Ethan felt someone approaching from behind and quickly shifted from his friendly demeanor to a more distant and cold one. He turned to Mason and said in an aloof manner, "Make sure to bring some home-cooked food to the room Sirius booked. Got it? Home-cooked food! In thirty minutes!"
With that, he strode into the mansion, not bothering to glance back at Mason, who stood there in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
Hold on! Did I just hear that correctly?
He wants me to deliver home-cooked food to those two girls staying at my hotel?!
Mason was unsure if he had truly heard what he thought he did or if it was just a figment of his imagination. In his bewilderment, he ran his fingers through his hair, creating a messy look.
Meanwhile, David and Carter stood off to the side, stifling their laughter at Mason's disheveled appearance, amused by how he was struggling to cope with their boss's unexpected shift in demeanor.
Noticing Mr. Edward still seemed perplexed, Carter turned to David with a playful tone, saying, "Hey David, how about we make a little wager?"
"A wager on what?" David replied, glancing over at Carter.
"I bet that Mr. Edward will remain confused for a while longer and will end up delaying the food delivery to the hotel. And you know what that means for him afterward. So, are you in for the bet?" Carter asked, a knowing grin on his face.
David chuckled softly at Carter's comment and said, "Do you really think it would only be Mr. Edward facing the consequences if the food isn't delivered on time?"
As soon as David spoke, the smug grin on Carter's face disappeared, and he rushed over to Mason, exclaiming, "Mr. Edward! The boss assigned you a task to finish!"
Carter continued to shout as he approached Mason, successfully snapping him out of his daze with his loud calls.
When Mason finally noticed Carter standing in front of him, still yelling, he replied with a puzzled expression, "Why are you yelling, Carter?"
Carter glanced at Mason, who was standing there calmly, and with a smirk on his face, remarked, "Mr. Edward, are you not aware that the Boss dislikes delays? You have just thirty minutes!"
He emphasized 'thirty minutes' to ensure Mason understood the urgency of his task.
Mason, catching the sarcasm in Carter's tone, scoffed in response, "Hmph! Do you really think I'm intimidated by your Boss? Why should I be the one to deliver food to those two girls? If they want something to eat, they can just order from the reception!"
Carter and David exchanged knowing smiles as they glanced at each other.
Carter, deep in thought, remarked, "Oh, is that so, Mr. Edward? In that case, David, why don't we inform the Boss about what Mr. Edward mentioned?"
David quickly agreed, nodding his head, "Absolutely. We need to do that. If we don't, we might regret it."
As they conversed, they turned and began walking toward the study on the ground floor.
Mason, noticing their movement, called out with a grimace, "Hold on right there!"
Carter and David halted in their tracks at the sound of the shout, turning around slowly with puzzled expressions and a slight smile creeping onto their faces in the corner of their mouth.
"Do you need us to pass along a message to our Boss, Mr. Edward?" Carter inquired, his tone reflecting his confusion.
Noticing their camaraderie and planning, Mason stormed out of the mansion, yelling, "Tell your Boss that his task will be completed!"
As Mason hurried off, Carter and David shared a laugh and waved him goodbye.
At the hotel, Zara took a quick moment to freshen up before hitting the hay, having asked Zoye to let her sleep undisturbed.
After the events of the previous day at the house and a late night of work, she was definitely in need of some serious rest.
Since they were staying in a suite, everyone had their own space, so there were no worries about getting some shut-eye.
While Zara was catching up on her sleep, a woman and her son were in the hotel's security room, nervously watching the monitors alongside a manager and hotel staff.
When the woman spotted a silhouette of a girl by the pond on the security footage of the open lounge at the back of the hotel, she asked the manager to hit pause.
"Manager, could you find out if that girl is still at this hotel?" the woman asked, her expression soft and hopeful as she turned to the manager next to her.
"Of course, Mrs. Spencer. Just give us a moment," the manager replied, giving a slight bow before heading off to look into her request.
Meanwhile, the boy, who was also gazing at the girl's image on the screen, turned to his mother with a cheerful grin with his eyes sparkling, "Mom, the sister who helped me looks so lovely in this picture, doesn't she?"
Seeing her son so happy, the woman lovingly stroked his hair and replied with a smile, "Absolutely, sweetheart. That sister is indeed beautiful. Perhaps she's an angel who came to your rescue."
"No, no, Mom. Please don't say that," Liam replied, shaking his head at her.
His mom was confused about what she had said to trigger such a reaction. "Why? What's going on, Liam?"
The boy looked up at his mom, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Mom, I heard that if someone gets help from an angel, they might feel lucky in that moment, but they can never find that angel again or thank them."
His expression dimmed as he added, "I really want to meet that sister and be friends with that sister, Mom. What if she just disappears before I get the chance?"
His mom was left speechless, taken aback by his words. She never imagined her usually cheerful son, who wasn't easily tricked, would believe in things like angels disappearing after they've done their good deeds.
She wasn't wrong to think like that. Because her son wouldn't believe those things in the past, but now it looks like something has changed.
Sure, her son had his moments of throwing fits over little things, but he was just a six-year-old kid. So, she gently reassured him, "Don't worry, Liam. If we're meant to meet someone, we'll get another chance to see them."
"Really, Mom?" he replied, his face lighting up with a big smile and hope in his voice.
"Absolutely, sweetheart," she said, giving his head a loving pat while smiling warmly.
As they waited for the manager to return with updates about that girl, he walked in with a respectful demeanor.
The manager glanced at the woman before him and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Spencer, but we weren't able to locate the girl you asked about in the hotel."
Honestly, it's not surprising they couldn't track down Zara. She didn't make the reservation; that was Sirius's doing, and he didn't use either of their names when he booked the room. So, it makes sense that they couldn't find her.