Chapter 3: Then stay (pt2)

When they reached the correct floor, Lorenzo headed straight to the secretary's desk, with Simone following closely behind.

“Does OJC have any visitors?” Lorenzo asked.

“No, sir. But he's preparing for his meeting later.”

Lorenzo simply nodded before leading Simone toward the closed office door. Simone glanced at the secretary, expecting to stop her because she didn't have an appointment. Instead, the woman continued answering phone calls as if they weren't there, allowing them to pass without question.

Lorenzo knocked first before opening the door.

Inside, they found Jonathan deeply engrossed in reading several documents. A pair of reading glasses rested on his nose as he worked in front of his laptop. Just as the secretary had said, he was clearly busy preparing for his upcoming meeting.

“Yes?” Jonathan responded without even looking up.

Lorenzo cleared his throat before speaking.

“Miss Simone is here, Mr. Clark.”

Jonathan paused. He slowly lifted his head, and for the first time, his eyes met Simone's.

Simone swallowed hard the moment their gazes locked. She didn't understand why she was feeling this way. Her heartbeat quickened, and an unfamiliar nervousness settled inside her. It wasn't what she had expected to feel after seeing him again. She thought resentment would consume her, knowing everything he had done to her late friend.

But instead...

Her heart felt strangely light, almost as if it were floating, and she couldn't explain why.

Recovering from his surprise, Jonathan removed his reading glasses and leaned back in his swivel chair without taking his eyes off her.

“Let her in.”

Lorenzo immediately turned to Simone and gestured for her to enter.

She took a deep breath before walking inside. Whatever she was feeling, she forced herself to set it aside.

She had no intention of entertaining those emotions—especially if they were for Jonathan Clark.

She knew exactly what kind of husband he had been. He was irresponsible, and certainly not the kind of man she would ever admire. Besides, she convinced herself that what she was feeling now was only because Jonathan Clark was the one person who had the power to take the children away from her, and she refused to let that happen.

Simone assumed Lorenzo would stay for the discussion, but she was surprised when, the moment she stepped inside, he quietly closed the door behind her without entering the office.

Before she could react, Jonathan spoke.

“Why are you here?”

Simone gave him her full attention as she walked toward his desk. She hid every trace of nervousness from her face.

As an online seller, she had long mastered the art of composing herself and concealing whatever she was truly thinking or feeling.

“I think you already know why I'm here, Mr. Clark,” she said bluntly as she placed the folder in front of him.

The folder rested on top of the envelope containing the check.

Jonathan lowered his gaze.

She was right. He already knew exactly why Simone had come and what the folder contained.

He let out a quiet sigh before looking back at her. “Colleen is my wife. Let me help her, Simone. Or let's just say... as my wife, what's mine is hers too. She has every right to that property.”

“The property you bought after she died?” Simone shot back. “No, thanks.”

Jonathan clenched his jaw as he stared at her.

Simone felt her heart pounding once again. That strange feeling returned, making her chest tighten. She silently scolded herself, but her heart refused to listen.

Jonathan stood and walked around his desk until he was standing directly in front of her.

Simone tightened her grip on her bag, forcing herself not to step back. She didn't want Jonathan to think she was intimidated by him.

She simply watched as he leaned casually against the edge of his desk, slipped both hands into his pockets, and faced her.

“You're only Colleen's friend,” he said. “I'm her husband. So how is it possible that you think you have more right to help her than I do, Simone?”

“A friend who never left her side when she needed someone,” Simone replied sharply, making it clear that Jonathan had failed Colleen long before everything fell apart.

“A friend she met after she ran away with your brother,” Jonathan countered. “Shouldn't you be thanking me instead for still helping her... helping all of you? She cheated on me, in case you've forgotten.”

“She ran away with my brother because you failed to be a good husband-”

He immediately cut her off. “Come on, Simone. Cheating is cheating. Stop trying to justify your brother's sin.”

Simone fell silent.

She knew he had a point.

She had always known that what her brother and Colleen did was wrong. She had simply chosen to understand them because she believed no woman deserved to stay with a man like Jonathan.

“But I'm not petty enough to keep fighting over a woman,” Jonathan continued. “Now accept those, and you're free to leave.”

He pointed his chin towards the door.

“I was already planning to leave,” Simone replied. “But I'm not accepting what you're offering. Thank you anyway.”

She turned to walk away, but Jonathan spoke again.

“You're just like Colleen, Simone. You don't know how to be practical.” She stopped. “I searched every memorial park and cemetery in Bulacan. I found out that you don't own a burial lot for her. I also learned that you're paying for a memorial lot in installments, and I know it's for Colleen.”

Simone's chest rose heavily as she listened. He was right. Maybe that was exactly why he had bought a burial property for Colleen.

She slowly turned back to face him. “And you're still the same as before, Mr. Clark,” she said calmly. “You give people what you want to give without asking what they actually need or what they truly want. That's why she was never happy with you... and that's why she left you.”

Jonathan's expression darkened.

For a brief moment, Simone regretted what she had said. Driven by emotion, she hadn't thought carefully about her words, and now she wasn't sure if she had gone too far.

“I offered to help you last night,” Jonathan said quietly. “You were the one who pushed me away.”

“Because we don't need your money.”

“She was my wife. I just want to help her... at least one last time.” His voice softened. “Why won't you let me?”

Simone looked at him carefully. The irritation on Jonathan's face was obvious, but so was his sincerity. Just like her, he looked exhausted from arguing.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She wasn't here to fight.

Beyond the title to the property and the money, there was something else she needed from Jonathan. So she finally decided to be honest.

“I'll tell you the truth. If you really want to help your wife, then just give me her legal documents to make up for everything you failed to do. That's all I need to give Colleen a proper burial. That's the only thing missing.”

Jonathan studied her carefully, as though trying to determine whether she truly meant every word.

She held his gaze until he was the first to look away. He picked up his phone and dialed a number while Simone silently watched him.

“Find Colleen's documents in my office... Yes, I need them... I'm not sure where they are. Once you find them, send them to my office immediately.” After ending the call, Jonathan looked back at her. “Don't go anywhere. Wait until my maid finds them for you.”

“Really?” Simone couldn't hide her surprise. She hadn't expected him to agree so easily.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Didn't you say that's all you needed?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes. That's all I need.”

“Then stay.”

Simone said nothing. But deep inside, the thought of staying there...

Alone with Jonathan...

It was something she could hardly imagine.