In the end, she glanced at Patrick with a playful smile and teased, “Well, it all depends on how you perform. Otherwise, I won’t agree.”
Patrick clicked his tongue and was about to playfully scare Jane when Joseph suddenly burst in.
Morton followed closely behind him in a hurry and said apologetically as soon as he saw Patrick and Jane, “I’m sorry, sir and madam. He… he suddenly came in saying he needed to find Miss North. I couldn’t stop him.”
When Jane saw Joseph, she instinctively felt a headache coming on. He was indeed a young man of twenty-one or twenty-two years old who was too enthusiastic for her taste…
Joseph snorted and stared straight at Jane. When he saw Patrick, his eyes widened in surprise.
The man who had hindered him from getting her contact information that night.
“It’s you! Are you the man who called Jane?”
Patrick clicked his tongue again and nodded towards Morton to indicate that he could go do his own thing now that they were alone. As the office door closed once more, Patrick looked up with a confident smile on his face as he gazed intently at Joseph.
“Yes, I am her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Joseph reacted quickly but didn’t seem to take it seriously at all. His gaze only lingered briefly on Jane for one second before turning back to Patrick with wildness flashing through them like defiance.
“Well then from now on we’ll compete fairly for her affections because I also like her very much. I want to pursue her.”
Jane sighed inwardly while holding onto her forehead.
Why did he have to deal with this possessive boyfriend of hers?
“Pursue her?”
Patrick laughed and looked disdainfully at Joseph, even feeling that this kid was a bit overestimating himself. He immediately pulled Jane, who was standing beside him, into his arms, catching Jane off guard.
“Besides being her boyfriend, I will soon be her fiancé. We are getting engaged next week, Mr. Joseph. I think you should face reality,” Patrick said confidently.
Jane pursed her lips, unable to speak, unsure of what to say at this moment.
In the face of Patrick’s provocation and not-so-friendly advice, Joseph seemed unfazed. In his world, as long as he persisted, there was nothing he couldn’t obtain, especially since he genuinely liked Jane.
It was love at first sight.
He naturally pursued a love that was free and romantic. Moreover, since he fell in love with Jane at first sight, he had to give it a try no matter what.
“Why should I face reality? You two aren’t married yet, right? As long as you’re not married, I still have a chance. Until the last moment, who knows if Jane will develop feelings for me?” Joseph replied confidently, causing Patrick to burst into laughter upon hearing his words.
This guy was indeed too confident.
“Well, let’s wait and see. Alright, if you have nothing else to do, please leave as soon as possible. I’m going to have dinner with my fiancée,” Patrick said bluntly, giving Joseph an ultimatum. Without even glancing at Joseph, he grabbed Jane’s hand and walked out.
As Jane and Patrick left the company, she let out a sigh. “I really don’t know what he’s so persistent about…”
Patrick continued holding her hand and, upon hearing Jane’s words, he turned his head slightly to look at her expression. After a moment, he suddenly burst into laughter and shook his head.
Jane looked at him with confusion. This man was angry just a moment ago in the office, yet now he was laughing? And the laughter was so inexplicable.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, puzzled.
Patrick shook his head. “Nothing, I just thought of Joseph’s appearance earlier and found it quite amusing, not laughing at him, but I just feel that my wife has a great charm. It’s not surprising that others like you.”
Jane stared at Patrick for a few seconds and couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you were so furious just now, I was even afraid you would fight Joseph.”
Patrick put his arm around her shoulder. “That was just a momentary jealousy when I saw my wife being pursued by someone else. Wouldn’t any man feel jealous in that situation?”
The two of them laughed as they walked forward, heading to a restaurant in the city center for dinner.
“Jane, I can’t wait to marry you,” Patrick said, still feeling annoyed by Joseph’s provocation.
Jane smiled faintly. “Show me through your actions.”
…
As the night grew darker, Allure Bar was filled with vibrant lights and a lively atmosphere.
Maria sat in a booth, emptying her glass of alcohol in one gulp.
The spicy liquid made her cough a few times, and she couldn’t help but cover her mouth, drawing the attention of the bartender.
“Another glass, please.”
Their gazes met, and Maria pursed her lips, pushing the empty glass forward, trying to appear tough.
“This is strong liquor, be careful not to get drunk.” The bartender’s expression was subtle, and his eyes glanced towards another booth.
“It’s none of your business,” Maria interrupted the bartender, her eyes fixed on the water droplets sliding down the glass.
She sniffled as the music in the bar slowly turned into that man’s voice.
“I’ve always thought of Maria as a little sister.”
Little sister…
A wave of bitterness swept over Maria’s body, even though she knew that Osborn liked Jane. Hearing him say he only saw her as a little sister still hurt deeply.
Biting her lower lip, Maria clutched onto her drink. She realized she had been foolish to have feelings for Osborn all this time. She had silently loved him while following him around until she finally mustered up enough courage to confess to him and was rejected. But she still felt like he was different with her.
His tenderness, his smile, everything about him…
Thinking about these things made tears well up in Maria’s eyes and caused her fingers gripping onto the glass to tighten slowly.
Suddenly, her phone rang from inside her pocket. Her eyes lit up when she saw it but then fell when she saw who was calling.
“Maria, where are you? We have another announcement tomorrow and we’ve already sent over the script,” said her agent through the phone.
“I don’t want to…” murmured Maria before drinking more alcohol again.
Hearing loud music in the background made their agent sound nervous. “Why is it so noisy there? Where are you exactly? Are you–”
“It’s too noisy,” said Maria as she hung up on their agent for once and all. The alcohol made everything feel hazy but then someone walked towards her suddenly.
“What a coincidence.” Waylen sat down next to Maria. “Are you here alone?”
Maria immediately recognized the person in front of her, and her brows furrowed with displeasure. Waylen had been persistently bothering her with ill intentions. Last time, Osborn had stepped in for her and caused so much trouble.
Now, she couldn’t believe she would encounter Waylen even at the bar. Maria had no intention of paying any attention to him. She stood up, wanting to leave, but suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded.