The dinner wasn't something to write home about. Jade just watched silently as the president and Van conversed while stuffing their mouths with food, the food she had made. Van was quite the actor. He did not for one second try to prove that she was his wife. The subtle glances and soft gestures were more than enough, but until now Jade did not know the implication.
The dinner ended. Jade learned that the president would spend the night at the mansion, which did not surprise her much. He was directed to his room and that was the last she saw of him. Then, while she retired to her bedroom, Van returned to the dining room where he had dined with those he had invited. Again, what was the point of all this? Not even Jade knows, and as for Dustin, he was long gone.
Inside the bedroom, Jade had a bath. The second she opened the wardrobe and was exposed to those clothes she hated, a frown appeared on her face, but she picked out one of them anyway and settled in. Exhausted, she collapsed on the bed and curled under the bedsheet. Sleep ought to have caught up with her immediately, but it did not. Something else kept her awake, someone, and that was Van.
She tried to dismiss those thoughts, but they lingered long enough for her to fall asleep. By the next time she opened her eyes, it was morning. It may have been caused by the fatigue from last night, but Jade woke up thinking she was back in her apartment, she tried to reach for her phone, but her hand landed on the alarm clock.
Her eyes widened. "Oh." She sighed in disappointment. She had not had her phone since two nights ago, and was honestly amazed how she had lived without it. Quickly, Jade lay back down, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She was not about to get out of bed so quickly.
Suddenly, a gentle knock was heard on the door, forcing her to sit up. She thought whoever it was would have barged in like they always did, but that was not the case.
"Well, John finally learned to knock and wait," she mumbled before asking him to come in.
The door opened gently and a new bodyguard, whom she had not seen before, stepped in, dragging a black cloth box with him.
"Good morning," Jade greeted him, but he simply nodded back. He dragged the box until it stood next to her wardrobe and left it there.
"What is that?" She asked.
"Clothes," he replied. "Your flight is in two hours."
"Flight?" Jade wondered. "Oh, flight. Oh my God!" She finally recalled Van telling her about them leaving the mansion today. "Where are we going?" she inquired before the guard could leave the room.
"He didn't say," the guard replied before turning around. "I will be back to escort you out in an hour." With that, he left, gently closing the door behind him.
Jade took note. Van had changed the bodyguard who delivered messages to her. It was no longer John but a new man whose name she would have to find out, again. But it was a relief though. John was just an ass.
Enthusiastically, Jade got out of bed and rushed to the box. It was quite large and heavy when she tried to move it. She set it down and unzipped it, only to find it full of clothes.
"What the hell," she muttered, her hands clasped over her mouth. She looked at the door and then back at the box and could not believe it. It confirmed one thing. He admired the last dress on her, so Jade took another mental note.
Honestly, she was not sure whether she wanted to fight it or not, because at the end of the day, if it led to her finding out more about her father's death and exacting revenge on whoever was responsible, then she was down for it.
She browsed through the clothes, each one packed in a transparent seal, with labels indicating they were all new. In addition, all the clothes were from a similar brand whose name was a big deal in the fashion industry.
"Wait!" Jade paused. "I think he wants to parade me around as his wife now. Ew."
That came so suddenly, proof that Jade still was not sure of what she wanted, and proof that no one was sure of Van's intentions. To a man like him, everything was transactional.
Underneath the pile of clothes were shoes, about ten pairs from the same brand, and even more accessories. Although Jade did not like them much, they were fancy but definitely not what she would have picked if she had done the shopping herself.
She picked a dress, a pair of shoes, and a set of bracelets and placed them on the bed. It was simple. Then she neatly arranged everything else back in the box and zipped it up.
Afterwards, she stole a glance at the digital clock beside her bed. If her calculations were correct, she had spent fifteen minutes doing all that.
Jade had a bath and slid into the dress she had selected. Genuinely, she did not like it much. It was a red dress almost similar to what she had worn for dinner, but slightly bigger on the hips. She tightened it with the black belt from the previous dress, did her makeup lightly, and by the time the bodyguard returned to get her, she was ready to go.
He took the box and walked in front while Jade followed behind. Along the way she saw John, and it seemed like he was coming on this trip too. She hated that.
They went outside and she was directed to one of the cars in the parking lot. She waited inside while her box was loaded, and the whole time she waited for Van, thinking that they would go together, but that was not the case. She sat alone in the back seat. the guard who escorted her sat in front in the passenger seat while John was the driver, she hated that too.
Before he started the engine, she asked, "Where is he?"
And without hesitation, John replied, "His plane already landed hours ago. We are just taking you to meet him."