Chapter 1841

Jackson stepped out of Woods Corporation, a sleek black umbrella in hand, leading Fiona right past Pearl on purpose.

His Fiona had never been treated so badly before, and if Pearl liked making people wait in the sun, then it was only fair she got a taste of that herself.

Pearl was already half-collapsed under the blazing sun, sweat soaking her shirt, her face pale, makeup completely gone. Empty water bottles were scattered around her feet, but no matter how much she drank, she couldn't cool off. The second she spotted Fiona, her eyes nearly shot daggers. But then she noticed Jackson, and a shred of reason kept her from doing anything stupid.

She dragged herself over, nearly stumbling, then rushed up to them, desperation written all over her face. "Mr. Woods, Ms. Fiona, I was wrong. I swear, I won't do it again."

Fiona stayed quiet. Jackson glanced at his watch-Pearl had only been out here half an hour and she was a mess already, while his Fiona had once stood outside for ten minutes. This was nothing.

"Security," Jackson said, voice low.

Two guards immediately stepped up, pulling Pearl away. She struggled, then fainted in the commotion.

Privilege was always obvious when powerful people in the States decided to throw their weight around—especially when it came to putting bullies in their place.

With that over, Jackson and Fiona decided to get some barbecue. They wanted the real deal: smoky street food, the kind you could only find at late-night stalls.

The two of them dressed down, hands linked as they wandered through the night market. Fiona hadn't had street food in ages. Ever since she came to the States, life had been so busy she barely had time to eat, let alone enjoy it.

They went all out-ordering way too much, grabbing cold beers, and digging in like they hadn't eaten in weeks.

Maybe they attracted too much attention, because it wasn't long before a group of guys and girls started hitting on them.

"Hey, handsome, give me your number! We should hang out sometime!"

"Is this your girlfriend? No problem, bring her along! We're not the jealous kind."

One girl, dressed like she was trying way too hard to be edgy, practically bathed in cheap perfume, sidled up. The smell made Fiona's eyes sting, but instead of getting annoyed, she just wanted to see how Jackson would react to being hit on.

Jackson caught her look right away-he knew Fiona was up to something. But before she could enjoy the show, a few guys surrounded her, tossing out the

same pickup lines they'd tried on Jackson.

It was like they'd rehearsed this-neither of them said a word, just calmly ignored the whole scene. The wannabe bad boys and their friends were left looking stunned, not used to being brushed off by anyone, let alone a random couple.

One of the guys, clearly the ringleader, stepped forward, trying to act tough, "Hey, pretty boy, just give us your number and maybe we'll let you walk away. Otherwise, you leave here with more than just bruised pride."

Arrogant didn't even begin to cover it.

Fiona really hadn't expected anyone to be so bold with her. She actually laughed.

"What's so funny, bitch?" the wannabe bad girl barked, clearly pissed off by

Fiona's reaction. She swung a fist at Fiona's face.

Fiona sidestepped easily, not even blinking. These people were only tough when they had numbers on their side.