The wealthy woman was no longer as arrogant as before; she knelt before the middle-aged woman and hastily apologized, “I’m sorry, I misjudged you. I was wrong, please don’t hold it against me.”
Regret filled her heart at this moment. It wasn’t worth causing trouble over ten thousand dollars. If she had known, she wouldn’t have sought out this woman’s problems, and her affair wouldn’t have been exposed.
The middle-aged woman looked at Leo with gratitude and said, “Young man, I can’t thank you enough for what you did today. Without your help, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Although the middle-aged woman had evidence in her hand, she was afraid to present it because she feared retaliation from the wealthy woman. Leo’s appearance gave her the courage she needed.
“You didn’t do anything wrong; there’s no need to thank me. I just mentioned earlier that I was looking for a cook and housekeeper. If you’re willing, I can hire you,” Leo said.
The middle-aged woman, of course, was willing and nodded eagerly, “Thank you, I’m willing!”
Scar pointed at Antony and asked, “Mr. Bloomer, what should we do with this guy?”
Scar’s words made Antony shiver, and he quickly knelt in front of Leo again, saying, “Mr. Bloomer, I know I was wrong. Please spare me.”
Leo gave him an impatient look, saying, “Hurry and leave; don’t let me see you again.”
Antony left with his wife, feeling as if he’d been granted a pardon.
Once Scar and the others left, the commotion finally settled down.
Leo looked at the middle-aged woman and asked, “Auntie, what’s your name?”
“I’m Nora Toland,” the middle-aged woman replied.
“Nora, I’ll take you to my house now. If you’re willing to stay, we can sign a contract,” Leo said.
“No need to go see the house. You not only helped me today but also offered me a job. Even if the pay is a little lower, I’m willing to do it,” Nora waved her hand.
Leo smiled and said, “As for the pay, I’ll give you two thousand dollars a month. How does that sound?”
“two thousand?!” Nora was shocked, finding it hard to believe as housekeepers in Langstel usually earned around a thousand dollars. Leo’s offer was considered high paying.
Knowing her worth, Nora quickly said, “Two thousand dollars is too much. Just give me a thousand.”
“Two thousand isn’t much. My house is a mansion with a large area, and your workload will be substantial,” Leo replied with a smile.
After reaching an agreement, Leo took Nora to her home to collect her clothes and personal items.
On the way, Leo learned that Nora’s husband had passed away in a car accident two years ago, and she was now raising her daughter, who was about to go to college, all on her own. Her living conditions were challenging.
The only source of comfort was that her daughter was not only well-behaved but also excelled in her studies. Nora had placed all her hopes on her daughter’s shoulders and was determined to support her no matter how hard it got.
After picking up her belongings, Leo brought her to the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area.
Although Nora came from the lower strata of society, she had worked in the domestic service industry for many years and had some knowledge of the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area.
Upon seeing the entrance of the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area, Nora was shocked and couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, do you live here?”
The title “boss” didn’t sit well with Leo, so he said to Nora, “Nora, from now on, just call me Leo. I’m no boss.”
Nora shook her head, saying, “No, you’re my employer, I can’t just call you by your name. Since you don’t like the title ‘boss,’ I’ll address you as Mr. Bloomer from now on.”
Leo let out a wry smile and decided to go along with it.
As they entered the villa’s living room, just when Leo was about to assign a room to Nora, Jessica descended from upstairs.
Upon seeing Leo bringing an unfamiliar woman home, Jessica questioned in a challenging tone, “Leo, who is this woman, and why did you bring her in?”
“This is Nora, she’s the one I hired. She’ll be responsible for cooking and cleaning the house from now on,” Leo explained.
Jessica now understood that Leo had hired a maid.
Jessica walked up to Leo, her voice laced with anger, “Leo, it seems like you feel great about yourself now. You hired a maid for the house without consulting me first. I guess you don’t want to cook anymore, right? Fine, I’ll do it myself!”
Leo shrugged it off, looked at Jessica, and then said to Nora, “Nora, my mom wants to handle the cooking herself, so you’ll be responsible for cleaning the house from now on.”
This statement immediately infuriated Jessica. She had avoided the kitchen like the plague since Leo married her four years ago.
She didn’t expect her offhand comment to be taken seriously by Leo.
“Dream on if you think I’ll cook for you! It’s a joke!” Jessica snorted and turned her attention to Nora, asking, “How much did they pay you, and did they use our money?”
“Mom, don’t worry. I’m covering Nora’s salary. You won’t have to pay a dime,” Leo replied.
After this, Leo was about to show Nora to the guest room on the ground floor. Jessica intervened immediately, “She’s just a maid; she can’t stay in the guest room. Those rooms are for guests. She can sleep on a mat in the storeroom.”
Nora understood her place very well how wealthy and powerful of those people living in the Cloud Dream Mountain villa area. She felt she didn’t deserve to stay in a guest room. All she needed was a place to sleep, so she said to Leo, “Mr. Bloomer, how about I go to the storeroom? As long as I have a place to sleep.”
Jessica couldn’t contain her irritation and shot Nora a sidelong glance, saying, “As a servant, you should have this self-awareness.”
“Nora, we’re all equals here, there’s no distinction of high or low. This is my home, and wherever I decide you stay, you will stay,” Leo’s tone didn’t allow for any argument. He picked up Nora’s luggage and led her towards the guest room.
Leo’s attitude nearly drove Jessica to madness. The lack of respect he showed her in front of a maid was undermining her status in the household.
Fuming, Jessica yelled at Leo, “Leo, you useless brat, won’t you even listen to me?”
Leo didn’t pay any attention to Jessica and turned to Nora, saying, “Nora, just focus on your work from now on. If anyone gives you a hard time, let me know, okay?”
Nora wore an uncomfortable expression on her face. Since she learned the identity of the young man in front of her, starting with the name Leo, she had understood his position in the family.
Feeling the tension between mother-in-law and son-in-law, Nora didn’t want to cause any conflicts between them.