Secured

Anxiously Jenny stepped into the jewelry store she had walked last visited four months ago. At the counter she asked for the owner and shortly after Mr. Mureau walked out. His expression faltered shortly after seeing Jenny's outfit, before quickly replacing it with a bright smile. "Mrs. Westwood, how lovely to see you." Jenny politely nodded her head as she said, "Mr. Mureau." Though she wasn't a 'Mrs. Westwood' yet, she didn't feel like correcting the shop owner. She wasn't particularly close with him and imagined she wouldn't see him after today, so she didn't see the point. She imagined he felt the same and was simply being polite as she was a well paying customer. If she hadn't been in a predicament that day, they wouldn't have met at all.

While she followed him to his office, where he had kept the watch that had been reserved for Jason, Mr. Mureau asked a question to satisfy his curiosity. "I didn't think you would be able to come up with the money so quickly. It seems like quite a steep amount for a student." Jenny smiled politely. "Yes, I was quite worried at first. Fortunately my father-in-law is a kind and resourceful man. He helped me with a well paying job, which helped me reach my goals a lot faster." He gestured for Jenny to take a seat. "I see. Well, I am glad that you were successful. I had already told myself that I wouldn't charge the card until after Mr. Westwood's birthday to not spoil your surprise, but I am glad that I didn't have to charge it at all and your wish to pay for the watch using your own money could be fulfilled."

Jenny was a bit perplexed. Though his initial behaviour seemed a bit fake, causing her to put on her polite front as well, his reaction now appeared genuine. She didn't think Mr. Mureau would take her wishes under consideration like that. After all they had only met once. There was no need for him to concern himself with anything other than the actual transaction, but she was glad he had. Finally Jenny's polite smile made place for a genuine one as she replied. "So am I."

From one of the drawers he pulled out the box containing Jason's watch, which had the same dark grey colour as the watch itself. On top of it he had placed the gold card that she had left behind as a guarantee. "Thank you." She took the items from his hand and nervously opened the heavy set box. When she saw the watch she was amazed by it once more. It was even more beautiful than it had been in her mind and she couldn't wait to give it to Jason. A smile spread over Jenny as her fingers gently touched the glass, the cold metal and heard the soft sound of the hands of the clock moving forward. While she was being mesmerized by the blue dial that seemed to change to different shades of blue depending on how the light hit the glass, Mr. Mureau started explaining about the watch.

"It is a self winding watch, so as long as it is worn regularly the battery will remain charged. While it was under my care, I made sure to take it out once every few days to keep it moving and to ensure that it would display the right time. Now that I am handing it over to you, it is important that you do the same in the time between today and the day of the party. If you do not wish to do so, you can also take the watch out on the day of and wind it manually using the crown on the side of the watch, move the hands so they display the right time before you wrap it up." Jenny listened intently to Mr. Mureau's instructions and listings of the specifications, nodding her head from time to time to let him know she understood what he had said. In her mind she was busy trying to remember everything as if she was studying for another test and she needed to be able to repeat all that was being said.

After thirty minutes she was back outside the store holding a beautiful watch and being an additional three thousand pounds lighter. She was really happy with her choice and was almost skipping on her way out of the warehouse. She headed towards the bus stop and when she arrived, the bus she needed did too. After another twenty minutes she was nearing Westwood mansion and she got off the bus. If she wanted her run to be believable, she needed to be at least sweating a bit and have heavy breathing. So, she got off a few stops before her actual stop, intending to run the remaining distance to make her lie more credible. She had carefully put the gold card away in the back pocket of her running shirt and was holding the bag containing the box for dear life. It would have been easier to run with the box in her vest or holding the box directly, but she was afraid of getting stains on the box from her sweat. Leaving her with no other choice than inconveniencing herself during her run. With those two items secured, Jenny started jogging towards the main gate.