Chapter 361
Brad’s henchman replied, “No, Jamie Steele is just too cunning. All of us lost him.”
Brad frowned and said, “It seems that Jamie Steele is probably far more competent than Jordan!”
Jordan, who was at the door, humphed coldly and thought to himself, ‘None of the three of us are weak!’
Although Jamie had yet to go for his battlefield trial, he trained in martial arts from a young age, just like Jordan.
Besides, Jamie was extremely scheming like a god of trickery, just like Loki in ‘Thor’.
He would always be the one to fool others, but he would never be fooled.
‘Brad Howard wants to tail him, huh?’
‘His mediocre henchmen are clearly incapable of that!’
However, at this moment, the henchman said, “We lost Jamie, but we found a place in DC where he’s hiding!”
Jordan was surprised, while Brad was overjoyed. “Where is he?”
His henchman replied, “On the outskirts of DC, in a small rural home in River Bay.”
Brad asked, “Did you find anything suspicious in there?”
His henchman shook his head and said, “The house has quite a nice decor and the items in there are really luxurious. There’s also a safe in the house, but we didn’t open it because I don’t know the password.”
“However, after scanning them with the detector, we found that there were only some jewelry and other valuables inside.”
“We’ve sent our snipers, Anna and Dan, there.”
Brad nodded and said, “Although Jamie Steele is very cunning, so the possibility of him going back after finding out that we found his place of residence is very low, it’s good to stay there for a few days to observe.”
“Jamie Steele, you’d better not let me catch you, or else I’ll chop you into bits after I get my hands on you!”
“Okay, go out. I’m going to sleep. Inform me immediately once you get news about Jamie.”
“Yes!”
Seeing that Brad was going to switch off the lights and go to bed, Jordan knew he wouldn’t be able to get any useful news here, so he left too.
Jordan pondered for a while as he walked out of the hospital.
This time, he did not ask about where Victoria was held captive, but he eavesdropped and found out some useful information.
“Jamie’s actually here in DC and he has a house in the outskirts?”
Jordan was filled with curiosity, so he called a cab and headed to the residential estate on the outskirts.
It was surrounded by mountains and only about 30 meters away from the river. The view was excellent too.
The woods were large, and the air was great.
‘Jamie has picked a nice place.’
Jordan walked slowly. The rural estate was very large, and he didn’t know which one was Jamie’s home.
When he walked to a white house, which was rather inconspicuous, a man suddenly walked over, dressed in the “Howard family army uniform.”
“I’m here to bring you guys some food.”
Jordan said, carrying a box of food that he had made a long time ago.
It was now three o’clock in the morning, so it was dark outside. Besides, the two of them didn’t know Jordan at all so they didn’t suspect anything.
“Great, I’m hungry and my stomach is rumbling!”
The uniformed man on the other side took the lunch box quickly.
“Where’s Anna?” Jordan asked.
He knew that apart from Andy, there was also another sniper named Dan.
Pointing to the roof, Dan said, “The roof.”
Snipers usually wouldn’t stay around in the room and would instead choose to hide in a place that would provide a better view.
“I’ll hand it to him.”
Jordan prepared two boxes of food which had been laced with sleeping pills. Hence, anyone who ate it would soon fall asleep.
“Do you want something to eat? There are oysters and duck.”
Jordan raised his head and called out to the blurry figure.
Soon, a figure with an athletic build leaped off the roof. It turned out to be a female sniper who had quite an outstanding figure.
“Did you encounter any suspicious persons or cars?” Anna asked coldly and couldn’t help but grab the food container from Jordan’s hand.
Jordan shook his head and said, “No, it’s late at night. There isn’t a single soul here.”
“Hey, did you guys discover anything here?”
Dan, who had already started to eat, criticized, “We discovered nothing. There’s nothing else here except a safe. There must be good stuff in the safe, but unfortunately, we don’t know the pass code. Otherwise, we could have stolen a few.”
“I heard Jamie is the second son of the mysterious Steele family, which is mega rich. Anything they own is easily worth millions!”
Jordan asked, “Where is the safe?”
Dan pointed at the room and said, “Inside the room.”
Jordan nodded and said, “You guys go ahead and eat while I go inside to take a look.”
The two of them weren’t suspecting because they knew Jordan didn’t know the passcode so they weren’t afraid that he would take the things away.
After Jordan entered, he soon found the safe, which was exactly the same as the one that Jamie left in Café Nostalgia.
Jordan couldn’t help but recall the time when he met Lauren in Café Nostalgia.
After feeling emotional, Jordan tried to unlock the safe. The first passcode he tried was Jamie’s birthday.
The passcode was wrong!
“It can’t be my birthday, can it?”
Jordan thought, ‘That shouldn’t be the case. When we were in New York City, the passcode was my birthday.’
‘Jamie should have kept the safe for himself.’
With the intention of testing the waters, Jordan punched the digits of his birthday on the keypad.
Bang!
With a crisp sound, the safe was opened!
“What? The passcode is still my birthday?”
Jordan was shocked, and he wondered, ‘Why is the passcode still my birthday?’
“Did he use the same passcode as the safe in New York City out of habit? Or is it he doesn’t want to let his acquaintances guess it easily?”
There were two possibilities. Maybe Jamie was afraid that others might guess it easily if he were to use his own birthday as the passcode.
Another was that the safe was meant for Jordan!
If that was the case, Jamie probably guessed that Jordan would come here!
Jordan was extremely curious. He opened the safe and a stunning sight appeared in front of him!
There were shiny jewels, necklaces, diamonds, gold, cold hard cash, and dozens of cards!
“Damn! I finally have money now! That bastard Jamie can finally help me this time!”
Jordan was pleased to see the cash and valuables, too.
In the past, he wouldn’t be tempted by these items because he used to be so wealthy that he would never run out of money.
However, things are different now that his assets had been frozen and his mobile payment services had been terminated. He was a completely penniless man.
With these valuables, Jordan would have enough money to cover his daily expenses.
In particular, he no longer needed to accept any humiliation from Chris!
Jordan reached out and grabbed a jewel necklace, which he discovered upon closer scrutiny, that it was a necklace with 11,551 diamonds weighing a total of 383.40cts!
“This should be the most expensive necklace in the world. It’s ‘A Heritage in Bloom’ that’s worth $200 million!”
“I didn’t expect Jamie to own this necklace!”
Chapter 362
200 million dollars!
With the necklace alone, Jordan could totally dominate DC!
Besides, apart from the necklace, there were also lots of expensive items, each of which was extremely valuable!
Jordan also discovered that there was an adorable teddy bear wearing a shirt with the LV logo, which immediately attracted his attention.
Jordan fiddled with it carefully and then muttered to himself.
“This should be the most expensive teddy bear in the world, which is produced in collaboration between the German company, Steiff, and Louis Vuitton.”
The German company, Steiff, was the only manufacturer of high-end teddy bears in the world, which cost a hefty sum of money each.
Besides, the teddy bear was produced in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, thus bumping the price up to a sky-high price!
The bear was now worth about 2.2 million dollars!
Jordan took a liking to it immediately, and he said with a smile, “I’ll give this to Chloe tomorrow. She’ll definitely love it.”
Jordan felt really guilty for making Chloe pay for his cab fare of three dollars this morning. A father ought to give the best to his daughter!
In addition to these, there were also many cards. Jordan took a quick glance at them to see that they were gold membership cards of the most prestigious level, for many high-end malls and designer brands.
With those cards, Jordan would be able to enter any high-end places and functions in DC as he pleased!
At this moment, Jordan came outside the house to take a look, only to discover that Anna and Dan had both passed out.
Hence, he returned to the house, grabbed a random plastic bag, and stowed those items in it.
He then closed the safe again and left the house.
He returned to JFS mall, where he hid all the jewelry and valuables. Since there were too many of them, he couldn’t keep all of them to himself.
He merely took the cards that could fit in his wallet, as well as the teddy bear he wanted to give Chloe tomorrow, and hid the rest in the passcode-secured locker in the mall.
The following morning, Jordan, who did the night shift, washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes before hailing a cab to Lauren’s home with the bag containing the teddy bear.
Knock-knock.
Jordan knocked on the door.
Since it was seven something in the morning, Jordan thought that Lauren and Chloe were still asleep. He had specially arrived there bright early in the morning.
Felicia was quick to open the door. She said with a smile, “Mr. Steele.”
Jordan asked with a smile, “Chloe hasn’t gotten out of bed yet, has she?”
However, Felicia said, “Chloe and Miss Howard woke up bright and early in the morning and left with Mr. Hank just now!”
“What?”
Jordan was shocked, and he wondered, ‘Could it be that bastard Chris has long known that I’d be coming over this morning, so he picked Lauren and Chloe up in advance?
‘What an abominable bastard!’
‘It seems that I’ve gone too easy on his henchmen yesterday!’
“Do you know where they went?” Jordan asked.
Felicia answered, “Yes, I specially asked on your behalf. He said that they took Chloe to an amazing toy shop named FAO-something.”
Jordan asked, “You mean FAO Schwarz, right?”
FAO Schwarz was a toy empire and the most prestigious toy store in the United States which Jordan had visited when he was younger.
I didn’t expect there to be a FAO Schwarz here in DC. This place must be really popular among kids, just like Disneyland.’
It was undoubtedly a haven for kids from wealthy families!
Ordinary families wouldn’t be able to afford to bring their children there!
Felicia immediately answered, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s the name. You’re really knowledgeable, Mr. Steele. I was so stupid. I won’t even remember the name if you tell me again.”
Jordan couldn’t help but pat Felicia on her head and said, “You’re already very smart. Thank you Felicia, go ahead and get busy. I’ll go look for them.”
“Yes, bye, Mr. Steele.”
“Bye.”
Jordan waved goodbye to Felicia before hailing a cab. “Please take me to the World Trade City.”
The car gradually left and a man lurking in the corner of an alley sneakily popped his head out before making a call.
“Mr. Hank, Jordan Steele has indeed gone to Miss Howard’s place bright and early in the morning. He already knows that you’ve brought the kid to the toy store and hailed a cab there. Should we send someone to stop him?”
On the other end of the line, Chris laughed and said, “Nah, he’s just a penniless man who can’t do anything even if he comes. He won’t be able to enter the FAO Schwarz store!”
In no time, Jordan arrived at the entrance of the 2,600-square-meter FAO Schwarz store!
As soon as he stood at the door, Jordan could feel the luxury in it! It’s no wonder that it was the Hermes of toys!
There was an extremely famous clock tower at the entrance named ‘Mr. Clock’, which had a somewhat cute yet bizarre smile on its face.
Mr. Clock would sing a tune whenever an hour passed, and it had vivid expressions, making it a favorite among many children.
Jordan came to the door, looked at the windows on the left and right, which were exquisitely designed and full of luxurious toys.
Just as Jordan looked into the window, he discovered that he actually saw Chloe, Lauren, and, of course, Chris.
“Ah! Daddy!”
When Chloe saw Jordan, he hurriedly leaned over the window and called for his dad.
Lauren and Chris also saw Jordan.
Chloe tapped on the window and said, “Daddy, come in!”
Jordan also said to the window, “Okay, I’ll go inside immediately.”
On the other hand, Lauren had a complicated look on her face while Chris grinned sinisterly.
Reason being they knew it was non-business hours and ordinary people wouldn’t be able to enter at all!
Jordan was just about to walk in through the door when a female staff member suddenly came over and said, “I’m sorry, Sir, but we open only at ten. You can’t go in right now.”
“What?” Jordan was puzzled for a moment. “How come they’re allowed inside, then?”
The staff replied, “They are Diamond members of FAO Schwarz, who can explore the shop as they please during non-business hours. You will need to spend $800,000 and above to obtain such a
membership privilege.”
At this moment, Lauren and Chris both watched this scene through the window. Chris couldn’t contain his joy at all.
“Haha, what a fool. Only Diamond-level members are allowed to enter before 10 am. You didn’t even know that and you rushed here in a hurry. Such a dimwit.”
Even Lauren didn’t have a Diamond membership. Her membership was only at the Gold level.
He said, “Chris, can you use your Diamond membership to bring Jordan in?”
Chris immediately showed his reluctance. “What for? Everything here is so expensive. He won’t be able to afford anything here.”
Lauren pressed her lips together. She knew that the toys here were all extremely expensive, with each one easily costing several thousand dollars. Jordan wouldn’t be able to afford it at all.
She reckoned it would hurt Jordan’s self-esteem even further if he were to come in.
However, Jordan was Chloe’s father, after all, and he had rushed all the way here to see his daughter. It would be too cruel to make him wait outside.
Besides, it was only seven-something in the morning and they definitely wouldn’t stay in the store until 10 am.
“Okay, Lauren, stop looking at him. Let’s go there and pick out some toys for Chloe. If he can’t go in, he’ll leave on his own.”
Chris tugged Lauren and pulled her in.
At this moment, he looked at the female staff member and asked, “What exactly does the Diamond membership card of FAO look like?”
“Huh?” The female staff was confused.
Jordan took out his wallet and pulled out a bunch of cards, which he had taken from Jamie’s safe last night.
“Help me check if one of these is an FAO diamond membership card..”
Chapter 363
The staff of FAO Schwarz was shocked to see all the exquisite cards that Jordan took out at once.
When he first saw Jordan and the Target plastic bag he was holding, the staff member thought Jordan was broke.
After all, the main consumer group of Target wasn’t the wealthy.
Most of the items cost just dozens of dollars, which was extremely cheap. It was on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the luxurious FAO Schwarz.
In fact, Jordan didn’t shop at Target and had merely found a random plastic bag in the security room, which he then used to carry Chloe’s teddy bear.
The staff member took the pile of cards and checked them one by one. With each card she flipped through, the astonishment on her face gradually increased.
“JFS mall gold membership card, CityCenter gold membership card, Studio 21A VIP card, FAO Schwarz Super Diamond membership card!”
Hearing the staff’s words, Jordan asked, “Have you found it?”
Holding the card with “FAO Schwarz Super Diamond Member” written on it, the female staff said in astonishment, “No, the highest level of membership here is Diamond. I’ve never heard of a Super Diamond level of membership. Surely… yours isn’t a counterfeit card, is it?”
The female staff saw Jordan was carrying a cheap plastic bag that was full of gold membership cards, each of which would probably cost at least a million dollars!
The vast number of gold cards meant he had spent a total of several million dollars across various stores!
However, in the female staff’s opinion, Jordan didn’t seem to be someone who had spent several million dollars!
Jordan was rather displeased to be doubted. “Are you a newbie here?
The staff member hesitated for a moment before saying, “Okay, please wait a moment while I call the store manager.”
The staff member made the call right in front of Jordan.
“Hello, sorry to disturb you during your break, but there’s a customer here who has a FAO Schwarz Super Diamond membership. Is there a Super Diamond membership level in our store?”
The staff member asked.
A voice that was full of surprise came from the other end of the phone. “Super Diamond member? What’s his name?”
The staff member put down the phone and asked Jordan, “Sir, may I ask what your name is?”
Jordan thought for a moment before answering, “Jamie Steele!”
The staff member picked up the phone and answered, “His name is Jamie Steele.”
The store manager immediately instructed, “Serve him with the best level of service! If you dare to be negligent, I’ll sack you immediately! I’ll be right there!”
The staff began to get nervous too. “Yes, Sir, I’ll definitely serve Mr. Steele well!”
After putting down the phone, the staff member hurriedly bowed to Jordan and apologized, “Sorry, Mr. Steele, I failed to entertain angels unawares. I wasn’t aware of the Super Diamond membership level in our store. Please come in.”
“Okay.”
Jordan took the card and placed it back inside his wallet. It seemed that Jamie’s cards were of some use.
After entering, the staff immediately asked, “Mr. Steele, did you have breakfast this morning? Do you need me to prepare a set for you?”
“Oh, I’ve eaten. Thank you.”
Jordan had eaten some donuts with coffee near the mall.
“Are you thirsty, then? Would you like to have some drinks? Coffee? Or water?” The staff member continued to ask with a five-star service attitude.
Jordan smiled and said, “No, I’m here to see my daughter.”
Jordan walked forward and called out to Chloe, who was picking out some toys in front of him, “Chloe.”
Chloe turned around and immediately dashed towards Jordan when she saw him. While doing so, she exclaimed, “Daddy!”
At this moment, Lauren and Chris were astonished.
“Strange. How did he get in?”
Chris couldn’t believe it at all.
“Baby, did you sleep well last night?”
Jordan hugged Chloe with happiness written all over his face.
Chloe nodded and said, “Yes, Mommy hugged me to sleep yesterday and told me several bedtime stories.”
At this moment, the staff member next to Jordan asked, “Mr. Steele, is this your daughter?”
Jordan nodded.
The staff hurriedly praised, “She’s so pretty. When this little girl came in just now, I was thinking that her father must be really handsome too since she’s so beautiful.”
“Hey, your daughter’s shoes seem to be a little dirty. Please wait a moment while I clean this little princess’s shoes.”
As he spoke, the staff member took a cloth and personally squatted down to wipe Chloe’s shoes clean.
Lauren and Chris were shocked. The staff here had always been aloof, because most of them were from wealthy families and had merely taken up a job for fun.
Hence, they would generally be prideful when facing customers and would never stoop low to do anything for them.
They merely gave Chris a simple greeting when he entered.
However, after Jordan came in, the staff had not only prepared breakfast but also wiped Chloe’s shoes. Their service attitude was completely different!
“Thank you,” Chloe thanked the staff member politely.
Chris walked over at this moment and questioned the staff member, “Only Diamond members are allowed in during non-business hours. Why did you let him in?”
“Even if he knows us, you ought to seek my opinion before you let him in, right?”
Chris thought that the staff let Jordan in because they saw him greeting Chloe at the glass window just now and thus assumed that Jordan was their friend.
After that, Chris glared at Jordan scornfully. “Seriously, you really enjoy taking advantage of others, huh? You took advantage of Lauren to have a meal at her place yesterday, and today, you’re trying to get more benefits using my membership card. As a man, can you have a little more shame? Did I give you permission to take advantage of my membership card?”
Before Jordan said anything, the staff took the initiative to explain, “Mr. Hank, you’re mistaken. Mr. Steele didn’t come in because of your Diamond membership.”
Chris humphed in disdain. “Not using my Diamond membership? Does he also have a Diamond-tier membership?”
The staff member shook his head while Chris looked really smug.
However, the next second, the staff member said, “Mr. Steele is not a Diamond-tier member but a Super Diamond member, which is a tier above yours!”
“What did you say?” Chris froze when he heard that. “Super Diamond Member? Why haven’t I heard of that before? How much do I need to spend to get to that tier?”
The staff member answered, “I’m not sure. You might have to also be of a prestigious status in addition to spending more money. Only then will the store manager issue a Super Diamond membership card.”
Chris flew into a rage. “Bastard! Are you trying to say that my status is not as noble as his?”
For fear of offending Chris, the staff member hurriedly explained, “That’s not what I mean…”
However, Jordan said straightforwardly, “Your status is inferior to mine! Is she wrong!?!”
Chapter 364
Knowing that Jordan would go to Lauren’s place bright early in the morning to visit Chloe, Chris deliberately chose to take them to a place where only top-tier members could enter.
He was obviously out to embarrass Jordan!
If Jordan hadn’t eavesdropped on Brad last night and if Brad hadn’t left the safe behind, Jordan would have had to stand outside the store!
He would have to stare humbly at his daughter from outside the store while being denied entry!
He would be as ashamed as he was when Chloe paid for his cab fare yesterday!
Chris flew into a rage and snapped, “How dare you say that my status is inferior to yours? You penniless man, don’t you know to look at yourself in the mirror? What’s your current status? How dare you speak to me like this!?!”
If it were in the past, Chris would still be scrupulous towards Jordan, but now that Jordan’s assets had been frozen and he was controlled by the Howards, Chris no longer had to be afraid of him!
At this moment, Lauren walked over and said, “Okay, stop arguing, guys. Isn’t Chloe the star for today? Aren’t you both out with the intention to accompany her today?”
Chris glanced at Chloe and said smilingly, “Yes, Chloe’s birthday is in two days. I specially brought Chloe here today precisely to pick out a gift for her!”
“Jordan Steele, you should know that FAO Schwarz is the Hermes of the toy stores and only the things here are good enough for Chloe!”
“Unfortunately, you can’t afford any of the things here!”
Chris did not know how Jordan got the Super Diamond membership, but he was certain that it didn’t belong to Jordan. Even if he did, it was pointless.
Membership cards were just status symbols that represent how much money one had spent in the store in the past. They were not bank cards that could be used to store money.
Moreover, Jordan’s assets had been frozen, so Chris reckoned that there was no way he could afford any of the toys here, which easily cost thousands of dollars each.
Chris said to the staff arrogantly, “Recommend us some toys that are suitable for little girls.”
The staff didn’t respond to his request and instead said, “Mr. Hank, why don’t I get another sales assistant to come over to serve you? I’m serving Mr. Steele exclusively.”
“You…” Chris felt extremely humiliated for being unable to boss a service staff member around despite being a Diamond-tier member.
On the other hand, Jordan laughed and said, “It’s alright, since we’re both buying gifts for Chloe,you can just be in charge of introducing the toys to us.”
“Yes, Mr. Steele!”
Only after hearing Jordan’s instructions did the service staff get up and walk to the front. She then guided them to the left.
She introduced, “This is the famous American brand, Bunnies By The Bay, which sells plush toys themed around long-eared rabbits that are in the color scheme of pink, blue, and beige. They are favorites among children.”
Chloe walked over, grabbed a blue rabbit, and said, “This rabbit is so adorable!”
Chris walked behind him, stroked Chloe’s hair, and asked, “Chloe, do you like it?”
Chloe nodded and said, “Yes!”
Chris said to the waiter, “Wrap it up.”
She then said, “Keep choosing.”
The service staff led the crowd to the right and walked to a mini Mercedes Benz minivan. He then walked to a mini Mercedes Benz minivan and introduced, “This is a toy car. Although it’s a toy, it’s covered in Swarovski crystals. It’s really beautiful and very expensive.”
“Oh? It’s very expensive? How much is it?”
Chris specially asked for the price when he heard the staff saying that the toy was extremely expensive.
The waiter replied, “It costs $50,000.”
“$50,000? That’s expensive.”
Lauren was shocked because she had already noticed the beautiful, shiny red car just now. However, there wasn’t a price tag on it, so she didn’t know how much it cost.
She thought it would cost only a few thousands at most.
However, Chris said with a faint smile, “It’s just $50,000. Wrap it up and then continue introducing the toys!”
The service staff continued to lead them to a glittering soldier and said, “This is a soldier figurine that’s embellished with Swarovski crystals but it’s relatively cheaper. It’s going at only $5,000.”
“Only $5,000?” Chris said with disdain, not wanting to buy it because he felt it was too cheap.
Thus, Chris looked at Jordan and said, “I’ll give you a chance to perform. You can get this one since it’s cheaper!”
Jordan rolled his eyes at Chris before looking down at Chloe. “Chloe, do you like this little soldier figurine?”
Chloe looked at the glittering soldier and was just about to nod, but to her surprise, Lauren pressed the back of her head from behind and shook her head at her.
Although Chloe was young, she had already developed a telepathic connection to Lauren and thus understood what Lauren intended.
Chloe then shook her head and said, “No.”
Jordan didn’t like the soldier either, so he said, “Let’s not buy it then.”
“Hahaha.” Chris laughed when he saw that scene. “I knew you couldn’t afford it.”
Chris then picked out over ten toys for Chloe. “Calculate the total bill.”
Soon, the service staff tabulated the total bill. “Sir, your total bill is $205,481.”
Lauren felt he was spending too much. “Chris, Chloe is still young and insensible. You’re going too far by spending more than $200,000.”
Lauren’s family may be wealthy, but Lauren had always been frugal. Besides, she had even become much thriftier because she refused to get married and didn’t have the cheek to ask her family for money.
Chris took out his bank card suavely and handed it to the waiter. “Payment by card, please.”
He then said to Lauren, “Since I’m about to become Chloe’s father, I have to give her the best things. I’m not like someone over here who won’t even get his biological daughter a birthday gift.”
“Jordan, there are so many gifts here, you should at least pick one for Chloe. Don’t you have a job now? Can’t you ask for a month’s salary in advance?”
“Oh, you can’t. Since you work as a security officer now, I’m afraid you have to ask for three months of your salary in advance to be able to afford a toy. Hahaha.”
Jordan ignored Chris and left him be. His hatred for Chris grew stronger, and he actually abhorred him even more than he did when they first met.
Back then, Chris was cold, arrogant and detestable, but he was a man of few words and preferred resorting to violence to solve the issue, though he ended up getting beaten up into a pulp by Jordan.
However, since Chris found out that he couldn’t beat Jordan, he became more talkative, especially after learning that Jordan was down and out. He tried every single method to bring Jordan down.
He was just like an annoying fly that was buzzing incessantly.
Jordan looked at Chloe, lifted the Target plastic bag in his hand and said to her, “Chloe, Daddy bought you a present.”
Only then did Chris notice the bag in Jordan’s hand, and he soon said with contempt all over his face, “Target? That poor man’s store where toys never cost more than 20 bucks? You’re actually giving Chloe such a cheap gift?”
Without uttering a single word, Jordan took out the bag containing the teddy bear that was worth 2.2 million dollars!
As soon as he took it out, everyone in the store was dumbstruck!
Chapter 365
The teddy bear was shining bright like a diamond in the eyes of the shopkeeper as well as the crowd!
If it were on other occasions elsewhere, Jordan might not get such a big reaction after taking out the teddy bear. After all, not everyone recognized it.
Besides, it had nothing to do with money but a niche field of interest.
For example, the wealthiest person in the world may not be able to guess how much a pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 shoes are worth.
He might guess that it was only worth a couple of hundreds of dollars.
It was the same for the teddy bear. Those who didn’t know much may guess that it cost a few thousands of dollars or so at most.
However, the staff here were not ordinary people but sales assistants of the world’s most expensive toy store. They naturally had the best understanding of the world of luxury toys.
The waitress was shocked. “Is… Is this the collaboration piece created by Steiff and Louis Vuitton? It’s the most expensive teddy bear in the world, right?”
When Chloe saw the teddy bear, she immediately grabbed it with joy. “Ah, a teddy bear that has clothes on!”
Lauren too, could not help but reach out and touch the LV clothes that the teddy bear was wearing. When she touched it, Lauren instantly felt the exquisite workmanship.
As the top beauty in DC, Lauren naturally knew the workmanship of Louis Vuitton very well because she had used many of their products.
The other staff members gathered around them and asked, “Really? Is it the teddy bear that’s worth more than 2 million dollars?”
Two million dollars!
Hearing this price, Chris immediately looked embarrassed!
He had bought so many gifts in this store, but they only added up to more than $200,000!
It was nothing compared to Jordan’s two-million-dollar gift!
Feeling humiliated, Chris immediately snatched the teddy bear from Chloe’s hand and took a look at it before exclaiming, “This is a counterfeit!”
After saying that, he threw it into the distance. The teddy bear that was worth more than two million dollars was thrown to the ground by Chris!
“Chris Hank, you must have a death wish! Pick the teddy bear up immediately!” Jordan hollered in exasperation.
“I’ll pick it up, I’ll pick it up!”
The service staff immediately said.
However, Jordan rebuked, “None of you pick it up. I want him to pick it up himself!”
However, Chris retorted fearlessly, “Why should I pick up a counterfeit that costs a few hundred or even a few dozens of dollars?”
Jordan said furiously, “What makes you so sure that it’s counterfeit? Can you tell the difference?”
Chris said, “I can’t, but I know you don’t even have the money for a cab fare. You’re just a security officer who definitely can’t afford a gift of over two million dollars!”
Lauren interjected at this moment, “Maybe it’s a gift that Jordan bought a long time ago.”
Chris thought about it and said, “No, his assets have been frozen. It’s impossible for him to bring this out. This must be a counterfeit. If it’s authentic, he would have sold it for money instead of giving it to Chloe.”
‘Seriously, Chloe is my daughter. How can I possibly sell her gift for money!?!’
‘Chris really likes to project his shortcomings on others!’
Jordan said furiously, “I’ll count to three. Pick up the teddy bear, otherwise, don’t blame me for laying a hand on you!”
Chris also clenched his fist and retorted, “Come on, win the fight and go to jail. Lose the fight and go to the hospital. I can accept either of the results, but you can’t!”
Lauren did not want the two of them to fight and thus said to Chris, “Chris, you’re at fault, for this matter. How can you throw away the gift Jordan gave to Chloe? You have to go pick it up.”
Facing Lauren’s overbearingness, Chris said, “Unless that is a real teddy bear worth more than two million, why should I bend down for a counterfeit?”
Lauren looked at the service staff and asked, “Can you verify the authenticity of that toy?”
Lauren believed Jordan wouldn’t lie, so she requested them to inspect the toy and verify its authenticity.
The waitress shook her head and said, “Our store manager often travels around the world and has seen a lot of luxury goods. She can definitely distinguish it. She will be here soon. Why don’t you wait
for a while?”
After about ten minutes, a woman in her thirties, who was wearing delicate light makeup and a suit, stepped forward.
She was decked out in designer labels, and she was obviously wealthy. Besides, she had quite a domineering gait, which made her feel like a queen.
“Where is Jamie Steele?”
The woman asked the service staff as soon as she entered.
“He’s that gentleman in the black jacket,” the service staff answered as he pointed at Jordan’s back.
The woman walked over quickly and smacked Jordan on his head before he could even turn around.
“You heartless jerk. I’m surprised you’re here!”
Jordan turned around with some surprise and saw a mature and charming middle-aged woman, only to be bewildered.
“You’re Miss Monroe?”
Jordan asked.
Miss Monroe was stunned for a while when she saw Jordan. “Who are you? Why do you have Jamie’s Super Diamond membership card?”
Jordan explained, “Oh, Jamie is my brother.”
A smile immediately appeared on Miss Monroe’s charming face and she said, “Oh, so you’re Jamie’s brother. That jerk keeps bragging about being the most handsome one compared to his brothers, but he’s obviously not as handsome as you!”
Jordan was a little embarrassed and he could see that this graceful Miss Monroe should have an unusual relationship with Jamie.
Jordan said, “Miss Monroe, you’re here in time. I’d like to ask you to verify whether the teddy bear I bought is authentic or not.”
Miss Monroe saw the teddy bear that was placed on the ground and immediately scurried over with some heartache.
“Hey, this teddy bear is the collaborative product between Steiff and Louis Vuitton, right? This is worth more than two million dollars. What’s wrong with you people? Are you going to let a customer’s item that’s worth more than 2 million dollars stay on the ground? Don’t you know how to pick it up!?”
Jordan said, “Don’t blame them. I told them not to pick it up. Please confirm if it is authentic.”
Miss Monroe touched the LV fabric, carefully scrutinized the workmanship of the teddy bear, and then said, “It’s 100% authentic. I’ve been to Steiff. This teddy bear is produced by their company.”
Jordan nodded and said, “Okay, thank you, Miss Monroe. You can put the teddy bear down.”
“Do I put it on the ground?” Miss Monroe asked in confusion.
“Yes.” Jordan affirmed, pointed at Chris and then at the teddy bear. “Pick up the teddy bear!”
Chris naturally did not want to do such a lowly thing in front of so many people!
He could only blame it on the fact that his subordinates didn’t follow him in. Otherwise, he could have made them do it.
Seeing how hesitant Chris was, Jordan said, “If you don’t want to pick it up, that’s fine. You threw something that’s worth over two million dollars onto the ground and dirtied the clothes of the teddy bear. It won’t be overboard for me to charge you 200,000 dollars for damages, right?”
“I’ll give you two choices.. You either give me 200,000 dollars in cash or go pick the toy up!”
Chapter 366
Chris was on his own in the FAO Schwarz store because everyone was on Jordan’s side.
‘Screw you, Jordan Steele. How can the fabric on the teddy bear be considered clothing? There’s barely as much material as my sock does! The teddy bear is shocked? Are you spouting nonsense? How dare you make me pay you $200,000 in damages!?!’
Chris cursed in his heart, but he didn’t dare to argue with Jordan because he knew that he was at fault.
‘I can’t give him $200,000. Otherwise, I won’t be able to humiliate him anymore.’
Since Chris couldn’t beat Jordan in a fight, he decided to defeat him in terms of money and status. Hence, he would never give Jordan any money.
Holding his anger back, Chris walked towards the teddy bear on the ground with great reluctance, and picked it up.
He then walked towards Chloe and said with a smile, “There you go, Chloe.”
Chloe grabbed it and frowned at Chris. “Hmph!”
Clearly, Chloe was upset with Chris for snatching the toy away from her and throwing it onto the ground just now.
Jordan was pleased, and he ignored Chris. Stroking Chloe’s head, he asked, “Baby, do you like it?”
Chloe nodded and exclaimed smilingly, “I do. Thank you, Daddy!”
Lauren chimed in, “Jordan, you don’t actually have to give her such an expensive gift. She’d be just as happy with a cheaper one.”
Jordan said, “I don’t want Chloe to become a materialistic girl but I also want to prove that I can give my daughter the best things in this world!”
After saying that, Jordan glowered at Chris, who didn’t utter a single word.
“Hey, hunk, let’s talk upstairs.”
Miss Monroe patted Jordan on his shoulder before asking him to go upstairs. novelbin
There were some parent-child activity rooms, early education centers on the second floor, Lego display cases, and some photo-taking areas on the second floor.
Since it was now non-business hours, there was no one on the second floor.
On the second floor, Miss Monroe greeted Jordan and asked him to take a seat before sitting cross- legged across from Jordan. Due to the small size of the table, the two of them were very close to each other.
Her thin, black stilettos were pressed against the hem of Jordan’s pants, though it was unclear if she was doing it intentionally or not.
Any man in his place would feel really awkward or ticklish, and would be unable to resist the urge to take a look or scratch it.
Miss Monroe was really quite sultry.
Perhaps because of her age and her aura, which was similar to Victoria’s, Jordan didn’t feel repulsed by her actions.
Miss Monroe asked, “Hey, where is your brother?”
Jordan shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
Miss Monroe sighed and exclaimed, “That jerk left without even calling me. How infuriating!”
Jordan was at a loss for words, either. He asked, “How much did my brother spend here to get that Super Diamond membership card?”
Miss Monroe said furiously, “Spend money, my foot! He has never been here before! After sleeping with me, he insisted I give him a membership card of the highest tier.”
“I was quite confused at that time because Jamie doesn’t have any kids so why would he need a membership card for our store? It turns out that it’s for you.”
“Now that I think about it, that bastard probably slept with me just to get that Super Diamond membership card for you, huh?”
Jordan broke out in a cold sweat. ‘Why are you blaming me for the fact that someone slept with you!?!’
‘I can’t take the rap for this!’
Jordan hurriedly said, “No, no, Miss Monroe, Jamie and I aren’t that close. He almost got me killed. This membership card definitely isn’t meant for me. I secretly took this from his place on the outskirts of the city.”
“Jamie must have pursued you because he couldn’t resist your beauty, your charms, and your domineering aura. He has a penchant for domineering women. I know him too well!”
In fact, Jamie not only had a penchant for domineering women, he also liked elegant older ones, adorable young ones, and all sorts of other types of women, as long as they were pretty!
Miss Monroe was overjoyed to hear that. “You really know what to say. Since you’re one of us, you can come to me whenever you need help in the future.”
“My family has been in DC for three generations, so they have quite a good network of connections.”
Jordan thanked her. “Thank you, Miss Monroe. There’s really one more thing that I need your help with.”
“Since I’m a Super Diamond member, can I book the entire second floor and make it exclusive only to members of the Diamond tier and above?”
Miss Monroe smiled and said, “Got it, leave it to me.”
Miss Monroe got up, walked downstairs, and asked Lauren and Chloe to come upstairs.
Just as Chris was about to go upstairs, too, Miss Monroe reached out and stopped him.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked with displeasure.
Miss Monroe said, “Sorry, our Super Diamond member has booked the whole of the second floor, so you can’t go upstairs for the time being.”
Chris was enraged. He initially wanted to use this method to humiliate Jordan, but he ended up getting insulted by the latter instead.
“Miss Monroe, you won’t let me go up? Do you know who I am?” Chris questioned with a threatening expression.
However, Miss Monroe remained composed. “You must be Chris, the scion of the Hanks, right? You’re so powerful. Everyone in DC knows you.”
Chris humphed coldly and hollered, “How dare you stop me if you know who I am!?!”
Miss Monroe folded her arms domineeringly and said, “Mr. Hank, I’m a few years older than you and I’m sure you know my parents and uncle. Logically speaking, you have to respect me as an older sister.”
“Here’s a piece of advice for you. Lie low and keep a low profile. Your family doesn’t call the shots in DC!”
“You…”
Chris didn’t expect this woman to be so difficult to deal with, and he knew that she really had a legitimate reason to be so confident.
“Hmph!”
Chris humphed angrily and left.
On the other hand, Jordan, Lauren and Chloe played together on the second floor until 10 am, which was the official opening time.
By the time the ordinary customers streamed in one after another, Jordan and the rest were ready to leave.
They arrived downstairs to see that Chris had long since left.
Lauren and Chloe were brought here by Chris, so his departure was akin to leaving them behind here.
Jordan said to Lauren, “Don’t blame me for badmouthing your fiancé. Chris is very hot-tempered, and he actually left without informing you. That’s too much disrespect to you.”
Lauren was extremely disappointed with Chris too, but she pretended to be nonchalant. “It’s okay, let’s take a cab.”
“No, wait for me.”
At this juncture, Miss Monroe had yet to leave, so Jordan walked over and asked, “Miss Monroe, did you drive here? Can I borrow your car for a while?”
Miss Monroe took out the keys to her Porsche from her Louis Vuitton bag and handed it to Lucas. “Take it, my dear brother-in-law.”
Jordan was speechless.
He felt a little awkward because Miss Monroe was treating herself as his sister-in-law.
Miss Monroe was quite pretty and had a good family background. She had a great personality too, but Jamie was a playboy, so he probably wouldn’t get married easily!
Chapter 367
Miss Monroe’s car was a white Porsche Taycan, which was a fully electric car.
Chloe fell asleep right after she got inside the car. She could barely stay away, perhaps because she was exhausted after three hours of continuous playing in the store.
While driving, Jordan said to Lauren, “If you’re tired, you should take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we reach home.”
Lauren shook her head and said, “No, I’m not sleepy.”
Keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead, Jordan recalled what happened in the morning and said, “You should have guessed the relationship between the store manager, Miss Monroe, and my brother, Jamie, right? I remember how I thought you were Jamie’s woman when I first met you in the cafe in New York City.”
“I know him too well. He definitely won’t let a pretty woman go when he meets one.”
“By the way, apart from throwing you to me, he hasn’t bullied you or anything, right? I don’t have any other intentions. I just want to say that if he has bullied you, I’ll beat him up when I see him again!”
Hearing Jamie’s name, Lauren remained calm and said, “No, Jamie still treats me with respect. Besides, I’m not a woman who would easily sleep with any man.”
Hearing this, Jordan hurriedly explained, “Of course, I know you’re not, and I don’t mean it that way. Please don’t get the wrong idea.”
However, Lauren said, “I don’t mean what you think either.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Jordan was a little bewildered.
‘What does she mean, then?’
Lauren suddenly felt like changing the subject. She closed her eyes and said, “I’m a little tired, too. Wake me up when we get home.”
Lauren closed her eyes. It was unclear if she was really asleep or just pretending to be so. However, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Jordan glanced at Lauren and Chloe, finding them to be really beautiful and adorable.
Jordan couldn’t help but secretly take a picture of them and save it on his phone.
The moment he pressed the shutter button, Jordan clearly felt a subtle change in Lauren’s expression.
Jordan realized Lauren was pretending to sleep.
“It seems that Lauren is still hiding something from me.”
However, everyone has secrets.
Jordan himself came from a mysterious family, and even his family’s secrets were kept hidden from him. Thus, he saw no need to probe and find out the secret of another man’s fiancée.
After sending the two of them home, Jordan prepared a sumptuous lunch for them before driving the car back to the toy store to return it to Miss Monroe.
He then took the subway to work.
…
Soon, at 11,30 p.m., Jordan and Jay went about their daily patrol while the drunk Steve was chatting with them.
Jordan suddenly heard Chloe’s voice.
“Daddy!”
Following the voice, he turned around and saw Chloe running towards him.
“Chloe!”
Jordan was surprised that Chloe and Lauren would come here at such a late hour because the mall was closed a long time ago.
Lauren’s hair was tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a dark down jacket and a pair of black skinny jeans, which accentuated her slender legs.
She smiled and walked over. “I don’t know what’s up with Chloe today, but she refuses to go to bed, no matter how I coax her. She insists on coming to visit you.”
Jordan smiled, elated to hear how much his daughter missed him. That was proof that his relationship with Chloe was getting better and better.
Holding onto Jordan’s hand, Chloe pointed to a fountain outside the mall in front of her. She said, “Daddy, I want you to take me there to play.”
Jordan was put in a spot. Of course, he was glad to play with Chloe, but he was still working.
The manager, who reeked of alcohol, waved his hand, and exclaimed, “Jordan, go play with your daughter! Let Jay do the job alone!”
Chloe hurriedly said, “Daddy, let’s have a race. Whoever reaches there first wins!”
Chloe started running after saying that and, without uttering another word, Jordan started racing with her.
Watching them leave quickly, Lauren smiled with pleasure and got ready to walk over slowly.
As soon as Lauren walked past Steve, he stiffened in place when he smelled the scent of her shampoo and her bodily fragrance, and saw her exquisite beauty in the night.
“How can there be such a beautiful woman in this world!?”
Steve had just drunk a lot of wine during a meal with his friends.
As the saying goes, wine is liquid courage. Steve had been dreaming about Lauren and fantasizing about her since the last time he met her. He even jerked off at the thought of Lauren’s beauty.
This time, he was meeting Lauren again on his turf in the wee hours of the night. He felt that it was a great opportunity!
“Hey, Lauren,” Steve called out to her all of a sudden.
Lauren stopped in her tracks and looked at Steve.
Steve pretended to be serious and asked, “It’s so late. How did you guys get here?”
Lauren answered truthfully, “I drove.”
Steve asked again, “Where did you park your car?” novelbin
Lauren pointed to a parking space in front of her and said, “There.”
Steve suddenly pretended to be flustered and said, “Hey, you can’t park your car there. The construction team will come to repair the road later. Why don’t you drive to the fountain area? It’ll be easier for you to leave later too, lest your daughter have to walk too far.”
Lauren knew that he was the manager of the security department who had some authority, so she said, “That’s not very appropriate, is it?”
Steve waved his large hand and said, “It’s okay. I’ll accompany you there to drive your car over.”
Lauren took a look at Jordan and Chloe, who had already run away, but she didn’t suspect anything, so she walked over together with Steven.
However, Steve did not go the way Lauren came and instead pointed to another road. He said, “This route is closer, and it’s brighter here.”
Lauren followed him over, but he didn’t discover anything unusual.
However, it turned out that this road would only allow them to walk past the resting room of the security officers.
“Lauren, this is my personal resting room. You must be tired, huh? Why don’t I bring you in there and you can take a seat for a while?”
At this moment, Steve suddenly revealed his ill intentions.
Lauren hastily refused, “No, Steve, you may go get some rest while I go move my car on my own. I don’t need you to accompany me.”
Lauren had realized that something was amiss, but since Steve had painstakingly lured her there, how could he possibly let her go easily?
The manager tugged Lauren’s arm and dragged her towards the resting room.
“Come on, sit down for a while and have a cup of tea. It won’t take too long.”
With a malicious smile on his face, the manager dragged Lauren into the resting room before locking the door immediately.
Looking at the fairy-like Lauren, Steve started drooling non-stop. “Lauren, you’re really gorgeous. Having lived for so many years, I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman with such a superb figure!”
“How about you get together with me?”
Steve kept walking towards Lauren as he spoke.
Chapter 368
Lauren immediately panicked and kept retreating backwards until she reached a corner where there was no space for her to retreat further.
She was from DC, where most girls were rather tough. Her younger brother, Brad, could take on five people alone in a fight.
Lauren also enjoyed skiing and other sports, but since she gave birth to Chloe, she became a full-time mother and stopped working out for several years.
After all, Lauren was a woman and there was no way she could deal with an adult like Steve, who was also a security officer.
Hence, Lauren said, “Steve, I know you’ve been drinking, so you’re not very sober now. Open the door and let me out, and I’ll pretend that this matter did not happen, okay?”
Steve smiled and asked, “Let you go? That won’t do. How can I miss such a great opportunity?”
“Lauren, why don’t you sleep with me once and I’ll raise your husband’s salary?”
The foolish Steve actually thought that Jordan and Lauren were ordinary people and that he could use his power and authority as the manager of the security department to make his subordinate’s wife sleep with him!
Lauren said, “Steve, look at my clothes clearly. Look at every single piece of my clothing. Each one of them costs at least a few thousand dollars! I’m not from an ordinary family and neither is Jordan. He’s here to work for fun. We’re not ordinary people!”
“If you dare to try anything funny, you’ll have to bear serious consequences!”
Steve was so drunk that he couldn’t tell if Lauren was wealthy or not.
“Hmph, so what if you’re from a rich family? You’re so pretty. I don’t mind going to jail for a few years!”
…
At this moment, Jordan and Chloe had already arrived at the fountain. Jordan turned around, only to realize that Lauren didn’t catch up to them.
“That’s strange. Where’s Lauren?”
Jordan was a little worried, and he said to Chloe, “Baby, stay here, don’t move around. I’ll go get Mommy to come here and play with you, okay?”
“Okay!” Chloe was very obedient.
Jordan walked back, but Lauren was still nowhere in sight.
Hence, he called Lauren.
As soon as his phone rang, he heard Lauren exclaim loudly, “Jordan, come save me quickly!”
“Bitch, how dare you call him!?!”
Jordan heard Lauren’s and Steve’s voice at the same time.
“Damn!”
After the past two days of interacting with Steve, Jordan could tell that he wasn’t a good person. Besides, he had drunk a lot of wine today, so Jordan knew he might harm Lauren in a drunken stupor!
“Lauren!”
Jordan quickly ran towards the resting room for security officers. He was so fast that he was like a phantom darting across!
Jordan sprinted towards the resting room like he was doing a 100-meter race, kicking the locked door!
At this moment, Steve was fighting with Lauren.
“Bastard, you’ve got a death wish!”
Jordan dragged Steve over and then punched him in the face.
Bang!
After throwing a punch at him, Jordan was still dissatisfied and thus proceeded to punch him again.
Jordan managed to knock Steve unconscious with just two hard punches.
However, Jordan didn’t stop and instead continued to hit him!
At this moment, Jay hurried over, and hurriedly pulled Jordan when he saw that Steve’s face was swollen and battered with bruises. He frantically pulled Jordan and exclaimed, “Jordan, stop hitting him! If you keep hitting him, he’ll die!”
Jordan was enraged. “This beast must die!”
Jay said, “Don’t be reckless. If you beat him till he dies, you’ll have to go to jail, too. No one will protect your wife and kids anymore.”
Jay and Steve were on good terms with each other and Jay had known Steve for much longer than Jordan did, so he knew what kind of person Steve was.
He looked and knew right away that Steve was trying to take liberty with Jordan’s wife.
Jay pointed to Lauren and deliberately tried to distract Jordan. “Jordan, quickly look at Lauren and see why she’s trembling. She must have been agitated. Quickly comfort her.”
After Jordan arrived, he only focused on beating Steve up and only then did he notice Lauren, who was cowering in a corner with her arms around her knees and her body trembling incessantly while tears streamed down her face non-stop.
“Lauren, Lauren, are you okay?”
Fortunately, Jordan came in time and didn’t let the beast, Steve, get his way. However, Steve’s actions scared Lauren nevertheless.
While Jordan was comforting Lauren, Jay also hurriedly dragged Steve out.
After being beaten up by Jordan for such a long time, Steve was probably crippled even if he didn’t die.
Seeing that Lauren was emotionally unstable and her gaze was blank while her body was trembling continuously, Jordan immediately took out his personal medicine box.
The drugs in the box were all rare in the world and not open for sale to the public. Only the Steeles could obtain the drugs through other channels.
There were some for curing diseases and some for harming others.
Jordan took out a white pill, which was actually a sedative that would calm one’s emotions down.
“Lauren, take this medicine and you’ll feel much better.”
Jordan handed the pill to Lauren, but she didn’t take it and instead, seemed to have recalled something.
“Medicine… medicine.”
Lauren panicked, picked up her cell phone, and made a call.
At such a juncture, Jordan thought Lauren would call her family, but to his surprise…
“Dr. Gale, quickly come and save me.”
‘Dr. Gale?’
‘Is he Lauren’s personal doctor?’
It wasn’t surprising for these wealthy people to have a personal doctor.
Seeing that Lauren was still cowering in the corner of the room and refusing to move, Jordan hurriedly brought Chloe over.
However, after Chloe came over, Lauren merely held Chloe tightly in her arms while remaining in the corner.
At this moment, Jordan came to a sudden realization.
‘Maybe Lauren has some kind of illness.’
Soon, a handsome and smart-looking bespectacled man who was about 30 years old quickly strode over.
“Miss Howard! How are you, Miss Howard?”
The man was wearing a doctor’s white coat, so Jordan reckoned he should be Dr. Gale, whom Lauren had just called.
“Dr. Gale…”
Seeing that Dr. Gale had arrived, Lauren suddenly seemed to have a sense of security.
Dr. Gale squatted on the ground, checked on Lauren, and then turned around to look at Jordan. “What exactly happened?”
Jordan said truthfully, “Just now, the manager of the security department here tried to violate Lauren, but I stopped them in time. I reckon she suffered a huge emotional blow, so she’s cowering in the corner and refusing to come out.”
Dr. Gale barked with a furious expression, “Damn it! How dare a mere security department manager lay his hands on Mr. Howard Sr.’s granddaughter!?!”
As Dr. Gale said that, he took out a box of medicine from his pocket and said to Lauren, “Miss Howard, please have a sedative pill.”
Lauren was very compliant, and she took the pill obediently.
Jordan was very certain that the pill that the doctor gave her definitely couldn’t compare to the one that he had just taken out.
However, Lauren trusted the doctor more and was very reliant on him.
After Lauren took the medicine, Dr. Gale helped her up and said, “I’m going to take her to the hospital for treatment immediately.”
Seeing this, Jordan felt a little jealous. “Let me help her.”
However, Dr. Gale refuted immediately, “Miss Howard can’t be touched by a stranger. You’re the Howards’ bodyguard, right? Please take her daughter along and come with me.. My car is right in front.”
Chapter 369
Jordan did not reveal his identity to Dr. Gale and instead got inside the car with Chloe.
Chloe was a little frightened. After getting into the car, he had been sitting still without uttering a single word while Jordan had been holding her hand to give her a sense of security.
On the other hand, Lauren, who was seated in the passenger’s seat, was still leaning against the door, overwhelmed with insecurity.
Along the way, Dr. Gale kept comforting her verbally.
Soon, Dr. Gale drove to a place that seemed to be a private hospital.
After driving into the parking lot and parking the car, Dr. Gale helped Lauren out of the car.
Jordan, too, took Chloe out of the car, and only then did he notice the name of the hospital on a sign beside the garden. It was named “Peace Hospital”. novelbin
Jordan could tell that it was not a regular large hospital, so he asked Dr. Gale, “What kind of doctor are you?
Dr. Gale said with utmost confidence, “I’m the best psychiatrist in the whole of DC. No, the whole of US.”
After saying that, Dr. Gale took Lauren into the building and then to his private office.
His office room was extremely luxurious and unique, one that couldn’t be found in another hospital at all.
“Miss Howard is in shock right now and I have to hypnotize her now so that she can quickly get some rest. Please take your daughter out for a while.”
Dr. Gale said to Jordan.
“I don’t want to be away from Mommy,” Chloe said.
Jordan didn’t want to leave Dr. Gale alone with Lauren, either. He discovered that the two of them were very close and the doctor knew Lauren’s condition better than Jordan did!
For some reason, Jordan actually felt a little jealous…
Jordan said bluntly, “Dr. Gale, I’m sorry, I don’t trust you.”
At this moment, Dr. Gale picked up a remote control and aimed at the window, after which he pressed a button. Only then did Jordan realize that the transparency of the window could be adjusted.
Dr. Gale said, “You may look in through the window.”
At this moment, Jordan finally brought Chloe out and the two of them stood outside the window, keeping their eyes fixed on the room the entire time.
On the other hand, Dr. Gale told Lauren to lie down on an extremely comfortable couch, after which he began to hypnotize her.
Soon, Lauren closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
Dr. Gale draped a blanket over Lauren and then walked out of the room.
“Have you notified the Howards?” Dr. Gale asked Jordan.
Jordan shook his head and said, “I don’t have their phone number.”
Dr. Gale was shocked, and he asked, “How is that possible? Aren’t you the Howards’ bodyguard?”
At this moment, Chloe took the initiative to say, “He’s not a bodyguard but a security officer who’s my father!”
“What did you say?” Dr. Gale was suddenly surprised.
Only then did Jordan reveal his identity. “Yes, I’m Chloe’s biological father.”
Dr. Gale flew into a rage immediately.
“So you’re the bastard who… hurt Miss Howard back then!”
Jordan frowned and questioned, “How did you learn about this?”
Since this matter concerned the reputation of Lauren and the Howards, it was impossible for ordinary people to find out.
Instead of explaining, Dr. Gale continued to scold Jordan, “Do you know how badly you hurt Miss Howard back then!?! If it wasn’t for you, Miss Howard wouldn’t have ended up developing this disorder today! You criminal, I’m going to teach you a good lesson for Miss Howard!”
In a moment of anger, Dr. Gale lifted his fist and swung it towards Jordan!
However, Jordan did not dodge and instead grabbed Dr. Gale’s wrist with one hand, rendering him immobile.
Jordan said, “Dr. Gale, your hands are good for healing patients, but fighting is not your forte.”
“On the account that Lauren trusts you so much, I won’t hit you, but you have to tell me everything about Lauren and her condition!”
Jordan desperately wanted to know what was wrong with Lauren and the reason for her extreme reaction. He wanted to know if it had anything to do with him.
Dr. Gale was in pain because of how hard Jordan was grabbing him. He glanced at Chloe and asked, “You don’t want to review your glorious past in front of your daughter, do you?”
Jordan patted Chloe’s head and said, “Chloe, Mommy was in shock just now and is now asleep. Go inside and sleep next to her for a while,okay?”
“Okay.” Chloe was very sensible and obedient. She walked in quietly and sat down on another chair to look at Lauren, who was fast asleep.
“Chloe is really the most sensible daughter in the world.”
Dr. Gale said emotionally before continuing, “Come with me.”
Dr. Gale took Jordan to the room next door and then pulled the curtains apart. He then opened the window and lit a cigarette.
Jordan couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly is your relationship with Lauren? Why do you know so much about her?”
Dr. Gale took a drag of his cigarette before saying, “My name is Matt Gale and I’m Miss Lauren’s personal psychiatrist.”
“Four years ago, Brad, the scion of the Howards, specially invited me over and asked me to treat Miss Lauren.”
“At that time, Lauren was in a terrible state. She was anorexic and refused to eat. She also suffered from chronic nightmares and, of course, these were all because of you!”
At the thought of Lauren’s state back then, Matt was extremely hostile towards Jordan.
Jordan felt great sympathy for Lauren because he was completely clueless about what Lauren had gone through.
Matt said, “I tried many ways to get her out of her slump and overcome the trauma, but none of them worked.”
“So, I tried a method that my teacher mentioned before, which might be feasible.”
Jordan immediately wondered about two things. One was just who Matt’s teacher was.
Despite being at a young age, Matt actually dared to claim that he was the best psychiatrist in the US and he also had quite an impressive office.
Jordan also went to school in the United States, so he reckoned he knew Matt’s teacher.
Another question, of course, was one that Jordan eagerly wanted to know. “What method did you apply?”
Matt sighed and said, “I really shouldn’t have used this method and I really regret my decision now!”
“If I hadn’t used that method, Miss Lauren wouldn’t have developed such a strange illness today and she might have been able to start another marriage happily a long time ago.”
On the other hand, Jordan hollered impatiently, “Tell me immediately, what method did you use!?!”
Matt stared hard at Jordan while the cigarette between his fingers burned rapidly, its smoke constantly wafting up and circling around his hand.
After more than ten seconds, Matt finally replied to Jordan.
“I told Lauren to stop hating you and treating you as a crook and a rapist. Instead, I told her to treat you as…”
Matt paused again, seemingly reluctant to tell the truth.
However, Jordan was incredibly anxious, and he grabbed Matt by his collar before barking, “Treat me as what!?! What have you been telling Lauren to treat me as in the last four years?! Speak!”
Jordan yelled at the top of his lungs because he was extremely bothered by this matter!
Matt swallowed his saliva and drawled, “As the perfect lover!”
Chapter 370
Jordan was stunned after hearing the words “perfect lover”.
He gradually loosened his grip on Matt’s shirt.
Jordan froze right on the spot and whispered to himself, “Perfect… lover?”
He thought that Dr. Gale would tell Lauren to treat him as a crook who had committed a heinous crime, so Jordan didn’t expect that he would tell Lauren to treat him as the perfect lover!
Matt explained, “At that time, it was impossible to make Lauren completely forget that unpleasant incident.”
“The only solution was to change the way she perceived the incident, and especially the way she sees you!”
“If she no longer sees you as a crook and a stranger who committed a crime but as her boyfriend, her future husband, the love of her life, and the person who is closest to her, it would be easy for her to accept this incident.”
“So, I performed hypnotherapy on her everyday, and while hypnotizing her, I tapped into her consciousness so that she would completely change her opinion of you. I glorified you as the most perfect man in the world and the man she loves the most.”
“I also glorified that incident as a little joke and entertainment between lovers that you both enjoy.”
“Frankly speaking, this method is like the memory implant in Inception. I wasn’t confident about it at first, but to my surprise, the consciousness guidance proceeded smoothly!”
“It only took a week for her to accept that you are her perfect lover!”
Listening to Matt’s explanation, Jordan, too, couldn’t help but recall the scene when they first met.
“That explains why there was no resentment in her eyes when we first met in Café Nostalgia in New York and she even seemed a little excited.”
“That explains why she wasn’t repulsed and didn’t vehemently decline when I pretended to kiss her at the cafe the other day.”
“It turns out that all these years, she’s been treating me as her perfect lover and seeing me as her boyfriend!”
Only then did Jordan understand the truth of the matter. It wasn’t that Lauren was gracious enough to not hold it against him for that incident, much less that she held herself cheap or had special fetishes.
Rather, Lauren’s consciousness and perception of that incident had been altered!
After taking a drag on his cigarette, Matt looked at Jordan and said, “Once I guided her consciousness, you became her perfect lover, but she couldn’t see you again.”
“Not only should she not see you, she can’t hear any news about you, either.”
“Because in her heart, you are already a perfect object, while in reality, you may be a worthless good- for-nothing. Once there is a contrast, the consciousness guidance may crumble and fall apart!”
“However, Miss Lauren has been secretly observing you for the past two years, and even met you recently, but miraculously, the consciousness guidance is surprisingly still perfect. There isn’t a trace of damage, and has even become more solid!”
Matt couldn’t help but take another drag on his cigarette and said to Jordan, “Although I don’t want to admit it either, but you are indeed the most outstanding and perfect man I’ve ever seen in this world!”
Matt wasn’t willing to praise Jordan, but actually admired Jordan deep down.
What kind of man, exactly, could perfectly fit the characteristics of the fictional man who lived in Lauren’s fantasy?
Matt saw Jordan in the flesh today and understood something.
In fact, Jordan was outstanding in all aspects, be it appearance, family background, capabilities, character, taste, or style. Thus, he was indeed a figure that no woman could not be attracted to.
Jordan asked, “Dr. Gale, you just said that Lauren has an illness, but what do you mean? Why did she react so intensely when someone tried to take liberties with her? Why did the reaction last for such a long time?”
Matt sighed and explained, “As I said earlier, she has already decided that you are her only lover and partner, so it’s impossible for her to accept any other man.”
“If someone tries to forcefully possess her, she would react more strongly than the ordinary person, because it would remind her of that unpleasant incident four years ago, and I’m referring to the reality that she saw before the consciousness guidance.”
“Lauren has always known what really happened and that you’re not her boyfriend. She could control the balance between the two very well.”
“If someone were to forcefully possess her, that would upset the balance.”
Matt’s words were unclear and Jordan didn’t quite understand.
Thus, Matt said concisely, “Simply put, you’re the only man in the world whom Miss Lauren can sleep with. Other men can’t!”
Jordan was so shocked that he took a step back, flabbergasted by the truth!
Lauren was the esteemed top beauty of DC, who had countless suitors and countless men to choose from.
However, she could only choose Jordan!
“No wonder she didn’t go for a single blind date that her family arranged for her.”
Only then did Jordan understand Lauren’s reasons. It wasn’t that she was aloof and cold, or that she wasn’t willing to get over the incident and accept a new relationship.
It was because she couldn’t! Her situation did not allow her to accept another man!
Jordan seemed to be engraved in Lauren’s body, as a part of her would go missing once Jordan was gone!
That was an extremely huge blow to Lauren!
Jordan seemed to be engraved on Lauren’s body,
“Why didn’t that silly woman, Lauren, tell me about this!?!”
Jordan couldn’t bear to let Lauren suffer. Thinking about how Lauren had been silently loving him and treating him as the perfect lover in the past few years, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
In the past three years, he had been the Camdens’ live-in son-in-law. Had he known earlier, he would have gotten together with Lauren instead!
Jordan suddenly thought of Lauren and Chris’s marriage so he asked anxiously, “You said Lauren’s illness makes it impossible for her to have intimate relations with men except me, but she is now going
to marry Chris…”
Matt was already so enraged that he threw his cigarette to the ground and said loudly, “Miss Howard cannot marry other men besides you! Especially not scions like Chris Hank!”
“Due to Miss Howard’s current situation, it is absolutely impossible for her to have a normal marriage with Chris. If Chris is from a family of a low status or her live-in husband, Miss Howard can solve the issue by sleeping in a separate room from him.”
“But he’s a Hank and he will never accept her request to sleep in separate rooms.”
Matt sighed and couldn’t help but smoke another cigarette. “In the past few years, Miss Howard has had no intention of getting married and has told me several times that she would end up alone in this life with her fantasies about you.”
“But, two days ago, she announced her marriage without warning! I really can’t figure it out!”
Jordan’s eyes were glassed over as he leaned helplessly against the wall and said, “She chose to get married because of me.”
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