CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: ZION PENCE VISITS AGAIN

Little Sinclair, who was listening, exclaimed, "Huh?" and tilted her head to ask, "Crowe, don’t you like eating bayberries?"

Holly put down her spoon, ruffled her little head, and laughed, "Of course, I love eating bayberries."

Her voice unconsciously softened, carrying a hint of nostalgia.

"When I was little, there was a bayberry tree next to my grandma’s house. Every summer when the bayberries were ripe, I would climb the tree to pick them."

Little Sinclair’s eyes instantly lit up, and she raised her thumbs in admiration, "Crowe, you’re amazing! Next time I want to climb the tree and pick bayberries too!"

Holly was taken aback.

Oh no!

I’ve set a bad example for the child!

She quickly waved her hands, seriously explaining, "Kids shouldn’t climb trees; it’s very dangerous to fall."

Little Sinclair shook her head, "But we have a bayberry tree at home, planted by uncle. It’s been there for many years, even older than me!"

Holly: "? ..."

She instinctively glanced at Blake Sinclair, surprised that such a refined and graceful person like him had a hobby of planting trees?

Blake Sinclair remained indifferent, but his brow twitched slightly when Holly looked over, "Yes, I planted it ten years ago."

Ten years?

Holly was stunned.

Ten years ago, Blake Sinclair was only... 18? ...19?

Before she could think more about it, Shirley Sinclair leaned over again, "Crowe, when the bayberries are ripe, would you come to our house and pick them with me?"

Holly: "....?"

Go to Sinclair Manor?

Her pupils shook.

She looked at Shirley, who was already excitedly counting the days with her fingers after extending the invitation.

In her mind, she furiously shook her head.

No!

Just as Holly was thinking about how to politely refuse, she heard Blake Sinclair suddenly speak, his voice low yet unmistakably clear:

"When the bayberries are ripe, Miss Crowe is welcome to visit."

Holly: "....."

Now it was really hard to refuse.

She forced a smile and nodded.

But in her heart, she thought, kids forget easily; in a few days, they’ll probably forget about this. Then she can find an excuse to decline.

But she never imagined that once she went, she would find herself involved.

Outside the glass window, the sunset gradually vanished behind the tall buildings.

The desserts on the table had long been emptied, except for Blake Sinclair’s untouched black coffee.

A shop assistant politely reminded them they were about to close.

The three of them got up to leave.

After finding out her address, Shirley Sinclair wanted to see her home, but after Holly gently refused twice, she had to give up.

Holly waited by the roadside for a rideshare.

Sensing something, she turned her head.

Blake Sinclair was positioning Shirley in the back seat, his tall figure standing by the car.

As the city lights came on, the glow outlined his upright posture.

Holly’s heart inexplicably skipped, and she quickly turned her gaze away, stepping into the rideshare that had just arrived.

...

Deep into the night, Holly had that dream again.

In the dream, she returned to her childhood and climbed the bayberry tree beside her grandma’s house.

After steadying herself, she tiptoed to reach the ripe bayberry but slipped and fell from the tree.

The pain she expected never came; instead, she landed on someone.

She looked up, wanting to see the person’s face, but everything in the dream was blurry, as if shrouded in fog, except that the person’s embrace felt solid and warm.

But this time, out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew, gradually dispersing the fog in the dream.

The face became gradually clearer.

Amber eyes, a high nose bridge...

It was Blake Sinclair!

Holly awoke with a start.

The morning light crept in through the curtain gaps.

She sat stunned on the bed, waiting for her heartbeat to calm down.

She had had this dream before, but the face always remained blurry.

Why this time... did it become Blake Sinclair?

Holly slipped into her slippers and walked to the bathroom, splashing water on her face and patting her cheeks.

It must be the bayberry cake from yesterday causing this.

It must be!

...

Over the weekend, Lunar Lotus Studio hosted a small team of twenty people.

Come Monday, Celia Stiles, the boss, kindly decided they should take a day off, so the two of them arranged to have a barbecue at Holly’s place.

The weather forecast mentioned that Beldon had entered the plum rain season.

Sure enough, by noon a heavy downpour came, forcing nearby metro services to suspend. The rain only let up a little after they finished their barbecue, and Celia quickly called for a ride home.

As Holly was tidying up the table, the doorbell rang.

"Did she forget something..." She thought it was Celia who had left something behind and ran to open the door.

The moment the door opened, she froze.

Zion Pence stood at the door, dressed formally, holding a bouquet of roses with one hand.

Not cappuccino, but pink lychee roses.

Holly was momentarily dazed.

"So surprised?" Zion chuckled lightly, switching the bouquet to one hand while reaching out with the other to hold her.

Holly stepped back, avoiding him.

Zion’s eyes darkened, biting his molars, he stepped right in.

"Why are you here?" Holly closed the door and asked.

Zion didn’t answer, his gaze swept around the room and finally landed on the dining table.

Seeing the table not yet cleared from the two-person barbecue, his eyes dimmed, and he casually tossed the flowers in the entryway, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure, "Am I not supposed to come?"

Holly looked at him and suddenly felt it was laughable.

"You barely came in the past."

The Glynmere apartment was bought by her parents as her graduation gift, a two-bedroom unit, not large, but it cost them their life savings.

She knew the hardships behind how two ordinary teachers saved up enough to buy this place within Beldon’s third ring.

At the time, when they handed the keys to her, they only said it was for her safety as a newly graduated girl in Beldon, and at least she’d have a home here.

Yet during the years with Zion Pence, he complained about the place being "too small" and "inconveniently located", and barely visited.

But now, he stood here as if it were only natural.

Zion’s expression froze for a moment but quickly masked it with his usual gentle facade. "It’s a bit far, but I’ve already talked to my family, we can move into the marriage apartment."

He deliberately emphasized the words ’marriage apartment’, laced with a hint of temptation.

Marriage apartment?

Holly smirked, "This place is just fine."

Zion’s eyes flashed with impatience, but he quickly suppressed it, reaching out to touch her face, "Holly, you’ve been on break for so long, it’s time to come back."

Holly turned her head aside, and his fingers hung awkwardly in mid-air before retracting.

Zion felt a surge of frustration rise within him.

During Holly’s absence, he initially felt a sense of freedom, no longer on edge with Mia Chapelle around, and Daniel Alden’s work wasn’t bad, but something always felt missing.

Mia didn’t have Holly’s attentiveness, couldn’t organize files by priority like her, wouldn’t hand over a cup of honey water during meeting breaks, and didn’t know he liked just a single dose of milk in his coffee, or that he disliked cilantro.

He even... only learned recently that he was allergic to flax linen.

The shirt Mia prepared for him nearly embarrassed him in front of clients.

Zion only then realized that Holly had ingrained his habits into her bones, and he had become accustomed to her presence, taking care of his daily needs.

But the reason he braved the rain today to find her was because of rumors he heard at the company.