The sleek Porsche sped away like an arrow.
Mr. Russell was sweating bullets. “Miss Weber, I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
Cora folded her hands, her expression dark. “Don’t worry. If Mr. Oconnor asks about this again, stick to your answer. He’s always fair and impartial.”
“I understand that,” Mr. Russell replied uneasily. “But it seems like there’s something between Callie and Mr. Oconnor…”
“There isn’t!” Cora interrupted sharply. “Mr. Oconnor focuses on work, not personal feelings. Stop imagining things.”
She could glimpse the truth and pretend nothing happened, but she wouldn’t let anyone else in Oconnor Group know about Nelson and Callie’s relationship.
“Alright…”
Tomorrow was the weekend, and Callie wasn’t in a hurry to go to bed. She spent time in the kitchen with Nancy, making snacks.
Nancy nodded approvingly. “Mrs. Oconnor, you’re quite the cook. Your skills are excellent.”
Callie beamed with pride. “I didn’t have much when I grew up. I often went hungry, so I had to learn to cook. Over time, I got pretty good at it.”
In the Marsh family, Yamilet was lazy, and although Reuben could cook, Callie didn’t want him to bear all the responsibilities. She took over the household chores to ease his burden.
Callie poured the drinks into glasses and glanced outside. Still, Nelson hadn’t come back.
“Nancy, does Mr. Oconnor often come home this late?” Callie asked. She had been living here for a while and had never seen Nelson return early.
“Yes, Mr. Oconnor is always busy. Sometimes he doesn’t come home until the early hours. Before you came, he’d often stay at a hotel if he drank too much.”
Callie felt something was off about that, but she was too tired to think deeply. Nelson worked so hard. No wonder he was successful.
“Mrs. Oconnor,” Nancy nudged Callie playfully. “You made all these delicious things for Mr. Oconnor, didn’t you?”
“You could say that…”
Callie was grateful Nelson was usually a generous man. Any other man would have fired her for suggesting he had health issues.
Just then, the sound of a car engine came from the garden, getting closer.
Nancy quickly brought the desserts and drinks to the table. “Mr. Oconnor, welcome back. Mrs. Oconnor made you a midnight snack.”
Nelson’s cold eyes showed a flicker of surprise. The table was laden with exquisite food, filling the air with a sweet aroma.
He looked up to see Callie, who was flustered and hurriedly removing her apron, running out to greet him.
“Welcome back.”
Nancy and the servants discreetly left, leaving the two of them alone.
“You made this?” Nelson asked skeptically.
“Yes, but Nancy and the others helped. Would you like to try? I made strawberry cake, mango shake, and chocolate rolls. They’re better than anything you can get outside!”
“I don’t eat sweets.”
An awkward silence fell between them.
“I didn’t know. I just wanted to thank you by cooking for you. You weren’t home, so I made these snacks instead,” Callie said, looking down in embarrassment.
“Callie,” Nelson said in a low voice, for the first time noticing how small she seemed. “Are you trying to win my favor?”
Callie looked up, bewildered, and quickly shook her head. “No, I wanted to apologize. I said some… disparaging things about you when I left work today. Please don’t take it to heart. I was speaking without thinking! I promise I won’t do it again!”
There was no flirtation, just pure desperation for forgiveness!