Chapter 0001

"Attention, dear residents of the community, please be advised. In light of a confirmed case of infectious disease within our community, we are implementing community-wide isolation measures. There is no need for alarm; property management will soon dispatch personnel for inspections. I repeat..."

I found myself standing before my boss, Osborn Borne’s door, hesitating briefly before finally summoning the courage to ring the doorbell.

The door swung open, and there stood Osborn, dressed in his bathrobe, looking quite impressive but with a hint of impatience. "What is it again?"

I had just interrupted his bath earlier to deliver documents, and now, I was intruding on his bathing time for the second occasion.

Casting a subtle glance at the hint of chest muscle peeking out from Osborn’s bathrobe, I stammered, "Um, the property management has informed us that the community is under isolation, and no one is permitted to enter or leave."

Osborn raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your point?"

I forced a smile. "Well, Mr. Borne, I was wondering if... I could perhaps seek shelter at your place for a few days?"

The property management of this high-end community was notably unscrupulous, insisting that during the isolation period, outsiders had no choice but to stay at the community's hotel which had a fixed rate of eight hundred and eighty-eight per night, with no room for bargaining.

Although Osborn was quite unpleasant to be with, when compared to the hefty eight hundred and eighty-eight fee, he oddly became more charming.

“No.”

Osborn coldly rejected my request and swiftly moved to shut the door.

I gripped the doorknob tightly, my voice strained as I pleaded, "You can't do this! I've given my all for you and the company. You can't just abandon me like this—"

Just then, a middle-aged woman walking her dog happened to pass by and couldn't help but comment, "Young man, you have to take responsibility! Don't act like a scoundrel!"

Through the narrow gap I was desperately holding, I could clearly see Osborn's handsome face, which appeared extremely displeased.

Perhaps unable to bear the moral scolding from our neighbor, Osborn eventually let me in.

I sat on the living room sofa. Osborn had changed into casual attire and sat across from me, exuding an air of sulk.

"You can stay here." Osborn’s expression was still not quite pleasant. "But it won't be for free.

"I used to have a housekeeper who came by daily to handle cleaning and cooking duties. However, due to the community's quarantine measures, she can no longer enter.

"Those responsibilities will be yours starting today."

I nodded eagerly. "Alright, no problem, consider it done!"

Finally, Osborn began to look somewhat better.

I wasn't particularly skilled in household chores, but fortunately, Osborn's home was well-equipped with convenient tools, so thankfully, nothing major went wrong.

That was until I stepped into the kitchen.

I had just graduated not long ago, and I typically dined in the company cafeteria, so I hadn't ventured into cooking yet. However, I was feeling self-assured – I mean, when it came to stir-frying, wasn't it simply a matter of adding a little of this, a little of that, flipping it, and frying it again? It couldn't be that difficult, right?

I spent two hours watching cooking videos online, pulled out a dozen ingredients from the fridge, and was ready to showcase my culinary skills.

However, from the moment flames shot up from the stove, things spiraled out of control.

In my panic, I accidentally turned up the heat too high, and the oil in the pan burst into flames.

As I stood there, unsure of how to handle the flaming pan, Osborn wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me behind him.

I stared at his broad shoulders, feeling somewhat dazed.

Swiftly, Osborn turned off the stove, then grabbed a pot lid from the side and covered the flaming pan before finally turning to look at me.