“Let’s get you inside.”William handed her a bottle of fresh coconut water to Rosaline as they sat in the living room.He brought over the draft he had been working on and laid it over the table as they both pondered on it.William had already marked most of the things she had highlighted. They cross-checked everything as they made notes and adjusted based on their combined ideas.“I think I’m on a lucky streak in this house.”“Huh?” “What do you mean?”“First, I got this at an insanely affordable price. Secondly, I got an extremely talented designer for free.”“Thank you for the complaint. But I don’t seem to have helped you design anything yet.”“I think I have seen enough to make an accurate judgment.”“Well, continuing your lucky streak, how about I introduce you to someone quite talented in doing carpentry work?”She further added when he looked at her quizzically.“The quality of the wood used for all this furniture is not something you will be able to buy these days, even if yo
Rosaline smiled.William seemed to value Aunty Aria a great deal. She sounded impressive based on his words.“She sounds like someone with stories.”“She is. Unfortunately, it’s not my place to tell, at least not until you get acquainted with her. She is the kind of person I hope I’ll grow to be. Be it in principles or character.”“It’ll be my pleasure to meet her if I’m fortunate enough.”“She will like you.”“Are you always like this?”William frowned, “Like what?”“Blunt? Talkative? Annoying?”William laughed. He had never imagined that there would be a day when someone called him talkative.However, he decided to answer her rhetorical question seriously.He wanted to know her, and he wanted her to know him.“Blunt - yes. It’s a waste of time to be long-winded.”“Talkative - most definitely not. I think I have talked to you more than I have talked to Miss Johnson Tessa in the last 3-4 years I have known her.”“And tell me, Miss Lexi, why do I think it’s a good thing you find me ann
When they were leaving, Rosaline hid an envelope on the counter instead of paying.William could tell she had passed on something bulk, judging by the bulge of the big envelope.“Care to explain?” He asked when they were out of it.“When Uncle’s son was 8, he passed away due to leukemia as they could not find a match. We did not even know he was sick. Both of them had such a happy attitude.”“Uncle Kevin’s wife passed away a few months after giving birth. After his son passed away, he was inconsolable. We did not know what to do, so we kept coming here every day and talked to him and joked about being hungry and starving to keep him busy.”“He slowly pulled himself back, but part of him will always grieve for his child. We try to support him the best we can, but so far, we have not managed to help a lot.”“We just contact the hospital for his health details and pass on medication when we can.” Rosaline smiled sadly.William saw a new Rosaline today. A quick and professional Rosaline w
Rosaline changed the topic and told Tessa about Kevin.“I went to Uncle Kevin’s today.”“Did you get him the medicine?”“Left it by the counter.”“I want to do something for him.”“Me too.”“I have no idea.”“Maybe we could help him renovate his shop. Rename it with his son’s name and make it popular.”“I think he will like that.”“If he has an apprentice, he will not be so grief-stricken.” “Will he take one?”“Maybe.”“Alright, let’s sleep on it.”The next day, around 9 am, Rosaline received a call from William. “Hey, did I wake you?”“Umm”“Do you want to go out?”“Alright. Let me freshen up and eat something first.”‘Tess is right! Rather than regret not trying, let me face whatever comes up if I try.’Rosaline thought as she agreed to go with William. After losing their pursuers, they went to the waterfall. They rested there for a while, enjoying the view and the food they had brought. “Tell me something about yourself,” William asked.“What about me?”“Anything?”“How am I s
Rosaline thought for a while and added.“I think that’s probably the difference between men and women. Or maybe it’s just me.” William asked, genuinely interested. “What do you mean?”Taking Tessa’s advice, Rosaline tried to open her heart and articulate her feelings.“An understanding and trusting family gives you the confidence to test your limits because you know they will have your back.”“I can take a leap of faith, knowing I have somewhere I can always go back to if everything goes to shit.”“But lack of it makes you vulnerable and weak. Too cautious to live to the fullest.”“If my parents don't have faith in me. Since they can readily believe every bad thing about me, perhaps, I am a bad person. Maybe I am unworthy.”“Otherwise, why would they be like that? After all, they love me.”Rosaline muttered the last statement in an emotionless voice as if she was talking theoretically rather than about herself.But the suppressed grievances in her voice broke William's heart. “I’m s
William jumped to Rosaline’s rescue.“Hello, Sir! We met on Apex hill over a decade ago.”William went right to the point.“It was by the hidden waterfall. You helped me pick some herbs for the snake bite. Do you perhaps remember me?”The man exclaimed.“Ahh! No wonder you looked familiar. Look how you have grown into a fine gentleman. And you have gotten yourself a pretty girlfriend, I see.”“Thank you, sir. I’m still wooing her, though. She has not agreed yet.”Rosaline was speechless.“Hahahaha. It’s good to be young.” “So, what brings you here, lad?”“Sir, I was wondering if you could help me again.”“Sure. Anything we can do, we’ll be sure to help.”“There’s a garden the old man of the house had maintained. I don’t recognize most trees there, and the soil seems to be going bad. Everything is getting dried up from one corner on.”“So, I was hoping you could help me look after it. If it’s not feasible for you, maybe you could help me find someone who can help?”“We don’t live in A
Meanwhile, Jack and Rosaline kept arguing about what to do with the wooden cupboards.Finally, they agreed to modify them into a separator between the bedroom and cloakroom without damaging the existing structure.It worked well as they wouldn’t need to raise a wall to separate the cloakroom. A little tradition, to be sure, but a good solution for the house.Then they proceeded to mark all the furniture one by one and made several copies of the designs they had drawn for each.Jack decided it was best to work on the mansion itself rather than carry things back and forth. Besides, most of it was hand-work, so he only needed to bring over a few tools.After deciding on the pay and Jack’s feasibility so he could work without interruption, they decided to start it the following week.Jack estimated it might take around 10-12 days to complete everything, so they parted ways after exchanging contact details and scheduling the next appointment. Rosaline and William got very busy working on
A week went by in a flash.William and Rosaline had sorted everything in the outhouse. Glen and Anna moved in comfortably without much hassle.The renovation of the tool shed in the outhouse was also completed.William had personally driven Glen to buy whatever was needed.Despite Anna’s reluctance, Rosaline took her around to buy proper clothes, gloves, shoes, and other personal equipment they might need to maintain such a large area.With the help of a professional, they did soil tests and made a detailed corrective plan which did not include the usage of any chemicals. Hardworking as they were, William was frustrated within three days and had to make a strict rule for breaks. Otherwise, the Jins would miss food and rest.Despite Glen’s protests, William had someone dig a proper canal around the back garden so you would not need to water all the trees one by one. Glen and Anna had complete freedom to add new trees, plants, herbs, flowers, vegetables, or whatever they wished. It ma