Chapter 46 No Compromising
Jonathan could not help but secretly contemplate the meaning behind Leonardo’s phone call. It makes no sense for Leonardo to say such a perfunctory threat based on his identity.
“What exactly are you trying to say?” Jonathan went straight to the point.
Leonardo replied, “As I said before, I have underestimated you. No matter whose fault it is, the bad blood between us has already been established. We can’t put an end to this matter just like that. How about this? I’ll regard you as an opponent of equal standing and have a life-and-death battle with you in the arena.”
Although Leonardo was someone of prominent status, he had brute courage. He was still a fighter at the end of the day. Therefore, at this moment, he would use his life to defend the dignity of the disciples of Strikezone Martial Arts.
Jonathan replied without hesitation, “Oh, come on! Leonardo, none of the disciples of Strikezone Martial Arts, including you, is trustworthy. When I had that life-and-death battle with Randy that day, everyone agreed that no one could butt in. But do you remember what you did after that? So if I fight you now, I have to die if I lose. However, if I win, I’m afraid that the masters supporting you might make a surprise appearance. Doesn’t that mean I would have to fight endlessly?”
“No. I’ll report this to the masters and explain all the details to them clearly,” Leonardo answered.
However, Jonathan rejected his suggestion. “Doing this is meaningless. I still don’t trust any of you. And even if I do, I’ll not fight you.”
“Why?” Leonardo started to sound irritated.
Jonathan chuckled as he replied, “You’re thirty this year, while I’m only twenty-six. Not only are you experienced, but you’re also in the prime of your life, and your cultivation is already unmatchable. On the other hand, I still have a lot to work and improve on, and I admit that I’m not your opponent now. A fighter needs to be courageous. But if he went ahead and insisted on fighting a losing battle, that’s not being courageous. That’s just a fool trying to seek death.”
Hearing that, Leonardo was at a loss for words.
Jonathan added, “Leonardo, both of us have already reached a certain cultivation stage. I do care for these women. But if you used them to threaten me, I guess I have to get over it. At most, I’ll take revenge on you after you killed them. It’s an option I can consider. You and I will always be enemies. Think it over yourself.” He hung up after finishing his sentence.
The meaning behind his words was clear—if Leonardo captured Jennifer and the other women, he intended to force Jonathan to submit to him. However, not only would Jonathan not submit to him, but he would even take revenge in an unimaginable way.
That was how reality worked. If an enemy was to capture someone’s woman, was the latter supposed to satisfy his opponent by kneeling at his feet and hurting himself?
Things would not work out in the end, and both that person and his lover would get killed.
People of the modern days like Jonathan had their way of doing things, which was to let the other party complete the killing before making them pay a far steeper price. If people with great vision could not even be decisive in such matters, how could they even be capable of accomplishing great things?
There used to be an emperor in the past whose parents got captured by his enemy, and the latter even used his parents’ lives to threaten him, wanting to invade his land. However, the emperor did not give in and managed to save his country.
Jonathan did not give it much thought after hanging up the call. Knowing that Leonardo’s cultivation was at an unfathomable level, there was no way he would foolishly agree to that battle. If they were to fight openly in the arena, he knew that he was no match for Leonardo. However, if he could play dirty, he would not have to fear fighting the other man.
That was also what had been bothering Leonardo currently.
With that, Jonathan was able to have a peaceful sleep after that.
The next morning, Jonathan woke up and took a bath as usual. When he and Jennifer saw each other, the woman did not spare him a look, treating him as though he was invisible. Her action caused Jonathan to feel incredibly gloomy.
After Jennifer had finished washing up, Jonathan wanted to send her off to work. “No need for that.” Jennifer rejected his offer.
The instantly muddle-headed Jonathan grabbed Jennifer by her fair arm and spoke. “What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”
Jennifer silently shrugged off Jonathan’s hand. “It has nothing to do with you.” She then took her bag and wanted to leave.
Jonathan was also a person with a bad temper. Hence, he suddenly carried Jennifer over his shoulder and flung her on the couch, directly pressing her under him.
A panicked look appeared on Jennifer’s face. While pressing himself on top of her, Jonathan could feel her heartbeat thudding like a drum. Without warning, he kissed the woman’s alluring lips.
Jonathan felt frustrated in regards to Jennifer’s behavior from before. Aren’t we still being lovey-dovey when we were in the detention room? Why is she acting all weird once we get out of that place?
A searing pain emanated from his tongue the moment he kissed her. What the heck? Jennifer just bit me!
Due to the pain, Jonathan had no choice but to release his grip.
Jennifer stared at him, and the expression in her eyes was cold and detached.
Although Jonathan longed to get intimate with Jennifer, he knew he could not force himself on the other party at this time. With one step, he crossed to the front seat and sat down. He asked, “Regardless, you should have told me what happened. Can’t we resolve it together?”
Jennifer propped herself up and sat down, her hair slightly messy. Thus, she tidied up her hair and smoothed out the creases on her skirt.
Anyone would be charmed by this provocative action of hers.
Jonathan found it hard to maintain his composure. This seducing woman is trying to torment me!
The more he could not have her, the stronger his desire for her grew, which was what Jonathan was experiencing presently.
“It’s nothing,” Jennifer pushed Jonathan away after replying and strode straight out of the house.
Seeing this, Jonathan did not dare to continue pestering her.
He was also feeling too lazy to go to work. He did not care about the job anyway. The only reason for him working there was to ensure the safety of Yasmin and the others. However, it was clear that nothing would happen to them.
Therefore, he drove to a small dining store and got himself a plate of spaghetti bolognese before going back home to catch some sleep. Time flew by, and the carefree man had slept until two o’clock in the afternoon.
Moments later, Jonathan’s phone suddenly rang, and he answered the call groggily.
He could hear Jessica’s voice on the other end of the line. She scolded jokingly, “Silly Jonathan, why didn’t you come to work? Are you trying to be a rebel?”
Listening to Jessica’s voice had put Jonathan in a good mood. He felt energized and sat up before letting out a laugh. “Why? You didn’t see me for a day, and it felt like an eternity to you already?”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Jessica spoke. “Don’t you still have Jennifer? How can I think about you?”
Jonathan replied merrily, “Haha! It seems like someone is jealous. Do you want to be my woman too? How about that?”
“Drop dead!” Jessica cursed before ending the call.
Jonathan could not help but guffaw after knowing how much he had angered the woman. However, he received another phone call from Yasmin almost instantly. She did not sound too pleased. “Jonathan, Jessy originally wanted to invite you to a meal out of goodwill. Why can’t you give in to her?”
With a giggle, Jonathan said, “It’s nothing. I’m only joking with her.”
Yasmin replied, “You must have been sleeping at home today and haven’t gotten any lunch yet. Is there any place you want to eat? Jessy and I can give you a treat.”
As Jonathan was too reluctant to move, he responded, “I don’t want to trouble you. I can whip up some pasta for myself at home. Don’t worry. I’m doing fine.”
Deep inside, he was very touched by the concerns the two women had exhibited to him. He felt warmth from the friendship shared among them.
Noticing Jonathan’s disinterest, Yasmin did not attempt to ask him out again. The two chatted for a while before hanging up the phone.
Jonathan lay on his bed once more and continued sleeping.
However, he only managed to doze off for a short time before his doorbell rang.
It was Polly who had dropped by.
Jonathan got to his feet and opened the door while wearing only a pair of baggy shorts.
Polly had worn a low-cut black slip dress, making her look elegant and sexy at the same time. It was as though she had no flaw at all as a woman.
As Jonathan stood at the door, his gaze swept across Polly’s cleavage, and he could feel the heat rising in his lower abdomen. Even though he was pretty thick-skinned, he could not help but feel embarrassed at a moment like this. The man immediately bent over to cover his tummy and said, “My stomach hurts. I’ll have to go to the restroom first.”
Polly broke into a smile at his words. After that, she spoke solemnly. “Okay, stop pretending. I have something serious to discuss with you.”
Jonathan immediately regulated his emotions and calmed his heart which was raging wildly. Just like this, his heart finally regained peace.
The difference between a martial artist and an ordinary person was how much they could control their thoughts and feelings.
When ordinary people were in the face of danger, they could not contain their fears or desires.
To people like Jonathan and Polly, who were martial artists, they would be able to control their emotions and become resolute when needed.
“Is it a serious matter?” Jonathan led Polly into the house and quickly put on a white shirt and trousers. After dampening his hair, he had a stern appearance.
Polly answered, “I heard that Southreef harbor and the Curieux, which belonged to Young Corporation, had been destroyed, and more than seventy people had lost their lives in this incident. Was Kieran responsible for this?”
Jonathan did not feel the need to hide the matter from Polly. Therefore, he nodded. “You’re right.”
“Was that your intention?” Polly questioned him with a complex look on her face.
“You can say that,” replied Jonathan.
Polly lapsed into a heavy silence for a while before speaking up. “I didn’t expect you to make such a ruthless decision.”
Jonathan answered in a steely voice, “If I don’t let Leonardo experience what fear feels like, that man would always be too eager to bring me down. I could only apologize to those innocent people involved. That is how Kiki takes action. It’s always the survival of the fittest.”
“I know you’re not a bloodthirsty person. You didn’t instruct Kieran to do so, right? It’s just that Kieran’s a natural assassin, and you can’t restrict his killing intent. If you do so, it will suppress his murderous aura, causing his strength to decrease drastically. In turn, it would harm him, am I right?” Polly suddenly brought up this question.
Jonathan involuntarily took a few glimpses at Polly. “As expected, talking to you is a breeze.”
He had to admit that he enjoyed chatting with Polly. They had nothing to hide from the other party and could talk to each other about anything. It was because they had a mutual understanding.
