Chapter 49 Video Call
She recognized the girl in the video.
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It was Lemon, the same child who had clung to Jonathan’s leg the first time they crossed paths.
Anneliese felt her mind crash like a system overload.
Lemon’s wide eyes blinked in confusion as she looked at the frozen figure on the screen. She lifted her tiny hand in a wave.
“Why aren’t you saying anything, cute lady? Don’t you remember me? I’m Lemon! Jonathan! Jonathan, why won’t she talk to me?”
Jonathan. She called his name. Not ‘Dad.‘ Jonathan, Anneliese thought.
Anneliese’s head turned slowly, stiffly, toward Jonathan.
He was already staring at her. His eyes cut into her with mocking sharpness and something colder beneath.
Her throat tightened as she swallowed. The realization hit hard.
She had probably made a disastrous mistake.
Jonathan tilted the phone toward himself, speaking to Lemon with deliberate ease.
“She’s malfunctioning. I will call you back later, okay?”
“Okay!”
Lemon nodded with a smile. Jonathan ended the call, his focus snapping back to Anneliese. His words came sharp and clipped.
“I. Am. Single.”
Anneliese blinked, scrambling, her voice unsteady.
“But the jewelry…”
Even if she had misunderstood the situation, even if she picked the wrong dress and he returned it, that could be explained.
But jewelry for another woman? That couldn’t be brushed aside.
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Chapter 49 Video Call
“Open it.”
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Jonathan let out a low, humorless laugh. Driven by desperation, Anneliese leapt for the jewelry box. She needed to see what was inside.
She moved too fast. She had to get out of this awkward situation. Then she collided with him before he had fully stepped aside.
Her lips grazed the side of his neck, and she stumbled back onto the couch.
The fleeting brush of warmth lingered against Jonathan’s skin. His throat tightened, his gaze darkened, and his voice dropped, heavy with meaning.
“So, which one of us is making the move here?”
Anneliese froze. She wanted to explain, but he kept going.
“The first time we met, you slammed me against a wall, pulled my tie, and held me by the throat.”
Her eyes widened.
“The second time, you clung to my arm.
“The third time, you and your dog tackled me.
“The fourth time, you left a mark on my hand. It’s still there, by the way.
“Then yesterday, you said you’d take me home. This morning, you left Meatloaf with me. So, tell me, who’s the one coming up with all these plots here?”
Heat burned across her face.
There was no way she could explain all of this away.
Even she thought she sounded guilty when he laid it all out.
Her voice shook. “Can we talk about this like normal people? Please don’t come so close!”
She shoved him back, darted forward, and snatched the jewelry box off the floor. With trembling hands, she flipped it open.
Inside sat a ring.
Her retort died in her throat. The sight froze her solid.
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Chapter 49 Video Call
:
The ring was unmistakable. Her head snapped toward him.
“This… this is my wedding ring. Why is it in your hands?”
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Jonathan sank onto the couch, his expression carved sharp, his brows tense. He had not expected it either. But suspicion drove him to have someone check.
He had not expected it either. But suspicion drove him to have Zion look into it.
Zacharias had purchased the pink diamond openly at an auction. Easy enough to trace. And it led straight back to her.
Jonathan’s face darkened. His lips curved faintly, but his voice cut deep.
“I should ask you why. First, you mistook my grandmother for a beggar. Then you accused me of being some violent creep. What’s next on your list?”
Anneliese’s chest clenched.
The pieces finally snapped together, too late to save face.
“But you were dressed in a…”
“I stopped at the airport maintenance hangar this morning. I smelled like engine oil. I came home to shower. Is that a crime in your book, too?”
“But you locked Meatloaf away…”
“Then explain how she’s sitting right here.”
She turned.
Meatloaf sat at the coffee table, wagging her tail. Her lips were shiny with grease.
She had been eating canned meat all along and was ignoring her calls completely.
Shame flooded her, heavy and crushing.
Her chest felt like it would cave.
She just wanted the world to end right here, right now.
Jonathan, clearly not finished, spoke up again.
“And exchanging numbers? If you have a problem with that, I can block you right now.”
