Chapter 712 "Johnny, get your ass back here right now!"
Johnny stood at the entrance, just watching quietly.
In the big dining room, silver candles flickered, but only Lola was there. She was dressed in her work clothes, the black blending into the dim light, making her look even more alone.
The candlelight danced on her face, showing no emotion.
Johnny looked down to change his shoes, his voice light, "In a good mood today, huh? Enjoying a candlelight dinner by yourself?"
After slipping into his indoor slippers, he walked over and tried to kiss her, but Lola turned away. She said coolly, "I just find the lights too bright."
She nodded towards him.
Johnny's lips curved slightly as he walked to the other side and sat down, pouring himself a glass of red wine. But neither of them drank, just watching each other.
After a long silence, Lola finally spoke, "Have you thought it over?"
Johnny picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and sneered, "I said, both kids stay with me, or no deal."
Lola stared at him. After a while, she smiled faintly, "Why so stubborn, Johnny? I'm sure there are plenty of young women willing to have kids for you."
Johnny's eyes widened a bit.
He stared at Lola, not blinking, not wanting to miss any change in her expression... Her words reminded him of that unexpected kiss last night.
Maybe out of revenge, or maybe because of their strained marriage, he did want to let loose a bit. But at the crucial moment, he calmed down.
Back then, he felt a bit uninterested and didn't want to continue. Was Lola worried about Shirley?
He sneered, "Are you really willing to hand over my wife's status to someone else?"
Lola looked at his hateful face and smiled, "Johnny, since I was born, I never married anyone for status. On the contrary, many people want to gain status from me."
At this point, she didn't mind hurting him.
Sure enough, Johnny's pupils contracted, his long fingers gripping the wine glass turned white with force, and he slowly spoke, "Mrs. Flores, you don't need to keep reminding me how I was chosen by the Hawkins family."
He paused and then said, "I know you got my schedule from Felicity, and I know you looked into Shirley's house, but that doesn't prove anything. My relationship with her is public, and that house is a reward from the company for her."
Lola heard it clearly; he was trying to disgust her.
She lowered her eyes and sneered, "Talking about cheating in such a refined way is truly disgusting!"
She looked up and said calmly, "Johnny, you've crossed a line. You can have new feelings, but that should be after our divorce. Maybe you're comfortable with Ms. Wells, but do you know what she thinks? Will she do something drastic?"
Facing him, Lola lost her appetite.
She got up and started walking upstairs, but he grabbed her wrist. Turning her head, she saw Johnny's handsome but slightly gloomy face, his voice low, "Forget about the divorce, and I'll recommit to home!"
Lola stared at him for a long time. She shook him off, her expression as if she had heard a joke.
How ridiculous!
She didn't know whether to laugh at Johnny or at her own foolishness back then.
Lola went upstairs.
Johnny didn't leave immediately; he sat back at the dining table, the silver candlestick still burning with flickering flames. The food prepared by the servant was untouched by Lola, only that half glass of red wine was sipped a little.
Johnny picked up that glass of red wine and drank it slowly.
Cindy came over and whispered, "Mrs. Flores hasn't eaten dinner since she came back. Since you brought... that person back last time, she doesn't laugh much anymore. Mr. Flores, please don't mind me saying too much."
Johnny played with the wine glass with his fingers, not speaking.
Cindy didn't dare to say anything else and backed away.
Johnny sat until midnight, the candles had already extinguished long ago. He slightly tilted his head towards the upstairs direction, looking until his eyes were sore and dry before he got up lightly.
Late at night, a black Land Rover drove into an upscale neighborhood.
When Shirley opened the door, she joyfully threw herself into his arms.
Even though he still didn't engage in sexual relations with her that night, she knew that a man's heart would soften in the face of a woman's tenderness. The warmth he couldn't get at home would be found here with her!
In the early morning, in a meticulously decorated apartment, a man was sleeping on the sofa.
The phone vibrated, it was Lola calling.
Johnny didn't wake up.
Shirley walked out of the kitchen, and upon seeing the caller ID, she bit her lip lightly, picked up the phone, and quietly answered in the bedroom, "This is Mr. Flores's phone, you can tell me if you need anything."
Lola called early in the morning because of a project with Vertex Innovations Group that needed to be discussed with Johnny, not expecting Shirley to answer.
However, it wasn't surprising.
Lola said calmly, "I'll call back later." Then she hung up.
Shirley pressed the end call button, thinking about what to say later, when she saw Johnny standing at the bedroom door, his face extremely gloomy, "Who told you to answer my phone?"
Shirley didn't have time to delete the call record.
Her face turned pale, and she handed the phone back to him, explaining cautiously, "I saw you weren't awake, so I answered it without noticing the caller."
Johnny checked the phone, seeing the call record was only a few seconds, his expression softened slightly as he asked indifferently, "What did she say?"
"Nothing much, Mrs. Flores said she would call back later."
Johnny put away the phone and turned to leave. Seeing him change his shoes, Shirley felt a rush of anxiety. She walked over and hugged his waist, "You haven't had breakfast yet. How can you leave?"
Johnny pushed her away, "I'll eat at the company!"
His attitude was cold, and Shirley didn't dare to say more, only helping him tidy his clothes and seeing him downstairs. The driver was already waiting downstairs, and Felicity got out of the car.
Shirley, with a hint of misfortune on her face, greeted Felicity charmingly, "Good morning!"
Felicity just nodded indifferently.
When Shirley went back, she walked in a way that was noticeably unnatural, as if she had been hurt by Johnny.
Felicity snorted coldly, "Shame!"
Johnny got into the car and casually asked, "What were you talking about?"
Felicity told the truth, her words quite venomous, "Mr. Flores, you really should take care of yourself. Men at this age are already cultivating themselves, your affair with Ms. Wells is outdated!"
Johnny didn't explain. He turned his face to look at Shirley's back, walking with a limp. He was slightly lost in thought, and Felicity couldn't help but say, "As long as you don't regret it, Mr. Flores."
Johnny's expression slightly darkened. "Go!"
From that day on, he neglected Shirley a lot, rarely visiting her. Even when Shirley invited him several times, he only accompanied her for a meal, and sometimes she couldn't even see him, as Felicity always insisted that Johnny was busy.
Shirley thought the problem lay with Lola.
One day, after finishing an economic case, Lola walked out of the courthouse.
A white Maserati was parked at the entrance, and the window rolled down. Shirley took off her sunglasses, looking at Lola, "Mrs. Flores, do you have time to talk?"
Lola, standing at 5.6 feet tall, stood straight, and her lips slightly curved, "Please call me Ms. Hawkins now! I can give you one minute, any longer will be charged."
Shirley's face fell. "Why do you have to use your position to put others down?"
Afraid Lola would leave, she quickly added, "When are you planning to divorce Mr. Flores? He's very unhappy, every time he confides in me, I can feel his pain. Ms. Hawkins, you should let go and not add to his pain, and you should give him freedom."
Lola found it ironic and sneered, "You should say these words to Johnny."
Talking to Shirley felt disgraceful. Lola walked to the other side, opened the car door, and quickly drove away.
Shirley bit her lip and put her sunglasses back on, her face full of frustration. She thought provoking Lola would make her lose control and fight with her, wanting to escalate the situation to force Johnny to divorce her.
Unexpectedly, Lola ignored her completely.
Shirley was anxious, knowing the inherent flaws of men. Johnny sought her out partly to anger Lola, but also for novelty... this couldn't be hidden from her.
Once the novelty wore off, she would have no chance.
Shirley decided to make a big move.
On Saturday noon, Lola was having lunch at The Hawkins Mansion. Recently, she had lost some weight, and Charlotte specially made soup for her, then tried to subtly ask about her and Johnny's situation.
There were many rumors.
Lola was ambiguous.
At this moment, Frederick returned, having an appointment to play golf with a friend. The car stopped in the yard, and Frederick jumped out of the car, agile for his age.
Entering the hall, Lola called out, "Dad."
A stack of photos was thrown onto the dining table, Frederick clutching his chest, very angry, "Call Johnny back and have him explain whether these photos are real or Photoshopped!"
Seeing his face shift, Charlotte hurried to get him some medicine. After taking a pill, Frederick felt a little better but was still very angry.
Lola picked up the thick stack of photos, all quite intimate, featuring Johnny and Shirley, traveling together in Lumina, playing golf, and passionately kissing at the apartment entrance. Lola's fingers trembled slightly.
She stared at the passionately kissing couple, their expressions so engrossed and lost, as if they would merge into each other soon. Lola's lips trembled slightly, and after a while, she cast her eyes down and smiled.
She said, "How could it be Photoshopped! These are surveillance screenshots! These photos must have been sent to you by Shirley."
Frederick, with a cold face, dialed Johnny's number, "You, get back here immediately!"
Lola looked at the photos for a while, then gently put them down. She sat down and asked the servant to serve her another bowl of soup, slowly drinking it. Frederick and Charlotte thought she was too calm.
After finishing it, Lola said calmly, "Dad, Mom, I have some business to attend to!"
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