Mysterious Mrs. Pansy

Jane followed Patrick back to his office.

“What’s going on?” she inquired.

Patrick settled onto the sofa, crossing his legs, and gestured to a spot beside him. “Have a seat,” he instructed.

Puzzled, Jane took a seat next to him. “Patrick, what’s this about?”

Patrick, in his usual composed manner, opened his lips slightly and calmly questioned, “You initiated this, didn’t you?”

The initiator? Was he angry? Was he upset about her publicly exposing Monica? Or was he displeased about having to fire Monica? Was he holding her responsible? Jane glanced at him cautiously and asked, “Patrick, what do you mean?”

His expressionless face pivoted to meet her gaze. His eyes, deep and inscrutable like whirlpools, held her attention. He inclined closer to her.

“You knew in advance that Monica intended to switch the drawings, and you arranged for Joan to uncover her plot. Was all of it your doing?”

Patrick already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Jane herself. It must have been evident to Jane that Monica planned to frame her, so she orchestrated the setup. Monica not only got exposed but also lost her job at Pansy Group. Additionally, it served as a warning to Sherry, a clever two-fold strategy.

Once again, Patrick inched closer to Jane. The space between them virtually disappeared, causing Jane to blush with embarrassment. Why did he get so close to her? Was he unconcerned about Candy’s jealousy?

“So, who are you really?” Patrick inquired, his enchanting eyes filled with curiosity. “Why do you have knowledge of jewelry design? The drawing software you used today, I believe, was designed by Ada. What’s your relationship with her?”

Jane was taken aback. What did Patrick suspect? Was her true identity exposed? Jane promptly rose and addressed him with a smile. “You already know who I am. I’m your nominal fiancée. If there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to work.”

With that, Jane turned and left. Patrick was left with a perplexing array of emotions.

After contemplating for a while, he summoned Morton and issued an order. “Conduct a background check on Jane. I want all the information you can find.”

“Jane?” Morton appeared baffled. Wasn’t Jane the CEO’s fiancée? Why was the CEO investigating his own fiancée? It was peculiar! When Patrick received no response from the puzzled Morton, he raised his voice, “Get moving!”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Yes, sir,” Morton replied with a start, promptly setting out to fulfill the task.

An hour later, Morton returned with an air of unease.

“Mr. Pansy, I’ve completed the check.”

“What did you find?” Patrick’s voice tinged with eagerness.

Morton handed over the information. “I found only this.”

Patrick accepted the document, scanning the brief information. Jane, 20 years old, resided in the outskirts of Georgia City. It provided no additional details about her family or educational background.

“Is that all?” Patrick asked, his displeasure evident, his eyes narrowing.

“I couldn’t locate any further information,” Morton responded, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Sorry, sir. There was nothing else to find.”

“Very well. You can go now,” Patrick said dismissively.

With Morton gone, Patrick reclined and pondered deeply. The fact that Morton, of all people, was unable to unearth significant information about Jane indicated that his fiancée was far from ordinary. He had no option but to consult his grandfather. Since Jane had been arranged by Mike, he probably knew her well.

Patrick departed for Mike’s residence and discovered him tending to the garden.

“Patrick, aren’t you supposed to be at the office? Why the sudden visit?” Mike inquired, visibly surprised by his grandson’s unexpected appearance.

“Grandpa, I’m here to visit. How are you feeling?” Patrick inquired, taking the watering can from his grandfather and joining him in the garden.

“I’m doing fine,” Mike responded, studying his grandson, who appeared preoccupied.

“Tell me, what’s on your mind?” Mike knew Patrick well. If he had taken time off from work, it must be for something significant.

“What? Did you finally realize how wonderful she is?” Mike teased with a smile.

“I’m just curious,” Patrick shrugged. “She’s not quite what I expected.”

“You’ll have to find out for yourself. All I can say is, despite my old age, I’ve still got my wits about me, and I wouldn’t select the wrong girl as my future granddaughter-in-law,” Mike asserted, his beard stroked with pride.

“Alright.”

Failing to elicit the information he sought from his grandfather, Patrick refrained from further inquiry. He said his goodbyes and departed.

As he left Mike’s home, Patrick felt perturbed. Were it not for Candy, he might have considered Jane. A beautiful, intelligent, confident, capable, and bold woman like Jane was highly attractive. But his heart belonged to Candy. He had made a promise to marry her, and he would keep it.