Running across the Stanleys' estate was something she never knew would happen in her life and being chased by a patient was more incredulous. But those two absurdities merging was the worst and craziest thing that could ever happen and unfortunately, it seemed that those impossible circumstances had decided to take a toll on her on that very day.
There she was, on her second day as a personal day, running for her life (yes literally) and away from an angered patient trailing after her across the vast place.
Maria had been running blindly, not knowing where to seek safety, the moment she had rushed out from the relaxation spot following the tragicomedy of ruining his hoodie by pouring bloody beer all over him. Her lungs were burning with intense pain, her heart pounding against her ribs as she flee past every servant watching the appalling scene.
The garden was wide, giving her an excessive space to traverse through, hoping to find a space of refuge, but her path seemed to be leading her further from her goal.
"Stop right there!" Her pursuer yelled behind her, the sound of the wind blowing through his lips making his voice louder.
Her head turned at his call, and she gasped to see Jayden gaining fast, the distance between them narrowing with each stride from him, proving exceedingly that his long legs weren't made for nothing. He was coming faster after and soon enough, she knew she would lose to his chase.
"Would you do that if you were in my shoes?!" Maria screamed back at him, her feet hitting the ground with harder steps in her desperate attempt to put some distance between them.
"You little... Just wait till I set my hands on you..."
She snatched her look away, ignoring whatever threat he had left to say. Because right now, she had to focus on not giving him a chance to grab a hold of her.
But her plan came crashing down when asthma slowly began to wake. It made her stop abruptly, gasping for air, her lungs aching with exertion. Her eyes darted around for a place to hide, but she only saw a few small trimmed bushes that were no longer than the height of her legs.
A strong gasp broke her lips, startled by the figure who had shown up unnoticeably. Jayden was already standing in front of her, blocking her from any form of an escape route, and a devilish grin could almost be seen on his face. She knew she was supposed to break loose again but her choking throat suspended her action.
His hands moved to the hoodie hung across his bare shoulders before throwing the cloth on the ground with a thump. "This is a custom-made edition! The fabric has been designed especially for me. And never in a million years can you imagine who the designer might be!" His tone became even more enraged as he continued ranting.
It was clear to Maria how furious he was, his voice raised in volume and his fists clenching tighter against his sides. But despite those emotions and actions, she was more engrossed in her failing health. Her chest ached like never before and breathing seemed to have become much harder, forcing her to lean closer to the tree and clutch on it for support.
Jayden's attention turned toward the direction of the tree and he stopped talking, frowning deeply at the lady who was acting as if oxygen was not present around her. Her hand was pressed to her throat, and she was coughing constantly.
"What? Now you are going to fake a sudden attack just to escape the consequences of your actions?" He asked in disbelief as he stared at her with suspicion.
Maria coughed twice more before speaking again, her words broken by her choking sounds. "I-I am not faking this..."
"Oh really? You must take me for a fool, doc. You think I will let this go if you play some stupid sick role?" He scoffed sarcastically, crossing his arms on his chest, still watching her suspiciously.
She stepped back, her hand still clutched to the tree. "I, I..." She tried to form words but her panting seem to be getting worse. She knew she had overstressed her faint health by running more than her capability. Her inhaler was highly demanded in her situation and the only problem was her medicine was in her bag, inside the relaxation spot.
She wheezed, her coughing sounds only served to agitate Jayden more. He was about to lash out at her once more when she trembled onto the grass, her knees folding as she gasped for air.
Her actions made him uncertain. If she was really putting up an act, then she was a natural-born actress wasting her time in the medical field.
"Are you okay?" His words came as a mumble, dripping with skepticism.
She shook her head weakly, her eyelashes fluttering. "I-I..." She tried to speak but her words were strained with erratic breathing.
He heaved deeply for a moment before lowering in a squat before her. "What?" He asked carefully, leaning closer to hear her better.
Maria was startled by his proximity and was equally surprised to see a hint of concern in his narrowed brown eyes. However, she decided to pay more attention to her alarming state rather than focus on why her stone-hearted patient was showing a bit of humanity.
Her gaze shifted from his face to the grass beside her and the tree she had been hugging, then she looked around again. She couldn't see any other source that would make her medicine be within her reach, except asking for his help.
The hesitation lingered for a few seconds, but she eventually spoke again, trying to hide her desperation behind a hoarse tone. "I-I need my inhaler..." She pleaded.
His eyelids stretched a bit. "You are asthmatic?" The question had slipped before he could restrain himself. Knowing that was not the best thing to ask at the moment, he decided to give it another shot. "Do you have one here?"
Her ponytail swayed with a faint bob. "In my bag..." She replied, her tone sounding more desperate.
Jayden didn't bother asking where the bag was. He could vividly remember how she kept bringing out several medical gadgets from a space that small. Women would only understand how they fit so many things in such small spaces.
"Then I will get it for you." He nodded in assurance before he rose into a stand and retreated the same pathway back to the building.
Maria watched him run till he was out of sight. She had thought he would have ordered one of the maids lurking around to bring her bag and was surprised when he opted to go personally to fetch it.
She stayed on the grassy field, resting her hands on her knees to stabilize herself while her gaze wandered, waiting for her savior.
His figure reappeared in the distance, and she breathed a sigh of relief to see her bag clutched in his grip. It was only when he had appeared nearer that she noticed the frown his lips held, as though he had bad news.
"Is everything okay?" Her words were barely a whisper, her breathing more frantic than before.
Jayden took three steps closer, then voiced, "I could not find any inhaler."
Maria's face contoured with disbelief immediately. "That's not possible..." She breathed and anxiously reached for her property in his hold.
Her trembling hands combed her bag, searching for the medicine, her eyes getting wider with horror. She eventually shook her bag, emptying its contents onto the floor but nothing like an inhaler flew out.
"There is no inhaler in there," the man watching her pathetic search stated matter-of-factly.
"I... I-I..." Maria couldn't believe what was happening. Her chest tightened more at the thought of going through an attack without her medication. She had always carried an inhaler everywhere she went. She frantically checked her bag once more, but the absence of her inhaler only increased her panic.
"This is useless," Jayden muttered from where he stood above her, his tone tinged with frustration.
He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Get me an inhaler, suitable for asthma. I need it within a minute." He instructed the moment someone picked up after only two rings and hung up the call without waiting for an answer.
His head bent towards her, his brown eyes looking down on the sick lady with an intensity that was void of emotions. "Let's go," he gestured to the mansion and turned his frame to begin his tracks.
She nodded gratefully and tried to lift herself from the ground but her limbs failed her. Her breaths were short as her body trembled from the effort.
The sound of her falling to the ground nudged his ears and Jayden stopped walking. He turned around to find her still crawling to the grass.
He exhaled deeply, knowing he had no choice but to help. He reversed his steps back to her side, then crouched next to her before scooping her from the ground wordlessly.
She trembled slightly at his touch, finding herself floating in his arms that supported her calves and back as he carried her weight with ease.
Twisting her lips to a small grateful smile, she slowly looked up at his eyes which were fixed straight ahead. His features seemed to hold a tiny hint of worry, but his expression was mainly unreadable.
Maria was tempted to apologize, feeling like a burden but settled for different words. "Thank you..."
Her voice sounded weak, and a tear fell down her cheek before her head drooped low to hide it from him. She didn't know why her tears came out but she knew her asthma was one of her most vulnerable states. It always had a way of making her feel a myriad of emotions, including getting easily touched when a usually cold person showed some care like this.
He kept his silence and continued moving at a pace so fast that spoke of his urgency. Maria relished each step, her lungs breathing in air after air and her mind focused on the sound of his footsteps that seemed to echo through her heart.
Jayden walked into his room and wasted some seconds by the entrance, wondering the right spot on the floor to dump the lady in his arms. There was no way he would let another human on his untouchable bed. He traveled his gaze to the floor and the coldness beneath his feet pleaded with him to be more merciful. His eyes darted to the couch before moving towards it. He placed the doctor on the cushioned seat, in a way her shoes were on the floor, and tossed her medicine to her side. Nodding her head with gratitude, her jittery hands reached for the inhaler and pressed it into her mouth. The moment she inhaled the medication, her body and mind relaxed. Her fingers combed her loose ponytail, pushing some strands away from her face in a bid to calm her nerves. The clattering sound of the repeated clashing of the canister and the plastic casing erupted between them for several minutes as her lungs slowly regained their normal functioning. Jayden stood, watching her frantic mov
Light beamed into her eyes, coming from the open curtains and she slowly woke up. The sun's rays warmed her skin and she stretched her limbs, feeling fresh. Her head rolled against the pillow with the rest of her body consumed by a heavy blanket.She had begun to wonder what grandmother could be doing in the house when her senses realized her surroundings did not look anything like her room, not to talk of her apartment.Her back immediately jerked from the mattress and her vision surveyed the room with a protruding gape. She had only been there a couple of times but the room was still very much ingrained in her memory. It looked familiar; the wallpapers, the aquarium, the toy figures...It took her a few seconds before she grasped the situation and realized she was in the extraordinary room of Jayden's.Maria immediately shot up at that realization, kneeling on the bed with her wide eyes roaming across the large place. She sounded with a gasp and her gaze fell back on the c
Maria peered up from the small space he had cornered her in. She pressed her lips together and knitted her eyebrows as her gaze met his intense one. "I assume you did not read the contract. You should not address me with those kinds of words. Doing that is a breach of contract." She told him, her chin pointing out stubbornly with hands moving to her hips."Contract?" His brows rose and he gave out one of his humorless chuckles. "And I suppose you did not read the contract likewise, right?"She huffed, finding his words ridiculous. " Of course, I did.""No, you didn't." He shook his head once. "You called me a jerk earlier, finger flicked me in a way no other person dares, ruined one of my most treasured hoodies, disturbed my peace and privacy by spending so many hours in my room and even up till this moment." He stated, looking like he was reciting a list of sins to be punished. "So tell me," His eyes slid over her frame, his tone low and gruff. "Who deserves to be sued?"He
Ted's gaze traveled to and fro, in a quick chase of the lady pacing aimlessly across the living room. Her head was boiling at a degree of intensity that made her feel like she was going to burst out into flames any second now, but he didn't dare say anything lest it made things worse.A slice of pizza found its way to his mouth as he bobbed his head to every rant she spewed forth. She was speaking in another tone and the only reason he understood every word she was saying was because of their long history together.Who else would understand Maria's angry language apart from her best friend? Who else could listen to her vent for hours and hours?He knew when not to speak up and this time was no different than before. He ate his pizza, enjoying his dinner while watching the enraged creature pace back and forth.She crossed to his side, snatched the pizza in his hands, and finished the remnant in one bite. Ted watched her wolf down the last of it with a grimace."Can you believ
"Ashley?" He questioned, brows slightly knitted together with confusion as he stared down at his mother seated on a chaise lounge. "Why would she launch her business in New York when she doesn't live here?""What do you think?" Delia returned, glancing back at Jayden who adamantly refused to sit. "Don't you think it's a good opportunity for you two to meet again and keep in touch?" She continued without waiting for him to answer, knowing he wouldn't care to give an opinion. "And then maybe you two can discuss getting married--""I will decide when and whom to marry." He cut her off with the sharpest tone he could muster while still keeping any anger from his voice. It had been a long time since he'd heard that phrase used against him because of the coma. Now that he was finally getting himself back, he couldn't believe his mother wouldn't hesitate to throw out all those same old arguments."You..." Delia's voice went silent and didn't respond right away, staring into space a
Maria exhaled heavily and ran a hand across her head with drained spirits. She was tired and fed up with dealing with someone who simply had no interest in his treatment whatsoever, and she did not doubt that he would continue to deny her treatments, even though she was only doing her job and nothing else."What was that all about?" She muttered to herself, rubbing her temples to relieve the headache she had developed since the moment Jayden had mentioned some nonsense about repentance of sins.Her eyes wandered around the large space, unsure of what to do next. She felt exhausted and was considering taking the day off. Yet, she couldn't afford to miss any appointments because of his arrogance. Regarding her equal passion when it came to her work, she decided to go ahead and treat him anyway, regardless of his attitude or lack of cooperation.Maria stepped forward, giving a shot at finding her way inside a house that looked like it was built for giants. She passed through t
The smile she shared with the old storekeeper was still on her face as she strolled back home. The sun had set long ago, leaving a soft glow in the air, turning everything into a warm amber hue that seemed so welcoming compared to the dark of night. It was a welcome change after the sunny afternoon.Her steps were slow and deliberate, enjoying this rare moment of solitude, as she headed down one of her favorite streets where she would normally have no chance to stop for more than a few minutes. She knew everyone who lived here; she could walk through the entire block without having to pass anyone else.Earlier in the morning, she had woken up to a message from the Stanleys asking her to take the day off. Her suspicion had risen concerning Jayden's weird task conversation from a few days ago but her mind had been at ease when there were no words or any form of disturbances from him.It was a rare free time for her and so she had seized up the opportunity to shop for groceries
It seemed to be too much for Maria to handle. Her jaw hung open and her brows lowered. Her lips parted to speak and she looked around as if searching for an exit out of this mess."Open the car this instant!" She ordered anyone who would listen, her loud voice attracting the attention of the other two men in the car. Her voice cracked as her face turned beet red and her fists clenched tightly knuckles whitening. She wanted nothing more than to run away from this man right now. "Don't." Jayden's tone was flat as cardboard, not bothering to compete with her round one, knowing whose command his assistant would follow, loud or not. He remained motionless while Maria's tirade continued."This is kidnapping." She gritted, rolling her face back to Jayden since his subordinates completely ignored her. "You are the one committing a crime here. This is purely modernized kidnapping." She continued her argument without taking notice of the zero effect her statements were having on her