Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 227

Dawn stared at him without a word, her face still and guarded.

When the WhatsApp notification was added, Jonathan glanced at his screen, gave the slightest nod, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. His tone was calm, yet firm. "Where are you going? I'll take you there."

"There's no need. You should focus on your own matters." Dawn forced a small smile, one that never reached her eyes. She pulled his jacket from her shoulders and pressed it into his hands. "Mr. Curran, I'd rather you not do things that could be taken the wrong way. My husband wouldn't appreciate it."

The moment she turned, the smile vanished like a mask tossed aside. Her steps quickened, heels striking the pavement in hard deliberate beats.

Jonathan's eyes stayed on her until her figure melted into the distance. He lowered his gaze to the jacket in his hand, his expression dark, unreadable, and then he stepped into his car without a sound.

...

The second Dawn slid into the car, her coworkers pounced. One leaned close, eyes gleaming. "Dawn, who was that guy? Was he your brother? He looked like he came straight out of a movie. His face didn't even look real."

Another sighed, teasing, "That ice-cold look of his was perfect. If he's your brother, you better introduce me. I'd love to call you sister-in-law."

A third bent over with laughter, nearly out of breath. "Forget sister-in-law. If he's that good-looking, I'd settle for just one night."

Their voices stacked one over another, louder with each word. Dawn gave a helpless laugh. "He was my neighbor when I was a kid. We're not close. If you wanted his number, you should've asked him yourselves."

They stared at her with disbelief. "Not close? You two looked pretty comfortable together."

Another girl smirked. "Yeah, almost like a brother and sister arguing."

The word "couple" dangled on her lips, but she held it back.

Dawn's wedding to the boss had only just ended, and saying that would have been reckless.

Her smile grew tight. "He asked me for a small favor. That's all. I was just being polite."

"Oh, so that's what it was ... "

The answer satisfied them, and the chatter drifted to other topics.

By six, the site inspection was over. Everyone went off their separate ways, but Dawn stayed behind after Ethan called and said he'd pick her up for dinner.

She waited 15 minutes before the familiar car rolled up. She leaned down with a smile to greet him, but it froze when she spotted someone sprawled in the backseat.

Micah grinned wide, his tone sharp with mockery. "Guess your eyesight's failing, since you acted like you didn't see me."

"Why would I need to see you?"

Dawn didn't even twitch at his jab. She opened the passenger door, slid into the seat, and asked, "So which corner did you crawl out of this time?"

She knew Ethan hadn't invited him. If Micah was here, it meant he had pestered Ethan until he got what he wanted.

Micah narrowed his eyes, glaring at the back of her head, his jaw clenched.

"Why don't you ask me how I knew Ethan was coming to see you today?"

"How did you know?"

"I see no change in you. You can't even manage basic respect. If that's how it is, there's no reason for you to keep showing up in front of me." Ethan's face was like stone, carved cold and distant.

Micah's lips pressed tight. His throat moved like he wanted to speak, but no words came.

Then rage flashed in his eyes. He yanked out his phone, thrusting it forward.

"Take a look and tell me I'm wrong! She's out there playing around in public like it's nothing. Who knows what else she does when nobody's watching. Don't let her perfect act trick you."

On the screen was a crystal-clear photo.

It caught the exact second Jonathan draped his jacket over Dawn's shoulders.

Jonathan looked tender. Dawn's head was lowered, her expression soft and almost shy.

Dawn's eyes flew wide, her voice sharp. "You were spying on me?"

Micah barked out a cold laugh. "Spying? That was me catching you in the act. You're making Ethan a fool in plain sight. God only knows what you're doing in the shadows."

Dawn's chest rose and fell fast as her eyes locked on him.

He glared back, his stare laced with rebellion and arrogance.

Every look he gave was a spark thrown onto dry wood.

Some people were simply made that way. Even if you only crossed paths a handful of times, each meeting set a fire. Each encounter pressed heavy on your chest. Once. Twice. And now, again, today.