Chapter 51 Departures and Memories

Chapter 51 Departures and Memories

"Why? I thought you didn't like animals," Emily asked, confused.

"Who said I didn't?" Morris tilted his head stubbornly. "I love Yoyo. He's my cat, and you can't take him away."

"Alright then. But if I miss Yoyo, can I come back to visit him?" Unable to take the cat with him, Emily settled for the next best thing—visitation rights.

"Of course. You can come see Yoyo anytime." Morris's face broke into a victorious smile. As long as Yoyo stayed here, Emily would definitely return regularly. With Yoyo around, Morris always had an excuse to see Emily.

On the final day of her contract, Emily prepared to leave after dinner.

She had packed her luggage earlier, and after cleaning the kitchen for the last time, she grabbed her suitcase, ready to depart.

Morris took his car keys and followed her to the door. "I'll drive you home."

Emily quickly refused, "No need, really. I can manage on my own. You should stay in."

Ignoring her refusal, Morris took her suitcase and walked straight to the garage, placing it in the trunk of his car before getting in.

The entire sequence was so smooth that Emily had no chance to object.

Once Emily was seated in the passenger seat, Morris asked, "Where do you live?"

After getting her address, his mood visibly improved. Now he wouldn't have to worry about finding Emily in the future.

When they arrived, Morris got out, took the suitcase, and followed her upstairs.

At her door, he set down the luggage and, like a magician, produced a small box about the length of his forearm and handed it to Emily. "This is for you."

Emily opened the box to find a white ceramic cat figurine that looked remarkably like Yoyo.

"Thank you. I'll keep it somewhere I can always see it," Emily said, touched by the gesture.

Despite not letting her take Yoyo, he had given her this figurine. Perhaps he wasn't as cold-hearted as people claimed.

Morris rubbed his nose awkwardly. "You're welcome. I should get going."

He had spent a long time choosing this gift. His goal was to make Emily think of Yoyo often, and by extension, think of him as well. This way, no other man would occupy her thoughts.

"Would you like to come in for coffee before you leave?" Though she had no real intention of entertaining, Emily felt obliged to offer.

"No, thank you," Morris glanced at her door with genuine regret. "It's getting late, and you need to unpack, right? Another time."

It was almost nine o'clock. If he went in for coffee, and then Emily had to unpack and clean afterward, she'd be up until midnight at least.

Since it was so late, he didn't want to bother her and reluctantly declined.

Hearing his refusal, Emily felt relieved. "Alright then. Drive safely."

"The house code won't change. You can come by anytime to ride your electric bicycle," he added.

Emily nodded and waved goodbye. "Goodbye, Mr. Anderson."

Morris turned and hurried downstairs. Once outside, he stood staring at her window for a long time until suspicious glances from passersby finally drove him away.

Back at his Crimson Leaf villa, he sat alone on the sofa, feeling how quiet and empty the house had become.

He had always lived alone, yet suddenly it felt strange.

Early the next morning, looking at the empty dining room and kitchen, he instinctively called out, "Emily," before realizing she was gone.

Afterward, he wandered into her former room, hoping to find traces of her presence. To his surprise, he discovered a black spiral hair tie in the corner of the dressing table.

While working, Emily had always dressed simply, as unassuming as this plain hair tie.

Morris examined it for a moment before footsteps downstairs interrupted him. He slipped the hair tie onto his wrist.

The visitor was Dashiell, whom he had scheduled to come feed the cat. Morris gave him instructions following Emily's usual routine. Dashiell noted everything down while privately wondering why someone living in such a luxurious villa would keep such an ordinary cat.

He had handled many assignments in this area, but all those households kept expensive purebred cats. This was the first time he'd seen someone keeping such a common cat.

"Why do you keep such an ordinary cat?" he finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"What's wrong with it? Isn't he adorable?" Morris countered.

"He is," Dashiell replied with a stiff smile. "It's just that he seems... unlike what someone of your status would typically have. People in this neighborhood usually keep purebred cats."

Morris smiled slightly, his meaning clear. "Whatever kind of cat he is, I like him, and that's what matters."

Dashiell wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "You're absolutely right. I apologize for overstepping."

At the office later, Morris instructed his assistant Otis to transfer Emily's salary. The amount shocked Otis. "One hundred thousand dollars?"

Morris raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"No problem at all." Otis quietly went to process the transfer.

Now he understood why Emily had chosen to be a housekeeper. Two months of work for $100,000 was far better than any corporate salary. He was tempted to become a housekeeper himself.

Before lunch, Emily received the transfer from Otis, totaling $100,000 with the note: [Salary and Bonus.]

"This is way too much," she muttered. Despite saying this, Emily had no intention of returning the money. If Morris gave it to her, it meant she had earned it.

With her payment received, she decided to treat Sophia and Rebecca to dinner, arranging to meet them after work for barbecue.

When Sophia learned that Emily had earned $100,000 in two months, she was so shocked she momentarily lost control of her expression. "One-one hundred thousand dollars? Emily, I finally understand your choice now. Not only is your employer handsome, but he's also incredibly generous. Maybe I should switch careers and become a housekeeper too?"

"Absolutely not," Emily raised her hand to interrupt Sophia's fantasy. "Not every employer is this generous. You have a promising career ahead of you. Drop this dangerous idea immediately."

Sophia chuckled. "Just joking. Hey, guess what I saw during today's meeting?"

"What?"

"Mr. Anderson had a black spiral hair tie on his wrist—you know, those telephone cord ones. Do you think he might be dating someone? Emily, do you know anything about this?"

Emily suddenly choked on her drink. "How would I know? I finished my contract and went back home last night."

"True," Sophia didn't pursue the matter further and continued eating her steak.

Rebecca, however, seemed to have realized something and gave Emily a knowing smile.

"Enjoy your food," Emily glared at her, silently warning her not to say anything inappropriate.

Rebecca winked at Emily. "It seems Mr. Anderson's girlfriend is quite down-to-earth if she uses such inexpensive hair ties. I wonder if she might be someone from our company?"