Chapter 55 She's the Maid; He's the Young Master
Deep down in his heart, Raymond contemplated telling Paige the truth that his surname Carnegie was associated with Hawke Corporation’s owner. But the words that came out were different.
"If I earn some extra overtime pay, you won’t have to work so hard."
Paige couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. She wanted Raymond to quit his job; what overtime pay was there to talk about?
Paige reassured him, "My job is not that demanding, really. Raymond, you can give a thought about quitting your job and staying at home."
They were being followed now; who knows what might happen next.
Paige hadn't checked her phone yet, and she feared it might be overwhelmed with messages from Julian and Pearl.
The dinner with Raymond had been quiet, but without a doubt, her team had been in overdrive out there.
Taking a deep breath, Raymond realized he was in no position to handle the ramifications of a resignation at this time.
After dinner, he immediately reviewed a report from Charles. Meanwhile, the buzz on social media and news outlets was already escalating.
Paige cleaned up the kitchen and finally grabbed her phone, only to be greeted by the trending topics. Frowning, she closed the kitchen door before calling Pearl.
"What's going on? We're on trending?" she asked sharply.
Pearl explained over the phone, "Xanthe, it's a clash. Cecil tampered with Northwind's traffic lights. We didn't expect the other side to have a hacker ace up their sleeve, and now it's total chaos."
Paige didn't want this blowing up on social media, drawing unwanted attention to her identity and Universe Group.
She took a deep breath, and her voice carried a resolute command, "Lay off those people for today. Have Cecil restore Northwind's traffic immediately."
Pearl hung up and set things in motion swiftly.
Paige cracked the kitchen door, wary that Raymond might overhear.
But Raymond, just like Paige, retreated to his own room, equally cautious to keep his instructions to Charles about handling the situation from being overheard.
"Do whatever it takes to suppress this incident from trending. Also, touch base with the responsible parties. Any transport company that is willing to take responsibility for tonight's chaos and make a public announcement, Hawke Corporation will invest in their transportation" Raymond instructed.
He just needed to issue the order; Charles would take care of the rest.
After all the back and forth, neither Raymond's people could catch Paige's operatives, nor could hers catch Raymond's.
In the end, the only outcome was the disruption of Northwind's traffic.
The next day, Paige still went to the villa, but this time, she drove what she called her 'taxi.'
When Sean heard about Paige's intention to resign, he didn't respond immediately, instead, he asked her to wait a bit.
Following the conversation with Paige, Sean headed to Bradley’s room.
"Master, the young lady is planning to resign," Sean informed him with a serious tone.
Bradley was in the middle of tenderly misting water on the flowers Paige had arranged the day before. Then he looked up in surprise, "What? She wanna quit? Why?"
"She found a new gig, driving a cab," Sean explained, "Says it's more convenient for helping Raymond on his way to and from work."
At this, Bradley couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Ha! That girl is so earnest. Ferrying Raymond around, huh? Not a bad idea. Just a sec, I'll give him a call."
Bradley's first call was to Raymond, “How's it going? Did I pick out the right girl for you or what?” he teased right away.
It took a while for Raymond to catch on that Paige had gone in to resign that morning.
"All I can say is that she did give me a ride last night and this morning," Raymond finally admitted.
Bradley grinned from ear to ear, “It seems that your marriage is quite strong.”
As long as they were faring well, Bradley had nothing to worry about.
After hanging up, Bradley dialed Paige's number.
She might've come to hand in her resignation today, but that didn't stop her from beautifully arranging and placing fresh-cut flowers from the garden all around the house.
After answering Bradley’s call, Paige took great care in explaining her reasons for wanting to quite.
He couldn't be happier that she had found something that suited her better.
Once the call ended, Bradley turned to Sean and said, "Let her go, the kid's got gumption."
With Bradley's permission, Sean naturally agreed.
Paige still felt obliged to complete her duties for the day.
After the gardener had clipped some lilies for the living room, she added a few roses to the bouquet and carried it inside.
No sooner had Paige stepped into the grand living room than she heard footsteps approaching. Having worked at the Jobs estate for a while, she was accustomed to the constant flow of people and didn't pay it much mind.
But then, the footsteps became increasingly erratic. Paige thought it might be Sean coming to discuss her resignation, but when she turned around, she was rooted to the spot in shock.
And the person standing opposite her was, clearly, even more astounded than Paige.
"Louis?" she questioned in disbelief.
Louis stared back at her, he stared at the woman who'd been arranging the flowers in the living room just moments ago.
His face was a whirlwind of emotions, and after taking a couple of steps closer, he lowered his voice, "What are you doing here?"
The moment he asked the question, a memory flashed through Louis's mind, he recollected Paige leaving Margaret's birthday bash, seemingly getting into a car owned by Raymond.
And Paige, she'd mentioned she was married to a disabled man...
Anxiety surged through Louis, knotting his throat tight. Could it be that Paige was now married to...?
He couldn't even bear to think the name.
But there was Paige, raising the topic, "I work here, as a maid, ever heard of it? So, Mr. Carnegie, what brings you here?"
Paige fixed her gaze on Louis, piecing together her investigation. To her understanding, the Jobs family, whose business activities were mostly conducted abroad, owned this property. Given that the Jobs family did not operate in Northwind, Louis shouldn't be in business with them.
However, Louis being here was a curiosity that Paige couldn't ignore!
Her sensors now on high alert, Paige scrutinized Louis with a keen eye. Ideas were whirling in her head, a mental brainstorm in full swing.
Louis had strolled into the villa with an aura of belonging, navigating the space unchallenged; none of the numerous house staff had stopped or guided him, indicative of an exceptional relationship with the owner.
Paige, who was on the trail of the secret fund here, saw that Louis had unrestricted access to the villa, setting her heart racing.
While Paige's heart was on edge, Louis felt a sense of relief. As long as his connection with Paige was nothing more than her simply knowing Raymond due to her work as a maid, all was well.
With a sigh of relief, Louis's confidence grew, "This place is my home. Though I don't often reside here, I occasionally come back to check on things."
His words struck Paige.
The Jobs family's villa belonged to Louis?
What connection could there be between the Carnegies and the Jobs?
