Naomi took the thermos from her, though nobody knew whether she believed her or not. “Just leave it to me. Go upstairs for a rest.” Leanna hadn’t slept well yesterday, so she felt somewhat sleepy at this moment. Consequently, she went upstairs with a yawn and slept until six in the evening. The last rays of the setting sun filled the sky on the distant horizon. When she came downstairs, she found that Naomi wasn’t in her room. She went to the house next door to take a look, only to find that Wendy wasn’t there as well. Not only that, but they weren’t the only ones missing. It was time to make dinner, but the surrounding houses were very quiet, with no sound coming from them. As the last glow of sunset faded in the distance, the lights along the street came on one by one, illuminating the ripples on the surface of the river. It’s perhaps difficult to find another serene old street that has existed for as many years as this one, thought Leanna. Just as she was in a sort of trance, Wendy appeared behind her and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re up, Leanna?” Leanna came to her senses. “Hey, Ms. Shaffer.” Wendy said, “Let’s go.” Leanna was baffled. “Where are we going?” “Oh, right, you don’t know this yet.” Wendy clapped a hand to her forehead. Then, she explained, “Well, now that the project to build the resort hotel has more or less been finalized, everyone’s moving away one after another. It’s hard to tell when we’ll meet again, so we decided to have dinner together again for one last time.

painkillers?” Aidan put down his hand and stood up, saying impassively, “Never mind. Let’s go out and get something to eat.” Meanwhile, Harry and some of his superiors in his department were still waiting for the elevator at the elevator lobby. One of the superiors said, “It’s time for dinner. Let’s have dinner before we go back.” The other superiors agreed, but Harry replied with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, everyone, but I probably have to excuse myself today.” He told them briefly about the gathering organized by his neighborhood. The revamp of Underwood Lane into a resort hotel was a big project that carried great importance for Harry’s department as well. Therefore, upon hearing his words, his superiors immediately replied, “Is that so? Well, in that case, we can’t hold you up today no matter what.” “Please give our regards to the neighbors when you go back, Harry.” “By the way, Harry, will Leanna be present at the gathering?” Harry nodded. “Yes, she will.” His superior patted him on the shoulder and said encouragingly, “Well, that’s nice. This is a great opportunity. You’ve got to seize it.” Harry felt somewhat shy, but he nodded heavily nonetheless. “I’ll do my best.” Little did they notice that before they realized it, someone had been standing quietly behind them with glacial eyes. After leaving the hotel and saying goodbye to his superiors, Harry stood at the intersection to hail a taxi. However, as soon

he asked tentatively, “President Pearson, would you like to join us?” Aidan withdrew his gaze. “Isn’t it unsuitable for an outsider like me to be present at your gathering?” “That’s not the case, President Pearson. Those in the neighborhood like you very much. They wanted to invite you to our gathering at first, but they were afraid of bothering you, fearing that you wouldn’t like such an occasion.

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