Landon Sutton nodded, "Okay, wherever you want to go."
"There’s a Love Stone on the island. Legend has it that if two people who love each other touch that stone together, they can be together for a lifetime."
Landon Sutton didn’t believe in such unreliable legends; he thought it was the inner determination and persistence of two people, not those empty stories, that decided whether they could be together.
But he didn’t want to ruin Shannon Quinn’s inner anticipation. Seeing her longing look, he’d go wherever she wanted to go.
Susan Wilde returned home after nine, greeted only by the cat. Shawn Rhodes’s slippers were at the door, suggesting he probably wouldn’t be home tonight.
She washed up, lay on the bed, watched TV, and unknowingly fell asleep.
The phone rang, and she groggily reached for the hot phone, glanced at the caller ID, and checked the time.
Why was he calling her at two?
Puzzled, she pressed the answer button, but it wasn’t Shawn Rhodes’s voice on the other end: "Hello? Are you a friend of the phone owner?"
Susan Wilde was stunned, nodded and said, "Yes, did something happen to him?"
"Oh, it’s . He’s drunk in our tavern. We’re closing up. Could you come and pick him up?"
More puzzled, Susan Wilde even suspected it was some scheme by Rowan Alder, cautiously saying to the person on the line, "Send me the address via text and a photo of him."
After hanging up, the tavern’s address popped up, followed by a picture: bottles strewn across the table and floor, Shawn Rhodes lying on the table alone, looking quite drunk.
After confirming his situation, Susan Wilde got up to change, grabbed her bag, and headed out.
She jogged to the corner and called a car on her phone, then headed straight to the tavern.
The tavern had a more comfortable atmosphere than a bustling bar, probably because it was closing time, and there were no other customers inside.
Susan Wilde walked over to Shawn Rhodes, stretched out her hand, looked at the table full of bottles, patted him on the back, but got no response.
"Did he drink all these on his own?"
The attendant nodded, "Yes, he came around six in the evening and stayed until now."
Susan Wilde couldn’t fathom why he was drinking alone, but the immediate concern was not understanding why he drank but figuring out how to get him home.
"Could you help me get him up?"
The attendant nodded but hesitantly said, "Miss, he hasn’t paid yet."
"He spent a total of eight thousand six hundred and eighty yuan."
Susan Wilde was stunned, thinking, do wealthy people casually spend nearly ten thousand on drinks? She couldn’t spend eight thousand in a month!
She looked in her bag; she didn’t have that much cash. There was money on her phone, but she was reluctant.
Hesitatingly, she reached into Shawn Rhodes’s pocket and found his wallet, opened it, and saw a photo of him and Rowan Alder.
The photo looked quite young; they must have been only seventeen or eighteen. For original chapters go to novel·fire·net
Not lingering, she checked the wallet; plenty of bank cards but clearly not eight thousand in cash.
Then she saw his phone on the table, picked it up, unlocked it with his fingerprint, opened WeChat intending to pay but inadvertently saw text messages from Rowan Alder.
Five unread messages; she could only see the last one on the page, which read: "You just live with that woman."
Seemed they had argued; otherwise, he wouldn’t have drunk so much.
Scanning the store’s QR code, she paid with his fingerprint, realized she could cheat him out of money but didn’t do it.
Once the bill was settled, the attendant helped her get Shawn Rhodes into a taxi.
If Susan Wilde were alone, she’d probably have no way to get the six-foot-tall Shawn Rhodes home.
She asked the driver to take her to the villa gate, then called the security guard to help with the carrying.
"What’s wrong with the young master?"
Susan Wilde, struggling, said, "Drank too much, let’s get him inside first."
"Just put him on the sofa."
Looking at the man slumped on the sofa, Susan Wilde stood with her hands on her hips, calming her heart’s rapid beat.
She bent down to remove his shoes, placed them by the door, and brought his slippers over, tossing them beside the sofa.
He seemed to have decent drinking behavior; even drunk , he hadn’t vomited or acted out.
Standing by the sofa, Susan Wilde glanced at the stairs leading to the second floor, thought for a moment, and decided to fetch a blanket.
Carrying a blanket was certainly easier than carrying him.
She had no experience dealing with drunken men, smelled the alcohol on Shawn Rhodes, unsure what to do; thought to wash his face but remembered his past wrongs, instinctively rejecting the idea.
Feeling she had done enough bringing him back at night, better than sleeping on the street; she was too tired to care anymore.
Turning off the living room lights, leaving only those by the entrance so he wouldn’t bump into things if he woke at night.
Without further attention, Susan Wilde went back to her room with the cat.
She smelled alcohol on herself, thought of showering but felt it was too late; she was too tired to move, so she just changed into pajamas and got back in bed.
With troubles of their own, everyone had things burdening them; she hadn’t had a great time because of him either.
If he hadn’t mistreated her, perhaps Susan Wilde would sympathize with Shawn Rhodes.
He was just a piece in the family’s interests, bearing the expectations and pressure from his parents, unable to be with the one he loved.
Ignoring Rowan Alder’s personal issues, she felt Shawn Rhodes was a good man in handling matters related to Rowan Alder.
As a woman, Susan Wilde understood women’s minds; she also wished for a man who would stand behind her without questioning right or wrong when facing disputes.
If a man isn’t genuinely overwhelmed, he probably wouldn’t drink to this extent.
The next day, unable to set aside her concerns, Susan Wilde woke up early.
Shawn Rhodes still hadn’t woken on the sofa; the blanket had entirely fallen to the floor, so she picked it up, tapped him, and called his name, "Shawn Rhodes."
Calling twice without response, Susan Wilde hesitated about whether to call a doctor; if he slept endlessly, she couldn’t take on this responsibility.
Susan Wilde turned around joyfully, "You’re awake?"
Shawn Rhodes slowly sat up, reached to rub his throbbing temples, and seeing Susan Wilde, furrowed his brows.