Quinn followed Sam distractedly—she definitely saw him watching her staring at those bags, but he really did not care…
Nonetheless, they were soon in their car again, heading straight to Damian's house, which was a huge mansion in the outskirts.
The weather was just fine, even therapeutic, with the bright blue skies and peaceful clouds.
Quinn sighed. "I'd like a place like this too when I'm older… away from the bustle and spending the rest of my years with the people I love."
"You're into this sort of place?" Sam said with slight contempt—it was so quiet that there were no traces of night life at all.
"Just saying." Quinn sighed—she certainly knew that Sam would not like a place like this, since he seemed innately drawn to liveliness.
They pressed on the doorbell without delay, and a servant approached them before returning inside.
Then, she returned after a long while, inviting them inside as the gates opened.
It was all green inside, with two children running along the lawn as several gardeners tended to the shrubs—a warm and harmonious sight.
As they followed the servant into the drawing room, they found Damian on the couch with his wife Judith. They smiled politely upon their arrival, but it was just a gesture of courtesy—they were not especially welcoming since no one would like to be bothered on a family day.
In fact, once they had introduced themselves, Damian said bluntly, "I'm not really interested in a joint venture. Moreover, I'm not feeling too well to be hospitalized or discuss work—it's mainly why I applied for leave."
"Yes, we've been imposing," Sam quickly said. "In that case, I'll make it short. I'll leave the proposal of our joint venture here with you, so go through it whenever you're free. If you're interested, we will be waiting for your call 24/7."
He paused just as they left the drawing room—a soccer ball rolled beside his feet, and he spared it a glance before kicking it straight into the crude goalpost in the lawn.
Both boys stared at him in shock, since the stranger had hit it with his first attempt while they failed for so long.
The elder one mustered his courage then and asked, "Can you play with us?"
Sam agreed to it happily. "Sure, but for just ten minutes."
"Okay!" Both children were chipper.
Behind him, Quinn looked on, mystified as Sam took off his jacket and joined the children… leaving them on the verge of tears before long.
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