Ch. 2711..2720
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2711
Dustin And Abelyn To The Rescue
“Nope,” Dustin replied without any hesitation.
“What the hell? Aren’t you supposed to be a man and say you’ll take them on?” Abelyn said with a hint of disdain in her voice.
“I am a man, but that doesn’t mean I should just charge in like a reckless fool!” Dustin snapped back at her.
If we act impulsively and make a wrong move now, it could result in all three of us losing our lives! Damn it, who on earth could’ve done this to Joan? I don’t remember us making any enemies here, so… Could it have been someone from our home country?
Dustin tensed up at the thought of that and asked nervously, “Abelyn… Are you ready?”
Abelyn had many years of training in Taekwondo and kung fu, so the two bodyguards at the door were a piece of cake for her.
“I’m ready, just leave it to me!” Abelyn patted herself on the chest confidently before heading out.
“Hey, I seem to have gotten separated with one of my friends, and I heard you two have seen her…” she greeted the two men casually while walking towards them.
“Who are you?” They asked cautiously.
“Me? Why, I’m a friend of Joan!” Abelyn replied.
“We don’t know this Joan person you’re talking about, so go away!”
“Is that so? From what I’ve heard, she followed you two into this log cabin over here…”
Abelyn pointed at the hut behind them with a sharp glint in her eyes.
Hmph… Still won’t admit to it, eh?
“Listen, you’d better mind your own business if you know what’s good for you!”
“Oooh, I’m so scared!” Abelyn said jokingly while taking a few steps back.
Dustin couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he watched from a corner. Man, she sure is a funny one!
“Enough games! Hand her over to me right this instant!” Abelyn shouted coldly with a vicious look on her face.
“Stay out of this, you b*tch!”
“What the hell did you just call me?” Abelyn got mad when she heard that.
She then sent the guy flying a few feet back with a kick to the stomach. “Who’s the b*tch now, huh?”
Having witnessed his partner got knocked down, the other man lunged at Abelyn in retaliation, and the three of them got tangled up in a messy brawl.
Dustin seized that opportunity to sneak into the log cabin and began looking for Joan.
He held a hand over his mouth and called out to her softly, “Joan?”
Joan jumped to her feet and squinted into the darkness when she heard a familiar voice, but she couldn’t see a thing.
“Dustin?” she called out to him in response.
“Yes, it’s me. Where are you?”
The two of them then fumbled their way through the pitch-black darkness of the log cabin and were able to locate each other by following their voices.
Dustin pulled her into a tight embrace the moment he found her. He had tears in his eyes like he had been reunited with a long-lost friend, but Joan wasn’t able to see that at the time.
“Are you hurt?” Dustin asked anxiously.
Joan shook her head and replied, “I’m fine, Dustin. Come on, let’s get out of here!”
“And where do you think you’re going? Honestly, you guys underestimate me way too much!”
The lights in the log cabin were switched on all of a sudden.
What the… What’s going on? I thought she left quite a while ago! Joan thought to herself as she stared at Della for fear of what she would do to Dustin and Abelyn.
“Dustin, you and Abelyn sure are brave risking your lives to save Joan!” Della taunted him while pointing at Joan.
Dustin let go of Joan and walked up to Della as he said, “Let it go, Della! Don’t do anything rash!”
Let it go? Fat chance! Della ignored him and walked right up to Joan before lifting her chin with a vicious expression on her face.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2712
No One Else Can Have Him
“If I can’t have him, no one else can!” She then shoved Joan back onto the sofa, causing her to yelp in pain.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Dustin rushed over and caressed her head gently.
“Oh, my… Look how lovey-dovey you two are… I bet Larry would be so mad if he were to see this!” Della said sarcastically.
“Della, you’d better stop this right now or you might end up in prison!”
Dustin meant well and tried to talk her out of it, but Della refused to listen.
No… Della wasn’t like this before! Could it be that someone brainwashed her into doing this?
With that in mind, Joan stood up all of a sudden, much to Della’s surprise.
“What are you doing?” Della asked.
“Della, I know you’re a kind person at heart. You’re only doing all this because someone instructed you to, right?”
As expected of Larry’s woman… Della stared at Joan expectantly, hoping to hear who she suspected was the mastermind behind everything.
“Is it Jake?”
He was the only person Joan could think of at the moment, and she wasn’t even sure about her guess at all.
However, Della froze upon hearing that name, and Joan noticed that reaction of hers.
So it really is him! The look on Joan’s face was instantly shrouded with an icy-cold aura.
She had hoped to stay as far away from him as possible, but that didn’t seem to stop him from causing her trouble regardless of where she was.
Unbeknownst to them, Jake was lounging on the sofa in a hotel nearby, swirling a glass of red wine while watching everything through a security camera.
“Why are you teaming up with Jake?” Joan shook her head in confusion as she asked.
Why else do you think? Obviously, I’m doing this to be with Larry! I want to be with Larry! I have to be with him!
“Do you really think Larry will be with you just because you’ve pushed us both into a corner like this? If so, then you don’t even know Larry at all, nor do you love him for that matter! You just want to own him, and that’s possession, not love! Della, if you truly love Larry, then you should be trying to help him out instead!”
The light in Della’s eyes seemed to fade when she heard that. She’s right… What am I doing? I’m only causing Larry even more trouble, but… It’s too late for me to back out now!
“Stop this, Della! Your father is really worried about you, you know? Your employees too! In fact, Larry too, is worried about…”
Heh… Him? Worry about me? Please… Joan is the only one he cares about! Della got a little agitated when she heard Joan mention Larry again and pouted helplessly.
“Happiness gained through the use of force isn’t true happiness, Della. Sometimes, you just have to let go of someone you love to truly be happy…” Joan added softly in an attempt to snap Della out of it.
“Enough!” Della looked up all of a sudden and shouted at the top of her lungs, scaring everyone around her into taking a few steps back.
“Joan, did you seriously expect to just touch my heart with your words and make me believe you?”
“No, it was never my intention to touch your heart! I just wanted to remind you of who you are!”
Joan’s words were simple yet so powerful that even Dustin found himself a little moved as he watched from the side.
“Della, you’ve always been a woman who clearly knows what you want in life. You’re beautiful, kind, gentle, caring, generous, reasonable, capable, and excellent in every aspect! You’re a career woman that we all look up to!”
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2713
Free Game
“You have a bright future ahead of you, Della! Why throw it all away now just because someone told you to? I know you’re smarter than to let someone use you like this…” Joan continued, hitting the nail right on the head as she said that.
Clang!
Jake’s face was twisted with rage as he smashed the glass of wine on the floor.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Wilson?” His assistant came running over immediately.
“Nothing.”
Jake stood up slowly and grabbed his coat before leaving the hotel room.
“Shut up, Joan! No one is using me!” Della shrieked at the top of her lungs.
She had lost all sense of rationality at that point.
“Wake up, Della! I know Jake way better than you do, so trust me when I say that you’re nothing but a mere pawn to him!” Joan shouted back at her.
That’s right… Jake had always been an exceptionally cruel man, both in the corporate world and in his personal life.
“Shut your f*cking mouth, Joan! I won’t believe you!” Della’s tone was terrifyingly cold.
“Ahhh!” Abelyn’s scream came from outside all of a sudden.
The next thing Joan knew, Abelyn was being dragged into the cabin by the two men.
“You b*tch! That ought to teach you to mess with us!” The men said as they tossed her aside.
Despite being all bruised and battered, Abelyn still had a defiant look in her eyes. “You b*stards! How dare you hit me with those filthy hands of yours?”
“Oh? Haven’t had enough, b*tch? You want some more?” One of the bodyguards began walking towards her angrily, but Della stopped him before he could reach her.
“You’d better behave yourself if you know what’s good for you. God knows what these men will do to you if you don’t!”
“Abelyn! Are you all right?” Dustin asked while helping her to her feet.
Abelyn ignored him and kept her hostile gaze focused on Della. “What the hell are you trying to do, Della? Joan has already forgiven you for being a homewrecker, so why would you come all this way just to hurt her?”
“A homewrecker, you say?” Della broke into a fit of laughter upon hearing that.
“From what I know, the two of them have yet to remarry, so that makes him free game! Besides, everyone has the right to choose who they love in this modern era…”
Oh, my god! How shameless does she have to be to say something like that?
“Yeah, you do have the right to try and win Larry over, but you should at least do so in a fair manner! How could you ruin someone’s marriage for such selfish reasons?”
Abelyn hated love triangles like these as much as she hated her ex-boyfriend.
Smack!
Abelyn’s continuous rambling was cut off with a slap across the face so hard that her cheek went red instantly.
Everyone at the scene was shocked as they didn’t expect Della to actually hit her.
Abelyn slowly looked up and glared at Della with a vicious look in her eyes.
Joan rushed over and caressed her cheek as she asked worriedly, “Are you okay, Abelyn?”
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Abelyn replied softly and shook her head.
Like hell I’m okay! It hurts so damned much! She thought to herself as she rubbed her stinging cheek and tried to calm herself down.
“Della! Have you lost your mind?” Dustin shouted, having finally lost his temper.
“I’m not crazy, you are! You all are! I just wanted Joan to give Larry a call, but you guys just had to show up and cause such a huge mess…” Della pointed at them and shouted maniacally, completely losing her professional and ladylike image in that instant.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2714
This Is My Cabin
She looks nothing like the Della we all know… Was it all just an act? The world sure is a complicated place… Despite how women tend to accuse men of being pretentious liars, they’re not so different themselves! Joan stared blankly at her.
“Look, you guys better stay out of my way or I’ll send you all straight to f*cking hell!”
Della’s words sent a shiver down the spines of all three of them as they knew she wasn’t joking when she said that.
“Last chance, Joan! Are you going to call Larry or not?”
Joan took a few steps back as fear filled her eyes.
How did things end up like this? Why would she go this far?
“Della, doing this won’t bring you happiness!”
Joan’s words struck a chord with her. Yeah, I won’t be happy even if I did get Larry like I wanted… But even so, my current objective is to defeat Joan completely!
“What happened to you, Della? Why have you become like this?” Joan held her head low in pity.
“Cut the crap! Are you going to make that phone call or not?” Della snapped at her impatiently.
Joan began to hesitate when she saw the bodyguards standing next to Dustin and Abelyn.
Larry will definitely be heartbroken if I make this call, but Dustin and Abelyn are going to be in danger if I don’t…
Della had a gleeful smile on her face as she enjoyed Joan’s agonized expression. What’s it going to be, Joan? Are you going to pick the love of your life, or the lives of your friends? Any sane person would know that two lives are worth more than one, so she has no choice but to make that call!
Wham!
The door to the log cabin was kicked open violently.
“Wait, that’s…” Abelyn exclaimed in surprise.
“What are you doing here, sir?” Dustin was equally shocked as well.
The rest of them simply stared at the old man in confusion as he made his way into the cabin. Who is this old man? Where did he come from?
Joan thought to herself as she looked at Dustin and Abelyn and waited for an explanation.
“This is my cabin!” the old man shouted all of a sudden.
Is this some kind of joke? Della walked up to the old man with a mocking smile on her face. “I rented this cabin, old man!”
“This is my cabin!” the old man repeated himself once again.
Is he crazy or what? Della eyed him from head to toe before threatening him, “Listen up, old man! You’d better get the hell out of here right now before I decide to kick your a*s too!”
“You b*tch, how dare you steal my cabin? This is my cabin!”
Without warning, the old man grabbed hold of Della and began shaking her violently. Della screamed at the top of her lungs while her bodyguards tried to pry him off her.
“This is my cabin! All of you get out of my cabin!”
As if he had taken the hint, Dustin quickly dragged Joan and Abelyn out of the cabin while the old man kept the others busy.
“Who was that guy?” Joan asked in confusion while staring at the old man behind them.
“Oh, just some old man!” Abelyn gave her an ambiguous reply.
Looks like that old man wasn’t actually crazy after all! He was just an ordinary guy pretending to be crazy!
Joan then turned towards Dustin in hopes of getting an answer from him, but he simply held on to her hand tightly as he continued running forward.
“Where are we going?” Joan panted heavily while trying to keep up with them.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2715
The Power Of Love
“We’re getting the hell out of here!” Dustin replied firmly, shocking the two of them behind him.
Getting out of here? He’s got to be kidding, right? Abelyn looked at the two of them and checked behind her before stopping in her tracks.
“Stop running, you two! We won’t be able to outrun them in our current condition. We should find somewhere to hide and lay low instead!”
“You’re right!”
With that, the three of them made their way up a nearby mountain and hid themselves in a very secluded spot.
Having exhausted himself from the struggle, the old man slumped on the floor and closed his eyes while Della tidied up her clothes awkwardly in the corner.
Damn it, where the hell did this crazy old man come from? How dare he ruin my plans?
“Are you all right, Ms. Duff?” the bodyguards asked worriedly.
“I’m fine. Where are they? Where have they gone to? Hurry up and go after them!” Della stamped her feet in frustration.
The two bodyguards ran out of the log cabin immediately, only to return looking dejected later on.
Della grabbed them by the arms and asked anxiously, “Well? Did you manage to find them?”
“Ms. Duff, it’s too dark out there for us to even see the road clearly…”
These guys are useless! I can’t believe Joan managed to get away!
Smack!
Della slammed her palm against the wall angrily.
“Ms. Duff, we’ll continue the search tomorrow…” one of the bodyguards said softly.
Tomorrow? They’ll be long gone by then!
Meanwhile, Joan and the two were sitting on a stone bench and looking at the beautiful starry sky above.
“Dustin, Abelyn… I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you two…” she said, feeling incredibly touched at how neither of them blamed her for what happened earlier.
“What are you saying, Joan?” Abelyn said while casually dusting her butt off.
She then gave Joan a pat on the shoulder as she continued, “We’re friends, and friends help each other out, so there’s no need to thank us!”
It was precisely because they were friends that Joan didn’t want them getting hurt because of her.
“Listen up, you two… If, and I mean if, Della comes up the mountain with her men and finds us… Promise me that you two will make a run for it, okay? I know she won’t hurt me…”
Abelyn didn’t like how she sounded like she was bidding them a final goodbye and cut her off by shouting loudly, “Enough! We will either make it out of here together or die together!”
Joan felt touched upon hearing that and stepped forward to hug her with trembling arms.
“Joan, I know the pain you’ve been through is something beyond comprehension for most people. But even so, we must never let anyone look down on us! It’s true that your family isn’t as wealthy or powerful as Larry’s, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t worthy of being with him! Della may be rich, but none of that money means anything if Larry doesn’t like her at all…”
Abelyn’s right… Sometimes, the power of love is enough to overcome anything and everything…
“Are you okay?” Joan asked softly while examining the wounds on her body.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Abelyn said nonchalantly while giving herself a pat on the chest.
“Hey, you two! Stop talking and get some sleep! We have an early flight to catch tomorrow!” Dustin mumbled as he closed his eyes.
They’ve already booked the tickets back to Chanaea…
“But I can’t sleep…” Abelyn pouted and gave Dustin a nudge.
“Me neither.” Joan turned to face Abelyn.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2716
Do You Still Love Larry
“Do you still love Larry?” Abelyn asked seriously.
“Yes, I do,” Joan replied.
If we truly are fated to be together, we will be together in the end regardless of how many obstacles we encounter…
“I really envy you, you know?” Abelyn said with her cheeks puffed up.
What’s there to be envious about? That I have a homewrecker causing havoc in my marriage?
“Don’t be, it’s exhausting for me…” Joan’s voice was filled with fatigue.
Abelyn gave her a light tap on the head and asked worriedly, “Hey, Joan? Are you all right?”
Joan simply shook her head and kept quiet.
The two of them fell asleep at some point, and they were woken up by the heat from the morning sun the next day.
Joan looked incredibly weary as she stretched and let out a lethargic yawn.
Abelyn leaned in close to Dustin’s ear and shouted, “Wake up!”
“Ahh!” Dustin jumped to his feet instantly and looked around with a blank expression on his face.
“What’s going on?” he asked anxiously.
“Nothing, it’s time to go. Come on, we have a flight to catch!”
It wasn’t long before the three of them made it to the airport.
They had donned disguises before entering for fear of being recognized by Della’s men, and they were right to do so as her men were in every corner of the airport.
Joan patted Dustin on the back and asked nervously, “What do we do now, Dustin?”
“Be very careful, and don’t panic.”
How am I supposed to not panic when Della’s men are all over the place? A single mistake could land us right in her hands again!
“Walk slowly and naturally. Don’t worry, they won’t be able to recognize us.” Dustin gave her a pat on the shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.
Okay… I’ll trust him this once…
The three of them let their guard down the moment they made it past customs.
“Phew… That was so tense! I seriously thought they would’ve recognized us for sure! Looks like they’re dumber than I thought!” Abelyn snapped her fingers disdainfully.
“Remember, we have to stay calm and relaxed if we are to avoid their detection,” Dustin reminded them as he continued leading them on board the plane.
“You’d better treat me to a meal if we make it out of here, Joan!”
The three of them soon made it back to Chanaea, but Della was completely unaware of that and continued searching madly for them overseas.
“What will you do next, Joan? Are you going to see Larry, or are you going straight home instead?” Abelyn asked.
Joan didn’t have the courage to go press Larry for answers at the time, so she wasn’t really sure of what she should do.
“You can come stay with me if you’d like!” Abelyn was so casual about that it felt as if she saw Joan as family.
Joan felt incredibly touched by her offer as she was still a little uncomfortable about Larry and Della.
Although she had faith in Larry’s character, she was afraid of how it would get in the way of Norton Corporation’s development and how exhausted Larry would be as a result.
“Okay, I’ll stay over at your place, then,” Joan replied calmly.
Dustin had expected that answer from her as he knew Joan wouldn’t be able to go home and face Larry so easily.
“Joan, you do understand that you can’t run from Larry forever, right?” he asked.
Of course I do. Running may get you out of a sticky situation for a while, but it doesn’t solve most problems in life. Facing them head-on and proactively looking for a solution is the only way to resolve said problems, but… I…I’m just really nervous right now…
“Yeah, I know that. I just want to get some rest before…”
“Sure, no problem!” Abelyn shouted, cutting her off before she could finish.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2717
Sudden Board Meeting
Joan smiled awkwardly in response.
I guess these two are the only ones that genuinely care about me right now…
She hadn’t contacted Nancy, Jessica, and Delilah for fear of them informing Larry of her location.
The three of them soon arrived at Abelyn’s villa which she had purchased before going overseas.
“Well? What do you think?” Abelyn asked them excitedly with her arms outstretched.
“It’s great,” Joan said with a chuckle.
It was very classical in design and had a courtyard, swimming pool, as well as a huge lawn.
This villa must’ve costed a fortune…
Joan thought to herself as she sat down on a swing nearby.
“Abelyn, please… You could only dream of living here if it weren’t for me!” Dustin said in annoyance.
“Oh, come on, Dustin! Be a gentleman, will you? It’s not like I’m the only one staying here anyway…” Abelyn protested.
Wait… What does Abelyn owning this villa have to do with Dustin? Joan shot the two of them a confused look.
“Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. Abelyn and I bought this villa together…”
According to Dustin, he sold his house to aid Abelyn in purchasing that villa. Her parents objected to her decision on buying a house in Chanaea, so she had no choice but to ask Dustin for help.
“Jeez… It’s just a villa, man! Why are you being so petty about it? I’ll buy you two just like this one overseas, okay?”
Dustin simply shot her a glare in silence, much to Joan’s amusement as she always found their arguments to be hilarious.
After unloading their stuff and tidying the place up, the three of them made their way to the supermarket.
Meanwhile, the people in Norton Corporation were working their bottoms off, and morale seemed to be incredibly low for some of them.
“Larry, the board of directors are calling for a board meeting!” Caspian shouted anxiously as he burst into the office.
“Why are you panicking? Here, have a cup of tea,” Larry said coldly.
“They’re on the way right now, Larry!” Caspian added.
“I know that. Now, calm down.”
Larry pointed at the sofa nearby and motioned for him to take a break.
This day is bound to come sooner or later, and I’ve been expecting it for quite some time now…
“Mr. Norton, I just got a call from the board of directors. It’s about the board meeting,” the assistant said nervously.
“All right, go get prepared,” Larry replied calmly.
How is he so calm? Under normal circumstances, the board of directors would have to discuss with him and agree upon a time and date for such meetings. However, they simply informed him of the meeting this time with no prior discussion whatsoever!
The assistant couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the thought of that and said cautiously, “Mr. Norton, there’s no telling what could happen in this board meeting…”
“Don’t worry, I’m prepared for anything. You just do as I say, got it?” Larry said sternly while looking up at the assistant who then nodded and quickly walked out of his office.
“Are you ready, Larry?” Caspian asked nervously from the sofa.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Larry replied while signing some documents.
He must be pretty confident if he’s that calm about it! If all goes well with this, Joan won’t have to leave Larry! Caspian breathed a sigh of relief and looked out the window.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2718
Running From Her Problems
“How has Joan been lately?” Larry asked coldly all of a sudden.
“Huh? Oh, right… Uh… She’s doing fine, don’t worry!” Caspian replied awkwardly as he actually had no idea how Joan was.
“What about Jessica? Is she doing all right?”
“Yeah, she is… Been a bit busy these days, though…” Caspian scratched the back of his head shyly as he said that.
Busy, eh? That’s better than being idle, I guess… Larry took a deep breath and booted up his computer.
“But, Larry…” Caspian said hesitantly.
“What is it?”
Larry looked up at him and waited for him to continue.
“Ms. Duff seems to have gone somewhere else.”
Hmm? Larry furrowed his brows.
Where is she going this time? Well, whatever… As long as she isn’t pestering me, it doesn’t really matter where she’s going!
“I see.”
Caspian couldn’t bring himself to tell him that Della was headed right for Joan’s location. He didn’t want to affect Larry’s mood and have him abandon his work to go looking for her.
“I’ll excuse myself for the time being, then…” Caspian walked out of the office after saying that.
Two weeks had soon passed, but Joan showed no signs of wanting to leave Abelyn’s villa.
Abelyn grew anxious at how relaxed Joan was, but Dustin didn’t seem to mind it at all.
Eventually, she couldn’t stand it anymore and whispered into Dustin’s ear, “Hey, Dustin… Aren’t you going to talk to her about it?”
And tell her what? To go home? Or to go see Larry?
Dustin shook his head in response.
“But she can’t keep running away from her problems either!”
Abelyn exclaimed in distress as she didn’t want to see Joan waste her life away like that.
“Abelyn, I think it’s best that we stay out of their relationship issues. Just give her time to figure things out by herself,” Dustin replied calmly while flipping through his newspaper.
That’s it? What if she decides to just leave it like that forever?
Joan looked so happy playing with a cat on the swing that anyone who didn’t know her well would’ve assumed she had completely forgotten about the issue with Larry and Della.
“Hey, Joan!” Abelyn called out to her all of a sudden.
Joan turned around and looked at her curiously in response.
“If you like cats so much, why don’t you go buy some cat food at the supermarket?”
Dustin walked up to Abelyn and asked, “Why don’t you go do it yourself instead?”
“What’s the matter? Are you feeling bad for her? I just wanted her to get some fresh air!” Abelyn explained calmly.
“Sure! Come on, kitty! Let’s go!” Joan then picked up the cat and walked out of the villa.
Dustin quickly put down his newspaper and ran after Joan when he saw her leave.
“Hey, where are you going?” Abelyn asked in confusion.
“To buy some cat food with her!”
Abelyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing that.
I just had Joan make a trip to the supermarket for some cat food… Why is he getting so worked up over it? Well, whatever… That’s none of my business!
“Joan!” Dustin shouted while running towards her.
“What’s up, Dustin?” Joan had a gentle look on her face as she held the cat in her arms.
Dustin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and replied, “I’m going to the supermarket too.”
Little did they know, something big was awaiting them on that trip.
“Will this do?”
Dustin handed Joan a bag of cat food in the supermarket.
“No way! Our kitty doesn’t like this kind of cat food!” Joan rejected it immediately.
Jeez, why is she being so particular about it? It’s just a cat for crying out loud! Dustin thought to himself as he gave her and the cat a strange look.
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2719
I Just Came To Say Hi
“Our kitty will only settle for the highest quality of cat food…” Joan mumbled softly while slowly running her hand through the cat’s fur.
“Well, well, well… If it isn’t Joan Watts!”
A familiar voice came from behind, and Joan shuddered in terror when she turned around and saw the man before her.
What’s he doing here?
“Long time no see, Joan!” Jake greeted her as he made his way toward her.
Heh, it really has been a long time… Joan snorted and shot him an icy-cold glare.
She had thought she was safe from his clutches by fleeing overseas, only to have him send Della overseas to go after her.
Unbeknownst to Joan, Jake was overseas as well when Della held her hostage. However, the three of them had escaped from the log cabin by the time he got there that night.
“What do you want?” Joan asked coldly and cautiously.
“I just came to say hi, that’s all!” Jake replied with a nonchalant shrug.
Is that so? I seriously doubt it’s that simple! Joan took her eyes off him and gazed at the cat in her arms affectionately instead.
“How’s life?” Jake asked playfully.
“It’s all right,” Joan answered firmly.
Like hell it is! I nearly lost my life a while back! Dustin clenched his fists as he stood next to her and waited for Jake to say something.
“Where have you been lately? I’ve missed you so much.”
Jake’s words had Dustin looking at the both of them in confusion.
What the hell is going on here?
“Mind your language, Jake!” Joan reminded him coldly.
Even with everything that has happened, this b*tch is still acting all high and mighty?
“What? This is how I always have been.” Jake’s response was as calm as ever.
“Sorry, we’ve got some other business to attend to, so we’ll be on our way now.” Joan then grabbed Dustin by the arm and began walking away.
“Why are you avoiding me, Joan? What are you so afraid of?” Jake asked with a devilish grin.
Dustin stopped in his tracks and gave her hand a little squeeze. “Why don’t you make it clear to him and draw the line?”
“Ignore him, Dustin. I’ve told him countless times before, but it’s no use…” Joan explained.
How am I supposed to draw the line with him? In fact, I just realized I don’t even know Jake all that well…
“He’s been on your tail all this while?” Dustin asked in surprise.
“Yes, and I’ve been avoiding him all this while,” Joan replied honestly as she figured there was no need to hide it any longer.
“Does Larry know about this?”
“A little…” Joan lowered her gaze and let out a sigh.
So this guy is the reason why she went overseas!
“Hey, Joan! Say hi to Larry for me, okay?” Jake waved at her from where he stood with a sinister smile on his face.
He actually didn’t know that Joan had been living in Abelyn’s villa ever since her return to the country.
“Oh, and Dustin? Give up, you don’t stand a chance.” Jake said as he walked away, leaving Dustin rooted to the spot in awkwardness.
After all the time that has passed, he no longer expected Joan to reciprocate his love and simply hoped to protect her for as long as he could.
“Come on, let’s go home!”
The two of them then paid for their groceries and left the supermarket, completely unaware of the mysterious person tailing them with a camera.
“Back already? Wow, you guys are fast!” Abelyn called out to them happily when she saw them at the gate.
Joan handed her some snacks from the grocery bag. “Here, look what Dustin got you!”
Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2720
These Two Make Quite A Great Pair
Dustin knew all too well about Abelyn’s love for snacks and fruits.
“Thank you, Dustin!” she said while making a thankful gesture at him.
Honestly, these two make quite a great pair! Joan thought to herself with a chuckle as she went into the kitchen.
“What the hell?” Larry jumped out of his seat angrily.
On his table were pictures of Joan and Dustin shopping at the supermarket.
“What’s wrong, Larry?” Caspian got up from the sofa with a confused look on his face.
Larry slowly walked towards the window and stared at the sky above before closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down.
“Joan is back?” Caspian asked in surprise when he saw the pictures.
“Go look into it right now! I want to know where Joan is!” Larry ordered coldly.
Oh, boy… He looks really angry this time… Not wanting to face his wrath, Caspian ran out of his office and began his search.
“Hey, Jessica! Did you know about Joan’s return to the country?”
Caspian sounded really anxious on the phone.
“What? She’s back?” Jessica exclaimed in shock.
I’ll take that as a no, then… But if Joan is back, why didn’t she go home? Why didn’t she come to see Larry? Is she facing some sort of trouble?
Caspian narrowed his eyes in bewilderment.
“Where is she right now?” Jessica asked worriedly.
“I don’t know, but she seems to be with Dustin…”
How is that possible? I know for a fact that Joan and Dustin are just friends!
“You’d better watch what you say, Caspian! If Larry hears you, he might…”
“He already knows,” Caspian cut her off before she could finish.
Oh, no… Things are going to get really chaotic again! Damn it, I didn’t expect her to come back so suddenly! I knew something was off when she left the country, and I wouldn’t have found out about her situation if I didn’t push her into telling me the truth… Given her circumstances, there’s no way she would come back unless she ran into some trouble overseas! Jessica gripped the hem of her shirt tightly in anxiety.
“I’ll help look for Joan too!” She then hung up the phone.
Jessica was able to locate Abelyn’s villa fairly quickly and knocked hard on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The three of them exchanged suspicious glances when they heard the sound from the living room.
“Are you expecting guests?” Dustin asked Abelyn cautiously.
Abelyn shook her head and said firmly, “Nope! Not at all!”
“Then who could it be?” Dustin got up and slowly walked towards the door.
“It’s me!” Jessica deliberately raised her voice so everyone in the living room could hear her.
“Jessica?” Joan and Dustin exclaimed in unison.
Feeling glad to see Jessica again, she ran over to open the door and asked excitedly, “What brings you here?”
“Oh, my god! Joan, how could you not tell me that you’ve returned? That’s like, so uncool of you!” Jessica complained while smacking her on the shoulder.
“Sorry, I just haven’t had the time to!” Joan played it off casually.
Of course, that was a lie as she simply didn’t want to contact them.
“Hi, Jessica!” Dustin greeted her with a smile.
Practically everyone in the city knew about Larry and Jessica being as close as siblings, and that didn’t sit very well with Abelyn.
“What are you doing here?” she asked rudely.
“Come on, Abelyn… Don’t be like that! We’re all friends!” Dustin gave her a nudge and motioned at her to be nice.
“Oh, we are most certainly not friends!” Abelyn said out loud.