Chapter 420: 420
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Ryn looked at him without uttering even a word. She watched him talking something under his breath but because he was backing her, she could not hear his words clearly. She frowned but did not make any movement.
What was wrong with him this time?
He turned around to check what she was doing when he did not hear anything from her side. To his 'horror', she was still standing there giving him a weird look. He pulled the front of his shirt, where the top button clasping both shirt's sides together. He gulped hard. There was even sweat gathering on his forehead. What to do now? Could he control himself in front of a beautiful woman like her?
"Love..." he choked out difficultly.
"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" she asked.
*~*~*~*
Mika watched her grandmother, gripping the cane hard, ordered all the maids to arrange the beautifully wrapped boxes in a neat line in the living room. She was unsatisfied when she knew she could not follow them to meet Ryn's parents. Why was she still considered a child when she was getting married in just a few months?
It was unfair!
"No. The herbs should be the second box, not the birdnest. We need to grab the girl's attention by showing what she likes first."
Mika sat at the lone cushion, giving a sad look at her grandmother but the Dowager was busy nagging at the maids.
"Mother, I've got the carrots. I chose all the fat ones," Mrs. Long came in with a maid following behind her, carrying a basket full of just-picked carrots from their vegetable garden. She thought she wanted to pick the cabbages too but those cabbages too tiny in her eyes. Even the chilies and mangoes did not fit her requirement.
The only ones she satisfied with were the carrots.
"Arrange them into the first box. Put more greens to decorate," the Dowager ordered. Then, she gestured at the butler and the man quickly approached with a cup of hot tea. She sipped it gracefully before handed the empty jade cup to the butler. Now, as her throat was no longer dry, she received another burst of energy to order people around.
One maid was busy tying ribbons into pretty flowers while another was trying to make the same flower but failed miserably.
"Stop ruining the flower and go wash the carrots," Mrs. Si said when she saw the misery in the maid's face. The maid was a new appointed in the house. She replaced the maid who got married to her childhood sweetheart and decided to follow him to another state to live.
Everyone was busy doing the last minute preparation before the entourage started their journey to Ryn's parents' house. According to the schedule, they should start going in about ten more minutes.
"Put everything into the car and check your clothes. I don't want to see any dirt on your clothes when we arrive there," the Dowager said before she walked to the door with Mrs. Si holding her arm.
The maids quickly brought the boxes into the waiting car. For this mission, six maids were chosen based on their performance this year. In the family, in order to encourage them to work hard and improve themselves, the family provided incentives. The chosen ones could choose what they want. They could even choose to further their study or work in the company! But only a few decided to work in the company. They found that working in the company was too stressful and could no longer join in the meetings in the mansion. They loved attending the meetings because they could suggest things they thought could improve their performance or which place they could go for their end of the year celebration. The family sponsored full expenses for the celebration and they could either choose to have two days off or two days full of fun activities. All chose the celebration because they could bring their family members too.
The butler who could not follow the entourage watched everything with hawk eyes. He did not want anything missing. He, with the help of the cook, also checked on the maids who were chosen to ensure everything looked good.
"Remember, your job is to win their approval. In order to make Young Mistress Catherine joining our family, all of you must work hard," the butler reminded them for the last time before he closed the door of the MPV.
"Yes, sir. We won't disappoint everyone," the girls said full of confidence.
They spent almost a week under the guidance of the butler to learn the likes and dislikes of her parents in order to fulfill their mission. They must win the parents' approval.
Mika watched sadly as the vehicles started to move. She wanted to run behind, chasing after the cars but she was blocked by a wall of maids and gardeners.
Yes, they have received the order not to let Young Miss Long follow the entourage. Even all the keys were being hidden by one of the drivers and the driver even hid outside the perimeter in order to avoid meeting their young mistress and had to hand the car key.
The only thing they did not take, or to be precise, could not take or hide was her phone. And Mika used her phone to call Jeremy. She could not call her fiance as Jason was heading to another city to observe a project. She cried and wailed but all she received from her stupid big brother was a scold for not going to the office to check the proposals for the latest design of the jewelry and clothesline. For him, being busy with her wedding did not give her any excuse not to do her work in the company.
Everyone watched as Mika threw tantrum after the call and waited patiently. Usually Miss Long would release everything before she would feel better or she would call either her fiance, Mr. Jason, or her best friend, Miss Catherine to pour out her frustration. And they knew she would not go to her counselor unless it was her appointment.
Regardless, they have received their order and would not let Young Mistress Long leave the house today. Not a chance.
*~*~*~*
Ryn and Jeremy looked at each other silently. Ryn was the first to break the eye connection as she shook her head. Never mind. It did not matter.
"I need to pack my things," she blurted out without thinking.
"Packing your things?" he frowned.
"I'm checking out. You've found me so what's the use of staying here?" she explained with a shrug. She did not find a point of keep being here when she could live comfortably at home. Maybe it was her instinct but she could feel there was something different in Jeremy.
But she could not point out what it was.
"I'll wait and send you home," he decided.
"But your work," she frowned.
"It's okay. I'll wait. I won't feel relieved until I'm sure you're safe," he said gently.
She did not argue. She just nodded dumbly, thinking it could save her money for the fare. Another reason why she did not reject his offer was that he did not show any of his 'I am a man, I know everything and you don't' attitude. He asked her opinion first. At first, she did not notice it but soon it was obvious.
And she's giving him another chance, the last chance to prove his sincerity. But she would not say it out loud. She still needed to watch his performance first.
Besides, this time around, she wanted to focus on her mental health first. Since a few days ago she realized the stress was getting over her and she always felt exhausted at the end of the day.
She tried to fight against it emotionally but it was getting too much, especially when Jeremy kept forcing her to follow his orders. As her own personality that liked to keep everything inside, she did not like to share her feelings with others. Even her mother only knew just the outer layer of her problem.
She did not take a long time to pack her meager belonging. She looked around for the last time to ensure everything was kept safely before she walked through the door holding her bag and the room key. He was still standing outside, waiting for him. Without a word, he took the bag from her.
"Let's go," he said. He did not make a move to hold her hand nor placing his hand behind her back like he always did. He just followed behind her into the elevator.
"What's your plan for today?" he asked as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. There was no one there but them, so he had no worry to have this private conversation openly.
"I'm meeting Mika for lunch," Ryn said. She took out her phone to check, "And a show later. Mei Li will accompany me at work."
"Have more rest at home," he reminded before both walked toward the reception. She did not allow him to help her check out. She wanted to do it herself. So, he just stood beside her, 'protecting' her.
He was about to say something more when they got into the car but his plan was disturbed by a phone call by Jacob, his assistant. He groaned but still answered the call.
She let out a sigh of relief. She did not want to hear his nag. She knew how to protect herself. Hence the reason why she was going to take a driving license in a few days' time. Later, she decided to take a martial art class. She would learn to protect herself without having to depend on anyone.
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Ryn looked at him without uttering even a word. She watched him talking something under his breath but because he was backing her, she could not hear his words clearly. She frowned but did not make any movement.
What was wrong with him this time?
He turned around to check what she was doing when he did not hear anything from her side. To his 'horror', she was still standing there giving him a weird look. He pulled the front of his shirt, where the top button clasping both shirt's sides together. He gulped hard. There was even sweat gathering on his forehead. What to do now? Could he control himself in front of a beautiful woman like her?
"Love..." he choked out difficultly.
"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" she asked.
*~*~*~*
Mika watched her grandmother, gripping the cane hard, ordered all the maids to arrange the beautifully wrapped boxes in a neat line in the living room. She was unsatisfied when she knew she could not follow them to meet Ryn's parents. Why was she still considered a child when she was getting married in just a few months?
It was unfair!
"No. The herbs should be the second box, not the birdnest. We need to grab the girl's attention by showing what she likes first."
Mika sat at the lone cushion, giving a sad look at her grandmother but the Dowager was busy nagging at the maids.
"Mother, I've got the carrots. I chose all the fat ones," Mrs. Long came in with a maid following behind her, carrying a basket full of just-picked carrots from their vegetable garden. She thought she wanted to pick the cabbages too but those cabbages too tiny in her eyes. Even the chilies and mangoes did not fit her requirement.
The only ones she satisfied with were the carrots.
"Arrange them into the first box. Put more greens to decorate," the Dowager ordered. Then, she gestured at the butler and the man quickly approached with a cup of hot tea. She sipped it gracefully before handed the empty jade cup to the butler. Now, as her throat was no longer dry, she received another burst of energy to order people around.
One maid was busy tying ribbons into pretty flowers while another was trying to make the same flower but failed miserably.
"Stop ruining the flower and go wash the carrots," Mrs. Si said when she saw the misery in the maid's face. The maid was a new appointed in the house. She replaced the maid who got married to her childhood sweetheart and decided to follow him to another state to live.
Everyone was busy doing the last minute preparation before the entourage started their journey to Ryn's parents' house. According to the schedule, they should start going in about ten more minutes.
"Put everything into the car and check your clothes. I don't want to see any dirt on your clothes when we arrive there," the Dowager said before she walked to the door with Mrs. Si holding her arm.
The maids quickly brought the boxes into the waiting car. For this mission, six maids were chosen based on their performance this year. In the family, in order to encourage them to work hard and improve themselves, the family provided incentives. The chosen ones could choose what they want. They could even choose to further their study or work in the company! But only a few decided to work in the company. They found that working in the company was too stressful and could no longer join in the meetings in the mansion. They loved attending the meetings because they could suggest things they thought could improve their performance or which place they could go for their end of the year celebration. The family sponsored full expenses for the celebration and they could either choose to have two days off or two days full of fun activities. All chose the celebration because they could bring their family members too.
The butler who could not follow the entourage watched everything with hawk eyes. He did not want anything missing. He, with the help of the cook, also checked on the maids who were chosen to ensure everything looked good.
"Remember, your job is to win their approval. In order to make Young Mistress Catherine joining our family, all of you must work hard," the butler reminded them for the last time before he closed the door of the MPV.
"Yes, sir. We won't disappoint everyone," the girls said full of confidence.
They spent almost a week under the guidance of the butler to learn the likes and dislikes of her parents in order to fulfill their mission. They must win the parents' approval.
Mika watched sadly as the vehicles started to move. She wanted to run behind, chasing after the cars but she was blocked by a wall of maids and gardeners.
Yes, they have received the order not to let Young Miss Long follow the entourage. Even all the keys were being hidden by one of the drivers and the driver even hid outside the perimeter in order to avoid meeting their young mistress and had to hand the car key.
The only thing they did not take, or to be precise, could not take or hide was her phone. And Mika used her phone to call Jeremy. She could not call her fiance as Jason was heading to another city to observe a project. She cried and wailed but all she received from her stupid big brother was a scold for not going to the office to check the proposals for the latest design of the jewelry and clothesline. For him, being busy with her wedding did not give her any excuse not to do her work in the company.
Everyone watched as Mika threw tantrum after the call and waited patiently. Usually Miss Long would release everything before she would feel better or she would call either her fiance, Mr. Jason, or her best friend, Miss Catherine to pour out her frustration. And they knew she would not go to her counselor unless it was her appointment.
Regardless, they have received their order and would not let Young Mistress Long leave the house today. Not a chance.
*~*~*~*
Ryn and Jeremy looked at each other silently. Ryn was the first to break the eye connection as she shook her head. Never mind. It did not matter.
"I need to pack my things," she blurted out without thinking.
"Packing your things?" he frowned.
"I'm checking out. You've found me so what's the use of staying here?" she explained with a shrug. She did not find a point of keep being here when she could live comfortably at home. Maybe it was her instinct but she could feel there was something different in Jeremy.
But she could not point out what it was.
"I'll wait and send you home," he decided.
"But your work," she frowned.
"It's okay. I'll wait. I won't feel relieved until I'm sure you're safe," he said gently.
She did not argue. She just nodded dumbly, thinking it could save her money for the fare. Another reason why she did not reject his offer was that he did not show any of his 'I am a man, I know everything and you don't' attitude. He asked her opinion first. At first, she did not notice it but soon it was obvious.
And she's giving him another chance, the last chance to prove his sincerity. But she would not say it out loud. She still needed to watch his performance first.
Besides, this time around, she wanted to focus on her mental health first. Since a few days ago she realized the stress was getting over her and she always felt exhausted at the end of the day.
She tried to fight against it emotionally but it was getting too much, especially when Jeremy kept forcing her to follow his orders. As her own personality that liked to keep everything inside, she did not like to share her feelings with others. Even her mother only knew just the outer layer of her problem.
She did not take a long time to pack her meager belonging. She looked around for the last time to ensure everything was kept safely before she walked through the door holding her bag and the room key. He was still standing outside, waiting for him. Without a word, he took the bag from her.
"Let's go," he said. He did not make a move to hold her hand nor placing his hand behind her back like he always did. He just followed behind her into the elevator.
"What's your plan for today?" he asked as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. There was no one there but them, so he had no worry to have this private conversation openly.
"I'm meeting Mika for lunch," Ryn said. She took out her phone to check, "And a show later. Mei Li will accompany me at work."
"Have more rest at home," he reminded before both walked toward the reception. She did not allow him to help her check out. She wanted to do it herself. So, he just stood beside her, 'protecting' her.
He was about to say something more when they got into the car but his plan was disturbed by a phone call by Jacob, his assistant. He groaned but still answered the call.
She let out a sigh of relief. She did not want to hear his nag. She knew how to protect herself. Hence the reason why she was going to take a driving license in a few days' time. Later, she decided to take a martial art class. She would learn to protect herself without having to depend on anyone.
Ryn looked at him without uttering even a word. She watched him talking something under his breath but because he was backing her, she could not hear his words clearly. She frowned but did not make any movement. What was wrong with him this time? He turned around to check what she was doing when he did not hear anything from her side. To his 'horror', she was still standing there giving him a weird look. He pulled the front of his shirt, where the top button clasping both shirt's sides together. He gulped hard. There was even sweat gathering on his forehead. What to do now? Could he control himself in front of a beautiful woman like her? "Love..." he choked out difficultly. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" she asked. *~*~*~* Mika watched her grandmother, gripping the cane hard, ordered all the maids to arrange the beautifully wrapped boxes in a neat line in the living room. She was unsatisfied when she knew she could not follow them to meet Ryn's parents. Why was she still considered a child when she was getting married in just a few months? It was unfair! "No. The herbs should be the second box, not the birdnest. We need to grab the girl's attention by showing what she likes first." Mika sat at the lone cushion, giving a sad look at her grandmother but the Dowager was busy nagging at the maids. "Mother, I've got the carrots. I chose all the fat ones," Mrs. Long came in with a maid following behind her, carrying a basket full of just-picked carrots from their vegetable garden. She thought she wanted to pick the cabbages too but those cabbages too tiny in her eyes. Even the chilies and mangoes did not fit her requirement. The only ones she satisfied with were the carrots. "Arrange them into the first box. Put more greens to decorate," the Dowager ordered. Then, she gestured at the butler and the man quickly approached with a cup of hot tea. She sipped it gracefully before handed the empty jade cup to the butler. Now, as her throat was no longer dry, she received another burst of energy to order people around. One maid was busy tying ribbons into pretty flowers while another was trying to make the same flower but failed miserably. "Stop ruining the flower and go wash the carrots," Mrs. Si said when she saw the misery in the maid's face. The maid was a new appointed in the house. She replaced the maid who got married to her childhood sweetheart and decided to follow him to another state to live. Everyone was busy doing the last minute preparation before the entourage started their journey to Ryn's parents' house. According to the schedule, they should start going in about ten more minutes. "Put everything into the car and check your clothes. I don't want to see any dirt on your clothes when we arrive there," the Dowager said before she walked to the door with Mrs. Si holding her arm. The maids quickly brought the boxes into the waiting car. For this mission, six maids were chosen based on their performance this year. In the family, in order to encourage them to work hard and improve themselves, the family provided incentives. The chosen ones could choose what they want. They could even choose to further their study or work in the company! But only a few decided to work in the company. They found that working in the company was too stressful and could no longer join in the meetings in the mansion. They loved attending the meetings because they could suggest things they thought could improve their performance or which place they could go for their end of the year celebration. The family sponsored full expenses for the celebration and they could either choose to have two days off or two days full of fun activities. All chose the celebration because they could bring their family members too. The butler who could not follow the entourage watched everything with hawk eyes. He did not want anything missing. He, with the help of the cook, also checked on the maids who were chosen to ensure everything looked good. "Remember, your job is to win their approval. In order to make Young Mistress Catherine joining our family, all of you must work hard," the butler reminded them for the last time before he closed the door of the MPV. "Yes, sir. We won't disappoint everyone," the girls said full of confidence. They spent almost a week under the guidance of the butler to learn the likes and dislikes of her parents in order to fulfill their mission. They must win the parents' approval. Mika watched sadly as the vehicles started to move. She wanted to run behind, chasing after the cars but she was blocked by a wall of maids and gardeners. Yes, they have received the order not to let Young Miss Long follow the entourage. Even all the keys were being hidden by one of the drivers and the driver even hid outside the perimeter in order to avoid meeting their young mistress and had to hand the car key. The only thing they did not take, or to be precise, could not take or hide was her phone. And Mika used her phone to call Jeremy. She could not call her fiance as Jason was heading to another city to observe a project. She cried and wailed but all she received from her stupid big brother was a scold for not going to the office to check the proposals for the latest design of the jewelry and clothesline. For him, being busy with her wedding did not give her any excuse not to do her work in the company. Everyone watched as Mika threw tantrum after the call and waited patiently. Usually Miss Long would release everything before she would feel better or she would call either her fiance, Mr. Jason, or her best friend, Miss Catherine to pour out her frustration. And they knew she would not go to her counselor unless it was her appointment. Regardless, they have received their order and would not let Young Mistress Long leave the house today. Not a chance. *~*~*~* Ryn and Jeremy looked at each other silently. Ryn was the first to break the eye connection as she shook her head. Never mind. It did not matter. "I need to pack my things," she blurted out without thinking. "Packing your things?" he frowned. "I'm checking out. You've found me so what's the use of staying here?" she explained with a shrug. She did not find a point of keep being here when she could live comfortably at home. Maybe it was her instinct but she could feel there was something different in Jeremy. But she could not point out what it was. "I'll wait and send you home," he decided. "But your work," she frowned. "It's okay. I'll wait. I won't feel relieved until I'm sure you're safe," he said gently. She did not argue. She just nodded dumbly, thinking it could save her money for the fare. Another reason why she did not reject his offer was that he did not show any of his 'I am a man, I know everything and you don't' attitude. He asked her opinion first. At first, she did not notice it but soon it was obvious. And she's giving him another chance, the last chance to prove his sincerity. But she would not say it out loud. She still needed to watch his performance first. Besides, this time around, she wanted to focus on her mental health first. Since a few days ago she realized the stress was getting over her and she always felt exhausted at the end of the day. She tried to fight against it emotionally but it was getting too much, especially when Jeremy kept forcing her to follow his orders. As her own personality that liked to keep everything inside, she did not like to share her feelings with others. Even her mother only knew just the outer layer of her problem. She did not take a long time to pack her meager belonging. She looked around for the last time to ensure everything was kept safely before she walked through the door holding her bag and the room key. He was still standing outside, waiting for him. Without a word, he took the bag from her. "Let's go," he said. He did not make a move to hold her hand nor placing his hand behind her back like he always did. He just followed behind her into the elevator. "What's your plan for today?" he asked as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. There was no one there but them, so he had no worry to have this private conversation openly. "I'm meeting Mika for lunch," Ryn said. She took out her phone to check, "And a show later. Mei Li will accompany me at work." "Have more rest at home," he reminded before both walked toward the reception. She did not allow him to help her check out. She wanted to do it herself. So, he just stood beside her, 'protecting' her. He was about to say something more when they got into the car but his plan was disturbed by a phone call by Jacob, his assistant. He groaned but still answered the call. She let out a sigh of relief. She did not want to hear his nag. She knew how to protect herself. Hence the reason why she was going to take a driving license in a few days' time. Later, she decided to take a martial art class. She would learn to protect herself without having to depend on anyone.
