When they arrived, Caleb pulled her out of the car after getting out himself.The group reconvened and listened to the person in charge discuss how the land could be developed. Penny realized that the beach was quite large. She had spent so many years living in Union County but had never known this place existed. Then, she heard the person in charge say, “The only con is that sandstorms sometimes occur here, but the last sandstorm was ten years ago. The device we have isn’t able to make precise detections and warnings, but if we had the proper equipment, this land could definitely be developed.”What he was hinting at was that if Caleb sponsored them with a machine that could accurately detect and send out sandstorm warnings, they would sell this land to him for a cheap price. Caleb cocked an eyebrow. Developing equipment like that was a piece of cake for Fergerson Corporation. “I’ll get someone from the office to scout the area. They’ll arrive this afternoon.”The team in c
Leo’s job required him to speak in the standard dialect. However, he had a thick Union County accent mixed in with his words.It was still much better than Nathan’s accent, though. Not only did Nathan speak rapidly, but his accent was also a mix of multiple different accents. Penny would never have been able to understand what Nathan was saying if she did not have prior experience speaking to him.“Why aren’t you saying anything? How did you end up trying to seduce a businessman? How does this make you any different from the women you see in the red-light districts?”Leo was so angry that even his fingertips were trembling. Penny knew the red light district he was talking about. Women would stand on the streets and prostitute themselves before Union County underwent restructuring. The women who walked past them always had the urge to spit on them. They were terrified these ladies would be why their families fell apart. She had passed by the area once with her aunt while she
Caleb spent the remaining time working. Penny also retrieved her laptop, and the two did not speak to each other.Two hours later, someone knocked on their door and informed them it was time to leave. Caleb put his laptop away and left the room without waiting for Penny. Penny knew he was shunning her. It was alright, though. She had not even felt like going in the first place. She heard car engines revving outside, and someone seemed to ask where she was. Caleb replied, “She isn’t feeling well.” That was enough to further deepen the understanding. Penny worked remotely and waited for Caleb to return.However, the car that Caleb had left still had not returned even after three hours had passed.The sky was darkening rapidly, but not in the usual way the sky darkened into night. It looked like something was blocking the sun from view. Penny abruptly realized that this was a sandstorm! She hurriedly left the room, but there was no one else left at the mansion other tha
Caleb stepped on the gas and throttled ahead at full speed. He moved so quickly that he did not even have enough time to ponder why he was so worried and scared. The one-hour journey only took him 40 minutes. He heard a loud thump behind him after he drove past a stretch of road. It turned out a boulder had rolled down from the mountains and landed square in the middle of the road. The path to return was blocked. He did not stop but continued ahead to The Sandfish. His visibility of the road became even lower, and he practically barged his way to the cottage blindly. When he arrived at the cottage, he immediately spotted the car parked in front of it. He quickly opened the door and hurried over to knock on the window. Penny was leaning against the steering wheel. She was actually feeling quite scared. She was stranded here during a sandstorm, and the knocking sounds on her windows were becoming louder and louder. “Penny!” Caleb knocked on her window again. Penny vag
At that moment, Caleb stood behind Penny with his chest pressed against her back. He was also looking out of the window.Penny could almost hear the sound of his heartbeat.When she had blow-dried Caleb’s hair the previous night and he held her in his arms without saying a word, she got a vague feeling that Caleb was upset.Perhaps it was because women were naturally inclined to feel maternal, so she empathized with him.It was as if she was the one who had been discarded.She thought to herself, ‘But could that be true for Caleb? He’s a prodigy. Just a beckon from him could make countless people do anything for him.’As such, she dismissed that fleeting feeling in her mind.That was because Caleb had regained his strong stance after that brief moment.It was as though that brief moment of vulnerability had been an illusion.Caleb increased the distance between them. He made a call to the person in charge to tell them that he was safe at the cottage. He asked them not to worry
Meanwhile, on Penny's side, the sandstorm showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.She sat in the chair for a bit before she started feeling tired.Caleb checked the injury on her knee and found that it was healing well. "We'll have to make do here for the night. The only way out is blocked due to a landslide. We can't go back until the sandstorm stops and the county’s road inspectors clear the path."A large boulder was blocking the road, and it would require more than one person to move it.Penny wondered how Caleb knew about the landslide.Nonetheless, she kept her questions to herself.Things felt a little awkward once they stopped talking, especially in such weather where they had no choice but to stay together in a makeshift shelter-like house.Caleb was a germaphobe and did not feel comfortable in his dusty clothes.In just a minute, Penny saw him furrowing his brows multiple times.She hurried to the bathroom. She was relieved to find that although it was narrow, ther
Penny grabbed Caleb's shirt and made her way to the bathroom for a shower. Her hair was damp when she came out, so she used a hairdryer to dry it. She put her hair in a casual twist before she hesitantly sat on the bed.Glancing at the clock, she realized it was already ten in the evening. The outside had plunged into darkness.The sandstorm continued to bang on the windows, but aside from that, the interior of the house felt surprisingly cozy.Although there was an absence of air conditioning, the sandstorm made the room slightly chilly.Penny sneezed, which prompted Caleb to wrap his arms around her with his chest against her back."Feeling cold?" There were no other blankets, but at least the bed was soft."A little." His chin rested on the top of her head, and he pulled her close. The sound of Penny's heart beating wildly resonated in her ears, adding an edge of unease to the moment.However, his embrace made her feel much warmer. It was not cold to begin with in the s
Penny's concern for Zane was paramount, given that he only had three months to live. She was determined to find Maeve's child within that time frame even though the task seemed more daunting than scaling a mountain.A sleepless night passed, and the sandstorm had ceased the following morning. Union County's officials arrived to check in on them."Mr. Fergerson, we're relieved to see you safe.""Yesterday, we were worried sick. You..."The official intended to ask him why he left the villa by car, but a warning look from Caleb prompted him to hold his tongue.The group returned to the county town, and Penny found herself seated next to Caleb once again. She could distinctly feel Leo's gaze upon her. It was filled with resentment and disappointment.When they arrived at Union Square, Penny had barely stepped out of the car when she heard Jenni's voice in the distance. She was berating her loudly.Jenni approached with determined strides, her hand raised as if to slap Penny."