Chapter 23 Stay Away From Those Women
Annabel was surprisingly light. Jonathan realized this as he carried her back to the villa, his gaze lingering on her face. Her delicate chin and tightly furrowed brows–even in unconsciousness–caught his attention.
Jonathan’s expression darkened. He thought, ‘What the hell kind of family is the Whites, anyway? If they don’t even know how to take care of their daughter, maybe they should’ve left it to someone else.‘
Leonard had just reheated the dishes when he saw Jonathan walk in, carrying the injured Annabel. “Holy crap.” He let out a startled cry. Rushing over, Leonard asked in a panic, “What happened to Annabel? Why does she look like she’s been through a war?”
Jonathan shot him a glance. “Go fill the bathtub with hot water.”
Leonard froze for a moment. “Huh?”
Jonathan didn’t bother repeating himself. He carried Annabel upstairs, leaving Leonard to snap out of his daze and follow closely behind. After gently placing Annabel on the bed, Jonathan touched her forehead. It was burning hot.
His brows furrowed deeply as he dialed a number, his voice laced with irritation. “How much longer?”
“I’m downstairs now,” said the voice on the phone.
Jonathan hung up, unable to wait even for the time it would take someone to come upstairs. He grabbed the first aid kit and began treating Annabel’s wounds himself.
Out of respect, he avoided anything too personal–just dabbed at the cut on her forehead with iodine, slow and careful.
‘What kind of life forces a girl to keep her fists clenched even in unconsciousness? And to learn how to fight so fiercely that she could take down a group of thugs on her own?‘ Jonathan felt a strange pang in his chest, thinking.
A cold female voice came from outside the door. “Mr. Turner.”
“She got into a fight and sustained external injuries. Now she’s running a fever.”
Jonathan stepped aside, allowing Jillian to enter.
Jillian’s gaze swept over Annabel, quick but deliberate. ‘She’s cute… but so dirty. How could someone like Mr. Turner, with his obsession for cleanliness, let her lie on his bed?‘ Jillian thought.
Jonathan’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and impatient. “Jillian?”
Jillian snapped out of her thoughts and approached the bed, conducting a quick
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examination of Annabel. The external injuries varied in severity, as if she’d fought multiple people. Her temperature read 102°F.
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Chapter 23 Stay Away From Those Women
After treating the wounds, Jillian reported, “No signs of fractures. She’s just asleep for now. Once she wakes up and takes her medicine, the fever should subside.”
Jonathan’s gaze never left Annabel’s face. He responded with a low “Hmm.”
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Jillian asked, “Mr. Turner, who is this girl?”
Jonathan’s gaze turned icy, a silent warning for her to mind her own business.
Leonard came back in, finally done filling the tub. He didn’t seem surprised to see
Jillian there.
His usual playful demeanor was replaced by a cold, even cutting attitude. “Mr. Turner calls, and you show up immediately. But how many times have I asked you to come home? You never listen. When was the last time you saw Mom and Dad?”
Jillian had no intention of discussing family matters here and started arguing with Leonard. She chose silence, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Leonard’s frustration boiled over. “You won’t even talk to me anymore? Jillian, has being a doctor turned you into a robot or something?”
Before the tension could escalate further, Jonathan frowned and barked, “Out.” The command was directed at both siblings, and the Jensen duo wisely left the room.
Once outside, Jillian grabbed Leonard’s arm. “What’s the deal between that girl and Mr. Turner?”
Leonard gave her a once–over. “Still hung up on Mr. Turner, huh? How many times has he turned you down? Don’t go poking around this time. Annabel…”
He abruptly changed his tone. “Well, if you upset that girl, even I won’t be able to protect you. She’s very special to Mr. Turner.”
Jillian fell silent, offering no response.
*****
Worried that Annabel’s fever might worsen, Jonathan held a glass of water to her lips, his movements unusually gentle as he helped her take the medicine. He then instructed a housekeeper to change her into more comfortable sleepwear, ensuring she could rest more easily.
Annabel woke up to the faint light of dawn filtering through the room. She glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Sitting up, she noticed she was wearing silk pajamas men’s silk pajamas. ‘Where am I?‘ thought Annabel.
Getting out of bed, Annabel couldn’t find her own clothes. Instead, she spotted a set of women’s clothing with the tags still attached, clearly prepared for her.
As she changed, her movements tugged at a wound, sending a sharp pain through her side. She merely frowned and continued dressing. Pain like this was nothing to her.
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Chapter 23 Stay Away From Those Women
Before stepping out, Annabel sent Mason her location along with a brief message. When she reached the staircase, she finally saw the other people in the villa- Jonathan, Leonard, and a strikingly beautiful woman with an icy demeanor.
All three of them had faint dark circles under their eyes. Annabel’s mind immediately wandered to less–than–innocent thoughts. ‘Did they party all night? Figures…‘ She raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop, continuing her way down the stairs.
Hearing her approach, Jonathan turned to look at her. “Feeling any better?”
Annabel felt a mix of gratitude and frustration–grateful for his help, but annoyed by his messy and questionable lifestyle. She responded with a polite but distant tone,” Thanks for what you did yesterday.”
Leonard, clearly excited, rushed over to her. “Annabel, who messed with you? Just say the word, and I’ll take care of them.”
Jillian caught the way he treated Annabel. Her eyes lit up a bit, and she thought, ‘Well, that’s interesting.‘
Annabel declined Leonard’s offer and prepared to leave.
Jonathan didn’t try to stop her but followed her out of the villa. “I’ll see you off.”
Annabel kept walking until she reached the driveway. Turning around, she said, “You’re under contract with my company now. No outside gigs allowed. Clean up your past messes quickly, and stop getting tangled up with those women.”
It sounded like a boss giving orders to an employee, but Jonathan could hear the jealousy in her tone. With a playful smirk, he replied, “Alright, I promise.”
Annabel frowned slightly, thinking, ‘What’s with that smile? It’s so… uh… Unable to find the right words, she urged him, “Go handle it. Someone’s coming to pick me up.”
Just as she finished speaking, Mason’s car pulled up. The icy expression on Annabel’s face softened noticeably. Jonathan noticed the change and shot Mason a sharp, unfriendly look.
As soon as Mason stepped out of the car, he felt Jonathan’s intense, threatening gaze. Unbothered, Mason even looked a bit smug as he opened the car door. “Let’s go, Annabel.”
Annabel took a step forward, but before she could take another, Jonathan’s voice rang out from behind her. “Miss White, last night was great. Can’t wait for the next time.”
Both Annabel and Mason froze for a moment before they got into the car. Jonathan watched the car drive away, his playful smile fading into a cold, unreadable expression as he turned back toward the villa.
The Jensen siblings were at it again.
“Jillian, are you coming back or not? Mom cries every time she talks about you. How
Chapter 23 Stay Away From Those Women
can you be so heartless?” Leonard’s frustration was palpable.
“And what’s so great about that lousy research institute of yours? Dad’s about ready to blow a gasket because of you,” he added, his tone sharp and accusatory.
Jillian finally reacted, her gaze locking onto Leonard as she let out a mocking laugh. ” Oh, please. No matter how bad I am, I’m still better than someone who bows and scrapes to a girl half his size.”
Leonard froze. He thought, ‘Oh hell… how did she figure that out?‘
Jonathan walked in. “Either shut up or get out.” The moment Annabel left, Jonathan went back to being his usual cold and ruthless self, showing no mercy to anyone.
Despite his earlier outburst, Leonard ended up staying after pleading and whining.
“How’s the investigation?” Jonathan asked.
Bloodshot eyes and all, Leonard smirked, his voice carrying a playful edge. “Come on, Mr. Turner, when have I ever let you down?” He handed over a file folder. “Stayed up all night. Turns out, it’s all tied to Annabel’s conniving stepmother.”
Jonathan didn’t even glance at the folder. “Send it to Annabel. Anonymously.”
“Wait, what? You’re not delivering it yourself, Mr. Turner?” Leonard asked. He thought, ‘l mean, Mr. Turner spent the whole night looking after Annabel–he’s got dark circles under his eyes and everything.
‘And now he’s found proof to help her… and still wants to stay anonymous? How am I even supposed to sign my own name on this after that?‘
*****
“Annabel, were you with that guy all night? Did he save you?” Mason asked.
“Yeah,” Annabel replied.
Mason tilted his head, leaning in to get a closer look at the bruises on her face. His heart ached as he asked, “Who did this to you?” He reached out, his hand hovering near her cheek, his eyes filled with worry and tenderness.
Annabel turned her head away, avoiding his touch. “Don’t worry about it. The other guy
was hurt worse.”
Mason froze for a moment, his hand lingering in the air before he pulled it back.
“Do you have any leads on the culprit?” Annabel asked.
“Yeah, it’s connected to your stepmother. The evidence in the storage box–take it back to the White family. It might come in handy.”
Annabel retrieved the folder, gave it a quick glance, and then put it away. Half an hour later, as she stepped out of the car, someone bumped into her head–on, causing the documents in her hands to scatter across the ground.
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The man quickly crouched down, turning his back to her as he hurriedly gathered the papers. His voice was low and raspy, as if deliberately altered. “Sorry about that, miss.” Annabel took the documents back and tried to get a good look at him, but the man immediately turned and walked away in a rush, his steps hurried as if he had something urgent to attend to. From the side, his profile struck her as oddly familiar. Frowning, Annabel opened the folder to check its contents. Inside, she found an additional photograph that hadn’t been there before.
The photo showed a woman who had been secretly photographed. Someone had used a red marker to circle her head and then crossed it out with a large X. Annabel froze, her heart pounding. The woman in the photo… it was her mother, Sophie.
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