The atmosphere was tense for several long seconds.
Sienna broke the silence, “Come with me.”
The structure of the Ellison family estate was indeed thoughtfully designed, grand yet exquisite.
“I gave a lot of input during the renovation,” Sienna said.
Callie, surprised, asked, “You can design?”
No wonder she had offered to give her a tour.
Sienna nodded, “When I was younger, I dabbled in many things, but wasn’t an expert in any. This was something I particularly enjoyed.”
Callie was secretly amazed by these coincidences.
In the backyard, there was a tea garden. The tea trees were hidden in the misty rain, looking magnificent. Around wet week, there would be specialized tea pickers to harvest and process the tea, which became the exclusive tea for entertaining guests at the Ellison family estate.
Such arrangements were not overly extravagant but were meticulous and warm.
“When I was young, there was also a tea garden in the backyard of my old home. He and I made our first fortune from tea. As we grew bigger, he no longer wanted to engage in such low-profit activities, but out of nostalgia, we moved the tea garden here.”
Sienna and Callie stood together on the veranda, gazing into the distance.
Her voice carried a gentle and weary tone.
“You and Mr. Ellison have had a deep relationship all these years without any changes?” Callie asked curiously.
At this, Sienna’s smile lines deepened as she sighed, “People change. In the end, love turns into familial affection.”
Callie shook her head, “I don’t want that. Love should always remain love. If it turns into familial affection, I’d rather not have it.”
“You’re too naive.”
Sienna led her into an exhibition hall. It was well-ventilated and transparent on all sides, housing many valuable items. Callie’s gaze fell on an old, yellowed painting.
It depicted cartoon characters with very childish strokes, clearly drawn by a child. Callie recognized it, “Is this… Nelson?”
Sienna sighed, “Maeve drew this before she went missing. She was very talented. It’s a pity.”
“Can I take a closer look?”
Sienna handed her a pair of gloves.
Callie was very familiar with her own drawing style. Due to her involvement in architecture, her style had become somewhat rigid. However, this painting was very soft. Despite this, she could see some similarities.
Her head began to ache.
It was as if she had traveled through time and saw a little girl drawing at a desk.
Just then, there was a sudden noise outside. At the end of the veranda, a Shiba Inu ran in. Its eyes were sunken; it looked old. It jumped into Sienna’s arms and then stared intently at Callie.
She was startled, “This is…”
Someone quickly followed in from outside, “Madam, I’m sorry! Pepper probably smelled your scent. I couldn’t control him.”
Sienna crouched down and petted the dog, “It’s okay. How has Pepper been eating these past few days?”
“He’s been eating alright but seems to lack energy.”
Sienna nodded and then looked at Callie, “When we used to travel frequently for work, we worried Maeve would be lonely, so we bought her a dog. She loved spicy food and named him Pepper.”
“But after Maeve went missing and Ahmad developed an allergy to dog hair, Pepper has been living in the backyard for over ten years now.”
Callie listened and looked down at the dog.
Its eyes were watery and fixed on her.
Callie’s heart raced as if she had touched the lap of destiny…