Chapter 14
The dim streaks of dawn finally faded. At noon, Islanthia finally welcomed a few rays of warm
sunshine.
Penelope sat at a table on a cafe’s porch while basking in the sunlight. The warmth made her squint in total relaxation.
Steve was approaching the table with coffee and pastries when he noticed Penelope was starting to doze off. After quietly putting down the cups and plates, he moved to sit across
from her.
Penelope was a lot more different than her high school self. Back in high school, she was outgoing, radiant, and extremely bold. But now, Steve could sense how fragile and hesitant
she actually was under her facade of relaxation.
Then again, Penelope did lose her parents at the age of 19 before getting her heart cruelly
broken by Eric. How could she still remain the same?
As Steve gazed at Penelope’s trembling lashes, he was quickly reminded by the fact that she was forced to live a life of solitude under a completely new identity. This realization made his
heart throb in pain for her.
Had he known that this would happen, he would’ve confessed to Penelope during their high school years–consequences be damned. At the very least, she’d know that she still had someone else to rely on in this world.
No one knew how much time had passed after that. Suddenly, Penelope’s lashes began fluttering violently. Her body trembled like a leaf at the same time.
Shocked, Steve thought Penelope was suffering from the cold and was starting to develop a fever. But when he rushed over to put a quilt on her, he noticed that her cheeks were completely covered in tears.
Poor Penelope didn’t even let out a sound when she was crying in her sleep. Clearly, she had suffered from far too many grievances to the point she was extremely depressed.
Steve felt saddened as well. He was absolutely infatuated with her at this point.
Carefully, he wiped Penelope’s tears off her face and gently massaged the crease between her brows. In the end, he couldn’t help but gently kiss her on the forehead.
Under the sun, a young man planted a gentle kiss on a sleeping woman’s forehead with a maple tree in the foreground.
That kiss only lasted for one second. Then, Steve quickly ducked back to his seat purely out of
Chapter 14
guilt. He didn’t even notice the camera’s shutters clicking behind him.
2/2
When Penelope finally opened her eyes, what little sunlight that remained was about to fade away. She felt the two layers of quilt on top of her and smiled apologetically at Steve. “Sorry about that, Steve. I must have fallen asleep.”
He just smiled gently in return. “It’s fine. Anyway, it’s getting cold outside, so we should take our meal indoors.”
Penelope nodded in agreement. When she felt the plates, she exclaimed in surprise, “I slept for such a long time, but these plates are still warm!”
The waitress seemed to understand her surprise. With a cheeky smile on her face, she said to Penelope in Eucranish, “This gentleman placed the same order every half an hour just to make sure that you’d get your food at the right temperature.”
Penelope’s eyes went wide. But before she could say anything, Steve quickly interjected in an attempt to diffuse the awkward situation. “I didn’t waste the food, you know. The extra food was distributed to the homeless people on the streets. Give me a chance to do something good for once, yeah?”
“Alright then. Thanks.”
As Steve watched Penelope lower her gaze, he felt his heart throb even more. He wasn’t stupid. How could he not notice that she was keeping a polite distance with him on purpose? Then again, patience was his best trait.
During their meal, Steve casually brought up the fact that he’d be flying back to Cheronia to attend a business meeting. Since he was the CEO of a global tech company, Penelope didn’t` doubt him at all. All she did was ask for updates on her closest friends and family.
After dropping Penelope off at her home, Steve went through the files on Fulmer Industries‘ main businesses. After that, he called his assistant, Kenneth Green, on the phone. “Ken, clear out my offline schedule for next week. I’m going to fly back to Cheronia. Bring me the project files on the AI bionic box. I need them for next week.”
A pause later, he continued, “Also, get someone to deliver vegetables and fruits to Penelope’s flower shop when I’m away from Islanthia next week.”
