Chapter 1

Patrick Anderson stood up from his executive office seat as he finished the day's work.

At 8 PM sharp, his personal assistant, Jeff Hudson, knocked and stepped into his executive office, which was painted in ash grey, to see him.

"Good evening, boss. Are you leaving for home now?" Jeff asked.

Patrick stepped out of his office seat in silence, picked up his black coat hanging on his executive chair, and put it on to prevent the cold wind from hitting his cool dark skin and freezing him. He adjusted his necktie and snatched his briefcase from his office desk.

With a final glance, Patrick exited his office on the eighth floor of his ten-storey multimillion-dollar hotel in the state.

He entered the elevator, which immediately took him down to the ground floor of his luxurious hotel.

Patrick stepped out and made his way to his black SUV. His bodyguards pulled the car door closed for him as soon as he entered the back seat.

Having a wide range of secret businesses in the state, Patrick's mind was preoccupied with many thoughts, ranging from his parents, who had been disturbing him about bringing home a wife, to the list of competitors who wanted to take him down and out of the business world.

He had kept a series of multiple identities hidden, and no one knew who the real Patrick Anderson was, as he kept his business strategies coded.

Patrick stared ahead at Jeff, who was rushing to join him in the car. Jeff approached and slid into the driver's seat, as he was also Patrick’s driver.

Jeff started the SUV engine and finally drove out of the luxurious hotel.

Arriving at the Anderson mansion gate, the security guards opened the huge black gate as Jeff drove the luxury SUV into the mansion premises and parked.

Patrick stepped out of the SUV and walked toward the front of the four-storey mansion. Anger boiled within him as he clicked his black shoes against the cemented ground and walked into the living room.

A new maid, Loveth Logan, was seen mopping the tiled floor. She glanced back at Patrick as he entered the living room. She smiled, and greeted him, "Good evening, sir. Welcome home."

Patrick paused and did not respond to Loveth's greeting. He frowned and turned away as he walked up to the milk-coloured couch in the living room and dropped his briefcase there.

Patrick took off his black coat and hung it over his shoulder, feeling the warmth from the heater as it warmed up his cool dark skin.

He picked up his briefcase and walked towards the elevator to retire back to his chamber on the top floor.

Patrick wore only a red shirt with black trousers and had short black hair.

Just then, Patrick's mother, Mrs. Eleanor Anderson, a 70-year-old woman, stepped out from her room below, suffering from knee pain. She saw Loveth still mopping the floor and frowned,. She turned away, noticing Patrick about to enter the elevator.

"Son..." Mrs. Eleanor called him back.

Patrick paused and looked back at his mother. Meeting her smiling gaze, he sighed and walked over to her. She wore a long blue gown and walked towards him.

"Good evening, Mother," Patrick greeted, as he approached her. He hugged her and walked with her to the couch, as he was her only son and had four older sisters.

Patrick knew that his parents only wanted one thing from him: to give them an heir. His four older sisters were all married and older than him, as his mother had given birth to him after a ten-year gap following his immediate elder sister's birth.

"Welcome, son. How was your day at the office?" Mrs. Eleanor finally asked him.

"It was fine, Mother." Patrick replied as he sat down with her on the couch.

"I can see that. When will you finally marry? Your father and I aren't getting any younger. Do you not want us to see the next heir of Anderson Corporations?" Mrs. Eleanor asked.

"Hmm..." Patrick frowned and sighed.

"Son," his mother called his attention again. Patrick replied, "Mom, you don't have to worry about that yet, okay? I will think about it soon—probably this week or next week."

"Okay, son," Mrs. Eleanor replied with a smile, while Patrick stood up from the couch to retire back to his chamber, feeling heartbroken.

"But how about your fiance, Willow Albert? Why not make arrangements to marry her at once? What's the matter, son?" Mrs. Eleanor asked again, getting a little worried about what was going wrong between Patrick and his girlfriend, and what was stopping them from marrying, as they were so in love.

Patrick felt sweat bead on his forehead at his mother's questions. He looked away and made eye contact with their new maid, Loveth Logan, who smiled and blushed as she continued mopping the floor happily.

Patrick’s dark grey eyes scanned Loveth's waist in her pink maid uniform; she looked beautiful with nice curves, making him wonder who had deliberately employed her to work in their mansion.

Quickly averting his gaze from Loveth, Patrick looked back at his mother, replying, "Mom, Willow traveled out without informing me and has refused to give me a proper explanation for leaving me behind."

Patrick couldn't tell his mother the truth about why he broke up with Willow Albert. The cheap woman that was 24hrs horny and always seeking attention from any available man.

Mrs. Eleanor sighed and replied, "But I spoke to Willow yesterday, and she told me you both were fine and still together."

"Mom..." Patrick stiffened and stared back at his mother in disbelief. Forcing a fake smile and menacing laughter, he replied, "Mom, I'm very tired now. I need to return to my room and rest."

"Okay, son," Mrs. Eleanor said, watching Patrick walk away to the elevator.

Mrs. Eleanor glanced at Loveth and called Patrick back, "Son, have you met Loveth Logan? She's the new maid from Westwood, and her mother is one of the charitable women there contributing to building the economy."

"Hmm..." Patrick paused and looked at Loveth, who had just finished mopping the tiled floor. She lowered her head as she felt his piercing gaze.

"What do you think of her? Your eldest sister, Isabel Owen, actually recommended Loveth's services to us. She's like a daughter to me, and she helps me a lot since I am getting old and cannot work as much. Come, Loveth," Mrs. Eleanor said, signaling Loveth to come over.

"Loveth, meet my son, Master Patrick Anderson, sole heir to Anderson Corporation."

Loveth stepped in front of Patrick, bowed her head respectfully, and said, "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

Patrick froze, standing speechless as he sank into deep thought. Was this some sort of temptation or setup by his mother?

Her eyes were shiny black, her nose sharp, her lips naturally pink without lip gloss, and her long natural blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. Her skin looked flawless, like a mixture of milk and honey. Patrick took some time to assess Loveth's beauty until his mother's words finally snapped him out of his trance.

"Patrick, I see that you like her. She's also a very good cook, and I cannot help but feel younger and love her more."

"Hmmmm..." Patrick's eyes finally narrowed at Loveth.

He stared back at his mother and replied, "It's okay, Mom. It's good to see she's taking good care of you. I have to go upstairs now, as I have an important online business meeting to catch up with at 10 PM. I need to be ready for it."

Patrick quickly walked away, entering the elevator without waiting for his mother's response. He headed back up to the fourth floor.

Once on the fourth floor, Patrick stepped out of the elevator and into his sitting room. He cursed under his breath, "Fuck!" 

Patrick was very annoyed and didn't want to end up marrying a loose woman.

Approaching his sitting room couch, Patrick dropped his briefcase and coat, and walked to the sitting room bar to grab an alcoholic drink, still seething with anger over the betrayal by Willow with his rival, Tony Miles.

Patrick took out a bottle of wine, popped it open, and drank directly from the bottle.

Feeling the wine's effects, he staggered slightly and sat on a stool near the bar top.

After finishing one bottle, Patrick grabbed another, popped it open again, and cursed, "I hate you, Willow."

Just then, he heard the sitting room door slide open. Turning back, he saw a beautiful maid step into his sitting room with a tray of food in her hands.