Under the night sky, a silver Bugatti Veyron rumbled along the tarmac at a devilish speed.
Joanna looked blankly ahead in the passenger's seat. Although she knew very well that Jovan, seated in the driver's seat, wasn't a good person, and there were definitely many traps ahead, she still remained calm.
She might not have been confident when dealing with other people, but she was experienced enough when it came to idiots like Jovan.
Upbeat music that sounded like rock blared in the car.
Jovan was visibly happy. He was smiling from ear to ear. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other tapping against the window to the beat of the music, he looked very handsome under the amber glow of the street lamps.
"If you haven't slept, if I haven't stopped chasing, if being awake is a crime, take these promises away, exchange them with…"
The man, swaying from side to side while humming along to the song, looked somewhat like Ace. His facial features were exquisite, and he seemed extremely attractive.
For a second or two, Joanna wondered if Jovan was possessed by a certain handsome guy. Why did he seem so attractive?
"You sing pretty well, Mr. Moran. Five Accused's songs sound ordinary, but they're all challenging to sing. One could easily sound like a howling ghost or a wolf, but you made it sound just right. In fact, I prefer your rendition of this song over the original…" Joanna complimented from the bottom of her heart.
Although she didn't have a good impression of this idiot, she was amazed by his singing talent.
"Really?" Jovan's smile grew wider. He glanced at the woman next to him." You're not the first to realize I sing well, but I think you're still the better singer."
"Have you ever heard me sing, Mr. Moran?"
"That's not all. In fact, I consider myself a loyal fan…" Jovan frowned a little while he seemingly tried to recall something. "Ocean's Word is much better than the bands we have today, like Five Accused, Sunset's Rollercoaster, and Orange Sea. They had countless fans. Unfortunately… They disbanded!"
Joanna pinched her chin in surprise. "You actually know Ocean's Word! Kid… You're really something else!"
She had always thought Jovan was the thoughtless kind of kid who did whatever they wanted in the City just because their family was rich. To her surprise, he had good taste in music. This certainly impressed Joanna!
"Anybody who plays rock likes Ocean's Word. After all, their lead singer can sing and write her own songs. She also has an angelic voice. Whenever I hear her singing, it feels like my soul has been cleansed. Who could possibly resist?"
Feeling inspired, Jovan closed his eyes to recall something. He then started singing. "The ocean, the ocean of your dreams, do our memories still exist…"
Joanna's expression changed ever so slightly. Part of her memory was brought back. She couldn't help but sing along, "You're my long-lost child. You and I once ran on that ocean of our dreams. The ocean with a faint glow on its surface. Are you still there?"
"Yes, this is how it feels! I adore your voice. Ocean in a Dream by Ocean's Word is my favorite rock song!" Jovan's eyes lit up while he looked at Joanna. He seemed like a passionate fan. The only thing missing was a glowing stick people waved around during concerts.
"Erk-hem!" Joanna realized she was a little too excited and stopped singing. She flicked her hair and said helplessly, "It's all in the past. Ocean's Word no longer exists. You should become another band's fan!"
"As long as you're around, Ocean's Word will be. You're the lead singer and the band's soul!" Jovan was no longer in the mood to drive. He turned and looked at Joanna like a passionate fan.
Joanna would never have guessed that her cousin-in-law, Jovan, who would hurl insults at her at any given opportunity, was actually her fan!
This was way too magical!
"Based on what you said, you've known me since before I even married your cousin. You're also my fan. Am I right?" Joanna was still in a state of disbelief, but she wanted to find out if this was true.
Ocean's Word was a band she formed with a few friends from the lab back in college when she was bored. Neither she nor her friends were science freaks who'd only stay in the lab. They were all into music and dancing.
In Joanna's case, she was a lyricist and a composer. She also had an angelic voice.
In the beginning, Ocean's Word recorded its own single and published it online. After gaining a large fanbase, they started performing in underground bars. Every show had a full audience, and its fanbase kept growing.
Not getting married would've been much cooler, now that Joanna thought about it. The feeling of being on the receiving end of flowers and applause was just amazing.
Later on, due to a change of circumstances in her family, she got married to Ace. Ocean's Word disbanded on the spot. Now, her ex-bandmates had all become big shots in the field of research.
The glorious days they once had were etched forever in the flow of history … Joanna never expected Jovan to dig up the past.
"Of course, I knew who you were. At the time, you were the purest soul I knew. To me, you were an unattainable divine goddess. I even felt remorseful when I dreamed about you!"
"Pfft!" Joanna burst into laughter. "Mr. Moran, you shouldn't make unrealistic jokes like that. This romanticism doesn't suit you. Do you realize how ridiculous it sounds?"
"Do you doubt me?" Jovan seemed serious. "Wait. I'll show you proof."
After saying that, he pressed a few buttons on the car's display screen. After opening a file, a collection of every song and every performance by Ocean's Word appeared.
The most ridiculous part was that he took many photos of Joanna while she performed. Only a genuine fan could snap those particular angles with such good lighting.
"This is… This is amazing!" Joanna gasped.
While she went through those performance videos and photos, memories from years ago came flooding back to her.
Back then, she hadn't met Ace yet. Her parents were still around, and her family was still a force to be reckoned with. As a genius in the world of academia, she could do whatever she wanted. Life was perfect.
Now, after an exhausting marriage with the man she shouldn't have even loved to begin with, the scars from her healed wounds were still there. She could still feel the pain and hopelessness!
"Mr. Moran, I don't quite get it. Since you knew me back then and were also a fan of mine, why were you always against me? You'd insult me at any given chance and leave me in embarrassing situations. Are you schizophrenic?" Joanna asked out of curiosity.
After spending only a short amount of time with him, she already had a completely different opinion of him.
Perhaps, he wasn't as corrupted on the inside as she had thought. Perhaps … he just wasn't that easy to deal with