Love Unspoken

"I'm not that impressive, just curious," Alexander said.

"Curious about coffins?" Quinn gave him a weird look. Who in their right mind would be into coffins?

Alexander shrugged. "I've never seen anyone keep coffins at home. If it was normal to keep bodies at home, there'd be more coffins around. So, maybe these coffins are for future use or something else, and if that's the case, they should be empty."

"But some of them are sealed, which means there's definitely something fishy going on. I just didn't expect there'd be gold in them," Alexander added.

Quinn nodded, taking in his explanation.

She had been too freaked out, while Alexander was busy figuring out what was up with the coffins.

'People really are different,' Quinn thought.

Seeing Kyle approach, she quickly asked, "Kyle, how's Calvin doing?"

Kyle grinned. "He's doing great, full of energy. He's probably still messing around with his house right now."

"What house?" Quinn asked.

"You'll see when you get there," Kyle replied.

Kyle filled her in on the island situation. Since it was out at sea, getting supplies and materials was a real hassle. After living in a concrete jungle for so long, they wanted to try something more rustic.

So, they ditched the idea of concrete buildings and went with wood and stone, which was both eco-friendly and pretty cool. Quinn was intrigued and couldn't wait to check out the island.

After about five hours of sailing, they finally reached the island. From the outside, it still looked like a forest, with no buildings in sight.

"I don't see any houses," Quinn said.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kennedy. We left the outer trees to protect against typhoons and seawater. When picking an island, you gotta think about the geography. This place won't have tsunamis, but typhoons are another story," Kyle explained. The outer trees were left untouched. After getting off the boat, Quinn noticed a small path leading inward. It was paved with stone slabs and had wooden railings on both sides. The underbrush had been cleared and replaced with lawns, making the area look super neat, almost like a park.

"It'll take a while to finish laying the lawns in the forest, but the paths are mostly done," Kyle said.

Quinn nodded and followed them inside. "Haven't you run into any wild animals here?"

"Yeah, there are squirrels and rabbits, but no big wild animals. There are snakes and centipedes, but don't worry, we've cleared out the scary ones," Kyle assured her.

The path was pretty long, taking about ten minutes to reach the buildings. The open space there was quite large, and they had even put up an arch at the entrance.

Inside, there were various wooden houses of different shapes. They had kept the bigger trees and cleared the smaller ones. The houses were built among these crisscrossing large trees, giving the area a unique and charming vibe. Kyle said, "Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy, would you like to build a house yourselves?"

"Can I?" Quinn asked.

"Of course, you can. Most of us built our own houses, though some aren't very skilled. See that house over there? That's what happens when you're not very skilled," Kyle said.

Quinn followed his gesture and saw a small wooden hut nestled among the larger wooden houses. It was roughly the size of a toilet, with walls made of planks, a wooden board for a roof, and a wooden door.

"Is that a house? I thought it was... a toilet," Quinn said.

"It is a house. Let me show you," Kyle said as he walked ahead and pushed open the door.

Indeed, it was a house. Inside, there was just a bed and a makeshift shelf made of wooden planks and sticks, holding some daily items.

'What a shabby house,' Quinn thought.

"He couldn't build it well, and you didn't help him?" Quinn asked.

"Mrs. Kennedy, you don't understand. Building it himself gives him a sense of accomplishment, even if it looks shabby. He didn't want help, and he's happy living there," Kyle explained.

Hearing Kyle's words, Quinn felt a bit eager to try it herself. She looked back at Alexander, "Should we build one too?"

Alexander smiled, "If you want to do it, I'll do it with you."

"Alright, let's build a house ourselves. I'll ask Abigail later; I'm sure she'll be interested in this too," Quinn said.

"Let's see Calvin first and talk about this later," Alexander reminded her.

Quinn finally remembered her main purpose for coming here, which was to find Calvin. How did they end up talking about building houses?

"Right, I almost forgot. Let's go quickly," Quinn said.

Kyle knew where Calvin was and led the way. The first part of the path was empty because everyone was busy working.

After walking about a mile, the noise of drills and machinery reached them.

"Is there electricity on the island?" Quinn asked in surprise.

"Generators," Kyle replied.

"Oh, right," Quinn said.

Soon, they saw people busy building houses. To Quinn's surprise, there were many women and even some elderly men among them. "Who are these people?" Quinn asked.

"They're family members of some friends. They came voluntarily. Since we're planning to settle on the island, everyone is very happy," Kyle explained. Before coming here, they agreed that no one would be forced to join. Participation was entirely voluntary.

Kyle said, "Only a small number of family members are here now. Once we finish building, more people will come, and it will be lively."

Watching the busy figures, Quinn felt a sudden surge of emotion.

She thought of another question. "So there will be children here in the future?"

"Definitely. Don't worry about that. There will be schools and teachers," Kyle assured her.

"What if they want to go outside in the future? To work elsewhere? Even if they gain knowledge, will our diplomas be recognized outside?" Quinn asked.

Kyle smiled, "Mr. Kennedy didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Quinn looked back at Alexander.

Alexander said, "Don't worry about that. Since they stay here, we'll ensure their livelihood."

Kyle nodded. "Yes, as long as you have money, you can solve anything. People work for money, right? We'll pay them, so they won't lack money. Whether they want to experience life outside or pursue their dreams, as long as they have money, it's no problem."

"That makes sense," Quinn said.

"So, Mrs. Kennedy, don't worry," Kyle reassured her.

Quinn frowned. "But if too many people leave, won't it be unsafe here?"novelbin

"What's there to be unsafe about? Our island doesn't have many resources. And don't forget what Calvin does-we're well-armed. Unless some countries send warships and fighter jets, other forces won't be able to do much," Kyle explained. "I mean, won't the news that Calvin is still alive get out?" Quinn asked.

"It shouldn't. Everyone knows he's dead. Even if they find out, it would be hard for them to attack us," Kyle assured her.

"What are you talking about?" A sudden voice interrupted their conversation. Quinn turned around excitedly.

It was Calvin. Dressed in a blue T-shirt and floral shorts, with sunglasses on, he looked like a tourist on a tropical vacation-except for the claw hammer in his hand.

"Calvin!" Quinn exclaimed.

"Quinn!" Calvin responded.

He dropped the claw hammer and ran to Quinn, hugging her tightly.