Chapter 3

That morning, as soon as I stepped inside, I saw a woman sitting on the sofa. She embodied intellectual elegance, glancing up from her phone to look at me with surprise. "Who are you? How do you get in?"

"I'm the housekeeper. Are you Mr. Gates's girlfriend?"

Sitting here so early must mean she stayed the night, right?

I felt a pang of disappointment but reminded myself to stay focused on work and not let my thoughts wander.

She smiled without answering, instead looking me up and down. "I didn't expect housekeepers to be so young and attractive these days."

I didn't want her to misunderstand, so I started to explain that I was working in place of my mother, but Simon came down the stairs and interrupted, "Is there a problem?"

His tone was completely different from before. Had they argued?

"Mr. Gates, I'll leave you two."

Thinking it best to leave them some space, I picked up my things and headed towards the kitchen.

"No need. I'm taking you to a meal later."

"Um..."I wasn't sure how to respond, and continued towards the kitchen. But Simon stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "As your employer, I'd appreciate it if you could follow my lead."

My heart raced, unsure how to react. I looked up at him, noticing his gloomy expression.

"You..." He shook his head slightly and whispered in my ear, "Do me a favor."

There was a plea in his voice, and I instinctively nodded.

Our posture must have looked intimate to an outsider. I glanced at the woman beside us, but she didn't react dramatically. Instead, she stood up and said, "Simon, you don't need to make things difficult for your housekeeper. I just wanted to see you. You weren't at the office yesterday, and since the key hadn't been changed and I was worried about you, I came in myself."

The key hadn't been changed? She was her ex-girlfriend?

"Am I making things difficult for you?" Simon asked me with a glance.

I shook my head.

"Simon, can we talk in private?"

"Can't you see we are in love? So, no."

I knew he was saying it to provoke her, but his words lingered in my mind, stirring a small ripple in my heart.

"Simon, save it. It's been so many years, and you're still acting like a kid. I didn't mean to hurt you back then. Being with him was not what I wanted. I couldn't just watch my father's business crumble." She said this in French, but since I majored in Spanish and minored in French and Japanese, I understood perfectly.

"I find it a bit disrespectful to talk like that in front of my girlfriend. Don't you agree, Ms. White?"

"No worries, I understand French." I replied in French.

I saw Simon's surprised and slightly delighted expression, and my heart fluttered with a mix of excitement and joy.

"Are you really a housekeeper?" Ms. White seemed a bit angry, and I could sense hostility towards me.

I looked at Simon, who sent me a playful smile that gave a shiver down my spine. Encouraged, I decided to continue the show.

I pulled up a chair for Simon to sit on, making him more comfortable, then leaned casually against the backrest. I feigned nonchalance. "Pardon us, Ms. White. It is just some role-play between us. To be honest, since you chose someone else, perhaps it's best not to stir up old flames. It's really undignified and annoying. Otherwise, you might still be Simon's dream girl, but now I have no such worries."

"Simon, I didn't expect you to have such a low peculiarity!" Ms. White fumed and stormed out.

Watching her leave, I quickly ran upstairs to fetch some medicine, to him with a glass of water. "Your illness should not be underestimated. I think you should see a doctor."

"Can you drive?"

"Sure." My father was a driver, and my eighteenth birthday gift was an old car.

He smiled and said, "Seems like you deserve a raise. Do you have any other skills I don't know about?"

"Let's talk about it after you give me a raise."

I joked lightly, yet my emotions were churning inside.