"Or what?" Joanna turned around, staring at the man's hand around her wrist, her expression as calm as still water. "Would you like to return the favor, Mr. Moran?"
Ace was silent as he stared at her coldly. His deep gaze held a million unspoken words.
Joanna boldly stepped forward, and her face was now inches away from his. Her lips curved into a smirk, and she whispered mockingly, "Mr. Moran is famous for holding grudges, so why pretend? If you're upset, just get even and slap me."
Naturally, Ace didn't lift a finger. Instead, he looked at the people around them, silently commanding them to leave.
Soon, they were the only two left in the large restaurant.
Ace let go of her, and exhaled deeply. "I never wanted to use you…. I may have been lying when I said I loved you, but I truly am sorry for hurting you."
The light of the chandelier accentuated the man's beautiful features, making him look like some kind of ethereal being. He was so near, yet so far.
"Are you… apologizing to me?" Joanna froze, her eyes wide in disbelief. She hadn't expected the insufferably prideful Master Moran to lower his ego and apologize.
"No, you must've misheard me." Ace let out a dry cough, looking embarrassed.
He quickly schooled his expression back into his usual cold mask. "I don't know if you've realized, but Moran Group was gravely affected by your little livestream prank. Since you're the one who did it, you need to take full responsibility for it."
"Didn't I cooperate with your act just now? I helped clear your name! What else do you want me to do?" Joanna bit out furiously.
Personally, she felt like she was being too nice to him. If someone else were in her place, they'd definitely paint him in a worse light and demand a huge sum of money. Joanna, however, couldn't bring herself to do so, as she had truly loved the man for the past three years.
"Everyone is rooting for us, so even if we got a divorce… we'd still have to pretend like we're together in public," Ace explained. He'd even started meddling in the woman's private life.
"On paper, you're still my wife, so it's best that you don't get too close with that Blackwood fellow. It'd be bad for our reputation. Instead, you may continue using your title as 'Mrs. Moran' anywhere you'd like, and you can spend however much you want. Also, if anyone tries to make trouble for you, just tell me right away and I'll come to your rescue."
Joanna was so stunned that her jaw dropped. 'Did he hit his head somewhere? Who does he think he is? Who gave him the right to control my life? Also… did he really say he'd come to my rescue? Ugh, what a narcissist!'
"Mr. Moran, you seem to have forgotten something." Joanna sneered. "Our divorce will be finalized soon, and when that happens, we will no longer have any connection to each other. What makes you think you have any control over my life? Are you the law? Are you God?"
"Your mistress is carrying your child, and yet, you still want to use your ex-wife to protect your precious image. Have you no shame? Do you think the world revolves around you? Also, how could you say you'd' come to my rescue' when all you did was neglect me throughout our entire marriage? You never once asked me if I was okay… Your fake promises disgust me".
This was the first time Joanna felt so irritated with the man. All she wanted to do was leave this place; she didn't want to associate with him any longer.
"Grandpa is getting a heart transplant in two days," Ace said slowly, his eyes still fixed on her. "The doctors said he can't get too worked up."
Joanna turned away from the man as her frosty expression wavered slightly.
Out of all her in-laws, the old Mr. Moran was the nicest to her, as he had always treated her like she was his granddaughter. There was no doubt that he'd be horrified if he were to find out about their divorce.
She would be haunted by guilt for the rest of her life if anything were to happen to him.
Ace seemed to have read the woman's mind, as his expression softened. "Just give it some thought, at the very least. If you agree to do it, I'll come pick you up tomorrow. Where do you live now, by the way? Send me the address later."
Joanna gasped, clenching her fists angrily. 'Why is Ace Moran acting like a young scoundrel? His cold and mysterious image is completely gone!"
"That's none of your business!" She rolled her eyes and strode away.
When the woman got home, she kept tossing and turning on her bed, unable to fall asleep. She kept thinking about that jerk's face, the things he said, and… how it felt when their lips touched.
Emotions whirled in her like a storm. She was furious with him, but there was a part of her that was undoubtedly flustered by the man.
'Damn it, Joanna Pierce! Wake up! Hasn't he hurt you enough? Why are you letting him affect you again?"
She was still able to get some sleep, but her slumber was soon interrupted by her phone ringing early in the morning.
"Joanna, are you alright? Did that jerk take advantage of you? Do we need to call the cops on him?" Clara's panicked voice sounded over the line.
"What? Why are we calling the cops?" Joanna was confused and drowsy since she had just woken. up.
"Did you not watch the news? They caught everything on camera!" Clara stomped her foot angrily as she continued questioning the woman. "Don't tell me you slept with him! You didn't, right?"
"With who now?" Joanna couldn't understand a single thing Clara was saying. She didn't really take Clara's screaming seriously, since she had always been quite dramatic.
"With Ace Moran!" Clara screeched. "Girl, if you really slept with him, I'm going to be so disappointed in you. I know I used to support the two of you, but that cretin crossed the line! Didn't you say you wanted to "divorce him? How could you sleep with him?!"
Clara was only angry out of concern for her best friend. She didn't want Joanna to get hurt again.
"Who said I did that?" Joanna felt awkward, realizing Clara must've watched the livestream from last night. " It was all just for show. Sure, we might have kissed, but I also got to slap him as compensation."
Joanna didn't find the kiss much of a sacrifice, as it was great being able to slap Ace across the face." Damn, that felt so satisfying!"
"Oh, so you slapped him… Nice one, Joanna!" Clara exclaimed, then turned serious again. "But that's still not a good enough reason to sleep with him! Be honest with me though, did you really not sleep with him last. night? You were seen heading home together… Wait, is he next to you right now?!"
"Ew, Clara, don't be ridiculous!" Joanna scoffed, but she didn't remember heading home with Ace at all… That's why she was speechless when she saw the pictures published in the article that Clara sent.
The pictures made it seem like the both of them had returned to Sunshade Residence. Although they weren't exactly heading in together, it looked like Ace had reached the place no more than ten minutes after her.
Sunshade Residence was where she was currently staying. It had only two units, and Liam had personally chosen the location for her. The woman had never revealed her address to anyone else, as she had
always cherished her privacy.
Thus, there was only one possibility: Ace was stalking her.
"That jerk!" Joanna felt chills run down her spine.
After ending the call with Clara, she immediately dialed Ace's number to confront him.
"Why are you calling?" Ace's husky voice sounded rather surprised.
However, Joanna wasn't in any mood to speak calmly, and immediately started to yell. "Ace Moran, how disgusting can you get? Do you really have that much time on your hands? How are you any different from a perverted predator?! You know, I absolutely hate it when someone plays mind games with me! We're divorcing soon, so stop pestering me! If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to call the cops!"
Ace frowned, responding coldly, "What on Earth are you talking about?"
"Stop acting like you don't know!" Joanna gritted her teeth. "Why were you following me last night? The news article mentioned that you didn't leave Sunshade Residence, even after an entire night! Are you still hiding somewhere? Are you trying to spy on me?! I've finally seen your true colors, Moran! That elegance, coldness, and modesty is all fake! You're just a pervert through and through!"
"You're at Sunshade Residence?" Ace ignored her insults, focusing on her words instead.
"Stop pretending!" Joanna clenched her fists tightly. This man is as stubborn as a mule! Why is he still pretending when he's already been exposed?!
Ding dong! Ding dong!
Suddenly, the doorbell chimed brightly, and the woman figured it was the takeout she had ordered earlier.
Hanging up, Joanna rushed over to the door, still in her pajamas. To her shock, instead of the delivery guy, Ace was standing right, on her doorstep.
"Oh my god, you pervert! What is your problem? You were waiting here all along?! I'll call the cops right now!" Joanna never expected Ace to be crazy enough to stay in front of her home for the whole night.
'This is borderline creepy!"
The man's tall figure stood there, his face completely expressionless. "I like your pajamas, but they're a bit too loose around the chest. Be careful, or you might accidentally flash someone."
"Hey!" Joanna's face flushed red as she covered her chest with her arms immediately. She had only ever worn these pajamas to sleep. It was a loose tank top with a lace around the hem. If she wasn't careful, it would be quite easy for her to have a wardrobe malfunction.
"You don't have to cover yourself, we're still legally married," he reminded her indifferently.
"Shut it! Don't you dare look!" Joanna took a deep breath, balling up her fists once more. "Tell me the truth: Why are you stalking me? Why are you here?"