novelraw Chapter 278: Sobering Up
Chapter 278: Sobering Up
Nora Northwood had just stepped out when Jasper Sinclair groggily opened his eyes.
He surveyed the surroundings, his calm demeanor not at all like that of a hungover person.
"Nora."
He called Nora’s name a few times, but the only response he got was the silence of the air.
Then, he got up.
The lipstick in his pocket fell out again, rolling to the bottom of the sofa. The man thought it was an insignificant item and didn’t bend down to look.
Jasper Sinclair glanced into the bedroom but didn’t see any trace of Nora Northwood.
With cold eyes, he sent a message: "Didn’t return home last night?"
While waiting for a reply, Jasper Sinclair sat back on the sofa to rest for a while.
A strong smell of alcohol churned in his stomach, and he suppressed the discomfort in his body, dialing the VK front desk.
"Is Nora Northwood at work today?"
"The boss is currently introducing fragrances to a client. You can leave a name, and they’ll call you back later."
Jasper Sinclair assumed Nora was busy with work and hadn’t seen his message.
He thought the matter would just be left at that.
His gaze returned to a calm state as he changed into clean clothes, preparing to head to work a little later.
Elsewhere.
Nora Northwood received an invitation from Finnian Lawrence to visit nearby ancient towns to explore ancient techniques together.
She gladly agreed, and they planned for three o’clock in the afternoon.
After ending the call, Nora opened the chat with Jasper Sinclair, feeling a surge of grievance.
Her mind drifted back to last night as she lightly rubbed the back of her phone with her fingertip, unsure of how to reply.
Three o’clock.
Finnian Lawrence arrived at VK promptly to pick up Nora.
The wind outside had picked up, blowing Nora’s hair into a mess.
"The drive to the ancient town will take about an hour. Dinner might be difficult to find, so we might just have to grab something random."
Finnian Lawrence had prepared some toast and yogurt in the car, handing a portion to Nora.
"Thank you, it’s rare to have such a considerate gentleman like you."
On the way to the ancient town, there were not many pedestrians or vehicles, but it felt somewhat desolate.
All afternoon, Nora Northwood learned many new techniques and even crafted a batch of incense herself.
During the process of spreading fragrance ash, one must neither be impatient nor overly calm.
For the first time, Nora felt that making incense required completely abandoning outside distractions.
Overall, she gained a lot in those few hours.
As they prepared to return to the city, a light drizzle began to fall outside.
An aunt from the ancient town gave them an umbrella, the wooden handle exuding a faint scent of osmanthus.
"Stanton City’s weather is strange; it cools down quite a bit when it rains," Finnian Lawrence remarked upon seeing her shivering shoulders.
At this moment, Nora’s back was already cold enough to have goosebumps.
They hurried back to the car.
The drizzle turned into a heavier rain.
Once back in a temperature-controlled environment, Nora Northwood had just sat down when she sneezed.
The temperature difference in December between day and night is quite large, and she hadn’t anticipated finishing so late, so she hadn’t brought extra clothes.
"There’s a spare suit in the trunk; you should drape it on yourself so you don’t catch a cold."
Finnian Lawrence spoke as he handed her the clothes.
As a married woman, Nora naturally wasn’t comfortable wearing another man’s clothing.
She was about to refuse when Finnian had already placed the clothes in her hand, "If you catch a cold, I won’t be able to explain to President Sinclair; I might not dare to bring you out next time."