“Fortunately, the dress you gave me isn’t in this box,” Jane said as she looked at the shattered dress inside. There was a hint of anger in her eyes.
She had intentionally brought up the topic in front of Florence earlier to test her, and it seemed like she fell for it. Luckily, Jane had already switched out the dress beforehand.
“You go ahead to the party. I’ll be there soon,” Jane said as she glanced at Patrick. She didn’t have any intention of leaving yet since the real show hadn’t even started.
“Is this Florence’s doing?” Patrick suddenly spoke up and mentioned her name.
Jane wasn’t surprised by his question but merely smiled mischievously at him with a glint in her eye. She propped her elbow on her knee and rested her cheek on it while looking at him.
“Mr. Pansy, do you have any thoughts about this?” she asked playfully.
However, when Patrick didn’t respond, Jane boldly walked over and sat on his lap since he wasn’t reacting anyway.
“After all, whatever Florence wants to do to me is because of you,” Jane teased him further. “And I heard that you’ve known Florence for a long time now. What if I accidentally hurt her later? Mr. Pansy won’t blame me for that?”
Jane’s words were just a playful jest, as Florence’s intentions were even more obvious. Jane certainly didn’t believe that Patrick was unaware of such matters.
However, upon hearing these words, Patrick’s face slightly darkened, and his hand, originally resting on Jane’s waist, moved away. In a deep voice, he said, “Go downstairs.”
Jane hesitated for a moment, realizing her slip of the tongue. She pursed her lips, moved to the side, and was about to speak when Patrick leaned in, pressing the back of her head, and kissed her.
This kiss was full of invasion and possession, leaving Jane momentarily breathless.
After a long while, Patrick released Jane. Due to lack of oxygen, she couldn’t help but breathe heavily, gazing at Patrick with misty eyes.
Patrick’s thumb gently brushed over Jane’s rosy lips, and he said in a deep voice, “Jane, I only care about you. I don’t want or need to concern myself with others. I don’t wish to hear these words from you again.”
Jane reached up, encircling Patrick’s neck, and rested her head lightly on his shoulder. “You go back first; I’ll be there in a moment.”
Patrick nodded, stood up, and left. The party outside had already begun, and when people saw Patrick coming out, they approached to exchange pleasantries.
His gaze seemed to sweep through the party, occasionally landing on a sofa in the corner where Melissa and Florence were sitting side by side.
It seemed Florence had been discreetly watching Patrick, and after their eyes met, she showed a hint of joy. She raised her foot and started to walk over.
Patrick pretended not to see her, turned around, and went back to Mike’s side. Beatrice was standing there, talking to Mike.
“Patrick, didn’t I ask you to find Jane? Why haven’t you seen her yet?” Mike, who had Jane on his mind, couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “Where did this girl go?”
Catching sight of Florence approaching, Patrick pondered for a moment and said quietly, “She’ll be here in a while.”
Florence blinked her eyes, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her lowered gaze.
Jane’s gown was already ruined, so it was impossible for her to come out now.
Beside Mike, Beatrice, upon hearing this, quickly spoke up, “Today is Mike’s birthday, and we’re all waiting for Jane. It’s really improper for her to keep everyone waiting like this.”
At this moment, Florence and Melissa walked side by side. Melissa crossed her arms, loudly exclaiming, “Who is Jane? We’ve all seen her, haven’t we? Just look at my face; she’s the one who did this to me.”
Melissa’s right cheek was still faintly red, and even with heavy makeup, it was noticeable, adding a somewhat comical aspect.
“Melissa, didn’t you say before that the injury on your face was just an accident? How…” Florence started to speak but seemed to realize something and abruptly closed her mouth.
Beatrice, glaring, interjected, “Accident? Jane has been bullying Melissa even before marrying into our family. If she acts like this now, what will happen when she officially joins? Absent from Mike’s celebration without reason, it’s truly improper.”
Patrick, hearing this, cast a stern look at Beatrice. Her voice faded, and she averted her gaze, afraid to say more.
“Now that the birthday banquet has begun, let’s not discuss this further. Mike, I’ve specially prepared a gift for you today. Make sure to keep it well.”
Saying this, Florence walked up to Mike, smiling sweetly.
People around Mike shifted their attention upon hearing this. Florence, with a smile on her face, signaled for a servant who had been prepared in advance to come forward.
Seeing this, the mansion’s servants opened the projection screen and played the video Florence had prepared earlier.
However, just a few seconds into the birthday video, the screen suddenly flashed, seemingly switching to something else, causing exclamations and changing expressions among the attendees.
Florence, with her back to the screen, observed the reactions of the crowd and couldn’t help but curve her lips.
However, when she turned around, she saw Melissa looking extremely surprised. Melissa pointed at Florence but couldn’t find the words to speak.
“What is this?”
“So shameless.”
“She dares to openly show this kind of thing at Mike’s birthday banquet. What does Florence want to achieve?”
“I heard that Florence has always had feelings for Patrick. Could it be she went crazy after learning about Patrick’s engagement to Jane?”
Whispers and discussions erupted around them. Florence felt that something was wrong as she listened more and more. She turned to the screen and, upon seeing the images, screamed loudly.
She had prepared photos of Jane, but why did it suddenly change to hers?
In the photo, Florence appeared intoxicated, lying on a bar sofa. Numerous men surrounded her, some even starting to get handsy. The woman in the photo was none other than Florence herself.
Florence’s face instantly turned pale. These were pictures from a few days ago when she and Melissa went out to a bar. She accidentally got drunk, woke up to the chaos around her, and hurriedly left.
But why were those photos showing up here now?