Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 159

When Maranda put forward her question, Jean found that she had no answer as to why she wasn't taking Zed's call. So Jean sighed and swiped the screen to answer the call.

"Why did you take so long?" Zed asked with concern.

"Um..." Jean didn't know where to start. So many things had happened. Since she felt a little guilty, Jean decided to apologize, "I'm sorry. Something came up and I forgot to call you. You must have been worried."

"You got busy? Right after you got off the bus?" Zed said in disbelief. It's not like Jean had gone to the company and found herself swamped with assignments. She was traveling to a shoot location. What could have kept her so busy on the bus ride that she forgot to call?

"I wanted to come back early, so I've been trying to finish a few things." Jean replied feebly hoping that Zed would be pacified with that answer.

"Okay. Take care of yourself and don't work too hard." A part of Zed believed Jean's explanation. And so, he decided to gently remind her that while work was important, she needed to take care of herself as well.

The thought that Jean was working longer hours so that she could come home early made Zed smile.

"I will. Take care of yourself as well, okay? You have just recovered. If you exhaust yourself, you'll have a relapse. Get plenty of rest, yeah?" Jean reminded Zed that he was still weak from his last illness and that although he felt well, his body needed time to recover its full strength. Thinking about Zed's concern, Jean blushed.

Zed smiled at Jean's thoughtfulness. He liked that she was slowly talking to him and expressing her feelings and concerns. This was a new milestone in their relationship. He could sense that she was still being a little reserved. He also knew that Jean didn't like to ask for help. And so, he said, "If there's any trouble at all, make sure you call me, all right?" Zed was worried. This wasn't Jean's first business trip, but a lot of people were envious of her and often caused trouble. Zed wanted to make sure that Jean understood that he would help and support her as best as possible.

"I know." Jean smiled as she whispered. Regardless of the ups and downs in their relationship, the one thing she knew without a doubt was that Zed would always be there for her.

After Zed ended the call, Jean sighed with relief. She was glad that he hadn't been upset that she had forgotten to call. Jean was also relieved that he accepted her explanation and didn't probe her for more information.

"Jean, it looks like you are afraid of Zed." Maranda concluded after hearing Jean's side of the conversation. She furrowed her brows as she spoke to Jean.

"Afraid? No, that's not it. I respect him, all right?" Jean was not sure what part of her call had given Maranda that impression, but she corrected her friend with a smile.

"I saw your expression and heard the tone of your voice when you were talking to Zed. Your face reddened and it looked like you could barely breathe. You had a perfectly valid reason for not calling him, and yet, you refused to tell him. You listened to him and gave very short answers." Before Maranda could say anything more, John interrupted her.

"Please stop talking about this. We have almost reached our destination. It's time to focus on work."

John's tone was colder than usual. Peeved at being interrupted, Maranda stuck out her tongue when John wasn't looking. Then she turned to look at Jean.

Jean wondered why John had spoken so sternly. Yes, he was a man of few words and yes, he didn't show many emotions when working, but he had never been this detached.

The more Jean thought about it, the more convinced she became that John had become more distant.

She wondered whether he had been through something terrible.

He had never been very friendly, but he wasn't a mean person either.

A sense of foreboding filled Jean and she thought it would be best if she had a private conversation with John about all this. It wouldn't do to have any misunderstandings!

Once the car had stopped, John, Jean, and Maranda looked at the scenery around them. Slowly, they stepped out of the car in a daze. The vast stretches of natural terrain before them were so splendid that they were rendered speechless.

"Beautiful! Spectacular!" Jean whispered in awe.

She hurriedly took out her camera and pressed the shutter. She wanted to capture the magnificent scenery from different angles.

Seeing how engaged Jean was, John's expression softened. He gazed at her busy petit figure.

"John..." Maranda said as she set up her camera. Something was not quite right and she needed John to take a look. When she turned, she caught John staring at Jean. She was stunned.

"Uhm?" John answered casually as he forced himself to look away from Jean. When he finally turned, he saw that Maranda seemed dismayed.

Damn it! He had been too careless.

Maranda had seen how he was adoring Jean.

"What?" John asked nonchalantly. If he were to behave oddly now, he would confirm Maranda's suspicions. So it was best if he behaved as though nothing odd had happened.

Maranda's face paled. She knew what she had seen; after all, she often looked at John the same way. She lowered her eyes so that John wouldn't see her emotional turmoil.

Her heart ached like never before. It turned out that John had refused Maranda because he was infatuated by someone else. If that wasn't bad enough, the person John liked was none other than Maranda's best friend, Jean.

Maranda's breath hitched and her cheeks reddened. She thought of all the times that she and Jean had been with John and the way he had looked, smiled, and talked. Had all of it been for Jean? And what about his effort to buy medicines and water for Maranda when he found out that she wasn't well? Was that also for Jean's benefit?

Jean was perfect for John. As the thought crossed her mind, Maranda's shoulders sagged.