MUCH HARDER

My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

For some reason, my brain had completely stopped working.

The man standing before me was even more intimidating up close.

His dark eyes remained fixed on me as though he was trying to figure out whether I belonged in the mansion or not.

Judging by the expression on his face, he had already decided that I didn’t.

“I…” I swallowed nervously. “I can explain.”

One of his eyebrows rose. “Can you?”

His voice was deep and cold, the complete opposite of his parents.

I straightened my shoulders. “My name is Clare.”

He didn’t respond.

“And I work here.”

Still he said nothing. The silence only made me more nervous.

“I mean, I don’t exactly work here. Well, I do. Kind of.”

His expression darkened. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

I pointed toward the doorway. “The dog.”

He frowned. “The dog?”

“Max.”

Recognition flashed briefly across his face.

“I’m the dog sitter.” I said softly.

For a second, neither of us spoke, then he scoffed. The sound was sharp enough to cut glass.

“Oh.”

I blinked. “Oh?”

He slammed the refrigerator door shut. The loud bang echoed throughout the kitchen.

I nearly jumped.

Jason folded his arms across his chest. His eyes swept over me from head to toe.

Not in admiration, not even curiosity, but judgment. Pure judgment.

Suddenly, I became painfully aware of everything.

My inexpensive clothes. My worn slippers and the fact that I was standing barefoot in a billionaire’s kitchen.

I felt small beneath his gaze.

“So that’s the story?”

I frowned. “What story?”

“The dog sitter.”

Confusion flooded through me. “What do you mean?”

His lips curled slightly. Not quite a smile, more like mockery.

“I’ve seen this before.”

I stared at him. “You have?”

“Many times.”

Now I was completely lost.

Jason leaned against the counter.“People hear my parents are wealthy.”

His voice carried obvious irritation “They find ways to get close.”

The realization hit me slowly and painfully that my eyes widened.

“Wait.”

He didn’t stop. “They ask for favors.”

I blinked.

“They invent problems.”

I just stared.

“They look for opportunities.”

The pieces clicked together, and suddenly I understood exactly what he was saying.

My face heated instantly.

“Are you accusing me of something?”

His silence was answer enough. I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it.

“You think I’m here because of your parents’ money?”

“Why else would you be here?”

The question hit harder than it should have. Maybe because of how casually he said it as though there couldn’t possibly be another explanation.

As though a girl like me could never belong here unless she wanted something.

My shock quickly transformed into anger.

“What kind of ridiculous assumption is that?”

Jason shrugged. “I call it experience.”

I laughed bitterly. “Experience?”

“People become very creative when money is involved.”

I folded my arms. “Well, congratulations.”

His expression remained unreadable.

“You’ve officially made the worst first impression in history.”

That earned a slight reaction. It was not much, but enough.

“Tell me something,” I continued.

“What?”

“If I wanted to extort your parents, why would I apply to become a dog sitter?”

He looked unimpressed. “You tell me.”

I threw my hands up. “This is insane.”

Jason remained unmoved. The arrogance radiating from him was unbelievable.

For the first time since arriving at the mansion, I wished I had stayed home.

At least then I wouldn’t be standing in a luxury kitchen defending my existence to a man who clearly thought he was better than everyone else.

“You know what?” I said.

“What?”

“I got this job fairly.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“My friend told me about the vacancy.”

He gave no response.

“She gave me the business number and I called.”

There was still Silence.

“Your father interviewed me and he offered me the position.”

Jason stared at me. For one brief second, I thought he might actually listen. Might actually consider the possibility that I was telling the truth.

Instead, he shook his head. “As I said.”

My patience snapped. “As you said what?”

“People become creative.”

I couldn’t believe him. The man wasn’t listening to a single word, not one.

Everything I said simply bounced off him.

“You know what your problem is?”

His eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t aware I had one.”

“Oh, you definitely do.”

His expression darkened, but I didn’t care anymore.

“You think everyone is beneath you.”

A dangerous silence settled between us.

“You don’t know me.”

“No?”

I pointed toward him. “Then explain why you’re judging me when you’ve known me for less than five minutes.”

His jaw tightened. I could tell I’d hit a nerve.

Good. Maybe he deserved it.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The tension in the room felt thick enough to touch.

Finally, Jason pushed himself away from the counter.

Clearly, he had grown tired of the conversation. Or perhaps he had simply decided I wasn’t worth his time.

Either way, it irritated me alot.

He started toward the door.

“That’s it?” I asked.

He stopped. “What now?”

“You’re just leaving?”

His expression remained cold. “I have better things to do.”

The words stung far more than they should have because deep down, I knew exactly what he meant.

People like him didn’t waste time on people like me unless they absolutely had to.

Without another word, he walked away. Seconds later, he disappeared from sight, leaving me completely alone again.

The silence that followed felt unbearable.

I stood there for several moments frozen, and staring at the doorway where he’d vanished.

The excitement I’d felt earlier that day was gone. Completely gone.

In its place sat disappointment, embarrassment, and something much worse like humiliation.

I had spent the entire day convincing myself that I belonged here, that I deserved this opportunity, and that I wasn’t out of place.

Then Jason Wilberg had appeared and shattered that illusion within minutes.

Maybe I didn’t belong here. Maybe this entire thing had been a mistake.

A lump formed in my throat.

I hated how much his words affected me. I hated that some arrogant stranger had managed to make me question myself so quickly.

I blinked rapidly, determined not to cry. Then something warm brushed against my leg.

I looked down and saw Max.

The golden retriever gazed up at me with concern or at least what looked like concern.

His tail wagged gently. Before I could react, he leaned against my leg.

The gesture was so unexpected that I laughed softly.

“You saw that, huh?” I laughed dryly.

Max barked as if answering. I reached down and scratched behind his ears. Immediately, his tail started wagging harder.

The sight eased some of the tension inside my chest.

At least someone in this house liked me.

“You have terrible taste in humans.” I said, and Max licked my hand.

I smiled despite myself. For several minutes, I simply stood there with him, trying to calm down and not to think about Jason and the next two weeks.

Unfortunately, that last thought refused to leave.

Two weeks? Fourteen entire days?Fourteen days under the same roof as Jason Wilberg?

The realization made my stomach sink.

How was I supposed to survive that?The man already disliked me, he had made that painfully obvious and judging by his personality, things weren’t likely to improve anytime soon.

A fresh wave of sadness washed over me.

Maybe accepting this job had been a mistake. Maybe my mother had been right and I should have stayed home.

But then I thought about the leaking sink, the overdue bills, the exhaustion on my mother’s face, and the cough she kept pretending wasn’t serious, I knew I couldn’t leave no matter how uncomfortable things became.

I needed this job and my family needed this money which meant I would have to endure Jason for at least for two weeks.

Taking a shaky breath, I wiped at my eyes.

I refused to cry over him especially not on the first day.

Max nudged my hand again and I forced a small smile. “Let’s go.”

Together, we left the kitchen.

But as I climbed the stairs toward my room, one thought followed me every step of the way.

The next two weeks were going to be much harder than I’d imagined.