Chapter 49: Ken Acts Like A Weasel And Julie And Austen Get A Visit
1404 Words
Joanna looked at Brian. She took a deep breath and said, "I promised you that I would be safe. Now look at me and tell me what you see! I'm safe."
"That's bullshit!" Brian snarled. "You were in a coma. You have cuts and bruises all over your body. That is not what I call staying safe!" To prove his point, he pressed his finger against one of the wounds on her forehead.
The pressure hurt a lot, and Joanna said, "Brian, you bastard. It hurts!"
Brian smirked and said, "Oh? I thought you said that you are safe and sound!"
Joanna's face flushed. "These injuries are not because of the bomb," she argued. "They are from the things on the desk falling on me! What is so hard about that to understand?!?!?"
"And why did they fall off the desk?" Brian asked. "Wasn't it because of the bomb?"
Joanna frowned. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to admit it. In an attempt to change the subject, she said, "Now that my cup is broken, how would you feel about me bringing the pink panda mug with me to work?"
Unfortunately, Brian would not be distracted. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "I am willing to forgive you this time, but if you do anything like this again, you have yourself to blame for what I will do. Do you understand?"
Joanna looked away. She sighed and said, "I understand."
***
Brian promised not to make any s****l advances on Joanna while she was in the hospital, but she didn't trust him. Nor should she have. Her cute face made him want to bite her, so he did.
Joanna's heart began to beat faster as he approached her face with his mouth open. First, he bit her, and then, to her surprise, he kissed her. After the kiss, Joanna looked away. She wiped the saliva off her face and ran her fingers along the indentations his teeth had left in her skin.
Brian smiled and tried to rub Joanna's hair, but when he saw how much it hurt her, he put his hand down. He liked to stroke her hair, so it was hard to restrain himself.
***
Ken Green was genuinely worried about Joanna when he heard about the bomb, so he had his assistant, Pete, check the hospital where she was and keep him updated on her situation. Then, when he got the update that said she was awake, he came over right away.
When Ken arrived, he expected that Joanna would be alone, so he was shocked to find her flirting with another man. He peeked around the corner, and when he saw Brian pat her head, his blood began to boil. Even though he was with Jane, and he was planning on divorcing Joanna, he still thought of her as belonging to him.
Ken watched the way that Joanna looked at the other man. It seemed like she was in thrall to him, and it hurt him to think – That is how she used to look at me! She would never look at him like that again, though, and that fact hit him like a bag of bricks. He thought about her request for ten percent of the shares to his company and decided that she would never get what she wanted - Especially not now!
Ken quietly pulled out his phone and sent Pete a text message. It said: "Watch Joanna, I need pictures of her with other men."
Pete: "Okay."
From his hiding place, Ken could hear Brian and Joanna talking.
Joanna smiled at Brian and said, "I need to visit some friends. Would you come with me, and carry me?"
Brian shrugged and said, "Sure. Why not?"
When Ken saw that they were about to leave the room, he scurried into the Waiting Room, where he wouldn't be seen.
***
Julie was surprised to see Joanna, and even more surprised to see Brian. It was a good kind of surprise, though. These were her first visitors, and she'd been feeling very lonely. "Joanna!" she exclaimed. She was practically grinning from ear to ear.
"Joanna laughed and said, "That's my name. Don't wear it out."
Brian set Joanna down in the chair next to Julie's bed, and then he went to stand by the window. Austen was in bed next to Julie, and he wasn't nearly as happy as Julie. He turned to Joanna and said, "I heard about the bomb. Are you okay?"
Joanna smiled and said, "I'm fine, and I have the two of you to thank."
Austin: "It's we who should thank you."
Joanna: "You shouldn't thank me. If it weren't for me, you guys wouldn't have had to break your current contracts with your brokerage company."
Julie forced a smile and said, "It doesn't matter. If it weren't for this accident, we wouldn't have known how shameless Sarah could be. Although we are just actors, we are also human, and we deserve respect!"
Austin took Julie's hand and rubbed her arm to comfort her. "There, there," he said.
Joanna looked at them and laughed. She said, "Don't worry. I got the liquidated damages ready for you guys. This time you can cooperate with me. Of course, Susan won't like any of this, so after you have spoken to the police, you should still go overseas until this all cools down. I have already bought the tickets. When it is safe to return, I will contact you."
Julie: "Thank you, Miss Devine."
Joanna: "No problem.
Julie: "I'm very grateful. I don't know how I'll pay you back."
Joanna: "I can see many opportunities for you to pay me back in the future. For now, though, just concern yourself with getting better and staying safe."
Julie: "Okay."
"Well, then," Joanna said. "I'll leave you guys to get some rest." Joanna nodded to Brian, and he carried her out of the room. Before they'd made it very far, though, Austen caught up with them. He looked worried, and Joanna asked him if something was wrong.
"I'm not sure," Austen admitted, "I have a bad feeling, and my feelings are seldom wrong." He touched her arm and said, "Be careful."
Joanna nodded and said, "Always. And you look out for Julie, okay?"
Austen smiled and said, "Always."
Joanna: "And don't forget what we talked about."
Austen: "I won't. I promise."
As Austin watched Brian carry Joanna down the hallway, he was reminded of when he first met her. It had been just over five years ago, just before she'd gone overseas. At that time, he was not famous, and he didn't have many fans. However, Joanna had found him, and she'd encouraged him. She'd told him that he was handsome, had excellent acting skills, and would be famous one day. And she had been kind to him.
There had been plenty of new actors at the time. Many were better than he was, but for some reason, she'd been drawn to him. Until now, he didn't know why she had chosen him. At the time, he had been persuaded by her promises. That being said, he had still had his doubts. Joanna had some weird habits, so he hadn't shown her the respect she'd deserved. And he felt guilty about that now.
As time passed, Austen became convinced that Joanna had extraordinary power. At that time, she approached him with a deal. "I will help forward your career," she'd said. "But I need you to do me a favor. I want you to watch Sarah and record her behavior, especially when she's behaving inappropriately. Can you do that for me?"
"I can and I will," Austen had replied.
As Austen thought about that conversation, he couldn't help but smile.
When he returned to the room he shared with Julie, she turned to him and said, "Miss Devine is really nice."
Austin smiled and said, "I think so." In general, Joanna was a good person. Even when she had asked him to put himself in danger, she did her best to keep him safe.
Julie: "I have a question, though. Why did you take credit for posting that video? We both know it wasn't you. Did Joanna ask you to do that?"
Austin didn't look at Julie. He was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "I'll tell you about it later."
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