“That’s a relief. Could you at least let me buy you dinner tonight, then?” Cody asked, “You saved my beautiful body from scrapes and bruises. I owe you that much.”
Beautiful body?
Thea snorted, “You don’t have to. I’m on a diet.”
“Why?” Cody frowned.
“Well… According to you, I’m desperately single and have even started to develop feelings for my over-sarcastic boss. I need to get fit and pretty, so I can find a boyfriend sooner,” Thea’s words were sardonic, “After getting myself a boyfriend, I will leave you alone. Isn’t that your wish as well?”
Cody nodded, “You want to get fit? It’s actually a good thing. Better for your health. I know some decent men that could be interested in you. But those men have high standards for their girlfriends’ bodies. I would like to help you if you really want to get fit.”
No, I don’t want to get fit. Thea thought. That was just an excuse to keep the dinner from happening.
But clearly, Cody had taken her words seriously. And it was bad.
“Are you gonna play My Fairy Godmother?” Thea frowned, “I’m not Audrey Hepburn.”
“I know you’re not Audrey Hepburn and that’s why you’re single. Come on, Thea,” Cody turned around and pushed his wheelchair back and forth playfully, “It will be fun. I’ll double your salary if you lose 10 lbs this month.”
“Double?” Thea’s eyes lit up, “Deal!” Thea wouldn’t have said that if she knew what she was gonna go through in the next couple of weeks.
****
Thea was still in a daze when she was woken up at 5 a. m. She couldn’t believe Cody would also wake up that early.
“Time to jog, sunshine,” Cody sounded like he was smiling on the other side of the phone, “Double payment for 10 pounds. Remember?”
Thea groaned and rolled over to get up.
When she got out of the mansion, Cody was in his car. Matt was in the driver’s seat. The poor assistant looked tired as well being woken up this early.
When Thea ran down the road, Matt just drove slowly alongside.
Thea hadn’t done any jogging for a while. She felt her lungs burning after finishing the whole run. She wanted to get in the car since they’d reached the foot of the hill. However, the car was slowly driving away.
Thea’s eyes widened in disbelief, “You can’t do this to me, Cody!”
“Actually, I can,” Cody laughed from the window, “Walking uphills can burn a lot of calories. You can do this, Queen.”
“I CAN’T DO THIS!” Thea felt she was gonna have a meltdown soon.
“Yes, you can,” Cody urged her with a straight face, “Double salary.”
Thea clenched her teeth. This bastard! He must have done this on purpose!
This was not My Fairy Godmother. This was just another excuse to make her live in hell!
Thea stomped her feet and groaned in distress. In the end, she still started to walk uphill.
When she got back to the house, Cody’s family came to visit again.
Cristelle had a lovely smile on her beautiful face when she saw Thea. Thea was panting heavily and sweating like a pig. She only stood there and exchanged a couple of words with Cristelle shortly before going back to her bedroom to get changed.
Cristelle knew from Matt that Cody was training Thea to get fit. She felt surprised.
Since Demi disappeared, Cody had seldom shown any focus or passion for coaching anyone to do anything.
“Why are you helping Thea to get fit?” Cristelle asked happily as she baked desserts for her son in the kitchen.
“Well… That woman has a secret crush on me. I’m trying to get her a boyfriend so she wouldn’t be another young woman who gets her heart broken because of Cody Bradley,” Cody answered pretty seriously.
Cristelle laughed. Her son was just as narcissistic as his dad.
“But Thea’s body is perfect. You don’t need to push her to lose weight,” Cristelle smiled.
“I know,” Cody gulped down a glass of orange juice on the counter, “The training is not merely about getting fit. I also have to distract her so she wouldn’t spend her day feeling sad because she can’t be with me.”
Cristelle shook her head as she pushed a tray of buttered dough into the oven.
****
Facing the plate of roasted chicken breast and boiled broccoli, Thea heaved a deep breath.
Was trading the joy of her life for money worth it? That was a question Thea didn’t have an answer to. Instead, she could smell the fragrance of roasted beef and cheesecake from the door of the dining room. The Bradley family was enjoying their mouth-watering lunch right now.
After running for miles downhill and walking uphills on foot, Thea felt her body was running like an oil-less machine.
She took a dip swig from her glass of tap water to wash down the dry chicken breast in her mouth.
The tempting smell from the dining room was torturing her.
10 lbs are equal to double the salary.
Losing more lbs and she could become a millionaire.
Thea didn’t see the point of their little bet, but she just wanted to teach that arrogant bastard a lesson. This was not only about money. This was also a war of honor.
She would become one of those treadmill-running and salad-eating bitches and find a rich boyfriend. Hopefully, her weight-loss campaign would also bankrupt Cody Bradley by then.
She would get fit, rich, and not so desperately single. And she would slap her glorious triumph in her old boss’s face?
What did he mean by “it’s not gonna happen”?
Thea forked the meat on her plate angrily. She knew she was a bit sulking about what Cody told her in his office. It was not because she had a crush on him. It was just how he said that, as if she was not good enough for him.
Cody probably had a point. He was a billionaire with a super genius brain. But he didn’t need to say those words to her after she saved his ass.
Thea threw the fork onto the plate and leaned back in her chair, losing all her appetite.