Chapter 49 A Matter of Choice

Chapter 49 A Matter of Choice

"What's this?" Emily stared at the document with confusion.

It was a new contract prepared by Morris, offering double her current salary and four extra days off each month.

The terms were undeniably tempting, but contrary to Morris's expectations, Emily didn't appear excited. She gently placed it aside.

"Mr. Anderson, I appreciate your generosity, but I won't be renewing my contract with you."

"Why not? Don't you need the money?" Morris asked, perplexed.

Emily shrugged. "I do need money, but I also love what I do. My new employer has a child suffering from depression. Mr. Anderson, she needs me more than you do."

Morris laughed as if he'd heard something ridiculous. "You're not a doctor. What does someone else's depression have to do with you? You're just a housekeeper. Don't try to be some kind of savior."

"I'm not trying to be a savior," Emily looked directly into his eyes, her gaze unwavering. "I may not be a doctor, but I believe I can help her."

Morris pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He didn't want to let Emily go, but he couldn't stand in the way if someone truly needed help.

The strange thing was, he didn't doubt Emily's words at all. He actually believed she could help that girl, because Emily possessed a certain kind of magic.

"But... I need you to take care of me too," Morris attempted one last plea.

"Mr. Anderson, I'm confident you can take care of yourself. The housework isn't much. You can easily hire another regular housekeeper."

"No one compares to you," Morris said quietly.

His words landed in Emily's ears, making her afraid to look up.

"You should eat now. The food's getting cold," she said, quickly retreating to the kitchen.

Morris was too upset to eat. With a cold snort, he went straight upstairs.

When Emily returned with the food, the dining room was empty. She couldn't help but sigh.

As usual, she kept the food warm in the pot, assuming Morris would come down when he got hungry. But when she entered the kitchen the next morning, she discovered he hadn't eaten at all, and he hadn't even come down for breakfast.

"Such a temper," Emily muttered under her breath.

Despite her complaints, she carried his breakfast upstairs and knocked on Morris's door. "Mr. Anderson, breakfast is ready."

When she received no response, she knocked again. "Mr. Anderson?"

After footsteps approached, the door opened. Morris stared at her with a sullen expression. His discontented gaze made Emily feel like she was some heartless woman who had led him on only to abandon him.

"Mr. Anderson..."

"I'm not eating."

"Don't be difficult," Emily used the tone one might use with a child. "Have your breakfast first, and then maybe we could go for a walk together afterward?"

At this suggestion, Morris's expression softened slightly. "Where to?"

"How about hiking Firmament Peak?"

"Fine. I'll be down soon." Morris closed the door.

After breakfast, they headed to Firmament Peak, not far from Morris's villa. Morris strode ahead, completely ignoring Emily.

"Mr. Anderson, please wait!" Emily called out, breathless.

Morris turned and looked at her, his face full of disdain. "If you're already tired at the beginning of the trail, maybe you should just go back home."

"Your legs are too long. I... I can't keep up. Could you please slow down a bit?"

"What a nuisance." Despite his words, he slowed his pace.

Emily quickened her steps to catch up, secretly relieved as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Just then, she heard someone calling her name. Turning around, she saw a middle-aged couple jogging toward them, wearing friendly smiles.

As they approached, Emily recognized who they were.

"Mr. Wall, Mrs. Wall, is that you?"

Conrad and Brynn Wall looked at her with delight. Brynn exclaimed, "It really is you, Emily! We thought we were mistaken. It's been so long! How have you been?"

"I'm doing well. How about you?" Emily asked.

She had met this couple while working at her previous company. When the company needed to set up a new office in another district, Emily was tasked with finding a location and overseeing the renovation. After consulting several contractors, she met this couple by chance and was impressed by their sincerity. Emily entrusted them with renovating the new office.

True to Emily's expectations, they completed the work exceptionally well, with careful attention to detail.

During casual conversation, Emily learned that everyone in their community worked in renovation, but they usually only got sporadic jobs, often waiting for luck to bring the next project.

Emily suggested they establish a renovation company and offered some assistance. Against all odds, the couple managed to get their company off the ground. With the real estate boom of recent years, they should have made decent profits, but now both wore worried expressions.

"We're getting by," Conrad sighed.

Brynn explained with a grimace, "We've had far fewer orders this year. Fewer people are buying homes. If this continues, the company might not survive much longer."

Hearing this, Emily couldn't help but sigh as well.

The benefits of an economic boom eventually fade. For ordinary people like them, without education or connections, they could only exit the market when the good times ended.

Conrad looked at Emily and gathered his courage. "Emily, could you help us think of something? I have over a dozen workers from my hometown. They're all breadwinners for their families. If the company fails, they'll..."

He trailed off with another heavy sigh.

Morris listened quietly to their conversation. When he heard Conrad ask for help again, he frowned slightly.

From what they said, Emily had already helped them once before. Now they were asking for her help again, with an undertone that felt almost like emotional blackmail.

Yet Emily didn't seem to notice this. She began thinking seriously.

After a moment, she told Conrad, "At this point, your only option is to pivot your business."

Conrad's eyes lit up. "How should we pivot?"

"While fewer people are buying homes now, everyone's working longer hours, making housework a major challenge. You could transform into a domestic services company, offering cleaning and meal preparation services. You could also encourage the women to take government-sponsored postpartum care courses and become postpartum caregivers. That should solve your company's survival problem."

When Conrad's renovation company was established, he had offered Emily a share of the profits, but she declined. Later, Conrad gave her a substantial thank-you fee.

Emily knew they weren't ungrateful people, so she was happy to help them.

After hearing Emily's suggestion, Conrad became so emotional he nearly cried. "That's an excellent idea. Emily, I don't know how to thank you enough."

The couple left with profuse thanks, wiping away tears.

After they departed, Emily turned to find Morris staring at her with an amused expression.

"I didn't realize you were also a business consultant, Emily. How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"