Chapter 339 We Are Family
Anneliese looked up, utterly stunned.
He is the one insisting 1 kiss him. So why is he covering his mouth like he’s embarrassed?
Jonathan caught her puzzled expression, his eyes shadowed and unreadable.
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He had wanted their kiss to be about desire, connection, and pleasure. Yet the way she had hesitated, biting her lip and leaning in cautiously, it felt less like passion and more like an attempt to appease him.
He never asked for that. He never wanted her compliance–never sought to coerce her in any
way.
Seeing her uncertainty grow, Jonathan offered a wry, helpless smile.
With deliberate gentleness, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing the warmth of her skin. Then, leaning closer, his breath hot against her neck, he playfully nipped at her earlobe, as if lightly chastising her.
A shiver ran through Anneliese. Jonathan exhaled softly, his voice low and gravelly.
“Well, I think I overestimated myself. If you keep kissing me like this, things could get out of hand.”
Her body flared with heat, her mind blank.
Straddling his lap, reality hit her with a terrifying intensity. That hidden, formidable presence -he was both magnetic and daunting.
She instinctively tried to shift away, but Jonathan’s hands gripped her waist, drawing her closer. His warning was whispered right against her ear.
“Don’t move. Do you really want to get out of this car like this?”
Frozen, she didn’t dare make a sound, afraid even the slightest motion would trigger an explosion. Yet, even in stillness, he continued.
Suddenly, the shrill ring of her phone cut through the tension.
Startled, Anneliese muttered, “Oh… that must be my phone. Maybe it’s from the hospital.” Jonathan’s arms held her for a moment longer before releasing her. Feeling liberated, she
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Chapter 339 We Are Family
scrambled back to the window seat and grabbed the phone.
But the call came from an unfamiliar number.
Concerned it might be someone from the hospital, she answered without hesitation.
The voice that greeted her was one she had hoped to avoid.
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“Anne, Delilah said she saw you at the hospital today. Were you there to see me? We waited but didn’t see you.”
It was Melanie.
Only days ago, Anneliese had blocked every line from the White family.
“You’re at St. Nine Hospital?” she asked, frowning.
These people simply wouldn’t quit.
Melanie’s tone was tinged with disappointment. “So you weren’t here to see me?”
“Mrs. White, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Anneliese thought she had made her stance clear–there was nothing left to discuss.
“Anne, stop calling me Mrs. White! I’m your mom–we’re connected! You’re breaking my heart. Will you never accept me as your mom again?”
Sobs laced Melanie’s voice, full of accusation.
Anneliese gripped the phone a little tighter, emotions stirred–not by sympathy, but by the memories of how she had once tried so hard to please Melanie, who had never once responded gently.
A small, bitter laugh escaped her.
“Sorry, my mom passed away twelve years ago. Mrs. White, since you’re sick and in the hospital, maybe stop cursing yourself like that.”
In the hospital room, Melanie wasn’t alone–Timothy and the White brothers were present. The phone was on speaker, Anneliese’s sharp, icy words echoing through the space.
Melanie paled, hands clenched, chest heaving–clearly wounded.
Perseus and Christopher fumed, barely containing their anger.
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Chapter 339 We Are Family
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Timothy shot them a warning glance before seizing the phone, his face etched with anxiety.
“Anne, it was me, your mom, and your brothers who messed up before. I shouldn’t have taken out my anger on you because Zacharias pulled his investment, and I shouldn’t have locked you in the basement. I’m sorry, okay?
You made us soak in cold water in the basement for two days. Your mom has been in the hospital with severe pneumonia for days and even had to be resuscitated yesterday. Anne, can’t you let it go? We’re family after all. Will you come see your mom?”
As Timothy finished, Perseus and Christopher’s panicked voices surged in.
“Mom! Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Call a doctor, quickly!”
Amid the chaos, Perseus‘ strained, pleading voice returned.
“Anne, Mom fainted from heartbreak because of what you said! For Grandma’s sake, please come see her.”
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