Over the next two days, Sue's foot injury fully healed, and she put the pair of pink slippers carefully back in the box and into the closet.
On the first day of her new job, she had just finished applying her makeup when she received a video call from Rose.
"Auntie, you look nice. Have you found a new job?" she asked with a smile. She knew that her aunt had been trying to find work.
"Yes, I've got a job. I'm the new property manager at Lawrence Heights. I have a temporary salary of three thousand dollars a month, which will increase when I'm confirmed in the post." She didn't hide anything from her niece because she wanted Rose to pass on her news to her mother. She didn't want to have to bring it up herself.
"Auntie, that's wonderful. Three thousand a month is fantastic. How did you get the job? Did my father help you?" Rose was both happy and surprised for her aunt.
"No, actually it was Alex. He's the new owner of Lawrence Heights, and he hired me to be the rentals manager," Sue said. Rose's face froze. She had been trying to make herself forget all about Alex over the past few days.
"Alex—" Rose murmured, and thought to herself, now he even owns Lawrence Heights. People used to laugh at him for being poor. Rose asked quietly, "Alex is so good to you, is he in love with you?"
"What makes you think he's in love with me?" Sue asked hopefully. She wished that Rose was right, but she knew that she wasn't. She said, "He already has a girl that he likes."
"How do you know?" Rose asked.
"I asked him, and he told me that he doesn't have a girlfriend, but that there's a girl who he loves."
No girlfriend? Rose was puzzled. Suzan definitely told her that Alex had a girlfriend called Debbie. Why did he tell Sue that he doesn't have a girlfriend? Have they split up? Or was Alex just playing with her?
"What else did he say?" Rose became a little anxious.
"He said that the girl he liked was very beautiful and kind-hearted, but that there were many misunderstandings between them. He thought he could protect her, but then he found that he couldn't. He said that instead of protecting her, he ended up hurting her."
"Beautiful and kind? Misunderstandings? Couldn't protect, but hurt her? She must hate him now..." Rose repeated her aunt's words under her breath as her brain mulled over what she had heard.
"He also said that this girl is from your school," Sue continued.
"Our school?" Rose tried to remember if she had seen Alex with any particular girls, but she couldn't think of any.
She had never really paid any close attention to Alex.
As she was racking her brains, Sue suddenly asked her, "Sweetheart, are you the girl he likes?"
"What?" Rose's heart fluttered. She thinks it's me. Can it really be? she thought. "Auntie, what are you talking about? How can it be me?"
"Why not? Think about it again," Sue replied assuredly. Over the past two days, while Sue had been recuperating in bed, she had wondered about the girl Alex liked and had thought of Rose. She thought back to the day she had seen them together in the villa and had been sure that there was something between them. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that the girl Alex liked was Rose.
Rose recalled the times she and Alex had been together and thought about what he had told her aunt.
"She's very beautiful and kind-hearted," he had said. Rose knew she was beautiful, but would he describe her as kind?
She thought about it, then remembered that last semester she had volunteered to teach in a remote mountain village in Montana. She had also volunteered to help in the earthquake-stricken areas of Washington state, and she regularly volunteered in the community. She thought she was very kind, but knew that she had never shown this side to Alex.
If he really likes me, maybe he's secretly found out more about me, she mused. He had also said, "There are many misunderstandings between us." That is certainly true.
"He thought he could protect this girl but ended up hurting her and thought that she must hate him now," her aunt had said.
Rose thought that he had always managed to resolve situations when he had been in danger. Then she remembered that day in the villa when he had cried. Maybe that's what he was referring to.
He thought that I would hate him if he cried like that, but I didn't hate him at all, she thought. I only hated myself.
Is it really me that he likes?
All the information seemed to fit. Rose felt confused but also started to feel hopeful.
"Rose, I have a question for you and I want you to answer me truthfully. Before that trip to the villa, how did you feel about Alex?" Sue asked her.
Rose shook her head. She didn't want to tell her aunt the truth. She started to feel stressed.
"I don't know," she answered. "Sometimes I thought I hated him. But then my heart started to flutter when I saw him. Does that mean anything? I don't know. I really don't know." She covered her face with her hands.
"I think it's you," Sue said confidently.
"Auntie, what are you saying?"
"I asked Alex what the girl he liked felt for him, and his answer was exactly the same as yours. He said, 'I don't know whether she likes, dislikes, or hates me,'" Sue told her niece sadly.
"Rose, if Alex is in love with you, I hope that you take good care of him and cherish him, not because of his money, but because he is indeed a man worthy of love. Right, I need to go to work now," she said and ended the call.
Rose was stunned. She asked herself, is Alex really in love with me?
Did he hide his true identity as a billionaire so that I wouldn't feel inferior? He must have pretended to be a loser so that I would feel more comfortable when he approached me.
But I was so vicious to him before. With his money and power, he had a hundred ways to deal with me. Not only did he not attack me, but he actually kept saving me. Why?
Rose had not been able to understand Alex's actions, but now, she felt that everything could be explained.
Because Alex likes me, he's put up with everything I've done. He's acted the way he has toward me because he's in love with me.
There was no doubt left in Rose's heart that Alex loved her.
Her heart lifted. I'm being pursued by a billionaire, she thought, and he's completely in love with me. In the past, I wouldn't have known what to do about it, but from now on, I know that I can't let this opportunity pass me by.
**
At that time, Alex was at the university. Although the school term had ended, he still went to the campus and walked by Ramsey Lake every day. There were a small number of students who had stayed at the university over the vacation, and they would often sit by the lake, which made him feel less lonely.
Alex's cell phone started to ring. The screen showed it was a landline number that he didn't recognize. He frowned as he answered the call.
The caller said, "Hello, Mr. Ambrose, I'm calling from the livestreaming service Trist with an official request to shoot a video clip. We're planning to hold a celebration of online celebrities from New York and, if possible, we would like to shoot the video at your villa on the artificial island. We're willing to pay you fifty thousand dollars and if you agree to our request, you have our absolute guarantee that it will be at no detriment to yourself or your property. If there is any damage, you will receive full compensation."
As soon as he finished speaking, the microphone seemed to have been snatched by someone else.
Alex was happy to agree. He said, "Fine, I don't need any payment, just a reassurance that nothing will get broken. I'll meet you there in half an hour to give you the key." He hadn't used the villa much since he bought it. He felt that it would be good to let them use it to shoot videos.
The man replied gratefully, "Thank you so much, Mr. Ambrose. That's extremely generous."
Alex sat by the lake for a while and then went to the Green Island Garden district. When he asked the security guard, he was told that they had already started filming outside the villa.
He walked to his house to give the Trist team the key.
When he reached the artificial island, he saw that a camera van was parked in front of the villa. A few of the film crew were setting up the cameras, and several young girls were sitting on the wall, holding up small mirrors and touching up their make-up.
He was about to walk to the island when he noticed an old man in a rowing boat out on the lake. He was trying to fish some garbage from the surface with a net. The man was sweating, and his arms were shaking. Alex knew that the artificial lake was primarily for his villa and felt that this poor old man was therefore doing it for him. He saw that he had already cleared most of the lake.
I'm strong. Why don't I do that? Alex thought.
He called out to the man. He told him to stop working and to go home, and that he could clean the rest of the lake himself. He instructed the man that if anyone questioned him, he could tell them that the owner of the villa on the artificial lake had asked him to leave. No one would dare question that. The old man left feeling relieved.
Alex put on the life jacket and climbed into the boat. As he rowed around the lake, he used the net to pull trash out of the water.
Suddenly, from the artificial island, he heard, "Look at the garbage collector on the lake." A young girl in heavy make-up was gesturing excitedly at Alex to her friends.
"He's only in his twenties. Why's he collecting garbage?" commented one of her companions.
"Ah, he's clearly someone with no ambition. He probably can't be bothered to look for a better job. Even a job washing dishes would be better than picking up garbage. I think he's either lazy or stupid," said another girl.
"Doesn't he realize that no woman would ever want to marry someone with such a menial job? He probably can't even afford to buy food. What normal woman would want to marry someone who chooses to pick up garbage for a living?"
Several girls sat on chairs discussing what Alex was doing. He was focused on collecting garbage, and couldn't hear what they were saying. Finally, he finished cleaning the lake, emptied all the garbage into the trash can, and walked to the villa still wearing a straw hat. He really did look like a menial worker.
The person in charge of the shooting looked at his watch and complained. "The owner of the villa should be here by now. He said to meet us here in half an hour. That was nearly an hour ago. What's he playing at?"
Alex heard his complaint and walked toward him with a small smile.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said.
"Ah, you're here." The person in charge was startled when he saw Alex. He grinned and looked embarrassed. He said quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything just now. We didn't mind waiting."
Then the person in charge noticed Alex's appearance. He didn't look wealthy. With some doubt, he asked, "Are you really the owner?"
Alex didn't answer, but he took out the key to the villa from his pocket.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Ambrose. It's a pleasure to meet you," the man said.
Then a voice from behind them said, "You idiot. You don't really believe what this guy said. He's a just loser from our school." A girl approached, sipping a cola. Alex glanced over and recognized her as Minnie Jones from his class.