Chapter 183

"Patrick, thank you for giving me the coat last time."

Barbara suddenly spoke out and quickly interrupted his contemplation.

With his usual smile, she handed him the black bag held in her right hand reluctantly. Last time she

got drenched in the rain and he put the coat on her.

There was his scent lingering on the expensive coat, so she was reluctant to return it to him.

She had long known that the unrequited love was bitter, but all of a sudden, she couldn't help

wanting more when she glanced at the unique necklace in his hand.

"Boss, you can go home soon. But I have to transfer for a flight to Paris. For the sake of my hard

work for the company, can you give me a piece of jewelry as a reward as well?" She said jokingly as

usual.

"What do you want?"

Patrick subconsciously asked. He would buy her whatever she liked in the jewelry store without

hestitation.

And he would like to do so, regardless of what style she liked or whether it fitted her.

Hearing his promise, Barbara was overjoyed, but then she felt even more disappointed.

She had known his coldness for a long time. If he had always treated any woman this way, then she

could tell herself that she could at least be by his side.

But there was just Christina.

The female employees of this luxury jewelry store, which catered to international tourists, all knew

some Chinese. Upon hearing their conversation, an employee immediately rushed forward to

recommend the latest and the most expensive jewelry to Barbara

"I want the one he just bought, the same one.”

Patrick suddenly felt a great pain in his brain. His tightened his grip unconsciously on the exquisite

bag. He tried not to show his pained and tired look. With a cold face, he went straight to the soft

sofa on the right side of the store so that he could have a rest.

Barbara talked to the clerk in a low voice. He was not interested in their conversation so he leaned

back against the sofa and gasped because of the pain in his brain.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but that ruby necklace was unique... The other necklace designed by the same

master jeweler is here. Do you like it?"

"Are you sure you can't find the same one?"

She turned to glance at the man in the rest area, with her words somewhat insistent.

The employee was a little embarrassed. “I'm very sorry. Even in the branch store, there's none.

There's only one of that.”

"If you really want the same style, then... There may be a replica in the small shops in the downtown

area..."

Replica.

There was a hint of self-mockery on Barbara's lips. There was only one. She saw it first, but why

couldn't she have it?

Habitually looking back at the man behind her, Barbara suddenly became nervous. "Patrick, what's

wrong with you?"

"How's Patrick doing?"

Christina had been summoned to Old Master Mr. Hopkins's Northern Garden. It had been almost

two months since she had spoken to him face to face, making her a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with him?"

Puzzled by the question, she straightened her back, frowned slightly, and looked directly at the old

man across the coffee table.

"Young Madam, you should pay more attention to how many times Mr. Hopkins has a headache...”

The old housekeeper stood aside, with his voice worried. It seemed that he wanted to remind her of

something. Old Master Mr. Hopkins frowned and glanced at him with displeasure and he shut up

immediately.

"What's the matter?"

Christina remembered that it should have been easy for Patrick to lift her up the night before

yesterday, but he bumped into the corner of the table and almost fell off her strangely.

She knew that as long as it was within his abilities, he would not let this happen, so she was

surprised as well.

Christina felt a surge of uneasiness and nervousness. "Grandpa, is Patrick ill?"

"No, he isn't."

Perhaps because of panic, the old housekeeper quickly retorted. He was not lying. Patrick was

indeed not ll. "It was an old wound..."

"What?"

She could not hear the housekeeper's words clearly.

And there was a long silence.

In the backyard of Northern Garden, a row of ornamental bamboos rustled in the autumn wind on

the other side of the wall.

"... You should ask that bastard to come home and take his paternity leave. He doesn't need to

handle the business of the company this year. Just ask him to accompany you."

Finally, Christina was invited out by the maid. Looking back, the door slowly closed, and the old

man's last deep words lingered in the ear.

The sun had gradually set in the west. She was called to the Old Master's at noon and sat awkwardly

looking at him for almost an entire afternoon. She did not understand what he meant, and he

seemed to want Patrick to rest.

"Since it is about Patrick, why not talk with him? Such a weird old man..."

She could not help bemoaning, but she remembered it.

When walking towards the Eastern Garden, she could not help but shrink her neck. It was a little

cold.

The wind ruffled her long hair. It was the early autumn, but she already felt the chill. She looked

around the huge house of the Hopkinses with her clear and beautiful eyes. Inside the high walls,

everything looked beautiful under the setting sun, so beautiful that it suddenly made people

restless.

She thought that when Patrick came back tonight, she would figure out what happened to him.

"Didn't you say you were coming back tonight?"

After dinner, Christina went back to the bedroom and waited peacefully. But later she checked the

time and found it was behind the expected time. So she hesitated for a while and called him.

"Oh, hello..."

Christina heard a strange voice from the other end of the phone and was stunned for a moment,

then quietly listened to his explanation.

It was the vice president of the group Shawn who answered the phone. He said Patrick had to deal

with something and came back the day after tomorrow.

"Is he busy now?"

"When he is awake, I'll tell him that you called..." The vice president's voice was very stable and gruff.

But before Christina could ask more, he hung up.

Her heart suddenly beat a little faster, and her fingers quickly dialed back, but it indicated that the

line was busy, and no one answered

She spent the whole night panicking.

The next morning, she had breakfast with Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Brianna and the others were

there as well. She ate absent-mindedly and looked at the old man across from her from time to

time, trying to figure out the way to ask about what happened to Patrick.

"Young madam, it's a package from the United States.”

The unexpected delivery made them curious. Christina frowned and opened the package.

It was a jewelry box, a platinum inlaid ruby necklace.

"Chance...", Christina read the French word.

She knew that the word meant "Lucky," but she wondered why Patrick had sent her the necklace for

no reason. When did he become so romantic as to buy his wife a gift on his business trip and send it

home specially by express? Was it a surprise?

She didn't know if it was a surprise, but when she saw that there was also an expensive coat for

males inside, she was a little stunned.

If she remembered correctly, this coat seemed to be the one over Barbara, who was caught in the

rain a few days ago.

Does that mean that Barbara personally packed and sent this package?

"He didn't pick up the phone... The gift was also sent back by the other person by courier...” She was

suddenly very anxious.

"Grandpa, do you know what Patrick has been up to lately?"

She looked up and asked the old man directly.

Judy, who had finished breakfast, took the lead in a cold and displeased voice. "It's wrong for you

not to know what he's up to. And he is on a business trip and gives specially you a gift. How can you

be his wife?"

Judy distasted her. It seemed that since the first time they met, this noble mother-in-law has disliked

her.

She didn't want to argue with anyone. She wasn't in the mood.

With her eyes fixed on the old man, she lowered her voice and suppressed her nervousness.

"Grandpa, is something wrong with Patrick?"