On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 140: The Overbearing Jasper Lockwood
Evening arrived quickly.
Chloe Sterling returned to the Lockwood Residence. After getting out of her car in the garage, she stood in the courtyard, her gaze fixed on the magnificent house in the distance. ’I wonder if Jasper Lockwood is back,’ she thought.
A few minutes later, she walked into the living room. A maid, who was dusting the ornaments, saw her enter and immediately greeted her, "Madam."
Chloe Sterling looked at the maid and asked, "Has the Second Master returned?"
The maid shook her head slightly. "Not yet."
Chloe said nothing more and headed upstairs.
Back in her room, she hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone and sending a text to Jasper Lockwood.
[When are you coming back?]
After sending the message, Chloe sat on the sofa, staring at her phone screen. But her text seemed to vanish without a trace, and a long time passed with no reply.
’Is he really this busy on a weekend?’
Chloe’s expression faltered. She suddenly tossed her phone onto the sofa and stood up to go to the bathroom.
Not long after she entered the bathroom, her phone received a message from Jasper Lockwood. About ten minutes later, Jasper called, but no one answered, and the ringing soon stopped.
When Chloe came out of the bathroom, she didn’t check her phone right away. Instead, she changed into some loungewear and went to the study, leaving her phone forgotten in a corner.
In the study, she took an ancient medical text from the bookshelf. She had been reading for a while before she remembered her phone. Returning to the bedroom, she picked it up from the sofa and finally noticed that Jasper Lockwood had texted her back and even called.
[I’ll be back late. Don’t wait up for me. Make sure you eat well.]
Chloe clutched her phone, pausing for a moment before replying: [Okay, I got it.]
「Meanwhile.」
In a private room at a certain restaurant.
Jasper Lockwood was staring at the belated reply on his phone. The three short, seemingly emotionless words made his chest tighten with frustration.
Beside him, Tristan Sinclair chuckled devilishly and said in a low voice, "Your little beauty urging you to come home? Why don’t you head out? I can handle the negotiations."
After reading the message, Jasper placed his phone back on the table and said flatly, "No need."
’That little woman doesn’t care one bit whether I go back or not.’
Besides, today’s negotiation was crucial. He couldn’t leave Tristan Sinclair to handle it alone. They had to close this deal today; it couldn’t be delayed any longer.
After replying, Chloe took her phone and headed back to the study.
Her mind replayed what Jasper had said just last night—that he only wanted to be with one person for the rest of his life. Yet today, another woman had called him out early in the morning, and he’d been gone all day, not even coming back by evening.
Even though she knew it was work-related, she couldn’t help but feel irritated when she remembered the way that woman had looked at Jasper.
Just then, the butler came upstairs and said, "Madam, the Second Master won’t be back for dinner. What would you like to eat? I can have the kitchen prepare it."
Chloe continued walking toward the study. "That’s all right. I’m not hungry."
The butler said, "....You should eat something even if you’re not hungry, or you’ll be starving later tonight. Is there anything you’d like?"
Chloe replied, "No."
After a moment of thought, the butler said, "Well... then... whenever you feel like eating, please just let me know."
Chloe said, "Okay."
Noticing her foul mood, the butler didn’t press further and said awkwardly, "Then I won’t disturb you any longer."
Chloe pushed open the study door, went inside, and resumed reading the medical text.
Jasper didn’t stay out too late, returning home a little after nine in the evening. When the butler told him that Chloe hadn’t eaten dinner and seemed to be in a bad mood, he immediately went upstairs.
He walked up to the study and was about to push the door open when he heard Chloe’s detached voice.
"Silas Coldwell, don’t bring up the past again. It’s all over and done with. It’s meaningless."
"Whatever my reasons are for staying with Jasper Lockwood, it has nothing to do with you."
"Do you really think I’d ever believe you again?"
Jasper’s eyes darkened. ’The past... over and done with... ever believe you again?’ Her words echoed in his ears. He suddenly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
Inside the study, Chloe still had the phone to her ear. She froze for a second upon seeing him, then quickly said, "I’m hanging up."
Without waiting for the other person to reply, she ended the call.
Jasper walked in, his sharp eyes fixed on her as he asked deliberately, "Whose call was that?"
After a moment of silence, Chloe said, "A spam call."
’Silas Coldwell brought up that time in Country E when I saved him, spouted nonsense about how I care for him, and then asked why on earth I’m staying with Jasper Lockwood. He even said he’d stop pestering me if I just told him the reason.’
’As if I’d believe a word of his crap!’
’Ever since he found out my identity, Silas Coldwell has been dead set on making me join the Nocturne Group and his ambitious schemes, using both threats and incentives.’
’Now he’s even chased me to Crestfall. There’s no way he’d give up so easily.’
Jasper walked up to her, glanced at her phone screen, and said coolly, "Spam calls have been rampant lately. You should probably block all unknown numbers."
Chloe said, "...Right."
Jasper leaned down slightly, planting one hand on the desk and using the other to lift her chin. "Why didn’t you eat?" he asked suddenly.
Chloe tilted her head up to look at his devastatingly handsome face and moved her lips. "I’m not hungry. I didn’t feel like eating."
"You need to eat even if you’re not hungry. Otherwise, you’ll wake up starving in the middle of the night."
"I’ll be asleep. I won’t know if I’m hungry." After speaking, Chloe pushed his hand away from her chin and added, "You’ve had a long day; you must be tired. You should get some rest."
She picked up the medical text from the desk and pretended to read it again.
Jasper glanced down at it, his thin lips parting. "It’s upside down."
Chloe: "......"
’The book is upside down!’
Her mind clearly wasn’t on the book.
Chloe’s fingers tightened slightly before relaxing again. Without a word, she calmly flipped the book right side up.
But before she could even glance at it, the book was snatched from her hands. In the next moment, Jasper pulled her to her feet and into his arms, his lips crashing down on hers in a commanding kiss.
Chloe tried to push him away, but her hands were instantly pinned behind her back. Jasper held her encircled, lifting his head slightly. His magnetic voice carried a hint of dominance. "Are you going to eat, or do you want me to keep kissing you?"
Chloe: "......."
"I’ll give you three seconds to decide. Three... two..."
"I’ll eat!" Chloe blurted out, her face flushed.
A slight smile touched Jasper’s lips as he released her. "Let’s go."
Chloe’s eyes darted, a cunning glint flashing within them. Catching Jasper off guard, she waved a slender, pale hand in front of his face, releasing a faint, sweet scent.
The smile on Jasper’s face froze, and his entire body seemed to go rigid.
Chloe’s lips curved into a smirk. "Do you know why so many people have tried and failed to catch me? This is why."
This was the first time she had ever used the Enchanting Fragrance on Jasper.
He stared at her in silence for a moment before asking, "What is this stuff?"
"My own secret formula. The Enchanting Fragrance. It makes a person lose all their strength in an instant, leaving them unable to move." After a pause, Chloe added, "This is the first time I’ve used it on you, but... but you forced me to. Don’t threaten me again."
"So, are you going to make me stand here like this indefinitely?" Jasper asked.
Of course, Chloe wasn’t going to leave him standing there forever. She cleared her throat. "Promise you won’t threaten me again and that you’ll leave quietly, and I’ll give you the antidote."
Jasper replied, "Then I’d rather just stand here."
Chloe: "......."
