My Husband, the Assassin

Chapter 010

"William, I..."

Bertha’s heart was pounding like a drum. Panicked by the sudden contact, she yanked her hand back and tried to retreat.

But in her haste, she lost her balance. She stumbled backward, about to fall.

William’s expression sharpened instantly. With speed that defied logic, he moved in a blur, circling behind her. His left hand shot out, catching her by the shoulder just before she hit the ground.

Bertha steadied herself against him.

William caught a whiff of her scent—a sweet, youthful fragrance that was intoxicating.

However, the stack of documents didn't survive the tumble. Crash! Papers scattered all over the floor.

"William, I'm so sorry... I... I..." Bertha stammered, her face burning red. The blush spread all the way down her neck.

She stared at the mess on the floor, blaming herself for pulling away too quickly.

But her apology died in her throat.

She realized just how close she was to William. Their faces were less than four inches apart. She could see every detail of his handsome features, and she could even feel his warm breath on her skin.

"What are you two doing?!"

Suddenly, Rose's voice rang out from the doorway.

Rose had walked in at the worst possible moment. From her angle, it looked like William and Bertha were embracing intimately.

She paused, stunned. Then her expression darkened. Is William taking advantage of Bertha?

It wouldn't be the first time men had tried. Rose was very protective of Bertha, despising anyone who coveted the girl's beauty and innocence.

"Ah! Rose! It's not what you think!"

Seeing Rose’s shocked expression, Bertha felt like she could die of embarrassment. She quickly pulled away and explained, "I was trying to bring the files to you, and William tried to help, but I almost fell. If William hadn't caught me, I would have hit the floor."

William let out a breath of relief.

He knew Rose had already seen him checking Bertha out earlier. If Bertha hadn't explained so quickly, Rose would have definitely assumed he was being a p*****t.

Hearing the explanation, Rose’s expression softened slightly, but she still frowned at William.

"William, pay attention to your surroundings in the office," she scolded gently but firmly. "I came to get the files. Pick them up, and then help Bertha bring them to my office."

She shook her head, clearly still a bit dissatisfied with William, and turned to leave.

William smiled wryly. He crouched down and started gathering the scattered papers.

"William, I'm really sorry," Bertha whispered, looking guilty. "It's your first day, and I'm already making trouble for you. I didn't mean to push you away, I just... just..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, looking miserable.

William chuckled. This girl was taking all the blame for a simple accident.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I was the one who surprised you by trying to help. I should be the one apologizing," William said warmly. "Forget about it. Let's just pick these up."

He looked at the petite girl and felt a fondness growing in his heart.

Sharing an office with her won't be boring at all, he thought. She's so shy, it's actually kind of cute.

Hearing his gentle tone, Bertha’s frown disappeared. "Thank you, William."

William grinned.

They both crouched down to collect the papers.

Suddenly, William glanced over at Bertha, who was bent over picking up files. His eyes widened, and his blood ran hot.

From this angle... the view was spectacular.

30 Minutes Later

After delivering the files to Rose, William and Bertha returned to their office.

William found himself bored. Bertha was incredibly focused on her work, leaving him with nothing to do.

He spent half an hour reading through the client list Rose had given him. He noted a few beautiful female clients, which was nice, but he wasn't in the mood to hunt for leads right now.

He preferred to live in the moment.

He rolled his office chair over to Bertha’s desk, sitting sideways so he could admire her profile.

"Bertha, aren't you tired? You've been working so hard," William asked with a smile.

Bertha didn't look away from her screen. "Not really."

"It's just client data. You don't need to be so serious," William teased. "The only thing that matters is getting the contract signed, right?"

"True, but I just graduated, so I need to learn as much as possible. I don't have enough experience yet," Bertha said, glancing at him shyly before returning to her work.

"I'm so bored," William sighed. Then, a thought struck him. He leaned closer. "By the way, Bertha... when I touched your hand earlier..."

Bertha froze, her face turning pink again.

She remembered the feeling of his hand on hers. Her heart sped up.

She's so innocent, William thought, amused. Just mentioning holding hands makes her blush.

"You need to take better care of yourself," William said, his tone turning serious. "Don't stay up late. I noticed your Qi and blood are low, which is why your hands are unnaturally cold."

Bertha blinked. "William, how do you know I stay up late? Do I... do I have dark circles?"

William laughed. "Of course not. Your face is beautiful. I could tell from the temperature of your hand."

"Oh... I see. I'll be careful," Bertha said, surprised.

"Qi and blood are very important. It affects your body temperature and your immunity," William explained like a doctor. "It also affects other things. For example, when you have your period, low Qi and blood can cause severe pain."

Bertha’s face turned scarlet. She hadn't expected William to talk about such private female matters. It was awkward, but his tone was purely medical.

"William, are you a doctor?" she asked.

"No," William smiled wryly. "But a very skilled doctor taught me a few tricks back in the day."

He had learned this from the enchanting woman who still lived on the mountain where he trained. He suddenly missed her.

"Oh," Bertha nodded, not prying further.

"You really need to nourish your blood," William advised. "Fix your sleep schedule. Waking up early is fine, but you must go to bed early."

Hearing his concern, Bertha felt a warmth in her chest. She decided that William was a genuinely good person. On their first day, he was already looking out for her health.

"I've been staying up late to study," she admitted. "I'll pay attention to it from now on. Thank you, William."

William smiled at her rosy cheeks, enjoying her shy demeanor.

10:30 AM

The morning dragged on. William was getting bored again. He was debating whether to tell Bertha a dirty joke to pass the time when the door opened.

It was Director Lan.

"William, what are you doing?"

Director Lan frowned. She saw William with his legs propped up on the desk, shaking his foot and staring into space. He wasn't studying the client list at all.

William blinked at her innocently. "I was waiting for you."

"Hmph!"

Director Lan scoffed. She pointed at the diligent Bertha. "Look at Bertha. You should learn from her!"

Remembering Sophia’s order to teach William the ropes, she sighed. "I'm going out to negotiate a contract at noon. You're coming with us."

"Us?" William lowered his legs and looked at her with interest. "Who is 'us'?"

"Me, and a translator. We are negotiating a contract with an Iranian client. You should be able to learn a lot," Director Lan said seriously. "Come to my office."

She praised Bertha for her hard work and then left.

William smiled. It seemed Bertha was well-liked by both the Supervisor and the Director. After saying goodbye to Bertha, he followed Director Lan to her office.

A translator? William wondered. I wonder what kind of beauty she will be?

His expectations were high.

However, his excitement lasted less than a minute.

When he walked into Director Lan's office, reality crashed down on him.

Standing there was the translator.

And it was not a beauty.

It was a man!

A dude!

William was profoundly disappointed.

"Why is the translator a guy?" William asked bluntly, ignoring the man completely and turning to Director Lan.

Director Lan was organizing files. Seeing the look of utter disappointment on William's face, she smirked. "Why can't it be a guy? Are translators required to be women?"

She knew exactly what William was thinking. He had assumed it would be a beautiful woman. Seeing him deflated gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.