chapter 4

"Come in. It's unlocked." That was all Sir Ethan said from inside the study. I slowly opened the door and placed the cup of coffee on his desk. He was busy reading through a stack of documents, so I decided not to disturb him. Afterward, I quietly left the room and gently closed the door behind me.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to finish the rest of my chores. I wanted to get some rest, so I immediately started washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen.

I put my earbuds back on and played some music while I worked. Before I knew it, I was swaying to the rhythm as I washed the plates and put everything back in its place.

Every now and then, I even caught myself softly singing along. When I finally finished everything, I let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally... I'm done." I headed straight to my room. As soon as I got inside, I grabbed a clean set of clothes and went into the bathroom. After taking a shower, I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my bed. The moment my body touched the mattress, all the exhaustion from the day seemed to melt away. Another day down, Ara, I whispered to myself before closing my eyes.

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At around four-thirty the next morning, I woke up.

Since I had already showered the night before, I simply washed my face, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

As I walked, I checked my phone and noticed a message from Sir Ethan.

Cook my breakfast tomorrow. Eggs, ham, and hotdogs. Make fried rice too. I couldn't help making a face.

Seriously? He's already a grown man and he still loves hotdogs, I complained silently.

Still, I simply shrugged it off.

Without wasting any time, I took the eggs, ham, and hotdogs out of the refrigerator and started preparing the fried rice. I knew he'd be leaving the house by six in the morning, so everything had to be ready before he came downstairs. As I cooked, I couldn't help smiling. Good thing I know how to cook. Otherwise, that grumpy boss of mine would've kicked me out a long time ago. I quietly continued cooking as the morning sun slowly rose outside.

When breakfast was ready, I arranged everything neatly on the dining table—the fried rice, eggs, ham, hotdogs, and his drink.

As I turned around, I saw Sir Ethan coming down the stairs. "Breakfast is ready, Sir," I greeted him cheerfully with a bright smile. As usual, he only frowned before taking his seat.

"I'll be away for three days," he said while eating. "I have an out-of-town business trip."

I looked at him attentively.

"Take care of the house while I'm gone. You also need to buy groceries."

After saying that, he pulled out a bundle of cash and handed it to me.

"Use this to buy everything the house needs."

I accepted the money. It looked like around twenty thousand pesos. Then he handed me another stack of bills. "And this is for you. Two thousand pesos. Your allowance." I blinked in surprise before smiling warmly. "Thank you, Sir."

He simply nodded and continued eating.

I glanced at the money in my hands and smiled.

He may be grumpy... but he does have a kind side. But there was another reason I was even happier.

He'd be gone for three days.

Which meant...

I'd be free for three whole days!

No grumpy boss ordering me around.

No one complaining about my singing.

And best of all, I wouldn't have to cook whatever random dish he suddenly craved.

I struggled to keep my grin from growing wider.

Finally... three peaceful days.

I lowered my head so he wouldn't notice the excitement on my face as I secretly celebrated my temporary freedom.

"What are you smiling about?"

His sudden question startled me so much I almost choked on my own saliva.

"N-Nothing, Sir," I answered quickly.

He stared at me for a few seconds before returning to his breakfast.

"Sir, I'm going to clean the garden," I informed him.

Without waiting for a reply, I left the kitchen and headed outside.

I started by picking up the dry leaves scattered around the yard. Then I swept the pathways and rearranged a few flower pots that were out of place. After that, I grabbed a watering can and carefully watered each flower.

I shook my head as I looked at some of the plants.

"Oh, you poor things," I murmured gently.

"What's the point of planting flowers if no one's going to take proper care of you?"

I kept talking as I watered them.

"You're the ones bringing color to this garden, yet you've been neglected."

A smile spread across my face when I noticed a few flower buds beginning to bloom.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I'll take good care of you." I chatted with the flowers as though they were little children. What I didn't realize was that a pair of eyes had been quietly watching me through the window, observing the way I talked to the plants. "If you talk to them... do they answer back?" I jumped in surprise when Sir Ethan suddenly spoke from behind me.

"Ah... y-you heard that, Sir?" I asked nervously.

My heart nearly stopped. Oh no... Did he hear everything I said? I'm doomed.

Instead of answering, he simply frowned.

"I'm leaving now. Remember what I told you. Don't let strangers into the house."

"Yes, Sir."

"And later, George will take you to the mall. He'll go with you."

I secretly sighed in relief.

That's good.

But he wasn't finished.

"I don't want you getting lost. You're from the countryside, so you're probably pretty clueless."

He said it so casually, as if insulting people was perfectly normal.

I frowned for a split second before forcing a smile.

Seriously? He's arrogant and rude.

That was insulting.

But since he was still my boss, I simply nodded.

"O-Okay, Sir." He gave a brief nod before getting into his car.I quietly watched as the vehicle drove away. The moment it disappeared through the front gate, I pouted. "Clueless, huh?" I muttered.

"I hope you're the one who gets lost on your business trip." I burst into laughter at my own comment before happily returning to watering the flowers, feeling much lighter now that my grumpy boss was finally away.