Mrs. Moana Moore reached out and lightly patted the back of my hand. The gesture was so natural and affectionate that I was momentarily taken aback. She truly treated me like her own granddaughter. Unable to hide my happiness, I smiled and said, "Please come inside. Nanny Lenka just made some refreshments, she's very good at it."
Mr. Moore and Mrs. Moana Moore exchanged a glance, smiled together, and walked in. Ronan followed behind them, still a little dazed, as if he were dreaming. The two of them were actually entering Captain's villa, chatting and laughing so warmly, this was almost unbelievable to him.
In the living room, I brought out all the refreshments Nanny Lenka had prepared and set them on the coffee table, then poured hot water for the two elders.
"Mr. Moore can have this too, it won't affect your health."
They ate pastries and drank tea, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant. After a while, Mrs. Moana Moore set her teacup down. Her eyes were still gentle, but her tone slowed.
"Rosy, actually, your grandfather and I came today for another matter as well."
I paused slightly. "Another matter? Could it be… to see Captain?"
Mr. Moore snorted softly, arms crossed over his chest, clearly he still didn't have much fondness for Captain. Mrs. Moana Moore smiled and explained,
"Ten days ago, Captain came to see us, hoping to invite us to be the image ambassadors for the natural resort project. At the time, we declined. But now… we've reconsidered."
Reconsidered? Did that mean they had agreed? My heart started beating faster.
"Then I'll go call Captain down. He'll surely be very happy to hear this."
I was just about to stand up when Ronan moved a step faster than me.
Only a few minutes later, Captain came downstairs. His steps were steady, his presence restored to its usual calm composure. Seeing the two elders, he took the initiative to greet them with a handshake, his manners impeccably polite.
Once everyone was seated, the real discussion began. I sat to the side listening, understanding almost nothing, so I decisively focused on eating pastries instead. Captain crossed one leg over the other. Facing the two elders, he didn't carry his usual coldness.
"I'd like to ask something," he said. "Why did you suddenly change your minds?"
Ten days ago they had refused firmly, allowing no more than half an hour of discussion. And now they had come in person, taking the initiative to cooperate. It truly was puzzling.
Mr. Moore kept his arms crossed and said nothing. When Mrs. Moana Moore looked at Captain, the earlier gentleness receded slightly.
"In truth, the reason we changed our minds… is because of Rosy. Without her, we wouldn't have come today."
I froze.
"Because… of me?"
Captain raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised as well. Last time it had been about the land because of me, this time even the image ambassadorship? He let out a soft chuckle, and his long fingers suddenly scratched lightly against my palm. I flinched, only coming back to myself when I felt the itch.
"Rosy is a good child," Mrs. Moana Moore tilted her head, her smile becoming gentle again. "If it weren't for her, this old man wouldn't be sitting here so comfortably today. We've thought it through consider this our way of repaying her."
"There's really no need," I hurriedly waved my hands. "I'm a doctor. Treating patients and saving lives is what I should do."
"Alright, alright," she patted my hand lightly, then leaned close and whispered softly by my ear, her voice very low. "Don't refuse. I'm doing this to preserve your dignity. It's not easy for you to be here alone, we want Captain to see clearly that you have people backing you, so he won't dare bully you."
I laughed, warmth spreading through my heart, and lowered my voice in reply,
"Thank you, Mrs. Moana Moore."
"So you won't refuse anymore?"
I smiled and nodded.
Captain withdrew his hand. He hadn't heard what we said clearly, but it was certainly related to him.
"Then let's continue discussing the cooperation."
The subsequent talks went very smoothly. Both sides were satisfied. Captain placed the prepared contract in front of the two elders.
"If there are no issues, we can sign."
When he had gone to Ravenholm, he'd originally planned to sign immediately, who would've thought I'd run into trouble? He had abandoned everything, returned to the hotel, then charged alone into the old warehouse. What followed caused the cooperation to collapse, leaving the foreign partner extremely dissatisfied. Even so, the pent-up gloom in his heart finally eased at this moment.
The two elders reviewed the contract carefully and signed only after confirming there were no problems.
"Happy cooperation."
Captain handed the contract to Ronan to put away. Ronan nearly froze watching the scene. He knew how difficult these two were to deal with, yet now they had agreed to everything because of me. Land, image ambassador, my shadow was everywhere.
Mr. Moore snorted arrogantly. "Don't celebrate too early. We're only doing this out of regard for Rosy."
"Rosy is a good girl," Mrs. Moana Moore added, her gaze turning slightly stern as she looked at Captain. "You must treat her well. If you dare bully her, this old lady won't let it go."
I laughed, both amused and worried that Captain might get angry. To my surprise, he nodded very seriously.
"Alright."
This time it was my turn to freeze. The Captain I knew… wasn't usually this obedient.
"Rosy," Mrs. Moana Moore spoke again, "actually, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you."
I blinked. "Please go ahead. If I can help, I definitely will."
Her smile grew even brighter. "A granddaughter of an old friend of mine has very severe acne, what started as a few spots has now spread over her entire face. She used to be very pretty, but now she's terribly insecure. Rosy, could you take a look at her?"
I rubbed my nose, a little embarrassed. "I've never treated acne before, but I can take a look. If it's something I can handle, I'll do my best."
"Good, good," she nodded with satisfaction. "Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow, alright?"
I smiled and agreed, completely failing to notice that Captain's expression had grown darker than a moonless night.
Ronan stood to the side, breaking out in a cold sweat. Captain was clearly unhappy, yet Rosy hadn't noticed at all, still chatting warmly with Mrs. Moana Moore.
Only after the two elders left did the living room atmosphere turn distinctly cold. I turned around, my heart pounding when I met Captain's gloomy gaze deep, dark, like a bottomless abyss.
"Captain… what's wrong?" I asked cautiously.
He tugged my sleeve down, revealing my arms covered in red scratches. The smile on his lips was dangerously frightening.
"Your wounds aren't even healed yet, and you still want to run around everywhere?"
I froze. So fierce almost wanted to run away. But thinking about it carefully… it seemed he was worried about me. It was just that his way of expressing it was terrifying.
"My injuries aren't serious," I lowered my head, my voice softening. "They've already scabbed over. You said… you wouldn't be fierce with me anymore."
He chuckled softly. His gaze became less dark, carrying a hint of mockery.
"Then I'm going with you."
I couldn't understand it at all. It was just a medical consultation, why did he have to come along? But faced with that look, I only dared to nod.
The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Moana Moore came to pick me up. Seeing Captain come along, they were a little surprised but didn't ask much. The car quickly entered the Lam Mon Blessed Estate, an area only people of status could access. I looked out the window, taking in the luxurious scenery, and a very hard-to-describe feeling quietly rose in my chest.