A new beginning -004

It had been a month since Jane woke up from her coma, and things were slowly starting to get better. One thing she was especially grateful for was that Dante and Diego never left her side. She would be lying if she said she was okay—her heart still felt terrible—but she reminded herself to be grateful for life once again.

Leaving her room, she went to meet Dr. White for her final checkup. His response brought a sense of relief. "Congratulations, Miss Stadler. You are back on track. I will process your discharge now, so get ready to leave. I hope we don’t meet again unless it’s for something great, okay?" He had given her the best news she could have hoped for.

After leaving his office, she returned to her hospital room and found Dante sitting there. "Miss Stadler, how are you doing today? I was ordered to come pick you up and also give you this," he said in his usual professional yet charming tone. Dante always had a way of passing messages, something Jane liked about him. But what had he brought?

She took the package from him and opened it—inside was a dress, sneakers, a laptop, and a mobile phone. She hadn’t expected anything like this. "He got this for me? That’s so sweet of him. But why did he get me these?" she wondered.

This was actually the first time in her life she had received something from a man. But Dante wasn’t done yet—he had something else to say. "He said he remembers that you have nothing left and probably wouldn’t want you walking out of the hospital looking like that."

Oh, gracious. That was true, and she hadn’t even thought about it. Looking at Dante, she patted his back. "Awwn… I didn’t expect him to be this considerate. Thank you."

As she lifted the dress, a note fell out. It read: "Take care of yourself in this. The world is different from the one you left. And watch out."

The words made her even more curious about what awaited her outside.

Dante stepped out to give her space, By the time she was done changing, she picked up Diego’s jacket—he had left it for her the other day. As soon as she stepped out of her hospital room, Dante saw her carrying her things and immediately ran over to take them from her.

Even when she hesitated, he insisted. "It’s okay. You’re just getting better. Allow me to do my job."

He refused to let her strain herself.

Stepping outside felt overwhelming. A bright light seemed to pierce her eyes—the first sunlight she had seen in ages. It felt like her life had been on pause, but she reminded herself to be grateful.

A black Range Rover was parked outside, and John was waiting to escort her. It felt a little strange, but she knew she had to get used to it. This was her life now. John, Diego’s bodyguard, opened the car door for her. Dante sat next to her while John took the front seat with the driver.

Turning to Dante, she wondered what was going on. He responded as if he had read her mind. "Diego asked us to tighten security, so you just have to bear with us."

It made her feel a bit uneasy, but she nodded.

The drive was smooth, and she was just starting to get comfortable when the car stopped. She turned to Dante. "We’re there now."

"There?" she echoed, looking outside.

Her eyes widened. The place looked like a palace. Written at the top of the gate were the words Orlov Estate.

It made her wonder—who exactly were these people? Because this level of wealth, this grandeur, screamed old money and generational wealth. Now she understood why they were so protective of her.

She tried to act cool, not wanting to seem out of place.

The drive from the gate to the estate was breathtaking. When she stepped out of the car, an entire line of house staff, gardeners, and estate workers stood outside to greet her.

And there, holding a single rose, was Diego.

He smirked. "You know you’re not just stepping into this place as my assistant, right? Well… welcome back home."

He handed her the rose, and Jane felt an unexpected warmth at the gesture. She hadn’t expected such a grand welcome, but it already felt like home.

Rose, the eldest of the house staff, was about to show her around when Diego stopped her. "Don’t worry. I’ll show her around when I’m done. For now, just take her to her room."

Turning back to Jane, he said, "Princess, welcome to my estate. I hope you like it here."

Something in his expression made him look almost shy. She tilted her head, trying to make the moment less serious. "Why all the bodyguards? Who are you, really? Are you a vampire or something? Because I’ve only seen this kind of wealth in the movies."

He chuckled, playing along. "Well, what can I say? This is my life. And yes, I’m a vampire—I will suck your blood."

They both laughed, easing the tension.

After exploring part of the estate, Jane started feeling exhausted. She turned to Diego. "I need to rest."

Diego immediately called for Rose. "Take her to her room."

Jane frowned. "Why can’t you take me there yourself?"

His response was unexpected yet meaningful. "I was supposed to be somewhere an hour ago, but I wanted to welcome you first. Don’t worry. We’ll talk more when I come back—about everything, including business."

Ms. Rose led her upstairs. "This is your room. If you need anything, just press the button, and I will come to you."

She left immediately.

Jane stood there, stunned. The room was massive—elegant, luxurious, and filled with warmth.

Back in Daniel’s house, her room had been beautiful but never felt like home. Not until Lucy came along, well before life happened.

Exploring the space, she checked the restroom—pristine and modern. The dressing room was filled with branded clothes, all in her size. Even the shoes fit her perfectly. There were makeup products, hats, skincare items, bags—everything a woman could ever need.

Then, her eyes landed on a drawer.

Opening it, she found a credit card and a document.

Her loans had been paid off.

Her breath hitched. "What’s this? And how…?"

She wanted to call Diego immediately, but she didn’t have his number yet. Instead, she decided to wait.

After taking a shower, exhaustion took over, and she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, it was midnight.

Still half-asleep, she stepped out for a drink, momentarily forgetting she wasn’t in her old home.

Immediately, Rose came running. "What do you need, miss?"

Jane blinked in confusion before remembering where she was. "Water. I need something to drink. And… is Mr. Orlov back?"

"He came looking for you earlier but left when he saw you were sleeping," Rose said before leaving.

Feeling restless, Jane wandered into the study.

Diego was there, sitting and drinking coffee.

Before she could speak, he glanced up and smirked. "You woke up early, Princess. I wanted to let you sleep. Come, sit here."