Chapter 973: No Secrets Between Us!
Jane felt a shiver run down her spine as she struggled, but Anthony skillfully pinned her down, rendering her unable to move.
"Anthony, are you addicted to harassing me?"
Jane was no longer Anthony's girlfriend; why did he think he could just strip her clothes off whenever he wanted?
Anthony, seemingly able to read Jane's mind, continued to apply medicine to her back and responded, "You can go and complain to Aurora, can't you?"
"You!" Jane was rendered speechless by Anthony's shamelessness. She gritted her teeth and gave him a thumbs-up as she said sarcastically, "You're really something else! So shameless!"
He ignored Jane's sarcasm, and when he felt her squirming, he pressed a painful spot on her back and warned, "Move again, and I'll dislocate your arm."
Frightened by the threat, Jane stopped moving.
Dislocating and then resetting an arm was well within Anthony's capabilities. His skill in the manipulation of bones was indeed profound.
Resigned, Jane lay quietly on the bed, saying nothing more.
Anthony had carefully inspected Jane's back earlier. The previous bruises had mostly healed, but now her fair and delicate skin bore a rash, which was quite concerning.
It was enough to enrage him.
"Anthony, what are you doing with your hands?!" Jane exclaimed when she felt Anthony's slightly rough fingers glide across her back, causing her to shiver.
Anthony's hand paused almost imperceptibly. He would not admit that he had been lost in thought and had subconsciously caressed her smooth skin. For a moment, it gave him the illusion that they had reconciled.
"Applying medicine," Anthony stated calmly, masking his distraction.
'Do you even have any medicine on your hands? Do you always apply medicine with your fingers instead of a cotton swab?' Jane thought to herself but did not say anything.
She wondered if Anthony felt any embarrassment over his brazen actions, but she certainly felt embarrassed.
"Jane, what's your problem?" Anthony asked as he finished applying the medicine and pulled Jane's robe back up to prevent her from catching a cold. He continued to say, "I told you, Aurora and I have no future together."
‘He did say that he wouldn't marry Aurora.’
"I also said that no matter what happens, she's your fiancée now," Jane asserted as she sat up and moved about two feet away from Anthony. She said, "Anthony, I believe a man may not always be loyal to love, but he must possess a sense of commitment, right?"
A relationship, an engagement, a marriage—all these were forms of special commitments. Once such a commitment was established, there should be a fundamental sense of respect and adherence to it.
…
After Anthony left, Jane rested in her room for a while before contacting the computer repair technician to check on the status of her device. She was informed that the computer would be ready in approximately three days.
Once the ointment on her body had dried, Jane changed into casual clothes and descended the stairs, where she encountered Clint, who was coordinating a security check of the villa.
"Clint, what's going on? Did you turn around and tell Anthony our secret?"
"What secret?" Clint appeared horrified as he replied, "We have no secrets!"
"Then why did Anthony show up when I called you? What if I had something important to discuss?" Jane felt it was necessary to have a serious conversation with Clint, who seemed to have some issues.
"What important matter could you possibly have? Wasn't it just to have me apply medicine for you? I overheard you talking to Sadie," Clint retorted, "Jane, you're aware of Anthony's intentions. How could I take his job?"
Jane closed her eyes tightly in frustration. Attempting to discuss the topic of platonic relationships between men and women with Clint was Jane's naive mistake. She should have known better than to discuss this with Clint.
"Jane, if there's nothing else, I'll just..."
Jane gestured with her hand, signaling for Clint to leave. As she made this gesture, she suddenly froze. She realized that subconsciously, she still viewed herself as having some sort of connection with Anthony. Otherwise, she would not have dismissed Clint so naturally. Given Clint's position next to Anthony, even someone like Aurora, who was nearly integrated into the Clark family, showed him due respect.
Jane could not help but reflect on Clint's earlier words: "Jane, you're aware of Anthony's intentions. How could I take his job?"
Her heart skipped a beat.
With Anthony away on business and both Ann and Aurora not yet returned, Jane felt it inappropriate to roam the Clark family villa alone. She settled into the living room, idly playing on her phone.
Suddenly, her attention was captured by a heated discussion in a group chat she had joined some time ago.
[Who knows who Joe offended? His graduation thesis was exposed as fake, his degree was revoked, and he was expelled from the university. To worsen matters, he was caught using drugs and many of his misogynistic comments were exposed by the media! A female student even came forward to accuse him of rape!]
[Can he turn things around?]
[No way! The academic issue is minor, but the drug use will get him jailed. The rape charge could also land him in jail if he can't settle it out of court with the girl.]
[The Green Group's stock is plummeting.]
[I wonder if Joe or someone else in the Green family offended someone.]
[Joe's been pretty low-key lately, and he hasn't done anything wrong. Who could he have offended?]
'He offended me; he offended Anthony.’
This was Jane's first thought.
The people in the group said that Joe had been low-key recently, but he had offended Jane at the Clark family villa. Although no one was present that day, Jane did not believe that someone as shrewd and intelligent as Anthony would miss anything that transpired under his roof.
She felt certain that Joe’s derogatory remarks and unwelcome advances toward her had reached Anthony’s ears, prompting him to settle both old and new scores.
Anthony was indeed one of the few people capable of achieving such results in such a short time.
Jane's heart skipped a beat.
…
Anthony seemed very busy, and Jane did not see him again until it was almost bedtime.
Her sleep was restless, troubled by the day’s revelations. She awoke from a disturbing dream just before midnight, unable to fall asleep again.
She decided to go downstairs for a walk, and during that process, she heard Anthony's voice on the first floor.
"Are you sure?" Anthony asked.
"Yes. The kitchen received three pounds of green beans three days ago, but now there are less than two pounds left. The staff haven’t used any. During this time, only Aurora went in and used the blender. Considering the time, Aurora and Shirley were together most of the time, so Aurora had the time and opportunity to do this," Sadie reported.
"Alright, I understand."
"Should we inform Jane about this?"
"No, keep it a secret."
Jane retreated silently to her room, her heart chilling with the implications of the conversation. She did not believe that Shirley would harm her using green bean powder; as it turned out, it was Aurora. Most shockingly, Anthony decided to keep the matter a secret.
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