I Fooled The Goddess Into Pitying Me-Chapter 45: The Real One (2)

"You smell like another woman," Anna whispered, smelling his neck. "Tell me, was it fun? Did you enjoy her lips, or was her touch more enticing?"

Before Jack could say anything, Anna undid her robe. The robe fell off her shoulder, revealing the black lace bra she wore. Her breathing grew rapid as she averted her gaze.

The cold and aloof woman was long gone as she nervously fiddled with Jack’s belt with trembling fingers.

"I know I told you that you’re free to do what you want," she said, quivering. "But... I can’t tolerate it! If you’re that hungry for someone, then let me be the one to satisfy you. No one else!"

Just as she was about to take the belt off, Jack grabbed her hands. Anna didn’t look at him. Her gaze was fixed on his hands as tears welled up in her eyes. She refused to cry, but the tears were there.

"...you hate me, don’t you?" she whispered, as a tear slipped down her cheek.

It was the first time Jack had seen her so vulnerable. Before, she had always been the cold, untouchable goddess, but now she was just broken. She was opening herself to him.

Such a sight would have softened any man but Jack.

Women like Anna were troublesome.

Strong, possessive, and emotional.

These three qualities were like a nuke waiting to set off. In his past life, he would’ve avoided them altogether, but the past user of his body had made a mess.

It was too late to ignore her, so he decided to go all out and make her understand the difference between the Jack she knew and the Jack he was.

Anna tried to get off him, but before she could, Jack pushed her back on the sofa. Their roles had changed. He was on top of her like he should have been long ago. Grabbing her wrists with one hand, his other hand hovered around her waist.

Jack’s sudden boldness took her by surprise, but she didn’t resist. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, waiting for Jack’s touch on her body.

She waited and waited, but nothing happened.

She opened her eyes again and saw Jack standing next to her with his back turned. Her eyes traveled down, only to see her robe had been tied back neatly.

"Don’t pull this stunt again," Jack said, fixing his cuffs. "The Jack you remembered might have liked it, but I don’t. I’m a scumbag, through and through."

Anna remained quiet, perhaps surprised by his sudden coldness. Even if he had lost his memories, Jack had still been timid around her. But suddenly, all that was gone.

She wondered if the encounter with Cindy had changed him when Jack’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"I don’t care about love, not from you, and not from anyone else. I don’t know what kind of man the old Jack was, but the one standing here now can’t give you what you want."

Jack turned to face her. After all, some things should be said face-to-face.

"You want love, and I can’t give you that. So stop this farce and let me go. Your Jack is gone, and the feelings he had for you disappeared with him."

Anna’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. From the first time she saw him, there was a doubt in her mind that he wasn’t her Jack. Yet, she kept pushing, thinking eventually her Jack would return.

Now her hopes were gone, just like her Jack.

As for Jack, he noticed her downcast expression and smiled on the inside.

[Host’s strategy might not work this time.]

Believe me, it will.

Anna was indeed a troublesome woman, one Jack would ignore. But not this time. After all, he had a system to deal with her if things got out of hand.

[There’s a chance she might break mentally.]

Be as it may. She wants this body, not me. Too bad I only desire women who only belong to me.

[Your feat will still be recognized, regardless of who she sees in you.]

That’s not how I work. To get this body, she has to want me for me, not some useless fuck who used to be here before me.

Jenna couldn’t comprehend what Jack was doing. She was willing to spread her legs for him. What else did the stubborn host want?

As for Jack, he just scoffed inwardly. A basic construct like Jenna didn’t know the concept of belonging. Jack doesn’t just want to sleep around to complete the task.

He wants all these women to belong to him and him alone. By hook or crook.

Let’s boost the performance to another level, shall we?

Seeing how Anna was having trouble deciding, Jack let out an exaggerated sigh as he turned to leave.

"Since it’s come to this," he said, "I’ll leave everything behind that belongs to you. It should help you move on quicker."

[You’re doomed.]

Despite Jenna’s warning, Jack kept smiling, and then... a notification appeared before him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[Target: Anna Simorelli’s affection +20%]

[Current Affection: 52.5%]

[$20,000 was added to the card.]

[Current Balance: $1,053,899]

Got anything to say?

Jack teased Jenna, but she was absolutely quiet. She couldn’t believe her eyes. According to her calculations, Anna should have thrown Jack out and her affection should have dropped to zero. Instead, her affection increased, that too by a surprising amount.

[How... is this possible?]

You don’t know women like I do. That’s all.

Although Jack sounded cocky, he knew it was just a gamble that paid off.

A woman like Anna was used to having everything and everyone in their control. So how would she react if she suddenly lost control over the person she cared about most?

She could either go batshit crazy and imprison him forcefully, or she could stop and think about her feelings, and swallow her pride, just to please them and hope they notice the change.

Thankfully, she chose the latter. I almost got worried there for a second.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Anna got up and approached him.

"You’re right," she said. "I was wrong."

The next moment, she slipped the shabby-looking ring off her finger and handed it to Jack.

"The Jack I knew is gone. So I’ll stop chasing him."

Jack took the ring, wondering what he should do now when Anna suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in.

"I’ll move on, like you said, and pursue you now."

Jack smiled, grabbing her wrist before pulling her close, till their lips were about to meet.

"Are you sure about that?"

Anna didn’t back down and smirked right back.

"You said it yourself. You’re not him," she said, leaning in. "But that just means I get to fall in love with you all over again, starting now."

She pulled him in, feeling his lips over hers. Despite the tension between the two, their kiss wasn’t wild, it was slow and savoring.

Their lips moved in sync like they’d done this a hundred times before, but this one felt like the first.

After all, there was no past between them.

Only this moment.