Chapter Five: "Can you keep a secret?"

It’s been a long time since Zeus ate in the dining area—back when they were still like a happy family years ago. And now that he was going to eat there, Gracia made big preparations. She made sure that the area was clean, cooked everything Zeus wanted, and even tasked the girls to fill the vase with fresh flowers from the garden.

"Tell me what happened earlier. How was your encounter with Master Zeus?" Ashley asked while picking some flowers in the garden.

"I almost died," Noane answered sarcastically, crossing her legs comfortably while scrolling on the phone she had borrowed to her. "I think it was the end of the world. The devil of this house finally took a day off." She added with a grimace.

"Ah, ah! That can't be true. I still want to get married and have my own family," Ashley immediately disagreed. "Wait..." She paused from what she doing. "if Master Zeus isn't going to work for a while, does that mean you can't go out at night anymore?"

"Sshh! Be quiet. Someone might hear you!" Noane immediately scolded her, scanning the entire garden. "You know there are many guards in the mansion," she added before returning to what she was doing.

Ashley just grimaced. She was nervous for her friend, but she didn't seem to care. "Don't go out at night for now," she said seriously. "I’m the one nervous for you, and surely Auntie is, too."

Instead of taking her friend’s words seriously, Noane just laughed at her. She put down the phone she was holding and looked at her. "You know what? You and Nanang should stop drinking coffee. You’re too nervous. Chill, okay? I’ve been doing this for three years, have I ever been caught?" she replied confidently in a low voice.

"That’s probably because Master Zeus comes home at dawn." She glared at her and then rolled her eyes.

"What difference does that make? He doesn't care about me anyway, and it's not as if he's going to check my room." It was clear that Noane didn't want to lose the argument.

"By the way, who were you talking to earlier?" Ashley asked, remembering that she had called someone when she borrowed her phone.

Noane froze for a moment at the question before replying, "Can you keep a secret?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow, especially given the serious tone of the question. "What kind of nonsense did you do that I don't know about, huh?" She narrowed her eyes at her.

Noane smiled widely and motioned for her friend to come closer. "Come here!" She checked her surroundings to make sure no one else was around, as if what she was about to say shouldn't be heard by anyone else.

"You’re not even helping here, and now you want me to stop working too," Ashley complained before moving closer to her. "What is it?"

Noane showed her the social media account of a man she had been stalking earlier. "He invited me to his birthday party next week," she said, blushing.

For the second time, she raised her eyebrow at what her friend said and looked closely at the photo. "I thought there were handsomes, but they weren't your type?" she asked, remembering what her friend had said earlier. "Looks like he's totally your type. You liked almost all of his posts with a heart... In fairness, he really is handsome. He looks like a model... Did you meet him at the club?"

"Shh! Lower your voice." She pulled Ashley closer and whispered, "Yes, I met him like 3 years ago—"

"3 years ago?!" Ashley interrupted in a shocked, hushed tone. "And you're only telling me this now?"

Noane could only scratch her head. "Well, I thought you might tell Nanang, that's why I'm only telling you now," she excused herself. "Anyway, he is Alistair Cunningham, the famous racer here in the Philippines. Don't you know him?" She quickly changed the subject so her friend wouldn't ask any further questions. She couldn't deny that she had an interest in the man. Aside from being kind, he was also handsome. She liked to call him her knight in shining armor.

Three years ago...

It was extremely dark, noisy, and the air was a thick mixture of alcohol and cigarette smoke inside the Lux Club. People were dancing on the dance floor, moving to the rhythm of the DJ’s music. They were acting like animals escaped from a zoo, they were so hyper. On second floor of the club was the VIP level, where a casino was located. There was also a stage where women were dancing nakedly. While some were busy gambling, others were occupied with taking drugs in their spots.

Noane entered the club. She was wearing a hood attached to the cloak she had on so she wouldn't be recognized by the mansion's guards. She took off the cloak, revealing her stunning figure. She was wearing an extremely tight dress that showed off half of her thigh, paired with 4-inch heels. Her long hair was let down, her face was covered in makeup, and her lipstick was a striking shade of red.

"Hi, Miss, are you alone?" A man suddenly approached her. Just by looking at him, it was clear he was already drank. "Come on, let me introduce you to my friends!" He grabbed her arm to drag her back to where his group was seated.

"Let go of me!" Noane just arrived and her night was already getting ruin. "I said, let go!" No matter how much she shouted, no one could hear her because of how loud the music was inside. Before the man could take her anywhere, she bit his hand.

"Ahh! Son of a b*tch!" The man let go of her. "Are you crazy?!"

"Who’s crazier between the two of us?" Noane replied bravely, looking at the man with her head held high.

"I don't like your sharp tongue, huh!" He was about to lunge at her when he was suddenly thrown to the floor.

No one noticed what happened because everyone was too busy with their own thing. It seemed that even if they started a shooting each other, the people around them wouldn't care.

"Didn't your mother teach you how to respect women?"

Noane tried to look at the man in front of her, but she couldn't see him clearly because of the mixture of darkness and colorful lights in the room. She could only see his back, but just from his posture, she knew he wasn't some random jerks who wants to score with her.

"Get the hell out of here before I kick you myself," he threatened, then turned his attention to Noane. "Are you okay?" he asked casually.

"Y-Yes, thank you," she replied, stammering. She couldn't look him straight in the eye because she hadn't expected him to be so incredibly handsome. It was as if she was blinded by his own bright aura.

"By the way, I am Alistaire Cunningham. And you are?"

Present...

Ashley tried to think for a second then shook her head. The name wasn't even familiar to her, maybe because she isn't into sport race. "Is he from here in Cebu? He doesn't even looks like he's from here."

"Actually, no, but he said they have a villa here—"

"Wa-Wait. I think you should hide..."

"Huh? What are you talking?" Noane suddenly stopped when she noticed her frozen.

"Master Zeus is coming this way—"

"What!" Noane followed Ashley's gaze. She nearly lost her balance when she saw him, the person she had been avoiding. She stood up in a panic, frantic about what to do. She did not want to face him again. "Wahh! He can’t see me, Ashley. I’m seriously dead. Hide me." She shook her friend, wailing like a child. "Hide me, I beg you!"

"Where am I supposed to hide you?" Ashley asked, also panicking as she watched the man’s figure approaching. "In the bush! Go hide there!"

"What? Are you out of your mind—"

"Hide if you still want to live!" Ashley pulled and pushed her into the overgrown bush. She quickly fixed herself and hid the phone, pretending to arrange the flowers inside the vase.

At the exact moment, Zeus decided to wander around the mansion after whaf happened, carrying the tablet that never left his side. He was studying the files his butler had sent him. It seemed that even though he had decided to take a break from work, it wasn't going to happen after all. His plan had turned into work from home. He intended to go to the garden to continue what he was doing. Before he even arrived, he heard voices talking—he even recognized one of the voices as someone familiar. When he reached the garden, his forehead knotted to see that only the maid was there

"Where is she?" he asked without even glancing at the person he was speaking to, his eyes are searching for Noane's figure.

"Who is 'she,' Master Zeus? I'm the only one here." Ashley's throat felt dry as she clutched the vase she had just finished filling with flowers.

"I know she is here somewhere," he replied, wasn't convinced on what she said.

Ashley blocked his path when he was about to walk toward the bush. "Master Zeus, would you like some juice?" She offered suddenly, smiling awkwardly. "Why don't you just sit over there, and I'll go get—"

"Get out of my way!" Zeus shoved her aside as if she were just a large object blocking his path. He walked toward the spot and his eyebrows automatically arched when he saw her condition. "What the fuck are you doing there?"

Because of Ashley’s forceful push, Noane had practically gone swimming in the grass. Her hair was covered in leaves, and her maid uniform was snagged on the thorny parts of the plants. "Ha-ha-ha," Noane laughed weakly when she saw the man. "What am I even doing here? Same question." She said sarcastically, trying to get the leaves off her.

Zeus didn't laugh. His gaze hardened, cold and unreadable, as he looked down at her tangled mess. Without a word, he reached out, grabbed her firmly by the wrist, and yanked her straight out of the bushes, cutting off her breath entirely. He didn't let go. He pulled her so close that she could smell the sharp, crisp scent of his cologne.

​"Do you really think," he whispered, his gaze dropping to her trembling lips, "that you can hide from me in my own house?"