Chapter 5

Hailey's POV

I gazed at Connor with sincerity, hoping that he believed I meant what I said.

However, he gave no reply, just savoring the dishes in silence.

After he finished the food on his plate, he demanded, "Wash all the clothes before you go to bed." With that, he strode out of the dining room.

I watched as his figure faded down the corridor, feeling confused.

'What a weirdo,' I murmured.

To get to know Connor better, I made friends with Vita this afternoon. Turned out he got this quirk about hating strangers crash over at his spot.

So, those Omegas and cooks would come at scheduled times and leave right after they finished their jobs.

Since it was late in the night, naturally, it was just Connor and me in this spacious villa.

Now that he returned to his room, I was all alone.

And the villa became even quieter.

I felt a bit lonely, but also kinda digging the freedom.

After I headed back to my room, I opened my suitcases and started to sort out my stuff.

The wardrobe was so huge that my clothes only took up about a quarter of it.

When I finally got all my things in order, I threw myself onto the bed, heaving a sigh of relief.

I was kinda glad that Connor refused to stay in the same room with me.

After all, I never dated anyone before. Although he was my mate now, I wasn't ready to share a bed with a man I had just met.

Snapping out of it, I got up and decided to focus on the task at hand—doing the laundry.

Yet when I went to the laundry room, I was at a loss for what to do.

Connor's washer was the most advanced model on the market, and I, a country girl, had no idea how to use it.

Vita left me her phone number before she left, telling me to ring her up if I had any questions.

But it was already midnight, and I didn't wanna wake her up from her sleep.

So, I decided to handle it on my own. 'You can do it, Hailey,' I encouraged myself. Then I closed my eyes, trying my best to recall the steps Vita had shown me in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, I messed it up. Instead of starting working, the washer made strange noises. Then, it completely shut down.

I opened the lid, and water gushed out of the drainpipe.

Panicked, I immediately grabbed the mop to clean it up.

Then, I put down the lid and pressed the button, but the washer wasn't functioning as it should.

I froze, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, Connor's voice sounded behind me. "What's all the noise about?"

I turned around and looked at him, cringing. "Well, the washer doesn't seem to be working properly."

Connor checked the machine for a bit. Then he snorted, "It's broken. Of course it couldn't work."

"What?" I goggled, wondering, 'How can it be so fragile?! Call it the most advanced model.'

"Have someone fix it, and I'll pay. If it's beyond repair, I'll get you a new one," I promised.

"You sure? Do you have any idea how much it costs?" he scoffed.

I shook my head, my heart pounding out of nervousness.

Connor said, all nonchalant, "It hasn't hit the stores yet, but I heard it's priced at $20,000. I guess the repairs would probably come to 1,000 bucks, at least."

Shocked, I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from exclaiming. No way I could afford that.

Connor leaned against the door with his arms folded, a scornful look in his eyes. "So? How are you planning to pay?"

I knew he must be looking down on me.

"Don't worry. I'll get a job and pay you with my salary," I piped up. Though I wasn't as confident as I seemed, I still managed to hold my head up high.

"Suit yourself. But you're not allowed to leave the house unless you finish your jobs here. Btw, don't make any more noises while I'm resting," he ordered before walking away.

I stood in situ, feeling desperate.

'There are a whole bunch of household chores for me here. And I've arrived in the city only this morning. How the hell am I gonna find a lucrative job?

'I came with the purpose of ridding the Mountain Pack of poverty, how come I end up in debt myself? Damn it.'

But then I realized, beating myself up wasn't gonna help. Therefore, I took a deep breath, trying my best to pull myself together.

'Wait, maybe, I can fix it myself. In this way, I wouldn't need to pay!' I thought.

Having made up my mind, I ran to the study and started searching for some books about mechanics.

I gotta learn how to repair the washer.

It was my intelligence that got me admitted to UCLA.

However, reality came as a slap in the face. I underestimated how complex the structure of the washer was.

But I refused to give up so easily.

I sat on the floor in the study, surrounded by piles of books on mechanical repairs and instruction manuals.

Munching on a piece of bread, I buried myself in studying the internal structure of the washer.

Every time I felt a bit sore in my back, I would get up and pace up and down for a bit.

Gradually, I felt drowsier and drowsier.

The flight and the chores had drained my energy, so I was practically exhausted right now.

"Hailey, I think we should have a rest," my wolf whined, all weary.

"Just hang with me a little longer," I replied.

I wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet.

Then I realized that everything I did here was repaying Frank's kindness. And it boosted my spirits like espresso shots.

"Sorry, I can't," Iris added.

Right after that, I blacked out.