The bodyguards outside all stood in a single file as they left for the elevator. Kendrick followed after. He took the same car with the Butler and in no time, they were on their way back to the mansion. It was like a ceremony. The servants were gathered outside the large door. Everyone was there to welcome him back. Everyone except Hailey.Kendrick's eyes wandered around the house. His gaze even went in the garden's direction. If he would see her coming from that side. To welcome him too. However, it was only his wishful thinking. He didn't need to think whether she was out. She didn't go to the diner the last few days. She hadn't resumed to the diner since her headache episodes. The Butler had been communicating with the maids every day. They had confirmed that she never step foot out of the house.After getting past the servants, Kendrick's eyes wandered around as he entered the living room. Still, no sign of her. The living room was empty, too quiet. Was she upstairs? If she
A dark chuckle left Kendrick's lips and he shook his head. Now he was determined to dig her out from wherever she was hiding. She had a price to pay and also an explanation to give. Seeing no reason to linger in the study room as he had nothing there to do, Kendrick turned to go out. And before he reached the door, he halted and frowned. The Butler must have brought the reports. Did he hide them well? Well– he shouldn't wait there and wonder. He had to find out himself. So he turned around and headed back inside the room, going straight to his work chair. When he drew out the drawer, his eyes were met with the reports stacked upon one another. And the white bag that contained his drugs sitting on them. This was not the best place to hide them. It might be a good idea even to have them shredded. But that could wait. Right now, he had more important things to take care of.Where was Hailey? Therefore, with that in mind, he left the study room for the stairs again, his eyes wander
Kendrick let out a chuckle at her words. He released her and muttered in her ears. "You want me to wait until you finish hiding?" Her body tensed again and she let out a soft yelp as if surprised.Kendrick hadn't meant for his words to come out that way. He'd let things go even if she was hiding. He saw no point stirring any irrelevant dispute over this minor issue. Although it didn't feel as minor to him. She shouldn't avoid him no matter what reason she had. "I– I wasn't hiding," Hailey protested. "I wanted to finish this before coming out." She turned around while explaining herself. Her lips held an unusual smile. Kendrick hadn't expected to see her smile. And on her face were patches of white flour everywhere. Even her apron was smudged with the white substance. And his eye fell on his own hands. The hands he had used to touch her. They were also stained by the flour. Her short laugh made him lift his head and his eyes went to her back to glimpse what she was doing. She had
Hailey's soft laugh suddenly reached his ears and he stared down to find her giving him a helpless look. "Hand me the red-looking one and the yellow one," she instructed. "You're going to love a mix of strawberry and vanilla." Strawberry and vanilla. Wasn't that a weird combination? Kendrick's eyes surveyed the bottles again. He found the said colors and retrieved them before closing the glass."Is that healthy?" He couldn't help but ask as he handed her the bottles.She only replied with a nod, that small smile still on her lips. "You're going to love it, I promise." She stopped in front of the machine and said.Then she uncapped both bottles and placed a drop of each in the creamy mixture. Kendrick's lips stretched into a smile and he approached her again. "Yeah, I'm going to love it," he whispered against her ear and wrapped his arms around her. Well– she stiffened. "But you know what else I'll love the most?" He continued. However, before he could go on further, she let out a s
"I'm not." Kendrick held her glare. She was taking the guilt so far. He didn't need her to feel guilty. Not when she'd go to this extent to deprive him of his things. What would she do if she knew the actual truth?Of course, he wouldn't let her know. He wouldn't even imagine how she would react. "Just give me my computer back. It isn't like I won't take my drugs." Hailey looked as if she wanted to argue. She gave him a tired look in the end, and let out a sigh. "You're right. Maybe I should give it back to you. You'll take your drugs. I don't see how you'll even get to overwork yourself." Kendrick instantly knew the meaning behind her words. Those drugs. They were more like sleeping pills. He wouldn't get any work done even if he wanted to. His jaws clenched and he shut his eyes, only to open them to find her smiling again. She was giving him a taunting smile."I'll let you have your computer." She waved her hand. "But you can't go to your study until you eat the cakes." "Oh, I
He placed it on his working desk, then his eyes caught the drawer. Did the Butler come inside? He frowned. He was sure he had closed it properly. He contemplated whether to shred them now or leave the job to the Butler. The papers were still sitting there, he shouldn't waste any time now.But he would waste her time. His eyes went to the door. Hailey was waiting downstairs. The papers could wait but he wasn't certain her temper would.One moment, she was scared. The next moment, she was smiling. And the next, she would look as if she wanted to burst.Was this a malfunction indicating that there was a high chance she'd revert to her old self? She had given him her words. And Kendrick assured himself for the umpteenth time that she wouldn't. He wasn't one to sit and ponder when he had the means to get his answer. And he questioned again. Would she even open up? He left the study room and went downstairs where he found her holding a small plate with three cupcakes on it. The cake w
"Master, I thought you might need this." The Butler held out a bottle of water to him.Kendrick rose up from the couch and went to sit on the swivel chair. He brought the white bag out of the drawer and picked out each pill from its tablet. Then he took the water bottle from the Butler and swallowed it with the drugs. "I want you to destroy these reports." He nodded to the white papers still inside the opened drawer."Yes, Master." The Butler picked both papers out and gave a nod.And as the drugs began taking effect and his eyelids started becoming heavy, the Butler brought out a shredder from behind the shelves. And through his blurry eyes, Kendrick could see him plucking its fuse in a socket. After that, he dropped the reports inside them and the sound of the machine eating out the papers was the last to reach his ears before he fell into a deep sleep. It wasn't good to keep having them around. The fewer people knew, the better it would be. He had also made sure none of the ser
Kendrick frowned. He didn't like her tone. He knew better than anyone, she was gritting the words out. "I gave it to Sharon—""I know." She cut him off in a light tone. "You don't sound happy." Kendrick held her chin. He couldn't understand what both girls had against each other. Even after the truce, there was still an unmistakable tension between them. Sharon had tried to act nice and Hailey— well, she never faked her emotions. And right now, she was faking them. "Didn't I?" She laughed. Not at him but herself. Her words sounded self-mocking. "It wasn't my concern to have you finish it. It's just a damn cupcake." She pursed her lips. "If I wasn't happy, I would have wiped the rest on your face." "Really?" Kendrick raised a brow and couldn't help but smirk at her.Hailey met his gaze and nodded, her lips stretching into a smile. "You were right, I've worked hard. And I don't like my hard work to be trifled with." Wiping a cupcake on his face? Kendrick didn't know why he found