Chapter 64

Tara had not anticipated that her attempt to conceal herself would be so conspicuous. Stiffly, she retorted, "Mr. Farnell, you're reading too much into this. Why would I be hiding from any of you?" Soren lowered his gaze and smiled. He did not challenge her again; instead, he simply stared at her, creating an inexplicable sense of unease within her. Just as she diverted her gaze, a tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped between her and Soren, effectively separating them. Lance's voice was cold as he said, "Enough talking. Let's head inside first." He moved behind her, his hand casually nudging her forward, though his arm subtly encircled her waist. Tara assumed he was concerned about delaying the cable car. A bit flustered, she quickly entered, not fully registering whether Lance was guiding or holding her. She took the innermost seat on the left, and Lance followed her into the cable car, sitting beside her.

Soren sat directly across from Tara, his displeasure evident as he thoughtfully observed Lance beside her, a contemplative look on his face. Jonah occupied the seat next to Soren, while Shawn took the remaining seat next to Lance. The cable car doors closed, and they began their slow ascent. Tara gazed at the sky, the setting sun painting the clouds in hues of red. The higher they climbed, the more breathtaking the view became.

Her courage faltered as the cable car ascended, and she could not bring herself to glance below. Her body stiffened, fingers clutching the railing in an instinctive reaction. Beneath the brim of her hat, her delicate features betrayed her growing unease. When the cable car suddenly jolted, terror seized her. She nearly screamed but managed to stifle the sound, her heart pounding in her chest.

She nervously acknowledged to herself that acrophobia was not something easily conquered—certainly not for her. She inadvertently noticed Soren filming her with his phone, a playful smile on his face. Tara could already imagine him mocking her fear with the video, but her terror was so profound that she couldn't utter a sound, too scared to care about his filming. "Are you scared?" Lance asked softly, concern evident in his voice. Tara nodded silently.

"I'm a bit afraid of heights." Soren, overhearing her, chimed in, "You don't look like you're just a little scared." Tara wanted to glare at him, but another jolt of the cable car froze her in fear. Lance was now slightly concerned. "Why didn't you tell us you were afraid of heights beforehand?" he asked. Had they known of her acrophobia, the route would have been adjusted without hesitation. After all, the view could be admired at any other time.

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Tara took a moment before softly replying, "It's fine. It'll be over soon." Soren paused briefly, perhaps surprised by the extent of her fear. Yet, even as anxiety gripped her, she refused to give in, holding herself together through sheer willpower. Jonah glanced at Tara for a fleeting moment, taking in her struggle against her acrophobia.

But his focus soon shifted back to the view outside the cable car, his face retaining its usual air of indifference, as if her fear held no significance to him. The cable car reached the summit. Jonah and Shawn were the first to exit. Tara stood up gingerly, her body trembling as she prepared to disembark.

Shawn extended his hand toward her and politely reminded her, "Be careful." Tara was not overly afraid of getting off, but with Shawn's kind gesture in front of everyone, refusing would have been impolite. She took his wrist, but somehow his hand ended up enveloping hers. With others waiting, she had no choice but to rely on his support to step off quickly. The gentle touch of Tara's hand caused Shawn to pause, his grasp slipping for a brief moment. His focus was entirely on managing her fear.

Tara did not notice the slight change in Shawn's expression, nor did she realize that Lance had been quietly guarding her from behind. The gust of wind upon stepping off blew her hat up. As she reached to tighten the strings, the reality struck her: Shawn still held her hand. His hand was warm against her cold one. Tara tried to pull her hand away, but his grip tightened. Confusion flickered across Lance's face. "Mr. Willer…" he said calmly, releasing her hand. "Your hand is cold." Tara, momentarily suspicious, now focused on his words. She awkwardly explained, "I have poor blood circulation; I must have made you cold just now." Lance gently replied, "It's fine," then turned his attention elsewhere. Tara was about to respond when a strong wind hit her. The mountaintop wind was intense, making it hard to keep her eyes open. Thankfully, the journey up there would have been colder.

She quickly held her hat in place and tightened the strings. As she lifted her gaze, the wind seemed to soften. What she saw was a tall, imposing figure standing humbly ahead. Tara looked at Shawn, who had pleasantly surprised her, and her admiration for him grew. He was nothing like the gentlemanly scoundrel depicted. After thanking Shawn, Tara took out her phone and began capturing pictures. Despite her story's inaccuracies, Shawn was gentle and polite.

She decided to document this moment, knowing she was already there. As they were about to leave the mountaintop, Tara noticed that Soren's enthusiasm had waned. Uncharacteristically, he had fallen silent. Tara found herself admiring the unpredictability of Shawn's character. He was truly intriguing. Tara remained quiet, keeping her interactions minimal to avoid any trouble.

The most daunting moment for Tara had finally arrived as they boarded the cable car again to return to the vacation villa. Tara couldn't respond; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The assistants boarded the cable car ahead of her, and as she was about to step in, Sariah's assistant stopped her and pointed toward another cable car at the back. "You'll link up with Mr. Prenum and the others." Tara was speechless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape this cable car at the back. Facing the group at the summit, she...