James Black thought, she was beyond just being a beauty with long lashes.
She was beautiful everywhere.
Beautiful in a way that perfectly matched his heartâs desire.
"Sleep now," he said, his voice gentle and soothing, coaxing her.
The person in his arms shifted her head slightly in his palm, then suddenly lifted her face, groggily puckered her lips, and kissed him. Her eyes didnât even open, she kissed wherever her lips touched, seemingly satisfied, snuggling back to him and quietly falling asleep again.
People who cry often fall asleep easilyâcrying until theyâre utterly exhausted, then sleeping as though time has ceased to exist.
When they open their eyes, itâs already two hours later.
Even the sun had gone down the mountain.
The roomâs curtains were drawn. Opening her eyes, Jane Sampson almost had the illusion that sheâd been asleep until midnight.
But James Black was still lying beside her. When he felt her move, he finally spoke, "Awake?"
"When I first opened my eyes, I thought it was already five or six in the morning. After a few seconds, I slowly rememberedâitâs actually over six in the evening." Jane Sampson sat up, reached out, and clicked the roomâs electric light on. Then she sat there, stretching her waist.
She had slept in a bad posture, leaving her neck feeling a bit sore.
Listening to James Blackâs unusually clear voice, Jane Sampson asked, "You havenât slept?"
James Black shook his head, got off the bed. He had held her in his arms, watching her peacefully sleeping face for a full two hours.
And yet, he didnât feel the least bit bored.
Her sleep had been so deep. Even when he reached out and gently touched her face midway, she showed no sign of waking up.
"Iâll go wash my face. You figure out what takeaway weâre having for dinner." James Black said as he walked toward the restroom. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something else, turned back and reminded her, "You donât need me to tell you again whatâs okay to eat and whatâs not, right?"
"Got it, got it!" Jane Sampson waved her hand dismissively and went straight to the living room to grab her mobile phone.
The phone was already fully charged. When Jane Sampson picked it up, she happened to see todayâs trending news being pushed to her phone. Clicking into it, her eyes landed on the list of models for Dâs annual runway show, including the special guests from various countries.
Thinking of what Tin Bell had mentioned to her, Jane Sampson clicked in with interest, even considering sharing it to promote Dâs event in advance.
But Jane Sampson didnât expect that after clicking in and carefully searching through it, she couldnât find her name anywhere on the list.
In the section for Country Zâs special guests, there were only two other artists listedânot her.
Jane Sampson froze for a brief moment before quickly dialing Tin Bell.
Tin Bell answered Jane Sampsonâs call immediately, "Youâve seen the list online, right? Iâm contacting Dâs headquarters right now to figure out whatâs going on. How could there be a mistake with something this important?"
Tin Bellâs tone was noticeably anxious, and even a little angry.
"Sister Tin, didnât you say you were going to sign the contract with Dâs headquarters representative?" Jane Sampson asked.
"Yes, but we scheduled the meeting for the morning after tomorrow at our studio to sign the formal contract. The day before that, I confirmed everything with them, including their flight itinerary, and told them Iâd personally go to the airport to pick them up." Tin Bell explained. "That day, after you left the studio, I even called them."
As she spoke, Tin Bell furrowed her brows again, "When we negotiated earlier, I distinctly remember them saying they were inviting two artists from Country Zâone was you, and the other was Mandy Forest. So, whatâs the deal with Charlotte King on this list?"