Later that evening...Jeremy frowned when he returned home.
He parked the car like usual, and handed his coat and briefcase to the butler like usual... but...
Something... somehow... he felt something... different.
He could not name it but...
The servants were having weird expression when they greeted him. Even the old butler looked weird. They smiled and greeted him politely but the smile was... weird.
He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong with everyone but cancelled his thought.
Would they even confess whatever making them look weird?
Would they even admit it?
No.
They would give him a pitiful look, acting as if he was the weird one right now.
And it would only make him feel weirder.
Whatever.
He shrugged it off. Better just ignore it. He would just get a headache if he kept thinking about it.
Jeremy walked to his room with the butler following obediently.
He entered his room and the feeling something weird crept back into his mind. Something was weird but... his eyes looked around his room... but nothing was out of normal.
He sniffed but he could not name what was wrong.
Everything looked normal. Everything was where they should be.
But something smelled fishy.
He turned and looked at the butler, c.o.c.king an eyebrow.
But the elder man simply stood there, acting innocent. The coat was draped over his arm and his hand was holding onto the briefcase.
"Is there something I need to know?" Jeremy finally asked.
"What do you mean, sir?" the butler asked, playing a fool.
Jeremy tilted his head but did not know what to say. He just grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom.
The butler hid a grin and went to the study room to put Jeremy"s briefcase there. Then, he went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare the dinner... well, the "special" dinner especially for Young Master Jeremy and Miss Catherine.
Jeremy took a long bath. He was just simply exhausted and needed the sprays in his tub to hit those muscles on his back. He fell asleep in the tub, letting the tiredness lulling him into sleep.
The uneasiness he kept feeling was even slipped away from his mind.
*~*~*~*
In the studio of the agency...
Ryn took off the heels she was wearing and blew out a sigh. She spent almost half an hour just walking in heels. It was a h.e.l.lish experience and her feet were crying for mercy.
But she needed to do it just to brush up her catwalking skill. She was a bit rustic on it, especially when she noticed how her body trembling when she was touching the heels. She guessed the trauma actually affected her life so much.
Maybe her brain automatically rejected the heels as these high heels would make it impossible for her to run for her safety if anything happened, anything bad happened... again.
But she would not let this stop her. She was a model and wearing heels was her job"s requirement. Everything demanded her to wear heels, be it high heels or a lower heels but heels nonetheless. She could not let her traumatic experience affect her work.
This half an hour session was hard. She fell a few times but quickly got back to her feet to continue. And she did continue.
Luckily no one came into the studio and saw her pathetic session.
She still had her pride as a model and refused to let others see her weakness.
She looked at the time. Mei Li must be preparing to go home by now. Ryn quickly put on her shoes and grabbed both heels and water bottle. She still needed Mei Li to send her home.
Mei Li was tidying all the files when Ryn entered her room.
"Are you done?" Mei Li asked, pulling a drawer to throw all the pens, pencils and what not she used during the past hours. Then, she grabbed her handbag and stood up.
"Hmm..."
"Let"s go. Let"s go." Mei Li did not notice how Ryn almost stumbled, too eager to go home after a whole day of hard work (and the first half was full of walking, a lot of walking and standing). She could not wait to eat her dinner and then go to sleep.
Again, as both of them walking to the exit, Ryn was stopped by the other models and even the agency workers, all asking about her health and feeling. They were worried when they heard the news of her being kidnapped and tried to call her but it was hard to get through her. Her phone was always switched off. Even Mei Li was hospitalized after the incident and when she came back days later, told them not to worry and Ryn was alright. The doctor gave Ryn several days off to rest and recuperate. But it was not the same as asking to the person herself!
Ryn smiled and a.s.sured them she was alright. She even grinned when they were looking at the scars worriedly. She told them what cream she used for the scars and insisted she looked better now than before. She did not show any photo, though, as evidence. But none actually demanded to see how she looked after the incident. All they wanted to know was her health and whether she was already okay.
Mei Li went to get the car when she saw it would take more time while Ryn entertained their questions.
It took Ryn almost twenty minutes before she could leave the building. She got into the car and blew out a relieved sigh. She glanced at Mei Li and smiled weakly.
"Are you okay?" Mei Li asked, waiting until Ryn did the safety belt before she switched the gear and drove the car away.
"Yes."
"I"ve arranged with Sugar and tomorrow she will wait for us in the office around 9.00 am. I"ll pick you up half an hour before?"
"Okay," Ryn noted down the note and put the timer in her phone for reminder.
"I"ve called the two productions and they wanted to discuss the time tomorrow. Are you sure you want to start working?"
"Yes. I"ll be there. So, we will meet them after signing the contract?"
"Yes. I will confirm back tomorrow morning."
Ryn nodded. Her eyes were getting heavier. She was so exhausted she could fall asleep right there and then.
And she did just that. She gave in to her tiredness and closed her eyes.
Mei Li could only smile seeing the woman she was in charge with fell asleep. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and drove the car carefully. She did not want to interrupt Ryn"s sleep. Ryn deserved to rest more after the scare that day. She was too stubborn to admit how scared she was but selling and buying a new house, was it not admitting unconsciously the scare she had?
"If only you could open up your heart to be honest with me, Ryn," she murmured.
Ryn only revealed the side she showed to the public. It was hard to know what she truly had inside her mind with the poker face she put on her face in the public. It was frustrating in a way to be unable to guess what Ryn would say or do next. It made Mei Li had to guess hard, to imagine what Ryn would react over something or a new project.
It was a hard job but someone had to do it.
And that someone was her, Mei Li.
She sighed at the thought.
Hopefully, Ryn would feel better soon.
*~*~*~*
Jeremy walked out of the bathroom room only wearing a white bathrobe. His hair was wet and his hands did not stop rubbing it with a towel.
His body felt so refreshed and he felt better.
But then, he frowned when his eyes looked around his room.
Something seemed off but nothing seemed different.
He still could not name what it was, it was at the tip of his tongue but he could not point out what made his heart uneasy.
It was weird.
He felt weird.
How could he feel uneasy in his own room?
This was ridiculous.
He shook his head and took a deep breath to calm his heart, and clear his head.
Nothing was wrong.
It was just a feeling, nothing important. Nothing worth to look at.
He continued rubbing his hair dry. The dinner should be ready soon and he was hungry.
He wondered what the menu for the dinner tonight was.
Hopefully, Cook made her famous chocolate pudding tonight. He felt like eating it suddenly.
He licked his lips at the thought. The hunger made his stomach growled louder.
He quickly put on his red checked pyjama. And then layered it with a red satin robe. He layered face toner, face essence and moisturizer quickly, patting them dry rather roughly before he walked toward the door.
"Young Master, Miss Catherine just returned. She is freshening herself before joining you for dinner," the butler reported when Jeremy opened the door of his room.
"Okay. I"ll wait for her at the dining room," Jeremy said and walked toward the dining room.
The butler grinned hugely. He even rubbed his hands antic.i.p.atingly. Ooh... hopefully, tonight the heir for the Long would be conceived.