The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 87

After dinner, Lavinia insisted on washing the dishes. Charley sat at the dining table, grading her practice tests.

Once the dishes were clean and put away, she dried her hands and walked over. Charley handed the papers back to her and said flatly, "Noticeable improvement compared to yesterday."

Lavinia scanned the pages. Sure enough, there were far fewer red marks. A small smile touched her lips.

His phone buzzed. He stood up. "Review your mistakes. I need to take this call, and I'll go over everything with you when I'm done."

Charley walked into his bedroom, shut the door, and called Zoey Wallace back.

"What is it?"

"I just found out the Sloan family's ancestral home is up for sale. Sigrid Sloan is looking for Garnett Harper right now. It seems she wants him to buy it for her."

Charley stared out the window, his gaze darkening.

"Why would that woman have the nerve to ask someone else's husband to buy her a house?"

It wasn't a question.

Zoey paused for a few seconds. "Boss, her father committed financial crimes, and their assets were auctioned off to pay fines. The house is where she was born, full of her memories. Now that the current owner is selling it, she's banking on Garnett wanting to make it up to her, knowing he'll front the money."

"Who's the seller? What's the asking price?"

"A prime location detached villa, asking 28 million." Zoey paused. "The agent says the seller is from Marina Island and is currently there."

"Go to Marina Island immediately and outbid them. You must get it before Garnett does."

"Understood. No matter what, we can't let Sigrid Sloan get what she wants."

Charley glanced at the monitor sitting on his nightstand. On the screen, Lavinia was hunched over her papers, chewing on her pen every so often, a tiny frown creasing her forehead.

He smiled faintly, but in an instant, the cold, unreadable shadow returned to his eyes.

"If Sigrid and Garnett hear the house was scooped up by another buyer, they'll definitely go to Marina Island." He paused. "Keep Garnett stuck on Marina Island for a few extra days. I need the time to tutor her."

A short, light laugh came through the receiver.

"Just watch me. I'll easily stall him for at least a week," Zoey said.

After hanging up, Charley opened the bedroom door and stepped back out.

Lavinia looked up at him briefly before dropping her head back down to correct her mistakes, muttering as she wrote, "This is so hard. I'm definitely going to fail."

A long moment passed without a response. She looked up and found him leaning over the table on both arms, looking down at her gently, his shadow enveloping her as if shielding her under his wings.

She walked to the door and pulled it open. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway clicked on, spilling bright white light inside.

"Lavinia," he called from behind her.

She turned around.

Charley was standing by the dining table, the light stretching his shadow long across the floor. She couldn't read his expression, but his voice was soft.

"Goodnight."

Lavinia froze for a second.

"Goodnight," she replied.

The door clicked shut.

The hallway fell silent. The motion-sensor lights clicked off one by one. Charley stood frozen in place, his lashes lowering, unmoving.

***

Garnett Harper had just seen Chairman Locke out. When he turned around, he found Corinne and Sigrid Sloan waiting for him.