Chapter 9: John Left

 Inside the room, Diana was sitting on the bed. When she saw the familiar name on her phone, she felt a twinge of annoyance. She responded coldly, "Hello?"

Upon hearing her distant tone, Luke almost thought he had dialed the wrong number. In the past, Diana would cling to him like a leech whenever they met. He couldn't get rid of her. If it weren't for Maddie asking him to find Diana, he wouldn't have called her.

Luke impatiently said, "Diana, it's me, Luke."

"I know it's you, so what?" 

Luke was taken aback by the suddenness of the statement, thinking he must have misheard. "Diana, what's wrong with your tone?" he asked, surprised.

"What's wrong with my tone? I answered your call, didn't I? Ha, who do you think you are!" After a moment of shock, Luke began to feel a burning anger. As a popular figure in school, he had never been spoken to in such a manner. Especially not by Diana, whom he had always looked down upon.

"Diana, if you keep disrespecting me like this, I'm going to hang up!"

"Oh, really? That suits me just fine!" Diana swiftly hung up the phone before Luke could say anything else.

Luke was taken aback by the sound of his phone's busy tone and couldn't snap out of it for a while. What on earth was wrong with Diana?!

On the other end, John sat in a dimly lit room. His handsome face was full of unpredictable emotions, from anger at the beginning, to astonishment, then confusion, and finally, calmness.

Jackson stood by, unsure of what his boss had thought. But based on past experiences, it couldn't be good. Jackson started to worry about his own safety. Damn, why did he have to be on duty today? He had such bad luck!

He mustered up his courage and whispered, "Boss, don't be angry, Miss Thompson..."

"Jackson," John suddenly interjected, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Yes," Jackson shrunk his neck. Was the boss so angry that he had lost his temper? Why did he sound so calm? Was this the calm before the storm?

As Jackson drifted off into his thoughts, he suddenly heard John say, "Check the flight schedule for tomorrow morning, we're going to New York."

"Okay...huh?"

Jackson looked up in surprise, bewildered as he stared at John. Had he just hallucinated? Go to New York? What was this about New York? Wasn't the boss supposed to be furious and then go find Diana, as usual?

"If you heard me, you can leave now," John said again.

This time, Jackson was certain he hadn't misheard. Although he was surprised, it was good news that the boss was going to New York for treatment.

"Okay," Jackson replied, preparing to leave. Suddenly, he heard John say, "Send a copy to Diana once the flight is confirmed."

"Got it," Jackson said, closing the door and sighing inwardly. Did the boss really think Diana would come to see him? Hadn't she already deceived him enough? What was the point of it all? Despite his misgivings, Jackson booked the flight and sent the information to Diana. As expected, he received no response. It seemed that the boss was destined for disappointment tomorrow.

The next day, outside the largest airport in Cloud City, a long Rolls-Royce was parked on the side of the road, drawing the attention of passers-by. John sat at the entrance of the VIP channel, accompanied by Jackson, Ethan, and a group of bodyguards. He was wearing a black suit, with his hands clasped on his knees, and he had not yet entered the boarding gate. He seemed to be waiting for something, watching the crowds coming and going.

As time passed by, a chill gradually enveloped John's handsome face. The boarding announcement had been reminding passengers to board the plane as soon as possible. Ethan and Jackson exchanged a glance, then simultaneously extended their fingers in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Ethan lost miserably. His eyelids twitched, and he stiffly withdrew his fingers.

Jackson looked on with a malicious glint in his eyes as Ethan reluctantly bent down and said to John, "Boss, we don't have much time left. If we don't board the plane soon, we may not make it in time."

John remained silent, his deep-set eyes fixed on the entrance. He hadn't held out much hope, but last time she had said she would come. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of anticipation.

Ethan pushed John's wheelchair towards the boarding gate. As they were about to enter the passageway, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind them. "John!" The girl's voice was clear and urgent.

John's phoenix eyes flicked upward suddenly. "Let's go back!" 

Ethan quickly turned the wheelchair around and headed back towards the exit. Diana, dressed in a flowery dress with her hair tied up in a bun, was looking around in their direction. As soon as she saw John, she ran towards him excitedly. She seemed to have rushed all the way there, panting and sweating profusely. 

"How did you come here?" John was taken aback by this sudden surprise and couldn't help but blurt out this question. 

Diana smiled at him with curved eyes, "I came to see you!" Looking at the young girl's face, John's gloom was instantly swept away. 

Diana raised her beautiful eyebrows and said slowly, "I was waiting for you to call me, but I never heard from you. So..." 

As she spoke, she observed John's expression. Faced with her questioning, John looked deeply at her and said, "Because you blocked all my contact information." 

"Uh... did I? Do I have it?" Diana widened her eyes in panic and thought for a moment. It seemed like she did. She slapped her forehead and showed a silly smile, "Haha, it was just a misunderstanding. I'll add you back as soon as I get home!"

After speaking, she reached out and handed him a box from her arms, saying "Here, as an apology. I made it myself and it took me a long time."

John mechanically reached out his hand and took the box from her, staring at her innocent face. It all felt like a dream, leaving him in a state of immense surprise and shock, even his movements were stiff. Seeing John's lack of excitement, Diana felt a little disappointed. Was it because she was too late to meet him?

At this moment, the boarding announcement sounded once again. Diana took a deep breath and hid her disappointment, saying "You should hurry and board your plane, time is running out!" She smiled and waved goodbye to him.

Suddenly, John reached out and grasped her soft hand. Diana was startled and instinctively prepared to push him away, but when she met John's deep gaze, she stopped abruptly.

"Wait for me, little one," he whispered, his voice filled with deep affection. Diana felt a strange sensation in her chest, not the usual fear, but something indescribable.

She snapped out of it and immediately flashed a bright smile. "Okay, I'll wait for you!"

Seeing her smile, John's heart skipped a beat. He longed to stand up and embrace his girl tightly, but reason prevailed.

John slowly released his grip, his deep eyes fixed on Diana's clear eyes, as if he wanted to see into her heart. Jackson watched this amorous scene and exchanged a look with Ethan. Rock-paper-scissors! This time, Jackson lost.

He clumsily withdrew his fingers and swallowed hard. Did he really have to be the one to ruin this romantic moment? Jackson lowered his head and said slowly, "Boss, if we don't leave now, we won't make it to the airport..."

He was interrupted mid-sentence as he felt a chill down his neck. John glanced at him with displeasure, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. Jackson froze. He didn't want to do it either!

"Quickly go, there's no time left!" Diana urged at a critical moment.

John looked at her reluctantly before responding, "Okay."

Ethan and Jackson finally breathed a sigh of relief and pushed John to walk quickly into the passage. After they had walked a distance away, John finally opened his tightly clenched fingers and brought them to his nose, gently sniffing. The palm of his hand seemed to still hold her scent.

Ethan held the box Diana gave him and carefully opened it. Inside were handmade chocolates. They didn't look very appealing, all crooked and some even melted. Ethan frowned at the sight. He knew that his boss didn't like sweets, especially ones that didn't look appetizing.

He bent down and whispered, "Boss, let me take care of this."

"No need," John said, stopping him with his long fingers. To everyone's surprise, he took out a chocolate and slowly put it into his mouth. It didn't taste that good, but it made him feel like it was the best thing he had ever eaten in his life. It was made by Diana's own hands, and even if it was poison, he would still gladly eat it.