The following days were filled with more and more activities. Grandpa William asked his trusted assistant to call the best wedding vendors to the house. They began to determine the wedding hall, food catering, and dresses for the church as a place of blessing.
Belle and Lionel didn't talk much, they always followed Grandpa William's orders, but Lionel would complain behind the old man's back, complaining without finding a way out.
Today, Grandpa William had deliberately asked Lionel to go with Belle in order to buy the wedding rings they wanted. Though his grandfather could have specified the object, after all, they would not refuse anything given by him, but Grandpa William deliberately did this so that they would interact more behind his back while hoping to open up to each other.
Throughout her life, Belle had never been close to a man in a committed relationship, but suddenly her world was turned upside down when her employer made an offer of marriage to his favorite grandson.
In every corner, every empty moment she could find, the woman would daydream until she complained.
"Are you sure you're still going to marry me, huh? Are you really sure? I don't like you, and it'll probably be that way forever." Lionel would say the same line every time he had the chance, and now he said it again as the car drove away from the house, with just him and Belle.
"I'm honestly tired of answering your questions, Mr. Lionel. I'll record the answers on my cell phone so you can listen to them all day."
"What if I have fun with another woman after marrying you, huh?"
"Go for it." Belle did not want to get dizzy thinking about her future, so she easily spoke carelessly.
"Are you sure? Then, I'll marry them too."
"You can marry anyone, you know? I'll just take care of your grandfather, you understand?" Belle rolled her eyes. She didn't understand why Lionel's character was so naive and chatty. "Do whatever you want, as long as you're happy."
"Your parents must be very happy because they will have a wealthy son-in-law like me."
Belle snorted, and she replied as she looked out the window. "I don't even have parents, I was orphaned a long time ago. Are you sure you don't know this fact, huh?"
Lionel was stunned, he had just remembered his grandfather's sentence that they had the same fate—life without parents.
"Maybe I should visit my parents' graves and tell them all this and speak in front of their gravestones while crying or laughing. What do you think?" In response to Lionel's sudden change in demeanor, which made Belle anxious, she wanted to tease the man using their weakness. "You should also visit your parents' graves, shouldn't you?"
The situation was reversed, Lionel was silent, and Belle spoke a lot.
"Come on! We'll go to each other's graves."
"Be quiet, nanny. I'm focused on driving."
Belle smiled mockingly, her sentence was quite effective in bringing Lionel down.
***
"After Mr. William's assistant called, we immediately prepared some couple rings according to his wishes, so that when you visit, we are ready to show you the best collection from this place." A female staff member at the famous jewelry store Carti** was very friendly to the customers who came in.
Belle's guts almost sank when she learned that Lionel was inviting her to visit a magnificent store filled with jewelry. Belle was sure the price of every single item in there was enough to support the woman's life for months.
"Are you sure we're going to this place? Didn't you park your car wrong?" Belle looked frightened while still standing in front of the glass door.
"What's your problem, huh? Grandpa told me to come here, there's no way I can refuse."
"Oh, really?" Belle's shoulders slumped, her tension eased, and she felt the weight on her back disappear by half, so she became more relaxed. "Alright, I'm coming with you."
"Whatever, nanny. Be nice, don't embarrass me in front of everyone."
"I understand."
Belle was dumbfounded when the staff serving them took out several boxes containing a set of jewelry.
Belle gripped the hem of her shirt, and anxiety returned. She had never faced a situation like this in her entire life.
Meanwhile, Lionel looked quite relaxed, even more like he didn't care about the staff's actions.
"Young master and lady can choose a set of jewelry as requested by Lord William." Staff returned to speaking, and she glanced at Belle for a moment as she smiled warmly, responding to her appearance. "Miss is very beautiful despite her simple appearance."
Lionel merely glanced at his future wife as he rotated his eyeballs, while Belle was getting nervous.
"Pick out a set of jewelry over there, Belle. You can get this done quickly." He pulled Belle's arm so that they were pressed against each other, then whispered something. "Can you hold your piss like that, huh?"
The woman glared, exasperated in response to Lionel's teasing. She immediately chose a set of jewelry carelessly. "I want this box."
"You chose the right box, Miss. Our jewelry designer had explained that the meaning behind his work is happiness that binds forever. You don't want to try it on here?"
Belle immediately shook her head. "No, I'll take care of it at home."
"Alright, we'll pack it up, please wait a moment." The staff put back another set of jewelry that Belle did not choose, then packed the selected jewelry in a totte bag with the Carti** brand logo.
Lionel took out a black card without asking for the price of the jewelry. "This card belonged to my grandfather, you can take care of it."
"Yes, young master. Please wait for us to finish paying while you can wait over there." She pointed to a white sofa in the corner of the room.
Lionel pulled Belle toward the sofa. The man sat down, but Belle remained standing as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Any other problems, huh?"
"I want to go home."
"We'll be home soon, nanny."
Belle clucked, she looked annoyed. "Why do you keep calling me that, huh? You're so rude."
"But, aren't you my grandfather's nanny? You take care of him all day, what did I do wrong"
"Everyone can say that, but not you."
"Wow. It looks like you've got a temper, nanny." Lionel felt provoked in response to Belle's annoyance. "I have the right to say anything, don't I?"
"You—" Belle had pointed at him, but their attention was distracted when the staff returned with Grandpa William's totte bag and black card.
After finishing their business there, the two walked to the car. Belle intended to sit in the passenger seat, but Lionel immediately prevented his future wife's actions.
"I'm not your personal driver, so stay in the front, or do you want to go home by yourself?"
Belle relented, the distance from this place to Grandpa William's house was too far, she didn't have her wallet or card to take public transportation.
Just as they sat down, Lionel's cell phone rang, and he got an incoming call from his grandfather.
"Yes, Grandpa. Our business in this place is over, I'll be back as soon as the wind blows, don't worry." He looked at Belle for a moment. "Your nanny is fine."
"Don't come back too soon."
Lionel was stunned. "What does that mean?"
"You can come back in the evening or even at night. Grandpa is fine, I have plenty of guards, what's there to worry about, huh?"
"But our business has been ...."
"Take Belle shopping, I've never seen her in a dress or gown. She must be even more beautiful when she wears them."
Lionel snorted that if he was standing in a quiet place, he would scream to his heart's content until his vocal cords were damaged. It annoyed him to always have to follow his grandfather's orders.
"I—"
"Okay, don't go back too soon. You could spend all of Grandpa's money there."
"But—" He grumbled, knowing the phone session had been unilaterally ended by his grandfather. Lionel hit the steering wheel without caring about Belle's response. "Why does that man have so many wishes? How am I supposed to move on after this, huh?"
***
Lionel was quite serious when he demanded that Belle buy whatever items she wanted before they returned home. Even though she had refused, Lionel continued to insist, explaining that all this was an order from Grandpa William. He didn't want to get into trouble if he went home empty-handed, and he understood his grandfather's coercive character very well."But I really don't want to buy anything." Belle was still adamant about her stance. "You can tell.""Please, Belle. You want to see my neck hung by grandpa, huh?" They continued to negotiate as Lionel was busy driving, the road they were on was getting further and further away from home.Belle was silent, her expression flat, she was too honest to care about the state of the man beside her.This attitude made Lionel exhale harshly, he looked annoyed."Can't you just cooperate with me a little, huh? Make things easy, you're not as lucky as everyone else, so just take advantage of the privilege, nanny." He chuckled. "I won't care eith
"Belle, marry my grandson, Lionel."The girl's eyes flickered. She tried to digest the meaning of Grandfather William's words at this time."Belle. You heard me, didn't you?"Belle nodded. "Yes, Grandpa. But what does that mean? This sounds weird." She tried to laugh usually, but it sounded forced."Why is it strange?" The older man who spent most of his time in a wheelchair smiled warmly, and he understood that Belle was surprised, not strange, because his sentence was like lightning striking, sudden, and unexpected. "Please don't go anywhere, Belle. Stay in this house to care for me, and no nanny can take care of me like you. I'm sorry if it sounds very restrictive, but Grandfather doesn't want you to go far and stop working in this house.""Grandfather—""I know you're eager to pursue your big dreams after college, but ...." William snorted. His warm smile disappeared, and the expression there turned sad. He was unfortunate to realize that Belle's contract as a caregiver would end
"Married?"At first, Lionel's expression was difficult to read because he was just silent as he stared at his grandfather, but suddenly, he laughed dismissively as if he had just heard a bad joke from William's lips."What is this? So sudden and awkward at the same time? Grandfather asked me to come back immediately. I thought it was because he missed his grandson, but when I came here—I had to hear such a strange request.""Ridiculous to you, huh?"Lionel nodded. "Yes, it is ridiculous.""Can't you see the future? Are you going to keep living like this forever? You think I live forever, huh?""No, Grandpa. What I mean is that your grandson will get married, but some other time, and not to someone I don't know or even my grandfather's nanny here.""Someone, you know? Who?" William's gaze was quite clearly dismissive of the grandson. "So far, haven't you just been cheated and kept repeating the same mistakes? Those women want your money, don't they? Do you have one of them to introduce
"Wait a minute!"Belle immediately turned her head as she removed her hand from the chokehold of someone behind the woman. She froze as she came face to face with the figure of Lionel, who was already in this house.Belle had heard that Grandfather William's grandson had returned to Russia last night. She knew it from some of the servants who were talking about the man, praising his good looks while discussing the many benefits of attracting the attention of a Lionel Traitor Dawn."You're my grandfather's nanny, aren't you?" He looked Belle over from head to toe as if examining her, but there was nothing unusual about the young woman's physique."Yes. How can I help you, sir?" Although this was the first time they had crossed paths, Belle tried to be casual or hide her nervousness as much as possible.Lionel had time to pay attention to the surrounding situation, and he hoped that no servant or anyone else would see him. After that, Lionel again touched Belle's hand before pulling her
Maria was always nice and sought attention from her father-in-law, but William remained cold towards her. Money already hurt him, making some people act wildly like animals.William ordered more things for Belle, such as getting the menu she wanted and asking her to sit right next to Lionel, which made Maria look sarcastically at Belle, but the nanny smiled."Daddy, there's a bit of a different scene. Why is your nanny coming to dinner with us? Can't she enjoy her dinner with the other servants?" Maria spoke up again after failing to get William's attention, while her husband acted casual.William cleared his throat, momentarily turning to Belle, who looked awkward responding to Maria's question."Didn't you also hear I asked her to sit next to Lionel? I want that, so let Belle be here. She's not someone else for me," William emphasized."Looks like Dad has something we don't know about." Tomy opened his voice after paying more attention.The father nodded. "Of course, I had to call m
"Tell me the reason why you accepted my grandfather's offer, huh? Didn't I ask you to reject it?"Belle almost screamed when she found Lionel's figure already standing behind her, right when the girl closed the door to Grandpa William's room after delivering breakfast."Oh my God!""Tell me, Belle." Lionel pressed again. He had been angry since last night but had been holding it in for various reasons, especially when it came to being as calm as possible in front of his grandfather.Belle looked around, she was afraid of others seeing or even hearing the interaction between them. She was already dizzy, answering every question from the other servants while in the room, and then Lionel was probing like a detective."I think you already know the reason," Belle said."So, it's true that you're after the inheritance from my grandfather, huh? You want it that badly?"The accusation made Belle squint; she felt humiliated. "Why do such evil thoughts keep spinning in your head, young Master L
Lionel was quite serious when he demanded that Belle buy whatever items she wanted before they returned home. Even though she had refused, Lionel continued to insist, explaining that all this was an order from Grandpa William. He didn't want to get into trouble if he went home empty-handed, and he understood his grandfather's coercive character very well."But I really don't want to buy anything." Belle was still adamant about her stance. "You can tell.""Please, Belle. You want to see my neck hung by grandpa, huh?" They continued to negotiate as Lionel was busy driving, the road they were on was getting further and further away from home.Belle was silent, her expression flat, she was too honest to care about the state of the man beside her.This attitude made Lionel exhale harshly, he looked annoyed."Can't you just cooperate with me a little, huh? Make things easy, you're not as lucky as everyone else, so just take advantage of the privilege, nanny." He chuckled. "I won't care eith
The following days were filled with more and more activities. Grandpa William asked his trusted assistant to call the best wedding vendors to the house. They began to determine the wedding hall, food catering, and dresses for the church as a place of blessing.Belle and Lionel didn't talk much, they always followed Grandpa William's orders, but Lionel would complain behind the old man's back, complaining without finding a way out.Today, Grandpa William had deliberately asked Lionel to go with Belle in order to buy the wedding rings they wanted. Though his grandfather could have specified the object, after all, they would not refuse anything given by him, but Grandpa William deliberately did this so that they would interact more behind his back while hoping to open up to each other.Throughout her life, Belle had never been close to a man in a committed relationship, but suddenly her world was turned upside down when her employer made an offer of marriage to his favorite grandson.In
"Tell me the reason why you accepted my grandfather's offer, huh? Didn't I ask you to reject it?"Belle almost screamed when she found Lionel's figure already standing behind her, right when the girl closed the door to Grandpa William's room after delivering breakfast."Oh my God!""Tell me, Belle." Lionel pressed again. He had been angry since last night but had been holding it in for various reasons, especially when it came to being as calm as possible in front of his grandfather.Belle looked around, she was afraid of others seeing or even hearing the interaction between them. She was already dizzy, answering every question from the other servants while in the room, and then Lionel was probing like a detective."I think you already know the reason," Belle said."So, it's true that you're after the inheritance from my grandfather, huh? You want it that badly?"The accusation made Belle squint; she felt humiliated. "Why do such evil thoughts keep spinning in your head, young Master L
Maria was always nice and sought attention from her father-in-law, but William remained cold towards her. Money already hurt him, making some people act wildly like animals.William ordered more things for Belle, such as getting the menu she wanted and asking her to sit right next to Lionel, which made Maria look sarcastically at Belle, but the nanny smiled."Daddy, there's a bit of a different scene. Why is your nanny coming to dinner with us? Can't she enjoy her dinner with the other servants?" Maria spoke up again after failing to get William's attention, while her husband acted casual.William cleared his throat, momentarily turning to Belle, who looked awkward responding to Maria's question."Didn't you also hear I asked her to sit next to Lionel? I want that, so let Belle be here. She's not someone else for me," William emphasized."Looks like Dad has something we don't know about." Tomy opened his voice after paying more attention.The father nodded. "Of course, I had to call m
"Wait a minute!"Belle immediately turned her head as she removed her hand from the chokehold of someone behind the woman. She froze as she came face to face with the figure of Lionel, who was already in this house.Belle had heard that Grandfather William's grandson had returned to Russia last night. She knew it from some of the servants who were talking about the man, praising his good looks while discussing the many benefits of attracting the attention of a Lionel Traitor Dawn."You're my grandfather's nanny, aren't you?" He looked Belle over from head to toe as if examining her, but there was nothing unusual about the young woman's physique."Yes. How can I help you, sir?" Although this was the first time they had crossed paths, Belle tried to be casual or hide her nervousness as much as possible.Lionel had time to pay attention to the surrounding situation, and he hoped that no servant or anyone else would see him. After that, Lionel again touched Belle's hand before pulling her
"Married?"At first, Lionel's expression was difficult to read because he was just silent as he stared at his grandfather, but suddenly, he laughed dismissively as if he had just heard a bad joke from William's lips."What is this? So sudden and awkward at the same time? Grandfather asked me to come back immediately. I thought it was because he missed his grandson, but when I came here—I had to hear such a strange request.""Ridiculous to you, huh?"Lionel nodded. "Yes, it is ridiculous.""Can't you see the future? Are you going to keep living like this forever? You think I live forever, huh?""No, Grandpa. What I mean is that your grandson will get married, but some other time, and not to someone I don't know or even my grandfather's nanny here.""Someone, you know? Who?" William's gaze was quite clearly dismissive of the grandson. "So far, haven't you just been cheated and kept repeating the same mistakes? Those women want your money, don't they? Do you have one of them to introduce
"Belle, marry my grandson, Lionel."The girl's eyes flickered. She tried to digest the meaning of Grandfather William's words at this time."Belle. You heard me, didn't you?"Belle nodded. "Yes, Grandpa. But what does that mean? This sounds weird." She tried to laugh usually, but it sounded forced."Why is it strange?" The older man who spent most of his time in a wheelchair smiled warmly, and he understood that Belle was surprised, not strange, because his sentence was like lightning striking, sudden, and unexpected. "Please don't go anywhere, Belle. Stay in this house to care for me, and no nanny can take care of me like you. I'm sorry if it sounds very restrictive, but Grandfather doesn't want you to go far and stop working in this house.""Grandfather—""I know you're eager to pursue your big dreams after college, but ...." William snorted. His warm smile disappeared, and the expression there turned sad. He was unfortunate to realize that Belle's contract as a caregiver would end