Now that the big stuff was sorted, they could finally chill and spend some quality time together. Quinn had no clue about any of this; she was busy cooking with Kyle and the gang.


    There were women here who cooked, but they just tossed in some seasoning, threw the ingredients into the pan, and stir-fried them without much finesse. As long as all the seasonings were in and the food was cooked, it was considered done. Naturally, the taste wasn''t great.


    Quinn noticed their vegetable shed, which had quite a variety of produce. They had a big house specifically for storing various veggies and even some meat. The temperature inside was super low because of all the freezers, powered by generators, which cost a pretty penny.


    The ind was still a work in progress. Without money, their ns wouldn''t fly.


    Now she finally got why the prices on the ind they visited earlier were so high. Building a city on such an ind would cost a fortune.


    She even started to worry if the money in her ount would be enough.


    The stuff they found in the fishing vige was worth quite a bit. It should be enough, right?


    They also had to pay the people on the ind. Once the ind was built, these folks would have little to do, but they would still need to be paid annually. So, thepany had to keep running; otherwise, they''d be in financial trouble. Kyle and Sean followed her, helping her carry the veggies.


    Quinn asked them, "What do you guys want to eat?"


    Kyle grinned sheepishly. "I want some meat. Their barbecue andmb chops are terrible. Mrs. Kennedy, can you make them?"


    "I can. Let''s grab some meat, and I''ll whip up some barbecue," Quinn replied.


    There were too many people to cook for, so making a lot of dishes wasn''t realistic. Otherwise, they''d be cooking until midnight. So, each meal consisted of three dishes: one meat, one veggie, and a soup.


    But today, Quinn and Alexander wereing. They were the bosses, so an extra dish was a must.


    The meat dishes were decided to be barbecue andmb chops, the veggie dish was a veggie roll, and the soup was tomato soup. That should be enough.


    Soon, they returned to the cooking area with the ingredients. It was arge open space with several big stoves andrge pots. They helped Quinn, who realized she couldn''t manage such arge pot on her own. So, she decided to supervise and let them handle the cooking.


    With several stoves going at once, it got pretty hot standing next to them in this weather. Before long, Quinn was dripping with sweat.


    After about forty minutes, all four dishes were ready. They poured the dishes into several bowls, and the delicious aroma drew many people over.


    "Why does the meat smell so good today?" someone asked.


    "My mouth is watering. Can I start eating?" another person chimed in.


    Kyle said, "What''s the rush? Our bosses aren''t here yet. Hold on! I''ll go get them."


    Quinn stopped him. "I''ll go."


    "Alright, I''ll watch them. Let''s see who dares to sneak a bite," Kyle replied.


    Quinn smiled and headed towards Maddox''s house. She hadn''t gone far when she saw Alexander and Maddoxing.


    "I was just about to call you, but here you are," Quinn said.


    Maddox said, "I smelled it from afar. If I didn''t hurry, there''d be nothing left but tes."


    "Don''t worry. They''re all waiting for you," Quinn reassured him.


    "Good for them. Let''s go," Maddox said.


    The others waited obediently, knowing the bosses were here. In the past, if Maddox waste, the bowls would be clean, or he''d be left with a pot of soup. "Here theye. Mr. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy, please go ahead," someone announced.


    Quinn smiled, "Let''s eat together. No need for formalities."


    Kyle said, "Since Mrs. Kennedy has spoken, let''s start."


    Despite his words, he served two bowls for Quinn and Alexander first.


    Quinn had never eaten with so many people before. She and Alexander took their bowls and found a tree trunk to sit on.


    This was their makeshift bench, a long, thick tree trunk ced on the ground after some treatment, used as a bench.


    It felt quite special.


    Previously, Quinn had been at home with nothing much to do, feeling bored and aimless.


    But here, she felt a long-lost sense of fulfillment, especially seeing everyone so happy, as if she had found another meaning in life.


    Quinn turned to Alexander and asked, "Is it good?"


    "Yeah, it''s good," Alexander replied, giving all the meat in his bowl to her. "Eat more."


    "Why are you giving it all to me? There''s more over there," Quinn said.


    "I eat vegetarian," Alexander exined.


    Quinn was stunned for a moment, then remembered that he didn''t eat much meat back in Amber Bay. It was probably because he had instructed Briar, which was why there wasn''t much meat on the table, mostly various veggies. She hadn''t really paid much attention to the food. If it weren''t for hisment about being vegetarian, she wouldn''t have noticed the change in the table.


    "Why''d you suddenly decide to go vegetarian?" Quinn asked.


    Alexander replied seriously, "I''m getting older; I can''t handle greasy food anymore."


    "You keep saying you''re getting older. Where exactly are you old?" Quinn had heard this so many times; he mentioned his age almost every day.


    Although Alexander didn''t look old on the outside, some of his behaviors did resemble those of an elderly person.


    "Never mind. Let''s eat," Alexander said.


    They still didn''t know where they would sleep tonight.


    After dinner, they headed back to Maddox''s ce. Knowing they wereing, he had hastily made a bed. The awkward part was that the house had only one room with two beds close together. Alexander looked at the beds and fell silent. "Are the three of us supposed to sleep in this room?"


    Maddox scratched his nose. "My bad, I forgot Quinn is a woman. How about we make do for one night? I''ll move the bed outside tomorrow."


    Alexander asked, "Can''t you move it now?"


    Quinn said, "Let''s just leave it. It''ste. You and Maddox can share a bed, and I''ll take this one."


    Hearing this, both Alexander and Maddox fell silent.


    Alexander couldn''t ept sharing a bed with another man, and neither could Maddox.


    Quinn nced back at them. "What are you doing? Go to sleep."


    Maddox sighed, "Forget it, you two sleep here. I''ll go find somewhere else."


    With that, he quickly left, as if afraid they''d make him stay. He didn''t want to share a room with them.


    Quinn and Alexander exchanged a look.


    Alexander said helplessly, "There''s no way; he won''t sleep with me."


    "I don''t think you want to sleep with him either," Quinn replied.


    Alexander closed the door and sat down beside her, "You misunderstood me. I was actually quite willing to share a bed with him."


    "Should I call him back then?" Quinn asked.


    "Forget it, let''s sleep," Alexander said.novelbin


    Hey down on the bed. It was a bit hard, and even with a nket underneath, it wasn''t asfortable as a mattress.


    Quinn turned off the light andy down. In the quiet room, they could hear birds and insects outside, as well as the faint hum of the generator.


    The sounds weren''t loud, but they were quite clear in the stillness of the night.


    Quinn tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She didn''t know if it was too noisy outside or if she was just not used to the new ce. She spent half the night restless.


    Alexander suddenly asked, "Can''t sleep?"


    Quinn was surprised. "You can''t sleep either?"


    "Not used to the new ce. Want to go for a walk?" Alexander suggested.


    Quinn immediately sat up. "Let''s go."


    She wasn''t sleepy at all. She quickly turned on the light, put on her jacket, and pulled Alexander outside. The weather on the ind was just right. It wasfortable during the day but a bit chilly at night. The forest was a mosaic of light and shadow, with branches and houses casting long shadows on the ground. The distant forest was pitch ck, adding a touch of mystery.


    They walked under the streetlights, their shadows stretching long.


    Unknowingly, they reached the stone path leading to the entrance. The railings on both sides were adorned with lights, making the path clear.


    Even the beach had a few streetlights. It wasn''t as bright as the ind, but it was enough to see.


    The salty sea breeze blew, and Quinn pulled her jacket tighter. She gazed at the distant sea, where the moonlight turned into tiny, sparkling lights on the water. Seeing this, Quinn suddenly remembered many things, especially the time she spent with Alexander on that ind.


    "Is the ind we stayed on before far from here?" Quinn asked.


    Alexander, hands in his pockets, walked slowly beside her and shook his head. "I don''t know. I forgot the location of that ce."


    "Oh, forget it. It just popped into my head," Quinn said. She spotted a rock nearby and sat down. "Some things feel like they happened just yesterday." Even though it had been years, it didn''t feel that long ago when she thought about it.


    Alexander sat down beside her. "Are you thinking about Walter?"


    Quinn was taken aback. She instinctively wanted to deny it but remained silent for a while and didn''t refute.


    Seeing the sea, she naturally thought of Walter. "Is his body still not found?"


    "No, it''s probably not going to be found," Alexander replied.


    Quinn was silent for a while. "Maybe it''s better this way. If they did find it, who knows what it would look like." "Probably simr to the bodies we found in the water before, or worse," Alexander said.


    Walter had faked his death once, falling off a cliff. The body they retrievedter was unrecognizable. Quinn found that everyone here seemed to have died once, except Walter, who had died twice. There probably wouldn''t be a miracle this time.