I had opened the door and was ready to alight when Ashton cleared his throat rather aggressively.
Joseph immediately jumped in. “Mrs. Fuller, we’ll definitely be going to Lavelian Village. We’re only planning to make a short detour to Gold Scale Estate. Why don’t you come along with us? There aren’t many cars headed in that direction, and with the one-hour-long drive, it’ll be inconvenient for you to get a taxi.”
I looked at him uncertainly. “Really?”
Joseph nodded, then said earnestly, “I wouldn’t lie to you, Mrs. Fuller. The Lavelian project just started, so we definitely plan on heading over there to take a look. Isn’t that right, Mr. Fuller?”
Ashton made a brief grunt of acknowledgment. I turned to look at him to size up the situation, but he seemed thoroughly focused on tucking in the breakfast delicately. I guessed that Ashton hadn’t heard a word we’d said.
Seeing Ashton’s unconcerned demeanor, I decided not to put myself out unnecessarily. I slumped back into the seat and beamed at Joseph. “Thanks for the ride, then!”
Joseph smiled politely, then drove off.
The Gold Scale Estate was rather close by, and we arrived within ten minutes. We were greeted by the sight of Rachel in a white linen dress, her permed hair rippling over her shoulders. On one hand, she toted the most fashionable luxury handbag that was available this season. She looked every bit a wealthy heiress.
The car rolled to a stop just beside Rachel. She leaned over to open the door of the passenger seat. After a couple of tugs, however, the door remained stuck fast. I looked over at Joseph with concern. “Mr. Campbell, I think you didn’t unlock the door,” I reminded him.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Fuller. It must have slipped my mind.” Joseph returned. He sprang into action, suddenly getting out of the car. Before I could react, Ashton had replaced Joseph in the driver’s seat and was already calmly fastening his seatbelt.
Joseph, meanwhile, had settled into the passenger’s seat.
Rachel’s rosy smile faltered, her face darkening. She said rather haughtily, “Is Ms. Stovall here too? Didn’t Mr. Murphy arrange a car for her?”
“The rain was rather heavy last night. I’m not a very skilled driver, and the roads leading to Lavelian Village aren’t smooth. That’s why I didn’t drive today,” I informed Rachel, darting a look at Ashton.
Joseph fidgeted in the backseat in trepidation. He looked visibly distressed at being chauffeured by his employer.
Ignoring him, Rachel exclaimed sappily, “Mr. Fuller, have you had breakfast yet? I made pancakes this morning. Why don’t you let Mr. Campbell drive while you try them?”
“I’ve already eaten,” Ashton replied dryly.
“Scarlett also made breakfast this morning! Mr. Fuller just finished it,” Joseph added helpfully.
The corners of my mouth twitched. I turned to look at Rachel and said goodhumoredly, “Ms. Zimmer, I think Mr. Campbell hasn’t eaten breakfast yet.”
Rachel reluctantly shoved the lunchbox in her hand to Joseph. “Try it, Mr. Campbell,” she muttered.
Joseph would have refused if the lunchbox hadn’t already been unceremoniously dumped into his lap.
He gave a faint smile and began digging in.
The car was silent save for the sound of Joseph chewing. Determinedly, Rachel turned once more to Ashton. “Mr. Fuller, the Magpie Festival’s today. Do you have any plans for tonight?”
Is this woman planning on asking Ashton out? I thought in amusement.
I glanced at Ashton. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road like a model driver. “I’m busy with work tonight,” he answered shortly.
Does he mean that he has no time to waste? I wondered.
Rachel tittered daintily. Undeterred, she continued, “You should be done with work rather quickly tonight. Why don’t we get dinner together afterward?”
Glancing sideways, I noticed Ashton observing me from the corner of his eyes. Then he inquired with sudden interest, “What are you doing tonight?”
I stoned for a moment before blurting out, “I’ll just be at home.”
Ashton snorted. He then addressed Rachel, saying, “I’ll be going home for dinner.”
It was too frank a rejection. Rachel’s eyes widened but she remained silent. She looked tremendously displeased.
The car sped towards Lavelian Village. Murphy Corporation had erected a temporary office here for the ease of project supervision.
I proceeded to the office to put my things down. After a short catch-up with my colleagues, I headed to the Fuller Corporation’s site to check things out.
Lavelian Village occupied a sizeable area. Besides the areas required for tourist boarding and eating facilities, the rest of the land was covered in fields of flowers and fruit trees.
It was the time of the year when the fruits had all mostly ripened. The journey to Fuller Corporation’s AI base was a rather long one. It was, on the other hand, too bumpy to be driven on. I grabbed a nearby bicycle and happily cycled over.
Fruit trees and flowers lined the road. With the cool autumn breeze blowing in my face as I pedaled, I felt as if I was in some kind of paradise.
When I reached the AI base, however, I groaned inwardly to see Rachel. Donning a hat and a long dress, she looked entirely out of place on a worksite. It was as if she had been sightseeing around the area and accidentally stumbled upon the base instead.
Rachel was clutching a set of documents and looked annoyed to see me. She immediately turned away from the direction from which I was approaching.
I refused to take offense and marched in straight away to look for the site supervisor, Leedon.
“Ms. Stovall, we begin work today at the base. We’ve already informed Mr. Murphy. Will you be here for the next few days?” Leedon asked. He handed me a deck of documents containing the necessary information and data for their project.
I flipped through it, then nodded. “Yes, this project has always been under my charge. When you start work, be sure to observe safety. The holidays are approaching, and the number of tourists in this area will definitely increase. You must keep an eye out for both their safety and your crew’s!”
