Beautiful Disaster (Complete)

5. False Hope

Chapter 5. 

        Leanne felt as if her heart got kicked once. She’s even stunned for a second but decided to keep working on her task there, she now took care of the pillows on the bed.

“I see.. I hope as a guest, you’ll have a great time here—considering that you’re not here to work on a case..?” Leanne said.

He just smiled in a very handsome way. –Leanne noticed inside. But then looking at his sharp look at her made her nerves go all chaos and she’s having a hard time staying calm.

“I don’t know, is there a case going on here, that you know?” he asked while crossing his arms on his chest. Leanne tried to calm every inch of her body before she got caught for being too nervous. She opened her mouth trying to say something and decided to keep her act simple.

“No..” she blinked once and turned her back after done arranging the bed.

Gosh! She has to stop doing that, with her big eyes and wet lips.—Ace licked his lips again, before saying, “I guess Calvin don’t talk about me much, huh?”

Leanne preferred not to saying anything at his last statement, she just listened carefully while picking each plastic cover she pulled from the furniture earlier.

“I’m Calvin’s big brother.”

Leanne suddenly tripped on one of the plastic covers on the floor with a loud thud. Leanne stood up right away before Ace got a chance to help her.

“I- I’m fine.” She stated arrogantly for a person who’s just fell, she fixed her outfit in reflex. Even One closed his eyes with one of his paws. “I’m not usually like this. I-I’m not clumsy, okay?”

Interesting. So she just like this when I’m around?—Ace assumed inside.

“Oh, so which part surprised you more? The part that I’m an officer or the part of me being his big brother?”

Leanne’s eyes are even widened. “W-what do you mean by saying that?”

“Are you having an affair with my brother?”

“What?!” Leanne’s eyes fluttered in shock.

“You heard me. Everyone who’s paid enough attention can see that you’re way too qualified to be a housekeeper. So why did you do this job? Why here?”

“With all due respect—Mr. Cade... First of all, you don’t know me! So I doubt that overqualified judgment of yours--over me is….qualified.--” She hesitated to hear her own words, she took a step forward to him while hugging all the plastic covers. 

“--Secondly, he’s married!”

“Exactly.” He said briefly. They looked at each other for a second, before Leanne slowly nodded once in the understanding of his thought toward her.

She decided to walk and just leaving Ace’s room without the need of explaining herself more to him, especially when what he had accused of her, was absurd. Leanne’s eyes turned cold, she passed by beside him while saying,

“I guess I’ve made quite an impression for you. What a nice thought you have of me... Now, excuse me, Mr. Cade, I have works to do.”

Leanne reached the doorknob but at the same time, One barked once, made her back hit the door when she turned and startled by the bark. She then goes out of the room immediately.

Ace looked at One, “You think she’s way too jumpy too, right?” Ace looked down for a while, a little bit in regret about their conversation.

She doesn’t know anything about my ‘nice’ thought about her. You’re losing your mind Ace!—His thoughts messed him up inside. He hates to realize the fact that he might be a little jealous of her relationship with his brother, otherwise, what else made him asked her all of that question?

***

Leanne throws all the plastic covers into the trash bin, she’s still annoyed by what Ace thinks about her. Calvin must be forgotten to tell her about his big brother. How could he think that she’s his brother’s mistress? And why does it bother her so much—must be because she’s actually a criminal, that’s why!

She tried to look around, looking for some works to do, since she’s got plenty of works especially after the party has finished. She sighed.

“Leanne, Mr. Calvin asked for you. He’s in his workroom.” Linda touched her arm when informed her.

“Okay...I’m going to check on Cheryl first.”

“Oh, I just checked on her. She’s still playing in the playground room with other kids and pets. Sam’s with her, watching her.” Sam is another worker in the mansion, both Linda and Sam are trusted by Leanne.

“Okay then..” Leanne replied and going to the workroom right away.

“Come in!” Calvin’s voice was heard from inside the workroom which placed on the second floor of the mansion.

“You called for me?” Leanne said while closing the door. She then walked toward the sofa where Calvin’s seated.

“Yes, you met my brother already?”

“Oh—the man who’s saved me from drowning? Yeah, I met him.” Yeah, he doesn’t like me.—she said inside.

“I’ve never told you about him before, but he’s gonna stay for two weeks. I need you to manage everything he needs while he’s here.”

Leanne bit her lips before reminding herself to be cool of, do what she does best—the emotionless poker face. Even though hearing Ace’s name alone, talking about him, just made her sanity, or her senses goes wrong.

“Roger that.” She said without implying any emotion in her words at all.

Before Calvin says anything else, someone’s opened the door. It was Ace who’s came into the room. He’s wearing a navy T-shirt with a SWAT logo that made all his muscle perfectly shown, with his partly ripped grey-blue jeans—Leanne’s pretty sure no one dares to mess around with him. The guy is intimidating enough from his look. Another thing that Leanne noticed was Ace’s eagle tattoo apparently is from the SWAT logo.

Her eyes met his for a second before Leanne looked away and pretend to give a care about what Calvin has to say.

“Ah! Just right in time. This is Axel Cade Enders, my brother whose last name was from both of my dad’s and mom’s family. Ace this is Leanne my personal assistant in the house.” Said Calvin introducing them both at each other.

“Yeah, we’ve met.” Ace said briefly, at the same time as Leanne spoke too.

“Charmed, I’m sure.”

They both awkwardly stunned for a while, before Leanne decided to leave the room—since she’s very sure the reason Calvin called her is to ask her to manage his brother’s needs.

But when Leanne about to walked past beside Ace, Calvin called her again, made her had to turn her back and standing beside Ace.

“Would you please arrange a dinner for five, tomorrow night? Ace is going to bring his lady friend, and I’ve got the feeling that we have to help him impressed the lady.” Said Calvin with his teasing looked at his brother.

She kept the best of poker-face that she got, even though it was like getting a solid punch in her heart and stomach.

“Of course.” She replied before turned her back and leaving the room, without looking at Ace at all. She felt so foolish to ever think about experiencing romance from her drowning incident.

Why could she think about romance?—since the guy made his impression about her, pretty clear!

Leanne quickly walked down the stairs, rubbing her head while talking inside her mind. What was she thinking? Of course, he’s taken! He is a perfect guy, in so many ways—a very different kind of person from her. Anyway, I’m not supposed to think about or feel about touchy feelings.

Her body started to tremble for a while, she hates men or at least one particular man who made her living life in trauma. With glassy eyes, Leanne sat on the stair for a second to pull herself together. I’m on a job here! I’m not a good person. I’m a criminal. And I don’t have time for this!

She took a deep breath, concealing her feelings and stormy thoughts. She just has to move on, for the greater good.

Leanne worked harder that night, putting the mansion in order after Sharon’s party ended, just the perfect way to avoid her own thoughts and sorrow.