Chapter 7

Louise had finished her drip, and it was already past three in the morning. She had fallen asleep. Brian did not wake her up and managed to rest on another bed for the night.

By six in the morning, Louise woke up. Brian, unable to sleep well in the hospital, decided to take her back to the villa carly.

Grace hadn’t slept well either, plagued by dreams of Brian’s cold warnings. As Brian’s car approached the villa, she woke up. Unsure of what to do upon waking, she aimlessly got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked out of her room. Standing on the second–floor corridor, she saw a tender moment between Brian and Louise as they entered from outside.

Louise seemed fine, with rosy cheeks, holding Brian’s hand, and they strolled into the living room with laughter. Catching the sight of Grace from the corner of her eye, Louise suddenly stumbled and cried out, “Oops! Brian, my foot!”

“What happened to your foot?” Brian anxiously crouched to check on her.

“I twisted it just now, and my ankle feels numb.” Louise stood on one leg, looking pained, and stared at Brian.

“Why are you so careless? Acting so recklessly like a child.” Although Brian seemed to be scolding Louise, his voice was filled with love.

Hearing his words made Grace’s heart ache.

“I want to lie down for a bit. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Louise cooed, clinging to his neck.

“I’ll carry you up,” he said, lifting her effortlessly and heading upstairs, leaving Grace petrified in her spot. As Brian ascended the stairs, seeing Grace in disarray, still in her nightclothes with tousled hair, he paused briefly.

“Well, up so early to check if Louise survived your cooking?” His words cut into Grace’s heart. She stared at Brian like he was a stranger. His gaze was cold, and he walked past her, carrying Louise straight into the guest room. Only then did Grace turn slowly and mechanically head back to her own room.

Brian settled Louise onto the bed and spoke softly, “Get some more rest.”

◌ེ�་ཟ་ཝ་ ◌ེ་ཋ “Brian, wait.” Louise hastily grabbed his hand.

“What is it?”

Louise bit her lip, appearing hesitant to speak.

“What’s wrong? Just tell me.” Brian sat at the edge of the bed.

She hesitated and spoke. “Promise not to be mad at me. I’m just sharing my feelings.”

Brian furrowed his brow, smiling faintly. “Of course not.”

Louise had finished her drip, and it was already past three in the morning. She had fallen asleep. Brian did not wake her up and managed to rest on another bed for the night.

By six in the morning, Louise woke up. Brian, unable to sleep well in the hospital, decided to take her back to the villa early.

Grace hadn’t slept well either, plagued by dreams of Brian’s cold warnings. As Brian’s car approached the villa, she woke up. Unsure of what to do upon waking, she aimlessly got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked out of her room. Standing on the second–floor corridor, she saw a tender moment between Brian and Louise as they entered from outside.

Louise seemed fine, with rosy cheeks, holding Brian’s hand, and they strolled into the living room with laughter. Catching the sight of Grace from the corner of her eye, Louise suddenly stumbled and cried out, “Oops! Brian, my foot!”

“What happened to your foot?” Brian anxiously crouched to check on her.

“I twisted it just now, and my ankle feels numb.” Louise stood on one leg, looking pained, and stared at Brian.

“Why are you so careless? Acting so recklessly like a child.” Although Brian seemed to be scolding Louise, his voice was filled with love.

Hearing his words made Grace’s heart ache.

“I want to lie down for a bit. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Louise cooed, clinging to his neck.

“I’ll carry you up,” he said, lifting her effortlessly and heading upstairs, leaving Grace petrified in her spot. As Brian ascended the stairs, seeing Grace in disarray, still in her nightclothes with tousled hair, he paused briefly.

“Well, up so early to check if Louise survived your cooking?” His words cut into Grace’s heart. She stared at Brian like he was a stranger. His gaze was cold, and he walked past her, carrying Louise straight into the guest room. Only then did Grace turn slowly and mechanically head back to her own room.

Brian settled Louise onto the bed and spoke softly, “Get some more rest.”

“Brian, wait.” Louise hastily grabbed his hand.

“What is it?”

Louise bit her lip, appearing hesitant to speak.

“What’s wrong? Just tell me.” Brian sat at the edge of the bed.

She hesitated and spoke. “Promise not to be mad at me. I’m just sharing my feelings.”

Brian furrowed his brow, smiling faintly. “Of course not.”

She cautiously asked, “Does Grace like you?”

Brian’s expression tightened with confusion. “Why do you ask?”

“Just a woman’s intuition. Look, all the staff lives on the first floor in the servants‘ quarters, but Grace lives on the second floor…” She rushed to explain. “I’m not saying she shouldn’t live there. I mean, perhaps Grace might think you placed her on the second floor as a special favor. Some girls easily develop feelings for someone who treats them differently. Maybe she’s secretly infatuated with you.”

Brian’s brow furrowed deeper, but he remained silent.

Louise surreptitiously clenched her fist and continued, “Brian, why does she live on the second floor?

What makes her different from the other staff?”

“You’re overthinking it. There’s nothing different. She stays on the second floor because she had a tough upbringing and a difficult childhood. I just felt sorry for her.” Brian casually looked at Louise, maintaining a composed demeanor.

“Is that so? What do you think of her as a person?” Louise inquired.

Brian paused for a couple of seconds. He recalled the past two years, Grace’s daily cooking for him, being the first to greet him when he returned from work, and helping him with his tie and shoes. She always played the role of a devoted wife. If he had to say what kind of person Grace was, he couldn’t find any faults in her. Yet, there was one thing that bothered him greatly. He believed she shouldn’t have feelings for him, shouldn’t harbor the delusion that he could ever love her back.

He scoffed lightly. “Not great. Can’t do anything right, even managed to make you allergic to her cooking.”

“Why not just terminate her contract then?”

Brian paused, his expression indifferent. “The contract still has three months left. Terminating it now would mean compensating her for three months‘ salary. I don’t want to give her extra money. She doesn’t deserve it.”

He seemed as if he did not want to discuss Grace further and asked, “Why have you been so concerned about her lately?”

Louise smiled. “Oh, nothing. I just found it peculiar.”

“What’s peculiar?”

“Brian, I’m not trying to interfere in your affairs. I just find it irregular. After all, all the staff in our house live in the servant quarters without exception.” After finishing speaking, she pretended to fix her hair nonchalantly.

“You’re right. I’ll have her move to the first floor.”

Brian stood up and went to find Grace. Grace was already downstairs, dressed and preparing soup in the kitchen.

“Starting today, you’ll move to the servants‘ quarters on the first floor. I’ll have Melvin arrange a room for you,” Brian announced.

Hearing this, the ladle in Grace’s hand clattered to the ground, shattering into pieces. She turned around, looking at him, her face pale, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Her eyes seemed to crack slowly. Her nose tingled, her eyes moistened, and her tears on the brink of falling, but she didn’t want to cry in front of Brian. She fought hard to hold back her tears, forcing them to retreat.

Her appearance made Brian’s heart tremble harshly. They stood 10 feet apart, staring at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Brian involuntarily cleared his throat, then asked coldly, “Didn’t understand? Do I need to repeat myself?”

Grace smiled, crouched down to pick up the shattered fragments, and tears fell as she lowered her head.

“No need, I’ll move in a while,” she said calmly.

Brian clenched his fists tightly, his gaze fixed on her. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding some indescribable emotions surging within. He glanced away, noticing the soup on the stove. “Is the soup ready? Once it’s done, I’ll serve it to Louise.”

Grace sharply inhaled. “Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked instinctively.

“Nothing.” Grace quickly concealed her injured fingers in her palm, tossed the last few shards into the trash, and then hastily fled upstairs as if fleeing a scene.

In the corner of the second floor, Louise quickly darted back into her room.

Brian clenched his teeth, mechanically scooped a bowl of soup, and brought it upstairs.

“Here, the soup is ready. Have some breakfast before going back to sleep,” Brian said.

Louise looked at him with a happy expression, gently saying, “Thank you, Brian. Can you feed me?”

Brian nodded, scooped a spoonful of porridge, and fed it to her. His ears, however, involuntarily tuned into the commotion from the room across the hall.

“Brian, let’s go try on wedding dresses tomorrow, okay? Brian?” Louise asked.

She looked up at him, but he seemed not to have heard, mechanically repeating the action of feeding her porridge.