Chapter 710 "Johnny, are you trying to force me again?"
Johnny gave his orders, and just as the maid was about to head to the kitchen, Lola spoke up, "No need! Just get Johnny's ready."
The lighting was harsh, and Johnny stared at Lola.
After a moment, he pulled out a cigarette, took a long drag, and asked, "I've been gone for a week, and this is what you have to say to me?"
Lola smiled coolly, "Everything I want to say is in the agreement."
Johnny's fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly. He took another deep drag, his cheeks hollowing out, giving him that rugged charm that came with age.
He looked at her coldly.
"If you want to talk about this, then you should definitely have dinner with me," he said.
Lola's expression remained calm. She turned to the maid and said softly, "Do as Johnny says."
The maid was too scared to make a sound.
When Mr. and Mrs. Flores argued, it was tough for the servants. Now that Lola had given in, the maid felt relieved and quickly said, "I'll get right on it."
In the large hall, only the couple remained, in silence. Johnny, with the cigarette in his mouth, walked to the dining room and sat down. Under the crystal chandelier, his hair fell over his forehead, giving him a somewhat disheveled look.
He pulled out the chair next to him and said calmly, "Sit down!"
Lola really didn't want to argue with him, nor did she want to disturb the kids. She walked over and sat down, intending to take out her phone to play with it, but Johnny spoke first, "Where are Angelina and Austin?"
"Doing their homework. I'll ask them to come down."
"Let's eat first!"
Johnny extinguished the cigarette, his gaze fixed on Lola's face. He said softly, "Tomorrow is the weekend. Let's take the kids to our parents' for dinner. It's been a while."
Lola frowned slightly, and just as she was about to say something, the maid brought the food.
The maid, sensing the tension, tried to lighten the mood, "Today's ingredients are fresh. Mr. Flores, Mrs. Flores, please enjoy!"
With the servant present, the couple paused their argument.
Lola smiled faintly.
Johnny saw the maid off, and once she was gone, he said to Lola, "Eat as much as you can, and I'll finish the rest."
Lola felt a bit dazed.
When Johnny was young, he ate a lot. Anything Lola didn't want or couldn't finish, she could pack up for him to eat.
Years had passed, and they no longer followed this habit. Now, he brought it up again, clearly trying to make her reminisce about the past and not divorce him. But if he didn't want a divorce, what about Shirley? Was she just there to provoke Lola?
Lola didn't want to think about it. She asked him softly, "Johnny, the kids can't go with you. You can propose other conditions. What will it take for you to sign the papers?"
Johnny was eating. He took a bite of the egg, which was indeed well-made, but he couldn't taste any flavor at all. He slowly finished the egg, looked at the remaining half of the yolk, and said lightly, "Today is my birthday. Mrs. Flores, you probably forgot... I know you're eager to divorce, but at least have this meal with me. Even if we divorce, we should have a farewell meal. Besides, we're not like ordinary couples. Even if we divorce, we can't avoid contact. Don't you think?"
Lola was taken aback. His birthday.
Johnny saw her expression and chuckled bitterly, "You really forgot! I guess the only date you remember is his death anniversary."
Lola pursed her lips, "It's your birthday, let's not bring that up."
Johnny stared at her, "Do you still care about me?"
Lola didn't answer. She lowered her head, picked at a piece of vegetable, and ate it slowly. Then she ate the egg, but only half of the other dishes. Johnny finished the rest.
After eating, just as she was about to speak, Johnny stood up, "I'll go check on the kids."
Lola called after him, "Johnny, let's talk about the agreement."
He was already at the stairs. He turned around and looked at Lola intently, "It's my birthday. Do you have to keep bringing up the divorce?"
Lola sighed, "Fine! We'll talk about it another time."
Johnny went upstairs and headed straight to the study.
Angelina and Austin were focused on their homework. Lola had done a great job teaching them. They knew Johnny was back but didn't rush downstairs. Instead, they obediently did their homework first.
Johnny pushed the door open, and Angelina, delighted, ran over, "Daddy!"
Even the usually reserved Austin had a slight smile on his tightly pressed lips, clearly happy.
Johnny bent down and picked up Angelina.
Angelina, being a reserved girl, only let Johnny hold her for a short while before shyly saying, "I need to do my homework!"
Johnny gave her a little pat on the head and put her down. Then he walked over to Austin and looked at his homework. Austin's grades were much better than Angelina's. Johnny didn't mind, as boys were expected to take on the family business, while daughters could be pampered.
Knowing Johnny was behind him, Austin was particularly diligent.
Johnny thought Austin was a bit like him, but also not really. Austin's background was much better than his... He bore the Flores name, but he was also a child of the Hawkins family.
Angelina finished her homework first.
Johnny noticed she still had some memorization to do, but he ignored it and read a leisure book with her.
Under the lamp, Austin was very focused.
Angelina leaned against Johnny, her big, shiny eyes looking at him. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Daddy, will you and Mommy get divorced? Will Austin and I be separated, like some kids in my class, one with Daddy and one with Mommy?"
Johnny was taken aback and then looked at Austin.
Austin's little face was tense, clearly aware of the situation.
Johnny placed his hand on Angelina's shoulder and asked seriously, "Who told you that?"
Angelina didn't want to say at first, and her little face was about to break into tears. After a while, she whispered, "I overheard the servants talking. They said Daddy and Mommy are in a silent treatment and might get divorced. They're worried about losing their jobs and are already thinking about sending out resumes."
Angelina bit her red lips and asked, "Daddy, what's a resume?"
Johnny felt a pang in his heart. He stroked Angelina's hair and, after some thought, said, "Daddy and Mommy won't get divorced! We'll be there for you as you grow up together."
Angelina was reassured. Johnny never lied.
Austin, who had been silent, finally relaxed his tense little face. He let go of the hem of his pants and continued with his homework. After finishing, he even self-studied computer programming.
In the first-floor hall... After Johnny left, Lola instructed the maid to take his luggage upstairs. The maid hesitantly asked, "Mrs. Flores, where should I put Mr. Flores' luggage?"
Lola thought for a moment and said, "Put it in the guest room."
The maid just focused on getting the job done.
Lola followed upstairs and returned to the master bedroom. She didn't turn on the light and quietly sat on the sofa by the window. The window was half-open, and the cool night breeze was refreshing.
In the dim light, the night glass emitted a faint glow.
Lola reached out and picked it up. She leaned back on the sofa, quietly looking at it. It was a gift she had prepared for Johnny but never gave. She remembered that night when he had been rough with her, causing her so much pain. At that moment, her hand had touched this gift on the bedside table... For a moment, she wanted to smash it down, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Lola's eyes grew moist.
Johnny suddenly pushed the door open, catching her off guard. Lola didn't have time to hide her melancholic expression, but by the time Johnny turned on the light, she had already put the glass away.
The bright light filled the room, and the couple stared at each other in silence for a long time.
Lola spoke calmly, "What's the matter?"
Johnny turned and placed his hands behind him. He looked at Lola and slowly said, "The maid put my luggage in the guest room. Was that your idea?"
Lola didn't deny it. She said softly, "We're in the process of a divorce agreement. It's not appropriate to share a room anymore."
Johnny stared at her intently. After a while, he sneered, "Lola, we're still married! What if I want to have some fun tonight? Would you really say no to that?"
Hearing this, Lola felt a pang in her heart. After a moment, she slowly said, "Johnny, do you still want to force yourself on me? You say you don't want a divorce, but in this marriage, am I just your exclusive outlet for your sexual desires?"
Johnny's gaze tightened, "Is that what you think?"
Lola sneered, "What else?"
They confronted each other, neither willing to back down. Finally, Johnny slowly walked over to her. He leaned down, placing his hands on the armrests of her sofa, getting very close to her, so close that their breaths intertwined and his high nose touched hers.
His voice was cold, "Just now, Angelina asked me if Daddy and Mommy would get divorced. She said the servants at home were talking about our marriage, worried they wouldn't be able to keep their jobs. Lola... even the servants feel this way. How do you think the kids feel? Knowing their parents are getting divorced, how sad they are?"
He brought up the children, clearly trying to make her give up.
Lola knew this all too well. She looked at his face and softly asked, "So, Mr. Flores, tell me, you bring a woman who you're involved with to the company annual party, you let your children see another woman coveting their father, how do you think they feel? Are you trying to provoke me or prove your charm? Johnny, let me tell you, I can't accept either way!"
She continued, "If you really care about the kids, you should cooperate with me to minimize the damage! In the future, if you want to be with Shirley, that's your freedom and legitimate. I will... I will explain it to the kids for you."
"She's not the issue between us!" Johnny snapped. "I have no interest in her. That night was just an accident. I didn't sleep with her. I sobered up at the last moment and came home."
Johnny laid it all out and asked her, "Why can't you let this go? Why don't you think about how I feel, knowing you still have Darren in your heart? Lola, I just wanted you to feel that pain! Does it hurt?... it should. For the past three years, I've been in pain every moment, wondering when you would forget Darren and start over with me."
Lola gently closed her eyes. She felt her heart ache, as if it was being corroded... She had always wanted to leave gracefully, but Johnny wanted to retaliate against her. How did their marriage end up like this?
In his questioning, she honestly told him, "It hurts! Mr. Flores, are you satisfied? If so, let me go! I want to sleep now."
She was so disappointed in him that she didn't even bother to mention the divorce.
Johnny stared at her face. Suddenly, he grabbed her lips and kissed her hard... He forced her to kiss him. When she resisted, he bit her lips hard, as if he was trying to awaken her passion.
Lola didn't resist. She just stared at him coldly.
That look made Johnny's body go cold. He pressed against her neck and murmured, "Lola, I don't want to divorce you! Don't push me... okay?"
Lola didn't respond. She was half-leaning on the sofa, her shirt buttons mostly undone, revealing new marks on her skin that looked shocking. She quietly listened to him, quietly letting him button her shirt.
Johnny took a deep breath, "It won't happen again! I won't force you anymore."
He slowly moved away from her, and slowly stood up... The light went out without him noticing, and they watched each other in the dark, becoming strangers in the darkness.
Finally, he said, "I can move to the guest room, but I won't divorce you!"
He added, "Lola, you'll be Mrs. Flores for the rest of your life."
Until he left, Lola didn't speak. She just lay there quietly... When the bedroom door closed, tears finally fell from her eyes.
In truth, Johnny didn't love her anymore. He refused to divorce because of his obsession, feeling abandoned. But the one who had always been abandoned was her.
Their relationship had fallen into a stalemate.
Johnny rarely came back, only two or three times a week, but when he did, he spent time with the kids, still acting like a good father, and was gentle with Lola.
But behind the scenes, they were cold and distant, not even bothering with pleasantries.
Over time, everyone around them knew their marriage was in trouble. Frederick called Johnny over for a talk. When Johnny came out, he looked indifferent. He seemed to have made up his mind. He wouldn't divorce, but he also wouldn't try to change Lola's mind.
He couldn't compete with a dead man.
The black car left The Hawkins Mansion. The driver looked at his boss's unpleasant face in the rearview mirror and asked, "Mr. Flores, should we go back to the villa or to the office?"
Johnny said indifferently, "To the office."
The driver turned the car towards the office. About half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the company. The building was impressive, built by Johnny two years ago.
As the car stopped, a woman stood in front of the car, completely soaked.
It was Shirley.
Shirley curled up and approached the car. Johnny sat for a moment, rolled down the window and lit a cigarette, "What's the matter?"
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