"Do you like resorts this much?" Theo's voice was laced with amusement as he brushed her tousled hair.
Sierra nodded and responded in a tender voice, "I do. It's interesting."
Compared to humans with all their complications, she preferred animals with no agendas. It offered her peace.
It had never occurred to her that Theo would purchase an entire mountain ridge because of her simple, harmless response. Aside from vast farmland and various amenities, there was also a lot of livestock.
He got out of the car once they arrived, only to be met with Douglas' big arms and a tight squeeze. "Theo, I knew you'd come."
Douglas chuckled and added, "That reminds me. I have a surprise for you."
He dressed particularly flashy today. His pink attire made him look like he was hungry for some action with the ladies.
Theo pried Douglas' hands away, turned around, and walked to the other side of the car. Douglas looked at him in bewilderment before his eyes sparkled.
"It's kind of you to show up. You didn't have to prepare gifts for me."
Seeing Sierra holding Theo's hand and coming out of the car, Douglas widened his eyes in shock. He was so alarmed that he spoke without thinking. "What are you doing here?"
She stopped dead in her tracks and grinned embarrassingly. Then, she looked at Theo and Douglas helplessly and asked softly, "Am I not supposed to be here? Maybe I should just go home."
Theo frowned, and his gaze turned cold. "What did you just say?"
He sensed that Sierra was about to release his hand and get back into the car, and he immediately tightened his grip, stopping her. "I'll go with you."
At this point, Douglas also knew he was wrong to have said something like that. He wanted to explain himself, but he was thrilled when he heard Sierra saying that she would leave. She was kind of tactful, apparently.
Daniel and Simon had a good idea of what had happened when they noticed how cold Theo's expression was and how guilty Douglas looked.
"Did Douglas say something stupid again? He doesn't run things in his mind before he speaks. That's how he is. Don't let it get to you, Sierra." Daniel stepped forward to diffuse the tension. The last thing he wanted to see was his friends squabbling because of her.
Yvette saw how tense things were between the three of them. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at Douglas and demanded, "Come clean with me. What have you done to Sierra?"
Douglas grabbed Theo's arm and stuttered, "I thought Theo was coming alone. I didn't expect him to bring Sierra along, and I ran my mouth off…"
Then, he trailed off because Theo's gaze turned increasingly colder as he looked at him.
Now that the others knew what had gone down, they also shot Douglas a strange look. How could he have said something so monumentally stupid?
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