Chapter 95
Naomi intended to speak to Scott the next day, but now that he was here, there was no point stalling the conversation any longer.
Donna knew her daughter like the back of her palm. She knew there was no changing Naomi’s mind, and although she knew Naomi was just treating him nicely out of courtesy, she could not help but feel infuriated for Naomi’s sake.
This was the man who broke her daughter’s heart!
She finally relented after studying the determined look on Naomi’s face for a moment. “Alright then. You two can talk, but don’t stay up too late, alright?”
“Will do, Mom.”
Donna retreated to her room. Naomi waited until she heard the door close, then turned to Scott and said, “Shall we speak outside?”
“Sure.” He put down his cup and followed Naomi out the door.
The two of them stood out in the hallway, staring down at the sprawling view beneath them. The balcony light bathed them in a warm glow, and combined with the rundown buildings around them, made the entire scene look like it came straight out of an 80s movie.
Naomi stared at Scott. He was much taller than her, and she needed to lift her head every time she spoke to him. However, this meant that she could see every flicker of his expression whenever he spoke.
Even after being with him for three years, Naomi never once felt a sense of panic or unnerve. Although she knew his heart belonged to Olivia, she never once feared that Scott would do anything out of line. He was a man of integrity.
Naomi smiled and said, “I’m sorry for how my mother treated you just now. She’s still upset about our divorce.”
Her expression was calm, just as she always was. Scott met her gaze and replied, “It’s okay.”
He knew exactly why Donna acted the way she did.
Naomi continued, “I know you didn’t want to let Master Chandler know about our divorce, and I respect that. I’ll continue to play along with your act, and if you need anything, feel free to let me know. I’ll try to oblige as much as I can, provided that it’s within reason, but you have to let me know beforehand. If you don’t tell me beforehand, I may not know how to act and might accidentally ruin your plans.”
Although she did not know why Scott was hiding the truth from Chandler, she respected his wishes. Scott was always a smart and capable man, and she trusted his judgment.
The look in Naomi’s eyes was sincere, as though in her mind, everyone else was as kind as she was.
An earnest look crossed Scott’s face. “I want you to come to the event in Herland with me.”
Naomi paused, then nodded. “Okay. Is there anything else?”
“We’re planning to build a museum there. You’re one of the youngest and brightest wood carvers in this industry, so we might need you to stay there for a while, the shortest being a couple of months but it might become as long as one or two years.”
Naomi furrowed her brows and considered this for a moment, then finally lifted her head to meet his
gaze.
“Truth be told, I don’t like traveling to faraway places. I’m okay with going there on a short business trip, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable staying there for a few years. Can you tell me the reason why we need to do that?”
She needed a reason to convince her.
Scott stared back at her. His unwavering gaze did not leave her face the moment they stepped out into the hallway, and so he registered every flicker of her emotions, even her initial reluctance. “We need a lot of new blood in this industry, and that’s why Uncle Chandler is hosting this event in the first place. We intend to build a museum in Herland so that the younger generation can become educated about our culture and perhaps become interested in carrying on the tradition.
“Unfortunately, we cannot rely solely on the older generation to carry this out. We need some young people on board, and you are the perfect candidate.”
Scott’s reasoning was perfectly sound and logical, just like the businessman that he was.
Naomi did not think this was a bad thing; if anything, he was always straightforward and always knew exactly what he wanted.
However, she did not like the idea of being away from home for so long. She frowned and was silent for a moment, then finally said, “Can I consider this for a few days?”
“Of course.”
“Alright then. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
