+So it looks like you slept well!
He glanced at his puffy eyes.
He gave a lively smile.
_Ah… yeah… I think I went to bed early last night. Played a little game with Diana.
He nodded.
+I'm going to go for a run! You coming?
He shifted his gaze from Matthew's bandaged hand. His hand had been fine last night; he didn't understand why it was wrapped like that now.
_No, I'm going to swim. Haven't been to the pool in a while.
Do you think Diana will come?
Matthew smirked.
+No… I doubt it.
And as he headed to the elevator, he said,
+Don't go into her room. Let her wake up on her own.
Jacob didn't want to think about the reason.
So he took a few bites and went to the pool to swim a little; he really needed it.
Matthew ran for an hour and then returned to the mansion. Jacob wasn't in the kitchen. He went to his room to shower. After coming out of the bathroom, he checked on Diana again.
She was still lying on her stomach, her position hadn't changed. How exhausting must sex be?
He closed the door and headed to the kitchen, set the table, and brewed coffee. Two minutes later, Jacob sat down in a chair with a towel around his neck and sweatpants on.
_Wow, swimming really energizes me. I didn't realize how much I missed it.
+Take care of yourself, don't lose shape.
Jacob looked at his abs. They were still visible, but Matthew was right; he needed more exercise.
_If I get some peace of mind, I definitely will.
Then he glanced at the clock.
_It's almost nine. Why isn't Diana up
I want to talk to her a little before I leave.
Matthew sipped his coffee.
+I doubt she'll wake up for now. Probably sleep until twelve.
_Why?
Matthew shrugged.
+Ask her when she wakes up. For now, have your breakfast and come to my room to report before leaving. I want to check something.
He got up.
Jacob nodded and focused on his breakfast. Matthew's coffee was really good, but he made very often.
He spent fifteen minutes eating; he missed having breakfast.
He put the dishes in the dishwasher, tidied the table, and then went upstairs.
He knocked on the door and, after hearing Matthew's voice, entered.
he was sitting behind the desk, glasses on, frowning.
+Sit down, let's check this, we're starting.
Without a word, he pulled a chair and sat, opened his laptop, prepared the documents, and they started.
They spent about two hours checking the projects.
+If things continue like this, the plans should be ready by the end of the month.
_Yeah… no issues reported so far.
+Good.
He sighed and took off his glasses.
+Are you going to the office now?
Jacob closed his laptop and stretched his neck left and right to ease the pain.
_I have to go to the company for an hour, check some of the recruits! Then I'll go to the projects.
Matthew squinted at him.
+Recruits?
Jacob confirmed skeptically.
+Bring their information for Diana. I want her to check them.
Jacob raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
_Wow… what a great suggestion.
Why didn't I think of it myself?
Matthew got up and grabbed a cigarette.
+Because you were in contact with her and got stupid like her.
He wanted to say, you spent more time with her, but preferred to keep quiet. If Matthew was pretending now, he'd follow along until the right moment.
Matthew went to the balcony, put the cigarette between his lips, took a puff, and looked over the grounds.
Jacob grabbed his laptop and some papers.
_Looks like I'll be busy for a while. Probably won't make it for lunch…
See you!
He nodded and took a few more puffs, glanced at the cigarette in his hand. He had to cut down… unnecessary things had no place in his life.
…
It was past twelve when she slowly woke up. Every time she opened her eyes, something in her mind urged her to sleep, and she gladly obeyed. The two pills she had taken last night had done their job.
The heat from the splitter felt like a lullaby. She moved slightly; the burn in her back made her sigh quietly.
Carefully and slowly, she got off the bed. Her long hair fell over her shoulders. She grabbed the cream and went to the mirror. She tried to cover all the redness.
She lay back on the bed again. She was hungry but had to wait until the cream absorbed into her skin and then put on something. She ate a few strawberries from the dish next to the console.
Bored, she glanced at her phone contacts. She clicked on Luca, listening to the operator saying he was off.
She pursed her lips. Not being able to do anything was driving her crazy. She didn't even know if he was okay, had they caught him? Had he escaped or not?!
She scrolled through her phone again, clicked on Julian, one of the restaurant chefs she had a good relationship with, hoping he would answer. She was starting to get desperate.
/Diana?
She stirred a little.
-Oh… Julian? How are you?
/Oh my God… look who called? How are you, Princess?
She laughed softly.
-I'm fine.
I missed you, honey.
/Me too, darling! Where are you? Are you okay? After that day, we didn't hear from you. You weren't hurt, right?
She was referring to the restaurant incident where she almost got hit by a car.
-No, sweetie. Nothing happened to me. How about you? Are the others okay?
Julian, on his break, relaxed and started talking freely.
/... You won't believe it, Diana. James came in with both hands broken!
He just said someone did this to him!
You should've seen me! Whenever I remember it, I think I must thank that person with all my heart!
I kiss his hands freely. Anywhere he wants.
Diana laughed out loud and enjoyed listening to her. It was still good to have some friends.