CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5: MRS. FORREST’S UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE

Jenson Forrest lifted his head, his gaze cold and severe.

"I don’t have time to play house with you. Take it back."

"I’m serious."

Expressionless, Jenson Forrest tossed the pen in his hand aside. The steel barrel clattered on the desk, the sound striking Zinnia Lawrence’s heart.

"The reason for divorce? That I have bad breath and am sterile? Spreading rumors has consequences," the man’s voice was icy.

Zinnia felt a twinge of guilt, and her eyelashes fluttered. "I didn’t say those things... I wrote the reason for the divorce clearly."

Jenson’s long fingers flipped through the document. His gaze fell upon the reason she had marked in the agreement, and the chill in his eyes intensified.

He scoffed. "Explain this: loveless, sexless, a marriage in name only. What’s that supposed to mean?"

Zinnia pressed her lips together. "I’m just stating the facts."

Jenson Forrest stood up, his long legs navigating around the desk. The oppressive aura of his towering figure forced Zinnia to sidestep away, her back hitting the hard edge of the desk. The man’s long arms stretched out, his large hands pressing down on the tabletop, easily cornering her with no room for escape.

He leaned down, his voice a low growl of suppressed fury beside her ear. "The facts? And who was the man you were moaning for last night, the one you clung to, begging him not to leave?"

The thought of last night made Zinnia’s eyes sting. What began with such intensity ended in such desolation.

She raised a hand to push against his chest. "The frequency was severely lacking! Does a ninety-year-old man who has sex once every three years need to announce it with a megaphone?"

Last night was an exception. Besides, her husband wouldn’t even kiss her.

A vein throbbed in Jenson Forrest’s temple. This woman was actually mocking him, saying his sexual prowess was worse than a ninety-year-old’s. Her resistance only stoked the fire of his anger. His large hand locked around her slender wrist as he leaned in further.

Zinnia was forced to arch backward. Thanks to years of dance practice, her waist was as supple as a willow branch as it bent over the edge of the desk, her long hair spilling across its surface. The posture made her chest heave, her soft curves pressing tightly against his hard, muscular torso.

Jenson’s voice, however, was icy. "I wasn’t aware Mrs. Forrest had such strong needs. Who do you plan on finding to satisfy you after the divorce?"

Furious, Zinnia tried to kick him, but her leg was instantly trapped between his. His own long legs felt like they were cast from steel. Zinnia couldn’t break free. Worse, she accidentally brushed against something she shouldn’t have, and she froze.

She’s here to talk about divorce, and he’s actually getting a reaction...

"You... bastard!" Zinnia’s face turned beet red.

Jenson Forrest sneered. "Unsatisfied, Mrs. Forrest? Isn’t this exactly what you schemed for all along? The moment you plotted against me four years ago, you should have been prepared to atone for the rest of your life!"

Zinnia’s face went pale. So he really has been blaming me all this time. "I really don’t know what happened that night..."

"You handed me that glass of wine yourself. In the bedroom, besides mine, your fingerprint is the only one registered for access. No third person on earth could have gotten in! If it wasn’t you, then who was it?"

Zinnia choked. Because of that, any explanation was useless. He was convinced she had betrayed his trust, leaving her with no way to defend herself. They had gone from being inseparable as brother and sister to being completely unrecognizable to each other.

It was as if she were back on that morning, seeing the fury on his face when he woke up and found her in his arms, hearing the words that had stabbed her a thousand times over.

"Zinnia Lawrence, I raised you with soft skin and tender flesh, not so you could climb into your brother’s bed!"

The corners of Zinnia’s eyes reddened, a stark contrast to her bloodless face. "I regret it. Just... assume that I regret it..."

Jenson laughed coldly. "If you know you’re the sinner here, then be a good Mrs. Forrest for me! Besides, have a look around. What do you have that the Forrest family didn’t give you? A thousand-square-meter villa, all the jewelry you could want, a credit card with no limit to swipe every month. You’re coddled in such luxury. Do you really think you can survive after leaving me?"

It felt like hot gravel was lodged in Zinnia’s throat. She murmured, "So... even Jenson never once thought highly of me..."

He also thinks I’m a parasite, sucking the Forrest family dry, undeserving of a life of my own. Even if I leave with nothing, I’m still unworthy!

Her voice was so low that Jenson, despite being so close, couldn’t hear her clearly. He frowned slightly. Seeing her pale, fragile expression, as if she might shatter at any moment, he felt an uncomfortable pang in his own heart. He had gone too far in his anger. Just as he was about to explain, a knock came at the door.

Zinnia snapped back to reality and shoved Jenson away. Her eyes were red as she shot back at him, "Then you just watch! We’ll see if I can survive without you!"

Zinnia ran for the door and threw it open, only to freeze when she looked up.

It was Crystal Sutton.

"Zinnia, why are you crying?" Crystal Sutton asked with concern. "Did Jenson scold you? I’ll talk to him for you."

Though they’d never acted like sisters for a single day, Crystal Sutton always put on a false pretense of calling Zinnia "sister." The humiliation of being seen in such a state by her nemesis was overwhelming.

A man’s steady footsteps approached. In contrast to Zinnia, Jenson was composed and noble, completely unfazed.

"I thought I was going to see you at the hospital later. Why did you come here yourself?" he asked Crystal Sutton. His tone was completely devoid of the cold ruthlessness he had shown just moments before.

Crystal Sutton smiled. "I’ve already been discharged. I just came to tell you so you wouldn’t make a wasted trip."

Zinnia didn’t want to watch their public display of affection any longer and turned to leave, but Jenson grabbed her wrist.

"Go get a glass of watermelon juice."

Crystal Sutton loved watermelon juice, but Zinnia despised it. When she was a child, her parents, York Lawrence and Gloria Grant, would get into violent fights. Blood had once splattered onto a sliced watermelon, and she couldn’t tell which was redder. Jenson knew that! And he was still asking his wife to serve his mistress. A knife twisted in Zinnia’s heart; the man had to be insane.

"Doesn’t President Forrest have hands of his own?!"

She ripped her arm from his grasp and stormed away. Behind her, Crystal Sutton’s anxious voice called out, "Jenson, Zinnia is delicate and can’t handle being upset. You should go comfort her..."

"Don’t worry about her!"

After bursting out of the building, Zinnia wrapped her arms around herself and slowly sank into a crouch on the sidewalk. Her vision blurred. She repeated to herself, over and over... It’s okay, Zinnia. You have to make a good life for yourself and show them all!

Her phone rang. Wiping away her tears, Zinnia answered. "Mhm, okay. I’ll be right there."

The truth was, Jenson Forrest didn’t know that after she turned fourteen, she hadn’t spent a single cent of the Forrest family’s money on her living expenses. She had always been finding ways to earn her own money. Now, with the divorce, studying abroad, and her older brother’s hospital fees... Zinnia needed to save even more. Without her job at Stellar, her days would be free, and she could plan things properly.

There was no time for sorrow. Zinnia ran toward the bus stop.

「In the top-floor office.」

A tall, slender figure stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, like a cold ruler looking down upon the world, yet his back held an inexplicable loneliness.

"Jenson, are you and Zinnia fighting because Winston is coming back?" Crystal Sutton, who was sitting on the sofa sipping juice, asked suddenly.

Jenson’s gaze sharpened. He turned around. "No. It’s normal for couples to fight and make up."

Make up... Crystal Sutton’s fingers tightened around the glass. She remembered being in the hospital room yesterday. She had told Jenson her stomach hurt, hoping he would stay, but he had just told her to press the call bell for a nurse and had turned around to chase after Zinnia.

Suppressing her resentment, Crystal Sutton smiled and nodded. "That’s good. I was worried it was because Zinnia found out Winston was coming back..."

Seeing Jenson’s expression turn even colder, Crystal Sutton abruptly dropped the subject.

"Is the baby okay?" Jenson asked, breaking the silence.

Crystal Sutton caressed her abdomen, a sweet smile on her face. "Oh, he just loves to torment his mother..."

"Take good care of the child," Jenson instructed.

Crystal Sutton pouted. "Jenson, you only care about the child. Don’t you care about me at all?"

Jenson stared at Crystal Sutton without a word. Realizing she had overstepped, she gave a strained laugh and changed the subject.

"Oh, by the way, Jenson. My agent said she’s having trouble securing a new song from Adverse; they gave her a firm rejection. His style really suits me. If I could use one of his pieces as the opening for my first solo concert back in the country, it would be stunning. I’ve been worrying about this so much that I can’t sleep well. Jenson, can you help me get this song...?"

If Crystal Sutton wasn’t sleeping well, it would be bad for the baby.

Jenson nodded. "I’ll handle it."

Crystal Sutton’s face immediately lit up with a smile. Just then, Timothy Cohen entered.

"President, the meeting is about to begin."

Crystal Sutton said quickly, "Jenson, you should go. Is it okay if I finish my juice before I leave? The acidity is just right. You know I haven’t had much of an appetite these days."

Jenson nodded and left with Timothy Cohen.

Holding her juice, Crystal Sutton walked around the office, her gaze full of longing. She stopped at the desk, her eyes fixing on the divorce agreement.