Love Is Here To Stay

"Wow, that man is so handsome!"

"Oh my god! Yeah, he's super cute!"

Joanna Gong was shopping for a dress at a luxurious store in the shopping mall. As soon as she came out, she overheard two girls passing by whispering to each other excitedly.

'Huh... Looks like they're obsessing over some guy they saw, ' Joanna Gong though indifferently.

'Girls nowadays get all riled up over good-looking men as if they haven't seen a single man in their life!'

She snorted and continued to go on her way. Soon after, Joanna Gong was frozen in shock.

It was at that moment she saw the man the two girls were talking about. Joanna Gong gasped, her eyes widening. She had never seen such a handsome man before!

The man had an angular face like a supermodel's. He had a high nose, slightly pursed thin lips, and cold slanted eyes that were absolutely mesmerizing. Wearing a tailored suit, he gave off a strong, noble temperament which was further emphasized by his tall and slender physique.

Even though he was far away from where Joanna Gong was standing, it was still very easy to see how attractive he was.

There was no expression on the man's face as he casually leaned against the wall with his hands in his trouser pockets. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked around the crowd. It seemed that he was waiting for someone.

There was only one word to describe him: perfect!

If there had to be a flaw about the man, it was only that he looked as if he was snob, and acted coldly towards strangers.

Maybe that was why no one dared to get close to him even though he was so handsome.

After a while, Joanna Gong sighed deeply. 'It's better to get out of this prince charming's way before I offend him or something.

There's no way a guy like that will take me as his girlfriend.'

After casting a glance at her watch, she sighed and went to the washroom. Carefully, she put on the dress she just bought and headed towards the nearby coffee shop.

Joanna Gong passed by the man again on her way there. There was an impatient look on his face now as he tapped his foot. With a frown, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "What? Something left in the cafe?" he asked.

Upon leaving the shopping mall, Joanna Gong walked cautiously for fear that her dress might get ruined. After all, the clothes she was wearing cost her a whole month's salary!

'If not for that person, I would never buy such an expensive dress, ' Joanna Gong thought.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the coffee shop. It wasn't that far away from where she was right now, and so she decided to walk the distance. It saved her some money from paying for a bus ride, but she had to be careful about all the dust and dirt from outside.

As she was walking down the sidewalk, a white car suddenly sped past by. Behind the car was the distinct Ferrari logo. Her eyes grew green with envy. 'What's better than having a car is having a luxury car! Meanwhile, I have to walk to save money...

Why is there such a huge gap between people?'

As Joanna Gong was looking at the road, she saw a man crossing the road as if he didn't care about all the passing vehicles. The man was in a white vest, and was probably around his fifties or sixties.

Joanna Gong's eyebrows furrowed as she watched in shock. 'What's wrong with this old man? Is he crazy?! Doesn't he know that what he's doing is dangerous?'

Quickening her pace, she tried to get closer to where the man was in order to help him in case something bad happened.

Before she got there, however, she couldn't believe what happened next. Her mouth twitched in disbelief.

The white Ferrari had gradually slowed down because of the flow of traffic. When it had come to a complete stop, the old man jumped and laid down directly in front of the car and wailed in pain, "Ah! It hurts! Oh god, someone help me! I was hit!"

It seemed as if expensive cars attracted everyone's attention, and even con artists.

'Now I don't feel so jealous anymore...' Joanna Gong thought.

In a short amount of time, there was a crowd gathered around the old man and the Ferrari, making the narrow road even more packed.

There were no traffic enforcers around this area, so often times, traffic jams like this happened. The crowd didn't seem to care whether or not the old man was actually injured. They were all trying to see who the man behind the wheel was.

The driver of the Ferrari didn't care much about the ogling crowd, and soon opened the car door and got off.

All of a sudden, the crowd quieted down.

At first, Joanna Gong intended to leave, but when she noticed the sudden silence of the crowd, she got a little curious. After hesitating a bit, she slowly moved to the crash site.

Peering in between and over all the other people there, Joanna Gong felt as if the owner of the car looked familiar. When she finally vaguely saw the side of his face, she suddenly realized it was the handsome man from earlier!

It turned out that he was not only handsome, but also very rich!

Again, she sighed at the injustices of the world.

The man stood in front of the old man and looked down at him with a slight frown.

The old man who was just shouting "pain" was shocked by the coldness from the man's eyes. He was dumbfounded for a few seconds, but the next moment when he came to his senses, he shouted out in pain, as if he just remembered that he was supposed to be pretending that he got hit.

"It hurts so much... It hurts... You careless driver! You have to pay for what you've done!"

The man glanced at his watch, looking as if he had no time for this old man's shenanigans. Taking out his wallet, he took out a stack of bills. "Is this enough?" he said coldly.

The old man sprang to his feet, staring at the money and nodding. "Yes! That's enough, that's enough!"

The old man looked eagerly at the money as he reached out his hand to take it.

The man was about to let him go in disgust. "Next time, don't--"

"Wait!"

Joanna Gong held on to the man's wrist, feeling the urge for justice to be brought down. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing when such a beautiful man was set up like that!

She stood in the middle of the man and the old man, holding her head up without any fear. "You were lying on the ground when the car stopped. How can you slander the driver like that?"

The money that was already within his reach seemed to get farther away. The old man's face was burning with anger. He shouted at the girl, "You bitch! Get out of here! What does this have to do with you?

Have you no respect for your elders?!" Raising her head in confidence, Joanna Gong matched his anger. "I filmed your little 'accident' on my phone. If you insist that the driver hit you, I don't suppose you'll mind letting the police handle it."

"Well, I.... You can't.... You!"

The old man gnashed his teeth, as he shook his finger at Joanna Gong. It was obvious that he was caught red-handed, and didn't know what else to say.

The man said nothing, but stood aside with defeat.

"It's just my luck to encounter such a meddling girl!"

The old man realized that he couldn't get any out of this one. If he still insisted that he got hit, he was definitely going to be at the losing end and lose a lot of money for fraud. After hesitating for a while, he finally chose to leave. Before leaving, he gave a hard look at Joanna Gong.

Cheerful with her victory, Joanna Gong was about to turn around and tell the handsome man that there was no need to thank her. To her surprise, the man was already opening the door to his car and getting in. "Mind your own business," he even said in a low voice.

Then, the engine purred and the crowd parted. Soon, the Ferrari drove away at full speed, sending clouds of dust in the air at its trail.

'What.... what an unreasonable man!'

"Listen up, Joanna. Your sister is going to marry into the wealthy family. We would certainly appreciate a little bit of cooperation from you. If you can't be bothered to help, don't blame me for being rude towards you. From this day forward, you will no longer come back to this house. Even if you do return, you will not see your father. That much I can guarantee you!"

Sera Wang threatened. There was nothing Joanna could do in the face of her stepmother. She gnashed her teeth as she glowered at her. 'I've just spent my entire salary to buy better looking clothes just so that this woman would stop looking down on me! I didn't expect I would be greeted by her like this!' she thought.

This was not the first time Sera Wang had treated Joanna this way. It was also not the first time she had given Joanna an ultimatum like this.

At first, Joanna didn't mind the compromises she had to make in order to live a peaceful life. But not this time. This time, Sera Wang had gone way too far!

A couple of years ago, Emily Gong, Joanna's stepsister, gave birth to an illegitimate son. Sera Wang had forced Joanna to take Emily Gong's son as her own. This was because Emily Gong was soon to be married into a rich and powerful family.

Emily Gong got acquainted with a wealthy guy a couple of month's back. Through some ploy Emily Gong and Sera Wang must have brewed, the man proposed to Emily.

There was only one problem Emily had to deal with however. And that was her bastard child. If the man found out that Emily was already a mother to a four-year-old boy, he would surely withdraw his proposal.

It was then that Sera took advantage of Joanna.

Sera had publicized that the boy was in fact Joanna's illegitimate child. Even her name was officially registered as the child's mother.

Meanwhile, Emily went through some medical procedures to make it appear as if she had not yet given birth so that she could marry without any further complications.

During all of this, no one had even considered Joanna's feelings. Joanna was still a single, young woman who had just graduated from university. How would she be able to get married in the future? If Emily couldn't marry with a child, what made them think that Joanna could!

Going back to what was happening now, Joanna shook her head firmly. She could not believe that her father would allow such injustice to happen to her.

"I want to see my father," Joanna said, raising her head. "I want to hear what he has to say about all of this."

"Oh, did you think this was my idea to kick you out? Don't be such a naive girl. It was your father who came up with this idea in the first place. If you don't believe me, you are free to call him if you want,"

Sera sneered. 'So many years have passed and yet this girl still remains as foolish as ever!'

Joanna was taken aback with Sera's words. She felt her throat get thick with emotion. Yes... Now that she thought about it, when did her father stand by her side? When did he speak up and uphold justice for her?

But Joanna was still determined. Pulling out her phone, she looked for her father's number and dialed.

The call was soon connected, and a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Joanna, why are you calling at this hour? Shouldn't you be at work? Take your life a little more seriously."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard her father's words. She had always longed for her father's love and acceptance. However, no matter how well she treated him, he always spoke to her in such a hateful way.

This particular instance was no different than the ones before that.

Grasping her clothes firmly, Joanna was worried that she would not be able to bear the blow after asking her question. She slightly glanced at Sera, and saw that she was sitting there leisurely and sipping at her coffee, as if she already knew what was going to happen.

Her hands were getting sweaty out of nervousness, slightly dampening her new dress. "Dad, are you really going to declare Jack as my own son?" she asked timidly.

"It's... Did your mother talk to you?"

"Yes. I'm with her right now."

Joanna glanced at Sera, whose eyes were twinkling with smugness.

Then, she heard her father's pleading voice come through the phone.

"Joanna, just... Just help your sister. It's just a simple little thing, a mere title. It can't be that hard for you, can it? It's not easy for your sister to find a good husband. Do you really have the heart to see your sister unable to marry because of Jack? Don't worry. People would just know that you are Jack's mother. We won't really let you raise him. We'll pay for all the expenses."

Hearing this, tears started to silently roll down Joanna's face.

'Do they really think this is about money? Do they think that I'm just worried about raising him on my own?

Why can't anyone see that I am also an unmarried woman?

If Emily can't afford having a reputation of being a single mother, neither can I!'

There were so many things that Joanna just could wrap her head around. She was also his daughter, wasn't she? Why was it so easy for him to push her around like this? Jack still wasn't in the household register yet. If Joanna agreed to it, she would still be named as his legal mother. It would be difficult to explain all of this to Jack in the future.

Sadness overwhelmed Joanna. All of a sudden, she was going to become a child's mother against her will. It was supposed to be a joy to become a mother.

"Why are you crying? It's not like you're going to die. Don't act as if we're treating you so unfairly. It's just a title, after all. How about this... If you agree to this, I will return the dowry your mother has left you. What do you think?"

Sera offered, beaming widely. It was as if the sight of Joanna's tears had lifted up her mood.

She sat up straight with confidence, as if she already knew what Joanna's reply was going to be. Sera had been around long enough to know what kind of Joanna was like. Joanna tried to keep a strong face, but she was actually very vulnerable. Her tears easily betrayed her. Once she cried, it meant that she had lost her last ounce of will power. When that happened, there was nothing else that could be expected from her but obedience.

'Such a predictable, silly girl, ' Sera sneered to herself. Hearing Sera's words, Joanna quickly raised her head.

"Are you willing to give it back to me?"

"Why not? My daughter is about to marry a rich man. I don't really care about all the cheap jewelry your mother left you,"

Sera smiled proudly.

Joanna bit her lips. Those pieces of jewelry were the only things she had to remember her mother by. Over the past years, she had never held onto any of her mother's things. Occasionally, she would see her stepmother wearing some of the necklaces, rings and earrings.

From an early age, she had sworn that she would take back her mother's belongings. Today, her stepmother had given her an offer that was difficult to refuse.

Joanna knew that if she didn't agree to be Jack's mother, Sera would throw away the jewelry before she would even consider giving it back to her.

"Okay," Joanna finally said through her teeth, "We have a deal."

"Excellent!" Sera beamed from ear to ear. 'I've kept the jewelry for so many years now. It's a good thing I still have them. Who would've thought that this is the biggest chip I could get from Joanna!' Everything was going the way Sera had wanted it to.

"When will you give it to me?"

Joanna asked worriedly, afraid that Sera might change her mind or deceive her.

"I will give you everything you want as long as you have registered Jack as your own and enrolled him at kindergarten," Sera said with an amused smile.

Then, she took her bag, stood up, and left.

Joanna was left sitting alone. She took the pendant hanging around her neck and clicked it open, revealing a small photo of her mother.

In a quiet corner not far away, a mysterious man was listening in and heard everything.

The man's eyes were sharp and cold. But when he looked over at Joanna, his gaze would soften.

It was no other but the man who was driving the white Ferrari.

There was a threatening air surround him, which perhaps was attributed to his sculptural face and tall physique. When he saw the embarrassed and weak look Joanna had, he felt some sympathy for her.

Sympathy? Such a feeling had never occurred to him before.

Usually he had no interest for other people's stories. However, for some reason, he attentively listened to Joanna and Sera's conversation from beginning to end. His curiosity got the better of him, and he wanted to know what the two women were arguing about. As a result, he closely watched Joanna without so much as blinking an eye.

All of a sudden, the man came back to his senses, feeling that it was absurd that he was involving himself with other people's problems. 'I shouldn't waste my time on such a sad, little girl... Although she really is... Well, she's unlucky. That's all there is.

It's none of my business.'

"The bill, please." The man snapped his fingers, and a waiter immediately went over.

He had already got the documents he needed, so there was no need to waste time on such insignificant things.

The man signed his name on the receipt handed over by the waiter, and then looked back at Joanna. "Put that table there on my tab as well," the man said after thinking for a while.

"Yes, sir." The waiter took the bill respectfully and left.

The man walked out of the coffee shop and got on his white Ferrari. He then drove away quickly.

Not far away, on a white commercial vehicle, two men watched him leave in his car. As soon as the Mercedes drove away, they quickly followed.

One of the men gave a conniving and cruel smile. "Wilson Yan left the cafe and is now on his way to the villa. We can start preparing for our action," he said over a microphone.

Meanwhile, back at the cafe...

Joanna was preparing to leave as well.

All of a sudden, her phone started to ring.

Taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears, she answered her phone.

"Hello, Mr. Lin. What can I do for you?"

Joanna was fairly new at the place she was working at, and so she was the one who was always running different errands and other trivial things. 'Calling during my lunch break... I'm sure that this is another one of his personal errands, ' she thought bitterly.

Sure enough, the bossy voice of Mr. Lin came from the other end of the phone. "Joanna, take the company car later and send CEO's suit over to his house. I will message you his address. Be careful with the suit and the car, understood? I want them both to be intact."

"Yes, Mr. Lin."

After hanging up the phone, Joanna knew it was best not to delay her boss's orders. Raising her hand, she called the waiter and asked for the bill.

"Miss, someone has already paid for you."

"Someone paid for my bill? Do you know who it was?" How strange! It couldn't have possibly been her stepmother. She distinctly remembered that Sera just quickly made her leave earlier.

"I do, Miss." The waiter nodded with a smile.

Looking around, she saw a couple of people sitting in the coffee shop. But she had something to do for Mr. Lin, and couldn't dawdle any further on who paid for her order. After thanking the waiter, Joanna quickly left.

She went to her company building just across the street and took one of the company cars from the underground parking lot. Checking her messages, she read the address Mr. Lin had given her. At the sight of the villa's address, Joanna clicked her tongue in admiration.

"Wow, he really is some big shot, isn't he? This place is remote, and costs a lot of money to have a house built there! But, oh well. What else could you expect from rich people?"

With a sigh, Joanna started the engine and went on her way.

When Joanna was in her third year at university, she used the money she earned from working part-time for driving lessons and to get her license. But after that, she hadn't had a car to practice with since then. As a result, her skills became pretty bad now.

As she drove, she remembered that Mr. Lin said that the president did not often come to their subsidiary company. Therefore, when he came, he must be served accordingly.

Because of this, Joanna wanted to get there as soon as she could. Although her driving skills were poor, she managed to get out of the city and into the western suburbs soon enough.

The western part of H City was considered the area for the super rich people. If Joanna were to buy the smallest, most basic villa here, it would cost her several years-worth of her salary! Since there weren't really a whole lot of rich people to begin with, there were only a few cars in this area. It was also much quieter and more peaceful, making it such a desirable place to live in.

However, there was a conspiracy brewing that was soon to blow over...

In the white Ferrari, the man from before held tightly onto the steering wheel with one hand. Since there were only a few cars around, he wasn't paying full attention on the road, and was busily speaking to someone on the phone through his bluetooth headset.

The man's voice was cold and domineering. "I don't want to explain it again. I won't change my mind easily. Just do as I say!"

Talking on the phone, the man did not notice that a heavy car slowly came out of the next intersection...

Ten minutes later.

The air was thick with the smell of gas and burnt rubber. Joanna had just gotten to the scene, shocked at the sight.

"Oh my god. What happened?"

Joanna pulled up to the side of the road. She unbuckled her seat belt and rushed hurriedly. There were no cameras at this section of the road, and cars seldom passed by here. There also weren't any traffic enforces or passersby to witness what had happened. It was apparent that Joanna was the first one to come to the scene.

As she ran towards the distorted, white car, she pulled out her phone to call for an ambulance.

On the pavement, there was a pool of blood, indicating that someone was obviously badly hurt. As she got closer, she saw the man in the car, his face covered with blood. The sight of him made her stomach wrench.

She still wasn't sure whether the man was dead or not. Summoning up all her courage, she walked in closer. Reaching out her hand through the broken window, she carefully placed her finger on the side of his neck.

She gently probed, trying to feel for his pulse.

A chill went down her spine, feeling more frightened the more she stayed here. And then all of a sudden, she seemed to feel a weak pulse.

"He's not dead!" Joanna breathed a sigh of relief, her forehead beading with sweat.

With a closer look, the man looked familiar... She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about who this man was, she thought. Every second that she wasted could mean life or death for this man!

"Sir? Can you hear me? Wake up, Sir... Hold on, okay? I've called the ambulance,"

Joanna called out again and again. Just when the man was about to slip into darkness, his eyes fluttered open slightly, as if her voice had a sense of magic to it.

With a groan, his gaze focused onto Joanna's face. "It's... you..."