Chapter 21
Charles coughed when he saw it was Sean calling. He turned to Naomi and said, “Excuse me. I need to
take this call.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you in front,” Naomi replied, then hiked forward a few more feet, clutching her phone. There were pictures of the plants that Charles needed displayed on her phone screen, and since they were on a mountain path surrounded by an assortment of plants on both sides, she kept her eyes peeled for any plants that Charles needed.
As soon as Naomi left, Charles picked up the call. “Hello?”
“How’d it go? Did they approve of their future son–in–law?” there was a hint of envy in Sean’s tone.
Charles knew exactly what Sean was talking about. “I’d like to think so.”
“Of course they’d love you! Everyone loves you!”
Sean was right; Charles was a warm and kind–hearted person who always seemed to steal the hearts. of those who met him.
Charles knew that Sean was salty because he did not have the same luck with Amelia. He tried to change the subject so as not to pain Sean any more than he was already. “I see you’re finally awake.”
“Of course I am! How could I go back to sleep after you woke me? Don’t disappoint me, Charles. I’m counting on you. I need to catch the bouquet at your wedding so that I can win Amelia’s heart!”
Charles chuckled at this. “Okay then.”
With that, they bade each other goodbye. By the time he hung up, there was no sight of Naomi to be found.
Charles froze momentarily in shock, then quickly sprinted forward and soon found Naomi crouched next to the cobblestone steps, scrutinizing a plant as she compared it to a photo on her phone.
Her hair was tucked into a casual bun with tendrils of hair hanging around her face. The breeze brushed gently against her face, making her eyelashes quiver.
Charles felt his heart race.
He approached her and bent down so he was level with her. “What are you doing?”
He snuck a glance at her. Her beauty, although down–to–earth, made his breath catch in his throat.
“Look at this, Charles. Do you think it’s the plant you’re searching for?” Naomi finally realized he approached her. She pointed at the plant next to her feet and handed him her phone to compare.
Charles took the phone from her, trying his best to remain calm, and glanced at the plant she was pointing at. He knelt to take a closer look and finally nodded. “Yes, it is.”
‘Awesome! We found one of the plants you wanted just within minutes of arriving here!” Naomi
2/2
thought the search would be a challenging one, and she was surprised at how swiftly she managed to find the first plant. After all, there were thousands of species of plants at Azalea Hills, and it would not be easy to find the specifle few that Charles wanted.
Naturally, Naomi was in a good mood after this.
Charles turned to glance at her. The two of them were huddled so close to each other that with a tilt of his head, he could make out every single fiber of hair on her rosy, poreless skin.
The sun seeped between the trees above and cast a warm glow on Naomi’s dainty face.
There was a little bed and breakfast located at the top of Azalea Hills where tourists could spend the night. Initially, Charles and Naomi planned to stay a night there and continue their search the next day should the first day be futile, but to their surprise, their mission went even smoother than they anticipated. They managed to find almost half of the plants Charles wanted within that afternoon, and they would surely be able to find everything they needed if they continued the search the next day.
However, the sun was beginning to set, so Naomi and Charles decided to stay at the bed and breakfast for a night instead of hiking down at nightfall.
Meanwhile, at this exact moment, a black Bentley pulled up in front of a mansion in Willowstown.
The driver got out of his seat and opened the passenger side door. A man in a tailored suit stepped out of the car, his coat draped over his arm, and strode into the mansion
The driver got his luggage out of the trunk and followed suit.
The entire mansion was eerily dark and silent.
This was strange. Every time Scott returned, there would be some hint of activity. Even if no one was home, someone would leave one of the lights on.
The driver followed Scott into the mansion, set down the suitcase in the bedroom, and left.
Scott draped his coat over the couch, unbuttoned his shirt, and stepped into the bathroom. This was the first thing he did every time he returned from a business trip.
The sound of the running shower penetrated the eerie silence of the house, but just minutes later, the running water stopped.
The mansion, which was momentarily illuminated when Scott turned on the lights, went dark once
more.
Scott stared at the pitch–black darkness in front of him. The entire place was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
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