Chapter 2
Tara kept trying to push Lance away, but her arms were trapped under his weight. She shoved with all her might, but he didn’t budge. She wasn’t strong enough to free herself.
No matter how hard she tried, nothing worked. His warm breath brushed against her neck, and her heart raced uncontrollably. She didn’t know what to do.
Then, the door swung open. Stella walked in and stopped dead. There was Lance, his tall frame pinning Tara to the floor by the couch, completely still. Stella stood there, stunned.
“You two—” Her voice faltered as she spoke, and her expression was filled with hurt.
Lance was the guy she’d been crushing on, and the sight of this scene before her felt like a knife through her heart.
Still trapped beneath Lance, Tara heard the door open and Stella’s voice. Relief washed over her, and she quickly raised her voice in desperation.
“Q-Quick! Help me get him off. I can’t breathe!”
Although Tara couldn’t see Stella’s expression, she pleaded urgently. Her urgency wasn’t just because of the lack of air. His weight pressed heavily on her chest, making it ache.
She figured that Lance must have been completely drunk as he was lying on top of her with the full weight of his body.
Stella snapped out of her daze and rushed over to help. After some struggle, they finally managed to push Lance aside. Tara scrambled out from under him, gasping for breath, her limbs prickling from the weight that had trapped her for so long.
“Thank you,” Tara said.
Stella looked at Tara, whose hair and clothes were slightly disheveled. Yet, the latter still looked effortlessly beautiful. Her striking, radiant features were the kind that made people stare.
Even though nothing had actually happened between Tara and Lance, Stella couldn’t shake the unease tightening in her chest.
“You’re welcome,” Stella answered, her smile faint.
Tara smiled back tiredly. She was completely drained after helping Lance up the stairs, getting trapped under him, and using all her strength to push him away.
She glanced at him, still unconscious on the couch. She decided that he could just stay there as she didn’t want to risk waking him again.
“Stella, my clothes are wet. I’m going downstairs to change,” Tara said.
She didn’t need to check her reflection to know she looked disheveled.
Stella stepped out of the bathroom holding a basin of water and nodded. “Go change, then come back up.”
Tara nodded. “Thanks for taking care of things here.”
Stella smiled. However, whether Tara was heading downstairs to change, Stella had no intention of letting her near Lance again.
Tara didn’t dwell on it. She smoothed her wrinkled uniform and decided that it would have to do for now as she left the room. She had no interest in befriending Stella, so staying polite would suffice.
The door shut quietly behind Tara. As she reached the stairwell, she stopped halfway when footsteps echoed from below.
Glancing down, she spotted Soren Farrell in casual workout clothes, his sports headphones draped around his neck. His handsome features held an easy confidence, lending him an air of charm and mischief.
His sharp gaze swept over her in silent appraisal when he noticed her. Tara’s uniform was slightly rumpled, the damp patches from earlier still clinging to her skin.
The standard black-and-white dress the housekeepers typically wore fell just above the knee, looking modest on most. But her tall frame made the skirt appear shorter, ending mid-thigh.
Tara was used to remarks about her curves getting more attention than her smarts. The uniform clung to her in a way that made her stand out.
Now, her hair was disheveled, her striking face flushed with surprise. The damp fabric hugged her body, accentuating every curve.
A faint blush still colored her neck where Lance’s breath had warmed her skin, leaving an unsettling blend of innocence and allure.
Soren’s gaze lingered on her as he kept climbing the stairs. Tara hadn’t thought that she’d run into him. She hesitated, then shifted to the side to make way.
He walked past her and was about to continue down the hall but stopped. With a slight turn, he faced her, his demeanor aloof and detached. Now, the distance between them was close.
Soren skimmed over her once more before he asked, “You’re the one who upset Jonah the other day, aren’t you?”
He’d heard about a housekeeper who brought Jonah Pearson coffee the day before yesterday, then blatantly tried to flirt with him in his room. Jonah had been so annoyed that he’d made her leave.
Remembering the original host’s past, Tara understood exactly what Soren was talking about. She gave an awkward nod of acknowledgment. Even as she bowed her head in embarrassment, her beauty was breathtaking.
Soren stood silently, watching her for a long moment before turning away with a quiet scoff as if her efforts to charm Jonah were beneath him.
Tara didn’t care about his mockery or his disdain. Soren was just one of the villa’s owners. He was nothing more to her. So, what he thought of her didn’t matter.
As his figure retreated into the distance, she descended the stairs. She felt uncomfortable in her uniform and needed to get back to her room to change as soon as possible.
Working as a housekeeper here had its advantages. Each live-in housekeeper had their own room, and the pay was generous.
But because the members of the famous boy band didn’t want too many live-in housekeepers, only a few were employed. One had even been let go just a few days earlier.
Aside from the live-in housekeepers, other housekeepers would come in to work but would never stay overnight, leaving once their tasks were finished.
Tara hurried downstairs to her room and closed the door behind her. When she walked past the mirror, she paused and turned to study her reflection.
The reflection staring back at her had a slender build, her hair and clothes disheveled but somehow still lovely. She adjusted her skirt. Fortunately, the uniform had inner shorts to prevent accidents. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to handle her tasks.
She snatched a clean uniform set and changed, a dull throb pulsing in her temples. Ten minutes later, she stepped out, knowing that she couldn’t linger. Then, she rushed back upstairs to Lance’s room.
Stella was still cleaning Lance’s hands and neck when she heard the door open and close. Her expression darkened.
Tara moved closer without saying a single word. When she saw Stella tending to Lance, she bent down, picked up the basin of warm water, and carried it to the bathroom. She poured it out and refilled it with fresh, warm water.
Stella’s expression softened slightly when Tara placed the basin back beside her. Tara didn’t notice the change in Stella’s expression at all. She just figured that it was time for a fresh basin of warm water.
Even so, she could tell that Stella disliked her being near Lance. The way Stella stiffened when Tara wiped his hands was pretty hard to ignore.
Acting like she hadn’t caught onto Stella’s defensiveness, Tara plopped down on the couch with nothing to do. She couldn’t leave yet since Gemma had asked her and Stella to stay and care for Lance.
Stella was almost done cleaning Lance’s hands and neck. With nothing else to do, Tara waited. When Stella finished, Tara quietly took the basin and walked into the bathroom, slowly putting things away.
She wasn’t usually slow with her work. She was deliberately taking her time. She didn’t feel any need to rush as she had nothing left to do but to watch over Lance.
Tara left the bathroom and returned to her seat. Across from her, Stella ignored her completely. Instead, she kept looking at Lance with soft eyes, occasionally reaching over to fix his hair.
Tara watched the scene, which seemed to glow with quiet affection.
She remembered the original story of the novel—Stella had a crush on Lance and always looked after him, just like she did with the other three guys in the band. That was how she’d managed to win over all four members of the famous boy group.
Resting her chin in her hand, Tara silently observed Stella’s tender care toward Lance. Outside, birds and cicadas chirped now and then. The sunlight was harsh, but the room felt cold and silent.
Before long, Tara’s eyelids grew heavy. After struggling to stay awake, she sank into the couch and fell fast asleep.
