The living room is dimly lit with only a few lights. Although the atmosphere was cool, he sat upright, which made her feel a kind of awe unconsciously.
Penelope went downstairs with deliberate slowness and then sat next to him in the dark.
“Slide over.” He stopped turning the phone.
Penelope moved to the armchair.
“What are you doing here?” asked Penelope
“Thinking.”
Penelope is reluctant to ask him what he is thinking about.
“You… have a very big business, right?” Penelope asked tentatively.
“Yes.”
“Generally speaking, successful businessmen have a unique vision and can see business opportunities that others can’t see, so they can earn a lot.”
He crossed his hands on his lap. “Are you flattering me? If so, you can stop.”
Penelope sighed and shook, “I have had some economic difficulties recently. Do you know what kind of investment is suitable for me?”
“I’m not your personal financial advisor.” Warren replied briefly.
“I just knew one guy who knows about finance. It’s you.”
“Do you know the value of my working hours?”
“You were just in a daze.” Penelope bit her lips, and bravely pointed out.
“I was thinking, not in a daze.”
“But I have no money. I can’t pay you for consultation fees.
Warren looked at her and glared at her, “Won’t Asher take care of you if you have no money?”
“He…. I am giving birth to the baby willingly, and I don’t want this to tie him up as his burden. Please don’t misunderstand my intentions. I’m not such a person.” Penelope stammered, and she didn’t know what she had explained. She uttered in a mosquito-like voice, “And, he made a payment to my card that I can’t access…
A laugh came in the air. Penelope closed her eyes and lamented her misfortune.
“How much money do you have now?”
Penelope looked up with palm extended. “If you mean the pound, probably it is this number.”
Warren lifted the corners of his mouth and said, “What can you invest with five thousand pounds? Learn how to get something from nothing?”
Penelope retracted her hand and flicked her hair. “Err… You actually misunderstood. Not five thousand, it is five hundred….”
Warren was lost for words.
They sat in the darkness for half an hour. Warren closed his eyes to relax. Penelope reclined on the couch, calculating how much of her balance remained.
She should return one hundred pounds to the driver for the puppy’s treatment fee and vaccine costs. In the future, the dog has to be vaccinated every 20 days until it is one year old. In addition to the rabies vaccine later… fine, she can declare bankruptcy.
Penelope looked at him, bending over the armrest of the sofa. “Is there really no solution? Can I go to your company to do the cleaning? There should be a good salary.”
“The current cleaners are very good. There is no vacancy.”
She couldn’t even fight for cleaning work. Is she useless? Penelope was hurt.
“Have you ever done gardening before?”
Penelope’s eyes lit up, “Yes, I have! What? Does your company need a gardener?”
“No, but my house needed it. The butler had lumbago, and it’s troubling him greatly as he got older. If you can, just do it for him. I’ll pay you for the labor costs.”
“Really? It’s settled!” Penelope is overjoyed with her hands clapping.
He said, “Start working tomorrow, and you can ask the butler for specific details.”
Penelope nodded.
“Bong!” The clock in the living room knocks. It is eleven o’clock.
“The New Year is coming. Happy New Year!” Penelope showed a gentle smile.
“Only punctual blessings are sincere.” He said.
Penelope is speechless. That is the way that she just criticized Asher…
This is so-called karma.
Penelope used her fingers to lick the edge of the sofa. She thought twice, and at last, she asked in a relaxed tone. “I guess your date tonight didn’t go too well?” Upon his return, he was in this dark room alone, which looked like he had been dumped.
She asked with a smile as if she were just concerned, not gossiping.
“How do you know I had a date?”
“Mrs. Brown told me that you went on a date with your beautiful and capable fiancée.” Penelope looked at him with hands under her chin.
“She is not my fiancée.” Warren picked up the cup on the table and gave a faint reply.
“Is she pretty?”
“She is prettier than you.”
Penelope pouted and then smiled and said, “I see… Do you take me as a reference when identifying beauty?”
He said reluctantly, “You’re really overthinking.”
Penelope got up and sat closer to him, saying, “For the sake of the fact you offered me a job, you can pour out your grievances to me. Not too long, half an hour is the limit.”
“I don’t have any grievances.”
“You look obviously unhappy.” Penelope reached out her finger and pointed in front of him, full of mischief.
Stunned, Warren said, “Are women always suspicious?”
“Yes.”
“It’s almost twelve o’clock. You can go to bed.” He dropped his eyes and didn’t want to talk about anything beyond their friendship.
“I will accompany you for a few more minutes for the sake of the job you offered me.”
“You just used this excuse.”
“It’s useless. It’s fine to recycle.” She responded quickly. Then she blinked her right eye.
Warren got up, “I’m sleepy. Help yourself, please.”
He walked past Penelope. She agilely grabbed his wrist and said, “Wait.”
He looked down at her. Her slender fingers are resting on his wrist. He felt a bit hot.
“What are you doing…”
His low voice spread in the air. And the clock clicked again. It’s twelve o’clock.
“Happy New Year!” She released her hand and smiled.
When the butler entered the garden, he saw the fallen leaves. The holly he carefully cared for is already bald.
“I’m sorry…” Penelope bowed her head and put down her scissors.
The butler sighed, “If you don’t know how to prune, you can tell Mr. Duncan.”
Penelope scratched her head and said awkwardly, “If I had told him then, he wouldn’t have handed over the work to me. Then I won’t get paid…”