Chapter 278
Laurie and Zinnia spent half the morning exploring, yet only managed to cover half the estate. When they finally sat down in the dining room, servants began presenting dish after dish of all styles.
Since it was Zinnia’s first visit, the chef truly pulled out all the stops to impress her.
Zinnia thought, ‘No wonder the heroines in those novels could never escape the estate, no matter how hard they tried–it’s enormous.
‘I spent two hours riding around in a shuttle and only managed to cover a third of the outer area. I haven’t even started on the inside yet.
The daily cleaning of the estate was mostly done by robotic vacuums. If the staff had to do it, after one round, they’d just collapse in bed and not move a
muscle.
Laurie said, “Lady Zinnia, since we weren’t sure of your preferences, we’ve prepared a selection of dishes from various cuisines. I hope you’ll find something you enjoy.”
Laurie stood beside Zinnia as she took her seat at the long dining table, which was completely covered with dishes. Behind her, a line of attentive
servants waited.
Whenever Zinnia glanced at a dish, an observant servant would immediately place it on her plate. Zinnia thought, ‘Wow, I feel like an emperor.
Fortunately, Laurie assured her that any leftovers would be eaten by the servants, so nothing would go to waste. This put Zinnia at ease, and she said no
more.
After a light lunch, Laurie dutifully led Zinnia on a tour of the estate’s inner grounds. Since this had been Master’s former home, Zinnia didn’t turn down his offer to show her around.
After spending the entire afternoon, Zinnia barely managed to get a general overview of the estate’s interior.
The surrounding orchards, stables, and sports fields were simply too vast to explore in a single visit. Eventually, she returned to the main manor, where her Master and his family had once lived.
She stood alone in the vast, empty living room. The towering ceiling seemed to touch the clouds, with intricate openwork and spiral staircase winding its way up, floor after floor, in this main building that stood twenty stories tall.
As she looked around, museum–worthy wall paintings adorned the walls, and even the most ordinary decorative pieces could fetch a fortune.
Laurie maintained the estate impeccably–spotless and breathtakingly beautiful, like a fairy–tale castle. Yet as Zinnia stood there, she couldn’t feel a trace of human warmth. ‘It’s stunning, sure,‘ she thought, ‘but all this beauty feels so empty without its true master present.‘
It was getting late, and Zinnia had to return to Cloud Harbor.
“Lady Zinnia, won’t you live here?” Laurie gazed at Zinnia with pleading eyes. “You’ve only just arrived–haven’t stayed even one day yet. Surely you won’t abandon everyone at the estate so soon?”
Zinnia couldn’t bear to meet Laurie’s pleading gaze. “I’ll come back in a while,” she answered. Though already in his sixties, the well–preserved man looked barely over fifty.
“Great. We’ll always be waiting for you, Ms. Zinnia. Just drop me a text whenever you’re coming, and I’ll personally come pick you up,” Laurie said, grinning from ear to ear. He then arranged for a driver to take Zinnia back.
As the car pulled away, Zinnia turned to look back at the estate. ‘I’ll definitely come again,‘ she thought. ‘After all, this is Master’s home.’
As soon as Zinnia left the estate, Yelena Lynton, in the Mealinia, immediately received word. She got up from her desk and knocked on the tightly shut
office door.
With a cool, deep voice resonating through the door, a man said, “Come in.”
1/2
12:06. Sun, 20 Jul GO HI
Chapter 278
Yelena paused her breathing as she gently pushed open the door. Behind the wide desk sat a suave figure of cool elegance. The office maintained a constant temperature. Nathan sat with his head slightly bowed, his chiseled profile resembling fine porcelain.
