"Okay! Thanks, Edward." Only around her big brothers could Leena feel like herself. She could smile more easily, and they were always good to her. Around them, she beamed with happiness, and her world was full of joy. Even the cloudy sky looked bright and sunny to her.
"Ha!. Why are you so polite all of a sudden? That's not like you. You're trying to hide something from me, right? So what is it?" Edward was smart and sensible. He could detect every subtle change in her tone. It was not for nothing that he was known as a savvy businessman.
"You're overreacting. I just wanted to thank you. What's wrong with that? It's no big deal." Though it came out of nowhere, Leena was suddenly overcome with gratitude. Expressing one's gratitude was certainly easier than apologizing. Why should she hold back when others were nice to her? She decided to go for broke and pour out her heart to him.
"Okay, you're off the hook for now. But still, you're acting weird. It's been a long time since you thanked me for anything. Really, I don't remember you ever doing that," Edward quipped with a smile. He looked as attractive as ever when he smiled. Edward Mu was famous for his cool, collected manner and his self-control. He was completely unflappable, and liked to show off that side of him.
"Don't tease me, Edward. You want me to apologize for being a little snot? Fine. But not now. I'm driving. Don't distract me." Leena pretended to sound angry, so Edward wouldn't know what was really going on.
"Yeah, I guess. But drive slower, okay? I'll text you the address." Edward smirked inwardly. He had always treated Leena like his own sister. No matter what, he still had that habit, and would never stop spoiling her.
"I will! See you later, Edward!" Leena said gently before ending the call. Her face was still pale, but she felt better after hearing Edward's voice.
On the other side, Edward texted the address to her. However, he just couldn't shake away the feeling that something bad was going on. He knew Leena too well, he could tell she was not happy at all. Things weren't so simply. She was holding something back.
Leena pulled over, stopped the car, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Silence reigned over the small space as she waited for the text to come in. The conversation soothed and drained her, all at the same time. She usually enjoyed talking to Edward; he was pretty easy to talk to and sometimes had good advice. He was a great guy, at least to her. So she had to really pull it out of her hat, and steel her nerves to fool him. He wasn't dumb at all, and he hadn't gotten where he was by being gullible.
Before long, her cell beeped, and she saw Edward's text. The address was an unfamiliar one, but she was a stranger to the capital city anyway. Fortunately, the car had an onboard GPS, so she wasn't worried about getting lost, although it took her some time to get there. When she arrived, she was amazed. She always knew Edward was rich, but this was beyond that. It wasn't what she expected at all; she thought maybe he lived in a large loft in a skyscraper or something. She was cruising through a rich, residential area, where a cluster of large, luxurious homes stood, each one belonging to a single family. Gardens, courtyards, pools and fountains, every house had at least one of these. Edward's residence looked very expensive, though he didn't stay in the capital city a lot.
No one stopped her as she passed through the gates, so the guard was probably told ahead of time. She glanced at the garden as she entered, and saw flowers and plants in full bloom, despite the colder weather in the north. The garden must have been carefully taken care of by someone, she thought.
Suddenly, she heard a respectful voice say,
"Welcome, Mrs. Gu! Mr. Mu told me to take good care of two honorable guests. But I only see one of you?" She ended with a question when she got a good look at Leena. Leena turned around, and saw an old lady, in early fifties. She was definitely dressed like a housekeeper, and looked kind and gentle. 'She must be the one who cleans Edward's house,' thought Leena as she returned a smile.
She said, "Oh, really? He is so nice. Glad to meet you. But I don't need to be taken care of. All I need now is a soft bed, and a good night's sleep. And you shouldn't put yourself out. I'm not an honorable guest, just someone who's crashing here." She shrugged innocently, and smiled. She had always been an easy-going person, and was nice to everyone, despite her high social status.
"Oh, no! Mr. Mu told me specifically to take good care of you, and cater to your every need. Boss' orders," said the lady urgently, as if she were scared to be sent away by Leena.
"It's okay. You don't have to do all that. I'll have a talk with Edward, so you don't get in trouble, okay? But don't tell him I came here alone. Can you do that for me?" asked Leena, giving her a look of sincerity. She was just here visiting the in-laws, although the incident happened. If Edward knew that she ran out alone, then her secret might get out. She didn't want any of this to go public. If it got out, things would become far more complicated than before. She knew her big brothers were protective of her, and would definitely have a problem with this. She just didn't want that to happen.
"Okay, Mrs. Gu, so you want me to leave you alone? W-what do I tell the boss if he asks? And he will ask, believe me," stuttered the old lady in hesitation. She'd worked for Edward for a long time, and she had no more to do than simply clean the empty house, water the flowers and weed the beautiful garden. She was well-paid and worked at a leisurely pace. Things were quiet here, and the only urgent task for her now was to take care of two guests. How could she not? She felt like that would be slacking off, and she thought that was unfair to Edward.
"You don't have to explain anything to him, as I said. If he asks about it, just tell him to call me instead, and I'll explain everything. So could you get my room ready?" Although Leena had recovered a little from what happened earlier, she still looked pale and drained of energy. What she needed now was some sleep to get her going again, and some time to sort everything out, not a servant.
"Alright, then. This way, please." That said, the elderly woman led Leena to her room, although she didn't believe a word of it. Leena's phone had been buzzing since she walked in. But Leena didn't seem interested in checking it at all. She knew who it was, but she didn't feel like talking to him. She really didn't feel like talking to anyone at all, truth be told. So she tried her best to ignore the persistent buzzing from her cell.