Chapter 10 

“Mr. Brian, I’m just a maid. You don’t need to take me to the hospital.” Grace took a deep breath. 

Brian gritted his teeth but eventually turned the steering wheel at the next intersection, heading towards the villa. Grace breathed a sigh of relief and locked the car door. 

Once at the villa, Grace walked straight into the maid’s room, taking out folic acid, calcium pills, and blood–boosting supplements, one after the other, swallowing them. Brian glanced toward the maid’s room, a sense of irritation building in his chest. 

At that moment, Louise spoke to him, “Brian, all my clothes and bags are still at the shooting location. Can you go get them for me?” 

Brian looked at her, his expression softening, and nodded slightly. “Sure.” 

Louise walked him to the door, her tone gentle. “Drive safely.” 

Watching him drive away, she returned to her room, changed her clothes, and went to the yard to find Melvin. Melvin was busy fixing the bushes in the yard. 

“Hello, Melvin.” She smiled, walking over and picking up a watering can to help with the plants. 

Melvin respectfully nodded. “Miss Adkins.” 

With a friendly smile, Louise asked while helping, “Melvin, how many years have you been working here?” 

“Miss Adkins, I’ve been working here for six years,” Melvin replied respectfully. 

Louise nodded. “So, you and Grace have been here the longest, right?” 

Melvin didn’t answer immediately, turning to look at her before saying, “She’s been here for more than two years.” 

“She must be doing a good job here, right? I see Brian treats her well. Has she always lived on the second floor?” Louise inquired. 

Melvin’s deep pupils slightly narrowed, smiling as he looked at her. His tone remained respectful, but it seemed like he deliberately kept a distance. 

“Miss Adkins, the maids here just need to do their job. Whether it’s good or not doesn’t matter. Mr. Brian treats all of us the same.” Looking at Louise, he then added, “Miss Adkins, you shouldn’t wear yourself out. Leave these chores to us. You can take a rest.” 

Louise discreetly pressed her lips together. She understood that continuing the conversation with Melvin wouldn’t yield much, so she smiled and handed him the watering can. 

As the night wore on, no one disturbed Grace. It made her quite happy. Nestled in bed, she scrolled through her phone, browsing pregnancy knowledge. She didn’t appreciate Louise’s interruptions. Although Louise meant well, it always made her uneasy. She preferred being alone, doing the heavy and rough work around the house. 

Came dinnertime, she dozed off in a daze. When Melvin came to call her, seeing her asleep, he refrained from disturbing her. After a while. hunger stirred Grace from her slumber. 

Ever since she got pregnant, she’d become ravenous quickly. In the early stages, the baby inside her consumed nutrients madly. Coupled with having only two chicken legs for lunch, she felt incredibly famished, dizzy even just walking. 

She didn’t ch*ck the time, unaware of how late it was. Walking into the living room, she found it dark. Fumbling her way to the kitchen for food, she accidentally kicked something in the hallway. Her toe collided with a table leg, causing her to gasp in pain. 

Suddenly, the corridor light flicked on. Grace turned and met Brian’s intense gaze. He descended the stairs slowly, and Grace averted her eyes, heading straight for the kitchen. She was starving. She needed to eat right away. 

Leaning against the door frame, Brian observed her as she grabbed the leftover sandwich from the morning, eating it rather ungracefully. A twitch formed at the corner of Brian’s mouth. 

Swallowing a bite of the sandwich, Grace finally felt more alive. She looked at Brian, gesturing with the sandwich in her hand. “Mr. Brian, did you come to the kitchen for food, too? Hungry?” 

“Why didn’t you eat dinner earlier? It’s midnight, and here you are, scavenging for food. Someone might think I’m mistreating you.” Brian’s eyes narrowed, a cold snort escaping him. 

Grace pulled out a bowl of leftovers from the fridge, grabbed a fork, and replied, “I’ve never heard of a maid getting mistreated by their employers. Even if a maid somewhere is mistreated, folks at your level wouldn’t hear about it. So, your concern is unnecessary.” 

Brian’s gaze flashed. Grace had been dropping the term “maid” all day in front of him. For some reason, it irked him. They were alone in the kitchen, and he couldn’t understand why she kept playing the role of a maid. He couldn’t help but suspect she had gotten used to that identity. 

He sarcastically chuckled. “Seems like you enjoy being a maid. Well, play the part well!” 

“I will.” Grace chewed on her food, but the dishes felt tasteless. 

He stared at her momentarily, then strode over and snatched the dishes, popping them into the microwave. “If you’re playing the maid, take care of yourself. You need energy to work. Not eating properly, passing out every other day. Acting like this won’t earn you sympathy. It’ll just make folks dislike 

you more.” 

“Thanks, got it,” Grace said, lips pressed tight, watching the microwave buzz to life. 

Brian lingered, eyeing her a bit longer. He noticed the redness on her neck, the aftermath of a sunburn that’d probably peel in a couple of days. “Did you take your meds today?” 

“Yeah,” Grace replied, looking at him. She found it odd that Brian was asking. She almost suspected he was concerned about her by the way he spoke. 

Under her gaze, Brian suddenly scoffed, his tone mocking. “Grace, were you trying to sabotage my wedding shoot with Louise earlier?” 

At that moment, Grace felt stupid for thinking he cared about her. She should’ve known better. He couldn’t possibly care. Whatever she did, even if she fell ill, he’d suspect an ulterior motive. She didn’t bother explaining. He wouldn’t listen anyway. 

“If that’s how you see it, sure.” Grace shrugged. 

Brian paused, her response catching him off guard. 

Ignoring him, she grabbed the food from the microwave and continued eating. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Brian felt a surge of anger. He clenched his teeth, held it in, and finally warned in a low voice, “You better not play these fainting tricks again!” 

With that, he stormed off. Grace ate mechanically, then retreated to her room after finishing her meal. 

When Grace woke up the next day, Brian and Louise were already gone from the mansion. This made her feel incredibly happy, to the point where she felt the air around her had turned fresher. Finally, she wouldn’t have to witness Brian and Louise’s lovey–dovey scenes or deal with Louise’s constant pestering 

anymore. 

During a meal, Melvin approached and left a card on the table. “Miss Sherman, this is a card from Mr. Brian. He wants you to go to the hospital for a full b*dy checkup.” 

Grace furrowed her brow, suddenly losing her appetite. She hadn’t expected Brian to actually want her to go for a medical checkup at the hospital. “I don’t want to go, and I don’t need the money either.” 

“Miss Sherman, your health has been pretty bad lately. It’s best you go for the checkup for your own peace of mind,” Melvin persuaded. 

Grace sighed and stared at the card for a while. If she refused to go, it would raise suspicions with Brian. Plus, nob*dy ever went against Brian’s decisions. After a moment’s thought, she reluctantly took the card. 

Grace hailed a cab and went to the hospital she had visited before, seeking out the doctor. However, the female doctor was from the outpatient department, not the checkup section. She looked troubled as Grace made her request. “I know you have reasons to keep your pregnancy secret, but the checkup and outpatient departments are different. This puts me in a difficult position.”