Ellen bit her cherry lips as she decided not to respond, thinking that her indifference would drive Harvey away.
In a flash, it was the weekend morning again. As Ellen was still sleeping, the unexpected ringtone of her phone shocked her into consciousness, after which she grabbed it and took a look at it. Seeing that it was Jared who called her, she couldn’t help but suspect whether she was still in her dreams. Quickly, she answered the call. “Good morning, President Presgrave.”
“Are you free today? The weather’s nice today. Wanna go hiking?”
“Now?” Ellen was still feeling a little dozy. “Mm-hmm! I’m on the way to get you.”
Immediately, Ellen sprung up from her bed and widened her charming eyes. “You’re already on the way?”
“Relax. Take your time to pack.” However, she wouldn’t dare to take her time and make her boss wait for her. Hastily, she replied, “Okay. I’ll head down in a bit.”
“See you soon, then.” Finished, Jared hung up the phone, At once, Ellen tossed her phone aside and went straight to wash up before picking a set of sportswear from her wardrobe.
Then, she sat before the mirror and pondered whether to put on some subtle makeup, but since she was to go hiking for the day, her sweat would only ruin the makeup and she would end up embarrassing herself.
In the end, she decided to simply put on some sunscreen. Despite having no makeup on, her skin looked as delicate and smooth as a baby’s. Moreover, it accentuated the tiny mole on her nose, adding to her charm.
Ten minutes later, she headed downstairs in a little run. Luckily, Jared had yet to arrive, but she merely waited for five minutes before a black SUV dazzling under the sunlight approached her. The car window slid down, revealing a man in gray sportswear that was shrouded in unrelenting masculinity in the driver’s seat. Ellen was used to seeing him in his expensive suits, but now that she saw him in his casual attire, she couldn’t help but feel flustered.
After all, she was no longer a little girl but a twenty-two-year-old woman, so it was understandable if she were to take a few more glances at such an impeccably dashing man on the street, let alone after being asked out to a hike. Amidst the excitement in her heart, there were wavering emotions.
“Stop dreaming and get in, will you?” Jared laughed and asked.
Only then, Ellen realized that she was so dazed that she forgot to get into the car. Thereupon, she pulled open the car door and got into the car, only to find herself enthralled by the fine scenery one could only perceive in a huge SUV. And so, Jared started to drive away into a line of vehicles.
At that moment, Ellen curiously asked, “Where are we going to hike?”
“You’ll know once we’re there.”
If the one speaking was another man, her alertness would have gone off the charts. Nonetheless, because Jared was the very man who uttered those words, she felt only one thing whenever she followed him around-a sense of security. She had little to worry about whenever she was around him, except whether she would be a hassle to him.
As Jared drove up the viaduct, his car phone rang, to which he accepted the call with his Bluetooth earphones, and he was heard saying. “You don’t have to come.”
Upon the caller’s response, he tensely furrowed his brows. “Do you not hear what I said?”
With that, he hung up his phone. He then turned to the side and saw Ellen slightly startled, after which he comforted, ‘Don’t worry. My
bodyguards wanted to follow us as per my father’s arrangement. They can be unwantedly persistent sometimes.”
“You should let them follow us. Just in case one of us gets injured,’ Ellen placated.
Nevertheless, Jared didn’t want too many on his trip. Essentially, his destination was a mountain his father brought him to hike back when he was a child. Although it was somewhat distant, he wished to revisit it once more.
After half an hour of high-speed drive, they reached a county road near Averna, before proceeding for another twenty miles from the county road. Eventually, they arrived at a hiking paradise.
Followingly, Jared took out a map and said, “I brought some food over. We’ll be hiking for about two hours. You good with that?”
Determinedly, Ellen gazed at the mountain and nodded. ‘No problem. I can do it.”
And so, the two began their hike from the foot of the mountain. In the beginning, there were man-made stone steps, but as they ventured deeper, the steps faded away, replaced by the harsh path of the mountains.
