Chapter 90: Field visit I

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Field visit I

Chapter 87

Part 1A (Revised)

Saturday morning arrived bright beneath a clear summer sky.

By the time Vivienne and Claire left Rosemont Hall, the university grounds had already begun to stir with students making their way toward various weekend activities.

Claire adjusted the strap of her satchel as they stepped onto the familiar stone pathway.

"I’m actually excited."

Vivienne smiled.

"So am I."

Claire laughed softly.

"We’ve spent weeks planning."

"And now we’re finally doing something."

Before Vivienne could reply, two familiar voices greeted them from the intersecting pathway.

"There you are."

Eleanor lifted a hand as she and Amelia approached.

"We thought we’d catch up with you somewhere along the way," Amelia said with a smile.

Without another thought, the four naturally fell into step.

Claire glanced toward Amelia.

"So?"

"How’s the charity fair coming along?"

Amelia laughed.

"I already have pages of ideas."

"My problem now is deciding which ones are actually realistic."

Claire grinned.

"That’s a much better problem than having no ideas at all."

"What about Books Beyond the Shelf?"

Amelia asked.

Claire smiled.

"I’ve been exchanging emails with the library coordinator."

"They’ve already started preparing materials we’d like to review."

"I wasn’t expecting things to move this quickly."

Eleanor adjusted her satchel.

"Our clinic coordinator sent yesterday’s schedule."

"It looks like we’ll mostly be observing first."

"I suppose they want us to understand how everything works before assigning us anything."

"That makes sense," Amelia agreed.

Claire turned toward Vivienne.

"What about your project?"

"We’re meeting the community coordinators first," Vivienne replied.

"Jessica said today will mostly be about understanding how the current distribution network works."

"So observation before implementation," Eleanor said.

Vivienne nodded.

"Exactly."

Claire smiled.

"I suppose that’s the sensible way to do it."

"If we started changing everything on the first day..."

"We’d probably create more problems than we’d solve."

The four laughed together.

Before long, the familiar stone façade of the Ashford Foundation came into view.

As expected, the courtyard was already alive with activity.

Several Foundation vehicles stood waiting near the entrance while volunteers carried supplies between the building and the parking area.

Some outreach teams had already begun boarding.

Others gathered around project leaders, reviewing attendance sheets, schedules, and supply lists before departing.

It was a familiar sight.

The Foundation’s work continued every day of the week.

Saturdays simply happened to be the one day student volunteers became part of it.

As they stepped through the front gate, Vivienne’s eyes instinctively searched the courtyard.

She was looking for her group.

She found it almost immediately.

Or rather...

She found Damian.

He stood beside a dark silver Toyota Alphard, quietly speaking with the driver while a clipboard rested comfortably in one hand.

Peter was nearby, checking several supply boxes against a handwritten inventory before arranging them neatly near the rear of the vehicle.

For a moment, Vivienne simply watched.

There was something about seeing Damian quietly coordinating the preparations that simply felt... right.

He spoke with the driver before glancing down at the itinerary, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words with Peter as another box was shifted into place.

There was no urgency.

No unnecessary commands.

Just the calm assurance of someone who naturally stepped forward whenever responsibility called.

"...Oh."

Claire followed Vivienne’s line of sight.

"It’s Damian."

Amelia looked over as well.

"...Honestly."

"I know we’ve said this before..."

Claire laughed.

"But he’s ridiculously handsome."

"It’s actually unfair."

Amelia placed a hand over her heart.

"If he’d been assigned as my Senior Coordinator..."

Claire immediately nodded.

"My workload would instantly feel a thousand times lighter."

"I’d become the most enthusiastic Project Lead in Foundation history."

Eleanor looked at both of them with quiet amusement.

"I don’t believe either of those are valid management strategies."

"They are if your Senior Coordinator looks like Damian," Claire replied without missing a beat.

Amelia nodded solemnly.

"I completely agree."

Eleanor only shook her head.

"You two are hopeless."

Vivienne couldn’t help laughing.

"You’ve already decided he’s out of your league."

"We have," Amelia admitted.

"But appreciating beauty from a respectful distance is perfectly harmless."

Claire smiled at Vivienne.

"And you’re lucky."

Vivienne blinked.

"Hm?"

"You ended up with Damian as your Senior Coordinator."

"I’d happily trade."

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I don’t think Foundation assignments work that way."

"Unfortunately," Amelia sighed dramatically.

Almost as though sensing someone approaching, Damian looked up.

The moment he spotted the four of them, an easy smile crossed his face.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Damian," Claire greeted naturally.

"Good morning," Amelia added.

Eleanor smiled.

"Morning."

Peter looked up from the supply boxes and offered them a friendly nod.

"Morning."

As the four reached them, Damian closed the clipboard.

"You’re early."

Claire smiled.

"We should be."

"We’re Project Leads now."

"I think we’re supposed to set a good example."

A hint of amusement flickered across Damian’s face.

"I won’t argue with that."

Peter chuckled quietly before returning to the last of the supplies.

Almost at the same time, Claire happened to glance across the courtyard.

"Oh."

"That’s my team."

A small group of students had begun gathering near another Foundation vehicle, several of them waving in her direction.

Amelia looked farther ahead before smiling.

"Looks like mine’s gathering too."

Eleanor followed their gazes.

"So is mine."

Claire turned back to Vivienne.

"Good luck today."

Vivienne smiled warmly.

"You too."

Amelia stepped forward and gave her a quick hug.

"Don’t work too hard on the first day."

Vivienne laughed.

"I’ll try."

Eleanor adjusted the strap of her satchel.

"See you this afternoon."

"See you."

With one last wave, the three headed toward their respective project teams.

Before long, they disappeared into the bustle of the Foundation courtyard, leaving Vivienne with Damian and Peter once more.

--

While waiting for the other members to arrive, Vivienne’s attention wandered across the courtyard. Then, she finally found him.

Not far away, another project team had gathered beside one of the Foundation vans.

Standing among them was Anthony.

He was speaking with one of the Foundation coordinators while Lady Evelyn Sinclair and the rest of her team reviewed several documents spread neatly across a folding table.

Even from where she stood, Anthony looked entirely focused on the discussion.

Calm.

Composed.

Every bit the representative of House Ashford.

As though sensing her gaze, Anthony looked up.

Their eyes met across the courtyard.

He acknowledged her with a polite inclination of his head before returning his attention to the Foundation coordinator, who had continued speaking.

Vivienne felt her heart give a small leap.

A smile found its way onto her face almost instinctively.

She returned the greeting with a small nod of her own.

Her gaze lingered on him for another moment.

Anthony was already with Lady Sinclair’s team.

...

A tiny part of her wished he were walking over to her instead.

The thought escaped before she could stop it.

...

Honestly.

Anthony had said from the very beginning that he intended to work more closely with the Community Skills and Empowerment initiative.

Everyone had heard him say it.

There was no point feeling disappointed over something she had known from the start.

Besides...

A quiet smile returned to her lips.

Anthony had asked about her examinations.

He had been the one to bring up the arrangements for the Founders’ Ball.

She still remembered how Anthony had simply turned his full attention to her.

He hadn’t looked annoyed.

He hadn’t said he was busy.

Instead...

He had spoken with her as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Thinking about it now still made her heart feel a little lighter.

They were moving forward.

Slowly...

But they were.

She could be patient.

--

A few moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps drew everyone’s attention.

"Good morning!"

Jessica walked toward them with a folder tucked beneath one arm.

"I hope I’m not late."

Damian smiled.

"Not at all."

"We’re still early."

Jessica let out a relieved breath.

"Good."

Almost on cue, Oliver and Sophia entered through the front gate.

Oliver looked around before spotting the group.

"There you are."

"I was starting to think we’d be the last ones."

Sophia laughed.

"I told you we’d make it."

"You did," Oliver admitted.

Damian looked around the group, quietly confirming everyone had arrived.

"Looks like we’re complete."

He turned toward the waiting driver.

"Everyone, this is Mr. Santos."

"He’ll be driving us today."

The middle-aged man offered the students a warm smile.

"Good morning, everyone."

"It’s nice to meet all of you."

"Good morning, Mr. Santos," the group greeted almost in unison.

Mr. Santos nodded pleasantly.

"I hope you’ll enjoy today’s visit."

Damian folded the itinerary neatly.

"If everyone is ready..."

He gestured toward the vehicle.

"...let’s head out."

Peter climbed into the rearmost row first, with Oliver following after him.

Sophia settled into the remaining seat beside them.

Jessica stepped inside next.

Vivienne approached the open sliding door.

As she leaned forward to enter—

Damian’s hand had already lifted to the upper edge of the doorway.

"Careful."

Vivienne instinctively ducked beneath his hand before climbing inside.

Once she had settled into her seat, she looked back with a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

Their eyes met briefly.

Damian gave a small nod.

"Of course."

He slid the door closed.

For the briefest moment, his hand remained on the handle before slowly curling into a loose fist.

Other people don’t know your history.

Julian’s words surfaced without warning.

To him, the gesture had been entirely natural.

Even so...

Julian’s words had left their mark.

The thought came.

And just as quietly, it passed.

Damian relaxed his hand, walked around the front of the vehicle, and settled into the passenger seat beside Mr. Santos.

He turned slightly toward the others.

"Everyone ready?"

A chorus of nods answered him.

The engine came to life with a soft hum.

As the dark silver Alphard rolled out of the Ashford Foundation courtyard, the students settled into their seats.

Ahead of them lay the first community visit of the semester.

And with it...

the first real step in bringing their projects beyond the university gates.