“Is there anything I can help with?” Shirley asked.
“It’s okay. Just enjoy the fire,” the man said. She could only sit on the couch while staring at his kettle and listening to the rain outside. At this moment, she felt an unusual calmness and tranquility. The bodyguards outside wouldn’t come to disturb them and this place felt like a forest cabin from a fairy tale. It felt magical.
“Can I go upstairs and take a look?” Shirley asked.
“Sure.” She went upstairs. There was also a living room with a coffee table and two leather couchs upstairs. In the distance, the misty mountains undulated and exuded a profound beauty.
She entered the first bedroom. It was not too big but cozy and clean. Even the bedding emitted a faint fragrance. The wooden floor had no dust, and she could already imagine how heavenly it would be to sleep here at night. Even the dreams here must be beautiful!
She moved on to the second bedroom. It was larger and obviously the master bedroom. The bed was deep gray, with deep blue sheets and quilts. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window was an exquisite tea table accompanied by two simple couchs..
Shirley felt like she was in a painting. Perhaps this was the kind of artistic conception that online influencers pursued!
After spending some time upstairs, she went back downstairs. Suddenly, she smelled the rich aroma of coffee in the air. She saw the man in front of the table, who had already brewed two cups of coffee.
She came to the table. The coffee with sugar and milk was hers. The man took the other cup and walked to the fireplace before leaning lazily against it.
She seemed to be looking at a painting. The firelight cast a faint glow on the man’s face, giving him a gentle radiance.
She also picked up her coffee and sat across from him. The wood crackled with a soothing sound that could calm anyone.
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping, but the whole room was warm and dry. Even the coffee in her hands tasted exceptionally nice.
“Do you come here often?” Shirley asked.
“Sometimes, Zacharias replied. She had checked his family history, he came from a wealthy family. His father was originally an international lawyer. At the age of forty, her became an official, prospered in his career, and hid from the business world. His assets were no longer known to outsiders.
“This is a nice place,” she said as she smiled.
“Do you like it?” he asked. “Of course! I love it. It’s like my dream house.” She became relaxed and lively.
“I’ll give it to you,” he suddenly said.
She was stunned and then asked in a serious tone, “You must be joking!”
“I never joke,” Zacharias answered her seriously. Shirley immediately waved her hand. “Thank you, but I’m already happy to stay here with you for one night.”
Zacharias also smiled. He found that this woman always made him feel comfortable and relaxed.
“It’s still raining outside. I don’t know when it will stop.” Shirley sighed and asked, “Is your mother’s grave nearby?”
“It’s a ten-minute drive from here,” Zacharias answered before sipping his coffee.
She pursed her lips and didn’t dare to ask more. She hoped the rain would stop soon so that he could properly pay tribute to his mother.
At that moment, his phone rang. He glanced at it and didn’t answer. Instead, he said to her, “There’s a small bookshelf upstairs. You can go and take a look.”
Shirley nodded and went upstairs. His call must be important and it wouldn’t be convenient for her to overhear.
She sat on the second floor near the window and pulled out a book to read. The rain outside had a hypnotic quality and the words on the pages were equally entrancing, so she didn’t hesitate to embrace the book and closed her eyes to relax.
Zacharias stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and said in a low voice, “I warned him, but he insisted on acting recklessly and didn’t know when to stop.”
