Mr. Bradley and Mrs. Bradley’s visit was short. Thea went to the sink to clean the dishes, and she had already heard the sound of their cars departing.
Zoey suddenly poked her head into the kitchen, “Thea? Alfred wants to see you.”
“Alfred?” Thea pulled her hands out of the bubbled water and wiped them on a rag, “Who’s Alfred?”
“He’s Mr. Bradley’s assistant,” Zoey explained.
Thea frowned, “Why does he want to see me?”
“I don’t know,” Zoey shrugged, “Why don’t you go check out yourself?”
Thea was confused, but she still followed Zoey to the parlor immediately.
When she got to the parlor, she saw a middle-aged man standing there. He was in a grey suit, and he looked quite professional, reminding Thea of Matt.
“Miss Todd?” Alfred asked, smiling.
“Yep,” Thea took a couple of steps forward, “Zoey said you wanted to see me. Is there something Mr. Bradley wanted to remind me of?”
“No,” Alfred sounded so polite, “Mr. Bradley wants to thank you for taking care of his son so well, so he decided to send you a gift.”
With that, the assistant handed Thea an envelope.
“Wow! That’s really generous of him.” Thea said as she took the envelope and opened it.
She took a fat wad of money out of it. Thea didn’t count it, but she knew it must be at least tens of thousands.
“What the…” Thea’s mouth fell open,” No! I can’t take this.”
Thea shoved the envelope into Alfred’s hands instantly, “This is too much.”
“Money can never be too much, Miss Todd,” Alfred laughed as he pushed the money back.
“No! Sir, you don’t understand. Cody already paid me generously. It will be a sin if I take so much yet work so little.” Thea knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight if she took the money.
Alfred firmly pushed the envelope back, “No, Miss Todd. YOU don’t understand. You have no idea how much Cody changed after you came to keep his company. He used to stay quite detached from the people and things around him. But it seems like you brought him back,” the look on Alfred’s face was sincere, “I probably don’t need to explain how wealthy the Bradley family is in this country to you. The money is no big deal to them, but they know this is the only way to utter their utmost gratitude to you. Mrs. Bradley has guessed that you would probably refuse the money. She asked me to tell you that she NEEDED you to take the money. She will only feel assured after you take them.”
“Why?” Thea frowned, “She thinks I would treat her son poorly if I don’t take the money?”
“Come on, Miss Todd,” Alfred smiled, “You know this is not what she meant.”
“Of course,” Thea smiled as well. “I know she’s doing this because she’s a caring mother. I actually also decided to take good care of her son because she is a great mother. She reminds me of my mom. But the money…”
“Please, Thea, take the money for Cristelle’s sake,” Alfred insisted, “It will make Cristelle and Linford happy.”
“Okay.” Thea could only accept it, “But please make sure that they won’t do this again.”
****
Thea lost 20 pounds in a month. Moreover, she even could see her skin glow when she stood before the mirror. Exercising and healthy diets did her so much good. At this point, she didn’t even feel her bet with Cody was that important anymore. She felt more confident with her body, and she also felt more energetic every day when she went to work.
Cody also seemed to be proud of her.
Quadrupling her salary didn’t even seem like a pain. Cody genuinely admired her stamina.
He felt he was right about this happy and confident woman all along. With that level of willpower, she could achieve more than house-cleaning and caretaking. Cody just couldn’t understand why she was still wasting her talents here.
“Now, all you need is a rich boyfriend,” Cody joked as he watched Thea vacuum the floor.
Zoey was wiping vases with a rag.
“Are you really gonna matchmake me now, Uncle Bradley?” Thea shook her head, “I really don’t need any men.”
“I’m just saying. You lost weight successfully, and you just made Cody Bradley lose a bet,” Cody grinned, “Not so many people can make me lose. You definitely don’t need any men in your life now, Queen.”
“Can you stop bragging for even a second?” Thea laughed.
“What? You want to find a boyfriend now?” Zoey asked enthusiastically, “How old are you this year, Thea? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Why? You wanna find a boyfriend for me as well?” Thea winked at her, “I’m 36.”
And that was a lie.
“Wow, this is perfect. My niece, Jake, is two years younger than you, and he’s running a logistics company. He’s been busy with his career, and he didn’t even have the time to find himself a wife. He’s a great guy. Why don’t you see him?”
Thea went a bit embarrassed. She didn’t expect Zoey to really introduce her to a boyfriend, “Thank you, Zoey. But I really don’t want to be in a relationship right now.”
“Why? Jake’s a nice guy. You should at least try.” Zoey narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “Are you having a crush on someone else?”
“No!” Thea went completely red.
Cody shook his head. He didn’t know why Thea declined such a perfect date. Maybe she was still secretly in love with him.
****
Thea went upstairs to do a massage for Cody as usual. Cody checked her out under the light. Thea’s bone structure looked beautiful. The only problem with her this time was her skin. Her skin was not as perfect as he wanted her to be. Should he help her to enhance her skin too?
“Thea, how many people do you have in your family?” Cody suddenly asked.
Thea suddenly went a bit nervous, “Three people.”
“What do your parents do for a living?” Cody asked again.
Thea could only answer, “My parents are running a small diner in my hometown.”
“How is their business?” Cody asked as if he was doing an investigation.
Thea, however, was feeling more and more uneasy. Why would he want to know things like this tonight?
“Well… Actually, the diner has been closed because they didn’t get many customers. They shifted to farming recently.
Farming?