Without further struggle, Bertha turned her flushed face to the side and tightly closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, revealing the nervousness within her.
As John's breath drew closer, the tension in Bertha's body instantly amplified, and she trembled ever so slightly. But, at the same time, an expectant feeling stirred within her. She found herself short of breath.
Finally, she felt John's kiss—though it didn't fall upon her cherry lips, but instead on her forehead.
"I've told you, you're a fool."
Hearing John's voice, Bertha's eyes snapped open, and she immediately realized she had been tricked. Her face turned crimson with both anger and embarrassment.
"Bastard!"
With a cry of shame, she quickly raised her head and collided with John's chin. Sensing the attack, John swiftly placed his hand on the bed and assumed a push-up position, narrowly avoiding the hit.
"It was raining all night. Go take a shower first. Afterward, we'll go out for dinner," John said as he quickly left the room.
That was close!
Though John appeared relaxed, inside, he was as nervous as Bertha. Especially when she suddenly stopped struggling. She looked so much like a docile lamb, and her expression was irresistibly attractive. John had nearly lost control.
However, once he stepped out of the room, Bertha was left feeling a sudden emptiness. Why was she disappointed?
Shaking her head, she muttered to herself, "What are you thinking? This is so embarrassing… It's all because of that damn John!"
She gritted her teeth before heading into the bathroom. No matter how much she was troubled, the shower was an escape for her thoughts.
In the living room of the Long Family, all eyes turned toward John as he exited. They had seen him rush into the villa with a woman in his arms, but no one expected him to emerge so soon.
"Mr. Lopez…" one of them began.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask," John cut in firmly.
"Okay, I won't ask!" Arno responded awkwardly with a smile.
Just then, Jacob burst into the room, clearly excited. "I knew you'd be fine!"
John, not impressed, snapped, "Don't you have school? Why are you running around all day?"
"I'm not running around! I don't have many classes these days, so I came over after class," Jacob explained.
"Isn't that running around?" John retorted with a raised eyebrow.
Arno, blushing slightly, smiled awkwardly. "Just take this place as your home. It's not running around."
Jacob, smiling mischievously, said, "It's because of the juniors in the Long Family. I told them you'd be fine, but they didn't believe me. They insisted on betting with me, so I bet 50 Fen with them."
At this, Arno's face suddenly darkened. "Who was so rude? I'll teach them a lesson!"
But Jacob, loyal to his friends, refused to betray them.
John slapped him lightly on the back of the head and grinned. "How dare you bet on me? And for only 50 Fen?"
"Please, don't!" Jacob cried in mock terror.
A lighthearted but inevitable chase began as Jacob darted away, with John in pursuit.
"Please forgive me, I have intelligence!" Jacob shouted as he sought mercy.
"Intelligence?" John raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Jacob, his voice hushed, said, "I know something important. You should listen."
John, intrigued but bemused, agreed. "Okay, I'll listen. But if you can't satisfy me, you'll get a good beating."
Jacob led him out of the house, ensuring no one was around. He then spoke in a lowered voice, "I'm doing this to keep your identity safe. Look at this news."
He pulled out his phone and opened a news article, handing it to John. "I know you don't read much news, but I'm sure you haven't seen this."
John skimmed through the article quickly. The news spoke of a man named Wilson from Britain, claiming to have reached the soul realm. He declared his intention to challenge Oracle King on a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The article even listed the island's coordinates, though the specific time was vague. Wilson gave Oracle King three days to show up. If Oracle King failed to appear, Wilson would consider him a coward.
It was a pure provocation.
John had heard of such challenges before but never paid much attention. If he took every challenge seriously, he'd be constantly overwhelmed. These provocations were beneath him. Only when someone crossed a line, especially on US soil, would they truly understand the power of Oracle King.
The Three-Six Department of Oracle Palace had long stopped bothering him with such trivial matters.
"This intelligence is useless," John said dismissively.
But Jacob, sensing his displeasure, hurriedly explained, "I think Wilson is different. Many media outlets are saying his claim to the soul realm is legitimate."
John gave Jacob an amused look and flicked him on the forehead. "Don't take everything the media says seriously. But…" He paused, a smirk appearing on his face. "Wilson came at the right time."
The wheels in John's mind were already turning.
4o mini