Diana blushed and murmured,
-"Yes... I understand."
Just then, Jacob arrived, catching the first thing Matthew barked out.
He walked up, grinning.
_"Come on, let her run a little! She's been cooped up in the house so long she's growing cobwebs!"
Diana was so thrilled, she either didn't hear the comment or heard it and chose to ignore it.
She bolted across the frosty grass, snow crunching under her boots.
She barely made it four steps before slipping and hitting the ground hard.
Enzo and Eric exchanged a subtle glance of pity and shook their heads slightly.
Matthew's eyes went wide.
First, he looked at Jacob, who was laughing so hard he'd dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.
Then he glanced at Diana, limping away as she called out behind her:
-"I'm fine! I swear I'm fine!"
He turned back to Jacob, disbelief in his voice.
+"This girl's going to drive me insane. How can someone be this clumsy and reckless?"
Without waiting for a reply, he headed for the elevator.
Jacob, still laughing, wiped a tear from his eye.
_"Man… that was gold."
He called out to Diana:
_"Want company? Or should I leave you to it?"
Diana yelled back without turning:
-"Nope! Go inside! I'm fine!"
She figured she probably needed a bit of time to herself anyway.
Jacob smirked and turned toward the elevator where Matthew was waiting.
They got off on the first floor. Jacob had a few things he needed to go over with him.
Diana wandered around the mansion for almost an hour, until she finally made her way back drained but content.
She was starving.
Craving chicken stroganoff… and fried chicken… and steak… and maybe pasta too?
She thought about it for a second.
-"I'm probably pregnant."
The words slipped out before she could stop herself and immediately, she froze.
Her period was late.
She really needed to pay attention to that.
Before heading upstairs, she turned toward Eric.
-"Eric, can you pick something up from the pharmacy for me?"
/"Is something wrong, miss? Are you injured?"
-"No, no, I'm fine. I just… need a pill."
/"There's a full first-aid kit and basic meds inside the house."
She frowned, annoyed.
-"Eric, it's… not that kind of pill. Okay?"
/"For anything outside the basics, the boss's private doctor will need to examine you first."
Diana sighed through her teeth, clearly frustrated.
-"Right. Thanks anyway."
She turned and climbed the stairs.
Still in her outside clothes, she headed straight for the kitchen, throwing open the fridge and freezer. To her relief, everything she needed was there.
She took out the chicken and set it aside, then went to her room to freshen up.
She threw on a pair of loose shorts and an oversized t-shirt.
Washed her face, brushed her hair back, and tied it up high in a messy bun.
Every time she wore her hair like that, she'd get at least five compliments or phone numbers thrown her way.
Even she had to admit this look really worked for her.
Her backpack sat in the corner of the room.
She grabbed her phone but didn't bother checking her messages or missed calls.
She knew once she started, she'd get sucked into it for hours.
She turned on her music and hit shuffle.
God, she'd missed her playlist.
She got right to work, chopping and seasoning to the beat.
Jacob came upstairs quietly. Diana had her back to him and didn't notice his presence.
He tiptoed toward the couch and sat down, waiting for Matthew to arrive.
The song playing had a catchy rhythm, and Diana couldn't help but move along with it, little shoulder bops, head sways, hips shifting naturally to the beat.
Jacob was grinning. She looked like she was finally settling in.
He pulled out his phone and started recording her. At times, he laughed so hard, his hands trembled. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Matthew standing at the top of the stairs.
Frozen. Just staring. Jacob zoomed in.
Matthew wasn't moving at all. It was like someone had hit pause on him.
Like he'd seen something… unexpectedly hypnotic.