Candace looked over Linford’s shoulder and waved at her Mom. Cristelle smiled and waved back. Linford’s visit somehow made her less worried about other things. Cristelle slumped on the bench, leaning against the wall, and fell asleep.
****
Candace was watching a cartoon on her iPad during their flight back to the city. Drew was lying on a couch, holding a glass of wine, “Women are unpredictable. They tend to worry about and take care of the weaker ones. You don’t know how to make her feel the need to take care of you. You’ll eventually push her away being this stubborn.”
Drew acted like he was the one who had a lot of experience, “You need to act weak. She will worry about you when she senses you need her help. And that, my man, it is about time to show her that you also need her.”
“Shut up, Drew,” Linford pulled a face.
Drew refused to shut up, “Hey, I’m telling you how to get chicks. Be nice. Do you know what Jasper does? He almost died to get Cristelle back. He couldn’t even breathe properly when I got there. Be humble and learn from him, bro.”
Linford sighed deeply, “Alfred, throw this clown out of my plane.”
Drew shrunk back to his couch, murmuring, “You have the heart to kill your best friend and doctor. God will punish you.”
Alfred smiled awkwardly.
Linford frowned deeply and reclined on his couch. Candace walked over and showed him the iPad, inviting him to watch the cartoon with him.
Linford’s smile fainted and made Candace sit on his lap. They thus started to watch it together.
Drew rolled his eyes.
****
Cindy was walking around in a strip mall. She stopped by a row of expensive bags.
She really wanted one, but she knew she couldn’t afford it. Cindy sighed. She turned around and was ready to walk away. However, a woman standing beside her suddenly called the clerk, “Excuse me, could you please wrap one of these bags for me?”
She bought a bag and put it in Cindy’s hand, “Would you like to have a cup of drink with me, Miss?”
****
They found a café in the mall. Cindy looked at the woman sitting across the table, “Who are you? Why are you buying this bag for me?”
Clara looked at her quietly. The young woman sitting before her wore rather revealing clothes, and she didn’t seem she has too much manners as well.
Clara didn’t even know why Linford chose her to be the girl’s teacher.
“You’re Cindy, right?” She asked.
“Yeah,” Cindy frowned, “You haven’t told me who you are yet.”
Clara smiled elegantly, “I am Candace’s aunt-in-law. We’ve met once in Franco’s. It’s a lovely coincidence to see you here again. Please accept that bag as a gift. You’ve been teaching the girl so well.”
Cindy’s eyes widened in surprise, “Well… Thank you then.”
“You’re welcome. I’d appreciate it if you could keep up the great job and teach the girl well,” Clara took a sip from her coffee cup, “I actually need to go right now. I’m afraid I can’t stay here any longer. Just find me whenever you need help or a friend.”
Cindy nodded enthusiastically, smiling widely, “Of course. See you soon, Mrs. Bradley.”
Clara walked away without looking back. This woman was quite greedy. Greedy people were the easiest to deal with.
****
Linford and Candace finally went back to the city. The girl had fallen asleep on the jet. Linford brought her to his company directly. He decided to let Candace take one more day off.
The accident that happened during the shooting was quite a big deal. Most employees in the company had gotten to know that a model had almost died. Donny and Micky had come back, but Cristelle was still away. People thus started to have all sorts of guesses about her relationship with “Mr. Model.”
“Keep an eye on it. Don’t neglect any details unless you want to lose your job,” Linford was lying Candace carefully on the bed in the company restroom. After that, he slumped onto his chair.
Alfred said instantly, “Of course. I’ll take care of it.”
Linford waved his hand, and Alfred just left. He went through the files on his desk. He couldn’t focus. Cristelle was the only thing on his mind.
Making a woman fall in love with you was way more difficult than running a company.
Linford let out a sharp breath.
****
After taking a few hours of sleep in the hotel room, Cristelle woke up in the evening. She went to the hospital in a hurry.
She saw someone in the ward through the window. Taking a closer look, Cristelle realized that the person was Jasper’s mother. She faltered and turned around.
After finishing her dinner in a small diner at the corner of the street, she went to the hospital again, and the ward was empty.
“Cristelle,” Jasper smiled the moment he saw her.
Cristelle sat down on the chair beside his bed, putting the basket of fruit on the nightstand, “You should go back to your family after this. You’re the oldest son of the family. Your family business is more important than this.”
Jasper was pretty excited, “I’m not going back. You have no idea what a mess my family is. I don’t want to go back and fight for the property with those nasty people. I’m not interested in that. Cristelle, are you really not gonna reconsider my suggestion? Starting your own studio, you won’t need to rely on anyone anymore. You can do whatever you want when our company soars. Isn’t that amazing?”
Cristelle dropped her gaze, “I really don’t know, Jasper.”
Jasper was happy to hear the hesitation in her tone, knowing he could change her perspective sooner or later.
Buzz… Buzz….
Cody’s call suddenly came in. Cristelle accepted it directly. Cody exclaimed when he saw Jasper’s face as well, “Mommy, is that Jasper? Jasper, are you feeling any better.”
Jasper smiled at the boy on the screen, “I feel so much better now. You don’t need to worry.”
Cody let out a breath, “I’m glad you’re okay now. But how did you get stung by a jellyfish? That city that you went to doesn’t even have many jellyfish.”
Jasper faltered, “Well… I also don’t know. But I’ve sent people to find the cause.”