Chapter 3: Country Bumpkin
Jane made her exit, concealing her irritation behind a strained smile.
Melissa couldn’t contain herself.
“Hey, you, country bumpkin! You can’t just walk away. I haven’t finished speaking yet, and I’m telling you, Patrick will never marry you!”
Just then, Patrick emerged from the room.
“Um… Patrick…”
Melissa stammered, retreating in fear.
Patrick’s expression darkened. Clearly, he was angry, and Melissa wisely chose to remain silent.
Jane summoned a maid to escort her to her room, where she unpacked her belongings before heading downstairs for breakfast.
Beatrice, Melissa, and Patrick were already seated at the dining table.
Beatrice immediately launched into a critique as Jane took her seat.
“Were you not taught proper etiquette? Not only did you oversleep, but you also couldn’t be bothered to prepare breakfast. Do you think you already own this place?”
Jane glanced at Beatrice and replied flatly, “I’m not a servant.”
She had no intention of preparing breakfast for this family.
Though Patrick remained silent during the exchange, it was clear he held no favor for Jane either.
The atmosphere at the dining table grew tense.
Breakfast was consumed in near silence.
Following the meal, Beatrice handed Jane a bank card.
“This card is loaded with about five thousand dollars. Get yourself some decent clothes before you start at the company. And remember to behave properly; don’t bring any trouble to Patrick.”
To strengthen the connection between them, Mike had proposed that Jane join the company as Patrick’s secretary, an arrangement that Tony North, Jane’s grandfather, had agreed to.
Jane didn’t resist.
After all, it was temporary.
The employment was not an issue, but the bank card was. It was evident that Beatrice looked down on her.
Jane responded with a sarcastic tone, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
As far as she was concerned, there was nothing wrong with her clothing. They were custom-made for her, which was likely why the Pansys couldn’t identify them as designer attire.
Without waiting for a response from Beatrice or anyone else, Jane returned to her room to prepare for her new job.
As she stepped into her room, her phone buzzed with a bank notification.
A sum of fifty million dollars had been transferred into her account.
A text from Old North appeared, “Dear, I hope they are treating you well over there. I transferred some money to your account. Buy whatever you want, and let me know if anyone bullies you. I love you.”
Jane smiled and texted back, “Grandpa, I’m not happy here. They’re bullying me, and it’s no joke.”
Old North responded almost instantly, “Good to know. In any case, I’m going fishing. We’ll chat later.”
Jane couldn’t believe her eyes.
Sighing, she changed into a professional suit and left the house.
The driver held the car door open for her.
As she climbed into the car, she noticed that Patrick was already inside.
“You said you weren’t interested in me. Why agree to work as my secretary?” Patrick’s voice held a touch of sarcasm, and a smirk played on his lips.
“Don’t jump to conclusions just because I agreed. I promised my grandpa to stay with you for three months. Once that’s done, we’ll call off the marriage,” Jane replied, casting an indifferent glance his way.
“Huh?” Patrick snorted. “Aren’t you worried you might fall in love with me in the next three months? I suppose you won’t want to leave then.”
Jane found his words amusing. “You’ve got quite the ego, Patrick. For your information, I’ll never fall for you. So, get off your high horse.”
Though Jane acknowledged Patrick’s good looks, it didn’t matter to her. He had the kind of repulsive personality she detested in men.
Patrick’s expression darkened at her words. She’d never fall for him? “We’ll see about that, Jane. Don’t forget what you just said.”
In Patrick’s view, Jane was merely playing hard to get.
“Why would I even consider marrying you if I had no feelings for you or didn’t want to be your wife? Rest assured, in three months, we’ll go our separate ways. By the way, we must pretend not to know each other at the company. I don’t want any unnecessary drama there.”
Patrick remained silent.
Unbeknownst to Jane, drama at work was inevitable.
The news of Patrick’s engagement had already spread like wildfire.
It was common knowledge that his fiancée hailed from the countryside.
The employees at Pansy Group were buzzing with discussion.
“Did you guys hear the latest? Mr. Pansy’s fiancée will be working here as his secretary!”
“Really? I heard she’s not attractive and comes from the countryside. She must have gone to some no-name college. Can she even understand the documents?”
“Haha! You said it. I doubt she even knows how to use a computer.”
The gossipers fell silent as soon as Patrick walked in, with Jane at his side.
Everyone’s jaws dropped upon seeing them.