Mysterious Mrs. Pansy

“It’s already eleven, but Jane hasn’t returned yet. Where could she be? Mingling with men?”

Patrick had just gone downstairs to get a glass of water when he overheard Melissa’s irritable comments.

Beatrice added, “She must have led a wild life in the countryside. Who knows if she’s out partying at some bar? What a nuisance!”

Patrick couldn’t help but feel a peculiar sensation in his chest when he heard their words. But when he remembered Jane’s behavior the previous night, that feeling quickly evaporated. Jane’s whereabouts were none of his concern.

Beatrice noticed Patrick and turned her attention to him. “I know you don’t care about Jane. However, you can’t allow her to do as she pleases while she’s under our roof. Any misstep on her part would tarnish your reputation. After all, many people know she’s your fiancée. I suggest you end the engagement and have her leave this house. Who knows what kind of trouble she might cause if she stays. We can’t clean up after her or deal with the consequences of her actions. It’s the sensible thing to do.”

Patrick shrugged nonchalantly and responded, “Grandpa mentioned that the engagement would be terminated in three months.”

Beatrice was taken aback. “So she’ll be staying here for three whole months?” She exclaimed, “Oh my! She’s only been here a few days, and I already can’t stand her. You’d better discuss this with your grandpa and get her out of here as soon as possible!”

“Why don’t you discuss it with him yourself?” Patrick shot back, raising an eyebrow. This suggestion silenced Beatrice; she knew that bringing up such a topic with Mike would only result in a harsh reprimand.

Patrick returned upstairs, unwilling to engage further in the conversation.

Upon entering his study, he noticed a message on his phone. He clicked on it and saw a single word: “Help.”

The message had come from an unfamiliar number, which led him to assume it might be some sort of prank. He put his phone aside and attempted to continue working, but for some reason, he couldn’t focus and felt restless.

The clock had already struck twelve.

After taking a shower, Patrick lay in bed, but sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, his mind racing. He kept wondering why Jane hadn’t returned yet and where she could be.

“That’s none of your business, Patrick,” he muttered to himself, closing his eyes in an attempt to quell his thoughts of her. However, his restlessness persisted, and he couldn’t sleep.

He tried to shake off those thoughts, but they kept intruding. Finally, he remembered that Jane was new to the city and probably didn’t know anyone. He also recalled the strange message he had received earlier from an unknown number.

Why had she sent a distressing message? Was she in some kind of danger?

Patrick couldn’t ignore the nagging worry. He sat up abruptly and dialed the number, only to find that it was switched off.

His heart raced, and cold sweat formed on his forehead. He began to suspect that something might have happened to Jane. Without further hesitation, he got out of bed, put on some clothes, and decided to head to the company. He planned to question the security guards and review the CCTV footage of Jane’s activities at work to gather any clues.

As Patrick approached the company, he noticed that the entire building was shrouded in darkness. The security guard on duty informed him that there was a problem with the power circuit and that it would be fixed at the crack of dawn before the employees arrived.

When Patrick inquired about Jane, the security guard scratched his head and replied, “I saw her come in earlier, but I didn’t see her leave. I’m sure of it.”

Jane was already a well-known figure in the Pansy Group. Her presence was hard to miss, and the security guard would typically notice her passing by.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Could it be that Jane was still inside the building? Patrick wondered. Why had she sent that strange message?

The security guard suddenly raised his hand and added, “By the way, I overheard some employees discussing as they left that Monica had assigned a challenging task to Jane, which had caused her to stay late. She might be inside, possibly exhausted and sleeping.”

With this new information, Patrick rushed into the company and headed upstairs to the secretarial department. The security guard followed with a flashlight. Patrick called out for Jane repeatedly, but there was no response; only the echo of his voice reverberated in the empty hallway.

As he entered the secretarial department, the first thing he noticed was Jane’s bag sitting on a desk. Patrick’s gaze shifted downward, and he spotted her feet.

Patrick hurriedly squatted down, and the security guard pointed his flashlight beneath the desk.

Jane was curled up, her face pallid, and her body drenched in sweat.