“Don’t be nervous, this is the Pansy family’s party. It’s Mike Pansy’s birthday tonight, and they invited my family. My elder brother is too busy, so my father sent me.” Kim explained.
“The Pansy family?” Maria was stunned for a moment. That was…
Kim seemed to understand what Maria was thinking and nodded. “Yes, your company’s Jane will also be there.”
“Do we have to go with your parents?” Maria blinked her eyes.
Kim shook his head at this question. “No need, we’ll just meet them at the Pansy family event. Don’t worry too much.”
At this point, he paused for a moment in his tone of voice and seemed to be teasing her a little bit. “But you have to meet them; consider it as practice.”
As soon as these words came out of his mouth, Maria playfully punched Kim’s chest.
Kim grabbed hold of Maria’s hand and kissed it lightly on the lips before saying, “I’ll wait for you until that day comes when you’re ready.”
Maria’s eyes flickered slightly before nodding in agreement.
With that said, Kim took Maria to pick out their outfits while Jane prepared for the evening banquet on another side.
Patrick watched Jane standing in front of the mirror and walked up behind her before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind while leaving a gentle kiss on her neck.
However, it seemed like Jane noticed something off as she rubbed her stomach slightly before turning around to face Patrick, “Why do I feel like I’ve gained weight recently?”
Patrick pinched Jane’s slender waist, an expression of unusual confusion appearing on his face.
“Perhaps…” Patrick said, his gaze, originally falling on Jane’s face, gradually shifted to her abdomen, the meaning of which was very obvious.
Seeing this, Jane quietly pinched his arm. “Blame it on you. The food you made is just too delicious, and it made me gain weight.”
“After all, the child also needs nutrition,” Patrick continued to tease Jane with an unchanged expression.
Just as the two were playing around, the door was knocked, and Patrick’s assistant stood outside, holding a large gift box.
Patrick nodded, took the gift box, and Jane curiously glanced at it. “Is this the birthday gift you prepared for Mike?”
But she had clearly seen Patrick’s gift before.
However, Patrick shook his head, placed the box aside, and lifted Jane, putting her on the bed.
“For you.”
“For me?” Jane was stunned for a moment. Under Patrick’s gesture, she opened the gift box and found a very exquisite and luxurious dress inside.
“Try it on,” Patrick chuckled, “wear this for the banquet tonight.”
Jane smiled as she held the dress, and went into the fitting room to change.
It must be said that Patrick’s taste was indeed excellent. The wine-red evening dress complemented Jane’s fair skin. The well-tailored dress perfectly outlined Jane’s figure, and the hollow design at the waist added a touch of sensuality.
Jane examined herself in the mirror and then walked out, standing in front of Patrick.
“Is it beautiful?” Jane tilted her head and smiled.
At the moment Patrick saw Jane, his eyes revealed a hint of amazement. He walked up, gazing at Jane with sincerity, his voice deep and genuine. “Very beautiful.”
With some time left before the banquet, Jane changed out of the dress. Patrick had already left to prepare for the banquet. Originally, Jane also wanted to follow, but she received a call from Osborn.
“The journalist has been found,” Osborn got straight to the point, “and they’ve spilled everything.”
“Very well,” Jane curved her lips, a hint of depth flashing in her eyes. However, at that moment, Jane encountered someone at the corner of the stairs.
That person was Florence.
Jane casually hung up the phone but showed no intention of approaching for a chat. As she was about to pass by Florence, she was stopped.
“Jane, the banquet is about to start. Why haven’t you changed into your gown?” Florence, looking at Jane’s attire, couldn’t help but speak, “Don’t tell me you didn’t prepare a gown?”
In an instant, Jane felt a bit anxious for Florence’s intelligence.
She glanced at Florence and calmly said, “If you have nothing to say, don’t force a conversation. It’ll make you look awkward.”
Florence’s face turned pale, and her smile couldn’t be maintained. As Jane was about to leave, Florence finally called out to her.
“Jane, what did I do wrong to make you hate me like this?”
“You can think about it yourself. Maybe once you figure it out, you won’t bother me anymore.”
Jane was too lazy to engage in useless banter with Florence. She thought Florence might have some tricks up her sleeve, but now it seemed she was nothing worth mentioning.
Seeing the approaching maid, Jane instructed, “Go bring the blue box containing my gown from my room to the downstairs cloakroom.”
After that, Jane turned and left. Florence watched her retreating figure, tightly clenching her hands at her side.
She almost had a malicious thought in her mind-what if she pushed Jane down the stairs right now?
However, Florence calmed down the next moment. She took a deep breath, absolutely not allowing anything bad to happen at this time.
Suddenly, she noticed the maid heading towards Jane’s room, and her eyes subtly shifted.
Soon, the time arrived, and the banquet proceeded as planned. Guests arrived at the Pansy family one after another, and Mike sat at the head, chatting with those who came to celebrate.
After a while, he turned to Patrick and asked in a low voice, “By the way, where’s Jane? Why don’t I see her?”
Patrick looked towards the stairs and then walked towards the cloakroom. When he opened the door, he found Jane sitting on the edge of the bed, leisurely playing with her phone, and the gift box was still beside her.
“What’s wrong?” Patrick vaguely guessed something was amiss from Jane’s current state.
Without speaking, Jane just gave Patrick a meaningful look.
Patrick stepped forward to take a look. In the blue box lay a gown with several tears, rendering it unwearable.
“Do you know who did this?” Patrick’s gaze slightly darkened.
Jane stood up, lazily stretching her arms, and nodded lightly.
“I just didn’t expect it to be so easy to fall into the trap. I went to great lengths to set up a scheme, and now it seems completely useless.”
At this point, Jane’s expression showed a touch of disappointment.
However, the banquet had already officially begun.