CHAPTER 128: CHAPTER 127: SETBACK

By the time she reached the inn, it was already evening.

The sun was setting, the sky painted with red clouds, and Seaman’s Bistro beside the natural lake was enveloped in a golden veil. As far as the eye could see, there were blossoming seas of flowers, in hues of red, yellow, and green, all so beautiful.

Sienna Thornton parked the car, facing the lake, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, feeling much relieved.

She grabbed her backpack from the back seat and walked into the main building.

Maeve was manning the front desk, and upon seeing her, was taken aback, "Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?"

"I took three days off." She said while she moved behind the desk, stuffed her backpack into the cabinet below, and began checking the recent sales figures.

She moved the mouse up and down a few times, quickly glanced at the data, and shook her head helplessly, "After deducting Simon Forrester’s prepaid room price, the revenue for this month, once the utility bills were paid and salaries issued, there’s not much left. How are we going to handle next month’s loan?"

Maeve didn’t respond.

Sienna opened the account for public transactions, "I plan to refund Simon Forrester’s room payment and take back the room, you wouldn’t object, right?"

Maeve shrugged, "Your decision." Then she added, "I’m heading to the Southwest in a few days, got a few gigs, payment on delivery."

Sienna’s hand on the mouse suddenly stopped, she lowered her head, and moments later turned around and gave Maeve a tight hug.

Maeve laughed and patted her back, "Now that you’re here, you take care of things. I’ve been standing all day, I’ll go rest."

After dinner, Sienna started handling the accounts. Calculating repeatedly, she found several thousand short for next month’s loan repayment. As she was about to call Zion Quincy for advice, she suddenly heard several consecutive car braking noises outside.

She walked to the door and took a look.

Under the dark gray sky, a series of car headlights lit up along the road. Various brands of sedans and SUVs were parked in the customer-only parking area of the inn, and the last one was a striking deep space gray Urus.

Her heart dropped, already knowing Simon Forrester was here. Her recently calmed mood was once again stirred by an invisible force, causing her to suddenly experience breathlessness and a loss of strength.

With shaky limbs, she walked to the front desk, intending to call Maeve to take over. But before she could make the call, crisp high heels and steady leather shoes had already ascended the wooden stairs, creeping into her heart like vines, forming a dense web that made her breathless.

Harrison Rowe pushed open the glass door and walked in with a smile, "Oh, what a coincidence, Lawyer Thornton, you’re here today."

She tried hard to stabilize her emotions, her eyes swiftly scanning the dozen or so men and women present until she finally saw Simon Forrester standing at the back of the crowd.

Her vision blurred for a moment, subconsciously straightening her back.

But the morning’s argument was still fresh in her mind, and she immediately blushed, her heartbeat irregular.

"Yes," she forced a smile, "I let the front desk employees rest on weekends; whenever I have time, I come to help out."

"That’s great, Lawyer Thornton is truly dedicated!" Harrison Rowe smiled, handing over a stack of IDs, "Except for Director Forrester, there are ten people in total, looking to book five single villas."

Sienna didn’t immediately take them, her hand awkwardly tucking the stray hair behind her ear, lowering her head to check the reservation system.

In fact, she already knew there weren’t many guests staying, didn’t even need to check. But for some reason, she subconsciously wanted to use the act of lowering her head to hide her bodily awkwardness.

She moved the mouse a few times and asked, "What specifications are you looking for?" She said, taking the IDs from Harrison Rowe.

Harrison Rowe replied, "The more expensive, the better. We plan to stay here for three days."

Nearly a hundred thousand in revenue.

The loan repayment for next month was settled.

Sienna was pleased and didn’t even care what it meant for Simon Forrester to bring his subordinates here to stay. She swiftly finalized the rooms, handing back the ten key cards and IDs to Harrison Rowe.

The crowd of people rushed out from the entrance and headed towards their assigned villas. Sienna looked over and saw the petite silhouette of Nina Sinclair. Before she left, she said something quietly to Simon Forrester.

The lobby returned to calm.

The man’s tall and upright figure still stood at the entrance, wearing the same white shirt she had drenched with tears and left traces on in the morning — faint remnants, seemingly nose marks.

Remembering the entanglement from the morning, Sienna’s cheeks heated up. But she didn’t intend to say anything to Simon Forrester, instead, she lowered her head, concentrating on her work, treating him as if he didn’t exist.

The man walked over steadily, his eyes burning into her, asking, "What time are you done? I’ll come to find you."

She replied coolly, "I’m on duty tonight."

"Then I’ll come find you at dawn," the man smiled, "I’ll be here all three days."

The coincidence seemed inevitable, forcing Sienna to think more. But it stood to reason, if he wanted to know her schedule, all he had to do was ask a department head. Vantage was well aware of his identity, and the eager department head would surely inform him immediately about her three-day leave.

She felt a suffocating sensation of never being able to escape his control as long as she stayed in Brimfield. Thinking about it, she decided it’s better to get it over with quickly, confidently raised her head to meet him, a brisk and straightforward gaze, without a hint of ambiguity, "What exactly do you want to say? Out with it now, say it clearly."

Her tone was rigid, devoid of emotion. Just a moment ago, she had smiled at everyone else. But with him, she seemed to face an enemy.

He was a bit annoyed and asked back, "You sure you want to say it here?"

"Yes!"

One word, accompanied by that stubborn little eye, left Simon Forrester without any temper.

Her attitude was so determined, what could he do?

In a public place, he couldn’t just hug or kiss her, nor could he just take her away in broad daylight.

He sighed, leaned forward slightly.

A stone countertop separated them, not very wide. He could easily reach out and embrace her, but he controlled himself, simply whispered by her ear, "After thinking it over, the only thing you’re bothered by is the issue of soliciting a prostitute?"

Sienna bit her lip without responding, neither admitting nor denying.

Simon Forrester said, "I figured, you’re a lawyer, so why not teach me how to prove I never solicited a prostitute?"

Sienna still ignored him, focusing on her work.

Simon Forrester watched her quietly for a moment, his lips suddenly curling into a mischievous smile, lowered his voice, "Or, would you like to verify it?"

His offhand remark made Sienna’s face flush like blood, her ears burning hot, she glared at him hatefully, threw down her pen forcefully, and asked, "Are you bored?"

"You know this is boring, yet when accusing me of soliciting a prostitute, it wasn’t boring?"

His words left Sienna speechless.

She was so angry that her mind went blank, her face flushed. Never did she imagine she’d one day be faced with such a humiliating situation, unable to respond to a few deliberate teasing remarks of his.

Feeling defeated, she had nothing to say, turning away not to look at him.