Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 158

Jean watched as Ethan climbed out from his luxury car and walked to the passenger side. Then he opened the door for Selena with a smile.

He extended his hand to Selena and helped her exit the car. Jean raised an eyebrow when she saw them still holding hands as they walked. Selena was seductively dressed and walked gracefully. Selena's eyes were fixed on Ethan, and she wore a charming smile.

After a few steps, Ethan felt as though someone was staring at him. He looked around casually.

When he spotted Jean, his smile turned into an expression of embarrassment.

Concerned that Jean would misunderstand his relationship with Selena, Ethan immediately released Selena's hand.

When Ethan had seen Jean, he had become anxious. But he quickly calmed down. With a smile, he walked toward them leisurely. "Jean, what are you doing here?" he said happily.

'It's a small world!'

Jean thought.

Why would she meet Ethan wherever she went? He had followed her on purpose to the shoot location before. But what about this time?

She didn't know about today's schedule until the night before. How could he know it? Could this be a coincidence?

Besides, the last time they met, Ethan had promised that they would be friends and nothing more.

'I'm overthinking the situation. I should stop doing that.' Jean scolded herself. She needed to stop assuming the worst about people.

Jean forced herself to smile as she answered Ethan, "We are working here. What about you... or you two?"

Jean asked hesitantly.

"The scenery here is beautiful. Miss Miao and I are on vacation. So we thought we'd come by to have a look. It also seemed like a good time to talk about a business proposal." Ethan smiled as though there was nothing unusual about this chance meeting.

Everyone knew that the Lei Group was the market leader for male electronic products. How odd that they would invite a female star to endorse their products! Apparently, talking about the cooperation was just an excuse. Going on vacation with the beautiful Selena must be Ethan's real purpose. That was not surprising as he had always been a womanizer.

Not wanting to spend more time than necessary with Ethan, Jean smiled and bade him goodbye, "That sounds great. Don't let me keep you. Have a good day."

As soon as she finished, Jean walked toward her colleagues.

"Jean..." Ethan said as Jean turned away from him. Hearing his call, she turned and looked at him in surprise. And then Ethan smiled quickly and said, "Since now is not the best time to catch up, how about we meet for dinner? You can call your colleagues, and they can dine with us."

He invited Jean's crew as well. He knew that she would never agree to dine with him alone. And so, this was the best way to get her to agree.

"We..." Jean started, but her mind went blank. She wanted to refuse as she didn't want to get involved with Ethan and Selena. However, she didn't know how to let him down politely. And so she said, "Let's talk about it later. Bye!"

After that Jean waved to Ethan and then got into the taxi with her colleagues.

Ethan's smile disappeared as he watched the car speed away. He had really hoped that she would say yes. He had even invited her colleagues to make Jean more comfortable. Why did she refuse him? Ethan stared in the direction the car had sped away as he thought. He had forgotten about Selena.

"She has left. What are you still staring at the road?" Selena murmured in envy as she walked up to Ethan. Although she was jealous, she did not show any feelings on her face.

"How did you know that she would be here today?" Ethan turned and asked Selena. His expression conveyed the confusion he felt.

"Why are you asking me that? I gave you this information because I thought you would want to know. I thought you'd be appreciative. Why are you upset with me? Do you think I have an ulterior motive?" Selena's face suddenly turned cold. She sulked as she spoke with Ethan.

"Everyone knows that you are secretly in love with Zed. Did you plan this meeting to cause trouble? Let me be clear now. You can try to break them up. But if you do anything to hurt Jean, I will not be quite so nice." Ethan warned Selena.

Since Ethan had spent a considerable amount of time with Selena, he was familiar with her disposition. He had seen, on several occasions, that she could become quite mean if she didn't get what she wanted.

Every time Ethan had seen Selena and Jean together, he would witness Selena trying to cause trouble. She didn't like Jean, and so, she tried to play tricks on her.

But Ethan still had feelings for Jean. He would never do anything to hurt her, and he would never allow anyone else to even think about it either.

"Ethan, are you crazy? If I wanted to hurt Jean, why would I bring you here? I know you like Jean. And yes, I like Zed. I will admit to that. But hurting Jean would not earn me your trust. And I do feel that it would be easier to break them up if we worked together." Selena tried to suppress her anger and said with a fake smile.

Jean, who looked like an ordinary and unaccomplished woman was actually difficult to deal with. Selena wouldn't be compromising and cooperating with Ethan if she could handle Jean by herself.

Hearing that, Ethan's eyes brightened. After all, before he came here, Ethan hadn't known what partnership Selena had wanted to talk to him about.

When he saw Jean, Ethan had become suspicious of Selena. A part of him had become distracted as every time he saw Jean, she looked more beautiful and attractive. It was becoming difficult to control his desire for her.

Now, with Selena's help, it would be easier for him to find a way to charm Jean.

All Ethan wanted was Jean. He couldn't care what became of Selena and Zed.

"Well. Okay. If you need my help, then I will not refuse you." Ethan had decided to help Selena. However, he glared at Selena. He didn't want her to forget his condition that she would not hurt Jean.

"To new and successful partnerships, " Selena said as she grabbed Ethan's hand and shook it firmly. Selena was not surprised at Ethan's reaction. Everyone knew that Ethan loved Jean and that he would do anything for her.

"If this partnership proves successful, I will repay you, " Ethan said enthusiastically. "Well..." he murmured as he thought of how he would thank Selena. Then a big smile grew on his face. "In order to express my gratitude, I will invest in your next movie, " Ethan said generously.

This was a fantastic bait. Not only would it ensure that Selena would help him, but his company would also benefit as well. He was a businessman, and this was the perfect business opportunity. If he could get close to Selena, his company would be able to enter the entertainment industry.

Although Selena was an international celebrity and had earned recognition for her work as an actress, she would not give up the opportunity to secure investments for her future movies.

"Well, that's settled then, " Selena said happily.

"Yeah, that's settled, " Ethan said as he nodded.

As they traveled to their next destination, Jean sat in the back seat of the taxi. She gnawed her fingernails. Jean was feeling uneasy as if she had forgotten something. But she could not figure out what was troubling her.

Maranda who was sitting beside Jean looked much better after taking some medicine.

She glanced at Jean before turning her gaze to John. He sat in the front passenger seat. As she stared at John, conflicting emotions filled Maranda.

She should hate John. After all, telling John how she felt had been a difficult thing for her. This was her first experience of confessing her love for someone. Not only did she not get a response from John, but she had been embarrassed.

Although John didn't mean what he had said, he had behaved out of character.

If he really liked Maranda, he would not have behaved the way he did. And if he didn't like Maranda, John should not have given her any hope.

It was because of John's integrity that Maranda became angry and embarrassed.

Based on the way he had behaved, and how Maranda had felt, she would have resigned and gotten as far away from John as possible.

'If it hadn't been for Jean...'

When Maranda thought of it, she could not help smiling.

'If Jean hadn't criticized me, how could I continue to stay in the company? It was impossible to know John's tender side at this time too.

Although he would not say thoughtful words, what he did was enough to show his consideration.

That was enough.'

Maranda sighed contentedly. Despite what had happened, she would be okay with working with John.

In doing so, she would be able to ensure that he was all right. She could even steal sly glances at him. To be able to adore him from afar was a compromise that Maranda was willing to make.

Just then, Jean's cell phone rang.

All three co-workers were shaken from their thoughts at the shrill ringtone.

Jean stopped gnawing her fingernails and hurriedly took out her cell phone from her bag. When she saw that Zed was calling her, guilt engulfed Jean.

She suddenly remembered promising Zed that she would call as soon as she had arrived at their destination. Jean had known that Zed was worried about her and a timely phone call from her would have settled him.

However, after they got off the bus, Maranda had felt unwell, and Jean had been pre-occupied with taking care of her friend. She had forgotten to call Zed.

'He...won't be angry, will he?'

Jean wondered as she looked at the word, husband, flickering on her cell phone screen. Unsure of what Zed's reaction would be, Jean hesitated.

"Jean, why don't you answer the phone?" Maranda asked curiously.

She had glanced at Jean when her phone had begun to ring. Upon glimpsing at the phone in Jean's hand, Maranda saw that Zed was calling. What was stopping Jean from taking his call? Maranda couldn't figure it out. After all, they had just left Zed at the bus station, and now he was calling. That implied that he was considerate and affectionate. Zed must love her very much to worry about her so much.