Matchmaking.

DEXTER'S POINT OF VIEW

 I had to admit that the idea wasn't a bad one though. It wouldn't be too much of a deviation if I asked Melanie to work as my chef but still...

 "No, Mother" 

 "Fine", she rolls her eyes.

 Who knows if this wasn't even one of her attempts to matchmake Melanie and I? It's good I rejected it.

 "But what's wrong with Melanie as a woman? Even married men find themselves having an affair with their personal assistants or secretary but you are not even friends with Melanie"

 She talks too much, eats too much and eats quite savagely too and... What else? She's clumsy sometimes and doesn't pay so much attention to how she looks, sometimes. I don't really know to be honest, she just annoys me.

 She is a beautiful lady though, I'm surprised she hasn't yet given me a wedding invitation all these years.

 "Or did she do something wrong?", Mother inquires.

 She was shabbily dressed when I met her for the first time and stuttered a lot. She wasn't very punctual then too. She was just awfully inadequate back then but Grandpa always told me to be patient with her, claiming he saw potential in her. 

 She became better after only a few weeks and unlike some of the secretaries I had hired, she had never drooled over me, or tried seducing me and always dressed modestly.

 "No, she has never wronged me in any way. You should know I won't keep her even for a second if she annoys me", I reply and Mother laughs.

 "I guess she's just not your type"

 "I don't have a type", I shrug.

 "Then she just doesn't attract you"

 "Yeah, you can put it that way", I respond and stand up. "I have to get back to work now"

 "Liam!", she complains.

 "I've told you about a billion times that I don't like that nickname", I remind her as I walk back to my chair.

 "I'll call you whatever I want, you're my son", she retorts and I groan.

 "Goodbye, Mother", I bid once I sit on my chair and she glares at me but I smile back. "Have a safe ride home", I add and immediately continue working.

 "Liam!", she calls but I ignore her. "Liam"

 "Go home, Mother", I mutter and she hmphs then storms away.

 I just wasted some precious time on her, I usually like my day planned from start to finish. It helps me focus but she just had to ruin the flow.

 "Miss Wright, I need you to find me a housekeeper and chef before the end of the day", I am telling Melanie two days later.

 I haven't heard from Mother since I told her about helping me out and the last thing I want to do is call her. She'll end up making me talk about something I do not expect and not telling her what I want to talk about.

 She's amazing that way.

 Mrs Corazon had left the house that morning as reported by Melanie but had stored a lot of food in the freezer which was very nice. There was only one problem with that; I only eat fresh food and by fresh, I mean food that was just prepared.

 It was a habit I've always had for as long as I can remember, don't know how I developed it so Mrs Corazon would always give out any extra food as I had instructed.

 For this reason, the microwaved food was already getting on my nerves and I needed a chef, urgently.

 I sigh and start working.

 The day goes on quite normally till around midday when the intercom beeps on my table.

 "Yes?"

 "Sir, I called an agency and was told that your mother had already called them", Melanie informs me.

 "And so? Call another agency", I reply resisting the urge to yell at her.

 "I did already"

 "There are several other agencies, don't be silly"

 "That's what I thought too until I figured that your mother is Miss Knight", Melanie replies and I frown confusedly.

 "What's that supposed to mean?"

 "I think your mother doesn't want you getting a new housekeeper", she says and I frown. "It's impossible for your mother to call an agency and they would tell her that they don't have an employee that fits the description of what you want"

 "Keep calling other agencies, Miss Wright", I reply and cut off the connection.

 It was very rare for Melanie to give me suggestions, not just because I rarely ever needed it but because she was always too timid to speak up when she has an idea. Her ideas were always right more times than wrong though.

 "Should I listen to her on this?", I mutter and pick up my phone. "This won't do"

 I stand up and begin to make my way out of the office. I need to go and meet up with my mother. 

 Meanwhile, I know Melanie has gotten more comfortable speaking up over the years but the confidence with which she made this suggestion to me was actually quite surprising.

 Maybe it was because she wasn't seeing my face while talking to me.

 "Take all my appointments down by an hour", I instruct as I walk out.

 "Yes, sir", Melanie replies.

 Minutes later, my driver pulls over in front of my mother's house and I walk out of the car then begin heading inside the house.

 "Where is my mother?"

 "She is in the garden", the maid replies looking slightly frightened.

 She must be new.

 "Mother", I call once I see her and she turns from the flower she was looking at with a smile. "Are you trying to frustrate my efforts to find someone to replace Mrs Corazon?"

 "Took you long enough to figure it out", she retorts.

 "It was actually Melanie who figured it out", I admit with a sigh and she smiles widely.

 "See why I asked you to just marry her?"

 "Mother, Is this about your matchmaking attempts once again?"

 "I'll be honest, sweetheart. I wasn't thinking about it when I brought up the suggestion but after I walked out of your office, I suddenly thought about it", she shrugs.

 "And decided to frustrate me", I mutter. "Look Mother, I'm not hiring her and that's final"

 "Suit yourself and see if you'll ever find a replacement. How have you been surviving since she left? Are you eating out? Or are you not eating? Or are you cooking? I know you would if you had the time and energy"

 "Mother"

 "Say it again and add a 'I'll hire Melanie' to it then I'll send over a housekeeper for you right now", she smirks. "Oh right, you shouldn't need one since you are barely at home", she adds with a shrug. "But houses have a way of getting dirty even when you don't live in them"

 There was no way to cross Mother whenever she had a request. Crazy as she acts now, she was once Grandpa's heir. She was smart enough to coerce me into doing whatever she wanted whether by ordinary means or by using the company as bait.

 "What if Mrs Corazon never comes back? She can't cook for me forever", I try to complain.

 "How about you let her go after a year if Mrs Corazon doesn't come back?"

 "One month"

 "Six"

 "One"

 "Three"

 "One"

 "You're not ready", she retorts and turns back to the flowers.

 "Fine, three months it is, if she agrees"