CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 108: EMPTINESS

The heating was on in the room. Simon Forrester wore only a white shirt on his upper body, the top button undone, and his tie slightly loosened, making him appear very relaxed and casual.

Seeing that he didn’t intend to get up to greet her, Sienna Thornton smiled at him.

The woman was too beautiful, inherently possessing an aggressive charm, let alone the fact that Sienna Thornton was greeting him with the brightest, most beautiful smile at the moment.

Simon Forrester’s gaze was faint as he swept it across Sienna Thornton’s face, then got up, patted Harrison Rowe on the shoulder, and said, "You go ahead, I’ll explain to Lawyer Thornton myself."

Sienna Thornton slightly raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I’ll leave it to Director Forrester then."

Simon Forrester’s lips formed a faint curve as he glanced at her subtly. After she sat down, he closed the office door and pulled down all the wooden blinds.

The office was instantly isolated from the outside world.

Sienna Thornton feigned calmness on her face, just about to ask him why he closed the door and windows when she saw him pick up a remote control and press a button. The surface of the long table in front of her split open from the middle to the ends, slowly raising a white base.

Simon Forrester took the main seat at the long table and said expressionlessly, "I won’t go into technical details, just look directly at the 4D light and shadow effects."

With that, the 4D equipment cast down several beams of light from top to bottom, and a 3D model of villas facing a natural lake appeared instantly on the whiteboard. Although called a villa community, it was actually more like a small resort center formed by several standalone houses of 2-3 floors each.

The overall design was consistently South Asian in style, with brown pointed roofs and off-white walls, matched with brown doors and windows. In front of each standalone house, straight palm trees were planted, with rattan loungers for residents to relax under the trees. They were arranged in a curved shape, facing the lake, and separated by screens made of dark brown wood and white gauze curtains.

The shimmering waves on the lake mirrored onto the cascading white gauze curtains, as if stepping into a dreamlike realm. The crescent moon hanging in the sky cast a warm yellow hue, making one feel as if they had returned to a summer night of childhood when their mother was lying on a bamboo mat, the child resting on their mother’s leg, with wind, the moon, stars in the distance, and... a mother’s love.

Sienna Thornton’s heart felt sour as she steadied herself and exclaimed with a nasal tone, "Wow, this light and shadow 3D model is so realistic!"

Simon Forrester glanced at her and paused for a few seconds before quickly shifting his gaze back to the 4D model.

He pressed the remote control a few more times, and the white base began to rotate 360 degrees, allowing Sienna Thornton to clearly see the whole appearance of the lodge from all angles.

"The South Asian style typically presents a fusion of humans and nature, bringing scenery into the room and creating scenery through borrowing it. A reasonable design brings people closest to nature," Simon Forrester’s voice was gentle and moderate in speed, "The natural tone of the wood gives a visual sense of nature’s simplicity, while also forming some consistency with the traditional Chinese style we’re familiar with."

He pressed the remote control a few more times, and the 4D model gradually dispersed, allowing the interior design to be seen.

"In the entire residential design, wood elements are cleverly used to separate the open viewing area from the secluded living area, providing excellent privacy for the owner, ensuring a private living space, while the water-oriented and nature-oriented design elements add a touch of spirituality to the living ambiance..."

Simon Forrester sat casually in the leather chair, one hand draped lightly on the armrest, the other skillfully manipulating the remote control in his hand. The 4D light and shadow model could show the overall building one moment and then focus on individual units the next. It was half an hour later by the time they had seen everything.

He felt his mouth dry after talking, and he picked up the bottled water beside him, unscrewed it, and took a few sips, the water sliding down his throat with each gulp, his Adam’s apple moving sensually.

"Do you see any other issues?" He screwed the bottle cap back on.

"Huh?" Sienna Thornton snapped back to attention and shook her head, "No issues, it’s great."

"Okay," Simon Forrester leaned over, pulled out a document from a pile of blueprints beside him, and slid it across the smooth table to Sienna Thornton. Then he casually sat back in his chair, "This is the best construction contractor I’ve selected for you. Inside are their qualifications and the project’s cost estimate. If you think it’s suitable, I can have them meet you right now."

Sienna Thornton opened it and took a quick look at the contractor’s qualifications on the front page. Seeing it was a construction company with a state-owned enterprise background, she felt relieved. She turned to look at the quotations, and when she saw the last page, which was a full million less than their budget, she widened her eyes in disbelief.

"This price," she pointed to the amount and asked Simon Forrester, "is it inclusive of tax?"

"It is," as if he knew what she was worried about, Simon Forrester added, "The contractor wants to establish a reputation in the South Bay Area, so they offered you a discount. If you need to cooperate with promotions then, just help out."

Sienna Thornton pondered for a moment, then agreed, "Alright then, since the construction industry implements a lifelong responsibility system, if any problems arise with the house, we can still find you, right?"

Simon Forrester nodded, "Absolutely."

Sienna Thornton briskly signed the related contracts. Simon Forrester got up to make a call, instructing Harrison Rowe to notify the contractor to come over.

Soon, another group came to discuss the project with Sienna Thornton. After signing all the papers, it was already an hour later.

Sienna Thornton left the meeting room, passing by Simon Forrester’s office, which was dark and had its door closed.

Walking beside her, Harrison Rowe smiled and said, "Director Forrester originally planned to leave at five, saying he had an engagement in the evening. But because you came over, he delayed leaving for an hour. I’m not sure if it affected his plans."

Engagement in the evening?

Sienna Thornton suddenly remembered Simon Forrester sitting with Nina Sinclair and instinctively asked, "What time does your design department finish work?"

Harrison Rowe: "Five o’clock."

Sienna Thornton felt a sudden emptiness. She didn’t know why she was asking these questions. Hadn’t Simon Forrester shown the same indifference as when they first met? Why should she care who he was with and what he was doing?

The wind howled outside, and Sienna Thornton got in her car, turned on the heat, yet felt cold inside out. After sitting quietly for a moment, she sighed softly, accepting her fate as she started the car and drove home at a snail’s pace.

The house was empty as expected, but she still felt a pang of loneliness. She often thought of that month or so living at Simon Forrester’s home—so lively, warm, and comforting.

Six months later...

"Did you notify Simon Forrester?" Maeve, dressed in a sleek black shirt and trousers, was checking the red envelopes she planned to hand out to the media after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Sienna Thornton stood at the front desk, adjusting the hotel’s management system on the computer. Her beautifully done eye makeup, with the eyeliner slightly winged, focused on the screen as she spoke casually, "I sent invitations to both him and Harrison Rowe. Harrison said he’d definitely come, but he didn’t say anything."

Maeve came around the front desk, put the red envelopes in the drawer, locked it, and leaned over to ask, "So, you really have no contact at all?"