Chapter 370: Chapter 369: Lacking Love

Seeing the confusion in Jenna Shaw’s eyes, Naomi Kenway wasn’t sure how to answer.

“You really are a silly girl,” Naomi Kenway sighed.

“I know,” Jenna Shaw said. “I think I’m pretty silly, too. I’ve never been able to tell if people are good or bad. When I was little, I’d get tricked out of my money, and when I got older, I was tricked out of a house. My mom always said I was too naive and let my guard down too easily. But I really can’t tell the difference. I can’t get a read on Walter Ford’s attitude…”

Just as Naomi Kenway was about to speak, Jenna Shaw continued, “But he’s changed a lot recently. He’s even started going shopping with me. It makes me so happy. I love him so much, and just having him by my side is enough to make me happy.”

“When we were young, Mom was very strict with my brother and me. She didn’t want us to date, thinking it would affect our studies. One time, she found a love letter in my brother’s schoolbag and made him kneel in the living room all night. She thought it was a sign of delinquency, a terrible sin. I feel so guilty, because I was actually the one who slipped that love letter into his bag for someone else. My brother was always lecturing me with a stern face, so I just wanted to play a prank on him. I never expected…”

At this, Jenna Shaw’s gaze fell. She quickly glanced around, making sure Ethan Shaw was really downstairs working in his study.

Naomi Kenway took out a handkerchief and dabbed the tears from the corner of her eye. “Don’t cry, Jenna. What happened after that?”

“Afterward… my brother still didn’t hold it against me, but I still feel so guilty. Even now, thinking back, I feel guilty. I should have been the one kneeling in the living room. My brother never really liked me much, and I still went and made him angry…”

“Why would you think that? I can tell that Ethan Shaw cares about you.”

Jenna Shaw shook her head. “That’s just because he grew up. When he was little, he rarely smiled and was dismissive of everyone. He only smiled once in a while. After he grew up, he started smiling at everyone, including me. I know it’s not that his attitude toward me changed. It’s just that he matured. It’s a personality change. It has nothing to do with me.”

“That’s not right,” Naomi Kenway said firmly. “You’re his sister. He cares about you and wants to protect you.”

Jenna Shaw shook her head again. “Maybe it’s just because I’m his sister. He’s forced to be nice to me out of familial obligation.”

“He’s not being forced.”

Jenna Shaw smiled. “Alright, Sister-in-law, let’s not talk about that anymore. I’ll tell you more about my childhood. The truth is, I had very few friends when I was little. Mom only let me play with the neighbor’s kids, but they were mean and I didn’t really like them. One boy loved to pull my hair, so one day I secretly got a pair of scissors and, when he wasn’t looking, I chopped all his hair off.”

At this, Jenna Shaw laughed aloud, her eyes filled with delight. “He deserved it! Then, around junior high, I met Walter Ford. He was completely different from everyone else. Our school had these wisteria vines that bloomed so beautifully! Walter loved to read in the pavilion underneath them. He was so handsome and fair-skinned, and when he held a book, he looked like someone straight out of a TV drama. I was obsessed with romance novels back then. I’d secretly buy them and hide them in my room. Every time I saw Walter, I thought he was my Prince Charming.”

“Later, we ended up in the same class, and he sat right behind me. I loved to play sports, so I always smelled a little sweaty, but he was different. He always smelled so nice. I didn’t know what the scent was, but it was just wonderful. He was so gentle. He was gentle when he explained homework problems to me and never got annoyed with me. He was gentle when he’d bring me lunch. He was so gentle it felt unreal. No one had ever been so thoughtful and considerate to me before…”

Watching Jenna Shaw’s nostalgic expression, Naomi Kenway felt as if she were seeing the reflection of the lovestruck young girl she used to be.

“We got closer and closer. One time, when I went over to his house, I found out we had actually known each other as children. The Shaw Family and the Ford Family used to live very close to each other, but then the Ford Family moved away. After our college entrance exams, we went to study abroad together. With our parents’ blessing, we made our relationship official. I thought that was my happy ending.”

The smile on Jenna Shaw’s face slowly faded. “I don’t know what happened. Did I change, or did he? He’s become more and more impatient with me. I’ve heard from friends that he secretly dates other women behind my back. I’ve confronted him, but he just says I’m being too suspicious. And then there’s his secretary. Walter Ford takes his secretary everywhere he goes. He says he’s busy with work and needs her for constant updates, but it makes me so miserable. Why do the three of us have to go on dates together?”

As she listened, Naomi Kenway’s brow furrowed. She had never understood how someone as straightforward as Jenna Shaw could be so indecisive when it came to her relationship. Now, she finally got it. Jenna had grown up starved for affection. She saw Walter Ford as a gift from the heavens, a life raft to a drowning person. Combined with a classic case of imprinting, her love for him was so deep she couldn’t escape it.

Noticing Naomi Kenway’s expression, Jenna Shaw quickly said, “I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I can’t seem to shut my mouth. I meant for this chat to cheer you up, but I just made things worse. I’m so sorry for ruining your mood.”

“It’s alright,” Naomi Kenway said, looking at her gently. “I’m glad you felt you could share all this with me.”

Jenna Shaw smiled and put an arm around Naomi Kenway’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re not upset, Sister-in-law.”

“Jenna,” Naomi Kenway said thoughtfully, “this Walter Ford is definitely a problem. He and his secretary are way too close. A three-person date sounds completely absurd. And… I’ve smelled perfume on him before. A woman’s perfume. It was a very sweet scent, and I remember you don’t like to wear perfume…”

“Sweet? Was it a grapefruit scent?”

Naomi Kenway thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up. “Yes, it was.”

The light in Jenna Shaw’s eyes instantly dimmed. She felt the world she had built on wishful thinking slowly crumbling around her. Forcing a smile, she said, “So it’s really true… Thank you, Sister-in-law. Thank you for telling me.”

*

Jenna Shaw wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she arrived at Walter Ford’s office. Ignoring his assistant’s attempts to stop her, she pushed the door right open. She saw the two of them pressed close together. Strands of Crystal Bishop’s hair brushed intimately against Walter Ford’s face, her cheeks flushed as they whispered to each other.

Jenna Shaw couldn’t see Walter Ford’s expression, but she noticed Crystal Bishop’s coy look as she leaned in, as if about to kiss him.

“Walter Ford!” Jenna Shaw’s voice rang out, unable to be contained.

Walter Ford violently shoved Crystal Bishop away. For some reason, the fear of being caught red-handed surged through him, overwhelming every other emotion.

Crystal Bishop cried out in pain, but Walter Ford just shot to his feet, flustered. “Why did you come in without knocking?”

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