"Is this the mineral stone we want?" I was excited. Throwing the bag on my bag on the ground, I squatted next to Nico and picked another identical stone to examine it.Then, a villager walked toward us from above. He carried a huge rucksack with him that contained even more identical mineral stones. "Mr. Smith, take a look. Is this the stone you mentioned?"Nico and I cranked our necks to look at the contents of the rucksack. Indeed, most of the stones inside were identical to the stones we were holding. Each stone was marked by a different number with a pen. The number must have some special meaning.Nico pointed at the larger stones and asked the villager. "Where did you find these? Did you record the location properly?""I did. I remember their location very well." The villager put down the bag and sat next to Nico while wiping the sweat off his forehead. Then, he took out a booklet from his front pocket. Inside the booklet was a simple map.The villager showed the stone and th
"If a road can be built here, the kids can leave the village and establish a home outside. We can't keep our future generations in this remote place."What the villager said dampened our mood. The stones on our backs threatened to crush them just like how the news crushed our spirit. This wasn't like the sense of suffocation Jasmine made me feel. Compared to the misery here, what Jasmine did was nothing."Why are you so quiet now?" Nico turned to me and asked.Smiling, I poked the ground with a stick. I was trying to hide the upset I was feeling. "I feel bad. I don't know what to say.""Did what the villager say bother you?"I nodded. "Nico, is it impossible to build a road here?""It's not impossible, and I'd love to build a road too. But there are several deterrents here. One, mudslides happen often here. It's very destructive, so the road won't last very long. Two, there might be endangered species in the mountains."Overdeveloping this area might damage the ecosystem here. I
I always respected others as long as they did not offend me. Jasmine had pulled so many dirty tricks, so it was only natural that I viewed her as vermin. She deserved it. I thought she would back off by ignoring her. Alas, she was stubborn, or should I say, shameless.Perhaps she did not know that I was intentionally ignoring her. Perhaps she did, but she ignored it because she had an agenda to fulfill. Before long, her reflection appeared on the glossy elevator doors, inching closer to me.As usual, Gavin was following behind her. Wearing a navy blue uniform, his expression was stoic as he pushed the wheelchair behind me. Jasmine raised her hand, and he immediately helped her stand up.Jasmine walked toward me. I gawked in disbelief as she slowly approached me. Her right leg was slightly limp. Nevertheless, she managed to walk on her own. Perhaps one day, she could regain her full mobility. Suddenly, I felt that the crushing weight on my chest was lifted. What great, wonderful news
Gavin caught Jasmine, his broad hand supporting her waist. A look of pain appeared on his face. I was shocked. Only a man who loved his girlfriend a lot would make that kind of expression. Did that mean he was in love with his employer?Judging from their interaction, Gavin was Jasmine's assistant. To put it bluntly, he was her male nanny in charge of her meals and accompanying her. Perhaps it was only normal for two individuals of the opposite gender to fall in love with each other when they spent so much time together.I couldn't help but wonder if Jasmine knew about his feelings. How would she react if she heard about his feelings? Knowing Jasmine's background, I knew that she wouldn't care. Maybe she would even detest Gavin. She dreamed of being properly acknowledged as one of the Taylors.To that end, she had to find a husband who excelled in nearly everything. Unfortunately for Gavin, he came from a modest background. He could care for Jasmine but she would not marry him. His
However, to Colin and me, it was a serious problem. Colin worked his way up from Lincoln University to Jesselton College. He earned all his achievements through his hard work. If Jasmine truly mobilized the powerful mass media against him, his reputation would be affected, regardless of the outcome.As an artist with a doctorate, the youngest post-graduate lecturer at Jesselton College, and a scholar who devoted himself to academics, his reputation couldn't be smeared—even though the allegation against him was unfounded and false.I reflected upon myself. Did I go overboard this time? If my decision to mock her made her angry and she did something that led to irreversible damage, Colin would have to suffer the consequences. It was not worth it.I took a screenshot of the text message and sent it to Colin. Then, I called him. This was a serious problem. I needed to discuss with Colin to see what we could do to prevent the situation from getting out of control. I would never forgive m
"Oh? You're so strong now, huh? Show your future husband your moves."Eager, I performed a perfect groin kick in front of Colin. When I realized what he just called me, I saw that Colin was staring at me. His dark, bottomless orbs threatened to absorb my entire being. What the heck? Jasmine wasn't a man. Why should I perform a groin kick? I was carried away."Uh, I learned this to fight bad guys.""Right." Colin nodded seriously and smirked. "Train well, but never do that to me. Otherwise, I might not be able to get it up anymore."He wouldn't be able to get it up? I blushed profusely. "Babe, I miss you so much that I'm going crazy. During the day, I see your shy smile everywhere I go. It's worse at night. I see it whether I'm in the bathroom, on the couch, or in bed. I feel empty."I want to hug you and tease you. Baby, do you miss me?"I bit my lip to stop myself from making a noise. Hug me and tease me? Why would he use those words? I was his girlfriend. Shouldn't he dote on m
"Sure," said Nico with a muffled voice as he, too, was chewing on a chunk of meat. "I'll buy something sweet, then. It'll give us energy. Do you want chocolate? It'll keep you full for a while.""I want a lollipop so that I can suck on it and work at the same time.""Let's get some snack bars too. Didn't the ads say that those could keep you full for a long time? I've never had them before. Have you?"As we talked, someone decided to sit next to me without asking for my permission. I was startled and looked up. Then, I saw Jasmine glaring at me. The meat inside my mouth lost its flavor almost immediately.Couldn't she give me a break? Why did she have to appear wherever I went? She should be a policewoman instead because of her exceptional ability to apprehend somebody. My eyes met Nico's teasing eyes. He was enjoying the unfolding drama.What happened to the Nico I looked up to so much? Right now, when he was looking between Jasmine and me, I wanted to punch him in the eyes so ba
An idea came into my mind. Did she just start crushing on Nico? Oh, no. Nico was a decent guy, but he did not owe Jasmine any favor. He had no reason to get involved with her. Dating someone like her would take a few years off his life."What's your name, cutie? You look familiar."I was flabbergasted. Wasn't she supposed to confront me here? Why was she trying to flirt with Nico now? And what a cliché pick-up line. People still used that? Was she going to say "You look like my future boyfriend" next?Nico took another sip of the soup and replied seriously, "We don't need to get acquainted."In other words, he wasn't willing to give her his name. Jasmine gasped, and I chortled out loud. My rudeness was not intentional. The whole situation was just way too funny. A six-foot man just rejected a woman. It was hilarious to me.Jasmine was mortified. Nico did not take her flirtation well, and she wasn't quite sure what he had just said. Wanting to vent all her frustrations, she lashed