CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: SHE DROVE JENSON FORREST MAD

Jenson Forrest’s eyes were fixed on the glass tank, the veins on the back of his hand protruding as he gripped his phone. His expression remained placid, but his jawline was cold and taut with restraint.

"Who told you the child is mine? I have no intention of divorcing. Stay out of this!" he coldly interrupted Katherine Rhodes before hanging up.

His gaze never left the figure inside the glass tank. He took another step forward, his expression growing even fouler.

Timothy Cohen seriously suspected that in the next second, his boss would clench his fist and shatter the glass tank to pull his wife out.

"CEO, you must remain calm!" Timothy urged.

Jenson gritted his molars, barely restraining himself from losing control on the spot. "Clear the area immediately!" he ordered harshly.

"CEO, you’re causing too much of a scene. It will be hard to keep the news of your wife performing as a mermaid here under wraps..."

A vein on Jenson’s temple throbbed. Perhaps because his gaze was so piercing, Zinnia Lawrence flipped over in the water. As she glided to the other side, her eyes met his. She was startled and blew out a string of bubbles.

The man’s face was impassive, but Zinnia felt as if his eyes were shooting daggers at her. Slightly flustered, she quickly averted her gaze and winked at a group of children pressed against the glass.

Her midday performance lasted forty minutes. Having dived over a hundred times, Zinnia pushed on until her chest felt tight and she was out of breath before she finally flicked her tail and swam for the surface.

She hadn’t even fully surfaced when a large hand plunged into the water, seized her arm in an iron grip, and violently yanked her out. The moment Zinnia was out of the water, her eyes stung. Her face was so drenched she couldn’t open them.

Through the blur, she was hauled from the water and into a man’s arms. The familiar strength and height allowed Zinnia to instantly recognize him, and she began to kick and struggle.

"What are you doing? Let me down, my performance isn’t over yet!"

The woman in his arms was soaking wet and slick all over. Her long, seaweed-like hair clung to her face and neck, and her tail thrashed restlessly. Like a real fish out of water, she looked pathetic and vulnerable, stirring a desire to torment her.

Jenson’s face was grim, and his voice was colder than the pool water. "Zinnia, I am furious right now! If you don’t want to be skinned alive in public, you will behave!"

Frightened by the suppressed rage in his glacial voice, Zinnia gradually stopped struggling. Timothy quickly brought over the prepared cashmere blanket. He only managed a single glance before Jenson’s horrifying expression made him quickly turn his head away, not daring to look again.

Jenson shook out the blanket, threw it over Zinnia’s head, and strode outside along a path that had already been cleared. He carried Zinnia out of the restaurant, where a bodyguard was already holding a car door open.

Jenson shoved Zinnia into the car, throwing her heavily onto the back seat. She immediately struggled to rip the blanket off, trying to escape. But Jenson had already followed her inside, slamming the door shut. At the same time, his large hand clamped down on her shoulder, pinning her firmly in place.

"Let go of me! I’m still on the clock! What do you think you’re doing?"

Zinnia twisted, but Jenson grabbed her wrists and pinned her beneath him. His handsome face was dark as he spoke in a cold voice.

"Get out!"

The driver, who wasn’t Timothy, stared, utterly dumbfounded, as the door opened and his boss climbed in carrying a mermaid. Hearing the harsh command, he immediately opened his door, bolted as if his life depended on it, closed the car door from the outside, and retreated several steps.

Zinnia was still shoving Jenson, her face flushed from the exertion.

"If you don’t want us to become a trending topic for exhibitionism in a car, you’ll stay still!" Jenson pinned Zinnia down, his voice deep and cold as he warned in her ear.

Zinnia pictured the scene. From the outside, people might really think they were... She froze, then glared at Jenson, embarrassed and furious. "I was just doing my job, and you have to—"

"Ha, doing your job? Is this a job or are you selling your body?! Did I teach you how to dive just so you could dress up in this disgraceful getup and flaunt yourself in a place like this?"

Is this woman blind? Can’t she see the intense, naked lust in the eyes of those men outside the tank?! Dammit!

Jenson’s deep-set eyes were frosted over. As he spoke, he tugged at the two seashells that served as her bra. Who knew the top would be so flimsy? It came right off in his hand. A vein throbbed at the man’s temple as his expression grew even more thunderous.

"Zinnia! What on earth are you wearing?!"

"Ah! You pervert!" Zinnia shrieked, covering her chest. His cruel words made her eyes redden and her neck stiffen in defiance. "This is a legitimate job! You’re the one looking at it through dirty glasses! You should get your eyes checked to see if they come with a built-in lewd filter, then get your brain scanned to see if it’s full of garbage!"

Zinnia was furious. How had her perfectly decent job become selling her body and being a seductress in his eyes? Did he think she wanted to be a mermaid? Her eyes stung constantly from the water. She had to dive more than a hundred times every half-hour, and it was utterly exhausting. If he hadn’t blocked her from becoming a dance instructor, would she have to work this hard?

Jenson’s chest heaved, his eyes bloodshot.

Zinnia felt that if he lost control for even a second, he might actually strangle her. Genuinely afraid now, she instinctively shrank back.

Luckily, at that moment, the car window was tapped twice.

It was Timothy Cohen. Jenson sat up, and Zinnia hurriedly did the same, pulling the blanket around herself and shrinking into a corner of the car. Jenson composed himself and rolled down the window, his profile cold and unfeeling.

Timothy bent down, not daring to look inside. "CEO, everything’s been handled."

The photos and videos on the guests’ phones have all been deleted. Still, the CEO’s possessiveness is really on another level. Actually, the photos of his wife were quite beautiful, even if her outfit was a bit revealing. In that specific environment, it all looked very artistic, not vulgar at all. But Timothy didn’t dare say any of this. He was afraid he’d end up as a corpse on the street.

"Drive!" Jenson commanded. His expression softened slightly upon hearing that everything had been handled.

As the car drove away, the bodyguards at the restaurant finally withdrew.

Inside the restaurant, by the window, Kane Donovan watched the departing car with an unpleasant expression.

"See that? Did Young Master Donovan really think she was some pure and noble goddess? As long as the price is right, she’ll even have sex with someone in a car on the street. I could never do something like that. She’s just acting high and mighty to drive up her price."

Kane Donovan’s expression was grim. He turned back. "Is that true?"

Una Tate pursed her lips and leaned closer. "I’ve heard something else, too. If Young Master Donovan doesn’t believe me, why don’t you go and verify it for yourself?"

***

Throughout the drive, Zinnia huddled in the corner with her head down, refusing to acknowledge Jenson.

Soon, the car stopped. Jenson got out, opened her door, and lifted Zinnia out. Zinnia was bare-chested and still wearing the wet, oversized tail fin. It caught on the doorframe, so Jenson gave it a hard yank. The freed tail slapped against his leg, soaking a large patch of his suit trousers.

His expression was grim, but Zinnia merely pursed her lips in response.

She turned her head and saw that they appeared to be at a hotel.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Jenson looked down at her and sneered, "To kill a fish and skin it. The master chef at this hotel is the best at filleting."

Zinnia was speechless.

Jenson carried her into the elevator and quickly entered the presidential suite on the top floor. Zinnia was tossed heavily onto the large bed, and the blanket fell away.

She covered her chest with one hand and tried to scramble under the covers, but her legs were still trapped in the tail, restricting her movement. Before she could hide, Jenson loomed over her and grabbed her arms. He had already taken off his tie. He swiftly wrapped it around Zinnia’s wrists, binding them securely.

He let go. With her hands bound and her legs trapped, Zinnia lay limply on the bed, utterly defenseless—a fish on the chopping block. She glared at him, feeling a mix of humiliation and rage.

Only then did she notice that his black suit was also in disarray. It was wrinkled and soaked in large patches, yet he didn’t look disheveled—just dangerously menacing. He knelt on the bed with one knee, his cold gaze sweeping over her. He leisurely took off his watch and tossed it aside, then began to undo his cufflinks and shirt buttons one by one.

Zinnia had never seen him like this before. His entire being radiated aggression.

Her face turned pale. "What... what are you doing? Don’t do anything reckless!"

Jenson unbuttoned three shirt buttons before he seemed to lose his patience and simply yanked the shirt open. Buttons popped and flew off, revealing his muscular chest and perfectly sculpted abs.

"To discipline you," the man sneered, his thin lips curling. But his gaze was hot as it swept back and forth over Zinnia’s mermaid tail. "How do mermaids mate? The little mermaid had to walk on knives for her prince. Should I take a knife and carve you open, too?"

He sounded so serious, his tone so somber, that it didn’t seem like he was joking at all.

Zinnia swallowed nervously. "I... I’m not a kid anymore, I won’t be scared or fooled by you..."

Before Zinnia could finish, Jenson actually walked over to a side table. He picked up a fruit knife and approached her with a sinister smile.