Home / Romance / Betrayal's Embrace / Beneath the Surface

Share

Beneath the Surface

Author: Jprincess
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-20 22:01:08

Katy's Point of View.

I would appear rude if I said I didn't want to be here. And I was tempted to say it anyway. I didn't want to be here. But when I suggested to Morris that I would rather have dinner in the comfort of my bedroom, his reply shook me to the teeth. My belly grumbled, clearly disagreeing with the repercussions of missing dinner at dinnertime.

"The thing is... You miss a meal here, you can forget about eating at all. It's a kind of a rule."

"Well, how is he sure that you don't sneak the food from the quarters to your bedroom? He's not even there. It doesn't make sense."

He chuckled a little. "We all eat at the dining table. It's not a hidden thing. I'm serious, you were not briefed at the interview about it."

"Wait, so you're telling me that the moment we're called in right now to eat, we are actually going to sit down with the boss and eat with him?" Interesting.

He laughed this time around. "You should see your eyes. They're so huge." He nodded still, "You act like it's an impossible thought."

"This kind of thing does not happen every day. I have kept houses for..." She paused to remember. When she couldn't say the exact amount, "Years. I'm a little bit certain that bosses don't do that."

"Well, you've never worked with a boss like Mr Cooper before."

"Yes I know, but doesn't he like his privacy."

"He thinks it's better to eat with people than talk with them. That's kinda his business module." Interesting. I wish I had notes! Oh, why hadn't I come with notes?

"Are you guys allowed to talk then? When you're all eating and without the rule of silence in the diner table?"

"Well... There's always a place of exception for everyone. Really for the boss, it's the dining table."

So here I was. Seated. We were all seated. Funny enough, the host was late. Nobody wanted to break the roaring silence. Morris pretended not to stare at Adelaide. Adelaide couldn't stop checking herself out in the tablespoon. I, on the other hand, couldn't pull my eyes from the porridge that staring at me. We were meant for each other. Truly.

"This looks amazing, Didy." Morris finally broke the silence, smiling at Adelaide. She smiled back and shrugged.

"Doesn't it? Although, you should taste it first. You might be disappointed with what you eat."

"I trust you that much. Besides, since when have you ever not cooked wonders? I'm just complimenting you before I eat it. I have confidence in you." Morris said quite sweetly. If his eyes weren't glued to hers, I would have claimed his words there for me. How could she not be aware that he loved her? It was either she was blind or maybe she knew, she just didn't want it to be the case. Maybe that was it.

Carson finally came to the dining table. His hands were wet. He dried them behind his denim, smiling brightly at us. Oh, wait... He was smiling at Adelaide and Morris. He definitely looked at me when the smile was close to vanished.

"Ah, this looks amazing." He said, inhaling the aroma of the food.

"Doesn't it?" Adelaide said again. What did she even mean by that? She sounded proud.

"It does." He smiled at her. She seemed to melt in her seat. Morris wouldn't look up at them. He was hurt. How could she not see? Aargh!! I rolled my eyes. It was the only way I could let the frustrations out.

"Anything wrong, Miss..."

"Philips."

"Ah, yes, Miss Philips. Anything wrong?"

"No sir. Why do you think that?"

He squinted at me, then shook his head. Oh, so now he was keeping tabs on my expression? Okay, maybe I should have let Johnson have this case. He was too particular, for someone that dealt on arms. He was too much... Not in a good way.

"Nothing. Could you help us with grace please?"

Dangerous arms dealers pray? This was a first. I placed my palms together and hunched over. "Thank You, dear Jesus, for the food You've given and the health You have given and Yourself You have given. Help us do the same now and forever, Amen."

"Amen." The table chorused.

I took a small bite out of my bread, before allowing myself a spoonful of porridge. If I was alone, like how I usually am back at the office, I would have moaned at the tastiness of the meal. Okay, now I knew Adelaide was a romantic, maybe crazy romantic, and a great cook. Did the word 'great' do her justice? Probably not.

"How are you liking the estate so far? Miss..."

This man had to be suffering from amnesia. Or maybe he was just trying to get me to snap at him so he could finally get the chance to fire me. Nice try, Cooper. With a bright smile plastered on my lips, I answered. "Miss Philips. You could just call me Josie, since you keep forgetting."

"I prefer Miss... Philips. Yes." Sure you did. "So?"

"So..." Two could play this game.

"I asked how you're liking the estate so far? The grounds are extensive and private, surely that's enjoyable enough for you."

Oh, was he full of himself? It was good to be at the center of his focus, but I could tell that he was just trying to see me say something I shouldn't. "It is. But so far I have found that I enjoy the company of the birds more than the convenience of the size. I mean, it is good and all that but I just prefer the songs of the bird. And of course, the ornaments are something I couldn't quite get enough of." If I didn't know better, I would say he wasn't pleased with my answer. His jaw throbbed. "And of course, Morris was such a good host. Adelaide too."

Adelaide seemed to smile at being mentioned. It would please her if I decided to cut my hair and change this girl's jeans into male rompers. I knew she was only acting on a scale because I was a female, just like her.

"You spoke like a poet." He said, after gulping down from his champagne glass.

"I read a lot of poetry."

"Ah."

There was a measurable amount of silence before he decided to speak again. "If I wasn't so busy with work, I'd plead with you to give me cooking lessons, Adelaide. You're just too good in this thing."

Adelaide chuckled softly. "I try. In fact, I don't think I've quite reached my potential. My mother was a guru in the kitchen. Still is. That's what I hope to do."

"You are. And since you say you're still going in about it, it's obvious you won't be going anywhere in the meantime. Maybe for a long time."

She smiled again, trying so hard to cover her reddening cheeks with her napkin. It wasn't quite necessary, Morris had already seen. Morris' hand tightened around his champagne flute. 

"There might be a lot of activities and I hope you all can be active. I'll be doing a lot of things, you guys will not be seeing a lot of me and I will not be seeing a lot of you, but I just want you to stay focused. Alright?"

I nodded. The others answered.

"There's going to be another new worker here. Morris might be very busy with me, you may not be able to tend to the grass. Hence, I hired a new gardener. He arrives tomorrow, between Morning, afternoon and night. Test him well, will you?"

"Sure," I answered, quickly. Realizing I was the only one who didn't nod, and that Carson's eyes were on me, seriously I longed to bury myself in the porridge.

"Thank you, Miss Philips." Oh, so he could remember after all. "You start tomorrow. Let's see what you got."

When dinner was over, I offered to help Adelaide clear the table while Morris and Mr Cooper said whatever they wanted in the privacy of his office. And even though she'd said no more than once, I still insisted.

"I really enjoyed the porridge. I'm surprised you don't run a restaurant with all that skill." I said, trying to be civil atleast. The silence in which we worked made me uncomfortable.

She smiled small. My mom says the same thing, but for some reason, I just... I want to stay here."

The reason was the blue eyed man she couldn't stop gawking at during dinner. It was quite obvious. I was determined to be nice to her. So my words would be.

"Well, as long you're quite happy with what you're doing now, that's okay."

"I suppose so, yeah." We carried the dishes to the kitchen and while we stacked the dishwasher, she finally stood up straight, eyes flashing with determination.

"There's something about you that might help me with Mr Cooper."

"Okay... Help you, how?"

"Nail him."

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Related chapters

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Jealousy and Heartstrings

    Carson's Point of View."You're the boss, if you don't want her among your crew you could always tell her to go. It's not like she's going to strike you or anything." Abel said, his voice booming from the iPad. Morris chuckled softly, pouring himself a drink. He knew his brother too well."Shhh. Don't draw attention to this office. You're loud. I'm still trying to get a hang of this boss thing.""You have been on this thing for a few years, you should know the drill by now.""Oh, yeah? What, if I may ask little brother, is the drill?" Morris asked, carefully sitting to avoid spilling his drink."Be so strict with them that the mention of your name scares them to death.""This is why I don't come to you for advice." I turned to Morris, who looked like he was too deep in his thoughts to argue with his brother like they usually did. "Morris, how on earth did you deal with him for years?""He's my brother. I have my ways."I sighed. "I hope the agency's doing well? I don't want you gettin

    Last Updated : 2024-12-20
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Espresso Yourself

    Katy's Point of View.I stared at her for a while, not knowing what to say. I didn't want to jump to a conclusion. I knew that if I did, she would definitely know that I was doing a little bit of a federal job myself."Nail him, how?" My heartbeats blasted into my ear."Make him fall in love with me.""Oh. Is that what you meant?" I wondered out loud.She frowned. "What did you think I meant?""Nothing serious, I guess. I thought, you meant he was into shady businesses and you needed my help to bring him to the authorities." That would be nice, wouldn't it? Nailing the boss under a week that I show up. I would be the talk of the agency. In the food sense.Adelaide laughed, washing her hands. "You have a wild imagination." Well, it was true. It was also one of the reasons the agency thought I had potential, until after three months of working my brains off to actually prove myself. I was a bit nauseous just thinking about the training process.Speaking of difficulties, how did I go fro

    Last Updated : 2025-01-03
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Caught in the Middle

    Katy's Point of View."Um..." It almost sounded automatic as Morris and I uttered it at the same time. Adelaide walked in with a curious smile on her face. Seriously, was there a time when this girl wasn't smiling?"Are you alright? Both of you." She asked after a few seconds. "Tell me what?"I stared at Morris. I didn't think I had ever seen him so unnerved before. This was the time to come clean and if he couldn't do it, then I would do it for him. For all we cared, Adelaide wasn't really in love with Carson. Maybe, she was just scared of ending up alone and for some reason, she thought making her boss fall in love with her was the easiest way out. Seriously, don't fault me, I'd been reading too many short stories before this operation.As if Morris knew what I was thinking, he slightly shook his head the moment I stared at him. I immediately turned back to Adelaide.

    Last Updated : 2025-01-04
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Popcorn, Pain, and Possibilities


    Katy's Point of View.Luckily for me, well somehow, today was packed with things to do, and there was hardly any time to give romance lessons to Adelaide. But the sad part about it all was that my waist felt like it was about to break into two. And there was only one cure for a bone injury. TV. I turned to my bedside clock. If I started now, I could make it on time. I resisted the urge to jump up and slowly got off the bed and slipped into my slippers. The fluffy ones. The last thing I wanted was to do something that would wake everyone up and pin me down for questioning. There was hardly any TV time here and it had been three days since I last watched my favorite soap opera and it was driving me nuts.I slowly walked down the stairs as I made my way to the living room. Quietly. Slowly. The popcorn that I got from the refrigerator was as hot as I used to like it, but when I saw it, I didn't hesitate to collect it. Once a suc

    Last Updated : 2025-01-05
  • Betrayal's Embrace   The Gathering Storm

    Katy's Point of View"You have to tell me everything!" Morris said behind me, making me jump and clutch my chest. I bent down to pick up the duster while glaring at him."For crying out loud, you scared me to death."He shrugged and walked further to the room, stopping briefly before the fruit basket that lay on top of the dining table. He chose an apple."I mean, you know my voice, don't you?" He asked with a small frown, munching on the apple."I do. But it doesn't mean you should sneak up on me like that. I could have had a heart attack. Then we'll be talking about real trouble.""Yeah, but you didn't, now did you?""You know what? Forget it." I turned back and resumed dusting. I was cranky. I didn't want to transfer it to him. After all, he wasn't the one I had stupidly laid down all night thinking about. He wasn't th

    Last Updated : 2025-01-06
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Birthday Tensions

    Carson's Point Of View.The door closed behind Morris. He silently watched me."What's wrong with you?" He finally broke the silence."Nothing's wrong with me. I should be asking you that question.""What do you mean by that?" He asked, stepping further into the room until he was grasping the chair that was opposite my table."You seemed a little bit too cozy with the home keeper and all." I just wanted us to talk like we usually did. Our case was finally heading somewhere after years of burning midnight oil. It was something to celebrate. And, today, thirty was staring me right in the face. That was huge. I did not want us to argue. I felt like arguing, I knew he did too. But I was not going to give in. I refused to do so."We were just talking. She called me her friend, don't friends talk?""Of course, they do."

    Last Updated : 2025-01-07
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Between Kindness and Anger

    Katy's Point of View.When I knocked on the door and spoke my name by request, I didn't expect him to open the door immediately. But he did. He stares at me for a while before going to sit down on his chair.I closed the door behind me. He stared at me. Yes, he did. But it was like he was ignoring me at the same moment. After he had stared at me the way he did last night, I was a bit scared that he was going to be like this."What is it?" I dared to ask. The question seemed to surprise him. Though, thankfully, he answered."Nothing.""You're sure.""Yes, I'm sure. Why do you ask?""You're... Well, you seem angry.""No, I don't.""Yes, you do. You look like I did something wrong. Did I?""Did you what?" He asked again, distracted."Did I do

    Last Updated : 2025-01-08
  • Betrayal's Embrace   Finding Common Ground

    Morris's Point of View."Hey." I had been standing there for a while and she didn't even know it. It was either she did know or maybe she didn't want to hear. Or perhaps she didn't want us to have any conversation. I was still going to try. How was I even supposed to win her over if we couldn't engage... If I couldn't engage her.She turned around slowly, and then flashed me that smile of hers that drove me nuts. It always made me want to run to Tiffany & Co. to buy a ring just for her finger. "Morris, hi."She continuously stirred batter, her smile intact. "How are you?" She asked. There was a lot I wanted to tell her. A lot I wanted to confess to her. A lot I wanted her to know, as heavy as there were. But I couldn't. For crying out loud, I know how crazy it seemed to me when girls tell how in love they were with me. Now, I felt just a little bit of what they must have known trying to make me under

    Last Updated : 2025-01-09

Latest chapter

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Secrets in the Shadows

    Carson's POVOne for Morris. Zero for me. His smooth talk had won me over. Once I had the opportunity to think things through I saw how right he was infact. It was wise to utilize the manpower we had altogether. Even though we'd been in this meeting for a few minutes long, I couldn't bring myself to listen to the nudge my heart kept on punishing me with.It was obvious that she'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and when she'd spoken her voice was hoarse. The make up she'd reapplied didn't hide her puffy eyes well. Besides they were still red and obviously tears ridden. I made it a point to let her know to change her powder product. It was doing a lousy job in protecting her dignity."You said they left a note?" Annabel asked again, her hands boldly clad to her waist."Yes, I did. They... did. They left a note, that is." I said, trying to keep my face free of emotions. My cook was an agent. My cook was an agent! How did she even learn all those professional pies

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Deception and Dilemmas

    Carson's POVThe knock that sounded at the door irritated me even more than I already was. I didn't want to be rude or shout at the person on the other end, but I knew I would. At that certainty doubled if it was Kathy. Kathy... That was her real name. And she was an undercover agent. She'd been here to take me down. Obviously sent here because of her good looks. And just as they had predicted, I really fell. Oh, I hated this."Are you okay?" Morris asked from behind. I hadn't even realized he'd entered into the room. I nodded, going around my table and making my way to my chair."I'm alright. We have a lot to do though. I suggest we get to it.""You mean about the kidnapping?""Of course, I mean about the kidnapping." I snapped, not caring about anything else. I just wanted this pain to stop. I just wanted this hurting to stop. "What else would be worthy of my time at the moment?""Remember rule number twenty-nine?" Morris said after a stretched silenc

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Truths and Broken Trust

    Kathy's POV"My name is not really Josie. It's Kathy. Katherine. And I work for the agency. I'm new at field work and it's what I have always wanted to do. I was lucky to get a chance and I'm the only one with a 3.5 GPA to get an opportunity there, so... I like tea but am forced to drink coffee because coffee is always readily available. I... Cry into the notebook every time I watch it and then I smile in front of the camera. The thing is I am very goofy. And you shouldn't know that because then perhaps you'd start seeing me in that light but it's just the truth." I said, my heart panting. I would have continued. Heck, I wanted to continue. But the look on his face was not encouraging at all. He looked like he was bored. No, no he looked like I was annoying him with my words. I wish he'd heard it from me, but I was not sorry that I had chosen to keep my identity as I had been told firmly by the mother of the one who finally let the cat out of the bag."I have one question

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Undercover Confessions

    Kathy's POVJust like in the movies, as Carson and I were hastily making our way to the living room, so were Morris and Adelaide. They both look rustled about something."What just happened?" Morris asked, slightly panting. "A car just screeched out of here, what just happened?" He demanded again."Well, that is exactly what we want to know at the moment, Morris." Carson clipped, making his way to the window. He paused, trying to think of something. Seemed a light bulb went off in his head because he immediately started running upstairs at such speed I knew I wasn't the only one afraid he was going to miss a step and come tumbling down, but he didn't."It can't be that bad, can it?" Adelaide asked Morris, who knowingly ignored her. I would say he didn't hear it, but from the way he pointedly looked at her—no, no he glared at her—I would say he pretty much heard her and decided to ignore her. Okay, so they were having a fight. So what? People fought al

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Betrayal at 30,000 Feet

    Jackson's POV"Wake up! For crying out loud, wake up, Jack!" I heard Charmaine whisper-scream in my ear. "Wake up before they have us killed." She said and although my neck stung from the pain the dart was meant to cause as an after-effect, those words rose me."What?" I asked, lifting my eyes to look at her. She looked scared. Beautiful. But terrified. Her hair was a glorious mess and her lipstick was smudged from lips to chin. That image wouldn't have troubled me so much if her hands weren't tightly bound behind her with white ropes."You have been sleeping for the last two hours. How were you so comfortable in such a state?"I glared at her light mockery. "I was not comfortable. Besides it's not like I decided to take a nap here, the dart gun did all that by itself.""Yeah, well, we're in a moving vehicle." She announced, trying to twist her wrist out of the grip of the rope."What?" As if to confirm what she'd just said, the vehicle shook causing us both to shake rather painfully.

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Betrayal in the Shadows

    Jackson's POV"I don't know how you're going to act after I tell you this, but I want to know. It's better that you know." I said, making my way further into the garden. I didn't need to turn to tell that those words scared the heck out of her. I wasn't planning on telling her anything. But the truth was that she needed to know. She needed to know. If I was to be present in my kid's life then she had to know everything. I finally turned as I made my way to the edge of the small rod house that made the garden look more beautiful than it actually was."That's not a way to start a conversation, Jack. You're really scaring me right now. What is the problem?""I have something I need to tell you."She scoffed. "That's not helping. Did you kill someone?""No!""Is someone after you?" She asked, her eyes wide. I shook my head. Well, Verde would be in a matter of days, so... That wasn't exactly an accurate answer but I was about to scare her. I merely came here

  • Betrayal's Embrace   Secrets Unveiled

    Morris's POVI had been sure the door to my bedroom had been closed. I knew because I had even made it up to the worry of locking the door behind me with the golden keys Abel had specially made for me. But as I rounded the stairs, I found the door slightly open. Curious and immediately alert, I pulled my gun up and slowly walked to the door. The closer I got, the clearer the sound of intrusion. If it was one of Verde's goons, I was going to... No, I couldn't afford to shoot that person. Civilians were in the house. Adelaide was in the house. I was supposed to be finding a way to actually make things a bit lighter for her when I tell her about the party, or should I say the suicide mission we would all be walking into, rather than frightening her more.I

  • Betrayal's Embrace   A Dangerous Invitation

    Carson's POV "Should I be scared that you asked to speak to me alone?" Katy asked, a bright smile on her face as she settled on my desk, ignoring the empty chair opposite my chair. "Well, you make it sound like the both of us can't have a moment to ourselves without a problem looming about." "Well, if it sounded that way, then I'm very sorry. You just seemed tensed like something was on your mind. And you're kind of making me scared. Is the house bugged or what?" I squinted at her. "Why would the house be bugged?" I asked and she shrugged. "I don't know, I only asked that because it would be better than having a bomb big enough to blow us up in the house. And before you ask why I'm suddenly talking about a bomb, I might remind you that I have been shot at before." "Fair enough," I said, thinking of the best way to say what I wanted to say without sounding selfish. Normally, if worse had come forward, I'd be addressing both she and Charmaine together, but luckily for me, Charmaine

  • Betrayal's Embrace   A Deal with the Devil

    Carson's POVWuty each step that I took to the house, my heart hammered. Verde Michi was in my house! In my house! Verde?! Oh, if only I could just get something that would finally get this man behind bars and leave him there. I could tell from the way Morris kept giving me sideways glance, that he must have been thinking the same thing."What the heck is going on? I have no idea what is going on here and half of me would be really thankful if you just told me.""I'd be lying if I said I knew. He just showed up here. He came in the cheapest car u have ever seen him. If you ask me I would say he's trying to reverse psychology thing because he must be one of the richest thieves alive. I wonder what he's doing with the car he came here with."That is not even the point. He knows where we live, that should bother you more than anything. Somehow, he knows where we are. That means that he's either come in full vengeance for the Mary Potter or t

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status