02 - Will I be able to face him after that?

I descend from the upper floor, still in ecstasy.

The scene kept replaying in my head. I couldn't measure the level of shame I felt. Why did I have to find him like that, and just at the first time I see him? And to think that I'm having an internal meltdown just from seeing him in a towel, imagine if he had nothing on, I could be having a heart attack now.

I close my eyes for a few moments and shake my head, trying to chase away those thoughts.

I descend the last steps of the stairs and make my way to the kitchen. I see one of the oldest cooks in the house rummaging through the shopping bags I had placed on the counter.

"Betty!" I say her name loudly to startle her. "What are you still doing here?"

"Jesus!" she turns automatically, hand on her chest, giving me a dirty look and shaking her head. "One day you'll kill me!" she says and I end up letting out a laugh and going towards her to hug her.

Betty was like a mother to me. She had been by my side since I started working in Mr. Scott's house. She helped me when I needed it, and she took care of me as if she were really my mother.

"Sorry! You know I have great affection for you, don't you?" I pout my lips, hugging her from the side. I intensified my laughter when I saw her annoyed face, but soon Betty normalized.

"Mr. Scott asked me to stay. They want me to make a welcome dinner for Joshua." She answers my question.

"That guy upstairs?"

"Yes. Has he arrived? Did you see him?" she asks curiously.

Oh, and how I saw him.

I let go of Betty from my arms and lean on the counter.

"I was going to tidy up the suite when I saw he had arrived..."

"How is he? Is he okay?" she interrupts me.

"Calm down!" I laugh as I see her curiosity. "You seemed like a mother concerned about her child."

"Hey, girl! I worry about Mr. Scott's son. I practically saw him enter puberty."

"Enter puberty?" I arch my eyebrows with an ironic smile on my lips.

"Yes. But then... did he say anything to you? Did he arrive well from the trip?"

"No...? And why would he tell me that?"

"You should have asked how he was. If he needed anything."

I looked at her a little perplexed. Betty seemed to praise him. And above all, my first encounter with him had not been one of the most... Normal.

"Why? If he needed something, he would say so."

"Hey!" she throws the cloth that was on her apron on my arm. "What's that? That's not the kind of treatment we should offer to the boss's son."

"What's wrong with what I said?" I looked incredulous after her reaction.

"We should always be available, even if he doesn't need it."

"We always do something for Mr. Scott when he asks, why would it be different with his son? You're sounding like you're praising him, Betty." I cross my arms, astounded.

"He's more demanding! And because he's our bosses' son, we should always be available."

"Whatever."

I step away from the counter and walk to the fridge, taking out a jug of water.

"You need to learn good manners. You need to be presentable for Mr. Scott's son."

"Why? He'll just be another one who'll boss me around..."

"Who will boss you around?"

"I heard a second voice in the kitchen. I turned my head a little to the side and saw Mr. Scott's son. I took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Maybe I had said too much. But at least this time, he was dressed.

"Joshua!" Betty said excitedly, overflowing with happiness.

"Betty, what has time done to you? You're getting younger every day!"

"Don't be a liar," she laughed. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. You looked like a little puppy. And now... you're ready to have your own."

Continuing to face away from them, I just listened to them laughing until I heard my name in the conversation.

"Oh... This is Alice," Betty pulled me by the arm until I was facing him. "She's my assistant."

"Be-tty..." I looked quickly at her, then at him and lowered my head. "Hi," I said quietly, almost like a whisper.

As I imagined, I couldn't look at his face. I could only remember what had happened.

"Hi. You..." He tried to see my face, since I was looking down. "Alice, right?"

"Yes..."

"Alice, greet Mr. Scott's son properly!" Betty grumbled in my ear.

"Betty..." I grumbled back.

And she gives me an almost death glare.

"Anyway," we were interrupted by Joshua. "It was nice to meet you... Alice." He smiled at me. "But I have to go now. If my parents look for me, tell them I won't be long."

"Yes, sir!"

Betty nodded and watched as he made his way out of the kitchen.

I felt a slap sting against my arm.

"Ow!" I rubbed the spot where she hit me and looked at her. "Why did you do that?"

"Didn't your mother teach you good manners?"

"Of course!"

"Then?"

"How did you want me to act?"

"You didn't even look at him!" she complained. "Argh..." She looked at the clock on the wall by the kitchen exit. "Go. Your shift is over. Go before I kill you!"

"Argh..." I mimicked what she said. "And I will, before I get intoxicated with so much flattery," I said those words emphatically.

"Go already!"

I walked to the kitchen exit and grabbed my purse from the coat hook near the door. I left the house and started heading to a bar where I was going to meet two friends.

***

"You're two minutes late," Caitlyn said as I approached the bar table where she and Zoe were.

"What?" I frowned at the comment. I sat in a chair in front of them and took off my purse, putting it on the table. "What are two minutes of delay?"

"Whatever," Caitlyn shrugged.

"Did you see? Magnate Joshua Scott is in Los Angeles!" Zoe said, while playing on her phone.

"Who cares? He's just another billionaire in Los Angeles," Caitlyn replied, indifferent.

"You're no fun."

"What did I do?"

"Forget it."

"Look, I'm not to blame if you feed this illusion of marrying a billionaire."

"You could at least support me," Zoe complained and put down her phone.

“Friend, I will. But only when you're interested in someone easier to conquer.”

"Zoe..." I called her attention. "Who is Joshua Scott?"

I looked at her a little curious, but we were interrupted by an argument inside the bar. I looked at the two guys who were speaking loudly inside, attracting everyone's attention. They were getting close to attacking each other when a man, looking like a wall, separated them. I tried to recognize the face of one of them, until I was surprised to find out.

"The son of Mr. Scott?"