The Billionaire's Low-Budget Assistant

Chapter 4: A Clever Confusion

"It's you..."

Eleanor took another step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "The girl from the alley..."

Addie's smile froze. Her heart dropped. She realized in horror that Eleanor remembered her.

Panic crashed through her. If these people found out she had been in that alley, they would start asking questions. Questions about her, about where she lived, about Nyla, and about everything she had spent years protecting.

She told herself that could not happen.

Damian frowned as he watched the color drain from Addie's face. "Mother." He stepped between them. "What are you talking about?"

Eleanor's eyes never left Addie. "The scent." She spoke quietly, almost as though she were convincing herself. "It's exactly the same. And her voice..."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "I would recognize that voice anywhere. It stayed with me all night."

Maya folded her arms with an exaggerated sigh. "Auntie Eleanor... You can't seriously believe this." She looked Addie up and down before letting out a short, mocking laugh. "This girl? The one who spilled water all over Damian? She can barely put a sentence together. The woman who saved you was brave. Confident. This one looks like she's about to faint."

Addie wasn't listening anymore. Her thoughts were racing too fast. She needed to say something to throw them off.

She forced a shaky smile. "Oh... Beautiful big lady... I think your nose is making a small mistake."

Everyone blinked. Addie pointed at herself. "I don't smell like flowers." She shook her head so hard her ponytail bounced. "I smell like kitchen. Very serious kitchen."

Before anyone could respond, Addie grabbed the sleeve of her uniform and held it out toward Eleanor. "See? Smell it! It is fried fish..." She sniffed it herself and immediately winced. "...and maybe a little burned onion."

She looked genuinely offended. "I think the onion won."

One of the bodyguards quickly looked away, hiding a smile. Addie didn't notice. She was too busy trying to save herself.

"I wash dishes. I carry heavy trays. I scrub greasy pots. There is no flower anywhere near me." She nodded confidently. "Only cooking oil. And disappointment."

Maya stared at her in disbelief. "...Is she serious?"

Addie continued before anyone could interrupt. "And last night? Oh, I was home. My feet were hurting so much I rubbed that smelly ointment on them." She wrinkled her nose dramatically. "The smell was terrible. If anyone comes near my room..." She spread her hands. "They would have run away. So..." She smiled weakly at Eleanor. "I promise... It wasn't me."

Eleanor hesitated. The strong scent of fried food from Addie's sleeve briefly covered the delicate floral fragrance she had remembered so clearly. For the first time, doubt crept into her heart.

She studied the young waitress again. The girl from the alley stood between her and danger without hesitating. This girl couldn't seem to finish a sentence without panicking. Could she really have mistaken the frightened waitress for the brave girl from the alley? or if gratitude had made her remember more than what had actually happened.

Damian remained silent. His eyes never left Addie. She was trying far too hard. Too hard to sound ordinary. Too hard to make herself forgettable. He knew that people who had nothing to hide did not fight this desperately to look insignificant. His suspicion only deepened.

Maya, sensing that the moment had shifted away from her once again, crossed her arms tighter and let out an irritated breath, deciding the fastest way back to the center of attention was to get rid of the distraction entirely and move things along.

"Manager!" she barked toward the restaurant doors. "Get this garbage out of our sight before she ruins the rest of our day completely!"

The manager came scurrying out at once, practically tripping over his own feet, but Addie did not wait for him to even get close. The moment the manager took one step toward her, she grabbed her worn backpack from the ground.

"I'm leaving! Very, very leaving!"

Before anyone could react, she turned and bolted toward the back gate. Her short legs pumped furiously as she ran. The apron tied around her waist flapped wildly behind her. She nearly crashed into a garbage bin.

"Oh!" She caught it before it tipped over. "Sorry!" She apologized automatically to the garbage bin. Then she kept running. Within seconds, she disappeared around the corner.

Silence settled over the parking lot. Maya let out an irritated sigh. "There." She brushed an invisible speck of dust from her designer sleeve. "Problem solved."

Damian didn't move. His gaze remained fixed on the empty gate. Nothing about Addie Lee made sense. A girl who had supposedly spent the last twenty minutes denying everything had also risked her life to save a complete stranger. Those two versions of her did not fit together yet.

Behind him, Eleanor spoke quietly. "I still think it was her."

Damian finally turned to face his mother. "So do I."

Maya stared at him. "You can't be serious. She panicked over a broken pitcher. You expect me to believe she scared off three armed men?"

Damian's gaze returned to the gate. "Fear doesn't erase courage. It simply looks different."

Maya frowned. "I don't understand."

He answered without looking at her. "A brave person isn't someone who's never afraid. It's someone who acts despite being afraid."

His mother smiled faintly. For the first time that afternoon, someone understood exactly what she had seen in that dark alley.

Damian looked down at the water stains still spreading across his expensive suit. His jaw tightened. Then he spoke. "Change of plans."

The head of security stepped forward immediately. "Yes, sir?"

"I want everything you can find on Addie Lee. Employment. Address. Financial records. Family. Friends." He paused. "And don't rely only on reports. I want the truth."

The bodyguard gave a firm nod. "It'll be done."

Damian kept his eyes on the empty gate. People didn't run from gratitude. They ran from fear.

His gaze hardened. "Find out what she's protecting.”