Chapter 9 9

Amara nearly doubled over in pain as her boss started massaging her injured right hand. The pressure was unbearable-she honestly thought she might pee herself from the sheer pain. She wanted to cry so badly, but held it in, knowing that the devil himself-Xavier-would only tease her for it.

"O-ow..."

She whimpered as he gently pulled on her wrist. He shot her a sharp look, which she boldly returned without flinching.

"This is just a mild fracture. I don't think anything's actually broken. Stop acting like such a baby," he said flatly.

Amara glared at him, clearly offended, and snapped back almost shouting, "It hurts! Would you like to switch places and have your bones cracked?"

She nearly burst into tears as Xavier deliberately pressed harder, making her squirm.

"Ow! Can you please be gentle? Honestly, I don't even think you know what you're doing. Can you just take me to a doctor?" she pleaded, eyes glossy with tears.

This was the first time she'd ever hurt herself this badly. She knew she wasn't exaggerating-this wasn't her being dramatic. What would she even gain by pretending?

A raise?

Well... come to think of it, maybe she could demand one. After all, this was Xavier's fault-his damn flirtation caused this mess. He was rich anyway, so bumping her pay up to thirty thousand a month shouldn't be a big deal.

Despite the pain, a smile tugged at her lips at the thought. What would his grumpy face look like if she actually asked? Probably fuming. Worst case, she'd get fired.

And that's a job she really couldn't afford to lose.

"This is just a minor injury, Amara. You'll be fine," Xavier said again, his voice serious, pulling her back to reality.

She was about to say something snarky when she heard Nanay Unday approaching with an ice pack. She rolled her eyes when Xavier beat her to it, snatched the ice, and slapped it on her swollen hand without warning.

If he weren't such a grump-albeit annoyingly charming in his own way-and if this weren't her first day as his assistant, she might've thought he actually liked her, judging by all the things he'd done for her today.

Well, she wasn't trying to brag, but she knew she was pretty. Even now, broke as hell, she still had it.

"Oh, you still have your other hand. Handle it yourself," Xavier grunted and shoved the ice pack at her with an annoyed huff.

Amara pouted, grabbed it with a scowl, and rolled her eyes right back at him.

She wanted to snap, "I was literally about to take it earlier-you're the one who grabbed it, and now you're acting all annoyed?"

But with the stern housekeeper watching, she held her tongue.

"Y-yeah, I can do it. I'll be fine," she mumbled, closing her eyes for a second as the ice started to dull the pain.

If she still had her money, she would've gone straight to the hospital. No second thoughts.

"I'm the freaking heiress of the Aragon empire... and I'm flat broke. How pathetic is that?"

She shook her head at herself and ignored both Xavier and Nanay Unday as she tried to stand.

"Gosh, my back is killing me..." she muttered under her breath, wincing as she straightened up.

"You can rest for a while. You're hurt-and yeah, it was my fault," Xavier said suddenly, his tone still serious.

She gave him a tight, pained smile and a small nod, then slowly walked out of his office without another word.

--

Amara rolled her eyes sharply at the skimpy maid uniform her crazy boss had just made her wear.

"What the hell was he thinking, making me put on this ridiculous thing?"

She muttered under her breath, irritated, before tossing the damn uniform back into the bag it came in. Her back and wrist were still aching, so she carefully sat down on her small bed and then lay back slowly.

"Hmm, now that I think about it... maybe spraining my wrist thanks to Xavier Peralta's antics wasn't so bad after all. At least I get to nap a little."

She grinned to herself like a lunatic before finally closing her eyes.

--

Xavier furrowed his brows after knocking multiple times on the closed door of his new maid's room, with no response.

"Seriously, how deeply does she sleep? She's so hard to wake up."

He muttered to himself, irritated, and then threw the skimpy uniform back into the bag it came from. The thought of being made the designated wake-up call for his personal maid was really starting to piss him off.

He sighed, aggravated, and knocked harder on the door. After a while, Xavier decided that it was better to just open it, just like he did earlier this morning.

A secret smile tugged at the corners of Xavier's mouth as he recalled the mischief his maid had pulled off this morning. She had made sure he'd regret barging into her room.

"What if she does the same thing this time? Jumping out of bed in almost nothing but lace underwear and a sheer top?"

He stopped himself, realizing barging in uninvited to his maid's room could be a bad idea. Instead, he knocked again, this time louder.

Xavier had seen a lot of her today, but he wouldn't deny that he couldn't get enough-

Shit!

He cursed silently to himself after realizing how perverted he sounded. Hell, any sane man who had seen such a beauty would never get enough. He admitted it-his new maid could definitely pass his taste. Not her attitude, though... but definitely in his bed.

Double shit!

He muttered to himself, irritated again. Sure, he'd had his fair share of women, working hard all day and then using sex as his "rest."

His grandmother would call him a man-whore.

But then again, Amara was only 20-innocent like a ripe mango hanging on the tree.

"Amara."

Xavier called out her name with a sigh and knocked on the door again, louder this time. Still, no answer.

Frustrated, Xavier couldn't stop himself from turning the door handle. He was surprised to find that she hadn't bothered to lock it.

He slowly pushed the door open and was met with Amara sleeping on her bed. Her forehead was scrunched, indicating she wasn't having a peaceful sleep. He could tell by her heavy breathing and troubled expression.

Xavier's eyes wandered to her injured hand, curiosity getting the best of him. He walked closer. The scowl on his face faded as soon as he saw it. For some reason, worry quickly replaced his irritation when he saw how badly her wrist was injured.

"Shit, she really did break her wrist."

He whispered to himself, frustrated that he hadn't noticed it earlier, thinking she was just faking.

"She fell that hard?"

Xavier muttered, almost asking himself, then he carefully examined her swollen hand.

Without thinking, Xavier shook her gently to wake her up, swallowing nervously when he saw her soft, large, smooth chest hidden beneath the blanket.

"Amara, wake up."

He called her name, gently shaking her shoulder with his finger.

How ridiculous was he acting right now? Here he was, trying to play the saint when all he wanted was to touch her.

Funny how he acted like this now, forgetting that he'd kissed her twice today.

Saint...

Amara had a way of making even the most disciplined person curse, just by being asleep.

She's a beauty, he wouldn't deny that.

"Aww, my hand..."

Amara groaned softly, slowly opening her eyes. Xavier instantly stood up and tried to act cool, as though nothing had happened, as if he wasn't in his gorgeous maid's room.

"S-sir, what are you doing here? Am I late again? Did I oversleep? Sorry, I must've overdone it with the nap."

Despite the lighthearted tone in her voice, Xavier could still see the pain in her hand, especially when she winced as she tried to move it.

"Shit, this is bad..."

Xavier whispered to himself, watching her closely for a moment.

"I'm sorry I barged in without permission. I thought it was time to head to the mall, but you didn't answer when I knocked."

He casually said while trying to focus on her swollen hand.

"S-sorry, my wrist... well, I think it's really broken..."

Amara murmured, wincing in pain. Xavier nodded.

"Fix yourself up. We're getting that checked."

He said, acting as if he didn't care, before turning around and walking out of her room.

"Damn, she's really something..."