The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair had been thoroughly vexed this morning, and now he was facing more of the same from Nathaniel Cole. His throat felt as if it were blocked by a stone, and he struggled to breathe.

"President Cole is a billionaire, and he’s renting out his property?"

The wealthy would rather let a property sit empty than rent or sell it. Reaching the point of renting or selling implied there was a problem with their cash flow.

If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause a stir.

Nathaniel Cole said, "I have too many houses and no lover to gift them to. They’re just sitting empty."

Sean Sinclair’s gaze on Nathaniel Cole was now tinged with fury.

It was nothing but impotent rage.

Nathaniel Cole raised an eyebrow, his tone taunting. "So, President Sinclair. Still interested in renting?"

Sean Sinclair was here to find Leila Jennings; whether he would rent the place depended on what Charles Jordan found.

"Since President Cole is renting the place out, aren’t you going to open the door and let your client take a look?"

He was obviously stalling for time.

Nathaniel Cole gave Miss Moss a look.

Miss Moss went up and opened the door.

Sean Sinclair strode inside, while the other two remained in the courtyard.

Miss Moss said softly, "Young Master, I’ve already hung Miss Jennings’s old clothes in the yard at No. 20, along with the pickled vegetables she just made."

No. 20 was, in fact, another one of Nathaniel Cole’s vacant villas in Norsen.

Nathaniel Cole glanced outside. Sean Sinclair’s assistant should be returning from his look at No. 20 just about now.

When Charles Jordan arrived, he saw the perpetually busy President Cole standing idly in the yard of No. 11. He did a double-take, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

’Wasn’t The Cole Group having a victory banquet today?’

"President Cole," Charles Jordan called out respectfully.

From inside the house, Sean Sinclair called him in with a loud voice.

Charles Jordan hurried in to report, "President Sinclair, your wife is indeed living in Norsen, but she’s at No. 20, which is some distance from here."

"Are you sure?" Sean Sinclair asked.

Charles Jordan swore, "I’m positive. Her clothes are hanging in the yard, the grounds are well-kept, and there are pickled vegetables laid out to dry. I remember you saying, President Sinclair, that she makes them every autumn and winter."

Recalling something, Sean Sinclair remarked with a sigh, "She said that was her favorite homemade treat to bring to school back in middle school."

Nathaniel Cole and Miss Moss walked in just in time to hear this.

Miss Moss asked, "So, sir, will you be renting?"

Sean Sinclair hesitated for a moment before deciding to rent it. He could squeeze out four million if he had to.

It would just leave his pockets nearly empty.

’You have to be willing to lose the bait to catch the wolf.’

Besides, he didn’t want Nathaniel Cole to look down on him. He picked up a pen on the spot, signed the contract, and wrote out a check.

Charles Jordan watched from the side, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably. ’President Sinclair, you’re almost out of cash! And the end of the year is when cash is needed most.’

"Signing so decisively, President Sinclair. Is this all for Leila Jennings?" Nathaniel Cole’s single sentence prompted Sean Sinclair to rip the check from the book and hand it over.

At a nod from him, Miss Moss accepted it.

Once they had the money, the two of them left.

’Something about this feels wrong,’ Charles Jordan thought. ’Why would President Cole handle renting out a house himself? It’s completely out of character.’

Sean Sinclair looked at Charles Jordan and asked, "Is anyone at No. 20 right now?"

Charles Jordan shook his head. "No."

"She’s probably at the research institute," Sean Sinclair said. "We’ll wait."

The two of them sat down.

Nathaniel Cole and Miss Moss headed in the direction of No. 9.

Miss Moss asked, "What should we do with this money?"

’This big fish was caught using Leila Jennings as bait. Naturally, the catch should be used to nourish her.’

Nathaniel Cole said, "You can use it to buy groceries for Leila Jennings. Four million a year. Is that enough?"

Miss Moss’s mind was already racing, calculating: weekly bird’s nest and fish maw soups to enhance Miss Jennings’s complexion, daily imported fruits for vitamins, sea cucumber and shark fin, sashimi, nourishing tonics...

After adding it all up...

"It should be fine, Young Master."

"Good." In truth, Nathaniel Cole still thought it was too little. Sean Sinclair was only coughing up four million a year for Leila Jennings, while he’d been able to throw three million a month at Sarah Lynch.

’I need to have Preston Bell speed things up. Same for Zachary.’

Nathaniel Cole recalled what Sean Sinclair had said about the "homemade treat" Leila Jennings used to bring to school. "What exactly are pickled vegetables?"

Miss Moss had grown up poor herself, so of course she knew what they were.

"You salt vegetables and seal them in a jar. They keep for a long time, and it costs next to nothing. They’re usually quite salty, so they really help you get rice down. A small piece of pickled vegetable is enough to go with half a bowl of rice."

Nathaniel Cole’s brow furrowed.

’Leila Jennings was eating this stuff back in middle school?’

As Miss Moss finished speaking, her eyes filled with heartache. Miss Jennings had had such a hard life, and then she’d ended up with an ex-husband who was worse than a beast.

Nathaniel Cole took out a card and gave it to Miss Moss. "If it’s not enough, use this. Also, encourage Leila Jennings to move out sooner."

Miss Moss nodded emphatically. "Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ll pack Miss Jennings’s things this weekend and call a car to send them straight over."

Nathaniel Cole’s main concern was, "Move where?"

Miss Moss shook her head. "I don’t know yet."

Nathaniel Cole: "..."

’Then what good are you?’

Miss Moss sensed her young master’s disdain and dished some right back. "Young Master, you should hurry to the cruise ship. If you’re late, someone else might catch Miss Jennings’s eye. If you don’t hurry up, plenty of other men will!"

Nathaniel Cole maintained his unhurried pace.

Once in the car, he calmly instructed the driver, "Speed up."

...

Cecilia Sinclair saw Sarah Lynch’s post.

A luxury cruise, filled with handsome, high-class men.

It checked all her boxes.

She shot up from the sofa, opened her chat with Sarah Lynch, and casually asked where she was. Was she at a party with friends?

How could Sarah Lynch not see right through her? A moment later, she replied that she was, and asked if Cecilia wanted to join.

’Of course I do!’

But what she sent back was a demure, "Would that be okay?"

Upon receiving a definite "Yes," Cecilia Sinclair rushed back to her room to get herself dolled up.

’The handsome men in Sarah’s post all looked like elites, dressed in expensive, classy clothes. If only I could hook one of them. Sarah would definitely help me, right?’

Cecilia sank back into her fantasies. It took her a while to emerge. After changing into a dress, she went out and saw her mother sitting on the sofa, phone in hand, typing furiously.

Ever since her mother had come back from the hospital, she’d been constantly frowning, as if stumped by some problem.

’Her elders’ business was none of her concern.’

"Mom, I’m heading out."

Mrs. Sinclair snapped out of her daze and frowned. "Going out again? Aren’t you cold dressed like that? It’s fall, and you’re still wearing a summer dress."

"I’ll just throw a coat on over this. It won’t be cold inside the cruise ship."

"A cruise ship?" Mrs. Sinclair asked. "Who invited you out on a cruise ship?"

Cecilia Sinclair smiled. "Sarah did!"

Mrs. Sinclair’s already gloomy face turned even darker. She barked at her daughter, "Stop right there! You are not to go."

"Why?" Cecilia Sinclair looked at her mother in confusion.

Mrs. Sinclair got to her feet and rebuked her daughter. "Just... stay away from her from now on! She’s no good!"

Cecilia Sinclair frowned. "Mom! How can you say that about Sarah? I thought you really liked her! You wanted her to marry my brother as much as I did! Sarah is so good to us, always buying us expensive gifts."

"That was all with your brother’s money!" The words "expensive gifts" made Mrs. Sinclair’s anger flare. She practically breathed fire at her daughter. "All the money she’s spent over the years was your brother’s! She was using his money to suck up to us! That cheap trash."

"The reason you couldn’t go abroad your sophomore year, the reason you still haven’t gone abroad since graduating—it’s all because of Sarah Lynch’s schemes!"