"Okay," Leon Sterling replied, handing the package to her.
They finished lunch in silence, then moved the food into the trailer one dish at a time. It took a lot of effort for the two of them to carry everything downstairs.
Covered in sweat from the work, Hazel Sinclair slumped onto the tricycle, an expression of utter defeat on her face.
’Being my own boss is this exhausting too. This sucks.’
When they arrived at the construction site, the couple wordlessly began setting up the low tables and stools, moving in perfect sync.
She also refilled the chili sauce, which she had made herself.
It was fragrant and spicy, guaranteed to be unforgettable to any worker who tried it.
"I’ll get that. You go rest," Leon Sterling said, taking a stool from her hands.
Just then, Jill Kensington arrived at their stall with people from her company.
Jill Kensington was wearing a black business suit, a stark contrast to her usual baggy, energetic style. Today, she looked sharp and professional.
"Mr. Sterling, I brought some people to support your business," Jill Kensington beamed at Leon Sterling.
"Mr. Sterling, why are you doing all the work? Your wife clearly has no sympathy for you, just making you do everything."
"This kind of grunt work is what she should be doing. Hands like yours are meant for signing contracts. It would be a terrible shame if you injured them."
Leon Sterling ignored her, but her words made him think of something very important.
’Hazel Sinclair’s hands... they used to play the piano and the violin.’
’Her poised, graceful posture came from years of dancing.’
’But now, those same hands that once played priceless pianos and violins were stuck here with him, doing this kind of manual labor.’
’If it weren’t for what happened back then, she would have held a prominent place in the worlds of music and dance.’
’He was the one who had ruined Hazel Sinclair.’
Jill Kensington kept blabbering on, but when she saw that Leon Sterling was ignoring her, she grew indignant. ’This Leon Sterling is such a tough nut to crack.’
’Cold and ruthless. So much for being gentle and refined.’
Feeling snubbed by Leon Sterling, Jill Kensington turned and shouted at Hazel Sinclair, "What kind of wife are you? Your husband is working himself to death, and you’re just sitting there drinking milk tea."
"You gold digger."
"Shut up!" Leon Sterling had been ignoring her, but now that she was attacking Hazel Sinclair, he was furious.
’Who gave her the nerve to curse at Hazel?’
"Apologize to my wife." Leon Sterling stood before her, towering over her as he spoke, enunciating every single word.
Jill Kensington was furious. ’He had just ignored me, and now he’s yelling at me for the sake of that cannon-fodder woman who’s destined to die early.’
"I’m speaking up for you! She’s just a lazy hag! Why are you still with her? Why are you supporting such a good-for-nothing, lazy woman?" Jill Kensington shouted, pointing at Hazel Sinclair.
Meanwhile, the very subject of this tirade, Hazel Sinclair, was sitting off to the side, a milk tea in one hand and a phone in the other, completely absorbed in her game.
She sipped her milk tea while playing on her phone, paying absolutely no mind to Jill Kensington’s words.
Leon Sterling was utterly fed up with this woman. She was like a barnacle, popping up everywhere.
She was infuriating, but there was nothing he could do about her.
"Jill, that’s his wife. It’s not your place as an outsider to comment on their relationship," one of her colleagues, unable to watch any longer, finally interjected.
"We just came here to eat. It’s wrong for you to accuse her for no reason like this."
The female colleague was kind-hearted, just trying to remind Jill that she was crossing a line.
Hearing her colleague’s words, Jill Kensington seethed. ’An outsider?’
’That woman, Hazel Sinclair, clearly doesn’t give a damn that Leon Sterling is doing all this work. She’s just sitting there, happily playing on her phone and drinking milk tea, leaving him to do everything by himself.’
’I was just trying to get Hazel Sinclair to lift a finger. How is that meddling?’
"I’m just giving a kind reminder," Jill Kensington said coldly. "She isn’t doing any work. Isn’t that an issue?"
Just then, the workers’ shift ended, and they all started heading their way.
"Sinclair! The usual for me today," the first worker in line called out as he took out his phone to scan the payment code.
"Coming right up!" Hazel Sinclair put down her milk tea, pocketed her phone, walked over, and pulled on a pair of gloves to start dishing out the food.
Hazel Sinclair’s actions were like a hard slap across Jill Kensington’s face, leaving a burning sting.
"See? It’s not like she doesn’t work," the female colleague reminded her again. "This is their business, as a couple. Why should we, as strangers, have so much to say?"
"Come on, let’s order."
Everyone lined up. The amount of food they prepared was much less than other stalls.
The workers from the construction site had to run over at top speed to get in line if they wanted to eat here.
There were five or six more people than usual today, so the food ran out quickly.
A worker who didn’t get any food when his turn came glared at the couple. "You two need to find a bigger place and cook more!"
Hazel Sinclair quickly placated him, "Okay, okay! We definitely will!"
As they were packing up the stall, Jill Kensington was still standing nearby, lecturing Hazel Sinclair nonstop.
As Leon Sterling listened to her, his hands balled into tight fists. If she were a man, he would have landed a heavy punch long ago.
"Shut your mouth!" Leon Sterling finally exploded. "She is my wife. It’s not a stranger’s place to stand here and criticize her."
"If you keep this up, don’t be surprised if I call the police," Leon Sterling warned her, his expression deadly serious.
"You’d call the police on me?!" Jill Kensington said in disbelief. "I’m trying to help you!"
"If you don’t get rid of her, when will you ever get back to the top? And what about me?" In her haste, Jill Kensington let the words slip out.
She quickly glanced at the man before her. Seeing that he was still just staring at her coldly, Jill Kensington breathed a sigh of relief.
’Good. He didn’t seem to be dwelling on the meaning of her words.’
Leon Sterling might not have dwelled on it, but Hazel Sinclair, who was standing nearby, understood her meaning instantly.
She turned to Jill Kensington, her eyes scanning her up and down, over and over.
’So, the reason Leon Sterling is able to get back to the top... is it because the original owner of this body dies?’
"Get out—" Leon Sterling yelled, showing no courtesy whatsoever.
After watching the drama unfold for so long, Hazel Sinclair finally spoke. "Your name is Jill Kensington?"
"That’s right. I’m Jill Kensington," she said, puffing out her chest with a look of superiority.
"Oh, Miss Kensington," Hazel Sinclair said calmly, rising from her chair to face her. "Leon Sterling and I are husband and wife. The legally married kind. By forcing your way into our relationship like this, are you up to something?"
"What exactly are you trying to do, constantly pestering my husband?"
When Leon Sterling heard the words ’my husband,’ his eyes instantly lit up. The irritation in his heart was soothed by those two simple words.
’Hazel still has me in her heart.’
"Are you trying to be the other woman?" Hazel Sinclair asked, crossing her arms and speaking with a cool, deliberate tone.