Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Today, they would finish surveying all the mineral deposits. Tomorrow, he could take Joanna Kennedy back to Aethelburg with him.

Simon Lockwood got in the car. He could still see the girl standing at the hotel entrance. Later, he would regret, more than once, not giving Joanna Kennedy a hug that day.

The black Bentley pulled away from the hotel. The last withered leaf on a nearby plane tree drifted down, landing in the slush below.

Joanna Kennedy stared blankly as the car disappeared from view. She could almost still feel the warmth lingering on her forehead.

’Simon Lockwood had only just left, and she already missed him.’

A tap on the shoulder brought Joanna Kennedy back to her senses. Anna Yates stood there. She was unusually bare-faced today, with dark circles visible under her eyes, and her beautiful curly hair was pulled into a high ponytail.

”Weren’t you supposed to be taking me out? What are you spacing out for?” Anna Yates asked with a smile.

Joanna Kennedy snapped out of it and smiled back. ”I wasn’t spacing out. Let’s go. Today, I’m taking you to the biggest department store here, and then we’ll get some of that lamb soup from the place at the foot of the mountain.”

There was a lamb soup place next to the construction site. Joanna Kennedy had tried it once before and had been craving it ever since.

’It’s also a perfect chance to see Simon Lockwood. Killing two birds with one stone.’ A flicker of anticipation lit up Joanna Kennedy’s eyes.

It was called the biggest department store, but in reality, it couldn’t even compare to the most ordinary supermarket in Aethelburg. Anna Yates, however, shopped with great enthusiasm. If she thought something suited Joanna Kennedy, she bought it. If she thought an accessory was pretty, she bought that too.

Joanna Kennedy bought a white down jacket and put it on directly over her coat. Time slipped by, and it was already 10:30.

An inexplicable anxiety began to bubble up inside Joanna Kennedy, but she didn’t let it show. She just smiled and asked, ”It’s almost noon. Should we go eat?”

”If we leave now, we can probably get to that lamb soup place a little after eleven,” Joanna Kennedy said.

Anna Yates’s head was bowed as she watched the ornamental fish, her expression hidden. She nodded at Joanna’s words.

When they got to the parking lot outside the mall, Joanna Kennedy instinctively moved toward the driver’s seat, but Anna Yates beat her to it. Anna smiled and explained, ”I’ll drive. You’re too slow, and it makes me antsy.”

’Is she dissing my driving?’ Joanna Kennedy’s heart sank a little. She silently got into the passenger seat.

*

Miners were men who traded their lives for money. Every face was weathered by hardship, but the thought of the hefty sum they could earn from a single expedition made it all seem worth it.

There was a skill to mining. The placement of the dynamite, the amount used—it all required precision. With a loud BOOM, Oakhaven’s road to riches had officially begun.

After the dust settled, an experienced old miner went to check and brought back good news: the lithium ore was dense, with no rock separating the veins.

The leaders from the National Mining Bureau were overjoyed. Looking at the hard-working miners, their perfunctory words of encouragement now held a genuine sincerity.

A few more BOOMS echoed. When the smoke cleared, a hole resembling a mineshaft had appeared, to everyone’s surprise.

This was highly unlikely. The leaders, who had just been ecstatic, looked at each other in dismay, their earlier joy vanishing. They could all see the shared disbelief in each other’s eyes.

’Had someone already discovered this lithium mine and started digging? No, that’s impossible. How could there have been zero word about it?’

”This mineshaft is different from what we usually see. We’ll have to go inside and take a look to figure out what’s going on,” one of the leaders said, his expression grim.

The moment he finished speaking, the site fell silent.

With the situation unclear, no one was willing to risk their life to go in and investigate.

”Mr. Lockwood, how about letting your bodyguards go in? We’ll pay them a daily wage of 2,800. They’re in good physical shape, so even if something goes wrong, they can get out in time...”

As he met the man’s cold, emotionless gaze, the leader’s voice trailed off until he was so flustered his tongue nearly tied in a knot.

He knew how unreasonable his request was, but it seemed like the best solution. Others began to chime in, trying to persuade Lockwood.

Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t change. He waited until all the leaders had finished speaking before he spoke coolly, ”A life is a life. 2,800 is their daily wage, not the value of their lives.”

The direct rebuke left the leaders’ faces alternating between pale and flushed. They finally dropped the subject. With the situation at a stalemate, someone suggested they form a party and go in together.

Standing at the mouth of the hole, looking at the loose dirt and dust around the edge, Simon Lockwood frowned. A few miners led the way, with the leaders, experts, and Simon Lockwood in the middle.

Jack Warren tugged Simon Lockwood’s sleeve. ”Mr. Lockwood, let me go in your place.”

His expression was earnest; he truly wanted to take Simon Lockwood’s place. ’This is too dangerous. Mr. Lockwood shouldn’t be going in there.’

But Simon Lockwood shook his head. ”No need.”

”But...” Jack Warren frowned, wanting to press the issue.

Simon Lockwood glanced at the anxious-looking Sean Grant, then said to Jack Warren, ”If you go in, Sean Grant will have to follow you.”

Sean Grant said nothing, but he didn’t refute it.

Simon Lockwood patted Jack Warren’s shoulder. Jack Warren stiffened for a moment but ultimately didn’t insist.

The party entered the mineshaft in an orderly fashion without any immediate incident, which reassured those waiting outside. ’We’ve all seen plenty of mineshafts,’ they thought, ’there’s really no need to be so afraid.’ With that, everyone began to relax.

’Dust was still trickling down. The mountain itself seemed to be swaying, on the verge of collapse. Was it his cold getting worse, making him dizzy?’

The dust began to fall faster. An intense sense of danger washed over him, enveloping him completely. Simon Lockwood’s pupils contracted, and his heart plummeted as if filled with cold lead.

’Something’s wrong... Something’s not right.’ He suddenly roared, ”GET OUT, ALL OF YOU!!!!!”

It was like the horn of death had sounded.

A deafening RUMBLE drowned out the man’s raw, desperate shout.

The mountain collapsed.

The violent rumbling shook the entire mountain. The tremors continued unabated, reaching the village below, shaking a few tiles loose from the dilapidated roofs.

After a long, stunned moment, everyone finally realized what had happened.

’The mountain... The mountain collapsed. The mine collapsed. What about the people who went up?’

The villagers’ faces turned ashen. They began scrambling madly up the mountain—their loved ones were up there, along with their dreams of a prosperous life, now shattered before they could even begin.

Amidst the chaos, the car parked by the lamb soup restaurant jolted twice.

Joanna Kennedy stared blankly at the mountain peak not far away, where a huge plume of smoke and dust was erupting. Amidst the cries and wails, she finally snapped out of it. With trembling hands, she took out her phone. The moment she opened the car door, she nearly collapsed. Her elbow scraped the ground, drawing blood.

A sharp CRACK echoed—the sound of her bracelet shattering into several pieces.

A frantic Anna Yates rushed to help her up, but Joanna Kennedy couldn’t feel a thing.

’Simon... Why isn’t Simon answering his phone? Answer the phone!’

’Answer the phone!!!’

It was chaos. Complete chaos. People were running and screaming in a frenzy. Some were calling the police, others were dialing 911.

She clutched her phone in a death grip and ran towards the site of the collapse, hearing nothing over the howling of the wind and the deafening ringing in her own ears.