At first, both of them tried to help, but soon they were barely able to take care of themselves.
Late at night, the bedroom finally regained its peace.
Landon watched the two of them fall into a deep sleep, listening to their steady breathing, his heart filled with tranquility and satisfaction.
The bet had been placed. The stakes were a portion of his salary and his confidence in the future.
Next came the moment of waiting for the market to open.
The next day was as usual, still completely numb.
Tracy and Rachel were still sleeping soundly, their breathing steady.
He got up cautiously, finished washing up, changed into a tracksuit, and walked out of the villa.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the eastern horizon was turning a pale white.
Today's weather was exceptionally clear; the hazy mist of the previous two days had been swept away, visibility was excellent, and the air carried a fresh scent.
Landon did a few sets of stretching and warm-up exercises in the open space in front of the villa to loosen his joints.
The condition of this body was surprisingly good; even after a night of massive energy consumption, he was still full of energy when he woke up in the morning.
He began jogging along the familiar circular rubber track, gradually increasing his speed.
His footsteps tapped the ground rhythmically, and his breathing was deep and steady.
As he ran past the first curve, a figure not far ahead made his heart skip a beat. It was that familiar trio again—Cameron Diaz and her two highly prominent bodyguards.
Today, Cameron was still in professional sportswear, her long blonde hair tied in a high ponytail that bounced behind her head as she ran, looking full of vitality.
Landon approached at his own pace.
When he ran almost parallel to them, just like last time, he turned his head, flashed a polite and refreshing smile, and greeted Cameron and the two bodyguards: "Good morning!"
After the greeting, he didn't stop for a second; he exerted a little force under his feet, increased his cadence, and easily overtook them from the outside.
At the moment they crossed paths, Landon caught a flash of annoyance and helplessness on Cameron's face out of the corner of his eye.
Landon found it a bit amusing; it seemed this big star was feeling a little frustrated by his consecutive "disregard" for her charm.
He didn't think much of it and kept his pace as he ran forward.
However, when he finished the first lap and approached Cameron's group again, the situation seemed a bit different.
He noticed that the positioning of the two bodyguards had changed.
In the previous lap, they had been guarding her closely on both sides, but now they were both running on the outside, completely leaving the inner lane open, while Cameron ran relatively on the inside.
This formation looked completely undefended.
A strange feeling rose in Landon's heart, but his footsteps didn't stop.
He habitually ran in the inner lane, naturally moving along the inner sideline of the track, gradually approaching Cameron.
Just as he was almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Cameron—
"Oh!" A short cry of surprise.
Cameron's body suddenly lost its balance; her left foot seemed to trip on something, and her whole person, carrying a gust of fragrance, fell straight toward Landon, who happened to be right behind and to her side!
Her hands instinctively reached forward.
Landon was stunned for a moment.
Isn't this acting a bit too clumsy? And she's a big star?
Of course, Landon could have followed his original rhythm and direction; he would only need to accelerate slightly or turn sideways to avoid her perfectly.
But if he did that, Cameron would likely really lose her center of gravity and fall hard onto the rubber track.
Regardless of whether she would be injured, letting a top Hollywood actress and the "americas sweetheart" of countless people fall embarrassingly in front of him would truly offend her.
Besides, when a big star actively throws herself into your arms, you just dodge? Is that what a normal person would do?
Landon sighed helplessly in his heart.
Fine, since the stage is set and the audience (those two bodyguards running far ahead) is in place, he, as a temporary actor, couldn't exactly sabotage the performance.
So, Landon stopped his steps steadily, turned his body slightly, and reached out his arms, catching the falling Cameron in a full embrace.
Warmth and softness crashed into his arms; the touch was soft, mixed with the slight heat of post-exercise body temperature and a fresh, expensive perfume scent.
Cameron obviously "cooperated" by letting out a low cry, naturally wrapping her arms around Landon's neck and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
Landon could feel her body trembling slightly, whether from "fright" or something else. He stabilized his center of gravity to ensure neither of them would fall.
"Are you okay?" Landon lowered his head and asked with concern, "Did you sprain your ankle?"
Cameron raised her head in his arms, her blue eyes still seemingly filled with lingering "panic," her cheeks flushed from exercise, adding a touch of glamour.
Cameron appeared a bit awkward and bit her lower lip: "Ah, oh! Yes... it seems... I twisted it."
Then, she used one hand to lean on Landon's shoulder for balance, while the other hand reached down somewhat "aimlessly," as if searching for the injured ankle.
Her gaze drifted between her left and right feet, appearing hesitant. Finally, as if making up her mind, her hand reached toward her right ankle.
Landon almost couldn't help but laugh.
You fell toward my left, and then you tell me you sprained your right foot.
However, Landon's gentlemanly demeanor was at its peak at this moment.
His face didn't show the slightest sign of anything unusual, still maintaining an expression of worry and concern.
He glanced ahead; those two bodyguards had already run a distance away and were currently facing away from them, seemingly "focused" on their run, completely unaware of the "accident" happening behind them.
Not far away, by the side of the track, there happened to be a log bench with a backrest for people to rest.
"Don't move, let's go over there and sit down to take a look," Landon said softly.
"Ah?" Before Cameron could react, she felt her body suddenly become light, and she was steadily picked up by Landon in a standard princess carry.
She let out a low cry and almost instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Landon's neck again, the distance between the two of them closing instantly.
This time, she clearly smelled the scent coming from Landon—not the common cologne or men's perfume, but a very clean, refreshing scent with a hint of his own unique body odor, which was inexplicably reassuring and a bit intoxicating.
Cameron's face turned even redder, whether from the exercise or for some other reason.
Landon walked steadily to the bench, carefully put Cameron down, and let her sit comfortably.
"Which foot is it? The right one, right?" Landon knelt down and asked in a calm tone.
"Um... yes, yes." Looking at the handsome face kneeling in front of her and looking up to ask, Cameron's heart skipped a few beats for some reason, and her voice was a bit airy.
Landon didn't say anything more; he reached out and gently took off the light running shoe from Cameron's right foot, revealing a foot wearing a light-colored sports sock.
His movements were very gentle.
Then, he used one hand to gently grasp the lower part of her calf to stabilize it, and the other hand to hold the sole of her foot.