Jenson Ford was equally surprised.
Shane Robinson was a well-known bachelor, not only unmarried but also never seen with a girlfriend. He always attended events with male assistants by his side. So, it was indeed surprising to see him suddenly show up with a woman.
"What should we do then?" Cecilia Ford whined, clinging to her father. "You said you would introduce me to him."
Jenson Ford certainly hoped to have Shane Robinson as his son-in-law.
However, with a woman now appearing by Shane's side, and without knowing her relationship with him, it was impossible to rashly introduce his daughter to Shane.
"Cecilia, you should go back for now. Let me find out more about the woman with him first," Jenson said.
"Dad, you've been preparing for this for days, and I've been looking forward to it for so long. All this effort just to get you to introduce me to him. Now, if we give up, all our preparations will be wasted!" Cecilia was clearly unwilling.
She had accidentally come across Shane's photo in a financial magazine and had fallen for him at first sight.
She hoped that through her father, she could become Shane's wife.
Her father agreed and supported her. Jenson also admired Shane's abilities.
"There's nothing we can do about it right now. Just wait a bit longer," Jenson comforted his daughter.
Shane Robinson showing up with another woman had indeed disrupted his plans. But at times like this, they couldn't act rashly.
What if that woman wasn't just a fling for him? What if she was his girlfriend? Introducing his daughter to him under such circumstances would put them in a very awkward position.
Cecilia bit her lip, feeling wronged. "Dad..."
"Enough," Jenson interrupted his daughter. "I'm the host today, and I can't leave for too long. Be a good girl and go back for now."
With that, Jenson returned to the banquet hall.
Shane Robinson was surrounded by people discussing business matters that Callie couldn't understand. She could only stand quietly by his side, sipping on a glass of juice whenever she felt thirsty.
"Hello."
Cecilia didn't followed her father's advice to leave. Instead, she decided to find out for herself what the relationship between Callie and Shane was.
Callie looked up and saw a well-dressed girl in front of her. She smiled back, "Hello."
Cecilia smiled and asked, "May I sit here?"
Callie nodded, "Sure, go ahead."
Cecilia could tell that Callie was not comfortable in this kind of setting. She probably didn't attend such events often.
"I don't really like these kinds of gatherings," Cecilia whispered to Callie with a smile. "To be honest, I find their conversations quite boring."
Cecilia was smart and knew how to strike up a conversation.
Callie smiled, "I don't attend these events often either."
"How about we step outside for some fresh air?" Cecilia suggested.
Callie turned to look at Shane.
He was still surrounded by people, deep in conversation, and it didn't look like he would be done anytime soon.
As a professional doctor, Callie didn't really understand business matters.
Seeing that Callie was considering it, Cecilia pressed on, "Shall we go? We'll be back in no time. Their discussions won't end anytime soon anyway." Callie Norris nodded, "Alright then!"
Cecilia smiled innocently.
"Just between us, I know this place really well," Cecilia said. "There's a rose garden not far from here. Let me take you to see it."
"It's not a good idea to go too far," Callie hesitated.
"Oh, come on, the flowers there are so beautiful. We'll just take a quick look and come right back. It's not far at all," Cecilia insisted, tugging on Callie's arm.
Reluctantly, Callie allowed herself to be led away.
Even from a distance, Callie could smell the sweet fragrance of roses.
After walking along a rocky path, they finally saw a vast field of roses.
It was the first time Callie had seen roses growing in the wild. She was used to seeing them cut and arranged in flower shops.
The lush green leaves made the red roses appear even more vibrant.
"This place is so beautiful," Callie said.
"If you like, you can pick a bunch to take back. I'll go get some scissors," Cecilia offered, quickly returning with a pair of scissors.
Callie declined, "Thank you, but they are living things too. Letting them bloom here is their most beautiful moment. It's getting late. Let's head back."
After saying that, she turned around, but Cecilia grabbed her arm. "I have one more place to show you."
Callie replied, "We should head back now."
"Oh, come on, we're already here. Just take a look!" Cecilia insisted, pulling Callie along.
Unable to break free, Callie was dragged forward, seeing nothing ahead.
"What do you want me to see?"
"Here," Cecilia pointed to the ground.
Callie looked down.
There was a hole, too dark inside to see anything.
"Ah!"
Cecilia suddenly shoved her into the hole from behind.
As Callie tumbled down, she instinctively protected her belly.
Above her, Cecilia finally revealed her true colors.
The earlier friendliness was all an act.
She didn't care what relationship Callie had with Shane; she just knew this woman couldn't stay.
Callie was too beautiful, making Cecilia jealous.
Shane would likely be attracted to such beauty.
So, she wanted Callie to disappear. "What is your relationship with Shane?"
Cecilia's voice echoed through the dark space.
Callie clutched her stomach, trying to make sense of her surroundings, but it was too dark to see anything.
Only the entrance had some light.
"Are you Shane's girlfriend?" Cecilia asked again.
Callie finally understood. This girl had approached her on purpose because she was with Shane? Was she one of Shane's admirers?
"I have nothing to do with him..."
"You're lying. If you had nothing to do with him, why would he bring you to an event like this? My dad said he's never brought a woman to these events before. You're the first, and you say you have nothing to do with him? Are you really not lying?"
Callie was surprised. Shane had never brought a woman to such events before?
"It doesn't matter if you tell the truth or not. No one will find you here."
With that, Cecilia left.
...
At the banquet.
Shane turned his head, and the corner where Callie had been sitting was now empty. He immediately scanned the area.
There was no sign of her.
He declined the offered drink and asked a waiter if they had seen Callie.
They all said no.
Shane quickly instructed his secretary to search for her.
It was only then that they realized Callie was truly missing.
No one at the entire banquet had seen her.
"I'll send someone to look for her," Jenson said.
After all, she had gone missing on his property, so he felt responsible.
Shane said, "I'll check the surveillance."
"This is my private estate, so there are no surveillance cameras. A person can't just disappear; don't worry," Jenson replied.
Jenson had seen his daughter leave with Callie Norris, so he was too afraid to let Shane see the footage.
Shane had already noticed the hidden surveillance equipment earlier.
Now Jenson was saying there was none.
Was he lying?
""Is that so?" Shane's voice was icy. "It seems your estate's security is lacking. My person went missing on your property. If nothing happens to her, fine. But if something does, President Ford, you'll have to answer to me!"
Jenson could hear the dissatisfaction in Shane's voice and quickly said, "I'll have someone look for her right away!"
Shane didn't trust him at all. He strode out of the room while contacting his secretary, "Get more people to search."
He also started searching personally.
Suddenly, he noticed something on the ground!
It was a tiny diamond from Callie's gown.
The diamond fell onto the marble floor, leading towards a flat lawn.
Shane noticed the footprints.
Callie Norris's gown required high heels, and though she wore shoes with heels, they were the chunky kind, a style rarely seen nowadays, making them easy to identify.
He stepped onto the lawn, searching.
When he discovered a path, he didn't hesitate and followed it.
Callie was absent from the party.
This could only mean she might have stepped out.
The path grew narrower and more secluded, and soon he found himself in front of a rose garden.
The sky was dark, and the surroundings were hard to discern.
"Help, is anyone there..."
Just as Shane was about to turn back, he thought he heard a voice. He followed the sound, "Callie?"
Callie didn't hear him, so she couldn't respond.
Inside the dark hole, she couldn't see anything and was terrified.
The area was overgrown with thorny bushes, and everything was damp.
She curled up, her arms and legs stinging with pain.
"Can someone please help me?" she continued to shout.
The banquet hall wasn't far from here, and she hoped someone would find her.
If Shane had any doubts before, this time he was certain he heard her voice and pinpointed the approximate location. He turned on his phone's flashlight and began to search...
The entrance to the hole was small and surrounded by tall grass. If you weren't familiar with the area, you would never find it.
Shane, in his haste, didn't notice where he was stepping...
Whoosh!
His foot slipped, and Shane Robinson tumbled into the hole.
"Who's there?"
Callie immediately sensed someone was nearby.
Shane used his phone's flashlight to illuminate the direction of the voice.
He saw Callie, covered in mud, curled up in a grassy nest.
This was probably the most disheveled the person Shane had ever met in his life.
He was half-lying on the ground, his suit jacket bunched up from the fall, revealing his crisp white shirt.
"Why are you running around if you're okay?"
Seeing Callie, he let out a sigh of relief.
He had thought this woman had run off again.
Callie threw herself into his arms. "Thank goodness you're here. I was scared to death." Shane was taken aback, "..."
Was this a good thing happening too suddenly?
He reached out and hugged her, gently patting her back with a hint of a smile. "What's there to be afraid of here?"
She was actually scared?
He had always thought she was fearless.
Callie Norris couldn't quite explain what she was afraid of. It was probably the eerie environment.
The grass was damp, making it a perfect hiding spot for snakes and centipedes.
"Hurry up, get up, we need to leave," Callie Norris urged, pulling him along.
Shane said, "I'll call my secretary."
Just as he was about to dial, the light from his phone screen briefly illuminated Callie's face, and a calculating glint flashed in his eyes. "It seems there's no signal here."
"What should we do then?"
Callie Norris panicked. "It's hard to get out of here."
Shane hugged her tightly. "Don't be afraid, I'm here with you."
Callie nestled into his embrace. "You need to think of something."
"The fact that I found this place means it's not that hidden. By the way, why did you come here?" Shane Robinson enjoyed her dependence on him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
Callie, feeling either jealous or angry, retorted, "Isn't it because of you?"
Shane Robinson was puzzled, "???" What did this have to do with him?
"Your admirer got jealous because I was with you and tricked me into coming here..."
"That just means you're foolish, getting tricked so easily."
Shane looked down with a smile. "What would you have done if I hadn't come?"
Thinking about that question, Callie felt a chill run down her spine. She hugged Shane tightly around the waist. "Thank goodness you came."
She couldn't even begin to imagine how she would have escaped if Shane hadn't shown up.
Callie said, "It's not that I wasn't cautious. It's just that I never expected traps everywhere."
Shane felt something moving around his waist. It was her hand.
Was she taking advantage of the situation?
"Callie, this isn't the right place." "…What?" Callie was confused.
Shane sensed something was off. Callie's hand wasn't moving. He picked up his phone and turned on the screen to light up his waist.
"Ah!"
Callie quickly withdrew her hand, her face turning pale with fear.
Shane's expression darkened as well.
"Hiss—"
The sudden light startled a colorful snake, which bit Shane's waist before quickly slithering into the nearby bushes and disappearing.
At that moment, Shane Robinson couldn't help but think, "Am I really going to die here because of a beautiful woman?"
Just a moment ago, his phone had signal, but he had pretended it didn't because Callie Norris had thrown herself into his arms.
Was this karma coming back to bite him?
Callie Norris quickly rushed over to check on him, tearing open his shirt to reveal two small, bleeding puncture wounds.
"Could it be poisonous?" Callie asked, her voice filled with worry.
What should she do?
Her heart raced with anxiety.
Shane had fallen into the pit while looking for her.
If he died from poisoning, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
In a flash of inspiration, she remembered seeing on TV that in such situations, you should suck out the poison.
As a doctor, she knew this wasn't a recommended practice.
But they had no tools available here.
With no time to think further, knowing a life was at stake, she bent down to his waist and began to suck out the poison.
Shane's eyes instantly darkened.
Callie's soft tongue brushed against his skin, making his whole body tense up.
In this dire situation, he found himself unable to control the stirring emotions within him. He picked Callie up, "Don't be foolish."
If the snake were truly venomous, she could get poisoned by using her mouth to make contact.
"But you..."
Buzz—Buzz—
Just then, Shane's phone rang.
Callie stared at Shane, "Your phone... didn't you say there was no signal? How can you receive a call?"
Shane hesitated, "Uh... there's signal now?"
"You lied to me?" Callie realized what had happened.
She was furious. How could he joke about something like this?
Her anger overwhelmed her reason, and she raised her hand. Shane quickly caught her wrist, holding it firmly while answering the call with his other hand.
It was his secretary.
"President Ford's daughter said she knows Miss Norris's whereabouts."
Shane's mind raced. President Ford's daughter—was she the admirer Callie had mentioned?
"Track my phone's location and come here immediately."
"Yes, sir."
After ending the call, he turned to Callie. "What's the name of the person who tricked you into coming here?"
Callie turned her head away, refusing to speak.
"Are you mad?"
Callie fumed, "Do you think this is something to joke about? What if that snake was poisonous and you died because you didn't get help in time?"
Was she angry because she was worried he might die from the poison? "Are you concerned about me?"
Shane couldn't hide the joy in his voice. "That makes me happy."
"You're crazy!"
Callie was genuinely angry. She couldn't believe Shane would joke about something so serious!
"Don't be mad." Shane reached out to hug her.
But Callie slapped his hand away.
At that moment, she felt something cool against her foot, and she jumped back into Shane's arms in fright. Looking down, she saw it was just a small frog!
As she tried to pull away, Shane wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
Callie tilted her head up, staring at him with a cold expression. "Let go of me!" Instead of releasing her, Shane tightened his grip.
Callie could barely breathe from the pressure.
Shane's face was serious. "The moment you rushed into my arms, I didn't want to let you go."
Callie's heart skipped a beat. Is that why he didn't call immediately?
She stopped struggling.
Her face pressed against his chest.
With her eyes closed, she could feel nothing but his presence.
"Can you tell me where you went on the night of our wedding?"
She finally asked.
She needed to confirm her suspicions. Shane's expression faltered for a moment.
That night, he had encountered some issues and met Belinda, and then...
"Why are you asking this?" he said, his voice low.
He really didn't want to bring up Belinda.
"I want to know. Can't you tell me?" She looked up at him.
"I was abroad, handling company matters," he said.
He couldn't possibly tell Callie that he had lost control and ended up with Belinda that night, could he?
Finally, she showed signs of calming down.
He didn't want this situation to escalate into a confrontation.
Callie Norris lowered her eyes in disappointment. "So that's how it is."
She had been mistaken.
He wasn't who she thought he was.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance, indicating that someone was coming.
The secretary arrived with some people, and Jenson also came with his daughter and others.
A light shone down from above, revealing Callie in her disheveled state to everyone.
Shane's voice was cold. "Turn off the light!"
The room quickly plunged back into darkness.
He took off his suit jacket and draped it over Callie Norris, fastening the buttons for her.
A ladder was lowered from above.
Shane Robinson supported Callie Norris, helping her up first.
As soon as they both reached the surface, Jenson hurriedly explained, "Oh dear, this whole thing is my daughter Cecilia's fault. She wanted to make friends with Miss Norris and brought her to the rose garden. The rose garden is my daughter's most treasured place. Who knew she would accidentally fall into a hole? She came back to find me so I could rescue them. I didn't expect you to find her first, Shane."
Jenson was a sly old fox.
Upon learning that his daughter had done something foolish, he immediately thought of ways to make amends.
"Are you alright?" Cecilia asked reluctantly. Her father had sternly demanded that she apologize to Callie, leaving her no choice but to comply. "It's all my fault. I caused you trouble. Please don't be mad."
Callie frowned. This was quite different from Cecilia's attitude when she had pushed her.
This father-daughter duo could turn black into white with their words. Their verbal skills were truly impressive.
Callie smiled. "It's strange, isn't it? We came to see the roses together, just the two of us. I can't imagine how someone could have pushed me."
Cecilia couldn't hold back. "Are you implying that I pushed you?"
"Oh, Cecilia," Jenson interjected smoothly. "Miss Norris didn't mean that. Maybe she slipped and imagined it. She never said it was you. You went to get help, and I can vouch for your innocence."
Jenson was a master of manipulation, twisting words to is utmost advantage. He turned Callie's accusation of a push into a slip and an illusion.
"In the dark, accidents happen. No one wanted this, but thankfully, no one was hurt. As the host, I bear some responsibility for what happened. How about this—tomorrow, I'll host a dinner to apologize and make amends?"
In the business world, Jenson was a notable figure. Handling such matters was a piece of cake for him, turning major issues into minor ones and minor ones into nothing. However, Shane was not someone to be trifled with.
"Dinner won't be necessary. The road to President Ford's house is slippery. I fell into a ditch on my way here," Shane said, his gaze coldly sweeping over Cecilia. "Your daughter's way of making friends is quite... unique. I'll remember that."
With that, he put his arm around Callie's shoulder and said, "Let's go."
Shane's words were clearly filled with dissatisfaction.
Jenson wanted to say something, but his daughter stopped him, whispering, "Dad, is he being ironic about us?"
Jenson glared at his daughter and whispered back, "Isn't it because you didn't behave? Why can't you just hold your temper a bit?"
Cecilia pointed out, "Look at their relationship."
"Then you should forget about it," Jenson tried to dissuade his daughter.
But Cecilia was stubborn. "No, I won't."
"You..."
Jenson was at a loss for words with his daughter.
...
Sitting in the car, Callie Norris instructed the driver, "Take me to the hospital."
After speaking, she looked at Shane. "You should probably get checked out."
"President Robinson, are you hurt?" the secretary in the front seat turned and asked.
Callie glanced up at her.
The secretary, with a composed expression, asked, "Miss Norris, are you alright?"
Callie shook her head.
At the hospital, Shane got checked out. Fortunately, he wasn't poisoned; the snake wasn't venomous.
On the way back, Callie Norris fell asleep, leaning on Shane Robinson's shoulder.
The car pulled up to the villa and stopped.
Just as the secretary was about to wake Callie Norris on her own initiative, Shane stopped her. "You can go now."
With that, he carried Callie Norris out of the car.
Inside the house, Mrs. Ford saw Shane Robinson carrying Callie Norris in and thought something had happened to her. Given her appearance, it indeed looked like she had been through something. "Are you two...?"
"We're fine," Shane replied calmly.
Mrs. Ford, understanding the situation, wisely refrained from asking further questions and quietly stepped back.
"If needed, I'll call you."
Shane Robinson carried Callie Norris upstairs and gently laid her on the bed.
She must have been exhausted, as she stirred slightly before continuing to sleep.
Shane went to his room to take a shower.
When he returned, she was still lying there, seemingly in the same position. She must have been worn out from the night's events.
He approached her and carefully removed her jacket. He noticed numerous small scratches on her arms, some red and others long and bleeding.
By now, they had all dried.
Frowning, he removed the rest of her clothes and fetched some warm water to gently clean her body. For the wounds, he used iodine to disinfect them lightly.
She flinched slightly, likely feeling a bit of a sting.
Shane became even more gentle with his cleaning.
Once he was done, he held her close and fell asleep.
Callie, deep in sleep, had no idea she was now naked and nestled in his arms.
She must have been truly exhausted to sleep so soundly, not waking until the bright morning light.
When she finally woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
A sliver of sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtains.
She squinted her eyes, "Mmm..."
As she tried to stretch, she suddenly realized someone was right in front of her.
Her eyes flew open wide, and there, inches from her face, was Shane.
How... how did she end up in bed with him?
She lifted the blanket, intending to get out of bed, only to realize she was wearing nothing but a pair of panties.
The dress she wore last night didn't allow for any underwear.
So, her clothes must have been taken off by Shane?
"Awake?" Shane propped his face up with one hand, his lazy voice inquiring.
Callie shrank back under the covers, leaving only her eyes peeking out at him.
"Y-you, why are you in my room?"
Thankuu