Chapter 20 Intimidation

• Jonathan took a wine glass and poured some wine for himself. Without hesitation, he took a sip and said, “Cyclops, you're lucky to be standing in front of who I am now. If it were me from half a year ago, you would have been dead already. Trust me. I have the power to do so.”
• Cyclops started breaking out in cold sweat as he could feel the domineering aura exuded from Jonathan. He knew that Jonathan was not bluffing and that he should take his threats seriously.
• Jonathan continued, “I'll let you go this time because I don't want to cause any trouble. However, this is the last warning. If you mess around behind my back again, you will pay the price with your life. Don't even dare try to play games with Rose Couture because the next time you do that, it will be the last thing you'd do in this life!”
• That last sentence would strike fear even in the toughest men.
• Cyclops had to stop himself from shivering in fear.
• Without another word, Jonathan got up and left.
• Cyclops was stunned, his eyes drifting toward the wine glass that Jonathan had used just now.
• The moment he set his eyes on the glass, the color drained from his face.
• It was because the base of the glass was embedded in the wooden coffee table.
• He had managed to embed the brittle, fragile glass in the wooden table without making any sound. This man is no joke.
• Meanwhile, Jonathan was strolling down a street. The street was brightly lit and lively.
• He let out a sigh and advised himself that he was no longer abroad and needed to be more careful with what he was doing.
• When he was out of the country, respect was only accorded to the ones who were powerful. He would just finish off any provocateurs without facing any consequences during the time when he was abroad.
• However, this method could not be done in this country. That was why he chose to use an intimidation tactic this time.
• Jonathan might seem like a casual and careless person, but he was actually a very capable man. In the blink of an eye, he could come up with infinite strategies to come out on top.
• For example, he had somehow tricked Borat into smashing the wrong car and making Polly into returning the car.
• Logically speaking, the intimidation tactic used on Cyclops would have caused him to not do anything reckless anymore because it was clear that Cyclops was no match for Jonathan. However, Jonathan overlooked Cyclops' identity. The latter was a disciple of Strikezone Martial Arts, and he had many powerful masters and peers.
• Cyclops always acted like a bully. However, Jonathan made him the victim that day. To Cyclops, that was unacceptable and was a huge shame to his name.
• The moment Jonathan left, Cyclops immediately contacted his senior, Nirvana.
• “Nirvana!” Cyclops' voice was slightly shaky.
• Over the phone came a cold male voice. “What is it?”
• “Nirvana, I'm in trouble,” said Cyclops.
• The man asked in a calm, frosty voice, “What's wrong?”
• Nirvana was regarded as an emotionless man without feelings. Cyclops always thought of him as haughty. That was why Cyclops would reluctant to ask for Nirvana's help unless it was absolutely necessary.
• However, Cyclops could not deny the fact that Nirvana was indeed very powerful.
• Cyclops took a deep breath and replied, “I met an expert here in Horington.”
• The man uttered icily, “There are plenty of experts in Chanaea. They will leave you alone as long as you don't provoke them.”
• “That's the problem. I've angered one of them. Now, he wants me dead. I won't be able to escape his wrath without your help. Please help me!”
• After a long moment of silence, the man inquired, “What's his name? How powerful is he?”
• “His name is Jonathan, and he just came back from Smealand. There's a possibility that he was a mercenary or an assassin in the past. It was just now when he...”
• Cyclops proceeded to explain how Jonathan had embedded the base of a wine glass in a wooden table. However, he did not mention the fact that he was intimidated and astonished by Jonathan's capability. Instead, he told his senior that Jonathan was trying to extort money from him.
• “Nirvana, if I don't hand him three million in two days, he'll kill me,” said Cyclops. “I am a disciple of Strikezone Martial Arts. If I give in to him, this story will get out and hurt our image. Don't you think so?”
• “Embedding a wine glass in a wooden table, huh?” Nirvana exclaimed. “He truly is an expert. I'm coming over right now.”
• With that, Nirvana hung up.
• Cyclops heaved a sigh of relief. Now that he had Nirvana's help, the former was no longer afraid of Jonathan. Besides, he had a vast network of connections to aid him.
• Furthermore, he was not afraid of Nirvana finding out that he had lied.
• Even if his senior discovered it, Cyclops believed Nirvana would still help him.
• After Jonathan went back home, he immediately went to bed and fell asleep. After all, he was not a man who liked to overthink matters.
• The next morning, he was naturally late again due to his lack of discipline.
• In front of Maple Mansion, Jonathan greeted two ladies and brought them into the car. After they got in the car, Jessica complained, “Can't you be on time for once?”
• Jonathan laughed and said, “I'll definitely be on time next time!”
• “Only a fool will trust you on that.” Jessica rolled her eyes.
• Meanwhile, Yasmin was rather quiet. She could not care less about Jonathan. Rather than complaining, she said, “Starting from tomorrow, Jessica, we'll drive to work ourselves.”
• Jessica nodded. “All right, but what about Cyclops and Jane?”
• Jonathan reassured, “Don't worry about Cyclops and Jane. They won't come back anymore.”
• “Why?” the ladies asked in unison.
• As he drove, he replied, “Last night, I spoke with Cyclops and taught him a few life lessons. He was touched, and he regretted what he had done. He was sobbing when he promised me that he wouldn't cause any more trouble.”
• Upon hearing that, Jessica and Yasmin understood the situation. Even when Jonathan joked around a lot, they knew that he had come up with some sort of agreement with Cyclops.
• The two ladies breathed a sigh of relief.
• Ever since the incident involving Cyclops, Yasmin and Jessica treated Jonathan as one of their own. Moreover, Yasmin handed him a bank card with one hundred thousand in it as a reward.
• Jonathan happily accepted the card. Wow! This lady isn't that bad. In fact, she's a pretty cool boss.
• Yasmin was naive, but she was not stupid. She knew Jonathan was a priceless treasure. It would be better to treat him nicely and keep him around. Besides, she even allowed him to drive her BMW around. She also dismissed his job so that he did not have to drive them to work anymore.
• If Jonathan was busy, he did not have to fetch them back from work as well.
• Nevertheless, Yasmin was still worried about Jonathan's living conditions. She said, “I have an old, vacant house. If you don't mind, you can stay there. There are two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room. Once it's cleaned, it will be a pretty good place to stay.”
• Jonathan was lazy to move out, so he immediately rejected her offer. “Ms. Smith, I'm a man. I hope I can work my way up and buy my own house. I can't have it this easy.”
• Yasmin was shocked. “You've got a strong spirit. Forget it then. Well, I won't force you.”
• Jessica asked with a twinge of doubt, “Is he just too lazy to move out?”
• Jonathan laughed to hide his awkward expression. Being favored by the CEO made his work life much easier. All the ladies looked at him differently. He felt as if he was the luckiest man alive.
• In actuality, even though Yasmin was the CEO of Rose Couture, Jessica was the major shareholder.
• The former was able to build the company due to two main reasons. Firstly, she had talent in clothing design. Besides, she had received help from her uncle in terms of wealth and manpower.
• Yasmin's uncle was a politician, so he had more manpower. Even though he had limited financial support for her, the company got what they needed from Jessica's grandfather.
• Jessica's hometown was Fairlake. Her grandfather, Morgan Hayes, was also known as Martial King of Fairlake.
• Morgan opened up a martial arts academy in Fairlake. A lot of the disciples there were from prominent families.
• However, Jessica did not know much about her grandfather because she grew up overseas. Yasmin was also studying abroad at the time. Thus, the two met and became friends. After finishing their studies, they came back and set up a company.
• At that time, Jessica went back to Fairlake to see her grandfather. She told him that she was going to start a business. Jessica being his favorite, Morgan gave his unconditional support.
• Most people did not know about Jessica's background because even she was not clear about it as well. The title, Martial King of Fairlake, was only famous in the world of martial arts.
• Just like how every industry had its own community, the world of martial arts was only known by the people who practiced martial arts.
• That was why Cyclops had no clue about Jessica's relations. Otherwise, he would have been warier of his actions.
• In the afternoon, Jonathan wandered into Jennifer's office. They had not had much contact recently. Ever since he was rejected, he had no reason to talk with her anymore.
• Currently, Jennifer was taking an afternoon nap on the couch.
• Jonathan walked in quietly, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of something interesting. However, she had her legs closed together tightly, and she slept facing inside.
• However, that made her bottom covered by her black skirt look even sexier, causing Jonathan to have a strong desire to pinch her bottom.
• Needless to say, it was all just a thought.
• Just then, Jennifer woke up. She immediately sat straight up the moment she saw Jonathan. Her expression darkened as she questioned, “What are you doing in my office? Don't you know how to knock on the door?”
• He chuckled, trying to ease the tension in the air. “Jen, we've already known each other for so long. Do I still need to knock first?”
• “Even if I were your wife, you would have to knock as well!” Jennifer bellowed.
• “All right. Even if you're my wife, I will still knock next time,” replied Jonathan happily.
• Jennifer felt a mix of embarrassment and anger, as she knew she had fallen for his trap. “What do you want?” she asked, cutting to the chase.
• “Oh, it's nothing! I just wanted to check if you needed a blanket. I'm worried that you might catch a cold.” He smirked shamelessly.
• “Thanks for your concern. I'm fine. Now, get out.”
• Feeling awful, he rubbed his nose. Sometimes, she's warm and passionate, but she treats me so coldly the next moment. What is wrong with her?
• “Fine.” He lost all interest and left.
• Seeing him leave, Jennifer felt a sense of regret. Did I treat him too harshly?
• She did not hate him. She just did not know how to face him and their relationship. Thus, she chose to give him the cold shoulder.
• However, Jennifer was afraid that she had hurt Jonathan's self-esteem.
• What she did not know was that her worries were actually unnecessary.