He hummed a response, and his magnetic voice drawled, “I’ll be waiting!”
I grinned. The memory of what happened at the base today surfaced, and I paused before saying, “Ashton, have you heard anything from your investigation into the stolen machines?”
He was stunned by my sudden change in topic and replied, “There hasn’t been much news for now. What’s wrong? Did you find anything?”
I nodded. “It’s one of the walls at the base. A normal cement wall won’t produce an echo when knocked – only fake walls will. However, the back wall of the base has an echo. I studied it today and noticed that the outer part was about three feet wide. Normal walls aren’t that wide.”
He was silent for a moment before replying, “You stay out of this matter from now on. Let Joseph handle it. You should just focus on the project in Lavelian Village since the Fuller Corporation will finish it soon and arrange for a conference as soon as possible.”
I knew he was worried about my safety, so I did not say anything else. At this moment, someone knocked on my door; it was probably Nora.
I hung up the call and went to open the door. Nora was carrying several bags in her hand. When she saw me, she said, ‘I knew you would be at the hotel. I just came from exploring the food street and bought a bunch of tasty snacks. You’ll be sure to love them!”
I lowered my head and glanced at the bags. I reached out to receive them and said with a smile, “You went all on your own?”
She nodded and placed the items down. She noticed that something was off about me and asked with a frown, “Have you been crying?”
I was stunned. I flashed her and smile and said, “I called home and realized how much I miss my daughter.”
She hesitated for a moment before exclaiming dramatically, “You and Ashton have a daughter?”
I grinned and replied, “She’s five years old!”
Hearing that, she spluttered and cursed, “Holy s**t, you even have a daughter. Why did you argue with Ashton? Is something wrong with you?”
I smiled in response. It was a long story, and it was better for me to change the topic. “I didn’t think Lavelian Village would have this type of seafood mix. I’ve been craving it for some time.”
She had bought about ten different variations of it. Looking at me, she said, “My grandfather always forbade me from eating it, so I became obsessed. Now that I’m out alone, I want to try everything. I’ll call Armond over to join us. The two of us probably can’t finish all of it, and I don’t like wasting food.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Does Armond eat these?”
“Even if he doesn’t want to, he’ll have to. I carried these a long way. It’ll be a waste of my effort if he doesn’t eat them.”
I pursed my lips and kept silent. Sometimes, the dynamic between a couple could not be explained through logic and science.
After that, she turned and walked out of the room. I took the food out of the bags. There were about ten items, and they all came from the same food street.
Everything smelled so good, and steam could be seen rising from them. Soon, she came back with a sullen look on her face.
I noticed that Armond was not with her and asked, “What’s wrong? Where’s Armond?”
“I don’t know. He’s not in the room. I called for him multiple times, but he was engaged on another line. He’s probably busy working!” She plopped down on the seat and was visibly dispirited.
I smiled and looked at the warm food on the table. “Then, should we wait for him?”
She shook her head. It did not make sense for us to let the food go cold anyway.
Following that, she gestured for me to start eating. She ate a few mouthfuls of grilled scallops from one of the takeaway boxes and said contentedly, “I finally know what this tastes like. It’s so delicious. I bet that Grandpa has never tried something this yummy. What a shame!”
I smiled and ate a few pieces of roasted meat. It was extremely fresh and flavorful. Immediately, I could not help but exclaim, “This roasted meat is great. Here, have a taste!”
She nodded and placed a pan-seared chili scallop in front of me. “Try this. I’m sure it tastes better than those you had in the restaurant.”
I nodded and tried one. The spiciness and salty freshness were delectable.
After feasting on all ten dishes, our stomachs were bulging.
Nora collapsed on the bed and massaged her round tummy. “I’m so happy. It was so delicious, and I’ve never had so much food in my life. All my efforts to lose weight have gone down the drain.”
After resting for a bit, I cleaned up the remnants of our meal. My stomach was uncomfortably full too. I saw it was only 9 p.m. and realized there was still time for a light evening stroll.
“Let’s take a walk around the area. I haven’t had the chance to admire the night scenery. A walk will definitely help with the digestion,” I suggested to Nora.
She quickly nodded and said, “Sounds good. We can take pictures of the night scenery too. I have a neon skirt that I haven’t worn out yet. This would be a great opportunity to take some insta-worthy pictures!”
