He was even directing the workers on which walls to tear down and which areas to remodel.

Aurora felt a swell of gratitude.

“Ian, why are you here so early?” She glanced at the time–it was just past eight. She had thought she was early, only to find him already waiting.

When Ian saw her, he quickly turned and greeted her.

“Good morning, Boss. I figured since I had nothing else to do, better to come here early and keep an eye on the renovations. That way, once the studio is finished, we won’t be pressed for time before the opening. Since the date is already set, I need to make sure the progress stays on track.”

He looked completely serious, as if this were his own project. Yet Aurora hadn’t even asked him to do any of it. It was all out of his own initiative.

Her heart warmed. “Are you sure you can handle this physically?”

“Don’t worry, Boss, this is nothing,” Ian chuckled. “I know you care, and I appreciate it. But this level of work is easy–I’ve been through far tougher days than this. Besides, this is our hope for the future. Doing this doesn’t feel hard at all–I actually enjoy it.”

“Good. When the studio is done, you’ll stand with us at the ribbon-cutting.” Aurora patted his shoulder.

The two of them threw themselves into preparing the studio.

By late morning, Megan came rushing in, still chewing on a bun.

“Morning, Aurora, Ian!” she called out suddenly.

At her voice, they both turned around.

Aurora gave her an exasperated look. “Do you even know what time it is? Morning? The sun’s practically overhead–you’re only just showing up.”

Megan dropped the bun from her mouth and scratched her head sheepishly. “Oh, I overslept. My mom had to wake me up this morning.”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing urgent here anyway.” Aurora was only teasing. In truth, this project didn’t require so many people watching over it. The main thing was that Aurora didn’t want Megan lounging around at home doing nothing. She hoped Megan could have more involvement, so later on she would care more about the studio’s projects–as if watching her own child grow up. Megan’s parents had guessed Aurora’s intention too, which was why they pushed their daughter to come on time. Better for her to follow Aurora and learn something than waste time at home; at least this way, she had a steady job.

“So, is there anything I can do?”

Megan quickly swallowed the bun in her mouth and looked around eagerly. If she had dragged herself out of bed so early, she certainly didn’t want to stand idle.

Aurora glanced around but didn’t see much that needed doing.

“Then think about what to order for lunch. Get food delivered for the workers,” she said after a moment. It was the most fitting task for Megan at this stage. After all, the studio wasn’t finished yet, and there was no real project work for Megan to take on.

Sure enough, Megan lit up at her words and raised her hand happily. “This I’m good at! Leave it to me, no problem at all!”