Hot Chocolate

The arrival of Josh seemed to have brought a burst of energy into the gloomy mansion, that even Eunice’s face lit up so much. Christian’s cold face also had a small smile as he hugged Josh.

“Hey, Josh. What brings you here?" Christian asked, his tone neutral.

“I came here to see my baby girl. I also heard she now had a live-in nanny. "Good job," Josh answered in a somewhat playful manner.

“This is my live-in nanny, Olivia. Olivia, this is Josh, Matthew’s best friend”, Christian introduced them to each other. Olivia noticed Josh’s sad expression as soon as Matthew was mentioned.

“Hi. Nice to meet you," Olivia greeted. Josh quickly recovered his expression as he smiled at Olivia. “Oh, you’re very pretty!”

“Thank you”, Olivia's cheeks turned bright red after his sudden compliment.

The way you look, I don't think you're nosy like he said you were. Olivia glanced at Christian who was looking away inadvertently when she heard Josh's words.

Josh’s arrival removed their attention from the secret room they had just found. “Josh, I need to talk to you. In private”, Christian said, his voice low. “Eunice, play with Olivia for a while. I’ll just borrow Uncle Josh from you, okay?”, he said to his niece as he took her from Josh’s lap.

The two men left to go upstairs into Christian’s office, leaving Olivia and Eunice downstairs with the security team. With the little liberty she had, Olivia turned to the security team and instructed them, “Please continue with the search in the room to see if there’s any clue at all”.

Soon after Christian and Josh came back downstairs. As soon as she saw him, Eunice tugged on Josh’s sleeve, her excitement almost bursting. “Uncle Josh, are you staying with us? Please say yes!” Josh crouched down to her level, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “For a while, yes. I’ve missed you, baby."

Josh’s gaze flickered as he answered Eunice’s question. He shared a knowing look with Christian before telling Eunice, “I’m also here to protect you together with Christian and Olivia”.

With the way Josh spoke and his interaction with Josh, Olivia’s curiosity about who Josh was peaked. ‘The relationship he has with this family must be very deep’, Olivia thought to herself.

“You know the way to your room”, Christian said to Josh as he climbed up the stairs to continue with his work.

Josh gave a small sigh before straightening up. He ruffled Eunice’s hair affectionately. “I’ll be back soon, okay?"

Within the few hours that Josh arrived, Eunice has been smiling a lot more, and Christian’s stiffed expression has relaxed a bit. Olivia could not help but wonder how Josh was able to do it. She suddenly felt jealous but also relieved. She could hear Eunice’s occasional laughter throughout the day. It was almost as if she did nothing but put Eunice to bed that day.

As she was in Eunice's room, Olivia met Josh outside. “I just want to appreciate everything you have been doing for her, Olivia. I know it's been difficult, especially since she’s taking time to open up." His words stupefied her, and she paused before smiling. “It’s alright, really. She’s very bright and intelligent, and she’s also a child, so it would take her time to get used to it."

Olivia excused herself after replying to Josh and went to her room. However, she could sense his eyes watching her as she went to the room.

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The next morning, when Olivia and Eunice got into the dining room, Josh was already there, chatting and laughing with Christian. His presence was like a breath of fresh air, filling the former stifling atmosphere with warmth and good humor. Olivia had taken her time to study Josh. He was about 181cm tall, with a muscular build and a charming dimple smile that seemed to take over everyone. He also wore casual outfits in warm colors which highlighted his friendly nature.

“Uncle Josh!" Eunice happily cried as she ran into his arms.

“There’s my beautiful baby!" Josh smiled as he scooped and pinned her across the room, making her giggle in happiness.

Christian, on the other hand, seemed to have relaxed compared to the day before. He suddenly asked, “I thought your business tour in Ireland was supposed to end next month? I know you have fixed your appointments and all, but didn’t-they cost you a lot of revenue?”

“How could I stay any longer after hearing such horrendous news? Matthew was my best friend, the only tangible one. I couldn’t even see him and Rosemary get buried”, Josh’s low voice sounded, straining with hurt as if he would burst into tears soon. “Let’s visit their tombs together tomorrow?" Josh asked quietly as if he was scared to go alone.

After breakfast, the adults and Eunice moved to the living room, where Josh played with Eunice until it was time for her lesson. Josh was rather attentive to Eunice, playing with her and making sure she laughed from time to time. Meanwhile Christian watched them from the side with a wistful expression, as if wishing he was Josh at that moment. Olivia took all this in and could not help but feel sorry for Christian.

As afternoon approached, Olivia excused herself to prepare some lunch for them. She stood at the counter, chopping vegetables, when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Josh leaning against the door frame, watching her calmly.

“You seem to fidget very often”, he said, his voice undeniably friendly and calm. "Everything is alright?"

Olivia forced the lump she had in her throat down before putting on a smile. “Yes, everything is alright. I’m just fixing us some lunch.

Josh walked away from the doorframe and walked over to her. His movements relaxed as if he was getting to know her. “You should have left it to the chefs around. Why trouble yourself?”

“Eunice likes it when I cook for her", she replied with a smile.

“Ohhh! Okay then," he said in a neutral tone before abruptly turning around to go back to the living room. At the door, he suddenly turned around and looked at Olivia. “If you need any help, you can always tell me. We are here to help one another anyway.

Olivia nodded at his words as he turned around to leave. As soon as he left, Olivia heaved a sigh. She could not help but feel jittery whenever Josh was nearby. 'Maybe it is just me. He seems nice enough and Christian trusts him’, she thought to herself as she continued with her cooking.

The doorbell rang and Olivia suddenly remembered something, so she quickly ran up the stairs. “Mr. Mason?”

“What is the problem?" Christian answered softly. “There’s no problem at all. I just need to ask for your permission. My friend is visiting and she’s at the door. Can she spend some time with me and Eunice, please?" Olivia asked desperately.

Christian looked at her, unsure. “A friend? Is the friend a man or woman?" The question Christian asked seemed to have Olivia caught off guard. “Huh… she’s a woman”.

“Okay, then." She may spend time with you and Eunice”, Christian replied quickly. “Just know what you will say in front of Eunice. She’s a toddler," he added as Olivia turned around to leave the room.

“Thank you sir”, Olivia said dashing out of the room. Christian just looked up at the door before a small smile showed on his lips. However, as soon as he saw his image on the nearest mirrored figure, he stopped smiling.

Olivia rushed to the door to welcome Ruth. The two ladies screamed as they hugged each other, before Olivia hushedRuth, reminding her that they were not at their former home.

“Eunice, darling. Meet my best friend, Ruth”, Olivia introduced Ruth to Eunice. Eunice looked at Ruth for a while before smiling at her.

“Do you like her?" Ruth quickly asked Eunice about Olivia. Eunice nodded, then Ruth continued happily, "Then you will like me too. I’m like her, just with a different name.

It seemed Ruth came to help Eunice interact more. She quickly set up her tea party and invited the ladies over. This major accomplishment made Olivia feel very fulfilled. The three of them played like that until evening when Ruth had to leave for her house.

“I’ll visit more, okay?" Ruth reassured the little girl before leaving.

The next morning, Josh and Christian went to Matthew and Rosemary’s tombs together. They walked along the quiet path of the cemetery and stopped in front of two fresh tombs. The two of them were very quiet for a while, before Josh broke the silence. “We spoke to each other the day before the accident. Rosemary was also beside him. I even promised them gifts on my return.

Christian remained quiet as he looked over at Josh. “I did not bring the whiskey from the car”, Josh suddenly announced. Christian got what he was trying to say, so he went back to the car to bring the whiskey.

“What are you doing? Christian asked as he returned with the whiskey noting that Josh had been patting Matthew's grave