Xavier was now fuming steam at this point, and his killing intention could be smelled in the air. Swiftly, he stood up from the floor and charged toward Noah again, who immediately caught his hand and twisted it to the back, using just twenty percent of his strength.
Xavier groaned in pain, “Argh!” the veins around his forehead kept popping out, while red blood shots gathered in the center of his pupils.
“Hey, young man, I would rather not waste my energy on you. I have some important stuff to attend to. Don't ever cross my path again because I might lose it, is that clear?”
After Noah said his last words, he flung him away as if he had touched something filthy.
Anger rushed up in Xavier's heart. His eyes were round and the pupils of his eyes were bulging outwards.
“You rascal! You might be a multimillionaire or even be the president of this nation for all I care, I'm only asking you to stay away from Jasmine!” Xavier rasped, glaring right at Noah heatedly.
“And who are you to ask me to stay away from her?” as Noah asked his question, he put his hands in his pocket and looked at Xavier calmly.
Xavier glanced over at Jasmine before retorting sharply, “I'm her boyfriend. So, you better stay clear away from her, as far away as possible”
Noah gave a long nasal sound and lifted his brows highly, “Really?” he then turned to Jasmine, “Tell me the truth, Jasmine. I promise not to bother you anymore after hearing the truth”
Jasmine swallowed hard, not liking the seriousness that was beginning to dwell on Noah's face.
“Who's this man?” asked Noah flatly.
Gritting her teeth, “He's my ex-boyfriend who pretended to be in love with me several months ago and when I discovered that he had been cheating on me, he told me he never loved me but only wanted to get in panties once, but I kept coming back for more” her voice turned to sobs while speaking, and she deliberately allowed her tears to fall freely from her eyes.
She couldn't always help her tears each time she remembered that day Xavier uttered all those awful words to her.
Xavier's eyes slowly changed from anger to calm, while lowering his head in remorse.
Staring at the tears spilling over Jasmine's cheek uncontrollably, Noah felt his heart constricted in pain. He wanted nothing more than to step forward and hug her worries away.
However, he thought in his opinion that this man standing right in front of him needed to hear a piece of his mind first.
He couldn't help but tremble at every footstep that he took toward Xavier, he looked like a demon walking against the light, causing Xavier to tremble with fear and chill.
“Here's my first and last warning to you, young man. The next time I see you around, Jasmine, believe me, I'll make the rest of your days on the surface of the earth like a living hell,”
His voice was low and deep, as if each syllable were coming from deep in his chest.
“I hope you understand,”
His face didn't give away any emotion, making Xavier unable to figure out his thoughts.
After voicing out his sincere words, he put forward some pace and held Jasmine closely to his chest. With that, they eventually strode into the villa.
In Cooper's group.
Noah sat on his seat, his back was rested on the chair while looking up at nothing in particular on the ceiling with a bright, broad, and compassionate grin on his face.
His mind was preoccupied with the thought of Jasmine, and he couldn't wait for the day to be over, so he would go and pick her up at her working place.
*I love when a man knows how to prepare dishes*
He suddenly recalled her words back in Paris, and he immediately became strung up while sitting right on his seat.
Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the landline and said a simple sentence to it, and dropped it almost immediately.
Shortly after, the door opened and revealed his assistant, whose pace quieted down after seeing her boss smiling with a charm that lit up the usual cold office.
How can our unsociable president smile like this? Is this an illusion?
“I hope I haven't disrupted anything?” Noah asked with one of his brows raised.
“No, no, no, not at all, sir. Is there something I can do for you?” Mrs. Antonio asked tentatively, with a light smile embedded at the corner of her mouth.
“Hmm…” Noah thought while swiveling around on his chair, looking like an idiot and surprising his assistant the more.
By the time he stopped his childish movement, he became serious and raised his head to look at his assistant.
“I need a personal culinary as soon as possible, Mrs. Antonio. Can I get it tomorrow?”
Noah stated his reason for inviting her to his office. However, Mrs. Antonio had fallen into a trance as she continued to stare at her boss.
“Do you mean like a chef that would tutor you?” she asked in a daze.
“Exactly!” Noah exclaimed with a beam and slammed his desk.
Mrs. Antonio stared and nodded, “Of course, sir. I'll get on it right away,” she assured with an obligatory smile.
A smug smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, “Thank you, Mrs. Antonio,”
After he said that, he moved more closer to his desk and turned to the pile of documents that were waiting to be signed. All this time, his smile was only growing deeper and deeper.
“You seem very happy, sir,”
Hearing his assistant's voice again made him realize that she was still standing there. He raised his head with a bright smile flickering over his face.
“Is it that obvious?” he asked with a smirk.
Mrs. Antonio quickly nodded, “Yes, sir. The last time I saw you smile like this was when you won the deal with JK finance,” she blurted out her observations.
Noah put down the pen he was holding and held his chin while nodding his head slowly.
“Okay, I think I should tell you about it,” he said, and Mrs. Antonio felt a quicker excitement shot through her. She was really keen on knowing the reason behind his happiness.
“Do you remember Jasmine from that night at the party?” Noah asked her in a lukewarm tone.
“The same lady who got drunk and spilled the truth right in front of the audience?” she questioned back.
Noah nodded with a sigh and a smile, not liking to remember that night.
“Yes, Mrs. Antonio. We are now in a relationship,”
*Bang!*
Mrs. Antonio heard a loud thud in her head while the air surrounding her froze.
“Do you mean friendship, sir?” she asked in an extremely low voice after getting back her voice.
Grinning, Noah shook his head sideways, “Come on, Mrs. Antonio. We're both in love with each other. She loves me so much as I do,”
Mrs. Antonio's chest began to heave up and down, while her legs felt as if they were chained to iron shackles.
After a while, she tripped on her heels, but quickly hold on to a seat for support.
Seeing the soulless and bitter expression on her face, Noah's smile abruptly came to a sudden halt, “Are you okay?”
She put on a wide smile immediately, “Of course, sir. I'm so happy for you. I mean, eventually, you've fallen in love again,”
Noah's smile began again as he said, “Thank you, Mrs. Antonio. You can get back to work now,”
She bowed slightly and turned around to walk away, “Please don't forget your new task,” Noah reminded.
“Of course not, sir,”
She bowed again and walked out of the office with a fast stride, her heart wasn't as calm as it seemed.
***
Noah sat on the single couch in the relatively cozy living room, his gaze never peeling away from the direction Jasmine had taken to her room.
They had just arrived from the hospital some moments ago and Jasmine had gone inside to change into something casual.
Ten minutes later, Jasmine returned in the living room, and Noah felt his breath catch up in his throat.
She was wearing a bum that barely covers her butt and revealing her fair thighs and shapely long legs, together with a grimy pinkish tank top.
Her hair was tied up in a bun, intensifying her palm-sized and delicate face.
She was a sight to behold.
“Stop drooling, Mr. Cooper,” Jasmine teases while walking off in the direction of the kitchen.
Her voice pulled Noah out of the dirty thought he was already having in his heart. He swallowed and quickly got on his feet, and then followed her every step of the way to the kitchen.
While Jasmine brought out the ingredients and pot she would be needing to prepare dinner, Noah was busy wrapping his hands and clinging to her back as if wanting to become one with her.
“I'm feeling hot, Jasmine. Don't you think you need to treat me?”
His breath blew on the hair on her collarbone every now and then. He buried his head in her neck and greedily kissed her fragrant hair, neck, and earlobes.
However, Jasmine refused to be tempted as she went on with what she was doing. She needed to be fast because of Aurora.
Furthermore, Noah held her earlobes between his teeth, biting on them, making her feel numb and itchy at the same time.
She shut her eyes briefly and then turned around to face him.
“I have to hurry with this, Noah. You can wait for me in the living room” Jasmine told him with a smile but instead, Noah encircled his arms around her waist and rested his head on her chest.
“No, babe, I don't want to leave your side. Not now, not ever,”
Jasmine smile grew while she dug her fingers into his soft and smooth hair and staring at his head on her chest.
Knowing that this would take much more of the little time she had, she said, “How about you stay with me in the kitchen then?”
Noah grinned and stood properly again, “Sounds good. How may I assist you?”
Jasmine shook her head and pointed to a nearby stool, “Just watch me. I'm only going to prepare a simple meal,”
Noah didn't argue with her, as he thought inside his heart that, he would soon know how to prepare many dishes too.
He hoped that Mrs. Antonio would be able to get the chef tomorrow, so he/she would resume that same tomorrow. He just couldn't wait to start preparing dishes.
“What are you thinking about?” Jasmine asked after noticing his lost state.
Beaming, “Nothing, babe. So, what happened to your roommate? Why did she leave?” Noah quizzed, referring to Catherine?
Jasmine shrugged off her shoulders while slicing some potatoes.
“She had told me before that she was only going to stay here for some time due to some personal issues. So, perhaps the issue has been resolved,” she expressed her own thought.
Noah remained silent for a while and sighed deeply in the end, “Do you think it's a good idea for you staying alone?” he asked with a hint of concern gracing his handsome face.
“Come on now, I stay alone in my apartment in California,” Jasmine told him with a playful scowl.
“But your ex-boyfriend wasn't your neighbor, compared to the situation now,” Noah said in a low voice while lowering his head.
Jasmine chuckled softly and moved to him. She could effortlessly discern the insecurity in his tone.
She held his jaw and made him look at her face, “Don't worry about anything. I love you now, not him,”
Hearing this, his lips curved to a broad smile as she drew her closer and kissed her lips passionately.