I spent my entire life in a loveless marriage, only to die depressed at the peak of my youth.

And now, not only had I never tasted a man, but even this kiss I initiated with Jonah was my first.

The moment our lips met, I finally understood why men and women were so obsessed with intimacy.

So this was why!

Being close to the opposite sex made my heart race and my breathing become rapid. A tingling sensation both numbing and intoxicating spread through my scalp and chest like tiny electric currents.

If just a kiss felt this good, if we went further…

I didn't bother hiding the desire in my eyes.

I wanted Jonah to see clearly how much I longed for him.

"Jonah, you took my first kiss. You have to take responsibility," I purred while clinging tightly to his arm. I was afraid he would push me away.

Fortunately, though his expression remained as cold as ever, I caught a fleeting glimmer

"Lola, are you done?" Collin looked at me with disgust.

But I was in a great mood.

The longer I stalled, the more time his precious lady could kiss that athlete.

Hopefully, they'd get so carried away that she'd end up pregnant.

Then, that pathetic simp Collin would have no choice but to play the doting father.

The thought amused me so much that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You're nuts," Collin muttered before getting ready to drive away.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the gym.

It was Queenie. She was strutting under the blazing sun in a black spaghetti-strap dress.

She did look good—her figure was all curves and long legs, with a tiny waist to match.

In a soft, delicate voice, she asked. "Cole, Lola, why are you two here together?"

Queenie's face was filled with sorrow. Her eyes were brimming with anguish as she peered at Collin.

It was as

I suppressed the emotions surging in my heart and slowly turned around.

Through the curtain of rain, Jonah stood tall. At a glance, he was at least six feet one.

He tilted the black umbrella completely toward me, shielding me from the downpour. He was dressed in a black suit over a crisp white shirt, and he was letting the rain drench him.

His deep black eyes were unreadable, giving no hint of his emotions.

In my previous life, I only saw him as a cold, distant elder who was aloof and taciturn. He was always hiding his feelings. How could I have ever noticed that he treated me differently?

But everything was different in this life.

I now knew how steadfast his love was beneath that icy exterior.

Choking back my emotions, I informed him, "I'm not here for him. I came for you."

I deliberately avoided addressing him as "Uncle Jonah", unlike Collin, and I didn't speak formally as one would to an elder.

I was testing him.

Everyone knew Jonah disliked being close to people. I had to approach him little by little.

Sure enough, he didn't seem to mind.

Instead, his gaze turned even colder. "I can't help you with anything."

I understood what he meant.

In the past, I had schemed tirelessly to make Collin love only me. I had manipulated those around him to put in a good word for me.

Among those people was Jonah.

He must have heard about Collin and Queenie by now, so he assumed I was here to ask him to intercede on my behalf.

I quickly waved my hands and explained, "Jonah, I came only to see you. I—"

"I have things to do." Jonah cut me off and instructed the driver to take me home.

Seeing him turn to leave, I gasped and clutched my stomach as if about to faint.

Yes, I was faking it. I had no way to make him stay otherwise. Besides, the worst that could happen was that I'd just fall to the ground and suffer a little pain.

So, betting on Jonah's compassion, I really let myself fall.

"Watch out!"

I won my bet a few seconds later. 

Jonah couldn't bear to let me hit the ground. His strong arm wrapped around my waist. He pulled me tightly into his embrace.

As I was held close to him, all I could smell was him—hints of tobacco, a trace of alcohol, and the warm scent of sandalwood that was uniquely his.

I nestled into his arms without hesitation.

Fearing he'd push me away, I quickly hooked my arms around his neck and curled up against him like a mistreated kitten.

"Jonah, I'm so cold... I think I caught a cold...!" I sobbed.

I faked a sneeze.

It didn't matter if my act was convincing or not. One way or another, I was going to stay in his arms.

"Lola!" Jonah's voice carried a warning. He seemed to see through my act.

I didn't care anymore. I threw away my pride and burst into tears.

I didn't care what the driver or Jonah thought. After all, I was only 18. This was the perfect age to be childish.

"Jonah, I just want to be with you. Why are you being so mean..." I buried myself in his arms and wailed.

I didn't know if Jonah was afraid of causing a scene or if he became softhearted, but in the end, he carried me into the car.

I stayed in his arms. At first, I was only pretending to cry, but after keeping up the act for a while, I ended up falling asleep.

I slept for a long time.

By the time I woke up again, it was already the next afternoon.

I woke up in Jonah's villa.

Even though I was in the guest room, I was still very happy.

"Jonah, are you here?" I ran out barefoot, wanting to talk to him.

I didn't see Jonah. Instead, I saw his secretary, Lynn Damon, standing in the living room.

Dressed in a tight black business suit that accentuated her curves, Lynn crossed her arms and glared at me angrily.

"Shameless brat. Don't think that Mr. Smith sees you differently just because he brought you home. He doesn't like immature little girls like you. If you know what's good for you, you should know better than to stay."

I knew who she was—the daughter of a high-ranking executive in Riverville.

She liked Jonah and thought she could use her connections to get close to him. Unfortunately for her, Jonah was completely unmoved, and in the end, he retaliated against Smith Group instead.

Since I had Jonah's phone number, I ignored Lynn and called him directly.

"Jonah..."

Yes, I started crying again. I was still faking it, of course.

With shamelessly thick skin, I whined into the phone, "Your secretary is scolding me. She even tried to hit me. Jonah, help!"

Jonah was somewhere noisy, and I could hear the commotion in the background.

His voice was low and firm. "Give her the phone."

I didn't know what Jonah said to her, but after answering the call, Lynn very reluctantly muttered an apology.

"I can forgive you. However, I want Jonah's schedule."

Yes, that was my real goal all along.

I needed to make Jonah believe that I was truly over Collin.

Since Lynn was in the wrong, she had no choice but to give me his itinerary.

It turned out that Jonah was on a business trip. He wouldn't be back for another three days.

I kicked Lynn out and started cleaning up.

There wasn't much to clean, but since this was Jonah's house, I was more than happy to keep busy here.

Three days passed quickly.

As soon as I heard Jonah had returned and gone straight to the office, I poked at my phone and sent him a message along with a picture of his kitchen.

"Jonah, I'm starving!"

That was when Jonah realized I had never left.

He rushed back before dark.

The moment he stepped through the door, I immediately launched myself at him like a bird.

I didn't have time to be shy anymore.

Collin had been texting me every day. He was urging me to come back and cancel our engagement. He even warned me that running away wouldn't solve anything.

"Jonah, I want beef stew." I clung to his neck and tilted my head up with a grin.

Jonah's expression was ice-cold. He tugged at his tie and ordered in a low, harsh voice, "Let go."

His aura was too intimidating.

Not wanting to push my luck, I obediently let go and curled up on the couch without saying a word for a long time.

Jonah changed into more comfortable clothes and came out soon after.

His handsome face softened noticeably when he saw the flowers and plants I had carefully arranged around the villa.

"Didn't you say you wanted beef stew?" he asked.

I jumped up immediately.

"Yes! Jonah, you really are the best!"

With my usual cheer, I grabbed his arm and happily followed him out the door.

Unfortunately, the moment we stepped inside the restaurant, I saw Collin and Queenie sitting there. They were also having beef stew.

I turned to leave right away, but Collin shot up from his seat and rushed over.

"Lola, is this your plan? You think that getting Uncle Jonah involved will stop me from canceling the engagement? Let me tell you—it's not happening!"

Right in front of everyone, he made me sound absolutely shameless.

"Collin! Who the hell do you think you are?" I raised my hand and slapped him hard.

Stunned, Collin stared at me in disbelief, as if asking, "Did you really just hit me?"

I sneered. "Go take a good look at yourself in the mirror. What makes you think I can't live without you? You say that I'm punching above my weight?

"Hah! Listen up, Collin. Even if every man in the world dropped dead and you were the only one left, I still wouldn't like you."

I turned away.

Without a second thought, I stood on tiptoe, kissed Jonah on the lips, and declared loudly, "Jonah, you're the only man I have ever truly loved."

I spent my entire life in a loveless marriage, only to die depressed at the peak of my youth.

And now, not only had I never tasted a man, but even this kiss I initiated with Jonah was my first.

The moment our lips met, I finally understood why men and women were so obsessed with intimacy.

So this was why!

Being close to the opposite sex made my heart race and my breathing become rapid. A tingling sensation both numbing and intoxicating spread through my scalp and chest like tiny electric currents.

If just a kiss felt this good, if we went further…

I didn't bother hiding the desire in my eyes.

I wanted Jonah to see clearly how much I longed for him.

"Jonah, you took my first kiss. You have to take responsibility," I purred while clinging tightly to his arm. I was afraid he would push me away.

Fortunately, though his expression remained as cold as ever, I caught a fleeting glimmer of surprise in his eyes.

That gave me the courage to go even bolder.

If it weren't for the public

Chapter 3 Even the Sounds Could Be Heard