The Villain's Wife

125

A punch on the face.

That was the last thing that Jennie remembered before waking up on a bed with a mattress covered in silk. Their bedsheet was not silk. This was not her room, she instantly concluded before she became aware of the dim light inside the room. Jennie sat down, her eyes roamed around the room- or maybe a suite.

The room was spacious, with beige walls and a large abstract painting hanging on the wall, facing the bed. Slowly, Jennie made her way out of the bed and instantly noticed the soft carpet against her feet. There was no television, no bookshelf or even a dining table. There were only a few couches that were facing a wall mounted electric fireplace.

"You're up." Jennie flinched at the gentle voice behind her.

"Jack! What is the meaning of this?" she asked after she turned around to face the man. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Take a seat, Jennie." He gestured for her to sit on one of the couches by the fireplace. "We need to talk."

"What are you doing?" She asked one more time. "If George will know that..."

"George is dying." Jack interrupted her, making Jennie froze as her eyes widened. "He does not have a lot of time left."

Jack Arison took a step towards Jennie prompting her to take a step back and. vigilance apparent in her eyes. "What have you done Jack?"

"It wasn't me. I would never hurt my father Jennie." His voice contained assurance, his gaze gentle as he smiled at Jennie. "It wasn't your brother either. Please take a seat. I don't have a lot of time. Your husband might be going ballistic at this moment. I don't want him to barge in here and kill me in front of you."

The mention of Lisa seemed to have waken Jennie up. She clenched her teeth and walked towards the couch and sat, her gaze straight at Jack. "What do you want?"

"I heard that you are getting married? Italy?" he sat opposite to her.

Jennie pursed her lips and stared at him. So far, Jack is not doing anything that could possibly harm her. He even said that Lisa is coming anytime to save her. She deduced that she must still be in Seoul right now.

"You understand the meaning of marrying him, right? His uncle might start targeting you as well." His statement was an obvious surprise to Jennie. However, when she remembered how influential George was in the black market, he realized that it was only normal for them to know everything about Lisa. "Do you think he can protect you?"

"I do." Jennie nodded earnestly.

Her words earned a sigh from Jack. "George would want me to protect you. Are you sure that you are up for a relationship where people will be targeting you all the time?"

His question only met silence from Jennie as she eyed his swollen jaw. It must be because she punched her in the restroom a while ago, she thought as she became aware of the throbbing pain in her right hand. "Why did you take me here?" she asked.

"You can run away if you want to," Jack said, his face stern. "We still have time. Runaway... you can live a good life. I will take care of him once he arrives."

His words instantly earned a frown from Jennie. What does Jack mean by this? Does he think that Lisa was forcing her to marry him? "He is not forcing me to do anything against my will." As expected, Jack stared at her intently, his face was not showing any emotion but there was an obvious disbelief in his eyes.

"Jack... seriously. I am not dumb. Why did you take me here? I don't think that..."

"Someone was targeting your husband. A bomb exploded at the restaurant just a couple of minutes after we left. If I didn't take you out on time... you would have become one of those dead bodies that they are still recovering at the..."