Chapter 2

Sharon didn't even hesitate. "I'll stay in the room Daniel keeps full of my photos, the one he goes to when he misses me."

The butler, Barry Fischer, looked confused. "There's no such room, is there?"

Sharon's voice shot up. "What do you mean there's no such room?

"In every romance story, when the hero's true love goes abroad, he always keeps a locked room for her photos and no one else can enter.

"If you don't know about it, just say so. Don't act like it doesn't exist."

I missed the rest of her rant, just shook my head and sympathized with Barry.

After moving into the penthouse, life got pretty chill for me.

Other than sneaking back to the villa every day with Barry's help and dodging Sharon to cook for Daniel, I was basically living the easy life.

I was looking healthier and more energetic by the day, but Barry was visibly running out of steam.

During another one of our sneaky meetups, I finally asked Barry, "Hey, has work at the villa been that hectic lately? You look like you haven't gotten any sleep in forever."

Barry let out a long sigh. "Don't even get me started. Miss Townsend's been driving me up the wall lately.

"The very first day she moved in, she wanted Mr. Ford to fire me because I didn't tell her she was the first woman he ever brought home with him.

"The next day, she asked if Mr. Ford hadn't smiled once in the ten years since she left. When I showed her a photo of him grinning during an interview from a couple days ago, and she got so pissed she hurled my phone across the room."

Barry finally found someone to vent to, and he started ranting nonstop about everything Sharon had put him through this week.

Watching Barry go off like that, I couldn't help but feel a wave of relief.

Thank goodness I moved into the penthouse the day Sharon arrived. If I'd had to put up with Sharon's over-the-top soap opera antics every day, I'd probably lose years off my life.

But clearly, I was counting my blessings a little too soon.

A couple days into my peaceful routine, the doorbell at the penthouse started ringing like it was the end of the world.

I barely had the door open before Sharon shoved past me and stormed inside.

She strutted around the place like she owned it, looking arrogant. "No wonder you left so easily then. Turned out Daniel stashed you here."

I frowned. I was desperate to get her out of here.

"Miss Townsend, I'm really just a chef. If you don't believe me, I can show you my contract," I said.

I handed her the contract, and when her eyes landed on the annual salary, she nearly choked.

"2.5 million dollars?" Sharon shouted.

She gave a cold laugh, grabbed the contract, and smacked it down on the coffee table.

"What kind of chef gets paid that much? This has to be your allowance as his lover," Sharon sneered.

I earned my own living with hard work. Her remark was an insult to me.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I pulled out my phone and dialed Daniel.

"Mr. Ford, can you please keep your precious true love under control?" I snapped.

Daniel let out a heavy sigh on the other end. "She came to you? Put her on the phone."

Sharon grabbed the phone, still looking all smug and dismissive, but as she listened, her expression totally changed.

She shot me a death glare, snapped "Fine" at Daniel, and hung up.

Then, she tossed her hair and returned to her arrogant attitude. "You got lucky today. But don't think this is over.

"Daniel's only fooled by you for now, but soon enough he'll realize you're just a fake. You'll never measure up to me."

She spat out her threats and stormed off, slamming the door so hard it rattled the whole apartment. I couldn't help thinking maybe Daniel owed me some hazard pay for putting up with this drama.

To avoid any more drama from Sharon, I stayed far away from the villa for the next few days.

Each day, after cooking, I'd pack up the food in lunchboxes and let Barry deliver it to Daniel.

When Barry showed up again, he brought not just the lunchboxes, but also an invitation to Sharon's welcome-home dinner.

I stared at that gold-stamped invitation, and my temples started pounding.

Just as I was about to refuse, Barry said, "Mr. Ford's at his wit's end with Miss Townsend. He said if you show up, you'll get ten times your usual overtime pay."

He shot me a look that practically screamed, 'Some girls really do have all the luck.'

I switched gears in a heartbeat.

"Overtime pay? Who cares about that? If Mr. Ford needs me, just say the word, I'll go above and beyond for him!" I gushed.

The welcome dinner was held at Daniel's villa. When I showed up, Sharon was at the piano, playing away.

Soft spotlights washed over her, and for once, she really did look like Daniel's forever love.