Chapter 15

“Your boss is so weird,” I muttered as I walked through the door, dropping my purse onto the dining table.

Clara, who was at the bar, turned with a nonchalant shrug. “Tell me about it.”

“How do you guys deal with him?” I asked, referring to the other maids at Leornard’s house. My stomach growled; I was starving.

“Well, he’s barely around, so we only deal with him in the mornings and evenings, his commands, his obsession with perfection...”

“Perfection?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Mr. Leornard is... particular. He wants everything done a certain way, almost like we’re following a rulebook,” she explained.

“That’s...” I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“Not totally a bad thing if you think about it.” She finished my sentence with a smirk. “He’s not a complete jerk.” She walked into the kitchen, and I couldn’t help but tilt my head, studying her.

“You seem to know a lot about your boss,” I said when she returned, carrying a cake.

My jaw dropped. “Clara!”

“I know, I know,” she said quickly. “We were supposed to bake it together, but I didn’t want to stress you out. Plus, after your long hospital visit, I figured you’d be hungry.”

“I am!” I eyed the cake hungrily but tried to sound disapproving. “But I wanted us to bake it.”

“I’m sorry,” she pouted. “I promise, next time we’ll do it together.” She grinned, cutting me a slice.

“Well, I *am* starving,” I admitted, grabbing a fork. As soon as I took a bite, I groaned. “This is so good.” My words were muffled, but Clara heard me and smiled proudly.

“So, back to Leornard,” I said, my curiosity piqued again as I reached for another slice. “What else do you know about him?”

Clara sat down beside me. “Not much, honestly. He doesn’t talk. He gets up, has breakfast, goes to work, comes home late, eats dinner, and goes to bed. He only gives orders when he absolutely has to.”

“Sounds... boring,” I commented, taking another bite. “Doesn’t his family visit?”

“No one. Ever,” she emphasized, shaking her head. “It’s weird.”

I frowned. “So, you don’t know why he wants a baby, then?” I asked, rubbing my growing belly.

“No idea,” she admitted. “But a few weeks before you arrived, an older woman came to visit him.”

“An older woman?” I leaned in, intrigued. “Like, his girlfriend?”

Clara laughed. “I doubt it. She had short brown hair and was kind of chubby.”

“Wait, that sounds like the doctor I’ve been seeing for my appointments. Maybe it had something to do with the baby,” I guessed, shrugging.

“Maybe.”

“Oh well,” I sighed, suddenly bored of the conversation. “I think I’ll take a nap. I’m full and exhausted.” I stood, stretching.

Clara eyed the nearly empty cake tray. “Wow, you really ate almost the whole thing.”

I glanced at the lone slice left on the tray. “Oops.”

“No sugar for you for the next two days,” she threatened with a grin.

I smirked. “We’ll see what the baby has to say about that.” I slowly walked away, ignoring the playful glare she shot at me.

The next morning, I woke up to Clara sitting beside my bed, holding a tray of food. I smiled as I slowly sat up.

On the tray were pancakes topped with strawberries, blueberries, and banana slices, along with a smoothie on the side. My stomach growled on cue.

“What would I do without you?” I asked, gazing dreamily at the food.

“Probably sleep all day,” Clara teased.

“Ha, ha,” I deadpanned. “I’ll pretend you didn’t just mock me.”

“Eat up,” she urged, pushing the tray closer. I didn’t need to be told twice. I took a big bite of pancakes and practically melted as the flavors hit my taste buds.

“After breakfast, we have your morning exercise routine,” Clara began, flipping through her notepad. “Then we can head out for lunch since we skipped it yesterday.” She looked at me with a disappointed pout. “That’s all for today.”

I grinned. “How about an evening stroll, then?”

“Not bad,” she considered, jotting it down. “Finish up. I’ll go prepare the room.”

I laughed softly as she rushed out of my bedroom. About 30 minutes later, I headed downstairs, finding the living room transformed. Clara had pushed the couches aside and laid two mats in the center of the room.

“I like,” I complimented.

She grabbed my hand and positioned me on the mat like I couldn’t do it myself. “Let’s do some yoga today,” she said. “Now, copy me.”

Clara stood straight, raising her hands above her head and placing her right foot on her opposite thigh in a graceful tree pose.

I attempted to mimic her but wobbled on one foot, struggling to keep my balance. “Why does this never get easier?” I whined.

“Calm down and...”

“Good morning, ladies,” a deep voice interrupted.

I nearly toppled over at the sound of Leornard’s voice. *What was he doing here? I dropped my foot to the ground and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Good morning, Mr. Leornard,” Clara greeted politely, clearly intimidated by his presence, as always. Not me, though, I just found him infuriating, especially when he showed up unannounced.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“I came to see my baby,” he said matter-of-factly. “I told you I want to be involved in everything.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Carry on,” he said, sitting on the couch as if it were no big deal.

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously going to sit here and watch?

“Just ignore him,” Clara whispered, resuming her yoga pose. I sighed, reluctantly following suit. But the thought of Leornard watching made me self-conscious, especially in my shorts and tank top. What if he was staring at my butt?

I turned to see him engrossed in his phone. Still, it didn’t help. I wobbled again, losing balance just as I felt a pair of hands catch me from behind. My heart raced as I tilted my head back to meet Leornard’s eyes.

“Don’t you think this is a bit risky?” he asked Clara, helping me steady myself.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Clara mumbled, clearly flustered. Poor Clara.

“Are you okay?” Leornard asked, surprising me. I just nodded, still too shocked to speak.

“Let’s just sit,” Clara suggested, guiding me to the mat. We crossed our legs, placing our palms on our knees.

“Deep breath,” she instructed, and I took one. But I couldn’t focus. Not with him sitting right there. I tried to block everything out, but it was impossible.

“I’m going to shower,” I announced, standing up. Clara followed me.

“I hope he’s gone when I get back,” I whispered to her. She smiled sympathetically.

After a long, drawn-out shower, I returned downstairs. To my disappointment, Leornard was still there.

“Don’t you have work to do?” I asked.

“Not today,” he replied, looking up at me. “How about we go out for lunch?”

“Uh, Clara and I already have plans,” I told him, a little taken aback. “We’re going downtown for lunch.”

“Perfect,” he said with a smile, returning to his phone. “We’ll go together.”

I exchanged a bewildered glance with Clara. What was happening here?