caroline, are you lying to me¡­,"

    "Yes-no¡­ I mean no," the confuseddy didn''t know what to say and ended up spouting nonsense.

    "Sorry about that. I meant to say yes, I am not lying to you," Caroline spoke in a moreposed manner.

    She sighed when she noticed that the deep frown on Audrey''s forehead had eased.

    "Miss Audrey is not in but I promise to inform her that you called when she returns," Caroline said.

    Scared that she might make a mistake again if the conversation went on she silently prayed that Joanna would take the initiative and disconnect the call.

    "Ok¡­," Joanna knows that something wasn''t right but she chooses not to make things difficult for Caroline by ying along.

    "Do call to inform me when she returns ok," Joanna said with a heavy heart. She disconnected the call after Caroline responded.

    Arghh!

    The frustrated Joanna screamed while hugging her head with two hands.

    "I am sure she is there," Joanna said almost in tears.

    Just to settle things with Audrey she had called to take a day off from work. She couldn''t believe that in the end, she didn''t get to see Audrey, not to mention talk to her.

    "You have a superb sense of perception so I am sure you must know that she is in there right?" Joanna turned to face him. She held his handsid on his thighs and tucked them a bit.

    "She is ignoring me right¡­ I guessed it correctly, hmm?" Joanna pleaded with her eyes as she looked into his eyeballs.

    Amos who already knew partially what was going on inside the Lopez house stared at Joanna not knowing what reply to give her.

    [Which answer will hurt her less; that Audrey is in there but refused to meet her and even went as far as ordering her maid to lie to her or the lie that Audrey wasn''t at home?]

    Thest thing he wanted was to see her hurt more than she already was. To protect her emotions he would do anything.

    Amos looked at her as he tried to weigh the response to give Joanna. Should he tell her the bitter truth or the not-so-sweet or bitter lies?

    "Stop staring at me like that and say something," Joanna ordered as she tucked his hand a bit more intense.

    "You are¡­,"

    "Audrey is not at home," he blurted out when he saw tears forming in her eyes.

    "I can''t perceive her scent nor can I hear her talking so that means Caroline was telling you the truth," he took the risk and lied.

    "Are you sure?" Joanna asked with doubts evident in her eyes and voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hmmm¡­," He shook his head affirmatively.

    Inside Audrey''s bedroom, adyying on the bed looking out of the window was seen sitting up on the bed.

    "What an excellent liar he is," she scoffed.

    "I bet he will win an Oscar in lies if such categories existed," She mumbled. Caroline, who was still waiting for her to eat, pretended as though she didn''t hear her Young Miss'' hateful words.

    In the car, Amos shifted closer so that Joanna leaned her head against his broad shoulders.

    "For how long is she going to keep this up?" Joanna muttered as she hugged his hand tighter.

    Amos and Joanna stake out in front of Audrey''s home for two hours. Even though she was in no mood to attend any lectures, she had no choice but to head to campus when she remembered that she had Miss Lana''s sses that day.

    If Mr Aidan was the mean wizard of the university then Miss Lana was the devil.

    She doesn''t only nag at every slightest mistake but doesn''t treat students any nicer than Mr Aidan does.

    Joanna would have brushed this off as a made-up story if someone told her. But she was a living witness to what Miss Lana is capable of.

    "Let''s go. We wille back to check on her when we return from campus," Joanna said. She moved back to her seat afterwards.

    Audrey stood up from the bed and walked to the ss window on hearing the ignition of their car.

    Standing there she stared down at the white car which had two upants. Even when the car drive off she didn''t look away.

    "Young Miss, if you still like her quite a lot then why are you doing this to her?... Please enlighten me," Caroline said with her gaze concentrated on Audrey''s back.

    "What do you know," Audrey muttered as she turned and walked out of the room.

    "Don''t follow me. That''s an order," Audrey''s voice echoed in the room as she proceeded out of the room.

    Audrey made her way downstairs. The guards at the door jumped to their feet sighting her from afar.

    "Young Miss," the three guards greeted with a bow.

    "I recall only asking you guys to make sure you don''t let her into the house but I don''t remember asking you guys to be rude to her so what happened here earlier?" Audrey demanded. Her fierce res darted from one face to the other.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers it''s your darling author here again. Guys, the participation from you this month are not encouraging at all.

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    PLEASE PAMPER YOUR DEAREST AUTHOR EVEN THOUGH IT''S JUST FOR THIS MONTH.

 Chapter 253 Mr Aidan And The Gifts

    ?The guards dared not utter a word afterwards.

    "Isn''t it this same darn mouth of yours you used in disrespecting my best friend so why are you keeping quiet, say something," Audrey ordered with fury in her eyes.

    The sudden kick thatnded on his knee made Nat bend and hold his hurting knee.

    "All of you know very well that the one thing I hate the most is someone looking down on my best friend so how dare all of you have the guts to insult her in front of my home?" Audrey yelled, instilling fear in the heart of the three men with her devilish stares.

    "Miss Audrey¡­," Nat''s dry cough and his piercing stares made the guy who was about to talk unable to continue with what he wanted to say.

    Thest thing Nat wanted was to infuriate his Young Miss more than Audrey was.

    She was a smart guy and knew exactly what to do.

    "I am sorry, Miss Audrey. It would never repeat itself," Nat said with a bow. The others bowed also.

    "The next time you dared to pull that nonsense stunt you did earlier, believe me breaking your legs won''t be able to relieve my anger, understood?" Audrey retorted, her murderous res focused on the three guys.

    "We will make sure that doesn''t happen again," Nat replied with his head still bowed.

    Audrey strolled back into the house after taking a long nce at the spot they parked their car earlier.

    Just like Joanna said, she and Amos returned to Audrey''s home after her sses ended that night.

    They stayed there for hours. When it reached the time he had set to leave, he shifted his gaze to thedy sitting by his side.

    "Joan, it''s gettingte so let me take you home¡­,"

    "We are leaving already?" Joanna asked displeasingly. The manner she talked was as though they had only spent ten minutes there when that wasn''t the truth.

    "Can''t we stay a little longer¡­,"

    "No, we can''t. I need to meet up with my men right now and I can''t leave you here. It''s not just possible," He stated firmly. He extended his hand and held her hand.

    "Don''t worry we will return here tomorrow if you want. We will disturb her until she gives in to what we want," Amos said softly as he gave a gentle squeeze to her hand.

    Joanna diverted her gaze from his face to the direction of the window in Audrey''s room.

    "I really wished that doing this will make her give in atst," Joanna muttered absentmindedly.

    "It will," He assured with a smile. "She will have no choice but to give in and meet us because our persistence surpasses hers".<novelnext></novelnext>

    He took ast nce at the window of the room where he could hear some movements from where he sat.

    He ignited the car and drove off soon. The moment their car got out of sight a figure surfaced in front of the ss window.

    "At least she has someone tofort her but unfortunately, I don''t," Audrey, who was wearing a blue leather jacket that came as a pair with her trousers, muttered.

    She walked out of the room and was soon seen leaving the house.

    For two days Joanna didn''t set eyes on Joanna. She calls over fifty times daily and sends over twenty text messages daily. But Audrey didn''t return her calls or reply to her text messages, thereby making Joanna more heartbroken with her actions.

    On the third day, Amos could no longer handle seeing the woman he loves in pain. He decided to take things into his hands.

    As he got ready to execute what was on his mind, he and Joanna didn''t know that somewhere trouble was brewing.

    Inside Mr Aidan''s office, his assistant wearing a ck suit was seen entering the office with a fancy gift box in his hand.

    "Is it from her?" Mr Aidan''s eyes shone brightly as he adjusted properly on the brown executive seat.

    He arranged his slightly crooked necktie before he reached out his hand to collect the gift box from the guy now standing in front of his desk.

    "The message says it''s from your sweetheart so I believe it must be her," The guy read out the little note attached to the gift box before he passed the fancy red and white box to the eager man who was already grinning from ear to ear like a child who just got offered his favourite candy.

    "Since my 30 years of experience working on the campus, I have never seen a student as bold as she is," The guy in a ck suitmented as he stared at the box in Mr Aidan''s hands.

    Even though the gifts were not meant for him he always looked forward to seeing what this particr student gave each time she sent a gift to the Chancellor.

    Her gifts were always mind-blowing. Not only him but even the principal looks forward to seeing the content of her gifts each time.

    "Yeah, I know. When I learned that she became the world''s weirdest person after she returned from the dead I thought it was a rumour. I wouldn''t have believed it if I didn''t experience her weirdness myself," Mr Aidan said grinning.

    He gently tried to unwrap the package. With sparkling eyes, he looked forward to what surprise awaited him.

    "And Sir, her weirdness happens to be a blessing to you instead of a curse. Because of her unusual boldness, she made things easier for you Sir, isn''t that so?" The guy in a ck suit asked, grinning evilly.

    "Haha¡­ You are damn right about that," Mr Aidan''s smile broadened and his eyes glimmered more the instant he set eyes on the medium size jewellery box in his hand.

    "I was thinking about how to bring myself into telling her that I was attracted to her but who knew that the girl didn''t only feel the same way for me but had the boldness to profess her love for me repeatedly," He said and with a smile on his face, he pushed opened the red box in his hand.

 Chapter 254 Mr Aidans Gift

    ?His eyes and that of his assistant dropped open the instant they got a glimpse of the golden wristwatch inside the box.

    "I had thought I had seen it all but I guess I was wrong," Mr Aidan muttered, his mouth still hanging open.

    Carefully he dropped the gift box on the table like it was a box of eggs he was holding. He bent and picked up the note which fell off when he was trying to unwrap the box.

    He opened the white note and read it, "I thought my love deserved nothing but the absolute best, so what do you think about my gift?".

    Mr Aidan''s smile broadened after he finished reading the note attached to the gift.

    Slowly he took out the gold wristwatch from the box and caressed it. "Of course, I am in love with your gift in the same way I am in love with you. You proved me right again that I didn''t make the wrong choice," Mr Aidan''s eyes sparkled as he kept on stroking the golden wristwatch.

    "Sir, I must admit that this is the best gift she has sent ever since she started admiring you. I must say that she spent a hefty sum to make you happy¡­,"

    "And I can''t wait to make her the happiest woman on earth the day she graced my office with her presence," Mr Aidan licked his lips hungrily as he began fantasizing how it would feel to have her in his arms.

    "Let me say congrattions in advance, Sir. I believe that you will get what you want in no time," The guy in a brown suit said smiling.

    Mr Aidan was too busy admiring the expensive gift in his hand to care about his assistant''s congrattory message.

    Seeing that his job there was done the guy in the ck suit turned to leave but he soon stopped in his tracks when Mr Aidan called him.

    "Don''t forget to send the dress I bought to her. Remember to tell her about my desire for us to finally see each other in private," Mr Aidan instructed seriously.

    "I will do that Sir," the man bowed and exited the office to get Mr Aidan''s orders executed.

    Sitting down there with her note and gifts in his hands all kinds of immoral thoughts began upying his head.

    He started envisioning how it would feel to have her in his arms. His little brother in between his thighs was as strong as a rock when he came back to his senses.

    "Fuck!" Mr Aidan cursed loudly as he sat with his legs parted.

    "I am afraid I might lose my mind if this goes on. I need to do something about my desires before it consumes me," Mr Aidan muttered, his eyes focused on his protruding cock.

    An hourter Tiffany was seen sitting in thepany of her friends with a huge rectangr gift boxid on the table in their midst.

    The tasteful look of the room designed with green and white decorations was as if the room belonged to a princess.

    Merely looking at the decors in the room and one could easily guess that it cost a fortune.

    "Tiff, aren''t you curious about what the old fool sent you?" Nora asked, her gaze glued on the gift box at the centre table.

    "And why should I be¡­,"

    "If you are not curious then I am," Doris said beaming. She extended her hand and carried the gift box.

    The others except for Tiffany watch as Doris tries to unwrap the gift box.

    Doris paused midway after she had removed the blue wrapping paper. She raised her gaze and stared at her friends.

    "Which of you can guess what is inside¡­,"

    "What good things cane from that old lustful man?" Tiffany snarled, still not taking her gaze away from her phone.

    "Let''s see whether you are correct about that?" Doris said grinning. There was mischief in her eyes as she removed the topmost part of the box.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Nora and Sophie stretched their body upwards a bit to get a glimpse of what was inside the box.

    "Yuck! It''s lingerie," Nora blurted with disgust in her eyes.

    "I have always known that the man was sick in the head but I can''t believe he sent you this lewd thing?" Doris questioned as she threw the gift box on the centre table.

    "Point of correction, he didn''t send that trash to me but his supposed lover Joanna. How could you forget such an important point?" Tiffany corrected sternly.

    "Yeah, you are right about that," Sophie said grinning. She stood up from the couch and walked away from the centre table.

    "He thinks she is the one who has been sending him gifts daily¡­,"

    "Not knowing that we did," Norapleted the sentence. A sly smile appeared on her face as she stood up, bent and took out thecy red lingerie from the box.

    She held it and disyed it for the others to have a proper look at it.

    "Although the mere thought of having that old fool romantically touch me makes me want to puke, I can''t help but look forward to seeing him teach that arrogant brat a lesson on our behalf," Nora''s evil smirk became more profound.

    The thought of hearing Joanna screamed for help as the old man ripped her clothes made her feel a sense of satisfaction she hasn''t felt in a long time.

    "Merely seeing his gift this time around it''s so obvious that the old fool has run out of patience. It''s only a matter of time before he takes action just like we wanted," Tiffany said. The corner of her lips lifted to reveal an evil grin.

    "And none except you should be apuded foring up with such a n¡­,"

    "Sshh¡­," Tiffany quickly ced her index finger on her mouth. She afterwards diverted her gaze to the grey door at her back.

    The girls went quiet in an instant. It was as if iced-cold water had just been poured on them.

    Even though they didn''t hear footsteps or people talking, from the pumping heartbeating from the direction of the grey door, the girls knew that someone was standing there.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, should I let you on a little secret?

    Hmmm... Hmmm (*clears throat)

    Actually... we might have a new leading reader for the GOLDEN TICKETS rank category this month. Thepetition had been quite fierce in this category.

    Do you know why I am telling you this?

    It''s because I want you to know that the ranking is not exclusively for one reader or a group of readers.

    Your name could be on the list too if you sincerely support the book just like others are doing.

    This is your chance to get your name on the list. Don''t forget that the author''s appreciation was supposed tost for four months. And this October happens to be the 4th month.

    To be among the loyal readers of this book please purchased privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Keepments, gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, reviews and power stonesing.

    Thank you as you do this and I love you ??????

 Chapter 255 The Prime Ministers Scheme

    ?Patiently they waited for the intruders to leave and while they were doing this they didn''t look away from the door.

    Not long they heard footsteps and from the sound of it, they knew it was moving away.

    Outside the corridor leading to the staircase, two men were seen walking further away from Tiffany''s room.

    In the sitting room, the man wearing a grey knitted long-sleeve shirt was seen sitting on a golden couch with his back leaning against it.

    A man in a ck suit was seen standing beside where he sat.

    "Sir, judging from what we heard coupled with the reports our men made about the Young Miss, it looks like she is up to something," the guy poprly known as Sniper by the underworld men informed.

    The rough-looking guy who had a scar behind his right ear gave off an evil aura at first nce.

    His face which was ever deprived of a smile will make one think he had facial paralysis.

    "She can do whatever she likes," Mr Martinez replied. He reached out his hand to take the ss of wine from the table but the agile man standing by his side stretched his hand and carried the wine ss.

    "Have it, Sir," He said as he passed the wine ss to Mr Martinez.

    Slowly he took a sip from the strong liquor and passed the wine ss over to Sniper again.

    "As long as she doesn''t jeopardize my ns then I am okay with whatever she does," Mr Martinez asserted.

    There was silence in the vast sitting room afterwards. Minutester Mr Martinez was seen scrutinising every corner of the room with his eagle eyes.

    He brought back his gaze to Sniper''s face after confirming it was just the two of them in the sitting room.

    "I saw that the news showing the execution of our ns has been all over the news for the past three days. I mustmend you for a job well done," Mr Martinezplimented. There was a sense of satisfaction on his face as he talked.

    "I mean I know I asked you to give the headlines to the reporters but the rate at which the news circted was more than my expectations," Mr Martinez continued, still maintaining his smiling face.

    "With how things are progressing I guess it''s a matter of time before the storm brewing finally arrives".

    "Sorry to inform but our men were not responsible for two of the incidents which were reported on the news," Sniper informed with his head bowed.

    The smile on Mr Martinez''s face faded away the instant he heard Sniper''s confession. "What do you mean by that?" Mr Martinez demanded coldly.

    To respond, Sniper stood properly. With his gaze glued on Mr Martinez''s face, he began "Our men indeed carried out the task as we nned but the incidents that took ce on these two locations, Sapphire and Silver Street shown on television were not carried out by our men ''''.

    "Also, we only offered three media houses information about the incident but surprisingly almost all the media houses in the Kingdom got their hands on the details of the incident that took ce¡­,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that someone else is not only behind the incident in those two locations but also possessed the power to influence the media?" Mr Martinez cut in sharply. There was an expression of shock on his face as he took a guess.

    "I believe so Sir," Sniper''s reply was short but had a huge impact on Mr Martinez''s mood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mr Martinez''s mind began working as fast as lightning after receiving the news. He stood up from the couch and walked about the front of the marble centre table.

    "Who could be responsible for this and why?" Mr Martinez muttered as he continued walking about.

    "After the incident he seized the Minister''s treasures and went as far as locking their sons up; he had long crossed the line. It''s not a surprise if he has more enemies other than you," Sniper retorted.

    "Of course, I am aware of that," Mr Martinez said, turning to face Sniper.

    "What I am worried about is whether this mysterious person is a friend or a foe who will pose a threat to my great ns. As you know nothing can go wrong in making my long-time dream a reality," Mr Martinez stated his fears.

    An enemy in the dark is the scariest, unlike the one you are aware of. You can guard against an enemy you know but never against an enemy you don''t know since it can be anyone.

    He can strike you anytime thereby catching you unawares.

    He has nned for so long to want to see some new enemye out of nowhere to ruin his well-crafted scheme.

    He must seed no matter what and not just seed but make sure he teaches the proud King a lesson.

    "Sir, I and our men will make sure nothing goes wrong. No matter who this mysterious person is, we won''t give him/her the pleasure of ruining your big ns," Sniper assured confidently.

    "Since we don''t know whether this mysterious person is an enemy or foe, tell our men to be extra cautious as they go about executing the task," Mr Martinez decided to take a precaution. This way they won''t be caught off guard".

    "I will ry your orders to them, Sir. I will also make sure your ns are wlessly carried out," Sniper said. With a bow of the end, he exited the room when Martinez had no more orders to give.

    "My ns must seed no matter what," Mr Martinez stated clenching his fist.

    ¡­

    On a less busy road, a guy was seen chasing after ady wearing green trousers and a floral long-sleeve shirt.

    "Audrey, wait up. I need to talk to you," The guy repeated the words for the tenth time.

    "Sorry but I don''t have anything to say to¡­," She was unable to finish her words when the guy walking by her side grabbed her hand.

    She red at him but her murderous res didn''t scare the young man in the red shirt one bit.

    ....

    A/N: Hello, I will post the coin code here again. Please don''t forget to leave ament if you sessfully redeemed the 100 coins.

    For readers who don''t know how to redeem the 100 coins with the code do let me know throughments.

    COIN CODE: ABBZYGKVLECPRU2XA

 Chapter 256 Amos And Audrey

    ?"I really need to talk to you. I won''t take up much of your time but I promise not to move an inch from your side if you don''t spare me a bit of your time," Amos said seriously but his words didn''t move her.

    "Is that supposed to be a threat?" She demanded coldly.

    "Anyways why do I even care? You can do whatever you want, it''s none of my business," Audrey retorted. She brushed his hands off and resumed walking away.

    Just like the guy said he followed her wherever she went. He made it impossible for the angrydy to get rid of him.

    After taking him almost round the entire city, her final destination was a long field in which two of them were the only ones in sight.

    When he realised that it was just the two of them around, he decided not to let this opportunity pass him by.

    Quickly he jumped and stood in front of her thereby making here to an abrupt halt.

    "What is¡­,"

    "I know you are mad at me. I am also aware that I am thest person on the Earth that you want to see now but despite knowing this I will still go ahead to say what is on my mind," Amos said, not allowing her tosh out at him.

    "As if I would let you do that," Audrey scoffed. She turned to walk back to where they came from but Amos suddenly appeared in front of her.

    "Joan wasn''t in support of my n to take on a new identity. In fact, she thought that the n was crazy. Even Chris and Gideon had the exact thought when I disclosed my ns to them," Amos said. He didn''t care whether or not she was looking at him as he talked.

    As long as she was listening to what he was saying then every other thing was fine with him. He can overlook her insolent behaviour towards him.

    "I guess I am the only person who saw nothing wrong with my n because I loved her too much and desperately wanted to spend time with her," He said while staring into space.

    "I indeed wanted to spend time with her without our titles serving as a barrier between us but believe me it wasn''t my intention to tear the two of you apart¡­,"

    "It might not have been your intention but you have seeded in causing a rift between us," Audrey cut in angrily.

    For the first time, she made the initiative to look at him.

    "Anna, has never lied to me before but because of you she didn''t only lie but she went as far as deceiving me," Audrey said as she strolled to where the ck bench was ced at the far left corner of the field.

    "Thinking back now, I am aware that I should have thought carefully about the consequences of my actions. I should have thought more about the consequences it will have on her and the people close to her¡­," Amos trailed as he tailed her. He stopped walking afterwards.

    "Although I have this thought, this doesn''t mean that I regret my decision. If given the same opportunity I would have still made the exact choice," He asserted. His words made Audrey turn and shoot him a deadly re.

    "That is how much I love your best friend. I can do anything for her¡­ including overlooking my status as long as that which I want to do will put a smile on her face," he said. A smile lingered on his face as he talked.

    "If you don''t regret your decision then what are you doing here¡­ is it perhaps to make me angrier?" Audrey said. Her stern expression remained unchanged despite that he had said so many heartfelt words.

    "Though I don''t regret my decision, that is not the same with Joan. The smile has left her face ever since the night of the incident. No matter my efforts to cheer her up she hasn''t been the same without you. I guess this is the power of a best friend over that of a lover," Amos said.

    He walked about three steps away and turned his back on her.

    "Compared to a guy she has no feelings for, I believe having her best friend with her would be a thousand times better," Amos said with a fallen expression. Although he hated to admit that he wasn''t as important as Audrey in Joanna''s life he still went ahead to do it.

    [So he thinks Anna is not in love with him?]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Astonishment stered on Audrey''s face as she stared at Amos'' back.

    After doing a bit of thinking she realised that Joanna might not have had the opportunity to confess her feelings to him because of what happened.

    [If only the silly guy knows how madly in love she is with him then he wouldn''t be here wallowing in self-pity]

    She looked away when she realised that her heart was starting to soften.

    "Whether or not I am more important to her than you, how is that any of my concern¡­ As far as I can recall I am no longer friends with her," Audrey retorted as she turned her back on him too.

    "Don''t say that Audrey or it will break her heart more than it already is," Amos said, appearing in front of her afterwards.

    He stared into the cold eyes of thedy standing in his front. "It doesn''t matter if you forgive me or not. I am fine with however you treat me but Joan is not and will never be that''s why I will ask you to please go back to being friends with her," He said softly.

    The gentleness in his eyes as he spoke touched Audrey''s heart even though she didn''t let it show.

    She never knew that the King respected by the entire Kingdom would humble himself so much in front of her.

    Who is she?

    If someone had told her that this day would nevere, she would have believed it.

    "I thought she said thest thing she wanted was you humbling yourself in front of anyone so why are you doing this? Don''t you think I don''t deserve this kind of treatment from you?" Audrey asked, her gaze focused on his face.

    "I told you that I would do anything to see her happy. I wasn''t lying when I told you those words," He replied firmly.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, should I let you on a little secret?

    Hmmm... Hmmm (*clears throat)

    Actually... we might have a new leading reader for the GOLDEN TICKETS rank category this month. Thepetition had been quite fierce in this category.

    Do you know why I am telling you this?

    It''s because I want you to know that the ranking is not exclusively for one reader or a group of readers.

    Your name could be on the list too if you sincerely support the book just like others are doing.

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    Thank you as you do this and I love you ??????

 Chapter 257 She Ran Away

    ?[Drey, you can''t give in just yet. I am sure she wouldn''t understand the depth of what she did if you forgive her so soon]

    Audrey who was starting to get swayed by Amos'' words cautioned herself.

    "There is no need to tell me all these because I don''t care about what happens to her¡­,"

    "Really?" He retorted his gaze centred on her face. "Are you sure you don''t care about her anymore?" He demanded.

    "Of course I am sure¡­,"

    "Do you think I don''t always see you peeping out of the window to check up on her each time we stake out in front of your home?" Amos cut in softly.

    Audrey who looked like she had a lot to say went quiet when she realised that what she did that was supposed to be a secret was no longer a secret.

    "I also listened to a few words you said¡­ Audrey, you can lie to everyone and pretend as much as you want that you dislike Joan but know that you can''t fool me," He asserted in a gentle tone.

    With only two of them on therge field, there was nothing or no one to disrupt this important conversation they were having.

    Following her to this ce turned out to be a blessing rather than a curse.

    "If you still like her so much why don''t you give her another chance? Give yourself a chance too¡­,"

    "You can go on deceiving yourself as much as you want but count me out. I am out of here," Audrey said. She disappeared before Amos could fathom what she was up to.

    "Audrey," Amos called, his gaze glued on the direction Audrey disappeared to.

    "Audrey, I am not done yet¡­,"

    "If you have so much free time to kill then why don''t you spend it on her? From what you said I am sure she needs it more than I do," Audrey''s words echoed in Amos'' ears making his right ear twitch.

    There was long silence afterwards.

    Amos turned and sat down on the bench dejectedly. "I really wanted to see her happy by helping them to settle things. I can''t believe I failed to move her heart with my words," Amos muttered.

    With his head lowered he cupped his face. "I couldn''t do such a simple thing. I can''t believe that even with my influence I can''t help her get what she desperately wants at the moment," Amos'' chest tightened when the image of Joanna crying popped up in his head.

    It has only been three days since the twodies haven''t seen each other but he has caught Joanna shedding tears more than five times while going through some of their pictures.

    Not being able to change Audrey''s mind about cutting off ties with Joanna made him feel very terrible.

    He didn''t have the heart to see her at that moment so he stayed in the empty field for over an hour.

    He returned home when he had felt a lot better.

    Joanna sitting on the grey couch surfing through her phone took her gaze off what she was doing when the entrance door clicked open.

    Her eyes followed the owner of the house until he took his position on the same couch she sat on.

    "Where did you go?" Joanna asked after seeing that he had settled down.

    Though her question was very simple Amos hesitated about what response to give her.

    He didn''t believe it was a good thing to tell her about what transpired between him and Audrey especially when things didn''t turn out as he had wanted.

    "You don''t look very happy. Did something happen while you were away?" Joanna tried to take a guess when she saw the gloomy look on his face.

    "The pce¡­,"

    "Rx, nothing is wrong," he asserted noticing that she was beginning to panic due to his silence.

    "Are you sure?" Joanna questioned suspiciously, not believing what he said. Her scrutinising gaze made him avoid her stares.

    Although she has been very distractedtely because of her misunderstanding with Audrey, she always made sure to pay attention to him.

    She saw the time he left. His expression when he left has been engraved on her mind and that''s why she could tell that there was a change in his mood after he returned.

    "Yeah, I am," Amos said while looking straight ahead of him. The way he avoided looking at her made Joanna believe that he was hiding something.

    Curious to know what he was hiding Joanna reached out her hand and hold his chin. She slowly turned his face around so that he was looking right into her eyes.

    "Repeat your earlier answer while looking into my eyes," Joanna said still looking into his eyeballs.

    "Th-that''s¡­," Amos stammered not able to repeat the words he said earlier.

    He loves her way more than he loves himself so how could he bring himself to tantly lie to her face?

    As he stared at her face, his eyes started observing the features of her face.

    His eyes moved from her straight eyebrows to her pointy nose. He swallowed a lump when his eyesnded on her pouty moving rosy lips.

    His throat went dry at that moment and he gulped for the second time.

    [Hey, Kayden what is wrong with you? How could you conceive such a thought in this situation¡­ Get a grip on yourself if you don''t want to chase her away]

    Amos cautioned himself. He was stupefied when he realised that his face was so close to hers that he could feel the warm sensation of her breath against his skin.

    [Dammit! When on Earth did my body move to this point?]

    Amos readjusted to his previous position after noticing what had happened.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know I promised not to touch you but I can''t promise I won''t go back on my words if you use such trickery ways like this to seduce me," Amos said as he looked away from her face. His throbbing heart didn''t stop beating erratically even though he wasn''t staring at her.

    ...

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH LOVELY READERS

    As you know the end of the month is always the time for this author to appreciate all the readers who have done exceptionally well.

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    Thank you for showing me support all round. Thanks for all the coins,ments, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS. Words alone can''t express how grateful I am to all of you.

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    SPECIAL SHOUTOUT

    A big shout out to all the readers who purchased September 2022 privileged chapters. Although I don''t know your names, know that your impact has been greatly felt by your lovely author. I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

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 Chapter 258 Amos Got Excited

    ?"You know I never did such a thing so why are you trying to tantly call white paper ck?" Joanna chastised, her fierce res focused on the sideline of his face.

    "You know deep down that I am saying the truth so there is no need to pretend¡­,"

    "I won''t argue with you about that. Forget about the fact that I was worried about you- You can believe whatever you want, I don''t care," Joanna said sternly while turning her back to him.

    There was silence in the room after she finished talking. Amos diverted his gaze to

    her face after he had managed to calm his heart down.

    He looked at thedy who wouldn''t spare him a nce.

    "I learned that Audrey has a ss tomorrow. And this lecture happens to be a very important one. Even though she had ns of skipping it she can''t because it''s critical for her course¡­," Amos let his words linger in her ears. His gaze didn''t move from her body for a second.

    He wasn''t amazed to see Joanna turn and nced at him. There was so much hope in her eyes as anticipated what he would say next.

    "This is your opportunity to talk to her and you can''t miss it¡­," Her sudden embrace caused the words to get stuck in his throat.

    Amos, who was caught off guard by her embrace, stared nkly, unable to react to her sudden action.

    "Of course, I will do that," Joanna said. Her hands which were wrapped around his neck tightened.

    "Thank you for sharing such important information with me. You are the best," the excited Joanna pulled and nted a kiss on his right cheek.

    Amos'' eyes widened. He didn''t get over the shock of her sudden hug and here came another.

    Her actions made his heart smile.

    When she noticed what she had done, she pushed Amos away from her and jumped to her feet.

    "I-I have told you thatdies and men must keep a distance so-so why won''t you listen to me," Joanna stuttered.

    For fear that he might get a glimpse of her burning cheeks which she was sure had turned beet red, she stood with her back facing him.

    "And you are the one who closed that distance so why are you scolding me now?" Amos quizzed, his gaze glued on the back of Joanna.

    "That''s¡­ that''s¡­," Joanna was lost at what to say to defend herself so she deemed running away the best option to escape from his teasing.

    "Why are you¡­," Joanna took to her heels, not letting him finish what he wanted to say.

    Amos'' eyes refused to move away from the bedroom door that just jammed close.

    "Why did she run away¡­ that''s so unlike her," He muttered. His eyes moved to the spot she sat down earlier.

    "Apart from the fact she is heartbroken, I can''t help but notice that she is acting strangetely, especially towards me," He voiced out his thoughts.

    He waited for her toe out but she didn''te out of the bedroom for a long time.

    He became worried when night reached and she still wasn''t out of the bedroom.

    "This is no longer funny anymore¡­ she is scaring me now," Amos whispered. He stood up from the couch and proceeded to the bedroom.

    At the door, he knocked and waited for a response and when there was no movement inside, he pushed the door open and slid into the room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Whoa¡­ she is asleep! And here I thought she locked herself in here to avoid me]

    Amos was stunned to see the figure lying on his bed with his pillows in her embrace.

    He tiptoed to the bed and gently sat down beside the sleeping figure.

    Seeing her sleeping face from a closer distance he was tempted to raise his hand and touch her face.

    "She looks so worried free in her sleep. I wished her reality would be the same," he muttered while stroking her right cheek.

    He used his index finger to tuck the strand of hair that was attempting to cover her right eye.

    Amos was about to stand up and leave the room when she groaned and changed her sleeping posture.

    He sat back on the bed and waited to see whether she would wake up.

    Soon Joanna''s eyshes fluttered open to reveal her purple orbs.

    "You are here," She said in almost a whisper. She propelled her body up and made it lean against the headboard.

    "Do you feel light-headed after taking a nap?" He quizzed as he reached out his hand and brushed aside the fallen strands of hair that were about to cover her face.

    "Hmm¡­," she nodded while rubbing her eyes.

    "That''s great to hear," He responded, smiling. He watched as she tried to arrange her slightly messy hair and clothes.

    "Do you want to take a shower first before I send you to the hotel or would you like us to leave now?" He asked with his gaze concentrated on her face.

    "I have no ns of spending the night at the hotel today," Joanna replied as she climbed out of bed.

    "Really?" He grinned, not able to hide his excitement.

    "My father and I get into a fight every single time I arrive at the hotel. I am afraid he will ruin my mood tonight and this might affect my mood tomorrow also¡­," She walked to the window at the left corner of another room as she let her words trail.

    "And that''s what I don''t want. I want to avoid anything that will affect my mood before I meet Drey tomorrow," She said absentmindedly.

    Although her body was there, her mind had wandered into tomorrow. She began imagining all that would happen when she and Audrey met.

    "We are going to spend the night together just like old times," Amos proimed, a beautiful smile stered on his face.

    Hearing the hidden excitement in his voice made Joanna nce behind. Just as she had guessed she met him grinning.

    [Why is he so excited that we are gonna spend the night together when this is not a new thing?]

    Joanna wondered, her gaze not moving away from the face of the guy who seemed to be in a daze.

    "Why do you sound very excited about that?" She demanded. "And speaking about old times, I really missed the days we spent in the forest. I have been thinking about those worried-free daystely. I wish we could go back to those days¡­,"

    "And why not?" He cut in meekly. He stood up from the bed and strolled to where she stood in front of the window.

 Chapter 259 Cute Amos

    ?Joanna diverted her questioning stares to the guy now standing beside her. "Since you''ve decided you don''t want to go home tonight we can sleep over at the hut instead," He professed. He turned and stood with his back leaning against the wall just beside the opened window.

    "Although I can''t promise that it will be like it was in the past, I can assure that you will feel a lot better," He assured.

    "Recalling the memories we spent there won''t only lighten up your mood but I assure you it will keep you smiling. That''s just how great the memories we shared there are," Amos boasted.

    Remembering the fabulous time he spent with Joanna in the forest he normally called their secret hideout made him feel a hundred times better.

    A smile lingered on his handsome face as he reminisced about the good old days.

    "You look more excited than I am even though I haven''t agreed to your suggestion," Joanna mumbled as she walked to the bed and sat down.

    "How could I not be? That ce carried some of the best memories of us together. Wouldn''t you find it weird if I acted cool about it?" He argued, not moving away from where he stood.

    "You are right about that. You would no longer be the Kay I know if you didn''t react in the same manner you did," Joanna agreed, but she sarcastically did this.

    It''s because of his liveliness, mischievousness and cheerfulness that makes her often forget his true identity.

    No doubt she would really miss the Kayden standing in front of her if he goes back to being the cold King everyone knows.

    "So what''s your answer? You agreed, right?" He said as he strolled to the bed where she sat.

    He squatted in front of her so he had a proper look at her face.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joanna trailed just to see what his reaction would be.

    He stretched his hand and grabbed her right hand lying on the bed. "Say yes, ok?" He pleaded, making sure to pout his lips.

    As though pouting his lips and blinking his eyes repeatedly wasn''t enough to show his cuteness, he bent his neck a little to the side and shook her hand gently.

    All this while as he did this Joanna tried her best not to let out theughter she was suppressing. She could no longer pretend anymore and burst out in a peal of deafeningughter when he tilted his neck sideways.

    HAHAHA!

    Herughter echoed in the once quiet room. Sheughed so hard non-stop to the point that he got worried on her behalf especially when he saw her grabbing her stomach.

    Joannaughed until a drop of tear fell from her misty eyes.

    [I have tried every possible way to cheer her up. I can''t believe acting cute was all I needed to see herughing so hard]

    Amos stared at the woman who was having a hard time suppressing herughter.

    "Hey, who taught you how to do that?" Joanna questioned. A smile still lingered on her face despite that she stoppedughing.

    "While growing up I saw Gwen making those expressions at Tom and I always witnessed the magic of those expressions each time she does that¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And I bet you haven''t done that before right?" Joanna giggled as she stared at his innocent expression.

    "Why?" He asked in confusion. "Did I do it wrongly?"

    He has seen Gwen make those adorable expressions at Tom each time she needs a favour from her brother.

    Even he always finds her puppy eyes cute too. The image was engraved in his brain, he believed he wouldn''t have done it wrongly.

    "I won''tment on that but¡­," Joanna let the words trail as she raised her hand to cup his face.

    "You are forbidden from making that face at any other woman except me ok?" She warned sternly as she shook his face slightly.

    She released his face and stood up from the bed after making her point known.

    "But why?" He demanded as his eyes trailed the back of thedy walking to the exit.

    He stood up and ran after her. "Did you like it or not? Did you find it adorable or not?... You haven''t said any of these things to me¡­,"

    "That is because I am saving myment for the next time you will make that face again," Joanna chuckled as she walked into the sitting room. She didn''t spare a nce at the guy walking by her side.

    "That''s¡­,"

    "Let''s leave for our hideout now except you want me to change my mind," She said realising that he wouldn''t let the matter rest just like that.

    "That''s not even an option," He replied only to appear at the centre table where he left his car key earlier.

    Together Amos and Joanna made their way to their hideout in the forest.

    Meanwhile, as this was happening, somewhere in the corner of a dimly lit bar, a guy in a grey casual shirt was seen sitting opposite ady in ck jacket who hasn''t let down her ss ever since they arrived at the bar about an hour ago.

    He stared at thedy as she poured thest content of the bottle of vodka into the wine ss.

    "Audrey, although beings like us don''t get drunk that doesn''t mean that it won''t cause harm to our body if you drink the liquor hurriedly like you have been doing¡­,"

    "I have been the one who has been drinking but why does it look like you are the one drunk here," Audrey who was sitting with her back leaning against the ck chair asked.

    She raised her right leg and crossed it on the other.

    "Even though I was to drink the entire liquor in the bar''s wine racks I won''t ever get drunk so what are you saying¡­,"

    "We are vampires; beings who can live for as long as a millennium. We don''t fall sick so tell me why you said the alcohol would harm my health if you are not drunk?" Audrey asked while looking at his face.

 Chapter 260 Nostalgia

    ?Although she has drunk three bottles of highly intoxicated wine since they arrived there, she still looked as if she hadn''t sipped alcohol.

    This was a trait of vampires she loathed so much at the moment.

    She was aware that she couldn''t get drunk but she still went ahead to drink.

    "We are indeed immortals but unfortunately not many of us live a millennium year¡­,"

    "You are usually quiet these past nights but why are you talking like an old man when you are just 23 years old?" She cut in rudely.

    She brought the ss to her mouth and took two mouthfuls of vodka from the ss.

    Silence enveloped their table after she finished talking.

    What other customers were doing or saying was not any of their business. They had their problems to deal with to care about others'' problems.

    "Audrey, there is something I have been curious about for the past few nights, do you care to satisfy my curiosity?" Chris broke off the awkward silence surrounding their table.

    Audrey, who was bringing the ss to her mouth, paused midway. She raised her gaze and looked at the guy sitting in front of her.

    "I am in a good mood today so you can ask me any question you have and I will try my best to reply," Audrey agreed to the astonishment of Chris.

    His eyes widened as he stared at thedy sitting before him. He has tried his best to settle things with her but she has done everything to reject his proposal anytime he brings it up.

    She always acts as if his voice irritates her. He couldn''t believe ady who treats him like this would actually agree to answer his question.

    In fact, he was expecting her to act like it was a ghost who was talking like she often does but she gave him a shock.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded, a frown stered on her forehead.

    "Nothing," He replied as heposed himself in an instant. "I am just a bit taken aback that you agreed¡­,"

    "If you are unhappy about my reply I guess it''s not toote for me to take back my words¡­,"

    "How can one take back a word he/she had already said?" Chris argued. He adjusted himself properly on the chair and got set to ask his question.

    "My question is nothing serious. It''s just a question which has been bothering my mind for two nights now," he said, setting the floor for his real question.

    "Audrey, you always said you hate me right? I have lost count of the number of times you have said these words to me¡­," Chris trailed his attention not shifting from her nk expression.

    "But why is it that I am the person you called to be your drinking buddy after your fight with Miss Joanna?" Chris concluded in a calm tone.

    "I mean I knew the fact that his identity was fake so shouldn''t you hate me just like you hate them?" He quizzed. He stretched forth his hand and picked the ss of wineid on the table in the middle.

    ? While taking a sip at the alcohol, his gaze didn''t shift from her body.

    "What do you think?" She asked as she reached out her hand and picked the ss from the table.

    She took a sip from the ss of vodka whose effect was not more than that of water in her body.

    "It''s precisely because I hate you that is why you are here," She answered, her face deprived of any emotions.

    "Due to the fact I hate you which is a fact that almost everyone in the city knows, that was why you were my first choice¡­,"

    "Don''t one supposed to keep the person he hated at arm''s length so why are you the only weird one here?" Chris asked not to understand the logic Audrey was trying to make.

    "Despite that you were in cohorts with them it doesn''t have any effect on me. Whether or not you lied or deceived me doesn''t matter," Audrey said bluntly. She did not try to sugar-coat the words so she wouldn''t hurt his feelings.<novelnext></novelnext>

    To her it was better she let him know the reality of their rtionship rather than let him live in deceit.

    "Also, you talked about hating you and herees my question; how can I hate someone I already loathe?... Does that make sense?" She questioned while shrugging her shoulders.

    Although she has always said hateful words to him, this particr word of hers got to Chris.

    [Does she hate me that much to the point there is no longer any room to amodate more hatred for me?]

    He stared at her face intensely. He was so lost in thoughts and didn''t see Audrey squint her brows when she noticed the way he couldn''t take his eyes off her.

    "Why are you staring at me like that huh?" She demanded while snapping her fingers at his face.

    Chris blinked his eyes repeatedly after he abruptly got pulled out of his daze.

    "Audrey¡­," He called out, making sure to grab her attention with his cool masculine voice.

    "Is there really no hope of us bing friends in the future?" He asked in a calm tone.

    "There are a lot of years ahead of us so I won''t say we will never be friends. But for the moment, I don''t see us bing friends anytime soon," Audrey gave her honest answer. She went back to drinking afterwards.

    As Audrey and Chris drank in the bar, in front of the forest Joanna and Amos were seening out of the car after he parked his car in a ce it won''t be easily spotted.

    The cold breeze of the night that brushed against Joanna''s skin the instant she climbed out of the car made her close her eyes.

    Slowly, she took a sniff of the refreshing air with her hands spread in the air.

    "So refreshing!" She muttered as her eyes fluttered open.

    "Yeah," He agreed as he stared at the dense forest whose only source of light was the sparkling moon and the twinkling stars.

    "It''s so nice to finally return here with you by my side," He beamed while looking at thedy by his side.

    ...

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 Chapter 261 Familiar Feelings

    ?"You are speaking as though you have been here many times without me," Joanna casually said, still gazing at the dark forest.

    She turned to stare at him when he didn''t reply to her word which was supposed to be a tease.

    "Don''t tell me you have actually been here more than once without me?" She guessed while looking at the face of the unusually quiet Kayden.

    "Is my guess¡­,"

    "Let''s go. I am sure you will feel a lot better after entering it," He ignored her question and dashed into the forest, unlike his normal self who would have held Joanna''s hands.

    "It looks like he is trying to ignore the topic, but why?" She gazed at the back of the guy who had covered a significant distance from where she stood.

    Entering the forest, the hooting of the owls, the swaying of tree branches, the smell of wood and so many other familiar things made the memories of the past flood into her head.

    The happy moments they spent in the forest were so beautiful that they momentarily pushed away her current problems from her head.

    The only familiar scene and sound that was missing was the scene of the overprotective Bacon hovering around them and chirping.

    The sudden roaring of an animal caused Joanna and Amos to stop in their tracks. In an instant, they tilted their head to the right-hand side where the sound came from.

    ROAR!

    The animals roared for the second time. Normally the roar of the ferocious animal would have made somedies take to their heels but Joanna didn''t flinch or tremble.

    Her expression remained the same as it was before the animal''s interruption.

    They weren''t surprised to feel the movements of smaller animals running for safety.

    Who wouldn''t run off in the face of such an intimidating figure?

    <Analyse activated>

    <Jaguar>

    Joanna''s gaze didn''t move from the side of the forest the roar came from until the analysis waspleted.

    [I might have lost all my powers but why should I be scared for my life when I have a capable man like him to protect me from all harm¡­ I don''t think it''s a bad idea to be a damsel in distress after a long time]

    She smiled, diverting her gaze to the face of the guy whose attention hadn''t moved from where the animal was hiding.

    "Stay here while I handle the animal," Amos informed. He took a step forward and was about to take another step ahead when he saw the animal turn and walk back to wherever it came from.

    "What was that, I was expecting to have a great battle with it," Amos muttered in disappointment. He turned and walked back to his former position.

    "The colour of your eyes showed superiority so how could he not run for dear life when he knows that he is gonna end up bing your meal," Joanna amplified, grinning. Her gaze didn''t move away from his crimson red eyes.

    "If that is the case then does that mean my red eyes scare you whenever I transform too?" He quizzed, as he stared into her eyeballs.

    "Did you just ask whether your red eyes scare me?" Joanna chuckled. She walked two steps forward with her back facing him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How can the sexiest eyes in the world scare me?" She blurted without thinking.

    When she realised what she had said Joanna nced behind her to confirm whether he heard what she said.

    Her words echoed in his mind. Despite the countless reying of her earlier words in his head he still doubted whether he heard the right words.

    "Repeat what you just said," He demanded.

    Joanna turned back her gaze and faced her front to avoid his passionate gaze. "Forget it if you didn''t hear it then," she said and resumed walking into the dense forest.

    "I just want to listen to what you said again to make sure I heard the right thing. So repeat what¡­,"

    "No," Joanna cut in as she kept on walking in big strides. Even though she had ns of running away from him, with his abilities her n turned out unsessful.

    "You know that is not fair, so say it again hmmm¡­," Amos coaxed but Joanna pretended as if she couldn''t hear him.

    He ran after her, demanding the same thing from her but Joanna refused to say the words he wanted to hear.

    They were so lost in their little y and didn''t realize it when they got to the hut.

    "We arrived so soon?" He muttered, looking at the hut in front of them. The disappointed look on his handsome face showed what was going through his mind.

    "Hmmm¡­," she eximed as she took a careful look at the surroundings.

    She strolled to the big tree trunk that always served as their seat. The tree trunk was located not far away from the hut.

    Amos went and sat beside her.

    As they raised their gaze and stared at the starry sky, none of them spoke.

    "Joan, I can remember the day we met in the forest on the day you returned," He started his gaze focused on a certain twinkling star in the sky.

    "I can remember that my mood was at its lowest after the Queen Mother and I got into an argument. Afterwards, I left the ce and made my way to the forest to keep youpany as I have always done," Amos said.

    The scene of what happened that day yed in his head as he gazed at the star.

    Back then there was no single day he didn''t lose his temper; either at Chris, the Queen Mother or the pce workers.

    His temper made everyone steer clear of his path. Even the ministers who always ganged up on him dared not voice out their displeasure on his front.

    The only ce he felt at ease and could be himself was at the cliff where she was pushed to her death.

    He was always able to be himself again at the ce of her death but the pains in his heart hurt a hundred times whenever he was there.

    Just when he was about to conclude that there was no medicine or cure for his pain a miracle happened.

 Chapter 262 Did I Tease You?

    ?A miracle that even the most powerful vampires, werewolves, humans or witches in the world never got to experience happened to him.

    Maybe he is so obsessed about always being around her because he has tasted what it means not to have her in his life.

    "The moment I set my eyes on you at the cliff it was as if I was in a sweet nightmare.

    It felt as though fireworks had been set off in my dark world," he said beaming.

    "I was so happy that I didn''t have the time to confirm whether or not you were a ghost¡­," Amos chuckled as he averted his gaze to her face.

    "The memory is still vivid in my head as though it happened just a minute ago," He confessed.

    "I was also thrilled to see that I have returned. And I was happy that you are the first person I set eyes on after my rebirth¡­," Joanna thrilled. She shifted her gaze and looked at the forest ahead of her. All she could see were trees covered by the thick darkness.

    "You don''t know how hard I worked to make sure that day came to pass. I don''t know if there is anyone in this world who has looked forward to having anything as much as I had looked forward to seeing that day," There were sentiments in her voice as she spoke.

    Joanna''s eyes focused on the thick darkness for three minutes.

    Since she didn''t tell him what exactly happened to her and where she stayed for those six months Amos didn''t know what to say tofort her.

    He believed instead of saying things that might open up her old wounds, quietly supporting her was the best.

    When she realised that she had dampened the once happy atmosphere she decided to make it up to him.

    "I now understand why you suddenly shifted back to your human form after setting eyes on me¡­," Joanna trailed while looking at his face.

    "You didn''t think twice about embracing me even though you were nude," Joanna said teasingly. She deliberately moved her gaze to the region in between his thighs.

    "Hey, what are you staring at?" Amos demanded, jumping to his feet.

    He covered the region in between his thighs when Joanna wouldn''t stop gazing at that spot.

    "You-you¡­," He stammered as he battled whether to point his finger at her or protect his sacred region.

    "Hahaha¡­," Joanna burst outughing. Her sudden outburst made Amos pause whatever he wanted to say.

    "If someone told me there wille a day when the King of Shamelessness, Kayden, would feel embarrassed, I wouldn''t have believed it," Joanna said amidst herughter.

    "I must admit you look so cute when you are embarrassed," Joanna chuckled whileughing freely.

    Amos changed his mind about scolding her when he saw how happy she was.

    [I must admit this forest has very special healing effects. We haven''t been here for a long time and I have seen herugh more than twice]

    He moved closer to the tree trunk and sat down beside her.

    "Do you know that you have a unique way of making me happy after teasing me?"

    "Did I tease you?" She quizzed as she turned her gaze and looked at him. "Howe I don''t know about that?" She giggled. She avoided looking at his face afterwards.

    Like they normally did Joanna and Amos chatted deep into the night. They were still sitting outside when Joanna, whose head was leaning against his broad shoulders started dozing off.

    "I can''t wait for morning to arrive. I am so excited that things are finally going to go back to how they were in the past after my conversation with Drey," Joanna''s dreamy voice disrupted the once quiet atmosphere.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am rooting for youdies. And I can''t wait to see you both return to how you were in the past," He muttered as he stroked her silver hair lovingly.

    He tilted his head to the right to get a glimpse of her face when she didn''t say anything.

    "Joan, I haven''t seen Bacon around since yesterday. What happened that he didn''t show up today?" Amos asked the question which has been on his mind for a while now.

    The jealous bird always takes pleasure in interrupting whenever he and Joanna were about to get close. He had wanted to ask Joanna about the bird sincest night but it skipped his mind.

    "Bacon has been recuperating ever since he mistakenly got injured by me. But don''t worry you will see him around after it has recovered," the half-asleep Joanna mumbled as she adjusted her head so that it bnced on his shoulders well. Her grip around his waist became firmer.

    "Bacon is injured?" he asked and tilted his head to look at her face again.

    "How¡­," He kept quiet on noticing that she was asleep. He took a long gaze at her face before he looked away.

    After a while, he gently removed her head from his shoulder and ced it inside his palm.

    Slowly he lifted her in his arms, making sure that he didn''t make her feel ufortable in any way.

    With Joanna in his arms, he made his way towards the hut. He kicked the brown wooden door open and took his woman into the hut.

    After he had pushed the door closed with his right leg, he carefully carried her to the medium size bedid in the far corner of the room.

    He ced her on the bed and gently tried to remove her hands which were firm on his neck.

    "Joan, be a good girl and let go," the bending Amos said in almost a whisper as he gazed at thedy lying underneath him.

    "Joan¡­," He called, sounding a bit stern. The sternness of his voice did make her move but only for him to get roughly tossed to the other side of the bed.

    "If you don''t let go I am gonna make sure to¡­," He didn''t get the chance to threaten her when the sleepingdy snuggled into his embrace.

    ...

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 Chapter 263 He Took Advantage Of Her

    ?Amos lowered his gaze and looked at thedy whose face was buried on his slightly bared chest.

    With her warm breath teasing his bare chest Amos regretted having left the first three buttons of his shirt undone.

    "Is she really sleeping or is she doing this to get back at me for not heeding her words?" He muttered his gaze still centred on thedy whose right hand was rubbing his chest.

    He could recall she made known the fact she didn''t like it when he leaves his shirt unbuttoned. Because of this, she got angry at him twice on different asions.

    He couldn''t help but think that maybe she was doing this to get back at him for that.

    "Fuck!" Amos cursed as he tried to pull away. The worst of it all was that she didn''t let him move an inch.

    She was fast asleep but her grip was like one who was still awake.

    "With how the night is starting, I doubt whether I will be able to sleep a wink," He mumbled and finally resigned to fate.

    At first, he thought he would be unable to sleep a wink that night but by the time he drifted to sleep, even he didn''t realize it.

    Joanna, who has been having trouble sleeping ever since her quarrel with Audrey, was finally able to have a peaceful sleep tonight.

    His warm embrace coupled with his addictingvender fragrance served as the most potent sleeping pills in the world to her.

    In the morning the sweet chirping of the birds and sun rays prating through the ss window woke the two sleeping figures up.

    Joanna, the first out of the two to wake up, tried to stretch her body. When that didn''t work she tried to bend her back like she sometimes does when she wakes up.

    Her eyes fluttered open, realising that she couldn''t move any part of her body.

    The first thing she set eyes on the instant her eyes fluttered open was the handsome face of the guyid beside her.

    [What the hell happened here? I can still recall we were enjoying the moonlight yesterday so howe we are lying on the same bed?]

    Joanna''s eyes widened. Hurriedly she lowered her gaze and checked her body.

    She let out a sigh of relief noticing that her clothes were intact.

    [I better get out of bed before he wakes up and sees our ambiguous position]

    Joanna sneakily tried to remove her left handhis head was resting on.

    Joanna was still struggling to free her hand when the chirping of a group of birds which flew past their window caught her attention.

    She gazed at the window as she listened to the bird chirps which sounded like music to her ear.

    Joanna was so captivated by the music of the bird and didn''t see Amos'' eyes soon flutter open.

    "Listening to the birds'' chirps that I have gotten so used to makes me feel like I have just returned home after being away for a long time," Joanna, whose eyes were closed, muttered.

    "If you like it so much here then we can build our pce here," He replied, suddenly catching her off guard. The startled Joanna nced behind her to see Amos trying to sit up on the bed.

    "You are awake," Joanna stated, acting as if she didn''t hear his earlier words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How was your night?" She asked. She quickly removed her hand on which his head was lying and adjusted well on the bed.

    "A lot better than I thought I guess," He replied, his gaze not moving away from her glowing face.

    "Why are you talking as though something happened?" Joanna asked her suspicious re focused on him. She became a bit ufortable when he didn''t respond.

    "I have never snored in my life so you can''t say I disturbed you with my snoring¡­,"

    "I never said you snored so rx ok?" He said and moved to the foot of the bed. He felt the urge to tease her when he saw how eager she wanted to know what happened after she fell asleepst night.

    "If that''s not the case then what happened?" Joanna quizzed.

    "Last night a certaindy didn''t only refuse to let go of me but went as far as taking advantage of me even in her sleep¡­,"

    "Hey, that''s a lie," Joanna blurted as she jumped to her feet. Her confidence faltered when he turned and nced at her.

    "I-I wouldn''t do such a thing to you. I trust myself," Joanna said. Her faltering expression didn''t rhyme with her words.

    "Or did I?" She asked. She stared into his eyes searchingly.

    "Hmmm¡­," He trailed as he strolled to the wardrobe kept close to the bedside.

    "What did I do? Say something," she ordered fiercely. She stood up and walked to the wardrobe too.

    He acted as if he didn''t hear what she said and continued with his search for clothes to wear.

    Realising that he was ignoring her, she turned and pinned him against the wardrobe.

    "Stop trying to dodge the question and tell me what I did?" Joanna asked, her stern expression settled on his face. "How exactly did I take advantage of you?" She demanded.

    "Hmmm¡­ that is left for you to find out," Amos grinned as he tried to turn and continue with what he was doing. But Joanna, who wasn''t satisfied with his response, refused to release him.

    "You¡­," His sudden movement made Joanna choke on her words.

    Amos held her hand and spun her so that she took over his former position.

    "Do you really want to know what you did?" He asked. Seeing her flustered look, he resisted the urge to burst outughing.

    He let go of her hand and moved a step backwards.

    Joanna followed every movement he made wondering what he was up to.

    Her body stiffened and her heart pounded when he brought his hand close to her chest.

    "Hey, what do you think you are doing?" She demanded, her grip around his hands which had undone two buttons of her shirt became firmer.

    "What else if not that I am trying to show you what exactly you did and how you took advantage of me?" He asked his gaze concentrated on her eyeballs.

 Chapter 264 Mrs Parker Is Back

    ?At that moment, Joanna''s eyes widened and her legs went weak.

    [Did my horny side manifest while I was asleep?]

    Joanna was in shock as she stared into space. Staring his displeased expression it dawned on Joanna that there was something she missed.

    [I wasn''t drunkst night so how could I have taken advantage of him and not recall what happened?]

    Joanna''s once surprised expression soon changed to that of suspicion.

    "Tell the truth, you are making up stories to tease me right?" Joanna demanded, her doubtful res not shifting from his face.

    Instead of answering her question he let go of her hand and walked to the bed. "I am a well-disciplined man of great self-control but I was brutally taken advantage of by a woman," Hemented making sure to sniff at the end of his sentence.

    "What will you have me do if my chances of getting married to a good wife are jeopardised because of this scandal¡­,"

    "Hey, Kay, stop spouting nonsense and quit with the pretence," Joanna scolded as she ran to his side.

    With Amos'' mind made up to tease her, no amount of scolding from her could make him change his mind.

    When it reached the time to freshen up they had to make use of the river. They took turns taking their bath.

    Just like they did when showering Amos and Joanna also took turns dressing up after they returned to the hut.

    Joanna was reluctant to leave when the time for them to go back to their normal lives reached.

    "Let''s make sure toe back here soon ok?" Joanna expressed as she stole a nce at the guy walking beside her.

    Unlike the quiet atmosphere in the forestst night, the forest was very lively.

    The bird chirps, sounds of various animals mixed to form a rhythm and the swaying of the tree branches made the forest very lively.

    "Sure. We will do whatever you want," Amos replied. He continued taking the lead as they made their way out of the forest.

    When they were a short distance from reaching where he parked his car Amos stopped in his tracks. He swirled and looked at her.

    "What is it?" She demanded in a subtle tone.

    "After I escort you to the cafe I will have to leave immediately¡­,"

    "Is the important task you talked about still not aplished?" Joanna asked calmly, her gaze centred on his handsome face.

    "Unfortunately not yet," He replied. His reply coupled with his gloomy expression made Joanna realize that whatever task Amos was embarking on wasn''t something simple.

    "Because of this, I won''t be able to follow you to the campus. But don''t worry, I will join you at the campus when my job is concluded¡­,"

    "I know I am used to us going to campus together but that is not important right now. What matters is your safety," Joanna cut in softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The gentleness in her voice and the concern in her eyes made him unsure whether he should be happy or not that she was making her concern visible for the first time.

    "Is the task dangerous? Will you get hurt in the process?" She interrogated as she lifted her face and settled it on his face.

    "I don''t know," He replied meekly. "If you are worried about getting me killed then you don''t have to. We were never married so even though I end up killed you won''t be a window¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna lost her temper and shouted. Her piercing res and the way she reacted by pushing him made Amos realize that he had said the words she detested.

    "I know we have be good friends over time and you will feel sad if I die¡­,"

    "Kayden Greyson, I dare you to talk about dying one more time and I promise I will forget the fact that you are the King. I will hit you so hard that you will not be able to stand straight for five minutes," Joanna asserted.

    She hit his chest with her right hand and walked past him in anger.

    "Joan, I was only joking so why are you so mad?" He said as he pursued the furiousdy. "Seeing the way you are acting one would mistake you for a wife who is scared that her beloved husband would die and¡­,"

    "It''s not funny so don''t ever y such jokes on me," Joanna said as she kept on walking in big strides.

    On their way back, Amos had a hard time easing Joanna''s anger. He had to resort to using all the tricks up his sleeves before she would even spare him a nce.

    At the front of the cafe, Amos'' car came to a halt. He waited for her to get off without making any attempt to get out of the car.

    Joanna walked to the driver''s side when she noticed that he didn''te out of the car.

    "You have been too busy recently that you don''t have time for your woman. Aren''t you afraid that she will be mad at you?" Joanna asked.

    "My woman?" He asked in confusion.

    "She of course, so stop pretending," Joanna said as she pointed at thedy in a yellow gown who was attending to a customer inside the cafe.

    Eager to know what she was talking about, he turned his head and followed the direction her index finger was pointing at.

    He shifted his gaze to her after confirming whom she was addressing.

    "If you like seeing us together so much and want to y the matchmaker then I don''t mind granting your wish¡­,"

    "Y-you¡­" Joanna pointed her index finger at him not knowing what to say. She turned and walked towards the ss entrance when she realised she wouldn''t be able to win against him if they were to argue.

    She would sound nothing more than a jealousdy who was scared that another woman would steal the man she loves.

    At the door Joanna was about to walk into the cafe when someone ran past, almost bumping into her.

    "Mrs Parker!" She remarked and turned to look at the woman racing towards where Amos parked his car.

    She was even more surprised to see Mrs Parker hop into Amos'' car when she reached there.

 Chapter 265 Its Him!

    ?At the entrance, Joanna stood and kept an eye on the people inside the car who kept stealing nces at her as they talked.

    She desperately wanted to hear what they were talking about but with her powers gone, her ability to hear from afar was gone too.

    "Are they talking about me?" Joanna mumbled as she stared at the two people who were looking at her at the moment.

    She reluctantly entered the cafe when she realised that it was a waste of time loitering outside, especially when she couldn''t hear what they were discussing.

    The minute Leah who was attending to a customer saw Joanna, she galloped to go and meet her.

    "Thank goodness you are here," Leah gasped as she grabbed Joanna''s hand. She tried to pull Joanna along with her but Joanna refused to budge.

    "What''s it? Why do you look so flustered, did something happen?" Joanna queried, her gaze centred on the flustereddy''s face.

    "It''s him!" Leah retorted with her hand pointing at a particr table on her right-hand side.

    Joanna''s eyes followed the direction Leah was pointing at. Her gaze wavered when she set eyes on the guy wearing a yellow shirt which had some white stripes on it.

    "He has declined to order without you around. And the annoying girls hovering around him have refused to budge despite all my efforts to get them away from him," Leah said. She rolled her eyes when one of thedies trying to flirt with the dumb guy turned and shot her a murderous re.

    Joanna peeked at the guy in the yellow shirt who was having trouble fending off thedies who were trying to flirt with him.

    [When I sawdies ogling at him the first time he came to the cafe, I thought they did this because he is handsome but why does it feel like this is more than meets the eyes?...]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she took a careful look at the guy trying to avoid the fivedies'' flirtatious touches.

    Because she was in a daze she didn''t see Leah clenching her fist seeing thedy in a silver shirt cing her hand on his shoulder.

    [No matter how handsome he is I am sure thedies wouldn''t have gone crazy over him or am I wrong?...]

    Leah''s mild tap brought Joanna out of her daze.

    "What are you waiting for, do something," the anxious Leah requested as she shook Joanna''s hand.

    "I am afraid the fearless girls are gonna rape him in front of us if no one stops them," Leah didn''t hesitate to make her fears known.

    "I don''t think they would do such a thing in public¡­,"

    "You are speaking like this because you don''t know what desperatedies are capable of doing," Leah cut in sharply. She gave a slight push to Joanna''s back when she saw that Joanna was hesitating.

    "Go on¡­," Leah urged her on when Joanna stopped walking.

    Slowly, she walked to the guy''s table which was surrounded by five pretty yet mean-lookingdies.

    "If you are here to ask us to leave just know that won''t happen¡­,"

    "Don''t get me wrong. I am not here to chase you away," Joanna denied immediately. Her response made the frowningdies exchange puzzled nces.

    Even the guy who was almost suffocated by thedies gave her a questioning stare.

    "If you are not here to chase us away then why are you here?" Thedy with curly ck hair demanded, her suspicious res directed at Joanna''s face.

    "Our cafe rule is that every customer must at least purchase something worth $5 before they are allowed to sit at the table¡­,"

    "Since when did cafes start making such rules? And who is the bitch who made such absurd rules?" Thedy wearing a red gown questioned, frowning.

    Joanna sped her fist to control her anger. She knew pulling the rudedy''s hair will be thest thing she will do if she doesn''t keep her temper in check.

    "That person you called a bitch is my boss¡­ are you satisfied now?" Joanna said with gritted teeth. Her smile looked so fake and thedies didn''t have a hard time telling that she was annoyed.

    Unfortunately, they were not the type to care about others'' feelings.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You¡­,"

    "I don''t have problems with youdies being here but the ce we will have problems is when youdies fail to abide by the rules of the cafe," Joanna said, still maintaining her fake smile.

    Even though she was lying, her aura while saying these words didn''t show that she was lying.

    "And who are you to threaten us? Do you know who we are¡­,"

    "You don''t need to know who I am. And from the moment you stepped foot into the cafe, you are nothing but our customer," Joanna made sure to stress herst sentence.

    "You¡­,"

    "There is no need to argue with her," Thedy with blonde hair held the hand of thedy that just stood up and pulled her back to the chair.

    "Isn''t it just to buy something?" Thedy with golden hair asked with pride.

    Joanna smirked devilishly when she saw that the rudedies had grabbed the bait.

    "I am d to see that we understand each other," Joanna faked a smile and pointed at the menu on the wall.

    While thedies were busy checking out the menu Joanna used their momentary distraction to scribble something on the guy''s palms.

    "Wait here. Your orders will be ready soon," Joanna said. She spun and retreated to the counter.

    "Joanna, I told you to chase them away so why did you¡­,"

    "How would we get ourplete paycheck if we chased prospective customers away?" Joanna interrupted, not letting Leah chastise her.

    "I never knew you to be obsessed with money so what hase over you?" Leah said, not willing to take the issue lightly.

    "How could you tread the poor guy''s wellbeing for money¡­,"

    "Stop being noisy or I will be forced to gag your mouth?" Joanna threatened fiercely. She ambled closer to thedy who was about to say something.

    "I know what I am doing so keep quiet and watch," Joanna whispered into Audrey''s ears.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, should I let you on a little secret?

    Hmmm... Hmmm (*clears throat)

    Actually... we might have a new leading reader for the GOLDEN TICKETS rank category this month. Thepetition had been quite fierce in this category.

    Do you know why I am telling you this?

    It''s because I want you to know that the ranking is not exclusively for one reader or a group of readers.

    Your name could be on the list too if you sincerely support the book just like others are doing.

    This is your chance to get your name on the list. Don''t forget that the author''s appreciation was supposed tost for four months. And this October happens to be the 4th month.

    To be among the loyal readers of this book please purchased privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Keepments, gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, reviews and power stonesing.

    Thank you as you do this and I love you ??????

 Chapter 266 Amelia Confronts Joanna

    ?Joanna pulled away and held the book containing the girl''s orders so Leah had a good look at what was written on the notepad.

    Leah''s eyes widened after her sharp brain summed up the amount of what thedies had ordered.

    "You¡­," Joanna ced her index finger on Leah''s mouth, not letting her reveal her schemes out of excitement.

    "Sshh¡­," An evil grin stered on Joanna''s face as she removed her finger from Leah''s mouth.

    "I know you must think I am an awfuldy but you can''t me me for that," Joanna''s nonchnce as she walked to the coffee machine made Leash rub her eyes.

    She couldn''t believe she got to see a different side of Joanna she hasn''t seen before all because of the meandies.

    [If she could do such a thing because of a guy she isn''t in love with then I wonder to what extent she would have gone if Mr Handsome was her lover?]

    The mere thought of it alone made Leah shudder.

    "They were all eager to look good in front of him. You can''t me me for making use of their weakness. If there is anyone at fault here it is them for being b*tches," Joanna mumbled, grinning.

    She continued with what she was doing. Because there were no orders at the moment, Leah assisted Joanna with preparing thedies'' orders.

    Not long after Joanna delivered thedies'' orders the dumb guy excused himself.

    "Rx and just do like I said," Joanna said in low tones to the guy she deliberately brushed past.

    She stood and watched the guy as he proceeded toward the restroom. She was very distracted and didn''t noticed someone walked up to her.

    "Are you also crazy about him like otherdies?" The warm breath of the person that brushed against her skin coupled with her voice made Joanna jump up.

    "Hey, you scared the hell out of me, Mrs Parker," Joannained, holding her pounding chest.

    "Someone who didn''t do something wrong wouldn''t easily get startled so why are you scared?" Mrs Parker asked thedy whose throbbing heartbeat she could hear from where she stood.

    THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

    Her heartbeat was as if someone was ying the drum.

    "Were you so startled because you were caught drooling at him by me?" Mrs Parker teased.

    "I was drooling at him?" Joanna scoffed while rolling her eyes. "tsk¡­ how could you make such an absurd assumption?" She asked, not sounding pleased at all.

    "Also, who in my shoes wouldn''t freak out if you sneaked up on him/her like you did to me?" She retorted with a frown.

    She was about to walk away when Mrs Parker grabbed her right hand and pulled her back to her previous position.

    "Do you have any orders for me?" She quizzed.

    "You don''t have to worry about the girls. I have a lot of experience in handling brats like them so leave them to me," Mrs Parker informed and released her hand.

    "Be careful while dealing with them because they are not average brats like you think," Joanna forced a smile. She moved to the counter afterwards.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Since Mrs Parker said she would deal with the girls, Joanna had one less thing to worry about.

    Joanna was at the counter preparing a cup of iced-americano when Amelia walked up to her.

    The first thing she did was to let out a dry cough. Unfortunately, her trick to get Joanna''s attention didn''t work because Joanna pretended as though she didn''t understand the meaning behind Amelia''s dry cough.

    "Joanna," Amelia called out softly and leaned her back against the counter.

    "Yes," She replied without sparing Amelia a nce.

    "I saw that Amos was the one who dropped you off. Also, I saw him talking to you earlier. What did you guys talk about and why didn''t hee in to see me?" Amelia was straightforward with her question.

    An evil grin appeared on Joanna''s face after she learned about what was eating her up.

    [You have always used every opportunity you got to rub your closeness with him on my face. Let''s see whether you will be able to handle the same thing I went through?]

    An evil idea popped into her head as she stood there with the ss of iced-americano in her hand.

    She dropped the ss of drink on the grey tray and turned to look at Amelia.

    "We spent the night together so it was natural he dropped me off or don''t you think so?" Joanna asked with her chin lifted higher than usual. There was a bit of pride on her face as she crossed her legs.

    "What!" Amelia yelled with her mouth hanging open.

    "The two of you slept together?" Amelia asked in a moreposed tone.

    "It looked like you were paying a great deal of attention to us so why didn''t youe out and talk to him? It looks like you have a bunch of questions you need him to rify," Joanna ignored Amelia''s question.

    Joanna''s reply didn''t go down well with Amelia and the frown that soon appeared on her face showed it.

    "Stop acting cocky¡­,"

    "Yes, I will be there in a jiffy," Joanna shouted while waving her hand in the air. She spun and grabbed the tray containing the customer''s order.

    "As you can see I am very busy right now," Joanna faked a smile as she walked past thedy standing in her way.

    With the tray in her hand, she proceeded to the table at the far end of the hall.

    As she walked passed, the fivedies shot murderous res at her. One even tried to trip her but she was smart enough to dodge thedy''s leg.

    [Be thankful my powers are gone because I would have made sure you are not able to make use of your legs for a week]

    Joanna clutched the table as she acted as though nothing happened.

    "I know you must be grateful that I helped you get rid of those annoyingdies but you don''t have to thank me," Joanna expressed with her gaze lowered.

 Chapter 267 The Envelope

    ?She removed the cup of iced americano and dropped it in front of him. She did the same with the Almond cake.

    "I just can''t stand seeing someone bullied in front of me," She said as she took the tray from the table.

    She squinted her eyebrows when she saw how intently he was looking at her face. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Joanna questioned.

    "For the two times you came to the cafe I found out that you can''t seem to take your eyes off me, what is it?" She demanded, but in a calm tone.

    She watched as he picked up the biro and scribbled something on the notepad.

    He lifted the notepad and turned it around after he was done.

    "Nothing¡­ it''s just that you are very pretty," She chuckled after reading the word he scribbled. She stretched her hand and dropped the notepad in front of him with a smile on her face.

    "Of course I know I am extraordinarily beautiful. That is a fact I am very aware of," She responded not minding that she sounded very narcissistic.

    Joanna returned to her spot at the counter and continued with her work. As she walked around serving the customers she didn''t forget to take a peep at her wristwatch every five minutes.

    Thirty minutes to the time Audrey was supposed to have her first ss for the day Joanna informed her colleague about the urgent matter.

    At the cafe, Mrs Parker was seen racing out of the cafe while taking Joanna''s name.

    "Oh my... why are you in such a rush?" Mrs Parkerined after she had managed to grab Joanna''s attention.

    "Anyone who sees you in such haste will at first nce assume you are hurrying to catch your cheating husband in the act," Mrs Parker joked as she looked at thedy that just walked to where she stood.

    "I am very single so why would anyone have such an absurd thought?" The panting Joanna asked.

    Even though she had over twenty minutes to spare she was in a haste to reach the campus on time.

    Joanna didn''t want to miss the chance of talking to Audrey for anything in this world. She preferred to go an hour or two earlier than to miss such a golden opportunity.

    "I know there was no way I was gonna win against you from the onset so I will ept defeat early to save myself the trouble," Mrs Parker smiled instead, finding Joanna''s reply offensive.

    She revealed the hand she was hiding behind her back.

    Joanna was stunned to see Mrs Parker extend a white envelope to her.

    "What''s that for?" Joanna demanded without taking the envelope from her.

    "You will know after you open it," Mrs Parker replied and shoved the envelope into Joanna''s hands.

    Reluctantly Joanna unsealed the envelope. Joanna''s eyes widened when she set her eyes on the crispy white dor note.

    She diverted her attention from the crispy dor note in her hands and focused her questioning gaze on Mrs Parker''s face.

    "I learned from Lia that you were very supportive and your performance was outstanding during my six days of absence. That''s a bonus for all your hard work," Mrs Parker exined.

    She didn''t return from her trip on the fifth day as she promised. Because of an unforeseen situation, she ended up spending an extra day.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I was only doing my job Mrs Parker so there is no need for you to praise or award me," Joanna said as she extended the brown envelope to Mrs Parker.

    "Also if it was really a bonus you gave me like you said I would have happily epted it but the money you are giving me is equivalent to my one-month sry so how could I bring myself to ept it?" Joanna asked.

    She tried to shove the money into Mrs Parker''s hands but having expected this the smart woman moved backwards.

    "Whether or not you deserve that sum of money, let me be the judge of it¡­,"

    "And how could I ept the money when I know that my other colleagues haven''t¡­,"

    "Why are you so sure that I haven''t given Leah the bonus too?" Mrs Parker argued.

    They left the pathway after seeing a group of customers approaching the Cafe''s entrance.

    "Leah has been looking for extra money to take her little sister to the park. There was no way she wouldn''t have bragged to me if you had given her a bonus," Joanna exined in a calm tone.

    "This is the problem with smart people who analyze everything¡­ I wonder why she had to be so smart. If only she applied this much intelligence to her love life then she wouldn''t have¡­,"

    "What are you mumbling Mrs Parker, I can''t hear you," Joanna, who has been watching the woman''s moving lips, interrupted.

    "I said you are overthinking¡­,"

    "I am not. I know exactly what I am saying," she said with confidence in her eyes.

    The two of them went quiet afterwards.

    "Mrs Parker, did Amos ask you to give me this money?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    "Is he also perhaps the reason you have been so good to me¡­,"

    "Were you lied to all your life, little girl?" Mrs Parker questioned sternly.

    "I haven''t been lied to all my life but I guess the way I have been treated ever since I came into existence makes me doubt people''s intentions," Joanna said meekly. She walked two steps forward and turned her back on Mrs Parker.

    "None in this Kingdom has treated me as nice as you do except my friend and a few of my loved ones¡­,"

    "Being ate shifter was never a crime. People only make a big deal out of your case because you happened to be the King''s mate. I have never been the type to follow trends so why should I hate you for no reason?" Mrs Parker demanded firmly.

    "Even at that, I don''t think I deserve this¡­,"

    "Stop trying to prove stubborn and take the money. Also, don''t forget you have little time to get to campus," Mrs Parker interrupted her gaze centred on Joanna''s wristwatch.

    Joanna was surprised when she lowered her gaze and saw how many minutes had passed.

    "Dammit," she eximed. "I am running out of time," She said and started running away.

 Chapter 268 She Puts On An Act

    ?Some minutester on campus Joanna was seen chasing after ady wearing a ck long sleeve shirt.

    No matter how many times she yelled thedy''s name, she refused to pay attention to her.

    "Drey, please wait up," Joanna yelled as she ran to catch up with thedy walking in big strides.

    When she finally caught up to Audrey she reached out her hand to sp Audrey''s hands but only for her hand to be violently shoved away by the angrydy.

    "Don''t touch me," Shemanded sternly, her fierce res directed at Joanna''s face.

    "Drey, I¡­," Audrey resumed walking again without allowing Joanna to say anything.

    As Joanna pursued Audrey for an opportunity to be heard, they happened to run past the mean witches who were making their way up the stairs on the basketball field.

    "When they said good thingse in pairs I never used to believe it but not anymore," Tiffany muttered, her gaze concentrated on the two friends who were running in the corridor like cat and mouse.

    "Yeah, good things really doe in pairs. The heaven seems to be on our side this time around," Nora remarked, an evil smirk stered on her pretty face as she gazed at Joanna who was chasing after Audrey.

    "I was thinking how we were gonna take care of that Tomboy to make sure that our ns are not ruined by her. I can''t believe we got what we wanted without lifting a finger. This is great!" Sophie eximed beaming.

    Just like her friends she couldn''t hide her excitement.

    Tiffany tilted her head to look at Doris standing on her left-hand side. "Tell our men that the target is ready to be eaten whole. They will understand what to do," Tiffany informed grinning devilishly.

    "I will pass your orders to them," Doris giggled as she walked away from where her friends stood.

    Tiffany diverted her gaze back to thedy whose figure was almost out of sight. "After he is done with her today and we spread the video, never will you be able to show yourself in public. The world will think that you cheated on the King. None including your friends will be able to vouch for your innocence. Just wait and see how I get back at you for all the humiliation," Tiffany sped her fist, her gaze focused on thedy whose figure was gradually disappearing due to the huge gap between them.

    Even though Audrey constantly ignores her, the persistent Joanna refused to give up just like that.

    This is her chance to set things right, how could she miss it? Besides, who knows if she is gonna get such an opportunity again?

    "Drey, please wait for a moment and let me talk ok?" The exhausteddy pleaded as she grabbed Audrey''s hand.

    "I have told you to give up because I won''t give you what you want. I will not give you the chance to lie to me again," Audrey turned and red at the pantingdy.

    Seeing the sweat dripping down her face made Audrey heartache. She clenched her fist to keep her emotions under control.

    "Asking me to give up on an opportunity to exin myself is the same as asking me to give up on our friendship and how do you expect me to do that?" Joanna gasped.

    She tried to wipe the sweat off her face with her right hand but she had to give up on that when Audrey tried to use the opportunity to run away. Joanna grabbed her right hand with both hands.

    "There is no need to keep being stubborn. ept the fact that there is nothing you can do to fix our broken rtionship," Audrey started fiercely.

    "Broken porcin can be fixed and so are other things but they are some things which can never be fixed when broken no matter how hard you try just like our friendship".<novelnext></novelnext>

    She tried to free her hands from her hold but Joanna held on with all the strength she could muster up.

    "Drey, I know that it breaks your heart to see us this way so stop acting tough and admit that you also want us to go back to how we were¡­,"

    "You can keep on dreaming for all I care," Audrey dered. In a bid to free herself she applied too much force which caused Joanna to fall to the floor.

    Without thinking Audrey ran and squatted in front of her with her hands stretched out for Joanna to hold onto for support.

    "Why are you so careless?" She scolded, frowning.

    Joanna stared at Audrey''s outstretched hand intently.

    [If only I had known that this was all I needed to grab her attention then I wouldn''t have minded falling down a thousand times]

    Joanna smiled as she stretched forth her hand and held Audrey''s extended hand.

    "Stop giving me that look or else people will think I bullied you¡­,"

    "Isn''t that exactly what you did?" Joanna interrupted. She refused to let go of Audrey''s hand even though she was standing on her feet.

    "You¡­," Audrey was lost at what to say when she realised that her best friend was trying to take advantage of the situation.

    "I can see you are perfectly fine now so I better get going," Audrey, who managed to free her hand from her cunning friend''s hold, turned to walk away.

    "Ouch¡­," A sudden cry of pain made her turn and look behind her. She was stunned to see Joanna grabbing her right leg with a pained look stered on her face.

    "I think I have sprained my ankle. Won''t you give me a hand?" Joanna asked as she stretched her hand towards Audrey.

    Audrey turned and looked around her. She was surprised to see that so many people had gathered around them on the not the big passageway.

    [Let''s see whether she will have the heart to leave me to these hungry prey who have been waiting for a day like this to teach me a big lesson]

    Joanna bet all her luck on this little pretence to pave a way for them to settle things.

    "Please give me a hand hmm," Joanna begged.

    Audrey was contemting what to do when a guy emerged from the crowd and walked up to Joanna.

    "Mr Aidan requires your presence in his office," the guy informed. Joanna''s mood took a 180-degree turn when she heard the guy''s words.

    "I will go to answer his callter. As you can see I am busy¡­,"

    "He said he needs you in his office right now," the tall guy with brown hair asserted not leaving leeway for Joanna.

 Chapter 269 Joanna In Mr Aidans Office

    ?Joanna''s eyes moved from the guy''s frowning face to Audrey''s. Seeing how eager Audrey wanted to leave,Joanna was lost at what to do.

    Is it her friend she should choose or the Chancellor of this prestigious institution?

    "Stop wasting time ande let''s go," the guy ordered, not sounding polite at all.

    The guy''s harsh tone didn''t make Joanna stop looking at Audrey.

    "I order you to stay right there. Don''t move an inch ok?" She asserted with her fingers dangling in the air.

    "Boring," Audrey remarked as she stared at her best friend whose warning fingers were dancing in the air.

    She watched Joanna and the messenger guy until they disappeared after taking a right turn at the end of the long hall.

    Audrey took the opposite direction after Joanna was no longer in sight.

    Getting closer to Mr Aidan''s office, Joanna initiated a conversation with the impatient guy who wouldn''t say a word to her.

    "Do you know why he sent for me?" Joanna quizzed her gaze centred on the back of the guy leading the way.

    "If you are so eager to know why he sent for you then you can ask him that when you get there," The tall guy replied rudely as he kept on walking.

    [Why is he acting as though they forced him into rying the message to me? - Gosh! He is so damn rude! I feel like hitting the back of his head]

    Joanna clenched her fist while ring at the one who was oblivious to what was going on behind him.

    Joanna continued to follow him until they got to the front of Mr Aidan''s office.

    "We are here," the guy informed and turned to leave. Joanna reacted by grabbing his hand before he could walk past her.

    "Aren''t youing in with me?" Joanna questioned with raised eyebrows.

    "And why would I do that?" The guy asked. He roughly brushed Joanna''s hand away and started walking away.

    Looking at the ck door in front of her Joanna contemted whether or not to enter the office.

    She has heard so many rumours about the man and his escapees; these rumours make her feel very ufortable.

    Maybe she would have walked in with her head held high if she still had her powers but not at the moment, especially with how quiet the environment was.

    [I haven''t misbehaved before so why would he send for me so urgently or does this have anything to do with Amos fighting with the mean witches?]

    The mere thought that the man''s call might have something to do with Amos gave her the courage she needed.

    Joanna was about to hold the door''s handle when the door flew open. A middle-aged man''s face greeted her.

    "Good¡­,"

    "Go in. He is waiting for you inside," the man in a ck suit ushered her in with a smile stered on his face.

    Although she hasn''t seen the man smile so pleasantly at anyone before she didn''t find his politeness weird.

    "Thank you, Sir," She responded with a smile on her face.

    After she walked in, the man in a ck suit walked out.

    As this was going on a group of girls were seen sitting on a bench in a quiet field with a greyptop in front of them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She is in," Nora announced even though the others watching the video on the screen could see that.

    "Our men have also confirmed that they are on cue. The live broadcast is about to kick off," Sophie said beaming.

    "It will be showtime in a minute or two. I can''t wait," Tiffany expressed with excitement.

    Back inside Mr Aidan''s office, the man wearing a white shirt with the sleeves buttons undone stood up and approached where Joanna stood.

    "Good afternoon, Sir," Joanna greeted, her eyes following the man as he made his way towards her.

    "Sir?" Mr Aidan frowned as he stopped in front of her.

    "Yes Sir, do you have a problem with the way I addressed you?" Joanna asked. Their closeness made her walk two steps backwards.

    "Yes, I do," Mr Aidan said as he closed the gap between them. He lifted his hand to touch her face but Joanna moved backwards.

    "You were so bold with your confession. You called me so many sweet names, so why are you acting shy today?" Mr Aidan asked. He grabbed Joanna by the hand and pulled her to himself.

    "Please keep your distance, Sir," Joanna stated and struggled to free herself but the man refused to let go.

    "Are you acting this way because of our age differences?" Mr Aidan questioned. His powerful right hand was enough to trap Joanna in his embrace.

    He raised his hand and started stroking her face.

    His touch felt like insects were crawling on her body. Joanna felt like puking.

    "If that is your reason for acting so timid then you don''t have to. You can get all naughty with me as much as you want, I won''t¡­,"

    "Please stop it," Joanna frantically struggled to free herself but the man won''t just let go no matter how hard she tried.

    [Although he is much stronger than me now, I can''t give up. I can''t let this rogue take advantage of my innocence. I must do something to save myself]

    Joanna closed her eyes, summoned the little power left in her and concentrated it on her right palm.

    After she had sessfully concentrated all her powers in her right hand, she pulled back and punched the man in the stomach with all her might.

    BANG!

    The man collided with long shelves. Almost immediately the awards that were neatly ced on the shelves came crashing down.

    CLANG!

    CLATTER!

    SMASH!

    The once neat floor was littered with broken pieces of awards.

    "Oh¡­ that was a sess!" Joanna remarked, smiling. She turned and ran towards the door without sparing the angry man a nce.

    Reaching the door, Joanna reached out her hand and grabbed the door''s knob. She pulled it but for some reason, the door didn''t open.

    Thinking that the door might have stuck she tried again but the oue remained the same.

 Chapter 270 The Old Man Pounced On Her

    ?She nced behind to see the condition of the man. Turning around she met the man''s murderous res centred on her.

    "Gosh, I will be so fucked up if I can''t get out of here now," Joanna muttered as she turned and tried her luck again.

    "Why is the damn door not opening," frustrated Joanna cried as she kept on pulling the door''s knob as if her life depended on it.

    As Joanna kept on trying to open the door, she didn''t see the man vanish only to resurface behind her back.

    Without giving her head up the angry man yanked Joanna''s hair and violently pulled her along with him.

    When he reached the centre table he shoved her onto one of the ck couches and pin her hands against the couch.

    "You are the one who has been sending me gifts almost daily. I have tolerated you for a few minutes thinking that you are shy but how dare¡­,"

    "I sent you gifts?" Joanna questioned. She didn''t stop struggling while searching for an opportunity to save herself.

    "What are you talking about? Why does it feel like you are talking about a different person? Are you perhaps on drugs?" Joanna asked rudely.

    Because he was the Chancellor she was only being polite to save his face but the scum in front of her didn''t deserve respect. And as such, she will treat him in the same way she treats scumbags.

    "If you think that you can y with my feelings by pretending that you don''t know what I mean then you are wrong," Mr Aidan bellowed. He grabbed Joanna''s white cor and with one slight pull the man whose eyes had turned crimson red tore her clothes apart.

    [Gosh, this can''t be happening. I have tried my best to save my chastity all these years. I can''t let it get taken away by this scoundrel. I need to do something]

    Joanna''s eyes frantically moved away from the spacious office. She searched for anything she could use as a weapon to save herself.

    Joanna''s eyes were still roaming around the room when her activated blue eyes scanned a book ced on the second-highest shelf on the tall bookshelf ced at the other end of the room.

    "A webcam!" Joanna''s mouth dropped open.

    Just then the scene of what happened ever since she set foot in the man''s office began reying in her head.

    Since from the onset the man acted like they were close to each other. The way he spoke and gesticted wasn''t the manner he would have behaved with a student.

    The part the man mentioned gifts and her calling him sweet names also popped up in her head.

    [Fuck! Did I just walk into a trap?]

    Joanna''s eyes widened. The thought that someone might have yed a huge joke on her made her shudder.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on Mr Aidan didn''t know that his actions which were supposed to be a secret were broadcast for the entire campus to listen to.

    The moment Mr Aidan''s voice came live on the school''s speaker everyone stopped what they were doing and listened to the voices ying.

    At the cafeteria,bs, swimming arena, fields, art gallery, lectures halls and even the lecturers'' room everyone was seen arguing over whom the voices belonged.

    "Is that Mr Aidan''s voice?"

    "That is the Chancellor''s voice,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And who is thedy''s voice".

    On the entire campus, everyone was seen discussing the ongoing live broadcast.

    On the quiet field, Tiffany and her friends were seenughing with their eyes glued to the screen in front of them.

    In the video, Mr Aidan was seen trying to kiss Joanna on the cheek but Joanna as always resisted with all her might.

    In the clip ying live, Joanna was seen moving frantically on the couch.

    After wrestling with the man for over twenty minutes she was exhausted. Just when she wanted to give up, an opportunity came and the desperatedy grabbed it with both hands.

    With force, Joanna hit Mr Aidan''s groin with her left knee causing him to release her instantly.

    Mr Aidan staggered a few steps backwards with his hands holding his cock like it was gonna fall off if he didn''t do that.

    He groaned as he nursed his painful cock with both hands.

    Joanna didn''t wait for him to recover before she acted.

    "If he thinks he can trap me here by locking the door then he is wrong. With my hands I will create a path for myself," Joanna mumbled sternly. She ran and grabbed the golf stick ced in the corner of the room.

    With the golf stick in her hands, she hastened to the ss window.

    She raised the golf stick in the hair and without hesitation, she hit the ss window hard with it

    Smash!

    The broken ss bounced as it fell on the floor.

    Still, in a hurry, Joanna climbed the tall window. Out of reflexes, she shut her eyes when she saw the distance from the floor.

    [I should be a cripple than let that scoundrel vite me. I will never allow it]

    The height from the ground wasn''t enough to dampen Joanna''s resolve instead she found a new confidence within.

    She was about to jump down from the fourth floor when someone yanked her hair. The next thing she felt was sharp pains in her hands, legs and butt.

    Lowering her gaze, she was stunned to see that she was sitting on the shards of broken ss.

    As Tiffany was watching another person''s plight with a thrill, they were so distracted and didn''t feel someone approaching where they sat.

    "Joanna Anderson, if you think that I will let this slide after epting my gifts which were my token of love then you are wrong," Mr Aidan thundered.

    "Oops¡­ he just let her name slip off his mouth. I was thinking of how to make him take her name, he makes things much easier for us. The universe must be on our side," Tiffany said grinning.

 Chapter 271 Logans Last Warning

    ?"Are you sure about that?" A guy''s cool voice made them turn their head at the same time to look at where the voice came from.

    "Logan!" Thedies chorused with relief visible on their faces.

    "Are you girls sure that the universe is on your side or that it is making things go smoothly because it is seeking youdies'' doom?" Logan asked as he walked to stand at the back of the bench thedies sat.

    "Are you jealous because we were able to take care of things without your help?" Nora snapped.

    "I am jealous?" He scoffed and walked three steps backwards so that his back was leaning against the long iron pole.

    "I am not doing this because of jealousy but I am saying these things because I am scared for youdies," Logan said.

    He bent and started pulling his right trouser''s legs up.

    "Ladies don''t be deceived by the King''s good looks because he is not sweet like you think at all. In fact, he is the devil," Logan said. He sounded like he was praising Kayden or exaggerating facts but only close ones knew that he was speaking from experience.

    "Do you see this scar over here?" Logan pointed at the burnt scar just above his right knee.

    Thedies nced behind to have a proper look at what he was talking about.

    "And what about it?" Doris snapped.

    "This scar was inflicted on me by the King," he announced sternly.

    "As you know it takes less than a minute for a vampire''s wound to heal but can you guess how long it took this wound to heal?" He quizzed. His gaze moved from onedy''s face to the other as he waited for their response.

    "Judging from the scar, maybe five days," Sophie took a guess.

    "Wrong," He said.

    "It took over two months for the injury to heal and this was all the psycho King''s fault," He clenched his fist when he recalled the day of the incident.

    "I don''t know the kind of strange materials he used and that is why my wound refused to heal. Now that Grandpa no longer has a hold over him, I am scared of what he will do to youdies if he discovers the truth¡­," Logan trailed as he stared into space.

    "He won''t spare any of you," He asserted.

    "It''s well known that his Majesty is in the human world. And we have hidden our tracks well so how will he knows that we were responsible for what happened¡­,"

    "He was willing to not only go against Grandpa but also the entire Ministers for her sake. Don''t youdies think you are underestimating him?" Logan asked as he focused his attention on his cousin''s face.

    "I don''t know who might have talked you into persuading us to stop with our ns but beware that nothing you do or say will make us change our mind," Doris concluded with a tone of finality.

    "Tiff¡­,"

    "Leave us alone if you are not gonna join us in watching this thrilling live show," Tiffany ordered sternly.

    She and her friends turned and stared at the screen of theptop lying on a table in front of them.

    They paid no heed to Logan''s warning.

    "I have warned youdies about going against the King''s woman like a good friend would have done. Since all of you are eager to seek your room, I will leave you,dies, alone," Logan said.

    He turned and walked away when all of them acted like they didn''t hear him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What a killjoy he is," Sophie muttered, her res following Logan''s departing back.

    She watched until he disappeared into the far distance.

    "Girls, I know we nned to watch everything unfold here but don''t you girls think that it will be more thrilling if we watched the incident from where it is happening? And not only that but what if we take half of the curious students there?" Sophie proposed. Her eyes darted from one face to the other as she waited for their response.

    "Hmm¡­," Tiffany trailed as she stood up from where she sat in the middle of the threedies.

    "Your suggestion doesn''t sound bad at all. In fact, I love it," Tiffany grinned evilly as she stared down at thedy still fighting to protect her chastity in the video.

    "We will not leave an escape route for her," Nora giggled. She also stood up from the chair.

    Doris and Sophie packed theptop before they proceeded to execute their ns.

    Meanwhile, inside Mr Aidan''s office, Joanna whose clothes were ripped by the furious man continued to battle with the man.

    She was too desperate to preserve her dignity to care about her blood which had stained the couch.

    "No matter how hard you struggle you can''t win against me. I will eat you to my satisfaction and none can stop me¡­,"

    BANG! BANG! BANG!

    The banging on the door made Joanna and Mr Aidan turn and look at the door at the same time.

    BANG! BANG! BANG!

    Came the banging for the second time. Each time the person outside bangs on the door, the door vibrates violently.

    In the process of forcing the door open, the person ended up tearing apart the door''s knob.

    "Joan, I know you are there and mark my words. I will not only save you but I will make sure the scumbag pays dearly for this," the angry voice of the guy at the door made the corner of her lips lift to reveal a painful smile.

    "He is here," She chuckled as tears rolled down her bruised face.

    "Whoever you are I don''t care but I will advise that you leave right now if you value your life¡­,"

    BANG!

    A powerful kick from him made the doore crashing down.

    Before Mr Aidan had the chance to assimte what was happening the furious guy who appeared in front of him grabbed him by the neck and flung him in the air.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, our goal of staying in the Top 100 in the GOLDEN TICKET ranking is about to be aplished. We need a few more GOLDEN TICKETS to get there so please keep the GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    Also, don''t forget that the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION end this month. You still stand a chance to get your name on the list so give it your best and you will see your hard work pay off in three days.

    I have seen this happen and that is why I am telling you this.

 Chapter 272 Amos Saved The Day

    ?As if Mr Aidan colliding against the wall wasn''t enough, he charged towards him with his fist aiming at Mr Aidan''s mouth.

    Amos rained down powerful blows on Mr Aidan. With how angry he was, he didn''t have the luxury to care about where he hit him. But he beats Mr Aidan as though he was a child.

    "How dare youy your filthy hands on my woman," he bellowed, his grip on Mr Aidan''s trapped hand bing firmer.

    CRACK!

    Mr Aidan cried out in pain as he tried to free his broken hand from Amos'' grip but the fuming guy didn''t let go.

    "You could touch any other thing that belongs to me and I will act cool about but she is an exception, horny bastard," He shouted andnded a powerful kick on Mr Aidan''s stomach.

    The fat man was sent flying across the room. With a loud thud, his body collided against the corridor''s tiled floor.

    "Amos, that''s enough," Joanna pleaded. She reached out her hand and grabbed his hand not letting him advance towards Mr Aidan again.

    "For what he did, this is just the tip of the iceberg¡­,"

    "If you continue attacking him I am afraid you will kill him¡­,"

    "Did I say I have intentions of letting him live?" He scoffed. He tried to continue with what he was doing but Joanna refused to release his hand.

    "There is nothing you say that will make me change my mind so give up already. He deserves to die the most horrifying death for trying to defile a woman," He stated fiercely.

    One by one he removed her fingers which were clutching his hand so tightly.

    "Sit right here and watch how I avenged you," He said and disappeared. He resurfaced in front of where Mr Aidan stood.

    Even the presence of the spectators watching didn''t make Amos stop attacking Mr Aidan like a ferocious beast.

    All the spectators watched the biggest fight in the history of the university. They were one way or the other mistreated by Mr Aidan and that is why none stepped forward to help him.

    Not long after, Joanna started hearing approaching footsteps. Hurriedly she pulled the ripped shirts to cover her exposed chest and arms.

    Joanna watched as he choked Mr Aidan with both hands. With the way, Mr Aidan was leaning on the demarcator any slight mistake and he will fall off the fourth floor.

    The thought of what will happen made her shudder.

    Kayden is the King and can do anything without getting questioned by anyone but the fact that he is using another identity makes him at a disadvantage.

    She is aware that things will be blown out of proportion if she doesn''t stop him before he kills the lustful man.

    Getting his identity exposed will be the least of the thing that will happen.

    [I need to do something or else he will kill him. I can stand being humiliated but I am scared I will bring chaos upon everyone in the Kingdom if just one person humiliates him]

    Joanna clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She didn''t want to stop him because she is a kind girl. There is nothing kind about her. She is way crueller than Kayden.

    If only her powers were intact she would have long set him aze after torturing him to her heart''s content.

    He should thank his lucky stars that he had to pull this charade when she was weak.

    "Ouch!" Joanna let out a cry of pain as she held her bleeding hand. Just like she expected Amos nced behind to see what was wrong with her.

    The red liquid dripping from Joanna''s right hand made his heart tighten. His grip around Mr Aidan''s neck gradually loosened.

    "You are bleeding," he said and released Mr Aidan atst.

    He rushed to her side immediately. Reaching where she sat, he pulled off his blue jacket and used it to cover her.

    He squatted in front of her and took her bleeding hand in his.

    "You are bleeding. It must hurt a lot right?" He said and blew hot hair on the wound. There was so much gentleness in his voice and eyes.

    The gentleness in his voice and eyes made Joanna''s cold heart warm.

    "Why didn''t you tell me you were this hurt¡­,"

    "How could I have done that when you were too angry to listen to me," Joanna smiled as she raised her hand and touched his face.

    "Also, you failed to see my injuries because you were too busy trying to avenge me¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How dare you do this to me," Mr Aidan''s masculine voice echoed as he struggled to bnce himself on his feet.

    "Just wait and see what hell awaits you after I get you locked up in prison for your entire miserable life¡­,"

    "Prison is like paradise for a piece of trash like you and you don''t deserve that," Amos said. He smiled at her and patted her hair before he stood up.

    "You said you will have me locked up but unfortunately I am not as merciful as you," He said. He appeared in front of Mr Aidan.

    "I will make sure you die without anyone knowing. Believe me," he whispered into Mr Aidan''s ear, an evil grin stered on his face.

    "What gives you the confidence that you will get out of here alive?" Mr Aidan, who seems to have discovered newfound confidence challenged.

    "You are nothing but a hoodlum with a pretty face. Your type should be kneeling in front of me. In fact, your kind is nothing but my footstool," Mr Aidan stated fiercely.

    "In a few minutes, you will crawl on your knees and beg for my for¡­,"

    "I will crawl and beg?" Amos chuckled to the annoyance of Mr Aidan. "I should say those words to you. To me, your kind are not even worthy of being my footstool¡­,"

    "And why do you think highly of yourself? Who are your parents; are there the children of the prime minister?" Mr Aidan fired back sharply.

    "If you are acting this arrogant by relying on her measly title as the King''s mate then you are wrong. She is nothing but trash the King rejected¡­.," The powerful punch thatnded on Mr Aidan''s stomach made him choke on his word.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

    HAPPY OCTOBER ??????

    I am sorry my greetings camete. If some of you were observative enough, you would have noticed that the time I usually update the chapters is not the same as in the past. And this is because I have been super busytely.

    Honestly, I barely have time for myself and that is why this had greatly affected my update schedule.

    Sorry once again that I didn''t give you guys heads-up on this.

    I want to use this opportunity to thank all of you who supported me greatlyst month. Thanks a bunch and I wish for nothing else but for you guys to continue supporting me this month and beyond. I also wish other readers will join you guys to shower me with love and support as you have never done.

    As you know new month always calls for new goals and this month, here are our goals for October 2022.

    GOAL 1: 1k (1,000) privileged chapter unlocks = 6 chapters mass release.

    As long as we reach 1,000 privileged chapters unlocked, you guys will stand a chance to win 6 chapters mass release.

    Guys, I know some of you may think that I am shameless for constantly begging you guys to achieve goals we have neverpleted before but what can I do?

    If begging you guys will make me aplish my dream of reaching 1,000 privileged chapters unlock, then I wouldn''t mind begging you guys every day.

    GOAL 2: For this goal, there is a twist this month. As long as we stay in GOLDEN TICKET TOP 100 RANKING for the entire month I will give 4 chapters of mass release.

    You might not get the opportunity to enjoy such treats again so please give it all you have got to make sure we remain in GOLDEN TICKETS TOP 100 RANKING this October 2022.

    GOAL 3: 100 = 3 chapters mass release.

    This is a weekly goal so don''t get confused. For any week we reach 100 power stones, I will give 3 chapters mass release the following week.

    Grab this opportunity now that it''s avable.

    P.S: There will also be a mass release depending on the number ofments, gifts and reviews we get this month.

    Also, guys don''t forget this is thest chance you have got to get your name included in the list of loyal fans of this book.

    Give it your best if you want your name to be included in the list.

    Buy privileged chapters and unlock them daily, send gifts,ment, review and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book. Do it like you have never done before because these are what will guarantee whether or not your name will be on the above list.

    This poor author loves all of you dearly, show me that you love me too by partaking in thepletion of the goals.

    Thank you as you do this. I love ?????? you.

 Chapter 273 Ruined Schemes

    ?"How dare you?" He bellowed. As this was going on, the hurting Joanna stood up from the couch.

    Unfortunately, she couldn''t stand on her left foot because of the shard of ss stuck into her feet.

    "Aren''t you eager to know my identity?" Amos asked, his fierce res concentrated on Mr Aidan''s face.

    "Let me tell you who I am so listen carefully and prepare for your doom," Amos said. He released theman''s neck and walked a step backwards.

    [He is not gonna seriously reveal his identity here right?]

    Joanna''s eyes moved from Amos back to the ce she discovered a webcam was hidden.

    Her heart began to beat rapidly when she imagined what the culprit would use the video to do.

    "I¡­ AM¡­ YOUR¡­," The collision of a body followed by the firm hand wrapped around his waist made him unable to finish his words.

    "Don''t say it," She said in almost a whisper. He tried to unwrap her hand around his waist but Joanna held on tight.

    For fear that he would irritate her injury, he gave up on his attempts.

    "Joan, this foolish man thinks too highly of himself. He needs to know who he is talking to¡­,"

    "There are so many eyes watching and so many ears listening, are you sure you want to do this?" Joanna quizzed. Slowly she unwraps her hand from his waist.

    She held his hand and turned him so that they were looking at each other.

    "Are you sure you can handle leaving my side so soon by revealing your identity?" She demanded, her purple orbs locked with his.

    Although it has only been a short time since he took on a fake identity, the truth was that he has grown on her.

    She has gotten so used to having him around her all the time. Joanna doesn''t know how she is gonna survive if he returns to being the aloof and most revered man in the Kingdom.

    "Are you willing to let all your efforts go to waste because of an undeserving piece of trash like him?".

    As she stared into his eyes, she tried her possible best not to show her fears. She didn''t want him to know how scared she was that he might choose to reveal his identity.

    Amos and Joanna were so engrossed talking to each other and paid no attention to the onlookers.

    Apart from the students standing on both sides of the long pathway, arger number were watching and listening to what was going on from the ground floor.

    None wanted to miss the life battle which has already made history.

    Among the crowd stationed downstairs, a group of girls stood frowning as they watched things unfold.

    "Why does she keep mentioning things about exposing his identity? Is there something special about his identity?" Tiffany muttered absentmindedly.

    "What could possibly be special about a nerd like him?" Annoyed Nora snapped. Just like the others, she was so happy that their ns were foolproof.

    Seeing how their perfect n got ruined in the twinkle of her eye not only made her mad with rage but also her friends.

    "I am so mad. I can''t believe we overlooked him during our strategizing¡­,"

    "We have always thought that he is a weakling because of how he dressed. Who would have guessed that someone like him could take on and defeat the old fool so easily," Sophie snapped with a clenched fist.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She has looked forward to this day; the day she would pay back the proud girl a thousandfold for the humiliation she suffered in the school''s cafeteria.

    She refused to ept that all her efforts and excitement just went down the drain in a twinkle of an eye.

    "He is so¡­,"

    "Let''s get out of here now," Tiffanymanded. "We will think of better ways to deal with the two of them," she said, spun and started walking away without waiting for her unhappy friends.

    How could she not understand the feelings of her friends when as the leader of the group she had to endure humiliation at the hands of the two stupid friends?

    Strangling and squeezing the life out of those two would not be enough to ease her hatred for them.

    "But¡­," Tiffany halted, swirled and shut Doris a murderous re, causing her to swallow back her words.

    "When I said let''s go it wasn''t a suggestion so don''t you girls dare be mistaken," She stated coldly and started walking away almost immediately.

    At the fourth floor corridor, the furious Amos nced behind. He gazed at the fat man whose stomach was shooting out.

    He watched as the man tried to cover his nude upper body to prevent the students from taking pictures and videos of his nude body.

    "You are still breathing and perhaps will continue to breathe an hour longer all because of her so, count yourself lucky," he said in his cold voice. The sound of his voice alone sent shivers down the spine of so many.

    He returned his attention to the woman standing behind afterwards.

    "Let me get you out of here," He said, bent and lifted her off the floor.

    Joanna''s eyes widened, almost falling out of their sockets as she held on for dear life.

    "Let me down," Joanna yelled. With the way she grabbed his neck, her words didn''t align with her actions.

    "Do you wish for me to put you down or do you hope that I hold you tighter? Make your intentions clear rather than confusing me," He said as he walked on the pathway the onlookers had cleared for him.

    "Just wait and see how I will teach you a lesson from here onwards," Mr Aidan shouted and dashed into his office to avoid the student''s continuous shot shlight.

    Despite hearing the man''s words Amos chose to ignore him.

    He will end up killing him right there if he changes his mind.

    Getting downstairs became more convenient due to Amos'' vampire speed. In the same way others created a path for him, those gathering downstairs did the same.

    Walking through the crowd Amos smiled when he noticed the way Joanna buried her face in his chest.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, our goal of staying in the Top 100 in the GOLDEN TICKET ranking is about to be aplished. We need a few more GOLDEN TICKETS to get there so please keep the GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    Also, don''t forget that the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION end this month. You still stand a chance to get your name on the list so give it your best and you will see your hard work pay off in three days.

    I have seen this happen and that is why I am telling you this.

 Chapter 274 The Concern Audrey

    ?As if going through the trouble of walking through the two crowds wasn''t enough of attention, students didn''t fail to stop and watch them wherever they went.

    "I feel like I have be a celebrity overnight¡­," The speed at which someone knocked into Amos not only startled her but made her clutch his cor for dear life.

    "Are you alright did you get hurt in any way?" Thedy''s familiar voice made Joanna nce behind.

    Her mouth hung open as she stared at thedy who was examining her body for signs of injuries.

    Audrey''s once worried expression turned murderous when she got a glimpse of the injuries on Joanna''s hands and legs.

    The bruise on her face made Audrey clench her fist.

    "I swear ripping that piece of garbage into tiny pieces wouldn''t be enough to pay back for what he did to you," Audrey growled with gritted teeth.

    Amos gently dropped Joanna to her feet following her signal. "Although the injuries hurt a bit, I am fine¡­,"

    "Just look at the bruises on your face and the deep cuts on your legs and hands," Audrey said with a pained look. She raised her hand and gently wiped the blood off Joanna''s broken lips.

    "In fact why am I wasting time here talking to you when I should be ripping that son of a gun into pieces," Audrey stated as she made to leave but Joanna stretched her hand and pulled her back.

    "That''s not necessary because he has already avenged me¡­,"

    "He is still alive and well so how could that be considered as avenging you huh?" Audrey said as she shot the quiet Amos a murderous re.

    "I agree with you on that," Amos replied. "I have already arranged for him to be taken care of so you don''t have to worry¡­,"

    "And why would I worry?" Audrey snapped. "Also, I don''t need you or anyone to avenge her. As long as I am here now, the one who bullied my best friend will not go scot-free. Not even you," Audrey said, her fierce res centred on Amos.

    "You are¡­," Audrey held Joanna''s hand and yanked her away from Amos'' side.

    "Let''s talk somewhere else without him around. I just hate the sight of him," Audrey scowled. She tried to drag Joanna along with her but Amos got hold of Joanna''s left hand and pulled her back.

    Because Audrey''s clutch was firm on Joanna, he couldn''t fulfil his wish of having her by his side again.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Audrey snapped, her deadly res directed at his face.

    "And what on Earth do you think you are doing to an injured person," He sneered without backing down.

    Joanna standing in the middle of the chaos watched as the two people she loved so much fought over her.

    "I am not against you talking to her since I am aware that youdies must have a lot of catching up to do but please be a little considerate and have her injuries treated first¡­,"

    "And who says I am not considerate huh?" Audrey demanded sternly. She let go of Joanna''s hand and advanced to where Amos stood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Seeing them stand so close while looking at each other eyeball to eyeball, Joanna knew that things would escte between the two if she did not do something about them.

    "I will¡­,"

    "Will you both please stop fighting huh?" Joanna yelled as she freed herself from his grip.

    "I know I am the cause of why our rtionship dwindled to this stage so please stop making me feel even more guilty for this ok?" Joanna pleaded, seeing that none of them pulled away from each other even after she talked.

    "Since none of you wants to listen to me then fine," Joanna shouted with her hands raised a bit above her shoulders.

    "I am fine with that but I am out of here. I don''t care if I get beaten to death by those I offended after I get out of here but all I know is that I won''t be a party to your fight," Joanna washed her hands off them and turned to walk away.

    They reached out their hand and grabbed each of her hands at the same time, "And where do you think you are going?" They chorused.

    Joanna couldn''t resist smiling when she noticed that their actions and words were in harmony.

    As she turns to look at them she sheds her smile and puts on a stern look.

    "See, you both love me so much and don''t want to see any harmes to me so why won''t you just let¡­,"

    "Who says I love you?" Audrey scoffs and lets go of Joanna''s hand in a sh.

    Her reaction caught Joanna unawares. She hasn''t even finished feeling grateful that the brutality she suffered in the man''s hand didn''t go to waste but instead made her reconcile with her best friend but this had to happen.

    "Although I am still mad at you, I hate seeing anyone bullies you. Only I have the right to bully you, that is a fact everyone should know," Audrey asserted and turned to leave.

    Joanna reached out her hand and grasped Audrey''s right hand. "Don''t tell me you are leaving just like that?" Joanna asked with a fallen expression.

    The glints in her eyes were long gone.

    Instead of answering her question, Audrey diverted her gaze to the guy standing beside Joanna.

    "The task of taking care of that scum who did this to you is mine. Although I hate to say this, I will leave him to take care of you," Audrey clenched her fist as she talked.

    Even though it hade to this she still chose to sacrifice what she wanted to pave the way for her friend and the man she loves.

    "I will try to join you wherever you are after I am done," Audrey forced a smile as she strokes Joanna''s hand lovingly.

    She tried to leave again but Joanna still refused to let go.

 Chapter 275 At His Home

    ?"You don''t have to go¡­,"

    "Stop being a crybaby and do like your elder sister has said ok?" Audrey tapped her hand as she maintained her fake smile.

    "Audrey, since she wants you here¡­,"

    "Don''t you dare try to act cocky just because I leave her in your care ok?" Audrey stated fiercely.

    "If Ie back and find out that a hair on her body is missing then get ready to hear from me because it will either be me or you who will die," Audrey challenged.

    She nced at Joanna for thest time before she started walking away.

    "Although she is so damn rude, I must admit that I love the fact that she is an overprotective friend. With her by your side, I will be rest assured that no harm wille to you¡­,"

    "I am not that weak like you think. There was a bit of a situation today that is why I couldn''t teach that scumbag a lesson¡­,"

    "Let''s pretend that you are telling the truth," He said. He bent and lifted her off her feet. He did this effortlessly.

    "Let me down¡­,"

    "Say that one more time and I will not only shut you up with a kiss in front of so many people but I will tease you until you are not able to resist anymore," He threatened.

    Joanna instantly went quiet after he threatened her.

    Within a matter of ten minutes, the incident at the campus spread like wildfire on all social media tforms.

    The clips of the epic fights got aired on some of the most popr television stations.

    It took less than twenty minutes for the hot topic to be a sensation.

    In front of Amos'' door, Joanna inputs the password and gives a slight push to the door.

    "First thing we will do is to get your wounds disinfected and treated immediately¡­,"

    "Do you even know how to do that?" She asked. Her words caused Amos to halt in his tracks.

    He lowered his gaze and peered at thedy in his arms.

    "Are you challenging me¡­," the sudden arrival of Chris where they stood made him pause.

    "What are you doing here?" He demanded with his piercing res fixed on Chris'' face.

    "How many times have I warned you not to show up here and how many times have you defied this order?" He interrogated.

    "You don''t have to question him at the door. Let''s go in¡­,"

    "Speaking up for him today won''t save him, so let him talk," His voice was cold and deprived of emotions as he peered at the guy whose head was slightly lowered.

    "I know you have constantly warned me to stay away from you during the time you are away from the pce but I was worried after what happened on campus," Chris exined with his head remaining lowered.

    "I wasn''t able to intervene in the fight at campus today because I was scared of not only revealing my identity but also giving your identity away," he continued in aposed tone.

    "I am d you decided to make a wise decision for the first time," Amos said, sounding a bit calmer. He walked past Chris and made his way into the sitting room with Joanna still on his body.

    Chris followed behind to continue with his reports.

    Even after Joanna and Amos sat down Chris remained standingclose to their couch.

    "I was worried aboutMiss Joanna and his Majest¡­,"

    "I meant Sir," Chris corrected himself. He was so used to calling Kayden His Majesty that he kept making mistakes despite how many times he had corrected himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amos'' frown faded seeing that he corrected himself at the right time.

    "Although I am not happy to see you here, I must admit that you came at the right time," He admitted.

    "Do you have orders for me?" He questioned with his head raised a bit higher.

    "Get me the first aid kit at the top of the white wardrobe," He ordered and diverted his gaze to thedy sitting beside him quietly.

    Chris didn''t argue. He disappeared from the sitting room to get the job done.

    "Are you in a lot of pain? - Is that why you are so quiet?" He demanded softly.

    Joanna adjusted her butt well on the couch so that she was looking at him straight in the eye.

    "I have always sustained physical wounds as far as I came to the age of awareness. It has gotten to the point that physical pains are like nothing to me¡­," She trailed as she looked at the wounds on her hands.

    It was never her choice to be like this but life itself forced her into this.

    If I was given a chance to choose my family, do you think I would have chosen this household?

    She would rather choose to be born into a family in which she will be spoiled with love and attention from the moment she was delivered.

    "They don''t scare me one bit," She said and touched the wounds on her right hand.

    Inside Mr Aidan''s office earlier she didn''t care about how many wounds she sustained. All she cared about was protecting her chastity and this was because she knew her life will never remain the same if she were to get brutally raped.

    To her, mental pain is worse than physical pain.

    "You might not feel the pains like you want me to believe but I do," He said as he looked into her purple orbs.

    He stretched his hand and took her hand in his. "My heart aches any time I see you covered in wounds. The pains are always so great that it feels as if my heart is constantly ripped into tiny pieces¡­,"

    "Aren''t you the one who always says that wounds and scars are the pride of every warrior so why are you acting contrary to your words now?" She smiled as she talked.

    "Of course, I remember saying that but you are not a warrior. Every part of your body is way too precious to sustain even the tiniest thing as a scratch," He said and stroked her hands affectionately.

    ...

    A/N: Hello lovely readers, should I let you on a little secret?

    Hmmm... Hmmm (*clears throat)

    Actually... we might have a new leading reader for the GOLDEN TICKETS rank category this month. Thepetition had been quite fierce in this category.

    Do you know why I am telling you this?

    It''s because I want you to know that the ranking is not exclusively for one reader or a group of readers.

    Your name could be on the list too if you sincerely support the book just like others are doing.

    This is your chance to get your name on the list. Don''t forget that the author''s appreciation was supposed tost for four months. And this October happens to be the 4th month.

    To be among the loyal readers of this book please purchased privileged chapters and unlock them daily.

    Keepments, gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS, reviews and power stonesing.

    Thank you as you do this and I love you ??????

 Chapter 276 Past Hurts And Regrets

    ?"Who says I am¡­,"

    "Sir, this is the box," Chris informed. He extended his hand and dropped the red and white box on the centre table.

    Amos reached forth his hand and dragged the box closer to him. "I have an order for you and I want it done before today runs out," He announced, as he pushed open the first aid kit box.

    "I will do all it takes to make sure I don''t disappoint you so please make your orders known," Chris replied with a serious expression.

    "I have two orders for you which are; Find out those responsible for the incidents that urred. Make sure that those who broadcast the incident are caught," He stated with a clenched fist.

    He couldn''t bring himself to imagine what would have happened to Joanna if he didn''t run away in the middle of the meeting.

    If he had arrived on campus a minute or twoter would that scum have done¡­

    He didn''t want to bring himself to think about what he would have done to Joanna.

    "I will get that done¡­,"

    "One more thing I want you to pass an order to Gideon," He retorted while standing up from where he sat.

    "Tell him that I want him to handle that piece of trash who calls himself the Chancellor - In fact, don''t worry. I will call and pass the orders to him myself," He asserted and returned to his seat.

    He took out the methted spirit and cotton wool from the box.

    Amos was about to take off her jacket when he noticed that Chris was still standing there staring at them intently.

    "And what are you still waiting for?" He frowned as he red at the innocent guy.

    "...," his question left Chris speechless.

    Amos never said he should go so he didn''t understand why the King sounded furious at him.

    "I will take my leave now Sir, Miss Joanna," Chris bowed and exited the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

    Amos'' gaze followed Chris until he left the sitting room. He only brought back his gaze to the woman by his side after he heard the entrance door jammed close.

    "Each time he is around you are either mean to him or re at him like he is coveting your treasure, why is that?" Joanna asked the guy who was now tending to her wounds.

    "How did you know about that?" He yfully replied but his smile didn''t spread to his eyes.

    His expression turned serious when his eyes met her questioning gaze.

    "After what he did to you, I find it hard to bring myself to treat him like I did in the past. I doubt whether things between us will ever go back to how it was before the incident," He muttered.

    His tone carried a bit of pain although he tried so hard to hide it.

    "I am the one who should be mad at him but I am not, so why are you being so hard on him when he was only looking out for your safety¡­,"

    "This might not be a big deal to you but it''s a very big deal to me," He stated. His pitch rose a bit higher than normal.

    "I keep thinking that you wouldn''t have had to go through the hell you went through in those six months if he didn''t defy my orders. We wouldn''t have been separated for such a long time if not for him. I know he had a good reason for his actions but I can''t stop myself from thinking this way," Amos said. His grasp on the cotton wool tightened.

    "Why does it feels like my disappearance scarred you¡­,"

    "Maybe you are right," He said and stretched his hand to drop the blood-stained cotton wool on the table.

    "I had lots of regrets after you fell off the cliff," he admitted. He stood up and walked three steps away from the centre table.

    "I kept thinking that everything was my fault. Maybe just maybe if I had treated you a lot better in public and protected you openly instead of doing it in secret¡­," He trailed with his fists sped.

    "Maybe if I had protected you openly as I did earlier you wouldn''t have had to suffer for so many years," He said emotionally. His eyes became misty as the emotions flooded him. Joanna stood up from the couch and leapt with one leg to where he stood. She embraced him out of the blues.

    "You are not to me for anything that happened and I don''t resent you for anything I went through in these past years, believe me," she assured. Her grip around his waist grew firmer.

    "I know there is a bit of truth to what you said but I still feel guilty. Even though you are safe, my heart aches immensely each time I recall the past¡­," Joanna spun him, not letting him finish his words.

    She raised her hand and cupped his face. "Didn''t you bring me here to treat my injuries but why does it feel like you intend to make the wound grow worst¡­,"

    "I would never do that¡­,"

    "If you want me to believe you then stop being a crybaby and let''s continue from where you stopped," She ordered. She held his hand and dragged him to their previous seats.

    Amos continued to treat her wounds.

    "Ouch! That stings," Joanna let out a cry of pain as he treated her back injuries.

    "Sorry, bear with it for a few more minutes," He said and instantly blew hot hair on the wound.

    There was silence in the room afterwards.

    "As long as The Ancient Forest Of No Return couldn''t kill me then be rest assured that as long as I am alive, nothing can kill me except myself. Not even fate can do that," She beat her chest as she spoke.

    "Don''t you think you are quite confident for ady who couldn''t defend herself¡­,"

    "You¡­," Joanna was lost at what to say to him.

    Amos went in and brought her a new outfit when he was done dressing her wounds.

    As they sat in the sitting room Joanna kept on looking at the entrance while watching out for footsteps.

    ....<novelnext></novelnext>

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

    TOP FANS

    A big shout-out to our top fans. To those whose names are here, I want to say congrattions to you.

    To some of you who might not know what makes a top fan in Webnovel, let me tell you. Buying privileged chapters and the coins you use in unlocking locked chapters, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts,ments and reviews; all these things count in getting your name on the top fan list.

    I want you to know that I appreciate all of you very much. Thank you for loving my book so much.

    It''s another thing to love a book and it''s another to support the book you love so I want to say thank you for supporting the book.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Flower_goddess

    3) Fitoria_01

    TOP GIFTERS

    A big thank you for all the awesome gifts. Would you believe it if I say I love your gifts very much this month?

    Not only did I love your gifts but it made me very happy to know that my readers appreciate my hard work. Thanks a bunch for the heartwarming gifts... (*coughs...) I am shamelessly asking that you keep the giftsing.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

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    3) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    Thank you so much to all of you who cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book this month. You don''t know just how much I appreciate all your support. Your support means a whole lot to me.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

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    TOP COMMENTERS

    I am grateful to you for thements this month. Thank you for the sweetments, I really love them.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP REVIEWER

    Thank you for being the only reviewer this month. Your review was informative and it has helped me to decide on my uing books. Don''t worry I will try to make corrections. Thanks for the feedback.

    1) DaoistmfOF5T

    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

    Will this be enough to bribe you guys to do better next month and even in theing months?

    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 277 Kiss As Confession

    ?She became exhausted from waiting when Audrey didn''t return in two hours.

    "Who knows maybe the mean girl has changed her mind," She muttered disappointedly as she leaned her back against the couch.

    "Ouch!" She cried out the instant her back violently hit the couch.

    "What''s it?" He asked as he jumped and squatted in front of her.

    "It hurts," She whimpered while trying to nurse her irritated back.

    Amos resisted the urge tough when he saw her pouty lips.

    [Isn''t she the one who said she was immune to pains so why is she whimpering now?]

    He caressed her hands as he tried not tough.

    "Where does it hurt?" He quizzed. Amos stood up and knelt on the grey couch.

    "Is it here?" He asked as he blew hot air on the wound on her right shoulder.

    "Not there," She said while shaking her head.

    He left there and blew hot air on the injury in the middle of her back but Joanna still insisted he got the wrong one.

    He kept on doing this and without realising it he blew hot air on all her back injuries.

    "Joan, did I do something wrong? Is that why you are punishing me this way?" He asked as he sat back on the couch.

    Joanna shifted to the extreme end of the couch so that she was looking at his face.

    "Why did you say that? And how could I possibly punish you?" She asked. Joanna arched her eyebrows as she wondered what Amos'' words implied.

    "Because I have blown hot air on all the wounds on your back but you kept saying I got the wrong one," Heined.

    "Really?" She asked and looked away from his face.

    "Are you sure you didn''t miss an important spot?" She asked with her eyes staring into space.

    "I didn''t," he asserted. He looked at her expecting to see her turn around but she didn''t.

    ? He became a bit worried when she wouldn''t look at him.

    He shifted closer, held her hand and slowly turned her around.

    "Does it hurt that much?" He questioned as he looked at thedy who was biting down her lower lips.

    Joanna continued biting her lower lips without saying anything or making any reactions.

    [He is so gentle towards me. The atmosphere looks very conducive for a love confession. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity I have been waiting for - Should I just tell him that I am in love with him?]

    Joanna looked into his eyes searchingly while maintaining her silence.

    Amos became even more worried when she still refused to talk but kept biting down her lower lips.

    [He looks so in love with me. Even though his feelings have changed a bit I don''t think he would reject my love confession because of my condition]

    She sped her fist as she looked him in the eye.

    "Joan, are you alright?" He asked and raised his hand to touch her face.

    "I-I¡­," the nervous Joanna paused halfway.

    In her head, she had practised countless times how to make her confession. Now that it has reached the time for her to say the words out she realised that it wasn''t as easy as she thought.

    "What are you trying to tell me, say it?" Amos urged her on. There was so much gentleness in his gaze as he waited for her to say what was on her mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I-I¡­," Joanna bit down her lower lips. She clutched the hem of the red dress she wore.

    [Why can''t I bring myself to say it?]

    Her helplessness showed on her face and eyes as she kept her gaze glued on his.

    Her expressions that kept fluctuating made Amos wonder what she found so hard to tell him.

    "Joan, what''s the problem? Please say something and stop scaring me, hmmm?" He begged as he grabbed her shoulders with both hands.

    "Did he do anything else to you apart from trying to force himself on you?" Amos made a wild guess since she won''t talk to him.

    "If he did that, tell me and I will make sure he doesn''t die with all parts of his bodyplete," Amos said. He smiled just to assure her that he was on her side.

    [Since I can''t say the words, how about I kiss him instead? I heard actions speak louder than words so I am sure he will know how I feel for him even though I don''t say it]

    Joanna came up with a perfect solution for her problem even in her nervous state.

    "I won''t judge you for anything¡­," He choked on his words when she reached out her hand, held his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

    Time seemed to have stopped when her lips met his, but the flutter intensified. Joanna''s heart battered in her chest as she nibbled his lips trying to tear them apart.

    As she kissed him all her attention was on how soft his lips felt. The rush of emotions raided her senses making her head feel nk.

    His body subconsciously moved against his will. His lips moved in response to her intense kiss.

    His fingers sank into her jade-like skin with a mind of their own. As he made her feel loved and precious with every touch, her stomach fluttered as this was her first time.

    Her entire body tingled as the kiss heightened.

    While kissing he subconsciously made her lean back.

    A groan left her mouth when he bit her lower lips.

    "Why did you bite¡­," His powerful arms circled her waist before she couldy down herints.

    He captured her lips once again. His fiery lips explored every inch of her mouth.

    As they were indulging themselves with the little intimacy that was progressing very fast, Audrey was seen entering the elevator on the ground floor.

    The elevator closed shortly.

    As she eagerly waited for the elevator to reach her destination Audrey peeked at the small size boxes in her hands.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY NOVEMBER

    First of all, I want to thank all of you for all you didst month. A big shout-out to all the readers who tried their best to make sure that we aplishedst month''s goals although we ended up not being able to attain the goals.

    I know reaching the goals never worked out and this is what I don''t know the cause but I am still thankful to each one of you for at least attempting.

    As you all know new month like this always calls for new goals so these are our goals for this month.

    GOAL 1: Reach a certain number of privileged buyers = 6 chapters mass release. So instead of the usual 1k privileged chapters unlock I have twisted the goal a bit. As long as we reach a certain number of privileged buyers this November 2022, I will give 6 chapters mass release the following month.

    GOAL 2: 100 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 Chapters Mass release. For every 100 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month I will give 2 chapters mass release i.e if we get 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month I will give 4 chapters mass release. And these 4 chapters are only for the GOLDEN TICKETS goal.

    So what are you waiting for instead of casting all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book?

    Let''s Try Our Best To Aplish This Month''s Goals. I Am Challenging Myself By Deliberately Giving Giving So Many Chapters For Each Goal So Also Challenge Your And Let''s See Which Of Us Will Win.

    Is It You Guys Or me?

 Chapter 278 Audrey Plays The Matchmaker

    ?"I am sure the silly girl will be over the moon when she sets eyes on the Almond and Chocte cake I got for her. I can''t wait to see her smiling from ear to ear," Audrey''s eyes glistened as she looked at the box in her hands.

    Nothing serves better than giving two of her favourite vour cakes as an apology. This is what she believed.

    When the elevator stopped at the designated floor, Audrey stepped out and made her way to the only apartment on that floor.

    In all the apartments she has been to including the ones she checked out when she wanted to rent an apartment, she never saw thendlordndy build an entire floor for him/herself.

    Apart from saving herself the trouble of having to deal with annoying tenants, this particrndy decided to give herself a treat by building an entire floor for herself.

    Although she didn''t know how Amos managed to convince thendy to vacate the apartment, she admits he is a lucky guy to be able to enjoy such luxuries.

    At the door, Audrey halted. She raised her hand to ring the doorbell but stopped midway due to the conversation going on inside.

    She paused and paid attention to what those inside the house were saying.

    "Joan, that is enough," The guy grabbing thedy by both shoulders to keep her in control dered sternly as he looked into her eyes.

    "I want you and I am sure you must feel the same way right?" Joanna asked. She frantically tried to kiss him on his bare chest but he pulled backwards.

    "Stop being stubborn¡­,"

    "I am not being stubborn ok?" Joanna retorted. She sounded very irritated as she talked

    "You are the stubborn one here," She scoffed and pulled backwards like a child who has to withdraw after being constantly denied her favourite snacks.

    "You were so crazy about me in the past but recently you keep rejecting all my advances. What happened hmm?" Joanna demanded. She still maintained her pouty lips.

    "Is it that you don''t love or find me attractive again or are you treating me this way because maybe your feelings had perhaps changed," She mustered up all her courage to face her fears once and for all.

    Having her hopes dashed by him right now is better than living a life of lies.

    "Of course not," He blurted. He let go of her right shoulder and raised his hand to touch her face.

    "I don''t want us to go any further than this because I am sure I would unintentionally hurt you¡­,"

    "But I am notining or am I?" Joanna''s eyes glimmered when she learned his reason for the hesitation.

    "Silly, of course you are unconcerned about this but I am concerned. I won''t be able to forgive myself if I hurt you either physically, mentally or emotionally," He promised as he stroked her face.

    Audrey standing outside the door shook her head as she listened to the two individuals'' conversation.

    [There are still at this stage despite that I left for so many hours just to have them fixed up¡­ I can''t believe that despite all their intelligence they haven''t made any progress]

    Realising that her efforts were not very useful made Audrey shake her head in disappointment.

    She lifted her hand to knock on the door again but still changed her mind at thest minute.

    [Since I decided to be a good person by ying matchmaker, why don''t I y matchmaker until the end? I am sure this is what she desperately wants right now instead of a third wheel who will end up ruining things for her]

    Audrey took a long stare at the grey door, she spun and returned in the same direction she came from with her gifts in her hands.

    [I wille back tomorrow when everything has been sorted]

    Audrey said as she waited in front of the elevator door for it to open.

    Inside the room, Amos sprang up from the couch after managing to free himself from her.

    "Wait here while I call Gideon," Amos said. He hurriedly bent and picked up his cell phone lying on the centre table.

    "Amos¡­," Amos ced his index finger on his lips as a signal for her to be quiet.

    "We will talk again after I conclude with the call so be a good girl and wait for me," He instructed as he walked a few steps away from the centre table.

    On the first dial, there was an immediate response from the recipient.

    "Good evening, Your Majesty," Gideon greeted and bowed. He was checking the car but had to put a halt to it after the King''s call.

    "Gideon, I have an order for you," He announced as he paced about the spacious sitting room.

    "There is a man who thinks he can hurt my person and go scot-free just because he is under the protection of some powerful men¡­.," Amos trailed. He clenched his fist when he recalled Mr Aidan asking him whether his parents were the Prime Minister''s children.

    So what if my parents are not the Prime Minister''s children?

    I am more powerful and influential than him.

    "Just give us a name Your Majesty and I will make sure to get the job done," Gideon replied sternly.

    While he was on the phone he scrutinized the premises to make sure no one was in sight.

    "Mr Aidan, the Chancellor Of Twilight University," Amos stated.

    "I am aware that you and your men know what to do with him but before you put an end to his wretched life, make sure that the hands he used in ripping my woman''s clothes off are not attached to his body," Amos instructed.

    The coldness of his voice as he talked made Joanna wonder whether he was still the same guy who acts silly and naughty around her all the time.

    "We will execute the task ording to his Majesty''s instructions," Gideon responded. He reached out his hand and dropped the things in his possession inside the grey Mercedes Benz.

    "I will call to make reports after the job is done¡­,"

    "You can do that but not tonight," Amos cut in sharply.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

    TOP FANS

    A big shout-out to our top fans. To those whose names are here, I want to say congrattions to you.

    To some of you who might not know what makes a top fan in Webnovel, let me tell you. Buying privileged chapters and the coins you use in unlocking locked chapters, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts,ments and reviews; all these things count in getting your name on the top fan list.

    I want you to know that I appreciate all of you very much. Thank you for loving my book so much.

    It''s another thing to love a book and it''s another to support the book you love so I want to say thank you for supporting the book.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Flower_goddess

    3) Fitoria_01

    TOP GIFTERS

    A big thank you for all the awesome gifts. Would you believe it if I say I love your gifts very much this month?

    Not only did I love your gifts but it made me very happy to know that my readers appreciate my hard work. Thanks a bunch for the heartwarming gifts... (*coughs...) I am shamelessly asking that you keep the giftsing.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

    2) Fitoria_01

    3) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    Thank you so much to all of you who cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book this month. You don''t know just how much I appreciate all your support. Your support means a whole lot to me.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Gate_Khethiwe

    TOP COMMENTERS

    I am grateful to you for thements this month. Thank you for the sweetments, I really love them.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP REVIEWER

    Thank you for being the only reviewer this month. Your review was informative and it has helped me to decide on my uing books. Don''t worry I will try to make corrections. Thanks for the feedback.

    1) DaoistmfOF5T

    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

    Will this be enough to bribe you guys to do better next month and even in theing months?

    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 279 Tracy, The Eavesdropper

    ?There was quietness afterwards.

    "I will disconnect the call now. Make sure to continue overseeing everything in the pce while I am away," Amos said. He removed the phone from his ear and was about to click on the disconnection button when Gideon''s voice came on.

    "Wait a minute your Majesty," He called out anxiously.

    "What''s it? Do you have any reports to make or did you encounter problems while overseeing the affairs of the pce?" Amos interrogated calmly.

    Joanna sitting on the couch pretended as though she was ying with her cell phone when the truth was that she was intently listening to their conversation.

    "Apart from the reports our men made, I saw the news. I just want to ask whether His Majesty and Miss Joanna are fine," Gideon sounded very concerned as he talked.

    Meanwhile, as he was on the call he didn''t notice that not very far away from where he stood ady was hiding behind a pir eavesdropping on his conversation.

    "Do you think someone like him has the power to harm me?" Amos quizzed. He turned to look at thedy who immediately pretended as though her attention was immersed in the cell phone in her hand.

    "Don''t you think you are overestimating his capabilities?" He added. He instantly disconnected the call before Gideon had the chance to speak further.

    Gideon stared at the cell phone in his hand with mixed reactions.

    "I wanted to ask him how he is coping outside the pce, unfortunately, he didn''t allow me to do that," He mumbled and shut the car''s door immediately.

    "Since this is a task the King is very interested. I need to oversee the execution to make sure nothing goes wrong," He muttered. He examined his environment one more time before he made to leave.

    The moment he left, thedy came out from her hiding ce.

    "His Majesty?" Thedy wearing a high-ranking maid''s outfit mumbled as she stared in the direction Gideon went.

    "Isn''t the King in the Human''s World but why did their conversation sound as though he is still in the Kingdom¡­," Tracy tried to guess.

    No matter how hard she tried she couldn''t arrive at any reasonable conclusion.

    "I am sure as long as I follow him I will find out what they are hiding," Tracy concluded. She looked around and when she didn''t see anyone she jumped over the corridor''s barrier andnded outside.

    [While following him, if I end up discovering something that can be used against the King, that means Her Highness will regain her foothold in the pce and this will guarantee my future]

    Tracy grinned evilly as she kept on following Gideon''s trail.

    She was about to take a turn by the right when someone bumped into her. She almost fell off her feet had she not managed to bnce herself on the floor.

    "Are you ok?" Ady''s concerned voice filled the once-quiet atmosphere.

    "Sorry, it wasn''t intentional," She apologised while stretching her hand to hold Tracy''s hand but the meandy beats her hand away.

    "Get your filthy hands off me," She shouted angrily. She raised her gaze after she finished talking.

    "Ooh¡­ Josephina, it''s you," Tracy faked a surprised expression despite that she had already known who it was from the person''s scent.

    "I was in a hurry to report the incident happening in the King''s quarter to Her Highness. I wasn''t looking my way. I am sorry once again if I hurt you," Josephina apologised in a calm tone.

    "What is happening in the King''s quarters?" Tracy asked. She looked at Josephina with raised eyebrows.

    Josephina didn''t respond immediately but stole a nce at the direction Gideon went.

    [Let''s see how yours and the Queen Mother''s ns will work with me around¡­]

    "Why are you quiet, say it," the impatient Tracy ordered sternly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Two maids are fighting over what I don''t know. I have tried to put an end to their fight and so have the guards but they wouldn''t stop fighting," Josephina ryed. She almost chuckled when she saw Tracy''s forehead crease to form a deep frown.

    "Since His Majesty isn''t around and Queen Mother is the second inmand. I wanted to report to her so she would put an end to this. I am afraid they will tear down the King''s quarters if they keep this up¡­,"

    "Did you just say you want to disturb the Queen Mother over some fight between maids?" Tracy asked in disbelief.

    "Yes, is there anything wrong with that?" Josephina immediately feigns ignorance.

    "If the Queen Mother has to oversee such trivials then why are you even in the pce?" The sharp tonguedy snapped, her murderous res focused on Josephina.

    "If you are sick of working here then I can help relieve you of your duties right now¡­,"

    "You don''t have to. I will make sure I handle things from here onwards," Josephina cut in.

    "Jeez¡­ I can''t believe you just waste my precious time because of this nonsense," Tracy spat out the words. She glowered at her but Josephina refused to say anything.

    Josephina watched as the angrydy stomped away.

    [Just look at her attitude towards me. Does she think I would have tolerated her nonsense if Gideon didn''t ask me to stall for some time?]

    Josephina clenched her fist when she recalled the rude manner the youngdy spoke to her.

    Tracy tried to follow Gideon''s trail but for some reason, she could no longer trail him using his scent.

    "Where the hell did he go?" Tracymented as she looked around for traces of him.

    [Howe I can''t perceive his scent anymore? Did he vanish into space but how is that possible?]

    Tracy repeatedly keeps looking around. She ran her ten fingers through her well-styled hair.

    As she stood there she kept trying to guess which direction Gideon might have taken.

    "He talked as if he was going out of the pce so let me go to the pce entrance. I am sure I might be able to pick up his trails there," Tracy smiled as she made her way towards the pce gate.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY NOVEMBER

    First of all, I want to thank all of you for all you didst month. A big shout-out to all the readers who tried their best to make sure that we aplishedst month''s goals although we ended up not being able to attain the goals.

    I know reaching the goals never worked out and this is what I don''t know the cause but I am still thankful to each one of you for at least attempting.

    As you all know new month like this always calls for new goals so these are our goals for this month.

    GOAL 1: Reach a certain number of privileged buyers = 6 chapters mass release. So instead of the usual 1k privileged chapters unlock I have twisted the goal a bit. As long as we reach a certain number of privileged buyers this November 2022, I will give 6 chapters mass release the following month.

    GOAL 2: 100 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 Chapters Mass release. For every 100 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month I will give 2 chapters mass release i.e if we get 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month I will give 4 chapters mass release. And these 4 chapters are only for the GOLDEN TICKETS goal.

    So what are you waiting for instead of casting all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book?

    Let''s Try Our Best To Aplish This Month''s Goals. I Am Challenging Myself By Deliberately Giving Giving So Many Chapters For Each Goal So Also Challenge Your And Let''s See Which Of Us Will Win.

    Is It You Guys Or me?

 Chapter 280 Tiffany Got Slapped

    ?When she got to the pce entrance the guards at the magnificent Golden gate didn''t let her through.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Tracy questioned sternly. But not even her stern voice or murderous res could affect the guards. They remained unfazed.

    "How dare you block my path despite knowing whose quarter I am from? Are you sick of your jobs?" Tracy threatened.

    She was so sure that this tactic of hers would work since it always works each time she used it in the pce.

    "Judging from the quarters you are from and your rank, I am sure you must know the pce rules more than anyone," The leader of the guards said with a nk expression.

    "Pce rules are rules that should be obeyed no matter what. It doesn''t matter whether you are from His Majesty''s or Her Highness''s quarters. After the pce gate has been closed it shall not be opened to anyone," The guy stated the rules.

    His words didn''t go down well with thedy who was desperate to secure not only her master''s foothold but also her future in the pce.

    "How dare you¡­,"

    "Same with your rank. Even though you are His Majesty''s or Her Highness''s closest aide you can''t leave the pce no matter what¡­,"

    "How dare you disrespect Her Highness in this manner," Tracy lost her temper and raised her hand to p the man in a ck suit.

    The agile man caught her hand in the air and flung it away.

    "Leave now while I am trying to save your face or I will be forced to order my men to keep you in check if you continue disturbing our duties," The guy retorted. His men circled him after he finished his words.

    [I know I am eager to gain some merits but I am sure that Her Highness will not spare me if things get out of hand. She was already in a bad mood, I am sure I will not live to see daybreak if I mess up here]

    Tracy tried to let go of her pride and humbled herself. If not for anything but her life, she needs to keep her cool.

    "You said no matter the rank none is allowed to leave the pce after the gates are locked but I just saw someone leave the pce," Tracy decided to use another approach when she realised that her first attempt failed.

    "I was here and I can assure you that not even a cockroach had left the pce," The leader of the guards replied with confidence.

    "But I saw¡­.,"

    "Leave now Youngdy or I will be really forced to have you locked up," The guy threatened before Tracy could keep insisting.

    [I am sure that Gideon left the pce not long ahead so why are they so certain that none left the pce premises - Are they perhaps in this together?]

    Tracy red at the guy whose hand waspointing for her to turn back.

    She had no choice but to let such an amazing opportunity go down the drain.

    [Since I have confirmed that Gideon left the pce I better go and ry the conversation I overheard to Her Highness]

    Without waiting for the security guard to threaten her one more time she turned and hurried back to where she came from.

    As Tracy made haste to disclose the important information to her master, somewhere in the middle of a tastefully furnished sitting room a man was seen sitting on the couch while another stood not far away.

    The way the man sitting on the couch constantly gazed at the door, at first nce would make one suspect he was waiting for something/someone.

    Not long three girls each holding shopping bags arrived at the sitting room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    While Tiffany hurried to the couch, her friends kept their silence.

    "Grandpa, look at what I got for you. isn''t your granddaughter very considerate¡­,"

    BANG!

    The p thatnded on Tiffany''s face forced her to stop talking.

    Tiffany''s eyes and those of everyone in the spacious sitting room widened in shock.

    "Tell me he didn''t just lose his temper and p her?" Nora quizzed as she rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn''t framing.

    [It''s a well-renowned fact Mr Martinez is cruel but never did I expect he would p her, especially in front of us]

    Doris mustered up her courage to steal a nce at the fuming man.

    "Grandpa, you pped me¡­,"

    "And I will p you once more or even a hundred times if you don''t act straight," Mr Martinez retorted. He didn''t even spare a minute to look at the gift she bought for him.

    "Grandpa, Tiff has been well-behaved recently so why did you¡­,"

    "Shut your tramp if you don''t want me to teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents who couldn''t educate you well," Mr Martinez warned, as he shot Nora a murderous re.

    With the way, Mr Martinez reacted to Nora''s words even though the others had wanted to speak up for Tiffany they had to think twice about it.

    He shifted his gaze to his granddaughter once again.

    "If you were as half considerate or intelligent as other children I wouldn''t have been very worried each time. I would have been very happy since there would be no one to constantly ruin my ns," He asserted.

    Tiffany, who was still holding her burning cheeks, raised her head and stared at her Grandpa.

    "Grandpa, I haven''t done anything wrong so why did you¡­,"

    "You haven''t done anything wrong?" He demanded fiercely. The old man raised his gaze and signalled Sniper to turn on the television.

    "Watch this and tell me what exactly you did," Mr Martinez ordered.

    Slowly Tiffany shifted her gaze to watch the ongoing news on the television channel.

    Her heart sank the instant she saw the news. She and her friends couldn''t hide their bewilderment.

    [We hid our tracks well. Because we were afraid of being found out we didn''t physically participate in the execution of the ns. Does this mean Grandpa knows we are behind this incident?]

    Tiffany''s heart pounded hard against her chest as she fiddled with her silky ck hair.

    Her nervousness gave her away without her even realising it.

 Chapter 281 Tiffanys Punishment

    ?She looked away from the television screen when she discovered she could no longer keep her emotions in check.

    [Even though he had guessed we might be involved in this he can''t do anything to me without evidence so I think it''s better I feign ignorance until the end]

    Tiffany thought she hade up with a perfect n not knowing that she was walking into her own pit.

    "Grandpa, I have no hand in what happened¡­,"

    "Tiffany Noel, I will advise you to think before you speak. You know what happens if you lie when I have evidence against you and your friends," Mr Martinez interrupted coldly.

    His words made the girls exchange puzzled nces.

    [Even though Grandpa had carried out an investigation it would have taken him at least a day for him to discover our involvement in the incident¡­ except someone who was around during our n gave him the evidence]

    Tiffany diverted her gaze to her friends'' faces. Her scrutinising eyes moved from one person''s face to the other.

    [Did one of them betray me?]

    Tiffany clenched her fist as she looked at her friends whom she has known since they were toddlers.

    She couldn''t bring herself to ept that one of them might have betrayed her.

    "You knew that Mr Aidan was my man yet you plotted so viciously against me. Tiffany, tell me what should I do to you for this betrayal?" Mr Martinez shouted.

    The chillness of his voice made the guiltydies tremble. Nora''s body shook like that of a wet leaf in winter.

    The others were able to hide their fears a bit but not she. There is nothing Nora fears more than losing her immortal life because of her actions.

    The moment Tiffany realised that there was no escape for her, she immediately knelt beside where Mr Martinez sat.

    "Grandpa, I am¡­,"

    "Don''t you dare apologize or give me that sorry look because I know you are not sorry," Mr Martinez refused to listen to any excuses Tiffany wanted to make.

    "You have always been a smart child but your jealousy has reduced you to a fool. You don''t think without acting¡­,"

    "Grandpa, I just wanted to teach her a lesson for humiliating me and my friends, is that wrong?" Tiffany questioned. She dared not look Mr Martinez in the face as she talked.

    "And should I apud you for that?", Mr Martinez sneered, his chilling gaze focused on his kneeling granddaughter''s face.

    If it was someone else who ruined his great ns like this, cutting that person into tiny pieces wouldn''t have been enough to ease his anger.

    "Do you know what your petty ego has caused me?" Mr Martinez quizzed.

    "Not only did my major n suffer a setback because of you girls'' foolishness but I lost a valuable person because of you. Are you aware of this?"

    "Although we wanted to set up that stinky Joanna with this incident the truth is that the old fool deserved what he got. Our ns wouldn''t have worked if he was not a dog without a leash. He is¡­.," Sophie choked on her words when her gaze met Mr Martinez''s murderous res directed at her.

    Mr Martinez shifted his gaze to the guy standing by his side. "I am scared I might lose my temper and kill someone here so Sniper, take Tiffany to her room," Mr Martinez ordered.

    "Lock her in her room and make sure she doesn''t step out of this house until I said so," He added.

    Learning of her Grandpa''s judgement made Tiffany realise that she had crossed the line this time around.

    Her Grandpa has always been cold to her but never has he punished her this way. He always tolerated her willfulness.

    Seeing how he decided to punish her so harshly made her guess that her actions had ruined what shouldn''t be ruined.

    Tiffany who was still on her knees reached out her hands and clutched Mr Martinez''s right leg.

    "Grandpa, you can''t possibly do this to me. Don''t forget I still have to attend lectures¡­,"

    "Say one more word and I will ask your food to be withheld for all the days you will be under punishment," Mr Martinez said emotionlessly.

    Tiffany''s grip on his legs loosen the moment he threatened her with food.

    Unlike humans and werewolves who could stay for days without food, vampires can''t live long without blood.

    Not only will they lose their senses and go wild when starved but they will definitely end up biting a human due to their thirst.

    She could tolerate being locked up for as long as her Grandpa likes but she needs her daily dosage of blood to stay alive.

    "Ok Master but what about the girls?" Sniper asked while looking at thedies who has started trembling following his question.

    Nora clutched her chained handbag as she waited to listen to their fate.

    "Lock them up in the guestroom and have their parents pick them up," Mr Martinez responded.

    Nora and her friends could finally breathe again after hearing that they wouldn''t be undergoing the same punishment as Tiffany.

    "If they can''t teach their daughters I don''t mind educating them on their behalf," Mr Martinez muttered, he turned and walked out of the sitting room without sparing Tiffany a nce.

    "Let''s go, Miss Tiffany," Sniper said as he pointed his hand at the path he wanted her to take.

    For fear of angering Mr Martinez more she quietly followed her Grandpa''s, right-hand man.

    They were at the foot of the stairs when Tiffany got a whiff of Logan''s scent.

    Setting eyes on his face, memories of how he constantly warned them against their ns shed before Tiffany''s face.

    After connecting a knot or two it dawned on her that Logan was the one who sold her off to their Grandpa.

    The girls hated Joanna as much as she does and they all wanted to avenge themselves but that wasn''t the same with Logan.

    He was against the idea from the beginning.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You sly bastard, how dare you to tell on me?" Tiffany yelled as she charged towards Logan with her long ws aiming at his chest.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

    TOP FANS

    A big shout-out to our top fans. To those whose names are here, I want to say congrattions to you.

    To some of you who might not know what makes a top fan in Webnovel, let me tell you. Buying privileged chapters and the coins you use in unlocking locked chapters, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts,ments and reviews; all these things count in getting your name on the top fan list.

    I want you to know that I appreciate all of you very much. Thank you for loving my book so much.

    It''s another thing to love a book and it''s another to support the book you love so I want to say thank you for supporting the book.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Flower_goddess

    3) Fitoria_01

    TOP GIFTERS

    A big thank you for all the awesome gifts. Would you believe it if I say I love your gifts very much this month?

    Not only did I love your gifts but it made me very happy to know that my readers appreciate my hard work. Thanks a bunch for the heartwarming gifts... (*coughs...) I am shamelessly asking that you keep the giftsing.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

    2) Fitoria_01

    3) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    Thank you so much to all of you who cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book this month. You don''t know just how much I appreciate all your support. Your support means a whole lot to me.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Gate_Khethiwe

    TOP COMMENTERS

    I am grateful to you for thements this month. Thank you for the sweetments, I really love them.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP REVIEWER

    Thank you for being the only reviewer this month. Your review was informative and it has helped me to decide on my uing books. Don''t worry I will try to make corrections. Thanks for the feedback.

    1) DaoistmfOF5T

    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

    Will this be enough to bribe you guys to do better next month and even in theing months?

    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 282 Persistent Joanna

    ?Logan wasn''t stupid to just wait around and let his cousin trash him. He duck and disappeared from where he stood beside the ancient relics shelf.

    He reappeared in the middle of the centre table.

    "Grandpa was enraged when he saw the news. He kept suspecting I was the one behind the incident¡­.," Logan trailed. If he wasn''t in a dilemma earlier he wouldn''t have sold off his cousin to his Grandpa.

    "I had no choice but to tell him the truth when he threatened me," He concluded.

    "Even at that, how could you just cheaply sell off your cousin like that¡­,"

    "Do you think you would have acted differently if you were in my shoes huh?" He snapped at Doris.

    "No matter what your reason was, I don''t care. Just wait and see how I will teach you a lesson you will never forget today," Tiffany threatened. Her eyes turned crimson red as she red at Logan.

    She was about to advance towards where Logan stood but Sniper grabbed her hand.

    Tiffany shifted her murderous res to the hand of the guy holding her tightly.

    "Miss Tiffany, I would advise that you quietly follow me to your room like Master had ordered¡­,"

    "How dare you touch me with your filthy hand?" She challenged him. She violently flung his hand and retracted her hand.

    "Miss Tiffany, if you know what Master had to lose because of your and your friends'' foolish acts then you wouldn''t be here throwing tantrums just because he ordered to lock you up¡­,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that I should be grateful that I will get locked up in my room just because of what you said?" Tiffany asked, her piercing res focused on Sniper''s face.

    Despite her deadly res constantly shot at Sniper, the guy remained unmoved. He didn''t cower away nor did his nk expression change. And this was the most annoying part of the guy, ording to Tiffany.

    "Too bad, I don''t feel the least grateful so what will you do?" She asserted with her chin raised high.

    As she turned to head back to the stairs she deliberately bumped into Sniper. As usual, Sniper didn''t say anything. He acted as though it was a cold breeze that whooshed passed him.

    "She has lost her mind," Logan muttered as he stared up in the direction of a door that just jammed closed.

    Sniper returned downstairs to take the girls to the guest room upstairs.

    After concluding his task Sniper was seen standing in front of a ck door. He raised his hand to knock but a voice came on before he got to do that.

    "Come in," A man''s voice ushered him in and immediately he entered the room.

    Entering the room Sniper walked into the mini sitting room where a man was seen sitting at the centre table.

    "Things are not looking nice at all," Sniper started.

    "Because of Mr Aidan''s act and the incident at campus no newspaper is mentioning the news on the recent killings in the Kingdom. The hot topic has swept underfoot the news about the recent killings," Sniper reported.

    Mr Martinez''s grip on the ss of wine in his hand tightened after hearing the report. Due to the pressure he applied to his hand the ss shattered into pieces.

    "I can''t believe that my great ns got a major setback because of myck of foresight. And this is done by none other than my stupid granddaughter," Mr Martinez muttered.

    As Mr Aidan was mulling over his loss, at Amos'' home, Joanna was seen drawing closer to where Amos sat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She tried to steal a kiss from him but the agile guy held her shoulders and kept her under control.

    "Joan, stop being stubborn and let it go. Like I said earlier, I wouldn''t want to hurt you for anything in this world. Not even my desires can make me go back on my words" He said unyieldingly. He refused to let go despite how hard she was struggling.

    "A King''s word is equivalent to his promise, are you going back on your words huh?" She demanded.

    Of course, he would love to go all naughty with her just like she wanted but he has her bests interest at heart.

    [I can see he is determined to reject me with everything within him. What can I do to get him distracted so that I can have my way?]

    As she gazed at him, he wasn''t aware of the crazy thoughts that were going through her mind.

    "Be good Joan, I promise I will make it up to you when you have gotten better," He coaxed. He was so happy when she stopped to struggle with him.

    He released her hand atst when he noticed she was calm.

    "Ouch!" She cried out while holding her right leg.

    In a sh, he jumped up from the couch and squatted in front of her.

    "Where does it hurt?" He demanded while examining her legs.

    "It hurts!" She whimpered while refusing to let go of her leg.

    Seeing that he was distracted trying to find out what was wrong with her, she seized this opportunity and trapped him by wrapping her hands around his neck.

    "See, if you had given me what I wanted or didn''t go back on your words I wouldn''t have resorted to petty tricks like this," Joanna muttered, grinning.

    "Joan¡­," She smeared her lips against his and snuck her wet tongue into his half-parted lips before he could react.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY NOVEMBER

    First of all, I want to thank all of you for all you didst month. A big shout-out to all the readers who tried their best to make sure that we aplishedst month''s goals although we ended up not being able to attain the goals.

    I know reaching the goals never worked out and this is what I don''t know the cause but I am still thankful to each one of you for at least attempting.

    As you all know new month like this always calls for new goals so these are our goals for this month.

    GOAL 1: Reach a certain number of privileged buyers = 6 chapters mass release. So instead of the usual 1k privileged chapters unlock I have twisted the goal a bit. As long as we reach a certain number of privileged buyers this November 2022, I will give 6 chapters mass release the following month.

    GOAL 2: 100 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 Chapters Mass release. For every 100 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month I will give 2 chapters mass release i.e if we get 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month I will give 4 chapters mass release. And these 4 chapters are only for the GOLDEN TICKETS goal.

    So what are you waiting for instead of casting all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book?

    Let''s Try Our Best To Aplish This Month''s Goals. I Am Challenging Myself By Deliberately Giving Giving So Many Chapters For Each Goal So Also Challenge Your And Let''s See Which Of Us Will Win.

    Is It You Guys Or me?

 Chapter 283 What She Wants

    ?Joanna kissed him roughly leaving him no space to resist or push her away. Even though he had ns of pushing her away she was sure he wouldn''t be able to do that, especially because she was badly injured.

    This was her Trump card in her act of confession.

    With this passionate kiss, she would make sure he realised just how madly in love she is with him.

    Amos tried very hard to resist. But his willpower couldn''t matched hers.

    He was soon overwhelmed by the sweetness of her lips and his deep feelings for her.

    [For fear that I would hurt her, I have tried my best to avoid getting close to her. I don''t think it would do any harm to indulge myself this once. I will try my best not to hurt her or lose control tonight]

    Amos was determined in his heart to see this intimacy to the end.

    [With this intimacy I will make her realise that never had my love for her changed but instead it grew stronger than ever]

    Amos raised his hand and guided her neck up and while doing this, he slowly lifted himself from his squatting position.

    Still kissing, he made her stand up and turn around so that he took his position in front of the couch she sat on.

    "Knowing that you might get hurt while leaning on the couch makes me feel uneasy so I will lend you my legs as a cushion tonight," He said as he made her sit on his legs.

    "I thought you didn''t want this," She gasped as she looked into his eyes. For some reason, she felt kinda shy as she looked into his eyeballs which seems to be piercing through her soul.

    "You have enticed me with your charms. Who am I to say no other than sumbing to your charms," He said grinning.

    He circled her neck with his right hand and captured her lips.

    Joanna''s body grew hot as time ticked. It got to the extent that it felt as if her body was set on fire.

    As he kissed her, his left hand snuck in between her thighs and kept roaming inside there.

    She was too focused on the hot kisses he was showering on her bare body to notice that his hand was underneath her clothes.

    She yelped and her back arched the instant his fingers grazed her sensitive spot which was now soaking wet.

    She was yet to get over this sweet feeling when the white notification screen popped up.

    <You have only three days toplete your mission>

    <Losing your remaining powers as the deadline draws nigh is inevitable>

    Joanna subconsciously paused what she was doing and clenched her fist.

    [Why did the goddamn notification have toe on now? - I should have known that I was right when I said that this fucking system hates my guts. It wants nothing good for me apart from constantly asking me toplete those goddamn missions. Can''t it be happy for me once and cheer me on]

    Joanna was so distracted and didn''t know that Amos had sensed some changes in her temperament.

    Just like her, he abandoned what he was doing and raised his gaze to stare at her.

    His gaze moved from her face which was staring nkly to her clenched fist.

    [Was I too rough? Is she acting this way because I have hurt her?]

    Amos, who has tried to keep his emotions under control, began to doubt himself when he saw her nk expression.

    "Did I hurt you?" He asked as he touched her face.

    The startled Joanna tried topose herself as she brought back her gaze to the face of the man she is in love with.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She smiled sweetly at him, "You were as gentle of a dove and as cautious as ever so how could you have possibly hurt me?" She said in her most melodic voice.

    Her honey voice was so enticing that it sucks Amos in without him even realising it.

    "I like that you don''t want to hurt me but at the same time I hate that you are yingsafe¡­," She trailed off and let her words linger in his ears.

    She bent slightly so that her mouth was very close to his right ear.

    [To hell with the system and its unreasonable missions. The man I love is the most powerful man in the Kingdom. If it means I have to rely on him for protection my whole life, I don''t think that is a bad thing to do]

    For the first time, Joanna decided to throw reasoning out of the window. She made up her mind to get intimate with him for the first time without having her mission in mind.

    "From this moment onwards I order you to drop every bit of gentleness in you. Take me whole like a hungry lion would feel on his prey. I want every part of my body to feel your roughness. My body is yours tonight. No matter what you do I won''tin nor will I let out a cry of pain. It''s a promise so show me what you have got," Joanna whispered provocatively.

    Against his will, his hardened cock twitch while listening to her sexually provocative words.

    "I wouldn''t have had to hold back myself if your power were on par with mine but I can''t right now, so be careful of what you asked for¡­,"

    "Would you decline what I want even though it is a request from your future Queen?" She asked while looking into his hesitant eyes.

    The word FUTURE QUEEN kept echoing in his head. He subconsciously smiled as he listened to the words ring in his head.

    [Does this mean she is willing to marry me?]

    The corner of his lips lifted to reveal a beautiful smile. Seeing that he smiled instead of rejecting her request she took this as his reply.

    Her sore lips crashed against his. To show him just how determined she was, she took the first step by ripping his white shirts.

    [I preserved my chastity for the man I love. So it''s only right I give it to you. Since you are the one, I am certain there is no way ay I would regret my decision]

    She smiled as she lowered her lips to his chest. She sucked and licked him until he lost his senses.

    Joanna didn''t forget to mark the region beside his right nipple as she kissed him.

    Just when she was about to devour his nipples he grabbed and held her in ce.

    He looked her in the eye before he started talking. "There is no turning back if we make love. Are you sure you are not gonna regret your decision?" He asked while looking into her eyes searchingly.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION hase to an end, this doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t gift this book, cast GOLDEN TICKETS or buy the book''s privileged.

    But this should be the time where you support the book as much as you can. Remember, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION has ended, the YEARLY APPRECIATION ising up in December.

    For those whose names didn''t appear on the list during those four months, this is your chance.

    Don''t forget apart from the YEARLY APPRECIATION I will do, Webnovel also do theirs too.

    All I am trying to say is that you should support the book by buying privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment, vote with power stones and also leave a review.

    Thanks a bunch as you you do this.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 284 The Visitor

    ?"Never," she affirmed to the shock of Amos.

    He had expected it would take her a few minutes to make up her mind but to his greatest amazement, she didn''t hesitate to answer.

    "If that''s the case then I will give you exactly what you want," He retorted.

    He made her stand on her feet while he also did likewise.

    Amos stared at her innocent face for a few seconds before he bent and kissed her.

    He didn''t kiss her for up to two minutes when sounds of ripped fabrics could be heard all over the apartment.

    As they kissed they were never in one ce. He constantly made her move as he showered her heated body with lots of kisses.

    When they reached the wall just beside where the butterfly portrait hung, he pinned her hands to the wall.

    The guy holding his cock which was twice its former size lowered his gaze at thedy''s nude body standing in front of him.

    "Joan¡­,"

    "I have already consented and I am an adult now so there is no need to hesitate anymore," Joanna, who knew what exactly was going on in his mind, interrupted.

    "Although Drey told me that the first time usually hurts a lot. I am prepared for this. I will try my best not to cry no matter what," She assured him with a smile.

    As she waited to feel his hardness in between her thighs her heart started pounding.

    Everything within her seemed to be looking forward to this new experience.

    Sex is considered the sweetest thing in the world by millions of people.

    While love is the most beautiful feeling in the universe. She has confirmed this but couldn''t wait to confirm the former.

    As he prepared to im her body as his in totality, he ced his left hand on her slender waist while his left hand held his hardened cock firmly.

    The moment he brought his cock near to the mouth of her delicious cave, a knock came on the knock.

    "Tell me this isn''t an intruder knocking on the door at such a crucial moment?" Joanna growled as she clenched her fist.

    The deep frown on his face was soon reced by a surprised look. "What is he doing here?" Amos muttered as he looked in the direction of the door.

    "Do you know who it''s¡­ why do I even care about who is standing at the door?" She retorted.

    "He will leave if no one responds so let''s continue with what we were doing," Joanna decided not to mind the knock at the door.

    "I know you are in there soe and open the door for me. Don''t think you can get rid of me by not opening the door because I won''t move an inch from here," The voiceing from outside their apartment said.

    "Why does his voice sound familiar?" She asked absentmindedly.

    Because of the incessant knock on the door, Amos had no choice but to put their intimacy on hold.

    As he went to check on the visitor, the nude Joanna went to his bedroom with her ripped clothes, including his in her possession.

    "What are you doing here¡­.,"

    "Didn''t you alwaysin that I am not a good friend for not visiting you after you left your real home but why do you look very unhappy to see me?" The man at the door questioned. He tried to get a peep inside the room but Amos blocked his sight with his tall height.

    Without letting Amos block his path to reply, the guy who just arrived forced his way into the house.

    Amos wasn''t happy with his actions but he still ran after him.

    The intruder fed his eyes with the beauty of the vast sitting room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His eyes paused when theynded on Joanna''s picture hanging on the wall.

    [They are a lot closer now. I wonder whether I will be hearing wedding jingles soon]

    He subconsciously smiled as he stared at her picture.

    "When I asked you to visit me at my home you said you were too busy¡­,"

    "Was that why His Majesty wanted to punish me by letting me spend the entire night outside the door?" He asked sternly.

    "I have told you not to address me as that so many why won''t you listen? Why do you keep making the same mistakes just like Chris?" Amos demanded.

    He watched as the guy in a grey woven shirt walked to one of the couches at the centre table.

    "Also, aren''t you leaving soon so why bother sitting?" He was not able to hide his feelings properly.

    "Why does it feel like you want to chase me away? Are you hiding something here that you are afraid I would find out?" He asked suspiciously.

    His suspicious res moved from his face to the door of his bedroom.

    "Why would I be scared of getting found out when I am not doing anything wrong?" Amos quizzed with his shoulders held high.

    He strolled to the centre table and sat beside the intruder.

    There was quietness in the room afterwards.

    "Finley, what brings you here? I am sure you didn''te here just to annoy me right?" He asked a bit more seriously this time around.

    "And what if your guess is right, will you chase me away for disrupting your sweet time with her?" He demanded his gaze not moving away from the bedroom door.

    [He must have known that we were in the middle of making love so why did he knock countlessly?]

    Amos looked at his friend as he tried to guess his intentions.

    "I was worried about you and her that is why I decided to check up on the two of you," Mr Fin responded. He brought back his gaze to the face of the guy sitting beside him.

    "How is she? Was she badly hurt?" He questioned softly.

    "I saw on the video that you lost your temper and almost murdered him in front of so many people. I rushed over from home as soon as I could but unfortunately, I wasn''t able to catch up to you guys and that''s why I am here," He exined.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION hase to an end, this doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t gift this book, cast GOLDEN TICKETS or buy the book''s privileged.

    But this should be the time where you support the book as much as you can. Remember, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION has ended, the YEARLY APPRECIATION ising up in December.

    For those whose names didn''t appear on the list during those four months, this is your chance.

    Don''t forget apart from the YEARLY APPRECIATION I will do, Webnovel also do theirs too.

    All I am trying to say is that you should support the book by buying privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment, vote with power stones and also leave a review.

    Thanks a bunch as you you do this.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 285 She Came Out Of Hiding

    ?"Although that piece of trash got to live a few hours more because of her, I assure you that he won''t live to see another day," Amos stated with hands sped to form a ball.

    "Also, she got badly hurt but with me here to take care of her she will recover in no time," He said not minding that he sounded very narcissistic.

    "Seeing how your upper body is nude I can already tell that. The unholy sound I heard at the door tells me that not only are you taking care of her physical wounds but also her needs in bed¡­,"

    "If you knew what we were up to then why did you keep on knocking at the door earlier?" He challenged unhappily.

    "Maybe because I am just that terrible," Mr Fin grins as he stood up and approached where the butterfly painting hung.

    As the two men chatted in the sitting room Joanna was seen straining her ears just to hear the men''s conversation.

    She removed her ear from the door and walked back to the magnificent bed.

    "The intruder could have been anyone else but why did it have to be Mr Fin?" Joanna muttered unhappily.

    Reaching the bed shey her nude body on the red and white bedsheet.

    Laying there with her eyes closed the memory of the amazing thing that urred between her and Amos began reying in her head.

    She moved about on the bed as she experienced the same feelings she did moments ago all over again.

    Her eyes fluttered open when her body began to heat up due to this.

    [Today we were just this close¡­ Anyways, they are so many times we were always this close to doing it but one thing or the other always happened. But why is this so? Why is it that we always don''t get to finish what we started]

    Joanna sped her fists when she recalled their numerous failed attempts to have sex with each other.

    [Was I cursed never to know how it feels to have sex with the man I love? Is that why one thing or the other always happens whenever hees close to me?]

    Joanna was lost in thoughts as shey there. No matter how many times she thought about it she couldn''t bring herself to believe that such a coincidence exists.

    How could it be a coincidence that they always failed in their attempt to make love to each other?

    After slightly getting over what happened, she decided to seize this opportunity to shower and get dressed.

    In the sitting room, Amos and Mr Fin were seen standing in front of the painting with their attention focused on the realistic portrait.

    "At first I was worried whether you will not be able to get used to life outside your home but seeing how you are still here I guess I was wrong all along," Mr Fin muttered.

    Although it looked as if he was enjoying the beauty of the painting, the truth remains that he was staring into space.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I also felt the same way. The thought that I might end up regretting my decision scared me a little. Despite doubting whether I will be able to survive properly outside the walls of my home, I can''t believe I did it. And not only that but I am veryfortable with my life now," He smiles as he talked.

    Not only does he have the freedom to do whatever he liked and be with whoever he wanted, but he also didn''t have to be suspicious of everyone and everything around him.

    Living with this fake identity has given him more insight into life in general and he doesn''t regret ever making this decision.

    "And I believe this is all because of her," Mr Fin responded as he shifted his gaze to Joanna''s picture frame hanging on the wall.

    "You love her way too much and I believe that is why you consider wherever she is home," He added. He returned his attention to the guy standing by his side.

    "I guess you are right about that but I must admit getting used to this new identity of mine wasn''t easy at all. I can remember the countless times I wanted to murder someone because I was disrespected," He said with all honesty.

    He won''t deny that the life of being someone else was all rosy.

    Though he gained a lot of things he didn''t have when he was the King he also lost so many things and privileges that came with being the King.

    But notwithstanding this, he believes his life right now is perfect especially since he and Joanna have made up.

    "I know you and your temper very well. And I can already guess just how hard you must have tried not to do it. I didn''t give you the nickname of Crazy dude in the past for nothing or have you forgotten?" Mr Fin smiled when he recalls the past.

    Even Amos couldn''t resist smiling along with him. "Of course, I remember that the reason you gave me that title was because of my short temperament," He chuckled when he remembered some of those amazing memories in the past.

    They were still deep into their conversation when Joanna arrived in the sitting room.

    The two men who got a whiff of her enticing scent turned and nced behind at the same time.

    "You have finally decided to reveal yourself and here I thought you were gonna remain in hiding until I left," Hemented as he watched thedy leap to one of the couches at the centre table.

    "I wasn''t hiding," Joanna replied sternly.

    "Ooh¡­.," He eximed.

    "I didn''te out because I was nude. I mean you didn''t possibly expect me to show just anyone my nudity or did you?" Joanna questioned without feeling any ounce of shame.

    Instead of feeling offended by the tone she used, Mr Fin''s smile. "I must say you are very bold for ady of your age¡­,"

    "And isn''t this the quality that endeared me to you ever since our first meeting?" She quizzed while leaning on the arm of the couch for support.

 Chapter 286 Mr Fin Helped Amos

    ?"Hehehe¡­ I must admit that you are right about that," Mr Fin replied. He and Amos moved to the centre table.

    While Amos sat beside her Mr Finley sat on the opposite couch.

    "Not only are you bold but also very intelligent. And I guess these are the two qualities I like about you very much...," Mr Fin trailed as he diverted his attention to the guy whose entire concentration was on Joanna''s face.

    "Just like he vehemently believes that you will make an exceptional Queen, I have alsoe to believe that after meeting and knowing you closely," Mr Fin admitted.

    He smiled when he saw Joanna turn and looked at the guy by her side.

    She looked him in the eye before she went ahead to ask, "Did you say that about me?".

    [I bet if it was only his method to make her fall in love with him, he wouldn''t have reached this stage. Since those behind the stages have helped him to get to this point, why I don''t help him a bit too]

    Mr Fin grinned seeing how intently the two were looking into each other''s eyes.

    "Didn''t you call me JUST ANYONE while you referred to him as someone special because you know exactly what he thinks about you?" Mr Fin asked, as he immediately faked a surprised expression.

    "I indeed called you JUST ANYONE but I don''t remember calling him someone special¡­,"

    "But that''s exactly what your words implied. I am sure anyone would have had the same thoughts as me after hearing your love confession," Mr Fin said. He acted defiant after dropping the bomb on Joanna.

    He crossed his long legs acting as if he didn''t see Joanna jump to her feet because of his words.

    "Love confession?" Joanna eximed with widened eyes.

    Even though Amos wouldn''t have believed what Mr Finley said but because of the way she reacted she looked very suspicious.

    "Who said that was a love confession?" Joanna asked. The way she acted very tensed and flustered while saying this made Mr Fin grin inwardly.

    [I see I hit the right button this time around]

    A sly smile stered on his face as he stared at the anxiousdy.

    "I thought only you had this unique way of confessing your love or was I wrong?" Mr Fin asked.

    At that moment his eyes met with Amos'' questioning res but he just shrugged his shoulders and gave him the I DON''T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT expression.

    "That wasn''t a love confession so stop making a wild guess," Joanna replied. As she talked to Mr Fin, she dared not look at Amos'' face be it by mistake or intentionally.

    She was scared he would discover the truth if she did this.

    She was so eager to confess her love to him earlier but she didn''t know why she has be very fearful right now.

    "Joan¡­,"

    "I feel famished for some reason. I will go get myself what to eat," She hastily replied.

    She ran away before his extended hand could grab her.

    "She is acting very weird for some reason," Amos muttered as he kept gazing in the direction she disappeared into.

    "What do you expect from someone who was caught red-handed?" Mr Fin replied as he leaned his back against the couch.

    "What do you mean?" Amos demanded. "Also, I wanted to ask you what that was earlier. How could you ever think of bullying my woman in front of me?".<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mr Fin stared at the angry guy who was now ring at him. He contemted whether or not to disclose what he had found out to him.

    "How could I possibly bully her in front of you?" He said as he stood up and walked to where Amos and Joanna''s picture hung.

    "I am not crazy either am I courting death to want to do that¡­,"

    "Then what was that?" He interrogated as he appeared beside where Mr Finley stood.

    "I can feel that she is in love with you and I was just giving her a slight push to help my friend here out, was that wrong of me?" Mr Finley asked, pretending to be upset.

    Instantly Amos grabbed his hand and spun him around so that they were looking at each other eyeball to eyeball.

    "You can feel she is in love with me? What do you mean?" He demanded sternly. There was a lot of anxiety on his face as he waited for Mr Fin''s response.

    [He is such an intelligent guy but I still can''t believe that he hasn''t noticed or felt that the woman he had been in love with for a long time is now in love with him. Is he this dense or is he pretending not to know?...]

    The sudden snap of Amos'' finger in front of him brought him out of his daze.

    "Stop spacing out and say something," He said impatiently.

    "Making her fall in love with you and marrying her has always been your life goal. You didn''t hesitate to abandon your identity to achieve this so howe you don''t even know that she is in love with you?" Mr Fin asked suspiciously.

    Amos frowned after listening to Mr Fin''s words.

    "Stop making me look dumb with your questions and tell me what you know," He replied.

    "Is she really in love with me and how sure are you about this information?" Amos quizzed, his curious eyes focused on Mr Finley''s face.

    "Yes. And I don''t think her feelings are just starting to develop. It feels like she has felt this way about you for a long time," Mr Fin said what he noticed.

    Of course, this conclusion of his didn''t arrive only from today''s meeting.

    He has seen how they interacted in and outside his lecture hall although he pretended not to be aware of this.

    He arrived at this conclusion after so much thinking and that is why he decided to test whether his assumptions were right today and she proved it not long ago.

    "If she is so in love with you that she is willing to give her body to you how could you not have¡­,"

    "Do you mean you heard all we said back then?" Amos asked. His eyebrows creased into a frown.

    "Are you a pervert or what?" Amos questioned. With his hands sped into a fist, he stood up and walked to where Mr Fin sat.

    "I am sure the entire neighbourhood had listened to your sweet little conversation so why are you treating me like this? Besides it''s not my fault¡­," Mr Fin kept quiet, seeing Amos raise his fist.

    Just when he wanted to hit him, Joanna arrived in the sitting room with a tray in her hand.

    For fear that she would ask questions, he quickly returned to his seat.

    "It would be very selfish of me to be the only one eating which is why I brought you meals too," Joanna said smiling. She bent and dropped the tray on the table just beside Mr Fin''s front.

    ...

    Please, support the dearest author by buying the privileged chapters. Also, don''t forget to vote with power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS. Send gifts,ment and review the book too.

 Chapter 287 His Plan Backfired

    ?"Wow¡­ this is nice," Mr Fin eximed. He picked the wine ss whose content was blood while he passed the other to Amos.

    "What is so surprising about this?" Joanna asked, not understanding why the guy reacted the way he did.

    "He didn''t even offer me a ss of water and was eager to chase me out. I am happy that the wife is very hospitable¡­,"

    "What-what are you saying?" The flustered Joanna stammered as she stole a nce at Amos to see his reaction.

    She was so surprised to see him so calm after Mr Fin''sment.

    "We are not married¡­,"

    "Of course, I know that but I am also aware that in a matter of time we will soon hear wedding giggles," Mr Fin cut in. He secretly winked at Amos after he finished talking.

    Joanna wanted to respond but when she saw how quiet Amos was she changed her mind.

    What if she responded and it ended up being her wishful thinking?

    Nothing hurts more than failed expectations and she didn''t want this to happen to her.

    Maybe this is the reason she is hesitating to confess her love to him.

    "Everyone says Mr Fin is a stern man. Some days he doesn''t smile because he is incapable of feeling emotions but why does it feel like I am talking to a different person?" Joanna asked. She walked over to the couch Amos sat on and took her position beside him.

    "Since you arrived here, you have teased me more than twice and smiled very often. Why are you so different from who you are on campus?" Joanna questioned in a serious tone.

    Mr Fin took a sip from the ss of blood before he returned it to the centre table.

    "That is the professional Mr Finley that you are talking about and this one sitting here is the one outside campus¡­,"

    "Aren''t they the same people?" Joanna interrupted calmly.

    "Of course, they are the same people but the environment usually determines how one acts. Let''s take you for example," Mr Fin said. He adjusted well on the table.

    "You won''t tell me that the way you behave at home is the same way you behave outside your home¡­,"

    "Of course, that is a given. It''s just like you asking me to treat him the same way I treat my father or stepmother," Joanna said.

    Talking about Adhara made her recall that Laura''s grandmother was supposed toe.

    [I wish she wouldn''te just yet]

    Joanna got a bit distracted but she soon got back on track.

    "See, you understand exactly what I am trying to say," Mr Fin replied with a smile.

    "Although I am naturally stern I loosened up sometimes, especially if I am in the midst of friends," Mr Fin exined softly.

    While Mr Fin talks Amos was busy staring at Joanna''s face. The secret Mr Fin disclosed to him kept reying in his head.

    He so much wanted to ask her whether his assumptions were true but he didn''t even know how to begin asking such a question.

    Joanna turned to look at Amos when she felt a burning re on her face.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked. She subconsciously touched her right cheek as she waited for his response.

    "Do I have something on my face?" She became a bit ufortable when he didn''t utter a word.

    "Didn''t you say you were famished and wanted to prepare food for yourself so howe you are still here?" He quizzed, ignoring her questions.

    "Why?" She demanded. "Are you angry that I am stealing your friend''s attention from you¡­,"

    "Don''t be silly, do I look so petty that I would get angry over such things?" Amos asked. He rxed his back against the couch and forced himself to look away from her face.

    "Maybe, you are," Mr Fin said in almost a whisper but both Joanna and Amos heard what he said.

    Amos threw Mr Finley a fierce re but he didn''t press the issue further.

    "You have to eat before you take drugs. I am worried that dying having your drugs will cause the pains to be immense¡­,"

    "From what I know you didn''t take her to the hospital so how do you know the drugs to give her? - Aren''t you afraid you might overdose her or give her the wrong medication?" Mr Fin interrogated. His nonchnt attitude as he took the wine ss to his mouth annoyed Amos.

    "I was taught how to use the basic first aid medication by Amelia¡­," He paused midway when he noticed what he was about to say.

    "Did she teach you how to use the first aid kit?" Joanna retorted. Despite trying to hide how angry she was, a bit of anger still showed in her tone.

    "Didn''t you tell me earlier that your doctor taught you how to do that?" She asked as she looked at him for a reply.

    Amos bites down his lower lips not knowing what to say to her. With his eyes, he pleaded with Mr Fin for help.

    [I have done him one favour so why don''t I do him another favour now?]

    "Did you lie to her?" Mr Fin retorted leaving Amos astonished with his words. "You look like one who would never lie, I never knew you were a great liar¡­," Joanna stood up and stomped out of the sitting room without sparing Amos another nce.

    "Hey, Finley!" Amos shouted angrily after Joanna was gone. "Were you here to ruin everything I have worked hard to achieve instead of helping me?".

    "Kayden¡­,"

    "If you were here to ruin our rtionship that I have suffered to fix then I will advise that you take your leave. We are friends and I don''t want to harm you," Amos standing with his back facing Mr Fin said.

    "Does it look like I am trying to ruin your rtionship with her¡­,"

    "Isn''t it very obvious?" He cut in sharply.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

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    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

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    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 288 The Mean Witches Block Her Path

    ?"You got it wrong," Mr Fin said. He stood up and strolled to meet Amos. When he reached there he raised his left hand and ced it on Amos'' left shoulder.

    "You said you are not aware that she loves you and that''s exactly what I was trying to make you see," Mr Fin exined in aposed tone.

    The once furious Amos who looked like he would never look Mr Fin in the eye turned and stared at him.

    "You were testing her?" He asked despite already knowing that much.

    "Bingo!" Mr Fin said smiling.

    "Didn''t you see how sweetly she talked to you before we arrived at the earlier discussion? And didn''t you notice the way she reacted at the mention of another woman?" Mr Fin questioned.

    Amos and Mr Fin kept on discussing in the sitting room with ease,knowing very well that Joanna won''t be able to eavesdrop on their conversation from the kitchen.

    If shees as close to the sitting room they would have long stopped talking after sensing her presence from afar.

    "Dude, you were never into love and rtionships but why does it feel like you are now more experienced than me in this aspect huh?" Amos asked after discussing at length with Mr Fin.

    "You are right about that," Mr Fin said as he sat on the couch behind them.

    "Kyle and I were both worried about you and how slowly you have progressed with your mission. Because the two of us wanted the same thing, he came up with all these ideas for me to help you," Mr Fin said honestly.

    Others would have taken credit for this but he didn''t. He was a man of principle and he will stick to that no matter what.

    "Oh¡­ this was the silly guy''s idea all along. I should have known this much. I should have guessed that our beloved Finley is too pure toe up with such cruel ns¡­,"

    "Hey, stop that or else people will misunderstand your words," Mr Finley admonished. He brushed his hand off his shoulder.

    "But I am telling the truth¡­," Amos kept quiet when Joanna starteding to the sitting room.

    When Joanna surfaced in the sitting room he turned to face Mr Fin, "Return to your seat," Amos said, pushing Mr Fin off the couch.

    Instead of sitting in the space, he created for her, she chose to sit on the opposite couch.

    Amos exchanged puzzled nces with Mr Fin when he saw the way she acted.

    "Your hand is injured why don''t youe over so I can feed you¡­,"

    "I don''t think I deserve such luxury. Besides, I can manage just fine," she responded harshly. She picked up the spoon and scooped the hot porridge from the white porcin te.

    [Why does it feel like instead of helping me that his ns have backfired?]

    Amos looked at Mr Fin''s face. He so much wanted to bombard him with questions but he had to control himself because Joanna was there.

    [Instead of helping me, were Kyle''s ns to mess me up? - I swear I will kill Kyle if I find out that my hunch was right]

    He grits his teeth as he returned his gaze to thedy who was ignoring him.

    As this was going on, meanwhile in a club a man was seen sitting among two women.

    Despite sitting amid these beautiful damsels his mind seems to have wandered far as he sat there staring into space.

    "I wonder if Fin had done exactly like I have said," He muttered absentmindedly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Thedy in a yellow bodycon short dress suddenly touched his bare chest and made him snapped out of his daze.

    "What did you say?" She asked while teasing his nipples flirtatiously with her fingers.

    "I said let''s make use of the bedroom," He whispered. He made sure to lick thedy''s earlobe before he pulled away.

    Some minutester he was seen making his way out of the main club in thepany of twodies.

    The next morning, Joanna woke up to find a note at the centre table in the sitting room.

    "I didn''t want to disturb your sleep, that''s why I didn''t call you. Because you were still fast asleep I am sure you are not aware that Josephina dropped by to supply us with everything you would need. Be a good girl and stay at home. I will join you soon after I have settled some things," Joanna read his message.

    She threw the piece of paper on the table after reading it.

    "A minute he is treating me like I am his entire world and another minute he is doing the same thing to another woman. What exactly does he want from me?" Joanna mumbled. She sped her fist when she recalled the incident the previous night.

    "Has being surrounded by so many women in the pce made him be a womanizer?" she muttered.

    She turned and moved to the bedroom door. She didn''t take up to five steps when her cell phone ding.

    Without any dy, Joanna shoved her right hand into her trouser''s pocket and brought out the cell phone.

    The excitement on her face faded when she saw that the sender of the message was Audrey.

    "Sorry Anna, but I won''t be able to spend time with you today. My family and I nned on going on a three days vacation today. I wasn''t able to tell you this because of our misunderstanding. Although I won''t be around, I hope that things will go smoothly with him and I await good news when I return. Take care," Joanna''s expression fell after reading Audrey''s text message.

    "Seeing how she only left a text message, I guess she is still mad at me. She hasn''t forgiven me yet," Joanna mumbled.

    After the incident the previous day she believed her rtionship with Audrey had returned to normal.

    Reading this text message she can''t help but think that maybe everything was her wishful thinking.

    "I had thought Drey and I would bond today on campus but I guess it will be just me alone," She muttered.

    She turned and looked at the clutches kept on one of the couches.

    With a heavy heart, Joanna managed to shower after so much difficulty. Because she wasn''t in her best mood she didn''t even go anywhere close to the kitchen.

    An hourter she left the apartment with the help of the clutches Amos prepared for her.

    ¡­

    Some minutester, on campus, ady was seen hopping the staircase with the help of her clutches.

    Just when she reached the top of the stairs three girls emerged from nowhere and blocked her path.

    "What do you think youdies are doing!" Joanna demanded, her fierce res directed at the threedies'' faces.

    "Take a guess what we are going to do to you here," Sophie said. An evil grin appeared on her face as she looked at thedy that was leaning on a clutches for support.

 Chapter 289 Bacon Got Attacked

    ?"How dare you show your ugly face here after what you made Tiff go through?" Nora yelled. She advanced towards thedy who was trying to keep a distance from them.

    "Did you just call me ugly?" Joanna scoffed with her chin held high. "Between the two of us, who should be considered ugly?" She added.

    As usual, students who were looking for a source of entertainment started gathering in small numbers.

    "You are¡­,"

    "Why are you wasting time speaking to a lowlife girl like her? Aren''t you afraid that she will infect you with her incurable diseases?" Sophie, the second inmand, mocked her with shoulders raised high.

    With the leader of their group observing punishment at home, as the next inmand, the duties of looking after the group falls on her shoulders.

    "If I am a lowlife¡­,"

    "Girls, don''t you know that you are making her feel very important by spending so much time talking to her?" Sophie cut in not letting Joanna talk.

    She turned and looked at the twodies standing by her right-hand side.

    "Seize the clutches and let''s see whether she will still be able to keep up with her haughty attitude after we are done dealing with her," Sophiemanded the twodies who were acting like a bodyguard of some sort.

    The first thing Joanna did when she saw the twodies approach her was to look behind her.

    The distance between where they stood and where the long staircase ended made her shudder.

    [I am sure I will really lose a leg today if the mean girls decide to attack me here]

    Joanna subconsciously stare at her legs after this thought crossed her mind.

    Although she wasn''t pushed off a high ce, she was already leaping. She was certain she would not only go home with a broken arm or leg if she is pushed down the stairs but she is gonna be paralyzed.

    "Don''t you daree near me," Joanna shouted as she lifted the steel clutches and pointed them at Nora?

    "Come closer and I will make you experience what it means to be bleeding from the nose," Joanna threatened coldly with the hope that thedies would back away but unfortunately they didn''t.

    It looked like they were very prepared for her tonight.

    "That will only happen if you are capable, don''t you think so?" Doris said grinning as she continued approaching Joanna who had started backing away.

    [Dear system, I need one red me ball. Just one me ball is enough to put them in their ces]

    Joanna tried to summon her powers and concentrate them in one hand like she did the previous day but she didn''t feel any rush of energy inside of her no matter how hard she tried.

    At that instant that Doris and Nora reached out their hands to snatch Joanna''s clutches, bird chirps and pping of wings caught their attention.

    The threedies only needed to get a glimpse of Bacon''s flying figure before they moved backwards in a sh.

    "What''s the evil bird doing here?" Nora cried out. After being traumatized by the bird they normally referred to as the evil bird, they developed fear towards Bacon.

    "Hey, what are you doing here?" Joanna talked to the bird which just flew onto her right shoulder.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Didn''t I tell you to stay away? Have you started disobeying your master huh?" Joanna talked to the bird as if she was speaking to a person.

    The onlookers didn''t lose the opportunity to capture everything with their cell phones.

    "Are we going to lose such an excellent opportunity because of some silly bird?" Sophie muttered as she red at the bird which from the looks of it seems to be ring at them too.

    "Go get the two of them," Sophie ordered but the twodies refused to move an inch forward.

    "It''s better to abort our ns rather than sacrificing our eyes to the bird just because we want to deal with her," Nora the scared cat said seriously.

    The threedies were about to change their minds about attacking Joanna until Bacon started flying again.

    "Did you notice that the bird looks abnormal?" Doris, whose gaze was glued on the bird,mented.

    Herments made her two friends pay attention to Bacon''s every movement.

    "You are right. Not only does it not soar with pride like it normally does but it looks like it is struggling to fly like a newborn bird," Sophie added.

    "Does this mean that the universe is on our side?" Nora''s eyes sparkled as she watched Bacon continue his unusual movement.

    "Not only are we gonna deal with the silly girl but we are also gonna take revenge on her evil bird, this is nice," A wicked grin stered on Doris'' face as she shifted her attention from the bird to Joanna''s face.

    "I will take care of the bird while the two of you will handle her," Sophie instructed.

    Noticing that their focus has been diverted to the innocent bird too, Joanna stretched her hand to catch Bacon but the intelligent bird flew a bit higher.

    "Bacon, leave now or they are gonna harm you too," Joanna warned the bird but Bacon refused to leave her alone.

    "What is the point of being stupidly loyal when your master can''t even guarantee your safety," Joanna muttered seeing that Bacon choose to do like he wanted to today.

    Before she could fathom what thedies'' ns were, Sophie leapt up and caught the sick bird.

    "Let go of it now," Joanna ordered. She was the one trying to keep a distance from them earlier but right now she closed the gap for Bacon''s sake.

    Nora and Doris used this opportunity to take away her clutches.

    "You can do whatever you want to me, I won''tin but don''t you darey a hand on Bacon because I won''t forgive anyone who hurts my loved one," Joanna tried to bypass the twodies obstructing her path but they won''t budge.

    "And why should I do like you said when I can use this opportunity to watch you cry in the presence of so many people," Sophie said beaming.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please do support your dearest author by buying the privileged chapters. Thanks a bunch, as you do this ??????

 Chapter 290 Him!

    ?Sophie applied more pressure to her right hand after she finished talking. Bacon, who was being strangled by the evildy, pped its wings repeatedly as it tried to escape.

    Seeing Sophie sip life out of the bird whosepany she has gotten very used to made Joanna''s heartache.

    When she was all alone in the dark Forest, only Bacon was herpany. Not only did it keep herpany but it protected her during her weakest moments. Its unique functions also assisted her inpleting some of her missions more quicker.

    "Bacon, I won''t let anything bad happen to you. Believe me," Joanna muttered.

    Joanna mustered up every remaining strength left in her and pushed the twodies away from her front.

    She leapt forward with one leg before Sophie could sip the remaining life out of the poor bird.

    BANG!

    A tight p that flew across her face made Joanna stagger a few steps backwards. She held her burning cheeks as she raised her head and red at thedy standing in front of her.

    "Did you just hit me?" Joanna demanded coldly.

    "Yes, she hits you and she will hit you again so what can you do about that?" Nora''s haughty attitude made Joanna sp her fist.

    "For this p, I swear on my life that I will avenge it. And for your entire, I will make sure you don''t forget a girl called Joanna even though we end up not meeting again in the future...,"

    "You are all talk and no action. Who on this campus doesn''t know that?" Sophie snapped.

    "You can mock me as much as you want but let me tell you. The day I will reveal what I am capable of the entire campus will bow to¡­, Sophie who just appeared in front of Joanna grabbed her neck and choked the words in her throat.

    "If that day reallyes then you will be nothing but a ghost. This time around it won''t be a fake ghost but a real one because I am gonna make sure of it," Sophie said as her grip around Joanna''s neck tightened.

    Despite that they were so many eyes watching, but that didn''t stop the girls from carrying out what was on their minds.

    Also, none of the onlookers cared whether or not Joanna lived or died. All they wanted was to watch a thrilling show that gives satisfaction.

    "Are they really going to kill her?"

    "What did she do to offend the mean girls again?"

    "I wish she would just die and leave my mum and family in peace," Ady wearing a red dressmented.

    "She is nothing but a lowlife, who cares whether she lives or dies?"

    Amidst all the murmurs and side talks none of them pitied Joanna.

    At the huge campus gate, a red sports car was seen abruptlying to a halt close to where a guy in ck jeans stood.

    A guy hurried out of the car and made his way towards the gate.

    "So when did she arrive here?" He asked as he quickened his pace.

    "Not very long ago," The guy in ck jeans replied as he tried to keep up with the man''s speed.

    "You know that almost everyone here is waiting to teach her a lesson so why didn''t you follow her in when you saw that she disobeyed my orders and came to campus?" Amos demanded fiercely.

    "You ordered me and my men never to go anywhere close to her because you were worried that our presence would make her ufortable. I had no choice but to obey your orders¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And since when did you start doing as I said?" Amos paused and red at Chris.

    He resumed walking again.

    With the help of Joanna''s scent, it wasn''t very difficult for Amos and Chris to locate her.

    "When I see her, not only will I give her an earful but as punishment, I am gonna make sure she doesn''t leave my sight for three days," Amos muttered.

    He stopped in his tracks when he saw the crowd stationed on the stairs leading to the basketball field.

    Amos didn''t stare for long before he got a glimpse of the reddened face of ady who was publicly being choked with no one to help her.

    "How dare theyy a hand on my woman again?" Amos stated, instantly disappearing from where he stood.

    "Let''s see how you will ever be able to walk on your feet or stand tall and look us in the eye and speak," Sophie said as she released Joanna''s neck and pushed her so that she lost bnce.

    Joanna closed her eyes and was expecting to feel pain as her body rows down the stairs but the pain didn''te. Instead, it feels as if she was leaning on something.

    "Amos!" She called out. Even with her eyes closed, she was able to recognize him and this was all thanks to his unique scent.

    "Boss Lady, what happened that you let them bully you huh?" Amos spoke up the moment her eyes fluttered open.

    His heart ached when he saw her gasping for air while holding her hurting neck.

    "Did you go easy on them because you were afraid of how you were gonna clean up the mess?" He asked. He lifted his hands and brushed her slightly messy hair.

    "I had thought the next time we would see each other I would be in a wheelchair chair. I guess with you around now, I won''t have to worry about that," Joanna responded as she beamed at him.

    "So what if he is here, what can he possibly do or change?" Sophie scoffed with her chin lifted slightly higher than usual.

    "He is outnumbered. If he decides to intervene it means that he wants to die along with you¡­,"

    "Shouldn''t youdies worry about yourselves because I am not nning on going easy on you," Amos cut in sharply.

    "If you are eager to die then we don''t mind granting you a quick death," Sophie said as she started advancing towards Amos with her group of friends.

    "What if I join him, does it still consider us being outnumbered?" A guy''s cool voice that lingered in the ears of all thedies present made everyone turn their heads to look at where the voice came from.

    "Him!" Amos and Joanna shouted with widened eyes.

    ....

    A/N:

    Hello darling readers, please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. I will be overjoyed if I see that you have supported me with buying the privileged chapters.

    Also, about the mass release I promised you guys, I haven''t forgotten about it. I am working very hard to make sure that the mass release event takes ce so please show some support.

    Support me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS and buying of privileged chapters.

 Chapter 291 The Dumb Guy Identity Discovered

    ?With her mouth hanging open and her eyes widened, Joanna watched as the guy elegantly climbed the stairs with his hands stuck in his trouser pockets.

    Onlookers who were previously blocking his path created a path for him like he was some important figure.

    "Weren''t you dumb so howe you can talk now?" Joanna questioned, still unable to get over the shock.

    "Raymond!" The three troublemakers shouted as if they had just seen a ghost.

    Joanna diverted her attention to them and then back to the guy.

    "You are the infamous Raymond that everyone is crazy about?" Joanna asked in disbelief.

    If it was other students who addressed him as Raymond, she wouldn''t have believed it but since it wasing out from the mouth of the mean girls she knew they were not lying.

    "If you could talk then why did you¡­,"

    "I know you have tons of questions for me but I will advise that you at least blink ok," Raymond, the tall handsome guy with rare Hazelnut eyes said.

    His bewitching smile almost brushed thedies off their feet even though they were not the ones he was smiling at.

    "You need to act natural for us to be able to convince them that we are close," He beamed and stepped forward.

    He averted his attention from the astonished Joanna''s face to thedies whose main focus was him.

    "I ask whether you think we are still outnumbered but none of you said anything," Raymond spoke casually. He didn''t remove his hands from his trouser''s pockets despite standing in front of the mean girls.

    His questioning stares made thedies snap out of their daze.

    "Ray, what are you doing here?" Sophie questioned as she took a step forward. She was about to walk closer when her friends grabbed and pulled her backwards.

    "Can''t you see that he is with them?" Doris reminded, in case Sophie had missed that point.

    Sophie looked at the two people standing at Raymond''s side. She clenched her fist when her eyes locked with Joanna''s.

    "Ray, why are you with them¡­,"

    "Can''t you see anymore to tell me that I am with them or do you need me to confirm that to you?" Raymond snapped at the girl who was pretending to be the most gentledy alive.

    "That''s exactly what we want to know¡­ You are a person with ss. One with Noble birth. You are an A-lister model and celebrity so why are you mingling with lowlives like them," Nora asked with a disgusted look.

    "How dare you say that about her¡­," Joanna held Amos'' hand before he could advance towards the girls.

    "Ladies should be handled by fellowdies like them so leave them to me. I have got this," Joanna assured with a smile.

    Still holding onto his hand for support Joanna turned and red at the girls who hadn''t taken actions for reasons best known to them.

    "Call him a low life just one more time and I will make sure you forever lose your ability to speak," Joanna threatened, her piercing res focused on the girl''s faces.

    "Wow¡­ I am scared," Doris said as she trembled along with every part of her body shaking.

    "Can''t you see how scared I am," Doris mocked them. She ignored Sophie''s warning and went ahead to do what was on her mind.

    "Youdies seem to forget things so soon. I recall not long ago I didn''t only make you guys wet your pants in fear but I also made the entire Kingdom fear for their lives," Joanna said. Her cold gaze moved from one face to the other.

    "If you want me to remind you how it feels to live in fear of your lives again I don''t mind doing¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "S-shut up," Nora stammered as she moved two steps backwards. Merely recalling those horrendous nights they spent battling with her ghost made her hands and legs tremble.

    At that moment Joanna''s face turned pale white and her silver hair turned ck and messy.

    "Ghost!" Nora moved backwards only to fall after tripping on her leg.

    "What is wrong?" Sophie and Doris asked at the same time as they stretched their hands to help Nora up.

    "Ghost, can''t you see that?" The trembling Nora shouted while pointing her finger at Joanna.

    Curious to know what she was talking about Doris and Sophie followed where her finger was pointing at her.

    Surprisingly they didn''t see any ghosts but Joanna.

    "She¡­," Nora, who could no longer see Joanna like a ghost, was left speechless.

    "Was that all in my imagination or did the evil girl do something to me," Nora muttered. She quicklyposed herself seeing the way other students were talking while pointing fingers at them.

    She stood up from the floor where she was sitting and dusted her body.

    "Since you are with us, you won''t mind getting my bird for me right?" Joanna said. Despite trying to act cool she still sounded upset.

    Anyways who in her shoes won''t be angry after being tantly lied to?

    "Sure, I am more than obliged to do that," Raymond replied. He didn''t forget to smile at her.

    He spun and went to where Sophie had dropped the bird before she attacked Joanna earlier.

    Raymond went close to the girls and carried the bird. He returned without any of them trying to attack him.

    No matter how powerful they are, they dare not attack Raymond, the Prince Charming of all the girls on campus.

    Apart from thedies, so many guys looked up to the all round perfect dude.

    "Let''s leave the crazy girls alone¡­,"

    "You want us to just leave like that despite all they did to you? Don''t you think you are too kind¡­,"

    "Should I leave my poor bird to die in my arms just because I want to avenge myself?" Joanna asked as she cuddled the bird in her hands.

    "Let me tell you something," Joanna replied as she raised her head and looked him in the eye.

    "Just because I was nice to you doesn''t mean I am kind so don''t ever be mistaken. Also if I want to take revenge for what they did, I will do it myself. I don''t need anyone to do it for me," Joanna made herself clear before she turned to leave.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, our goal of staying in the Top 100 in the GOLDEN TICKET ranking is about to be aplished. We need a few more GOLDEN TICKETS to get there so please keep the GOLDEN TICKETSing.

    Also, don''t forget that the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION end this month. You still stand a chance to get your name on the list so give it your best and you will see your hard work pay off in three days.

    I have seen this happen and that is why I am telling you this.

 Chapter 292 Raymond Show Of Affection

    ?"Who do you think you are to speak to Ray like that¡­,"

    "If you know what''s good for youdies then you will quietly leave. I am afraid I will forget her wish and make all of you regret what you did today," Amos red at Sophie who wanted to attack Joanna.

    As if Amos'' words weren''t enough of a warning Raymond turned and red at thedy who was not ready to ept defeat.

    "Ouch!" Joanna staggered backwards after taking a step forward. Amos and Raymond hurried to catch her from falling at the same time.

    "Thanks for that but I can handle it from here onwards," Amos said as he brushed off the handsome guy''s hand from Joanna''s left arm.

    "If that''s what you think then I bet to disagree with you on that," Raymond argued. He still held Joanna''s hands again despite Amos'' warning.

    "What do you mean?" Amos grunted, his piercing res directed at Raymond''s hand.

    "As you can see she is badly injured. She will need more than holding you to be able to walk¡­,"

    "And I don''t think that is something that a stranger like you should worry about," Amos refused to back down. He brushed Raymond''s hand away again but this time his actions were rougher.

    The onlookers who have refused to disperse especially with their idol around started murmuring when they saw the little drama happening in front of them.

    "Is the Legend fighting over a girl like her?"

    "What is so special about her that drives men crazy?"

    "What charm does she use on such handsome dudes to make them fight over her in front of so many people?"

    "Does she patronize love potions?".

    Everyone couldn''t believe their eyes that thedy they always looked down on wasn''t only stood up for by the Legendary Raymond.

    But he was fighting over her with another man.

    "Will you guys knock it off already?" Joanna shouted angrily as she took turns in ring at the annoying guys.

    The agitated Amosposed himself after her outburst.

    He let go of her hand and squatted in front of her.

    "Hop on and let''s go," Amos said as he signalled her to climb his back.

    The murmurs began louder after Amos did this.

    Joanna stared at the back of the guy squatting in front of her and then her eyes moved to the faces of the murmuring students.

    From their bitter expression, she knew that all of them wished to strangle her to death, thedies in particr.

    "My back is more sturdy. I believe you will feel morefortable if you climb on my back," Raymond bent also to the further bewilderment of the students.

    Sophie''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she witnessed Raymond bend to carry the girl they ord no importance to or whatever.

    "She is such a lucky bitch!" Joanna heard one of the female students''ments.

    Her voice was really loud like thedy wanted her to hear herments.

    [I didn''t only lose all my powers at such a crucial stage of my life but not even up to 24 hours after I almost got brutally raped I and my poor Bacon got ganged up on by these meandies. Does this count as being lucky?]

    Joanna felt sentimental as she looked at the bird in her hand which was hardly moving.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If this is what is called being lucky then I wish nobody in this world will be as lucky as me," Joanna muttered as she bent and picked her clutchesid just beside her right leg.

    "Although my legs are injured but not to the point where I can not walk so I will advise that you both save yourselves some trouble¡­," Before she could finish her sentence, Amos reached out his hand, grabbed her and pulled her onto his back.

    He stood up with Joanna on his back. He didn''t allow her to climb off.

    "You talk too much for a person who is sick," He scolded as he began descending the stairs.

    "I know you have incredible strength but you don''t have to use me as an excuse to gain more fans," She said, pretending to dislike him giving her a piggyback.

    Raymond bent and picked Joanna''s clutches. He ran after them without sparing the mean witches or the crowd a nce.

    "Does giving you a piggyback enables me to gain fans? Howe I didn''t know about this?" Amos asked yfully.

    "How many fans can I earn from giving you a piggyback once?"

    Listening to his question made Joanna shake her head. She realised right there that she made a mistake by trying to tease the shameless guy.

    "If you had told me this then I would have given you piggyback everyday¡­,"

    "Are you aware that you are so full of yourself?" Joanna asked, her grip around his neck bing firmer.

    "I had the same thoughts some moments ago. I can''t believe that the two of us think alike," Raymond chimed in.

    Joanna, who wasn''t aware that Raymond was following them, nced behind her.

    "I thought our discussion was finished so what are you doing still following us?" She questioned coldly.

    The way she talked was as if that gentle girl who always talks to him sweetly and gave him a notepad with a charming smile on her face was only a part of his imagination.

    "Have you seen any discussion end before it even began?" Raymond quizzed. "No right? So how could you say our discussion is over when we haven''t even started¡­,"

    "I don''t think she has anything to say to you so will you just piss off and stop irritating her with your presence¡­.,"

    "Is it that my presence is irritating her or you? Dude, stop confusing yourself and get the points straight," Raymond choose to be blunt with his words and his bluntness wasn''t well received by Amos.

    "I can see you want to piss me off but I won''t give you that pleasure," Amos stated firmly.

    He resumed descending the stairs.

    He paused when he got to the foot of the stairs and saw Mr Finley standing at a corner gazing at them.

    [I can''t believe I still arrivedte today]

    Mr Fin forced on a smile. So as not to attract the attention of the students watching he didn''t take action.

    ....

    A/N:

    Hello darling readers, please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. I will be overjoyed if I see that you have supported me with buying the privileged chapters.

    Also, about the mass release I promised you guys, I haven''t forgotten about it. I am working very hard to make sure that the mass release event takes ce so please show some support.

    Support me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS and buying of privileged chapters.

 Chapter 293 Another Shameless Dude

    ?He watched as Amos continued walking away from the basketball field.

    Among the crowd, ady''s deadly res kept following the three figures whose distance from the basketball field kept widening.

    [I was eagerly waiting for Sophie and her friends to teach that proud girl a lesson on behalf of me and my Mum just like they always do in the past but I can''t believe I ended up getting disappointed big time. How I wish Mum didn''t warn me to avoid her, I would have long shown her where she belonged]

    Thedy sped her fist. She turned and stomped away afterwards.

    "Ray returned not long ago from the Human World. How did that lowlife girl manage to get him on her side?" Sophie who was beyond vexed asked her murderous res still following the disappearing figures.

    "She is her mother''s daughter after all. Both are cheap whores so what is so surprising about that. I won''t be surprised to learn that she had opened her legs for both men and that is why they are doing her a favour," Dorismented, anger and jealousy evident in her words.

    Whichdy in her right mind wouldn''t be angry that their favourite idol they dreamt of spending their entire lives with was fond of anotherdy.s

    Sophie and her friends left there in total embarrassment.

    A few minutes after walking out of campus Bacon moved its wings. Although this movement was weak, Joanna was very happy to see that her beloved bird was still struggling to survive.

    "Kay, drop me¡­," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she recalled that the persistent guy was still following them.

    She stole a nce at him to confirm whether he heard what she said. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he was busy trying to cover his face from the vision of passers-by who can''t seem to take their eyes off him.

    "Amos, drop me down and let''s take a break," Joanna said softly to the guy who was showing no form of weariness as he carried her on his back.

    "We need to get you to the hospital¡­,"

    "That won''t be necessary. Besides, I have gotten severely hurt more than this numerous times but I was never taken to the hospital. And did I die because of this?" Joanna spoke. Instead of sounding sad, her tone carried a bit of pride in it.

    "No, right? Also, you know that you can''t enter the hospitals popted by humans¡­,"

    "And why can''t he?" The ignored Raymond interrupted despite that he wasn''t a part of their conversation

    "You are talking as if he is one of those bloodsuckers," Raymond said casually. But his words, which were supposed to be a joke, ended up upsetting someone.

    Amos red at the guy who carelessly spoke without filtering his words.

    Seeing Amos gently drop her down and turn to confront the guy, Joanna, who didn''t wish for a fight to break out between them decided to intervene.

    "And what is wrong with being a vampire huh?" Joanna scoffed. She lifted her chin as she spoke.

    "Vampires aren''t only the hottest species on the but they are also very considerate and loyal to one lover¡­"

    "Hahaha¡­ Did you just say vampires are the hottest species?" Raymond''s hystericalughter made Amos clench his fists. He was worried he would lose his cool and hit the guy''s mouth if he didn''t control himself.

    Even Joanna frowned upon the guy''s sudden outburst. She didn''t see anything funny about what she said to get him cracked up so much.

    She grimaced, "And what is funny about that?".<novelnext></novelnext>

    Raymond forced himself to stopughing. "I find it funny because your words felt like drunk man''s talk¡­,"

    "How dare you insult her¡­,"

    "That''s something I would never do in this lifetime so chill, dude," Raymond said, not allowing Amos to attack him both verbally and physically.

    "I know you are not drunk so another reason that would have exined your poor judgement was that you had problems with your eyes but I am also aware that you are not blind¡­,"

    "What do these instances you mentioned have to do with what I said?" Joanna demanded sternly.

    When she thought he was blind she found him cute and lovely but for some reason, she finds him annoying right now.

    Was it because she found out that he yed with her feelings by lying to her?

    She even thought she and him were alike, how foolish of her to think that a big shot like him was pitiful like her past self.

    Raymond didn''t respond but he reached out his hand and ced the clutches so that it was leaning against the brown bench sited but far away from where they stood.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing in broad daylight, are you out of your mind?" Joanna shouted as she watched the guy start unbuttoning his ck short sleeve shirt.

    "Is it just now that you realised that he is insane?" Amos said. He raised his hand and shielded Joanna''s eyes.

    All thedies who passed by stopped and ogled not only at the guy''s handsome face but also at his godlike body.

    "OMG! He is so hot?"

    "Is he even human? I never knew that beings on Earth could be this gorgeous?"

    "I wish I was those clothes he puts on so I can see and have a feel of those amazing muscles every day?"

    "ra, I think I am having a nosebleed?"

    A beautiful smile lingered on Raymond''s face as he listened to everyone praised not only his looks but also his well-toned body.

    Although many eyes were watching, he didn''t feel shy at all. He has witnessed this scene way too often to get affected by it.

    "Take a look at me carefully," Raymond said as he opened his chest for everyone to get a proper look at his abs.

    "Have you seen anyone as hot as this?" Raymond said with pride.

    He walked so hard to achieve this wless body so why shouldn''t he unt it a bit?

    "I have always thought that you were the most narcissistic and conceited guy in the world but I guess I was wrong. I never knew you had a brother who is very much like you in all aspects and he seems to be better at this than you," Joanna said as she brushed Amos'' hands away from her face.

 Chapter 294 Raymonds Past With Joanna

    ?"I am an only child so I have no brother, not to mention someone who looks like him?" Amos replied while ring at him.

    "Also, how could you say that we are alike? From what I have seen I don''t think we have anything inmon," Amos said with a tone of finality.

    "You are so alike. From the way two of you praised yourselves without an ounce of shame¡­," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she got a glimpse of the bite mark scar just below Raymond''s right nipple.

    As if being hypnotized, she reached out her hand and touched the scar. Her actions left Amos bewildered.

    "You also have this scar too," she muttered. There was so much gentleness in her gaze as she touched the guy''s bare body.

    Raymond stared at thedy who couldn''t seem to get her hand off his body.

    "Joan, what do you think¡­," What Raymond did next left Amos'' mouth hanging open in shock.

    Raymond pulled her closer and embraced her tightly.

    "How have you been, Miss Butterfly," Raymond whispered as he pats her silk hair affectionately.

    She stayed in his embrace for a minute.

    When she realised what had happened Joanna pushed him away.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Joanna shouted angrily as she crossed her hand around his chest.

    "Miss¡­," Amos stepped forward and punched Raymond in the face before he had the chance to utter a word.

    "How dare you think you can take advantage of her in my presence huh?" Amos challenged him. He raised his hand to hit him again but Joanna stopped him.

    "You have made a headline yesterday and I think that is enough attention," Joanna said, not letting go of his hand.

    Raymond buttoned up his shirt and asked the crowd to disperse after what happened.

    He turned and faced Joanna after he had sessfully driven the crowd away.

    "Didn''t you find the scar familiar? Isn''t that the reason you touched me?" He demanded in a calm tone.

    "You know what¡­," Raymond trailed as he looked her in the eye.

    "You have indeed be prettier and taller from thest time we met but I recognized you at first nce thanks to your rare purple orbs," asserted Raymond. He raised his hand to touch her eyelids but Joanna walked backwards.

    "Maybe, the reason why I decided not to talk when you mistook me for a dumb person was that I wanted you to recognise me too¡­,"

    "We haven''t met before so what nonsense is this?" Joanna cut in rudely.

    "If that''s how you hit on girls and you thought she was an easy target then you are wrong¡­,"

    "Can you shift because as far as I know, I wasn''t talking to you," the annoyed Raymond retorted. He brought his gaze back to Joanna''s face.

    "You¡­,"

    "Since you find the scar familiar, can you try to recall where you saw it?" Raymond quizzed. He chose to ignore Amos despite that he was as angry as him.

    Amos had to hold himself back too when Joanna gave him a cautionary stare.

    Raymond was desperate for Joanna to remember him so he began telling her about their encounter in the past.

    "Your leg must be hurting like hell so sit down here hmmm," Amos interrupted as he led her to the bench.

    Joanna did as he advised. She raised her gaze to look at Raymond who had momentarily paused his narration because of her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can still recall that you turned around and bit me right here when you couldn''t endure the pain anymore," Raymond said smiling as he touched the spot he had the bite mark on his body.

    "You were ten years when this happened so it''s kinda understandable if you can''t recall¡­.,"

    "I don''t have a poor memory alright," Joanna cut in.

    Raymond walked closer, bent and held the hand of thedy sitting on the bench with her injured bird on her thighs.

    "Does that mean you remember now?" Raymond asked with hope in his eyes.

    "As gentle as the radiating early morning sun rays and yet very beautiful¡­," Joanna said while looking into Raymond''s eyes.

    "I am called Ray, as in Raymond," Joanna and Raymond chorused, both smiling.

    "Wow¡­ you have finally remembered me. That''s great!" Raymond shouted in excitement. He let go of Joanna''s hands and embraced her instead.

    [Why is he very touchy? He touches her at every slight opportunity and doesn''t hesitate to try and flirt with her in my presence. Why do I feel like he is gonna end up causing problems for me?]

    Amos lifted his hand to pull him away but had to retract his hand when his eyes met Joanna''s piercing res.

    "You can''t me me for failing to recognise you. I mean when we met you were this tall but now look at how perfect you look. Now you are even taller than Big Sis," Joanna joked as she pats his back.

    Her smile shone the brightest as she continued embracing the guy she hasn''t seen for close to a decade now.

    Raymond pulled away from her embrace. "Why are you still calling yourself Big Sis even until now huh?" Raymond demanded with his lips pouted like that of a displeased child.

    "I am this tall and handsome, aren''t you convinced now that I am older than you?" Raymond asked.

    "So what if you are a bit taller than me now huh?" Joanna asked. She couldn''t stop smiling for some reason and Amos, who is now the one ignored, noticed this.

    He wasn''t very happy with this development but he had no choice but to deal with it with gritted teeth.

    "Also, don''t you know that once a Big Sis is always a Big Sis¡­,"

    "Hehehe¡­ where did you learn that from hmm," Raymond gave his most bewitching smile. He acted as if he didn''t notice Amos'' piercing res which were focused on him.

    "Joan, do you know this liar?" Amos asked as he sat down beside Joanna on the bench. He tried to catch her attention once more but Raymond seems to have made up his mind not to give him even that.

    "We have talked so much and you couldn''t grasp anything from what we said? Are you that dumb¡­," Joanna''s fierce res made Raymond pause his sentence midway?

    ...

    SURPRISE!!!

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    Herees the five chapter mass release I promised. I have fulfilled my promise so please do show support in your own way.

    Shower me with gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS if you love my surprise.

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    Thanks as you do this.

    Enjoy the chapters.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 295 Amos Warning To Raymond

    ?"Or are angry that¡­,"

    "As far as I recall I wasn''t asking you a question so will you shut the hell up if you don''t have better use for your mouth," Amos snapped. His response and cold expression showed he wasn''t a simple target.

    "You are¡­,"

    "Why are you both bickering so much?" Joanna intervened when she noticed that they were at it again.

    "Do you know that you both remind me of those market women I always see in the market?".

    "Don''t you think I am too handsome and hot to be categorised under them¡­,"

    "If you don''t want me to think this way then I advise that you both try to get along. I am too young to get annoyed to death by the two of you, don''t you agree with me?" Joanna asked.

    Her gaze moved from one frowning face to another.

    "Getting along with him is just impossible¡­,"

    "I was about to say the same thing. Did you read my mind?" Raymond asked.

    [Everything he does gets on my nerves. I wish Joan lets me hit him once on the mouth to put him where he belongs]

    Amos red at him without saying a word.

    "If you want to keep fighting then good," Joanna said as she struggled to her feet. "But count me and Bacon out of this because I am out of here," Joanna concluded. She tried to walk but lost her bnce and almost fell had the two agile guys not grabbed her at the same time.

    Amos let go of her hand and moved to stand in front of her. He squatted afterwards.

    "Hop on, and let me take you home," Amos said as he prepared himself to receive her on his back.

    "Miss Butterfly, my back is sturdier. I am sure you will feel morefortable riding on my back so hop on hmm," Raymond said as he also squat in front of Joanna.

    Turning around to see how the two guys had made her the centre of attention again, Joanna wish the ground would just open up and swallow her.

    That way she will be free from their troubles.

    "What did I get myself into," Joannamented as she stared at both their backs.

    She knew they won''t let her move an inch if she decided to walk. She was aware that she had to choose between the two of them if she wanted to leave there.

    In the end, she ended up going with Amos but that didn''t stop Raymond from following them.

    Some minutester a guy in a blue shirt was seen following them. But he made sure to stay at a distance to avoid being found out.

    [His Majesty''s car was just parked in front of the campus so why didn''t he drive Miss Joanna home but instead decided to choose a much more difficult way]

    Chris quickly hid behind a pole when he saw Raymond ncing behind.

    When they reached the tall apartment building Amos expected the guy to turn back and return to wherever he came from but to his greatest dismay, he didn''t leave.

    "And where do you think you are going?" Amos now standing in Raymond''s path demanded coldly.

    "Isn''t it obvious that I want to see where Miss Butterfly lives¡­,"

    "Don''t you think she has been way too kind to someone she met today¡­,"

    "Point of correction we didn''t meet today but our encounter traces back to eight years¡­,"

    "So what is the difference between a stranger and someone you haven''t seen for eight years huh?" Amos cut in sharply.

    No matter how hard he tried he couldn''t hide his dislike for Raymond.

    Anyways which man in his right senses will entertain the presence of a love rival?

    "You have been gone for eight years and I am sure you both didn''t keep in touch all these years. Heaven knows whether you are a foe pretending to be a friend¡­,"

    "You have crossed the line," Raymond yelled, his deadly res centred on Amos.

    "Did you draw a line?" Amos quizzed as he looked around like he was searching for something.

    "Howe I don''t see any line huh?".

    "I swear I will¡­,"

    "Guys, I don''t know what you ate to give you both so much energy to fight every second but what I know is that I don''t possess the same energy as you so will you spare me from your fights?" Joanna intervened in a soft tone.

    "I am afraid I will copse before I get upstairs if I use the little remaining energy to settle your fight¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What''s is wrong? Are you ok?" Amos and Raymond chorused.

    Raymond avoided Amos'' face after they said the same words.

    "If you both care about me like you want me to believe then please spare me the trouble and stop quarrelling even though it''s just for five minutes hmm?" Joanna who was mentally exhausted by their fights pleaded.

    The funniest thing was that she didn''t know the reason why they were fighting over every little thing.

    "Raymond, it was nice to finally meet you after such a long time but I wish you will go home. I know even though not today we will have time to catch up," Joanna said after there was silence from both sides atst.

    "You also want me to go home?" Raymond asked, not able to hide his disappointment.

    "When I reach my room I will need to freshen, dress up, get my wounds treated and do some other things. It''s not proper for me to do all these things in front of you¡­"

    "But it''s alright to do it in front of him?" Raymond said in almost a whisper.

    "Did you say something?" Joanna demanded after she heard him mumbling words she can''t hear.

    "I said since you don''t want to show me what your house looks like, it''s alright for me to walk you to the door, right?" Raymond lied without stuttering.

    The way he effortlessly came up with such a lie surprised Amos.

    [How did he know that Joan often spends time in my apartment and why did he say otherwise when she questioned him?]

    Amos threw suspicious stares at Raymond. Although the guy looked very normal, he couldn''t bring himself to feel at ease around him.

    "Sure," Joanna replied.

    [As long as I can get rid of him to give Amos and me some privacy then I am ready to be inconvenienced for a few minutes]

    Joanna smiled as she held Amos'' neck a bit firmer.

    Even when they reached the front of Amos'' apartment Raymond still found it hard to leave.

    Despite that he looked so sincere Amos believed he was pretending.

    Even best friends who haven''t been in touch for five years act awkward after a reunion, not to mention eight years of no contact with a person you hadn''t been that close to.

    "Sorry, Raymond but I really need to go now. Apart from me, Bacon also needs to get treated," Joanna said as she stroked Bacon''s feathers.

    "Thanks for everything," Joanna said. She didn''t waste time sliding into the room afterwards.

    "What do you think you are gazing at?" Amos questioned. He moved to the right to block the view of the guy who was stretching to get a glimpse of his room.

    "What a cheapskate¡­,"

    "I can even do worse by closing the door," Amos said. He stepped out and closed the door.

    "Since she isn''t here and I won''t have to worry about hurting her feelings then I would be honest with you," Amos said. He started walking away from the door.

    "I don''t like you¡­,"

    "And I don''t like you either. I think that''s something we made very clear earlier with our actions even though we didn''t say it," Raymond said nonchntly.

    "Although I don''t know what you are scheming, I will ask that you put an end to it because it won''t work as far as I am around," Amos was blunt with his words. Thest thing he would do is pretend to like him when she dislikes him.

    "You have only met her a few times but I have known and been with her for as long as she was a baby. No matter what you do she won''t choose you over me¡­,"

    "This sounds like a wording out of a terrified man. Are you doing all this because you are afraid of me?" Raymond said beaming. He turned and leaned against the pir.

    "Don''t you think it is too early to start feeling this way? I mean I haven''t started anything yet," An evil smile lingered on his handsome face.

    The way he acted showed he loved seeing Amos agitated.

    "If you know what is good for you then you will stay very far away from her. Don''t let my fine looks deceive you because I am not as nice as I look," Amos warned with a stern expression.

    "Sorry dude but that is not left for you to decide," Raymond responded with his shoulders raised high. He turned and strolled to the elevator.

    Amos clenched his fist as he looked at the guy standing in front of the elevator.

    [Even though she likes him I don''t think I will be able to keep my cool if he keeps up with this attitude. It will only be a matter of time before I teach him a lesson]

    He turned and input his passcode and entered the house after seeing Raymond step into the elevator.

 Chapter 296 Bacon Special Abilities

    ?Raymond adjusted the golden wristwatch around his wrist after the elevator door closed.

    [If he thinks that I am the type to be easily threatened then he got it wrong at the very beginning. I am Raymond, the one who instils fear in others and not the other way around]

    An evil smile stered on his face as he waited for the elevator door to close.

    Meanwhile, inside his bedroom, Joanna was seen taking care of the injured Bacon. Amos quietly strolled to where she sat.

    "Is Bacon alright?" Amos quizzed. He looked at the bird in her hands. "Are you sure you don''t want to take Bacon to the Vet¡­,"

    "I am sure you wished to kill Bacon so many times so why are you pretending to be worried¡­,"

    "Yes, I had such thoughts and I won''t deny it but, did I ever do that?" Amos challenged in a soft tone. He squatted in front of her and took her hand in his.

    "Do you know why I never hurt a hair on its body despite how many times it annoyed me?" He asked as he stared into her eyes.

    "It''s because you own it and not only that, you love the bird very much. No matter how angry I am, I would never hurt anything or anyone you care about, believe me," Amos said. He lifted her hand and brought it to his chest.

    "Really?" Joanna asked while looking into his eyes.

    Of course, she knows how naughty Bacon can be. Even she gets furious at times when he interrupts their private time. She wouldn''t be surprised to learn that Amos felt worse.

    "Of course," He smiled at her.

    "If that''s the case then I will leave you to take care of him while I take a shower," she said. She abruptly pulled her hand away from his firm hold.

    Gently she lifted Bacon and ced it in his open arms.

    "Bacon is not an ordinary bird. Apart from being very smart and having the ability to capture everything with its eyes, it can heal super fast too so you don''t have to worry about taking him to a Vet¡­," Joanna let her words linger as she leapt to the wardrobe.

    "Though it can''t bepared to your super rejuvenating ability," She says. She opened the wardrobe and took out a pink towel.

    "Bacon can capture everything happening in its environment with its eyes?" Amos asked with his mouth hanging open. He stared at the bird in his hands as if this was the first time he was seeing it.

    Despite being aware of how smart Bacon is, he never thought there was something special about the bird.

    He thought Bacon was just like every other bird out there but after learning what it''s capable of doing, it felt like he was looking at a different bird.

    "If you don''t believe me then look into its eyeballs and don''t move your gaze from it for at least two minutes¡­,"

    "Does that mean I will be able to see what it has captured if I do that?" Amos asked, not able to hide his excitement.

    "Hmm¡­ I don''t know," She replied. She closed the wardrobe, spun and stood with her back leaning against the wooden door.

    "I only need to look into Bacon''s eyes for as low as ten seconds and the video I desire will start ying in his eyes. I always find it fascinating since it feels like he could read minds," Joanna smiled.

    She can still recall how stunned she was when she discovered Bacon''s special abilities.

    Not only does she possess special abilities but her bird does too. Having things inmon sometimes made her feel that maybe Bacon came into existence because of her.

    "As of now I am the only one Bacon shows these special abilities of his too so I doubt whether you will be able to gain ess to its memories," Joanna said softly.

    Joanna was a bit taken aback when he appeared right in front of her.

    "What do I need to do to make him show me some of the moments he has captured?" Amos asked while looking into her eyes intently.

    While he was eager to hear her response he didn''t know that their sudden closeness was taking a toll on Joanna''s body.

    His fluttering long eyshes and the moving of his Adam''s Apple made Joanna swallow a lump.

    [Hey, perverted Joanna, what the hell are you thinking? How could you think of such a thing in this situation?]

    Joanna blinked her eyes repeatedly with the hope of getting rid of the obscene thoughts ying in her mind.

    "Joan¡­," Joanna crashed her lips against his taking him by total surprise. They stayed in that position for two minutes.

    She abruptly moved backwards and turned her back on him when she realised what she had done.

    [That was crazy! What did I just do?]

    Standing there she felt like banging her head against the wardrobe for failing to keep her emotions in check.

    Yes, it hasn''t been that long since she realised she was in love with him but it felt as if she has felt this way for him forever.

    Her body tends to act on its own whenever they are together. She feels like some crazy horny bitch who doesn''t know what to do after falling in love for the first time.

    Sometimes she had to exercise all the self-control in her to stop herself from pouncing on him.

    Is this how everyone feels after falling in love?

    Or is it because this is her first time?

    Joanna sucked in a few mouthfuls of air to calm herself down.

    She knew to escape from this the best option was to be as shameless as ever so she decided to give it a shot.

    "Maybe I can get ess to Bacon''s brain because he considers me his master. Another reason might be because he likes me and feels safe around me, I am not sure. You can try bribing it and see whether it will open up to you," Joanna said.

    Without looking at his face she hurried to the bathroom door with her injured leg.

    She paused in front of the door and turned to look at him. "Anyways, why are you so eager to see what Bacon captured? What exactly do you want to see?" Joanna asked an important question she almost forgot about.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

    TOP FANS

    A big shout-out to our top fans. To those whose names are here, I want to say congrattions to you.

    To some of you who might not know what makes a top fan in Webnovel, let me tell you. Buying privileged chapters and the coins you use in unlocking locked chapters, power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts,ments and reviews; all these things count in getting your name on the top fan list.

    I want you to know that I appreciate all of you very much. Thank you for loving my book so much.

    It''s another thing to love a book and it''s another to support the book you love so I want to say thank you for supporting the book.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

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    TOP GIFTERS

    A big thank you for all the awesome gifts. Would you believe it if I say I love your gifts very much this month?

    Not only did I love your gifts but it made me very happy to know that my readers appreciate my hard work. Thanks a bunch for the heartwarming gifts... (*coughs...) I am shamelessly asking that you keep the giftsing.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

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    3) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP GOLDEN TICKETS GIVERS

    Thank you so much to all of you who cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book this month. You don''t know just how much I appreciate all your support. Your support means a whole lot to me.

    1) Tammy_Schrimsher

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    TOP COMMENTERS

    I am grateful to you for thements this month. Thank you for the sweetments, I really love them.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP REVIEWER

    Thank you for being the only reviewer this month. Your review was informative and it has helped me to decide on my uing books. Don''t worry I will try to make corrections. Thanks for the feedback.

    1) DaoistmfOF5T

    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

    Will this be enough to bribe you guys to do better next month and even in theing months?

    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 297 Do You Mean Ray?

    ?"That''s a secret," he muttered, his gaze focused on her face.

    "You are acting petty again," She said displeasingly. She was about to press the issue further but suddenly rushed into the bathroom when Amos started approaching her.

    "Why did she run away?" Amos muttered in confusion.

    "And also why did she kiss me like that without any exnations?" He stared at the brown door for a few minutes before he went to the bed with Bacon who was still in his arms.

    Reaching the bed, Amos dropped Bacon on it with great care. He sat close to where the birdy.

    "If you are as magical as Joan says I am sure you must be hearing what I am saying now, right?" Amos asked while staring at the bird whose eyes were closed.

    "I know we were never on good terms so it will be understandable if you choose to ignore me," Amos said, his eyes not moving from Bacon''s tiny body.

    As he spoke he silently hoped to see Bacon respond. As long as it reacts he knows he will stand a chance to win it over.

    "Bacon, no matter how much you hate me for being mean to you, you must listen to what I am going to say because it doesn''t only concern me but also Joan," Amos said as though he was speaking to a human.

    If Gideon and Chris were here to see how gently their King was treating a bird they would have needed more than a p on their faces to wake them up.

    Just when Amos was about to give up, Bacon slowly opened his eyes.

    His happiness knew no bounds when he saw the sick bird open its eyes. He almost screamed out in excitement.

    "Bacon, since you have opened your eyes I will take it that you have agreed to listen to what I have to say ok?" Amos asked with excitement written all over his face.

    "Bacon, I want to ask you for a favour and believe this favour is not only gonna make Joan very happy but it will make her love you more than she does now," Amos said smiling. He couldn''t stop himself from smiling as he talked.

    As Joanna took her time to shower, Amos used this opportunity to talk with Bacon as much as he wanted.

    Heposed himself and acted like nothing was happening when he heard the bathroom door knob turn.

    "I will leave to give you privacy," He said and tried to carry Bacon from the bed.

    "You can stay but you are not allowed to peep while I change," Joanna warned sternly.

    "Hmm¡­," He trailed as he sat back on the bed.

    "I will try¡­,"

    "You will try? How¡­,"

    "Shhh¡­ keep your voice down or you will wake Bacon up," He said with his finger on his lips.

    Because this concerns Bacon, Joanna didn''t argue with him anymore.

    "He really knows how to get me to surrender to him," Joanna muttered. She opened the wardrobe and took out a casual re dress.

    Afterwards, she walked to the dressing table although with difficulties.

    As she tried to apply lotion to her body Joanna constantly cried out in pain. Amos listened to her cries with his hands digging into the bedsheets.

    "Ouch!" She cried out loudly, causing Amos to jump to his feet.

    "Are you alright?" He asked while looking at thedy sitting in front of the huge dressing mirror.

    Joanna on seeing him stare at her through the mirror quickly shielded her chest and reprimand him, "I told you not to look¡­,"

    "This is not the first time I am seeing you nude. In fact, we did that just yesterday night so why are you acting shy¡­,"

    "Does ady need a reason to be shy? Besides, we are not married so how do you expect me to act cool about it?" Joanna replied without thinking.

    Sheposed herself when she realized that she had talked a bit too much.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you want us to get married then?" Amos asked out of the blue. His question caught Joanna unawares.

    [Is he serious about this proposal or is he saying it merely to tease me?]

    Joanna was lost in thoughts as she tried to keep her excited heart in check in case it wandered too far away.

    "Have you seen anyone propose as casually as you did¡­,"

    "You know I have every resource and the power to give you the grandest wedding proposal ever seen since the establishment of the Kingdom¡­,"

    "Boring," Joanna adopted Audrey''s favourite word as she rolled her eyes.

    Since Joanna didn''t want his help Amos didn''t press the issue further. He continued keeping Baconpany.

    "Joan, there is something I have been wanting to ask you¡­,"

    "Then why are you hesitating?" Joanna cut in as she peered at him through the mirror.

    "I am not," He denied.

    There was silence in the room after he finished talking.

    "It''s about that annoying guy earlier¡­," He started. He so much wanted to look at her face as he talked but he couldn''t turn around since she was still dressing up.

    "Do you mean Ray?" Joanna asked despite already knowing who he was referring to.

    "What about him?".

    She paused applying the eyeliner on and paid attention to what he wanted to say.

    "How do you know him? And is it true that you are meeting him for the first time after eight years?" Amos asked while clutching the sheets.

    "I am not doubting what you said but it''s just that it didn''t look like you were meeting for the first time after so long. You look so close," Amos expatriate even thought that wasn''t necessary.

    "Actually, I met him in the forest close to the Cliff of the Ancient Forest Of No Return after being tricked there by Laura. I had lost my way and surprisingly he was there at the time I needed someone the most," Joanna replied casually as she yed with the tips of her hair.

    "And about our closeness earlier¡­," Joanna trailed. "I don''t know why I acted the way I did," she concluded.

    "Do you like him?" He questioned abruptly. Immediately after he finished asking the question he regretted doing that.

    "Whichdy in her right senses wouldn''t like a fine boy who isn''t handsome but also popr?" Joanna asked carefreely. She didn''t see anything wrong in his question.

    ...

    SURPRISE!!!

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    Herees the five chapter mass release I promised. I have fulfilled my promise so please do show support in your own way.

    Shower me with gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS if you love my surprise.

    One more thing don''t forget to buy the privileged chapters. I will truly appreciate it if all of you support the book by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thanks as you do this.

    Enjoy the chapters.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 298 Do You Like Me?

    ?"In choosing the man you love, do looks, poprity and powere first before any other thing?" Amos asked.

    Despite the risk of angering her, he turned around to look at her. He was so relieved to see that she was wearing a white sleeveless shirt.

    "Hmm¡­," Joanna trailed as she held the dressing table for support and stood up.

    "Aren''t all beings on Earth attracted by what they see?" Joanna quizzed. She turned and stood with her butt resting against the edge of the table.

    "I mean the eyes were created for appreciating things. Even though someone says he is not a superficial person, he can''t tell me he/she doesn''t get fascinated by what he sees like fine clothes, jewellery and so on. And in terms of power, who doesn''t love the taste of it?¡­,"

    "Does that count as a yes to my question?" Amos asked while looking at her face.

    Although in terms of looks, power and poprity he is at the top list he was still scared that he might not be on her list.

    He is popr and wealthy, yes he is aware of this. But he also knows that not all women will want to live a life of being confined in the pce.

    "He doesn''t have to be handsome to attract me. As long as he is not an annoying asshole then I am good to go. Take yourself as an example," Joanna asked. She tried to walk normally but had to lean against the chair for support.

    "Wait, let me help you," Amos said when he saw her trying to walk again.

    Within a second he was standing beside her. He made her hold his right hand. They started walking to the bed afterwards.

    He turned and looked at her when they were both seated on the bed.

    "Why did you use me as an example?" He asked meekly. "Are you trying to say that I am annoying¡­,"

    "I must admit that you can be a bit annoying but that wasn''t what I wanted to say," She replied. A sweet smile lingered on her face as she turned and carried Bacon from where ity.

    "I wanted to say although with your disguise you don''t possess that godlike face. I still like you," Her smile broadened as she spoke.

    For a minute Amos couldn''t react. He stared at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

    "Do you like me?" Amos demanded. With their eyeballs locked he waited for her response.

    [Did I just rashly confess my love to him¡­ But it is my dream to make my confession very memorable. I need to do something to make sure that this confession doesn''t count]

    Though her body was present there Amos wasn''t aware that the mind of thedy sitting in his front had travelled far and wide.

    "Then do you think we would have been sitting here talking like friends if I didn''t like you?" Joanna quizzed. She tucked her hair behind her right ear after she finished talking.

    "Ohh¡­ you like me as a friend," Amos remarked with disappointment written over his face.

    [I am sorry to disappoint you, Kay. Just be patient for a few days and I promise you, I will give you the best confession ever]

    Joanna consoled herself with these few words.

    An awkward silence engulfed the room after he talked.

    "Let me bring the first aid box so I can treat your wounds," He said and stood up from the bed.

    Joanna watched the usual vibrant guy walk like someone whose life has been sipped out of him.

    [Is he that affected because I said I liked him as a friend - should I just go ahead and confess that I am in love with him?]

    Seeing Amos so heartbroken Joanna was lost at what to do.

    "Actually, Kay, I am in¡­," the doorbell made Joanna unable toplete her sentence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why is there always interruption whenever we want to talk or do something important that can change our rtionship," Joannained bitterly as she red at the door.

    "Wait here while I get the door," Amos had to postpone getting the first aid box because of the visitor.

    Curious to know who was the guest since hardly anyone knows Amos, Joanna grabbed her clutches ced at the bedside.

    She walked to the bedroom door with ease using the clutches.

    Peeping at the door, Joanna''s mood took a 180-degree turn the instant she set eyes on the face of thedy examining Amos'' body.

    "Why did it have to be she of all people?" Joanna stated. She squeezed the clutches until her hands hurt.

    In the sitting room, Amos held the hands of the woman who was spinning him around.

    "I am not hurt. I told you that earlier so why don''t you believe me?" Amos said.

    Merely seeing Amos take Amelia''s hands made Joanna''s blood boil in rage.

    If she had the power she wouldn''t have hesitated to chop off Amelia''s hands at that moment.

    Her murderous res did all the talking even though she didn''t utter a word of spite.

    "You are to me for this," Amelia said. She hit his chest gently as she talked.

    "You are not a child anymore so why did you have to get into a fight and make me worry about you?" Ameliained.

    "Instead of taking care of him, you should have let the police handle him¡­,"

    "How would the police have dealt with him when his backer was the Prime Minister?" Amos cut in sharply.

    "Also I was beyond mad when I saw her in that state. I wasn''t in the right frame of mind to think about anything else apart from putting an end to that scumbag''s miserable life," Amos clenched his fists recalling the scene of the incident.

    "You have always been the type to go all out for a friend so I am not surprised you were willing to go to that extent to achieve that," Amelia said. She raised her hand to touch his face but Amos caught her hand in the air.

    "Heaven knows that I hate her guts," Joanna said, her deadly res not moving from Amelia''s body.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY NOVEMBER

    First of all, I want to thank all of you for all you didst month. A big shout-out to all the readers who tried their best to make sure that we aplishedst month''s goals although we ended up not being able to attain the goals.

    I know reaching the goals never worked out and this is what I don''t know the cause but I am still thankful to each one of you for at least attempting.

    As you all know new month like this always calls for new goals so these are our goals for this month.

    GOAL 1: Reach a certain number of privileged buyers = 6 chapters mass release. So instead of the usual 1k privileged chapters unlock I have twisted the goal a bit. As long as we reach a certain number of privileged buyers this November 2022, I will give 6 chapters mass release the following month.

    GOAL 2: 100 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 Chapters Mass release. For every 100 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month I will give 2 chapters mass release i.e if we get 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month I will give 4 chapters mass release. And these 4 chapters are only for the GOLDEN TICKETS goal.

    So what are you waiting for instead of casting all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book?

    Let''s Try Our Best To Aplish This Month''s Goals. I Am Challenging Myself By Deliberately Giving Giving So Many Chapters For Each Goal So Also Challenge Your And Let''s See Which Of Us Will Win.

    Is It You Guys Or me?

 Chapter 299 Amelia And Joannas Heated Quarrel

    ?She believed she said the words within but was astounded to see Amos and Amelia turn and peered at her.

    "You are here also!" Amelia remarked with widened eyes. "He didn''t tell me he had a visitor," Amelia continued. She made sure she emphasized the fact that Joanna was just a visitor while she was the real deal.

    [You are a vampire so, of course, you knew I was here all along so quit with the pretence already]

    "Who says I am just a visitor?" Joanna snapped. Since she was discovered there was no need for her to act sneakily again.

    She came out of the bedroom.

    The moment Joanna stepped out of the door, Amelia stared at her fine long legs. The way she frowned while gazing at the short denim she wore showed her inner feeling but Joanna didn''t care about thedy''s feelings.

    Has Amelia ever considered her feelings while flirting with him?

    "Have you ever seen a visitor who knows the passcode of the owner''s house¡­,"

    "I am sure he was just being considerate by telling you his passcode because he considers you a good friend," Amelia cut in sharply.

    Amos watched them talk in silence.

    He has witnessed how scary women can be when provoked. Thest thing he wants to do is anger any of them by taking sides.

    [Why do I hate hearing her call me his FRIEND so much today?]

    "I am not his friend. In fact, he says as long as it''s me I cane into his house and leave however I want¡­,"

    "That''s¡­,"

    "Amelia, I was about to disinfect and apply ointment on her wounds before you arrived," Amos decided to intervene, noticing that their squabble was going to graduate into something else.

    "Why do you need to do that when you have me here?" Amelia asked. She hurried to assist Joanna.

    "Not only do I have little knowledge about medicine but because I am ady it will be very convenient for me to treat her. I can touch ces you wouldn''t dare to see or touch," Amelia said. She tried to hold Joanna''s hand but Joanna rejected her help.

    "You only have little knowledge about medicine, is that why you acted like a professional and taught him first-aid treatment," Joanna said inaudibly.

    "Did you say something?" Amelia asked with raised eyebrows.

    "I said I can manage just fine," Joanna replied nonchntly. She moved to the centre table leaving Amelia to stand gazing at her.

    "That''s not what you said¡­,"

    "If you heard it then why did you bother asking," Joanna said under her breath. She stretched her hand and dropped the clutches on the centre table.

    "I beg your pardon," Amelia said while ring at thedy whose nonchnce was on another level.

    Joanna ignored Amelia''s deadly res and shifted her attention to the guy who was the reason for thedy''s fight.

    The most baffling thing was that he chose to remain quiet at such a moment.

    "Amos, I am sick of using these damn clutches. I want my wounds to heal in the quickest time possible. Can you help me get the first aid box now?" Joanna sounded as gentle as a dove while talking to Amos unlike her domineering attitude earlier.

    "I will bring it now¡­,"

    "No, let me do it," Amelia grabbed his hand before he had the opportunity to walk away.

    "Are you sure?" Amos asked as he looked at Amelia''s face sceptically.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amelia forced a smile, "It''s fine. Your friend is sick so I should have a bigger heart and be more considerate," she said softly.

    She walked away after making Amos sit on the couch opposite Joanna.

    "I thought it was gonna be just the two of us today so what the hell is she doing here? Did you call her toe over?" Joanna demanded the instant Amelia was no longer in sight.

    "Of course not," He denied quickly. He stared at her intently. From her fuming expression to her clenched hands everything depicts anger.

    [Is she jealous of Amelia? Is this why she loses her temper whenever she is around? - Was Fin''s assumption true all along?]

    Amos lowered his gaze seeing the fumingdy turn to stare at him.

    There was momentary silence after he spoke. "Joan, I thought you said you were on the verge of copsing some minutes ago but why do you look so energized now?" Amos quizzed.

    "I almost thought you were gonna exchanged blows with her because you are jealous of her¡­,"

    "I am jealous of her?" Joanna scoffed, not letting him finish what he wanted to say.

    "Yeah. You are jealous of her because she and I are close or isn''t that why it looked as if you wanted to murder her¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted and stood up to her feet. Sheposed herself when she realised that it wasn''t only the two of them.

    [If you knew that much then why did you still let her into the house? Are you eager to piss me off even though I am sick?]

    Joanna clutched her fist while ring at him.

    "I mean why should I be jealous of other women when you are mine?" Joanna dered fiercely.

    "I am yours?" Amos asked thinking that he might have misheard her utterances.

    "Why are you asking as if you were not aware of it?" Joanna questioned, frowning.

    "Ooh¡­ tell me something I don''t know," Amos said. He leaned back with his attention concentrated on her alone.

    His body stiffened when stood up and bent with her mouth very close to his left ear.

    "You are my mate so that makes me the official wife. The one worthy of standing by your side as the Queen," Joanna whispered and pulled away. She sat back down on the couch.

    "Nobody can take away that position from me since I was ordained that title since conception. Any other woman you have aside from me will be none than Mistresses¡­,"

    "Even mates break their bond when they are no longer in love with each other so why are you so sure that you will always have a ce in his heart and life?" A voiceing from the other side of the room disrupted their conversation.

    They didn''t need to lift their heads to know the owner of the voice.

    "I mean he is not even your mate so doesn''t that make it easier for him to move on to another woman when you only take him as a ything?" Amelia demanded sternly.

    She finally came out of her hiding ce.

    "Are you talking to me?" Joanna asked as she shot Amelia a piercing re.

    "Who else is here if not you¡­,"

    "Amelia, that is enough," Amos ordered, standing up from where he sat.

 Chapter 300 Are You Crying?

    ?"I love you a whole lot and I am certain you are aware of this and also the fact that I would do anything for you. But for the first time I will have to disobey you," Amelia replied. She strolled to the centre table with the first aid kit in her hands.

    "They said the truth is bitter and today I must tell her the truth," Amelia said.

    Knowing very well that Amos must be signalling her not to talk, she chooses not to look at his face.

    She diverted her attention to the fuming Joanna after dropping the first aid kit on the table.

    "In the past, Amos was always around you. Auntie told me that he would stay with you in the cafe from the resumption of work to closing and follows you around like a handbag¡­,"

    "I can tolerate your insults but don''t you ever insult him¡­,"

    "Everyone in the universe might insult and belittle him including you but I am the only person on Earth who would never do that so, let me talk," Amelia spoke angrily.

    "Amelia¡­,"

    "Please let me talk, Amos. You can scold me however you wantter, I can tolerate that but right now I must tell her a piece of my mind," Amelia shunned Amos.

    He was stunned to witness this. If only he knew that things would get to this extent he wouldn''t have let her into the house.

    "Like I was saying. In the past, he was around you every single time of the day but did you ever pay him attention? Did you ever ord importance to him or his feelings?" Amelia challenged fiercely.

    Joanna carried the clutches from the table and with it helped stood up from the couch.

    "That is between me and him, you have no right to meddle in it¡­,"

    "Who says I don''t have the right huh?" Amelia argued not willing to yield to Joanna.

    "Aren''t you acting so obsessive and clinging to him like glue because he is attracted to me and has no time for you now?" Amelia asked.

    "Amelia, stop it right there¡­,"

    "You are suddenly treating him like the apple of your eye because you are scared that he will no longer be at your beck and call, am I not right?" Amelia demanded.

    "Tell yourself the truth. Do you even love him or you are just using him¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up or else I will be forced to rip that mouth off," Joanna yelled angrily.

    "Tsk tsk tsk¡­ you can''t even stand by yourself and you want to rip off my mouth?" Amelia sneered.

    "Don''t you think you are overestimating yourself¡­,"

    "That is enough Amelia," Amos'' cold voice caused Amelia to shiver. She kept quiet in an instant.

    "I can see that you are not in your right mind so I suggest you leave," Amos reached out his hand and grabbed Amelia.

    "You want to throw me out because of her?" Amelia asked with a bewildered expression. She didn''t have the chance to get over the shock before Amos pulled her out of his apartment.

    Joanna was too broken by Amelia''s words to care about what they were doing outside even when Amos didn''t return immediately.

    He returned five minutester but couldn''t find Joanna in the sitting room where he left her.

    Amos went to the bedroom door. He held the door''s knob and tried to pull it open but to his dismay, the door was locked.

    "Joan, open up," Amos knocked on the door and waited to hear footsteps but no movements could be heard inside the bedroom two minutes after knocking on the door.

    "Joan, you didn''t eat anything today. You need to eat to regain your energy. And you are aware that you can''t have your drugs without eating right?" Amos asked. He banged on the door for the fifth time but no movements could still be felt inside.

    "It''s ok if you don''t have an appetite but you are know that your injuries will get infected if we don''t get them treated immediately right?" Amos quizzed.

    He tried to use all the methods he knew to get her to open up the door for him but none of the methods worked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can treat my wound just fine so you don''t have to worry about that?" She replied.

    Her voice he wanted to hear finally came on but Amos could sense changes in her voice.

    Joanna''s voice sounded jerky and muffled like she has been crying in there.

    Listening to her sniff confirmed his doubts.

    "Joan, are you crying?" Amos asked worriedly. "Is it perhaps because of what Amelia said?".

    Inside the bedroom, a figureying on the bed covered with bedsheets from head to toe could be seen moving slightly.

    Underneath the bedsheets, her eyes weren''t only swollen but her face was reddened from crying so much.

    [I never knew that it is this painful to hear the truth]

    Joanna sniffed once again. This movement was apanied by the vibration of her entire body.

    "Joan, I was the one who insisted on following you despite knowing that you didn''t feel the same way for me. Although she was saying the truth earlier, you are not to be med for anything ok?" said Amos as he raised his hand and ced it on the door.

    "I have never med you for anything neither have I ever thought in the manner she did¡­,"

    "Just leave me alone," Joanna shouted angrily.

    "Joan, I know her words might have hurt you so I apologized on her behalf. I am sorry for everything so will you please open the door?" Amos begged as he caressed the door affectionately.

    [Is my love for him a sham like she said? Do I really love Kay or is this part of my obsession?]

    Joanna covered her mouth and sobbed silently. With no one around to confide in, she had no other method to relieve her pains other than crying.

    Amos stayed in front of the door pleading with her for hours. He didn''t care one bit about himself or that it was night already. All that was on his mind was Joanna and her health.

    The fear that her condition might worsen if she kept this up didn''t make him move a muscle away from the door.

    The only time he left the door was when the doorbell rang.

    ...

    HAPPY 300TH CHAPTERS LOVELY READERS ??????

    I still can''t believe that we are in chapter 300.

    ...

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 Chapter 301 Finley And Amos Exchanged Punches

    ?He leads the visitor to the sitting room.

    The first thing the visitor noticed about Amos was his fallen expression.

    "What''s wrong? You are not looking good at all especially when you have her to yourself today," Mr Finmented after he sat down.

    "She wouldn''t open the door for me neither has she eaten nor taken her drugs. I am worried sick that her condition might worsen if this continued," Amos said gloomily, his eyes not moving from the bedroom door.

    "A few hours ago on campus the two of you look inseparable so how did this happen?" Mr Fin asked his gaze glued on Amos'' face.

    "What did you do or say to get her this upset¡­,"

    "Don''t even go to the reason why she is mad because I get infuriated when I think about it," Amos clenched his fists when he recalled the fight that ensued between the twodies.

    "Myck of foresight caused this," Amos concluded.

    "What exactly happened? Tell me. Who knows I might be able to help you out¡­,"

    "There is nothing I say or do that will make her open the door. I have tried every method possible but nothing worked," Hements.

    "You might have tried all the methods you know but still failed but there is one method I know of that you might not have used," Mr Fin said grinning.

    His words pinged Amos interest. His mood lightened up a bit at the thought that they might be a solution to his problem.

    "What''s it?" Amos asked curiously.

    Mr Fin drew closer to him and whispered some words into his ears.

    Amos stared at Mr Finley''s face after he pulled away. "Are you sure it will work? And what if she became angrier because of this?" Amos couldn''t hide his fears as he spoke.

    "Thest thing I want to do is get her upset more than she already is¡­,"

    "Don''t worry it will be fine," Mr Fin responded. He raised his hand and tapped Amos'' shoulder.

    There was quietness in the room after he finished talking.

    "Crazy dude, are you even aware that you have been the trending topic for two executive days?" Mr Fin asked yfully.

    "With how things are, I am sure things will remain this way for a few days. And in no time people will gradually forget the news about the recent killings in the Kingdom¡­,"

    "That''s exactly what I want. This way we will be able to investigate the case and put an end to these cruel killings happening in the Kingdom as soon as possible," Amos replied sternly.

    "Anyone who heard you talk this way might assume that you nned everything from the beginning¡­,"

    "I might be cunning ording to the Queen Mother and the ministers but thest person I will ever make use of is her. She is way too precious to be schemed against¡­,"

    "You are speaking as if this is the first time you are using her," Mr Fin said yfully. His words didn''t go well with Amos.

    "What is the point you are trying to make right now?" Amos challenged. He stared at Mr Finley fiercely.

    Mr Fin stood up from where he sat and walked a few steps away from the centre table.

    "Didn''t you use her supposed to death to keep the ministers including the proud Mr Martinez in check¡­,"

    "How dare you say that I used her?" Amos thundered jerking to his feet.

    "You of all people should know why I did¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The truth is bitter they say. Despite your reason for doing whatever you did you know I am telling the truth right?" Mr Fin said as he turned to look at Amos.

    Their loud voices woke up thedy who had cried herself to sleep.

    Joanna stood up from the bed carried the clutches ced on the bedside and proceeded to the bedroom entrance.

    Curious to know why they were speaking in loud voices she stood at the door and tried to listen to their conversation.

    "I dare you to repeat that," Amos stated firmly, his murderous res directed at Mr Finley.

    "You are cunning just like your mother says. You finally showed your true colours afterying low and pretending to be a fool for so many years. You didn''t hesitate to use the poordy for your selfish¡­," Instead of hearing Mr Fin''s voice, a loud bang filled the room.

    Soon more punching sounds could be heard from where Joanna stood. The smashing of wood and other materials made Joanna very worried.

    "What the hell are theydoing in there?" Joanna muttered. She held the doorknob and tried to open the door but she changed her mind at thest minute.

    "You are bleeding," Mr Finley''s voice brought an end to the intense fight happening in the sitting room.

    "Are you ok? You know I didn''t mean to hurt you¡­," The bedroom door flew open thereby putting an end to Mr Fin''s sentence.

    Joanna was stunned at the scene she met after stepping foot into the sitting room. She soon got over her shock when she saw blood dripping from Amos'' right hand.

    The clutches fell off her hand. And without thinking, she ran towards him with full force.

    Reaching where they stood she bumped into Mr Fin, causing him to lose his bnce.

    Mr Fin who was violently pushed onto the couch stared at thedy who didn''t spare him a bit of her attention after what she did.

    "Are you alright?" Joanna asked as she grabbed his right hand and started caressing it.

    "I should be the one asking you that," He said, his gaze focused on her injured leg.

    He bent and examined her legs. "It must hurt quite a lot right¡­,"

    "My legs are fine. Besides, it''s not hurting that much anymore. We should be talking about your fresh injury," Joanna said as she pulled him up.

    Even witnessing his wound closed up didn''t ease her anger. She turned and confronted Mr Finley.

    "Mr Fin, what is wrong with you? Even though you both had a misunderstanding why did you have to resort to hurting him?" Joanna challenged him fiercely.

    "It''s not¡­,"

    "Is it because you knew he would never hurt his friend? Is that way you mistreated his kindness?" Joanna was too furious to let Mr Finley talk.

    ....

    A/N:

    Hello darling readers, please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. I will be overjoyed if I see that you have supported me with buying the privileged chapters.

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 Chapter 302 Amos Bullied Mr Fin

    ?"Joan, you are misunderstanding something here," Mr Fin tried to call her attention. He didn''t like the feeling of being scolded by a youngerdy at all.

    Especially when what happened was just an act. At that moment he regretteding up with this idea.

    If he had known that Kayden was gonna modify their ns at thest minute and used him to get his woman to open the door he wouldn''t have executed the n.

    [I will surely get back at this sly King some other times]

    He was too distracted to realize that he was ring at Amos and Joanna happened to see him.

    "You are even ring at him¡­,"

    "I know you wouldn''t believe whatever I say so I think I should leave," Mr Fin said, standing up from the couch where he sat.

    He secretly scowled at the guy who was trying his best not to burst out in a peal of deafeningughter.

    "Finley, I know it was bad of me to provoke you that way so I apologized¡­,"

    "You¡­," Mr Fin was speechless at how Amos spun all the me on him.

    He lowered his outstretched hand when he realized that even though Amos doubled-crossed him things still turned out the way they wanted.

    "I will visit some other time," Mr Fin said. He made his way to the entrance afterwards.

    "Let me see you to the door," Amos obliged as he ran after Mr Finley.

    At the door, Mr Fin turned and grabbed Amos on the cor. He red at the smiling guy.

    For a minute there he forgot the true identity of Amos.

    "Are you dying to get scolded again huh?" Amos asked not finding Mr Finley''s actions offensive the slightest bit.

    From his smile it was obvious he was having a good time with his little act.

    "How could you brazenly say that after you turned my kindness against me?" Mr Fin questioned. He didn''t release Amos'' cor.

    "What the heck are you saying? This was all your idea from the beginning, have you forgotten?" Amos was quick to deny his allegations.

    "You¡­,"

    "I indeed modified it a bit but a friend should be willing to do this much for another friend, don''t you agree with me on that?" Amos asked, beaming.

    Not only did he get Joanna toe out of the room but he was able to get back at his friend who always joined hands with Kyle and Tom to bully him so how could he not be happy?

    "You joined hands with your woman to bully me. Just wait and see how I will get back at¡­,"

    "Amos, is everything ok?" Joanna''s worried voice disrupted their little argument.

    "Of course everything is fine. He is on his way now," Amos shouted for Joanna to hear.

    "Will you let go of me now?" Amos asked in hunched tones afterwards. He tried to free himself but Mr Fin won''t let go of his cor.

    "Are you sure you want to keep this up huh?" Amos asked. He let go of Mr Fin''s hands still holding his white cor.

    "It''s ok if you don''t want to let go but I am sure you won''t go away with only a scolding if shees here¡­," Amos trailed off as he winked naughtily at his friend.

    "I am most certain she will forget the fact that you are her lecturer and attack you if she sees you holding¡­,"

    "You...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Just ept that you lose to me this time around. Leave now when she isn''t mad with rage ok?" Amos'' smile broadened as he tapped Mr Fin''s shoulders.

    Two minutester Mr Fin was seen heading to the elevator defeatedly.

    Amos returned to the sitting room after watching Mr Fin enter the elevator.

    He met Joanna trying to clean up the mess they created in the sitting room.

    Amos hurried to her side when she saw her trying to pick up the broken sses on the floor.

    "You are hurt so take a seat," He said. He held her shoulders and lifted her so that she was standing up.

    "The house is a mess¡­,"

    "I will handle it. Don''t worry," He assured her. He tried to guide her to the couch but she refused to move a muscle.

    "It''s not nice to let you clean this up. Your identity is way¡­,"

    "Your well-being is way more important to me than my identity so stop being stubborn or I will be upset," Amos said. Before she could decline, he bent and lifted her off her feet.

    He carried her to the centre of the room and gently ced her on one of the couches.

    "You are the one stubborn one here, not me," Joanna muttered. Her eyes followed Amos as he went about returning the fallen items to their original positions.

    Those that were broken were properly arranged in a spot by him.

    "Although I haven''t seen you guys interact many times but judging from the two times I witnessed you both talk I can tell that you have a close bond with him so what happened earlier?" Joanna asked softly.

    "What was the reason you got into such a fierce fight with him?" She demanded meekly.

    "Hmmm¡­ I guess he took out his anger on me because he is jealous of me," Amos replied nonchntly without stopping what he was doing.

    "He is jealous of you?" Joanna asked in confusion. "But why".

    Amos lifted the fallen flower pot and returned it to its previous position. He spun and faced her afterwards.

    "Yes, he saw me very worried when he arrived and asked me what happened. Then I ryed to him what transpired between you and Amelia. He got angry for no reason when I jokingly said he wouldn''t understand my plight because he has never had a girlfriend," Amos lied without stuttering or exhibiting the trait of a nervous individual.

    "He hurt you just because you made a joke?" Joanna asked in disbelief.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION hase to an end, this doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t gift this book, cast GOLDEN TICKETS or buy the book''s privileged.

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 Chapter 303 Mr Fins Advise To Kyle

    ?[I am sorry I have to resort to lying to you. The truth is I was damn worried about you. You left me with no other option other than to ept Fin''s crazy n]

    Amos lowered his gaze to avoid looking directly at her eyeballs.

    "I feel guilty when I remember how Fin reacted so let''s forget about what happened earlier," He suggested.

    Yes, he feels guilty when he recalled what happened but not for Mr Fin. His guilt was towards Joanna.

    "Wait a minute while I finish cleaning. I will heat the food in the refrigerator for you," He said.

    "Also, I might get busier in theing days. I won''t be able to concentrate on anything I will be doing if I leave you alone here so I will get one of the maids in the pce to keep youpany," Amos informed softly.

    "How busy will you be? Won''t you be able to spend the morning or night with me¡­,"

    "I will be able to do that but at times I might not be able to apany you to campus," He replied.

    The awkward silence that soon engulfed the room made both of them feel suffocated.

    "Also, there is no need to get a maid to watch over me¡­,"

    "I would have asked Josephina to stay over when shees to deliver the food in the morning but those in the pce will get suspicious if she doesn''t return in time. The best way to afford suspicions is to get a maid with a low rank¡­,"

    "I just said I didn''t need the services of maids¡­,"

    "And didn''t you hear when I said I wouldn''t be able to concentrate on anything if I leave you alone?" Amos cut in.

    Thest thing he would do is leave Joanna all by herself, especially after the tragedies that happened twice when he wasn''t by her side.

    "Would you rather I spend so many days working on the case or would you prefer I get over it on time so that I cane to be with you every day like in the past?" Amos asked, his gaze settled on her face.

    "Who said I wanted you to be around me all the time?" Joanna asked shyly with her head lowered.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Amos were talking Mr Fin''s car came to a halt on the lonely road when it came across a familiar car.

    The owners of the cars parked close to each other and wound down their sses almost at the same time.

    "What are you doing here, Fin, Kyle?" The two men chorused. The two of them stepped out of their cars.

    With no car in sight, they didn''t have to worry about inconveniencing other road users.

    "So what brought you out of your beloved club all the way here?" Mr Fin asked after he and Kyle had greeted each other like they normally love doing.

    "What else could make me abandon all the enjoyment in the club if not your crazy friend who didn''t hesitate to risk exposing his identity just to get back at a piece of garbage when his men could have easily done that," Kyle said.

    He was stunned to the marrow when he saw the news of Amos beating up Mr Aidan.

    He didn''t believe his eyes despite watching the scene. Kayden had informed them he would keep a low profile with his new identity.

    He and others aware of his fake identity believed his words because they didn''t know the King to be a reckless person.<novelnext></novelnext>

    So why wouldn''t he have been in shock to see the same person making a headline after causing a scene on campus?

    "As if that wasn''t enough, he became trending again after publicly fighting over her with a celebrity. I want to see him to make sure he is alright in the head," Kyle said, not minding that he was exaggerating some of the facts.

    "If you are heading to his house then I will advise you against going to his house¡­,"

    "Why is that? Aren''t you justing back from his home?" Kyle asked. He took a proper look at Fin. His dishevelled hair and grey shirt caught Kyle''s attention.

    "And why do you look this way? Did you get into a fight with someone on your way here?" Kyle yfully asked not knowing that he guessed it right.

    "Don''t even go there Kyle," Mr Fin replied. He stood with his back leaning against the white car.

    "I offered to help him solve his problem but I ended up getting badly bullied by him," Mr Fin ryed unhappily.

    "Hehehe¡­ He bullied you," Kyle could not resistughing.

    He tried not tough too hard when he saw Mr Fin frown at him.

    "Let''s park our car properly and find a ce to talk. You must tell me all that happened there, Kyle said beaming.

    After properly parking their cars they found a spot to sit and chat.

    Listening to the full story, the mischievous Kyle could not resistughing at every interval.

    "Why are you soughing so much¡­,"

    "Because it''s fun. Also, I feel like it''s not a bad thing to sacrifice for your best friend long time happiness¡­,"

    "If you think so then don''t worry I will find a way for you to be the sacrificialmb very soon," Mr Fin said.

    "No, no¡­ I reject that. It feels awful letting someone in power like Kay bullies you. Do you know why?" Kyle said, standing up from the brown bench.

    Mr Fin also stood up, "Why?" He quizzed.

    "Because you will have to consider the consequences before the thought of avenging yourself crosses your mind," Kyle said smiling.

    As they made their way to where they parked their cars the two friends continued conversing.

    The next day, Amos left his apartment after making sure Joanna was well-fed and had taken her drugs.

    Not long after he left Raymond showed up like he was hiding somewhere waiting for this opportunity.

    Joanna was on a call with Audrey when the doorbell rang. Because of this, she had to put a premature end to her conversation with Audrey.

    "Why did hee back? Did he forget something at home?" Joanna muttered as she made her way to the door.

 Chapter 304 Derrick Scare Joanna

    ?"Why did you return? Did you forget¡­," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she raised her gaze and saw that the one standing at the door wasn''t Amos but Raymond.

    "Ooh¡­ it''s you," Joanna replied. She made her disappointment evident in her expression and voice.

    "Are you disappointed to see that it''s me?" Raymond asked. His charming smile was long gone.

    "Of course not," She forced a smile.

    "Although I am happy to see you, I can''t help but want to know what you are doing here so early. Don''t you have sses or something¡­,"

    "Surprise!!!" Someone jumped out of nowhere and shouted startling Joanna in the process.

    "Hey! I told you not to do that. Look at how startled she is because of your prank," Raymond scolded the giggling guy in the blue shirt.

    "She always has this badass aura whenever I see her that is why I never thought she was the type to get scared easily¡­,"

    "Try standing here and I repeat the same thing and let''s see whether you won''t have a heart attack," Joanna said. She stylishly removed the hand she had ced on her chest.

    "I don''t think you would ever have the pleasure to see me that way because I am a proud werewolf," Derrick replied with pride as he tapped his nose.

    "Good for you," Joanna replied.

    She gazed at the guy from head to toe. She took note of his distinctive features and the way he dressed.

    "Why are you staring at me like that huh?" Derrick asked, cupping his face. "Don''t tell me that you have already started falling in love with me¡­,"

    "Me, fall in love with you?" Joanna scoffed. "Unfortunately I have seen way more beautiful men that it''s impossible for me to blindly fall in love with you," Her response was brutal.

    Raymond couldn''t resistughing when he saw how mellowed Derrick became following Joanna''s remark.

    "Ray, you only told me that she was pretty, why didn''t you tell me that her mouth wasn''t as pretty as her face?" Derrick whispered into Raymond''s ears.

    "I never told you that she was pretty but you saw and confirmed that for yourself. And I am happy to see that you have met your match," Raymond whispered back.

    Watching them whisper to each other made Joanna frown, especially since she could not guess what they were discussing.

    "What are you both whispering about? Are you acting so mysterious because you are nning to gang up on me¡­,"

    "Of course not," Raymond denied, pushing Derrick away from him.

    "That would have been nice but that''s only if he would have agreed to that," Derrick muttered.

    "Did you say something?" Joanna asked with squinted eyebrows. Although she didn''t hear what he said, from his expression she knew he didn''t say something pleasant.

    "I said your house must look as pretty as you right?" Derrick lied. "I can''t wait to take a tour of it," Derrick said.

    He pushed Joanna out of the way and ran into the house before she could stop him.

    "You can''t¡­," He was already inside the sitting room when she turned around to stop him.

    "Wow¡­," Derrick couldn''t resist eximing in astonishment when he set eyes on the interior of the house.

    Having great taste in fashion and designs he could make a rough estimate of almost everything inside the house.

    "It''s so beautiful and spacious. Just like a mini pce," Derrickplimented.

    [That is because the one living here is the King. Everything he uses must be of the highest quality and nothing less]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna smiled seeing Derrick''s bewildered expression.

    "Rick, why did you barge in without being invited? Don''t you know that it''s a bad ethic to do such a thing¡­,"

    "Miss Joanna doesn''t mind so why are you overreacting huh?" Derrick snapped. Raymond''s scoldings didn''t stop him from admiring the room.

    He walked away from where they stood.

    "You know my name? I don''t remember telling you my name so how¡­,"

    "Because he can''t stop singing your name, that is why, am I right, Ray?" Derrick asked. He secretly winked at Raymond.

    Joanna diverted her attention to the guy by her side.

    "He tends to exaggerate things so don''t believe what he says. Also, I am sorry for his behaviour," Raymond apologized.

    The smart guy didn''t agree or reject Derrick''s ims.

    "I had believed it would be awkward toe to a singledy''s home alone, that''s why I brought him. If I had known he would be this way I wouldn''t¡­,"

    ? "I am fine with him as long as he doesn''t turn the house upside-down or destroy things," Joanna replied halfheartedly.

    "How did you know that is exactly what I wanted to do?" Derrick asked.

    Joanna and Raymond turned and red at him at the same time.

    "Rx, I was just kidding. I am not crazy to want to make such a beauty an enemy," He said grinning.

    He turned and looked at the picture frame hanging on the right wall.

    "Aren''t you living alone so why do you have a man''s picture frame here? And you both look very intimate at that¡­," He said. He nced behind after he finished talking.

    "Is he your boyfriend or your husband?" Derrick asked. He smiled when he saw Raymond let out a dry cough the instant he finished talking.

    "Sit down while I get you a ss of water," Joanna offered before she hurried to the kitchen.

    Raymond''s coughing ceased the moment she was gone. "Hey, didn''t you promise to be well behaved so why are you¡­,"

    "And aren''t I being well-behaved?" Derrick interrupted.

    "Also, it looks like the loser had already been determined before you even got to put on a fight," He said as he pointed at Kayden and Joanna''s picture frame hanging on the wall.

    "How are you going to overturn the result without my help huh? Tell me," Derrick said seriously.

    "That doesn''t¡­," Raymond resumed coughing again when he sensed Joanna''s presence from afar.

    "Have this," She said and handed the ss of water to him.

    Raymond collected the water and gulped a mouthful. He took a proper look at thedy who was gazing at him.

    "I can see you are not using the clutches anymore," Hemented.

    "Does that mean you are feeling much better?".

 Chapter 305 Someone Special

    ?"Yeah," Joanna responded. As she walked to the couch she stole a nce at Derrick to see what he was doing.

    She was so relieved to see that he was only admiring the decorations with his eyes and didn''t touch anything.

    "Does that mean that you are well enough to follow us and have fun¡­,"

    "Don''t you have anything better to do other than have fun? And why do you want to drag a sick person along with you?" Raymond asked. He used this opportunity to sit beside Joanna.

    Derrick looked away from the butterfly portrait he was admiring. He strolled to the centre table.

    "What''s the use of living a boring life when you can have fun to the fullest?" Derrick asked. He sat down on the couch opposite Joanna''s.

    "Also, I am sure she must be bored having to spend an entire day confined by these walls all alone¡­,"

    "Can you guys not argue hmm?" Joanna intervened. Her eyes moved from one frowning face to the other.

    "I get a headache any time there is an argument especially if I am not the one partaking in the argument..,"

    "I love arguing and I have never lost an argument before. You can bring up a topic and let''s argue. That way you won''t have a headache," Derrick said carefreely.

    "Hehehe¡­ you are one funny guy, do you know that?" Joannaughed at the guy''s joke.

    Derrick smiled and crossed his long legs. "You are the first person to find me funny. Others find me annoying including the one sitting by your side," Derrick said, ring at Raymond.

    "Honestly, I kinda felt the same way some minutes ago but not anymore. You are simple, it''s the kind of lifestyle I dreamt of in the past but unfortunately wasn''t able to ever experience it," Joanna said emotionally.

    Yeah, her dreams were very simple in the past. All she wanted was to live a life where she won''t have to worry about food, clothes or shelter. A life where she will be epted for what she is.

    As simple as her dream was she never got to actualise it. She was killed and her dreams were sheltered before she made the dream be reality.

    Now she has a new dream and that is never to be weak again. Her dream is not only to live happily with the ones she loves but to make sure she protects everything and everyone she cares about including herself.

    This dream is not that difficult too but with her powers gone she doubts whether this won''t be a failed dream too.

    "You think I am simply because I talk a lot?" Derrick asked. He exchanged secret nces with Raymond.

    "Also, you said your dream was to live a simple lifestyle. Does this mean that is no longer your dream?" Derrick changed his question.

    Joanna readjusted well on the couch. She sat with her back leaning against the couch.

    [If I want to be someone worth sitting by his side, how could I have such simple dreams? Only the naive Joanna in the past would have such dreams]

    She yed with her nails as she raised her gaze to look him in the eye.

    "Yeah. Who would opt for the least when he can aim for the best?" Joanna jokes.

    "You have a point there," Raymond replied, not allowing Derrick to ruin things for him.

    "If you are looking for the best then I think Ray is the best option," Derrick chimed in. Raymond shot him a murderous re but Derrick acted like he didn''t see it.

    "Don''t underestimate him because he is not driving a car. The truth is he is filthy rich. He has different endorsement deals with popr brands. Apart from that, he has won two gold medals in the Olympics¡­," Derrick said while pointing his finger at Raymond.

    "With his riches, even his third and fourth generation will never be poor. Your future will be the brightest if you choose him, so what do you say?" Derrick was shameless with his introduction.

    "Rick, what the hell is wrong with you¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am trying to get you a girlfriend, are you not happy with that?" Derrick cut in, pretending not to know what he did wrong.

    "Do you know that you look like someone I know?" Joanna asked, smiling. Raymond was so d to see that she was not offended by Derrick''s straightforwardness.

    "Really?" Derrick replied with a glint in his eyes. "Who is that?".

    "Someone very close to me," She replied, grinning. "The only difference between the two of you is that he is fun of selling himself to me while you are doing that but for your friend?".

    Her smile broadened when she recalled the numerous times Kayden sold himself to her.

    "Seeing how you are grinning from ear to ear, I guess he is someone special right?" Derrick asked, his gaze focused on thedy whom he was certain had forgotten that they were there.

    "Yes, he is very special to me," She responded absentmindedly. It was after she finished talking that she realised what she had said.

    "What were we talking about again?" She said when she had managed topose herself.

    "Your very special man¡­,"

    "Rick, don''t be rude," Raymond interrupted abruptly.

    The room went dead silent after Raymond admonished Derrick. For fear that Raymond will lose his temper, he dared not try to push his luck.

    "So your name is Rick?" Joanna breaks off the awkward silence with her question.

    "Derrick in full. It''s nice to finally get to meet you this close," Derrick retorted. He extended his hand for a handshake.

    "Hehehe¡­ I can''t believe we are just introducing ourselves now when that should have been the first thing we did," Joanna smiled. She reached out her hand and shook his hand.

    "Sometimes it''s not always fun to follow the standard setting¡­,"

    "You are one mischievous fellow I must say," Joanna said, releasing her hand instantly.

    The three of them continued to talk for a long time. Being in thepany of such fun people, Joanna lost track of time.

    When Joanna realised how much time had gone by she was astounded.

    ...

    SURPRISE!!!

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    Herees the five chapter mass release I promised. I have fulfilled my promise so please do show support in your own way.

    Shower me with gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS if you love my surprise.

    One more thing don''t forget to buy the privileged chapters. I will truly appreciate it if all of you support the book by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thanks as you do this.

    Enjoy the chapters.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 306 Bitterness Everywhere

    ?"Guys, I don''t know what I was thinking. I just recalled I didn''t offer you both anything to eat or drink," Joanna said. She stood up and tried to walk away but Raymond held her hand.

    "It''s fine," He replied.

    "Yeah, it''s fine. Although you didn''t offer us anything I think your presence made up for that," Derrick answered while beaming at her.

    Joanna sat back on the couch afterwards. "Since you are the one who said it then I will believe you then," Joanna replied.

    None of them talked for two minutes following Joanna''sst sentence.

    "Guy''s, can I ask for a favour from you?" Joanna asked politely. Her gaze moved from Raymond''s face to Derrick''s.

    "Say it and as long as it''s within our power we will do it," Raymond responded as he stared at her face.

    "There is an important lecture I must attend but I am forbidden from leaving the house alone¡­,"

    "You were forbidden from leaving the house?" Derrick asked with a bewildered expression.

    "You are not a kid so who would order you around¡­," Raymond''s dry cough forced Derrick to shallow back whatever he wanted to say.

    "So what do you want us to help you with?" Raymond quizzed softly.

    "I was hoping you guys could follow me to campus," Joanna informed without beating around the bush.

    [I ask sure he won''t be upset if his men told him that I left the house when I am in theirpany]

    Joanna anxiously waited for their response.

    "You want Ray to apany you to campus? Are you sure of this?" Derrick asked sceptically. The manner he questioned her made Joanna wonder whether there was something wrong with her request.

    "Of course I am," Joanna replied sternly.

    "Whoa¡­ you are the only woman I know who is willing to make the entiredies in the Kingdom your enemies. I respect you for this," Derrick said as he gave Joanna a thumbs up.

    "What does Raymond following me to campus have to do with making all thedies in the Kingdom my enemies¡­,"

    "Because he is their heartthrobs, their prince charming, aren''t you aware of this?" Derrick asked. He stood up from where he sat and walked to where the butterfly portrait hung.

    "I can still recall what those meansdies did to ady whom they saw talking friendly to Ray¡­,"

    "I am not afraid of anyone," Joanna dered as she stood up from the couch.

    "Besides, I have been hated all my life. I don''t think there is any difference by adding a few more to the list," Joanna said with her shoulders held high.

    "That is the spirit," Derrick pped as he turned and stared at her.

    "This is exactly what makes me believe that we will get along very well. Even Ray will get jealous of our closeness," Derrick giggled.

    Joanna couldn''t resist smiling along with him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Soon she was seen changing outfits in the bedroom. While she got ready Raymond and Derrick were seen walking around the room talking in hushed tones.

    Thirty minutester, on campus, two tall handsome guys were seen walking side by side with an equally talldy wearing a white cropped top and ck trousers.

    With the celebrity in their midst, they became the centre of attention.

    Students left wherever they were and whatever they were doing just to get a glimpse of them.

    Within five minutes of appearing on campus the news that Joanna has found herself another big shot was over the campus.

    The news wasn''t well received by thedies on the campus.

    As they strolled around campus thedies threw flirtatious nces hoping to be noticed by their idol but Raymond and Derrick were too busy chatting with the prettydy to notice them.

    Or maybe they noticed them but decided to y ignorant about it.

    Among the crowds, threedies stood with their murderous res glued on the smilingdy''s face walking in the middle of the guys.

    "I swear choking her to death with my bare hands won''t be enough to ease my hatred for her," Sophie muttered. She dug her long nails into her fine palms.

    "Now that she has openly made all thedies her enemies even though we don''t kill her I am sure there is someone among them who wouldn''t hesitate to kill her a hundred times so let''s just wait and see the end of stinky Joanna," Nora spoke with gritted teeth.

    Despite their boiling anger, none dared to speak aloud or confront Joanna in the presence of Raymond.

    They would rather swallow the bitterness than anger Raymond.

    Though Joanna acted as if she was too engrossed in her chit-chat with the guys she secretly stole nces at the faces of those watching them.

    The bitterness on their faces didn''t escape her notice.

    [Thest time I sawdies so bitter was when Kayden held my hands in public. Seeing their faces it feels like I am reliving that moment. I wonder why I feel so happy to see them so furious]

    A sweet smile lingered on her face as she returned her attention to what they were discussing.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna was making her way to the lecture hall with her two handsome angels by her side, at a corner, a guy was gazing at her with his full attention.

    "What is it, Chris?" There was finally a response on the other side of the line. But the person didn''t sound pleased at all.

    "Is something wrong with her?" The guy asked. He jumped to his feet when Chris didn''t reply immediately.

    "Don''t tell me you failed to carry out the simple tasks I gave you?" Amos'' angry voice attracted the attention of those with him.

    The men speaking in low tones stopped talking, hearing the King''s angry voice.

    "Miss Joanna is safe. In fact, she is very delighted right now," Chris replied calmly. He kept on following the three figures whose distance from him was widening every second.

    "What do you mean?" Amos asked, sounding a bit rxed. "And why is it so noisy there? Aren''t you supposed to be watching over her or don''t tell me you are neglecting your duties just because I am not around?".

 Chapter 307 Disturbed

    ?Chris halted in his tracks the instant Amos made that statement.

    "That is not true. Miss Joanna is on campus and I am keeping an eye on¡­,"

    "What do you mean she is on campus?" Amos asked. He walked away from where he stood when he noticed how intently the men in ck outfits stared at him.

    "The guyst night dropped over at the apartment earlier¡­,"

    "What!" Amos shouted. He tried topose himself when he realised that he overreacted.

    "Sir, don''t worry because he didn''te over alone but with a friend. They were in the house for hours before they left for campus¡­,"

    "How could I not be worried when she is with a pair of strangers alone?" Amos cut in sharply.

    "From what I can see they don''t look like strangers. They are talking andugh like they have known each other for a long time. Miss Joanna seems to enjoy theirpany¡­,"

    "And that''s what I am worried about?" Amos said cool-headedly. "I am worried the annoying guy might have another agenda".

    "It''s my duty to share in your worries. I will watch over and protect her. I will make sure as long as I am here that no harm wille to her," Chris gave Amos his words.

    Amos disconnected the call without uttering a word.

    He leaned against the white wall and stared into space. He was still standing this way when someone came out of the vast room and stood beside him.

    The guy in a brown shirt stared at Amos in silence.

    "If you are that worried about her why don''t you go be with her?" Kyle suggested.

    "It''s not like I haven''t told you that the guys and I can handle things over here. You are the one who insisted on overseeing¡­,"

    "That is because I want to bring whosoever is responsible for the killings to justice," Amos said. He tilted his head and looked at the guy standing beside him.

    "Rumours circting say that the royal family is responsible for the killings in the Kingdom. I am sure the media also believes this but they dare not publish their spections because of their fears¡­,"

    "We both know that the royal family have nothing to do with the killings of werewolves and humans happening¡­,"

    "And who would believe that bullshit without us providing them with the mastermind?" Amos'' voice got colder at the end of his sentence.

    He walked two steps away from where he stood. "Let''s not mention the internal strife the killings will cause and talk about the external ones," He said.

    He stood at the opposite side of the passage with his back leaning against the wall.

    "I am sure the human world will send their representative to us immediately when they get news of the killings. Same with Golden Core Pack¡­," Amos trailed with his fists clenched.

    Because of the incidents going on he hasn''t been able to have a peaceful night''s sleep.

    If he doesn''t put an end to the problems not only might a war break out but his position as King will get threatened too.

    "They have always been looking for ways to cause trouble I am sure they will see this as a perfect opportunity to gang up on us¡­,"

    "And who knows, maybe this is exactly what the one responsible for this incident wants," Kyle chimed in.

    "As long as I am alive I won''t let them get what they want," Amos retorted with his fists clenched.

    "We are here to make that possible also so you can leave now. We will handle things here. I will call you the instant anythinges up¡­,"

    "But¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We have got this so you can leave with ease," Kyle tapped Amos on the shoulder. He gave him a reassuring smile.

    "As much as we want to get over this soon I also want to be able to proudly call her my sister-inw¡­,"

    "Do you have a death wish?" Amos yfully beat his hand away.

    ? "Let''s talk about who is dying or not after you have managed to give me my long-awaited sister-inw," Kyle said smiling.

    "Also, I know that you love hearing this so stop pretending".

    "You want a sister-inw right?" Amos asked.

    "Definitely," Kyle blurted.

    "Don''t worry I will not only give you a sister-inw but also a little prince¡­,"

    "Whoa¡­," Kyle shouted while covering his mouth.

    "Aren''t you afraid you are gonna scare her away¡­,"

    "Your sister-inw is not weak. She is equal to the task," Amos said beaming.

    [Look at how happy he is. I guess only the power of love can make someone like him smile so radiantly]

    Seeing Amos radiating a smile made Kyle smile along with him.

    Amos was about to leave when Kyle''s cell phone rang.

    "Tom," Kyle eximed with a mixture of shock and excitement. Amos, who had started walking away, stopped in his tracks. He walked back to where Kyle stood.

    "You are calling me after a long time. Should I be worried, Dude?" Kyle asked beaming.

    "You are the one who asked me not to call you too often. Wasn''t that because you were scared I was gonna ruin your enjoyment with your women so why are youining?" Tom challenged him.

    He raised his long legs and ced them on the ss centre table.

    "I did say that but I never said you should cut off all contact with me," Kyle replied.

    "We will talk about thatter but right now I have something important to report," Tom said in a bit more serious tone.

    Kyle''s smile faded upon hearing that he wanted to talk business.

    "Are you in a ce where you can talkfortably?" Kyle asked curiously.

    "I am surrounded by our men so you don''t have to worry about anything," Kyle gave him the go-ahead as he looked at Amos.

    "Yesterday we got an Intel that the humans sent some of their spies to the Kingdom not long ago¡­,"

    "That''s not a new thing¡­,"

    "This time it''s different. They didn''t send amateurs. The information we got says that these particr spies were trained by them for so many years. They are not to be underestimated," Tom said seriously.

    Kyle looked at Amos to see whether he had something to say. He focused back on his conversation when Amos signalled him to talk freely.

 Chapter 308 Kyle Tricked Tom

    ?"Could they be responsible for the killings happening here?" Kyle made a wild guess.

    Yes, this is not the first or second time they have discovered that the human world had sent their people to spy on them.

    But why did the killings have to happen at the exact time they sent their experts?

    This couldn''t be a mere coincidence, right?

    "There is a possibility they might have a hand in it and there is another possibility that they are not responsible for it so you guys should be careful while investigating," Tom advised.

    He turned his focus to the door when he heard a knock. Thedy didn''t wait to be ushered in.

    She walked into the vast office noticing that Tom was on a call.

    "I will send the details of the spies the moment we get the information on who they are," Tom said. He ced his index finger on his lips when the talldy in a red suit reached where he sat.

    "Ok, I will ry that to His Majesty," Kyle winked at Amos as he spoke.

    "I was busy¡­,"

    "Wait a minute. I have something to ask you¡­,"

    "Since when did our naughty Kyle have to ask for permission before he speaks?" Tom said yfully.

    "You know me way too well hehe¡­," Kyle chuckled. There was a slight chuckle also at the other end.

    "I wanted to know why you called me instead of Chris or His Majesty," Kyle said after theirughter had died off.

    "You and I know that His Majesty must be too busy to have time for us. And as a friend who wants him to be happy, how could I have the heart to disturb him?" Tom said not giving a damn that thedy in front of him was listening to their conversation.

    "Ooh¡­," Kyle remarked, resisting the urge to burst outughing.

    "Also, I called Chris but there was no response from his side. I could only guess that he was busy or in a ce not convenient for him to talk," he concluded meekly.

    "I don''t know about Chris but I believe His Majesty is not too busy to have time for us since he is beside me right now¡­,"

    "Hey, you set me up, Kyle!" Tom shouted, jerking to his feet.

    "You should have known better not to bad-mouth His Majesty in his absence," Kyleughed at the end of his sentence.

    He handed over the cell phone to Amos.

    "Tom¡­,"

    "Your Majesty, I was just rooting for you and Miss Joanna and also looking forward to when I will get to officially call her sister-inw. I wasn''t badmouthing you as Kyle said," Tom hurried to exin. He tried to stabilize his breathing while waiting for Amos'' response.

    "Didn''t you say the biggest advantage you have is that I can''t kick your ass even if you upset me so why are you sounding so terrified huh?" Amos yfully asked.

    Tom could finally breathe again after noticing from Amos'' voice that he wasn''t angry.

    "Yeah, that is the advantage I have that others over there don''t have," He smiled. He strolled to his desk.

    "We will see whether that is true when I make a trip there," Amos replied grinning.

    His words caused Tom to halt in his tracks, "You areing over here?" Tom asked with widened eyes.

    "For this to be possible we need to tackle the problem at hand, don''t you think so?" He asked.

    Thedy standing at the centre of the room walked to where Tom stood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "While we tackle things here, ensure that we don''t be the humans'' target over there. Also, keep me updated about the three mysterious beings you mentionedst time," Amos said seriously.

    Kyle''s smile faded the moment Amos brought up business.

    At the moment they have way too many problems to resolve.

    It''s not like they were free of problems in the past but never had they have to resolve so many problems at the same time.

    He couldn''t help but conclude that the masterminds deliberately targeted them from all sides to make things difficult for them.

    "I will do just that so you don''t have to worry. Give all your attention to our sister-inw¡­,"

    "Is that his Majesty?" Thedy by his side finally spoke, realising that the conversation wasing to an end.

    "Irene was there with you?" Kyle and Amos chorused while exchanging puzzled nces.

    "His Majesty is busy¡­,"

    "Give the phone to me," Irene snatched the cell phone from Tom. She didn''t give him the chance to disconnect the call like he had wanted to.

    "Your Majesty, it''s so nice to finally get to talk to you after a long time," Irene said smiling.

    "Because Bro is the only one who has direct ess to youtely, he has been stingy about letting me speak to you¡­,"

    "That''s not true so don''t nder me ok," Tom interrupted in the background.

    "I hope you are doing well over there?" Irene ignored Tom''s words and went ahead to speak.

    It has been a long time since she had this rare opportunity and she won''t let it pass by because of her brother.

    "I am fine. And how are you, Irene?" Amos asked.

    "Very well, Your Majesty," Irene said beaming.

    Tom stood in a corner and watched his sister talk and smile at every word like she was speaking to her lover.

    "Weren''t you fun of calling him Brother Kayden even after he became the King so why are you referring to him as His Majesty?" Kyle quizzed softly.

    "I realised that I need to get used to calling him by the correct title if I don''t want to get into trouble with everyone in the Kingdom," Irene replied meekly.

    "What does that mean?" Kyle asked, exchanging secret nces with Amos.

    "I will being to the Kingdom very soon¡­,"

    "What!" Kyle shouted in bewilderment.

    "You must be very happy right?" Irene questioned. Her smile broadened as she turned and leaned against Tom''s desk.

    [Is her return a happy thing? I doubt that]

    Kyle was lost in thought that he forgot to reply to Irene''s question.

    "Kyle, if you are not going to talk can you hand over the phone to Brother Kayden¡­ No, I mean His Majesty," She quickly corrected herself.

    Kyle blinked twice andposed himself

    "His Majesty had something to do so he had already left?" Kyle lied, his gaze not moving from Amos'' face.

 Chapter 309 Anthony And Mr Anderson On Campus

    ?"What!" Irene shouted disappointedly. "I was hoping to talk to him a bit longer. This is all your fault for interrupting?" Irene used.

    She disconnected the call before Kyle could say a word.

    "Hey, Irene, that was my cell phone and not yours so why did you¡­,"

    "I am doing the same thing you have been doing to me anytime I stumbled on your conversation with the King but you refused to let me talk to him," Irene took out her aggression on the innocent Tom.

    She stormed out of there immediately.

    "What the hell is wrong with her?" Tom muttered as he stared at the cell phone she had dropped on his desk.

    Back at their hideout, Amos handed the phone over to Kyle. "Why did you lie to her?" He demanded sternly.

    "Aren''t you busy or don''t tell me you have an entire day to listen to her talk?" Kyle replied without any remorse.

    Although his question was simple Amos didn''t reply.

    "Stop wasting your time and go be with your woman. I won''t forgive you if you let anyone steal her away from you¡­,"

    "As if I would need your forgiveness," Amos replied nonchntly. He turned and walked away without sparing Kyle another nce.

    Back at campus, wherever Joanna set foot she became the centre of attention because of the guys following her about.

    That didn''t change even when they entered the lecture hall. For this same reason, the lecturer couldn''t teach properly because of the students'' murmurs.

    Joanna was too thick-skinned to care about the despicable words said about her.

    If there was one thing she wouldn''t give her haters that is the pleasure to see her break down because of their insults.

    She has grown past that stage.

    Joanna was talking andughing as they descend the stairs in front of the football field. The smile on her face vanished like it never existed when she raised her gaze and saw the man standing at the foot of the stairs with a little boy and ady by his side.

    "What is wrong?" Raymond, who noticed the sudden change in her mood, asked softly.

    "Do you feel unwell?" Raymond asked worriedly. He raised his hand to touch her forehead.

    "Big Sis!" A boy''s tiny little voice filled the air. Raymond paused what he wanted to do and shifted his gaze to where the voice came from.

    Just then he saw a boy in white outfit racing up the stairs.

    Joanna bent in time before the boy reached where she stood.

    The excited Anthony ran into her embrace almost knocking Joanna off bnce.

    Derrick and Raymond, who were not aware of what was going on, watched the scene with puzzled looks.

    "Little rice ball, you are hugging big sister too tightly, can you let go for a minute?" Joanna tapped her brother''s right hand as she talked.

    "No¡­," Anthony retorted, shaking his head negatively. "I am afraid you will run away if I let you go," He said, his grip around her neck didn''t loosen.

    "Stop being naughty and let go except you want to see Big Sister copse in front of you," Joanna hits his back gently.

    Anthony''s grip around her neck loosened. He pulled away from her with great reluctance.

    "Also, how can I run away when my little bodyguard is here huh?" She said yfully. She lifted her hand and stroked his face affectionately.

    "That''s what you saidst time but didn''t you leave without returning for days?" He asked with his lips pouted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Big Sister didn''te over to keep youpany because she wanted to, so will you stop being angry with me hmm?" Joanna said.

    She pouted her lips and blinked repeatedly.

    "She is so cute," Derrick muttered. He and Raymond tried not tough as she kept on making cute expressions at Anthony.

    "When is that brat gonna stop being biased towards her?" Laura standing at the foot of the stairs mumbled with her fists clenched.

    If she had the opportunity she wouldn''t have hesitated to stab Joanna in the heart at that moment.

    "He didn''t even smile when he saw me but looked at himughing like a silly goose. Anyone who witnessed this might think that I am the illegitimate daughter here," Laura said spitefully, seeing how passersby stopped to look at Joanna and Anthony.

    "Are you still angry at me?" Joanna asked the little one that wouldn''t stopughing.

    "No¡­," He shook his head negatively.

    "That''s great," Joanna said. Despite the pains around her legs, Joanna didn''t stand up.

    If she stood up her brother would have to strain his neck to see her face.

    "Ok, so will my little rice ball tell me what he is doing on campus huh?" She asked yfully.

    Anthony nced behind him. He walked two steps closer to where Joanna squatted seeing how intently his father was watching them.

    "I was worried about you but Mum and Dad didn''t let me leave the hotel so I had to trick Dad into bringing me here by saying I wanted to see what Sister Laura''s school looks like," Anthony giggled at the end of his sentence.

    "And look at how proud you are to have tricked your father. Who taught you how to be so naughty huh¡­,"

    "It''s not my fault that I take after my smart Big Sis¡­,"

    "You¡­," Joanna was lost in ways to scold the naughty boy.

    "Your little brother is so cute. He looks like your little husband instead of your brother," Derrick jokes.

    His words made Anthony turn and look at where he stood.

    "And who are you?" He demanded fiercely. "Are you one of those people who bully her¡­,"

    "I would never do such a thing so be careful with your words, little man," Derrick denied his usations immediately.

    "I am not little¡­,"

    "Tony,e over here," A man''s cold voice made everyone stare at the foot of the stairs where the man stood.

    "But Dad¡­,"

    "I saide over here. Don''t make me repeat myself," The chilliness in his voice instill fear in Anthony''s body but the boy didn''t let go of Joanna.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!!??????

    I just want to say a big thank you to all the readers who supported me in one way or the other from the beginning to the end of the month.

    Thank you so much. All your love, support and efforts are much appreciated by your beloved author.

    Do keep showing your support.

 Chapter 310 Raymond Shields Her

    ?"Go on now. Don''t worry he won''t spank you in front of so many people," Joanna assured him with a smile. She pats his brown hair and urges him to do what his father wanted.

    "Can''t you hear what Dad is saying or are you waiting for me toe to drag you over here?" Laura lost her cool when she noticed that Anthony didn''t want to let go of Joanna.

    "He is already scared. Do you have to add to it¡­,"

    "Shut the hell up!" Laura snarled, her murderous re concentrated on Joanna''s face. " I was talking to my brother and not the daughter of a slut¡­,"

    "Do you have to be so rude?" Derrick interrupted. He didn''t understand why Laura was trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

    "This is between us so will you mind your business¡­,"

    "I can tolerate you speaking to me rudely but don''t you ever use that tone on my friends especially if they didn''t do anything wrong," Joanna said, not sounding polite at all.

    She stood up with her hand holding Anthony firmly.

    "Oh! They are your friends now that Dad is here huh?" Laura asked mockingly.

    "Aren''t you shameless to tantly call your patronisers your friend? Or don''t tell me they didn''t pay you well after you satisfied¡­,"

    "Watch what you are saying, Miss," Raymond cut in, his ferocious res focused on Laura.

    Despite that Mr Anderson was there he didn''t caution Laura. His silence gave Laura the liberty to talk however she wished.

    As long as her father was there to back her up, what can anyone do to her?

    This was Laura''s attitude even though she didn''t voice it out.

    "Oh¡­ you are mad because what you have been doing in secret hase to light huh?" Laura challenged him. She strolled up the stairs.

    By now people had already gathered around them.

    Joanna''s gaze moved to where her father stood. The era of being surprised or hurt that he would let Laura and her mother insult her had long passed.

    She no longer expects anything from him and because of this, she doesn''t get hurt anymore. If someone pointed a gun at her and asked her to choose whether to die or to receive help from her father, she would choose to die a hundred times than receive help from him.

    "I am not surprised to see you both angry that your deeds have been brought to light but do you know why she is still standing with her head held high?" Laura asked. She halted in front of the fuming Raymond.

    "She is shameless because she takes after her mother. Herr mother was a slut, a homewrecker¡­,"

    "Say one more word and I will¡­,"

    "What can a weakling like you do to a purebred werewolf like me huh?" Laura snapped. Her murderous res locked with that of Joanna.

    The two sisters red at each other for two minutes.

    "Don''t speak to Big Sis like that," Anthony shouted. He jumped and stood in front of Joanna.

    "She is not bad as¡­,"

    "Who said you could talk, brat?" The furious Laura grabbed his hand and yanked him to her side.

    She was so furious to get interrupted by her little brother that she forgot that they were in public.

    How dare he intervene when the perfect opportunity to teach her stepsister a lesson had surfaced.

    Laura raised her hand to hit Anthony but her hand was caught in mid-air.

    She turned and red at the one who stopped her from disciplining her little brother.

    "You will have to go through me before you can hurt him," Joanna said sternly. She refused to let go of Laura''s hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Let''s see whether you are powerful enough to stop me," Laura retorted. Her ws shot out and her eyes changed colours.

    She pushed Joanna violently away and raised her right hand, aiming it at Joanna''s face.

    "Watch out!" Raymond shouted. He ran and embraced Joanna. Laura''s five fingers pierced through Raymond''s back.

    "What the hell did you just do?" Derrick shouted. He rushed forward and grabbed Laura''s hand before she could attack Joanna again.

    "Let go of me," Laura shouted. She tried to push him away as she did to Joanna but unfortunately Derrick wasn''t weak as she thought.

    The werewolf guy was able to effortlessly subdue her.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked after Raymond let go of her.

    "What about you, are you ok?" He asked without answering her question.

    "I am¡­,"

    "His back is bleeding, Big Sis," Anthony informed.

    Without wasting time Joanna spun him. Her eyes widened when she saw the mark of Laura''s five fingers on Raymond''s back.

    "Don''t worry this is nothing¡­," Joanna pushed Raymond out of her front. She charged towards Laura with her fists sped.

    "How dare you hurt him?" Joanna raised her hand to hit her but a powerful hand grabbed her raised hand before it could descend on Laura''s face.

    "What do you think you want to do to your elder sister¡­,"

    "To put her in her ce or what does it look like?" Joanna snapped.

    She was beyond mad to care about the tone she used on him.

    "Dad, can you see how she ganged up on me with her men because I tried to admonish her¡­,"

    "You are still talking?" Joanna red at Laura. "Let''s see whether you will still be able to run that mouth of yours after I am done with you," Joann tried to free her hands but Mr Anderson refused to let go.

    His grip around Joanna''s hand tightened causing Joanna to whimper in pain.

    "Dad, you are hurting Big Sis¡­," Mr Anderson''s vicious stare made Anthony keep quiet.

    "Anthony, listen to Big Sister and don''t intervene. I am used to this attitude of his. If he wants to disy how big of a mess our family is in public, I am equal to the task¡­,"

    BAM!

    Joanna held her burning cheeks with both hands. The p made her feel dizzy thereby making her shake her head repeatedly to stay sane.

    Joanna slowly turned her head. She scowled at the man when their eyes locked.

    ....

    A/N:

    Hello darling readers, please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. I will be overjoyed if I see that you have supported me with buying the privileged chapters.

    Also, about the mass release I promised you guys, I haven''t forgotten about it. I am working very hard to make sure that the mass release event takes ce so please show some support.

    Support me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS and buying of privileged chapters.

 Chapter 311 Heartless Mr Anderson

    ?"Did you p me¡­,"

    "It will not end with just one p if you don''t lower your gaze little brat," Mr Anderson thundered.

    The bewildered Derrick turned and stared at the equally shocked Raymond. His expression showed none of them expected this, at least not in front of so many people.

    "Are you sure he is really her Dad?" Derrick whispered. The angry Mr Anderson shot him a bloodthirsty stare following his sentence.

    "Not only did you let these toys of yours gang up on your elder sister but you dare let them mock our family. And afterwards, you want to act like the victim? What do you take me for?" Mr Anderson was beyond mad to have pped her in public.

    Laura felt a sense of satisfaction spring forth inside her watching her father embarrass her stepsister in front of the entire students.

    [I have told you I will get my revenge and I bet you didn''t believe me. This is what you deserve for going up against me]

    Although she tried to put on a pitiful look, those who take a closer look at Laura will see how hard she was trying not to burst outughing.

    "Do you think I don''t know what you have been up to all these days because I am not always at home?" Mr Anderson quizzed, his piercing nces not leaving Joanna''s body.

    "If you want to be a slut like your mother then at least let me know so that I can remove your name from the family register¡­,"

    "I can''t believe you just called my mother a slut without blinking," Joanna cut in. She removed her hand from her face and stood erect like the Boss Lady she ims to be.

    "You of all people should know whether or not she was a whore and a homewrecker, am I right?" Joanna asked, looking at him eyeball to eyeball.

    "I learn every being has a heart including the vampires who im not to possess a heart but I doubt whether you and your wife possess one," Joanna said.

    "Like husband, like the wife. A perfect match indeed I must say," She stated fearlessly.

    She diverted her murderous res to Laura who has now gone quiet after being the cause of everything.

    She stomped to where her stepsister stood.

    "I swear I will get back at you for this and I promised I won''t be the one exerting revenge but your beloved mother," Joanna threatened. She brushed past Laura, almost knocking her off her feet.

    "Dad, can you see what she did?" Laura said.

    Raymond and Derrick followed Joanna in an instant.

    "Laura, why are you so evil just like Cindere''s evil stepsisters?" Anthony challenged in anger.

    "Did you just call me evil¡­,"

    "Big Sis, wait for me," the upset Anthony ran off before Laura could scold him.

    "Come back here, Tony," Mr Anderson shouted but Anthony didn''t stop or act as if he heard his father''s orders.

    Joanna kept walking in big strides. Not even Anthony''s constant calling of her name made her slow down.

    The guys tried their best to keep up with her pace.

    When they were far away from campus and Joanna still didn''t slow down or take a break, the worried Raymond grabbed her by the hand.

    He grabbed her shoulders and held her in ce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If you wanna cry then cry and stop trying to act tough¡­,"

    "Does the look in my eyes show that I wanna cry or don''t tell me you can''t see the killing intent in them?" Joanna asked while looking him in the eyes.

    Raymond stared into her burning eyeballs. All he could see was piled-up anger and hatred.

    [I guess this must be one of the things that kept her alive all these years despite the hell she went through; her strong quest for vengeance is like no other]

    Raymond''s grip around her shoulders loosened noticing that he guessed her emotions wrong.

    "You don''t only know how to talk well but I must say that you are an emotionally strong woman. Your kind is rare to find," Derrickmented.

    Joanna tilted her head and nced at him. "There was a time I couldn''t look people in the eye, not to mention speak out. Crying was my best hobby then but I have grown past that stage," Joanna retorted.

    She brushed the strands of hair blocking her view to the back.

    "The stage where I cry over a father''s love has long be past tense so¡­," Joanna paused, setting eyes on the fresh wounds at Raymond''s back.

    "Gosh, I almost forgot that you got wounded for my sake," Joanna replied. She held his hand and spun him so that she had a proper look at the injuries.

    "Ray might be stern at times but what you don''t know is that he has a tender heart. He can never stand and watch a prettydy''s face get disfigured, especially thedy he likes," Derrick chimed in.

    "Rick, do you know how happy I will be the day you decide to stop spouting nonsense¡­,"

    "Geez¡­ you and I know this is not nonsense. You just don''t have the guts to tell her," Derrick mumbled. He was smart enough to move away from Raymond after he finished talking.

    "Did you say something?" Raymond red at him.

    Derrick smiled at him, "I said we should hurry so that we can get your injuries treated in time or else it might get infected," he lied tantly to their faces.

    "Yeah, you are right about that," Joanna said. She was so distracted and didn''t see her little brother standing beside Derrick.

    Thinking that Joanna was angry with him too, Anthony hurried to her side and grabbed her hand.

    "Big Sis, please don''t be angry with me too, hmm?" Anthony tugged her right hand as he talked.

    Joanna''s eyes widened when she lowered her gaze and saw Anthony by her side. "Hey, why the hell are you here? Aren''t you supposed to¡­,"

    "I knew Sister Laura will spank me hard that is why I followed you instead¡­,"

    "By doing this not only will you get into trouble with your sister but your mum also," Joanna pats her little brother''s hair as she talks.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!!??????

    I just want to say a big thank you to all the readers who supported me in one way or the other from the beginning to the end of the month.

    Thank you so much. All your love, support and efforts are much appreciated by your beloved author.

    Do keep showing your support.

 Chapter 312 Derrick Fishes For Information

    ?"I want to follow you. Please take me with you¡­,"

    "But Little rice ball¡­,"

    "Since he wants toe with us I don''t see any problem with that. You can always send him back hometer, right?" Raymond chimed in seeing that Anthony was against the idea of returning to his family.

    "You are right Brother¡­," Anthony trailed not knowing how to address him.

    "I am Raymond and he is Derrick," Raymond introduced himself to the confused Anthony.

    "Guys, you don''t know how troublesome my stepmother¡­,"

    "I don''t think it will be as troublesome as his wounds getting infected hmm," Derrick cut in.

    Joanna''s gaze moved from her brother''s pleading face to Raymond''s.

    Although Raymond looked alright at the moment Joanna was worried whether he will still be fine if she decides to send Anthony home before she gets his injury treated.

    Even though she sends Anthony home, that won''t make her cruel stepmother hate her less.

    Instead, she would end up ming her for everything so why should she put another person''s well-being on the line despite knowing the oue?

    "Let''s go home," Joanna grabbed Anthony''s hand and led the way.

    As they made their way home, they garnered a lot of attention because of Raymond''s bloodstained clothes.

    And because of this Derrick had to take off his jacket and give it to Raymond.

    The moment they got home Joanna rushed to get the first aid box while she left the guys in the sitting room.

    She returned some minutester with the first aid kit.

    "Raymond, are you sure you don''t want to go to the hospital?" Joanna asked for the third time to make sure that getting the basic first aid treatment was all he needed.

    "For a celebrity like him, going to a hospital is a hassle. So many spections will circte because of the injury. Rumours of all kinds will spring forth and people will not care about the truth anymore," Derick responded calmly.

    "Getting treated by those magical hands of yours is way better than having to deal with those annoying doctors and paparazzi," He added yfully.

    "You definitely have a way with your words. Your girlfriend will have a hard time dumping you," Joanna jokingly said.

    She opened the box and brought out the materials she would require.

    "Take off your shirts," Joanna ordered with her attention still on the itemsid on the table.

    "What!" Raymond and Derrick eximed with their mouths hanging open.

    Their astonishment made Joanna shift her attention to them.

    "Why do you both look so surprised? Did you expect me to treat his wounds with his clothes on¡­,"

    "I think it''s durable this way¡­," Joanna''s fierce res made Derrick pause what he wanted to say.

    "You talk as if I will die if I see his naked body," Joanna jokingly said. She brought out the white scissors and was about to cut Raymond''s shirt but Derrick held her hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know about dying if you see his nude body but I can assure you that you will suffer from a nosebleed when you set eyes on his heavenly body¡­,"

    "Will you stop dying his treatments because of your jokes? I will not only take back all mypliments but I will get mad at you if you keep this up," Joanna scolded.

    She sneaks a look at the clock hanging on the wall. The thought of Amos returning to meet the two guys in his house made her shudder.

    [I am afraid he will kill someone if I don''t conclude this quickly and send them away. I don''t want to ever see him mad to that extent]

    Joanna shook her head violently to get the thoughts off her head.

    I will be gentle so don''t worry," Joanna assured Raymond before she brought the scissors close to the hem of the clothes.

    "Big Sis, Mum and my teachers always say that boys and girls should always maintain a distance. So why is it that you are the one who wants to treat him?" Anthony asked, frowning.

    He walked closer to where Joanna sat beside Raymond.

    "Hehehe¡­ you are not only very innocent but also very cute. I can''t believe you remembered what your teacher had said even at your age," Derrick said beaming.

    "That is because I have a good memory," He replied with pride.

    He tilted his head to stare at Joanna once again.

    "Also, won''t Brother Kay be furious if he sees you getting so close to another man?" Anthony asked innocently.

    "Brother Kay?" Derrick asked, his suspicious gaze centred on Joanna. "Is that your boyfriend¡­,"

    "No, he is more than that," Anthony cut in, sounding very upset. "Brother Kay is the¡­,"

    "Little rice ball, haven''t I told you not to cut in when adults are talking?" Joanna questioned sternly.

    She couldn''t believe that the secret she had been trying to help Amos to keep was almost disclosed by her angry little brother.

    "But¡­," Anthony went quiet the instant his gaze met Joanna''s piercing eyes.

    Derrick wasn''t satisfied with the little information he got so he made up his mind to fish for more information.

    "Seeing how you are protecting your sister from getting close to him, I guess you must really like him a lot right, Tony?" Derrick asked meekly.

    The little boy was way too innocent to understand the minds of the adults so he went ahead to say how he felt.

    "Yes, I like him very much and he likes me a lot too but the truth is he loves my sister more," Anthony said. A sweet smile lingered on his face as he talked.

    "Ooh¡­ even though he loves your sister how do you know that Ray doesn''t love your sister as much¡­,"

    "That''s not true. Brother Kay doesn''t only love my Big Sis but he said he can do anything for her," Anthony argued with him. He refused to let Derrick win the argument.

    "I bet he was only lying. I mean lying is what men excel in¡­,"

    "Hey, don''t speak badly of my brother Kay because he is not like that," Anthony defended sternly.

    With Joanna''s attention focused on Raymond''s injury she wasn''t paying attention to their discussion.

 Chapter 313 You Are Back!!!

    ?"Why should I believe what you are saying when you haven''t told me what he looks like or his name hmm?" Derrick asked. He was cunning in the way he tried to get answers out of the innocent boy.

    "What more should I say about him when you have already seen his picture for yourself?" Anthony said with pride. He strolled to the opposite couch where Derrick sat.

    "Did you just say I have seen his picture ?" Derrick asked, confusion written all over his face.

    "Why are you pretending when his picture and that of my sister are hanging over there?" Anthony said as he pointed at Joanna and Kayden''s picture frame hanging on the wall.

    Derrick turned and nced at the picture frame hanging on his right-hand side.

    "So that is your brother Kay?" Derrick asked.

    "Brother Kay treats my sister the best and that is why I like him a whole lot. I can''t wait for my sister to get married to him so she can leave home where she is not treated well," Anthony said grinning.

    Sitting there Anthony began recalling the amazing moments he spent with Kayden.

    Just like he was in deep thought, so was Derrick. Derrick diverted his gaze to Anthony''s direction when he was done sorting his thoughts.

    "So what is his full name, Tony?" Derrick asked, his gaze not shifting away from Anthony''s face for a second.

    "His name is¡­," He jumped up to his feet suddenly. He rushed to the door without satisfying Derrick''s curiosity.

    "What''s up with him?" Derrick muttered as he stared at where Anthony ran off to.

    Anthony ran to the entrance. The moment he stepped outside he met a tall guy standing in the middle of the corridor.

    "Why do you have Brother Kay''s scent¡­," Amos bent and covered the little boy''s mouth, not letting him say out his thoughts.

    "Why are you¡­," Anthony struggled to free himself but Amos was just too strong for him to handle.

    "I have something to show you but I can only do that if you promise to keep quiet. Will you promise me that?" Amos asked while looking at Anthony''s face.

    Getting the smart boy to agree to what he wanted wasn''t easy but he was still able to do it.

    After he finally managed to calm Anthony down Amos released his mouth. He took out his cell phone from his trouser''s pockets and started punching words into the bright screen.

    Anthony stared at his face with a puzzled look. Amos was too concerned about what he was typing to care about Anthony''s intent stares.

    He stopped typing two minutester and turned the phone around so that the screen was facing Anthony.

    "Read what''s on it ok," Amos tapped on the screen and said.

    Anthony did as he was asked to.

    "I will answer all your questionster but can you not say anything about what you noticed today to anyone hmm?" Anthony chuckled at the end of his reading.

    "Let it be our little secret ok," Amos said. He raised his hand and ruffled Anthony''s hair slightly.

    "Hmm¡­ I will think about it," Anthony said beaming.

    He turned to open the door but someone inside beat him to open the door.

    "Who are you and what are you doing together with him?" Derrick questioned sternly.

    A frown stered on Amos'' face the instant he set eyes on the guy standing at the door.

    He stood up to have a proper look at the intruder''s face.

    "Shouldn''t I be the one to ask you that question?" Amos retorted, his fierce res fixated on Derrick''s face.

    "Did you¡­,"

    "What the hell are you doing in my house and who on Earth are you?" Amos asked angrily.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Your house?" Derrick asked. He was violently pushed aside before his brain could assimte what was happening.

    Entering the sitting room Amos met Joanna applying ointment on Raymond''s injury.

    "Ouch, that hurts," Raymond cried out in pain causing Joanna to momentarily stop what she was doing.

    Seeing Joanna touch another guy''s bare body made Amos clench his fists.

    "Sorry, I will be more gentle," She said. Joanna was about to continue treating his wound when she sensed the presence of someone.

    She tilted her head to where she felt the piercing res. Joanna''s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened the moment she set eyes on Amos'' fuming face.

    "You are back!" Joanna eximed, jumping to her feet.

    For some reason, her entire body began to tremble. Was this because of his clenched fists or his murderous res which were focused on Raymond''s back?

    "K-Kay, I-I brought h-him¡­," Joanna felt like pping herself in the face for stammering at such an important moment.

    "I thought I made it clear to you that I don''t want to see you anywhere close to my home so what the hell are you doing here?" Amos ignored Joanna and walked to stand in front of Raymond.

    "And I also recall saying that wasn''t left for you to decide¡­," Amos held Raymond''s hand and jerked him to his feet.

    "Leave now before I lose the little bit of conscience left in me¡­,"

    "Does it look like I am scared of you?" Raymond quizzed while looking Amos in the eye.

    Seeing that a physical fight might break out anytime soon, Joanna left where she stood and went to stand in their midst.

    "Kay, I was the one who brought him¡­,"

    "Isn''t his name Amos?" Derrick, who was quietly watching the fight, questioned.

    "Will you keep quiet?" Joanna snapped. "This is not the time to be inquisitive".

    Joanna brought back her attention to Amos'' face after she had taken care of Derrick.

    "He got injured because of me. You didn''t expect me to abandon him after he got attacked for my sake¡­,"

    "Even though you brought him home. Did you have to personally treat his wounds and get close to him¡­,"

    "You are talking as if you are her husband," Derrick muttered but loud enough for everyone in the sitting room to hear.

    "If you don''t keep quiet, I swear I will rip off your mouth before I handle your friend¡­,"

    "He didn''t say anything wrong so why are you trying to shut him up?" Raymond asked, standing up from where he sat.

    "You are not her husband or even her boyfriend so what gives you the right to tell us what to do?" Raymond argued, his gaze did not move away from Amos'' eyeballs.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY DECEMBER ??????.

    I wish you a happy new month. Thank you so much for the love and support you showered on the bookst month.

    Please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, gifts and reviews.

    Also please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. It will make me very happy if you buy the privileged chapters, so please endeavour to purchase the privileged tier you can afford.

    Thanks a bunch as you do this.

 Chapter 314 They Finally Left

    ?"Also, you always act as if you are above us¡­,"

    "Ray, I am very grateful that you saved me but can you and Derrick not disrespect him?" Joanna cut in.

    With everyone angry, she knew that she needed to be cool-headed to be able to resolve the issue at hand.

    "He was the one who disrespected us first so why are you taking sides with him?" Derrick asked unhappily.

    "Because Brother Kay is Brother Kay and no one can bepared to him," Anthony said innocently.

    Amos who looked like he would murder someone only needed to hear Anthony''s words to calm down.

    Everyone seemed to have calmed down a bit after Anthony talked.

    "Amos, although I don''t know why you are so angry when you are the one who said I cane to your home however I want¡­,"

    "Of course, you have unlimited ess to my home. In fact, the door of my home will forever be opened to you but not him," Amos said as he shot Raymond a deadly look.

    "Also, if you expected me to embrace them then I am sorry to disappoint you, I am not a saint and I would never pretend to be one especially when ites to you," Amos said seriously.

    He stomped to the bedroom. He jammed the door close, startling Joanna and Anthony in the process.

    "I have never seen him so angry before. Is he that angry that I let outsiders inside his home," Joanna bit her nails as she gazed at the brown door Amos jammed closed?

    [Is she trying to say that she doesn''t know why he is angry¡­ Anyways she has always been very dense since she was a child so I shouldn''t be surprised about this. This is a side of her that endears people to her]

    Raymond looked at thedy who seemed to be lost at what to do.

    "He has such a bad temper. I wonder whichdy will fall in love with¡­," Raymond''s dry cough coupled with Joanna''s deadly nces made Derrick realize that he would earn himself an enemy if hepletes his words.

    "It seems like I am not wee here so it''s better I just leave¡­,"

    "Don''t," Joanna grabbed his hand and pulled him back to his previous position.

    "I will feel very terrible if you leave like this so sit down and let meplete what I was doing," Joanna said. She stole a nce at the bedroom once again.

    Reluctantly she shifted her gaze back to Raymond.

    "Little rice ball, go in and ask your Brother Amos to lend you one of his shirts. It''s not proper for Raymond to wear this torn shirt," Joanna said absentmindedly.

    She was in a rush to wrap up the treatment and didn''t pay attention to her surroundings.

    Derrick watched Anthony approach the bedroom door. He turned and look at Joanna after Anthony had entered the room.

    [Whoa¡­ Is she just dense or is she naturally this brutal? I mean I thought she was weird ever since the first day I set my eyes on her but this is¡­ I don''t even know what to say to this]

    Derrick kept on gazing at Joanna''s stern face. The gentleness that was in her eyes before Amos'' arrival was long gone.

    Just when she closed the first aid box Anthony came out of the room.

    "What''s it? Why did youe out empty-handed?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    Anthony moved away from the door and walked into the sitting room.

    "He is angry. He didn''t respond to anything I said," Anthony said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Big Sis, why¡­,"

    "Don''t worry I will get the clothes myself," Joanna interrupted. She stood up and strolled to his bedroom.

    Inside the bedroom, Joanna met Amos standing in front of the ss window gazing outside.

    The purging smell that hits her nostrils made Joanna cough repeatedly.

    "You are smoking?" She asked, her gaze centred on the back of the guy who wouldn''t spare her a nce.

    "I needed something to calm me down and I couldn''t think of anything else except this," He replied. The nonchnce in his voice made Joanna clench her fist.

    "Can we talk after I have sent them away?" Joanna asked. She subconsciously bit her lower lips as she waited for him to say something.

    She waited for him to answer her but he refused to say anything. He just kept on puffing smoke into the air.

    "Is it ok for me to lend him one of your shirts?" She quizzed. "I promise I will¡­,"

    "I have already told you that everything in my home is at your disposal. Even though I am furious I won''t act petty and go back on my words," He replied casually.

    Although he didn''t raise his voice at her, his nonchnce hurt her as much as he would have caused a scene.

    His casual tone coupled with the fact that he won''t look at her made Joanna''s heart tighten.

    [I can''t stand seeing him this way and to get my real Kay back I need to get the two guys out of here as soon as possible]

    Joanna looked away from his direction. She strolled to the walk-in closet without uttering a word again to him.

    Amos, who pretended that he didn''t care about her, tilted his head and nced at her moving back.

    [Believe me, Joan, I don''t want to get angry but the thought that I might lose you to another doesn''t make me think straight and you can''t me me for this. I believe anyone in my shoes would have reacted the same way I did]

    Amos kept looking at the walk-in closet door even after she was out of sight.

    He sped his fist when the scene he met earlier popped up in his head.

    "I am sure this was a part of his scheme," Amos muttered with his fist still sped.

    Some minutester Joanna was seen standing at the entrance gazing at the two guys who kept waving at her.

    "Don''t be sad we are leaving because I promise we will meet sooner than you think," Derrick said. He waved at her for thest time before she entered the room.

    Reaching the sitting room Joanna unlocked her cell phone and handed it over to Anthony.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!!??????

    I just want to say a big thank you to all the readers who supported me in one way or the other from the beginning to the end of the month.

    Thank you so much. All your love, support and efforts are much appreciated by your beloved author.

    Do keep showing your support.

 Chapter 315 Trying To Settle Things

    ?"Do whatever you want with the cellphone while I talk with Amos but you are not allowed to peep through my chats ok?" Joanna warned sternly.

    "Big Sis, will you let me sleep over if I don''t disturb you and Brother Kay while you talk to him?" Anthony implored innocently.

    "Brother Kay?" Joanna asked with widened eyes. "How did you connect the knots that they are the same people?".

    "Because he had the same scent as Brother Kay¡­,"

    "But you have met him before so why didn''t you recognise him then?" Joanna inquired, looking into Anthony''s innocent eyes.

    "I couldn''t perceive his scent back then. I don''t know what he did to hide his scent¡­,"

    "If you love him as much as you always wanted me to believe then you will keep what you found out today just between the two of us ok?" Joanna asked. She did not look away from Anthony''s eyeballs.

    "Big Sis, you haven''t answered whether you will let me sleep over with you tonight," Anthony said, deliberately not answering Joanna''s question.

    "Hey, silly boy, are you trying to threaten me with your requests huh?" Joanna tried to tickle Anthony but having expected this, he jumped off the couch and ran to stand at the back of the couch.

    Anthony keptughing without answering Joanna''s question.

    "Ok, Little rice ball. I concede defeat. You have won," Joanna said with her hands lifted above her head.

    "As long as you promise to keep his identity a secret from everyone including your Mum and Dad, I will let you sleep over tonight¡­,"

    "Yay!" He jumped up in excitement. Joanna gazed at him as he jumped up a few more times.

    "If you are that excited to spend the night here then tell me¡­,"

    "I promise I won''t tell anyone that Brother Amos is actually Brother Kay," Anthony finally said the words Joanna wanted to hear.

    "Always remember that Big Sis will be very angry at you if you disclose the secret to anyone ok," Joanna said.

    Although Anthony was naturally smart he was still a child after all and the mind of a child can''t bepared to that of an adult.

    She had to make sure that he kept Amos'' identity a secret.

    "I will not let Big Sis down, I promise," He hits his chest firmly as he talks.

    Joanna smiled at him. She swivelled and made her way to the bedroom door.

    She halted just in front of the door and nced behind her.

    "Don''t forget I said you shouldn''t go through my chats ok?" Joanna spoke to the boy sitting on the couch with all his focus on the cell phone in his hand.

    "I won''t, Big Sis," Anthony replied. He didn''t take off his gaze from the phone as he spoke.

    Joanna entered the bedroom and bolted the door from within.

    Twisting around to look at where she saw him earlier, he wasn''t standing there but instead he sat on the bed gazing at the window.

    "Do you feel better after getting a smoke?" Joanna asked as she proceeded to where he sat.

    "I don''t," He replied coldly without sparing her a nce.

    Joanna sat beside him and gazed at his face. She waited for him to turn and look at her but he didn''t.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He acted like she wasn''t present there.

    "Are you so furious that I brought someone into your home without your permission that you won''t spare me a nce?" Joanna asked, her gaze glued on his sideline; the only part of his face she had ess to.

    "If you are still angry even after I apologized I don''t mind apologising again because I know I am at fault¡­,"

    "Do you seriously think I am behaving this way because you brought them home without my permission?" Amos asked. He sprang up to his feet.

    "Do you believe I am that petty¡­,"

    "If you are not furious because of this then why are you so upset?" She demanded. She was holding back earlier because they were strangers around but now that they are gone she won''t hold back again.

    "You find it hard to talk to me or look at me ever since you met them in the house¡­,"

    "If you don''t know why I am acting this way then I think we shouldn''t be having this conversation in the first ce," Amos retorted. He turned to leave but was forced to a stop by a sudden embrace.

    "Although I don''t know why you are so furious, one thing I am aware of is that I won''t be able to handle it if you ignored me," Joanna said, her grip around his waist growing firmer.

    "Kay, you can punish me however you want. I won''tin but don''t ignore me just like Drey did because I won''t be able to take it," For the first time she decided to be honest about how she felt.

    She almost lost her mind when Audrey cut off contact with her for days. She might really lose her sanity if Amos was to do the same thing to her.

    Amos'' chest tightened listening to her heartfelt words. He clenched his fist to suppress himself from doing what was on his mind.

    He loves her a whole lot even more than he loves himself. As a king he was advised against ever developing such feelings since the first day of his reign but what can he do when his heart won''t listen to him?

    A year ago he didn''t realise just how much he loved. Not until she disappeared for six months and he lost his mind did he realize that he loves her to the point of insanity.

    For her sake, he could give up everything and do anything. He has been trying to make her realize this but the densedy didn''t realise how deep his love is no matter what he does.

    There is nothing he hasn''t done for the sake of winning her heart.

    Anyways he couldn''t me her for treating him indifferently for years. Anyone who has gone through all she did would have done the exact thing.

    Amos tried to unwrap her hand from his waist but she held on tightly.

    "I won''t run away so stop being naughty and let go," He said after another failed attempt to make her let go of him.

    "Really?" Joanna asked suspiciously.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY DECEMBER ??????.

    ? I wish you a happy new month. Thank you so much for the love and support you showered on the bookst month.

    Please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, gifts and reviews.

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    Thanks a bunch as you do this.

 Chapter 316 Did Someone Hit You?

    ?"If you don''t let go of me at the count of three then I will take it that you are not trying to apologise but trying to seduce me instead. And I am sure you wouldn''t like my response to your seduction, right?" Amos said. A sly smile stered on his face as he let go of her hand.

    "W-what are you trying¡­,"

    "1¡­2¡­.," Joanna released him and moved two steps away from him before he couldplete the countdown.

    "You¡­,"

    He grabbed her right hand and led her to the bed. He made her sit on the bed while he squatted in front of her.

    "You can scold me as much as you want but that will beter. We need to talk right now," He said. The bright smile has long disappeared from his face in the same manner they came.

    Joannaposed herself. She raised her hand and ced it on herp.

    "Are you still angry?" She asked while looking into his eyes.

    "Why wouldn''t I be when you were touching another man''s body apart from mine¡­,"

    "I wasn''t doing that for pleasure but I was treating his injury¡­,"

    "I know and that wasn''t the only reason why I was furious," Amos said. He raised his hand and held her hands resting on herp.

    "I am worried about you and your closeness with the new guy and his friend¡­,"

    "Raymond is a very nice guy. He treats me well. If you are worried that he might harm me then you don''t have to¡­,"

    "So what if he smiles at you and talks to you nicely, does that make him a good person?" He retorted. His pitch was a bit higher as he spoke.

    "Moreover, how could I trust a person whose identity is uncertain¡­,"

    "Did you do a background check on him?" Joanna cut in sharply.

    "I had to. I have told you before that I can joke with every other thing including my safety but your safety and well-being are things I would neverpromise," Amos said affectionately.

    He stretched forth his hand and touched her face. She flinched when his hand grazed her broken lips.

    "Did someone hit you?" He asked, his eyes locked on hers.

    Actually, he saw her swollen face and broken lips earlier but he was too upset to say anything.

    "The father and daughter duo ganged up on me but it''s nothing. Thanks to Raymond''s help, you are not gazing at my disfigured face right now," Joanna smiled. She lifted her hand and held his hand moving on her face.

    Amos'' expression changed at the mention of Raymond''s name. And from the way, he lowered his gaze and tried to remove his hand from her face Joanna was able to tell how he was feeling.

    "Do you know whates to my mind when I see the sign of his five fingers on my face?" Joanna asked. She held his hand making sure that he didn''t move it away from her face.

    "It makes me recall that day you ordered me to p Laura for insulting me. What did you say again?" Joanna asked beaming.

    She adjusted her butts well on the bed and cleared her throat.

    She bit her nails as she tried to recall Amos'' exact words that day.

    "You don''t have to¡­"

    "I remember it now," She shouted excitedly. She cleared her throat for the second time.

    "Chris, what was the punishment for anyone who dares to interrupt the King?" Joanna imitated Amos'' voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her funny expression while mimicking his voice made the two of them burst outughing.

    "Do you know what was the highlight of that incident, hmm?" She asked. She proceeded to reply when he shook his head negatively.

    "It was Adhara and Laura''s expression when Chris stated the punishment for insulting the Queen. I can remember that Adhara was on the verge of peeing in her pants," Joanna burst outughing.

    Sheughed nonstop. Due to her excessiveughter tears fell from her eyes.

    "Take it easy or your stomach is gonna¡­,"

    "Ouch!" He didn''t finish talking when she let out a cry of pain with her hand clutching her stomach.

    "Despite how much my hands hurt that day, the happiness of exerting revenge for the first time was way greater than the pain. I wasughing from within¡­,"

    "That was nothingpared to your revenge when you came back. Thinking back now, I can imagine the terror they went through for those days," He said grinning.

    He still can''t stop himself fromughing anytime he sees the video of her ghost incidents.

    The execution of her revenge was wless. He respects her a lot for being able to pull that off without his help.

    "You keep praising me when you are the one who should be praised," She said. She lets go of his hand noticing that he has returned to his normal self.

    "I learnt about how badass you were on the night I was pushed off the cliff. I heard Chris say he has never seen you so furious and vengeful¡­," She trailed off as she looked at his face.

    "Do you know what I regret about that incident?" Joanna asked.

    "What?".

    "That I couldn''t get to see the Prime Minister''s and other ministers'' defeated faces. I would have loved to see you teaching them a lesson after getting controlled by them for many years," She said seriously.

    Amos stared at her face. Compared to her fallen expression he loved seeing that broad smile on her face earlier.

    "If you love those incidents so much. I can make you relive the moment¡­,"

    "Aren''t you afraid that people will bad-mouth you about abusing your powers?" She jokingly said.

    "As long as it will put a smile on your face I don''t mind being the bad guy. And besides, I think that being the bad guy suits me better than the good guy," He said beaming.

    As Joanna and Amos were happily talking, in the sitting room Anthony paused what he was doing and gazed at the bedroom door.

    "Brother Kay is the best. I knew that he wouldn''t be angry with my big sister for a long time," he mumbled. A bright smile appeared on his face before he returned to the guy he was ying with.

    After hours of talking andughing Amos and Joanna finally came out of the bedroom to join Amos in the sitting room.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please support your dearest author by buying the privileged chapters. I put in a lot of work and effort to make the advanced chapters avable so please do support me.

    Thank you as you do this.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 317 Flirting!

    ?"Little rice ball, I am sure you must be famished so let me heat the food in the refrigerator for you," Joanna ruffled Anthony''s hair and turned to leave but she grabbed her hand.

    "Why don''t we cook the food by ourselves instead of eating the one in the refrigerator?" He asked meekly.

    "I would have loved to do that but unfortunately there are no groceries and this is all his fault. He forbids me from entering the kitchen to cook," Joanna said as she frowned at Amos.

    The guy sitting on the couch beside Anthony with his long legs crossed acted as if he wasn''t the one they were talking to.

    Anthony tilted his head and gazed at him, "Brother Amos, are you bullying my big sis?" He asked, his suspicious nces focused on Amos'' face.

    He paused what he was doing and dropped the cell phone beside him.He brought his attention back to Anthony''s face afterwards.

    "Do I look like someone who can bully her?" Amos questioned.

    "I am not sure," Anthony was honest with his reply. Watching him squint his eyebrows but only for his expression to return to normal made Joanna chuckle.

    "Tony, don''t let your sister deceive you into thinking that I bullied her because I have never done such a thing but instead she is the one who always bullied me," Amos faked a pitiful expression to win Anthony to his side but¡­

    "My Big Sis is very kind and sweet. She can never harm anyone," Anthony said confidently. He held Joanna''s hand and ced it on his cheek.

    Amos stared at the two siblings with his mouth still hanging open.

    "Have you heard what he said huh?" Joanna asked beaming. Her radiant smile made Amos feel happy and full for some reason.

    "His Big is the sweetest and the kindest person in the world. She can''t hurt a fly not to mention bullying a grown-up man like you," She said with pride.

    Almost immediately she pulled Anthony off the chair and together they made their way to the kitchen.

    "Hey, what did you do to him to say such sweet words about you?" He demanded. He stood up and chased after them.

    "Try raising him from infancy and you will see whether he will not take your side no matter what," Joanna, now standing in front of the tall cupboard, said, still maintaining her sweet smile.

    "Why do I need to raise him from infancy when that is something we should be doing to our child?" He asked. From where he stood he appeared beside her in seconds.

    Turning around to look at where he stood she was stunned to see him standing in front of her.

    Her body stiffened at that instant. The utensil she held almost fell out of hand due to the shock.

    They stood there staring into each other''s eyes.

    Her eyes moved from his well-trimmed eyebrows to his fluttering long eyshes. Her heart skipped a bit when it got a glimpse of his sexy lips.

    Her heart pounded against her chest as she found herself unable to look away from his devilishly tempting lips.

    She was so carried away by her fantasy and didn''t see the time he raised his hand and touched her cheek.

    Slowly, he bent and whispered, "Or don''t tell me you don''t like the idea?".

    The warmth of his breath that grazed her sensitive lips snapped her out of her daze.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "C-cut out of it already," she said and pushed him away to create a space between them.

    "What do you think you are doing in front of a child?" She demanded. She was so flustered that she couldn''t look him in the face.

    "Brother Amos, are you flirting with my big sis?" Anthony asked innocently.

    "F-flirting!" Joanna stammered. Seeing how she overreacted made Amos chuckle. He walked closer to where Anthony stood and squatted in front of him.

    "What is flirting and who taught you that word hmm!" He asked. His tone was very gentle just so he wouldn''t scare the little boy.

    "I heard flirting is when a man teases the woman he loves. I always heard Sister Laura and other people say it," He replied honestly.

    Listening to Anthony''s definition made Amos chuckle. He stopped smiling when his eyes met Joanna''s fierce res.

    "Tony, listen to me, you are too young to say such words¡­,"

    "But I overheard Mum telling Sister Laura that she will flirt with her husband however she wants when she gets married. Is the word bad?" He asked.

    "Very bad so don''t ever say that again except you want to get spanked by me," Joanna interrupted sternly.

    Amos gazed at the face of thedy which had turned beet red.

    [She should really thank her little man because he just saved her from getting teased by me for the remaining time of the day]

    He smiled and patted Anthony''s hair.

    He watched as she turned and walked to the kitchen sink.

    "Tony, be good and do like your sister says except you want to make your Big Sis suffer from a heart attack," A sly smile masked his face as he stare at thedy who just turned and shot him a murderous re.

    "Wait here while I help your sister out," He said and stood up. He strolled to where Joanna stood without making a sound.

    Reaching there he stood behind her without saying a word.

    Joanna, who was busy rinsing the pot, turned around only to get the shock of her life.

    She moved backwards and the pot in her hand fell off. Thank goodness for Amos'' good reflexes.

    He caught the pot in midst air before it could touch the floor.

    "Why are you acting as if you have just seen a ghost?" He stared at the woman whose widened eyes hadn''t turned normal.

    "Have you seen a ghost as handsome¡­,"

    "Hey, how could you sneak up on me like that?" Sheined as she hit his chest. "What would have happened to you if I was holding sharp objects huh?" She hit him again.

 Chapter 318 The Two Men Ganged Up On Her

    ?"You knew you were not alone so why were you so terrified? I mean you are not the type to get easily scared," Amos said. He stretched his hand and dropped the pot inside the sink.

    He returned his focus to her. "You reacted like someone who was caught doing something wrong and this brings me to my question," He said and bent so that his mouth was close to her ear.

    "What kind of lewd things were you imagining about me¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted and pushed him away before his closeness could affect her more than it already did.

    "Get away from me," she crossed her hands on her chest as she spoke.

    A chuckle escaped from the mouth of the boy who was pretending to be engrossed in the cell phone in his hand.

    Amos couldn''t stop himself from smiling when he noticed how hard Anthony was suppressing hisughter from bursting out.

    "Why did you have to choose today of all days to act so cute hmm?" He asked in a provocative tone.

    "Are you doing this because you know that I wouldn''t dare to do anything with your little man around," he pulled away from her afterwards.

    Joanna closed her eyes and tried her best to suppress the overwhelming feelings that were about to burst out.

    She turned and stared at him when she had sessfully done this.

    "I never knew that a fearless man like you is afraid of my little rice ball hmm," She said with her chin held high. She strolled to the cooking area as if nothing happened at the sink a few moments ago.

    "You can''t call this fear but I think the perfect word is respect. If I want him to do me this favour I have to this much¡­,"

    "What favour are you talking about?" She asked. Her suspicious nces darted from Amos to Anthony''s face.

    "What are you both scheming behind my back huh¡­,"

    "It''s men''s talk,dies are not allowed¡­,"

    "He is not even a teen and you are calling him a man. Don''t you think you are pampering him too much?" She asked. She returned her gaze to the burning cooker behind her.

    "I am practising how to be a good father. Also, how could you call this pampering," He retorted. He bent and carried Anthony on his body.

    "Whatever but I pity the poor woman who will end up marrying and bearing kids for you," she replied nonchntly.

    "Big Sis, aren''t you talking about yourself?" He asked innocently.

    "Excellent!" Amos remarked excitedly. He pecked Anthony on the cheek due to over-excitement.

    Joanna spun and nced at the smiling faces behind her. She was lost at what to say seeing their happy faces.

    "You guys are ganging up on me because I am the onlydy here. I won''t talk to you both again," she said. She swivelled and continued with what she was doing.

    "Are you sure about that?" He asked but she didn''t turn around or react to his words.

    Noticing that she was hell-bent on ignoring them Amos turned and whispered, "Tony, what is the most effective way of getting your sister tough and start talking to us?"

    "Tickles," Anthony giggled as he spoke. "Nothing works better than that," he added.

    An evil grin stered on Amos'' face as he gazed at the back of the woman who was oblivious to what they were nning.

    He gently let Anthony down. He bent and whispered some words into his ears.

    They started approaching where she stood afterwards.

    Joanna got a bit uneasy when she didn''t hear their voices behind her. Anxious to know what was wrong she turned around.

    Turning around she was dumbfounded to see two fingers standing behind her.

    They didn''t allow Joanna to react before they started tickling her.

    "Hahaha¡­ stop it," Joanna shouted but the two guys didn''t do as she ordered.

    She had no choice but to eventually run around the kitchen when they wouldn''t stop tickling her.

    Not even her running could make the two men stop torturing Joanna.

    "Just wait and see how I will hahaha¡­," Joanna burst outughing in the middle of her sentence.

    There was so much excitement as the three people ran about the vast kitchen ying andughing.

    While ying Amos paused and watched the two siblings as they chased each other.

    [This feels like a real home. I wished things were always this way]

    He was lost in thought and didn''t see Anthony constantly waving at him.

    "Brother Amos,e and save me hahaha¡­," Anthonyughed as he struggled to free himself from his sister''s firm hold.

    "I aming," He replied and ran to join them.

    ? After so much ying the two guys finally allowed Joanna to do what brought her to the kitchen.

    In the dining, while the two siblings ate, Amos watched them with his ss of blood dangling in between his fingers.

    They chatted and yed even at the dining table. The mood was super lively with Anthony who talked endlessly.

    ....<novelnext></novelnext>

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello darling readers, it''s another end of the month. And do you know what makes the end of October extra special?

    It''s because 31st October 2022 will mark the end of the Author''s Appreciation for this book.

    These four months were epic for me. Having something to look forward to at the end of the month was super fun.

    Although it pains my heart to bring this to the end I want to tell all of you that this doesn''t mark the end of our MONTHLY GOALS.

    Our MONTHLY GOALS will remain and so are the rewards.

    I want to use this medium to thank all my readers out there. Thank you for the love and care you have showered on me and this book since its creation.

    It has been six months since I published this book. As short as some of you might think six months is, it wasn''t short for me neither was it smooth sailing.

    But I was able to pull through this because of your endless love and support and for this, I will forever remain grateful to all of you.

    Thank you for being my source of strength and motivation. I wish that our bond will continue growing as the story progresses.

    Please keep on supporting the book and make sure you see it to the end.

    Like I always say, all of my readers are supportive and awesome but they are those who are super supportive and very awesome. I want to use this medium to thank these super supportive and very awesome readers by listing out their names.

    TOP FANS

    A big shout-out to our top fans. To those whose names are here, I want to say congrattions to you.

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    SPECIAL THANKS.

    To all the readers who have supported me by buying privileged chapters, I want to say thank you. Thank you very much for the love and support you have shown me so far. Words alone can''t express how happy and thankful I am to have super awesome readers like you.

    Also a big shout-out to all of you who voted relentlessly for this book with power stones. I see all you are doing and I am very grateful to all of you.

    P.S. Although we didn''tplete any of the goals this month, I am thinking of giving a mass release because of how well you performed this month.

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    Don''t forget to tell me what you think in thements.

    Also, I am sorry I had to cut short some of the messages. I was afraid you guys wouldin that the chapter was too long.

 Chapter 319 Sleeping Arrangements

    ?[I never knew how amazing it is to have dinner in the midst of those you love until today. This is undoubtedly the best dinner of my life]

    Amos beamed as he stared at the happy faces before him.

    After dinner, Joanna tried to tug Anthony to sleep but he was too excited to fall asleep.

    She ended up letting him stay with the two of them in the sitting room when he couldn''t fall asleep.

    Three hourster Anthony longed to continue talking and ying but his body and eyes betrayed him.

    He slowly dozed off with his head resting on Amos'' legs.

    As they talk Amos pats Anthony''s hair lovingly.

    "Joan, how many kids do you want to have when you get married?" He asked out of the blue.

    She was caught off guard by his question but sheposed herself. "Not sure," she replied casually.

    "What?" He asked with widened eyes.

    She frowned when she saw his astounded look, "I am just 18 years old so it''s normal if such thoughts never crossed my mind but why do you look so surprised?" She asked curiously.

    "I wasn''t even 18 years old when I started mapping out my ns. Although things turned out a bit differently after I became King, my ns are still valid," he exined calmly.

    "Living to see another day in the past was like a miracle. I never had the time to think about myself not to talk about my future¡­,"

    "You can start drafting one starting from this moment and I promise I will help you to fulfil them¡­,"

    "Does that include helping me to get married to my dream man hmm" She questioned? His eyes wavered following her question and she saw this.

    "Hmmm¡­," He trailed as he avoided her stares.

    How could he shamelessly tell her that he wanted to be that dream man she was talking about?

    "I am every woman''s dream man so I will think about your proposal¡­,"

    "I never said the person I was talking about was you, shameless," Joanna hits his hand. Thank goodness Anthony was fast asleep and didn''t get disturbed by her action.

    Amos smiled without arguing with her.

    "Actually, my dream is to have plenty of kids¡­,"

    "Like how many?" She blurted without thinking.

    "A dozen will make a good start¡­,"

    "Hey!" She shouted momentarily forgetting that the sleeping Anthony was lying on Amos''p.

    "Why are you overreacting like you have epted to be the mother of my kids¡­,"

    "How¡­,"

    "Are you going to stay that you pity the woman who is gonna be my wife?" He cut in realising from her expression that whatever she wanted to say wasn''t pleasant.

    "Boring," She retorted and shifted her gaze from him.

    [Does he wants to have so many kids because he is an only child?]

    Joanna was in a daze as she thought about Amos'' words.

    "If you end up being my wife I won''t make you suffer any grievances so there is no need to feel scared," Amos mumbled.

    The atmosphere went quiet afterwards.

    "Let''s take him to the bedroom so he can sleepfortably," Joanna suggested seeing how Anthony continuously wiggled on his legs.

    "You want him to sleep with you?" His eyes widened as he stared at her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yeah. He always sleeps with me whenever I am around¡­,"

    "That can change now I am around right?" He interrupted. "Let him sleep in the guestroom with me¡­,"

    "He finds it hard to fall asleep without me by his side. He tossed around all night if he doesn''t cuddle me to sleep¡­,"

    "You are my wife and not his so how dare he tries to take my ce when I am still alive? The little boy sure needs a spank for trying to steal my woman in my presence¡­,"

    "What are you mumbling about?" She retorted, seeing that he was in a daze.

    "I said how about the three of us sleep together¡­,"

    "What!" She half yelled while crossing her hands on her chest.

    "This is not the first neither will it be thest time we will sleep together so why are you acting as if I just asked you to have sex with me¡­," Joanna rushed and covered his mouth.

    She did this swiftly and gently so that she doesn''t wake up Anthony.

    "He is still a little boy so watch what you are saying¡­,"

    He brushed her hand off his mouth, "He is fast asleep so you don''t have to use him as an excuse anymore".

    "Also, if you don''t want me to practicalised what you are imagining about me then try not to make it so obvious because I can''t promise I won''t lose my self-control if you keep seducing me," He said sternly. He stood up with Anthony in his arms.

    "W-what¡­,"

    "I will take that as your response for us to sleep together," He strolled to the bedroom without waiting for her.

    Because of Anthony Joanna had to swallow back whatever she wanted to say.

    Inside the bedroom, Amos tried to ce Anthony at the edge of the bed but Joanna, who had guessed what was on his mind, insisted that Anthony must sleep in the middle.

    "I have missed cuddling you to sleep and I am sure you feel the same way so why are you pretending?" Amos grumbled but Joanna lying beside Anthony acted as though she didn''t hear hisints or see the deep frown on his face.

    "If you are not satisfied with the arrangements you can make use of the guestroom¡­,"

    "You wish!" He scoffed andy down on the bed.

    Afterying down he removed his cell phone from his trouser''s pockets and started going through all the pending emails that required his urgent attention.

    As he did this Joanna who was coaxing Anthony to sleep kept on stealing nces at his handsome face.

    [He has a devilish side to him while he is serious. Too bad I never got to really see this side of him because all he has ever tried to show me was his cheerful side¡­]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she gazed at the face of the man scrolling through his phone.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY NOVEMBER

    First of all, I want to thank all of you for all you didst month. A big shout-out to all the readers who tried their best to make sure that we aplishedst month''s goals although we ended up not being able to attain the goals.

    I know reaching the goals never worked out and this is what I don''t know the cause but I am still thankful to each one of you for at least attempting.

    As you all know new month like this always calls for new goals so these are our goals for this month.

    GOAL 1: Reach a certain number of privileged buyers = 6 chapters mass release. So instead of the usual 1k privileged chapters unlock I have twisted the goal a bit. As long as we reach a certain number of privileged buyers this November 2022, I will give 6 chapters mass release the following month.

    GOAL 2: 100 GOLDEN TICKETS = 2 Chapters Mass release. For every 100 GOLDEN TICKETS we get this month I will give 2 chapters mass release i.e if we get 200 GOLDEN TICKETS this month I will give 4 chapters mass release. And these 4 chapters are only for the GOLDEN TICKETS goal.

    So what are you waiting for instead of casting all your GOLDEN TICKETS to this book?

    Let''s Try Our Best To Aplish This Month''s Goals. I Am Challenging Myself By Deliberately Giving Giving So Many Chapters For Each Goal So Also Challenge Your And Let''s See Which Of Us Will Win.

    Is It You Guys Or me?

 Chapter 320 Adhara Tried To Barge In

    ?She didn''t see Amos turning around the screen of his phone so that he could get a glimpse of her face where hey.

    [I wish I could get to see what the real Kayden Greyson, King Of Twipera Kingdom looks like]

    She subconsciously smiled when she recalled the many times she had seen him in his royal regalia.

    Not only is Kayden the youngest King the kingdom has ever had but he was the most humane and handsome of them all.

    Everything was just perfect in his reign and this had endeared him to the hearts of so many of his subjects.

    [I wish I could live to see you rule for a very long time. It would be a bonus if I could be the woman sitting by your side during this long reign]

    She chuckled and tried to control herughter by covering her mouth with her left hand.

    "Why do you look so happy?" He asked softly while gazing at her beautiful face.

    "Does merely looking at my face has the power of making you so happy¡­,"

    "You are such a narcissist¡­,"

    "You know better than anyone else whether I am lying or telling the truth," He cut in. He stretched his hand and removed Anthony''s hand resting on Joanna''s boobs.

    "Little man, stop coveting what is not yours or else you might end up getting your hand cut off," he said and gently ced Anthony''s hand on his stomach.

    "You are such a jealous fellow. I can''t believe you are¡­,"

    "I can manage to share that with my kids but never with another man. It doesn''t matter who he is¡­,"

    "I don''t remember agreeing to be your wife and the mother of your kids¡­,"

    "Do you dislike the idea of giving birth or is it me you dislike?" He asked. He secretly clenched the pillow and gazed at the ceiling instead of her face.

    "Also, if you like me to the point that merely seeing my face gives you happiness then I am thrilled to tell you that I¡­,"

    RING! RING! RING!

    The doorbell made Joanna and Amos gaze at the door at the same time.

    "Who could that be thiste at night?" Joanna grumbled.

    As she tried to climb out of bed Amos was already in front of the door.

    "Take your time and I will handle the one at the door," He said and slid the grey pyjamas onto his bare body.

    He left the room in a moment.

    At the door, two figures tried to force their way into the house the instant he opened the door but the strong Amos refused to move a muscle.

    "Get yourself out of my way if you don''t want me to break you into tiny pieces¡­,"

    "And who the hell do you think you are to challenge me in my home?" Amos retorted.

    Adhara was a bit taken aback by the handsome guy''s cold voice, his piercing res and the deadly aura surrounding him but she quickly shook off the feeling.

    She refused to be intimidated by the young man''s overbearing aura.

    "Leave now we are cool-headed or in a few minutes you will have nobody but yourself to be med for your misfortune¡­,"

    "Have you taken care of your own misfortune first before you want to mention mine¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How dare you insult me?" The enraged Laura raised her hand to p Amos.

    Amos caught her hand in the air. He grinned and lowered his head and looked at thedy''s frowning face.

    [So this is the hand you used to maltreat my woman for years. I was thinking of what to do to you and your father for the p you gave her earlier today but you brought yourself to me on a tter of gold. Should I thank you for this sister-inw?]

    Amos squeezed her right hand as he stared into her eyes.

    To prove that she was a tough girl she didn''t cry for help even though she felt as if her hand would break in a minute.

    [Since you have brought yourself to me it will be a total waste if I let this opportunity go. I will teach you a lesson now and think of what to do to that father of yours. Don''t worry brother-inw will make sure you don''t forget today''s incident in a hurry]

    He grinned devilishly as he twisted Laura''s hand.

    ARGHH!!!

    Her painful cry was apanied by the loud cracking of bones.

    "How dare you bully my daughter in my presence huh?" Adhara challenged. Her eyes changed and her ws shoot out.

    Amos violently pushed Laura away and was about to teach the mother a serious lesson too when the door flew open.

    Ady appeared behind Amos. A deep frown stered on her face.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing outside the door? Would you be able to take responsibility if you wake my little brother up¡­,"

    "He is not your little brother but your future master so get that into your head ok?" Laura, who was writhing in pain, shouted.

    "Ouch!" She cried out in pain as she struggled to stand up from the floor.

    Because of the way she was rubbing her back against the floor''s demarcation iron bars, Adhara had to lend her a hand.

    "How dare you address her¡­," Joanna held his hand and shook her head disapprovingly.

    "Mum, can you see what I told you about?" Laura retorted while holding her broken hand like a fragile material.

    "Can you see what she has turned into because you refused to discipline her and forbade me from doing the same?".

    She red at Joanna and continued from where she stopped. "She has mistaken who she is and where she belongs because you have given her too much liberty. She even has the guts to live with a man and unts him in front of you without caring about our family''s reputation¡­,"

    "Stepsister, tell me, why are you so bitter huh?" Joanna snapped. Amos created space for her to stand beside him.

    "Is it because my boyfriend is too hot, handsome and a thousand times better than yours huh?" Joanna demanded.

    She made sure to touch Amos'' face when she talked about him being handsome.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!!??????

    I just want to say a big thank you to all the readers who supported me in one way or the other from the beginning to the end of the month.

    Thank you so much. All your love, support and efforts are much appreciated by your beloved author.

    Do keep showing your support.

 Chapter 321 Joanna Humbles Adhara

    ?Amos felt unhappy that she stopped him from standing up for her. But hearing herpliments him in front of others made his heart smile.

    He felt the urge to hold her chin and shower her with hot kisses at that moment but he held himself back.

    "Ooh¡­ wait," Joanna said with her right hand raised in the air. She stepped away from the door and onto the corridor where the mother and daughter stood.

    She stood facing Laura with only a tiny space in between them.

    "Don''t tell me you are this bitter because you can''t proudly unt your boyfriend in front of everyone but can only date him in the dark¡­,"

    "H-how dare you tried to nder me?" Laura shouted fuming. She raised her left hand to p Joanna.

    She forgot so soon what became of her right hand after she tried to p Amos.

    "Stepmother, if I am you, I will do everything it takes to make her drop her hands because if her hand dares to touch me, your new home will be the prison starting from tonight," Joanna stood there without attempting to dodge Laura''s descending hand.

    "Prison?" Adhara shouted. How she yanked Laura''s hand to her side made Amos and Joanna chuckle.

    "That''s good, stepmother. You just earned yourself a chance to be a free man," Joanna smiled sweetly and moved away from them.

    [What the hell did I just witness? What on Earth did she do to her evil stepmother to make her so afraid of her?]

    Amos stared at Joanna as if he was looking at a stranger.

    "You promised that you will keep that a secret so why are you bringing it up in front of this man¡­,"

    "I never promised you anything to be precise," Joanna abruptly cut in. "And I swear, I will forget I ever told you that I will think about keeping your secret if you or Laura dares to insult him," Joanna said firmly.

    [I swear I feel like strangling this bitch and I would have done that a long time ago if she didn''t have dirt on me. Just wait until Iy a hand on that bird of hers. You will be the next person I will deal with]

    Adhara clenched her fists and grit her teeth to suppress her desire to kill.

    "See, I have made her put her hand down just like you wanted. Are you happy now?" Adhara asked.

    Her pride hurts to be speaking to Joanna so nicely when she is the one being belittled here but the fear of going to prison would not let her do anything.

    "How can I be happy when I am looking at your faces right now?" Joanna snapped. She shot Laura a murderous re seeing how her mother was struggling to keep her under control.

    "Also, what would you do if Little rice ball woke up as a result of your loud voices? Don''t you think it''s time for the two of you to leave?" She asked bluntly. She folded her hand below her chest and leaned against the door frame.

    She saw just how displeased Adhara was with her question with the way she clenched her fist but her stony heart wasn''t moved the slightest bit.

    "I was worried about how he was faring that is why we came over to check up on him but we will leave now that I have heard he is sleeping¡­,"

    "Mum, what the hell are you saying?" Laura asked in disbelief. She has seen her mother humble herself in front of Joanna but this was the height of it and she won''t keep quiet this time around.

    "Don''t tell me you are really gonna do like she said¡­,"

    "Stop talking and let''s go¡­," Laura brushed off her mother''s hands, not letting her pull her away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mum, I have always known you to be an iron woman. Handling someone like her has always been a piece of cake for you so what has happened to you?" Laura asked. She ignored all the signs her mother was giving her.

    "Why are you letting her push you around like some piece of garbage¡­,"

    "Stop talking and let''s leave right now¡­,

    "But Mum!" Laura shouted but despite her displeasure, Adhara dragged her out of there.

    Amos watched everything with a puzzled expression. He kept staring at her face even after they were gone.

    "The drama had long been wrapped up, are you gonna stand here staring at me all night?" Joanna questioned. She turned and entered the room without waiting for his reply.

    The moment she set foot inside the sitting someone grabbed her hand from behind, spun her around and pin her against the white wall.

    Joanna frowned, raising her gaze to see that Amos was the one who did this to her. "What the hell do you think you are¡­,"

    "Sshh¡­," he lifted his finger and ced it on her lips. "Keep it low or else you are gonna wake up your little man. We won''t have any choice but to wrap things up before anything begins if he was to wake up now," He mumbled.

    His voice was low but the sexiness in his tone lingered in her ears like the after-effects of a strong drug.

    "You said I was hot, was that true?" He said while looking into her eyeballs.

    Joanna''s body stiffened when he bent so that his warm breath grazed against her bare skin.

    [What the hell is wrong with him? He was acting normally before but why is he behaving as if he is on drugs? And why is my goddamn body reacting so quickly to his closeness]

    Joanna bit her lower lips and sped her hand into a ball.

    [Don''t forget Little rice ball is here so get your acts straight, Joanna Anderson]

    Joanna cautioned herself when she felt herself subconsciously sniffing his addicting scent.

    "If your answer is yes then how hot am I?" He asked as he rubbed his nose against her bare neck.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY DECEMBER ??????.

    I wish you a happy new month. Thank you so much for the love and support you showered on the bookst month.

    Please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, gifts and reviews.

    Also please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. It will make me very happy if you buy the privileged chapters, so please endeavour to purchase the privileged tier you can afford.

    Thanks a bunch as you do this.

 Chapter 322 Amos, Her Backer

    ?The heat emitting from their body touching each other made Joanna''s body temperature increase drastically.

    Joanna mustered up all her willpower to resist Amos'' temptations. She struggled to free herself but he didn''t let go.

    "Weren''t you fine earlier so why are you acting like someone who is on drugs¡­,"

    "You are the most authentic and the most addictive drug in the world to me, don''t you know?" He said and started showering her neck with hot kisses.

    Joanna''s body wriggled every time his warm lips touched her bare skin. A groan almost left her mouth when he sucked her earlobe. "Kay, what do you think you are doing, get your acts together. Don''t forget Little rice ball is lying a room away¡­," Joanna''s eyes widened when he kissed her out of the blue. Her head went nk and her bulging eyeballs refused to return to normal.

    He disconnected his lips after about two minutes of kissing her. "I have told you to keep your voice down so why won''t you listen to me?" He scolded softly.

    [Did he just scold me when this is all his fault?]

    Joanna was perplexed as she stared at his face.

    "Also, he won''t wake up as long as you don''t scream so don''t worry. I have got this," he said and tried to kiss her again but Joanna tilted her head to the left to avoid his lips.

    "What have you got into¡­,"

    "You haven''t given me a response yet. Will you do it now or after we are done¡­,"

    "I haven''t agreed to do anything with you so what are you babbling about?" Joanna demanded frowning. She couldn''t help but wondered what triggered him to be this way suddenly.

    "You look irritated, do you know that I am angry with you too¡­,"

    "You are the one trying to kiss me so why are you angry when I should be the only one upset here?" She asked. She cooled down a bit when he stopped teasing her with his mouth.

    Joanna was against doing whatever was on his mind but she got worried when he let go of her and turned his back on her.

    "I have observed that whenever I try to defend you, you always stop me. Do you dislike my intervention that much?" He asked with his back facing her.

    "Also, are you aware of how useless that makes me feel? Knowing very well that I could easily shut them up, why do you always take the difficult path and make me feel worthless¡­,"

    "How could you ever be useless huh?" Joanna demanded. She held his hand and spun him around so that he was staring at her.

    "You are the source of my confidence and strength. It''s only because you are always by my side as my backer. That alone gives me the guts to challenge anyone. Because I know you will be there to defend me," Joanna said beaming.

    She indeed hates people talking down to her but she wouldn''t have had the confidence to challenge anyone when she realised that she had no powers anymore.

    Without Amos or Audrey by her side maybe she would have returned to that docile and weak girl in the past but thank goodness to the two of them she could keep her head high even with her powers gone.

    "After all I have said, do you still believe that you are useless to me?" Joanna asked as she gazed into his eyeballs.

    His lips curled into a sweet smile when he listened to herpliments.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If I am your confidence booster and your backer then what will you do without me by your side hmm?" He asked while cupping her face.

    Joanna smiled along with him, seeing the sweet smile on his face.

    "What else if not that I have to endure endless beatings like I have been doing with the hope that you will avenge meter on¡­,"

    "Just like you said I will avenge all the grievances you have suffered these past days when I was not by your side but I won''t let you ever get beaten up by anyone again," He dered.

    He brought his face very close so that she could feel his warm breath brushing against her delicate skin.

    "I will let Chris protect you whenever I am not around¡­,"

    "Wouldn''t that ruin your well-drafted ns?" She cut in softly.

    "My ns from the beginning indeed were for Chris to protect you in the dark but ns do change, don''t they?" He asked.

    "Also, no matter what, youe first before any other ns¡­,"

    "I guess I am the one who is worried about your ns getting ruined," She said and lowered her gaze.

    "I want to have you by my side for a little while longer and I know that won''t be possible anymore if your ns get spoilt," Joanna mumbled.

    She didn''t know that she said the words out until he grabbed her chin and said, "Repeat what you just said".

    "I-I¡­," His sudden question and the urgency in his eyes caught Joanna off guard.

    "You don''t have to say anything," He ced his index finger on her lips, seeing her open her mouth to talk.

    "I will take that as your love confession and my answer is¡­," He trailed as he brought his mouth close to her right ear.

    "I love you too," He whispered into her ear.

    Joanna''s body behaved strangely by vibrating to his sweet confession.

    Her head went nk instantly and her heart fluttered. The only words she could hear at the moment were the echoing of the word I LOVE YOU TOO.

    She was still over the air about his love confession when Amelia''s words sneaked their way into her head.

    She tried to fight the thoughts off her head but they refused to go away no matter how hard she tried.

    [What if I don''t really love him as she said? What if what I am feeling that I think is love is because of my obsession? If this feeling I have towards him ends up not being love, wouldn''t that make me very selfish]

 Chapter 323 The Two Men Took Over The Kitchen

    ?Joanna was very sure of her feelings for him but she began to doubt herself and her feelings the moment she recalled Amelia''s words.

    Peering at her smiling face, Amos decided to take this as she permitting him to go ahead with whatever he wanted.

    To seal his confession he bent to kiss her but she violently pushed him away.

    "S-stay away from me," She shouted and ran to the bedroom.

    Amos was perplexed by what happened. His head and mind went nk at that instant.

    "Did I do or say something?" He was left confused by her actions. He proceeded to the bedroom with hopes of finding out what was wrong but to his greatest dismay, he met herying on the bed with the bedsheets burying her tiny figure.

    "I really wanted to know what I did wrong to make her react like that but I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow," He muttered and strolled to the other side of the bed.

    After adjusting Anthony''s leg, heid down facing thedy''s figure lying on the other end.

    [Of course, you didn''t do anything wrong. The problem lies with me. I am at fault for not being able to discover what exactly I feel for you. I am such an idiot for making you wait a bit longer when you have waited all these years for me]

    Tears drizzled down her pretty face as she covered her mouth to prevent a sound froming out.

    An hourter, Joanna pulled the sheets over her head and sat up with her back resting against the headboard.

    Her eyes glistened as she gaze at the faces of the two sleeping figures by her side.

    "I never knew that he was fond of kids," she mumbled. She reached out her hand and pulled the bed sheets so that it covered the two of them properly.

    "With the two of them cuddling each other like this one would mistake them for father and son," She giggled while gazing at Anthony''s sleeping face.

    She would have felt jealous if Anthony was hugging another person so tightly but since it was Amos, she felt happy instead.

    The next day, Joanna turned around and felt her bedside with her left hand. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt that her bedside was empty.

    She propelled her body upwards and rubbed her eyes twice when everything felt blurry. She scanned the bed afterwards and true to her guess no one was lying on the bed.

    "Where on Earth did the two of them go?" She muttered and climbed out of bed.

    She was in a haste to find Amos and Anthony and forgot to arrange her pyjamas and messy hair.

    Stepping out of the bedroom, she scrutinized the sitting room but no one was there.

    The only thing she saw was her cell phone lying on the centre table.

    "Where must he have taken my Little rice ball this early morning?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her messy hair.

    Just then the nking of metaling from her left-hand side caught her attention.

    Almost immediately the sound stopped like it never existed in the first ce.

    "Did they enter the kitchen and forget to return the utensils to their original position?" She mumbled and approached the kitchen.

    Getting closer to the kitchen she could hear faint sounds and people speaking in low tones.

    Joanna''s heart started pounding when the thought that thieves might have broken in crossed her mind.

    Despite being scared she forged ahead like the hardhearted woman she was.

    Getting to the kitchen, she hid behind the white wall and stuck out her head.

    [It''s them!]

    Her mouth hung open when she got a glimpse of those standing in front of the kitchen counter.

    "Little man, are you sure we are supposed to do it this way?" Amos holding onto a transparent small white jar asked the boy by his side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have seen Big Sis prepare fried eggs many times so I am sure this is the way we are supposed to do it," Anthony said confidently.

    From where she hid Joanna watched as Amos unscrewed the jar''s cork.

    She had no choice but toe out of her hiding ce when she realised what Amos wanted to do.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Joanna demanded before Amos could empty the entire jar of salt inside the pan on the cooker.

    At the same time Amos and Anthony gaze at the side the voice came from.

    The two of them looked at Joanna intently without uttering a word.

    "I just asked what you both are doing in the kitchen so why is none of you saying anything but instead keeps gazing at me?" Joanna questioned frowning. She walked into the kitchen and approached where they stood.

    Joanna''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she reached the counter and saw what they had done.

    The pepper, spring onions, cabbage and other ingredients were cut into big sizes. Though they managed to crack the eggs, half of it had poured on the floor.

    Raising her gaze to look at them, she met Anthony giggling.

    "What''s funny that is making you giggle huh?" She asked.

    "Hahaha¡­," Anthonyughed instead of replying. The already upset Joanna didn''t find this funny at all.

    "I am gonna¡­,"

    "Big Sis, why do you look like that?" He asked while pointing at her messy hair. Her natural silver hair which had always been the envy of many girls was aplete mess.

    "Like what?" Joanna demanded, not understanding what Anthony was trying to say.

    "Big Sis, I heard that girls are supposed to always look beautiful in front of the man they love but why do you look like a total mess," Anthony was blunt with his reply.

    He got Amos giggling at his words.

    It was then it dawned on Joanna that she didn''t look at herself in the mirror before she rushed out of the bedroom earlier.

    Slowly, she raised her hand to touch her hair. Merely feeling her hair with her right hand gave a vivid image of what she looked like at the moment.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

    Do you love the surprise and reward I prepared for you guys?

    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

    Also, do show support by buying the privileged chapters, casting GOLDEN TICKETS,menting and sending gifts.

    I really need your motivation to be able to keep my part of the bargain so please be my source of motivation and inspiration.

    I will be waiting to receive your feedback and rewards so keep iting!

 Chapter 324 Amos Bullies Anthony

    ?"Sister Laura always dolls herself whenever Brother Rafael shows up but you¡­,"

    "This is all your fault for waking up without calling me so why are youughing?" Joanna retorted, trying to cover up her dishevelled hair.

    "Brother Amos warned me not to wake you¡­,"

    "Just wait until Ie back," Joanna turned and raced towards the exit.

    Amos and Anthony chuckled seeing the way she was behaving contrary to her always confident self.

    Their smiling faces turned stern when Joanna ran back to the kitchen not up to a minute after she left.

    "The two of you are forbidden fromying hands on anything in the kitchen," She warned with her index finger pointing at their faces.

    "And Kay, turn off the cooker," She said and ran away like she was being pursued with a rod.

    "Big Sis is cute when she acts shy," Anthony muttered, his eyes glued on the kitchen exit.

    Amos lifted his hand and ced it on his right shoulder. "Don''t you think you are stealing my line, Little man?" He asked.

    "She is my Big Sister so I can say whatever¡­,"

    "And she is my woman so don''t you think I should call the shot here?" Amos asked and he tried to ruffle his hair but Anthony pulled away.

    "But she was first my sister and I am just lending her to you¡­,"

    "Lending her to me?" He chuckled. "For how long will you lend her to me?".

    "Hmm¡­," Anthony trailed, not knowing what to say.

    "Is it for ten years, twenty or a lifetime¡­,"

    "Big Brother Kay, is bullying me and I will tell Big Sis about it," Anthony said, knowing very well that he can''t win against Amos.

    He turned and stormed towards the exit but Amos appeared in front of him. He grabbed Anthony''s hand and squats in front of him.

    [Joan is already upset with me and this will worsen if her little man tells on me. I need to coax him to get him back on my side]

    Amos stared at the body struggling to free himself from his firm hold.

    "Joan will always be your Big Sister no matter what so there is no need to be angry," Amos said, not letting go of Anthony''s hands.

    "And I was only kidding. I wanted to see how you would react," Amos said.

    Although he was with Anthony, his presence was all over the entire apartment and this was thanks to his heightened sense of hearing and smell.

    Anthony momentarily stopped struggling with Amos after listening to his words.

    "Really? You will not steal My Big Sis from me right?" He asked as he stared into Amos'' eyes.

    [Did he just say steal?]

    Amos peered at the boy who wouldn''t stop looking into his eyes with hope in his eyes.

    [His love for her is immeasurable. I am happy to know that she has someone who loves her so dearly apart from me. Their bond is so strong. It makes me jealous sometimes]

    Amos lifted his hand and pats Anthony''s hair.

    "Of course, I won''t. Also, I am aware you are just lending her to me, I won''t be greedy," Amos assured him with a smile.

    A broad smile crept on Anthony''s face the instant Amos gave his word.

    [This is why I love children. They are easy to win over unlike adults]

    He was surprised when Anthony embraced him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Little man, let''s continue with what we were doing. Joan needs to have breakfast on time so that she can take her drugs on time¡­,"

    "But she forbid us from touching anything¡­,"

    "There is no need to worry about that. I can handle it. And I am sure she will forget about her warning the moment she takes a bite from the delicacies we will prepare for her," Amos replied.

    He stood up and led Anthony to the counter where their ingredient was where they had left them.

    While Amos, who did not know about cooking handled preparing the meal, little Anthony standing by his side guided him on what to do.

    As they went about cooking, Joanna was in the bathroom showering. She was oblivious to what the two men closest to her were doing in the kitchen behind her back.

    Joanna stood in the mirror and stared at herself after she had finished dressing up.

    "This is the real me. I wonder why I had to show that messy side of me. I wish he wouldn''t use it to tease meter on," Joanna spoke.

    She kept forgetting the fact that the ones she lived with had heightened senses of hearing.

    Joanna made her way out of the bedroom. The moment she stepped foot outside, the burnt smell that hits her nostrils made her cover her nose in an instant.

    She turned and looked in the kitchen direction. Her eyes bulged out when she saw smokeing from there.

    "What the hell did those two do?" Joanna shouted. She raced towards the kitchen in a sh.

    Reaching the kitchen, Joanna found it engulfed in smoke. Without wasting time she dragged the coughing Anthony out of the kitchen.

    She dragged him to the sitting room and ced him on one of the couches.

    "Stay right there. I will spank you until you cry if you move a muscle from here," Joanna instructed coldly.

    She returned to the kitchen once again.

    "And what are you still doing here?" Joanna yelled, noticing that Amos was still moving about like nothing was wrong.

    "You need to have breakfast at the right time so you can¡­,"

    "Did you just mention food in this situation?" Joanna yelled and pointed at the part of the kitchen where the smoke was thicker.

    "Is food more important than your life¡­," Joanna coughed after choking on the smoke. He ran to her side, pulled off his jacket and gave it to her.

    "Use this and cover your nose while you make your way out of the kitchen. I will join you and you¡­,"

    "How dare you still talk about food when your safety should be your priority?" Joanna lost her cool and shouted at him.

    She could not understand why he cared so much about food when he doesn''t eat human food.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION hase to an end, this doesn''t mean that you shouldn''t gift this book, cast GOLDEN TICKETS or buy the book''s privileged.

    But this should be the time where you support the book as much as you can. Remember, although the AUTHOR''S MONTHLY APPRECIATION has ended, the YEARLY APPRECIATION ising up in December.

    For those whose names didn''t appear on the list during those four months, this is your chance.

    Don''t forget apart from the YEARLY APPRECIATION I will do, Webnovel also do theirs too.

    All I am trying to say is that you should support the book by buying privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment, vote with power stones and also leave a review.

    Thanks a bunch as you you do this.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 325 She Lost Her Cool

    ?"Joan, why are you so furious? Have you forgotten that I am a vampire¡­,"

    "How could I forget that huh?" Joanna retorted. She pushed his hand away with the clothes he used to shield her nose from the smoke.

    "You are only a vampire but not omnipotent as far as I can recall so why are you acting like you are indestructible?" Joanna yelled. At that moment she couldn''t control her temper.

    "Why are you so¡­.,"

    "Come, let''s leave here," Joanna held his hand and pulled him to the cooker which was still on with a smoky pot on top of it.

    She went around the kitchen turning off all the appliances that Amos and Anthony had switched on.

    Joanna went further to drag him to the sitting room afterwards.

    Arriving at the sitting room Joanna was too preupied to notice that Anthony was still sitting where she had left him.

    Amos gazes at the woman pacing about in front of him. He couldn''t understand why she was so upset.

    "Joan¡­,"

    "Why did you remain in there when you saw that the kitchen was engulfed in smoke?" Joanna demanded when pacing about didn''t ease her anger even the slightest bit.

    "Because I wanted to prepare breakfast for you¡­,"

    "You wanted to prepare breakfast for me in a kitchen engulfed in smoke?" She yelled. "You don''t even eat food so what breakfast are you talking about? Are you a fool or what?" She shouted.

    By the time she finished scolding him her eyes were already misty.

    "Big Sis, why are you so mad at Brother Amos¡­," Anthony choked on his words the instant Joanna shot him a deadly re.

    Joanna stomped to where Anthony now stood. In a feat of anger, she bent and grabbed his shoulders.

    "I recall warning you guys not to touch anything in the kitchen after I left so tell me, did you ask him to touch the things huh? Was it your idea?" She demanded sternly.

    At that moment she was too furious to think straight.

    She lost her mind the instant she walked into the kitchen and saw it engulfed in smoke.

    The thought of losing the two men she loves the most in her life terrified her so much and made her lose her mind.

    Her fears made her momentarily forget that at the moment between the three of them she was the weakest and the one who has the highest chance of dying if something bad were to happen.

    Love sure makes people foolish and selfless at the same time.

    "I know how naughty you can be¡­,"

    "It was all my idea. If anyone should be scolded it should be me so let him go," Amos ran to Anthony''s rescue before the furiousdy could spank him.

    He pulled him away from Joanna and hid the little boy behind him.

    "I learned that preparing breakfast for your woman was something men who are in a rtionship do for their lover. I must have been out of my mind to think that I would be able to prepare you a proper breakfast when I haven''t cooked anything all my life," Amos said.

    His voice was as still as water. He was the opposite of the furiousdy in front of him.

    Joanna shook her head and squatted defeatedly.

    "I should have known that leaving the two of you in the kitchen would be a total disaster. It''s my fault for not throwing the two of you out of the kitchen¡­,"

    "You did nothing wrong so stop ming yourself," He replied and reached out his hand to hold her but she brushed his hand away.

    She stood up, turned and stared at their faces without uttering a word.

    Normally she would have smiled when she saw Anthony''s pitiful expression but she was not in the mood to smile after what she went through.

    "I wonder what I am gonna do with the two of you," She said. She spun and proceeded to the bedroom.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Anthony moved away from Amos back when she had left.

    "Little man, your sister looked very mad this time around. What are we gonna do now to make her happy?" Amos muttered absentmindedly.

    "I don''t think tickling her will work this time around," Anthony replied with a fallen expression.

    "You are right. Instead of making herugh we are gonna be the ones in tears if we dare try to tickle her in this state," He responded with his hand on his chin.

    They walked to the couch and sat down.

    In the sitting room, Amos and Anthony sat discussing what to do to alleviate Joanna''s anger with the hope that she woulde out soon.

    After almost an hour of waiting, they decided to check up on her afterying out a n.

    Amos knocked on the bedroom door for the third time and waited but no response came.

    "We areing in," He informed and pushed the door open after waiting for a few seconds.

    "Are you still angry at us?" Amos asked his gaze glued on thedy sitting on the bed gazing at the window.

    He and Anthony invited themselves in when she still refused to talk to them.

    Slowly, the two of them strolled to where she sat. They took their positions in front of her.

    "We know we were wrong so please don''t punish yourself by refusing to eat¡­," He paused when his eyes met her piercing res.

    "Big Sis always says that breakfast is the most important meal and that no one should ever miss breakfast so why are you going back on your words?" Anthony asked.

    His fear dared not make him look Joanna in the eyes as he spoke but he lowered his gaze.

    "I don''t have the appetite¡­,"

    "But how are you gonna take your drugs if you don''t eat¡­,"

    "Is taking drugs that important? Besides, my wounds had healed up," She replied without sparing them a nce.

    Realising that their first n had failed Amos secretly winked at Anthony to execute their second n.

    "Big Sis, I am starving," Anthony informed as he rubbed his stomach. Luck seemed to be on their side because his stomach rumbled the instant hepleted his words.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

    Do you love the surprise and reward I prepared for you guys?

    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

    Also, do show support by buying the privileged chapters, casting GOLDEN TICKETS,menting and sending gifts.

    I really need your motivation to be able to keep my part of the bargain so please be my source of motivation and inspiration.

    I will be waiting to receive your feedback and rewards so keep iting!

 Chapter 326 She Fell For Their Tricks

    ?He mustered up the courage and walked closer to where she sat. He reached out his hand and held Joanna''s right handid beside her right leg.

    "It''s fine if you don''t want to eat but are you gonna starve me too?" He pouted his lips and faked a pitiful expression.

    Joanna''s anger melted when she looked into Anthony''s eyes.

    "You always said having meals on time is good for kids'' growth and development. I am still growing¡­,"

    "Are you trying to lecture me now hmm?" Joanna questioned.

    Merely hearing that her tone has returned to normal made the two guys happy.

    "Also, are you afraid that not having your meal will hinder your growth and development?" She asked and pulled him closer.

    Despite being so happy Anthony forced himself not to smile. He knew this wasn''t the right time to smile.

    Their second mission to make her have breakfast hasn''t beenpleted so how could he just rejoice?

    "Hmmm¡­," He shook his head affirmatively. "For me to grow and develop into someone like Brother Amos, I need to eat properly," He responded. A sweet smile lingered on his face as he hugged Joanna''s waist.

    "So your dream is to be like me huh, little man?" Amos asked yfully. He felt rxed seeing that Joanna has opened up to them again.

    He was scared for a minute there that he might have a hard time appeasing her. Thank goodness he had Anthony there to help him out.

    "If that''s your dream then you still have a long way to go. You need to work harder than you have ever done¡­,"

    "Wait, are you trying to discourage my little rice ball or do you believe that he can''t have the same body built as you when he grows up?" Joanna frowned at him while she pats Anthony''s hair.

    Amos was about to rashly give his answer when his eyes met Joanna''s piercing eyeballs.

    Looking at her, he was smart enough to know that his response will determine how she will react at that moment.

    "Of course not. Werewolves are known for their well-built body so why would my brother-inw''s case be different?" Amos quizzed smiling.

    "Brother-inw?" The two siblings yelled at the same time startling Amos with their synced question.

    Their questioning stares made him hesitate on replying.

    "You are my mate, that means you are as good as being my wife¡­,"

    "A mate is a mate and a wife is a wife. Never mistake the two to mean the same thing cause they are not," Joanna replied sternly.

    She stood up and tried to walk away but he grabbed her hand.

    "Where are you going?" He asked softly. "Are you angry because of what I said¡­,"

    "Didn''t you hear him say he is starving? And weren''t you ready to get yourself burnt because you are dying to prepare me breakfast¡­,"

    "Are you still angry about the incident earlier¡­,"

    "Did I ever say I wasn''t angry anymore?" She retorted and brushed his hand off. He ran and grabbed her hand once again before she could take two steps away from him.

    "I am sorry. I shouldn''t have touched anything in the kitchen like you had instructed so please don''t leave¡­,"

    "I want to go and prepare breakfast and you are saying I shouldn''t go?" Joanna''s eyebrows furrow as she gazes at the face of the guy who was refusing to let go of her.

    "You want to go and prepare breakfast?" He asked. His grip around her loosened realising that his assumptions were wrong.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Of course. What did you think I wanted to do?" She interrogated, her gaze not shifting from his face.

    She swivelled and tried to walk away but he stopped her again. This time not by clutching her hand but by appearing in front of her.

    "What is it this time around?" Joanna lost her cool and raised her voice at him. "Have you vouched in your heart to annoy me to death today¡­,"

    "My wish is for you to live for over a millennium so annoying you to death is something I will never do if I what my wish toe true," He replied cheerfully.

    Noticing how his reply made Joanna speechless, Anthony chuckled.

    There was quietness in the room after he left her speechless with his response.

    "Let''s eat out today," He announced. "These past few days you always eat the food Josephina brought so let''s go to a nice restaurant for a change today," he continued when she didn''t ept or decline his offer.

    Anthony hurried to their sides when it was taking Joanna a long time to respond.

    "Big Sis, there is a nice restaurant located not far away from here. It''s renowned for making yummy dishes. Let''s go there hmm," Anthony''s eyeballs glimmer as he speaks.

    "Did you two n this and made me fall into your trap?" She questioned. Her suspicious nces moved from Amos to Anthony''s face.

    "W-what are you saying?" He stuttered. He held Anthony''s hand and together they hastened to the door not giving her the chance to interrogate them.

    "We will wait for you while you dress up¡­,"

    "But I never¡­," the door jammed without her getting the opportunity to talk.

    In the sitting room Amos held Anthony''s hand and pulled him away from the couch when he tried to sit.

    "Your sister is dressing up so how could we sit and rx? Do you want to go out looking that way and smelling smoke," He asked and pointed at the part of Anthony''s clothes stained with dirt.

    "You are right¡­,"

    "If you think so then let''s go. There is no time to waste," He said and together they hastened to the guestroom.

    As Joanna was changing she wasn''t aware that her two men were also trying to get ready so they wouldn''t dy her.

    Thanks to Amos and Anthony''s heightened senses they were able to tell which stage Joanna was at.

    Twenty minutester, both Amos'' bedroom and guestroom opened at the same time. Each upant of the room stepped out.

    ...

    A/N:

    These are bonus chapters for you all. This is my way of saying thank you for everything. These two chapters have nothing to do with our mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, so don''t worry and enjoy.

    Don''t forget toment as you read. It will make me very happy to see you guys buy the privileged chapters, so please support me by purchasing the privileged chapters.

    Also, send gifts and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS here.

    One more thing, don''t forget to send my Christmas gifts when the time is right hehe...

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 327 Matching Outfits

    ?The jamming of the guestroom door made Joanna turn and stared at her left-hand side.

    Her mouth hung open the moment she set eyes on the tall dashing dude standing some distance away.

    She was smitten by the outline of his body. She kept staring at him intently, unable to look away.

    "It would have been better if you had taken care of the darn curls," She muttered absentmindedly.

    "Did you say something?" He asked, acting like he didn''t hear what she said. He and Anthony strolled to where she stood with their hands stuck in their pockets.

    The way they walked synced like they had practised their walking moves.

    "I said why didn''t you tell me if you both had ns to wear matching outfits? I would have done the same," She lied without batting an eyelid.

    She would have wlessly fooled them if not for their special abilities.

    "But that is not what you said," Anthony spoke between his teeth. He was lucky Joanna didn''t hear what he said.

    "I wanted to do that but in a haste to leave the room, I forgot to tell you that," He replied. He scanned thedy standing in front of him with sharp eyes.

    Joanna was fortunate to catch him peering at her like she wasn''t the samedy he has been living with these past days.

    "Are the clothes not nice?" She asked and lowered her gaze to look at what she was wearing.

    Although she wasn''t wearing some fancy dinner gown, what she wore wasn''t bad at all.

    She had settled for these matching green long sleeve cropped tops and trousers because of Anthony. She knew how yful he can be at times and didn''t want to be caught unawares.

    She had particrly chosen snickers instead of heels forfortability. She didn''t know how she would feel if he said he didn''t like the clothes.

    "You look exceptional," He replied and gave her a thumbs up. Her lips curled into a broad smile listening to hispliments.

    Noticing that he was left out Anthony walked closer and held Joanna''s hand. "Big Sis looks fabulous," He announced and beamed at her.

    "My little rice ball is not looking bad either," She replied grinning. She bent and pecked the giggling boy on the cheek.

    "What about me?" He asked with his lips pouted.

    "What do you mean?" Joanna asked. She feign ignorance of what he was saying.

    "I alsoplimented you but you didn''t peck me so what about my kiss¡­,"

    "I pecked him because he is my little brother, so based on what reason should I peck you?" Joanna asked while looking at his face.

    "That¡­ t-that is¡­," He stammered with his head lowered. Anthony chuckled not knowing that he was the reason why Amos didn''t go outright shameless with his reply.

    "If you love getting pecked so much then pray to reincarnate as my little brother in your next life," She replied grinning.

    "Although your offer is juicy, sorry I reject the offer," He said sternly. He walked passed the siblings and approached the centre table where he kept his car keys.

    "Brother Amos is jealous," Anthony chuckled, his gaze followingevery movement Amos made.

    "You will keep quiet and resistughing if you don''t want to get spanked by him," She let go of his hand. She turned and held the door knob.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Go and stay with him while I change my clothes to one that will match yours and Amos'' outfits," She informed and pushed the door open.

    "The outfits you are wearing has white and that matches our clothes too. If you think that isn''t enough then you can change your handbag to white," He suggested meekly.

    "But¡­,"

    "Have I ever deceived you before?", He cut in before she could reject his suggestion.

    Joanna hesitated to answer but her gaze never left his face as she thought about his words.

    The two times he selected outfits for her, she ended up making the headlines. No doubt he has a good fashion sense and that is something she sees daily in every outfit he wears.

    "You and Little rice ball should head to the car now. I will join you after changing my handbag," She informed and entered the room.

    For the handbag, she didn''t need to waste time searching since his walk-in closet had a space, particrly for her handbags.

    All she did was pick up the small-size chain handbag and transferred her belongings from the other handbag to the new one.

    She came out of the bedroom and was about to make her way out when she got a glimpse of the four pairs of eyes gazing at her.

    She was amazed to see that they didn''t leave.

    "Why¡­,"

    "This is a family outing. It wouldn''t be fun if one person is missing," He interrupted and strolled to where she stood.

    The three of them made their way out of the apartment at the same time.

    Arriving downstairs where his white sports car was parked, Anthony raced to the front door and tried to pull it open but Amos appeared just behind him and stopped him.

    "This spot is for your sister while that one is yours your," He pointed at the back seat.

    "But I want to sit with Big Sis¡­,"

    "Be good and do like I said except you want to be left behind," Amos said meekly.

    Anthony swallowed back what he wanted to say, let go of the car and made his way to the back seat when he saw how serious Amos'' expression was.

    "Did you have to say that¡­,"

    "We don''t have to pamper kids all the time. Sometimes we have to be strict with them so they don''t be spoilt," He replied and opened the front door for her.

    She didn''t enter the car even after he opened the door for her.

    "Also, I wasn''t that stern. Heplied because he understood what I meant without me having to exin myself. He is that smart so don''t worry," He urged her on when she still refused to sit in the front seat.

    On his third attempt, she entered the car. When they were all seated with their seatbelts properly strapped, Amos drove off.

    Inside the car, Anthony was smart enough not to interrupt the adults as they talked.

 Chapter 328 Its Both Of You!

    ?While they talked he yed with Joanna''s cell phone which was in his possession.

    He waited for them to stop talking before he spoke up. "Big Sis, you and Brother Amos promised to take me out, can we do that today?" He asked politely.

    "Today?" Amos and Anthony''s half yelled. They stared at each other, surprised that they shared the same thoughts.

    "Grandma will being soon. I don''t know when I would have time to spend with the two of you¡­," The car jerked to a halt, causing all of them to hit their back against the seat.

    He tilted his head and stared at Anthony, "Your Grandma ising?" He asked with widened eyes.

    "Yes," He replied innocently. He didn''t understand why Amos looked so astounded. Amos turned and gaze at thedy sitting by his side. Staring at her he wondered why she looked so calm after the news she heard.

    "Stop looking at me like that because I will be fine from her torture this time around. I promise you," Joanna said. Although she sounded confident, she wasn''t certain how she was gonna do that when her powers are gone.

    She was optimistic even though the possibility of her defending herself from the vicious woman was almost impossible.

    Even though she sounded so confident he could read her inner feelings by merely looking into her eyes.

    "If you can''t handle her, your world''s number one backer is right here," He said while beating his chest. A sweet smile lingered on his face as he continued staring at her face.

    "Yup, I almost forgot that my backer is more awesome than every other backer. The mere mention of his name is enough to instil fear in the hearts of my enemies," Joanna replied sarcastically.

    Amos and Anthony chuckled as they watched her dramatic face fade away.

    He ignited the car and together they continued on their journey. The atmosphere in the car from then onwards became livelier.

    When they got to the front of the three-storey building, Joanna tried to open the door but Amos jammed it close.

    "I told you as long as I am with this identity, opening the door for you is my job now," He began when his eyes met her questioning stares.

    "I don''t have many days to do this and I really wished you wouldn''t try to steal this away from me too," He said meekly.

    For two minutes Amos and Joanna who were now the only upants of the car stared at each other intensely.

    Although they uttered no words their stares alone spoke a million words.

    Anthony standing outside the door watched this happen without saying anything.

    [He is willing to humble himself to the lowest level all because of his love for me. I wish a day wille too when I am this confident about my feelings for him]

    She looked away after they had stayed that way for over two minutes.

    "I will not steal that away from you so don''t worry," She finally spoke.

    He lifted his hand and rubbed her cheeks lovingly, "I have always known that my Joan is the best," His eyes glimmered as he locked eyes with her.

    "Don''t call me MY JOAN if you are not gonna take responsibility for it¡­,"

    "And who said I was ever scared of taking responsibility especially when ites to you?" He grinned and stepped out of the car, leaving her confused with his vague answer.

    He walked to the other side of the car and opened the car''s door for her. He did this with pride.

    "Is this the stage where thedy gives the guy a peck," Joanna spected aftering out of the car?

    "If you give me, I won''t reject so go on¡­," He was surprised to see that he and Anthony had abandoned him there.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wait for me, this is not fair," He hurried after them.

    If not that Joanna looked too young to bear a child of Anthony''s age others would have mistaken them for a family of three the instant they stepped foot inside the restaurant.

    The moment the restaurant staff recognised Anthony they didn''t waste time escorting them to the second floor where their VIP customers normally dined at.

    Joanna, Amos and Anthony were going through the menu in their hands when the two guys got a whiff of familiar scents.

    [Goddamn it! It''s those annoying fellows again]

    Amos clenched his fist. He and Anthony tilted their heads to look at the direction the scent came from.

    Behold they saw two guys approaching their seats. The first thing that caught his attention as he stared at them was Raymond''s outfit.

    He was wearing matching clothes with Joanna. No matter how hard he thought he refused to believe that this was a mere coincidence.

    "What are you two intently looking at?" Joanna asked. She paused what she was doing and followed their line of sight.

    "I bet they think we look dashing, that is why they can''t take their eyes off us," Joanna heard Derrick''s voice before she could see them.

    By the time she saw them, the two smiling guys who were the centre of attention were close to their table.

    "It''s both of you!" Joanna eximed. Instead of surprise, she sounded awkward.

    She stole a nce at Amos to see his reaction. She wasn''t surprised to see his murderous res directed at the two guys because she expected this much.

    She would be a fool not to understand how he feels towards Raymond and Derrick after how he reacted the previous day.

    "What are you guys doing here?" The words escaped her mouth before she could stop herself.

    "What else if not¡­,"

    "Have you both resorted to tailing us now?" Amos cut in the middle of Derrick''s reply.

    "Also, did you have to make it so obvious by wearing matching clothes with her?" He asked rudely.

    "Can''t you see how pathetic you look¡­,"

    "What''s your problem with me, dude¡­,"

    "I am not your dude so don''t you ever call me that," He warned sternly. With the way, their eyes shotsers at each other Joanna knew it wasn''t as easy as it looked.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY DECEMBER ??????.

    I wish you a happy new month. Thank you so much for the love and support you showered on the bookst month.

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    Thanks a bunch as you do this.

 Chapter 329 They Struck A Deal

    ?"That is your problem and not mine. And I believe we wouldn''t be having this conversation if you didn''t butt in," Raymond wasn''t very polite with his response.

    He lifted his hand and stuck them in his trouser''s pockets. "It''s clear you don''t like me and I dislike you as much¡­,"

    "Raymond, that''s enough. People are watching," Joanna intervened. She signalled at the customers who were looking in their direction.

    "He was the one meant to us first and yet you didn''t scold him. Do you know that you are biased?" Derrick retorted, his fierce res centred on Amos'' face.

    Amos was too mad to care about his res.

    "I just want to have a peaceful meal but as long as the three of you keep fighting you know I won''t be able to achieve that," She said after carefully thinking about her response.

    There was quietness on their table afterwards.

    "It''s destiny that we ran into each in a ce like this when there are so many restaurants. I will be a bigger man and let it go," Raymond said calmly.

    It was as if he was not the same guy who was ready to punch Amos in the face earlier.

    "Why beat around the bush when you could outrightly tell her that the two off you are fated? Or didn''t you create this fake coincidence for this reason?" Amos retorted coldly.

    Anthony quietly watched the adults fight among themselves. He has experienced repeatedly the consequences of interrupting adults when they talk and he didn''t want to fall victim again.

    "Do you think I am afraid to say that?" Raymond asked with his chin raised. "Indeed I am confident enough to say it but the question is, can you handle it¡­," Amos sprang up and grabbed Raymond''s neck.

    "Do you guys hate me so much that whenever we meet you can''t stop fighting?" Joanna asked, her cold gaze glued on the faces of the two guys who were ring at each other.

    "If you hate me so much then please let me send my brother away before the fight gets physical¡­," She trailed. She extended her hand and grabbed Anthony''s hand.

    She pulled him up from the chair.

    "I don''t care much about my life but I wouldn''t want my little brother to get killed in the middle of your battle. I know very well that I won''t be able to stop the two of you if a fight breaks out," She said and tried to leave.

    Amos was quick in releasing Raymond''s neck. He grabbed Joanna''s right hand, not letting her leave.

    "Instead of hatred, don''t you think they are acting this way because of the opposite¡­,''

    "Don''t leave," he announced.

    Joanna tilted her head and peered at him, "I don''t want to eat in this kind of environment," She informed me. The stern expression on her face as she brushed his hand away showed how damn serious she was.

    "You of all people should know that eating a peaceful meal in the past was a luxury for me. I just want to have a peaceful meal, is that too hard to ask for," She said emotionally.

    Seeing her this way made Amos realize that he overdid it this time around.

    He was the one who desperately wanted her to eat dinner on time. He wondered why he lost control of himself the moment he set eyes on them.

    It was the same yesterday. He lost his cool the instant he saw her touching his back when he set foot into the sitting room.

    [I guess I love you way too much to the point that the fear I might lose you to someone else makes me lose my mind. I can''t control how I feel]

    Amos clenched his fists as he averted his gaze to look at the two quiet guys.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He hates their guts but for the sake of her happiness, he is willing to overlook his feelings.

    "Let''s go, Little rice ball," She said and made to leave but he held her hand again.

    "What''s it¡­,"

    "You want to have a peaceful meal right?" He started. "I will give that to you so there is no need to go," He dered firmly.

    ? She raised an eyebrow, "Really?".

    "The kitchen is a mess. It will take a few hours to clean it up if we return home now. You will end up skipping breakfast if¡­,"

    "You don''t have to leave, Miss Butterfly. I will try my best not to get provoked by him no matter how hard he tries¡­,"

    "You and your blonde hair friend are the ones who provoke me at every given opportunity so what are you saying?" Amos challenged him.

    "Also, her name is Joanna and not Miss Butterfly," He corrected fiercely.

    The once hopeful Joanna saw her hope crumble seeing them attack each other even though this was what she was against.

    She shook her head and held her brother''s hand once again, "It was wrong of me to even dream that you will get along. I should have known I was asking and hoping for the impossible".

    He refused to release her hand despite her piercing res, "You are just asking for a peaceful meal, how impossible is that when I can even be friends with them as long as you say the word?" Amos questioned.

    He faked a smile and turned to look at the two friends. "Let''s try not to get on each other''s throats for as long as we are in this restaurant," He said. He didn''t sound friendly or hostile.

    "Deal," Raymond and Derrick chorused.

    "If you are prepared to settle things for her sake Ray is big-hearted enough to do the same. In fact, he can do more. She just needs to utter a word," Derrick added.

    Looking at their faces Joanna felt as if she was teleported into one of those soap operas she watched.

    There was silence at their table again. Since none of the adults wanted to talk Anthony decided that he was the one who would break off the awkward silence.

    "Brother Amos, does that mean the three of you are friends now?" He asked innocently.

    ...

    A/N:

    These are bonus chapters for you all. This is my way of saying thank you for everything. These two chapters have nothing to do with our mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, so don''t worry and enjoy.

    Don''t forget toment as you read. It will make me very happy to see you guys buy the privileged chapters, so please support me by purchasing the privileged chapters.

    Also, send gifts and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS here.

    One more thing, don''t forget to send my Christmas gifts when the time is right hehe...

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 330 Derricks Tricks

    ?How they turned and shot him murderous nces at the same time made Anthony move backwards.

    "My little rice ball is innocent, don''t drag him into this," she said and returned to her seat. Amos walked back to the table and sat in his previous position.

    He furrowed an eyebrow when he saw Raymond and Derrick pull out a chair respectively.

    "You both want to share the table with us?" He asked, frowning.

    "Of course, yes or what did you think?" Derrick retorted. He lowered his head when he locked eyes with Joanna''s fierce res.

    "We are acquaintances and luckily there are two empty seats on your table. Don''t tell me you want to act petty by telling us to book another table¡­,"

    "None of you look poor so what is the problem with that if you can afford it?" Amos refused to back down.

    "Big Sis, they are arguing again," Anthony whispered into her ear.

    "This is the oue of asking enemies to get along. What else was I expecting?" Joanna muttered.

    She extended her hand and picked the menu. She decided not to pay attention to their quarrel again as long as it doesn''t worsen.

    "Waiter, over here," Joanna called out to one of the waiters without paying attention to the guys.

    The guy in a red shirt and a pair of ck trousers moved to their table after she called his attention.

    "We are ready to ce our orders," She informed the guys.

    Turning around she was surprised to see that Amos and Raymond hadn''t sat down yet.

    "Why are you both still standing over there?" She demanded. Her gaze moved from Raymond to Derrick''s face.

    "Don''t tell me you both are nning to ce your orders and also have your meal while standing...,"

    "That is impossible," Raymond and Derrick echoed at the same time.

    "Only an insane person will have a chair in front of him and still decide to stand and eat," Derrick added.

    He was fast in reaching out his hand to take Amos'' menu.

    "You are not gonna use it anyways so stop ring at me," He said nonchntly. He and Raymond went ahead to look at the list of dishes the restaurant offers without paying Amos much attention.

    Amos has never felt out of ce at the dining table until today.

    While they asked each other''s opinion in selecting the dishes all he could do was sit and watch them talk.

    He couldn''t contribute to anything they said.

    Joanna collected the menu and handed it over to the waiter after they were done cing their orders.

    "Wow Joanna, I can''t believe that you and Ray have simr tastes in dishes. His favourite food is also the same as yours. The same with the almond cake," Derrick said grinning.

    Although he was talking to Joanna, funny enough his expression was on Amos.

    His grin grew devilish when he saw Amos clench his fists.

    [I have seen him make her jealous a few times by hanging out with other women. This is sweet revenge time. Let him have a taste of his own medicine]

    He averted his gaze back to Joanna''s direction afterwards.

    "I can recollect how she often devoured the almond cake I always bought with me anytime I went to see her," Raymond replied beaming.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can vividly remember her saying that Almond cake was the most delicious thing in the world. She said this with a broad smile...,"

    "Hey, why are you bringing that up now," She responded. Though she sounded upset, a radiant smile masked her face as she talked.

    "Those were the silly words of a child. Howe you still remember that?".

    "I am sure he recalled every single word you said when you were little so why are you already getting embarrassed when he hasn''t started yet," Derrick chimed in, maintaining his charming smile.

    "Why on earth did there have to be two tables remaining? I wouldn''t be going through this if not for those damn extra tables," Amos muttered.

    [Should I decree that every restaurant in the Kingdom must have not more than three seats per table?]

    Amos sped his fist. Seeing their smiling faces irritated him more.

    "What is wrong?" Joanna asked after hearing him mumble inaudible words.

    "Also, were you talking to me?" She asked while looking at his face.

    "He said...,"

    "I am sure he must have said he felt ufortable dining amid so many humans," Derrick cut in before Anthony could say a sentence.

    Despite Raymond''s disapproving gaze Derrick still went ahead to talk. "He must be starved to get tempted by human blood," He added.

    "Is that true?" Joanna asked with concern written all over her face.

    She took a proper look at the restaurant for the first time.

    She didn''t need to look for too long to realize that the restaurant was full of humans and werewolves.

    Vampires don''t eat so why on earth would theye to a restaurant?

    [This is all my fault]

    She bites her lips knowing that Amos wouldn''t havee to the restaurant if not for her and Anthony.

    "Should we leave...,"

    "That is not necessary," He replied calmly. He tried his best not to show how furious he was at Derrick for making such an expensive joke.

    "I am fine. He was just kidding around. There is no need to take his words seriously".

    Even after seeing his reassuring smile she still wasn''t convinced that he was fine. "But¡­," She had to pause what she wanted to say when the waiter returned with their orders.

    "Have your meal," He ordered when others had already picked up their cutlery while she kept on staring at him.

    "If you are hungry, we can order blood¡­,"

    "You know I don''t drink any kind of blood," He said meekly.

    Apart from drinking live animal blood, all the blood he drinks is supplied by the pce. He doesn''t drink any other blood apart from that.

    "He said he is fine so let''s eat before the food gets cold," Raymond urged her on.

    Joanna took ast nce at him. She turned and concentrated on the mountain of delicacies disyed on the table.

 Chapter 331 Can We Tag Along?

    ?As they eat other customers stole nces at them now and then. Or should I say Derrick and Raymond were those their attention focused on?

    Amos made do with the wine they had ordered. While others ate, he took a sip from the ss of wine dangling in between his fingers.

    [I can''t wait to get rid of them after this meal?]

    Amos gripped the ss of wine firmer as he red at Raymond who was happily discussing the taste of the delicacies.

    Although they didn''t say a word to him, he couldn''t help but conclude that they were doing this to piss him off.

    "So where are you going after here?" Raymond asked. He dropped his cutlery and leaned his back against the green chair.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joana trailed and stole a nce at Amos.

    "We are going to the arcade," Anthony announced smiling.

    "Arcade?" Raymond questioned. He shifted his gaze to Joanna''s face. Her displeased look didn''t escape his notice.

    [It''s ok if she feels ufortable around me now. It''s normal since we haven''t met for a long time. I will just make her get used to me]

    He sped his fists and looked away from her face.

    "Can we tag along?" Derrick asked, noticing that Raymond was hesitating.

    [To get what we want I don''t mind being the bad guy]

    He smiles and avoids his face.

    "No," Amos replied sternly.

    "I wasn''t asking you," Derrick retorted. He tilted his head and gaze at Joanna. Noticing their questioning stares centred on her, Joanna cleared her throat.

    "The outing was supposed to be just the three of us since it was our promise to little rice ball. I don''t think he will agree to let you guys join us," Joanna said softly.

    Silence engulfed their table after Joanna turned them down.

    "Does that mean we just have to convince him to let us join you guys right?" Derrick asked.

    "That is if you can convince him, don''t you think so?" Amos asked as he crossed his legs and leaned back on the chair.

    "Convincing kids had never for once been a problem since we understand exactly what they want¡­,"

    "Then let''s see you both try," Amos challenged coldly.

    "Watch and learn ok," Raymond said. Instantly he and Derrick changed seats.

    [This is exactly what I was trying to avoid so why has ite down to this?]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she watched Raymond whisper words she couldn''t hear into Anthony''s ears.

    At that moment she didn''t know what she wanted anymore.

    Raymond kept whispering words into Anthony''s ears but the little boy responded each time by shaking his head in negation.

    "Such cheap tricks won''t work on him. He is too smart for that," Amos said grinning.

    "I will go settle our bills so we can leave," He said. He stood up almost immediately and strolled to the counter.

    When he returned he was greeted by the smiling face of the boy standing behind his seat.

    "Brother Amos, can theye with us too?" He asked softly.

    Amos hesitated to answer. His eyes moved from Raymond''s anxious face to Derrick''s and then back to Anthony''s.

    [Though I dislike them, Little man seems to really want them toe along. I should be flexible too, shouldn''t I?]

    He clenched his fists. He hatedpromising in this situation but he had no choice.

    "You don''t have to say yes¡­,"

    "As long as they promise not to get in my way or provoke me then I will agree¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That is a piece of cake for us. We won''t get in your way, don''t worry," Derrick responded smiling.

    "Let''s go," Amos said nothing more to them. He held Anthony''s hand and started walking away.

    Joanna followed him instantly. She was too concerned about Amos and didn''t notice that the two guys weren''t following them.

    "We both knew it wouldn''t be easy to win her over but we still went ahead with it despite being aware of this so there is no need to get hurt by what she said," Derrick said. He lifted his hand and ced it on Raymond''s shoulders.

    "She indeed likes him more than you but I believe this will change as long as you utilize your charms well. Believe me. Also, you have got me to help you out¡­,"

    "You talk too much," Raymond brushed his hand away. "And howe I don''t understand a word you said?" He quizzed and walked away.

    "I know you understand all I said so what is the use of pretending?" He mumbled and ran after him.

    Reaching downstairs, they met Joanna and the others already inside the car.

    Derrick tapped the screen of the driver''s seat and signalled Amos to wound down the ss.

    "What''s it now again?" He asked irritatedly.

    "Open the back door for us¡­,"

    "What!" Amos eximed not able to hide his inner feelings this time around.

    "Don''t tell me you want to share the same car with us?" Amos asked despite having guessed this much.

    "Yes¡­,"

    "Didn''t youe with your car?" He demanded.

    "You know I wouldn''t buy that nonsense if you said you trekked here¡­,"

    "We indeed came with our car but since we are going to the same ce. Wouldn''t it be fun if we go in the same car?" Raymond quizzed.

    An argument broke out once again because of the car''s issue. After arguing for a while Amos had topromise for the second time that day.

    The journey from the restaurant to the biggest mall in the City was a thirty minutes drive.

    Derrick and Raymond utilised their thirty minutes well by asking Anthony about the kind of games he loved.

    Amos, who has never been to an arcade, was left out of their discussion. As the conversation went on in the back seat Joanna was more concerned about the one sitting by her side.

    She initiated topics about things he was familiar with.

    At the mall even though shopping wasn''t on their agenda they still went ahead to shop first.

    "Little man, do you want that? I think the shirt would suit you very much," Amos suggested with his index finger pointing at the brown shirt hanging in the middle of so many clothes.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

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    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

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 Chapter 332 What If I Insist?

    ?Anthony followed where he pointed at. His lips curled into a sweet smile when he saw the clothes that had the design of his favourite hero on the front.

    "Do you think that is cool?" Derrick scoffed and crossed his arms around his chest. "If you call that tanky shirt cool then sorry to say that you have no fashion sense," Hemented to the displeasure of Amos and Joanna.

    "Why are you gazing at me like that? You and I know that I am telling the truth?" He said without showing any sign of remorse.

    "Let me show you what is cool," He said and strolled to the rack where varieties of shirts from different designer brands hung.

    "This is cool," He said and took out a ck shiny leather jacket. He held it in front of him for others to see.

    "And this is cool," He retorted and disyed the blue shirt he picked for hispanions to see.

    He walked to the right where trousers were disyed. He skimmed through the different trousers lined up on that row.

    He paused and reached out his hand to pick a pair of trousers that caught his attention.

    "This one is hot," He said beaming.

    "All you care about is ying and fooling around. No wonder your fashion sense sucks too," Amos retorted and strolled away from the area they stood.

    Joanna followed him.

    "He is fucking annoying," Derrick said while ring at Amos departing back. "What annoys me most is that haughty attitude of his. I wonder what gives him such confidence," He said bitterly.

    "You can''t me him for acting this way but me it on his identity," Raymond muttered. He lifted his hand to ruffle the hair of the boy gazing at him but Anthony ran off.

    "Also, you are going out way too strong and that is why he is retaliating in the same manner. Keep a low profile after this," Raymond advised.

    He approached the direction the others went without waiting for Derrick.

    "Although he is annoying like hell, you are twice worsepared to him," Derrick mumbled. He proceeded to join them afterwards.

    They were still strolling around the mall when Joanna suddenly came to a halt.

    Amos walking at the front paused and walked back to where she stood when he noticed that she was distracted.

    "It''s so beautiful!" She blurted. Her radiating smile broadened more as she gazed at the dress.

    Eager to know what she was talking about Amos and Raymond followed her line of sight almost at the same time.

    They diverted their gaze back to her face when they noticed what had caught her attention.

    "Do you like it?" Raymond beat Amos to ask the question first.

    "Like is an understatement," She blurted. Her eyes glistened as she refused to look away from the armless tight-fitted long dress that was disyed on one of the mannequins.

    "I love it," She added. She turned around and gazed at Raymond when she realised what she had said.

    "That''s¡­,"

    "I recall that your dress got torn in the past because of me. This means I owe you an outfit¡­,"

    "That happened a long time ago¡­,"

    "Yes, but I still remember saying that for the dress I ruined I will give you a hundred outfits aspensation¡­,"

    "That was only a child''s word. It''s not to be taken seriously," She cut in yfully.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What if I tell you that I meant what I said that day?" He asked seriously.

    Joanna would have assumed he was joking if not for his firm expression. She was momentarily speechless, noticing that he wasn''t kidding.

    "Let me buy that dress for you as my first gift after our reunion and also aspensation for the dress I owe you¡­,"

    "That is not necessary," Joanna waved her hand as she spoke.

    "What if I insist?" He quizzed.

    "My dress wasn''t 1/3 as expensive as that. Buying this dress for me is likepensating me with a golden or tinum doll for my wooden toy you destroyed¡­.,"

    "As Rick said, I am rich. If you are worried about the cost of the dress then you don''t have to. I can afford a few more of this¡­,"

    "She just said she doesn''t want it, didn''t you hear that or do you have a problem with your ear?" Amos, who couldn''t stand this anymore, retorted.

    "Also, what is this public disy of wealth? Does she tell you she doesn''t have someone wealthier than you to handle all her expenses if she iscking?" He asked coldly.

    "By this someone wealthier, are you perhaps referring to yourself?" Derrick chuckled as he pointed at Amos.

    Although Derrick''s question was simple, Amos was hesitant to reply.

    He was aware that they would start suspecting his identity if he said yes.

    He tried toe up with a convincing answer to give to them.

    "Have you forgotten whose mate she is?" He argued with his shoulders held high.

    "Can your wealth bepared to that of the King?".

    Raymond frowned upon hearing Amos'' conclusion. "Isn''t he supposed to be your rival so why are you acting like you are talking about yourself?" He asked, his suspicious res concentrated on Amos'' face.

    "T-that is¡­," Amos'' gaze wavered as he searched for what to say.

    "Thinking back now, I feel like your question is reasonable. He is always acting like he is above everyone and this leads me to my question¡­," Derrick trailed. He walked two steps forward so he and Amos were looking into each other''s eyeballs.

    Anthony bit his nails as he tried not to look at the adult''s face.

    [Does this mean that they have found out Brother Kay''s secret]

    "Who are you and what is your identity exactly?" Derrick asked. "Let''s get the facts straight so there will be no room for discussion," He said, not looking away from Amos'' eyes.

    Joanna''s heart pounded against her chest as she stared at the two guys who were looking into each other''s eyes.

    Her grip on the shopping bags in her hands tightened. The observative Raymond noticed this in time.

    ....

    A/N:

    Hello darling readers, please support your poor author by buying the privileged chapters. I will be overjoyed if I see that you have supported me with buying the privileged chapters.

    Also, about the mass release I promised you guys, I haven''t forgotten about it. I am working very hard to make sure that the mass release event takes ce so please show some support.

    Support me with gifts, GOLDEN TICKETS and buying of privileged chapters.

 Chapter 333 The Eavesdroppers

    ?She was too busy thinking of how to bail Amos out of this to notice Raymond''s intense stares.

    "Was this what you guys meant by getting along was a piece of cake?" She demanded fiercely.

    "If I knew that this was how far you guys would go I wouldn''t have agreed to go anywhere with all of you," She stated angrily.

    "But¡­," Raymond held Derrick''s hand. He shook his head for him not to say anything.

    "I was so foolish to have believed you guys¡­,"

    "We only had a little argument. This is not called fighting," Raymond interrupted softly.

    "Also, we meant it when we said that getting along wasn''t difficult, am I right?" Raymond winked at Amos whom she noticed wanted to say something.

    The fact that Amos didn''t respond immediately made the four of them stare at him.

    "Yes," He responded after stalling for two minutes. "And I am a man of my word," He added and moved away from there.

    "He says one thing and does the other. He is so peculiar," Derrick looked at the guy who didn''t turn around for a second.

    While Joanna and Derrick followed the direction Amos went, Anthony held Raymond''s hand and pulled him back from the others.

    "What''s it, Anthony?" Raymond demanded as he looked at the boy standing in front of him. He stole a nce to see how far the others have gone.

    "You said Brother Derrick will give me a magic trick show, when will he do that?" He asked meekly.

    "Ooh¡­. About that¡­," Raymond trailed. He had forgotten the deal he made with Anthony before the stubborn boy allowed the two of them to join their outing.

    He was able toe up with this all thanks to Amos''ment at that time.

    "Don''t worry, he will show you some magic trickster. I am sure you will love it," He said and ruffled Anthony''s hair slightly.

    With these few words, he was able to calm Anthony down.

    Some minutester when others made their way upstairs to the arcade section, Amos excused himself.

    After watching them disappear, he returned to the section where they came across the red dress.

    At first, he was stunned to see that the red dress and the diamond ne disyed on the mannequin were gone. But he called the attention of the sales representative around.

    "I want the exact dress and ne that was disyed there a moment ago," He ordered while pointing at the empty mannequin.

    "The outfit was purchased by another customer including the ne," thedy informed.

    "Also, I am sorry to tell you that we have run out of stock for the dress. There are only three of that dress in the world and our mall was only able to acquire one of them," She said politely.

    Amos'' expression fell on hearing this. His disappointment didn''t escape the sales representative''s notice.

    "Actually, we have other dresses from other brands which are as beautiful as the one you want¡­,"

    "I want no dress other than the one I asked for," He replied coldly. He spun and moved away.

    [Joan loved that dress very much, I wonder who bought the dress. I don''t mind paying triple the amount as long as I can acquire the dress]

    He was in deep thought as he made his way upstairs.

    After stepping out of the lift, he looked around trying to guess where they went. Because of how crowded and noisy the mall was he couldn''t easily pick up their scent.

    Turning to his left, he saw Joannaing towards his direction.

    "The arcade is over here," She said and pointed at the side she came from.

    The first thing Joanna noticed when he closed the gap between them was his gloomy face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What is the problem? Did something happen on your way here?" Joanna asked. She gazed at the first floor hoping to see signs that anymotion took ce.

    "I am fine¡­,"

    "You are not, so don''t try to lie to me. I know you better enough to know when you are fine and when you are not," She said sternly.

    She reached out her hand and held his right hand. "Did someone annoy you? You know you can always tell me what''s wrong¡­,"

    "Is there someone who can annoy me as much as those Raymond and Derrick guys do?" He blurted out angrily.

    None of them talked after his sudden outburst.

    "If you disliked them so much, why did youpromise and let theme along with us?" She asked firmly.

    As she was talking, she didn''t know that behind one of the stalls Raymond was standing there.

    "You could have just outrightly said you didn''t want them to join us. You know that I would have gone along with what you wanted," She concluded.

    Her words made him find the confidence to look her in the eyes once again. "They are your friends so I assumed you would have wanted them to join us¡­,"

    "Are you stupid?" She asked. "Are you a god or someone who can read the mind hmm?"

    "Neither of them," He responded softly. For some reason, he loved seeing her show concern towards him. Instead of feeling sad, he felt happy that she was seriously scolding him.

    "If you are not a god or someone who reads minds then why did you try to guess my thoughts instead of asking me what I wanted?" She demanded.

    Raymond was still standing there listening to their conversation when he saw Derrick approaching them.

    "Ray¡­.," Raymond ced his index finger on his lips before Derrick could shout his name.

    Derrick was amazed to see Raymond acting suspiciously but heplied with what he wanted. He approached where Raymond stood without uttering a word.

    He was about to ask Raymond what was wrong when he got a whiff of Joanna and Amos'' scent.

    He swivelled and stared at where the two people stood.

    "You might have met them a few times but you get along with them very well that is why¡­,"

    "Of course, I like hanging out with them. Raymond is cool and Derrick is lively. Thebination of their two qualities made them fun to be with but¡­," Joanna trailed.

    She didn''t say a word even after two minutes passed.

    "But why?" Amos quizzed. He squinted his eyebrows as he waited for her reply.

    ...

    SURPRISE!!!

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    Herees the five chapter mass release I promised. I have fulfilled my promise so please do show support in your own way.

    Shower me with gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS if you love my surprise.

    One more thing don''t forget to buy the privileged chapters. I will truly appreciate it if all of you support the book by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thanks as you do this.

    Enjoy the chapters.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 334 The First Game

    ?"Theirpany can''t bepared to yours. The gap is too apart no matter how fun being with them is," She said honestly.

    The happy Amos tried not to make his excitement obvious. He forced himself not to smile even though he so much wanted to do this.

    "I like your reply but here is a question for you," He said and paused midway through his sentence.

    "Are you saying this out of loyalty or love?" He asked seriously.

    "Make things clear so that your actions and words won''t confuse me," He added.

    Witnessing how the thrilled Amos was trying hard not to smile made Raymond clench his fist.

    If looks could kill Amos would have dropped dead at that instant.

    "Hearing your question I can see that you have returned to the guy I know," She said and attempted to leave but he grabbed her hand.

    "You haven''t answered¡­,"

    "You are smart aren''t you?" asked Joanna. "So why don''t you make a guess?" She wriggled her hand from his hold and walked away.

    Amos chased after her. As they walked passed, they didn''t see the two guys watching them.

    Arriving at the arcade Joanna met Anthony where she left him earlier. She looked around in search of Derrick and Raymond when she didn''t see them with Anthony.

    "Where are they?" She interrogated. She kept looking around hoping to see them ying but they were nowhere to be found.

    "They followed you some minutes after you left," He replied. "Didn''t you and Brother Amos see them?".

    He looked at where Joanna and Amos came from hoping to see them but he didn''t see any of the guys.

    "We didn''t see them," Amos answered.

    "That is weird because Brother Raymond followed Big Sis not up to a minute after she left," He mumbled.

    His words made Joanna and Amos'' exchange puzzled nces.

    Back where Derrick and Raymond hid, they came out after standing there for two minutes.

    "It''s of no use brooding over what she said," Derrick said.

    He didn''t look affected by what happened earlier but that was not the case with Raymond.

    "Human mind is the most fickle thing in the world. One day she might be head over heels for him but another time it will be your turn so there is no need to act as if someone died," Derrick said, not happy seeing his best friend this way.

    "Also, don''t get carried away by all these things and forget why we are even here now. This is no time to be brooding over insignificant things like emotions¡­,"

    "Stop lecturing me, Rick," He said and stomped away.

    "This is the problem with nice guys. They easily get hurt. Thank goodness I am far from being nice," He shrugged his shoulders and hurried to catch up to Raymond.

    At the arcade, the first game Anthony chose was a racing game.

    "Let''s y that," He announced excitedly.

    "Are you sure you wanna challenge awesome drivers like us in the racing game?" Derrick asked yfully.

    "Hmm¡­," He shook his head affirmatively.

    "Ok, but you are not allowed to shed a tear if we win ok?" Raymond joked.

    Soon the three of them took their positions in front of the game. While they yed Joanna and Amos watched them from behind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ok, here we go," Derrick announced just when the game was about to start.

    With the racing game in motion, the thrills dared not make the yers look away from the huge screen.

    "Whoa¡­ I didn''t know that my little rice ball knows how to y this," Joannaplimented midway through the game.

    Herpliments got Anthony smiling from ear to ear.

    "Yeah, he is good I must say," Amos added. He attempted to ruffle Anthony''s hair but the boy shook his head.

    "Brother Amos, don''t do that or you are gonna make me lose," Anthony shouted unhappily after losing focus.

    "Of course, you were meant to lose in this battle or did you think you would win against pros like us?" Derrick said with pride.

    "I can see you both are good at this but you are not allowed to bully my baby ok?" Joanna jokingly warned them.

    Raymond and Derrick chuckled at her jokes.

    "You can''t call this bullying. The real bullying starts when we ybat games," Derrick said amid hisughter. With his attention divided, he fell behind in the game.

    "You will understand what I mean when we get there so don''t worry," He added. He concentrated his full attention on the game and within five minutes he had overtaken Anthony.

    Not long Anthony lost control and bumped into an obstacle some distance away from the finishing line.

    "You were just this close. Too bad you had to lose because of that darn obstacle," Joanna said to make Anthony feel better.

    Anthony stood up from his seat and walked to meet Joanna.

    "It''s ok Big Sis. I would have lost even though I didn''t bump into the obstacle," He said carefreely.

    Joanna had thought he would feel terrible that he lost. She was astounded to see him act so cool about the whole thing.

    [Whoa¡­ I can see my baby has finally grown up?]

    She pats his hair as she stares at Raymond who was jubting over his victory.

    "Brother Amos, how about you join them and y?" Anthony suggested innocently. "I am sure you would win if you yed too?".

    "Thank you for having confidence in me but I am sorry to disturb you, I don''t know how to y any game here?" Amos ryed to the shock of Derrick and Raymond.

    "You don''t know how to y a single game here?" Derrick asked with his hands spread. "You must be kidding right?".

    He was expecting to see Amos smile and said he was kidding but Amos'' serious expression made him realize that he was not joking.

    "If you haven''t been to an arcade before then how have you lived your life?" He questioned.

    ...

    A/N:

    These are bonus chapters for you all. This is my way of saying thank you for everything. These two chapters have nothing to do with our mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, so don''t worry and enjoy.

    Don''t forget toment as you read. It will make me very happy to see you guys buy the privileged chapters, so please support me by purchasing the privileged chapters.

    Also, send gifts and cast all your GOLDEN TICKETS here.

    One more thing, don''t forget to send my Christmas gifts when the time is right hehe...

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 335 She Challenged Him To A Game

    ?He finds it hard to believe that a guy of Amos'' age hasn''t been to an arcade before or yed video games.

    "Also, if you haven''t been to an arcade before then why did you suggest wee here?" He added.

    "To put a smile on their faces I can do anything, including going as far as displeasing myself," He replied sternly.

    He wanted to hear Amos reply but after listening to it he went quiet for some reason.

    [I guess this must be one of the reasons she is crazy about him]

    Derrick was in deep thought as his eyes moved from Amos to Joanna''s face.

    "You are such a young guy but why are you speaking like an old man who has lived for a few centuries?" Raymond yfully asked.

    "Maybe my way of thinking is old-fashioned because I was raised in the midst of those who had lived a few centuries," Amos replied. He wasn''t harsh with his response for the first time.

    "I want to y that one," Anthony dered and ran to the front of the game where the previous yers just left.

    Just like before Anthony, Raymond and Derrick took their respective position in front of the game and got ready for thebat.

    As they watched thebat game Joanna paid attention to how the game was yed.

    Midway through the game, she had already grasped almost everything about how the game operates.

    Because Raymond and Derrick went easy on Anthony he became the winner. The minute spent ying this particr game wasn''t long.

    "Miss Butterfly, should we move to another game or do you want to give it a shot¡­,"

    "She doesn''t know how to y the games so why do you bother asking¡­,"

    "And who said I don''t know how to y this particr game?" Joanna interrupted Derrick sternly.

    "You know how to y this?" Raymond and Derrick quizzed in unison.

    "I know saying that won''t be enough, so why don''t we y a few rounds?" She issued the challenge to the guy''s surprise.

    "Big Sis, Brother Raymond and Derrick are quite good with this game, are you sure you want to y with them?" He asked with his tiny voice.

    "Of course, I am aware of that. And I also know that you are worried about me but you don''t have to. Because if there is something I have be very good at during my six months of disappearance it is kicking asses," Joanna said and winked naughtily at her worried little brother.

    "Whoa¡­ I love your spirit," Derrick apuded, grinning. "So you are gonna y with Ray right?" He asked.

    He was so certain she was gonna choose Raymond.

    If she chose Raymond, he would do doubts go easy on her so why on earth will he leave Raymond and choose him instead?

    "Who said I chose Raymond?" Joanna questioned. Her mischievous smile made them wonder what she was up to.

    "If I am not your opponent then who is? Your brother?" Raymond asked in confusion.

    "Him," She said and pointed at Derrick.

    "Woah¡­ did you just say me?" Derrick asked with widened eyes. He covered his mouth as he stared at Joanna.

    He wasn''t the only one shocked by her choice.

    "I am happy you choose me but I have no ns of going easy on you like Ray would have¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I never said I wanted you to go easy on me so what are you saying?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "We are only here to have fun. You don''t have to do this¡­,"

    "And that is exactly what I want to do. I am going to have it to the fullest so don''t worry," Joanna smiled at the worried Amos.

    "Also, this is only a game. My feelings won''t get hurt like all of you assume so don''t worry. I am not that weak-hearted if you may know," She smiled and took her position in front of the game.

    The beaming Derrick also took his position in front of the game.

    The moment the game started Amos and Raymond were more anxious than Joanna who was ying the game.

    Although she assured them she wouldn''t be hurt if she failed, the two guys wanted her to do well.

    At the beginning of the game, Derrick was very rxed. His rxation came to an abrupt end when he realised that he had underestimated Joanna.

    "Joanna, didn''t you say this is your first time ying this game so howe you are this good?" Derrick, who had a hard time keeping up with Joanna''s pace,ined bitterly.

    "My best friend is a game lover. I have followed her to the arcade more than twice. I have watched her y during those times¡­.," She trailed. The feeling of victory didn''t make her stop smiling.

    "I am such a genius. No wonder I am this good," She smiled bewitchingly.

    "You have always said I am a narcissist but you sound like one now. Have you joined the club now?" Amos jokingly said. Seeing her so excited made him twice happy.

    "For Rick to haveplimented her, I believe this means he has met his match so this doesn''t make her a narcissist," Raymond said, his attention glued on the screen.

    "Big Sis is good," Anthony yelled in excitement. He gave Joanna a thumbs up and even tried to peck her but Amos pulled him away from her.

    "You are gonna make her fail at this rate," Amos said.

    With none of them willing to go easy on the other the game got more intense in a few minutes.

    "Big Sis, just a little more," Anthony urged her on seeing that Joanna stood a chance of winning.

    "Damn!" Derrick cursed loudly and leaned back on the ck chair. He exhaled deeply and removed his hand from the game''s control panel.

    "You won so why do you look unhappy¡­,"

    "I won only by luck. I almost lost to her," Derrick said and kept stretching his tensed fingers.

    "I can see that my gaming skills have suffered some setbacks. I need to hone my skills again," He said.

    ...

    A/N:

    MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVELY READERS ??????. SEASON GREETINGS ??????

    May the joy of celebration not depart from your home.

    So herees the surprise gift I was talking about. Here are four chapters to keep you happy on this special day.

    I have given you my share of the gift so please don''t forget mine LOL. I will be waiting for your gifts.

    I love you ???

 Chapter 336 You Need To Leave?

    ?His flustered look made hispanions chuckle. They never knew the ever-yful and confidence Derrick will get so flustered one day.

    "Let''s y another round," Joanna announced. She stared at their faces as she waited for their response.

    "I am in," Amos replied firmly.

    "Are you sure?" Joanna asked curiously.

    "Yes," He said sternly. With how serious he looked Joanna didn''t say anything more.

    If she could y so well on her first attempt she believed he could do that also.

    An hourter, the five of them were having tons of fun as they went about ying games when Amos'' cell phone rang.

    Because of the urgency of the call he had to leave the game to answer the call.

    He moved away from their gaming boots and answered the line.

    "What is it?" He demanded fiercely. "Didn''t you say you will take care of things over there and that I shouldn''t worry¡­,"

    "They showed up," Kyle announced. There was momentary silence on both ends.

    "Do you mean they had the guts to show up even in broad daylight?" Amos asked in disbelief. He stole a nce at hispanions to see what they were doing.

    He was relieved to see that none of them was paying attention to him.

    "You must be kidding right?" He was still not able to believe the news Kyle shared.

    Kyle moved away from where he stood. He strolled to the ss window and stood gazing outside.

    He rubbed his eyebrows, "The ce you are at is quite noisy. Come over so we can deliberate more¡­,"

    "I shoulde over now?" Amos half screamed. His reaction made hispanions steal a nce at him.

    "Yes, there is something you should know¡­,"

    "Can''t it wait untilter?" Amos asked. He nced at where Joanna stood. He didn''t want to leave her side just yet. Not now they were enjoying themselves to the fullest.

    "No. There were five victims today and all were humans. The most ridiculous thing was that even though it happened at daytime, those who dropped the corpse were not seen¡­.,"

    "I aming over right now," He said and disconnected the call.

    After the phone call. Amos diverted his attention to the gaming boots where theughter and thrills were on another level.

    Seeing the two siblings smiling faces he was reluctant about leaving.

    Joanna who just got eliminated due to distraction caught him gazing intently at her when she turned around.

    "What''s wrong?" She asked and strolled to where he stood. "Did something happen?" She added, reaching where he stood.

    As they were talking they didn''t know that the two guys who acted like they were so immersed in the game were eavesdropping on their conversation.

    Although he had the answer to her question, how to break the news and what her reaction would be made him hesitate.

    "What is it?" Joanna quizzed, not willing to give in until she got the truth from him.

    "I need to leave," He finally brought himself to say it seeing her worried face.

    "You need to leave?" Joanna asked meekly. Though she tried not to show it, the disappointment was apparent on her face.

    "Is it rted to that important task you mentioned?" She added softly.

    "Sorry, I can''t tell you anything now but I promise I will let you know about our progress when I return," He assured her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    For two minutes none of them talked.

    "Wait here while I call Little rice ball so we can leave," She said with her right hand clenched.

    She thought she would have him all to herself today and that is why she couldn''t hide her disappointment hearing that it was all her wishful thinking in the end.

    "That is not necessary. You can continue having fun without me. They will apany you," He said, as he looked at Raymond and Derrick.

    "What fun is there to have after you are gone?" She grumbled.

    He would have been very happy if she had said this another time and in another situation. But right now he couldn''t bring himself to smile or make jokes.

    "What did you say?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

    "I said we will leave with you¡­,"

    "Your little man is not only enjoying himself but he seems to like being in theirpany too. Let''s not take this away from him too¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "Stop making that face or you are gonna push me into doing something unbelievable," He forced himself to joke when he realised that she was unhappy.

    Amos left where he stood. He walked to the game boot where the others just concluded their game.

    "I need to leave now so I will leave her in your care," Amos said. He tried to act cool until the end.

    Derrick turned and gaze behind him and then to his right. He brought back his attention to his front afterwards.

    "Are you talking to us?" He asked in bewilderment.

    "This is no time to be happy. I am just leaving her in your care. If I return and realize that she has suffered the tiniest thing as a scratch. I promise the world will hear our story," He said coldly.

    "Even though you didn''t ask us, I would have taken perfect care of her¡­,"

    "I am not a baby who can''t take care of herself so stop treating me like one. Also, I am not anyone''s property that needs to be tossed from one person to the other," Joanna cut in frowning.

    She walked about three steps away from them after speaking her mind. Anthony heeled her as usual.

    Amos nced at her not knowing what he did or said to make her act the way she did.

    He was worried about people with malicious intent seizing this opportunity to bully her in his absence and that is why he asked for their help.

    He didn''t mean anything bad or intend to belittle her with his words or actions.

    He looked away after staring at thedy who was deliberately not gazing back at him.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so apart from the mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, I have a little surprise for all of you on the 25th of December.

    Look forward to it.

    Also, don''t forget to send my gifts too. I will be eagerly waiting for my Christmas gifts from all of you so keep theming.

    One more thing please support the dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thank you very much as you do this.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 337 He Left

    ?"I don''t trust you guys for so many reasons but for the first time I want to believe in the way you treat her," Amos said meekly.

    [If someone had told me that the annoying guy would speak to us so softly one day I wouldn''t have believed it. So this is what love is capable of doing?]

    Derrick was in deep thought as he peered at Amos'' calm face.

    "And we don''t trust or like you either. This is something we made clear from our first meeting, don''t you remember?" Raymond replied.

    It was very rare to see the three guys talking normally since all they ever did was quarrel every time they met.

    "No doubt we don''t like you in the same way you don''t like us but our feelings towards her are sincere," Raymond added. He nced at thedy whose attention was everywhere except their direction.

    "And that is exactly what I want to believe," Amos agreed.

    "Though I look like a cool guy but trust me you wouldn''t want to see my other side. Try something stupid with her and I will make sure that you die with your entire body dissected¡­,"

    "What you are thinking of won''t happen so there is no need to threaten us," Derrick cut in meekly.

    "It''s good to see that we understand each other," Amos concluded. He abandoned them immediately and walked to where the unhappydy stood with her little brother by her side.

    Reaching where she stood he bit his lower lips, not knowing what to say. In fact, he knew what to say but was afraid to say it in case it got her more upset.

    "I am leaving now," He announced softly.

    He shoved his hand into his trousers pocket and brought out something when she didn''t react to what he said.

    He reached out his hand, held her right hand and ced the ck item inside her palm.

    "Use this to pay our bills," He said and let go of her hand.

    Lowering her gaze to look at her hand, she frowned seeing the ck card in her hand.

    "You have already given me one. I can use that to pay for everything we bought. You don''t need to worry," She whispered and tried to shove the card into his hand but he moved backwards having expected this.

    "The card you are talking about is yours and it''s meant for your usage alone. I am the one who took all of you out so it''s only right I settle the bills¡­,"

    "Who made the rules that it''s only one who took a person out that can sponsor the bills?" She growled.

    Amos didn''t say anything further. He will end up not leaving if he chooses to argue with the fumingdy, he knew this very well.

    He extended his hand and pulled Anthony closer.

    "I will be leaving. Make sure to take care of your Big Sister. Ensure she eats and takes her medication on time," He instructed and ruffled Anthony''s hair like he is fond of doing.

    "I will," Anthony beamed. He didn''tin about him ruining his hair like he often does.

    "One more thing, I don''t know whether I am gonna meet you when I return so let me tell you about your surprise that is waiting for you," He hinted.

    "Surprise!" He hollered. He covered his mouth seeing that his voice had attracted others'' attention.

    "Yes. I know your favourite heroes are superman, iron man and superwoman. I ordered their model a while ago and it was shipped here a few days ago¡­,"

    "Whoa¡­," Anthony screamed with his eyes wide open.

    "I even got your favourite heroes to sign on them. It''s under¡­," Anthony hopped onto the body of the guy squatting in front of him.

    "He knows the perfect way to spoil and bribe kids. No wonder Anthony adores him to no end," Derrick muttered as he stared at the boy who didn''t want to let go of Amos.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna''s anger slowly melted watching her little brother cling to Amos like he didn''t want to let go.

    "Are you gonna keep him here all day or didn''t you hear him say he wants to leave?" Joanna quizzed. She extended her hand to drag Anthony off Amos'' body but he refused to budge.

    Thinking that she didn''t apply enough strength she tried to peel him off Amos'' body. He didn''t let go for the second time and this got Joanna infuriated.

    "Hey, Anthony Anderson!" She yelled, causing Anthony to pull away from Amos in a sh.

    "You¡­,"

    "Don''t scold him. It''s my fault for getting him too excited," Amos intervened. He reached out his hand and pulled Anthony to himself.

    "Tony, check my walk-in closet when you get home. You will find your surprise there," Amos continued. He pats the grinning boy''s hair and takes ast nce at Joanna.

    "I am going now. Don''t miss me too much," He jokingly said and tried to leave.

    "I will apany you downstairs," She asserted.

    "You don''t have to¡­," She walked past him before he couldplete what he wanted to say.

    Amos hurried after her.

    "He is just leaving for some business but why is she acting like he is going on a year-long business trip?" Derrick muttered. He stared at them until they were out of sight.

    Raymond shot him a fierce re when he opened his mouth to talk again.

    "You will leave me with no option other than to stuff your mouth if you make one wrongment when she returns," Raymond threatened coldly.

    Joanna and Amos were making their way towards the huge ss entrance when a group of girls sighted them.

    Just to confirm what she saw, one of the girls move away from where her friends stood.

    "Isn''t that stinky Joanna?" Shemented after clearing her doubts.

    At the mention of the girl''s name, her two other friends abandoned what they were doing and moved to join her where she stood.

    "Where is she?" Sophie asked as she looked to the right in hopes of seeing her.

    "She is right there," Nora pointed at the transparent ss wall and instantly, her friends shifted their attention there.

    ...

    A/N:

    MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVELY READERS ??????. SEASON GREETINGS ??????

    May the joy of celebration not depart from your home.

    So herees the surprise gift I was talking about. Here are four chapters to keep you happy on this special day.

    I have given you my share of the gift so please don''t forget mine LOL. I will be waiting for your gifts.

    I love you ???

 Chapter 338 The Queen Mothers New Schemes

    ?"You are right, she is the one," Doris affirmed.

    "If she was this close then why is it that we couldn''t perceive her scent?" Sophie furrowed her eyebrows as she asked.

    "I have realised recently that it''s kinda hard to trace her through her scent. What the hell is she using to cover her scent," Doris inquired. Since her two friends were as clueless as her, none of them said anything.

    "She is sure clinging to him, is it because he has a little money¡­,"

    "How could you call his money little hmm?" Nora abruptly interrupted to the shock of her friends. They were so surprised to see Nora defend their enemies.

    "It''s only little to those who have been swimming in money since birth but not to someone like her whom I am sure has never seen such a huge amount of money before," Nora mocked. Her reply left her friends relieved and happy.

    "You are damn right about that. For someone like her who has been living on leftovers all her life, I bet even a little change will seem like a fortune to her," Sophie chimed in grinning.

    They continued staring at the couple, one of whom was standing outside the ck car while the other stood outside.

    "We didn''te here for her but for Ray. Let''s go search for him before we miss him," Sophie suggested. She diverted her attention away to the right-hand side of the mall.

    After she started walking away, her friends followed her.

    Outside the mall, Joanna gazed at Amos'' face refusing to look away.

    "I will leave with this car but I promise that a car will be waiting in this exact spot when you are ready to leave," He assured her.

    "I know you are capable of pulling that off easily so I am not worried about the car," She replied, her gaze still concentrated on his handsome face.

    She stared at him to the point that Amos got confused. He subconsciously touched his face and looked through the rear mirror expecting to see something on his face but surprisingly his face was clean.

    "Also, for leaving early I will make it up to you this time around in a way you will love very much¡­,"

    "I want you back safe and sound, that is what I need. We will talk about making it up to me after you have given that to me," She said and moved a few steps away from the car.

    At that moment Amos didn''t know whether or not to smile. All he did was look at her neutral expression.

    [Whether or not you love me as I and Finley assume, I will make sure to confirm that sooner than you think so just wait for me]

    He smiled and ignited the car.

    "Make sure not to get bullied today because I will kill anyone who dares to bully you. It''s a promise and you know I don''t go back on my words," He said and smiled broadly at her.

    He zoomed away without waiting for her reply.

    "And I will be very upset with you if you get hurt," She muttered, still ncing in the direction his car disappeared. "That is what I wanted to say but he didn''t let me".

    She swerved and walked back into the mallter.

    When she returned upstairs she met herpanions engrossed in their games.

    As Joanna was busy having fun, she didn''t know that somewhere in the pce a scheme about her mate was about to be set in motion.

    Inside the Queen Mother''s inner chambers, she was seen talking with only Tracy by her side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If your guess that the King might have returned to the Kingdom without informing anyone is true then that means I have to speed things up on my side before he resumes duty in the Kingdom," Queen Mother said, as she squeezed her interlocked hands tightly.

    "You are right, Your Highness," Tracy supported.

    Queen Mother Theresa stood up from her golden seat and strolled away from the mini centre table.

    "To regain my lost power, I need the Prime Minister and the other Minister''s support. I have only a short time to do this. And I would have long achieved this if that cunning old man wasn''t avoiding me," Queen Mother Theresa hissed and abruptly stopped in her tracks.

    Although the Queen Mother''s body was present there, her mind had travelled miles.

    Nothing troubles her more than being a Queen Mother without powers and people.

    In the past, she had her son wrapped around her fingers. He does whatever she wants and dares not go against her.

    He might not have done this out of love or respect for her but he did this because of the people she had behind her, this she knew very well.

    She couldn''t imagine going through the hell she went through during the past months all over again.

    Tracy sauntered to where the Queen Mother stood staring into space.

    "Give me your orders and I will do all it takes to execute it perfectly," Tracy gave her words with her head lowered.

    "It''s a renowned fact that Mr Martinez loves his grandson very much and can do anything for him right?" Queen Mother questioned as she gazed at thedy standing in front of her with her head bowed.

    "Yes, it is true," Tracy began.

    "When his Majesty threatened him along with other ministers on the night his mate disappeared. I heard Mr Martinez didn''t hesitate to give away his family''s trained soldiers and other treasures in exchange for his grandson''s freedom. This proves his love for his grandson is not a lie," Tracy went ahead to reveal the crucial information she knew about the ongoing topic.

    "If that is the case then I want him in the pce along with Tiffany in less than an hour," She ordered sternly.

    "ording to our source working in the Prime Minister''s mansion, Miss Tiffany is on house arrest¡­,"

    "Then that is even better. Her desperation to beg me to plead with her grandfather on her behalf will make your job to get her and her cousin here easier," Queen Mother grinned wickedly knowing very well that her ns were sailing perfectly.

    "Should I invite them as honourable guests or¡­,"

    "It doesn''t matter the method you use. I want them in the pce under any circumstances," Shemanded fiercely. She strolled back to her seat.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY DECEMBER ??????.

    I wish you a happy new month. Thank you so much for the love and support you showered on the bookst month.

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 Chapter 339 Mr Andersons Punishment

    ?This time around she was smiling instead of looking miserable.

    "I will pass your orders to the guards now," Tracy said. She bowed and turned to leave.

    "Wait a minute," Queen Mother Theresa called her back.

    "Tell the kitchen to prepare a feast for our guests," She instructed.

    "They are vampires so they don''t eat¡­," Her gaze meeting with the Queen Mother''s murderous res made Tracy choke on her words.

    "I will do exactly that," Tracy responded with her head bowed. She left the room after confirming that the Queen Mother had no more orders for her.

    For two hours Amos was seen discussing extensively with his men in a well-furnished apartment.

    Anytime the King stood up everyone in the hall was seen jumping on their feet. None dared to sit when the King was standing.

    [They are so rigid. No wonder I never loved having to deal with them. They are not fun at all]

    Kyle was in deep thought as he red at the four guys which just jumped to their feet seeing Amos stand up.

    "I am done here," Amos announced. "Resume your previous position immediately," Hemanded.

    In less than a minute the four guys dispersed leaving the centre table for only Amos and Kyle.

    "Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Kyle asked. He picked up his cell phone from the centre table and used the screen as a mirror.

    "Nothing is there so why do you keep looking at me? Don''t tell me you are seeing your beloved face in mine¡­,"

    "You let your thoughts run too wild, that is your problem," Amos scolded seriously.

    "It''s your fault for gazing at me intently without saying what''s on your mind," He mumbled and leaned back on the ck couch.

    None talked for three minutes after hisstment.

    "So what is the problem?" Kyle started in a serious tone. "Are you worried about what is the identity of the people who dropped the corpse without being detected even though they were so many guards keeping watch¡­,"

    "I am worried about that but that is not the only thing which has been on my mindtely," He replied.

    "If that is not the problem then are you worried about the deadline for your one-month vacation¡­," Kyle paused when his eyes met Amos'' deadly res.

    "Ok, I will keep quiet and let you speak," Kyle said dramatically like he often did whenever Amos scolds him with his gaze.

    "I learned that Mr Andersonid his hands on my woman''s delicate face. I am thinking of a way to punish him for that," Amos said and squinted his eyebrows.

    "You mean you want to punish your future father-inw?" Kyle expatriated even though all of them were aware of Mr Anderson''s rtionship with Amos.

    "You are not perhaps nning to hit him back as revenge¡­,"

    "That isn''t a bad idea but I want to deal a huge blow at a point he would remember even in ten years toe and a physical blow will not suffice for that," Amos muttered as he crossed his long legs.

    "From your words, I can tell you already have a n, so what is that?" Kyle asked curiously.

    Amos stood up from the couch and strolled to the ss walls covered with brown curtains.

    He stood in the middle of where his two men were gazing outside with the help of microscopes.

    "I learned from Chris that he is on talks of signing a deal worth billions of dors so what if I let that deal slip off his hand?" Amos asked.

    Judging from his tone Kyle could tell that he was still contemting the ns.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ooh¡­ you want to make him realise that it''s only because of his daughter that he looks down on that he has been enjoying a peaceful life as a sessful businessman in the Kingdom right?" Kyle questioned despite knowing the answer.

    Although he and Kayden rarely met after he became King he remained his right-hand man in the Kingdom.

    Because of this, he is aware of all the privileges the Andersons had enjoyed all these years because of his love for Joanna.

    Maybe the Andersons would have long gone bankrupt if not for the King who sometimes goes the extra mile to make things easier for his future Queen''s family.

    He did this without anyone except his closest people knowing.

    "In the past, I never really took action because I thought his evil wife was the problem but he and his bratty daughter crossed the line by humiliating her in public this time around," Amos said with his fist sped.

    His blood boils in rage when he recalled the video of the incident he had watched.

    "If you want to punish him then go ahead and do it, so this way they will know the consequences of going against the King''s chosen woman," Kyle said dramatically.

    "You made it sound dramatic but I love what you said. Although it''ste, I should make them know what happens if they mess with the future Queen," He said and peered outside from the little space created in between the curtains.

    Back at the mall Joanna and herpanions were seen on the lift making their way to the ground floor.

    "Isn''t that Ray with stinky Joanna?" An angry voice called out while pointing at the masculine figure in the green shirt.

    In a sh, the other twodies with her diverted their attention to where her finger was pointing at.

    "It''s she again!" Sophie hissed with her right hand clenched.

    "I can''t believe she is not only hell-bent on going against us but also wants to steal all the men we admire from us¡­,"

    "What power does she have to go against us not to mention stealing those we have marked as ours?" Sophie scoffed, with her murderous res following thedy who was oblivious to their presence.

    "She has always relied on Tomboy toe to her rescue. I bet she will do the same with the two men too¡­,"

    "Ray is way out of her league. He has always been a kind soul. I bet being nice to her is out of charity but the stupid girl mistakes it for fondness," Dorismented.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

    Do you love the surprise and reward I prepared for you guys?

    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

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    I really need your motivation to be able to keep my part of the bargain so please be my source of motivation and inspiration.

    I will be waiting to receive your feedback and rewards so keep iting!

 Chapter 340 The Unexpected Call

    ?"And I will make sure to shatter that dream of hers in less than five minutes," Sophie muttered.

    She opened her diamond pouch and took out her cell phone. Immediately, she dialled a person''s number.

    "What are you up to and who are you calling?" Nora asked curiously. She stared at Doris hoping she would know what Sophie was up to but even Doris was as clueless as her.

    "Do you want to know what your big star is up to right now?" This was Sophie''s first sentence the instant the recipient answered the line.

    They listened to Sophie talks to whosoever was on the line.

    The callsted only for a minute but within that one minute, Sophie was able to achieve her purpose of the call.

    "Who was that and what are you trying to do?" Nora asked curiously, seeing Sophie take a picture of the four people who were now at the counter trying to settle their bills.

    "I will tell you after he is gone," Sophie ryed. A sweet smile crept up on her pretty face as she forwarded the picture to heaven knows who?

    "After he is gone?" Doris repeated in confusion. She and Nora exchanged puzzled nces.

    Seeing Sophie smile for a minute there the two girls thought she had lost her mind due to frustration.

    Joanna, Raymond and the others proceeded to the entrance after settling their bills.

    "I was surprised when I saw that your friend owns a sports car and thetest model, but I am astounded to see that he has a ck card," Raymond said as they walked to the red car in front.

    His words made Joanna momentarily halt. She turned and stared at him.

    "This makes me very worried about his source of livelihood and his family background," He whispered. As he talked he took note of every reaction and movement she made.

    Although she tried her best topose herself, she couldn''t control her faltering eyelids and her salivation.

    Even her sped fist gave her anxious state away.

    "What does he do? And which household is he from?" He finally arrived at the question which was on his mind from the beginning.

    Derrick was wondering why Raymond would ask Joanna such a question when he saw her nervous state.

    How the usually confidentdy couldn''t look them in the eye coupled with her erratic heartbeat made him realize that there was a reason why Raymond questioned her about Amos'' identity.

    "Ray is right. He could be a bad person and from a household who has malicious intentions against you and your family¡­,"

    "He is not like that," Anthony blurted. He couldn''t stand anyone ndering his Big Brother Kay in his presence.

    "How are you so sure of that Anthony?" Raymond asked. Since Joanna wouldn''t say anything he decided to move to Anthony instead.

    "Do you know his origin or hisst name? And why are you so sure he won''t harm your Big Sister?" He asked softly.

    "That is because¡­," Joanna reached out her hand and covered Anthony''s mouth for fear that he might let the secret of Amos'' identity slip in such a crowded ce.

    "The three of you get nervous anytime the question about his identity is brought up. What is the problem, Miss Butterfly?" Raymond asked sternly.

    "Is there a secret about his identity that others shouldn''t know? What on Earth are you hiding¡­.," The ringing tone of his phone made Raymond pause what he wanted to see.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Irritatedly, he shoved his hand inside his trousers pocket and brought out his phone.

    He had nned to reject the call but he changed his mind, setting eyes on the Caller''s ID.

    "I want you back in the agency right this minute¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "Nothing you say will make me change my mind about this so get your ass down here right now," A cold voice at the other endmanded fiercely.

    "We are in the middle¡­," Raymond was stunned to see that the caller had disconnected the call on him.

    His mood hit rock bottom the moment the call ended. He stared at Derrick and the guy who loves ying more than anything else didn''t look better either.

    "What happened? You both don''t look good at all," Joanna demanded, noticing their fallen expression.

    On one hand, she was happy that they didn''t continue with their interrogation and on the other hand, she was worried about the phone call thatsted for not more than thirty seconds.

    "Actually, I wished to spend more time with you but regrettably I have to leave right now," Raymond ryed the bad news in a sad tone.

    "Did something happen?" She asked.

    "He was supposed to be at the location of amercial shooting about two hours ago but he refused to go because he was reluctant about leaving you¡­,"

    "What?" Joanna shouted with her purple orbs bulging out of their sockets. "But why?" Joanna asked in confusion.

    There are only two people who ord such importance to her in this entire universe. She was shocked out of her wits to know the extent Raymond went for her sake.

    He did so much for her and she was busy grumbling and feeling unhappy from within because Amos left.

    "That is to show how much he likes and values your friendship," Derrick muttered, smiling.

    None talked after Derick''sst sentence. The atmosphere became awkward due to this.

    "I really want to drive you home but we are in a bit of a rush and can''t¡­,"

    "It''s ok. We will be fine by ourselves so there is no need to worry about us," Joanna assured him with a smile when she realised that he was reluctant to leave.

    "Your naggy friend will surely get mad at us if he learns that we left you here¡­,"

    "I know how to handle him just fine so there is no need to worry about that too," Joanna cut in softly.

    Although her reply was meant to put their mind at ease Raymond wasn''t happy to hear it.

    "If you say so then we are going to leave you now," Derrick spoke, noticing that Raymond had no intention of saying anything.

    "You can make use of this car since you are in a rush," Joanna said and pointed at the red car parked some distance away from where they stood.

 Chapter 341 Anthony Defended Her

    ?"That won''t be necessary because our driver is waiting for us with our car just over there," Raymond replied and pointed at a ck Mercedes Benz car parked across the street.

    "I am relieved to hear that," Joanna''s mind finally rxed after hearing that the car for their journey was set.

    "Thank you so much, Brother Ray and Brother Rick. I had tons of fun ying with you today," Anthony said and waved at them.

    "We had fun too Tony. I can assure you and your sister that we will meet again sooner than you both think so here is my advice¡­," Derrick trailed and squatted in front of Anthony.

    "Don''t miss us too much," He mumbled loud enough for Joanna to hear him.

    "Meeting him once is enough. I am afraid my innocent little brother is gonna get spoiled by you if he hangs out with you too often," Joanna jokingly said and pretended like she was going to pull Anthony away from him.

    "I will take that as apliment," Derrick replied beaming. He pats Anthony''s hair and stands up afterwards.

    "Goodbye. Get back safely. And please call me if anything happens. As long as it''s your call I will pick it up unfailingly," Raymond said seriously.

    "Sure, I will. Take care," replied Joanna as she waved at them. She watched them cross the road and walk to where the ck car was parked.

    The ck car drove off less than a minute after they entered it.

    "Big Sis, Brother Ray seems to like you a lot just like Brother Amos. Who are you going to choose between the two of them?" Anthony quizzed after their car was no longer in sight.

    "What do you know about liking someone huh?" Joanna asked.

    "Just like Brother Amos, he keeps looking at you even when you are not looking at him. And he treats you well too," Anthony responded meekly. He was bold while giving his answer even though Joanna frowned at him.

    "You are getting¡­," The nking of heels made Joanna pause her words and turn her head to look at the direction the heels came from.

    "It''s the mean girls!" Anthony eximed and jumped to stand in front of Joanna with his hands crossed.

    "What are youdies doing here?" Joanna asked, gazing at the girls who were morously dressed in short dresses and expensive jewels as usual.

    "Did she just ask what we are doing here?" Sophie scoffed and turned to look at her friends by her sides.

    "Shouldn''t that question be directed at you?" Doris asked.

    "What is a beggar who lives on charity doing in a popr ce like this? Will your charity money be enough to purchase even the cheapest outfit here?" Sophie mocked.

    The three of them burst outughing following her words of ridicule.

    "Don''t insult my Big Sis, mean devils," Anthony growled.

    Joanna tried to push him aside but the fearless boy refused to move an inch.

    "Is this not the little brat that useless stepsister of yours tried to teach a lesson but ended up injuring my beloved Ray in the process?" Sophie demanded.

    She stretched her hand to hold Anthony but Joanna beat her hand away.

    "Like I said you can mess with me anyhow you want, I will tolerate it but dare as much as touch the ones dear to me and I will show what people mean by experiencing hell on Earth," Joanna stated fiercely.

    "Did she say something?" Doris scoffed and red at Joanna.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Be grateful we didn''te here for a fight because without your two bodyguards by your side, today would have marked the end of your existence¡­,"

    "I won''t let you hurt my Big Sis," Anthony howled with his fists clenched and ready for a fight.

    "Look at you transforming at the twinkle of an eye. If only your useless step-sister was 1/3 as good as you then she wouldn''t be the entire Kingdom''s punching bag," Sophie kept on making a joke of her.

    "You¡­,"

    "That is enough, little rice ball. Listen to me and step aside," Joanna cautioned and tried to push him aside again but he refused to move away.

    "If you are here to make jest of me then sorry to disappoint you because I have not even a minute of my time to spare three of you¡­,"

    "How does it feel to get abandoned on a date by the two men you rely heavily on? It must hurt badly down here right?" Nora said, gripping her chest.

    "From birth, you were cursed to die alone, no wonder your mother died two years after giving birth to you. As if that wasn''t enough you were rejected by everyone including your mate¡­,"

    "Who says Brother Kayden abandoned my Big Sis?" Anthony challenged.

    "You meandies¡­,"

    "Anthony Anderson," Joanna called out to him like she often does when furious. "I will spank you hard if you don''t stop talking," She warned him for thest time.

    She raised her head to look at the threedies after keeping her little brother under control.

    Thest thing she wants is for the girls to lose their temper and hurt him.

    She can grit her teeth and receive their beatings but will definitely go mad if anyone dares as much as toy a finger on her little brother in front of her.

    "If I was cursed to die alone as you said at least before that happens I would have experienced the feeling of being loved and pampered by two men but what about youdies?" Joanna hissed. Her eyes darted from one angry face to the other.

    "Since your entire years of existence have you experienced this kind of feeling?" She grinned seeing their faces turn red in anger.

    "Ooh¡­ and what is the guarantee you will ever get to experience this type of feeling in this lifetime?" She asked with her shoulders held high.

    To make it worse Anthony had to giggle at that moment.

    ....

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE!!! ??????

    So herees the five chapters mass release for the event.

    Enjoy!!!

    And don''t forget toment as you read.

    Also, send gifts if you love the chapters and appreciate my efforts.

    Thanks as you do this ???

 Chapter 342 She Walked Out Unscathed

    ?"How dare you insult us¡­,"

    "If the three of you knew you were not capable of exchanging words with me you shouldn''t have started this losing game in the first ce," She muttered. A triumphant smile crept on her face as she talked.

    "The time when I ran to a corner and cried because of your insults has long passed. Right now I have grown thick-skinned to get affected by your insulting words," She said and turned to leave.

    The furious Sophie reached out her hand to yank Joanna''s hair but her friends stopped her.

    "Let her leave today. Don''t forget what our fathers said on the night Tiff got locked up at home," Doris mumbled, still holding onto Sophie''s hand.

    Joanna, clutching her brother''s hand, was waiting to feel pain in her back or hands but she was astounded when she walked to the car and yet nothing happened.

    Reaching the car, she opened the front door and made Anthony sit while she hurried to the driver''s seat.

    She did this hurriedly for fear that the girls might change their minds about attacking her at thest minute.

    Inside the car, the anxious Joanna clenched the steering as she watched the three girls march to their cars.

    She let out a sigh of relief after their cars zoomed off into the far distance.

    "Why is it that they didn''t attack me today especially when none was around to protect me?" Joanna muttered, gazing at the spots the girls stood in earlier.

    She was ready to get beaten up by them, that is why she spoke so much earlier.

    If I am gonna get beaten in the end I am gonna protect my dignity until the end?

    This was the thought on her mind when she returned thedy''s insults.

    "Did they wake up on the wrong side of the bed or did someone feed them the cooling pills without their knowledge?".

    "Maybe they ran away because they were scared of me," Anthony said. He squeezed his face in the same way he did when he challenged the threedies.

    Although he was trying to imitate a scary face his face ended up making Joanna chuckle.

    "You are right but next time chooses to watch at the sidelines because you don''t know how scary those three girls can be," She said and patted his hair lovingly.

    Joanna and Anthony continued talking and ying inside the car for five minutes.

    "Although there is a beautiful car right here ready for our usage, sadly we will have to use the taxi since I never learned to drive," Joanna whispered.

    Not long after she made herstment, a knock at the driver''s side door startled her.

    Looking at her side she was surprised to see a guy wearing a face cap and mask knocking and signalling her to wound the ss down.

    Just to be cautious Joanna wound down the ss only enough for them to converse.

    "What is it?" She asked and looked at the guy who kept trying to shield his face. How he kept acting sneakily made her ufortable.

    "It seems like you need a driver¡­,"

    "Who are you and why do you go around listening to others'' conversations?" She retorted.

    "Do you¡­,"

    "Calm down Miss Joanna¡­,"

    "He even knows your name!" Anthony shouted. Having sensed danger his eyes transformed in a sh.

    "Calm down Young Master Anthony, Miss Joanna, I am not a bad person," He assured them and pulled off the mask from his face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I was ordered to protect the two of you," He whispered.

    "Chris!" She yelled. She covered her mouth seeing people turn to look at Chris following her loud voice.

    "I am aware you can''t drive so let me assist you," He offered to help in a meek tone.

    "Sure," She replied and unfastened her seatbelt.

    As they were busy trying to make adjustments, a ck Mercedes Benz car whose passengers were two handsome men came to a halt in front of a tall building.

    The instant the car stopped the driver stepped out of the car but the passengers showed no sign of alighting from the car.

    "Rick, didn''t you notice from how she acted that there is something wrong with that dude''s identity?" Raymond quizzed as he stared at Derrick.

    "I have already suspected that from the moment Tony addressed him as Brother Kay and pointed at Joanna and another man''s picture frame hanging on the wall¡­,"

    "It wasn''t merely the picture of Joanna with another man but her picture and that of the King," He corrected firmly.

    "My best friend is always right, I agree¡­,"

    "This is no time to be ying around¡­,"

    "Of course, I know that. I am trying to prepare myself for the hell of scolding we are gonna receive from that nagging man¡­,"

    "You¡­,"

    "There is no need to frown at me. I will have him investigated but before that let''s go in and hear what he has to say. I am sure we are not gonna escape from receiving an earful from him," Derrick said and arranged the cor of his shirt.

    "If he wants to give us an earful then let him go ahead. If he refuses to stop talking then we will just shut him up. Doing that had never been a difficult thing for us to do," Raymond said and winked at Derrick.

    "Whoa¡­ you are such an evil guy. I almost forgot such an important trait about you after you started hanging out with her," Derrick beamed and came out of the car just like Raymond.

    Aftering out of the car, Raymond and Derrick made their way towards the huge ss entrance.

    Arriving at the fifth floor, the two friends stepped out of the elevator and made their way to the office located not far away from the elevator.

    Those who passed by them didn''t forget to greet and smile at the two popr figures.

    "Heree your troublemaker stars who spent over four hours eating," The man in ck suits made sarcasticments the minute they stepped foot into the well-furnished office.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so apart from the mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, I have a little surprise for all of you on the 25th of December.

    Look forward to it.

    Also, don''t forget to send my gifts too. I will be eagerly waiting for my Christmas gifts from all of you so keep theming.

    One more thing please support the dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thank you very much as you do this.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 343 Tiffany At The Palace

    ?"When the news about him standing up for a girl surfaced I asked you what was his rtionship with the girl but what did you say huh?" He yelled at the guy in a brown shirt standing with his head bowed.

    "You said he couldn''t stand seeing a girl getting bullied in front of him¡­,"

    "Mr Xavier¡­,"

    "And what about yesterday''s incident when his priceless body got hurt defending the same girl, what bullshit did you give me?" Mr Xavier cut in not letting Raymond talk.

    "You said this was an act of heroism. I let it slide again because the news got positive feedback but what is this?" Mr Xavier bellowed and threw the grey iPad on the table.

    The iPad bounced and fell beside Raymond''s feet. He didn''t need to look at the screen for too long to recognise the four figures in the picture.

    "Is this how to manage your star or were you perhaps paid by a rivalrypany to ruin me¡­,"

    "It''s true we went for a meal but ended up hanging out with our friends after our coincidental meeting. This is not Oscar''s fault¡­,"

    "How could it not be his fault when he has always failed to manage the two of you properly?" Mr Xavier asked.

    "Also, do you know how much I spend weekly to clean up the mess created by both of you¡­,"

    "If you are fed up with us already then you won''t have a problem with us moving to a new agency right?" Derrick asked to the shock of the angry man.

    "What!" Mr Xavier yelled, jumping to his feet.

    "Yes, since we are both a bunch of troublemakers despite the billions we make for yourpany how about we find an agency that will treat us better¡­,"

    "Raymond, you know that is not what I meant. You are misunderstanding what I said¡­,"

    "We understand your worries perfectly and that is why we are trying to help you. You should be very happy right?" Raymond asked as he looked at the man who wasn''t able to talk anymore.

    [I bet they are acting so proud because they are aware that they are the hottest deal at the moment. I sent a whopping sum of money to scout you over to our agency so I won''t let anyone steal you away from me]

    Mr Xavier clenched his fists as he tried to think of what to say or do to make them change their minds.

    While this was going on, two young people were seen directed to the Queen Mother''s quarters at the pce.

    "Her Highness is waiting for both of you at the dining," Tracy said and took over from the maid who led them to the door.

    She leads Logan and Tiffany to the huge dining hall.

    Arriving at the dining hall Tiffany was stunned to see the long dining table full of all manner of food.

    Does she have other guests apart from us?

    This was the thought on her mind as she walked to the head of the table where the Queen Mother sat.

    "Your Highness," Logan and Tiffany chorused and bowed almost at the same time.

    "Wee, Tiffany. I have missed having yourpany," Queen Mother Theresa smiled in between her teeth as she beckoned Tiffany toe closer.

    "I have equally missed you too, Your Highness," Tiffany replied and squatted beside the woman''s chair.

    Her tender tone almost made Logan roll his eyes.

    Queen Mother Theresa reached out her hand and pats Tiffany''s curly ck hair.

    "You are Logan, right?" She asked while looking at him.

    "Yes, Your Highness," Logan was polite with his response.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have heard so much about you from Tiffany. You are better than she painted you in person," She joked.

    Apart from the fact that her joke was dry, none dared tough except permitted to.

    "He is acting so well-behaved because he is in front of you, Your Highness," Tiffany muttered and stood up.

    "We will see about that after the end of today," She replied smiling.

    "You may have your seats," Tracy informed and pointed at the chairs on the Queen Mother''s right-hand side.

    "Your Highness, do you have other guests joining us?" Tiffany finally brings herself to ask the question which has been on her mind.

    "No, why?" Queen Mother asked as she red at Tracy. Understanding the meaning behind the woman''s mean stares, Tracy quickly shook her head in negation.

    "Because of this," Tiffany said while pointing at the table full of food.

    "Her Highness didn''t want the table to look empty, that is why she had the royal kitchen prepare some human delicacies," Tracy, who considered this question trivia, replied on the Queen Mother''s behalf.

    "Ok, I almost thought Her Highness was holding a feast when I set eyes on the food," Tiffany shared.

    She was finally able to rx after learning that it was just the three of them having dinner.

    To make them feel rxed the proud Queen Mother momentarily dropped her domineering attitude.

    "Tiffany, I just noticed that you have lost some weight. Is anything wrong?" The smart Queen Mother changed the topic of their conversation after getting the perfect opportunity she was waiting for.

    Tiffany''s expression fell following the Queen Mother''s question. She reached out her hand and dropped the ss of blood on the dining table.

    "Have I?" She asked rhetorically as she touched her face.

    She didn''t know that the moment she believed the Queen Mother''s words that she had fallen into the cunning woman''s tricks.

    How could she lose or gain weight when she isn''t a human or a werewolf?

    "Grandpa is to be med for this. How could he lock me up in my room for days just because I thought that stupid girl a lesson¡­.," Tracy''s cautionary cough made Tiffany pause what she wanted to say.

    She stole a nce at the Queen Mother, afraid to see how she would react.

    She was so relieved to see that the woman''s expression was neutral.

    "By the stupid girl, who are you referring to?" She asked, pretending like she didn''t know what led to Tiffany being punished by her Grandfather.

    ...

    A/N:

    MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVELY READERS ??????. SEASON GREETINGS ??????

    May the joy of celebration not depart from your home.

    So herees the surprise gift I was talking about. Here are four chapters to keep you happy on this special day.

    I have given you my share of the gift so please don''t forget mine LOL. I will be waiting for your gifts.

    I love you ???

 Chapter 344 His Calls Never Came

    ?Because she hardly leaves the pce doesn''t mean that her knowledge is restricted to what is happening in the pce alone.

    "Did I say, stupid girl?" Tiffany muttered and yed with the tip of her ebony hair.

    "As you can see it''s just us and I have said that you can speak without any restrictions if it''s just us," Queen Mother Theresa said to make the girl feel rxed again.

    Only when they were both rxed can she execute her ns perfectly.

    [I can see why Tiff is always fearless despite how strict Grandpa is with us. The Queen Mother spoils her too much]

    Logan took a sip from the ss of blood dangling in between his fingers. He acted like he wasn''t present there.

    "I meant Joanna Anderson," Tiffany said meekly.

    "Your Highness, please help me talk to my Grandpa so that he uplifts his punishment. Grandpa always listens to what you say. Please help me," Tiffany pleaded and reached out her hand to touch the Queen Mother''s handsid on the table.

    She slowly retracted her hand when her eyes met Tracy''s piercing res.

    If only her Grandpa didn''t pay deaf ears to hers and her father''s pleas then she wouldn''t have had to beg the Queen Mother.

    "I will see what I can do about it so don''t worry too much," Queen Mother Theresa forced a smile.

    As they talk Logan and Tiffany didn''t notice Queen Mother and her most trusted aide exchanging secret nces.

    They spent fifteen minutes at the dining before they moved to the Queen Mother''s visitor''s lounge.

    After staying in the pce for two hours Tiffany informed the Queen Mother about her desire to leave.

    "I would really love to stay some more but I am afraid Grandpa will be upset if he discovers that I left the house," Tiffany said as she tried to stand up from the couch she sat on.

    "If you did love to stay some more then do just that. Also, I have already had someone inform your Grandpa that two of you are here so you don''t have to worry," Queen Mother Theresa said meekly.

    Her excuse to make the two kids stay for a long time worked.

    [Let''s see whether your cunning grandfather won''t show up after he learns that his precious grandchildren are held hostages in the pce]

    Queen Mother Theresa grinned and took a sip from the golden cup in her hands.

    As all this scheming was going on, at Amos'' apartment Anthony was seenughing while ying with the toys Amos bought for him.

    While he ys Joanna was busy going through her school''s forum to get thetest campus news.

    "I can''t wait for Drey to return tomorrow," She beamed as she dropped her phone on the bed.

    Although she didn''t say it Joanna waited the entire day for Amos toe back. Her hopes began to falter when night draws nigh and she didn''t receive a text message or phone call from him.

    "Is he so busy that he can''t send a single text or call me even once?" She mumbled as she stared at her phone''s screen for the 100th time that day.

    Anthony turned and stared at his sister who has been speaking to herself for a while now like someone not in her right sense of mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If you miss him then you can call him," Anthony suggested innocently. He was afraid she would gopletely insane if something wasn''t done about her condition.

    "What do you know about missing someone huh?" Joanna snapped. She unintentionally transferred her aggression onto her little brother.

    "He is the one who should call after leaving like that so why should I call him?" Joanna mumbled frowning.

    For fear that she might lose her temper again Anthony didn''t utter a word. He continued ying with his toys and acted like he wasn''t present there.

    Night finally reached and Logan and Tiffany were still at the pce. All their attempts to leave failed since the Queen Mother was always one step ahead of them.

    Mr Martinez was preparing to wee a visitor when Sniper entered the room.

    "Is Tiffany still with Her Highness in the pce?" He asked nonchntly as he extended his hand to drop his reading sses on the centre table.

    "Yes, she called to inform the mansion that she and Young Master Logan were still with the Queen Mother," Sniper replied.

    "Did you just say Logan is with her?" Mr Martinez quavered. His eyes bulged out of their sockets as he waited for Sniper''s confirmation.

    "Yes¡­,"

    "If he was with her then howe nobody told me about it?" Mr Martinez yelled and jumped to his feet.

    His reaction left Sniper confused. He recalled telling him about his grandchildren''s invitation to the pce and that is why he couldn''t understand why he was furious.

    Was there something about the Queen Mother''s invitation that he wasn''t aware of?

    "I did and you told me she could stay over there as long as she wanted¡­,"

    "That is because I believed Tiffany was the only one she invited," Mr Martinez snapped. "I didn''t know that she had the guts to take my grandson along".

    The once rxed man paced about the sitting room.

    "Now I understand where her aide''s haughtiness came from when she ryed the Queen Mother''s invitation to me," Mr Martinez muttered with his fist sped.

    He halted and peered at Sniper.

    "Get ready to leave for the pce immediately," He ordered and stomped upstairs.

    After Mr Martinez left to get changed into his official outfit, Sniper too exited the sitting room to get the car ready for their journey.

    Back at Amos'' home, they had finished dressing up and were ready to leave when Anthony brought up the previous argument they had concluded.

    "Big Sis, can''t I stay for one more night?" Anthony asked as he ran to the couch and sat down. "I don''t want to leave¡­,"

    "I thought we have already talked about this so why are you still bringing this up? Do you want to further upset me with your tantrums?" Joanna, who wasn''t in her best mood, questioned fiercely.

 Chapter 345 Chris Insisted

    ?"I have already said that it''s cool if you want to spend time with us but that won''t be today. You have agreed so why are you still trying to make things difficult for me?".

    "But¡­," Joanna''s piercing re caused Anthony to swallow back his words. He stood up from the couch without being asked to do so.

    He led the way to the door.

    Downstairs, Joanna was surprised to see Chris standing beside the car with the backseat door opened.

    She looked around and when she had confirmed that it was just the three of them around, she approached the car.

    "You don''t need to do this?" She muttered as she stared at the guy beckoning them to hop into the car.

    "Also, we don''t intend on using the car so you don''t have to worry," She said and tried to walk away but Chris jumped and stood in front of them.

    "Please don''t do this to me and enter the car," Chris was polite in his manner of speech.

    Anyways he has never for once talked down to her like others in the Kingdom. He has always been polite and nice to her.

    Maybe his kindness to her was because of her title, she isn''t sure and has never thought about it before.

    "He has specifically ordered me to be at your service today. He won''t only get mad at me but he will kill me this time around if I make a mistake," Chris pleaded.

    Joanna might have understood Chris'' plights but not the innocent Anthony.

    "Brother Amos is nice. He would never harm you¡­,"

    "How I wish that was true," Chris spoke in between his teeth.

    He understands that the King wasn''t a bad person but never would he believe that he is nice.

    "I will tell him I insisted on leaving alone. I am sure he won''t make things hard for you if I do that," Joanna assured and tried to leave but Chris obstructed hers and Anthony''s path again.

    "Miss Joanna, please have mercy on me. I am begging you," Chris pleaded with his palms joined together.

    Looking at the pitiful guy who was ready to kneel for her Joanna couldn''t help but wonder what Amos must have said for him to act the way he did.

    With Chris acting this way she was left with no other option than to enter the car with Anthony.

    Chris let out a sigh of relief after Joanna and Anthony entered the car. He closed the door and proceeded to the driver''s seat.

    Inside the car, Joanna kept stealing nces at Chris. The poor guy who caught her did this thrice felt so ufortable because of this.

    "Miss Joanna, what''s wrong?Do you need something? " Chris brought him to ask when he caught her stealing nces at him for the fourth time.

    "I-I don''tneed anything and everything is fine," Joanna stammered like someone who was caught stealing.Even when she said that Chris didn''tfeel rxed.

    Judging from the way she stared at him it was obvious she needed something or wanted to ask him a question.

    So he couldn''t understand why she said everythingwas fine.

    Despite the uneasy feeling, he kept driving. Some minutester he peered at the rear mirror to check what they were doing and yet he caught her still gazing at him.

    "Miss...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I wanted to ask whether he has contacted you ever since he left?" Joanna blurted knowing verywell what he would say.

    "He?" He asked as he slowed down a bit.

    "Oh, do you perhaps mean Sir?" He tried to guess when she didn''tsay anything.

    "Sir?" She blurted. "Who is that?"

    "She is asking you about BrotherAmos," Anthony decided to help out, noticing that the two adults were confused.

    "I was also referring to him too," He replied meekly.

    "So you guys refer to him as Sir?" She asked rhetorically. There was a momentary silence in the car.

    "He hasn''t called me since he left....,"

    "Are phones not allowed where he is or is he that busy?" Joanna quizzed and looked at his face through the rear mirror.

    "Hmm... I don''t know about that since I haven''t been there before to witness how things are over there....,"

    "You are his right-hand man so howe you have never been there? Also, I have noticed that you don''t follow him as you normally did in the past. Why is it that?" Joanna demanded out of curiosity.

    "Is he perhaps still furious with you about the incident...,"

    "Of course not," Chris blurted. How he replied made him look suspicious.

    "You don''thave to lie to make him look good. If he is stingry I can talk to him on your behalf. Although I might end up scolded, I am sure he will listen to me," Joanna offered to help.

    "Thanks for the offer Miss Joanna but, indeed, the two of us are now fine...,"

    "If that is the case then why aren''t you joining him and the others?From what I recall, he said the task was important and dangerous so shouldn''t you be with him?" Joanna cut in sharply.

    She can still recall his opinion concerning her disappearance. She was afraid he might be bullying Chris because of this.

    "It''s true the task he is undertaking is important but to him, nothing is more important than you," Chris replied firmly. "And it was because of this reason he kept me in charge of taking care of you".

    "Aww... Brother Amos is so sweet," Anthony said as he hugged his hand to his chest.

    Joanna ignored her brother''s words and stared at Chris instead. "So, is he the one who said I am important to him or are you the one who insinuates it?" She asked seriously.

    Her question caught Chris off guard for a minute but heposed himself.

    [Did he and Miss Joanna get into a fight?]

    He thought as he kept his eyes glued on the road.

    "He doesn''t have to say it directly for me to know that. His actions say this¡­,"

    "Actions don''t always mean the truth, ok," She said and leaned back against the chair.

 Chapter 346 Joannas Reply To Lauras Mockery

    ?The hope in her eyes was long gone.

    From then onwards there was quietness in the car. And not only that but the atmosphere became quite awkward for everyone.

    "Pull over right there. We wille down from there," Joanna informed as she pointed her hand at a suitable spot on her right-hand side.

    "The hotel is not far from here so why don''t I take you there¡­,"

    "I know the hotel is a short distance from here and that is precisely why we are gonnae down here," Joanna said sternly.

    "Mr Anderson, Adhara and Laura are familiar with your scent. They will get a whiff of your scent if you get closer to the hotel so we will highlight from here¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "I know you are worried about me but there is no need to. I am capable of protecting myself. And thest thing I want is to ruin Amos'' ns so let''s take precautions," Joanna said with a tone of finality.

    Knowing that he couldn''t win against her, Chris did as she wanted. He parked the car at the spot she wanted and waited for them to exit the car.

    He wound down the front seat ss and moved away from the steering.

    "I will keep a distance since this is what you want but please call me as soon as anythinges up. Never forget that I am at your service twenty-four hours a day," Chris said.

    He was worried about her safety but he can''t go against what she wanted because he wants to perform his duty.

    He will make sure to fulfil his duty and also respects her choices. The King would have supported his decision if he was around, he is sure of this.

    "I will," She said and held Anthony''s left hand.

    "Goodbye, Brother Chris," Anthony waved at him before the two of them walked away.

    They didn''t take up to four steps away from where the car is parked when someone suddenly blocks her path.

    A frown stered on her face the moment she set eyes on the two figures standing in front of her.

    "Who is the one who dropped you off?" Laura demanded. She stretched to get a glimpse of the red car still parked where Joanna left it.

    Joanna moved along with her, making sure that she didn''t see the man inside the car.

    "And how is that any of your concern?" Joanna snapped. She red at the guy clinging onto her stepsister like gum.

    "Because I saw that he isn''t the nerd who does nothing other than following you around like a jobless fool," Laura retorted.

    "And can''t you see I am concerned about you?" She added.

    Although she said she was concerned about Joanna, nothing on her body showed she was worried.

    "Worried about me? For what?" Joanna quizzed. She squinted her eyebrows as she waited to hear what Laura had to say.

    "It looks like you have be a professional prostitute who hooks up with rich dudes and that is what I am concerned about¡­,"

    "What did you just say?" Joanna challenged her. She moved forward and tried to attack Laura but the guy by her side pushed her away before she couldy a hand on the proud girl.

    "How dare you call me a prostitute¡­,"

    "Because that is exactly what you are," she taunted.

    "When I said I was concerned, don''t be deceived into thinking I was worried about you because that is something that would never happen¡­," Laura said, smiling.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Watching her smile after mocking her, Joanna felt like pulling the haughty''s girl''s hair but she held herself back.

    She will only end up being beaten up by her step-sister and boyfriend if she attacks them. She is aware of this and that is why she will hold back her anger no matter what.

    There are so many ways to punish someone. It doesn''t mean she has to punish Laura for what she said. She can always get someone to avenge her grievances without having to lift a finger.

    "Actually, I am worried that I will have to put up with being called the sister of a bitch," she mocked, grinning.

    Noticing Joanna''s clenched fist, her desire to infuriate her stepsister and cause her to react made her continue.

    Since her mother has strictly warned her not toy a hand on Joanna she was looking for that perfect excuse to justify her actions.

    And she is aware the only way to get that is to provoke her stepsister and let her take action.

    "You have been addressed as the daughter of a prostitute all your life so I am sure you might not mind being called a bitch but that is not the case with me¡­,"

    "Laura!" Joanna growled with her clenched fist raised.

    "Big Sis, don''t," Anthony held her hand tightly as he shook his head in negation.

    Laura frowned seeing that her brother was about to ruin her ns.

    "Why?" Laura challenged and moved a step forward. "Does your blood boil hearing me speak ill of your wretched mother?".

    Laura''s smile broaden seeing Joanna''s trembling fist, "Everyone knows that I am telling the truth¡­,"

    "Did you just say you are telling the truth?" Joanna scoffed and dropped her raised hand.

    "Since we are dealing with telling the truth, how about I call everyone around and tell them some truth about your mother huh?" Joanna snickered.

    By now some passers-by had paused to listen to the girl''s squabble.

    "My mother is a good woman. She has never done anything wrong. Also which woman would willingly train her husband''s mistress daughter if not a benevolent woman like my mother¡­.,"

    "Did you just say your mother is benevolent?" Joanna chuckled. The glints in her eyes as she talked irked, Laura.

    "Of course she is. Everyone in the Kingdom is aware of this so I think it is in your best interest to stop ndering her¡­,"

    "I wonder whether you and everyone in the Kingdom will still think she is benevolent when Bacon disys the image of the true Mrs Anderson in your presence," Joanna hissed.

    ....

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE!!! ??????

    So herees the five chapters mass release for the event.

    Enjoy!!!

    And don''t forget toment as you read.

    Also, send gifts if you love the chapters and appreciate my efforts.

    Thanks as you do this ???

 Chapter 347 Scared Anthony

    ?Memories of the video Bacon disyed on the wall that day popped into Laura''s head.

    Slowly she turned and looked at her surroundings. The curious faces of the onlookers made her tremble.

    The thought of Joanna disying the video in public as revenge made her legs go weak. She staggered two steps backwards almost losing her bnce.

    "What is it?" Rafael, the guy by Laura''s side, demanded, seeing her pale face.

    "Since you are fond of stating the truth, I am sure you will love what I am going to show¡­,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense," Laura yelled, not letting Joanna continue with her words.

    "Besides I don''t have even a minute of my time to waste on you¡­,"

    "Some minutes ago it looked like you had the entire time in the world to wait so, may I ask what happened¡­," Laura grabbed her boyfriend''s hand and stomped out of there in shame.

    Joanna smirked watching her stepsister departing back.

    [How dare she think she can win against me when even her gutsy mother can''t. It''s her fault for overestimating her capabilities]

    Joanna grinned as she held her little brother''s hand and walked away.

    Chris watching everything inside the car let out a sigh of relief.

    "It''s such a relief to see that she has grown so much and can defend and protect herself now. Sir will be very happy to learn about this," He muttered and watched the two siblings until they weren''t within his eyesight.

    After they had gotten far away from the scene of themotion Rafael whisk his hand out of Laura''s firm grip.

    "You said you wanted to teach your step-sister a lesson for going against you and your mother so many times so what was that back then?" Rafael demanded in anger.

    "Why did you leave without harming a hair on her body¡­,"

    "I wanted nothing more than to rip her mouth and break her bones right there but what can I do when she has leverage against me and my mother?" Laura questioned. Her face was red from anger.

    "Does she have leverage against you and your mother?" Rafael asked in confusion.

    "Also, what did she mean by what she said about Bacon or whatnot earlier?" He added.

    His question caught the angrydy off guard. She was so scared and as such couldn''t look him in the eye.

    "Laura, why is it that you can''t look me in the eyes?" He asked and tried to lift her chin but she tilted her head sideways.

    At that moment he realised that something wasn''t right.

    "Are you perhaps hiding something from me¡­,"

    "Let''s go now. We will be in big trouble if someone recognises us and reports it to my parents," Laura said. She held his hand and pulled him along with her

    The way she acted further proved Rafael''s suspicions right.

    Although he could tell she was hiding something from him, he decided not to press the issue further.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He doesn''t have every day to spend with her and as such he chose to cherish this moment instead of letting anything ruin their private time.

    When Joanna reached the floor where her family resides she was amazed to see Adhara standing in front of the elevator after the elevator dinged.

    On getting a glimpse of his mother''s face Anthony''s grip around Joanna''s hand tightened.

    He shifted and tried to hide behind her.

    "You are a big boy now so why are you hiding?" Adhara scolded and reached her hand to drag Anthony out of the elevator but he shrieked back.

    "If you were bold enough to choose your Big Sis, shouldn''t you also exhibit the same level of boldness in owning up¡­,"

    "He is afraid you will spank him so you can''t me him for acting this way," Joanna, whose hands were still on the elevator buttons to prevent it from closing, cut in meekly.

    "But I have no intention of doing that," Adhara retorted and continue looking at her scared son.

    Anthony found the confidence to look his mother in the eye after herst sentence.

    "Really?" He asked still in doubt.

    He has never done something this severe butgot scolded and spanked by his mother and big sister. He couldn''t bring himself to believe her words even though she looked serious.

    "Yes, soe on now", Adhara said and spread her hands.

    Seeing how her son wouldn''t let go of her sister''s hand made Adhara wonder how terrifying she must have been to make her son so scared of her.

    "Go on now, little rice ball. I know you are braver than this. Also, Big Sister is here to protect you so, why should you be scared huh?" Joanna said and winked at the boy clutching her hand tightly.

    After coaxing him a bit the little boy of ten years found the courage to step out of the elevator to join his mother.

    The three of them made their way towards their rooms. When they reached Laura''s room Adhara paused. She turned and nced at Joanna.

    "Laura is studying at a friend''s ce and is gonna spend the night there so you can sleep over in her room," Adhara informed in a soft tone.

    "Oh, so that is what she told you guys, this is getting interesting," Joanna chuckled.

    "What did you say?" Adhara asked, not understanding what Joanna said.

    "I said that Laura would be furious if she discovered this," She tantly lied despite knowing Adhara heard her first sentence.

    "Mum, you know I can''t sleep without Big Sis by my side¡­,"

    "You are gonna sleep beside Mum and Dad today so don''t worry," Adhara said and pulled the reluctant Anthony along with her.

    Joanna ced the card on the door''s knob and the door opened. She entered the room after taking a long nce at the door of the room Adhara just entered.

    The first thing she did after getting herself familiar with her stepsister''s hotel room was to freshen and change into one of her sister''s pyjamas.

 Chapter 348 The One Lurking In The Dark

    ?Meanwhile, at the pce, the uneasy Tiffany and Logan were still chatting with the Queen Mother when Tracy entered the room.

    "The Prime Minister is here," Tracy announced.

    "Grandpa is here!" Tiffany jumped to her feet in shock. Sheposed herself and returned to her seat noticing the way the Queen Mother stared at her.

    "We the adults have things to discuss. I will leave you and Logan in Tracy''s care," Queen Mother Theresa informed. She stood up from the chair and walked gracefully out of the room.

    Logan and Tiffany exchanged puzzled nces after the Queen Mother left.

    Queen Mother Theresa didn''t join her visitor immediately after leaving Tiffany and her cousin but she went to her inner chambers and stayed there.

    She stayed in her room for over twenty minutes despite knowing that someone was waiting for her.

    At the Queen Mother''s reception hall, a man in his official attire was seen groaning as he stared at the entrance.

    "Are you sure you informed Her Highness that I was waiting for her?" He questioned in anger.

    "Her Highness will soon be with you¡­,"

    "That''s exactly what you told me twenty minutes ago but where is she?" He demanded.

    After waiting for over twenty minutes unattended, he couldn''t control his annoyance anymore.

    "If¡­," footsteps apanied by a familiar scent made Mr Martinez pause what he wanted to say.

    He reluctantly stood up from his chair and faced the entrance where the footsteps were getting closer.

    Not long after, the Queen Mother entered the hall apanied by three guards and two maids.

    She strolled to her seat. She pretended not to see the displeasure on the elderly man''s face.

    "You may have your seat, Prime Minister Martinez," she instructed after she had sat down.

    Mr Martinez sat down but with gritted teeth.

    "This one that you decided to visit my pce, I hope all is well?" Queen Mother Theresa asked nonchntly.

    Her pretence irked Mr Martinez but he didn''t say or do anything about this.

    This is the pce, no matter how powerful he was, it''s a suicidal attempt to harm the Queen Mother here in the presence of so many people.

    "I learned my grandchildren were here so I came to take them home," Mr Martinez replied. He tried so hard not to sound rude.

    "Your grandchildren are well taken care of. They are ready to go with you but before that, we have some things to discuss. I am sure you must have gotten my invitation right?" Queen Mother Theresa quizzed.

    She was straightforward with what she wanted.

    She didn''t go through these hassles to beat around the bush with him.

    "Is that why Her Highness kidnapped my grandchildren just to get me into the pce¡­.,"

    "If you had done like I said I wouldn''t have resorted to this. You left me with no other option, Prime Minister. If anyone should be med for my decision it''s none other than you," Queen Mother Theresa said without any remorse.

    "And what if I don''t agree¡­,"

    "That means your grandson isn''t as important as you wanted everyone to believe," Queen Mother interrupted sternly.

    Realising that the Queen Mother was aware of his weakness Mr Martinez clenched his fists and kept quiet.

    "Because you are the Prime Minister, I can''t lock you up in the pce without any valid reason but that is not the case with your grandchildren. I can keep them here for as long as I want and no one will question me," She said with pride.

    No one in the Kingdom except the King could indeed make the Queen Mother change her mind but would a proud man like Mr Martinez who has no good rtionship with the King beg His Majesty?

    Begging the King to save his grandchildren will hurt his pride and weaken his authority.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The Queen Mother is aware of this and that is why she was this confident.

    "I know what you and the other ministers are scheming behind the King''s back and I won''t intervene. All I want is yours and the other ministers'' support in exchange for keeping quiet,'''' Queen Mother Theresa was blunt with what she wanted.

    "You are not aware of what we are nning. Because I am sure you wouldn''t want to partner with us if you do¡­,"

    "And what do you mean by that?" She asked, frowning.

    The Prime Minister only smiled devilishly without saying a word.

    Back at the hotel, even after an hour of lying down Joanna couldn''t fall asleep. She kept tossing around the bed every five minutes.

    Tired of tossing around she jumped to her feet and walked about.

    "I wonder what he is doing now?" She muttered and stared at her cell phone lying in the bedroom.

    She had specifically ced it there so that she won''t miss his text message or phone calls.

    Ever since he left, her focus has never left her cell phone for more than five minutes.

    "Is he so busy that he can''t send me texts or call me even once?" She mumbled and continued pacing about the foot of the bed.

    "With how things are, I am afraid I won''t be able to sleep a wink so why don''t I take a walk and receive some fresh air?" She whispered.

    Immediately after she finished talking she moved over to where she kept her clothes. She changed from the pyjamas and made her way out of the room.

    All her thoughts were that she was gonna take a short walk around the hotel premises but she ended up wandering far away just like her mind.

    Before she realised where she was Joanna was amazed to see that she was about five buildings away from the apartment Amos resided in.

    "How on Earth did I get here?" Joanna muttered as she stared at her surroundings.

    She walked here and yet she could not believe it. How she wasn''t aware of how she got there made her wonder whether she was under some evil spell.

    "Since I am here already I will just check whether he has returned," Joanna mumbled smiling.

    Turning around she started approaching the apartment''s direction. She didn''t take up to five steps when she came to an abrupt stop.

    [Someone is following me, but who could that be?]

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

    Do you love the surprise and reward I prepared for you guys?

    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

    Also, do show support by buying the privileged chapters, casting GOLDEN TICKETS,menting and sending gifts.

    I really need your motivation to be able to keep my part of the bargain so please be my source of motivation and inspiration.

    I will be waiting to receive your feedback and rewards so keep iting!

 Chapter 349 Audrey Has Returned

    ?Joanna''s heart pounded hard as she stood there rooted to the floor.

    This was not the first or second time she felt as if she was tailed by someone.

    The most surprising thing is that she always ended up discovering that none was in sight despite all this.

    She looked around and realised that there was none in sight and at this moment she regretted she came out sote at night.

    Why did she have to go for a walk when it was past 1:00 am?

    Slowly, Joanna turned around to see who was standing behind her.

    Just like the previous asions, none appeared to be in sight no matter how hard she looked.

    "I could feel that he was so close so howe no one is here again?" Joanna muttered in confusion.

    She looked around the quiet street one more time. After she confirmed for thest time that it was just her in sight she hastened to reach home.

    In the condition she was now if someone was to sneak up on her, she was certain she wouldn''t be able to survive.

    She is strong enough to handle a human but her power is considered as nothing if she was to go against a vampire or werewolf.

    While hurrying to the tall building in front Joanna kept looking behind. Her heart was finally able to find peace after she entered and shut the brown door behind her.

    Arriving at the sitting room, it was the same as she had left it. Despite getting the hints that he might not have returned she still wanted to confirm so she headed to his bedroom in search of him.

    Her mood hit rock bottom after checking the bedroom and guest room and still didn''t see anyone around.

    "He still hasn''te back yet," She mumbled in disappointment and strolled to the grey couch.

    While waiting for him in the sitting room, Joanna soon dozed off from exhaustion.

    When morning reached Joanna was still asleep despite that the sun was shining brightly.

    The doorbell made the sleeping Joanna jerk to her feet in confusion. Her blurry vision caused her to rub her eyes twice.

    Looking in the direction of the window, she was surprised to see that the sun was up.

    "He has finally returned," Joanna beamed when the doorbell rang for the second time.

    Before hurrying to answer the door she didn''t forget to arrange her hair and clothes.

    "What kept you¡­," the words refused to form when she opened the door and saw who was standing at the door.

    "I am aware that I am not the one you yearn for but you don''t have to look at me like you have seen a ghost¡­," Joanna ran into her embrace and made Audrey choke on her words.

    "I have missed you so much, bestie," Joanna confessed. Her grip around Audrey''s neck grew tighter.

    "I was only away for two days but you want to choke me. Does this mean you would hug me until I drop dead if I were gone for a year or two?" Audrey joked as she tapped Joanna''s back affectionately.

    "If you are this possessive towards me then I wonder how you are gonna cope when you get married¡­,"

    "I will bring you with me into the pce, isn''t that obvious¡­,"

    "Stop fooling around, naughty girl," Audrey jokingly scolded while tapping her butts.

    Joanna pulled away still holding the spot on her butts Audrey tapped.

    "Why does it look like you are gonna chop off my head because I beat your butts hmm?" Audrey quizzed and raised her hand to pull Joanna''s cheeks but she moved backwards pretending to be angry.

    "Did you also re at him like this when he hits and massage your butts during these three days I was away¡­,"

    "H-hit my butts?" Joanna stammered. Her cheeks turned beet red in an instant.

    "You heard me right so why are blushing and stuttering at the same time? Did he perhaps bully you¡­,"

    "What nonsense are you spewing?" Joanna questioned and cupped her heating face.

    "You¡­,"

    "Nothing happened between us. He has been too busy and hardly spares me his time so it''s no use letting your thoughts run wild," Joanna cut in.

    "Did the two of you quarrel¡­,"

    "Let''s go inside first," She interrupted, grabbing Audrey''s hand.

    "Yeah, let''s go in. I am sure you must have a lot to tell me," Audrey smiled. She followed Joanna into the house.

    The first thing that caught Audrey''s attention was their picture frames hanging on the wall.

    As if that wasn''t enough she was further mesmerized by the beauty of the interior.

    "He sure has good taste. I guess the room of a King will always be different from every other room," shemented and walked to one of the picture frames at her right-hand side.

    "I don''t know about his taste in interior designs but all I know is that the decorations of the interior were Josephina and Chris'' handiwork," Joanna replied. She strolled to join Audrey who she was standing in front of the picture frame.

    "Look at his sparkling eyes and his bright smile. Everything about him in this picture depicts nothing but love," Audrey said, her gaze glued on the man in the picture.

    "He is smiling like a little fool despite his identity," She muttered and turned to stare at the picture frames hanging on the opposite side.

    In all the pictures of him and Joanna, Kayden had a broad smile. His ck eyes shone brightly and had so much life in them.

    "If someone had told me that a careful man like Kayden would go to such lengths to be with you I wouldn''t have believed it. I can''t stop thinking that he is out of his mind when I remember all he did," Audreymented.

    Though her words sounded a bit rude, this was the first time she hadplimented Kayden so much.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All these years she always finds fault in whatever he does.

    "He is so certain of his love that he is willing to go to any length for me. I wonder when I will be confident of my love for him," Joanna said. The hint of sadness in her voice made Audrey turn and gaze at her.

    Just like she had suspected, her friend''s once happy expression was gone.

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

    TOP FANS

    Thank you so much for the love, support and care you have shown me. Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to each one of you. Thank you for all the coins,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS you have showered on this book.

    Thank you a bunch.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Fitoria_01

    3) Flower_goddess

    4) hopze21

    5) Brigitt_Hendry

    TOP GIFTERS

    Your gifts serve as motivation to do better and I want to especially thank each one of you who sent me gifts. You motivated me even in times when I don''t feel like writing.

    Nothing feels better than getting a reward after a job well done and that''s exactly what your gift means to me.

    Thanks once again.

    1) hopze21

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Fitoria

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments make an author believe that his or her readers are not only enjoying his/her book but are also following it. And that is exactly how I feel each time I receive yourments.

    What some readers don''t know is that notmenting sometimes makes the author feels lonely.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face and keeping mepany through yourments. Yourments mean a lot to me.

    1) Jennijin

    2) Jen2Jin

    3) BumbaJander

    4) hopze21

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    TOP THREE GOLDEN TICKETS RANKERS

    One of the things I don''t fail to check every time I open the Webnovel app is the GOLDEN TICKETS ranking.

    There is always this joy that springs forth from within any time I check the ranking and realised that my readers have cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book.

    Thanks for making me feel happy and proud.

    1) hopze21

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Clumsy_N1nja

    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

    Another big thank you to the readers who have never failed to buy this book''s privileged chapters every month. I may not say your name but like I said you know yourself. And I am especially saying thank you to you.

    I LOVE YOU ALL ??????

    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 350 Audrey Offered Solution

    ?"Didn''t you realise your feelings for him before I left so what happened now? Did you both get into a fight?" Audrey asked worriedly.

    "And here I thought you both were gonna be a couple when I returned¡­,"

    "Yes, I indeed believed I loved him but Amelia''s words made me think otherwise?" Joanna said with her head lowered.

    Audrey turned and grabbed Joanna''s shoulders. She made the unhappydy look her in the eye.

    "What did she say?" She demanded. "Also, don''t you know better that you are not supposed to believe the words of a jealous rival?".

    "She might be my rival but I must admit that there was some truth in her words," She admitted.

    Seeing that her words didn''t help made Audrey''s grip on her shoulders loosen.

    She watched as Joanna sauntered to the ss window in front of them.

    "Is what I am feeling for him love, dependence or obsession?" Joanna quizzed as she stared into space.

    "I don''t know anymore so will you please help me, Drey?" She asked and turned to look at Audrey.

    Audrey was astonished to see that her eyes were misty.

    "This hasn''t reached for you to cry so what are you doing¡­,"

    "I am lost at what to do. I was sure I loved him but why am I feeling this way now?" Joanna questioned. The tears she was holding back fell freely.

    Watching her best friend''s tears fall caused a sharp pain to run across her chest.

    [She was fine when I left so howe she is such a mess now?]

    Audrey was confused. Nheless, she walked closer and embraced Joanna tightly.

    "I am sure not everyone who is in a rtionship was a hundred per cent sure of his/her feelings in the beginning. I am certain a lot of them must have felt confused and lost just like you so calm down hmm," Audrey whispered and kept on rubbing Joanna''s back.

    Audrey kept coaxing Joanna until her emotions got stabilised.

    "Last night when Mum and I were talking, she told me something and I think this might help you¡­," Joanna''s abrupt movement made Audrey pause what she wanted to say.

    She gazed at thedy trying to wipe her tears.

    "What did she say?" Joanna asked while looking into Audrey''s eyes.

    "She said I should ask myself this question if I find myself in a state of confusion after falling in love¡­,"

    "What question?" Joanna cut in. Audrey wasn''t surprised to see that she was more interested in the questions instead of the topic that led to this conversation.

    "Ask yourself, what would my life be without him in it?" Audrey ryed her mother''s exact words.

    "I am sure if you can answer this question you would be able to know whether what you are feeling for him is love, dependence or obsession," Audrey said.

    She was so happy she listened when her mother was talking.

    How would she have helped her best friend if she had acted defiantly because she believes love is not her cup of tea?

    "I¡­,"

    "You are not supposed to be rash with your response. Mum said you need to search your heart for the answer because that is the only way you will find the urate answer," Audrey said.

    "I will take a tour around. Use that time to think about what I said. Who knows you might get the answer before I am done touring the ce," Audrey advised.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She gave a slight squeeze to Joanna''s right shoulder and walked away.

    Joanna moved to the couch and sat down. She began thinking about what Audrey said.

    Her mind went back to the past.

    Just like Audrey, he has always been there for her when she needed someone by her side.

    He might not have always stood up for her in public but he did that whenever he is around her anytime she is bullied.

    Joanna subconsciously beamed when she recalled how he trashed a group of boys who bullied her in secret.

    If not for the fact that she overheard the boys talking after taking to their heels when they set eyes on her, she wouldn''t have known what he did for her.

    This was the same thing he did with Logan and his friends.

    The Kayden she knows has always been this way since they were little. He will do so much for her in secret and yet will never take credit.

    No doubt she didn''t always like hispany. There was a time she hated himing close to her.

    Yes, they will never dare to bully her in front of him but they will wait until he is gone and then they will deal with her mercilessly.

    He might have not been the best mate but he tried his best for her.

    Everyone has their shorings and he did too.

    [If anyone thinks it''s easy to be a King then they should try bing one especially one controlled by the senile ministers and they will know that being a King wasn''t a piece of cake]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she sat on the couch with her eyes closed.

    He might not have been with her every hour of the day like Audrey but his visit every night was enough to make up for his absence during the day.

    Breaking the pce rule every night to be with her became a norm.

    He didn''t hesitate to leave his throne and the glory thates with his title and name just to be with her. What more could she ask for in a man?

    He has unknowingly be a part of her life that she can''t do without.

    She was in deep thought and didn''t know how long had passed.

    Even when Audrey returned to the sitting room she didn''t feel her presence.

    Audrey tiptoed to where Joanna sat. She stood gazing at her friend''s peaceful expression.

    ...

    A/N:

    MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVELY READERS ??????. SEASON GREETINGS ??????

    May the joy of celebration not depart from your home.

    So herees the surprise gift I was talking about. Here are four chapters to keep you happy on this special day.

    I have given you my share of the gift so please don''t forget mine LOL. I will be waiting for your gifts.

    I love you ???

 Chapter 351 Joannas Plan

    ?[Once upon a time I might have hated Kayden but honestly, I knew that he treats you the best. I might not have wanted to admit it because I was scared that he will steal my sister away from me but I know this much]

    Audrey smiled. In the past, she has stumbled upon Kayden and his men dealing with some of the people who bullied Joanna.

    She has also overheard his conversations with his men asking them to protect her in secret but she always pretended not to know it.

    At times she was happy and at other times scared. She was scared that his excessive care might harm her more instead of keeping her from harm''s way.

    [Though I hate to admit I can tell that he will give you the happiness you have always wanted. He will give you a loving family you never had. I know that he makes you happy so I wished things will work out between the two of you]

    She smiled and raised her hand to stroke Joanna''s eyebrows.

    "I love him," Joanna dered. Her eyes flew open before Audrey''s hand reached her eyebrows.

    "That is great," Audrey replied excitedly.

    "So now tell me, what will your life be without him?" Audrey quizzed and took her position beside Joanna on the couch.

    "Life without him will be full of emptiness," She responded meekly. Joanna stood up and walked away from the centre table.

    "Actually, I thought that having my powers was everything but I have realised recently that as long as I have him with me it doesn''t matter whether or not I am powerful. And that is because he has never made me feel inferior and I am sure it will be the same¡­.," Joanna let her words linger. A smile crept on her pretty face as she walked about the spacious room.

    Audrey listened to her lovestruck friend speak with keen interest.

    [In the past I hated those who pushed you to the cliff but right now I feel like that was a good thing. In this lifetime I believe I wouldn''t have ever gotten to see this confident and expressive side in you if that tragedy didn''t happen. And this is why I feel like it was necessary for your growth. Forgive me if I sound selfish, Anna]

    Audrey''s eyes glimmered as she watched her smiling best friend talk.

    "I can handle living my life without my powers but I will die if he isn''t in my life. I will kill myself¡­,"

    "Hey, how could you say that in my presence? Don''t you care about your best friend''s feelings anymore?" Audrey retorted, faking a painful expression.

    She stood up with her right hand clutching her chest.

    "Also, how could you carelessly talk about death? Besides it hasn''te to that hmm," Audrey said, still gripping her chest.

    "I know that but I am just saying," She mumbled. Her gaze didn''t leave Audrey''s chest she was grabbing so tightly.

    "So what is wrong with your chest?" She asked.

    "Can''t you see that my heart is in pain? How could you break my heart so much by¡­,"

    "But your heart is on the other side," Joanna retorted.

    "You¡­," Audrey couldn''t say a word when she realised that Joanna had seen through her ns.

    "Wait here while I freshen up," The smiling Joanna instructed and started walking to the bedroom.

    "Yeah, freshened up so we can go chill somewhere and continue with our conversation," She mumbled and returned to the couch.

    Her words made Joanna pause and spin. "We will go out and chill somewhere nice but that will be after I take care of someone who has been getting on my nervestely," Joanna informed.

    She was a bit taken aback when Audrey appeared in front of her.

    "And who is that?" She demanded curiously.

    "Don''t worry you will know when we get there," She grinned and slid into the bedroom before Audrey could pull her back.

    Audrey entered the room to continue with their conversation but Joanna ran into the bathroom on sighting her.

    "Hey, why are you being stingy huh?" Audrey shouted, her gaze centred on the bathroom door.

    Joanna grinned as she made her way to the shower.

    When she came out the anxious Audrey was standing at the door waiting for her.

    "So who is it that you want to deal with?" Audrey quizzed and tailed Joanna. Joanna walked to the wardrobe acting like she didn''t hear Audrey''s question.

    "Is it Tiff, her friends¡­ you know I am not good at guessing so will you stop keeping me in suspense hmm," Audrey said and grabbed Joanna''s hand. She tried to make a cute expression but that didn''t turn out well.

    "If you want to act cute I guess you will need to learn that from my little rice ball or Kay¡­ no, I mean Amos," Joanna yfully replied. She gently brushed Audrey''s hand away.

    "Also, if you want to know who I am talking about then you will have to stop disturbing me because that''s the only way we will leave early," She beamed and turned to open the wardrobe. As she went about trying to dress up Audrey followed. She tried all ways possible to pry the answers out of her.

    Notwithstanding all her tricks she still ended up unable to get a name from the cautious Joanna.

    After she dressed up the two girls left the apartment. Despite not knowing what exactly she was up to, Audrey was more excited than Joanna.

    "So where....,"

    "Shush...," Joanna ced her hand on her lips and pointed at the cell phone ced on her right ear.

    She didn''t need to say a word for Audrey to understand her hints.

    "Hello, who is this?" The recipient asked on answering the line.

    "Hello Aunt, it''s me, Eva," Joanna faked a voice to the shock of thedy by her side.

    Audrey stared at her best friend with a dropped jaw. She was momentarily speechless.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

    TOP FANS

    Thank you so much for the love, support and care you have shown me. Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to each one of you. Thank you for all the coins,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS you have showered on this book.

    Thank you a bunch.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Fitoria_01

    3) Flower_goddess

    4) hopze21

    5) Brigitt_Hendry

    TOP GIFTERS

    Your gifts serve as motivation to do better and I want to especially thank each one of you who sent me gifts. You motivated me even in times when I don''t feel like writing.

    Nothing feels better than getting a reward after a job well done and that''s exactly what your gift means to me.

    Thanks once again.

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    Comments make an author believe that his or her readers are not only enjoying his/her book but are also following it. And that is exactly how I feel each time I receive yourments.

    What some readers don''t know is that notmenting sometimes makes the author feels lonely.

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    One of the things I don''t fail to check every time I open the Webnovel app is the GOLDEN TICKETS ranking.

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    Thanks for making me feel happy and proud.

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    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

    Another big thank you to the readers who have never failed to buy this book''s privileged chapters every month. I may not say your name but like I said you know yourself. And I am especially saying thank you to you.

    I LOVE YOU ALL ??????

    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 352 Joanna Sets Laura Up

    ?Noticing her astounded expression, Joanna grinned and continued with the conversation.

    "Yes, what is it, Eva? Did something happen to Laura while in your home?" Laura inquired as she signalled Anthony to y with his toys and not to utter a word.

    "Laura is at my home?" Joanna raised a question and continued speaking in a fake voice.

    As the phone call progressed Audrey listened in silence.

    "Who did you say your best friend saw entered a hotel with a manst night? By Laura, you are not referring to my daughter right?" Adhara, now standing on her feet, refused to believe her ears.

    She was so impacted by the news that the cell phone almost fell off of her hands.

    "Aunt, if you don''t believe me and my friend, you can go to FB Hotel and find out if the information I gave you is wrong or correct," Joanna hinted to Adhara on what to do.

    She knew her stepmother too well to know that she would grab the bait.

    When there was no response at the other end Joanna spoke, " I will disconnect the call now Aunt," She informed and disconnected the call after a few seconds.

    "So my best friend''s name has now turned to Eva, howe I wasn''t informed of this hmm?" Audrey asked, her questioning stares centred on Joanna''s face.

    "Also, how did you manage to imitate Laura''s best friend''s voice so well? Who taught you and do you care to teach me also?" Audrey bombarded her with questions.

    "Also what do you stand to gain by pretending to be her?"

    "Something fun is gonna happen in front of FB Hotel in a few minutes so let''s go. We can''t afford to miss the fun," The smiling Joanna said and grabbed Audrey''s hand.

    Surprisingly, Audrey didn''t budge.

    "You know you haven''t told me what you are up to. And how sure are you that your stepmother will believe all you said¡­,"

    "Because I know her very well," She cut in in a meek tone.

    "Yes, she might not believe what I said but I am certain that she will want to confirm my words. When ites to her only daughter she doesn''t joke around. I know this and her ambition for her daughter better than anyone else so let''s go hmm," Joanna reassured with a smile.

    Back at the hotel room, the fuming Adhara walked to and fro the centre table where Anthony was ying.

    "All you know is y. Will you go in and read your books before I deal with you?" Adhara shouted, startling the innocent Anthony in the process.

    Without wasting time Anthony hurried to the next room.

    "How dare Laura Anderson to lie to my face?" Adhara thundered with her fists sped.

    "She should pray fervently that the information I got is wrong because even I don''t know what I will do to her if this is proven to be true," Adhara bellowed.

    She bent and grabbed her car keysying on the centre table.

    In a moment she left the room in anger.

    As Adhara made haste to confirm what she heard, Laura and her man didn''t know what wasing their way.

    Some minutester in front of FB Hotel, a couple walking hand in hand were seening out of the hotel.<novelnext></novelnext>

    They were about to walk away when a figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Rafael by the cor.

    "How dare youe close to my daughter after my warning huh?" Adhara thundered andnded a tight p across Rafael''s face.

    Adhara raised her hand to strike Rafael again but Laura came to his rescue.

    "Mum, you are hurting¡­," Adhara violently flung her daughter''s hand away. She turned and gave her a deadly stare.

    "If you dare as much as to touch me again. I promise you I will forget the fact that you are my daughter. I will deal with you in a manner you will not like," Adhara retorted.

    She brought back her attention to the guy struggling to free himself from her firm grip.

    As this was happening twodies stood not far away from the scene ofmotion and watched all that was happening.

    "So this was why you were acting mysterious huh?" Audrey asked displeasingly.

    "That¡­,''

    "Although you left me out of your ns I mustpliment you for a job well done. I mean no revenge can be so gratifying to watch than this," Audreyplimented with her thumb stuck out.

    The nervous Joanna smiled. She couldn''t believe that she was worried for nothing.

    Back at the front of the hotel, Laura still tried to separate her mother from her boyfriend despite her mother''s warning.

    Out of annoyance, Adhara let go of Rafael. She turned andnded a thunderous p on Laura''s face.

    Laura''s eyes bulged out as she held her burning cheek. There was fear and unfamiliarity in her eyes as she stared at her mother.

    She was the apple of her mother''s eye. Her mother has always indulged her ever since she was a kid. Now she wondered what went wrong.

    Why did she p her so hard? Was it a crime to be in love with her mate?

    "How dare you still hang out with him after all I told you huh?" Adhara yelled as she pointed her finger at Laura who was still in shock.

    "For how long are you going to keep disappointing me¡­,"

    "Mum, I love him and¡­,"

    BAM!

    Another thunderous p flew across Laura''s reddened cheek. Laura''s face shifted sideways due to the impact of the p.

    "If you utter that word once again I will not only rip your mouth apart but I will make sure this miscreant pays a heavy price for what he did today," Adhara threatened, notwithstanding that others were watching.

    "I¡­," Laura wanted to argue further but the words got stuck in her throat when her eyes met with her mother''s murderous res.

    Adhara''s deadly res made Laura recall her mother''s words on that fateful day Joanna''s ghost attacked them.

    "Just to be in this household I killed my mate. If you don''t get your act together then I will be forced to put an end to your madness with his death," Her mother''s exact words echoed in her head.

 Chapter 353 Joanna Exert Revenge

    ?How could she have forgotten what her mother said when these very words were what made her realize how dreadful of a woman her mother is?

    [I must do everything to appease Mum''s anger. I won''t be able to survive if she murders Rafael]

    Laura reached out her hand and held her mother''s right hand. Immediately she was shoved aside by the angry woman.

    "I am leaving now and I want you to go back home immediately. If you return ten minutes after I return then you will witness how dreadful your mother is," Adhara retorted.

    She shot Rafael standing far away a murderous re and stomped away.

    "Mum," Laura shouted and raced after her mother.

    "Mum, please wait for me," Laura pleaded. Adhara entered the car and zoomed off without sparing Laura a second nce.

    The fear of her mother''s threat didn''t make Laura stand and exchanged goodbyes with Rafael. She ran at top speed even though she was wearing heels.

    After they were gone Joanna turned to look at the grinningdy by her side.

    "She runs so fast. Bestie, you will have to help me to catch up to her ok?" Joanna said and winked naughtily at her beaming best friend who seemed to understand what she was up to.

    "I never knew you were this evil¡­,"

    "I don''t mind bing your teacher as long as you help me, hmm?" She said teasingly and held Audrey''s hand tightly.

    Three minutester, ady running in heels was seen halting when twodies appeared in front of her.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded with a frown.

    "What else if not to give you a taste of your own medicine," Audrey retorted. She made sure to stand with her shoulders held high.

    Joanna moved two steps forward so that the space between her and Laura was an arm''s reach away.

    Laura subconsciously moved backwards seeing Joanna raise her hand and bring it close to her neck.

    "Don''t worry she won''t strangle you," Audrey started. "At least not in public," She scoffed.

    Joanna examined Laura''s swollen cheeks making sure to shake her head sympathetically.

    "Seeing how swollen it is, I believe it must hurt quite a lot right?" She asked. She faked a painful look as she moved backwards.

    "When I told you, I will have my revenge in a way you will never forget you didn''t believe me. Now look at what has happened," She mumbled. An evil grin crept onto her beautiful face.

    Joanna''s words rang in Laura''s head like a doorbell without a stop.

    Memories of what happened on campus on the day her father visited, including Joanna''s threat, popped up in her head.

    Last night just to make sure none of her friends or acquaintances saw her, she and Rafael had purposely booked a hotel room in an area not frequented by her acquaintance.

    The only acquaintance they bumped intost night was Joanna.

    "You did this to me!" Laura yelled in fury. "How dare you do this to me?" Laura bellowed. She raised her hand and purposely aimed her ws at Joanna''s face.

    Audrey standing behind appeared and caught Laura''s hand in midst air.

    "Your mother must be very close to the hotel now. I don''t think you have time for that, don''t you agree with me?" Audrey winked at the angrydy.

    Despite her desire to take revenge right then, Laura had to leave when she recalled her mother''s earlier words.

    "I promise, I will repay you handsomely for this," Laura hissed and resumed her race.

    HAHAHA

    Audrey burst outughing when she saw just how fast Laura ran. She ran faster than a cheetah even though she was on heels.

    "Does this make you very happy?" Joanna asked. Though she was the one taking sweet revenge she wasn''tughing like Audrey.

    "Yes, of course. Nothing makes me feel happy than seeing you teach your enemies a lesson. And that''s why I will formally ask that you take me along anytime you want to exert revenge¡­,"

    "If this cracks you up this much then I am sure you would have beenughing and rolling on the floor if you were present the days I tortured my enemies by pretending to be a ghost," Joanna said and started walking away.

    Of course, she feels happy dealing with Laura but not to the point ofughing until her stomach hurts.

    To her, this isn''t considered an act of revenge but she sees this as punishment. This was her punishment for Laura for the p she gave her on campus. If she wanted to exert revenge then this would have been the tip of the iceberg.

    She might be physically weak at the moment but she has a way of making her enemies mad in rage.

    "That''s a given. Trust me, I wouldn''t have been only a spectator but I would have joined in the fun," Audrey whispered. She jumped and wrapped her left hand around Joanna''s shoulders in excitement.

    "Since you treated me to an interesting show, I will treat you to a cup of coffee and your favourite almond cake," Audrey informed her.

    They walked in this manner until they got to a cafe close by.

    At the cafe, Joanna ordered a cup of coffee and almond cake while Audrey made do with only a cup of coffee.

    As they waited for their orders to be served, Audrey struck up a conversation.

    "Anna, I learned from the inte that you made yourself some new friends so can you tell me more about them?" Audrey asked.

    She crossed her legs and leaned back on the chair.

    "Drey, you won''t believe what I will tell you," Joanna muttered. The excitement and the glistening of her eyes aroused Audrey''s curiosity before she even said anything.

    "And what is that if I may ask?" She quizzed.

    "Do you still recall that incident where I went missing for an entire day?" She asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That was the first time you went missing for a day so how could I not remember it?" Audrey replied casually.

    "I remember causing a scene at your home back then because I thought your stepmother had murdered and buried you in a ce where your body can not be recovered," She added smiling.

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

    TOP FANS

    Thank you so much for the love, support and care you have shown me. Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to each one of you. Thank you for all the coins,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS you have showered on this book.

    Thank you a bunch.

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    TOP GIFTERS

    Your gifts serve as motivation to do better and I want to especially thank each one of you who sent me gifts. You motivated me even in times when I don''t feel like writing.

    Nothing feels better than getting a reward after a job well done and that''s exactly what your gift means to me.

    Thanks once again.

    1) hopze21

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Fitoria

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments make an author believe that his or her readers are not only enjoying his/her book but are also following it. And that is exactly how I feel each time I receive yourments.

    What some readers don''t know is that notmenting sometimes makes the author feels lonely.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face and keeping mepany through yourments. Yourments mean a lot to me.

    1) Jennijin

    2) Jen2Jin

    3) BumbaJander

    4) hopze21

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    TOP THREE GOLDEN TICKETS RANKERS

    One of the things I don''t fail to check every time I open the Webnovel app is the GOLDEN TICKETS ranking.

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    Thanks for making me feel happy and proud.

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    3) Clumsy_N1nja

    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

    Another big thank you to the readers who have never failed to buy this book''s privileged chapters every month. I may not say your name but like I said you know yourself. And I am especially saying thank you to you.

    I LOVE YOU ALL ??????

    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 354 The Mystery Boy Identity

    ?She could bring herself to speak so casually and smile because this happened a long time ago.

    The first time she experienced what it means to be mad with rage was on that fateful day her best friend went missing.

    She was so furious and she made sure none in the Anderson mansion went to bed that night just like her.

    It was after Joanna returned the next day she learned that Adhara had no hand in her disappearance but that it was the Mean Witches'' handiwork.

    "Do you recollect the boy I told you about that kept mepany the entire night?" Joanna asked, her eyes shining brighter than earlier as she stared into Audrey''s eyes.

    [Why do her eyes radiate so much when it is not Kayden we are talking about? And what does the mystery boy have to do with what we are discussing?]

    Audrey was confused to see Joanna so excited.

    "If not for anything but that special urrence I still recalled the boy who helped you and also made sure you are safe. I still remember you even snuck out of home a few times to meet him, am I right?" Audrey proved just how awesome her brain was with her detailed response.

    "Drey, guess who I met recently?" She asked, excitement written all over her face.

    "Why do you jump from one topic to the other huh?" Confused, Audrey scolded frowning.

    "Also what does the boy have to do with who you met? From what I remember he went missing years ago," Audrey muttered.

    "And do you know you are acting weird today?".

    "Just wait until I tell you what I have to say then you will know that there is nothing weird about my behaviour," she said and leaned back with her chin and head positioned up.

    She didn''t forget to let a mischievous smile spread across her face.

    "Ok, so tell me who you met," Audrey mumbled.

    Joanna didn''t reply instantly but she took her time. During this period, the waiter delivered their orders.

    After keeping Audrey in suspense for up to five minutes she cleared her threat.

    "Will you believe it if I tell you that the infamous Raymond of Twilight University is the boy I mentioned?" Joanna asked. She winked at the widened eye Audrey.

    "Tell me you are lying," Audrey whispered thinking that Joanna was pulling a prank on her.

    "It''s the truth. I was also in shock and didn''t believe what he said until he showed me the evidence that he was the one," She responded, sounding a bit rxed now.

    "From your description back then I thought your mystery boy was an average handsome boy not knowing that he is the hottest guy on campus," Audrey responded.

    "He is indeed average in looks¡­,"

    "Do you have problems with your eyes huh?" Audrey demanded. She stood up and stretched so that her hand was touching Joanna''s face.

    She examined Joanna''s eyes a few times and then returned to her seat.

    "Your eyes look just fine so I wonder whether it is your love for Amos which has made you go momentarily blind¡­,"

    "And why would you say that?" Joanna cut in sharply.

    "Because there is nothing average about that dude. In fact, he is the King of hotness¡­,"

    "You are just exaggerating that," Joanna tried to defend herself.

    "Ask anydy who knows him and see whether they will not say the same thing. I bet you will be the onlydy on campus who says a sizzling hot man like him is average," Audrey said and licked her lips like someone who was aroused.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hey, stop doing that or you are gonna make others misunderstand us," Joanna scolded and waved her hands at thedy who was rolling her eyes like she was having an orgasm.

    "You are blinded by your love for Kayden so I am sure you won''t understand this type of feeling¡­,"

    "If you like him so much then you can date him," Joanna blurted out.

    "I will think about that option after you have told me all that transpired between the two of you," Audrey replied yfully.

    Joanna went ahead to ry in detail all that happened during her absence.

    "You both haven''t started dating and I can''t believe Kayden has got himself a rival. This is crazy!" Audrey giggled and shook her head.

    "What did you say?" Joanna, who couldn''t hear Audrey''s inaudible words, asked curiously.

    "I said I thought I had found myself a lover but unfortunately I will have to let these two men pass," Audrey lied, still maintaining her smile.

    Joanna spent the rest of the day with Audrey. Because of all the fun moments, she didn''t feel Amos'' presence like she would have felt if she was alone.

    They only returned home when it was dawn. Audrey and Joanna were chatting in the sitting room.

    As she talked Audrey wasn''t aware that thedy by her side was in a daze. She only realised Joanna was zoning out when she asked a question and she didn''t respond.

    "You keep looking at your cell phone at every slightest opportunity. Whose call or text message are you waiting for exactly?" Audrey asked. She folded her hands and leaned back on the couch while she awaits Joanna''s reply.

    "Is it a call from your hot new friend or your secret crush?" She teased not caring about Joanna''s frown.

    "Secret crush?" Joanna asked and scratched the back of her head.

    "You are only in love with him but you guys are not in a rtionship so secret crush is the right term for your feelings right now but why do you look confused?" Audrey demanded yfully.

    "Also, if you want to be addressed as his woman so badly then get your ass off here and go confess to him," Audrey ordered and tapped Joanna''s butt.

    Joanna''s eyes turned murderous at this.

    "I can bet with you that you will regret it your entire life if you lose him to another woman just because you were waiting for the perfect time¡­,"

    "You talk as if it is easy to make a love confession¡­,"

    "If you can''t say the words then let your actions say it. Throw yourself at him and I bet that the words will naturallye out when he is on top of you pumping in his seeds into your deepest ocean¡­,"

    ....

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE!!! ??????

    So herees the five chapters mass release for the event.

    Enjoy!!!

    And don''t forget toment as you read.

    Also, send gifts if you love the chapters and appreciate my efforts.

    Thanks as you do this ???

 Chapter 355 The Pictures

    ?"Yuck!" Joanna spat out non-existent saliva.

    "You can make that face as much as you like but I bet you are gonna be the one asking for more when he buries himself inside you¡­,"

    "You are a virgin and inexperienced in all these but anyone who heard you will think you are a pro¡­,"

    "And whoever told you I was a virgin huh?" Audrey said, making sure to rub her shoulder with Joanna.

    "Have you done it before?" Joanna yelled with her mouth dropped wide open.

    "I never said I was as pure as you. And you are just 18 years old so it''s not toote for you¡­,"

    "We are age mates ok so stop always sounding like you are a few years older than me," Joanna said.

    "But I am older and more experienced than¡­," the sudden dinging of Joanna''s phone made Audrey pause.

    Seeing Joanna hurry to grab the cell phone from the centre table made Audrey shake her head.

    "Love sure makes people go crazy," she mumbled. Her smile faded when she saw Joanna''s once excited expression fall.

    "What is it? It looks like you had seen a ghost," Audrey jokes. To her surprise, Joanna didn''t scold her or say anything.

    She just sat there like someone whose life essence has been sucked out of her.

    "What exactly did you see to make you act like this?" She quizzed. She snatched the cell phone from Joanna when she kept maintaining her silence.

    "T-this¡­," Audrey stammered while pointing at the pictures reflecting on the screen.

    "Talking about another woman I almost forgot that another woman was already in the picture¡­,"

    "W-what another woman, are you talking about? I ask sure he doesn''t love her¡­,"

    "You don''t sound convincing at all," Audrey cut in seeing how hard Joanna was trying to hide her emotions.

    "I mean how can you convince me when you haven''t convinced yourself first?" She mumbled.

    The room suddenly went dead quiet after she talked. Audrey felt suffocated when three minutes passed and Joanna refused to utter a word.

    "You don''t have¡­,"

    "I was afraid I would disturb his important task so I endured the urge to call him or text him throughout yesterday and today," Joanna said and sniffed to fight back the tears.

    "I tried to call him so many times but I used all the willpower I had saved up to stop myself from calling him. I thought he was really busy but¡­," Joanna choked on her words. She was too emotional to speak.

    "I swear I will beat him up if you dare cry because of him. It''s a promise," Audrey scolded.

    Just like she had guessed the misty eyesdy raised her head and stared at her. "And why would you do that¡­,"

    "Because he made my friend cry¡­,"

    "I am not crying?" Joanna defended.

    "But you were about to," Audrey countered. The two ended up chuckling at their little arguments.

    "The sender''s motive is clear that he wants to ruin your rtionship with him. So I am certain what this person is trying to make us believe is not the truth," Audrey said in a more serious tone.

    Joanna looked a bit calm after their argument but she knows she is far from being alright.

    She is aware that her head must be in turmoil right now.

    Anyways, how could her mind not be in chaos after seeing the pictures of the man she loves acting intimately with another woman?

    "If you want to know the truth you can call him and ask him about it or go to him. I am sure meeting him is better than a phone call," Audrey suggested.

    "You are the one who said some minutes ago that we don''t have any special rtionship. So it is really ok for me to call and question him¡­,"

    "Of course, it is," Audrey replied. She jumped to her feet in an instant.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If you are too shy or scared to talk to him then this big sister here is ready and willing to apany you," She volunteered as she beat her chest yfully.

    "Cut out with the Big Sister thing or I am goanna transfer the aggression on you," Joanna threatened. She stood up and started strolling towards the bedroom.

    "Don''t tell me you are not interested¡­,"

    "I just wanna freshen up and change my outfit," She replied and entered the bedroom.

    Audrey chased her. "Ooh¡­ so you wanna smell and look nice for him huh?" Audrey teased. Joanna chose to ignore her teases knowing very well what Audrey was up to.

    While Joanna tried to get ready, Audrey kept herself busy by ying with her phone.

    "Drey," Joanna called out to thedy whose attention was immersed in whatever she was doing with her cell phone.

    "Yes, are you ready now," Audrey replied without taking off her gaze from the cell phone.

    "Will you please drop your phone and look at me? I want to ask you a question," She sounded a bit desperate.

    Audrey paused what she was doing and lifted her head to look at thedy standing by the wardrobe.

    "Which out of the three outfits should I choose?" Joanna said and picked out three outfits from the wardrobe.

    She disyed them for Audrey to get a proper look at them.

    "I thought you had already chosen an outfit before you entered the bathroom so why do you still want me to¡­," Audrey paused midway, noticing the frown on Joanna''s face bes visible.

    "Ok, I will help you," she agreed reluctantly.

    She stood up from the bed and strolled to the dressing table. She leaned against the dressing table withoutmenting.

    "If you want them to smell vinegar all over you then I will suggest you go with the green¡­," Audrey trailed. She resists the desire tough when Joanna bites her lower lip.

    "If you have no intention of showing how jealous you are but want to make them believe that everything is cool then wear the grey and denim jeans¡­,"

    "What about the white?" She demanded.

    Audrey left where she stood and moved to the wardrobe.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE ??????. HAPPY 2023 ??????

    In this new year, I wish you, your family and your loved ones new happiness, new sess, new goals and new inspirations.

    I wish you good health and peace of mind. I pray that every day of 2023 will be full ofughter and each day will be memorable for you.

    I mustmend that you guys were awesomest year but I am hoping to see you guys do outstandingly well this year.

    I wish in 2023 you will give me the support and shower my book with love enough to push us to the top.

    I am very optimistic about this year and I know my dearest readers whom I trust a lot will not let me down.

    Let''s conquer 2023!

    I know we can do this!!

    And to do this you are aware you need to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Please, let''s get rid of the habit of only reading but notmenting and leaving any reviews. I will appreciate all yourments and reviews.

    Thanks as you do this ??.

    And I love you guys a whole lot ??????.

 Chapter 356 She Couldnt Find Him

    ?"But if you have the intention of disclosing your feelings then all I can say is that the backless short white dress is perfect for a love confession¡­,"

    "Doesn''t it looks too mboyant¡­,"

    "You garner attention wherever you go no matter the clothes you wear so what''s the big deal in dolling up a bit for the sake of your happiness?" Audrey asked.

    Joanna didn''t argue with her about the clothes anymore. It was as if Audrey gave her the perfect excuse she was searching for.

    When she was almost done dressing up Audrey went downstairs to get the car ready.

    "You are just wow¡­," Audreyplimented the beautifuldy in a white dress approaching her ck car.

    "You are just exaggerating¡­,"

    "Of course not. I wished I saw a guy who could testify to how amazing you look," Audrey mumbled.

    She looked around for passersby but none was in sight apart from them.

    "You look dazzling. I am sure he will forget that ady called Amelia existed when he set eyes on you," Audrey praised and opened the door of the car for Joanna.

    Joanna didn''t enter the car immediately. She looked around like she was searching for something or someone.

    "And where is the driver?" She quizzed.

    "I am the driver of course or what other driver were you expecting?" She asked and urged Joanna in but she refused to enter the car.

    "I will rather walk than enter the car. My life is too precious to lose it in the hands of my best friend who doesn''t know how to drive," Joanna informed and tried to walk away but Audrey jumped and stood in front of her.

    "Didn''t I tell you I learned to drive during the time you went missing¡­,"

    "Do you mean you know how to drive?" Joanna asked in awe.

    "We are running out of time so let''s go. You can ask me the details on our way there," Audrey said and pushed the bewildered youngdy into the car.

    The journey from the apartment to Mrs Parker''s cafe wasn''t far. They reached there in no time.

    At the cafe, everyone paused what they were doing to look at the beauty which just stepped foot into the cafe.

    Joanna had a lot on her mind to care about the customer''s lustful stares. She walked elegantly to the counter without sparing anyone a nce.

    "Joanna, you were supposed to be on leave so what are you doing here?" Mrs Parker asked.

    The first thing she did was to examine the body of thedy standing in front of her. She let out a sigh of relief noticing that Joanna''s injuries weren''t visible.

    "I am not here for work," Joanna said. She let her sharp eyes scrutinize the hall. When she didn''t see any sign of the one she was searching for, she returned her attention to Mrs Parker.

    "I heard that Amos was here and that is why¡­,"

    "He and Lia left a few minutes ago. I am sure you would have met them if you hade five minutes earlier," Mrs Parker cut in abruptly.

    Joanna''s excited expression fell after listening to Mrs Parker''s words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "They left together," Joanna mumbled absentmindedly.

    Seeing that Joanna wasn''t going to say anything Audrey stepped up to help her. "Do you perhaps know where they went?" Audrey asked.

    "Hmm¡­ I overheard them talking about going to S Club," Mrs Parker replied. Her gaze didn''t leave Joanna''s face as she talked.

    "So why are you looking for him¡­,"

    "You will hear the good news when she resumes work so be patient until then," Audrey hissed. She held Joanna''s hand and led her out of the cafe.

    Arriving where they parked their car, Audrey opened the door and tried to push Joanna into the car but the unhappydy refused to move.

    "Where are we going?" She asked gloomily.

    "To get your man of course," Audrey said.

    "He is not my man and¡­,"

    "He is not right now but he will be your man after tonight so stop being upset and let''s go," Audrey said and pushed Joanna into the car despite her reluctance.

    When they reached the club Joanna was reluctant about entering the club and Audrey had to y some tricks to get her to enter the club.

    Inside the club, Joanna and Audrey searched the crowded club for him but despite searching for a long time they didn''t see him.

    "Why is it that I can''t perceive his scent?" The frustrated Audrey shouted amidst the deafening music.

    "Have you forgotten he often used creams that hide his scent," Joanna muttered and continued forcing her way into the club?

    Just then a guy who has been essing Joanna unbeknownst to her held her hand and yanked her to himself.

    The way the already angry Joanna reacted to the man''s actions left Audrey wondering what her best friend was capable of.

    "If you dare as much as toy your filthy hands on me then I promise that you won''t walk out of here alive," She threatened after what she did to the groaning man still writhing in pain.

    She turned to leave but the angry guy let go of his bruised manhood and grabbed her hand again.

    "You are nothing but a cheap whore so what gives you the right toy your cursed hands on my precious face¡­," Joanna grabbed the guy''s hand and pushed him away.

    The furious guy in the ck shirt sprang up to attack but Audrey moved and stood in front of Joanna.

    "Dude, she wasn''t lying when she said you are not gonna walk out of here alive if you try any nonsense with her¡­," Audrey trailed her gaze not moving away from the bat tattooed on the guy''s chest.

    "Believe me, that not only you but your entire household will have to pay the price if you disrespect her one more time¡­,"

    "She is nothing but a¡­,"

    "Before his men take action I promise that I will make sure you be the meal for all the vampires present here if you dare disrespect her again," Audrey said.

    Her previous ck eyes turned crimson after she finished talking.

 Chapter 357 Kyle Lied

    ?On seeing what she was, the guy staggered a few steps backwards. Everything in his body began to tremble.

    "Be grateful I don''t have time for you because I would have made sure you regret your actions today," Audrey said. She held Joanna''s hand and led her away.

    After they had walked far away from the scene ofmotion, Audrey paused. She let her eyes scrutinize the club which had another floor upstairs.

    With all the loud music, screams, smoke from cigarettes, perfume and cologne mixed with sweat, finding someone especially one who has hidden his scent proves to be a difficult task for the twodies.

    "How on Earth are we gonna find him here?" Audrey bitterlyined and kept staring into the far distance.

    "Come, I know someone who might be able to tell us his whereabouts," Joanna whispered into Audrey''s ears.

    She held her hand and led him to the spot she is familiar with.

    Reaching the darkest part of the club, she met a man sitting in the middle of twodies. The scene of him teasing the girls was as she had imagined.

    "Hey, it''s you," Kyle faked a surprised look on turning around to see two girls standing in front of him.

    Because Audrey''s face was tilted as she strained her neck to see what was happening in another part of the club he couldn''t see her face.

    "You must be looking for him right?" Kyle guessed. He adjusted well so that he wasn''t choked by thedies at his side.

    "How did you know that?" She quizzed. She ignored thedies by his side, in the same manner, she did on her first day there.

    "You keep looking around even though it''s just me around. Also, I know you are the type who doesn''t enjoy going to clubs so it''s kind of obvious what you are looking for¡­,"

    "So where is he now since he is not here?" Audrey asked irritatedly as she turned to see the face of the one Joanna was speaking to.

    "It''s you?" Kyle and Audrey chorused with bewildered expressions.

    "Do you both know each other," Joanna asked when she saw the way they couldn''t take their eyes off each other.

    "Hey, why is none of you saying anything?" Joanna asked displeasingly, thinking that they were deliberately ignoring her.

    Kyleposed himself after Joanna''s outburst.

    "He and Amelia left the club not long ago," He said, not answering Joanna''s previous question.

    "So where did the two of them go exactly?" Audrey demanded, her gaze not shifting from his face.

    The way they kept ignoring Joanna made her wonder whether they still recall that she was present there.

    "Hmm¡­," Kyle trailed. He pushed away the hands of thedy trying to y with his chest hair.

    "I overheard them talking about going on a date. I don''t know anything else apart from that," Kyle ryed all he ims to know.

    "But why¡­,"

    "Did you guys realize that I am still standing here?" Joanna asked. She snapped a finger at both of their faces to get their attention.

    "Also, why does it look like both of you are purposely avoiding the topic of your encounter¡­,"

    "Aren''t you in a hurry to catch him?" Kyle asked.

    "Is he some criminal that needs to be caught that you had to use the term CATCH on him?" frowned as she talked.

    Kyle tilted his head, making sure his eyes were locked on Joanna''s.

    "Would you have preferred I used the word chase, pursue, hunt, run or woo¡­,"

    "You are¡­,"

    "From how starved Amelia looked, I am sure she is gonna eat him whole before the night matures. So take my advice and leave in search of him," Kyle provoked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "By eating, do you mean she desires his blood?" She asked innocently.

    Her words caused everyone at the table to burst outughing. Even Audrey could not hold back herughter.

    "This is the problem with innocent girls¡­,"

    "And what is wrong with being innocent and pure? Have you imagined what the world would have been like if all men and women were as experienced as you?" Joanna snapped.

    She doesn''t get upset if Audrey or Kayden calls her pure and innocent but she felt angry hearing it from another person.

    "Anna, you are getting too emotional besides you didn''t let him finish what he wanted to say? It''s bad to jump to conclusions," Audrey cautioned, noticing how quiet Kyle and thedies by his side have be because of Joanna''s words.

    "When I said she would eat him whole, I wasn''t talking about drinking his blood but I met having sex¡­,"

    "What!" Joanna''s eyes bulged as she stared at him with her mouth open.

    "Yeah and this why I said you don''t have time to¡­," He smiled seeing that she had started walking away.

    Audrey took a long nce at the guy who happens to be looking at her also. She hastens to catch up to Joanna without saying a word to her.

    "So thedy I saved was Joanna''s best friend that Chris and Kayden often told me about?" Kyle mumbled, his gaze concentrated on where Audrey stood before she left.

    Joanna was surprised to see Audrey let go of her hand after they reached outside the club.

    "Sorry Anna, but I will have to leave you from here onwards?" Audrey informed meekly.

    Joanna''s expression fell on learning about the new development. "Drey didn''t you hear what he said¡­,"

    "He has a cellphone so you can always call him to ask him about his whereabouts instead of trying to guess his location. You will find him quickly if you consider my suggestion¡­.,"

    "But¡­,"

    "From the beginning, I wasn''t nning to be a third wheel during your love confession. I just wanted to take you to him and leave. I believe you will do fine without me so cheer up girl," Audrey said and tickled her but Joanna didn''t smile despite this.

    "Also, when you finally see him, make sure to get rid of this miserable look so that the meandy won''t use that opportunity to bully you," Audrey advised.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE ??????. HAPPY 2023 ??????

    In this new year, I wish you, your family and your loved ones new happiness, new sess, new goals and new inspirations.

    I wish you good health and peace of mind. I pray that every day of 2023 will be full ofughter and each day will be memorable for you.

    I mustmend that you guys were awesomest year but I am hoping to see you guys do outstandingly well this year.

    I wish in 2023 you will give me the support and shower my book with love enough to push us to the top.

    I am very optimistic about this year and I know my dearest readers whom I trust a lot will not let me down.

    Let''s conquer 2023!

    I know we can do this!!

    And to do this you are aware you need to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Please, let''s get rid of the habit of only reading but notmenting and leaving any reviews. I will appreciate all yourments and reviews.

    Thanks as you do this ??.

    And I love you guys a whole lot ??????.

 Chapter 358 Heartbreak

    ?Getting Joanna to leave alone proved difficult. She had to resort to coaxing and encouraging her more before Joanna left.

    After watching Joanna walk away Audrey returned to the club.

    Kyle feeding one of thedies wine from his mouth abruptly pulled away when he perceived a familiar scent close by.

    "Did she forget something here?" He muttered and started searching the crowd for thedy whose scent he couldn''t ignore.

    As she made her way back to the apartment Joanna called Amos'' line as Audrey suggested but unfortunately, his line wasn''t going through.

    Joanna was on the verge of losing her mind when she got to the apartment and realised that Amos and Amelia weren''t there.

    She went to a few ces she suspected they would be but her efforts weren''t fruitful once again.

    "I desperately need a cool ce to stay and calm myself. I am scared I will lose my mind if I keep this up," Joanna squatting in the middle of nowhere muttered and slowly stood up.

    As she strolled, she thought of ces suitable for restoring one''s peace of mind. And after a lot of thinking only one ce popped into her head.

    Some minutester ady in a white dress was seen navigating her way through the dark forest in heels.

    Since she knew this route like the back of her hand she wasn''t scared about missing her way.

    She ignored all the hoots, gnaws and squeaks around and forged ahead.

    Getting close to her destination, Joanna was astounded to hear voices in the bush.

    At first, she thought the voices were parts of her imagination but she gave up on this possibility when the voices became a bit loud when she got closer to where she was going.

    Raising her head to behold the beauty of the flower garden Kayden created for her, what Joanna saw made her eyes bulge out of their sockets.

    Her legs suddenly went weak seeing the two figures in the dark about to kiss.

    Thank goodness to the moon prating through the dark forest, she was able to see the faces of those in the dark.

    Seeing their mouths about to join, tears streamed down Joanna''s beautiful face. Quickly she covered her mouth to prevent a sound froming out.

    She turned and was about to leave without making a sound. Because of her frantic movements coupled with the darkness, she stepped on a dry branch.

    CRACK!

    The broken branch made the two people turn and gaze in the direction the noise came from.

    "Oops¡­ we are caught," Amelia eximed, not sounding remorseful at all.

    "Joan?" Amos called. He brushed off Amelia''s hands and tried to approach where the figure in white stood but Joanna took to her heels.

    "Joan¡­,"

    "Don''t go. Stay with¡­," Amos violently flung her hand clutching his shirt.

    "Was this your intention from the start?" Amos demanded fiercely.

    "How could you do this¡­,"

    A loud thud that got animals scrambling in the dark made Amos turn and look in the direction the noise came from.

    "Joan¡­," Amos called. He disappeared from there in an instant.

    Amos didn''t have to search for Joanna because her sweet scenting blood lured him to her.

    "Joanna, wait up. You are bleeding," He said and grabbed her hand but the furiousdy flung his hand away.

    "Don''t touch me," She shouted and resumed running again.

    Seeing her wounds and the tears in her eyes broke his heart. He wanted to exin what happened but Joanna refused to give him that opportunity.

    She kept on racing in the dark forest. She didn''t care whether she fell or had lost her shoes, she just kept on running like someone who was on drugs.

    Joanna ran until she sessfully got out of the forest. Even at that she still wanted to run again but Amos grabbed her.

    He refused to let go despite her screams and struggles.

    He must exin things before it''s toote.

    "Joan, what you saw wasn''t what it looked like. Amelia and I weren''t trying to kiss like you must have assumed¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Liar," She shouted and struggled to break free from his firm hold.

    "And why would I lie about that¡­,"

    "I bet you are lying because you have fallen for her charms. Her seduction has worked on you," She used amidst her sobs.

    "Do you think I would easily fall in love with another woman when I am madly in love with you?" He demanded. His grip on her hand loosened.

    "Is that how shallow you have always thought my love is?" He let go of her hand and moved backwards.

    Joanna was a bit taken aback by his reaction but she soon got over it.

    "You are the one caught trying to kiss her so stop trying to y the victim because only I have the right to feel this way," Joanna said firmly.

    "You are the one who always followed me everywhere confessing how much you loved me. You never got tired of whispering those words into my ears but everything changed after she showed up," She mumbled.

    Despite wiping her tears they kept falling against her will.

    She wanted to stop crying so she wouldn''t look too pathetic but her bleeding heart wouldn''t listen to what she wanted.

    "At first I thought following and paying attention to her was only a temporary thing caused by infatuation but hell no. Your care for her became worst that you no longer have time for me¡­,"

    "Joan, it''s¡­,"

    "I neverined or confronted you despite all my grievances. I swallowed all the pain thinking that maybe this was a trial of our love but what you did is something I would never tolerate," said Joanna as she wiped her tears once again.

    "That ce was your birthday and engagement gift to me. It was a ce solely for us and not a ce you should bring another woman to. I will never take that¡­,"

    "But I wasn''t the one who brought her there¡­,"

    "How is that even possible when we are the only ones who know about it?" Joanna shouted at the top of her lungs.

    Joanna took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from falling but they kept flowing.

    She wanted to confess her love to him. Never had she expected that she would bump into the scene she met earlier.

    And that is why her poor heart could not handle the pain.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello, everyone, so I havee up with goals for this year.

    Starting this week, ording to how well you do for the week, there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    The criteria to determine how well you guys do include;

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    Remember to buy privileged chapters. You don''t necessarily have to buy the highest tier if you can''t afford it.

    You can settle for tiers 4, 3 and 2 if that is what you can afford. Because buying these tiers also counts.

    Speaking about gifts, I look forward to seeing which one of you will give me the first gifts for the year 2023.

    Will it be you ??, you ?? or you?

    I love you ???

 Chapter 359 Everything Was All An Act

    ?"You are the one who did everything to win my heart and now that you have seeded, what did you do huh?" Joanna asked. She lifted her right hand and hit his chest twice.

    Standing there all he could hear was the repetition of her sentence in his head which refused to stop ying.

    At that moment the world around him ceased to exist. The only thing he could see and hear was her love confession which was on repetition.

    "How could you be so cruel to do this to me Kayden Greyson?" Joanna breaks down in tears again.

    She squats and covers her face.

    Amos slowly lowered himself into a squatting position after his brain had finally assimted her words.

    He reached out his hand and lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyeballs.

    "Did you just say you are in love with me?" He asked. There was so much gentleness in his eyes and tone as he stared at her.

    If he had this expression on a normal asion he would have without a doubt melted her heart but not right now when she was mad with rage.

    "That was before I saw you in our private space with her," She said and pushed his hand away from her face.

    "But right now, I hate you very much. In fact, I don''t want to see your face," She hissed and sprang up.

    Before he realised what she was up to she started walking away.

    Joanna came to an abrupt stop when a figure embraced her from behind.

    "I am sorry if I unknowingly hurt you but believe me when I say nothing is going on between Amelia and me. Also, what you saw was a misunderstanding¡­,"

    "I was trying to refrain from hitting you but I promise to p you hard if you keep lying to my face," Joanna stated. She held his hand and tried to unwrap his hand from her waist but he refused to let go.

    "But what I am saying is this truth. Amelia is my doctor. Everything she did and said whenever you were around was all an act¡­.,"

    "You are lying¡­,"

    "You can ask Mrs Parker if you don''t believe me because this was their idea from the beginning," Amos cut in meekly. He let go of her and move to stand in front of her.

    "Did you just say I should ask Mrs Parker about your rtionship with her cousin?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "Actually, Amelia is her niece and not her cousin¡­," He paused halfway when her eyes turned deadly.

    "If you still don''t believe me then you can ask Kyle. He was the one who convinced me into ying along in thedies'' show¡­,"

    "How do you expect me to believe the words of the man who told me an hour ago that Amelia was dying to fuck you?" She shouted and pushed him out of her path.

    She stomped away unconvinced by everything he said.

    "Kyle said what?" Amos shouted in shock. He pursued her.

    Amos tried to stop her but he wasn''t very lucky again. He paused in his tracks when his attempts failed.

    "I swear on my name and honour that there is no romantic rtionship between Amelia and me," Amos shouted with his right hand ced on his chest.

    He let out a sigh of relief seeing her halt after his deration.

    Slowly she turned and looked at him.

    "She is always close to you and mentioned more than thrice that she was in love with you, are you certain nothing is going on between the two of you?" Joanna asked sceptically.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She started moving towards where he stood with his hand still on his chest.

    "My heart solely belongs to you. There is room for no one else in it so believe it when I said that my heart didn''t flutter for her or anyone else," He said seriously.

    Joanna halted about three steps away from where he stood.

    "If what you are saying is true then why on Earth would she pretend to be in love with you and why would Mrs Parker and Kyle support it?" She quizzed.

    "Also what''s your rtionship with Mrs Parker?" She added.

    She has always suspected that there was something between them and has confronted Mrs Parker about it but the cunning woman has always brushed off the topic without giving her definite answers.

    "My car is parked not far away from here. How about we talk there instead of standing here? Also, don''t forget we need to get your wounds disinfected and treated," Amos said.

    Since she was eager to know everything from the beginning she didn''t go against his suggestion.

    Entering the car Joanna bombarded the guy fiddling with the first aid box on his legs.

    Her questions were so many that he lost count of them.

    "So which of the questions do you want me to answer first?" He asked as he took out a cotton wool and poured some liquid onto it.

    "How and why did she and Mrs Parkere up with the idea of her pretending to be in love with you?" She asked while staring at his face.

    Amos lifted her legs and tried to ce them on his thighs but Joanna refused.

    "It''s not proper and you are gonna see my panties," Joanna mumbled with her face lowered.

    "Let me be the judge of whether or not it''s proper for my lover to ce her legs on mine," He said and lifted her legs and ced them on his.

    "Also, this is not the first time I will be seeing your panties so stop acting adorable or else you are gonna get me into trouble," He teased.

    He went ahead to use the wet cotton wool and cleaned her wound after she stopped fighting with him.

    "The reason Amelia took on this task which was unfavourable to her was for our sake," He said and removed the wet cotton wool from her wound, seeing her flinch and close her eyes.

    "What does that mean?" She scratched the back of her head and waited for him to satisfy her curiosity.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so apart from the mass release on the 27th and 31st of December 2022, I have a little surprise for all of you on the 25th of December.

    Look forward to it.

    Also, don''t forget to send my gifts too. I will be eagerly waiting for my Christmas gifts from all of you so keep theming.

    One more thing please support the dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Thank you very much as you do this.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 360 Mrs Parkers Real Relationship With Him

    ?"I lost control of myself a few times when we were very close. You know what I mean¡­," He said not willing to go into details.

    "Thest time I lost control of my powers was as a result of an outburst of emotions so she was worried when she learned that I lost control more than twice. And that was when I was with you," Amos exined as he kept treating her wounded leg.

    He continued exining how and when Amelia arrived at this idea of pretending to be his admirer.

    "To fulfil her duty as my doctor and also help her lovestruck patient out she came up with this crazy idea," Amos concluded.

    "So how did Mrs Parkere into the picture?" asked Joanna as she leaned her aching back against the door.

    "Mrs Parker had ns to help me pursue you but she never mentioned anything to me because she knew I would never agree to her ns. You can imagine how thrilled she was when her niece returned and shared simr ns with her¡­,"

    "Whoa¡­ so because this was their idea you agreed to make me jealous and also hurt me in the process?" Joanna demanded and removed her legs from his.

    Realising that she was unhappy with the revtion he pulled closer to her.

    "At first I was against the idea. I vehemently stood against their ns and because of how adamant I was, they got Kyle involved. And he was the one who convinced me," Amos exined his stance.

    He can remember the number of times he lost his cool because Amelia went too far with her ns.

    An example of such times was when she answered his line and told Joanna that they were together in his home.

    Another time was recently when she challenged Joanna''s feelings for him. Her mistake was that she chose to do this in his presence.

    He was mad beyond reason that day.

    "They told me that for someone who was stuck at realising her feelings that a spark in the form of a rival was all it needed to ignite the mes. I agreed because I didn''t stand to lose anything¡­,"

    "Hey, how could you casually say that? Do you know how many times I was hurt because of this decision of yours?" She scolded.

    "Can you count the number of sleepless nights I have suffered because of the two of you¡­,"

    "I never knew that you love me so much to suffer from not one but countless sleepless nights¡­,"

    "Hey!" She shouted and tried to attack him but she ended up being embraced tightly by him.

    "Thank you for loving me so much and I am sorry if I hurt you. I will treat you better in the future, I promise," He whispered and pecked her right cheek.

    "It will be your loss if you treat me badly in the future because I won''t hesitate to run into the arms of another man if that ever happens," She muttered, beaming.

    He released her and moved away after her utterances.

    "Stop making that ugly face because I was only kidding," She replied, still maintaining her smile.

    "Let it remain a joke because I wouldn''t hesitate to kill the man you would abandon me for¡­,"

    "Oh, you are so scary and I am so terrified," Joanna said. She made her hands tremble as if she was truly scared.

    "You are teasing me," He said and grabbed her.

    Cheerfulughter soon filled the car as the two people yed and talked.

    After theughter and excitement died off Joanna continued with her questioning.

    "I am sure Amelia wouldn''t have gone out of her way to help you despite her busy schedule just because you were her patient. What is your true rtionship with her and her family?" She asked with all seriousness.

    Amos adjusted well so that he was looking at her face as he spoke.

    "You are right when you said her family wouldn''t have gone all out to help me just because I was Amelia''s patient," He responded.

    "Actually, the reason I lost control of myself and my powers is because of an experiment that was conducted on me when I was a child. Not only did the experiment perfectly conceal my identity as a hybrid but it made me twice powerful and better than other hybrids alive¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You were an experiment subject?" She asked in astonishment. "Howe I don''t know about this?".

    "That is because I never mentioned it to others. Only my closest friends and Chris are aware of this. Even the Queen Mother isn''t aware of this," He said carefreely.

    "Although the experiment enhanced my abilities it went wrong, therefore, causing me to lose control. Mrs Parker and her family felt responsible for this despite not being entirely at fault. This and her another reason made them feel indebted to me¡­," Amos trailed.

    "Mrs Parker once said that she and her family would go to any length as long as it concerns me¡­,"

    "Seeing how she didn''t hesitate to help you meant she meant what she said," Joanna mumbled.

    "All of them are loyal to a fault that I feel guilty at times," He responded.

    Joanna pulled closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

    "It''s because you are a good person that is why. And I think their loyalty towards you is not based on the incidents you mentioned. You earned it with your hard work, that I am sure of," She mumbled and snuggled in.

    He smiled and patted her hair without saying a word.

    With both of them not saying a word, there was absolute quietness in the car.

    Not long after Joanna moved away from him. She stared into his eyes and asked. "You talked about being an experimental subject. How did you be that without your mother''s knowledge? And what exactly went wrong?" Joanna''s voice was as still as the water as she asked him this question.

    "Can we not talk about this?" He suggested.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello, everyone, so I havee up with goals for this year.

    Starting this week, ording to how well you do for the week, there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    The criteria to determine how well you guys do include;

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    Remember to buy privileged chapters. You don''t necessarily have to buy the highest tier if you can''t afford it.

    You can settle for tiers 4, 3 and 2 if that is what you can afford. Because buying these tiers also counts.

    Speaking about gifts, I look forward to seeing which one of you will give me the first gifts for the year 2023.

    Will it be you ??, you ?? or you?

    I love you ???

 Chapter 361 At The Club Again

    ?"It''s not like I don''t love you enough to trust you with my secrets but it''s just that this sweet atmosphere will get ruined if we go deep into that topic¡­,"

    "It''s ok," She replied and beamed at him. "I can wait until you are ready to talk about it. There is no need to rush things," She sounded very mature and understanding as she said this.

    "We haven''t met for only a few hours but why does it feel like something has changed about you?" Amos asked as he kept peering at her face.

    "Something has changed?" Joanna said and took a careful look at herself.

    She didn''t notice any visible change despite checking herself twice.

    "Something like what?" She quizzed when she couldn''t guess what he was talking about.

    "You have be gentle and sensible¡­,"

    "Hey, are you trying to say I wasn''t gentle and sensible before?" She asked and hit his right hand lightly.

    "You are always like a fierce tigress with her ws kept in attack mode so you can''t me me for saying this," He said grinning.

    "Also, it wasn''t only a few hours we didn''t see each other but it was a day and six hours," She corrected him with her chin held up.

    "I never knew you to be good at calctions so I am surprised to see you kept count of the times we didn''t meet¡­,"

    "You..," He held her raised hand and ced it on his chest.

    "And no one told me that you were anxiously waiting for me. I thought you were having so much fun with your new friends and forgot about me; the one who has always been by your side," He said and wrapped his hand around her neck.

    He tried to kiss her but she moved backwards.

    "Y-you are trying to take advantage of me," She said and crossed her hand around her chest.

    Seeing her act so cute and innocent made Amos chuckle.

    "If kissing you is considered taking advantage of you then all I can say is to get yourself ready because you are gonna be taken advantage of countless times by me in the future," He beamed and ignited the car.

    "You are mean¡­,"

    "We are just starting and you are already saying this. I wondered what you are gonna say after our second marriage anniversary," Amos teased and zoomed off.

    They continued talking and ying for a long time.

    When they reached where Amos was supposed to take a route leading to the apartment he took another. And Joanna noticed this.

    "This is not the road to the apartment so where are you going?" She asked, peering at his straight expression.

    "You will know when we get there," He replied without taking his eyes off the busy road.

    Because she knew she was safe with him she didn''t panic though he refused to tell her their destination.

    Joanna turned to look at him when he pulled over in front of the club she left not long ago.

    "The club!" She asked with widened eyes.

    "Yes, I have something to show you. Also, I am here to get revenge on Kyle for the nonsense he told you earlier," He said and pushed the door of the car open.

    Joanna had already stepped out of the car before he could hasten to open the door for her.

    "Speaking of revenge, you are not the only one who is gonna take revenge. I almost had a mental breakdown and it''s all his fault. I must avenge myself today," Joanna retorted and stomped towards the club entrance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The guards at the door who recognised them didn''t ask questions or harass them in any way.

    The first ce they visited after entering the club was Kyle''s favourite spot.

    Amos was stunned when he couldn''t find his best friend there. Thank goodness for his P.A which arrived in time to satisfy their curious minds.

    "Where is he?" Amos asked the guy he recognised to be Kyle''s P.A. "Is he having fun upstairs?" He added and nced upstairs as if he could see Kyle''s room from there.

    "He left the club..,"

    "Kyle voluntarily left the club? Whoa¡­ that is the first time," Amos remarked.

    Kyle''s P. A was wise not to consider Amos his equal just because he was talking casually to him.

    "Boss told me to ry to you that everything is set for tonight," the guy in the red shirt informed him.

    "Are you leaving tonight?" Joanna asked. Her tone showed just how she will react if he confirms her fear.

    "You can leave," Amos addressed the guy who seemed to be waiting for his orders.

    "Don''t tell me you are gonna leave me alone despite how special tonight is¡­,"

    "I know you dislike it here so let''s talk upstairs in my room," Amos said. He held her hand and led her towards the stairs.

    As they climbed upstairs he shielded her in a way that anyone who wanted to collide with her will have to go through him first.

    "If you are gonna leave it''s better you say it now¡­," He opened the door and pushed her in.

    He shut the door after he was inside.

    The room was pitch ck and Joanna couldn''t take a step forward out of fear of what was in front of her.

    "Why is the room so dark?" She questioned.

    He reached out his hand and felt her body.

    "Are you with your cell phone?" He asked. Since she couldn''t see anything Joanna used his hand as a guide to turning around.

    "No. I left my bag in the car earlier and my cell phone was in it," Joanna informed. She tried to feel his body but he grabbed her hands and ced them on his chest.

    "I am also not with my cellphone so wait here while I search for themp," He said and navigated his way easily through the room even though it was dark.

    Amos walked to the bed. He felt the bed with his hand until he found what he was searching for.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, so this week there is no mass release since the goals were not met.

    If you want to enjoy the weekly mass release then do your part of the deal and I promise to do mine.

    As I had said, as long as we reach the weekly goals I will unfailingly give the mass release as scheduled so please keep thements, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts, power stones and reviewsing.

    Also please endeavour to buy the privileged chapters.

    I will say thanks to all those who willply in advance.

 Chapter 362 The Fifth Anniversary

    ?"Bacon, it''s time now so go on¡­,"

    "What are you mumbling about? And haven''t you found themp yet?" Joanna questioned and moved a step forward.

    She was still trying to get her eyes ustomed to the darkness around her when a bright light focusing on the left wall illuminated the room.

    "What''s that¡­," She didn''t finish talking when a video started ying on the part of the room the light concentrated on.

    She was stunned to see that it was a video of her and Amos ying in the forest¡­ No, he was Kayden and not Amos then.

    Amos smiled seeing her bewildered expression, he strolled to where she stood and took his position beside her.

    "What is this?" Joanna asked and pointed at the video ying and the beautiful decorations of red and white.

    "A surprise¡­," He said with his hands spread. Joanna couldn''t stop herself from smiling along.

    In fact, her beautiful smile was broader than his.

    "If you wanted to propose today, why didn''t you tell me?" Joanna said. She covered her blushing face with her palms.

    "I could have gone home and changed my clothes. Just look at me, I am a mess now," Joanna said and stared at her waistline where the dirt was very visible.

    At that moment she regretted running so much in the forest. If only she had walked, her clothes wouldn''t have gotten stained nor would she be wearing Amos'' spare sneakers now.

    "Do you think I am gonna propose?" Amos asked, chuckling. He couldn''t resist theughter no matter how hard he tried.

    "The decorations and all these says it, so¡­,"

    "I only told Kyle to have the room cleaned because I had a surprise. All the decorations were his idea. I didn''t know he was gonna set me up again," Amos said, still maintaining his broad smile.

    The smile on her face faded when she realised she had made a fool of herself out of excitement.

    "If you had no intentions of proposing then what exactly was your surprise?" She asked, not looking thrilled like earlier.

    "That over there," He said while pointing at the video on the wall ying through Bacon''s eyes.

    "Watch carefully because this is the highlight and a few other scenes," he winked naughtily at her.

    Joanna instantly looked away when she recalled that the scene about to y was that of her and Kayden kissing the night they had apetition about who caught the boar first.

    He held her chin and tilted her neck so that her gaze was on the video ying.

    "Watch it. You are not allowed to look away," he whispered into her ears with his husky tone.

    Joanna''s face turned beet red when the scene of Kayden capturing her lips in the video popped up.

    She started feeling the adrenaline rush inside of her as the kiss intensified. She clutched her fists to suppress the overwhelming feelings building up inside of her but that didn''t work.

    "I am not¡­," She turned her head but he shifted her head immediately, making sure that she didn''t miss any part of the video.

    Apart from this, Bacon yed the videos of their sweet moments together. Some scenes left her giggling and cringing while others made her upset.

    The lights came on after the video finished ying.

    "So, what was this for? I am sure there is a reason why you went this far right? Is there any special asion I forgot about?" She peered at his face and waited for his response.

    "Let''s sit first," He said and led her to the table set up with candles, and a bouquet of roses by the side. There was also wine and a dish neatly covered.

    It was because of this romantic set up she had assumed he wanted to propose to her.

    He held her handsid on the white table after they had both sat down.

    He stared into her eyes intensely and began, "Joan, do you remember the day I confessed my feelings for you for the first time?".

    "Of course I do. I recall that I had fainted in your arms because I didn''t eat for three days. It was my first time setting foot out of the house after being grounded by Adhara," Joanna ryed in detail to show him that the incident was still vivid in her memory.

    "That day you took me to a boutique, got me dressed up and went as far as taking me to a fancy restaurant. I can still remember that I didn''t think twice about rejecting your proposal that day¡­," She let her words linger as she wondered why he would ask her about that incident.

    Was he regretting his choice so soon?

    Her thoughts wandered far even though her body was present there.

    "Why are you asking me that? Are you going to change your mind¡­,"

    "That''s because today marks the fifth year of my first proposal," He announced to Joanna''s amazement.

    "5 years?" Joanna asked while covering her dropped jaw. "It''s been that long since then?" She asked.

    Thinking back now she couldn''t believe that five years had passed within a blink of an eye.

    She has always wanted the years to go by in a blink of an eye because she was desperate to be an adult.

    But for the first time, she wished that time could just stop. She wished time would stop for at least fifty years. This is because she is afraid this happiness will soone to an end if time keeps flowing.

    All her life she has been gued with bad luck. She lost her mother when she was barely two years old.

    And ever since then she has been living in hell. She thought things would get better after her eighteenth birthday but fate yed a cruel one on her again.

    She was murdered on her long-awaited eighteenth birthday.

    As if that wasn''t enough she returned with powers with hopes that she would never get bullied again as long as she possessed these powers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once again bad luck struck and she returned to that powerless girl.

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

    TOP FANS

    Thank you so much for the love, support and care you have shown me. Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to each one of you. Thank you for all the coins,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS you have showered on this book.

    Thank you a bunch.

    1) DaoistTzoOew

    2) Fitoria_01

    3) Flower_goddess

    4) hopze21

    5) Brigitt_Hendry

    TOP GIFTERS

    Your gifts serve as motivation to do better and I want to especially thank each one of you who sent me gifts. You motivated me even in times when I don''t feel like writing.

    Nothing feels better than getting a reward after a job well done and that''s exactly what your gift means to me.

    Thanks once again.

    1) hopze21

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Fitoria

    TOP COMMENTERS

    Comments make an author believe that his or her readers are not only enjoying his/her book but are also following it. And that is exactly how I feel each time I receive yourments.

    What some readers don''t know is that notmenting sometimes makes the author feels lonely.

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face and keeping mepany through yourments. Yourments mean a lot to me.

    1) Jennijin

    2) Jen2Jin

    3) BumbaJander

    4) hopze21

    5) DaoistTzoOew

    TOP THREE GOLDEN TICKETS RANKERS

    One of the things I don''t fail to check every time I open the Webnovel app is the GOLDEN TICKETS ranking.

    There is always this joy that springs forth from within any time I check the ranking and realised that my readers have cast GOLDEN TICKETS to my book.

    Thanks for making me feel happy and proud.

    1) hopze21

    2) DaoistTzoOew

    3) Clumsy_N1nja

    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

    Another big thank you to the readers who have never failed to buy this book''s privileged chapters every month. I may not say your name but like I said you know yourself. And I am especially saying thank you to you.

    I LOVE YOU ALL ??????

    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 363 Triple Celebration

    ?She was terrified that her bad luck might strike again. She is scared that within a blink of an eye this happiness she is experiencing might turn into bubbles and vanish forever.

    She didn''t think she would ever be able to survive if something terrible happens to Kayden.

    Joanna was afraid that she might end upmitting suicide to put an end to all this bad luck.

    "Yeah, it has been that long," He beamed and stroked her hand affectionately. "As fate may have it, you had to confess your love for me on the same day¡­,"

    "Does this mean instead of one celebration that we are gonna be having a triple celebration yearly on this day?" Joanna questioned. Her eyes twinkled as she looked into his eyes.

    "Triple celebration?" He scratched the back of his head in confusion.

    "Yes," She said and stood up and strolled away from the table.

    "The first celebration is the anniversary of your first proposal. And the second is my love confession¡­,"

    "And what''s the third?" He startled her when he suddenly appeared behind her.

    She spun so that they were facing each other. She raised her hands and cupped his face.

    "And the third celebration is that today marks our first day officially being a couple," She announced, grinning.

    "A couple?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

    "Yeah, I thought we were now a couple or was it my wishful thinking?" She asked and withdrew from him.

    "Were you intending to y with my feelings¡­,"

    "Of course not," He said and grabbed her moving hands. He ced her hands on his beating chest.

    "We are a couple now. I repeated it not because I hated the idea. But because the feeling of you saying that word made my heart skips¡­,"

    "Cheesy," She remarked and tried to remove her hand from his chest but he leaned in, taking her by surprise.

    "I mean it. Or can''t you feel my heart pounding as if it''s gonna jump out of my chest?" He said, still holding her hand close to his chest.

    [He is bad for my poor heart so it will be better if I keep my distance from him]

    She forced her hand out of his firm grip when he least expected it.

    Joanna swirled to leave but he embraced her from behind.

    "Where are you running off to huh?" He whispered. His hot breath caressed her sensitive ear, causing Joanna''s body to stiffen.

    "Y-you are too dangerous for my p-poor heart," she stammered as she tried to break out of his hold. But he didn''t budge.

    "Dangerous?" He whispered once again and shifted his mouth from her ear to her bare neck.

    "How dangerous am I?" He asked provocatively. His sexy husky tone made Joanna bite her lower lips.

    She mustered up all the self-control she had just to resist his temptations.

    "Hmmm¡­,"

    "And do you think you are innocent also?" He said and nted a lingering kiss on her bare neck.

    A groan almost escaped Joanna''s mouth had she not bitten her lips on time.

    "My body is in mes all because of you but did I me you huh¡­,"

    "Kay, can we not do it now? I am¡­,"

    "Naughty girl, what are you thinking huh?" He grinned and moved away from her.

    "Your fears won''te true because I don''t have the intention ofying a finger on you," He said and strolled to the table.

    He pulled out a chair and beckoned her to sit.

    "At least not yet. I need to feed you first so that you will have the energy to withstand my unparalleled strength¡­,"

    "Hey, you are teasing me," Thedy now sitting on the red and white chair lifted her hand to hit him but he moved away in a sh.

    He proceeded to the opposite chair and sat down.

    "What will you have me do if we made love and you suddenly faint midway because I didn''t feed you¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am not that weak ok¡­,"

    "It''s not about saying it but we will see how true your words are in a few minutes," He teased and reached out his hand to carry the bottle of wineid on the middle of the table.

    His naughty words caused Joanna''s face to flush.

    "There will be punishment if youin of weariness¡­,"

    "And there will be serious punishments for teasing me¡­,"

    "Bring it on and I will ept it with dness," He beamed and took a sip from the ss of wine.

    They kept on ying and teasing each other. As she ate, Amos who had taken off his disguise earlier kept watching her.

    No reaction or movement she made escaped his notice.

    "Is it tasty?" He asked, seeing Joanna take a bite from the steak she had cut into sizable pieces.

    She lowered her gaze and stared at the man whose burning gaze was about to bore a hole on her face.

    "Why don''t you take a bite and see for yourself," She mumbled. She picked a churn of meat from her te and extended it across to where he sat.

    "Human food tastes horrible. Ever since the first day I had a bite from it I vowed not to eat it again¡­,"

    "Then are you trying to tell me that I am gonna eat alone in the future when we get married¡­,"

    "You won''t eat alone but I will apany you like this," He cut in meekly.

    "Hmmm¡­," Joanna stood up with the piece of meat still stuck to her fork.

    She approached Kayden''s seat.

    "I am sure the food must have felt horrible because I wasn''t there to feed you," She said and squatted in front of her.

    "Oh¡­ Really?" Kayden asked, holding back hisughter.

    "Yeah," she was confident and shameless with her reply.

    "Let''s see whether you will still find it terrible if I feed you this way," She whispered and ced the steak inside her mouth.

    Joanna reached out her hand and ced the fork on his te. Before Kayden fathomed what she was up to she stretched, wrapped her hand around his neck and nted a kiss on his lips.

    Kayden''s body stiffened. He was caught off guard by her actions.

    Some minutes ago she was the one running away from him because he got close.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE ??????. HAPPY 2023 ??????

    In this new year, I wish you, your family and your loved ones new happiness, new sess, new goals and new inspirations.

    I wish you good health and peace of mind. I pray that every day of 2023 will be full ofughter and each day will be memorable for you.

    I mustmend that you guys were awesomest year but I am hoping to see you guys do outstandingly well this year.

    I wish in 2023 you will give me the support and shower my book with love enough to push us to the top.

    I am very optimistic about this year and I know my dearest readers whom I trust a lot will not let me down.

    Let''s conquer 2023!

    I know we can do this!!

    And to do this you are aware you need to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Please, let''s get rid of the habit of only reading but notmenting and leaving any reviews. I will appreciate all yourments and reviews.

    Thanks as you do this ??.

    And I love you guys a whole lot ??????.

 Chapter 364 Love At Its Peak

    ?He marvelled at where her sudden boldness emerged from.

    The surprise feeling vanished in the same manner it came. He opened his mouth a bit and let the chunk of meat in her mouth roll into his.

    Maybe because he was kissing her, he didn''t feel the horrible taste or the urge to spat out the steak like he did on his first try.

    As he ate the steak he devoured her thirsty lips and left her gasping for air.

    As they kissed Kayden guided her waist and made her slowly rise.

    The tastiness of her lips didn''t make him pull away for even a minute.

    When they were both standing, Kayden shoved the stuff on the table on one side. Her ss of wine fell.

    SHATTER!

    Not even the shattering of the wine ss made them pause.

    Kayden lifted her and made her seat on the space he cleared. He spared a minute to look into her burning eyes.

    Joanna stretched a bit and tried to kiss him but he tilted his face sideways.

    "Ugh¡­," she grunted and tried to push him away.

    "I love you," He dered. "I love you even when you are ring at me like that," He muttered. He lifted his right hand and ced it on her right cheek.

    He bent and whispered into her ear, "I also love you when you refuse to talk or look at me".

    Joanna was upset but right now she was fighting back the desire to burst outughing because of his teases.

    "I love you even when you are pouting your sexy lips like that¡­,"

    "Hey, cut it out already," She said and jumped to her feet. She pushed him aside and started walking.

    A grip around her wrist p made her pause in her tracks. He spun her around before she knew what was happening.

    She lifted her head only to meet his smiling face.

    "I also love you, even more, when you are acting shy and innocent¡­,"

    "Kayden Grey~," He crashed his lips against hers not letting her scold him.

    He circled her waist with his powerful hand and made her lean closer. His hands roamed her bare back as he sucked all the sweet nectar out of her mouth.

    As this was happening Joanna''s mind didn''t go anywhere close to the system''s mission.

    Not to mention attempting to aplish the mission.

    While kissing, Kayden made her move ording to his lead. Thedy whose presence wasn''t there moved a step backwards.

    She stumbled on the foot of the bed and fell on top of the bed. Joanna bounced on the tender materials she fell on.

    HAHAHA

    Herughter filled the room realising that she was scared for nothing.

    "That''s to teach you that you should have more fate on your man or did you think I would have let you fall?" He said and sat beside thedy who was stillughing at herself.

    "You are right about that," she muttered in between herughter.

    She turned and looked into his eyes after herughter had died off.

    "So what do you think?" She asked. "Did it feel horrible like the first time you ate?".

    "Hmm¡­," he trailed as he peered into her eyes. "I didn''t have the chance to savour the taste so how about we go for another round," He teased.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He bent and tried to kiss her but Joanna moved away.

    "Since you couldn''t feel the taste then I doubt you would feel it even though we do it again," She muttered while covering her mouth.

    Thest thing she wanted was to be caught off guard by the cunning guy by her side.

    "Since you don''t want me to get drunk by the sweetness of your lips I guess I will have to make do with the wine even though it is not as delicious as your lips," He said and disappeared from his position.

    He returned secondster with two wine sses and a bottle of wine.

    Kayden handed the two wine sses to her and opened the wine bottle. As he poured the wine into the sses he kept stealing nces at her.

    "Joan, it''s a renowned fact that vampires don''t get drunk but can I tell you a secret?" He asked. He collected the wine ss in her right and took his position beside her on the bed afterwards.

    "And what''s that secret?" She quizzed and took a sip from the ss of wine.

    "There is actually something in this world which can intoxicate me. I just need to taste a little out of it and I will get drunk in an instant," He said, his gaze not moving from her face.

    "Really?" She asked and lowered the ss of wine from her mouth.

    She looked him in the eyes and demanded, "And what''s that?"

    "Do you want to know?" He asked in his husky tone that carried so much mischief.

    Eager to know what he was referring to Joanna couldn''t sense in his tone that he was up to no good again.

    "Yes," she affirmed.

    He leaned in when she least expected and whispered, "Your sweetness".

    The abruptness of his actions and the content of his words made Joanna jerk to her feet.

    She gazes at the grinning guy not knowing what to do to him.

    How on Earth did the cold King she knew turn to this shameless fellow sitting in front of her?

    This was the thought on her mind as she gazed at him.

    "Joan, I just need to have a feel or taste of your sweetness and it will feel as if I am on drugs," He said and reached his hand to hold her but she drew backwards.

    "Do you want me to tell you a secret too?" She started. She bent and dropped the wine ss on the tiled floor and stood up to look at himter.

    "What?" He said his gaze still fixated on her beautiful face.

    "Do you know what can kill me faster than a bullet piercing through my heart?" She quizzed and walked two steps forward.

    "No," he shook his head in negation.

    Unlike her, he wasn''t caught off guard when she suddenly bent and brought her mouth close to his left ear.

    "It''s your cheesy words," She muttered and tried to pull away. Unfortunately for her, Kayden''s hands moved faster than her body.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, so this week there is no mass release since the goals were not met.

    If you want to enjoy the weekly mass release then do your part of the deal and I promise to do mine.

    As I had said, as long as we reach the weekly goals I will unfailingly give the mass release as scheduled so please keep thements, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts, power stones and reviewsing.

    Also please endeavour to buy the privileged chapters.

    I will say thanks to all those who willply in advance.

 Chapter 365 I Trust You

    ?He circled her waist and trapped her with no escape route.

    "That means you will need to get used to dying at least a hundred times a day because I have no intention of changing this side of me¡­,"

    "You¡­," He shut her up with a sensational kiss on the lips.

    He pulled away just when she was yearning for more of him.

    "As I said earlier you are not allowed to get tired or quit before I do," He said, his gaze settled on her burning eyes.

    "You are bullying me¡­," He kissed her again. This time the kiss was more intense and his movement a bit rougher.

    With every touch and every bite, he left Joanna craving for nothing else except more of him.

    His habit of ripping her clothes manifested when the dress she wore obstructed him from exploring every part of her body with ease.

    "Kay, that was the dress you bought for me¡­,"

    "You will receive the exact dress tomorrow morning so don''t worry," He said and rolled on top of her.

    "You could have just¡­ fuck," Joanna cursed and wriggled underneath him the instant he gave a slight pull to her nipples.

    "I tend to lose myself if we make out so be sure to call my intention if I am hurting you¡­,"

    "You won''t hurt me," She said while staring into his burning eyeballs that didn''t fail to melt her further.

    "I trust you," She said and smiled at him.

    [I wish that your trust in me won''t be in vain because the truth is that even I don''t trust myself when ites to you. That is just how much you affect me]

    Kayden smiled back at her. He bent and captured her swollen lips once again.

    As the club was at its most bubbling moments, on the bed in one of the rooms were two lovebirds doing what makes them feel happy.

    Fifteen minutester Kayden fell beside the weakdy. He didn''t see the displeasure in her eyes when he decided to quit without seeing it to the end.

    "Why didn''t you see it to the end?" Sheined, frowning.

    "Are you afraid that you won''t be able to control your emotions if we make love or do you think I won''t be able to withstand your strength and roughness because I am too weak¡­,"

    "Sometimes we didn''t get this far when I lost control but we got to this stage and yet I didn''t lose control of myself so why would I be scared when I know that I can control my powers now?" He asked.

    He reached out his hand and drew her closer. "Also, I don''t think you are weak," He said with all honesty.

    "How could I ever think out that our Boss Lady is weak huh¡­,"

    "I am not joking so please be serious," She scolded and tried to keep her distance but he held her, refusing to let go.

    "I am dead serious, Joan," He asserted.

    "I love you a lot more than you think. We barely started dating. I don''t want us to rush things," He exined as he patted her wet hair. He lowered his head so that they were both looking into each other''s eyeballs.

    "I love you. What will you have me do if you get bored of me quickly because we rushed things or what if I scare you away¡­,"

    "If that is what you think then you are wrong," She interrupted with her chin held up. "It will take more than intimacy to scare me away".

    Her confident expression made Kayden chuckle. "You are the one who said so and not me so you are not allowed to run away because you think I am toorge to fit your size¡­,"

    "Shameless!" she shouted and covered her flushed face since she couldn''t escape from him.

    "You think I am shameless but believe me you will understand what I mean when we get down to the real deal¡­,"

    "I am not small down there either so stop bragging ok," Joanna scoffed but still covered her face.

    "Ooh¡­ really?" He asked. His suspicious tone made Joanna uncover her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why does it sound like you think I am lying¡­,"

    "And how do I know if you are telling the truth huh?" He asked provocatively.

    "You¡­," Joanna was speechless by her boyfriend''s shameless remarks.

    "To confirm whether it''s true, how about you let me test it¡­,"

    "You just said you aren''t gonna rush things, so are you going back on your words?" She used.

    "There are so many ways to test it apart from doing the real deed¡­," He trailed and let his words linger in her ears.

    "Let me try it out with my fingers. We will know how true your ims are," He said and tried to pin her down but she rolled away.

    "Stay away from me. Also, why will I let you disvirgined me with your fingers when it should be your cock doing it¡­,"

    "Ooh¡­ so you were a virgin huh?" He winked naughtily at her.

    "I will be very angry if you y such a joke on me about my chastity," She said and turned her back on him.

    "I was kidding and nothing else so don''t be angry," He said and jumped down from the bed.

    He didn''t care that he was nude.

    He walked to where she stood and embraced her from behind.

    "Of course, I am aware that my woman is the world''s purestdy. The one with a heart of gold so how could I ever doubt you¡­,"

    "My heart is nowhere close to being golden so stop¡­,"

    "You know I hate it when you are mad at me," He said and spun her around so that she was looking at his face.

    "Tell me what you want me to do to appease your anger and I will do it¡­,"

    "How can I ever punish the King¡­,"

    "The one standing beside you is none other than your lover. He is no King so you can order him to do anything and he willply," He said not knowing that he had just fallen into the trap of the evildy.

    "Really?" She asked in doubt.

    ....

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers. I have a surprise to share with you.

    I entered the December mass release event and this was all because of you guys. I wanted to give you a surprise and also reward you guys for always being super supportive.

    As some of you might have seen our mass release ising up on the 27th and 31st of December 2022.

    For each day the chapter for mass release is 5 chapters. So what do you think?

    Do you love the surprise and reward I prepared for you guys?

    Share your thoughts in thements section if you love the surprise mass release.

    Also, do show support by buying the privileged chapters, casting GOLDEN TICKETS,menting and sending gifts.

    I really need your motivation to be able to keep my part of the bargain so please be my source of motivation and inspiration.

    I will be waiting to receive your feedback and rewards so keep iting!

 Chapter 366 She Punished Him

    ?"My word isw, you know that better than anyone else," He answered, his expression stern to show his seriousness.

    "Raise your hands. Under no circumstances must you bring down your hands for three minutes. You can''t move or walk within the specified time," She said grinning.

    "Just that," He said, thinking her punishment was a piece of cake. He didn''t know that the smirkingdy had another evil agenda.

    He did like she said when she didn''t say anything.

    "And this is your punishment for teasing me," She said and grabbed his erect cock. Kayden almost screamed following her rough and abrupt action.

    "W-what are you¡­," He shut his mouth and bit his lower lips when she squeezed his cock hard.

    "Joan, please¡­ fuck," Kayden cursed the moment she teased the tip of his cock with her finger.

    He closed his eyes and let the unholy sounds flow freely. Standing there he almost lost his mind due to pleasure but he endured. He was tricked into giving her his word so he couldn''t break it.

    [Just endure for two more minutes and you can do whatever you want to her also]

    Almost kept chanting these words in his mind as he groaned at the excitement of thedy by his side.

    "Drey, told me this is the ultimate so let me see whether it will work," She said and bent with her tongue sticking out.

    Still, with his eyes closed, Kayden waited to feel what she was up to.

    When he least expected it, he felt her wet tongue against his sensitive tip.

    "Ummm¡­ damn it," He clenched his fist. Before he knew what was happening he felt running footsteps.

    On opening his eyes he saw the bathroom door jamming.

    For a minute he was too shocked to react. when it dawned on him what she was trying to do he disappeared and surfaced in front of the ck door.

    He held the handle and tried to open the door but to his dismay, the door was locked from within.

    "Joan, stop being naughty and open the door for me," He banged on the door for the second time but there was no movement inside.

    "I won''t," She dered in a firm tone.

    "Just wait and see what I will do to you after I open the door. I will make sure to take revenge," He threatened and proceeded to where he had kept the spare keys.

    He was stunned to discover that the keys were gone from where he kept them.

    "Where did the keys go?" He muttered while roaming through the top of the drawer for the third time.

    "If you are searching for the spare keys then I am sorry to say that it''s of no use because the keys are with me," She said in a triumphant tone.

    She made sure to shake the bundle of keys in case he thought she was lying.

    "And here you said I was mean, aren''t you the meanest for doing this to me?" He said and approached the bathroom door again.

    "Who said you should tease me¡­,"

    "You think I won''t be able toe in without the keys right?" He said and banged on the door once again.

    "If that is what you think then I will advise you not to be happy yet because pulling down the door is a piece of cake for me," He said and raised his clenched fist.

    His eyes turned crimson at that moment.

    "If you n to tear down the door then it''s fine but I wonder whether you will be able to handle seeing me hurt?" Joanna quizzed.

    She was cunning with her question. Her vague words left Kayden more confused.

    "What does breaking down the bathroom door have to do with what you have said?" He asked not believing what she said.

    "I bet you are lying just to cheat me¡­,"

    "The reason is that I am leaning against the door," She interrupted. "Depending on the amount of strength you use, my hands, legs, face, eyes or stomach might sustain serious injuries. And the worst scenario is¡­," She trailed to arouse his curiosity.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She didn''tplete her sentence even after two minutes had passed.

    "Is what?" He asked when he could no longer handle the suspense.

    "Is that I might end up losing my life due to your actions? Will you still go ahead after learning about this?" She demanded in a soft tone.

    "You¡­," Kayden was lost at what to say. He couldn''t believe that he had been yed by the woman he loves.

    At that moment he regretted teasing her. He wouldn''t have had to suffer so much if he stopped with his teases.

    Standing there he lowered his head and gaze at his cock which was shooting out like a gun.

    With all the means for him to relieve himself gone, he wondered how he was gonna survive the night alone in this condition.

    [I wish she had punished me with whipping or any other way apart from this. There is no punishment worse than this for a man. I better list out the things she doesn''t like because I don''t want to go through this ever again]

    He stood there in a helpless state with no one toe to his rescue.

    With his cock shooting out that way he didn''t have the confidence to step out of the room.

    Anyways, Kyle will only make fun of him if he sees him in this condition. He might even go as far as trying to form an allegiance with Joanna so he will use her to get his revenge.

    "Joan, please open the door," He knocked on the door a bit gently this time around.

    "I promise I won''ty a hand on you as long as you help me to find relief," He pleaded and knocked on the door again.

    He waited and yet there was no movement inside. The only sound his sensitive ears could pick up was her heartbeat.

    "I will be good so will you open the door huh?" He pleaded while knocking on the door for the third time.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello, everyone, so I havee up with goals for this year.

    Starting this week, ording to how well you do for the week, there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    The criteria to determine how well you guys do include;

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    Remember to buy privileged chapters. You don''t necessarily have to buy the highest tier if you can''t afford it.

    You can settle for tiers 4, 3 and 2 if that is what you can afford. Because buying these tiers also counts.

    Speaking about gifts, I look forward to seeing which one of you will give me the first gifts for the year 2023.

    Will it be you ??, you ?? or you?

    I love you ???

 Chapter 367 Her Eyes Glowed Blue

    ?"I bet this was your trick to make me unlock the door so you can do whatever you want with me. I won''t fall for your tricks so I will advise that you give up now," She retorted, not moving away from the ck door.

    Joanna waited in the bathroom for hours. The fear of what Kayden would do to her didn''t make her open the door.

    She was bored to death but she had to endure the boredom since she was scared of the consequences of her actions.

    She was getting fed up with curling herself in front of the door when she heard footsteps.

    She stood up and ced her left ear on the door and listened to where the sound was heading.

    Joanna heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the main door open and close.

    "Whoa¡­ he is gone," She said and pushed her hair backwards. "It took him a long time to leave but I am still happy he did," She muttered and unlocked the door from within.

    Joanna stepped into the room without fear because she believed that everywhere was safe.

    The moment she closed the door and turned around to approach the bed someone touched her from behind.

    The startled Joanna jumped up in fear. She spun to see who it was.

    Her eyes bulged out on setting eyes on the grinning man in front of her.

    "K-Kay¡­.," She stammered and subconsciously moved backwards. She couldn''t hide her fear as she did this.

    "I thought you would nevere out of there tonight so will you be kind enough to tell me why you are here huh?" Kayden asked. He bent so that his face was very close to hers.

    "Is it because you assumed I was gone hmm?" He asked the obvious reason. At that moment Joanna couldn''t say anything.

    She knew right then that she was at his mercy. And toe out of this safe she needed to be very good.

    "It took you less than a minute toe out of the room after you heard the door close. I wonder why I didn''te up with this n earlier," He mumbled while looking into her wavering eyes.

    "K-Kay¡­," She called and held his hands. She lifted his hands and ced them on her pounding chest.

    "I know I was wrong. I shouldn''t have punished you like that. It was cruel of me so please will you forgive me¡­,"

    "Whoever said I was angry huh?" He cut in. He resisted the urge to burst outughing when he saw her face lit up.

    "You are not angry?" She asked, suspicions written all over her face. "Does that mean you won''t punish me?" She asked while staring at his face.

    "Did you ever do something that requires punishment hmm?" He asked. His gaze centred on her face.

    "Hmm¡­," She shook her head in negation. The smile she was trying to hide became visible.

    "Having waited there naked for so many hours, I am sure you must be feeling cold so let''s go to the bed," He suggested and grabbed her hands.

    Joanna followed his lead thinking that all was over. She didn''t know that it was far from being over.

    On the bed, Kayden squats in front of her and tried to pull the blue nkets over her nude body.

    Joanna was rxed thinking that everything was alright.

    But suddenly she felt a hand crawling in between her thighs. At that moment her body stiffened.

    "K-Kay¡­. W-what are you trying to do?" She stammered. Her eyes wavered.

    "I want to try to see whether I am good at stimting my lover''s body just like you¡­,"

    "What!" She shouted with widened eyes.

    "Why?" He whispered. "Are you scared to experience the same thing I did?" He muttered, staring into her eyeballs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "K-Kay¡­. I know I was wrong and I promise I will never punish you in this manner so please forgive me?" Joanna pleaded with her palms joined together.

    "What wrong did youmit? And howe I don''t remember?" He asked. His right hand kept crawling in between her legs.

    "Say it, I want to hear what you did wrong¡­,"

    "I shouldn''t have teased you andter run away. Also, it was wrong of me to lock the bathroom door and took the spare keys with me," She said without waiting for him to finish.

    [Look at her bing all obedient out of fear. I am certain she would still do the same thing all over again if given another opportunity. What should I do to her exactly?]

    He was in deep thought as he kept gazing at the face of thedy trembling underneath him.

    "Kay, look at me," She said. She raised her hand and cupped his pretty face.

    "What''s it?" He asked, sounding uninterested.

    "I will do whatever you want as long as¡­,"

    "Then that means you won''t hate it if I do this right?" He chuckled and immediately tickled her.

    HAHAHA!

    "Hahaha¡­ stop it," She shouted and made frantic movements as she tried to break free from him.

    "Did you just say stop it?" He eximed and kept on tickling Joanna. "Well, did you stop when I was on the brink of losing my mind because of you huh?" He asked.

    His hands didn''t stop moving and teasing all her sensitive spots.

    Joannaughed and tossed on the bed until her stomach hurt.

    He was still tickling her when he came to an abrupt halt.

    At first, she was relieved he stopped but she became rmed when he wouldn''t stop gazing at her face.

    "What¡­,"

    "Your eyes are glowing blue," he blurted, not able to take his eyes off her.

    "What!" She yelled and touched her eyes in shock. "You are kidding right?" She inquired not knowing whether or not to believe what he said.

    "I am not," He asserted. "It''s the same as it was on the night I met you on the cliff. It''s sparkling," He described.

    Instantly she tugged him off her body, rolled off the bed and sprinted to the small dressing mirror at the sides.

    Nervous that it might not be what she thought it was, she slowly lifted her head.

    Joanna was left breathless and speechless when she got a glimpse of her eyes that sparkled blue.

    "T-this can''t be happening!" Joanna stammered. Her eyes turned misty as she covered her mouth.

    .....

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so this week you guys met the threshold for the privileged buyers and privilege chapter unlocks so like I promised there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    Look forward to it.

 Chapter 368 Congratulations: Mission Completed

    ?At that moment she felt some strong energy surging through her body.

    Although what was happening wasn''t physical, she could feel the rush of energy through her entire veins.

    "I am¡­ hahaha," Her hystericalughter made Kayden rush to her side.

    "What is it?" He asked with his hands rested on her shoulders.

    "M-my powers a-are¡­," She ran into his embrace not enable to say what was on her mind out of over excitement.

    Toplete this mission she did so many things. She went as far as seducing and offering herself to him.

    Just when she had given up hopes aboutpleting the mission, this happened to her at thest minute.

    She couldn''t believe it even though she had witnessed the transformation of her eyes for herself.

    "Joan, are you ok? You are scaring me," Kayden asked. He didn''t know what to think of her behaviour.

    "Thank you, Kay," She whispered. Her grip around his neck tightened. "Thanks, you don''t know what you have done for me," She mumbled.

    The tears she had managed to fight back rolled down her face.

    She had made up her mind never to undertake any missions given by the system if it took away all her progress.

    Only she was aware of the hell she went through to get to this point so why should she go through it again if she lost her powers because of some useless missions?

    That was her thought when she gave up onpleting the mission.

    "Although I don''t know why you are thanking me, as long as you are happy then I am happy too," He said and pats her back.

    After theirst discussion about her powers, he had decided not to force answers out of her.

    Just like she said she would wait for him until he is ready he would do the same thing.

    They were still in each other''s embrace when Joanna pushed him away.

    "Wait here. There is something I need to confirm," She informed, and rushed into the bathroom.

    After she entered the bathroom, she hurried and stood in front of the mirror.

    [Let''s see whether my powers have returned]

    Joanna grinned and reached out her hand.

    <Main mission has beenpleted!>

    <50 Exp received>

    Joanna jumped up in excitement. She covered her mouth and tried topose herself when she heard footsteps outside the door.

    <Additional quest reward>

    <Skill unlock: Level 50 Psychokinesis>

    Joanna''s eyes sparkled when she saw the additional rewards.

    [Did it just say Psychokinesis?]

    Joanna couldn''t believe the notification she saw on the popped-up screen.

    "I guess it was worth all the troubles and headaches," She muttered. She grinned from ear to ear when she witnessed the green ball of fire on her left hand.

    Yes, her powers had returned.

    "Joan," a knock at the door jolted her back to reality. "Are you alright?" A man''s worried voice lingered in her ears as he knocked for the second time.

    Joanna strolled to the door. She opened the door and standing in front of her was none other than her boyfriend.

    "I couldn''t be better than this," She said and grinned at him.

    Joanna held his hand and together they made their way to the bed.

    For the first time in a long time, Kayden and Joanna fell asleep in each other''s arms.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She hasn''t been so thrilled in a long time.

    In the morning, the loud noises outside woke up the couple from their deep slumber.

    "Who the hell is making noise?" Kayden groaned and rose to a sitting position.

    For a minute there he forgot that this wasn''t his pce or the apartment he enjoyed quietness to the fullest.

    He wanted to climb out of bed to go and questioned the noisemakers downstairs when Joanna changed positions.

    Not long after, her eyes fluttered open.

    Upon opening her eyes she was greeted by the frowning face of a man beside her.

    "You are awake," she muttered. Her voice sounded weak and dreamy.

    She propelled her body up so that she leaned against the headboard just like him.

    "What is it? You don''t look happy," she asked, gazing at his face.

    "I wish I could chase everyone out of the building so that only the two of us remain," He expressed in annoyance.

    "Really?" She chuckled. "I am sure you will be the one chased out first by Kyle before you even attempt to ruin his business¡­,"

    "He wouldn''t dare!" He eximed, his expression stern.

    "There is no need to get mad because of the noise. If you don''t like it here we can always go to your apartment to spend the day there," She suggested. She raised her hand and stroked his creased brows.

    "That is a good suggestion but don''t you have sses today?" He asked as he gazed at her face.

    His words rang a bell in her head. Without wasting time she rolled to the edge of the bed, reached out her hand and carried her cell phone from the side table.

    "Damn it! I am almostte," Joanna cursed. She jumped out of bed and raced into the bathroom.

    "Fuck, I am goanna get into deep trouble with Mr Fin. I wonder why I forgot to set an rm for his morning ss," She searched the bathroom for spare toothbrushes but none could be found.

    "Howe there are no spare toothbrushes here?" Sheined and ran back to the bedroom.

    Reaching out her hand to get her clothes she recalled how he tore themst night.

    She hastened to the wardrobe. Joanna thought his wardrobe here might be the same as his home''s but she got disappointed.

    "Lend me somedies'' clothes. I will return¡­," She paused when she opened the wardrobe and saw that there was no singledies'' outfit in there.

    "What am I gonna do now?" Joannained. She had so little time left to send someone to bring her clothes from home or buy her a new outfit.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, I am so damn sorry for not being able to upload the mass release chapters on Sunday as I promised.

    But here are the five chapters for the mass release. As a way of saying sorry I will give an extra chapter. Please do pardon me ok ???

    For those who are not aware of why I gave the mass release, the reason is that you guys aplished this week''s goal.

    And that is why I gave the mass release as I had earlier promised.

    Also if you want to get another mass release in the uing Sunday then buy privileged chapters and make sure to unlock them daily.

    Send gifts and cast GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Don''t forget thatments, reviews and power stones also count too.

    Let''s work hard together ok?

    I love you ??????

    Stay safe always.

 Chapter 369 Chris Reminded Him About The Deadline

    ?"Am I gonna go to ss nude like this?" She squatted. She was lost at what to do.

    "I asked Josephina to purchase the exact dress as yesterday and all the necessities you will need. I don''t know why they aren''t here yet," Kayden muttered and got out of bed.

    He proceeded to where she was squatting and joined her there.

    "What do you think if I ask Kyle to lend us somedies'' outfits? I am sure he must have a lot of¡­," Her murderous res made him pause in the middle of his sentence.

    "I swear I will¡­," the knock at the door made Joanna pause. She red at the door, ready to murder whosoever the intruder was.

    "It''s Josephina and Chris¡­,"

    "Then what are you waiting for," She shouted and hastened to the door.

    "Are you sure you want them toe in and see you like that?" Kayden reminded thedy who he was certain had forgotten that she was nude.

    "Fuck," She cursed and raced toward the bathroom.

    "Pass whatever they bring to me. I don''t want to be even a minutete, ok?" She instructed and dashed into the bathroom.

    After she jammed the door, Kayden proceeded to the wardrobe and got himself a clean outfit.

    He went ahead to usher in those standing outside when he had finished dressing up.

    "Open the door and hand over all she needs," Hemanded while pointing at the bathroom door.

    He and Chris left the room not long after.

    Outside the room, Kayden and Chris made their way downstairs.

    "Sir, now that you have gotten what you have always wanted, when will you be returning?" Chris asked the question which has been on his mind for a long time.

    At first, he thought the King would have a hard time adjusting to life outside the pce.

    But he was proved wrong by how well he adapted to his new life and identity. His one-month vacation is gonna be over in a few days and never has heined about his new life.

    Was this because he easily adapts to ces or has things been going so smoothly because Joanna was by his side?

    He didn''t know.

    "Your trip to the human world is gonna end soon and everyone has been awaiting your return..,"

    "I am aware of that so you don''t need to remind me about it," Kayden snapped, not happy that Chris brought up this topic at such a time.

    "I will call it off whenever I want¡­.,"

    "But that is not what we initially agreed on. And things will get out of proportion if you don''t¡­," Chris paused the instant he got a glimpse of Kayden''s cold gaze.

    "I am sorry," He apologized the moment he realised he had crossed the line.

    "I know what I am doing so stop lecturing me," Kayden stated and quickened his pace.

    After he took four steps he halted, turned and peered at Chris. "Ry all the information we have gathered so far to Josephina so she can pass it to Gideon," He instructed.

    "I will do just that," Chris gave him his words.

    "Also, call Fin and ask him to do me a favour by shifting his ss to the afternoon," Hemanded and waited for Chris'' confirmation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" He demanded. A frown crept onto his handsome face as he stared at the bewildered Chris.

    "I am surprised because you have never intervened in the affairs of the school even though it belongs to the royal family¡­,"

    "Get ready because I am gonna intervene a lot starting today. Make sure to pass this information to Fin too," He ryed with pride.

    "I will be with Kyle downstairs. You are forbidden from entering the room after I leave," Hemanded. He spun and strolled away.

    Chris watched him walk away. He also left after he took ast nce at Kayden''s room.

    Downstairs Kayden searched for Kyle in all the possible ces he would have been but he couldn''t find him.

    "Where the hell did he go again?" Kayden muttered as he took his seat in front of the counter.

    ska, the guy whom Kayden spoke tost night, walked up to Kayden when he noticed that Kayden was searching for something.

    "Good morning Sir," ska greeted with respect.

    "It''s good I saw you. Now tell me where your Boss is," Kayden demanded on sighting him.

    "In the past, he rarely left the club but what hase over him now? Howe it''s hard to meet him these days," Kaydenined.

    "He returned in the morning and left again some minutester. He didn''t inform me about where he was heading," ska informed.

    "Nevertheless, he told me to take very good care of you. He said I should give you whatever you need so do tell me if you need anything¡­,"

    "There is nothing you can offer me that I can''t get so don''t worry about his instructions," Kayden interrupted.

    He returned upstairs when he learned that the one he searched for was nowhere to be found.

    Kayden didn''t enter the room immediately he got upstairs but he loitered around the pathway.

    He waited outside until he was certain that Joanna had taken her bath and had dressed up.

    When he entered inside he met her dashing towards the door where he stood.

    He grabbed her and made her pause in her tracks.

    "What is it? Where are you running off to¡­,"

    "Why are you still asking when I had already told you that I am runningte for Mr Fin''s morning ss," She said and paused to catch a breath.

    "You know his rule better than I do. His lecture is one of my core subjects. I need to leave now because I can''t afford to fail his ss," Joanna exined in a hurried tone.

    She tried to race out of the room but he grasped her hands again.

    "Didn''t you receive the notification that he has pushed his morning ss to the afternoon instead?" Kayden asked thedy whose forehead had folded to form a frown.

    .....

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so this week you guys met the threshold for the privileged buyers and privilege chapter unlocks so like I promised there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    Look forward to it.

 Chapter 370 Josephina

    ?"Mr Fin postponed his morning ss to afternoon?" Joanna asked with widened eyes.

    "He has been a lecturer for so many years and during these years he has only cancelled and postponed his sses twice. It''s unlike him to suddenly suspend his ss¡­,"

    "Check your cell phone to confirm if I am telling the truth," He suggested and pointed at the chained handbag in her hand.

    Although she didn''t believe Kayden''s words, she still brought out her cell phone from her handbag to cross-check the information he gave.

    Joanna couldn''t believe her eyes when she reached the school''s tform and saw the information posted there.

    "If something hade up he would have informed the students earlier than this so what happened?" Joanna mumbled.

    Kayden smiled. He knew telling her he was responsible for it would do him no good.

    He would only end up being scolded by her. He chose to keep quiet because he didn''t want the sweet atmosphere ruined.

    "I don''t care about what made Finley postpone the ss. My concern is to fill your stomach with delicious food soe let''s go," He expressed and held her hand.

    He tried to walk away while holding her hand but Joanna didn''t budge.

    "Why do you look so ted? One might think you are responsible for the postponement of the ss," Shemented.

    Even if she didn''t say it he noticed just how relieved she was to learn that their morning ss was postponed.

    "I am innocent ok?" Kayden denied with his hands raised slightly above his head.

    "I didn''t say otherwise so stop overreacting because it makes you look guilty," She said and approached the bed.

    Josephina was there to witness this but she acted like adeaf and dumb person.

    She suddenly turned blind too because of them.

    "Let''s go have breakfast¡­,"

    "You don''t eat so why are you so eager to¡­,"

    "I might not eat food but I enjoy watching you eat," He said and appeared in front of her.

    "Since I don''t have any sses until the afternoon, why don''t we stay inside instead of going to the restaurant where you will only feel lonely," Joanna suggested.

    He stood up and sat beside her. His sudden closeness made Joanna''s body stiffen.

    She hasn''t gotten used to this yet.

    "And why on Earth would I feel lonely when my girlfriend will be right beside me huh?" He quizzed. He drew closer and pecked her on her right cheek.

    The first ce Joanna''s eyes went to after he pecked her was where Josephina stood. She blushed red even though Josephina wasn''t looking at them.

    "How could you do that in front of her?" She demanded. Joanna covered her burning cheeks with her hands.

    "This is just the beginning and you are alreadyining on her behalf?" He said. He reached out his hand and circled her slender waist.

    "I guarantee it will get worse when we get married. She needs to start getting used to it," Kayden was shameless with his reply.

    yfully she tried to unwrap his hand but his grip was firm.

    "You are so confident. Aren''t you the least scared that I might take hers and the other''s sides¡­,"

    "If that happens then you will leave me with no other option but sack all who can''t stand my rtionship with you¡­,"

    "You are bullying the weak," She said and tried to push him away again but he refused to let go.

    "My future wife is nning to bully me because of them so it''s their fault," He mumbled and ced his head on her right shoulder.

    Seeing him act like a spoiled little kid made Joanna chuckle. "Since when did you learn this trick from my little rice ball huh?" Joanna asked.

    Herughter soon echoed in the room.

    Josephina wished she was deaf for the first time since she started working for the King.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She also wished she was excused from the room but hell no. He was too excited to even remember that she was there.

    After some minutes of talking and flirting, Kayden remembered that Josephina was there.

    "Josephina, set up the dining now," Hemanded.

    Joanna turned and looked at him puzzled, "Did you prepare a meal? When?" She inquired.

    "I had guessed you might make your earlier choice and that was why I asked her toe along with food," He exined.

    "Whoa¡­ you are so meticulous. You went as far as making a n B just because of me," She expressed.

    She was so touched that he made such ns for her.

    "I need to be meticulous since I can''t stand my woman getting starved," he beamed. He stood up and led her to the centre table where Josephina had started setting up the food on the marble table.

    Joanna noticed that Kayden''s ss was missing after Josephina finished setting up the dining table.

    She stood up and decided to get the ss cup by herself.

    "Let me get your ss," She said and stood up. She didn''t take a step when Josephina held her hand.

    "Leave such trivial for me. I will do it," Josephina beamed and released Joanna''s hand in an instant.

    "But I can do¡­,"

    "Josephina is stubborn. It''s no use talking to her about it since she won''t let you get the ss no matter what you say," Kayden said and pulled her back on the couch.

    Because of Josephina''s attitude, he was almost annoyed to death when she started working for him.

    It took him a long time to get used to her behaviour.

    "Really?" Joanna questioned and stole a nce at thedy whose back was facing them.

    Kayden replied with a nod.

    "And here I thought she was gentle and sweet¡­,"

    "Did you just say you thought Josephina was gentle and sweet?" Kayden shouted to Joanna''s amazement.

    "Yeah, because that is how she looked each time we met. But why do you look so surprised?" Joanna quizzed. She scratched the back of her head and turned to watch thedying towards them.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, I am so damn sorry for not being able to upload the mass release chapters on Sunday as I promised.

    But here are the five chapters for the mass release. As a way of saying sorry I will give an extra chapter. Please do pardon me ok ???

    For those who are not aware of why I gave the mass release, the reason is that you guys aplished this week''s goal.

    And that is why I gave the mass release as I had earlier promised.

    Also if you want to get another mass release in the uing Sunday then buy privileged chapters and make sure to unlock them daily.

    Send gifts and cast GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Don''t forget thatments, reviews and power stones also count too.

    Let''s work hard together ok?

    I love you ??????

    Stay safe always.

 Chapter 371 Joanna And Josephina Sparred

    ?"There is nothing gentle and sweet about Josephina. She is as skilled as both Gideon and Chris in martial arts and she is crueller than the two guys. So don''t get deceived by her gentle demeanour," Kayden replied in a carefree tone.

    "Is she that good?" Joanna demanded, still in doubt. She examined Josephina from head to toe.

    No matter how hard she looked, none of what Kayden said matched thedy''s behaviour.

    "You are not teasing me right¡­,"

    "You can go ahead and test her if you think I am lying," He suggested. He folded his hands and leaned back on the couch.

    Josephina walked to the centre table, dropped the ss cup on the marble table and moved three steps away.

    "Josephina, do you mind sparring with me for at least three minutes?" Joanna asked, to Kayden''s bewilderment.

    "You are joking right?" Kayden asked with widened eyes.

    Joanna stood up and strolled to where Josephina was.

    "Does it still look as if I am joking?" She asked and took her position beside the quietdy.

    She tilted her head and gazed at thedy by her side after she had answered Kayden''s question.

    "So what is your reply?" She demanded in a soft tone.

    "I don''t fight my Master¡­,"

    "But I am not your master so that doesn''t apply to me right?" Joanna interrupted.

    "Joan, we were about to eat so can''t we do that now? The sparring can wait¡­,"

    "The food can also wait for five minutes right?" She cut in. "And I won''t be at ease if I don''t do this so I forbid you from intervening," She said with a tone of finality.

    She returned her gaze to Josephina after she took care of the worried Kayden.

    "You might not be my Master now but you will when you and Sir get married. And I am afraid I will hurt you by mistake if we spar¡­,"

    "If this had taken ce yesterday I would have said your fears were justifiable but I can assure you with confidence right now that you will not hurt me," Joanna said with her chin and shoulders held up.

    "But¡­,"

    "I won''t go easy on you so don''t make the mistake of doing that. Give it your best because I want to see what you''ve got," Joanna expressed. She moved two steps away and took her stance.

    She stood with her legs wide apart and her hands held close to her chest.

    Josephina didn''t ept her challenge immediately. She stole a nce at Kayden to get his permission since she can''t act alone.

    Josephina only took her position after Kayden nodded positively.

    "It''s gonnast for three minutes. I will immediately stop if you get hurt," Josephina stated her condition.

    "Sure," Joanna grinned and signalled Josephina to attack first.

    Despite not being the one to spar with Josephina, he was more nervous than Joanna.

    Josephina studied Joanna for a few seconds before sheunched her first attack.

    She swung a blow and Joanna swiftly moved her body to her right-hand side. And without giving her a second to get over the first attack, Josephina attacked her right and Joanna shifted to the other side.

    Josephina raised her leg andunched a high kick and Joanna ducked to the astonishment of both Kayden and Josephina.

    [Wasn''t shebelled a weakling all her life so howe she is so good at fighting? It is almost as if she is on the same level as me]

    Josephina was perplexed at Joanna''s quick reflexes and skills.

    Despite that she was using her vampire power, Joanna was able to defend herself against all her attacks.

    She couldn''t bring herself to believe it after she failed to hurt a hair on her body several times.

    "And here Ie," Joanna smirked and advanced towards the absentmindeddy.

    Josephina ducked even though she saw Joanna''s flying punch almost at thest minute.

    Joanna and Josephina were so immersed in the fight and forgot about the time they had set.

    Because Joanna wasn''t a weak opponent Josephina didn''t feel bored. With Joanna always keeping her on her toes there was no room for boredom.

    Kayden had to stop the fight when he saw that instead of three minutes they had spent ten minutes sparring.

    "I said that''s enough, Josephina," Kayden shouted when he saw that his cool voice didn''t affect the twodies.

    Joanna and Josephina both withdrew their punches and paused.

    "Is it three minutes already," Joanna asked, a frown stered on her face?

    "No it isn''t three minutes but your sparringsted for ten minutes," Kayden replied. He beckoned her to return to her seat.

    "Ten minutes!" The twodies eximed with widened eyes.

    "Yeah, ten minutes have gone by so let''s eat now," He muttered and beckoned her with his right hand.

    "Time sure flies when fighting witha worthy opponent," Joannamented. She grinned and proceeded to her previous seat.

    She sat beside Kayden on the medium size couch.

    "Josephina, let''s spar again sometime in the future. I promise we won''t be restricted by a time when that dayes," She expressed.

    "Why are you asking her to spar with you when you have me, the world''s best warrior hmm?" He asked with his lips pouted.

    Josephina almostughed out loud when she saw the King''s pouty lips if not that she covered her mouth with her hand.

    She turned her back on them as she tried to suppress herughter.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And why will I choose you when you will only end up bullying me huh?" Joanna jokes. She couldn''t resist the urge tough when she saw his pouty lips.

    The happy atmospherested until they finished having their meals.

    "Josephina, you can return now. Chris is waiting to take you back downstairs," Kayden set Josephina free atst.

    "I will take my leave now, Sir and Miss," Josephina said and bowed. She bent and picked the lunch boxes from the table.

    "Goodbye. It was fun fighting with you," Joanna said.

    It was as if Kayden was waiting for Josephina to disappear because he picked her up from the couch the instant thedy left the room for them.

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

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    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

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    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 372 Joannas Wild Thought

    ?"We will spend the rest of our morning in bed. Isn''t that thrilling?" He grinned and approached the bed with Joanna in his arms.

    Joanna struggled toe down from his body but he refused to let go. He dropped her onto the bed with care.

    Out of fear she moved backwards in a bid to avoid his touch.

    [What on Earth does she think I want to do to her?... She is so cute when she pretends to be timid]

    Kayden grinned inwardly. He climbed the bed and crawled toward where shey. "S-stay away from me," She shouted and swung her hand around.

    Kayden acted as if he didn''t hear her and kept on trying to breach the gap between the two of them.

    "W-won''t you stay away?" She stammered when she realised that he wouldn''t listen to her. She tried to roll out of bed but he grabbed her hand and fell on top of her.

    "Where do you think you are running off to huh?" He asked. An evil grin crept onto his face as he pinned her hands above her head.

    He lowered his mouth and brought it close to her neck. Her frantic movements made him pause.

    He looked into her vibrant purple orbs. "Why act rough hmm?" He whispered. He acted as if he wasn''t aware of why she behaved the way she did.

    "You said you wouldn''t rush things. Also, you mentioned before that as a King, you honoured your words more than anything¡­,"

    "And so what?" He cut in.

    "But now you want to do this. D-doesn''t that mean you are going back on your words?" She asked. Joanna bit her lower lips and tried not to stare into his eyes. She knew the resolve she had would be shattered if she dared look into his enchanting eyes.

    "Also, I am not ready for that¡­,"

    "And aren''t you the samedy who got angry at mest night for stopping midway throughst night? So howe you are not ready to do it?" He asked with his husky voice.

    "T-that is¡­," Joanna was lost at what to say.

    She couldn''t bring herself to say that she acted like a possessed beastst night because of the overwhelming emotions she felt.

    HAHAHA!

    Heughed and fell off her body. Hisughter didn''t go down with thedy who thought he wasughing at her timidity.

    "Why are youughing? She demanded. "You knew from the beginning that I wasn''t¡­,"

    "I amughing because you look cute when you act like this," He teased and pulled her cheek yfully.

    "You think this is funny," She frowned. She failed to see what was funny about their conversation.

    He stopped smiling and put on a stern expression. "What do you use your brain to think about every day huh?" He asked.

    "And where did your mind wander off to when I said we were gonna spend the entire morning in bed?" He asked.

    He failed to maintain his stern expression when he got a glimpse of her eyeballs which were full of so much innocence.

    "That is¡­," she trailed, not able to respond.

    Kayden gazed at her face for a few seconds. They stayed in this position without any of them uttering a word to the other.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you love me so much that you can''t stop thinking about ways to make me forever yours? If you want my body then I am ready¡­," Joanna caught him unawares when she jerked to her feet.

    "You¡­," He grabbed her hands and pulled her. She lost bnce and fell on top of him.

    When she saw what had happened she tried to stand up but he wrapped his hand around her waist.

    "What¡­,"

    "I love you quite a lot. A lot more than you even love me so there is no need to feel shy," He beamed. He lifted his hand and stroked her pretty face.

    "And who said you love me more than I love you huh?" She inquired with her lips pouted.

    "I did? Do you have a contrary opinion¡­,"

    "Of course I do," She said, her eyes locked with his.

    She lowered herself a bit so that her mouth was close to his right ear.

    "Do you think you love me more because you fell in love with me first?" She whispered, causing Kayden''s body to stiffen due to her teasing.

    He gritted his teeth and tried not to show that he was affected by what she did.

    "And what if that is one of the reasons¡­,"

    "Who says the one that fell first is the one who loves more¡­,"

    "Does that mean you love me more?" He quizzed while looking into her eyes.

    "You tricked me again," She said and tried to stand up from his body but the cunning guy rolled her over.

    She struggled to run away but his grasp around her wrist didn''t loosen. He held her in a way she wouldn''t be able to escape from him.

    "And where do you think you are going Boss Lady?" He questioned. He rubbed his nose against hers before she couldin.

    "T-that is¡­.," She trailed. Actually, she didn''t know what to say or how to scold him.

    She indeed loves him a lot more than she thought and she didn''t see a reason why she should argue about that with him.

    For two minutes they stared into each other''s eyes without saying a word.

    "I love you a whole lot," He confessed. "I have loved you for a long time. And this is something I made known to you since the beginning...,"

    "I know that," She replied, grinning. She raised her right hand and stroked his cheek. "Your sincerity and perseverance are the reason why we are here right now...,"

    "And I am thrilled that I didn''t give up," he muttered, his gaze locked in hers. "I am happy I listened to my heart when things got tough".

    Joanna stretched and pecked him on his lips. "Thank you for loving me in a way no one has ever done. And for not giving up on me until the end, I say thank you...,"

    "Loving you makes me happy. Also, I did everythingwillingly so there is no need to thank me," He confessed.

 Chapter 373 The Old Hags Arrival

    ?"I love you. And I will make sure that I protect what we have," She mumbled and pecked him on his lips.

    At first, he thought she would pull away like she did previously but she didn''t.

    She kissed him slowly and in between the kiss she slid her wet tongue inside his mouth.

    Joanna initiated the kiss but not long after it was Kayden who was dominating her lips.

    He kissed and explored all the sensitive spots he discovered.

    Joanna melted under his burning touches. He had to put an end to their intimacy when he realised that it was graduating into something else.

    As Joanna had the best time of her life with the man she loves she wasn''t aware that an enemy she has been looking forward to seeing has arrived.

    At Anderson''s mansion, an elderly woman who resembled a woman in herte forties was seen led into the sitting room with twodies by her side.

    The woman after sitting down let her eyes wander the entire room. The way she scrutinized the house was as if she was looking for someone or something.

    "Grandma, I have missed you so much," Laura expressed. She hugged the elderly woman''s right hand and refused to let go.

    "And I have missed you more my Sweetie," Grandma Cora replied, beaming. She lifted her hand and stroked Laura''s silk hair.

    "If you missed her so much then why didn''t you go visit her on holiday when I asked you to?" Adhara scolded.

    "Why do you have to always wait for her to visit on your birthday? Does your love onlyst for¡­,"

    "I love celebrating her birthday so there is no need to scold my Sweetie. If anyone should be med for this it should be you for failing to take my grandchildren to visit me," Grandma Cora chided.

    She pulled Laura closer.

    "But Mum it''s her fault for not wanting to visit you and not mine so why are you scolding me instead?" Adharained. She pretended to be unhappy.

    "That is because I love my granddaughter most, do you even need to ask?" Grandma Cora said with her head held high.

    "Mum¡­,"

    "Stop making that face or you are gonna age faster," Grandma Cora reprimanded Adhara.

    Seeing them joke andugh, anyone would mistake them to be kind and loving not knowing that they are the reincarnation of the devil.

    They continued to talk and y in the sitting room. Because they haven''t met for a year there was a lot to talk about.

    Madam Cora resumed gazing at the house after an hour of her arrival.

    "Why is that daughter of a slut not here to greet me like she normally does?" Grandma Cora inquired.

    She gazes at the kitchen and then the direction of theundry. She expected to see Joanna rush into the sitting room after she inquire of her.

    But to her big surprise, none showed up.

    "Or don''t tell me you have finally gotten rid of that piece of trash?".

    "If you have killed her then I will not hesitate to toast to you for doing something right for the first time in a long while," Grandma Cora said without any sense of guilt.

    Laura let go of her Grandma Cora''s hand and pulled away from the elderly woman''s embrace.

    "She didn''t sleep herest night," Laura said, her gaze focused on Grandma Cora''s face.

    She grinned inwardly when she saw her grandmother''s expression turn dark following her revtion.

    "She slept out!" Grandma Cora shouted. She tilted her head and red at Adhara but Adhara refused to make anyment.

    "Actually, Granny, she rarelyes home these days so staying out for a night¡­,"

    "You even let that wench stay the night out," Grandma Cora yelled. She shot Adhara a murderous re.

    "If she does whatever she wants now then tell me, what have you been up to huh? Where have you buried that ruthless side of yours that I groomed you with?" She growled.

    "Mum, it''s not like you think¡­,"

    "I don''t want to hear anything from you," Grandma Cora shunned her. She sprang to her feet.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sweetie," she called. And Laura jumped to her feet like she was waiting for this call for a long time.

    "I want you to go out there and drag her here. Tell her that I will break her legs if she returns a minutete," Grandma Coramanded.

    [Mum doesn''t know the entire story. I am certain the evil girl might end up harming her if she annoys her]

    Adhara stared at her mother. She knew her mother''s temperament better than anyone else. Nothing she says will make the furious woman calm down.

    "There is no need to do that Granny. I will call her line right now," Laura grinned. She bent and picked up her cell phone from the centre table.

    "You even got her a cellphone?" Grandma Cora demanded. She shook her head, "I am so disappointed in you!".

    She stomped away afterwards.

    As Laura punched in numbers into the phone, she peeped at her mother to make sure she wasn''t peeping at her phone.

    She ced her cell phone on her right ear while she focused her gaze on the stairs.

    "Granny," Laura shouted loud enough for the woman at the stairs to hear her.

    "I called her line but she ignored my call. I will ry your instructions to her through a text message," Laura said. She grinned as she watched her grandma scale the stairs without ncing back at her.

    Adhara reached out her hand and yanked Laura to her side. She kept her eyes on the guest room her mother was staying in.

    "Laura, I warned you to be careful of what you told your grandma so why did you do that¡­,"

    "She asked a question and I just answered. I did nothing wrong because Granny wouldn''t have let it go if we didn''t respond to her question," Laura chose to y innocent.

    No matter how innocent she looked, Adhara, who knew her daughter better than anyone else, didn''t fall for her tricks.

    "Don''t give me that look because I know what you are up to¡­,"

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello, everyone, so I havee up with goals for this year.

    Starting this week, ording to how well you do for the week, there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    The criteria to determine how well you guys do include;

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    Remember to buy privileged chapters. You don''t necessarily have to buy the highest tier if you can''t afford it.

    You can settle for tiers 4, 3 and 2 if that is what you can afford. Because buying these tiers also counts.

    Speaking about gifts, I look forward to seeing which one of you will give me the first gifts for the year 2023.

    Will it be you ??, you ?? or you?

    I love you ???

 Chapter 374 The Girls Confronted Laura

    ?"Since when did you be very caring towards her? Someone might mistake you for her biological mother if you keep this up¡­,"

    "Shut up already Laura. Don''t try to act up just because Mother is around," Adhara scolded. Her grip around Laura''s hand tightened.

    "Send a text message to Joanna to inform her about the current situation at home," Adhara instructed, her eyes still centred on the direction of her mother''s room.

    "Ok, but don''t you think you need to let go for me to do that, Mum?" Laura said, her gaze concentrated on her mother''s hand still holding her tightly.

    Adhara released her hand.

    [And why should I inform her about Granny''s instructions when this is my best opportunity to get back at her for everything? I will let Grandma teach her a serious lesson]

    Laura grinned. She pretended to be texting someone since her mother''s attention was on her.

    As she stood there Adhara didn''t know that her daughter was deceiving her right under her nose.

    "I have sses so I will leave now," Laura informed her. She bent and picked up her handbagid on the centre table.

    She exited the house afterwards.

    Meanwhile, at the bar, Joanna and Kayden left the club an hour before the designated time for the lecture.

    He didn''t forget to go in his usual disguise.

    In front of the campus Amos parked his car and decided to take a walk into the campus.

    As they made their way into campus Joanna and Amos walked hand in hand. They became the centre of attention because of their public disy of affection.

    Despite being in the limelight, they were not affected. Theyughed, talked and yed like they were not watched by many eyes.

    Amos and Joanna took a break underneath a shed after they had walked for a few minutes.

    Ady standing on the stairs leading to the basketball halted when she saw them from afar.

    [After the picture I sent to her I was expecting to see her weep at a corner after breaking up with him so why does it look like they have gotten closer instead? What the heck happened?]

    Laura red at the smiling faces who were oblivious to her presence.

    "This n of mine might have failed but I promise you that you won''t escape when you get home," Laura mumbled, grinning.

    She turned around and was about to ascend the stairs when she saw fourdies standing in front of her.

    "You always escape anytime you see us so how about you try escaping again? Let''s see whether you will seed this time around," Sophie said and climbed a step down so that the gap between her and Laura was slim.

    "And why would I be running away from you guys when I haven''t done anything wrong?" Laura snapped with her head held high.

    As she stood there Laura stylishly looked around to check whether her friends were close by.

    Unfortunately for her, none was there toe to her rescue. Even at this, she decided not to make them discover that she was scared.

    "Don''t youdies think you are overestimating yourself¡­,"

    "We will see about that in a few minutes," Nora added.

    Tiffany always loved this type of situation because she got to show her authority but for the first time Tiffany didn''t say a word.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She kept looking into space like she has been doing ever since her punishment was uplifted.

    When she saw that Tiffany was not her real self Sophie decided to momentarily take charge.

    "If you know what is good for you then you will quietly follow us¡­,"

    "And why the hell should I do that?" Laura retorted.

    "You will do like we said except you want to experience what it means to be humiliated in front of a crowd just like we often do to your stupid step sister¡­,"

    "Private fight is against the school rules so you can''t do anything to me," Laura stood her ground.

    Sophie grinned and bent so that her face was some inches away from meeting Laura''s face.

    "Our campus is without a Chancellor," Sophie announced. A devilish smile crept onto her face when she saw Laura''s confidence falter.

    "Don''t tell me you have forgotten that so soon," She whispered.

    Laura had no choice but to do like the girls said when she realised that she was surrounded.

    For years she has witnessed the girl''s brutality and didn''t want to fall victim to their cruelty.

    The Mean Witches took Laura to the secluded part of the campus. Hardly anyone passes by the area they took her to.

    And because it was far away from the main campus they would have aplished their mission before anyone came to her rescue.

    "You dared to hurt our idol and think you can go scot-free by avoiding us. Now you are caught, what can you do?" Doris questioned.

    Sophie walked two steps forward so that the gap between her and Laura wasn''t huge.

    "The price for hurting the man we have set our eyes on is huge. I wonder whether you will be able to pay it¡­,"

    "Those present when the event took ce can testify that my target was Joanna. I was nning to forever disfigure her face. It was his fault for jumping in¡­,"

    BAM!

    A tight pnded on Laura''s face forcing her to shut up. She held her burning cheeks and tilted her head to re at the one who pped her.

    "You pped me?" Laura asked. Her eyes and ws transformed in an instant.

    "How dare you act pridefully after injuring his priceless body?" Sophie challenged, unmoved by Laura''s transformation.

    She was outnumbered so what can Laura do to her?

    "It was your fault for failing to control your stupid hands so how dare you try to me Ray?" She demanded.

    She raised her hand to p Laura again but Laura grabbed her hand in the middle of the air.

    "If you think that I am Joanna you trampled under feet whenever you want, then let me tell you that you have gotten the wrong person," Laura retorted and flung Sophie''s hand away.

    "I won''t let you guys walk over me for something that wasn''t my fault," She stated, unfazed by the girl''s sneaky movement.

    "We will see about that," Sophie stated. She secretly signalled Nora and Doris to get a hold of Laura.

 Chapter 375 The Unusual Tiffany

    ?Before Laura knew what happened she was pinned down by the two girls by her side.

    "Let go," Laura shouted.

    "After we finish dealing with you next time you wouldn''t dare to get close to him, not to mention hurting ahair on his body," Sophie mumbled.

    She raised her hand andnded a powerful punch on Laura''s stomach. A sharp pain spread across Laura''s stomach.

    She groaned and tried to bend but thedies refused to let go.

    As this took ce Tiffany stood at a spot staring into space. Her friends were too preupied trying to deal with Laura to care about her.

    When they were done, Laura''s hair was messed up. Her green and white dress were badly stained and some part of the dress was torn due to how she struggled with them.

    "I swear, this is not over," Laura shouted. The ironic taste in her mouth made her spit on the grassy floor.

    Laura clenched her fists when she saw the blood she spat out.

    "I will have my revenge so better get ready for me¡­,"

    "I can see you need some more beating," Nora said and advanced towards Laura.

    The bruiseddy hastened away before Nora could reach her.

    When she had covered a long distance Laura paused and brought out a mirror from her handbag. She looked at herself in the mirror.

    Her blood boiled when she saw the terrible state she was in. Not only did they repeatedly pull her hair but because they kept hitting her face, half of her face was badly swollen.

    Even though the swells had started fading they were still visible.

    "I got beaten up because of her, I swear that I will get even with her on this. I won''t let that stupid girl off after what she caused those mean girls to do to me," Laura sped her fist.

    She red into the far distance like she could see Joanna from wherever she was.

    Back at where the incident took ce Nora and the two other girls walked over to the spot Tiffany stood with her back leaned against the wall.

    "Tiff, you have been this way ever since yesterday. At first, we thought you were hurt by your Grandpa''s action but we are beginning to think otherwise now," Sophie expressed.

    "You are not the type to easily get hurt by whatever your grandpa does or says. The old man has always been super strict with you, this is not a new thing¡­," Nora said. She raised her hand and ced it on Tiffany''s shoulders.

    "If you run into a difficult situation you can tell us. You know that we are always ready to help you right?" Nora added.

    The threedies tried to get Tiffany to open up to them for so many minutes but all their efforts proved abortive.

    Tiffany continued to stand there like someone whose soul was stolen from her.

    "If you don''t trust us anymore to disclose your worries to us, then fine. We will leave you alone¡­,"

    "I can''t believe I was just a pawn in her game of power. I thought she adored me but I just realised that everything was fake," Tiffany mumbled. Her misty eyes got her friends worried.

    "Who are you talking about and what do you mean?" Sophie and Doris chorused like they had read each other''s minds.

    "All my life, I was being used by someone I trust and the foolish me didn''t sense this the slightest bit. I am such an idiot," Tiffany muttered and pped her right cheek hard.

    ? Her sentences were vague, no matter how hard they tried to piece things together they couldn''t discover what Tiffany''s words meant.

    For minutes they tried to find out what went wrong but Tiffany only kept going in circles.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She didn''t give them the details they wanted to hear.

    When they realized Tiffany was not ready to disclose anything to them they decided to go to someone who might know what is wrong with their proud best friend.

    They could swear they had never seen her so distressed.

    Back under the shed, five minutes before themencement of the lecture, Amos and Joanna stood up and made their way to the lecture hall.

    While this took ce, Sophie and her friends were seen blocking the path of a tall boy in a white shirt.

    "What is it now?" Logan narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the threedies.

    "You talk as if we are enemies¡­,"

    "Wherever all of you go, trouble always follows, and as it is I want to stay away from all of you. I have gotten into too many problems¡­,"

    "Weren''t we always on the same side so why are you trying to make it look like we are evil¡­,"

    "We stopped being on the same side ever since we got locked up for months because of youdies, have you forgotten that?" Logan retorted.

    He didn''t sound polite at all even though they were his cousin''s friends.

    "You are two-faced¡­,"

    "That is enough," Sophie interrupted the bickering fellows. She shifted her gaze from the frowning Nora to Logan''s.

    "I know our opinions differtely which has caused a rift in our rtionship but I wish you will help us since this is about Tiff," Sophie said in a calm tone.

    Logan wanted to say something but paused after Sophie''s statement.

    "I thought she would be fine after you girls get together so don''t tell me she hasn''t gotten over that yet," Logan mumbled. He sounded calmer than earlier.

    "Does that mean you know what is wrong with her?" The three girls chorused to Logan''s astonishment.

    The worried look on their faces as they awaited his response made him realize that they were genuinely worried about his cousin and were not putting on an act.

    Although the girls are known for their meanness, they grew up together ever since they were kids.

    They look out for each other no matter what.

    "I have sses in a few minutes¡­,"

    "sses can wait but we need to do something about Tiff''s condition. The way she acts scares me," Sophie expressed. She held Logan''s hand and pulled him along.

    The girls stopped to drag Logan when they got to a quiet ce.

    "Now tell us what the heck happened to Tiff to make her be a walking zombie," Sophie requested.

    .....

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so this week you guys met the threshold for the privileged buyers and privilege chapter unlocks so like I promised there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    Look forward to it.

 Chapter 376 They Overheard Everything

    ?The threedies stood at his front and waited for his revtion.

    "I don''t know whether Tiffany will be happy about this. She might get mad at me again that I revealed¡­,"

    "If she gets upset we will speak up for you so now tell us what went wrong?" Doris assured as she hit her chest.

    "We were invited to the pce two days ago¡­,"

    "If you went to the pce shouldn''t she be thrilled she got to meet Her Highness to discuss her marriage to the King?" Nora asked, confusion written all over her face.

    She recalled that Tiffany was always in a good mood anytime she returned from the pce.

    So she couldn''t help but wonder what happened over there to make Tiffany behave the way she did.

    "Only for us to find out it wasn''t an invitation but we were being held hostages in the pce by the Queen Mother," Logan continued.

    He clenched his fists when the memory of that day popped into his head.

    [I should have known long ago that Her Highness was nothing but a two-faced bitch]

    "The Queen Mother would never do anything to upset Tiff. She adores her a lot¡­,"

    "That is exactly what your best friend believed. She is in that state after finding out that everything was a lie. Even the Queen Mother''s affection was fake," Logan shouted.

    There was a minute of silence after Logan''s outburst of emotions.

    "You said the Queen Mother''s love for Tiff is fake but we don''t understand why you said that," Nora expressed.

    Her friends nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah, so do you mind expatriating?" Sophie asked with hopeful eyes.

    "Ok, I will tell you what happened in detail since you want to know," Logan agreed. He walked two steps away. He turned and gaze at thedies'' curious faces afterwards.

    He narrated all that happened after Mr Martinez''s arrival.

    ¡­

    Back at the pce that night, Tiffany was eager to find out whether Her Highness will plead with her Grandpa on her behalf as she asked.

    To be able to leave the room she knew she must get rid of Tracy''s watchful eyes.

    Tiffany sneaked a peep at where Tracy stood. When she saw that thedy''s gaze was focused on them like she had expected she reached out her hand and carried the ss of blood in front of her.

    She brought the ss to her mouth and took a sip. She let the wine ss slip from her hand at the perfect time.

    "Damn!" Tiffany cursed and jumped to her feet.

    As she expected Tracy raced to where she stood.

    "Are you alright?" Tracy asked and examined her stained dress.

    "My dress is in this state, do you think I am alright after this?" Tiffany snapped. She shoved Tracy''s hand away from her body.

    Tracy looked at the prouddy in front of her with her fists sped.

    [She sure believes she is the apple of the Queen Mother''s eyes not knowing that she is a pawn in Her Highness''s master n...]

    "What are you looking at?" Tiffany sneered when she caught Tracy looking at her with a repulsive expression.

    Tracy lowered her gaze. Even though she disliked Tiffany she had to lower her head and behave herself always since their statuses are different.

    She is the granddaughter of the Prime Minister and the daughter of the richest man in the Kingdom.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She dares not offend her. In fact, she can''t afford to offend her.

    "I will go get you a change of outfit," Tracy informed.

    "You better do or else you will forever regret this day if Her Highness sees me this way," Tiffany threatened.

    She watched until Tracy left the room.

    "Was there any need to do that?" Logan asked.

    "You don''t tell me what to do," She retorted and stomped out of the room, pretending to be angry.

    "She was alright a while ago so why is she so sensitive now?" Logan mumbled.

    He stood up and followed Tiffany without caring about the maids and guards in the room.

    Despite that Tiffany was gone Logan didn''t have a problem finding her in the vast pce.

    Her scent led him to where she stood, eavesdropping on the conversation happening in a hall far away.

    "Don''t you know¡­," Tiffany ran and covered Logan''s mouth with her hand.

    She gave him a warning re and released his mouth when she discovered he understood her point.

    As Tiffany stood there she didn''t know that what she will hear next will ruin her belief and whatever rtionship she thought she had with the Queen Mother.

    "Your grandchildren are well taken care of. They are ready to go with you but before that, we have some things to discuss. I am sure you must have gotten my invitation right?" Queen Mother Theresa quizzed.

    She was straightforward with what she wanted.

    She didn''t go through these hassles to beat around the bush with him.

    "Is that why Her Highness kidnapped my grandchildren just to get me into the pce¡­.,"

    "If you had done like I said I wouldn''t have resorted to this. You left me with no other option, Prime Minister. If anyone should be med for my decision it''s none other than you," Queen Mother Theresa said without any remorse.

    "And what if I don''t agree¡­,"

    "That means your grandson isn''t as important as you wanted everyone to believe," Queen Mother interrupted sternly.

    Realising that the Queen Mother was aware of his weakness Mr Martinez clenched his fists and kept quiet.

    "Because you are the Prime Minister, I can''t lock you up in the pce without any valid reason but that is not the case with your grandchildren. I can keep them here for as long as I want and no one will question me," She said with pride.

    The adults were too engrossed in their argument to know that two young fellows were listening to their conversation.

    Tiffany''s legs lost strength at that minute and she staggered backwards. Had Logan not lent her a hand she would have fallen to the floor.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, so this week there is no mass release since the goals were not met.

    If you want to enjoy the weekly mass release then do your part of the deal and I promise to do mine.

    As I had said, as long as we reach the weekly goals I will unfailingly give the mass release as scheduled so please keep thements, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts, power stones and reviewsing.

    Also please endeavour to buy the privileged chapters.

    I will say thanks to all those who willply in advance.

 Chapter 377 Queen Mothers Schemes Discovered

    ?Logan looked at Tiffany who was now in his arms, then he tilted his head to look at the direction the voice came from.

    [I am certain after Her Highness punished us for the crime of eavesdropping Grandpa will not spare us too. I better get her out of here before we are discovered].

    Logan looked around to make sure none saw them. After he confirmed that they were safe, he helped Tiffany out of there.

    Logan concluded his narration.

    "Tiffany has been like this ever since she stumbled on that conversation," Logan added.

    "Tiff has been sincere towards Her Highness for years so how could she do this to Tiff?" Sophie fumed.

    "She has always adored Tiff ever since she was a child so when did she turn dubious?" Nora spat out, her fist sped.

    "Maybe this was her n from the beginning¡­,"

    "What do you mean by that? Have you forgotten that she and Tiff''s mum were friends in the past¡­.,"

    "Our family has always been powerful so maybe she had nned to use us from the beginning," Logan expressed.

    "She is such a damn schemer," Doris raved.

    Sophie walked a step to the right with her two hands sped.

    "I wish she wasn''t the Queen Mother, I would have thought her a serious lesson for doing this to my best friend¡­,"

    "I am sure the reason Tiffany is like this is because of the same reason. She is in so much pain because despite being deceived she can''t do anything about it," Logan exined.

    He would have also avenged his cousin even without being asked if the one who did this to her wasn''t way out of their league.

    "We will make sure Tiff gets over this betrayal but I wished a day wille when we will get even with the Queen Mother for this betrayal¡­,"

    "The only way for us to get that chance is by Tiff bing the Queen. She will have so many opportunities to take revenge when she sits on that seat," Sophie interrupted sternly.

    "That has always been our lifelong goal and we will make sure nothing and no onees in between our ns," Doris dered.

    Logan didn''t utter any more words after their deration. He was certain that he would be the girl''s sworn enemies if he told them that the King belonged to someone else.

    As the girls discussed Joanna, who was now in the lecture hall, had a hard time paying attention to the lecture because of the naughty guy by her side.

    "Keep your hands away or else we might get scolded by Mr Fin¡­," A dry cough that echoed in the entire hall made Joanna let go of Amos'' hand in a sh.

    She lifted her head and pretended like she wasn''t the samedy that talked to Amos a few seconds ago.

    Amos raised his head in time to catch Mr Fin ring at them.

    "Mr Fin, do you have a question for us?" The shameless Amos asked despite that he was at fault.

    [Maybe what I will do starting today is to send these two lovebirds out of my sses. I can''t afford to let them ruin the reputation I have built up for so many years]

    Mr Fin sped his fist and forced a smile. If it were other students who misbehaved in ss like this he would have punished them in an instant.

    But how could he bear to punish the King and best friend even though he was in disguise?

    "Not a question but a suggestion," He replied. "The two of you should concentrate. You are free to leave if you think my ss is not your cup of tea," He warned.

    He continued from where he stopped after he sounded his warnings. But that didn''t stop the excited Amos from doing as he pleased.

    After going through hell at the hands of his best friend for the entire period of his lecture Mr Fin let out a sigh of relief after the ss ended.

    "I wish there was a way to prohibit them from taking my lectures because I don''t want to go through that hell all over again in my next ss," Mr Fin mumbled.

    He gazed at the spot Amos and Joanna sat before they ran off at the end of the period.

    He left the hall some minutester with his teaching materials.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Because Joanna was still on leave, she had the entire day to herself and she spent it with Amos.

    Despite not setting eyes on Audrey the entire day, she didn''t feel her best friend''s absence.

    When she recalled that her family were supposed to move back home, she decided to return home that night.

    Reaching the sitting room, Joanna was greeted by a pair of murderous nces.

    [Darn! So the Old hag has finally arrived. This house willck the thing called peace and quietness now that she is here]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she stared at the fumingdy who looked like she was gonna strangle her that very minute.

    "Are you scared toe in because you know the crime you havemitted is beyond pardonable¡­,"

    "As if you have ever pardoned me for even the tiniest mistake," Joanna blurted.

    She covered her mouth and walked close to the centre table when she realised she said the words out loud.

    "Grandma, wee¡­,"

    BAM!

    A tight p flew across Joanna''s face. Joanna held her cheeks and tilted her head wanting to know who pped her.

    "How dare you stand and even dare to look me in the eye after what you did?" She growled and raised her hand to p Joanna again.

    Adhara stood up and stopped her mother on time.

    "Did you just stop me?" She sneered, her fierce res focused on her daughter''s face.

    "What hase over you to make you change so much? Did she perhaps bewitch you¡­,"

    "You are wrong, Mum," Adhara cut in a meek tone.

    "I just wanted to remind you that my husband is home¡­,"

    "And since when did we care about whether or not your husband was home whenever we wanted to teach his illegitimate daughter a lesson?" Grandma Cora snapped.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, I am so damn sorry for not being able to upload the mass release chapters on Sunday as I promised.

    But here are the five chapters for the mass release. As a way of saying sorry I will give an extra chapter. Please do pardon me ok ???

    For those who are not aware of why I gave the mass release, the reason is that you guys aplished this week''s goal.

    And that is why I gave the mass release as I had earlier promised.

    Also if you want to get another mass release in the uing Sunday then buy privileged chapters and make sure to unlock them daily.

    Send gifts and cast GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Don''t forget thatments, reviews and power stones also count too.

    Let''s work hard together ok?

    I love you ??????

    Stay safe always.

 Chapter 378 Joannas Plan Got Ruined

    ?Joanna let go of her burning cheeks and stood with her head held high.

    "Grandma, I know¡­," Grandma Cora turned and grabbed Joanna''s neck. She choked the words back into Joanna''s throat.

    "I have told you times without numbers that I don''t have a granddaughter like you. And that never in your life should you call me your Grandma," Grandma Cora raved, her grip around Joanna''s neck tightened.

    Joanna didn''t break down in tears or plead for her life even though the angry woman had lifted her off the floor.

    [She must think she is so powerful not knowing that I deliberately didn''t dodge her attack]

    An evil grin stered on Joanna''s face as she stared at the angry woman.

    Grandma Cora was too angry to notice this but Joanna''s evil smirk didn''t escape Adhara''s notice.

    [I am sure the wicked girl must be up to no good. I need to do something about this before she takes action]

    Adhara reached out her hand to stop her mother but she was pulled back from behind.

    "Mum, don''t tell me you want to stop Granny from punishing her¡­,"

    "Yes. She will harm your Grandma if I don''t stop her now¡­,"

    "And what the hell can she do when she is outnumbered?" Laura snapped.

    She didn''t feel an ounce of sympathy despite seeing Joanna''s face turn red due to her Grandmother''s strangling.

    "If she is nning something she will have to think twice about it with us here," Laura added with pride.

    She walked past her mother and stood beside Grandma Cora.

    "I clearly stated in the text message that you wanted her back home. I included the punishment in it to instil fear in her but I can''t believe she chose to undermine your orders," Laura reported.

    Joanna whose breath has gotten irregr red at her lying stepsister. At that moment she felt the urge to strangle her to death.

    "She must have done this because she believed you can''t do anything to her just like mum¡­,"

    "I don''t know how you bewitched my daughter into treating you nicely but let me make myself clear¡­," Grandma Cora roared as she looked into Joanna''s eyes.

    "I am not my daughter and I will never be like her so never get mistaken. I can kill you now and nothing will happen," She stated.

    To show Joanna that what she said was not a mere threat she applied more strength to her hand.

    [My mother was able to stop me from dealing with you but I swear none wille to your rescue with Granny here. Serves you right!]

    A triumphant smile masked Laura''s face.

    Joanna who was on the brink of losing consciousness stared at the angry woman whose grip around her neck hadn''t loosened a bit

    [I was nning to take my sweet time dealing with her because I believed her fragile heart wouldn''t be able to handle my transformation. I guess I have to change ns now]

    Joanna grinned inwardly.

    Instantly her right hand glowed red. Adhara, whose attention was on Joanna, got a glimpse of the ball of fire forming on Joanna''s hand on time.

    Without wasting a minute she pushed Laura out of her path and held her mother''s hand.

    "Mum, that is enough. She will die if you don''t stop now," Adhara pleaded.

    She became more terrified of what Joanna will do to her mother when she recalled the explosion that ruined their porch.

    "Don''t touch me again," Grandma Cora warned and shook off Adhara''s hand.

    Joanna was about to attack when a tiny voice interrupted her n.

    "Grandma!" A tinny boy''s voice filled the room. Joanna who was about to grab Grandma Cora''s hand with her glowing hand lowered her hand on sighting Anthony from the stairs.

    Anthony raced down the stairs. He was clever enough not to pass where Laura stood.

    "Grandma, w-why are you doing this to Big Sis?" Anthony cried. Tears rolled from his eyes.

    "Stop crying like¡­,"

    "Let go of her," Anthony ordered. He ignored Laura''s deadly res and reached out his hand.

    He held Joanna''s hand and tried to pull her down.

    Even if Grandma Cora had ns to kill Joanna, with Anthony around she knew she wouldn''t be able to achieve her aim.

    The only person who would make her change her mind about killing Joanna in the entire building was Anthony and no one else.

    Grandma Cora had no other choice but to release Joanna when Anthony kept struggling to rescue her.

    She flung Joanna to the floor mercilessly. She didn''t care whether Joanna broke her head, hand or leg.

    Laid on the floor Joanna held her neck and breathed heavily.

    She was trying to let the old hag get a bit of fun before she dealt with her. She couldn''t believe that things turned South and she ended up hurt in the process.

    Anthony hurried to Joanna''s side. He held her and helped her into a sitting position.

    "Are you alright Big Sis?" He asked. He extended his hand and stroked her reddened face.

    For two minutes Joanna wasn''t able to talk. In a rush, she sucked in the air she was deprived of for over five minutes.

    "The next time you dare to defy my orders, I promise you, it won''t end with strangling alone but I will break your legs. I will make sure you never get to walk again," She roared and stormed out of there.

    The grinning Laura stuck out her tongue at Joanna.

    "Wait for me, Granny," She shouted and ran after Grandma Cora.

    Slowly, Joanna stood up to her feet. She raised her head and peered at Grandma Cora''s room upstairs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Did you say you are gonna break my legs?" Joanna scoffed.

    "The ground is slippery Grandma. Be careful because you might end up breaking your legs before I do," She mumbled and walked away.

    "Let''s go together," He said and chased after Joanna.

    Adhara''s gaze followed her stepdaughter''s departing back. Joanna''s earlier words echoed in her mind.

    [Is she trying to say she would deal with my mother before she had the chance to deal a blow at her? Is that what her words meant?]

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

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 Chapter 379 Her Bleeding Neck

    ?Adhara was confused as she gazed at Joanna''s back. In her life, none has ever made her feel as uneasy as Joanna does.

    To her, Joanna was like a timebomb waiting to explode. And she was scared that this time bomb might blow up in her face.

    Upstairs in her room, Joanna was seen gazing outside of the window with her eyes closed. Anthony stood up from the bed and strolled to her side.

    He gazed at her face for two minutes. Even though she uttered no words or gazed back at him, he knew she was not alright after what he saw.

    As he gazed at her, he got a glimpse of blood around her neck.

    "Big Sis, you are bleeding," he screamed and reached out his hand to touch her neck but he couldn''t reach her neck because of his height.

    She tilted her head and peered at his worry-stricken face.

    "It is just a minor wound. I won''t die from a mere scratch so don''t worry. Big Sis is stronger than you think," She smiled at him and used her left hand to wipe the blood off her neck.

    "Grandma is very mean. I wonder why she is always like that to you whenever she visits," He said, frowning.

    Joanna noticed he was even more upset than she was so she squatted in front of him.

    "I also want to know the reason why she loathes me but judging from her temper I am more than certain that she will skin me alive if I question her," She replied and ruffled his hair a bit.

    [She should be grateful you came on time because I am not sure what I would have done to her if you didn''t arrive in the nick of time. Maybe I would have grabbed her neck and made sure she burns to death]

    Joanna grits her teeth when she recalls the incident earlier.

    "I wish Big Sis will never have to get bullied by Grandma and the others ever again¡­,"

    "I am sure the heavens had already granted your wish so don''t worry," Joanna grinned.

    She had prepared to be the ruthless woman''s mercy when she arrived. But as fate had it she regained her powers a night after the cruel woman''s arrival.

    All hope was lost at her side so this must be fate''s handiwork.

    "Big Sis, let me treat your wound," He expressed and stood up from the bed.

    "You don''t¡­," he was already at the door before she had the chance to stop him.

    "I will go get the first aid box from downstairs," He added and exited the room.

    Joannaid down on the bed after Anthony left. She gazed at the ceiling, "This is why he will always be my good little brother no matter what," she muttered.

    She was about to shut her eyes when the door flew open.

    "Come, sit up and let me treat your wounds," He announced. He lent her a hand and pulled her to a sitting position.

    "My little rice ball is all grown that he now knows how to take care of Big Sis," Joanna jokes. She tilted her neck to the sides so he had ess to her injury.

    "Yes. So now you can count on me to take good care of you in the future," He replied, smiling.

    He was still cleaning the cut on her neck when the door to Joanna''s room flew open.

    Just then ady walked in with her shoulders raised high.

    She paused in front of where Joanna sat.

    "Granny said she is starving. She wants you to prepare her favourite abalone porridge right now¡­,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "But Big Sis is injured. She can''t¡­," Anthony paused when he got a glimpse of Laura''s deadly gaze.

    "She is way too famished to wait for a long time so she wants it ready in ten minutes¡­,"

    "You are trying to¡­,"

    "If you dare interrupt me again I will not only report you to Dad but I will make sure I lock you in your room the entire night," Laura raved and stomped out of the room.

    Anthony shifted his gaze to thedy by his side after Laura was gone. "Big Sis¡­,"

    "I need to go and prepare your Grandma''s meal. We will continue from where we stopped after I return," She faked a smile and pats his back.

    Joanna left the room. On the passage, she paused in front of the stairs. She gazed at the brown door ahead of her.

    [Since they don''t want me to go to bed today I will make sure they don''t get a wink of sleep either]

    Joanna smirked. She descended the stairs afterwards.

    In the kitchen, she first prepared the ingredients. With the help of the system, she was able toplete the task that would have taken ten minutes in just five minutes.

    Before the ten minutes psed she was in front of the brown door with a tray in her hand.

    Joanna walked into the room after she was ushered in.

    Just like she expected, Laura was sitting beside Grandma Cora on the green couch.

    "Grandma¡­no I meant Madam Cora," She corrected herself when she saw the fumingdy pick up the wine ss from the table.

    "Your favourite abalone porridge is ready," she said and bent to drop the tray on the table.

    "Abalone porridge?" She groaned. "Whoever told you I wanted abalone porridge as my dinner?" She demanded.

    "Laura¡­,"

    "Granny, I bet she must have deliberately prepared the wrong dish to take revenge on you for scolding her earlier," Laura interrupted and tried to invite Grandma Cora.

    "She? Take revenge on me?" Grandma Cora chuckled with her index finger pointing at Joanna.

    "Don''t you think one needs to have the ability and guts to take revenge? And do you think someone like her possessed these things?" She sneered.

    "Hahaha¡­ you are right about that," Lauraughed.

    They took pleasure in belittling her not caring that she was capable of feeling every emotion.

    ...

    Hello, lovely readers please do support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

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    And recall that Sunday is just two days away. If you want to do anything then do it quickly.

 Chapter 380 Humiliation

    ?[Don''t worry Grandma very soon I will show you that I have the ability and guts to take revenge. I won''t disappoint you when that timees so look forward to it because it will be my turn tough]

    Joanna clenched her fist. She controlled her inner self which wanted to challenge them.

    "What the hell are you still waiting for?" She shouted as if she didn''t know that Joanna was there all this time.

    "Get in there and prepare me some good food," Shemanded.

    With gritted teeth, Joanna bent and carried the tray. She spun and was about to exit the room when Grandma Cora''s words caused her to stop in her tracks.

    "If you make me wait more than the stipted time, I promise that tonight will be the day I finally put an end to your miserable life," Grandma Cora threatened.

    "I will make sure that doesn''t happen," she replied and left in an instant.

    She could hear theirughter even though she was far away from their room.

    In the kitchen, Joanna was quick with her preparation. With the system timing her she didn''t have to constantly raise her head to look at the wall clock or her cell phone.

    When she finished it a minute only remained in the ten minutes they allotted to her.

    "Fuck, I amte!" She half screamed and carried the tray from the table.

    Immediately she disappeared from the kitchen along with the tray of food. She surfaced in front of the brown door.

    "Granny, I am sure she is going to runte this time around. I wished you would leave the stage for me this time around," Laura suggested.

    They were oblivious to the fact that Joanna was standing outside the door. Thanks to her system she was able to conceal not only her scent but also her presence.

    "I promise I won''t let you down¡­,"

    "I know you are nothing like your mother but you are more like me. You won''t go easy on her, I believe you," Grandma Cora smiled and patted Laura''s hands.

    Joanna grinned and adjusted the way she held the tray.

    [I know you have already nned everything but I will have to disappoint you tonight stepsister]

    She reached out her right hand and knocked on the door.

    Joanna pulled the door open after she got their permission to do so.

    The twodies couldn''t hide their astonishment when they saw the tray of food in Joanna''s hand.

    They both exchanged possible nces.

    [How on Earth was she able to prepare and finish everything in exactly ten minutes?- Is someone helping her or¡­]

    "Madam, here is your meal," Joanna''s gentle voice disrupted Laura''s thoughts.

    She bent and ced the tray at the centre table.

    Lauraposed herself and tried to think of what to say and do.

    "I hope you are satisfied with the food¡­,"

    "You call this thing food?" Laura yelled. She picked up one of the dishes and flung it in Joanna''s direction.

    Joanna moved two steps backwards and avoided her attack. She did this without arousing the suspicions of the elderly woman at Laura''s side.

    "W-what is wrong with the food this time around¡­,"

    "Are you trying toin huh? You are trying to say that we are deliberately making things hard for you right?", Grandma Cora roared.

    "I-I wouldn''t d-dare," she stammered and faked a terrified expression.

    "It''s good to see that you haven''t forgotten your ce in this house," she added and left the stage for Laura to disy.

    "You call this greasy thing food?" Laura demanded. She bent and picked the big bowl containing the fish Joanna took her time to grill.

    She approached where Joanna stood with the bowl in her possession.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you perhaps nning to make my Granny sick with these junk things you refer to as food," She challenged and raised the bowl to Joanna''s chest.

    "Don''t try to push your luck just because your old hag is here. Remember the p your mother gave you? That was only a warning¡­,"

    "And what will you do if I keep pushing my luck huh?" Laura scoffed.

    "I will make you regret your action¡­,"

    "I can''t wait to see you do that when I have my Granny as my backer now," she grinned and went ahead and poured the entire content of the bowl on Joanna''s white shirt.

    Joanna so much wanted to punch Laura in the face and made sure even if she didn''t lose three teeth that she ended up with a dislocated jaw that night.

    She clutched her hands until they hurt.

    "Don''t just stand there and get this ce cleaned up," Madam Cora ordered.

    "Don''t you dare think you can use this as an excuse to ck either," Laura added.

    She spun and returned to her previous position with her head held high.

    Joanna so much wanted to murder the duo in that room but she held herself.

    ? [I will be able to relieve my anger momentarily if I take action but what is the fun there when I can take my sweet time ying with this old hag?]

    She grinned inwardly.

    Joanna pushed pride and dignity aside. She bent and picked up the broken dishes and the food on the floor.

    She left the room after she was done cleaning up the mess.

    Just like Joanna had expected, they made her cook from one dish to the other the entire night.

    She prepared over ten different dishes but they found fault in every single one.

    They thought they had won not knowing that the true winner was Joanna; thedy who used their tricks against them to make sure they didn''t go to bed like her for the entire night.

    When she returned to her room it was 5:00 am. And she met her little brother sleeping on her bed.

    "He is so pitiful. I can''t believe he fell asleep while waiting for me," she mumbled and walked to the bed.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE ??????. HAPPY 2023 ??????

    In this new year, I wish you, your family and your loved ones new happiness, new sess, new goals and new inspirations.

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 Chapter 381 Where Does It Hurt?

    ?After she gazed at his face for a few seconds, she pulled off his shoes andid him well on the bed.

    She went to freshen up when she had covered his tiny body with the nket.

    When she was done, sheid down to catch some sleep.

    She didn''t sleep for up to an hour when a loud knock at her door awakened her from sleep.

    Joanna groaned and sat up on the bed. She stood up and walked to the door when she had made sure that the knock hadn''t disturbed Anthony''s sleep.

    "What''s it?" Joanna questioned the maid at the door.

    "Old Madam told me to inform you that it''s time for you to perform your duties¡­,"

    "And what goddamn duties are you talking about when I barely had any sleep," Joanna lost her cool and shouted.

    "She told me to ry her orders to you and I have done my part," the blondedy replied.

    "If you have a problem with her orders then you can go confront her yourself. Don''t make things difficult for me," She stated rudely.

    The maid bowed and she did this with reluctance. She left without Joanna asking her to do so.

    [The old hag never changed. She doesn''t know that she is digging her own grave by constantly testing my patience]

    She red at nothing in particr.

    Joanna returned to her room to get changed afterwards. She exited her room when she was done.

    From that moment until it was bright outside Joanna did nothing else other than working to the bones.

    She wasn''t allowed a moment of rest despite her hard work.

    Joanna was about to conclude her chores and go upstairs to freshen up when Grandma Cora made her way to the sitting room.

    "Good morning, Madam Cora," Joanna greeted. But the elderly woman ignored her greetings. She proceeded to the couch at the centre table.

    "My legs feel so sore," she mumbled and lifted her dress so that she revealed her legs.

    Soon she raised her head and peered in Joanna''s direction.

    "I just said my legs are sore so stop standing there ande over to massage my legs," shemanded.

    "But why should I be the one to do that?" Joanna challenged the old woman.

    "Did you say something?" Grandma Cora raised an eyebrow.

    She red at Joanna. She expected Joanna to repeat her words but Joanna proved to be smarter.

    "I will go get the ointment," she informed her. Joanna swirled and moved to the shelves at her right-hand side.

    [I was standing on my own when you asked for it. So just see how I will deal with you this morning]

    Joanna grinned. She stretched a bit and carried the white ointment bottle at the topmost of the shelf.

    She proceeded to where Grandma Cora sat afterwards.

    "Where does it hurt?" Joanna squatted and took the woman''s right leg in her hand.

    "All over," she blurted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I will grant your wish, don''t worry," Joanna muttered. She massaged the woman''s legs as she wanted.

    Even though it was obvious that nothing was wrong with her legs, Grandma Cora used this opportunity to waste Joanna''s time and also make things difficult for her.

    "I said be gentle. Can''t you hear any more?" She growled and kicked Joanna''s right shoulder hard. Joanna fell on the floor with her butts first.

    "Are you nning to break my legs or what?" She shouted.

    "I will be more gentle," she responded and resumed what she was doing.

    Joanna was still massaging Grandma Cora''s legs when Anthony in his uniform ran down the stairs.

    "Good morning, Granny," Anthony greeted. Even though nothing else in the room caught his attention, the sight of Joanna kneeling in front of his Grandmother did.

    "Morning, sweetheart. My grandson looks so handsome," sheplimented. She stretched her hand and stroked his face.

    "Does Grandma''s legs hurt?" he asked.

    ? "Yeah, I sat down at a spot the entire night because of a certain somebody. I bet that must be the cause of the pain," She said, her murderous res focused on Joanna.

    "If that is the case then let me massage your legs. I promise, you will feel a lot better after I massage you with my magical hands," He said yfully.

    He bent and tried to lift her leg but the old woman caught him and made him stand on his feet in time.

    "This job is meant for servants only. But you are the heir of this great family so don''t you ever do that again," Grandma Cora scolded.

    She lifted him and made him sit beside her.

    "If the job is meant for servants then why are you letting Big Sis do it¡­,"

    "So, is my boy ready to go to school huh?" Grandma Cora abruptly changed the topic. Anthony, whose attention was concentrated on Joanna, didn''t say a word.

    He tilted his head and gazed at the woman by his side.

    "Grandma, can Big Sis send me to school today?" He asked.

    "I would have loved to do that but unfortunately I need to freshen up and get ready for my morning sses. I can''t send you to school today," Joanna replied before Grandma Cora had the opportunity to.

    "And who in this house will let you leave for your useless school when you haven''tpleted all the tasks for this morning?" Grandma Cora snapped.

    "I have cleaned and done all my morning chores¡­,"

    "Did you say you have done all your chores?" Grandma Cora interrupted. "As far as I know you haven''t prepared breakfast¡­,"

    "Vinnie was getting ready to prepare breakfast. Also, that isn''t part of my job¡­,"

    "Say one more word and I will make sure you can''t open your mouth to talk for three days," she threatened.

    "Grandma, Big Sis¡­,"

    "Go to your room. Breakfast will be ready before it''s time for you to leave for school," She said and urged him on.

    She watched the reluctant boy stand up and walk to the stairs. Grandma Cora returned her gaze to Joanna''s face after she had confirmed that Anthony was in his room.

    "Don''t even dream of setting your legs out of this house if you haven''t prepared breakfast," she stated sternly.

 Chapter 382 The Fall

    ?[You want to eat breakfast prepared by me right?- No problem, I will give that to you but I will make sure today''s breakfast is one you will never forget in a hurry]

    Joanna slowly stood up.

    "I will go get breakfast ready now," Joanna said and left the sitting room.

    As this happened, other members of the family were in their respective rooms going about their own stuff.

    Two maids approached the kitchen after Joanna left.

    "None of you is allowed to help her," She ordered. "If anyone disobeys my order that person will have to deal with me," She threatened.

    The two maids returned to their previous positions. They dared not utter a word to the woman whose temper they were well aware of.

    "You think you are doing me a bad thing by forbidding them to help me? Hehe... Never in your wildest imagination would you know that you are digging your own grave by doing this," Joanna mumbled.

    An evil grin crept onto her face.

    As she went about preparing breakfast, none stepped into the kitchen. And this was all the handiwork of the cruel woman who didn''t trust the workers.

    She did everything to make sure that none in the mansion offered Joanna any help.

    In Mr Anderson''s bedroom, Adhara stood in front of the door watching her husband dress up.

    "Honey, do you mind asking my mother to take things easy with Joanna?" Adhara asked, her gaze focused on the man standing in front of the dressing mirror.

    Mr Anderson paused what he was doing. He turned and peered at the woman standing behind him.

    He had thought someone imitated her voice. But turning around he was stunned to see that she was the one.

    In the past, if he asked her to take things easy with Joanna she would be furious. Her anger alwayssts for a day or days.

    He wondered what she was up to this time around.

    Was this some kind of test to confirm whether he cared about his illegitimate child?

    Adhara moved towards where he stood. "I spoke to her about this but you know how she is. I am sure she might consider it if you were the one to tell her this...,"

    "Handling the affairs in our home has always been your responsibility. I won''t interfere and I have no intention of doing that in the future...,"

    "But that vicious girl might harm us if no one stops mum from provoking her," Adhara blurted without thinking.

    "Who will harm whom?" Mr Anderson narrowed his eyebrows.

    "Your...," Adhara paused what she wanted to say when Joanna''s threats popped into her head.

    [She has warned me not to reveal anything or else she will expose me. The darn girl will ruin everything I have worked so hard to build all these years. I can''t let this happen no matter what]

    Adhara brought her hands to her back. She tried to control her emotions. She lifted her head and looked at his face after she was certain that her emotions were under control.

    "I mean that mother might harm her if we don''t do something about it...,"

    "And since when did you or anyone else anyone in the house care about whether or not she got hurt or even killed..,"

    "But...,"

    "If you have no better thing to discuss with me then I would advise you to go check up on Anthony to make sure he is set for school," He ordered.

    He turned his back on her immediately.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His emotionless expression was as if it was someone else''s daughter he was talking about and not his own flesh and blood.

    With her husband not willing to help her, Adhara was lost at what to do.

    She left the room without feeling any better.

    Some minutester Adhara was seen descending the stairs. The first ce her attention went to as she reached the sitting room was the direction of the kitchen.

    "She is preparing our breakfast so there is no need to keep looking," Grandma Cora sneered. She didn''t take her eyes off the series ying on the television.

    "Mother, the chef is there to prepare our meal so why did you...,"

    "And since when did the chef start preparing the meals eaten by this family?" Grandma Cora questioned. The way she red at Adhara was as if she was looking at her enemy.

    "Also, what the hell is wrong with you...,"

    "Just like Laura, she also has morning sses so why don''t you let her leave the remaining work...,"

    "If you are gonna speak up for that daughter of a slut then I will suggest you don''t say a word," She said with a tone of finality.

    Since childhood, she has always been proud of having a mother who got her back at everything. But for the first time, she wished her mother was flexible like every other mother out there.

    That way she would be able to avert whatever evil n her stepdaughter was scheming.

    "I was having a great time before you arrived but only for you to ruin my mood," Grandma Cora retorted. She stood up from the couch.

    "I wonder when this spell she used on you will wear off so that I can get my real daughter back," She hissed and tried to stomp away.

    Arghh!!

    A scream followed by a loud thud made Adhara jump to her feet. Everyone except the guards rushed to the sitting room to see what happened.

    Joanna stood in front of the kitchen and watched themotion taking ce in the sitting room.

    "Mother, are you ok?" Adhara asked and squatted in front of the woman about to slip off the couch.

    Adhara quickly helped the woman who fell on the couch sit well.

    "Granny!" Laura stood upstairs, in front of her room screaming.

    Soon she, Anthony and her father were standing close to the centre table.

    "Mum, what is wrong with Granny?" Laura inquired. She hastened to her mother''s side and squatted beside her.

    ....

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE!!! ??????

    So herees the five chapters mass release for the event.

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 Chapter 383 Joanna Strikes

    ?"I don''t know but it looked as if she felt sharp pains inside her legs. She fell immediately after letting out a cry of pain," Adhara ryed what she noticed.

    "My legs," Grandma Cora clenched her right leg and cried in pain.

    "You were just fine a while ago so what happened Granny?", Laura asked, not able to hide her worries.

    "I don''t know," She blurted. Her squeezed forehead made them realize that she wasn''t faking it.

    "How do you feel?" Mr Anderson questioned.

    "It feels as if my legs are constantly pierced with nails," She replied amidst her groans.

    Out of all those watching this scene, only Joanna was the one smiling.

    "This is just the beginning. You haven''t seen anything. Just wait and see how this servant is gonna take VERY GOOD CARE OF YOU," Joanna smirked and returned to the kitchen.

    Everyone tried to ascertain what was the problem with Grandma Cora''s legs. After so many minutes of deliberation, none coulde up with the cause or solution.

    Listening to the woman''s constant screams felt as if Joanna was listening to the most soothing tone in the world.

    From the beginning to the end of the preparation no one called her name. In fact, she believed none looked for her because they had all forgotten about her.

    After she was done, she took the dishes to the dining one after another.

    "Young Miss, let me help you," the middle-aged woman extended her hand to collect the tray from her but Joanna moved backwards.

    "It''s ok Nanny Susan, I can handle this," She said. She stole a nce at the centre table where everyone was.

    "Besides, she will make things very difficult for you if you helped me," Joanna muttered. She moved to the dining room with the tray.

    "Mother, are you ok now or do you need me to call the doctor over¡­,"

    "I think I feel much better now," Grandma Cora cut in.

    "Since she is feeling much better then I will leave for work now," Mr Anderson announced. He carried his backid on the centre table and made to walk away but Adhara grabbed his hand.

    "Breakfast is ready. Won''t you have breakfast with everyone?" Adhara questioned in a soft tone.

    "I have a meeting in a few minutes. I will eat at the office if I am hungry," He replied coldly.

    He started walking away afterwards.

    Adhara tilted her head and looked at Laura, "You and Tony should help your grandma to the table. I will join you guys soon," she instructed. She hastened to catch up with her husband who was now at the door.

    Laura stood up and stretched forth her hands, "Granny, let''s go," Laura beckoned.

    As Laura assisted Grandma Cora to the dining, the elderly woman constantly groaned in pain.

    Joanna was on her third trip to the dining room when Laura sighted her from afar.

    [Granny''s mood is terrible, I wonder what she would do if I caused this stupid girl to mess up. Would she end up killing her in annoyance?]

    Laura grinned and quickly thought of what to do.

    When she noticed that Joanna was in a hurry to set up the dining, an idea popped into her head.

    Laura pretended to be immersed in the cell phone in her hand meanwhile she was secretly keeping an eye on Joanna.

    She decided to put her n into action when she realised that Joanna was close enough.

    Laura stuck out her leg at thest minute but to her greatest bewilderment, Joanna swiftly jumped over her leg without the content in the tray spilling.

    Joanna grinned at the bewildereddy and continued with what she was doing.

    [How stupid of her to keep on repeating the same tricks. Also, did she think I would let her ruin my master n just like that? You wish!]

    She smirked. She bent and ced the tray on the table.

    Joanna returned to get the remaining thing after she was done.

    It was at herst trip to the dining that Adhara returned from seeing her husband off.

    Some distance away from the dining room Joanna paused in her tracks. She looked to her left, back and then to her right.

    Adhara hid when she saw her stepdaughter acting sneakily.<novelnext></novelnext>

    From her hiding ce, Adhara saw Joanna adding some whitish substance to the jug of juice.

    She shook the jug and allowed the substance to dissolve. She proceeded to the dining room afterwards.

    Adhara was shocked to the marrow after what she witnessed. For a minute she couldn''t think straight.

    And then she recalled Joanna''s threat that fateful morning she forced her to prepare breakfast.

    The incident that urred afterwards including the price she had to pay was still vivid in her memory.

    She could still remember her warning as if the incident urred yesterday.

    "I might not have poisoned your food this time around but that doesn''t mean that I won''t do it if you guys don''t watch the way you treat me in this house".

    These were her exact words that day.

    Just then she remembered what Joanna had passed through in her mother''s hands in less than 24 hours after she arrived here.

    [If she thinks she can kill all of us in my home then she is wrong. I will make sure to thwart her ns today]

    Adhara clenched her fists and sprang up from where she squatted.

    In the dining room, Joanna met the women eating. Only Anthony was the one who wasn''t eating.

    "Big Sis, please I want that," He informed and pointed at the jug of juice in her hands.

    "This is not for you but for the adults," She replied. "Your ss of refreshing milk is in the kitchen. I will go get it for you after I am done," she mumbled.

    Her reply further proved Adhara''s suspicions right.

    "Also, I have asked your driver to send you to school. He should be in the sitting room¡­,"

    "And who are you to make that decision when he should be having his meals now¡­,"

    "Have you checked your time to see that he is alreadyte for school?" Joanna snapped.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Hello, everyone, so I havee up with goals for this year.

    Starting this week, ording to how well you do for the week, there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    The criteria to determine how well you guys do include;

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    Remember to buy privileged chapters. You don''t necessarily have to buy the highest tier if you can''t afford it.

    You can settle for tiers 4, 3 and 2 if that is what you can afford. Because buying these tiers also counts.

    Speaking about gifts, I look forward to seeing which one of you will give me the first gifts for the year 2023.

    Will it be you ??, you ?? or you?

    I love you ???

 Chapter 384 The Poisoned Juice

    ?"Also, I have packed enough food for him. He can have breakfast when he gets to school. He doesn''t necessarily have to eat at home, especially if he is runningte. I am sure Madam Cora will agree with me on that, right?" Joanna asked.

    She and Laura diverted their gaze to the woman who was about to take a bite from a chunk of beef stuck to her fork.

    "That is¡­," She coughed, unable toplete what she wanted to say.

    She thought the cough would go away after the breakout but she kept coughing.

    "What are you looking at, moron? Pour her a ss of juice?" Laura shouted at her when grandmother would not stop coughing.

    Hastily, Joanna poured the orange juice into the ss with trembling hands.

    Her evil smirk became visible when she saw Grandma Cora bring the ss to her mouth.

    "Don''t drink that Mum!" A terrified voice screamed.

    Adhara who was hiding in a corner ran to where her mother sat and snatched the ss of juice from her.

    "Tony, your driver is waiting for you in the sitting room. Go now, so you can get to school on time," Adhara instructed as she shot Joanna a murderous re.

    "What is wrong¡­,"

    "Leave now and don''t make me repeat myself," Adhara ordered sternly.

    Anthony didn''t want to leave. His reluctant expression showed it but Adhara couldn''t care less about what he wanted.

    He bid everyone goodbye and approached the door. At the dining door, he turned and stole ast nce at Joanna.

    He was worried about her but he was powerless in this situation.

    He left afterwards.

    Adhara didn''t utter a word until after she heard the car drive out of the house premises.

    "I know you are not yourselftely but what was that Adhara?" Grandma Cora questioned.

    "Was it part of your n to see me choked to death¡­,"

    "I saved you, Mother," Adhara shouted, feeling wronged by her mother''s words.

    "You saved me?" She began. "And what rubbish do you mean by that¡­,"

    "Because I saw this witch poisoned the jug of juice," She announced.

    "What!" Laura and Grandma Cora shouted. They sprang to their feet at the same time.

    "You are joking right?" Grandma Cora asked. She refused to believe what her daughter said.

    The old woman forgot about her painful legs after learning that she was almost poisoned.

    "I wouldn''t joke about such a thing. I saw her poisoning the juice earlier," Adhara replied.

    She threw the ss of juice to the floor.

    Joanna trembled like a wet leaf the instant Grandma Cora turned and shot her a deadly re.

    "I-I didn''t do it," she shook her head negatively and started moving backwards.

    "And where do you think you are running to huh?" Laura growled and pushed Joanna forward.

    "I was returning from sending off my husband when I saw you so stop pretending because you know exactly what I am talking about¡­,"

    "I didn''t poison¡­,"

    "There is no need for argument because we will soon find out who is lying or not after you drink the juice," Grandma Cora interrupted.

    She reached out her hand and picked the juice jug from the table. She extended the jug towards where Joanna stood.

    "Drink from it," She ordered.

    "W-what!" Joanna stammered and moved backwards. This time around Laura standing behind her pushed her harder.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna almost stumbled into Adhara had the angry woman not moved away in time.

    "You said you didn''t poison the drink so do as Granny said and stop trying to run away," Laura shouted. She collected the jug from Grandma Cora and shoved it to Joanna.

    As she slowly lifted the jug to her mouth Joanna''s eyes moved from Adhara''s angry face to Grandma Cora''s face and then to Laura''s.

    She pleaded with them with her eyes but none took pity on her.

    "Don''t make me repeat myself," Grandma Cora retorted when she saw that Joanna was stalling.

    Joanna took a sip from the jug and tried to remove it from her mouth.

    "Drink some more," the three women chorused, their murderous res focused on Joanna.

    [So she wanted to poison all of us to death but now she is gonna get killed with her poison. There is no more I can say other than, this is karma in its true form. I can''t wait for the poison to take effect]

    Laura grinned as she watched Joanna gulp the juice following their instructions.

    Joanna was forced to drink half of the jug of juice.

    After she drank the juice they stood there and watched every reaction and movement she made.

    They were waiting for her to copse or start vomiting blood but none of this happened after ten minutes passed.

    "Maybe what she added was a slow poison so let''s wait some more," Adhara advised.

    She was so certain that her stepdaughter would drop dead thereby saving her the trouble of having to kill her.

    Twenty-five minutes passed and still, nothing happened to Joanna. In fact, she looked better than she was before she consumed the juice.

    [Why hasn''t she dropped dead yet huh? Why is the stupid girl still fine after taking the poisoned juice]

    Laura was so nervous that she could no longer hide it. She bit her nails as she red at the girl standing in front of her.

    "Madam Cora, I am runningte for my sses. Can I go and freshen up now?" Joanna asked.

    Although she maintained a soft expression, inwardly she was grinning. If they were to cut her chest open, an abundance of joy would spring forth immediately.

    Madam Cora shifted her attention to Adhara, "Didn''t you say the juice was poisoned so howe she is fine after consuming it¡­,"

    "Mother, I am certain of what I saw. I just don''t understand why she is alright¡­,"

    "Do you think she might have taken the antidote in case she got caught?" Laura blurted.

    From the expression on the twodies'' faces, Joanna knew they believed what Laura said.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, I am so damn sorry for not being able to upload the mass release chapters on Sunday as I promised.

    But here are the five chapters for the mass release. As a way of saying sorry I will give an extra chapter. Please do pardon me ok ???

    For those who are not aware of why I gave the mass release, the reason is that you guys aplished this week''s goal.

    And that is why I gave the mass release as I had earlier promised.

    Also if you want to get another mass release in the uing Sunday then buy privileged chapters and make sure to unlock them daily.

    Send gifts and cast GOLDEN TICKETS.

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    Let''s work hard together ok?

    I love you ??????

    Stay safe always.

 Chapter 385 The After Effect

    ?"Laura, do you know what your problem is?" Joanna started. "It''s that you watch too many movies¡­,"

    "How dare you insult me? Do you want to get your mouth ripped¡­,"

    "Will you two keep quiet?" Adhara and Grandma Cora chided at the same time.

    Just then Nanny Susan walked into the dining. Everyone turned to look at her at the same time.

    "Susan,e here and drink a ss of this juice," Grandma Cora ordered.

    Without waiting for Grandma Cora''s next word Laura poured the juice into the ss and stretched the ss of juice towards Nanny Susan.

    "Take it," Laura said when the woman hesitated to collect the ss of juice from her.

    "It''s against the rules for any employee here to drink from the same cup as her master¡­,"

    "Shut the fuck up and just do as you are told," Adhara shouted.

    Because she was ordered to do so Nanny Susan didn''t have to worry about breaking the mansion''s rule.

    Even though she didn''t want to finish the entire ss of juice she had no choice but to gulp it down when they kept asking her to finish it.

    "Are you perhaps feeling sick in the stomach? Or does your body feel numb for no reason?" Adhara asked. She examined Nanny Susan''s body with her eyes.

    "I am not feeling any of those symptoms. I am fine, Madam," Nanny Susan replied.

    "Since it has been confirmed that I am innocent, can I leave now?" Joanna demanded. Her eyes moved from one astounded face to the other.

    None talked for three minutes after herst sentence. They tried to stall with the hope that something would go wrong at thest minute.

    "You can go now," Grandma Cora replied. She couldn''t hide her inner feelings no matter how hard she tried.

    Joanna walked past them and approached the door. She paused just in front of the door.

    "I am certain I saw her add some substance into the juice so howe they are both alright?" Adhara mumbled, still in disbelief.

    [That is because I fooled you all. If only you knew that the substances I put in the drink were merely supplements. But that the real harmful substance was poured on the food instead]

    Joanna grinned and strolled away.

    Grandma Cora proceeded to her seat after Joanna left.

    "Mother, I am sure¡­,"

    "Adhara, the show you put up earlier is enough. Let''s have our meal in peace. If you are not famished, I am," She said with a tone of finality.

    Adhara wanted to press the topic further but she had no evidence or witness to prove what she saw.

    With her mother this way she knew it would be hard if not impossible to convince her again.

    While she left them to enjoy their food Joanna went to her room and freshened up.

    She was standing in front of the mirror when she got a glimpse of the hickey on her right arm.

    A grin lingered at the corner of her lips when she recalled the amazing moments they had that night.

    "I have regained my powers so I wonder why this wound is still there?" Joanna mumbled. She caressed the bite mark which was evidence of his love for her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A night has just passed since we officially became a couple but it feels as if a year has gone by in a night," She said and embraced her nude body.

    "Within the space of a night, my love has grown so much that I am starting to miss him even if it hasn''t been up to a day since I saw him," Joanna moved away from the mirror and strolled to her bed.

    Shey on the neatly arranged bed and curled herself into a ball.

    "I have missed his touch, scent, voice and even his cheesy words that keep me smiling despite their cheesiness. I wish this feeling and our love willst forever," she whispered a wish into the atmosphere.

    She was soon jolted back to reality by the sound of her rm clock.

    Joanna hastened to her dressing table. She tried to get ready as soon as possible.

    "I know I told him that he didn''t have to pick me up but I am sure he will be waiting for me outside very soon. I can''t afford to keep him waiting," She grinned and applied the red lipstick to her rosy lips.

    Ten minutester Joanna was seen descending the stairs. She was almost at the foot of the stairs when screamsing from the dining room caught her attention.

    [I wonder if the poison''s effect has started manifesting?]

    She grinned and approached the dining room unaffected by the loud groans and screams.

    "Fuck! That stinks!" She shouted and covered her nose in an instant.

    Taking a look around the room, the floor was a mess. Apart from the cutleries and leftovers sttered on the floor, the floor was littered with vomit.

    As if that wasn''t enough Grandma Cora was screaming and crawling on the floor.

    "Madam Cora!" Joanna half screamed, her mouth wide open in shock.

    "I need to use the restroom, help me up from here," she screamed. Because of the constant swing of her transformed hands, the maid kept a safe distance from her.

    None wanted to go close to her.

    [The instruction did say that the poison had an after effect but I never knew it was this bad. Holy shit! This has turned into something else]

    Joanna was surprised but ted at the same time.

    Indeed, this is not the oue she expected but she was thrilled.

    Joanna was beyond thrilled to see this proud woman suffering after the hell she put her through all these years.

    [This is nothingpared to what I went through in your hands but I am happy that I got to punish you for the first time?]

    She grinned and moved to the right to avoid the weapon Grandma Cora threw at her.

    "What are you standing there for? Help me or else I am gonna¡­," She started vomiting afresh before she could finish her sentence.

    ...

    Hello, lovely readers please do support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Also, send gifts and don''t forget to keep on sending those awesome gifts.

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    And recall that Sunday is just two days away. If you want to do anything then do it quickly.

 Chapter 386 How It All Started

    ?[Dammit! This is so fucking irritating. I better get out of here before I join her in puking too]

    She squeezed her face and moved backwards.

    "I would have loved to help you but as you can see I am dressed and ready for school. I can''t afford to get a stain on my clothes so you will have to bear with it¡­,"

    "What fucking school are you talking about?" Grandma Cora shouted and tried to stand up. But only for her to fall on top of her vomit.

    Joanna almost pukes seeing the vomit sttered on the woman''s clothes.

    "I can''t stand it anymore," Joanna said and turned her back on the woman.

    She ran out of the dining room without spending a second there.

    She was almost in the sitting room when she sighted Adhara from afar.

    Apart from her paled face, she noticed that her steps were wobbling and that she was clutching her stomach.

    [Whoa¡­ she also ate the food despite her suspicions! Is she outright stupid or what? I wonder where Laura is]

    Joanna grinned. She looked beyond Adhara hoping to see Laura but she was disappointed.

    "Mother," Adhara called out. The ever-agile woman stepped on her feet and almost sprawled on the tiled floor had she not held the decor stand for support.

    She was mad beyond control when she set eyes on Joanna whose evil smirk was visible enough for her to see.

    "You devil, this is your handiwork, right?" Adhara screamed. She tried to rush forward but her body wouldn''t listen to her.

    Her body was out of control.

    "I was right about what I saw. You added something to our drink but howe you are fine?" Adhara challenged.

    The pain in her lower abdomen became too severe. She had to squat and squeeze her stomach tightly to elevate the burning pain a bit.

    "Yeah, you got it right when you said this was my handiwork but you got one point wrong," Joanna replied.

    A sweet smile lingered on her pretty face as she moved to where Adhara squatted.

    "I am standing here unaffected because what I put inside the drink was a supplement and this was to mislead you and also clear your doubts¡­," she trailed and lowered herself into a squatting position.

    "But the real harmful substance was in the meal," she revealed to Adhara''s bewilderment.

    "What!" Adhara''s eyes almost fell out of their sockets.

    "You¡­," Adhara was momentarily at a loss for words to say to the grinning girl in front of her.

    ¡­

    The Incident Earlier ***

    Joanna was seen pacing about the kitchen with a tray whose contents were a jug of orange juice and three sses.

    [After what happened that day I am certain my suspicious stepmother won''t go anywhere near what I had prepared. What can I do to make her let down her guard and eat today''s meal?]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she moved about the spacious part of the kitchen.

    She was still thinking of a solution when she perceived Adhara walking back to the house.

    [I have learned after living with all kinds of demons that nothing works better than a diversion n. And that''s what I will use on my dear stepmother. Let''s see whether she will able to avoid it]

    Joanna grinned and hastened out of the kitchen.

    Without wasting time she moved to the cupboard in the sitting room where supplements for Anthony were normally kept.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She took out a pill of the supplement and left the ce unnoticed by anyone.

    Joanna waited until Adhara walked in. And that is the moment she puts on her show.

    To make Adhara believe that the juice was poisoned she dissolved the supplement inside the juice.

    If only Adhara had known then that everything was a part of her cunning stepdaughter''s scheme then she would have been cautious.

    Joanna''s acting was wless and as such everything that followed went as she had nned.

    ¡­

    "You¡­ arrrghh..." Adhara screamed and clutched her stomach tighter than she did. Beads of sweating started forming on her forehead.

    "To make sure that none of you would resist taking a bite out of the food I prepared, didn''t you notice that I made everyone''s favourite delicacy¡­,"

    "You are evil," Adhara screamed with tears in her eyes.

    "Yeah, I am but at least not as evil as you, the woman who didn''t hesitate to murder her mate to marry another man," Joanna stated and stood up.

    "If youpared what you have done all these years to what I have done you will definitely admit that I am the sweetest angel ever tond on Earth¡­,"

    "No matter what, I will make sure you pay dearly for this. I will ensure you are locked up in prison," She threatened amidst the excruciating pain she was feeling.

    "You think anyone will believe what you say¡­,"

    "Of course, they will. After the food is tested, the police will obtain evidence of the poisoning and I can assure you that I will make you rot in prison all your life," Adhara said sternly.

    Adhara rolled her eyes and bit her lower lips to prevent the sound froming out. She didn''t want to look more pathetic than she already was.

    "I, rot in prison?" Joanna snickered and brushed her long hair behind her ear.

    "That is your conclusion but let me tell you mine," She said and strolled to the couch.

    She sat with her legs crossed.

    Joanna sat with her body tilted a bit so she had a better view of the woman still crouched at the same spot.

    "I am sure you will call the police and will demand them to conduct a food poisoning test. But unfortunately, they will find nothing harmful in the food after the test is carried out¡­,"

    "That is impossible," Adhara shouted and jumped to her feet.

    "I know you will not believe the test result and will use the result of being forged. If you are not careful, a sanity test might be conducted on you if you keep insisting¡­,"

    "You are¡­," Her stomach churned. She tried to swallow the substance trying to flow out of her mouth but she had no control over it.

    In seconds, her vomit sshed over the white tiles.

    "Yuck! That stinks!" Joanna growled and covered her nose.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, so this week there is no mass release since the goals were not met.

    If you want to enjoy the weekly mass release then do your part of the deal and I promise to do mine.

    As I had said, as long as we reach the weekly goals I will unfailingly give the mass release as scheduled so please keep thements, GOLDEN TICKETS, gifts, power stones and reviewsing.

    Also please endeavour to buy the privileged chapters.

    I will say thanks to all those who willply in advance.

 Chapter 387 Three... Three Days?

    ?She stood up and carried her ck handbag from where she kept it.

    She brought her attention back to Adhara''s direction afterwards.

    "To make it worse, no doctor will be able to diagnose the problem until the poison wears out on its own. As such none will be able to offer a solution..," Joanna grinned.

    "That is my conclusion. How do you like it?" She maintained her evil smirk.

    Because she couldn''t withstand the stench any longer she began walking to the exit.

    "Come back here," Adhara shouted. She repeated the same words when Joanna refused to pause.

    "Take it easy, stepmother. Where will you get the energy to survive the most dreadful three days of your life if you waste it screaming at me huh?" She expressed.

    She took a long nce at the astounded woman before she turned to leave.

    "Three... Three days?" Adhara muttered with trembling lips. "Did that daughter of a demoness say we are gonna experience this hell for three days?"

    It took her a few seconds to assimte the meaning behind Joanna''s words.

    "I will kill you, Joanna Anderson. I swear I will be the end of you," Adhara yelled at the top of her lungs.

    From outside Joanna could hear her voice. She bet everyone around the vicinity heard her stepmother''s scream and not just her.

    "I can''t wait to see you do that. The thought of roasting your minions alive excites me, so bring it on," she mumbled.

    She walked elegantly to the gate. She didn''t give a damn about the guards'' strange stares.

    After what she did to themst time, none of them dared to look her in the eye anymore.

    Stepping out of the gate, there he was leaning against the car. She wasn''t surprised because she kinda guessed this much.

    Although she guessed he woulde she was still happy to see him standingright there. And she was more thrilled that she was the reason the great king of their kingdom left his home early to stand right there.

    "You look stunning," heplimented and walked up to her. "As always," he added and bent to peck her but Joanna yfully pushed his chest backwards.

    "I know hanging out with you has made me shameless just like you. But still, I can''tlet you do this right in front of my home," She strolled elegantly to the front seat he had opened.

    "What if someone saw us and told this to my father...," He appeared and ced his hand on the door before she could enter the car as she wanted.

    "I would love it if someone saw us and reported it to him. At least that way I will get to marry you early," He replied grinning. The cunning smile that lingered at the corner of his lips made Joanna point her index finger at him.

    "You are...," he bent, held her extended finger and shove it into his mouth to Joanna''s amazement.

    He released her hand when he saw that his n to shut her up had worked.

    "You should have known better not to use him as an excuse to tease me," he smiled triumphantly. He proceeded to the driver''s seat. He left her still gazing at him.

    After he sat down he stretched his body and peered at her through the passenger''s window.

    "You know we had nned to spend some time together before your sses started. You are aware that the time we are supposed to spend together will be shortened if you keep standing there," he expressed.

    "Hop in," he beckoned her and tapped the empty seat beside him. Joanna gazed at him for a few seconds more. She hopped into the car when she saw that he was about to step out of the car.

    "You sure have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. I think I need to mentally prepare myself for a lot of surprises like the one earlier," She said. She dragged the seat belt and tried to strap it but he held her hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have always wanted to do this when we get into a rtionship so let me help you," he muttered. Joanna didn''t resist or argue with him. She lets him do what will make him happy.

    [He sure made a lot of ns for us. I wonder what would have happened to him if I never reciprocate his feelings or realised this deep feeling I have towards him? How would he have survived the pains and heartache?]

    She never understood what it meant to be helplessly in love with another person or what it meant to suffer from heartbreak until she fell in love with him.

    Thinking back now she can''t help but wonder how many times she broke his heart both intentionally or unintentionally in the past.

    How was he able to endure these five long years of being in love with her without any hopes of reciprocation?

    "It must have hurt so much right?" She mumbled. She stretched forth her hand and ced it on his chest.

    He was a bit taken aback by her actions but he decided to y along.

    "What are you searching for...,"

    "Your heart," she blurted and kept stroking his firm chest.

    What an irony that the woman who didn''t let him peck her was the one breaking all boundaries even at the risk of being the subject of gossip.

    [She sure loves me a whole lot more than I thought]

    He beamed. He raised his hand and ced it on her hand that were still moving on his chest.

    "Did you miss me so much that you can''t keep your hands off me...,"

    "I love you so much. If there is something I wish for with all sincerity, it''s that we will never be separated ever again," she muttered and leaned her head against his shoulders.

    "And I will make sure of that. Just give me a little more time to sort things out. After that I will make sure youe into my life and home with the due glory and respect you deserve," he assured and stroked her silver hair affectionately.

    "Just like you waited for me, I will also wait for you until you are ready. I promise I will not make things hard for you because of our rtionship," she smiled and embraced him back.

    ...

    A/N:

    SURPRISE!!! ??????

    THE FIVE CHAPTERS ARE HERE!!!

    So guys I deliberately didn''t want to inform you there would be a mass release today because I wanted it to be a surprise.

    Tell me, how surprised are you at the moment huh?

    The mass release this Sunday was only possible because you kept your part of the bargain for the weekly missions.

    So if you want to enjoy a mass release like thise next Sunday, keep on buying privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Also, don''t forget to keep the giftsing.

    Thanks a bunch for the love and support everyone ??.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 388 Joanna Did What?

    ?They were still in each other''s embrace when Amos heard screamsing out of Joanna''s home. He pulled out of her embrace and stared at her face.

    Judging from her expression he knew she had already guessed what he wanted to say.

    "Your stepmother is threatening to end your life, why?" He started. "What did you do to make her lose her cool? Did she perhaps make things difficult for you?" He quizzed.

    He took a careful look at her exposed arms and legs. He was so relieved when he didn''t see bruises or injuries on any part of her body.

    "I didn''t do much...,"

    "Your grandma is...,"

    "They deserve whatever they got. I am sure from today onwards they will think twice before they try any nonsense with me ever again," She retorted without feeling any remorse for what she did.

    "I am not against you taking revenge...,"

    "We have less than an hour before my sses start so let''s go. We still need to go on a date, don''t forget," she whispered, deliberately trying to avoid the topic at hand.

    When he saw that she didn''t want to talk about what happened he made up his mind not to press the issue further. With her reluctance, he knew the atmosphere would turn awkward if he pried answers from her.

    "Let''s go, Boss Lady," he beamed. He ignited the car and zoomed off.

    It wasn''t up to five minutes after they left that Mr Anderson''s car drove into the vastpound.

    Without waiting for the chauffeur to step out of the car and open the door for him, he raced towards the entrance.

    "Sir...," he had already entered the house before the chauffeur could grasp his attention.

    The instant he stepped foot into the sitting room he was greeted by the stench which he didn''tknow where it came from.

    "Honey," he called out to her.

    Because of the pungent smell, he refused to walk further into the sitting room.

    He lost control of his temper after he called out to her a few more times and there was no response.

    "Where the hell is everyone," he shouted angrily. Not long after he shouted he saw two maids holding onto his wife''s hands each at one side.

    Her pale face made him momentarily forget about his decision to remain in his position until he found out what was the problem.

    "You were alright a few minutes ago so why on Earth are you in this state now?" He asked the woman whom he could see needed to lean onto the maids to be able to stand.

    "What else if not that, your illegitimate daughter poisoned our breakfast," she said feebly. She signalled the maids to assist her to the centre table.

    "Joanna did what?" Mr Anderson asked, his mouth widened in shock. After a bit of thinking, he shook his head in negation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She is nothing but a weak and timid idiot. For the thought of harming or killing someone to cross a person''s mind, one needs to have the guts and that is something she has alwayscked all her life," Mr Anderson said.

    Adhara raised her head and stared at her husband. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to p him so that she would wake him up from his stupor.

    "You have instilled fear in her ever since she was a child, she would never want to go against you...,"

    "That is what I thought but today I realised that I was wrong. I realised that everything I did to her was equivalent to me digging mine and that of my entire family''s grave...,"

    "Joanna is not that gutsy...,"

    "You are talking like that because you know nothing about your illegitimate daughter. If only you didn''t decide to leave for work early.You would be going through the same thing we are going through now...," Adhara trailed.

    "By there I am sure you would have believed without any hesitation that she is nothing but the devil incarnate. For her to break my mum''s legs and make her...," Adhara choked on her words.

    She fought back the urge to shed tears.

    "I don''t want to say what she did to my mother. You need to see what she did to mother then you will realise for yourself that your illegitimate daughter doesn''t have a heart," Adhara concluded.

    Just then Mr Anderson heard painful groansing from his right-hand side. He was about to go and confirm what was the problem when his cell phone rang.

    With his gaze focused on where the groans came from he brought out his cell phone from his breast pocket.

    "Howe Laura is calling me by this time?" Mr Anderson mumbled. He went ahead and answered the line.

    "Laura, what is it? Did you encounter any problems?" He questioned.

    Laura only calls him when she has a request so he assumed this to be her usual call. He didn''tknow that the caller was waiting to prove him wrong.

    "Good morning Sir. I believe the owner of the phone that you are talking about is thedy who was administered in this hospital some minutes ago...,"

    "My Laura is at the hospital?" Mr Anderson half screamed in astonishment. "She was fine when she left home so howe she is at the hospital?- Maybe you might have mistaken my daughter for someone else," he replied sternly.

    He was about to deem the call spam when the nurse spoke up.

    "Miss Laura Anderson was administered at the hospital ten minutes ago. She is in a terrible condition...,"

    "What!" Mr Anderson could not believe his ears.

    "What did she say is wrong with Laura? I hope she is fine," Adhara asked and struggled to her feet with the help of the maids by her side.

    "What is the name of your hospital?" He demanded in a hurried tone. He hastened to stand close to his wife.

    "We will be there very soon," he said and disconnected the call. Mr Anderson signalled the maids to let go of his wife and they did as he ordered.

 Chapter 389 Audrey Didnt Show Up

    ?He carried the feeble woman who can''t stand by herself. He brought his attention to the maids after his wife was in his arms.

    "I will take your Madam to Z . A Hospital now. Under your supervision I want my mother-inw to be brought to the hospital immediately too," He instructed.

    "We will do as the master had ordered...,"

    "You will have yourselves to me if I don''tsee her at the hospital after we get there," Mr Anderson threatened. He raced out of the sitting room without waiting for their responses.

    Ten minutester Mr Anderson''s car was seening to a halt in front of a tall building with the initialsZ . A Hospital boldlyengraved on the building.

    In less than two minutes two nurses were there to receive the patient, Adhara Anderson.

    Soon GrandmaCora was also rushed to the same hospital. Because the three of them were showing the same symptoms it made it quite easy for the doctors to conduct a test on them.

    Several tests were conducted. But after all the rigorous activities the doctors were unable to give urate diagnoses for their sickness.

    A test on poisoning was carried out following Adhara''s order. The result came out negative.It was after this that Adhara recalled Joanna''s words.

    [Will the doctors think that I am crazy like she had assumed if I insist that we were poisoned by my stepdaughter?]

    Adhara stared at the nurses. She tried to say something but words refused to form in her mouth.

    As Adhara and her family battled with this strange sickness Joanna was at a scenic spot having the best time of her life with her lover.

    Today Joanna didn''tget carried away by Amos''pany and forgot about her best friend. She called her line fifteen minutes before the lecturemenced.

    "It''s rare for Drey to miss my call. I hope all is well?" Joanna mumbled. She stared at the cell phone in her hand worriedly.

    "She also has a lecture today. I bet she must be eagerly waiting to scold both of us. She will scold me for stealing her best friend from her," Amos replied yfully.

    "You are right about that. She will no longer be the Audrey that I grew up with if she doesn''tin about that," Joanna said.

    Merely imagining Audrey''s angry face made her chuckle.

    Joanna and Amos only left for Campus about ten minutes before themencement of her lesson.

    At campus Joanna and Amos searched for Audrey but she was nowhere to be found. And this left Joanna worried.

    "She hardly missed sses so what happened?" Joanna asked no one in particr.

    She tried Audrey''s line for the third time that day but there was yet no response. Even when she chatted her up, she didn''t receive her reply.

    "Your ss is starting soon. If you are worried about her then we will search for her after your sses for today is over...,"

    "But...,"

    "If that is not cool with you then I will have Chris search for her instead. I am sure he would be able to give us her exact location before your sses are over," he suggested a better option when he saw that her worries were not eased.

    "You don''t have to. She has no friends except me so maybe she is either at her apartment ying games or she has gone home to spend the day with her parents," Joanna responded.

    Even after she spoke so much Amos noticed from her fallen expression that she wasn''t convinced by her words either.

    "If you say so then we will check up on her at her apartment after your sses are concluded," He assured her with a smile.

    "Let''s go or you are gonna bete for your sses," he said and made her leave the entrance of the door where she stood.

    Joanna led the way while Amos followed behind. As she walked she didn''t notice that Amos was secretly texting someone.

    He returned his cell phone to his trousers pockets after he was done passing out his instructions.<novelnext></novelnext>

    While listening to the lecture in therge Joanna was more interested in when the lecturer was gonna conclude his ss rather than the content of the lecture itself.

    After she endured the first lecture, she had to do the same for the next two lectures she had for the day.

    Joanna exhaled deeply after thest lecturer drew the curtain for that day.

    Amos could swear he hasn''t seen that look of relief on her face before until today.

    They were on their way to where Amos parked his car when his cell phone rang. After he signalled her to wait for him in the car, he read the message that she popped into his cellphone.

    "And what the hell am I seeing?" Amos remarked, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

    Joanna who was waiting for him inside the car got a glimpse of his astounded expression before it vanished.

    [I would have loved to tell her what I found out but I believe I will ruin the surprise if I do that so why don''t I pretend as if I know nothing about it?]

    He was in deep thought as he stood there contemting what to do.

    After a minute of careful thinking, he made up his mind on what to do.

    He soon moved to join her in the car.

    "I saw your amazed expression earlier. Did something happen?" She asked in a soft tone.

    "Are you perhaps needed over there...,"

    "Kyle has promised to cover up for me in a few days. So in theing days, I won''t go anywhere. You have me all to yourself," He replied yfully.

    He thought he would be able to take her mind off her previous question with his yful actions.

    He didn''t know that his yful acts won''t save him from her interrogation this time around.

    "If work wasn''t the reason you had that expression then what is wrong?" She demanded in a soft tone.

    ...

    A/N:

    SURPRISE!!! ??????

    THE FIVE CHAPTERS ARE HERE!!!

    So guys I deliberately didn''t want to inform you there would be a mass release today because I wanted it to be a surprise.

    Tell me, how surprised are you at the moment huh?

    The mass release this Sunday was only possible because you kept your part of the bargain for the weekly missions.

    So if you want to enjoy a mass release like thise next Sunday, keep on buying privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Also, don''t forget to keep the giftsing.

    Thanks a bunch for the love and support everyone ??.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 390 Everyone Forgot About Anthony

    ?"It was supposed to be a surprise but I will tell you if you want to know...,"

    "If it''s a surprise then I will wait until the day your surprise is ready to be revealed to me," She cut in.

    She didn''t know that she had fallen into the trap he set.

    [Thank goodness I didn''t need to say much to convince her]

    He exhaled out of relief and leaned his back against the back chair.

    "Let''s go now. I need to find out what is wrong with Drey and why she has been ignoring my calls," She muttered.

    "I need to find out what is the problem so that I will know ways to appease her if she is perhaps angry with me," she added worriedly.

    "I am here. If she is indeed mad at you I am here to shield you. And don''t worry I will do anything to make sure your rtionship is not affected this time around," He tapped his shoulders to assure her that he was more than capable of sharing her troubles.

    "Thank you," She said and beamed at him. He ignited the car and drove off.

    "While at it can you drop by the Academy? I need to pick up my little rice ball from school," She informed him when they had almost reached the route leading to Anthony''s school.

    "Wasn''t picking him up from school always being the driver''s responsibility so why do you...,"

    "With everything going on I doubt whether anyone recalled that he existed," She replied in a carefree tone.

    [Does what she says have anything to do with the contract cancetion? Is her family so affected because I had the investors back out of investing in her father''spany?]

    Amos was worried that his decision had one way or the other affected her also.

    "What happened?" he asked worriedly

    "From what I noticed before I left for school I bet the entire household is at the hospital now...,"

    "Hospital?" He narrowed his eyebrows and waited for her exnation but her exnation never came.

    When they reached the academy, only Anthony and a few more students were around.

    He couldn''t hide his excitement when he saw that Joanna was the one who came to pick him up.

    Inside the car, Joanna and Amos sat at the front while Anthony upied the backseat by himself.

    "Big Sis, why is it that you are the one who picked me up and not Uncle Mike?" Anthony asked the question which was on his mind when none came to pick him up at the academy on time.

    "Because Big Sis wants to steal you away, aren''t you happy?" Joanna yfully asked.

    She couldn''t bring herself to tell him that the reason she picked him up was that everyone was too busy to remember him.

    "You want to steal me away? Won''t Mum, Dad and Grandma make things hard for you if...,"

    "I was only kidding Little rice ball. I am not stealing you away. Your Mum arranged for you to spend a few days with me," Joanna lied.

    "Mum did?" He asked in disbelief.

    "Yeah. You will be staying with me and your Sister Audrey for a few days. Don''t worry you will have a st in these few days," Joanna beamed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She reached out her hand and stroked his face.

    "Big Sis, did you forget to add Brother Kay... no I meant Brother Amos," He quickly corrected himself.

    "Of course, I am included too," He smiled at Anthony through the rear mirror.

    When they got to the apartment Audrey was nowhere to be seen. Joanna was disappointed although she didn''t make it obvious.

    "Little rice ball, you can drop your back there," She said and pointed at the marble centre table.

    "Also, that is the bathroom," She informed him and pointed her index finger at the brown door at the right corner of the room.

    "While you freshen up. I will try to prepare a sumptuous meal for you...,"

    "Are you going to prepare bacon too for lunch?" He asked in excitement.

    His glimmering eyeballs made Joanna smile.

    Because she prepared his favourite bacon dish for him at breakfast he wanted the same thing for lunch.

    [The mere thought of eating your favourite dish for lunch makes you happy but I am certain your mother will not feel the same way. I am certain after today''s breakfast the mere mention of your mother''s favourite food will infuriate her forever]

    Joanna smiled and shook her head.

    "Big Sis...,"

    "I am not sure your Sister Audrey has Bacon in her refrigerator. I will prepare a meal with whatever avable ingredients she has in her refrigerator," She replied.

    She strolled to the refrigerator to check the grocery Audrey had.

    "If your little man''s task is to freshen and yours is to prepare the meal, then what about mine?" He demanded and moved to where she stood.

    "You can help him freshen up or watch me cook. Choose one out of the two tasks," She said nonchntly.

    "I am almost 10 years old. I am a big boy, I don''t need anyone to help me shower," He retorted with confidence.

    "Since he says he doesn''t need my help then I am left with one option now...,"

    "You can join me in the kitchen but you are prohibited from touching or doing anything that has to do with cooking," She interrupted abruptly.

    "I can''t afford to let you set Drey''s kitchen on fire too. I will only let you into the kitchen after you agree to abide by the rules...,"

    "You are the Madam here and as such you have the final say. I will follow your arrangements," He agreed without any argument.

    Anthony who was watching everything from the sideline chuckled seeing the way Amos and Joanna were acting.

    "Big Sis, does this means that Brother Amos is doting on you?" he asked innocently.

    "How did you know that is the perfect exnation for this situation now?" Amos asked, grinning.

    "What does he know about doting on someone?" Joanna scoffed and pretended to be angry.

 Chapter 391 Joannas Promise

    ?"Big Sis dotes on me all the time so of course, I can know what it means," Anthony replied with his chin raised and his chest pushed forward a bit.

    "I am d you know that. In the future, you have to reward me big time for all...,"

    "You can count on me to take very good care of you in the future," He beats his chest confidently.

    "And why would you take care of my woman in the future when she has me to do that?" Amos demanded coldly.

    "Big Sis, he is bullying...,"

    "You guys are prohibited from arguing," Joanna shunned him. "Go in and have your bath now," she ordered.

    She turned and continued with what she was doing before their interruption.

    "Big Sis is taking Brother Amos'' side. She doesn''t love me anymore," He mumbled and walked towards the bedroom sluggishly.

    "Can you see what you have caused...,"

    "He is a man. He needs to start getting used to the fact that you will not always be around him. He loves you way too much. I am afraid he will want to leave his parents and stay with you once we get married...,"

    "Are you saying you wouldn''t ept him into your home if that dayes?" She asked and spun to look at him.

    She sounded pretty upset although she tried not to show it.

    "You are misunderstanding me," He said. He raised his hands and ced them on each of her shoulders.

    "Of course, I would let him live with us but do you think his parents would agree to that no matter how much they love him?" Amos asked.

    "I know you practically raised him and that is why his bond with you runs deeper than what he shares with anyone else. He will be very hurt when we get married. And it will be hard for him to live without you by his side to pamper him and cater for his needs...,"

    "He has his mother and the maids at his beck and calls so I don''t think not having me around will make much difference," She said confidently.

    "Also, we are only going to get married and not get locked up in prison. I can always visit him if he misses me," she added.

    "You will definitely make a good mother," he blurted to her amusement.

    "And why do you say that?" She questioned in a meek tone.

    "Because it shows all over you. Your little man is blessed to have you as his big sister," Heplimented.

    "Of course he is or where can he get a better sister than me?" She replied not caring about how narcissistic she sounded.

    "You are right about that. For the first time in my life, I wished I had a little sibling who loved me as much as he loves you...,"

    "You might not have siblings but don''t worry, I will give you lovely kids who will love and dote on you all your life," She stated. She lifted her hand and stroked his smiling face.

    "You have given me your word now. You can''t go back on your words alright," He grinned from ear to ear.

    "I won''t," She asserted.

    Just then a boy stuck out his head from the slightly opened door.

    "Does that mean Big Sis is gonna give me a little niece and nephew soon?" He asked.

    His wordsbined with his innocence got Amos cracking up.

    Heughed till Joanna got upset.

    "He is asking you a question so why aren''t you answering?" He asked.

    HAHAHA!!!

    Her intimidating eyeballs got himughing afresh.

    "You guys are bullying me," Sheined, frowning. She carried the ingredients she selected and stomped away to the kitchen.

    "Have you seen what you caused?" He asked while peering at Anthony''s innocent face.

    "How should I punish you for bullying my woman...," When he saw Amose towards him, Anthony jammed the door and immediately locked it from the inside.

    [The two siblings are so cute. At least the naughty boy has given me a perfect reason to tease his Big Sister]

    He smiled and gazed at the ce where Joanna disappeared to.

    Joanna was about to pour water into the pot on the cooker when he appeared behind her. Despite that, she felt his presence she pretended to be ignorant of the fact that he was standing behind her.

    "Do you need my help?" he whispered. He made sure that his warm breath grazed her bare neck.

    "No," she blurted.

    "Are you still angry because of what he said?" He asked and turned to stand with his back leaning against the ck table.

    Since she won''t spare him a bit of her attention he stood in front of her where she could see him anytime she turned around.

    "I am not," She muttered. She deliberately made sure not to turn in his direction.

    "You are sounding hostile. Also, you avoid staring at me. These are obvious signs that you are upset with me so why are you still denying it...,"

    "And what will you do if I am still upset...,"

    "I will appease you of course," he blurted without thinking.

    "And how will you do that huh?" She quizzed. She finally raised her head to look at him.

    "Like this," He said and imitated some cute expressions that he hade across.

    He did so many hrious things but she still didn''tugh like he wanted her to.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Since those didn''t work I have one more method to see that sweet smile on your face. And I tell you that method is the most effective of all," He said and stretched his hand.

    When she saw his hand close to her waist she immediately knew what he was up to. She didn''t wait for him to have his way but she moved two steps backwards.

    "Hey, stay away from me!" She yelled. But not even her authoritative voice made him change his mind.

    ...

    HAPPY MASS RELEASE ??????

    HAPPY LAST MASS RELEASE OF 2022.

    Hello lovely readers, I want to use this medium to say a big thank you to all of you. I won''t speak much this time around so don''t fret.

    Firstly, I want to say thank you to all my readers out there. You guys have been more than awesome. Thanks for the love, care and support you have shown me throughout the entire 2022.

    Thank you for taking good care of me.

    I went through stuff I have never gone through before in this year 2022. Maybe 2022 would have been the worst year of my life but because of your care, I was able to ovee it like it was nothing. So I am saying thank you once again.

    So here are the readers who did exceptionally well this month. I want to recognise them because I believe they deserve it.

    TOP FANS

    Thank you so much for the love, support and care you have shown me. Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to each one of you. Thank you for all the coins,ments, gifts and GOLDEN TICKETS you have showered on this book.

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    Nothing feels better than getting a reward after a job well done and that''s exactly what your gift means to me.

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    Comments make an author believe that his or her readers are not only enjoying his/her book but are also following it. And that is exactly how I feel each time I receive yourments.

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    SPECIAL THANKSGIVING

    A big shout-out to all the readers who bought privileged chapters this month. I may not know each one of you by name since some of you doesn''t alwaysment but you know yourselves.

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    I LOVE YOU ALL ??????

    LET''S DO EVEN MORE GREATER THINGS COME 2023.

 Chapter 392 She Returned Home

    ?Some minutester, they were seen running around the kitchen like kids.

    Anthony couldn''t resist smiling along when he heard theirughter from the bathroom he was taking his shower.

    "Big Sis and Brother Amos are at it again," He chuckled and continued with what he was doing.

    After he showered Anthony didn''t have to wait long before Joanna served lunch.

    "Brother Amos, aren''t you gonna join us for lunch," Anthony asked the guy whose attention was immersed in theptop lying on his legs.

    "You know he can''t eat our food so why are you disturbing...,"

    "And who says I can''t eat your food huh?" He questioned. He took his gaze off theptop screen for a moment.

    "You can eat human food now?" Anthony asked with widened eyes.

    "Yeah, I can. As long as your Big Sis is the one who fed me, I won''t reject," he responded jokingly. "You know what I mean, Joan," He said and winked naughtily at her.

    Anthony shifted his attention to Joanna sitting by his side. "Big Sis, do you also feed him even though he is all grown up?" He asked innocently.

    Joanna choked on her food and coughed repeatedly.

    Amos sprang up from where he sat, rushed to the kitchen and reappeared in the sitting room with a ss of water.

    "Have water," He mentioned. He stretched forth his hand so that the ss of water was within her reach.

    Instantly she snatched the ss of water from him and gulped it down.

    "Hey, Little man, why did you have to ask your sister such a question," He scolded. "Do you want to choke her to death by...,"

    "If I end up choking to death it will be your fault and not his," Joanna cut him short. She coughed some more.

    "Ok, I won''t say a word so take a deep breath and try to calm down. Don''t forget your little man doesn''t even understand the hidden meaning behind his question," He grinned and returned to his seat.

    "You...," Joanna stammered while pointing her hand at him.

    She continued to eat when he acted as if he was not the one she was talking to.

    After the meal, Joanna and Anthony spent time together while they let Amos work without any disturbance.

    When he was done with his piled-up work it was night.

    "Joan...," Joanna ced her index finger on her mouth and pointed at the bed where Anthonyy.

    She carried her chained handbag and her cell phone and approached where he stood.

    "Let''s talk in the sitting room," she suggested and led him to the sitting room.

    "Are we going out on a date?" He asked, beaming. He reached out his hand and held her hand.

    "I didn''t know you made such an arrangement...,"

    "Sorry, but we aren''t going on a date. I dressed up because I want to drop by somewhere...,"

    "Is this about Audrey?" he asked softly. "If you are worried about her...,"

    "I want to go home. I need to get Little rice ball''s stuff that he will need for these three days. I also need to inform those at home that he is with me," Joanna exined in a soft tone.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you want me to follow you...,"

    "You don''t need to worry about me. I can handle things by myself. Also, I will need you to watch over him in case he wakes up," She muttered with a smile lingering on her lips.

    "I know you want to spend time with me and I also want the same thing. I will be back before you notice it," She assured him with a smile.

    "Really?" He asked. He guided her hand and brought it to his face.

    "I promise I will be quick about it," She promised. She stroked his face for a few seconds and removed her hand from his face.

    "If you encounter any problem make sure to call me. I will run to you whenever you need me. You know that right?" He questioned.

    He cupped her pretty face with his cold palms.

    "Of course, I know that," She replied. They talked for a few more minutes. He escorted her downstairs even though she told him that she was fine.

    Joanna''s first destination was her home. She wasn''t surprised to see that apart from the guards; there were only two maids at the mansion.

    She quietly went to his room and picked all the things she believed Anthony would need during his stay with her.

    She also picked a few clothes from her room. With none to disturb her, shepleted her task in less than fifteen minutes.

    "Zara," Joanna called out to the maid that walked past her.

    Thedy with shoulder-length ck hair paused. She spun and looked at Joanna.

    "Which hospital are Laura and her mother admitted to?" Joanna demanded in a gentle tone.

    "I overheard the other maids saying they were admitted to Z . A Hospital," Zara ryed the information she got.

    "Ok," she replied casually. She proceeded to the door almost immediately.

    "She wasn''t at home when Madam and Old Madam were rushed to the hospital so how did she know they were taken to the hospital?" Zara mumbled, her gaze focused on the door Joanna walked out from not long ago.

    After leaving her room, Joanna hailed a taxi a street away from her home. The journeysted for fifteen minutes.

    Joanna paid the cab man her fare and stepped out of the car. Standing outside she gazed at the tall building.

    "So this is where all of them are?" Joanna muttered. She strengthened the cor of her shirt and adjusted the way she held the bag in her hand.

    "Thest ten hours must have been hellish for them. I can''t wait to see the condition they are in," Joanna grinned. She approached the automatic door.

    Entering the hospital Joanna didn''t bother to ask the nurses at the reception which ward her family members were admitted to. But their scents lead her to the room they were in.

    When she got to the ward they were in, she paused at the door and tried topose herself.

    ...

    Hello, lovely readers please do support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Also, send gifts and don''t forget to keep on sending those awesome gifts.

    Remember that doing these things guarantees whether or not there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    And recall that Sunday is just two days away. If you want to do anything then do it quickly.

 Chapter 393 Joanna At Z . A Hospital

    ?She knew to put on a wless show she needed to be in the right mood.

    After she made sure she was ready, she opened the door and slid into the vast room.

    There were only five beds in the ward. Looking to her right she recognized the two patients at the right to be prominent people in the Kingdom.

    On different asions, she had seen the two women on television and that was why she recognized them with ease.

    She greeted the two women and moved to the extreme of the room where Grandma Cora and Adhara''s bed was.

    Seeing that their beds were opposite each other she believed one out of the three people must have asked for such an arrangement.

    "Why are you just standing over there,e closer," Grandma Cora ordered.

    Her voice would havee out authoritative but because of her condition, it came out feeble.

    "Good evening Madam Cora, Madam and Sir," Joanna greeted the three of them.

    Adhara who was previously lying down sat up the instant Joanna got closer. She clenched the edge of the bed.

    If her murderous res were an arrow, they would have pierced Joanna''s heart a thousand times and won''t get tired of repeating this action.

    Mr Anderson turned and red at his daughter who stood in between the two beds.

    Joanna wasn''t affected by his or Adhara''s res. In fact, she acted as if she didn''t see their murderous nces.

    "Stop standing there and get me the food that you brought. I am starving," She eximed and reached out her weak right hand towards where Joanna stood.

    "But this is not food, Madam Cora," Joanna replied. She moved closer to the woman''s bed so she would see the content of her bag.

    "Did youe all the way here empty-handed?" Madam Cora demanded, her fierce res glued on Joanna''s face.

    "Madam ordered me never to step foot into her kitchen again. If I had known that you were hungry I wouldn''t have hesitated to defy Madam''smand and enter the kitchen to prepare you all a meal..," Adhara''s angry groans made Joanna pause her words.

    She tilted her head and peered at her stepmother whose eyes were about to fall out of her sockets.

    "If you want I don''t mind returning home to prepare you a delicious meal...,"

    "Shut up that tramp of yours, call a mouth right this minute," Adhara shouted. She tried to climb out of bed but she fell back on the bed.

    "The doctor had instructed you not to move around except when necessary so lie back down," Mr Anderson scolded. He helped her lie on the bed.

    "Sir, what did the doctor say is wrong with Madam?" Joanna faked a concerned expression. She moved to Adhara''s bedside.

    "She looks so pale and hagged. I hope it isn''t something serious...,"

    "Don''te any closer or else...," Adhara swallowed back her words when she felt her stomach churning.

    In the blink of an eye, she felt something rush up her throat. She didn''t have the time to react before the liquid flowed out of her mouth.

    Thank goodness for her agile husband who picked up the container at her bedside and passed it to her on time or else she would have vomited on herself.

    "Damn that stinks!" Joanna eximed loud enough for the upants of the room to hear.

    She twitched her nose and turned her back on Adhara.

    Joanna tried not to make her disdain obvious when she saw Grandma Cora''s deadly res directed at her.

    She swivelled and faced Adhara''s bed again.

    "Madam, do you need anything? You can...," Adhara vomited harder.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was as if Joanna''s words had triggered her intestines which caused her to vomit nonstop.

    [I need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. I am afraid I might pass out from the stench]

    Joanna rubbed her nose to fight off the stench of her stepmother''s vomit.

    "Stay away from her if you know what is good for you," Mr Anderson misunderstood Joanna''s movement. He assumed she wanted to go close to his wife notwithstanding her warning.

    "I would''ve done that even though you didn''t tell me to. It''s not as if I am enjoying being in this stinky room with all of you," Joanna muttered and moved away.

    "What did you just say?" Mr Anderson shot her a fierce stare.

    "I said I just wanted to ask her permission for Little rice ball to stay with me at Audrey''s apartment for three days," She lied.

    She ignored the fact that the three of them heard her first sentence but pretended not to.

    Since they acted as if they didn''t hear her first sentence she decided to y along to save them some faces.

    "Are you sure you wanted to ask for permission?" Grandma Cora questioned. She pointed at the medium size bag in Joanna''s hands.

    "Of course, I want to ask for permission," Joanna replied. She exchanged the hand she was holding the blue bag with.

    "You said you are here to ask for her permission but from what I see it looks like you had already made up your mind to take him with you," Grandma Cora expressed in a harsh tone.

    Joanna bit her lower lips and clenched her fist.

    [It looks like the old hag hasn''t learned her lesson yet. Maybe instead of poison that makes her vomit and defecates constantly, I should give her one that will cease her speech for a week]

    Joanna opened her mouth to speak but Adhara beat her to it.

    "He can stay with you for three days but make sure to take good care of him," Adhara said to Joanna''s astonishment.

    Joanna stared at Adhara like the woman in front of her was a stranger she met a few minutes ago.

    [Did the poison affect her brain or what?]

    Joanna took a careful look at the pale woman to make sure it was the same cruel woman she knew and not an imposter.

    In the same manner, Joanna stared at Adhara, the woman did the same. The difference between her gaze and that of Adhara was that her stepmother''s stares were filled with contempt.

    ...

    HAPPY LAST DAY OF JANUARY 2023!!! ??????

    Guys, I want to use this opportunity to thank all the readers who supported me in one way or the other this month.

    January 2023 was awesome for me and all of you who supported me made it possible.

    A big thank you to those who bought the privileged chapters and made sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Thanks for the coins, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and power stones.

    YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!!! ??????

    And I am looking forward to seeing you guys do moree February.

    P.S.: I didn''t thank those who reviewed and gifted the book because there were no gifts or reviews this month.

 Chapter 394 Laura Learned About The Poisoning

    ?[As much as I detest the thought of sending my beloved son to stay with her, I must admit that he will be safe with her. She will take better care of him than the maids would have done in my absence. As much as it pains me to admit it, I know she loves my son way too much to hurt a hair on his body]

    Adhara sped her fist and clenched her teeth.

    "Of course, I will," Joanna grinned. She made sure Adhara saw her victorious smile.

    "Adhara, is something wrong with you? Why did you agree to let the heir of the Anderson family live with this thing?" She asked and threw Joanna a disgusted look.

    [I swear if this old hag is not careful I will make sure she will never be able to behold the light of the day for the rest of her life]

    Joanna tried not to do anything nasty after what the elderly woman did.

    "Allowing Anthony to stay at home with the maid will only make us worry about him. In fact, he might insist on staying with us at the hospital if he learns about what happened. But all these problems will be lessened if he stays with her for a few days," Mr Anderson, who doesn''t love to talk much, said in a bid to defend his wife.

    "My wife made the right decision so there is no need to scold her," He concluded sternly.

    "You are talking as if I am crazy," Madam Cora hissed.

    "Would I have to put up with this daughter of a mistress if you were faithful to my daughter?" She expressed her anger.

    Joanna used their distraction to slip out of the ward without being noticed.

    She didn''t walk far away when she saw Lauraing towards her direction in a wheelchair.

    From how immersed her attention was on her cell phone she knew Laura wasn''t aware of her presence.

    Joanna deliberately walked and stood in front of the wheelchair being pushed by one of their maids.

    Feeling the wheelchair abruptlye to a halt, Laura frowned and lifted her head to confirm what happened.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" She shouted in anger.

    "I know you are furious but lower your voice. Don''t forget you are at the hospital," Joanna scolded.

    "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Are you my mother huh?" She snapped.

    "I came to the hospital to check on how you are doing after I saw the clip of what happened to you in the taxi...,"

    "I don''t want to ever hear you mention the word TAXI around me," Laura raved. She clutched her cell phone until the screen cracked.

    "I understand your feelings. I am sure even I would have been more furious than you are if I were in your shoes," Joanna pretended to care while she wasughing within.

    [I am sure you must now understand how I felt when you poured stinky water on my uniform. You and your mother forced me to go to school in that terrible state. This is karma in the worst form]

    Joanna clenched her fists when she recalled the incident in the past.

    She was set and ready to go to school. Just because she stepped on Laura''s foot. The same foot she had stuck out for her to fall.

    Laura had bathed her from head to toe with stinky water that was kept for days.

    As if that wasn''t enough punishment she was made to go to school in that state. Because she had an examination, she had no choice but to go to school smelling stinky.

    For the entire day and beyond she was the object of ridicule because of that singr act of theirs.

    "I wonder if yours, Madam Cora and stepmother''s sickness has anything to do with the breakfast you had...,"

    "But you prepared the breakfast so how could anything ever go wrong...," Laura paused midway. She gave a second thought to what Joanna had said.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The memory of what happened thest time her mother forced Joanna to prepare breakfast popped into her head.

    "I remember she threatened to poison us for real if we don''t mind our own business so don''t tell me...," Laura''s mouth dropped open when reality dawned on her.

    Memories of what happened in the morning reyed in her head. Although she was in her room she overheard her Grandmother telling Joanna to prepare breakfast.

    Joanna protested but her Grandmother insisted that she must be the one to prepare breakfast for the household.

    "D-don''t tell me you... you are responsible for this?" Laura asked with trembling lips.

    She was scared that her suspicions would be proved right.

    "Howe you are so smart today hmm?" Joanna grinned devilishly. " I mean it normally takes you some time to connect the knots...," Laura''s cell phone fell off her hand, forcing Joanna to pause her sentence.

    Still maintaining her evil smirk Joanna bent and picked up Laura''s broken phone.

    "Take care of your belongings. Don''t go around dropping things or you might get into big trouble," Joanna scoffed. She reached out her hand and ced the cell phone on Laura''s thighs.

    "Actually, you don''t have to give me that look. The truth is I won''t retaliate as long as none of you provokes me...," Joanna trailed.

    "And this is why I will suggest you talk some sense into your old hag, especially whenever she loses her cool. I don''t know when I will lose my temper and kill her if she doesn''t mind her business," Joanna warned.

    Her deadly smile was one Laura has never witnessed before.

    "You did...,"

    "What are you girls seriously talking about on the pathway?" A voice behind her made Laura look beyond Joanna.

    "Dad she is...,"

    "I was just telling Laura that I will let her lecturers know about her condition," Joanna cut in. She didn''t need to say anything to Laura for her to know what to do. Her murderous res passed the message.

    "You girls were never close enough to discuss things as friends do so what are you talking about?" Mr Anderson demanded. He shot them a doubtful nce.

    ...

    A/N:

    SURPRISE!!! ??????

    THE FIVE CHAPTERS ARE HERE!!!

    So guys I deliberately didn''t want to inform you there would be a mass release today because I wanted it to be a surprise.

    Tell me, how surprised are you at the moment huh?

    The mass release this Sunday was only possible because you kept your part of the bargain for the weekly missions.

    So if you want to enjoy a mass release like thise next Sunday, keep on buying privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Also, don''t forget to keep the giftsing.

    Thanks a bunch for the love and support everyone ??.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 395 He Lied To Make Her Happy

    ?"She is right Dad," Laura spoke up when she saw that her father didn''t believe Joanna''s words.

    "I was just telling her to inform my friends to take notes on my behalf since it''s obvious I might not be able to attend lectures for days," Laura said with her fists secretly clenched.

    "If you are done with that, thene in. Your mother is looking for you," Mr Anderson didn''t question them anymore after Laura spoke up.

    He returned to the ward.

    "Good girl," Joanna whispered. She stretched her hand to pat her shoulder but Laura beat her hand away.

    "If you continue being this good then I have this feeling that you and I are gonna get along well. So keep it up. Also, don''t forget to consider what I said about your old hag," Joanna smirked and strolled off.

    Laura tilted her body so that she had a good view of Joanna''s departing back.

    "She is getting out of hand. I am certain we are all gonna end up dying in her hands if Mum and Granny don''t do something about her," Laura muttered.

    She signalled the maid to resume rolling the wheelchair after Joanna was out of sight.

    As Joanna made her way out of the hospital she felt so happy. She felt so fulfilled that she decided to harden her heart and deal with all of them.

    She would have been even happier if her cruel father was lying on one of the beds in the ward too. Her happiness would have beenpleted.

    "I am sure the evil man won''t always be this lucky every time," Joanna muttered. She didn''t let one failure ruin her happiness for that night.

    When she returned home she met Amos sitting on one of the couches with his legs on the centre table and the greyptop on his legs.

    "You are finally back," He eximed. He abandoned what he was doing and went to hug her.

    "You were gone for only a few minutes and it felt like you were gone for a year. Tell me, what am I gonna do when my vacation is over," He muttered. His grip around her body grew firmer.

    "Do you know I have gotten so used to having you around that I forgot that your vacation was supposed tost for a month...,"

    "If you want me to stay a bit longer I can extend...,"

    "I love you very much and it''s true I would have loved to have you around me always but I know that is not possible. I am not so selfish that I would ask you to abandon your life and throne...," He bent and nted a lingering kiss on her red lips.

    He pulled away not long after.

    "Of course, I am aware that you would never agree to such a thing. I just wanted you to know that I can abandon anything and everything to be with you. That is how much I love you, Joanna Anderson," He confessed while looking into her purple eyeballs.

    "As you know I don''t have any fancy thing to give to you or any treasures to offer to show you how deep my love runs. I only have this lousy power of mine and I promise I will use it to protect you all my life," She said.

    Her eyes glowed brilliant blue and balls of fire appeared on her palms almost immediately after she finished talking.

    He has seen this a few times and he doesn''t get surprised at this anymore. The only thing he wished for was that she would tell him more about her powers, especially about what happened during her six months disappearance.

    Despite longing to hear her answers he had promised not to force her. He would wait until she is fully ready to confide in him.

    "Of course, I know that nothing can go wrong with our Boss Lady around...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are teasing me," She muttered. Her eyes and hands returned to normal. She attempted to walk away but he embraced her once again.

    "I am damn serious about what I said. I mean how could I possibly tease our Boss Lady when I have witnessed some of the things she is capable of huh?" He whispered.

    Hispliments made Joanna grin in secret.

    "Also, I never wanted anything fancy from you. From the beginning what I have ever wanted from you was your heart and now that I have your love I am more than satisfied," heconfessed. He let go of her and spun her so she was looking at his face.

    "And your heart is the most priceless treasure that can ever exist so why would I look for unknown treasure when I have one right here?" He quizzed and ced his hand on her beating chest.

    "You are such a sweet talker. I am gonna die of diabetes one day because of the sweets you feed me in the form of your words," Joanna smiled.

    She raised her hands and ced each on his shoulder. "So how many days do I have to spend with my Amos before he goes back to his real identity?" She asked yfully.

    [ording to what Chris said, I have less than a week to spend with her but how could I possibly tell her that? I am sure that will break her heart]

    Amos thought of the reply to give her that will not dampen her spirit.

    "Do I have a day, 2, 3 or 4 days left to spend with you, Amos?" She asked as she peered into his eyes.

    He didn''t answer her immediately but he extended his hand, held her waist and pulled her closer so there was no space between them.

    "You don''t have five days but two weeks of uninterrupted moments to spend as much as you want with your beloved," He whispered provocatively into her ears.

    "In these two weeks, I am all yours to keep. If you decide to eat me too I won''tin...,"

    "Cut out with it already...,"

    "But I am damn serious," He whispered. His hot breath that caressed her skin made Joanna''s clutch on his shirt tighten.

    ...

    HAPPY LAST DAY OF JANUARY 2023!!! ??????

    Guys, I want to use this opportunity to thank all the readers who supported me in one way or the other this month.

    January 2023 was awesome for me and all of you who supported me made it possible.

    A big thank you to those who bought the privileged chapters and made sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Thanks for the coins, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and power stones.

    YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!!! ??????

    And I am looking forward to seeing you guys do moree February.

    P.S.: I didn''t thank those who reviewed and gifted the book because there were no gifts or reviews this month.

 Chapter 396 She Gave Him Reasons To Deflower Her

    ?"As I said, I am all yours in these 14 days. You can do whatever you deem fit. You can also decide to secretly get married to me and I won''t object," He whispered. His flirtatious words made Joanna''s heart flutter.

    She bit her lower lips to keep whatever feeling she was having at a minimum.

    Joanna tried to pull away when he wouldn''t let go but his firm grew tighter.

    At this Joanna panicked. He was only this close yet her body was in chaos. He only said a few provocative words and the heat between her legs was getting unbearable.

    She knew without a doubt that she would throw herself at him if he dared to go further than this.

    As much as she loves and wees this feeling wholeheartedly, she was scared she might regret her actions if she decided in the heat of the moment.

    "I am afraid we might wake your little man up so why don''t we go to my apartment to continue from where we stopped," He offered in a husky tone that drove her nuts.

    "But he is...,"

    "If he wakes up before you return I will hear it so don''t worry. You wille back to be with himter," Amos assured her with a smile.

    With Amos behaving this way, she didn''t have the heart to say no to him. In fact, she never had the intention of declining his offer.

    "Ok, wait let me keep this and check up on him first," She muttered. She bent and picked up the belongings she brought with her.

    She returned to the sitting room in less than two minutes.

    "He is still fast asleep. Let''s go," Joanna said in almost a whisper.

    Joanna and Amos made their way to his apartment which was only a floor apartment.

    Entering the house, the instant Amos shut the door and turned around he was pinned to the door by thedy standing in front of him.

    "Joan...," She pulled in and kissed him intensely. She pried her eager tongue into his half-parted mouth and devoured his lips as much as she had yearned for it.

    Without wasting time she started frantically pulling off his clothes. She lets out an angry groan anytime he tries to resist.

    Joanna peeled off his shirt and made him move against his will.

    When they got to the couch at the centre table she pushed him into the grey couch and jumped on hisp.

    "Joan, that is enough...," She smeared her lips against his, taking him unawares. Amos wanted to so much grant her wish but he summoned all his willpower to resist the temptation.

    He forcefully disconnected his lips from hers.

    "Ughh...," She groaned with her teeth gritted.

    "Joan, that is enough for tonight...,"

    "But we have just started," She retorted and tried to kiss him again but he pushed her backwards with each of his hands on her shoulder.

    "Joan, do you know you are ying with fire?" He asked. His hoarse voice was filled with unfathomable emotions he tried not to make visible.

    "And while ying with fire it''s inevitable that you will get burnt, either intentionally or unintentionally...,"

    "I will dly wee the fire," She interrupted. There was so much determination in her eyes as she peered through his eyeballs.

    The intensity of her eyes made Amos scared for the first time. He was so afraid he would go back on his words about taking things slowly if this went on.

    He never wants to break his promise to her but...

    The stubborndy tried to kiss him again and Amos yet held her back.

    "Joan, you don''t understand what I am trying to tell you...,"

    "Of course I do," She muttered. Her annoyance was evident in her tone. If only Amos didn''t keep on stopping her, she wouldn''t get as frustrated as she was.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I love you and you love me back in the same way so what''s there to be afraid of," She asserted.

    Because she had guessed he would stop her again she was able to prepare a counterattack for this.

    She manoeuvred her hands so that he lost his grip on her. Joanna kissed him like he was the spring water needed to quench her thirst.

    Amos soon lost control of his senses.

    Anyways, which man in his right mind would be able to resist such temptations, especially with the way she pleases his body like a pro in this field?

    Submerge in their burning love and desires they both wanted nothing but more of each other.

    He could see his fears graduallying to pass but his desires were greater than his willpower and as such he couldn''t stop weing these amazing feelings he hadn''t felt before.

    While kissing, Joanna frantically unbuckled his trousers and pulled them off. She was ready to wee him inside of her when Amos got a hold of his sanity.

    "I can''t do this," He muttered and shook his head repeatedly.

    "We havee this far so what''s it this time around?" Thedy who was stripped of the list of clothing asked in displeasure.

    "We can''t do this...,"

    "And why not?" Joanna asked, not able to contend with her annoyance.

    "Is it because you have suddenly discovered that you don''t love me as much as you thought or because...,"

    "Of course, I love you a whole more than you can ever fathom...,"

    "And you have my permission to make my body and soul yours tonight so what is the problem?" She demanded.

    Despite the building desires she felt, she tried to be understanding of him even in this situation.

    "I don''t have condoms to use as protection...,"

    "And why would we need that when it''s between the two of us?" She quizzed. She stood up and sat on his legs.

    After she sat on hisp, she held his worried face and lifted it so that their eyes were locked in each other.

    "Apart from the fact that we were betrothed to each other even before I was born, our feelings are mutual. We have every right to do whatever we please with each other. There is no need to feel bad about it or hesitate," She expressed.

    "But...," She ced her index finger on his lips and shook her head in negation.

    "Sshh...," she remarked. She bent and nted a kiss on his lips.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please do support your dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Like I always say it''s notpulsory that you buy the highest privileged tier.

    Tier 2, 3 and 4, are there for you to purchase if you can''t afford tier 5, so please do support the book by buying privileged chapters.

    Also don''t forget to cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones, send gifts,ments and review.

    All the above will determine whether or not there will be a mass release every Sunday so please endeavour to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones,ment and review.

    Thanks as you do this. And I am looking forward to getting a positive response from all of you.

 Chapter 397 She Hits Him

    ?She started it slowly and when she sensed she was in control of the whole situation, she parted her legs and prepared herself to wee his hardness inside of her.

    [I heard humans say that the decision of choosing a life partner is the hardest decision one can ever make but I don''t agree with that. Because it''s him, I don''t need to think too much. My reason is that I believe that my love for him can withstand any storm and trials of life]

    Joanna closed her eyes and slowly lifted her body upwards.

    "You are just 18 years old. Are you sure you want to be a mother at this age?" He asked, his gaze focused on the face of the woman he loves dearly.

    He wasn''t happy to crush her hopes and it wasn''t his intention to do that. He just wanted to make sure she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

    Joanna paused her actions following Amos'' words. Her eyes fluttered open. She peered at the face of the man in front of her.

    She so much wanted to hit him for ruining things at thest minute but she controlled her hands.

    "Like I always say, I love you in a way you can never fathom. I am prepared for every stage of our rtionship. I waited this long for you, so how could I have not?" He muttered and forced on a smile.

    "And as such, I would never regret anything I do with you. Be it lovemaking or making out but that''s not the same with you...,"

    "You think I am not prepared for this because my love is just 2-3 days old...,"

    "That''s not what I meant, Joan. You know that" He gasped. He reached out his hand and held both of her shoulders.

    "I have always known you love me. I remember jokingly telling you this a few times. You just didn''t realise your feelings for me and I don''t me you for that," He said in a gentle tone that carried his sincerity.

    "As much as I love you and want to do everything couples normally do with you, I don''t want you to regret any decision you make. Either concerning me or our rtionship...,"

    "And how are you so certain I would have regretted my decision if we made love?" She snapped. She avoided looking at his face afterwards.

    "The fact that you paused when you heard about pregnancy showed you still have some reservations...,"

    "You...," Joanna pointed her index finger at his face but she was lost at what to say to her defence.

    As much as she wanted to deny his allegations, it was true she halted when he talked about her bing a mother at the age of 18.

    [Was the fact that I stopped despite that I was determined to make love to him because I don''t love him as much as I thought. Or is this because I am scared ofmitment?]

    Joanna zoned out while still sitting on his legs.

    "I know you love me no doubt. And I think it''s quite normal for ady of your age to act this way so there is no need to think so much...,"

    "We are just a few years apart so why do you sound like you are as old as my father or grandpa?" Joanna asked irritatedly. She sprang up from his legs and made to walk away.

    "You look so much like Drey when she pretends to be the elder sister when she is a few months older than me," She muttered and walked towards the bedroom.

    Just before she stretched forth her hand and opened the bedroom door, Amos appeared behind and hugged her.

    She struggled to break free but he refused to let go of her.

    When he noticed she was calm he used his right hand to push her long hair to her left shoulder. He bent so that his face was buried on her right shoulder.

    "Are you mad at me because you believed I sounded like your Grandpa or that I stopped you from devouring me...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I swear I will break your hands if you don''t let go of me," She shouted. She grabbed his hand and tried to break free from his hold but Amos proved stubborn.

    He didn''t let go even though her actions were rough.

    "If you want to break my hands then so be it. I will dly wee the pain. I mean I deserve it for not giving my woman what she desperately wanted at that moment so how could I dare toin...,"

    "Hey," She shouted. " I can see you are really testing my patience," she said and applied more pleasure to her hands.

    She pushed him away after she sessfully freed herself. She didn''t spare him a nce and tried to enter the room she just opened.

    ARGHH

    A shout of pain made Joanna turn around in a sh. She was stunned to see Amos crouching. His right hand clutched his stomach.

    Joanna stared at her his pained expression and then diverted her expression to her hands.

    "Did I unknowingly use too much strength?" Joanna mumbled, still in shock.

    "Ouch...," he screamedand crouched in a squatting position.

    She raced to his side even if she wasn''t sure about what went wrong.

    "Are you ok?" She asked and squatted in front of him.

    "You hit me so hard here," He said and pointed to his lower abdomen.

    "I think now I have sustained internal bleeding because of it," He muttered and squeezed his face more.

    His painful expression looked so real that Joanna believed he was not acting.

    "I don''t know what happened but let me help you to the couch," she said and assisted him to stand up.

    "We will call Amelia over if it doesn''t get better after you rested for a few minutes," She whispered. She made him lean against her before she started walking back to the sitting area.

    "See, you can''t even stand to see me in pain so why did you think you could break my hands?" He questioned, his gaze glued on her worried face.

    ...

    A/N:

    I am sorry to announce that they won''t be any mass release today. And this is because you guys didn''t aplish the goal for this.

    If you want to enjoy mass release next week then buy privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review.

    GOOD LUCK!

    I wish that you guys will meet the goal this week so that you will be able to enjoy mass releasees next Sunday.

 Chapter 398 She Chooses Amos Over Kayden

    ?Thedy whose purpose was to assist him to the couch stopped in her tracks.

    She turned and gazed at him. His grin made her realize that she was fooled by him.

    "You faked it?" She demanded even if she had guessed this much.

    He beamed and did not give her the response she wanted.

    "I can''t believe I fell for it yet again," she said, pushing him away. She stomped to the bedroom and did not spare him a nce.

    He hastened to catch up to her when he noticed that she was mad this time around.

    In the bedroom, he met her trying to pick a towel from the wardrobe.

    He hurried and embraced her from the back once again.

    "I had no intention of getting you upset. I just wanted to make you realise that you love me more than you thought," He expressed in a calm tone.

    "You said you would break my hands but I wanted you to know that you love me so much that you can''t bear to hurt a hair on my body. In the same manner, I could never bear to harm you," He added.

    [The naughty guy sure has ways of making me realise what I can and cannot do but I will let him have a taste of his own medicine]

    Joanna grinned as she held his hand and tore them apart from his body.

    "Suit yourself," She retorted and strolled to the bathroom whose door wasn''t far away from where his wardrobe was kept.

    Amos gazes at the door which just jammed closed. He believed she wouldn''t be upset with him after he was done with his exnation and that was why he failed to understand why she was still mad at him.

    As he waited for her to exit the bathroom he thought of ways to appease her.

    When she finally came out he followed her about the room. He tried every possible method to make herugh but none of his tricks walked.

    In fact, she didn''t act as if she was the one he was talking to.

    "I will return to my apartment now," The fully dresseddy announced. She walked to the door without waiting for his reply.

    Noticing that things were much more serious than he thought, he decided to do away with tricks.

    He appeared in front of her and before she had the opportunity to react he hugged her.

    "I know I was wrong in pretending to be hurt and making you worried despite what my reasons were. I will try my best not to act that way again in the future," He said meekly.

    Even if she had wanted to keep on putting on an act, she couldn''t with him acting this way.

    He unwrapped his hands from her body and drew backwards when she didn''t push him away anymore.

    "Are you still upset?" He asked while peering into her purple orbs.

    "I will...,"

    "And how could I be when you are acting this way?" she muttered. She spun and proceeded to the bed.

    "It''s fine as long as you have learnt your lesson," She added and climbed into the blue sheet bed.

    "Of course, I have," He said and jumped on the bed. He took his position beside her.

    His huge sense of humour made Joanna chuckle.

    [He doesn''t fail to make meugh at every given opportunity. His identity as Amos sure makes him do things he would never do if he was Kayden and I love this].

    Joanna beamed. She turned and ced her head on his bare chest. She wrapped her left hand around his body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Compared to Kayden who always looks like he has the weight of the entire world on his shoulders I think this identity suits him best. IfI was asked to choose between the two I would definitely pick Amos]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she weed the warmth of his body.

    She knew Amos and Kayden were the same people but she still opted for Amos despite being aware of this.

    Maybe her heart subconsciously chose him because she believes that Amos, the cheerful university student was closer to her unlike Kayden, the King of the Twipera Kingdom whose status was high up there.

    Or maybe she felt this way because she never allowed herself to get closer to Kayden to know that he possessed the same qualities as the naughty Amos.

    "I love you," she muttered.

    He grinned when he heard her confession.

    "I love you too," he whispered. He pats her hair affectionately.

    Joanna stayed in Amos'' embrace until she fell asleep. He had nned to wake her up after she slept for an hour or two but he also fell asleep.

    When Joanna woke up and realised that she had fallen asleep she jumped up from the bed. Her abruptness woke up the sleeping guy despite that this was not her intention.

    "What is it?" He asked and rubbed his sleepy eyes a few more times.

    "I need to go now," She announced as she strengthened her ruffled hair with her fingers.

    "I am sure Drey must have returned and I wasn''t aware of it or Little rice ball might have woken up and didn''t find me...,"

    "Take a deep breath and calm down because I am certain everything is fine," He stood up and held the panickydy in ce.

    "I was awake until some moments ago and your little man didn''t wake up neither did Audrey return, so calm down and take your time," He advised.

    "Are you telling the truth?" She asked, still in doubt.

    "Hmm...," He replied with a nod of the head. Joanna was about to run out of the room but she calmed down when she heard his words.

    She took her time to arrange her clothes and hair neatly.

    When she was done she went out of the bedroom and Amos followed her.

    "Drey''s room is just a floor away. You don''t have to see me off," She mumbled.

    "I know that but I still insist on doing that. I will return after I see you sessfully entering the house," He insisted.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please do support your dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Like I always say it''s notpulsory that you buy the highest privileged tier.

    Tier 2, 3 and 4, are there for you to purchase if you can''t afford tier 5, so please do support the book by buying privileged chapters.

    Also don''t forget to cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones, send gifts,ments and review.

    All the above will determine whether or not there will be a mass release every Sunday so please endeavour to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones,ment and review.

    Thanks as you do this. And I am looking forward to getting a positive response from all of you.

 Chapter 399 Joanna Turned Down His Offer

    ?He still went ahead to see her off to Audrey''s room despite that she was against this.

    "Take care. I will see you in a few hours," He said and pecked her lips.

    "Sure," she mumbled. After taking a long nce at him she closed the door.

    Joanna, who was worried about Audrey returned and was surprised to see that Audrey didn''te back at all.

    She had wanted to call to confirm what happened but she decided not to when she noticed that it was still too early.

    Audrey often yed games untilte into the night and as such, she normally slept in. She feared she would ruin her opportunity to get enough sleep if she called her.

    Since it was a Saturday Joanna didn''t have to worry about sending Anthony off to the Academy.

    Despite that she felt sleepy, Joanna forced herself to wake up when it was time for her to do so.

    First of all, she chose her outfit for the day. she didn''t forget to do the same for Anthony.

    After she was done with that, she went into the kitchen and tried to prepare a light breakfast with the ingredients avable for use.

    When she was done she went in and woke Anthony up. Joanna oversaw that Anthony freshened and changed into the fresh set of outfits she prepared for him.

    Amos arrived at their doorstep the instant they sat down in the dining and got ready to eat their breakfast.

    "Good morning," She greeted him with a charming smile on her face. She ushered him into the room and followed him closely.

    "Whoa... you have gotten your little man dressed up and looking dashing so early. I guess this is one of the splendid benefits of having a big sister," Amos joked when he saw the little boy sitting on the white chair.

    "Having an elder brother is not bad too but they can''t bepared to big sisters. Big Sis is the best in the entire world," Anthonyplimented. He stuck out his thumb towards where Joanna stood.

    "I am happy you think so," Joanna grinned. She walked to the dining she had set up and joined Anthony there.

    As they ate Amos'' gaze was glued on Joanna''s face as usual. The way he kept gazing at her did not escape Anthony''s notice.

    "Brother Amos, why do you like looking at my sister whenever she eats?" Anthony asked.

    "Little rice ball, haven''t I told you not to talk at the dining...,"

    "I just love gazing at her face. It doesn''t matter whether or not she is eating," He replied despite Joanna trying to help him out.

    "Mum sometimes says the same thing. I wonder why adults are so weird," He muttered. He lowered his head and continued with what he was doing.

    "You don''t have to stress your head just to understand the adults'' ways, you are too young for that. But I promise in a few years you will understand this same feeling I have," Amos replied with his hoarse voice.

    He didn''t take his gaze off her despite her warning.

    When he noticed she was almost done eating, he struck up a conversation with her.

    "So where are we going today?" He inquired. "Are we spending our weekend at the beach or...,"

    "If you want to go to the beach you and Little rice ball can do that but as for me, I will be leaving for the cafe in a few minutes...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What!" Amos shouted. He jumped up. He was not able to hide his disappointment.

    "You should have known that my sick leave ends today so why are you so dumbfounded as if you are not aware of this?" She narrowed her eyes as she waited for his reply.

    "I know that but I thought you would not resume work today...,"

    "You might be Mrs Parker''s benefactor but I need to go and do my quota of work if I want to get paid...,"

    "I can also pay you for spending the day at home if earning money is what you are worried about," He mumbled.

    His word made Joanna return the te she lifted back to the table. She gazed at the guy whose frown was apparent.

    "Would you pay me for staying at home?" She chuckled and stood up from the chair. "And how much will you pay me for that huh?"

    Amos smiled and sat down on his chair. "Any amount that you want. I can also give you a bonus...,"

    "Do you know how hrious your words sound?" She asked. "I am holding back myself fromughing because I know despite how funny your words are that you are serious about it".

    His smile gradually faded. He stood up and approached her. "Does that mean you won''t think about my offer?" He demanded. "I have enough to pay you more than she does...,"

    "Stop being naughty or else I won''t know what to do if Little rice ball does something simr," Joanna scolded him.

    "Brother Amos, if you want to make Big Sis do what you want that is not how you should...,"

    "Anthony!" Joanna shouted. She threw him a cautionary gaze and he understood what to do by merely looking at her.

    Joanna continued to pack the used dishes after she made sure Anthony uttered no more words.

    As she moved to the kitchen Amos followed her also.

    In the kitchen, he stood at a spot and watched her wash the dishes.

    "Won''t you consider staying behind if not for your little man but for my sake?" He asked. His sad tone made Joanna turn and look at him.

    She almost fell into his trap when she saw his fallen expression had she not hold herself back.

    "Mrs Parker was kind enough to give me a few days off when she learned that I was sick. I can''t abuse her kindness no matter what rtionship you share with her. I hope you understand," Joanna said with a tone of finality.

    ...

    A/N:

    I am sorry to announce that they won''t be any mass release today. And this is because you guys didn''t aplish the goal for this.

    If you want to enjoy mass release next week then buy privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review.

    GOOD LUCK!

    I wish that you guys will meet the goal this week so that you will be able to enjoy mass releasees next Sunday.

 Chapter 400 Raymond And Sophie

    ?He didn''t press the issue further after herst remark. Since her mind was made up he didn''t want to make things difficult for her.

    "And I will need your help to watch over that naughty fellow when I am gone. I will make sure he doesn''t disturb you in any way," She said while gazing at his face.

    "Ok, and I am sure he won''t certainly disturb me, so you don''t have to worry," Amos agreed without any hesitation.

    Joanna was a bit taken aback that he agreed withoutint but she didn''t say a word about what she noticed.

    "Thank you," She whispered and continued with what she was doing.

    After she finished washing the dishes she rested for a few minutes before she carried her bag, ready to leave for work.

    "Let me see you off," Amos said and stood up from where he sat. Anthony did the same thing.

    Joanna didn''t try to dissuade them to stay back because she knew none of them would listen to her.

    She allowed them to escort her to the ground floor. Amos would have escorted her further had it not been that Anthony was in theirpany.

    "Be good, ok. Don''t forget what I said I would do if you dare make him ufortable in any way," Joanna cautioned her little brother for thest time.

    "I will don''t worry," He beats his chest confidently.

    Joannatilted her head and gaze at the guy who has been unusually quiet ever since she turned down his offer to stay back and be with them.

    "I will call when I reach the cafe," She said almost in a whisper. She turned to leave when he said nothing to her.

    "What about my hug? Don''t I deserve that too or is it that your little man has made you forget all about my existence?...," She took him unawares when she suddenly spun and embraced him.

    "This is the Amos I am used to and not that sullen face guy who was hard to approach," She said and hugged him tighter.

    "And he will always surface whenever you need him," He beamed and wrapped his hand around her slender body.

    Anthony, who was also affected by the earlier atmosphere, smiled along with them. Amos and Anthony returned to his apartment instead of Audrey''s after they saw her off.

    Joanna at first wanted to hail a cab but changed her mind when she realised that she still had a bit of time before work resumed.

    She was about five buildings away from the cafe when she sighted ady entering a ck Mercedes-Benz car.

    She recognised to have seen the car before so she hid behind a pir and tried to find out what was going on.

    Inside the car, the guy moved so that the distance between him and thedy wearing a matchingpurple crop top and a mini skirt was far apart.

    "You insisted you had something important to discuss with me when my manager told you that I was preupied. I am right here so why are you not saying anything?" He questioned. He sounded distant.

    Everything about him showed that he wanted to get over this in the quickest time possible.

    "I still have twomercials to shoot so can you make things easier...,"

    "I am taking my time to stare at your face because it has been like forever since I gaze at you up this close," She confessed and shifted closer.

    The guy wearing a white outfit moved away so that the distance wasn''tpromised.

    "Miss Sophie...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have missed you," She blurted. She shifted so that the distance no longer existed between the two of them.

    She wrapped her hands around him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

    "I have missed the taste of your lips and your scent that has long been registered in my mind," She said and sniffed his shirt.

    She kept hugging him tighter despite his rejection.

    "If not for the help of my constant imagination I would have long forgotten how it feels to be touched and burn for you," She whispered provocatively into his ears.

    Her right hand which was on his legs found its way in between his thighs.

    She kept on proceeding with great anticipation.

    Just when she thought she had him where she wanted he grabbed her hand which was aiming for his cock.

    "Miss Sophie, please maintain your distance. I wouldn''tappreciate it one bit if rumours of us being intimately involved were to circte...,"

    "Why do you keep on calling me Miss Sophie when you can call me Sop like you always do in the past? Why are you deliberately trying to create a gap between us...,"

    "You just said the past so whatever happened between us was in the past. I have told you this several times and I hope you will respect my decision," He asserted and pushed her away from him.

    He wasn''tviolent nor was he gentle.

    "But I still love you...,"

    "Our rtionship was never based on love. I made this clear to you from the beginningso what love are you talking about Miss Sophie?" He said, his voice cold and deprived of any emotions.

    "I know that we agreed on that but it''s not my fault that I fell madly in love with you," She retorted. She proved stubborn and drew closer to him despite his warning.

    "I know you also fell in love with me too so there is no need to act tough...,"

    "I have told you to keep your distance Sophie," He stated fiercely,his eyes glued on her hand andid on his thighs.

    She didn''t wait for him to warn her again but she removed her hand instantly.

    "Ray...,"

    "You are not the only one who can go crazy. I can too, so I will advise that you don''t push me into doing something that we will both regret," He threatened.

    Sophie stared at him. If she had a choice she wouldn''tlet this opportunity pass by no matter what.

    She wouldn''t have hesitated to trick him into fucking her right in the car there if that was all it required to mend their rtionship.

    ...

    HAPPY 400TH CHAPTER ??????

    I can''t believe we have reached such a milestone!

    Aren''t you proud of your dearest author?

 Chapter 401 He Caught Her Eavedropping

    ?"I have always believed that you love me and I still believe you do. You find it hard to express your emotions, I guess this is why....,"

    "Miss Sophie...,"

    "Since you said you are busy I will leave for today but I assure you I won''t give up on you," She asserted. She carried her bag and turned to leave when he refused to utter a word to her.

    Sophie stepped a foot out of the car but only to close the door and shifted her attention to where he sat.

    "I saw that you sometimes hang out with that stupid idiot called Joanna," She started.

    "I don''t care about your reason for sparing a nobody like her your attention but I would advise that you stay away from her starting from this moment...,"

    "Whoever I hang out with is none of your business. Besides, you don''t have any right to tell me what to do...,"

    "She is a bag full of trouble. I am telling you this for your good and her safety. You don''t need me to tell you how crazy I act when I am jealous," She muttered. Her words sounded like a suggestion but he knew she was indirectly threatening him.

    "You are...," She opened the door and walked out elegantly, in the same manner, she entered the car.

    Raymond clenched his fist as he stared at her departing back.

    "How dare she threaten me?" Raymond hissed. "I guess she is behaving this way because she doesn''t know the kind of devil she is messing with".

    He was about to usher his driver into the car when he got a whiff of a familiar scent.

    "She is here!" He smiled. He got out of the car and peered in the direction he nodded her scent.

    After staring for a few seconds he almost thought he was wrong until he got a glimpse of a red silhouette.

    When he realised that she wasn''t aware he was out of the car he snuck up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

    "Why are you acting sneakily, Miss Butterfly?" He asked the startleddy who was grabbing his chest.

    "Hey, you gave me quite a startle," She said and hit his chest slightly.

    "You could havee over there but why did you choose to hide instead?" He asked after he had apologized for startling her.

    "Because I didn''t want to disrupt whatever conversation you were having with her. I could already imagine Sophie''s mean res if I had walked over to your car in the middle of your conversation...,"

    "You are scared of her?" He interrupted her meekly.

    "Hmmm... I am not scared of her. I was just being considerate," Joanna replied. She started walking towards where he parked his car.

    When she reached the car she halted and leaned against his ck Mercedes Benz.

    "I overheard your conversation with her...," Joanna let her words linger. She tilted and gazed at him. "Are you really in love with her like she said?" She asked in a soft tone.

    Raymond hesitated to give a reply. He first gazed at her and tried to guess what was going through her head.

    "Why did you ask?" He demanded in a subtle tone.

    "I asked not because I am nosy but because I wanted to warn you about thedy you talked with earlier. She is not an easydy. You need to know what you are getting yourself into...,"

    "I am not in love with her and whatever I had with her was all in the past. She is nothing to me," Raymond was blunt with his answer.

    "Are you sure because from what I overheard it didn''t sound like you both had anything to do with each other," Joanna pried for more details but not in a forceful manner.

    She didn''t make him feel pressurized or forced.

    "You overheard our conversation from where you hid?" He asked curiously. He tilted his head sideways and stared at where he caught her hiding. And returned his gaze to her almost instantly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes, I did," Joanna replied.

    She didn''t see anything wrong with his question. Neither did she suspect that his question was a trap.

    "I learned about your failed transformation at your 18th birthday party. It''s a renowned fact at the moment that you are neither a werewolf nor a human so how were you able to listen to our conversation from such a far distance?" He quizzed, his gaze glued on her bewildered expression.

    "T-that is...," Joanna stammered. She didn''t know the exnation to give him. She couldn''t me him for asking such a question.

    She could only me herself for not filtering her words before she spoke.

    "Has your transformation urred or is there something about you that others don''t know...,"

    "Hey, what are you saying...,"

    "You don''t have to pretend or treat me like a crazy person because I know what I am saying. I also know what I saw when you saved me from falling off that tall building," Raymond said sternly.

    Fuck! How could I have forgotten about that incident? I am so damned!

    Joanna wanted to palm herself but she held her hands in ce.

    "Joan, you can confide in me and I promise I won''t...,"

    "Weren''t we talking about your rtionship with Sophie so how on Earth did we arrive at this topic?" Joanna tried to brush the topic off by returning to their previous discussion.

    "Are you picking on me because you don''t want to talk about your rtionship with her?" She continued.

    "If that is the case I won''t ask you anymore...,"

    "I don''t have any rtionship with her. If ever she confronts you iming to be my girlfriend, don''t believe a single word thates out of her mouth," He said fiercely.

    "Also, if you want to know what happened between us in the past I will tell you. This is because I don''t want to hide anything from you," Raymond spoke in his most gentle tone.

    But unfortunately for him, Joanna didn''t seem to understand his real intention for wanting to disclose everything to her.

    "Let''s sit and talk over there. I will tell you all there is to know about us," Raymond suggested. He pointed his finger at a bench located across the street opposite where they stood.

    ...

    A/N:

    SURPRISE!!! ??????

    THE FIVE CHAPTERS ARE HERE!!!

    So guys I deliberately didn''t want to inform you there would be a mass release today because I wanted it to be a surprise.

    Tell me, how surprised are you at the moment huh?

    The mass release this Sunday was only possible because you kept your part of the bargain for the weekly missions.

    So if you want to enjoy a mass release like thise next Sunday, keep on buying privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment and review.

    Also, don''t forget to keep the giftsing.

    Thanks a bunch for the love and support everyone ??.

    I love you ??????.

 Chapter 402 She Rescued The Little Boy

    ?Joanna wanted to reject his offer but when she noticed she still had about ten minutes to kill she decided to give him a listening ear.

    The two of them strolled to the brown bench. After they were both seated, Raymond started his narration.

    "Sophie and I met three years ago in the human world. We were 18 years old. We were young and reckless," He started in a low tone.

    "We met a few times and afterwards we found each other cool. As young people who just got exposed to the real world of adults, we got into a rtionship because we found each other cool," He continued.

    "Our rtionship wasn''t based on love, this is a point we made clear to each other before we started anything. We just wanted to have fun and explore...," He paused and stared at Joanna''s face to make sure she was following his story.

    "Although our rtionship was never based on love, I found her cute, kind and gentle. This was what I thought she was until she beats the hell out of one of my female fans just because she touched my hand and also hugged me...,"

    "I didn''t do anything and they treated me worse than their dogs at their homes. I could imagine what she must have done to the poordy," Joanna cut in softly.

    She empathized with the mentioneddy even though she had no idea who it was.

    "It would have been better if she only beats her but she blinded thedy''s eyes...,"

    "What the hell?" Joanna blurted with her right hand covering her mouth.

    "If not for Derricking to thedy''s rescue she would have killed her. In fact, that was her intention from the beginning," Raymond ryed with his fists sped.

    "Whatever we had and shared ended right after that incident. But she has never let go. She has been trying to get back together with me just like she did today," Raymond concluded.

    "Sophie and her friends are the meanest set ofdies I have evere across. Of course, an exception is my evil stepmother...,"

    "Does she still make things difficult for you as she did in the past?" He mumbled.

    "People don''t change easily. This is a fact I havee to realize while growing up," She muttered.

    "Also, if someone like her was to suddenly start treating me nicely I will be on high alert because the first thing I would suspect would be that she is putting on an act...,"

    "If she still makes things difficult for you, believe me, you won''t have anything to worry about now that I am back. I have got your back," He said and tapped his left shoulder like Derrick would have done.

    "Hahaha... that is very assuring to hear," Joanna smiled at him.

    She so much wanted to tell him that at the moment the table had turned but she kept quiet.

    She was afraid she wouldn''t be able to deliver a convincing response if he was to ask her what she meant.

    Joanna and Raymond kept talking.

    Some minutester as they talked they suddenly heard the cries of a baby. When they raised their heads to see what happened, they were dumbfounded to see a baby hopping in the middle of the road.

    "That is quite dangerous," Joanna mumbled, her gaze glued on the crying baby. It wasn''t up to ten seconds after she said these words that a car emerged from nowhere.

    The car moving towards where the child stood drove at top speed. The fear of what would be the baby''s fate caused them to jump to their feet at the same time.

    They were so worried about the baby''s safety that they didn''t realize that they were acting in the same way.

    Joanna and Raymond waited for someone to show up and save the toddler whose footsteps weren''t coordinated. But none showed up or cried for help.

    When none came to the baby''s rescue Joanna and Raymond both decided in their hearts to save the baby.

    All these things happened so quickly. When the car driving at top speed was some inches away from crushing the baby, Raymond and Joanna disappeared from their respective positions at the same time.

    They appeared beside the baby at the same time and grabbed the baby''s hand at the same time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Their movements were coordinated like they had nned these rescue steps.

    Raymond and Joanna turned and peered at each other at the same time the instant they grabbed the baby''s hands.

    His bewildered expression didn''t escape Raymond''s notice.

    "How...,"

    "Saving the baby is the most important thing now," Joanna said to the guy whom she knew had thousands of questions he wanted to ask.

    Raymond and Joanna disappeared from the street just when the ck car wanted to run into them.

    They resurfaced at the spot they had sat down earlier, each holding onto the fair little boy''s hand.

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked the curly-haired boy even if she had guessed he wasn''t able to talk properly.

    From mere looks of it, she knew boys of his age were just learning to speak.

    "Did you get hurt?" She quizzed and examined the boy''s body for injuries. She lifted the boy into her embrace when he burst into tears.

    Joanna''s attention was focused on the fair skin boy to notice Raymond''s strange stares directed at her.

    She was still coaxing the baby when she heard the cries of a woman. Despite the woman''s words being muffled by her sobs, she still heard some of the words she said.

    "I guess his mother has finally noticed he is missing. I am so much going to give her a piece of my mind," Joanna stated and stomped towards where the cries came from.

    For a second there she forgot all about Raymond, her partner.

    At first, Joanna had the intention to scold the boy''s mother but she was able to scold the human when she saw her bawling her eyes out.

    She and Raymond handed the baby over to his rightful mother. And in return, the beautifuldy showered them with gratitude-filled words.

    "Thank you. Thank you very much," The woman repeatedly said with her head bowed.

    Joanna has never felt so good about doing a good deed until today.

    ...

    HAPPY LAST DAY OF JANUARY 2023!!! ??????

    Guys, I want to use this opportunity to thank all the readers who supported me in one way or the other this month.

    January 2023 was awesome for me and all of you who supported me made it possible.

    A big thank you to those who bought the privileged chapters and made sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Thanks for the coins, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and power stones.

    YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!!! ??????

    And I am looking forward to seeing you guys do moree February.

    P.S.: I didn''t thank those who reviewed and gifted the book because there were no gifts or reviews this month.

 Chapter 403 She Discovered A Secret Amos Tried To Hide From Her

    ?She merely saved one baby but the woman''s appreciation made her feel as though she had saved the world.

    "The feeling of being praised for doing something good sure feels amazing. I have never felt this way before," Joanna giggled and ced her right hand on her throbbing chest.

    "It''s just been a matter of seven minutes since we met today and I have learned a lot of things about you. I feel thrilled that I ran into you on the streets today," Raymond said, his gaze glued on her face.

    His words made Joanna halt in her tracks. Slowly, she tilted her head and peered at his face.

    Her dumbfounded expression showed that she had forgotten that someone was by her side all this while she performed these stunts.

    [Kay and Drey have repeatedly asked me the source of my powers and I have tried everything possible to evade their questions each time. He can''t be the first person I disclose this secret to, can he?... This is will be unfair to Drey and Kay]

    Joanna tried to search for an excuse to escape from the guy whose mere looks showed that he had tons of questions for her.

    Just then her eyes caught a glimpse of her silver wristwatch around her hand.

    ? "Miss Butterfly...,"

    "Gosh! I amte!" She shouted and spun to leave. But he reached out his hand and grabbed her. He didn''t let her escape as she wanted.

    "Miss Butterfly, I think we have a lot to talk about what transpired here...,"

    "I wish I had the time to spare for that but unfortunately I don''t," Joanna spoke hurriedly. "I was on my way to the cafe when I ran into you. I promised myself I would only spend five minutes with you but I couldn''t to keep my word....," She trailed off.

    "I wish I could give you what you want but I can''t. I need to resume work right now," Joanna asserted. She attempted to walk away again but he refused to let go of her.

    "What the...,"

    "Hop into my car and let me drive you there," He offered.

    "My workce is just ahead of us. Taking me there won''t be necessary," Joanna said and pointed her hand at where she said the cafe was.

    Raymond wanted to insist but she was gone before he could stop her again.

    Joanna arrived at the cafe just in time. She didn''t runte nor did shee earlier.

    The first people she saw apart from the customers who had upied all the avable seats were Mrs Parker, Amelia and Leah who were stationed at the counter.

    "Hello Mrs Parker, I am sorry I didn''t arrive earlier than this," Joanna apologized to the woman who didn''t look upset at all.

    "I am sure he must have told you everything so why are you still here?" Mrs Parker ignored her question and asked what was on her mind.

    She looked beyond Joanna expecting to see him walk in but to her surprise, she didn''t see the one she was searching for.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "He is not here," She eximed. There was relief on her face although she didn''t make it obvious.

    "Yes, he told me everything about you," Joanna replied with her chin held up. "Including his true rtionship with Amelia," She said and diverted her attention to Amelia standing beside Leah.

    "If he told you everything then why did you stille to work...,"

    "And what is the reason I shouldn''te to work?" Joanna snapped. "Are you perhaps feeling ufortable around me because you are guilty of deceiving me along with your niece?" She asked, her gaze not shifting from Amelia''s body.

    "I have and will never regret anything I have done for His Majesty. That includes trying to bring you together and managing this cafe on your behalf," Mrs Parker replied with a stern expression.

    "This cafe is yours so what did you mean by you would never regret managing the cafe for my sake?" Joanna asked as she averted her attention to Mrs Parker''s face.

    "You talk as if I own this ce".

    "You just agreed that he told you everything so I am sure he must have revealed that he bought this cafe under your name and asked me to manage it on your behalf...,"

    "What!" Joanna shouted with widened eyes. At that moment she didn''t care about the customer''s nces which were on her.

    Joanna swerved and took a careful look at the cafe. The cafe wasn''t only huge but it was popr in the area.

    So many prominent peoplee to patronize them every day.

    As she examined this beautiful and sophisticated ce, she refused to believe that she owned this ce.

    "Tell me you are lying, right?" Joanna asked after she had brought back her gaze to Mrs Parker''s face.

    "Lying to a royalty is a capital crime so how could my Auntie evermit such a crime?" Amelia spoke up for the first time since Joanna arrived there.

    "You agreed he told you everything but I guessed he purposely chose to keep this secret away from you because he didn''t want to pressurize you...," Mrs Parker let her words linger.

    "I can''t believe I have failed my mission to keep this a secret. I have ruined his great ns," Mrs Parker''s expression fell at the thought of this.

    [Why does Mrs Parker look so disheartened?.... Would disclosing the truth to me without Kayden''s approval get her into trouble?]

    Despite the shock, Joanna was still able to notice the sudden changes in Mrs Parker''s mood.

    "It''s not your fault you disclosed the truth to me but it''s his fault for keeping such a big secret from me," Joanna stated angrily.

    "How could he keep me in the dark for a long time?" She hissed.

    "He knows your temperament more than anyone else does. He was afraid you wouldn''t ept to work here despite the rejection from all the ces you applied to back then and that was why he asked me to keep the truth a secret," Mrs Parker exined.

 Chapter 404 Mrs Parker Treated Her Differently

    ?"He is not at fault for this so don''t me him. If anyone should be med for this it should be me for failing to aplish the task he gave to me until the end," Mrs Parker said and bowed to Joanna.

    "You are much older than me so why are you bowing your head to me? Besides you never did anything wrong," Joanna muttered.

    She tried to make Mrs Parker stand with her head held high but the woman didn''t move an inch.

    "It''s true my actions made you upset. Also, I remembered I have made you angry a few times in my eagerness to bring you and him together so I apologized for all the inconveniences I might have caused you too," Mrs Parker said and bowed even lower than she did.

    Although Leah heard their conversations she didn''t understand what exactly was going on. She watched all that took ce in awe.

    "I have also wronged you with my actions and words ever since our first meeting. I recalled crossing the line a few times. Although I did this with good intentions, wrong is still wrong so I apologise," Amelia said with her head bowed.

    Joanna was trying to get Mrs Parker to stop and yet another joined. She was left speechless by their actions.

    No matter how hard she thinks she couldn''t understand why this family was so good to her.

    They were already treating her as the Queen when she was still a nobody.

    "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Why are you doing this to me?" Joanna cried out and ran towards the changing room.

    She left them with no other option but to stand up.

    In the changing room, Joanna changed into her work outfit. Despite having changed she was reluctant to go into the main cafe after what transpired in there.

    Mrs Parker came to the changing room when she realised that it took her a long time to dress up.

    Entering the medium size room, Mrs Parker met Joanna sitting on one of the small cupboards.

    "What happened? Are you not feeling fine by chance?" Mrs Parker hurried to her side.

    The worried woman ced her hand on her forehead and examined her temperature.

    She moved to check her body for injuries when she realised that Joanna''s temperature was normal.

    "I am fine. The issue is that I am not used to being treated like this...,"

    "Now that you and His Majesty are romantically involved you will need to get used to it. Because sooner than you think, you both will get married and you will be the Queen....,"

    "But I am not the Queen right now so I wish you all will treat me like you did in the past," Joanna interrupted. She stood up and walked towards the brown door. She paused just in front of the door and spun to look at Mrs Parker.

    "To me, nothing has changed despite learning the truth so I wished you all will do the same...,"

    "Even without your romantic rtionship with His Majesty, your title as his mate alone makes your title higher than us so how could we bring ourselves to treat you as you asked...,"

    "But you all did that in the past or didn''t you?" Joanna cut in sharply.

    "We did and that was because it was his royal order. We couldn''t disobey him when he ordered us to treat you as we treated others," Mrs Parker replied. She walked towards Joanna.

    "Joanna, this is the respect that everyone in the Kingdom should have orded to you when he became the King. Although they failed to do that, this doesn''t mean you should forget your title," Mrs Parker spoke in a soft tone.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "In the future, not only me and Amelia but everyone in the Kingdom will ord you with this respect so whether or not you like it you need to get used to this," She concluded.

    "But that hasn''t happened yet or has it? And besides, we are very close. There is no need for all this," Joanna said.

    "I can imagine the number of times you have called my name in spite and even thought of murdering me. So, are you certain we are very close like you said?" Mrs Parker asked yfully.

    Her question made Joanna burst outughing.

    "Although you are kinda right about that, I still think we are close. I mean without yours and Amelia''s help, Kayden and I wouldn''t be where we are right now. Maybe it would have taken me an eternity to realise that I have always been in love with him," Joanna smiled.

    "So how did it feel being with him knowing that he was not the only one who was in love with you but you too?" Mrs Parker asked thedy who couldn''t bring herself to stop smiling.

    "Hmmm....," Joanna trailed. She closed her eyes and let the memories of the time she has spent with Kayden these past days flood her.

    Her smile broadened even at the remembrance of the slightest thing that took ce between them.

    "It was amazing," She finally replied. "It was a kind of feeling I haven''t felt before and I am so happy about this," She chuckled.

    She and Mrs Parker kept talking. And time flew by without any of them realising it.

    Joanna''s eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she realised for how long she and Mrs Parker talked.

    "Oh damn it! I need to go assist Leah now," Joanna stated. She hurriedly carried her capid on top of her locker.

    "Rx, there is nothing to worry about when I am here," Mrs Parker said and grabbed the hand of thedy who was about to hasten out of the room.

    "You are right about that but I am not used to that yet" Joanna smiled and rushed to the door.

    She paused just when she had opened the door. She spun and looked at Mrs Parker.

    "Also, don''t worry about how Kay will react when he learns that you let the truth slip today because I will keep on pretending as if I know nothing about it," Joanna said and rushed out of there.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please do support your dearest author by buying the privileged chapters.

    Like I always say it''s notpulsory that you buy the highest privileged tier.

    Tier 2, 3 and 4, are there for you to purchase if you can''t afford tier 5, so please do support the book by buying privileged chapters.

    Also don''t forget to cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones, send gifts,ments and review.

    All the above will determine whether or not there will be a mass release every Sunday so please endeavour to buy privileged chapters, send gifts, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, vote with power stones,ment and review.

    Thanks as you do this. And I am looking forward to getting a positive response from all of you.

 Chapter 405 Joanna And Amelia Reconciled

    ?"She is such a lovely girl. I wonder why people hate her for no reason," Mrs Parker mumbled, her gaze glued on the door.

    Getting to the counter Joanna was stunned to see Raymond sitting at the spot she made him sit on the first day he visited the cafe.

    She chuckled when she recalled how she gave him a notepad because she assumed he was mute.

    "You are looking at him now and some minutes ago he found it hard to take his eyes off the counter. I guess he was searching for you,"Ameliamented when she saw Joanna smile at the guy whose gaze was not currently on Joanna.

    Just then he turned and caught Joanna gazing at him. Without giving a second thought about his image, he waved at her.

    Joanna waved at him while she still maintained her broad smile.

    "What is going on between the two of you?" Amelia demanded.

    Joanna''s smile faded as she shifted her attention to thedy by her side.

    "And why do you care if I may ask?" Joanna retorted. Although she tried to hide it, there was still a bit of hostility in her tone.

    "I know you might still hold a grudge against me even if you found out that everything that happened between him and me was an act. And I kinda understand how you feel...,"

    "If you haven''t been in the same situation as me then don''t im that you understand how I feel because that is a big lie," Joanna snapped.

    "You don''t know anything about what that whole charade put me through...,"

    "You...,"

    "Do you know how many times I lost confidence in myself and my feelings for him because of you? You made me believe I was some obsessed crazy girl," Joanna poured out all her heart.

    The words she couldn''t say to him or to Mrs Parker she was able to say now for some reason.

    There was silence after Joanna''s outburst.

    "You indeed went through emotional turmoil during this period but you also got to discover a better part of you too because of this. Am I right?" Amelia asked meekly.

    Joanna went quiet. She was unable to answer Amelia''s question immediately.

    She indeed went through a phase of her life she hasn''t experienced before because of their actions.

    She cried, smiled, got furious, learned how to yearn for someone and most importantly discovered how amazing falling in love was.

    She got to experience these life-changing events because of them and that was why no matter how upset she was that they deceived her, she was still grateful to them.

    "He thought our aim ining up with all these was to help you both together but what he didn''t know was that there was more to this than meet the eyes," Amelia spoke in a calm tone.

    Joanna narrowed her eyes and asked, "What do you mean by that?".

    "Hmmm...," Amelia trailed and walked two steps to her right-hand side.

    "During this period you learnt to be patient, tolerant, benevolent, angry when needed, protective and loving. These are some of the qualities a Queen must possess and we helped you learn them through a short period," Amelia exined to Joanna''s amazement.

    "What!" Joanna almost screamed had she not controlled her pitch in time.

    "Was Mrs Parker also a part of this?" Joanna asked and gazed at the door of the changing room.

    "It wasn''t everything I did that Auntie was aware of. She sometimes helped me draw closer to my hidden mission without knowing that," She replied carefreely.

    "If you meant that was your way of teaching me those qualities then I would say that was a very cruel way of teaching...,"

    "You call that cruel?" Amelia chuckled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I am sure you wouldn''t have dared to call my method cruel if you were born about thirty years earlier. The method they used then was hell...,"

    "You are talking as if you were born back then," Joanna jokes. She stopped smiling when Amelia didn''t smile along or refute her sentence.

    "You are not really that old right?" Joanna asked a bit more seriously.

    "Take a guess," Amelia chuckled.

    Just before Joanna could get the truth from Amelia a customer called their attention and Amelia went to take the customer''s orders.

    Some minutester Joanna strolled to Raymond''s table when he wouldn''t stop gazing at her.

    "I thought you said you had amercial to shoot, don''t you need to leave?" Joanna demanded. She didn''te out too strong so as not to offend him.

    "Nope," He shook his head negatively. "I am free as a bird today so you don''t need to worry about anything," He smiled at her.

    If only he knew that her question meant she wanted him to leave he wouldn''t have smiled so radiantly at her.

    "So what do you want to order?" Joanna smiled back at him.

    "Hmm...," He trailed, his gaze not shifting from her face. "I don''t know but I will definitely drink whatever you choose for me".

    His flirtatious words madedies whose attention had been on him re at Joanna.

    Joanna caught one of thedies shooting her a deadly re but she pretended not to.

    [I have had a fair share of dealing with mean girls all my life. Please tell me he doesn''t want to add more to the list]

    She returned her attention to the guy in front of her.

    "Are you not afraid that I will pick the most expensive item...,"

    "Go ahead. I can afford it and even more of it," he beamed. As if that was not enough he took out his ck card and dropped it on the table.

    [What the hell is wrong with this dude? Has Derrick infected him with his shamelessness?]

    Joanna wanted to scream at him but she controlled herself.

    She decided to change the topic when she realised that the discussion was going nowhere.

    "I noticed that there is something different about you from when we parted ways but I can''t seem to pinpoint what exactly is different. So do you mind telling me?" Joanna asked as she gazed at the guy in casual green clothes.

    "Can''t you even tell me that I have changed my clothes?" He asked and touched the hand of his shirt.

    "Did you?" She quizzed. After taking another look at him she realised he was telling the truth.

    ...

    A/N:

    I am sorry to announce that they won''t be any mass release today. And this is because you guys didn''t aplish the goal for this.

    If you want to enjoy mass release next week then buy privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review.

    GOOD LUCK!

    I wish that you guys will meet the goal this week so that you will be able to enjoy mass releasees next Sunday.

 Chapter 406 He Decided To Be Straightforward

    ?From what she recalled, he wore a glittering white jacket earlier but right now he was wearing a in green shirt.

    "Just so I won''t garner much attention and cause you problems I particrly choose this in shirt. What do you think? I am very considerate right?" Raymond asked as he winked at her.

    Joanna quickly turned and looked around her to confirm whether anyone else saw him winking at her.

    She was so relieved that the mean girls sitting at the corner had momentarily taken their eyes off him.

    [Rick specifically told me to go all out anytime I saw her. And that is what I have done, I wonder whether it is working?]

    Raymond smiled at her although she didn''t smile back at him.

    "You think with that face of yours merely changing clothes will make you not stand out?" Joanna asked and bent so that their faces were close to joining.

    "If that is what you thought then go to whoever said that and tell him that he is the greatest liar of the year. And that he needs to go to an optician and check what the hell is wrong with his eyes...,"

    "Is that your way of telling me that I am handsome?" He asked. His charming smile was capable of making any sanedy''s heart skip.

    Unfortunately for him, Joanna was crazy. She was crazy in love with Kayden.

    "That is an obvious fact everyone is aware of so why are you smiling...,"

    "Because those words areing from your mouth," He was damn blunt with his reply. His reply made the once doubtful Joanna certain that Derrick must have fed Raymond with some strange drugs.

    "I will go get your order ready," Joanna informed. She turned and walked to the counter knowing very well she might do something drastic if she kept listening to the guy''s seductive words.

    All Joanna''s thoughts were that Raymond would leave the cafe after he finished his cup of coffee but that didn''t happen at all.

    He stayed for a long time. Even if Mrs Parker had ns of chasing him away she couldn''t since he kept ordering over and over again.

    Joanna was ufortable with Raymond''s incessant stares but she didn''t let it show.

    Back at his apartment, Amos kept looking at his wristwatch every ten minutes.

    "Why does it feel like time is moving unbelievably slow today?" He mumbled and threw his cell phone on the centre table in annoyance.

    "Brother Amos, are you alright?" Anthony, who was ying with his cell phone, asked. He paused what he was doing and dropped his cell phone aside.

    "Hmmm....," Amos trailed. He raised his head and stared at Anthony''s face. Gazing at Anthony''s innocent face an idea popped into his head.

    His lips curled into a beautiful smile. He didn''t resemble the same guy who threw his cell phone on the table earlier.

    "What is...," He jumped and sat on the opposite couch before Anthony could say what was on his mind.

    "Little man," He called. His strange tone made Anthony raise his gaze. He peered into Amos'' eyeballs.

    "Do you miss your big sister?" He asked, his eyes locked with Anthony''s.

    The gentleness of his voice and the manner he pulled him close made Anthony try to shift away. But Amos didn''t give him what he wanted.

    "Tell me, do you want to see her?" He said softly, he wrapped his hand around his shoulders and made him draw closer.

    "If you want to see her I can take you there...,"

    "Brother Amos, you can go and see Big Sis if you miss her...,"

    "Who said I miss her?" Amos retorted and jumped to his feet.

    [He misses Big Sis but he is trying to use me to go and see her... He has been good to me so why don''t I help him out]

    Anthony smiled and stood up from the couch.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I asked whether you missed her so why are you...,"

    "I miss her a lot. Can we go and see her?" Anthony asked. He grabbed Amos'' hand and pulled it to his chest.

    "Let''s go and see Big Sis, hmm?" Anthony made a cute expression at him.

    "Since you want to see her so much then I have no other choice but to do as you want," Amos said. He couldn''t hide his excitement no matter how hard he tried.

    "She specifically asked me to take good care of you. I can''t afford to make your Big Sis angry at me because I didn''t look after you well in her absence," He grinned and took his hands.

    "Let''s go and freshen up," He muttered and led Anthony towards the bathroom.

    From their expressions, it was very obvious who was very eager to see her and who wasn''t.

    Amos freshened up first then followed by Anthony.

    When Anthony came out of the bathroom Amos had already prepared his outfit and shoes. This way the time Anthony would have used to dress up was lessened.

    Some minutester they were seen entering a white car parked at the apartment''s parking space.

    At the cafe, Joanna was seen with a tray in her hand approaching Raymond''s table.

    At Raymond''s table, she dropped the brown tray on the table. She removed the cup of espresso and dropped it in front of him.

    "You have drunk over six cups of different drinks here, are you sure you can handle more?" Joanna asked out of sheer concern.

    "My body can withstand it so don''tworry about me...,"

    "But...,"

    "You have been working nonstop for a long time now, shouldn''tyou take a few minutes'' rests?" He asked. His gaze moved from her face to the heels she has been walking in for over fourhours.

    "As you might have noticed, customers troops in every five minutes and I guess this is all thanks to the girls who posted your pictures on the inte. I can''t afford to rest even though I wanted to," She smiled at him.

    ...

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY DARLINGS ??????

    Your love and support have been my biggest motivation ever since I started this book. I can never thank you guys enough foring into my life and filling it with so much love.

    I wish that this season of love will bring you nothing but endless Love and Happiness.

    May you receive love a thousand times more than you have ever given.

    Don''t forget to appreciate and shower love on people around you on this day.

    Today is all about sharing love and positive vibes.

    Choose to make this day memorable for at least one person and see what happens.

    One more thing guys... (coughs*) where is my Valentine''s gift?

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY.

    I love you ??????

    And celebrate in style.

 Chapter 407 Her Two Men Arrived At The Cafe

    ?She snuck a peep at thedies when she heard noisesing from the direction of their table.

    "My pictures are posted on the inte?" Raymond half screamed. He returned the cup of espresso to the table and carried his phoneid on the table.

    Instantly, he navigated through his social media. It didn''t take him up to a minute to see that his picture had gone viral.

    Despite that he wasn''thappy about this he was relieved that the ones who posted his pictures captured at the cafe didn''t post anything that had to do with Joanna.

    "Do you now understand what I meant whenI said it takes more than in clothes to hide such a face like yours?" Joanna yfully said.

    Raymond took his gaze off the phone in his hand. He peered at her face for a few seconds without uttering a word.

    "You keep staring at me. Do I have something on my face?" She asked and caressed her right cheek.

    "No...," He shook his head negatively. He still didn''t look away from her face despite his response.

    "Then why?" She demanded in a serious tone.

    "You keptplimenting me ever since we saw each other today. This is something you haven''t done before...,"

    "That''s because...,"

    "Does this mean that you are smitten by my looks?" He interrupted before she could say whatever was on her mind.

    He touched his face as he waited for her reply.

    Thedies'' murmurs became louder following Raymond''s bold question.

    Mrs Parker who was about to collect a card from a customer paused what she wanted to do and shot Raymond a murderous re.

    "Is he acting this way because he is not aware of whose woman he is messing with or is he doing this despite being aware of this," Mrs Parker mumbled, her gaze focused on the guy whose stare hasn''t left Joanna''s body for a second.

    "Does he have a death wish?" She quizzed. She subconsciously clenched her fist and momentarily forgot that there was a customer in front of her.

    "I beg your pardon!" The man standing in front of the counter eximed. His angry voice brought Mrs Parker''s attention back to what was doing.

    "I wasn''t talking to you. Don''t be offended," Mrs Parker quickly apologized to the young man whose frown had spread across his handsome face.

    Back at Raymond''s table, Joanna opened her mouth to tell the guy the reply she was certain he wouldn''t love to hear.

    But before the words could form a man''s angry voice emerged from behind her. "Do you have no better job other than going around hitting on another man''s woman?"

    The voice which has been etched in her mind echoed in the cafe.

    "Wasn''t he supposed to be at home so what the hell is he doing here?" Joanna mumbled. She swirled and gazed at her back.

    Despite that she already recognised his voice she was surprised to see him there.

    [Howe he got so close and yet I couldn''t perceive his scent from miles away?... Is something wrong with my powers]

    She was in deep thought as she gazed at the guy''s frowning face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The white notification screen appeared as if it could read her mind.

    <All functions are in perfect condition. There is nothing abnormal with your powers>

    Joanna was a bit relieved to see that her fears were unnecessary.

    Joanna was even more amazed to see Anthonye out of Amos'' back where he hid.

    "What are the two of you doing here?" She demanded. "Shouldn''t you both be at home waiting for my return...,"

    "Why? Are you angry because we saw or heard what we shouldn''t have?" Amos asked, his fierce res concentrated on Raymond''s face.

    "Of course not," Joanna replied. She moved closer to him when she saw his angry face.

    "I am just surprised because none of you mentioned you wereing to the cafe," She exined as concisely as she could.

    Amos tried his best to keep his temper in check. He gazed at her after he had gotten rid of the frowns on his face.

    "That is because your little man wouldn''t stop talking about how much he missed and wanted to see you," Amos lied without batting an eyelid.

    Luckily for him, Anthony didn''t say contrary to his words or else he would have gotten exposed right there.

    "After a lot of thinking I decided to bring him here. By doing this not only will I grant his wish but we would also increase your cafe''s sales," He went ahead to expatriate even though Joanna didn''t ask him to do that.

    "Is it really my little rice ball who missed me or is it a certain someone who couldn''t wait to see me and resorted to using my innocent brother...," He coughed twice and drew closer to her.

    He held her hand and tucked it close to his chest.

    "What are you talking about...,"

    "You know exactly what I mean so there is no need to keep on pretending hmm?" Joanna whispered.

    Shepletely forgot everything about Raymond following her jealous boyfriend''s arrival.

    "Does it matter who between the two of us missed you?" He asked shamelessly. "What matters is that we are here to boost your cafe sale...,"

    "Are you here to boost her sales or is it your intention to get her fired? Because from the looks of it, it seems like you have forgotten where we are," Raymond snapped.

    "And how is that any of your business?" Amos retorted.

    "Also, aren''t you here as a customer so howe you are tantly flirting with her in broad daylight?" Amos questioned.

    "Don''t you know the way to the club or other ces to find a woman toy with...,"

    "Amos, that is enough. Raymond was only kidding around so there is no need to say all these to him," Joanna intervened.

    She knew too well that things would escte in seconds if she didn''t put an end to this sooner.

 Chapter 408 Mrs Parkers Offer

    ?"But...,"

    "Don''t forget Little rice ball is here also. Making him listen to adults talk will do him no good. You should know this well after spending time with him," Joanna interrupted when Amos refused to yield.

    Amos wanted to challenge Raymond some more but he decided to yield to Joanna after he recalled that others weren''t aware of their rtionship with Mrs Parker.

    Causing a scene there would onlyplicate things not only for him but everyone involved.

    "Ok, I will listen to you on this," He conceded defeat but with reluctance.

    "Do you wanna share a table with Raymond or wait until a table is avable...,"

    "Hell no, yes," Amos and Anthony chorused but their reply was contradictory.

    Amos turned and gave Anthony a displeased look. "Why did you say yes? Are you going to betray me for his sake?" He asked.

    Anthony didn''t reply instantly but he signalled Amos to bend. And Amos did what he wanted even though he wasn''t certain what the boy was up to.

    "We can''t leave now. We need to keep an eye on him. I am on your side," Anthony whispered into Amos'' ear.

    "That''s right, little man. I can see I didn''t dote on you for nothing...,"

    "What on Earth are you both whispering about?" Joanna retorted. She pretended to be angry, causing them to readjust themselves.

    "Nothing," Anthony was quick to reply. He moved away from Amos'' side swiftly.

    "Are you both sharing a table with him or would you rather wait outside until a table is avable?" Joanna asked, her gaze glued to Amos'' face.

    ? She was more concerned about them to remember that she was supposed to ask for Raymond''s permission before she made such an offer to her boyfriend.

    "Yes," Anthony and Amos chorused as if they had nned this.

    "If that''s the case then have your seats and stop inconveniencing other customers," Joanna said and pointed at the empty seats at Raymond''s table.

    "They might have said yes but I haven''t agreed to let them, especially him in particr, share a table with me," Raymond spoke up before Amos could draw out an empty seat.

    "Are you naturally petty?" Amos hissed.

    "Did you just realize that?" Raymond retorted with his chin held up.

    "You...,"

    "Since you are Miss Joanna''s family I can prepare an extra table, especially for the two of you," Ady''s cool voice emerged behind Amos.

    The four of them turned and gazed in the direction the voice came from.

    "Is that true?" Amos asked, grinning.

    [She knows how to take hints and that is what I love about her. With her intervention, I won''t have to force myself and share a table with a dude who is coveting my woman]

    Amos smiled even though he hadn''t gotten Mrs Parker''s affirmation. Unfortunately for him, Joanna happened to see his delighted smile.

    "That is...,"

    "You don''t have to give them special treatment because they are my family," Joanna blurted to Amos and Mrs Parker''s astonishment.

    "Apart from the fact that it''s unfair to other customers who have been waiting for a vacant table. I think it''s not appropriate," She concluded without giving a second thought about what Amos wanted.

    [Derrick and Raymond have been suspicious of Kayden''s identity. epting Mrs Parker''s offer will only give them more reason to question his true identity.

    So I think it''s better to displease him than lose the opportunity to spend the remaining 13 days with him as Amos]

    Joanna shook her head affirmatively.

    "But...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Raymond is a nice and considerate guy. I am sure he was just kidding when he said he hasn''t agreed to share his table with you," Joanna cut in.

    "Am I right Raymond?" Joanna turned and asked the guy sitting opposite where she stood.

    [I was trying to help them out since I can see that they are in a predicament so what is she trying to do?... It is obvious His Majesty dislikes the other guy so what hase over her?]

    Mrs Parker was lost at what to do after Joanna rejected her offer.

    Because Mrs Parker wanted to see how this will end, she didn''t leave their side. Apart from her curiosity to see how Joanna would handle the issue, the second reason she remained there was to make sure the King wasn''t offended in any way.

    Even if Raymond wanted to say no, he couldn''t because Joanna''spliments had left himno other option order than to say yes.

    "Yes," He finally said the words she wanted to hear.

    [I bet he must be feeling as if he owns the world now because sheplimented him a little]

    Amos clenched his fist and kept on ring at the smiling Raymond.

    "Take a seat while I get you both your orders," Joanna said and pulled out a chair for Anthony. She turned and was about to head towards the counter when Mrs Parker grabbed her hand.

    "You have been working for a while now. You can take a break and keep your friendspany...,"

    "But...,"

    "You rejected my first offer, don''t tell me you are gonna repeat the same thing with this one too? Don''t you care about making me look bad in front of so many people?" Mrs Parker faked a displeased expression.

    She gave Joanna no leeway to reject her for a second time.

    Joanna turned and looked at her surroundings. At that moment she decided to do like Mrs Parker suggested when she saw how many eyes were focused on them.

    "There are so many customers. Are you sure you will be able to handle it without me...,"

    "Leah, Lia and I can handle everything just fine so rx and have a good time here hmm?" Mrs Parker said and tapped Joanna''s shoulders.

    With Mrs Parker determined to achieve her aim, Joanna stood no chance of winning. So she had no choice but to do what her Boss wanted.

    "Settle down now. Leah wille to get your orders in a few minutes," Mrs Parker informed them. She left without waiting for their response.

    Amos didn''t like the current arrangement but he tried not to make it obvious. At least not to Joanna''s notice.

    ...

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY DARLINGS ??????

    Your love and support have been my biggest motivation ever since I started this book. I can never thank you guys enough foring into my life and filling it with so much love.

    I wish that this season of love will bring you nothing but endless Love and Happiness.

    May you receive love a thousand times more than you have ever given.

    Don''t forget to appreciate and shower love on people around you on this day.

    Today is all about sharing love and positive vibes.

    Choose to make this day memorable for at least one person and see what happens.

    One more thing guys... (coughs*) where is my Valentine''s gift?

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY.

    I love you ??????

    And celebrate in style.

 Chapter 409 Amelia Helped Out

    ?"Brother Ray, what about Brother Derrick?" Anthony asked. He looked around with hopes of seeing Derrick but he couldn''t find him even after his search.

    "Why are you both not together today?" He added innocently.

    "That is because he is shooting amercial as we are speaking," Raymond replied.

    "Commercial!" He repeated the word like saying it twice would make him understand what it means. "What is amercial? And will he join uster when he is done...,"

    "No more asking questions ok? You are not a detective nor is he a criminal so stop it," Joanna scolded her expression stern.

    "Kids his age are usually this way; always wanting to know everything, so let him be. I don''t find him or his questions annoying like a certain someone anyways," Raymond replied. He grinned at the boy who had shrieked after Joanna''s scolding.

    "You¡­," Joanna raised her hand and ced it on Amos'' left handid on the table.

    She squeezed his hand and leaned in, "I thought you came because you missed me but howe Raymond is all you see after you got here?" She whispered.

    "From thesers shooting out of your eyes one would assume world war 3 is gonna take ce here any moment from now," She mumbled and moved away from him.

    She let go of his hand and acted like she never said anything to him.

    Her usations which turned out to be true caused his anger to vanish like it never existed.

    His vision was indeed clouded by jealousy the instant he listened to Raymond''s seductive words.

    Because of this, he forgot the reason he came to the cafe in the first ce and concentrated his attention on something he shouldn''t have.

    "How was work?" He asked meekly. "Also, I know you must have stood throughout. Tell me where it hurts and I will help you to massage...,"

    "Keep your hands away," She retorted and beat his hand away from her thighs. "Don''t forget we are in public," She cautioned him.

    "We are not doing anything indecent so why are you worried about what others will say huh?" He questioned.

    He shifted his gaze and stared at the customers who were staring at them.

    If anyone should be med that they were in the spotlight, it should be Raymond, the celeb.

    "If they can''t stand hearing our conversation or seeing us, they can as well close their eyes, block their ears or leave. They are so many options for them to choose so why should we be considerate of them as if they would have done the same if they were in our shoes...,"

    "I didn''t tell you this to infuriate you ok," Joanna intervened when she realised that the conversation was taking another dimension.

    "Also, I noticed you get irritated by the slightest thing. What is it? Did something happen in my absence?" She demanded.

    And when Amos didn''t respond she shifted her attention to Anthony sitting on her left-hand side.

    "I don''t know what is wrong, Big Sis," Anthony shook his head negatively.

    "He was so excited when we left home. Maybe he is angry that he has to share you with me and Brother Raymond," Anthony''s reply was full of innocence but his reply wasn''t well received by Raymond.

    "She is not his ve or his property so why would he be angry because we are together with Miss Butterfly?" Raymond retorted.

    Back at the counter Amelia and Mrs Parker paid more attention to what is going on over at Joanna''s table than what is happening at the cafe overall.

    "Which out of the two do you think is gonna win?" Amelia asked, her gaze glued on the fuming Amos.

    "It doesn''t matter who wins or loses. The problem is that Joanna will be caught in between no matter how hard she tried...,"

    "I will go to her rescue then," Amelia muttered. She turned and collected the tray from Leah''s hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "As you know I have never cared about being the viin as long as I achieve my aim," She grinned and elegantly walked towards the table she had her eyes on.

    "She is my...," Amos quickly removed his hand before the staggering figure could drop the tray on his hand.

    "Sorry, I tripped," Amelia apologised before he had the opportunity to reprimand her.

    Although Joanna didn''t say it, she was so relieved Amelia came at the time she did.

    If only she knew Amelia''s timely arrival was nned she would have been more grateful for her help.

    In the pretence that she wanted to drop the cup of coffee in front of him, Amelia brought her mouth close to his ear.

    "She is indeed your woman and none can ever fight with you over that. So be a bigger man and put an end to this. Stop making your woman suffer because of your squabbles," Amelia whispered and shifted away from him.

    "Do call mine or Leah''s attention if you need something else," Amelia informed after she was done distributing their orders.

    "Thanks," Joanna smiled at her.

    Amelia stole one more nce at Amos to confirm whether he got her message. She strolled back to the counter after her confirmation.

    At the counter Mrs Parker tapped Amelia''s shoulder gently, "You have tried your best. Let''s hope they can maintain this quietness until the end," Mrs Parker mumbled.

    Back at the table the four of them shared, Joanna gazed at the two men who hadn''t said a word ever since Amelia''s interruption.

    Yes, she finds their bickers a bit annoying sometimes but their total quietness made her feel ufortable.

    She slowly brought the cup of coffee to her mouth and sipped out of it.

    "Ouch, that burns!" Joanna screamed and covered her mouth.

    "Are you ok?" The two men asked at the same time. Their hands moved towards her mouth at the same time.

    "A bit," She said and demonstrated with her finger. She was smart enough not to take any of their hands since she was certain an argument would follow.

    [Is this what every other girl who is in love faces or is my case an exception?]

    Joanna blinked, her gaze focused on their hands which they hadn''t retracted yet.

    "Big Sis, you ordered your favourite Almond cake but they haven''t bought it yet. Do you think they forgot about it?" Anthony came to the rescue.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Apart from our GOLDEN TICKETS ranking which has been at the bottom ever since this month reached, other areas of the book like buying privileged chapters, gifts,ments, power stones and reviews have hit the rock bottom too.

    And this is why there has been no mass release every Sunday ever since this month reached.

    So please, have mercy on your beloved author and support the book with privileged chapters purchases, gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones and reviews.

    Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 410 Raymond And Derrick Fought

    ?"I will go and get it for you, don''t worry," Raymond offered to help out. He stood up and moved to the counter.

    Joanna wasn''t sure whether Anthony''s intervention was deliberate or unintentional but still, she was happy he came to her rescue.

    "Are you tired?" He asked in a meek tone. He shifted his hands from the table to her thigh where she ced her left hand.

    "If you are exhausted I can ask Mrs Parker toe up with an excuse for you toe home with us...,"

    "I am not tired," She beamed at him. "Even though I was tired, from the moment I set my eyes on these two lovely faces...," She trailed as she raised her hand and took turns touching their faces.

    "My worries have been watched away," She concluded, still maintaining her smile.

    "Really?" Anthony beats Amos to speak first.

    "Yes, really," She replied. "That''s how magical your faces are to me so don''t worry about me. I am fine," She assured them with a broad smile.

    "Since you said you are fine then I won''t press the issue any further," He muttered.

    Raymond returned to the table soon only to find a peaceful atmosphere. Not only was the atmosphere peaceful but he noticed that Amos'' expression wasn''t full of hostility like earlier.

    Joanna spent over thirty minutes with them. If the decision between Joanna spending time with them or returning to work was left for Amos to choose, the happy guy would have without doubts chosen the former.

    But Joanna didn''t give him or Mrs Parker the chance to make that choice for her.

    [I want the remaining days I have to spend with Amos to be intact. I won''t and I can''t afford to do anything that will jeopardize those days for me]

    These were Joanna''s thoughts as she returned to her duty post.

    The three men sitting at the table in the Eastern part of the cafe watched over Joanna like they were her bodyguards.

    They jumped up at every near ident that urred and also when a male customer tried to touch her either by mistake or intentionally.

    Mrs Parker and Amelia always smile at such urrences.

    "Although they can be a handful, I believe ady who has them by her side would be very happy. One look at them and you will see that their love for her is overflowing. Because of this love, they would do anything to protect her...,"

    "Are you including him too?" Leah asked and pointed at Anthony who was smiling at Joanna.

    "Of course," She eximed. "Don''t be surprised if he turns out to be the most overprotective out of the three men," Mrs Parker smiled.

    Just then the memory of Anthony defending Joanna in a crowd shed before her eyes. He was so fearless even though the crowd was made of only adults.

    No child has ever earned her respect except him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "He is such a lovely boy. He will be among the greatest men of this Kingdom if he can grow up with those traits in him," Mrs Parker muttered. Her smile became broader as she kept looking at Anthony.

    Some minutester Raymond received an urgent call from Derrick. Despite wanting to remain there he had no choice but to leave due to the urgency of Derrick''s voice.

    He left the cafe in haste after he bade her goodbye.

    Raymond''s car halted in front of a tall building. A guy that seemed to have waited for him hurried to the driver''s seat.

    "Rick, I told you I was in the middle of something important but you insisted I muste here so tell me what the hell is going on," Raymond stated. He couldn''t hide his anger and he didn''t even try to.

    "Mr Xavier found out that you missed themercial shoot...,"

    "This is not the first time I have done this so what is the fuss about...,"

    "He was mad when he learned about this. He became more furious when your picture at the cafe circted. And I heard he exploded when he discovered that the cafe where your video and pictures went viral was Joanna''s working ce," Derrick exined.

    He grabbed Raymond''s hand and tried to drag him along but to his dismay, Raymond refused to move a muscle.

    "Was this why you called me here?" Raymond hissed. Derrick was astounded by Raymond''s nonchnce.

    Yeah, this is not the first time they have run away from their shoot and neither was it the second time.

    But despite their naughtiness they always have one thing in mind; their goal. Never have they done anything that will jeopardize their mission but for the first time he realised that Raymond didn''t consider this one thing.

    "Mr Xavier can go ahead and rant for all he wants I don''t care...,"

    "I know you like Joanna. I recall saying you should be more proactive in your pursuit that is to show that I support you...,"

    "If you support me then you wouldn''t have done what you did...,"

    "Oh, cut out of it already Raymond," Derrick snapped. "That I support your feelings towards her doesn''t mean I will condone every one of your actions so cut out with this madness ok?".

    Derrick let go of Raymond''s hand. He walked three steps away and turned his back on him.

    "Don''t forget the main reason we came to the human world. Although she was part of our ns from the beginning, she was meant to be your ything. That you discovered she was the girl from the past shouldn''t make you act like this...,"

    "You are not allowed to say that Rick," Raymond scolded. He extended his hand and grabbed Derrick''s hand but the angry guy beat Raymond''s hand away.

    "I know you don''t like to hear this but the fact that she was not the reason why we are here remains, whether you like it or not," Derrick shrieked. He turned and gazed at Raymond.

 Chapter 411 Amelia Chased Them Away

    ?"We have got a mission to aplish here so we can go back home so get your acts together. Because if you don''t, I will be forced to do something drastic and I am sure you wouldn''t like what I will do," Derrick threatened coldly.

    "You wouldn''t darey a finger on her...,"

    "Try me and see then," Derrick retorted. He stomped towards the entrance located not very far away from there.

    "He is crazy!" Raymond growled, his gaze glued on the direction Derrick went. "He must be joking if he thinks I will just stand and watch him do any harm to Miss Butterfly," He raved.

    Just then fog started emitting from his right hand. He clenched his fists when he noticed this.

    As this was taking ce Joanna was still working at the cafe oblivious to what was going on.

    At the cafe, Joanna was approaching a table with a cup of Ice Americano and a dessert when two figures from nowhere jumped and stood in front of her.

    "What is...," Instantly Anthony grabbed her while Amos took the tray from her hand.

    "I will take over from where," He beamed at her and turned to leave.

    "What do you think you are trying to do?" Joanna questioned and tried to reach her hand and hold him but Anthony refused to let go.

    It would have been easy for her to shove him aside and stop Amos but she didn''t want to hurt the little boy in any way so she decided not to use force.

    "Little rice ball, let go now. I need to stop him now," Joanna said and tried to shake him off but the boy whose eyes had changed held on tight.

    Amos didn''t take up to three steps away when someone appeared in front of him and grabbed the tray in his hand.

    "Let go," Amelia said, her grip still firm on the tray Amos had refused to release.

    "I want to help her...,"

    "Of course, I know that. I am also aware that your intentions are good but do you know that this single act of yours will not only get the cafe shut down forever but that all of us might lose our lives if anyone learns that we had the guts to make you serve others?" Amelia asked.

    It was as if she had read Joanna''s mind.

    "No one knows who I am and I doubt anyone will ever discover that so let me...,"

    "What is wrong is wrong. It doesn''t matter whether anyone knows about it or not," Ameliarefused to yield to him.

    "Let go or else you will ruin it," Amos muttered and pulled the tray towards him but Amelia still didn''t let go.

    "I would rather it spill and get ruined than let you serve anyone," Amelia said with a tone of finality.

    They continue to fight over who will serve the order for a few minutes.

    "If you want I can let her go home with you since her working hour is almost up but letting you serve the order is not an option," Amelia still maintained her stance.

    While they fought over the tray the clever Leah prepared another batch of orders for the customers who were waiting to be served.

    "You will let her leave a bit earlier?" Amos asked, his grip on the tray loosened.

    "Yes. I am sure Auntie would have agreed if she was here," Amelia affirmed.

    He finally released the tray after Amelia said the words he wanted to hear.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I will take home her without any further ado since you are the one who told me to," Amos replied shamelessly. He spun and returned to where Joanna and Anthony stood.

    "Amelia said we can go home earlier today so go and get changed so we can leave," Amos announced, his smile radiating as he gazed at her.

    Joanna ignored what Amos said and gazed at where Amelia stood instead.

    "It''s true I said you should get off work earlier. I am scared he might get all of us into trouble if he remained here for even a minute more," Amelia forced a smile. With a beckon of the hand, she told Joanna to do what they wanted.

    "You are such a troublemaker and I was expecting Little rice ball to be the one to do this," Joanna said and brought her attention back to him.

    "See, even Amelia is scared of you. I wonder who else you will scare again today...,"

    "It doesn''t matter if I scare everyone away. As long as you are happy then I am satisfied," He smiled at her. And Anthony imitated him also.

    "Troublemakers," She muttered and walked away. Amos watched her approach the counter.

    "Are you mad at us?" He asked, his gaze centred on her.

    "I want to get changed so we can leave. You both should wait for me in the car," She said and waved her hand in the air without turning to look at them.

    They watched Joanna until she entered the room located on the right-hand side of the counter.

    Anthony turned and peered at Amos'' face after Joanna was gone. "Do you think Big Sis is mad at us?" He asked with a worried expression.

    "I don''t know," Amos shrugged. "But I am here to protect you no matter how things turn out to be. I will take all the blows for you, don''t worry," Amos tapped his shoulder and signalled him to raise it high.

    The two of them returned to their table and waited for Joanna.

    Joanna was surprised when she returned from the changing room and met them sitting at their table gazing at the counter.

    "They are both so stubborn. I wonder how I am gonna manage them now that they have be a team," Joanna mumbled.

    She bade Leah and Amelia goodbye and moved to their table.

    "Let''s go," Joanna announced and led the way.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Apart from our GOLDEN TICKETS ranking which has been at the bottom ever since this month reached, other areas of the book like buying privileged chapters, gifts,ments, power stones and reviews have hit the rock bottom too.

    And this is why there has been no mass release every Sunday ever since this month reached.

    So please, have mercy on your beloved author and support the book with privileged chapters purchases, gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones and reviews.

    Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 412 At The Ice Cream Stall

    ?If there was one thing Amos and Anthony noticed about Joanna from the moment they left the cafe until this moment with all of them in the car.

    It was the fact that she hasn''t said a word nor did she pay them any attention.

    "So little man, where do you want us to go or what do you want to eat?" Amos asked just to ease the tension in the car.

    "I want to eat ice cream," Anthony shouted in excitement.

    "If that is what you want then we will get it for you...,"

    "You don''t eat that kind of stuff so why do you always agree to whatever he wants?" Joanna spoke up for the first time since they entered the car.

    "I may not eat it but I am aware you like this kind of thing...,"

    "Aren''t you worried that indulging us too much will do you no good? But instead, it will make us get ustomed to getting what we want," She said how she felt without sugarcoating her words.

    Letting her and Anthony have their way was something she has noticed Amos do more than once.

    She was used to not getting things easily ever since birth. She was afraid she would get used to his pampering and forget about who she is.

    "That is not a problem. Also, I derived joy from all these...,"

    "But I am not ok with it. If you ever dislike something then always make it known to me because sometimes I wouldn''t be able to guess how you feel or know what you really want," Joanna expressed herself meekly.

    "I am not a seer nor a god to know your thoughts or how you feel at all times," She added.

    Amos changed from handling the steering with two hands to only his left hand.

    "If that is what you want then that is what I will do from now on but you are not allowed toin that I am unreasonable or annoying ok?" He beamed at her.

    "I won''t," She replied and smiled back at him.

    Anthony smiled along with them when he noticed that Joanna and Amos were all right now.

    "So are we going to eat ice cream?" Anthony asked before the air of excitement could die off.

    "Since your brother Amos can''t eat ice cream with us, we are not only going to eat ice cream but we are gonna tour him around the Kingdom today," Joanna beamed.

    "He might be the King but I am sure that he hasn''t beheld the beauty of this great Kingdom so we will show him just how beautiful and prosperous his kingdom is," She grinned as she gave a gentle squeeze to his hand.

    "I can''t wait," Amos and Anthony chorused, each smiling.

    Because of his status, Joanna had suggested they had ice cream in an expensive shop but Amos insisted they had the one from the street stand.

    "I heard those are quite tasty too. Also, we don''t have to act refined in a street stallpared to an expensive shop. So I think the street stall is better," This was his sentence before he and Anthony rushed out of the car and hastened to the ice cream stall not far away from where they parked their car.

    Joanna came out of the car. She leaned against the car and watched the two smiling figures as they raced to the ice cream stand.

    She recalled even as a child Kayden had to watch the manner he walked, acted, spoke and the friends he moved with.

    He was a young master after all and so all these things were required of him.

    She was certain Anthony would have been raised this way also if not that she had a sister of low birth who spoils him a lot.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Anthony was forced to be cheerful because of his relentless efforts to make the always bullied Joanna in the past happy.

    "I wonder for how long he has dreamed of acting and behaving the way he wanted without having to worry about who is watching him," Joanna mumbled. She waved and smiled at the two beaming figures who were beckoning her toe closer.

    "I aming," Joanna shouted. She hastened to join the excited figures.

    Getting to the stall Joanna chose the vour she wanted. She was dumbfounded when thedy handed an ice cream to Amos when she gave them theirs.

    "He doesn''t have that and I am sure he didn''t order it. Did you make a mistake?" Joanna asked thedy wearing an oversized long gown.

    "Sorry, but I gave exactly what he asked for," Thedy replied politely and went back to what she was doing.

    Joanna tilted her head and gaze at the guy who was ruffling Anthony''s hair.

    "Did you ask for it?" She quizzed.

    "Hmm...," He shook his head as he continued to tease the giggling Anthony.

    "You don''t eat it so why did you ask for it?" She demanded in a soft tone.

    "You will know why I bought it soon," He muttered and winked naughtily at Anthony.

    "What did you say? I couldn''t hear you," She said and moved closer to them.

    "I told you I would learn how to eat food as long as you feed me. Don''t tell me you have forgotten so soon...,"

    "We are in public so what are you talking about?" She scolded. She looked around her as if there was someone there who understood their coded words.

    "Also, don''t forget Little rice ball is here...,"

    "I can close my eyes so I won''t see anything," He interrupted. Anthony closed his eyes without waiting for Joanna''s reply.

    "What have you been whispering into his ears huh?" She demanded. She raised her hand to hit him but he moved backwards.

    Joanna shifted her attention to the little boy still covering his eyes when she realised that Amos was out of her reach.

    "And you, what do you think we are talking about hmm," She reprimanded. She pulled his cheek yfully.

    ...

    A/N:

    I am sorry to announce that they won''t be any mass release today. And this is because you guys didn''t aplish the goal for this.

    If you want to enjoy mass release next week then buy privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review.

    GOOD LUCK!

    I wish that you guys will meet the goal this week so that you will be able to enjoy mass releasees next Sunday.

 Chapter 413 His Dreams

    ?He opened his eyes, touched the ice cream with his right hand and jumped up when Joanna least expected.

    He smeared her pretty face with the ice cream he touched.

    HAHAHA!!!

    Heughed and ran to stand beside Amos

    HAHAHA!

    He and Amosughed at the frowningdy.

    "Come here," She said and reached her hand to touch the two guys but they jumped backwards.

    "How dare you both think you can gang up and bully me huh?" She shouted.

    A few minutester, the three of them were seen running around the less busy street.

    Theirughter echoed in the air as they yed around like kids who had no worries or whatever.

    As Anthony was having fun, he didn''t know that somewhere in a hospital in the city, his mother, sister and grandmother were fighting for their lives.

    Just like she had promised, she took Amos and Anthony on a tour of some of the amazing ces in the Kingdom.

    Joanna dedicated the rest of the day to making the two men with her happy.

    After the endless adventures they had, the three of them went to bed feeling satisfied and happy.

    The next day, Joanna woke up at 8:00 am since it was a Sunday. She began her daily routine by cleaning Audrey''s apartment.

    And when she learned that Josephina would drop by to clean Amos'' home she offered to help him even though he rejected her suggestion at first.

    "It takes nothing away from me if I clean your room. Besides, don''t forget I have been doing this ever since I was four years old," She responded and smiled at him.

    He tried to make her change her mind but Joanna didn''t even allow him to do that.

    She left Audrey''s apartment and went to his apartment to get the job done.

    She returned not long after and reunited with the two men again.

    While Joanna tried to prepare breakfast with the little grocery they bought the previous day, Amos and Anthony were in the sitting room watching their favourite anime.

    Joanna was in the middle of frying the eggs when she felt a presence behind her. She lowered the heat before she turned and looked at where the guy stood behind her.

    "I thought I said you didn''t have to join me in the kitchen so what are you doing here?" She questioned meekly.

    ? He walked two steps forward so that the gap between them wasn''t much.

    "My parents were vampires and because of it, no food was ever cooked in my home. And that is why I don''t know even the basic thing to do if a person wants to cook...,"

    "And what does that have to do with what I said? Are you perhaps trying to make me feel guilty...,"

    "Because it has always been my dream to prepare even the simplest breakfast for my wife," He blurted to Joanna''s astonishment.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His words left Joanna speechless for two minutes. She blinked twice perceiving an almost burnt smell.

    "Damn!" She cursed. Joanna spun and put off the gas cooker.

    She stretched her hand and picked a t porcin white te she had kept close by.

    "Aren''t Kings known to have great dreams so why are yours so different?" Joanna asked as she removed the egg from the pan and ced it on the te.

    "Yours aren''t different frommoner''s basic dream...,"

    "Kings are people with feelings too, are they not?" He interrupted. He turned over and stood with his back leaning against the wooden stand in front of her.

    "Although they will never voice it out, Kings also wished to do things normal couples do...," He trailed with his gaze focused on her face.

    "Things like going on a walk holding hands, eating out in a fancy restaurant, teasing his beloved in front of so many people, recklessly defending his woman and so many other things out there. They wished they could do all these without having to worry about the rules of the pce that is bidding them...,"

    "Those rules they are afraid of breaking were set by someone, were they not?" Joanna cut in abruptly.

    She took her gaze off what he was doing and peered at his face.

    "They are Kings and as such have the powers to abolish or make new rules favourable to them so why has none of them ever done that instead of suffering in silence...,"

    "Changing rules that have been in existence since the establishment of the Kingdom is not as easy as you think...,"

    "And I never said they were easy, did I?" She asked, her eyes locked with his.

    "Also, haven''t you demonstrated several times that you are not the kind to get tied down by the pce rules and regtions when you snuck to visit me every night so what are you afraid of hmm?" She muttered and winked at him naughtily.

    She carried the dish and transferred it to the kitchen counter where she ced the bread she had already sliced into sizable pieces.

    "Apart from being the mostpassionate King, you are also the most shameless King the kingdom has ever produced so I don''t think the pce rules will be able to hinder our rtionship," She added.

    She picked up the clean knife from where she kept it. She used the knife to neatly cut the fried egg and ced it on top of the sliced bread.

    Amos left the stand he leaned against and strolled to where she stood with his hands stuck in his trouser''s pockets.

    "You haven''t officially be my wife and you have started encouraging me to disobey the pce rules. Should our people be worried about this or not?" He asked yfully.

    Joanna momentarily shifted her gaze to look at the man standing beside her. "I have never received the training of a Queen so that''s not my fault," She found a perfect defence for herself.

    "Also, instead ofining or being worried they should be grateful that they will have this benevolent and virtuousdy as their Queen," Joanna said with her neck cocked to the side and her shoulders raised a bit higher than usual.

    ...

    The extra chapter is to make up for my not uploading any chapters yesterday.

    I am sure a lot of you must have waited for yesterday''s chapter but unfortunately, it never came so I am sorry about yesterday''s incident.

    Thanks for your understanding.

 Chapter 414 Boom!

    ?"You said I was shameless but here you are praising yourself in front of me. Doesn''t that makes you more shameless than I am...,"

    "You taught me this so why are youining, teacher?" Joanna asked. Sheid so much emphasis on the word TEACHER that Amos didn''t know what to say.

    It was true that her self-esteem was crushed ever since she was a child and as such, she wasn''t very outspoken.

    She was always brutal with her words and her decision doesn''t easily get swayed but she was a reserved girl despite all these.

    Joanna starteding out of her shell after they reunited. To win her heart he went all out. Shameless King Kayden became his second title.

    He believed without a doubt that she learnt her shameless ways from him and that was why he didn''t argue with her.

    "Stop looking at me that way. You know I didn''t tell an iota of lies," She used. She carried the tray of food and walked back in the direction of the cooker where the toaster was.

    "You have alwaysined that I and your little man bullied you but why are you bullying me...,"

    "Me, bully you?" She asked while faking a surprised expression. "I am still very much in love with my life. I would never do that except if I have a death wish which I don''t". She replied in a yful tone.

    "You are such a big bully" He muttered.

    Joanna grinned and acted like she didn''t hear his words. She concentrated her attention on toasting the bread and soon she was done.

    "Little rice ball, put a pause to what you are doing ande to the kitchen right now," Joanna ordered as if Anthony was standing right in front of her.

    Almost immediately after she spoke, Anthony raced at top speed to the kitchen.

    "Big Sis, here I am," Anthony announced his presence. He was unaware that Joanna could feel his presence without having to turn around.

    "Take our breakfast to the dining. I will meet you there soon," Joanna said without taking her gaze off the milk she was pouring into the ss cup.

    "His hands are just this tiny. Are you sure he won''t spill it?" Amos asked. His gaze followed the boy who walked to the table where the tray was kept.

    "My hands are sturdy and my body is flexible. I have carried heavier things than this in my martial art training sses. I won''t drop it, trust me," Anthony replied. He beats his chest confidently.

    "If you say so," Amos muttered. He watched as Anthony picked up the tray from the table and walked towards the sitting room.

    "I am aware that werewolves are known for their sturdy build and strength. But I keep forgetting this fact whenever your little man is around...,"

    "In the same manner I keep forgetting that vampires don''t get hurt easily," Joanna chuckled when she recalled the numerous times she worried about Amos getting hurt.

    "When I heard people say that love makes even the most intelligent people do silly things I didn''t understand that term until I fell in love...," Joanna trailed, and her smile grew broader.

    "These days I do crazy and silly things without having control over it," She said and turned around so that they faced each other.

    Amos walked towards where she stood. He kept his gaze focused on hers.

    "In the past when I saw couples taking a walk holding hands, getting jealous, feeding, kissing and teasing each other in public I always cringed. I often told myself that I will never do such a thing even though I got into a rtionship...," He let his words linger.

    Merely recalling some of the silly and crazy things he had done these past days made himugh within.

    "But after I fell in love with you, I found myself doing the exact things I promised not to do. The funniest thing is that I don''t want to stop doing these things," He confessed and chuckled. Joannaughed along with him.

    "You are not the only one who had such thoughts. I am sure over a million people who are in a rtionship now once had this same thought as you and also made exact promises too," Joanna replied amidst herughter.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I guess you are right about that," He agreed. He was still smiling when he saw her two hands glowing in different colours.

    "Your hands are glowing!" He half screamed as he pointed at her hands which were clutching the ss of milk.

    "I am aware of that," She smiled at him. "I want to heat the milk, that is why I summoned the mes," She exined when she saw that he was worried about her.

    The worried guy who thought something was wrong with her was able to breathe normally after she confirmed that nothing was wrong with her.

    "I have only seen you use the mes tounch an attack. So tell me, can it really heat the milk?" Amos quizzed, his attention centred on the ss of milk in her hand.

    "Not only milk but I can use it to boil water too...,"

    "Really?" He asked, not able to hide his fascination.

    "Yes. But to achieve this result I need to be able to regte the temperature of the mes," Joanna replied. The me vanished almost immediately.

    Joanna extended the ss of milk towards him, "Feel it," She instructed.

    Eager to confirm whether what she said was true, he stretched his hand and held the ss of milk.

    He smiled when he felt the warmth on his palm after he held the ss. "It''s warm," He confirmed. He let go of the ss after he had confirmed the result for himself.

    "You said you need to be able to regte the temperature to heat the milk. So tell me, what will happen if you fail to regte the temperature," He mumbled meekly.

    "Boom!" She demonstrated with her right hand raised in the air.

    ...

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY DARLINGS ??????

    Your love and support have been my biggest motivation ever since I started this book. I can never thank you guys enough foring into my life and filling it with so much love.

    I wish that this season of love will bring you nothing but endless Love and Happiness.

    May you receive love a thousand times more than you have ever given.

    Don''t forget to appreciate and shower love on people around you on this day.

    Today is all about sharing love and positive vibes.

    Choose to make this day memorable for at least one person and see what happens.

    One more thing guys... (coughs*) where is my Valentine''s gift?

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY.

    I love you ??????

    And celebrate in style.

 Chapter 415 Anthonys Good Intention Turned Bad

    ?"It will lead to an explosion if I fail to keep the temperature under control...,"

    "Then that means heating the milk this way is dangerous so why...,"

    "I have practised it over a hundred times. And now I am an expert in doing this and even more awesome things with the mes so don''t worry. I won''t get hurt," She smiled and tapped him on the shoulder.

    Joanna started approaching the sitting room with the cup of warm milk in her right hand.

    "What other thing can you do that is even more awesome than this?" He asked. He tried to watch up with thedy who was now far away from where he stood.

    "Do you mind showing it to me?" He said. He jumped and stood in front of her when she wouldn''t stop walking or reply to any of his questions.

    "Stop acting like my little rice ball because neither of us will be able to get any peaceful moments for the remaining days he is gonna stay with us if he dares get wind of what I am capable of doing," Joanna muttered

    She looked at where Anthony sat to make sure he wasn''t listening to their conversation.

    "But...,"

    "I promise I will show you other things I can do with my powers but that would be when little rice ball is not around...,"

    "I am cool with that," He replied, grinning. He tried to collect the ss of milk from Joanna but she refused to let go.

    "I won''t go back on my words so there is no need to do that," She smiled and approached where Anthony sat waiting for the two of them.

    Anthony quietly watched them as they took their position at the dining table.

    "Big Sis, what were you and brother Amos talking about?" He asked after they were both seated.

    "You said there won''t be any peaceful moment if I learned about...,"

    "Did you hear our conversation?" Joanna asked. She and Amos exchanged puzzled nces when Anthony shook his head positively.

    "Are you and brother Amos...,"

    "It''s time to eat and I remembered instructing you many times not to talk at the dining table," Joanna cut in. She knew very well what he wanted to say and she didn''t allow him to do that.

    "But...,"

    "Drink this first," Joanna ordered. She picked up the ss of milk and passed it to him.

    "And make sure not to speak afterwards," Joanna instructed, seeing that Anthony still wanted to talk despite her warnings.

    With this single order, Joanna and Amos were able to narrowly escape from Anthony''s interrogation.

    Since it was a Sunday, Joanna, Amos and Anthony spent the entire day at home.

    They watched movies and yed games with Audrey''s consoles. When they were tired of ying games with Audrey''s consoles they invented games to keep them busy for the remaining part of the day.

    At dawn, Joanna freshened up and changed into a matching orange shirt and a pair of trousers she had selected before she entered the bathroom.

    Amos and Anthony who were previously in the sitting room entered the bedroom when she was trying to wear the white snicker.

    "Let me help you with that," Anthony blurted and raced to where she sat.

    "There is no need...," Anthony had already lifted her right leg before she could stop him. He lifted the white snicker and gently shove Joanna''s leg into it.

    "Your Grandma has warned you never to do jobs meant for servants. Have you forgotten what she said she would do to you and anyone who made you do stuff like this?" Joanna asked the boy who was trying to tie her shoce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I often see my Mum help my Dad wears his shoe so this is not part of what Grandma warned me...,"

    "Your Mum does that because your Dad is her husband but you are not my husband or are you?" Joanna asked yfully.

    "T-that... that is not...," Anthony stammered and paused what he was doing. He snuck a peep at Amos and the expression he saw made him shiver.

    He didn''t have the confidence to continue after he got a glimpse of Amos'' murderous res.

    "I thought you insisted on doing it so why did you stop huh?" Joanna asked as if she didn''t know why Anthony abruptly stopped what he was doing.

    "That''s because your little man is smart. He knows when not to cross the line...,"

    "Did you threaten him again?" Joanna cut in. Her eyes darted from Anthony to Amos'' face and then back to Anthony''s.

    "Of course not," He blurted. "He has been exceptionally good and we got along pretty well so there was no need for that," He winked naughtily at Anthony who had stood up from where he squatted.

    "Is that right, little rice ball?" Joanna shifted her gaze to Amos. She shot him a suspicious nce.

    "No, he didn''t. Brother Amos has been awesome," Anthony beamed.

    "Can you hear that?" Amos asked with his hand raised with pride.

    Joanna smiled when she saw how well they got along.

    Seeing them act like a team felt as if it was just yesterday Anthony came crying to her that Amos bullied him.

    "It''s good to see that you both get along well now but you are not allowed to gang up on me now that you have joined forces,"Joanna warned sternly.

    She bent and continued from where Anthony stopped. She tied the shoces and stood up from the chair after she was done.

    She picked up her pouch and started walking out of the room. The two men followed her to the sitting room.

    Joanna paused in front of the exit when she felt that the two men were still following her.

    Anthony almost knocked into her when she halted.

    She turned and gazed at the two of them, "And where do you think you both are going?" She demanded. Her eyes moved from Amos to Anthony''s face.

    "We are following you," The two chorused.

    "But I never said I was gonna take you guys with me so what is happening here?" She retorted.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please do support the author by buying privileged chapters and sending gifts.

    Also, vote for the book with the power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Don''t forget toment and review as you read.

    One more thing VALENTINE''S DAY is a only a few days away. I am shamelessly waiting for my precious gifts so do keep theming ok?

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 416 Amelia And Joanna Secretly Meet Up

    ?"This was supposed to be ady''s outing but that will lose its meaning if I bring you guys along...,"

    "You are meeting up with Audrey?" He asked. "I don''t think Audrey will mind it if we follow you...,"

    "And who said Drey is the only female friend I have?" She asked with her chin held up.

    "Do you have any other one apart from her?" Amos and Anthony questioned their gaze glued on her face.

    Looking at their questioning gaze made Joanna speechless. "Why did they have to be so blunt?" She mumbled and looked away from their faces.

    After a minute she lowered her gaze and looked at them.

    "Like I said it''s ady''s outing so I can''t let the two of youe along...,"

    "But...,"

    "Take care of each other and make sure not to go close to the kitchen," Joanna interrupted the unhappy Anthony.

    "Also, call me if Drey returns," She instructed and turned to leave.

    "Are you going to drink?" He asked. Joanna spun and looked in his direction.

    "We are going to the bar so definitely there will be lots of drinks at our disposal," Joanna grinned and walked out of the room.

    She didn''t spare him another nce because she was certain she might call off the appointment if she set eyes on his pouting lips.

    After she left Amos and Anthony came out of the room and stood on the balcony. They waited until she reached outside.

    The two men didn''t leave the balcony until they watched her disappear from the premises.

    Joanna hailed a taxi some distance away from the apartment. As she waited for the taxi to reach the bar, all she could think about were the two men she left at home.

    "I hope they will be alright without me," Joanna muttered as she stared at her cell phone lying on her legs.

    When they finally reached the bar, Joanna highlighted. She paid the cab man and turned to face the building in front of her.

    "Joanna, you need to stop thinking about those two men you left behind or else you will end up running home without having a great time," Joanna who couldn''t stop remembering how Amos and Anthony almost set the kitchen on fire scolded herself.

    "I can do it," She cheered. She sucked in a mouthful of air and exhaled deeply to calm her tensed nerves.

    She strolled elegantly into the bar whose entrance was just ahead of her.

    Inside the bar, Joanna had a lot of trouble locating her partner because of how dimly lit the bar was.

    ? Another reason she couldn''t locate her partner was the fact that she couldn''t perceive her scent.

    "Here," Joanna turned around in time to see a hand waving at her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There she is," She smiled and proceeded to the extreme part of the bar where her partner''s table was.

    Despite that the bar was a bit dark, Joanna still garnered attention from the men present at the bar.

    Some couldn''t take their eyes off her slender waist which sways ording to every movement she made.

    Reaching the brown table Joanna ced her cell phone and porch on the table before she sat down at the seat on the right-hand side.

    "I just discovered that your scent is hard to detect just like Amos. Did you perhaps invent the scent-hiding perfume?" Joanna questioned after she had settled down.

    "Not really," Amelia responded. She extended her hand and picked up the bottle of vodka and popped it open.

    She poured the content into the two empty sses and leaned back on the grey couch she sat on.

    "Actually, Mr Greyson developed the scent-hiding perfume but he died just after the second experiment. He never got to see the final product of his invention...," Amelia trailed and took a sip from the ss of vodka.

    "I only took over the experiment from where he stopped and made sure his invention didn''t go down the drain before it even came into this world," She concluded. Her fallen expression didn''t miss Joanna''s notice.

    "He was awesome ining up with the idea of the scent-hiding perfume and you were even more awesome in making sure that the idea didn''t get buried along with him," Joanna replied in a bid to make Amelia feel better.

    "He can live a double life without being scared about anyone recognising his scent thanks to the perfume so I guess you are right about that," Amelia agreed. She forced on a smile and took another sip from the ss.

    Joanna and Amelia continued chatting. Thank goodness Joanna chose not to wear a wristwatch and as such, she was saved from the distraction of always gazing at the watch.

    With her cell phone kept far away from her arm''s reach she was able to enjoy the night without any distractions.

    "Seeing how he and you cooperated well in the fake rtionship issue I believe you both know each other pretty well. And because you are his doctor he might have shown you sides of him he never showed me or anyone else so do you mind telling me more about him and his personality?" Joanna asked as she sipped from the ss of martini that the bar hostess delivered to their table not long ago.

    "You have known him ever since he was a kid so I am sure you have seen different sides of him more than me whose times are often spent in theb," Amelia chuckled and shook her head.

    "Hmm...," Joanna trailed. She leaned backwards so her back rested against the grey couch.

    "We have indeed known each other ever since we were kids but back then we hardly met except when he snuck out to apany me and Drey," Joanna expressed.

    She couldn''t resist beaming when she recalled how beautiful the times she spent with Kayden in the past were.

    Back then he always made sure he put a smile on her face before he left. And his efforts and perseverance paid off each time because she always ended upughing no matter how rough the day was.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, please support the book by buying privileged chapters.

    Also cast GOLDEN TICKETS,ment, review and send gifts.

    I look forward to seeing some changes this Sunday so please let''s do our best hmm

 Chapter 417 Amelias Stories Of Kayden

    ?And this was all thanks to his and Audrey''sbined efforts.

    Thinking back now, she concluded that her life in the past wasn''tpletely horrible and this was because she had these two amazing people by her side.

    They were the ray of light she needed to keep on living and she is grateful she had them in this lifetime.

    "Are you alright?" Amelia waved at thedy whom she noticed was in a daze.

    "Yeah," She replied andposed herself.

    "As I was saying. He was always cheerful when we met up in the past but after knowing him for so many years I came to the conclusion that maybe that side of him was just a pretence he puts up to make me happy," She concluded in a meek tone.

    "A pretence he puts on to make you happy?" Amelia chuckled.

    "Instead of that why don''t you think in this direction...," Amelia let her words linger in Joanna''s ears.

    "That maybe that side of him he showed you was the real him and that he could only be himself when he is around you," Amelia twisted the words in a way that made Joanna confused.

    "And why would you say that?" Joanna asked curiously.

    Amelia bent and dropped the ss on the table.

    "That is because ever since I knew him I have never seen him smile or talk carefreely. An exception is when he is around you or talks about you," Amelia exined in the simplest term that Joanna would understand.

    "Ever since I became the head of theboratory two years after his father''s death, he has visited my Lab at least once every month. And will you believe it if I say I have never seen him smile or talk carefreely?" Amelia asked as she leaned back on the couch.

    "Also, will you believe it if I tell you that he changed dramatically since the day he discovered that he is in love with you?" Amelia questioned.

    "Tell me you are joking?" Joanna covered her mouth with her right palm.

    She couldn''t believe the revtion she heard even though it wasing out of Amelia''s mouth.

    "In the past, he hardly talked. And the only time he spoke is when he asked for the result of his examination. He always leaves after saying a word or two but he became quite chatty after he fell in love...," Amelia smiled when she recalled the numerous asions Kayden took up her time.

    And the funniest thing is that all he talked about during this period was Joanna, Joanna and Joanna.

    Her eardrums almost got impaired thanks to that name.

    "Our rtionship developed from that of a mere doctor to that of a friend all thanks to you. So I believe I should be grateful to you for creating this miracle," Amelia concluded.

    The manner she joined her palms and bowed made Joanna burst outughing.

    "You are making me blush by saying all these amazing words. What would you have me do?" Joanna jokingly asked as she cupped her face.

    "I would be very happy if you could love him half as much as he loved you. I wouldn''t ask you to love him the same way he loves you since that might be too much to ask," Amelia said a bit more seriously.

    As they talked they didn''t realize that a man had marked them. To be precise it was Joanna whom he couldn''t take his eyes off.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You didn''t have to ask that because everything you have just told me has made me fall head over heels for him all over again," She replied, beaming.

    "You guys are so much alike in this aspect, I must admit," Amelia gave her a thumbs up.

    Amelia waited for the excitement to die off before he resumed talking again.

    "And I wish I could tell you more about him and his personality but the truth is I can''t," Amelia admitted.

    "The people who could have told you more about him would have been his parents but unfortunately he never grew up with his mother until he turned sixteen....," Amelia trailed in a sad tone.

    "The only one who would have been in the best position to tell you this would have been Mr Greyson but unfortunately he is dead...,"

    "I don''t necessarily have to know everything about him. In fact, I am happy with a few things you told me about him," Joanna muttered. She smiled at Amelia as a sign that she was fine.

    "I am d to hear that my story wasn''t aplete waste," Amelia smiled back at her.

    Joanna has never imagined she would get along well with anyone in the Kingdom apart from Audrey but Amelia proved her wrong.

    Was this perhaps because both of thedies'' names started with A which was the same letter ANGEL began with?

    Joanna and Amelia talked at length. In a matter of hours, Joanna learned so much about Amelia and a bit about her family.

    "Amelia, there is something I have been meaning to ask you...," Joanna paused halfway to make sure she had grabbed Amelia''s full attention.

    "And what is that?" Amelia asked. From Joanna''s serious expression, she didn''t need to be a seer to know that what she wanted to know was a serious matter.

    "I learned he lost control a few times in the past. And I want to ask whether he is fine or not. Is there something I should avoid doing or look out for?" Joanna asked the question which was her reason for setting up this meeting in the first ce.

    "I wished I could tell you that but it''s against the rules to disclose our client''s information to others," Amelia replied without any hesitation.

    "Actually, I don''t want you to tell me his condition in full detail but I just want to know if his condition is stable now," Joanna said. She stretched her hand to hold Amelia''s hand but Amelia retracted her hand quickly.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Apart from our GOLDEN TICKETS ranking which has been at the bottom ever since this month reached, other areas of the book like buying privileged chapters, gifts,ments, power stones and reviews have hit the rock bottom too.

    And this is why there has been no mass release every Sunday ever since this month reached.

    So please, have mercy on your beloved author and support the book with privileged chapters purchases, gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones and reviews.

    Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 418 What The Heck!

    ?"Sorry, but I can''t Joanna. It''s not the condition of just anyone we are talking out about but the ruler of the entire Kingdom...,"

    "Amelia, no matter how hard you try to act heartless I know you are nothing like that," Joanna coaxed, her gaze not moving from Amelia''s face.

    "I will only be at peace when I know about the current state of his condition. I know you will not deny me of this," Joanna''s gentle tone was capable of moving a stony heart but Amelia refused to be moved.

    After about five minutes of pleading and coaxing, Amelia finally decided to tell her the response she wanted.

    "There has been no break out recently. From my examination, I concluded that he can control his powers now," Amelia announced seriously.

    "Really?" Joanna''s face sparkled at the mere hearing that her boyfriend''s condition was no longer unstable.

    "Yes. You don''t have to worry about him hurting you in bed or...,"

    "I was never worried about that kind of thing because I trust him. I trust in his love for me and I knew he would never hurt me," Joanna replied confidently.

    Amelia gazed at Joanna''s face for a few seconds but didn''t utter a word.

    "Why are you staring at me like that? Don''t tell me you don''t believe what I said?" Joanna asked.

    Amelia adjusted the way she sat so that her back was no longer leaning against the couch.

    "I do," She blurted.

    "Actually, my team and I have been working onhow to make him keep his powers under control. We were able to achieve that after so many failed tests and experiments. Unfortunately, he went berserk after you left...," Amelia trailed. She stretched and refilled her empty ss.

    "Once again we were able to put his powers under control although he loses control of it whenever he is furious or excited," Amelia paused.

    "By excitement, are sexual pleasures included in that?" Joanna asked without thinking.

    "Remember you said you only wanted to know his current condition...,"

    "I am asking you this because he refused to go into details...,"

    "And I am sure there was a reason why he did that," Amelia chided.

    Joanna went quiet afterwards. Though she didn''t outrightly admit it she believed that there was a bit of truth in Amelia''s words.

    "The conclusion of all I said is that your trust might have contributed a lot to his current condition. Your unwavering trust might be the reason he was able to control his powerspletely," Amelia concluded.

    Joanna smiled radiantly. She lifted her hand and cupped her smiling face, "You keep praising me today," She mumbled amidst her sweet smile.

    "I am afraid I will explode from over-excitement if you keep this up...,"

    "You deserve it so there is no need to be modest about it. It''s just us, remember?" Amelia smiled along with her.

    "I didn''t do anything. He was the one who pulled through it all by himself so he deserves all the praise," Joanna smiled. Her face flushed red.

    "If you say so," Amelia grinned. She took another sip from the ss without arguing with Joanna.

    Thirty minutester, Joanna stretched her hand and carried her phone from where she kept it.

    "What the heck!" Joanna screamed and jerked to her feet on seeing what the time was.

    "What is it?" Amelia asked. She jumped to her feet and peered at Joanna''s phone screen to see what was wrong.

    "Is this the correct time or is my phone time wrong?" She asked. She looked around the bar''s wall for a clock but she couldn''t see any.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amelia bent and picked up her phone from the table. She unlocked the screen and passed the phone over to Joanna.

    "Do you still think the time is wrong?" Amelia asked the anxiousdy.

    Joanna frantically bent and carried her pouch from where she dropped it. "Damn, I can''t believe I spent so much time here," Joanna mumbled.

    "I am sure they must have waited for a long time and even grew tired of it...,"

    "Did he specify the time you should return?" Amelia was moved to ask when she saw how panicky Joanna was.

    "He didn''t," She blurted and turned to leave.

    "Then why are you in such a haste...,"

    "Because...," Joanna paused on realising that she didn''t have a good reason for her current behaviour.

    "See, you can''t even tell me one reason why you are in such a rush to return home," Amelia muttered.

    She sat back down on the couch but with her legs crossed this time around.

    "Joanna, I know you love him and want to spend time with him but I will advise that you do that with modesty. He is not a kid after all," Amelia advised.

    Joanna, who was in a haste to run away, halted. She turned and gazed at Amelia.

    "He is still going to return to who he is and we don''t know how long it will take you to officially be his wife. It will be difficult for him to adapt to his previous life if he gets used to having you around...,"

    "And isn''t that a good thing" Joanna cut in?

    "Of course, it''s a good thing. I mean from your perspective," Amelia said. She removed her crossed legs and sat with her back resting on the couch.

    "What do you mean?" Joanna frowned. Just to get Amelia''s reply she sat back down with her attention concentrated on her face.

    "I mean to you, getting him addicted to your presence might sound like a good thing but have you considered how it will feel when you are no longer there 24/7 with him?" Amelia asked like the great doctor that she was.

    Joanna, who was in haste to refute Amelia''s words, paused. She spared a bit of her time to think about Amelia''s points.

    "His condition will be no different from a drug addict who is suddenly forced to quit drugs without any treatment. And your condition will not be different from his..," Amelia paused and let her words linger in Joanna''s mind.

    ...

    HAPPY LAST DAY OF JANUARY 2023!!! ??????

    Guys, I want to use this opportunity to thank all the readers who supported me in one way or the other this month.

    January 2023 was awesome for me and all of you who supported me made it possible.

    A big thank you to those who bought the privileged chapters and made sure to unlock the chapters daily.

    Thanks for the coins, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments and power stones.

    YOU GUYS WERE AWESOME!!! ??????

    And I am looking forward to seeing you guys do moree February.

    P.S.: I didn''t thank those who reviewed and gifted the book because there were no gifts or reviews this month.

 Chapter 419 Donald, The New Guy

    ?"From the example I just gave I am sure you must understand what I am trying to tell you right?" Amelia demanded.

    [I indeed want to be with him and make the best out of the remaining days I have left to spend with him before he returns to the Pce but what if Amelia''s words are true?]

    Sitting there, her mind was preupied with thoughts. and Amelia was observant enough to notice that.

    She kept on drinking and chose not to disrupt Joanna''s thoughts.

    [ording to what she said, wouldn''t our desire to spend more time with each other bring him more harm than good...]

    "Hello," A man''s fool voice put a stop to Joanna''s thought.

    She raised her gaze and reluctantly turned her head to look at where the voice came from like she was forced to do that.

    "Would you give me the honour of sharing the same table with great beauties like you?" The man was polite and full of respect.

    He wasn''t like any of the men either of them had run into in clubs or bars.

    "We are fine so that won''t be necessary...,"

    "Don''t be in a rush to reject my proposal, ok?" He said.

    Although he was talking to Amelia, he kept looking at Joanna whose mind wandered far away.

    "My name is Donald. I am new to the Kingdom. I am pleased to meet you," He said and stretched forth his hand towards Joanna.

    Even though Amelia didn''t notice his previous actions, this gesture of his made her realize that the man had eyes for Joanna.

    [Is this another love rival for His Majesty or is he a passerby in their love story?]

    Amelia assessed the guy with her discerning eyes.

    Although the brown-haired guy wasn''t as handsome as Kayden or Raymond, he wasn''t ugly either.

    He possessed sharp features that made him stand out. His natural pink lips were something that would makedies crave a bite of its deliciousness.

    "By new to the Kingdom, does that mean you are from the human world?" Amelia asked.

    "Wow! How did you guess that so easily?" He quizzed. He used this opportunity to sit on the only spare chair at their table.

    "Those at Golden Core Pack don''t associate with us. At the moment only the human world has dealings with us so that is why it was easy for me to guess that," Amelia returned his polite question with a polite reply.

    "That is...,"

    "She never said you could sit so why did you do that?" Joanna, whom the guy wanted to talk to, finally spoke but her first sentence was that of interrogation.

    Her question made the guy look beside him. He almost thought she was talking to another person until he looked and confirmed that none was sitting beside him.

    "Don''t you know that is rude of you...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I did that because I knew I would spend the entire night on my feet if I was to wait for youdies'' invitation," Donald replied. He forced a smile so the atmosphere won''t be awkward.

    But not even his consideration or fake smile made Joanna go easy on him.

    "If you guessed that much then I am sure your clever brain would have let you know that the reason we didn''t invite you was that you are not wee here," Joanna was blunt with her words.

    And the most amazing part was that she looked into the guy''s eyes and said these harsh words.

    The silence that soon engulfed their table was one neither Amelia nor Donald expected.

    Amelia never expected Joanna to react the way she did.

    [Seeing how sheshed out at him I bet my words did rile her up although she didn''t let it show. I guess it was his bad luck foring at the wrong time]

    Though Amelia didn''t expect this outburst from Joanna she was happy she said the words she did.

    At least her harsh words would break whatever feelings, and fantasies the guy had towards Joanna.

    "I don''t know what I did that made you upset but believe me when I said I had no evil intentions...," He trailed. His gaze moved from Joanna''s angry face to Amelia''s which was neutral.

    "I am new here and I was hoping we could be friends...,"

    "You are smart and so I am sure that you must know that nothing that is forced ends well. Be it friendship, rtionship, respect or whatnot," Joanna retorted.

    Amelia has seen Joanna angry so many times and that is why she was able to detect that there was something wrong with her annoyance at the moment.

    [Is she acting this way because she knows the guy''s intention or is she outrightly being mean to him?]

    Amelia could note up with a conclusion despite her deep thoughts.

    "She clearly said we were fine alone and I am certain you knew she wasn''t joking about it so...,"

    "I don''t know what I did to make you hate me so much but I will apologise...,"

    "Actually I don''t hate you," She said, a bit cool-headedly. "I am just upset that you didn''t respect us despite that we made our point crystal clear".

    After receiving so much scolding from her, he was finally able to learn what action of his infuriated her so much.

    "I didn''t think that far so I apologise for my action," Donald was humble enough to admit his mistakes.

    [Although we barely met, I must confess that he is cool-headed and respectful. He is not an asshole like most of the men I havee across]

    Amelia grinned inwardly when she saw the sincerity in his eyes as he apologized.

    "It wasn''t my intention to disrespect you,dies. I just thought that youdies were cool and I was eager to make friends with you both," He spoke in a sober tone.

    It took Joanna two minutes to ease her anger. She got rid of the scowl on her face and adjusted the way she sat.

 Chapter 420 She Left In A Hurry

    ?"Your way of approach wasmendable. You didn''t sound like a jerk and as such, I don''t have a problem with you in general," Joanna said in her coolest voice.

    Amelia smiled when she saw how quickly Joanna''s mood changed.

    [She was able to maintain herposure even when she was angry. And can switch from one mood to the other without any awkwardness.

    These are some of the qualities a Queen must possess and I am d she learned that without me having to teach her]

    She lowered her gaze in a sh when Joanna turned and gazed at her.

    "What is...," The vibration of the cell phone in her hand made Joanna pause what she wanted to say.

    She unlocked the cell phone and read the iing inbox.

    She sprang to her feet after she read the content of the message.

    "I am needed back home so unfortunately I will have to leave," Joanna mumbled as she nced at Amelia.

    "Wait what is...," Joanna started strolling away before the guy got the opportunity to say what he had in mind.

    "You will make an excellent mother and wife in the future," Amelia whispered, her gaze centred on Joanna''s back.

    Joanna, who was some distance away from their table, paused, she spun and looked at Amelia.

    "Actually, someone has already told me that before you did," She beamed and walked away.

    Donald shifted his attention back to thedy sitting in front of him after Joanna was gone.

    "Who is she?" He demanded. "Is she your friend?".

    "Don''t you know who she is?" Amelia asked, her suspicious res directed at Donald.

    "Don''t they have a news channel where youe from or are you perhaps pretending not to know who she is because...,"

    "Is she someone I should know?" Donald quizzed and narrowed his eyebrows. "Is she a celeb or the daughter of a prominent man here?" He asked cluelessly.

    Amelia shook her head in pity when she realised that the guy wasn''t aware of the identity of the woman he had his eyes set on.

    "Sorry, but I won''t be able to tell you the answer you want. All I can say is that you should stay away from her," She began.

    "Her backer is someone you wouldn''t want to mess with if you still want to remain alive," Amelia warned seriously.

    The guy turned and looked at the door Joanna walked out from only for him to shift his attention back to where Amelia sat and realised that she was gone.

    "Where the hell did she go?"He muttered. He stood up and searched the bar with his eyes. But no matter how carefully he looked there was no sign of Amelia.

    Because Joanna didn''t see any taxi, she walked a long distance from the bar with the hope that she would see a taxi.

    But not even her long walk could solve her problem.

    There were no taxis because it was quitete. She ended up trekking home afterwards.

    She was very close to reaching the apartment when she felt that she was being followed.

    Smart as she was, she didn''t slow down or act as though she noticed she was being tailed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Joanna kept on walking she pretended as though she wanted to pick an item from her pouch.

    And when the lurker least expected it, Joanna threw a ball of red me in the direction she felt the person''s presence.

    She spun at the same time she threw the fire.

    Joanna was hoping to see a person screaming in pain on turning around but to her dismay, none was in sight.

    "I couldn''t have been wrong, could I?" Joanna muttered. She looked to her right, left, back and front but none could be seen nearby.

    Joanna almost concluded that she had be paranoid for no reason when a burnt materialid close to the red pir caught her attention.

    She took a step forward but only to pause immediately.

    She scrutinized the surroundings and returned her gaze to where the burnt materialy after she had confirmed that none was around.

    "Why don''t I put my new skill to good use?" She grinned and stretched her hand towards where the materialy.

    Instantly the burnt material flew into her outstretched hand.

    There was a broad smile and a look of satisfaction on Joanna''s face when this happened.

    Joanna examined the material carefully. The warmth sensation that caressed her hand made her realize that the material was burnt not long ago.

    "That means I am not crazy! I was really being followed," Joanna concluded.

    To be a hundred per cent certain that she didn''t miss any spot, Joanna used the system''s analyse function to scan the ce.

    Unfortunately, the results were not different from the previous ones.

    Just then the memories of the countless times she felt she was being watched reyed in her head.

    "Whoever or whatever you are, I, Joanna Anderson will make sure you are caught. And I promise you, you won''t have it easy when I get you so I will suggest you get ready for what''sing your way," Joanna mumbled with her fist sped.

    She resumed walking but she was more alert this time around.

    Joanna was in front of the tall building when suddenly she felt the presence of someone behind her.

    Without wasting time she turned with her punch aimed at the person''s face.

    Had she not seen the person''s face at thest minute and retracted her hand, she would have punched the grinning Amos hard on his handsome face.

    "W-why is it you?" Joanna stammered, not able to hide her shock.

    "And why didn''t you dodge huh?" She scolded. She raised her hand and cupped the face of the guy who hasn''t moved a muscle.

    "What would you have done if I had hit you...,"

    "I didn''t dodge because I was certain that you wouldn''t punch me...,"

    "I wasn''t aware of who was behind me. In fact, I thought you were an enemy. And I promise you that the pain would have been excruciating if I didn''t get a glimpse of your face and retract my punch on time," Joanna said.

 Chapter 421 Anthonys Prank

    ?Although she ended up not punching Amos she wasn''t happy at all that she almost raised her hand to the man she loved.

    When he saw that she was upset, he raised his hand and grabbed her hand. He guided her hands to his chest and left them there.

    "No matter how close you were to hit me, it''s true that you stopped midway...,"

    "But...,"

    "I am fine, aren''t I?" He asked. He didn''t forget to give her his most charming smile.

    "So get rid of that frown because it doesn''t suit you one bit," He said and cupped her face.

    It was after she calmed down that she realised that Amos was wearing his joggers.

    "Where did you go to dress like that?" Joanna demanded. She gazed at him from head to toe.

    "I went for exercise...,"

    "Exercise at this ungodly hour?" Joanna quizzed, her suspicions evident in her tone and gaze.

    "T-that...," Amos didn''t know what to say when he noticed that his cover was blown.

    "Are you sure you went for exercise or that you came out to wait for me by using exercise as an excuse?" Joanna questioned, her suspicious gaze focused on his face.

    "Does it matter what is the truth right now?" He asked and let go of her face.

    Joanna smiled when she saw how shy he was to admit that she was the reason he went for an unnned workout at almost 2: 00 am.

    Joanna was about to tease Amos further when she recalled the reason she left the bar in a haste in the first ce.

    "If you are here then what about Little rice ball?" Joanna demanded. She searched the surrounding hoping to find him hiding waiting for his showtime but she didn''t sense or see him around.

    "Was his fall that bad? Has he recovered or...,"

    "What fall and recovery are you talking about?" Amos asked in confusion.

    "Don''t tell me you are not aware that he fell off a stool and sustained injuries?" Joanna frowned upon seeing Amos'' confused expression.

    "He was perfectly alright some minutes ago. In fact, he was fast asleep and that was why I had the chance to leave the room so what fall are you talking about?" Amos asked, still not understanding what Joanna was saying.

    "Let''s go. Maybe you will understand when we reach upstairs," She said and led the way into the tall building.

    At the elevator, as they made their way upstairs Amos kept thinking about Joanna''s question.

    No matter how hard he thought he couldn''t understand what was happening.

    Reaching Audrey''s apartment, Joanna punched in the password and pushed the door open.

    She rushed into the house without waiting for Amos.

    Joanna expected to meet Anthony in the sitting room but to her surprise, he wasn''t there.

    "Maybe he is in the bedroom," Joanna mumbled. She threw her pouch on one of the couches and hurried to the bedroom.

    Amos followed her closely despite not being aware of what this whole charade was all about.

    Joanna was about to go search for him elsewhere when she didn''t see him until a figure lying on the bed caught her attention.

    "Anthony!" Joanna eximed in shock. She rubbed her eyes and walked closer to the bed to make sure that she didn''t make a mistake due to her anxiety.

    "Was the text message I received a dream or part of my imagination?" Joanna mumbled.

    She almost concluded that she was out of her mind until she went through her recent inbox.

    Joanna''s eyes darted from her glowing screen to the innocent face of the boy lying on the bed.

    [Is this naughty boy ying some games with me or what... How dare he make me doubt my sanity because of his games?]

    Joanna so much wanted to pull over the nket and spank his butt but she held herself back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Since he wants to y then why doesn''t this Big Sis y with him a little?]

    Joanna grinned.

    She typed a few words on the phone and passed the phone to Amos.

    Amos raised his gaze and gave her a puzzled look after reading the content of what Joanna had typed on the screen.

    She tapped his shower and smiled without uttering a word.

    Joanna went ahead to make a countdown with her three fingers after she had gotten his approval.

    "Amos, since my little rice ball is asleep then I have no choice but to eat the bacon and his favourite barbecue fish that I bought especially for him," Joanna said, her gaze settled on the sleeping figure on the bed.

    "Why would you force yourself to eat so much even at the risk of getting fat when you could just wake your little man up...,"

    "Didn''t you say you would love me regardless of my size so why are youining about getting fat?" Joanna retorted.

    "Are you trying to say you would desert me if I gained a lot of weight...,"

    "So what...,"

    "You are this gutsy to bully me because my little rice ball is asleep. I am sure you wouldn''t have the effrontery to do that if he was awake," Joanna cut in.

    She smiled when she saw Anthony change positions.

    [Let''s see whether he will be heartless to let his favourite Big Sister in the world gets bullied]

    Joanna her smile spread across her face as she winked at Amos.

    "It''s true that people should eat modestly at night to avoid excessive weight gain. I am just looking out for your health so stop being dramatic," Amos defended himself.

    "Also, your Little man is just this small so stop trying to use him to scare me because he wouldn''t have been able to do anything if he was awake," He added fiercely.

    An evil smirk crept onto their faces at the same time when they saw Anthony change positions yet again.

    "H-how could you say that about my precious little rice ball huh?" Joanna shouted and raised her hand to hit Amos.

    "Wait and see what I will do to you?" She roared.

    Joanna staggered backwards and fell on the foot of the bed. The impact of the fall was real enough to make even the smartest person in the world believe that she was pushed down.

    ...

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY DARLINGS ??????

    Your love and support have been my biggest motivation ever since I started this book. I can never thank you guys enough foring into my life and filling it with so much love.

    I wish that this season of love will bring you nothing but endless Love and Happiness.

    May you receive love a thousand times more than you have ever given.

    Don''t forget to appreciate and shower love on people around you on this day.

    Today is all about sharing love and positive vibes.

    Choose to make this day memorable for at least one person and see what happens.

    One more thing guys... (coughs*) where is my Valentine''s gift?

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY.

    I love you ??????

    And celebrate in style.

 Chapter 422 Anthony In Trouble

    ?"D-did you just push me?" Joanna said and pointed her index finger at him.

    "How could you bully me huh?" Joanna asked and sniffed repeatedly.

    Before she could spell Jack, a tiny figure jumped out of the bed and charged towards where Amos stood.

    "How could you bully my Big Sis?" He shouted and attacked Amos twice with his ws.

    He was about to go on attacking Amos when Joanna spoke.

    "If you love me so much and can''t stand to see anyone bullies me then why did you pull such a prank on me?" Joanna''s angry voice made Anthony retract his swinging punch.

    "How could you be so heartless to bully your own Big Sister that you im to love the most Anthony Anderson?" Joanna called his full name like she fondly does whenever she is furious.

    The guilty conscience Anthony slowly turned around. He was so terrified that he couldn''t raise his gaze to look at her.

    "Stop pretending to be scared and lift your head because I know you are as fearless as a lion," Joanna ordered him sternly.

    Amos could swear that she hasn''t seen Joanna so strict on Anthony before.

    He wasn''t surprised to see Anthony did like he wasmanded.

    "You pretend to love me dearly but I can see that you don''t love me at all...,"

    "Of course I do," He said and moved a step forward.

    He moved back to his previous position when his eyes met Joanna''s piercing res.

    "If you do then tell me why you lied that you were hurt and couldn''t walk. Tell me now or I can''t promise I won''t spank you if you don''t," Joanna threatened fiercely.

    "Brother Amos keptwalking about the sitting room because he was worried about you. I just wanted to help him out by making youe back early," Anthony said timidly.

    Anyone who didn''t know him would conclude he doesn''t speak louder than that, not knowing that it was his guilty conscience which made him speak softly.

    Joanna shot Amos a fierce re after Anthony''s confession.

    "I didn''t ask him to do that. Believe me," Amos defended himself even though Joanna didn''t say anything.

    "You can ask him if you don''t...,"

    "I know he wouldn''t lie under such circumstances so there is no need to keep on pleading your innocence," Joanna spoke up when she noticed that Amos had mistaken her gaze for usation.

    There was quietness in the room after Joanna''sst sentence. Amos gazed at the little boy''s face which was full of remorse.

    Normally he would have scolded Anthony for ying such a game on Joanna but he couldn''t find the right words to reprimand him when he recalled that he was the reason he had to tell such a big lie.

    [Has our bond grown so much within these past days that he would go as far as upsetting his precious big sister to make me happy?]

    Amos wondered. He tried to think of something special he might have done to win the boy''s affection but he couldn''te up with anyone.

    Anthony took slow steady steps towards where Joanna sat. He raised his hands and held the hands of thedy who had refused to look at him.

    "Big Sis, I am sorry," Anthony muttered, his gaze glued on the sideline of her face.

    "Although I wanted to make Brother Amos happy, I know it was still wrong of me to lie to you. Please don''t be upset," Anthony apologised meekly.

    He waits for her to turn and smile at him or even pull his cheeks like she fondly does whenever he upset her but she didn''tspare him a nce or scold him further.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know I was wrong so don''tbe upset hmm," Anthonymumbled and shook her hands gently. Even at this Joanna refused to be moved.

    Her actions left Amos puzzled.

    Yes, he acted along with her but he never knew what ns she had in mind. He assumed she wanted to teach him a little lesson and that was why he yed along.

    If he had known that she intended to punish Anthony this way then he might have thought twice about his involvement.

    "Please Big Sis, don''tbe upset anymore huh," Anthony pleaded once more.

    When he noticed that she didn''treact again he made up his mind to help Anthony out.

    He might not have asked him to lie to get Joanna back home early. He may be upset that he resorted to lying. But he can''t deny the fact that he benefited from his actions.

    He will still scold himter on but at least not this way.

    He knows very well that Anthony can''tstand Joanna being upset with him.

    "I know what he did was wrong. And if anyone should be punished for his actions it should be me...,"

    "You...," Joanna turned and shot Amos a fierce re with her index finger pointing at him.

    Amos ignored her fierce res. He proceeded to stand beside Anthony.

    "This happened not only because I failed in my duty to watch over him but also failed to keep my emotions in check which made him do what he did...,"

    "You guys are teaming up on meagain...,"

    "Of course not," Amos and Anthony said in unison. Amos turned and smiled at the boy when he realised that they had said the same thing.

    He shifted his gaze back to Joanna''s. "So as such it is fair that I get punished instead of him".

    He concludedand reached out his hand to hold the hand of thedy whose frown was clear as crystal.

    "Let go, you bunch of bullies," Joanna shook their hands off and sprang to her feet. She turned and walked away but Anthony ran after her.

    He grabbed her hand and forced her to halt.

    She shot him a piercing re but not even those deadly nces of hers could make Anthony release her right hand.

    "I know in this entire world that Big Sis is the one who loves me most. She has always taken care of me and my needs ever since I was this little," Anthony bent so that his hand was almost touching the floor.

    ...

    A/N:

    I am sorry to announce that they won''t be any mass release today. And this is because you guys didn''t aplish the goal for this.

    If you want to enjoy mass release next week then buy privileged chapters, vote with power stones, cast GOLDEN TICKETS, send gifts,ment and review.

    GOOD LUCK!

    I wish that you guys will meet the goal this week so that you will be able to enjoy mass releasees next Sunday.

 Chapter 423 Audrey Finally Texted Back

    ?"And that is why I love her a lot too...,"

    "You know how to sweet talk but I am sure in a minute or two you would be repeating the exact thing...,"

    "I promise I won''t," Anthony said with his right hand on his chest. "I now know that Big Sis doesn''t like that so I promise I will not do it again," Anthony said with his hand still on his chest.

    "Really?" Joanna asked suspiciously.

    "He won''t," Amos answered on Anthony''s behalf. "If he tries that again then I promise that I will be the one to spank him first before you even get to do that".

    Amos trolled to where the siblings stood. "I am sure he must know that my spank is more painful than yours and as such he won''t y such an expensive prank on you".

    "I would have believed it if it was little rice ball who gave me his words and not you...,"

    "Are you trying to say that Ick truth in my mouth...,"

    "I never said that," Joanna shrugged her shoulders and approached the wardrobe. "You said that you and my little rice ball can be my witness".

    "You...," Amos pointed his hand at the two siblings pretending to be upset when he saw that they had teamed up against him.

    "I now understand why people say you should never trust blood rtives who are rivals because they can always set aside their differences and team up against you...,"

    "Where did you hear that statement from, I have never heard of that," Joanna interrupted. She deliberately refused to look in his direction since she could already guess what would be his expression.

    "You are right about that Big Sis...,"

    "Hey, little man, how could you gang up with your big sister against...,"

    "Little rice ball, tell him that your big sisteres first before any other person," Joanna said with pride.

    "My Big Sises...,"

    "I don''t want to listen," He said and hastened out of the room.

    He shut the door and pretended to have walked away by making false departing footsteps while he stood in front of the door.

    Joanna and Anthony burst outughing after the defeated Amos left the room.

    "He should have known better that this was a losing battle for him from the beginning," Joanna muttered amidst herughter.

    [It''s so nice to listen to theirughter. I guess I should act this way more often to hear themugh so heartily]

    He smiled and disappeared from where he stood.

    Joanna waited for the excitement to die off before she turned and gazed at the smiling Anthony.

    "I want to shower so you will have to go and keep your brother Amospany," Joanna informed him.

    ? Anthony smiled and turned to leave the room.

    "Also, while at it try your best to appease his anger. I know you are good at stuff like that so I trust you will do a good job right?" Joanna winked at the boy whose gaze was now focused on her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know what to do Big Sis, trust me," He hits his chest confidently. The confidence in his smile and eyes made Joanna feel a bit at ease.

    He spun and resumed walking after he had given Joanna his word.

    "Although those two can be a handful at times I must admit that I am blessed to have them in my life," Joanna muttered, her gaze focused on the brown door.

    She turned and continued with what she was doing.

    Joanna was in the middle of undressing when Audrey''s gamepadid on the brown table caught her attention.

    "I haven''t set my eyes on that silly girl for days now nor have I been able to talk to her. I wonder what she has been up to these days," Joanna mumbled.

    She searched the bed with her eyes for her phone when she didn''t see it. She shifted her attention to the side table and there it was.

    After seeing where the phoney she didn''t need to stress herself and walk over there.

    All she needed to do was to stretch her hand to where the phone was kept and instantly it flew into her outstretched hand.

    Joanna dialled Audrey''s line and waited for a response. Just like her recent tries these past days there was no response.

    She almost smashed the phone against the floor on her third try.

    "Joanna, no matter how angry you are, you can''t take out your anger on the phone. Don''t forget this was Kay''s first gift to you after your rebirth," Joanna chanted to calm her tensed nerves.

    Amos who heard her conversation all away from the sitting room smiled.

    "Big Sis kinda acts a bit weird when she is mad but I promise that she is not crazy. She just has a funny way of venting her anger," Anthony said, his gaze glued on the face of the guy who couldn''t stop chuckling.

    "I know that little man," Amos chuckled. "Instead of being crazy, I think she is cute. I wish I could see her expression right now," Amos giggled.

    He took his gaze off his phone screen and stared at the brown door of the room where Joanna was inside.

    Inside the room, Joanna resorted to texting Audrey when calling didn''t work.

    "Girl, I am worried about you. Please text back or call when you receive my text. I will hit you so hard on the face if you refuse to reply today again," Joanna sent the text message after she finished typing.

    She waited for ten minutes hoping that Audrey would reply but there was no reply after waiting.

    Out of annoyance, she was forced to threaten Audrey fiercely through a voice message.

    Not up to ten seconds after she sent thest message her cellphone dinged.

    Joanna, who was in front of the bathroom, ran back to where she dropped her cell phone.

    She picked up the phone, unlocked it and checked who sent an inbox.

    A broad smile stered on her pretty face when she saw that the sender was Audrey.

 Chapter 424 Joannas Fears

    ?"Sorry, Anna but I am in the middle of something important. Let''s hope we will be able to talk after sses tomorrow," Joanna read Audrey''s message out aloud.

    "Don''t think that your apology will save you from getting an earful from me. I will make you go through the same thing I always went through in your hands for putting me through such emotional turmoil for days," Joanna spoke while gazing at her cell phone screen.

    She dropped the cell phone and moved to the bathroom to shower.

    While Joanna showered, Amos tried to make Anthony fall asleep since it was far past his bedtime.

    When Joanna went to join the guys in the sitting room she was surprised to see Anthony sleeping on Amos'' legs.

    "You didn''t have to let him sleep on your legs. You could have let him sleep on the couch. And the other room is empty...,"

    "I am not feeling ufortable in any way. Besides, I am notining, am I?" Amos smiled at the concerneddy.

    Joanna strolled to the couch and squatted beside him.

    "You do all manner of crazy things after leaving the pce walls. One would believe I am the one who made you do all these things not knowing that I am innocent...,"

    "You might not have asked me to do it but you are indeed partly responsible for it...,"

    "And how am I responsible for that?" Joanna asked with her lips slightly parted.

    "I only knew how to love one person in this world. I wasn''t sure I loved myself in the past but spending this one month with you has taught me to love myself and other people more...," He trailed. He lifted his hand and patted Anthony''s hair.

    "And one of those people I have grown to love is none other than your sweet little man," Amos smiled and caressed the sleeping Anthony''s cheek.

    "Everyone keepsplimenting and praising me today, I wonder what I did special to deserve all the praise," Joanna grinned. She stood up and tried to carry Anthony but Amos refused to loosen his grip on him.

    "Did someone other than me praise you today?" Amos asked, his curious eyes not moving from her smiling face.

    "Who was it?"

    ? As he stared at her Joanna could sense jealousy all over him.

    [I guess he must assume that the one who praised me is a guy, that is why he can''tsuppress his jealousy. His possessiveness might be the death of me if he doesn''t take care of it soon]

    Joanna smirked and let go of Anthony''s hands she held onto.

    "You don''thave to know who he is...,"

    "But....,"

    "Increase your pitch just a little more and you are gonna wake the little troublemaker up," Joanna said and pointed her hand at the boy who almost fell off his legs.

    "I will leave him to you the entire night if he wakes up because of you," Joanna beamed and left the sitting room.

    While Amos spent time in the sitting room trying to guess who praised her apart from him, Joanna arranged the bed andy down.

    When he finally moved to the bedroom with Anthony on his body, he met Joanna lying on the left-hand side of the bed.

    "Let''s go to bed now since we will have to wake up early and get him prepared for school," Joanna said and tapped the space beside her where Anthony was supposed toy.

    Although Audrey''s bed wasn''t as enormous as that of Amos it was enough to fit the three of them.

    Amos gently dropped Anthony on the bed. He and Joanna coaxed him back to sleep when they saw that he was about to wake from sleep.

    "We will continue from where we stopped, don''tforget that," He mumbled andid down on the little space meant for him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Although at the pce he normally slept on a bed twice the size of Audrey''s bed, he still preferred the small size bed to his magnificent King size bed at the pce.

    At least here he had two lovely peopleid by his side and he took a lot of delight in the warmth he was feeling, unlike the magnificent King size bed where he feels sad and lonely every night.

    [I have never liked the pce since the one I loved resided outside the pce but why do I have this feeling that I will grow to loathe the ce, even more, when I return this time around]

    Amos was in deep thought as he stared at the faces of the figures he shared the bed with.

    [There is no need to think about what hasn''thappened Kayden. But let''s focus more on the present. Let''s try to make the best out of the days you have to live as the carefreestudent called Amos]

    He smiled and stretched his hand to touch Joanna''s face. He was forced to retract his hand when Anthony changed his sleeping position.

    Amos stared at her beautiful face for a long time before he finally closed his eyes.

    Some minutes after he closed his eyes Joanna''s eyes fluttered open.

    He had assumed she was sleeping and didn''tnotice that she was pretending.

    Without making a sound she turned over andy at her side so that she could get a perfect view of his face.

    [He is still with me but why do I already miss him?... How will I be able to live normally again when he returns to the pce?]

    Joanna couldn''t stop her mind from thinking about the things that hadn''t happened yet.

    She knows Kayden loves her a whole lot. He has spent five years of his life proving that fact to her so how could she ever doubt him?

    Yes, she was aware of how deep his feelings runs but she was scared also.

    She was scared of the uncertainty, the sly ministers, the power-hungry Queen Mother and the people of the Kingdom.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!! HAPPY LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY ??????

    First of all guys, I want to say I wasn''t impressed by our performances at all for this month.

    Unlikest month where the monthly missions were aplished every week, there was no week that you guys reached these goals this month and that was precisely why there were no mass releases also.

    I was very optimistic about February but my hopes got crushed this month.

    I wish you guys will do better next month which is actually my birthday month.

    I want a huge gift for my birthday and I am expecting huge gifts including surprises from every single one of you. Are you guys on this with me? (...*coughs... Raise your hands please ?, lmao)

    Yes, I have ryed how bad I felt and now it''s time to say my thanks.

    I want to say a big thank you to all those who supported the book this month notwithstanding the turnout of events.

    Thank you so much, I will forever remain grateful to every single one of you.

    I love you ??????

    And I honestly look forward to improvement in March 2023.

 Chapter 425 Josephina At The Door

    ?Kayden Greyson might be her lover but she knows that before that title,es his title as the King and his responsibility towards his people.

    She was afraid that these people mighte in between their rtionship in one way or the other.

    She was only betrothed to him yet they saw her as an eyesore, the most useless scum in the world.

    What will they do to her or talk about the King when they learned that he was in love with her?

    She might be mentally and physically strong right now but she doesn''t even want to think or imagine what they would do to her if her secret affair with the King is brought to light.

    [I wish I had fallen in love with you a bit sooner. That way we wouldn''t have had only two weeks of uninterrupted time together but a month. I wish...]

    Joanna closed her eyes and tried not to think about the numerous times she pushed him away despite his deliberate actions.

    Because of the thoughts clouding her mind, it took her a long time to fall asleep.

    When morning reached, the first person to wake up was Amos. When he saw that she was still fast asleep, he didn''twake her up.

    He decided to let her sleep but his ns didn''t work because Joanna soon woke up. She has been trained to wake up very early ever since she was a child and as such she was not the type to sleep in.

    Even on days when she doesn''t have sses or work, she also wakes up early. But the difference is that she forces herself to return to sleep on such days.

    Joanna rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. She was a bit surprised to see that he was awake too.

    "Good morning, Kay," She greeted with her right finger still rubbing her itching eye. She was about to climb out of bed only to realise that Anthony''s left hand was on her waist.

    Gently she peeled his hand off without waking him up in the process.

    "Morning, how was your night?" He asked and tried to climb out of bed too.

    "You don''t have to wake up earlier than normal. You can sleep some more...,"

    "How can I bring myself to fall asleep when I am aware that you are awake?" He smiled and pulled the nkets off.

    He used the nket to cover Anthony properly after he was out of bed. Because they were afraid that their voices might wake Anthony up, they decided not to talk anymore in the bedroom.

    Outside the bedroom, Joanna still asked Amos to go back to sleep but he refused to do as she said.

    Even if he knew he wouldn''t be of much help to her in the kitchen he believed keeping herpany and talking to her was better than leaving her alone in the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, Joanna was lost at what to do upon realising that the ingredients they had weren''t enough to prepare a decent meal.

    She had made up her mind to go out that early even though she was certain that no grocery shops would open at that time. But suddenly her cell phone rang.

    Because her hands were wet, Amos helped to removethe phone from the pocket of her pyjamas where she kept it.

    Amos unlocked her cell phone following her directions and clicked on thetest inbox that was received a few seconds ago.

    "The message says you should open the door," Amos read out the message for her.

    "What do you mean by I should open the door?" Joanna asked in confusion. She was about to ask further questions when she recalled something.

    "That must be Drey!" She remarked and hastened out of the kitchen. She was already gone before Amos could inform her that she got the name of the sender wrong.

    Joanna was too excited to see Audrey to think straight.

    If it wasn''t because of the overexcitement of not seeing Audrey for days she would have realised that the one at the door wasn''tAudrey.

    If it was Audrey who was at the door she wouldn''t have asked her to open the door but instead, she would have input the password and entered the house.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was her apartment after all.

    At the door, Joanna pulled the door open without any precautions. "How dare you disappear...," Joanna withdrew her outstretched hands when she got a glimpse of the face of thedy standing at the door.

    "Josephina!" She retorted with widened eyes. "Howe it''s you.... no I mean what are you doing here?" The confused Joanna didn''tknow the right way to phrase her question since she wasn''t over the shock and disappointment.

    "I was about to tell you that it was Josephina who was at the door and not Audrey but you were gone before I had the opportunity to do that," Amos who just appeared beside her tried to exin.

    Joanna turned and faced him when she noticed that he seemed to be aware that Josephina would be there before the message even arrived.

    "I thought we agreed that I would take over all Josephina''s duties in theing days to avoid suspicions at your home so why did you send for her? Did you forget the agreementwe made or...,"

    "Joan, rx and let me exin myself ok," Amos grabbed her shoulders and tried to make the panickydy a bit rxed.

    "Let''s go in and I will exin what happened," Amos muttered. He held her hand and led her towards the sitting room with Josephina following closely.

    When the three of them were both seated he got ready to exin himself.

    "Sost night, I went to the kitchen to prepare a cup of milk for your little man when he couldn''t fall asleep. It was then I realised that the groceries you bought were used up after I opened the refrigerator...," Amos paused to make sure that Joanna was following his exnation.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY MARCH ??????

    Hello lovelies, how are you all?

    So back to the business of the day, I just want to inform you guys that our goals are the same as the previous two months.

    As long as we achieved all the goals, I will give a mass release every Sunday. This was my promise and I will keep it to the end so, put on your shoes and let''s work harder this month.

    Apart from the fact that my birthday is this month, I have another good news for you and guess what..... (Drumrolls.....)

    My new book ising!!!

    Yipee!

    And it ising sooner than you expect.

    You are the first people I wanted to inform, so keep your fingers crossed guys because this author here is gonna take you on another roller coaster of emotions.

    The story is lit ??????

    And that is why I will advise that you put on your seatbelt and wait for the release day.

    Your support is my greatest strength so give it all to me and I will make sure you don''t get disappointed.

    I know every single one of you is gonna support my new book and that is why I will say...

    Thank you in advance,

    And I love you ??????

    P.S.: Make sure toment under this chapter so that I will know that you have seen the announcement about my new book.

    I will be sad ?????? and upset if all of you keep quiet on me.

    I am sure you wouldn''t want to hurt your beloved author''s feelings, right?

 Chapter 426 The Paranoid Joanna

    ?"I was well aware that you would surely prepare breakfast before sending your little man to school today. I wanted to call you to inform you about this but I didn''t want to disturb your sweet moments and that was why I called Josephina instead," Amos exined.

    Josephina remained quiet all this while he exined himself.

    The King never told her what happened and why he needed the groceries but just gave her the list of groceries to bring and as such, she didn''t know the entire story.

    "She would have had the groceries deliveredst night but the gates were closed at the time I called her and that is why she could only deliver it this morning...,"

    "You could have let me handle it instead of risking arousing suspicions...,"

    "None saw me when I left so you don''t have to worry Miss Joanna. I am always cautious when ites to performing my duties," Josephina cut in after she discovered what Joanna''s worries were.

    Even after she assured her that none saw her, Joanna wasn''tstill convinced.

    "Joan, there are only a few people who can exit the huge gate without arousing suspicions or getting noticed and one of them happens to be Josephina. I gave her this difficult task of being my caretaker because I trust her capabilities," He expressed in a soft tone.

    "You have fought her and are aware of her capabilities too so I think you should have more faith in her hmm".

    He caressed her hands in a bid to ease her worries.

    In the past Joanna was never concerned about how many times Josephina dropped by or the number of times he saw Charlie but she began to care so much about these things after they officially became a couple.

    She got overly cautious. For fear that someone might recognise Charlie, she asked him to keep his distance from them.

    His beloved Joanna has be paranoid because of fear and he couldn''t me her since he understood her point of view.

    He also wants to spend these remaining days with her in peace and doesn''t want anything to ruin it for the both of them.

    "Since the groceries are here why don''t you start preparingbreakfast?" He suggested it when she didn''tsay anything. "Also, Josephina can offer you assistance. That way your workload will be lighter".

    He signalled Josephina to get to work and thedy stood up to do as he said.

    "That is not necessary," Joanna muttered.

    "Although I might look like one who doesn''tdo chores, I promise that you will be surprised at my speed so don''t let my looks deceive you," Josephinarefused to receivea no for an answer.

    Joanna decided on the food she would prepare after she saw the groceriesJosephinabrought with her. The preparation for the cooking began almost immediately.

    Joanna left Josephina in charge of washing and chopping the onions, cabbage, parsley and carrots while she prepared the dishes one after the other.

    When she saw that her presence was no longer needed in the kitchen Josephina volunteered to help iron Anthony''s clothes and prepareall his school materials.

    Because she was the type to aplishwhatever she set her mind on she ended up making the reluctantJoanna ept her offer.

    With the hardworking Josephina around she didn''thave to run around the ce just to beat the time.

    She concentrated solely on cooking while Josephina took care of other things.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna was halfway through the breakfast preparationwhen she noticed that it was time to wake up Anthony.

    "Let me go and call him so he can freshen upand get ready," Joanna muttered. She lowered the heat and turned to leave.

    "Josephina is in the room and has heard your word right now. She will wake him up so there is no need to worry about that," Amos said before she could leave.

    "Just concentrate on the meal you are preparing and leave everyother thing to Josephina.She can handleit," Amos added when he noticed that she wasn''tconvinced.

    "If you say so then," Joanna reluctantly agreed when she realised that she was running out of time. She returned to what she was doing.

    In the bedroom, Josephinagently tapped Anthony''s hand for the first time. But he only changed positions and didn''t wake up.

    "Big Sis,let me have some more minutes huh?" Anthony muttered with his eyes still closed.

    He let out a low groan when Josephina touched him for the second time.

    On her third attempt, Anthony sat up and rested his back against the headboard. His eyes fluttered up.

    The sleep in his eyes vanished the instant he got a glimpse of the face of thedy at his bedside.

    "W-who are you?" He shouted and jumped up from the bed. The way he instantly took his stand ready for a fight made Josephina chuckle.

    "Who are you and what are you doing in our room?" Anthony asked, his fierce res focused on Josephina''s face.

    Josephinagot rid of the smile on her face when she noticed that the boy was serious with his questioning.

    "My name is Josephina," She introduced herself in a calm tone. "Miss Joanna ordered me to see to it that you showered and got ready for school," She added.

    "By Josephina,are you perhaps Brother Amos'' person?" Anthony asked after he recalled hearing Joanna and Amos talk about ady named Josephina.

    "You are right about that," Josephinareplied. She walked closer to where Anthony stood.

    "Let me help you to undress so you can have your shower...,"

    "Don''t touch me," Anthony yelled and moved backwards. His reaction left Josephina perplexed.

    "I didn''tmean any harm...,"

    "I can undress by myself and I don''t want to go to school so there is no need to bother about taking my shower," Anthony interrupted. He raced out of the room before Josephina had the chance to say anything.

    Arriving at the kitchen he didn''t forget to greet the two people present at the kitchen.

    "Big Sis, let''s go to the amusement park today ok," Anthony suggested in excitement.

    "Your grandma and your parents are always strongly against ever taking you to the amusement park, aren''t you aware of that?" Joanna question.

 Chapter 427 Anthonys Tantrums

    ?"Also, have you forgotten that today is Monday and that you are supposed to go to school...,"

    "I can skip school today," He blurted without thinking.

    "And whoever taught you that truancy is good?" Joanna retorted.

    "But...,"

    "Little man, as you can see your sister woke up very early and prepared a lot of delicious food just for your sake so be a good boy and go freshen up," Amos finallyintervened.

    He was a hundred per cent sure that Joanna would get mad if Anthony continued to argue with her.

    There was momentary silence after Amos'' interference.

    "Will we go to the amusement park after Ie back from school...,"

    "Stop being willful Anthony Anderson or I will be forced to...,"

    "Calm down Joan hmm," Amos muttered. "It''s not good to quarrel so early in the morning".

    None spoke a word after Amos'' intervention. Amos waited for the two siblings to cool off a bit.

    He decided to talk after he saw that they were both calm.

    "Little man, we spent the weekend ying and doing stuff that makes us happy so why don''t you go and freshen up huh?" Amos spoke meekly.

    "We will surely take you to the amusement park even though it''s not gonna be today. As a good boy that you are, just do as your Big Sis instructed and don''t make things difficult for her," Amos'' voice was very gentle as he talked to Anthony.

    Anthony raised his gaze and peered at Joanna''s face. He bit his lower lips and hesitated before he finally brought himself to speak.

    "Big Sis, I am sorry. I promise I will freshen up now and get ready for school," Anthony conceded defeat.

    When Joanna refused to utter a word Anthony extended his hands and grabbed her right hand.

    "Big Sis, I am sorry for being naughty so early in the morning, please don''t be angry hmm...,"

    "It''s good to hear that you are aware that you were being naughty," Joanna retorted, still pretending to be mad at Anthony.

    "Have you forgiven me...,"

    "You are gonna bete at this rate so stop wasting time and go freshen up. Breakfast will be served before you are done," Joanna urged him on.

    She patted his hair and beckoned him to go and do the necessary things.

    Anthony let go of her hand and did as he was instructed.

    "Josephina will be at your service. Don''t hesitate to seek her help if you need anything," Joanna said to the hearing of the boy who was gone from the kitchen.

    She continued from where she stopped after Anthony was gone.

    Just like she had assured Anthony, breakfast was ready and served when he came out of the bedroom.

    Even his lunchbox was carefully packed by thedy who knew his taste better than anyone else in the world.

    While Anthony had breakfast Joanna went into the bedroom, freshened up and got ready to send him to school.

    Joanna came out of the room fully dressed at the exact time Anthony dropped his cutlery on the table.

    "Have you cross-checked that everything you need is inside your backpack?" Joanna asked when she saw Anthony wearing his backpack.

    "Yes," He replied confidently.

    "If that is the case then let''s go now," Joanna said. She tried to carry his lunchbox from the table but Anthony beats her to it.

    "I can carry it by myself. You don''t need to worry," Anthony beamed at her.

    They exited the apartment after Amos left instructions to Josephina. He ordered her to leave an hourter after they were gone.

    At the school gate, Joanna got out of the car and arranged Anthony''s uniform. She handed the lunchbox to him after she confirmed that he was well dressed.

    "Be a good boy as you have always been. If anyone dares to bully you then tell me and this Big Sister will avenge you," Joanna tapped her right shoulder with her neck cocked to the side.

    "I am more than able to defend myself so don''t worry Big Sis," Anthony smiled and showed Joanna his biceps.

    Amos and Joanna chuckled at Anthony''s little acts.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Go in now," Joanna said and waved at him. Anthony waved back at them before he turned and walked towards the gates where other students were entering.

    "Little rice ball," Joanna called when he was about six steps away from where she stood.

    "If you still want then we will go to the amusement park after school is over today," Joanna said softly.

    The excited Anthony turned and ran back to where Joanna stood. "Really?" He asked with so much hope in his eyes.

    "Hmm...," Joanna shook her head affirmatively. Anthony''s happiness knew no bounds the moment she replied.

    "Yippee!" Anthony shouted. He jumped and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Big Sis. You are the best," He dered not letting go of her.

    "Little man, are you aware that I am here huh?" Amos asked, pretending to be angry.

    "You...,"

    "Go in now or else your ssmates will make fun of you if they see you clutching me so tightly," Joanna tapped his right shoulder when he wouldn''t release her.

    "They can mock me as much as they want I don''t care...,"

    "Your Big Sister also has sses this morning so stop being naughty and go in or else you will make her get scolded for truancy," Amos chided.

    Without wasting a second he jumped down from Joanna''s body.

    "You also have sses....,"

    "I won''t bete so don''t worry and go in, hmm," She pats the worried boy''s hair and urges him on.

    She had deliberately refused to tell him that she had sses because she knew he would have decided not to have breakfast at home to save time.

    As little as he was, not only was he protective of her but he was super considerate.

    Sometimes his actions often made her wonder what exactly she did to make him love her as much as he did.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY MARCH ??????

    Hello lovelies, how are you all?

    So back to the business of the day, I just want to inform you guys that our goals are the same as the previous two months.

    As long as we achieved all the goals, I will give a mass release every Sunday. This was my promise and I will keep it to the end so, put on your shoes and let''s work harder this month.

    Apart from the fact that my birthday is this month, I have another good news for you and guess what..... (Drumrolls.....)

    My new book ising!!!

    Yipee!

    And it ising sooner than you expect.

    You are the first people I wanted to inform, so keep your fingers crossed guys because this author here is gonna take you on another roller coaster of emotions.

    The story is lit ??????

    And that is why I will advise that you put on your seatbelt and wait for the release day.

    Your support is my greatest strength so give it all to me and I will make sure you don''t get disappointed.

    I know every single one of you is gonna support my new book and that is why I will say...

    Thank you in advance,

    And I love you ??????

    P.S.: Make sure toment under this chapter so that I will know that you have seen the announcement about my new book.

    I will be sad ?????? and upset if all of you keep quiet on me.

    I am sure you wouldn''t want to hurt your beloved author''s feelings, right?

 Chapter 428 The New Lecturer Turned To Be...

    ?Joanna watched Anthony as he ran towards the huge ck gate.

    "Heaven must have sent me an angel in the form of a brother topensate for the love of a family I never received since I was a child," Joanna mumbled as she smiled at Anthony''s back.

    Joanna soon joins Amos in the car. Together they made their way to campus which was not very far away from Anthony''s school.

    Joanna and Amos reached campus some minutester but she didn''t have the opportunity to look for Audrey.

    She had to attend a lecture immediately after she arrived.

    In therge hall, Joanna heard the students discussing rumours they heard about some changes being made to this particr course but she didn''t pay much attention to them.

    She went over theirst lessons to get herself prepared for whatever questions the strict Mr Fin would ask.

    They were all expecting Mr Fin to enter the lecture hall but to their surprise, a tall average-looking young man in brown pants and a white shirt entered the hall with materials in his hands.

    Their mumblings made Joanna raise her head to find out what themotion was about.

    "What the hell is he doing here?" Joanna asked no one in particr when she set eyes on the man standing at the podium, in front of the board.

    "Do you know him?" Amos asked seeing the surprised look on her face. He gazed at the man from head to toe hoping he would be able to recognize him but he couldn''t remember his face or features no matter how hard he tried.

    "Not really," Joanna replied nonchntly and returned her gaze to what she was doing.

    "I wonder what question Mr Fin is gonna ask me today?" Joanna mumbled as she skipped through the note in front of her.

    Any time she enters a lecture she has the habit of taking notes and pointers because this helps her in studying easily whenever the exam approaches.

    "And who says it''s Mr Fin who is gonna take the ss today?" Amos quizzed. His question made Joanna take her gaze off the book in front of her.

    She gaze at him with a confused expression, "What do you mean...,"

    "Can I have your attention please?" The man''s voice interrupted Joanna''s sentence.

    Even after he talked the mumblings didn''t die off. But the murmurs increased instead as if his voice had fuelled it.

    "Hello...," He raised his voice a bit higher than theirs. Only this way was he able to get their attention.

    "Mr Fin who was in charge of this course has been promoted to the Chancellor of the university...," The shout of surprise that erupted forced him to keep quiet.

    Joanna''s shock was greater than the others. Although Mr Fin''s promotion was supposed to be a thing to rejoice about, so many of the students weren''t very excited about it.

    Yes, Mr Fin is a strict man whom no students dare to mess with but all of them can testify that he was a great teacher.

    "Silence everyone," He tried to call their attention but none of the students paid attention to him anymore.

    While some found the news good, others were unhappy with it.

    They knew that now that Mr Fin had be the Chancellor, their good, happy days on campus were gone.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "So starting from this moment I will be taking over Mr Fin''s ss....,"

    "Exam period is drawing close won''t the sudden change affect our performances?" Joanna asked. She was among the people who were unsatisfied with Mr Fin''s promotion.

    Joanna''s question made the new lecturer shift his attention to the front row where his attention never went ever since he entered the hall.

    His eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he set eyes on Joanna''s beautiful face.

    "You....," He stammered with his index finger pointing at Joanna.

    Joanna was more concerned about the new development to care about his astonishment.

    "You are not familiar with the students nor are we familiar with your method of teaching so that means we will have a hard time coping," Joanna ryed her fears.

    She was certain that so many of the students shared the same thoughts as her and their reactions proved her assumptions right.

    The new lecturer was lost in thoughts as he gazed at Joanna. His ears were shut to the uproars happening in the hall.

    Amos didn''t like the way the new lecturer stared at his woman so he decided to put an end to whatever fantasy was going through the man''s head.

    He stood up, moved away from his desk and went to stand in front of Joanna''s desk. True to his guess, he was able to get the young man''s attention when he did this.

    "I am sure our concerns are justified so will you say something about it?" Amos demanded in a firm tone.

    "T-that...," the new lecturer who hasn''t regained hisposure stammered.

    He looked away from Joanna''s direction and took a deep breath to calm down his excited heart.

    He shifted his gaze to where Amos stood afterwards.

    "We have taken that into consideration and we are making preparations to ensure that the sudden change doesn''t affect your performance at the uing exam," The new lecturer replied to Joanna''s earlier statement.

    "But...,"

    "For today''s session, we are gonna use it to know each other...,"

    "What the hell is he spewing?" Thedy sitting behind Joanna muttered angrily.

    "Is he trying to tell me that I deprived myself of sleep just toe and listen to others introduce themselves?" She added and hit the brown desk.

    Her outburst didn''t go down well with Joanna and she decided not to let it slide.

    "This is the problem with humans, they don''t know their ce and tend to act up...,"

    "If you are not satisfied with his arrangements you can just get the hell out of here instead of disrespecting him. Something you wouldn''t have dreamt of doing if it was Mr Fin standing in front of you," Joanna retorted her deadly res focused on the blonde-haireddy.

 Chapter 429 Mr Fin Showed Up On Time

    ?"Will you mind your business...,"

    "And why will I do that huh?" Joanna snapped with her shoulders held high.

    "If you have problems with humans being your teacher then that is your cup of tea so don''te here crying in my ears ok?" Joanna was brutal with her response.

    Her savvy attitude and harsh words made the other students apud her.

    "How dare you...,"

    "If you are not happy with the school arrangement then you can skip the ss. But I doubt you will do that since you wouldn''t want to repeat the course...,"

    "I said shut the fuck up you imbecile," The furiousdy shouted. She swung her transformed ws at Joanna''s face but Joanna bent before her face could get disfigured.

    The new lecturer tried to step forward but Amos blocked his path.

    "If you love your life then you will not intervene. I am afraid you will get killed on your first day as the lecturer here if you get any closer," Amos mumbled, his gaze focused on the guy''s face.

    Even he would have loved to intervene but he chose not to because he was certain Joanna wouldn''t like it.

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted and stood up properly. She shot a murderous re at the fuming werewolfdy.

    "Why do youdies always aim at my face whenever a fight ensues?" She asked while touching her face.

    "Do you have a problem with my face or...,"

    "I bet she is jealous of your beauty that is why she wants to disfigure you to make sure that you aren''t prettier than her," Amos interrupted. He winked naughtily at the angry Joanna.

    "Shut the fuck up...," Joanna jumped onto her seat swung her hand and hit thedy hard on the face.

    She did this in a matter of seconds and that was why she was able to catch thedy off guard.

    "You darey your filthy hands on me...,"

    "And I will hit you over and over again if you dare as much as to insult him ever again," Joanna retorted without any sense of remorse.

    The blonde hairdy rushed out from where she stood and advanced towards Joanna with her fists sped.

    A battle was about to break out in the lecture room when a tall figure entered the hall. He was momentarily stupefied to see the scene he just met.

    "And what the hell do you think you guys are doing?" His cold voice overpowered every other voice in the hall.

    The familiar voice caused the blonde hairdy to pause in her tracks. She retracted her punch and moved a step away from Joanna.

    "I just asked what the hell you think you are doing so can someone please tell me what caused this ruckus?" Mr Fin demanded, his murderous res directed at the blonde-haireddy.

    "She was disrespectful towards the lecturer and Joan stood up to defend him. Things got out of hand in the process," Amos exined in a calm tone.

    "And you thought that was the solution to the problem...,"

    "Sir," The new lecturer stepped forward.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The students are just worried that the sudden change might affect their grades that is why...,"

    "That is not enough reason for them to turn the ssroom into a warzone so step back Mr Donald and let me handle them," Mr Fin cut in.

    Mr Fin shifted his attention to the rest of the ss after he stopped Mr Donald from interfering.

    "I can see all of you have a lot to say so go on. Tell me all that is on your mind. Vent it out on me as you did to him," Mr Fin seethed, his eyes moving from one face to the other.

    "What are you waiting for, go on," Mr Fin encouraged them but none uttered a word.

    Who dares make a noise when Mr Fin is talking?

    They know the consequences very well and that is why none uttered a word. Anyone who dares to cross his path will suffer the consequences.

    In fact, the person would suffer twice more now that he is the Chancellor. They are well aware of what he is capable of.

    "If you have nothing to say then return to your seat and continue with your sses," Hemanded sternly.

    "Anyone who dares to make things difficult for Mr Donald after I leave will be severely punished. Have this in mind before you decide to act," He added.

    He diverted his attention to Joanna and the otherdy when he was done addressing the others.

    "Two of them should see me in my office after sses," He instructed. He left after he made sure that peace was returned to the hall.

    After Mr Fin''s intervention, no student had the guts to make things difficult for the new lecturer, Mr Donald.

    The moment Mr Donald concluded his session Joanna raced out of the hall without parking her materials.

    Amos stared at the door she exited the hall from. He didn''t look away even after two minutes passed.

    "She is not only worried about Audrey but misses her a lot. I wonder how she will react when she learns what has been keeping Audrey busy these past few days," Amos mumbled as he returned his gaze to the books in front of him.

    He packed her stuff and carefully ced them inside her backpack.

    Joanna was hurrying to go and see Audrey like she had promised through her text message when someone grabbed her hand out of nowhere.

    Joanna paused and spun to look behind her. She tried topose herself so she wouldn''t take out her annoyance at the man.

    "Hello Mr Donald, how may I help you?" Joanna questioned, her gaze glued on the silver wristwatch around her wrist.

    "Aboutst night...,"

    "I don''t hold a grudge against you forst night''s incident so you don''t have to worry, ok," Joanna replied in a hurried tone.

    "I was hoping we couldplete the conversation we couldn''t havest night. Are you free?" Mr Donald asked softly.

    He didn''t let go of her hand and Joanna waseager to see Audrey that she didn''t even notice this.

    "I wish I could but I am in a rush right now. I need to be somewhere as we are talking. I will take my leave now," She said and tried to leave.

 Chapter 430 Audrey Left Again

    ?It was then she realised that Mr Donald was still holding her hand.

    "Can you let go of me?" Joanna demanded her gaze concentrated on the man''s hand which was still clutching her left hand.

    Mr Donald quickly let go of her, "I am sorry...," Joanna had already rushed off without allowing him to apologise.

    "She is always in a rush whenever we meet. I wonder why it''s so," Mr Donald mumbled as he stared at the direction Joanna went.

    He was lost in thought and didn''t realize that someone had been watching him.

    "I guess I will have to find a suitable time to talk to her," He muttered and turned to leave but only for him to trip on someone''s leg.

    Mr Donald immediately lost his bnce and staggered backwards. He would have sustained a bad fall had the guy who tripped him not offered him a hand to lean on.

    "Are you alright?" The guy asked Mr Donald whose heartbeat he could hear pound so hard as if it was gonna jump out of his chest.

    "Y-yes...," Mr Donald stuttered. He tried topose himself before he attempted to talk for the second time.

    "I am fine Amos," Mr Donald replied. He finally let go of Amos'' hand after he was able to stand alone.

    "Look where you are going. I am afraid you will get yourself into trouble if you don''t heed my advice," Amos smiled at the man.

    He spun and left after he said what was on his mind.

    "I only took pity on you and lent you a hand because I am aware that you don''t know what you are getting yourself into. But I doubt I will be this kind the next time you hit on my woman in my presence," Amos muttered when he was far away from where Mr Donald stood.

    Despite how fast she ran Joanna was only able to catch up to Audrey almost at the gate of the campus.

    "I thought you promised we were gonna have a serious discussion today so where do you think you are going huh?" Joanna shouted to get the attention of thedy heading towards the huge gate.

    Her loud voice made those around all turn and look at her including thedy whom she was addressing.

    "Were you perhaps nning to go back on your words if I didn''t run after you...,"

    "Anna...,"

    "Don''t talk to me," Joanna hissed. She turned to leave but only to bump into thedy which just appeared in front of her.

    "I am sorry. I wasn''t in haste because I forgot my promise to you but it''s just that someone is waiting for me outside the gate...,"

    "And who is that?" Joanna demanded. "Is that person more important than me?".

    She stared into Audrey''s eyes as she demanded answers. Because of this, she was able to see Audrey''s eyes falter following her question.

    "Is the person you are referring to perhaps your mum or dad?" Joanna was pushed to guess because of what she noticed.

    "If you have an appointment with your parents then you can leave. I won''t waste your time but make sure to answer my callster ok?" Joanna agreed without even waiting to listen to Audrey''s reply.

    If only she knew that her guess was wrong then she wouldn''t have been so big-hearted. Instead, she would have done everything within her power to stop Audrey from leaving.

    "I will," Audrey replied.

    She embraced Joanna before she turned to leave.

    "Drey, I am just curious to know whether you have been staying at your parent''s home these past few days," Joanna asked, her gaze glued on Audrey''s back.

    Audrey swivelled and gazed at where Joanna stood.

    "I left the apartment so that you could spend an uninterrupted moment with your man, don''t tell me you are not satisfied with my gift?" Audrey asked.

    She was crafty with her response and too bad Joanna didn''t see through this.

    "You...,"

    "I know you love it so stop pretending already," Audrey cut in.

    "My advice for you as your best friend is that you make the best out of the remaining days you have. Who knows I might not be so generous next time," Audrey winked naughtily at Joanna.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She soon left after biding Joanna farewell.

    When Amos caught up to her, she was still gazing at the campus entrance even though Audrey was long gone.

    "So how did it go? Have you girls made up already...,"

    "I am sure you heard everything we said so why bother asking when you know I got stood up by my best friend?" She mumbled and walked back into the campus.

    Amos followed her closely.

    "Shouldn''t you be happy you got stood up? I mean we get to spend time together because of this...," Joanna paused almost causing him to bump into her.

    "You are happy I got stood up because we get to spend time together but what if I said I don''t want to spend time with you hmm?" Joanna asked, her gaze locked with his.

    "You...," Joanna took her attention away from him after she perceived a familiar scent nearby.

    Lifting her head she saw Derrick approaching their direction.

    "Derrick," She called out with her hand raised in the air so he could easily spot her.

    Derrick looked in her direction but what he did next left Amos and Joanna puzzled.

    "What the hell is wrong with him?" Amos muttered, his gaze concentrated on the back of the guy who just walked past them without uttering a word.

    In fact, the way he acted was as if they were a mere passing breeze and nothing more.

    "Did I do something wrong that would warrant him to ignore me in such a brutal manner?" Joanna muttered.

    She thought hard about what she must have done to get such treatment from Derrick. And at the end, she couldn''t recall doing or saying anything to upset him in any way.

    "Maybe he is in a bad mood so there is no need to think too much about what has happened. I am sure it''s nothing," Amos assured.

    ...

    A/N: Hello readers,

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ??????

    So here are our goals for this month and I will be so overwhelmed if you guys aplished all the goals.

    Weekly mass release awaits all of you any week weplete the missions.

    I know you guys will do a great job and I will thank you in advance. Thanks a bunch, guys.

    These are our goals for this month andpleting these criteria will determine whether there will be a mass release every Sunday:

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    I love you ???

 Chapter 431 Anthony Became The Target

    ?"Let''s go so you can get ready for your next ss," Amos suggested.

    Joanna left with Amos but she couldn''t stop her heart from feeling uneasy.

    Joanna attended a few more sses with Amos by her side the entire time.

    Just when Amos and Joanna got ready to attend herst ss for the day Amos received an urgent call from one of his men.

    He had no choice but to leave Joanna to attend the ss alone.

    "I will join you and your little manter so expect me back soon," Amos gave her his word before he left the campus in a hurry.

    Attending thest ss without Amos felt different since she has gotten used to always having him around but she tried not to let it affect her concentration.

    She had hoped Amos would return before her ss ended but unfortunately he didn''t so she had to go to pick up Anthony alone.

    Joanna hailed a cab outside the campus and when they got close to Anthony''s school she called his cell phone.

    She informed the boy whose school had closed about thirty minutes ago that she was almost at her school.

    After the man dropped Joanna off opposite Anthony''s school Joanna took out her cell phone from her backpack ready to call Anthony''s line one more time.

    She was about to ce the cell phone on her ear when an excited voice called out to her.

    Raising her gaze she was surprised to see Anthony waving at her from the opposite street.

    "I told him to stay inside so why did hee out," Joanna muttered and waved back at the smiling Anthony.

    "Wait there. I wille to you," Joannainstructed.

    Joanna patiently waited for the road to be cleared of cars. After waiting for three minutes they were no longer cars in sight so she started approaching where Anthony stood.

    As she walked the excited Anthony who was too anxious to wait moved towards her.

    "I told you to wait, don''t you ever listen to me?" Joanna scolded and continued walking.

    Anthony and Joanna were about four steps away from each other when a strange wind blew past her.

    Immediately she raised her hand and tried to protect her eyeballs. When she dropped her hand Joanna was shocked beyond words to see that she was standing exactly where the cab man dropped her some moment ago.

    "What the hell just happened?" Joanna asked in utter bewilderment.

    She was still thinking about what happened when she recalled that she was with Anthony before the earlier incident took ce.

    Before Joanna''s brain could assimte what was happening she saw a car driving towards Anthony at top speed.

    At that moment Joanna''s legs weakened causing her to stagger backwards. She was so shocked that her mind went nk at that instant.

    "Get out of there, Anthony," She heard her voice scream even in her subconsciousness.

    Those standing close by also screamed for Anthony to leave the road but the boy stood there like a statue waiting to be smashed into a million pieces by the moving ck car.

    Seeing that Anthony didn''t move a muscle Joanna whose heart was almost at her mouth tried to go to his rescue but to her dismay the strange wind she felt earlier brushed past her for a second time, forcing her to remain in a spot.

    "And what in heaven''s name is going on here?" Joanna cried out.

    Joanna hasn''t felt so scared in all her life until today. As the car drew closer with each passing second, her pounding heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest any moment from then.

    Joanna tried everything within her power to defy the strange force and go to her little brother''s rescue but nothing worked.

    All her powers chose to be useless at this dying moment. Even her new skill failed to work.

    "If you think that I will watch my brother get killed in my presence then let me tell you that you are the biggest liar on earth...," Joanna muttered, her fists sped.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She closed her eyes and summoned all her powers. "Because Joanna Anderson is not someone to easily mess with," She concluded.

    Her eyes flew open and in a sh, she was standing beside Anthony.

    Immediately, she picked Anthony up and they disappeared together.

    If she had arrived even a secondte the car would have crushed Anthony in a way none would have fathomed.

    Just like magic, the car which looked like it was being controlled by some invisible force came to a halt after it missed its target.

    All these things happened in a matter of a minute.

    At the right corner of therge street, ady was seen squatting with her hands clutching the boy in her embrace.

    Even though they were out of danger her heart was still pounding like she justpleted a marathon race.

    Joanna was still grabbing Anthony this way when a hand touched her shoulder from behind.

    "Get your hands off me," Joanna yelled and beat the person''s hand away as if she had just been touched by the devil.

    "Miss Butterfly, it''s me, Ray," He introduced himself following her harsh treatment.

    Joanna slowly tilts her head without letting go of Anthony. The way she grabbed Anthony was as if he would disappear the instant she let go of him.

    "R-Ray...," She called out, surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

    Her grip around Anthony''s right hand tightened when she got a glimpse of the earlier car parked in the middle of the road.

    Raymond followed her line of sight when he noticed that she had been gazing at a spot for over two minutes.

    "I know what happened must have scared you but he is safe now so you can rx....,"

    "Rx?" Joanna retorted. She slowly stood up to her feet. "Did you say I should rx when someone boldly tried to murder my little brother in my presence?" Joanna raved.

    Her murderous res which were focused on Raymond were as if he was responsible for the earlier incident.

    "Big Sis, are you...," Anthony choked on his words the instant he got a glimpse of her fierce res.

    ...

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY DARLINGS ??????

    Your love and support have been my biggest motivation ever since I started this book. I can never thank you guys enough foring into my life and filling it with so much love.

    I wish that this season of love will bring you nothing but endless Love and Happiness.

    May you receive love a thousand times more than you have ever given.

    Don''t forget to appreciate and shower love on people around you on this day.

    Today is all about sharing love and positive vibes.

    Choose to make this day memorable for at least one person and see what happens.

    One more thing guys... (coughs*) where is my Valentine''s gift?

    HAPPY VALENTINE''S DAY.

    I love you ??????

    And celebrate in style.

 Chapter 432 The Mysterious Car

    ?He has seen her mad with rage so many times but there was something about her current angry gaze that he couldn''t understand.

    "I clearly told you to leave the car''s path earlier so why didn''t you listen to me?" Joanna took out her anger on the innocent boy who was the biggest victim of all these.

    "Didn''t you proudly tell me you were capable of taking care of yourself and that I shouldn''t worry about you, so why did you remain like a statue when the car was racing towards you huh?" Joanna questioned angrily.

    The fear she once felt was soon reced by rage and every part of her being showed it.

    "I-I...I-I...," Anthony stammered. He was momentarily lost at what to say.

    "Say something Anthony...,"

    "Miss Butterfly, take it easy on him. No matter how strong he pretends to be he is just a child and I am sure he must still be feeling terrified due to what happened," Raymond came to Anthony''s rescue on noticing that the fear of losing her brother had momentarily made Joanna lose her mind.

    "He is the biggest victim here so try to calm yourself down...,"

    "I-I... I tried to run to you when I saw the car but I found out I couldn''t move. I tried very hard but it felt as if I was maized to the floor," Anthony finally found the courage to speak.

    "And what do you mean by that?" Joanna narrowed her eyes.

    Just then she recalled how she tried to move but couldn''t. Even her power turned useless.

    "You are right, my little rice ball is the victim here so I think it''s time I pay the assant a visit," Joanna muttered. She red at the white car parked some distance from where they stood.

    "Let''s see who is the idiot who dared to make my beloved little brother his target," Joanna clenched her fist. She stomped towards where the ck car was packed without moving a muscle.

    "Stay right here. Don''t move an inch ok," Raymondmanded before he ran after the furious Joanna.

    Getting to the car, the angrydy hit the front door and asked the passenger to wound down the tinted ss.

    She tried the second and then the third time but there was no response.

    "If you think you can just hide behind those dark sses after almost killing my Anthony then you are wrong?" Joanna hollered. She grabbed the door''s hand and pulled it.

    She nearly fell when the door of the car jerked open.

    "The heck!" Joanna and Raymond shouted on discovering that the car was empty.

    "Tell me this is a big joke," Joanna rubbed her eyes, thinking she might have daydreamt.

    She peeks into the car for a second time and still discovers the car that almost killed Anthony was empty.

    Raymond was stunned to see that the car was empty but not as dumbfounded as the angry Joanna.

    As he stood there Derrick''s threat reyed in his head.

    [I thought he was joking when he threatened to harm her. I never knew Rick would stoop so low to harm little Anthony?]

    Raymond clenched his fist and peered at the empty seats.

    "Can someone please tell me what is going on here because I don''t quite get it," Joanna muttered? She spun and looked at the guy standing behind her.

    "The car is indeed empty. You are not imagining things, you can be sure of that," Raymond assured the confused Joanna.

    Joanna turned and scanned her environment after Raymond''s confirmation.

    She scanned everyone and everything with the help of her system''s analyse function.

    [Is there someone who has simr powers as me?... And if perhaps there is which I doubt then why the fuck is he/she messing with me huh?]

    Joanna clenched her fists and continued to look around.

    How she wished she saw the person responsible for this. If that was the case she would have made sure she beats the person half dead or killed him right there for putting her through that scary moment.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What....,"

    "My little rice ball must be scared out of his wits after what happened. I need to be with him," Joanna said and moved away from the strange car.

    Joanna strolled to where Anthony stood. She paid no attention to what others present at the scene of the incident said.

    "Are you ok?" The now cool-headed Joanna asked calmly as she stared at the quiet boy''s face.

    "Did you get hurt? Do you want me to take you home?" She asked.

    Her voice was so gentle that anyone who saw the way she scolded Anthony earlier would wonder if she was the samedy.

    "You promised you would take me to the amusement park," Anthony was more concerned about going to the amusement park than anything else.

    "But...," Joanna paused what she wanted to say when she recalled Anthony''s broad smile when she promised she would take him to the amusement park after school.

    "If that''s what you want then that is what we will do," She agreed.

    She pats his hair affectionately and then moves to hold his hand.

    [Let''s see whether there is any strange force capable of tearing me apart from him now that we are holding hands?]

    Joanna shifted her gaze to the car which had caused the movement of cars on the road.

    "My car is parked over there so let''s go in my car," Raymond offered to drive them to the park.

    "Thanks but we can manage just fine," Joanna replied carefreely.

    "Instead of taking a cab let me drive you both there. After what happened I will only have peace of mind if I take you guys there so let me do it hmm," Raymond insisted.

    Joanna rejected his offer for the second time. But she ended up agreeing to what he wanted due to his persistence.

    Another reason she went in Raymond''s car was that Amos didn''t show up even though she waited for over ten minutes.

    Meanwhile, as this was happening Amos who just reached their hideout bumped into Kyle who was also on his way there.

    "I heard something happened. Let''s go find out what was so important that they had to call me toe in person," Amos muttered as he led the way into the tall building.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!! HAPPY LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY ??????

    First of all guys, I want to say I wasn''t impressed by our performances at all for this month.

    Unlikest month where the monthly missions were aplished every week, there was no week that you guys reached these goals this month and that was precisely why there were no mass releases also.

    I was very optimistic about February but my hopes got crushed this month.

    I wish you guys will do better next month which is actually my birthday month.

    I want a huge gift for my birthday and I am expecting huge gifts including surprises from every single one of you. Are you guys on this with me? (...*coughs... Raise your hands please ?, lmao)

    Yes, I have ryed how bad I felt and now it''s time to say my thanks.

    I want to say a big thank you to all those who supported the book this month notwithstanding the turnout of events.

    Thank you so much, I will forever remain grateful to every single one of you.

    I love you ??????

    And I honestly look forward to improvement in March 2023.

 Chapter 433 The Letter

    ?The worried look on the faces of his men when he entered the room made Amos guess that all was not well.

    "What is it? Did other killings ur?" Amos asked without sitting down. His eyes moved from one face to another.

    "A letter was recovered on one of the corpses of the humans ced in front of the pce...,"

    "Another body was delivered in front of the pce even though I had the security there doubled?" Amos asked in astonishment.

    "And what was the content of the letter you found?" Kyle asked as he gazed at the guy whom he had left in charge of the operation.

    He reached out his hand and picked up the white envelope from where he dropped it on the table.

    He passed it onto Kyle without uttering a word.

    Anxious to know what was going on, Kyle opened the envelope and brought out its contents.

    His expression fell as soon as he set eyes on the few words inscribed on the white paper.

    "What does it say?" Amos asked. He was forced to snatch the paper from Kyle''s hand when he offered no answer to his question.

    "B-but..... how is this even possible?" Amos asked no one in particr. His widened expression was no different from that of Kyle''s.

    "Only a few people are aware that I am still in the Kingdom. I deliberately did this to prevent this situation from urring so how did the enemies know that I never left the Kingdom?" The angry Amos threw the piece of paper to the floor.

    "I was careful in this one month. I avoided things that will give my identity away so who on Earth leaked the information...,"

    "A few seconds ago I didn''t understand why on Earth they would leave such information on a corpse but now I do," Kyle said.

    He held Amos'' hand and made him turn so they faced each other.

    "Their only purpose in sending us this is to make you doubt everyone....,"

    "But...,"

    "The enemy is in the dark while we are in the open. Although I am not sure how they got the information our priority should be to protect you from all danger," Kyle asserted.

    "You need to return to the pce...,"

    "And how can I do that so abruptly?" Amos cut in sharply.

    "Your vacation should have ended in 1-2 days so this so not abrupt...,"

    "But I gave Joan my word that she still had two weeks to spend with me. I can''t go back on my words," Amos shook his head to show he was against the idea.

    "Kay, I know you love her a whole lot and don''t want to be away from her but this is your safety we are talking about. The Kingdom will be in jeopardy if the tiniest harmes to you...,"

    "We are not even sure whether what this letter im is true so why should I go back on my words to the woman I love because of their threat?" Amos retorted.

    "I am not scared of them...,"

    "I know you are not but let''s take precautions hmm?" Kyle pleaded.

    "You know that the Kingdom can not afford to lose you just like she can''t either. I am sure she will agree to this if...,"

    "I forbid you or anyone from telling her anything about this," Amos ordered sternly.

    His eyes darted from one face to the other. "Anyone who dares to disobey my royal order will have none but himself to me, understood?" He demanded.

    "Understood," everyone except Kyle chorused with their heads bowed.

    "Now let''s talk about the measures to take," Amos said and strolled to the couch specifically prepared for him.

    Despite how serious the situation was Amos didn''t forget to text Joanna and inform her that he wouldn''t be able to make it to the amusement park.

    Although Joanna missed having Amos around, she still had fun at the park since Raymond was with them.

    In fact, his main purpose in joining the sibling''s outing was to ensure Joanna had fun to the maximum and he made sure they did that.

    He went as far as dropping them off at home afterwards.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Thank you so much for everything, Raymond. I can''t thank you enough for what you did today...,"

    "There is no such thing as a thank you between friends so don''t worry. Besides this was also my first time at an amusement park and I had a wonderful time because of you and Tony," Raymond replied.

    A smile spread across his handsome face when he recalled the thrilling moments he had at the park.

    "If you say so then," Joanna returned his smiles. They talk for a few minutes before Raymond finally decides to leave.

    "Drive safely," Joanna said, her gaze focused on the guy handling the steering of the white car in front of them.

    Raymond drove off after he had waved to them for thest time.

    "Let''s go. I need to pack your stuff and send you back home before your usual time of going to bed. I am afraid I will get scolded if we don''t get there on time," Joanna muttered.

    "You are sending me back?" Anthony asked with widened eyes.

    His reaction left Joanna a bit confused. "Yes, I am sending you back home so you can reunite with your family, do you have a problem with that?" She questioned, her gaze glued on his disgruntled face.

    Though he started walking away without giving her a response, Joanna still sensed his unhappiness from merely looking at him.

    [I can see that Amos'' suggestion that I should keep some distance from Little rice ball was not that bad after all. He loves and depends on me too much to point that it scares me that he might choose me over his parents one day]

    Joanna''s gaze didn''t shift away from Anthony''s back as she followed his lead.

    The first thing Joanna did after they got to the room was called Amos'' line to inform him that they were home.

    "He didn''t answer the line again," Joanna mumbled. She bent and dropped the phone on the centre table.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY MARCH ??????

    Hello lovelies, how are you all?

    So back to the business of the day, I just want to inform you guys that our goals are the same as the previous two months.

    As long as we achieved all the goals, I will give a mass release every Sunday. This was my promise and I will keep it to the end so, put on your shoes and let''s work harder this month.

    Apart from the fact that my birthday is this month, I have another good news for you and guess what..... (Drumrolls.....)

    My new book ising!!!

    Yipee!

    And it ising sooner than you expect.

    You are the first people I wanted to inform, so keep your fingers crossed guys because this author here is gonna take you on another roller coaster of emotions.

    The story is lit ??????

    And that is why I will advise that you put on your seatbelt and wait for the release day.

    Your support is my greatest strength so give it all to me and I will make sure you don''t get disappointed.

    I know every single one of you is gonna support my new book and that is why I will say...

    Thank you in advance,

    And I love you ??????

    P.S.: Make sure toment under this chapter so that I will know that you have seen the announcement about my new book.

    I will be sad ?????? and upset if all of you keep quiet on me.

    I am sure you wouldn''t want to hurt your beloved author''s feelings, right?

 Chapter 434 Joanna And Grandma Cora Battles

    ?"I guess he must be swamped with work," She said and strolled towards the bedroom. Anthony followed her not long after.

    Inside the bedroom, he met Joanna neatly arranging his belongings in a red and white bag ced on the bed.

    "Big Sis, shouldn''t we wait for Brother Amos to return before you send me back home?" Anthony asked.

    Joanna paused what she was doing and raised her gaze to look at his face. "I am not even sure whether he will return today so how can we wait for him...,"

    "But...,"

    "There is nothing that will stop me from sending you back home tonight so stop wasting your time and go freshened up so we can leave," Joanna cut him short.

    She only continued with her arrangement after she saw him proceed to the bathroom.

    Joanna also freshened up and changed outfits when Anthony was done showering.

    After Joanna entered the bathroom, Anthony seized this opportunity to write some things down.

    When he was done he carefully hid the piece of paper underneath where Amos kept hisptop.

    He went about his things as if nothing had happened.

    Despite everything that happened Joanna hoped Amos would arrive before she left for home but unfortunately he didn''t show up.

    She left for home feeling sad and frustrated.

    Reaching the sitting room, the person she met there was none other than the grumpy Grandma Cora.

    Through their scent, she could easily tell that other members of the family were in their respective rooms.

    "Good evening Madam Cora," Joanna didn''t forget to greet the elderly woman whose attention was focused on her cell phone.

    As usual, Anthony let go of Joanna''s hand and rushed to give Grandma Cora a big hug.

    "Hmmm... my sweetie''s face is literally glowing," Grandma Coraplimented and cupped Anthony''s face.

    The way she ignored Joanna was as if the youngdy standing not far away from where she sat was invisible.

    "Do you mind telling Grandma where you went to or what you did today to make you so happy?" Grandma Cora coaxed as she rubbed his hair affectionately.

    "Yes, I am very happy Grandma," Anthony agreed. His broad smile radiated even more when he recalled the great time he had at the park.

    "It shows all over you so I can see that," She replied. And didn''t forget to smile along with him.

    "So what special thing did you do? Do you mind letting Grandma know the secret of your happiness huh?"

    The way Grandma Cora kept asking Anthony about what they did make Joanna suspect that she was trying to fish out information from Anthony.

    [What is the old hag up to now? What exactly is she trying to find out by using cunning manners to interrogate her grandson?]

    "Big Sis took me to....," Anthony paused when he recalled that Joanna would get into trouble if he mentioned that they went to the park which his Grandmother had forbidden.

    He stole a nce at Joanna when he couldn''t think of what to say.

    "Yes, tell me what you did," She urged him.

    "We went....," He paused the second time.

    "We didn''t go anywhere. I only gave him an extra te of his favourite bacon dish at dinner that is why he is this happy," Joanna came to Anthony''s rescue.

    Grandma Cora, who acted like Joanna didn''t exist, shifted her gaze in Joanna''s direction. "Really?" She demanded, her fierce res focused on Joanna.

    "Yes," She replied firmly.

    Grandma Cora''s gaze turned deadly after Joanna''s affirmation.

    "If that is the case then have a look and tell me if that is the extra te of bacon you prepared for him," She instructed and pushed her cell phone to the edge of the table.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Curious to see what this was about Joanna lowered her gaze and peered at the screen of the phoneid on the table.

    Her gaze faltered when she set eyes on the picture in front of the screen.

    "How dare you lie to my face, bastard!" Grandma Cora roared. She picked up the teacup in front of her and threw it at Joanna.

    Joanna moved away in time just before the cup couldnd on her right eye.

    [She left a permanent mark on my thigh and now she almost made me lose one of my eyes. When will she ever be satisfied huh?]

    Joanna clenched her fist and shot the fuming woman a murderous re.

    "Did you just re at me?" She demanded and sprang to her feet.

    "I can see you have lost your damn mind so why don''t I help you regain your sanity?"

    She charged towards Joanna with her ws ready to slice anything thates in her way.

    Joanna waited for Grandma to get close enough.

    "And then now," Joanna muttered and moved to the side with her right leg stuck out.

    The furious woman stumbled on Joanna''s stuck-out and lost bnce. She staggered for a few seconds before she managed to regain her bnce.

    "How dare you trip me?" Grandma Cora roared. Her eyes transformed at that instant.

    Joanna turned and looked at the couch Anthony was still sitting on. "Go upstairs to your room¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "I said now," Joanna ordered sternly. Anthony stood up from the couch. His eyes darted from Grandma Cora''s angry face to Joanna''s calm expression.

    "I was the one who asked her to take me to the park so please don''t hurt my Big Sis, Grandma," Anthony pleaded in his tiny voice.

    If only he knew that powers had changed hands then he wouldn''t have been so worried about Joanna.

    Instead, he would have been worried about his Grandma and what Joanna would do to her.

    Anthony reluctantly moved away from the sitting room when Joanna waved her right hand at him.

    "Now that my grandson is not here, I won''t have to worry about hurting his feelings¡­,"

    "If I were you, I would be worried about myself old hag. Because from this moment onwards your reign is over," Joanna dered.

    She took her stance with her legs slightly parted and sped fists held close to her chest.

    "I, Joanna Anderson will overthrow you from your tyranny rule".

    An evil grin stered on her face when she saw the elderly woman advance towards her.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, please support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Apart from our GOLDEN TICKETS ranking which has been at the bottom ever since this month reached, other areas of the book like buying privileged chapters, gifts,ments, power stones and reviews have hit the rock bottom too.

    And this is why there has been no mass release every Sunday ever since this month reached.

    So please, have mercy on your beloved author and support the book with privileged chapters purchases, gifts,ments, GOLDEN TICKETS, power stones and reviews.

    Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 435 Grandma Coras Punishment

    ?Joanna dodged the woman''s punch and moved away. If she had wanted to hit the woman she would havended a blow on her right leg and made her unable to use the leg for at least three minutes.

    That she only dodged without attacking wasn''t seen as a good thing by Grandma Cora. Instead, her actions infuriated the elderly woman.

    "You are nothing but a weak idiot that my daughter took pity on and raised for over 16 years. Let''s see for how long you can continue dodging," Grandma Cora seethed and charged towards Joanna one more time.

    As this took ce those upstairs were not aware of it. And this was all thanks to Joanna''s overwhelming powers.

    She was able to block off all sounds from reaching upstairs so that none would know what was going on ande to Grandma Cora''s rescue.

    "I have been really lenient ever since you arrived. I tried my best to keep my temper in check but each time you keep crossing the boundary," Joanna expressed. She stood with her back leaning against the yellow wall.

    "I thought you would learn your lesson after spending three days at the hospital. But I forgot that a stubborn woman like you will not change easily...," Joanna trailed. She stood straight and dusted off the cor of her shirt.

    "Tonight not only did you try to make me lose one of my eyes but you forced my hands. And today I will show you what I am capable of," She grinned and ced her right hand on the yellow wall.

    Instantly, things in the sitting room started shaking. The trembling started slowly but increased as time passed.

    "I will show you that I swallowed all your insults these past days because I am not a pushover or SERVANT as you always fondly call me but because I was waiting for the perfect time," She raved. Her eyes turned blue.

    Following the transformation of her eyes, the trembling transcended from the walls to the chairs, chandeliers and even the floor they stood on.

    Grandma Cora couldn''t believe her eyes. At first, she thought she was dreaming so she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up.

    Even after she rubbed her eyes twice nothing changed. It was then she realised all that happened wasn''t a dream or part of her imagination.

    Due to the trembling of the ground, Grandma Cora lost her footing. She staggered backwards.

    "Maybe you will learn to stay clear of my path after today," She mumbled.

    She raised her right hand and snapped her finger in the air. And immediately the chandelier above where Grandma Cora stood fell.

    In the process of running to safety, she rolled on the floor. Joanna was about to go on torturing the mean old woman when she heard the door of her father''s room creaking open.

    She listened to his footsteps and when she heard that he wasing towards the stairs she let go of the wall.

    [I can''t let him know anything about my powers. I want it toe as a shock to him too so what should I do now to make sure that he doesn''t suspect anything?]

    Hearing her father''s footsteps draw closer made Joanna''s hands be sweaty.

    Her lips curled into a devilish smile when she saw the shards of the tea cup Grandma Cora threw at her earlier.

    [I know what to do now!]

    Joanna smiled and disappeared from the sitting room.

    She arrived at the sitting room with a ss of water in her hand exactly the time her father spotted Grandma Cora on the floor.

    "Madam Cora, this is the ss of water...," The ss cup fell off her hands when she saw the elderly woman still on the floor.

    "W-what happened to you?" She asked and rushed to the woman''s side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her sudden change almost made Grandma Cora believe that she was daydreaming about everything that happened if not for the destroyed chandelier littering the floor.

    "Let me help you up," Joanna offered to help. She tries to hold the woman''s hand but the angry Grandma Cora beats her hand away.

    "Get your filthy hands off me," She yelled. The fear in her eyes didn''t escape Joanna''s notice.

    [This was how it ought to be from the beginning unfortunately I had to possess my powerste]

    Joanna grinned and moved backwards.

    "And do you mind telling me why you are smiling?" Mr Anderson asked, his fierce res directed at Joanna''s face.

    Joannaposed herself and turned to look in her father''s direction, "But I wasn''t smiling, Sir," Joanna denied sternly.

    "But...,"

    "Are you ok?" Joanna asked and drew closer to the elderly one more time. She did this just to escape her father''s interrogation.

    "Let me help you to the couch...,"

    "I just said you shouldn''t touch me. Are you deaf or do you have some problems with your ears?" Grandma Cora growled, her piercing gaze shot at Joanna.

    "If you don''t want her help then let me assist you," Mr Anderson offered to help. He left where he stood and moved towards Grandma Cora.

    "I don''t need yours and your evil daughter''s help," Grandmother Cora shunned him.

    It was at this moment that Adhara and Laura were seen racing down the stairs.

    "Dad, what is wrong with Grandma?" Laura asked politely when she saw the state Grandma Cora was in.

    "I met her on the floor when I got here," Mr Anderson replied.

    His gaze moved from the shattered chandelier to the items on the floor.

    He couldn''t help but wonder how the items fell off from their respective ces.

    "I was about to ask Joanna what took ce here," He added. He turned and peered at Joanna''s face.

    "What happened here and why was your Grandma on the floor earlier?" He demanded sternly.

    Joanna didn''t respond immediately. She waited for a minute before she began her narration.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, please do support your dearest author by voting with power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Also, buy privileged chapters, send gifts,ment and review the book. Don''t forget it''s only remaining a few hours to Sunday and these things I mentioned will determine whether or not there will be a mass release on Sunday.

    Let''s work hard together. We can do this ??????

 Chapter 436 Joanna Played The Victim

    ?"I met Madam Cora in the sitting room when I returned with little rice ball. She was already in a foul mood when I returned. I only greeted her when she lost her cool and threw the cup of tea at me...,"

    "Liar," Grandma Cora muttered with her fist clenched.

    Mr Anderson might not have understood what Grandma Cora''s words meant but Laura and Adhara who had gone through simr things had an idea of what took ce there.

    "She must have lost her cool because she finds my voice irritating," Not even Grandma Cora''s earlier statement made Joanna change her story.

    "As you saw earlier, I was on my way back from getting her a ss of water when I met her on the floor and the shattered chandelier. I have no idea what happened to her or how the chandelier fell off," Joanna lied without stuttering or batting an eyelid.

    "Why would Granny fall out of the blues if not that...,"

    "Sir, it''s almost my little rice ball''s bedtime. I need to make sure he freshens up and gets into bed on time," Joanna cut in. She didn''t allow Laura to say what she had in mind.

    "We haven''t resolved the issue at hand and you want to go upstairs...,"

    "You are aware that I was born weak. I don''t have the guts nor the strength to stand up to anyone talking of pushing a former warrior like Madam Cora down. Are you perhaps suspecting that someone like me is responsible for her fall or that of the chandelier?" Joanna challenged the man standing in front of her.

    "If that is what you believe, don''t you think you are overestimating me?"

    Joanna''s tant lies made the old woman''s blood boil in rage. She grabbed the chair''s handle to the point that it cracked.

    "If you still suspect that I am responsible for this mess. I don''t have a problem with that. I will just pray that the Moon Goddess gives me such powers so that I will cause even greater damage," Joanna resorted to ying the victim.

    If Laura and Adhara hadn''t witnessed what the devilish girl was capable of they would have also fallen for her lies.

    But even if Grandma Cora didn''t exin what happened both Adhara and Laura had already guessed that she was lying.

    [Let''s see whether the old hag will admit that the girl she always bullied all these years was the same person who bullied her some moment ago. I bet the embarrassment wouldn''t even let her utter a word]

    The wicked Joanna grinned when she saw that Grandma Cora didn''t utter a word about what had taken ce there.

    Mr Anderson''s hesitation made Joanna feel uneasy.

    "I am sure he must be waiting for me so can I leave now?" She asked, sounding a bit impatient this time around.

    "Everything else can wait. Tony''s well-beinges first so you can go attend to him," Mr Anderson said the word Joanna wanted to hear atst.

    Joanna bowed and strolled out of there. As she ascended the stairs a victorious smile lingered on her pretty face.

    [I never knew that teaching the old hag a lesson would feel so good. I am sure after tonight''s scare she would think twice whenever she does anything that concerns me]

    Joanna grinned and kept maintaining her pace.

    ? In the sitting room, Grandma Cora gazed at the stairs with her fists sped.

    [For today''s humiliation I swear that I will make you die a horrible death. This is a promise from me]

    Grandma Cora''s eyes were red with anger.

    When Grandma Cora kept on refusing to reveal the truth Mr Anderson had to resort to checking the sitting room CCTV footage.

    Grandma Cora was shocked beyond words when Mr Anderson informed them that nothing about the incident was captured on the CCTV footage.

    "What the hell is she?" This was Grandma Cora''s thought after the revtion.

    At Anthony''s room, Joanna oversaw that hepleted all his homework first. And as his second teacher, she cross-checked everything to make sure they weren''t errors.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After this she made him freshen up and got into bed on time.

    She only had the chance to leave his room after the clingy boy fell asleep holding onto her right hand.

    Despite the numerous failures Joanna still tried Amos'' line after she freshened and got ready to sleep.

    She was about to remove the phone from her ear and flung it wherever her hands went when she heard his familiar voice from the other end.

    "Have you concluded your work now?" She asked and sat up from the bed she was lying on. "And what about meals, I hope you didn''t skip your meals because you were preupied...,"

    "Have you forgotten again that I am not a human who loses weight if he doesn''t eat...,"

    "That doesn''t matter. A meal is a meal and should always be eaten on time. It doesn''t matter whether you are a human, vampire or werewolf," Joanna scolded and strolled to her tiny window.

    "Would you run over here if I told you that I didn''t have a single drop of blood after we separated...,"

    "I told you to always pay attention to your meals so why wouldn''t you listen to me?" She reprimanded him fiercely.

    "Hehe...," He chuckled at the other end. "I knew you would react exactly this way that was why I dared not skip my meals when I imagined your stern face," He joked.

    His reply made the once worried Joanna a little bit calmed.

    "Are you by chance trying to say that I am fearsome when angry?" She asked with her lips pouted.

    "And how could my woman ever be scary when in fact she is the cutest when she is angry...,"

    "Cheesy!" She interrupted, pretending not to like his sweet words.

    "If that is cheesy then let''s see what you think about this one...," He paused just to arouse her curiosity.

    She waited for his response but he didn''t utter a word even after two minutes had passed.

    "And why aren''t you saying anything?" She demanded in displeasure.

    "I missed you so much to the point that I didn''t think I would make it through the night if I didn''t see your face. And here I am right outside your gate waiting to take a dosage of my sleeping pills which happens to be your face," He confessed affectionately.

    "Super cheesy...,"

    "Wait! Did you just say you are right at my gate?" Joanna screamed in excitement and shock.

    She peeped out of the window hoping to see his car or any sign of him but she couldn''t see anything no matter how hard she stretched her body.

    "Tell me you are joking...,"

    "Why don''t youe and find out things for yourself?" He suggested. His suggestions were too juicy for Joanna to reject.

    "I will be super mad if Ie out and realise you were just kidding," Joanna muttered.

    She hurried to her wardrobe and pulled out the first jacket she had touched.

    She hurried downstairs still on the call with him.

    She was so unlucky to have run into her father in the sitting room.

 Chapter 437 A Cat At Your Window?

    ?Mr Anderson whose thoughts were disrupted by her hurried footsteps raised his gaze and peered at thedy now standing at the foot of the stairs.

    "And where are you going?" He demanded coldly. "Do you have ns of waking the entire household up?".

    His cold gaze moved from her face to the ck jacket she was wearing.

    "A cat is meowing at my window. I won''t be able to get a wink of sleep if I don''t get rid of it right now," Joanna lied. She pulled the jacket down so that it reached her waistline.

    "A cat at your window?" Mr Anderson raised an eyebrow. He didn''t look convinced by her lie at all.

    "You want to get rid of a cat and you are dressed like that?"

    "I fall sick easily so I need to dress warmly. The moon goddess has been unfair to me and that is why I never got to inherit your bloodline...,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense and go chase the cat away," Mr Anderson cut her short angrily.

    He returned his gaze to the ss of whiskey in front of him without paying her any attention anymore.

    [I guess I was worried for nothing]

    Joanna forced a smile and tried not to show how disappointed she was.

    She has indeed grown past the stage where she cries for his love and attention but there are still times she feels like she does today.

    Because Mr Anderson didn''t care about whatever happened to her he didn''t hear that Joanna''s footsteps were heading towards the gate.

    Reaching outside Joanna only saw a ck unfamiliar car parked close to the gate. Her expression fell in a sh when she didn''t see Amos around.

    "Why didn''t it ever ur to me that he was lying?" Joanna muttered.

    She felt like giving herself a tight p on the face at that moment but she controlled her hands with all she has got.

    "You are such a fool for falling for his lies Joanna Anderson. Could there be a bigger fool than you?" Joanna chided herself.

    She turned to walk back to the gate.

    Joanna halted on her third step when she got a whiff of a familiar scent.

    "And who is this fool that you are talking about that I am not aware of huh?" His yful voice made Joanna''s heart skip for a moment.

    A sweet smile spread across her face. She stayed that way for a minute before she slowly turned around.

    She thought that one minute was enough to calm herself but she realised she wasn''t the slightest bit calm when she got a glimpse of his face.

    Her heart pounded hard against her chest and before she knew it, she had hopped onto the body of the smiling guy.

    "I know you missed me but I didn''t know that you missed me to this extent¡­,"

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted. She hit his right shoulder slightly but she refused toe down off his body.

    "What took you so long toe here?" She demanded softly.

    "I know you are happy to see me and I am twice as happy as you but I am scared your father wille out and drag you away so keep your voice a bit low ok?" Amos cautioned as he wrapped his hand around her body.

    He took a sniff of her natural body scent that he has gotten addicted to.

    "I am not afraid of him...,"

    "I do and this is because I want to stay with you a bit longer," He smiled and walked to the car with Joanna still on his body.

    One would think Joanna was light as a feather because of the way he carried her.

    Reaching the car Amos carefully ced her on the bo of the car. He let go of her and tried to walk away but Joanna circled her hand around his neck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was trapped with no way to go.

    "I have missed you," She confessed, her eyes locked on his. She bent and pecked his lips and pulled back almost immediately.

    "Things weren''t as easy as I expected and as such, I had to stay behind longer than I had nned...," Amos trailed. He leaned in and wrapped his hand around her slender waist.

    "I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I lost track of time. You should have been there to see the shock on my face when I realised that it was quitete," He ryed.

    What he didn''t tell her was that he made it here so early only because he abandoned Kyle at their hideout.

    "Has the issue been resolved?" Joanna asked a bit seriously. She yed with the tips of his curly hair as she waited for his reply.

    "No. To be honest, things have gotten a bitplicated...,"

    "I have told you that I am more than ready to help. I can be of great use to you and your men so don''t hesitate to use me...,"

    "It hasn''t gotten to that extent yet," He blurted.

    [No matter how powerful you are, how can I ever bear to put you in harm''s way?... I would rather put myself in danger than let any harmes to you]

    Amos raised his hand and patted the strands of hair away from her face. He carefully tugged itbehind her left ear.

    "Also, I might have to elongate my vacation if things don''t improve...,"

    "Really?" Joanna shouted with a broad smile on her face.

    She quickly got rid of her smile when she noticed the way Amos gazed at her.

    "I meant you said some minutes ago that the issue wasn''t so serious but why does it sound like it is...,"

    "It''s because things are still within our control at the moment. To me as long as we are not losing in this game I don''t believe it''s serious," Amos expressed and forced a smile.

    There was momentary silence afterwards. Joanna has tons of questions but she believed the case might be confidential. Asking him about the details will only make things difficult for Amos.

    The atmosphere might turn awkward because of this and this is something she didn''t want to happen.

    ...

    ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers, so my birthday is just six days away. As of now, I haven''t received any gifts yet from any of my lovely readers.

    So I want to inform you guys that you can start sending me your birthday gifts now.

    If you are wondering what gift to give me then you don''t have to think so much anymore because I am here to help you out.

    Birthday gifts you can give me and expect me to be a hundred per cent happy are;

    1) Buying of privileged chapters

    2) Sending of gifts

    3) Voting with GOLDEN TICKETS

    Also, I will be super happy if a fan was to make a videoption of all my books.

    Now that you know exactly what will make your dearest author ?? happy then keep the giftsing.

    I am expecting bunches of amazing gifts from all of you, please don''t disappoint me ok?

    P.S: If all of you give me surprise birthday gifts then expect to receive a gift from me on that special day also.

 Chapter 438 She Ignored Him

    ?"Is it ok for you to extend your vacation period?" Joanna asked the question which was on her mind.

    "I mean people with your identity are not supposed to leave their position vacant for a long time, so are you sure this is the right decision?"

    Yes, she is aware that Kayden''s vacation extension means she gets to spend more time with him without having to worry about the barriers of the pce walls.

    But she isn''t that inconsiderate. Her love isn''t selfish neither is she.

    No matter how much she loves and wants to be with him she would never want him to abandon his duties and his identity just to spend time with her.

    "There is indeed a possibility I will extend my vacation but I might also cut it short before the deadline reaches...,"

    "What!" Joanna shouted. Her hand stopped moving on his face at that instance. She tried not to show her disappointment but it was still visible.

    "I didn''t say that to make you sad or feel pressured. You seemed to be concerned about my vacation extension that was why I said that," Amos tried to exin but her expression didn''t brighten up.

    "Joan, nothing is certain at the moment so get rid of that frown on your face. Let''s enjoy the moment we have and forget about other things," He said in a bid to cheer her up. He raised his hand and cupped her face.

    "You look the prettiest when you smile...,"

    "What do you mean?" She scoffed. "Are you trying to say that I look ugly when I don''t smile...,"

    "No...," Amos shook his head negatively. He bit his lower lip to prevent theughter from bursting out.

    "Whether or not I smile, I am still the prettiest. None can outshine my beauty," She said with her neck cocked to the side.

    "Yeah, you are right about that," Amos agreed as he gave her a thumbs up.

    Joanna and Amos stayed out of the car and chatted for fifteen minutes. They were in each other''s embrace throughout the time they spent outside.

    "I have seen, talked and embraced you as much as I had yearned for. I guess it''s time to let go of you now...,"

    "Do you mean you wanna leave now?" Joanna asked, her lips pouting.

    "Apart from the fact that you have to go to school tomorrow, your father will suspect that something is wrong if you stay longer than this...,"

    "He doesn''t care about and he never will. There is no need to worry about him," Joanna cut in. She adjusted the way she wrapped her hand around his neck.

    "He wouldn''t even notice it if I stayed out for three days, believe me," Joanna beat her chest slightly.

    "Let''s go to our hideout and spend the night there...,"

    "Are you sure that is ok?" Amos asked. He was more concerned about her well-being than what he would benefit from her suggestion.

    "Your stepmother and grandma will not take things lightly...,"

    "I have taken care of all of them. None at home is a threat to me anymore so you can have me to yourself now without worrying about anything," Joanna smiled and bent to kiss him.

    She gave a light kiss to his lips but Amos didn''t respond.

    "Are you still worried about what they will do or react when they learn that I slept out?" Joanna was forced to ask when she noticed Amos'' worried expression.

    "I know how hard they were on you in the past. Thest thing I want is to make things difficult...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I said spending the night with you is not a problem that I can''t handle it. Don''t you believe me anymore?" She quizzed.

    With this question, Joanna was able to get what she wanted without having to persuade Amos any further.

    Amos drove to the forest hut which had long be his and Joanna''s favourite spot.

    Inside the room, Joanna''s eyes wander around the room as Amos changed his clothes and took off his disguise.

    "Since you said you came to see me immediately after leaving what you were doing I believed you hadn''t had a bath right?" Joanna asked.

    For some reason, she was gazing at every corner of the room except his direction.

    And Kayden happened to notice this but he chose not to say anything about it.

    "You are right about that," He replied with his gaze focused on her.

    He was surprised when he saw her move to the brown door.

    "If that''s the case then let me escort you to the river so you can have your bath there," Joanna proposed.

    "That won''t...," She had already gone out of the room before he got to reject her proposal.

    Kayden stared at the door speechless at what just happened.

    He picked up the baggy trousers he dropped on the bed and put them on. He slid the oversized white shirt into his body.

    Kayden left the room without bothering to button up the long sleeve white shirt.

    "Let''s go," Joanna muttered. She turned around and walked away without sparing him a nce.

    [We were fine some minutes ago so what the hell happened?]

    Kayden gazed at her moving back. He was lost at what to do especially since he was sure he didn''t do anything to upset her.

    Joanna frowned upon turning around to see that Kayden was still at the spot she left him.

    "What are you waiting for?... Let''s go," She waved at him from where she stood.

    "I aming," He replied and almost immediately he appeared beside her.

    Despite his efforts to get her to look or talk to him as freely as she always does, his efforts failed.

    At the river, Joanna took her position on the steep grass. She turned her back on him before he even started taking off his clothes.

    Her actions made Kayden restless.

    The first andst time she ignored him was because she was upset. He couldn''t help but wonder what he did wrong this time around.

    [Does this perhaps have something to do with not following her and her little man to the amusement park?]

    Kayden wondered, his gaze glued on her back.

 Chapter 439 Unholy Thoughts

    ?He took off his clothes with his eyes still on her.

    He reluctantly walked into the water when she wouldn''t spare him a nce.

    While he was inside the water, his eyes didn''t move from the body of thedy who had refused to give him any attention.

    As she stood there, her sensitive ears picked up every movement and sound that he made. Even his steady breath became a problem for thedy who was trying her best to control herself.

    If Only Kayden knew the reason she behaved the way she did, he wouldn''t have been so worried.

    Instead, he would have been grinning from ear to ear to know how affected the mere whiff of his body fragrance made Joanna.

    [What can I do to drive these unholy thoughts off my mind?]

    Joanna bit her lower lips as she tried not to entertain the naughty thoughts upying her innocent mind.

    [Joanna Anderson, control yourself or else you are gonna do something you both will regret... Don''t forget he said he is willing to wait until you are ready]

    Joanna scolded herself. She bit her lower lips harder than she did earlier and clenched her fists.

    She mustered up all the willpower in her just to resist the temptation to jump into the river and swim to meet him where he was.

    A scene of her kissing Kayden intensely inside the water yed in her head forcing her to close her eyes.

    "Self-control, Anna," Joanna muttered under her breath.

    [Joanna, think of something to do to get your mind off these crazy imaginations?]

    Joanna quickly thought of what to use as a distraction to get her mind off her current predicament.

    "So does that mean after tonight you will be busy and might not have time to spend with me?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    Her question left the already confused Kayden even more confused than he was.

    "What do you mean?" He asked and stood up so that his upper body was no longer soaked in the cold water.

    Joanna licked her lips when she heard the drops of water dripping from his sexy body fall back into the river.

    Sheposed herself when she realised that she was thinking about the same thing she was trying to escape from.

    "You said things gotplicated so I want to know whether you will no longer have time for me," Joanna said with her fist still tightly sped.

    "I know people with your title always prioritize duties over fleeting feelings called love...,"

    "Are you so eager to drive me away by upsetting me or are you testing me?" Kayden interrupted.

    He took slow steps out of the water which had covered his lower body.

    As he walked, the rippling of the water yed at Joanna''s ears. Even though he was still far away from her, she got nervous.

    Her heart pounded hard against her chest and her trembling palms grew sweaty.

    She kept on biting her lower lips and sping her fist but that didn''t calm her down at all.

    As he made his way out of the water, he didn''t utter a word. And the suspense alone was silently killing thedy who was trying not to turn and look at what he was doing.

    He strolled to where she stood dripping wet. Despite being so wet he didn''t have to worry about falling sick since he wasn''t a human.

    Getting to where she stood, he took his position behind her and bent so that his mouth was almost grazing her right ear.

    "Tell me, what exactly did I do wrong to make you want to get rid of me so quickly?" His husky voice which carried so much intensity made Joanna''s body vibrate.

    "Did I upset you in any way?" He asked. His hot breath that caressed her sensitive skin made Joanna grab the right leg of her trouser.

    "T-that....,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "If you are upset about what I said in front of your home earlier...,"

    "I am not so narrow-minded that I would get angry over that?" Joanna, who was hell-bent on avoiding looking in his direction, turned and faced him in a haste.

    When she realised what she did, she tried to turn her back on him but it was toote. He grabbed her shoulders without giving her the chance to escape.

    "Then why do you avoid looking at me if that is the case!" He demanded in a gentle tone.

    "T-that...," Joanna stammered.

    She found it hard to tell him that the reason she had been acting strangely ever since they got to the forest was that she had been imagining doing unholy things with him.

    And because of it, she is almost on the brink of losing her senses.

    "If you are angry I didn''t show up at your little man''s school earlier, I will...,"

    "I am not," Joanna blurted with her gaze focused on the grass underneath her feet.

    At that moment she wished she could escape so she wouldn''t have to keep on torturing herself this way.

    "Look into my eyes and say it because that is the only way I will believe you," He said provocatively.

    Joanna hated to see him upset but at the moment she was in a bid.

    She has been trying so hard to keep her inner demons in control and she was scared they would break loose if she stared at the face of the man responsible for stirring up her entire being.

    "I will...,"

    "I said I am not upset with you," Joanna was forced to lift her head because of his sad tone.

    The instant she got a glimpse of his dripping wet hair, Joanna was immediately hypnotized by the sexiness of the man standing in front of her.

    Her eyes moved from the water dripping from his strands of hair to his natural pink lips. She swallowed a lump as she followed the movement of his sexy lips.

    "Joan, are you alright?" the clueless Kayden asked when he noticed that she was behaving strangely.

    ...

    ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers, so my birthday is just six days away. As of now, I haven''t received any gifts yet from any of my lovely readers.

    So I want to inform you guys that you can start sending me your birthday gifts now.

    If you are wondering what gift to give me then you don''t have to think so much anymore because I am here to help you out.

    Birthday gifts you can give me and expect me to be a hundred per cent happy are;

    1) Buying of privileged chapters

    2) Sending of gifts

    3) Voting with GOLDEN TICKETS

    Also, I will be super happy if a fan was to make a videoption of all my books.

    Now that you know exactly what will make your dearest author ?? happy then keep the giftsing.

    I am expecting bunches of amazing gifts from all of you, please don''t disappoint me ok?

    P.S: If all of you give me surprise birthday gifts then expect to receive a gift from me on that special day also.

 Chapter 440 Who Is There?

    ?He was so concerned about getting her to talk and treat him normally again to notice that his sexy body had charmed his beloved woman.

    "What is the problem....," Joanna''s abrupt touch made Kayden momentarily freeze.

    The words he wanted to say refused to form.

    It was after this he realised why she suddenly stopped talking.

    "You have such a nice body," She muttered as she made her right hand move on his abs.

    He so much loved herpliment and his evil grin showed it. "It''s not today I started having a nice body. I have always possessed such a heavenly body ever since I turned fifteen".

    He was shameless with his reply in the same way she was shameless with herpliments.

    "Also, this is not the first time you are saying it...," He trailed. His smile broadened when he saw how she couldn''t take her eyes off his well-toned body.

    "And I recall saying that this body of mine will solely be yours the very day you be my woman. So this means...," He let his words linger just to get her attention.

    His n to make her raise her head worked since she lifted her head after he paused midway.

    "Go on," Shemanded in a soft tone. Her gaze was so tender that Kayden was tempted to grab and pin her to the ground so he could take his sweet time with her.

    Luckily for her, he wasn''t the kind of man who forces himself on a woman or tonight would have been the day he ate her forbidden fruit.

    "It means that my body became yours since the day you agreed to be my woman. Right now my body is yours to keep or do whatever you want...,"

    "Do you mean you wouldn''t say no even though I said I wanted us to make love right this minute?" Joanna''s question caught Kayden off guard for a minute but he didn''t make it obvious.

    "Why don''t you try and see what my response would be?" His provocative words served their purpose... because she drew closer after hepleted this sentence.

    "You didn''t need to ask?" She smirked as she crashed her lips against his lips she has been craving to have a taste of.

    She wrapped her hands around his body not giving a damn that her clothes would get wet in the process.

    Joanna and Kayden were about to take their kiss to the next level when the crack of a dead branch made them pull away from each other at the same time.

    "Who is there?" Joanna and Kayden chorused with their eyes settled on the area they felt the movement.

    Kayden and Joanna waited. They expected to see the intrudere out of the hiding ce but none showed up.

    "Stop ying the hide and seek game ande out or you will forever regret this day if you...," Kayden paused halfway following what Joanna did.

    The impatientdy didn''t wait for Kayden toplete his words before she summoned the mes from behind both hands.

    She threw the red mes into the sky and the mes floated in the sky in the form of a wishingmp.

    As if that wasn''t enough shock for the day she mixed the red and green mes in her hands.

    She turned the mixed mes into a ball of a small fire that resembled fireflies and let it spread around the bushes.

    She did these spectacr things in seconds.

    With her mes in position, the once-dark forest became bright, especially the area they stood.

    "You always run away each time. Let''s see how far you can run today," Joanna hissed. She tried to walk away but Kayden held her hand.

    "Whoever was there is gone as you can see...,"

    "He might have sessfully blended himself with the darkness but believe me, my S fireflies can lead us to him," Joanna smiled and quickly followed the direction the tiny fireballs went.

    "She is so damn stubborn. How can I make her understand that this is dangerous," Kayden muttered and raced after her.

    Kayden and Joanna followed the fireballs, Joanna named S fireflies hoping that it would lead them to where the intruder was hiding.

    But unfortunately, they didn''t find a trace of anyone except the animals after circling the vast forest.

    The two of them returned to the hut disappointed after their fruitless endeavour.

    "Humans, werewolves and vampires always leave traces and scents but that wasn''t the case with the one who intruded earlier...," Joanna trailed as she gazed at the dressing mirror in front of her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Each time he showed up he always disappeared like a ghost and this makes me wonder what the hell is he...,"

    "Are you trying to say this is not the first time you experienced this?" Kayden questioned as he jumped to his feet. He moved away from the bed to the dressing table where she sat.

    "Yes...," Joanna replied, her gaze focused on his bewildered face.

    Joanna looked away from the mirror. She turned the brown chair so that they were looking at each other face to face.

    "I am the one who has been tailed by some mysterious being so why do you look more astonished than someone who had just seen a ghost?" Joanna demanded.

    "Do you perhaps know who the heck was that?"

    She narrowed her eyes as she waited for his response.

    "Does this....,"

    "I don''t know who that was," He lied. He turned and walked back to the bed. Kayden didn''t realize how suspicious his actions made him appear.

    "I am surprised and angry that someone in my Kingdom had the guts to target my woman and their Queen...,"

    "Haven''t I always been everyone''s target and enemy ever since I was a toddler so what is surprising about being anyone''s target?" Joanna asked.

    She wasn''t convinced by the excuse Kayden gave her and he kinda sensed it.

    "Kay, are you perhaps hiding something from me...,"

    "And what could I possibly be hiding from you?" He asked while avoiding looking at her.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY MARCH ??????

    Hello lovelies, how are you all?

    So back to the business of the day, I just want to inform you guys that our goals are the same as the previous two months.

    As long as we achieved all the goals, I will give a mass release every Sunday. This was my promise and I will keep it to the end so, put on your shoes and let''s work harder this month.

    Apart from the fact that my birthday is this month, I have another good news for you and guess what..... (Drumrolls.....)

    My new book ising!!!

    Yipee!

    And it ising sooner than you expect.

    You are the first people I wanted to inform, so keep your fingers crossed guys because this author here is gonna take you on another roller coaster of emotions.

    The story is lit ??????

    And that is why I will advise that you put on your seatbelt and wait for the release day.

    Your support is my greatest strength so give it all to me and I will make sure you don''t get disappointed.

    I know every single one of you is gonna support my new book and that is why I will say...

    Thank you in advance,

    And I love you ??????

    P.S.: Make sure toment under this chapter so that I will know that you have seen the announcement about my new book.

    I will be sad ?????? and upset if all of you keep quiet on me.

    I am sure you wouldn''t want to hurt your beloved author''s feelings, right?

 Chapter 441 I Won!

    ?Joanna stood up and walked to where he sat. Although he didn''t say anything she could sense how disturbed he was by merely looking at him.

    [He is the type to stayposed even in the face of danger so what the hell is wrong with him... What is he hiding from me?]

    Joanna gazed at him. She forgot that the only one who can make the ever-cool-headed King lose hisposure was none other than her.

    "If you say so then I will believe you," Joanna decided not to pry further since it was obvious she wouldn''t get any answers from him.

    "As you know I have to send you back early before anyone noticed that you are missing so let''s sleep now...,"

    "You want us to go to bed now?" Joanna asked, surprised that Kayden she knew would suggest such a thing.

    Even though they always ended up not doing anything, Kayden always made it a point of duty to tease her before they go to bed whenever they spent the night here.

    "Are you sure of that?".

    He turned and gazed at her face atst. "I need you to grow and develop perfectly. Don''t forget you will need to be in the best health to be able to produce the ten kids we nned on having...,"

    "Ten kids?" Joanna screamed. Her eyes almost fell out of her sockets.

    She slowly brought her hand to her stomach and caressed it gently.

    "When did we agree on that...,"

    "Since the day you agreed to be mine," he blurted shamelessly. He grabbed her and pushed her onto the bed.

    He climbed on top of her and knelt in between her waist.

    "Be aware that this deal is non-negotiable".

    "Ahh...," Joanna was speechless.

    "You can do the ministers and our people a favour by giving them an heir but for me, I want nine princesses that look just like you...,"

    "And what if I say no?" She retorted.

    "Hmm...," He trailed off and let his words linger in her ears.

    With his cunningness, he was able to build suspense which made Joanna yearn to know what he wanted to say next.

    "Of course, you can," He expressed.

    Slowly he bent so that his mouth was in between her shoulder and her right ear.

    "That is if you have what it takes to resist my sweet temptations," He whispered and gave a slight bite to her ear causing Joanna''s body to arch with this single act of his.

    An evil crept onto his handsome face when he saw how hard she was trying topose herself and suppress her desires.

    "Hmm... I can see you are good at this but let''s see how far you can go," He muttered grinning.

    "If you seed in not getting wet or moaning then you win but if you do that, you lose. And you losing means our first child will be a cute little princess who looks just like you...,"

    "I want a...," He sealed her mouth in the sexiest way he knew how to.

    He kissed her and tried to pry his warm tongue into her mouth but thedy lying beneath him refused to give him ess.

    [She would no longer have been the stubborn Joan I know if she had given me ess easily]

    Kayden smirked.

    Because she refused to let him in, he abandoned her lips and moved to the region he knew was the quickest way to get her to say the unholy words she was resisting uttering.

    He manifested his habit of ripping off her clothes when her shirt served as an obstruction to his ns.

    Joanna wanted toin but she didn''t have the opportunity to.

    He groped her breasts so hard that she opened her mouth to scream in enthusiasm.

    She forced the words back into her throat when she recalled what was at stake here.

    Since she mustn''t scream Joanna clutched the sheets and weed his sweet tortures in this manner.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you sure you are the samedy whose body often heats up if I dare toe close to you?" Kayden quizzed, noticing how well Joanna was enduring his torments.

    He almost thought he had lost his touch when she didn''t groan.

    Kayden was so focused on making her moan that he forgot getting her wet also was part of the option.

    He would have realised he won if he had checked her panties to confirm her wetness.

    When he saw that groping her breast didn''t do the work he decided to go much further into their little game.

    Joanna almost lost her senses when Kayden bent and bit her right nipple only to ease the pain with the most sensational sucking she has ever had.

    She let go of the sheets and grabbed his hair instead when she felt that holding the sheets wasn''t much of a help to her situation.

    Kayden smirked devilishly seeing that he had gotten her exactly where he wanted.

    As he fondled her left breast he sucked the sweet nectar out of the other one sending Joanna wild.

    The stubborndy could no longer endure the torture anymore and let out the groan she has been holding back for five minutes.

    "Aahhh... fuck," Joanna cursed as she grabbed his hair harder.

    Kayden pulled away almost immediately after she said the unholy words he had been yearning to hear.

    "I won!" He shouted triumphantly. He tried to climb out of bed but Joanna grabbed him by the shirt and drew him back to his previous position.

    "And where do you think you are going?" She demanded, her passionate eyes locked on his.

    "The game has ended so...,"

    "Who said that?" She retorted without releasing his shirt.

    "Aahhh...," Kayden''s mouth dropped open in shock.

    "It hurts like hell down there," She confessed, her hand pointing at her lower region.

    "I won''t let you go if you don''t ease my pains because this is your fault...,"

    "But....,"

    "I am not asking you to make love to me," She cut in, noticing his hesitant look.

    "Maybe you haven''t seen a woman raping a man before but believe me, you will get to witness it tonight if you don''t do like I say," Joanna threatened fiercely as she clutched his shirt harder.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, it''s just a few hours to my birthday and I informed you about it beforehand, so why is it that none of you had send me gifts ormented?

    Did I do something wrong?

    I kept asking myself this question these past few days but I haven''t been able toe up with an answer.

    Your silence is scaring me so will you please say something?

    Also, my birthday is 18th March. A fact some of you who are my old readers are aware of.

    I will be heartbroken and upset if this continues so to anyone who is reading this, it''s time for you to stop being quiet.

    And don''t forget to wish me. It''s your dearest author''s birthday after all, am I correct?

    One more thing, don''t forget about the deal we made. A few hours are remaining so that means our deal still stands.

    Keep the gifts,ments and GOLDEN TICKETS flooding in. Also support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Thank you in advance.

    And I love you ??????.

 Chapter 442 He Eased Her Pains

    ?Kayden stared at her in shock. For three minutes he didn''t know what to do.

    "Since you don''t want us to have sex then how do you want me to ease your pains?" He asked the question she wanted to hear atst.

    "y with my entrance with your cock and I am sure I will feel better...,"

    "You know that is dangerous, Joan," He interrupted without waiting for her to speak further.

    "But...,"

    "That is as good as us having sex and if we end up not able to control our desires we might really make love tonight. I can''t take that risk as long as it''s you...,"

    "Then are you saying you would have done it if it was another woman who asked this of you?" Joanna questioned.

    "You know that is not what I mean...,"

    "I know so just do like I said. I am on the brink of losing my senses. Believe me, I might end up raping you like I said if you refuse to do as I want," the helpless Joanna pleaded with her eyes.

    "Since you have given me your word that you won''t have sex with me until I am ready then I believe you. I trust you so much to know that you won''t go back on your words....,"

    "How can you trust me when I don''t even trust myself on this?" Kayden expressed his frustration.

    With a little bit of coaxing and making promises, Joanna was able to get him to agree to what she wanted.

    After he took off her clothes and panties Kayden took his position ready to satisfy his woman''s desires.

    "When I begin you are not allowed to get too carried away and neither must you move your body to avoid pration...,"

    "That is your third time saying that and my answer is still the same. Come on and do it. Don''t force me to pin you down and do it myself," Joanna was still able to joke around even at this hellish moment for her.

    If he had another choice he wouldn''t have agreed to this but since he saw that she was genuinely suffering he obliged to help her ease the pain.

    As he teases her entrance with his tips Joanna who looked like she was intoxicated let out pleasurable groans but in a low tone.

    Although he was just ying with her entrance Joanna felt as if they were doing the real stuff.

    "I have told you not to move frantically so why won''t you listen?" Kayden who had almost prated her because of her movements scolded.

    "You are gonna regret it if we end up doing it for real...,"

    "As long as it''s you, I know with all certainty that I would never regret anything I do with you," Joanna asserted.

    She felt much better and as such could open her eyes and look into his passionate eyes.

    "Also, why do you always say that I would regret having sex with you?... Is it that you doubt my feelings or...,"

    "As I told you before, I would never doubt your feelings because I know without a doubt that you love me a lot," He replied firmly.

    He stopped what he was doing andid down beside her.

    "I know you feel a lot better so go into the bathroom and cleaned that off your vagina...,"

    "Is that necessary?" Joanna cut in sharply. "Besides, I want to cuddle you more like this for a while longer. I don''t have the strength to stand up," She said and wrapped her hand around his nude upper body.

    Kayden struggled and sat up but he didn''t brush her hands off his body. He stared at thedy who hadn''t shown any sign of standing up.

    "I know you believe that this is no big deal but let me tell you that a little of a drop of my cum is enough to get you pregnant if it transfers into your womb. So stop being naughty and do like I said," He said and ruffled her hair with his right hand.

    "As much as I want you to give birth to a little princess who looks like you, I don''t want her toe this way...,"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "And who said our first child will be a princess?" Joanna frowned.

    "You lost the game so naturally...,"

    "I never agreed to that so this means that the result is invalid," Joanna responded shamelessly.

    "You...," Kayden pointed his finger at her smiling face.

    "I know you tried your best but I ended up winning in the end. I am aware it must hurt a lot to see your dream crumble...,"

    "Stop that, Joan," Kayden eximed as he stared at Joanna''s grinning face.

    "You were so happy that you won but unfortunately...,"

    "Let''s see whether you will have the effrontery to tease me when I do this," Kayden said.

    Before Joanna could fathom what he was up to, he climbed on top of her, trapped her with his legs and started tickling her.

    "S-stop.....," Joanna cried out but Kayden refused to stop.

    As they act lovey-dovey, theirughter echoed in the room and circted in the dense forest.

    Some minutester Joanna went to the bathroom to clean herself up.

    As she was in the bathroom Kayden was in deep thought. He had managed to deceive her and make sure she didn''t suspect anything but at the end of the day, the only person he cannot deceive is himself.

    No matter how hard he pretended that he was fine, deep down he knew he was not close to being alright.

    [If what Joan said is true does this mean that she has be the target of the mysterious men the humans sent to our Kingdom...]

    Kayden clenched the sheets. The thought of any harming to Joanna made his blood boil in rage.

    [If that turns out to be the case that means I will have to consider Kyle''s suggestion if I want to keep her safe]

    Kayden clenched his fists. He had looked forward to the remaining days he had to spend with her freely but now it has just been ruined.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 443 The Troubled Kayden

    Never had he imagined that something or someone would force him to cut his vacation short.

    Merely thinking about calling off his vacation before the deadline kills him from within.

    If it was up to him, he would have mobilized his men to guard Joanna but doing that would attract people''s attention.

    It might also cause panic in the minds of his people. The biggest reason that made him give up on this thought was the fact that Joanna would detest the idea.

    Judging from her temper she wouldn''t mind bundling him to the pce if she learns that he might be in danger.

    Joanna returned from the bathroom and met the once happy Kayden in deep thought.

    She was stunned to see that a guy like him who was always on alert didn''t sense her presence.

    "Is there a problem?" She asked and strolled to join him on the bed.

    On the bed, shey on the inner part of the bed where he provided a space for her.

    She wrapped her hand around his body and rested her chin on his chest.

    "You know you can always tell me if there is a problem...,"

    "There is no problem," He beamed at her. " I was thinking about how I will keep my woman happy in these remaining days...,"

    "I am satisfied having you by my side so there is no need to stress yourself thinking about how to keep me happy...," Joanna gave him her sweetest smile.

    "Because happiness is when I have my Kayden with me," She embraced him tighter.

    "So are you trying to say you are not happy when Amos is by your side huh?" Kayden asked, pretending to be angry.

    "Aren''t you and him the same people?" Joanna chuckled upon seeing his pouty lips.

    Joanna and Kayden talked for another twenty minutes before they fell asleep.

    Kayden who has always yearned to embrace Joanna to sleep during the days Anthony was around finally got his chance tonight.

    Having her in his arms he was able to get a peaceful sleep.

    But unfortunately, he had to cut his peaceful sleep short when the time reached for him to send Joanna home.

    "Joan, please wake up," He said and gave a gentle tap to her right hand. "It''s time for me to send you home".

    When he saw her change positions he grabbed the ck shirt he had kept on the chair.

    He slid the shirt into his body and kept his attention settled on thedy whose eyes had just fluttered open.

    Joanna rubbed her eyes to chase the sleep away. With her eyes partially closed she reached out her hand to pick up her phone from the side table where she kept it.

    "Your hair is a bit messy, you will need to straighten it a bit before we leave," he said to thedy who was straining her eyes to look at her phone screen.

    "Isn''t it too early?" Joanna frowned and dropped her phone beside her. "Besides it is still dark outside, can''t we sleep a little more...,"

    "We are gonna run into a lot of people if we leaveter than this...,"

    "And since when did the shameless and fearless Kayden I know to start caring about such trivia...,"

    "Of course, I don''t but I have to care about my woman''s reputation shouldn''t I?" Kayden asked as he tried to button up his shirt.

    "Let me help you with that," She said and sluggishly stood up from bed.

    She trod towards where he stood with his back facing the dressing mirror.

    "So what does my reputation have to do with what we discussed?" She asked and started buttoning up his shirt.

    "Rumours will start circting if people see me drop you off at home so early. They will say you are two-timing the King. None in their wildest dreams would guess that the same guy that dropped you off is the King you are two timing....," Kayden expressed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He resisted the urge tough.

    "Although merely thinking about such headlines makes me wannaugh, I don''t want you to through such troubles...,"

    "You are so silly," Joanna joked and hit his chest slightly.

    Though he made a joke about it Joanna was so pleased to know that she was the first thing he considered.

    This was not the first time he had put her well-being first but she was still thrilled to hear this.

    After she helped button his shirt Joanna arranged her clothes and made sure nothing about her looks gave away what transpired between her and Kaydenst night.

    When he was done putting on his disguise Joanna and Amos made their way out of the forest.

    As they walked into the forest, all they thought about was the intruder that ruined their sweet moments.

    [I swear I will skin whoever keeps pulling this prank on me when I get a hold of him]

    Joanna vouch as she turned and looked behind her.

    Inside the car, Joanna leaned her head on Amos'' shoulder while he drove. She clung to him as if he was gonna run away if she let go.

    At the front of her home Joanna, who was unsatisfied at how soon the night ended, reluctantly let go of Amos'' hand after she had flirted with him for a few minutes.

    "See you againter," Joanna mumbled and waved at his car. She only entered the gate after she saw him leave.

    Entering thepound Joanna felt a deadly re focused on her. When she raised her gaze and peered at the porch where she felt the staresing from she was surprised to see that none was around.

    [I almost believed that someone in the household was watching me. I am d to see that none was there. At least I will be saved from all the early morning dramas]

    Joanna smiled and made her way towards the entrance.

    Joanna was dumbfounded when she entered the sitting room and met her father sitting at the exact spot she left him the previous night.

    The only difference fromst night was that there were more empty bottles of whiskey on the table.

    "S-sir....," Joanna stammered. She slowly walked to stand in front of the centre table.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, it''s just a few hours to my birthday and I informed you about it beforehand, so why is it that none of you had send me gifts ormented?

    Did I do something wrong?

    I kept asking myself this question these past few days but I haven''t been able toe up with an answer.

    Your silence is scaring me so will you please say something?

    Also, my birthday is 18th March. A fact some of you who are my old readers are aware of.

    I will be heartbroken and upset if this continues so to anyone who is reading this, it''s time for you to stop being quiet.

    And don''t forget to wish me. It''s your dearest author''s birthday after all, am I correct?

    One more thing, don''t forget about the deal we made. A few hours are remaining so that means our deal still stands.

    Keep the gifts,ments and GOLDEN TICKETS flooding in. Also support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Thank you in advance.

    And I love you ??????.

 Chapter 444 He Grabbed Joannas Neck

    "W-what are you still doing here?" Joanna felt like pping her mouth on noticing that she was still stuttering.

    The man shifted his gaze from the bottle of whiskey to the face of thedy standing in front of me.

    "So how was the cat that made you unable to sleep? Did you manage to catch it after chasing it for a whole night?" Mr Anderson asked, his cold stares centred on Joanna''s face.

    Joanna stared at the man not knowing what to make out of his question.

    [Does this mean he thinks I was out there chasing a cat.... but how is that even possible....]

    "Why aren''t you answering?" He demanded.

    When she couldn''te up with a reason her father would ask her such a question Joanna decided to y along.

    "The cat was surely a stubborn one," Joanna started. "I spent almost an entire night trying to keep it under control," The way she confidently said those words would make so many people believe it to be true.

    "I am exhausted after spending the entire night chasing it about...,"

    "How dare you lie to me, Joanna Anderson?" Mr Anderson shouted. His voice vibrated in the vast mansion as he pointed his index finger at thedy standing in front of her.

    "What do you mean by I am lying...,"

    "I saw him dropping you off so there is no need to go on lying because your lies have been uncovered," He retorted, his deadly res not moving from her body.

    A deadly silence engulfed the room after Mr Anderson''s outburst.

    "I don''t know whatever you have with him and I don''t care to know....," Mr Anderson let his words linger. The angry man stretched his hand and picked up the ss of whiskey from the table and brought it close to his lips.

    "Starting from today you are not gonna see him again or have anything to do with him. In fact, you will cut off all contact with him...,"

    "And why the hell should I do that?" Joanna snapped with her head held high.

    "Because you asked me to do it?".

    Joanna''s words and attitude left Mr Anderson speechless. He turned and looked behind him hoping that there was someone there.

    Unfortunately, he didn''t see anyone in sight.

    "Were you talking to me?" Mr Anderson asked still in disbelief.

    "Amos makes me happy so why should I leave him just because you asked me to do that...,"

    "How dare you talk to your father in that manner?" Mr Anderson roared. He threw thess at her but Joanna didn''t dodge despite that she could have done that.

    Joanna gazed at her stained trouser and slowly diverted her focus to her fuming father''s face.

    "Apart from the fact that he loves me and makes me happy, I am also in love with him and nothing anyone does or says will make me change my mind about him," Joanna asserted.

    The girl who never dared to look him in the eye and talk to him in the past was the same one challenging him while staring into his eyeballs.

    Mr Anderson had trouble getting over the shock although he didn''t make it obvious.

    "You can as well break my legs, hit me or....,"

    "You are gonna do as I said and that is final," he said with a tone of finality.

    If only he knew that his authoritative tone won''t work on Joanna he would have saved himself from the stress of talking.

    "All you have ever done was to loan my mother a bit of your sperm, watch me suffer from birth until this moment. Apart from giving a roof over my head, you have never performed the duty of a parent so why on Earth should I abandon my happiness for your sake?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Joanna let out the words which she dared not say in the past.

    Her response stunned Mr Anderson. For a minute he couldn''t say anything.

    Was this because he knew she was telling the truth or was there another reason he was speechless?

    "And what do you know about love huh?" Mr Anderson hissed. He refused to be defeated by her no matter what.

    He stood up and strolled towards Joanna.

    "He will profess heaven and Earth to you now. He will act as if he can''t live without you but he is only gonna trap you with these words. He is gonna end up ruining your life...,"

    "In the same manner, you ruin my mother''s life right?" Joanna blurted.

    Mr Anderson''s feet lost strength at the mention of Joanna''s mother. He tried topose himself but unfortunately, he couldn''t control his widened eyes.

    "In the past, I always thought that you hated me because my mother seduced you and almost ruined your marriage but that changed when I knew the entire truth," Joanna said. She walked two steps away and turned her back on him.

    "You are the one who couldn''t control yourself and ended up seducing her and getting her pregnant so how did the story get twisted?" Joanna interrogated. She spun and shot him a murderous re.

    "How did my mother be a mistress, a homewrecker and a slut when you were the one at fault from the beginning?" Joanna poured out her heart to him for the first time.

    "Why did you treat me as an eyesore, unwanted garbage and a bastard when it was because of your infidelity that I came into existence in the first ce...,"

    "Shut the hell up," Mr Anderson ordered sternly.

    "I want to know why you have detested me so much all these years when I am nothing but a victim of your lust for my mother?" Joanna ignored Mr Anderson''s orders and pressed for answers.

    Maybe, just maybe she would hate him less if he gave her at least one valid reason why he loathes her.

    Just then Mr Anderson''s bedroom flew open. The person who came out of the room started making her way to the stairs.

    Joanna didn''t need to see the person''s face to know who the person was.

    "Does my stepmother even know the truth that I and my mother were victims? And that you are the one who seduced my....," Mr Anderson appeared in front of her and grabbed her neck.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 445 Joanna Left Her Father Dumbfounded

    He choked the words back into her throat not letting her expose him in front of his wife.

    "I just said shut the hell up Joanna Anderson. Don''t make me do something we''ll both regret," He muttered.

    His bloodshot eyes focused on the face of thedy who was giggling instead of begging for mercy.

    "Honey, what do you think you are doing?" From where she stood at the top of the stairs, Adhara shouted the instant she saw Mr Anderson choking Joanna.

    She disappeared and resurfaced beside where her husband stood.

    "Let go already," Adharamanded and pulled Mr Anderson away from Joanna.

    "Are you alright...,"

    "Save your hypocrisy to yourself, stepmother because I don''t need it," the angry Joanna shoved Adhara''s hand away before it could touch her neck.

    She tilted her head and peered at her father''s face after she had put Adhara in her rightful ce.

    "A man who would not hesitate to strangle his daughter to death just to save his skin doesn''t deserve to be called a father by such a child," Joanna muttered, her fist sped.

    "If you are looking for a daughter to do every of your biddingshe is lying just upstairs and is not far away....," Joanna trailed off and chuckled while holding her bruised neck.

    "Because you are so wrong if you think I will dance to every one of your tones. That is not even possible. If you want me to treat you in the same way she does then I will suggest that you try being a better father in your next life....,"

    "Hey, how could you speak to your father like that...,"

    "I wasn''t talking to you so mind your business except you want to lose the ability to speak for a month," Joanna threatened and stomped away from the sitting room.

    "What demon has possessed her?" The dumbfounded Mr Anderson asked, his eyes still settled on Joanna''s moving back.

    "Do we need to bring her to see a psychiatrist or an exorcist for an exorcism?" He mumbled.

    "That is not a bad option so calm down a bit hmm," Adhara coaxed. She held his hand and led him to the couch.

    After she sat him down she squatted beside him and gazed at his face.

    "I waited for you to return until I ended up falling asleep on the couch so do you mind telling me why you didn''te up to our room?" Adhara asked in a soft tone.

    "Is there a problem at the office...,"

    "Yes, we might have lost investors who were ready to invest billions of dors in ourpany but I am more worried about what our home is turning into than the problems at the office," Mr Anderson expressed.

    Adhara raised an eyebrow, confused at what her husband was trying to convey. She stood up and sat beside him.

    "What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

    He turned and sat in a way that he was gazing at Adhara''s face.

    "Our family was a harmonious one. Danger was always far away from us in the past but recently things have been happening that are making me worried about what on Earth is going on," Mr Anderson expressed.

    "It first started with Joanna''s presume death, then her ghost and near rape incident...," He trailed and look away from her face.

    "That is not all but our porch got blown up by some unknown people the police can''t find until today. Laura became the subject of ridicule after the incident in the taxi. The three of you got hospitalized for three days but after so many tests were carried the cause of the poisoning was not found. And just yesterday, Tony almost died because of....,"

    "What do you mean by Tony almost got killed yesterday?" Adhara jumped to her feet.

    Adhara waited for Mr Anderson''s reply but the man didn''t say a word to her.

    "Stop keeping quiet and tell me what exactly happened," Adhara''s desperation showed in her voice.

    "Anderson!" Adhara called him by his name when he continued to keep quiet about her.

    Mr Anderson could no longer maintain his silence when his anxious wife kept pressing for answers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He ryed what happened to Anthony in front of his school to Adhara with video clips to prove his words.

    "If not that Joanna came to his rescue, our boy would have been lying in the mortuary now," Mr Anderson muttered, his fists sped.

    "Has the police caught the one responsible for this?" Adhara questioned.

    "Investigations have been conducted but no one knows how the mysterious car moved on its own," Mr Anderson replied.

    Nothing pained him more than the fact that the one who almost killed his only beloved son was not caught.

    He would have rained hell and brimstone on such souls if he knew who it was.

    Adhara looked in the direction of Joanna''s room when she thought about what her husband said.

    [Although I hated to admit it, I knew without a doubt that my son will always be safe with her. I owe her this one and I will make sure I repay her in the future]

    Adhara looked away.

    This would have been the perfect opportunity for Joanna to get rid of the only heir to the family.

    But Joanna looked beyond the years of hatred she had shown her and saved her only son. She couldn''t be more grateful and indebted to her.

    As Adhara and her husband returned to sleep, she felt so sentimental that she couldn''t bring herself to fall asleep.

    Because she couldn''t fall asleep, she went downstairs early and oversaw that the house was cleaned.

    Afterwards, she instructed the chef on what to prepare for breakfast. And she watched thedy as she cooked.

    For the first time in a long while Adhara oversaw that everywhere was cleaned and that breakfast was prepared before everyone woke up.

    Thest person toe downstairs after everyone was asked toe to the dining room was Joanna.

    About ten minutes after everyone was in the dining, Joanna came downstairs. She made her way towards the exit.

    "Where are you going? Weren''t you informed that breakfast is ready?" ady''s familiar voice made Joanna halt.

    ...

    ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers, so my birthday is just six days away. As of now, I haven''t received any gifts yet from any of my lovely readers.

    So I want to inform you guys that you can start sending me your birthday gifts now.

    If you are wondering what gift to give me then you don''t have to think so much anymore because I am here to help you out.

    Birthday gifts you can give me and expect me to be a hundred per cent happy are;

    1) Buying of privileged chapters

    2) Sending of gifts

    3) Voting with GOLDEN TICKETS

    Also, I will be super happy if a fan was to make a videoption of all my books.

    Now that you know exactly what will make your dearest author ??''¡¥ happy then keep the giftsing.

    I am expecting bunches of amazing gifts from all of you, please don''t disappoint me ok?

    P.S: If all of you give me surprise birthday gifts then expect to receive a gift from me on that special day also.

 Chapter 446 Why?

    Slowly she turned and looked at where the voice wasing from.

    Joanna looked to her right and then to her left thinking that maybe her stepmother was addressing someone else.

    She returned her gaze to thedy standing some distance away when she didn''t see anyone close by.

    "Are you perhaps talking to me?" Joanna pointed her index finger at herself. Her widened eyes made her thoughts very obvious.

    "Yes, of course, or do you see anyone around?" Adhara replied in a soft tone. She walked closer to where Joanna stood.

    The gentleness in her tone coupled with how nice she acted made Joanna find the woman strange.

    "I have spared a chair for you at the dining soe join us for breakfast," Adhara smiled at Joanna for the first time in her eighteenth year of existence.

    "Did you take drugs so early in the morning or is this your scheme to take revenge on me for poisoning all of you?" Joanna asked, her fierce res settled on Adhara''s face.

    "If that is your n then let me tell you that it won''t work. I am not that gullible to fall into the schemes of the enemy...,"

    "But I am not scheming anything so what are you talking about?" Adhara tried to plead her innocence but Joanna didn''t believe her.

    "I am not a fool like you think so quit with the pretence," Joanna retorted.

    "Also, shouldn''t you put your husband''s feelings into consideration while scheming against me?" Joanna quizzed.

    "After what happened earlier I bet he wouldn''t want to see me so why would you risk getting him furious just to deal with me; a n that would never seed?".

    [I just wanted to thank her for saving Tony with a proper meal since I hate feeling indebted to her but she misunderstood. I guess her worries are justified judging from how badly I treated her all these years]

    Adhara was at a loss for words to say to prove her innocence so she just remained quiet as Joanna talked.

    Joanna turned to leave after she had given Adhara a piece of her mind. She didn''t move a step away when she spun and gazed at Adhara.

    "I am sure little rice ball will throw tantrums if he discovers that I had left without bidding him goodbye so please kindly ry my greetings to him ok," Joanna said and turned to leave.

    She swivelled and shot the woman a stern re when she felt a hand grab her.

    "Are you unhappy with my request?" Joanna asked. "If that is the case then forget I ever said anything...,"

    "Take this as your allowance money," Adhara muttered and shovelled some dor notes into Joanna''s palms.

    At first, Joanna thought she was dreaming or imagining things until it dawned on her that this was a reality.

    Joanna shook Adhara''s hands off causing the notes to fall off her hand.

    "Why?" Joanna asked. "Did you go as far as poisoning the notes in case your n to poison me with food didn''t work...,"

    "T-that is not true," Adhara shook her head negatively.

    "If that is not the case then tell me, are you terminally ill or did you get struck by lightning in your sleep?" Joanna snapped.

    "Tell me which of these is true because I heard people don''t change easily except they are dying...,"

    "Joanna...,"

    "If you don''t want me to keep disrespecting or suspecting you then act as you have always done and stop giving me the chills," Joanna hissed and stomped out of the house.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Our hatred sure runs deep. I guess it was just my wishful thinking that she will ept my kindness," Adhara muttered, her gaze glued on the door Joanna walked out of not long ago.

    "I kept wondering why you prepared breakfast and didn''t join us at the dining so this was the reason. And here I thought you didn''t feel fine," Ady''s resentful voice made Adhara tilt her head to look behind her.

    Laura came out from where she was hiding and strolled towards Adhara.

    "When she poisoned us the first time and you vouched to put an end to her life, I believed you. And when she almost exploded us with the strange fire and you promised to make her pay, I trusted your words but what did you do huh?" Laura spoke bitterly, her right hand clutching her chest.

    "A few days to the happiest day of my life, my birthday, I became the biggestughing stock of the century and all because of her and here you are kissing up to that bitch...,"

    "Laura...,"

    "You are my mother and grandmother is your mother. If not for yourself, shouldn''t you take revenge on her for messing with those you love?" Laura poured out her heart to her mother.

    "Are you so scared of her that you would resort to doing everything to make her happy...,"

    "Laura, hear me out," Adhara pleaded. She reached out and held Laura''s hand but the angry girl pushed her hand away.

    "I have always known my mother to be a heartless woman who knows what she wants at all times. I expected a lot from you but you have let me down," Laura expressed emotionally.

    "If someone had told me that you would one day love your stepdaughter and choose her over me, I wouldn''t have hesitated to rip that person''s mouth apart....,"

    "How could I ever love the daughter of the woman who almost ruined everything I worked hard for over the years?" Adhara retorted.

    She raised her hands and grabbed Laura''s shoulders.

    ? "You are the apple of my eye. My one and only princess, so how could I ever bring myself to choose the daughter of the woman who made me theughingstock of the entire Kingdom over you?" Adhara quizzed, her eyeballs locked with Laura''s.

    "Our hatred runs deeper than you think Laura. In fact, we are irreconcble so how could I ever love her huh?" Adhara gave a gentle squeeze to Laura''s shoulders.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 447 She Decided To Move Out

    "Also, who says you won''t be celebrating your birthday as nned...,"

    "But the video of me ruining the taxi has gone viral. Everyone gives me disgusting stares whenever I pass by. I won''t...,"

    "With the grand celebration your father and I have put in ce, I promise you that everyone will forget about what happened. Your birthday will be the talk of the town so don''t be discouraged...,"

    "Are you sure this will work?" Laura quizzed. She wasn''t convinced by her mother''s suggestion.

    "My friends and everyone might make a mockery of me. I think we should just cancel this year''s celebration...,"

    "Have you forgotten whose daughter and princess you are huh?" Adhara muttered.

    "Because of our connection with the royal family, we didn''t have difficulty renting the biggest hall in the Kingdom for your birthday celebration. Royal Pce Hotel is a ce where the Noble of the noblest host parties so...," Adhara let go of Laura''s shoulders.

    She held her chin and made her raise her head.

    "Don''t ever lower your head under any circumstances. Even when you are wrong or despised, always hold your head and shoulders high and the haters won''t have a choice but to respect you hmm," Adhara advised.

    She smiled at Laura sweetly.

    At the gate what Laura and Adhara didn''t know was that Joanna was listening to their conversation from where she stood waiting for her ride in front of the gate.

    "That is so much like the stepmother I knew. She is wicked to the core and will never change overnight," Joanna smirked.

    Her smile broadened after she sensed a familiar scent from afar.

    "He is here and is always punctual. I particrly loved this about him," She mumbled as she gazed at where the car wasing from.

    Today Joanna only had one lecture and it was in the afternoon but she left earlier because she felt suffocated staying at home; a home where she was weed by none except her brother.

    She has grown up in an environment where she was never loved or wanted. She should be used to this but after getting a taste of how it feels to be loved immensely she has grown to detest being in a toxic environment for a long time.

    In a cool environment surrounded by fields and sweet scenting flowers of all kinds, Amos sat on a ck bench beside thedy whose head rested against his right shoulder.

    "I am of the legal age to do whatever I want. I believe it''s time I save enough money to move out of that hellhole called a home," Joanna muttered, her hands clutching Amos'' right hand.

    Amos tilted his head so that he was gazing at her face, "Have you decided to move out of your father''s house?" He asked in astonishment.

    Honestly, even though she had wanted to move out of her parent''s home when she hadn''t attained the legal age, he would have made it possible.

    He had the power and all the resources to make that possible. He can still recall suggesting that in the past but sheughed it off thinking it was a joke.

    For a long time, he has been waiting for her to say these words but never had she done that. She had chosen to swallow everything thrown her way.

    Although seeing her maltreated broke his heart, he didn''t want to force her into something she didn''t want.

    He chose to respect her decision because he believed that was her right. A right that none including himself could take away from her.

    No matter how bad it was, this concerned her family after all and no outsider had the right to meddle.

    And this was why he had patiently waited for her eighteenth birthday so that he could rightfully deliver her from that hell by marrying and making her his Queen.

    "Hmmm...," She replied with a nod of the head.

    "If you want to move then why worry when you have the most powerful man in the Kingdom ad your ....,"

    "I know getting me the best house in the Kingdom is a piece of cake for you. That is how capable you are. I am aware of that but...," Joanna trailed.

    She removed her head from his shoulders and sat upright. She carefully turned and looked at him.

    "I want to rent an apartment using the money I earned through my blood and sweat. This will be the first-ever valuable thing I bought with my money...,"

    "But Joan, why go through stress when you can have everything you have ever wanted without lifting a finger...,"

    "I know you meant well but I also hope you will support my decision," Joanna expressed in a soft tone.

    They stared at each other for close to three minutes with neither of them speaking to the other.

    "If that is what you really want then know that you have my support," He finally gave in to what she wanted after he gave much thought to it.

    Joanna drew closer and embraced him tightly, "Thank you," She whispered and pecked him on the cheek.

    Amos smiled as he pats her hair. He was so happy he decided to agree to what she wanted even though he didn''t like her idea.

    "Your ss will be starting soon so let''s leave now so we can get there on time," he said and tried to stand up but Joanna pulled him back onto the ck bench.

    "I don''t want us to leave just yet so can we just skip ss today?" Joanna suggested. Her pitiful expression focused on his face.

    "Besides the course is not a core subject so skipping it won''t affect me in any way...,"

    "As a future Queen, you should lead by example. Truancy is not a trait you should be teaching your people, don''t you think?" Amos asked yfully.

    "Says the King who always jumps the pce walls every night to flirt with a singledy...,"

    "But you are my mate and not just any singledy," Amos puts on his defence.

    Amos squinted his eyebrows when she suddenly jerked to her feet.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 448 A Little Play Gone Bad

    "If you are gonna lead by example does that mean you are gonna marry 4-5 wives like the previous vampire Kings?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    Her abrupt question left Amos flustered. He stared at her wondering where she got such a question from.

    "Seeing how you hesitated I won''t be surprised if such thoughts had ever crossed your mind...," She trailed and walked three steps away from the bench with her back facing him.

    "I mean vampires had always believed that mates are humans and werewolves things. They found spending their immortal life with one woman boring....,"

    "Do you know you deserve to get severely punished for daring to categorize me with those frivolous men huh?" Questioned Amos as he stood up and walked to her.

    "You know that I am telling the truth...,"

    "Of course I know it''s true that vampire Kings before me took pleasure in marrying many wives but how could you suspect me of doing the same thing knowing very well how I feel about you...,"

    "I am sure they also made the same promises to the women they loved just like you are doing...,"

    "I bet they didn''t love the women they imed to do half as I love you and that is why they could do what they did. So how dare youpare me to the likes of them?" Amos retorted.

    He didn''t look the least happy. Anyways how could he be happy when the woman he loves suspects him of going back on his words?

    "I was already of legal age when I became the King and as such the ministers had bugged me to get married ever since then until this very moment....," Amos let his words linger.

    He stared into her eyeballs before he continued. "I didn''t give in to the pressure or bother about their threats. I stood my ground until this moment because I believed no woman on the was worthy of being my Queen except you," He confessed in a soft tone.

    "I believed I had proved my love for you beyond every reasonable doubt in the past five years. But I can see that you don''t believe me at all....,"

    p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§® "Kay...,"

    "What more do you need me to do to make you believe that all the promises I made to you including my love for you are truly like the existence of morning and night?" He asked, his voice clouded with emotions.

    From how he couldn''t hide his painful expression it was crystal clear that her words had hurt him immensely.

    "Do you want me to dig out my heart and show you that my feelings for you are as true as the fact that I need oxygen to survive...,"

    "I...I...," Joanna stuttered, not knowing what to say to ease the pains of the man she saw she had hurt with her words unintentionally.

    "If not that beings like us can''t survive a minute without a heart I wouldn''t have hesitated to dig out my heart right this minute and show it to you...,"

    "I believe you so there is no need to do that," Joanna said. She raised her hands and cupped his sad face.

    "I am aware that there is no man in this world who can love me as much as you do. And believe me when I say I have given my entire heart to you. As such I can never love any man as much as I love you. Not in this lifetime at least," Joanna smiled sweetly at him.

    She stretched a bit and wrapped her hand around his neck.

    "It was never my intention to hurt you so forgive me ok?" Joanna asked, her gaze locked on his.

    She waited for his reply but he uttered no word. Instead of giving her a response, he avoided her stares.

    "You are gonna bete for ss so let''s go," He gently unwrapped her hand from his neck and turned to leave.

    "But you haven''t said you have forgiven me...,"

    "We can talk about thatter," He said and continued walking away.

    Seeing that he wouldn''t halt Joanna thought of what to do to get his attention once again.

    "I won''t attend today''s lecture if you don''t talk to me," Joanna blurted. She smiled when she saw him stop in his tracks immediately.

    He slowly turned and gazed at her face.

    "Kay....,"

    "I have said we will talkter so stop being willful ande let''s go ok," He scolded her sternly.

    Because she didn''t want to get him angrier, Joanna decided to do what he wanted. The journey from there to Campus was a quiet one.

    Despite her efforts to get him to talk to her normally she failed wholly each time.

    The atmosphere around them didn''t get better even in the lecture hall. He didn''t keep his gaze fixed on her face as he always did.

    Because of the awkwardness between the two of them none of them concentrated their attention on the lesson for the day.

    Joanna had hoped to get things resolved after sses but unfortunately, Mr Fin sent someone to get him as soon as the ss ended.

    "I will be at the cafe so you don''t have to worry about me being alone...,"

    "But today was supposed to be your day off right?" Amos cut in.

    "I will just go and help Leah out. I believe Mrs Parker won''t have the heart to chase me out because today is my day off," Joanna forced on a smile.

    There was momentary silence afterwards.

    "I might have to drop by somewhere after I meet with Fin so don''t wait for me if I don''t return early. Instead, wait for me at my apartment...,"

    "Because of Laura''s birthday party which is in three days I will have to sleep over at home for theing days," Joanna cut in a meek tone.

    "Then that means there is a huge possibility we might not see each other after we separate now so let me see you off," Amos offered.

    "You don''t have to keep him waiting...,"

    "As we are talking, his car is parked right outside the campus so you don''t have to worry about that," Amos muttered. He grabbed her hand and led her away.

 Chapter 449 Finley Called Amos To Order

    Outside the campus, the moment for them to separate finally reached. Although they were both reluctant to let go of each other''s hand they had no other choice but to do it.

    Inside the car, Amos sitting in the backseat beside Mr Finley couldn''t take his gaze off thedy whose distance from the car was widening every minute.

    "If you are worried about her we can as well drop her off at her destination. We are not in a rush after all...,"

    "My men are secretly watching her so that won''t be necessary...,"

    "If that''s the case then why do you have that look on your face?" Mr Fin asked, his gaze glued on Amos'' gloomy face.

    "If not that I saw you both holding hands earlier I would have concluded that you are acting this way because you broke up with her," Mr Fin said yfully.

    He had hoped the yful guy would bash him but to his surprise, Amos didn''t scold him as he expected.

    "Let''s go," Amos ordered Mr Fin''s driver who had not spoken a word after he greeted him.

    Because no one other than the two of them should know what their discussion was about, Mr Fin gave his driver the rest of the day off after he dropped them off at their destination.

    As they made their way to where a table and a shade were set up not far away, Mr Fin kept stealing nces at the guy he found unusually quiet at the moment.

    But he didn''t say a word despite his observation. He waited until they had taken their seats under the shade.

    "Kay, have you realised that you have been acting strangely ever since you stepped foot into my car earlier?" Mr Fin asked whose first action after sitting down was to grab the bottle of whiskey ced on the white table.

    "I mean I haven''t reprimanded you yet for the sudden promotion you gave me without asking for my opinion. How am I gonna settle the scores with you if you are this way?" Mr Fin pretended to be petty upset just to get Amos to say something.

    "I indeed asked one of my men to mention your name at the board meeting for the appointment of the new Chancellor but I promise you that I didn''t do more than that," Amos said as he took a sip from the ss of whiskey in his hand.

    "Although the university is owned by the royal family, as you know I haven''t been actively involved in the decision-making of the school. I am sure other board members agreed to your appointment because they know that in the entire school, no one deserves that position more than you do," Amos added absentmindedly.

    Yes, he managed to get him to talk like he wanted but Mr Fin wasn''t still satisfied to see his good friend and King so sad.

    "I know you are not the type to lie. I believe you if you say so," Mr Fin mumbled.

    None of them talked for close to five minutes.

    "Seeing how you are acting I guess you and Miss Joanna must have quarrelled right?" Mr Fin asked. Amos furrowed eyebrows confirmed that his guess was right.

    "When I learned you forbade Kyle from telling her the new development I was worried about how you were gonna return to the pce without giving her a reasonable exnation. But your misunderstanding had made things easier...,"

    "And what do you mean by that?" Amos narrowed his eyebrows as he peered at Mr Fin''s face.

    Mr Fin chose to ignore his cold gaze at that moment knowing very well that he wouldn''t be able to speak his mind if he considered that.

    "Because of your quarrel, you can easily return to the pce without arousing suspicions in her mind...,"

    "Do you think she is stupid?" Amos hissed.

    "Also, I can''t believe you are in support of Kyle''s silly idea. I had thought that you would be on my side even though the others choose not to....,"

    "This is not about taking sides Kayden. It''s your safety. The safety of the King of Twipera Kingdom we are talking about here. You should know this is not child''s y," Mr Fin interrupted fiercely.

    "I know you love her very much and I am not against your love for her or your rtionship but your priority right now should be your safety and nothing else....,"

    "Finley!" Amos called out, his cold gaze settled on Mr Fin''s face.

    "Forgive me for being blunt, Your Majesty but if this is what it takes to make you do the right thing, I don''t mind being the viin," Mr Fin expressed in a serious tone.

    "You of all people should know what will happen to the kingdom if any harmes to you. The humans have been eyeing our Kingdom ever since it was established...," Mr Fin paused to catch his breath.

    "They see us as eyesores; the biggest threats to their existence. Believe me, it will not take them more than 24 hours to evade our nation if you get killed by their men they have snuck into our midst," Mr Fin said the facts they were both aware of.

    He knows the different attacks Kayden has encountered since the beginning of his reign.

    If not that Kayden was a strong man; an overly cautious man maybe he would have lost his life in the first year of his reign during their first attack.

    "I know it pains your heart to do it but this separation won''t be for a long time. Now that you have won her heart, it''s just remaining the royal wedding which I am sure will happen not too long after you return to the pce...,"

    "Actually, Fin, I am more worried about her safety than mine," Amos mumbled. He didn''t sound upset like Mr Fin thought he would.

    "After the incidentst night, I am afraid that she will be their target since they can''t get to me easily".

    "Did something happenst night?" Mr Fin raised an eyebrow as he gazed at Amos'' face.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, it''s just a few hours to my birthday and I informed you about it beforehand, so why is it that none of you had send me gifts ormented?

    Did I do something wrong?

    I kept asking myself this question these past few days but I haven''t been able toe up with an answer.

    Your silence is scaring me so will you please say something?

    Also, my birthday is 18th March. A fact some of you who are my old readers are aware of.

    I will be heartbroken and upset if this continues so to anyone who is reading this, it''s time for you to stop being quiet.

    And don''t forget to wish me. It''s your dearest author''s birthday after all, am I correct?

    One more thing, don''t forget about the deal we made. A few hours are remaining so that means our deal still stands.

    Keep the gifts,ments and GOLDEN TICKETS flooding in. Also support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Thank you in advance.

    And I love you ??????.

 Chapter 450 Mrs Parker Offered To Be Her Confidant

    Seeing the hesitation on his face Mr Fin adjusted the way he sat so all his attention was focused on Amos.

    "There is no need to keep secrets between us. You can tell me all that has happened and I promise I will keep it a secret if it''s something that should be," Mr Fin said.

    He was clear about his stance and didn''t dare to make promises.

    What if he promised to keep it a secret andter found out that things were beyond their control?

    "Say it Kayden," Mr Fin urged him.

    With Mr Fin acting this way Amos had no choice but to ry everything to him.

    He took his time to tell Mr Fin what they encountered including what Joanna said about being tailed.

    "Since she had be their target I can''t go back to the pce but I need to stay and make sure she is safe at all times...,"

    "But your closeness will only endanger her life, won''t it...,"

    "Right now, I doubt the ones targeting her know my identity as the King. I believe they are targeting her to try and lure me out. What they don''t know is that I have always been beside her. And that''s one of our greatest advantages," Amos concluded in a serious tone.

    As Amos and Mr Fin conversed, Mrs Parker paused what she was doing when she got a glimpse of thedy at the door.

    "And what the hell is she doing here instead of spending her day off going on dates with him?" Mrs Parker mumbled.

    She looked outside the transparent ss wall expecting to see Amos outside but to her surprise, he wasn''t there.

    Joanna strolled to the counter. She looked around when she got to the counter as if she was searching for someone.

    "What about Amelia? Did she go out?" Joanna asked after she had greeted Mrs Parker and also addressed Leah.

    "Now that she is certain he is alright she has returned...,"

    "What!" Joanna remarked not being able to hide her shock.

    "If she had ns of going back then howe she didn''t tell me when we met up that night?" Joanna muttered.

    The disappointment on her face didn''t escape Mrs Parker''s notice.

    "The two of you met up alone?... When and how?" Mrs Parker quizzed. "I thought youdies were on bad terms over what happened...,"

    "Since Amelia is gone then I will just assist Leah to serve the customers...,"

    "But today is your day off," Mrs Parker protested.

    "Don''t worry I won''t ask you to pay me for the work I will do today...,"

    "Even at that I can''t let you work," Mrs Parker blurted without beating around the bush.

    "But...,"

    "If you want to sit and rx, that won''t be a problem but letting you work on your day off is non-negotiable...,"

    "I am gonna work for free...,"

    "Nothing you say will make me change my mind so save your breath Joanna and go have a seat over there," Mr Parker rejected her offer once again.

    She pointed at the empty table not far away from the counter.

    "Are you sure you don''t want me to help out....,"

    "Yes, I am so there is no need to give me that look because I won''t change my mind," Mrs Parker didn''t waver no matter the method Joanna chose to make her yield.

    "If that''s the case then I will stay in the locker room...,"

    "But I just say you can have a seat over there...,"

    "Work will be the only thing that upies my mind if I stay inside the main cafe but since you forbid me from working today. It''s only right I stay in the locker room," Joanna faked a smile at her.

    She hurried into the door beside the counter before Mrs Parker could stop her.

    "She and her boyfriend are head over heels for each other and as such, they are always together. Do you think they have a problem, that is why she chose to spend her day off here despite all the ces she could have gone to?" Leah inquired, her attention not moving away from the brown door.

    "He is not the type that would pick a fight with her. I will have to find out what happenedter on," Mrs Parker mumbled.

    She shifted her gaze from the brown door to where a customer was calling for their attention.

    As Mrs Parker oversaw that the cafe was run properly, all her thought was about thedy waiting inside the locker room.

    After about three hours of working Mrs Parker got worried about thedy who hadn''t stepped outside of the locker room for a minute.

    She made up her mind to go check up on what she was doing.

    Inside the locker room, Joanna was going through her phone''s gallery when Mrs Parker entered the medium size room which had five lockers with name tags on them.

    Joanna got rid of her phone when she saw the elderly woman.

    Mrs Parker didn''t speak immediately but she took her time to study Joanna first.

    "Joan, tell me, were you really here to work on your day off or...,"

    "I came because I was hoping to talk to Amelia," Joanna was honest with her reply.

    "Are you and him perhaps having problems? Is that why you wanted to talk to Lia?" Mrs Parker made a wild guess.

    "If my guess is right then you can talk to me. I bet I am in a better position to advise you than that silly girl who hasn''t been in a rtionship all her life," Mrs Parker joked.

    After two minutes of silence, Joanna still didn''t rte to Mrs Parker what was bothering her.

    "If you are worried that I might reveal our conversation here to him then you don''t have to. I promise that your secrets are safe with me," Mrs Parker gave Joanna the assurance she thought she needed.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 451 Mrs Parkers Painful Story

    "Mrs Parker, what do you think makes a woman doubt a man''s love for her even though he has done everything to assure her that he is all hers?" Joanna asked, peering into Mrs Parker''s calm eyeballs.

    "I know he loves me a lot. He has spent five years proving this fact to me so how could I not know how he truly feels?" She mumbled with her lowered gaze centred on the floor.

    "Despite his assurance, you keep thinking why did he choose me when there are over a thousanddies out there who deserve him more than you do?".

    Mrs Parker asked as she caressed the diamond ring around her finger.

    "It will even get to a stage where everything around you scares you. You will doubt everything around you including yours and his feelings," Mrs Parker added in a sad tone.

    "How do you know exactly how I feel?... You talk as if you have experienced the same thing," Joanna made a wild guess not knowing that her guess was urate.

    "Because I have been there before that is why I understand how you feel a hundred per cent," Mrs Parker replied in a meek tone.

    Silence engulfed the locker room after Mrs Parker confirmed Joanna''s suspicions.

    "And were you able to ovee your fears and get rid of your doubts?" Joanna asked seriously.

    "No, and I learned my lesson in the hardest way you can ever imagine...,"

    "Did he leave you for someone else?" Joanna raised an eyebrow, her gaze not shifting from Mrs Parker''s face.

    "No, to prove that my fears were irrelevant he paid the ultimate price with his life," Mrs Parker sniffed to fight back the tears attempting to pour.

    Although she tries not to think about her tragic past, she always ends up recalling those painful days she tried to erase from her memory.

    "What do you mean by he paid the price with his life?" Joanna asked despite already guessing what Mrs Parker''s words meant.

    "Just like you and him, we were so in love with each other. The day we got married was the happiest day of my life. Although we were married, my fears got the best of me. I became paranoid and insecure because of this...," Mrs Parker paused to control her emotions.

    "Mrs Parker, you don''t have to say it if it''s a painful past you don''t want to recall...,"

    "No matter how painful it is I will say it. This is because I don''t want you to ever make the mistake I made back then," Mrs Parker forced on a smile.

    Her painful smile made the once curious Joanna regret prying for answers.

    "On the day of our anniversary, we went out of town to celebrate. It was quite dark when we returned...," Mrs Parker trailed. She walked to the brown wooden box that served as a seat and sat down.

    "We encountered robbers on our way back. I got extremely furious when they started harassing my husband and as a result, a fight broke out. In the process of fighting I didn''t notice that one of the rogues pointed a pistol about to shoot me," Mrs Parker covered her face when she recalled herte husband''s blood that soaked her clothes after the guy fired the gun.

    His blood flowed like a river that day. Despite being so powerful she wasn''t able to save him. And her vampire instinct made the issue worse.

    She loathes herself anytime she recalls that dreadful night.

    "He jumped and stood in front of me the instant the guy in a brown shirt released the bullets. He was aware that as a vampire bullets wouldn''t harm him but he still did it. And this proved how much he loved me...,"

    "Since he was a vampire too bullets wouldn''t have harmed him right...,"

    "He was a human," Mrs Parker announced to Joanna''s astonishment.

    The dumbfoundeddy covered her mouth with her palms to prevent any word froming out.

    "Yes, he proved his undying love for me beyond any reasonable doubt that night; however, it was toote to make amends. He died in my arms that night. And do you know the most painful thing...," Mrs Parker paused to clean the teardrop from her eyes.

    "I was lusting after his blood in hisst moments. Do you think I am so pathetic?" Mrs Parker chuckled.

    It broke Joanna''s heart to see the ever-lively woman so sad.

    She thought her case was bad but through Mrs Parker''s story, she got to realise that her problem was nothing.

    And that others have gone through worst scenarios.

    "I don''t think you are," Joanna replied. She stood up and walked to where Mrs Parker sat.

    "Because you lust after his blood doesn''t mean that you didn''t love him enough neither does it make you pathetic. Also, longing after human blood was how you and your kind were built, it was never your fault," Joanna said meekly.

    She patted Mrs Parker''s right shoulder affectionately.

    Joanna continuedforting Mrs Parker to make sure that the hurtingdy was alright.

    "Actually, I know that Kay loves me very much. What I am scared of is not about his love waxing cold because I know that is not something that will happen anytime soon...,"

    "If you are so sure of his love for you then what is making you doubt him huh?" Mrs Parker who was now feeling a lot better questioned.

    "I am scared that those around us might tear us apart. As you know he is not like any regr guy out there. Before he does anything he needs to weigh the pros and cons. That is what his position entails. His peoplee first...,"

    "And who tells you that huh?" Mrs Parker demanded as she stood up from where she sat.

    "Yes, he loves his people very much but the Kayden I know is not the type to abandon his woman to please the others. He will not hesitate to be the viin when ites to matters concerning you. Take what he did to the Minister''s sons as an example," Mrs Parker exined.

 Chapter 452 Her Bluntness

    "He didn''t think twice about making an enemy of his ministers just to avenge you. Neither did he care about revealing his identity when he trashed the Chancellor who tried to rape you. This is to show you that he would go to any extent to protect you...," Mrs Parker halted and let her words linger in Joanna''s head.

    She raised her hand and ced it on Joanna''s right shoulder.

    "He loves you so give him a chance to show you how much he does. Instead of worrying about others trust him to protect you from unforeseen harm...,"

    "I have already given him a chance and I won''t take that away from him no matter what," Joanna beamed.

    She was finally able to raise her shoulders and head high.

    "And I have told him that I have no fancy things to give him as a token of my love. Instead, I promised him protection so leave the protection part to me. I can do it even with my eyes closed," Joanna beats her chest with confidence written all over her.

    "Hehehe... You are one funny girl, do you know that?" Mrs Parker chuckled.

    "I know you don''t believe me. And must be thinking that I am crazy to say that I would protect a man who has a whole army at his beck and call but that is not a problem. What matters is that I know I am capable of what I say," Joanna''s smile radiates as she hits her chest one more time.

    Talking to Mrs Parker didn''t only resolve Joanna''s problem but it made her more confident about her rtionship with Amos.

    Joanna allowed their air of excitement to die off before she picked up from where she had stopped.

    "Mrs Parker, if a man says he is willing to wait for ady to be ready before he makes love to her, how true is that?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    Mrs Parker who was caught off guard by her bluntness stared at her like she was looking at a stranger.

    "Can I interpret this to mean that he wants me to be the one to make the initiative?" Joanna asked without an ounce of shame.

    Mrs Parker tried to shake off the shock before she decided to respond.

    "It takes a man of great principle, self-control and training to make such a promise to ady; especially thedy he loves," Mrs Parker replied.

    The way Joanna''s curious orbs centred on her face made her feel a bit embarrassed although she didn''t say it.

    "Since you are in love I am sure you must understand how hard it can be not to get those naughty thoughts running through your mind. And that is even worse for the men," Mrs Parker set a perfect example that Joanna would not have a hard time understanding.

    "For a man to make such a promise doesn''t only show how much he loves you but also the level of his respect for you and your feelings...,"

    "And that is a good thing right?" Joanna asked.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® "Of course," Mrs Parker asserted.

    "If that''s the case then I wonder when his promise will expire," Joanna thought aloud when she recalled the times Amos rejected her advances.

    "I am sure there is a good reason he made such a promise so I will advise you to exercise a bit of patience," Mrs Parker smiled at Joanna.

    Thinking that Joanna was done with seeking her advice Mrs Parker turned to leave.

    "Mrs Parker, the thought of getting pregnant scares me. Just a little bit. Do you have a suggestion on how to take care of this fear so I won''t hesitate anytime we want to make love," Joanna was even blunter than she was with her earlier question.

    Mrs Parker had to turn and look at the door to make sure that none was close by.

    "Oh, girl...,"

    "This is thest question," Joanna blurted, assuming Mrs Parker was tired of her questions.

    "At least for today," She added shamelessly.

    "The solution to that fear of yours is quite simple. If you are scared of pregnancy then make use of protection. You are just 18 years after all...,"

    "Why do both of you keep mentioning my age whenever this type of discussion is concerned," Joanna asked.

    She was displeased with Mrs Parker''s reply and the frown on her face made it obvious.

    "They are girls who have sex at age 15, 16,17 and even less than this so what on Earth is wrong with having sex at age 18?" She demanded unhappily.

    "I guess living many years has made me old-fashioned so don''t take my words to heart. Also if you really think that my idea is outdated you can ignore it...,"

    "I wouldn''t do that. Although I am upset, I know you said those things for my sake. Also, indeed, I don''t want to get pregnant any time soon," Joanna confessed.

    "I want to enjoy my man to the fullest before I even think of giving birth," She dered and smiled from ear to ear.

    Mrs Parker couldn''t resist smiling at Joanna''s shameless confession.

    "Even though you don''t believe everything I said tonight then believe me when I said you are the most shameless girl I have ever seen...," Mrs Parker beamed and shook her head.

    "I haven''t seen a girl of your age who is as shameless as you when ites to asking adults about sex and anything rted to it. They have always done that freely with friends but you are different," Mrs Parker said and walked towards the entrance.

    "Can I take that as apliment ande see you next time I have issues?" Joanna asked, her gaze focused on Mrs Parker''s back.

    "You can do that," Mrs Parker waved her right hand in the air without turning to look at Joanna.

    Joanna smiled as she returned to the seat she sat down in earlier. She went through her phone''s gallery again but this time there was a broad smile on her pretty face as she appreciated the memories she and Amos shared.

    She stayed in the locker room for a few more minutes before she remembered something.

    "It has been like forever since my best friend and I sat down and talked so why don''t I give her a surprise today? I am sure she will be damn happy to see me," Joanna giggled.

    She stood up, carried her back and made her way to the main cafe.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 453 The Truth About Audrey

    At the cafe, Joanna took her to stand in front of the counter where Mrs Parker stood.

    "Since you have vehemently forbids me from working today, I will take my leave...,"

    "You...,"

    "Take care. Do call if things get hectic. I have the feeling that I will be free throughout the remainder of today," Joanna beamed before she turned and started walking towards the exit.

    Because Audrey''s home was far away from the cafe, unlike the apartment distance which was trekable Joanna hailed a taxi not far away from the cafe.

    She was almost at Audrey''s home when her cell phone rang. Without wasting a minute she brought out her phone from her handbag and went through her recent inbox.

    Her once expectant expression fell when she saw who the sender of the message was.

    "It has never been in his nature to text me. He always calls instead of texting. I guess he must still be angry at me and that is why he doesn''t want to hear my voice," Joanna said dejectedly.

    She returned the cell phone to her handbag and tried not to think about her current misunderstanding with Amos.

    On getting to the front of Audrey''s home it was already dark and she met Mrs Lopez''s caring out of the house.

    The elderly woman who recognised her at first nce parked her car and wound down the side ss at the driver''s side.

    "Good evening Auntie," Joanna greeted politely.

    "How are you, Joanna? It has been a long time since we saw each other. I hope you have been well?" Mrs Lopez gave Joanna her brightest smile; a smile she hasn''t seen on the woman''s face ever since she forbade Audrey and her from being friends.

    "I am fine Auntie. And I am sorry I haven''t visited. I have been preupied with work and school...,"

    "It''s ok. Just make sure that you and your best friend take out time to visit us. I am afraid I will forget what my daughter''s face looks like if she keeps up this attitude of noting home to visit us," Mrs Lopezined bitterly.

    "But Drey has been staying at home for days now. She even told me that the two of you were going somewhere yesterday so what do you mean by you will forget what her face looks like?" Joanna asked in confusion.

    "Did you just say Audrey has been living at home for a few days now?" Mrs Lopez raised an eyebrow. She didn''t know what to make out of what Joanna just said.

    "Yes," Joanna asserted.

    "Why would she tell you she has been living at home when thest time we saw her was on the day we returned home from the trip?" Mrs Lopez asked the confuseddy.

    "But...," Joanna stammered. Just then the memory of the previous day popped into her head.

    She recalled blocking Audrey''s path when she left in a hurry but she doesn''t remember Audrey admitting that the one waiting for her at the campus gate was her mother or father.

    She cunningly dodged the question back then.

    [If Drey has not been staying over at her parent''s home neither was the person waiting for her outside the gates her parents then who was it? And why on Earth did she keep it a secret?]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she stood there. She totally forgot that she was talking to Audrey''s mother before these revtions took ce.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "Joanna," Mrs Lopez reached out her hand from inside the car and touched thedy whom she saw was in a daze.

    "Are you trying to say that Audrey hasn''t been spending the night at her apartment...,"

    "Of course not Auntie," Joannaposed herself and put on a fake smile.

    "Drey is upset with me because I haven''t been giving her much attentiontely, I guess that''s why she lied to get even with me," Joanna lied to cover up for Audrey.

    If Audrey had told her the truth in the first ce she wouldn''t havee to her parent''s home.

    She would have covered up for her in the best way she could.

    But the silly girl chose to keep her in the dark also.

    [Just wait and see Audrey Lopez, I won''t forgive you easily for deceiving me until thest minute]

    Joanna clenched her fist but she didn''t forget to maintain her smile.

    "But...,"

    "Auntie, I am needed back at home right now. I will take my leave now," Joanna bowed and walked away. She didn''t give Mrs Lopez the chance to interrogate her further.

    With none avable for her to hang out with Joanna paraded the street because she didn''t want to go home early.

    She was still walking about the busy street when she recalled the conversation she had with Kayden at the hut in the forest.

    "Since he has refused to tell me what the hell is going on, I guess the best person to question and expect answers is Kyle. I am sure Mr Fin won''t utter a word concerning their operations so my best choice now is him," Joanna mumbled.

    She quickly changed the direction she was heading and took the route leading to the club; the only ce she knew she would find him.

    The first thing that greeted Joanna on stepping feet into the bubbling ce wasn''t the sweaty bodies rubbing against each other, the purging smell of cigarettes, alcohol or sex but the scent of her best friend.

    [She was never fond of clubs. If she was told to pick between clubs and bars, she would not hesitate to pick a bar so why is it that I am perceiving her scent here?]

    Joanna lifted her head and peered upstairs where Audrey''s scent was the strongest.

    [Maybe I am perceiving the scent because I am mad at her]

    Joanna concluded that she was wrong as she made her way to the stairs.

    Because she has been here a few times she didn''t have trouble navigating her way.

    Without anyone''s guidance, she was able to find her way to Kyle''s favourite spot.

 Chapter 454 Arguments At The Club

    Reaching there Joanna met Kyle smiling sweetly at thedy sitting beside him.

    The two people sharing a table were so distracted that they didn''t notice her presence on time.

    [Why does she look so much like Drey?... And her scent to is just like Dreys]

    Joanna took a careful look at thedy whose face she couldn''t see because of the way she sat.

    "Drey?" Joanna called, her focus settled on thedy''s sideline.

    At the sound of Joanna''s voice, Kyle jumped to his feet like someone who was electrocuted. His eyes wavered the instant he set eyes on Joanna''s face.

    "M-miss J... Joanna!" Kyle stuttered.

    Because his entire being gave away his fears even though Joanna wouldn''t have suspected anything, his actions confirmed her doubts.

    "So the scent I perceived belonged to you all along and here I thought I got it all wrong," Joanna muttered, her gaze glued on thedy who still hasn''t turned to look at her.

    "Was this the reason you stayed away from home for days?" Joanna questioned.

    "I can''t believe how foolish I was to trust your words when you said the reason you didn''t return to the apartment many nights was that you wanted to give Amos and me some space...,"

    "Anna, you are misunderstanding something here...,"

    "But you are here when I have been searching everywhere for you," Joanna interrupted sternly.

    "Because I was worried about you and wanted to give you a surprise I went to your parent''s home to see you. But guess what?... I got shocked instead when your Mum said you haven''t been at home ever since you returned from your trip," Joanna expressed emotionally.

    "Anna....,"

    "Despite being kept in the dark I ended up lying to cover up for you when your Mum suspected that everything was not alright".

    "Miss Joanna, it''s true that Audrey and I have been spending time together but I promise you that we haven''t done something we should be ashamed of...,"

    "If you haven''t done something you should be ashamed of then tell me why you had to lie to me, Audrey?" Joanna was more focused on Audrey to care about Kyle and his exnation.

    "Did I ever forbid you from getting into a rtionship or did you tell me a secret and I broadcast it huh?" Joanna demanded coldly. Her angry voice attracted the attention of those around her.

    "Anna, I know you have been an excellent friend no doubt and it was my fault for not telling you about this but calm down ok?" Audrey said.

    She reached out her hand and held Joanna''s shoulders.

    "You are beginning to cause a scene here and it''s not...,"

    "I guess I must have lost my mind worrying about my best friend''s well-being that is why," Joanna muttered. She brushed off Joanna''s hand from her shoulder.

    "At the time I needed my friend to talk to, she wasn''t there. Despite what I was going through I was still worried about her. I must be stupid...,"<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "Did something happen while I was away?" Audrey, who didn''t show any concern or remorse earlier, asked with worries written all over her face.

    "Did your Grandma or stepmother bully you? Where does it hurt?" Audrey spun Joanna around and searched for any signs of injuries.

    "Don''t worry, I am not as weak as I was in the past. I can protect myself now. At least you won''t have to worry about always running to my help. You can disappear for as long as you want without any worries...,"

    "Joanna!" Audrey yelled in displeasure but Joanna was too upset to care about this.

    "Actually, I didn''te here because of you. I came to see Kyle because I had something to ask him. But now, I don''t think I will be able to do that...,"

    "Miss Joanna, please don''t be like this...,"

    "If I had disturbed you in any way I apologise. I am sorry... and I will take my leave now," Joanna said and turned to leave but Audrey grabbed her hand before she could take a step forward.

    "Anna, stop being unreasonable and let me exin...,''

    "Did you think you are the only one who can be unreasonable when angry?" Joanna scoffed. She brushed Audrey''s hand away.

    "I can too but I just never did it. That is how much I love and cherished our friendship," Joanna expressed angrily.

    She turned and walked away. As she strolled away, she didn''t give a damn about the numerous eyes following her.

    "Are you just going to let her go? Won''t you run after her?" Kyle asked thedy who only stared at Joanna''s back but made no move of running after her.

    "Running after her is of no use. In her current state, she won''t give me the chance to exin and even though I managed to talk she will not believe a word I say. I should let her cool off first before I try talking to her," Audrey said carefreely.

    Although she tried to act cool about what happened, her fallen expression showed just how affected she was.

    [The silly girl looked furious. I wonder what I am gonna say or do to get her to talk to me again]

    Audrey stretched her hand and picked up the ss of strong liquorid in front of her. She gulped down the content in one go.

    With Audrey acting this way Kyle was lost at what to do. In the end, he chose to trust what Audrey said since he believed no one knew Joanna better than she did.

    Outside the club, Joanna walked in quick paces without looking behind her. She was so furious that she didn''t pay attention to her surroundings.

    "How dare she ghost me for days only to spend time with him?" Joanna spat out.

    She halted, turned and red at theclub which was some distance from where she stood.

    "Did I ever forbid her from falling in love or having a boyfriend?" She seethed, her fist sped.

    "I don''t recall ever saying that so why did she keep her rtionship with him a secret? She chose to act like a thief when she could publicly brag about him," Joanna retorted.

 Chapter 455 Raymond Attacked Derrick

    She huffed and continued with her walk.

    Because of how upset she was, the distracteddy didn''t notice that she had been followed ever since she left the club.

    She walked so fast that she covered the distance between the club and her home in the quickest time she has ever done.

    Joanna was about to cross the road over to the side of her home when the streetlights in that area suddenly ceased.

    She looked to her right and then to her left and all she could see was darkness.

    Since the moon was absent from the sky the only lights around were those from buildings.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Joanna muttered.

    "Did all the lights go bad at the same time or did someone deliberately turn it off to scare me?" Joanna smiled instead of shrieking in fear.

    The darkness of the entire street didn''t stop the fearless Joanna from crossing the road.

    She had sessfully crossed the road and was about to walk to her house which wasn''t far away from there when suddenly the light she stood under which was initially off started blinking.

    "And what is this now?" Joanna mumbled noticing that only the light above her head was malfunctioning.

    Joanna decided to ignore the strange phenomena and continued with her journey. But only for the lights to start emitting electric sparks

    She was still trying to wrap her finger around what was happening when an electric wire fell, aiming directly at her head.

    Before she raised her hand to block the terrifying wire with her powers she felt that she was hauled away by some strange force.

    The instant she spun to attack the one who hauled her she was stunned to see that the person was none other than Raymond.

    "Y-you... what are you doing here?" Joanna questioned despite her shock.

    "Are you alright?" Raymond asked. He was too concerned about her safety to hear what she said.

    "Did you get hurt in any way?" He spun her around in search of injuries but he couldn''t find any.

    "I am fine," She asserted, her gaze fixed on the guy''s worried face.

    "That is such a relief," Raymond mumbled, his right hand holding his throbbing chest.

    "The thought of something happening to you almost made my heart jump out of my chest," He added, not letting go of his chest. His pounding heart proved his words true.

    "Ray, I asked what you were doing here, I guess it''s time for you to answer my question, don''t you think so?" Joanna demanded, her suspicious eyes centred on his face.

    "This is the second time you appeared out of the blue just when I want to get into trouble. Tell me, have you been tailing me?" Joanna questioned.

    His pounding heart calmed a bit when he realised that she suspected him.

    "Also, you haven''t told me anything about your powers...,"

    "I am in a haste to catch up to an appointment now but I promise that I will tell you everything you want to know about my powers in due time...,"

    "But...,"

    "Get home in due time ok," He smiled and patted her hair. He disappeared before she had the opportunity to stop him.

    "He is acting sneakily for some reason. I hope he is alright," Joanna muttered.

    She averted her attention to where the electrified wirey at the exact spot she stood earlier.

    "I believe this to be the action of the one who keeps tailing me," She said and looked around.

    "I can''t wait to catch whoever it is so I can give him a taste of his own medicine," She huffed.

    Joanna continued with her journey when she didn''t see anyone around.

    It wasn''t up to a minute Raymond left that he reappeared in a dimly lit street. His current location wasn''t very far away from Joanna''s home.

    It was only two streets away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Raymond looked to his left and then to his right. He searched the entire area but he discovered that the one he was looking for was not there.

    "Where did the jerk run off to?" He roared, his fists clenched.

    "Did he perhaps catch on that I was following him, that is why he ran away?" He mumbled.

    He started walking in the street with the sole aim of picking up his target''s scent.

    "If he had the guts to attack her despite my warning, shouldn''t he have the guts to face me too?".

    He disappeared from there when he found out that the one he searched for was not there or anywhere close.

    "I don''t believe I won''t be able to find him tonight?" His voice echoed in the street even though he was gone.

    Raymond followed the person''s scent but he couldn''t find the person he was looking for despite using his scent as a lead.

    On his fourth attempt, he finally caught up to the one he pursued.

    The guy he pursued stopped in his tracks the instant Raymond surfaced in front of him.

    Despite that it was dark he was still able to see Raymond''s sped fists and his fuming expression.

    "Are you so scared of what I will do that you had to tail me just to keep me in check?" Derrick''s sarcastic words didn''t go down well with the already furious Raymond.

    "How dare you have the guts to say that to my face after the terrible things you did?" Raymond raved.

    He raised his hand and before the confused guy could assimte what was happening, he punched Derick hard in the stomach.

    Derrick stumbled ten steps backwards due to the impact of Raymond''s punch.

    "Are you crazy?" Derrick shouted, not understanding what he did to deserve the punch.

    "Yes, I am crazy," Raymond yelled. He hit Derrick again but this time around on his face.

    Derrick''s lips broke and instantly blood started dripping. But not even his bleeding lips eased Raymond''s anger.

    ...

    A/N: Hello readers,

    HAPPY NEW MONTH ONCE AGAIN ???¡ë???¡ë???¡ë

    So here are our goals for this month and I will be so overwhelmed if you guys aplished all the goals.

    Weekly mass release awaits all of you any week weplete the missions.

    I know you guys will do a great job and I will thank you in advance. Thanks a bunch, guys.

    These are our goals for this month andpleting these criteria will determine whether there will be a mass release every Sunday:

    1) The number of privileged buyers and chapter unlocks for the week.

    2) Number of gifts we receive for that week.

    3) Number of GOLDEN TICKETS for the week

    4) Comments and reviews.

    Also, power stones are included.

    As long as we break a certain threshold, I promise that I will give a mass release on the Sunday of the week we break the threshold.

    Do you want to receive the weekly benefits?

    If yes then pump all your GOLDEN TICKETS and Gifts into this book.

    I love you a?¡èa?¡èa?¡è

 Chapter 456 Protect Me From Whom?

    He stretched his hand and tried to punch him for the third time but Derrick grabbed his hand this time.

    "What the hell is wrong with you?" Derrick shouted in annoyance.

    "Why do you keep hitting me? Have you lost your mind?".

    "Yes, I have lost my mind and this is all your fault," Raymond raved. He violently pushed Derrick away from him.

    "Out of everyone out there, why did you choose to attack her? And I thought you liked her little brother so why didn''t you spare the small boy from this huh?" Raymond shouted.

    "Who is the one you are referring to as her? And who is this little brother you are talking about...,"

    "Stop pretending because you know exactly what you did some minutes ago and two days ago?" Raymond cut him short angrily.

    "When you threatened to do something to her, I thought you said that in a feat of anger because you didn''t like how I got distracted. It never crossed my mind that you will go as far as attacking her behind me...,"

    "You keep talking in riddles so will you tell me in in words what this is about?" Derrick abruptly interrupted.

    He raised his right hand and wiped the blood that had dripped onto his neck.

    "Don''t you think I at least deserve to know the reason I got beaten up...,"

    "You almost killed her with a fallen electrified wire and also nearly killed Tony with a moving car two days ago so quit the act. I can''t fathom what I will do if you keep on pretending not to know what I am talking about," Raymond threatened coldly.

    "Sorry to disappoint you but I don''t remember doing any of those things you used me of....,"

    "I swear I will forget the fact that we were ever friends and rip off that mouth of yours if you keep on lying to my face," Raymond grabbed Derrick''s cor ready to punch him again if he uttered one more lie.

    "And why are you so certain that I was the one who did those things you used me of?" Derrick questioned. He didn''t struggle or try to defend himself.

    "Because I threatened to harm her if you don''te to your senses....,"

    "I am not doing this based on suspicions but I followed you two days ago and that was how I witnessed how you almost killed Tony with a car that had no driver in it," Raymond exined seriously.

    "And tonight I was following you when I witnessed how you almost electrocuted her earlier...,"

    "But I did no such things....,"

    "We are the only ones who wield such powers so tell me who would have done that if not you huh?" Raymond challenged fiercely.

    "Yes, it''s true that I was close to Tony''s school that day but believe it or not, I wasn''t the one responsible for the incident you mentioned," Derrick exined softly.

    "And today I indeed passed through the road of Joanna''s home but I promise I wasn''t the one who attacked her...,"

    "If you weren''t the one then who did?" Raymond asked. His expression showed he didn''t believe what Derrick said and Derrick knew it.

    "Believe it or not Ray, I am not responsible for the things you used me of. And I promise you that I will catch the one who framed me and prove my innocence," Derrick asserted. He brushed Raymond''s hands off and stomped away.

    Raymond stared at Derrick''s departing back in silence.

    He was so sure that Derrick was responsible for Anthony''s and Joanna''s attack some minutes ago but after his confrontation with him, he didn''t know what to believe anymore.

    "Rick can be yful and naughty at times but I know he is not the type to tantly lie, especially about such a serious matter," Raymond mumbled.

    "So if he wasn''t the one who attacked Miss Butterfly and her brother then who did?".

    Raymond tried to think of the possibility that another person attacked the two siblings but always arrived at a dead end each time.

    The three beings which exist in the Twipera Kingdom are vampires, werewolves and humans.

    And out of these three beings, humans were the weakest and the most vulnerable.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Yes, vampires and werewolves possessed immense powers including immortality but he is aware that they can''t make cars move on their own or control an electric wire to fall from its position.

    Only beings like him and Derrick are capable of such things and that is why he found it hard to believe that Derrick was innocent of all these.

    "Whether or not he is innocent I will find it out for myself. And I promise I will make whosoever is responsible for this pays dearly if it turns out not to be Rick," Raymond dered with his fists sped.

    At Joanna''s home, she was putting on her pyjamas after she showered when a knock came on her door.

    "Come in," Joanna ushered the person in as she continued buttoning up her pyjamas.

    Anthony pushed the door open and strolled into the room. He made his way into his favourite spot in the room which was Joanna''s bed.

    "Good evening, Big Sis," He greeted politely as she sat on the grey sheet bed. He made himself feel at home.

    "Big Sis, how was your day? Did you and Brother Amos hang out today?" He asked sheepishly.

    He unintentionally mentioned the name of the person whom Joanna has been trying not to think about.

    "Actually, I have been waiting for you for a long time now," Anthony continued to talk when Joanna didn''t utter a word.

    "Why?" Joanna asked as she turned and gaze at his face. "Do you need help with your homework or...,"

    "So that we can hang out together and go to bed like we did when it was just you, me and Brother Amos," Anthony smiled.

    It has only been a day since he returned but he had already missed the times he spent with Joanna and Amos over at Audrey''s apartment.

    "Do you mean you want to sleep in my room tonight?" Joanna asked and proceeded to where he sat on the bed.

    "Hmm...," Anthony shook his head affirmatively.

    "But...,"

    "Tonight I don''t want to sleep in the same room with you because I can''t fall asleep but to protect you....,"

    "Protect me from whom?" Joanna cut in, her suspicious res directed at his face.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, it''s just a few hours to my birthday and I informed you about it beforehand, so why is it that none of you had send me gifts ormented?

    Did I do something wrong?

    I kept asking myself this question these past few days but I haven''t been able toe up with an answer.

    Your silence is scaring me so will you please say something?

    Also, my birthday is 18th March. A fact some of you who are my old readers are aware of.

    I will be heartbroken and upset if this continues so to anyone who is reading this, it''s time for you to stop being quiet.

    And don''t forget to wish me. It''s your dearest author''s birthday after all, am I correct?

    One more thing, don''t forget about the deal we made. A few hours are remaining so that means our deal still stands.

    Keep the gifts,ments and GOLDEN TICKETS flooding in. Also support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Thank you in advance.

    And I love you ??????.

 Chapter 457 Anthony Disclosed His Grandmas Scheme

    "T-that...," Anthony stammered with his head lowered.

    The way he yed with the tip of his finger made Joanna realise that something was wrong.

    "What did you hear or see that made you want to sleep in my room tonight?" Joanna asked the boy who dared not look at her face for reasons best known to him.

    "Anthony Anderson, you better stop ying the mute game on me and tell me the reason you said you want to sleep here so you can protect me," Joanna said sternly when she saw that her soft approach didn''t work on Anthony.

    "Who or what do you want to protect me from?... You better tell me the truth because this is thest time I will be asking you this question," Joanna ordered in an intimidating tone.

    "Grandma will spank me if she learns that I told you about it...,"

    "I won''t tell her anything and I promise you that she will not overhear anything we will say here so go on and tell me what she did hmm," Joanna said.

    She smiled at him to assure him that she has got everything under control.

    Anthony took a nce at the brown door before he leaned in and whispered into her ears.

    "I overheard Grandma talking to a man earlier. She ordered him to.... hmm what is the word she said again?" Anthony scratched his head as he tried to recall his Grandma Cora''s exact words.

    "You don''t have to narrate everything the same way she said it. You can tell me in a way you understood it," Joanna replied, noticing that he was having trouble remembering the wicked woman''s exact words.

    "She said she was fed up seeing the face of the daughter of the woman who almost ruined her daughter''s perfect family. She asked him to kill you in the cruellest way possible...," Anthony trailed, his eyes glued on Joanna''s face.

    "Also, she told him that she didn''t care about how many pieces they cut you into. All she cared about is that you stopped existing in the same world she lived in," Anthony concluded in a soft tone.

    "I am scared that they mighte and carry you away while everyone is asleep. That is why I want to sleep beside you so I can keep you safe," Anthony said affectionately.

    "Did your Grandma really say that?" Joanna asked curiously. Instead of trembling or getting upset, merely hearing that the old hag wanted to harm her made Joanna want to chuckle.

    "Yes," He shook his head positively.

    [I believe the old hag doesn''t know what she is getting herself into, and that is why she is doing pointless things. She must be a joker if she thinks that just anyone is capable of hurting me...]

    "Big Sis, if you are scared of what her men will do to you, I can go and plead on your behalf. I believe that Grandma will not deny whatever I want...,"

    "Look at me carefully ok," Joanna instructed as she gazed into his eyeballs. "Does it look like I am scared or worried about my safety?" She demanded, not looking away from his face.

    Anthony took a good look at her face as she instructed. He was surprised at how calm she looked despite the news he broke to her.

    "Why aren''t you scared that her men might kill you?" He blurted without thinking.

    "Hmmm...," Joanna trailed as she stood up and moved to the window at the corner of the room.

    "Because I have grown past the stage where people''s schemes over my life no longer scare me," Joanna expressed confidently.

    Anthony stood up and proceeded to join her at the window.

    "Big Sis, Anthony, what does it mean to grow past the stage where the schemes of those who want to kill you don''t scare you?" He asked innocently.

    Joanna smiled as she turned and peered at the face of the boy standing beside her.

    "Although I can''t tell you anything right now, I promise that I will slowly tell you in the future," She muttered and patted his hair with her right hand.

    "Little rice ball, thank you for always looking out for Big Sister. I am very grateful to have such a caring little brother who loves me to no end," Joanna beamed at him.

    "Big Sis, am I not the one who should be saying that?" He demanded.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His cute expression made Joanna chuckle. "I don''t know about that," She smiled and pulled him closer to her.

    Joanna and Anthony stood in front of the window gazing at nothing in particr.

    "You need to go to school tomorrow so let''s go andy down now," Joannamanded. She held his hand and was about to turn around when she got a glimpse of a figure outside gazing at her window.

    "H-he has finally decided toe and see me," Joanna beamed as she gazed at the figure in the dark.

    "Who are you talking about, Big Sis?" Anthony quizzed. He looked out through the window and he was able to see him too.

    "Is that Brother...,"

    "Little rice ball, you might need to go to bed now without Big Sis tucking you in tonight. You can do that right?" Joanna asked and squatted in front of him.

    Even if he had anyint toy, he couldn''t when he saw her glimmering eyeballs.

    "Yes," He responded.

    "That is great," Joanna remarked beaming. She stood up and hurried to her wardrobe. " I will leave now but I will try toe back early...,"

    "You can take your time," He cut in softly.

    Joanna paused what she was doing and turned to look at him.

    "My little rice ball is super considerate and that is what I love about him," Sheplimented.

    She continued with what she was doing.

    She had already slid the brown jacket into her body and was about to hasten out of the room when Anthony spoke.

    "He is gone," Anthony eximed, his attention centred at thest spot he saw Amos.

    "What do you mean by he is gone?" Joanna demanded as she walked to the window.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 458 Yearning

    She looked at the window and true to Anthony''s words he wasn''t there.

    Even though the truth was before her, Joanna refused to believe that he would just leave like that without getting to see her.

    She closed her eyes and tried to perceive his scent but she couldn''t.

    No matter how hard she tried to deny it, the truth that he left without seeing her remained unchanged.

    "He really left," Joanna mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

    As she walked dejectedly to the bed, her sad expression didn''t escape Anthony''s notice.

    He moved over to the bed too.

    "Big Sis, are you alright?" He gazed at her fallen expression as he awaited her response.

    "Are you and Brother Amos fighting?" He tried to make a wild guess when Joanna refused to reply.

    "Is that why he left without waiting for you...,"

    "We are fine so there is no need to worry about us...,"

    "But you don''t look fine at all," He whispered under his breath but Joanna heard him.

    It took Joanna three minutes to find the right words to say to her little brother who was worried about her.

    "We are going through the phase everyone in a rtionship goes through so there is no need to worry about us. We will be alright," Joanna tried to convince him that everything will be fine when she hasn''t convinced herself yet.

    "Brother Kay... I mean Brother Amos," He quickly corrected himself.

    "He loves you very much. He will never stay mad at you for a long time. I am sure he will not be angry with you anymore if you apologise...,"

    "I hurt his feelings. Even if it wasn''t intentional I doubt apologising will make him feel better," Joanna said, her head lowered.

    "If that doesn''t work you can try tickling him. Remember you alwaysugh whenever I tickle you," Merely recalling Joanna''s smiling face made him grin.

    "He is not like me...,"

    "If he is still angry with you after you have done these things then bribe him with his favourite food, toys or clothes in the same way you always used Bacon to bribe me," Anthony gave another suggestion when he saw that her mood hasn''t brightened at all.

    "You are right about that," Joanna replied and forced a smile.

    Even though Anthony tried to cheer her up, she didn''t feel any better. She still felt hurt although she tried not to show it so she won''t make him worry about her anymore.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on, a car was seen pulled over on a deserted road. The driver leaned his head on the steering wheel after he had turned off the engine.

    "I miss her so much but the thought that I might bring harm to her if I go closer didn''t make me go to see her," Amos mumbled.

    He grasped the steering wheel tighter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I need to catch the assassins the humans sent into the Kingdom to kill me and disrupt the peace of everyone. I need to catch it as soon as possible if I want my rtionship with her to go back to how it was," He concluded.

    Right, that minute he vouched to put in more effort so he will end this torture of not getting close to his lover.

    Just like Amos couldn''t sleep, Joanna wasn''t different. She spent half of the time she was supposed to use to sleep thinking about how her rtionship with Amos got to the stage it was now.

    Judging from Amos'' temperament she believed that he wouldn''t have gotten angry to the point that he avoids her because of what she said that fateful afternoon.

    "Is there perhaps another reason why he is avoiding me?" This was the thought on Joanna''s mind before she fell asleep atst.

    In the morning Joanna woke up earlier than she has ever done.

    For fear that she might wake Anthony up, she packed her clothes, shoes and the thing she would need and headed downstairs.

    There, she freshened up and dressed up. She did everything in a hurry but she was careful not to make lots of noise.

    "And where do you think you are sneaking out to?" Laura''s authoritative voice made Joanna, who was always almost at the entrance, turn andlook at Laura.

    "How is that any of your business?" Joanna grimace.

    "If you don''t tell me which man''s house you are sneaking off to forget about leaving because I am gonna call Dad right now...,"

    "I dare you to do that!" Joanna snapped, her head held high.

    "Try to stop me one more time and I promise to make you experience a fate worse than ruining a cab with your faeces...,"

    "Shut up," Laura ordered fiercely, her murderous res shot at Joanna.

    "As I said, try as much as to stop me from going out and a punishment worse than ruining a cab is what I will give you for failing to mind your business," Joanna threatened coldly.

    She turned to leave and Laura dared not stop her no matter how mad she was.

    "This is your tenure so rule as much as you want because I promise you this won''tst long. You will be nothing but a forgotten case when Granny''s men strike," Laura smirked, her gaze not shifting from the spot Joanna stood earlier.

    As she rushed out of the house Joanna was so sure that she would catch up to Amos since it was quite early.

    But she got a big disappointment when she reached his apartment and found it empty.

    "Does this mean he didn''t spend the night here?" Joanna asked no one in particr.

    The disappointed Joanna was on the ground floor making her way out of the building when she bumped into Chris.

    "Where is he? Was he with you the entire night?" Joanna questioned. She looked beyond the guy in front of her in search of Amos.

    "If he didn''t spend the night here then that means he must have stakeout the entire night...,"

    "What do you mean he staked out the entire night?" Joanna cut in sharply.

 Chapter 459 You Are Insane!

    "Also why would someone of his identity stakeout in the middle of nowhere when he has so many men to do that....,"

    "Because he wants to put an end to this cat-and-mouse fight the soonest time possible," Chris interrupted in a serious tone.

    "What cat and mouse fight are you talking about? And where the hell is he performing his stakeout?" Joanna demanded calmly.

    "It''s against the rules so, sorry I can''t divulge any secret of our operation to you...,"

    "I am searching for him and I can''t find him if you don''t tell me where he normally stays, help me out, huh?" Joanna was so desperate and didn''t think twice about begging Chris.

    "Sorry but I can''t...,"

    "If our rtionship dares to get affected because you withheld information from me then I promise that I will hate you forever," Joanna resorted to threatening the stubborn Chris.

    "I learned about how Kay treated you when I was gone. Compared to the way I treat those I hate I promise you how Kay treated you was good. Forget about treating you like a ghost because we won''t be able to stay under the same roof...," Joanna paused so that her words lingered in Chris'' mind.

    "Believe me, you wouldn''t want to be my enemy in this life or the next one if you ever get to experience what it means to be hated by me".

    Chris stared at her face. He hesitated about giving in to what she wanted.

    [It''s true he will get mad if he learns that I gave her his location but he will be angrier if he discovered that I disobeyed her orders. I believe it''s better to give in to what she wants than infuriate her and get ganged up on by the couple. This will be the worst scenario for me]

    Chris was quick in analysing the pros and cons of his decision.

    Thest thing he wants to be is the enemy of the King''s woman. His peaceful days in the pce will be over if that happens.

    "I can tell you where he currently is but you must promise not to tell him that I was the one who disclosed his location...,"

    "I won''t," Joanna blurted. "My lips are sealed so, you can feel at ease," She gave him his words without any hesitation.

    "Recently he stakes out at Diamond street. You will always find him there after midnight...,"

    "You aren''t lying because I ampelling you right?" Joanna shot him a suspicious nce.

    "I am not the type to lie so you can trust my words," Chris asserted.

    "Thanks for the info," Joanna said out of gratitude.

    "I will go look for him over there now," She muttered and turned to leave.

    "I doubt you will find him there at this time. He normally clocks out before it is bright outside," Chris dashed Joanna''s hope with this short sentence of his.

    Joanna''s expression fell after hearing Chris'' words. She turned slowly and gazed at him.

    It was when she looked at him again she noticed that he was holding big ck bags with both hands.

    "And what are those?" She demanded, her gaze not shifting from the bags in his hands.

    "He ordered us to refill his refrigerator with groceries and your favourite food. He wants to make sure that youcked no food at any point...,"

    "He had the time to call and pass orders to you but he couldn''t call me after we separated yesterday afternoon," Joanna muttered as she red at the bags in Chris'' hands.

    "If he cares so much about my appetite then shouldn''t he care more about my feelings and what I truly want?" She looked away from the bags.

    "Miss Joanna...,"

    "I will go home now," Joanna announced. She spun and stomped out of the building.

    Chris stood at the same spot and watched her walk away.

    [Did she and Sir perhaps quarrel?... He can''t stand her being upset neither can he tolerate not being around her so why on Earth would he do that to her? What exactly happened?]

    Chris gazed at her moving back with a puzzled look.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Joanna was so furious as she made her way back home after her fruitless journey. As she walked she wanted to destroy everything that stood in her way.

    Even the long walk didn''t ease her anger at all.

    When she reached home, she met Madam Cora, Adhara and Laura discussing in the sitting room.

    They paused their discussion the instant they felt her presence.

    [Here are the ones who always took pleasure in picking on me when I was at my weakest... I am afraid I will tear down my room if I climb upstairs now so why don''t I do the same thing they always did to me in the past? I mean it''s better than venting my spleen in my innocent room]

    Joanna peered at the faces of the three women who made her life a living hell for over fifteen years.

    "Why don''t I return the favour now," She mumbled and approached the centre table where they sat.

    "Hello Madam Cora, Stepmother," Joanna greeted.

    The fake smile that lingered on her face made the threedies wonder what the evil girl was up to.

    Joanna grinned when she saw that their teacup was empty.

    "I can see that your tea cups are empty," Joanna said. She bent and acted as if she wanted to carry the tea cups.

    "Madam Cora, I will get your favourite Jasmine tea," She said and carried the white cupid in front of Grandma Cora.

    "Stepmother, I will bring your beloved chamomile tea," She smirked as she picked up Adhara''s tea cup from the table.

    "And Laura, I will get you a cup of coffee with plenty of sugar and milk like you normally love it".

    She tried to carry Laura''s cup but the angrydy violently beat her hand away.

    "If this is another of your scheme to poison us then let me tell you that you have failed woefully...,"

    "I haven''t even started yet so why are you so certain that I have lost hmm?" Joanna beamed and stood erect.

    "Also, what if I were to tell you that my hand you beat away was coated with poison hmm?" Joanna smirked devilishly upon seeing Laura''s bewildered face.

    "You are insane!" Laura shouted and hugged her right hand to her chest like someone who just touched dirt with her precious hand.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 460 The Showdown

    "It''s exactly because I am not insane that is why I didn''t coat my hands with poison," Joanna said.

    "And why would I poison my hands andput my loved ones in danger just because I want to teach you a lesson when I have 1001 ways to do that?" She smirked and diverted her attention to the two women by Laura''s side.

    "Madam Cora, I know that even though anyone else were to reject my offer, you of all people would not do that...," Joanna trailed.

    "I know you must be hungry so apart from the cup of Jasmine tea, I will prepare your favourite dish...,"

    "You are taunting us because of that lousy power of yours, right? You must feel like you are powerful and can touch the sky hmm?".

    "Well, let me tell you the truth that everyone knows about you...," Grandma Cora paused to catch her breath.

    "You are nothing but a weakling. A useless scum whose father and slutty mother''s bloodline doesn''t run in her veins," Grandma Cora downgraded Joanna just to make her feel like trash.

    "Also, you are a bastard who became theughingstock of the entire Kingdom after her failed transformation on her 18th birthday... You think using those cheap tricks will make you stand out or that people will ord you a bit of importance?" Grandma Cora scoffed.

    "Never!" She eximed confidently.

    "These things will always be a stain on your reputation and there is nothing you can do to change that fact," She concluded.

    Instead of losing her temper, the woman''s words sounded like aedy to Joanna and this made her chuckle.

    "Are you done?" Joanna chuckled.

    She bent and dropped the teacups on the table and walked two steps backwards.

    "Yes, I am taunting you because I am powerful; powerful enough to defeat three of you in a three-to-one battle, why?" She taunted with her chin held up and her neck cocked to one side.

    "This is what the weak always experience and I experienced this shit and so many more ever since I was born so why are you all upset huh?" She smirked devilishly.

    Joanna walked two steps to her right so she was standing in front of Grandma Cora.

    "Hey, are you trying to say we are weak...,"

    "Isn''t that exactly what all of you are when I am around?" Joanna cut Laura short instantly. Her murderous res were enough to momentarily keep the annoyeddy in check.

    "And Madam whoever told you that my powers are lousy or that I used cheap tricks huh?" Joanna quizzed and raised her right hand in the air.

    "Watch and see whether there are any tricks as sophisticated as this. I bet you will never assume I am using cheap tricks after this," She snapped her finger and instantly the lights in the entire Anderson building ceased as if there was a ckout.

    Joanna smirked devilishly when she saw their dumbfounded expressions.

    The instant she snapped her fingers again the lights came on. It wasn''t a minutete.

    "Maybe you might still have doubts in your mind if this is real or a trick so let me show you something more fascinating," Joanna didn''t forget to maintain a sweet smile as she did this.

    "Bacon,e out of your hiding ce now. Your master needs your attention over here," Joanna talked as if she was speaking to a person and not a bird.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It wasn''t up to two minutes after she finished talking that Bacon flew into the sitting room. It paused right in front of Joanna.

    The manner it pped its wings was as if it was telling Joanna that it was ready to take the centre stage.

    "Bacon, I want you to rey the scene of Madam Cora''s phone call yesterday afternoon with her man. Don''t forget to make the video clear ok," Joanna caressed Bacon''s head and moved two steps away.

    Bacon''s eyes glowed blue after she finished giving the orders and almost immediately a holographic screen appeared on the wall where Bacon''s eyeballs were focused on.

    The video of Madam Cora ordering her men over the phone to kill Joanna was disyed on the wall.

    The shocked expression on Madam Cora''s face after the scene finished ying was like something you have never seen.

    "B-but.... h-how...," Madam Cora was too dumbfounded to utter a word.

    "As you can see, everyone''s secret in this household is always at my fingertips. I can do whatever I want with it depending on my mood and your actions¡­," Joanna trailed, her gaze darted from one face to the other.

    "If you don''t want me to disy how rotten this family is then all of you will stay clear of my business and mind the way you treat me in this house. Because whether or not you like it I am above every single one of you in terms of power," Joanna threatened.

    She turned to walk away but only to pause after she had taken less than five steps from her previous spot.

    Joanna spun and gazed in Madam Cora''s direction.

    "One more thing....," She let her words linger to get their attention.

    "I indeed wanted to be a full-blood werewolf and transform like my mates because I believed that was the only way to gain my father''s recognition....," Joanna trailed.

    The memory of her secretly trying to shift flowed into her memory.

    She shook her head thinking how pathetic she was to look forward to the impossible.

    She doubts her father would ever recognise her in this lifetime.

    "But heck! Why would I need that right now when I have something which is a hundred times better than his bloodline flowing inside of me?" Joanna beamed and didn''t forget to cock her head to the side.

    Joanna flips her hair andswagerliciously walked to the stairs with a triumphant smile lingering on her beautiful face.

    "Oh damn, I forgot something," Joanna halted in the middle of the stairs. She slowly turned and looked at the threedies still glued to their seats in the sitting room.

    As they stared at her, the threedies wondered what the daredevil girl was up to.

    ¡­

    Hello, lovely readers please support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters. Also, do vote with GOLDEN TICKETS and send gifts as you read.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 461 Terrified

    "And this is what I am talking about," An evil smile crept onto Joanna''s face as she summoned the red me.

    She yed with it on her palms for a minute and when they least expected it she threw a fireball at where thedies sat.

    The approaching fireball Joanna threw brought back memories of the destroyed porch and instantly Adhara and Laura jumped out from the couch and took to their heels.

    The way they acted was as if a bomb was thrown at them.

    [Hahaha... So this is how it feels to really take revenge on an enemy... I never understood the feelings of people who dedicated their lives to taking revenge but I think I understand them a bit now. It feels awesome to see your enemy tremble at your feet]

    A broad smile spread across her face as she stared at the faces of the terrifieddies who were now standing at the entrance of the building with hands on their chests.

    Grandma Cora turned and looked at where her daughter and granddaughter stood with a puzzled look on her face.

    She was surprised to see her daughter and granddaughter behave this way but neither of them gave the elderly woman the opportunity to know what was pursuing them.

    "Oops...," She eximed, her right hand on her lips.

    "I forgot to tell you guys that the fireball won''t explode. Hahaha...," Joanna''sughter echoed throughout the entire building as she made her way to her room.

    Peace returned to the sitting room once again but none of the three women had peace of mind even after she left.

    "Is this what you have been experiencing in her hand?" Grandma Cora asked, her gaze centred on Adhara who was returning to the couch alongside Laura.

    "Was this the reason I noticed that your attitude towards her had changed when I arrived here?".

    Adhara didn''t utter a word as she sat down. She was too ashamed to admit that the girl she maltreated all these years had defeated her more than twice.

    "If you had noticed this earlier then why didn''t you do something about it?" Grandma Cora scolded.

    "Why did you wait until it got to this stage....,"

    "Do you think I didn''t want to kill her and forever get rid of that thorn in my flesh?" Adhara retorted when she noticed that her mother, who didn''t know the entire story, was quick to throw all the mes on her.

    "If she hadn''t threatened me with a secret that should nevere to light do you think I wouldn''t have continuously tried to kill her....,"

    "Did you just say she threatened you with a secret that shouldn''te into the open?" Grandma Cora interrupted sharply.

    She gazed at Adhara but the frustrateddy refused to utter a word.

    "And what is this secret you are talking about?" She questioned.

    Adhara looked away from her mother''s face. She maintained her silence even though three minutes had passed.

    "Stop being...," Grandma Cora choked on her words when Laura sitting in the middle leaned so close to her.

    "She knows that Mum killed her mate just to marry Dad. She has a video of Mum admitting to the crime...,"

    "What!" Grandma Cora shouted, her eyeballs almost falling out of their sockets.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [And this is exactly what I was trying to prevent when I didn''tsay anything because I know how sensitive Mother is to this topic]

    Adhara clenched her fists and maintained a stern expression.

    "Not only that Grandma but she almost blew us up along with the porch that got repaired a day before you arrived," Laura confessed in a low tone.

    "Tell me you are joking!" Grandma Cora eximed with her eyes widened in shock. She turned and looked at where Joanna''s room was located upstairs.

    [Before the evil girl kills my daughter and her kids, I better do something about her. And I need to be quick about it]

    Grandma Cora sped her fist as she red at Joanna''s room.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on, in the pce the Queen was seen at the King''s quarters talking to Josephina.

    "Seeing how everyone is cleaning His Majesty''s quarter I believe he must be on his way back right?" Queen Theresa tried to use cunning methods to fish for information from Josephina.

    [She must be trying to get the exact day His Majesty is returning. Too bad, His Majesty hasn''t informed us when he will be returning. Luckily I am smart enough to see through her schemes]

    Josephina stared at the woman who was watching the maids and pce guards currently cleaning.

    "From what I recall his trip should have ended yesterday so that means he will arrive at the Kingdomtest by tomorrow right?" Queen Mother asked as she returned her gaze to Josephina''s face.

    "Your Highness, as you must be aware, details about the King''s whereabouts always remained a top secret. None except those with him are the ones who know his whereabouts and it remains this way until he and his entourage reach the pce," Josephina exined in length.

    "You are one of his closest people so this means that you must be aware of his whereabouts right now so stop faking it," Queen Mother scolded Josephina.

    "Also, are you trying to say that I will harm His Majesty?" She seethed, her murderous res directed at Josephina.

    "Of course not, Your Highness," Josephina defended herself.

    Even though she knew that thedy standing in front of her was up to no good she still had to show respect because of her title.

    "I know you would not harm His Majesty but because you won''t doesn''t mean that others will not dare to do that," Josephina added.

    She wasn''t rude with her words nor was she polite as she said these words.

    "Hmmm... I guess you are right about that," Queen Mother Theresa agreed to Josephina''s astonishment.

    It was particrly hard for her and the Queen Mother to agree on the same thing. Same withhis Majesty''s people and the Queen Mother''s.

    They were always at loggerheads so she was surprised to hear the Queen Mother of all people agreed with her on a thing.

    Noticing that the Queen Mother still wanted to talk Josephina beat her to it, "Your Highness, you will be the first person I inform if I get any information about his Majesty".

    With this, the smartdy was able to get rid of the Queen Mother.

    At her quarters, the Queen Mother walked into her living room with a scowl on her face and a clenched fist.

 Chapter 462 Troubled Kyle

    "How dare that idiots think she can deceive me right under my nose?" She roared and hits the wooden table in front of her.

    Because she failed to control her strength the table cracked into two.

    Tracy stared at the broken table. She knew without any doubt that she would be next in line if she didn''t handle her emotions well.

    With her head lowered she moved to where the elderly woman sat. She tried her best to look unfazed.

    "Your Highness, I knew that none at His Majesty''s quarter will divulge the secret of his whereabouts to you. They are not only tight-lipped but they are bound by his loyalty to him...,"

    "I bet that cunning son of mine must have ordered them not to utter a word to me before he left," The Queen Mother spat, her fist sped.

    She red at the portrait of Kayden hung on her white wall.

    "He must suspect me and wants to catch me unawares, that is why he decided to keep his current whereabouts a mystery...," She retorted.

    She felt like tearing the portrait into pieces but she tried to control her anger. It will do her no good if she disrespects the King by tearing off his portrait.

    The malicious people might try to use that against her if they got wind of it.

    "But I won''t give him what he wants. I will make sure that the sly Prime Minister and the other ministers are solely on my side. That is exactly what he will see when he returns," She smirked devilishly.

    "I will order our men to keep on monitoring them. I believe sooner orter they will let some information slip without realising it," Tracy gave the angry Queen Mother her words.

    "Since our men in the Human world have sent a secret message that he has left their world that means we only need to know his time of return. We can''t afford for him to get wind of what we are nning," She muttered.

    "I know and I believe I will fully regain my foothold as long as my n to make Tiffany the Queen works," Queen Mother Theresa stated.

    She looked quite anxiouspared to theposeddy she always is.

    [Not only did he stop obeying me after that incident but he became a different person; a scary person. I might be his mother but he is still the King; the one who orders the greatest authority at the moment. I need to be careful of him and that is why I can''t let him know my ns no matter what]

    Queen Mother Theresa was troubled as she sat there.

    The Queen Mother soon shook the disturbing thoughts off her mind when she noticed she was drifting away from the matters at hand.

    "So when did Tiffany say she would be arriving?" Queen Mother Theresa changed the topic.

    She released her folded hands and lifted them to the top of the broken table.

    "I know I have watched her grow up ever since she was born. I have indulged her several times but right now I need to start grooming her for the position of Queen. It has been a long time since I chose her as the King''s woman and I believe this is the perfect time to train her so that she can assume her position," She mumbled in a serious tone.

    "I am sorry to inform you that she won''t being today," Tracy announced the bad news with her head bowed lowered than she always did.

    She braced herself to wee whatever wille away.

    "And what do you mean by that?" Queen Mother raised an eyebrow.

    "Did her grandfather stop her from visiting the pce?... Has he decided to go against me again?" She roared, not able to control her inner frustration.

    "No, the maid who picked up the call informed me that Miss Tiffany was ill...,"

    "She is sick when she isn''t a human?" Queen Mother eximed in a mixture of surprise and anger.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Why did this have to happen at such a crucial time," She muttered in annoyance.

    As she sat there she tried toe up with various solutions to her problems.

    She was desperate since she didn''t want to go back to the weak Queen Mother she was when the King was around.

    Thest thing she wants is to be at the King''s mercy ever again.

    An hourter Amos was seen entering a building which is always full to the brim at night.

    Kyle, who was originally in deep thought, ran to meet Amos after he raised his gaze and saw him approaching his table.

    "So how is she? Did she say she is still angry at me?" Kyle asked, his curious eyes glued to Amos'' face.

    "And who are you referring to as SHE?" Amos asked in confusion. "Which girl''s heart did you break this time around?" Amos joked as he made his way towards the table Kyle sat at earlier.

    "Your woman of course," Kyle blurted. His abrupt reply made Amos halt in his tracks in an instant. He spun and shot him a deadly re.

    "She stomped out of here after almost punching me in the eye. You are always with her so don''t tell me you are not even aware of this...,"

    "You are always around your women so tell me, is it everything that goes on in their lives that you are aware of?" Amos snapped.

    "But...,"

    "What did you mean by she left here after almost punching you in the eye?... What did you do to upset her?" He demanded fiercely.

    Kyle walked sluggishly to his previous couch and sat down dejectedly.

    He dropped his hands on his legs with his head lowered before he started.

    "She saw Audrey and mest night. And you can already imagine what her reaction was...,"

    "What!" Amos shouted, his eyes bulging out.

    His gaze turned cold instantly.

    "You told me confidently that you would make sure the two of you don''t get caught so how on Earth did this happen?" Amos questioned in anger.

    "Of course, I wouldn''t have waited to get caught by her when I knew very well what would be the result if that were to happen," Kyle replied sternly.

    He hasn''t been able to get a wink of sleep after what happened. His mind has been preupied with what will be of his rtionship with Audrey and solutions to resolve his current predicament.

    "I don''t know what method she had used but I couldn''t perceive her scent and I bet that was the same with Audrey. I wouldn''t have waited to get caught if that did not happen," Kyle tried to exin things more calmly.

    "Joan and Audrey like each other a lot. If she is against your rtionship with Audrey, I am certain you will have to kiss goodbye to her and whatever rtionship you had...,"

    "You are my best friend so how could you say that?" Kyleined. "Shouldn''t you be thinking of ways to help me solve this problem...,"

    "And this is exactly why I told you not to get caught no matter what," Amos retorted.

    "I decided not to tell her about your rtionship with Audrey because I wanted the two of you to break the news to her when you were ready. I did my part but you both are the ones who screwed up so stop acting pitiful," Amos scolded seriously.

 Chapter 463 The Dog

    Amos stretched his hands and carried the clean ss and the bottle of vodka on the table.

    He poured the content of the bottle into the ss and returned the bottle to the table. He leaned back and took a sip from the ss.

    "You have a bad reputation when ites to women. As a friend, I will suggest that you pray she doesn''t oppose your rtionship with her best friend because if she does, I will stand with her decision...,"

    "Kay, how could you say that to my face?" Kyle asked, surprised that Amos didn''t take his side.

    "Why are you so heartless?...,"

    "I believe we wouldn''t have been discussing this if you had lived your life a bit decently, don''t you agree with me?" Amos questioned. He didn''t sugarcoat his words just because Kyle was his best friend.

    It was especially because Kyle was his best friend that he had advised him to change his reckless lifestyle with women.

    He has told him that his lifestyle would get him into serious trouble in the future but he treated his words as gibberish.

    Now, look at what has happened.

    "Joan is overprotective of Audrey and as your good friend I will advise that you do all it takes to win her over. You will need to forget the fact that we are friends if you fail to do that...,"

    "Don''t you think you are being too cruel to me for some reason? Did I upset you in any way...,"

    "That is your punishment for not keeping your word and also for hurting my woman''s feelings," Amos cut in sharply.

    He leisurely brought the ss of vodka to his lips and sipped from it.

    "Why did I even believe that you would help me out?... I should have known better whose side you were gonna take. You are always biased whenever ites to her...,"

    "And why are youining if you already know that?" Amos interrupted, his chin held up.

    He didn''t feel the least guilty or remorseful about that.

    "If you want a partner who will unconditionally take your side in everything then I will advise that you get yourself a good and reliable person," Amos smiled as he took another sip from the ss of vodka in his hand.

    "You are rubbing it at my face just because you managed to win her heart over...,"

    "At least that is an achievement you are yet to attain no matter how small you think it is," An evil smile crept on Amos'' face as he looked at his frustrated best friend''s face.

    "You are practically bullying me right in front of me. I guess it''s time I get Tom and Gina on my side...,"

    "Even though you managed to get them on your side, how can they help you when they are very far away?" Amos shrugged his shoulders with pride.

    "Also, have you forgotten that Joan is yet to know them?" He smiled when he saw Kyle''s expression turn dark.

    "I will ask Fin then. He was once her teacher so I believe he will be able to chirp in some words for me...,"

    "Didn''t your informant also tell you that even though Fin was Joan''s lecturer, they weren''t on good terms?" Amos crushed whatever hope Kyle had left with this reply of his.

    "This is to say you are on your own. So I will advise that you devise a good strategy to win her over," He concluded in a serious tone.

    "Ok, I have heard you," Kyle said and adjusted his body well on the couch.

    "So can you give me a few tips on how to go about pleasing her?" Kyle finally conceded defeat.

    "I mean she is your woman and apart from that you both practically grew up together so you should know this much right?".

    Kyle waited for Amos'' reply.

    Back at Anderson''s home, Joanna locks herself in her room for a few hours.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    When she couldn''t handle the boredom and negative thoughts flowing through her mind every second, she picked up her handbag and left the house.

    She was close to the cafe when a car driving at top speed almost ran her over. Had she not jumped out of the car''s front it would have been her bloody corpse lying on the cold streets.

    "Who the hell is that?" She growled and red at the red sports car.

    At that moment she felt like flipping the car over and killing the passengers in the car but she controlled her hands by sping them into a fist.

    "You managed to escape death one more time. You really have ten lives, I must say," Ady''s sarcastic words lingered in Joanna''s ears.

    The sly smile on the threedies'' faces as they came out of the car made Joanna''s heart boil in rage.

    "Maybe I do have ten lives like you say but I swear you won''t be so lucky to escape death if I strike," Joanna, who was already in a foul mood retorted, her fists still sped.

    "Did someone say something?" Nora mocked. She looked to her right and then to her left pretending not to know that it was Joanna who talked.

    "I don''t know...," Sophie trailed and moved from the other side of the car to where Joanna stood.

    "I think I heard a dog barking. I wonder where the dog is," She said and repeated the same thing Nora did. She looked around like she was searching for something.

    "I swear in a few minutes I will make you the dog who barks in pain if you don''t get out of my path...,"

    "Oh, so you were the dog making noise in my ear huh?" Doris said as she hits Joanna''s chest with the tip of her finger.

    "Back off, Doris. Don''t make me repeat myself...,"

    "And what if I don''t back off huh?" Doris challenged her. She hits Joanna''s chest even harder this time around.

    "Tell me aah...," She said provocatively.

    If only she knew she was touching th tail of a wounded lioness then she would have kept her hands far away from Joanna''s body.

    ...

    ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

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 Chapter 464 She Ruined Their Car

    Before any of the threedies fathom what Joanna was nning, she grabbed Doris'' finger and twisted it to the back.

    ARGHH!!!

    The cracking of bones was apanied by a scream of anguish.

    "Let go," Sophie ordered. She stretched her hand to grab Joanna but Joanna dodged and pushed Doris so that the two girls collided with each other.

    "See, I wasn''t joking when I said you should back off. And I promise you I will do something more than break your darn bones if you keep this up," Joanna threatened and tried to walk away afterwards.

    "And where the hell do you think you are going ahh?" Nora retorted. She yanked Joanna''s hair and dragged her backwards.

    After she was violently pushed backwards Sophie raised her hand to hit Joanna in the face.

    "How dare you think you can hurt one of us and go scot-free? Have you forgotten who you are because we have been going easy on you?" Sophie seethed and descended her raised hand.

    Before she could hit Joanna''s delicate face the angrydy grabbed her hand.

    "Point of correction...," Joanna trailed. Her eyes moved from onedy''s face to the other.

    The only one missing from their squad was Tiffany.

    "It''s I who has been going easy on you and not the other way around so get that into your thick skulls ok?" Joanna said and pushed Sophie backwards.

    Thedy putting on red high heels lost her bnce as a result of the push and collided with the red car.

    "You know what, youdies should be grateful that I don''t have the time to waste on you. And I am not in the mood to have petty fights with the likes of you...,"

    "How dare you hit Sophie?" Nora retorted, her murderous res focused on Joanna''s prideful expression.

    "As I was saying I wouldn''t have hesitated to make all of you crash and burn to ashes if I had a bit of your time...,"

    "Let''s see whether you will still keep your head high after we beat you to a pulp in front of everyone," Doris said and charged towards Joanna.

    "You know what''s your problem....," Joanna paused and ducked Doris'' ws aiming for her face.

    "It''s the fact that you never listened," She said and stamped her right foot on the ground.

    Immediately there was a crashing sound behind where Sophie andNora stood which caused them to jump up.

    Turning to look at what happened they were stunned to see that all four tyres of the red sports car had deted. And that was what caused the loud sound they heard.

    The twodies turned and gazed at each other with puzzled looks on their pretty faces.

    They didn''t have time to recover when suddenly the ground started trembling. It shook so violently like an earthquake was about to take ce.

    Nora and Sophie who were standing close to the car lost their bnce as a result of the trembling.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    They had to lean against the car for support.

    The funniest thing was that surprisingly it was only the area they stood that shook but other parts of the road remained unaffected.

    "Do you still wanna fight huh?" Joanna yelled as she pushed Doris to where her friends stood.

    "This is nothingpared to the crazy things I can do so I will suggest that youe to me on a day that I am free. And I promise that none of you will be leaving on your two legs that day," Joanna said and strolled away without putting an end to the trembling.

    The shaking of the ground only ceased after Joanna was out of sight.

    "What was that earlier?" Nora asked as she stared at the deted tyres.

    "Was she responsible for that...,"

    "She is nothing but a weak fool who is not a human or werewolf. Despite how powerful we are we can''t perform such a great feat so tell me how stinky Joanna would be able to do that?" Sophie scolded Nora.

    "You are right about that," Doris agreed with Sophie.

    "Then that means she was only bluffing to scare us away," Nora added.

    Despite that the truth was right before their eyes they refused to believe it because to them Joanna would forever remain their sidekick.

    "For what she did today, I can''t wait toy my hands on her. I swear she will never forget what I will do to her for daring to humiliate us in public," Sophie grits her teeth and res at the direction Joanna went.

    "Definitely but not today. Let''s take our leave now. I bet Tiff must be waiting for us," Doris reminded them of where they were heading before they bumped into Joanna.

    "How are we gonna get there when our car is in this state," Norained, her gaze focused on the ruined tyres.

    "We will have to make do with a cab if you were to ask me," Doris suggested to thedy''s disgust.

    One of the things the four friends had inmon was that they take pride in their luxurious cars.

    They particrly hate to use the cab or public transportation.

    "I guess we have no other choice since it will take our drivers some time to get here if we were to call them. Also, Tiff will not be able to wait for that long," Sophie reluctantly agreed with Doris'' suggestions.

    As the threedies stood and waited for a cab to pass by, Joanna was already at the cafe.

    The first thing Mrs Parker noticed about Joanna after she entered the house was her angry expression.

    "Leah, handle things here. Call for my attention if you encounter any problem," Mrs Parker instructed and turned to leave.

    "Mrs Parker, can I ask why you care so much about Joanna?" Leah blurted out the question which has been on her mind for a long time.

    Her bold question made Mrs Parker bring back her gaze to thedy''s face.

 Chapter 465 Audrey At The Cafe

    "I have noticed that you particrly pay attention to her a lot. Although I know you are a nice and approachabledy I haven''t seen you share such a rtionship with another person. An exception must be Amelia...," Leah paused to catch her breath.

    "I want to know why you treat her so well. Anyone who doesn''t know her will mistake her for your daughter because of the way you rte...,"

    "And is there a problem with that?" Mrs Parker cut in meekly.

    "No," Leah shook her head in denial. "I just want to know why you care so much about her".

    "Do you believe that because everyone despised her I should join them in their stupidity?" Mrs Parker asked meekly.

    She shifted her gaze to the door which a customer just entered.

    "Joanna is a nice girl. And she is respectful too. Actually, I am having trouble understanding why her father and stepmother hated her so much...," Mrs Parker let her words linger in Leah''s ears.

    "I mean it''s a blessing to have such a lovely daughter like that. And I am thrilled that she sees me as someone she can trust and I don''t care to know how she feels about this".

    Mrs Parker didn''t hesitate to confess how she feels despite knowing that her vampire and werewolf customers overheard all she said.

    Leah watched Mrs Parker walk into the brown door close to the counter.

    "Although Joanna can be a weirdo at times, I must admit that she is not bad at all. At least she is not a bitch like all the vampire and werewolfdies I know," Leah mumbled.

    She concentrated her attention back on the customers having a great time.

    At the locker room, Mrs Parker met Joanna putting on her work shirt.

    She didn''t jump into a conversation immediately but she took her time to study thedy who was frowning throughout as she went on her thing.

    "Are you alright?" Mrs Parker started in a soft tone. "Has the two of you not made up yet?".

    She waited for her to say something but Joanna continued doing her thing. The way she acted was as if she didn''t hear Mrs Parker''s question.

    "If he isn''t listening to what you have to say then do you want me to talk to him on your behalf...,"

    "Don''t!" Joanna shouted, her fierce res shot at Mrs Parker.

    After she blurted out those words she didn''t need anyone to tell her that the tone she used was rude.

    "I am sorry. I must have been out of my mind to shout at you," Joanna apologize politely.

    "It''s ok. I know you didn''t mean it," Mrs Parker smiled at her and walked closer to where she stood.

    "I know you meant well that is why you offered to help me," Joanna started in a calm tone.

    "Although I am aware of your good intentions, I wished you would not do anything. I was the one who hurt his feelings so it''s only right I put things back to how they were," She yed with the tips of her hair as she spoke.

    Her eyes whichcked confidence as she talked didn''t escape the observant woman''s notice.

    "I need to do this on my own...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Are you sure that you don''t need my help?" Mrs Parker interrupted, her eyes not moving from Joanna''s unhappy expression.

    "Yes. If I want our rtionship to work, I need to start resolving issues like this on my own. Relying on you or any person for help might prove to be dangerous," Joanna replied confidently.

    She averted her gaze to where Mrs Parker stood.

    "Don''t worry. We will be fine," Joanna smiled brightly at Mrs Parker to put her mind at ease.

    Together Mrs Parker and Joanna returned to the main cafe. Despite that, she was still sad but Joanna felt a lot better after her conversation with Mrs Parker.

    She was able to concentrate on her work more than she would have done if she didn''t share her problems with someone.

    About two hourster Joanna was at the counter when Audrey arrived at the cafe.

    "Anna...,"

    "As you can see I am swamped with work. I will suggest you save whatever you want to say forter. That is if I will have the time to spare when that time reaches," Joanna muttered.

    Her nonchnce and the way she won''t take her gaze off what she was doing made Audrey clench her fist.

    "Are you so angry that you won''t spare me a nce?... How long are you gonna keep avoiding me...,"

    "And whoever told you that I am avoiding you?" Joanna hissed. She finally raised her gaze and looked Audrey in the eye.

    "As far as I know, Imitted no mistakes so why should I avoid you...,"

    "Because you don''t want to talk to me. You won''t even give me the chance to exin myself...,"

    "As I said, I am busy. I would appreciate it if you leave now," Joanna said those words so easily that Audrey found it hard to believe that the one standing in front of her was the best friend she knew all her life.

    "Standing here will only hinder my work so I would love it if you excuse me now," Joanna said. She carried the cup of coffee she just made and walked out of the counter.

    As she approached the table the order was made Joanna didn''t spare Audrey a nce.

    "Did you guys fight?" Mrs Parker asked thedy whose eyes were following every movement Joanna made.

    Audrey shifted her attention to the woman standing at the inner part of the counter.

    "I thought her fight with him was the reason she was down I guess I was wrong from the beginning...,"

    "Did she fight with someone?" Audrey asked as if that was the only part of Mrs Parker''s words her sensitive ears picked up.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, please support author by buying privileged chapters. Thanks a bunch as you do this ??????

 Chapter 466 Audrey And Joannas Misunderstanding Persist

    "If you care so much about her then try your best to settle things with her. I bet you will agree with me that the bright expression she always had on suits her better than this gloomy expression of hers," Mrs Parker stared at Joanna who was pretending to be immersed in what she was doing.

    "I have spent almost all my life with her so I know she can''t stay mad at me for a long time...,"

    "If I were you, I wouldn''t be too certain about that," Mrs Parker cut in meekly.

    "Whether or not she will stay angry at you for a long time depends on how deeply she was hurt. That is my opinion".

    Mrs Parker added.

    As she stood there Audrey thought of what to do so she wouldn''t get chased out of the cafe by thedy who was determined not to talk to her.

    Two minutester Joanna returned to the counter.

    "Anna...,"

    "Leah, let me help you with that," Joanna offered to help thedy who was about to go serve a customer her order.

    "But...,"

    "I will do it," Joanna smiled and collected the tray from Leah before she had the opportunity to say no.

    "From what I see it looks like she is determined to stay mad at you for a long time," Mrs Parkermented, her gaze glued on Joanna''s moving back.

    "Believe me, I am more determined to make her talk to me normally once again," Audrey replied.

    Audrey kept on waiting for Joanna at the counter. But the angrydy didn''t make things easier for her at all.

    She kept on ignoring Audrey since this was one of out of the many ways she knew how to make her best friend realize just how much her actions hurt her.

    "You are determined to ignore me and I am even more determined to resolve our misunderstanding. Let''s see which one of us will win at the end...,"

    "Isn''t it very obvious which one of us will lose?" Joanna scoffed as she walked past the table Audrey settled down in.

    Because Audrey decided to remain at the cafe Joanna had no valid reason to chase her out even though she didn''t like having her around.

    [If she thinks I will give in to what she wants because of this then she is wrong... She was the first person I always shared my problems and joys with. She was also the first person I told about my feelings for Kay so how could she...]

    Joanna clenched her fist. From that moment onwards she determined in her heart not to look in Audrey''s direction.

    She was scared her resolve would weaken if she kept seeing her face.

    To create an opportunity to talk to Joanna, Audrey kept ordering things. She went as far as ordering desserts even though she hates them.

    Despite her efforts, Joanna refused to serve her. She always let Leah take Audrey''s orders even if it was obvious she was the one the youngdy wanted.

    After staying at the cafe for hours Audrey heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Joanna change the sign at the door from OPENED to CLOSED.

    She paced about the empty cafe when Joanna entered the locker room to get changed.

    She was so happy when Joanna finally showed up in her casual wear.

    Even though Audrey had been waiting for her for a long time, Joanna walked past her, sparing her no attention.

    "Don''t be discouraged," Mrs Parker''s pleasant voice made Audrey turn and peered at thedy''s face.

    "Give it your best shot. I am rooting for you so fighting!," Mrs Parker said in a bid to encourage the dispirited Audrey.

    "Thank you," Audrey replied. She hastened to catch up with Joanna who was already out of the cafe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Audrey called Joanna when she reached outside but Joanna kept walking. She pretended not to hear Audrey''s call.

    "Anna, wait," Audrey grabbed her hand and made her stop walking after she caught up to her atst.

    "I said I don''t wanna talk to you, so can you just let me go?" Joanna shouted and tried to wriggle her hand from his hold but Audrey refused to let go.

    "I know my actions might have hurt you in one way or the other but will you hear me out first...,"

    "I am d to hear you say you are aware that your actions hurt me," Joanna retorted.

    She tried to leave again but the stubborn Audrey refused to let go for the second time.

    "Let go...,"

    "Will you just stop being dramatic for once and hear me out," Audrey lost her cool and shouted when Joanna continued to prove difficult.

    There was momentary silence after Audrey''s outburst.

    "Anna, I am sorry...,"

    "Yes, I love creating dramas... no, in fact, I am a drama queen, are you satisfied now?" Joanna said and brushed her hands from her body.

    She stomped away afterwards.

    "How dare she say I am being dramatic? Is it now a crime to get hurt or show how hurt one is?" Joanna, who was some distance away from where Audrey stood, muttered and kept on walking.

    Audrey stood at the same spot and gazed at her best friend''s moving back. She has tried her best and now she was lost at what to do to make Joanna''s anger eased a bit.

    [Her boss mentioned her fighting with someone... if she fought with Kayden does this mean what I did might not be the only reason she is treating me this way?]

    Audrey was deep in thought as she looked at Joanna''s disappearing back.

    After she had made sure that Joanna was out of range and wouldn''t overhear whatever she said, Audrey brought out her cell phone from her trouser''s pocket.

    She dialled the recent number on her contact and ced the phone on her ear.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 467 Kyle Sold Him Out

    "How was it?" An anxious voice asked at the other end. "Were you able to talk to her? And if yes then how are...,"

    "Where is he now?" Audrey''s cold voice abruptly interrupted the anxious guy''s sentence.

    Kyle exhaled deeply and leaned back on the couch when he heard Audrey''s cold voice.

    "And who are you talking about...,"

    "Quit with the pretence because I am aware you know who I am speaking about," Audrey cut him short fiercely.

    She started walking away in the opposite direction Joanna went.

    "Tell me where he is now because I have something important to talk to him about," Audrey instructed.

    "You know I can''t give you his whereabouts...,"

    "I am not sure you know this...," Audrey trailed. She halted only to appear about fifteen steps away from her previous spot.

    "I am scarier than Anna when I am angry. And I know you wouldn''t like to see me go mad so tell me where he is," Audrey''s words were more of a threat than a request.

    Kyle didn''t respond immediately.

    He averted his gaze to the guy sitting by his side with a ss of whiskey dangling in between his fingers.

    "I believe he might be part of the reason whyAnna is so mad at me, that is why I want to have a little talk with him," Audrey exined when Kyle didn''t give her the reply she needed.

    "What do you mean by he is the reason she is furious with you?" Kyle raised an eyebrow. He shot the guy by his side a suspicious re but Amos acted defiantly to it.

    "I suspect they had a bit of misunderstanding and that is why Anna is transferring the aggression to me. I need to ask him in detail about it since Anna has refused to hear whatever I say," She went even further to expatriate.

    She sounded a bit cool-headedpared to when he first answered the line.

    "Will talking to him and finding things out make Joanna listen to you?" Kyle asked.

    Because he shifted his attention away from him, he didn''t see the guy by his side shoot him a fierce re.

    "I believe that I will stand a better chance of making her listen to me if I find out what happened between her and him," Audrey was confident with her reply.

    There was a moment of silence afterwards.

    "He is with me at the club. You cane over if you want to talk to him," Kyle replied after a moment of silence.

    "I will be there in a jiffy so make sure he doesn''t leave before I arrive," Audrey instructed and disconnected the phone instantly.

    "Hey!" Amos shouted. He startled those around him including Kyle with his loud voice.

    "How could you easily sell me out to her just like that?" Amos scolded, his stern expression focused on Kyle''s face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She says you might be the reason why your woman is giving her a tough time. You can''t possibly me me for wanting to help her sort things out with Joanna quickly...,"

    "Is that why you didn''t hesitate to give out my location to her?...Have you forgotten that I was your best friend way before you even knew her?" Amos said.

    "Don''t you also believe we wouldn''t have gotten to this stage if you had agreed to help me...,"

    "And why would I help the man who made my woman upset and risk upsetting her even more?" He interrupted sternly.

    "You don''t want to make your woman more upset and I can''t stand seeing mine upset either. I think we are the same in this manner so I don''t see a reason why you should scold me...,"

    "Just a few days ago you told me you guys were only good friends and here you are boldly dering her as your woman. Tell me, what exactly is she to you?" Amos demanded.

    "If you just wanna fool around with her like you always do with your other women I will advise that you put to death whatever fantasies you have about her...,"

    "I know I have been a jerk to women for years but I am nning to take this one seriously," Kyle replied with confidence.

    Amos could swear that he hasn''t seen his eyes sparkle so much anytime he spoke about a woman.

    Even though his eyes had sparkled in the past when he talked about a woman it would have been when they mentioned sex and making out.

    That''s because he was only after having fun with those women and nothing else. He has never been romantically involved with any woman.

    Amos was close enough to him to know about this.

    "Also, we might not be official like you and Joanna but I believe that she will say yes to me in no time," The thought of having Audrey as his girlfriend made Kyle smile brightly.

    "I admire your confidence but as a good friend I will suggest that you prepare yourself properly for what ising your way because I can tell that you are in for some shock," Amos grinned and took a sip from the ss of whiskey.

    "I have this feeling that she is gonna be the one who takes revenge for all girl''s hearts you have broken all these years".

    Seeing Amos smile broadly made Kyle frown, "And what kind of friend are you hmm...,"

    "A very good friend I must say," Amos replied confidently.

    Kyle wanted to scold Amos but he didn''t know the way to do it so he just kept quiet.

    It wasn''t up to ten minutes after her phone call with Kyle that Audrey arrived at the club.

    Audrey ignored everything and everyone around and walked to stand in front of Amos.

    "Let''s go somewhere private. I need to talk to you," Audrey informed after she had saluted him.

    "I never knew they were any ce regarded quiet for beings like us...,"

    "Stop being sarcastic because I am quite serious about this," Audrey cut in but she tried not to sound rude despite that she was furious.

 Chapter 468 Argument

    "I particrly asked you guys not to get caught until you were ready to reveal the truth to her. You guys are the ones who got caught so I don''t think there is anything we need to talk about," Amos expressed as he returned his attention to the bottle of whiskey in front of him.

    "Of course, you did mention that. But don''t you think you are the one to be med for why she doesn''t want to give me the chance to exin myself?" Audrey asked, her head held high.

    "How can you me me for...,"

    "I am really desperate right now and as such I will not hesitate to cause a scene so if you don''t want me to do that just please do as I say," Audrey decided to use the soft approach instead when her first option didn''t work.

    "Anna being upset with me is something I can''t stand. You love her a lot too so I am sure you understand me better than anyone else. Let''s help each other out hmm?" She added. Her once fierce expression turned gentle at that instance.

    "You shouldn''t have upset her in the first ceif you hated seeing her...,"

    "But you are the first one who made her upset so why on Earth are you lecturing me...,"

    "Audrey!" Kyle tried to call her to order but the furious Audrey brushed his hand off her body.

    "Don''t think I will be scared of you because of your identity because that is a big day lie. If I could go against you even when you weren''t who you are now that means I wouldn''t hesitate to do that again if you dare as much as to hurt her," Audrey said while looking into Amos'' eyes; something only a few people in the Kingdom have the guts to do.

    "You should be aware that I never liked you for her in the past but I only let things slide after what you did because she is madly in love with you. But believe me, I will haunt you down irrespective of her who you are if you dare to hurt my best friend''s feelings in any way...,"

    "Between the two of us, who do you think cares more about her feelings and well-being?" Amos questioned, his fierce gaze settling on Audrey''s face.

    "You don''t need me to spell out the answers to you right?" Amos added as he stood up from the couch with his hands stuck in his trouser''s pockets.

    "For someone who has been avoiding her, don''t you think you have no right to say that to me huh?" Audrey refused to back down despite Kyle''s attempt to make sure she didn''t cross the line.

    "If you know what your action has done to her then you wouldn''t stand here and use me of the very thing you are doing to that poor girl," Audrey said a bit calmer.

    There was momentary silence after herst sentence.

    "If you guys have a misunderstanding then the right thing is to talk and sort things out. My mum always told me that there is no misunderstanding that can''t get resolved as long as you talk things out with the other partner so...," Audrey let her words linger.

    The once worried Kyle who was caught in between their argument was so relieved to see that their conversation had taken a different dimension.

    "Instead of ignoring her and hurting her feelings in the process you should talk to her...,"

    "This is between her and me. I will suggest that you mind your business. It''s not like you always listened to me anytime you guys have a misunderstanding," Amos interrupted rudely.

    "W-what... what did you just say?" Audrey was too surprised and mad to construct a sentence without stuttering.

    "You heard me right," Amos replied, his expression stern.

    He strolled out of there before Audrey could do anything.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hey, do you think I wouldn''t dare to hit you in the face because of your identity?" Audrey yelled, her murderous res shot at his moving back.

    "Then I will prove to you today that you are wrong about that," Audrey stomped towards Amos who was pretending not to hear her.

    Kyle stood up and grabbed her hand just in time, "He already had a lot on his te so that is enough already...,"

    "Let go of me," Audrey hissed. She tried to push his hand away but he refused to let go.

    "And are you trying to say my best friend''s feelings aren''t important...,"

    "I never said that...,"

    "Then what were your words implying huh?" Audrey demanded. She was so ready to transfer her aggression to him if he dared to give a wrong reply.

    "Let him leave the premises first and I will tell you why he is that way," Kyle suggested, his attention concentrated on the bubbling ground floor beneath them.

    Audrey turned and shot him a suspicious look. She stared at him for close to two minutes without uttering a word.

    "You better keep your word because I swear I won''t let you off the hook if you go back on your words," Audrey gave in to what he wanted when his eyes didn''t waver as she expected them to.

    "I promise I won''t brush it off this time by saying it''s confidential," Kyle said seriously.

    He held her hand and led the reluctantdy back to his table.

    Audrey and Kyle sat there for five minutes without one talking to the other. The air surrounding them was tense and suffocating but Kyle tried his best to endure it.

    "He is far gone so can we talk now?" Audrey finally broke off the awkward silence.

    "Let''s go," Kyle stood up and held her hand. He tried to pull her up but she didn''t budge.

    "Why?" She quizzed. "Is this perhaps another of your tactics not to tell me anything...,"

    "Of course not. Since I have given you my word I won''t go back on it. I am a man of my word," Kyle cut in softly.

    ...

    Hello lover readers, please as you read do support your dearest author through buying of privileged chapters.

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 Chapter 469 At The Secret Passage

    "What I want to tell you is confidential and we can''t possibly talk here right?" Kyle looked around the crowded club in a bid to make her understand what he meant.

    Audrey scrutinized their environment after he spoke. Although the upants of the club looked so normal and human, through their scents she could tell that there were more than a dozen vampires and a bunch of werewolves there.

    They might be busy with their partners right now but she knew their sensitive ears would pick up every word they said.

    "If you have a more convenient ce then let''s go," Audrey agreed atst.

    Kyle led her to his room, a ce Audrey was very familiar with right now. All her thought was that they were gonna talk in his room not until he turned his wardrobe and there was a secret passage in front of them.

    "Come, let''s go in," He held her hand and guided her into the dark passage.

    Since Audrey was naturally a fearless girl, he didn''t have trouble leading her into the ce.

    They walked through stairs and afterwards arrived at a levelled ground.

    Even though the ce was too dark for Audrey to see anything she knew they must have arrived at their destination.

    "Wait here while I turn on the lights," Kyle said and let go of her hand for the first time since they journey into the dark secret passage.

    Audrey waited as he instructed without giving him a headache.

    She was standing at the same spot he left her when suddenly the lights came on and immediately illuminated her dark surroundings.

    After the lights came on Audrey was surprised to see what the ce looked like with the lights on.

    Unlike how dreadful it looked in darkness, the blue and white walls were furnished with two couches and a ss table at the centre.

    Paintings were hung on the walls and decor was in the corner of the room.

    All these thingsbined gave the spacious room atasteful look.

    "The interior of the room sure exceeded my expectations, I must say," Audrey said and strolled to one of the couches at the centre of the room.

    "Because this is a ce the King of our great Kingdom frequents a lot, I had to put in a lot of work. I am happy it''s to your liking," Kyle smiled and moved to where she sat.

    He took his position beside her.

    "Are you sure it''s not because of your numerous women you made it look so beautiful? I know you are the type of guy who doesn''t like to lose face...,"

    "I promise I have never bought any of the women I hung out with in the past here. Apart from Josephina who is Kay''s person, you are the only woman I have brought here...,"

    "And why are you telling me this?" Audrey retorted, her fierce res focused on him.

    Kyle looked into her eyes and replied, "It''s because I trust you. We might not have known each other for a long time but you have earned my trust...,"

    "If this is another of your way to winning me over then let me tell you that you have picked the wrong location and time for it...,"

    "But I am serious about this," Kyle pleaded his innocence.

    "We will talk about thatter but for now let''s talk about what brought us all the way here," Audrey decided to change the topic when she saw that this conversation was leading nowhere.

    "Why exactly is Kayden treating Anna this way when he knows very well that she can''t stand being ignored by those she loves?" Audrey asked in a cool tone.

    "I swear, I will not hesitate to hit him in the face if there is no valid reason why he is behaving this way towards her," Audrey threatened.

    "There is a fact that so many people in the Kingdom are not aware of and this is that the King has always been under death threats ever since he became the King...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Since ancient times this has always been what kings face. Although the news doesn''t normally carry this information, so many people in the kingdom are not ignorant of this fact," Audrey replied meekly.

    She stood up and strolled around the spacious room.

    "What I don''t understand is what this has to do with the misunderstanding he has with Anna," Audrey said and turned to stare at Kyle for enlightenment.

    "You will know in a few minutes," Kyle muttered. He stood up and approached where she stood gazing at a painting hung in front of her.

    "Not long ahead we discovered that the human world has sent spies into the Kingdom. And these spies are not just mere spies but have strange powers...,"

    "What do you mean by they have strange powers?" Audrey raised an eyebrow.

    "Aren''t humans the weakest beings alive so how could they possibly possess strange powers that made them a threat to us?" Audrey asked in confusion.

    "That is the same thing we have always believed until we saw what their strange powers look like...," Kyle trailed.

    "They can fly on buildings, possessed speed; the speed that is way advanced like that of vampires...,"

    "Tell me that is a lie," Audrey replied. Her eyes bulged in disbelief.

    "It''s not," Kyle responded.

    "We have a hunch that they are responsible for the recent killings of werewolves, humans and vampires in the kingdom. Their main target is Kayden but unfortunately, because he is in disguise they don''t know who he is...," Kyle paused to make sure that she was following what he was saying.

    "We already set in ns to capture them but things haven''t been working in our favour. To make things worst he discovered that this set of humans with strange powers has been tailing Joanna...,"

    "What!" Audrey shouted. Her eyes widened in shock.

    "We and the others suggested he return to the pce but he vehemently refused and this is because he is worried about her safety. He is afraid that he won''t be able to protect her from a close distance if he stays in the pce; a ce where his movements are restricted," Kyle exined in a calm tone.

    "Wait, wait, wait...," Audrey raised her hand in the air. She paced about in front of him with her right hand still in the air.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 470 Was The Video Edited?

    She paused after walking for about three minutes.

    "If their target was Kayden then why on Earth are they after my Anna huh?" Audrey demanded as if Kyle knew what went on in the minds of their enemies.

    "The humans must also be aware that the future Queen is weak that is why they deemed her the easiest target...,"

    "How dare they think about my best friend in that way huh?" Audrey demanded as if Kyle was one of the human spies.

    "If they think that they can bully my best friend with me around then they are very wrong," Audrey clenched her fists and stared into space.

    "I will teach them what happens to anyone who dares to go after her," Audrey muttered and turned to stomp away but Kyle grabbed her hand in time.

    She turned and shot him a fierce re, "And what do you think you are doing?" She questioned sternly.

    "For them to constantly escape each time they strike despite the measures we have set up to catch them shows how well prepared they are...,"

    "That is because you guys were not prepared enough...,"

    "Do you think we would take the King''s safety lightly?" Kyle asked sternly.

    Kyle shoved his hand into his trouser pockets and brought out his cell phone.

    He navigated through his gallery and when he saw the video he was searching for, he passed the phone to her.

    "These are some of the clips that were captured during our numerous stakeouts. Look at it for yourself and tell me what you think about it," Kyle said.

    He pointed at the six video clips on his phone.

    Curious to know what he meant, Audrey clicked on the first video and watched the content keenly.

    After checking the video for a minute and nothing showed except darkness Audrey frowned. She turned to re at him.

    "Is this a joke or what...,"

    "Watch or you are gonna miss the most important scene," Kyle pointed at the video clip still ying.

    Audrey''s eyes widened when suddenly four bodies were on the floor.

    "Was the video edited?" Audrey questioned. She reyed the video thinking that she had missed something.

    "Nope," Kyle asserted.

    "If the video was not edited then how is this even possible?" Audrey asked in awe.

    She yed the second video thinking it would be different but the videos turned out to be the same.

    "Be it vampires or werewolves, they leave trailseven when they use their powers but why are they different?" Audrey demanded.

    She looked away from the screen of the phone in her hand.

    "There was no figure at sight except the bodies on the floor...,"

    "Do you still believe that we are cking after what you saw?" Kyle cut in softly.

    He stared at thedy''s bewildered expression.

    Actually, his expression was no different from hers the first time he witnessed this.

    In fact, when he was told about this he didn''t believe it until he witnessed these strange scenes for himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Audrey wasn''t able to reply immediately.

    "Although from the video they look invincible, I don''t believe we won''t catch them if we try harder than we are doing right now," Audrey spoke atst.

    "That''s exactly what Kayden said," Kyle replied. He walked two steps away from where Audrey stood.

    "He didn''t deliberately keep his distance from Joanna just to keep her safe. Another reason he distanced himself from her was that he wants to actively partake in this mission...,"

    "And isn''t that very dangerous since he is their main target?" Audrey asked, not able to hide her concern.

    Kyle smiled to the surprise of thedy who was eagerly waiting for his reply.

    "Why are you staring at me with that smile on your face?" She demanded sternly.

    "You often lose your temper easily but you have a tender heart. And I believe this is your greatest charm...,"

    "If you are praising me because I am worried about his safety then I suggest you don''t," Audrey retorted.

    "I am concerned about his well-being not because I care about him. Instead, I am worried about my best friend...," Audrey let her words linger as she walked and covered the gap between them.

    "My best friend just recently discovered how madly in love she is with him. I don''t want her to get hurt no matter what. I also detest the fact that she might turn a widow before she even gets officially married to him if anything goes wrong," Audrey devised so many means to prove that she wasn''t softhearted.

    "I believe you if you say so," Kyle resisted the urge tough knowing too well what his fate would be if he dared tough at that moment.

    "Now that you know the weight on his shoulders I will suggest that you are not so hard on him...,"

    "Although he has a valid reason why he is being such a jerk, I still loathe seeing him hurt my best friend...,"

    "But Audrey...,"

    "And that is why I will join you guys to capture those scumbags to make sure that none possess a threat to my best friend''s happiness and safety," Audrey asserted and proceeded to the couch they sat on earlier.

    "After the clips you watched, you must have a little idea of how dangerous those beings are so why do you want to join our team?" Kyle asked seriously.

    He didn''t need to directly tell her he was against her decision for Audrey to know what he was thinking. His expression alone did all the talking.

    "I might look this little but never underestimate what I am capable of because I am an explosive waiting to explode and show the enemies what I am capable of," Audrey said with her chin held up.

    "Even though I agree to this Kayden would never give his permission...,"

    "If that''s the case then we will keep it a secret from him...,"

    "But...,"

    "That is settled then," Audrey said.

    She was never the type to take a no for an answer, especially on a topic as sensitive as this.

    ...

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 Chapter 471 Kyles Love Confession

    And that is why she didn''t give him the chance to disagree with what she had set her mind on.

    [It''s true I wasn''t able to save you from falling off the cliff that dreadful night but I promise you that I will save you this time around. I will make up for my past regret and leave no room for future regrets]

    Audrey sped her fist, her gaze focused on nothing in particr.

    "I can agree to take you along with me but you must promise to follow my arrangements...,"

    "I thought we have already concluded on that issue so...,"

    "I never agreed to that and for you to get my approval you have to agree to follow all my arrangements...,"

    "Isn''t it just to follow your arrangements?" Audrey snapped as she turned to look at his face. "I will do that," She stated fiercely.

    Kyle, who assumed he would have a hard time convincing her was surprised that she agreed to what he wanted without asking about the arrangements he talked about.

    Silence engulfed the room afterwards. While she kept her eyes glued on the interiors of the room, Kyle kept his gaze focused on her face.

    "Why do you keep staring at my face like that?" Audrey, who pretended not to know that he had been gazing at her face, asked atst.

    "Do I have something on my face or are there any secrets you are keeping from me that you would love to disclose?" Audrey asked.

    Audrey waited for Kyle to say something but the guy whose gaze was locked on hers would not stop looking at her face.

    "Hey, say something and stop keeping me in suspense," Audrey snapped her finger at the guy whose mind had obviously gone on a long journey.

    The startled guy blinked twice and tried topose himself.

    Audrey dug her nails into the couch when he suddenly closed the gap between them.

    "And... w-what do you think you are doing?" Audrey stuttered and shifted a bit to create space between them.

    "Now that we are done talking about them can we talk about us?" Kyle''s words were more of a statement than a suggestion.

    He moved closer to her for the second time.

    "What is your response to what I said two days ago?... You weren''t able to give me a reply because ofst night''s incident so will you do that now?" He asked, his passionate eyes locked in hers.

    "Will you be my...,"

    "S-sorry but I need to take my leave now," Audrey jerked to her feet.

    And instantly, she tried to run away but the agile guy who had somehow seen thising held her hand.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If you don''t feel the same way about me then let me know instead of always trying to run away or avoid the topic each time it is brought up...," Kyle trailed.

    Although he looked so calm and sounded calm also, his erratic heartbeat gave away his true feelings.

    "No matter how hard you try to avoid the topic you and I both know that we will still arrive at this topic at some point so what''s the use of trying to escape each time," Kyle let go of her hand and lowered his head.

    He really wanted to look cool until the end but he didn''t have the confidence which is why he decided not to look into her eyes.

    "You don''t look like you are ready to hear what my answer is...,"

    "Whether or not I am ready does not matter. All I need is your answer," Kyle sped his fist and raised his head to look at her face.

    Audrey took her time to study his face, including the emotions he was trying to hide before she started, "I will be a liar if I say that I love you because the truth is that I don''t know what it means to like or love a guy...," Audrey let her word''s trail.

    Kyle''s grip on her hand loosened in an instant. His expectations crumbled at that very moment.

    "I have never had romantic feelings for a guy so I would be deceiving you including myself if I imed to love you... Judging from your past lifestyle I am sure you have never experienced what it means to be in love with ady right?" Audrey decided to face her fears too.

    "We met again not long ago so it''s hard to ascertain whether what we feel for each other is love so let''s not rush into anything to save each other from getting hurt at the end of the day...,"

    "It takes less than a minute to fall in love so the period we have known each other doesn''t matter," Kyle cut in softly.

    "Also, you were right when you said I haven''t fallen in love with any other woman before. That is a fact I won''t lie about... but trust me, I know exactly what I feel for you," he confessed. He found the confidence to look into her eyeballs once again.

    "This is a kind of feeling I have never felt for any other woman before...," He let his words linger as he slowly raised his right hand and ced it on her face.

    "I know without any doubt that what I feel for you is love... I love you, Audrey," He whispered, his gaze still locked in hers.

    "But...,"

    "It''s ok if you aren''t sure of what you feel for me. I can give you time so please don''t push me away hmm," His hand gently moved on her beautiful face as he talked.

    Audrey wanted to say something but she found out that she couldn''t utter a word after she got trapped in his passionate ck orbs.

    His face inched closer until they could feel each other''s warm breath grazing their delicate skin.

    ...

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 Chapter 472 I Love It Rough

    "I love you Audrey and I am willing to wait until you are ready to give me a chance," His husky tone and the intense feelings in his voice made Audrey feel dreamy.

    She clenched her fists to fight back whatever she felt at the moment.

    [Audrey the guy standing in front of you is best known for luring women with his honeyed tongue so get your act together. You are gonna be no different from all the women he has bed if you give in so easily]

    Audrey tried to caution herself after she realised that her resolve had gotten shaken by his emotional words.

    She swallowed a lump when her eyesnded on his pouty natural pink lips.

    [This is why I always avoided being in a confined space with him. I knew that could be dangerous and I have realised that my decision was right]

    Not even digging her fingers into her palms made her erratic heartbeat cease. He didn''t do much and yet her body reacted crazily to his sincere words.

    [Since my entire system wants him so badly why don''t I give in and have a bite of his lips? Besides, this is a losing game for me after all so why keep fighting?]

    Audrey threw caution off the window and nted a kiss on the anxious guy''s lips.

    For a minute, Kyle was too shocked to react. He stood there like a statue as she struggled to prate her tongue into his mouth.

    "Audrey...," Thedy who was trying to get him to open his mouth slid her tongue into his mouth forcing him to swallow back whatever he wanted to say.

    Audrey''s hands moved frantically on Kyle''s body as she tried to quench her thirst by sucking and licking his lips.

    The moment Kyle confirmed that the kiss wasn''t a dream or part of his imagination but reality, he changed from being the submissive partner to the dominant one.

    He skilfully spun her so that her butts were resting on the arm of the brown couch.

    As he ravished her mouth and explored her body with his firm hands, Audrey felt a burning sensation from her lower abdomen.

    The burning sensation runs from her lower abdomen down to the region between her legs.

    The pain and heat became immense as the kiss and the movement of his hands on her body intensified but she didn''t want it to stop.

    In fact, she longed for more of this.

    While frantically trying to take off his shirt she ended up ripping his shirt.

    This caused Kyle to pause what he was doing. He lowered his gaze and stared at his ripped shirt.

    "It wasn''t intentional...," He ced his index finger on her lips before she could exin that what happened was a mistake.

    "You are fierce and I love this," He grinned and bent so that his mouth was close to her neck.

    From her neck, he kissed her downwards. Audrey was ripened and ready to be eaten before he even got to have a taste of her sulent breasts.

    Just when he had ripped her shirt and got prepared to have a taste of those delicious-looking breasts, Audrey pushed him away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The first thing that came to Kyle''s mind when he saw her burning eyebrows was apologies and that is what he did.

    "I-I don''t... know w-what... came over me. I am...," He was dumbfounded when she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him passionately.

    She pulled away after about two minutes.

    "Let''s have sex," She proposed, her expression stern.

    Kyle stared at eyeballs, unable to utter a word. He would have assumed she was joking or pulling a prank on him if her expression was not deadly serious.

    "I know to a guy like you sex is like food. I am also aware that I might end up like those women you discarded in the past but I am willing to risk it all," Audrey said emotionally.

    Her burning gazebined with the strong emotions in her voice evoked in Kyle, feelings he never knew existed.

    "I want to discover what this crazy feeling I feel for you is all about and that is why I am willingly walking into this hellfire despite knowing I might get burned in the end," Audrey whispered.

    She slightly parted her legs as a sign that she has given him consent.

    In the past, he was never the type to hesitate in front of good sex but for the first time in his life, he did.

    Since the one thing he has ever desired from any woman he hung out with was sex and nothing else he never used to spare a thought about anything.

    But right at this minute, he was doing serious thinking.

    "You see this rtionship as hellfire but I will turn it into a paradise. I will make sure you don''t sustain a single burn," His husky, yet sexy tone echoed in her head.

    [Although there is a possibility that everything he has done and said to me during this period was to get me to bed I will still do it because this is exactly how I feel. I will make sure not to leave any regrets even though our feelings end up changing along the way]

    Audrey closed her eyes and tried to chase away the negative thoughts from her mind.

    Her eyes fluttered open when she felt a hand around her wrist.

    He grinned upon seeing her questioning gaze. "I love it rough and sizzling hot. I hope you are cool with that?" He asked. His sparkling eyeballs were full of mischief and she couldread that all over him.

    "And I particrly love exploring so I will let you take me on this nice journey," Audrey smiled.

    She stood up and followed his lead.

    Curious to know what the mischievous guy was up to, Audrey followed him without asking questions.

    When he reached the wall he made her stand facing the wall with her hands on the brown wall.

    "I am afraid that the couches, tables and beds won''t be able to withstand the pressure so the safest ce to do it without worrying about breaking the poor furniture is against the wall and on the floor," He exined.

 Chapter 473 Now Its My Turn

    Although his exnations weren''t straightforward Audrey still understood.

    [He is nothing but a damn beast who was bitten by the god of lust!]

    Audrey smiled and got ready to be eaten by the guy whose cock was shooting out like a machine gun waiting to empty his bullets into his target''s body.

    "I never knew you to be a considerate person but it''s good...,"

    "I didn''t say that out of consideration or pity but because I detest interruptions," He was blunt with his reply.

    Instantly Kyle took his position behind her. He lifted his right hand and pushed her hair to one side while he ced his left hand on her handresting on the wall.

    "I will cherish our first night together for as long as I can. I promise," He whispered and shovelled his big size into her cave.

    "uh hmm.....," Audrey let out a pleasurable groan and stretched a bit to amodate his entire size.

    [Thank goodness I wasn''t a human or else that would have hurt a lot]

    Audrey exhaled deeply and prepared herself mentally for what was gonnae next.

    Excitement soon watched over Audrey causing her to scrape the wall with her ws.

    She grabbed and held the wall firmer for fear that the overwhelming emotions might make her lose her bnce.

    She recalled he said he hated interruption and she didn''t want anything that would serve as a disruption to their steamy first night together.

    As Audrey was busy thinking of ways to make him happy Kyle acted like a possessed demon after he got a little bite at her sweetness.

    He grabbed her leg with his left hand and lifted it slightly above the floor to give room for much deeper pration.

    He banged her repeatedly in this manner.

    After a while, his right hand trailed from her lower abdomen upwards. The anticipation as he teased her body ignited a bigger me inside Audrey''s body.

    As she followed his pace she looked forward to what her beastly man was up to.

    "Aahhh....," Audrey screamed in enthusiasm the moment he grabbed her nipple and pulled it hard.

    "I told you I love it rough and sizzling hot. I am sorry if I hurt...,"

    "And whoever told you I was screaming in pain," Audrey muttered with her eyes closed. She so much didn''t want to sound like a freaking horny woman but that is exactly how her voice came out.

    The overwhelming emotions in her voice which gave him an insight into what she wanted made Kyle chuckled.

    "I can see I have met a woman who befits me perfectly in bed," He grinned and when she least expected it, he moved backwards and spun her around.

    "I loved that position at first but it''s no fun to not see your every reaction as I make your body, heart and soul long for me," His husky tone aroused Audrey even more.

    "Samee..," Audrey''s eyes flew open and her eyes bulged the moment he pulled in and shoved her breast into his mouth.

    He smirked evilly when he got a glimpse of her bewildered expression.

    [I have never seen her look so cute... And now that I have, I think I am in trouble]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kyle sucked and twirled his warm tongue around it.

    As he sucked and fondled her ripened breasts his right hand found its way in between her legs.

    [Everydy has this little demoness inside of her that she doesn''t know exists so why don''t I help her to unleash this little demoness... I can''t wait to see how fierce it is... I bet it will be even more thrilling to tame it]

    A devilish smile stered on Kyle''s face as helifted his gaze and stole a nce at thedy who was holding his hair for support.

    Audrey was trying to get herself ustomed to this overwhelming yet pleasurable feeling when suddenly she felt a pration.

    "Shit!" She cursed, her back arched and her eyes turned crimson.

    Her grip on his hair tightened as she fought not to lose the remaining humanity left in her.

    Kyle who was having the best time of his life curled his three fingers still inside her entrance causing Audrey to go wild.

    "Damn! I am done ying the innocent girl," She mumbled.

    Kyle was fond of giving surprises and he got his share of surprises when Audrey spun him around and pinned him against the wall.

    "Now it''s my turn," She dered and smeared her lips against his.

    She explored his muscr body with her hands as she kissed him passionately.

    Kyle''s right hand romanced her back while he used the other to massage her butt cheeks; something he was fond of doing.

    His eyes flung open when he felt her hand move backwards.

    He needed not to be a seer to know what she was up to.

    [I will be so done if her ns seed. I need to save myself]

    At that moment only one solution came to his mind and he didn''t waste even a second in executing it.

    He shoved his cock into her cave forcing her to pause everything she was doing.

    "What a bad cheat!" She muttered and hit his chest.

    She was about to hit him for the second time but he pulled her in for an embrace.

    At first, she had thought this was a normal hug but this changed when his wriggling big size started moving in and out of her cave.

    "You...," He kissed her immediately before she had the opportunity to say aplete sentence.

    [If he thinks he can bully me and go scot-free then that means he is yet to know the type ofdy that I am]

    Audrey grinned. She tried to pin him against the wall but the agile Kyle manoeuvred his way out of it.

    When he noticed that she wouldn''t stop fighting with him over taking full control he made her move ording to his lead.

    As they moved they bumped into anything which tried to stand in their way.

 Chapter 474 She Paused

    For five hours Audrey and Kyle had sex non-stop without any of themining of weariness.

    Audrey had to force herself to stay scene when she recalled she had some unfinished business to take care of.

    "Kyle, that is enough for tonight," She said to the guy who was mming the wall of her womb with great fervour.

    Despite her words, he still kept on pumping in and out of her like a beast who was starved for seven days.

    "Kyle!" Audrey called her voice a bit raised.

    "You said it''s enough but I am far from getting enough of you so what do you want me to do," Heined, his passionate eyes fixated on her.

    "Same here...," Audrey trailed. She raised her right hand and ced it on his frowning face.

    "Nheless, we have to put a pause to it whether we both like it or not," She asserted.

    She caressed his face gently. "This is the sacrifice we have to make if we want to help our best friend out," She muttered.

    With Audrey this determined, Kyle was left with no other choice but to wrap things up.

    He reluctantly climbed off the body of thedy lying on the floor.

    He walked over to where their clothes were littered on the floor.

    After he picked the clothes he walked back to where she sat, "Have it," He said and passed her stuff to her.

    Audrey didn''t collect her clothes from him immediately but she studied his face for a few seconds.

    His expression was so different from his previous excited self. He looked like a guy whose favourite candy has just been snatched from him.

    "I don''t how long it will take me to settle things with Anna but I promise toe to keep youpany if things end quickly," She mumbled, her gaze not moving from his sideline.

    "Although I hate interruptions I know without a doubt that helping our friends out is also as important as satisfying our desires so there is no need to worry about that," He said and forced a smile at her.

    "I am d that I have your understanding. I wouldn''t have known what to do if you were upset with me," Audrey whispered.

    She stood up and dusted her body.

    As she dressed up he also did the same. And after they were done they made their way out of the secret passage holding hands.

    When they reached his room he let go of her hand and moved to the side table where he kept his car keys.

    "Come, let me apany you there...,"

    "That won''t be necessary," Audrey blurted before he could grab her hands.

    "Why?" Kyle demanded sternly.

    "At the moment Anna is mad at us because I kept my rtionship with you a secret. Even though I stood the slightest chance to make her listen to me, I will lose that chance the moment she sets her eyes on you," Audrey exined calmly.

    "Judging from her temper she wouldn''t want to see us, not to mention talk to us".

    Audrey extended her hands and held his right hand. She gave a gentle squeeze to it and raised her head so they were staring into each other''s eyeballs.

    "I know you did this with good intentions but I will suggest you stay behind and take care of the business here....,"

    "But...," Kyle paused and clenched his fist.

    He was lost at what to say to convince her in this situation since he would be forcing her hands if he insists on following her.

    He had no ns of worsening the two best friends misunderstanding more than it was.

    "Anna is like a sister to me. I love her a lot but believe me, I won''t be able to control myself if we get there and she transfers her aggression onto you," Audrey said seriously.

    Kyle nced at her face for a few seconds. He made up his mind after the hesitation.

    "Since you want to go alone and have a good reason for that then I won''t make things difficult for you," Kyle agreed atst.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Thanks," Audrey beamed. She pulled him and gave him a tight embrace.

    "Although I agree to let you go without me, you can''t refuse to drive there in my car ok?" Kyle expressed.

    He stroked her hair affectionately.

    After Kyle saw her off, he returned to the club which was at its peak.

    He walked to the counter where his assistant stood with his attention focused on the dance floor.

    "If you shave seen anyone that fancies your eyes why stand there ogling instead of walking up to her hmm," He tapped the guy in a ck shirt on the shoulder.

    "B-boss...," The startled guy stuttered. He tried topose himself in an instant.

    "There is no need to act tense because I am not here to scold you today," He muttered and removed his hand from the guy''s shoulder.

    "I might be out the entire night again. I want you to oversee the smooth running of the club tonight," Kylemanded fiercely.

    The guy''s shoulders eased him a bit after his boss confirmed that he was safe.

    "I will make sure that I do my duties diligently...,"

    "There is no need to work too hard. I will be satisfied if you don''t cause any major problems tonight," Kyle jokingly said.

    He tapped the guy''s shoulder once again and exited the club almost immediately.

    Some minutester Audrey was seen driving into Anderson''s property.

    When she had properly parked her car she approached the huge brown door.

    At the door, she had thought it would be like in the past when she had to force her way past the maids but to her surprise, the maid who opened the door ushered her in.

    "Come in, Miss," the maid said bad created a path for her.

    When she got to the sitting room she met Lauraing from the kitchen''s direction.

    "If you are here to stop me like you always did then let me tell you that I won''t...,"

    "The one you are searching for is up there," Laura pointed her index finger towards Joanna''s room upstairs.

    ....

    HAPPY END OF THE MONTH!!! HAPPY LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY ???¡ë???¡ë???¡ë

    First of all guys, I want to say I wasn''t impressed by our performances at all for this month.

    Unlikest month where the monthly missions were aplished every week, there was no week that you guys reached these goals this month and that was precisely why there were no mass releases also.

    I was very optimistic about February but my hopes got crushed this month.

    I wish you guys will do better next month which is actually my birthday month.

    I want a huge gift for my birthday and I am expecting huge gifts including surprises from every single one of you. Are you guys on this with me? (...*coughs... Raise your hands please a??, lmao)

    Yes, I have ryed how bad I felt and now it''s time to say my thanks.

    I want to say a big thank you to all those who supported the book this month notwithstanding the turnout of events.

    Thank you so much, I will forever remain grateful to every single one of you.

    I love you a?¡è???a?¡è???a?¡è???

    And I honestly look forward to improvement in March 2023.

 Chapter 475 Knock! Knock!

    "Whether or not you want to meet her is up to you to decide so, suit yourself," Laura retorted and returned to where she came from.

    "Did the Laura I know just show me the way to Anna''s room instead of chasing me out of her home like she fondly does in the past?" Audrey muttered in disbelief.

    "What hase over her huh?".

    Audrey stared in the direction Laura went for a few seconds before she moved upstairs.

    Following Joanna''s scent was quite helpful in leading Audrey to the right room.

    KNOCK! KNOCK!

    Audrey waited for a response after she had knocked on the door.

    KNOCK! KNOCK!

    "Anna, it''s me, Audrey," She went ahead to introduce herself for fear that Joanna wouldn''t be able to know that she was the one at the door.

    She was about to knock for the third time when she finally spoke.

    "I have said I don''t want to talk to you. I wasn''t joking when I told you that so I will advise that you stop wasting your time on me," She yelled from inside.

    "I came here to talk and exin things to you but you won''t even give me a chance when I am already here. How cruel can you be to your best friend huh?" Audrey asked emotionally.

    "You are...,"

    "I won''t let you in even though you try to ckmail me emotionally.You can ask Little rice ball how many times this attempt of his has failed if you think I am lying," Joanna refused to yield.

    KNOCK!

    KNOCK!

    Audrey refused to give up. She knocked repeatedly but Joanna hardened her heart. She paid deaf ears to her constant knocks.

    "Anna, I admit that I might have hurt you with my actions but I am here to exin myself and also apologise so, please will give me a chance hmm?" Audrey begged.

    When she started hanging out with Kyle and neglected her best friend she should have known where this would lead but she didn''t think this far.

    Had she known this is how it would end up she wouldn''t have kept her frequent outing with Kyle a secret.

    Approaching footsteps made Audrey shift her gaze to where the noise came from.

    "She isn''t opening the door for you too?" Anthony asked. He took his position beside Audrey.

    "Did she also shut you out?" Audrey asked, her attention concentrated on the face of the boy beside her.

    "Hmm...," He shook his gaze affirmatively, his gaze not moving from the brown door in front of them.

    "When she refused to open the door for me, I thought I did something to upset her but seeing how she didn''t let you in I guess that is not the case," Anthony mumbled, sadness written all over his face.

    "To be honest, you did nothing wrong. In fact, I am the one who made her upset. I am sorry you had to suffer too because of me," Audrey admitted her fault to the sad boy.

    She raised her hand and caressed his hair gently.

    "You upset Big Sis?" Anthony asked. He raised his head so that he had a clear view of Audrey''s face.

    "Did you apologise?" He asked innocently.

    "I wish she allowed me to tell my part of the story but she won''t," Audrey muttered. Her expression fell when she recalled how Joanna has been avoiding her since the incident.

    "Just like how Big Sis can''t stand to stay angry with me for a long time, I am sure that will be the same with you. She loves you very much so I am sure she will stop being upset with you. Don''t worry," Anthony tried to cheer up the saddy by his side.

    "I wish it were that simple," Audrey mumbled.

    Some minutester Audrey made Anthony return to his room while she kept guard in front of Joanna''s room.

    She thought her opportunity would reach to talk to Joanna as long as she persevered but Joanna refused toe out of her room throughout the entire period Audrey she outside her door.

    The once rxeddy became uneasy when it was some minutes to midnight and Audrey still refused to give up.

    [It''s almost midnight and she is still stationed outside... This is my biggest opportunity to talk to him but how am I gonna leave without being stopped by her?]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Joanna shot a deadly re at the entrance of the door.

    At that moment she wished she had the power to make Audrey disappear from there so she won''t have to worry about being tailed after she had left the house.

    Joanna began to lose her cool as the time ticked.

    She had already made up her mind to go out and confront Audrey but had to pause in her tracks when a cell phone rang.

    "Hello," Joanna heard Audrey answer the line.

    "You offered to follow me when I leave for operations today and I wanted to inform you that it''s time already," A voice informed her from the other end.

    There was a minute silence at both ends after he ryed the information.

    "It''s okay if you are not free today...,"

    "I am free," Audrey blurted as she stared at the brown door in front of her.

    "Every other thing can wait except this so wait for me. I will try my luck to talk to her again tomorrow," Audrey said and started walking to the stairs.

    Joanna was so relieved after she could no longer perceive Audrey''s scent close by.

    "I was thinking of how to leave without arousing her suspicions. I guess luck must really be in my favour today," Joanna smiled.

    She picked up her ck face cap from where she dropped it at the foot of the bed.

    And instantly she exited the room with her cell phone in her trouser''s pockets.

    Joanna was about to make her way to the stairs when she recalled how she refused to open the door for Anthony when he knocked earlier.

    "Let me check on him and make sure he is asleep," She mumbled and approached Anthony''s room.

    ...

    HAPPY NEW MONTH!!! HAPPY MARCH ???¡ë???¡ë???¡ë

    Hello lovelies, how are you all?

    So back to the business of the day, I just want to inform you guys that our goals are the same as the previous two months.

    As long as we achieved all the goals, I will give a mass release every Sunday. This was my promise and I will keep it to the end so, put on your shoes and let''s work harder this month.

    Apart from the fact that my birthday is this month, I have another good news for you and guess what..... (Drumrolls.....)

    My new book ising!!!

    Yipee!

    And it ising sooner than you expect.

    You are the first people I wanted to inform, so keep your fingers crossed guys because this author here is gonna take you on another roller coaster of emotions.

    The story is lit ??"£¤??"£¤??"£¤

    And that is why I will advise that you put on your seatbelt and wait for the release day.

    Your support is my greatest strength so give it all to me and I will make sure you don''t get disappointed.

    I know every single one of you is gonna support my new book and that is why I will say...

    Thank you in advance,

    And I love you a?¡è???a?¡è???a?¡è???

    P.S.: Make sure toment under this chapter so that I will know that you have seen the announcement about my new book.

    I will be sad ???-???-???- and upset if all of you keep quiet on me.

    I am sure you wouldn''t want to hurt your beloved author''s feelings, right?

 Chapter 476 Lauras Warning

    In front of Anthony''s room, she held the doorknob and gently tiptoed into the room.

    Inside the room, Joanna walked towards his bed without making a sound.

    A chuckle escaped Joanna''s mouth when she got to his bed and saw how her little brothery.

    "My big boy has finally learned to go to sleep alone but what is this?" She mumbled and shook her head as she stared at the boy lying on the bed with his legs wide apart and his neck a bit crooked.

    Joanna bent and arranged Anthony''s legs properly on the bed.

    Afterwards, she pulled the duvet over his body. She tucked his hands underneath the nkets and sat down beside him.

    "I am sorry I didn''t open the door for you earlier. The truth is I wanted to but when I realised how much my foul mood will affect you, I changed my mind. I didn''t want you to worry about me so forgive Big Sis ok," Audrey muttered and stroked his hair lovingly.

    "Also, I promise I will make it up to you after I have talked things out with him," She mumbled and smiled, her gaze focused on his sleeping face.

    Joanna took ast nce at Anthony''s face before she stood up and left the room.

    She was almost at the foot of the stairs when she saw Laura climb the stairs.

    If it were in the past she dared not use the stairs when any member of the family used the stairs.

    There was a time Adhara pushed her down the stairs when she was climbing the stairs at the same time as her.

    That day she badly scraped her hands and body against the floor. Even her right leg got dislocated.

    [I never knew that being powerful like this feels so sweet until I got a taste of it. I guess this is why powerful people yarns for more power]

    Joanna adjusted her face cap as she descended the stairs. She had already walked past Laura when the quietdy talked.

    "You wanted freedom and now, you have finally gotten it but I will advise that you don''t abuse it...," Laura paused, her expression stern.

    "Father might not harm you because you are his child after all but trust me, the one you hang out with every night will not be safe".

    Laura''s words made Joanna pause in her tracks. She tilted her head and red at Laura.

    "You don''t know to what extent he can go to keep the family''s reputation intact and save our family from the wrath of the royal family...,"

    "Of course I know to what extent that father of yours can go to protect his ego but did I ever tell you that I am scared of him?" Joanna snapped.

    Joanna tilted her body so that she had a proper view of Laura''s face.

    "Also from what I know, you are the type to run and report to get me into trouble so why are you telling me this?" Joanna quizzed.

    "What on Earth are you scheming by pretending to be a caring Big sister?" Joanna focused her suspicious re on thedy standing before her.

    "A caring sister?" Laura chuckled. "To whom?" She smiled and looked behind her as if she was searching for someone.

    "If that is not the case then why did you...,"

    "Because I don''t want anything that will cause my birthday party to be cancelled at thest minute," Laura interrupted, her head held high.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Apart from that, another reason I am telling you this is that I don''t want the wrath of the King to fall on our household...," Laura trailed.

    She flips her hair behind her ear before she continues.

    "From time immemorial no one has ever incurred the wrath of the King ande out unscathed. I don''t want doom to befall our family due to your illicit rtionship with that fool...,"

    "Does it look like I care if doom befalls all of you or not?" Joanna hissed.

    "You...," Laura pointed her index finger at thedy who had a haughty look on.

    Meanwhile, as they were arguing they didn''t know that Mr Anderson was overhearing everything from his room.

    "And hasn''t your mother always wanted you to marry His Majesty instead?" Joanna questioned.

    Shouldn''t this be good news for you or don''t tell me you have decided to go against her wishes and instead marry your boyfriend in...,"

    "Stop spewing nonsense or...,"

    "Or what?" Joanna grimaced.

    "Will you push me down the stairs or beat me until I can''t move like you often did in the past huh?" Joanna challenged, her fierce res not moving from Laura''s face.

    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® Laura sped her first and grit her teeth. She wanted to teach Joanna a lesson but when she recalls that Joanna wasn''t the same one in the past she decided to swallow the insult.

    "That was exactly how I did in the past whenever all of you bullied me. You are gonna grit your teeth and sp your fists more often from now on so I will advise that you get used to it," Joanna retorted.

    She spun and walked out with her shoulders held high.

    [I have always told myself that this is your era and that it won''tst for a long time... This might be sad news to you but I am happy to announce to you that your era ends tonight. You won''te back here alive after you leave but your corpse will]

    Laura smiled towards the door. She swivelled and strolled to her room upstairs.

    Some minutester Joanna didn''t even exit the street of her home when she sensed she was being tailed.

    She paused in the middle of the road and bent as if she wanted to tie her shoce.

    [It''s your bad luck that you were sent to kill me and I will make sure I give you all your due punishment. It will be quick but believe me it won''t be a very ptable death]

    An evil smirk crept onto her pretty face as she continued to y with her shoce.

    ...

    Hello lover readers, please as you read do support your dearest author through buying of privileged chapters.

    Comments, reviews, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS are very much weed.

    Thanks in advance as you do this ??????

 Chapter 477 The Masked Men

    After she found out exactly how many they were and their positions, she stood up and continued with her walk.

    To deal with her pursuers without anyoneing to their rescue Joanna deliberately chooses a secluded route.

    Just like she expected, the six men circled her the moment she entered the dark street.

    "You have been tailing me for over fifteen minutes, will you be kind enough to tell me what treasure of mine you are after?... As far as I can recall I don''t possess that which you want," Joanna said cool-headedly.

    She spun around as she talked and her eyes moved from one masked face to the other as she did this.

    [When they said karma is a bitch I always thought those people said this to give false hope to the weak but I must admit that karma is really a bitch... Tonight I have the opportunity to deal with the same men who have tortured me a few times in the past. Now tell me, isn''t karma a bad bitch?]

    Joanna grinned evilly. She took her stance after she sensed that battle would start soon.

    "What treasure can someone like you ever possess?" The one giving the shots leered at her.

    "That was quite the insult...,"

    "What we want is nothing but your wretched life. Don''t me us for being unkindter on. If you should me anyone it should be your creator for bringing you into this world...,"

    "Aren''t underdogs with you always quick with carrying out your job so why are you such a talkative?" Joanna taunted, a smug smile stered on her face.

    She cocked her head sideways, her shoulders raised high, "I almost mistook you for an amateur if not that I recognised your voice...,"

    "How dare you utter such nonsense...,"

    "There is a use you said earlier that I quite like but I will make corrections to it since I believed you said that out of ignorance," Joanna smiled.

    She held the ck cap and adjusted it a bit to the side.

    "Tonight I definitely won''t be the one crying or ming my creator for my existence but...," Joanna trailed.

    She raised her hand and pointed her index finger at the leader of the men, "It will be each one of you ming your creator for going after a girl like me," she said and moved her finger from the leader to the rest of the men.

    "I bet she is spewing nonsense to stall for time to run away. Seize her," The leadermanded.

    And instantly, the five men charged towards her.

    The five men closed in on her and when they thought they had seeded Joanna stumped her feet against the floor and suddenly there was a great trembling of the ground they stood on.

    She smirked evilly when she saw how they tried hard to stabilize themselves on the floor.

    "I would have loved that this battle started and finished without knowing your identity just like you want but I suddenly thought it''s no fun...," Joanna let her words linger.

    Slowly she raised her towards the two men standing in front of her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "How will I know which one of you should get the greater share of beatings if I don''t see your faces?" She grinned and swiftly dropped her hands.

    Instantly the mask fell off the faces of the men who were struggling to keep themselves from falling to the ground.

    "Same with you too," She smiled and repeated the same thing with the men standing at her right-hand side.

    She took off the mask from five of the men and only left that of their leader intact.

    "Let me give you a bit of face since you are their leader....,"

    "What are you still waiting for?" He shouted and kicked the butt of the guy standing in front of him.

    "Get her!" He ordered fiercely.

    "Actually, I would have loved to take my time torturing each one of you but good news for all of you, I have many scary enemies to catch and I don''t have even a second of my precious time to waste on idiots like you," Joanna muttered.

    She snapped her finger and in an instance, the violent trembling ceased.

    "Enough ying around and let''s get down to real business," She said and adjusted the way she stood.

    Joanna pointed at them and beckoned them toe at her at the same time.

    Immediately their eyes and ws transformed. And it was obvious her mockery words contributed a lot to this.

    The two men in front of her swung their ws at her face and Joanna skilfully ducked with her right leg lifted in the air to avoid the attack of the two men at her side who were aiming at her legs.

    They attacked her fiercely but the manner Joanna defended herself with ease was as if this was a game and not a battle.

    Joanna used the first half of the fight to show the six men that she wasn''t an easy target and how intense the fight graduated into showed that the men understood this properly.

    Even at this, not one of the werewolves was able to leave a scratch on her body.

    "Aren''t you guys bored fighting clumsily?" Joanna standing about five steps away from where the men gathered themselves asked.

    "I mean it felt like I was fighting with kids... Are you capable of so little? Are you guys sure you are the same brutal gang who made life a living hell for me? Or don''t tell me....," Joanna smiled and paused to arouse their attention.

    It was only when she had gotten their full attention that her n would be able to work perfectly.

    "Your so-called power only manifests when there is a weak little girl around... If that is the case then I am so disappointed in all of you. I can''t believe I was scared of all of you in the past for nothing," Joanna''s provocative words dealt a huge blow to the prideful leader of the group.

    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom "If your powers amount to so little then I bet my 9 years old brother can defeat your leader without breaking a sweat...,"

    "Shut that darn mouth of yours, bitch!" The leader shouted and advanced towards her.

 Chapter 478 She Sets Them On Fire

    Nothing hurts men like him who take pride in their werewolf powers other than belittling that thing which they are so proud of.

    And Joanna didn''t fail to take advantage of it.

    "Tonight, my name will no longer be Mark if I don''t rip off that darn mouth of yours...," He said and swung a punch at Joanna''s mouth.

    Joanna effortlessly blocked his punch with her palms. She did this without moving a step away from her previous spot; something that only a few people in the Kingdom could do.

    "Then I bet you will have to change your name tonight," Joanna smirked and grabbed his hand in which he had failed to retract.

    Her right hand glowed red and almost immediately Mark''s long sleeve ck shirt caught fire.

    Joanna let go of his hand and moved backwards. Mark frantically tried to quench the fire but for some reason, the mes refused to go out no matter how many times he beat it with his other hand.

    "I never said you guys could move, did I?" Joanna red at the remaining five guys who tried to go to Mark''s rescue.

    On a normal day, they wouldn''t have paused when she talked.

    In fact, they would have hurried to seize her but after witnessing what she was capable of. And with the strange powers she possessed which they had nevere across, they had to think twice about their next action.

    Joanna shifted her gaze to the man who had resorted to ripping off the shirt in which the fire had spread from the sleeve to the other part.

    Even after he had sessfully torn his clothes Mark''s agonizing screams didn''t stop. He rolled on the floor with the hope of making the pain go away but it didn''t.

    "Oops... I forgot to tell you that my special mes burn ten times more than normal mes. The pain doesn''t stop even if that mes had been put off but it intensifies instead," Joanna smirked, her gaze focused on the guy who had gone mad due to the immense pain he was going through.

    "For beings like you normal mes would heal quickly but I bet with you that your current wound won''t take less than three months to heal fully".

    "W-what...," Mark managed to utter a word despite the inexplicable pains he was going through.

    "Because of the recent killings in the kingdom. My man has been working his ass off to restore peace to the Kingdom and prove his innocence...," Joanna sped her fist when she recalled the nights Amos stayed out just to make sure that the masterminds of the ongoing turbulence in the Kingdom were brought to book.

    "You will leave here alive although I can''t say in the same way you came all thanks to the fact that I don''t want to add more to his problems. Count yourselves lucky because killing everyst one of you was my n from the start," Joanna turned and shot the remaining five men a deadly re.

    Joanna lifted her right palm slightly in the air, her gaze not moving from the direction of the five men.

    "I might have changed my mind about killing all of you... but trust me, after the hell you will go through during this period, the next time you see me, you will run for dear life without being told to," She retorted and blew on the me in her hand.

    The mes broke into balls of small fire after she did this.

    The balls of fire flew towards where the five men stood.

    A minuteter screams of anguish could be heard in the lonely street.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The five men stripped themselves until they were nude.

    Joanna who was now some distance away was too eager to reunite with her man to care about what became of them.

    She was merciful enough to spare them for Kayden''s sake. They should be grateful they got a lighter punishment for what they did.

    ...

    A few minutester Joanna was seen fearlessly walking on the street even though it was past midnight.

    "Bacon," Joanna called to the bird flying ahead of her.

    As if she heard her call, Bacon flew back to where she was. Joanna halted and stared at the bird which was waiting for her instructions.

    "Bacon, the area is quite wide and it will take me an entire night if I want to go around searching for him without following his scent as a lead...," She muttered.

    Although she loved the scent hidden perfume he always used since it hides his original scent, for the first time she hated it.

    If not for the perfume she would have easily followed his scent and would not have had to rely on Bacon''s help but because he always wears that perfume it was almost impossible to trace him with his scent.

    "So I will leave for you the job of scouting the area for him and any suspicious person on the street," She said and reached out her hand to touch Bacon''s feathers.

    "You know what to do if you see him or notice a strange person around right?" She patted his feather.

    Seeing him shake his tail made Joanna chuckle.

    "Since you understand the mission then go on and find my man now. I have missed him a lot," She whispered.

    Instantly, Bacon flew away just like she ordered.

    Thanks to her system''s analysing function Joanna was able toscrutinize every nook and cranny of the street in a short period.

    Every time she confirmed that the street was safe she moved to the next one.

    She was in the middle of searching the fourth street when her sensitive ears picked up a familiardy''s voice.

    "Drey!" Joanna eximed with widened eyes. She spun and peered in the direction the voice came from.

    She was still trying to ascertain what Audrey came there for when she heard sounds as if a battle was going on in that direction.

 Chapter 479 Another Attack

    "What the hell is she doing here and....," Although she wanted to ignore Audrey, the banging she heard made her unable to ignore whatever was going on.

    Joanna disappeared and reappeared at the scene of themotion.

    For a minute there she was stunned to see that Amos was with Audrey and Kyle.

    "Y-you...," Joanna stuttered. She was too flustered toe up with what to say.

    "Watch out!" Audrey shouted and ran to block Joanna from the masked guy''s attack.

    Just when the man''s flying daggers wanted to stab through Audrey''s chest Joanna pushed her away and grabbed the dagger with her bare hands.

    Skillfully she swung the dagger back at the masked man.

    Luckily for him, he disappeared at that moment or else the dagger would have pierced through his forehead.

    "Hey, are you crazy?" Joanna shouted, her fierce res shot at Audrey.

    "W-what...," Audrey stammered not knowing what she did to warrant such a reaction from her.

    "Miss Jo...," Amos grabbed Kyle''s hand and shook his head in disapproval.

    "They are gonna get away so let''s go after them and let them talk first," Amos grabbed Kyle''s hand and pulled him away to give thedies privacy.

    He turned and stole onest nce at his woman''s fuming expression after they had covered a bit of distance from where they stood.

    "Did you know you could have died if the dagger had pierced your heart...,"

    "I might not have biceps, or triceps and look like a giant but I assure you I am hard to kill...," Joanna''s tight grip on Audrey''s left arm made thedy''s smile fade away instantly.

    "How could you make a joke about such a thing as death? Do you think you have another life other than this one?" Joanna retorted.

    Audrey raised her hands and grabbed Joanna''s shoulders when she saw that the angrydy wouldn''t calm down.

    "Anna, I ask fine. Look, nothing bad happened to me," She let go of her hand and spun so that Joanna had a good look at every part of her body.

    "No harm came to me so you can rx...,"

    "You are reckless about everything including your life which you should be treating like a gemstone so how could I ever be rxed huh?" Joanna snapped and brushed Audrey''s hand away from her shoulders.

    Audrey kicked the air and ran her five fingers through her well-styled hair after Joanna refused to listen to her but instead kept reprimanding her.

    "Some minutes ago you were acting like you wouldn''t bat an eyelid if I dropped dead at your feet so what happened now ahh?" Audrey demanded, her hands stuck in her trouser''s pocket and her gaze centred on Joanna''s face.

    "Did you suddenly grow a heart hmm?".

    "I dare you to repeat what you have just said, Audrey Lopez?" Joanna seethes and hits Audrey''s chest with her clenched fists.

    "Say that nonsense again and I won''t hesitate to hit you in the face...,"

    "Aren''t you losing your temper because I was right huh?" Audrey said provocatively.

    She would rather let Joanna take it out on her once and for all than go back to how their rtionship was.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    At least her heart might soften a bit if she hits her hard.

    "You...," Joanna grabbed Audrey''s cor and pulled her closer. Her raised punch stayed exactly where it was for a minute.

    "Go on...," A purple beam that shoots into the sky coupled with the loud thud they heard made them divert their attention to their right-hand side where these things came from.

    "I will deal with you after we have wrapped things up here," Joanna shoved Audrey aside and raced towards where the thud came from.

    "And I am waiting for that," Audrey mumbled and arranged the dishevelled cor of her shirt.

    "I am afraid she might get herself into trouble so let me go check on her," She muttered and pursued Joanna.

    At a junction, Joanna met a group of four engaged in an intense battle.

    One look at the flyingsers, mes and leaves a person would easily tell that those engaging in this fight were not ordinary.

    As they fought Joanna tried to get a glimpse of the faces of the figures fighting. Because of their unparalleled speed, she didn''t have an easy time seeing their faces.

    "Raymond?" She yelled the instant she caught a glimpse of the sideline of the guy in a green leather jacket.

    Raymond''s punch hung in the air as he tilted his head and stole a nce at her bewildered expression.

    "What are you...,"

    Due to the distraction the masked man in ck he fought with seized this opportunity andnded a powerful blow on Raymond''s stomach with his glowing blue hand.

    He sent Raymond flying across the street with this one powerful punch.

    Thinking Joanna was an easier target, the man sent a bunch of flysers to where she stood.

    "Watch out!" Raymond yelled.

    Joanna raised her right hand to block thesers but before she knew it someone hugged and spun her around.

    Just when thesers were about to pierce through the back of the guy shielding her with his body, Joanna reached out her right hand and blocked it.

    The masked guy''s eyes widened as he kept his gaze glued to Joanna''s face. "She blocked thesers!" He eximed as he gazed at his glowing palms.

    "But how?" he muttered.

    "I will teach you how I did it, that is only if you can survive this," Joanna smirked and raised her hand ready to rain down brimstone on the guy.

    "Let''s go," the man called out to his partner, whom Derrick was battling.

    Instantly they vanished into thin air before Joanna had the opportunity to deal a blow at them.

    By this time Raymond was still hugging Joanna tightly.

    "Amos!" Audrey who got there a few seconds ago yelled, her eyes widened in shock.

    Her bulged eyes moved from Amos'' face to where Joanna stood in Raymond''s arms.

 Chapter 480 Joanna Apologised To Him

    Instantly, Joanna held Raymond''s hands and pushed him away from her. She tilted her head and gaze at where Amos stood.

    Although his gaze was focused on her, she couldn''t guess how he felt or what went through his mind at that moment.

    [Is he angry? Sad? Or disappointed?]

    Joanna didn''t know what to make out of his neutral expression.

    Maybe if he had frowned she would have known he was angry and thought of a way to appease him but not when he refused to let his emotions show.

    "Why are all of you hell-bent on getting hurt or even killed tonight? Did you n this huh?" Joanna retorted. Her gaze moved from one face to the other and finally settled on Raymond''s.

    "I have told you all not once that this is not the past where I was a damsel in distress. I said I could protect myself now so why aren''t any of you listening to me huh?" She berated.

    "Do you think I am so useless that I can''t do the simplest thing as taking care of myself...,"

    "No one ever said that...,"

    "Of course, none of you did," She hissed. Her fierce re moved from Raymond''s to Audrey''s face.

    "But that is exactly what your action says," She continued and moved to her right.

    "Do you all think that I will feel happy, relieved and even indebted if you get hurt or even killed while trying to protect me?" She demanded.

    She finally found the courage to look into Amos'' eyes.

    "If that was in the past I would have felt thrilled that I got to live another day because of your protection. But Joanna right here won''t feel indebted even though you were to die right here while trying to protect me...," She trailed.

    She shifted her gaze to where Derrick stood away from the others.

    "So if you know what is good for you, your safety should alwayse first. It''s not worth risking your life for someone who will not care one bit about your sacrifice...,"

    "Anna...," Joanna walked away before Audrey''s outstretched hand could hold her.

    "Why did she say all those hurtful words when you were only trying to save her?" Derrick muttered and strolled to where the others stood.

    "Amos, she looks furious so why don''t you go after her....,"

    "My agenda foring here is yet to be met. If you are so worried about her then you can try following her," He interrupted sharply to Kyle''s and Audrey''s bewilderment.

    He turned to leave in the opposite direction she went.

    "A shadow!" Derrick remarked. His rming tone made Amos halt. He swirled and peered at Derrick''s face.

    "Shadow!" Audrey demanded. She tilted her head and looked to her right and then left but no one was in sight apart from them.

    "What shadow are you talking about?" Audrey added, her lips paused.

    "I saw a shadow following Joanna earlier...,"

    "What!" Raymond and Audrey chorused with their mouths dropped open.

    "Amos...," Kyle was stunned when he raised his head and discovered that Amos had disappeared from where he stood.

    "I thought he didn''t care about whatever happened to her so why did he leave in a rush?" Kyle mumbled.

    "If what he saw is true then this is no time to joke around. We need to go and check on what he saw," Raymond mumbled.

    He walked away before all of them could conclude.

    Kyle and Audrey would have loved to give the couple a bit of space but since Raymond had already gone in search of them, they had no choice but to follow them.

    When Amos caught up to her, she was already a far distance away from where she left them.

    "Are you alright?" he grabbed her hand and spun her around gently.

    He examined her body as he kept on spinning her around.

    "I thought you were hell-bent on not talking to me so what happened hmmm?" She quizzed, her gaze glued on his worried face.

    "What made you change your mind...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Since you are alright then I will go and...,"

    "And you believe I will let you go just like that?" She snapped.

    She stretched forth her hand and grabbed his right sleeve.

    "I am not here to y but for an important mission so let go...,"

    "Likewise you, I am also here for a crucial mission...," She let her words linger as she pulled his hand closed in a way he wouldn''t be able to escape.

    "And that mission is to get your reply on why you have been avoiding me under the pretence of what I had said to you that day...,"

    "Don''t be silly Joan," He whispered and tried to unwrap her hand but she held on tighter.

    "I am not silly and I am sure you know this better than anyone else," She said and clung onto him like glue.

    She let go of his hand and turned to stand in front of him after he stopped to struggle to free himself.

    "What is the problem? Why are you suddenly being so cold towards me hmm?" Joanna asked in a soft tone.

    She lifted his hands and ced them on her chest.

    "As you know I am not an unreasonabledy. If anything is wrong you can always talk to me about it instead of keeping your distance....,"

    "Joan, this is a dangerous ce and definitely not a suitable ce for a conversation so stop this hmm?" He said and withdrew his hands from her hold.

    He wasstunned when he felt her hands circling his waist.

    "Joan...,"

    "I have missed you. No words can exin the hell I went through without you by my side," She confessed with her head leaning against his back.

    "Joan...," He called meekly. He wanted to be sterned with her but couldn''t with the way she was.

    He couldn''t be heartless to her.

    "I know what I said that day must have hurt you a lot and I apologized. I am aware that I shouldn''t have joked with such a sensitive topic and I won''t do it ever again so please let''s go back to how we were, hmm?" She pleaded and rubbed her chin against his back.

    ...

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 Chapter 481 The Formless Being

    As Joanna continued to hug Amos tightly, she didn''t sense the presence of a third party around.

    The stranger walked past her and moved to Amos'' side instead.

    "Goodbye, Your Majesty," the voice whispered to their hearing.

    "Watch out!" A voice shouted from behind.

    Immediately, Joanna and Amos raised their heads at the same time.

    Although they were surprised to see the faceless figure, without further ado Amos kicked it in the stomach.

    And the agile Joanna attacked it with her green mes.

    They took their stance ready for a battle but to their dismay, the clothes caught in mes and yet a body was missing.

    "What the hell was that?" Joanna muttered. She tried to walk closer to the clothes which were still in mes but Amos reached out his hand and held her.

    "Let me do it instead," He offered. He let go of her hand and strolled to where the clothes were burning.

    He carefully examined the fire with his eyes.

    Normally they would have been ashes on the floor if it were a vampire that Joanna set on fire.

    And they would have been a body if it was a human or werewolf. The screams of the anguish of a human or werewolf after being set aze would have been the first thing they noticed but none of this thing happened.

    "Did you find anything?" Audrey asked with her neck stretched a bit to get a close view of the burning scene.

    "Nothing," Amos shook his head in negation. He took ast nce at the mes before he turned and walked back to where the others stood.

    "How could you say there was nothing? Are you sure you checked carefully...,"

    "And why would he lie about such a thing huh?" Kyle retorted, his fierce res shot at Raymond.

    "Also, you can as well go and check for yourself if you believe you can do a better job...,"

    "Three different people almost got hurt and even killed within the space of ten minutes, this is no joke anymore so will you all stop with the bickering hmm?" Joanna''s stern expression was enough to make them momentarily shut up.

    Stubborn as he was Kyle would have kept on fighting even after she talked but not when Amos was around at the moment.

    He dared not misbehave when he was around.

    "Miss Butterfly is right," Raymond agreed in a soft tone. He didn''t look like the same guy who used Amos of doing a snoopy job.

    "Instead of wasting our precious time and energy fighting andying me on each other, we should use that time to figure out who those people are and what exactly they were after," Raymond suggested.

    He didn''t have trouble returning to the cool-headed guy that he was.

    "Before we do that, how about we try to be honest with why we were here, hmm?" Derrick said.

    His doubtful eyes moved from one face of the people he had found suspicious from the moment he set his eyes on them to the other.

    "We should disclose why we are here?" Audrey asked as if Derrick''s words were not clear enough.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She stole a nce at Kyle''s face and from what she noticed his reaction was not very different from hers.

    "Yeah... so how about we start from you hmm," Derrick deliberately chose Audrey since she was the one who looked the most suspicious.

    [Derrick and Raymond are smart dudes. It will not take them a long time to connect the knots and figure out Amos'' real identity if I tell them the truth.I need toe up with what to say to save the situation]

    Joanna shifted her gaze from Audrey''s to Amos'' face. To her surprise, he didn''t look tense at all.

    In fact, he looked too rxed for his good.

    "I....,"

    "The atmosphere at home felt stuffy so I decided to get some fresh air and here I am," Joanna was afraid Audrey would make a mistake so she spoke first.

    "You came here for fresh air?" Derrick asked. He turned and looked at their surroundings.

    From what he noticed Diamond street was a secluded ce with dim streets. And this is why crimes were normally carried out here.

    There was nothing good to see here so why would anyone choose such a dangerous ce to go for a walk?

    Derrick brought back his attention to her face. "Isn''t this ce too far from your home to go for a walk?" He added.

    "That''s...,"

    "Rick, stop that. They are not criminals so that is enough?" Raymond scolded him sternly.

    "Do you also believe that it''s a coincidence all of us met here on the same day and at the same time?" Derrick questioned.

    He shot Amos deadly res. "You must also think that there is something fishy about their movements so why are you letting them off the hook...,"

    "And what''s so fishy about the fact that I was secretly following Joanna?" Audrey snapped. No matter how cool-headed she wanted to remain she just couldn''t tolerate the way Derrick treated them.

    "Why would you follow her? What is your motive...,"

    "Is it a crime to follow my best friend now aah?" Audrey sneered, her stern res not moving from Derrick''s angry face.

    "You are Audrey?" Raymond asked out of the blue.

    "Yes...," She replied rudely.

    "I am Raymond and I have heard a lot about you from Miss Butterfly. I don''t know whether she has told you anything about me," Raymond reached out his hand for a handshake to the astonishment of others.

    "Raymond?" She quizzed and tilted her head to look at thedy beside her.

    It was when she was waiting for Joanna''s signal that it dawned on her where she heard the name.

    "So you are the infamous Mr Hot, Raymond that Anna told me about?" Audrey smiled sweetly at Raymond.

    She shook his hand without any hesitation.

    "Some moments ago she was holding herself back from punching his eyes so howe she is suddenly smiling at him?" Kyle mumbled, his fist tightly sped.

 Chapter 482 Their Analysis Of The Attacks

    "And what did she mean by Infamous Mr Hot?" He asked and turned to look at the guy he was talking to.

    He was so disappointed when he saw that Amos'' attention has been on Joanna for a long time now.

    He ignored them and shifted his attention to Raymond and Audrey who had dived into a conversation.

    A few minutester, Derrick, Raymond and Audrey were talking as if they had known each other all their lives.

    This made Kyle jealous out of his wits.

    "What is so special about him?" He scoffed, his lips pouting. "I bet the only thing he knows is how to flirt with other men''s women".

    His deadly res moved from Derrick''s to Raymond''s smiling face.

    "We will have a shoot at the beach in a few days. I am hoping to have you and Miss Butterfly with me," Raymond expressed. He averted his gaze to where the quiet Joanna has been standing for a while now.

    He gazed at her affectionately with hopes that she would reply to his offer.

    If only he knew that she didn''t hear a single word he said then he wouldn''t have been so hopeful.

    "Really?" Audrey''s excited voice forced Raymond to take his eyes off Joanna''s face.

    "Hmm...," He smiled and shook his head affirmatively.

    "I assure you, it will be a lot of fun if you and Joanna join us," Derrick added.

    "I would love to...,"

    "Don''t you guys think it''s time we go back to important matters we were discussing before the diversion?" Kyle interrupted.

    His harsh tone and stern expression showed his inner feeling even without him having to say the words.

    "We have been listening to your conversations for over ten minutes. It''s not like we don''t have better things to use our time for other than listening...,"

    "And what are you insinuating now?" Derrick retorted, frowning.

    "Are you trying to say that our conversation holds no importance and it''s a waste of time...,"

    "You said so yourself so don''t try to push the me on me," He replied with his chin held up.

    "You...,"

    "He might have sounded a bit rude but he is telling the truth. what we should be dealing with now is the earlier attack and not spending time catching up," Amos interrupted sternly.

    "Indeed catching those fools who have been causing havoc in our Kingdom should be our priority. I can always catch up with Raymond and Derrick some other time," Audrey supported.

    Derrick and Raymond exchanged secret nces after her utterances. The others were too preupied with their own things to notice their suspicious expressions.

    "Ok, so I will start from what I observed," Kyle said and moved to the centre of where they stood in the form of a circle.

    "From what I noticed I can boldly say that those people we encountered were of three groups," Kyle who just took the centre stage informed them cool-headedly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Without a doubt, I know that the first group were vampires....,"

    "I also noticed the same thing," Joanna agreed with a nod of the head.

    The expression on Amos and Audrey''s faces showed they agreed with the two of them.

    "The second group, although I could not ascertain what they really were....,"

    "Why don''t we just say they are a group of beings with mysterious powers that none has ever witnessed?" Derrick interrupted abruptly.

    His eyes wavered when he saw the suspicions in their eyes as they stared at him.

    "I mean, which of us here has ever seen anyone who shootssers from their eyes and controls things with his mind and teleports?" Derrick asked.

    He tried his best not to reveal how anxious he was.

    "If we don''t call them mysterious beings with unknown powers then what other title do you think is suitable for them?" He quizzed. His eyes darted from one face to the other.

    "No one is arguing with you over the title we should address them so, why are you acting all defensive for no reason?" Kyle mumbled.

    "That...," Derrick paused, not knowing what exactly to say that would not make him look even more suspicious.

    "Thest attack was the strangest," Raymond finally broke the silence that had existed for three minutes.

    "And why do you say it''s strange?" Joanna questioned seriously. "Is it because it had no form?"

    "No," Raymond asserted. He moved two steps forward so that he had a clearer view of her face.

    "The fact that it had no form was strange but... the strangest of it all is why it didn''t attack you when it had the opportunity to do so but chose to attack Amos instead," Raymond expressed.

    Joanna stole a nce at the guy by her side after Raymond''s analysis.

    "Rick saw the shadow following you immediately you stomped out of our midst. It had the chance to attack you before Amos ran after you but why didn''t it?... Why does it feel like Amos was his target and that is why it lured him using you...,"

    "But why on Earth would Amos be his target?" Derrick demanded.

    He essed Amos with his eyes from head to toe. "He has no special title but is like every normal guy out there so why on Earth would he be the shadow''s target for no reason?" Derrick asked, his gaze glued on Amos'' emotionless expression.

    "I am not hiding anything so it''s no use for the two of you to look at me that way," Amos muttered. He wrapped his hands around his chest.

    "We didn''t say anything," Derrick whispered. He lowered his gaze from Amos'' body afterwards.

    "Dealing with the first group won''t be difficult since they are vampires. And I also believe we stand a chance against thesecond group if we joined hands together....,"

    "The third group will prove to be very difficult," Audrey helped Kyle toplete the sentence.

    "I mean it''s easy to defeat what we know but how can we go against a being that has no form if it attacks again?" Audrey stated her greatest concerns.

 Chapter 483 Black Magic!

    "The third group looked like an illusion. And such things are usually created using ck magic....,"

    "ck magic!" Everyone except Amos eximed. Their mouths dropped open and their eyes widened in shock.

    "Isn''t that stuff we see in movies or stories?" Derrick asked, unable to hide his shock.

    "Of course, it did exist, although that was a long time ago. Because those who practised ck magic caused chaos in the kingdom they were killed. Their tool and books were gotten rid of...,"

    "How do you know all of these things?" Raymond asked, his curious eyes focused on Joanna''s face.

    "Maybe she is among those who love history books...,"

    "Have you all forgotten that she is the King''s mate?" Audrey cut in. Her eyes darted from Raymond to Derrick''s face.

    "As the future Luna, she had to read history books and familiarize herself with things that happened in the past whether or not she liked it," Audrey helped Joanna out.

    At the mention that Joanna was the future Queen, Derrick stole a nce at the face of the guy by his side.

    He was so relieved to see that he took the revtion lightly.

    Of course, they were aware of Joanna''s identity when they approached her. In fact, her identity as the future Queen was the reason they chose her in the first ce.

    And this was before Raymond discovered that Joanna was the girl he met in the past.

    He was afraid he might have forgotten this crucial fact after falling in love with Joanna and assumed Amos was his only rival.

    "Now we have a slight idea about what that thing might be... but the problem is that even if we are aware of what it is, we don''t know how to defeat it. And all who were alive when ck magic existed are all dead...,"

    "Not necessarily," Joanna interrupted with her right hand on her waist.

    "ck magic existed like 2,000-1000 years ago. And those who lived then had already died in the great war so what do you mean by that?" Kyle questioned.

    Everyone turned and concentrated their curious eyeballs on her face.

    "It''s true that almost everyone who existed at the time of ck magic are all dead but have you all forgotten that the Great Seer is still alive?" Joanna quizzed.

    Her eyes moved from one curious face to the other.

    "Do you mean Rachel''s Grandma?" Audrey half-yelled. Her eyes sparkled at the mere remembrance of those they had almost forgotten.

    "The Great Seer?" Amos narrowed his eyebrows and strolled away from the circle they had formed.

    "Yes, she was known as the oldest person alive at that time but ever since she made that prophesy over eighteen years ago no one knows whether she is dead or alive...,"

    "Didn''t I tell you that we met her when we went to The Golden Core Pack at that time?" Joanna asked.

    She scratched the back of her head as she tried to recall whether or not she had told Kayden about her encounter with Rachel''s Grandma.

    "Do you mean you and Audrey have met with The Infamous Great Seer?" Kyle asked, his jaw dropping open.

    "Who are you all talking about...,"

    "Even if she is alive you know Hilmert Forest is not a ce anyone can leisurely enter...,"

    "Since this has to do with your safety I don''t mind going through hell...,"

    "Who is there?" Amos demanded, his eyes focused on the darkest spot on the street close to a pir.

    All of them diverted their gaze to the spot Amos'' eyeballs were glued on.

    "If you know what is good for you, will you reveal yourself now?" Amos'' authoritative voice echoed in the street.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Not long after he spoke, they saw the silhouette of a person close to the pir.

    Slowly, the person stepped out of the pir and walked close to them.

    "Chris....," Joanna nudged Audrey and brought attention to where Derrick and Raymond stood.

    Being interrogated was thest thing she wanted to experience tonight and she is aware that this is what the two friends excelled at.

    "Guys, how about we go on patrol one more time before we dispersed? Who knows those who attack us might still be lurking around as they wait for their victims," Kyle suggested.

    "How can we just leave when we haven''t ascertained his identity?" Raymond demanded fiercely, his murderous res shot at Christopher.

    "What if he turns out to be one of them...,"

    "He is the King''s right-hand man he left behind to protect Anna," Audrey revealed to put an end to their interrogation.

    At least revealing the truth to them now is better than waiting to be questioned by them after they had discovered Chris'' identity.

    "Isn''t it a renowned fact that the King doesn''t love or spare his attention to her so...,"

    "How about you ask the King that anytime you see him hmm?" Audrey cut in abruptly.

    Her hrious expression while saying said this made Kyle chuckle.

    "T-t-that...," Derrick stuttered.

    "Since we have decided to patrol. The grouping will be...,"

    "You, Chris and Amos while I, Kyle, Raymond and Derrick will be in the same group," Audrey announced.

    She winked naughtily at Joanna. She secretly pushed Joanna closer to Amos.

    After what Audrey did Joanna lifted her gaze and peered at the face of the man she just bumped into.

    She had expected him to say something but instead, he threw his gaze away.

    "Audrey, why would you...,"

    "Since the group has been created I think we should get to work now," Kyle cut in. He held Audrey''s hand and led her away. He didn''t allow Derrick to state his displeasure.

    "Your...," Chris paused when he saw the way Raymond and Derrick gazed at him.

    "Miss Joanna, this way please," He said and pointed his hand in the opposite direction Audrey and Kyle went.

    Joanna gave a long stare at the guy who hasn''t mentioned a word to her ever since thest attack.

    "Miss Joanna," Chris called when Joanna didn''t budge from where she stood.

    "Let''s go," She mumbled and ambled in the direction he pointed at.

    Raymond and Derrick peered at their moving backs.

    ...

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 Chapter 484 Joannas Outburst

    Derrick nced at the guy by his side after Joanna and her group were far gone.

    "This is his turn," He started. He lifted his hand and patted Raymond''s shoulders. "Yours will surelye so there is no to feel down about it...,"

    "Whoever said I feel down about this?" He challenged, brushing off Derrick''s hand.

    "Compared to the King, he is the least of my worries right now".

    "Huh?" He eximed, his jaw dropping. "Joanna hangs out with him all the time. Are you trying to say you don''t see him as a rival?" He asked in confusion.

    At that moment Derrick started to question what he believes in.

    He had always believed that the reason Raymond couldn''t stand Amos'' presence was that he saw him as his biggest threat to winning over Joanna''s heart.

    Now that he said otherwise he didn''t know what to believe anymore.

    Was his assumption wrong from the beginning?

    "While trying to pursue her, I had forgotten the fact that for her to solely belong to me, I need to take care of the King...," Raymond trailed as he started strolling towards the path Audrey and Kyle took.

    "Between the King and Amos who is just like every normal guy who do you think is easy to handle...,"

    "Amos, of course," Derrick blurted.

    "And that is why I said he is the least of my worries now. The King is the one I should be dealing with and not him...,"

    "And how are you gonna do that when we haven''t even found out where he has been hiding huh?" Derrick countered. He halted and stared at his friend''s back.

    "We have been searching for him...,"

    "Hey!" Raymond shouted. He looked to his left and then to his right. After he had confirmed that none was close by he brought back his gaze to Derrick''s face.

    "Don''t you know that we aren''t supposed to discuss our mission in public....,"

    "But I have already created a barrier using my powers. They can''t hear no matter if they are vampires or werewolves," Derrick replied, folding his hands behind his back.

    "So what if you have done that aah?" Raymond snapped. "Have you already forgotten the most important rules a spy must follow?"

    He paused and tilted his head so he had a clear view of Derrick''s face. "If you have forgotten then I don''t mind calling Mr Damon to remind you about it".

    He stuck his right hand in his trouser''s pockets and began walking away.

    "Hey, why did you have to mention that annoying man''s name...,"

    "Obviously because he is the only one who can strengthen you," He replied.

    Back on the other street, Joanna walked side by side with Amos while Chris walked behind.

    As he followed them, he didn''t forget to leave a huge gap between them.

    After she waited for over ten minutes for him to strike up a conversation, Joanna got fed up with the guy''s attitude.

    "For how long are you gonna treat me this way ugh?" She berated and halted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She red at the back of the man who just paused in his tracks.

    "Knowing you very well, I am aware you wouldn''t have treated me this way only based on what I said that day. I mean I said the worst things in the past and yet you didn''t react or get mad at me so why would you now?" She pointed out.

    She sauntered to where he stood and took her position in front of him.

    "If I had done something wrong other than what I said that day I expected you to have confronted me about it instead of treating me like I mean nothing to you," She poured out the frustration she held back all these days.

    All this while she talked, Amos didn''t utter a word. He just kept looking at her angry expression as she poured out her frustration.

    "Amos, I love you," She confessed and leaned forward.

    Chris turned his back on them when he saw how close their faces were to each other.

    "I can''t stand you being mad at me and that is why I am doing everything within my capacity to earn your forgiveness," She expressed, her eyeballs glued on his.

    "It hasn''t been that long since our rtionship became official. Right now I have less than two weeks to spend with you before you return to the pce...," Joanna trailed off.

    She raised her right hand and ced it on his right shoulder.

    "Every second and minute of the day is way too precious for us to spend it fighting," She whispered.

    Her face inched closer after he showed no sign of rejection.

    "Let''s go back to how we were before the misunderstanding hmm".

    She wrapped her hands around his neck and tried to kiss his lips but Amos tilted his head sideways.

    "Chris, escort her home," He instructed. He held her hand and gently pushed her away from him.

    "Your priority is to make sure no harmes to her until she gets home," He added.

    He shuffled about three steps away from where the fuming Joanna stood.

    "I don''t need anyone''s protection and definitely not yours," She yelled, her fierce res settled on his moving back.

    "If you dare as much as to leave her side for even a second when you didn''t see her walk into Anderson''s gate... then that will be the day you cease to exist in this world," His cold voice echoed in the street as he strode without a pause.

    AHHHH!

    An ear-splitting scream filled with anger and pain rang out through the entire street as Joanna sank into a squatting position.

    Veins popped out of her forehead as she hugged her legs close to her chest.

    "W-w-why is he doing this to me?" She yelled. Her eyes burned but she vouched not to shed a single tear.

    Chris peered at Amos'' back. He was so certain he would race back after he heard Joanna''s outburst but Amos didn''t halt, not to mention run back to her.

    [If someone had told me that His Majesty would one day treat Miss Joanna this way I wouldn''t have believed it but here is the....]

    Her heavy breathing disrupted Chris'' thoughts. He ran to where she squatted and bent beside her.

 Chapter 485 Joanna Disappeared

    "Miss Joanna, are you alright...,"

    "Just fuck off!" She screamed, her red and tear-filled eyes shot at him.

    "Miss...,"

    "I said just to piss off," She yelled. "I don''t want to set my eyes on anyone that has anything to do with him so just go before I pounce on you," She warned, her hands balled into fists.

    Chris moved backwards but he didn''t move more than three steps.

    "I know you must hate me a lot right now. I am also aware that you want to be alone and I want to obey...,"

    "Then why the hell are you still standing here ugh?" She snapped.

    "Because I don''t want to die a horrible death from his hand," He blurted.

    "From what you might have noticed, you must know that none of the words he said was a joke. He will not hesitate to kill me like he said if I dare as much as to leave your side...,"

    "And does it look like I care?" She hissed and stomped away.

    Chris followed her notwithstanding her threat. Amos had acted as if he didn''t care the slightest bit about her feelings but only for him to return to the spot he left her after she was gone.

    "I loathe seeing you upset and I detest seeing you in pain even more but my hands are tight Joan. To keep you safe, I have to do this...," He trailed off.

    He kept his gaze fixated on the path he saw them take.

    "I am sorry and I promise to make it up to you for thister in the future," He said.

    He ambled towards the path he took earlier.

    After she had searched about two streets, Joanna and Raymond''s group bumped into each other.

    "Miss Butterfly...,"

    "Joan!" Audrey ran towards where Joanna stood. "What happened? Why do you look this way...,"

    "Don''t touch me," Joanna brushed Audrey''s hand away. She walked past them without sparing any of them a nce.

    Raymond shifted his attention from her moving back to the ce Chris stood.

    "She was fine when we separated so what is wrong with her now?" He dictated, his cold gaze shot at the innocent Chris'' face.

    "What did you do to her and where is Amos?" He asked.

    He looked beyond where Chris stood. He hoped to see hime towards them but he didn''t see or perceive his scent.

    "Is he the reason why...,"

    "I will catch up to her and make sure she is ok," Audrey informed. She disappeared before anyone had the opportunity to stop her or say otherwise.

    Although it was not up to two minutes Joanna left before Audrey pursued her, surprisingly she was nowhere to be found.

    "Joan!" Audrey yelled. She ran up and down the street using her powers.

    "Where are you, Joanna?" She chanted and continued to rummage the street for her.

    Before she knew it the others were beside her.

    "Why are you searching for Miss Butterfly?" Raymond asked. He looked behind Audrey hoping to see Joanna but to his surprise, thedy he longed to see was nowhere to be seen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Wasn''t she supposed to be with you so what happened?" He urged.

    "I don''t know," She stressed. Audrey ran her fingers through her well-styled hair and gazed at the far distance.

    "You ran after her barely immediately after she left so what do you mean by you don''t know?" Raymond used.

    "I did run after her," Audrey acknowledged. She dropped her hand by her side. "But she was gone when I got here...,"

    "But how is that even possible?" Derrick interrupted.

    Kyle wasn''t the least pleased with the way the guys interrogated Audrey so he intervened.

    He held Audrey''s hand and pulled her to his side.

    "Are you guys saying she is lying?" He confronted the anxious Raymond and Derrick.

    "You...,"

    "Shouldn''t our priority be to search for her and not try to throw mes at each other?" Chris whose least worry was the argument on the ground cut in.

    [If His Majesty gets wind of what happened here, I strongly believe that I won''t be able to keep my poor life... He will not hesitate to sever me into tiny pieces until nothing is left of me]

    Chris sobbed for his poor life which will soon be snatched from him.

    "If she disappeared into thin air just like that does this means she might have got abducted by one of those groups which attacked us earlier...,"

    "Hey, how could you say that?" Audrey interrupted Derrick abruptly.

    "But I am saying the truth...,"

    "How about we don''t jump to a conclusion yet and searched for her first?" Chris suggested.

    His eyes scurried from one face to the other.

    "I am afraid I will lose my mind if I keep listening to you guys talk so, have mercy on me and let''s search for her. I am certain she might not have gone far," Chris pleaded with them.

    "We will disperse now but anyone group which has an update must inform the other group...,"

    "And how will we do that when we haven''t exchanged contacts," Raymond asked a sensible question that almost everyone there had forgotten about.

    Because this concerned Joanna''s safety and well-being all of them cooperated better than they have ever done before.

    After they exchanged contacts they discussed how they were gonna go about the search.

    Soon they dispersed and began their search.

    Before they knew it, thirty minutes passed within the blink of an eye and yet Joanna was not found.

    Everyone became worried after the new development but the most worried of them all was Chris.

    He almost suffered a heart attack when Raymond called to give updates about their search.

    "Guys, wait here while I call Amos to inform him about what happened...,"

    "Can you not call him?" Chris blurted his hand and stretched toward where Kyle stood with his hand on the dial button.

    "Do you think I love to call him to break such bad news to him?" Kyle retorted. He momentarily veered his gaze from the phone in his hand to where Chris stood.

 Chapter 486 He Found Her

    "I am reporting this to him not that I love it but I know he won''t spare me if any harmes to her under my watch," Kyle expressed. He dialled the number before the anxious Chris had the opportunity to stop him.

    "Amos, is Joanna perhaps with you now?" Kyle asked, he rubbed his temple as he awaited Amos'' reply.

    "And what kind of silly question is that aah?" He grimaced and halted in the middle of the bright street.

    "What prank are you trying to y...,"

    "I am not ying pranks. I asked you this because Joanna had gone missing," Kyle blurted.

    He covered his mouth after he realised what he had just said.

    "M-m-missing!" Amos stuttered.

    "W-who did you say is missing?" Amos asked, wishing he had misheard Kyle''s words.

    At that moment Kyle had no choice but to disclose what happened to Amos.

    "She just disappeared into thin air. We are worried that she might have been attacked...,"

    "I think I have a faint idea about where she might be. I will keep you posted after I have confirmed my hunch," Amos expressed and disconnected the call.

    "So what do we do now?" Chris questioned after Amos disconnected the line.

    "What else if not to keep on searching? We can''t stop until we have confirmed that she is safe. That is the only moment we can rx," Audrey cuts in.

    Instead of Kyle, she lead the search this time around.

    Some minutester Amos was seen in the front seat of a white car. Without wasting a second he ignited the car and zoomed off.

    "You have to be there... no, you must be in the ce I believed you are or else...," Amos trailed off.

    He didn''t even want to imagine what he will do if she ended up not being at the ce he suspected her to be.

    As everyone searches all the nooks and crannies of the City in search of Joanna, she was seen strolling inside a dark forest as if it were her home.

    Joanna''s mind was eaten away by a thousand thoughts as she navigates her way into the dense forest.

    Knowing the forest like the back of her hands made it easy for her to locate the exact spot she was headed.

    Joanna halted just in front of the flower garden Kayden had built for her.

    Standing there, she can still vividly recall how she felt the first time she set foot there.

    If she was to recount the happiest days in her life, that dreadful yet beautiful night would be on the list.

    For the first time in her life, she was genuinely happy that someone apart from Audrey loved her so much to the point that he would dedicate such a beautiful ce to her name.

    "In the past, I was so mean to him. Often, I said hurtful words to drive him away from a cursed being like me. But never for once had he got mad or tried to keep his distance from me...," Joanna''s eyes burned. Hot tears flowed from her eyes like raindrops.

    "He went as far as creating this garden for me as his proposal gifts not minding the fact that his chances of sess were this slim,"Joanna demonstrated how slim his chances were with her fingers.

    She loved the ce. She always felt like she could touch the skies whenever she was here and that was why she almost lost her mind when she saw him and Amelia here that night.

    This ce had always brought her so much happiness but for some reason, she didn''t feel such happiness tonight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Instead, she felt like weeping her heart out.

    "He was ready to go to any length to win my heart and make me his Queen so where did it all go wrong huh?" Joanna spoke to the garden as if it would answer back in the same manner she spoke.

    Joanna lowered herself into a squatting position. She hugged her legs to her chest and let her tears flow freely.

    "Is this perhaps my punishment for neglecting his feelings all these years," She whimpered.

    Joanna stayed in this position for over ten minutes.

    It was at this time that a guy who was worried out of his mind arrived.

    [Oh... thank goodness she is here]

    He stared at her from where he hid his right hand on his chest. No amount of words could describe how relieved he was that no harm came to her.

    Afraid that she would sense his presence if he stayed there for long, he turned and loped in the same manner he came.

    Soon, Amos was seen close to a ck Mercedes car which was parked far away from the entrance of the forest.

    He dialled someone''s line and slowly guided the phone to his right ear.

    "Did you see her or did she perhaps call you?" Ady''s anxious voice came right after the first ring.

    "I will give you a location right now...,"

    "Does that mean you have found her?" Audrey blurted, not able to hide her excitement.

    "I know you are with Kyle at the moment but I want you toe to the location I will send alone," Amos ignored her questioned and continued with his previous statement.

    "Forget about ever earning my trust in the future if you dare as muches with him or anyone else...,"

    "Just send the location and I will follow your instructions without any doubts," The impatient Audrey couldn''t wait for him to finish.

    "Why did you exclude me...,"

    "Come in the fastest time possible," He interrupted the unhappy Kyle''sint.

    He disconnected the call instantly before Kyle had the opportunity toin again.

    It wasn''t until two minutes after he disconnected the call that Audrey''s phone beeped.

    Immediately, she clicked on the message that popped into her phone, Kyle stretched to peep at it but she moved away in time.

    "Audrey, you aren''t gonna do as he had said...,"

    "You can return to the club along with Chris. I don''t know how things are gonna turn out so I can''t promise that I will join you...,"

    "Audrey, why...,"

    "I am sorry," Audrey apologised. Before the two guys could ask more questions or stop her, she was gone.

 Chapter 487 He Left?

    "I bet it was his master n to see us fight that is why he would give her such an order," Kyle clenched his fist, his attention focused on the spot Audrey stood earlier.

    "I will surely get back at him in the future," He said, his fists still sped.

    "Kyle...,"

    "If you wanna ask me what is next, I will suggest you don''t. I can''t promise I will be able to stop myself from pouncing on you for what your master did, so don''t," Kyle threatened, his fierce re shot at the innocent Chris.

    He stomped away leaving only Chris there.

    Today for the first time in over sixteen years they have known each other Audrey adhered to all of Kayden''s instructions.

    He was so surprised that she made it there in the quickest time possible without being followed by anyone.

    The first thing Audrey did after she got there was to search for her best friend.

    She checked the car and when she realised Joanna wasn''t in there, she scrutinized the surroundings with her sharp eyes.

    "Didn''t you call me here because you found her so what happened...,"

    "If you want to be able tofort her you will need to be in your best mood so I will advise you don''t get worked up right now no matter what," Amos charged.

    "Comfort her?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. Her tensed body rxed in an instant and she walked closer to where he stood.

    "What happened to her? Is she hurt or...,"

    "She is gonna be here the moment she hears my voice so I don''t have the time to exin," Amos cut in sharply.

    He removed his hand from his trousers pocket and pointed it at the narrow pathway leading into the forest.

    "If you follow this pathway you will pick up her scent in seconds and her scent will lead you to where she is," He instructed.

    Audrey looked at where he pointed at. She brought back her gaze to him.

    "If something had happened to her, aren''t you be the first person she would have loved to see...,"

    "Just do as I said ok," He interrupted.

    Audrey had previously thought he was pretending about not joining her to check up on Joanna until she saw him open the front door of the ck car.

    "As long as you sessfullyfort her and make her heart less painful while I won''t be at her side. I promise to grant you a favourter in the future so do your best ok?" He asserted and hopped into the car.

    At the flower garden where Joanna squatted, the heartbrokendy jumped to her feet the instant his voice lingered in her ears.

    "H-h-he hase to get me," She half screamed. The corners of her lips lifted and her eyes sparkled.

    Her body which had refused to move earlier found itself sprinting on the narrow pathway like a cheetah.

    Joanna''s smile spread across her beautiful face the instant she got a glimpse of the face of thedy standing there.

    "Where is he?" She asked, startling thedy who was unaware of her presence.

    Audrey turned and gazed at where the voice came from.

    Her heart broke into a million pieces when she saw her best friend''s glittering eyeballs.

    It ached even more seeing Joanna''s reddened eyes.

    "Also, I never told you about this ce so what are you doing here?" She questioned, her eyes continuing to search the distance for the guy whose voice she heard not long ago.

    She stopped looking around when Audrey failed to respond to any of her questions.

    "Why are you gawking at me without saying anything?" She quizzed. "Do I have something on my face," She murmured.

    The sparkles in her eyes lost their glints when Audrey still chose to remain silent.

    "It''s ok if you don''t want to tell me what brought you here. But can you tell me where Kay is? I need to tell him something," She said a bit more coolheadedly this time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Hey!" She lost her cool and shouted after Audrey uttered no word yet again.

    "He left," Audrey finally found the confidence to break the news to her.

    "He left?" Joanna''s eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean he left when he came here to get me?" She demanded.

    "How could he have gone without getting me... I bet you are lying right?" She used.

    Audrey watched her best friend act like a crazy person.

    "If he left like you want me to believe then I am sure you must haveshed out at him like you normally do. That must have been why he plodded away in annoyance," Joanna tried to use Audrey to feel better.

    Instead of feeling better, she felt a thousand times worst since she knew from within that this was a false usation.

    "I must go after him," She dered and started sprinting towards the direction Amos'' car went.

    "She has lost it," Audrey muttered and chased after her.

    After she caught up to Joanna she grabbed the sprintingdy''s right hand and forced her to a stop.

    "Let go...,"

    "He left because he didn''t want to force himself to say hurtful words to you. Let it go and stop making things hard for the both of you," Audrey shouted when she could no longer handle it anymore.

    Joanna stopped struggling. She tilted her head and peered at Audrey''s face.

    "You didn''t get mad at him for treating me this way but instead defended him. This is the first time," She pointed out.

    "Does this mean you know the reason why he is cruel to me?" Joanna quizzed, her suspicious res not moving from Audrey''s face.

    "Anna...," Audrey called out. She raised her hand and ced it on Joanna''s shoulders.

    "Calm down...,"

    "Don''t tell me to calm down," Joanna yelled. She brushed off Audrey''s hands from her shoulders.

    "If you were the one in my shoes I am sure you wouldn''t listen if I told you to calm down so tell me what I wanna hear," Joanna took out her aggression on innocent Audrey.

    She waited but Audrey uttered no word.

    ...

    ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    Hello lovely readers, so my birthday is just six days away. As of now, I haven''t received any gifts yet from any of my lovely readers.

    So I want to inform you guys that you can start sending me your birthday gifts now.

    If you are wondering what gift to give me then you don''t have to think so much anymore because I am here to help you out.

    Birthday gifts you can give me and expect me to be a hundred per cent happy are;

    1) Buying of privileged chapters

    2) Sending of gifts

    3) Voting with GOLDEN TICKETS

    Also, I will be super happy if a fan was to make a videoption of all my books.

    Now that you know exactly what will make your dearest author ??''¡¥ happy then keep the giftsing.

    I am expecting bunches of amazing gifts from all of you, please don''t disappoint me ok?

    P.S: If all of you give me surprise birthday gifts then expect to receive a gift from me on that special day also.

 Chapter 488 The New Mission

    "Forget about us ever bing friends again if this is how you''re gonna behave," she berated and stomped out of there.

    "He is forcing himself to stay away from you despite that he is dying to be in your arms all for your sake," Audrey was left with no other choice but to speak.

    Joanna halted. She spun and gazed at Audrey''s face.

    "He did all these for my sake?" Joanna grimaced. "Do you really believe he did all these things for my sake after seeing me in this terrible state?" She demanded, her index finger pointed at her teary eyes.

    Joanna plodded to where Audrey stood.

    "Drey...," She called. She lifted her hands and held Audrey''s shoulders while she left her eyeballs locked in hers.

    "I have this strange feeling that you know why he is being extraordinarily mean to metely so I want you to tell me all about it. It''s only when I know his reason for being this way that I will feel at ease so please tell me what is going on ok?" Joanna pleaded with all sincerity.

    Audrey was herst resort. She won''t know what to do if she denies her request.

    "If you don''t want to see me lose my mind then you will do me this favour hmm," She added, seeing the reluctance in Audrey''s eyes.

    "I will tell you everything I know because I detest seeing you guys hurting each other. It''s left for you to choose what to do and which is more important after I told you everything," Audrey gave in atst after a minute of silence.

    Audrey went ahead and revealed all she knew about the reason Amos'' attitude towards Joanna changed overnight.

    "He wants to do everything within his capacity to make sure no harm came to you. He didn''t hesitate to hurt himself in the process. Whether or not his efforts would go to waste depends on your decision and that is why I would advise you to choose wisely," Audrey advised like every good friend out there would have done.

    Audrey''s words brought back the memory of what happened at the flower garden not long ago.

    <New Mission Unlocked: Make your mate jealous to the point that he doubts your love for him>

    <Reward: 100 exp>

    <Deadline: A week><novelsnext></novelsnext>

    This was the new mission that popped up on the white screen earlier.

    She had vouched not long ago that she would notplete such a mission. But here she is about to be forced by circumstances to do otherwise.

    [Now I am more than certain that the entire universe is against my happiness]

    Joanna raised her head and gazed at the sky. She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall and make her look like a joke.

    [Maybe this is for the better, Joanna. So don''t be too sad. You will still have a few days left to spend with him before he returns to the pce if you take the mission seriously]

    Joanna tried to encourage herself and boost her morale.

    Even after she chanted these words in her head she didn''t feel any better.

    Audrey continued, "Don''t forget that your decision could force him to return to the pce...,"

    "Since he is doing this to keep me safe I will pretend not to know anything about it," Joanna muttered.

    "What!" Audrey''s eyes widened in shock. "Did I hear you say you will y along with what he wants?" Audrey asked, still in disbelief.

    Joanna ambled forward and turned her back on her. "Clinging onto him will only push him further away from me so what is the use of fighting a losing battle?" She quizzed.

    She continued to stand this way because of her desperation to hide the fact that she wasn''t fine from her best friend.

    "Besides, clinging onto him will only cause him more pain...,"

    "Anna, are you the one saying this?" Audrey demanded. She held Joanna''s hand and spun her around.

    Audrey studied her best friend''s face to make sure this was the samedy who threatened to cut off all ties with her some minutes ago.

 Chapter 489 Family?

    ?

    "He only ignored me for two days or so and my heart felt as if it was gonna burst out from my chest...," Joanna trailed off, her right hand clutching her chest.

    "And this is the exact thing I did to him all these years. I wonder how he was able to survive through these years and still managed to put a smile on my face every time we met," She mumbled.

    When she recalled the different asions she had ignored him, her heart hurt as if she was gonna die from the pain.

    Her grip on her chest became tighter.

    "J-J-Joanna now that you know exactly how it feels, never must you treat him so unfairly ever again," She exhaled deeply to ease the pains that threatened to suffocate her to death.

    Joanna stayed in this position for a long time. She drifted to sleep without taking off her shoes and clothes or freshening up.

    Joanna woke up the next day feeling no better from the previous day but she tried her best to cheer herself up.

    She went about her daily routine as if nothing happened. Since she was forbidden from entering the kitchen, she went back to her room when she was done with her chores.

    An hourter, she came out of her room and was stunned to see Anthony in his uniform standing in front of her room.

    "Little rice ball, what happened?" She asked the boy whose face glowed so brightly even though it was morning.

    "If you needed my help you could have just walked in so...,"

    "I got here just now Big Sis," Anthony replied.

    Joanna forced on a smile as she bent to hold his hand. "If you need help with your assignments or any other thing I still have a bit of time to spare so let''s go," She informed him.

    She tried to lead him into her room but he didn''t move a muscle.

    "What''s it?" She gazed at his face as she waited for his reply.

    "I did my assignmentsst night and I don''t need any of Big Sis'' help yet," He responded, his voice low.

    "Today is Sister Laura''s birthday party. You areing, right?" He asked out of the blue.

    Silence erupted the instant he asked that question. Joanna already had an answer but she didn''t know the perfect way to say it so Anthony won''t get hurt.

    "If you don''t have an outfit I can ask Father to...,"

    "I am sorry Little rice ball but you will have to attend Laura''s birthday this year without me," Joanna found the courage to break the news atst.

    "But why?" He demanded, displeasure evident on his face.

    "Because I still have to go to the cafe after sses today...," Joanna let her words linger.

    She lifted her right hand and patted his well-styled hair.

    "Moreover, I don''t think your mother, grandma and Laura would be happy to see me there...,"

    "But you are family too, aren''t you?" He asked meekly.

    "Family?" Joanna chuckled, and her hands stopped moving on Anthony''s hair.

    "Everyone in this house sees me as a servant. I bet you are the only one who thinks of me as family," She replied.

    "But...,"

    "Go and get your things. I will take you to school today to make up for my absenceter on," She smiled and ruffled his hair slightly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Joanna stood and watched the unhappy boy walk away.

    Yes, she would be able to meet up with the party even after work hours but she just didn''t want to go there and get her mood ruined by a bunch of annoying fellows.

    When he was out of sight she made her way towards the stairs and there she saw her father at the foot of the stairs.

    The man was fully dressed and ready to leave for work.

    [Doesn''t he always leave home early so what is he still doing here... And why does it looks like he is waiting for me?]

    Joanna gazed at the man whom their eyes happened to lock at that moment.

    "Whatever!" Joanna shrugged her shoulders. She descended the stairs notwithstanding his presence.

    "I want you at the party tonight," His cold voice made Joanna pause in her tracks. She lifted her head and stared at the man who was now standing three steps away from her.

    "Whether or not you like it you must show up at the party. You can''t give people a reason to talk about our family by being absent at your elder sister''s birthday party...,"

    "To you, the family''s reputation and your sense of pride will alwayse first above everything including your daughter''s happiness right?" She questioned, her face deprived of any emotions.

    She walked a step forward. "Even though you know that I will be everyone''s subject of ridicule, you don''t give a damn as far as...,"

    "Joanna Anderson...,"

    "There is no need to call me to order. I understood the message well," She whispered.

    Because he had an important appointment that morning Mr Anderson ignored his daughter''s rudeness.

    Thest thing he wanted was to lose his temper just before the meeting.

    "If you don''t have appropriate outfits for the party I will ask your Mum to order one for you...,"

    "You mean stepmother," Joanna corrected in a stern voice.

    "Make it clear in case anyone who overhears it thinks that my mother hase back from the dead," She added fiercely.

    Mr Anderson stared at her eyes and to his dismay, there was no fear in them.

    She was so rude to him and wasn''t afraid of the consequences.

    That was not something his daughter would have done.

    At that instant, he missed that respected, well-behaved and timid girl in the past.

    [Is what her mother said that she is possessed correct?... Is that why she is acting like a different person?...]

    "Also, I won''t ept your help. Even if the clothes I have are rags that is exactly what I will put on to the party," She dered and walked past him.

    ...

    NEW BOOK ALERT ??????

    My new book "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES" is out now. Please add it to your library and support your dearest author.

    Thank you in advance.

 Chapter 490 Laura Conspired Against Joanna

    ?

    "Little rice ball, get your ass down here let''s go," Joanna shouted, anger evident in her voice.

    She strolled to the couch and sat with her legs crossed. She ignored the look on her father''s face which was as if he was staring at a stranger.

    "Little...," She paused midway when she heard his hurried footsteps approaching the stairs.

    "I am here Big Sis," He announced and raced down the stairs.

    He paused just beside where his father stood at the spot Joanna left him.

    "Dad," Anthony called. The corner of his lips lifted to form a broad smile.

    His sweet smile was enough to wash away the man''s anger.

    "I can see you are set for school," He muttered. He raised his hand and caressed Anthony''s smiling face.

    "Be a good boy that you have always been ok," He admonished, his hand still moving on Anthony''s face.

    "Hmm..," Anthony shook his head positively. He left his father and moved to where Joanna now stood in front of the huge entrance.

    After he got to where she stood, Joanna held his hand and led him out.

    "Big Sis, is Brother Amos driving us to school today?" Mr Anderson heard his boy''s happy chatter although they were long out of sight.

    "No, your driver will drop us off at school," She replied.

    Mr Anderson''s focus was still on the brown door his children walked out of not long ago when Laura who was on the phone walked into the sitting room.

    "Dad...," Laura saluted the man whose focus has now shifted to her. She returned to the call she was making immediately.

    "Ok, I will be expecting you girls in a few minutes. Don''t forget you can''t be even a secondte ok?" Lauramanded in a stern voice for the one on the other end to know that she was dead serious.

    "I still have a few things to go over. See you in a few minutes," Laura said and disconnected the call.

    She was surprised when her eyes went to the direction her father stood and realised that he was still gazing at her.

    The first thing she did was uncross her legs and sit properly.

    "What is wrong, Dad?" Laura asked.

    "Mum is just in the dining," She informed him andturned her face to the direction she came from.

    "Do you want me to call her for you...,"

    "You and your sister go to the same school so that means you must know...,"

    "Although we attend the same university, we hardly run into each other. I bet she is scared of me that is why she always avoids wherever I go," Laura lied.

    She leaned forward and dropped her cell phone on the table.

    Actually, the truth was, she avoided Joanna and not the other way around.

    After the poisoning incident that made her be a thing of ridicule on campus, she has been avoiding Joanna.

    Since she wasn''t fully aware of what her devilish stepsister was capable of, she made up her mind not to cross her path. At least for now.

    "Even though you don''t run into each other frequently I am sure you must know the identity of the man she hangs out with right?" Mr Anderson quizzed.

    He strolled to where she sat.

    [Seeing how Dad asked me about the man she hangs out with, I guess he has decided to do something about her... It''s my luck that he choose to ask me this stuff so why don''t I take this opportunity and deal a huge blow on that proud fool]

    A smug smile stered on Laura''s face as she stared at the phone in front of her.

    [She had the guts to threaten me using Rafael, it''s time to give her a taste of her own medicine...]

    "I just asked you a simple question so why are you in deep thoughts, Laura," Mr Anderson growled, his gaze focused on his absentminded daughter''s face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She hangs out with a bunch of men daily...," Laura paused to make sure her father assimted her words.

    "I was thinking of which of them exactly you were referring to since they are just too many," Laura added.

    She deliberately emphasized TOO MANY to make sure her aim was achieved.

    "Did you just say she hangs out with many men?" Mr Anderson asked, his eyes widened.

    "She has proved to be her mother''s daughter after all, I am not surprised one bit," Laura replied while ying with her polished red nails.

    "How on Earth did she be this way...," Mr Anderson mumbled.

    Absent-mindedly, he turned to walk away.

    Since this wasn''t the oue she wanted Laura''s eyebrows creased. She cracked her brain and tried toe up with ways to turn the table around.

    "Although she hangs out with numerous men, I know the identity of the one who often picks her up at night," Laura threw the bait and patiently waited for her father to bite on it.

    Her heart leapt up for joy when her father turned and nced at her.

    She didn''t wait for him to ask a question and immediately jumped to it.

    "His name is Amos Leonard. Although he imed to be from this Kingdom none knows anything about him. It''s as if he fell from the sky one day and assumed his identity...,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that your sister is following someone whose identity is not certain?" He demanded, his tone fierce.

    [Why the hell does Dad keep referring to that bitch as my sister... How do I tell him that I have never had a sister like her all my life?]

    Laura faked a smile despite being furious.

    If it were her mother, grandma or anyone else she was chatting with, she wouldn''t have hesitated to correct the person but this is her father after all.

    She could misbehave in front of anyone else but not in his presence.

    "Didn''t anyone ever tell her that it''s dangerousto hang out with someone of unknown origin?" He mumbled the hand by his side sped.

    "I tried to warn her about it but Dad would you believe it if I told you that she almost punched me in the eye for not minding my business?" Laura lied, her hand caressing her right hand.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, I want to apologise for the irregr updatestely. I am so sorry for not being able to upload chapters daily.

    Too many things were going on and I needed to sort thing out before I return to writing fully.

    I am sorry if this affected you and thank you for waiting for me.

    Also, good news guys!!!

    My new book I told you about is out!!

    The title is "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    The book is my entry for Webnovel Spirirty Award (WSA 2023). Please add it to your library.

    Guys, I need all the help I can get from all of you. I will be super happy if you check the book out and tell me your thoughts throughments and reviews.

    I so much look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Don''t forget to leave ament and review when you add the book to your libraries. And I promise to wee you in a special way.

    I trust my readers that they will undoubtedly show my new book support so I will thank you guys in advance.

    Thank you and I love you ??????

 Chapter 491 Lauras Real Intentions

    ?

    Laura panicked when her father only focused his stern look on her without uttering a word.

    "Dad if you think I am lying you can ask...,"

    "If that stupid girl thinks she can bring disgrace to this family then that is a lie," He bellowed.

    Laura who was almost on her feet leaned back on the couch and exhaled a sigh of relief.

    "I guess I have been going easy on hertely. It''s time to straighten her out...,"

    "But Dad, she is...," Mr Anderson stomped towards the huge entrance afterwards.

    After he left, Laura stood up and ran to the window close to the parking space.

    She watched as her father entered the car and his driver drove off instantly.

    "Hahaha...," Sheughed and ambled to the centre table.

    "Hahaha...," Sheughed harder, her right hand clutching her stomach.

    "Did Dad really think I was gonna plead for that idiot? Was that why he left in anger hahaha...," She broke out in another fresh set ofughter.

    "Oh Dad, if only you knew that I want nothing other than to see that bitch dead then you wouldn''t have been so furious," She scoffed and picked up her cell phone from where she left it.

    She didn''t have the chance to unlock her cell phone when her mother walked into the room with about three maids apanying her.

    "What about Eva and the others?" She asked and proceeded to sit beside her on the brown couch. "Are they already on their way?" She added.

    "Hmm...," She replied, grinning. "Since this is their first time meeting grandma after she returned, they went to the mall to get her a gift," She continued.

    Laura nced in the direction of her grandmother''s room upstairs.

    "Has she note downstairs since then?" Laura quizzed,her attention not moving from the brown door.

    "No," Adhara replied. She moved her gaze to the door Laura''s concentration was on.

    "The call she received dealt a huge blow to her. She can''t bring herself to ept the fact that her men suffered such casualties and yetnot a scratch could be found on Joanna''s body...," Adhara let her words linger.

    "If you were in her shoes do you think you would be able to handle the blow?" Adhara whispered.

    She could still remember the first day Joanna showed her what she was capable of. Even though it happened right in front of her eyes she couldn''t believe it. Everything felt like a dream too.

    It took her a few more blows before she knew exactly where she stood.

    "I wouldn''t...," Laura replied.

    She sank her nails into her palms when the memories of the horrible things she had gone through in Joanna''s hands passed before her memory.

    Not only did she almost blow them up along with the porch but had the effrontery to make sure that the police didn''t discover that she was the assant.

    As if that wasn''t enough she added harmful substances to their food and proudly told them to their faces that poison would be the next thing she would add to their food.

    And the mean girl kept her word. Her mother, grandma and she got poisoned by her.

    She ended up bing a public disgrace because of this.

    Then she believed she would have her revenge when the results of their test came out but to her dismay the doctors couldn''t find out the cause of their sickness.

    [I can take everything she throws at me but the one thing I will never tolerate is anyone messing with my mate]

    When she recalled how Joanna threatened her using Rafael after she set her up and made her mother p her, Laura further dug her nails into her palms, causing blood to gush out.

    "Although I wouldn''t have been able to handle the blow, I would never cease trying to kill that person who made me feel that way," She retorted, her bloodshot eyes shot into space.

    Adhara tilted her head just in time to see the spot Lauraid her hand stained with blood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What''s wrong?" She asked. She grabbed Laura''s hand and ced it on herp.

    She creased her eyebrows the instant she got a glimpse of the blood in Laura''s palms, "Why are your hands bleeding huh?" She demanded and tried to wipe the blood off.

    "I am fine," She dered and rudely pulled her hand from her mother''s hold.

    "But...,"

    "I will check up on Granny," She informed. She stood up and made her way to the stairs.

    Meanwhile, as this took ce Joanna was seen walking on the streets with no sense of direction.

    Because she had no one waiting for her on campus or someone to hang out with, she strolled around the streets to exhaust the extra time she had before her sses started.

    "Joanna, you choose to do this for the bigger picture so you are not allowed to get sad hmm?" Joanna scolded herself.

    She blinked repeatedly to fight back the warm tears trying to flow freely.

    "Neither are you allowed to regret your decision...," She sniffed and exhaled deeply.

    She continued to walk.

    Joanna paid no attention to the way passersby gazed at her.

    In fact, she was more concerned about controlling her emotions that were trying to burst out than caring about what they perceived her in their minds.

    So what if they think she is crazy?

    The truth is that everyone is crazy in their ways, isn''t that so?

    And so what if they perceived her as a crybaby?

    Haven''t they cried at least once in their entire life?

    "This is just a few hours since you discovered that he is sacrificing his happiness for your safety and the mere thought of him is almost making you break down...," She paused and sniffed harder this time around.

    By now her eyes were reddened and her tears had already taken over her eyeballs.

    "Joanna if you are such a mess then tell me how you are gonna go aboutpleting the mission of making him jealous...," A car horn close to the walkway she stood on made Joanna almost jump up.

    ....

    Hello lovely readers, it''s just a few hours to my birthday and I informed you about it beforehand, so why is it that none of you had send me gifts ormented?

    Did I do something wrong?

    I kept asking myself this question these past few days but I haven''t been able toe up with an answer.

    Your silence is scaring me so will you please say something?

    Also, my birthday is 18th March. A fact some of you who are my old readers are aware of.

    I will be heartbroken and upset if this continues so to anyone who is reading this, it''s time for you to stop being quiet.

    And don''t forget to wish me. It''s your dearest author''s birthday after all, am I correct?

    One more thing, don''t forget about the deal we made. A few hours are remaining so that means our deal still stands.

    Keep the gifts,ments and GOLDEN TICKETS flooding in. Also support dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Thank you in advance.

    And I love you ??????.

 Chapter 492 She Bumped Into Mrs Parker

    ?

    She turned and shot a deadly re at where the ck car screeched to a stop just beside her but only to see Mrs Parker step out of it.

    "Mrs Parker!" Joanna muttered. Her gaze which looked as if it would murder someone softened in an instant.

    "When I saw the figure from afar it looked familiar and I am d I was....," Mrs Parker choked on her words and halted in her tracks the moment she got a glimpse of Joanna''s teary eyes.

    "What''s wrong?" She asked. She looked to the front and then to her back, searching for heaven knows what. "Who made you cry huh?" She observed.

    She stretched forth her hand and tried to wipe her tears but Joanna tilted her head sideways.

    "I am fine," She replied and moved a step backwards.

    "How could you be fine when you don''t look one bit...,"

    "I might not be but I strongly believe that I will be fine," She resolved and cleaned her eyes.

    "I am much stronger than anyone thinks...,"

    "Of course you are," Mrs Parker agreed. "Everyone always said you were a weakling but I have always believed you were strong and extraordinarily...," She paused and beamed at her.

    "I mean no weak and ordinary person would have been able to go through that hell you went through in your home for so many years ande out of it alive... don''t you agree with me?" She asked, her radiant eyeballs locked with Joanna''s.

    Her smile faded when Joanna didn''t say anything.

    "Come, let me drop you off," She offered. She reached out her hand and grabbed Joanna''s right hand.

    She tried to walk away but only to be pulled backwards by the girl who refused to follow her.

    Mrs Parker turned and shot Joanna a questioning gaze.

    "You never asked me where I was headed," She pointed out.

    "I know you are headed to campus," She replied. "Don''t tell me you have forgotten that I have your schedule for the whole semester," She smiled and led Joanna to the front seat.

    "But this is not the way to the cafe," Joanna queried the woman who had just finished opening the front door for her.

    "And whoever told you that I was headed to the cafe, hmm?" She countered Joanna without making herself look suspicious.

    "But...,"

    "Joanna, stop looking for excuses to reject my offer and enter the car," Mrs Parker interrupted. She gently shoved Joanna into the car and shot the door.

    Soon Mrs Parker''s car was seen driving on the busy road.

    As she drove Mrs Parker stole a nce at the face of thedy whose concentration seems to be on nothing specific.

    [So this was the reason he called me out of the blue and instructed me to take this route... I should have guessed sooner that there was a reason he would do such a thing]

    Mrs Parker was lost in thought and didn''t see Joanna turn and gazed at her.

    "Why do you look at me so intently?" Joanna questioned the woman whose mind had wandered off.

    "I couldn''t help myself but notice that you look horriblepared to thest time I saw you," Mrs Parker replied. She shifted her focus to the road.

    "But it has just been some hours since we metst...,"

    "And that is exactly what kept me wondering what on Earth happened during that time that made you look this terrible," Mrs Parker recounted.

    She nced at Joanna''s face but only to retract her concentration to the road.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Do I really look that horrible?" She palmed her face and tried to look at her face through the rear mirror.

    "Hmm...," Mrs Parker nodded to her question.

    Silence engulfed the car as Joanna looked at herself through the mirror and tried to confirm whether what Mrs Parker said was true.

    "Haven''t you guys made up yet?" Mrs Parker finally found the right time to ask the question which has been on her mind.

    "Did he say mean things to you... and if yes, then was that why you were crying earlier...,"

    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "I wasn''t crying but my eyes only teared up," Joanna corrected in an instant.

    "And what is the difference between crying and one''s eyes being teary?... Don''t they mean the same thing?" Mrs Parker countered.

    "Also, he would never make me cry...,"

    "The condition I met you earlier makes your word right now sound like a lie...,"

    "T-that is...," Joanna paused, not knowing the next word that follows.

    "Joanna...," Mrs Parker called. She removed her right hand from the steering and brought it to Joanna''sp where her handsy.

    "I am well aware that you have been hurt by adults all your life and as such might have trouble confiding in one but you can trust me," Mrs Parker muttered. She stroked Joanna''s hands affectionately.

    "I was once a naughty eighteen-year-old girl and experienced what it felt like to be in love for the first time in my life also. I have been through this phase of life you are in and I believe I can help you out in one way or the other....," Mrs Parker trailed off.

    She wished she could park so that she won''t have to steal nces at her now and then.

    "That is if you will trust me enough to share your problems with," Mrs Parker concluded.

    There was silence in the car for a minute after Mrs Parker poured out her heart to Joanna.

    "You are the first person who has ever treated me this way. You are also the first adult who offered to help me without me asking for help first...," Joanna let her words linger as she kept her gaze glued on Mrs Parker''s face.

    "Since then I have always known that you are different from the adults I spent 18 years of my life knowing... and my opinion hasn''t changed until now," Joanna said.

    After thisdy beside her epted to employ her when everyone in the entire Kingdom wanted nothing to do with her, she thought she was crazy.

    ...

    So guys my birthday is finally here!!!!

    Where are my gifts and congrattory messages?

    Also, since you guys refused to hop onto the deal I proposed there is nothing I can do.

    Please don''t forget the gifts.

    You can send me birthday gifts through the;

    1) Buying and sending gifts through Webnovel

    2) Buying of privileged chapters

    3) Andst but not least, voting with GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Thanks in advance as you do this.

 Chapter 493 Joannas Resolve

    ?

    This opinion of hers about Mrs Parker waster confirmed when she came to reapply for a job at her cafe after her return from the dead.

    She had expected to be brutally rejected but to her dismay, she epted her back without any interrogation.

    Yes, Mrs Parker might have employed her and also epted her back because Kayden ordered her to do so but Kayden was never around at the cafe back then.

    And he had ordered Mrs Parker to treat her like every normal employee out there.

    Bad people would have taken advantage of this use and put her through hell but Mrs Parker has never for once maltreated her.

    Everything might have been Kayden''s arrangements to make her have an easy life but she could tell that Mrs Parker''s sincerity was real.

    She was the true definition of a good adult to Joanna.

    "I am happy to hear you say that," Mrs Parker smiled at her.

    She skillfully diverted the car to the road on her right-hand side.

    "Actually, there is a question I want to ask you...," Joanna hesitated. "But I don''t know whether it''s right for me to do...,"

    "Go ahead and ask them. I will do my best to answer," Mrs Parker gave her permission without first finding out what her question was.

    "T-that...," Joanna paused, hesitation written over her face.

    "You can go on now. I won''t eat you up, I promise," Mrs Parker said yfully with hopes of making Joanna feel a little rxed.

    "If you were given a second chance and you had the means to save your husband from dying, what would you have done...," Mrs Parker subconsciously stepped on the brake and the car screeched to a stop.

    Due to the forceful stop, she bumped her forehead against the steering wheel while Joanna hit the back of her head against the seat.

    "Are you alright?" She asked thedy whose right hand was soothing her neck.

    "I am sorry...,"

    "It''s ok. I know you didn''t do that on purpose," Joanna interrupted the worried woman.

    "Even though you had given me permission I should have known better not to bring up such a sensitive topic," Joanna muttered.

    "I am sorry," She apologised.

    "It''s not your fault Joanna," Mrs Parker faked a smile at her. "Your question caught me unawares, that is why I reacted the way I did," She exined.

    "You can pretend that you didn''t hear my question...,"

    "No, I won''t," Mrs Parker retorted. She let go of the steering wheel and leaned against the seat.

    "The question you ask has been on my mind for years and I believe replying will make me find some peace so let me," She added.

    There was momentary silence afterwards.

    "If I had the opportunity to go back to that fateful night. I would do anything and everything to make sure that my husband survived," Mrs Parker responded sternly.

    "By everything and anything, to what extent are you perhaps referring to?" Joanna demanded.

    Her heart ached to put the poor woman through this but Joanna couldn''t stop.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If the situation had required me to sacrifice my life for him to live I wouldn''t have hesitated for a second to give up life so he could live," Mrs Parker replied.

    Her efforts not to let her emotions overflow worked, her eyes did not tear up nor did her words sound muffled.

    "Sacrifice your life for him?" Joanna mumbled as if she didn''t hear Mrs Parker''s words.

    Just then, she recalled what Audrey told her a few hours ago.

    Despite that he was aware he was in danger he didn''t hesitate to make a decision that will favour only her.

    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "You sound a lot like him. They could mistake you both for siblings, you know," Joanna joked even in the middle of a serious topic.

    "Who are you referring to?" Mrs Parker asked. "Is it perhaps your lover?" Mrs Parker guessed.

    "That''s a secret," She replied.

    "Since he has decided to put everything at stake including his life, then I Joanna will do whatever it takes to make sure that no harmes to him or anything he owes dear...,"

    "And whom are you boldly dering your love to huh?" Mrs Parker teased.

    "That''s also a secret," She grinned and looked out through the window.

    [I guess that was the answer I needed to bring me back on the right track... I can''t afford to lose him and I will do everything within my capacity to make sure he returns to the pce in one piece]

    She vouched in her mind.

    "It''s almost time for my lessons so let''s go," Joanna spoke to the woman whose twinkling eyes were on her face.

    Mrs Parker resumed driving. Soon the car screeched to a stop in front of an enormous ck gate.

    "Are you sure you don''t want me to drive you inside?" Mrs Parker asked, her gaze focused on thedy standing outside at the other side of the car.

    "I can manage from here onward so it''s fine with me," Joanna replied and bent so she had a proper view of Mrs Parker''s face.

    "I will stop asking if you keep insisting," Mrs Parker conceded defeat atst.

    "I will...,"

    "Always put on a smile on your face no matter the circumstances because you look the prettiest when you smile. Also, that is the best weapon to make your enemies feel uneasy so make sure to smile the brightest ok?" Mrs Parker instructed.

    "Everything will be just fine...,"

    "Of course, I know that everything will be alright again," Joanna asserted and beamed. "I will make sure of that," She dered and hits her chest confidently.

    "I am happy to see you all fired up. Go get them, Girl," Mrs Parker cheered her on, her fists raised for her to get a glimpse of.

    "I will leave now," She informed, her smile still maintained. "Thank you for everything. I appreciate it," She muttered.

    Mrs Parker waved at her and watched the distance between them grow wider as seconds ticked.

    The first thing Joanna noticed after she walked some distance away from the enormous gates were students who stood in groups discussing.

 Chapter 494 The Debate

    ?

    For a minute she had to pause and look at her surroundings after she realised that everywhere she went students stood in groups.

    "I wonder who those bunch of gossips are talking about," She mumbled and retracted her attention from where threedies stood close to a pir chatting.

    As she hurried to meet up with her sses which had already started, she paid no attention to themotion happening around her.

    On a long way, Joanna hid beside the door and peeped into the hall whose only voice that could be heard at the moment was that of the lecturer.

    [I bet he is gonna be like other lecturers and reprimand me harshly just because I am the King''s mate... As it is I am not cut out for all this so how am I gonna escape from this?]

    Joanna peeped at the man in a brown suit as he walked about lecturing.

    She was in the middle ofing up with a n to get into the hall unnoticed when she saw Audrey secretly waving her hand at her.

    "Wait. I will help you out," Joanna read her friend''s moving lips since Audrey couldn''t speak.

    Although she was curious to know what Audrey was up to, Joanna took two steps backwards so the man wouldn''t get a glimpse of her when he turned around.

    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom "Mr Richard," Audrey sitting three rows from the back door called, her right hand raised to get the man''s attention.

    The man in the brown suit paused what he was doing, he spun and looked at thedy whose hand remained raised.

    "Yes...," the man in the brown suit whom Audrey referred to as Mr Richard replied.

    "Go on," He beckoned her.

    "Mr Richard, I think there is a mistake on the third line," Audrey who was already on her feet dered and pointed at the whiteboard connected to the grey wall.

    The moment the man turned around to confirm what Audrey said the smartdy beckoned Joanna with the movement of the hand to sneak in.

    Joanna bent, almost crawling on the floor as she snuck into the quiet hall.

    Before Joanna got to the seat Audrey spared for her, Mr Richard turned around, a frown stered on his face.

    "Miss Lopez, where exactly did you say there was a mistake?" He narrowed his eyebrows as he focused his attention on thedy whose index finger was still pointed at the board.

    He was so distracted by thedy who was desperate to save her best friend to see thedy hiding beside a brown chair.

    "T-t-that...," Audrey stuttered and snuck a peep at the spot Joanna hid.

    "ording to what I know, the past kings all died in their fourth years of reign from assassination so why does this particr King''s cause of death vary from what is on the board?" Audrey asked a question that she wasn''t prepared for.

    "Can I ask you which source you got your discovery from, Miss Lopez?" Mr Richard quizzed.

    How he stressed the name showed that he was on the brink of losing his cool if Audrey kept this up.

    "The cause of the past king''s death is something everyone in the kingdom is well aware of. Am I right guys?" Audrey turned to her colleagues for support.

    An evil smirk stered on Audrey''s face whemotion arises in the hall due to her question.

    There were arguments in almost every corner of the hall and because of this Mr Richard''s attention got divided.

    Joanna grabbed this perfect opportunity her best friend created with both hands. She snuck to the empty seat just behind Audrey''s desk and sat.

    Audrey tilted her head and stared at thedy trying to bring out her notepad from her handbag.

    "What kept you...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Order everyone," Mr Richard''s stern voice interrupted Audrey''s sentence. She was forced to retract her concentration back to the front of the ss.

    So many students kept quiet after he shouted while others acted as if they heard him not.

    "I said shut the hell up everyone," He yelled a bit louder this time around.

    His angry voice sent a message that whosoever dared to mess up will be asked to exit the ss and none dared to utter a word afterwards.

    "If you are tired of listening to my lecture, the door is open," he said and pointed at the brown door at his side.

    "See yourself out right this minute because I am not gonna let you disturb others to get rid of your boredom," He charged. His fierce eyeballs mood from one row to the other and finally settled on Audrey''s face.

    "Miss Lopez, I asked you a question and you are yet to give me a reply so will you go ahead now...,"

    "But I did...,"

    "Yes you talked but that wasn''t the answer to my question so go on," He interrupted her sharply.

    "It''s a renowned rumour that none could verify the mysterious and sudden deaths of our past kings so why is it that the specific cause death of King Zeke is stated on the third line...,"

    "Are you trying to tell me that you disrupted my sses because of mere rumours?" He retorted, his piercing res fixated on Audrey''s face.

    "If it''s proved true that the cause of death of the previous kings was never uncovered and here you are giving us a specific cause of death of King Zeke. Isn''t this considered distortion of history?" Audrey challenged the man in a brown suit.

    "D-d-distortion of what?" Mr Richard growled, his deadly res fired at the unfazed Audrey.

    "You...,"

    "Drey, what Mr Richard wrote is urate," Joanna who foresaw how this would end stood up and interrupted the supposed debate which has almost turned into a battle.

    "I have read the genealogy of the previous Kings and it''s indeed recorded that King Zeke died a natural death...,"

    "He was just a forty-year-old healthy and hearty young man so how could it be considered a natural death huh?" Audrey countered Joanna''s point to the astonishment of the other students who were well aware of the twodies friendship.

    ...

    A/N:

    Hello lovely readers, so first of all I want to apologise for being away for three days without notifying you guys.

    It was bad of me to do that so I apologized.

    One more thing there is something on my mind and judging from the kind of person your beloved author is, I won''t have peace of mind if I don''t tell you guys about it.

    Like I informed you guys, my birthday was on the 18th of March, and will you believe it if I told you that out of all the amazing readers I have that it was only two readers who wished me on that special day?

    I was so goddamn disappointed if you may know.

    Let''s drop aside the fact that I got no gifts from all of you, but why didn''t any of you wish me on that day?

    It was my birthday after all and I informed all of you about it beforehand just to prevent this from happening so why...?

    I will be a liar if I say I wasn''t hurt and heartbroken by your actions. And I am still hurting from this even as I speak.

    I really thought you guys would always have my back in everything. I believed in your love for me so much but...

 Chapter 495 Rumours About The King Circulates

    ?

    "Was it concluded a natural death because he died from sleep....,"

    "Miss Lopez, you will shut up and return to your seat if you don''t have anything meaningful to say other than disturbing the peace of the ss," Mr Richard said with a tone of finality.

    "But..," Joanna grabbed Audrey''s hand and shook her head in disapproval.

    As obvious as it was that Audrey had something to say, thedy in the blue denim jacket reluctantly sat down.

    After being rudely shut down by the furious lecturer, Audrey remained moody for the rest of the time Mr Richard spent there.

    The instant lecture ended Audrey who was still in a terrible mood stomped out of the ss without waiting for Joanna as she normally did.

    "Drey...," Joanna paused when noticed that Audrey was not in her seat.

    Joanna''s eyes wandered around the hall in search of her best friend.

    She was stunned after she confirmed atst that Audrey was gone.

    "Where did she go to?" Joanna mumbled. She picked up her red handbag and hurried out of the hall through the back door.

    As she walked on the long pathway she noticed the way people''s attention was focused on her but she was in a haste to stop and asked what she did to warrant their attention from them.

    Joanna finally caught up to Audrey as the frowningdy descend the stairs in front of the open field.

    "Hey," She yelled and grabbed the hand of thedy who has refused to heed the constant call of her name.

    "You didn''t wait for me after the lecture ended, why?" Joanna demanded, her hands still clutching Audrey''s right hand.

    "If this is about how I stopped you from discussing the topic further, you know I didn''t mean any harm...," Joanna paused to catch her breath.

    "You know how petty Mr Richard is. I stopped you from tackling him any further because I didn''t want you to get into his bad book...,"

    "Do you think I am acting this way merely because I failed to prove a point?" Audrey snapped.

    "Isn''t that correct?" Joanna narrowed her eyebrows, not knowing why Audrey was so worked up.

    "Of course not. I am doing this for your sake and Amos...,"

    "But what does the argument about the previous King''s deaths have to do with me?" Joanna hissed, confusion written all over her face.

    "Wait, don''t tell me you are not aware of what is going on campus...,"

    "And why was I supposed to know every new gossip that surfaces on campus....,"

    "But this is no gossip, girl," Audrey cut in. Her words and serious expression made the less concerneddy cool off.

    For a minute Joanna let her eyes move from one corner of the campus to the other.

    How people stared at her was the exact way they did when she arrived on campus earlier.

    "How could you not know what happened when you are in the spotlight...,"

    "I can see that, so do you care to tell me what is going on now?" Joanna demanded a bit more seriously this time around.

    "Rumour has it that the King never travelled out of the Kingdom. The news is all over campus..."

    "W-what!" Joanna''s loud voice garnered more attention from others.

    "No...no.. that is not possible," Joanna shook her head in disbelief.

    They have been extra cautious in an attempt to make sure that none knows the real identity of Amos so how...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You are lying to me right?" Joanna used.

    "You told me you can hear things from a distance so how about listening to what they are saying for yourself?" Audrey suggested and pointed at where threedies stood talking and pointing hands at them.

    Without further wasting time Joanna let her inner senses travel far away.

    "If the King never left the Kingdom, where would he be?"

    "Why would a whole King abandon his pce?"

    "Do you think the fact that he never left the kingdom has something to do with the recent deaths in the kingdom?"

    "Is the news that he is responsible for the killing of humans and werewolves true?"

    "Do you think that one over there knows his whereabouts?"

    Joanna watched as thestdy who spoke pointed a finger at her.

    "How dare...,"

    "Let''s go and talk somewhere private," Audrey grabbed the fumingdy''s hands and together they made their way out of the basketball field.

    As they tried to find a suitable ce to discuss, Audrey and Joanna didn''t notice ady standing on a rooftop.

    [Isn''t that Joanna and Tomboy]

    Tiffany, who happened to be on the rooftop of an abandoned building, strained her neck to get a clear glimpse of thedies underneath the building where she stood.

    How Audrey and Joanna kept scrutinising the surroundings for heaven knows what pinged Tiffany''s interest.

    [What the hell are those two up to?]

    The curiosity to find out what Audrey and Joanna wanted to do made Tiffany leave the rooftop.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Audrey tried to find a secure ce to talk, they didn''t notice the presence of thedy hiding behind the wall of the building eavesdropping on them.

    After they had made sure they were far away from the main campus Audrey and Joanna paused.

    The anxious Joanna turned and stared at Audrey.

    "Drey, what on Earth happened on campus?" Joanna quizzed. "How did they know that His Majesty has been in the Kingdom this past month? And who started the rumour that is almost turning into a wildfire?" She demanded.

    "I don''t know who did this," Audrey stated.

    "By the time I reached campus, everyone was already talking about it. I tried to call and inform you about the development but your cell phone was switched off," Audrey continued in a meek tone.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® There was momentary silence after Audrey replied.

    "Anna, is Kay really sick?" Audrey asked out of the blue, her suspicious gaze fixed on Joanna''s fuming expression.

    "Sick?" Joanna frowned. She lifted her head and shot Audrey a stern nce, "And why would you ask me such a thing?" She added.

    ...

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 Chapter 496 Tiffany Eavesdrop On Them

    ?

    "Some of the rumours flying say the reason he left the pce is that he is sick. I deemed you the right person to know this since you are always with him ever since he left the pce...," Audrey paused to catch her breath.

    "Have you ever noticed any signs that showed he is unwell or has he ever let the truth slip from his mouth...,"

    "And what the hell are you talking about?" Joanna shouted and pulled backwards. The manner she acted all defensive made Audrey even more suspicious.

    "I just need a response from you. Is he unwell anywhere?" Audrey asked a bit more seriously this time.

    "Of course not," Joanna blurted. "Amos is very healthy. He had never shown any signs of illness so how dare they insinuate that the reason he left the pce was that he is sick?" Joanna fumed, her hand balled into a fists.

    Back where Tiffany stood her jaw dropped open and her legs weakened upon the revtion she just heard.

    She quickly covered her mouth to prevent a sound from escaping.

    [Amos is His Majesty? but how...]

    Tiffany was too shocked to think straight. She stared at the two friends still talking as if they were strangers she met a few minutes ago.

    "Rumours also says the four years curse that is responsible for the death of the previous kings has struck and that is why he left the pce...,"

    "A curse?" Joanna scoffed. "Do they think we are in a movie or novel?" She hissed.

    "Anna, this is no time for you to get angry but strategize so calm down ok," Audrey advised. She moved closer, raised her hand and ced it on Joanna''s right shoulder.

    "The motive of whoever spreads the rumour is not pure. Remember, the causes of the death of the previous kings were never discovered...," Audrey paused to make sure that Joanna was following what she said.

    "Also recall that this is the fourth year of Kayden''s reign as King of Twipera Kingdom...,"

    "And what are you trying to insinuate huh?" Joanna snapped, hitting off Audrey''s hand on her shoulder.

    "Exactly what you are thinking," Audrey replied, not beating around the bush or sugarcoating her words.

    "If you sit down and think carefully you will know that it can''t be a coincidence that this rumour circted the time it did," Audrey whispered.

    "The King''s disappearance might have hindered their ns and I bet everything happening in the kingdom right now is to force the King to reveal himself...,"

    "And who could be so callous to scheme against His Majesty in such a manner?" Joanna cut in angrily as if Audrey was a part of the people after Kayden''s demise.

    "I bet it''s the same set of people who cruelly murdered the past rulers of our Kingdom without leaving a trace," Audrey muttered and walked about the open space.

    "As it stands Amos is in grave danger and we need to pay extra attention to him. We can''t afford to let the evil ones win," Audrey said.

    "I need to justy a hand on one of the people after his life and I promise you, I will let them go through hell and return," Joanna seethed, her fists tightly sped.

    Joanna paced about the open field they stood but only to halt abruptly.

    "What is...,"

    "Sshh...," Joanna ced her index finger on her lips as a signal for Audrey to stop talking.

    As Audrey wondered what was wrong Joanna lifted her hand and pointed at the spot behind the white wall Tiffany hid.

    Meanwhile, as they strategized using codes on how to capture the one eavesdropping on them, their sudden silence made Tiffany sense that something was amiss.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® [Fuck! My cover is blown]

    Tiffany almost screamed out.

    Instantly she turned around and with the help of her powers disappeared from there although not unnoticed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "It''s Tiffany," Joanna screamed. "Go after her. We can''t let her disclose the secret she found out to anyone no matter what," Joannamanded.

    Instantly, she disappeared from there along with Audrey.

    "Damn it! They are still following me," Tiffanywho halted only to realise that she was still being pursued resumed running once again.

    "We can''t afford to let her run away," Joanna grunted when they got to the point Tiffanystopped not up to a minute ago.

    Because Tiffanywas not there didn''t make them stop their pursuit. They kept on chasing Tiffany until they reached the main campus.

    "And where do you think you are running off to huh?" Joanna growled and grabbed the right hand of thedy she just caught up with.

    Tiffanyswervedand acted like nothing was wrong.

    "I have always known you to be a good runner but I never knew you have upgraded Stinky Joanna," Tiffany''s sarcastic words didn''t go well with Audrey who just caught up to them.

    "Quit with the pretenceyou darn eavesdropper," Audrey shouted, her sped fist waving at Tiffany''s face.

    "Who is talking huh?" Tiffany hissed. She looked around pretending she didn''t know that Audrey was the one who spoke.

    Her actions infuriated the already angry Audrey more. "How dare you...,"

    "Don''t do it, Drey," Joanna grabbed Audrey''s raised fist before she could hit Tiffany.

    "Let me handle her," Joanna forced on a smile and slowly returned Audrey''s hand to her side.

    She retracted her attention back to where Tiffany stood after she kept Audrey under control.

    "About what you heard earlier you will say no word to anyone...,"

    "And why should I do that huh?" Tiffany scoffed. Her nonchnce irked Audrey.

    She felt like beating nonsense out of the annoyingdy standing in front of her.

    "I bet you might have thought that was a request but let me tell you that wasn''t a request ok," Joanna said, her expression and voice cold as ice.

    "Ouch... I am so scared," Tiffany shivered pretending as though she was trembling in fear.

    ...

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 Chapter 497 She Displayed Her Power In Public

    ?

    "Anna, I don''t think I can tolerate her anymore...,"

    "It''s ok," Joanna cut in. She quickly moved and stood in front of Audrey. She prevented the furiousdy from pulling out Tiffany''s hair.

    "You will not disclose what you heard over there to anyone...,"

    "And what if I don''t do as you said huh?" Tiffany retorted, her fierce eyeballs locked with Joanna''s.

    "Only the dead don''t speak. You will leave me with no other choice but to kill you," Joanna growled.

    She lifted her right hand a little above her shoulder ready to attack if Tiffany refused toply.

    "Hehe... you will murder me?" Tiffanyughed hysterically.

    "I can''t wait to see you do that. Watch me," Tiffany grinned.

    She shoved Joanna''s hand away from her body and started walking away.

    An evil smile crept onto her beautiful face the instant she turned around and saw her friends who were not far away from where she stood.

    "I gave her a choice and she is the one who chose death instead," Joanna grunted, her deadly res concentrated on Tiffany''s moving back.

    "She can''t me me for what''sing her way," She muttered and ran after Tiffany.

    As she walked she could sense Joanna''s presence behind her but she assumed Joanna and her friend wouldn''t have the guts to attack her in front of the crowd.

    And that was her number one mistake.

    Her second mistake was underestimating Joanna''s capabilities and thereby turning her back on her.

    ARGH!

    A scream escaped from Tiffany''s mouth the moment someone yanked her curly ck hair from behind.

    She was violently hauled to the floor.

    Immediately, Joanna jumped on top of the body of thedy lying on the floor.

    In the process of trying to handle thedy she had pinned on the floor threedies appeared beside her.

    "Hey, what...,"

    "Piss off!" Sophie shouted and violently pushed away Audrey who tried to stop them from saving Tiffany from the furious Joanna''s clutches.

    "Get off her, fool," Nora yelled. She grabbed Joanna''s hand and pulled her but Joanna refused toe off of Tiffany''s body.

    Not even the strength of Nora and Dorisbined could make Joannae off of Tiffany''s body.

    "Let go," Sophie roared and yanked Joanna''s hair.

    The angrydy flung Joanna to wherever direction her hand went without a care.

    "Are you alright Tiff?" She asked and stretched her hand to Tiffany.

    "I am good," Tiffany muttered and held onto Sophie''s outstretched hand for support.

    As Tiffany dusted off the dirt from her slightly messed up hair and clothes, Nora and Doris stood on guard.

    They made sure that Audrey and Joanna didn''te close.

    By this time arge crowd had gathered around eager to see how the battle would end.

    After she made sure Tiffany was ok, Sophie turned and red at the two best friends who had already taken their stance.

    "Hey, what the hell...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If you know what is good for you, the three of you will step aside right this minute," Joanna interrupted rudely, her piercing eyeballs locked with Sophie''s.

    "My target is Tiffany and believe me you will have none but yourselves to me if you dare try to intervene...,"

    "And who the hell is talking huh?" Doris mocked and stepped forward. "Is it more than the loser Stinky Joanna standing in front of us?" She taunted.

    "Of course, it''s just me," Joanna grinned and stepped forward.

    "Anna...," Audrey held her hand and shook her head in disapproval.

    "What you worry about won''t happen today. I will be fine," Joanna mumbled. The corner of her lips lifted to reveal a confident smile.

    Audrey had no choice but to trust her best friend and let go of her hand.

    "Yes it''s just me and I will make sure every single one of you remembers the choice you made today for a long time," She replied. A creepy smile stered on her face as she fearlessly took another step forward.

    Before anyone could fathom what Joanna was up to, she reached out her hand towards the annoyed Doris.

    Although she was caught off guard, the flexibledy in brown boots ducked Joanna''s attack and moved a step backwards.

    "When you talked earlier I thought you had something special nned so don''t tell me that is all you got?" Sophie sneered. She moved away from Tiffany and walked closer to Joanna.

    "How could that ever be all I got huh?" Joanna smirked, her attention focused on the proud Tiffany whose focus was not on what was going on.

    [She must assume I can''t go through her three lousy friends... Underestimation of their opponents has always been the downfall of great men, I bet the fool isn''t even aware of this]

    An evil grin masked her beautiful face as she continued to look at thedy whose concentration was on her messed-up nails.

    "Watch carefully and see what exactly I am capable of," Joanna mumbled and raised her right hand in the air.

    Thedies were still wondering what she was up to with a raised hand when suddenly faint red mes appeared on Joanna''s palms.

    The mes became more visible as seconds passed until everyone was able to see the mes which looked as if her palm was on fire.

    "What the hell!" Nora eximed and subconsciously moved backwards.

    Not even a single soul present there could be spared from the shock of the manifestation of Joanna''s power.

    Everyone''s eyes bulged as they tried to assimte this strange phenomenon none of them had ever witnessed.

    "S-s-she is...," Audrey stammered, not knowing the exact words to say.

    "You are a ....," Joanna raised her left hand and extended it towards where Nora stood.

    Just like magic, Nora was immediately pushed forward by an invisible force that she couldn''t resist.

    Before anyone could spell JACK she was standing in front of Joanna, her neck tightly grabbed by the angrydy.

    The onlookers moved backwards after they witnessed the scenes they always saw only in movies.

    "Hey...,"

    "Move just one step forward and you will see her head dropped beside your leg," Joanna grunted and tightened her grip around the terrified Nora''s neck.

    ...

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 Chapter 498 Boss Ladys Time

    ?

    She kept her gaze glued on the unfazed Tiffany.

    "Do you think your secret will be safe by holding her hostage?" Tiffany scoffed, her head held high as she strolled towards where Joanna stood.

    "With your help, I was able to gather such arge crowd and there are also cameras around...," Tiffany smirked evilly and pointed at the students who were recording everything.

    "What if I disclose the secret I just found out to them and those watching...,"

    "You wouldn''t dare!" She retorted.

    CRACK!

    A bone''s crack was apanied by the scream of thedy whose neck Joanna''s grip had be firmer due to Tiffany''s threat.

    "Watch me...,"

    "Tiff, is it your n to use this opportunity to get rid of me?" Nora, who discovered not long ago that she was unable to do anything despite her powers, yelled, desperation clearly visible in her tone.

    "Is that why you keep provoking her?" She used her.

    Nora, who has always been scared of losing her immortality at a young age, was certain that any more provocation from her friends would only cause her to suffer more.

    She might even end up losing her life.

    "If I have annoyed you in any way, I will apologise so please just spare me hmm?" Nora pleaded with Tiffany.

    "She won''ty a finger on you. I will make sure of that," Tiffany assured, her neck cocked to the side and her chin held up.

    "You think so?" Joanna asked. An evil smirk stered on her face as she lowered her zing right hand aiming for Nora''s chest.

    "W-w-what do you think you are doing?" Sophie stuttered, her eyes wavered. She continuously shook her head in disapproval.

    She moved forward to rescue Nora from Joanna''s clutches but only for Audrey to jump in and block her path.

    "You will have to go through me before you can get to her," Audrey informed, her crimson eyes shot at Sophie.

    "Guys, do you want to hear a secret?" Tiffany asked. Her eyes moved from one curious face of the onlookers to the other.

    Her words made Joanna pause her right hand which was some inches away from Nora''s exposed chest.

    "Actually, the King is....," Joanna flung Nora away and appeared in front of Tiffany.

    "You asked for this," Joanna growled and swung her right hand towards Tiffany''s guts.

    Tiffany blocked Joanna''s attack with her right hand as if she had seen thising.

    That her first attack was a failure didn''t stop Joanna from attacking Tiffany more.

    One of the advantages Tiffany had over her friends was the fact that she wore trousers and boots, unlike her friends who wore skirts, and gowns and were in high heels.

    "Forget about leaving here alive if you do not say what I want to hear," Joanna yelled. She skillfully manoeuvred her way out of Tiffany''s grip and attacked her with her zing right palm.

    ARGGHH!

    Tiffany screamed in anguish, her right hand clutching her chest that Joanna hit with the mes.

    She moved backwards, almost colliding with Doris.

    "Are you alright?" Doris held and made her stabilize herself on the floor.

    The others circled her instantly.

    "What is wrong?" Sophie demanded. She was forced to remove Tiffany''s hand, still tightly clutching her chest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Her jaw dropped and her eyeballs widened the moment she set eyes on the burnt mark on Tiffany''s chest.

    "What...," Fear flickered in Nora''s eyes. She staggered backwards when she recalled that this would have been her fate had Joanna ced her zing palm on her chest.

    "I won''t spare you," Tiffany groaned. She slowly staggered to her feet, her zing eyeballs shot at Joanna whose expression remained emotionless.

    "Get her," She yelled. Sophie and Doris charged towards Joanna.

    "What are you waiting for?" Tiffany shouted at Nora.

    Furious, she pushed the hesitantdy to where the battle took.

    Joanna stood at the same spot with her hands wrapped just below her boobs.

    "Anna...," Audrey, whom Joanna told not to intervene, called to her when she saw that Joanna had not taken a stance.

    She became anxious when Joanna didn''t budge despite the that the furiousdies were about four steps away from her.

    Just when she made up her mind to defy Joanna''s word and interfere in the fight, she saw her best friend soar into the air to the awe of everyone.

    Everyone raised their heads as they watched the distance between them and thedy in the air grew wider.

    "Wow... Is that really my best friend?" Audrey''s eyes sparkled, her eyes glued on the figure floating in the air with her hands folded at her back.

    "You have always said you are powerful right...," Joanna trailed, a smug smile stered on her pretty face.

    "How abouting up to catch me... Let''s see whether you are as powerful as you have always imed," Joanna taunted. She didn''t give a damn that she was being videoed.

    She has held her cool for so long. All her self-control had long been exhausted but she continued to keep her cool whenever she recalled the title of the man she was in love with.

    Now that his secret is on the verge ofing to light, she could no longer keep her cool. She will go to any length to protect him in the same way he is doing for her.

    "What are you waiting for huh?" Joanna mocked.

    "Don''t tell me you can''t do such an easy thing as this?" Joanna grinned.

    "If you can''t do such an easy thing then would I be asking for too much if I asked you to do this?" She asked.

    She reached her hand towards where she dropped her red handbag just beside where Sophie stood.

    Instantly the red bag flew into Joanna''s outstretched hand further throwing everyone into shock.

    Meanwhile, as this was taking ce Mr Fin whose secretary was making reports paused the instant Mr Fin''s cell phone rang.

    ...

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 Chapter 499 The Price Of Being In Love

    ?

    Slowly, Mr Fin diverted his attention to where his cell phoney beside his ck Appleptop.

    Normally he would have ignored the call since he was in the middle of something but he couldn''t ignore the call when he saw the Caller''s ID.

    "Hello...,"

    "Joan is in trouble," An anxious man broke the news at the other end causing Mr Fin to spring up from his grey executive chair.

    "She is your woman so why are you telling me...,"

    "Because it happened inside the campus my men can''t intervene. Their identity will bepromised," He blurted.

    "If you are worried about her, I will get some of the security guards to make sure no harmes to her...,"

    "I am afraid even you will have a hard time keeping her under control if you go there, not to mention mere security guards. I bet she wouldn''t even spare them a second nce," He replied and paced about the front of the ck car behind him.

    "Also, I am not worried about her getting hurt. I know she is capable of taking perfect care of herself. If anyone should be worried it should be those who poked her," He added.

    "If her safety is not your concern then what are you so worried about?" Mr Fin quizzed in a more rxed tone.

    "I know she is not the type to cause a scene without a valid reason...I am aware she must have a reason why she did this but as you know this is not the time to garner attention...,"

    "You are afraid that she might be the target of those with malicious intentions right?" Mr Fin asked cool-headedly.

    "Sorry friend but I will leave you with the difficult task of taking care of things over there...,"

    "Do you mean you won''t show up to check up on her?" Mr Fin cut in meekly.

    When he noticed that his secretary was still waiting for him to conclude his call he waved his right hand at him.

    "No," He asserted and leaned against the bo of the car.

    "Also, don''t let her know that I am the one who sent you," He added. The sadness in his voice couldn''t escape Mr Fin''s notice.

    "If you care so much about her then why don''t you...,"

    "Hurry up now. The longer you waste the greater the scene she will make. Hurry if you don''t want her to turn your precious campus into a pile of dust," Amos forced himself to crack a joke.

    He disconnected the call immediately.

    Outside campus Amos walked a few steps away from his car. His worried eyes didn''t move away from the enormous gate in front of him.

    "Sir, if you are so worried about her, how about we go in?" Chris who has been watching Amos from the sideline suggested.

    "I am sure Miss Joanna will cool off the moment she sees you...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "That is not even an option worth considering," Amos blurted.

    "You can never imagine how hard it was for me to keep my distance from her. There is no way I will be able to go back to avoiding her if I show up at the scene of themotion," Amos insisted sternly.

    "Sir...," Chris called. He strolled to Amos'' front and paused two steps away from where he stood.

    "Do you really have to force yourself to keep a distance from her?" Chris questioned while looking into Amos'' eyes. Something others are often scared of doing.

    "You went through a lot to be with her. I am a witness to all the obstacles you overcame to get to where you are right now with Miss Joanna. Why must you put yourself and her through immense pains...,"

    "You won''t understand, Chris," Amos cut in softly.

    "In the past when I learned that there are no calctions in love, I thought that was true until I fell in love...," Amos let his words linger. He moved some distance away and turned his back on Chris.

    "No doubt being in love gives you the strength you never imagined you possessed but it alsoes with its fair share of fears," He mumbled and raised his eyes to look at the clear sky.

    "You do a lot of calctions and thinking when you are in love, especially when you have a lot of enemies. There is not a single hour of the day you won''t think of a way to keep the one you love beside you for a long time," Amos confessed as he guided his hands into his trouser''s pockets.

    "Maybe this is one of the prices I have to pay for possessing the greatest title in the kingdom or is this perhaps the same thing everyone who is in love faces?" He mumbled, his gaze fixed on the sky as if it would drop down the response to his question.

    "Lifees in phases. I can vividly remember some of the silly things you did and the extremes you went to win over her heart...," Chris let his words linger.

    His lips curved to form a sweet smile when he recalled the crazy things the King did to make Joanna fall in love with him.

    During those times even he often cliched at some of the things he did.

    "Now Miss Joanna is head over heels for you so this means that phase of your life is over. I am sure this too will be history in a short while...,"

    "I wish that time wille soon because I can''t wait to have her back in my life," He replied in a tender tone.

    It wasn''t up to five minutes after Amos ended his call with the Chancellor of Twilight University that Mr Fin showed up in front of the library where the battle was still taking ce.

    "What the hell happened here!" Mr Fin remarked at the scene he met.

    When he got there, Joanna was on the rooftop of the tall building while Tiffany and her squad were in a terrible state.

    Their hair was messed up as if they hadn''t taken a bath orbed their hair for six months.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Their bodies were covered with burnt wounds and their clothes were as if they had just been removed from a furnace.

    What stunned him most apart from the terrible state he met the fourdies was the mes in Joanna''s two palms.

 Chapter 500 This Is What He Wants?

    ?

    "What the heck is she...,"

    "Will you ept that you lost to me or do you want me to go through with the torment?" Joanna yelled, her murderous stares centred on thedies who were struggling to stand on their feet.

    "If your answer is yes then I wonder whether you will be able to survive another attack from my precious mes," Joanna grinned. She yed with the mes in her hands as if it was a prop and not the same mes which inflicted so much damage on thedies'' precious bodies.

    "Do you think you will survive another day if you kill us?" Tiffany scoffed, her deadly res raised to look at Joanna.

    Although she was in such bad shape, not even Joanna''s torment made the fire in her eyes diminished.

    "Your words make me want to see what will happen if I kill all of you," An evil smirk crept onto her beautiful face.

    "What do you think you are doing?" Mr Fin who could see through Joanna''s n jumped in to rescue the fourdies.

    "Mr Fin!" Joanna half-yelled. She quickly dropped her raised hand beside her.

    "What are you doing up there?" He asked, pretending as if he wasn''t aware of the havoc she had caused.

    "It''s dangerous up there. Come down or you are gonna get hurt," Mr Fin beckoned her with the movement of his hand.

    "Is that all you are gonna say?" Sophie, who was leaning against Doris for support demanded, her murderous re settling on Mr Fin''s face.

    "She is pure evil. The likes of her should be isted from the rest of the world...,"

    "Then what are you huh?" Joanna retorted, her murderous res fixated on Nora who just finished talking.

    "An angel?" She scoffed.

    "Someone like you is not supposed to be treated as human. You should be bundled up...,"

    "I was never a human, werewolf or vampire. Have you forgotten that so soon?" Joanna sneered, not giving a damn that Mr Fin was there.

    "You...,"

    "Seeing how all of you still have the energy to speak, I guess I went a bit too easy on you so why don''t I finish things up now," She scowled, her hands lifted above her shoulders.

    In a sh, green mes appeared on her left hand and red mes on the other.

    "I still send you to your creator today...,"

    "That is enough Miss Joanna," Mr Fin intervened once again.

    "I respect you a whole lot Mr Fin but sorry I will have to disobey you today," Joanna replied, her face deprived of any emotions.

    "He will be in danger if I let them out of my sight right now," She muttered, ready to rain down the mes on the fourdies who were trembling like wet leaves.

    "This is what he wants," Mr Fin blurted when he realised that talking to her softly didn''t yield any good result.

    "Are you saying you are willing to go against his wishes?" Mr Fin charged.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He stood in front of the fourdies with his hands spread. At least if Joanna still refused to heed his words he would be the one she attacks first and not thedies.

    This way he would be able to prevent the chaos that will spring up if Joanna hurts thedies more than she had already done.

    "This is what he wants?" Joanna whispered and slowly retracts her outstretched hands.

    "Anna...," Audrey called thedy whose fallen expression was clear as crystal.

    "I did all this for his sake and he is mad at me, why?" Joanna grumbled and turned her back on them.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "Aaah...," Audrey screamed and spread her hands the moment she saw thedy still on the rooftop stumbled on her leg and staggered.

    "Anna, get down from there or you are gonna get hurt," Audrey, whose heart was pounding hard against her chest, charged, her hand raised above her head.

    "Why won''t she listen," Audrey grumbled and raced into the building.

    "Why haven''t you sent the guards to capture that daughter of a bitch?" Tiffany yelled at the man whose gaze was in the direction Audrey went.

    Instead of replying to the furiousdy, Mr Fin turned and shot murderous nces at the students who were still videoing.

    "And what are you still waiting for?" He bellowed. His deadly res moved from one face to the other.

    "One more thing, if you dare as much to post videos of what happened, know that not even you or your parents will be able to handle the consequences," Mr Fin addressed the students who had turned to leave.

    "You should know better than anyone that this is not a threat," Mr Fin added.

    Mr Fin watched the student disperse. When he saw that everything was under control he turned to leave.

    "And where the hell do you think you are going huh?" Sophie growled, her deadly res focused on the man who had walked away from his earlier spot.

    "Don''t tell me you are gonna let that bitch go scot-free after what she did to us?" Doris hollered, her burnt right hand stretched out for Mr Fin to see what Joanna did.

    "Tell us we are wrong...,"

    "That bitch you talked about is the future Queen so I will advise that you watch the way you talk. I can''t guarantee that you and your family will be safe if someone with malicious intents reports what you said....,"

    "Does it look like we are scared?" Tiffany scoffed, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Mr Fin''s stern face.

    "I bet your grandfather had this same smug look the day he went to the pce to bail out his grandson. You don''t need me to start telling you all what the oue was right?" Mr Fin stressed.

    His fierce res moved from one angry face to the other. He wasn''t surprised to see all of them go quiet at the mention of the incident that happened on the night of Joanna''s supposed death.

    "If you know what is best for all of you then you will quietly go home and get yourself checked by a doctor. You all are a total mess," Mr Fin charged, his eyes glued on Tiffany''s trousers which were partially burnt.

    ...

    HAPPY 500TH CHAPTERS ??????

 Chapter 501 We Are Here

    ?

    Thedies stabbed Mr Fin''s back with their murderous stares as he strolled away without sparing them another nce.

    "I swear I will make that witch pay for today''s embarrassment," Sophie grunted, her fists clenched.

    "He was able tostop today''s incident but let''s see whether he will be able to stop me from spilling the secret I know," Tiffany grumbled.

    "Secret?" Sophie asked. She tilted her head and peered at the face of thedy by her side.

    "What secret are you talking about?" Sophie demanded.

    "You will find out about that in due time but before that let''s get out of here. I am afraid I might just kill someone else if I remain here," Tiffany charged.

    Nora, who was the least hurt among the four girls, ran to the side of thedy who almost fell after she stumbled on her legs.

    "Are you right Tiff,?" Nora quizzed her eyeballs fixed on Tiffany''s squeezed expression.

    "Nothing. I am just wondering why the damn wounds are taking a long time to heal," She lied and leaned on Nora''s right hand for support.

    "Let''s go," Tiffany urged. She was too ashamed to spend a minute thereafter she got a glimpse of her burnt jacket and trouser.

    Her anger rose again for the neon time that day.

    The fourdies who were always inseparable parted their ways at the ce where their various drivers parked their cars.

    "Let''s talkter ok," Sophie suggested to Tiffany who hadn''t said a word until they got there.

    "We will see about that," Tiffany replied nonchntly. She lowered her head so that she wasn''t looking at thedy whose car happened to be close to hers.

    "Let''s go," shemanded the driver in a ck hoodie. She was too engrossed in covering up her ugly wounds and didn''t spare the one handling the steering wheel nce.

    It wasn''t until five minutes after Tiffany left the campus gate that she raised her head and scrutinized her surroundings.

    "This is not the way home so where are we going?" Tiffany frowned, her deadly res shot at the man''s back of the head.

    The first thing she noticed as she red at him was the ck hoodie he wore and the reading sses held firmly to his nose bridge.

    [Ellis always wore a suit. He is so used to this style that he couldn''t change his style of outfit even after Iined about it... so who is this guy in front of me?... And why is it that I can''t perceive his scent?]

    Tiffany''s ws shot out the instant she realised that something was off about the person handling the steering.

    "I just asked where we are going so why aren''t you saying anything?" She mumbled and slowly lifted her hands without arousing the attention of the guy whose focus was on the narrow road.

    "And now!" She announced and moved her ws to his neck. Tiffany thought she caught the guy unawares not knowing that the guy had already seen through her ns from the onset.

    "I don''t know whom you work for or the reason you were sent to kidnap me but let me tell you something...," Tiffany smirked evilly as she dug her two ws into the guy''s wless skin.

    She had nned to show him the severity of his actions by inflicting pain on him but the guy handling the steering did not whimper nor did he step on the brake.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He drove on as if nothing was going on despite the blood that dripped from the freshly inflicted wound on his neck.

    "You are wrong if my condition right now made you assume I was an easy target...,"

    "Even without being in this state I wouldn''t have had difficulties capturing you so there is no need to act all defensive Miss Noel," The guy spoke unfazed by what was going on around him.

    "Also, I had no intentions of hurting you but at the moment I can''t guarantee that if you keep this up...,"

    "Cut out with that bullshit and tell me who you are?" Tiffany yelled and dug her ws deeper into his skin.

    "Someone wants to talk with you and I will make sure to drive you home after that...,"

    "That wasn''t my question," Tiffany roared. She grabbed the hoodie cap and pulled it off his head.

    Her jaw dropped the instant she got a glimpse of the face of the guy who just applied brakes to the car.

    Tiffany lost her hold of the hoodie guy''s clothes and fell back due to the violent jerking of the car to a stop.

    "Fuck!... that hurts," Tiffany whined, her hand tightly clutching her bruised right hand.

    "See, I told you to rx and sit back," the guy murmured. He tilted his head and peered at thedy whose squeezed forehead hadn''t eased up.

    Tiffany pulled herself together when she saw the way Chris stared at her.

    "Chris, howe it''s you...no, I mean, aren''t you and His Majesty inseparable so what are you still doing in the Kingdom when his Majesty is not around?" Tiffany asked, her suspicious nces glued on Chris'' face.

    "You can ask whatever question that is on your mind when we get to our destination but aside there... expect no answers from me," Chris replied and shifted his gaze to the road ahead of them.

    He ignited the car and drove off without paying attention to Tiffany whose doubtful looks were still glued on him.

    Some minutester Chris'' car was seen speeding on a lonely road surrounded by bushes.

    Despite not knowing Chris'' exact destination Tiffany didn''t ask questions nor did she panic.

    For some reason, she felt rxed and clear-headed.

    After what felt like forever, the ck car screeched to a stop on a lonely pathway.

    "Where are we?" Tiffany mumbled. She looked to her right and then to her left.

    The only thing she saw was bushes.

    If she wasn''t a hardhearted girl she would have been ovee by fear that Chris brought her to this dreadful ce to harm her.

    "We are here," Chris announced. He peered at her confused expression through the ear mirror.

 Chapter 502 Tiffany Encounter With The King

    ?

    "Didn''t you say you were taking me to the ce I will get answers to my questions so why are we here...,"

    "Get out of the car and take this pathway," Chris instructed as he pointed his index finger at the narrow pathway surrounded by thick bushes.

    "As long as you follow this path, you wille across a flower garden. And there you will find answers to your questions...,"

    "What the hell are you saying? How could I find answers to my questions here?" Tiffany scoffed and pointed her hand at the bush at her right-hand side.

    "Instead of sitting here questioning me, shouldn''t you step out of the car and do as I said?" Chris mumbled his expression stern as always.

    "I mean there is no way you would find out if I am telling the truth or lying if you just sit here. Am I right?" Chris queried, as he looked at the frowningdy through the rear mirror.

    Tiffany stared at the pathway ahead of them that Chris pointed at earlier. She rubbed her temple as she sat there lost in thought.

    [I am already here so what is the point of hesitating Tiffany? What is the worst that can happen if you decide to take on the challenge?]

    She hardened her heart, grabbed the door''s handle and pushed the right door open.

    "I will do as you instructed but believe me, you won''t be safe if I dare discover that you are lying to me...,"

    "I don''t think you are in the position to threaten me to my face, Miss Noel," Chris cut in nonchntly.

    Tiffany took a good look at herself after Chris utterances.

    Although she hated to admit it, she knew from within that she stood no chance against Chris in her condition.

    He was able to retain his title as the King''s personal bodyguard because of his prowess. She was privileged to see him in action a few times so she was well aware of what he wascapable of.

    No matter how naughty she can be she wouldn''t dare to attack someone like that except that was herst resort.

    "What a showoff," She sneered and stomped out of the car. She didn''t wait to close the car.

    Chris watched as the distance between him and the furiousdy got wider. He felt uneasy about everything but he chose not to do anything.

    "He looked furious earlier. I can do nothing other than hope that he won''t kill her. Because I am sure that senile old man and his followers will use this opportunity to wedge a war against His Majesty," Chris muttered and tilted his head to look at the back seat Tiffany sat in earlier.

    If he wasn''t under a royal order he wouldn''t have thought twice about apanying Tiffany to make sure that the King didn''t do anything that would put him and his reign in jeopardy.

    As she walked on the lonely pathway, the leapingdy''s senses were hyperactive. She turned around at every slightest noise or movement.

    "Where the hell is the flower garden he talked about?" The frustrateddy who has covered a long distance but still hasn''te across the flower garden Chris mentionedmented.

    Despite her aching injuries, Tiffany forged ahead. Her desire to find out why on Earth Chris would kidnap and brought her here gave her the strength to move forward.

    After what seemed like forever, Tiffany finally got to the garden Chris talked about.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She walked into the garden which upied a small portion of the enormousnd.

    Tiffany was too preupied with discovering what Chris said to enjoy the marvellous scenery and sweet fragrance surrounding her.

    "He said I would find answers to all my questions here so howe there is nothing here other than some ordinary garden?" Tiffany hissed, her forehead creased to form a frown.

    She clenched her fist as she shot the beautiful scenery murderous nces as if they were responsible for her predicaments.

    "He should better prepare himself to deal with me because even the fact that he is the King''s closest person wouldn''t be able to save him," Tiffany roared and turned her back, ready to stomp away out of there.

    She didn''t take up to four steps when she got a whiff of a person''s scent.

    Instantly she halted. Her eyes turned crimson red and her ws shot out.

    "Who is...," She choked on her words the moment she spun and got a glimpse of the face of the man whose distance between her was about five steps away.

    "Y-your... Majesty!" Tiffany half screamed, her eyes bulging out of their sockets.

    Tiffany''s eyes twinkled as she gazed at Kayden''s face as if it has been over two decades since she saw him.

    Tiffany was still staring at Kayden as if he was a deity that just descended from the sky when it dawned on her that she was a mess.

    Immediately she turned her back on him. In a haste, she used her fingers and strengthened her messy hair.

    Afterwards, she tried to arrange her clothes. But because of the state of ruin that her clothes were in, there was nothing there for her to arrange.

    "And what do you think you are doing?" Kayden demanded, his fierce res focused on the back of thedy who hasn''t said a word after her earlier exmation.

    "I...I...," Tiffany stammered and swiveled to face him.

    She lowered her hands to her side and pinched herself hard hoping that she would be able topose herself if she did this.

    "Your Majesty, weren''t you supposed to be in the human world so what are you still doing in the Kingdom?" Tiffany quizzed. She found the confidence to raise her head and looked into his eyes atst.

    "Are the rumours that you never left the Kingdom true...,"

    "I am aware that you know the fake identity I have been living with for the past month so you can quit with the pretence now," Kayden interrupted abruptly, his piercing res fixed on her face.

    "Ooh...," Tiffany eximed and tilted her head sideways to avoid his cold stares.

    "So she told you about it," She added.

 Chapter 503 Are You Threatening Me, Your Majesty?

    ?

    [If she told him about how I eavesdropped on their conversation, does this mean she disclosed how she trashed me and my friends?... If that is true then how will His Majesty view me now?]

    Tiffany was more worried about what Kayden thought of her than anything else.

    At that moment she wished the ground would just open and swallow her up. That way she won''t have to deal with this embarrassment.

    "Did she also tell you...,"

    "I didn''t have you brought here for a chitchat neither was it because I was dying of boredom," Kayden cut in fiercely.

    He turned his back to her almost in an instant.

    Silence engulfed the quiet environment making it even quieter.

    "Have you ever wondered why I never dealt with you and your mean friends despite all the despicable things you did to Joan?" He asked out of the blue, his right hand stuck in his trousers pocket.

    "Hmm...," She trailed and walked forward so that she was standing beside him.

    "I bet you couldn''t afford to mistreat me because of that fool who is nothing but everyone''s punching bag," Tiffany replied and flipped her hair to the back, her neck cocked to the side.

    "Also apart from being unable to deal with me because of my family''s influence I believed you couldn''t bear to do that due to the connection we shared all these years...,"

    "Are you trying to say that the King of Twipera Kingdom was scared of a mere Prime Minister whom he could easily crush with a snap of the finger?" Kayden seethed, his murderous res directed at thedy by his side.

    "T-t-that...," Tiffany panicked on discovering that her words made Kayden lose his cool.

    "That was not what I meant Your Majesty," Tiffany muttered. She was able topose herself atst.

    "Then what were you insinuating if not that you meant you were untouchable because of Mr Martinez''s influence in court?" He quizzed.

    "Also point of correction, I didn''t deal with your insolent cousin and his friends while I let youdies go because of Mr Martinez or your family''s influence," He stated and moved to stand in front of her.

    He stuck his other hand in his trouser''s pocket and lowered his gaze.

    "I was able to lock up his only grandson and the sons of his followers for six months without any of them doing anything, do you think I wouldn''t have been able to do the same with you if I wanted?" He questioned, his expression chilly just like his words.

    "If that wasn''t the reason then why did you spare us?" Tiffany asked in a polite tone.

    She has always taken pride in her family''s influence in the Kingdom. She believed as long as she was the granddaughter of Mr Martinez and her father''s daughter, she would always get away with whatever she does.

    It baffled her to know that her family''s influence wasn''t the reason Kayden let them go scot-free.

    "Because I wanted her to be the one to take revenge on you girls," He blurted carefreely.

    "I had just the perfect way to make youdies pay dearly for all the atrocities youmitted against her. I must say that I was a bit reluctant when I chose to leave punishing you and your friends to her...," He let his words linger as his cold gaze moved from Tiffany''s hair downwards.

    As he essed her from head to toe he couldn''t resist chuckling when he saw the mess she was at the moment.

    "But I must say it''s quite gratifying to see the assant be the victim of the same act she meted out on weak people," Kayden stated without sugarcoating his words.

    "Your Majesty, do you mean you are happy that imbecile did this to me and my friends?" Tiffany was too bbergasted to speak.

    "Her name is Joanna Anderson. She is gonna be the Queen soon so it''s high time you start addressing her properly," He mumbled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Also, I learned you are well-versed with the rules and regtions of the pce. I wonder whether you still remember what was the punishment for disrespecting the Queen or any member of the royal household," He narrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the tremblingdy who seemed to have understood the hidden message behind his question.

    "I don''t care about how you stumbled about the truth of my fake identity and neither will I force you to keep it a secret," Kayden started in a meek tone.

    The gentleness in his voice as he spoke would make one mistake him for a nice person not knowing he was just getting started.

    "You have the choice to do whatever you want with the secret you discovered. You can decide to reveal it or let it remain a secret as it is....," He trailed off.

    For a minute there Tiffany thought she really had the choice to decide what to do with the secret she found out until he concluded his sentence.

    "But I can''t help but wonder whether you and your entire family will be able to handle the consequences of your actions perhaps you decided to reveal it...will any of you be able toe out of this alive...,"

    "Are you threatening me, Your Majesty?" Tiffany asked, but she dared not sound rude no matter how enraged she was.

    No matter how willful she was she knew that the man standing in front of her was the King. She dare not misbehave in front of him.

    "That depends on how you interpret it," He replied nonchntly.

    He strolled away with his hands still kept in his trouser''s pockets.

    "For so many years I have done everything to make sure that you turned around and look in my direction...," Tiffany murmured, her sped fist hidden behind her.

    "I have loved you ever since we were children. Because I wanted to be a partner worthy to stand beside you, I took my martial arts more seriously than any otherdy in the Kingdom. And when you became the King, I buried myself in history books....," Tiffany trailed.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, I want to apologise for the irregr updatestely. I am so sorry for not being able to upload chapters daily.

    Too many things were going on and I needed to sort thing out before I return to writing fully.

    I am sorry if this affected you and thank you for waiting for me.

    Also, good news guys!!!

    My new book I told you about is out!!

    The title is "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    The book is my entry for Webnovel Spirirty Award (WSA 2023). Please add it to your library.

    Guys, I need all the help I can get from all of you. I will be super happy if you check the book out and tell me your thoughts throughments and reviews.

    I so much look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Don''t forget to leave ament and review when you add the book to your libraries. And I promise to wee you in a special way.

    I trust my readers that they will undoubtedly show my new book support so I will thank you guys in advance.

    Thank you and I love you ??????

 Chapter 504 Kayden Rejects Tiffany

    ?

    She slowly turned and gaze at the back of the guy whose distance from her was about ten steps away.

    "Because I wanted to be a worthy Queen who would be on the same par with you, I worked hard. I worked really hard," She ryed, not able to hide her emotions this time around.

    Her chest felt stuffy when she recalled the numerous lessons she underwent just to be a worthy wife and the mother of the entire Kingdom.

    "At first I believed the reason you stood up for her and tried to get close to her was that you pitied her. I thought you only did these things so you won''t look bad in front of your people...," Tiffany sunk her sharp teeth into her delicate lips when the memories of the past came flooding back like a wave of tsunami.

    Although he never made it obvious she can vividly recall the times Kayden defended Joanna.

    He brutally scolded her and her friends a few times. She could still remember that she was always mad with rage anytime he did this.

    "In terms of influence and wealth, my family is second after the royal family. I am strong and I have the charisma and everything suited to be the Queen of this great Kingdom... in fact, I am better than her in everything so why did it have to be her?" Tiffany asked the question which she couldn''t dare to ask ever since she suspected that the King might have feelings for Joanna.

    She has loved and idolized the King for so many years, so how could she easily ept that he was attracted to anotherdy other than her?

    It was not just possible.

    "Maybe you are better than her in all aspects as you said...," Kayden let his words linger.

    "But unfortunately there is only one Joanna Anderson in my heart and you happened not to be her," Kayden nailed the bull on the head. He didn''t spare a second and thought about the impact his brutal words would have on her.

    "My heart only recognised one woman as its woman and that person is Joanna I will advise that you don''t waste your time and feelings on me...,"

    "You are so cruel, Your Majesty," Tiffany, whose eyes had turned teary, blurted.

    "I bet no one had ever dared to say this to your face, right?" She sniffed and raised her head.

    She looked into his eyeballs. Those giddy feelings she always felt in her stomach anytime she stared at his face were long gone.

    "I have always believed that my grandpa was the cruellest man in the world but today you have proved me wrong....," She confessed not giving a damn about the fact that she might get killed for speaking to the King in this manner.

    "You have proved to me that you possessed no heart. You and your mother are heartless. I bet that is why you both are mother and son," She added fearlessly.

    "Are you aware of the consequences of disrespecting the King?" Kayden berated, his fierce res fixed on Tiffany''s face.

    "Of course, I know that better than anyone else," Tiffany replied. She released the hands she had clenched into fists.

    "After what you and your mother did to me, how did you expect me to live?... You can kill me in any manner that suits you," She mumbled, closed her eyes and raised her head.

    Kayden stared at the face of thedy whose eyes remained shut.

    After a few seconds of staring, he turned his back on her. "Only Joan has the right to say when your existence stops, so it''s pointless trying to provoke me into doing it," He muttered and resumed walking away.

    Tiffany''s eyes fluttered open just in time to behold his back before he disappeared from there.

    "I loved him. I truly did," Tiffany murmured and sank into a squatting position. She wrapped her hand around her slender body and gave herself a tight hug.

    "I spent almost all my life preparing to be his wife so why did he have to do this to me?... Why?" She screamed, her left hand clutching her chest tightly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Heartbroken, Tiffany curled herself in this manner for a long time. She stayed there until she cried out her whole heart.

    When she returned to where Chris parked the car she was shocked to see that he was still waiting for her.

    "What...,"

    "Hop in," Hemanded and ignited the car immediately.

    Tiffany didn''t want to enter the car but when she recalled the distance she would have to cover before she got home she changed her mind.

    She was certain she wouldn''t be able to get home quickly in her state.

    Chris, who had already reversed the car before she got there, ignited the car and zoomed off.

    About four blocks away from Tiffany''s family''s magnificent mansion, Chris was afraid of being recognized so he parked the car in front of a ss building.

    Tiffany stared at Chris'' face through the rear mirror and then diverted her gaze to the road. She looked at the distance she would need to cover before she reached home.

    She knew without being told that she would be seen by others in her condition and this made her hesitant about climbing down from the car.

    "Aren''t youing down?" Chris questioned, he tilted his head and looked at thedy that sat in the back seat.

    "Do you need a hand...,"

    "Of course not," She retorted. " I might be injured but I am not crippled," She added as she grabbed the door''s handle and pushed it open.

    Despite acting all cold and domineering, Tiffany took ast peep at the road before she finally had the confidence to step out of the car.

    The moment she climbed out of the car, Chris drove off. As long as he had dropped her off at her home like he was instructed, he didn''t care about whatever happened to her afterwards.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    SURPRISE!!!??????

    Hello lovely readers, I am excited to announce to you that there is a mass releaseing up in a few hours.

    I joined the annual mass release event to celebrate Webnovel''s 6th anniversary. I wanted it toe as a surprise, so how do you love my surprise gift hmm?

    Any author who reached a certain threshold in this mass release event will receive a reward from Webnovel.

    For this book to stand a chance of winning, please unlock premium chapters with coins. Sending gifts will also increase our chances of winning so please keep the giftsing.

    Please do your beloved author this favour hmm ??????

    Thanks forplying and I love you ????????

 Chapter 505 Joanna Took Her Time

    ?

    Some hourster, twodies were seen strolling on a street, one at the front while the other walked behind.

    The one behind made sure to maintain a distance at every given time.

    Audrey who has been following her best friend to roam the street peered at her sagging shoulders.

    Her heart ached immensely to see her best friend in this state.

    She has always thought that falling in love will bring so much happiness into her best friend''s life and this was why he was in full support of her falling in love.

    If she had known that being in love would bring more pain and suffering into her best friend''s life then she would have...

    Audrey shook her head and tried to get the negative thoughts out of her head.

    [I guess this was what my mum always meant when she said being in lovees with its fair share of blissfulness and heartaches]

    A painful smile crept onto her face and almost immediately she increased her pace so that she would catch up with Joanna.

    After she caught up with her, Audrey raised her hand and yfully tapped Joanna''s shoulders like she often does.

    "This mood calls for some drinking and rocking at a club, what do you say?" She asked while forcing on a smile to cheer Joanna up.

    Joanna halted and tilted her head sideways and peered at her friend''s face, "Today is Laura''s birthday party, have you forgotten that?" She quizzed.

    Although she acted cool, Audrey could still sense the sadness in her voice.

    "And because I was ordered to be at the party at any cost, I can''t miss it even though I wanted to...,"

    "Who on Earth would make sure orders?" Audrey berated, her fists tightly sped.

    "Who else if not our domineering Mr Anderson," She replied and resumed her walk.

    As they walked side by side Audrey sneaked a peep at her best friend''s face hoping that she would be able to read her mind from her face.

    But Joanna''s expressionless face made her fail in her mission woefully.

    "That old man has always been unfair to you. He surely needs some spanking," She hissed and drew closer so that her hand on Joanna''s shoulder was a bit firmer.

    "And who is gonna do the spanking huh?" Joanna asked yfully.

    "Me of course," Audrey blurted. She beats her chest confidently.

    Joanna paused in her tracks and diverted her attention to her best friend''s face.

    Audrey''s smile faded the instant she saw Joanna''s narrowed eyebrows.

    "You don''t want me to do it because he is your father...,"

    "Silly girl," Joanna tapped Audrey''s forehead lightly and started walking again.

    "Have you forgotten that I have no father or whatnot," She smiled and maintained her pace.

    Audrey stopped and watched Joanna''s back. She has never felt so hurt to hear Joanna say these words as she felt at the moment.

    "You might not have a father but you have an older sister who has got your back. I think that is enough to make up for that...,"

    "Cut out with it crazy girl," She cut in, her right hand raised in the air.

    Audrey smiled and ran for a few seconds until she caught up to Joanna.

    "No matter how much you dislike the idea, the fact that I am older than you remain. You have to ept it whether or not you like it," Audrey joked beaming.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She tried to jump on Joanna''s back but thedy who had already foreseen her next move leapt to the side.

    "Stay away from me," Joanna shouted, her index finger pointed at thedy who failed to hop into her body for the second time.

    "You just said stay away from me but why do I feel like you want me to get closer hmm," Audrey said and winked naughtily at her.

    "You are definitely not in your right mind and I need to get away from you," She mumbled, pretending as if she was mad at Audrey.

    She began walking away afterwards.

    "Do you think I am easy to get rid of," Audrey shouted. Her evil smirk spread across her pretty face.

    From then onwards, Audrey devised every means to make sure her best friend was in a good mood.

    Although she had no ns of going to Laura''s birthday party, she changed her mind after she learned that Joanna would be present there.

    She would go there as her best friend''s biggest supporter and make sure none dared to bully her.

    Two hours after themencement of Laura''s party, Joanna was just seen getting ready after she came out of the bathroom.

    "Anna, you said Mr Anderson was the one who asked you to be present at the party. Actually, I don''t mind going there a bitter but are you sure you will be alright?" Audrey asked her best friend who acted like they still had two hours until themencement of the party.

    "Won''t he unleash terror on you for going against his order?" Audrey added and leaned her butts against the dressing table.

    She focused her full attention on thedy who was currently applying lotion on her face.

    "He only said I should be at the party but he never mentioned when. He should be happy I will be arriving there a bitter and not some minutes before the party is over," Joanna muttered.

    Her nonchnce made Audrey wonder whether this was her best friend or someone else.

    "It''s rare to see you act rebellious so I am with you on this," Audrey smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on, at the venue of the party a man in blue zers was constantly seen stealing nces at the entrance of the enormous hall.

    While others enjoyed the party he wasn''t in the mood to do that.

    "I specifically asked her to be here so why is the darn girl not here yet? Is it her n to make me a thing of ridicule in the presence of so many people?" He muttered, his right hand clutching the wine ss in his hands.

    ....

    SURPRISE ??????

    So our second mass release is here. How do you love the mass release?

    Guys, this is a part of the mass release event Webnovel held to celebrate its 6th anniversary.

    There are rewards for books which win each day so please support the book by buying privileged chapters and unlocking premium chapters with coins.

    Sending gifts also counts too so please don''t forget to support the book with gifts.

    While at it alsoment and leave a review on the book that will encourage other readers to check out the book

    One more thing, don''t forget to check out the author''s new book, "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    Add the book to the library and shower it with love and attention.

    Thank you as you do this.

 Chapter 506 Mr Anderson Lost His Cool

    ?

    "Are you expecting some important guests?" Ady''s sweet voice asked. Her bashful smile alone was enough to tell her current mood.

    Quickly, he retracted his gaze to thedy sitting at his right-hand side.

    "No," He replied meekly and leaned against thewhite couch whose hands were made of gold.

    The chairs and table of the celebrant and her family differs from that of every other guest.

    They were fancier and more sophisticated. And this tells more about the social ss they belonged to.

    "You said no but I have noticed that you have been restless for a while now," Adhara started. She reached out her hand and ced it on her husband''s right hand which was on the table.

    "If you are worried about why Her Highness didn''t grace our invitation or send a request then you don''t have to. We are still their inws and they dared not disrespect us in this manner even if they are the royal family," Adhara assured him as she squeezed his hand gently.

    "I am not worried about the royal family not gracing us with their presence," Mr Anderson began. He stylishly removed his hand from the table in a manner that would not infuriate his wife.

    "Although her marriage with the King hasn''t been finalized they still have to show us some respect...,"

    "If this wasn''t what disturbed your peace of mind then what did?" Adhara narrowed her eyebrows as she waited for her husband''s response.

    This was their daughter''s birthday and should be a time of great jubtion. She didn''t understand what on Earth would make him so worried to the extent that it was so obvious on his face.

    Adhara waited for two minutes and when he didn''t utter a word she decided to postpone the discussion for some other time.

    This was her beloved daughter''s birthday party after all and she wouldn''t want anything in the world to ruin this special day for her baby.

    She did everything to make sure that her mood was elevated. She will not be the one to ruin things for her.

    Never!

    She turned her attention to the boy by her side who has been ying with his cell phone for a while now.

    "Tony...,"

    "Did Joanna ask you for an allowance today?" Mr Anderson asked out of the blue.

    "That...,"

    "Was she supposed to?" Grandma Cora, who just returned to the table from greeting her old acquaintances, asked coldly.

    "Is it my daughter''s obligation to cater to the needs of that bastard of yours...,"

    "Mum...," Adhara grabbed her mother''s hand and squeezed it tightly. She signalled her to look to her right-hand side where upants of that part of the hall were paying keen attention to their table.

    "They can stare for all I care...,"

    "I know you were never the type to care about what people say about you but remember this is your favourite granddaughter''s birthday party," Adhara squeezed her furious mother''s hands tighter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She refused to let go despite the woman''s struggles to break free.

    "I am sure you wouldn''t want to see her breakdown on the day that is supposed to be the happiest day of her life right?" Adhara smiled just to fool those watching into assuming that everything was alright.

    "Also, I am sure my husband didn''t ask about her because he cares about her," Adhara added.

    She shifted her gaze to the man who went quiet after dropping the bomb. And it had to be in front of her mother who didn''t want to hear Joanna''s name.

    "I am correct, right?" She asked her husband.

    She sped her fist when she saw her husband stood up from the chair instead of replying.

    "She might be the product of my infidelity but she is still a part of the family. So it''s no use getting all worked up each time her name is mentioned," He said a piece of his mind and walked out of there.

    "Adhara, did you hear the nonsense he spewed from his mouth?" She hollered. "Do you now see why I was against her living under your roof...,"

    "Mum, keep it down. People are watching," Adhara cautioned her mother once again.

    Anthony showed no interest in the ongoing party before but he took his attention off the phone in his hands after his father spoke.

    [Big Sis has always longed for Dad to stand up for her even once. I wished she was here to witness how he left Grandma speechless with his reply]

    Anthony grinned, he stole a nce at the enormous entrance with the hope that Joanna had changed her mind at thest minute.

    Just when he wanted to return to ying his game, a hand snatched the phone from him.

    "This is your Big Sister''s birthday and not some outsider''s," Adhara reprimanded him as she threw the grey phone on the table.

    "Instead of burying yourself in your phone I suggest that you get your ass off that chair and start doing what is required of you," She instructed coldly.

    Even after she talked, Anthony didn''t move a muscle. There was hardly anyone at the party who was the same age as him.

    The one he would have hung out with didn''te so he didn''t understand what his mother expected him to do.

    "And why are you still sitting huh?" Madam Cora berated, causing Anthony to jump to his feet.

    Since it was obvious he wasn''t wanted around there Anthony moved away from his family''s table.

    "Adhara, did you see what I warned you about?" Madam Cora scolded, her fierce res shot at Mr Anderson''s back at where he stood with two men.

    "Can you see that what I warned you about training that bitch daughter years ago is beginning to manifest now...,"

    "Mum, can you stop already?" Adhara snarled. For Laura''s sake, she tried her best to keep her voice minimal.

    "I have been holding it in for the past few days. Right now I am on the brink of losing it so please will you not add to it hmmm?" Adhara smiled in between her teeth as she red at her angry mother.

 Chapter 507 Joanna Showed Up At Last

    ?

    "I don''t think I will ever forgive you if you make me ruin my daughter''s birthday party so please let''s stop right here aah?" Adhara added.

    Although her words sounded like a request, anyone who listened to it would think otherwise.

    As this was going on, ady in a white flowing off-shoulderce dress surrounded by threedies was seenughing at her friend''s jokes.

    She was aware of the littlemotion taking ce at her family''s table but pretended not to.

    She has seen this many times to let such an argument ruin her mood or day.

    As she talked and listened to her friends'' silly jokes, anyonewho saw her would at first nce assume she was immersed in the conversation.

    It was only the attentive one who would notice how she often stole nces at a particr corner of the hall.

    With his cell phone taken away and no partner to hang out with Anthony roamed the enormous hall in search of something to keep him busy but he couldn''t find anything.

    With no phone to y with and no one to talk to, Anthony got bored to death but he couldn''t sneak away knowing very well what fate awaits him if he does that.

    Thirty minutes passed and Joanna was still nowhere to be found at the party. Not even her shadow could be spotted.

    Just then Anthony who sat in a corner alone walked up to Laura whosepany were her friends.

    "Laura, I need to use the restroom," he whispered into her ears.

    His eyebrows creased the moment he saw Laura''s friends chuckle while staring at him.

    "Yes, and so what?" Laura sneered without even sparing him a nce.

    "Mum and Grandma said I shouldn''t leave the hall by myself. They said I should be escorted by an adult...,"

    "And do I look that idle to you that I would escort you to the restroom?" Laura snapped. The four girls Laura shared the table with cackled following Laura''s statement.

    "Tony, you are a big boy already. You can use the restroom just fine so why would you what your sister to escort you?" Eunice, the girl in a green shimmering long dress quizzed.

    "It''s crowded here. Mum is afraid I might run into bad people...,"

    "But you are not a kid anymore and you are smart so why would you run into bad people huh?" Eva butts in, to the annoyance of Anthony who never liked her in the first ce.

    "Do I need to be dumb to get an adult''s protection?" Anthony demanded.

    "What did you just say to her?" Laura hissed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.

    "I said I would find the restroom myself," Anthony lied without batting an eyelid.

    "Get your ass away from here before I forget where we are and give you a good spanking," Laura threatened and instantly released Anthony''s hand.

    Anthony stomped away without sparing them a second nce.

    "I have always thought your little brother was cute and hardly talks but I never knew he...,"

    "Of course he is cute but that is only when he keeps his mouth shut," Laura mumbled.

    She tilted her head and peered in the direction of the boy in a blue suit who was seen talking to a waiter.

    "Thank you," Anthony muttered and immediately followed the direction the waiter had pointed at not too long ago.

    With the waiter''s guidelines, Anthony didn''t have trouble locating the restroom. But the choking smell of cigarettes and alcohol coupled with the unholy scenes he met inside the men''s restroom made him take to his heels.

    Anthony stopped after he reached an open space. He removed his right hand shielding his nose and mouth and coughed out loud.

    WOOF! WOOF!

    He cough a few more times and exhaled deeply.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I am gonna wet myself if I don''t use the restroom. What will I do?" Anthonymented. At that moment he remembered his Joanna who had always made such that such a thing didn''t happen whenever she was around.

    On some asions, he was even the one who always reminded her that he was no longer a baby but she always insisted.

    She follows him to the restroom anytime he wanted to without anyint. She often checks the restroom and made sure it was safe before she lets him in.

    "I wish Big Sis was here," He murmured while looking up at the clear sky.

    "And does your Big Sis resides in the sky ugh?" Ady''s cool voice interrupted Anthony''s thoughts.

    The familiar voice made Anthony spin. And behold Joanna was standing behind him.

    "Big Sis!" Anthony eximed with widened eyes. At that moment he thought she was a piece of his imagination.

    "I can''t believe you missed me so much to the point that you made a wish...," Anthony ran into her arms. He wrapped his hands around the neck of thedy who had bent just in time to wee his embrace.

    Joanna who was fooling around with him was a bit taken aback by his actions.

    "What happened?" Joanna asked. She raised her right hand and pats his well-styled hair.

    She was careful enough with her hand movements so that she doesn''t mess his hair up.

    "Did anyone bully you while I was not around huh?" She asked, her left hand moving on his back.

    "You know you can tell Big Sis about this. I promise I will make sure that person pays for bullying my little rice ball," She said to the boy whose grip remained firm around her neck.

    "Also, what were you doing outside alone? What about...,"

    "I need to use the restroom, Big Sis," He blurted and pulled away from her. "I am afraid I will wet myself if I wait longer," He confessed, his right hand stylishly covering the space between his legs.

    "Hey, why didn''t you say that earlier?" Joanna scolded. She jumped to her feet, grabbed his left hand and led him into the building.

    "There is a restroom beside the hall so why didn''t you make use of that?" Joanna asked. She narrowed her eyebrows when Anthony suddenly halted.

    "What...,"

    "The restroom there is no good. Can we use another one?" He asked, his grip on her hand bing tighter.

    "The restroom is no good?" Joanna repeated his words.

    ....

    SURPRISE ??????

    So our second mass release is here. How do you love the mass release?

    Guys, this is a part of the mass release event Webnovel held to celebrate its 6th anniversary.

    There are rewards for books which win each day so please support the book by buying privileged chapters and unlocking premium chapters with coins.

    Sending gifts also counts too so please don''t forget to support the book with gifts.

    While at it alsoment and leave a review on the book that will encourage other readers to check out the book

    One more thing, don''t forget to check out the author''s new book, "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    Add the book to the library and shower it with love and attention.

    Thank you as you do this

 Chapter 508 The Lady In A Blue Blazer

    ?

    She has been here a few times and was privileged to use the bathroom there. And this was all thanks to the Mean Witches, Laura and Adhara who always take delight in ruining her clothes with drinks and food.

    Because of this, she knew that the restroom Anthony called NO GOOD was excellent.

    As she gaze in the direction of the hall she wondered what Anthony''s statement meant.

    "I know of another restroom close by. Let me take you there," Joanna smiled at him. Instead of the direction of the hall, she leads him towards the reception.

    "Wee Miss Joanna," the twodies at the reception greeted, their heads bowed.

    "Can I have the card?" Joanna demanded, her right hand extended in front of thedy with brown shoulder-length hair.

    "A minute please," Thedy muttered.

    Immediately thedy pulled out the drawer in front of her and brought out a blue card.

    "Here you go, Miss Joanna," The brown hairdy said and handed the card over to Joanna.

    "Let''s go, Little rice ball," She uttered as she led Anthony towards the elevator.

    Inside the elevator, Joanna who was eagerly waiting for the elevator to stop on the 15th floor stared at her quiet little brother.

    "Are you alright?" Joanna asked worriedly. She raised her right hand and pats his hair.

    "If you can''t hold it in any longer tell me and I will do something about it," Joanna suggested.

    Anthony lifted his gaze from the ground he has been looking at. He looked into Joanna''s worried eyes.

    "I can hold it in a bit longer," He forced on a smile with hopes of easing Joanna''s anxious heart.

    "What a good boy you are?" Joanna joked as she pats his hair yfully.

    The instant the elevator opened Joanna hastened out, her right hand still holding onto Anthony firmly.

    "We are almost there ok," Joanna assured him and pointed her index finger at the white door ahead of them.

    Meanwhile, as this was going on, Audrey who had just returned from parking her car was surprised to reach the spot she and Joanna agreed to meet and could not find her there.

    "Where the hell did she go?" Audrey whispered.

    She spun hoping she would see Joanna hiding somewhere ready to startle her but she couldn''t see even her shadow nor got a whiff of her scent around.

    "Could she have gone to the hall without me?" Audrey pondered.

    After two minutes of contemtion, Audrey made her way towards the direction of the hall she was very familiar with.

    Immediately Audrey stepped into a hall in which the majority of the upants were werewolves and vampires, everyone paused what they were doing.

    They all turned around and gazed at thedy who just stepped into the hall.

    Instead of a flowing ball gown or a dress, they were stunned to see ady in blue zers.

    Audrey ignored their strange gazes and walked into the hall unbothered by their unwarranted attention.

    "Girls, am I seeing correctly or are my eyes deceiving me?" Eunice asked, her eyes trailing thedy in blue zers.

    "That she is a tomboy is a fact so many people are aware of but I never imagined she would make a joke of herself by appearing here in a suit," Eva muttered, her gaze also fixed on Audrey''s body.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Where does she think she is huh?" Eva added, her eyes turned murderous.

    She tried to stand up but Laura grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto her seat.

    "Don''t cause a scene. Remember this is my party...,"

    "Since when did you start hating to create a scene especially when you are the centre of attention?" Eva asked, grinning.

    "Hmmm... I guess you are right about that," Laura smirked devilishly. Her grip on Eva''s hand loosened.

    [She has always gotten on my nerves. I stand a chance to lose nothing if Eva can sessfully handle her tonight]

    Laura leaned back on her chair and looked forward to what was gonna happen next.

    "I noticed her best friend isn''t by her side. I thought they were always inseparable like they were lovers," the third girlmented.

    "That is even better," Laura muttered, her evil smile broadened.

    "And why is it better?" Eva snarled. "I mean, wouldn''t it have been more thrilling if she was here to keep us entertained the entire night?" She added smirking.

    Laura''s smile faded at the remembrance of what she and her family had passed through at the hands of Joanna.

    How could she bring herself to tell her friends that the very girl she always bullied had turned into a tigress after dining with the devil?

    "Why?... Don''t you like it?" Eunice, who noticed the sudden change in Laura''s mood, asked.

    The space in between her forehead squeezed to form a frown, "Do you perhaps feel bad for her...,"

    "I, Laura feel bad for her?" Laura scoffed and leaned against the red chair.

    "Do you hear yourself talking?" Lauraughed it off.

    "Now you are talking," Eva smiled. She stood up and made her way towards where Audrey stood examining the hall.

    "Who are you looking for huh?" Ady''s voice made Audrey stop her search.

    Slowly, she turned around to face the one who talked.

    "Or don''t tell me you have missed your way?" She mumbled. The haughtiness in her voice and face didn''t escape Audrey''s notice.

    "With the Mean Witches taken care of I thought I would have an eventful and peaceful party for the first time...," Audrey trailed off. She stood straight with her hands stuck into her trouser''s pockets.

    "I guess my mistake was that I forgot that someone like you existed...,"

    "How dare you...,"

    "Whoa... take it easy, girl," Audrey smiled and moved backwards.

    "I am not to me if you lose your cool and ruin your best friend''s 22nd birthday party, ok?" Audrey warned, pretending to be innocent.

    ¡­

    Hello, lovely readers please support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters. Also, do vote with GOLDEN TICKETS and send gifts as you read.

    Thanks as you do this.

 Chapter 509 Blink!

    ?

    Eva balled her hand into a fist and grit her teeth when she noticed that the majority of the guests'' attention was on her and Audrey.

    Audrey turned to leave but only for her to feel a hand grab her from behind.

    "What do you want to do now?" Audrey grimaced, not able to hide her annoyance this time around.

    "Since you made it here, the first thing you should have done was present your gift to the celebrant and give her your best wishes so where are you going huh?" Eva asked.

    A triumphant smile appeared on her face after she looked at Audrey''s hands and saw that she was holding nothing.

    [She has embarrassed me. I guessed it''s time to return the favour]

    Eva released Audrey''s hand and moved a step back.

    "Don''t tell me you are here to mooch off her without bringing a gift?" Eva''s said a bit louder to garner more attention.

    "Haven''t you been taught that it was impolite to attend a person''s party without a gift...,"

    "And whoever told you I didn''te with a gift huh?" Audrey cut in sharply.

    "Huh...," Eva eximed. She frowned at the thought that her n had failed.

    "Actually, I captured a poisonous snake which tried to attack meter in the day. I had it carefully packaged just for this moment and it''s inside my car," Audrey informed.The corner of her lips curled up to reveal a sinister smile lingering on Audrey''s face.

    "That can be considered a gift right?" Audrey asked and tapped the startleddy on the shoulder.

    "Blink!" She whispered. "Even though you lost I bet you still want to look pretty in cameras right?" She chuckled.

    Audrey smiled towards the man who was capturing them with a camera before she spun and strolled away with her hands in her trouser''s pocket.

    "How dare that idiot think that I am some pushover?" Audrey, who was almost at the entrance, spat out.

    "They should be grateful to Anna who always keeps me under control in the past or else I would have chewed them up alive long ago," Audrey grumbled.

    She halted in her tracks and shot a deadly re at the table Laura and her friends upied.

    "The nerves of them to scheme against me!" She hissed and continued with her walk.

    When she finally got out of the busy hall Audrey gazed to her right and then to her left not knowing where to go next.

    She was about to make up her mind about calling Joanna''s cell phone when she recalled something.

    "Damn it!" She cursed loudly.

    "How could I forget she said she was gonna show herself to them and afterwards spend the remaining evening in her room upstairs," Audrey almost hits her head when she recalled such important information she forgot about.

    "Instead of getting myself annoyed to death by those bunch of idiots I think it''s a great idea to join her upstairs," Audrey muttered.

    She grinned and started making her way towards the hotel''s reception.

    At the reception, Audrey was about to ask the twodies whom she had a good rtionship with about Joanna when she saw theme out of the elevator.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Anna!" She half-yelled. She was a bit surprised when she saw that Anthony was with her.

    "Oh... look who we have here," She smiled and went to join them.

    "Good evening Sister Audrey," Anthony who has returned to his usual vibrant self greeted, beaming.

    "How are you, little prince?" Audrey asked. "Do you know that because of how exceptionally handsome you look I almost couldn''t recognise you?" Audrey joked as she pats Anthony''s hair.

    "Really?" Anthony asked, grinning.

    "Of course," Audrey replied beaming. As she talked with Anthony she stole a nce at thedy who hasn''t said a word to her for over a minute now.

    "Anna, what happened?" She nudged the absentmindeddy by the hand. "Are you angry because it took quite a while for me to find you?" Audrey asked when Joanna didn''t say anything.

    "If you think about it, I should be the one who is angry...,"

    "Drey, can you watch over Little rice ball for some minutes?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    "Why?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Did you realize you made a mistakeing here and want to return home?" Audrey made a wild guess.

    "You are leaving, Big Sis," Anthony blurted as he looked into Joanna''s eyes.

    "I am not leaving... at least not yet," Joanna retorted. "I want to cross-check something but I don''t feel good about leaving him alone," Joanna exined.

    "That is why I would love it if you escort him to the party hall. I will join you guys soon," Joanna added.

    Audrey didn''t respond immediately. But she spared a minute to look at her best friend''s face wondering what she was up to.

    "Let''s talkter," Joanna said. She walked away before Audrey could respond.

    Audrey watched Joanna walk away unable to do anything.

    If not for the little boy by her side she would have followed her and kept an eye on her.

    "Sister Audrey, is Big Sis alright?" Anthony asked, his gaze fixed on Joanna''s back.

    "Why?... Does she not look alright?" Audrey asked yfully.

    "I am not sure," Anthony replied, his gaze lowered. "I noticed her mood has been down for days now...,"

    "Your Big Sis is just going through something at the moment but I promise you that she will return to her normal self soon," Audrey assured him.

    She held his hand and together they made their way to the hall where the party was still ongoing.

    At the restroom instead of walking about five steps forward to where thedies'' restroom was Joanna paused in front of the brown door that had the tag MEN''S RESTROOM on it.

    "Let''s see what on Earth my Little rice ball saw that made him say that the restroom was no good," Joanna muttered. She grabbed the silver handle and pushed the door open.

 Chapter 510 Where Is He?

    ?

    "Where is he?" Joanna shouted the moment she stepped into the men''s restroom.

    "Where did that cheating bastard run off to?" She yelled and frantically looked around as if she was searching for someone.

    "Hey, sorry for disturbing you," Joanna tapped the couple, smooching each other close to the washing hand sink.

    "Did you see a dude run in here....,"

    "Fuck off bitch!" The furiousdy retorted, her deadly res shot at Joanna''s face.

    "How dare you touch my man with those filthy hands of yours?" She hissed.

    "Is it my fault that you couldn''t keep your man under control...,"

    "I asked you a simple question. Did you have to insult me ugh?" Joanna snarled.

    Her harsh tone made thedy remove the hands she wrapped around her boyfriend''s neck.

    She swivelled and red at Joanna.

    "How dare you speak to me in that manner? Do you know whose daughter I am...,"

    "I should be asking you that, don''t you agree with me?" Joanna snapped, her head cocked to the side and her chin held high.

    Although it seemed as if she was focused on her argument with thedy, the truth was that her senses had travelled beyond where she stood.

    As she stood there her sensitive ears were able to pick up the unholy soundsing out of the cubicles.

    "Are you even aware that you and your family could receive the death penalty for speaking to me in that manner?" Joanna berated, her fierce res shot at the fumingdy.

    "You...," Joanna strolled out of there having confirmed what she came in there for.

    "How dare she speak to me in that manner? Who the hell is she?" Thedy growled even after Joanna was gone.

    "She is the future Queen. And what she said about you and your family getting punished for insulting the future Queen is correct. I bet you don''t know who she is because you just returned from the human world," The guy chirped in. He tilted his gaze to the door Joanna walked out of not long ago.

    Back on the pathway leading to the hall Joanna paused in her tracks, turned and peered at the door of the men''s restroom which was about five steps from where she stood.

    "So that was what my little brother had to see and hear. No wonder he said the restroom was no good," Joanna mumbled.

    "If Laura had escorted him to the restroom or asked someone else to do it, maybe this would have been avoided. This is all her fault and I will make sure she receives her due punishment for this. This is a promise and I will keep it," Joanna dered as she sped her fist.

    She swivelled and made her way towards the hall where the party was taking ce.

    Joanna reached the front of the hall and was about to step into the hall but had to pause when she heard familiar voicesing from outside.

    Although the owners of the voices spoke in low tones she was still able to know who they were.

    After she heard that the conversation was about her, she abandoned entering the hall and approached the entrance of the hotel instead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Following their voices wasn''t hard because soon she was hiding behind a wall gazing at the people that were talking about her.

    "I am aware that you have no paternal love for that daughter of yours but did you have to bring up her name at such a crucial moment?" Adhara ranted in a feat of anger.

    "For so many years I had to deal with the embarrassment of raising her, would you only be satisfied if that brat ruins our beloved daughter''s birthday party...,"

    "I had no such intentions. Your mother should be med for talking to me in that tone. Who does she think I am?" Mr Anderson who was equally furious bellowed, his hand balled into a fist.

    "Does she think I am her servant that she could easily order around?" Mr Anderson added.

    From her hiding spot, Joanna red at the couple who were busy arguing about their ego and whatnot.

    [Actually, I had no intention of making a fuss. All I wanted was to lock myself in that room upstairs until the party was over but they have just given me a reason to turn the party upside down]

    Joanna smirked devilishly, her gaze fixed on the faces of the couple who were still arguing.

    She turned around and walked away unnoticed by anyone.

    Inside the hall, Joanna who just walked in became the centre of attention.

    Although she wasn''t wearing her best clothes or make-up, she still turned heads even with her moderate dressing.

    After she entered the hall, Joanna didn''t wait to be invited to Laura''s table by her friends but she went to them on her own ord.

    "You...," Joanna ignored Eva and walked to stand beside the birthday celebrant.

    "Happy birthday, Stepsister," Joanna muttered, her fake tender gaze concentrated on Laura''s face.

    Although Laura lookedposed and poised at the moment, a careful look at her and you could see her hands and legs trembling.

    "I wish that you live a very long life...,"

    "And where is her gift huh?" Eunice interrupted before Joanna could finish her birthday wishes for Laura.

    "Laura, I didn''t get you a gift because I believed that you wouldn''t want a gift from me. But if you insist I buy you a gift, I can prepare your favourite cuisine when we get home...," Seeing Laura''s eyes falter at the mention of cooking made Joanna''s eyeballs sparkle in delight.

    "Even though Madam Cora and stepmother have forbidden me from stepping foot into the kitchen, I don''t mind defying their orders if that will make you happy...,"

    "Shut the hell up!" Laura sprang to her feet and shouted.

    "If you utter one more word about food I won''t hesitate to pull out your tongue from that stupid mouth of yours," Laura retorted.

    Because of Joanna''s provocation, she had lost her cool and shouted, forgetting where they were.

    The murmurs around them jolted the angrydy back to reality.

    When she realised what she had done she sat down and tried to act as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 511 Audrey Covered Up For Joanna

    ?

    "Laura, I didn''t do anything wrong so why did you have to shout at me...,"

    "You bring nothing but disaster to wherever you set foot. It would be best if you leave our table now," Eva ordered sternly.

    "Laura, I will take my leave now since you don''t want me around. But feel free to call my attention if you need me to get you food or wine," Joanna offered in a meek tone.

    She walked away when Laura won''t utter a word to her.

    Although she sounded and looked harmless only, Laura and her Grandma Cora who was watching the fuss from a distance understood the underlying meaning behind Joanna''s statement.

    "We nned to make the party unpleasant for her as we have always done so how did she manage to get away unscathed?" Evained, her fist tightly clenched.

    If only they knew that this particr Joanna wasn''t as easy as the one in the past, maybe they wouldn''t have been unhappy about losing to her.

    "We can leave dealing with her for some other day. It''s not worth ruining my party just to make her look bad," Laura grumbled.

    She couldn''t bring herself to admit that she was afraid of what her Stepsister would do if she and her friends dared to provoke her.

    The moment Joanna reached where her friend and brother sat, the fuming Audrey reached out her hand and pulled Joanna onto the seat beside her.

    "Why did you let them walk all over you without doing anything?" Audrey scolded, her fierce res centred on Joanna''s neutral expression.

    "If you knew you couldn''t handle them why didn''t you signal for me toe closer...,"

    "You call that walking over me?" Joanna chuckled.

    "Girl, you are well aware of how they treated me all these years and I am sure you would agree with me that this was nothingpared to those years of torment so why did you say that?" Joanna frowned and leaned back against the chair.

    "I am just angry that you went easy on them when you could have easily shut them up at the wave of the hand...,"

    "You call that going easy on them despite seeing the way Laura reacted?" Joanna grinned. She tilted her head and gazed at where Laura and her friends sat.

    She wasn''t surprised to see Laura so quiet while her friends bbed on.

    "You sounded so tamed and polite... wait don''t tell me there was an underlying meaning behind those polite words of yours?" Audrey''s eyes sparkled at the realisation that her assumptions were wrong from the beginning.

    "You are...," Joanna paused the instant her eyes locked with her little brother''s curious eyeballs.

    "What on Earth are you talking about," Joanna decided to feign ignorance because of Anthony who was listening to their conversation.

    "You...,"

    "Let''s eat because things are gonna get super interesting in a few minutes," Joanna grinned evilly, her gaze centred on the guy hiding in a corner whose gaze she had noticed hadn''t moved from Laura''s body for a second.

    "Did Laura n a surprise for everyone?" Audrey asked, oblivious to what her best friend had in store for the birthday girl.

    "That you will find out soon," Joanna''s smile broadened as she stood up from the chair.

    "Come let''s get food for myself and my little rice ball," She said, dragging Audrey up to her feet almost immediately.

    "He can do that much for himself, you and I know that so why are you pampering him...,"

    "Because I still see him as a child," Joanna cut in. She smiled at the boy whose gaze was on her.

    "There wille a time when he will no longer need me or my pampering so let me do all I can for him now that I have the time...,"

    "Whatever!" Audrey shrugged her shoulders.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Anyways, I am not against the way you chose to raise him but as someone who loves you, I will ask that you are careful. I am afraid his Grandma will seed in stabbing you to death one day with her murderous res," Audrey added in a carefree tone.

    Herments made Joanna follow her line of sight.

    She understood what Audrey''s statement meant when she saw Madam Cora''s deadly nces which happened to be focused on her.

    "If taking good care of my brother has now be a crime then there is nothing I can do other than admit my guilt," Joanna muttered, her eyeballs locked with Madam Cora''s.

    It was after they had returned to their table and were about to eat their meals that Mr Anderson and Adhara returned to the hall.

    Audrey was about to take a sip from the ss of wine dangling in between her fingers but had to pause when Mr Anderson arrived at their table.

    "I specifically told you toe to the party so what kept you all this time?" He demanded in a fierce tone.

    "And here I am, right?" Joanna retorted, not avoiding his eyeballs.

    "You...,"

    "Also, you never mentioned the exact time you wanted me to arrive at the party so I don''t see the reason why you should get mad at me," Joanna added.

    Her nonchnce as she spoke further infuriated the already angry Mr Anderson.

    Audrey has always wanted her friend to stand up for herself but she was a little taken aback by her action.

    And this was because she knew from Mr Anderson''s fuming expression that this was not the perfect time for this.

    "How dare you...,"

    "Sir, Anna and I were busy working on our group project for the uing carnival at Twilight''s University andpletely lost track of time," Audrey cut in at the moment she saw Mr Anderson''s raised hand.

    Thest thing she wanted was for the furious man to lose his cool and p her best friend.

    Audrey was certain she wouldn''t be able to keep her cool and remain so respectful if that were to happen.

    "You should have seen how terrified she was when she realised what the time was," Audrey''s serious expression as she spoke such lies almost made Joanna burst out lying.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

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    Hello lovely readers, I am excited to announce to you that there is a mass releaseing up in a few hours.

    I joined the annual mass release event to celebrate Webnovel''s 6th anniversary. I wanted it toe as a surprise, so how do you love my surprise gift hmm?

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    Thanks forplying and I love you ????????

 Chapter 512 Getting Bored?

    ?

    "Actually, it wasn''t our intention to arrive at the partyte so please will you not be so hard on her?" Audrey pleaded on Joanna''s behalf.

    Audrey quickly signalled Joanna to say something but she turned her face away and acted as if she didn''t see anything.

    [I can see that silly girl is dying to get herself into big trouble and unluckily for her I am here to stop that]

    Audrey grinned and turned to Anthony for help since Joanna won''t budge.

    "Dad, please don''t be mad at Big Sis, ok?" Anthony interfered.

    Mr Anderson stared at his second daughter. Her nonchnce irked him and he so much wanted to hit her hard but he knew without being told that this was not the right ce for that.

    He would surely discipline her at home.

    "Go on with what you were doing. Call me if you need anything," Mr Anderson said to the boy who was eagerly waiting for his reply.

    "Sure, Dad," Anthony replied, his face lit up almost instantly.

    Even as her father left their table Joanna didn''t spare him a nce, she kept her eyes glued on the te of food in front of her as if there was something interesting about the food.

    "Hey Girl, I know you are not in your best mood right now but did you have to provoke him?" Joanna scolded fiercely.

    "What would you have done if he had lost his cool and hits you...,"

    "Does it look as if I am scared of him?" Joanna scoffed, her bloodshot eyes glued on her father''s back where he sat.

    "Also, I am used to getting bullied all my life. Getting hit by him won''t change anything...,"

    "Anna, what the hell is wrong with...,"

    "Let''s eat. I am afraid we are gonna spend the rest of the night arguing if we don''t put an end to it now," Joanna cut in abruptly.

    Anthony stared at his sister''s face in confusion. He tried to read her expression but he couldn''t.

    "Big Sis, are you angry with Dad? Did he upset you...,"

    "I am not angry at anyone," Joanna replied carefreely. She picked a churn of meat and put it in her mouth so she won''t have to talk.

    "Big Sis...,"

    "If she said she is fine then that means she is stating the truth. There is no need to worry about her, Tony," Audrey came to Anthony''s aide when she noticed that he couldn''t read between the lines.

    "Let''s eat hmm," Audrey urged the boy as she brought the ss of wine to her lips.

    Anthony gazed at Joanna''s face. He reluctantly picked up his spoon and cutlery when she didn''t look back at him.

    As she ate Joanna kept her eyes fixed on the guy standing in a corner who looked like he would die if he took his eyes off Laura''s body.

    [I have been looking for a way to punish her for what she did to her little brother and I think that lover of hers will serve the purpose]

    An evil smirk spread across Joanna''s face as she kept her gaze fixed on the lovers who kept throwing each other flirtatious nces.

    Some minutester Joanna stood up from where she sat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Where are you going?" Audrey, who has been keeping an eye on Joanna, asked the instant she saw her stand up.

    "To greet someone," Joanna replied. She tried to leave but Audrey grabbed her hands.

    "But who...,"

    "Drey, can you stop treating me like someone who is insane?... It kinda gets on my nerves when you do it repeatedly," Joanna retorted. She brushed off Audrey''s hand and strolled away.

    "Sister Audrey, are you really sure that Big Sis is ok? Also, why isn''t Brother Amos here...," Audrey stretched forward and covered Anthony''s mouth.

    She tilted her head and peered at Joanna''s current position.

    Audrey was so relieved when she saw that Joanna had not paused in her tracks.

    She retracted her attention back to the face of the boy by her side afterwards.

    "Tony, you can mention any name but don''t you ever say the name of Amos whenever your sister is around...," Audrey trailed as she stared into space.

    "She is trying very hard to show that she is fine but I am certain she willpletely lose her mind if that happens," Audrey added in a sad tone.

    "You said she is fine so what do you mean...,"

    "It will be better if you don''t ask questions. Let''s be positive that she wille around soon," Audrey interrupted softly.

    Because Audrey was afraid that her best friend would get herself into trouble, she kept an eye on thedy who was currently roaming around the enormous hall.

    "Hey, getting bored?" Joanna said to thedy standing at a corner of the hall alone with a ss of wine dangling in between her fingers.

    "What are you doing here?" Laura retorted, her fierce res shot at Joanna.

    Laura scrutinized the hall trying to know her friends'' exact location in the hall in case her stepsister decided to attack her.

    "I am just here to talk, there is no need to overreact. As you can see I am not holding a dagger or a gun," Joanna mumbled, her hands spread in the air.

    The doubts in Laura''s eyes didn''t dissipate even after Joanna assured her that she meant no harm.

    Anyways, how could she let down her guard in the presence of her enemy?

    Only a foolish man who has a death wish would do such a stupid thing. Luckily she was not foolish.

    Even though it was obvious that Laura didn''t believe her, Joanna still went ahead to stand beside her.

    "You have looked forward to this day for a year and now it is here you don''t look happy, why?" Joanna asked in a low tone.

    "Whoever told you that I am not happy...,"

    "It shows all over your face. On your birthdays, the Laura I know is always smiling. In fact, you always have trouble stopping yourself from smiling but that is not the case today...," Joanna trailed.

    She tilted her head and gazed at the face of thedy standing by her side.

 Chapter 513 They Bite Her Bait

    ?

    "Apart from the sadness in your eyes, I can see that you are having a hard time maintaining your fake smile...,"

    "You know nothing about me so will you stop being presumptuous?" Laura lost her cool and yelled at Joanna.

    "Laura...,"

    "Also stop acting like we are close because that is something that will not happen in this lifetime," Laura snapped and tried to walk away but Joanna grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her previous spot.

    "I feel bad I didn''t get a gift for you and I want to make it up to you...,"

    "I know you hate me and I equally despised you so there is no need to put on an act...,"

    "That is why I have prepared a surprise for you," Joanna cut in.

    Because of her soft tone and gentle look, those around her believed Laura was being mean to Joanna as always.

    What they didn''t know was that Laura''s fears and hostility were justified.

    "What surprise are you talking about?" Laura raised an eyebrow. She became warier of Joanna after her statement.

    "It''s a surprise like no other. One that you will remember for a very long time so look forward to it because you will not be disappointed," Joanna smirked.

    She let go of Laura''s hand and strolled away in the same manner she came before Laura had the opportunity to question her more.

    "What the hell is that evil witch nning this time around?... I hope she isn''t nning to poison all my guests out of jealousy?" Laura mumbled.

    The thought of rying her discussion with Joanna to get her mother and grandmother crossed her mind.

    But when she remembered how things could get out of hand if her mother and grandmother intervened made Laura change her mind.

    "Maybe I am just being too sensitive. No matter how gutsy she is, I believe she won''t be so stupid to cause a scene here. I mean her reputation would be at stake here," With this statement, Laura assured herself that Joanna was just bluffing.

    Despite her uneasiness, Lauraposed herself and moved to join her friends at their table once again.

    Five minutester, Joanna was seen leaning against a table close to a guy whom she noticed had nopany since she arrived at the party.

    "Aren''t you bored standing here all alone when your rightful position should be beside her?" Joanna spoke to the guy whose attention was on someone else.

    Her statement jolted the guy in the ck suit back to reality. Immediately he pretended as if nothing was wrong.

    "I don''t have anything to say to you, so keep your distance," he hissed and tried to walk away.

    "What if I say I have a way to make you go close to her without getting her or yourself into trouble?" Joanna whispered.

    The corners of her lips curled up to reveal a sinister smile when she saw him pause in his tracks.

    Her offer was way too juicy for anyone in the guy''s position to reject. She was well aware of this and that was the exact reason she threw the bait.

    The guy who was Joanna''s target turned around and nced at her face. "What do you mean?" He quizzed, not knowing that he has just fallen into Joanna''s traps.

    "Because of her mother''s disapproval and hatred, you couldn''t go close to her, not to mention deliver your sincere wishes and gifts to her...," Joanna paused to make sure he was following what she said.

    She smiled inwardly when she saw him rub his trousers pocket at the mention of the gift.

    "What if I tell you right now that I can help you get close to her; close to her enough to say and do whatever is on your mind with her...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I was never nice to you, so why on Earth would you help me huh?" The guy interrupted her sharply.

    Joanna wasn''t the least surprised that he didn''t believe her. She has expected this much when she decided to approach him and won''t lose this opportunity for this reason.

    "Laura should be the happiest girl in this hall but it''s obvious that isn''t the case right now. It hurts me to see her try so hard to maintain her fake smile. I know that she wouldn''t have to try so hard to be happy if she talks to you," Joanna muttered.

    The tenderness in her voice and eyes was capable of melting the iciest heart on Earth and that is because she puts in her best.

    "You are right about that," The guy agreed absentmindedly.

    Joanna moved closer and whispered, "There is gonna be a ckout and it''s gonnast for three minutes. I am sure three minutes is enough for you to do whatever you want with her whether it be handing over your gifts or running away from the party with her. Am I right?" she questioned.

    "You..,"

    "I have already told Laura about the surprise and she is looking forward to it," Joanna interrupted. She didn''t give him the chance to turn down her offer.

    "Really?" The guy asked.

    "You and your friends might have been mean to me in the past but that is all history. It''s obvious we are gonna be a family in the future and that is what matters," Joanna said just to put the guy''s mind at peace.

    "You are...,"

    "You can thank meter but for now I will advise that you take out some time to think about what you will do with this opportunity I will give you," Joanna said. She tapped his right shoulder and beamed at him.

    "Good luck," She murmured and walked away.

    She didn''t walk far away from where the guy stood when someone jumped out of nowhere and blocked her path.

    "Hey, why did you do that?" Joanna scolded, acting as if she was startled by Audrey''s reaction.

    "I came closer because I wanted to know what you talked about with Laura''s boyfriend. I don''t know why but I couldn''t hear what you both discussed no matter how hard I tried...,"

    "And don''t you know that it''s a bad habit to eavesdrop on others'' conversation?" Joanna reprimanded.

    ....

    SURPRISE ??????

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    Thank you as you do this

 Chapter 514 Joannas Surprise Finally Arrived

    ?

    She walked past Audrey but only for a hand to grab her from behind and pulled her back to her previous position.

    "You and Rafael were never close. In fact, I am aware of just how much you hate him so what were you both discussing with such serious expressions?" Audrey questioned fiercely.

    "What are you scheming?... You know it''s only when you tell me what is going on that I can help...,"

    "I told you that something fun is gonna happen soon so look forward to it...,"

    "Anna!" Audrey called her grip on Joanna''s hand tightened.

    "I won''t get hurt in any way because of my ns so you can rx hmm," Joanna smiled at thedy who was currently looking at her as if she was a stranger.

    "Hey, stop giving me that look and trust me on this ok," Joanna added when Audrey won''t stop staring at her face neither did her grip on her hand loosen.

    "Let''s go aah," Joanna urged her. After a minute''s hesitation, Audrey finally responded to what was going on in her environment.

    "Your sudden change scares me so you can''t me me for acting this way," Audrey mumbled.

    She adjusted the way she held Joanna''s hand and together they made their way to their table which was at the other corner of the hall.

    It wasn''t until Joanna and Audrey returned to their table that Audrey noticed Adhara''s murderous res which were focused on Joanna.

    "Why does she keep staring at you as if she wished you would just disappear into thin air?" Audreymented, her gaze on the woman whose focus was her best friend by her side.

    "Who?" Joanna asked. She shifted her attention from what she was doing and peered in the direction Audrey''s eyes were fixed on.

    "Wouldn''t you have felt uneasy if she was staring at me with loving eyes?" Joanna red back at the woman whose eyes happened to lock with hers.

    "At least through her murderous stares, I know how she feels about me. I am not wasting precious time trying to guess what her true feelings towards me are," Joanna muttered, unfazed by Adhara''s deadly res.

    "Big Sis, who are you talking about...," Anthony didn''t finish talking when all the lights in the hall went off.

    "What is going on?"

    "Why are the lights out?"

    "Isn''t this the prestigious Royal Pce Hotel so why is there suddenly a ckout?"

    "Why is it so dark in here?"

    "Can someone please check what is going on?"

    There were murmurs and panic in every part of the enormous hall.

    Those who were here when thest ckouts took ce were the most terrified when they recalled the incident of Joanna''s ghost that took ce in this same hall.

    "Big Sis!" Anthony called, he felt the table for Joanna''s hand and when he couldn''t find her hand where hest saw it before the ckout he panicked.

    "Where are you...,"

    "Right beside you," Joanna replied. She was effortlessly able to find his roaming hands even in the thick darkness.

    "Are you alright?" Joanna asked and caressed his hands tenderly.

    "Yes... What about you? You are not hurt right?" Anthony quizzed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Of course I am fine," Joanna replied in a carefree tone. "Don''t worry the lights wille on before you even realise it?" Joanna assured him confidently as if she was in charge of fixing the ckout problem.

    "Why are you both panicking? It''s just a ckout," Audreymented unfazed by the sudden ckout.

    "You are talking as if you don''t know that a lot can happen in the little time the ckoutst...,"

    "A lot like what?" Audrey cuts in curiously.

    "Like this," Joanna snapped her finger and instantly the lights came on.

    Audrey''s eyes widened when it dawned on her that her best friend was probably the one responsible for the ckout.

    "Did you do that...,"

    "Sshh...," Joanna ced her index finger on her red lips, her other hand pointed at the extreme corner of the hall.

    Before she could turn around and gaze at where Joanna pointed, she heard a bang followed by a ferocious growl.

    "Adhara!" Audrey muttered and quickly looked at where themotion came from.

    The scene she met made her mouth and eyes drop open at the same time.

    "I warned you to stay away from my daughter so how dare youe close to my precious jewel?" Adhara roared as she punched Rafael just below his guts.

    "Mum...," Adhara flung Laura''s hand away from her body. She momentarily moved her deadly nces to where her daughter stood.

    "I promise to tear down this entire hall if you dared stop me again," Adhara bellowed.

    Stubborn as she was, Laura tried to hold her mother''s hand once again but her friends who were scared on her behalf grabbed and pulled her away from where the ruckus was taking ce.

    "Let go of me," Laura screamed, her struggle to break out of her friends'' hold became rougher.

    "Eva, please....," Laura pleaded and struggled harder.

    "Mum, is gonna kill him if I don''t rescue him so please let go hmm?" Laura pleaded.

    Watching her mother beat up the man she loves without being able to do anything broke her tender heart into a million pieces.

    "Adhara, that is enough...,"

    "Piss off!" The furiousdy yelled and shoved the man aside.

    She was so ovee by anger and didn''t see that the man she shouted at and pushed was her none other than her beloved husband.

    "Auntie, please hear me out...," Adhara hit the pitiful guy hard in the eye. She felt no pity for the guy whose broken lips were bleeding.

    "Mum, please stop or you are gonna kill," Laura shouted, her voice muffled by her silent sobs.

    Despite all themotion that took ce in the hall Madam Cora didn''t intervene. Instead, she stood in a corner and watched as her beloved daughter mercilessly trashed the young man in a ck suit.

    "Mum!" Anthony blurted. He sprang to hisfeet. Anthony''s eyes widened at his mother''s brutality.

 Chapter 515 Joanna Stepped In

    ?

    "Where do you think you are going?" Joanna asked the boy who had just stood up from his seat and was about to leave.

    "I need to stop Mum...,"

    "And how will you do that when even your father and sister were unable to stop her?" Joanna demanded.

    She held his hand so that he wouldn''t leave her side no matter what.

    "But she is going to kill him if I don''t stop her. And can''t you see that Laura won''t stop crying because Mum is beating him up?" Anthony shouted to Joanna''s bewilderment.

    The astounded Joanna gazed at his worried face as he wrestled to free himself from her hold.

    How could her love for him make her forget that the people she schemed against were his closest family?

    Why did she forget that blood will always be thicker than water?

    These were the thoughts that upied Joanna''s mind as she stared at Anthony.

    "Stay here with Drey while I go and talk to your Mum," Joanna offered to help as she stood up from her seat.

    She was a bit surprised when he refused to let go of her hand.

    "What''s wrong now hmm?" Joanna asked in her softest tone.

    "You will be the one that Mum will beat up if you intervened...,"

    "Then what do you want exactly?" Joanna asked the boy who was clutching her hand as if she was gonna run away and abandon him there.

    "Do you want to save him or not?" Joanna asked.

    "I...I...," Antony hesitated on making up his mind.

    Although he wasn''t a grown-up like everyone else there, he was well aware of what would happen to Joanna if she dared as much as get close to his mother.

    He indeed wants to help out Laura but he also didn''t want to see Joanna hurt because of him.

    "Being indecisive will not solve anything, little rice ball. Your Mum has told you this countless times so why are you...,"

    "I want to help him and Sister Laura too but...,"

    "And that is why I am offering to help right?" Joanna abruptly interrupted him. His conflicted expression didn''t escape her notice.

    "Mum will surely hits you if you stop her...,"

    "For every decision you make, there is a price to pay. I guess getting beaten up is the price I have to pay to make your wishe true," Joanna pats his hand and quickly signals Audrey to watch over him in her absence.

    "Big Sis...,"

    "Just do as she said because you won''t be able to change her mind. Treating her injuries when you get home won''t be badpensation if you ask me," Audrey muttered.

    She held Anthony firmer to stop him from chasing after Joanna.

    Though she lookedposed, the truth was Audrey was nervous. Because she couldn''t guess what her best friend was scheming again, she failed to keep her racing heart in check.

    "Are you nning to murder another mate?" Joanna''s loud voice made Adhara retract her raised fist.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She turned and peered at thedy standing behind her with her butts leaning against the white table.

    "Actually, I don''t give a damn if you kill every guy that shows interest in your daughter but I am here to remind you because it seems like you are forgetting something," Joanna paused.

    She slowly raised her hands and wrapped them just below her boobs.

    Those who weren''t aware of what the new Joanna was capable of marvelled at the boldness of the girl who always hides in a corner and dares not to talk to anyone in functions like this one.

    They couldn''t help but wonder what or who gave her the guts to behave the way she did.

    "It seems like you have forgotten where we are and that your little son is watching each of your actions from his seat...,"

    "And why do you care huh when he is not even your son," Adhara berated, her bloodshot eyes stabbed at Joanna''s face.

    "You...,"

    "Also, you are nothing other than his stepsister and his servant. Never forget that," Adhara thundered.

    "Laura," Joanna called and tilted her head to look at her weeping stepsister.

    "I know you are conversant with the pce rules since your great-grandmother was among those who established them...," Joanna trailed.

    Those listening to her thought she was speaking out of context because she didn''t have what to say.

    What they didn''t know was that the evil girl was aware of exactly what she said.

    "So tell me, isn''t the crime of calling the future Queen of this kingdom punishable by death?" Joanna demanded to the astonishment of everyone including Adhara.

    "That... that...," Laura stuttered, her eyes moving from one curious eyeball to the other.

    No matter how much she hated her mother at the moment, how could a daughter pronounce her mother''s punishment in the presence of so many people?

    "See, I could easily put you to death right this minute but why would I do such a thing to you? You are my stepmother after all...,"

    "How dare you?" Adhara bellowed and charged towards Joanna.

    "Your husband values his reputation more than anything in this world. Are you sure you wanna continue ruining his good image?" Joanna quizzed before Adhara couldy a finger on her.

    "I am asking because I don''t care about things like reputation or whatnot. I wonder if you share the same thought as me, stepmother?" Joanna said provocatively.

    Adhara so much wanted to rip her stepdaughter to pieces at that moment without giving a damn about the consequences but she had second thoughts after she got a glimpse of her husband''s neutral expression.

    Yes, he didn''t utter a word nor did he re at her but she knew this neutral expression of his was worse than if he were to re.

    She has lived with him long enough to know what this neutral expression of his meant.

    He was mad to the point of exploding. And she is aware that a little action from her might trigger the explosion.

    Adhara definitely didn''t want him to explode there so she held back from attacking Joanna with all she has got.

    An evil smirk stered on Joanna''s face the instant Adhara turned her back to her.

    "You made the right decision, stepmother," Joanna pped.

 Chapter 516 The Party Got Ruined

    ?

    She turned around to leave thinking everything was settled but only for someone to yank her hair and shoved her into the wall.

    "Didn''t you decide to let me go so how dare you sneak up on me," Joanna yelled as she massaged her painful scalp.

    All Joanna''s thoughts were that her attacker was Adhara and that is why she didn''t bother to turn around before she talked.

    She was amazed after she spun and saw that her attacker was Laura and not her stepmother.

    "Hey, I just saved his guts and you from weeping your eyes out so what is wrong huh?" Joanna snarled.

    "Shouldn''t you thank me...,"

    "I should be thanking you?" Laura scoffed, her index finger pointed at Joanna.

    "Do you expect me to thank you for setting me up and ruining my birthday party...,"

    "What are you saying?" Joanna immediately feigns ignorance of the usation Laura threw at her.

    "I know you did this so you can quit with the pretence," Laura used and moved towards Joanna.

    Just then, three muscr men in blue suits who entered the hall not long ago arrived at the scene of themotion.

    "Take your Young Miss home," Mr Anderson ordered the three men.

    Instantly, the three men walked over to Laura. One grabbed her right hand and another held her left while thest one created a path for them.

    "Let go of me," Laura yelled and tried to wrestle her way out of their hold but they didn''t budge neither did they obey her orders.

    Despite all her struggles, Laura was forcefully escorted out of the hall by the three men. Adhara was too disappointed in Laura to plead for her.

    And Madam Cora chose such a bad time to remain silent.

    After themotion died off Mr Anderson climbed the stage and addressed everyone.

    "To everyone present here, I and my entire family want to apologise for all the inconveniences you might have experienced tonight," Mr Anderson apologised and bowed his head.

    For a man like him who hated bowing to others, it hurt his pride to bow for the ruckus he took no part in but he had no choice but to do this.

    While he was still talking Joanna and herpanions exited the hall without attracting attention to themselves.

    Before they left the hotel premises Joanna sent Adhara a text message and informed her that she took Anthony with her.

    After the earlier mess created by the family of the celebrants, the guests left the venue of the party one after the other.

    The once highly anticipated party became an entire joke because of a single disruption.

    In a brightly lit street, a car with three upants was seen driving at a moderate speed on the free road.

    "Drey, I bet you must have some bottles of whiskey in your car so where are there?" Joanna asked.

    She searched the possible ces Audrey would have kept a bottle of whiskey there but she couldn''t find any.

    "Why are you searching for that huh?" Audrey asked as she stole a nce at thedy sitting in the front seat with her.

    "You drank a lot at the party. Wasn''t that enough?" Audrey asked meekly. Because she was the one driving she couldn''t stare at Joanna''s face for a long time.

    "Enough?" Joanna scoffed and peered out of the window.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Are you looking down on me...,"

    "Having high alcohol tolerance shouldn''t be something to brag about. I am afraid you will be on the hospital bed when Amos decides to get back with you...,"

    "I don''t drink because I love it...," Joanna trailed and balled her right hand into a fist.

    "I am sure I won''t be able to get a wink of sleep again tonight if I don''t drink until I drop...,"

    "Anna!" Audrey called.

    As they talked, for a moment the two friends forgot that there was another upant of the car apart from the two of them.

    "There is no need to look at me like that. I can manage just fine," Joanna, who was now staring at Audrey''s face, forced a smile.

    "Big Sis, did you and Brother Amos break up?" Anthony asked as he stuck his head between the front seats.

    His tiny worried voice made Joanna and Audrey look behind them at the same time.

    "T-t-that...," Joanna stuttered. She was too flustered to think of any lies to tell her smart little brother.

    "Did he hurt you?" He asked when neither Joanna nor Audrey gave him the response he wanted.

    "You can....,"

    "He did nothing of such so you can rx ok...,"

    "But...,"

    "Tony, look at me," Joanna tilted her body closer to the door of the car so that she didn''t have trouble twisting her body.

    Joanna made sure he was staring into her eyes before she started. "Big Sis is just a little stressed out but I promise I will be fine. I will return to that cheerful Big Sis you know so don''t worry ok?" Joanna assured him with a smile.

    She raised her hands and cupped his face.

    "Really?" Anthony asked, his suspicious eyeballs moving from Joanna''s to Audrey''s face.

    "Hey, she is the one you are talking to, why are you staring at me instead?" Audrey, who caught Anthony gazing at her, mumbled.

    Her grip around the steering wheel became firmer without her even realising it.

    "Has your sister told you so many lies to the point that you no longer trust your beloved sister''s words...,"

    "Hey, what are you saying?" Joanna hits Audrey''s hands lightly, and her lips pouted.

    "I don''t lie...,"

    "If you don''t then why would he need my help to confirm whether you were stating the truth...,"

    "T-t-that...," Joanna stammered. She didn''t know what to say to her defence knowing well that there was some truth in Audrey''s usation.

    Joanna raised her head so that her eyes were locked with Anthony, "Don''t take what your Sister Audrey said to heart because I promise you that in a few days, you will see me bouncing back to my former self," Joanna assured and beamed at him.

    The journey from there onwards was more lively than the earlier part of their journey.

    Just so they won''t get home early Audrey took the siblings on a night drive around the kingdom.

 Chapter 517 What A Showoff!

    ?

    The night breeze coupled with the fact that she was in the midst of those she loved brightened up Joanna''s mood.

    In front of Anderson''s gate, Audrey didn''t drive off until she saw the two siblings walk into the enormous gate.

    Meanwhile, as she gazed at their moving back she acted as if she didn''t see the ck car parked about four buildings away from the Anderson''s mansion.

    Audrey drove off after she had made sure that Joanna and Anthony had safely entered their homes.

    From where the back Mercedes Benz jeep parked, the driver tilted his head and nced at the guy sitting in the back seat.

    "Sir, are you sure that keeping your distance from her is the best thing to do?" Chris asked the guy whose sadness he could clearly see through his dark eyeballs.

    "I thought we had talked about this before?" Amos snapped and looked out of the window.

    "I know this is the third time we talked about this same issue but I won''t stop asking this," Chris insisted.

    "I have never seen you this heartbroken, not even when she constantly turned you down

    And that is why I won''t stop asking you to rethink your decision...,"

    "Apart from Kyle, you are the second closest person to me. Since you have been with me for a long time you should know how brutal the humans are," Amos cut in, his pitch raised higher than normal.

    "You witnessed the numerous times I was almost poisoned by the spies they nted in my pce...," Amos trailed while staring into space.

    "Now that their spies with specibilities who have infiltrated the Kingdom had made Joan their target, you should know that they would stop at nothing to make sure that they kill her...,"

    "But we are here to protect her, aren''t we...,"

    "Weren''t I surrounded by my most trusted men in the pce the numerous times I almost got killed?" Amos retorted.

    Chris shifted his attention back to his front after Amos countered his points.

    He could no longer argue with him anymore since he knew very well that he was stating the truth.

    "Why have you suddenly stopped talking hmm?" Amos questioned, pretending not to know why Chris has gone quiet.

    "I will take you to the club as usual...,"

    "Let''s wait some more," Amos interrupted. He turned around and looked to his right-hand side where Joanna''s home was.

    "After the incident at the party earlier, I am afraid she might get herself into trouble. I want to make sure she is ok," Amos muttered, his affectionate eyes glued on a window on the first floor as if he could see his lover from there.

    Back in the sitting room, after sending Anthony to his room upstairs, Joanna turned to the right and headed toward the kitchen.

    She was some distance away from the kitchen when someone who came out of nowhere grabbed her hair and shoved her into the walls.

    "Who...," Laura grabbed her neck and pushed her harder against the wall before Joanna could react.

    "What the hell is wrong with you?" Joanna hissed. For some reason, she didn''t struggle to free herself from Laura''s hold.

    "I have always known you to be very bold but it never urred to me that you were the type to sneak up on others...,"

    "Shut that damn mouth up and stop pretending or else I will be forced to rip it off for you," Laura hollered. She sank her ws into Joanna''s neck.

    She had nned to see Joanna whine in pain and plead for mercy but Joanna didn''t flinch even as blood dripped from the injury inflicted on her neck.

    "Why are you using me of pretending when I have no idea of what you are talking about...,"

    "I know you are the one who set Rafael and me up so quit acting innocent or else I will...,"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Or else what?" Joanna interrupted harshly.

    "Will you try to kill me in the same manner your old hag and that foolish mother of yours had been doing?" Joanna grimaced.

    "How dare you insult my mum after she raised a miserable girl like you for so many years," Laura berated.

    Herck of concentration as she tried to inflict more pain on Joanna made the sly girl grab her hand, twisted it backwards and pinned her against the wall.

    "With the way you are gloating, one would assume I slept with your husband...,"

    "Shut the hell... ouch...," Laura whined the moment Joanna applied pressure to the hand she was holding so firmly.

    "Why do you feel so wronged when this is the same thing you and your friends had been doing to me at every party we attended together in the past?" Joanna snarled.

    She didn''t let down her guard even though she had Laura under her control.

    "Have you forgotten how I was called a thief by the Queen and was almost apprehended when you and your friends snuck her golden ne into my bag...,"

    "That is because you deserved it," Laura blurted and pushed Joanna away.

    Joanna, who had already expected this move from her, grinned and folded her hands at her back.

    "And you think you don''t deserve this?" Joanna chuckled.

    Her haughtiness as she spoke these words infuriated the already furious Laura more.

    "You didn''t only make Mum beat and humiliate the man that I love so deeply but you turned my birthday party upside down and made me cry...," Laura trailed.

    She sped her fist and bit her lower lips hard when he recalled how ruthlessly her mother had punched Rafael.

    As the scene reyed in her memory, her heart bled all over again.

    "And for this, I will make sure you don''t live past tonight," Laura dered.

    Instantly, brown furs appeared on her hands and her eyes turned zing yellow.

    "And I can''t wait to see you do that, Stepsister,"Joanna said provocatively.

    Laura leapt only to turn into a full werewolf in mid-air.

    "What a showoff!" Joanna blurted and red at the werewolf who almost plunged out her right eye had she not moved back in time.

    ....

    Hello ever lovely readers, it''s your darling author here again. I am so sorry I wasn''t able to upload chapters for days, believe me, it wasn''t nned.

    I fell seriously ill which made me unable to write anything. Although it wasn''t intentional on my part I still want to apologise.

    You guys had to wait for days without any updates, I am sorry. I promise to make it up to you guys when I get better.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    And please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, reviews and gifts.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 518 Joanna Refused To Be Shutdown

    ?

    "My name will no longer be Joanna if I don''t deal with you tonight. I will make you realize that this power of a werewolf that you always take pride in is nothing when I am around," Joanna dered.

    She cracked her knuckles and took her stance ready to unleash terror on her opponent.

    Laura growled and leapt across the centre table.

    Had Joanna not moved to her right-hand side, Laura would have bitten off her left cheek thereby forever disfiguring her.

    She didn''t just stand there and let Laura bully her but kicked her hard in the stomach.

    Laura was sent flying across the sitting room. Her body collided with the wall along with their biggest family picture hung on the wall.

    Laura and the family portrait fell on the tiled floor almost at the same time.

    After the fall, Laura howled and sprang up like nothing was wrong.

    She attacked Joanna once again and the smart girl didn''t hesitate to attack back.

    Some minutester, the shattering of sses sent those at the front of the door rushing into the sitting room.

    The scene the intruders met left them in shock.

    Before they could pinpoint why the sitting room was in the state it was, they saw two figures flying across the stairs.

    "And what the hell do you think you are doing?" Mr Anderson thundered, his deadly res shot at his two daughters who were about to attack each other''s neck.

    Joanna and Laura momentarily put a stop to their battle. They spun and gazed at where three astonished figures stood ncing at them.

    "Can someone tell me what the hell happened here?" He demanded, his murderous res stabbed at Joanna''s face.

    His piercing res didn''t help much because the unfazed Joanna refused to utter a word still.

    Laura who was still in her true form howled repeatedly.

    Although she didn''t understand what this meant Joanna guessed Laura was trying to exin herself in this manner.

    "How dare the daughter of a mistressy a hand on the daughter of the Madam of this house?" Madam Cora sneered while stepping forward.

    [Her silence was beginning to get me worried. I guess there is no need for that anymore, right?]

    Joanna frowned, her hands folded behind her back.

    "Is the daughter of a mistress not a person?" Joanna hissed, her head held high even in this situation.

    "Can someone get your Young Miss an outfit to put on?" Adhara shouted when Laura won''t stop growling.

    She waited, expecting to see someone rushed out to respond but all the maids were nowhere to be found.

    It was when she began to wonder what was wrong that it dawned on her that she had given the maids and guards the rest of the day off since it was Laura''s birthday.

    "How dare you talk back to me?" Madam Cora berated and walked even closer.

    "Are you dying to get kicked out into the streets? Is that why you are acting up?" Madam Cora threatened.

    She had believed that Joanna would get scared after she mentioned kicking her out of the house.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Madam Cora was this certain because she knew that Joanna had nowhere else to call her home apart from the Anderson mansion.

    If she had such a ce she wouldn''t have endured so much shit for over 16 years. She would have left long ago but unfortunately for her, no one wanted her.

    Not even her biological mother''s family or friends.

    "Is there any difference between being out there on the streets and here?" Joanna scoffed and strolled away from the foot of the stairs.

    As she tackled Madam Cora, Laura raced to her room upstairs.

    "For over 16 years I have been living worse than the beggars I see out there on the streets, so how dare you act as if you are doing me a favour?" Joanna snapped, her fiery eyes locked with Madam Cora''s.

    "How dare you talk to your grandmother like that?" Mr Anderson bellowed, his right hand balled into a fist.

    "The old hag was never my grandma. You were there the day she made this fact clear to me so howe you are pretending not to remember this...,"

    "Joanna, you will not speak to your father in that tone," Adhara reprimanded her coldly.

    "Never for once have I ever considered that I had a father? I see myself as an orphan so what father are you talking about huh?" Joanna challenged her harshly.

    Seeing Joanna turn around in search of the father Adhara mentioned, Mr Anderson''s chest tightened.

    He suddenly felt out of breath. The pain he felt was as if someone was constantly twisting his delicate heart.

    Looking back, he couldn''t recall thest time his heart ached this much.

    "Joanna!" Adhara shouted her name and tried to call her to order.

    She forgot so soon that she didn''t have what it takes to calm her stepdaughter down.

    "I haven''t even started talking and all of you are this furious. What will you do...,"

    "I won''t let you disrespect my family in my presence," A girl in purple pyjamas racing down the stairs yelled.

    "And what can you do if I insist on doing it huh?" She hissed.

    Although she was clearly outnumbered Joanna didn''t shiver. In fact, she looked more confident than she has ever been.

    "I will not let you provoke me again. At least not yet," Laura murmured and moved closer to where her parents stood in the middle of the mess she and Joanna created.

    "Mum, Dad, would you believe it if I told you that this sly bitch was the one who set Rafael and me up earlier?" Laura announced to the amazement of her listeners except for Joanna.

    "Was that your handiwork Joanna Anderson?" Mr Anderson growled. He called her full namejust like how Joanna normally does whenever she was furious.

    ...

    Hello lover readers, please as you read do support your dearest author by buying privileged chapters.

    Comments, reviews, gifts, power stones and GOLDEN TICKETS are very much weed.

    Thanks in advance as you do this ??????

 Chapter 519 Joanna Moved Out Of The House

    ?

    "I bet she ruined my party because she was jealous of me. She has never got to celebrate her birthday before and I bet she knew that she would never be able to afford such avish birthday party in her entire miserable life. I am sure that is why she ruined my party...,"

    "Point of correction I have celebrated my birthday before," Joanna cut in, her hands by her sides.

    "And my birthday was a thousand times bigger and better than yours. It was attended by the King, Queen Mother of this great Kingdom and so many dignitaries. It happened less than a year ago so don''t tell you have forgotten about it?" Joanna asked, her head cocked to the sides.

    A smug grin lingered at the corner of her lips as her eyes moved from one angry face to the other.

    "It was your sister''s birthday. Even though you girls had a misunderstanding you should have let it go. You should have been considerate of her feelings," Mr Anderson said.

    "I should have been considerate of her feelings?" Joanna hissed, her murderous nces settled on her father''s face.

    HAHAHA

    HAHAHA

    HAHAHA

    Joannaughed hysterically. Her maniacalughter made the others shift away from her.

    For a minute there, they almost believed she had lost her sanity.

    "You said I should have been considerate of her feelings, so tell me, in the past 16 years had anyone of you been considerate of wellbeing not to mention my feelings?" Joanna yelled at the top of her lungs.

    "Joanna...,"

    "If none of you was considerate of my feelings all these years, then tell me one reason why I should have given a fuck about how that bratty stepsister of mine feels?" Joanna retorted as she pointed her index finger at Laura.

    Everyone stared at her. For a minute there they were lost for words.

    "None of you have the right to tell me to be considerate...,"

    "But that didn''t warrant you to do such a thing to her. She is still your blood no matter how hard you deny it," Mr Anderson muttered.

    Although he knew he was partly responsible for how things turned out, he refused to give up his attempt to make Joanna realise that she was wrong this time around.

    "Laura...," Joanna called. She walked three steps forward so that the gap between her and Laura was just an arm''s reach away.

    "You have always said that filthy blood runs in my veins. Don''t tell me you are willing to share in this filthy blood...,"

    "That is enough, you silly brat," Madam Cora stepped in.

    "Compose yourself or...,"

    "Or what, Madam Cora?" Joanna cut in, her eyeballs that depict no fear locked with Madam Cora''s.

    "Will you throw me out of the house like you threatened?" Joanna quizzed, her hands folded behind her back.

    "You never belonged here in the first ce so, normally, you should return to where...,"

    "If you are nning to throw me out of the house then I will ask that you save yourself the trouble because I am gonna walk out of here on my own," Joanna announced sternly.

    "What!" All upants of the sitting room eximed. Their eyeballs bulged out as if they would fall out of their sockets.

    "Isn''t this what you all have always wanted so why do you all look so surprised?" Joanna snarled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She approached the door without waiting for any of their replies.

    "You have nowhere to go, so don''t be silly ande back here?" Mr Anderson ordered fiercely.

    Mr Anderson heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Joanna halt in her tracks. He waited to see her turn around and walk back into the house but she didn''t.

    "Are you feeling a bit reluctant to let me go because you got what you wanted too easily?" Joanna asked. She slowly turned and gaze at where all of them stood.

    Madam Cora nced at Joanna. She couldn''t hide her astonishment no matter how hard she tried.

    It''s true for the longest time she has always wanted to throw her out of her daughter''s home but the opportunity to do that never arises since Joanna was humble to a fault in the past.

    When she threatened to have her thrown out of the house, she intended to scare her a bit. She could never imagine that Joanna would grant her wish without putting up a strong fight.

    "Actually, ever since I was a kid my biggest dream was to quickly attain legal age so I would escape from this hell by leaving home. Never for once have you asked me what I wanted or pay attention to me so I am sure you were never aware of this," Joanna muttered.

    Her savvy words would havee out perfectly had it not been for the hint of pain in her tone.

    Ever since she was a child she had yearned for a parent''s love.

    Yes, she was aware she would never get such love from her stepmother and that was why she looked up to her father for this.

    She longed for his love and acknowledgement but he never showed her any of this.

    He disappointed her over and over again. It got to a point that she stopped expecting anything from him.

    All these years she thought she was alright. She believed nothing he did would get to her.

    She really believed she was done having expectations on this failure of a father but she just discovered recently that she wasn''t ok at all.

    Her heart still aches asionally.

    She tried her best but it ended up not working in her favour.

    "In the past, I didn''t have a choice but I do now. And I will rather sleep out in the streets than live in this hell of a ce where everyone wants me dead," Joanna dered.

    She spun and walked out of the house.

    "Come back here, Joanna Anderson," Mr Anderson called out to her but there was no response.

    ....

    Hello ever lovely readers, it''s your darling author here again. I am so sorry I wasn''t able to upload chapters for days, believe me, it wasn''t nned.

    I fell seriously ill which made me unable to write anything. Although it wasn''t intentional on my part I still want to apologise.

    You guys had to wait for days without any updates, I am sorry. I promise to make it up to you guys when I get better.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    And please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, reviews and gifts.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 520 I Need Some Space

    ?

    Laura ran out of the house and Joanna immediately strolled out.

    Outside the house, Joanna paused the moment she perceived Laura''s scent.

    She swivelled and gazed at the youngdy standing about six feet away from her.

    "I know you will miss my daily breakfast since I am the only one in this household who can satisfy your pte but you didn''t have to see me out...,"

    "You can act cocky all you want but I promise you that I will put an end to you," Laura retorted.

    "For the pain you caused me tonight I will make sure I kill you even if that is thest thing I will do...,"

    "You can try as many times as you want but let me tell you that I will no longer let my love for Anthony hold me back from beating the hell out of you. So at our next battle, give it your all because I won''t hesitate to make you suffer," Joanna berated.

    "How dare...," Joanna turned and walked towards the gate before Laura could say another word.

    The moment Joanna stepped out of the gate, there was a guy in ck trousers and a green shirt waiting right in front of her gate.

    Her first reaction was to pause in her tracks. At that moment she so much wanted to jump on his body and hug him just like she had missed him.

    She was only able to resist her urges after she mustered up all her willpower.

    "What are you doing here?" Joanna retorted to the shock of the worried guy who was so relieved to see her unharmed.

    "They were loud noisesing out from your home, are you alright?" Amos ignored her question and moved closer to the fuming Joanna.

    "You didn''t hesitate to keep your distance from me. Now I have granted your wish, so what do you want from me...,"

    "Joan...," Amos was a bit taken aback when he saw her avoiding his outstretched hands.

    "It looked like you were gonna barge into my home if I didn''te out the moment I did. Tell me, how were you gonna introduce yourself huh?" Joanna grimaced.

    Since he overheard everything that took ce some minutes ago in the sitting room, Amos tried his best not to let her hostile words get to him.

    "You took so many precautions to make sure that your identity remained a secret so don''t tell me you were nning to reveal your true identity after barging into my home...,"

    "As long as it''s for you I won''t hesitate to do that and even more...,"

    "Unfortunately I don''t need that," Joanna cut in sharply.

    For the first time in two minutes, Joanna raised her gaze and looked into his eyeballs.

    "I have told you that I am not the same weak girl in the past. I am not a damsel in distress who needs a knight and a hero toe to her rescue...,"

    "Joan, what is wrong with you?" Amos asked. He raised his hands and ced them on her shoulders.

    "If you are mad at me for avoiding you these past days...,"

    "I need some space and I wish you would do this for me," Joanna announced nonchntly and brushed off his hands from her body without hesitation.

    "I need time to think whether what I feel for you is real love like I thought it was or it was just my obsession which sprang forth out of jealousy...,"

    "Joan, don''t say that because I am certain what you feel for me is love...,"

    "I am not even sure of this so howe you are even more confident than me?" Joanna hissed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    To Amos, her irritated expression felt as if someone spat on his face.

    "Joan, don''t do this to me. We havee too far to go back to the beginning...,"

    "When you avoided me out of the blue I didn''t force myself on you so I wished you would do the same thing and give me the space that I need," Joanna said with a tone of finality.

    She walked past him without sparing him another nce.

    "Joan!" Amos called out to her but Joanna pretended as if she didn''t hear him.

    As she strolled away Joanna whose heartaches were no different from Amos'' dug her fingers into her palms.

    Anyone who saw her walk out on Amoswould assume she did this with ease not knowing that thedy who acted indifferent to her lover was crying.

    After Joanna made sure that Amos could not see her from where he stood, she paused in her tracks, leaned her body against the red pir and slowly lowered herself into a squatting position.

    [If someone had told me that I would one day be forced to say hurtful words to the man I love with all my heart, I am sure I would have strangled that person before shepleted her sentence...]

    Joanna sniffed and covered her wet face with her palms.

    [I can''t believe I hurt him so much and the most painful part of it is that I did this with ease]

    Joanna moved her hand covering her face to her chest. She hits her aching chest repeatedly thinking that maybe this would make the pains in her chest go away but she discovered that this wasn''t of much help.

    [I deliberately made him unable to hear my conversation with Laura because I didn''t want him to run off without getting to see his face. If I knew I was gonna end up hurting his feelings I wouldn''t have longed to see his face]

    Joanna sobbed silently. She stayed in this position for close to ten minutes before she carried her weak body and moved along in whatever direction her legs went.

    After walking aimlessly on the lonely streets for close to two hours, she arrived in front of Audrey''s apartment building.

    "Hey, what are you doing here? Didn''t you tell me you were gonna spend the night at...," Audrey put her question on hold when she saw Joanna''s face which was covered with dried tears.

    ....

    SURPRISE ??????

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    Thank you as you do this

 Chapter 521 Did I Say Something?

    ?

    "You were alright when we parted ways so what happened now?" Audrey asked.

    Audrey was forced to look in the direction Joanna came from when she refused to talk.

    "Anna...,"

    "Let''s talk inside your room. I wouldn''t want him to meet me here in this state," Joanna murmured.

    Without further ado, Audrey led Joanna upstairs to her room.

    Inside her room, Audrey pulled a brown chair from the reading table and positioned it close to the bed.

    After she made Joanna sit on the brown chair she sat on the bed in front of her.

    "It wasn''t easy for me and Tony to put you in a good mood before we parted ways, so tell me who the heck made all my efforts go in vain?" Audrey questioned, frowning.

    "Was it Laura, your father, Adhara or the old hag who is responsible for this...,"

    "I saw him!" Joanna blurted.

    "Do you mean Amos?" Audrey guessed the answer without having to think much.

    When Joanna didn''t say a word she realised that she had guessed the answer correctly.

    "What happened?" Audrey asked.

    Although the distance between them was about three steps away Audrey felt that they weren''t close enough so she stood up and squatted in front of her.

    "Did he say hurtful words to you again to keep you away...,"

    "I was the one who did that to him this time around," Joanna replied with her head bowed.

    "What!" Audrey blurted in shock.

    "Yes, you heard me right," Joanna muttered. She bowed her head and covered her face with her palms.

    "Despite seeing how worried he was about me, I still went ahead to say hurtful words to him...,"

    "I am well aware of how much you have missed him and want to be with him, so why on Earth would you do that?" Audrey admonished. Audrey lifted her hands and ced them on Joanna''s legs.

    "You clearly knew hurting him means you would equally get hurt, so why did you still go ahead and do it?" Audrey asked in a soft tone.

    "I know Drey...," Joanna trailed. Merely remembering what happened made her eyes turn teary.

    "I don''t know what came over me, Drey. I just...," Joanna choked on words.

    "Girl, I know you are hurting right now. Also, I won''t tell you that I understand how you feel since I haven''t been there before...," Audrey let her words linger.

    She stretched a bit and wrapped her hands around Joanna''s body and hugged her tightly.

    "But I know that this is not the time for you to break down. I mean who will protect him from those scoundrels who want nothing but to kill him if...,"

    "They can try all they want but I promise you that I won''t give them what they want. I won''t just sit and watch them harm the man I love, never!" Joanna dered, her fist sped until they hurt.

    "That is the spirit, girl," Audrey cheered her and patted her back more affectionately.

    "Also, I am sure Amos wouldn''t take things to heart because he must understand how you feel better than anyone else. Believe me," Audrey encouraged her with abroad smile stered on her face.

    "I wish that the opposite was the case so I can get over this act early," Joanna murmured. Her grip around Audrey''s body became firmer.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Huh?" Audrey eximed and pulled out of her embrace in an instant.

    "What did you mean by that?" Audrey demanded the fold in between her forehead became profound.

    "Did I say something?" Joanna whispered. Sheavoided looking at Audrey''s face despite knowing that this would make her look even more suspicious.

    Since it was obvious Joanna wouldn''t confide in her, Audrey chose not to pry further. She was satisfied with the fact that she was able to brighten up her mood a bit.

    "Go and freshen up. Don''t forget that our various majors are holding a meeting very early in the morning concerning the preparation for the carnival...,"

    "I told you that I have no interest or whatever in the carnival. There are so many important things to spend my precious time on other than...,"

    "And you think this is not important?" Audrey asked. She still maintained her squatting position.

    "I mean this will be the first carnival you get to participate in without being forced by your stepmother, Laura or anyone else not to take part in it...,"

    "So what if I can participate in the carnival?" Joanna blurted and sprang up to her feet. She spun and strolled towards the window.

    "What do you mean? Shouldn''t you be happy that finally you can do everything and anything you set your mind on...,"

    "And what will I gain from participating in this carnival?" Joanna snapped as she stared out of the window.

    "A lot, Girl!" Audrey remarked with a stretch of her hands.

    "Just think about it," The excited Audrey said. She held Joanna''s shoulders and whirled her a little so they were looking into each other''s eyes.

    "Doing outstandingly well in this carnival will not only make you gain the recognition that you deserve as the future Queen of this Kingdom. But through this, you will prove to everyone that you are worthy of the seat beside that of the King of this kingdom...,"

    "And that is where you are wrong, Drey because I have no intention of proving anything to anyone. I am just me....," Joanna let her words linger as she turned around so that her butt was leaning against the window''s edge.

    "The thought of making myself look good in front of others and thereby displeasing myself in the process has never crossed my mind not even once," Joanna said in a soft tone.

    "I think I understand what you mean but I also believe it would not harm if you show the world that their future Queen is not one to be messed...,"

    "I believe what I did to those evil girls was enough to keep them far away from me and everything that concerns me...,"

    "Don''t you think that would be even better if you did it at the carnival? I mean there will be tons of people there including those that will troop in from the human world," Audrey smiled.

    The mere thought of seeing her friend in the spotlight at the uing carnival made her natural ck orbs sparkle.

    ...

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    SURPRISE!!!??????

    Hello lovely readers, I am excited to announce to you that there is a mass releaseing up in a few hours.

    I joined the annual mass release event to celebrate Webnovel''s 6th anniversary. I wanted it toe as a surprise, so how do you love my surprise gift hmm?

    Any author who reached a certain threshold in this mass release event will receive a reward from Webnovel.

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 Chapter 522 Did You Both Argue?

    ?

    "I believe nothing would be more thrilling than seeing their shocked faces when they realised that our little Joanna has grown into a woman. Not only a woman but an unstoppable force...,"

    "Are you even aware that you have a way of charming people with your words...,"

    "Does this mean you have agreed to participate in the uing carnival?" Audrey asked anxiously.

    Joanna smiled and moved to the bed. She sat on the bed facing thedy who had followed her there.

    "How can I say no when you were able to convince me with every point you made...,"

    "Yippee!" Audrey screamed, her hands spread in the air like a little kid whom her mum just promised to take on a pic.

    "Are you that happy?" Joanna asked. She couldn''t understand why Audrey was so happy.

    "Hmm...," Audrey shook her head in affirmation.

    "Your major was the only one which hasn''te up with any results despite almost a month and a half of preparation for the carnival. Although we have less than a week to the carnival I believe that you can turn things around for your group...,"

    "What gives you that confidence, Big Sis?" Joanna asked yfully.

    "Of course, that is because I know the little sister I have and what she is capable of better than anyone else," Audrey teased and fell on top of Joanna''s body.

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted and tried to push her off her body but Audrey refused to move away.

    "My little sister has a knack for giving others a shock so how could I not have this much confidence in her huh?" Audrey mused and pats Joanna''s hair like she would have done to a little girl.

    "Cut out with it already, Crazy Girl," Joannaughed and brushed Audrey''s hand away from her head but that didn''t stop Audrey from repeating the same thing.

    Meanwhile, as the two girls yed and tossed around the enormous bed Amos was seen in a medium size room with a guy by his side.

    The way he stared into space was as if he had no life in him.

    "It has been over twenty minutes. At first, I thought you didn''t utter a word because the noises at the club made you ufortable...," Kyle trailed off.

    He kept his gaze glued on the face of a guy whose attention obviously wasn''t on him.

    "After spending over fifteen minutes here. It''s crystal clear that wasn''t the problem so can you please say something hmm?" Kyle decided to use the soft approach since the first method he adopted failed.

    "As you know, I can only help if you tell me what the problem is," Kyle added.

    Kyle tried everything possible to make Amos open up to him about what was wrong and in the end, his efforts turned out to be a total failure.

    "I can clearly see that you need none to apany you, so I will take my leave," Kyle was forced to use hisst resort.

    He stood up and approached the door. As he walked to the door he silently wished that his action would make Amos speak up.

    "I think she is mad at me," Amos spoke up atst.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kyle, who had already grabbed the door''s knob, let go of it, spun and ran back to the couch.

    He sat and shifted closer to Amos so that theirps were almost rubbing against each other.

    "Who?... Joanna?" Kyle asked, his eyes fixed on the guy whose focus was on the floor.

    Amos didn''t respond but from his silence, Kyle knew he guessed the correct answer.

    "What did she do or say to make youe to this conclusion?" Kyle quizzed in a tender tone.

    "Did you both argue?" He asked.

    He was aware that trying to force answers out of Amos would do more harm than good and this is why he patiently waited for him to open up on his own.

    After what seemed like forever, Amos finally spoke.

    "She said she needs space. She is having second thoughts about whether or not what she feels for me is love or obsession," Amos responded with his head still lowered.

    "What!" Kyle, who didn''t expect this type of answer shouted, his eyes widened in astonishment.

    "Despite that I hardened my heart and kept my distance from her, I was so worried about her well-being after the argument I overheard from her home. At that moment revealing my identity was not important as long as I could keep her safe but she was really harsh with her words....," Amos paused to catch his breath.

    "I can''t count the number of times she has been brutal with her words to mebut I can say with certainty that she was the meanest today," He mumbled.

    It was after he ryed what happened that Kyle understood why Amos'' expression resembled that of a person who just lost someone precious to him.

    He has been with Kayden long enough to know that the only person who had the power to hurt him this much was none other than Joanna.

    Not even his mother or friends would make him as heartbroken as he was right now.

    At first, when he discovered that Kayden liked Joanna he thought it was the feeling of infatuation that any man out there would have towards an extraordinarily pretty and well-endoweddy.

    But not long afterwards his assumptions were proved wrong. He was even more awestruck when Kayden told him that he had no intentions of making anydy Queen except her.

    Just like everyone he had believed that Joanna was the leastdy out there who deserved that position and which was why for a while he believed his friend was out of his mind.

    As time progresses, his opinion about her changes as he gets to know her better.

    He was a part of every stage of their rtionship development. There were also times he became Kayden''s master nner for rtionship tips.

    At the moment he thinks no one deserves the title of the King''s legal wife more than Joanna does.

    And this was not because Joanna was the prettiest or smartest.

 Chapter 523 Anthony Got Slapped

    ?

    He arrived at this conclusion because Joanna was the one his best friend loves dearly. To him, there were no better qualifications than that.

    "I believe her anger is justified," Kyle said after a few minutes of silence.

    "If I were in her shoes I would be furious if my lover avoided me for no reason. I am sure you would have felt the same way too so try to be understanding of her. I am sure this must not be easy for her too," Kyle advised in a soft tone.

    "I am scared; afraid that Chris'' prediction mighte to...,"

    "And what nonsense did that dude say to make my ever-confident best friend feel so unsettled," Kyle demanded in a yful tone.

    "He said...," Amos trailed off as he raised his head atst.

    "Seeing how you are hesitating to repeat his words I guess he must have said something awful," Kyle grumbled.

    "He kept asking whether I am sure that I made the right decision. I was so confident in my reply when he asked me what I would do if my ns backfired...,"

    "And why on Earth would he say such a thing to you?" Kyle retorted.

    "But now I am scared. The mere thought that I would lose her forever because I decided to protect her from a distance terrifies me. You know just how much I love her, don''t you?" Amos said and leaned back against the brown couch with his eyes shut closed.

    "I am sure that what you are afraid of won''t happen so you can rx, hmm?" Kyle whispered. He pats Amos'' shoulders affectionately.

    "Ease up man or I will be forced to confront your lover in the morning for putting you in this mood...,"

    "You wouldn''t dare!" Amos cut in. His sad eyes turned murderous following Kyle''s statement.

    "Yeah, this more like the best friend I know," Kyle said and pulled away before Amos had the opportunity to hit him.

    "Wait here, let me get us a drink," Kyle giggled. He stood up and moved towards the door.

    Amos didn''t have to ask him where he was going to know that he was heading to the counter to get them a drink.

    Unlike Joanna who had a sound sleep thanks to Audrey, Amos couldn''t get a wink of sleep. He and Kyle spent the entire night chatting and drinking.

    The next day Anthony was woken up by one of the maids who immediately went to his room after she arrived at the mansion that morning.

    "Young Master...," Anthony ran out of the room before the maid in blue and white uniform could grab him.

    In front of Joanna''s room, Anthony raised his right hand and knocked on the brown door.

    "Big Sis told me she was going to sing me a luby but she didn''te to my room until I fell asleep. I wonder if she forgot about her promise to me?" Anthony mumbled as he waited for a reply.

    He knocked again when he heard no movementsing from the room and yet again none came out to open the door for him.

    He lifted his hand and tried to knock on the door again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Won''t we rest peacefully in the house again because of you?" Laura scolded right aftering out of her room which was just about ten steps away from Joanna''s room.

    "Sister Laura," Anthony greeted and went back to what he was doing.

    He knocked on the door for the third time.

    "I believe my words were clear enough for a blockhead like you to understand so why did you knock on the door again?" Laura rebuked him, her stern expression shot at him.

    "Tell me, are you deliberately going against my words?" Laura grumbled. She strolled towards where Anthony stood.

    "No," Anthony replied without taking his eyes off the brown door in front of him.

    "Big Sis has never for once failed to wake me up in the morning anytime she is at home. But she didn''t do that today. I want to make sure she is alright...,"

    "She is not your Big Sis, how many times will I repeat these same words to you huh?" Laura berated, and the veins on her forehead popped outas she talked.

    "Also, I am your biological sister and not her, so howe you have never for once shown this manner of concern towards me aah?" Laura yelled.

    Adhara, who was in the sitting room instructing the chef on what to make for breakfast, was forced to abandon what she was doing and made her way upstairs due to Laura''s angry voice.

    "Big Sis is Big Sis and Sister Laura is Sister Laura. They can never be the same people," Anthony replied. He knew better not to look at Laura''s face as he spoke.

    "Also, Big Sis will always be my Big Sis no matter what anyone says...,"

    BANG!

    A loud p flew across Anthony''s face, making him tilt his head to the side.

    "How dare you talk back at me, you brat?" Laura hollered. She raised her right hand and tried to grab Anthony''s shoulder.

    "And what do you think you are doing to your little brother huh?" Adhara''s angry voice made Laura retract her hand immediately.

    "This brat has be even more annoying. Someone needs to teach him a lesson to get him back on the right track...,"

    "And was that why you pped him?" Adhara reprimanded coldly.

    After reaching where they stood, she spun Anthony and examined his cheeks. Her expression grew dark when she saw the red bruise on his delicate cheek.

    "Haven''t I told you never toy a hand on him... He will be the master of this household after your father and as such should be treated with due respect. How many times have I told you that...,"

    "Mum, you can''t me me for losing my cool. It''s his fault for always getting on my nerves," Laura replied with her head held high.

    She showed no sign of remorse despite her mother''s scolding.

 Chapter 524 Not A Compliment

    ?

    "Because of this brat anyone who doesn''t know our hierarchy in the family will think Joanna is the legal child while I am the daughter of a mistress and not her...,"

    "And why on Earth would you say that?" Adhara cited.

    "Because that is how this brat over there makes me feel...,"

    "I have told you not to call him that ever again...,"

    "But it''s true he is a brat," Laura snarled, her piercing res shot at Anthony.

    "Your brother is just a child and I have told you to be understanding of him...,"

    "Eunice''s brother is the same age as him but he treats his sister as his goddess. Why is mine different?" Laurained.

    "Also, haven''t I understood this attitude of his enough?" Laura hissed and red at Anthony who hasn''t uttered a word since the p.

    "I am sure you know what would have been your punishment if your Dad was around...,"

    "And there is no guarantee that I won''t lose my cool again the next time he mentions or defends the idiot who ruined my perfectly fine birthday party," Laura said her peace of mind and stomped away.

    Laura stormed into her room and jammed the door close without sparing her mother or brother a second nce.

    After Laura left, Adhara turned and focused all her attention on Anthony.

    "Does it hurt?" Adhara asked. She gently rubbed his bruised cheek.

    Children of his age would have flinched and whimpered but not a sound escaped from Anthony''s mouth.

    He didn''t even act as if he was pped not long ago.

    Ever since he became aware of the world he lives in, he was taught how to endure pain. It is believed that men, especially men who wouldter inherit the title of the master of the household, should not show weakness.

    Even if you are hurting and feel like weeping you have to always pretend that you are in control.

    Although he still had a long way to go, it has been a long time since he cried. In fact, he rarely cries.

    "No," He shook his head in negation.

    "Yes, that''s my boy," Adhara praised and stroked his hair lovingly.

    "Mum, it looks like Big Sis is not inside her room, do you know whether she has left for work already?" Anthony stubbornly asked notwithstanding what he went through some minutes ago because of this same issue.

    "You are runningte for school...,"

    "Did you and Grandma scold her yesterday...,"

    "Tony, it would be in your best interest if you don''t bring up this topic...,"

    "But...," His mother''s cold stares which were glued on him made him shut up in an instant.

    "Let''s go," Adhara announced. She grabbed his hand and led him towards his room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [Everything was just fine yesterday so why is it that no one wants to talk about Big Sis?]

    Anthony stared at Adhara''s face. He tried to guess her thoughts through her expression but he ended up failing again.

    Since it was obvious that the mere mention of Joanna''s name made the blood of everyone boil in rage at home, he didn''t press the issue further.

    Instead, he made up his mind to call Joanna and asked what happened when his mother leaves.

    Even after promising Audreyst night that she would attend the meeting held to finalize the preparation for the uing carnival, Joanna was reluctant to get out of bed when Audrey tried to wake her up.

    "Hey, Girl, wake up now or we will get therete," The frustrated Audrey shook Joanna''s hand a bit harder this time around.

    "Anna, I know you can hear me so stop pretending to be deep asleep. You have always been a light sleeper so I won''t fall for this trick of yours," Audrey called her once again.

    And this time around Joanna couldn''t keep up with her pretense anymore.

    She sat up and used her hands to push the hair covering her face backwards.

    "That is enough, Drey! I admit, you have won," Joanna announced. With a frown, she climbed out of bed and moved to the bathroom with great reluctance.

    "While showering I will assist you with picking an outfit so that way we won''t arrive therete," Audrey yelled so that thedy inside the bathroom would hear her.

    Just like she promised she moved to the wardrobe she and Joanna shared. With her eyes, she skimmed through the row of clothes neatly arranged on the hangers.

    When Joanna came out of the bathroom, there was an outfit, shoes and bags waiting to be worn by her.

    "You are so persistent!" Joanna remarked and moved to the dressing table where arge mirror was connected to the wall.

    "Of course, I am...,"

    "That wasn''t apliment," Joanna cut in. She pulled out the brown chair and sat facing the mirror and the brown table where different brands of cosmetics were ced.

    Audrey was never a fan of makeup. She applied makeup asionally so it was obvious who she purchased all those makeup essories for.

    It was her n from the onset to live with Joanna in her apartment.

    "Was it not?" Audrey asked while scratching her head.

    "Anyway whether or not that was supposed to be apliment I don''t care. All I know is that I won''t let you curl up in here for the best part of the day," Audrey muttered.

    She strolled to the dressing table where Joanna was currently drying her hair.

    "I wasn''t going to do that...,"

    "Of course, you were going to do that. I know that was what you nned to do after I leave the house," Audrey cut in, her suspicious nces fixed on Joanna''s face.

    "If you knew that you should have just pretended to be ignorant about it. That won''t hurt right?" Joanna quizzed as she stared at Audrey through the mirror in front of her.

    "Looking after each other and always having each other''s back. That is what best friends are for and that is exactly what I am doing to stop being upset because that won''t make me change my mind," Audrey insisted.

 Chapter 525 Kyle Showed Up

    ?

    "I am sure you would have done worse things to cheer me up if I were in your shoes so stop acting as if you would have ignored me," Audrey asserted.

    She beamed when she saw the defeated look on Joanna''s face.

    "Since you know how stubborn your friend is I believe it''s not a bad thing to admit that you lost to me," Audrey smiled as she reached out her hand and touched Joanna''s silky silver hair.

    From then onwards Joanna didn''t speak much, she let Audrey do most of the talking while she quietly got ready.

    After she had gotten ready the twodies made their way downstairs.

    "What the hell is he doing here?" Joanna muttered, her murderous stares shot at the guy standing close to Audrey''s ck Mercedes Benz.

    "Hi," Kyle waved at them. His smile broadened even though Joanna''s frown and deadly res were enough to show that he wasn''t wee there.

    "If I remember correctly, we made no ns for the morning. What are you doing here?" Audrey demanded.

    She let go of the angrydy''s hand and moved closer to her car.

    "I thought we agreed we shouldn''t meet when Anna is around during the period their misunderstandingsted?" Audrey reminded him about their agreement with a whisper.

    "I know...," Kyle trailed off, his gaze glued on thedy who had her back facing them.

    [But I had to do this to put my friend''s mind at ease. I believe he would be less worried if I were the one to give him an update about how she is doing instead of his men who are watching over her. I am sorry I had to use you to get this information, Audrey...]

    "Hey!" Audrey snapped her finger at the guy whom she noticed had zoned out.

    "I believe my question is not a hard one so say something already," Audrey insisted.

    "I was bored," Kyle replied.

    "What!" Audrey remarked. Her soft expression turned dark following Kyle''s statement.

    ''Are you trying to tell me that you are on the brink of ruining my ns just to get rid of your boredom...,"

    "That was a joke so don''t be upset. Not yet," Kyle interrupted abruptly.

    "I came because I thought you might need a driver...,"

    "You are well aware that I know how to drive so why would the thought of being my driver even cross your mind?" Audrey asked. She was smart enough not to fall for his lies.

    "That is...," Kyle paused. He tried to think of another lie since he failed to convince her with the first lie.

    "You said we were runningte so can we leave now?" Joanna asked. She turned around and gazed at them.

    "Let me take care of this...,"

    "He is already here and I am certain you aren''t heartless enough to send your lover away," Joanna mumbled, her cold gaze shot at Kyle.

    "Let''s just go with him. I don''t think we have any better option than this," Joanna said and moved to the back seat.

    Audrey, who had expected her to make a fuss, was surprised to see her enter the car without putting up a fight.

    Audrey peered at the face of thedy sitting inside the car as if she was looking at a stranger.

    "What are you both still doing outside?" Joanna stuck out her head from the car and shouted at them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Let me know if you had decided to abort your ns...,"

    "There is no need to keep your hopes up because the chances of me making that statement are zero," Audrey said and waved back at her.

    She shot Kyle a suspicious re before she turned and hurried to the other side of the car.

    He watched as Audrey climbed into the car and shut the door.

    As he stared at the upants of the backseat of the car as they talked, he heaved a sigh of relief.

    [I am so relieved the ending wasn''t as bad as I had assumed it would be]

    He strolled to the car without waiting to be called. He drove off after he had strapped his seatbelt and asked thedies to do likewise.

    Inside the car, while thedies talked Kyle acted as if he were deaf and dumb.

    They were moments Audrey expected him to butt in but to her surprise, her lover was well behaved as if it was all nned from the beginning.

    "Drey, so what activities is your group going to disy on D-Day?" Joanna quickly changed the topic of their discussion.

    "You are well aware that should be kept only between my group members and me, so why did you ask me a question that required me to say no to you?" Audrey replied, her index finger pressing her temple.

    "Hey, there is no need to look guilty for not telling me the truth," Joanna tapped her shoulder. Her broad smile was evident that she wasn''t upset with Audrey.

    "Because I am certain that my group will be the winning group in this year''s carnival whether or not you tell me what your team has prepared for the uing event," Joanna said, her head held high as if she had already won the mentioned trophy.

    "Really?" Audrey asked. She hardened her face despite the urge to burst outughing.

    "Absolutely!" She replied without hesitation. Audrey couldn''t help but think that her best friend''s confidence was out of this world.

    "Even though we have less than a week away I believe that my group and I will be able toe up with something spectacr...,"

    "Sure Girl... I look forward to seeing that," Audrey gave her a thumbs up with a sweet smile ying at the corner of her lips.

    Although she didn''t know why Joanna suddenly became talkative when she wouldn''t utter a word to her earlier, she was pleased that she was so lively.

    "So tell me, do you know those who are in my group?" Joanna asked after the air of excitement had died off.

    ....

    Hello ever lovely readers, it''s your darling author here again. I am so sorry I wasn''t able to upload chapters for days, believe me, it wasn''t nned.

    I fell seriously ill which made me unable to write anything. Although it wasn''t intentional on my part I still want to apologise.

    You guys had to wait for days without any updates, I am sorry. I promise to make it up to you guys when I get better.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    And please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, reviews and gifts.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 526 Do I Know Them?

    ?

    "Not really but I overheard Eva disclosing her displeasure of being in the same group as you...,"

    "That annoying girl is in my group!" Joanna remarked with widened eyeballs.

    "Not only that but I think Sophie and a few other people you had gotten into a fight with happen to be in your group," Audrey broke the news to her.

    She wasn''t surprised to see that the excitement in Joanna''s eyes was gone. Even she would have felt the same way if she were in her friend''s shoes.

    Being paired with an enemy can be very annoying. She has been there before and that was why she kinda understood Joanna''s plights.

    "I guess my ns of doing an excellent job with those girls in my group is not possible...,"

    "Not necessarily," Audrey replied.

    The glints in her eyes pinged Joanna''s interest. She couldn''t help but want to know what Audrey was hiding from her.

    "Why did you say that when you clearly know there is no way those girls and I would get along? I am certain they wouldn''t hesitate to ruin the entire carnival just to get back at me for what...,"

    "Wait until you see the names of the two guys who happen to be in your group then you will realise that your worries were irrelevant," Audrey grinned and peered out of the window.

    "What two guys are you talking about?" Joanna demanded, her gaze centred on Audrey''s sideline.

    "Do I know them?" Joanna asked a bit more curiously this time around.

    Kyle, who had been pretending to be deaf and dumb stole a glimpse of thedy''s face through the rear mirror.

    [Does the guy they mentioned have something to do with the King?... Is that perhaps the reason that Audrey refused to tell her who it is?]

    Kyle looked away from the rear mirror when he noticed that Joanna was about to turn around.

    "You know you shouldn''t have said anything about them if you had no intentions of telling me who they were?" Joanna frowned and moved away from Audrey.

    But not even her tantrums made Audrey change her mind about making her find out things for herself.

    The journey from then on became less livelier but it wasn''t suffocating; they soon reached campus after their argument.

    After they came out of the car, Audrey didn''t hurry to catch up with Joanna but waited to talk with Kyle.

    "Anna and I have another appointment after we are done here so there is no need to wait for us...,"

    "But...,"

    "Believe me, I won''t have stopped you froming along if I had a choice," Audrey cut in abruptly.

    "If I end up being free in the evening I promise to drop by at the club but if I am not, I will make it up to you some other day hmm?" Audrey smiled at him.

    Despite not liking the arrangement Kyle smiled back at her.

    "I know your friendship with Miss Joanna is something no one cane in between so I won''t try to make things hard for you," Kyle gave in to what she wanted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You can spend as much time as you want with your Girl as long as you don''t neglect me," Kyle raised his hand and patted her hair.

    He was stunned when she didn''t avoid his hand like she often does when they started hanging out.

    "These are one of those days when I especially adore you," Audrey beamed.

    She stretched a bit and pecked his cheek despite that there were so many students around.

    "See youter," She waved at him and hurried to catch up to Joanna whom she had lost sight of.

    After she left Kyle, Audrey didn''t have trouble finding Joanna. She caught up to her when she was climbing the stairs leading to the front of a tall grey building.

    "Are you still mad at me?" Audrey asked. She wasn''t surprised to see Joanna pause and tilted her head so they were staring into each other''s eyes.

    "Me?" Joanna pointed at herself as if there was someone there beside her and Audrey.

    "And why on Earth would I be mad at you?" Joanna added when Audrey only stared at her with suspicious nces without uttering a word.

    "You know what I am talking about," Audrey used. She grabbed the right hand of thedy who tried to walk out on her.

    "Your expression says all...,"

    "Didn''t you say we are almostte so I wonder why we are still here talking instead of going in to join the others," Joanna was smart enough to change the topic since she didn''t want to admit to Audrey that she was mad.

    "Let''s go now," Joanna urged her and resumed climbing the stairs.

    "We can talk while walking...,"

    "Didn''t I tell you that each group has a separate meeting ce?" Audrey asked, her gaze glued on the back of thedy whose position was about four steps away from her.

    "You never said that," Joanna blurted. She swivelled and looked in Audrey''s direction.

    "Each group have separate ces for holding their meetings. My group happens to be holding their meeting here...,"

    "And what about mine?" Joanna cut in sharply.

    "I overheard your group members saying that their meeting point is at the swimming pool arena," Audrey replied, her index finger pointed at a white building across the basketball field.

    "Hey, why didn''t you say that sooner?" Joanna half-yelled when she saw the distance she would have to cover before she got to the swimming pool arena.

    "I am sorry...," Joanna had already raced towards the direction Audrey pointed at some second ago.

    "Wasn''t she the samedy who said she had no interest in participating in the carnival?" Audrey thought aloud, her eyeballs focused on the back of thedy whom the gap between them had widened significantly.

    [Why do I feel like all her running will be in vain especially when she realises the guy I mentioned wasn''t who she expected he was]

    At that moment Audrey kinda felt awful for not spilling the truth earlier when Joanna asked.

 Chapter 527 You Are Here Too!

    ?

    If she had guessed that her best friend would get the wrong idea she would have undoubtedly disclosed that her assumption was wrong.

    It was just too bad she realised that Joanna had the wrong ideate.

    "I bet she will be able to handle things," Audrey mumbled. She took onest nce at thedy that was almost out of sight before she turned and made her way into the grey building in front of her.

    At the school''s swimming team hall, ady barged in, almost colliding with a group ofdies who were about to leave the room.

    "What happened?... Is it over so soon," Joanna mumbled as she scanned the room with her sharp eyes.

    She was so keen on finding the one she yearned for that she didn''t see a broad smile crept onto the face of the guy inside the swimming pool.

    "On a second thought...," A guy''s cool voice erupted in the once silent room causing the unhappy upants to pause in their tracks.

    The upants of the room who were more than twenty spun and gazed at him at the same time, their movements synced as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.

    They kept their hopeful eyes fixed on the face of the guy in the blue swimsuit.

    Joanna was the only upant of the room who didn''t have her gaze fixed on the devilishly handsome guy.

    "Since this is the first carnival after my return, on second thought, I think it will be a great idea to take part in it," Raymond added.

    He had expected to hear cheers of excitement following his sentence but surprisingly his audience didn''t say a word.

    "Raymond, I respect you a whole lot but you know it is awful to joke about such things...,"

    "And whoever said I was joking?" Raymond cut in.

    All this while he addressed the group, his gaze remained fixed on one face and that was none other than Joanna''s face.

    ¡¤?¦Èm "If you are not joking then do you mean you will join in the preparation for the carnival?" Derrick, who knew how hell-bent Raymond was against the idea of participating in the biggest annual event at Twilight University, asked in astonishment.

    "Of course yes...,"

    "Despite knowing how packed our schedule is, you still agreed to partake in this stupid carnival... are you nuts?" Derrick reprimanded him in the presence of so many people without a care.

    Just so they wouldn''t participate in the carnival, he went as far as getting the Chancellor''s permission.

    He found it hard to believe that Raymond would let such a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY pass by.

    "You...," Derrick, who was also in his swimsuit, paused when he realised that Raymond had been gazing in a particr direction for a long time.

    Quickly he followed his line of sight to know what had caught his attention.

    The moment he got a glimpse of thedy standing beside the ss door he knew why Raymond suddenly had a change of mind about the carnival.

    Back at the door, thedy who was frantically scrutinising the hall with her eyes was unaware of what her mere presence had caused.

    Though Raymond was smiling from ear to ear as he peered at her face, the frown on her face showed that the feeling was not mutual.

    "Didn''t Drey say he was here so why is it that I can''t find him?" The angry Joanna grumbled and turned to leave.

    "Didn''t youe here for the meeting? Howe you are leaving before it evenmenced?" Raymond quizzed.

    It was after he spoke and Joanna recognised the voice that she realised that Raymond was there all along.

    Instantly, she swerved and looked in the direction the voice came from.

    "You are here too?" Joanna asked. Her astounded expression showed that she really didn''t know that Raymond was there.

    "Of course I am," He beamed. He ced his hands on the edge of the swimming pool and jumped out of the pool.

    "This is my turf so finding me here shouldn''te as a surprise to anyone, don''t you agree with me?" He asked and strolled towards her.

    He did nothing to wipe off the drops of water dripping from his wet hair onto his bare upper body.

    By nowdies present there were on the brink of suffering from a nosebleed while others were frantically fanning themselves with their hands but that was not the case for Joanna.

    It was as if she was the onlydy in the hall on whom Raymond''s sexiness and well-toned abs did not affect.

    It was when he mentioned the arena being his turf that Joanna recalled that the second time she saw him was at a swimmingpetition where he was one of the contestants then.

    "I guess you are right about that," Joanna replied and smiled back at him.

    "How have you been?" He asked. He raised his right hand and ced it on her hair.

    "I hope you didn''t miss me too much?" He joked, slightly ruffling her hair.

    This action of his made thedies among them envious. Their once tender eyeballs suddenly turned bloodthirsty.

    Joanna was too preupied with Raymond to notice that thedies were about to stab her to death with their piercing eyeballs.

    "Absolutely not," Joanna replied as she yfully removed his hand from her hair.

    "Are you sure or just pretending so I won''t tease you?" Raymond joked once again. For a minute there he forgot that they were not the only upants of the hall.

    "That''s...," Joanna paused when her eyes locked with the eyeballs of some of thedies who were about to set her aze with their fiery eyes.

    "You...,"

    "If I were you this is where my joke would end except you want to see me carried out of here in a stretcher," Joanna tapped his hand and signalled him to look behind him.

    Just like magic, thedies'' murderous res turned tender once again the instant Raymond tilted his head and nced at them.

    It was as if the scene Joanna saw earlier never existed.

 Chapter 528 Is He Our Leader?

    ?

    "Since you have agreed to participate, shouldn''t we get started with the meeting now?... Don''t forget we have to leave for ourmercial shoot in an hour or two," Derrick intervened when he saw that Raymond had no intentions of quitting his little y with Joanna.

    "Is he our leader?" Joanna squinted her eyes as she stared at the guy in front of her.

    "Ye....,"

    "Of course not," Raymond cut in abruptly, his fierce res shot at the guy who had almost ruined his ns with his reply.

    "Although I agreed to take part in the preparation which I will make sure I keep my word, I will be way too busy to lead our team...," Raymond trailed off.

    Derrick stared at Raymond in silence. He chose not to interrupt because of his urge to know what the sly guy was up to again.

    "So why don''t we be co-leaders?" Raymond dropped the bomb without giving anyone a heads-up.

    The murmurs that soon erupted from the upants of the room after his statement was immediately quelled with one murderous stare from him.

    "If that is a joke then I will outrightly tell you that it wasn''t funny...,"

    "But I wasn''t joking," Raymond replied softly.

    "I learnt you have good leadership skills but was never allowed to showcase this talent of yours so why don''t you use this opportunity to show everyone what you are capable of...,"

    "And you think all of them here will agree to have me as their leader alongside you?" Joanna, who knew exactly what every upant of the room thought of her, asked, her eyes moved from one face to the other.

    In one way or the other, she has been bullied by them in the past. So why on Earth would anyone of them want her to be their leader?

    "I agree to not only join your group activities but also be your leader like you all wanted but I can''t guarantee that I will always be around...," Raymond paused midway.

    He could read the displeasure on their faces but he couldn''t care less about that.

    He went out of his way to grant their wish so it was only fair they grant what he wants too.

    "And so I need someone capable to oversee everything whenever I am not around. I know some of you possess excellent leadership skills too but unfortunately, I am not very close to all of you while I amfortable around Joanna," Raymond exined in length about his choice.

    "I want her to lead alongside me as the second leader too but you are free to voice out your displeasure if you are not cool with my choice," Raymond said and left the floor for them to say what was on their mind.

    He watched as they all exchanged secret nces.

    Joanna was so certain that none of them would keep quiet and receive her as their leader but to her dismay not one of them said a word contrary to what he had said.

    It was like magic.

    [Why aren''t they saying despicable things about me just to make me look awful... Why are they so unusually quiet?]

    Joanna was too shocked to rejoice even though their silence was a good thing.

    [How on Earth did he do it?... Did he perhaps cast a spell on them?]

    Joanna''s astonished eyeballs moved from one face to another, shocked at the turnout of things.

    Never in her wildest dreams did she expect this.

    Never!

    "Since there is no objection, can we move to real business?" Derrick broke off the awkward silence that had lingered for a long.

    "Yeah, let''s discuss what our group will be showcasing to the world on the carnival day," Raymond muttered. He held Joanna''s hand and led her to where long white benches were kept close to the white walls.

    It was after he made her sit down that he offered seats to the others.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Because of my busy schedule, I have never had the chance to take part in any school festivals or carnival ever since middle school. It''s my first time taking part in such events so any ideas for activities we will be performing on that day will be very much appreciated," Raymond addressedthe audience before him.

    Apart from him, another person that was also on his feet was Derick.

    "If you have a suggestion please do raise your hand so the ce won''t get rowdy," Raymond added when he noticed the side talks going on around him.

    "Go ahead," Raymond pointed at thedy in a pink mini-dress.

    "How about singing?" Thedy who was now on her feet suggested. She didn''t forget to tuck her shoulder-length hair behind her ear as she kept her seductive eyes focused on Raymond''s face.

    "A song performance sounds nice but I don''t think it''s great," Raymond said his opinion without beating around the bush.

    "If you choose the right song, singers and dancers, a singing performance can be super thrilling so why did you say it wasn''t great?" Thedy asserted sternly.

    "Of course, a singing performance if done well can be super entertaining but it''s toomon... the carnival is a special event and whatever we are gonna deliver should be unique and mind-blowing," Raymond replied softly.

    "But...,"

    "I totally agree with Raymond," Joanna interrupted sharply. She was surprised to see thedy in a pink dress turn and shoot her a piercing nce.

    Her piercing res should have served as enough threat but unfortunately, Joanna wasn''t the type to cower because of anyone''s threat.

    She stood up and acted as if she didn''t see that she was the one thedy shot a contemptuous stare at.

    She strolled to Raymond and stood beside him.

    "As he said, a singing performance is way toomon. I am certain that about three or more groups are gonna sing and dance on that day, which is not a great idea for us to settle for a singing performance when we can do something better," Joanna added.

    She didn''t avoid their eyes even though all she saw in them was piled-up anger.

    ...

    Hello lovely readers, I want to apologise for the irregr updatestely. I am so sorry for not being able to upload chapters daily.

    Too many things were going on and I needed to sort things out before I return to writing fully.

    I am sorry if this affected you and thank you for waiting for me.

    Also, good news guys!!!

    My new book I told you about is out!!

    The title is "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    The book is my entry for Webnovel Spirirty Award (WSA 2023). Please add it to your library.

    Guys, I need all the help I can get from all of you. I will be super happy if you check the book out and tell me your thoughts throughments and reviews.

    I so much look forward to seeing all of you there.

    Don''t forget to leave ament and review when you add the book to your libraries. And I promise to wee you specially.

    I trust my readers that they will undoubtedly show my new book support so I will thank you guys in advance.

    Thank you and I love you ??????

 Chapter 529 A Futile Endeavor

    ?

    "I kinda support what these two lovely people had said," Derrick said, his index finger pointing at Joanna and Raymond.

    "Also we have less than a week toe up with something and perfect it. I don''t think we have enough time to pick a song, singers, dancers and go through a series of rehearsals to perfect it," Derrick went into more details so he won''t be used of being biased, although he wasn''t the type to care about that.

    "We have given our opinion which I won''t say is perfect. If you have a contrary opinion do let us know so we can conclude this," Raymond opens the floor for questions and contrary opinions.

    "My friend told me their group is doing a singing performance and I also overheard a guy from another team saying that their team was also doing a singing and dancing performance. I agree with Raymond that we should do something else," A girl in baggy blue jeans said after she was permitted to speak.

    "If that is the case then I am not wrong to scrape this out of our list of performances right?" Raymond addressed them.

    "Yes," they chorused.

    A sweet smile crept onto Raymond''s face when he heard that they were on the same page with him.

    "So, any other ideas or suggestions?" Raymond asked.

    Almost immediately a girl wearing big round earrings raced her hand.

    "Yes, go on," Raymond and Joanna chorused.

    Raymond spent over an hour listening to everyone bring up ideas and suggestions.

    Despite spending such a long time with them, none came up with any ideas that caught their interest.

    He had to wrap things up and made the crowd dispersed when his Manager called to inform him that he was waiting for the two of them outside.

    Joanna was worried about their futile first general meeting so she waited for them as they get changed.

    While pretending to escort them to where their car was parked Joanna seized the opportunity to discuss with them about their next n.

    "Right now we are one day short of the days we have until the carnival. What are we gonna do now especially since we haven''t been able toe up with at least one idea?" Joanna voiced out her worries as she tried to maintain the same pace as them.

    "Our fate was already determined from the beginning so there is no need to beat yourself over this. Besides it was already obvious we won''t be able toe up with anything with the remaining days we have...,"

    "Derrick, it''s true we started our preparation a bitte but I still believe we can stille up with something...,"

    "Point of correction Miss Butterfly," Derrick addressed her like Raymond was fond of doing.

    "We didn''tmence our preparation a bitte... but veryte. It shouldn''te as a surprise if we are unable toe up with anything within the remaining days we have," Derrick stated their reality even though he knew he shouldn''t.

    "You both have your point but I agree with Joanna about being able toe up with something unique even though we are pressed for time," Raymond turned and smiled at the worried Joanna.

    "Don''t worry we will be able toe up with something. I trust you... And this guy over here and I will try toe up with something also,so chill hmm...,"

    "You are the one who changed your mind at thest minute about taking part in the carnival so why are you dragging me into this?" Derrickined.

    Raymond paused just in front of the ck van whose door his driver had opened and waited for them to hop in.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "I really would love to discuss more with you but unfortunately I need to go now," Raymond started.

    "Nheless, you can contact me if you need help or have something to discuss with me...,"

    "Anyone who listens to you will think you are in charge of your phone...,"

    "And am I not?" Raymond cut in, his cautionary res shot at Derrick.

    "Ok, I will try my best not to call often...,"

    "But why do I have this feeling that the exact opposite of what you said is what you will do?" Derrick interrupted.

    Having guessed what Raymond would do next if he remained there, the smart Derrick hopped into the open van.

    After they finished talking Raymond hopped into the van although with great reluctance.

    It was rare for him to have time to spare for himself and that is why he couldn''t help but wish he wasn''t always so busy.

    Joanna went to get Audrey after she parted ways with Raymond and Derrick. She had to leave without Audrey when she saw that her group were in the middle of rehearsals.

    Because she had no sses that day apart from the meeting earlier Joanna headed straight to the cafe.

    At the cafe, Joanna went about her work as she always does. Mrs Parker who has been paying special attention to her ever since she arrived at the cafe noticed after a while that something was off about her.

    When the cafe was less busy she walked up to the counter and sat at the spare seat close to the wall.

    "I noticed you looked less heartbroken from thest time we met... instead you resemble a woman who is thinking of ideas to pay off her husband''s gambling debt," Mrs Parker said to thedy who was obviously zoning out.

    "Is it that bad?" Joanna, whom Mrs Parker''s touch jolted back to reality, quizzed as she stroked her face with her right hand.

    "Hmm..," Mrs Parker shook her head affirmatively. "It''s that bad," She added.

    "So do you mind telling me what is wrong? Who knows I might be able to help you out," Mrs Parker was too impatient to wait for Joanna to ask for help so she made her an offer instead.

    "It''s rted to the uing carnival. I don''t really think you can help me...,"

    ...

    NEW BOOK ALERT ??????

    My new book "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES" is out now. Please add it to your library and support your dearest author.

    Thank you in advance.

 Chapter 530 Who Are You?

    ?

    "Hey, and what do you mean by that huh?" Mrs Parker chided her. Leah who was in the process of serving a customer paused and stole a nce at the counter.

    "I was once a student like you and a very good one at that...,"

    "I didn''t mean to insult you neither was it my intention to get you upset...,"

    "I know that so you can chill," Mrs Parker cut in. She sat back on the chair behind her.

    "So what is it about school that is making you so worried?" Mrs Parker asked a bit calmly this time around.

    "Also you mentioned carnival, are you perhaps referring to the Kingdom''s biggest carnival which is usually held at your school each year...,"

    "You know about that?" Joanna squinted her eyebrows, abandoned what she was about to do and paid full attention to Mrs Parker.

    "Girl, is there anyone in the entire Kingdom who doesn''t know about the infamous carnival... even those who haven''t attended it before had one way or the other heard about it? I am sure of it," Mrs Parker replied with pride.

    Of course, Joanna has heard about the carnival on different asions in the past but unfortunately, she was among the category of people who haven''t been privileged to attend the famous event.

    And this was all thanks to her entire family who always made sure she worked until she was on the brink of fainting on such days.

    This was a deliberate action on their part to make sure she doesn''t attend the events.

    Maybe she hasn''t been able toe up with an idea yet because she hasn''t been to the carnival before to witness how things were done.

    "I guess you are right about that," Joanna concurred.

    "So what is so disturbing about the uing carnival to make you act this way?" Mrs Parker went further to ask.

    "For our group, I happen to be the leader who will oversee all the activities we will put up on that day...,"

    "And isn''t that a good thing so why do you look like someone who is thinking of a way toe up with money to finance her husband''s burial?" Mrs Parker, who saw nothing wrong with what Joanna said,mented.

    "You think this is a good thing?" Joanna asked. She didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment.

    "I bet you will think otherwise when you learn about the deep shit I have put myself in," Joanna muttered.

    Right at that minute Joanna went ahead and disclosed what happened that day and how she came about the idea of participating in the carnival''s preparation.

    "That is so bad," Mrs Parker expressed.

    "Yeah, it is that bad," Joanna replied, her head hanging low.

    "Not only do we have toe up with something before the carnival, but whatever wee up with must be unique. It must not be something that will require weeks to master since we are pressed for time," Joanna whispered, her head remaining lowered.

    "If only I wasn''t the second leader I wouldn''t have cared too much about this...," Joanna let her words linger.

    She was worried and frustrated at the same time. Mrs Parker whose gaze has been on her watched her in silence for about two minutes.

    "Actually, for the past few years, I haven''t missed the carnival. I always made sure to attend it because the liveliness there is rxing. It takes your mind off a lot of things," Mrs Parker started.

    "If I am not wrong I think the carnival is the liveliest annual event in the Kingdom. Although it''s always fun, there is something I have noticed that had never been done in all these years. Your group can give it a shot...,"

    "And what is that?" The impatient Joanna asked. Her curious eyeballs lit up as she waited for Mrs Parker''s reply.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "On no asion has an activity about The Great War been performed...,"

    "But that is a very sensitive topic so it is not surprising that none has done something on it. I am sure you are aware of this," Joanna replied sternly.

    Although The Great War took ce far before she came into existence. The knowledge she has derived from reading ancient historical books was enough to match that of the one who witnessed it.

    That is what she strongly believes.

    "Of course, I know that and this is exactly why I think at least one or two activities should have been performed in memory of that great war that almost cost us our existence and that of the humans and werewolves," Mrs Parker stated her opinion without beating around the bush.

    "I alwaysughed when I heard someone say that The Great War was an event we would never forget. Because what are the things set in ce to make sure that this particr event is not forgotten?" Mrs Parker confessed.

    "So many people sacrificed their lives to make sure we attain this peace we enjoy today. What exactly have we done to show their families that we haven''t forgotten these people and their sacrifices?" Mrs Parker continued.

    As she talked she didn''t care whether or not her customers were listening to their conservation.

    What mattered to her was getting her points across to the one she was conversing with.

    "It''s such a sensitive topic and I understand why none of the students had ever thought of performing it. If not done well it could lead to capital punishment...,"

    "I also understand their fears but I don''t get why you are no different from them," Mrs Parker alleged to Joanna''s surprise.

    "What do you mean?" Joanna demanded, her eyebrows squinted in confusion.

    "Who are you?" Mrs Parker asked, her index finger pointed at Joanna''s chest.

    "Joanna of course," Joanna replied with her head held high.

    "And what is your title?" Mrs Parker inquired. Joanna didn''t understand Mrs Parker''s question and as such didn''t jump in to reply.

    "You''re the King''s mate. The future Queen and Mother of the Kingdom. Your title is enough for you to tread on the path others dared not to walk on. You have the power to dive into topics ordinary people don''t have the guts to touch...," Mrs Parker started.

    ....

    SURPRISE ??????

    So our second mass release is here. How do you love the mass release?

    Guys, this is a part of the mass release event Webnovel held to celebrate its 6th anniversary.

    There are rewards for books which win each day so please support the book by buying privileged chapters and unlocking premium chapters with coins.

    Sending gifts also counts too so please don''t forget to support the book with gifts.

    While at it alsoment and leave a review on the book that will encourage other readers to check out the book

    One more thing, don''t forget to check out the author''s new book, "VAMPIRE''S UNTAMED DESIRES".

    Add the book to the library and shower it with love and attention.

    Thank you as you do this

 Chapter 531 Joanna Jumped On Mrs Parkers Body

    Chapter 531 Joanna Jumped On Mrs Parker''s Body

    She stood up and walked closer to Joanna.

    "The sooner you realise just how much power that title holds, none, I mean nobody will have the effrontery to treat you like an ordinary person because nothing about that title is ordinary," Mrs Parker tapped her on the shoulder.

    She turned to leave but Joanna grabbed her hand.

    "I understand the point you are trying to make but we don''t have enough time to write a y and rehearse it to perfection...,"

    "It doesn''t have to be something borate. The y will be just perfect if it highlights some of the important events that took ce back then... I bet it will be even more thrilling if you added some of the ancient dance," Mrs Parker reassured her.

    Joanna let go of Mrs Parker''s hand and leaned against the counter once again.

    "I was not in existence back then so how on Earth am I gonna know their ancient dance?" Joanna voiced out her plights.

    "You are right about that...," Mrs Parker mumbled absentmindedly.

    "But I heard that the ancient dance is what people of The Great Golden Pack perform on their annual festival which is kinda simr to our carnival," Mrs Parker added.

    Joanna was about to ask Mrs Parker who was referred to as The Great Golden Pack when she remembered Jocelyn.

    "Are you trying to say the dance Jocelyn called their signature dance was the ancient dance you mentioned?" Joanna blurted.

    Her gloomy expression lit up in an instant.

    "What are you saying?" Mrs Parker asked in confusion since she couldn''t decipher what Joanna said.

    "In addition to the idea Mrs Parker gave you, you can add modelling too," Leah who just arrived at the counter chirped in.

    "Modeling is way toomon. I am sure so many groups are gonna do that...,"

    "And who said you were gonna do the regr modelling hmm?" Leah asked her head cock to the side.

    Her confident words pinged not only the interest of Joanna but also that of Mrs Parker who was about to leave before she got there.

    "Do you have a better idea?" The curious Mrs Parker and Joanna couldn''t stop themselves from asking the confidentdy.

    "Instead of the usual modern clothes runway, your group can go for the ancient attire. Or you can do abination of both the ancient and the modern attire," Leah ryed excitedly.

    "Merely thinking about it and my entire body is vibrating in excitement...,"

    "Yours and Mrs Parker''s ideas are superb, no doubt. But the problem boils down to where I am gonna get the costumes," Joanna voiced.

    "Also, my group members loathe me. I doubt whether they will agree to any of my suggestions...,"

    "The ideas Leah and I gave are fabulous. I know there will definitely be a few objections but believe me that they will agree if you present your ideas to them well," Mrs Parker assured her with a tap on the shoulder.

    "You talked about where and how to get the costumes....,"

    "Yeah that is a big problem on its own since these ancient costumes and the instruments we will need for the y are no longer in use," Joanna stated her fears without beating around the bush.

    "As for the ancient clothes for the modelling, I don''t know how your team is gonna get your hands on that....," Mrs Parker let her words linger.

    The expression of Joanna who was looking forward to getting more assistance from her fell the moment she said those words.

    "But as for the instruments for the y your group needs to perform with, I know of a ce in the Kingdom which will have them even though every other ce don''t have them...,"

    "And where is this ce?" Leah and Joanna chorused, their eyes sparkling in anticipation.

    "Hmm...," Mrs Parker trailed off, pretending as if she was in deep thought.

    "That is a secret," She blurted after arousing their interest even more with her hesitation.

    "That is not fair...,"

    "Let me know if your group epts the idea and I will have the instruments delivered to your school in the quickest time possible...,"

    "Are you serious?" Joanna was too excited to believe Mrs Parker''s words.

    "I am looking forward to seeing your group showcase that y on D-Day so how could I ever joke around with that...," Mrs Parker choked on her words the moment the happy Joanna jumped on her.

    Just like Mrs Parker, Leah was dumbfounded at Joanna''s action.

    Her dropped-open mouth and bulging eyes were evidence that she never saw thating.

    "Thank you, Mrs Parker. I wouldn''t have known what to do without you," Joanna muttered, her grip around the astounded woman growing firmer.

    "You are the absolute best," She smiled radiantly.

    "Seeing you so happy makes me so relieved that I was able to help," Mrs Parker whispered. She raised her hand to pat Joanna''s hair but the exciteddy who was unaware of this pulled away from her before Mrs Parker''s hand could reach her hair.

    Just then a customer called for their attention and Leah who was at the front of the counter hurried to attend to him.

    At the counter, Mrs Parker tried to leave Joanna to her work but Joanna stopped her.

    "Mrs Parker, if our ns get epted by my group there is a possibility I won''t be able to show up for a few days," Joanna, who could already foresee that things will get hectic the following day, said.

    "And as such you can cut my pay for the days I can''te to the cafe and perform my duties¡­.,"

    "You can take a few days off as you want but I promise you that your pay will remain intact¡­,"

    "Why on Earth would you pay me for the days I am absent?" Joanna challenged her when other people would have jumped up in excitement after hearing Mrs Parker''s proposal.

    "I thought we had already agreed that you will keep treating me like you have always done in the past so why¡­,"

 Chapter 532 Joanna Refused To Be Paid

    Chapter 532 Joanna Refused To Be Paid

    "It was included in your contract that leave taken for school projects or activities will be considered a paid leave¡­,"

    "But¡­,"

    "Every student who has ever worked with me has enjoyed this privilege. I am not being biased towards you because of your title," Mrs Parker who had guessed the reason Joanna was so against the idea defended herself.

    "You can ask Leah if you don''t believe me," Mrs Parker muttered.

    "Is that true Leah?" Joanna still went ahead and asked even though Mrs Parker had assured her that she wasn''t lying.

    "Mrs Parker is telling the truth. For students who have worked for her, she gave them permission to get off work or take some days off as long as it was for school...," Leah, who returned to the counter to get a customer''s order, replied.

    "For me, it was included in the contract that I could take time off work as far as my little sister is concerned," Leah added before she moved to where Joanna stood to get the customer''s order ready.

    "Aren''t you too nice to your employees?" Joanna asked rhetorically.

    "I mean I know you are a kinddy no doubts but weren''t you ever worried that they would abuse your kindness...,"

    "There is no way that would have happened. I may be nice like you said but I am not stupid. I have my ways of confirming whether whatever my employees tell me is true...,"

    "How?" Joanna demanded, her eyes sparkling as she waited for Mrs Parker''s reply.

    "Do you have them followed or...,"

    "I think you have a guest," Mrs Parker muttered as she gestured at the ss door a little boy just walked into.

    Curious to know who Mrs Parker referred to, Joanna spun. Her eyes widened when she saw who walked into the cafe.

    "Wasn''t he supposed to be at the training centre at this time of the day so what the hell is he doing here?" Joanna murmured. Her eyes followed every moment made by the boy approaching her direction.

    "Big Sis...,"

    "Hey, weren''t you supposed to be at the training centre for your martial art training so what are you doing here?" Joanna scolded before he had the opportunity to say a word.

    "Come here," Joanna asserted, she grabbed his right hand and led him to a corner so they wouldn''t inconvenience the customers.

    "I don''t recall ever teaching you that truancy is good...,"

    "No one was willing to tell me where you went so I had no choice but to sneak away from the academy before my driver arrived...,"

    "But you could have just called me if you had something to tell me," Joanna still condemned his actions even though he had a good reason.

    "Also, do you know that you will get into serious trouble if your father learns about this? It might not end with house arrest this time around....,"

    "Big Sis...,"

    "You have to hurry to the training centre now before anyone realises your absence...,"

    "Will you sleep over at home tonight?" Anthony cut in abruptly.

    "T-t-that...," Joanna stammered. She didn''t know how to go about telling her little brother that she had moved out of the house.

    She knew without a doubt that he would be severely hurt if he learned about the new development.

    "You wille over right?" Anthony insisted, his gaze fixed on the face of thedy who was trying to avoid his eyes.

    "Little man...," Mrs Parker who overheard their conversation called, her eyes centred on Anthony''s face.

    Anthony and his sister spun at the same time and nced towards the counter.

    "Would you like a ss of juice while you and your sister chat over at one of the tables...,"

    "Thanks, Mrs Parker but that won''t be necessary," Joanna cut in before Mrs Parker could finish her sentence.

    "He is leaving right now...,"

    "But...,"

    "We can meet over at Drey''s ce or any other location of your choice but that will be after you return from the training centre. Are we clear about that?" Joanna asked with a tone of finality.

    Anthony, who had wanted to say something earlier, swallowed back his words. He knew he had no choice but to agree to whatever his sister wanted since he had no grounds to bargain with her.

    "Ok, I will do as you said," Anthony agreed but with great reluctance.

    "Wait here while I go ask Mrs Parker''s permission to send you back to the training centre...,"

    "You have my permission so there is no need toe over here," Mrs Parker spoke loud enough for Joanna and Anthony to hear her.

    "Thank you, Mrs Parker. I will make sure that I return on time...,"

    "That is not a problem. And I know that you are kinda pressed for time for the uing carnival. You can take the rest of the day and some days off to work things out with your teammate...,"

    "You know I can''t do that," Joanna interrupted and moved towards the counter.

    "That is not fair to you. Also, I feel ufortable getting paid for a job I didn''t work for...,"

    "If that is the case then I won''t pay you for the days you don''te to work. Are you satisfied now?" Mrs Parker abruptly interrupted.

    "Hmm...,"

    "Others would have jumped up at such an opportunity but you are the only one who is strongly against it. You are one of a kind, you know that right?" Mrs Parker quizzed. Her forehead folded only to reveal a deep frown.

    "That is because ever since my birth none has been so nice to me as you do apart from my friends and this kiddo here.... so you can''t me me for acting this way right?" Joanna said and grinned at the woman whose frown had eased up.

    "I am aware of how true your words are but all I can say is that you need to get used to being treated this way because a lot of people are gonna treat you this way and maybe even nicer than I do..."

    ....

    Hello ever lovely readers, it''s your darling author here again. I am so sorry I wasn''t able to upload chapters for days, believe me, it wasn''t nned.

    I fell seriously ill which made me unable to write anything. Although it wasn''t intentional on my part I still want to apologise.

    You guys had to wait for days without any updates, I am sorry. I promise to make it up to you guys when I get better.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    And please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, reviews and gifts.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 533 Were You Waiting For Me?

    Chapter 533 Were You Waiting For Me?

    "I know my situation better than anyone else so there is no need to try to cheer me up with such lies... moreover I am satisfied even though you turn out to be the only one who treats me this way," Joanna muttered and beamed at Mrs Parker.

    "You can doubt my words as much as you want now but I promise you that you will be dumbfounded when that time reaches," Mrs Parker replied.

    "See youter," Mrs Parker waved at the siblings standing close to each other at the moment.

    "Also, I would love to see more of you, little man," Mrs Parker addressed Anthony.

    "I...,"

    "He tends to get attached to things easily. It would be in the Cafe''s best interest if he doesn''t drop by frequently," Joanna cut in before Anthony could say a word.

    "Bye, Mrs Parker," Joanna waved at the woman. "I promise, I will make it up to you and Leah when the carnival is over," Joanna added.

    "As long as you don''t quit then I am fine with anything," Mrs Parker responded and shifted her gaze to the customer that stood at the front of the counter.

    As she attended to the customer she peeped at the siblings heading towards the Cafe''s entrance.

    Since Anthony didn''te along with his driver Joanna had to hail a taxi.

    Some minutes after the car left the cafe Anthony, who disliked quietness in the car, struck up a conversation with Joanna.

    "Big Sis, I noticed you didn''t sleep at homest night...," Anthony trailed off. He tilted his body so that he was staring at Joanna''s face.

    "Did Mum, Sister Laura and Grandma make things hard for you?... They must have used you of ruining Sister Laura''s party right?" He added in a gentle tone.

    "Was that why you didn''t sleep over at home?" He demanded, his voice calm as still water.

    "Little rice ball..." Joanna called him. She lifted her right hand and ced it on his leg.

    "I know you love me a lot and Big Sis loves you even more but don''t trust Big Sis too much," Joanna started meekly.

    "Big Sis is not as nice as you believe. I am a bad person..."

    "Big Sis can''t hurt a fly so that makes you a good person..."

    "Yes, I was a girl who couldn''t hurt a fly, not to mention hurting a human but that was in the past. My situation back then forced me to be a good person even against my will," Joanna exined calmly.

    She stroked his leg lovingly.

    "At the moment Big Sis is not weak. I can hit anyone who beats me up. I can look into the eyes of anyone whenever they speak...,"

    "Even if you can do that now, I know my Big Sis is not a bad person," Anthony insisted, despite that she listed the reason why she wasn''t a good person.

    "How can you trust me so much when I don''t even trust myself?" Joanna grumbled and pulled him into her embrace.

    Joanna and Anthony continued to talk until the taxi pulled over at the gate of his training centre.

    Since Joanna had asked for the taxi driver to wait, she entered the same taxi and left there after she made sure Anthony walked into the training centre under her supervision.

    Throughout half of her journey, Joanna was on call. When she realized how much time had passed she was surprised to see that she was almost at her destination.

    The moment Joanna arrived at the beach he was there to wee her. It was as if he had waited until she got there.

    "Didn''t you say you were in the middle of amercial shoot? What are you doing here?" Joanna scolded.

    She looked beyondhim and not even the far distance could stop her from seeing a shed set up on the beach.

    "Were you waiting for me?" she added after shifting her attention back to his face.

    "T-t-that..." Raymond stammered when he noticed that his cover had been blown.

    "We were asked to take a few minutes break and I told myself, why don''t Ie and wait for her in case she failed to find us...,"

    "Your crew is right over there," Joanna mumbled as she gestured at the crew whom she wasn''t sure could see her due to the distance.

    "So why on Earth would I have failed to find you?" she quizzed.

    "You...,"

    "You came all the way here to discuss the idea you came up with, don''t tell me you are gonna spend my entire break period scolding me?" Raymond cut in after he noticed that her scoldings won''t end there.

    "My break is less than five minutes. Mymercial shoot will resume the moment my time pses. I also have about three interviews after I wrapped up the shoot here....," Raymond let his words linger.

    Instead of strolling towards the direction of his crew, he took the opposite direction.

    "I don''t know when I will get another break if we don''t make good use of it," Raymond concluded.

    "Sorry if I stole the time you were supposed to use for rxation...,"

    "I was willing to do that so there is no need to feel apologetic. Also, there are days I don''t even get a minute''s rest untilte into the night so this is nothing," Raymond said to thedy whose guilt was apparent on her face.

    "Don''t you get exhausted?" Joanna asked out of concern.

    "I meant not only do you have to juggle between school, swimming training, and your personal life but also this, isn''t it exhausting at times?" Joanna went into detail to get rid of his earlier confusion.

    "Celebrities don''t have personal lives. Also, it is only humans who get weary and as you know, I am not a human," He replied, a sweet smile lingering at the corner of his lips.

    "You sure sounded super cool when you said that," Joanna grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

    "Did I?" He asked. His smile became broader as he looked towards the ocean.

    Joanna allowed the air of excitement to die off before she dived into the discussion that brought her there.

 Chapter 534 And Why Not?

    ?

    "So about the idea I told you about on the phone, did you understand all of them or do you want me to go over it again?" Joanna questioned in a soft tone.

    "Hmm...," Raymond paused in his tracks. He swivelled so that his back faced the ocean.

    "I understood the part you said about enacting The Great Ancient War in the form of drama but I didn''t quite get the part you talked about a different kind of modelling," Raymond replied honestly.

    "I don''t mind going over it one more time," she mumbled and got ready to ry her ideas to him once again.

    Joanna started her narration and exined her ideas from the beginning but midway through her narration, the crew called Raymond to resume the shoot.

    Even when Raymond left her to join his crew Joanna waited for him.

    They were running out of time and she wanted to conclude her exnation so that her group members would be able to dive into brainstorming and rehearsal on their next meeting. Which was why she refused to leave the shooting site.

    As they shoot themercial, happy Raymond often steals nces at thedy who was watching everything from the sideline.

    Although the crew noticed that he was distracted, none scolded him. In fact, they were thankful to Joanna for being there.

    Because of her, their shoot went better and smoother than they had imagined.

    Raymond''s lovestruck expression as he peers at her was exactly what the directors wanted. It matched perfectly with the theme of the shoot.

    The shoot that was estimated tost for three hours onlysted for two hours and that was all thanks to Raymond''s perfect execution of the scenes.

    Meanwhile, as they busied themselves with packing the equipment, Raymond was seen standing close to a ck van with his manager at his right-hand side.

    Raymond, whose attention has always been on Joanna, was surprised to see her walk past the ck van.

    "Where are you going, Miss Butterfly?" Raymond addressed her with the nickname he was fond of.

    Immediately, Joanna halted in her tracks, spun and gazed at where he stood.

    "To get a taxi," She replied and attempted to walk away again.

    "And why on Earth would you need a taxi when my car is right over here?" Raymond demanded. He moved away from the van and approached where she stood.

    "Let''s go in my car," Raymond muttered. He held her hand and tried to walk back to his car but Joanna didn''t move a muscle.

    "You know that is not possible," Joanna replied and brushed off his hands from her body but she wasn''t rude with her actions.

    "And why not?" Raymond asked in a soft tone.

    "You know the reason so there is no need to act dumb about it?" Joanna grumbled.

    She signalled him to look towards the beach where the crew members stood.

    When he turned like she suggested he saw that the two of them were in the limelight but he wasn''t fazed by this.

    "You are a public figure and a very popr one at that. Shouldn''t you stay away from things that cause scandals...,"

    "It''s not like I care about things like that. Besides we are not doing anything wrong," Raymond interrupted. His carefree attitude as he grabbed her hand for the second time showed that he meant what he said.

    "You might not but I do," Joanna stated and pushed his hands away from her body.

    [Being involved in a scandal with you will hurt the man I love and that is something I wouldn''t want to ever happen. I can''t break his heart one more time. Never!]

    Joanna blinked and forced a smile.

    "You are my good friend so how could I watch you get into a scandal because of me?" Joanna''s smile broadened.

    "If you care so much about me then why do you expect me to turn a blind eye to my good friend who needs my help...,"

    "But...,"

    "If you let me drop you off not only will my heart be at peace but we will be able to discuss more about our projects," Raymond insisted when he noticed how persistent Joanna was.

    "We will be able to strategize more. If this happens what will remain will be for us to dive into rehearsals if our group members ept your ideas," Raymond added.

    His lips curled into a sweet smile when he saw the conflicted look on her pretty face.

    "There is no need to think too much about this because you will be killing two birds with one stone if you go in my car," Raymond refused to give in just like that.

    "Don''t think too much. Juste with me hmm?" Raymond coaxed. He held her hand for the third time.

    "Also, my car is superfy. You won''t regreting with us," Raymond persisted.

    "Raymond, you know she can''te...," Raymond shot his manager a murderous re which made him swallow back whateverint he wanted.

    "Let''s go," Raymond pulled her along with him when he realised that she hasn''t made up her mind yet.

    Just like that, he was able to make Joanna do what he wanted.

    Inside the van, Raymond and Joanna sat at the back of the van while his driver and manager upied the front seat.

    "Miss Butterfly, I love your ideas. They are superb. And I believe that the others would love it...,"

    "I doubt that anyone will ept to take part in any of the activities if they learned where the ideas came from," Joanna muttered, her head hung low.

    "Also, I am certain that most of them will think that the concept is old andcking. A lot of them will not show enthusiasm...,"

    "And I am here to help you with that, aren''t I hmm?" Raymond asked, his eyes sparkled as the corner of his lips curled up to reveal a beautiful smile.

    "You...,"

    "I know their opposition is not the only thing you are worried about but also the fact that we are pressed for time...," Raymond trailed off, his tender eyes locked with hers.

 Chapter 535 Raymonds Condition

    ?

    "I am here to make things easier for you," He added and beat his chest confidently.

    "My modelling skills are legendary and my acting is notcking. I will help in coordinating our group members who will be participating in modelling and I will take part in the y too," Raymond assured her.

    He was so focused on his conversation and didn''t notice the way his manager gazed at him through the rear mirror.

    [He sure makes a lot of promises especially when he knows that he barely has time for himself. And howe I have never seen him smile so brightly before?]

    His manager who was in deep thought kept his eyes fixed on the guy whose loving eyes didn''t move from Joanna''s face for even a second.

    "You are the best Raymond. I have always known that I can count on you," Joanna''s eyes lit up and her smile spread across her face.

    "I am d I was able to put a smile on your face," Raymond said while smiling back at her.

    Joanna allowed the air of excitement to die off before she talked again.

    "Raymond, can you do me a favour?" Joanna asked in a calm tone. The seriousness on her face and voice made him stop to smile.

    "Of course as long as it is for you," Raymond gave her his words without listening to what she had to say first.

    "Don''t tell our group members that the ideas were from me," Joanna blurted while looking into his eyes.

    "What!" Raymond half-yelled. His eyes dted and his eyshes fluttered repeatedly.

    "You are joking right?" Raymond asked and adjusted the way he sat on the seat.

    "No," Joanna shook her head in negation.

    "Everyone wants to be recognised for their works and ideas. They get mad if their ideas or works are stolen...," Raymond paused to catch his breath.

    "So howe you are different?" Raymond asked as he stared into her purple orbs.

    "Because I want nothing more than for everything to go smoothly. We don''t have the time to waste trying to change their opinions or make them ept my ideas...,"

    "But...,"

    "As long as everything goes smoothly I will be fine," Joanna forced on a smile.

    Although she sounded cool and looked as if she was fine just like she said, Raymond could still see some traces of sadness in her eyes.

    Anyways, who in her shoes wouldn''t be hurt knowing that she was hated for no reason?

    "I really want our group to do well in the uing festival. I have never wanted to do so well as much as I do right now and I wish nothing will stand as a stumbling block to getting what I want," Joanna added.

    She didn''t avoid Raymond''s eyes for a second as she talked.

    "I know that all of them respect you. They will never go against you so please do me this favour hmm?" Joanna cooed.

    "Miss Butterfly...,"

    "Please... huh," Joanna mumbled when she realised that Raymond was yet to be convinced.

    "This is the first favour your good friend is asking you after our reunion, don''t tell me you are gonna be heartless enough to refuse her, hmm?" Joanna pouted her lips.

    Joanna, who knew the strength of her charms, decided to put it to good use.

    Just like she expected her charms worked wonders because not up to a minuteter Raymond gave in.

    "Ok, but on one condition," Raymond replied after a few seconds of silence.

    "What is that?" Joanna asked.

    "That you won''t take the backstage even though they end up not able to hide their dislike towards you anymore," Raymondid down his condition.

    His condition might have sounded easy to others but he knew that wasn''t the case for Joanna.

    He knew this wouldn''t be an easy task and that was why heid down such a condition.

    [I might not have been able to protect you from them in the past but now that I am back I will do everything to make sure that they ept you. It''s a promise, Miss Butterfly]

    Raymond stared at thedy who seemed to have a hard time agreeing to his terms.

    "You can forget about the favour you asked me if you are nning to leave all the workload to a busy person like me...,"

    "I will do it," Joanna finally said the words he wanted to hear.

    "You made the right decision," Raymond muttered. He tried his best not to show how happy he was that she agreed to his terms.

    The truth was that he would have still done her the favour she asked even though she didn''t agree with what he wanted.

    Too bad Joanna wasn''t aware of this.

    "Let''s have fun working together in the uing days, Miss Joanna," Raymond teased and extended his hand for a handshake.

    Joanna never nned to spend more than three hours with Raymond but she ended up spending the entire day with him.

    She was so preupied throughout the day and forgot about the promise she made to Anthony.

    At exactly 9:30 pm, a ck van pulled over in front of a tall apartment building.

    Soon ady in a matching denim outfit stepped out of the car along with a guy wearing a shy white jacket.

    "I am sorry I stole all of your time. I promise I will make it up to you...,"

    "Although I had no ns of following you about the entire day, I had tons of fun doing that," Joanna cut in meekly.

    "I was able to forget all my problems even for a few hours and this was all thanks to you so there is no need to apologise. Instead, I should be thanking you," She added and beamed at him.

    "My day wasn''t boring as it usually is and this was thanks to you. I equally had so much fun," Raymond smiled back at her.

    "Despite that, I have quite severalmercials to shoot and even a signing event tomorrow. I will spare time for our meeting tomorrow," Raymond said. He moved away from the car and walked closer to where she stood.

 Chapter 536 Joanna Acted Indifferent

    ?

    "Thanks for yourpany and see you tomorrow," Raymond whispered. He bent and wrapped his hands around her body before Joanna knew what he was up to.

    "Ray...," Joanna, whose hands were about to grab Raymond''s right shoulder, paused in mid-air the moment she got a glimpse of the face of a guy staring at her.

    [I can''t believe what I wanted to avoid really happened no matter how hard I tried to stop it... Should I be happy about this or what?]

    Joanna''s eyeballs remained on the frowning guy''s face despite being in deep thought.

    Joanna slowly let down her hand without pushing Raymond away like she wanted to.

    "Sweet dreams. I will pick you up tomorrow...,"

    "You are swamped already. I don''t think it''s fair to add more to your te. Besides I can always go in Drey''s car," Joanna interrupted in a soft tone.

    She tried to look and sound as natural as she could so that Amos would assume something was going on between her and Raymond.

    "For you, I can always create time. Also, picking you up is not a burden. You don''t know how much I love spending time with you," He admitted and pulled away from her.

    Raymond also knew that Amos was standing not far away but he acted as if he wasn''t aware of it.

    "Since you are the one who said it I won''t argue with you about it. Just make sure to have enough rest," Joanna beamed at him.

    Although it seems as if her attention was concentrated on the guy in front of her, the truth was that her mind had run rampant.

    Her mind was upied with the thoughts of what must be going through Amos'' mind.

    "I will call when I get home in case you get worried about me," Raymond gave her his sweetest smile.

    Despite that it was obvious that Raymond was being overly friendly with her, Amos who stood far away didn''t say a word or used him of flirting with his girlfriend like he would have done on a normal day.

    [He is being unusually well-behaved which is so unlike him. What hase over him?]

    Amos'' silence made Joanna anxious. He was so unusually quiet for the hot-tempered Kayden that she knew which was why she couldn''t stop herself from thinking that he was nning something underneath his silence.

    "See you tomorrow," Joanna waved at him and moved away from the side of the car.

    She watched Raymond hop into his car. Joanna didn''t make any attempt to leave there until she saw Raymond''s driver drive away.

    Even after Raymond left Joanna continued to y ignorant about Amos'' presence.

    "Have I be so insignificant that you won''t even acknowledge my presence?" Amos spoke up, atst, his cold gaze fixated on the back of thedy who was about to walk away.

    He strolled to where she stood when he noticed she had paused in her tracks.

    "If you have a problem with me, you can always talk it out with me like I normally did with you. You don''t have to go to this extent to make me jealous...,"

    "And what the hell are you implying by that huh?" Joanna fired. She spun and shot him a piercing re.

    "Are you in any case trying to say that I am faking my closeness with Raymond to get you jealous...,"

    "Am I wrong about that?" Amos questioned, his eyeballs locked with hers.

    [And that is the problem with him. Just like Drey, he knows me way too well to know when it is the real me and when I am faking it?... How am I gonna make him jealous to the point that he doubts my love when he seems to have seen through my ns?]

    Joanna peered at his face in silence. She tried to think of what to do and say to convince him that he was wrong.

    "Anna, I know you are mad at me and I...,"

    "If that is what you believed then let me tell you that you are wrong," Joanna asserted. She was scared that she would give herself away if she looked into his eyes so she lowered her eyes instead.

    "Ray is in love with me. He has always made it obvious so I am sure you should be aware of this right or wasn''t that the reason you hated it whenever he was around me?" Joanna hardened her heart and used his insecurities against him.

    Although at first, she wasn''t aware of why Amos got moody whenever Raymond and Derrick were around, she got to know the reasonter.

    Since then she tried not to get too close to Raymond knowing too well how her man feels about him.

    "Of course, I knew how he felt about you from the beginning...," Amos trailed off. He walked closer so that the gap between them no longer existed.

    "And do you want me to tell you something else?" Amos asked. He held her shoulders and bent so that Joanna could feel his hot breath against her bare skin.

    At that moment her body stiffened. She brought her right hand to her sides and pinched herself hard hoping that the pain would make her stay sane for as long as thissted.

    "W-w-what...," Joanna felt like pping her mouth when she heard her trembling voice.

    How would she be able to convince him that she was no longer in love with him when his mere touch was all he needed to wreak havoc on her entire system?

    "I also know that you don''t love him," He whispered into her ears. His provocative tone caused an electrifying sensation to run down her spine.

    And Joanna responded by biting her lower lips hard.

    Amos pulled away in time to see her biting down her lower lips.

    "No matter how hard you try to deny it, I know you love me... No, in fact, you never for once stopped loving me so quit with the pretence hmm," Amos muttered.

    He leaned in and acted as if he wanted to kiss her.

    ...

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    Thanks forplying and I love you ????????

 Chapter 537 Amos Challenged Audrey

    ?

    His heart almost jumped out of his chest when the samedy who acted as if she was made of stone shut her eyes, ready to wee his delicious lips against hers.

    [She still loves and a lot at that!]

    Amos screamed in his mind. An evil smirk spread across his face as he stared at thedy who had melted before he even had the opportunity to do anything to her.

    [Let''s see whether she will still be able to look into my eyes and say she has no feelings for me after this]

    He grinned and kissed her atst.

    At first, Amos wanted to tease her as revenge for the hurtful words she said to him but how she took possession of his lips stunned him.

    For a minute he wondered whether she was the samedy who acted as if he meant nothing to her.

    Since he had missed her a lot he dly weed everything she threw at him.

    He happily let her take the lead.

    Joanna, who seems to be possessed by a horny beast, wrapped her hand around his neck and kissed him deeper.

    She was so ovee with excitement andpletely forgot that where she stood was in front of an apartment building that anyone could walk past at any moment.

    As they made out, they didn''t see Audrey who just came out of her room peeped down at them.

    Having known how Joanna nned to keep a distance from Amos, Audrey was awestruck at the scene she saw.

    Though the scene was happening right in front of her eyes, Audrey rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn''t imagining things.

    [Didn''t she decide to avoid him? She went through so much to be able to achieve that and now all her hard work has gone down the drain... I am certain she is gonna get pretty upset when she realises what had happened]

    Audreymented for her best friend''s sake.

    She took ast peep at the two lovers who were still engaged in their hot kiss.

    Audrey hurried inside the room afterwards to avoid being seen by the two of them.

    It wasn''t until Audrey went into her room that Amos gave a slight bit to Joanna''s delicious lips.

    All Joanna needed to get back to her senses was this one bite.

    The instant she got back to her senses she pushed his chest and pulled away from him.

    "Joan...,"

    "Hey, why did you do that?" Joanna used, almost at the brink of tearing up.

    "Joan, let me exin....,"

    "Stay away from me," Joanna snarled and beat away his outstretched hand.

    "I don''t want to set my eyes on you. Do otherwise and I won''t hesitate to hurt myself in front of you," Joanna threatened and ran into the tall building without sparing him another nce.

    Her sudden outburst felt like a dream to Amos. For a moment he couldn''t wrap his finger around what happened a few seconds ago.

    "Did she just get mad at me for what she did?" Amos muttered. He kept his eyes fixed on the elevator which closed not long ago.

    "I need to find out what happened a moment ago. I bet I won''t be able to sleep a wink again tonight if I don''t sort things out," He mumbled and made his way into the building.

    About three minutes after Joanna ran into the room, the doorbell of Audrey''s front door rang.

    Because she knew who was at the door, Audrey, who was trying to calm the crying Joanna down, ignored the doorbell.

    On Amos'' third attempt, Audrey could no longer keep her cool anymore.

    "Isn''t it already obvious that we don''t want to talk to him so why won''t he just go away?" Audrey retorted with her fist sped.

    She let go of the sobbing Joanna and stomped towards the door.

    Amos'' downcast expression lit up the moment someone from inside opened the brown door.

    "Audrey, I want to see Joan. Help me to ry that to her...,"

    "You are a smart person, I am certain you were already aware that we ignored you on purpose so why didn''t you leave after understanding the hint?" Audrey snapped.

    She wasn''t polite with her reply nor was her expression friendly either.

    One could see that she was really mad and not faking it to chase him away.

    "I want to talk to her and clear up the misunderstanding. You know just how much I can''t stand her being mad at me...,"

    "I guess you will need to start getting used to it from now onwards because she doesn''t want to see or talk to you," Audrey cut in sharply.

    Her grip around the door tightened in case Amos felt cornered and decided to break in by force.

    "From what I overheard, she made that point as clear as crystal when she left you...,"

    "Audrey!" Amos screamed her name to call her to order.

    "Audrey, you are best friends. You must know better than me that she is lying about not being in love with you. And if that is the case, shouldn''t you help us to make up instead of trying to tear us apart? Isn''t that what a good friend should...,"

    "I will do anything that makes her happy without having to answer to you...,"

    "And you think she is happy right now?" Amos retorted.

    Audrey''s cold gaze wavered after Amos made this statement. She avoided his eyes at that instant.

    She knows too well how much her best friend''s heart was hurting.

    Joanna was against the idea from the beginning but was forced to make apromise so how could she not know her best friend''s struggles?

    Of course, she is aware of what the lovebirds were passing through but who is she to intervene in their problems when this involved the matter of their safety?

    She doesn''t mind beingbelled the viin as long as her best friend and the man she loveses out of this unscathed at the end of all these.

    "Tell me, do youreally think that keeping a distance from me makes your best friend happy?" Amos pried for answers.

 Chapter 538 She Chased Him Away

    ?

    "Look into my eyes and answer that...,"

    "There is no need to do that because nothing you say will make me change my mind," Audrey cut in rudely.

    "Leave while I am being very civilised. I don''t even know what I will do to you if you keep making my Anna cry," Audrey said and mmed the door on him.

    "Didn''t she say Joan didn''t want to see me so what did she mean by Joan was crying?" Amos mumbled.

    He raised his hand and knocked on the door despite Audrey''s warning.

    His obstinate behaviours didn''te as a surprise to the twodies who were inside the room.

    They deemed ignoring him the best thing to do and that was exactly what they did.

    Raymond called like he had promised but Audrey ended up answering the line since Joanna was too upset to talk to anyone at the moment.

    Amos kept guard in front of Audrey''s door for hours. He only left when there was no hope that the two friends would step out of their apartment that night.

    Tonight he didn''t go to the club which had be his favourite ce after his misunderstanding with Joanna set in but he went to a different ce.

    At a well-furnished apartment whose walls were a mixture of grey and white, a man was seen switching off the lights in his room ready to retire for the night.

    Unfortunately for him, his doorbell rang just after he had climbed onto his bed ready to fall asleep whenever sleep found him.

    "Who could that be sote in the night?" The man who wasn''t expecting any visitors grumbled as he climbed out of bed.

    He made his way towards the door with a deep frown on his face.

    At the door, he held the handle and pulled it open.

    His frown eased up the instant he got a glimpse of the face of the man standing in front of his doorstep.

    "W-w-what... are you doing here?" Mr Fin who hardly gets shocked stammered, unable topose himself.

    "Also, didn''t we agree to keep a distance so as not to arouse people''s suspicions so what are you....,"

    "Isn''t it very impolite to question your visitor at the door especially someone of my identity....,"

    "You know this no time to crack jokes or...,"

    "I made sure no one saw me when I came in, so will you stop being paranoid?" Amos hissed. He pushed Mr Fin aside and strolled into the spacious room.

    "One would think you are Chris and Gideon''s elder brother because of your naggy behaviour,"Amos added.

    Even though it was dark he navigated his way into the sitting room as if he were the owner of the house.

    He moved to the white couch and sat down with his back leaning against it.

    "I want to make sure that you are safe, is that wrong?" Mr Fin quizzed. He pressed the switches on the right wall and immediately the lights in the sitting room came on.

    "Hmmm... not really but it gets a bit annoying if it bes a constant thing," Amos replied without sugarcoating his words.

    Although he said these words out loud Mr Fin acted as if he didn''t hear him. He walked to the centre table and sat on the couch opposite him.

    "So what are you doing here?" Mr Fin asked after he had taken his sweet time to study Amos.

    "Is it wrong to visit my friend''s home especially now that I have a bit of freedom?" Amos questioned.

    The way his eyes were all over the ce further confirmed what Mr Fin had noticed when he studied Amos a while ago.

    "Also, you are the one who always lectured Kyle about etiquettes so why is it that you are interrogating your guest? Isn''t offering a visitor something to drink first the basic etiquette?" Amos added. He stood up from the couch and walked around the spacious room.

    Yes, Mr Fin''s room was tastefully furnished but none of the decor or furniture were extravagant.

    Theyout of his room and the decorations spoke so much about the kind of man he was.

    "You, a visitor in my home?" Mr Fin chuckled, his gaze fixed on the guy who happens to be staring at a flower vase in front of him.

    "You know the entireyout of my apartment and where everything is ced so why are you a visitor?" Mr Fin grumbled.

    "Also, aren''t you aware that you are the reason I haven''t moved to a ce with tight security?... I was afraid you would get caught on one of the asions you try to sneak into my room....,"

    "Hey, how could you say that? Is that how little you think of your friend, hmm?" Amosined. He pretended to be upset.

    "You shouldn''t have brought up the topic that you were a visitor when you and I know the secret," Mr Fin replied, smiling.

    "So what exactly brought you here?" Mr Fin asked a bit more seriously this time around.

    "You and I know that you are not the type to visit me out of the blue except if you want to talk so quit with the act and behave more like your normal self," Mr Fin added.

    He kept his eyes fixed on the guy who was making his way back to the centre table.

    "That is what I hate and love about you at the same time. You can see through me no matter how hard I try," Amos muttered. He sank into the white chair like an exhausted pregnant woman.

    "What is bothering you this time?" Mr Fin demanded in a gentle tone.

    "Finley...," Amos called. He raised his gaze and looked into Mr Fin''s eyes.

    "Is it possible to easily get rid of the feeling of love as one wishes?" Amos asked out of the blue.

    "What!" Mr Fin who didn''t expect such a question from him eximed with widened eyes.

    "I am asking because I have tried to get rid of my feelings for her in the past but instead ended up falling deeper in love with her...," Amos let his words linger as he lowered his gaze.

 Chapter 539 He Refused To Be Lectured

    "I am asking in case I am the only one who finds it difficult to get rid of my feelings for her while others find it easy...,"

    "Did you and her quarrel?" Mr Fin asked, not able to stand seeing his friend so heartbroken.

    He knows Kayden to be a very confident person. And this was because Kayden was groomed to be this way ever since he learned to talk.

    Back then none predicted he would be the King but since he was a young master from a prominent family he was trained to always be bold and confident in all situations.

    His demeanour and aura as he grew showed how well he had imbibed this teaching.

    There are only a few times he has seen Kayden lost at what to do and these asions had something to do with Joanna.

    [I guess this is what love does to a person]

    Mr Fin was lost in thought as he kept his eyes glued on Amos.

    "Stop staring at me and give me a reply already," Amos chided.

    "Hmm...," Mr Fin trailed. He was an intelligent and wise man and as such it was rare to catch him off guard with a question.

    Only questions on a few topics would catch him off guard. Love and rtionships happen to be one of them since he hasn''t been in a rtionship.

    "As you know I haven''t been in a rtionship before...,"

    "Are you trying to say I asked the wrong person what is bothering me?" Amos raised an eyebrow.

    "You didn''t let me finish," Mr Fin defended himself.

    "Although I haven''t been in a rtionship, I learned that love is not a feeling that you easily get rid of whenever you want...," Mr Fin paused to make sure that Amos followed the point he tried to make.

    "Some people achieve this after years of attempts while others don''t until the day they die. Trying to get over one''s love is the reason there are so many miserable people in the world," Mr Fin went further to exin.

    "What you are saying is that it''s impossible for someone to just wake up one day and suddenly say they are not in love anymore right?" Amos twisted his question despite Mr Fin''s reply being pretty straightforward.

    "Of course. Love isn''t a feeling you put to death or get over with overnight...,"

    "Hahaha...," Amos burst outughing to Mr''s astonishment. Mr Fin''sst statement was all he needed to put an end to his sadness.

    "I knew she was lying," He added, still smiling.

    "Are you alright? Do you need me to call Amelia toe over?" Mr Fin, who wasn''t aware of what made him so excited, asked out of concern.

    "I am perfectly right," Amos beamed as he made the ok sign at Mr Fin. "In fact, I don''t think I have felt this good for the past days," He whispered, a sweet smile spread across his handsome face.

    "Although I can''t wrap my fingers around what excites you, I am happy to see that your mood has brightened up," Mr Fin replied meekly.

    Mr Fin watched as Amos kept grinning at himself. He was genuinely happy to see him this way, that is why he didn''t disturb him.

    "Kay, your trip was supposed to have ended a few days ago but I heard you have no ns of returning to your rightful ce...,"

    "I told that bbermouth Kyle not to mention a word about this to you but...,"

    "He is worried about you and how you have left your throne vacant for a long time with no sign of going back to where you belong. You can''t me us for acting this way," Mr Fin defended Kyle even though he wasn''t present at the moment.

    "Kay, you know you can''t....,"

    "I know what you want to say and let me tell you that Chris and Kyle had already lectured me enough. I am certain my eardrums are gonna burst if you lectured me too," Amos interrupted while rubbing his ears.

    "Just let me quietly spend the night here huh? I haven''t gotten a wink of sleep for days if you may know," Amos confessed.

    Hey on the couch and closed his eyes so he wouldn''t have to answer Mr Fin''s question.

    "You know you can''t sleep here. People will get suspicious of you if they see us together in private, especially after the rumour....,"

    "I will leave early enough not to be seen. Are you satisfied now?" Amos who opened his eyes not long ago demanded, his eyeballs fixed on his friend''s creased eyebrows.

    Mr Fin still wanted to dwell on the topic but had to change his mind when Amos adjusted the way heid so that his back faced him.

    "I won''t disturb you. Instead, I will make sure to wake you up when it''s time so let''s go to bed," Mr Fin proposed as he stood up from where he sat.

    "Don''t worry I won''t steal your bed today. Instead, I will sleep on the couch tonight," Amos replied. He did not attempt to turn to look at Mr Fin as he spoke.

    "That is not proper. Apart from the fact that I won''t be spared from severe punishment if anyone learns about this, how can I let you sleep here when the bed is huge to contain the two of us?" Mr Fin insisted.

    After a few more arguments, Amos had no choice but to do what Mr Fin wanted.

    He slept on the enormous bed alongside Mr Fin.

    When morning reached Amos left Mr Fin''s apartment early just as he had promised.

    He wanted to stake out in front of Audrey''s home to catch thedies unawares but he had to postpone that when he recalled he had a meeting with his men.

    Getting to their meeting point the first thing Amos noticed was the shortage in the number of his men.

    "So where are the other three? Is it their break period?" Amos questioned. His eyes moved from one quiet individual to the other.

 Chapter 540 They Struck Again

    ?

    "I believed I asked a simple question so why do you take turns gazing at each other instead of responding?" Amos scolded sternly.

    "That....," Someone barged in before the tallest among the three men could talk.

    "I am sorry I arrivedte," Kyle apologized. He moved to stand beside Amos afterwards.

    Amos, who was more worried about what happened in his absence, ignored him. He shifted his attention back to the men in his front.

    "Do you mind telling me where Ellison and the others went?" Amos asked more seriously this time around.

    "Are they perhaps cking?" Kyle added. He gave the three men intimidating stares so they won''t dare to lie to them.

    "Of course not....,"

    "Then where the hell are they?" Kyle and Amos chorused as if they could reach others'' minds.

    "Last night there were movements in front of the pce so Ellison and the others went to check on what happened but only to vanish into thin air," The tallest guy among them replied.

    "They vanished without a trace?" Kyle asked with widened eyes. He exchanged puzzled nces with his partner who seems to be as equally shocked as him.

    "Yes... at first, we thought they pulled a prank on us but a few minutester it dawned on us that they were really gone and that it wasn''t a joke...,"

    "All of you were here, so are you trying to tell us that you don''t know what happened to them or who took them away?" Kyle asked, still unable to believe what had just been ryed to them.

    "You talk as if you haven''t seen what they are capable of," Amos mumbled as he walked to the couch and sat down.

    "I doubt things would have been any different if we were present herest night," Amos added, his eyes fixed on the guy approaching where he sat.

    "Didn''t we make all these arrangements to catch those framing you, the royal family and the vampires for being responsible for the killings in the Kingdom? So why are you acting nonchnt about this?" Kyle questioned Amos for the first time since the operation was established.

    "Of course, that was why this operation came into existence in the first ce...,"

    "Then why don''t you look affected at all that instead of making progress we have lost our men to those stupid fools who tantly kill our people without an ounce of fear...,"

    "Haven''t you heard that you can never beat what you don''t know?" Amos quizzed. He stood up and strolled towards the ss window that was covered with curtains.

    "But we know that the humans are responsible for the disturbances in the Kingdom. They want to cause instability so they can seize the opportunity to attack us...,"

    "And are you insinuating we should imprison all the humans living in the Kingdom just because we know that the human world is responsible for our current troubles?" Amos demanded in a cold tone.

    "You know that is not what I meant...,"

    "Kyle, we just need to catch one of them or even see the faces of those who have been perpetrating evil in my Kingdom....," Amos trailed. He grinned and peered out of the window.

    "And I promise you that none of them will be safe again when that timees. I will hunt them down until none is left to ry their downfall to the mastermind," Amos dered, his fist tightly sped.

    "I will kill at least one of them for what they put us through when that timees," Kyle asserted, his right hand balled into a fist.

    "I bet so many others share the same thoughts with you," Amos replied as he spun and peered at where the three guys stood, looking at him for the next step.

    "After what happened, I believe we need to restrategize our next step because there is no way they are gonna fall into our trap now that they are aware of our operation," Kyle suggested in a calmer tone.

    "Of course that is a given," Amos replied. He strolled to the couch in the middle of therge room.

    "Everyone let''s restrategize," Amos muttered, he beckoned them with a wave of the hands toe closer.

    Meanwhile, as Amos worked with his team, Joanna who had also woken up early was seen drafting the n for her group''s performance.

    By the time Audrey woke up she was nearly done with her work.

    "You are up already?" Audrey who just opened her eyes asked as she propelled her body up and leaned her back against the headboard.

    She rubbed her eyes with her right hand and tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the room.

    "Hmm...," Joanna replied, she momentarily spared Audrey a nce only to return it to the screen in front of her.

    "What are you doing exactly?" Audrey demanded, crawling out of bed.

    "Do you have any pending projects that I don''t know of?" She added and moved to the table not far from where the bed was.

    "Also, why are you using myptop instead of the one I got for you?" She inquired.

    When she got to where Joanna sat, she stood behind her back, bent and peeped at what she was typing.

    "No peeping," Joanna eximed and immediately covered the white screen with her palms.

    She was forced to stand up after she realised that Audrey was still able to read what was on the screen.

    "Stingy!" Audrey hissed and moved about two steps backwards.

    "Have you forgotten who I learnt it from or do you want me to refresh your memory of yesterday''s event?" Joanna muttered.

    She smiled at thedy whose pouty lips she found hrious.

    "T-t-that...," Audrey mumbled but her frown didn''t ease up even though she knew she was guilty of what Joanna used her of.

    "And about theptop you got for me, I remember asking you to return it and get a refund...,"

    "Were you serious about that?" Audrey asked. By this time, her sulking expression was long gone.

 Chapter 541 Do You Love Kyle?

    ?

    "I thought you were joking...,"

    "Have you ever seen me joke around with such a serious face?" Joanna asked a bit more seriously.

    "If you think I bought theptop because I pitied you or whatever...,"

    "You, pity me?" Joanna chuckled as she pointed her index finger at Audrey.

    "I am aware that even though everyone in the world was to pity me, you are thest person to do that," Joanna said with so much confidence that Audrey was shocked at how high esteem her best friend thought of her.

    "You have already been bewitched by me ever since we were children which is why everything you do for me is from the heart...,"

    "If that is the case then shouldn''t you take responsibility for bewitching me by epting every good thing I get for you hmm?" Audrey pouted her lips.

    She tried to hop onto Joanna''s body but she moved away in time thereby escaping whatever tricks Audrey was trying to pull.

    "This is exactly why I want to break the spell for you. You know you can''t stay bewitched by me all your life...,"

    "And why can''t I huh?" Audrey challenged.

    "In a few years, I won''t have to rely on my parents'' allowances anymore. I will make tons of money that will be enough to pamper you for a lifetime," Audrey dered while beating her chest with her right hand.

    "Aww... that is so nice to hear. I wonder what would have been Kyle''s reaction if he were here to listen to his girlfriend make such a confession...,"

    "Hey, why did you bring him up?" Audrey growled, displeasure written all over her face.

    "About Kyle, there is something I have been wanting to ask you...," Joanna let her words linger.

    She held Audrey''s hand and together they moved to the medium size bed.

    "Why do you look so serious hmm?" Audrey questioned. She removed the hands Joanna had ced on herp and shifted a bit away from her.

    "Don''t tell me you wanna say I should break up with him because you don''t like him...,"

    "Actually, that is the opposite of what I want to say," Joanna cut in. She moved closer so that the gap between the two of them no longer existed.

    "Drey, I can still recall that you were there for me when I didn''t know what love between a man and woman was. You guided, coaxed and encouraged me at the time I needed someone to talk to," Joanna started in a cool tone.

    She held Audrey''s hands and guided them to herp.

    "I remembered a few times when you even cried along with me...," Joanna chuckled at her own statement.

    Recalling the silly things she did in the past brought a smile to her face when back then she was miserable that she forgot that such a thing likeughter existed.

    "I am happy to see that there are many things that bring a smile to your face," Audrey mumbled, her gaze fixed on Joanna''s glistening eyeballs.

    "I want to be that kind of friend to you. Someone you can rely on. Your number one backer and cheerleader...,"

    "Aren''t you already that right now? Also, what does this have to do with Kyle?" Audrey, who was curious about where the discussion was heading interrupted calmly.

    "Do you love Kyle?" Joanna asked without giving Audrey a heads-up.

    "W-w-what...," Audrey so much wanted to p her mouth for messing up at such an important moment but she held herself back.

    "Are you both serious about each other?" Joanna added, her eyes glued on Audrey''s wavering eyeballs.

    Seeing how Audrey tried to avoid her eyes she couldn''t see the reason why she would act that way but she decided to ignore it.

    "If you are serious about him, I promise to constantly keep him in check to prevent him from hurting you...,"

    "Life itself is unpredictable so how could you be so sure that he won''t misbehave even though you tried to keep him in check?" Audrey quizzed.

    She brushed Joanna''s hands off, stood up and strolled a few steps away.

    "Drey...,"

    "Anna, I know exactly what I am doing so you don''t have to worry about me. I promise I can take care of myself...,"

    "But...,"

    "I thought you had a meeting with your group members this morning. Aren''t you gonna get ready before Raymond gets here?" Audrey quickly changed the discussion to stop Joanna from pursuing the topic any further.

    "You are right about that but...,"

    "Go on into the bathroom now. I will help you pick an outfit," Audrey interrupted. She strolled to the wardrobe without taking a second look at her surprised best friend.

    [It''s her boyfriend we are talking about for crying out loud so why is she acting this way?... Is she not in love with him or what?]

    Joanna stared at Audrey''s back in silence. She had no choice but to head into the bathroom when Audrey refused to look in her direction.

    Some minutes after Joanna entered the bathroom, a knock at the front door made Audrey pause what she was doing.

    She dropped her cell phone on the bed and approached the sitting room and then the entrance.

    "Raymond!" Audrey eximed, pretending as if she hadn''t known he was the one before she even opened the door.

    "Miss Butterfly...,"

    "Sorry to disappoint you but she is not done. She is still in the bathroom...," Audrey let her words linger. She tilted her head and looked towards the bedroom door.

    "This is not because she didn''t wake up early. But the truth is that she was trying to sort out your performances to make things easier for your group members," Audrey exined.

    For a minute she forgot to invite him into the house so they could talk over a cup of coffee or tea.

    "We haven''t started yet and I am already feeling guilty. I feel like I am gonna owe her way too much before D-Day...,"

    "What is the problem?" Audrey cut in and beckoned him into her home atst.

    "Wait, you are not nning to abandon everything for her to hand right? Tell me I guessed it all wrong?" Audrey asked. Her expression turned stern as she waited for Raymond''s reply.

 Chapter 542 Joanna Came Out At Last

    ?

    "Not literally abandoning everything to her... but it''s just that I might not always be around to assist her in managing our group as her co-leader," Raymond muttered.

    He scanned the spacious room with his sharp eyes.

    "That won''t be a problem. Besides, she is more than ready to give it her best shot at the moment. You can alwayspensate her another way if you feel guilty towards her," Audrey replied, the corner of her lips curved to reveal a sweet smile.

    "You can sit over there," Audrey offered as she gestured at the couch opposite where she stood.

    "What do you want; water, juice, coffee or...,"

    "Just give me whatever you have?" Raymond muttered absentmindedly. Although he was talking to Audrey the truth was that his focus was not her.

    Instead, it was on the photo frame of Audrey and Joanna when they were children hanging on the wall.

    "Does that mean you drink blood too?" Audrey teased the guy whom she could see wasn''t affected by her presence.

    "W-w-what...," Raymond stammered. He shifted his gaze to look at her atst.

    "That is only a picture of a sad girl trying so hard to hide her pains behind those fake smiles. There is nothing there to look so intensely at," Audrey grumbled and approached where they kept their refrigerator.

    "As you said, this is nothing but only a picture so how are you so sure that her smile is fake?" Raymond implored. He stood up and walked to the side of the room where the photo frame hung.

    "What if she was genuinely happy...,"

    "Did you just say genuinely happy?" Audrey crackled as if Raymond had just finished saying something funny.

    "You must be kidding right?" She added and returned her attention to the coffee mixerid on the white table in front of her.

    "Were things that serious?... Are the things I learnt about her true and not rumours that I thought they were...,"

    "Even I would have wished it were a rumour if I didn''t witness them with my eyes," Audrey added. She peered towards the bedroom door when she heard noisesing from there.

    "From what she told me when we first met, I am aware that she was never liked but I failed to understand why things got worse," Raymond murmured.

    He stopped looking at the photo frame and instead focused his attention on Audrey.

    "You have always been with her ever since she was a child. I am sure you must know the reason why she had to suffer so much for many years right?" Raymond inquired.

    "If you asked me for the reason they made Anna suffer in their hands for so many years then I will tell you that they are all crazy. Insane is the perfect word to exin this," Audrey who has always been blunt with her words asserted.

    She carried the two cups of coffee and approached where Raymond stood.

    "Also if you want me to tell you what happened in the past, I will have to let you down. Anna is in the best position to say anything about that. Although I am her friend, I have no right to divulge her privacy to you...,"

    "But...,"

    "You can ask about that when shees out but I doubt she will tell you anything. After all, this is a painful past anyone in her shoes wouldn''t want to remember," Audrey drew the curtain on their current discussion.

    "That is cool with me," Raymond replied. He reached out his hand and collected the blue mug from Audrey''s right hand.

    "Since you can''t disclose what happened in the past to me I hope you wouldn''t decline my next question?" Raymond lowered the cup of coffee from his mouth and kept his gaze glued to Audrey''s face.

    "That will depend on what your question is," Audrey mumbled and looked right back at him.

    "What are some of the things Miss Butterfly likes and dislikes?" Raymond demanded in a subtle tone.

    He rubbed the handle of the mug as he waited for Audrey''s answers.

    "Anna likes a lot of things and loathes a few things," Audrey started in a cool tone.

    Meanwhile, as Audrey and Raymond chatted Joanna who overheard everything from the next room hurried about her preparation so she wouldn''t keep Raymond waiting for long.

    "If only he had told me that he would arrive early then he wouldn''t have had to wait for me," Joanna murmured as she continued to dry her hair with the white hairdryer in her right hand.

    Because she could practically recite Raymond''s schedule from the heart Joanna skipped so many things she normally did so she would join them in the sitting room earlier.

    "You are done!" Raymond remarked, his eyes fixed on the bedroom door that opened a few seconds ago.

    "Yeah...," Joanna trailed off as she walked further into the sitting room.

    "I am sorry you had to wait for...,"

    "It was my fault for not telling you the exact time I would pick you up so there is no need to apologise," Raymond muttered as he stood up from where he sat.

    "Besides, my wait wasn''t all in vain. I got to know a lot about you during my time here, so if anything it was worth the wait," Raymond beamed at her instead of being upset that she kept a busy man like him waiting for a while.

    After Raymond made mentioned what he and Audrey talked about, thedy sitting on the couch avoided looking in her best friend''s direction.

    She was so certain that Joanna wouldsh out at her for discussing such things about her with Raymond.

    "I am happy to hear that naughty girl kept you entertained while I wasn''t around," Joanna said yfully to Audrey''s dismay.

    "Let''s go now or we are gonna bete," Joanna added as she led the way.

    "Hey, Ray...," Audrey called out to the guy who had followed Joanna.

    Raymond paused in his tracks, he spun and peered at where Audrey sat.

    "That best friend of mine beside you is just perfect. Her only ws are that she tends to think a lot so I leave her in your care...,"

    "What are you talking about, Drey?" Joanna immediately chided her.

 Chapter 543 How Come Its You?

    ?

    "Bye, I will see youter," Audrey waved at both of them before she disappeared from the sitting room.

    "Let''s go," Joanna who could not scold Audrey even though she wanted to say to the guy beside her.

    She approached the door with Raymond following her closely.

    After Joanna left the room, Audrey came out of the bedroom. She went out of her apartment even though she was still in her pyjamas.

    From the corridor, she stood and watched the two people she was very familiar with as they approached a ck van parked just in front of the building.

    "He is such a gentleman," Audrey mumbled when he saw Raymond open the door for Joanna and let her enter the van first.

    [He seems to like Anna a lot. And I have this feeling that a naughty girl would have been much happier with him than with Kayden... It''s just too bad that we can''t teach our heart whom to love]

    Audrey was in deep thought as she watched the ck van move out of the apartment premises.

    After she watched them leave Audrey returned to the room. Because she had no prior appointment that morning Audrey freshened up and stationed herself in front of her gaming pad.

    Audrey was still in the middle of her game when someone knocked at her front door.

    "I am sure Anna didn''t forget anything when she left. And I recall telling my mum not to drop by my apartment so she won''t make Anna ufortable, so who could that be at the door?" Audrey mumbled her eyes fixed on the bedroom door as if she could see through walls.

    When the banging became louder, Audrey had no choice but to pause her game and went to answer the door.

    "Howe it''s you?" Audrey eximed a frown visible on her pretty face.

    "I know you don''t like seeing my face and I will grant your wish as long as you let me in so I can talk to Joan...,"

    "And what makes you think I will do that?" Audrey rolled her eyes, and her grip around the brown door became firmer just in case the guy in front of her tried to force his way in.

    "Audrey...,"

    "The one you are looking for is not in so you can quit with the sermon," Audrey decided to save Amos the stress of lecturing her with the hopes that he would get to talk with Joanna.

    "She is not in?" Amos repeated as if Audrey''s words were not clear enough.

    He peered at his wristwatch only for him to realise that he didn''t arrive therete but was right on time.

    "Audrey, although I am unaware of the reason you dislike me so much, you don''t have to lie just to get rid of me," Amos replied.

    He tried to peep into the room with the tiny space Audrey left open but the smart girl moved over and blocked his vision.

    "And why on Earth would I bother to lie when I have many ways to get you out of my front door?" Audrey snarled.

    "Also it seems like you misunderstood something so let me make one thing clear right here...," Audrey paused. She let go of the door and stood properly, her eyeballs locked with Amos''.

    "I indeed hate the fact that you do nothing other than make my friend sad ever since we knew each other... but the truth is that I have never for once hated you," Audrey spoke sternly.

    Amos would have thought she was lying if not that she looked into his eyes and said these words.

    "I have always loathed the fact that you can''t really help my friend''s situation even though your position is high up there...,"

    "Even if others criticise me, you of all people shouldn''t do that. You know that never for once have I ever...,"

    "I know you love Anna and have always made ns for her future and yours together but you can''t stop me from feeling this way. I am her best friend after all and I have witnessed all the shit she had to go through all these years," Audrey retorted.

    After her outburst, none of them spoke for over a minute.

    From Amos'' head which hung low Audrey knew she hurt him with her statement but she decided not to give much thought to it.

    Words said can never be taken back, she is well aware of this.

    "Sorry that I couldn''t entertain you properly but I promise to make it up to you on a better day," Audrey broke the awkward silence atst.

    "If there is nothing more then I will take my leave. Farewell," Audrey added. She took onest nce at Amos'' fallen expression before she walked back into the room and shut the door.

    For three minutes Amos stood at the same spot and stared at the brown door nkly like there were some interesting inscriptions on the door.

    Audrey, who could still feel his presence even from the bedroom, was finally able to breathe normally after he left her doorstep.

    "Although Anna and he are not on good terms right now, that doesn''t change the fact that she still loves him very much. I think I need to be careful with my words so Anna and I won''t end up fighting because of this," Audrey, who felt guilty for her earlier actions, cautioned herself without waiting for anyone to do that.

    After Amos left the apartment building without the car he came with, he walked aimlessly on the street like someone whose soul was sucked out of him.

    "If that is what Audrey thinks of me then does Joan share the same thought as her?" Amos, who was bothered by Audrey''s earlier statement, murmured.

    Instead of watching his path, Amos'' gaze was focused on the floor as he walked.

    [I have always believed that I gave it my best and I went around nning my future with Joan... but why did Audrey''s words make me feel like my best was not enough? Was I too slow with my arrangements or...?]

    Amos paused in his tracks. He raised his head and stared into the distance.

 Chapter 544 The Two Men Took Amos

    ?

    "Should I have forced her to marry me even though it was obvious she didn''t feel the same way about me? Was it wrong of me to wait for the execution of my ns when she was of legal age to make decisions for herself...," Amos mumbled.

    He paid no attention to the people who stopped and took a second nce at him.

    "Should I have disregarded all these things just because I love and wanted to protect her? Would the oue have been different if I had struck the iron while it was hot?" Amos, who had always believed in his strategies, began to doubt everything he had done concerning Joanna.

    Amos was still walking on the less busy street when a car screeched to a stop in front of him. Two men in blue suits obstructed his path.

    Without raising his head, he walked to the right to avoid them but the two men blocked his path once again.

    He was about to do something nasty to the insolent men but had a change of mind when he raised his gaze and saw their faces.

    [These are Mr Anderson''s men. I recognize seeing them with him a few times so what are his men doing here?]

    Amos tried not to make it obvious that he recognized them.

    [Did he perhaps discover my identity?]

    Amos'' eyes dted at the thought that he might have left a loophole in his actions.

    "Who are you?... And what is this about if I may ask?" Amos asked in aposed manner even though his heart was pounding.

    "Someone wants to talk with you. It will be quick," The guy on his right-hand side spoke. He tried to hold his hand but Amos beat his hand away.

    "To hell with that person and whatever conversation he wants to have with me," Amos spat out in disgust.

    "Also, to hell with whether the conversation will be short or lengthy. I don''t have even a minute to spare," Amos hissed and tried to walk away but only for the two muscr guys to grab him at both sides.

    "Sorry, but you will have toe with us whether or not you like it," The second guy muttered.

    Together the two guys forced Amos towards where their driver had already opened the door of the car for them.

    Although he wanted to go along with them and hear what Mr Anderson had to say, Amos knew it would be strange if he obediently followed people who were supposed to be strangers to him.

    So he won''te out suspicious, he puts on a fight with them.

    He refused to enter the car no matter how hard the men tried to squeeze him into the car.

    "He looks like he doesn''t work out so howe he is so strong?" The driver who was wrestling to remove Amos'' right hand from the car doorined bitterly.

    After a few more struggles the three men were able to haul Amos into the car and this was all because he let them to.

    Inside the car, Amos thought of the many reasons Mr Anderson would go to such an extent to talk to him.

    He did a lot of thinking but in the end, he couldn''t wrap his finger around the reason for his abduction.

    As this went on Joanna who was discussing with her group members was unaware of what her father was up to.

    Some minutes ago Raymond told them about Joanna''s idea for their performances although he didn''t disclose that she came up with the ideas.

    Papers of their performance draft printed by Joanna were distributed for everyone to have a better understanding of what Raymond said earlier.

    Raymond stepped aside and left the floor for questions, suggestions and for people to say their opinions.

    Just like Joanna had guessed there were a few objections but it wasn''t as bad as she imagined it would be.

    She credited this achievement to Raymond not knowing that Raymond wasn''t the only reason why half of the ss decided to partake in the y.

    The main reason was that almost all of them had lost someone dear to them during the Great Ancient War and that was why they were more than willing to enact the event in memory of their loved ones.

    Joanna made modifications to the y she had drafted after some people chirped in their quota.

    The way they chatted and rted with her was as if they were not the same people who almost murdered her with their stares some hours ago.

    Things moved smoother than Joanna could ever imagine.

    They were able to achieve a lot by the time Derrick and Raymond left for their next appointment, leaving her in charge of handling their other group members.

    Joanna was so relieved that Sophie, Nora and Eva, who happens to be in the same group with her, didn''t show up to mess things up for her.

    While she coordinates her actress for the y and dance fusion, the boy anddy Raymond had chosen to lead the models practised using the few tips Raymond and Derrick gave to them.

    Everything was going so smoothly that Joanna couldn''t help but feel scared that things might go south when none least expected it.

    After practising for over two hours Joanna, the one in charge of the group''s operation, gave her group members a break.

    A few minutester, a ck car halted in front of a four-storey building with the title Be''s Restaurant boldly engraved on the grey walls of the building.

    Not long after, two guys in blue suits stepped out of the car and then another guy followed suit.

    Amos paused, lifted his gaze and nced at the building he had been to during one of his secret meetings.

    [If he wanted to only talk to me like his men said, wouldn''t he have done that in any ce so why on Earth did he bring me to a restaurant instead]

    Amos was in deep thought as he peered at the grey building. At that moment he made up his mind not to eat anything in the restaurant so he won''t give his identity as a vampire away.

 Chapter 545 Mr Anderson Met Up With Amos In Secret

    ?

    "Let''s go," The tallest of the two guys ordered. He and the other guy took their position beside him.

    Anyone who saw them would mistake them for Amos'' bodyguards because of the way they acted.

    Thest thing Amos wanted to do was cause a scene and that was why he quietly followed them despite not knowing what awaits him inside the restaurant.

    Immediately they arrived, the waiters recognized the two men by his sides and one of them led the three to their booked VIP room.

    Some minutester they reached the booked room which was on the third floor.

    The waiter who wasn''t in charge of serving the VIP room left them after he had guided them to the right room.

    "Go in," One of the guys ushered Amos into the room when he had opened the door for him.

    After Amos entered the room, the two guys closed the door and stood outside to guard the room.

    Mr Anderson was powerful so it didn''te as a surprise that his men didn''t want to take chances in this vast restaurant upied by prominent people in the Kingdom.

    The first thing Amos did after he entered the VIP room was to study his environment.

    Apart from the long white table with a bottle of wine and two sses on top of it, there were also two couches each at one side of the long table.

    Amos moved closer to where the couches were after he had studied the room to his satisfaction.

    "To what do I hold this rude invitation, Mr Anderson?" Amos addressed him by his name.

    He did not attempt to sit despite that the man beckoned him to sit on the couch opposite his.

    "Ooh... I can see you have already done your investigation before our meeting... You know my name despite that this is our first meeting," Mr Anderson muttered as he shifted his suspicious gaze to the guy standing not far away from where he sat.

    He looked at Amos from head to toe. Others would have felt ufortable being looked at this way but Amos proved to be different from others.

    He was the King of this great Kingdom after all so why should he feel ufortable or intimidated by this man''s fierce stares?

    "The name Anderson is almost a household name. You and your family are even more popr than most celebrities. That I recognise you at first nce shouldn''t havee as a surprise, don''t you agree with me?" Amos asked.

    Aside from his confidence, the most surprising thing about him was that he was staring into Mr Anderson''s eyeballs when saying these words; something those close to him often failed to do.

    "You are eloquent and I like this...," Mr Andersonplimented, an evil smirk lingered at the corner of his lips.

    He picked up the wine bottle, poured a little into the wine ss and lifted it close to his mouth.

    "I can also tell that you are an intelligent man. I am d I won''t have trouble passing my point across to you," He mumbled and took a sip from the ss of wine only to return it to the white table.

    Amos watched him withoutmenting.

    "Since you choose to stand then I won''t bother about it. Instead, I will go ahead with the reason I had you brought here...,"

    "Isn''t ABDUCTION the perfect word for this situation?" Amos hissed, his head held high.

    "As I was saying...," Mr Anderson trailed off. He acted as if he didn''t hear Amos rude remark.

    "I am a straightforward man and never the type to beat around the bush so I will say what I have to," Mr Anderson started as he adjusted his cufflinks.

    "I want you to stay away from my daughter starting from this moment. I don''t know want you ever close to her. It will be better if you don''t step foot in ces she frequents...,"

    "I beg your pardon!" Amos eximed. He adjusted the way he stood so that he had a clearer view of Mr Anderson''s face.

    "I don''t know what you have with my daughter and I don''t even care to know. What I want is that you stay very far away from her," Mr Anderson said authoritatively as if he was speaking to his subordinate.

    "My daughter might look ordinary but she is way out of your league. She is the King''s mate who will soon be the future Queen of this Kingdom. It will be in your best interest if you keep your distance from her," Mr Anderson asserted.

    "I am also a straightforward man and detest beating around the bush so let me give you my reply...," Amos let his words linger as he moved closer to the side of the table Mr Anderson sat.

    "I don''t care whose mate she is and whether or not she is the Emperor or god''s wife. What I know is that nothing will make me stay away from her. That is how much I love her...,"

    "What impudence!" Mr Anderson started while banging his right palm against the white table.

    "How dare you stand in front of me and profess love to the King''s woman. Do you know that statement is enough to get you killed immediately...,"

    "And does it look like I am scared of you or death itself?" Amos retorted.

    He has always longed for the opportunity to argue with this heartless man and put him in his rightful ce.

    But he never had the opportunity because of his title as King.

    Kings were taught to be benevolent and poised and as such he never had the chance to be the real him on so many asions.

    Now that the opportunity has arisen, he will make good use of it.

    "I love Joan and I am not ashamed of this fact. And I promise I will never be...,"

    "And what on Earth can you lousy love possibly do for my daughter and my family huh?" Mr Anderson challenged, his cold stares shot at his King.

 Chapter 546 Your Man?

    ?

    "I know it won''t do much for her but at least I am better than the King in this aspect...,"

    "You are better than the King?" Mr Anderson chuckled, his index finger pointed at Amos.

    "I can love her as much as I want and without being ashamed to say it over and over again. Also, I can protect her without caring about what others will say...," Amos trailed, his hands spread in the artiction of his past statement.

    "It is a renowned fact that the King doesn''t like or care about her. I heard he is set to marry another woman and will be thrilled if this burden of his was to die. Am I not a thousand times better than the King in this aspect huh?" Amos argued his point without an ounce of fear.

    He didn''t give a damn that his statement might get him into trouble especially because none knew he was the same King he bad-mouthed.

    "And what do you know about the King''s rtionship with my daughter?" Mr Anderson retorted.

    "Since you know a lot, why don''t you enlighten me? Who knows my opinion about the King might change after I listened to all you have to say...,"

    "At first I thought you were a smart boy but I guess I was wrong... I don''t care much that my judgement of you was wrong," Mr Anderson admitted.

    "What I am most certain of is that you will not show your face in front of my daughter...,"

    "I am sorry to disappoint you but I won''t obey thatmand?" Amos dered fearlessly.

    How Mr Anderson''s clutch on the green couch became tighter showed that the elderly man was about to lose it due to Amos'' stubbornness.

    "I am a very reasonable man but believe me, I don''t know what I will do to you if you disobey my orders," Mr Anderson muttered.

    Amos readjusted his standing position and shoved his hands into his trouser''s pockets afterwards.

    "I was never the type to obey protocols or orders... I am telling you this so you won''t be so disappointed when your n failed," Amos replied.

    "We shall see about that," Mr Anderson muttered. He stood up and strolled towards the entrance.

    "What audacity!" Mr Anderson growled after he was out of the VIP room. His men who were just standing at the door followed him closely.

    Outside the restaurant, even though one of the two men had already opened the door of the car for him, Mr Anderson paused just beside his car.

    He raised his head and shot deadly res at the third floor of the five-star restaurant.

    "Sir, what do you want us to do about him?" The guy standing at his right-hand side asked.

    "Continue keeping an eye on him. You are allowed to hurt him if he dares get close to Joanna," Mr Anderson dered, not knowing that the guy upying the entire VIP room to himself had heard the order he gave his men.

    [So he actually knows the name of his second daughter and here I thought he didn''t recall what her name was since he kept referring to her as my daughter... Anyone who listened to his pathetic words would assume he really loved Joanna]

    Amos was in deep thought as he stared at the brown door which serves as the room entrance.

    He strolled to one of the couches and sat with his back leaning against thefy chair.

    "I wonder how Tim''s investigation is going on in the human world. Have they hit a dead end just like us or are we the only ones who are not making progress?" Amos mumbled as he closed his eyes and thought about all the things that were weighing him down mentally.

    He has so many things on his te.

    Not only does he have to think about his friends'' and subordinates'' persuasion for him to return to the pce where he belongs.

    But he also has to think about his problem with Joanna and the mastermind behind the sudden death that had been guing his once peaceful Kingdom for over a month now.

    Apart from these issues he also had tons of issues to think about. He wished he could spare himself a minute not to think about this but he knew that he couldn''t; especially now that Joanna wasn''t with him.

    He only gets to forget his problems even for a few hours whenever she was with him but unfortunately, their rtionship wasn''t sailing as perfectly as he assumed it would.

    The mentally exhausted Amos stayed in this manner for a long time. He didn''t know when he drifted to sleep until he woke up and realised how much time had passed.

    "Damn it!... what have I done?" Amos shouted when he realised what the time was.

    He sprang up from the couch and dashed towards the door.

    Meanwhile, as Amos hastened to go in search of the woman he has been trying to get in touch with but to no avail, in a vast room whose decorations were mainly green, fourdies were seen sitting around a big centre table.

    "What are you staring so intently at with that scowl on your face?" Tiffany who has noticed how distracted the mentioneddy has been asked out of curiosity.

    "What else if not that silly brat is out to get my man?" Sophie hissed as she threw her cell phone onto the marble table without care.

    "Your man?" Nora emphasized while exchanging puzzled nces with the other twodies.

    "I never knew you were in a rtionship Sophie...,"

    "Stop that, Doris," Sophie scolded with a serious expression which showed she wasn''t out to joke around.

    "So who is this man of yours and the so-called silly brat you referred to earlier?" Tiffany ignored their little argument and asked instead.

    For some reason, the threedies that always loved wearing revealing clothes were putting on clothes that covered every part of their bodies.

    Anyone who saw them for the first time will assume this was how they always dressed not knowing that was a big fat lie.

    "I am talking about Ray and....,"

    "If you had said your ex-boyfriend we would have understood it immediately so why did you call him your man...," Nora paused after Sophie shot her a murderous re.

 Chapter 547 Do You Have A Plan?

    ?

    "As I was saying, Stinky Joanna is out to get my man. She is all over him. Pictures of him and she have gone viral ever since this morning," Sophieined, a sour look visible on her face.

    "Is it the Stinky Joanna we know that you talked about or is there anyone that goes with that name...,"

    "You know who exactly I am referring to so quit with the pretend girls," Sophie, who was already angry, snapped at Doris.

    "We all know that Raymond is way out of her league. He is the type who associates with those from the upper ss and who is Stinky Joanna on the other hand?" Nora asked rhetorically.

    "Their gap is like that of heaven and earth so you can''t possibly me me for the way I reacted," Nora defended herself. She adjusted her right leg and ced it on the arm of the couch properly.

    "So what exactly did she do to get you so infuriated?" Doris asked a bit more seriously. As the other girls talked Tiffany said nothing or chirped into their conversation.

    Instead, she paid rapt attention to what they had to say.

    "Girls, you know what I went through to make sure that Ray and I were in the same group. You are well aware of the strings I pulled just so I can make my dream a reality...,"

    "What does this have to do with your earlier statement huh?" Nora, who couldn''t tell the connection between what Sophie said,mented.

    "Because that Stinky girl has upied the spot that should have been mine," Sophie growled as if she was fighting with one of her friends.

    "I heard she is Ray''s co-leader. Rumours have been going around for hours now that they are in a rtionship...,"

    "Raymond and Stinky Joanna are in a rtionship?" Nora scoffed as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

    "Have you verified the sanity of the person who made such a statement...,"

    "Take that and have a look if you don''t believe me," Sophie pointed at her phone whose screen was still turned on.

    "I can''t believe she dared to go after my man after she made us unable to step out of our home with our heads held high because of these darn injuries," Sophie retorted.

    She rolled up her right sleeve only for a burnt she had concealed with her long-sleeve shirt to appear.

    "Didn''t you say you approached Raymond some weeks ago concerning your group''s activities for the carnival but he vehemently refused to be a part of it so how...," Nora paused just at the perfect time.

    She was careful enough not to let curiosity get the better of her.

    Thest thing she wanted was to be on Sophie''s bad side merely because of curiosity.

    "I don''t know what kind of magic that witch performed on him to make him agree to take part in the carnival...," Sophiemented. She dug her long ws into the fine fur couch her hands rested on.

    "If you are mad then take it out on the one who made you this way but desist from ruining the couch," Tiffany scolded thedy whose ws had eaten its way deep into the fine couch.

    "It''s pointless to give me that look, Girls. You know clearly that I am stating the truth," Tiffany added unfazed by her friend''s strange stares which were focused on her.

    "That is Grandpa''s favourite couch. He will surely get mad if he returns and sees it ruined...," Tiffany trailed. She stood up from the couch and walked a few steps away from the centre table where her friends upied.

    "I don''t think it is a good idea to incur my Grandpa''s wrath when you can have your revenge on the one who caught on your nerves without worrying about any repercussions," Tiffany suggested. A creepy smile found its way to the corner of her lips.

    Tiffany grits her teeth and dug her nails into her skin when she recalled the incidents that made her and her friends unable to leave their homes.

    With all these injuries that had refused to healover their bodies, coupled with the incidents that lead to the injuries, how could they leave their homes with their heads held high without bing theughingstock of everyone?

    [Hey silly girl, you must think you are the absolute winner right now huh?... Just wait until I y my cards too because that is when the absolute winner will be determined]

    Tiffany clenched her teeth as she dug her long nails into her delicate skin without care.

    "Do you have a n?" Sophie asked. She stood up and trodden to Tiffany''s side.

    "There was something you said that day she attacked us that got me thinking since then...,"Sophie deliberately paused to arouse her listeners'' attention.

    She tilted her body a little so that she was staring at Tiffany''s face.

    "If it''s true that the King is on campus, the only scenario that exins why no one could recognise him is that he changed his identity and this brings me to my real question...," Sophie trailed off. She turned and gazed at the two people on the couch whose focus was her.

    "Do you know who the King is on campus...,"

    "W-w-what are you talking about?" Tiffany growled and moved away from Sophie in her instance.

    Even though Sophie''s words were mere assumptions, her reaction showed there was some truth to what thedy said.

    "What did you say, Sophie?... You know you are not supposed to make such absurd assumptions?" Doris reprimanded. She stood up and strolled to where the otherdies were.

    "At first I couldn''t understand why Stinky Joanna would attack you out of the blues when you were alone. I also had difficulties understanding what you both were saying on that day...,"

    "Then are you trying to insinuate the reason Stinky Joanna attacked us was that Tiff found out the identity of the King?" Nora asked with widened mouth, her bulging eyeballs glued on Sophie''s face.

    "Tiff is here so why don''t youdies direct your questions to her... who knows she might tell us who the King really is...,"

    "What are you girls talking about?" A man''s grumpy voice made thedies pull away from each other.

 Chapter 548 Mr Martinez Interrogated The Ladies

    ?

    Sophie and the others returned to the couch, leaving Tiffany alone where they previously stood.

    "What did you girls mean by the King is on campus? Where did you hear that from?" Mr Martinez questioned sternly.

    His cold gaze darted from onedy''s face to the other only to settle on Tiffany''s face.

    "Do you know the punishment for spreading a false rumour about His Majesty... The punishment is so severe that it will be a miracle if you die with aplete body," Mr Martinez said just to intimidate thedies into revealing the truth to him.

    Because of Nora''s trembling hands, she failed to conceal properly, he deemed her the easiest target to get the information he wanted.

    He strolled to where she sat and stood beside her.

    "Tell me, Nora, will you be able to withstand the excruciating pains of getting your skin ripped out and fed to the wild dogs...,"

    "Rumors are going around that the King never left the Kingdom," the tremblingdy blurted, ignoring Tiffany''s warning signs for them not to utter a word.

    "Fuck! How on Earth did I get such a weakling as a friend?" Tiffany grumbled under her breath.

    "Did you just say His Majesty never left the Kingdom?" Mr Martinez mumbled. He exchanged puzzled nces with the man in a ck suit who had entered the sitting room with him.

    The tall muscr guy shook his head in negation to show that he wasn''t aware of the information they just discovered.

    "Where did you hear the rumours from and who was the source of such rumours?" Mr Martinez demanded a bit more seriously.

    Tiffany needed no one to tell her that her friends who have always been scared of her grandfather will give in to his intimidation so she thought of what to do to ensure that her grandfather didn''t have his way this time around.

    "Weren''t you the ones chatting earlier without any restraints so why are you suddenly quiet huh?" Mr Martinez growled. He bent and grabbed the shivering Nora''s shoulders, causing her to tremble even more.

    "Did a cat catch your tongue or do you want to have a taste of how it feels to get your delicate skin ripped apart?" Mr Martinez taunted, his grip around her shoulders became tighter.

    "It''s....," Nora stuttered as she looked at Tiffany for assistance.

    "Say something!" Mr Martinez yelled and shook her violently when he saw that he was very close to getting what he wanted.

    "The King...,"

    "Those who don''t know any better are spreading rumours that the King never left the Kingdom. I bet they are doing this to pin the crimes of the recent death on him," Tiffany replied in a carefree tone.

    "Really?" Mr Martinez murmured as he released Nora''s hand and stood straight.

    The moment he released her, Nora sprang to her feet and rushed to stand beside the unwavering Tiffany.

    "I overheard your friends saying that you are aware of the new identity the King took so tell me, who is he?" Mr Martinez asked, his fierce res shot at thedy who still held her head high.

    "I thought your men were the ones who spread the rumour to implicate His Majesty so why are you asking me about a rumour we both know is baseless?" Tiffany asked while looking into her father''s eyes.

    The manner she spoke to Mr Martinez stunned her friends who were aware of how Tiffany normally treated him in the past.

    She could speak to anyone in any way she pleases including her father but her grandfather was an exception.

    Because she was aware of the fact that he never adored her from the beginning since he yearns for nothing but grandsons she has always treated him with respect.

    She treads around him like she was walking on eggshells. And this was the reason she couldn''t confront him when she discovered that she was nothing but a tool for his political ambition.

    After staying in silence for a few days she was finally able to vent her anger although not in a way she would have preferred.

    But at least this was better than keeping everything bottled up.

    "Tiffany...," Mr Martinez called, his scrutinising eye fixed on Tiffany''s face.

    "At first I really believed that the rumours you men spread about the King still being in the Kingdom were true but after a bit of thinking I knew it was just a facy created to make everyone doubts the King''s innocence," Tiffany paused as she turned and walked about four steps away from the centre table.

    [Kayden, it''s true that you hurt me and made my feelings of so many years look like nothing but a joke. Indeed I hate you for choosing her over me, nevertheless, I know that you are a thousand times better than this old man who has always seen me as nothing but an eyesore...]

    Tiffany clenched her fists and bit her lower lips to control the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.

    [You might have been awful to me but I am a witness to the fact that you are a good King loved by many... today I will prove to you and everyone out there that I can also be a good person]

    Tiffany paused in her tracks, she spun and stared at where her grandfather stood.

    If this was the past she would have undoubtedly got intimidated by his murderous res just like her friends, unfortunately, she wasn''t the same Tiffany that he could easily intimidate into doing his bidding.

    "You never liked the King from the beginning but you had no choice but to tolerate him because he was the King after all. But your hatred for him soared after he locked up your beloved grandson and tortured him for as long as six months...,"

    "What the hell are you talking about Miss Tiffany...,"

    "I am talking to Grandpa so this is no ce for you to talk," Tiffany growled, her fierce stare shot at Sniper, Mr Martinez''s right-hand man.

 Chapter 549 Mr Martinez Changed His Plans

    Chapter 549 Mr Martinez Changed His ns

    Sniper tried to walk towards Tiffany but Mr Martinez grabbed his hand and shook his head negatively.

    "As I was saying...," Tiffany paused. She paid no attention to her friends whose questioning stares were on her.

    Has she gone nuts?

    Where the hell did she buy such guts from?

    Does she have a death wish?

    She knew without any doubt that these were the questions running through her astounded friends'' minds.

    "Because of this incident you could no longer tolerate the King despite his position... tell me how could someone like you let him live if truly the King was living outside the pce, away from the protection of the royal guards...,"

    "What nonsense are you talking about...,"

    "There is no need to try and shut me up because Grandpa knows that I am stating the truth," Tiffany cut in, her shoulders held high.

    "If the rumours flying around weren''t baseless why would Grandpa miss such a golden opportunity to get rid of his greatest eyesore?" Tiffany quizzed, a smug smirk lingering on the corner of her lips.

    "You are free to correct me if you think I spewed nonsense," Tiffany added while strolling back to the centre table to join the others.

    "If only you had shown this bit of cleverness in the past then I wouldn''t have been so disappointed in you...,"

    "You have always thought of me as a troublemaker. A stupid girl who is better off being groomed as a wife of convenience for your ns. I was never allowed to shine so it isn''t my fault if you never knew I had this side to me," She replied firmly.

    Tiffany pretended as if she didn''t see Mr Martinez''s expression turned murderous following her statement.

    "Grandpa, if you are done with us can we go to my room... actually we still have a few things to discuss," Tiffany spoke in a soft tone as if she wasn''t the samedy who left the old man speechless with her confrontation.

    She bites her lower lips as she prepares herself for the punishment her Grandpa will give her for daring to stand up to him in front of her others.

    Tiffany had expected to hear her Grandpa order Sniper to have her locked up for at least a month and finally, his judgement came...

    "You girls can go upstairs now," Mr Martinez replied to the girl''s astonishment.

    "Are you sure?" Tiffany had to ask again to make sure that she didn''t mishear anything.

    "Go on now," Mr Martinez waved at the four girls.

    Reluctantly, thedies moved towards the stairs. As they walked, they didn''t forget to watch their backs in case the old man nned to make them believe he had spared them when in reality he had other arrangements.

    They were only able to breathe normally after they entered Tiffany''s room and locked the door from the inside.

    "Let''s talk in my study," Mr Martinez said to the guy beside him after he had confirmed that thedies were inside Tiffany''s room.

    Sniper and Mr Martinez moved towards the stairs and then branched to their right-hand side where his study was located.

    After walking for about three minutes, they halted in front of a room with a ss door and walls.

    When they entered the room Sniper didn''t forget to shut the doors properly.

    "Master, you and I know that our men were not the ones who spread the rumours about the King so why didn''t you correct her when she used you?" Sniper asked the question that has been eating him up atst.

    "Because there were some points embedded in her rants," Mr Martinez snickered as if Sniper had just told him a joke.

    "Tiffany thought the rumours were baseless because she believed I was the source of the rumour but what if I wasn''t the one who spread the rumour?... Would you still think it was groundless?" Mr Martinez asked, something only a cunning man like him would have done.

    "For over a month, our men have been unable to confirm the identity of the man who prides himself as King in the human world... what if it turns out that he was just a decoy and not the real King?" Sniper who seems to understand the point Mr Martinez tried to makemented.

    "That was the exact thought that crossed my mind when that girl was ranting earlier," Mr Martinez whispered.

    He stood up and paced about the room as he tried to organise his thoughts.

    "If we were not the ones who spread the rumours about His Majesty still being in the Kingdom then who did and how true are these words?" Mr Martinez said his thoughts out loud.

    "Do you think this is the handiwork of those who have been unintentionally helping us sail through with our ns?" Sniper made a wild guess.

    Just like the King and his people, they have also been trying to discover the identity of those who assisted them with the killings in the Kingdom that they started.

    At least the King knew that the humans were responsible for this but they didn''t have any information about the mysterious beings.

    "I don''t care who is responsible for the spread of the rumours... what I want is for you to verify how they started and how true these rumours are," Mr Martinez dered.

    As they discussed, what they didn''t know was that Tiffany had snuck out of her room and was standing just at the foot of the stairs listening to their conversation.

    "Also...," Mr Martinez dyed. He spun and peered in Sniper''s direction.

    "I want your men to run a thorough background check on all the new students that Twilight University has recently admitted. Have old students who seem suspicious verified... If it''s true that His Majesty is really in the Kingdom and away from the pce then I guess luck must be on my side," Mr Martinez grinned, his hands spread in the air as he sniffed a mouthful of the air of victory surrounding him.

 Chapter 550 You Mean This?

    Chapter 550 You Mean This?

    "I can''t believe it will be a matter of time before I achieve my aim. This is great!" He eximed, his hands still spread in the air.

    Sniper wanted to tell him that going through the list of newly admitted students would take quite a lot of time...

    But he swallowed back his words when he saw how excited the old man was.

    Back where Tiffany stood, she smiled devilishly after she had gotten the information she wanted.

    She dawdle upstairs to her room when she realised that Sniper woulde out of the study any moment from then.

    "Where did you go?" Sophie demanded the moment Tiffany stepped foot into her mini-sitting room.

    "I thought I perceived Logan''s scent earlier so I went downstairs to ask him to beg Grandpa on my behalf but it turned out that I was wrong," Tiffany shrugged her shoulders and walked to join them where they sat.

    "Tiff made a mistake with a scent?" Doris muttered while exchanging puzzled nces with the others.

    "Yeah, that is new," Sophie added, her doubtful nces fixed on Tiffany''s face.

    "Are you...,"

    "Didn''t you say you wanted to know of the ns I havee up with to put that Stinky fool in her rightful ce?" Tiffany threw the perfect bait she knew would make the girls forget about their earlier curiosity.

    "What is it?" Three of them chorused and drew closer to Tiffany.

    Some hourster, after frequenting all the ces he knew Joanna would likely be at, Amos was finally able to find the woman he longed to see and talk to.

    A sweet smile crept onto Amos'' face when he sighted her from where she sat on the rooftop of one of the abandoned buildings located on the other side of the University premises.

    "So are you trying to tell me that you can control some of the natural elements like wind, snow and fire?" Joanna who thought she was the only one who possessed such strange powers asked, doubts written all over her face.

    "I knew you wouldn''t believe what I said so watch this," Raymond smiled and slowly stood up on the rooftop rails.

    He spread his hands in the air and immediately a rush of wind brushed past them, sending him falling off the rooftop.

    Joanna opened her eyes just in time to see him slip off the rails and fall.

    "Hey!" Joanna shouted and jumped off the rooftop without thinking.

    She was so close to grabbing his hand when she noticed that he was also floating in the air just like her.

    "You...," Joanna was too shocked to construct a correct sentence.

    "I can''t believe you jumped off the rooftop to save me. I never knew you liked me this much," Raymond beamed at thedy who wasn''t over the shock she gave him.

    "Ray...,"

    "I know that wasn''t convincing enough so watch this," Raymond smirked and invoked a mightier wind this time around.

    "Careful!" Raymond screamed and hugged thedy who was pulled downwards by the rush of wind he manipted.

    "Are you alright?" Raymond asked thedy who was grabbing him tightly for dear life.

    As they yed around with their powers Amos who had rushed upstairs after Joanna shouted watched them at the same spot they fell off from.

    "Sure I am," Joanna said and slowly pulled out of his embrace. The way she refused to let go of his hands showed the scare Raymond''s demonstration of power gave her was too much for her to get over with easily.

    Anyways, which person in her right mind wouldn''t be scared after almost falling off from such a great height?

    She would be lucky if she died with her entire bones intact if she fell off from such great height.

    "That was super cool. How were you able to do that?" Joanna''s eyes sparkled as she waited for Raymond''s reply.

    At this moment she was no longer faking the excitement. Joanna was happy for real that she had found someone who was exactly like her.

    "You think that is cool... just wait until you see this," Raymond grinned. He caught her unawares when he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to himself.

    "What...," Joanna was about to scold him when she felt a warm sensation around the area of her hands he held.

    At first, the warm heat was so soothing but her opinion changed when the heat around her hands intensified.

    It got to the point that she felt as though her hands were on fire and she could no longer endure the pain anymore.

    "Ouch... that hurts!" Joanna cried out. Instantly, Raymond let go of her hands but only to grab it one more time.

    "Sorry... I didn''t mean it," Raymond apologised. He bent and blew hot air on her wrist which was now reddened due to the heat of his hand earlier.

    Amos who was watching all these things unravelled could do nothing other than clench his fists, grit his teeth and watch another man flirt with his woman in front of him.

    [I have been holding back my anger because I knew Joan would hate it if I do anything bad to him... but I can''t promise that I won''t slit a knife through his throat if he keeps wooing my woman]

    Amos shotsers with his eyes at the man who was still holding Joanna''s hands tenderly.

    "I was too excited and forgot that you would get hurt in the process...,"

    "I know you didn''t mean it so there is no need to apologise. Besides I am the one who insisted that you should show me what you are capable of or have you forgotten already?" Joanna beamed at him to show that she wasn''t at all mad at him.

    "But I still hurt you...,"

    "I am fine. It doesn''t hurt anymore," Joanna assured him with an even broader smile.

    "How did you do that?" Joanna dived into the question which was on her mind.

    "Also, apart from that, can you create a fireball?... I remembered you said fire was one of the elements you can control..."

    "You mean this?" Raymond asked and in almost an instant mes appeared on both of his palms.

 Chapter 551 Searching For Me?

    ?

    "I can do this too," Joanna announced. She adjusted her red long sleeve and afterwards stretched forth both of her hands.

    A red me which was exactly like Raymond''s'' emerged from her right palm.

    "This is cool," Raymondplimented and smiled back at thedy whose sweet smile he found so attractive.

    "And this too," She mumbled, causing a green me to appear on her left palm.

    "Whoa... You can summon different kinds of mes. This is the first time I have seen this and it''s super cool," Raymond, who never knew such stuff existed gave her a thumbs up along with hispliments.

    "That is not all I can do," Joanna grinned and within a blink of an eye she was no longer in the same spot she was.

    Raymond, who was waiting to see what other cool stuff she had in store for him, panicked when he didn''t see her.

    "Miss Butterfly," Raymond called out to her. He looked around him but she was nowhere to be seen.

    "Searching for me?" Joanna muttered after resurfacing behind him. She startled the guy who didn''t expect this move from her.

    "You can teleport too...,"

    "Don''t tell me you can also do that?" Joanna asked with widened eyeballs.

    "They are so many amazing things I can do other than manipting wind, fire and teleportation...,"

    "Other amazing stuff like what?" Joanna demanded, not able to hide her eagerness.

    "Like making it snow and giving a firework show with my fireballs," Raymond replied casually.

    Although these two people who were having the best time of their lives were in the midst air they didn''t show any form of fear.

    It was as if they had done this too many times to get bothered by the height.

    "You can do those things?" Joanna asked. Raymond sensed a hint of doubt in her voice as she asked him this question.

    "Yeah... And I would have loved to show you that but unfortunately, I can''t. People will troop in here and disturb our privacy if I put on a firework show," Raymond replied.

    He was waiting to hear her say something but she didn''t utter a word but instead kept staring at his right hand instead.

    "Don''t tell me, you don''t believe me...,"

    "Of course not. I don''t see a reason why you would lie to me," Joanna snapped out of her daze the instant he touched her hand.

    "Instead I was just thinking of adding a firework show as one of our performances...,"

    "If you are asking me to put on a firework show in front of the entire Kingdom you know that is not possible," Raymond cut in abruptly.

    "Apart from Rick, you are the only one in the Kingdom who knows about my powers...,"

    "And you are also the only person I have discussed my powers with. Even Drey doesn''t know a thing about this. The first time she knew I possessed such powers was in front of a crowd on campus," Joanna confessed. As she talked she could feel her nervousness gradually get washed away.

    "Also when I said we were gonna put on a firework show, it''s not gonna require using your powers but we are gonna do it like a magic trick. I am sure people are going to love it," Joanna exined.

    Merely hearing people jubte and cheer for their group made her eyes glimmer.

    "A magic trick?" The once tense Raymond remarked. His tense nerves calmed down after he learned that he misunderstood her statement.

    "Yeah, a magic trick. And it would just be perfect if we were thest group to perform on thest night. That way the firework show will crown all the three days'' performance...,"

    "That sounds fabulous. I am sure the others are gonna very much entertain this idea," Raymond cut in, excitement written all over his face.

    "It does sound nice but how we are gonna make it look real and believable to the guest who will be present there makes me think twice about it...,"

    "Rick loves stuff like this. You can leave this to him and I promise you that he won''t disappoint you," Raymond vouched for his naughty friend who wasn''t present there at the moment.

    "Really?" Joanna asked suspiciously.

    She has always known Derrick to be a yful person although she knew he wasn''t a terrible person.

    It wasn''t surprising she had doubts about leaving such an important performance in his care.

    "Yes. Also, I can teach you how to create a firework show since you can manipte fire too...,"

    "You are lying right?" Joanna asked. Her trembling hands and sparkling eyes showed she was about to burst out with excitement while waiting for Raymond''s confirmation.

    "Of course, I am telling the truth....," Joanna hopped onto Raymond''s body before he couldplete his sentence.

    She was so overwhelmed with excitement that she forgot that they were still floating in the air.

    "Miss Butterfly...,"

    "I knew I could always count on you," Joanna mumbled, her grip around Raymond''s neck tightened as she snuggled into his embrace.

    Amos, whose aching heart could no longer handle the pain anymore, looked away from the two people who were still in each other''s embrace.

    [I have tried to make her tell me just a tiny bit about her powers but she wouldn''t divulge anything no matter how hard I tried... It even got to a point that I had to bury my curiosity because I was afraid it woulde in between our rtionship but what is she doing now...]

    Amosughed at himself inwardly as he staggered away from the rooftop rails.

    [Because I didn''t want her to feel pressured or cornered, I was willing to wait for her until she was ready to tell me everything but look at her telling another man her secret and with so much ease at that... I was such a fool to believe that she would love me back if I showed her enough of my sincerity... How foolish you were Kayden Greyson]

    Amos, who wasn''t in his right senses, almost knocked over the wooden chair ced at the centre of the rooftop as he made his way toward the exit.

 Chapter 552 Mr Fin Found Him

    ?

    [I should have known better than no amount of sincerity one shows can bring about love. I forgot that lovees naturally and can''t be forced]

    At the stairs, Amos stumbled on his feet and almost rolled down the stairs had he not grabbed the staircase rails at the dying minute.

    Back where Joanna and Raymond were still hugging each other, she pulled out of his embrace after Amos exited the rooftop.

    [I know you don''t deserve this kind of treatment you are getting right now... I am sorry you have to get hurt for something you don''t know about... If only this damn system was something I could get rid of, I swear I would have done that even at the expense of getting hurt]

    Joanna, whose mind was upied with thoughts of the man she loves, stared up at the exact spot Amos stood before he left the rooftop.

    "Miss Butterfly, what is...,"

    "Let''s go up and continue with our rehearsals. Don''t forget you still have a lot of catching up to do," Joanna muttered and moved away before his hand could touch her hair.

    Raymond watched as she floated up to the rooftop without waiting for him.

    [I had wished that everything she did and said earlier were real... I knew from the beginning that it was all an act because he was watching us but why does my heart hurt so much?]

    Raymond slowly guided his right hand to his aching chest as he kept his eyes fixed on thedy now standing on the rooftop.

    "Ray, what are you still doing there? Come over here," Joanna ushered him with a wave of the hand.

    "I will be there in a second," Raymond replied and immediately floated up to join her on the rooftop.

    "So at which scene did we stop earlier?" Joanna asked jovially.

    If only Raymond didn''t know better her cheerful smile was fake he would have deceived him into believing that everything was fine.

    Too bad, it was clear as crystal to him that she was far from being alright but he made up his mind to y along so he wouldn''t ruin the mood.

    "The scene where Orion says with my army I will send you all to hell," Raymond responded with his hands spread in the air.

    "Did we reach that part so soon?" Joanna mumbled and scratched her hair.

    "Yeah, you did so let''s continue from there," Raymond mumbled as he stepped closer to her.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Raymond continued with their rehearsals Amos who was long gone from there was seen walking aimlessly on the dark basketball field.

    He walked to and fro the enormous basketball field countless times without even being aware of it.

    Even when his cellphone rang repeatedly he didn''t bother to answer the line. He kept on walking as if he had no life in him.

    In an office not far away from the basketball field, a man who was working overtime at night sprang up to his feet the moment he answered his line.

    "Hey, what do you mean by you can''t find him? Wasn''t it yours and the responsibility of your men to keep him safe at all times so what gibberish are you spewing from your mouth?" Mr Fin who hardly ever loses his temper to this extent yelled, veins popping out from his forehead.

    "Mr Fin...,"

    "There is no need to give useless excuses Chris. You should know better than anyone else what the consequences will be if any harm dares toe to him," Mr Fin scolded.

    He wasn''t ready to listen to whatever Chris had to say since he knew he was at fault for their current predicament.

    "Killing a thousand of you and I won''t be enough to make up for our mistake if hees to any harm. You should have known this better so why on Earth didn''t you keep an eye on him?" Mr Fin admonished.

    In haste, he picked up his car keys from his desk, shut hisptop and hurried towards the door without remembering to carry his blue suit from where he hung it.

    "Right now he is in a much bigger danger. I don''t care what you and your men do or how you go about it but we must find him before it''s morning no matter what," Mr Fin ordered sternly.

    "We will get the job done right now and I assure you that we will find him even though we have to turn the Kingdom upside down," Chris gave Mr Fin his words.

    "I will also do everything within my capacity to make sure he is found as soon as possible... and I will call Kyle to ask if he has any information about where he might be," Mr Fin replied. He lowered the phone from his ears and in less than a second he disappeared from where he stood in front of his office.

    The anxious Mr Fin was on his way to where he always parked his car when something on the basketball field caught his attention.

    "sses were long over so who could be sneaking around in the dark?" Mr Fin grumbled as he abandoned where he was heading and descended the stairs instead.

    "Hey!" Mr Fin shouted hoping to get a reply from whoever was parading the basketball field as if it were his home.

    He shouted twice but he got no response. The man who was eager to wrap this up and attend to the more pressing matter was left with no other option but to descend the stairs more.

    In less than two seconds the impatient Mr Fin was standing in front of the man who was pretending to be deaf.

    "Kay!" Mr Fin yelled, his eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets when he got a glimpse of the face of the one walking on the field.

    "I was on the phone with Chris not long ago and he announced that you went missing so what are you doing here all by yourself... Don''t you know how dangerous it is to go around without your men...," Amos walked past him as if he wasn''t the one he talked to.

    "Kay...," The astounded Mr Fin called, hoping to see him stop but to his dismay, Amos continued to walk like someone who was under a strong spell.

 Chapter 553 Amos Came To A Conclusion

    ?

    Mr Fin ran up to him and held his hand.

    "Kay, what is wrong? What happened to you that your men couldn''t get a hold of you...," Amos brushed off his hand and tried to stroll away for the second time but Mr Fin grabbed his hand tighter this time around.

    "Kayden Greyson, will you stop acting like this and get a grip on yourself?" Mr Fin shouted when he could no longer handle seeing his friend and King this way.

    "Finley, I have just confirmed that Joan wasn''t lying when she said she no longer loved me," Amos spoke up.

    The sadness he once felt for his best friend vanished the instant he heard that the reason he was on the brink of crying was because of Joanna.

    "Don''t tell me that is the reason you are this way?" Mr Fin questioned coldly.

    "She doesn''t love me...,"

    "Kayden, if not for your identity, do you know that I would have pped you so hard to get you back to your senses?" Mr Fin retorted.

    "Kayden, I know that you love her with your whole heart and being but do you know that she is not the only thing you have to worry about... no in fact this topic right now should be the least of your worries, especially after what I told you on ourst phone call earlier," Mr Fin stated.

    He let go of Amos'' hand and moved to stand in front of him.

    "Apart from Joanna, you have this precious Kingdom to worry about and your safety included. Have you forgotten that?" Mr Fin demanded in a stern tone.

    "Kayden, pardon me for saying this but there are many things which are more important than love and your feelings. And the sooner you start to set your priorities the better for everyone," Mr Fin chose to be blunt with his words at these moments despite knowing how much Amos must be hurting.

    He believed that Kayden needed to hear this notwithstanding how he felt.

    Who knows he might be able to wake up his hurting best friend to the harsh reality.

    The sooner he wakes up, the better for everyone.

    "I know you might say I am talking this way because I haven''t been in love or a rtionship. I admit you are right about that but this doesn''t mean I am blind to see the length you have gone for this particr girl," Mr Fin whispered while staring into his eyes.

    "I don''t think there is any man out there who is in love with a woman who would do all you have done for her. You have done your best to singlehandedly bring your rtionship to where it''s now. Everyone who has eyes can see this so there is no need to beat yourself up because things didn''t work out as you wanted...," Mr Fin trailed off.

    He raised his hand, ced it on Amos'' right shoulder and give a gentle squeeze to it.

    "Anyone in your shoes would have gotten exhausted and given up long ago but you didn''t. You have given you all to make a future with her possible even though everyone in the Kingdom had thought otherwise so why don''t you leave things to fate at this junction?" Mr Fin spoke in a calmer tone this time around.

    "Fate?" Amos muttered. He finally lifted his gaze and looked into Mr Fin''s eyes.

    "Yes, fate," Mr Fin replied. He released Amos'' shoulders after he confined that he was a lot more stable than earlier.

    "Don''t forget unlike other mates who located each other after a certain age you and Joanna were prophesied to be mates even before you came into this world...," Mr Fin started in a serious tone.

    "This means you both were fated to be together... and if that is the case why don''t you let fate take its course?" He asked reluctantly. He didn''t look away from Amos'' ck eyes for even a second.

    "From what I know no one can fight fate. None who tried in the past seeded so I am sure yours won''t be different... if she was meant to be yours like it was prophesied nothing will be able to stand in your way of being together," Mr Fin added.

    He turned to a rtionship expert overnight just to help out his suffering friend.

    "I know you are right about this but don''t you think I will be making a grave mistake by returning to the pce?" Amos was still hesitant despite all Mr Fin had said to convince him that going back to the pce was the best option.

    "Of course not," Mr Fin remarked. He tried hard not to show how happy he was that Amos had the thought of returning to his pce atst.

    "Instead, I believe that staying away from her will give her the time to think properly and sort out her feelings... from what I recall you said she needed space right?" Mr Fin didn''t forget to nail the bull on the horn.

    "Maybe this the perfect opportunity to give her that space she desperately wanted," Mr Fin added.

    He watched as Amos paced about the open field in an attempt toe to a decision.

    After walking about for close to five minutes, he halted in his tracks and directed his gaze on Mr Fin''s face.

    "So have you made up your mind?" Mr Fin asked. He shook his hands into his trouser''s pockets so Amos won''t see how hard he was trembling.

    "Yes," Amos asserted, his hands balled into a fist.

    By the time Joanna got home she was too sleepy to do anything including taking a bath or making up for her skipped meals.

    Because she fell asleep on the couch in the sitting room, she didn''t even realize that Audrey slept outside.

    In the morning Joanna was awoken by her cellphone''s ringing tone.

    With sleepy eyes, she stretched forth her hands towards the centre table where she had thrown her phone when she returned the previous night.

    She raised herself to a sitting position after she answered the line.

    "Hello," she said in a dreamy voice.

    "Don''t tell me I was the one who woke you up?" Ady''s cool voice could be heard at the other end.

 Chapter 554 Mrs Parkers News

    ?

    "Yeah...,"

    "I just had awesome news to break to you that was why I couldn''t wait. It was never my intention to cut short your sleep. I apologise," Mr Parker apologised.

    "That is not necessary," Joanna replied. She rubbed her drowsy eyes one more time and stood up from the couch.

    "I had intended to wake up early too. Let''s just say you help me to meet up with my schedule," She twisted her reply so her caller won''t feel guilty towards her.

    "And you said you had great news to tell me, what is it about, Mrs Parker?" Joanna addressed the woman with the proper title.

    "Ohh... I wanted to tell you that I had all the musical instruments and costumes you would need for your y delivered to the campus this morning....,"

    "What!" Joanna eximed. She was just in front of the bedroom door but her legs refused to move forward because of the news she heard.

    "Mrs Parker, don''t tell me you are trying to pull a prank on me?" Joanna asked, her right hand ced on her excited chest.

    "I am serious. You can call the school management and confirm what I said if you don''t believe me," Mrs Parker said in a serious tone to convince Joanna she wasn''t pranking her.

    "We both know that it is difficult if not impossible toy a hand on those items so how did you pull this off?" Joanna demanded.

    Her excitement was immediately reced with curiosity after Mrs Parker assured her she told the truth.

    "Where did you get it and how...,"

    "I thought I told you I won''t disclose how I managed to get my hands on the items so why are you still wasting your time on a question you won''t get a reply on?" Mrs Parker interrupted her sharply.

    "But...,"

    "Leah and I are rooting for you and your team over here. Remember to give it your best shot. You can do this," Mrs Parker cheered her on and disconnected the call after rying her message.

    "She is so mysterious. I wanted to know how she managed to get her hands on those items... I wanted to know the best way to thank her for this favour," Joanna mumbled, her gaze fixed on her cellphone''s dark screen.

    Joanna opened the door and sauntered into the bedroom, still feeling disappointed that Mrs Parker cut the call on her before she could discover how Mrs Parker managed toy her hands on the materials for their y.

    "Drey...," Joanna paused what she wanted to say after she realised that Audrey wasn''t there.

    Because of how neat the bedsheets were she needed no one to tell her that Audrey didn''t sleep on the bedst night.

    "Drey would have informed me if she wanted to sleep over at her parent''s home but she didn''t so where would she have gone..." Joanna put to death her thought when it dawned on her where Audrey spent the night.

    "Damn... how could I forget that naughty girl now has a boyfriend," Joanna mumbled and ambled to the bed.

    Just when she was about to sit down Bacon flew into the bedroom andnded on the bed beside her.

    Her face lit up the instant the bed perched at the spot close to her.

    "You are back, Bacon," She eximed and lifted him off the bed so that he was sitting on her hands.

    "Now show me everything my man did yesterday while I wasn''t beside... Let''s see whether we would be able to spot those after his life in today''s video," Joanna spoke to the bird as if she was speaking to a person.

    And truly Bacon proved to be more than an ordinary bird when a blue holographic screen appeared on the wall after Joanna finished talking.

    Because she was worried Amos woulde to harm when she wasn''t around him, she specifically assigned the mission of watching over him to Bacon. And she did these for two reasons.

    Apart from the fact that she wanted to be the first one whoes to his rescue if he falls into danger, she had hoped she would be able to get more information about the mysterious group who was after his life.

    Although Bacon has kept an eye on him for the past three days she hasn''t been able to get any meaningful leads on whose Amos enemies were.

    Joanna watched as Bacon disyed the video of the routine Amos performed from the moment he woke up to when he got out of bed.

    "Hey Bacon, I never told you to film him while he took a bath, so why are you such a pervert?" Joanna who had already covered her eyes with her hands when the scene of Amos taking a bath came on scolded the bird in her hand.

    Joanna''s lively mood changed drastically when the scene of the incident at the rooftop the previous night drew near.

    She wanted to avoid reliving the scene of seeing her lover in pain but she had no choice but to watch everything because she was scared of missing an important detail that might have taken ce during that time.

    Although people would say it was just a mere video of what had already taken ce, rewatching everything made Joanna''s heart hurt as much as it did when the incident urred.

    No... in fact reliving the scene was worst than when it happened because she felt triple the pain.

    Last night she was left with no choice but to act as if she possessed no heart but she couldn''t hold back her tears when she relived that moment.

    The pains should have subsided when the scene at the rooftop ended but her heartache started afresh when Bacon disyed what happened at the basketball field with Mr Fin.

    "So he returned to the pce... no wonder the status disyed missionpletedst night," Joanna mumbled as she kept her eyes fixed on the holographic screen.

    "He must really hate me right now, hmm, Bacon?" Joanna whispered. She lowered Bacon on the bed, stood up and strolled to where the video reflected on the wall.

 Chapter 555 Joanna Found Out What Her Father Did

    ?

    "Anyways why won''t he hate me when the woman he did all these things for turned out to be nothing but an ingrate...," Joanna trailed off.

    She raised her hand and tried to touch Amos face on the screen but unfortunately, the screen dissipated before she had an opportunity to do that.

    "Not only was she an ingrate but also a heartless witch who wouldn''t spare him from heartbreak," Joanna sniffed as she wiped off the drop of tears that had fallen from her eyes.

    "Just like Mr Fin said, you have given your entirety to this rtionship. No man would have been able to do half of what you did... and good news to you, Kayden. Your persistence has paid off," Joanna announced, a broad smile crept onto her face as she moved to where the enormous dressing mirror hung.

    "I am happy to announce to you that this girl standing here is head over heels for you. And from now you won''t need to do all the pursuing because I am going to pester you every day until you grow sick of me. Get ready for me, King Kayden Greyson, your turn to get pampered is here," Joanna dered as she hit her chest confidently.

    She was about to order Bacon to turn off the screen when a familiar voice caught her attention.

    "Mr Anderson!" Joanna eximed. Hurriedly she raised her head and watched the screen once again to confirm if her ears had yed a trick on her.

    "Amos has nothing to do with him or his family so why on Earth would he meet up with him and in secret at that?" Joanna growled. She balled her hands into fists before the conversation began.

    When the conversationmenced Joanna was already angry at the belittling tone Mr Anderson used on Amos but her anger rose to the peak when the video got to the part he ordered Amos to keep his distance from her.

    "And who the hell does he think he is to tell my man what to do and not to?" Joanna snapped as if Mr Anderson was standing in front of her.

    She paced about the spacious room, her murderous res fixed on Mr Anderson''s face disyed on the screen.

    "Since he dared to corner and bully my fiancee in my absence even against his will, why don''t I also take this opportunity to give him a piece of my mind?" Joanna retorted. She spun and stomped out of the bedroom.

    Joanna was on her way out of their apartment when she bumped into Audrey at the entrance.

    "Hey, off to campus already?" Audrey asked, she lowered her gaze at her wristwatch only to raise it and peered at her best friend''s fuming expression.

    "Also, why do you have that expression on so early in the morning? Who got you this upset...,"

    "I have things to take care. of right now. We will talkter," The impatient Joanna cut in. She tried to walk past but Audrey quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her previous position.

    "I recall you wore this outfit yesterday so why are you... don''t tell me you haven''t taken a bath yet?" Audrey asked when she noticed Joanna''s slightly messed up hair.

    "Anna, tell me, what is so important that would make you stomp out of the house without showering?" Audrey implored in a soft tone but she didn''t make the mistake of releasing Joanna''s hands for fear that she might slip off before she could stop her.

    "Showering is the least of my problem right now...,"

    "If that is the case then fine but what about the rehearsals you told me you had this morning? Are you going to miss that too for this important issue of yours you want to sort out?" Audrey reminded her of one of the important things she nned to do; perhaps she had forgotten about it.

    "Ugh...," Joanna yelled and ruffled her well-styled hair with her hands.

    Audrey was a bit taken aback by her actions since she has never seen Joanna this angry before.

    "So what happened to infuriate you to this extent?" Audrey asked for answers when she couldn''t guess what happened.

    "Did Laura or Adhara perhaps drop by...,"

    "Isn''t it that man who calls himself my father," Joanna growled and angrily banged the wall with her right hand.

    "Mr Anderson got you upset so early in the morning?" Audrey demanded, surprise written all over her pretty face.

    "Did hee here?... what on Earth did he tell you...,"

    "Can you believe the nerves of that old man... He threatened Amos to stay away from me after his men had the effrontery to kidnap him?" Joanna retorted, veins popping out from her forehead as her grip on the brown door increased.

    "Hey, why don''t you let go of the door and let''s talk inside?" Audrey suggested. She was scared that Joanna would pull down the brown door if she didn''t do something to prevent it.

    "Let''s go in so you can tell me everything in detail because I am quite confused with the vague information you are feeding my brain with," Audrey muttered.

    She held the angrydy''s hands and led her back into their rooms.

    When they got inside Joanna had a hard time rying everything in detail to Audrey due to how mad she was.

    If not that Audrey was a smartdy she would have gotten even more confused because of how Joanna went about her narration.

    "I know his manner of approach wasn''t the best but Amos and Kayden are the same people so why are you so mad..."

    "And why wouldn''t I be upset, Drey?" Joanna spat out as she jumped to her feet. At that moment Audrey knew better that she shouldn''t have spoken in favour of Mr Anderson no matter what.

    "Also, what if Amos wasn''t Kayden? Do you know what the consequences of that old man''s threat would have been?" Joanna hissed, her hands spread in the air.

 Chapter 556 She Broke Down In Tears

    ?

    "Anna, calm down..."

    "He was only able to challenge Mr Anderson because he was Kayden... Audrey because of his actions I would have forever lost the man I love, are you aware of this so why on Earth should I be calmed about this?" Joanna shouted and squatted with her hands ced on her head.

    By this time tears had already welled up in her eyes.

    "For years I have tolerated everything he and his family threw at me. I was super obedient like a loyal ve in my own home. Drey, I have never wanted or expected anything from him so why the hell did he do such a thing to me?" Joanna, whose tears had begun falling from her eyes yelled, her hands clutching her aching chest.

    Audrey sprang up from the couch and crouched beside Joanna when she saw her break down in tears.

    "Anna, I am not saying you shouldn''t confront him...,"

    "Does he hate me to the extent that seeing me happy irks him? Is that why he wants to crush me totally by taking away the one thing I have ever loved and desired with all my heart?" Joanna sobs further as she grabs Audrey''s hands tightly.

    "Anna, please don''t cry anymore hmm? You know I won''t be able to stop myself from crying too if you are this way," Audrey cooed. She drew in and embraced Joanna whom she could tell was in severe pain.

    Anyways, who in her shoes wouldn''t be mad if her father threatened the man she loves; especially a father who has never acted like one?

    "What crime did I evermit to deserve such treatment from them?" Joanna choked on her words as her tears flowed more.

    "Sshh... it''s ok, Anna," Audrey coaxed. She rubbed her back affectionately with hopes that her tears would stop flowing.

    After so much coaxing and pampering, the emotional Joanna stopped crying. She went into the bedroom and freshened up.

    Audrey waited to hear her mention confronting Mr Anderson again but she didn''t utter a word about their earlier discussion.

    "You are leaving already?" Audrey asked thedy who was making her way towards the entrance.

    "What about breakfast?... Also if you still want to confront Mr Anderson for what he did to Amos, I can follow you," Audrey offered, as she stood up ready to follow Joanna wherever she wanted.

    "I don''t have the appetite... and I can handle my issue with Mr Anderson just fine...,"

    "But...,"

    "Don''t worry about me. And I am gonna bete for my rehearsals if you stop me one more time," Joanna joked to Audrey''s astonishment.

    But she ignored the fact that Joanna smiled since she could easily see through it to be fake.

    "You are going to campus?" Audrey asked, her doubtful nces fixed on Joanna''s face.

    "Weren''t you nning to confront Mr Anderson so howe you are going to campus now... are you by chance lying so I won''t follow you...,"

    "Of course not," Joanna interjected.

    "Raymond barely had time to spare for himself not to talk of joining our rehearsals. It''s rare for him to have free time and that is why I want to seize this chance so we can have a general performance..." Joanna let her words linger as she guided her hands into her blue denim trouser pockets.

    "Who knows when he is gonna have another free time like this? Besides I can always deal with my problem with Mr Anderson some other time," Joanna said cool-headedly.

    "You made the right choice, Anna," Audrey muttered. She raised her right hand and tapped Joanna''s shoulders.

    "I am so d to see you finally returning to the coolheaded Anna that I know," Audreyplimented.

    "Hmm... I am happy to hear that although I can''t say the same about you," Joanna mumbled. She yfully brushed Audrey''s hand off her shoulder.

    "I have always been this way so what do you mean?" Audrey asked. She didn''t forget to flip her hair with a smug look on her face.

    "Yeah, you have always been this one daring girl just like you are right now... but you smell like someone else," Joanna whispered and pulled away in an instant.

    "Hey, what do you mean?" Audrey retorted as she wrapped her hand around her chest.

    "Next time make sure to take a shower before youe back home because I can practically guess what transpired between youst night..."

    "Anna!" Audrey called and immediately cupped her flushed face with her hands.

    "You know your best friend is single and yet you dared to return this way... was it your n all along to make your single best friend jealous and feel lonelier?" Joanna teased.

    "You know that is not true," Audrey said in her defence.

    "I was worried you might search for me after you woke up, that was why I rushed here without having a bath," Audrey was dense enough to exin further. She wasn''t aware that Joanna was only teasing her.

    "You are such a lucky bitch that you don''t have to worry about getting pregnant unlike me," Joanna said and strolled out of the house.

    "Anna..." She was forced to pause after she realised that Joanna was gone from the sitting room.

    "Things indeed got out of control and I had to crash over at the clubst night but why did she have to bring up pregnancy?" Audrey grumbled.

    Her face turned beet red when she recalled the steamy night she and Kyle had at the club.

    If only Kyle didn''t seduce her when she wanted to leave then she would have returned home and she wouldn''t have been teased so badly by her heartbroken best friend.

    "Since I got teased because of what he did I guess it''s only fair I take my revengeter on right?" Audrey giggled thought of carrying out the devilish ns on her mind.

    In the rehearsal room, although Joanna tried hard not to let her problems affect her performance, those who paid close attention to her the previous day would have noticed the difference in her mood.

    Apart from her mood, even the way she handled the rehearsals was different from the previous day.

    "Hey, what the hell is wrong with her?" Derrick, who had noticed that something was off about Joanna, nudged the guy by his side.

 Chapter 557 Raymond Tried To Help Her

    ?

    "Why? Does she not look fine?" Raymond whose eyes were centred on Joanna''s body feigned ignorance of his friend''s statement.

    "I am sure you must have noticed that something is off about her before I do, so you can quit the pretence. I won''t fall for it," Derrick shrugged his shoulders and moved to stand in front of him.

    "Hey, you are in my way..."

    "Since you didn''t approach her despite knowing that all was not well with her, I believe you have an idea about what is wrong with her, so why don''t you let me in on the secret hmm?" Derrick implored.

    He refused to budge despite Raymond''s attempt to push him out of his front.

    "Who knows I might be able to cheer her up on your behalf if I know what the problem is..."

    "This is a problem neither you nor I can solve. The best way to help her is to act as if we don''t know anything," Raymond replied.

    "But how can we leave her like that?" Derrick blurted. He pointed his index finger at thedy who has been running around from one ce to another ever since they assembled two hours ago.

    "I am afraid she is gonna exhaust herself to death if we leave her this way," Derrick stated his fears.

    "Maybe that is exactly what she wants. She believes that as long as she keeps herself busy she won''t have the luxury to think about her problems..."

    "And is that even possible?" Derrick whispered. He moved away from Raymond''s front atst.

    "Of course not. But at least it''s better than not trying at all," Raymond replied out of experience.

    "If you insist then I will y ignorant about what I noticed... but we need to trick her into having a rest before we leave for our next appointment. I am afraid she won''t even spare herself a minute rest if we don''t do that," Derrick suggested.

    "Sure," Raymond tapped him on the shoulder and walked towards where ady in white denim trousers stood coordinating a group of other students.

    "Miss Butterfly, do you need help?" Raymond asked when he reached where she stood, trying to correct thedy whose leg movement was wrong.

    "No," Joanna replied without taking her eyes off what she was doing.

    "You got that all wrong Lia... your legs should be this way," Joanna corrected.

    "How about I take over from here while you take a break?" Raymond insisted. He reached out his hand to grab her but she avoided his touch.

    "I can handle this, don''t worry," Joanna sh him a smile only to divert her attention back to what she was doing.

    Raymond strolled back to where Derrick was when Joanna wouldn''t ept his help.

    "See, I tried but she wouldn''t budge," Raymond ryed even though Derrick had seen everything.

    "Because your first attempt failed doesn''t mean the second would. So why don''t we wait for a while and give it another shot?" Derrick who looked like he had some idea off his sleeve winked naughtily at him.

    After so many attempts to cheer Joanna up and forced her to take a break, theirst resort turned out to be a sess.

    With the food, drinks and blood delivered by Raymond''s agency, everyone had no choice but to take a break.

    And Joanna was not an exception.

    But after they left for their next appointment none cared whether or not Joanna took a break.

    By the time they concluded their marathon rehearsals, it was night and everyone got ready to leave for their respective homes.

    "Don''t forget to call me, text or email me if youe across any problems concerning any of our performances. I will be more than happy to help out to the best of my abilities..."

    "We heard you, Joanna. You don''t have to repeat the same thing countless times... we will reach out to you if we need assistance with the performances," Lia cut in but she didn''t sound rude.

    "Did I repeat it way too many times?" Joanna scratch her hair as she stared at thedy who was already heading towards the exit with her two other friends.

    "Yeah, you did," Lia replied. She paused in her tracks, turned and gazed at thedy who hasn''t made any move to leave their rehearsal room.

    "Also, make sure to leave early too... remember we still have rehearsals tomorrow. And trust me, none of our group members will take rehearsals seriously if you were to break down," Liamented, a sweet smile lingering on her pretty face.

    "What you are afraid of won''t happen. You can trust me on that," Joanna replied. She didn''t forget to return the girl''s smile.

    "Go on now. Your friends are waiting," Joanna urged her on with a wave of the hand.

    After she watched Lia leave with her friends Joanna moved to the right corner of therge hall where brown benches were neatly arranged.

    From where she sat Joanna stared at the quiet hall which was filled with people and liveliness a few moments ago.

    "In the past, I never understood why heartbroken and lonely people always buried themselves in their works... but after experiencing what it means to be heartbroken, I can understand this feeling a hundred per cent," Joanna mumbled, her right hand clutching her chest.

    "Kay, I can''t wait for all this to be finally over so I cane to find you without any worries," Joanna whispered and closed her eyes.

    She stayed in this position for over fifteen minutes without moving an inch.

    Joanna was still wallowing in her pains when she recalled that she had some unresolved business to take care of.

    Some minutester, ady in white denim trousers and a ck cropped top was seen running into the front of a moving vehicle in the middle of a lonely street.

    Had the driver not applied brakes in the nick of time he would have hit thedy who ran into their car from nowhere.

    The startled man who upied the backseat of the ck car was infuriated and relieved at the same time when he raised his head and saw the face of thedy.

    He came out of their car angry to the bones.

    "Hey, Joanna Anderson, do you have a death wish or are you perhaps sick of living?" He growled, his index finger pointed at the face of thedy whose piercing res were shot at him.

    ....

    Hello ever lovely readers, it''s your darling author here again. I am so sorry I wasn''t able to upload chapters for days, believe me, it wasn''t nned.

    I fell seriously ill which made me unable to write anything. Although it wasn''t intentional on my part I still want to apologise.

    You guys had to wait for days without any updates, I am sorry. I promise to make it up to you guys when I get better.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    And please keep on supporting the book with your power stones, GOLDEN TICKETS,ments, reviews and gifts.

    I love you ??????

 Chapter 558 Joanna Ran Into His Car

    ?

    "And why are you so angry about that huh? Isn''t that what you have always wanted for the past eighteen years after you learned about my existence?" Joanna yelled at the top of her voice.

    "I bet getting killed by you here would have been me granting your greatest wish but too bad Mr Anderson, I have no intentions of giving you that pleasure," Joanna continued as she moved closer to where her angry father stood.

    "I don''t like you enough to throw away my life just to make you happy; the exact thing you tried to steal from me..."

    "And what is this nonsense you are sprouting from your mouth?" Mr Anderson cut in, his fierce stares fixed on her face.

    "Also, is that how you were taught to speak to your father...,"

    "Sorry, Sir but I have never been taught manners. My stepmother was too busy tormenting me to teach me manners and the one who called himself my father was nowhere to be found so how could you expect me to give what I never received?" Joanna retorted while looking into his eyeballs that screamed fury.

    Actually, she was too angry herself to care about her father''s fury.

    "One more thing I have long considered myself an orphan. I don''t have a father that I should offer my respect to...,"

    "Utter that one more time and I will make sure you are not able to talk with that mouth of yours for a long time," Mr Anderson, who couldn''t handle his daughter''s attitude towards him, threatened.

    Luckily for him, there were no passersby to witness how he was challenged by his daughter he had always believed was a loser. The two of them went quiet afterwards.

    "Do you know how I felt when I learned that you threatened the one I loved and what I wanted to do?" Joanna broke the awkward silence atst.

    "I wanted to return the pains I felt in the double fold... you have always hurt me so for the first time I desperately wanted you to feel at least a tiny bit out of the pains your family inflicted on me both physically and emotionally..." Joanna let her words linger as she shove her trembling hands into her trouser''s pockets and immediately turned her back to him.

    "But Drey came back in time to stop me. I was this close to getting my revenge on you.. just this close," Joanna demonstrated with her pinky fingers.

    "Joanna..."

    "The man you threatened, I love him a whole lot. Although Drey was able to stop me frommitting any atrocities today, believe me, it might likely not happen next time around," Joanna grunted.

    She spun so that she was looking at his face.

    "I love him to the point of insanity and I can do anything and everything to protect what we share so I will advise that you keep your distance from him because even I don''t know what I will do if you ever do this again...,"

    "Are you threatening me for that scumbag?" Mr Anderson growled, his fist tightly clenched to suppress his annoyance.

    "Also what do you know about love huh?" He berated, his cold gaze locked with hers.

    "I might not know much about love since I had no one to guide me but trust me, I am not the type who will abandon or throw away the one I love like trash just for power and gains..."

    "Are you peradventure directing that at me, Joanna Anderson..."

    "I never mentioned a name... also you wouldn''t have assumed I was referring to you if you had a clear conscience," Joanna muttered with her head hanging low.

    "You..."

    "For a long time now, I have epted the fact that you will never love me or care for me the way you do with your other children... although I won''t say it was easy, I still went ahead and epted my fate," She started in a calmer tone.

    "Yes, you deprived me of the love and care I deserved despite how hard I tried but someone else willingly gave that love to me and in abundance at that. And believe me, I didn''t try so hard to get his love," Joanna continued as she lifted her eyes and gazed at the round mood shining down on them from above.

    Gazing at the moon brought back some of the amazing memories she spent with Amos; especially those of their times in the forest.

    "Right, I was cool with not being able to earn your love but I won''t let you steal this love and happiness I have found from me, never!" Joanna asserted.

    "So please I am begging you, don''t push me into doing something nasty that everyone will wonder whether I was possessed by a devil," Joanna concluded in a meek tone.

    She began walking away after she had passed her message.

    "Come back here, Joanna. I am not done talking to you," Mr Anderson yelled at her but she refused to stop or looked back at him. She continued to stroll away as if she didn''t hear a single word he said.

    "Joanna, you are still too young and naive to understand the way the world runs... I was just like you years ago and look at the mess I am in because of that fleeting feeling called love. Believe me, you will know better as you grow that love is not primary but secondary needs," Mr Anderson mumbled, his eyes glued on the back of thedy he couldn''t clearly see at the moment.

    Back where Joanna was, she paused in time to see her father turn back and hopped into his car.

    "Love might have been nothing more than a fleeting feeling to you but that is not the case to me. My definition of love is way more deeper and beautiful than yours," Joanna mumbled, her eyes fixed on the glowing beams of his car''s sidelights.

    "You called me young and naive but I am not. I won''t run off from the one I love no matter the trials and tribtions thate with this decision I made...," She trailed off as she spun and continued walking.

 Chapter 559 Joanna Got Abducted

    <h4>Chapter 559 Joanna Got Abducted</h4>

    "I will prove to you and everyone out there that my love is far stronger and superior to any trials out there," She dered as she kept moving along the lonely street.

    For two days Joanna and her group members rehearsed as if their life depended on it. Their cooperation and improvements as days went by boosted her confidence and determination to give her best performance on the carnival day.

    Joanna was on her way back from getting the refreshments Mrs Parker sent to her group to show her support for them when she ran into Laura.

    Despite having seen the frowningdy, Joanna acted as if she didn''t. She continued to talk with her partner and walked past her.

    "Lia, you told me that your Dad promised to return from his business trip so he could watch our performance. Is he back yet?" Joanna asked and looked away from her stepsister''s direction.

    "He was supposed to return today but something came up which caused his flight to be dyed but he said he enjoyed watching the video of our rehearsal I sent to him..." Lia couldn''t stop beaming while talking.

    "He reaffirmed that he wouldn''t miss the carnival for anything in this world. He will return unfailingly by tomorrow," Lia said, excitement written all over her face.

    "Wow.. that is great," Joanna remarked as she tapped Lia''s shoulder with her free hand.

    Laura who stood beside a white pir stared at the back of the two innocentdies as if they just stepped on her toe.

    [Hey bitch, you can try as much as you want, give it your best and even throw your everything into this but bad news to you... with me around, yours and your group''s performance will be nothing but total failure]

    Laura''s grip around her chain handbag tightened as she shotser beams at the twoughing figures whose distance from her had widened.

    "Let''s see what will happen to you and your group after I am done carrying out my ns," Laura murmured. She stomped away.

    A day before themencement of the three-day carnival, Joanna was on her way to campus after she paid Mrs Parker a visit at the cafe where she spent her break period.

    She was walking on a quiet street when suddenly a car which drove at top speed screeched to a stop beside her.

    Had she jumped a secondter than she did the ck-tinted ss car would have crashed into her.

    At first, she had believed it was the handiwork of a drunk driver but that changed when three hefty men got out of the car and stomped towards her.

    "And who the hell are these idiots again?" Joanna hissed when she realised that she was the men''s target.

    [I thought I had put everyone who could stand in my way in their respective ces. I don''t think Madam Cora, Adhara or the Mean witches would have been foolish enough to challenge me after what I did to them so who the hell would have sent them?]

    Joanna quickly adjusted the way she held her handbag. She took her stance ready to defend herself whenever required.

    "Let go of me, fool," Joanna yelled. She pped and pushed away the guy that grabbed her hand.

    She was about to teach the three guys a lesson they would forever remember when an idea struck her.

    [Since there is someone out there who has refused to learn lessons from what I did to the others why don''t I use this opportunity to see this enemy of mine... I bet it will be thrilling to handle yet another idiot out there]

    Joanna smirked and pretended as if she didn''t sense the presence of the guy who tried to sneak an attack on her from behind.

    "Piss off," Joanna shouted and acted as if she was trying to wriggle her way out of the grip of the guy who seized her from behind.

    Immediately, they bundled her into their car which the driver had already ignited and zoomed off.

    Inside the car, Joanna studied her environment carefully. If this had happened in the past she wouldn''t have been so calm to examine her environment.

    She was so carefree despite being captured because she knew without a doubt that she was the boss here even though they thought they had seeded in subduing her.

    After about an hour''s drive, the car pulled over in front of a tall building surrounded by bushes on all sides.

    Yes, the ce looked creepy and so was the abandoned building whose front the car hade to a pause but she felt as rxed as it was a while ago.

    "Where are you taking me to?" Joanna shouted and struggled to break free from their hold. She knew that it would look weird if she followed her kidnappers willingly into the dpidated building without putting on a fight.

    "Who sent you to do this to me huh?" She yelled at the men who hadn''t said a word ever since she encountered them.

    She almost thought they were deaf and dumb until one of them actually said a word.

    "Why waste your energy struggling with us when you will meet the ones who gave the orders in less than a minute," The guy with an ugly scar on his right cheek growled and shoved her roughly against the grey pir in front of them.

    "Arrgghh!" Joanna screamed and faked a painful look, her right hand clutching her left shoulder which had collided with the pir.

    [From his words it means that the masterminds are not one. I wonder who...]

    Joanna put an end to her thought when her sensitive nose got a whiff of a familiar scent.

    She looked ahead of her toward the enormous entrance in front of her which had no door.

    "Don''t tell me this is her handiwork?" Joanna whispered, her painful expression turning murderous.

    The three men dragged her along with them before she thought of a perfect punishment for the masterminds of her abduction.

    Two minutester she was standing in arge hall whose floor was full of litter. A few broken chairs, tables and cupboards could be seen stacked in a corner of the room but she didn''t care about any of this.

 Chapter 560 Stupid!

    ?

    Instead, she gazed at an entrance located at the extreme corner of the room where she sensed people''s presence.

    When she saw nonee out of the room whose door was left ajar, she decided to take the initiative to call them out of their hiding ce.

    "Who..." She saw threedies step out of the room onto therge hall before having the opportunity to call them out.

    "Hey, don''t tell me youdies are the ones who are responsible for the reason I am here?" Joanna asked, her cold stares glued on their faces.

    "Why?... have you suddenly gone blind overnight?" Eva taunted as the three of them strolled to where Joanna stood.

    "Also, are you scared after seeing who brought you here?" Eunice chirped with pride.

    Although the battle hadn''t started yet, the smug look on their faces made Joanna realize that they had already considered themselves winners.

    "Did you just say scared?" Joanna crackled as if Eunice just finished telling a joke.

    "Does it look like I am scared of any of you?" Joanna quizzed, her hands spread in the air.

    "You can act tough as much as you want..."

    "I am not pretending to be tough... It''s already a fact that I am tough and stronger than all of youbined. You of all people should know this after what I did..."

    "Shut up that tramp you called a mouth if you don''t want me to pounce on you earlier than I had nned?" Laura cut in rudely. She was scared that Joanna would reveal how she defeated her entire family.

    "To be honest I would have also loved to y with youdies but unfortunately my time is fully booked," Joanna muttered as she shrugged her shoulders.

    "You can either quickly say your reason for bringing me here or you postpone this meeting to after thepletion of the carnival..."

    "See girls, she is still worried about performing at the carnival when she should be scared if she would leave here alive? Don''t you think she is very stupid?" Eva mocked, her finger pointed at thedy who was about to turn around.

    "Stupid!" Joanna spat out. "This is not about pride but confidence, got that?" She corrected her. She immediately spun and approached the entrance.

    The three guys signalled by thedies to grab her were just an arm''s reach away when she spun and pointed her finger at them.

    "Touch me and I swear to burn each one of you alive right here and now," Joanna retorted, her hands still gesturing at the three guys who were currently marking her movement.

    "That will only be possible if you are ready to get roasted alive along with all of us," Laura chirped in, a victorious smile stered on her pretty face as she and her friends approached where Joanna stood.

    "And what do you mean by that?" Joanna scowled, her deadly res glued on her stepsister''s face.

    "Although I wasn''t present at the scene that day, I learned and even watched how you brutally dealt with Tiffany and her gang..." Laura let her words linger. She turned and signalled Eva to finish the sentence for her.

    "And as smartdies that we are, we took precautions by opening a gas valve some minutes before you got here," Eva grinned wickedly when she saw Joanna''s frown deepen.

    "The gas has circted through the entire room. The moment you dared as much as try to summon your devilish mes...." Eunice, who seems to be having a lot of fun paused to add a bit of excitement to their little y.

    "Boom!" She screamed, her hand exaggeratedly spread in the air.

    "Within the twinkle of an eye this house will be caught in mes with all of us in it," Eunicepleted, her lips curled upwards to reveal adevilish smirk.

    "Like you said it is not my intention to get burned alive not to mention dying with you,dies..."

    "Get yourself ready bitch because I am gonna make you pay dearly for all the pain you cause me. If you are lucky toe out of this alive, I promise you that you will be crawling out of here on your hands," Laura threatened.

    "Seize her," She ordered fiercely.

    "This is why I said you girls are stupid," Joanna snarled. Her unfazed expression made the girls wonder what other tricks she had up her sleeve.

    "Because you were able to stop me from using my fireballs does not change the fact that I will walk out of here with my head held high..."

    "I said seize her... I bet she is trying to find her way out of here after realizing that she is trapped," Laura urged the men to do their job.

    "I had wanted him to be the first one to see me transform but I guess that won''t be possible since I n to crush their self-esteem right here. I am sure they wouldn''t dare to provoke me ever again after today," Joanna mumbled.

    She stared at the threedies and then moved her deadly stares to the men who were already zoning in on her.

    As her eyes moved from one figure to the other, her eyes were focused on their legs.

    She timed the movements of their legs as they moved even closer. An evil smirk appeared on the corner of her lips after she got them where she wanted.

    "And now?" She remarked. And before anyone could fathom what she was up to, she seized one of the guys by the hand and spun him around so that her hand was holding his groin firmly.

    "Make just one wrong move andI won''t hesitate to snap his neck?" Joanna threatened. She started moving backwards while she kept her eyes fixed on the rest of the guys who had turned their attention to thedies for what to do next.

    "This is nothing but her only move to keep you guys away. Like that little brat always says, her big sister can''t hurt a fly so how can she possibly kill a full-grown man?" Laura taunted.

    "That is where you got it all wrong Laura. I am not that benevolent," Joanna retorted.

    She kicked the guy''s right knee from behind, causing him to kneel immediately.

 Chapter 561 She Kept Her Word

    ?

    "I am not that weak girl in the past who does nothing other than weep despite being brutally bullied. I am more than capable of protecting myself now," She growled and shoved her captive into the two guys who hadn''t given up on seizing her.

    Before anyone could spell JACK Joanna took to her heels. But to their dismay, she didn''t go for the exit. Instead, she ran into the room Laura and the others came out from earlier and shut the door.

    By this time Laura, Eva and Eunice were more than astonished.

    Their mouths hung open as they turned and exchanged puzzled nces. For a minute they were too shocked to believe what urred in front of them.

    "Laura, what just happened here?" Eva asked still in awe. She kept her eyes focused on the brown door ahead of them.

    "When I told you she was a born coward who was all talks and no actions did you think I was lying?" Laura who felt a newfound confidence spring from within said with her head cocked to the side.

    [I can''t believe I was worried for nothing]

    A sweet smile found its way to Laura''s face as she stared at the door her stepsister was trapped inside.

    Laura diverted her gaze to where the guys stood after a minute had passed.

    "I want her dragged here like a dog. Deal with her in a way even though those closest to her will have a hard time recognising her," Lauramanded coldly.

    "The one who inflicts the most pain on her will receive extra rewards from me after we wrap things up," Laura added. There was so much hate in her eyes as she said this.

    And because her friends were after the thrills they said nothing to dissuade the vengeful Laura.

    Anyways they were all in this together so how could they possibly stop her?

    Laura and her friends watched the four men including the driver stomp towards the brown door.

    With their hearts almost burst from excitement they waited for the moment where they tore down the door and dragged Joanna out of there.

    Just when the leader raised his leg to kick the door open, the door pulled out from the frame thereby sending the men flying across the room.

    "What the..." Eva was too astounded toplete her sentence as her eyes remained fixed on the direction of the door.

    Even her friends who had forgotten to blink were not spared from the shock.

    "Is that a werewolf or a demon?" Eunice cried out, her hands pointed at the howling rainbow-coloured animal advancing towards them.

    The three of them started to move backwards but they didn''t take their eyes off the werewolfwhose murderous stares were focused on them.

    [She was never able to change into a werewolf. Her transformation failed even at her long-awaited 18th birthday party so how is this even possible?]

    Laura was in deep thought as she kept her eyes fixed on the empty room the werewolf came out from.

    "Laura, we need to shift into our true form now or else she is gonna attack us..."

    "And why should we do that when we paid them for this job?" Laura shouted as they continued to retreat backwards.

    "Also we didn''t bring spare clothes, did you forget that?" She added.

    Eunice was about to talk when the werewolf leapt in the air causing thedies to scramble in all directions.

    Joanna attacked them again and this time around the girls were left with no other choice but to shift into werewolves.

    Although it was clear as crystal that Joanna was outnumbered, it turned out that not seven of them were a match for her.

    Maybe if she relied on her werewolf power alone she wouldn''t have been a match for her enemies who were out to make her pay.

    But not when shebined her werewolf powers with that of the system.Her powers were too overwhelming for all of them to handle.

    In less than seven minutes all of them except the rainbow-coloured werewolf were on the floor unable to move any part of their body.

    After she was done with them she returned to the room, shifted back into human and put on the clothes she had taken off earlier.

    "See, I kept my word when I said I wouldn''t go easy on you the next time we fought," Joanna announced.

    She took onest nce at the werewolves on the floor before she turned and strolled out of the hall with her head held high just like she told Laura a while ago.

    To punish them further Joanna drove away in their car when she could easily get to campus with her teleportation skill.

    When Joanna reached their rehearsal room she met her group''s members already practicing.

    "What took you so long?" Raymond asked out of concern. He hurried to the door on sighting Joanna.

    "I was in the middle of something but lost track of time," Joanna lied. She strolled to the bench and dropped her handbag on it.

    "I am sorry if I caused any dy with myteness," Joanna apologized as she moved to join where those modelling for their group organized themselves.

    "It is so unlike you to arrivete but it''s ok. We have mastered our steps and lines and as such can practice without your supervision..."

    "Does that mean you don''t need me anymore...."

    "Nooo...." everyone chorused, despite that this was supposed to be her little chat with Lia.

    Joanna was a bit taken aback by their reaction.

    She stared at their smiling faces not knowing whether to cry or beam along with them.

    If someone had told her a year ago that she would be epted by the same people who made 18 years of her life miserable she wouldn''t have believed it.

    And here it was happening in front of her and she couldn''t believe that this was real.

    "With the carnivaling up in a day, I was worried our name will be included on the batch to perform on the first day but luckily for us, our group name appeared on the list of those to perform on thest day," Joanna addressed everyone.

    She moved forward from where she stood so that everyone was able to see her.

 Chapter 562 Raymond Ran Away

    ?

    "Unlike those who will be performing on the first and second day of the carnival, we still have extra days to practice and perfect all the activities we are gonna disy on that day..." Joanna trailed. She let her eyes wander around the crowd in front of her.

    "For this year''s carnival let''s give it our best and leave no room for regret," Joanna said a word of encouragement especially to those who were already feeling nervous.

    "It feels like it was just a few hours ago you chose her as your co-leader. I can remember that thest thing she wanted to do was to get involved in all these but look at her speaking and cheering everyone up as if she has done this all her life," Derrick whispered to the guy beside him as he kept his focus on the grinning Joanna''s face.

    "You and I saw the efforts she put in to get the group to where it''s now. She might have done this without any ulterior motive but she was able to earn everyone''s trust and prove herself with her hard work," Raymond mumbled.

    He too didn''t look away from Joanna''s face.

    "She has done so much for the group and I wished the gift I prepared for her will make her happy at the end of the day," Raymond muttered absentmindedly.

    He was so engrossed in his conversation with Raymond and didn''t even realize when he spoke those words.

    "And what is the gift you prepared for her?" Derrick quizzed.

    For a minute there the two friends forgot that they were not in the human world where they could freely whisper without having to worry about being heard by a third party.

    Raymond diverted his gaze from Joanna''s body only to realise that all his group members'' attention was on him.

    "Raymond, what surprise gift did you prepare for Joanna that makes you so worried that it might not meet her standard?" Lia demanded. She winked at thedy who was equally shocked by Raymond''s revtion.

    "What gift are you talking.."

    "We all heard you mention a surprise gift you prepared for Joanna, it''s pointless to feign ignorance about it," Lia cut in.

    She was even more eager to hear Raymond''s answer than Joanna, the subject of their discussion.

    "Tell us already," The others joined Lia to add more pressure on Raymond so he will have no choice but to tell them about the gift.

    Raymond stared at their curious eyeballs not knowing how to save himself from this mess he unintentionally brought upon himself.

    Just as he was about to lose hope of getting himself out of this trouble, an idea popped into his head.

    Since this was his chance to get away he didn''t hesitate to execute his ns.

    "Damn it, why do I feel so pressed all of a sudden?" Raymond muttered and started approaching the hall''s exit.

    "Raymond!" Lia called out but unluckily for them, he was gone before they realised what he was up to.

    With Raymond gone everyone returned to their previous positions and resumed from where they stopped.

    The long-awaited day of the carnival finally arrived. Just like the previous years, there was jubtion around the entire Kingdom.

    With the King''s deration of a three days holiday, none in the Twipera Kingdom had to worry about their jobs.

    Those who had eagerly waited for this fateful day for a long time trooped into the heavily guarded Twilight University.

    While those performing for that day ran around the ce trying to perfect their performance, Joanna and herpanions took their sweet sweet time to rehearse with ns of joining the spectators to witness others perform for the audience.

    Joanna, who was thest to leave the rehearsal hall, was walking in the corridor when ady running out of one of the open lecture halls almost collided with her.

    Had she not moved out of the runningdy''s path on time, the two of them would have suffered a bad fall.

    And thedy who was in her costume would have been the one who suffered the biggest loss.

    "Laura..." Thedy stomped away without waiting to apologise to Joanna whom she bumped into.

    "She is such a darn snub," Joanna muttered and followed her since it was the same direction they were both heading.

    Because Joannaand her groups were scheduled to perform on thest day, they had the privilege to watch other groups'' activities, learn from their mistakes and also get pointers on how to really go about putting on an excellent performance.

    Two days went by so quickly and it was finally the day for Joanna and her group members to disy all they have rehearsed for the past week.

    As always Joanna and the others were inside their designated hall rehearsing when suddenly she perceived a familiar scent.

    "Mrs Parker!" Joanna eximed and halted, forgetting that she was on the runway with her other modellingpanions.

    Lia who was following her never expected her to stop walking and so bumped into her.

    If not for Raymond''s swift intervention thedies would have fallen and injured the humandy in front of them.

    "What is wrong?" Raymond asked thedy who barely managed to bnce herself due to his help.

    "Nothing," Joanna smiled at him. She even went ahead and apologised to Lia whom she almost caused to fall.

    [It''s still a few hours before our group climbs the stage so Mrs Parker couldn''t have arrived at this time. I must have been mistaken again]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she gazed at the hall''s entrance.

    "Let''s retake that part," Raymond announced. He pped his hand to bring back orderliness in the hall.

    "Miss Butterfly," Raymond called. He touched her hand since she was the only one who hadn''t returned to her previous position.

    Joanna took onest nce at the entrance and afterwards hurried to stay in line.

    ...

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 Chapter 563 Mrs Parker Got Upset

    It wasn''t until Joanna joined her group that she realised that half of her group members were staring towards the entrance instead of rehearsing.

    She was about to follow their line of sight when she heard Lia mumble, " Whose aunt is that?" She whispered.

    She also stopped walking and stared at where the others'' attention was.

    "Mrs Parker!" Joanna blurted out in shock the moment she looked towards the door and saw the woman in a silk red dress still peeping at them although she had long been caught.

    "Guys, give me a minute or two. I will be back soon," Joanna announced and rushed towardsthe door.

    "You aren''t supposed to be here, Mrs Parker," Joanna grumbled. She held the elderly woman''s hands and tried to pull her along but Mrs Parker refused to move an inch.

    "I just want to take a few glimpses at how far you guys have gone with the rehearsal because I can''t seems to stop my anxious heart..."

    "You will see the main performance on stage in a few hours but not here," Joanna asserted. She continued with her struggle to get the older woman away from there despite her resistance.

    "Also visitors are prohibited here. Those who are allowed here are only parents and guardians of the students so how on Earth did you manage to get here without being noticed?" Joanna inquired.

    "Of course, I am aware of this and that is why I lied that I had a child here..."

    "How could you lie about that huh?" Joanna scolded. She continued to pull the hands of the woman who wouldn''t stop stretching her neck to get a peep into the rehearsal hall.

    "We can''t possibly rehearse with you here, so will youe with me already?" Joanna pleaded.

    Getting Mrs Parker out of there with her level of strength wouldn''t have been difficult but she didn''t want to be rude or hurt the woman who has been nothing but good to her and that is why she didn''t apply too much strength to her pull.

    "Since you don''t wanna leave, so be it. I won''t force you anymore..."

    "Really?" Mrs Parker remarked. Her eyes sparkled as a sweet smile crawled onto her beautiful face.

    Mrs Parker acted more like an excited child at the moment instead of the sophisticated adult that Joanna knew her to be.

    "Yeah, but you will have to take responsibility if our group messes up on stage because we couldn''t rehearse properly..."

    "Hey!" the excited Mrs Parker yelled, her index finger pointed at Joanna''s face.

    Her group members who had turned to continue with their practice diverted their focus to where they stood again after Mrs Parker''s annoyed remark.

    "Why did you give me hope in the first ce if this is what you were gonna say next?" Mrs Parker grumbled.

    She turned and stomped away but Joanna ran after her.

    "Mrs Parker," Joanna called out to her but she wouldn''t stop walking.

    "Mrs Parker," Joanna tried her luck again but this time around she grabbed the angry woman''s hand and made her halt.

    "I am sorry I didn''t mean to get you excited only to ruin your excitement," Joanna was quick to apologise since she knew she must have hurt her feelings.

    "I promise I wouldn''t have asked you to leave if I was the only one practising," Joanna started in a calm tone. She let go of Mrs Parker''s hand so others passing by won''t be inconvenienced.

    "But the others are really tense because of the uing performance. Having you watch us will only make their anxiety worse. And believe me, none of them will be able to rehearse properly in such a condition," Joanna exined in case Mrs Parker had misunderstood her intentions.

    "Mrs Parker," Joanna called. She turned and stood in front of the woman who avoided looking in her direction.

    She lifted her hands and held her shoulders gently. Joanna made sure that their eyeballs were locked before she started talking.

    "Give us a few hours more and I promise you that we will give you a mind-blowing performance that you and the other audiences will be satisfied with, hmm," Joanna said.

    Joanna made a funny face just to put a smile on the frowning woman''s face but Mrs Parker didn''t smile.

    "Are you still mad at me even after my exnation..."

    "When you climb on stage I will be your biggest cheerleader and you can''tin or nag at me for being childish ok?" Mrs Parker said, her lips pouted like that of a jealous child.

    If not that Joanna held herself back, she would have burst out in deafeningughter seeing the elderly woman act this way.

    [All my life I have never met an adult who loves and supports me as much as she does. I guess I must have really done a lot of good deeds in my past life and that is why the goddess made our paths cross in this lifetime]

    Joanna, who felt so overwhelmed, stared at Mrs Parker''s face in silence. "That is cool with me. And I am sure the others will be thrilled to hear that they already had a fan even before the performance took ce," Joanna replied jovially just to meet the excited woman''s spirit.

    "Go on now. I will see you and the others on stageter," Mrs Parker pushed her gently towards the rehearsal room.

    "Also, try not to get too nervous because I trust and know that you can do this," Mrs Parker who had started strolling away beamed at her.

    Joanna watched as the distance between them grew wider as second ticks.

    She returned to the rehearsal hall after she had made sure that Mrs Parker was gone.

    "She is so beautiful and yful. Almost all the adults I know are super grumpy. Without a doubt, she is the most jovial adult I havee across," one of the girlsmented after they had taken their respective positions on the runway.

    "She is the nicest adult I have evere across in my eighteen years of living..." Joanna trailed. She tilted her head and gazed at the exact spot Mrs Parker hid earlier.

 Chapter 564 Everyone Got Nervous

    ?

    "But she is not usually so yful. I believe she acted that way to cheer me on and also get rid of my anxiety," Joanna mumbled. She brought back her attention to where Raymond, their instructor for the day, stood in front of them.

    At first, when others were nervous Joanna felt super rxed. She didn''t get cold feet nor did her heart pound hard against her chest like her other group members.

    But this changed as the time for their performance drew closer.

    She had believed that all she needed to put on a spectacr show was her confidence but with that confidence gone she realised she didn''t have something else to hold onto.

    Raymond who has been watching her closely walked up to her when he noticed that she wasn''t the same Joanna she was these past days.

    "Are you alright?" Raymond asked. He was forced to touch her when she didn''t react.

    "Miss Butterfly," He called and touched her right shoulder.

    Joanna, who was in deep thought, jolted back to reality when Raymond touched her.

    "Did you say something?" Joanna asked. She acted as if nothing happened.

    "No," Raymond shook his head in negation. He moved and stood in front of her so he would have a clearer view of her face.

    "But I wanted to say that it is a normal thing to feel nervous when appearing on a big stage. Take me for an example," He murmured.

    Raymond lowered himself into a squatting position after he noticed that thedy sitting on the floor was straining her neck to get a glimpse of his face.

    "Despite being a veteran who has been on big stages countless times, even I get nervous sometimes just before I climb the stage and that is why I understand perfectly how all of you feel," Raymond didn''t forget to generalise his sentence since he was aware that the other group members were listening to his conversation with Joanna.

    "And is there a solution for that?" A guy wearing reading sses who appeared to be the most nervous among them asked.

    For a minute there he forgot that they were all supposed to pretend not to hear Raymond and Joanna''s conversation.

    "Calming pills does the trick but there are also times that even calming pills fail to work," Raymond replied as he turned and looked towards where the guy with sses stood.

    "For others, taking a quick deep breath works for them but for me, I try not to think too much about the performance..."

    "What do you think of then if not the performance?" Lia, who wasn''t spared from anxiety, also blurted, her eyes fixed on Raymond''s face.

    "Hmmm..." Raymond trailed off. He stood up and walked to stand in the middle of where they had assembled.

    "I tried as much as possible to think of random things because letting your mind dwell on things like people''s expectations and perfection of the entire performance will only lead to more anxiety. Instead of delivering a wless performance, you will only end up making mistakes," Raymond replied in a serious tone.

    "If that is the case then what is your advice for people like us who are climbing the big stage for the first time?" Lia was quick to ask the question which was on herrades'' minds.

    "Have fun!" Raymond and Derrick chorused. The two friends smiled at each other when they realised that they blurted out the same words.

    "For first-timers like you, I would advise that you have tons of fun on stage while giving it your best shot. Because if you as a performer are not enjoying what you are doing then how do you expect your audience to do that hmm?" Raymond continued.

    "When others told us to kill our first show our manager was the only one who told us to have fun on the stage. And believe me, his words worked magic for us," Derrick supported.

    "And that being said, let''s take a walk around to calm our tense nerves. By the time we returned it would have been our turn to perform," Raymond suggested.

    Since they saw nothing wrong with his suggestion, none disagreed with him.

    Joanna was about to join the others outside when Bacon flew into the enormous hall whose upant was only Joanna.

    "Hey, what are you doing here?" Joanna scolded the bird which had just perched on her shoulder.

    "Didn''t I assign you the task of watching over him in my stead so why are you here instead of carrying out your task?" Joanna growled and tapped Bacon''s beak with her index finger.

    She was so eager to get a response from Bacon and didn''t notice Raymond pause in front of the door and watched hermunicate with her bird as if he were a human.

    Joanna had assumed she was the only one around and so was about to make Bacon disy the video he had captured for the entire day when she felt the presence of someone at the door.

    Turning her concentration to the door she was stunned to see the guy in a brown shirt whose intense stares were focused on her and her bird.

    "I aming," Joanna shes an awkward smile at Raymond.

    Immediately, she lifted her right hand, removed Bacon from her shoulder and ced it on the brown chair close to the wall.

    "I will deal with youter," Joanna grumbled. She hurried to join Raymond at the door after she took ast nce at the bird she has grown to love very much.

    Because performances for thest day of the carnival had started in full swing Joanna and herrades could walk around freely.

    While the others walked in front Joanna and Raymond were left far behind. Derrick on the other hand stayed away from them to give them the privacy they needed.

    He wasn''t so dense as to ruin this moment for his best friend since he was the biggest cheerleader in their rtionship.

    "At our first encounter in the forest, I can still remember you told me you wanted to live a quiet life with your mother and father so when and how did you get into showbiz?" Joanna asked as she and Raymond strolled side by side on the open field.

 Chapter 565 Something Went Wrong

    ?

    "Wow... I am surprised you still remember that" Raymond remarked. His gloomy expression lightened up in an instant.

    "That night would have been the day I died and got devoured by wild beasts if it were not for you, so of course I recall almost everything that took ce that night," Joanna ryed.

    Talking about that night brought back memories of that fateful day.

    If not for the bravery of the chubby boy who was only a bit taller than her, she would have been torn apart by a tiger who attacked her.

    He was there to shield her from the heavy rain that night and also kept herpany which was the most important thing to her back then.

    "Indeed, being a celebrity was never part of my dreams but I just found myself bing one," Raymond replied while gazing at the round moon which was shining down on them with all its might.

    "And now it has be something I enjoy and love," He added absentmindedly.

    "I am happy to hear that you enjoy what you do despite how demanding this career is because eighty per cent of people out there don''t love what they do for a living," Joanna beamed at him.

    She could feel her anxiety gradually reduced as she conversed with him.

    "From what I noticed these past days, I can tell that you belong to this industry. Do you want to go into modelling and acting?" Raymond asked.

    He spun and moved to stand in front of thedy who had stopped in her tracks following his question.

    "Not only do you possess the talent in acting and modelling but you have what it takes to excel in this industry.... and if you want I can help you to pursue a career as a celebrity," Raymond put forth a juicy offer that everyone would have hopped onto without hesitation.

    "Unlike others who knew what they wanted to be and do since they were kids, I have never thought about that... no that statement is wrong," Joanna corrected. She lifted her head so that hers and Raymond''s eyes locked.

    "It wasn''t that I didn''t think about it but I was made to understand at the age of four that I didn''t have the right to dream..."

    "And you are no longer that little child that anyone can cage anymore. Legally and physically, you are a full-grown woman who can take decisions for yourself now," Raymond cut in. He made sure he didn''t avoid her eyes as he said these.

    "Joanna, you can be who and whatever you want now. You can dream and spread your wings as far as you so desire. You can make up for all the regrets you had in the past," Raymond cooed.

    "I guess you are right about that but I doubt that old man who calls himself my father will not cut off my wings before I even get to fly..."

    "But..."

    "Don''t worry I will think about your offer and give you a response as soon as possible," Joanna beamed at him. She walked past him towards where the others were.

    "Guys!" Joanna yelled a bit loudly to get the intention of every one since they were also humans among them.

    "How are you all feeling now?" Joanna addressed everyone after she had gotten their attention.

    "Feeling much better hmm?" She asked when no one replied.

    "Yeah. the night breeze sure did the trick," Lia assured her with a sweet smile on her face.

    "I am d to hear that. I will have Henry and the other guys take our costumes and equipment backstage," Raymond beats Joanna to speak first.

    "I will join them in moving the equipment too," Derrick volunteered even though he didn''t have to do that.

    Derrick and the others whom Raymond had handpicked earlier in the hall left the field to carry out the task.

    Joanna and the others were eagerly waiting for news from those who went to prepare things for their performance when Raymond received a call from Derrick.

    "Is the job done already? Can wee now?" Raymond asked the moment he answered the line.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything, Rick? Is everything prepared?" Raymond asked a bit more seriously.

    "Bad news, Ray..."

    "And what do you mean by that?" Raymond grunted. He looked away from the faces of those who had their eyes fixed on him.

    Joanna walked up to Raymond despite knowing that he moved away from them for this same reason.

    "Is there a problem?" Joanna asked in a gentle tone.

    "Although I don''t know what happened, I am sure it isn''t something that can''t be fixed," Raymond replied with the cell phone still ced on his right ear.

    "Rick, I will be there in a minute. I need to see for myself what the issue is," He informed him and disconnected the line in an instant.

    "Let''se along too. They are feeling much better and it will be our turn in a few minutes so I think it''s time to put an end to the walk," Joanna spoke before the impatient guy could run off.

    "Let''s go then," Raymond cited and immediately led the way back to the rehearsal room.

    Entering the room the scene they met made Joanna''s legs go weak. Had Lia not caught her on time she would have stumbled on her legs and sustained a bad fall.

    "What in heaven''s name happened here?" Joanna demanded, unable to control her emotions at that moment.

    "Where are our instruments, costumes and why are the harps and flutes in this state?" One of the members who was as shocked as the others quizzed.

    He peered at the harps whose strings had been ripped out from the body. The flutes were smashed to the point that piecing them together would be difficult if not impossible for an expert.

    "Rick, why on Earth is our rehearsal room in this condition?" Raymond queried.

    ....

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 Chapter 566 They Lost All Hope

    ?

    "I don''t know," Derrick, who was equally shocked, replied.

    "We came to transport the instruments and costumes backstage as you ordered and met the rehearsal room in this state," He exined, frustration visible on his face.

    "We were on our way to check the CCTV cameras when I decided to inform you about the issue..."

    "Then what are you waiting for?... Let''s go," Raymond ordered and together he and Derrick hastened out of the hall.

    "We have less than fifteen minutes to perform. With the drums, costumes and other instruments nowhere to be found, how are we gonna do that?" Liamented.

    She squatted on the floor with her hands holding her head firmly.

    "Without the costumes, we can''t model and with the drums nowhere to be found disying our y is impossible..."

    "In other words, we are doomed," Another person cut the first guy short.

    Joanna stared at the broken instruments in silence. With everyone talking at the same time, her stressed-out brain which she has deprived of sleep for a few days hurt.

    She couldn''t think of any solution other than to gaze at the ruined stuff as if they would start assembling themselves.

    [I have worked so hard... no, everyone has worked themselves to the bones to make sure that everything goes wlessly on this day, so who is this fool who dared try to jeopardise all our efforts?]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she let her eyes scrutinise the spacious room.

    Apart from their instruments and costumes which were destroyed and even stolen nothing, else in the room was touched which showed that whoever did this came solely for the things that were stolen and destroyed.

    [Almost everyone here has someone they wished to impress with today''s show. Lia''s father cut short his business trip and travelled back from the human world to see his beloved daughter perform on stage. As their leader, what am I gonna do to make sure their expectations don''t get cut short?]

    Joanna grabbed her aching head which felt as if it would split open at any moment.

    For the first time in her life, she felt so heartbroken for the people who were not her brother or best friend.

    Thinking about the hard work she had put into rehearsals the past days didn''t make her heart ache as much as it did especially when she thought of her teammates.

    Joanna and the others waited for news from Derrick and Raymond who went to confirm what happened and who did such an awful thing to their stuff.

    Her delicate heart was on the brink of falling apart when Raymond and Derrick returned atst.

    Joanna moved away from the same spot Raymond left her earlier and strolled to join the two guys where they stood.

    "So how is it?" Joanna was quick to ask. "Did you guys see who the heck did this to us?" Joanna demanded.

    Her curious eyeballs moved from Derrick''s to Raymond''s face as she awaited a response from either of them.

    "Time is of the essence right now so say something, guys," the frustrated Joanna berated.

    When Derrick saw that Raymond didn''t have the heart to break the news to the woman he loves, he stepped forward.

    "Whoever destroyed our instruments came prepared..."

    "How prepared were they to make you say something like that?" Joanna asked, her eyebrows raised in annoyance.

    "Because the CCTV cameras surrounding our rehearsal hall were down at the time the crime took ce..."

    "What!" Lia and some of the others eximed. They were dumbfounded at such a revtion.

    "Does that mean we can''t even find out who did this to us," Joanna raised her voice at the two guys.

    For a moment she forgot that they weren''t the ones responsible for their current predicament.

    "We will be called to the stage any minute from now. What are we gonna do?" Lia cried out.

    "First we will search the premises with hopes of recovering some of the instruments. I am sure those who cart away with our stuff haven''t gone far yet," Raymond suggested.

    "What do you guys say about this?" He didn''t forget to ask for their opinions. And since they had no better option, everyone set out in a group of two to search for their stolen instruments.

    Within six minutes Joanna and her group searched all the possible ces their instruments could have been dumped, but despite their thoroughbing of the surroundings they found nothing.

    As they went on with their search Joannapletely forgot that Bacon was in the rehearsal room when everyone exited the hall.

    "Joanna, they are nowhere to be found. What are we going to do now?" Lia whined. She had so many expectations for tonight she couldn''t bring herself to ept those expectations had been stolen from her.

    "Now that it''s confirmed we can''t perform tonight, why don''t we inform Mr Finley that we will be unable to put on a show tonight?" Roy, one of the guys ying a major role in their drama, suggested.

    Seeing their once colourful expression turn gloomy made Joanna''s heart bleed on their behalf.

    Joanna was thinking about the suggestion that has been brought forth when her wandering mind recalled something she had long forgotten about.

    "Guys," Joanna called the attention of her sad members.

    When she made sure their gazes were on her, Joanna went ahead with what she had in mind.

    "So I had Zayne and the others record the beat for our y a few times... And Raymond and I often yed the beat whenever we rehearsed together..." Joanna trailed to make sure that everyone was following what she was saying.

    "The beats are almost to perfection and synced with our actual performance..."

    "What point are you trying to make by telling us this?" An angry girl who saw no point in Joanna''s words cut in.

    "What if I say we use the recorded beats for our performances instead of the live beats?" Joanna nailed the points atst.

 Chapter 567 They Overcame They Ordeal

    ?

    "W-w-what...." Lia, who had given up on getting on the stage that night, shouted. Her fallen expression lights up in an instant.

    "Miss... I meant Joanna is right," Raymond quickly corrected himself. He moved away from the crowd and stood beside Joanna instead.

    "The beats are up to date. It includes all the modifications we have made to our performances. All we need to do is y out our drama just like we have practised and we will be able to deliver a splendid performance," Raymond supported.

    Instead of giving him a response the others turned and exchanged puzzled nces.

    And Raymond couldn''t me them for acting this way.

    From the beginning, their performances were supposed to be live and all their rehearsals were carried out following this.

    None expected that things would turn out this way. It was quite understandable that they were sceptical about this since it was ast-minute arrangement.

    Roy stepped forward after they had given some thought to Raymond and Joanna''s suggestion.

    "If the recording is the same with all our previous practices then I see nothing wrong in using it for our performances instead of ying the instruments live on stage... at least this is better than not performing at all tonight," Roy shared his honest opinion about their Leaders'' idea.

    "We also think that is a fantastic idea..." Lia trailed off as she walked away from the crowd.

    Earlier she was obviously the happiest among them but at the moment Joanna could no longer see that excitement in her eyes.

    And she couldn''t wait to hear what other concerns Lia had to make her look so unhappy when every other person was excited about the recent development.

    "Yes, with the recording we will be able to resolve the issue about the stolen drums and ruined musical instruments but what about our stolen costumes?" Lia asked the question which had skipped almost everyone''s mind.

    When Lia saw everyone''s expression turned gloomy once again, she knew they hadn''t thought that far about their issue.

    "As much as the musical instruments are important for our performances tonight, so also are our costumes. Without them there will be no show even if there is music," Lia added.

    Actually, it wasn''t Lia''s intention to dash her group members'' hopes again but this was the reality they must all face and this includes her.

    Raymond''s eyes darted from one fallen expression to the other. His cold heart broke into pieces when he saw that even Joanna wasn''t spared from all the troubles.

    "Ray, didn''t you give two differentpanies the contract of making our costumes but only one delivered them on the deadline?" Derrick spoke up amidst the deadly silence.

    "Guys, wait here. I will call the secondpany and have them deliver our costumes to the university..."

    "But it will take them some time to get here right and we all know that time is what weck at the moment..."

    "Do what you have to do and I will try to dy your performance time as much as I can" A man''s cold voice interrupted Lia before she had the chance toy out her concerns.

    Instantly all of them looked towards where the voice came from and behold, Mr Finley was approaching their direction.

    "Mr Finley!" Everyone eximed in shock. Despite their astonishment, they didn''t forget to ord Mr Fin the respect he deserved.

    "I heard what happened and I will do everything within my power to buy you and your group members the needed time to get ready so do what you are supposed to do and leave the rest for us," Mr Fin dered sternly.

    "Everyone who knew about the incident has been with us all along. Mr Fin, how on Earth did you get wind of what happened to us?" Raymond asked, his suspicious res fixed on Mr Fin''s face.

    Mr Fin stared at their curious eyeballs which were glued on his face.

    [Of course, I wouldn''t have known what had happened if not that angry...]

    "Say something, Mr Fin," Joanna waved her hand at the man whom she noticed was in a trance.

    Even she wanted to know who told him about their predicaments when all her group members were together the entire time.

    "Right now, isn''t the most important thing to sort yourselves out before you are called on stage?" Mr Fin asked. He stylishly tried to manoeuvre his way out of their question he had no intention of answering.

    "But..."

    "Fix yourselves up while I go back and buy you some more time. Make sure not to take long," Mr Fin instructed. He vanished into the dark before any of them had the opportunity to say anything to him.

    Joanna turned to face the others after Mr Fin left.

    "Guys, I know we were not supposed to rehearse again but because there are changes in our ns why don''t we practice one more time with the recorded beats to avoid mistakes on stage?" Joanna suggested with the hope that her group members would go along with her suggestion.

    Joanna rubbed her palms together when it took them a long time to respond to such a simple question she asked.

    "It''s ok if you...,"

    "And why not?" They chorused to her amazement. Their stern expression brightened up as if they had nned to give Joanna a scare from the start.

    "We havee a long way to stop. Tonight we will show all those who tried to ruin us that we are not to be easily messed with. Am I right, guys?" Lia shouted and the response she got was very heartwarming.

    "That is right," Joanna yelled just to match their excitement.

    With how optimistic everyone was Raymond and Joanna had no trouble coordinating theirst rehearsal before the real performance.

    Just like Mr Fin promised, he was able to buy them an extra twenty minutes and that was enough time for Joanna and her group members to prepare themselves.

    When it was time to go on stage, Joanna stepped out of the backstage onto the main big stage.

    "Hello everyone, I am Joanna Anderson," Joanna said in her most melodic voice. Although there were over a thousand people in front of her, the nervousdy standing on stage stared into space instead of people''s faces.

    Another reason she couldn''t bring herself to look at any of her audience''s faces was that she didn''t want to ept the reality that she was the only one among her group members whom no family member was cheering on among the crowd.

    "I bring on stage Lit..." Joanna froze when she got a glimpse of the face of the guy sitting on a special seat on the front roll.

 Chapter 568 The Highlight Of Carnival

    Chapter 568 The Highlight Of Carnival

    "W-w-what..." Joanna stammered. For a second there she forgot that she had the microphone positioned in front of her mouth.

    Joanna''s eyes fluttered repeatedly as she stared at the face of the man in his red royal regalia whose gaze was glued on her.

    [No wonder Bacon came to me when he was supposed to watch over him... he followed him here]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she stared at his handsome face. She forgot that she was on stage and they were people behind waiting to be called to perform.

    Those waiting backstage got worried when they didn''t hear Joanna''s voice. Raymond was forced to peep after the time to be called on stage passed and Joanna still didn''t say anything.

    "She seems to be in a daze. What are we going to do now?" Derrick whispered.

    "It''s normal to freeze on your first time climbing a big stage like this one, so let''s give her some more time," Raymond addressed the anxious people who were currently waiting for Joanna''s signal.

    On the stage, Joanna was still in a trance when she heard someone chant her name. A few more chants from the familiar voice were enough to pull Joanna back to reality.

    "You can do this, Big Sis," Joanna heard a boy''s cheerful voice chant once more.

    Although many people were talking at that moment Joanna didn''t need to look at where the chants came from to know that it was Anthony who was cheering her on.

    "I will to you on stage, to give a show like none you have ever seen, The Golden Mercher Group," Joannapleted her sentence atst.

    The once hostile crowd screamed in excitement the instant Raymond climbed on stage.

    Per their arrangements, they did their modelling first. Their fusion of ancient and modern attires got everyone off guard.

    The audience who paid little or no attention just because Joanna was a member of the group was seen stretching their necks to get a glimpse of their outfits.

    Although modelling on the stage was the first time for most of Joanna''s group members including her, they gave nothing but a wless show and that was all thanks to the tips Derrick and Raymond gave them during rehearsals.

    At the end of their first activities, the crowd cheers and apuse tripled.

    While Joanna and her others got changed for the y Derrick and two other guys kept the crowd entertained with dance and jokes just like they had nned.

    "Guy, although this is the highlight of our performance for the night and as such it should be to perfection..." Raymond paused as he stared at the faces of his group members whose anxiety they couldn''t hide.

    "But my advice is that we have as much fun as our audiences. Let''s not feel pressurized ok," Raymond advised. He didn''t forget to sh them his sweetest smile.

    "Let''s go," Raymond instructed. Together, Roy and Joanna, who was acting in the first scene, stepped onto the big stage.

    Because the y Joanna and her group members presented dealt with one of the major events that led to the creation of Twipera Kingdom.

    Also coupled with the fact that it wasn''t a happy asion, none interrupted the flow of the story neither did any of the audiences cheered for them.

    They paid rapt attention to the tiniest details. Among those watching the drama were also people trying to find fault and instigate the crowd. But thank goodness Joanna and Raymond did a lot of research before they put a finishing touch to the drama.

    Joanna and Raymond dared not imagine what would be of them if they were used of distorting history.

    Midway into their y Mr Finley sitting at Kayden''s right-hand side leaned closer and started a conversation with the man whose attention hasn''t moved away from the stage for a second ever since Joanna''s crew took over the stage.

    "When I learned that they were gonna performed a y about the Great Ancient War, I was very worried," Mr Fin admitted without sugarcoating his words.

    "I was worried that apart from infuriating the crowd that you might get dragged into the problem if things turned sour but..." Mr Fin paused and shifted his gaze to the stage which Joanna and Raymond currently upied.

    "They have proved my fears wrong so far. She was able to perfectly handle such a huge responsibility despite that it was her first time..."

    "She is Joanna after all. As long as she sets her mind on it, there is nothing she can''t aplish. She is your future Queen, you should have put more faith in her," Kayden replied, his attention still fixed on the stage.

    After they finished the y, Joanna and all her group members took their position on stage.

    "The Great Ancient War has always been a sensitive topic none dared to touch. I remember, people always lowered their voices whenever they talked about the incident that happened back then. They were afraid of offending their next partner whose family might have been a victim of that great war... others were afraid that they would be used of a crime they didn''tmit if they spoke too loudly," Joanna started in a serious tone.

    Her demonstration as she said these words had everyone present captivated.

    "Yes, I admit that such a topic should be dealt with with caution, but that doesn''t mean we should stop discussing the incident in totality. It was an incident that brought us to where we are now, but how will the future ones remember what took ce back then when everyone is afraid to mention the event?" Joanna spoke confidently as if she had been a public speaker all her life.

    She was just so good at this that everyone couldn''t help but admit to it.

    "It''s true that unlike some of you present here, I and my group members were not given birth to when this event took ce. But our y tonight was a way of saying we remember the heroes, heroines, soldiers and the family of those who fought that great battle to give us the life we are living now," Joanna concluded with her hands spread in the air.

 Chapter 569 They Gave A Standing Ovation

    Chapter 569 They Gave A Standing Ovation

    She moved to stand in line after she had said her part and gave way to Derrick who was the second speaker.

    "To all those who stepped forward in the midst of many and defended our territory with great might," Derrick said and moved back in line.

    "To our heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives without hesitation to give us the peace we enjoy," Lia said her part with her right hand on her chest.

    One by one Joanna group members said their tributes for those who lost their lives during the ancient war.

    "Because of your great sacrifices, we have a ce to call our own. We have a roof over our heads without taking shelter in the forest...." Raymond paused and turned to look at hisrades.

    "And this is why we will forever remember your sacrifices and your contributions. Thank you for your bravery and be reassured that we will carry on the legacy you have left us. We haven''t forgotten your families and loved ones who are still in our midst and we say..." Joanna trailed off to give the others time to join her at the front line.

    "You will forever remain in our hearts our greatest heroes and heroines," Joanna and her crew chorused with their heads bowed.

    Almost immediately, His Majesty, King Kayden Greyson stood up from his royal seat and apuded them to the shock of everyone present there.

    The reaction that soon followed was something Joanna and the others had never seen.

    The cheers were so immacte that they had to raise their heads and make sure that they were the ones the crowd were cheering for.

    Their shock and excitement knew no bounds after they raised their heads and saw that His Majesty was on his feet just like everyone else.

    And this was an achievement none of them had ever imagined of getting and Joanna made it possible.

    After their cheers andughter subsided Joanna and her group members turned to leave but Raymond''s voice forced them to halt in their tracks and turned to face the audience one more time.

    "After our tributes, we were supposed to move to our next performance but before that, I have something to say and I wish everyone will listen to me," Raymond said. A sweet smile found its way onto his lips when the crowd kept quiet.

    "I believe you agree with me that the y of the Great Ancient War we acted out was powerful and something you have never seen before right?" Raymond asked. The feedback he received was more than satisfactory.

    "I bet you would love to know how we came about this y when it was a topic no one dared to publicly discussed not to mention acting it out..."

    "Ray," Joanna called to him after she guessed what Raymond was about to say. But he acted as if he didn''t hear her desperate voice.

    "Although I told my fellow group members otherwise because of the promise I made to her, I want to tell you that the one who came up with the idea about the y you saw earlier was none other than Miss Joanna Anderson," Raymond dropped the bomb.

    Seeing everywhere went quiet wasn''t very surprising since he had expected this much.

    If they have even the tiniest conscience they would regret how unfair they have been to her all these years when they learned that the one they despised was the same person who did them and their generation the greatest favour.

    That was his thought when he made up his mind to reveal this secret and their silence proved that they still possessed a bit of conscience in them.

    "She didn''t onlye up with the idea but with her hard work and persistence she convinced all of us that we were doing the right thing that this generation and the one toe would be proud of..." Raymond trailed off. His eyes moved from one corner of the crowd to the other.

    "Without her, believe me when I said that none of us would have dared to act on such a sensitive topic... this is what I wanted to tell you," Raymond concluded. He waited to see their reaction but none stepped forward to say anything.

    The crowd remained as quiet as it was when he mentioned Joanna as the originator of the drama.

    They turned to exit the stage when the crowd said nothing.

    "See, I told him it was a bad idea to let everyone know that this was my idea but he wouldn''t believe me..." Joanna was interrupted by the loud apuse and cheers that erupted.

    When she turned around she was dumbfounded to find the crowd on their feet. An exception was the King and the Chancellor of their university.

    Her name was the one word on their lips as they cheered and apuded her.

    [Although it took them such a long time and the most trivial thing to get them to ept me, I must say that this is not bad after all?]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she watched the crowd. She didn''t know when she started smiling as she stood there.

    Because they still had one more performance for the night, Joanna had no choice but to exit the stage even if that was the opposite of what the audience wanted.

    Derrick and his crew climbed the stage for their magic show which was thest activity for the night.

    "Do you believe in magic and if yes, have you ever seen one in real life?" Derrick''s excited voice rang in the ears of everyone present there.

    Just like Raymond promised, Derrick didn''t disappoint or made them regret leaving the magic trick as thest show for the night.

    He started with minor magic tricks like making a coin appear on someone''s hair when the coin was originally in his hands.

    But the magic trick soon graduated from those they were familiar with toplex ones that left the audiences astounded.

    The long-awaited firework show finally came and it took the audience by surprise since they had never expected such a spectacr surprise.

 Chapter 570 She Felt Overwhelmed

    Chapter 570 She Felt Overwhelmed

    Although the magic trick was her idea, Derrick''s splendid disy exceeded Joanna''s expectations a hundred times.

    The fireworks show he puts on looked so real that even she had trouble differentiating if it was just a trick or a real show.

    She was so much enjoying the show and didn''t notice that Raymond, who was by her side the entire time, was nowhere to be seen.

    At the end of the show, Joanna turned and walked away from her fellow group members whose families had joined them to celebrate the sess of their performance.

    Joanna didn''t take up to five steps away when someone appeared from nowhere and hopped onto her body without giving her a heads up.

    "Hey, Little rice ball, what are you doing?" Joanna scolded the boy whose hands were firmly wrapped around her neck.

    "Little rice ball, get down from my body. Have you forgotten that we are still in public..." He pecked her on the cheek before she could finish scolding him.

    "Although I have watched many shows tonight, Big Sis, will you believe it if I say you shone the brightest hmm?" Anthony''s excited chatter made Joanna swallow back what she wanted to say.

    "Really?" Joanna enquired as she patted the little boy''s well-styled hair. She stole a nce at the woman in the red dress who was Anthony''spanion.

    "Hmm... You were the brightest star tonight and believe me, you blew everyone off their feet," Anthony boasted with so much pride.

    "Since you are the one who said, so then this Big Sis here has nothing more to say," Joanna rubbed his back and smiled along with him.

    Anthony soon came down from her body without her having to say anything about it.

    "So Mrs Parker..."

    "Just like Anthony said, you blew everyone off their feet with such a spectacr show. I am speechless and all I can say is that..." Mrs Parker paused. She walked steps forward.

    She caught Joanna unawares when she hugged out of the blue.

    "I am so proud of you. You and your team did so well to the point that I was almost moved to tears. I have never felt so happy and satisfied with anything for a long time until tonight," Mrs Parker praised as she patted Joanna''s hair lovingly.

    Her sincere words of praise made Joanna''s heart stir, bringing forth a kind of feeling she has never felt before.

    Earlier, unlike others who felt eager to climb on stage so that they would make their parents and rtives present proud, she didn''t feel this way.

    In fact, she had little expectations of what the oue of the show would be despite all her big talks.

    And this was because she knew she had no family members who would show up to cheer her up that night.

    Her only family member who would havee to cheer her up was mad at her because she refused to keep her promise to him. Also, she was certain Anthony wouldn''t have made it there even though he wanted to since he was just a kid.

    Adhara would have him locked up if he threw tantrums. She was so sure that she would be alone tonight again but...

    "Joanna!" Twodies chorused putting an abrupt end to her depressing thoughts.

    Raising her head, she saw Audrey and Leah run towards her. Their smiling faces said everything that needed to be said.

    Even they were satisfied and happy with the performance.

    The immense love she receives from her brother and these strangers that had somehow be someone important in her life made Joanna feel overwhelmed.

    She couldn''t help but shed a tear of happiness.

    For five minutes Joanna and herpanions chatter like children.

    "Audrey, do you remember that part she said..."

    "Sorry Mrs Parker but will you please watch over my brother one more time and perhaps drop him at home..."

    "Why? What happened?" Audrey demanded. She shifted her gaze to the direction she noticed that Joanna has been staring at for a while now.

    "I would have loved to send him home myself but I still have a few things to take care of...."

    "But we agreed to throw a party..."

    "You can go on with whatever you want to do. I and the girls will see to it that he returns home safely," Mrs Parker cut in. She didn''t give Audrey the chance to finish her sentence.

    "I haven''t agreed to it, so why are you including me..."

    "You can go on now hmm?" Mrs Parker urged her on.

    She grabbed Audrey''s hands and pulled her back after she noticed she wanted to follow Joanna.

    "Hey, why did you do that?" Audrey grumbled after Joanna left.

    "Didn''t you hear her say she had something to take care of? Why did you try to make things hard for her when it was obvious she was in a hurry..."

    "But she owes me a promise first so..."

    "Does the promise she owes you worth more than her happiness and peace of mind?" Mrs Parker retorted, her cold stare fixed on Audrey''s angry face.

    "I only wanted to throw a party to celebrate the sess of their performance and her birthday so what does that have to do with your question?" Audrey asked. She sounded a bit coolheadedly.

    "You are still a kid, you won''t understand even though I were to exin," Mrs Parker replied. She grabbed Anthony''s hands and pulled him close to her.

    "Let''s go do more sightseeing before I take you home, little prince," Mrs Parker muttered. She led him away from there.

    Meanwhile, after Joanna left herpanions she secretly followed a figure she had seen leave the crowd earlier.

    She secretly trailed him until he and his escorts got to the parking space created only for him.

    Joanna hid in a corner and watched him as he addressed the Chancellor of their school.

    "I will draw back and let you handle things here as you want but I won''t hesitate to intervene if you fail to bring forth the culprit responsible for tonight''s incident," King Kayden Greyson stated fiercely.

 Chapter 571 The King And His Entourage

    Chapter 571 The King And His Entourage

    "And I am sure you wouldn''t want to listen to what will be of such a person if the pce gets involved in the case right?" He quizzed, his cold gaze settled on Mr Finley''s stoic face.

    "I and the school will make sure to give you a satisfying exnation for what happened today as soon as possible..."

    "You better do so because I can''t tell for how long I will be able to hold myself back," Kayden retorted and signalled the guys standing outside to get into the car.

    [Yes, this is my chance right now!]

    Joanna dered. She rubbed her palms together, stood properly and moved towards where four cars were parked in a row.

    "Who is there?" Chris demanded the moment he felt the presence of someone. He, the other guards and Mr Finley spun and gazed at where the figure was.

    Because of the hoodie the person wore they couldn''t guess who the person was. The fact that the person possessed no scent made them more suspicious.

    Joanna forged ahead despite Chris'' constant warnings and threats.

    "Although I don''t know who you are, one thing I am aware of is that you won''t be able to handle the aftermaths of your rudeness tonight. And that is why I will advise that you think carefully before you take another step further," Mr Finley said in a stern voice.

    A sweet smile lingered at the corner of her lips when she realised that they couldn''t tell who she was.

    She lifted her hands and pulled down the ck hoodie covering her pretty face.

    "Mr Fin, what exactly are these consequences you talked about and how huge is it?" Joanna demanded to the surprise of the one upying the back seat of a ck Mercedes Benz Jeep in the front row of the four cars.

    He couldn''t resist looking back to confirm that the voice he heard really belonged to her and wasn''t part of his imagination.

    "Miss Joanna!" Chris mumbled with widened eyes. He peeped towards the car but he couldn''t see the face of the only upants of the car since the sses were tinted.

    "Chris, you always followed His Majesty wherever he went. In these past years, you have seen me even more than my own father. I am hurt you weren''t even able to recognize me," Joanna mumbled as she faked a sad expression.

    Knowing that they wouldn''t stop her from getting closer anymore Joanna continued to approach the car her eyes were set on.

    "Miss..."

    "It''s ok. I guess it was my fault for trying to act mysterious," Joanna muttered. She paused in front of the ck Mercedes Benz Jeep she had her eyes on from the beginning.

    Joanna took a deep breath before she lifted her right hand and tried to pull the car open but only to realise that the car''s door was locked.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel Slowly she bent and peeped into the car whose back windows had already been wound down.

    "Why?" She asked, her gaze fixed on the face of the guy whose eyes had been focused on her ever since he confirmed that the intruder was none other than his beloved.

    "Are you still mad at me?" She added while gazing into his eyeballs. "Kay, am I not even allowed to throw tantrums again? Is that why you are shutting me out?" Joanna demanded in a serious tone.

    "Miss Joanna, I understand that you and His Majesty are close but I will advise that you watch your manners. Others will see fault with your words andment on it even if I don''t. There are so many prying eyes here if you must know," Mr Fin cautioned.

    "You might get into..." The door of the car Joanna pulled earlier flew open before Mr Fin could scold her more.

    Joanna''s eyes lit up the moment the door opened. She stared at the face of the guy whose attention has been shifted away from her.

    "Chris, let''s go. I still have a few things to take care of in the pce," Kayden ordered, as he looked at the glowing buildings of the university.

    Without wasting time, Chris along with the driver moved to the front seat of the car Kayden upied.

    The other security guards entered their various cars and got ready to leave as soon as Chris gave the other.

    When she saw that the car didn''t drive off despite that everyone had taken their position Joanna was made to understand that he was waiting for her.

    "Goodbye, Mr Fin. See you next semester," Joanna said hurriedly and hopped into the car.

    "I have told Chris countless times that not just anyone can share the same seat with His Majesty. I wonder why none of them had ever listened to me?" Mr Fin mumbled. He looked at the car whose sses had been rolled up as soon as Joanna entered.

    "Set off," Chris gave the order atst. A ck set off first, then the car Kayden was in, followed by the other cars.

    As they set off, the cars maintained this order even after they left the university premises.

    Back at where the performances were held, Raymond searched the crowd for Joanna but he just couldn''t find her no matter how hard he looked.

    His gloomy face lit up the moment he got a glimpse of a group of people who were about to leave.

    "Tony, I have finally found you!" Raymond gasped, relief written all over his face.

    "Brother Ray!" Anthony shouted beaming. He hopped onto Raymond''s body before he could guess what the little boy was up to.

    "Brother Ray, do you know just how awesome you were when you were on the stage?" Anthony quizzed. His broad smile was so contagious that it made Raymond momentarily forget about his concern.

    "You thought I was awesome?" Raymond teased. He raised his right hand and stroked Anthony''s smiling face.

    "Hmm..." Anthony shook his head in affirmation. "It was as if I was seeing one of my superheroes perform on stage," Anthony added. His innocent yet sparkling eyeballs showed that he wasn''t lying.

    Anthony went ahead and bbed away and Raymond was kind enough to listen to all he had to say.

 Chapter 572 Throw Her In The Dungeon

    Chapter 572 Throw Her In The Dungeon

    "Anthony, that is enough hmm," Mrs Parker scolded him. She reached out her hand and tried to pull him down from Raymond''s body after she noticed that they were beginning to garner attention.

    "But..."

    "There is no but little boy. I am afraid that you are gonna keep him and us here all night if I let you have your way," Mrs Parker said unyieldingly. She made him let go of Raymond.

    "Also don''t forget that your Big Sis left you in my care. With Joanna not around you are to listen to me ok," Mrs Parker reprimanded the boy by her side who was currently throwing a tantrum because she didn''t let him have his way.

    "Speaking of Joanna, where is she?" Raymond, who was searching for the perfect time to bring up what brought him there, asked.

    "Big Sis went to..."

    "Joanna left first because she had something else to attend to," Mrs Parker cut in abruptly. She prevented Anthony from saying what he shouldn''t.

    "She left?" Raymond muttered. His glowing face fell instantly after Mrs Parker''s statement.

    None spoke for close to two minutes after Raymond''s rhetorical question.

    "Kyle and I will take our leave now," Audrey informed. She looked away from Raymond''s sad face.

    If this was the past she would have tried to help him out and that was because back then she wanted Joanna to end up with Raymond rather than Kayden.

    Now she knows better. Yes, she likes Raymond. He wasn''t only handsome but caring and gentle. None in her right senses would dislike a great guy like him.

    However, to her what Joanna wantses first right now.

    Maybe that was just how love was. Its grading was very different from that of the world.

    "Get home safely, everyone," Audrey continued. She held Kyle''s hand and together they strolled away after he had bid his goodbye.

    Meanwhile, inside the ck car driving on the bubbling streets, Joanna kept gazing at Kayden''s sideline but he wouldn''t spare her a nce no matter how deliberate she acted.

    He kept staring at the streets and refused to utter a word to her. He behaved as if she was invisible and this hurt her greatly.

    She couldn''t believe that he was the same guy who went to great lengths to be by her side.

    Kayden took pleasure in gazing at her face. He teased her at every slightest opportunity. That was the kind of person she knew him to be and not the one beside her who is doing everything to avoid her.

    "Are you still mad at me?" Joanna implored, her eyes fixed on his face even though he was still gazing outside.

    She waited for him to talk, however, he continued to remain silent.

    "I know you are mad at me and I understand why you are this way because I would have likely acted the same way if I were in your shoes..." Joanna trailed off. She silently wished he would turn and peered at her face.

    At least that way she would be able to read his mood even though he continued to ignore her.

    "I ept your anger towards me but will you please say something?" Joanna pleaded in a soft tone.

    "If you want, you can yell and even curse at me, I will take it all, however, can you speak to me hmm?" Joanna coaxed. She reached out her hand and held his hand but he didn''t react.

    Joanna tried harder but the result was not different.

    [It looks like he is really mad this time around. What am I gonna do or say now to make him feel better?]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she gazed at Kayden''s handsome face.

    An hourter, the car pulled over at the King''s parking space where a dozen maids in their blue and white uniforms and guards in ck outfits were already waiting for him.

    After Kayden came out of the car he turned towards where Josephina and the other maids stood in a row.

    "ording to the pce rules, she is to first wait at the main hall. I want you and the other maids to escort her there," Kaydenordered.

    He turned to leave but Joanna grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

    "Kay, wait," Joanna blurted, forgetting that she was in the pce and not in the forest or campus where she was always casual with him.

    The way the other guards reacted to her action wasn''t funny at all. It was a scene she would remember for a long time.

    "What insolence!" The guard who wore a different uniform from the other guards muttered, his deadly res shot at Joanna who had been seized by three guards.

    For a second Josephina and Chris were too shocked to react. They couldn''t believe their eyes to be precise.

    "Have her thrown into the dungeon immediately," Hemanded. His worst mistake was that he didn''t look at Kayden as he gave out this order.

    If he did then he wouldn''t have had the guts to behave the way he did after seeing Kayden''s murderous stares which were concentrated on his face.

    "What did you say?" Kayden demanded fiercely.

    "I asked the guards to throw her in the dungeon," The guard was stupid enough to reply.

    "How dare she touch His Majesty''s sacred body?" He added angrily.

    "How dare you disrespect His Majesty''s esteemed guest?" Chris reprimanded the guard who still hasn''t seen anything wrong with his earlier statement.

    "She tainted his Majesty''s body and as such should be severely punished for this. To be precise, taking her life wouldn''t be enough to pay for her crime..."

    "Chris, you know what to do with the likes of General Morgan and the three guards right?" Kayden cut in. He shifted his fierce gaze to the guards who still hadn''t released Joanna.

    "Yes, Your Majesty," Chris replied with his head bowed. He watched as the King strolled off, apanied by the other guards.

    Joanna watched him walk away until she could no longer see him or his shadows.

    "Christopher, what did His Majesty mean by his earlier statement?" the guy whom Kayden referred to as General Morgan quizzed in confusion.

 Chapter 573 Who Let Her In?

    Chapter 573 Who Let Her In?

    "Don''t worry, you and the others will understand your crime in a few minutes," Chris replied nonchntly. He diverted his attention to Joanna.

    "I am sorry for the inconvenience Miss Joanna. I will make sure such a thing doesn''t repeat itself," Chris apologised with a bow. He red at the guards whose grip hadn''t loosened around Joanna''s body.

    Chris didn''t need to utter a word before the guards let go of Joanna and moved backwards.

    "Josephina, take His Majesty''s guest to the main hall. I will handle things over here," Chris instructed in a meek tone.

    "Make sure to keep your word. You don''t need me to tell you what will be of us if you dare do a sloppy job," Josephina grumbled. She red at General Morgan and turned to look at Joanna afterwards.

    "This way, Miss Joanna," Josephina said politely and pointed at the pathway ahead of them.

    Joanna did as she was instructed but stopped after taking less than five steps. She spun and took ast nce at the man who asked the other guards to throw her into the dungeon.

    Until that moment she couldn''t understand why the guard would give such an order. As far as she can remember she didn''t say anything wrong.

    "Let''s go, Miss Joanna," Josephina urged her. Together, Joanna, Josephina and the other maids made their way to the main hall.

    At first, Joanna had thought that the main hall was the building in front of them but she realised she was very wrong after she walked for five minutes and they still hadn''t arrived at their destination.

    "Aren''t we there yet?" Joanna demanded in a wearied tone.

    "We are almost there, Miss Joanna," Josephina replied courteously and gestured at the white building ahead of them.

    About three minutester, Joanna finally arrived at the main hall. She approached the chairs carefully arranged at both corners of the room with a huge pathway in the middle.

    Ahead of her was a golden throne stationed at the levelled part of the hall.

    Joanna''s eyes glimmered as she peered at the glittering golden throne which was about thirty steps away from where she stood.

    "I guess this is where he normally holds meetings with his ministers," Joanna mumbled.

    She forced herself to look away from the throne and gaze at the chandeliers and the interior decorations of the hall.

    Although hers and Audrey''s family were considered one of the top ten wealthiest families in the Kingdom, there were a lot of differences when onepared their homes to this enormous hall she stood in.

    Joanna couldn''t help but admit that the pce was one of a kind.

    "Miss Joanna, this way please," Josephina ushered her as she gestured at one of the seats at the front row of her right-hand side. As Joanna walked towards the chair, she continued to admire the beauty of the pce main hall.

    Yes, she came to the pce for the first time on her eighteenth birthday but unfortunately, she didn''t have the chance to explore the beauty of this great ce.

    When she reached the chair Josephina picked for her, Joanna gently sat down andposed herself as always.

    "Miss Joanna, I beg to take my leave now," Josephina informed her.

    "Wait, are you trying to say you are gonna leave me all alone here?" Joanna cut in sharply as she scrutinized the faces of the other maids she wasn''t familiar with.

    "I would have loved to keep youpany but I can''t Miss Joanna," Josephina started calmly. "I am in charge of overseeing the preparation of everything you will eat and drink during your stay in the pce. I can''t afford to ck," Josephina added. She didn''t dare to sound rude as she exined herself.

    "Also, you won''t be alone here. I will leave the maids with you. They will see to all your needs while I am away," Josephina assured her and shed Joanna a sweet smile.

    Josephina turned to address the maids after she was done talking to Joanna.

    "As of this moment, you are to do everything she asks and attend to all her needs, understood?" Josephina instructed sternly.

    "Yes," All the maids in the hall chorused.

    Josephina exited the hall after she made sure that everything was alright.

    Not long after Josephina left the hall, a maid in pink uniform apanied by other maids in blue uniform entered the hall.

    It was as if they had been hiding in a corner waiting for the moment Josephina evacuated the hall.

    The maids strolled into the hall with their shoulders and chins raised high as if they owned the pce.

    The disgusted look on Tracy''s face was apparent the moment she caught a glimpse of thedy upying one of the chairs in the hall.

    "Who said just anyone can enter this sacred pce?" Tracy taunted while ring at Joanna. She didn''t show Joanna''s courtesy, even though not for anything but to give Joanna face in front of the other maids.

    It was as if she aimed to humiliate and reduce Joanna to nothing in front of the maids and guards.

    "Who let her in?" She shouted. She turned and shot murderous nces at the guards stationed not far away.

    A maid stepped forward following Tracy''s outburst.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel "She is His Majesty''s esteemed guest. Josephina ordered us to treat her in the same manner we would treat any guest of such title..."

    "And who said you could talk huh?" Tracy snapped at the maid whose brown hair was tied into a messy bun.

    "But..."

    "Do you even know her identity? Also, does she look anything close to a guest worthy of being entertained in the pce, not to mention being His Majesty''s esteemed guest?" Tracy mocked, as she shot Joanna a disgusted look.

    Despite being humiliated by the lowly maid Joanna clenched her fist and teeth to control her anger.

    Although she hasn''t lived in the pce she was a bit familiar with the pce rules; Adhara always made her read those regtion books out of fear of being humiliated because of Joanna''sck of knowledge.

    She is aware that the pce wasn''t the ce where anyone could act as he or she sees fit.

 Chapter 574 Tracys Punishment

    Chapter 574 Tracy''s Punishment

    "Do you even know that she is the reason why His Majesty keeps Her Highness at arm''s length, so who dared to let this thing into this sacred hall?" Tracy demanded fiercely.

    "Are you talking to me?" Joanna asked. Thedy went too far by calling her a THING and she won''t tolerate such an insult.

    Not when ites from a disrespectful maid who assumes she is better than her.

    "Are there any uninvited guests here besides you?" Tracy replied, her head still held high.

    "Really?" Joanna mumbled and stood up from where she sat. She hid her right hand which by now glowed red behind her and waited for Tracy to utter one more rude word.

    "Who else could I be talking to..."

    "Is that how you speak to the future Queen?" The cold voice of the King who just stepped foot into the hall made Tracy tremble like a wet leaf.

    She had lost her temper the moment she set eyes on Joanna. Her hatred for thedy which was the reason why her Madam was brought down from grace made her forget that they were in the pce; the King''s home.

    She was riled up that she didn''t even know when the King and his most trusted guards reached the hall.

    "Your Majesty, I..." Kayden shot the sharp-tongueddy, a deadly re which made her swallow back whatever she had wanted to say.

    Kayden strolled into the hall andpaused beside where Joanna stood.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel He turned to look at Josephina whose hands were upied with the tray containing Joanna''s refreshment.

    "Josephina, what was the punishment for any pce worker that disrespects the Royal Family''s Guest?" He demanded.

    "For the male thirty strokes of the whip for verbal disrespect while for thedies, thirty ps. And the offenders are not allowed to touch the spot when punishment is being administered," Josephina stepped forward and answered the King''s question.

    "Then what are you waiting for?" He growled and averted his gaze to Tracy.

    "Administer the punishment," He ordered sternly.

    Immediately, Josephina handed the tray of refreshments to another maid and moved to where Tracy stood.

    "Grab her," Josephinamanded the two maids when Tracy resisted.

    The maids swoon to action and in less than three minutes they had subdued Tracy to her knees.

    BAM*

    "One," Josephina counted after she pped Tracy once.

    BAM*

    "Two," Josephina pped Tracy harder and she repeated this action until she had administered the thirty ps in order with the pce punishment.

    The moment she finished, Queen Mother Theresa, who seemed to have gotten wind of what had happened, entered the main hall along with her maids and guards.

    Because he knew exactly why his mother was there, Kayden totally ignored her but that wasn''t the case with Joanna, Josephina and the others.

    They paid the woman her due respect as the Queen Mother of the Kingdom.

    The maids holding Tracy down were about to release her after Josephina finished when the King spoke up.

    "And what was the punishment for belittling the Queen?" He asked, his gaze fixed on Josephine''s face.

    "Fifty strokes of the whips and ten of her teeth are to be pulled out immediately to serve as a warning to others," Josephina replied.

    "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong so please have mercy on me," Tracy pleaded. She dared not imagine how heinous she would look if her ten teeth were to be cruelly pulled out.

    "You know what to do," He muttered. Kayden acted as if he didn''t hear all of Tracy''s pleas.

    "Your Majesty, I won''t be able to survive if my teeth are pulled out so please show some mercy. If not for anything but for the fact that I have severed Her Highness and Your Majesty for over a decade, please extend your hand of mercy towards me," Tracy pleaded harder.

    By this time warm tears had already streamed down her pretty face.

    "Do you want to be punished along with her?" Kayden retorted when Josephina hadn''t started administering the second punishment.

    "Your Highness, please save me. You must save me," Tracy turned to Queen Mother Theresa after she noticed that her pleas had no effect on the cold-hearted King.

    "Please spare her for my sake, Your Majesty," the Queen Mother swallowed her pride and intervened just when Josephina wanted to administer the teeth-pulling-out punishment.

    "I wanted to abolish some of the pce rules because I believed they were gruesome and inhumane. Have you forgotten that you were the same person who disagreed with my decision, Your Highness?" Kayden asked the woman who was standing in front of him.

    "You specifically told me that you were in charge of the inner court and as such only you would decide which rules are to be changed or abolished. Don''t tell me, you forgot what you told me that day, Your Highness?" Kayden asked.

    Joanna watched as the angry Queen Mother tried to hide her sped fist behind her.

    She could swear that she hadn''t seen the always confident and proud woman look so flustered and helpless.

    [I bet she wouldn''t have said those words to Kay if she had known that those same words of hers would one day be used against... Anyways I am happy to see Kay win against her for the first time. It''s quite gratifying since she always had the habit of making him do as she wanted]

    Joanna smiled inwardly as she stared at the fuming woman who was doing everything not to make her anger visible.

    "T-t-that..." Queen Mother Theresa stuttered. She could never have imagined that the King would use her words against her. And he chose to do that at such a critical moment.

    "And what are you guys waiting for?" Kayden hollered when he saw that Josephina and the others were yet to execute the punishment.

    "Hold her tight," Josephinamanded as she lifted the plier close to Tracy''s mouth.

    Despite being pinned down, Tracy struggled to break free with all her might.

    "Please save me, your Highness. You have got to save me," Tracy pleaded just before Josephina grabbed her mouth and pried it open.

 Chapter 575 She Is Not The Queen...

    Chapter 575 She Is Not The Queen...

    Josephina picked Tracy''s front teeth with the plier and without hesitation, she pulled it out. Tracy went wild as soon as she saw her teeth fall to the ground.

    To ady like her who took great pride in her beauty, the pain of living with a disfigured facewas far greater than the pain caused by the forceful removal of her teeth.

    At least the physical wound would heal in a minute due to her regenerating ability but that wasn''t the case with the emotional wounds. She will have to live with it forever.

    "Your Majesty, I know Tracy can be a handful sometimes but believe me, she is not bad. If not for anything but for the fact that she has served by my side for a long time, spare her, Your Majesty," Queen Theresa swallowed her pride again and pleaded on Tracy''s behalf.

    Joanna kept her eyes glued on Kayden''s face wanting to see what his reaction would be but to her dismay, he didn''t bat an eyelid.

    He acted as if the Queen Mother was talking to a statue and not a person.

    [I know Kayden to be the kind of person who would not wait for his mother to repeat the same thing twice before he carried it out, what hase over him today?]

    Joanna marvelled at what she witnessed.

    "If you dare as much as to stop the punishment halfway or miss a single one of it, you will be charged with the crime of disobeying the King..."

    "Your Majesty!" Queen Mother Theresa interrupted. For a minute there she forgot thatthis was not a private conversation with the King.

    Sheposed herself and stepped backwards when she realised what had happened.

    Josephina, who had paused midway due to the Queen Mother''s interruption, turned to continue with the punishment.

    "Your Majesty, she is not the Queen so charging my chief maiden with the crime of belittling the Queen is invalid," Queen Mother Theresa spoke up at the same minute Josephina wanted to pull out the third teeth from Tracy''s mouth.

    Joanna lowered her head as the Queen Mother diverted a murderous re at her.

    [I know this insolent bitch deserves to be punished for disrespecting me but Kay will be put in a tight corner if this continues. And this is not the oue I desire]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she thought of what to do to save the day.

    "She might not be the Queen now but that position is hers. This insolent maid is aware of this and still went ahead to disrespect her. If it was left to me, she would have been put to death instead of only getting her teeth pulled out" Kayden said coldly. He folded his hand behind his back and signalled Josephina to go on with the punishment.

    "Your Majesty," Joanna didn''t forget to call him with the appropriate title.

    "I know the maid deserves to be punished ording to the pce rules for such a high level of insult she poured out on me but unfortunately I don''t want that," Joanna stated to everyone''s surprise.

    Everyone including Kayden fixed their questioning gazes on her.

    [I know she must be happy to see me get embarrassed since I never really liked her from the beginning so I wonder what she is scheming this time around]

    Queen Mother Theresa peered at Joanna''s beautiful face. She tried to guess Joanna''s thoughts but she couldn''t no matter how hard she tried.

    "If you are doing this because you feel bad for her then you don''t have to," Kayden started in a firm tone.

    "Every employee in the pce is well aware of all the rules in the pce. Her actions today were intentional. If I don''t teach her a lesson today, I am certain one of them will repeat the same thing next time. Showing herpassion is thest thing you should do, she doesn''t deserve it," Kayden retorted while ring at the now-quiet Tracy.

    "Isn''t benevolence one of the virtues a Queen must possess?" Joanna quizzed when she saw how serious Kayden was.

    "Also, I am not that kind, Your Majesty," Joanna continued.

    "I plead for leniency for her not because I feel sympathetic towards her but it is just that my heart is overwhelmed with joy today and as such I don''t want to see blood. I wished nothing or no one would ruin this day for me," Joanna stated in her calmest voice.

    "I wish His Majesty would grant this wish of mine," Joanna muttered with her head bowed towards Kayden''s direction.

    Despite knowing that the chances of the angry Kayden doing as she wanted were slim, Joanna still decided to gamble on it.

    Silence enveloped the entire hall after Joanna''sst statement.

    Josephina waited for Kayden''s instructions and when he didn''t utter a word, she took the initiative to break the awkward silence.

    "Your Majesty, should I go on with the punishment?" Josephina asked curiously.

    Joanna subconsciously bit her lower lips as she waited for Kayden''s verdict.

    Kayden averted his attention to Joanna''s face following Josephina''s question.

    "She is exempted from the punishment," Kayden said to Joanna and Tracy''s delight.

    Joanna, whose head was lowered, raised her head and stared at Kayden''s face after he made his verdict.

    Her eyes sparkled as she kept them locked in his eyeballs.

    She tried to say something but held back when she realized that they hadpanies.

    "But from today onwards she and her household are forbidden from ever setting foot into the pce again," Kayden concluded from where he stopped.

    Tracy''s lit-up face lost colour the instant she heard Kayden''s pronouncement.

    Although this oue wasn''t what she expected, Queen Mother Theresa couldn''t challenge Kayden''s judgement.

    He was the King after all and had the final say.

    "Let''s go," He ordered and strolled towards the entrance. Joanna bowed to the Queen Mother before she followed Kayden.

    Joanna had so much to say to him but ended up unable to utter a word since there were guards and maids everywhere they went.

 Chapter 576 The Queens Quarter

    Chapter 576 The Queen''s Quarter

    Although she wanted to walk side by side with Kayden as they have always done she couldn''t.

    ording to the rules, none except the Queen could walk beside the King and unfortunately, she wasn''t the Queen so she had to walk behind him because they were in the pce where every of her actions were being monitored.

    [So this is what the real King Kayden Greyson looks like. I wondered where the cheerful and sweet Kay who has only eyes for me disappeared to?]

    Joanna almost stumbled and fell after bumping into the King. She was so absentminded and didn''t notice when he halted.

    "Sorry, that wasn''t intentional," Joanna instantly apologised.

    "Stand down," Gideon ordered firmly as he walked to join the King where he stood. His timely arrival saved the guards frommitting the same mistake General Morgan and his men did.

    "Your Majesty, everything is ready per your orders," Gideon informed with his head bowed.

    "Escort Miss Joanna to her quarters then," Kayden instructed and tried to leave but the anxious Joanna grabbed his hand.

    "Does this mean we are not gonna stay together?" Joanna demanded, her eyes fixed on his sideline since she couldn''t get a glimpse of his face.

    "Miss Joanna," Gideon called, his eyes concentrated on Kayden''s hand that Joanna was still holding onto.

    Because of how Gideon and the others stared at her hand as if they would chop them off, he didn''t need to say further for Joanna to know what to do.

    She released Kayden''s hand and moved two steps backwards.

    "Kay, I know you are mad at me and I admit that I messed up big time, but can you not push me away huh?" Joanna pleaded and reached out her hands to hold him again but Gideon''s dry cough made her retract her hand in time.

    "Are you waiting for me to repeat my words?" Kayden roared after about two minutes passed and Gideon didn''t do as instructed.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel "This way, Miss Joanna," Gideon mumbled, his right hand gesturing at the pathway on his right.

    Joanna hesitated to do as Gideon said. Instead, she stared at Kayden''s sideline hoping he would change his mind but to her disappointment, Kayden didn''t take back his orders.

    He watched as the distance between him and the woman he loves got further as seconds ticked.

    He was still gazing in the direction she went when Chris appeared out of nowhere and stood behind him.

    "How was it?" He turned and asked, his scrutinizing eyeballs fixed on Chris'' face.

    "Because they were notifiedte, they can''t promise you the best but they told me they will need a little more time to set everything up," Chris replied.

    "Never in my wildest imagination did I think that she would follow me to the pce. It''s already good enough that they were able to get their hands on what I asked for," Kayden murmured.

    He looked towards the direction Joanna went for thest time before he climbed onto the corridor leading to another quarter.

    "Just tell them to hurry up a bit. Although she is a bit calm now, I bet it will be a matter of time before she loses it. And you know we can''t afford for it to get to that stage. We are in the pce after all," Kayden muttered. He paid no attention to the maids and guys who repeatedly bowed as he strolled by.

    "I will ry your message to them as soon as possible," He responded. Although he wanted to pass Kayden''s message to the others, he could overtake the king since they were heading to the same destination.

    Meanwhile, at the quarter Gideon led Joanna to, she was warmly weed by the maids and the guards.

    How well they treated her made Joanna assume that someone had already instructed them on how to treat her.

    Or were they threatened?

    She couldn''t wrap her fingers around it since she has never been treated so well by strangers all her life.

    As she took a tour around the house whose tone was soft and vibrant at the same time, Gideon followed her about along with three maids.

    No matter how hard Joanna examined the house she just couldn''t help but conclude that there was something wrong about the quarter she was in.

    "This is my first time here but why does the house look so familiar like I have been living here all my life?" Joanna mumbled and halted in front of a painting.

    Joanna raised her head and peered at the painting she found familiar at first nce. She was trying to recall where she saw the painting when the answer popped into her head.

    Yes, she saw a simr... no the same painting on Kayden''s hideout hut in the forest.

    Immediately, she turned and faced the guy who has been walking behind her for a while now.

    "What is this quarter about and why does it have a familiar feel?" Joanna asked the guy who had instantly lowered his head the moment she turned around.

    "Miss Joanna, to answer your question, this is the Queen''s quarter..."

    "What!" Joanna eximed. Her jaw dropped and she didn''t know when she stepped backwards until she realised that the gap between her and Gideon had widened.

    Gideon and the maids weren''t surprised to see her react this way. They knew for a fact that she was the reason Kayden ordered the guards to remove the only sign that had the title QUEEN''S QUARTER.

    [His Majesty instructed me to do anything she wanted and treat her as I would do to him. I bet it wouldn''t be a problem to reply to her question honestly right?]

    For a minute Gideon was conflicted on what to do.

    As Gideon thought of what to do the astounded Joanna took another look at the spacious room she stood in.

    Although her father''s house could be considered as one of the biggest houses in the kingdom she could swear that their sitting room wasn''t as spacious and beautiful as the one she stood in.

    Although the decorations were mild they created a kind of beauty she hasn''t seen in any house before.

    "But how can this be the Queen''s quarter? It doesn''t look anything like it," Joanna muttered, still not able to get over the piece of information she learned.

 Chapter 577 Prepare For Royal Wedding

    Chapter 577 Prepare For Royal Wedding

    "That is because His Majesty had the entire quarters redecorated a year ago, Miss Joanna," Gideon responded when he realised that she was lost.

    "He had the Queen''s quarter redecorated when he had no Queen?" Joanna narrowed her eyes as she brought back her attention to the guy in front of her.

    "But why would he do that?" Joanna demanded, still unable to understand the logic of what Gideon said.

    "I remembered that he told us that this quarter would wee its owner back then," Gideon exined concisely.

    Instead of rity, Gideon ended up confusing Joanna more than she already was.

    Seeing her unbelieving expression, Gideon decided to continue from where he stopped.

    "At first we didn''t dare to believe His Majesty''s words, not until he ordered the royal nners to prepare for the royal wedding..."

    "A royal what!" Joanna cut in like a habit. The revtion was so shocking to the point that she had a hard time assimting even though Gideon had said those words in the simplest terms.

    "And you were supposed to be the bride, Miss Joanna. The quarter was redecorated putting your taste into consideration. I guess that is why you found it familiar at first nce," Gideon concluded and moved two steps backwards from her.

    "I was supposed to be the bride?" Joanna repeated as if Gideon''s sentence wasn''t clear enough.

    For the third time, Joanna took a careful look at the house once again. The tone of the sitting room was warm and yet vibrant at the same time.

    One nce at the decors and she can tell that they were the best of their kind but they weren''t vulgar.

    To be precise thebination of the sitting room was nothing less than perfection.

    [Although Kay and I were friends a year ago but as far as I can recall, I was still trying to avoid him. We weren''t in any sort of romantic rtionship so why did he...]

    Joanna paused walking and looked upward as if she had recalled something.

    "Don''t tell me he was serious about that proposal back then?" Joanna covered her mouth in shock when it dawned on her that shemitted a terrible mistake.

    "Miss Joanna, are you alright?" Gideon asked when he saw her stumble on her feet and almost fall.

    "I... I... I am fine," She managed to reply as she moved and lowered her weak body on the milky colour couch arranged around a centre table.

    [In the past I never took what he said seriously. In fact, ny per cent of everything he told me, especially about his feelings for me, was a joke to me. I believed he said those words to make me feel better. Never did it cross my mind that he might have been telling the truth. How badly can one hurt another person more than this?]

    Joanna guided her right hand to her aching chest and clutched it. Her eyes which had turned misty coupled with her painful expression caught the attention of a maid.

    "Are you ok Miss?" The maid with shoulder-length brown hair asked.

    Slowly, Joanna lifted her head and stared at the maid who hadn''t moved from the position she met earlier.

    Thanks to her system notification screen which popped up on time she was able to identify thedy as a human.

    [Aren''t the pce dominated by vampires and werewolves so what is a human doing amid these beastly beings?]

    Joanna wondered. She was even more astounded when she looked around and realised that she wasn''t the only human there.

    Joanna found out that in the sitting room alone they were three humans including the girl who asked about her wellbeing.

    "From what I know, all the pce employees had always been vampires and werewolves so why are there humans in the Queen''s quarter?" Joanna asked while settling her eyeballs on Gideon.

    "His Majesty was afraid that you would be overwhelmed being surrounded by vampires and werewolves. To make sure that the Queen attained absolutefortability, he made the arrangements for humans to be employed in the pce," Gideon exined in a gentle tone.

    "My best friend is a vampire and my household is full of werewolves, so why would I ever be ufortable around them?" Joanna grumbled.

    Although Gideon and others heard her words, none uttered a word.

    At the Queen Mother''s quarter, a miserable looking Tracy whose uniform had been stripped was seen entering the sitting room.

    "How dare you show your face to me after the embarrassment you put me through?" Queen Mother Theresa jerked to her feet as if she had been waiting for the insolentdy to show herself.

    "I know that was wrong. I am also aware of the fact that I don''t deserve to bid you farewell since I failed in my duty as your chief maiden..."

    "It''s good that you know that," Queen Mother Theresashed out at the kneeling Tracy.

    "Although I hated to admit that I lost my power as the most powerful being in the pce, I remembered warning you to be cautious with whatever you do. I told you that the King was searching for ways to further suppress me but you just wouldn''t listen," Queen Mother Theresa reprimanded, her index finger pointed at Tracy.

    "Your Highness, believe me, I just wanted to embarrass her and have her thrown out of the pce disgracefully by the guards. I knew she was the reason His Majesty had been treating you coldly. All I wanted was to avenge your grievances..."

    "And now look at what you did. Instead of avenging me, you ended up making me more aggrieved," The Queen Mother retorted, her right hand balled into a fist.

    Queen Mother Theresa walked forward and turned her back to Tracy.

    "Since I took on this position I have never lowered myself before anyone, not even to the king but because of you, I had to bow my head before His Majesty and everyone present," Queen Mother Theresa ryed her grief as she pointed using fingers at Tracy.

 Chapter 578 Do I Look Good?

    Chapter 578 Do I Look Good?

    "You even allowed that daughter of a mistress to mock me. Do you still want me to thank you for avenging me so well?" She asked sarcastically.

    "Your Highness..."

    BAM*

    A loud p flew across Tracy''s face before she could say anything to her defence.

    "You no longer have the right to address me with that filthy mouth of yours," She scorned and turned her back on Tracy again.

    "Count yourself lucky that I am gonna let things end with that p," She growled and walked out on the weeping Tracy.

    Back at the Queen Quarter, Joanna who has been eagerly staring at the entrance lost her patience after she waited for an hour and Kayden didn''t show up.

    "Gideon, when do you think that His Majesty wille here?" Joanna demanded softly. Her slightly widened eyeballs showed she looked forward to his reply.

    "Since ancient times, it is said that the King hardly visits the Queen''s chambers. Instead, the Kings normally invited the Queens to their quarters," Gideon replied ording to his knowledge since he didn''t have experience in that.

    "But this is not ancient times," Joanna mumbled under her breath.

    "In either way, what do you think would be his decision? Do you think he will invite me over to his quarter?" Joanna twisted her question a bit following what Gideon said.

    "I don''t know. It all depends on His Majesty''s mood," Gideon replied concisely. The frown that soon appeared on Joanna''s pretty face showed how unsatisfied she was with Gideon''s reply.

    [Gosh, it''s no fun talking to him. I wonder why those working under him are so rigid. They are nothing like my Kay]

    Joanna smiled merely at the thought of his name.

    Since she knew that running around the pce wasn''t possible, Joanna had no choice but to repeatedly wish that the King would send for her.

    Not long after she made herst wish, she perceived Josephina''s scent approaching the entrance.

    "Josephina is here. Does that mean he sent it to me?" Joanna mumbled and jumped to her feet.

    The excited Joanna was already waiting at the door before Josephina got closer to the entrance.

    Startled, Josephina shot Gideon a questioning re when she saw Joanna stand at the door instead of sitting.

    In return Gideon gave her the I don''t know reply with a shrug of his shoulders.

    "I bet he sent you to get me right?" The impatient Joanna asked when she noticed that it was taking Josephina some time to speak.

    "Yes, and I..."

    "Then what are you waiting for?" Joanna eximed and rushed to stand at the door.

    "Let''s go," She instructed and tried to walk away.

    "Sorry Miss Joanna but you can''t visit the King''s quarters looking like that," Josephina said before Joanna could take another step forward.

    Joanna paused lowered her head and looked at herself. Although she wore a ck hoodie and a pair of white baggy trousers she looked neat and smart.

    No matter how she examined herself she couldn''t see a problem with what she wore and that was why she wondered what Josephina''s statement meant.

    "And why is that so?" Joanna asked after she took onest nce at herself.

    "ording to the pce rules, guests at the King''s quarters must dress elegantly before theye face to face with His Majesty. Entering the King''s pce dressed this way will be considered breaking that rule," Josephina replied as politely as she could.

    "I remember that now," Joanna replied upon recalling that this rule was indeed included in the pce rules she read.

    "But I didn''t bring change of clothes so what am I gonna do?" Joannamented. Her excited expression turned to a frustrated one in a matter of seconds.

    "Does that mean I won''t get to see him because of this?" Joanna demanded despite already knowing the answer.

    [I know a pce is supposed to be different from normal households but why does it have so many rules? You can''t do this, you can''t do that then what exactly am I supposed to do?]

    Joanna clenched her fist and bit her lower lips hard. She only released her lips when she tasted blood in her mouth.

    "Miss Joanna, did you get wounded anywhere?" Josephina and Gideon chorused. For the first time, they raised their heads and looked at Joanna''s face.

    "No... but why do you ask?" Joanna questioned.

    "Nothing," Josephina and Gideon said in unison after exchanging puzzled nces.

    "Also, Miss Joanna, there are varieties of clothes in the Queen''s closets. Why don''t you ask the maids to find you something suitable to put on..."

    "Are you implying that I should wear the Queen''s clothes?" Joanna lost her cool and screamed at Josephina.

    "Do you know that alone is a capital offence punishable by death?" Joanna asked fiercely. Josephina, who was obviously trying to help, was a bit taken aback.

    "Does that mean you have given up on seeing His Majesty tonight..."

    "Of course not," Joanna blurted without thinking for a second. Sheposed herself after she realised she overreacted.

    Because Joanna desperately wanted to see Kayden she didn''t need to think too much about the suggestion Josephina came up with.

    What she didn''t know was that she was tantly tricked into doing what the King had ordered.

    Some minutester, Joanna who had showered and changed into a gold colour flowing dress was ready to appear in front of the King.

    "Do I look good?" Joanna asked Josephina for the third time since she dressed up. She rubbed her sweaty hands together and forced on an awkward smile.

    "You look perfect Miss Joanna. You can rx," Josephina replied. Josephina smiled at Joanna with the hope that her smile would make Joanna calm down.

    "How can I possibly rx when I am appearing before the King?" Joanna mumbled. She rubbed her hands nervously and took onest nce at herself through the mirror.

    Seeing her so nervous would make one assume she was meeting her suitor for the first time and not someone she has spent a month of uninterrupted time with.

 Chapter 579 Is Today My Birthday?

    Chapter 579 Is Today My Birthday?

    "Let''s go, Miss Joanna," Josephina took the initiative to say the words she was certain the nervous Joanna wouldn''t utter in the next twenty minutes.

    As they stepped out of the sitting room, Josephina led the way followed by Joanna and then the guards and other maids followed behind while maintaining distance from her.

    Joanna''s heart pounded against her chest when they drew closer to the building which was a five minutes walk from the Queen''s quarter.

    Her hands shook violently and her stomach tightened like a woman who was meeting her groom on their wedding night. The absentmindeddy whose mind had been all over the ce was surprised when Josephina informed her that they reached their destination.

    "Ooh... we are here already," Joanna eximed. By this time she could no longer hide her anxiety.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel Just then Chris stepped out to meet them in front of the door.

    "His Majesty is waiting for you inside," Chris informed her. He instantly stepped out of the door to give her ess to the house.

    Joanna stared at the door as if hell was waiting for her inside.

    "Miss Joanna, are you ok?" Chris was forced to ask when Joanna made no sign of stepping foot into the room.

    [Isn''t this what I wanted? Wasn''t talking to him face to face the reason I followed him to his sacred home, so why am I hesitating now that I have gotten what I wanted? What am I afraid of exactly?]

    Joanna kept on staring at the room whose door she was certain was left open specifically for her sake.

    [What was meant to happen will surelye, Joanna. Avoiding it won''t solve anything. Facing it is the right thing to do]

    Joanna concluded in her mind. She released her clenched fists and took a step forward.

    The moment she stepped into the room she was greeted with thick darkness. As if that wasn''t enough, the door was immediately shut from the outside.

    "Why is it so dark in here?" Joanna muttered. She dared not take a step forward as she wasn''t familiar with the set-up of the King''s room.

    "Josephina never told me that horror setting was the theme for tonight''s meeting. What would she have done if I was a timid person and fainted as soon as I stepped into this creepy ce?" Joanna spoke as if there was someone in the room with her.

    Joanna took another at the room with hopes that she would get herself familiar with the darkness but that didn''t help much.

    Just when she made up her mind to use her mes to navigate her way around the room the lights came on.

    The bright colourful light that came didn''t illuminate the entire room but a certain part. And the lights were so mesmerizing that Joanna couldn''t help but admire it for a few minutes.

    Joanna was trying to figure out what was happening when the television came on and immediately, messages started disying on the huge sma television as if it was being controlled by someone.

    "Happy birthday to the most beautiful girl in the universe," Joanna read the first message that appeared on the screen with mixed feelings.

    "Wait, is my birthday today?" Joanna mumbled and scratched her head as if she was having difficulty remembering something.

    She tried to shove her hand into her trouser''s pockets only to recall that she had changed into a different outfit before she came there.

    "I guess it must have clocked midnight already," Joanna muttered and lifted her eyes to look at the television screen once again.

    "My wish has always been to see you happy doing whatever you want. I tried for so many years to fulfil this wish of mine. Although I ended up failing, my wish hasn''t changed," A sweet smile appeared on Joanna''s glowing face after reading the message.

    "So this is the reason he always tried to make meugh in the past?" Her smile broadened as if he was in front of her.

    "I know growing up hasn''t been easy or pleasant for you but I saved some amazing memories I thought you might have wanted to see again" Joanna narrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the screen eager to see what those words meant.

    "My life has been nothing but a living hell ever since I was conceived in my mother''s womb. I doubt they are memories considered amazing during those years," Joanna grumbled. Her expectations dropped to zero as soon as she finished talking.

    She was about to look away from the screen when pictures started disying on the screen.

    The first picture was one of a cute tiny little bun wrapped in pink clothes. If not for the baby''s unique purple eyeballs she wouldn''t have recognised the baby to be her.

    After that the pictures of when she was a toddler rolled in. On the television screen, pictures of every stage of her life got disyed one after the other until it got to her current self.

    What was more astonishing than the fact that she didn''t recall taking the pictures was the fact that she looked genuinely happy in every single picture that was disyed on the screen.

    The pictures were just perfect, especially the ones after she turned fourteen. It was as if the photographer waited for the moment she smiled the brightest to capture the moment.

    "This is insane," Joanna blurted, her right hand covering her mouth which had dropped open.

    Just as she thought she had seen it all, videos of her memories started to disy on the enormous television screen.

    All her life, Joanna believed there were no memories worth calling memorable. She was so certain that every day of her neen years of existence was nothing but terrifying nightmares she never wanted to remember, but these pictures and videos she watched proved her wrong.

    They were moments when her smile shone brighter than anyone she knew. Sheughed harder than those who took making her life a living hell as their goal. They were also times her excited eyes sparkled more than the night sky.

    These were all her memories, howe she never recalled any of these amazing moments?

 Chapter 580 You Want To Marry Me?

    Chapter 580 You Want To Marry Me?

    "I wish for your smile to sparkle and light up the whole world even as you grow older. Happy birthday, Joan," Joanna read the message that appeared on the screen after the earlier video ended.

    "No matter what anyone says, this is undoubtedly the best gift I have ever received. Even if I don''t remember it forever, I know I will recall this moment for a very long time," Joanna muttered. She guided her hands to her face and wiped the tears that had dropped from her eyes.

    Just then the television went off and the lights in the room came on and standing at the stairs at her right-hand side was Kayden.

    The first thing she noticed was his clothes. Instead of the royal regalia he wore earlier, he was now wearing a grey long-sleeve shirt and brown trousers.

    At the moment he looked very much like the Kayden she knew.

    "Because you didn''t like my birthday presentst year I thought I should give you something different. I believed you would love this gift. It was never my intention to make you cry," Kayden exined, his eyes fixed on the face of thedy standing below him.

    Joanna watched him as he descended the stairs. The way she looked at him was as if this was their first encounter.

    "I will have the maids clear it up if you don''t like it..."

    "This is how you have always been... as long as I don''t like something or say no, you will alwaysply. It doesn''t matter if you wasted a fortune or your precious time on it," Joanna said. She took the initiative and closed the gap between them.

    "Since you are so good at listening to what I want, then why didn''t you keep your distance when I asked you so many times in the past huh?" Joanna demanded fiercely, her stern expression focused on his face.

    "Joan, if there is anything I did you disliked then tell me and I will change it right away but don''t get mad ok?" Kayden beseeched. He reached out his hand to hold her hands but Joanna avoided his touch.

    She turned her back to him.

    "Your Majesty, I am scared of you," Joanna mumbled. Kayden''s heart stopped beating the moment those words came out of her mouth.

    "In fact, your love terrifies me... I love you no doubt but your unconditional love is so overwhelming. It scares me that I might never be able to love you as much as you love me. And even if I managed to achieve that, it might take so many years. This realisation frightens me out of my wits," Joanna continued emotionally.

    The stunned Kayden was able to breathe again after he heard what weighed her down.

    He raised his hand, grabbed her shoulder and turned her around so that they were staring at each other.

    "The fact that you love me is enough for me, Joan. You don''t have to love me as much as I love you..."

    "But that is not fair to you," Joanna interrupted, forgetting that they were still in the pce.

    "You have given me your everything, it''s only right that I return as much as I have received..."

    "Loving you was never a bargain or a business deal that you have to return as much as you have benefited. I loved you and did all those things willingly. Even if you didn''t reciprocate my feelings in the end, I wouldn''t have forced you or demanded all those things back..."

    "Are you saying you would have gotten engaged and married to some other woman if I hadn''t fallen in love with you?" Joanna asked. Her tender eyeballs turned fierce to show that her next reaction would depend on his reply.

    "The ministers including the Queen Mother had always wanted me to get married. I guess I would have ended up sumbing to their demands after a while," Kayden replied. If not that he held back hisughter with all his might, he would haveughed out loud the moment he saw her expression darkened following his response.

    "How could you say that to my face..." She choked on her words as he cupped her face with his freezing hands.

    "That was only a probability. The reality right now is that you love me and that is all that matters," Kayden said as he stared at her clear purple eyes which all he could see was himself.

    "Really?" Joanna asked as she squinted her eyebrows.

    "Are you sure you won''t get fed up trying to clean up my mess in the future? I mean you of all people should know the kind of household Ie from and my position there," Joanna trailed off as if she was giving him one more reason to love her less.

    "That has never been a problem. And whoever dared to bully you will answer to me. I wonder if there is anyone out there who can withstand the wrath of the King?" Kayden replied sternly.

    The fierce look in his eyes reminded her of the two incidents that happened in the past.

    He was wearing the same deadly looks on those two asions.

    "What if I say I don''t want you to bring in any other women after we get married? Will you not m divorce papers at my face and have me thrown out of the pce?" Joanna asked.

    If only Joanna knew how much her questions made the faces of those standing outside flushed red then maybe she wouldn''t have acted so clingy.

    "No, I will..."

    "Wait, does that mean you want to marry me?" Kayden put a hold on his previous reply and asked instead. His eyes shone brightly like that of a child as he waited for her reply.

    "Why? Were you nning to eat my forbidden fruit and then dump me?" Joanna asked.

    She brushed his hand off her body and moved to the couch looking very furious.

    "You know that is not true," Kayden muttered and hurried to join her where he had set up a dining table in the middle of the room.

    "Humph... how will I know what you are thinking when I am not inside your mind?" Joanna scoffed. She reached out her hands and opened the closed tes one after the other.

 Chapter 581 Have Sex With Me

    Chapter 581 Have Sex With Me

    Just as she expected, everything on the table was her favourite delicacies.

    "I love you very much so how could I possibly dump you when I lose my mind if I don''t see you for a day?" Kayden mumbled. He tried to hold her hand but she beat his hand away.

    Things were going smoothly. He thought it wouldst the entire night which was why the current development stressed him out.

    "We didn''t see each other these past days and you looked perfectly alright. Where is the truth in what you said, hmm?" Joanna shot him an using re while mooching the roasted duck she picked from the blue te on the table.

    "Joan!" He called. Kayden, who didn''t like how she ignored him and acted as if the roasted duck was more important than him, grabbed her hands and pinned her against the white magnificent couch which had golden emblems on its hands and back.

    "If my words aren''t enough then how do you want me to prove to you that you are the only woman I will ever love in this lifetime?" Kayden asked while staring into her innocent-looking eyes.

    "Have sex with me," Joanna dered while looking into his eyes.

    Instantly, Kayden let go of her as if he was electrocuted. He tried to return to his previous position but Joanna wrapped her hands around his neck, preventing him from escaping.

    "Joan, you..."

    "I heard that mates'' bonds be stronger than ever after their first sex together and it grows even more as years go by. I will believe that you are not fooling around with intentions of dumping meter on if you have sex with me tonight," Joanna said.

    What was more shocking to Kayden than her statement was the serious look on her face while saying such a thing.

    He didn''t understand how she managed to remain so serious and calm when he was blushing hard.

    "Joan, I know you don''t mean what you said but that might not be the case with those listening to our conversation. Also, don''t forget that this is the pce..."

    "Of course, I still remember that we are in the pce. Also, I was telling the truth so it won''t be a misunderstanding if they read other meanings to what they heard," Joanna asserted.

    She threw the duck she had only taken two bites back on the table and guided her right hand to Kayden''s face after she had whipped her hands on her expensive clothes.

    Actually, she was scared that Kayden would run away if she reached out for the wet wipes on the table and that was why she assaulted her beautiful dress instead.

    "Kay, I love you very much. You know that I have always wanted this. Although I don''t know your reasons for constantly rejecting me in the past, you can''t do that to me tonight. I will be heartbroken if that happened and don''t forget it''s my birthday today," Joanna mentioned reasons he should agree to her request.

    "If you still recall that we are in the pce then you will know you will be nothing other than one of thedies who warms the King''s night if we do what you want..."

    "But I don''t care about what others say about me. I have been given so many titles that I have lost count of it. It won''t hurt more if they add one more to the list," Joanna beamed at him.

    She tried to kiss him but Kayden avoided her lips.

    "Joan, I heard you hardly had your meals these past days. I know you must be starving so eat hmm," Kayden said despite that this had nothing to do with what they were talking about.

    "You have repeatedly hurt my feelings and yet you are doing it one more time. Congrattions, Your Majesty, you have seeded in doing that again," Joanna said sarcastically. She released him and shifted away from him.

    "If only you knew how much courage I had to mutter each time I made the first move. You wouldn''t have had the heart to reject me once more if you knew the thoughts that upied my mind during times like this," Joanna said emotionally, her hand clutching her chest.

    She stood up and strolled away from the table.

    "On the first night, I thought my scars had scared you off that was why you didn''t want to go further. After that night, do you know the evil thoughts that took over my mind?" Joanna snickered as if she was telling a funny joke.

    "Joan..."

    "I wanted to scrape the scars off with a knife. Too bad Little rice ball barged in just when I was about to pierce my skin..."

    "Joanna!" Kayden screamed, unable to believe what he just heard.

    "Maybe, making the first move might be easy for guys but not for women, especially for women like me who grew up with no self-esteem," Joanna admitted. She turned and approached the door.

    She was a few steps away from the enormous door when Kayden appeared in front of her with his hands spread.

    "Apart from the fact that I was afraid I would hurt you, another reason I didn''t push through with the intimacy was because I wanted to protect your reputation," Kayden started in a soft tone.

    "I was certain I wouldn''t be able to control myself from killing if anyone dared to call you the King''s Mistress, a slut and a seductress. I didn''t reject you because I found you less attractive. Believe me, I never knew that my actions to protect you would end up hurting you instead," Kayden continued. He reached out his hand and stroked her face.

    "If you still want to push ahead with this I have a perfect solution to protect your reputation and also make this more fun," Kayden said in almost a whisper.

    "And what is that?" Joanna demanded, not able to hide the glimmers in her beautiful eyeballs.

    "I have a document with me. All you have to do is pen down your name and signature and I promise you that no one will have the guts to point fingers at you for whatever we will do here today," Kayden replied. He further confused Joanna with this reply of his.

 Chapter 582 I Want To Marry You

    Chapter 582 I Want To Marry You

    "What documents is that and howe I have never heard of it before," Joanna murmured.

    "Wait here while I go get it," He instructed. Before she could stop him, he was nowhere to be seen in the vast room.

    Kayden didn''t keep her waiting but reappeared in less than a minute with a white paper in his hand.

    "Here," He muttered and stretched out the paper to her.

    Curious to know the mysterious documents he talked about, Joanna took the paper from him.

    "Marriage certificate!" The words escaped from Joanna''s mouth as soon as she saw the heading of the supposed document he mentioned.

    "Yes. Like I said nobody will be able to question you if you sign..."

    "But this doesn''t make sense right?" Joanna cut in. She tried to hand over the documents to him but he refused to collect them.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Kayden talked, the maids and guards standing guard outside kept exchanging puzzled nces.

    "Let''s give His Majesty and Miss Joanna some privacy," Chris said when he noticed that the conversation going on inside the King''s chambers made everyone ufortable.

    "Sure," Josephina replied as if she had been waiting for him to say that. She was the first to leave while Gideon and Chris left a bitter after they had surveyed the area and made sure it was safe.

    Back inside the King''s chambers, Kayden who has been trying to get the unconvincing Joanna to sign the marriage certificate decided to use hisst resort when he saw that she was still unmoved.

    "Are you reluctant to sign the papers because you don''t want to marry me? Do you want to dump and leave me heartbroken after I have satisfied your fantasy?" Kayden asked, frowning. He let go of her hand and moved away from where she stood.

    "You know that is not why I am reluctant to sign the papers," Joanna tried to exin as she hurried to stand in front of him.

    "If you were some ordinary guy out there I wouldn''t have had to think a lot or weigh the pros and cons but you are the King, Kay," Joanna announced her hands spread in the air.

    "You are the ruler of this vast Kingdom. I will be chewed alive if I sneakily get married to you even though it''s on paper. Your mother doesn''t like me and likewise your council of ministers," Joanna exined in a soft tone.

    "I can handle the ministers just fine and as for my mother, as long as I am still in power, she can''t touch a hair on your head," Kayden assured her. Although it sounded more like he was boasting, it was indeed true that he had those two areas under control.

    With the trump card in his hand, the ministers would have no other choice but to obey his orders.

    "Right now, all I want to know is if you are willing to be my wife. That is the answer I want to hear from you, Joan and I give you my word that I won''t force you to do a thing if your answer turns out to be negative," Kayden went ahead and gave his word even though it was very difficult for him to make such a promise.

    Despite being nervous, Kayden didn''t let his emotions show on his face. He was afraid his true emotions would force her into a decision she wasn''tfortable with and that was why he perfectly masked his emotions.

    Joanna stared at his face for a while and didn''t rush to give him a reply despite knowing the answer to his question.

    [Standing in front of me is the King himself. With his position, he can easily get any woman he so desires. In fact, almost all the women in the Kingdom are vying for his attention and yet he chose a nobody like me to love. Although I was destined to be his woman, he never forced his feelings on me. Instead, he respected me more than anyone I have ever known]

    Joanna chuckled when she remembered the many times Kayden proposed to her. Although she just realised not long ago that he was serious about his proposals, she still finds those memories fun.

    [He has done so much for me, many of which he never took credit for. He has waited for so long for me without wavering. What other ways does a man need to prove that he truly loved a woman if not through all of this?... And who am I to reject such an amazing man like him especially when his kind are rare toe by...]

    "Why? Are you not willing?" Kayden asked when he noticed that it was taking her a lot of time to reply.

    "Of course, I want to marry you..."

    "Then that is all the answer I wanted from you. Leave every other thing to me and I promise you that sooner than you think, the Queen''s quarter and the position beside me will forever be yours," Kayden promised. He spread his hands and embraced her tightly.

    With all her fears proved to be nothing by the man in whose arms she was, Joanna eased her worries and engraved her name on the marriage certificate.

    Kayden repeated the same procedures and afterwards stamped the certificate with his Royal Seal.

    "So when are we gonna go to the marriage bureau to have our marriage authorized? Will it be after our Royal wedding or..." Joanna deliberately left her sentence iplete as she waited for his response.

    "In the Kingdom, my Royal Seal is far superior to every other seal and authorisation there is. Any documents stamped with the Royal Seal don''t require any other approval and that is to say..." Kayden trailed off. He turned and immediately pinned her hands against the couch.

    "From this moment onwards you are not just my mate that can be easily discarded but you are legally, morally, and officially the wife and Queen of King Kayden Greyson," Kayden whispered flirtatiously. The feeling of his hot breath against her skin made Joanna feel giddy.

 Chapter 583 Will You?

    Chapter 583 Will You?

    "Was getting married so easy?" Joanna mumbled, not able to stare into his burning eyes.

    "Hmm... Although we didn''t have to visit the bureau to have our marriage authorized, I wouldn''t say it was easy to get married to you. I mean it practically took me over five years to actualize my dream so how could this be considered easy?" Kayden murmured.

    Although she wasn''t looking at him, Joanna could feel his intense stare which boiled into her skin like a hotrva.

    "Since we are husband and wife now, does that mean I can do anything to you right now and I won''t be charged with the crime of bewitching the king or..."

    "And what exactly are those things you want me to do huh?" Kayden muttered. His provocative tone made Joanna clench her fists with hopes of controlling her excited body.

    "Were you perhaps thinking in this direction?" He whispered and kissed her exposed neckline.

    Joanna bit her lower lips dung her nails into her palms as his hot tongue travelled from her neckline to her chest and then...

    "K-k-kay!" Joanna called but because of the built-up emotions that she had suppressed, her voice didn''te out as she wanted.

    Kayden kissed the space in between her breasts and almost in an instant, his hands slid behind her back and slowly he unzipped the off-shoulder golden dress she was wearing.

    Joanna grabbed her dress the moment he tried to push it down to her waist.

    "Kay, we are in the sitting room. The maids or guards might walk in on us..."

    "No matter what they hear none would dare to step foot into my chambers tonight so ease your mind and enjoy this," Kayden assured her and bent to continue from where he left off but she stopped him again.

    "Maybe you are right about that but I don''t feelfortable about having my first time here," Joannained.

    She didn''t tell him that she felt like they were being watched while they made out in the sitting room.

    Kayden pauser and stared at her face with a conflicted look. Although he hated to be disrupted, he couldn''t bring himself to get mad at the verydy he is madly in love with.

    "Whatever makes my Queen happy," Kayden whispered. He released her trapped hands and rolled to the other side of the couch.

    [Did he just call me his Queen?]

    Joanna''s head swelled at the realisation that she and Kayden were really married.

    Her face flushed red and her cheeks burned even hotter.

    "So this is how it feels to get married to the one you love?" Joanna mumbled as she guided her hands to her chest which was pounding vigorously.

    Kayden''s face lit up when he saw the fascinated look on her face as she felt her heartbeat.

    He got up from where he sat and stood in front of her.

    "It feels amazing right?" He mumbled his gaze fixed on her amused face.

    "Hmmm..." Joanna nodded in affirmation. Her smile grew broader as she stared back at him.

    "Believe me, you are gonna feel a thousand times better when we get to my inner chamber," Kayden grinned as he bent and carried her in his strong arms.

    "Won''t I die from overexcitement if these amazing feelings increase more than this?" Joanna demanded, peering into his intense eyes with her dovey eyes.

    "Will you?" Kayden muttered. "I guess we will find out how true your words are when we get there," He added, his sexy lips curled to reveal a sinister smile.

    With Joanna in his arms Kayden ascended the stairs. How he walked with ease looked as if he wasn''t carrying a grown adult but a piece of paper.

    When he reached his dimly lit room Kayden gently dropped her on her feet and with a bam shut the door.

    "Why..." Kayden circled her slender waist with his right hand and spun her. He pinned her against the wall and took a long stare at her face as if he was seeing her for the first time in two decades.

    "In the past my room was always brightly lit but after spending so many nights with you in the forest, I have a hard time sleeping with the lights on," Kayden exined, causing Joanna to wonder how he knew that was the exact question she wanted to ask before his interruption.

    "My Queen..." Kayden called in his dreamy voice. His right hand stroked Joanna''s face as if he was carefully assessing a precious stone.

    "How do you like it?" He blurted and kept caressing her face.

    Despite the excitement building up underneath there with every of his burning touches, Joanna resists the ouch to tease the man who obviously wasn''t aware of the effect of his magical touch.

    "How do I like what?" the confused Joanna enquired in a soft tone.

    Joanna''s heart stopped beating and her body stiffened as soon as he closed thest remaining space between them.

    He brought his mouth close to ear and whispered, "Sex,".

    He pulled away just in time to see her reaction. And the expression wasn''t disappointing at all. It was just like he had expected.

    Her widened eyes and her parted lips almost made him burst outughing.

    "Do you like it gently or roughly? We will go with whatever you want tonight since this is our first time together," He continued in his meek tone.

    When he noticed that she still wasn''t over the shock, he started rendering soft kisses to her neckline and when she didn''t react he licked her earlobe which he discovered she totally enjoyed.

    "If you fail to pick then we will go along with..."

    "This will be my first time ever, why do you make it sound as if I am an expert at this?" Joanna grumbled after she finally found her voice.

    ...

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 Chapter 584 The Sex

    Chapter 584 The Sex

    Kayden stopped what he was doing when he heard her irritated tone. He raised his head and peered into her eyes.

    "Because I feel like doing all manner of things to you right now. I am afraid that I might scare you and cause you to withdraw from me if we go with how I want it..."

    "And what are those things you wanna do to me that you think are capable of scaring this Boss Lady here?" Joanna asked, her head cocked to the side.

    "Hmm..." Kayden hesitated despite how confident she looked.

    "I want to pin you against the door, rip off your clothes and..." Kayden stopped midway after getting Joanna excited with his wild thoughts which she could practically envision as he listed them.

    Maybe in the past, she would frown if such a statement came out of Kayden''s mouth but for some reason, she didn''t hate a word he said.

    In fact, his words awakened something in her and she couldn''t help but want to try things out his way.

    "And what?" Joanna demanded despite having guessed what his next words would be. She felt it would be more thrilling to hear it from the horse''s mouth.

    "And devoured you like a lion would devour its prey. I want to bite every part of your body and savour every bit of sweetness there is..." Kayden trailed off. He lowered his gaze afterwards in a defeated manner.

    "I know thoughts like this are not befitting of a King that is why..."

    "Although this is my first time, I have never heard that there is a specific manner in which a certain ss of people should have sex, so why would you believe that having such thoughts would make me afraid of you?" Joanna muttered.

    This time around she took the initiative to close the space that existed between them.

    "I mean why on Earth would I get terrified when I love and want to try out everything you said?" Joanna bit her lower lips enticingly as she yed with his hairy chest with her fingers.

    "You liked that?" Kayden narrowed his eyebrows, unable to believe what he just heard.

    "No, I loved it and I couldn''t stop imagining how it would feel to do simr things to you," Joanna murmured and ran her hand across his lower region. She deliberately targeted the spot where she saw a bulge.

    She giggled as soon as a low grunt escaped from Kayden''s mouth.

    "I wondered how it would feel to have your cock in my hands and mouth. I couldn''t resist grinning when I imagined you screaming my name as I teased you because your hands were bound," Joanna crackled.

    If only she knew the storm brewing within Kayden as she listed out her fantasies then, she wouldn''t haveughed so seductively and further charmed him more than he already was.

    "I sound crazy and don''t look like the well-mannered Joanna at the moment but that is how I..."

    "Then let''s go even crazier together," Kayden who couldn''t take the torment anymore dered and crashed his lips against hers catching her unawares.

    Despite being caught unawares, thedy whose back was leaning against the door didn''t have trouble following his pace.

    As his hands explored her body, Kayden ripped any part of her clothes that his hand rested on.

    He continued like this until she was wearing nothing but her blue panties.

    Because she was having the best time of her life, Joanna forgot about scolding Kayden for always ruining her clothes.

    Anyway, Kayden wasn''t the only beast since she didn''t have mercy on his clothes either.

    In less than ten minutes Joanna, whose entrance was soaked with her juice, pleaded for him to quench the fire in that region for her.

    "I want you inside of me, My King?" Joanna whispered flirtatiously and waited to see the effect of her magical words.

    The word MY KING worked like magic and enchanted the guy who was having a great time teasing her senseless.

    As if possessed, he spun her around, making sure she faced the door. And without any warning, he shoved his mighty size inside of her.

    "Fuck! aahhh..." Joanna groaned and grabbed the door for support. As if to make the pain subside he didn''t start moving inside her for a minute.

    "You... ugh..." A pleasurable groan escaped Joanna''s mouth the moment she opened her mouth to ask why he stopped.

    With his left hand on her waist to guide her, Joanna moved ording to his pace. Her ragged breath soon turned to pants as he moved in and out of her like a mighty wave of destruction.

    "Fuck!" Joanna cursed as his roaming right hand teased her clits. Her vagina subconsciously tightened, squeezing Kayden''s cock which was buried deep inside of her.

    "Shit!" Kayden, whose singr acts of hers sent him to nine heavens, blurted as he sank his transformed ws into her waist.

    "Y-y-you like it?" Joanna muttered amidst her heavy panting. By this time her sweaty hands had already travelled to her back.

    "I can do it one more time..."

    "Hell no!" Kayden who was yet to get over the overwhelming pleasure blurted.

    "I will kill you if you do that one more.... ugh damn!" Kayden groaned and punched a hole into the door as soon as the naughty Joanna squeezed his hardened cock for a second time.

    "See, I know you liked it and I can try and make it tighter this time..." Kayden pulled his cock out of her and when she turned around to see what happened he picked her up the floor like a child and took her to his magnificent bed which took up the space of the upper area of the room.

    When he reached the bed, he gently dropped her in the middle of the enormous bed which can fit at least four people.

    Having expected this he climbed on top of her and prevented her from crawling away.

    "Tonight I am gonna show you what it means to disobey your King," He said in his husky voice. Although his words were meant to be a threat Joanna didn''t look scared. She smiled as if he was telling a silly joke.

    "Why... I thought I was consummating my marriage with my husband. No one told me that I was dealing with the King..."

 Chapter 585 Why Did You Stop?

    Chapter 585 Why Did You Stop?

    "Y-y-you..." Kayden pointed his index finger at her, not able toe up with the right words to scold the mischievousdy.

    And the naughty Joanna used his momentary distraction to topple him over.

    "Since this might likely be myst day in this cruel world, why don''t I use this opportunity to bring all my fantasies to life before I get beheaded?" Joanna said in a pitiful voice. She caressed her neck, faking a terrified look.

    "You are so gonna get it from me for teasing... Fuck!" Kayden growled and dug his ws into the sheets as soon as Joanna grabbed his hardened cock and squeezed it like a wet rag.

    "You love this too?" Joanna asked. The expression she made while suppressing herughter didn''t escape Kayden''s notice.

    "Why do I feel like I will get a pardon from this great King if I do a good job with this?" Joanna muttered and acted as if Kayden didn''t exist in the room.

    Before Kayden could protest, Joanna gave his hardened cock a handjob. An evil smirk lingered at the corner of her lips as she got the excited Kayden groaning the way that she wanted.

    [Thank goodness I had fully equipped myself with some of this knowledge after his first rejection or else I wouldn''t have known how to make him crave for more?]

    A sweet smile appeared on Joanna''s pretty face when she saw how hard the proud King was trying to suppress his moans.

    "J-j-joan t-t-that is enough!" Kayden managed to speak amidst the inexplicable mes burning within every cell in him.

    Instead of stopping Joanna went ahead and teased Kayden''s tips with her nails, sending him wilder with pleasure.

    "You are gonna regret this and you can''t me me," Joanna heard Kayden''s muffled words but didn''t understand what he meant.

    Not until a warm liquid flowed into her palms. Joanna''s grip on his cock loosened immediately after she saw what she had done.

    [So that was why he asked me to stop]

    Joanna was in deep thought as she gazed at Kayden''s juice as if it was the roasted duck she couldn''t finish earlier.

    "Damn! Why did you stop?" Kayden scolded. He sat up and made her grab his cock again.

    "I told you to stop but you wouldn''t so now you must take responsibility. Squeeze it harder until all the juice is out. It''s painful as hell," Kayden said in a hurried tone.

    Despite being caught unawares Joanna squeezed his cock as hard as she could. She watched as his movements became frantic and his grunts grew deeper.

    In this situation instead of pitying him, Joanna couldn''t help but find his deep grunts alluring and sexy.

    Kayden fell back on the bed after Joanna squeezed thest juice out of him.

    "Damn, that felt so good!" Kayden grunted and breathed heavily as if he just finished doing strenuous work.

    "In all the movies I watched, I often sawdies devour their men''s juice happily and they seemed to enjoy it..."

    "Don''t even think that far because I am certain you are not gonna like it," Kayden cut in amidst his heavy breathing.

    "Really?" Joanna asked, not looking convinced at all.

    "I know you are not gonna like it so I won''t ask you to..." Kayden abruptly stopped talking when he saw her lick his juice before he could finish talking.

    [My Queen just won''t stop amazing me. I wonder how many surprises she has in store for me]

    Kayden''s lips curved into a sweet smile as he kept on watching her.

    "That didn''t taste bad at all," Joanna mumbled after she was done.

    "Is that what you think?" Kayden quizzed. He stood up and drew closer to her.

    "Hmm..." Joanna shook her head but with her head lowered.

    Seeing her act so cute as if she wasn''t the samedy who teased the hell out of him made Kayden have the urge to tease her until she screamed his name at the top of her lungs.

    "Then how about having a taste of it again?" He mumbled and before she knew what he was up to, he closed in on her and kissed her deeply.

    Slowly he made hery on the bed while they were still engaged in their intense kiss.

    Soon the room was filled with Joanna''s pleasurable moans and Kayden''s heavy grunts.

    Kayden and Joanna had sex for the best part of the night. Despite having tasted each other over and over again for hours, none of them wanted to stop.

    In the end, both of them had to force themselves to put an end to their intimacy for the night.

    "My King, do you wanna take a bath first or I should..."

    "Don''t call me that or else we are both gonna spend the entire morning in bed. I won''t be affected but I wonder if you will be able to look the maids in the eyes again if theye to clean up and see you yelling in pleasure," Kayden muttered as he patted her hair affectionately.

    "Damn! I have forgotten that it will be time for your morning assembly soon," Joanna, whose head was resting on Kayden''s chest, muttered and sat up.

    "I will freshen up and get changed. I definitely can''t let them see me in this state, especially Josephina," Joanna said and scrambled out of bed as if she was chased away with a rod.

    She ran into one of the rooms at the left corner of the room but only toe out immediately.

    "That wasn''t the bathroom," Joanna muttered and shut the door.

    "So where is the bathroom?" Joanna went ahead and asked since she couldn''t guess which of the rooms was the bathroom.

    "That one over there," Kayden responded as he gestured at thest room on her right-hand side.

    "Thanks," She mumbled and approached the room he pointed out as the bathroom.

    "Is this really a bathroom or..." the astonished Joanna couldn''t bring herself toplete her words as she stared at the spacious room which was obviously twice the size of her father''s bedroom.

    As if the size of the room wasn''t enough to scare her away, the decorations of the bathroom were like none she had ever seen; not in movies or reality.

 Chapter 586 Kayden Got Attacked At The Palace

    Chapter 586 Kayden Got Attacked At The Pce

    "I bet this is the reason his skin felt so tender and smooth. It must have yed a huge part in why his skin is always glowing right," Joanna murmured as she gazed at the bathtub which was filled with roses and other skin treatments she couldn''t recognise.

    Kayden who overheard everything she said from the bedroom beamed each time she spoke after finding a certain thing amusing.

    [Although I never could have imagined that Joan and I would get married today and even share our first night in my chambers, I am overjoyed that things went this way. The ministers can grumble however they want but what I am most certain of is that none of them will be able to stop me from bringing my Queen to her rightful home]

    Kayden was in deep thought as he gazed towards the bedroom door.

    A few minutester, Joanna had just soaked in the bathtub when cool music started ying inside the bathroom.

    With the soothing effect of the bath and the music, Joanna closed her eyes and enjoyed this bath experience like she had never done before.

    When she opened her eyes, Joanna wasn''t aware of how long she stayed in the bathroom but all she knew was that she had a great time.

    With only a bathrobe wrapped around her slender body, Joanna stepped out of the bathroom looking wet. Just a look at her alluring body one would clearly know what her intentions were.

    "My King..."

    "Who is there?" Joanna yelled and stopped in her tracks the moment she saw a shadow-like figure beside the bed.

    Because the room was dark she couldn''t see what the person was up to but on taking a closer look, she noticed that the figure whom her system identified as a demon was harming Kayden with its powers.

    Without further ado, Joanna appeared at the spot where the figure stood.

    "Kay, are you alright?" Joanna called him when she noticed that his eyes were closed and that he wasn''t moving.

    "Hey, what the hell did you do to him?" Joanna turned and faced the attack after she called Kayden for the second time and she got no response again.

    The furious Joanna charged towards the shadow-like figure she had flung to the other side of the room.

    Themotion as she exchanged blows with the attacker attracted the attention of the guards and maids from their respective duty posts.

    Joanna was so close to subduing the shadow when he ran out of the room.

    For a minute Joanna was conflicted about whether to chase after the shadow or to stay back and look after Kayden.

    "I am sure you will be alright... I must catch the one who did this to you so that such an incident will never take ce again. Don''t worry, I wille back for you," Joanna spoke as if Kayden was awake to listen to everything she said.

    After taking a long look at Kayden''s face Joanna dashed out of the room. She was downstairs about to run out of the sitting room when she bumped into Josephina, Gideon and Chris at the door.

    The three of them including those who followed behind had all transformed into their original form.

    "Did you see the person who ran out of here?" Joanna asked hurriedly, her gaze focused on Chris'' face.

    "Miss Joanna, was there someone else other than His Majesty and you in the chambers?" Chris asked in confusion and it was then it dawned on Joanna.

    [Joanna, how could you forget that apart from you, those who haven''t seen a demon before would have a hard time identifying one, not to mention seeing them...]

    "I think I felt something brush past me a while ago. Although I couldn''t make out a figure, I knew that there was something odd about that phenomenon," Josephina cut Joanna''s thought short.

    "I also had a simr experience. I thought I was overreacting when I turned around and couldn''t see anyone or anything in sight," Gideon added.

    "Damn, it must be trying to get out of the pce and to make sure that I don''t lose it, I have to leave now," Joanna said and tried to hurry out of the room but Josephina held her hand.

    "I am sorry about that, Miss Joanna," Josephina bowed her head and apologised when she realised what she had done.

    She let go of Joanna''s hand and moved two steps backwards just like it should be.

    "You haven''t told us what happened Miss Joanna and who you are running after..."

    "I don''t have the time for that but I promised to give you an exnation when I returned," Joanna cut in abruptly. She was about to rush out of the room when she remembered that she had forgotten something.

    "I don''t know what that demon did to His Majesty that made him unconscious. You must call the physician and have him checked on the King as soon as possible," Joanna addressed the three of them this time around.

    "His Majesty is unconscious?" Josephina, Chris and Gideon chorused as they exchanged puzzled nces.

    Before Joanna could spell JACK the three of them had vanished from the room. Joanna also left in search of the figure she fought with earlier.

    Thanks to her system Joanna didn''t have a difficult time finding the demon who didn''t possess a body.

    Although she found the demon just when it was about to escape the pce walls, she was unable to go catch it. And it became difficult to do that after she followed him out of the pce walls.

    Despite that the demon didn''t have a body Joanna was still able to sense that it was afraid of her because of how it kept running and avoiding a face-off with her.

    Yes, the figure was good at hiding and running away and Joanna proved not to be any different as she hunted the demon down.

    By the time she realised how far she had run, Joanna was dumbfounded when she saw that she was at Hilmert Forest and was close to the demarcation of Kingdom Twipera from the Golden Core Pack.

 Chapter 587 They Shut Her Out

    Chapter 587 They Shut Her Out

    No matter how desperately Joanna wanted to catch the demon, she knew she couldn''t move any further.

    This was not out of fear of what happened in the past but because she knew an issue might arise if she ran into the Golden Core Pack''s territory just like that.

    "You can try and run as far as you can but keep one thing in mind..." Joanna muttered and red at the direction the demon ran into.

    "I aming for you. No one in this world can hurt my husband and go scot-free. Mark my words because I will be the one who puts an end to you the next time we meet," Joanna clenched her fist and kept staring into the dark.

    After staying there for some minutes Joanna turned and walked back into the Kingdom.

    When she returned to the pce it was already bright outside.

    The first thing Joanna noticed as she approached the pce gates was the increase in the number of guards.

    She was still some distance away from the pce gate when three guards blocked her path.

    "And where do you think you are going to dress like that?" One of the guards demanded as he sized her from head to toe.

    Curious to know why the guards would look at her with such lewd eyes, Joanna lowered her head and looked at herself.

    It was after she nced at her body that Joanna realised that she had been running around the entire King for hours in a bathrobe.

    [Joanna Anderson, you are insane... You have lost your mind!]

    Joanna wanted to bump her head against the wall but she held back. Instead, she readjusted the bathrobe so that it covered her cleavage properly.

    "My clothes and other belongings are inside the pce and as you can see, I can''t go home dressed like this. Kindly let me in, hmm," Joanna pleaded. She looked towards the pce gate hoping she would see Josephina, Chris or Gideon but that did not happen.

    "If I didn''t know better I would have assumed that the pce was a hotel because of your statement," the guard at her right-hand side murmured, his cold res shot at Joanna''s face.

    Actually, changing into a dress wasn''t that important since she could teleport home from there. The reason she desperately wanted to enter the pce was to confirm how Kayden was doing.

    "Leave now. You will have none other than yourself to me if you keep loitering around here," The second guardmanded and turned to leave but Joanna quickly reached her hands out and grabbed his hand.

    "It''s OK if you don''t want to let me in but can you please tell me how His Majesty is faring?"Joanna asked out of desperation.

    Despite seeing the man''s deadly stares which were shot at her hands, she refused to let go of his hand.

    "Get lost now. Don''t make me repeat myself because you are not gonna like what ising your way," The second guard retorted and shoved Joanna''s hand away.

    As they approached the gate Joanna overheard their conversation even though they spoke in whispers.

    "She looks suspicious. Why don''t we lock her in the dungeons for questioning..."

    "She looks like every ordinary girl out there. Through her scent, I could tell that she wasn''t a vampire or werewolf so how could such a person pose a threat?" The second guard replied. He turned and stared at thedy whom he noticed hadn''t moved away from the spot they left her.

    "But..."

    "Don''t forget we weremanded to guard the gates and make sure not even an ant snuck into the pce. We can''t afford to get distracted," He cut in, not letting hispanion talk.

    Although Joanna desperately wanted to check if Kayden was alright she knew she just couldn''t barge in.

    The pce wasn''t a ce anyone could just do as he or she pleased and that is why she had no choice but to leave.

    When she reached Audrey''s apartment she met Audrey at the door about to leave the house.

    "Hey, why are you dressed like that?" Audrey asked the moment she saw Joanna at the door with only a bathrobe wrapped around her slender body.

    "You..."

    "Drey, where is Kyle? Is he inside the house?" Joanna asked and hurried into their apartment. She was so disappointed when she got to the sitting room and couldn''t find Kyle there.

    "Why are you searching for him? What exactly happened?" Audrey asked when she saw the disappointment on Joanna''s face.

    "Also, I called your line numerous timesst night when you didn''t return but there was no response. That has never happened before except when you are mad at me. Do you care to tell me why you ignored my calls and came home dressed like this?" Audrey asked a bit more seriously.

    "I was in the pcest night," Joanna revealed and walked to the couch at the centre table and sat down like someone whose life was sucked out of her.

    "What!" Audrey eximed, staring at Joanna in disbelief. It took her minutes to get over the shock.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel "If you areing back from the pce then why are you wearing only a bathrobe?" Audrey demanded as she sat beside Joanna.

    "I know Kayden would never let you leave the pce dressed like that so were you chased out by the evil Queen Mother?" Audrey let her imagination run wild as she waited for Joanna''s confirmation.

    "No one chased me out. I ran after the one who attacked Kayden this morning and when I returned to the pce I was shut out by the guards at the gate?" Joanna exined. Because her reply was vague, Audrey didn''t understand what she said.

    "Someone attacked Kayden in the pce?" Audrey asked with widened eyes.

    "If someone attacked him then why did you chase after the assant, what about the guards?" Audrey quizzed, confusion written all over the face. And with this, Joanna was left with no other option but to narrate what happened to Audrey.

    In the course of listening to Joanna''s narration, although Audrey had tons of questions to bombard her best friend with, she held back her curiosity, eagerly waiting for her to finish.

    "Anna, your birthday wasn''t today and Kayden is aware of this so why would he throw a birthday party for you?" Audrey asked as soon as Joannapleted her narration.

 Chapter 588 Her Birthday Was Fake

    Chapter 588 Her Birthday Was Fake

    "Also, did I hear you say you secretly got married to the most powerful man in the entire Kingdom? Tell me, how did you do it?" Audrey demanded not able to hide her sparkling eyeballs.

    "You even spent your first night with..."

    "No one knew my real birth date except my biological mother. My father picked a random date as my birthday because he never wanted to bring more shame to his name when people learn that he didn''t know his daughter''s birthday," Joanna replied in a casual tone as if this was a normal topic.

    "How and when did you learn about this? Also, why didn''t you tell me about it?" Audrey demanded angrily.

    "I wasn''t aware of this fact from the beginning. Madam Cora blurted out the truth in anger two years ago when Little Rice Ball insisted that his mother throw a party for me on my sixteenth birthday," Joanna started in a meek tone.

    "Since I never really thought of my birthday as anything special, learning the truth never bothered me. I knew telling you would not change the fact that my birthday was fake but would upset you instead that was why I didn''t disclose the truth," Joanna exined in a sad tone. Even though she wanted to keep on being mad Audrey couldn''t when she saw the sadness in Joanna''s eyes.

    "I was already a poor and pitiful girl, I didn''t want to look even more miserable that was why I concealed the truth from you," Joanna confessed. By this time she wasn''t able to hide her sadness anymore.

    "Hey Girl, I am not even scolding you so why are you punishing me this way?" Audrey grumbled and quickly wrapped her hands around Joanna in an embrace.

    "Rachel''s grandma disclosed my real birth date to me when she overheard us talking about my eighteenth birthday back then..." Audrey abruptly pulled out of Joanna''s embrace before she could finish her sentence.

    "You knew about that since then and you didn''t tell me..."

    "I swear I wanted to reveal the truth too, however, I ended up concealing it when I saw how happy you and Little Rice Ball were. I had wanted to tell you the truth some other day but you already know the tragedy that befell me on my eighteenth birthday," Joanna exined as calmly as she could.

    "After the night I was pushed to my death Ipletely forgot that such a secret existed. Drey, you don''t know how shocked and happy I was when I received Kayden''s surprise birthday gift?" Joanna said and subconsciously guided her hands to her chest.

    "I was happy that in this world where I was never wanted at least there was someone who knew and remembered my actual birth date," Joanna muttered, her hands clutching her excited heart.

    "He merely remembered your birthday and gave you a gift and you have already made my years of affection and support look like a joke. Tell me, should I be worried now that you have gotten married to him without inviting me?" Audrey said and stood up from the couch.

    "Of course not," Joanna blurted and jerked to her feet.

    "For years you have always been there for me. You loved and supported me in a way even a biological big sister wouldn''t have. I saw and felt your sincerity every day, so how could your care towards me be a joke?" Joanna cooed at her when she noticed that Audrey was jealous of Kayden.

    "Let go of me. I know you are only saying that so I won''t get mad at you," Audrey said and brushed Joanna''s hands off her body.

    "Also, if none knew your real birthday except Grandma Andy and your mother then how did Kayden guess that today was your birthday?" Audrey demanded. She turned and shot Joanna a suspicious look.

    "Believe me, I never let the truth slip either intentionally or by mistake," Joanna vouched, her hand on her chest.

    "I was so overwhelmed by happiness that I didn''t remember to ask him how he discovered that my real birthday was today," Joanna added in a meek tone.

    "No wonder he easily bribed you into signing the marriage certificate. He even went as far as iming your virginity..."

    "I was the one who asked him to have sex with me and he did nothing wrong by agreeing to what I want because he is my husband now," Joanna said with a hint of pride.

    "You are even defending him," Audrey grumbled and moved to sit on the couch.

    Joanna strolled and paused in front of Audrey. She squatted and held Audrey''s hands on the couch.

    "Actually, I wasn''t defending him. What I said was the truth. Even before I found out that I was in love with him, I have always wanted to have sex with him..." Joanna started in a meek tone.

    "As crazy as it sounds, I was ready to give him my chastity without ns of getting together with him. He was the first guy that ever made me feel like a woman. His teases were insane and heart fluttering," Joanna muttered. She couldn''t resist smiling when memories of the past shed before her eyes.

    "Yes, I willingly offered him free sex back then but he rejected my offer every time despite that he was madly in love with me. He did the same thing again today..."

    "I guess he is the only man out there that will reject free sex especially when it came from thedy you are head over heels for," Audrey mumbled, not sounding furious again.

    "Others would have hopped at such an opportunity but he proved to be different and unique. Losing him to another woman in this lifetime would have been my greatest loss and I am happy I realised how I felt about him at the perfect time," Joanna agreed as she caressed the golden ne around her neck.

    "The ne looks perfect on you. This is my first time seeing that. He must have given that to you right?" Audrey guessed after she caught Joanna caressing the ne as if it were her precious baby.

 Chapter 589 Talks About The Curse Resurfaces

    Chapter 589 Talks About The Curse Resurfaces

    "Hmm..." Joanna shook her head affirmatively, the sweet smile on her face grew broader.

    There was silence in the room afterwards.

    "You asked about Kyle earlier, what do you need him for?" Audrey demanded when she recalled that Joanna wanted to tell her something before their conversation took another dimension.

    "Damn it! I can''t believe I forgot about that," Joanna remarked and jerked to her feet.

    "Like I told you, Kay was unconscious when I left in pursuit of the attacker. I was locked out of the pce when I returned so I wasn''t able to get information about how Kay was faring," Joanna paused to catch her breath.

    "My phone is in the pce, I can''t call Chris or Josephina to ask about his condition. I was hoping I would be able to use Kyle''s phone to reach out to them," Joanna exined in a hurried tone.

    "He spent the night here and only left after he received an urgent call. If you hade an hour earlier you would have definitely met him," Audrey replied. She reached out her hands and pulled Joanna into the space beside her.

    "How about you call him and find out where he is or I could just drop by at his home or club," Joanna said. The anxiety on her face didn''t escape Audrey''s notice.

    "I would have loved to do that but it''s just that I called him some minutes after he left when I discovered that he left his wallet behind. Unfortunately, his phone wasswitched off..."

    "That is ok. I can always look for him at the club," Joanna cut in and sprang to her feet.

    "The caller was Chris. I remembered he said someone was hurt and from Kyle''s terrified expression I believe this must have had something to do with Kay. They agreed to meet up somewhere so there is no way you will find Kyle in his home or club," Audrey borated further when she noticed that Joanna wanted to leave in search of Kyle.

    "Damn it!" Joanna cursed and kicked the couch Audrey sat on, startling Audrey in the process.

    "Without him, there is no way I can get in touch with those at the pce. What am I gonna do now?" Joanna grumbled and sank into the space beside Audrey.

    "What about Mr Fin?" Audrey blurted with intentions of helping out.

    "You told me that Mr Fin and Kayden are quite close. I am sure he must have means of getting in touch with those at the pce," Audrey exined calmly.

    She let out a sigh of relief after she saw Joanna''s frown eased up following her suggestion.

    "I know his home so I will look for him there," Joanna said and dashed towards the entrance immediately.

    "Let''s go together," Audrey shouted and jumped to her feet. She hurried to catch up to Joanna.

    With the help of Audrey''s car, the two best friends were able to locate Mr Fin''s home in the quickest time possible.

    With so much hope in her heart, Joanna located Mr Fin''s apartment home. She knocked on the brown door several times but got no response.

    Her disappointment knew no bounds after she discovered that Mr Fin was not around.

    After they left Mr Fin''s home, Joanna and Audrey searched for the possible ces Mr Fin would have been but nothing came out of this too.

    Like a cruel joke, Joanna couldn''t get an update on Kayden''s condition no matter how hard she tried. And this went on for three days.

    On the third day Joanna, who had been taking turns to stakeout at both Mr Fin and Kyle''s ce, almost lost her mind due to anxiety.

    Her state of mind hit rock bottom when she got wind of the news circting about Kayden.

    "Anna, have you seen this?" Audrey asked and passed the cell phone to Joanna.

    At first, Joanna wasn''t in the mood to look at the phone but had no choice but to take a peep at the screen when Audrey insisted.

    For few minutes, Joanna had her eyes glued on the screen after reading the headline of the trendiest topic online.

    "I heard that the news has been circting for two days. We haven''t used the inte for three days because of the pressing issue and that is why we didn''t see it on time..."

    "What this reporter wrote is just nonsense. I was present when Kayden got attacked, so how dare they insinuate that the King was cursed?" Joanna grumbled and flung Audrey''s phone on the centre table.

    "I don''t think the articles online are totally nonsense. Have you forgotten that this is the fourth year that Kayden became King?" Audrey asked to Joanna''s further annoyance.

    "And what the hell does this have to do with the nonsense reporters are saying online?" Joanna demanded harshly as if Audrey was one of the reporters who wrote the articles about Kayden online.

    "Don''t you remember rumours of the previous kings and how they mysteriously died in their fourth years of reign?" Audrey asked after she realised that Joanna didn''t realize the point she tried to make and instead got furious at her.

    "T-t-that..." Joanna stuttered, looking a bit calm.

    "For over two decades, the King always met their demise in their fourth years of reign and Kayden celebrated the anniversary of his four-year rule not long ago. Don''t you find it suspicious that the rumours of him being cursed and the mysterious death of the previous King surfaced as soon as he got attacked?" Audrey asked in a serious tone. She paused for two minutes to give Joanna the room to sort out her thoughts.

    Just then Joanna recalled the numerous incidents that had taken ce ever since she returned.

    More than two death attempts have been made on Kayden''s life and for some reason she has felt as if someone was watching her.

    Thinking back now she remembered that the system notified her that a demon was around some time ago.

    She never took the notification seriously since she believed that the system rm made no sense.

    [Was that demon who harmed Kay the same one my system warned me against?]

    Joanna subconsciously bit her nails as she kept on staring into space.

 Chapter 590 Joannas Next Move

    Chapter 590 Joanna''s Next Move

    "Over one hundred guards are guarding the pce. With such tight security, don''t you think it''s weird that Kayden got in harm''s way and none of the guards could catch the assassin..."

    "Are you trying to say the previous kings were murdered and that just like them, Kay has be their target?" Joanna asked, frowning.

    "What other reasonable exnation could there be for this situation if not the one I mentioned?" Audrey replied with another question.

    "The perpetrators can try however they want but I am here to make sure that their ns don''t seed. Whoever dares to touch a hair on my husband''s body will have no one but himself to me," Joanna said and sprang up from where she sat.

    "And what are you nning to do now?" Audrey enquired her eyes focused on Joanna.

    "To look for the one who dared toy a filthy hand on my man..."

    "Didn''t you say the attacker ran into Hilmert Forest? How are you gonna find him there?" Audrey quizzed. She walked to where Joanna now stood gazing out of the window.

    "Have you forgotten that we still have the Golden Token Alpha Benjamin gave to us?" Joanna reminded. She spun and peered at Audrey''s face.

    "With that, I can go in and out of the Golden Core Pack without worrying about getting locked up in their dungeons like thest time. When I get there it will be a matter of time before I discover which one of them made an attempt on Kay''s life," Joanna said, her head cocked to the sides with pride.

    "Yes, you are right about that but I will disagree about you going there. At least now that the situation in their pack is unstable," Audrey outrightly disagreed with Joanna''s decision even though Joanna had a good reason for her choice.

    "Why? Did something happen over there too?" Joanna asked cool-headedly.

    "I bumped into Marcus yesterday night and he told me that things had changed drastically in the Golden Core Pack in thest five months. Marcus said that the Golden Core Pack isn''t that peaceful and harmonic we once knew," Audrey ryed Marcus'' words as best as she could.

    "I don''t quite understand you. Will you go into details? At least, I need to know what to expect there before I embark on my journey," Joanna muttered meekly as she leaned against the edge of the window for support.

    Audrey went ahead and narrated all that Marcus told her. She tried as much as possible not to miss any details.

    "If it''s really true that Alpha Benjamin''s whereabouts have remained a mystery for the past five months then that means now is the perfect time for me to pay them a visit..."

    "Is that all your ears picked up? Didn''t you hear when I said that people mysteriously go missing every few days and some are even killed?" Audrey asked, not able to hide her annoyance.

    "Although our encounter was brief, I had already seen Jocelyn as a good friend. She was so nice and caring towards us despite that it was our first encounter. I owe her and I think this is the perfect time to repay her," Joanna said sternly.

    "Yes, Jocelyn is a sweetheart no doubt but...,"

    "Also, I am not gonna do this only for her sake. Don''t forget I am treading into the lion''s den to search for the one who almost killed my husband on our wedding day," Joanna said and caressed the golden ne around her neck one more time.

    "I love Kay more than you think. I won''t be able to survive if I lose him and I can''t stand anyone posing a threat to him. He went through hell to gain his people''s trust and get to where he currently is. The people of Twipera deserve to enjoy the reign of this good King for a long time and I won''t let the bad guys have their way," Joanna spoke at length.

    "They might have been able to assassinate other kings in the past but they made a mistake by harming Kayden. I will make them pay dearly for this," Joanna dered, her fist clenched until they made a crack sound.

    "Since when did you start caring about what the people of Twipera Kingdom want?" Audrey teased to ease the tension.

    "You are right, it''s only my husband I am looking out for," Joanna replied, not able to resist smiling.

    "I was worried you won''t get used to a married woman''s life but I can see you are doing just fine. You are even proud of it, Naughty girl," Audrey teased and strolled to the couch at the centre of the room.

    "That is because I married such an excellent man and I can''t stop praising him?" Joanna beamed and moved to join her at the centre table.

    "So when are you leaving for the Golden Core Pack?" Audrey asked a bit seriously.

    "Hmm..." Giavanna trailed and adjusted the way she sat so she was staring at Audrey''s face.

    "I would have said tonight but I can''t. There are some things I need to take care of. Apart from handing in my resignation letter, I have to hang out with Little Rice Ball the entire day," Giavanna replied more confidently.

    "I don''t know for how long I will be gone. I need to do this or else that Little man will get mad at me again," Joanna continued and smiled when she imagined Anthony scowling at her after she returned.

    She won''t be able to handle Anthony being mad at her and that was why she had to include hanging out with him in her ns.

    "I don''t have much to settle. All I have to do is inform my parents about the trip and also leave a message for Kyle so leave the packing for me," Audrey offered to help out with arranging the things they would need.

    "You are the best. That is why you are such a sweetheart," Joanna praised. She pulled closer and embraced Audrey. She didn''t forget to peck her on the cheek.

 Chapter 591 Madam Cora Shut Joanna Out

    Chapter 591 Madam Cora Shut Joanna Out

    "Is it just now you realised that?" Audrey asked. Her hrious tone made Joanna burst outughing; something she hadn''t been able to do ever since thest time she saw Kayden.

    Not long afterwards the two friends took turns in taking their bath. Joanna dressed up in a matching denim jacket and trousers.

    She waited for Audrey toe out of the bathroom and after bidding her farewell she left with her father''s home as her destination in mind.

    When she reached home, she saw the gate open and a white car driving out.

    Just a look at the ck car and she saw that the upants of the car were Adhara and Madam Cora.

    She was about to enter the gate but a taunting voice made her pause in her tracks.

    "Who do we have here huh? Isn''t that the same proud fool who said she won''t have anything to do with this household anymore?" Madam Cora taunted, loud enough for Joanna and the two guards standing outside to hear.

    "Have you suddenly realised that you are nothing without this family? Is that why you havee crawling back? Are you nning to bawl your eyes out while pleading with your father to take you back?" Madam Cora mocked without hiding her disgust.

    "I would have loved to witness that scene but too bad there is no longer any ce for you to return to in this family," Madam Cora retorted.

    "Your imagination show runs wild for your age but too bad I am not here to plead with anyone," Joanna replied, her head cocked to the side and her shoulders raised higher than usual.

    "There is nothing special about this house and this household to entice me to return to. In fact, if I was given the offer toe back with the promise that I would enjoy the privileges the youngest daughter of this household ought to, I would have still said no," Joanna replied, a smug smile stered on her face.

    "You have always been shameless ever since you were a child. You would bawl your eyes out and kneel until your knees got badly swollen in the past anytime we threatened to throw you out of the house. I see no difference between that child in the past and the one standing in front of me," Madam Cora jeered, her fierce stares shot at Joanna''s face.

    She had intended to make Joanna feel inferior by bringing up the past. What she wasn''t aware of was that Joanna had grown thick-skinned to insults like this.

    Although Adhara was inside the car along with the driver, she didn''t utter a word. She looked at the other side of the window acting as if she had suddenly gone deaf and dumb.

    Anyways no one could me her for acting this way.

    After what she went through in Joanna''s hands, any wise person would have behaved the exact way she did.

    "Yes, I did all those things in the past because I had no choice and I am not ashamed of that... Soon you will be the one bowing to me anytime you see me. I wonder if you will be able to admit your defeat just like I did," Joanna muttered, unfazed by the elderly woman''s insults.

    "I, bow to you?" Madam Cora crackled as if she had just listened to the funniest joke of a century.

    "Your delusion has gotten out of hand I must say... well, let''s see how long you can keep this up," Madam Cora continued. She averted her gaze to the three guards standing not far away from Joanna.

    "She is forbidden from taking a foot into the house. Anyone who dared to disobey my order will live to regret his actions," Madam Coramanded coldly.

    "Yes Madam," The guards chorused and bowed towards the car.

    Joanna watched as the distance between her and the ck car Madam Cora upied grew wider.

    "The Old Hag canugh all she wants... I just can''t wait to see the look on her face when I receive the first bow from her. I can already tell that it will be fun," Joanna chuckled.

    She turned to walk into the gate afterwards but the guards obstructed her path.

    "I won''t say much today and it''s not that I can''t talk but because I am not in the mood for that," Joanna said and immediately a ballfire appeared on her stretched right hand.

    "All I can say is that anyone who wants to experience what hellfire tastes like should step forward. I will dly grant your wish," Joanna stated coldly. Her deadly eyeballs moved from one face to the other.

    Fear crept into the guards'' hearts as soon as they saw the ballfire in Joanna''s hands. Their eyes wavered and they subconsciously moved backwards when they remembered what Joanna did to them thest time they tried to obstruct her path.

    "That is how it should be. Well done," Joanna grinned and walked into the building without having to fight ugly with the security guards.

    "And where do you think you are going to huh?" A girl''s angry voice echoed in the air before the owner of the voice emerged from nowhere and stood in Joanna''s path.

    "Didn''t you hear when Grandma said you aren''t allowed into the house?" Laura retorted and shoved her hands into her brown leather trousers.

    "I am here to get my Little Rice Ball. I have no time to y with you nor am I in the mood to entertain you with chitchats, so step away and let me pass," Joanna said in a meek tone.

    As cool as her voice was, the underlying meaning behind those words didn''t escape Laura''s notice.

    "You might have been able to intimidate the guards but let me see you do the same with me," Laura refused to concede defeat as she took her stance.

    "The blowst time was intense. I doubt you have fully recovered from that..."

    "Shut the fuck up!" Laura growled, her fist sped immediately.

 Chapter 592 The Culprit For The Ruined Instruments

    Chapter 592 The Culprit For The Ruined Instruments

    ?

    Laura''s blood boiled when she remembered the embarrassment she went through that day in the abandoned building.

    Because of Joanna, not only did she lose face in front of her friends but they have been screening her calls and text messages since that incident.

    They don''t want to talk to her because they feel betrayed that she didn''t tell them what Joanna was capable of after her mysterious return from the dead.

    Joanna brushed past her when Laura showed no intentions of doing as she instructed.

    "I heard that the King has fallen into aa after being cursed by a witch and guess who everyone said is the witch," Laura said before Joanna could take three steps forward.

    An evil smirk crept onto her beautiful face the moment she saw Joanna halt following her statement.

    Joanna spun and red at Laura, "And what are you implying?" Joanna grumbled, frowning.

    "Everyone said you are the witch who cursed the King as soon as you stepped foot into the pce. Videos of what you did to Tiffany and her friends have started circting. It''s a matter of time before everyonees to you demanding justice..."

    "I am not a witch and even though I was one, His Majesty would have been thest person I harmed with my powers so stop spreading false rumours," Joanna interrupted abruptly.

    "Tell me, who in this Kingdom would believe that?" Laura quizzed, a victorious smile stered on her face.

    "Stepsister, ever since I saw this news about you being the witch that cursed His Majesty, I keep thinking of whatthe people would do to you if I came out and confirmed that you are really a witch," Laura said. She walked to and fro the front of Joanna just to further piss her off.

    "Would they tear you apart, skin you aliveor burn you to death? I keep thinking about this: Why don''t you choose the method you want to die with? Who knows I might ry your words to them if I am in a good mood," Laura added. By this time she wasn''t able to mask her smile anymore.

    "Do you have an idea about the punishment meted out to those who destroy a national treasure?" Joanna asked out of the blue.

    "I learned that death awaits that person and his entire family. And even if they managed to escape the death penalty, all the person''s properties including those of her entire family would be taken away with immediate effect after being found guilty..."

    "What the hell does that have to do with what we were discussing?" Laura snapped, not happy that Joanna brought up an unrted topic.

    "The drum including all the ancient instruments my team members and I were supposed to use for the yst night was a national treasure the pce lent us to use for the y..."

    "What!" Laura shouted, her eyeballs bulge almost falling out of her sockets. The haughty look on her face was immediately reyed with anxiety.

    She tried to hide her trembling hands but that wasn''t very sessful.

    "Unfortunately some malicious people destroyed the drums to sabotage our y..."

    "A-a-and why the hell are you telling me that?" Laura stuttered, not able to look into Joanna''s eyes anymore.

    "Yesterday I submitted video clips capturing those responsible for the destruction to the pce guards. As we are speaking, Sophia, Doris and Nora''s family are on the brink of losing everything..." Joanna trailed off. Her lips curled up to reveal a sinister smile when she saw Laura''s anxiety worsened.

    "The reason that Old Hag and your mother could leave the house unscathed was because I left out the video clips of what you did that night. But right now I can''t help but doubt my decision. Should I have reported that you sabotaged¡­"

    "Please don''t mention anything about this to anyone," Laura rushed forward and covered Joanna''s mouth.

    The way she scrutinized the environment to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation showed how scared she was.

    "Get your hands off me," Joanna shouted and shoved Laura''s hand away from her mouth.

    "Big Sis, I might be the daughter of a Mistress, the illegitimate daughter of this family but always remember that the fate of this supposed great family of yours is in my hands right now. If I want, I can make your beloved father and everyone rted to you lose all they have¡­"

    "Legitimate or illegitimate, you are still a part of the family, you are Dad''s second daughter. Whatever affects the family naturally partakes to you, so there is no need to act tough. I know you wouldn''t be able to report me to the King," Laura who has suddenly regained herposure cut in, her head cocked to the side.

    "I should be happy to hear you acknowledge me as part of the family for the first time, but unfortunately I feel nothing," Joanna retorted.

    With a smug smile on her face, she guided her hands into her trouser pockets.

    "If you think that I am bluffing then try me and see how I destroy this family of yours you take so much pride in," Joanna threatened coldly.

    "My entire life I have lived worse than a beggar. If you are ready to live as a pauper along with your father, mother and grandparents, then go ahead and challenge me one more time. I promise you, I won''t show mercy this time around," Joanna dered while peering into Laura''s wavering eyeballs.

    Just as she expected, Laura didn''t utter a word to her. Instead, she moved out of Joanna''s path as soon as she finished talking.

    If there is something the three generations of women in her family share inmon, it would be the fear of being poor.

    Starting from Madam Cora down to Laura, the thought of belonging to the lower ss scared them.

    She was aware that Laura wouldn''t have ruined the instruments meant for her group''s performance if she had known that it was a national treasure.

    "You have made a wise decision Big Sis. At least you won''t have to fight with me over a crumb of bread nor would you have to endure the humiliation of being looked down on by the people you belittled these past years," Joanna mumbled grinning.

    She patted Laura on the shoulder before she strolled into the building like a free bird.

 Chapter 593 Are You Planning To Poison Me?

    Chapter 593 Are You nning To Poison Me?

    "She is pure evil! Someone like her doesn''t deserve to live among others," Laura could only grumble after Joanna was long gone.

    As soon as Joanna saw the little boy sitting on one of the couches in the sitting room with his attention fixed on the cartoon ying on the big television, her anger vanished.

    "Is the cartoon that interesting huh?" Joanna announced her presence as dramatically as she could.

    "Big Sis!" Anthony eximed and jumped to his feet as soon as he heard Joanna''s voice.

    "If the cartoon is that thrilling does that mean that Big Sis is not wanted here? Should I return to where I came from?'''' She asked as she walked further into the vast room.

    "Never!" Anthony shouted and raced towards her.

    By the time he reached her, Joanna was already squatting with her hands spread to wee his embrace.

    Anthony hugged Joanna tightly and refused to let go.

    "Big Sis, have you returned for good? You are not going to leave anymore right?" Anthony asked excitedly, his arms still wrapped around Joanna''s neck.

    "Hmm¡­ I came to take you out to have fun today since I got my day off from work. Does that mean you will turn me down if refuse to return to the house today?" Joanna asked yfully as she lifted Anthony off the floor.

    She strolled to the couch while carrying him on her body.

    "Hmmm¡­. No," Anthony shook his head in negation while grinning happily.

    "We rarely go out to y for a long time now so I won''t say no to that. I can always talk about youing back next time," Anthony said like the smart boy that he was.

    "Hey, I never knew that my Little Rice ball was the calctive type ahh," Joanna teased as she smiled along with him.

    "I learned that from you or didn''t I?" Anthony replied only to burst out in a peal of deafeningughter following Giavanna''s sudden tickle.

    He jumped down from her body when he got the slightest opportunity. With Joanna chasing after him, Anthony ran around the sitting room just so he wouldn''t fall into her hands.

    For three days Joanna couldn''t let out a chuckle but surprisingly she saw herselfughing at the top of her lungs as she pursued her little brother around the house.

    Maybe this was the break she needed to break free from her problems even though it was just for a while.

    After running about the sitting room for a long time Joanna finally caught Anthony.

    "Don''t struggle, I won''t tickle you again," Joanna gave Anthony her word when he wouldn''t stop struggling to break free from her hold.

    "Today we are gonna do whatever you want, so will you tell Big Sis what you would like us to do for our outing?" Joanna asked. She let go of the boy sitting on her legs after his frantic movements ceased.

    "Hmm¡­" Anthony tapped his head as he tried toe up with the activities he would love him and Joanna to do.

    "I have always wanted you, me, Sis Laura, Mum and Dad to go on a pic or a trip. I know that is not possible so I will leave it out," Anthony started in an excited tone.

    "I want us to go to the amusement park and then we will go swimming in the river and¡­ and¡­" Anthony stammered when he couldn''t immediatelye up with other ideas.

    "It was my wish to go spar with Big Sis just like other kids do with their older sisters. Since I know you can fight now then we will duel today," Anthony ryed. Merely thinking about sparring with Joanna made his eyeballs dance in excitement.

    "At the moment I fight with professionals. Are you sure you will be able to handle Big Sis''s blows huh?" Joanna questioned in a yful tone as she yed with Anthony''s cheeks.

    "A few days ago, my masterplimented me. He said my fighting skills have improved. He even said it''s a matter of time before I will be fighting him head-on in a battle," Anthony narrated with his shoulders raised high.

    "Is my little rice ball really that good aah?" Joanna teased him.

    "I can''t wait for us to actually duel," Joanna added, grinning.

    "So what else do you want to do with Big Sis apart from the ones you mentioned?" Joanna continued to ask. And excitedly, Anthony went on to list out everything he has always wanted to do with Joanna if they had the opportunity.

    If only he knew that was Joanna''s parting gift to him then maybe he wouldn''t have been so happy about these things.

    "Go on and dress up. Big Sis will be waiting for you right here," Joanna said and waved at the boy who was looking down at her from the stairs.

    The moment she heard Anthony''s door shut with a bang, Joanna turned and looked behind where she felt a presence.

    "What?" Joanna asked her eyes fixed on thedy standing not far away with her murderous res shot at her.

    "Don''t tell me you are gonna go as low as attacking me from behind huh?" Joanna asked the girl whose piercing eyeballs were as if she was gonna rip out her head any moment from then.

    "Do you think you stand a chance if you do that?" Joanna added in a carefree tone.

    "Yes, I hate your guts but I have no intentions of making my little brother watch me murder you¡­"

    "And since when did you start caring so much about Little Rice ball?" Joanna snapped.

    "Because he loves and cares about you alone, did that make you forget that he has another Big Sister?" Laura grumbled. She approached the stairs afterwards.

    "Little Rice Ball and I are going out to have fun. Do you want toe along with us?" Joanna asked before Laura could step on the staircase.

    "Why?" Laura demanded. She spun and gazed in Joanna''s direction.

    "Are you nning to poison me again because you have realised that I am not an easy target?" Laura questioned as if she wasn''t the samedy whose ego Joanna badly bruised earlier.

    "Even if you have no such intentions the truth is I am not that bored to follow both of you out," Laura concluded. She vanished from the stairs without allowing Joanna to say her piece.

    "I have this feeling that she and I would have made the best sisters if only her mother and grandmother didn''t poison her mind against me," Joanna mumbled, her gaze fixed on the direction Laura went.

 Chapter 594 Resignation Letter

    Chapter 594 Resignation Letter

    Soon Anthony returned to the sitting room wearing an outfit whose colour matched that of Joanna.

    "Hmm¡­ my little rice ball is such a handsome prince," Joannaplimented and reached her hand towards him.

    "That is a given!" Anthony eximed, beaming at her.

    "Let''s go," Joanna said. She stood up, grabbed his hand and together they approached the exit.

    Meanwhile, as Joanna and Anthony left for their adventurous trip Audrey was seen diligently organizing hers and Joanna''s stuff.

    "Gosh, the silly girl is gonna be so happy when she returns and sees what I have done," Audrey mumbled as she arranged Joanna''s clothes inside the brown backpack.

    Just as she had promised, Joanna spent the entire day ying and doing everything Anthony wanted.

    By the time they wrapped up theirst activity which was going to the cinema to watch his favourite movie, it was alreadyte in the night.

    At the gate of Anderson''s mansion, Joanna released the hands of the boy she had been holding onto ever since they left the cinema.

    To be precise it was her excited Anthony who refused to release her hand.

    "After tonight there is a possibility you won''t see me again until a few dayster. You might also not be able to get in touch with me on my cell phone¡­"

    "Why? Are you going somewhere? Can''t Ie with you too?" He quizzed as he eagerly awaited her reply.

    "No, you can''t follow me," Joanna dashed his hopes with just this short sentence.

    "But I promise that we will hang out more often when I return," Joanna added when she saw the disappointment on his handsome face.

    "You promise, okay?" He asked as if he needed more assurance from her.

    "Yes and I will make sure to keep my word this time around," She replied confidently.

    Joanna spread her hands as she embraced the little boy who happened to be her number one backer in the family.

    She has and will always be grateful to the little boy who was among the reasons her childhood was not entirely miserable.

    "Make sure to always be a good boy while I am away. Always take your practice seriously so that you would stand a chance of winning Big Sis in a battle when Ie back hmm," Joanna instructed, smiling.

    "I will," Anthony replied as he wrapped his tiny hands around Joanna''s neck.

    "Take care of yourself Big Sis and tell me if anyone dares to bully you. I am here to handle them on your behalf," Anthony said confidently.

    "Sure, I will do that, my Little hero," Joanna teased. She hugged him a while longer before she released him atst.

    "Go on now. I know your parents are waiting for you inside," Joanna spoke as if she was a stranger in the household.

    With great reluctance, Anthony approached the gate. Instead of walking in after the automatic iron gate opened, Anthony turned and looked at Joanna.

    "Go on now, silly boy. You know I can''t leave without seeing you enter the gate," Joanna said loud enough for Anthony to hear.

    After Anthony walked in and the gate shut, Joanna lifted her eyes and peered at the vast building she had lived in all alive.

    "Because I was caged in between the four walls of this house that looks like paradise when in reality it is a prison, I never had the opportunity to explore and spread my wings. Now that I have set myself free things are gonna change for the better," Joanna dered in almost a whisper.

    "From now on I am gonna get back what the world owes me and no one and nothing can stop me. You are free like a bird Joanna Anderson, well done," Joanna patted her shoulders. She knew too well that there was none out there who would do it for her.

    "The cafe is still open. I guess it''s time to visit Mrs. Parker," She mumbled. She spun and strolled away without taking a second look at the brightly lit building.

    Some minutester Joanna was seen walking into the almost empty cafe.

    Mrs Parker who was at the counter left what she was doing and went to meet Joanna as soon as she set eyes on her.

    "You said you were gonna take four days off and the deadline hasn''t psed so what are you doing here?" Mrs Parker asked after she and Joanna sat at one of the empty tables.

    "I know I said I was gonnae back to work. I even promised to make up for the days I was held up by one thing or the other and so couldn''t resume work. I remember all this but unfortunately, I don''t think I will be able to return soon that is why I will give you this," Joanna muttered. She shoved her hands into her small chained handbag and pulled out a white envelope.

    "Here!" Joanna pushed the white envelope to Mrs Parker''s front.

    "And what is this?" Mrs Parker demanded. Without suspecting anything she picked the envelope up from the table, unsealed it and brought out the contents.

    "Resignation letter!" Mrs Parker blurted as soon as she saw the heading of the letter. Without reading the content of the letter she threw it back on the table.

    "Joanna, I remember telling you before the cafe belongs to you while I am just a caretaker managing it on your behalf. And as such, the doors of the cafe will always be open to you. It doesn''t matter if you can''te to work for a few days or months¡­"

    "It matters to me," Joanna cut in abruptly.

    "Instead of keeping the position vacant while waiting for me to return, why don''t you allow others to earn their own keep?" Joanna suggested. Mrs Parker took a long stare at Joanna''s face.

    A look at her and one would know she had a lot to say but she decided not to go on with the persuasion after she realised that Joanna''s mind was made up.

    "Even if I end up not returning, I will still keep in contact and visit you often so don''t worry," Joanna assured her with a sweet smile on her face.

 Chapter 595 She Felt Reluctant To Leave

    Chapter 595 She Felt Reluctant To Leave

    "School is on break at the moment so this means you have a lot of free time. What exactly are you nning to do that would take a lot of your time that you had to quit working because of it? Are you perhaps going somewhere?" Mrs Parker asked out of concern.

    Although she had known Joanna for such a short time, she was aware that Joanna had nowhere else to call home apart from her father''s house.

    And because of this, she couldn''t make trips when other girls her age went on holiday.

    For someone like that who had only one ce to return to, where would she be visiting that was more important than the job she loved so much?

    "If you are going on a trip then where and why are you¡­"

    "Mrs. Parker, I know you genuinely care about me and you can''t fathom how grateful I am that a name has been added to the list of those who love and care about my well-being," Joanna started in a sober tone.

    "Though I can''t tell you where or why I am making this trip, I promise you that I will protect myself well. I won''t give you or others who love me a cause to worry about me," Joanna assured her in a tender tone.

    Without saying anything Mrs Parker reached out her hand and picked up the letter she had flung on the table.

    "With your mind already made up I know nothing I say or do will make you change your mind," Mrs Parker said. She turned and looked towards where Leah stood at the counter.

    "Bring us two cups of coffee and Joanna''s favourite dessert," Mrs Parker instructed before she returned her attention to Joanna''s face.

    "Since I don''t know for how long you will be gone I will make good use of the little time I have to spend with you," Mrs Parker continued in a cheerful voice.

    Because the happy memories between them were limited, Mrs. Parker brought up conversations about the just concluded carnival.

    As they chatted away, both exciteddies lost track of time. When Joanna realised how much time had gone by, she sprang up from her seat.

    "Someone is waiting for me at home. I have to take my leave now Mrs Parker," Joanna informed her as she reached her hand and picked up the handbagid on the brown table in front of them.

    "I will drop by when Ie back," Joanna said and turned to leave.

    "Are you just gonna leave like that?" Mrs Parker demanded, her gaze fixed on Joanna''s back.

    "Why? Is there something I forgot to hand over?" Joanna asked as she tilted her head to look at the woman still standing at the spot she was in.

    "I thought we had grown past the stranger, employer and employee stages. Our rtionship is much closer than this so aren''t you gonna hug me before you leave?" Mrs Parker asked yfully. Joanna let out a soft chuckle when she heard what Mrs Parker''s earlier statement meant.

    "Of course, our rtionship is more special than those you mentioned," Joanna said and moved closer.

    Under the watching eyes of the customers present Mrs Parker and Joanna embraced each other affectionately.

    "Thank you so much for the care, emotional, mental and moral support you have given me. I will forever remain grateful for that," Joanna whispered, her grip around Mrs Parker''s neck grew firmer.

    "I have gotten used to always having you around here. I will miss you a lot baby girl," Mrs Parker patted Joanna''s back tenderly.

    Soon Mrs Parker and Joanna released each other. After taking a careful look at the cafe she had worked in for months, Joanna turned and left.

    When Joanna arrived at the apartment she and Audrey shared, she met her best friend with a ss of blood dangling in between her fingers and her attention fixed on the white television screen.

    "So how did things go? Did you properly wrap up things like you had nned?" Audrey asked without taking her eyes off the television screen which her favorite show was ying at the moment.

    "Hmm," Joanna shook her head affirmatively as she sat beside Audrey on the grey couch.

    "Despite how vast the Kingdom is, I only had two people to properly bid goodbye," Joanna added. She adjusted on the couch so that her back leaned against it.

    "Why? Do you regret it because it feels like you haven''t lived your life the right way you should have?" Audrey asked. She stole a nce at Joanna''s face but only to return her focus to the show ying on the screen.

    "No. Instead, I am happy that at least I have people to say goodbye to even if they are just two of them. I kinda felt reluctant to leave because of Mrs. Parker and Little Rice ball," Joanna confessed, her hand clutching her chest.

    "Girl, we are only gonna be away for a few days. Why do you make it sound as if we are never going to return to the kingdom again?" Audrey scolded. She finally shifted her full attention to Joanna.

    "All my life I have always wanted to go far away. Ever since I was a child I dreamt of running far away from these toxic people who took pleasure in making my life miserable. Today I have the opportunity to leave the kingdom and the people who made my life a living hell even if it is just for a few days, but why am I not happy about it?" Joanna asked rhetorically.

    She caressed the ne around her neck and stared into space.

    "If you are reluctant to leave because you are worried about Kay then you don''t have to. This sacrifice you are about to make is for his greater good. Besides, you made a promise that you need to keep," Audrey reminded her meekly.

    "Why? Aren''t you reluctant to leave too since you are also in a rtionship?" Joanna questioned, her eyeballs locked with Audrey''s.

 Chapter 596 Joanna Tried To Sneak Away

    Chapter 596 Joanna Tried To Sneak Away

    "Hmm¡­" Audrey trailed and deliberately avoided looking at Joanna''s face.

    "Kyle and I might be in a rtionship but our rtionship is not as serious as yours and Kay''s," Audrey admitted. She stood up with the empty ss of blood in her hand.

    "I thought you liked him or did I guess it wrong?" Joanna demanded. She didn''t understand why Audrey would say her earlier statement.

    "Don''t you and Kyle¡­"

    "You smell sweaty so why don''t you go and shower?" Audrey interrupted and immediately moved towards the kitchen before Joanna could say anything else.

    [Both of them have only been in a rtionship for a few days. Don''t tell me they have already quarrelled?]

    Joanna peered at the direction Audrey went not knowing what to make out of her conversation with Audrey.

    Joanna stood up and approached their bedroom door since it was obvious that Audrey didn''t want to continue with their previous discussion.

    Before they went to bed, Joanna cross-checked that Audrey had packed all the things they would need on their trip.

    Afterwards, the two friends discussed how they were gonna go about their departure.

    At 5:00 a.m., Joanna was seen with a backpack strapped around her back and another luggage in her right hand.

    After she reached their bedroom door, she turned around and stared at the sleeping face of Audrey still lying on the medium-sized bed.

    [I am sorry I have to do this]

    Joanna hardened her heart as she turned and walked out of the room without making a sound.

    At the main exit, just when Joanna had concluded her n a sess she felt a hand around her right shoulder.

    "I thought a thief broke in so it was you?" Audrey remarked when she noticed that the person she caught trying to sneak out was Joanna and not a thief.

    She let go of Joanna and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

    Audrey''s eyesight returned to normal after she rubbed her eyes a few more times.

    "Why are you with your luggage?" Audrey demanded a bit more seriously.

    "D-D-Drey¡­" Joanna stammered. She gave herself away without saying anything.

    "I asked a simple question so why are you stuttering and shivering at the same time?" Audrey growled. Just a look into Joanna''s wavering eyeballs and she knew that something was off.

    "Wait, don''t tell me you were nning to sneak off to Hilmert Forest this early in the morning without me?" Audrey made a wild guess. It would have remained an assumption but Joanna''s expression confirmed her hunch.

    "So you were really going to run off without me. I can''t believe this!" Audrey retorted. She spun and stomped back into the house.

    "Drey, wait up," Joanna shouted as she chased after the furious Audrey.

    When she entered their bedroom she met Audrey sitting on the bed with her back facing the door.

    "Drey¡­"

    "If you want me to apologise for catching you red-handed then sorry, I can''t do it," She grunted and tried toy down but Joanna grabbed and made sure she didn''ty on the bed.

    Joanna knew too well that she would stand no chance of convincing Audrey if sheid down on the bed.

    "Drey, I know I was wrong in trying to sneak out without you. I am sorry so don''t be mad," Joanna apologized soberly.

    "We nned this together. If you didn''t want me toe along you should have told me. The farthest I would have gone would be throwing tantrums and momentarily getting mad but I wouldn''t have forcefully tagged along if you were against the idea. Why did you y foul when you were the same person who agreed to travel with me?" Audrey voiced out how she felt.

    A vein popped out on her forehead as she said her piece.

    "From the beginning I wanted you to join me on the trip. You don''t know how happy I was when you volunteered to apany me on this journey even without having to ask you¡­"

    "If you were as happy as you said then why did you betray me in the end?" Audrey shouted just as much as she was hurting.

    "Did you think I would drag you backwards with your investigation? Is that why you tried to sneak off while I was fast asleep?" Audrey used and angrily brushed Joanna''s hands away from her body.

    "Of course, that is not true¡­"

    "If all I said is not the case, what is the truth then?" Audrey demanded fiercely.

    "I¡­I¡­" Joanna hesitated as she looked away from Audrey''s face.

    "If you know what is good for you then you will tell me the whole truth, else, you and I are gonna have a big problem going forward," Audrey threatened coldly.

    What Joanna didn''t know was that Audrey bet everything on thisst sentence of hers.

    "On my way back home I ran into your mother. No, to be precise, it looked like she had waited for me at that spot for a long time," Joanna started in a soft tone.

    "And why on Earth would my mother be waiting for you? Did you both have any arrangements without my knowledge?" Audrey asked a bit cool-headedly this time around.

    "Because she was worried about you and your safety. I am sure she must have wanted to stop you when you told her about your impending trip to the dreaded Golden Core Pack. But knowing too well that you would not listen to anything she said, your mother must have swallowed back all she wanted to say and I can''t me her for this," Joanna continued.

    "Just like she said, you are the only child of your parents. You are everything she has, even I would have been reluctant to let you journey into such a dangerous ce if I were in her shoes," Joanna concluded.

    "Since I said I woulde with you to The Golden Core Pack, you should have known that I would keep my word no matter what. Also, what if I am everything to my mother? You are your mother''s only child too, aren''t you?" Audrey quizzed, her expression stern just like her voice.

 Chapter 597 The Trip To Hilmert Forest

    Chapter 597 The Trip To Hilmert Forest

    "I know you love and care about me but you will know that it''s not worth putting your life in danger because of me if you spare a bit of time to think through everything¡­"

    "And who said I am following you there solely for your sake?" Audrey blurted without thinking.

    "Why? Do you have another reason for wanting to go to Golden Core Pack if not to help me with my investigation?" Joanna asked, her suspicious gaze fixed on Audrey''s face which had blushed red for some unknown reason.

    "That is a secret," She shouted and disappeared from the room before Joanna could pry for more answers.

    "I will be done in a few minutes. I will not hesitate to break your legs if Ie out and discover that you have run off without me," Audrey''s cold voice echoed in the room even though she was nowhere to be seen.

    "She is acting so mysterious. I wonder what she is hiding from me," Joanna grumbled as she looked towards the direction of their bedroom.

    An hourter Audrey and Joanna were seen hailing a taxi some distance away from their apartment building.

    After Joanna and Audrey entered the taxi, they gave the driver their location.

    As the distance between them and the Kingdom got wider Joanna became more reluctant to leave.

    "I know you feel uneasy leaving the Kingdom without seeing him or getting a definite answer about how he is faring. I would have felt the same way if I was in your shoes," Audrey said when she noticed how Joanna kept rubbing her hands nervously.

    "Actually, I met Kylest night¡­"

    "What!" Joanna shouted, startling Audrey and the driver in the process.

    "Girl, be careful of how you react or someone might suffer from a heart attack because of¡­"

    "If you met him then why didn''t call me or tell me about it? You know how much I wanted to see him," Joanna cut in without allowing Audrey to finish what she wanted to say.

    "At the time I met him, I knew you were still with Tony. How could I have possibly called you when you had promised to give Tony your entire day?" Audrey quizzed seriously.

    "Although I didn''t call you over, I asked Kyle the questions you would have if you were the one who met him instead of me,"  Audrey continued. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Joanna''s frown eased up.

    "So what did he say? Is Kay alright? Did he tell you any useful information about why the rumours about Kay being cursed have been circting throughout the entire Kingdom? Is Kay awake now?" Joanna bombarded Audrey with questions as if she had just returned after paying Kayden a visit to the pce.

    "He hasn''t regained consciousness but ording to Kyle, he said the doctor assured him that he is not in any kind of danger," Audrey replied in the exact way Kyle did when she questioned him the previous day.

    "It''s been three days already and he is still unconscious?" Joanna mumbled not able to hide her disappointment.

    "Did the doctor give a reason as to why he is still unconscious if he is really fine?" Joanna asked worriedly. She subconsciously stroked the ne around her neck as she awaited Audrey''s reply.

    "I heard they went as far as secretly transporting him to Amelia''sb but nothing was found after all the tests that were conducted," Audrey replied in a meek tone.

    [Of course, they can''t find the cause of his illness because it was a demon who hurt him. What were you expecting Joanna Anderson?]

    Joanna thought as she peered out of the car''s window.

    "If the doctor said he will be alright I am sure that his words can be trusted. Remember, it''s not an ordinary person who is sick. With his status, I am sure the doctors will go to hell and return to make sure that Kay is okay since their lives will depend solely on his recovery," Audrey consoled. She moved closer and embraced Joanna tightly.

    "He just got married for crying out loud. I am sure he wouldn''t die and leave his three-day-old wife a widow. I am not sure if he is a kind person, but I know he wouldn''t do such a cruel thing to you. Do have some faith in your husband, girl, he is not that weak," Audrey coaxed yfully as she patted Joanna''s hair.

    "You are right about that. Anyway, it''s not like our separation wouldst forever. As long as I get my acts together and stay focused while investigating the case, I can return to his side sooner than we estimated," Joanna said, sounding very optimistic.

    "Yeah, the quicker weplete our mission the sooner you cane back to go on a honeymoon with your dear husband," Audrey teased.

    The conversation continued as the driver maintained his speed on the lonely road they had driven onto not long ago.

    As they got closer to Hilmert Forest, the two friends noticed the driver''s mood change instantly.

    "We are the ones treading into the lion''s den so why is his heart panting as if he is the one who is gonna help us do the job?" Audrey whispered, her eyes fixed on the back of the driver''s head.

    "He is a human, unlike us. Wouldn''t it have been weird if he had remained cool like us?" Joanna replied in a hunched tone. She couldn''t stop herself from grinning when she recalled their first trip to this dreadful forest.

    "And Hilmert Forest is not the kind of ce just anyone can step foot into with a smile on his face. It''s called a dreadful ce for a reason. Also, I bet I trembled more than him on our first visit here," Joanna giggled.

    "Hahaha¡­ I almost forgot that moment when you trembled while holding tightly onto mine and Tony''s hands," Audreyughed. She didn''t forget to imitate Joanna''s expression which made her look very dramatic.

    "Hey, I didn''t look that way," Joanna scolded only to burst outughing due to Audrey''s hrious acts.

 Chapter 598 At The Borders

    Chapter 598 At The Borders

    A few minutester, the car suddenly halted which made Audrey and Joanna pause what they were doing. They looked outside of the window.

    "We are here," the driver announced. He got out of the car before Audrey and Joanna could say anything.

    "The entrance of Hilmert Forest is still ahead of us so why did he pause midway without taking us to our destination," Audrey grumbled. She tried to inform the driver about this but Joanna stopped her.

    "I bet he is too scared to go any further. It won''t take us more than five minutes to reach the entrance of the forest if we use our powers. Let''s help the poor driver out and not make things difficult for him," Joanna pleaded on the driver''s behalf.

    She quickly stepped out of the car after signalling Audrey to do the same.

    Because Joanna spoke up for the driver Audrey didn''t press the issue further. Instead, she helped the man to bring out their luggage from the car''s boot.

    "Let''s go," Audrey said and reached out her hands to hold Joanna''s hand.

    "Sure," Joanna smiled as she grabbed Audrey''s outstretched hand.

    Stepping foot into the forest, all they could see was snow. Because of the thick snow that covered everything, it was practically impossible to see any green leaves or animals in sight.

    "If not for the snow I wouldn''t have known that it was winter already," Audreymented.

    Because vampires were incapable of feeling temperature it was hard for them to know the seasons they were in. If not through the help of calendars they would have spent every day not knowing whether it was winter, summer or spring.

    "Yeah, you are right about that," Joannamented as she took a proper look at her surroundings.

    Looking back, it felt as if it was just yesterday she shivered due to the chilly winter winds.

    "Anna, did you confirm that the golden token is inside your bag?" Audrey said as she and Joanna kept walking into the forest holding onto each other''s hands tightly.

    "Because you told me you had packed the Golden Token into my bag along with my other belongings I didn''t bother to check when you asked me to confirm¡­"

    "What!" Audrey yelled, halting immediately.

    "Was getting locked up in their dark dungeons with no food not enough. Do you want to get a taste of being imprisoned again?" Audrey scolded fiercely.

    "I thought you weren''t scared of them. Were all those big talks all lies?" Joanna frowned and strolled along the pathway which was covered in snow.

    "I am not scared. It''s just that I don''t want to bebelled as a spy again," Audrey replied and ran to catch up to Joanna.

    "Lies," Joanna muttered and kept walking without turning to look at thedy who was trying to maintain the same pace as her.

    Soon, they were standing at the demarcation between Twipera Kingdom and Golden Core Pack where soldiers of the pack kept guard.

    With the Golden Token in her hand, Joanna raised it before the guards could surround them for trespassing.

    "A Golden Token!" The soldier who looked like the leader eximed, he turned and exchanged puzzled nces with his colleagues.

    The look in the soldier''s eyes changed the moment they confirmed that the Golden Token was authentic.

    "Anna, why do you think they are staring at us like that? Do they think the token is not enough to let us in?" Audrey whispered when she realised that the soldiers wouldn''t stop gazing at her and Joanna.

    What Joanna and Audrey weren''t aware of was that the soldiers had never seen anyone who possessed the Legendary Golden Token except them.

    If not for the fact that they served at the Pack''s borders, they wouldn''t have had the privilege to see the Golden Token in the pce before today.

    "This way," The soldier in charge ushered them in after confirming their identity through the papers they had handed over to them along with the token earlier.

    "They look too ordinary for people who possess the golden token. What do you think is their rtionship with the Alpha?" Audrey couldn''t resist smiling when she overheard a soldierment after they had walked passed the borders.

    The first thing Joanna and Audrey noticed after stepping foot into the werewolf''s territory was the change in the atmospherepared to thest time they were there.

    "Marcus told us that things here are worse than that of our Kingdom. Do you think I made the right decision by following you into the werewolf''s territory when I am a vampire?" Audrey muttered when she saw the manner the few passersby they met stared at her in particr.

    "We are already here. Don''t you think it''s a bit toote to regret?" Joanna joked.

    "You think so?" Audrey mumbled and the attentive Joanna could sense a bit of regret in her voice.

    "I was just joking there is no need to take things too seriously," Joanna said and grabbed Audrey''s hand once again.

    "Also, they can''t tantly attack you in broad daylight even if this is their territory especially if you didn''t harm anyone," Joanna continued just to ease Audrey''s mind.

    "And I am here with you, right? This time around I will be the one to protect you. Anyone who dares to have fancy ideas about you will have to go through me so don''t be nervous hmm?" Joanna coaxed despite knowing that Audrey was capable of protecting herself.

    As they strolled on the nearly empty streets, Audrey and Joanna stayed on alert. They didn''t let their guard down for even a second.

    "If I remember correctly, Alpha Benjamin''s home should be just ahead of us," Audrey announced, beaming.

    "You are alright. I can''t wait to see the shock on Jocelyn and Rachel''s faces when they see us at their doorstep," Joanna muttered. The mere thought of seeing Jocelyn and Rachel''s reaction made her heart pound in excitement.

    "Never in their wildest imagination would they have thought that we would be here. Their surprise faces will be epic, especially Jocelyn''s. The naughty girl will be so happy to see us," Audrey added. Her smile radiated as she looked forward to seeing the girls they had missed so much.

 Chapter 599 Jocelyn In Trouble

    Chapter 599 Jocelyn In Trouble

    What they didn''t know was that they would be the ones to get shocked and not the other way around.

    Audrey and Joanna were still far away from the packhouse when they started hearing angry voices of people arguing.

    "Thismunity was so quiet and peaceful thest time we were here. Is this perhaps the instability Marcus talked about?" Audrey mumbled without any show of concern.

    If only she knew that the girl she looked forward to seeing was at the centre of this hugemotion then she wouldn''t have been so less concerned.

    "Now that we are here I am sure we will get the full gist of the event that took ce in our absence from Jocelyn," Joanna replied.

    Together she and Audrey forged ahead ignoring the voices that got louder as they got closer to the packhouse.

    Joanna and Audrey were shocked when they reached the packhouse and saw the state the once dazzling building was in.

    The main gate was pulled down by heaven knows what and the once beautiful fence walls were a shadow of its old self.

    "Drey, are you sure we are in the right ce?" Joanna muttered, unable to ept that this was the same building she admired so much on their first visit there.

    "Sorry to say this but we are at the right ce," Audrey replied and walked into thepound which wasn''t heavily guarded by guards like thest time they were there.

    As if meeting the packhouse in that terrible state wasn''t enough, they were dumbfounded to see that the person the mobs had ganged up on was none other than Jocelyn.

    "As long as his body hasn''t been found, my brother will always be the Alpha. If all of you want to be the new Alpha so much then wait for him to return so you can battle it out with him," Jocelyn stood her ground even though it was obvious that she was outnumbered.

    Although she was no match for all of them in terms of strength and number, she will protect her brother''s position for as long as she could

    "If you think you can be the Alpha without going through the right process, forget it because I won''t be handing over the Alpha''s seal no matter what you do," Jocelyn retorted, her chin held up to show them that she won''t be intimidated by their threats.

    "You insolent brat! How dare you speak to your elders in that manner?" The tall man in a grey shirt standing in front of her yelled and raised his hand to p her.

    At that moment, Joanna rushed forward and grabbed the man''s hand before it could touch Jocelyn''s face.

    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Joanna shouted and violently shoved the man''s hands aside.

    At first, she had nned to wait for the crowd to disperse before she would reveal herself to Jocelyn.

    But seeing the man lift his hand to hit thedy who only defended herself from their attacks, she couldn''t hold back her anger.

    "You all are grown adults. If you were sensible enough then you wouldn''t have attacked a little harmless girl," Joanna retorted and moved to stand beside Jocelyn whose onlypanion was Carl.

    "Were you perhaps expecting her to keep quiet and watch all of you gang up on her without retaliating?" Joanna scoffed, her deadly res shot at the men in front of her who were over twenty in number.

    Although Joanna was standing beside her in the flesh, Jocelyn couldn''t believe her eyes. She watched as Joanna''s expression changed as she talked but not even this convinced Jocelyn''s nk mind that the image in front of her was real.

    Slowly Jocelyn raised her right hand and rubbed her eyes to really confirm that her eyes weren''t ying tricks on her.

    "Young Miss, are you alright?" Carl, who noticed how strangely Jocelyn acted, asked worriedly.

    The first thing the crowd did was to study Joanna closely. Apart from the fact that they couldn''t recognize her, her ent and the way she dressed gave away the fact that she was not from the pack.

    "You are not even from our pack. Who do you think you are to butt into the matters of the pack?" The man whose hand Joanna grabbed earlier challenged her.

    "Me?" Joanna pointed her index finger at herself as if she weren''t aware that the elderly man had referred to her.

    "I am someone who can''t stand seeing a little girl get ganged up on by adults who should be the ones protecting her especially if the victim happens to be my friend," Joanna replied, her chin raised high.

    Even though the men looked intimidating and rough, Joanna didn''t waver or show an ounce of fear.

    "I don''t care what your rtionship with her is but if you want to leave this pack with your two legs then you will step aside and not butt into matters that don''t concern you," The leader of the mob warned sternly.

    "You¡­"

    "I know you are doing this for my good but that is enough Anna. Believe me, these men are not people you would want to mess with," Jocelyn spoke up after she had regained her senses. She held Joanna''s hand and made her stand at her back.

    "Bing the Alpha has always been determined by strength. When my brother became the Alpha, hepeted against abled men in the pack who had the ambition of ruling our pack. He was made Alpha after he defeated hispetitors and was pronounced as the most powerful man in the pack," Jocelyn started in a calmer tone.

    "So many years had passed since he became the Alpha and never had he let the pack down. If any of you wants to be the new Alpha, then you will wait for him to return so all of you can battle it out in a fairpetition. Aside from that don''t even dream of pushing my brother out of his position in his absence because I won''t tolerate that," Jocelyn made her points very clear to all of them.

    "And you think you can stop us?" A guy in the crowd snarled, his disgusted eyeballs shot at Jocelyn.

 Chapter 600 Joanna Stepped Forward To Help

    Chapter 600 Joanna Stepped Forward To Help

    "As you said, the position of the Alpha has always belonged to the strongest person. The pack is like a jungle and only the strongest can rule it and not cowards who are too afraid to show up to defend themselves¡­"

    "Are you calling the Alpha a coward?" Jocelyn retorted as she threw deadly res at the elderly man who was responsible for instigating everyone in the kingdom to go against her and her brother.

    "You said so and not me," the man defended himself.

    "That is what you were driving at but you dare not admit it. I wonder who is the bigger coward here," Joanna murmured despite knowing too well that everyone there heard her.

    But the elderly man was wise enough to avoid her remarks and focused on why he was there in the first ce.

    "If you love your brother and want to protect his position then you will fight us. Not only will you be able to protect his position by winning but you will be the next Alpha¡­"

    "By asking her to fight with all of you, isn''t that the same as indirectly asking her to hand over the Alpha''s seal to you?" Carl growled, ring at the man who brought up the absurd suggestion.

    "It''s easy to say I want to protect something and whether or not you are really capable of protecting it. She needs to do this if she wants to protect what is precious to her. Don''t you agree with me, everyone?" The elderly man asked the crowd and the response wasn''t short of what he expected.

    "Miss Jocelyn, you have two choices. You either hand the seal over to us or fight with us. And if you are lucky enough to win then none in the kingdom will bring up this topic again. In fact, we will respect you as the next Alpha even though your brother never returns," The man said, knowing well that no choice was a better option.

    He and his followers will still win no matter what decision Jocelyn makes.

    "You know that she is not a match for all of you, that is why you are pretending to give her leeway when this is clearly a trap," Carl grunted, his using fingers pointed at the elderly man.

    "You can do whatever you want Elder Bruno but read my lips, I am never going to bring out the seal nor will I contest with any of you for the position of the Alpha," Jocelyn asserted angrily.

    If it was just one person she had to fight with she wouldn''t have hesitated to ept their challenge as far as she could protect her brother''s title and honor.

    No matter how powerful she was, she was not a match for the twenty rough-looking men especially since they were gonna make her fight without any rest.

    Also, there was no guarantee that the number wouldn''t increase if others learned about the contest.

    She would be at a disadvantage either way so it was better she avoided anything that would make them hold the ridiculous contest that would enable them to easily steal her brother''s position.

    "Then you leave us with no other option but to take it by force," the men chorused and immediately advanced towards them.

    "The contest, we will hold it," Ady''s stern voice echoed in the air stunning Jocelyn who knew she wasn''t the one who made the statement.

    As she expected, they halted and paid attention to her.

    "Anna, what do you think you are doing?" Jocelyn demanded angrily but Joanna only beamed at her and stepped forward from Jocelyn''s shadows.

    "In this contest, you won''t be fighting against her but me," Joanna dered to Jocelyn''s further annoyance.

    "From your earlier statement, as long as one has the capability he or she can be the Alpha. Although you didn''t mention, I guess another requirement to being an Alpha is that the person must be a werewolf right?" Joanna asked rhetorically.

    Judging from the looks on their faces Joanna couldn''t tell whether or not the men were happy she stepped forward.

    "Fortunately, I am a werewolf and happened to meet the requirements¡­"

    "This is no small matter. It concerns the position and honour of my brother who has been missing for months. I had everything nned out. How could you just step forward and ruin things for me," Jocelyn said emotionally.

    "Jocelyn, I know what I am doing¡­"

    "From what you did it''s pretty obvious you don''t," Jocelyn snapped and angrily brushed Joanna''s hand off her shoulder.

    "My brother went through a lot to be the Alpha. He worked his ass off to maintain his position and protect everyone in the pack. All I wanted was to protect that which he cherished the most but everything is about to be ruined because of you," Jocelyn said angrily.

    "I wouldn''t have intervened if your n was foolproof. As you can see, these people won''t leave you alone as long as you don''t put them in their rightful ce. Even if not today, sooner orter they will get what they want¡­"

    "And you think you are the right person to do that?" Jocelyn retorted.

    "Don''t forget you can''t shift. Let''s not mention you failing, but you might get killed if you go against them. They are brutal, Anna!" Jocelyn whispered.

    "I know you are worried about me but believe me, I have got this. I am not sick of living yet, this should tell you that I have other designs for them¡­"

    "But¡­"

    "Your brother is a good person. None of them here are worthy to be hispetitors. Just as you want, I will help you to protect your brother''s ce and at the same time put them in their rightful ce. Trust me, hmm," Joanna muttered. She raised her hand and squeezed Jocelyn''s shoulders. She turned and faced the crowd afterwards.

    "If you all agree, then we can hold the contest at the Pack''s square in an hour," Joanna threw them an offer she knew the greedy men wouldn''t be able to resist.

    [Since you all dared to bully a little girl whom you should be protecting and consoling, then you can''t me me for doing the same thing to you. I won''t show mercy this time around!]

    Joanna clenched her fist as she waited for the men toe to a decision.

 Chapter 601 Joanna Shifted In Front Of Jocelyn

    Chapter 601 Joanna Shifted In Front Of Jocelyn

    She watched them as they whispered into each other''s ears. With such a Golden opportunity presented before them in a tter of gold, the men couldn''t be more happy and their conversations showed.

    "Miss Jocelyn, you are the one we had a conversation with before this stranger that ims to be your best friend butts in. Since you aren''t refuting her statement, you can''te crying to us when we win her, OK?" The elderly man said pretending to be considerate when the truth was that he couldn''t wait for the contest to take ce.

    "If I were you, I would be worrying about myself instead of wasting time showing fake concerns," Joanna retorted.

    "We will meet up at the Pack''s square in an hour. If you fail to show up or try anything stupid, we won''t be merciful then," A guy from the crowd threatened.

    Because Joanna gave them the answer they wanted, getting the men out of the pack''s house wasn''t difficult.

    In less than five minutes the crowd had dispersed.

    "You were here too!" Jocelyn eximed as soon as she saw Audrey who had earlier blended herself with the crowd.

    "Yeah," Audrey replied and moved closer to where they stood.

    "I also wanted to help you out and look cool like Anna did earlier but I couldn''t step forward since there were many people around. As you know my identity is special and as such I shouldn''t garner too much attention," Audrey exined.

    Although she meant no harm, Audrey knew very well that being the only vampire in the den of werewolves was not a good thing.

    Sooner orter the people would find faults with her identity and that was why she decided to keep a low profile.

    She understands clearly that nothing good woulde out of revealing herself to the very people who are dying to chew them alive.

    "It''s already good enough that you are here. Let''s talk inside," Jocelyn said while gesturing at the door ahead of them.

    Inside the house, after the maids offered Joanna and Audrey tea, they left the sitting room to give them space to talk.

    "Jocelyn, I understand you have your doubts especially since this concerns everything your brother worked hard for all these years. I believe even I would have felt the same way if I was in your shoes," Audrey started without allowing Jocelyn to start first.

    "It''s good to know that our thoughts align," Jocelyn grumbled, not sounding pleased at all and they couldn''t me her for being this way.

    "Anna is not an impulsive person. She thinks thoroughly before she acts. If she wasn''t certain she would win this battle I am sure she wouldn''t have intervened in your matters in the first ce. If I were you, I would have faith in Anna a little more," Audrey stood up for Joanna not only because she was her best friend but due to what she had witnessed.

    Yes, it hasn''t been long since she knew about Joanna''s mysterious powers but she has seen her fight a few times and this was where her faith in Joanna came from.

    If she wasn''t sure they would win she wouldn''t have stood there and let Joanna handle everything.

    "Ok let''s leave sentiments aside and face the truth head-on," Jocelyn said. She adjusted the way she sat so that her back was not leaning against the couch anymore.

    "As a matter of fact, Anna can''t shift into her true form while those men you saw out there are mostly people who have been on the battlefield all their lives. Tell me, how on Earth is she going to go against those full-bloomed werewolves?" Jocelyn voiced her concerns with no intention of making anyone feel offended.

    "If this isn''t a suicidal mission then what is it?" Jocelyn demanded her hands spread in the air.

    "Also, she is the future and destined Queen of your kingdom. You and I know that the King won''t let us off if she dies here. He will seize this opportunity to besiege us. With my brother not around, who will protect the entire pack and all the people in it?" Jocelyn growled.

    "Does one have to be a werewolf before he can defeat a werewolf¡­"

    "Of course not but I also know that you are not a vampire too," Jocelyn cut in abruptly.

    "Although I have no intentions of fighting using my werewolf''s powers, will you believe that I stand a chance of winning against those men if I shift in front of you right now?" Joanna asked calmly.

    "You can shift?" Audrey and Jocelyn eximed with widened eyes.

    "Why don''t you make a judgement after seeing things for yourself?" Joanna hinted. After taking off her jacket, she moved away from the centre table to the spacious part of the room.

    Before Audrey and Jocelyn could wrap their fingers around what she was up to, they witnessed Joanna shift into the most beautiful werewolf they had ever seen.

    "Wow!" Jocelyn and Audrey remarked and subconsciously stood up to their feet almost at the same time.

    "She is beautiful!" The words escaped Carl''s mouth. He tried topose himself when he realised the nonsense he spouted.

    Jocelyn strolled towards where the werewolf stood and when she got there, she squatted beside Joanna.

    "All my life I have lived with werewolves and they have one to three colours at most. I haven''te across a werewolf who has the colour of a rainbow just like yours. This is so majestic and beautiful," Jocelyn admitted. She raised her right hand and caressed Joanna''s beautiful fur.

    "Hey, silly girl! If you were able to shift, howe you never mentioned that to me?" Audrey scolded as soon as she finished admiring the beautiful werewolf in front of her.

    "Just today you used me of keeping secrets. Tell me, between the two of us who keep secrets from whom?" Audrey left the centre table and approached where Jocelyn squatted with her hands still on the werewolf''s body.

    "Miss Audrey, you can''t hear her reply when she talks¡­"

    "And she can''t shift back to human with you around so leave us now," Jocelyn interrupted Carl sharply.

    "But¡­"

    "They are my friends. Do you think they would have been foolish to walk into my territory if they had wanted to harm me?" Jocelyn asked in a serious tone.

 Chapter 602 The Matured Version Of The Girls

    Chapter 602 The Matured Version Of The Girls

    "Don''t worry, I am safe with them," Jocelyn assured the guy whom she knew was genuinely concerned about her wellbeing.

    "Ok, I will be just at the door. Call me if you need anything," Carl gave in to what Jocelyn wanted after much consideration.

    "I have tons of questions for you so shift back right now," Audrey said authoritatively, her index finger pointed at the werewolf.

    After Joanna shifted back, she had to wear new sets of clothes since she was naked as the day she was given birth.

    The moment she dressed up and returned to her seat Jocelyn and Audrey bombarded her with questions. And since it hade to this she had no choice but to satisfy their curiosity.

    "I think it was a month after I got pushed off the cliff. I am not too certain about how much time had passed since it was difficult to differentiate day and night at the Ancient Forest of no Return. All there was to see was only darkness so I couldn''t make out the time¡­"

    "You were at the Infamous Ancient Forest Of No Return?" Jocelyn asked, her eyes almost falling out of their sockets.

    "I heard none who ventured into the forbidden ce had evere out of there alive so how on Earth did you do that?" Jocelyn demanded.

    "I am not too sure. I guess the heavens heard my desperate cries that is why they let me live," Joanna joked even though they were discussing such a serious topic.

    Even she had wanted to know how she was able to obtain the mysterious system that ended up saving her life and getting her out of that hellhole.

    She was only a weak girl, how was she able to make it out of that dreadful ce that even the most powerful warriors couldn''t?

    This question had been on her mind but unfortunately, no one was there to give her the reply she wanted so she stopped thinking about it after a while.

    "After roaming that dark ce for several days without food I was on the verge of copsing when an equally starving tiger chose me as its target. I don''t know how I did it but I just saw myself running for dear life in the thick forest," Joanna narrated her ordeal.

    "Believe me, I don''t know for how long I ran away from the tiger who refused to let go of me. When I realised it, I was shocked to have seen that I had shifted into a werewolf even without knowing," Joanna couldn''t resist smiling when she remembered the feeling of being able to transform for the first time.

    The feeling was heavenly!

    "You can say my desperation to survive brought about the miracle that I had been waiting for all my life," Joanna concluded smiling.

    "When Rach told me about her grandma''s vision about you, I was worried. Believe me, I couldn''t eat or sleep for three days. I was so restless to the point that my brother got scared on my behalf," Jocelyn revealed, her right hand clutching her chest.

    "Grandma Andy had a prophecy about me?" Joanna asked as she exchanged puzzled nces with the equally surprised Audrey.

    "What was it about? And speaking of Rachel, why is she not with you at such trying moments? I thought you girls were inseparable just like me and Drey," Joanna described.

    "You can ask Rach for the details when shees. And you haven''t seen her around because she is the one leading the search for my missing brother today¡­" Jocelyn trailed off as she scratched her hair with her left hand.

    "Actually, before the men stomped into the pack house I had already gotten intel that the men would force me to hand over my brother''s seal. I deliberately put her in charge of the search for my brother today because I didn''t want to put her in danger," Jocelyn confessed meekly.

    "Why is your method of protecting the one you love so simr to Anna''s? Is there no other method of keeping the one you care about from harm''s way other than leaving them behind or sending them far away?" Audrey implored.

    "Different people have ways of protecting the person they love. Maybe Anna and I are alike because we believe that safety should alwayse first," Jocelyn answered seriously.

    "You have matured a lot, I must say. I can''t believe the Jocelyn sitting in front of me who puts the well-being of the entire pack first is the same one I met in the past," Joanna said while pointing her finger at Jocelyn.

    "I am not the only one who changed but you did also. You are more daring and confident of yourself now. Anna in the past wouldn''t have dared to challenge those rough-looking men to their faces no matter what," Jocelyn said in a yful tone causing all of them to burst outughing.

    "You are so correct about that. In the past, she was often beaten up but she never for once stood up for herself. She was that kind of girl," Audrey added amidst herughter.

    Jocelyn let the air of excitement die off before she resumed their previous discussion.

    "For this battle what do you need?" Jocelyn immediately got back to the business of the day.

    "I will ask Carl and the other guards to prepare darts, daggers, sword shields and other hidden equipment you can use¡­"

    "I don''t need all those things to win against them. All that I require right now is food, water and maybe half an hour of sleep and I will be more than ready to take on a hundred men," Joanna cut in softly.

    "That must have been a joke right?" Jocelyn quizzed unable to believe what she just heard. She averted her gaze to Audrey for confirmation.

    "I am not joking. If you don''t believe me then we can spar or if that is too much you can ask Carl and your other guards to duel with me," Joanna replied.

 Chapter 603 Joanna Duel With The Guards

    Chapter 603 Joanna Duel With The Guards

    She didn''t feel offended that Jocelyn still doubted her despite all she told her. This matter has to do with the entire pack and as such shouldn''t be taken lightly.

    If she was in Jocelyn''s shoes she would have done the exact thing or even worst.

    "Anna, I trust you and I am happy that you offered to help me out despite that you could have just walked away. You don''t know how thankfully I am but as you know your victory and failure will determine what bes of our pack next¡­"

    "And so you have no choice but to test her capability first before you send her to fight on your behalf right?" Audrey who could already guess what Jocelyn would say next helped her toplete the sentence.

    "I understand you are doing this with good intentions so I am sorry for¡­"

    "I was the one who suggested that. There is no need to feel apologetic about it or say sorry. I am good with it," Joanna said and smiled at Jocelyn.

    "Although I agreed to duel with them I can only spare five minutes. As you know I need to eat and rest for a few minutes before the battle begins," Joanna continued in a meek tone.

    "The kitchen was preparing lunch before you arrived. They should wrap up with cooking by the time you finish sparring with the guards," Jocelyn assured her that she would be well taken care of.

    "Wait here. I will go instruct Carl to gather the guards now," Jocelyn muttered. She stood up and strolled out of the visitor''s quarters.

    "Anna, we barely arrived a few minutes ago. Are you in the best condition to fight with her men right now?" Audrey asked out of concern.

    "I will be fine, don''t worry," Joanna assured her with a sweet smile on her face.

    It wasn''t up to three minutes before Jocelyn returned with the information that Carl had assembled the guards.

    Although Joanna told her that she didn''t need toe out to watch the fight Audrey still followed her outside.

    Because Jocelyn was scared that Joanna would get hurt she didn''t let the four elite guards duel with Joanna.

    After witnessing Joanna knock out the regr guards she knew she was worried for no reason.

    The four elite guards stepped forward when Joanna used less than three minutes to defeat the regr guards.

    "At exactly five minutes I am gonna stop so make sure to give it your best because I won''t go easy on you either," Joanna advised. She took a stance ready for the elite guards tounch an attack first.

    "Don''t you think she looks too confident for someone who couldn''t take down even the weakest werewolf from our pack?" Carl whispered, his eyes fixed on Joanna who was currently timing the movements of the guards'' legs.

    "She took down seven guards in exactly three minutes. Don''t you think she deserves the right to be proud?" Jocelyn muttered, her eyes not moving from Joanna''s body.

    "Yeah she did but I doubt she will be able to defeat the Alpha''s elite¡­" Carl paused what he wanted to say when he saw the way Joanna handled the guard who attacked her.

    Jocelyn, Carl and Audrey watched the manner Joanna handled the elite guards as if they were just amateurs.

    "I can''t believe she is the same girl I have spent my entire life with. Does this mean I have to be careful around her now?" Audrey muttered not able to believe what was happening despite that she had watched the fight from the beginning.

    "Time up!" Joanna remarked and pushed the guard whose hand she held onto the floor.

    "Are you satisfied with the results?" Joanna asked as she turned and looked at Carl and Jocelyn.

    "More than satisfied¡­"

    "Then I bet you wouldn''t continue to starve me, right?" Joanna asked yfully as she made her way towards the entrance of the house.

    The others followed her closely.

    With that taken care of, Joanna joined Jocelyn at the dining table.

    While the twodies ate Audrey sat in the dining and chatted with them.

    After she finished eating Jocelyn and a maid escorted Joanna to an empty room on the first floor.

    To give Joanna space to rest peacefully, Audrey followed Jocelyn back to her room where they talked about all that happened in the pack after they left on that fateful day.

    Jocelyn and Audrey were so engrossed in their conversation and didn''t realise that it was time for the battle.

    "Drey, why is it that almost all the questions you asked were rted to my brother? Was that a coincidence or am I just overthinking?" Jocelyn finally found the confidence to ask after Audrey told her she wanted to visit the ce where Beta Noah''s body was discovered.

    "I asked questions about you, Rachel, Grandma Andy and even Carl so what are you talking about¡­"

    "Yeah, you did but every question after that was all about my brother and his disappearance," Jocelyn countered, her suspicious res concentrated on Audrey''s face.

    Audrey''s uneasy expression further proved that there was a bit of truth in her suspicions.

    "Do you perhaps¡­"

    "Anna!" Audrey shouted, sprang up from the seat and approached the direction the footsteps came from.

    [She is acting really suspicious. I wonder what is her deal with my brother]

    Jocelyn couldn''t help getting suspicious of Audrey since her actions were pretty doubtful.

    "I thought you said you needed half an hour''s sleep to regain your energy so why are you out so soon? Did you have trouble sleeping because it''s a foreign environment?" Jocelyn asked as soon as Joanna reached the sitting room.

    "I had no specific ce to sleep in the past. I had to make do with any suitable ce I could find so I am not that sensitive when ites to sleeping. The environment is not that important," Joanna exined, moving closer to where Jocelyn sat.

    "Also, I didn''te downstairs earlier. It''s the exact time I set for the battle now. I am afraid that those men will use of us going back on our words if we don''t show up there," Joanna added. She halted just beside Jocelyn''s left leg.

 Chapter 604 At The Packs Square

    Chapter 604 At The Pack''s Square

    "Let''s go and end things once and for all," Joanna dered as she signalled Jocelyn to lead the way.

    Jocelyn, who was as tall as Joanna, stood up and exhaled wearily.

    "Anna, are you sure you don''t need any weapons to go against those men? I know they wille with every weapon that could inflict serious damage on you. As long as it will guarantee their sess they will not hesitate to kill," Jocelyn spoke from experience.

    She has lived with these people all her life to know what each one of them was capable of.

    Although Joanna had proved that she could take them on, she couldn''t stop her heart from worrying.

    "They cane with whatever weapon they want because I am ready for them also," Joanna cracked her knuckles, ring at no one in particr.

    "If you say so then let''s go," Jocelyn said and led the way outside the building.

    On their way to the Pack''s square, Jocelyn took her time to list out the strengths and weaknesses of the men who confronted them earlier.

    She hoped and prayed that this information woulde in handy during the uing battle.

    From the beginning, Jocelyn had already guessed that the men would y foul but the scene she met at the Pack''s square left her awestruck.

    When they reached the Pack''s square they met arge number of people, in fact, it looked like the vicious men had invited the entire Pack to witness how they would win the girl they called weak and legitimately be the Alpha.

    As if therge audience wasn''t enough Jocelyn noticed that over fifty werewolves were contesting for the position of  Alpha and among them, they were also women.

    "No matter what anyone says this is just not right. He is¡­"

    "Don''t challenge him¡­"

    "But Anna, he deliberately instigated so many of the people to join him. He wants to make sure he leaves you with no chance of winning and this is not fair," Jocelyn grumbled.

    "Do you think he will pay heed if you confront him now?" Joanna demanded sternly.

    "If he doesn''t we can as well back out of this," Jocelyn dered fiercely.

    "Then he will force you to hand over the Alpha''s position to him right in front of everyone. Tell me, will you be able to continue resisting if that happens?" Joanna retorted. She turned and shot the grinning elderly man a murderous nce.

    At that moment she felt like stuffing the man''s face with dirt for smiling so brightly.

    "He can devise whatever cheap means there is but I assure you that we will win even without ying tricks. He will be the one ashamed at the end of the day so rx Jocelyn, I have got this covered," Joanna assured as she tapped Jocelyn''s right shoulder.

    Her overwhelming confidence made Jocelyn, Audrey and Carl doubt how true her words were.

    The elderly man who was the leader of the rebels moved over to where they stood.

    "Are you ready to hand over the Alpha''s seal to us or do you still want to send your foolish friend to her early grave in front of the entire Pack?" The man demanded a victorious smile spread across his face.

    "Wait, was it your intention to be the Alpha without putting on a fight? From the beginning, you had nned to intimidate us to hand over the seal to you huh?" Joanna asked, faking a terrified look.

    Her hrious imitation almost made Audrey burst out in a peal of deafeningughter had she not covered her mouth with her palm.

    "If that''s the oue you wanted then I am sorry to tell you¡­" Joanna trailed as she moved closer to the man.

    When she reached his front she bent down so that her mouth was close to the man''s ear.

    "It won''t work. I will single-handedly make sure you don''t only leave here without the Alpha''s seal but with your head hanging low in shame. Brace yourself old man because you don''t know what ising your way," Joanna whispered grinning devilishly.

    She moved away from the fuming man and acted as if nothing happened.

    The angry man red at Joanna and herpanions before he turned his back on them.

    "Listen to me contestants," The man called the attention of everyone with his loud voice.

    "For months we have endured so many hardships and overcame the cmity that has gued our pack. We have been lenient for a long time and it''s high time we stop waiting for someone who will never return," The man recited, getting Jocelyn infuriated with his presumptuous statement.

    "Today, we are going to get the Alpha''s seal from her and to achieve that we must win against this rude girl," He dered. He tilted his head and shot Joanna a deadly re but Joanna remained unmoved.

    "From this moment, she is not a little girl but an obstacle to returning our Pack to its former glory. And that is why it doesn''t matter if you break her limbs or every bone in her body¡­"

    "Breaking my bones will take more than mere talks. If I were you, I would advise your men to be very careful because I am not the type to show mercy to my opponent," Joanna interrupted, her head held high.

    Joanna''s sassy attitude and statement got those who were against the men''s actions cheering and apuding her and this did not resonate with the determined men.

    "You can go on acting proud, I didn''t expect less from a rude and crude child like you. Don''t worry, I will be here when you weep and beg for us to spare your life after every single bone in your body is crushed," The man growled. He angrily moved over to where his men standing on the other side of the opened area.

    After three minutes, an elderly man was picked among the non-participating people to handle the fight.

    He gave them five minutes to prepare and strategise even though both sides tried to decline it.

    When the allotted time psed the anchor called a man from the opposing team forward and Joanna too.

 Chapter 605 Unnamed

    Chapter 605 Unnamed

    "Anna, don''t forget what I told you about each one of them. It will give you an added advantage in winning them. Also, you must remain safe no matter what," Jocelyn muttered, refusing to let go of Joanna''s hands.

    "I will," Joanna said and beamed at her. The moment she moved into the fighting ring the spectators moved backwards especially because the men used weapons while Joanna didn''t.

    Among the crowds stood two figures covered with ck cloaks from head to toe.

    Because of how they were dressed it made it impossible for anyone to distinguish if they were male or female.

    "The one who shouldn''t be here hase. Forget about letting her ruin my ns, I will make sure this fighting ring marks the end of her," One of the figures in ck cloak wearing green rings on herst three fingers growled.

    Anyone who heard her voice would know that she was a woman.

    "She lived among demons and all manner of wild beasts at the Ancient Forest Of No Return for six months. I have witnessed how good she is and I can tell you that she is not an easy target," The second figure, who had no distinguishable voice retorted, his murderous res shot at thedy who had already taken down her first opponent so soon.

    "I havee this far to get to where I am and I won''t let just one silly brat ruin my over two decades worth of effort. I won''t sit back and let her win. Never!" Thedy in ck cloak grunted

    Joanna who was currently facing her second opponent turned and looked at the spot the two figures stood, then to where the old man who instigated the whole thing stood.

    [It wasn''t the old man orpanions who made the statement so who are those two people standing there? Was the elderly man just a figurehead while those two are the masterminds]

    Joanna was momentarily lost in thought as she stared at the two figures whose identity her system was taking a longer time to process.

    She was so distracted andpletely forgot that she was in the middle of a fight.

    "Watch out Anna!" Audrey and Jocelyn screamed at the same time to warm her against the man charging towards her.

    Luckily for her she was able to dodge the man''s attack before it was two lengths.

    [Although my chances of winning look impossible against their outrageous numbers. As long as I can maintain my stats and do everything possible to prevent injuries then victory is definitely within my reach. I need to win this no matter what]

    Joanna''s mind wandered away for a minute as she studied the movement of her second opponent who seemed to be tougher than the first.

    Soon the battle of onedy against fifty contestants who were majorly men that looked ridiculous first became more intense and serious after Joanna single handedly knocked out twenty powerful werewolf men.

    The elderly man who thought that Joanna wouldn''tst five minutes was shocked when another of hispanions fell at Joanna''s feet after being beaten to stupor.

    Both Jocelyn, Carl and Audrey who were previously worried about Joanna''s safety found it hard to believe what their eyes witnessed.

    "Thest time we parted ways Anna couldn''t even throw a proper punch. Also you told me that she was pushed off a cliff into that dreaded forest no one dares tread upon. So tell me, since when did she be so powerful?" Jocelyn whispered despite knowing that her conversation wasn''t a secret to the beings around her who had supernatural hearing abilities.

    "The way she fights so skillfully made it look as if I am an amateur who barely started learning how to fight," Jocelyn continued. Her eyes followed every movement the fighting Joanna made.

    "Ever since she returned she hasn''t told me much about what she was up to in that six months and how she managed to survive ande out of that dangerous ce no one has ever returned after stepping foot into it¡­" Audrey trailed.

    It was at that moment it dawned on her that knew little about this her reborned best friend who rose from the ashes.

    "I haven''t seen her demonstrate such unparalleled strength until now so I don''t really know what to tell you," Audrey replied honestly.

    She was sad that Joanna hid such a huge secret from her but she somehow consoled herself with the fact Joanna might have had her reasons for doing so.

    "Anyone who sees her will assume she is a general who has been fighting on the battlefield all her life not knowing that wasn''t really the case. After she is done we really need to ask her how she is so good at martial arts when she has never received any formal training," Jocelyn murmured.

    The way Jocelyn stared at Joanna with so much admiration showed that there was a huge possibility she would have fallen in love with Joanna at that moment if Joanna was a guy.

    Although winning or losing thepetition would have little or no effect on her and her ns Joanna fought as if her life was on the line.

    Her bravery and perseverance as she fought the men which were twice her size endeared her to the hearts of the spectators watching the battle with great anticipation.

    For those still supporting Jocelyn and the rule of Alpha Benjamin, seeing Joanna take down her opponents one after the the other ddens their heart. They finally saw a glimmer of hope in their once hopeless situation.

    Just like a dream Joanna managed to take down over fifty men without sustaining major injuries.

    During the fight her hands got shed by hidden darts and her right leg was also pierced by a dagger. She sustained other simr injuries but none of them were severe.

    Despite that the injuries caused a decrease in her stats but not even enough to keep her down.

 Chapter 606 Unnamed

    Chapter 606 Unnamed

    "Weren''t you the one most eager to be the new Alpha so why are you only standing there when it''s just you remaining? Don''t tell me you are too scared to challenge me after watching all your followers lose to me?" Joanna taunted just to get the elderly man into the fighting ring.

    Even though she had singlehandedly taken down over fight powerful men, Joanna resembled someone who hadn''t thrown a punch yet.

    It was as if she was possessed by a beast with unparalleled powers.

    "Anyways it''s OK if you don''t want to step into the ring because the rule never said I need to win you to be the Alpha. Remaining outside the ring shows that you have backed out of the contest and that automatically makes me the winner since you are the only contestant that is left," Joanna bragged a victorious smile lingering at the corner of her lips.

    She turned her back to the man so that she was facing Audrey and Jocelyn.

    "Am I right girls?" Joanna asked. She secretly signalled Audrey to go do what she was excellent at.

    "Of course, someone''s else cowardice will not only make you save your strength and time but you will also be the legitimate Alpha of the Golden Core Pack. By bing the true Alpha none can question you or your authority. They were the ones who set the rules so I am they wouldn''t dare go back on their words," Audrey chirped in and she winked naughtily at Joanna.

    "If they are wise like they often imed, I am sure they will live quietly within the forum walls of their home after they have seeded in embarrassing themselves," Jocelyn snarled, deliberately letting out a chuckle to further irritate the men who had made her life difficult for over two months.

    "Over my dead body will I let you little rabbits rule the Pack," The elderly man charged forward with his dagger aiming at Joanna''s neck.

    "Then go and die," Joanna turned and grabbed the neck of the man who tried to snuck an attack at her.

    He thought he stood a chance with Joanna''s back facing him unbeknownst to him that Joanna had deliberately given him false hopes so that he would muster up the courage to attack her.

    "I heard since ancient times it was only cowards who dared to attack their opponents from behind. I didn''t know that such a respected figure like you was a coward,"  Joanna mocked. She squeezed the man''s hand so that the dagger in his possession fell off.

    "All is fair in love and war, didn''t anyone ever teach you that?" The man jeeredughing maniacally as if he had lost his sanity.

    "It''s only a fool who turns his back to his enemy¡­"

    "Luckily, I am not foolish but you are. You couldn''t even resist the small bait I threw at you," Joanna whispered, grinning.

    "If I were you, I wouldn''t be too happy because the real battle is just starting, hahaha," He let out a hystericalugh which got Joanna wondering about what he meant.

    "I thought you were only a coward, I can''t believe you are also a sore loser. You are the one who came up with this ridiculous arrangement howe you are hell-bent on not epting defeat?" Joanna growled and angrily hit the man in the Chet''s which sent him flying across the fighting ring.

    People waited to see the stubborn man sprang up to his feet but surprisingly hey there lifelessly on the floor.

    Cheers of victory erupted in the air as soon as it was confirmed that the elderly man had lost consciousness.

    "Girl, despite that the result is in front of me I can still believe that you did it?" The overwhelmed Jocelyn muttered almsot in tears.

    "Not so fast everyone. She had one more person to defeat to be crowned the winner," A man''s cold voice erupted causing the happy cheers to cease immediately.

    Everyone turned and gazed at where the voice came from to see how the new challenger was.

    To their surprise, the challenger wasn''t a man with a muscr body like Joanna''s other contestants.

    He was a man who had a simr build to Joanna. He was just a few inches taller than her and surprisingly he had unique green eyeballs just like how Joanna''s was purple.

    "Jocelyn, who is that? I didn''t see him with the other men earlier. He is someone we should be worried about?" Audrey bombarded Jocelyn with questions about the unexpected intruder who just had to step forward and ruin their happiness.

    "Our pack is not huge and because of that I often have no difficulties recognizing people''s faces but I can confidently tell you right here that I have never seen him before at the pack," Jocelyn replied.

    The evil aura surrounding the intruder made her subconsciously rub her palms together.

    "Are you saying there is a possibility he might be a threat to Anna?" Audrey demanded. She tilted her head and gazed at thedy by his side who was obviously worried just like her.

    "Let''s hope we are wrong," Jocelyn murmured as she stared at the guy who had stepped into the fighting ring.

    Since he won''t stop moving forward Joanna had no other option but to step backwards and properly examine her new opponent.

    Unlike how her system normally analysed the identity of the ones she came across no notification popped up. Because of that, she wasn''t able to know anything about the guy standing in front of her.

    Apart from his green eyeballs, there was nothing special or weird about the slim guy in front of her.

    "Are you ready or do you want me to give you some time to regain your strength?" The guy in a ck shirt asked, a hint of mockery evident in his voice.

    [My system wasn''t able to analyze the identity of those figures in ck cloaks earlier. Is he perhaps a part of their team?]

    Joanna studied the guy in silence hoping there was something on his body that would give his identity away.

    "That is not necessary. Let''s get over with this as soon as possible," Joanna replied sternly. She moved around as the guy did and she didn''t forget to study all his movements.

 Chapter 607 Unnamed

    Chapter 607 Unnamed

    "Anna, be careful. Nobody knows where he crept out from so you can''t underestimate him," Audrey mumbled just to warm Joanna about her new opponent.

    "I never underestimated him from the moment I set my eyes on him so don''t worry," Joanna replied. She dared not take her eyes off the guy for a minute for fear of what he was capable of doing.

    "I thought you were fond of attacking your opponent so howe you aren''t making a move, Her Majesty?" The guy implored while grinning evilly.

    [Did he just call me Her Majesty?... Apart from Drey, no one else knows that Kay and I are married so how did¡­]

    The guy seized her momentarily distraction to attack her. His movement was so fast to the point that Joanna had no opportunity to dodge or counter back.

    He wed her badly on her right shoulder which sent Joanna screaming at the top of her lungs.

    "Arrgh¡­" Joanna shouted in anguish, her right hand covering her wounded shoulder.

    "Anna, are you alright?" Audrey asked worriedly. She rushed forward but Carl grabbed and pulled her back before she could step into the fighting ring.

    "The introduction says nobody can step into the fighting ring when the battle has started. Have you forgotten that?" Carl scolded fiercely.

    "But Anna is badly hurt¡­"

    "I am fine Drey so stand down," Joanna intervened when she saw Audrey trying to break free from Carl.

    "Compared to this I have suffered worst injuries in the past so this is actually considered as nothing," Joanna added as she let go of her bleeding shoulders which for some unknown reason had refused to heal.

    "From the way you whining like a baby, I doubt you willst for another ten minutes¡­"

    "Why don''t you shut the hell up and worry about yourself instead?" Joanna cut in rudely as she threw a murderous re at the guy who was already jubting.

    Anyways she couldn''t me him for acting this way since hurting her at his first attack was something none of the other opponents she defeated were able to achieve.

    "As far as I know we don''t fight with our mouths but with our handse on," Joanna beckoned him to move closer with a wave of the hand.

    The battle from then onwards wasn''t for the weak-hearted to watch. Joanna was badly battered by the man''s weapons and she didn''t hold back either.

    The several injuries she sustained took a great toll on Joanna''s stats. Her health point, stamina and agility were affected greatly.

    [Joanna Anderson thinks of what will be of Jocelyn if you fail here. You havee a long way to give up now. Jocelyn trusted, you can''t afford to let her down. You can do this, Joanna]

    Joanna tried to encourage herself. She carried her wounded body from the floor she was knocked down on by the guy who wasn''t any different from her.

    "Anna, give up if you can''t go on anymore," Audrey who could no longer handle seeing Joanna in pain pleaded at the girl who was leaping on one foot.

    "Yes, Audrey is right. I am grateful for what you have done for me and my brother. I won''t me you if you give up so¡­"

    "I will see this to the end. Just get ready to throw me a huge party after I am done handling him," Joanna muttered, forcing on a smile.

    She looked at the guy who was ready to attack again.

    [The likes of him would not be a match for me if I had used my fireball. I remember I became a hot sensation and was even called a witch after I publicly used my powers on campus. If I use the fireballs here sooner orter this will be a problem so I can''t do that no matter how much I want to put an end to this]

    Joanna''s thoughts wandered away as she continued to study her opponent''s movement.

    Joanna was still thinking of ways to do that would guarantee her victory without having to continue dragging out the battle when she discovered her opponent''s weakness.

    [I nearly forgot that creating fireballs is not the only thing I could do with my mes. I wonder why I haven''t thought of this yet]

    Joanna grinned evilly as she kept on staring at the guy''s chest which she had badly injured not long ago.

    "He bragged of being immune to pain. Let''s see whether he will be able to endure this without passing out," Joanna murmured smirking.

    She vanished as soon as shepleted her sentence only to reappear in front of her opponent.

    Before he could react Joanna hit his chest with both of her zing palms which was as if she had lit them on fire.

    A scream of anguish that almost deafened everyone erupted in the air the instant Joanna hit the guy.

    He fell to the floor yelled and writhed in pain. The onlookers who didn''t see what Joanna''s palms looked like were a bit taken aback at the guy''s actions.

    So many of them thought he was overreacting until the guy who could no longer handle the excruciating pains copsed.

    Those who moved closer to check what had happened were dumbfounded at the state of the guy''s chest.

    Instead of the previous w wounds left on his chest, it was as if hot coal had been poured on the guy''s chest.

    And the most shocking of all these was that the wounds didn''t regenerate like a werewolf''s wound she had.

    "You won! You did it!" Jocelyn let out a shout of victory as she raced towards Joanna.

    Despite being in severe pain Joanna spread her hands for a warm hug but only to be swept off her feet by the excited Jocelyn.

    Jocelyn effortlessly lifted Joanna off the floor and swung her around like the winner that she was.

    "Ouch!" Joanna let out a cry of pain the moment Jocelyn irritated her wounds by mistake.

    "I am sorry," Jocelyn apologised after letting Joanna down.

 Chapter 608 Unnamed

    Chapter 608 Unnamed

    Just then the anchor called for silence. It took him not less than five minutes to restore absolute peace to the rowdy ce.

    "After a tough battle that would definitely go down in the history of our pack, Miss Joanna single-handedly defeated her opponent and became the winner of today''s contest," The anchor announced without beating around the bush.

    He was afraid he would be dragged off the stage and beaten to a pulp if he did anything contrary to formally announcing the winner of the fight.

    "ording to the rules of the contest. From now on Miss Joanna is our Alpha, the first ever female Alpha since the creation of our pack¡­" The loud cheers and apuse that followed him forced him to pause his speech.

    "As our legitimate Alpha, no one has the right to question him or undermine her authority. From this moment onwards, she rules the pack and everything and everyone in it," He concluded and another round of chaotic cheers and apuse filled the air.

    The paled Joanna copsed as soon as she was pronounced the new Alpha of the Golden Core Pack. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment to reach.

    "Anna, are you alright?" Audrey picked up Joanna from the floor and shook her repeatedly but she got no response.

    "Let''s take her home," Jocelyn suggested and quickly signalled Carl to carry Joanna.

    "Don''t worry, I have got this," Audrey offered to be the one to do it.

    Maybe if this was when Joanna and Kayden didn''t get married she would have had a problem with Carl getting close to her best friend.

    Because the identity of Joanna''s husband was special she was afraid trouble might arise if words get out.

    "Let''s go," Audrey announced and immediately took the path leading to the pack house which wasn''t so far away from the Pack square.

    After they got to the pack house, Joanna was immediately attended to by one of the best doctors at the Pack.

    Joanna''s injuries were so severe to the point that almost all parts of her body were bandaged. The only part of her body she didn''t sustain injuries on was her face.

    Jocelyn and Audrey had thought that Joanna would wake up the next day but s that wasn''t the case. Joanna only regained consciousness five dayster and within those given days she was in bed three assassination attempts were made on her life.

    On the fifty night Audrey, who had been staying by Joanna''s side during the time she was unconscious, sprang to her feet the moment Joanna let out a low groan.

    "Anna, are you alright? Do you need something, perhaps water or food?" Audrey asked worriedly. She assisted Joanna to sit up with her head resting against the headboard.

    Joanna scrutinized her environment as soon as her vision got a lot better. She didn''t need to look for too long to notice that the room she upied wasn''t the same room she shared with Audrey.

    "Where am I and what happened to me?" Joanna said with her voice she had turned coarse due to the result that she had been unconscious for a few days.

    "From the moment you were dered as the winner of the contest at the Pack Square, your identity was never the same anymore. As the new Alpha Jocelyn relocated your things to the room befitted for someone of your title," Audrey exined.  She turned and sat on the bed''s edge after making sure that Joanna wasfortable.

    "You and I know that I didn''t partake in the battle because I covet the title of the Alpha neither do I want to be treated or seen as one. Howe you didn''t tell her that she didn''t have to do any of these things?" Joanna reprimanded sternly.

    "Of course, she is aware of your good intentions. However, many eyes were watching and lots of ears listening so had to make such arrangements. It hasn''t been long since she seeded in securing her brother''s position with your help, I am sure you don''t want her to be criticized for treating the new Alpha poorly, right?" Audrey countered Joanna''s point. She was careful enough not to agitate Joanna since she barely regained consciousness moments ago.

    "How is Jocelyn? Was she and Carl able to stabilize the situation in the Pack after my victory?" Joanna asked out of sheer concern.

    "Also, about the green-eyed guy I fought withst. He didn''t seem ordinary, did you guys ensure to investigate him?" Joanna demanded fiercely.

    Seeing her so serious as she tried to know the status of things in the pack during her absence made Audrey doubt if this was the same girl she had grown up with.

    Audrey believed that the first thing Joanna would demand for the moment she woke up was food. She ever expected that the situation of the pack would be the topic on her mind.

    "Why are you just staring? Say something," Joanna urged as she waved her right hand at the face of thedy whose mind was obviously not with her.

    "Jocelyn is fine physically but she is mentally exhausted since she had to take over your duties during the period you were ill. I think dealing with the elders of the Pack who had been demanding to see you had been the toughest for her," Audrey replied seriously just to match Joann''s sternness.

    "About the green-eyed guy, Rachel and I went to his home to investigate his identity since he seemed suspicious from the beginning. But unfortunately, when we reached his home, we discovered that he was killed¡­"

    "He is dead?" Joanna blurted with widened eyes.

    "Although I emerged as the winner at the end, the green-eyed guy wasn''t bad higher. Even in his injured state, I am certain he could still effortlessly defend himself so howe he was murdered?" Joanna voiced out while in deep thought.

    "Actually, his death wasn''t the only one. During the past five days, a total of seven people got murdered in cold blood. Rumours that people from Twipera Kingdom were responsible for the sudden deaths had circted the entire pack," Audrey confessed with her head bowed in silence.

 Chapter 609 Unnamed

    Chapter 609 Unnamed

    "The security in the pack is tight. Not just anyone can trespass into their territory so what do they mean by people in the Kingdom if they are responsible for the killings?" Joanna growled as if Audrey was the originator of the rumours.

    "Of course, I know the rumours are false but what more can we do in this situation other than watch them nder our people? We will be used of siding with the enemies if we dare try to refute the rumours, you know that right?" Audrey tried to reason things with the angry Joanna.

    "I have witnessed just how unreasonable people here can be so how can I not understand the point you are trying to make?" Joanna murmured. She tried to climb out of bed but Audrey stopped her.

    She insisted Joanna must stay in bed a while longer.

    "Which is why I have decided to lead the investigation of the killings and even the disappearance of the old Alpha. Who knows this investigation might lead us to the one we are searching for¡­"

    "I know you have nothing but good intentions for wanting to join the investigation of killings but have you forgotten your new title?" Audrey scolded fiercely.

    "As the Alpha, you are not supposed to deal with such trivia instead you are to appoint someone to carry out the investigation," Audrey tried to educate Joanna in case she had forgotten that she held the highest authority in the pack at the moment.

    "Have you forgotten that Kay was the one who personally led the investigation we partook in not long ago? If someone of his caliber could do that then who am I¡­"

    "But¡­"

    "Also, don''t you know that I am more efficient in stuff like thispared to a bunch of werewolves I would assign for the investigation?" Joanna refused to yield to Audrey on this one.

    "Ok, you win so will you be calm now? You have barely woken up after lying in bed for five days," Audrey surrendered when she realised that she stood no chance against Joanna.

    "Even from the most severe injuries it normally takes me a maximum of a day to recover. I can''t believe it took me not two but five good days to recover this time around. It''s just so unfortunate that I can''t investigate this issue since the one who hurt me is dead," Joanna whispered.

    She caressed some of the ces she remembered she got wounded on that day even though the injuries had healed.

    "Yes, it''s unfortunate he got murdered but you can''t be happy just yet nor must you let your guard down. We don''t know when the assassins will show up again. Jocelyn, Rachel, Carl and I had difficulties fending them off so you must be careful at all times," Audrey instructed in a meek tone.

    "What assassins are you talking about?" Joanna enquired confusion written all over her face.

    "Ever since the very night you have been dered the Alpha assassins have been frequenting the packhouse like their homes every night. It was always noisy each tonight that is why I am a little surprised you don''t know anything about it¡­"

    "I was unconscious and not sleeping, what is so surprising about this?" Joanna cut in abruptly.

    Just then Audrey jerked up from the bed like she just remembered something important.

    "I am sure you must be starving. I will ask those in the kitchen to prepare you something yummy. While at it, I will let Jocelyn know that you are awake. I bet she will be thrilled by the news," Audrey said, excitement written all over her pretty face.

    She vanished from the room before Joanna could say a word.

    As soon as Audrey instructed the kitchen on what to prepare, she went straight to Jocelyn''s room to ry the news to her.

    The moment Jocelyn, who was in her underwear preparing to retire for the night heard the news, she grabbed a jacket from her wardrobe and raced out of the room.

    When Jocelyn set eyes on the just awoken Joanna, her excitement rose to the peak. She embraced Joanna to the point that the suffocateddy had to plead for Jocelyn to let go.

    While the threedies chatted, Carl and three other guards stood at the door and guarded the area.

    Because Joanna still looked a bit weak Audrey and Jocelyn had to cut their conversation short so that she would retire for the night.

    After Audrey and Jocelyn left, Joanna freshened up and changed into a blue pyjama that one of the maids had prepared for her.

    An hourter Joanna was seen sleeping on the magnificent bed with her right hand clutching the ne around her neck.

    It was in her deep sleep that her system alerted her that there was an unfamiliar figure in her room.

    Without making a sound the just awoken Joanna slid her hand underneath her pillow where she had hidden a set of poisoned darts.

    "Who is there?" Joanna sat up on the bed as soon as she uttered the word. She fixed her deadly res on the figure standing close to her windows.

    "Who are you and why are you lurking in the dark without turning on the lights? Are you looking for something?" Joanna asked the person whose scent she couldn''t recognize.

    Just then she recalled what Jocelyn and Audrey told her about the assassination attempt on her life when she was unconscious.

    "I just asked a question so why aren''t you saying anything?"  Joanna enquired ready to attack the person if he dared make a move.

    Joanna was looking forward to a fierce battle that would soon ensue between the two of them but to her dismay, the guy was gone in the blink of an eye.

    "Which assassin runs away in the middle of his mission?" Joanna chuckled unable to hide her shock.

    "If he thinks he can escape without me finding out who is their leader then he is wrong," Joanna mumbled. She raced out of the door the assassin left open.

    Being a very persistent person Joanna refused to give up on the chase despite that the assassin ran into the dark forest at such ate hour of the night.

 Chapter 610 Unnamed

    Chapter 610 Unnamed

    Soon enough her persistence paid off. Joanna caught up to the guy at the edge of the cliff.

    "Who the hell are you and why were you in my room?" Joanna demanded coldly.

    "Who sent you to assassinate me huh? Say it or else I will make you face something worse than death?" Joanna threatened fiercely, her right hand glowing red in an instant.

    "Joan!" A familiar voice called out to her.

    The me in Joanna''s hand distinguished the moment the figure at the edge of the cliff turned around and revealed his face.

    "K-k-kay!" Joanna yelled and her voice echoed in the forest.

    For a minute Joanna thought she was seeing things since she only regained consciousness not long ago.

    Even after she rubbed her eyes twice she still couldn''t believe that the one standing in front of her was her lover.

    "Weren''t you unconscious, so what are you doing here?" Joanna demanded, not daring to move closer for some unknown reason.

    "Also, the security at the pack is tight. It''s almost impossible to get past the security guards guarding the territory so how did you get here?" Joanna continued with her interrogation.

    Although the one in front of her had the face of her lover due to the circumstances surrounding the condition Kayden was in when she left the Kingdom she couldn''t bring herself to believe that he was the one.

    "When did you regain consciousness¡­"

    "Are you just gonna stand there questioning me? Won''t youe and embrace me?" Kayden said with his hands spread for her to run into.

    Even though it was obvious that he was waiting to be embraced Joanna didn''t move an inch from where she stood.

    "I can see you didn''t miss me but I did so I will be making the first move," Kayden said and took big strides towards where the startleddy stood.

    When he got much closer he spread his arms and hugged her tightly.

    "Ever since I opened my eyes you were the first person I looked for. I asked for you to be brought to the pce when I heard you had left but only to be greeted by the news that you left for the kingdom for some unknown reason¡­" Kayden trailed off, his grip around her neck grew tighter as he talked.

    "This was the longest five days of my life. I thought I would die of loneliness if I didn''t see you so I came over to visit you despite knowing the risk involved. I am sorry if I had startled you," Kayden said. He took a long sniff at her natural body scent that he had missed.

    Not convinced by his story Joanna held his hand and gently unwrapped it from her body.

    "If you came to see me because you missed me then why did you act like a thief who was caught stealing earlier? Why did you run off like that when I asked who you were?" Joanna asked sternly. She fixed her scrutinizing eyeballs on his face.

    "ording to the news my men residing here sent you have been unconscious for five days. I didn''t expect to see you awake. I was flustered upon turning around at the sound of your voice," Kayden exined in a calm tone.

    He tried to embrace her again but Joanna pushed his hands backward.

    "The almighty Kayden Greyson ran all the way here just because he was flustered that his wife whom he believed to be unconscious was awake. Do you expect me to believe that hmm?" Joanna quizzed, her eyeballs fixed on his.

    "Ok, ok, you caught me there. I should have known better that my smart wife wouldn''t get easily fooled like that," Kayden said in defeat.

    "Come, let''s sit over there and I will tell you why I ran when I realised that you were not unconscious like I was informed," Kayden continued.

    He grabbed her hand and led her to the edge of the cliff where they sat beside each other.

    A few minutes into their conversation Joanna who was previously on edge was able to rx around Kayden.

    "Actually, I am not surprised you have spies here since ancient times kings were known to be wary of their enemies. But what I want to know is if it''s safe for you to be here," Joanna voiced her fears. She pulled away from the arms of the man she was resting on.

    "Apart from the fact that you being a vampire alone will cause trouble, I am afraid that a war might break out if you are caught and they learn about your real identity in the process. We will be used of being partners¡­"

    "No such thing will happen so you can rx. Also, have you forgotten that I am a hybrid hmm?" Kayden smiled at her instead of being anxious just like her.

    "Nobody will find out that I am a vampire except I want them to so you can enjoy this private time with me at ease because no such thing will happen," Kayden assured her. He pulled her onto himself once again.

    "But¡­"

    "My wife just became the most powerful figure in the pack. Do you think I will let her get into trouble before she can enjoy her reign?" Kayden teased. He hugged her just as much as he had missed her.

    On the cliff, the two lovebirds chatted and yed together until it was morning.

    While they chatted Joanna had forgotten that this moment was short-lived until it reached the time for them to part ways.

    "Joan, it''s less than an hour before my usual morning bathe. The maids will enter my room to get me prepared for my morning assembly. There will be chaos in the pce if news gets out that the King who was supposed to be unconscious had gone missing from his inner chambers," Kayden said while stroking the hair of thedy whose head was resting on his legs.

    "You said you regained consciousness five days ago, are you telling me that no one was aware that you had woken up? Not even the maids?" Joanna asked. She adjusted her head so that he was staring at his face

 Chapter 611 Unnamed

    <h4>Chapter 611 Unnamed</h4>

    "Only the doctors in charge, Chris, Gideon, Kyle, Josephine and Finley are aware that I have regained consciousness. Nobody else in the pce is aware of this¡­"

    "I heard no incidents that happen in the pce is a secret. News in the pce travels like wildfire¡­"

    "The people I mentioned are my most trusted persons. They would never disclose the news to anyone except I permit them to," Kayden said confidently. Joanna had nothing more to say about the incident after Kayden assured her that his secret was safe with the people whose names he mentioned.

    "Do you have to leave now? Can''t we stay a bit longer?" Joanna who was reluctant to leave Kayden''s side voiced her inner feelings.

    "You should know there are no two ways to this. Everything I have worked hard to achieve will go down the drain if the news that I have woken up circtes," Kayden replied. He stopped caressing her hair afterwards.

    "Joan, right now I am doing everything for both of us. Just give me a little more time and I promise you that not only will you enter the pce as my legitimate Queen but also I will make sure nothing or no one poses a threat to our happiness and safety in the future," Kayden pleaded. He reached out his hand and hugged her tightly.

    "After this is concluded you and I will be together and nothing or no one will say otherwise, trust me, Joan," Kayden murmured.

    They continued to embrace each other for a few more minutes before the time for them to really part ways was reached.

    Although he was the one who said he had to return to the pce, it wasn''t easy for him to part ways with the woman he yearned to be with every hour of the day.

    It was difficult for both of them but they had no choice but to let each other go since that was currently their fate they must deal with.

    Thanks to her system Joanna was able to sneak back into her room unnoticed by anyone.

    It wasn''t up to five minutes before she returned that Audrey came to check up on her.

    "You usually love sleeping in, especially on those when you don''t have lectures so howe you are awake by this time?" Joanna who was about to climb out of the bed when Audrey enteredmented.

    "On the first day, you fell into aa, I didn''t get a wink of sleep throughout that night. And for three consecutive nights, I have slept less than three hours each day. I am sure you wouldn''t have been this surprised to see me here if you were aware of this," Audrey narrated. There was a hint of pride in her voice as she spoke so highly of herself.

    "Ooh¡­ that is very nice of you. Don''t worry you will be able to get tons of sleep now that I am awake¡­"

    "I doubt that will happen with the disturbances going on in the pce," Audrey interrupted as she moved to the bed to join Joanna there.

    "I haven''t seen you so disturbed in a long time. Is the situation here that horrible to make you look so miserable?" Joanna asked a bit more seriously.

    "There is panic and fear everywhere. Just yesterday, two girls were murdered in cold blood in broad daylight and you know the most marvelling thing about this incident?" Audrey asked rhetorically.

    "It was the fact that nobody saw who killed those girls even though there were so many eyewitnesses around. It was as if they were attacked by an invisible being," Audrey ryed one of the incidents she witnessed during the time Joanna was unconscious.

    "All my life I have always known werewolves to be proud beings that have so much confidence in their powers but you should have seen how horrified these supposed brave beings were when they saw their kind fell to the floor lifeless," Audrey shuddered just at the thought of what transpired the previous day.

    "Did you say they were attacked by an invisible being?" Joanna asked as if that was the only part of Audrey''s narration she heard.

    "Yes. Maybe something simr to the beings we battled with on that fateful night we ran into Kayden and his men on the street," Audrey exined.

    [If what Drey said is true then does this mean that the recent killings in the pack are the demon''s doing or is there another mysterious being in the pack that is responsible for this?]

    Joanna was lost in thought as she tried to analyze the situation through the little information Audrey gave her.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything hmm?" Audrey touched Joanna''s hand after she noticed that she was in a daze.

    "I remembered Jocelyn said that they have been investigating the disappearance of her brother and the killings. Do you know if they have any leads about his whereabouts or witnesses and evidence about the killings?" Joanna asked after she was able to sort out her thoughts a bit.

    "Despite that they have investigating the cases and searching for Alpha Benjamin for so long nothing tangible hase out of it. In fact, from what I have learned so far it feels as if that they haven''t been investigating at all," Audrey replied without hiding a single detail from her.

    "If Rachel who is not a seer couldn''t help out in the investigation at all I wonder what is gonna happen to us," Audrey couldn''t help but voice out her concerns.

    "Are you saying Rachel is a seer just like her grandma?" Joanna asked, a bit surprised to hear Audrey''s revtion.

    "From what I remembered she didn''t possess such abilities when we visitedst time or did we miss something back then," She added.

    "We didn''t miss anything back then. Rachel told me she only started manifesting such abilities about a month before her grandma''s death," Audrey replied in a calm tone.

    "The Great Seer is dead?" Joanna half yelled with widened eyeballs.

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