My Boss:The worst nightmare

CHAPTER 2

**FIVE YEARS LATER...**

Ben had just gone back to college, and Sia was preparing to move into the Moore estate, which was located near the ocean. She preferred moving in when Ben was away, as it was more convenient and cost-effective. This way, she also got to spend time with Jake in town, and he would sometimes visit her, and they would play at the ocean.

That morning, just as she arrived at work and was about to unpack, Fiona rushed to her.

"A call came in last night just after you left," Fiona said, stopping Sia in her tracks. Sia stared at her, urging her to continue. "Mr. Moore will be moving in this afternoon."

Sia laughed, thinking it was a joke. There was no way they wouldn't have received prior notice if this were true. Besides, in the five years she had been managing the estate, no one had visited, not even during holidays. She only communicated with the estate owner through his manager.

"I'm serious, Miss Sia," Fiona insisted. "He said the house should be in order when he gets here and to get rid of anything that might annoy him."

"And how are we supposed to know what will annoy him?" Sia hissed between her words. She left her bag and walked into the living room, where the other house helps were assembled, murmuring among themselves. They all fell silent when they saw her. There were just four of them, excluding Fiona—the gardener, the gatekeeper, the cook, and one of the cleaners.

"Good morning," Sia greeted them with a wide smile, and everyone smiled back, acknowledging her greeting.

"I'm as surprised as you all are, but I know most of you have worked here longer than I have. I don't know what Mr. Moore likes or dislikes, so I need your help," she said, pausing to look at each of them. When no one offered any suggestions, she continued, "Let's re-clean the house. Mr. Willow, check the gardens for any weeds and reshape the flowers. Mrs. Jade and I will be in the kitchen preparing a meal for his arrival. Did he say if he was coming alone?" She turned to Fiona.

"No, he didn't."

"Let's get to work, please," Sia sighed and walked down the stairs.

Roaming around the house to check if everything was in order, she was still inspecting when she heard a loud noise. It was an airplane, and it was getting closer, blowing all the trees and garden, including her flayed gown. She tried to rush away from the scene but fell. The wind was too strong, and she bruised her knees. Still nursing her knee, she heard the plane fly again and a shadow loomed right above her.

"I guess you're not smart enough," a deep, husky voice boomed. Her heart raced. She momentarily forgot her pain and stood up to look at the owner of the voice. She was dazed by what she saw—a tall, dark-skinned man with Viking gold hair, piercing blue eyes that shone brightly into hers, and bristly eyebrows. He had a hawkish nose, defined cheekbones, a chiseled jaw, and a mouth with curved edges and enticing pink lips.

"Ahhhh," she winced in pain, struggling to hold her composure. But it was too late; she fell back to the floor. A little boy ran to her aid. She was too occupied with the man’s voice to notice someone else was there. Kyle stood there, shaking his head in dissatisfaction. What a fool, he thought. By now, the other workers had come to the scene, having heard the noise of the chopper.

"Welcome back, Mr. Moore," Mrs. Jade, the cook, greeted him, bowing her head and ushering the rest to help with the luggage. Kyle smiled broadly at the sight of her and greeted her with a warm hug.

"Come on here, James," he called to the little boy, who left Sia and ran to meet him. "This is Mrs. J, the one I told you you would love."

James hugged her. "Let's go inside, shall we?" And they went into the house. Fiona came back to assist Sia, who was limping.

"What happened, Miss Si?" she asked, using her hand to support Sia’s balance. Sia's body was streaming with anger as two beads of sweat fell on her face. She told Fiona not to worry about her and to just get some ointment for her scar and some pain relief.

Sia couldn't make it to the dinner table as she fell asleep immediately after taking the painkillers. Fiona made sure to look after her while she slept, as Mr. Moore had commanded. In the kitchen, the girls were giggling and fanning themselves, while Mrs. Jade pretended to be invisible.

"I never knew he was this hot and masculine, with those broad shoulders...oh my God," Cherry squirmed happily, placing her hands on her red cheeks. She was Fiona's cleaning assistant.

"Stop drooling over the mystery man," Fiona laughed. "But he is my type," she added, readjusting her top with confidence.

"I thought Jake was your type," Mr. Willow cut in, entering the kitchen and standing beside Mrs. Jade, who smiled at his comment.

"Did I really say that?" Everyone burst into laughter at her comment, and she excused herself, feeling embarrassed, saying she had to check up on Sia as Mr. Moore had ordered.

Sia's eyes were wide open, and all she could think about was the man she saw before her—his broad shoulders, the way his suit clung perfectly to his body, and his wide hips. He must have fallen from the sky, she thought. She stood up at the sight of Fiona, who told her that Mr. Moore had retired to his room and would like to speak with the house manager as soon as she felt better. Not thinking twice, Sia went to ransack her wardrobe, changing her clothes. She stopped midway. She must be insane! She concluded within herself as she couldn't fathom why she was eager and happy to see him again after embarrassing herself in his presence, or the fact that she cared about her appearance in a non-professional manner. She hissed and went back to bed.

"Tell him I am yet to recover if he asks for me today," she told Fiona and dismissed her from the room.

It was evening, and her stomach wouldn't stop rumbling. She had missed both lunch and dinner. She had just gotten off a call with Jake, and she was smiling and giggling like a kid. She had shared how she embarrassed herself in front of her new boss but omitted the fact that he looked like a demigod. Jake cheered her on, telling her not to feel embarrassed and to remember that she always had him. He would do anything to help her or make her happy. This made her feel cherished by Jake, just as she cherished him in her heart. It made her forget about the new hot man in the house as she went downstairs, swaying her gown, dancing, and grinning. She made a turn toward the kitchen entrance, which reminded her of when she was younger. With the lights off, she moved towards the freezer. She knew the house so well that even if she were blind, she could still move around and get things done perfectly.

She was busy munching on some apples when the kitchen light suddenly switched on. She stopped eating midway, and the apple fell from her hand. Her mouth opened wide as she stared at her new boss, who was just as startled to see her.