Ch. 3191..3200

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3191

Number One Fan

With both of them immersed in their own thoughts, Megan pried open the lid with knitted brows. The moment she saw cockroaches crawling out of the lunchbox, she was so startled she backed a good few meters away and screamed in terror.

“Ahhh!”

There was only one thing she feared in her life— cockroaches. She found those tiny creatures absolutely disgusting. And there was currently a whole box of them right in front of her.

“Megan, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

Still in shock, she failed to notice it when a person appeared next to her. It wasn’t until she was tugged into an embrace and felt warmth seeping into her that she gradually relaxed. Finally, she registered that someone was hugging her.

“You… Jonas?” Megan blinked in surprise. Then, she quickly pushed him away and awkwardly straightened out her clothes.

“Did something happen just now?” Jonas didn’t seem to mind being pushed away. On the contrary, he was studying Megan’s fearful eyes with worry lining his features.

“No. Don’t worry about it.” Megan yanked a stupefied Donna toward her and was about to leave, but Jonas blocked their way.

“Head back first. I need to talk to Megan,” he directed these words at Donna.

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

After recovering from her initial shock, Megan reverted to being apathetic and flatly refused him. She had concluded something regarding the girl who gave her the box of cockroaches.

If she’s not Jacinta’s fan, then she can only be Jonas’.

“Megan!” Jonas was immediately upset. Frowning slightly, he grabbed ahold of her wrist.

After reflecting on what happened backstage, he planned to catch up with her and offer a sincere apology, then break off all contact with her, but he just so happened to witness the cockroaches crawling out of a box.

The two were in a stalemate, and Megan wasn’t in the mood to speak to him. Right when she was going to shake his hand off, a high-pitched scream pierced through the air.

“Jonas! Why aren’t you letting her leave? You’re even holding her hand!”

At once, three of them turned toward the voice and were met with the sight of the same girl from earlier, running out of her hiding spot. Megan’s eyes hardened. She must’ve been hiding there, waiting to see me make a fool out of myself. She might’ve even recorded it.

“It’s you!” Jonas released Megan’s wrist. As he glared at the girl, a vein started pulsing on his temple. In a tone of disgust, he roared angrily, “Isabelle Scott, I have told you before. If I ever see you again, I’d make sure you disappear from this place for good!”

At the mention of the name Isabelle Scott, Donna immediately recalled that she was Jonas’ number one fan. Back then, when Jacinta got a little too cozy with Jonas, Isabelle had mailed her a blade.

Because she had dressed up as a student and put on a wig, Donna wasn’t able to recognize her earlier. But even though she remembered her now, the damage was already done.

“You’re mine, Jonas! Don’t talk to this b*tch!” Isabelle became even more hysterical upon seeing Jonas. With an expression bordering on fanatic, she looked like she was about to rush over and hug him.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, Megan knew that they couldn’t stay too long. She hastily pulled Jonas back, stepped forward and raised her leg to land a hard kick on Isabelle who was charging toward them like a crazed bull.

Isabelle never expected Megan to be so savage. Caught off guard, she was sent hurtling through the air. Her face instantly drained of all color, and she could only slump limply on the ground while whimpering in pain.

“Jonas, hold her down. I need to find her phone.”

Jonas exchanged glances with her and immediately understood. Without further delay, he complied, walking forward to press Isabelle down as Megan searched for her phone.

Megan didn’t bother checking if there was a video. Instead, she reformatted the phone before tossing it back to Isabelle. “Be careful next time. Don’t mess with people you shouldn’t.”

Isabelle lay sprawled on the ground, looking absolutely miserable. At the sight of her bloodless complexion and long, windswept hair, one might even mistake her for an evil spirit from the depths of hell.

She forced out a mocking laugh and mumbled weakly, “Jonas is mine… Why didn’t that poisonous scorpion sting you to death?”

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3192

The Hard Way

Scorpion? Both Megan and Jonas were taken aback, with the former recalling the situation from earlier. Don’t tell me she hid a scorpion in that box of cockroaches?

“Show me your hands, Megan! Quick!” Jonas yelled with trepidation.

Without bothering to wait for Megan to react, he snatched up her hands and found a striking red mark on one of them.

It was then that Megan felt a burning sensation spreading through her fingers and noticed some signs of swelling. Frantic, her hands started trembling and her lips turned pale.

As she was born in the countryside, she knew that a scorpion sting wasn’t fatal, but she was still afraid of that possibility.

I haven’t even gotten my revenge yet. Even if I die, it has to be after Mia and Herman!

“Snap out of it! We need to get you to the hospital!” Jonas’ brows pulled into a deep frown. When Megan remained in a trance-like state, he directly scooped her into his arms. Isabelle, who was still lying on the ground, almost burst a vein upon seeing this.

But at that moment, no one could care less about her feelings.

As they entered through the hotel’s back door, Megan finally regained her senses and started struggling in Jonas’ arms. However, he kept a firm grip on her and anxiously rushed toward where his car was parked while Donna covered him all the way. Within a few minutes, the three of them finally boarded his car. Jonas hurriedly started the engine and sped toward the hospital.

They reached the hospital ten minutes later. After the doctor examined Megan, he informed them that the sting wasn’t life-threatening, but Megan could be hospitalized for further observation if they were really worried.

The moment Megan heard about being hospitalized for further observation, she couldn’t help but do a double-take at the doctor. She had lost count of how many times she encountered similar situations back in the countryside, which she then settled with a simple band-aid. Coming to the hospital was already a luxury. Being hospitalized was simply unwarranted.

“It’s fine. There are so many other patients. I don’t want to occupy a bed when I’m not sick.” After Megan’s wound was tended to, she moved to leave.

However, Jonas held her back and said in a firm tone, “Stay here for a night. I’ll arrange for a single room. It was my fan who harmed you, so I should take responsibility for this.”

As they stood in the doctor’s consultation room, Jonas’ features were concealed behind a pair of shades and a face mask, but Megan could imagine the unrelenting look he was wearing. Since the first time he came to her rescue, Megan already knew that he was a man with a strong sense of responsibility and morality.

This time was no different than the last, but Megan was disinclined to accept his gesture of goodwill.

“I don’t blame you for any of this, so don’t worry about it.” Megan briefly looked at the spot where she was stung, then waved goodbye and calmly walked out of the consultation room.

However, Jonas had no intention of letting her leave. His long legs made a move quickly and stopped in front of Megan. “Megan, are you really going to make me use the hard way?”

Although he was constantly rejected by her, he wasn’t offended at all because he only had one goal in mind, and that was to make sure she was hospitalized.

Hearing the way he was threatening her, Megan looked up at him with a cold expression. Growing impatient, her brows scrunched together as she countered, “Oh, the hard way, huh? Well, I’d like to see just what you have in mind.”

The next second, Jonas bent down and place her over his shoulder. Megan was stunned for a split second, then her cheeks flushed a crimson red and she thrashed against him, causing passersby to look over curiously.

“Put me down!”

Ignoring her struggles, Jonas growled at her in a fierce tone, “Behave yourself!”

Megan had never been yelled at by Jonas, so she blinked in surprise. The words she was prepared to say were stuck in her throat, and her heart galloped in her chest.

Unexpectedly, this gentle-looking man had a stubborn side, and there was absolutely no stopping him when he had made up his mind on something.

Ugh. What a difficult man.

Realizing that struggling was futile, Megan stopped moving altogether. Moments later, Jonas carried her to the east wing of the building. After going through everyone’s curious stares, they finally arrived at the door to a single room.

Upon entering the clean and tidy room, Jonas put Megan back down. However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, her body tilted sideways and she almost fell.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3193

Wildcat

Fortunately, Jonas had quick reflexes. He caught her in time and supported her to sit on the bed.

After being carried over his shoulder all the way and finally being back on her feet, Megan felt much more at ease. Slicing a glare at Jonas, her anger surged and she began castigating him, “Don’t you know how dizzy you made me? You’re such a brute!”

“Oh, really? Well, I only become a brute when it’s necessary,” Jonas shot back with raised brows.

Then, he pulled a chair over and sat down before elegantly taking off his shades and face mask. Looking at her with his proud eyes, he continued, “You’re like a wildcat, do you know that? Brute force is required to make sure you behave. Anyway, I’ll watch over you tonight. You can leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

As soon as he said that, Megan jumped up from the bed. Pointing at him, her eyes went wide with disbelief as she yelled at the top of her lungs, “You’re going to stay in the same room with me? Don’t you think we have enough scandals already?”

Seeing her getting so worked up, Jonas felt slightly disgruntled. He pressed his lips together and questioned with a hint of anger in his eyes, “What? Are you that upset to be involved in a scandal with me? Don’t you forget that you were the one who started this in the first place!”

“I…” Megan was rendered inarticulate and her cheeks turned red. In the end, she shot him a few vicious glares and gave up.

Seated on the chair next to the bed, Jonas noticed the deflated look on her face and chuckled softly. In better spirits, he didn’t continue provoking her.

When the ward plunged into silence, the seconds seemed to stretch out like an eternity.

Jonas’ slightly bleary eyes shifted to look at Megan’s face, which still held traces of anger on it. For some reason, he found her extremely cute in a unique way.

“Has anyone told you you’re very beautiful?” Jonas propped his temple on a hand and popped this question out of the blue, his long lashes fluttering in an alluring manner.

“Hah! I wish.” Megan turned her face away and denied it with a dubious expression. She even thought that he was mocking her. “With Mia around, who would spare me a second glance? As far as appearances are concerned, I am indeed inferior to her.”

It was a fact. No matter how much she resented Mia, Megan would never lie through her teeth and say otherwise.

Hearing this, Jonas raised his brows in surprise. Drumming his fingers on his knee, he spoke in a rich voice, “Really? I think you’re really beautiful though.”

“Huh?” Megan turned back to look at him in astonishment, thinking she had misheard him. With an embarrassed look on her face, she mumbled, “You don’t have to force yourself to compliment me. No matter what happened between us, I just hope that it’ll all be over after tonight.”

She did not want to have too much to do with Jonas. This was always her intention except for the first time. Every interaction from then on was mere coincidences.

If more scandals about them emerged, it would only implicate Jonas. Hence, even if it was God’s will, she had to put a stop to this.

However, Jonas did not seem to share the same sentiment. He just couldn’t relate to Megan’s reasons, nor could he understand why she would be bothered by some simple interactions.

He began to wonder if he were the real problem.

Jonas became more confused the more he thought about it. He stared at the woman with a complicated expression and asked in a bitter voice, “Oh? Is that what you have in mind all this while?”

Apart from anger, Megan could discern a hint of grievance in his tone, but she deliberately ignored it.

Despite that, she still couldn’t bring herself to say anything cruel to him. When their gazes met, her resolution wavered and guilt snaked into her heart.

“It’s better this way for both of us,” Megan stated calmly, but she already felt her resistance crumbling under his intense stare.

She gulped twice and had to bow her head to avoid his gaze.

“You think I’d be grateful to you for doing this? Well, don’t kid yourself.”

Jonas stood up angrily as though he was unable to tolerate Megan’s perfunctory responses any longer. His handsome face clouded over while the frustration and conflicting emotions swirled in his eyes.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3194

A Gift With Ribbons

Unable to fathom why he was mad all of a sudden, Megan stared at him in bewilderment. It wasn’t until the door was slammed behind him with a loud bang that she snapped out of her daze.

“Did he get up on the wrong side of the bed today?” she muttered under her breath. With her thoughts still all over the place, she scanned the empty ward and sat in silence for a long time. In the end, she decided not to think about it anymore.

After all, many things were impossible to figure out no matter how much one tried to. That was because sometimes, the disparity wasn’t merely the gap of mountains and rivers between two people, but four trillion cells, many memories as well as past events to take into account.

Megan sighed softly. After shoving those annoying thoughts to the back of her mind, she planned to call Donna to fetch her back.

This girl is really something. When Jonas was manhandling me earlier, she had the nerve to slip away unnoticed.

She fished out her phone and was just about to give Donna a call when the door to the ward was opened once again.

But this time, it was Jake.

Megan was stunned to see him, and her mind instantly went blank. Subsequently, all kinds of thoughts flashed across her mind. In her gobsmacked state, she almost dropped her phone.

“W-What are you doing here?”

“Why are you so surprised?” Jake surveyed Megan who was sitting on the bed. Then, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

“Yes. I’m indeed a little surprised.” Megan school her features the moment the door was closed, but her heart was pounding in her chest.

She forced herself to meet his eyes, but faced with those amber orbs which seemed to be able to see through one’s soul, she felt like she could no longer maintain the most ideal facade.

However, Megan knew she couldn’t let Jake notice the guilt she was feeling. Gritting her teeth, she feigned calmness and stood up, then gingerly went up to greet him.

A hint of intrigue gleamed in Jake’s eyes when he saw her docile demeanor. He could still remember how nervous she was at the launch event earlier. That vaguely tensed body had evoked curiosity in his heart for the first time.

It was like a gift with ribbons, but he had only looked at it and hadn’t opened it yet.

“Has Jonas gone out?” Jake naturally took her hand and pulled her to the bed indifferently. Megan stiffened and immediately tried wriggling her hand out of his.

“Let me go first, then I’ll answer you.”

This sudden act of intimacy made Megan feel uneasy. As she nervously tried to withdraw her hand again, her face grew hotter and she was convinced he could hear the sound of her rapid heartbeat in the silent ward.

She didn’t quite understand whether her reaction stemmed from her guilty conscience or some other bizarre emotion.

In the large room, even the air seemed too thin because of Jake’s oppressing aura. Megan subconsciously held her breath. Her throat had already gone dry and she couldn’t make a sound.

I never thought I’d be this nervous and uneasy around him. I was fine the last time.

Why is this happening?

“Are you scared?” Jake lowered his head to have a clearer view of her nervous expression. However, he still held her hand tightly as his eyes shone with an indecipherable emotion.

“I’m… not.”

In the quiet room, the atmosphere grew strained, but both of them did not move to break the silence.

After a long time, Jake seemed to be tired of seeing the same distant expression on Megan’s face. Thus, he lifted his other hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. When his fingertips grazed her burning hot cheek, her eyes finally showed a ripple of emotion.

“Oh? So you’re not scared of me.” Jake chuckled softly. Suddenly, his face inched even closer to hers.

Megan felt herself go light-headed like she was floating on clouds. For a while, she was unable to react, but her eyes went wide when Jake’s warm breath tickled her cheeks. As though she was scalded by hot water, she instinctively wanted to take a few steps backward.

“No…” She failed to calm her galloping heart. Even her mind went haywire.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3195

The Heart Wants What It Wants

Megan’s self-conscious gaze darted around the room, focusing on anything but Jake. Her brain kept recalling the launch event and the feeling of the warm hand on her shoulder.

That small, simple touch had triggered something unknown inside of her.

“So did you, or didn’t you?” Jake held her chin between his thumb and pointer finger, the smell of his cologne overpowering her as she stared at his handsome face up close, enraptured. Megan knew that this was a trap, but the dazed look in her eyes betrayed her true emotions.

“I did…”

Jake raised an eyebrow, absentmindedly moving his hand upwards to trace his fingers against her face. “Was it because you lied to me?”

Lied…?

Megan blinked owlishly, suddenly snapping back to reality. Goosebumps rose all over her skin; she’d nearly given into his hypnotic gaze and sold herself out.

“I never lied to you.”

She pushed him away with arguably more force than needed, raising her chin high up in the air and huffing.

Why is he so insistent on catching me off-guard? And to think that he’d nearly succeeded!

“Is that so?” Jake looked calm and threw her a casual reply.

He scanned the room they were in, sitting himself down on the bed and patting the empty spot next to him. “Come here. Tell me, what did you and Jonas talk about?”

Jake was never one for niceties or polite introductions; instead, he preferred to order people around. Due to this, Megan felt the uncontrollable urge to oppose him.

She forced a blank expression onto her face, scoffing coldly. “I haven’t signed the contract with Sky Entertainment yet, which means you’re not the boss of me. Why should I tell you anything? And even if you want answers, you should be asking Jonas, not me. I don’t know you that well.”

Jake wondered if she thought that the “I don’t know you that well” phrase was all she needed to dismiss their relationship with each other. Brushing it off, he licked at his lips and wrapped one arm around Megan’s waist, pulling her closer to him.

There was barely a hair’s breadth of distance in between them, and Megan could feel his every breath brushing against her face. His intense stare made her blush all the way to the tips of her ears.

Satisfied with her flustered reaction, Jake narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and leaned in. Megan vaguely registered that he was saying something in a deep, husky voice, but couldn’t focus on anything else except the movement of his Adam’s apple.

“If you are really Megan, then your life is mine to own. We have all the time in the world to get to know each other.”

I want to wipe that smug grin off his face. Megan gritted her teeth in frustration, but couldn’t deny the fact that her heart had skipped a beat. The man was just too damn attractive for his own good.

“I am really Megan, but I have no intention of getting to know you.”

She scrambled away from him, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation if she remained that close to him for a second longer.

However, Jake had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily.

“If you don’t want to get to know me, then would you prefer getting closer to Jonas instead?” He raised an eyebrow.

Megan read between the lines and gave him a sidelong glance.

So, he even beats around the bush sometimes.

“Not at all. I don’t plan on getting close with either of you. I haven’t even begun to understand why you care whether I’m Megan or not, and why you showed me those pictures.”

Something flashed through the depths of Jake’s eyes. “That is none of your business,” he drawled out, running a hand through his hair. “All you need to remember is that if you are Megan, you belong to me. And if you aren’t Megan, I hope you know that there are consequences for lying to me.”

A veiled threat. Megan clenched her jaw, contemplating belatedly if she’d snuck into the lion’s den.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3196

A Helping Hand

She had long since lost her freedom and her rights from the moment she’d admitted that she was Megan.

When that realization finally dawned upon her, she let out a long-suffering sigh. Jake was a cruel, merciless, domineering man and there was nothing she could change about that.

“Sure. If that’s the case, then I’m leaving.” Too lazy to argue with him any further, she stood up and made to leave only to get pulled back by him once more.

“Did I say you could leave?” His displeasure was written all over his face, sending chills down her spine.

“What do you want?”

Rolling her eyes, she sat down on the hospital bed.

“Give me your arm.” He reached his hand out. “You got stung, didn’t you?”

She did a double-take, hesitant to follow his orders. But when she looked up and caught a glance of Jake’s darkening expression, she quickly made the decision to reach her arm out.

“I’m fine. I really don’t know why Jonas insisted on me staying at the hospital… Actually, how did you know that I was here?”

She’d wanted to ask that ever since he stepped foot within her ward, but hadn’t had the proper chance to do so until now.

The only possibility she could think of was that he’d followed her all the way here, but she quickly banished that creepy thought from her mind.

“Because someone was following you,” Jake told her in a very matter-of-fact tone, the tips of his fingers tracing lightly over her wound. Just as Megan was about to panic, he suddenly applied pressure to the swollen spot on her skin.

“You were too near to him.”

He lifted his gaze to watch Megan inhale sharply at the prick of pain that shot up her arm. Her reaction did nothing to ease the upset feeling squeezing his chest.

Megan couldn’t pull her arm away, gritting her teeth in an attempt to keep any sounds of pain from escaping her. She glared at him fixedly, furrowing her eyebrows.

What a self-centered, narcissistic man!

He literally has nothing going for him except his looks! And to think that I felt attracted to him just now!

Wait… attracted?

Her mind blanked as she blinked rapidly. Although Jake had a dark, gloomy expression, she couldn’t deny the fact that he still looked handsome while doing so.

So this is the reason why my heartbeat was speeding up and going into overdrive…

Self-hatred filled her chest, and she turned away from him. She didn’t want to admit that she was interested in a man whom she’d only met a few times. There had to be something wrong with her, or some other explanation for what she was feeling. Perhaps she was just more sensitive to Jake’s touch compared to others.

“Are you done pressing on my wound?” she snapped, her attitude completely flipping around.

Jake kept staring at her.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally let go of her arm and stood up. “Remember what I told you today. And I have to remind you that showbiz is an industry that depends on connections and resources. If you leave me and try to make a name for yourself by solely depending on Jonas, you’ll always stay an unknown rookie.”

Megan knew that all too well, but his spiteful tone made her all the more stubborn.

Clicking her tongue, she got to her feet and stood up straight, a newfound determination burning in her eyes.

“I don’t need your help. As long as you don’t try to sabotage me, I’ll definitely rise to the top of this industry!”

Jake nearly let out a bark of laughter. The cynical pessimist in him didn’t bother to entertain her baseless hopes and dreams.

“In that case, I’ll be watching and waiting.”

With that confusing statement, he walked out of the room and never looked back. Megan was left fuming, clenching her fists tightly as she watched him leave.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3197

Coming Clean

He had made those weirdly possessive declarations that pissed her off because she was acting as Megan. However, his opinion of her seemed to be that she would never be anything but an amateur.

Is that so?

Megan couldn’t stop herself from considering the question: if she truly was good-for-nothing, then why was she reborn into this lifetime?

She understood that clumsiness and luck were things that a person was born with, but whether or not you could change your own future lay solely in your own hands.

She was fine with being good-for-nothing, or even useless. If she kept up this pace and made progress one step at a time, she would surely surpass Mia and prove Herman wrong!

Megan prepared to leave the hospital and head home. She was in an incredibly depressed mood after that conversation with Jake and wanted nothing more than a relaxing hot bath.

Unfortunately, she’d barely taken a single step out of the hospital grounds when a car drove up to her, sighing heavily when she recognized it as Jonas’ car.

It was already getting dark outside and he still hadn’t left.

The car windows rolled down to reveal Jonas sitting in the driver’s seat. “Get in.”

Knowing that she had no other choice, she obediently got into the car, all the while Jake’s warning from earlier was still ringing in her ears. It’s not that I have to listen to his advice.

She had gotten into the car only because she was mad at Jake, but Jonas assumed that she’d done so because she’d realized her mistakes and felt bad.

His cold expression softened somewhat, turning his attention to focus on the road before him as he started up the car. “Shall I send you home?”

Megan leaned her head against the window as she stared emptily at the passing cars and street lights. She made a simple sound of agreement, too absorbed by her lingering feelings of frustration and anger to think of anything else.

Jonas could tell that she was unhappy, but couldn’t figure out why. All he could do was try to lighten the atmosphere.

“I gathered my thoughts while waiting downstairs just now. Are you sure that we can’t be friends, Megan?”

He was being sincere. There was a small voice buried in the back of his mind that kept screaming to get closer to her and to know her on a deeper level.

But his question shocked Megan, causing her whole body to stiffen.

“Are you sure that’s what you want? Won’t we get misunderstood even more if we become friends?” she argued. “I just really don’t want to get into more scandals with you, and it’s not like they’re doing you any good either.”

“That’s not something for you to be worried about,” he replied, eyebrows furrowing in dissatisfaction. “I don’t care even if you reject me. No one can stop me from doing what I want as long as I’ve made my decision.”

Megan knew that. She shook her head, swallowing the words stuck in her throat.

“If you insist, then I have nothing to say. It’s not like I have many friends anyway. I don’t care as long as your reputation isn’t affected because of me.”

Megan had never truly hated Jonas in the first place. She merely hated the idea of associating herself with him because she’d already dragged him into her mess once, and didn’t want to cause any more trouble for him.

After all, they barely knew each other to even be considered acquaintances.

“Really?” Jonas perked up, unable to hide the sheer happiness in his voice. “I don’t mind at all.”

Megan chuckled, stretching her arms and back out while recalling the events of the entire day. “Thank you.”

“It was nothing. I’d planned on making you stay at the hospital overnight, but later changed my mind and thought that it would be better to respect your wishes,” he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

There was an unfamiliar, gentle look on his face. the passing lights casting striking shadows against the contours of his face. Megan just nodded and waved her hand in a dismissing motion.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3198

The Mastermind Behind The Scenes

Jonas’ car eventually arrived at Megan’s address. Due to multiple reasons, he wasn’t able to send her to her door, watching her walk up the stairs and driving off as soon as he’d made sure that she was inside.

Megan was reaching out to turn the knob on her apartment door when Donna suddenly opened it up from the inside, startling her.

She just took a look at Donna’s expression to figure out that something must have happened.

She changed into a pair of house slippers and pulled Donna to sit on the couch. Her friend’s anxiousness and fidgety mood were starting to affect her as well. “Why do you look so grim?”

“Luna called,” Donna gulped. Her usual bubbly, cheerfulness was nowhere to be found.

Megan frowned at the mere mention of Luna. “What did she say?”

Donna opened and closed her mouth several times, seemingly racking her brain for the right words to construct her sentence before mumbling out, “She said that your contract with Starling Media hasn’t ended yet, so you’re technically still working under them, even if you’ve already decided not to renew your contract. She wants to schedule a job for you.”

“A job?” Megan’s eyes widened for a brief second before she let out a harsh scoff. “There’s no way she’d be so kind. Go on. I want to know what tricks she has up her sleeve.”

Her tone was so icily cold that Donna wondered if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.

Luna hadn’t stopped Megan when she first left Starling Media, but now she was trying to force her to go back by holding her contract over her head!

Donna sounded apprehensive as she went on to say, “You’re going to be filming a commercial. Mia is the main character, while you got the supporting role.”

That pissed Megan off. She immediately jumped up from her seat, rage flaring up as she exclaimed, “Is it the kind of supporting role that gets to kill off the main character? Because if it isn’t, then I’m not doing it!”

Donna had expected this.

It was a shame. This would have been a good opportunity for Megan if it weren’t for the ongoing feud between her and her co-star.

“Of course, there isn’t. It’s a commercial for a milk brand, and they’ve scripted up some pure, ‘first love’ story that takes place in a high school. You know, the kind of story that Mia is best suited for…”

Donna stood up and tried to rub Megan’s back comfortingly in an attempt to get her to calm down.

Luna was clearly just treating her like a toy; picking her up when she was in the mood to entertain her, and throwing her away when she felt like it.

Megan’s jaw clenched tightly. With the knowledge that she had to go to the filming, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and reorganize her thoughts. Her mind now clear, she suddenly realized something.

This decision couldn’t have solely been Luna’s idea. Mia had to be the puppeteer behind this whole mess!

“Did Luna tell you who the male lead is?” Megan plopped back down onto the sofa, schooling her expression into a mask of calm and serenity.

“It’s Jonas,” Donna sighed. “Arguably the most maddening thing about the script is that your character was described as ‘the ugly girl’…”

Wow, “the ugly girl”.

Megan now had absolutely no doubt that this was all Mia’s doing.

Mia was trying to use Megan’s supposed “ugliness” to complement her own “beauty”.

“I gotta give Mia props for the creative idea,” Megan laughed out loud. “Even if she wants to see me look bad on purpose, I won’t give her that chance.”

“Does that mean you won’t go?” Donna’s mouth fell open, all the color draining from her face as she clutched onto Megan’s sleeve. “The contract states clearly that you have to attend all work events that Starling Media tells you to, or else you’ll be breaching the terms of the contract! We can’t afford to pay the compensation for breaching the contract!”

“Relax, I’m going,” Megan forced a smile. Deep within her heart, her hatred for Mia worsened even further.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3199

The Last Straw

It didn’t matter. Transcendent was going to air soon, and it would most definitely be her big break.

“Good,” Donna sighed heavily as if a burden had been taken off her shoulders. “We can’t rock the boat over an issue as small as this.”

“I know.” After that, the two of them conversed about what had happened at the hospital until it was eventually time to go to bed. Drained of all energy, Megan took a simple shower before collapsing onto her bed and falling asleep instantly.

The next morning, she was awoken by the sound of her alarm.

She groaned at the thought of having to play second-fiddle to Mia later today. Not even the lingering memories of the pleasant dream she had from last night could cheer her up.

After a quick washing up and changing into a simple outfit, Megan and Donna left the apartment together.

Megan was surprised when they reached the filming set for the commercial; she hadn’t expected the crew to actually film on a university campus. It seemed like this project was highly important to the production crew.

“Oh! There’s my beloved sister!”

Mia skipped her way over to Megan as soon as she spotted her, ready to make her day a living hell. Fortunately, Megan had the forethought to walk in the opposite direction and completely avoid her as she made her way to the dressing room.

But Mia was like a parasite, popping up wherever Megan would go every single time without fail.

“Hey, Megan! I took a peek at your script and learned that you’re playing the ugly girl who has a crush on the hottest guy in school! Although, I wouldn’t really consider this ‘acting’ for you, because that’s what you are in real life, no?”

Mia stood behind Megan as the latter got her makeup done in the dressing room. Their two completely different faces created a stark contrast against each other in the reflection.

The make-up artist’s jaw dropped when she heard that, unable to stop herself from asking out of curiosity. “Are you two really sisters?”

Megan was still quite unknown in the entertainment industry, while Mia had built up a considerable following because of Luna’s constant promotional work. The treatment they received was as different as the sky and the sea and didn’t seem to be related to each other at all.

“Of course! Megan is my one and only biological sister!” Mia swiftly affirmed. The word “sister” coming out of her mouth sounded sickly sweet.

This was and always had been her way of pissing Megan off.

Megan clicked her tongue, narrowing her eyes at Mia condescendingly. It would seem that Mia had yet to learn that she was not someone to make angry right now; even if she was going to play second-fiddle, she would never willingly do it for Mia.

“She is my sister, but we’re quite different indeed. I’ve never mastered her method of sweet-talking people and batting her eyelashes to get what she wants, so I could only patiently and honestly work my way up.”

The other two women were both rendered speechless. The make-up artist looked nervously at Mia, her hands trembling slightly as they set down her brush.

It was a common opinion for people to think that Mia was just another pretty face due to the fact that she had debuted only because of her good looks, as well as the fact that she didn’t have any good works to show for her skills or rather, lack of skill.

“How dare you!” Mia squawked, grabbing ahold of Megan’s newly done-up hair and trying to drag her out of her chair.

The sharp pain in her scalp made Megan wince. Before she knew it, she’d stomped on Mia’s foot in a fit of rage and had raised her hand in the air, ready to slap some sense into Mia.

To her chagrin, a pair of strong hands stopped her from doing just that.

“Calm down.”

Blinded by wrath, she whipped around to glare daggers at the sudden intruder when she abruptly froze up. It was Jonas of all people.

She squinted at him. “Why are you here?”

“Didn’t you know that I’m the male lead of this commercial?” He raised an eyebrow, his grip tightening around her wrist.

Well, Megan recalled that fact now, but who cared if it was Jonas? Not even God himself would be able to stop her from teaching her bit*h of a little sister a good, hard lesson if he descended from the heavens.

“Don’t try to stop me,” she hissed out. With a quick downwards tug, she broke free from Jonas and turned her attention back to Mia.

Never Late, Never Away Chapter 3200

Go To Hell

Mia was as pale as a ghost, her legs shaking and struggling to keep herself standing upright. She’d never seen such horrendous, bone-chilling fury in her sister’s eyes before.

Megan used to always take what she dished out with a sarcastic, calm smile.

“W- What do you want from me? We’re on set!” She stumbled backward. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs in a show of intimidation, but her throat closed up and her voice only came out in short gasps.

“What do I want from you?” The light seemed to disappear from Megan’s eyes as she stared up at Mia through her eyelashes.

“I want you to die.”

There was a collective sharp inhale from everyone in the room. If anything happened to Mia, there was no doubt that Megan would be the first subject because of this very declaration.

Deciding that he couldn’t let this go on any further, Jonas hurriedly took ahold of Megan’s hand and dragged her out of the dressing room.

“Let go of me!”

He slowed down when they were in a quiet clearing away from other people, where Megan immediately took the chance to shove him away from her.

Her cheeks puffed out angrily, she sat down on the steps in the pathway that led to the clearing. Meanwhile, Jonas stared her down, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Are you still mad at me?”

At first glance, Megan might have appeared to have calmed down, but he could tell from the rough way she was massaging her sore wrists and the murderous aura around her that that was far from the truth.

“So what if I am?” she spat.

Jonas’ expression darkened even further. “It won’t do you any good to act so recklessly. What if something really happens to Mia?”

Is he trying to justify being a pacifist..? Megan rolled her eyes and stood up, a cynical smirk playing on her lips.

“So you want to be the knight in shining armor and save the damsel in distress to get on her good side? I’m warning you, don’t get involved in the name of your self-righteous ‘justice’ if you don’t know the whole truth of the situation.”

Her airy, casual tone paired with her blunt words made his blood run cold.

“Is that what you think of me?”

Jonas was suddenly discovering a new side of Megan that wasn’t just endurant and intelligent, but also surprisingly aggressive and impulsive.

And Mia seemed to be her trigger.

“That’s what it felt like to me,” Megan huffed, brushing her hair over her shoulder and rolling her eyes. There was a distant look in her eyes as if she wished she was anywhere but here. “But I don’t feel anything at all.”

Jonas’ fists were clenched so tightly that his nails were digging into his palm, suppressing the frustration starting to build up within him. He hadn’t felt this angry even when Megan misinterpreted his earlier actions.

He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and fixed her with an intense stare, a mixture of emotions swimming in the depths of his gaze. “I don’t want to hear you say that.”

Huh?

She stared back at him, the anger in her heart dissipating and getting replaced by pure confusion. Now that the fog had cleared from her brain, she could think straight and even decipher Jonas’ thoughts.

“What do you not want to hear?”

It was a simple question that, for some reason, made Jonas do a double-take. His gaze fell to the ground, and Megan started wondering what she said that offended him so much.

“Jonas? Where are you? Filming is starting soon!”

A frantic shout interrupted the tense silence between them, successfully snapping Jonas back to reality. He glanced over his shoulder to see his manager dashing towards him.

Sneaking another dazed look back at Megan, he wondered if he was dreaming, or she was merely too distant of a dream for him to ever achieve.

He sighed and shook his head, clearing it of all depressing thoughts. With another gentle smile directed at Megan, he said, “It’s fine. We can talk about it some other time. Right now, it’s time to go to work.”