Ace naturally did not stop the car. He said coldly, "The Pierce Residence has been reduced to rubble. If you don't go back to the Moran Villa, where else can you go?"
"Anywhere, as long as it's not the Moran Villa!"
Joanna's attitude was firm. "I can rent or buy a house. The world is big. There's definitely somewhere I can stay! "
"That will be unnecessary!"
Ace's attitude was also very firm. "You still own half the property rights to the Moran Villa, which means it's also your home. In a few days, I'll transfer the other half of the property rights to you. After that, it'll be completely yours. You can then do whatever you want with it. You can live in it or you can sell it, I don't care."
Since he had said that much, Joanna decided not to argue with him any further.
After all, the Moran Villa was worth over a hundred million dollars. Ace was just casually giving her a hundred million dollars. If she kept complaining, it would feel a bit ungrateful.
However, Joanna still retorted faintly, "That's not what you said when you drove me away."
"What did you say?"
Ace asked coldly. It seemed he did not hear her clearly.
Joanna quickly shook her head and said, "Nothing. I said the Moran Villa is very nice and very big. I really like it."
"That's more like it."
Ace did not pursue the matter and shifted his attention back to driving.
After Alice left, the Moran Villa had finally become peaceful again.
What surprised Joanna the most was that the garden that used to be filled with roses was now filled with sunflowers again. They were blooming as brightly as the sunflowers in the Pierce Residence, just the way Joanna liked it.
The servants that used to be mean to Joanna all ran forward to greet her when they saw her return. Some of them even wept with joy.
"Oh, thank god, Mrs. Moran is back. I knew you would return someday!"
The housekeeper, Lydia, cried excitedly.
Joanna sneered and said, "Wow, Lydia, you're almost as eager to welcome me back as you were when you drove me away! How kind of you!"
Lydia blushed and said, "Please don't make fun of me, Mrs. Moran. I know that I overstepped my boundaries back then. I apologize if I hurt your feelings. As long as you're willing to forgive me and let bygones be bygones, I'll willingly accept any punishment you deem fit!"
"Sure, I'll forgive you. There's no need for any punishment either. But are you really as sincere as you say? You'll really do anything if I come back?"
Joanna gave Lydia a strange smile.
Lydia nodded. "Of course! Of course!"
"Then pack up and leave. Someone else will take your place as housekeeper."
Joanna's amiable expression suddenly turned into one of cold indifference.
"But…"
Lydia gulped. She did not know what to do.
She could never have imagined that the first thing the once meek and kind Joanna would do upon returning to the Moran family was to deal with her!
"You're unwilling to do that?"
"No, that's not it…"
Lydia had no choice but to hide behind Susan . "The thing is, I'm here to take care of you and Mr. Moran under Miss Susan's order. If you make me pack up and leave, it would be a bit disrespectful towards Miss Susan."
"I see. So you're gonna pressure me using my ex-mother-in-law."
"No, that's not my intention. I'm just saying it like it is…"
Lydia thought, no matter how wild Joanna was, she would never dare to go against Susan .
At this moment, Ace spoke. "From now on, this villa will be the sole property of Miss Pierce. It's her right to choose the housekeeper. Which means, you may leave now."
Lydia did not expect Ace to be so protective of Joanna. But now, she naturally did not dare to say anything else. She quietly packed up her things and left.
Before leaving, she took advantage of Ace's momentary absence to threaten Joanna. "Hmph, don't thinkyou've won! You're just an ex-wife who got dumped. You're gonna show me no mercy today? Then don't blame me for casting stones at you tomorrow. You just wait, your peaceful days are coming to an end!"
Joanna sneered. "I knew you would never change that easily. You'll never take orders from me willingly. Then isn't it perfect that you won't have to serve me anymore? If I hear another grumble from you, you won't even get your severance pay."
"I'll remember this, Joanna Pierce!"
Lydia gave Joanna a hateful look and left fuming.
As soon as she left the villa, she called Susan.
"Ma'am, you must right this injustice! Joanna Pierce is such a cruel woman! She's bewitched the young master and occupied the villa. Not only did she chase me out, I heard she's responsible for Miss Alices' death too…"
Lydia complained about Joanna for half an hour. 80% of the content was outright slander.
Upon hearing her complaints, Susan got so mad that she almost had a heart attack. She clenched her fists and said dangerously, "I knew she must be responsible for Alice's death! Oh, my poor unborn grandchild who never got the chance to see the world! Joanna Pierce, I'll definitely make you pay!"
After Joanna moved back to the Moran Villa, she dismissed not only the housekeeper, but also the other servants.
As a result, she and Ace were the only people left in the villa that was over a thousand square meters in size. It was so empty that there were echoes when they spoke.
Ace was baffled. He asked Joanna with a frown, "If you drive them all away, who will take care of this large house? Are you gonna recruit new servants?"
Joanna shook her head and said, "I have working hands and feet. I can take care of the house myself. Most importantly, I like quiet."
Ace nodded and said, "If we're the only people who are gonna live in this villa, it's gonna be quiet alright."
Joanna was bemused. "Didn't you just say the villa is my sole property? If you're gonna stay here too, then I'll leave right away."
A man and a woman living together under the same roof was fuel for gossip, even if it was a roof that was over a thousand square meters in size so the two might not even run into each other that much. It would be bad for her reputation if people found out. He might not care, but she did!
Ace did not expect Joanna to be so wary of him. His handsome face turned a bit colder. "I remember, back in the days, you were always looking forward to me coming back here. Whenever you received news that I was coming back, you would always prepare a large meal and wait for me on the swing in the garden. You would wait the whole afternoon…"
"Enough!"
Joanna was so embarrassed that she wished she could dig a hole and jump into it.
Ace was not exaggerating in the slightest. Back then, she really was that foolish, blinded by love.
At the time, she had a mental breakdown due to what happened to her family and deliberately stayed away from the outside world. All she wanted to do was to be a good wife of the Moran family. Ace was the only person in her eyes.
She really did sit on the swing to wait for him to come back On many nights when he did not come back to villa, she would even stay up all night because she missed him so much…
Looking back at it now, she felt disgusted with herself!
"I beg you, please stop talking about the past. If you keep going, I might have to bite my own tongue and kill myself!"
Joanna took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "Yes, I used to be obsessed with you, but people change. From the moment you drove me out without a second thought, my love for you is gone…"
"I want you to leave now as much as I longed for you to return back then. If you stay, I'll have to leave."
Ace's expression was complicated.
After a long time, he nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll leave. But look at me right now. Let me take a shower and change my clothes first. I'll go to the hospital to see how Ethan's doing after that. Is that okay?"
At the moment, Ace looked terrible, like he had just climbed out of a coal mine.