The next morning, Isla Prescott returned to East Lane.
Her mother, Susan Dudley, had already composed herself. She had rolled up her sleeves and was bustling about in the yard, enthusiastically preparing potatoes for her afternoon stall. Only then did Isla Prescott feel relieved. She returned to the studio to start her own work.
Although the grand opening event was over, there was still a mountain of follow-up tasks to wrap up.
Isla Prescott buried her head in work all morning. At noon, Annabelle Leighton ordered takeout. Isla had just washed her hands and was about to go to the breakroom to eat when she heard Kiki Ford call out "Young Mr. Shaw" from the entrance.
She thought she had misheard.
Shane Sterling might be nonchalant, but he wasn't some jobless drifter. As the head of Meritopia's top publicly listed company, Sterling Group, he couldn't possibly be idle enough to drop by their studio every day.
