"I'm not stupid." As soon as Gordon had shown her that exquisite fabric, Rosina knew that he was up to something.
And she wanted to find out what he wanted. She couldn't shake off the feeling that both Gordon and Gil were related to Nina somehow, especially since Gil kept stealing glances at the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"So you plan to stay here until you figure it out?" Although Caldwell asked the question, he already knew the answer.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "You don't know what these people are up to, yet you insist on staying. What about Carlos and Cathy? Did you ever stop to think about what would happen to them if you got hurt?"
Rosina reached out to hold Caldwell's arm and put on a sweet smile. "I know you'll make sure nothing happens to me."
Caldwell's body stiffened at her touch. It took him a moment to regain his composure.
However, try as he might, he couldn't come up with a counterargument.
Helpless, Caldwell pulled her into an embrace and sighed heavily. "What am I going to do with you?"
Rosina nestled in his arms quietly, feeling the warmth of his embrace.
She needed to dig into Nina's past, for Caldwell's sake.
She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and said solemnly, "I can take care of myself."
Caldwell cupped her cheek and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. "I won't leave your side."
Rosina nodded.
Vincent and Ella went back to the hotel to transfer their things to the small house in the front yard that Gil let them move into.
But they could only live there on one condition—that they could never step foot into the backyard.
Only Gil and Rosina were allowed in there. They would stay there until Rosina grasped all she should learn.
Gil handed a notebook to Rosina and said, "These are notes I've taken over the years. Have you ever made any fabric before?"
Rosina gratefully accepted the notebook and shook her head honestly. "I've never actually made any fabric myself, but I know enough about fabric to know what kind of clothes it would be suitable for."
Gil nodded. Seeing the things in the room, he became melancholy again. "It can only kept in dark."
"What?" Rosina was confused.
"Study the notebook tonight. I'll test you tomorrow." Without waiting for a response, Gil turned around and walked out of the room.
Obviously, he didn't want to talk about this with her.
Rosina was not in a hurry to investigate. This was her first day. She figured she could take her time and find out whatever she needed to know sooner or later.
Rosina sat inside the room the whole day, studying the contents of the notebook.
Gil visited her several times, and he was satisfied with her perseverance.
In the evening, Gil cooked dinner himself and invited Rosina to come out to eat.
In the small yard, there were two small chairs and a square wooden table, on which two simple dishes were laid out.
Rosina took the initiative to hand the tableware to Gil.
The corners of Gil's lips tugged upward slightly.
It was the first time that Rosina had ever seen him smile, and he actually looked quite kind.
Gil placed a piece of fish in Rosina's bowl and asked, "Here, taste this."
Rosina obliged and scooped the piece of fish into her mouth.
Gil hadn't seasoned it too much, but the fish was quite fresh. "It's delicious."
Over dinner, Rosina asked him a lot of questions.
Gil answered each question patiently.
In this way, a peaceful week passed by.
She hadn't gone out of the backyard and stayed in the machine room to get familiar with the operation of the machine. However, she hadn't learned more things.
Another day passed.
Over dinner, Rosina asked in a seemingly casual manner, "Do you have any relatives?"
Gil paused, his hand hovering mid-air. After a while, he nodded and said gruffly, "Yes."
"I see. Where are they now?"
Gil raised his head and locked eyes with her, not saying a word.
Rosina apologized quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry—"
Gil cut Rosina off abruptly. "I have a sister."
Since Gil was willing to speak, Rosina bit the bullet and asked, "Does she live nearby?"
"No. She moved quite far away from here, and she seldom comes back. Now I'm the last of my family that remains here. I reached out to her recently though, and she said she'll come back soon." Gil spoke matter-of-factly, but there was a hint of sadness in his tone.
After a slight pause, he suddenly added, "You'll be able to ask her whatever you want to know."
Rosina's eyes widened in surprise.
It turned out that he knew what she was up to. And his sister could answer all her questions.
Who was this sister of his?