Hannah sighed in exasperation as she stood outside the Harrison’s porch, unable to persuade the driver to drop her off on the street. Reluctantly, Hannah decided to face Alden, no matter what. She quickly opened the door and entered the house.
Apparently, Alden was on the back patio, eating breakfast, though it remained untouched.
Hannah approached Alden cautiously, keeping her distance. She cleared her throat quietly, but Alden didn’t respond. This time Hannah cleared her throat louder, causing Alden to turn his head.
“What now?” Hannah asked.
“You broke the agreement,” Alden explained.
“What agreement?”
“To have breakfast with me.” Alden motioned to the chair across from him. “Sit down.”
Annoyed, Hannah sat down facing the plate of fruit slices and salad dressing.
“Aren’t you eating?” Alden asked.
It was the first thing Alden had said after they had breakfast together and actually talked. Hannah was suspicious. What did Alden have in mind?
“I already had pancakes,” Hannah replied curtly.
Alden just nodded. “Pancakes sound good.”
“What do you want?”
This time, Alden closed his laptop screen, then rested his chin on his hands. His dark brown eyes stared intently at Hannah, but he showed no expression. And that made Hannah very uncomfortable.
“We have an agreement, Hannah,” Alden said.
“Yes, and?”
“Why did you leave the house and behave rudely?”
“What?” Hannah felt as if the man in front of her had just bumped his head and suffered amnesia about last night’s events. “You were the one who threw me out, remember?” she said.
“You should have begged me anyway.”
“For what? If you told me to go, I would go!”
“You belong to me!”
Hannah suppressed her emotions, her hands clenched and shaking. Exactly what Francesca had said, that Hannah should have stayed. Lose her dignity, become a slave, whatever it was, but Hannah couldn’t leave Alden.
What kind of life was that? But there was nothing Hannah could do.
“If you break it unilaterally, I’ll have to take back what I gave you,” Alden said calmly.
“Your money went to pay my father’s hospital bills!”
“Maybe I’ll take his heart? How about that? Do you agree?”
“You’re insane!” Hannah snapped.
Alden clasped his hands and glared at Hannah, making her instantly afraid. If Hannah resisted, could Alden prove his words? For the man never seemed to joke about the words that came out of his mouth.
“I will make a new agreement that you cancel our contract,” Alden said lightly.
“Please, don’t!” Hannah stood up. “I beg you, don’t do this.”
Alden grinned. “Then what are you going to do to convince me?”
Hannah approached Alden, then knelt before him. All notions of dignity, heartache, Hannah had to put aside. Therefore, Hannah had to accept whatever consequences Alden would give her.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Hannah said quietly.
“And then what? Is that all?”
“As you said, I belong to you. I will take whatever punishment you give me.”
This time Alden turned and tilted his face towards Hannah, his expression suddenly looking very sweet. Hannah quickly looked down, she didn’t want to be seen as impertinent.
“I want you to sit down and join me for breakfast. Okay?” Alden said.
Unconsciously, Hannah immediately lifted her head and stared intently at Alden.
“Breakfast?” Hannah asked incredulously.
“Yes, I’m hungry. I want you to eat with me, even if your stomach is already full.”
A smile immediately appeared on Hannah’s face. “Of course, sir. Thank you.”
Alden paused for a moment at Hannah’s warm smile. Something stirred in his heart, but he quickly covered it up. Alden didn’t know why he felt so confused.
Hannah’s presence was actually quite disturbing, but on the other hand, Alden felt like he had a friend.
Hannah forced herself to eat, and she didn’t mind, even though she was already full. The punishment of having to finish breakfast was very light. Meanwhile, in Hannah’s mind, she had imagined whips or guillotines.
But the atmosphere between them returned to silence as usual.
“Mr. Gulfman will be back in the office today. But since his room is still being renovated, you two will be sharing the office for the time being,” Alden suddenly spoke at length.
Hannah just blinked, incredulous to hear Alden speak.
“That’s okay, right?” he continued.
And his last sentence really surprised Hannah. Alden cared about Hannah? That was progress.
Alden snapped his fingers. “Hannah? Are you listening to me?”
Hannah nodded hastily. “Yes. I… I apologize. I heard you, sir. I don’t mind.”
“Good.”
Once again, the vibe between them suddenly fell silent. Hannah didn’t dare start a conversation, even though Alden’s attitude had softened slightly. Hannah didn’t want to suddenly change Alden’s mood.
“By the way, I need you to do something for me this weekend,” Alden said.
Surprise, surprise! What possessed Alden?
“What do you need me to do, sir?” Hannah asked.
“Can you shave? Beard, mustache? But if not… it’s okay.”
“I often shave my father’s beard.” Hannah said enthusiastically. “But I don’t know if you’d be into it.”
“If I ask if you can, it means I need you to do it.”
“Alright.”
“No need to hesitate, just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.'”
Hannah nodded quickly. “I can, sir.”
Alden glanced at his watch. “It’s almost nine, you should be getting ready to go to Texco.”
“I haven’t finished breakfast yet, sir.”
“I just asked you to join me, and I’m finished. Off you go.”
Quickly, Hannah stood up, then smiled broadly. Somehow, Hannah felt relieved, even though it had been so chaotic before.
There was a small confirmation in Hannah’s heart that what John had said was true: that Alden was a nice man.
“I’ll be going, sir,” Hannah said.
“Work hard.” Alden replied without looking at his wife.
Hannah grabbed her bag and walked into the house. For the first time, Hannah felt comfortable walking the deserted hallways of the Harrison residence. She straightened her hair as she walked, tidying it up again.
As Hannah opened the front door, her phone rang. Reaching into her bag, Hannah pulled out her phone and saw the name “Francesca” on the screen.
Reluctantly, Hannah answered the call. Francesca must be curious about what was going on between Hannah and Alden. If they had decided to divorce or not.
“Yes, Mom?” Hannah greeted.
A scream came from the other end. “Hannah! Your father, your father…”
“What’s wrong with Dad?”
“He died!”