Heaven had always been kind to her.
Years had flown by, yet her face hadn't aged a day since Jared first laid eyes on her. Her skin was still as smooth as silk. She looked utterly enchanting asleep, her profile flawless, with a touch of baby fat on her cheeks making her appear years younger. She had a unique scent about her, like a blend of floral fragrances. But if you leaned in close, it was as comforting and clean as the milky scent of a newborn.
Jared watched her for a while, his eyes clearing of any previous gloom. Gone was the look of despair, replaced by a sly grin, reminiscent of a cunning old fox. Brayden Simonds had it right; a damsel in distress act always did the trick. After a moment, Jared pressed a kiss to Agnes's hair. Then, content, he snuggled up to her and drifted off to sleep with her in his arms.
When Agnes woke the next day, she found herself curled up in Jared's embrace. She felt a mix of emotions. But then, she realized it was her own doing, seeking comfort in Jared's arms. As she looked up, Jared was already awake. Bleary-eyed, he murmured, "You up, hun? Hungry? I'll whip us up some breakfast." Without missing a beat, he planted a kiss on Agnes's forehead, then groggily got out of bed and headed to the kitchen.
Agnes felt a whirlwind of emotions. It seemed Jared hadn't quite adjusted yet, still living as if they were in their happy marital bubble. Agnes had reminded him time and again, each time feeling exceedingly cruel. Especially seeing him like this, she found it even harder to speak up. She sighed deeply. She had intended to set clear boundaries. But now, things seemed more entangled than ever. Was this really the right thing to do? Yet, given Jared's state, she could think of no better solution. For now, she decided to let things be, to reassess in three months. After all, she had more pressing matters at hand.
Over breakfast, Agnes sought confirmation, "Jared, remember what you promised me yesterday?"
"Don't worry," Jared assured, "I’ll start job hunting today."
Skeptical, Agnes left after breakfast. But little did she know, just two hours later at the TV station, she would run into Jared again, this time being led into a cozy office by the station manager himself. Agnes was baffled, her gaze locking onto Jared.
The station manager approached with a grin, "Agnes, meet your new assistant."
Confused, Agnes asked, "What's going on here?"
The manager explained, "Well, we agreed on finding you an assistant, right? We posted the job listing, got a few responses, and today Mr. Whitfield here shows up, wanting the position. Given your history, I figured you'd make a great team. What do you think?"
Great team, my foot! What was Jared up to? He had said he'd look for a job, but showing up at the TV station and convincing the manager to hire him as her assistant? It was like a comedy sketch.
Of course, the manager had his own reasons. The job listing had only gone live that morning. And Jared had shown up less than half an hour later.
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