Chapter 5

William spent the remaining weekdays thinking about a better plan, knowing his son would never agree to that setup. Still, before thinking about ways to convince him, he went back to reading what was in Anita's record.

While reading, he couldn't keep his eyes off every detail written on the printed paper. It only had two pages, but the academic and leadership awards listed impressed a billionaire like William.

Who wouldn't if the owner was a valedictorian from primary and secondary school and, to add to that, a summa cum laude when she graduated college?

She was an intelligent girl, but William couldn't believe someone who could get so much spotlight from her achievements would only become a servant in a different country. He realized how overqualified his servant was. William wasn't even like her when studying and never had such recognition.

Reading everything made him curious about what kind of life Anita had back in her country. He hired a relevant person to do a background check on her, and the investigator asked him for two days.

Early Sunday morning, he received an email with an attached document containing everything he needed.

It had pictures. Scrolling into it made William's heart ache to see images of a great example of a happy family that he only gave to his son for a brief period.

He noticed the simple life Anita had when she was a child. The genuine smiles of her siblings and parents inside their small house caught his eyes.

The next photo made him sad. It was Anita's father in the hospital, and it was evident in the picture how sick he was. All the written information and the pictures convinced William that Anita was the perfect person for the task. He knew Lennon would learn so much from the Filipina; the culture, her educational background, and how she sees life were tools for his goal to be on his palm, but before thinking of success, he needed a yes first.

That same morning, he went to the kitchen, where he could see her. He wanted Anita to feel comfortable with his presence. He could feel how uncomfortable she was the first day they met. He wanted Anita to see him as a friend, not just her boss, who would grant her wish to stay longer in the United States.

He had already thought of an offer. He felt the servant would regret it if she said no to it. William's confidence was not even half what he had for his son, who would undoubtedly get enraged just seeing him.

Anita was busy helping Linda prepare breakfast when he came. He saw the girl's captivating, sweet smile from where he stood. She was smiling like she wasn't someone who had so much trouble inside her head, and William saw this lively aura that he didn't notice the first time they met.

Anita's physical appearance didn't even matter. Although the servant had so many unique features that most men could like about her, William focused more on her personality, mindset, and things she could teach his rebellious son. He secretly wished she was brave and strict with his son. William doubts that because Anita seems like a very nice person.

Linda noticed William. He saw her look at him as well, and he took that as a cue to speak and approached them as he had just come.

"Hello, good morning!" he greeted the two. They were pretty surprised by his sudden arrival. They stopped what they were doing for a moment, and Anita silently panicked when she saw their boss for the second time.

She suddenly remembered the first conversation they had and the promise he had made. She had been waiting for an update for a few days already. It worried her, but Linda kept convincing her to stay calm and trust their boss because she believed he would stick to his words.

Seeing him at the moment made her think of asking him about it, but she was too shy to inquire.

"Good morning!" Linda said with a smile. Anita greeted William too, but her voice was only a whisper.

Catching their boss looking at her made her swallow her words, and how he smiled at her made her uncomfortable. Anita was the first one to look away. She couldn't bear her awkwardness because he was staring at her, and William couldn't hide his amusement from her. Her shyness was too modest for any man to witness.

That exact moment caught Linda's eye. The sight brought unexplainable tickles to Linda's stomach. She noticed something different about William that day. Being her friend and knowing him for a long time, the smile on his face and in his eyes also delighted her.

Linda cleared her throat to get William's attention, and the billionaire got stunned by what she did that Linda found funny.

"What's with that look?" She whispered to William. She didn't want Anita to hear because he was just next to him, and those were too loud for him to hear.

"N-Nothing," he briefly answered, and while acting like he was fixing his clothes and how he stood, added," Can I talk to you for some time?" He wanted to get Linda's opinion regarding his plan before taking a step.

"We could," Linda unhesitantly replied, put down the spatula, and turned off the stove.

William took the lead. Linda followed him outside after explaining to Anita what to do with the other ingredients on the table. She nodded and was about to go back to slicing the carrot for the soap when she unintentionally cut the tip of her fingers.

Anita ran towards the sink to wash the blood dripping from her finger. Trying to remove the juice of the carrot made her wound tingle. Linda heard Anita's short, in-pain scream, and she forgot their boss was already waiting outside the kitchen's backdoor.

"What happened?" Linda asked with so much concern. She approached her to see how it was and immediately saw the blood mixing in the running water. She took her hand and examined it, only to discover the cut was deep.

Linda hurried to get the first aid kit in her room and was already out of sight when William returned to see what was going on. He immediately saw Anita near the sink. She was already pressing the wound, putting enough pressure to stop the bleeding, when William suddenly grabbed her hand.

Surprised by what he did, Anita froze where she stood. She could feel the warmth of his hand on hers, but the pressure he put on her wound made her wince.

"Press it this way," he instructed. "I won't let a servant die in my vicinity because she lost a lot of blood by a cut on her finger," William added.

The way William uttered those words was far from how they spoke the last time, and she could sense genuine concern in him. Anita couldn't avoid thinking that the person in front was different. She mostly heard his voice when William was furious when scolding his son, for she had already heard them fighting a few times.

Anita mimicked what he did to the wound. It was like sticking the skin back, and with enough pressure, it did help. William walked away after he saw she was doing what he taught before Linda saw him doing what he was doing.

"Tell Linda I'll be heading to my horseback riding," he said after grabbing one apple from the basket and walking away.

Anita couldn't answer. She watched him leave the kitchen from the back door. Linda came back holding a small white rectangular container. She placed it on the tiled marble sink and took an ointment inside that could help stop the bleeding after cleaning before she put the band-aid.

"Be careful next time," Linda murmured while putting ointment on Anita's wound. She didn't notice William was already gone and only found out when Anita told Linda about what message William had left for her.

"We need to bring food there then," Linda uttered as she put the first aid kit on the side.

"We?" Anita asked in disbelief.

"Yes. You don't want to come?" Linda asked, a bit confused by Anita's reaction. She then thought maybe she didn't want to go to the place where they were going to bring breakfast. She might regret it since it was a beautiful place.

"I want to!" she exclaimed.

"I thought you didn't," Linda murmured, and the two returned to preparing food.

The breakfast was already in a basket when the wireless phone on the counter started ringing. Anita watched Linda talk on the phone. She noticed her wrinkled forehead while listening to the person on the other line.

"Okay," she politely said before putting the phone back where she had taken it and turning back to Anita to tell her they were going.

Anita carried a medium-sized basket. A 4x4 that would take them to where their boss was already waiting for them outside. Anita had never been to the place they were about to go. On their way, she felt awe while watching the green field on the opened window while smelling the cool and fresh air.

Countless cattle and sheep were roaming inside an enclosure. Unlike the usual farm animals, Anita mostly sees the country she came from. Those she saw were hairier and more round, and the calf was adorable. Anita also saw many chickens, ducks, and even ostriches in separate enclosures. It seemed she was on a field trip, and Anita even thought of nursery rhymes she would sing while they were on their way.

It took them ten minutes to reach their destination. Anita's jaw almost dropped while looking at what was in front of them. It was like a paradise in the middle of nowhere. There were countless beautiful gigantic plants, trees with colorful leaves giving enough shade, and birds chirping. The river she could hear the water flowing was relaxing.

She followed Linda while carrying the basket. It was already fascinating outside, but what she saw inside was more than she expected. There was a pavilion right in the middle of the river. There were arc bridges to walk on on both the front and back, and an artificial forest on the other side was captivating.

William was walking on the other side of the bridge. They met in the middle, where the wooden, Japanese-inspired pavilion was. Anita placed the basket she was carrying on a small table where Linda pointed. After putting it down and raising her head, a white-carved rock caught her attention.

She eventually realized it wasn't just a rock because it was a tombstone, and there was a mausoleum.