106

106

Saturday morning finally came, and it was peaceful at the Sterling mansion. Sophia woke up feeling unusually excited. After all, it already looked like a promising day.

Damien had already gone to work, so she had almost the whole day with Jessica.

After freshening up and changing into comfortable clothes, she checked her phone again. Earlier that morning, she had already sent Jessica the mansion address along with a simple message telling her to come safely.

Now she was waiting.

The maids had prepared breakfast downstairs and Sophia had also asked them to arrange some snacks and drinks for later.

Then around 10am, one of the house staff approached her.

“Ma’am, your guest is here.” She informed her.

Sophia smiled immediately. She walked towards the entrance and just as the door opened, Jessica stepped inside carrying a neatly wrapped gift bag while smiling brightly.

The moment she saw Sophia, her expression became even more excited.

“You actually live here,” Jessica whispered while looking around.

Sophia laughed softly. “I told you I wasn’t joking.”

Jessica looked around again dramatically.

“This is the Sterling mansion.”

Sophia shook her head with amusement. Then Jessica finally remembered what she was holding and quickly stretched it forward.

“This is for you.”

Sophia blinked in surprise as it really turned out to be true that she had something for her.

“You really brought something.”

Jessica smiled proudly. “I said I would.”

Sophia accepted the bag and opened it carefully. Inside was a beautifully packaged handmade journal with an elegant cover, and beside it was a small box containing custom watercolor brushes.

Sophia looked genuinely surprised. Her fingers brushed over the journal cover.

“This is beautiful.” She said, looking like she was lost in its beauty.

“I remembered you like art, so I thought maybe you could sketch ideas or write things there.” She said shyly.

Sophia’s expression softened immediately.

“That’s really thoughtful.”

Jessica smiled awkwardly. “I hoped you’d like it.”

Sophia looked at her and smiled warmly.

“I do. Thank you so much.”

Jessica looked relieved at that as she knew that sometimes, it could be difficult to please wealthy people.

Soon, Sophia led her inside properly.

Jessica looked around the mansion with wide eyes while trying not to seem too obvious about it.

“This place is unreal.”

Sophia laughed and shook her head.

“You’ll get used to it.” She said, out of courtesy.

Jessica immediately turned towards her.

“No. I won’t.”

That made Sophia laugh harder. Not long after, they headed into the dining room. Breakfast had already been arranged neatly across the table and Jessica looked shocked all over again.

Sophia noticed and smiled, still shaking her head.

“It’s just breakfast.”

Jessica looked at the spread, still looking mind blown.

“This isn’t just breakfast.”

Sophia laughed softly before they both sat down.

Breakfast ended up becoming comfortable and fun. Jessica had already relaxed more compared to when she first arrived.

They talked about random things, work, movies, and Jessica even complained jokingly about office life again.

After eating, they stayed seated for a while until they both felt settled, then Sophia suddenly stood.

Jessica looked up, wondering what’s up.

“What?”

Sophia smiled mysteriously. “Come.”

Jessica immediately followed her upstairs. A few moments later, Sophia stopped in front of a door and opened it.

Jessica stepped in and completely froze. Her eyes widened.

The room was bright and beautiful, filled with canvases, paints, brushes, easels, and shelves arranged with art supplies.

Jessica slowly turned.

“No way…”

Sophia smiled. “This is my art room.”

Jessica stared around in complete awe.

“This is incredible.” She complimented.

Sophia walked inside and pulled out a chair beside one of the easels, then she looked at Jessica and smiled.

“Come sit.”

Jessica obeyed immediately. Sophia picked up brushes and placed them in front of her.

“It’s time to draw and paint.”

Jessica looked at the brushes in front of her and then at the blank canvas. Immediately, she looked nervous.

Sophia spotted that and laughed softly.

“Why do you look scared?”

Jessica looked at her dramatically.

“That’s because I’ve never done this before.”

Sophia smiled and sat beside her.

“That’s okay. There’s no pressure.”

“You’re saying that because you actually know what you’re doing.” Jessica said with her tone, a little doubtful.

Sophia laughed. “No. Art isn’t about getting everything right.”

Jessica looked at the blank canvas again.

“So… I just do anything?”

Sophia nodded. “Pretty much.”

Jessica looked suspicious but eventually picked up a brush. At first, she hesitated so much that Sophia found herself smiling.

Jessica painted one line and immediately looked at Sophia.

“Is this ugly?”

Sophia burst into laughter. “You painted one line.” She laughed again.

“It can already go wrong.”

Sophia shook her head. Slowly, they both started painting.

Sophia worked naturally and comfortably while Jessica kept changing her mind every few minutes. At one point, she stared at her canvas and sighed.

“This looked better in my head.”

“That’s normal.” Sophia said as she laughed a little.

To make the atmosphere even nicer, Sophia connected her phone and played soft music. The room instantly felt calmer.

Music flowed quietly around them while they painted and talked randomly. Sometimes they worked quietly while other times, Jessica kept asking questions.

“How do you blend colors?”

Sophia showed her when she asked and she nodded when she got it.

“How do you know what shape to make?” Jessica asked again and Sophia shrugged.

“I just go with it.” She responded.

Jessica looked offended at that response.

“That’s not helpful.” She said, squeezing her face.

Sophia laughed, and tried to help her a little more. As time passed, Jessica surprisingly relaxed. She stopped worrying about whether things looked perfect and started enjoying herself.

At one point, she accidentally got paint on her hand and lightly touched her cheek without realizing. Sophia stared at her for a second before laughing.

Jessica frowned. “What?”

Sophia pointed at what she saw and when Jessica checked, she gasped.

“Oh no.”

Soon, both of them were laughing.

~

Hours passed quicker than expected. Eventually, they both stepped back to look at their finished paintings.

Sophia’s looked soft and beautiful with warm colors and scenery. Jessica’s looked simpler but bright and expressive.

Jessica stared at hers for a while before she finally spoke.

“Wait.”

Sophia smiled. “It’s good. Don’t say anything else.”

Jessica looked surprised. “You’re not lying?”

Sophia shook her head. “I actually like it.”

Jessica looked proud immediately, then she looked at Sophia’s.

“This is unfair.” She pouted.

Sophia laughed. They took pictures together with their paintings and admired each other’s work.

By the time they finally left the art room, evening had already arrived. Downstairs, snacks and drinks had already been arranged.

They sat comfortably and ate while still talking. Jessica looked relaxed in a way Sophia hadn’t seen before.

After a while, Sophia stood up with a small smile.

“It was really nice having today with you and now, it’s a pity the day already came to an end.”

Jessica smiled warmly. “I had a wonderful day too.”

Sophia smiled, then Jessica suddenly stood up too.

She looked oddly serious now, in fact.

“Sophia…”
Sophia blinked.

“Hm?”

Jessica smiled awkwardly. “I actually wanted to ask one thing.”

Sophia looked curious.“What is it?”

Jessica hesitated for a second before smiling. 

“I would really love for you to accept one request of mine.”

Sophia looked surprised. “What request?”

Jessica looked at her hopefully.

“Can I stay overnight?”