“Did Deborah not express any opinion?”
Cedric slowly blinked his eyes and answered.
“No. Everyone said it was fine.”
Zen nodded and immediately turned his gaze to the documents, saying:
“Then that’s good. Go ahead and hire them.”
Cedric stared blankly at Zen. Annoyed by that gaze, Zen raised an eyebrow and said:
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“No?”
“Then go out and do your work.”
“Alright. Take care of yourself too, master.”
Zen did not respond. Cedric had no intention of hearing his reply either.
As Cedric stepped out into the dark corridor, he pondered quietly. It seemed Zen might hire the less remarkable person if Deborah wished.
‘This Zen Baker is unfamiliar.’
Cedric looked out the window. It was certainly getting closer to winter, as it was just dark. But the workers would be up early, unable to sleep in, and moving busily. Like cogs in a factory.
‘Zen Baker used to be like a cog made of gold.’
Now he seemed somewhat human. Making judgments based on emotions rather than thorough calculations and efficient actions.
[This is the timeline separator]Sometimes it feels like time moves slowly. But time always moves at a constant pace.
While it seemed stuck between late autumn and early winter, now Deborah’s surroundings had changed to perfect winter colors.
Deborah was now sitting by the fireplace that had never gone out, writing a reply to Madam Saint.
In Madam Saint’s recent letter, there was a question asking if it was difficult living with the prickly Zen Baker, so Deborah was writing her letter in as much detail as possible.
If one had to make a comparison, the Baker mansion was as quiet as a world covered in soft snow. Zen Baker, who worried about hurting Deborah, often returned home at dawn, and Cedric also seemed busy.
But that’s not to say Deborah never saw their faces at all.
Zen would seek out Deborah about once every two days. When she went to see why he was looking for her, he would just stare at her intently. As if checking her condition.
And Cedric, whom she occasionally ran into in this large mansion, would ask about her overall satisfaction with life, as if Deborah were a guest.
Deborah hoped Madam Saint would notice the gratitude contained in this playful sentence.
In the end, Irene was hired. It was an expected result, and not a bad one either. Irene wasn’t a bright and sociable person, but she was careful and polite.
Deborah was waiting with a fluttering heart for Dia to arrive. She probably wouldn’t feel this excitement even if she were to meet the queen.
That’s as far as Deborah had written when she was pondering what to write for the final greeting. At that moment, someone knocked on Deborah’s door.
“Yes?”
“Ms. Deborah. I’m sorry, but could you come to the reception room right away?”
It was Cedric. Hearing his voice full of apology, Deborah hurriedly replied.
“That’s fine, but what’s the matter?”
“The Blaise countess has arrived.”
“What did you say?”
Deborah said, jumping up from her seat. Having confirmed that Deborah had heard correctly, Cedric cleared his throat and said:
“I should tell you in advance, this is an unexpected visit for us as well.”
Deborah opened the door right away. Cedric, not expecting the door to open so suddenly, looked down at Deborah with surprised eyes.
“What about Mr. Baker? He hasn’t returned yet, right?”
“No. Since his current destination is quite far, he’ll probably return the day after tomorrow. At the earliest, tomorrow evening might be possible.”
Having said that, Cedric recalled what Zen had said to him when he left early this morning.
[Watch carefully.] [You’re saying the same thing as always.] [That’s how important it is. So do it properly.] [Yes. How could I not?]Zen, who answered with a sigh, couldn’t easily leave the mansion as he had been doing recently, as if his feet were glued. And standing in the garden, he lifted his head high, looked up at the unlit room, and left.
While Zen was only thinking of Deborah, he didn’t forget the day of Dia’s arrival.
‘The day Zen Baker calls is the day Dia Blaise arrives.’
At that moment, Deborah started walking hurriedly. As Cedric strode along following her, Deborah asked:
“How did she get here?”
Since even the Baker family hadn’t expected this visit, it meant they hadn’t gone to the train station to greet her. Moreover, the Baker mansion was quite far from the train station.
“I couldn’t confirm what she rode. What’s certain is that she was standing alone in front of the main gate.”
Deborah nodded and walked even faster. It would be no exaggeration to say she was almost running.
When the entrance to the reception room came into view, Deborah stopped abruptly to catch her breath and fix her hair. To not look like someone who had just been running.
“You go in first.”
Deborah said to Cedric. Cedric, who looked neat as he had only walked briskly without running, smiled knowingly and took the lead, while Deborah followed behind, moving as if she had been walking demurely behind him from the start.
Deborah had used the Baker family’s reception room before. In her memory, the Baker family’s reception room was grand and splendid, yet still cozy.
But why did this space feel so desolate today? Even though the fireplace was blazing more vigorously than before.
Was it because they had changed the decorations from flowers to ceramic crafts? If not that, was it because the scenery outside the window was utterly bleak?
If not that, was it because the woman sitting demurely on the sofa with her head bowed looked so troubled?
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Countess Blaise.”
At Cedric’s gentle voice, Dia’s deeply bowed head lifted.
Wearing a plain coat and an out-of-fashion hat, Dia was a more beautiful woman than imagined.
Shimmering golden hair full of vitality and clear blue eyes sparkling in the darkness, a small white face with a beautifully risen blush. How large her eyes were, and how beautiful the line connecting her forehead and nose bridge.
Dia Blaise was a beauty that words of praise could not do justice to, no matter how many were added. But the thought that immediately came to Deborah’s mind upon seeing such a beautiful woman was not praise for Dia’s appearance.
‘Why does she look so anxious?’
Eyes frightened like someone scheduled for a scolding, fidgeting fingers, and rough skin. What on earth was making her so anxious?
Just as Deborah noticed Dia’s anxiety, so did Cedric. Cedric spoke in a voice that was not loud but clear:
“I am Cedric Rearford, the butler of the Baker family. I’ve greeted you once before, I wonder if you remember?”
Dia bowed her head deeply again and answered.
“Yes? Ah, yes, I remember.”
“It’s an honor.”
Cedric laughed softly and continued.
“You must have had a hard time coming all this way in this cold weather.”
“No. Fortunately, I met a kind passerby and found my way here without much difficulty.”
“Is that so? That’s fortunate then.”
Dia, with her lips tightly closed, gripped her skirt tightly with her subtly trembling hands.
“Um…”
She who opened her mouth raised her head courageously. Her trembling blue eyes wandered between Cedric and Deborah’s faces, then soon turned back to the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
It was a pitiful voice, like her gaze dropped to the floor. A noble family’s young lady apologizing to commoners. It shouldn’t be done, but it didn’t seem right to point out her behavior now.
“I knew I should have waited until you called for me.”
Dia, who swallowed hard, spoke once more.
“I knew, but…”
At that moment, Deborah recalled. The reason why the innocent and kind Dia had nodded to this calculating and immoral affair.
‘Family.’
A mother who had lost her beauty and peace of mind due to poverty. And a father who could die at any moment. Dia’s burden, and at the same time, a precious treasure she couldn’t let go of.
‘Although the Countess Blaise pushed Dia’s back, in the end, Dia decided to participate in all of this on her own.’
So Deborah thought that Dia’s presence here now was likely for no other reason.
The anxious countess must have pressured Dia while waiting for Zen to call, and Dia eventually agreed and came to the Baker mansion alone.
‘I know they were given a considerable amount of money.’
Cedric recalled the amount the Blaise family had withdrawn. If he remembered correctly, Zen had compensated more than enough for arbitrarily changing plans and delaying.
‘Yet she rushed her daughter? Hmm. It’s not incomprehensible.’
Cedric knows human greed all too well. Zen Baker, who generously handed out such large sums of money, must have looked even more tempting.
While Deborah and Cedric were finishing their thoughts, Dia continued to refine her words in her mind.
‘What should I do? How should I explain?’
She was afraid to explain honestly, fearing it might seem like she was speaking ill of her mother. But she didn’t want to be an uninvited guest who came barging in either. As she was flustered, Deborah spoke:
“My lady. I apologize for the late introduction.”
Dia’s head lifted once again. In the place lit by the red and yellow firelight stood a beautiful dark-haired woman in a dark blue dress, smiling quietly towards her.
If Dia found comfort in that face, would she be considered an exaggerated and frivolous person?
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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