Chapter 1 Delivering a Document

"Dear residents, please be advised that due to a confirmed case of infectious disease in our community, the entire neighborhood is now under quarantine. Please do not panic. Property management will send personnel to conduct door-to-door checks shortly. I repeat…" Standing in front of Mr. Sylvester Hall's front door, I braced myself before ringing the doorbell. The door swung open, revealing the rather annoyed but still handsome CEO in a bathrobe. "What now?" I had just come earlier to deliver a document and had interrupted his shower. And now, I had disturbed him during his shower once more. I stole a glance at the small area of chest muscle that peeked through his robe. "Uh… The property management personnel here just said that this entire neighborhood is now under lockdown. No one's allowed in or out." Mr. Hall raised an eyebrow. "So?" I flashed him a bright, ingratiating smile. "So… Mr. Hall, I was wondering if I could maybe stay at your place for a few days." The management of this upscale neighborhood had a heartless policy—outsiders could only stay in the only hotel in the area during the lockdown period, which cost 888 dollars per night. Moreover, that price was non-negotiable. Mr. Hall might be insufferable, but compared to spending 888 dollars a night, dealing with him was the better option. "No," Mr. Hall said icily, immediately trying to shut the door. Grabbing the door handle like my life depended on it, I cried out dramatically, "You can't do this to me! I've dedicated myself to you and the company. You can't just turn your back on me!" Just then, a lady who was walking her dog strolled by and witnessed this scene. She couldn't help but reprimand, "Young man, you have to be a responsible person and take some responsibility! Don't become a scumbag!" Through the narrow gap I was barely keeping open, I could see Mr. Hall's stunning face turn grim. Perhaps unable to withstand the moral pressure from his neighbor any longer, Mr. Hall eventually let me in. As I sat on the couch in the living room, Mr. Hall, now in casual clothes, sat across from me, exuding a cold, brooding air. "You can stay, but not for free," Mr. Hall stated, his expression still dark. "My housekeeper usually comes every day to clean and cook, but now, she can't come because of the lockdown. So, starting today, you'll have to do her job." I nodded enthusiastically. "Sure thing. That's no problem at all. Just leave it to me!" Mr. Hall finally looked a little less upset. I wasn't exactly skilled at housework, but thankfully, Mr. Hall's electrical appliances were high-tech and easy to use. As such, everything went smoothly—that was until I walked into the kitchen. Having just graduated, I had yet to have the chance to cook for myself since I would always just eat in the company cafeteria. Nevertheless, I felt confident I could do it. Was cooking not just tossing things into a pan and adding seasoning? How hard could it be? After watching cooking videos for two whole hours, I grabbed a dozen ingredients from the fridge and was ready to show off my skills. But the moment flames shot up from the stove, everything spun out of control. In my panic, I accidentally turned the heat up. Soon, with a loud whoosh, the oil in the pan caught fire. As I stood frozen in front of the flaming oil, someone wrapped their arm around my waist and pulled me behind them. It was Mr. Hall. Gazing at his broad shoulders, I was momentarily stunned. With swift movements, Mr. Hall turned off the stove and placed the lid on the flaming pan. Then, he turned to look at me. I was doomed. Once, a secretary named Bethany Carter got fired just for serving his coffee with her left hand. After that incident, everyone in the secretarial department kept a respectful distance from Mr. Hall, afraid that one wrong move would get them fired. It was precisely because everyone else had refused to deliver the document that day that I got stuck with the task. Now that I had nearly burned down Mr. Hall's house, there was no doubt he was going to fire me. At the height of my unease, Mr. Hall finally broke the silence. "Are you hurt?" I shook my head, looking a little despondent. He sighed. "It's fine. Just don't let it happen again." I looked up in disbelief. That was it? I just needed to make sure it wouldn't happen again? Mr. Hall was being merciful! He wasn't as heartless as my colleagues made him out to be at all! Both touched and ashamed, I said, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Hall. I'm just not used to it yet. Please let me try a few more times!" Ignoring what I had said, he kicked me out of the kitchen with a dark expression, deciding to do it himself. The way he rolled his sleeves was so seductive that I couldn't help sneaking a few more glances at him. Only he could make a Hello Kitty apron look hot. I was very grateful that he allowed me to eat his food despite almost burning his house down. Mr. Hall was pretty good at cooking. I even went for seconds, shoveling the food into my mouth as I praised his cooking enthusiastically. His expression eased a little, but disdain could still be heard in his voice as he said, "Slow down. No one's going to snatch your food." After all that, the kitchen officially became Mr. Hall's domain. Three days flew by in the blink of an eye. It was soon the day of the monthly staff meeting, where every department head had to give their report. Since I couldn't go to the company, I contacted my department head, requesting to attend via video call. As I half-listened to the COO's opening remarks, I rested my chin on my hand, eventually starting to doze off. These meetings were normally for the upper management anyway and had nothing to do with a grunt like me. Never in a million years did I expect Ms. Glenda Sanders, my department head, to single me out all of a sudden. Her sharp voice rang out. "Someone reported that an employee has falsely claimed to be quarantined and needs to work from home when their neighborhood isn't under lockdown at all! This kind of conduct is downright disgraceful! Such a poor work ethic has also had a negative impact on the rest of the employees! April Barnett, explain yourself right now!" I looked up in bewilderment, only to see my sleepy face displayed on the big screen in the conference room. I snapped to attention with a jolt, sitting up straight. "Ms. Sanders, I-I'm not lying. The neighborhood I'm currently in is really under quarantine…" "You're still trying to deny it?" Ms. Sanders snapped. "I've already checked! The only area under lockdown is Silverwood Square! Are you saying you live there? Mr. Hall lives in that neighborhood, you know. Are you trying to say Mr. Hall is your neighbor?" Flustered, I was speechless. I was just an ordinary office worker, and Silverwood Square was a place for the super-rich. If I were Ms. Sanders, I wouldn't believe that my subordinate was living in such a place either. Sneering, Ms. Sanders was just about to pass judgment on me when she suddenly choked on her words. She let out a few croaking sounds as if she were a chicken that had a hand around its neck. I froze too, staring blankly at the man who had just appeared on screen. Mr. Hall, in his bathrobe, was leaning lazily against the doorframe. He asked, "April, where's the underwear I left in the bathroom?"