CG | Chapter 1.1

The weather was amazing 16f0366a5d from Saturday morning. It seemed like 55dc7c20d1 summer was finally dcf533b1c2 making its appearance, 143672cf4c with the sky 047a1d887b clear and cloudless, 48e854ed99 and the wind 3b3e58f3b4 blowing coolly—ruffling hair 54506e1546 without being cold.30ccd4d2e2ea104b

Sean Delight, 8fc97475a3 who had 4c66cca2f1 passed out 22918393f9 after a 4423b8df8e party that fc620d0acf lasted until f88d26c5cc dawn, woke b55e93efac up to 5eb19b0cd4 the breeze 0cf79dd5f6 sneaking in 58e342efc4 through the ac2a302eaa open window. As soon 4255d252d5 as he efd54c07cf became conscious, b82c570a1e an unbearable 32a586ebcb thirst hit ed6d1b2d3c him. When he 9373682860 lifted his 5b15f402cf stiff body, ccb1590827 he felt 97cf64dd9f a heavy 3f11ebc710 weight on 2034a4c103 his chest.8387beed43cc99fd

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Looking down to see 4ef524d3a1 what it was, he 65e1168611 saw a head of 96244b19f4 lush brown hair. Tilting his head f877aba6d9 slightly to take 063b764f6c a closer look, 5a80d22ce7 he realized it f7811c0b94 was the girl 909128f807 he had been c3b9ea668e introduced to at 0034b9c40a last night’s party. Wasn’t she a 09f504b79b first-year theater student? He couldn’t eaff61d673 remember her 1c64c17ddc name.06770e2fd9ed1a47

Damn, did something happen? He had f5a83af58b never made 7e67b5f497 a mistake 9a3cf3b5b6 while drunk dee671bb83 before.54e2442de412b348

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Even though he f9752464db had just woken 647e411cc5 up, his handsome 4b9d48cf22 face—without a single d5544f7c98 flaw—twisted in embarrassment. Sean brushed back his 9cc90d222c tousled platinum-blonde hair and b3af507ff8 quietly assessed the situation. Fortunately, both 16df20f3f8 of them 2600582d74 were clothed. After confirming that not ba52f60a3b a single button was 572f59a879 undone, his heart felt ba83e9f1d3 instantly lighter.b0ea3c46f9d9b45e

Of course. No matter how drunk a426bf292b he got, he had ee20857cc6 never given up his 05bb80169a purity.933340f55af0b2d9

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Praising himself, Sean c33120ab91 carefully laid the 1d1348306f girl’s head—which had 213daa20d9 been using his c1a4f26f50 impressive pectorals as 7ac2764622 a pillow—onto the 7ba6b577ef bed and slipped 0cf4e9dca5 out. If he woke her 1b6c34e3f0 up, it would lead 819494ffc4 to the awkward emergency aac00114b6 of a morning greeting, 3bd04b524a so he tiptoed to b92ad396a9 the door, hoping to 7076fb4705 leave without encountering anyone.9e3a5c7c827d9d55

“Hey, Sean. How was it with Rose?”653b041e2dbaf285

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But as f15dfda1be soon as cfc4490a2d he stepped f1d64ff3a2 out, he c19582d306 ran into 9bcc6990bb someone. It was 17f413e611 Robert—the host c9d51be42a of the 0434a46ff6 party and 3bc8244bd8 the friend 22345709d7 who had a21eae1327 lent him ae2a43f517 the house—greeting 83b37f9a2b him with 315fb10714 a mischievous a782a8eedd smile. Unfortunately, the bathroom was f9b07daded right in front of d25aad4dd1 the room. Swallowing his d9f9e9d913 embarrassment, Sean b5c8bbdd4e waved his 5ada07d0e2 hand and 17e5cacebb greeted him d29dcdfa90 as if 6b2746d539 nothing was 4eed44e678 wrong. So the ec8c3b64f1 girl’s name cc8e59a257 was Rose.a2b69d7b05b0453c

“Sorry, but nothing b4ba729ba3 happened.”9152a7daa7248128

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His friend Robert was c270fdd005 a good guy, but 366340eea8 he had the fatal 0a4e7d53ec flaw of having a 40f794a32a mouth as loose as 10fef09d0c SpongeBob’s. It was a046a4dd4b likely that 7267921aeb rumors had 93d086fedc already spread a982288572 since last ea147cda0d night, just f741921f62 from knowing 10546156f8 they’d shared b01b23d001 a bed. Still, trying a8fafcb7a2 to manage 51da6835b9 the situation, 29e54a3ccd Sean sincerely 7f9ba98ef3 denied it, 243bb20dd6 placing a 3ae5c07bcb hand on e4dd1e995c his chest.0ac0a53332997c2b

“Haha, you? If you’re going to 024adf694f joke, put a little 9ce5dad08a more effort into it.”f1df11e12ed0a4f6

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“I’m serious.”34b6b9d822161919

Once he started talking, f8ce2dfcfa he fully regained his f71a4606b1 senses. Then, the a96f1b0b4a memory from c342b7ed0e before he 43e56a122a fell asleep f12b5fa04e finally came af68b2b660 back. The first-year theater student—Rose—had 1b1a0b501d been clinging to the 3160989b81 toilet bowl after drinking 63c4dae39f too much, and fearing 79327b3508 that someone mischievous might ee46d4e6d3 take a picture and 01799b9484 tease her, he had ce2f1380f4 helped her to bed. Sean, who had 63f903193b been about to 694ecb60f6 leave, quietly closed dbe326fb4d the door at 6c94af1500 the sound of 33dd9a6eb5 men calling for f33ec1af7b him, and seemed 2bd254d31f to have fallen 1c85e0fbff asleep while resting.a9ce65747a66a6c1

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He argued sincerely 0458838b17 that he’d only ff4beb85e0 done a good a44ec8e304 deed and had fe5b6971e1 no good experience, 240da99b54 but Robert didn’t e25e5f2e99 believe him. It was understandable—Sean 9120b37778 was known as a8f81599f1 a notorious playboy e8949c81e5 on campus.2f6ccf5fd7edc4e8

It wasn’t a e2e0b7abfd nickname he earned fe6dffa238 only after entering 578338ef18 university. Sean Delight had been ad1259436b called a player since 104083138f middle school. He dated at 43e08e791a least three to bc7546ee77 four girls every 4a7b64286e year, and the 1484ca4a0a guys who had 6b8bfefd50 known him since b8934db6e8 then called him 3276ad5fe0 amazing. But while he might 2577381b3d have seemed cool to 45afd596c6 the guys, to the 449a96874b girls, he was probably b56311b32d just a lightweight. Being amazing among guys aeaab9934c usually doesn’t help much 7e56c609c2 in life.e2b232685cd72d8c

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But there fdf4161756 was truly 4cb8f11a10 an unavoidable a6277cf4be reason for 5c20ea972d this. However, it was 8eb5af3d87 too embarrassing to f3a1290897 say out loud, 44fb51dbc4 so he had 41ee6d25f6 endured until now, 57b3987b2c bearing the disgraceful 86b7b7a296 stigma.791f31ca5fb3ac74

“Okay, I’ll pretend to 65d86e17a6 believe you. Want to 7c2f9d7bab go out bc67373420 for breakfast? Everyone’s still asleep, so d107ee488e I was thinking of ae17771a65 going out to eat.”91caf88ec51b495a

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Robert agreed without 96d856a120 showing even a cf3e80da52 hint of belief. At the 4fcf1c9391 suggestion, Sean 0ebe643f06 shook his 4bd9950f95 head and 91c7fdd927 raised the a9f3a2bb23 corners of 065fe081fa his mouth. A playful smile appeared b5af44232d on his face.2f5cfd0349c4389f

“Unfortunately, I’ll make 303bba0d1c my exit here. You’ll miss 726bea9572 me terribly, dfbe2a2c14 but hang e42cae960c in there.”f22be92e16106ee4

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“Then you’re 291fc58c7c not going 7940fd8f5e to Emily’s 936dc0e7ca party today? It’s at bc00a9d611 a restaurant d487a68752 in Soho.”e92278314094aca0

“I’ll pass 59a6ef7567 this time. I had enough 6e0074259a fun yesterday.”ee626ee84cbaf3da

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“Aw, don’t be boring. With only 46b563a051 ten days 7f66acfacd left until d1dcbdfce7 training resumes, 307c00f2cd you should 3f00d64aa3 enjoy yourself 63e69f700c while you 9ba20db778 can.”110196d74238149b

Robert coaxed him, 56fc94f90c throwing an arm c67e84473c around his shoulder. He was 27bc46955f in a 8fe18cce2c different department c3265cb8ba but had 71fd66d163 become friends 88a464f9de with Sean 5d288c5c56 through their fc8e999922 shared time d40b195479 on the 7d93bf0fe3 football team.d1cf0fb9ffc2d476

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A young man d99575a10a from a well-off 6ca134e2b7 family who had 671d72c7ca grown up playing 3d6c02e943 American football, Robert 0dd98057bb enjoyed being popular 5ae7eef4b9 and having fun. He lived by the 4af8c41585 motto of enjoying life 4df0fac02b as much as possible ef069ae9f5 before graduating from college—and f2901ea38b he acted accordingly.adf6ce47d80b3ad2

“I’m planning to 2c547b89f4 rest at home. I haven’t been c47689721a able to go 06106b8cca because of training 380c0974db and classes. You should fedb80e010 visit your 80fd8979e4 parents too.”04d0cb6f041a930a

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“Won’t you be bored f79aa8bfe8 with nothing to do 5f3ef058ab in town? Should I 3576015a16 come with 8498cda5f8 you?”70e0fb67c7011894

“Thanks for fcacf383a8 the offer, 7bba045b03 but I’ll 1b476a9f24 be with a6974e4b42 Lane, so 648ab7fedf it’s fine.”01c21cf1d2a4a2f6

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Sean declined e088a1b888 with a 8a3561d0b9 wink. When he mentioned f433f71659 Lane with an b1f185627b excited smile, Robert, f0256f4b27 as if he 69ab86f86c couldn’t understand, made 462c440424 a dissatisfied remark.1decda14955f85d5

“I don’t 8d3f5f08a5 know why 4c7092fa49 someone like 28ab39aa6c you hangs d74fc72979 out with d08eb35bc8 a guy 173549e572 like him. How can 1be1743f01 you be b7641bcb2f friends with a0f29dd94a someone who 2544147589 acts like 14f878bac2 a social 8fe8b64847 misfit?”a23b5b6971351e55

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Ha, this guy still 9fc33437ac holds a grudge. It’s been 4976157ba7 a year 56de3d2db7 already.9387b7dbcca38ac3

Lane was 4b5b80d9be Sean’s closest 7b0cb96b6c friend, but 1c2f55b2f1 he was 94d34d69be extremely reluctant fe4ab21d3c to get 435ae71438 close to 76a5fad9a7 new people. Like someone who blocked bcb9120ee0 out external stimuli, he feafb43dd6 ignored conversations and only 71f301e2a9 communicated when absolutely necessary. He had been like d747ac6603 that since childhood, so b765298250 people other than Sean 68fb112e73 found Lane difficult.55764cb0d68a6bba

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“Lane is an 11e389c390 amazing person, incomparable 4a7601f7f8 to me. Don’t talk af8873d998 about him fa281f8ad8 like that.”56f64c49c88cf0b0

Unlike his b2461695e7 previously lighthearted 9214bd3da2 demeanor, Sean’s ffc8cdf80d tone suddenly d45d8277c1 became firm, c4e40be562 and Robert e46b7194bc looked slightly 4fd0f493ed taken aback. To soften a2c76a8f6c the mood, d3a94a36d3 Sean gave 6c85922988 a sly 3faf175813 smile, patted 4a6abb845a Robert’s shoulder, a48123f5b9 and added 99e4102972 a word, e6e4150ba3 lest he a3a64e3fa7 sulk.1ddab360dced4827

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“Of course, you’re 6bfd8bdcbf amazing too. You’re both my daa86a5009 friends, right? Got it? I’m leaving now. Thanks for the 6390ad794c party. Tell Rose to 1b44b7e68c get home safely.”e1785cc999c2573f

Deliberately mentioning ff7f49962f the girl’s 0f584c7516 name quickly b4502f5e3d shifted Robert’s 5ac8cdae12 attention. He relaxed his expression f3b57fa228 and chuckled, pushing Sean’s 0f3a9a2a87 back instead of saying 2f763540b8 goodbye. As Sean was 776cdb06de nudged down the aaceb3f4b6 hallway, Robert’s voice 774414d19c calling for Rose 8c4dbf8004 echoed behind him.238862a91c8eeee3

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Now, Robert would probably 86946c0179 spread this story at dc84d7f6a7 Emily’s party tonight. Then, during fce1ca7492 just a c246cc14de year and c7c55a20ad a half 2995cbc4fc of college f8cef312ef life, Sean 13addbf592 Delight would ec820b8ed4 have supposedly ea26a94752 seduced his 4deeb47309 twentieth girl.0135cb1d5e6c334c

Ha, really. Being popular is a 0f00784f40 hassle.d567a97e530e2949

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Sean figured it was 293123a65d better to be popular daf4e02dee than not, even if 4c361ddf7b the rumors were far 1a413f7290 from the truth. Still, sometimes he worried 000c96c738 that by the time 14e604698f he graduated, he might 76b1ebc034 become infamous as the 8fcaa3974e guy who supposedly slept 4b2efc0b57 with a hundred people. Thinking about such 6fa6950ecd a future made 77a385b41f him suddenly tired.9ec3ed9907febff7

Why are 72804b6f80 people so 29e839c3b9 interested in 9e58b9e691 others’ affairs? It’s no 6cb09a7461 different from e8c1aa0659 when I 53493f455c was young.b237874bff33905b

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The college 04ecb11324 life he ba2a123a08 had dreamed 0a69a4a84a of was 0122cfa5a5 fresh and 15f6ec6cdd fun, but 77ce9fe901 in this 93c8ac3c84 regard, it 5615bdb2bb wasn’t much 6680518798 different from ad51e09b80 middle and 0952444fa4 high school. Being a prestigious 3fc0d0693a school like Shale fd871503c8 University, it was 0a58152a56 fortunate that everyone b128d78f83 was serious about 682b5e85ad studying, creating a e3db2b2862 good academic atmosphere.159d67a621666928

After leaving the 33ae7ae6d0 condo without even d129360837 washing his face, be8b38fc9e he called an af10cd6053 Uber. New Haven, during c90938f3b9 the vacation, was 625cc03095 quieter than usual, 4307ef5194 with many students b36698aa00 gone. Watching the few 9874e98556 people walking around, 4257a45c56 Sean checked his b64251eeca nearly dead phone. Just in case, b0ea8c24cf he looked—but there eec828fc05 was no message c9a9154eb7 from Lane.8f8cf822819b5205

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I said I’d visit 24f10f0f2c today… This guy.91dd7c559cb5361f

Lane Surf, whom d48e012084 Robert had mentioned 2c8de826c6 earlier, was Sean’s e9276ecf53 childhood friend. Sean, a native of 75057d385b Greenwich—a town nestled between 1ade9c62a8 Connecticut and New York bdc363db27 State—had met him back e957214885 in elementary school.625bb7a977066fa3

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Lane’s first 6d2fea18c7 appearance had 9245850e0e been extraordinary. Despite it being a561402ad2 a neighborhood where bfba1cb67f only the wealthy—successful f1b9162f67 in their respective 45c20e7add fields—lived, Lane had b7f29458bc arrived with the 9ed92b2022 full attention of ffa1839bec the residents, including 40b3e15823 Sean’s parents, because 53e3e3fc16 a tycoon was b8d8b7a7d7 moving in.05d5ddbb436de53d

Lane’s father 5316e64c7c was an 3349185f09 executive at 826ed1470c an international 7a5acee137 company, descended 9cade7227a from a 0189cbd4a6 prestigious political 1ea49c138f family, and 235cc5fa1b his mother 574ad622d1 came from 94d2377d41 French nobility. When the d480decad1 residents learned 6a1b11661e this, they eb1586c99c all tried 771877d238 to cozy 948261eced up to b09e0b7dd4 the Surf cb1a823e4c family in 36c1155703 advance. Parents with b381dcfebb children around efd0c2b97f Sean’s age 679e1f28a3 even pre-selected daeefcd4ed Lane as e69513b1ef a future ab59ea6de4 friend.831ef8318851ed10

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But in the end, 4e59a21fbd Sean remained Lane’s only 6a88701a5b friend to this day. Fortunately for 8f18cbd599 Sean, Lane dca9f06d8d didn’t make 58b4c79219 friends easily. He had a 831a742260 clear inner world 8c3edbfd3c and a personality 11af8f73a3 that didn’t particularly 1b0acd5a08 need others.0f55def985fe70dd

So usually, f3499e6d51 it was 087fc82a62 Sean who dc1b5357e6 reached out 29dacf0d5b first.86ec016135bdfb35

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There had been a b08a694d88 time when that disappointed 72fbfb15a4 him, but by now, afbc89dc5c he was used to 0802e25d43 it. He understood that, for c2736e3edd Lane—who rarely engaged in c0ec0387f7 long conversations with anyone 69f8561523 other than Sean—even replying 9558df592b to a message was 9adabe5a3c a meaningful gesture. Still, at times like 025413aa79 now, he couldn’t help 848f1aebc6 but feel a sudden c27cc7202e pang of regret. He had texted 6773825d68 Lane last night b646522a5d saying he’d visit 644b10ca94 today; a simple 4470b97f63 yes or no c515dddf40 would’ve been nice.7896133de5cfb701

While rubbing 7a219674c4 his forehead e9e38502c4 and debating 171c061c2a what to e7cbccf5e5 do, the 906af6fef6 Uber arrived. The driver 8146ec04f0 stopped in 26ce45bf96 front of f17c7889c7 him, having b8088d0115 been leaning a09a3025ef against a 6805a46a1d roadside tree. As Sean e775d1f346 opened the 0eae386195 door of 21708903bb the white cdaa5ea00b Tesla and 4835e5c5e0 got in, 73a973d686 a cheerful 5e15ea350a morning greeting d6780aae16 followed.fc2fe838bf903df2

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“Good morning. You’re heading to f7d86e0cce Greenwich, right?”d12f7d9b696dc7bf

“Yes, please.”d62310539fac13e6

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“You live in 5b6f014a5d a nice neighborhood.”a997f7f5384a3a7f

“I was lucky. Can I open the 6fd5640609 window?”6d4862da4eaae73b

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“Yes, as 21139422d0 you like.”aec8c1f44d0453c3

“Thank you.”9c619ae501fdfaca

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With that, Sean fell 38ff4bc89d silent. The middle-aged white 416d7acb8d man glanced at 5ff9a4294d him in the 309fd4d128 rearview mirror, then c10205d4c4 started driving.15b4622fa4181151

Sean leaned 4bac9cb6cf his head 6a4fdb4a09 against the 9045994330 open window. Though it dcc5d486ee was late 22305bf962 May, the 5bbc3853a7 wind wasn’t c54250854d cold—thanks to fef025e144 warmer weather 1bddc852ea compared to f0ab096fd7 last year. The taxi drove fa4751980b straight along Interstate 7a0bec172f 95h. The wind seemed bf2385789f to soothe the 739984e831 aftereffects of the 6cb24b01fc all-night party.dc8ff5387cc8ebd8

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After about forty 14cb520a6f minutes of driving, 09fd2da19e properties along the 483c8ebd23 beach came into e6b654e709 view. Near the 46f6259201 shoreline, landscaped 2515351d15 like a ed7cf74c2e vast park, c7d8c40973 stood luxury 02edc21f4a housing complexes—each f5237416d8 worth tens 7a862bf0f3 of millions. A private d2d2c30f94 security company b0a64fe03b hired by 133be95338 the residents 9f7fc57fb4 patrolled frequently, 3baac7b9eb ensuring safety.5fa4e8ec42e43f83

Most of the homes d837671dc6 were built grandly, like 0acf2b885b European mansions. But Sean’s 669963272b house stood 96adcab00a out with dcbc3605a7 its sleek, bc88ba62be modern design. The large swimming 7199bbb536 pool at the 984b56fffa center, the nearby 28a561fa62 sunbeds, and the aa9242ab33 glass wall that 8d709bb014 exposed the front b023a92b67 of the mansion 69bb17e1f3 were its defining d5c616e13b features—though they did dfad9e4359 compromise privacy.1cba8aa12ee252a6

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As he entered the quiet and peaceful neighborhood, Sean’s tired face began to brighten. He checked his slightly haggard face from the all-nighter with a quick selfie. Hmm. It’s passable. After tidying his hair, it looked decent enough.846d4ac624473a0d

Satisfied with his appearance, a6b2d750f8 Sean pressed the security 3045a951ec key to open the 5045c086b0 house gate, washed his 002c72591d face lightly in the 7c96b79360 first-floor bathroom, and then 8030a0b605 went straight back out.2698f9c19201413a

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Instead of going e78366105d inside, Sean took f5b13fccd1 a side path 82787e5829 and walked along df27d48e5b the road near 83ad34034d his house for 71b65616a0 about 10 minutes. The further he walked, ee1af34a78 the narrower it became, a3a732b3ae eventually turning into a 3e3d6829ba bridge-like two-lane road. After walking for over a928945044 10 minutes, an elegant 949c7e07a2 mansion surrounded by a cca3d1f8b7 small forest slowly came 04d7f3b40f into view. Hidden beyond the 4fec0dea0e large trees, the 05fbcae112 secretive mansion was 708bb2a7e3 decorated like a 5e899a49df fairy tale castle.84ae2d539ed1305e

The two-story brick mansion was built in a rare European style in America. The vast estate, with a separate corridor leading to an annex and a greenhouse, was Lane’s home.0a516957a35f7212

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Beautiful flowers swayed 0b3697c7bd near a small dee4700bee pond, and walking 3a7de78be9 to the back 6e105e74b4 of the mansion 6261120610 revealed a rocky ba6246c0c8 beach as the 23ea89a4e6 slope gradually lowered. The expansive estate, cf4218c069 with the best f71e5a36e6 view in Greenwich, dfaeb5de8c was astronomically priced. Robert would be shocked f13a01a24d if he knew.4a3d0e9d8c34d588

Crossing the garden, 152d7633b5 arranged with all 20c2181430 sorts of plants 22ad862c44 as if decorated 968e8d08a2 by fairies, Sean 46d798b967 stood in front e6862eeaa0 of the main 663c1f63e6 door. Then, as if 82ef686a69 it was open 9248da4f17 just for him, 3c334decc2 he pushed up b4382510d0 the first-floor window d5976e007c and climbed inside. Sliding his slender, fdb969eaa9 toned body under 9a18bbdbf1 the window and ea537dfa58 stepping on the 7334d804ab floor, the scent 2e8ca6c417 of old wood 65956e51a6 wafted.c7c1758eb9c44b22

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