Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

The air fell silent for a moment.

Joanna Kennedy knew she had misspoken the second the words left her mouth, but a certain ineffable pride made her stick her neck out and glare at Simon Lockwood.

In that moment, she looked just as she had six years ago, with all her willful, heedless arrogance.

A muscle in Simon Lockwood’s brow twitched, the darkness in his eyes deepening. "Joanna Kennedy, are you jealous?" he asked coolly.

"I am not!"

The girl’s denial was so vehement that a blush spread across her cheeks.

Seeing this, Simon Lockwood’s lips curved into a smile, but there wasn’t a hint of warmth in his eyes. His tone was glacial. "Right. How could Miss Kennedy be jealous? It’s just your possessiveness acting up, making you feel resentful."

It felt as if something had pierced her heart. Joanna Kennedy was speechless.

Simon Lockwood lowered his head slightly. A drop of water slid from a strand of her hair onto the back of his hand. He spoke slowly, his tone cruel, "Six years is a long time. What makes you think I’d still be here waiting for you?"

"...I don’t think that."

"Then what does it have to do with you how I treat other people?"

"Joanna Kennedy, you’re always comparing yourself to others."

Whether in the past or now, Joanna Kennedy was always comparing herself to others. Serena Sutton, Lucy Bishop...

Anyone could become a reason for her to stir up trouble.

He disdained using another person’s affection to make Joanna feel threatened. His interactions were all normal, never crossing any lines.

And yet, Joanna always loved to bring it up.

Simon Lockwood didn’t feel happy about it. He only felt that Joanna was toying with his heart, and after she’d had her fun, she would then question its very sincerity.

............

...............

But Joanna Kennedy didn’t see it that way.

In the long silence, Joanna Kennedy’s eyes grew red.

That’s right. What did it have to do with her? What right did she, a disgraced ex-girlfriend, have to compare herself to that Miss Bishop?

Joanna Kennedy forced a smile. "Sorry, I misspoke, Mr. Lockwood."

That light and airy "Mr. Lockwood" seemed to draw an invisible line between them. Joanna Kennedy truly realized that Simon Lockwood was no longer the person she remembered.

Joanna Kennedy had to admit, she had been hoping against hope. From their first meeting to the multiple times Simon had helped her since,

no matter what she said out loud, she had always believed that a part of Simon’s heart still belonged to her. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

It was only in this second, under Simon Lockwood’s cold, heavy gaze, that Joanna Kennedy truly woke up. Feelings weren’t as simple as just love or no love.

An unignorable six years lay between her and Simon Lockwood, a vast and impassable distance that no one could ever cross.

They parted on bad terms that night.

The next morning, Joanna Kennedy came downstairs with red, swollen eyes. Simon Lockwood had already left for the office.

The housekeeper looked at the suitcase by her feet in surprise and asked, "Miss Kennedy, what’s all this...?"

"I’ve overstayed my welcome for so many days. It’s time for me to go," Joanna Kennedy said with a faint smile.

"Did Mr. Lockwood agree to this?"

"Mhm," Joanna Kennedy nodded.

The housekeeper was a bit surprised, but she didn’t pry. Instead, she asked, "What about Mimi? Are you taking her with you, Miss Kennedy, or...?"

Mimi was the name Joanna Kennedy had given the kitten. It was simple and casual, just like her first, unexpected encounter with the little cat.

Simon Lockwood had never liked pets to begin with; she was the one who had insisted on adopting Mimi. Now that she was leaving, how could she have the nerve to leave Mimi behind?

"Mimi is coming with me."

"Alright then..."

The housekeeper sighed. After spending the past few days together, she had grown quite fond of her. She had originally thought this Miss Kennedy would be staying for good, but she never expected...

The housekeeper was an outsider, but even she could see that her Mr. Lockwood cared about this Miss Kennedy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been coming back to the villa so early every day.

A man who always worked late into the night suddenly started returning to the villa at five p.m. on the dot. It’s not like anyone was a fool who couldn’t see what was going on.

But she was just a housekeeper and couldn’t say much. She had Joanna stay for breakfast and helped her pack up some of Mimi’s things.

After leaving the villa, Joanna Kennedy was wondering whether to call a taxi or message Julie.

She looked up and saw a Volkswagen. Julie rolled down the window and waved at her.

On the road, Joanna Kennedy took Mimi out of the cat carrier, stroking her fur absently as she asked Julie, "Why are you here?"

"Walter sent me. He told me to pick you up and take you directly to your new apartment."

"New apartment?"

"Yup. Walter said your star is on the rise now, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, you can’t live with the other artists anymore."

Joanna Kennedy nodded, indicating she understood.

The new apartment the company arranged for her... it should be called a condo, really. It was in a high-end residential complex with excellent privacy.

Joanna Kennedy pushed the door open to a bright, clean living room. It had clearly been tidied up, and the fridge was even fully stocked with snacks and desserts.

Joanna Kennedy took a piece of red velvet cake from the fridge and hesitated. "...Is the company treating me this well now?"

Julie was also incredibly surprised. "Wow, Walter is so thoughtful! This must have cost a fortune!"

Other agents practically wished their artists would skip all three meals a day. But her agent was different; he personally bought desserts for his artist.

Joanna Kennedy found it strange, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.

Julie looked around a bit more, ate some food, and then reluctantly said she had to head back to the company.

Joanna Kennedy asked her, "Did Walter say when I’ll be joining the film set?"

"Look at me, what a brain!" Julie smacked her own forehead in a moment of realization. "I was just about to tell you, but I forgot as soon as I started eating. You start in two days. Jojo, pack your personal belongings. I’ll come pick you up the day after tomorrow."

’So soon.’

’Alright then. I’ll rest today and pack tomorrow.’

If she kept busy, she wouldn’t have time to think about other things. Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath.

After Julie left, Joanna Kennedy was the only one left in the apartment.

She crouched on the balcony, setting up Mimi’s bed. She placed Mimi’s litter box and cat tree on the enclosed balcony as well.

Once everything was done, she went to pick up Mimi. The cat was sound asleep. Joanna Kennedy called its name, but there was no reaction.

’How can it be sleeping so soundly?’

Joanna Kennedy called out "Mimi" again and gently patted the kitten’s head, but nothing worked.

Joanna Kennedy started to panic. Just as she was about to pat the kitten’s head again, a STATIC crackle sounded in her mind, and a mechanical voice spoke, sounding unusually weak: [Stop patting it. Can’t you see it’s about to die?]

[............］Joanna Kennedy retorted angrily, [What nonsense are you spouting!]

She hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation yet. All she could think was that this stupid little system had finally shown up again, just to say things that would piss her off.

Another crackle of static, and 166 said helplessly, [I advise you to take this cat back to the male lead’s villa. Right now. Immediately.]

added, [If you don’t want to see it die.]

What did that mean? How did Mimi suddenly get like this? What did it mean that the only way for Mimi to live was to send her back to the villa?

’Is that villa some kind of magically blessed place? Can it cure diseases?’

Joanna Kennedy’s voice was tense. "166, what the hell is going on? Explain yourself."