Love's Redemption

It was 5:00 AM.

I got up early and did some yoga to get myself prepared to face the new workday. I wanted to be fully energized.

At 6:00 am, after washing up and changing, I was ready to make breakfast when my phone buzzed with a text message from Brandon.

"Breakfast is on the table. The key is hanging on your door."

After staring at the message for a few minutes, I finally opened the door and indeed found a key. I opened Brandon's door and saw the breakfast he had prepared.

Last night, I couldn't bring myself to refuse his dinner offer, and naturally, I couldn't resist the temptation of good food. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

But what was the deal with this breakfast?

Was he planning to be my free caretaker?

While it felt nice to be pampered first thing in the morning, I couldn't accept it without feeling uneasy.

So I texted him back. "Brandon, are you looking for a side job?"

Brandon replied. "Yeah, just pay me a little fee for my efforts, Ms. Crown."

He sure knew how to play along.

But I knew that wasn't his intention. After pondering for a few seconds, I replied. "Brandon, you're crossing the line. We're just pretending to date."

Brandon replied. "Even though the relationship is fake, I still need to take care of your health during this period. Otherwise, as your pretend boyfriend, I'd have to worry about you."

I hadn't asked for his care, so I said, "You're overthinking this. You're only responsible for helping me play this role. Besides that, my life and health are none of your concern. And as for cooking, this is the last time. If you do it again, I won't eat it."

I wasn't heartless, but since I couldn't give him what he wanted, I couldn't accept his care and affection. I needed to make it clear that there was no need for him to invest so much effort into this.

I ate the breakfast, which was delicious and gave me the energy I needed for work.

On my way to the office, I pondered for a moment. The HR of the company hadn't called to rescind the job offer, so they might be waiting to terminate me in person.

This thought dampened my good mood, but I still went to the office.

"Welcome, Ms. Crown," Xander greeted me immediately and warmly shook my hand.

His demeanor didn't suggest he intended to fire me, so I decided to be direct. "Mr. Roulder, I heard my former employer might have interfered with my employment here. Is that true?"

Xander smiled without any surprise, and replied honestly, "Yes."

I looked at his friendly face, "But you don't seem to have any intention of firing me."

"Why would I fire you?" Xander asked in return.

Because Chris was pressuring you, I thought but didn't say aloud. Xander's cheerful smile turned into a professional one. "We are committed to not being dependent on or intimidated by anyone. We

develop through our capabilities. If others are dissatisfied, we confront them with our strength. No other tactics can bring us down."

His words filled me with a surge of energy. "Mr. Roulder, I will not let you down."

"Don't worry. Just do your best. Even if things don't go perfectly, it's fine," Xander said before flashing his bright smile again.

While valuing talent might explain the leniency, Xander's words left me slightly uncertain about the situation.

Xander then introduced me to the company and the marketing department. He specifically instructed the deputy director and supervisor to cooperate with me.

They said that new hires must go through numerous challenges to prove themselves, but I didn't feel any of that. Instead, it felt like I was being treated with the privileges of a princess.