6. Sad Truth

“What has you so tight-lipped?” Cecilia asked during lunch break, snapping Emily out of her reveries.

She shook her head to dismiss the erotic images flashing in her mind. “I might have broken something at the estate.”

Her coworker gasped at that in both shock and dejection. “Please tell me it wasn’t something precious.”

“I don’t know. Probably,” the teenager let out as she played with her food. “He said it was okay though.”

Cecilia turned Emily to face her, “Just who is he? Are you talking about the elusive owner of the estate?”

Emily nodded and sighed.

“If I were you, I’d still report the broken whatever to Mrs. Steams,” she told her.

Emily pondered the advice in her head and really thought about it. Could she face Mrs. Steams’ wrath? She could already feel the hostility and the animosity… what was she to do?

She nodded once again and then just proceeded to throw away the content of her lunch box.

If she had to face Mrs. Steams’ anger any way, she much rather do it sooner than later. Let it be a done deal already, whether she kept her job but would be paid pennies for the next few months, or she got fired.

The elderly woman was at the door of the estate, talking down to the maid who - from the looks of it - had broken a vase. The same damned vase Emily used to clean nearly every day back in July.

“Do you know how much it costs? It costs five times your salary,” she said with cool indifference. “How are you going to pay for it?”

The girl stammered an unintelligible response.

And the stern housekeeper glared at her and then at the intruding Emily.

Here goes nothing, this latter thought to herself.

“Mrs. Steams,” she called for her attention. “I have a confession to make.”

The glare focused solely on her, but the girl who was guilty of breaking the vase didn’t dare to leave or even heave a sigh.

“I’m listening,” she told her, her mouth set in a thin line.

“I have broken the plate that was adorning the left wall of the home cinema,” she told her in a wavering voice.

The woman’s eyes widened and she exclaimed at once, “Do you want my head, you little impudent and careless girl? You have no idea how much that plate costs.”

Emily was quick to shake her head negatively, “It’s just that the owner of the estate startled me as I was cleaning it.”

The woman’s features darkened at once. And Emily could tell that this didn’t bode well for her. She would have to kiss college goodbye. There would be no other job that paid as well.

“Have you no shame?” The housekeeper was basically yelling at this point, “Young master Theodore doesn’t wish to be disturbed while at the estate.”

Emily hung her head, as tears stung her eyes.

How was she to know that the rule that said no one ought to come in contact with the owner was because he was antisocial?

“Throwing yourself at him at the first occasion already? You’re a disgrace. I shouldn’t have trusted you to do a decent job.”

Emily wanted to defend herself, but she knew deep down it wouldn’t play in her favor, no matter what.

“That’s enough,” there was that same damned voice again.

Emily’s head snapped up at that, almost on reflex.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Theodore had been in his room when he heard his housekeeper’s voice coming from the first floor.

From the sound of it, it would seem that his mate had confessed about the damned plate and her encounter with him. He could already see himself falling for her honesty. She was an endearingly sweet girl.

He was whipped already.

He didn’t bother to keep up appearances and walk slowly. Instead, he hurried down the steps that weren’t visible and then once he was within earshot, he told them that that was enough.

When his mate’s head snapped up, he saw tears in her eyes. He felt his beast stir and want to be let out.

How dare a mere housekeeper raise her voice on the legitimate mistress of the estate?

“Mrs. Steams,” he then began his soft berating in a level barely controlled tone, “You’re mistaken. This young girl was scared out of her mind when I entered the home cinema. And that’s the only reason why she broke the plate.”

“Still, Mr. King,” the housekeeper protested feebly.

“It’s okay,” he said, making sure to infuse his words with authority so that the point he wanted to drive would reach its destination.

“Thank you, Mr. King,” his mate said softly as she nodded her head curtly at him.

Much like an awkward teenager - which he wasn’t - he just replied with a curt nod.

“Yes, you better be thankful, girl,” Mrs. Steams observed stiffly. “Many have been fired for much less.”

Now, now, why would you do this to me, Mrs. Steams? He inwardly winced at her words.

She made him appear as a ruthless and terrible employer - which admittedly he could be - and he didn’t want to appear as such in front of his mate.

How could a mere human already have him so securely wrapped around her little finger?

And the sad truth was that she barely looked at him, and yet he was already falling for her - hard.

Life was unfair. It created the rich and the poor. It made men to the true sense of the word, and lesser undeserving ones. It brought lovers together and separated others.

Life was truly beautiful though, he realized.

His days would never be bleak again. As long as he could have his mate by his side, he would surely be one happy dragon. There was no if no but about it. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that his fated mate could either make him the happiest he’d ever been, or break him like no one ever managed to.