Chapter 256: A Gift
Jeffrey stiffened and asked, "Uncle Ryan, anything else?"
"Where is your car?"
"Less than ten meters away.Look! The black van over there." Ryan turned to Wendy.
"You go first.I have to talk to Bruce about something."
"Okay."
Being in that car felt so strange for Wendy that finally being able to leave felt like a blessing.She left as fast as she could, saying
nothing else.
After she left, Ryan and Jeffrey continued to look at each other.
Both men were stone-faced but something was lurking in Jeffrey's mind that made him feel a bit restless.
"Uncle Ryan—"
"Is your father feeling better?" Ryan interrupted.
"His condition has already stabilized.The doctor said that as long as we give him healthy food and prevent his blood pressure
from rising, he'll be fine." Ryan nodded.
Then they lapsed into a dead silence again.
Jeffrey became even more restless.
No amount of autumn winds could ever compare to the icy feeling he felt whenever he was in the same space with Ryan.
"Uncle Ryan...If you don't have anything else..."
He wanted to get out of the car as soon as possible.
"Bruce!" Ryan said, his commanding aura filling the small space of the car.
"What?"
"Are you a good friend of Wendy?"
"Yes."
Jeffrey nodded his head frantically.
"Then take good care of her for me!"
"What?' Jeffrey's eyes narrowed a bit.
‘What do you mean? For you?? "Uncle Ryan—"
"Get out of the car now!"
"Okay!"
With a look of bafflement still etched on his face, Jeffrey immediately got out of the car and staggered forward.Not long after he
left, the car blitzed forward behind him, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.
"Ahem!"
The dust blew into Jeffrey's face and made him cough, effectively catching the attention of some of the passers-by.
As if he had just woken up from a dream, Jeffrey covered his face and walked towards the van in front of him.
Inside, Ransom was complaining to Wendy.
"Miss Finch, you have to persuade Jeffrey.As soon as he heard the news about you, he rushed back from the US, not caring
about anything else.The director has been calling non-stop since yesterday.I could only tell him that Jeffrey had something
urgent that he had to deal with in the country.As you know, Jeffrey had always wanted to become a Hollywood actor.There's a
good opportunity for him to make that happen.I tried to urge him several times, but he refused to go back to the US.Wendy, if
there's one person he'll listen to, it’s you.Please help us in persuading him."
Wendy looked at Ransom with a pair of sorry eyes.
‘To work as an agent for a star as capricious as Jeffrey must be very tiring"
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open and Jeffrey jumped into the car.
Wendy called out, "Jeffrey—"
"Look! This is for you!"
He reached out for something at the back seat and produced two boxes.He placed both of them on Wendy's lap.
"What are they?".she asked.
"Gifts!"
"Wow, you're so nice, Jeffrey.You're giving me gifts that came from abroad!"
"Of course! I have a conscience.Unlike someone who didn't contact me even when such a big thing happened.Humph! But no
matter what, she's still my good friend."
Wendy rolled her eyes.She slowly opened both gifts.
One contained a beautiful model plane, while the other contained a red apple.
"The model is for Ray, and the apple is for you!" Wendy was at a loss for words.
"Do you like it?"
Jeffrey looked intently at her, expecting approval from her.But all he got was Wendy rolling her eyes at him.
"You don't like it?"
The anticipation in Jeffrey's eyes quickly dissolved and turned into a big frown.
"Jeffrey...You're one of the best and richest stars in the entertainment industry.If you don't want to give me a gift, it's okay! You
went abroad but you're only giving me an apple?! You've gone too far!"
Wendy squeezed the red apple in her hand with raging fury.
"What? You told me you liked the apples sold at the gates of New York Acting College.Do you have any idea how much time and
energy I spent just to buy one for you? Shit! Don't push your luck with me!"
As Jeffrey spoke, he tried to take the apple away from her, but Wendy quickly pulled it away from his reach.
"Wendy! You said you didn't like it, right?"
"I never said that I didn't like it!"
Wendy took a bite of the apple.
It was crisp, sweet and juicy.
Tears were starting to well in her eyes, but she didn't want to cry in front of Jeffrey, so she blinked repeatedly to calm herself
down.
Back when she was still with Jeffrey, she purposely made his life difficult by making all sorts of weird requests to him.
One of them was asking him to buy her an apple at the gates of New York Acting College.
It had been more than two years since she made that request.
She couldn't believe that he actually remembered! When he got into the car, she wanted to beat him up for all the harsh words
he said on the phone.
But now, because of the apple, she couldn't help but forgive him.
"When did you come back?"
"Yesterday."
When Wendy turned to look at his face, she saw the dark circles around his eyes.Her heart softened.
"You didn't sleep all night?"
"Of course I didn’t!"
"I never asked you to wait for me at my house.I'm not a child.I know how to protect myself.Don't worry about me, okay?"
"You ungrateful woman..."
Wendy gnashed her teeth and raised her clenched fist.
"Shit! Keep talking if you want me to punch your face!"
The fury in her eyes and the fist that backed it up made Jeffrey purse his lips and grit his teeth.
He cowered away from her and, in a weak voice, he said, "I heard that you were in an accident, but I couldn't get in touch with
you.I got worried! After all, I'm your ex-boyfriend."
"Did you come back just because of this?”
"Of course..."
He elongated the last word while looking Straight into Wendy's eyes.
Then all of a sudden, he exclaimed, "...not!"
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Has your father recovered?"
"He has."
Jeffrey looked down, away from Wendy's gaze.
"Fuck! You're such a loser.You're here to confess your love to her.Why are you holding back what you want to save Shit! If you
keep delaying it, someone else will have her!’
"Wendy!" he said, more resolute this time.
"Yes?"
She took out a tissue from her bag and used it to wipe her fingers and wrap the remains of the apple she had just finished eating.
"Where have you been these days? Why are you with Uncle Ryan?"
Jeffrey closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the possibility that he might not like her answer to his question.
"Do you have a crush on him?"
The silence between them hung heavily in the air.
After a while, he still heard nothing.
Jeffrey opened his eyes slowly, only to be greeted by Wendy looking at him with a faint smile.
"What are you doing?"
Wendy slowly crept her hand close to his face and raised his chin using two fingers.
Jeffrey began to blush.
"You..."
"Jeffrey..."
"What's wrong?"
An almost evil smile flashed on Wendy's face, baring her white teeth.
Jeffrey leaned back a little bit and swallowed.Then, the next words that came out of her mouth astonished him so much.
"Are you scared that I might become your uncle's wife?"