Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

The elevator went directly to her floor; without a password, no one could get to the top level. ’This must be the new neighbor from across the hall,’

she thought. Joanna Kennedy opened the door and froze on the spot.

The man was even taller than she’d imagined. He had handsome, coolly detached features—his eyes were very dark, his nose was straight, and his lips, neither too thin nor too full, were pressed into a slight line. It was a somewhat aloof look.

Standing at a safe, polite distance, Joanna Kennedy found herself staring, captivated. Unexpectedly, her gaze met his focused, intense dark eyes, which held an emotion she couldn’t decipher.

Joanna Kennedy suddenly felt a little breathless. She was the first to look away, her fingers unconsciously tightening on the doorknob. ”Can I help you with something?”

Simon Lockwood didn’t miss the wariness and unfamiliarity in her eyes. He slowly lowered the hand that had been frozen mid-knock, pursing his lips. ”Sorry, the sound of moving furniture was a bit loud. I hope it didn’t disturb you.”

Joanna Kennedy had indeed heard some noise earlier, so she didn’t doubt his explanation. She was just about to say, ”It’s fine,” when she caught a glimpse of a silver hearing aid on the shell of his ear.

Under the white fluorescent light of the hallway, the silver device had a distinctly cold, mechanical look. Because it was nestled in his ear and partially hidden by his dark hair, Joanna Kennedy hadn’t noticed it before.

Realizing what she was looking at, Simon Lockwood’s body instantly went rigid. His throat felt dry. ”...It’s a hearing aid.”

”I can hear...”

The man’s voice was calm, but his tightly pressed lips revealed that he wasn’t nearly as composed as he appeared.

Joanna Kennedy couldn’t quite name the feeling. She wasn’t a particularly emotional person, but seeing him explain himself so carefully made her feel an inexplicable stuffiness in her chest.

The discomfort was baseless, yet it washed over her like a tide. After a moment, she just gave a soft ”mm.”

The air fell quiet, growing inexplicably heavy. Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath and said, ”It’s not quiet hours yet. You don’t have to worry about disturbing me.”

Joanna Kennedy added politely, ”If you need any help, just let me know.”

Her tone was distant, her smile polite. Simon Lockwood watched her for a moment before looking away, his voice very soft. ”Thank you...”

That brief encounter felt like a dream. Joanna Kennedy didn’t see her new neighbor again for the rest of her vacation.

”Joanna, what are you spacing out for?”

Mindy Morgan’s voice snapped her out of it. Joanna Kennedy shook her head. ”It’s nothing.”

”I called your name several times and got no response, and you say it’s nothing.” Mindy Morgan set down a script, frowning. ”Were you up all night playing video games again?”

”I’ve told you before, don’t stay up late! Staying up late is the worst thing a female celebrity can do. It’s an easy way to age prematurely!” Mindy Morgan said.

Joanna Kennedy sounded a bit helpless. ”I really wasn’t. I was just zoning out.”

’I haven’t had any energy these past few days. How could I possibly be in the mood to play games?’

Joanna Kennedy’s tone was so sincere that Mindy Morgan reluctantly believed her. She picked the script up again. ”Take a look at this one. It’s a TV series adapted from a novel. The original book is huge, and the plot is good.”

In recent years, adapting novels for the screen had become a popular trend in the entertainment industry, with several hits to its name—mostly historical romance and modern romance dramas. Joanna Kennedy glanced at it once before setting it down. ”Mindy, is it another historical romance?”

”What’s wrong with historical romance?” Mindy Morgan said dismissively. ”This is a huge IP. It could easily be a blockbuster hit. Wasn’t your last smash hit a historical romance?”

”Can I think about it?” Joanna Kennedy asked, trying to negotiate.

That ”thinking about it” basically meant ”no way.” Mindy Morgan knew her all too well. But Joanna Kennedy was the company’s cash cow now, so Mindy could only humor her. She sighed. ”Alright, I’ll go see what other good scripts are out there.”

”Thanks, Mindy,” Joanna Kennedy said with a grin.

The moment Mindy Morgan left, Howard Thorne got the news and walked in, clearly annoyed. ”So picky. You don’t want to make money anymore?”

He was just saying it offhand, but to his surprise, Joanna Kennedy actually nodded and threw up her hands. ”I really don’t.”

Although she said it with a smile, her expression was somewhat serious. Howard Thorne frowned, sat down, and dropped the sarcastic tone. ”This isn’t like you...”

Influenced by her upbringing, Joanna Kennedy had always been a bit carefree and thick-skinned. Other than acting, she’d never shown much passion for anything. She didn’t date, nor did she proactively make friends.

Now she didn’t even want to act anymore. Something was definitely wrong.

”So, tell me. What’s gotten into you?”

Howard Thorne looked ready to grill her for answers, but Joanna Kennedy just said flatly, ”I’ve earned enough. I want to rest.”

Howard Thorne: ”...”

It was such a simple and unadorned reason that he couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it.

”Do you really think it’s a good idea to say that to your direct supervisor?” Howard Thorne said through gritted teeth.

Joanna Kennedy looked completely innocent. ”You’re the one who insisted on asking.”

Howard Thorne: ”...”

”Fine. I can see you’re not in the right headspace these last few days. You should go home and rest. Let’s go get dinner first, and I’ll drive you home myself afterward.”

Howard Thorne had an air of condescendingly doing her a great favor. Joanna Kennedy knew that refusing again would just make him lose his cool, so she had no choice but to agree. However, she refused the dinner invitation, her reason being: ”Paparazzi.”

For a top-tier celebrity of her status, paparazzi and sasaeng fans were unavoidable. If she were photographed having dinner with Howard Thorne tonight, she’d be the top trending headline by tomorrow morning.

As the owner of an entertainment company, Howard Thorne knew Joanna Kennedy had a point, but he was still annoyed. He muttered under his breath, ”So what if they get a picture...”

He was practically wishing the paparazzi would catch him eating with Joanna Kennedy.

”What?” Joanna Kennedy hadn’t heard him clearly and asked, puzzled.

But Howard Thorne didn’t say anything more.

The car pulled into Sinclair Gardens. Joanna Kennedy got out and knocked on the window. It rolled down, revealing the sour look on the man’s face in the driver’s seat.

Joanna Kennedy pretended not to notice and thanked him. ”Thanks, Boss Thorne. I’ll be heading up, then?”

The man remained silent.

The late summer night was a bit chilly. Joanna Kennedy rubbed her fair, slender arms. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a car door slam behind her, and a moment later, a jacket was thrown roughly over her head.

Joanna Kennedy: ”???”

After struggling to pull the jacket off, she saw that Howard Thorne had already started the car and driven off, leaving her in a cloud of exhaust fumes.

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’This guy,’ she thought, ’he’s acting like a total psycho.’

Joanna Kennedy shook her head. She didn’t put the jacket on, instead draping it over her arm, planning to return it to Howard Thorne next time she saw him.

*

In the penthouse, before the floor-to-ceiling windows, a tall, well-built man stood silently, taking in the entire scene. His gaze fell on the men’s jacket cradled in the girl’s arms, and a nearly imperceptible coldness flashed in his eyes.

With his hearing aid turned up to maximum, he thought he could hear the sound of the elevator ascending. Simon Lockwood turned and walked toward his door, completely ignoring the keys on the cabinet in the entryway.

The direct elevator only took a dozen seconds. With a DING-DONG, the doors opened.