The low-profile car drove away from the busy streets and gradually approached a deserted beach. Elena had agreed to spend an afternoon with Henry, from late afternoon to late night. However, she did not do it to find out about the mastermind behind the attack. Instead, she wanted Henry to protect Aryan until the end of the competition.
It was a Friday, which meant that the final round was only a couple of days away. Lois received the news at noon that the finals might be on the fifth and sixth day the week after that. Anyway, it was about a week away. Since she could only get one favor from him, she might as well use it to protect Aryan.
“You are brilliant.”
Henry, who was driving, suddenly looked at her side profile. “However, I don’t think these clever little tricks are enough for him to fall for you.”
“I’ve told you that Eldest Young Master Williams doesn’t like me. It is up to you whether you believe me or not.”
Anyway, they had negotiated their terms, so she could care less if he had the wrong idea.
“Really?” Henry lifted his thin lips into a faint smile.
She had her thoughts, and he had his opinion. Even though he could not understand why his big brother would like her, some feelings would be hard to erase once they existed. However, he was not sure how much his big brother loved Elena.
The report on the news yesterday did not mention anything about Young Madam Williams, but he spotted her in it. A little brick could never hurt his big brother, but if a woman were involved, it would be a different story. He noticed it in the video where Michael shielded his woman as they left the chaotic scene.
He stopped the car by the beach. Henry got out of the car and then looked at the girl, who was about to get out of the vehicle.
“Would you dare to follow me?” He locked the car and walked toward the beach.
Elena said nothing. She just followed him. She was already there, so how could she refuse him? Her time would belong to him, at least until late at night. If she refused to go with him, she would have broken the agreement.
She walked behind him and watched his back as his body cut through the blowing wind. He seemed to love white shirts. It was not a color that any ordinary man could handle, especially if one wanted to look good in it. However, he had looked extremely fine, just like a magnificent elf. It was especially so when he walked by the shore as the sea breeze blew in gusts, and it fluttered his white shirt and his long braid. It was like the image of a handsome man who had walked out of an ancient painting.
Why did she resist him so much? Was it because of his relationship with Eldest Young Master Williams? Sometimes Elena could not understand herself. She knew that things would not end well if she continued her involvement with Eldest Young Master Williams, and yet she had gradually sunk into that whirlpool. It seemed like she wanted to stay away from Eldest Young Master Williams, but could she really do that?
“What are you thinking?”
The man had stopped walking, and he only stared at her. Elena was taken aback. She did not stop in time, and so she walked right into him.
“Ouch, it hurts!” She covered the tip of her nose; it was so uncomfortable that she almost sneezed.
Elena complained as she glared at him, “Why did you suddenly stop?”
“I have been standing here for a long time now, just looking at you.” Henry pointed out the fact. “It was you who was absent-minded and then bumped into me.”
“I…” Elena looked at him and continued to blame him. “I was absent-minded, but why didn’t you step aside knowing that I might bump into you?”
“The road is not yours. Why should I stay out of your way? Besides, you are the one who got hurt. I didn’t even feel anything.”
So why would he step aside? Elena was unable to refute his remark.
Henry glanced at her reddened nose and mumbled, “I thought you were clever, but I guess I had over thought it.”
Elena was not pleased with his remark.
“Did I say that I’m smart? Besides, it was only a distraction. Had you never been distracted before?”
Henry looked at her and said nothing.
Elena was too lazy to entertain him, so she pushed past him and walked ahead. The sun was scorching hot in the afternoon. Most women would hate the blazing sun on their skin. Would the long exposure under the sun lead to more freckles on her face? However, the girl seemed to be energetic and lively. She walked under the hot sun like it did not bother her at all. She did not even use her hand to block the sunray.
When she saw the beautiful soft waves that hit the shoreline, Elena took off her shoes, pulled up the legs of her pants, and walked barefoot on the waves with her shoes in her hands. Occasionally, she would bend over to pick up some interesting-looking shells. After a while, she would chuck the shells back into the sea and repeat the activity.
Her pace was light, and her figure was slender, just like any other average girl. What was the difference between them? Henry could not see it, and he had no guesses either. Maybe she was a stunning beauty if she washed away the makeup and the freckles on her face. However, the world did not lack beautiful women as long as one had money. For people like Henry, beautiful ladies were never enough to catch their attention. So, what was it about Elena that appealed to Eldest Young Master Williams? That was a hard question. She appeared to be even more ordinary than an ordinary girl.
Elena got excited when she spotted some fishermen nearby. “Hey, Mr. Henry, I’ll go take a look. Be right back.”
It was a rare occasion where one could meet the fishermen who had only just returned from their fishing trips. She was fortunate, indeed.
“Young lady, is there anything that you would like to buy? Come and take a look.”
Several fishermen poured their catch into several plastic buckets. There were shrimps, crabs, marine fish, and shellfish. Elena might have only had lunch just two hours ago, but she was hungry again when she saw the fresh seafood.
“Wow! Goose barnacles!” She had not eaten one in a long time. Like, a really, really long time! It seemed like she was lucky enough to see some that day.
“Young lady, you have an exquisite taste. We’ve only managed to bring this much back from the island this time, so there is no more.”
Elena wondered if she should bring some back for her friends. She thought they might like it, but she had made a deal with Henry to spend the entire day with him. She would not have been able to bring them back to her friends…
“Do you want to eat it?” Henry asked when he came up from behind her and saw those little things. It did not appear appetizing to him at all, especially when it just came from the sea, and it looked dirty and ugly. Nonetheless, he would not mind spending a little money since she appeared to like it.
“If you like it, then let’s buy all of it.”
“What? You haven’t even asked for the price?” Elena glared at him, a little dissatisfied.
Who on earth talked like that when they shopped? Why would someone give the seller an explicit chance for profiteering?
Sure enough, after they heard Henry’s bold words, the fishermen said, “It’s not expensive at all. These goose barnacles are only 500 dollars a pound. There are three pounds here altogether. You can take it for 1500 dollars.”
Henry slipped his hand into his pants pocket for his wallet. Suddenly, a small hand pressed against his over the fabric of his pants. Displeased, Henry frowned. He did not like it when a woman touched him, not even over a piece of cloth, but Elena was too busy to notice his expression.
She stared at the fisherman who made the offer and angrily said, “The market price is only 150 dollars per pound, and you want to sell at 500 dollars per pound. Why don’t you go rob the bank?”