Freda readily agreed, “Since that’s the case, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of properly.”
Susan had initially been suspicious of Freda but now trusted her after seeing Jane’s design plans. “I’m waiting for Miss Huggins’ good news, but of course, the sooner the better.”
If Leo Studio reported them, they would have no chance. Would Jane still be able to maintain her so-called “mythical” status? She could end up ruined in an instant.
Susan sipped her coffee with a smile on her face. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time…
“Well then, Miss Huggins should go back first. If there is anything else we need to discuss later on, we can contact each other again.”
At Guavo Hospital…
Maria had been staying at the hospital for three to five days now and was anxious about filming. However, with bone fractures taking months to heal and Maria being no exception, it wasn’t going to be easy.
But since confessing to Osborn on the first day she was admitted into hospital and not hearing from him since then made Maria feel disappointed in herself.
However today was different.
“Maria,” someone knocked on her door before entering with a bouquet of gardenias. It was Osborn himself!
“Are you feeling any better lately?”
The sound of his voice lifted Maria’s spirits immediately as she saw him walk through the door holding flowers in his hand. She couldn’t help but smile as she sat up straighter and turned slightly towards him.
“I’m doing okay now; it doesn’t hurt as much anymore… but I still need rest according to my doctor.” Maria asked curiously, “Why did you come today? Did filming finish early?”
Osborn looked somewhat awkward which made Maria wonder if he thought differently about her confession or if they could even remain friends after this incident?
In reality though Osborn himself felt conflicted about coming here too; he didn’t have any special feelings towards Maria nor did he want misunderstandings between them continue like this either especially when she seemed like such a nice girl…
“This morning, there wasn’t much going on with my show, so I only filmed one or two scenes. I thought it had been a while since I visited, so I bought some flowers to bring over. They say that having flowers by the bedside can improve a patient’s mood and aid in recovery.”
Osborn smiled gently as he sat in the chair next to Maria’s hospital bed.
Maria looked down and smiled softly, her eyes fixed on her fingertips for a moment before she spoke. “Thank you, Mr. Maltz… I thought maybe you wouldn’t come see me after what happened a few days ago.”
“I know,” Osborn said softly.
Maria looked at him and moved her lips slightly but ultimately decided not to say anything more.
He took a deep breath and decided it was better to clear things up today than let them linger any longer. “Maria, I understand how you feel but there are some things that just can’t be forced. You know who I like and… to be honest with you, I’ve always treated you like my little sister.”
Osborn lowered his gaze; he didn’t quite know how to handle this situation delicately but those last two words slipped out of his mouth like they weighed a ton.
The light in Maria’s eyes slowly faded away as she listened to Osborn speak; it was like watching the last flicker of flame die out on a candlestick.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the blanket before slowly releasing their hold after several seconds had passed.
“It’s okay…” Maria nodded finally after taking another deep breath, “I understand. You don’t have to worry about me bothering you anymore. I was just joking around that day, and it doesn’t matter anyway.”
She lifted her head up again and put on an easy smile; whether or not she meant what she said remained known only between them.
Osborn felt uneasy inside too but his phone rang at that moment with Jane calling him.
“Jane? What’s up?”
As soon as she heard Jane’s name, Maria turned away from him instinctively without saying another word.
“Just wanted an update while I’m not supervising production. What’s going on?”
Osborn laughed lightly, “No problems here, everything is progressing normally. Don’t worry about anything. Just focus on your competition. We’ll definitely make it for the film festival. No matter what happens, you won’t have wasted all your hard work.”
Talking with Jane seemed to soften Osborn’s voice even more than usual, almost as if he were afraid of startling her.
Maria watched all this unfold before feeling even more uncomfortable inside herself.
But she also knew that Osborn had clearly rejected her, and even if she wanted to be jealous or angry, she didn’t have the right to do so, let alone shouldn’t.
“Well then I’ll rest assured. The competition in France is about to start. After I participate in it, I’ll come back home and see your results at that time.”
“Okay, if you need anything, just contact me. I have some things to take care of here.”
Osborn looked up and saw Maria. He quickly found an excuse to hang up the phone before he became too awkward.
“Maria, Maria! I came to see you!”
Osborn looked at Maria and was about to say something when he heard a man’s voice coming from the hallway.
The sound of footsteps grew closer and soon a man wearing a floral shirt entered the room with a big smile on his face holding a large bouquet of roses along with another person carrying a basket full of fruit behind him.
He was clearly an idle rich guy.
As soon as Osborn saw the man, he unconsciously frowned tightly pursing his lips together.
Maria sat on her hospital bed looking surprised when she saw him approach her saying, “Mr. Stawarski why did you come?”
The man walked quickly over to her bedside looking worriedly at her saying, “I heard that you were injured while filming your movie set so I rushed over with flowers and fruit because I’m worried about you.”
“Maria, dear, please rest well or else my heart will ache for you.” The man furrowed his brows looking deeply affectionate which made Osborn feel uncomfortable no matter how he looked at it.
As the man spoke, he even grabbed onto Maria’s hand but she was feeling uncomfortable and quickly pulled away from him.
The man noticed this but wasn’t angry instead pulling out a jewelry box from his pocket saying, “Maria, dear, since you’re not feeling well in hospital, here’s something special for you. A handmade diamond necklace! Do you like it?”