Chapter 2

I tidied up the things on the floor and hurried to the kitchen to prepare for the soup.

While the soup was simmering, I prepared some easy-to-digest side dishes.

When I came out of the kitchen again, I saw that he seemed to be asleep. I approached him gently and called, "Mr. Gates?"

"Hmm." He didn't open his eyes but responded to me.

"Would you like to eat now?"

"Sure. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that I might have made up for my earlier mistake.

As he started eating, I busied myself in the kitchen, my mind replaying the scene from before, causing my face to heat up involuntarily.

I patted my cheeks, muttering to myself, "Calm down, calm down... It's nothing!"

"Lily, what are you doing?" Simon's voice came from behind, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Perhaps feeling guilty, I suddenly became nervous and turned to hold onto the sink. "I... I'm washing dishes."

He chuckled, reaching over me to place a stack of bowls into the sink. "Thanks for your breakfast."

For a moment, my heart skipped a beat.

"Next time, I can take care of it." I said.

He looked at me and asked, "Are you the 'Beautiful Lily'?"

My heart raced, and my face felt hot again. I couldn't help but blush. "Thanks for your compliment..."

Simon's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I meant your WhatsApp alias."

"Oh, right!" I quickly turned back to washing the dishes, wishing I could vanish into thin air.

"Sorry for forgetting to accept your friend request before."

The air suddenly felt still. I sneaked a glance back, but he had already left.

When I finished my tasks, I saw a message from him: "Lily, I'm taking the day off at home today. Once you're done, feel free to do your own thing, but please keep it quiet. Also, there's no need to tidy the second floor today unless I ask. Liz should have informed you of the rest. Thanks for your hard work and collaboration."

The rest of the day went smoothly. As I was leaving in the evening, he even mentioned that my skills were on par with my mother's, acknowledging my efforts as a housekeeper.

That night, I gave my mom a brief account of my impressive performance, and she was overjoyed that I had secured this lucrative job. She was all over me with joy for the rest of the evening.

Ultimately, I had to get rid of her because I had a thesis to work on.

Locked in my room, I still couldn't focus on my thesis at all. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, I finally called my best friend to spill the beans about the day's events.

"Did I fall for him at first sight?"

"Honey, you surely do. You're clearly head over heels for his looks, haha!"

"Why does everything sound so suggestive when you say it?"

"Stop pretending. It's natural to admire the handsome. Sweetie, if you like him, go for it. Only the brave ones deserve romance!"

"Don't listen to her!" I heard my friend's boyfriend on the other end of the line.

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Wait."

"Sweetie, ah!"

And then, the call was abruptly cut off. What the heck? They just made me more annoyed.

I decided to join my parents in the living room to watch TV. After a while, I started probing, "Mom, does Simon live alone?"

"During the time I've been there, yes."

Mom was engrossed in the TV, not catching on to my intentions at all.

So, I got straight to the point. "He's got such good circumstances. Doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

"I haven't seen him bring any women home. Since he's not young anymore, he probably has a girlfriend. Maybe he brings her over at night, or perhaps it's because he attaches great importance to privacy. Why are you asking?" Mom glanced at me, seemed to suddenly catch on.

I pretended to be focused on the TV, casually replying, "Nothing, just curious."

"A good housekeeper respects the employer's privacy. Keep your curiosity in check and do your job well. Don't get complacent just because you started off well..." Mom launched into her lecture.

I pretended to be attentive, nodding along. The information I got from Mom made me think Simon was single, and I was secretly delighted because I had a crush on him."

But half a month later, my assumption was shattered.