Mysterious Mrs. Pansy

Patrick was reluctant to acknowledge his growing attraction to Jane. Her voice, face, smile, and every gesture remained etched in his mind long after leaving Mike’s house. When Patrick arrived back at Pansy Group, it was already past office hours. He called home but was informed by Wendy that Jane had not returned yet.

Without hesitation, Patrick drove straight to the office, despite the darkening evening. Most of the staff had already left for the day, but Jane was still engrossed in her work, oblivious to her solitude.

As Jane focused on the computer screen, a shadow suddenly cast over her. Startled, she looked up to find Patrick gazing at her.

Dressed in a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, he appeared to be bathed in golden light, exuding an air of nobility. “Patrick, why are you here?” Jane asked in surprise.

Patrick smiled and responded seriously, “I’m here to check on the progress of the Ice and Fire series.”

Jane was puzzled. While the Lady Fashion project was vital to the design department, Pansy Group’s primary business was not jewelry. There were more significant projects than Lady Fashion, and their progress was typically reported to Patrick by the employees. Why was he here to supervise such a minor project? Jane sensed there was more to his visit.

However, since Patrick only mentioned that he was here to inspect the project, Jane provided an honest response. “Everything is proceeding smoothly. I’m reviewing the financial reports related to the series production.”

“Very well. Let me take a look,” Patrick replied calmly.

Jane pointed at the computer screen. “This is the report from the production department, but I haven’t finished reviewing it yet.”

“Okay,” Patrick nodded and approached her. He stood behind her, one hand resting on the table, while the other pointed to the screen. Their proximity was so intimate that Jane could catch a faint whiff of tobacco from him. Her heart began to race as Patrick provided feedback, almost as though he held her in his arms.

“I’ll have the production department address these details tomorrow,” Jane remarked with a hint of stiffness.

However, she hadn’t anticipated that when she turned to face Patrick, he would be gazing directly at her. Caught off guard, Jane blushed and said quickly, “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to continue my work.”

Patrick straightened up, but his smile remained as he continued to watch her. “Didn’t you say you didn’t like postponing tasks until the next day?”

“I’m tired,” Jane replied, collecting her handbag and heading toward the door.

Patrick chuckled and followed her. “I’ll drive you home.”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

Jane declined, stating, “I don’t like leaving things for the next day.”

“Understood,” Patrick replied, making no move to leave.

“Are you going to supervise me here?” Jane asked, slightly irritated by his lingering presence.

Upon seeing the awkward expression on her face, Patrick looked at her quizzically. “If any issues arise, I can address them immediately.”

Jane was less than thrilled about this prospect. How could she focus on her work with him so close? She promptly powered down the computer and said, “Never mind. I’ll finish it tomorrow.”

Patrick straightened up and looked at her with a faint smile. “You mentioned you didn’t like putting things off to the next day.”

“I’m tired,” Jane reiterated, quickly grabbing her handbag and heading for the door.

Patrick chuckled and followed her. “I’ll go with you.”

Jane was uncertain how to respond and remained silent. They both took the elevator to the underground garage. However, before Patrick could open the car door, a figure rushed over and grabbed his arm.

“Patrick, I’ve been waiting for you!”

Jane took a closer look and recognized Monica. Patrick removed his arm from her grasp with disdain. “Monica, why are you still here? I told you I never want to see you again. Leave!”

“Patrick, please don’t fire me,” Monica implored, her eyes already red and puffy from crying. “I’ll even work as a janitor if you won’t fire me. Just let me stay at Pansy Group so I can be close to…”

Before Monica could finish her plea, Patrick abruptly cut her off. “I told you to leave. Can’t you comprehend that? Pansy Group will not tolerate individuals like you who undermine the company’s interests for your own gain.”

“Patrick, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong!” Monica wailed, crying and begging profusely. “I know I was wrong, but everything I did was because I love you so much. Patrick, please don’t fire me. You have no idea how much I love you. As long as I can be near you, I will do anything you ask.”

Patrick frowned, his face displaying a mixture of disgust and contempt. What kind of problematic woman was this? Before he could summon Morton and have security remove Monica, Jane stepped forward and sneered.

“Patrick doesn’t want to see you again. Why are you being so obstinate?”

“What are you doing here, Jane?” Monica questioned, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. She hadn’t noticed Jane was beside Patrick until now.

“What’s wrong with me being with my fiancé?” Jane retorted, firmly gripping Patrick’s arm. Patrick, with a smile, extended his other hand, taking Jane’s hand.

Jane felt the warmth of his touch, which caused her to blush. From her perspective, this entire scenario was a ruse to drive Monica away. So, why was Patrick holding her hand? Observing the scene, Monica’s heart swelled with hatred.

“Jane, it’s you. You’ve taken Patrick away from me. If it weren’t for you, Patrick wouldn’t have fired me. He wouldn’t have fallen in love with you!”

“Monica, stop daydreaming. Patrick would never fall in love with you,” Jane replied with a mixture of amusement and incredulity. What was going on with Monica? She was filled with anger.

Meanwhile, Monica’s rage at Patrick’s tenderness towards Jane, in stark contrast to his indifference to her, intensified her feelings of sadness, desperation, jealousy, and hatred. Glaring at Jane, Monica suddenly produced a knife from her pocket and thrust it toward her with all her might. Her face contorted with anger as she yelled, “Jane, just die!”