“Niel will look after you while Dad’s away.”
Serena let out a deep sigh after Liam had just said goodbye before leaving for his honeymoon abroad.
For the next two weeks, she would be living under the same roof as that quiet man. Just imagining it made Serena sick.
“Dad, I can stay with Aunt for a while. Isn’t it completely unreasonable to leave me with him when he’s... oh my God, Dad...”
Liam approached his daughter and gripped both of Serena’s shoulders. “I know Niel very well, Serena. He won’t do anything to you. I trust him that much, which is why I’m leaving you in his care.”
Liam had known Mora—Serena’s stepmother—for quite some time. The middle-aged man said Mora had been a close friend of his in college. Besides that, Mora had also been close to Serena’s late mother, who had died giving birth to her.
However, Serena had never met Mora or Niel before. In her eyes, they were both strangers.
Serena had never approved of Liam and Mora’s marriage. But after her father kept asking and pleading with her, Serena finally agreed just to avoid the headache. Who would have thought the two of them would end up living in the same house as Serena?
“I don’t like strangers, Dad.”
“You’ll get close to him. Soon. It’s only a matter of time, sweetheart.”
“No. I don’t like quiet men.”
Liam briefly hugged Serena. Then the middle-aged man left his daughter’s room. That morning, Serena had refused to have breakfast with him, so Liam, who was about to leave, had to come see her in her room.
Meanwhile, Mora had also visited Serena shortly before Liam. Serena didn’t say much. When Mora said goodbye and hugged her, Serena simply stayed silent.
“Mom must be so sad up there because of your marriage, Dad.”
The house seemed incredibly quiet after Mora and Liam left. Serena decided to leave her room and go out to meet her friends.
She was twenty-five years old, but compared with most of her friends, Serena was the only one without a job. Yes, Liam forbade his daughter from working. His reason? They had far too much money for Serena to spend.
“Where did I put them? I could’ve sworn I left them here.” Serena carefully searched for her shoes inside the closet.
She searched from top to bottom, but Serena couldn’t find them anywhere. Eventually, she grew frustrated. She yanked open the right closet door, then slammed it shut.
As Serena was about to leave the shoe closet, something completely unexpected happened. Her body collided with Niel’s as he was walking past it.
Her head hit the man’s chest hard. Serena immediately looked up at Niel, whose face was also lowered as he gazed down at her.
A perfume scent Serena had never smelled before spread through her nose. It was so fragrant, so soothing, and...
“Could you move? I’m leaving now.”
Niel’s distinctive voice snapped Serena out of her daze. Nervously, she quickly shifted aside, moving away from Niel’s much taller body.
Inside, Serena cursed herself. How could she have just stood there in silence after colliding with him? Damn it, her heart had even started beating fast when she looked at Niel’s face earlier.
“Oh my God, Serena. Get a grip! He’s not handsome. Quiet men aren’t your type. Again, he’s not your type.” Serena kept rambling to herself in her head.