A week later, Joanna recovered well from her leg injury. She was now able to get her cast removed and was discharged from the hospital.
Liam, Clara, and William came to pick her up.
"Today is such a good day. Our Boss can finally remove her cast and come back to life with full blood in her veins. We must celebrate this!"
Liam was apparently excited, and even thoughtfully prepared a wheelchair for Joanna.
"Of course! I have booked a restaurant and prepared a surprise for Joan. I think that she will like it!" Clara said in suspense, smiling like a flower in full bloom.
They drove to the restaurant Clara had booked in advance.
The feast on the table made Joanna drool. She couldn't wait to dig in.
"Take your time, Boss. Don't choke yourself."
Liam patiently diced the steak for Joanna and put them onto her plate quietly as if he was taking care of a child. He did everything so meticulously.
He could not help it, as he cared too much for her. He would not allow her to be hurt even a bit, so he has to take care of even the smallest things.
Joanna was a little overwhelmed and said helplessly, "Liam, I just hurt my leg. I am not crippled. Don't treat me like a disabled who can't take care of herself."
She had been eating and drinking too lightly in the hospital that she felt that she almost became a nun. Today was a rare opportunity to eat as much as she wanted, yet here she was, closely monitored by a man. This was so frustrating!
"I want to eat fast. I want to eat a lot. I would rather die choking than to starve to death!" Joanna threw a childish tantrum and argued with Liam.
But to her embarrassment, she choked and started coughing fiercely, as Liam had predicted.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
"Sigh. Look at you now. Drink some water!"
Liam was so anxious and quickly gave her some warm water and patted her back gently, his actions gentler than coaxing a kitten.
"Tsk tsk. Brother, can you be any mushier? Why don't you just treat Joan like a baby?"
Clara had goosebumps all over her body as she was watching from the side.
One thing always conquered another. The previously philanderous man who would make women die for him transformed into the most affectionate lover as soon as he met Joanna. He had stooped so low to the point of losing his dignity!
William also sighed helplessly. "I always thought that it was difficult for an older woman to tolerate and care for her younger partner, and such a couple wouldn't last long. Now it seems that I've been too narrow-minded. Mr. Blackwood is really a role model for us men. I shall learn more from you and spoil Clara like a baby like this!"
Clara flushed immediately and leaned toward William's shoulders. "Hmph, you are such a sweet talker. How annoying!" she flirtatiously cooed.
Joanna got her breath back after taking a big gulp of the water and teased them. "Don't you feel embarrassed for commenting on us? It is you who are the cheesy ones… Especially you, Clara. This is the first time I'm finding out how mushy you can be when you're dating. You are so mushy that you seem to be possessed. It makes me sick!"
"You don't understand this, Joan. All women will become like this when they find their true love. Speaking of this, I always think that you and my brother are too respectful to each other. You don't look like you're about to get married. You should act like me sometimes and flirt with my brother!"
Clara always felt that Joanna chose to be with Liam not because of love but simply out of familiarity and gratitude.
Such a relationship would, over time, become a double-edged sword that would cut both parties at the same time.
"I…"
Joanna bit her lips, feeling awkward and powerless.
How could she not know that it wasn't love between her and Liam?
It was just that she firmly believed that if she tried hard enough, the other feelings they experienced would slowly turn into love.
"Joan, why don't you do what I did and flirt with my brother? If you guys keep respecting each other like this, and your hearts are separated by a hundred thousand miles, when will you really walk into each other's hearts?
Clara tried her best to put them together.
William also strongly agreed. "Miss Pierce, just act coquettishly with Mr. Blackwood," he encouraged. "I'm sure no man can resist it when you do that."
'Yes, just do it."
Clara clapped and egged Joanna on.
However, Joanna appeared to be in a dilemma as she stood there awkwardly. She did not make a move after a long time.
It was not difficult for her to act coquettishly, and she had had experience with it. However, she could not force herself to do so when the other party was Liam…
Liam saw through her dilemma, so his handsome face showed a tinge of sadness, but he hid it just as quickly as it appeared.
"That's enough. You're so bold to make jokes about your elders. Do you still want to hold the wedding on time at the end of the month?"
He pulled a long face and taught both Clara and William a lesson.
Hence, they ended that topic in dismay.
Liam asked Clara, "Didn't you tell me that you prepared a surprise for Boss? Why haven't you taken it out?"
"Be patient. Just wait for a few minutes."
Clara looked at the watch and started counting down. "Ten, nine, eight, seven…"
When she counted to one, a piece of dynamic music could be heard in the restaurant out of the blue. A group of handsome men started to dance charmingly and neatly on the stage.
"Joan, these handsome men are the members of SKH Group, the most popular idol team from Korshach. Many local TV stations and businessmen failed to hire them. I know that you like this kind of show, so I used a lot of connections and pestered many people to get them to perform for you… This is their first show in our country. What do you think? Isn't it a very pleasant sight?"
Clara asked Joanna with great confidence.
Women understood women the most. Besides, Clara was Joanna's best friend.
Her best friend had that kind of interest. While others were ignorant of that, Clara was certainly not one of them.
People always say that one should eat well and enjoy themselves to the fullest.
Men took pleasure in drinking and looking at beauty. Women were, of course, no different.
The members of the idol team on the stage were tall, handsome, and classy. Their dancing moves were awesome too. Joanna was soon enthralled by them. She even got to her feet and clapped with all her might. "Good! Awesome dancing! You guys are so handsome and young! Your faces are so tender."
"Of course they're very handsome. I'm the one who knows you the best. They're the top male idol team from Korshach. I like the one with the silver hair the most. Look at his lips. They look like delicate plum blossoms that are so kissable!"
"Yes, I like the one with silver hair too. He's so handsome." She then grinned.
The two women huddled together and fervently discussed the treat laid before them. Their eyes brightened with excitement.
Sitting in a corner, Liam looked rather gloomy but could not make a scene. It would make him look very stingy if he did.
William's expression was not that nice either.
At first, he was just fooling around with Clara because of his mission. He had no sincerity toward her at all.
But he was now slightly jealous when he saw Clara's eagerness when she stared at another man, drooling.
No, he had to find a way to make Alice fulfill her promise quickly and end that game. If not… he would fall in love with Clara sooner or later.
William failed to hold himself back, so he turned Clara's head aside and said with great jealousy, "Clara, stop that. If you enjoy watching a dance, I can dance for you. You mustn't look at other men…"
Liam wanted to do the same thing to Joanna, but… he had no right.
He loved Joanna in such a humble manner that he did not even have the right to be jealous.
It was a video call that ruined Joanna's fun.
"Miss Joan, something awful has happened!" Nancy exclaimed from the other end of the video call, her voice shaky. The extreme state of anxiousness she was in almost left her in tears.