Jane’s face twisted with displeasure as she looked down at the person in front of her, arms crossed. “What are you doing here?”
Joseph rotated his wrist and looked up at Jane. “I just wanted to play a little joke on you, but I didn’t expect you to hit me so hard.”
He extended his palm towards Jane and said, “I hope I won’t have any lasting damage from that. If I do, you’ll have to take responsibility for it.”
Jane sighed and pursed her lips. “Why did you follow me anyway?” If Joseph hadn’t spoken up when he did, she might have beaten him up.
“Why are you so cold towards me? It hurts my feelings,” Joseph said pitifully.
“What do you want?” Jane asked casually as they walked towards her car.
“Do you have time right now?” Joseph asked with a smile.
Jane’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at him, waiting for what he would say next.
Joseph smiled warmly and pulled out a rose from somewhere before offering it to Jane. “Beautiful lady, would it be my honor to take you out for dinner?”
Jane hesitated before declining the offer when Joseph dropped another bombshell, “I’m leaving Alodon soon.”
This caught Jane off guard as she paused while opening the car door. “Are you going back home then?”
Joseph took another step closer to her and said softly, “So why don’t we grab dinner together? As friends.”
Jane’s expression hesitated, unsure whether she should agree to Joseph’s request.
With just one glance, Joseph could tell Jane was contemplating. He couldn’t help but sigh, “You see, ever since I arrived in Alodon, I haven’t had a chance to take you out for dinner. Do you want me to leave with regrets?”
“I know you’re worried about Patrick’s misunderstanding. You can just give him a call to explain.”
Joseph spoke sincerely, “I’m not asking for anything else. This is truly my last wish.”
Jane furrowed her brow tightly. In fact, she had thought about informing Patrick earlier but remembered he had an engagement tonight and wasn’t sure if he would see her message.
Despite her thoughts, Jane decided to send a message to Patrick before looking up at Joseph.
“Alright, I’ll go with you for dinner. Consider it fulfilling your wish.”
Setting aside other matters, Jane felt that Joseph was indeed a very good friend.
Joseph’s mouth curved into a wide smile. He performed a gentleman’s bow towards Jane and said, “Please, Miss North.”
However, just then, Jane’s phone rang, and it turned out to be a message from Patrick.
Jane originally thought Patrick would ask where she was or express his disagreement with her going out to dinner with Joseph. But what surprised Jane was that Patrick replied with just one word.
“Okay.”
Jane was immediately puzzled, but Joseph kept urging her, so she reluctantly followed him.
Joseph took Jane to a restaurant where he had already made a reservation. Jane looked at Joseph sitting across from her, her brow slightly raised.
“You seem very certain that I would definitely come to dinner with you.”
Jane knew this restaurant required a three-hour advance reservation.
“Because I know you’re not that heartless,” Joseph said with a smile.
Jane took a sip of water from her glass and casually brought up a topic, “Will you come back in the future?”
Joseph blinked, cupping his face and gazing at Jane with bright eyes filled with anticipation. “Why? Will you miss me?”
Jane didn’t say anything, just looked at Joseph, and he understood he was being boring. He chuckled dryly.
“I don’t know about the future either.”
The two of them chatted casually, but Jane seemed to be concerned about Patrick’s message.
Given Patrick’s personality, how could he possibly say such a thing?
Just as Jane was absent-minded, her phone suddenly rang. It was Patrick calling.
Joseph also noticed Jane’s incoming call and his eyes flashed with a hint of confusion, but he still gestured for Jane to answer.
“Where are you?”
Patrick’s voice came from the other end, sounding somewhat low.
Jane mentioned the name of the restaurant, and Joseph couldn’t hold back, leaning in with a playful smile, “Patrick, Jane is with me right now.”
Jane glared at Joseph, but he just smiled and shrugged.
“I’ll come pick you up later,” Patrick said in a low voice.
Jane acknowledged with a response, but Patrick had already hung up the phone.
“You’re really too much. You don’t even want to finish a meal with me?” Joseph covered his chest, looking hurt.
“Since you know that, you shouldn’t have asked me out for dinner.”
“Enough, I’ve been looking forward to this dinner for so long,” Joseph said, his voice filled with deep disappointment.
“Then let’s eat quickly and cherish this last moment,” Jane said softly, smiling.
Joseph pursed his lips but chose not to continue eating. Instead, he propped his chin on his hand and looked at Jane.
“Jane, if I were the first person you met, would things be different now?”
There was a hint of expectation in his voice. Jane listened and wiped her lips with a napkin, chuckling lightly.
“No, they wouldn’t.”
She spoke without hesitation.
Joseph seemed as if he had been deeply wounded, with a mournful expression as he looked at Jane.
“You didn’t even hesitate for a second.”
Jane curved her lips. If Joseph had been the first person she met…
But there are no “ifs” in the world.
Joseph, sitting across from Jane, looked at her expression and raised his chin. “Patrick is here.”
Jane turned her head upon hearing this and saw Patrick walking towards them.
She chuckled lightly, ready to get up and greet him. However, Joseph remained seated, not moving. He watched Jane’s departing figure and spoke slowly.
“Jane, are you really not going to reconsider?”
Jane turned around, smiling. “Joseph, who I ultimately fall in love with is not determined by who I meet first, but because that person is just Patrick.”
Joseph opened his mouth, swallowing the words he wanted to say. He simply looked at Jane tenderly and said, “I wish you happiness.”
Jane curved her lips. “Safe travels.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a strong arm embraced her.
“It seems like you had a great dinner,” Patrick said in Jane’s ear. His voice carried a hint of alcohol, husky and low.
“I clearly informed you, and you only replied with a single word. I didn’t know you had become so generous.”
Jane teased, but as she finished her sentence, Patrick’s brow furrowed deeply.
“What did I reply to you?” Patrick asked, his tone inquisitive.
Although slightly puzzled, Jane blinked her eyes and opened her phone’s messaging interface. “Look, you replied with a single word, ‘Okay.'”
She raised her eyes only to see Patrick’s expression suddenly change.