"Who are you?" The man asks again, looking at her from head to toe.
"I should be the one asking that question since you knocked on the door."
A voice from behind Mallory interrupts the man's reply. "Mallory, who's at the door?" She turns around to see Axel's eyes widen in delight as he approaches them. "Lupin, I haven't seen you in a while. Come in."
"Damn right it has. Sorry I haven't been around much."
"Busy chasing models again?"
Lupin shrugs his shoulders and smirks at Axel's joke. "It's the models chasing me, Axel. Never been the other way around." Mallory resists the urge to roll her eyes.
"Quit wasting time just standing there. Come in." Axel repeats.
"Thank you but this girl is blocking my way." Lupin shoots an arrogant smirk her way.
"My apologies your Majesty but Axel didn't inform me of your arrival."
"You seriously don't know me?"
"If you're a celebrity then I'm sorry. I don't keep track of such boring things."
"Don't worry about it. Lupin always comes unannounced. This is Mallory by the way, my new housekeeper. Mallory, this is Lupin one of close friends." Lupin and Mallory nod at each other.
"What brings you here?"
"I thought I should stop by and see if you want to have fun since I know how boring your life is." Lupin jokes.
"Wow, you're such a great friend."
"Anyways, I have a gift for you." He hands him a bottle of wine which Mallory thinks is an expensive one.
"You know my taste damn well."
"Of course! We've been friends for a long time."
"Yeah. I get bored of your face sometimes." Mallory silently watches them banter back and forth.
"Ohh, yeah! Do you want to stay over until lunch?" Lupin gaze coldly at Mallory.
"Are we going to eat takeout or this girl will cook?"
"I could cook if you like but don't expect too much."
Lupin scoffs. "I expect too much. You better not disappoint me." He smirks pissing Mallory off a little.
Seeing the tension between his friend and Mallory, Axel lightly punches Lupin. "Ignore this one. He's always been a grumpy cat." Axel smile gently, making her feel at ease.
"Call us when it's done. Come on, Axel. I'll show what I've been up to lately." Axel walks away but Lupin doesn't follow him right away. His curious, penetrating gaze makes Mallory become conscious.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm looking forward to lunch."
Somehow, Mallory wonders how a delinquent-arrogant-brat like Lupin becomes friends with Axel. She instantly shakes away her thoughts and starts to prepare for lunch. When she was about to finish preparing the food, she did a dance of victory.
"Someone is in a good mood." Mallory jump as she turns around to see Lupin leaning against the wall.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, your majesty. Lunch is finally ready." She said sarcastically as Axel walks in the kitchen.
"There you are. What took you so long, Lupin?"
"I'm sorry for the long wait but lunch is ready."
"Great! I'm starving. Come on join us, Mallory."
"Now, let's see how good you are." Lupin hesitantly takes a bite of the steak. "Hmm. It's not bad."
"What did I told you? Mallory is a great cook, right?" Axel smile taking a sip of wine.
Mallory sits at the table reluctantly, quietly eating when her hands brush against the medicine bottle in her pockets. 'Is Axel secretly sick?' She thought.
She sneaks a glance in Axel, watching him clattering happily with Lupin. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Lupin. "What do you say work for me instead, Mallory?"
"What?" She asks blinking a few times, thinking she must have misheard him.
"There are two things I hate the most, being rejected and making me repeat myself. I know you heard me right so what do you say? Would you like to work for me instead?" Axel throws a curious glance at Mallory.
She squares up her shoulders to sit firmly. "I'm flattered but my answer is no."
Axel whistles. "Man you just got double killed." He whispers to his friend.
"Why did you answer so quickly?"
"Because Axel just gave me this job and I'm happy working for him."
"What if I pay you more than what Axel is offering?"
"The answer would still be no. I'm happy with my job and I don't need much money."
Axel could feel the tension between them again. He tried to make his friend calm down but Lupin is too stubborn and hotheaded. "You're kidding, right? Anybody would want more money."
Mallory narrows her eyes and replies with a firm voice. "Then I guess I'm not just anybody."
"Come on, guys. Why can't you stop fighting over childish things? Let's just enjoy the meal." Axel said trying to break the tension.
Lupin gives a mocking face to Mallory. "If money can't sway you that means only one thing…" He looks at his friend who is too busy eating his steak. "You're in love with Axel, aren't you?"
Axel suddenly chokes, his face turns pale as he starts to have a hard time breathing because the food gets stuck in his throat. "W-Why are you saying such nonsense all of a sudden, Lupin."
Mallory looks away, focusing back on her food. 'I think I just lost my appetite.'
"Did I guess it correctly?" She can hear the taunting tone of his voice.
"Axel is just my employer. There's nothing more than that." Lupin gives her an unreadable look before focusing on Axel. Surprisingly, he doesn't make any more comments after that.
"Thank you so much for the lunch, Mallory."
"Thank you for getting me groceries. Next time I'll do it instead."
"Hahaha, sure." She's growing to love hearing his laugh.
"Sorry, but I will be busy for the rest of the day working in my study. Lupin you know the way out, right?" He said looking at his friend.
"Don't worry about me. Good luck with your new role!" Both of them bid their goodbyes.
Mallory sigh when she hears footsteps, already knowing that it's not Axel. "What can I help you with now, Lupin?" She said sarcastically.
"I'm glad you asked. You're done for the day, right?" Lupin didn't wait for her reply. He tightly grips her wrist, pulling her away from the kitchen.
"W-Wait! Where are you taking me?" Mallory keeps telling him that she needs to do something important but Lupin always replies with a huge smile and says 'It's totally fine. Axel will understand.' In the end, she gives up protesting as she sits in a limousine next to Lupin.
'I swear this guy is the most stubborn person I ever met.'
She gasps when they arrive in a large mansion. "Impressive, right?" Mallory rolls her eyes at his cocky smile.
"I would probably pee myself before I get to the bathroom."
"There's a bathroom in every room," Lupin said, laughing at her comment.
Mallory is slightly taken aback. 'He looks cute when he laughs.'
Lupin snaps his fingers and a maid suddenly appears next to him. "Prepare a warm welcome for my guest."
"Understood sir."
Lupin shows her every room in the mansion starting with the guest room to the music room where he usually practices singing. "And now time to reveal the biggest room in the mansion." He opens the door to show her a big library. Mallory becomes breathless again at the sight of hundreds of books neatly placed on the shelves. "Do you like books?"
"Yes." She picks up a copy of Alice and Wonderland from the shelf. "It helps me take a break from reality." She smiles at him, hugging the book tightly to her chest.
"I can understand that." He says it so quietly that she nearly missed it. She can see a hint of sadness in his eyes but his cold expression soon returns.
"Anyways, do you want to stay here a little longer?" She stifles a laugh at his pretense to superiority.
Before she can answer, the library door suddenly opens. "Come, Mallory. I'll take you to the garden now." She quietly follows behind him. They pass by some artwork as they walk down the hallway. Mallory suddenly stops to look at the big family portrait. The portrait features a tall handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a little boy on her lap. She closely studies the little boy's face.
"The tea will get cold if we don't hurry, Mallory."
"H-Hold on! You don't have to pull me so hard. I can walk." Lupin walks down the hallway even faster now.
"So what do you think?" Her eyes widen at the extravagant tea time spread in the garden.
"Don't you think this is a bit too much?" She points at the maids holding an umbrella to shed them from the sunlight. "How can you prepare so much stuff when we are the only ones going to eat?" She whispers to him.
"Well, I only want the best for my guest. Here take anything you like."
"I-I think I'll have tea first." As she sips the tea carefully, Lupin spreads his arms wide.
"So what do you think of this place? It's nice, right? There's a big maze behind those roses. If you want we can go there later."
"Yes, it's beautiful just like the family portrait I saw a while ago." She can see a glimpse of pain behind his cold expression.
"I guess you already figured out that I'm the son of the President of J Group." He smirks.
"Yes. Now it makes sense why you can easily throw money at my face a while ago." His face darkens but Mallory keeps a firm gaze.
"And who do you think you are saying that to me? You are in my territory, lady. You must respect me after what I've done preparing this extravagant meal for you and touring you to my mansion."
"I'm just someone who earns my own money." She looks at him fiercely. "Do you really expect I'll bow to you after shoving money and bragging about everything you have? This is not even from your money in the first place! Do you not feel shame?" Lupin sits in stunned silence, he stares at her with hollow eyes.
"Thank you very much for the tour." In the end, she walks all the way home.
"I'm home!"
"Where the hell have you been? Do you know I was worried about you?" Axel approaches her, checking if she's alright. Mallory feels touched by his concern.
"Sorry, Lupin dragged me for a tour of his mansion."
Axel scoffs. "Damn kid. I got worried about anything."
"Does he flaunt his riches around often?"
"Sometimes but do forgive him. He's just a little lonely…" She waits for him to find the right words. "He believed someone only sees him when he does it."
"Anyways, I'm sure you're tired. Why don't we just call it a day?" Mallory nods, walking back to her bedroom in a daze.
She sits by the window and looks out at the night sky. "What a beautiful full moon tonight."
"I hope you don't mind me intruding." The Reaper suddenly appears and sits beside her as they admire the moon in comfortable silence.
"Not at all. I could use some company right now."
"If you mind me asking why did you reject Lupin's offer?"
"I'm also wondering about the same thing." The Reaper then moves to lie on the bed, beckoning to come over.
"You just need to take a rest." She smiles at his sweet gesture as she lies with him.
For the first time, Mallory examines the Reaper's appearance up close. He has a slender nose, long eyelashes, and full eyebrows much make him look even handsome. 'Too bad his a Grim Reaper. He's totally my type.' She giggles thinking that the Reaper may look even more handsome than Axel when he wears something different other than his black clothes.
"What are you laughing about?" He whispers.
"I just realize you look handsome." The Reaper blushes from her comment.
"D-Don't say such nonsense."
"I'm glad that I met my guardian angel before I die." She whispers as her eyes start to close and fall into a comforting sleep thanks to his presence.