Chapter 9
"Mr. Vance! Why are you sleeping on the couch?"
When the housekeeper arrived for work that morning, the moment he stepped onto the second floor, he found Lawrence asleep on the couch.
And there was a woman beside him.
Lawrence opened his eyes.
The rising sunlight was a little too bright, so he lifted a hand to shield his face.
Then he heard a lazy, sleepy mumble.
"Ugh... don't wake me. Give me three more minutes, then I'll get up and feed the pigs."
Lawrence:
"......"
Emma was sitting on the carpet with her upper body sprawled across the couch.
She had nothing covering her.
Hearing the voice, she shifted her face slightly against her arms.
Her delicate features were pale and flawless, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows over her cheeks.
She really was beautiful.
Sleeping quietly like that, she looked almost like a painting.
Her nose was perfectly shaped, and her soft pink lips looked—
Very kissable.
The moment Lawrence realized what he was thinking, he immediately stopped himself.
Focus.
His attention shifted elsewhere.
She slept like this all night?
His gaze fell on the cup sitting on the coffee table.
There was still a straw inside.
Beside it lay a towel neatly folded into a long strip.
Lawrence's eyes grew deeper.
She's been this careful with me...
Just how much does she like me?
"Mr. Vance—"
"Shh. Keep your voice down."
Lawrence quietly cut off the housekeeper.
"Close the curtains."
He remembered what had happened after he took the fever medicine last night.
Emma had gone back and forth to the bathroom several times, replacing the towel on his forehead.
She had started with a cold towel.
After a while, she switched to a warm one.
He had eventually drifted off to sleep and had no idea what time she had finally gone to bed.
Carefully, Lawrence stood up from the couch and looked down at her.
He considered whether he should move her onto the couch so she could sleep more comfortably.
She carried me last night.
I suppose I can return the favor.
With that thought, he bent down and effortlessly scooped her up.
She's so light.
She's this skinny, yet she carried me last night?
What if she'd thrown out her back?
A helpless smile appeared at the corner of Lawrence's lips.
The housekeeper quietly closed the curtains.
Then he turned around—
And froze.
His boss was holding Emma in his arms.
And smiling.
The housekeeper practically lit up.
Finally!
I can finally use one of those lines from the short dramas I'm always watching.
"It's been so long since I've seen Mr. Vance smile like this!"
Lawrence:
"......"
He immediately put Emma down on the couch.
She instinctively shifted into a more comfortable position and went straight back to sleep.
It wasn't surprising.
She hadn't fallen asleep until after three in the morning, and it wasn't even seven yet.
Lawrence turned around and glared at the housekeeper.
"Don't say unnecessary things."
If she hears that, she'll misunderstand.
Although it would be perfectly understandable for her to fall for me...
There's simply no room in my heart for anyone else.
At exactly eight, Emma's alarm went off.
She sat straight up in bed in one sudden motion.
When the alarm went off, she absolutely could not go back to sleep.
Otherwise, three minutes would somehow turn into three hours.
Don't ask how I know.
It was Monday.
She still had to go to work.
Even after submitting her resignation, she had to finish the handover before she could officially stop going in.
Emma scratched her messy hair and looked around the unfamiliar room.
For a moment, she was completely confused.
Oh.
I'm at Lawrence's house.
Then she remembered.
Right! Where's Lawrence?
Wasn't he sleeping on the couch?
Did an ambulance come and take him away in the middle of the night?
She quickly put on her shoes and headed downstairs.
Her hair was still a mess when she spotted the housekeeper.
"Where's Mr. Vance?"
The housekeeper had a strange smile on his face.
"Miss Carter, Mr. Vance is having breakfast in the dining room."
Emma stared at his expression suspiciously.
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Housekeeper, tell me quietly... did you win the lottery?"
The housekeeper looked confused.
"No."
"Then why are you smiling like that?"
"Miss Carter, you're the first woman Mr. Vance has ever let stay overnight."
His smile widened.
"Of course I'm happy for you."
Emma:
"......"
She instinctively asked,
"Isabelle never stayed here?"
Lawrence happened to walk out of the dining room just in time to hear the question.
His expression immediately darkened.
"That's none of your business."
Emma instantly switched back into professional mode.
She lowered her head.
"I understand, Mr. Vance."
Lawrence turned and headed upstairs, leaving Emma with nothing but his tall, long-legged back.
Emma pouted.
The housekeeper hurriedly whispered,
"Miss Carter, Mr. Vance is just cold on the outside. He's actually soft-hearted. Don't take it personally."
Based on his lifelong experience as a single man, the housekeeper was absolutely convinced that Lawrence wasn't nearly as cold as he pretended to be.
Emma waved dismissively.
"It's fine."
The housekeeper continued,
"Mr. Vance said he was vomiting and had diarrhea last night, and then developed a fever. Thank you for taking care of him."
Emma frowned.
"Vomiting and diarrhea? Did he eat something bad?"
"I'm not really sure."
Emma hadn't expected even rich people to get food poisoning.
The housekeeper suddenly remembered something.
Then he grinned.
"Miss Carter, you mentioned the lottery earlier. Now that I think about it, I actually won fifteen thousand dollars on a scratch-off yesterday."
Emma:
"......"
My own bad luck is depressing enough.
But other people's good luck?
That's just cruel.
Emma's expression went completely flat.
"Housekeeper, we're just friends!"
You really don't have to tell me all this!
I was just making conversation!
Look what you've done. Now I'm upset.
Feeling slightly miserable, Emma went upstairs to get her bag.
The housekeeper stood there, stunned.
What did Miss Carter just say?
She considers me a friend?
He actually liked Emma much more than Isabelle.
At least she never looked down on the household staff.
Emma herself wasn't from an especially privileged background, but she was someone who regularly interacted with Lawrence.
A lot of people assumed that the kind of people you associated with somehow determined your own status.
But in the six months Emma had been coming here, she had never once spoken disrespectfully to any of the staff.
Everyone at the mansion liked her.
Whenever she came over, the chef would even prepare some of her favorite food and pack extra for her to take home.
The chef's reasoning was simple:
The girl actually knows how to appreciate good food.
Unlike Mr. Vance.
The housekeeper suddenly felt emotional.
What am I supposed to do?
I'm starting to like Miss Carter more and more too.
If she and Mr. Vance actually get together...
I don't even want to imagine how cheerful this household would become.
Upstairs, Emma found her bag beside the couch.
She was wondering whether she should buy a scratch-off ticket later.
Maybe she could get lucky and win fifteen thousand dollars too.
She grabbed the bag casually.
Unfortunately, she only caught one side of the strap.
The moment she lifted it, everything inside spilled onto the floor.
Including the stun gun.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
Emma's eyes widened.
She immediately bent down, grabbed the stun gun, and shoved it back into her bag.
Unfortunately—
Lawrence had just happened to see her stuffing a long, cylindrical object into her purse.
He frowned.
"What was that?"
Emma hurriedly picked up the rest of her belongings—tissues, foundation, lipstick, and various other things.
At the same time, she hugged her bag protectively against her chest.
"Nothing. Nothing!"
If my client realizes I trust him so little that I bring a stun gun whenever I come over...
Can this working relationship even continue?
Once everything was back in her bag, Emma didn't linger.
She hurried downstairs.
She didn't even pack breakfast.
She practically fled the mansion.
Lawrence narrowed his eyes.
That object...
Judging from the shape, it looked suspiciously like—
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
His entire face turned red.
Does she think she needs something like that to... spice things up because she's worried I won't be interested in her?
This woman!
She really thinks too much.
Way too much.
He had absolutely no interest in her.
And certainly no interest in that.
No.
He needed to remind her again.
Lawrence took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing.
He wasn't entirely sure whether he was angry or simply—
Never mind.
He picked up his phone and sent her a message.
After all, she'd taken such good care of him last night.
He could at least spare her a little embarrassment.
Blue Bay Estates wasn't particularly far from the city.
The weather had cleared up, so finding a cab was easy.
Emma sat in the back seat, her heart still pounding.
Thank God.
Thank God Lawrence didn't see what it was.
Otherwise, this would've been unbelievably embarrassing.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
A message from Lawrence.