“What’s up?” Jane looked at Osborn.
“Nothing special. Are you going back to the office later? I happen to be heading that way and can give you a ride,” Osborn said with a smile.
“No, thanks. I drove here myself.” Jane shook her head and declined, causing Osborn to turn his attention to Maria.
“Congratulations on today,” Osborn said in a relaxed tone. Now he should be able to get along easily with Maria.
But whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt like Maria was hiding something from him.
Maria felt downcast, trying hard not to let her emotions show too much through the smile she forced onto her face.
This wasn’t what she wanted nor what she expected him to say next.
“He’s coming to pick me up later. I have to go now. See you tomorrow.” Maria squeezed her phone before hurrying away on foot as quickly as possible.
Maria felt like she had escaped in an undignified manner and took a deep breath trying hard not let herself get too worked up over it all.
She really wanted nothing more than confront Osborn about everything but then again, who was she? What right did she have?
Just as Maria lost focus for a moment, Kim appeared before her suddenly and lowered his head slightly while reaching out gently for her hand pulling her into an embrace without hesitation.
“Why are you standing here? You’ll catch cold!”
Maria’s body stiffened against Kim’s waistline; at first intending push him away but eventually deciding against it.
“I’m not that fragile,” replied Maria shaking off Kim’s embrace before getting into the car with him instead.
Looking at the bouquet of flowers handed over by Kim made Maria feel helpless, “I don’t even know where I could put all these.”
“Girls should like it when their boyfriends give them things, right?” Kim’s hand on the steering wheel paused for a moment as he turned to look at Maria.
“You should have had girlfriends before who liked that sort of thing,” Maria said, cautiously playing with the flower petals and inexplicably blurting out these words.
“No,” Kim replied almost without hesitation.
Maria was momentarily stunned, not catching the meaning behind Kim’s words.
“I haven’t had a girlfriend before, and I’ve never liked anyone. You’re the first…” Kim tilted his head, his soft eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings, and he seemed uneasy.
“I found all this information online. Is it a bit silly?”
Maria’s fingers pressed on the petals, her tongue lightly against her teeth. Finally, she turned her eyes directly toward Kim.
The car’s interior was dimly lit, casting a hazy atmosphere around the two, as if they were separated by miles.
Kim’s gaze shifted slightly, and the joints on the steering wheel pressed a bit harder. At this moment, Maria turned her head back. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat. You should be ready by now, right?”
“Okay,” Kim replied softly as he started the car.
Luckily for her, Maria had leaned her head against the car seat and was still holding onto the bouquet of flowers in her arms. She occasionally glanced out of the window at the passing scenery.
The car stopped at a red light before Kim finally spoke up, breaking the silence in the vehicle, “I’m sorry.”
“What for?” Maria snapped out of her thoughts and didn’t understand why Kim suddenly apologized.
“I was too impulsive today when I confessed my feelings to you in front of so many media outlets. It must have caused you some trouble,” Kim explained.
In fact, Kim had been keeping an eye on online news about them all day long. And with Maria being somewhat absent-minded during their drive together earlier, he naturally felt that it was his own fault for causing trouble between them.
Moreover, he sensed that their relationship had become more complicated after he broke through that barrier between them earlier today; an indescribable feeling spread between them both.
“Just because of this?” A slight smile curved up on Maria’s lips.
“You seem upset,” Kim had been carefully observing Maria’s expressions.
After all, as a novice in love, he was aware that blindly following the advice found online based on feelings might not work.
Unexpectedly, Maria nodded in agreement, “I am indeed not in a good mood, but it has nothing to do with you. It’s about the new drama; I can’t find the right feeling.”
Adjusting herself into a more comfortable position, Maria spoke softly, “After all, it has been many years since I graduated, and I feel far removed from my youth. Now I have to go back and play a youthful character; it’s a bit challenging.”
Perhaps with the tension easing, the atmosphere became less strained. After some casual chatter, the car came to a stop.
“Is this your house?” Maria looked at the villa in front of her, feeling a sense of familiarity.
“Yes, the place where we first met.”
Kim took Maria’s hand and walked towards the villa. “I’ve always wanted to take you to a restaurant, but I couldn’t decide in the end, so I prepared something at home.”
But it was more because of what happened that day that made Kim still feel somewhat uneasy.
Maria obediently followed Kim into the villa, and what awaited her was a table set for a candlelit dinner.
From the arrangement to the food, it was evident that Kim had put a lot of thought into it.
Led to her seat, Maria sat down and watched the candlelight gently flicker beside her.
“It seems like you’ve seen a lot of roses today.” Kim, noticing where Maria’s gaze was focused, couldn’t help but smile.
“No, I really like them.” Maria shook her head. She looked at Kim, and the person in front of her had bared all his tenderness without reservation.
The atmosphere seemed to be just right at this moment, the two of them gazing at each other without speaking.
The scent of roses filled the air and slowly enveloped both of them. As Kim’s face drew closer to hers, Maria hesitated for a moment before stiffening up.
A feather-light kiss landed on her lips as if testing her reaction. Maria tilted her head slightly but didn’t refuse or respond. She closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind.
But just then, that person’s image flashed through her mind again. Her hand tightened around the chair as she felt a sharp pain in her chest…
Meanwhile, Jane returned home after a busy day but didn’t immediately relax. She turned on the computer only to find news about Maria everywhere – rumors about love affairs and even fake pregnancy scandals were flying around online.
“What’s wrong?” Patrick walked over and kissed Jane on the forehead before asking softly.
“It’s my company’s artist. You know Maria? She announced their relationship in front of all media today.” Jane hooked Patrick’s arm with hers and leaned into his embrace.
Although Patrick recalled Maria, he didn’t show much interest. Seeing Jane looking tired, he reached out and gently massaged her shoulders.
After contacting the company’s PR department, Jane had them post a tweet asking everyone to give Maria some space in her private life. She emphasized not to overly focus on the actress’s relationship issues but to pay attention to her work.
Jane didn’t bother checking the online reactions. She turned around, nestled into Patrick’s arms, buried her face in his neck, and affectionately rubbed against him.
Patrick’s eyes softened, and he gently massaged Jane, helping her relax.
Jane made a soft humming sound, looked up at Patrick, and planted a kiss on his chin, saying, “Here’s your reward!”
“Hmm?” Patrick’s intonation hinted at slight dissatisfaction with the reward.
“One should be content with what one has,” Jane mischievously turned her eyes and was about to get up, but Patrick caught her waist and pulled her back.
Jane exclaimed, but in the end, Patrick held her and kissed her for a long time before letting go.