Chapter 443 Hunter's Farewell to Patricia
Patricia and Martin exchanged a puzzled look, wondering why he'd call at this hour. The phone rang for a while, but Patricia didn't answer and let it go to voicemail. She expected him to give up.
To her surprise, shortly after, the phone pinged with a new text message. Impatiently, she checked the message. It was from Hunter too. "You know you're not asleep. Pick up or you'll regret it."
The moment she finished reading, the phone rang again. She couldn't figure out what Hunter meant by regret, but knowing how ruthless he could be, she decided to play it safe and took the call.
"What do you want?" she asked.
Hunter's deep voice resonated from the other end of the line. "Congratulations, you won the first prize."
The sentiment felt off to her. Patricia frowned slightly. "You called just to congratulate me? Can I hang up now?"
Afraid she might actually hang up, Hunter quickly said, "Meet me at Couple’s Cafe tomorrow at ten in the morning."
Without hesitation, Patricia said, "I'm not available."
"I'm preparing to move back to the States," he said, the wistfulness unmistakable in his voice.
She paused, thinking she'd misheard, and repeated, "You're moving back to the States?"
Martin, surprised, looked at her with a furrowed brow.
"Maybe, maybe we won't see each other again, so I want to meet you one last time tomorrow!"
After everything that had happened, Patricia had seen through Hunter's facade and didn't trust him one bit. Yet, curiosity got the best of her; she wanted to know what he was up to. "Fine! I'll be there on time."
The moment she agreed, Hunter's mood seemed to lift instantly. "Great, I'll be waiting!"
After the call, Patricia feared that Martin would be upset, but when she looked at him, he was calm, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. Sensing her confusion, Martin said, "I'll come with you. Keep the voice call on, and I'll be right there if needed."
His thoughtful consideration sent a warm current through Patricia's heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Aren't you jealous?"
He gently touched his forehead to hers. "After today, I think my wife has grown up, gotten smarter. I trust you! You can definitely take care of yourself."
Patricia kissed his lips softly. "You're the best, hubby... heh heh..."
Martin pulled her closer, their lips locked, and he gently eased her onto the bed.
The next day, Patricia arrived at the Couple’s Cafe right on time. Hunter had been waiting for a while.
The moment she walked in, he quickly stood up and waved her over. Seemingly to put Patricia at ease, he hadn't reserved a private room. Instead, he purposefully chose a table by the first-floor window. It was a time of day when the coffee shop wasn't crowded. Aside from them, there were only a couple of other occupied tables.
Not long after Patricia sat down, Martin walked in. He settled into the most discreet corner and ordered a cup of black coffee.
Not one to beat around the bush, Patricia got straight to the point after sitting down. “What's your latest scheme?”
She didn't believe for a second that Hunter had left town on a whim. There had to be some unspeakable plot brewing behind the scenes.
Hunter gazed at Patricia, feeling that even their brief separation had felt like an eternity. He missed her so fiercely it almost drove him mad. Still, he managed to feign a cool demeanor.
“I caught your entire live performance last night. You were sensational—a true champion,” he said.
Impatient, Patricia retorted, “You said that last night! Beating Grace probably disappointed you, didn’t it?”
Hunter cracked a smile and asked innocently, “Why would I be disappointed?”
Patricia bore into his eyes, unwavering. “Aren't you on her side?”
As her words hung in the air, Hunter's eyes tightened noticeably before he deepened his smile and denied it. “I barely know her.”
Patricia caught the subtle shift in his demeanor. She scoffed dismissively. “No need to deny it. It was Grace who ratted us out, nearly got Martin killed. Then she played the hero and saved him. I've known for a while you were in cahoots.”
The cat being out of the bag, Hunter ceased his pretense. He looked straight into Patricia’s eyes and confessed, “Yes, we were! But that was in the past. We've gone our separate ways now! The Koch family owns property in Y-country. While Riley hasn't completely written me off, I can't stay there any longer. So, I'm planning to return to the States.”
He then asked suddenly, “Will you come with me?”
There was a pleading tone in his voice, a certain kind of vulnerability.
Patricia couldn't help but laugh at his plea. “Hunter, do you really think I’d go back to that den of wolves after I've finally escaped? Martin and Grace broke off their engagement. What makes you think I'd choose you over him?”
Hunter's heart ached uncontrollably. He didn't want this. If he had a choice, he would have wished for Patricia to stay by his side willingly, instead of resorting to despicable means to take her back, time and again.
But now, in the States, with the Koch family shielding her, he stood little chance without a plan in place. Any move he made would likely spook her and achieve nothing. It might be wiser to retreat in order to advance. Let them lower their guard first, and then make his move.
Hunter looked at her in agony, love brimming in his eyes, nearly spilling over.
Patricia couldn't stand that look. Swallowing her impulse to lash out at him, she spoke expressionlessly, "Don't look at me like that; it makes me sick."
"Patricia, I..."
She had no patience left to sit there. "Are we done? If so, I'm leaving."
With that, she stood to go. As she passed by Hunter, he reached out, "My flight's at one this afternoon. Will you see me off at the airport?"
Patricia wrenched her hand away. "Sorry, I don't have time!"
With those final words, she left without a backward glance. Standing by the door, Hunter heard the sound of the café door opening and closing. His energy drained, he slumped back into his chair.
Not long after Patricia's departure, Martin followed.
Finally having a rare moment to themselves, Patricia and Martin didn't rush back. Hand in hand, they strolled the streets of the city. For the first time in many months, they enjoyed a moment of relaxation. With Hunter gone, whatever his schemes, they were safe for now. With each safe day, they could afford to relax a little more.
That same day, Martin moved out of the Koch residence and into a hotel. Busy during the day, every evening Patricia would meet Martin at the hotel, reminiscent of their honeymoon phase. Sweet and blissful.
Days passed by. After tinkering with the details, the Century Diamond deal was finally settled. The Koch Group kicked off its marketing campaign. Ever since that day, Patricia had never seen Grace again, nor heard from her. Every morning at nine o'clock, the etiquette and character education instructors would arrive at the Silver Birch Sanctuary, leaving again at five in the afternoon.
Life seemed to have returned to a peaceful routine. But beneath the surface, a storm was brewing. Danger was creeping in unnoticed.
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