The jet landed smoothly back at the private airstrip, and the hum of the engines faded into silence as the sleek aircraft came to a stop. Jade let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, staring out at the familiar city skyline through the window.
Home. Finally.
As much as Paris had been a whirlwind of stunning views, luxurious dinners, and heart-racing moments with the men, Jade was relieved to be back on solid ground. Her body was exhausted, and her mind was still reeling from the nonstop events of the past few days.
“Welcome back,” Thiago drawled behind her as he slung his carry-on over his shoulder. “Bet you missed this place.”
Jade turned to glare at him playfully. “Honestly, I just missed my bed.”
Enzo smirked as he passed her, his dark gaze glinting with amusement. “You’re tougher than you look, Jade. Paris didn’t break you.”
“Not yet,” she muttered under her breath, earning a quiet chuckle from Thiago.
Milan, as always, was the last to step off the plane, his crisp suit still immaculate, not a single strand of dark hair out of place. He glanced at her briefly as they disembarked. “You did well,” he said simply.
Jade blinked, surprised by the praise. “Oh. Thank you.”
“Get some rest,” Milan added, his tone softer than usual as he walked toward the waiting car. “You’ll need it.”
Jade stared after him, slightly taken aback but grateful nonetheless. It was one of the rare moments Milan let his walls down, if only for a second.
The men parted ways as their respective cars whisked them off, leaving Jade standing at the edge of the runway. Her ride was already waiting, and as she slid into the back seat of the modest sedan, she leaned back against the headrest with a sigh.
But there was one thing she needed to do before anything else.
An hour later, Jade pushed open the door of the small, familiar pharmacy near her grandmother’s house. The bell above the door chimed softly, and the smell of antiseptic and faint floral air freshener greeted her like an old friend.
She hurried to the counter, tugging her bag closer to her body as she approached the pharmacist, an older gentleman named Mr. Henderson, who had known her and her grandmother for years.
“Hi, Mr. Henderson,” she greeted, her voice polite but rushed. “I’m here to pick up my grandmother’s medication and pay for it.”
Mr. Henderson glanced up from the paperwork he’d been working on and gave her a warm smile. “Jade, good to see you. How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine, thank you,” she said quickly, shifting on her feet. “But I really need to grab her medicine. I’ve got the money this time.”
She reached into her bag, pulling out the neatly folded cash she’d been saving up to cover the cost. It wasn’t much—definitely not enough to live on comfortably—but it was enough for the medicine, and that’s all that mattered.
Mr. Henderson, however, looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Jade, dear, there’s no need for that.”
Jade frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The medicine has already been paid for,” he replied, matter-of-factly. “And it’s already been delivered to your grandmother’s house.”
Jade froze, her heart skipping a beat. She stared at him in disbelief, her voice catching in her throat. “What? No, that’s not possible. I didn’t—”
Mr. Henderson waved his hand gently. “It was all taken care of earlier today. I assumed it was you or someone in your family.”
Jade shook her head, her mind spinning. “No, it wasn’t me. Are you sure? Someone paid for it?”
He nodded, adjusting his glasses and flipping through a small stack of receipts. “Yes. Fully paid. No balance owed. And, like I said, we had it delivered this afternoon to make sure your grandmother got it promptly.”
Jade’s pulse quickened as she tried to process what he was saying. “But… who paid for it?”
Mr. Henderson looked up at her with a small smile. “No name was given. Just a request to make sure it was delivered and that there was no charge to you.”
Jade’s mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Her mind raced as realization crept in like a soft whisper. She had her suspicions—strong suspicions—and there were only three people who could have done something like this.
Enzo. Thiago. Milan.
Her throat tightened as she took a shaky breath. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Positive,” Mr. Henderson said kindly. “And don’t worry, Jade. Whoever did this must care a great deal about you and your grandmother.”
Jade didn’t know what to say. Her hands clutched the strap of her bag as her chest filled with a mix of shock, gratitude, and confusion.
“Thank you,” she whispered finally, though she wasn’t sure if she was thanking Mr. Henderson or the mysterious benefactor she already had in mind. “I—I need to go check on her.”
“Of course,” he replied with a nod. “Take care of yourself, Jade. Give your grandmother my best.”
Jade hurried out of the pharmacy, the bell chiming behind her as the door shut. The cold air hit her cheeks, grounding her as she stood still for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.
They paid for it.