Chapter 2

"Quality medicine," Tina said. "I never expected Leo to be decent at heart. He seems dark and menacing, yet there is kindness in him. I heard the brothers endured much before their awakening. No wonder he carries such fine healing salves."

Honestly, I never thought Leo would step in to save me. Right now, the dislike and fear I had for him had eased up a bit.

Tina and I got my uniform from one of the maids. Then we headed back to the servants' quarters to change into those slightly embarrassing maid outfits.

Just then, the butler, Peter, called from outside. "Nancy, Mr. Leo Goodman wants you in the sitting room on the third floor. Tina, you are to attend the gym on the fourth."

When I reached the third-floor sitting room, I was taken aback by the opulence.

Dark wood paneling lined the walls, and the furniture was heavy mahogany. The centerpiece table was carved from a single slab of dark walnut.

Leo was preparing coffee with effortless grace, leaning against the table and beckoning me over with a lazy wave.

His face was so stunning it was almost unreal, like a siren from legend.

My heart skipped a beat, and I hurried over without thinking.

"Can you brew?" Leo asked.

I nodded, moving with elegant confidence as I began to pour.

My family was not wealthy, but my parents were relentless. They had insisted I master every skill under the sun.

Leo lounged lazily in the wooden chair, picked up his cup, and took a sip. "Not bad."

I widened my eyes, putting on my most innocent look. "Mr. Leo Goodman, are you certain it is merely 'not bad'?"

"What, you are no longer afraid of me?"

Of course I was afraid. But I was more afraid of death.

Besides, Tina and I had already agreed on a strategy. We had to take the initiative and secure the Goodman brothers.

I said, "I am afraid. Afraid you will not favor me. So how am I to win you? By force, or by honeyed words?"

Leo paused, then let out a low chuckle, his tone shifting abruptly. "Oh, is that so? Then what of this?"

We had been speaking, and now he was shifting.

The man who had been lounging in the chair moments before had become a giant wolf, his ice-gray eyes fixing upon me as if I were prey.

My shoulders shook, but I forced myself to remain calm. "I am not going anywhere, Mr. Leo Goodman. You need not be so captivating even in your true form."

The wolf's head drew close to my face, as if trying to sniff out whether I lied.

The sheer dominance radiating from his apex bloodline made every hair on my body stand on end.

"Mr. Leo Goodman, your fur is all knotted. Let me work it out for you," I offered.

With that, I curved my fingers into claws and reached out, stroking his wolf head as if petting a giant, fluffy puppy.

Peter rushed in with fresh coffee, reaching out to stop me.

The next second, the wolf let out a deep, contented rumble and opened his mouth wide.

I turned to Peter, puzzled by his hand frozen in midair.

"Nothing. Please continue." Peter set the coffee on the table and left quickly.

I stroked the wolf's soft, fluffy fur gently.

The memory of how close I had come to being devoured sent a shiver of relief through me. Yet I could not stop worrying about Tina.

While Leo slept, I slipped away to find Tina.

I did not see that the moment I turned, his eyes opened, gleaming with the look of a predator who had found something intriguing.

*****

When I reached the gym, Tina was attending Hugo with fawning devotion, wiping his sweat and offering him water.

I waved at her from the doorway.

"Nancy, what brings you here? Did that wolf trouble you?" Tina asked.

Hugo appeared calm and steady, nothing like his brother's mercurial, calculating nature.

"Don't even get me started. How about you, Tina?" I asked.

"Hugo is like a great silent stone. He speaks not a word. Such a waste of that formidable frame," Tina complained.

After our brief exchange of grievances, Tina and I spent the remainder of the day in ceaseless labor, scarcely finding respite.

Back in the servants' quarters, I was midway through my bath when my phone began to ring incessantly.

"Tina, can you get that for me?" I called out.

Tina replied, "Nancy, Peter says Mr. Leo Goodman requires his bathrobe and flower petals."

I dressed quickly. Seeing Tina rise as well, I gave her a questioning look.

"Peter also wishes me to prepare Hugo's bed," Tina explained.

We exchanged a glance that spoke of shared hardship, then parted ways.

*****

In the heated pool, Leo Goodman leaned against the edge, eyes half-closed, with only his broad shoulders breaking the surface.

I scattered the petals into the water.

The edge was slick. As I moved to offer to scrub his back, I slipped. I adopted my most pitiful expression. "It is so slippery."

Leo opened his eyes, one eyebrow lifting. "Come here."

I continued my affected performance. "I have fallen, Mr. Leo Goodman. I require your assistance to rise."

He let out a low scoff. "So eager to see my body?"