She instantly stood frozen on the ground. "Sir, the floor is too dirty. Would you like me to clean it?"
"No."
Ace finally returned to his normal behavior and asked, "What is it?"
"Mr. Stuart called earlier and said he sent you the location on WhatsApp. He asked you not to…"
She hesitated and awkwardly glanced at Ace's hand positioned beside the dustbin and said carefully, "He asked you not to pick it up from the dustbin. It's dirty."
Ace's face darkened, and he said coldly, "I understand."
He waited until the secretary had departed before proudly opening his WhatsApp.
As he saw the location, he couldn't help but grimace and think to himself,' Joanna, you can't get away.
On the same night, Ace got on his private plane and flew directly to the island at maximum speed.
Throughout the journey, he kept reminding himself to act cold and composed when seeing Joanna later.
After all, he didn't fly there because he missed her or wanted to continue their relationship. He was going there solely because he needed her skills as a lawyer to help with the lawsuits that Moran Group was facing.
'Yes, that's it!"
Ace thought for a while and finally came up with a good reason. He instantly felt relieved.
By the time he reached the island, it was already the next morning.
The orange and crimson sun rose from the ocean's edge and reflected its light over the blue sea, making it orange.
Ace sat inside the speedboat and sped his way through the shore.
Once he got on the island, a local girl came upto him and welcomed him.
"Uncle, are you here for Aunt Joanna?" the small girl said, her cheeks tanned and her grin pure.
'Yes."
As Ace looked at the little girl, he was glad and thought, 'Not bad. She knows to get someone to welcome me!'
"Follow me, and I'll bring you to Aunt Joanna!"
The small girl waved at Ace before turning and running.
Ace followed her without hesitation.
He assumed it wouldn't be far away at first, but he was too naive.
The journey started from the foot of the mountain and progressed all the way to the top. They climbed for over two hours without stopping.
Ace was a strong man, but his body couldn't handle it. He was puffing slightly and questioned the small girl in front of him, "Are we there yet?
Where is she precisely?"
"Aunt Joanna's home is far away, but it's lovely. You'll adore it once you get there!"
He wanted to complain, but he restrained himself. "Let's take a break first." He was panting.
"Uncle, you're exhausted already just walking this little?" the child observed. "You're terribly weak, just as Aunt Joanna stated.'
When Ace heard this, he was dumbfounded.
'How could you, Joanna? I'll let you know I'm not weak when I catch you!' He thought bitterly.
They traveled for another three hours till they arrived at the mountain top.
Ace saw an orange-colored chapel erected on the brink of the mountain, overlooking the distant sea.
The girl turned to him and said, "Uncle, Aunt Joanna will pray here every day. Just go in and find her."
At this point, Ace was so exhausted that he barely had any energy. He took in a deep breath and showed a thumbs up.
"Uncle, you look really handsome. Can I have a hug?" The girl blinked her huge and bright eyes at Ace as she stared at him innocently.
"Of course."
Ace felt his heart melt at the cuteness of the girl and gave her a big hug.
Afterwards, she climbed down the mountain.
Ace wiped his sweat away and fixed his hair. As he walked slowly towards the church, he straightened his back and put on a frigid fagade.
He wondered how she would look now after not seeing her for three months.
'Would she get thinner? Tanner? More depressed? Or grow bald?" he guessed in his heart.
Women were sentimental, so naturally, they wouldn't move on that quickly. He imagined that she would be crying every single day.
Ace, however, was different.
He became more disciplined during these three months. He visited the gym often, ate healthy foods, and even upgraded his sense of fashion. He now possessed the confidence that he was able to charm her.
The church's door was shut. Ace considered pushing the door open and walking in but decided against it since it would make him seem shameless. So he waited outside the door, cleared his throat, and said," Come out on your own.'
There was no reaction from inside.
Hiding his embarrassment while appearing noble and frigid, he continued," There is a limit to my patience. You'll be sorry if I have to go inside.''
Thinking about how he flew and went all the way here and climbed the mountain for hours only to see her angered him. Presently, there seemed to be no other choice but to enter the church since she did not reply to him at all.
He spun back and yanked the door open with fury. " Joanna, you've gone too far, you…"
"Surprise! Ace, you've been fooled."
Joanna was nowhere to be seen in the church. In the midst of the empty church, there was just a teddy bear.
The teddy toy had a microphone inside and appeared to come to life as it laughed madly at him.
"Hahaha! Mr. Ace, you're a moron for coming here to look for me."
' Don't squander your energy. You won't find me if I don't want you to find me."
"I'll appear on my own. Just make sure you're ready for my arrival!"
Ace was mocked by every word the teddy bear said.
"Joanna!"
He never imagined that a woman would dupe a wise guy like himself.
His gorgeous face clouded, and he seized the teddy bear with the intention of ripping it up.
The teddy bear continued to say, "Don't you dare break me, or you won't leave this island. If you don't believe me, try looking for your wallet."
He reached into his pocket, and indeed, it was gone.
He came to his senses quickly and realized that the little girl had taken it.
She would be far away now, so it was pointless for him to chase her.
"Damn it! What do you want from me?"
Ace was so mad that he was on the edge of losing his mind.
Then, the teddy bear spoke again calmly, "Hahahah. Now you know that everything is not as it seems on the surface."
Ace was speechless. His mood shifted from rage to irritation.
He was exhausted and had no money, so he couldn't even get water. This was probably where he would perish.
As he looked back at his past, he realized he had never been this stupid before, nor had he been in such a terrible situation.
This was all a trap set by Joanna.
"Now, I want you to hold the teddy and tell 100 islanders: 'Joanna is the world's kindest human. I am blind to blame her. I am stupid.' Once you are done with the mission, you will get your wallet back."
"Joanna, don't be so mean. You…"
"Beep beep!"
The sound of the connection getting cut off could be heard.
It was obvious that Joanna, who was hiding and operating at some corner of the island, had cut off the connection.
Ace pointed at the teddy bear; his expression was cold and deadly as he thought, 'I won't say such humiliating words!'
At the other end of the island, Joanna lay on the couch, eating a popsicle while laughing as she watched some real-time footage. In the footage, the cold and overbearing Ace was sweating and panting as he said to every person he met, "Joanna is the world's kindest human. I am blind to blame her. I am stupid." 'Hahaha. You're too naive to think that you'll be able to find me with that little hacker of yours,' she thought.