Chapter 72: Virtuous Callahan?

Callahan’s even voice cut through her thoughts, "Take a pendulum, for instance. When you displace it from its equilibrium position, it begins to oscillate. In an ideal system, it would continu indefinitely but real systems lose energy through..."

’He is exactly that petty,’ Sienna realized that someone had been holding a grudge.

Sienna felt her head buzzing and she had no strength left to resist this imposed Physics lecture.

She surrendered and stayed in his arms like a log with closed eyes as he went on about various laws and concepts.

At first, she could still keep up but then, she was so bored that she yawned.

Fifteen minutes later, Callahan stopped speaking as he listened to the sound of her even breathing.

There was a hint of smile in his voice as he whispered, "Piece of cake."

...

In a villa in Amethyst City.

"Baby, you haven’t been answering my calls and texts. Are you still upset that I forgot your birthday?"

Kira pounced on Seth the moment he opened the door.

Seth gently pulled her off his body, "I am not upset. I have been busy with work."

Kira pouted, "You should be mad. It’s my fault. Ever since I started working in Qing Grand, I am... not me anymore."

Seth frowned, "What happened?"

"Sis used to work for Daddy and she is competent. Everybody knows that. I have never worked before but this time, Daddy has such high hopes for me. I cannot let him down."

Kira blinked away her tears, "I can’t even sleep, worried that I would let everyone down...’’

"Shh, don’t cry," Seth hugged her and led her inside, "Sienna has been more capable than her peers since she was young. She started a year ahead and still aced the academics. You don’t have to compare yourself to her."

Kira stiffened, "You mean... I am not as good as sis?"

"I mean you are great in your own way," Seth said, "Tonight, can you..."

Kira’s phone rang. The moment she saw the caller ID, she stood up, "I have something important to do. I will see you later."

Kira had just left when Seth’s secretary entered the villa, "Sir, I saw Miss Kira leaving just now... Did she forget it’s the success party of our company?"

Seth waved his hand.

"Then, shall I arrange another date for you?"

"I will go by myself," Seth pinched the spot between his brows.

"Sir, there will be important guests. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go alone..."

Seth frowned.

The secretary realized that going with another woman while he is about to be engaged to Kira might cause more trouble.

"How about I arrange an employee to be your date? That way, it would seem completely professional."

"Alright, I will leave it to you."

...

By morning, the storm had passed, leaving Bellhaven washed clean beneath a brilliant blue sky.

The harbor sparkled in the sunlight as fishing boats rocked gently against their moorings.

Shopkeepers swept water from their doorsteps, workers repaired damaged awnings and the little bakery reopened, filling the narrow streets with the comforting aroma of fresh bread.

Despite the picturesque view, the town was still struggling with the storm’s aftermath, from fallen branches to broken trees blocking pathways to damaged fishing nets scattered along the shore.

Near the harbor, several fishermen hurried to pack their remaining catch into ice filled crates before loading them onto waiting trucks.

"Boss, isn’t that Mr. Davis?" Flora and Sienna halted.

Amongst the people who were packing the crates, there was Alex too. The man seemed to be working with the fishermen.

"Let’s go and see."

Flora nodded.

When they walked over, Sienna looked around, "I was wondering why I didn’t see you around in the morning. So, you were here."

Alex looked at her in surprise, "Why are you here too?"

"We were just taking a walk," Sienna watched how skillfully he handled the fishes, "You are really good at it."

A passing old fisherman stopped near them, "When Alex was young, he used to stay here during his vacations. There wasn’t a single job in the town that he would get his hands on. He was always helping one of us. Seeing we are shorthanded today, he joined in to help us."

At a little distance, two men stood under the shade of a tree, decked in their premium suits.

Leon looked at his friend who was dusting off some invisible speck of dust from his sleeve, "Had you been a little virtuous, I would have bragged about you too."

"No need."

"It would have gotten some brownie points from her," Leon pointed his chin to Sienna.

"She won’t be impressed by..."

Callahan’s words hadn’t even finished when they saw Sienna putting on some gloves as she walked over to Alex’s side.

The two people were laughing and chatting as Alex guided Sienna on how to hold the fish properly.

A couple of fishermen stopped by to admire them, looking at Sienna like she was their future daughter-in-law.

From a distance, the scene looked rather harmonic.

But, Leon felt a dark miasma in the air around him, "A virtuous man can move the heart of any woman..."

Leon hadn’t even finished speaking when his vision turned dark as a suit jacket covered his head.

When he removed the suit jacket, his friend had disappeared from his side.

...

"How am I doing?" Sienna asked as she carefully carried a fish over to the crate.

"You are fast learner as usual," Alex sighed, "But you don’t have to do this."

"Didn’t the grandpa say that he is shorthanded? We can lend a hand."

Flora had also joined them by taking over another crate, "Boss, I hadn’t done something like this since I left village.’’

"No wonder you are so good at it. You have some experience," Sienna looked at her fast hand movements in awe.

Flora smiled sheepishly.

A gust of breeze swept by and a few hairstrands came loose from Sienna’s bun, covering her eyes.

With her hands dirtied, she struggled to move them aside.