Chapter 972: Ugly and Deserved
"You just forgave me like that?"
Shirley was dumbfounded. Her expression of disbelief seemed to ask, 'Jane Watkins, are you really so benevolent?'
Jane closed her eyes tightly, reminding herself that someone as intelligent as she should not argue with a fool. After a moment, she said, "Of course, I have conditions. You can't cause me trouble without reason in the future."
"I cause you trouble?" Shirley pointed at her nose, feeling utterly wronged and wanting to plead her case to Anthony. How could Jane say that she caused trouble?
"Except for yesterday, you were always the one troubling me before!" Shirley exclaimed indignantly, "You deliberately wore the same clothes as me to embarrass me!"
"Do you really think," Jane reasoned with Shirley, "that if I knew in advance what you were going to wear, I would choose to dress the same as you?"
That did seem unlikely. Jane liked to be unique after all. Nonetheless, it was undeniable that Shirley had been embarrassed and mocked!
As if she could read Shirley's thoughts, Jane said, "Ms. Lopez, I'm naturally prettier than you, and that's not my fault. I heard you often skipped etiquette classes as a child, so if my demeanor and poise surpass yours, that's not my fault either."
That reasoning appeared quite sound.
Shirley, overwhelmed, cried and apologized before she retreated to her room in a daze.
Clint was once again astounded by Jane's formidable logic.
"Do you really not hold a grudge?" Anthony asked.
Jane took a sip of juice, looked up, and offered a light smile before she said, "Would it not be tantamount to bullying to argue with a fool who's merely used as a pawn?"
Unbeknownst to Jane, when she looked up with that light smile, her eyes sparkled with charm.
Clint quickly averted his gaze, wary that Anthony might catch him staring. At the same time, he thought, 'Weren't you just bullying Shirley?'
"Pawn?" Anthony stared at Jane, intrigued.
Jane said no more, firmly adhering to her decision to limit her interactions with Anthony, who had a fiancee. She did not believe that Anthony could be so easily deceived.
With Shirley's brain, how would she even know about Jane's allergy to green bean powder? And even if she did, where would she find the courage to sprinkle it on her bed? She must have been manipulated.
Jane resolved to deal with whoever was orchestrating these events.
The allergic reaction had been severe but brief.
Jane had completed her recovery check-up and was cleared to be discharged that evening. Although her body had nearly recovered, the red rashes on her skin lingered, necessitating the application of ointment.
Upon returning to the Clark family home, Jane discovered that Aurora had not yet returned from the hospital. Aurora needed to remain hospitalized for at least a week to ensure the safety of her pregnancy.
Jane thought that Aurora's pregnancy had been fraught with complications from the start, which led to the instability of the fetus in the late stages and required protection.
However, Jane's concerns were elsewhere. She was preoccupied with obtaining any news about her brother, Jovan, and his whereabouts.
While taking a bath, Jane spent a half-hour examining the red rashes on her body in the mirror as though staring at them would make them disappear. Ultimately, she sighed in resignation and reached for the ointment, only to realize she could not apply it to the spots on her back.
"Sadie, are you free? Can you come in and help me apply ointment to the rashes on my back?" Jane asked, donning a bathrobe and using the internal phone in her room to call Sadie, who had returned to the Clark family villa to manage affairs since Ann was still in the hospital.
"Alright, Ms. Watkins, please wait a moment," Sadie responded.
About five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Jane's smile froze when she opened the door and saw Anthony. Facing him, her expression clearly asked, 'Why is it you?'
"Weren’t you asking for help with the ointment?"
As Anthony attempted to step inside, Jane immediately tried to shut the door, but he blocked it with his foot.
"I called for Sadie," Jane said firmly.
"Sadie is busy," Anthony, who had intercepted Sadie halfway, said with a straight face.
"Then I won’t trouble you, Mr. Clark. You’re much busier than Sadie," Jane countered.
"I’m not busy right now."
Jane rolled her eyes as she thought, 'Is he pretending not to understand?'
"I don't need your help with the ointment. Can you leave?" she insisted.
Anthony, still holding the door with one foot, leaned against the doorframe and looked at Jane with an intrigued expression as he said, "Jane Watkins, are you shy? Haven’t I seen your back before, or is there any part of your body I haven’t seen?"
"Anthony Clark, your mouth works fine, so why can't you speak properly?" Jane retorted, visibly annoyed by his indecent remarks.
Unfazed, Anthony continued, "If you don't apply it, you’ll get scars."
The word 'scars' struck a nerve with Jane, and she nearly acquiesced with a sharp "Ok, fine."
In the end, she said firmly, "No, I won't."
Despite previous instances of closeness between her and Anthony, Jane had neither initiated nor welcomed such intimacy. She did not consider herself strictly principled, but she adamantly refused to undress in front of her ex-boyfriend who was engaged to another woman.
"You deserve it if it leaves scars," Anthony stated coldly.
Jane retreated to the bathroom, removed her bathrobe, and attempted once more to apply the ointment to her back. Failing again, she thought, 'Maybe I should forget about applying it.'
However, Anthony’s words reverberated in her mind.
'If you don't apply it, you'll get scars.'
'You deserve it if it leaves scars.'
Pausing to consider her options, Jane decided to call Clint, asking him to come to her room.
Within two minutes, there was an urgent knock at the door.
"Clint, did you manage to eat something... Why is it you again?"
Jane's surprise turned to exasperation as she found Anthony standing before her. This time, his expression was much worse than before.
"If I hadn't come, were you planning to let Clint apply the ointment?" Anthony's face was clouded with anger.
"How did you know?" Jane was genuinely puzzled. She did not mention asking for Clint's help.
"Jane, Clint is a man!"
"Do you think I can't distinguish between men and women?" Jane replied, amused by his absurdity, "Seriously, Anthony, why do you look as if someone cheated on you?"
Jane and Clint were close friends, and she trusted him implicitly, confident that he would never have any improper thoughts about her.
Anthony's frustration seemed to peak. He really wanted to pry her head open to understand her thoughts.
Without another word, Anthony pushed the door open with force, seized Jane by the wrist, and pulled her inside, tossing her onto the bed.
Startled, Jane landed softly on the bed.
"It's clean," Anthony said abruptly, revealing the stark red rashes as he pulled open her bathrobe.
After discovering the green bean powder, Clint had immediately replaced Jane's bed with a new mattress, bedding, and covers. The room had been thoroughly cleaned to ensure no traces of the allergen remained.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
