Chapter 31

Was it so hard to follow my orders? And what if something happened to her again...? That careless woman only brought headaches. I rushed out to the garden, searching for her like a madman. In the distance, I saw a small boy playing with a glass fishbowl. Why did that fishbowl seem familiar to me? Then I noticed a small frog inside and realized it belonged to that woman. I quickly ran toward the boy as I saw the fishbowl about to slip from his hands.

“Careful!”

♡

I still felt a little weak; maybe I should have listened to Dr. Donovan, but another second in that room was dangerous. I didn’t want Mr. Cesar to kick me out. It was too audacious to stay and sleep as if I were some kind of mistress. Just thinking about it gave me chills. I took my phone, but there were no messages from Mr. Kyelef. My heart sank as I wished I could see him. What was he doing at that moment? I sighed loudly, reflecting on the offer Mr. Cesar had made me. Working with him didn’t excite me, but maybe that way, I could become a useful woman so that one day, if Mr. Kyelef...

“Dino!” I called out when I realized he wasn’t by my side, nor was Gulliver. I quickly got up and ran to look for him.

“How foolish you are, Belle. You only had one job, and now you’ve lost the child you were supposed to take care of! Dino, where are you?!” His stern gaze, framed by an almost breathtaking beauty, seemed completely angry with me. But why? Meanwhile, Dino was by his side, holding onto the hem of his pants while sucking his thumb.

“Dino, come here! Don’t bother Mr. Cesar,” I called, and the little boy ran to my feet. When I looked up at Mr. Cesar again, I saw that he was holding my fishbowl with a very cheerful Gulliver inside.

“I suppose this thing belongs to you.”

“Yes, thank you so much for taking care of them.”

“I just found them about to cause a disaster.”

“Gulliver, Dino, and I thank you. Just look at how happy my frog is,” I said as I proudly showed off my biceps. But his expression was one of horror.

“How can you say such nonsense? What kind of family did you grow up with? Vagabonds?” My smile faded, unsure of what to say... anything but telling him I was an orphan and that I was indeed raised by vagabonds.

“Don’t even answer... I can already imagine from your awful personality. Now my question is, do you have to say yes to everything people ask of you? Don’t you have even a shred of character?”

“My grandfather used to say that character is useless if you have to beg for a plate of food, but it’s very dignified to bow your head when you need to, and it doesn’t make you any less.”

“A plate of food? Are you a dog... I understand that your family is poor, and I won’t ask for details—I’m a gentleman—but I can’t agree with your so-called dignified lifestyle. It just tells me that you’ve let everyone take advantage of you and prevent you from having a little ambition.”

“People like me can’t desire anything more than a plate of food and a place to sleep.” He sighed in frustration, running his hand through his hair, angry.

“Forget it... I’m not going to lose my temper with you again.” He looked at his watch and said, “It’s dinner time.” I blinked rapidly, feeling nervous under his intense gaze. What did he want?

“Yes... well, I suppose we’ll go eat. Dino is hungry,” I said uncomfortably, unsure if he was sending me to dinner because he wanted to leave. I no longer understood what that man was thinking. I started walking toward the kitchen when I heard him shout angrily, causing me to jump.

“Where the hell are you going?”

♡

**Cesar**

“E-excuse me, what do you mean where am I going? I told you I was going to eat in the kitchen,” she asked, shyly looking at me. How was it possible that she didn’t ask if I had eaten? Why did she always find excuses to pretend there was nothing more to talk about with me whenever I tried to get closer? Did she enjoy watching me chase after her? Who did she think she was...

“Then get lost...” I said disdainfully.

“Would you like to eat with us, Master Cesar? It’s not an elegant meal, but if you’d like, you can join us.”