Love Contract

Chapter 19 A False Alarm

"Mr. and Mrs. Lan, we've arrived at the airport," announced Kevin, as the car came to a stop alongside the entrance.

"Okay," said William, who was focused on his phone. He put the phone away and opened the door, ignoring Mary.

A valet came towards them, ready to take the keys and drive the car to a parking spot.

Meanwhile, William, Mary, and Kevin got off and walked into the airport. They headed towards the VIP waiting room. They entered the room and found that it was already full of people.

As soon as they saw William, everyone stood up respectfully, and came to greet the boss.

Victor was there. He went up to William and Mary to greet them.

It was reasonable for Victor, as one of the main characters of the "Past of Republic of China", to be here.

Mary and Victor glanced briefly at each other, exchanging small nods. Neither of them said anything.

They stayed in the VIP waiting room until it was time to board the plane. William and Mary were the first to get on board. Their seats were in front and next to each other.

Mary approached her seat, carrying her handbag. As soon as she put it down, however, William shook his head at her. "Trade seats with Kevin. I need to talk to him."

"All right," said Mary slowly. She picked up her bag again and walked towards Kevin's seat. She wasn't too upset about the new arrangement. After all, she wasn't one of those people who were picky about plane seats, and anyway she was more than happy not to have to sit with William for

the entire flight. But to her surprise, as soon as she sat down in Kevin's spot, Victor arrived and took the seat next to her.

"What a coincidence!" She tried to sound normal, but she couldn't hide the trace of awkwardness in her greeting. He sat down without smiling.

"I didn't expect that you would be traveling with us," said Victor coolly.

"It's just a temporary arrangement," Mary said.

He didn't respond. The two of them seemed to have nothing more to say to each other, and a silence fell between them.

After the plane took off, Mary closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Meanwhile, Victor pored over a copy of the script, reciting his lines under his breath.

From his position in the front row, William glanced back, looking towards Mary's seat. His eyes narrowed when he saw Victor staring back at him.

Although they had very different jobs, both men were cut from the same cloth: tall, handsome, and confident. When their eyes met, neither one flinched or looked away. Instead, they glared at each other, assessing one another as though they were rivals.

"By the way, Mr. Lan, the place we're going to...

Kevin's voice caught William's attention, and he turned away from Victor without saying anything. He resolved to not look back at Mary for the rest of the plane ride.

Meanwhile, Mary had actually fallen asleep while pretending to sleep.

It wasn't long, however, before her slumber was disturbed by a strange dream. She felt everything shaking violently around her. She frowned with her eyes closed, shifting in her seat. She dreamed she was experiencing an earthquake, and as she stood with the ground shaking beneath her feet, she screamed for help. But no one answered. With a jolt, her eyes flew open, and she realized that she had not imagined the sensation of trembling. The plane was shaking.

She turned to look at Victor, whose face was pale and tense. The calm voice of the pilot issued from the speakers above them. "Dear passengers, please stay in your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We have hit a rough patch and it has caused some turbulence. Please don't panic. We have everything under control."

Although the pilot's voice was firm and comforting, Mary felt terror squeezing her chest as the turbulence persisted. She couldn't help fearing that the plane was about to crash. Mary could count on one hand the number of times she had been on an airplane. And this was the very first time that she had ever encountered any possibility of danger while inside a plane.

Everyone on board was silent and anxious. They held their breaths, waiting for the turbulence to pass. Some people prayed without sound, their heads bowed and their hands clasped together.

Mary gripped her armrests tightly, her eyes wide and frightened.

The plane dipped and shook before nosing back up.

Mary was unable to hold back a soft, frightened gasp. William heard and turned to look at her. There was a rare nervousness in his expression. As soon as he looked at Mary, he said sharply, "Damn it! Put on your seat belt!" Mary realized she had neglected to fasten her seat belt.

Panicked, she began groping around for the buckle.

However, in her flustered state, she could only feel the tangle of her bag and shawl. "I can't find it!" she said. Just then, her hands finally closed around the buckles. But her fingers were cold and numb with fright, and she couldn't seem to fasten her seat belt. She was breathing hard, feeling like she was on the verge of collapse.

Seeing her frantic movements, William inwardly shook his head at the silliness of his wife, wishing he could go over there and help her.

Suddenly, Mary felt movement beside her. Victor was leaning over. "Don't move. I'll fasten your seat belt for you."

Victor clasped the buckle and tightened it with deft moves, then pulled away.

William watched with a slight frown, but he was relieved that Mary was finally buckled in securely.

The turbulence worsened, and the plane began shaking more violently. Mary had never been so terrified in her life. To her shock, a warm hand settled over her own, and Victor leaned closer, speaking soothingly into her ear. "Don't be afraid. Everything will be fine."

Victor's words had an immediate effect on Mary. Suddenly, she felt as though she was facing this disaster with someone, instead of having to deal with it alone. It helped her to feel calmer.

She gripped Victor's hand tightly, trying to give him a smile.

When the plane took a sharp nosedive before leveling off again, William was thrown forward then back into his seat, held only in place by his seat belt. He quickly turned to look at his panicked wife, wondering if Mary was all right.

He wished he had considered the possibility of turbulence—then he wouldn't have made Mary switch seats. While he himself was feeling afraid, he realized that her terror must be ten times worse.

He looked at Mary's drawn face, and saw that she was tightly holding Victor's hand.

The two of them seemed to be relying on each other for strength. Mary was leaning against Victor, while he pressed closer to her and covered her hand with his. While the plane shook, and Mary trembled, Victor murmured something to her, and she nodded, a bit of color returning to her pale cheeks.

William watched them, feeling uncomfortable, almost ridiculous.

He scowled and turned to face the front again. It must be the turbulence that was causing this unusual sensation in his chest.

When the shaking finally stopped, Mary froze, wondering if it was truly over. The turbulence had lasted for only five minutes, but to her, it felt like five hours.

The pilot's voice sounded again, assuring them that they had come safely through the rough patch, and everyone burst into relieved chatter and cheering.

Mary slumped, teary-eyed with relief. "Oh, thank god. It's so good to be alive," she said.

"Yeah, that's true," said Victor mildly, releasing her hand. He leaned back into his own seat, closing his eyes.

With a gasp, Mary unbuckled her seat belt and jumped up, looking towards the front of the plane. "William!" she called. "William, are you okay?"

He did not answer. Mary left her seat and hurried down the aisle to her husband. "William, is everything all right? Do you feel nauseous or dizzy?"

"Relax, at least I'm not dead," William said sourly.

He seemed to be annoyed at her. She felt embarrassed. Maybe she was nagging him.

"That's good," she said, backing away a little.

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"Okay," Mary repeated. She decided to ignore his surliness. After all, though she had been in no position to respond, she had seen him glancing back to check on her, so she knew he had been at least slightly concerned. "I'll go back to my seat now. You get some rest."

"Wait," he said sharply, and she stopped. William glared at her. "Will you stop walking back and forth? You didn't even fasten your seat belt! Is this all a joke to you? I thought you were scared, but here you are, running up and down the aisle like you own the plane."

The attack was so unexpected that Mary blinked, unsure how to respond. She wasn't even sure what point he was trying to make.

Kevin had been trying to act like he wasn't listening, but he couldn't take it anymore. He suddenly piped up from beside William. "Mrs. Lan, here, take your seat. This is yours, remember? Mr. Lan and I are done talking anyway. I'll just go to—um, to the washroom. I had a scare just now and I need to go to the washroom," he stammered.

Before either Mary or William could stop him, Kevin stood and walked away quickly.

Mary glanced down at William, but his face was expressionless. Sighing, she took the seat beside him.

For a moment he was quiet, then he burst out, "If there had been paparazzi on the plane just now, you would be in the headlines." Mary's brows drew together.

"What are you talking about?" she said, feeling exasperated. She wished he would just say what he meant instead of always being so confusing and evasive.

He shot her a sharp, sarcastic look. "You and Victor were getting quite cozy back there."

Mary realized she had been holding hands with Victor when William turned to look at them.

"I... It was a kind gesture because I was out of my mind with fear. It was nothing more than that."

"That's not what someone watching the two of you would think," William snapped.

Was he talking about himself? Mary's frown had vanished, and she studied William speculatively, wondering what he was so angry about.

After all, who else had been watching her except for William? She was tempted to tell him that if he hadn't made her switch seats, she would have clung to him for support instead of Victor.

But before she could say anything, the pilot announced that the plane was about to arrive at Shanghai.

The two of them sat without talking or looking at each other. As soon as the plane landed, Mary went back to get her bag from the seat beside Victor's, then she returned to William's side. The two of them disembarked silently, avoiding any further conversation.