The Windfalls of Love (Roxanne and Harrison) novel Chapter 111

James pushed up his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, paused for a moment, and then spoke with composure, "I called you Ms. Martinez."

Roxanne stumbled on her thoughts for a second.

Did she mishear?

She could swear James just called her Mrs. Rodriguez.

James stayed cool, "Ms. Martinez, as I was saying, this villa is quite large."

Did she really mishear?

James reiterated, "Ms. Martinez, you might find this villa a bit too spacious, so feel free to leave all lights on at night, no need to switch them off, in case you feel scared."

The villa was indeed massive.

She found her attention successfully redirected by James.

She asked, "James, has Harrison paid the rent? It must be pretty pricey to rent a place this big. If he hasn't, I can pay you right now."

"He's paid everything, don’t you worry."

James was here looking after Mr. Harrison's idle villa because he was getting a hefty paycheck from him.

How could he possibly charge Mrs. Rodriguez any money?

"Really? I'd feel really awkward staying here if Harrison hasn't paid."

"Don't worry, this house was meant to be a vacation rental. Even though Harrison and I are good friends, the rent was still calculated properly."

"James, how much did you charge Harrison? You didn't shortchange yourself, did you?"

Such a nice villa, even as a vacation rental, should be at least 500 dollars a night.

James frowned.

What should he say was a reasonable amount?

If he said too little, Mrs. Rodriguez might think it's a scam.

If he said too much, that wouldn't work either.

"Normally, the vacation rental goes for 300 dollars per night, but due to the economic downturn, business isn't great, and we don't have many guests. So I gave Harrison a discount and charged him 50 dollars."

"Is it that cheap, James? Aren't you running at a loss?"

"It's a waste if the house is left empty, how could I possibly lose out? Besides, I'm good pals with your husband, so don't feel burdened. Oh and, Ms. Martinez, the food in the fridge was prepared especially for you, help yourself and don't be shy. Also, the car parked out front has a full tank of gas, feel free to use it. Here's the key."

Receiving the car key, Roxanne was immensely grateful.

After going through some details, James finally turned to leave.

Once he turned around, James breathed a sigh of relief.

He almost blew his cover.

He texted Harrison: [Mr. Harrison, Mrs. Rodriguez is all settled in, you can relax. Also, Mrs. Rodriguez kept asking about the rent, I told her I charged you 50 dollars. If Mrs. Rodriguez asks you, just tell her that.]

Harrison's plane landed at Warmville airport half an hour later.

Before the plane had fully come to a stop and was still decelerating on the runway, Harrison was already impatiently turning his phone on.

Alexander reminded him, "Harrison, didn't you hear the announcement asking to turn off all mobile phones and electronic devices while the plane is still taxiing? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Samuel chimed in with a smile, "He must be dying to call his wife."

Harrison ignored their teasing.

After turning his phone on, he saw James' message and several missed calls from Roxanne.

He immediately dialed back.

Roxanne picked up right away.

"You called the moment you got off the plane, did you miss me?"

"Harrison, I haven't been gone for long, I'm not the kind of person who's always thinking about romance."

Roxanne was being honest.

Harrison pretended to be heartbroken, "I'm so sad."

"Okay, let's get to the point. Why did you arrange such a nice villa for me? It's such a waste."

"A 50-dollar villa, where's the waste?"

"I'm not saying 50 dollars for a villa is expensive, in fact, James is losing out charging 50 dollars. I'm saying, I could've stayed at a budget hotel, there's no need for such luxury."

"You're just too frugal. Don't worry, didn't I tell you? I got a promotion and a raise."

"Even if you got a raise, I still think staying in such a big house is a bit wasteful."

Roxanne chatted with Harrison for a few more minutes.

Nothing important, just some thoughts on how to save on living expenses.

After that, she had to rush off to the factory and wanted to hang up.

Harrison was reluctant to end the call, "Roxanne, remember to video call me."

"Got it."

"Anything else?" Harrison asked on purpose.

Roxanne joked, "Also remember to miss you, I'll remember that."

"That's my good girl." Harrison smiled satisfied.

Roxanne said, "Harrison, why do you sound like a kid who wants candy?"

Harrison said, "Don't you know we just got married?"

Roxanne said, "Alright, but I have to go take care of business, let's talk later."

Samuel looked at Harrison reluctantly ending the call, helplessly rubbing his own arm.

"I've got goosebumps."

Alexander next to him laughed out loud, “Hahaha, Samuel, you'll never understand this feeling since you've never been married."

Roxanne spent two days at the factory.

The first batch of goods destined for Russia, both in quality and quantity, was ensured and successfully completed.

Her task was also completed.

These two days, she forgot to video call Harrison.

Harrison knew her whereabouts well, knew she's busy and everything else was fine, so he didn't take the initiative to call her.

Instead, he wanted to see when she would remember him.

Roxanne returned to the villa arranged by James, it was already past nine at night.

The weather in Warmville is indeed not as good as in Seraphim Haven.

The evening breeze was chilly.

Roxanne stood under the lamp outside the villa.

Her shadow stretched long on the ground.

At first glance, she seemed all alone.

Perhaps she had gotten used to being with Harrison, so when she was alone and had nothing to do, she felt lonely by herself.

She kind of missed Harrison.

Things at Harrison's end were already settled.

Alexander shut down his computer eagerly. "I'm catching tonight's flight back to Seraphim Haven, Harrison. You coming? I'll have my secretary book the tickets."

Harrison was glued to his phone, not blinking an eye.

His brows were knitted tightly.

"Alexander," Samuel joked. "Stop asking him. Didn't you notice he's always distracted when he's working? He spent the whole time looking at his phone, probably worried about missing messages."

Alexander lightly patted Harrison's shoulder and pretended to ask, "Harrison, whose message are you waiting for?"

Samuel interjected, "Do you even need to ask? Messages from his wife, of course."

Harrison remained silent, lounging on the sofa with his legs elegantly crossed.

He held a pen in his fingers, twirling it absentmindedly.

On the surface, he seemed calm and composed.

However, his furrowed brows concealed a restless and anxious mood.

There were many unread messages on his phone, but none from Roxanne.

He didn't care about those unread messages.

He just kept staring at Roxanne's profile picture.

Two days.

That woman who once promised to miss him and to initiate video calls hadn't sent him a single message.

She verbally promised to call him, but her promise was not fulfilled.

What a heartless woman!

Alexander noticed his anxiety and restlessness, gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, and chuckled.

"Harrison, if you miss her that much, go see her. How long are you going to wait for a message from Roxanne here?"