Hamish’s way of coaxing people was like coaxing little cats and dogs. For him, Elisa’s furious anger sounded like a gust of wind.
“Who’s bothering you?”
“Alright, alright, nobody’s bothering you. Let’s eat. If Crepes doesn’t want to eat, then don’t eat. I won’t buy it for you anymore. He thought Elisa liked it so much.”
Hamish didn’t insist on taking Elisa to see a movie. Since Elisa wasn’t feeling well and felt sleepy after eating, he took her back home.
As soon as they got in the car, she leaned against the seat and closed her eyes. The reason she was so sleepy now was because of the medication prescribed by her psychiatrist. Taking too much of that medication was harmful to her body, but if she didn’t take it, she couldn’t control her condition. The medicine was a double-edged sword, so she had to gradually reduce the dosage.
She remained asleep even after they arrived home. Hamish originally wanted to carry her inside, but as soon as his fingers touched her waist, she woke up.
Like a conditioned reflex, she stared at him with a pair of eyes, vigilant. Hamish saw various emotions in Elisa’s eyes-fear, dread, indifference, vigilance, confusion-but notably absent was the joy that used to be the most prominent. Hamish was momentarily stunned by her gaze, and then a sense of emptiness washed over him, as if a piece of his heart had been bitten.
“I thought you were sleeping soundly, so I wanted to carry you upstairs.”
Elisa didn’t respond to his gesture. She swayed and got out of the car, opening the back seat door to retrieve a gift.
She maintained a single motion throughout the journey, feeling sore all over, especially her neck. Whenever she tilted her head back, her bones made a creaking sound.
While Hamish was reversing the car into the garage, Elisa had already taken out her keys and opened the door. She went straight to the bedroom on the second floor and began taking out the items she was holding.
None of them were valuable objects, but they were filled with the children’s heartfelt intentions. Moreover, it was the first time she had received so many gifts.
Among the slightly more complex handicrafts was a small wishing bottle made by several children together. It was filled with colorful plastic stars made from bent tubes. Elisa shook the bottle and saw a row of names on the base.
Each gift had the names of these children written on them, representing their handmade efforts.
Elisa felt a wave of warmth in her heart as she put each of these gifts into the drawers under the cabinet. Finally, she came across a pair of exquisitely designed “Crepes earrings.”
She took them out and saw the word “Autumn” written on the bottom of the box.
However, she was at a loss, as if a big hand had grabbed her heart and tightened it bit by bit.
If this had happened a month ago, Elisa would never have believed that she would care so much about a man she had only met once.
Hamish hired a maid named Ariella Jordan to move into the villa. She was twenty-three years old, a college graduate from a poor background who had been independent since childhood. There was nothing she couldn’t do. Originally, she had gone to the Burns Group for a secretary interview, but Tobias recruited her to work as a maid here. It was a completely different job, and it felt like a waste of talent.
“How did Tobias manage to deceive you into coming here as a maid? A fine university student coming here to work as a maid. All Elisa could think of was: falling for a scam.
Speaking of Ariella, she seemed indifferent. “What else could it be? Of course, it’s money. Being a maid here for a month pays more than working in the company for twice as long.”
Hamish had hired the maid at a high price, not just for cooking and cleaning, but mainly to accompany Elisa and keep her company.
Ariella cooked in the kitchen, following the nutritional recipes prescribed by the hospital. She was skilled in cooking, and with her inquiries, she quickly grasped Elisa’s taste preferences and dietary restrictions.
“Miss Powell, I really think Mr. Burns is good to you. The rumors outside were that Mr. Burns and you were getting married for a strategic alliance, each getting what they wanted. But now I don’t think so at all.”
The living room had the television on, but Elisa was flipping through a book, not paying attention to anything. Her fingers stiffened when she heard Ariella’s words. “You don’t think what?”
Ariella replied, “Well, if he doesn’t love you, he would probably divorce you. In the few days I’ve been here, I’ve noticed thatMr. Burns is attentive to you. He often asks me about you, what you did during the day. He even asked me about romantic places for couples, probably planning to take you out for a break.”
Ariella could see the emotions between Hamish and Elisa, and she couldn’t help but feel that Elisa didn’t seem to like Hamish as much as people had claimed online.
Elisa listened quietly and only spoke after hearing everything. Her voice was soft, almost devoid of emotion, her eyes half-closed, and her expression was one of profound stillness.
Ariella nodded blankly, her voice somewhat stuttering, “Isn’t it so? Isn’t that what it means to like someone? To treat them well?”
Elisa couldn’t help but sneer at her words, her voice extremely cold and mocking, “Do you know why you were hired here as a maid?”
“Because you were sick, and Mr. Burns hired me to take care of you, to keep you company, and to make sure you eat and take your medicine. Isn’t that considered good?”
Elisa asked again, “Do you know how I got sick?”
Ariella didn’t answer. She didn’t know anything about these things. She had only learned about Elisa’s illness from the internet, but she hadn’t asked for details. After all, mental illness wasn’t a good topic.
“When I was seven weeks pregnant, Hamish threw me down the stairs, causing me to miscarry. Afterwards, in the hospital, he was with another woman in front of me, discussing me as if I were some kind of beast. They were discussing how many children I should have to give to his lover to raise. I live a life worse than death, worse than a dog!”
“So that’s how it is.” Ariella’s ears were ringing, finding it hard to believe that things were actually like that.
The things that happened between her and Hamish couldn’t be explained in just a few words. Elisa put down the book in her hand, “So don’t say anything good about him in front of me. It only makes me more disgusted by him!”