Chapter 3

After the examination, Josephine asked for the doctors to leave. However, Zayn was still worried and suggested, "Why don't you just let them stay here with you until you're all better?" "That's right, Mrs. Forbes. You're so lucky to have found a husband like Mr. Forbes. We're so envious of you!" Josephine forced a smile. "Yes. I am indeed lucky to have a husband like him." With that, she insisted that they leave and assured that she was already feeling better. Zayn couldn't win against her and eventually relented. As he was seeing them off, Josephine's phone rang once again. It was a call from Nadine. "Mrs. Forbes, are you feeling better? The doctors have arrived, right? I kept telling Zayn that I was fine, but he was still worried and insisted that the doctors monitor me overnight. I'm really sorry for causing the delay…" Before Nadine could finish her sentence, Josephine hung up. "Honey, who's calling you?" Zayn asked as he walked in with a bowl of soup. "This is some chicken soup I had the housekeepers specially prepare for you. Here, open up." Josephine opened her mouth, but perhaps it was because she wasn't feeling well or because she was disgusted by Zayn's overly affectionate behavior, she suddenly felt nauseous and gagged. Zayn quickly set the soup down and grabbed a bin. He gently patted her back and grumbled angrily, "Those useless doctors! They can't even treat a simple cold. I'll make sure to teach them a lesson later on." He then grabbed a cup of water and said, "Here, drink some." Just then, Zayn's phone rang. He didn't answer it and immediately declined the call. "No one can make me leave your side today. I'm going to stay home to take care of you." However, the person who called seemed to be persistent. When he didn't answer, the caller continued calling non-stop. "Go take the call outside. Let me have some peace and quiet." Upon hearing this, Zayn handed her the cup of water and reminded, "Be careful. Don't burn yourself." With that, he left the bedroom. By the time Josephine had finished the water, Zayn walked in with an irritated look on his face. "Those imbeciles. They've messed up again." Before he could even say a word about leaving, Josephine spoke up first, "You should go check on the company and make sure nothing goes wrong." Zayn sat at the edge of the bed and pulled her into a hug. He persisted, "No. Nothing is more important than you." Just as he finished his sentence, his phone rang again. "Just go. I'd like some time alone too." Zayn hesitated before finally agreeing, "Alright. But call me if you need anything." With that, he left in a hurry. Josephine began tidying up when her phone suddenly buzzed with a news notification. She unlocked the screen and saw a news article about herself. The headline read, "Mrs. Forbes down with a cold, Mr. Fobes calls in ten specialists for treatment." Below the article was a flood of comments. "Mr. Forbes is the ultimate role model. All men should take some notes from him!" "Does anyone know when Mrs. Forbes' birthday is? I want to reincarnate and be born on the same day." "I wish I had Mrs. Forbes' life. I have to work all day and night. Even if I were to pass out from exhaustion, my husband would probably just think I'm napping." Josephine sighed. Zayn's actions were once again made public. She switched off her phone screen and began packing her belongings from the bedroom. Zayn had bought her an overwhelming number of gifts over the years. It was to the point where the walk-in closet could no longer fit them all, and she had to put some of her favorites in the bedroom cabinet. There were gold and silver jewelry, luxury handbags, couture dresses, and limited edition plush toys. Unlike most men who would only buy gifts during their partner's birthday, Zayn would buy them during her period each month. He claimed that they were supposed to cheer her up. Hence, in the past three years, the gifts had piled up into a mountain. She took some pictures, packed them up nicely, and listed them all for sale on a second-hand platform. Just then, she came across the boxing gear that Zayn had practically risked his life to get for her. She hesitated but eventually decided to list it as well. By the time she had finished organizing everything, it was already noon. However, Zayn had yet to return home. He had, however, sent her more than 20 messages. "Have you eaten?" "Are you hungry?" "Are you feeling better?" "I love you." Josephine had grown sick and tired of these words. The last message, however, instructed her to prepare for the company's wrap-up party. Zayn explained that he was busy organizing the event and didn't have time to pick her up, so he had arranged for a driver to escort her. Zayn was an extremely observant person. Therefore, to avoid raising his suspicion before she left, Josephine replied with a simple, "Okay." The event was scheduled to start at 8:00 pm, but Josephine arrived an hour early. She had deliberately worn the silk dress Zayn had spent millions to get for her at an auction. The dress perfectly accentuated her figure and made her stand out amongst the crowd. Just as she made her way to the entrance, she heard someone shouting enthusiastically, "To celebrate the wrap-up, why don't we have our manager, Zayn, give our female lead, Nadine, a kiss!" The crowd cheered, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Just as they were nearly face to face, Zayn turned his head and saw Josephine standing at the entrance. His expression immediately darkened and he shouted angrily, "Know your limits! Don't you know that I already have a wife?" With that, he rushed toward Josephine and looked at her in surprise. He marveled, "You look beautiful." He then gently placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "Thank goodness. Your fever seems to have gone down. I was so worried." He affectionately wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the center of the crowd. "You look absolutely stunning, Mrs Forbes. It's no wonder Mr. Forbes managed to stay composed during our little joke earlier." "That's right, Mrs. Forbes. We were simply testing his loyalty to you. Please don't take it to heart." Josephine's lips curved into a faint smile. "It's alright. There's no need to explain. I understand." At that moment, Nadine approached her with a smile, holding two wine glasses in her hands. "Mrs. Forbes, let's toast to the success of this film." She said and offered her one of the glasses. Without any hesitation, Zayn took the glass from her and said, "Josephine can't drink. So, I'll take it for her." With that, he downed the wine in one go. Unable to stand the sight of Nadine, Josephine said with a smile, "Please excuse me. I need to use the restroom." Zayn immediately stepped forward. "I'll go with you." A guest nearby chuckled, "Mr. Forbes, she's just going to the restroom. Do you really have to tag along as well?" "What's wrong with that? Is caring for my wife embarrassing? Men who don't know how to cherish their wives are the real fools." He took Josephine's hand and led her to the restroom. As they reached the door, Zayn released her hand and said softly, "Go on. I'll wait for you here." Inside the restroom, Josephine was washing her hands at the sink when she lifted her head and saw Nadine standing behind her through the mirror reflection. "Mrs. Forbes, is that the dress Mr. Forbes bought for you at the auction?" Josephine smiled. "Yes, it is. What about it?" Nadine traced her fingers along the necklace around her neck and said with a taunting smile, "Didn't he tell you? This necklace I'm wearing was the real auction item that night. Your dress was simply a complimentary gift."