Crossroads

Stephanie woke up with a sneeze.

She had dawdled until midnight the previous night before finally falling asleep. Just as the morning sun was barely making its appearance, her phone began buzzing incessantly with messages from the Innovate Group's staff, reminding her to be at the airport on time. Today, she and three other models were scheduled to fly to Harlington for a photoshoot.

Clutching her phone, Stephanie was taken aback. She had genuinely forgotten about this.

"Okay," With her characteristic sluggishness in the morning, she mumbled an acknowledgment and obediently went to brush her teeth.

"Stephanie, are you coming down with a cold?"

To her credit, before leaving, she remembered to call Molly. Perhaps it was her slightly nasal voice that prompted Molly's concern.

"I'm on my way to the airport now. Looks like I'll be staying in Harlington for three days."

Seated in the taxi, Stephanie complained while on the phone, "Vincent is so afraid I'll get fired that he had someone wake me up before dawn.

"Wait, the Innovate Group's staff doesn't fall under Vincent's management, right? Does the Innovate Group provide wake-up services?"

With her mind still a bit foggy, Stephanie sneezed again, grabbing a tissue to cover her nose. The wake-up call matter seemed not worth pursuing further.

"Damn it, Stephanie! You said you were going to eat and drink your fill. Did you know Dominick didn't attend the banquet, so you ran off too? You heartless..." Molly's voice from the phone was filled with resentment.

Dominick didn't go to the banquet either?

Just hearing that name put Stephanie in a bad mood.

"Hey, what were you up to last night, getting yourself sick? Will it affect your shoot?" Molly's tone softened, worrying about her friend.

"I spent the night on the balcony in the cold wind..." Stephanie recalled the foolish things she had done last night, her voice trailing off. "I suspect the tenant in Unit 502 upstairs is someone I know."

"What's with Unit 502?"

"Never mind." Stephanie's expression became complicated; she didn't want to talk about this.

"Oh, by the way, Oscar told me you were with Scott last night. Did he drive you home?"

Now, it was Molly's turn to avoid the topic. She stiffened, answering, "Yes, we came back early."

The two women, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, ended the call as Stephanie informed Molly that she was almost at the airport. Molly, with her innate caretaker instincts, reminded her once again to stay safe before hanging up.

Typically, Molly would arrive at Roberts Villa promptly at six in the morning. Her busy day often began with preparing breakfast for Scott and Andy, rousing them from bed. She would then send Andy off to school and ensured Scott took his stomach medication after breakfast. She'd clean the floors, wash the dishes, and prepare dinner. Her days were mostly simple and routine.

However, today, when Molly pulled up to Roberts Villa in her old car, she noticed a striking red Lamborghini parked at the entrance. The stark contrast between the two cars was undeniable.

Molly stepped out of her car, casting a jealous glance at the new sports car beside her.

She wondered who might be driving such a vehicle.

As she unlocked the door and stepped into the hall, she was surprised to find that both Scott and Andy were already awake without her having to yell at them. It was nothing short of a miracle.

"Are we expecting guests today?" she asked naturally as she walked in.

"Who's the guest here?"

A figure emerged from behind the sofa, and soon, Chloe's displeased face appeared in sight.

Molly froze in the doorway.

"Ms. Moore." After she stood there for a moment, she finally broke the silence.

Chloe clearly wasn't pleased with the address. She lifted her chin arrogantly and seated herself in the central position of the living room sofa, exuding the demeanor of a hostess.

"You're the housemaid, why are you standing there like an idiot? Go make breakfast!"

Chloe's tone was commanding. Molly, unwilling to argue and feeling she had no right to, nodded and headed to the kitchen.

Scott and Andy were in the living room, silently observing the scene.

Molly's face remained impassive as she went about her routine of making toasts and salads for them. Suddenly, she dropped a plate, the loud crash breaking the tense silence in the house. Startled, she hurriedly bent down to clean up the shards, accidentally cutting her finger on a piece.

"How could you hire someone like this as a housemaid?"

The voice from the living room reached Molly's cars, making her feel embarrassed. She quickened her pace, trying to tidy up as fast as she could.

The feeling was awful, as if she had done something wrong and ended up in a place where she didn't belong, feeling utterly humiliated.

Breakfast at Roberts Villa today was truly agonizing for Molly. "I've already eaten before coming here, so you guys go ahead." She forced out an excuse, really not wanting to sit at the table with the three of them.

Scott said nothing, merely waved his hand for her to go and do something else.

"You usually eat with us," Andy, still a child, spooned up his string beans, looking up at her with innocent curiosity.

Initially, they didn't eat together at the same table. However, Scott had expressed concern that her cooking might upset their stomachs, so he had her "test" the food first. Eventually, somehow, her relationship with the father-son duo had grown closer and more natural.

"Why would the maid eat at the same table as the employer's family?" Chloe lectured Andy gently, but Molly's smile froze on her face, unable to keep up with her pretense anymore.

Chloe was right; typically, a maid wouldn't dine at the same table as the employer's family. It seemed she had truly crossed a boundary.

Molly noticed that despite Chloe's previous snobbery, Andy still adored her.

Especially when Chloe mentioned taking him to school today, his face blushed slightly.

After all, she was his biological mother, and no one could change that blood relation.

"Chloe suddenly said she wanted to come and see Andy today." When only Molly and Scott remained in the house, Scott set down his newspaper, looked up suddenly, and spoke to her.

Molly didn't immediately respond. After a moment, she then nodded and murmured, "Sure."

In truth, she didn't know how to respond. Chloe was Andy's biological mother, and despite their divorce, she still had visitation rights.

Molly went back to the kitchen to tidy up. Later, she fetched a bucket and mop from the utility room. When Scott emerged from his study again, he saw her wearing gloves, a scarf, and even a work cap, as if she were about to tackle a year's worth of cleaning.

"Your breakfast," he said, holding out a box of biscuits.

Molly stared blankly and didn't take the cookies from Scott.

Scott chuckled softly, "Come on, eat up. You won't have the energy to work for me if you don't." He then pressed the cookies into her hand.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

She just held them without making a move.

Feeling awkward, Scott turned his head slightly and added, "They're not expired."

Molly looked up at him for a moment, pouting, and mumbled in a subdued tone, "I know." Then she couldn't be bothered to look at him anymore, took off her gloves, and started nibbling at the cookies on the coffee table.

She had known all along that these cookies weren't expired. He was deliberately teasing her, which had made her uneasy about eating them before. "Don't be so kind to me..." she murmured softly while chewing the biscuits.

Today, Scott also had things to do and had to leave for his business. He seemed used to taking stomachm medicine after breakfast. After packing up his documents, he glanced at Molly, who was busy cleaning the house, stopping briefly on her finger where she had cut herself.

His tone was casual as he informed, "I'm heading out."

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11:55 AM J Chapter 281

"Take care on the road," Molly replied.

Scott glanced at her a bit longer before nodding and driving away.

J

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At four in the evening, Stephanie called her again, mainly to whine that her work today hadn't gone smoothly and that she had been scolded by the demanding director for her cold.

"I don't understand. What does my cold have to do with him? It's like he'll deduct my pay if I get sick," Stephanie complained in frustrated. Molly, on the other end of the phone, listened absentmindedly. Stephanie noticed that she wasn't herself today and asked, "What's wrong?"

Molly's voice sounded dull. "Stephanie, I think I'm going to quit. I can't do this anymore."

Just then, Scott returned home. His expression was calm as a faint voice from the living room could be heard faintly.

"Stephanie, I don't want to meddle in anyone's love life, let alone be a third party. But being with them, I can't help but fall for him. I think it's better if I leave."