Hannah’s eyes opened, and she felt unbearably hot upon waking up. Even though the sunlight was still blocked by the curtains, she felt suffocated. She was shocked to find Alden hugging her from behind, and they were cramped together on the couch.
Hannah immediately pushed Alden, causing him to fall to the floor.
“Oh, God!” Hannah muttered angrily.
Last night, Hannah had left Alden to sleep in her room. She didn’t want to sleep in Aspen’s room because it disgusted her, and sleeping in John’s room brought back sad memories, including lingering resentment toward Francesca.
Eventually, Hannah decided to sleep on the couch. However, at some point, Alden had joined her, which made her very annoyed.
“Ouch,” Alden groaned.
Instead of being angry, Alden smiled at Hannah.
“Good morning, darling,” Alden greeted.
Hannah glared at him angrily. “Why are you sleeping here? I already gave you my room to sleep in,” she pointed upstairs.
“I wanted to be with you.”
“Stop it, Alden! This is not funny!”
Hannah quickly got up from the couch and headed upstairs. She planned to shower and get ready for work, but then remembered it was the weekend. Where could she go to avoid Alden?
“Ah, whatever. He’ll leave later,” Hannah grumbled as she entered the bathroom.
…
After her shower, while drying off, Hannah smelled something unpleasant. Like something burning. She hurried out of the bathroom and ran downstairs, seeing smoke coming from the kitchen. Peering inside, she saw Alden struggling with cooking.
Smoke billowed, and burnt eggs were in the pan.
“What are you doing?!” Hannah screamed.
She quickly turned off the stove, trying to control her breathing. What possessed Alden to cook? As far as she remembered, Alden had never set foot in the kitchen at the Harrison mansion!
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to make you breakfast,” Alden admitted honestly.
Alden looked genuinely regretful, which immediately calmed Hannah’s shock and anger that had nearly reached overheat levels a few seconds ago.
“You could have burned down the house, Alden. Let me handle it, okay?” Hannah sighed softly.
Alden didn’t respond. He just stared at Hannah intently. Realizing she was only wearing a towel, Hannah quickly went back upstairs.
A few minutes later, after changing clothes, Hannah returned downstairs. She saw Alden still sitting in a chair, doing nothing, just daydreaming.
“Go take a shower. You might be late for work. I’ll make breakfast,” Hannah instructed as if speaking to a child.
“Okay, Mom,” Alden replied nonchalantly.
“Do you want to eat burnt eggs?” Hannah threatened, pointing the spatula at him. “Shower, now!”
Alden chuckled softly and hurried upstairs.
“Oh my God, this is so absurd,” Hannah complained.
Hannah made a simple but delicious breakfast. Despite living at Alden’s house for a while and always being served, Hannah hadn’t lost her housekeeping skills, especially cooking. Once Alden finished his shower, he could smell the appetizing aroma of eggs.
Alden saw Hannah already sitting and enjoying her breakfast while busily looking at her phone. Her demeanor showed that she didn’t want to be disturbed, and Alden ate in silence. Hannah quickly finished eating, washed her dishes, and grabbed her bag.
“I’m going to the office. And I hope you’re gone when I get back,” Hannah declared firmly.
Alden didn’t reply. He continued to enjoy his breakfast calmly. Hannah left the house without looking back.
*
Throughout the day, Hannah’s mind was distracted by thoughts of Alden and Sarah. These two people disrupted her work, making Hannah frustrated. She even got scolded by Bernard during a meeting with a client because she was caught daydreaming.
“Are you okay, Hannah?” Bernard asked as he joined her in her office, sitting comfortably in a chair. “You weren’t focused at all during the meeting.”
Hannah just sighed wearily. “My mind is messed up, Bernard.”
“Does this have to do with Sarah?”
It was clear from Hannah’s face. Ever since Sarah arrived, Hannah’s life had been uneasy, haunted. Moreover, Sarah also worked at Goldtime.
Bernard knew about it but didn’t know the extent of the impact on Hannah and Alden.
“What should I do?” Hannah asked with a choked voice.
“Hannah, whatever happened in the past, I’m sure Alden has forgotten it. Now, working with Sarah is just a work matter. He’s trying to be professional.”
“Maybe for Alden, but not for Sarah.”
“Why do you think so?”
Hannah didn’t want to detail it, feeling like she was gossiping, even though Bernard could be trusted. It would be better if Alden talked to Bernard himself. Just discussing it made Hannah’s heartache intensely.
“I just knew,” Hannah evaded.
“That doesn’t make sense.” Bernard chuckled. “Even though women’s intuition is said to be strong, we’re not talking about feelings or something illogical.”
“I know.”
“Stay calm and think positively. This company needs you. Don’t let yourself falter because it will affect everyone.”
Hannah gave a bitter smile and nodded quickly.
“I don’t mean to pressure you. It’s just, Texco has grown rapidly since you came. I just want you to… keep up the good work,” Bernard continued.
Bernard left the room, letting Hannah return to work. But Hannah just stared blankly out the window, unsure what to do after knowing that Sarah still loved Alden deeply. Worse, she still wanted her husband.
…
After work, Hannah didn’t return to the Harrison mansion. She went back home, still wanting to calm down there. However, when Hannah arrived on the porch, she saw the lights on. She wasn’t sure if Alden had forgotten to turn them off when he left.
Hannah opened the door and her eyes widened in disbelief at the state of the house.
“Oh my God, what happened here?” Hannah exclaimed in shock.