THE BILLIONAIRE’S PUREST OBSESSION

The Delivery

Evangeline stared at the tablet, her fingers hovering uncertainly above the screen while the delivery man stood patiently in front of her.

"There has to be some mistake," Evangeline murmured softly. "I've never ordered anything."

"There isn't, miss, the order matches both your name and this address."

Still unconvinced, Evangeline lowered her eyes to the invoice once more, carefully reading each line.

Recipient: Miss Evangeline Miller.

Delivery Address: Moreno Penthouse.

Everything was correct. Her heartbeat quickened as her gaze moved lower, settling on the final line; Sender: Mr. Kylian Moreno.

For a moment, the words refused to make sense. "Mr. Moreno?" she whispered almost to herself.

Mrs. Gable leaned slightly closer, curiosity flickering across her face. "What is it, dear?"

Evangeline looked up, still visibly confused. "It says..." She swallowed. "Mr. Moreno sent them."

Mrs. Gable blinked once. "Are you sure?"

Without speaking, Evangeline turned the tablet toward her. The older woman's eyes scanned the invoice, stopping on the sender's name as the kitchen went silent.

The courier shifted the shopping bags slightly in his hands. "If everything is correct, miss, I'll just need your signature."

Evangeline hesitated. She had never signed for a delivery before, certainly not one addressed to her. With slightly trembling fingers, she accepted the electronic pen and carefully signed her name across the screen.

"Thank you, Miss Miller," the man said handing the shopping bags to her one by one.

They were heavier than they looked, the thick black paper rustling softly as she accepted them. While neatly folded white tissue paper peeked from the top.

"There are six in total," he informed her. "Please make sure they're all accounted for."

Evangeline nodded absentmindedly. "Thank you."

The man nodded politely before turning toward the elevator, and a few seconds later, the doors slid shut behind him.

Evangeline remained standing exactly where she was, surrounded by the expensive shopping bags lined neatly across the kitchen floor. She looked from one bag to another before lifting her eyes toward Mrs. Gable.

"I don't understand," she admitted. "Why would Mr. Moreno send these to me?"

Mrs. Gable looked at the bags for a moment before meeting Evangeline's bewildered gaze. "I suppose..." she said gently, "there's only one way to find out. You should probably see what's inside."

Evangeline hesitated, the bags looked far too elegant for anything that belonged to her. She carefully carried the bags onto the dining table before choosing the smallest one first.

Her fingers slowly loosened the ribbon, taking care not to damage it.

A neatly folded grey dress rested beneath it. It looked almost identical to the uniform she was already wearing. She lifted it carefully; the wool was soft and the stitching was flawless.

Before she could fully unfold it, Mrs. Gable spoke. "Another one?"

Evangeline nodded slowly and reached into the bag again to pull out a second dress, then a third. Each was tailored in the same style; long sleeves, high neckline, and a full skirt that fell neatly below the knees. The only difference was the shade of grey, each one slightly darker or lighter than the last.

"They're all uniforms," Evangeline murmured in surprise.

Mrs. Gable said nothing; she simply watched.

Evangeline opened the next shopping bag. Inside, was a pair of black leather work shoes, and she blinked. "They're beautiful" Lifting one from its box, she ran her thumb across it.

Mrs. Gable's eyes drifted instinctively toward the shoes resting on Evangeline’s feet. The old pair looked like it had been repaired more than once, but she looked back at the new ones without saying a word.

Evangeline reached for another bag. This one contained two white linen aprons, neatly folded beside several soft kitchen towels. "Oh" She smiled. "I won't have to wash the same apron every evening anymore."

The next package held black hair ribbons, a wooden hairbrush, a small container of hand cream, and a pair of kitchen gloves.

Evangeline picked up the hand cream, reading the label before looking down at her own hands. The skin across her knuckles had become dry from hours spent washing dishes and preparing meals. "How thoughtful," she whispered.

Mrs. Gable remained quiet. Nothing was extravagant, yet every single package seemed to solve a problem Evangeline had never once complained about aloud.

The older woman's gaze dropped to the items spread across the dining table. Mr. Moreno hadn't just bought gifts; he had paid attention.

Mrs. Gable picked up one of the folded aprons, running her fingers over the neat stitching before setting it down again. For a while, she simply looked at everything spread across the island, and then she laughed softly to herself.

"I've worked for Mr. Moreno for nearly fifteen years," she said.

Evangeline looked up.

"And in all that time..." Mrs. Gable shook her head. "I've never seen him pay this much attention to anyone who worked for him."

Evangeline frowned. "I don't understand."

"I'm not saying he bought these because he likes you," Mrs. Gable replied. "Mr. Moreno isn't the sentimental type." She picked up the small tube of hand cream. "But this... this means he's been watching."

Evangeline's fingers tightened around the edge of the counter as Mrs. Gable smiled.

"He noticed your hands." She nodded toward the shoes. "Your shoes." Her eyes moved to the neatly folded uniforms. "And somehow, he knew you only had enough clothes to wash and wear the same thing over and over."

Evangeline lowered her eyes. She hadn't told anyone those things… not Mrs. Gable, and certainly not Mr. Kylian. How much had he been noticing?

"No." The word left Evangeline's mouth before she had fully thought about it.

Mrs. Gable looked at her.

"He isn't being kind."

The older woman remained silent.

"He just..." Evangeline searched for an explanation that made sense. "He doesn't like disorder." She gestured toward the clothes. "I looked untidy, my old dress embarrassed him. So he replaced them." She nodded, convincing herself more than anyone else. "That's all this is."

Mrs. Gable didn't argue. Instead, she folded one of the aprons neatly and placed it back inside the bag. "Perhaps."

But there was something else in her eyes. She'd seen Kylian replace broken furniture without a second thought, and she'd seen him throw away expensive decorations simply because he no longer liked them, but that wasn't what this felt like.

Furniture didn't receive custom tailoring. He didn’t give anyone hand cream because their skin had cracked from washing dishes.

Mrs. Gable glanced at Evangeline, who was carefully refolding every item exactly as she'd found it. The poor girl truly believed these were just supplies for work, but Mrs. Gable wasn't nearly as convinced.

Mrs. Gable was still helping Evangeline stack the empty shopping bags when the kitchen telephone rang out loudly.

The older woman frowned. "Who could that be?" She crossed the kitchen and lifted the receiver. "Moreno residence." Her expression shifted as she listened. "Yes. I understand." She slowly turned toward Evangeline, her eyebrows raised with mild surprise. "It’s for you."

Evangeline looked up from the island. "...For me?"

Mrs. Gable nodded once, holding out the receiver. "It's Mr. Moreno's office."

Evangeline looked at her puzzled. She wiped her hands carefully on her apron before walking over. "Hello?"

A calm, professional female voice answered immediately. "Good afternoon. Am I speaking with Miss Evangeline Miller?"

"Yes."

"My name is Serena. I'm Mr. Moreno's assistant."

Evangeline instinctively straightened. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

"I'm calling on Mr. Moreno's instructions regarding tomorrow. Mr. Moreno has asked that reception be informed of your arrival at one o'clock each afternoon. Security has also been notified, so there won't be any delays when you enter the building."

"Security?" Evangeline echoed softly.

"Yes, Mr. Moreno also instructed me to prepare a temporary office for you."

Evangeline blinked. "An office?"

"In the event that Mr. Moreno is occupied in meetings, you are not to wait in the reception area. You'll be shown to an office where you may remain comfortably until he is available."

Evangeline was silent. Even Mrs. Gable had stopped moving.

"If you have any questions, you may contact me directly once you arrive tomorrow."

"I..." Evangeline struggled to find her voice. "No, ma'am."

"Very well. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

The line went dead, and Evangeline slowly lowered the receiver back onto its cradle. Neither women spoke for several long moments until Mrs. Gable broke the silence.

"I've never heard Mr Moreno having an office prepared... for anyone delivering his lunch."

Evangeline stared at the telephone, her thoughts completely tangled. Tomorrow had been simple in her mind: take him his lunch, then come home. Now, she wasn't so sure.