Chapter 3 : Sink Deep into the Heart 1 ​

The next day, both mother and daughter woke up at 3:00 a.m. to prepare desserts for the customers. At seven o’clock, they went together to Paula’s house to do the cleaning.

“You don’t have to bring the equipment, Ruby, everything is already there,” Amber said.

“Ok, Mom.” Ruby followed behind her mother out the door. She pressed the doorbell of the house next door. After a moment, Paula came to open the door herself. Ruby quickly raised her hand to greet.

“Hello, Paula.”

“Are you Ruby? When did you come back? Oh my, why have you grown up to be so beautiful?” Paula looked at Ruby with a delighted expression upon seeing her.

“I came back yesterday, Paula. I’m here to help my mother with the cleaning.”

“Good, come in. Penny and Ella aren’t here, so there’s no one to open the door. Sorry to keep you waiting, Amber.”

“It’s alright, Paula, I understand. The cleaning supplies are in the kitchen as usual, right?”

“Yes, they’re in the same place. I can’t stay and talk for long because I have an errand today. I promised to attend a friend’s daughter’s wedding, and it’s being held at their house this morning. If I leave late, the traffic will be terrible. So, Amber, please take care of everything, and lock the door for me when you’re done. No one is home today. I think Chris didn’t come back last night, since I didn’t see his car in the garage.”

“Of course, Paula, don’t worry. Once I finish the cleaning, I’ll make sure to lock up the house properly, just like always.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll be going now, Ruby. You must come visit me again so we can talk more.”

“Yes, Paula.”

Paula hurried out, opened her car door, and got into the driver’s seat. Ruby watched as Paula’s car exited the gate and left the house. Ruby went over and closed the gate before following her mother into the kitchen.

“Does Paula really trust you enough to let you clean the house while no one is home?” she asked her mother with slight curiosity.

“Paula and I have been friends for a long time. I’ve never had the habit of stealing, and Paula knows that. Besides, all the valuables are kept in the safe. What’s left are just the large decorations, and I surely wouldn’t take those.”

“Oh, I see. So, where will you start cleaning first, Mom?”

“We’ll start upstairs. First, clean Paula’s bedroom, then Theo’s room, and after that Chris’s. We’ll finish with the downstairs last.”

“Got it.” At the mention of Chris’s room, her heart skipped a beat.

The cleaning began in Paula’s bedroom, followed by Theo’s room. They vacuumed first, then wiped and polished until everything was spotless, finishing with the bathroom and mopping the floor last. Just as they were about to move on to Chris’s room, a call from a customer came through.

“An extra one hundred boxes? Why didn’t you notify me in advance?” Amber’s expression immediately grew tense.

“They informed me with the wrong number. Without the extra hundred boxes, there won’t be enough to hand out to all staff attending the seminar. Could you please help me with this, Amber? It’s alright if they’re finished a little late.” The voice on the other end sounded clearly anxious.

“Uh… alright. I’ll take care of it as quickly as I can, but I can’t promise it will be on time. I’ll let you know again if anything comes up.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

Amber let out a heavy sigh after hanging up the call, for the order of one hundred coconut pudding boxes had suddenly doubled to two hundred.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Ruby noticed her mother’s expression and realized she was facing a problem.

“It’s a customer, Ruby. They ordered desserts to hand out to the staff during lunch break, but they gave me the wrong number. Now they’ve asked for an extra hundred boxes.”

“Oh? Will you be able to finish it on time, Mom?”

“I’ll get it done for sure, but what about the work here? How am I supposed to manage that?”

“That’s nothing. I’ll finish it myself, don’t worry. I’ll clean Chris’s room over there, then vacuum downstairs, followed by mopping, and also the kitchen. That’s all, not difficult at all. I’ll definitely get it done.”

“Can you handle it on your own, Ruby?”

“Yes. You go make the desserts, Mom. That’s more important.”

“That’s true. I’ll leave the work here to you, my dear.”

“Yes, go ahead. And save some coconut pudding for me, Mom.” Not wanting her mother to worry about the work here, Ruby gave her a wide smile.

“Alright.” Once her daughter had promised to take care of the housework, Amber felt a sense of relief. She quickly set aside the mop and hurried back home to continue making the desserts.

Once her mother had left, Ruby suddenly found herself at a loss. She gathered up the cleaning supplies from Paula’s room and headed toward Chris’s room to continue the chores. She had only just realized that he was still staying in the same wing of the house, on the very same side as her own room. The thought made her smile without even noticing, her lips curving softly as she turned the doorknob and eased the door open. His bedroom was wrapped in a warm, muted tone: grey bed linens, walls the shade of cigarette smoke. The bed itself was in disarray, as though he had risen in a hurry without the slightest thought of straightening it.

Ruby walked over to fold the blanket neatly, pulling the corners of the sheets tight into place. With her palm, she brushed away the dust and set everything in order. Yet while she was fluffing the pillow, her mind drifted, imagining his face upon it. Almost without thinking, she lifted it up and hugged it tightly against her chest.

Then she jolted in shock, the pillow slipping from her arms and dropping to the floor the instant she turned toward the bathroom door. Her breath caught when she saw who had stepped out—fresh from the shower, with nothing but a towel wrapped low around his hips.

“Ruby!” Chris hadn’t expected to find her in his room at this very moment. But when his eyes fell on the cleaning supplies nearby, it didn’t take long for him to put the pieces together.

“Hello, Chris.” She raised her hand to greet him absentmindedly, then quickly bent down to pick up the pillow, brushed the dust off, and placed it back where it belonged.

“Paula said you’d gone to work. I didn’t know. Sorry.” Ruby gathered the cleaning tools, ready to leave his bedroom.

“Stop!”

“Yes?”

“Weren’t you here to clean my room? Then go ahead and do it.”

“But you’re not wearing any clothes. I’m afraid I might disturb you.” She turned her face away, trying not to look at his body. It surprised Chris quite a bit when the girl who used to stare at him shamelessly in the past turned into such a shy one.

“Almost done. Since you’re cleaning, keep going. Not disturbing me—the room’s spacious.”

He watched her maneuver the vacuum under the bed. He wasn’t afraid to face this girl. He could handle this brat.

“When did you come back?” Chris asked curtly, as if he didn’t care about Ruby’s arrival.

“Yesterday.”

“And when will you go back?”

Ruby was silent for a moment, while he had already finished putting on his pants.

“What? When will you go back?” This time, Chris turned away from the wardrobe and quickly put on a T-shirt.

Ruby, who had been bent over vacuuming around the room, pressed the power button and looked up at him. She felt a little hurt that he asked as if he wanted her back to the countryside.

“I’m going to stay here.”

“Why? Why did you come back?”

Ruby pressed her lips together.

“My father has passed away, so I decided to come live with my mother.”

“And why come back here? Your father had properties over there and he took care of you, didn’t he?” It was unclear how Chris knew about her situation. It was true that her father had supported her through her studies, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t worked to repay him.