“Don’t work so hard, you just recovered,” the agent was still worried.
“I’m fine. I’ve rested for several days already. Don’t worry about me. I’ll leave now.” Maria turned around and left.
Osborn’s studio was downstairs, and Maria didn’t wait for the elevator but walked down the stairs. When she stood at the door, she tidied up her clothes briefly, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
“You’re here.” Osborn opened the door and gestured for Maria to come in.
“Are you busy? Did I come too late?” Maria glanced around and spoke softly.
“I’m also reading a script. You came at just the right time.” Osborn poured a glass of water for Maria.
To be honest, since that incident between them happened, their relationship had been somewhat awkward. Maria didn’t know how to interact with Osborn anymore even though she wanted to get closer to him through working on this script together. But as they started studying it together, both of them became engrossed in it.
“It’s already very good,” Osborn looked at Maria with an approving smile on his face.
Coming out of her acting state made Maria feel tired as she rubbed her eyes before turning her head towards the window only to see that it was already pitch black outside.
“Is it this late already?” She was surprised by how much time had passed since they started working together earlier that day
“It’s getting late; let me drive you home.” With that said, Osborn picked up his coat and keys.
Naturally, Maria wouldn’t refuse such an offer from him so he drove her back home without any objections from her side whatsoever..
However halfway through their ride back home, Osborn received a phone call which changed everything.
“What happened?”
“Jane and Prince Joseph have disappeared!” The assistant’s voice came over loudspeaker causing both Osborn and Maria shock.
Maria could barely hear Jane’s name being mentioned before seeing Osborn’s face change drastically.
“How could this happen! I’ll go there immediately!” After saying this, Osborn tried making a U-turn but then realized that he still had company in his car, “Maria, something has come up with Jane. I need to go there right away. You should head back home first.”
“You go ahead if you have things to attend to,” Maria said, tactfully getting out of the car.
Watching the departing vehicle, Maria stood on the roadside, pursed her lips, and a moment of desolation filled her heart.
She had long known that Osborn’s heart belonged solely to Jane. What more could she hope for?
…
After a whole night, Patrick finally found this secluded cave. As he reached the entrance, the first thing he saw was Jane, peacefully asleep with her eyes closed.
Only then did Patrick’s heart find its place. His forehead was wet from the rain, and his knuckles were red from the cold. The umbrella in his hand made a crisp sound as it fell to the ground.
Jane had been sleeping lightly, and it wasn’t until just before dawn that she finally succumbed to sleep. When she heard the sound of her umbrella hitting the ground, she instinctively furrowed her brow and slowly opened her eyes. But when she saw Patrick standing at the entrance of the cave, all traces of drowsiness vanished in an instant.
“Patrick?” She exclaimed with delight as she propped herself up on one hand. But as soon as she did so, a chill ran down her spine and her legs went numb.
Joseph, who was sleeping next to Jane, also woke up when he heard her voice. He too was momentarily stunned when he saw Patrick but didn’t know what to say.
Breathless from his run up the mountain, Patrick paid no attention to Joseph and fixed his gaze solely on Jane. He took three quick strides towards them before scooping Jane into his arms and heading back down the mountain trail they had come from.
Seeing that Joseph was struggling to keep up with them due to his injured foot, Patrick’s bodyguards quickly came over to help him down the mountain.
As the group walked outside the park, many journalists who had been waiting all night became lively upon seeing Patrick and Jane. They quickly shouldered their cameras and started snapping photos. Some journalists even attempted to approach for an interview.
“Sorry, my wife and I do not wish to be interviewed at the moment. Please leave as soon as possible, unless all your companies want the last name ‘Pansy’,” Patrick stated assertively.
The journalists who wanted to interview Patrick were immediately stunned. Not a single word came out, and they unconsciously backed away.
Jane remained nestled in Patrick’s embrace. She could feel that Patrick’s clothes were damp, and his hands were icy.
She lifted her eyes slightly, looking at the man’s profile. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, but at the same time, a sense of guilt lingered.
“He searched for me all night, didn’t he?” Jane thought.
Patrick, with a serious expression, led Jane out of the park. He opened the car door and placed her in the passenger seat, even considerately fastening her seatbelt. Jane kept her head lowered, only meeting Patrick’s gaze in the end.
“Sorry for making you worry… but yesterday, it was Joseph who injured his foot. We couldn’t leave the park promptly. Let’s take him to the hospital first; I’m afraid his sprain might be serious.”
“Just a sprain, nothing serious,” Patrick dismissed this matter casually, showing no emotional fluctuations on his face.
However, in the end, he followed Jane’s suggestion, drove to the hospital first, and took Joseph for treatment. Although he didn’t want to interact with the boy due to Jane’s reasons, he also knew that Joseph wasn’t a bad kid.
“It’s just a sprain. We’ll bandage it for you later, but you shouldn’t move around for a few days. Apply the ointment I prescribed promptly,” the doctor informed Joseph.
Jane and Patrick stayed in the consultation room with Joseph until it was confirmed that he was fine. Only then did the two leave the hospital.
Patrick seemed hesitant to speak during the journey. He originally wanted to say something, to tell Jane not to go out casually with other men, but seeing Jane looking tired, he ultimately said nothing.
Shortly after getting in the car, Jane closed her eyes, emitting a steady breathing sound. She had spent a night trapped in the scenic area and had dared not sleep, making her genuinely exhausted.
Observing this, Patrick stopped the car and reached over the seat to grab a blanket. He carefully covered Jane without making a sound.
Seeing the weary expression on the woman’s face, he couldn’t help but show a look of pity.
Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the villa. Finally, Patrick spoke, calling Jane, “Jane, wake up, we’re home.”
“Hmm…? Hmm?”
Jane, still in a daze, woke up and rubbed her eyes as she sat up. She was even a bit unsteady when getting out of the car. After returning home, she went straight to the bedroom and didn’t get up until it was almost dark outside.
During dinner, Jane checked her phone and found a trending topic on social media suggesting that she and Joseph were suspected of eloping. If the effect of a manga’s visual representation could be applied, three black lines would be seen on her forehead.
Jane looked helpless, sighed deeply, and decided to give her phone a break. “Marketing accounts nowadays dare to make up anything. We were just trapped in the scenic area while accompanying Joseph, and they come up with such rumors as eloping… really incredible.”