Chapter 6
Stella’s expression was tender and full of caring grace as she served milk to the men. Terence guided Tara into the dining area and glanced at her, silently instructing her to stand behind Lance.
When Tara saw that no one had noticed her, she scurried over in small steps and stopped close behind Lance, near enough to pick up whiffs of his scent.
The entire room remained unaware of her presence until breakfast was served. Tara reached beside Lance and quietly arranged his meal and napkin.
Lance watched her delicate hands adjust the napkin and plate, shifting them into a more convenient spot for him. His gaze lingered on her slender fingers before drifting up to her face, where her beautiful profile remained quietly focused.
When she finished, she stepped away without ever paying any attention to him. He quickly averted his eyes and ate his breakfast in silence.
Stella had intended to stand behind Lance, but the moment she spotted Tara already there, a sharp pang of annoyance and discomfort settled in her chest.
The rich scent of breakfast filled the room, but Tara could only watch as the men ate. Fortunately, she wasn’t very hungry.
Sitting across from Lance, Soren had just finished his meal when he looked up and saw Tara standing nearby. Even in her weary state, she was radiant.
He thought about teasing her but hesitated. He glanced at Jonah and changed his mind.
Tara didn’t notice Soren’s gaze. She stood quietly, struggling against sleepiness. As the men neared the end of their meal, she finally allowed herself to think about eating.
“Tara, could you give me a hand for a second?” A gentle voice spoke up from behind Shawn.
It was soft but clear enough for everyone at the table to hear, including Jonah, who was sitting right across from Shawn. Almost immediately, all eyes shifted to Tara.
Soren noticed Tara flinch from the other side of the table, her pretty eyes wide with confusion. He couldn’t look away.
Her drowsiness vanished in an instant. She turned just in time to see the plates in Stella’s hands tilting, ready to slip. She couldn’t tell if Stella had done it on purpose.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, she stepped forward and took the plates from her.
Stella sighed in relief. “You got here just in time.”
Tara stayed quiet, acutely aware of Jonah’s icy glare from across the table. Still, she doubted that he’d actually lose his temper here.
Just as she expected, Jonah only shot her a few cold looks before setting down his napkin and walking away. His disdain didn’t faze her in the slightest. She couldn’t have cared less.
Soren rose to his feet and cast Stella a faint mocking glance. He thought that no one there was straightforward.
Tara had no interest in getting entangled in their quiet battles. There was nothing worth fighting over, but she wasn’t weak enough to let them push her around.
Fortunately, Jonah had kept his temper in check, so she saw no point in escalating the situation.
When Lance left, his gaze lingered on her a moment too long. Whether it was intentional, no one could tell. But Tara, as oblivious as ever, didn’t notice a thing.
After the others had left the dining area, Tara silently cleared the table, her beautiful face unreadable.
Leah felt disappointed that Jonah hadn’t lost his temper. She figured that he must have cooled off.
“Mr. Pearson isn’t upset with you anymore, Tara. Why don’t you be the one to bring him fruit tomorrow night?” Leah suggested, still unsettled by Jonah’s icy demeanor from the night before.
Before Tara could answer, Stella quickly interjected, “I’ll go. Gemma said that Tara shouldn’t go to Mr. Pearson’s room these days.”
Tara remained silent, relieved that she didn’t have to decline directly.
However, Leah thought that Stella was being genuinely thoughtful. “Stella, that’s so kind of you.”
With a modest smile, Stella replied, “I’m happy to help.”
Tara didn’t catch the rest of their conversation. After clearing the table, she left the dishes and silverware for the dishwasher, while the other housekeepers would handle the rest. It wasn’t her responsibility, after all.
She hurried to the staff dining area, her stomach growling. She’d spent the entire time watching everyone else eat, but now, she could finally sit down and enjoy her breakfast peacefully.
Only a few people were eating. Tara had just taken a sip of coffee when someone slid into the seat beside her. She turned to see a young woman with a ponytail, dressed in the same uniform, setting her plate down next to hers.
“Tara, that was way too close,” Hailey Larson said.
Like Leah, she sounded disappointed that Jonah hadn’t lost his temper. They’d all been expecting a scene.
Tara racked her brain. The original host had barely known this housekeeper. Hailey might as well have been a stranger who simply worked in the same building. That was what made her sudden approach so surprising.
“It’s nothing,” Tara replied indifferently.
Hailey paused, then said with deliberate needling, “Stella must’ve known about what happened the other day. I was standing right beside her, but she didn’t ask me for help. She asked you instead.”
She had resented Stella for years, forced to tolerate the latter’s superior standing in the household. She’d pinned her hopes on Tara overshadowing Stella in the men’s eyes, but Tara, who was all looks and no substance, turned out to be even more useless than herself.
To avoid further complications, Hailey decided to focus on Tara first. She thought that the best outcome would be getting Stella and Tara removed from their jobs.
But Tara was completely absorbed in her steaming breakfast. She saw right through Hailey’s attempt to manipulate her, and it didn’t faze her.
When Stella called her over to help, she’d almost certainly done it on purpose. But this time, Jonah didn’t snap at her.
She took a bite of smoked bacon and asked flatly, “Is that so?”
Hailey kept watching her, wondering how she could be so unfazed. She wondered why Tara wasn’t the least bit rattled.
“I can’t spell everything out for you,” Hailey said, though she wondered if Tara actually understood her meaning.
Tara took a sip of her coffee. “I know. Thanks for the heads-up.”
Then, she went back to eating, her appetite completely unaffected.
Hailey was baffled. Was she sharp or just clueless? She’d been stirring up trouble in the past, but now she seemed completely levelheaded.
Under Hailey’s skeptical gaze, Tara finished her coffee and left the table.
Lately, the men rarely made it back to the villa by noon. They had been turning down most of their recent jobs, throwing themselves into their projects.
Only the commitments they couldn’t get out of—or the most lucrative offers—could pull them away. Otherwise, they might disappear for ten days, sometimes even two weeks.
The thought made Tara sigh. She had shown up when the male leads were completely absorbed in their projects of all time.
She pictured how much simpler her job would’ve been if she’d only needed to see them once every few weeks. But now, that was nothing more than a fleeting thought.
Her day was filled with small, scattered tasks—helping in one place, tidying in another—and before she knew it, time had slipped by. By the time she settled onto the couch in the lounge, the sky had already darkened.
The kitchen buzzed with activity as dinner was prepared for the male leads. With a gathering scheduled for that night, extra work loomed ahead.
Before long, car horns sounded outside the villa, one after another. Tara didn’t need to look to know that the men had returned.
A few figures moved past the front gate. Stella and three other housekeepers headed out to greet them.
Tara stayed back, avoiding the commotion. After leisurely finishing the cherries on the coffee table, she finally stood and walked toward the dining area.
The men had already started drinking in the dining room as the dishes were being served.
Tara couldn’t help but stare at the food. The aroma was irresistible. She thought it was a shame that none of it was meant for her.
“Tara, Mr. Swain is asking for you,” Hailey said beside her, her voice laced with envy.
It was clear that she wished Lance had called for her instead.
Tara snapped to attention and turned toward Lance. “Mr. Swain.”
Noticing her lingering gaze on the dishes, Lance said evenly, “Bring me a towel.”
She fetched one and returned, handing it to him so he could clean his hands.
He wiped his well-proportioned hands and asked, “You haven’t eaten dinner?”
Tara realized that she must have been staring at the food a little too intently.
“No,” she said.
But she’d already eaten a plate of cherries earlier. The ones here were enough to keep her from going hungry.
Soren laughed from across the table. “You were staring at that food like you wanted to burn a hole through it.”
Jonah barely looked at Tara before turning away, his face unreadable, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Tara, who usually stayed composed, felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.
Soren glanced up at the striking woman across from him, noticing how her fair, delicate skin turned a soft pink, the blush creeping up all the way to the tips of her ears. Arching a brow, he thought that her beauty really was something else.
“Go ahead and eat,” Lance said, his expression indifferent.
To Tara, the words felt like a gift. Her smile lit up, so radiant and enchanting that Soren, who was still watching her, couldn’t look away.
