At 6:30 PM, Jill Kensington stood outside Hazel Sinclair’s door, suitcase in hand, and knocked.
Hazel Sinclair, who was home alone, instantly grew wary at the sound of the knocking.
’Is someone here to leave another dead snake for me?’
’Did those people follow me all the way to Veridia?’
With these thoughts racing through her mind, Hazel walked to the door and grabbed the handle, her heart POUNDING.
The knocking came again. Hazel gripped the doorknob tightly, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Peeking through the crack, Hazel let out a sigh of relief when she saw who was standing outside.
’Jeez, I’ve really developed a complex about people knocking on my door.’
"Jill! Did you finish watching the sunrise over the sea?" Hazel asked, opening the door wider to let her in.
"Yeah," Jill Kensington nodded, pulling her suitcase inside.
"Why didn’t you message me before you came over?" Hazel asked, closing the door.
"I didn’t bring my phone," Jill replied.
Hazel’s eyes widened. In this day and age, everyone was glued to their phones. ’For Jill to run all the way here without her phone... did Cillian Holloway push her too far?’
"Then how did you pay for things?" Hazel asked.
"With the cash you gave me."
"Besides, I don’t know what to do now." Jill sat down on the sofa, her eyes, full of confusion, fixed on Hazel. Her voice even caught with a sob.
"I lost my job." As Jill said this, tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.
She had loved her job. Even though it was exhausting and demanding, it was the first one she’d had in her field.
That career had allowed her to buy a house, a car, and make good money. Jill had even been hoping to work hard this year and get promoted from supervisor to manager.
But now, it was all gone.
Hazel understood how she felt, watching the once sunny and cheerful young woman reduced to this state.
She couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’That Cillian Holloway is human poison. Anyone who gets involved with him dies, and I mean a death that rips you out by the roots.’
She reached out and pulled Jill into a comforting hug. "It’s okay. Don’t wear yourself down over a rotten person and a rotten situation like this."
"You lost your job, but we can always find a new one." Hazel felt a little sheepish saying that. It was hard to find a job these days, and one that paid so well was even harder to come by.
By resigning, Jill had lost everything.
"Do you want to come plant trees in the desert with me?" Hazel thought of the person she had contacted last night. "Get away from all this drama, do something meaningful, and leave the rotten people and rotten business behind?"
The moment Jill heard this, she nodded. "Yes. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow," Hazel said, using a tissue to wipe the tears from Jill’s cheeks. "You can stay here tonight."
"Okay," Jill nodded.
’Who would have thought that in this huge city of Veridia, the only person who could help me in the end was Hazel Sinclair.’
Thinking about how she had acted in the past, she felt an even deeper pang of guilt.
"I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I used to think of you that way—that you were useless, more of a hindrance than a help," Jill said, her voice choked with sobs as she sniffled.
’Ah, well. It’s all in the past.’
Hazel waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I really am not much help most of the time."
After comforting her for a bit, Hazel had her put her suitcase in the guest room. Just as she had, Leon Sterling returned home.
When he saw Jill, the smile on his face immediately vanished.
’This woman... why can’t I get rid of her?’
’Ever since that time we met by the lake, she’s latched on like a barnacle, and I can’t shake her off.’
"Hazel, what is she doing here?"
"Doesn’t she have her own home?"
Leon Sterling looked at Hazel Sinclair, a hint of grievance in his tone as he asked.
How was Leon supposed to accept someone barging into their precious couple time?
Not only that, but he would also have to cook for their guest.
"She has nowhere to go, so I’m letting her stay. Don’t worry, she’s leaving tomorrow," Hazel replied.
Hearing that she would be gone by tomorrow, some of Leon’s resentment faded.
’Thank goodness. It’s only for one night.’
"Fine," Leon could only agree reluctantly.
Jill sat there, watching the couple. She noticed something else: in their household, Leon always listened to Hazel.
And any request Hazel made was always granted.
Her gaze swept over Leon. Before, she had been so focused on getting them to divorce so she could take Hazel’s place that she never took the time to really look at him.
Looking closely now, she realized Leon Sterling was tall, had a great physique, a good personality, and was handsome.
Some of his rough edges had been smoothed over by life, which made him seem gentle and humble, kind to everyone.
’Hazel Sinclair really has excellent taste.’
’When I look for a boyfriend in the future, I’ll have to get Hazel to vet him for me.’
The three of them sat down to eat. Today, Leon had made a fish with pickled greens dish that Hazel had been craving.
There was also a fragrant stir-fry of mushrooms and pork. And a dish of fried pork ribs, which were re-fried in a wok with chili peppers, salt, and chili powder.
They were fragrant and crispy with every bite, but they could easily give you a sore throat.
So, Leon also stir-fried a vegetable dish and brewed a pot of "cooling" chrysanthemum tea.
Drinking more chrysanthemum tea would help counteract the "heatiness."
After being comforted, Jill was in a much better mood. She channeled her grief and anger into her appetite, devouring two bowls of rice with her chopsticks.
As soon as dinner was over, Hazel pulled Jill into the guest room.
Hazel handed her a spare phone. "You can use this for now."
"The SIM card inside happens to be yours. You can use it to set up a new WeChat account," Hazel said with a smile.
"Thank you."
"If you buy a high-speed rail ticket, they’ll be able to track you, so let’s drive there instead." As she spoke, Hazel opened WeChat and found Evelyn Kendrick’s contact.
"Besides, you can drive and so can I. We can just take turns."
Jill nodded in agreement. As it happened, she had never been on a road trip before.
She made a video call to Evelyn, who answered almost immediately.
As soon as the call connected, Hazel was surprised to see Evelyn Kendrick with Silas Hawthorne.
"Are you two hooking up behind my back?" Hazel asked bluntly.
"No, we’re just discussing something," Evelyn immediately denied.
"Anyway, what do you want?"
"Lend me a car," Hazel said shamelessly.
"I need a good, reliable one."
Evelyn couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "You don’t have a car?"
"If I had a car, I wouldn’t be asking to borrow yours."
"Tsk, you’re such a handful," Evelyn said, exasperated.
"What do you need a car for?"
"To go on a trip, of course," Hazel replied.
Hearing that she was going on a trip, Evelyn agreed without hesitation.
"Fine. I’ll have someone bring it to you tomorrow."