Chapter 4 A Bad Feeling

Although Mr. King's face was unreadable, Harris knew that Alexander King definitely found Lena interesting. Looking back at Lena's pitiful appearance a few months ago when they first met, he couldn't help but sigh. She looked nothing short of a mentally ill person. Most homeless individuals would easily take the money, bank cards, and valuable documents in his wallet to get a life with it. But she returned it to him. That was when he realized she wasn't a mentally ill person at all. Although she was still depressed and she didn't say anything about her struggle, her actions were intelligent and clear. She even wrote every word correctly on paper during their interaction, explaining to him where she found the wallet. He had convinced her that he wanted to help her as an appreciation and took her home. His wife, Benita, was kind enough to welcome her. She cleaned Lena up and taught her every sign language she knew to this day-an advantage of Benita being a sign language tutor. After a few weeks, Lena began to adjust a bit and opened up to Benita. Benita was the one who explained to Harris that Lena wasn't born mute and told him about her marital status as a widow who lost her husband and her special needs daughter. At that moment, Mr. Harris had an idea that she might be just the savior that Mr. King needed for his children. So he encouraged Lena to give it a try. --- "Fine. You're not completely useless, I guess." Nathan broke into Mr. Harris' thoughts. Lena smiled back at him. Natalie, on the other hand, beamed. "Does this mean she passed?" She turned to her dad, same with Nathan and Mr. Harris. However, Mr. King only blinked when Lena gazed up at him. He immediately forced his gaze away and cleared his throat. He didn't answer right away. He stood and walked toward them. Lena stood there, motionless, while the twins settled onto the couch. Her heart pounded in her chest when Mr. King stopped in front of her. Too close. Her breath hitched. A sudden nervousness curled in her stomach. Was it because she had never been this close to a celebrity before? And then, his scent hit her. Rich. Intoxicating. Masculine. She remembered the cologne she had bought her husband on his birthday. The way his face had lit up, as if she had given him the world. He had sprayed too much, drowning himself in the scent, then laughed and apologized for wasting it. "I know you worked hard to buy this," he had said. She didn't get mad or offended. She had only smiled because he loved it. That was all that mattered. But where are you now, Chris? --- "Tell me," Mr. King's deep voice cut through her thoughts, "why should I employ you?" She gasped loudly and blinked. That drew attention. When she looked up at him, tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them. Mr. King froze that instant. He couldn't take his eyes off hers. Looming above her because of his tall height, for some reason, his thumb itched to wipe off the tears from her small face. How can one cry so beautifully? Meanwhile, the twins and Mr. Harris stared at Lena, speechless. Realizing, panic surged through Lena's veins. No, no, no. Not here. Not now. She wiped her face roughly, almost frantically, her fingers trembling. Then she wrote down on her notepad, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I am so, so sorry. Can you repeat the question, sir?" Harris cursed inwardly. She spaced out again. "She's crying," Natalie whispered. Mr. King exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. What the hell was that just now? He groaned inwardly. This is ridiculous. He wasn't expecting to be drawn to her this much. Normally, he doesn't pay even a little bit of attention to his female employees or even colleagues-any female at all. Detached and closed off. Yet somehow, in mere minutes, this mute woman had found a way into his mind. That irritated him. He didn't like when he couldn't control his own thoughts and emotions. She was supposed to be here for the kids, and her job was to get into the kids' hearts. Why was he affected too? Could it be her appearance? No, he was supposed to hate that ginger hair and freckles. --- "Emmmm... Dad, are you okay?" Nathan's voice interrupted his thoughts. Mr. King blinked and walked back to his former position. "You have a week," he said. "If the twins still accept you by the end of the week, and you think you can handle them, then you will be employed as their nanny." Lena's green teary eyes widened in surprise, and then she smiled. She took her note and quickly wrote: "I won't fail them, sir. THANK YOU!" Nathan scowled. "One week? But I don't like her." Natalie clapped her tiny hands. "Yay! She stays!" Mr. King turned to his manager, Mr. Harris. "I will leave the rest to you. Discuss the pay with her." Harris smiled back and nodded. Mr. King addressed Lena without looking back at her. "Ms. Smith, you can take the guest room near the twins' quarters. That way, you will be within hearing distance if anything happens." Lena nodded with a smile. "Come, let me show you the room," Natalie said and took her hands. Lena smiled back at her and carried the small bag beside her, which contained all her possessions-a small framed picture that was identical to the one in her locker necklace, and a few dresses that Mr. Harris bought for her during her stay at his place. Afterwards, Natalie led her away, while her twin brother walked behind them. Mr. King heard their footsteps exiting the room. Finally, he turned and watched them disappear down the hall. Actually, he wasn't watching them-he was watching only her. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Damn it. He got a bad feeling about this. Not because she wasn't fit for the job. But because she had already touched a part of him he didn't want to feel again. --- As soon as they were out of sight, he turned furiously to Mr. Harris. "What the hell were you thinking by bringing her into this mansion?! Didn't you see her...? Who does she remind you of? You know how much I hate that woman." Harris blinked, a bit confused, then he recovered quickly. "It didn't cross my mind, sir. I deeply apologize." "Oh yes, of course, it didn't cross your mind," Mr. King replied and cursed. "She was a nice young lady, a young widow who lost her daughter and husband. I couldn't help but pity her, so I didn't think deeply about her appearance. I thought it wouldn't matter to you. I apologize again, sir." "She was married?" Mr. King asked, throwing away the rest of the information. "Yes, sir. They had a special needs daughter. That's why I thought she would understand the twins better."