Chapter 397 - I am future Mrs. White

JoAnna was in the study, facing Edward. She decided to speak with her father. She wants to let him know that Jeff cares about her, and she cares about Jeff. She wants her father to acknowledge that Jeff is a good man. She wants him to believe that they are a good match and that they will build a great future together. And she hopes that she can accomplish all this in one talk. But she is not sure where to begin.

Edward saw that JoAnna is standing in front of him and not speaking. He frowned. "You want to speak with me?"

"Yes." JoAnna gave a small nod. She took a seat in the chair opposite from Edward's work desk before talking. "I want to know why you are giving hard time to Jeff."

Edward raised his eyebrows. He looked amused. "Why do you think that I'm giving him a hard time?"

JoAnna tilted her head slightly. "You know what I'm talking about."

"It seems that mighty CEO Jeffrey White complained to his fiancée." Edward's words were full of mockery.

"Is there a need for such words? Jeff and I talk about everything. It's not complaining. It's called sharing. That's all there is to it."

"I see... so what did he share with you?" Edward smirked.

Edward's smirk irritated JoAnna. But she kept her calm demeanor. "He told me enough so that I know that you are giving him a hard time. You have some information, but without knowing full context, you are bound to make your own assumptions. I want you to know that he is a wonderful man who cherishes me. He treats me as an equal. We talk about everything and make compromises when needed. But most of all, we want to do things together."

Edward smiled and nodded. JoAnna thought that he took in her words positively, but hearing his response felt like someone poured cold water on her head. "I can see that you are a woman in love. You are making decisions with your feelings and because of that it's easy to fool you no matter how smart you are."

JoAnna realized that this general talk is not yielding any results. She needs to change tactic. "OK. If that is what you think, let's talk about some specific cases. Give me an example where you believe that I made an unreasonable decision or that he fooled me."

"Fine. You asked for it." Edward rapped his fingers on the desk few times. "Did you know that he was set to be married when you met?"

"I am aware of Isabella Dillen. Jeff's father, Oscar, made an agreement with Isabella's father, Lambert. It was a business deal and neither Isabella nor Jeff were interested in each other. Jeff told me about it as soon as he found out that I have feelings for him. And he went above and beyond to dissolve that agreement without anyone suffering grievances, because that is what I wanted." JoAnna confidently looked at her father.

Edward gave a small nod in acknowledgement of her response and asked his next question. "Can you tell me about your decision to move to Los Angeles?"

"The trigger for my move to Los Angeles was when my mentor, Dr. Light assaulted me. Even though Jeff saved me before anything really bad happened and made sure that Dr. Light will not work in Franciscan Medical Center ever again, I was still reluctant to go back there and work. Partially because of ugly memories, and partially because I think I learned everything that FMC has to offer. Eventually I made a decision to move away from FMC." JoAnna paused for a second and reminded herself to be honest. If she tries to hide anything, and Edward finds out about it, it will backfire tenfold. "If I say that Jeff had no influence for me to decide on Los Angeles as my next destination, that would be a lie. I want to be with him, so decision to move to LA was not a difficult one. What made it easier, is when I found out that LA Medical Center is one of leaders in surgery and in DNA research. You know that besides surgery, I also have a passion for DNA research. I didn't tell Jeff yet, but I'm considering expanding my focus to that area as well."

There was a short silence in the room before Edward spoke again. "Tell me about you moving to work at White corp." Edward leaned back into his chair and scrutinized JoAnna.

JoAnna smiled and shook her head. She can tell that Edward thinks he found a tricky topic which will prove his point. "At this time, there is no such thing. Jeff mentioned that there is a department in White corp. which focuses on medical research, and that I could work there. I will look into what they are doing, and my decision to move will be based solely if I think that position can be beneficial for my career growth. Maybe I move and realize that I made a mistake. It's just a job, and nothing can stop me from going back to a hospital. But he is not forcing me into it. It is just a possibility that I will consider. You and mom work in the same company, should I ask you if you forced her to join?"

Edward was stunned by her returning the same question to him. Stella is working in a company that he created. No matter how he looks at it, the situation is comparable. "That is not what I meant. I just wanted..."

JoAnna was losing her patience seeing that Edward is looking for excuses which are not relevant. Not to her and not to Jeff. And that is all that counts, right?

"That's enough! What do you want? To tell me that he cares more about his money than me?" JoAnna sighed. "Dad... I don't know what your impression of him is. But I want to tell you that Jeffrey White is a man who gives me his jacket when he thinks I'm cold. He is a man who holds my hand when we walk down the street. He shields me from paparazzi. He shouts at the top of his lungs in a crowded restaurant that I will be his wife. He does not mind being silly just to make me laugh. When I feel not worthy, he holds my hand and encourages me to improve until I'm satisfied. He offers me his protection and lets me fight my own battles when I choose to fight. He is an impatient man who wants to do everything without delay, and because of me, he is willing to take it slow, based on the pace I set. Because of him I am growing as a person, with hope that one day I will be worthy of standing by his side."

Edward listened to her intently, and at the end he smirked. "That all sounds great. But until I see that he is willing to make a sacrifice for your sake, I will not be confident that he treats you as his topmost priority."

JoAnna laughed. "Dad, you are killing me here! Do you know who you are talking about? That is Jeffrey White! Since when he makes sacrifices?" JoAnna saw that Edward lost his smirk. Her confidence grew with every word that came out of her mouth. "Let me tell you what I know about Jeffrey White. He is in a league of his own. He makes the rules. He decides the victor. And in that world, he takes care of himself and people he cares about without making any sacrifices. Jeffrey White always finds a way to accomplish his goals without suffering a single loss."

JoAnna stood up and smirked when she saw that Edward looks like he received a critical hit head on. "I see that we are done here. I hope you realize that if you are waiting to see Jeff make a sacrifice, get comfortable, because you are in for a LONG wait. Keep in mind that if you continue being reserved toward him, while you wait for a thing that is not coming, you are pushing him away from you... and me."

JoAnna looked her father confidently in the eyes and gave a small nod before turning toward the door.

"You changed." JoAnna heard Edward's voice and stopped without turning to face him.

"Of course, I did. I am future Mrs. White!" JoAnna smiled and walked out.

Edward looked at the closed door for a long time before leaning back into his chair with a big smile on his face.

...

As JoAnna walked to her room with a victorious smile on her face, her phone rang. She checked and saw that it was Sarah. "Yes?... Yes, I can come... Is he badly hurt? ..." She looked at her phone. 'Sarah hanged up after saying that Aiden is hurt and no other explanation. I need to get my first aid kit and hurry.' She rushed to her room.

...

Jeff leaped out of the bed when he saw JoAnna rush in. "What happened?" He thought that something went horribly wrong with Edward when he saw that she is distressed and in a hurry.

"Aiden is hurt. Get one of your t-shirts and come with me." She rushed into the bathroom.

"What happened?" Jeff called after her, repeating the same question.

"I don't know!" She hollered back.

Jeff grabbed one t-shirt and peeked into the bathroom. "Should I get Felix and Sophia?"

JoAnna passed by him while rushing into the closet with hands full of small boxes and containers. "Yes. Hurry!"

Sarah didn't sound good; she didn't say what happened to Aiden. JoAnna was anxious to meet with them as soon as possible.