The incident at the construction site was swiftly handled by the Oconnor Group’s public relations team.
The Oconnor Group spent a significant amount of money to appease the deceased’s family, and the subsequent investigation was still ongoing.
Callie had no mood to go to work these past few days. Fortunately, the company wasn’t busy at the end of the year, and everyone understood what she had gone through at the annual meeting, so they didn’t comment much.
Seeking peace, she didn’t return to Paucaster Villa Complex but stayed here instead. Nelson didn’t say much and lived here with her, in separate rooms. Their relationship was neither intimate nor distant.
Early in the morning, Nelson went for a jog alone. Most of the people who could afford houses here were accomplished professionals. Seeing him, they greeted him with a smile, “Good morning, Mr. Oconnor.”
Nelson returned the smile. He wore only a black jacket over his thin clothes and had a fitness tracker on his wrist. He ran past dew-covered trees and took another lap.
At this time, Callie was still asleep. Thinking of this, he subconsciously quickened his pace.
Returning through the back door, he found no one around. Passing through the open-air courtyard, he noticed the small pond with a dozen wild carp. The lotus flowers had withered this season, and the wind brought a sense of desolation. The lotus roots beneath must be ripe by now.
Turning on the faucet, clean and clear water flowed out. It was spring water from the mountains, free of any pollution and even drinkable.
Nelson splashed cold water on his face, waking up considerably.
He opened the bedroom door; Callie was still asleep.
Nelson methodically went to the kitchen to make breakfast. There was no one to take care of them here; everything had to be done by themselves.
During this time, he took two calls. One was from Cora, reporting the latest situation. Her voice sounded a bit hoarse, probably from working all night.
“Cora,” Nelson said while pouring milk.
Cora responded nervously, “I’m here.”
“You don’t need to handle the construction site issue anymore.”
The sudden statement made Cora instinctively ask, “Why?”
“Take a few days off, go home and see your parents, and come back after the New Year,” Nelson’s voice was cold.
This wasn’t good news. Cora raised her voice, “Mr. Oconnor, did I do something wrong?”
“What do you think?”
Having followed Nelson for so long, Cora was also smart. She bit her lip and remained silent for a long time, “I understand…”
“This is the last time. If it happens again, resign yourself.”
He didn’t spare her any dignity; every word made it hard for her to breathe.
The second call came when he re-entered the bedroom. Callie’s phone was ringing, marked as Tobias.
Nelson squinted his eyes and answered immediately, glancing to see if Callie had been woken up.
“Callie… Callie…” The voice on the other end was drunk and incoherent.
Nelson frowned and spoke coldly, “Dr. Tobias.”
There was a sudden thud as the call was hung up from the other side.
Nelson licked his lips lightly, his face showing deep disdain.
He deleted the call record, placed the phone back, and turned to take a morning shower. When he came out, Callie had just woken up. She sat on the edge of the bed without wearing shoes, her fair foot resting on the blanket.
“What’s wrong?” He walked over and touched her forehead.
Callie frowned, seriously observing this gentleman. Ever since Jaquan told her about Nelson’s past, she hadn’t slept well.
It was hard to imagine that Nelson had been severely beaten as a child.
“What’s wrong with your eye?” Nelson noticed immediately, thinking it might be a mosquito bite.
It was twitching. Ever since she returned from Jaquan’s place, her right eye hadn’t stopped twitching, making Callie feel uneasy.