Chapter 203: Are You Lonely?

"Alright…" I mumbled.

We ate dinner and shared casual conversation until we finished eating. It was then that I thought that I should let Hayden know about my plans with Auntie tomorrow.

"I haven’t gotten around to it yet because I’ve been working on the website, but I’ve asked Auntie to show me around the mansion tomorrow," I reported dutifully.

"That’s good. Harvey’s wing is strictly off-limits," Hayden said as he looked pointedly at me.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I could tell that he was dead serious and so I just nodded in acknowledgement. However, the curiosity within me couldn’t help but wonder why exactly that was so. By Harvey’s wing, he must be referring to the part of this mansion that his elder brother used to live in.

"Show me the website?" Hayden requested.

Oh right, I need to show him the website mock-up.

"Can you come over to the table over there? I’ll show you on the computer," I said as I got up and led him to the table.

I opened the window and began showing him the mockup of the website that I had created. It was still a mockup offline, but it had almost everything just like the real thing. I glanced over to watch Hayden’s face so that I could see his reaction to the work that I had tried so hard to put together. Frankly, I think he looked slightly impressed at the outcome of my efforts.

"So, what do you think?" I asked, fishing for compliments.

"Looks fine," he replied flatly.

Just that?

"Is there anything that you think I should improve on?" I asked.

Hayden thought it over for a little while before turning to look at me.

"Is it possible to add a form for people to put in their requests if they’re interested in your work or want to order a commission?" he asked.

Oh, that’s right, I forgot about that.

"Actually, I was thinking about that. I found another artist’s website that had that function and I thought that it was quite useful. Hold on, let me show it to you now. I think I can add it in," I said as I opened the website that I saw before.

"Looks good. I think if you add in that form the website should be close to perfect," he said with a nod.

"I’ll do that tomorrow then," I replied happily.

A fulfilling feeling of accomplishment filled me. Although it was just a tiny step forward to putting myself out there as an artist on the online world, it was still a good step to take. I was certain that I was heading in the right direction.

Now that I had more time on my hands, it might be a good opportunity to produce some artwork to add to my portfolio and also to test and try out new techniques and styles.

When I shifted my eyes towards Hayden, I found him staring at me with a slightly troubled look on his face. I wasn’t sure if he seemed worried or was it just imagination. Was he stressed about work?

"Hayden?" I called his name questioningly.

Hayden seemed like he had something that he wanted to say but he hesitated. This was quite new to me. Usually, Hayden didn’t hesitate to say anything. It was either he would say it, or he would flat out refuse to say it. I wondered what he was debating with himself about.

"Hayden, is something the matter?" I asked with a mix of curiosity and worry.

"Nothing much…I was just wondering if you…feel lonely during the day," he said very hesitantly.

I see, so he was worried about me. He probably realized that I was pretty much alone in the mansion during the day. Sure, there were men and maids here with me, but they didn’t really talk to me. Hayden had given me tasks to work on and that was probably because he was afraid that I would be bored and have nothing to do while he was away during the day.

In the evening and at night, Hayden would be with me so that was all fine and good.

"Well, a little…I guess. Oh, but it’s ok. I’ll start painting or something…so you don’t have to worry," I said reassuringly.

I smiled at him sweetly. It warmed my heart just to know that he thought of me even if it was just a little. Hayden can be so sweet sometimes.

…

The next morning, I went to send Hayden off to work again. Somehow walking him to his car became a new routine that was added to my daily life. I didn’t mind getting up in the morning to send him off at all. The best reward was that he would kiss my cheek or forehead tenderly before he left.

"Have a good day at work. Hope things don’t get too busy," I said.

"Behave yourself well while you’re home," Hayden replied before bending down to kiss my forehead softly.

"I don’t want to hear that from you…you better behave yourself too…" I muttered.

I spent the remaining time in the morning figuring out how to add the commission form to my website. After almost two hours of struggling, I managed to add that in and that was thanks to the tool having a similar ready-made option. Otherwise, I couldn’t imagine how I could achieve such a feat. Technology clearly wasn’t my thing. The next step was to put the website online.

This part wasn’t so hard after I had paid for the website hosting.

Hayden would be so surprised to see the website ready to go. I hoped that he would be more impressed than when he saw the mockup. His lack of appreciation and reaction was a little of a letdown to be honest. I stretched my arms above my head and twisted my body from side to side after I was done with my website work for the day.

Just like magic, Auntie knocked on my door softly before poking her head in. It was the most perfect timing ever because I was now free to go on my long-awaited tour of the mansion. However, the maids started rolling in a trolley filled with food. My stomach sank a little when I realized that I had to eat lunch first before my tour could start.

--To be continued…