?<strong>Chapter 304:</strong>


    Joelle was taken aback. “You trust me?” Jonathan simply asked, “Why wouldn’t I?” Like him, Gina was born out of wedlock, which helped him understand her resentment towards the Watson family. However, what confused him was Gina’s intense jealousy and spite aimed solely at Joelle.


    Now it was clear to Jonathan. By removing Joelle, Gina could fully usurp her ce in his heart. Joelle continued to regard him warily, recognizing his unpredictable nature. “May I go now?”


    “Absolutely.” Jonathan stayed where he was, kneeling on the bed. “Leo!” he called out.


    Leo entered. “Jonathan, what do you need?” Jonathan’s gaze fixed on Joelle. “Drive Joelle home.” Leo looked genuinely taken aback. Jonathan added, “She saved my life. Make sure she’s safe.” “Understood.”


    Joelle cautiously slid off the bed, ncing back intermittently, wary that Jonathan might revoke his decision. As she approached the door, Jonathan’s voice halted her. “Joelle, my name is Jonathan Ricard. I hope we meet again.” Joelle wished she could vanish on the spot, yet she replied, “Okay, I’ll remember that.” She then hurried out the door.


    Leo opened the car door for her. “Ms. Watson, please.” “Is that necessary?” Joelle chuckled nervously. “I can manage on my own.”


    Leo’s expression remained stern. “Jonathan instructed me to ensure your safety. If you prefer not to ride in our car, you may take a taxi, and I will follow in mine.” Joelle paused, wrestling with whether to trust him, yet her safety was more important. “I’ll take a taxi then.”


    “Alright, I’ll follow behind.”


    True to his promise, Leo trailed her to her home. Before stepping inside, Joelle looked back to see Leo’s car, its engine still running. He drove away only after she entered the house.


    Once Leo’s car was out of sight, Joelle, standing just beyond the door, let out a sigh of relief. She was finally home.


    “Joelle? Didn’t you say you wouldn’te back today?” Shawn, who was busy holding and feeding Rnd, expressed his surprise upon seeing her.


    “Shawn! Is this how you look after your sister?”


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    Under Shawn’s bewildered gaze, Joelle shared the ordeal she had just endured, chastising him for his apparent indifference towards her safety.


    “Jonathan Ricard?” Shawn looked surprised.


    Joelle confirmed with a nod, taking arge sip of water to soothe her parched throat from the rebuke. “You know him?”


    “I learned of him while I was overseas. His family is deeply entrenched in Bristania, and he is his father’s favorite son.” This revtion startled Joelle. The man she had thoughtlessly rescued had turned out to be a figure of considerable influence. “Joelle, you need to steer clear of him.”


    “Why?”


    Shawn looked more solemn than ever. “Jonathan’s family might be influential in Bristania, but their enterprises are dubious. You get what I’m saying?”


    “Yes.”


    Even without Shawn’s exnation of Jonathan’s background, Joelle already felt that he was extremely dangerous. Hearing Shawn’s cautionary advice only reinforced her resolve to avoid Jonathan.


    Yet unexpectedly, upon returning to her room, Joelle saw a friend request from Jonathan pop up on her phone. She decided to ignore it.


    Meanwhile, Adrian, who had recently recovered, found the house unbearable without Joelle. As he walked by Amara, she inquired, “How long has it been since you were at work?”


    Adrian remained silent, his throat sore, leading to severe coughing. Lacking the strength to climb the stairs, he barely managed to stand by clinging to the handrail.


    Amara scoffed dismissively, “It’s only a fever. Your father would go to work even with a high fever. Can’t you push yourself a little harder? Don’t rely on our family’s influence to ck off. Our family enterprise, built over generations, requires even more effort from you to sustain it!”


    Adrian’s hold on the handrail intensified, his knuckles whitening. He had long given up on receiving maternal affection from Amara, but he had hoped she might at least stay out of his personal affairs.


    “Just go away.” He managed to utter these words painfully through his hoarse throat, too worn out to continue the conversation.


    Yet, Amara seemed oblivious to his efforts to restrain himself and said, “What’s happening with you and Joelle?”


    “Don’t worry about it.”


    “Why should I? Adrian, I forbid her from entering our home again!”


    Adrian looked up, his gaze piercing as he confronted Amara. “What if I tell you I won’t marry anyone but her?”


    “What?” Amara stepped closer, seemingly unaware of Adrian’s pallid face—or perhaps her fury made her overlook it. “Are you trying to upset me? Have you forgotten her history with Rafael? How can you be so foolish? I will find you someone more suitable. Wouldn’t that be better than Joelle?”


    Adrian felt his headache intensifying. If he lingered, he felt he might copse from frustration. Without heeding Amara’s rant, he turned and stumbled out of the house.


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