"Bro Jay, take them to the station first," James instructed Jay Johnson, who had automatically started driving toward the hospital.
James didn't want to go to the hospital. He was worried the doctors might get too curious about his body and cause unnecessary trouble.
"Boss, are you sure you're okay?" Jay Johnson asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine. It's probably just a fracture. It'll heal in a couple of days," James said confidently.
Jay Johnson didn't know how to respond to that statement.
After a moment of silence, he obediently made a U-turn at the next intersection.
The car fell into a strange silence.
Bella Kennedy, hearing how eager James was to get rid of her, felt a fresh wave of sadness and started wiping away her tears again.
Asa, sitting in the front, sensed the awkward atmosphere and didn't dare to speak.
After a long while, James said softly, "Stop crying."
His words didn't stop her tears; in fact, she accidentally let out a sob.
"Seriously? You were so tough before. Now a few words, and you're falling apart?"
James handed her a tissue from the car's console.
"Come on, I'm not dead. What are you crying for?"
Bella looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, but she didn't say anything.
"Hey, if you behave, we can still have fun together," James said with a grin, his tone as teasing as ever.
Bella choked back a sob. "But didn't you say you never wanted to see me again?"
Her pitiful expression was endearing, like an innocent girl seeking comfort after being rejected.
It was hard to believe that a spoiled rich girl like her could have such a vulnerable side.
James chuckled. "Yeah, if you keep acting like this, I really don't want to hang out with you. No manners, barging into people's homes and acting all high and mighty. If it weren't for your dad, I would've tied you up and given you a good spanking."
Seeing her stunned silence, James continued his psychological manipulation.
"I'm not like those sycophants who fawn all over you. I believe in treating people how they treat me. If you were a little nicer and stopped acting so wild, we could probably be good friends."
If she improved her behavior, the system might give her some extra points.
With the affection points he had gained from saving her twice, getting a reward should be a piece of cake.
Even without the points, having the daughter of a powerful man as a friend would be beneficial.
At the very least, it would give him some connections, which could make things easier for him in the future.
James's mind was racing, calculating his next move.
He stared at Bella with anticipation.
"But I don't know how to be gentle," Bella said, flustered. She lowered her head, looking insecure.
James smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll teach you. All you have to do is add a littleè¯æ°å©è¯ at the end of your sentences. Like this..."
He gently took her hand and said in a playful, exaggerated tone, "Okay, honey? Got it, babe. I understand, sweetie. You're so amazing, dear."
"Pfftâ"
Asa, sitting in the front, couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.
She quickly covered her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles, but ended up coughing instead.
Noticing James's glance, she quickly apologized, "Sorry, Mr. King, I didn't mean to... I mean, sorry, dear~."
Seeing how quickly she caught on, James nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Bella.
"See? Asa's a fast learner. Now, you try."
Bella's face was already flushed from having her hand held, but now, being asked to say those cheesy lines, her face turned even redder.
She glanced at James shyly, and seeing the encouragement in his eyes, she steeled herself and forced out the words,
"S-Sorry, honey~."
Asa was stunned.
She couldn't believe Bella actually said it.
Was this the same proud, fierce young woman she knew?
Could this man really tame her?
Unbelievable.
She looked at James, who was clearly pleased with himself, and felt a sense of awe.
Bella's shy, soft-spoken apology was surprisingly satisfying to James's ears. A wicked grin spread across his face.
"That's it! Keep it up. From now on, talk to me like that."
Bella, seeing that he had accepted her apology, relaxed slightly.
She had been so overwhelmed with guilt and sadness earlier that she hadn't had time to think.
Now that she had calmed down, she realized something was off. If she had to talk like this all the time, what would happen to her dignity?
Absolutely not.
"One time is enough. Don't push it," Bella said, pouting slightly.
"Don't you want to be friends?" James asked with a smile.
Bella rolled her eyes, thinking, What kind of friends talk to each other like that?
"You should get Shirley to talk to you like that. I can't do it," she retorted, grabbing a tissue to wipe her tears and blow her nose.
She was slowly returning to her usual self.
James wasn't in a hurry. It wasn't realistic to expect a fiery girl like her to turn into a gentle lamb overnight. He'd take it slow.
After a brief silence, Bella, still worried about his injury, asked,
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital? You're hurt pretty badly."
"It's no big deal, just a fracture."
"You know it's a fracture, and you still say it's no big deal?"
Bella's eyes widened in disbelief. She reached out to touch his forehead.
"Did you hit your head or something?"
"You think you can diagnose a head injury by touching my forehead?"
James swatted her hand away, annoyed at her habit of touching him without permission.
No manners at all. How am I supposed to train her like this?
"Why are you being so mean?" Bella mumbled, rubbing her hand.
Without realizing it, she had added a littleè¯æ°å©è¯, just as James had taught her.
"You don't have to drop us off. We should go to the hospital first," she added.
Asa chimed in, "Yeah, Mr. King, are you sure you're okay? I saw you flying through the air. It looked really serious."
"I know some kung fu, light-body technique. It looked dramatic, but I landed skillfully," James said, making up an excuse.
But to his surprise, Bella's eyes widened.
"You know light-body technique?" she asked, her voice full of wonder.
"What? Is that a problem?"
"Does it really exist? I've always dreamed of becoming a martial arts heroine. I even went to Shaolin Temple to ask the monks, but they all said there's no such thing as internal energy or light-body technique," Bella said excitedly.
"You really have too much time on your hands," James commented, a hint of envy in his voice.
He had similar fantasies as a child, but growing up poor, he had to worry about putting food on the table, let alone learning martial arts.
Hearing this rich girl casually mention going to Shaolin Temple made him a little jealous.
"Hey, how did you learn it?" Bella asked, leaning closer.
She propped herself up on the seat with both hands, bringing her face close to his.
Her starry eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Even though they were still a little puffy from crying, she looked incredibly cute.
James composed himself and playfully poked her forehead with his finger, pushing her head back.
"You want to learn?" he asked with a teasing smile.
"Yes, yes!" Bella nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at grain.
James teased, "My martial arts are only passed down to men, not women, and only to family members, not outsiders."
"Oh?"
"Would you consider becoming family?"
Bella's cheeks flushed crimson. She glared at him and scoffed,
"Hmph, scumbag!"
James laughed.
"Didn't you say that if you woke up, you wouldn't call me a scumbag anymore? And that you would listen to me? Now I'm asking you to call me husband, and you won't even do that?"
Bella was both embarrassed and angry. "You dare take advantage of me? Don't think that just because you're injured, I won't hit you."
James challenged her, "Come on, then. I'll give you a free hand."
Bella puffed up her cheeks and looked away, refusing to engage with the infuriating man.
Being around him, she found herself constantly getting angry. He always managed to manipulate her emotions, making her feel both love and hate toward him.
And the worst part was, she couldn't even get mad at him.
He had just gotten hurt saving her life. If she hit him now and made his injuries worse, she might have to take care of him in the hospital.
She'd be damned if she was going to do that.
He can dream on.
As Bella thought about it, she imagined him lying in a hospital bed, moaning in pain, and a mischievous smile crept onto her face.
James watched her, puzzled.
Is this woman losing her mind?
They sat in silence for a while before Bella spoke again, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Calling you 'husband' is out of the question," she said firmly.
"What?"
James was confused by her sudden statement.
Who's 'out of the question'? What's 'out of the question'? Why is it 'out of the question'?
"I mean, other than calling you that, what else do you want me to call you?"
When the girl said this, her face was a little red, and the tone was also a little off.
James pondered for a moment, unable to decipher her meaning.
"Grandpa?"
"Go away!"
"Master?"
"..."
"Your Majesty?"
Bella gave him a playful shove.
Her usually weak punch was even weaker this time, barely making contact with his arm. It felt more like a caress than a hit.
"Can't you be serious for once?" she asked, her tone laced with a hint of something more.
Asa, in the front seat, couldn't help but marvel at the scene unfolding behind her.
If she weren't there, who knew what these two might be doing in the back of the car.
"'Master' is perfectly serious. Shirley calls me that all the time in private," James said with a straight face.
Bella huffed and crossed her arms, settling back into her seat.
She remembered Shirley occasionally calling James "Master" during their late-night phone calls.
And Asa, when she was live-streaming, also called him "Master."
Having heard it so often, Bella wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, but her pride wouldn't allow her to say it.
A proud young lady like her, using such a submissive term? She just couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Try another one," she said stubbornly.
"No."
"You're so unreasonable! And shameless!"
"..."
James was taken aback. He hadn't forced her to say anything.
"If you don't like this one or that one, what do you want to call me?" he asked, exasperated.
Bella's eyes darted around as she thought for a moment.
Then, a blush crept onto her cheeks as an idea struck her.
She peeked at James shyly and whispered,
"How about... how about I call you 'brother' too?"
Hearing a proud girl like Bella call him "brother" in such a delicate tone was quite a thrill.
It was even more exciting than hearing it from a naturally soft-spoken girl.
James's heart fluttered.
"Alright," he said teasingly, "but in private, when no one else is around, you have to call me 'Master'."
"Hmph, dream on, you scumbag," Bella retorted, playfully hitting him again.
Most of their journey was filled with this kind of playful banter.
James enjoyed his interactions with Bella.
He could be himself around her, say whatever he wanted without holding back.
Although Bella seemed to show some signs of liking him, he had no intention of pursuing herâfor now.
He wanted to build up his own resources and power before trying to truly tame this wildcat.
When they arrived at the station parking lot, James wasted no time in shooing them away.
"Alright, off you go. And don't go running into traffic with your eyes closed anymore," he said.
"Scumbag, are you sure you don't need us to take you to the hospital?" Bella asked, still concerned.
"No, no, I won't see you off. Have a safe trip," James replied, waving them off with a smile.
Bella opened the car door and reluctantly looked at James, only to see him waving happily at her, his smile broad and carefree.
She huffed softly and got out of the car.
James reminded her, "And don't tell Shirley about my other women, okay?"
Bella turned and glared at him, unable to hold back her true feelings any longer.
"Hey, can't you be a little less... promiscuous?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of desperation.
Then, realizing how strange her request sounded, she quickly added,
"Isn't our Shirley enough for you? Why do you have to go around messing with other women all the time?"
"This isn't messing around. I just want to give the girls who like me a home," James said with a grin.
"You scumbag. Go to hell," Bella muttered, slamming the car door shut and walking away without looking back.
This dog of a man will die on a woman's bed one day, she thought bitterly.
James watched them until they disappeared into the station.
Then, with a slight shake of his head, he settled back into the car and tried to move his legs.
He found that lifting them was still incredibly difficult.
Although he could feel his bones slowly mending and his cells repairing the damage, he knew it would be several days before he could walk normally again.
This injury was more serious than he had initially thought.
Luckily, his enhanced nervous system had significantly lowered his pain perception.
What would have been excruciating pain to an ordinary person felt like a mere bruise to him.
It hurt, but it was bearable.
Now, the question was: should he go to Amanda's place to recuperate, or back to Tailsa's villa?