Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 578

"It just doesn't add up, genetically speaking!"

In Roseanne's tone, Halley could almost see a shadow of her biological father, Maddox Cole.

He couldn't help but wonder how she had managed all these years alone in Lumina City. It wasn't the smooth sailing that bred such audacity in someone to personally fund a laboratory; nor did an easy path furnish anyone with the connections and means to secure such a large plot of land, let alone breeze through the approvals...

This sister of his was a mystery from head to toe.

Yet, more than unraveling the mystery itself, Halley found himself more concerned about what she had been through.

But he asked nothing.

Perhaps not bringing it up was the best consolation he could offer.

Halley's expression grew serious. "It really doesn't match up. The project's moving slower than I anticipated."

"The reason? Have you figured it out?"

He gave a wry smile. "Short on hands."

"Really? That's it?"

Halley's company had long since moved away from basic construction work, which was not only grueling but also not very profitable.

So, when they decided to focus on smart home installations, they dropped the construction segment altogether.

But Roseanne had specifically requested they handle the construction work as well.

Halley understood her; building from the ground up, construction was fundamental.

It made sense she wouldn't trust it with anyone else.

"We'll do it, then. It's not like we've never done it before."

He immediately got in touch with a former construction crew, "About twenty or so people, all hardworking and honest. Based on previous experiences, I estimated we'd have enough manpower."

If they stuck to the original plan without deepening the foundations, his estimate would have been correct.

But Halley wanted to do better and made a last-minute change to the blueprints. That small 3-centimeter adjustment was a significant amount of work.

"...and with that change, we're short-handed."

Roseanne pondered for a moment before asking, "Is this a long-term issue, or just temporary?"

A one-time blueprint change, extending the schedule, was manageable.

But constant changes and extensions were out of the question.

Halley replied, "I reckon we'll need to make further adjustments to the blueprints. Our current manpower... it's not sufficient."

"I see. So, we'll find a couple more crews?"

Halley couldn't help but laugh and sigh, "You think construction crews are like cabbages at the market? Available whenever you want, just throw money at it?"