Ch. 11..20

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 11-Tommy had a conflicted expression as he sat in the front passenger seat. He motioned for the driver to pull over and stop the car before he told the driver to get down with him.

A sullen-faced Corinne held the hem of the big white T-shirt with both hands and slowly began pulling it up.

Jeremy rested his forehead lazily on his knuckles. His indifferent gaze fell on her, and there was a hint of playfulness in the depths of his handsome eyes.

… Back at Alpha Enterprises, Richard—the general manager—was severely reprimanded by his boss Alfred because of improper employment practices of letting relatives in without proper conduct. Alfred gave him an ultimatum, too, that if he failed to figure out a way to recoup that day’s losses and there was a resulting failure to reach a cooperation with the Holdens in that project, he would have to pack up and leave like his idiot of a relative, Zoe.

Richard was in a state of desperation, so he drove out to get in touch with his contacts and find a solution. Just as he was worrying about whether or not he could keep his job, he spotted Jeremy’s car parked on the side of the road.

Jeremy was still nearby. What a wonderful stroke of luck that was! He could use that opportunity to explain to Jeremy the reasons for the mistakes in the plan and, in the process, try to salvage some hope from that hopeless situation!

With that in mind, Richard parked the car nearby and jogged toward the black Mercedes-Benz MPV up ahead.

Heavy tint had been applied on the windows of that luxurious vehicle, making it impossible for anyone outside the vehicle to tell if there was anyone inside.

Richard cautiously looked at the car window and called out, “Mister Jeremy? Are you in the car, Mister Jeremy? Mister Jeremy?” The soundproofing used in luxury cars was just as good, so Richard’s voice did not travel into the car.

‘Is the car empty? Did Mister Jeremy go somewhere? Where could he have gone?’ Richard glanced around but did not see anyone around him, so he put his hand on the door handle and tried to open the door.

At that moment, Jeremy, still inside the car with Corinne, had an aloof expression and showed no intention to help Corinne out of the predicament.

Meanwhile, Corinne did not intend to just give in to the man.

After all, she had just been bullied by his sister earlier that morning, and if she did not take a stand right then, she would be treated like a pushover by the Holdens for the coming three months.

Corinne gritted her teeth and took off the T-shirt.

Fortunately, she had worn a small singlet underneath. There might not be much fabric, but it was not revealing either.

Jeremy’s eyes froze slightly, and his brow furrowed into a frown! ‘Is she really going to take the shirt off?!’ All of a sudden, the car door was pulled open, letting in a ray of sunlight and cold air into the car.

A strong force pulled Corinne over before she could react. As soon as her eyes saw a blur, a pleasantly masculine fragrance of ambergris mixed with the tobacco filled her nostrils, and her heart began to pound rapidly.

Jeremy reacted very quickly, and it took him only a split second to cover Corinne’s body with the suit jacket he took off earlier and set to one side. He then pressed her body close to his so that her bare body would not be exposed to others.

Richard opened the door and happened to see Mister Jeremy holding a woman in his arms. The woman’s face was buried in Mister Jeremy’s chest, and she was wrapped in a man’s clothes. As his gaze traveled lower, he could see only the woman’s fair, slender legs.

Stunned, his jaw practically dropped to the ground.

It did not take long for him to realize that he had seen something he should not have, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. “Ah! I’m so—sorry, Mister Jeremy! I was calling you from outside, but I didn’t get a response, so I—” Jeremy continued to hug the woman tightly in his arms and glanced up coldly before snarling, “F*ck off!” Richard closed the car door at once and wiped away the sweat from his forehead. He felt both nervous and uneasy.

He was surely doomed after disrupting Jeremy’s ‘personal time’.

Corinne was hugged so tightly that nearly ran out of breath.

She had to wiggle a bit from his embrace to stretch her head out of his cocoon of a jacket. With a frown, she asked, “What are you doing, mister?” Jeremy lowered his head and looked at the girl in his arms. There were traces of displeasure on her face.

He was appalled that she could still be angry at him. Had he left the situation as is without doing anything, he would have seen her all naked! He began to wonder if she even had any sense of shame.

After snapping out of his daze, a sullen-looking Jeremy released her from his embrace and said solemnly, “Put that shirt on right now. You’re the Holdens’ young madam now, and your every word and action represent the Holdens.

Next time, don’t ever do something as shameful as taking off your shirt for no good reason.” ‘Shameful? Weren’t you the one who wanted me to take it off?’ Corinne smiled sarcastically. “I guess this means I got your permission to wear your shirt, then?” Jeremy frowned slightly, yet there was a little smirk on the corners of his lips.

This young woman truly was a vengeful person.

“Go ahead.” Corinne snorted, moved to one side, and put on her shirt.

Jeremy did not look at her again. He turned his face away, got up, and slammed the car door shut as he got down from the vehicle.

… Richard was shaking like a leaf as he explained everything to Tommy, “Mister Tommy, I didn’t do it on purpose! Could you please explain to Mister Jeremy on my behalf…” Tommy heard the sound of the car door closing and saw Jeremy approaching them. “Sir…” Richard felt a chill down his spine and immediately turned to bow apologetically.

“Mister Jeremy, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to open the door earlier…” Jeremy’s black eyes were cold and stern. “What did you see?” Richard froze for a moment and shook his head violently. “Nothing! Nothing at all!” Tommy took a step forward, bowed, and pleaded for forgiveness. “Sir, your sister called earlier, and I went to one side to answer the call. It was my fault for not noticing that someone was approaching the car.” Jeremy glanced at Tommy indifferently and said nothing. He lowered his head, lit a cigarette, then turned to look at Richard, “Well, you’ve already followed me to my car, so tell me, why are you here?” Richard immediately said, “Mister Jeremy, my name is Richard Channing from Alpha Enterprises. We just met back at the company! I… Umm… I’m here to explain the error you saw today. The plan was manipulated by one of the company’s interns for their personal interests, and that’s not our company’s true standards. I hope you’ll give us another chance to show you the real deal.” Jeremy took a puff from his cigarette and cocked his handsome eyebrows.

“Manipulated? Was it the one who fixed your computer system?” Richard froze for a moment, then shook his head awkwardly. “Uh…no. It was another one! But not to worry, as both the interns have been fired, and we’ll guarantee that there won’t be any more mistakes in the future! If you have the time, perhaps you could—” “I do not.” Jeremy’s expression darkened and he glanced at the back seat of the car from the corner of his eyes. ‘She was fired?’ Jeremy signaled to Tommy with a glance. He surmised that Corinne had gotten dressed, so he turned and walked toward the car.

Richard hurriedly followed behind, “Mister Jeremy! This is a good project, and all I ask is for you to give me a bit of your time. Twenty minutes is more than enough…” Tommy did not hide his displeasure as he stopped Richard and warned, “He’s made it clear that he doesn’t have the time, Richard. Nothing good will come out of pestering him.” Richard froze for a moment and did not dare to pester Jeremy any further. He retreated to the side of the road, saw them off with a bow, and watched as the luxury Mercedes-Benz drove away before his eyes.

Entertaining his requests was the last thing that Jeremy wanted to do, what with a woman waiting for him inside the car. Richard had no choice but to find another chance some other day.

At that moment, Corinne felt that the air in the car was too stuffy, so she lowered the window slowly to let in some fresh air.

Richard looked up at the car and was completely stunned.

That woman in Jeremy’s car bore a striking resemblance to Corinne, whom he had fired earlier that day!

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 12-Corinne had put Jeremy’s T-shirt back on, but she doubled up with the jacket he had given her because she felt a little cold after letting in some outside air through the window.

“I heard you’re unemployed now?” Corinne heard Jeremy’s deep voice as she stared aimlessly at the passing scenery outside the car window.

Corinne’s lips twitched. “Yup, and it’s all thanks to you.” Jeremy flipped through the documents in his hand. “I gave the company a chance, yet there were still mistakes that shouldn’t have happened. According to my standards, such a plan lacks any investment value.” Corinne yawned, evidently because she was a little sleepy. “Oh, you don’t need to tell me why, mister. After all, I’m no longer an employee of Alpha Enterprises.” Jeremy was speechless for a moment. He continued flipping through the documents and said in a casual tone, “If you’re looking for a company to do your internship, then—” “Stop the car!” Corinne interrupted his sentence and stretched her head out of the car window. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling as if she had spotted something. As soon as the driver put his foot on the brakes, Corinne opened the door and went down.

In no time, she ran to the bus stop in front and jumped on the bus that had just arrived. She got a seat by the window, stretched out a hand from inside, and gave a thumbs-up to the Mercedes-Benz behind her. Then, she slowly flipped her thumbs-up to become a thumbs-down, clearly showing her contempt for them.

Her little hand retracted back into the bus as it drove away slowly.

Tommy’s temples were beginning to throb when he saw that. Corinne was truly a unique character. For the record, no one in the entire New Capital City—or even the whole country for that matter—would dare to show such rudeness in front of Jeremy.

“Sir, she took your suit jacket with her. The International Trade Center will be completed later in the afternoon, and you have to attend the ribbon-cutting…” “Have someone bring me another one.” Jeremy lowered his eyebrows and continued to look through the documents with a gloomy face.

“Right!” Tommy then said, “Sir, when your sister called me earlier, she told me that she was hospitalized.” Jeremy looked up slightly. “She was fine the last time I saw her. Why was she hospitalized?” Tommy relayed what Francine told her. “Well, Miss Corinne dunked your sister’s head into the toilet bowl, causing her to drink several mouthfuls of toilet water.

You know how your sister is a bit of a clean freak, and she was so disgusted by what happened that she kept on vomiting since morning. Eventually, she got so dehydrated that she had to be sent to the hospital and put on a drip.” “And what did the doctor say?” “The doctor said that it’s not that serious. Put her on a drip and give her some food, and she’ll be back to normal in a couple of days. Still, she’s making a big fuss about wanting you to get even for her and teach Miss Corinne a lesson… ” Jeremy’s expression remained unchanged. “Grandma spoils Francine all the time, and she’s always been a stubborn girl. Corinne might have a tough personality, but she won’t take the initiative to cause any trouble. Let Francine learn her lesson this time. Hopefully, she’ll be able to keep her temper in check sometime in the future. We needn’t concern ourselves with her.” Tommy was taken aback at how tolerant Jeremy seemed to be toward Corinne.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and sought further instructions. “Well… Miss Corinne was fired today, so would you like to arrange for her to get a job?” Jeremy said indifferently, “Don’t worry about it. Just make sure to keep an eye on her during these three months so she doesn’t do anything to tarnish the family name.” “Understood!” Tommy was initially under the impression that Jeremy had some other sort of feeling for Corinne, but after that remark, he concluded that he had probably been thinking too much.

It made sense, though. The only woman for Jeremy was the daughter of the Riveras, and his feelings for her had not changed even after many years had passed. Unfortunately, the feud between the Holdens and the Riveras made it difficult for the two of them to get married. That was the reason that Jeremy remained single, and it was also why his grandfather was so anxious to force him into marriage.

… Corinne took the bus back home so she could pack up her belongings. Since she had to cooperate with that weird old man and stay at the Holdens’ residence for three months, she needed to have her own clothes to wear instead of wearing his all the time.

She bumped into Sherlyn as soon as she went into the house.

Sherlyn was out of a job, having quit the entertainment industry. She had always put on airs in front of Corinne, and it was no different on that occasion when she saw that Corinne had returned.

“Oh, it’s you. I thought it was the food delivery guy!” Corinne was in no mood to talk nonsense with Sherlyn, so she walked past her and went straight upstairs. Sherlyn, however, was hell-bent on standing in the way, and she did so while staring disdainfully at Corinne.

“Is that a man’s suit jacket that you’re wearing? You didn’t come home last night, so could you have slept with some random dude?” Before Corinne could even begin to explain, Sherlyn started yelling loudly, “Dad!

Mom! Look at what Corinne is wearing!” Marvin came out of the room upon hearing Sherlyn’s yells, and he immediately pulled a long face when he saw the suit jacket on Corinne’s body. “Why are you wearing a man’s suit jacket, Corinne? What were you doing when you stayed out last night?” When Lilliana came up from behind and saw what was going on, she immediately made a panicked expression. “This… This is outrageous! How can you just strut around wearing a man’s clothes when you haven’t even gotten married yet? We Carews are a proper family!” Sherlyn followed suit and shouted, “Dad, Corinne spends her nights searching for men out on the streets even when she refused to accept all those proper men that Mom introduced to her through blind dates. How could she do that?” Marvin’s face became even uglier, and he said angrily, “Tell me the truth, Corinne. What’s with the clothes on your body?” Corinne calmly explained the situation to her father, “My clothes got wet from dirty water by accident this morning. I borrowed this from someone just so I could have something to wear. I have to return them after I wash them. ” Sherlyn snorted. “Borrowed? As if anyone would believe that!” Marvin did not entirely buy her story. “Then, what were you doing when you were out the whole of last night?” “I found a room to rent yesterday,” Corinne replied, “and I stayed there for one night. I’m coming back today to pack my stuff because I’ll be staying there in the future.” She regarded the Holdens’ house as a place that she was renting, with rent being the three months of her time.

Marvin frowned. “You’re moving out? Why would you want to move out when you already have a home?” Lilliana stood next to him and said in an insinuative tone, “Could Corinne be staying at another man’s house? It’s inappropriate for two unmarried people to stay with each other. If she loses her chastity and her dignity, she wouldn’t be able to get married in the future. Even our family’s reputation will be ruined!” Sherlyn muttered sarcastically, “Pfft. No point talking about chastity when she spends the night outside and comes back in some random man’s clothes!” The expression on Marvin’s face became even more sullen as he looked at Corinne with great disappointment.

Corinne looked at Lilliana and Sherlyn before remarking with a smile, “Thanks for your concern, you two, but I’m nobody. No one cares what sort of shameful stuff I do. Very few of our relatives remember I exist that nothing I do will ruin the Carews’ reputation.

“On the contrary, my dear big sister Sherlyn is a superstar. She’s so famous that even a little bit of gossip can spread like wildfire on the trending news. She’s the one who should pay attention to her chastity and her dignity. Try not to let those unscrupulous journalists capitalize on an opportunity to write about you being taken care of by a sugar daddy. Aunt Lilliana’s gonna be so worried about you if you can’t get married.” Sherlyn gritted her teeth angrily and shot back, “Who told you I couldn’t get married?” Corinne then pointed out, “Oh right, I forgot. You got married yesterday! Where’s your new husband, Jeremy? Aren’t you going to introduce me to my new brother-in-law?” The atmosphere turned cold as soon as she made that comment… Marvin’s rage began to erupt, and he glared angrily at Lilliana and Sherlyn. Just the mere mention of it was enough to make his blood boil, courtesy of the huge mess from the previous day that caused him to make a fool out of himself in front of relatives and friends.

Corinne added, “It was right for me to stay here when I was still studying, but I’m a working adult now, and I just want to learn how to live independently. You can rest assured that I won’t do anything to bring disgrace to your name once I move out.” Marvin looked at Corinne and realized that she was relatively well-behaved compared to Lilliana and Sherlyn’s embarrassing antics. In the end, he waved his hand and said, “Suit yourself, then. You’re free to go out and live elsewhere if you want. This house is full of bad luck now, anyway.” “Thanks, Dad.” Corinne glanced indifferently at the disgruntled Lilliana and Sherlyn before turning around and making her way upstairs.

As she was busy changing her clothes, Sherlyn barged into her room again.

She had just opened her mouth to start cursing at Corinne when she suddenly saw the trademark logo printed on the lining of the suit jacket that Corinne had taken off.

It was from a luxury brand called FA, and furthermore, it was from the luxury bespoke line that was only for VIPs!

Sherlyn wondered how a village girl like Corinne could have the good fortune of coming across such luxurious men’s clothing.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 13-Sherlyn grabbed the jacket in a hurry and asked, “Be honest, Corinne. Where did you get this suit jacket? How did you even get to know a man who could wear something so expensive?” Corinne glanced disapprovingly at the clothes. “Is it expensive? Some uncle ‘kindly’ lent me the clothes. It’s not like I know him well, though.” Sherlyn could tell that Corinne was probably telling the truth since Corinne never saw much of the world before. Sherlyn then made a snide remark, saying, “Someone like you can’t be acquainted with a man who could wear such highend clothes! You’d better return them after you have them washed.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself and try to associate yourself with him. Men with decent taste will never take a liking to countryside girls like you!” Corinne chuckled nonchalantly. “By the way, you haven’t answered my earlier question. Where’s your husband?” Sherlyn’s face soured in an instant. Seeing as Corinne appeared to be in the dark over the details, she put on a haughty demeanor and said, “Ahem! I changed my mind at the last minute yesterday and decided not to get married anymore. I want to remain a single upper-class woman, no husband necessary!” “You decided not to get married?” Corinne cocked an eyebrow out of curiosity.

“Why? The Holdens are a first-tier family. Do you look down on a family like theirs?” Sherlyn snorted disdainfully. “Who cares if they’re a first-tier family? I can choose to marry any man I want. All I have to do is this.” She made a comehither movement with her index finger. “Jeremy has never had a girlfriend, even though he’s already 30 years old, so it’s pretty clear that he has some sort of health issue there. He might not even be able to do it! I sure as hell ain’t gonna marry someone just to have a dull marriage. It doesn’t matter how obsessed he is with me or how hard he begs to marry me!” Corinne nearly laughed out loud as she nodded. “You sure did put a lot of thought into it. You dodged a big one there, so congratulations!” After packing her luggage, Corinne brought it with her and left the home after briefly saying goodbye to Marvin. Sherlyn, on the other hand, secretly began driving to catch up with Corinne’s taxi. She wanted to find out who it was that lent Corinne the jacket.

After all, someone who could commission such high-end bespoke clothes almost certainly had a net worth of billions.

The failed wedding had been nothing short of a sheer embarrassment. If she could use that opportunity to get together with a tall, rich, and handsome man, she could finally regain her pride in front of all her relatives and friends!

… The taxi drove toward Old Town Street and stopped there. Corinne got out, dragged her luggage bag to a small dingy restaurant, and sat by herself to eat.

In the distance, Sherlyn sat in the car and sneered. She thought that Corinne had finally managed to achieve something in life after being able to borrow such expensive clothes, but poor Corinne still ate at some run-down restaurant.

Perhaps it was difficult for Corinne to shake off her poor habits!

Sherlyn was snickering when someone knocked on her car window. She lowered it and saw none other than a stern-looking traffic officer.

“You can’t park here. This is a violation of the traffic rules. I need your driving license, please. You’ll be given a demerit for your offense.” Sherlyn snorted and said unhappily, “What’s wrong with parking here when there’s no one around? I’m a famous public figure, and I’m only parking here because I’m worried about causing traffic if my fans recognize me and surround me when I get out of the car.

“This is for your benefit too, you know. I’m helping you reduce your burden!” The traffic officer was unmoved. “Your status is irrelevant. This is a pedestrian street, and no one is allowed to park here. What you’re doing is a violation of the law, and if you insist on refusing to cooperate, I’ll uphold the law and tow your car away.” “What? How dare you!” Sherlyn took down her sunglasses. “Take a good look at who I am! Don’t you know how many millions of fans I have on the internet?

You’d better be careful or I’ll get all my fans to sue you!” The traffic officer did not even look at her as he picked up the walkie-talkie and called a tow truck to come over.

Sherlyn flew into a rage and jumped out of the car to quarrel with the traffic officer, with the ensuing commotion attracting the attention of a group of passers-by.

Few recognized her though, and everyone accused her of being indecorous.

Humiliated, Sherlyn did not let her arrogance loose anymore.

She could only watch helplessly as her little car was towed away by the tow truck, and she later happened to see Corinne come out of the dingy restaurant after finishing her meal.

Sherlyn was instantly reminded of her purpose there and no longer cared that her car was being towed away. She slipped away from the crowd at once and tailed behind Corinne.

Corinne walked into a large shopping mall on Old Town Street and went straight to a luxury brand’s flagship store, where she began choosing clothes without hiding from view. Sherlyn’s eyeballs were nearly popping out of their sockets as she glared and observed everything from the dark.

Sherlyn concluded that Corinne had clearly been up to something. There was no explanation for how she could get the money to shop in luxury stores and even choose from the most expensive section.

As soon as Corinne picked the clothes, she went out through the door on the other side of the luxury store.

Sherlyn was still hot on Corinne’s heels when the store manager greeted her cordially and stopped her. “We’ve packaged all the clothes you chose, Miss Sherlyn. Are you paying by cash or credit card?” A confused look appeared on Sherlyn’s face. “You must’ve made a mistake. I just walked into your store!” The store manager smiled and said, “Aren’t you the famous actress Sherlyn Carew? Your assistant came in here earlier and picked them for you according to your size. We’ve already packed them for you, so you just need to pay up.” Sherlyn could only frown. “What in the world is going on? I came here alone without bringing any assistants. I never planned on buying any clothes from your store either!” Some of the store’s salespeople gathered together and whispered among themselves.

“Are the clothes too expensive for her?” “Look at what she’s wearing. That style is so two years ago!” “The other actresses were very generous when they came to our store. Sherlyn seems to be a little poor, though. I heard that she quit the industry a few days ago, so I’m guessing money is tight for her…” Sherlyn stared at her and said, “Who told you I couldn’t afford it? I just don’t like your style of clothes!” The store manager said shrewdly, “Don’t worry, Miss Sherlyn. These are this season’s latest styles, and the fashion guru Raufoy personally designed them.

They are the epitome of fashion. It’d be such a shame if you couldn’t afford them…” “Who said I couldn’t afford them? I have lots of money! Take my card!” Sherlyn valued her reputation more than anything else, and she could not stand to hear the snide remarks that all the store’s salespeople were whispering among themselves. She gritted her teeth, gave her card, and watched as several thousand dollars disappeared from her account with a swipe.

She finally realized that Corinne was the one who engineered the entire situation after noticing she was tailing her. The traffic officer that came to tow the car away earlier was probably Corinne’s doing, too!

‘Curse you, Corinne!’ When Sherlyn came out of the luxury store with her shopping bag, she ran like the wind to chase after Corinne. She wanted Corinne to return the car and compensate for all the money she spent.

Alas, she was a step too late, for Corinne had gotten into another taxi as soon as Sherlyn reached the entrance of the shopping mall. Sherlyn hailed a taxi and ordered the driver to follow her.

Corinne’s taxi eventually brought her to the city center, where she got out, and dragged her luggage bag into a very grand house with a somewhat dated design.

A look of disbelief unfolded across Sherlyn’s face, because every inch of land in the city center was super expensive, and only the richest of the rich could afford to build a private residence there!

‘How could that b*tch Corinne just strut in that kind of place? Did she really succeed in establishing some sort of connection with a very important person?!’ At this time, a black car drove over and stopped at the gate of the residence.

Francine got out of the car with the help of several maids, having just been discharged from the hospital after being put on an intravenous drip. She did not seem to be in a very good mood.

Upon spotting the people, Sherlyn went over and asked, “Excuse me, may I ask who’s the owner of this house?” Francine had a disgusted look on her face as she glanced at Sherlyn’s outdated clothes from top to bottom. “What are you doing here? How dare you poke your nose around our place!” Sherlyn’s mind went blank. She was severely lacking in confidence as she stood in front of Francine, as the latter was wearing several limited-edition luxury items. She merely smiled awkwardly and said, “Uh… I… I’m here to look for my sister. I just saw her walk in here…” Francine was starting to get a little impatient. “Your sister? What’s her name?”

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 14-Sherlyn said, “My sister’s name is—” Francine suddenly caught a whiff of the excessive perfume on Sherlyn’s person and retched. When one of the maids saw that, she pushed Sherlyn out of the way and said, “Move aside! Our young miss doesn’t have the time to talk to you right now!” “Young miss, are you okay?” Francine had retched to the point of collapse, and she required the help of the maids before going in.

Sherlyn was incredibly annoyed that she was pushed aside before even getting her questions answered. Unfortunately, she did not dare to mess with whoever lived there.

The Holdens’ driver lowered the window and gave her a word of advice. “Be on your way now. You shouldn’t be poking your nose around a place like this.” Sherlyn turned her head and asked, “Are you the driver of this family? Could you tell me who’s staying here?” The driver replied cautiously, “I can’t disclose that information to you, but I heard that the family just recently recruited a new group of maids. Your sister might be one of them.” ‘Is Corinne here to be a maid?’ Sherlyn thought to herself. ‘Isn’t she an intern at Alpha Enterprises?’ Sherlyn wanted to ask further, but the driver had already driven the car into the garage. The entire situation was getting more confusing with each passing thought, so she called an old classmate who worked in Alpha Enterprises to find out what was up with Corinne. Through that conversation, she learned that Corinne had been fired.

‘Fired? Is that why Corinne is working as a maid in this household? All that talk about finding a house to rent was a lie! She just had to move here because she has to work twenty-four hours a day as a maid! That’s all she’s capable of, and that expensive suit jacket she wore home was probably stolen from the owner!’ Sherlyn was absolutely elated when she connected the dots, and she finally felt ready to go back home and inform her father of her discovery.

At the Holden manor’s second floor, Corinne leaned lazily by the floor-to-ceiling window and smirked as she watched Sherlyn leave with a pompous gait.

… At noon the next day came, a graceful old lady was helped out of an extended Humvee and into the house. When Francine saw the old woman, she ran toward her and said, “Grandma! You’re here!” “I had someone book the earliest flight today after I received your call.” Pamela Holden, grandmother to Francine and Jeremy, appeared to be heartbroken when she looked at her granddaughter. “Francine! It’s been a while since I last saw you, but you seemed to have lost a lot of weight.” Francine said lamentably, “Grandma, Jeremy’s new wife tried to assert her dominance in the house with me right after the marriage. I ended up vomiting so badly and was hospitalized after what she did…” Pamela, being the hale and hearty old woman that she was, had a sharp glimmer in her eyes.

“I’m interested to see what’s with this new granddaughter-in-law of mine, and where she found the courage to bully my precious granddaughter. Can someone bring that Corinne girl down, please?” Francine helped Pamela onto the sofa and snuggled up to her while saying all sorts of sweet words. ‘Corinne’s going to get it today! I can’t wait to see Grandma teach her a lesson!’ After a while, Corinne was brought down by the housekeeper.

“You’re Corinne?” Pamela looked at her from head to toe.

Corinne nodded. “The one and only. Can I help you with something, old lady?” Pamela’s expression seemed hostile. “I heard that you bullied our Francine so badly that she had to be hospitalized. Do you think you can act like the woman of the house right after getting married to Jeremy?” Corinne had a rough guess as to who the old woman was, and she had some idea of how Francine twisted the facts to her advantage. She ventured forth and explained herself in a manner that projected neither dominance nor submissiveness, “Ma’am, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’. Miss Francine splashed a basin of stinking water on me yesterday, and I dunked her head in the toilet bowl to get even. The question of whether or not I bullied her doesn’t arise.” Pamela turned to look at her granddaughter. “Did that happen, Francine?” A teary-eyed Francine shook her head. “Don’t listen to her lies, Grandma! There were a lot of servants at home yesterday, and they can all testify for me!” Francine gave a signal that prompted several of the maids to vouch for her.

“I can testify that the young miss has never provoked the young madam.” “I can vouch for it too!” “Me too!” Pamela’s austere gaze turned to Corinne once more. “Do you have anything else to say now?” Corinne frowned helplessly as she glared at the maids.

No explanation could cut it if all the maids followed Francine’s orders.

“Ma’am, I’ve said everything I need to say. If you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing more I can do.” The old lady snorted coldly. “Are you still refusing to admit your mistake? I suppose your family has never taught you how to act like a proper person, so in that case, we’ll teach you! Somebody, get a copy of the Holdens’ house rules for her. Make sure to copy everything a hundred times. You’ll only get food once you’re done!” Corinne was speechless, and she wondered why both grandmother and granddaughter were so inclined to teach other people how to behave.

“I’m so glad you’re here to get justice for me!” Francine leaned smugly on Pamela and picked up a pastry from the coffee table. “You must be hungry after getting off the plane. How about some pastries for your empty stomach? I’ll have the kitchen prepare your favorite lunch in the meantime.” Corinne immediately tried stopping her. “Wait, you can’t eat that!” Francine shot back unhappily, “It’s our house, Corinne. My grandma can eat anything she wants.” She then turned to Pamela and said, “Ignore her, Grandma. Go ahead and take a bite.” Before Corinne could do anything to stop them, the old lady had already taken a big bite of the pastry that her precious granddaughter fed to her.

Francine taunted Corinne. “Why don’t you start copying the house rules? Don’t forget, you need to do it a hundred times!” All of a sudden, Pamela’s face suddenly turned blue, and her eyes bulged out as she opened her mouth wide and gasped for air.

Francine was taken aback. “Grandma? What’s happening to you?” Upon seeing that something was wrong with the old woman, Corinne quickly stepped forward to check on her.

Francine pushed her away in disgust. “Scram! Don’t you lay a hand on my grandma!” “Her life is in danger right now. Don’t get in the way!” “Danger? You’re the one who’s a danger to my grandma!” Francine stood in front of Pamela and fought tooth and claw just to keep Corinne from approaching.

In desperation, Corinne slapped Francine, sending the latter tumbling over to one side. Then, Corinne immediately went over to Pamela, helped the woman up, and hugged her abdomen while jumping up and down vigorously.

Francine covered her face as she got back up and screamed in horror when she saw Corinne torturing her grandmother. “Ah! Corinne has lost her mind! She wants to kill Grandma! Why are all of you just standing there? Save my grandma!” The Holdens’ male servants surrounded Corinne, but they were wary of making any rash movement because Corinne was still holding Pamela.

“Don’t come any closer!” Corinne took a few steps back while still hugging Pamela from behind.

“Madam!” “Release our madam!” “Don’t do anything crazy!” All of a sudden, a stern voice questioned, “What’s with all that commotion?” The air pressure seemed to have dropped suddenly when Jeremy walked in.

Francine threw herself into Jeremy’s arms like he was her savior. “You need to save Grandma! She’s about to die in Corinne’s hands!” Jeremy frowned. He looked at Corinne as she held his grandmother hostage.

“Why did you have to lay a hand on an old woman?” Corinne was about to explain, but Francine interrupted again, “She made Grandma angry, and she punished her by telling her to copy the house rules.

She’s getting her revenge on Grandma because she can’t accept having that kind of punishment! Jeremy, that woman is insane! You should divorce her right away!” Jeremy pushed the troublemaking Francine away and handed her to Tommy.

His danger-laden eyes stared intently at Corinne as he ordered, “If you want to live, you’d better let go of my grandmother right now.” Corinne said, “Wait!” Jeremy was getting impatient. “What for?” Pamela started to cough violently, and it was then that Corinne finally let go of the old woman. The Holdens’ servants immediately surrounded the old lady and helped her.

When Jeremy saw his grandmother coughing violently and gasping for breath, he grabbed Corinne’s neck and questioned, “Where did you get the guts to do something like that to my grandmother?” “I…ack…” Corinne’s feet were dangling in the air and her face reddened. She could sense the dense murderous aura through Jeremy’s scarlet red eyes.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 15-Corinne’s face turned purple.

By then, Pamela caught her breath and anxiously bleated, “Jeremy… Let go of her…” Jeremy immediately released his grip and tossed Corinne to one side before going over and asking, “How are you feeling?” Pamela waved her hand weakly. “It’s okay… Earlier, I…I got a prune pit stuck in my throat, but Corinne saved me using the Heimlich maneuver. See that pit on the ground? I spat it out…” Jeremy froze slightly and glanced down at the inconspicuous prune pit on the ground. Then, he looked at Corinne once more, frowning slightly.

Corinne got up from the ground and rubbed her arm, which was sore after she had been mercilessly thrown onto the ground by Jeremy. She then went up to Pamela and explained, “I baked those pastries for myself this morning, Ma’am. I tend to leave prunes unpitted because I prefer the subtle bitterness that appears when you bake them. It’s not very suitable for old people though, so I sincerely apologize for that.” She bowed sincerely before straightening her figure and looking at Jeremy.

“You should call a doctor to check up on her, Mister—I mean…Jeremy.” At the end of her sentence, she turned around and went upstairs to the room.

Jeremy felt a wave of mixed emotions when he looked at Corinne’s straight, slender back.

… The whole incident gave Pamela a minor scare, and she only fell asleep after being helped into the room. That afternoon, the family doctor came to check up on her, and she had her blood pressure taken to confirm that she was alright.

After the family doctor left, the old lady regained some of her energy and said, “Could you wait outside for a bit, Francine? I have something to say to your brother.” Francine was a little reluctant to go because she wanted to listen in on their conversation, but Jeremy’s stern look left her no choice but to leave.

With only the two of them left in the room, Jeremy walked to the bed and asked, “Is something the matter, Grandma?” Pamela smiled warmly and looked up at her tall, handsome grandson. “I’m all fine now, Jeremy.” “I’m glad to hear that.” Pamela asked, “I’m curious how you got to know Corinne.” “It was by chance.” Pamela nodded slowly. “She’s a good kid. I like her very much.” There was a fleeting glimmer of surprise in Jeremy’s eyes, and his handsome eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you saying that just because she saved you?” That escalated quickly, considering how she was giving Corinne some punishment just moments before he returned home.

There was a twinkle of admiration in Pamela’s eyes. “She’s calm when facing tough situations, and she doesn’t try to assert dominance or make herself look meek in front of me. Rather than cry and complain when you misunderstood her actions, she came to me just to calmly explain everything and apologize for what happened. She’s a sensible and understanding woman.” Jeremy remained silent after recalling how he nearly severed her head off when he choked her in a fit of anger.

“You haven’t slept with her yet, have you?” The subject changed a little too quickly that Jeremy ended up frozen in place.

Pamela teased, “You’re in your thirties, for God’s sake! Why are you so embarrassed?” Jeremy was speechless.

“Jeremy, I know that you rushed into the marriage just to appease your stubborn old grandfather, but I think that you chose a good wife. Marriage isn’t child’s play, you know. I do hope the two of you will be able to live a happy life together in the future!” Jeremy felt that it was inappropriate to explain the entire situation to her.

Pamela added, “I couldn’t attend your wedding because I accompanied your grandpa to prepare for the surgery, but I’ll bear witness to your matrimony today.

Remember to consummate your marriage later so your grandfather can hold his great-grandson once he recovers!” Jeremy’s expression darkened. “Grandma, when it comes to that, I think—” Pamela frowned and interrupted him, “If you don’t listen to my advice, I’ll tell your grandfather that you tricked him with a fake marriage. You know the kind of temper he has. He’ll surely get sick again, even if he recovers from his surgery!” Jeremy rubbed his eyebrows. “I’ll have someone bring dinner for you later. Have a good rest now,” he said, then turned to leave.

Pamela still did not give the consummation thing a rest, alas. “I’ll do my rounds later tonight, so don’t let me down!” … When Jeremy returned to the room, he saw Corinne sitting alone at the computer desk. She seemed to be engrossed in writing something that she did not even look up when he came in.

He walked up to her from behind and gazed down to see what it was she was writing. “You’re doing homework?” Corinne paid full attention to her task at hand while complaining, “I’m copying the house rules. We’re already in the twenty-first century, but your family still has written family rules. My oh my, ancient much…” Jeremy raised his hand and took away her pen. “You can stop copying now. No one’s going to punish you again.” Corinne stretched her waist and said, “Guess I’ll go bathe and sleep, then!” She had gained a deeper understanding of the power gap between herself and Jeremy after being strangled earlier. He could easily crush her to death like he could crush an ant. It was not so much her of him, but rather, she just did not feel the need to make her life any more difficult.

In the coming three months, her priority was to ensure peace during her days in the Holden household, and that meant not making enemies and avoiding much contact with Jeremy. As soon as the three months were up, all she needed to do was pack her belongings and leave.

Corinne got up, walked past Jeremy, and avoided him as much as possible.

However, a strong force pulled her arm immediately.

“Ah!” She frowned in pain. “What are you doing, mister?” Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m surprised you know what pain feels like.” His big palm had just grabbed the sorest part of her arm!

When Jeremy threw her down earlier in the day, her forearm bumped into the corner of the coffee table, resulting in pain.

Her plans to avoid any sort of conflict were taking a hit because of Jeremy’s troublemaking demeanor!

Corinne pulled a long face. “No thanks to you.” Startled, Jeremy let go and said in a low voice, “Head downstairs and let the family doctor treat the injury.” “That won’t be necessary. It’s just a scratch.” Corinne did not bother going down and merely shook off his hand before going straight into the bathroom to take a bath.

After her bath, she changed into her pajamas and went to bed to get ready to sleep.

“Come over here!” Jeremy called out to her in a loud voice.

Corinne looked over and saw him sitting leisurely like a king on the single-seater sofa. She did not want to go to him.

“Why should I?” The man gestured at the first-aid kit at the corner of the table. “To have some ointment applied on your arm.” Corinne’s lips twitched. “No thanks.” Jeremy narrowed his eyes and gave her a death stare. “Are you coming here, or shall I go to you?” Corinne was beyond annoyed at him! She did not want him to go up to the bed, so she gritted her teeth and got up. Once she walked over to him, she stretched her injured arm toward him.

“Fine. Hurry up!” The maid had brought it the first-aid kit, and Jeremy meant to let Corinne deal with the wound herself. However, she seemed to have misunderstood his intentions and assumed that he wanted to do it for her.

Jeremy had never served anyone before, nor would he do so in the future.

Still, he opened the first-aid kit, uncapped a reddish medicated oil, and dipped a cotton swab into the bottle before gently applying it to the injury on the girl’s forearm.

In fact, Corinne had extended his arm to him on purpose to vent her anger, but she never thought Jeremy would help her to apply the ointment.

She cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Do you feel guilty for what you did today, mister?” Jeremy was expressionless. “I injured you by accident today, so I ought to take responsibility. As for my grandmother, there’s no need for you to hold a grudge because she won’t be staying here for long.” Corinne did not think too much into it and remarked, “Why should I hold a grudge against her? She’s not a bad person.” Jeremy looked up at her. “Well, she punished you to copy the house rules. Don’t you think she’s a bad person?” Corinne scoffed. “Do you think a bad person will just punish you to do some copying? Copying is probably the most severe punishment that a good person could think of. All the bad people I met before always…” She stopped her sentence midway, causing Jeremy to frown. “Always what?” Corinne did not feel the need to share her experiences with someone she did not know well.

“Nothing. Are you done? I’d like to go to bed now!” Jeremy still did not let go of her arm after applying the medication.

Corinne thought that Jeremy was still concerned about their arrangement, so she emphasized her commitment to it. “Relax, will you? I promised to cooperate with you for three months, and I’ll complete my task as if it were a real job. Your sister is a pain in the neck, but your grandmother was simply trying to protect her granddaughter because she didn’t know the full details of what happened. I understand where she’s coming from, so I won’t hold a grudge against her.” Jeremy stared thoughtfully at Corinne. He had been under the impression that she was rash and muddled-headed, but she turned out to be quite understanding.

To top that off, she looked pretty cute too. Her eyelashes were long, thick, and curly, while her small face was still somewhat childlike with some chubby baby fat and two small dimples. Every frown and smile imparted a lively vibrance to her face.

Jeremy got up suddenly, startling Corinne. “Mister?” His long arms reached under her waist, and he hoisted her in a bridal carry without so much as a warning.

Corinne was petrified by how sudden this turned. “What are you up to now, mister?!” She had just finished her question when she was unceremoniously thrown onto the bed.

Jeremy took off his suit jacket, yanked out his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. Each of his movements was aggressive.

Corinne sat up, intending to run, but his big palms pushed her down and forced her to lie back down.

and chest muscles from up close, and she had to admit—they were rather enticing.

“Don’t fool around, mister! Snap back to your senses and remember that I’m not your type!” Jeremy propped his arms on both sides of Corinne’s small head and stared down at her like a hungry wolf. “What if I decided to ignore that so I can have some fun just this once?” Jeremy’s masculine body caught Corinne off guard, and she was about to yell when he covered her mouth.

“Mgghh!”

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 16-Corinne’s eyes widened, and she stared in bewilderment when she realized that Jeremy was doing one-handed pushups. He had covered her mouth with one hand after pulling the blanket over their bodies, leaving only their heads exposed.

They stared blankly at each other as his face seemed to rise and fall within inches of hers. Anyone who saw them would assume that they were in the midst of a passionate session.

Corinne felt a little uncomfortable and pushed his hand away after finally having enough of his suggestive actions. “Mister, you…” When Jeremy lowered himself during a round of push-ups, he leaned into her ear and whispered a warning, “Didn’t you say you were going to do a proper job of fulfilling your task? You need to cooperate with me on this as well, so stop moving around!” Corinne stared blankly at him for a moment before keenly noticing movements at the door of the room.

Pamela had pushed the door slightly ajar and was observing in secret.

‘I get it now!’ As soon as Corinne realized what was going on, she asked in a low voice, “Do you want me to moan too?” Jeremy froze slightly and soon narrowed his handsome eyes. “Do you know how?” Corinne’s expression was that of confidence, while Jeremy’s was that of playful teasing.

“Go ahead and try.” Corinne took a deep breath and began her performance. “Yeah, Hubby. Mmh!

Come on! Come on! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Do that, do that! MMMHHH! Oh yeah, f—” The playfulness in Jeremy’s eyes disappeared in a flash, and his forehead twitched violently as he covered her mouth shut.

Corinne frowned. “Mgghh…” It would be much more believable if her voice was muffled as if she was suppressing herself from making any noise.

The small gap at the door began to narrow even more until it finally closed shut.

Pamela had a satisfied smile as she turned around and left.

Corinne pushed the man’s hand away again and said angrily, “Your grandmother is gone, mister! You can get up now!” Jeremy lifted the blanket, got up gracefully, and grabbed the shirt that he had taken off so he could put it on again.

Corinne sat up, leaned against the head of the bed, and remarked in a peeved tone, “You must be very disciplined to have maintained those six-pack abs at this age!” ‘This age?’ Jeremy’s back stiffened. ‘How old does she think I am?’ “I’m going to be under the impression that you’re interested in my body if you keep looking at me like that.” Corinne wiped off the drool from her mouth. “I’m interested only in your abs. The rest of you aren’t my type!” “Really?” Jeremy walked to the bed and reached out to grab Corinne’s chin.

“And what’s your type?” Corinne’s small face was tilted up as she said, “The good-boy type that calls me Mommy.” “That’s what you call a man?” Jeremy chuckled in disdain.

Corinne scoffed. “What’s your type then, mister?” Jeremy kept quiet, prompting Corinne to cock an eyebrow and ask, “Let me guess: You like the super sexy ones, don’t you?” Jeremy stared at her and leaned over slightly, “As long as they’re not little girls like you who act like cheerleaders in bed.” He let go of her chin as soon as he ended his sentence and made his way to the bathroom.

Corinne smirked, fully aware that Jeremy would sleep with her that night because Pamela was at home that day. Despite knowing that he was not interested in her, she still felt awkward to spend a night with him in the same room.

When Jeremy came out of the bathroom, Corinne had already fallen asleep while leaning against the bed head. Her cell phone screen was still on, and she was midway through a mobile game.

‘She’s too full of herself for wanting a guy who calls her ‘mommy’ when she’s still a kid at heart.’ Jeremy’s handsome eyes narrowed as he took her cell phone, pressed the lock screen, and tossed it on the side of the bed.

He initially did not want to worry too much about her, but since he had hurt her by accident that day, he decided that there was no harm in tucking her in the blanket.

With that out of the way, Jeremy turned around and walked toward the sofa.

… Jeremy was no longer in the room when Corinne woke up the next day. Being unemployed meant that she did not have to get up early for work, so she leaned lazily on the bed head to scroll through her phone.

All of a sudden, a contact of hers named Aaron Rhode sent her an urgent message through a messaging app. [Hey, boss! I just got some information on an authentic painting by Nellie Nymphaea! The location is Peakrise Auction House. You need to get here quickly!] Corinne’s eyes turned dark, and she immediately got out of bed to freshen up.

As she went down and prepared to head out, Corinne ran into Pamela who had just exited the kitchen.

She greeted the old woman politely, “Good morning, ma’am.” Pamela frowned unhappily. “Don’t ‘ma’am’ me. Just call me Grandma.” The old woman’s attitude seemed to have taken a swift turn from the previous day.

Corinne did as she was told and corrected herself, “Grandma.” “See? Doesn’t that make us feel so much closer to each other?” Pamela finally smiled and led her to sit at the table. “Come and have a taste of the breakfast I made for you!” The Holdens’ maids were all shocked to hear that. They never imagined that the old lady would cook something for Jeremy’s new wife. It was an unprecedented scene!

Corinne was in a hurry to leave, but she nonetheless sat and started eating. It would be imprudent of her to refuse Pamela’s gesture. “Thank you, Grandma.

It’s delicious.” Pamela was happy that she enjoyed the food. “Have some more then!” Unbeknown to anyone, an obscene amount of pregnancy supplements had been added to the food because Pamela was already excited to hold a greatgrandson.

At that moment, Francine went downstairs and said with a yawn, “Good morning, Grandma!” Pamela’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Perfect timing, Francine. I’d like you to come here and apologize to your sister-in-law!” Francine was taken aback, and she looked at the old lady in shock. “What?

You…want me…to apologize to her? She’s the one who bullied me!” The old lady had a sullen expression as she replied, “The maids don’t answer to you alone, Francine. The older ones, particularly, are more observant! I just found out you started the whole thing by splashing some dirty water on Corinne.

That was why she retaliated by putting your head into the toilet.” Corinne ate her breakfast in silence and looked up to see the guilt-stricken Francine.

Pamela had already ushered Francine to Corinne. “Apologize right away! Don’t make me get any more disappointed in you!” Francine could not accept what was happening, but she did not dare to disobey her grandmother either. “I’m sorry…” “Don’t worry about it.” Corinne smiled slightly, put down her cutlery, then got up and said, “I need to be somewhere, Grandma, so please excuse me.” Pamela nodded. “Take care.” After Corinne left, Francine cried in desperation, sobbing, “Grandma! Why did you side with Corinne instead of me?” Pamela answered sternly, “I’ll side with whoever treats me well. She’s your sister-in-law too, so you need to show her some more respect!” Francine protested, “But Jeremy doesn’t like her. He likes the daughter of the Riv—” Pamela’s complexion darkened. “Shut your mouth! Don’t you ever mention that family or their daughter ever again!” Francine had rarely seen her grandma that angry before, so she had no choice but to sulk and shut her mouth.

… Peakrise Auction House.

Aaron, Newmoon Group’s president, walked with Corinne and reported the situation to her.

“Boss, it’s Nellie Nymphaea’s original painting ‘Geese in Late Autumn’! It was auctioned here by a foreign businessman, and the price is starting at seven hundred and fifty thousand!” Nellie Nymphaea was the pen name of Corinne’s biological mother. For years, everyone had been telling her that her mother was dead, yet she never found her mother’s death certificate. Since there were no other clues available, the only way for her to locate her mother’s whereabouts was to start finding her mother’s works that were scattered all over the world… Corinne asked, “How much money do we have in our account, Aaron?” Aaron replied, “We have about 7.5 million. The rest have been put into several projects.” “That’ll do.” Corinne was about to enter the auction house when she saw Jeremy’s car driving toward her. ‘Why is that old man here too?’

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 17-“Boss? Aren’t we going in?” Aaron asked.

Corinne was rooted to the ground as she watched Jeremy get out of the car and walk into Peakrise Auction House. With a frown, she said, “I saw someone I’d rather not see. Let’s wait a while before going in.” Aaron looked in the direction of Corinne’s gaze. “That seems to be Jeremy from the Holdens. Do you know him?” Corinne looked disgusted. “Not really.” … The auction hall was divided into upper and lower floors. The first floor was for ordinary buyers, while the second floor was for VIP buyers who did not wish to show their identity. They were granted excellent privacy and were identifiable by their room numbers.

Jeremy was in room one, while Corinne was in room seven.

After several unremarkable artifacts were auctioned off, a set of bronze pieces from this auction were carried to the display stand. Once the auctioneer gave a brief lecture on the background and value of the artifacts, bidding commenced at 1.5 million dollars.

“Two million!” “Three million!” “Four million!” … Eventually, the mysterious bidder from Room One managed to bid for the set of bronze artifacts at a high price of four million, which elicited gasps of awe from the audience.

Inside room seven, Corinne leaned lazily on the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief. Jeremy seemed to have been eyeing the set of bronze artifacts, and judging from the fact that he had already secured it, he would probably leave soon since there was no reason for him to remain there.

“The next piece is a posthumously published painting titled ‘Geese in Late Autumn’ by the famous impressionist painter Nellie Nymphaea. The starting price is seven hundred and fifty thousand!” “We have a bid of eight hundred thousand from bidder number three!

“Bidder number eleven, nine hundred thousand!

“And now bidder number five, nine hundred and fifty thousand!” Corinne raised her chin to give Aaron the signal that he could start raising his placard.

“One and a half million from bidder number seven!” The audience was once again astonished to see such a bid, and they began wondering who the powerhouse behind the ‘number seven’ placard was.

The auctioneer began to count, “One and a half million going once! Going twice!

Going thrice, and…” A second before he struck the gavel and uttered the word ‘sold’, Tommy raised his placard from room one.

The bid caught the auctioneer by surprise, and he spoke in a more excited tone compared to before. “Three million from bidder number one!” Another round of shocked gasps resonated through the hall when bidder number one raised the bid by that big an amount. Everyone wondered if the painting would spark a bidding war between bidder number one and bidder number seven.

Corinne frowned and wondered why Jeremy was still there.

Aaron was just as upset as her. “What in the world is Mister Jeremy’s problem?

He’s just trying to flaunt his wealth!” Corinne ordered calmly, “Bid higher, Aaron!” “Right!” “We have a bid of four million by buyer number seven. Do we have a higher bid?

“Yes, we do! Here comes the five-million bid from bidder number one!

“Oh, bidder number seven is going even higher! We now have six million from bidder number seven!” “Do we have seven million? Oh, it’s higher than that! Bidder number one goes for seven and a half million! Any further bids from the floor? No? Alright then.

Seven and a half million, going once, going twice…” Corinne was annoyed at the development. Her main issue at that juncture was a lack of money.

Aaron suggested, “Since this painting is very important to you, perhaps we can shift the project funds to it for now.” Corinne raised her hand and shook her head. “No, I can’t just divert the company’s capital to my personal affairs. I’ll find another way to get it. We can let Jeremy keep it for now.” Aaron had no choice but to heed her words.

The auctioneer sealed the deal with a knock of the gavel, and it was soon announced that bidder number one had secured ‘Geese in Late Autumn’ with a final price of six million.

Everyone was astonished to see bidder number one spending six million to buy that painting at several times more than its original value. This merely showed that rich people could do whatever they want with their money.

Meanwhile, Corinne was lost in thought. Her mother had only painted under the pseudonym Nellie Nymphaea in her spare time. Despite being relatively well- known, she was not a particularly mainstream painter, and her works were not very popular either. Jeremy’s reasons for bidding such a high price for ‘Geese in Late Autumn’ could point to two possibilities: Corinne’s mother was either someone he knew personally or someone he had connections to.

“Hi there.” Two beautiful receptionists from the auction house came into their room to serve coffee and dessert.

“Corinne? Why are you here? How did you even get to sit in this room?” one of the female receptionists suddenly exclaimed.

Corinne looked up and recognized the person as Zoey, who had apparently taken up a job as a receptionist at the auction house after being fired by Alpha Enterprises.

Zoey stared at Corinne in shock, and before long, she spotted the handsome, well-dressed Aaron in a designer suit sitting to one side. She gritted her teeth in envy and yelled, “Bravo, Corinne! You made me lose my job, while you’re living the good life with a sugar daddy!” Her high-pitched voice was so frantic and loud that the entire auction hall could hear it. Over at room one, Jeremy had just walked out of the room and was about to leave when he heard Zoey’s screech. He halted his footsteps at once and glanced coldly at room seven.

Zoey had just applied for the job a day ago and had just started her probationary period, but she was already speaking rudely to the VIP buyers! Her actions startled everyone at the venue and left an extremely bad impression on the patrons.

The manager of the auction house rushed over with several security personnel.

He had Zoey dragged out while he apologized profusely to the bidder in room seven.

Zoey knew that she was almost certainly heading for the sack that day, so she let all hell loose when she was taken away by the security guards and yelled out loud, “You’re a btch, Corinne! Fck you! You made me lose my job twice now! It won’t be long before your man gets tired of f*cking your sick *ss and dumps you!” Jeremy heard her crystal clear on that occasion—there was no doubt that someone named Corinne was there. ‘That girl… She’s here? And she was the one bidding in room seven?’ He narrowed his eyes coldly and turned around to walk toward room seven.

Aaron had just sent the auction house manager away after receiving an apology from the latter, and he was about to close the door when Jeremy’s tall figure appeared right in front of him.

“Is there a Corinne here?” Jeremy shot Aaron a hostile look.

Aaron was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “Is there anything you’d like to talk to her about?” Jeremy’s handsome eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a cold voice, “Tell her to come out, please.” Aaron did not hesitate at all as he turned his head to the room and said, “Hey, someone’s looking for you!” Soon, a girl in overalls came out from room seven and stared curiously at Jeremy. “Can I help you, sir?” Jeremy looked down at the unknown woman in front of him and frowned, “You’re Corinne?” The female receptionist said, “Yes. Corynne with a ‘Y’.” Jeremy’s gaze turned cold, and his interest disappeared into thin air.

He looked at Aaron, nodded subtly, and said, “Sorry for bothering you.” As Jeremy turned to leave, Tommy followed respectfully behind him.

When Aaron saw that Jeremy had walked far enough away, he reached into his wallet, took out a platinum shopping card from a luxury brand, and handed it to ‘Corynne’.

“Excellent acting. Now go and get your name legally changed. You’ll be known as Corynne from now on.” “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir!” The female receptionist happily took the card and recused herself politely.

Aaron closed the door and said, “He’s gone! How did you even meet Jeremy, though? And why are you avoiding him?” Corinne said disgruntledly, “Well… I married him a few days ago.” Aaron spat out the coffee he had just sipped and coughed violently. “What did you just say?!” Corinne calmly explained everything that happened to Aaron, and he was surprised at first, but that look of surprise soon morphed into a wicked smile.

“So… Did he live up to his name as the city’s Prince Charming on your wedding night? Mature men happen to be particularly loving toward their partners. At least, that’s what I’m told!” Corinne rolled her eyes at him. “Do you want me to beat you to a pulp?” She was never one to joke about beating people up, so Aaron hurriedly ran off.

“I, uh… I’m going to the bathroom!” Corinne got up from her seat and tagged along too. She went to wash her hands at the common sink while waiting for Aaron to come out, but as soon as she looked up, the reflection in the mirror caused her to turn stiff.

Jeremy had been standing behind her with his hands in his trouser pockets, and she could not tell if he was happy or angry to see her.

Just because she managed to escape once did not mean that she would escape all the time.

Jeremy walked up slowly to her. He had a lofty aura to him, and his unfeeling gaze seemed to be brimming with suspicion over who she really was. “What are you doing here?” Corinne did not answer.

At that moment, Aaron was taking his sweet time coming out of the men’s bathroom. “Boss, the more I think about it, the more I feel annoyed at him! That man has enough money to choose whatever world-class painting he wanted, so why does he have to snatch ‘Geese in Late Autumn’ from us? It’s so irrit—” He did not have the chance to finish his sentence when he saw Jeremy standing in front of Corinne.

Jeremy turned his head to look at Aaron, then at Corinne. He narrowed his eyes and stared scrutinizingly at them both. “Boss?”

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 18-Corinne tilted her head as she looked at Aaron, who immediately understood her hint due to years of tacit understanding with her.

After clearing his throat, he raised his hand to adjust the Bluetooth earpiece he wore out of habit on his left ear, and walked past Jeremy and Corinne in as calm a manner as possible.

He even made a point to lower his voice a little and pretend as if he was speaking to someone over the phone.

“Sorry, Boss. Things got a little awkward earlier. That Holden guy overheard me when I was ranting about him earlier. Well, yeah! He’s the one who outbid us on your favorite painting! Sure. we’ll just forget about it and let him have it! ‘Geese in Late Autumn’ isn’t Nellie Nymphaea’s only painting. There are plenty of other ones we can get in the future!” Aaron was already quite far away when he ended his sentence.

Corinne stared wide-eyed at Jeremy and cocked her eyebrow innocently. “I think he’s angry at you, mister.” Jeremy retracted his gaze and turned to Corinne. He began to question her, “Don’t the two of you know each other?” Corinne shook her head. “I don’t know him at all! Do you? Why was he angry at you again?” Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t answered me yet. What are you doing here?” Corinne sighed in an annoyed tone. “Don’t you remember that I was fired from Alpha Enterprises, thanks to you? I heard that they’re recruiting auctioneers here, so I submitted my resume and came here for an interview.” Jeremy was still rather doubtful. “Did you get the offer then?” Corinne shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and spread her palms. “No.

They were looking for someone with more than three years of work experience, so I didn’t meet the requirements.” Jeremy looked at her petite appearance. If she were allowed to stand on the auction stage, everyone would probably mistake her for someone who was auctioning off school supplies.

Corinne looked up and asked, “And what about you? Why are you here?” “Grandpa was interested in a set of bronze artifacts, so I came over as his representative to bid for it.” “That’s so nice of you, mister. You really are a good grandson!” Jeremy frowned. ‘Why does it sound like she’s scolding me?’ All of a sudden, his cell phone rang.

Jeremy answered the call, frowned slightly, and hung up with a grunt. He then stared intently at Corinne.” Where are you going next?” Corinne answered, “I’m going to continue sending in resumes and looking for a job.” Jeremy’s rough hands patted her head gently as he leaned over and spoke in a hoarse, irrefutable tone, Come with me. I’ll give you a job.” “What?” Corinne was stunned. Before she could even process what Jeremy said, he had grabbed her wrist and whisked her away.

Corinne found herself back at Lunar Century Manor. The last time she was there was when Jeremy forced her to get engaged to him.

She glanced at the decorations around her, which consisted of flowers, a red carpet, ribbons, and balloons.

Corinne’s face went pale from fright. “What are you planning this time, Uncle?

Are you going to hold another wedding?” Jeremy glanced askance at her. “Oh? Do you like marrying me that much? Do you want another wedding?” Corinne immediately rolled her eyes and was about to turn back when a crisp female voice called out, “Uncle!

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman trotting up to Jeremy in a wedding dress.

The young woman asked anxiously, “Uncle! Did you manage to find someone for me?” Jeremy raised his hand, pulled Corinne over, and pushed her forward to the girl in the wedding dress.

“What do you think of her?” The girl in the wedding dress looked at Corinne and blinked.

Corinne felt like an object of sale and crossed her hands to protect herself.

“What’s going on?” The girl in the wedding dress looked at Corinne and pouted her lips in displeasure. “Did you have to find someone this beautiful? I’m the bride, so I’m supposed to be the star of the show! If the bridesmaid you found for me is prettier than me, she’s only going to steal my thunder!” Jeremy turned around, looked at Corinne, and snickered coldly. “You call that beautiful? You should’ve told me your eyesight is deteriorating.” The young woman was speechless.

Corinne glared at Jeremy angrily and finally understood what was going on.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 19-The girl in the wedding dress was Jeremy’s niece, and she needed a bridesmaid on the day of the wedding, which was where Corinne came into the picture.

Corinne could not help but complain, “Are you that uncultured? Bridesmaids are supposed to be unmarried. Plus, she’s your niece, and I’m your newlywed wife.

How can an elder become a bridesmaid for someone younger than them?” Jeremy frowned. ‘Did she just call me uncultured?‘ The girl in the wedding dress was pleasantly surprised. “Oh! So, you’re my aunt!” Corinne was definitely not used to being called an aunt.

” The girl in the wedding dress held Corinne’s hand enthusiastically and introduced herself with a smile. Hello, Aunt Corinne! My name is Annie Levine, and Jeremy’s my maternal uncle! My bridesmaids got stuck in the traffic jam, so I’m not really concerned with the rules right now because I need a last–minute substitute for her.” Corinne nodded. “I see.” “Let’s go then! I’ll bring you in so you can get changed into the bridesmaid dress!” Annie dragged Corinne to the dressing room.

Corinne turned around and shot Jeremy a glare. When he said he would give her a job, it turned out that he wanted to give her a job as a bridesmaid!

‘Hehe.‘ Jeremy’s thin lips curled up slightly when he saw Corinne’s angry little face. Teasing her once in a while was quite amusing for him.

Zeke showed up out of the blue with a glass of champagne and hooked his arm on his good friend Jeremy’s shoulder. “Why are you zoning out here, Jeremy?” Jeremy snapped back to his senses. “Oh, nothing.” “Come on, Payton’s over there. Let’s have a drink with him!” “Sure.” Inside the dressing room, Annie pointed to a few evening dresses on the hangers. “I ordered four sets of dresses for my bridesmaids, so go ahead and choose whichever one you like!” Corinne had always been a casual dresser, so she reached for the outermost one.

“This will do!” Annie smiled. “Sure thing! You can change here while I head out to check if my other three bridesmaids have arrived, alright?” “Okay.” Corinne went into the dressing room and changed into the dress. It was a blue suspender dress with a bit of ruffles, lending her an almost fairylike purity. As she sat on the sofa in the dressing room and waited for Annie to return, she took out her phone and replied to all her unread messages from Aaron.

“Annie!” Someone walked into the dressing room all of sudden.

Corinne glanced up, and it turned out to be a man. “Annie went out.” The man stared at her in surprise. “And who-” Annie happened to come back right then!

“Why are you here, Juan?” Juan turned to look at Annie and smiled softly, “I was checking in on your preparations. Have you got all the bridesmaids?” Annie replied confidently, “Don’t worry. I’ve got everything down!” “Great to hear that.” Juan nodded, then looked at Corinne, and asked, “Who is she, by the way?” Annie pulled Corinne over with a smile and introduced her to Juan. “She’s the bridesmaid that my uncle found for us! Isn’t she pretty?” “I see!” Juan offered a friendly handshake. “Nice to meet you. You’re helping us a great deal.” Juan Hermon was Annie’s groom–to–be, and he seemed to be a rather charming and gentle man. For some reason, however, Corinne felt that he looked familiar, though she could not remember where or when she saw him.

She reciprocated his handshake as a courtesy. “It’s no big deal.” Juan smiled politely and shook her hand. What was supposed to be a brief handshake turned into one that was slightly forceful all of a sudden. He even casually rubbed the tip of his finger against her palm. Corinne was startled by what happened as she looked at Juan with a frown.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 20-“You need to entertain our guests, Juan! I can handle the bridesmaids just fine, so don’t worry too much about it!” Annie ushered Juan out of the dressing room in a half-coquettish manner.

She then turned and beamed at Corinne, who had changed into her bridesmaid dress. “You’re so pretty, Aunt Corinne! Now I get why my uncle decided not to be celibate anymore and get married!” Corinne’s lips twitched as she smiled dryly. “I’m your bridesmaid today, so don’t call me Aunt Corinne. Just ‘ Corinne’ will do.” Annie nodded. “Alright then, Corinne! How did you and my uncle get to know each other?” ‘How did I get to know your uncle, you ask? I have five words for you: I wish it never happened!” Corinne’s brow furrowed a little. “We can talk about that another time. It’s your big day today! We should be talking about how you and your soon-to-be husband met!” Annie was more than happy to talk about her love story with Juan. Women usually filtered out all the bad stuff about their boyfriends, so all they talked about was how wonderful and sweet the two of them were.

Two other girls entered the dressing room not long later, and they happened to be the part-time bridesmaids that Annie hired.

Annie arranged for the two of them to change into the bridesmaid’s clothes and answered a phone call. She rushed out not long later, but not before asking Corinne to help her welcome the fourth and final part-time bridesmaid, who was arriving very soon.

A few minutes later, the door swung open and Zoey walked into the dressing room. “Where’s the bridesmaid dress?” Corinne raised her hand and pointed. “Over there!” Her presence caused Zoey’s face to scrunch up in disgust. “Corinne? You’re here too? What are you doing here?” Corinne was busy scrolling her phone while leaning lazily on the sofa. She looked up at Zoey, and answered calmly, “I’m a bridesmaid, and I’m here to save a wedding.” Zoey had lost her job at the auction house, and her credit card repayment due date was fast approaching. When she saw an urgent job opportunity online that offered to pay a daily rate of 300 dollars in exchange for being a bridesmaid, she jumped on the chance without a second thought and rushed over.

It was a surprise to her that Corinne had become a part-time bridesmaid!

She looked disdainfully at Corinne in the bridesmaid dress. “Well, well! Didn’t you have a sugar daddy in the auction house this morning? Why did you take a job to be a part-time bridesmaid? Were you dumped? I bet you were.” Corinne did not answer and merely continued to scroll through her phone.

Zoey assumed that her guess was right and that Corinne was embarrassed.

She snorted triumphantly, ” Serves you right! Did you really think those rich men would take you seriously?

They’re just playing with you!

” Corinne continued to ignore Zoey, and the latter kept on taunting her a couple more times before going to get changed. However, she frowned when she saw the last remaining bridesmaid dress on the hanger.

She eschewed it because of its simplicity and lack of design!

When she turned around and saw the dress with ruffles that Corinne was wearing, she walked over and demanded in an entitled manner, “Hey! Take off that dress on you and switch with me!” Corinne cocked her eyebrow. “Why?” Zoey said righteously, “Because you made me lose my job twice! You owe me!” Corinne smirked coldly. “I wonder who it was that made me lose my job?” That was none of Zoey’s concern, and she had already raised her hand to try and take off the dress by force. Quit whining. Give it to me!” Corinne had an impatient expression and immediately clenched her fists, but she stopped herself from doing anything when she thought of Annie’s happy smile. It was Annie’s wedding, after all, and finding four bridesmaids had not been an easy task. The ceremony was about to start soon, and it was important for everything to proceed smoothly.

“Fine. I’ll switch with you.” “That’s more like it!” After changing into that dress, Zoey beamed with satisfaction as she looked at herself in the mirror from all angles. She felt absolutely beautiful, until she saw Corinne walking out of the dressing room with a yawn… Corinne had changed into the bridesmaid dress that Zoey did not like, but her look and temperament were just as beautiful as in the other dress. In fact, her shoulders and neck seemed slender and well-rounded, while her skin appeared even whiter than ever before. She looked good not because the dresses looked good, but because she had elevated the dresses to a whole new level of extravagance when she wore them.