Chapter 117

"Oh, God," Joanna sighed heavily. She was terrified of Bruce. She couldn't afford to offend him or hide from him; he constantly threatened and bullied her.

Seeing Joanna's serious expression, Jaydon was at a loss for words. He wanted to comfort her, thinking, "I can protect Joanna and solve her problems if a man bothers her." But the man harassing Joanna was Bruce. "I can't do anything about Bruce!" he despaired.

Ten minutes later, Joanna still hadn't returned Bruce's call. Bruce lived in the luxurious Sherane Bay Villa. After his divorce from Joanna, he'd moved back to his old residence. This opulent villa overlooked the sea and stood alone on the mountaintop. The Greyport mayor lived in the villa to the left, and a high-ranking Mossbourne official resided in the mansion to the right.

At that moment, Bruce was furious, on the verge of exploding. He paced the living room, the sea visible through the window. His handsome face contorted with rage. He shouted, "Damn it, Joanna! How dare you ignore my calls again?!" He sneered, "Heh, do you think you're safe just because you don't answer?" His thick eyebrows furrowed, paranoia creeping back in.

Soon, Bruce drove to Joanna's residence.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

He pounded on the door.

Tracy, hearing the insistent knocking, hurried to answer. She was dumbfounded to see Bruce. Remembering his last visit, when he'd smashed everything, she wondered, "Why is he here today?" His terrible expression betrayed his anger. He demanded gloomily, "Where's Joanna? Open the door! I want to see her!"

"Mr. Everett… Miss Haynes… she's not home!" Tracy stammered nervously.

"Joanna's not home?" Bruce raised an eyebrow, his disbelief evident in his frown. Seeing his skepticism, Tracy quickly opened a second door, ushering him inside. "Miss Haynes is not home. If you don't believe me, come and see for yourself."

Bruce's anger intensified. "Where did Joanna go?"

"I don't know," Tracy replied.

"Who did she go out with?"

"Miss Haynes… Miss Haynes took the children out." Tracy stuttered, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Relieved she hadn't mentioned Jaydon, she thought, "Last time, Mr. Everett got jealous and fought with Mr. Grimm. If he knew Miss Haynes was with Mr. Grimm, he'd probably smash everything again!"

Bruce seemed slightly mollified and left.

Tracy cried, "Oh my God! I'm almost scared to death!" She closed the door, patting her chest.

"Who was it?" Miranda and Kelly emerged, curious about the commotion.

"It's Mr. Everett!" Tracy said nervously. "Oh my God, you should have seen him! He was terrifying!"

"What brought him here?" Miranda and Kelly, having been in Venturas for months, were unaware of the situation in Greyport.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Tracy replied. "He pesters Miss Haynes every day!" She muttered, "No, no! I have to call Miss Haynes and warn her."

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Joanna's phone vibrated. It was Tracy.

"Hello, Tracy. Is everything okay?" Joanna asked, answering the call.

Tracy's fearful voice replied, "Miss Haynes, Mr. Everett was just here!"

"What?" Joanna's heart leaped.

"You should call him back," Tracy urged. "He looked awful, ready to fight anyone."

Joanna frowned. "He didn't cause trouble, did he?"

"No," Tracy replied. "But his tone was terrible, and he looked awful. I didn't dare tell him you were with Mr. Grimm. I just said you were out with the children. Maybe calling him back would help."

"Alright," Joanna said, hanging up. She sighed in frustration. "This is so annoying!"

Jaydon, suddenly nervous, asked, "What's wrong?"

Joanna, looking helpless, replied, "I might have to move again."

Jaydon was stunned. "Did Bruce go to your place?"

"Yeah. He's haunting me," Joanna said.

Jaydon sighed. "I'm afraid he'll find you anywhere in Greyport." He thought, Joanna and I would have a chance together without Bruce… but that chance is fading.

Joanna felt even more frustrated. She thought, Jaydon's right. Greyport is Bruce's city. No matter where I hide, he'll find me. That's why I need to launch my factory in Mossbourne, transfer my business there, and move. The further away from Bruce, the better! If the Porash business thrives, I'll expand to other northern cities.

Five minutes later, Jaydon stopped the car. A huge sign read: Hudter Bay Pictures.

"Here we are. Let's go!"

"Yay! Yay!" The children cheered.

Jaydon hesitated. "Maybe… you should call Bruce back?"

"No need," Joanna said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "I won't let him control me. If I call, he'll push further. He'll keep doing this if he knows I'm scared. Just ignore him!"

"Mommy, who are you talking about?" Irvin asked.

"No one. Get out of the car," Joanna said.

"Okay."

Irvin whispered to Davian, "Is Mommy talking about Bruce?"

Davian nodded seriously. "I think so."

"Hmph! That bad guy keeps bothering Mommy!" Irvin huffed.

Davian's face was tense. "Hmm, we need to think of a way to deal with him!"

"Davian, is Bruce really our daddy?" Irvin asked.

"How is that possible?" Davian scoffed.

"It's likely! If he's our daddy, we'll be rich! I heard he's the richest man in Greyport!"

Davian snorted. "Hmph, I don't care if he's rich. I'll teach him a lesson if he bullies Mommy!"

"Davian, Irvin, what are you talking about?" Lilia asked.

"Nothing!" they replied.

Joanna opened the back door. "Davian, Irvin, hurry up!"

"Okay! Okay!"

The boys unbuckled and jumped out. Jaydon retrieved a wheeled stretcher from the trunk. Joanna carefully lifted Lilia into it. Lilia, though four, was light, like a two-year-old.

"Here, be careful!" Jaydon helped Joanna secure Lilia. "Irvin, let's go to the photography studio for the audition!"

Irvin, forgetting his unhappiness, exclaimed, "Yes, Mr. Grimm!" He shouted, "Davian, Lilia, I'm going in!"

"Good luck!"

Joanna waited outside with Davian and Lilia while Jaydon took Irvin into the dressing room.

Meanwhile, Bruce, furious after leaving Joanna's, immediately called Andy.

"Hello, Mr. Everett. What can I do for you?" Andy answered promptly.

"Andy, find out where Joanna is," Bruce ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Everett!"

Using satellite tracking, Andy soon located Joanna. "Mr. Everett, Miss Haynes is at Hudter Bay Pictures. I'm sending her location."

"Hudter Bay Pictures?"

"Yes."

Jealousy consumed Bruce. He thought, Jaydon works at a film company. She's probably seeing him. "Send me her location!"

"I already did."

Bruce hung up, starting his car and heading to Hudter Bay Pictures, muttering, "Joanna, you'll regret this if you're with Jaydon!"

His rage was evident to Andy, who quickly called Kody, instructing him to bring extra bodyguards to Hudter Bay Pictures. "I sent you an address. Mr. Everett's going alone."

"No problem."