Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 56 - 55. Between Eggshells

Chapter 56: Chapter 55. Between Eggshells

Sarah almost couldn’t leave Helios since Little Bird was clinging to her so much. She even had to eat her dinner there, to Hajin’s displeasure.

But what could he do? They needed Little Bird, and his master didn’t mind spending some time with the girl. If some playtime and dinner bumped their request to the priority list, Sarah would gladly indulge the girl.

It was just...since he wasn’t allowed to be inside, he couldn’t help but feel anxious since it reminded him of what happened in the Circle--even though there was no one but Little Bird in the nest. His expression was so grim and menacing that Lee Sol even offered him a session with the fighters below to relax.

But Hajin did not do what his master didn’t tell him to do, so he just waited outside the nest with a look that could kill. His straight, stiff lips immediately changed into a smile when he heard the sound of Sarah saying goodbye to the clingy Little Bird, however, and it made Sol shudder in fright.

Returning after spending two days at the hotel, the annex almost felt like home despite its unfortunate location. Sarah stretched her arms while making a beeline for the bathroom.

"Phew...I need to take a shower," Sarah stopped and paused when a strong hand held the door handle before she could. She looked up with a slight frown and asked dryly. "What?"

"Can you..." Hajin clenched his jaw; his bowed head made it difficult for Sarah to read his expression, but it was pretty clear from his slightly shaky voice. "Can you not soak today? Just...just take a normal shower?"

Sarah stared at the pale knuckles on the door handle. It almost seemed like the man would break the handle and the keyhole just so he could barge into the bathroom at any time.

"If you can’t, then at least let me stay inside," the grip on the handle loosened as the stern voice turned into resignation. "I won’t look or anything, just--"

"I won’t," Sarah replied briefly. "I’ll just take a quick shower."

Even after she said that, Hajin did not let go of the handle. From her experience, there was no way Sarah could peel that muscle-laden hand from the door, so she deepened her furrowed brows.

"What is it?"

Hajin raised his bowed face slightly so he could meet the dull, black eyes. "Can you promise?"

"You’re not in a position to make any demand, J."

The black eyes turned cold, and Hajin couldn’t help but sigh. "Am I allowed to make any request, at least?"

Without answering, Sarah smacked the bodyguard’s hand aside and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind Hajin’s anxious face. She could hear it, though; how the man pressed his head against the door and sighed deeply. Sarah knew Hajin would stay there until she came out, and while it was annoying, she couldn’t blame him.

Well...it was her own habit that drove the man to act like this, after all.

Letting the shower drown the sound of her own sigh and groan, Sarah stood beneath the warm rain while her thoughts ran into the realm of regret and...confusion.

Oh, why was this becoming so hard? It seemed easy enough in the past, when she told the man she wouldn’t give him her heart. But the more they acted, the more she felt pulled into the man’s charm. Was this why actors sometimes fell in love on the set? It was especially hard after she let herself fall into temptation and kissed Hajin. And after...after that night...

She was afraid. She was scared of falling deeper and forgetting what she was supposed to do.

Like how he got blindsided by the first son in her previous timeline, even if her feelings were purely familial in nature.

She sighed and shook her head strongly before turning off the water and stepping out of the shower. Wrapping herself in the bathrobe, she peeked out of the window as she was a silhouette outside, entering the annex uninvited.

"Are you done, Master?"

As expected, Hajin was still waiting in front of the door. His anxious eyes made him look more like a puppy rather than the mad dog he was known to be. Sarah furrowed her brows--could this man still act like he was uncomfortable with her advances like this?

For the sake of burying her self-doubt and preserving her initial goal, Sarah determined to enforce the pretend play they were having. If that meant she should act even while there was no one else around, then so be it.

It might as well be that they had an audience for it.

Smiling coquettishly, Sarah tilted her head. "Why? Do you want to join me if I’m not done yet?"

The corner of the grey eyes twitched in displeasure, but Hajin was still an experienced, professional bodyguard. "I am but your servant, Master," he said in a subservient tone, realizing her intention. "I’m here to do what you told me to."

"Sure," Sarah stepped closer and pressed a finger on the broad chest. "But what do you want to do?"

Of course, there was nothing more Hajin wanted to do than ’join’ her. But alas--it was nothing but a ruse, and he had to bitterly put on a show and pretend to be flustered. "Ahem," he let out an insincere cough with a complicated gaze.

"Oh, you little shy puppy," Sarah glanced toward the door, where she was sure someone must have been listening closely. It helped her state of mind, convincing her that everything was indeed an act. "Do help me change, won’t you?"

"Yes, Master."

Hajin leaned down and suddenly, Sarah found her feet off the floor. She almost screamed in surprise while clutching the bodyguard’s shirt tightly in reflex, until she remembered that she wasn’t supposed to be in fright and replaced her scream with a slightly choked giggle.

"Don’t get too carried away," she pulled the bodyguard’s leash and whispered in a hiss.

"I’m just doing what you told me, Master."

Annoyingly, Hajin replied in a flat, almost robotic tone. Sarah bit the inside of her cheek as he lowered her head to hide her frown. She knew she was the one to enforce this situation, but it was honestly...kind of confusing.

They were being conscious and cautious toward each other, but from how fast Hajin swept her off her feet and how much their heartbeat increased from this supposed ’act’, it was clear that they were looking for a chance and justification to ’return’ to how things were before the drug incident.

As Hajin brought Sarah to the couch, they could hear a muffled noise from the door. Perhaps their guest got too curious as their voices got further away from the door. Thinking about the guest pressing their ear to the door was rather hilarious, honestly.

"Excuse me, Master--I shall check the noise," Hajin said after pressing his lips to stop himself from laughing.

He placed Sarah gently in the armchair, and when he straightened his back again, his face had returned to the cold, impassive persona he always had in front of the family. Hajin reached the door in just four long strides and quite deliberately yanked the bedroom door open. Sarah could see the guest had hastily run away to the other side of the living room, as if she hadn’t been loitering around the door just a few seconds ago.

Quite fast, honestly.

"The Older Miss’s attendant is here," Hajin told her from the door, sounding most unimpressed.

"Huh? This late?" Sarah tilted her head. "What does she want?"

"She said she had a message from the older miss," he said after an erratic reply from the attendant.

Sarah arched her brow before scoffing sharply. "And she can’t tell me that herself? Are we not living in a modern world with phones and such anymore?"

Hajin turned his head and smiled subtly. "It seems like she’s currently abroad, Master."

"Huh..." Sarah let out a confused sound even though her lips curled at that information. "No wonder I haven’t heard from her much."

"What should we do about the attendant?"

"Nggh..." Sarah replaced her laughter with a loud whine. "Come in."

Hajin opened the door wider and walked back to his master while Amber’s attendant carefully entered the room. She stopped only after one step inside the room, however, pressing her lips to prevent a gasp from slipping out. Her eyes widened slightly at the view of the second young miss only in her bathrobe, tied rather loosely and exposing her fair neck to the expanse of her upper chest, still blushing from the warm shower--or perhaps something else, who knows?

Water droplets glistened on her skin still, including the inked shoulder. As a dedicated servant, Hajin held a soft towel and gently dried his master’s hair while she was observing the intruding attendant.

The attendant lowered her eyes when she caught Sarah’s gaze. A new girl, perhaps--or the youngest. That was why she was left there instead of going abroad with her boss like the other ones. Her loyalty probably wasn’t too deep, and seeing how curious she was, the girl probably spent time gossiping with the other house staff members.

Sarah curled her lips and patted the bodyguard’s hand. "Be a good boy and get me something to drink, puppy."

"What would you like to have, Master?"

"Something hot," she said, almost dreamily, before correcting herself with a scandalous tone that made the attendant flinch. "Or rather...something that makes me hot?"

"...understood," Hajin replied after swallowing rather heavily--still, he managed to make his voice flat.

It made the attendant question the relationship between the two. Perhaps...the bodyguard wasn’t too keen? Well, it was indeed hard to reject the advances of someone who paid them.

Oh, wouldn’t the other be thrilled to hear this? She knew lots of the girls had been eyeing the handsome man ever since he arrived at the mansion.

The attendant’s trailing thought, however, had to be cut short by the young miss’s words.

"What is it?" Sarah asked impatiently. "What does Eonni want?"

"Ahem--Young Miss wants to have a private talk with you, Second Miss," the attendant replied quickly after dismissing her thought.

"So? Why are you here?" Sarah tilted her head, making the lapel of her bathrobe slip sideways even more. "We can have a private talk here, no?"

"She wants to talk outside, Second Miss," the attendant lowered her gaze again, for some reason feeling rather bashful. "Not...in the house."

"Ugh--what a drag."

The attendant added quickly. "Umm...she said it’s important and she wants to talk right after she lands tomorro--"

"Oh, for fuck’s sake--just tell me the time!"

"A-at seven tomorrow night, Ma’am!"

Sarah clicked her tongue. "Wasting my time when you can just say that from the start."

The attendant lowered her head even more. Whoever said the second young miss wasn’t all that was talking out of their ass!

"Ugh--fine, I’ll be there," Sarah rolled her eyes after almost a minute of silent contemplation.

"T-thank you, Miss!" the attendant bowed profusely. After all, if she couldn’t receive a favorable answer, she would get berated for days, or even weeks.

"Just go," Sarah flicked her hand and the attendant wasted no time to scurry away, only pausing briefly to glance at Hajin who was returning with a glass that smelled like alcohol.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the lingering gaze of the attendant, but she averted her gaze shortly in case Hajin could see it. The man waited until the attendant truly left the annex before pointing at the glass in his hand.

"Are you going to drink this, Master?" he asked. Saraj replied with a glare and he chuckled in response. "I’ll go and make your ginger milk."

Sarah bit her lips when the bodyguard exited the room again, grumbling inwardly and scolding herself for her conflicted feelings.

Haa...she did not remember it to be this hard when they were just starting.

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