"I can't stop replaying that stupid kiss in my head!" Paul groaned.

"I'm absolutely positive that I did not come here to hear about your... situation." Jason sat opposite his pacing best friend with a bored smile playing on his lips.

"You are insufferable. Can't you at least pretend to be sympathetic? I just kissed someone's girlfriend."

"I thought you hated Katherine's new boyfriend." Jason replied.

"Of course I do, be is a stoic and emotionally insensitive man. Katherine deserves someone who would understand her before she speaks, because she rarely does. Not about her feelings anyway." He said. "So used to listening to other people complain without actually saying so for herself." He added muttering under his breath.

"So the problem here is, you feel guilty that you kissed-"

"Oh I don't feel guilty about that. It was required, I feel guilty about thinking of it afterwards."

"Oh..." Jason nodded as if he knew and agreed with what Paul was saying. "But something tells me you were already thinking of kissing her before last night."

Paul froze in his tracks... then began pacing again.

"No answer, that's not suspicious." Jason muttered sacarstically.

"Forget about this, can we talk about you? What's going on with you and Jessie?" Paul asked.

Jason sighed. "She's still mad at you?"

"No, that's the thing. She's not mad in that sense."

"And you are not making any sense." Paul added.

"Well I don't want to. I don't want to talk about it." He said.

"Fine, wanna talk about your secretary?" Paul asked.

"Okay dude... I'm not that jobless." Jason replied.

"I'm talking about Matt."

"I fired Matt." He stated bluntly.

"I know that, but perhaps you should rehire him."

"Now why should I do that?" Jason asked folding his arms. Paul sat on the edge of Jason's desk.

"Because you and Jessie are alive thanks to him. Weren't you shocked by how quickly your own little army appeared before you?" Paul asked.

Jason frowned. "That wasn't you?"

"As much as I would love to take credit, I want nothing from you. But it was all Matt. He called Sebastian and informed him that regardless of your stubbornness and foolish bravado, he would still need to come. And look at what happened afterwards." Paul stated.

"I have a secretary." Jason replied bluntly.

"Yeah, I heard all about her. Seems your getting real chummy with her, using her to throw out girlfriends you don't want to see" he huffed.

"What?"

"Come on Jason no need to pretend with me, Jessie already told." Paul waved dismissively at him.

"Jessie already told what?" Jason asked in confusion.

Paul frowned noticing the honest look of confusion on his friend's face. "How you threw her out of your building when she came to see you?" Paul said and Jason shook his head. "She said she went to say that she didn't care about the therapy anymore and just wanted to be with you."

"She told you all of this?" He asked.

"Well not directly... she speaks to Katherine a lot, and Katherine was worried about her so she told me to talk to you." He explained.

"And why didn't you talk to me?" Jason asked through gritted teeth.

"I am now... besides I was pretty pissed with you at the time. I wasn't about to be speaking to you." Paul replied.

Jason fists were tight and trembling on his thighs. "I didn't order anything of the sort, Paul. How could I even do that, damn. You all believed I threw her out? Out?"

"...I did try to defend you... but Jessie was convinced and I didn't see how I could argue with someone who was tossed out on the street and enraged about it." Paul shrugged. "But if you didn't order the... that bitch."

"I'm going to kill her." Jason growled.

"Jason?! Jason, wait. Wait a minute, think about this very carefully, you don't want to end up a felon, just when things between you and Jessie are becoming good." Paul stated.

"Are you kidding me?" Now it was Jason's turn to pace. "I don't understand how she can easily forgive me for everything, especially this. If she believes I did this how can she just let everything go?"

"I'm not sure you're making any sense, anymore." Paul replied.

"She started speaking some rubbish about how she's been entitled and selfish. Only thinking about herself and getting back to the top, when other people had it worse than she did." Jason rambled.

"What do you mean?" Paul asked, as no normal person would understand a thing out of what Jason just said.

"She thinks she's a bad person, because she has been ungrateful and unfair to me and "he gestured to Paul "others. Acting entitled and selfish, when she should have been grateful that she didn't end up with a disgusting fool. Or how she's only looking for the auction house to expose it and not to save the other women there." He explained.

Paul rubbed his chin and hummed. "No that you do mention it-"

"Don't you dare agree with her."

"-she has a point."

"I don't want her feeling inferior or sorry that other people have it worse than she does." Jason stated. "One of the reasons I fell for Jessie because she never felt like she deserved any less than the whole world, because she doesn't. She was so comfortable with luxury, even in that auction house it was evident that she was different. And not only because she was unconscious." Jason said.

"Are you going to fall out of love with her because she wants to be more empathetic towards others?"

"Of course not. I would love her regardless but I need her to keep me in check. Maybe not now but over time I might start to take her for granted, not because I want to but I might. I've seen it happen with countless men, even my father. And my mother just sat quiet, appreciate the crumbs he gave her, telling herself he was busy and she would only disturb him if she spoke up till the point that he got himself a mistress and a bastard. Jessie always demanded, and I liked it. She is the woman I love, not for anything in the world should she feel less than worshiped." He huffed.

Paul laughed. "You're already thinking of marrying her?"

"Do I look like I'm ever thinking of letting her go?" He replied. "She mine, now and forever. Now to go kill a bitch."

**********************

"Hey Katherine? Are you okay?" Jessie asked.

Katherine turned the head she laid on the couch to Jessie with a raised brow and replied. "What makes you think otherwise?" She asked.

"We are watching comedy, yet you have been so quiet. I'm worried."

Katherine sighed. "I have stuff on my mind, I can't concentrate." She said.

"Stuff like what?" Jessie asked.

"I don't know ju-"

Jessie looked up apologetically when her phone rang besides her. "I'm sorry, it's Lenora I have to take it."

"It's okay, go ahead." Katherine nodded to her and Jessie gave her one more apologetic smile before she walked away.

"Hey... been a while." Jessie said as she answered the phone.

"Yeah.... um... you don't hang out with George Lee anymore do you?" Lenora asked.

"No... he went crazy yesterday and he tried to hurt me so, no I'm not hanging with him anymore." Jessie sighed.

The line was quiet for a bit then she spoke again. "Is that all it's going to be? That's it?"

Jessie huffed. "Of course not. I just need to approach from another angle, I can't go anywhere close to George anymore." She said.

"And Patricia?"

"Why are you asking me all of this questions?" Jessie asked. "Did you find something? Is that what this is about?"

"Don't get too excited Jessie, I was only wondering, we are a team remember? You've been awfully silent."

"Well, I have been awfully occupied."

"You do understand that not only your life depends on this right? Don't make me regret choosing to side with you." Lenora stated.

"And you would have sided with who? Patricia?"

"It was always an option."

"Look I can't do this with you right now Lenora. What do you want to hear? I was almost raped for nothing? What?"

"I am not falling for that, just be reminded it is not all about you. My boyfriend is also paying for the fight between you and Patricia, keep that at the back of you mind." She said.

Jessie shut her eyes and struggled to control herself. What more could she have done?

"Whatever, I understand. Goodbye."

"Everything alright?" Katherine asked from behind her.

Jessie sighed... again "no. But I don't want to talk about it." She said. "Let's talk about you this time what's going on?"

Katherine frowned and looked away. Scratching the back of her neck, she shook her head. "I don't know what to say honestly.

"Say anything, start at the beginning.

"I love him Jessie." Katherine sighed. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth.

"Paul?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah... it's crazy, I'm crazy. I thought I was over this... maybe not completely over but at least to a certain extent but I don't..." she trailed of.

Jessie pursed her lips, placed her hand behind Katherine head, rubbing soothing circles, playing with the little hair behind her head.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes. No! It's... it's... complicated and I don't think I'm meant to be having this conversation with you." She said standing up abruptly. Then she realized how she sounded and she placed her hand on her mouth with wide eyes. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear."

Jessie nodded. "I understand. I'll tell Jason to bring Paul back home." She said.

And Katherine visible relaxed. "That would be great thanks."

"You should go get ready, you shouldn't make a confession in sweats and a massive hoodie." Jessie stated.

"I never said I was confessing."

"Oh? Then what is this about? Now I'm curious, did Paul say anything?" She asked.

"..."

"I understand. You don't want to talk to me about it. Fine, I won't say anymore. Just go, I'll talk to Jason."

"One more thing, I'm going to need you guys to act as my buffers." She said.

"Your what?"

"Buffers." She replied. "You know, to keep the dinner stable?"

"I have no idea what nerd stuff you're talking about now but sure whatever you need."

"Okay, okay. I'm going."