Chapter 144 Ordinary Days
When Sterling and Bella strolled back into the living room, Colin popped out of the kitchen and blurted, "Weird, I haven't even started cooking yet. What's burning?"
Anna smacked her thigh, "Oh no."
She dashed to the room and found the clothes she was ironing for Colin had a hole burned right through them. She instinctively reached out to yank the iron away, only to burn herself and jump back.
Colin followed her and pulled her back, saying, "Anna, how can you be so clumsy? It's scorching hot, didn't you think to unplug it first?"
Anna, holding her hand, jumped in frustration, "You're blaming me? I told you I couldn't do it, but you insisted. What about your clothes now?"
Colin sighed, "It's okay, it's just a piece of clothing. As long as you didn't ruin my suit, it's fine."
He took Anna's hand, "Let me see how bad it is."
Anna's left hand had a cut from chopping vegetables earlier, covered with a band-aid. Now her right hand had blisters from the burn.
Colin lowered his head and blew on her fingers, saying, "What can you actually do? Do you really think you deserve your hourly wage?"
Seeing Colin blowing on her fingers with a mix of complaint and concern, Anna's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Colin, a guy who was elegant, gentle, and a great cook, was always kind to girls. He appeared polite and refined, clearly a good person, so even Anna felt moved for a moment.
Anna thought, 'Any girl would probably be moved if Colin holds her hand and blows on her fingers with such a concerned look.'
Immediately, she remembered what Micah had said, that Colin already had a fiancée and was getting married soon. But thinking about herself, she realized she and Colin were no longer in the same world.
Determined to regain her composure, she quickly withdrew her hand, feeling unworthy. "It's fine, I'm not being dramatic," she said. "What about your clothes?"
Anna looked at the ruined clothes with a headache, and Colin sighed, "Forget it, leave it here. I'll handle it myself."
Feeling awkward, Anna scratched her head before offering a professional smile, "Thank you, Mr. Rivera. I'll be going now."
Colin watched her leave playfully, feeling a sudden sweetness in his heart.
By the time they had dinner, it was already 7 PM. They chatted at the dining table.
Anna and Bella whispered to each other, overhearing Colin say to Micah, "Isn't Elijah ten years older than you? How could he beat you up like this? It's really embarrassing."
Micah snorted, "Yeah, next time I should call you to fight. You could take on ten of them."
Among the three of them, Colin was the best fighter, having grown up tough. They knew Colin's strength well.
Colin immediately said, "Right, if he comes again, believe me, I'll beat him badly. How could he beat you like this? You're really weak."
Micah laughed nonchalantly, "You can laugh all you want. You didn't see Bella. She took a flower pot and knocked Elijah down. It was quite a scene."
Everyone turned to Bella, and Anna frowned with concern, "Bella, when did you get into a fight?"
Bella put down her utensils, "Don't listen to Micah. It was an emergency, and I acted on instinct."
Sterling looked at Bella, who seemed very happy and was chatting a lot with Anna. Naturally, he was happy too.
Bella noticed the faint smile on Sterling's lips. She discreetly hold his hand under the table. Sterling tilted his head to look at her, and Bella playfully winked. Sterling's smile widened, and he firmly squeezed Bella's hand in return.
They seemed to be in a good mood, inevitably drinking a lot. By the time they finished, it was almost 11 PM.
Sterling took Bella back to The Windsor Villa. Micah had a driver take him home. Anna initially wanted to leave with them, but seeing the mess on the table and floor, she sighed.
After all, she had a free meal tonight, comparable to a five-star hotel. Cleaning up was the least she could do.
Seeing it was quite late, Anna worried she wouldn't be able to get a cab if she left too late. She glanced at Colin, half-lying on the sofa sobering up, then walked over and kicked him.
"Colin, it's too late. Can I come back to clean tomorrow?" Anna looked down at him.
Colin slightly opened his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and said, "What do you think? Did I pay you to come back tomorrow to clean?"
Anna took a deep breath, "Fine, I'll clean now."
With professional ethics in mind, Anna angrily went to the kitchen, grabbed a cloth, and started cleaning the living room.
Under the dim light, Anna's petite figure busily moved around. She wiped the table, gathered the dishes, bent down to sweep the floor, and picked up fallen utensils with swift, practiced motions.
Accompanied by Anna's constant muttering, "Mr. Rivera, you know you can't handle alcohol, so why drink so much? You're the one suffering."
She continued, "Do you want some honey water? I'll make you a cup later. Never mind, it would be a waste. What bad luck, I probably won't get a cab."
Colin watched Anna busily working under the light. Her small, thin figure, with long hair tied back, occasionally had strands falling out. She would brush them aside with her arm and continue cleaning.
Watching this scene, Colin suddenly felt a sense of warmth, like a simple married life. This scene felt inexplicably familiar and comforting.
Colin remembered he once had such a warm and simple life. Those days seemed far away now.
As memories came rushing back, he thought of years ago when he lived like this with his parents. His mother wasn't allowed into the Rivera Mansion, so his father took them to live outside for many years.
Back then, they lived warmly together, and those were the most cherished days.
Later, when the burdens of life pressed down, his father finally compromised with the Rivera family and took his mother and him back to the Rivera Mansion.
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