Chapter 6
Melvin didn’t waste any time grabbing the work from her hands. With Melvin’s help, Grace quickly whipped up the beef stew. She didn’t want to head upstairs and witness Brian and Louise being all lovey- dovey, so she sent Melvin up to let them know the food was ready.
Brian led Louise downstairs by the hand into the dining room, where the aroma hit them. Louise sniffed around, picking up on the scent of peanut butter. Brian seated her and sweetly served her some food, but as Louise glanced at her plate, a glint of maliciousness flashed in her eyes.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?” Brian asked.
Louise shook her head. “Nope, Grace is a whiz in the kitchen. I smelled the goodness before I even got to the dining room.”
She elegantly scooped up some beef from her plate and brought it to her lips. “Brian, do you like beef stew? I’m not great at making it. Will you hold it against me?” She paused after taking a bite, looking at Brian with a hint of playfulness.
“Of course not! I love anything you cook. But let the help take care of these chores. I don’t want you to be worn out,” Brian said, gazing at her affectionately. Louise giggled and lowered her gaze.
Grace felt the scene painfully saddening, her heart racing. She turned and hurriedly made her way upstairs. After about fifteen minutes or so, the door suddenly burst open! Grace jumped, startled, only to find Brian storming in with an icy expression. He strode over, grabbed Grace by her collar, and pulled her outside.
“What are you doing?” Panic surged within Grace as she instinctively protected her stomach, utterly terrified.
“Seeing the mess you’ve made!” Brian had never been this furious before, but Grace somehow sensed it had something to do with Louise.
He dragged and tossed her in front of Louise, pointing at the table, demanding, “Why did you put peanut butter in there? Don’t you know many folks are allergic to peanuts?”
Louise lay half–propped on the couch, struggling, clutching her throat, with specks of red rashes appearing on her arms.
“I–I didn’t know she was allergic to peanuts.”
Brian glared at Grace, seething with anger. “You didn’t know? First time cooking for her, and you didn’t bother to ask about allergies? You think a simple ‘didn’t know‘ excuses you from responsibility?”
Grace looked at his face, swallowing her bitterness, and apologized to Louise, “I’m sorry.”
“Brian, please don’t make things hard for her. I didn’t want to disappoint her efforts. She worked hard to prepare all this food, and I couldn’t just say no. Besides, I saw you were pretty keen on it, so I went along. It’s my fault, really,” Louise said.
Brian’s brow furrowed deeply as he went over and lifted her up. “Why are you being so foolish? You’re
making it look like it’s all your fault!”
He held Louise close, his gaze darkening as it fell upon Grace’s face, a look that could slice her to pieces.
“You better pray she’s okay! Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be!”
Grace understood what he meant. If anything happened to Louise because of this, Brian would terminate the contract at once, and Grace wouldn’t see a cent.
Her heart sank, and she muttered, “I’m sorry. I’ll remember Miss Adkins‘ likes and dislikes from now on.”
Nestled in his embrace, Louise tugged at his clothes and softly pleaded for Grace. “Brian, please don’t be so harsh on her. I feel awful.”
Brian lowered his head and gently assured her, “I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”
Grace watched his retreating figure in a daze. His attitude toward her and Louise couldn’t have been more different, and that reality stabbed deep into Grace’s heart.
Soon after, her phone received a text message. [Don’t even think about harming her, or you’ll suffer a painful fate!]
Reading those words felt like daggers piercing her heart. She didn’t expect Brian to suspect her of deliberately poisoning Louise. She couldn’t comprehend why Brian held such a negative opinion of her, seeing her as cunning and deceitful.
Feeling lost, she turned and headed upstairs. Seeing her state, Melvin became concerned and brought her a cup of warm milk.
In a muffled voice, she said, “Melvin, please set the milk down and go rest. I’ll drink it later.”
Melvin hesitated before comforting her, “Miss Sherman, are you still upset about what just happened? I know you didn’t mean any harm.”
Grace glanced at him and forced herself to put on a smile, but it was a smile so bleak at that moment, looking more dismal than a crying face. “I’m not upset. I’m living well here. What’s there to be upset about?”
“Well, please drink the milk while it’s warm. It’ll get cold soon, and your health hasn’t been great lately.”
Grace nodded and took a big gulp of the warm milk. Its strong odor churned her stomach, and after drinking it, she felt a violent upheaval within. She covered her mouth and nose, rushing to the bathroom, retching uncontrollably into the sink.
Seeing her in such a state, Melvin rushed over anxiously, asking, “Miss Sherman, are you okay? Is it a stomach issue? I’ll call a doctor right away!”
“No need! I got checked at the hospital today. The doctor said my stomach acid is a bit high lately, but with care, it’ll get better.” Grace hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, stopping him from calling the doctor.
Melvin, seeing her pale face, felt unsure of what to do. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded slowly and said, “Then please rest well.”
Returning to his room, Melvin pondered recent events in the house, feeling a pang of sadness for Grace. Even though he had no right to meddle in his employer Brian’s personal affairs, having spent years with Grace, he could sense her unwavering dedication to Mr. Brian. Melvin couldn’t fathom why Brian never seemed to notice this kind–heartedness in Grace. After much thought, Melvin couldn’t resist and dialed Brian’s number from the living room.
“Mr. Brian, Miss Sherman seems really unwell. She just vomited again, and she barely ate anything tonight.”
A cold snort echoed through the receiver, followed by Brian’s low voice. “She’s playing this sympathy- seeking act again, Melvin. Don’t let her fool you. Don’t call me for this kind of thing again unless she’s dead.” With that, he abruptly hung up, leaving Melvin only to hear the dial tone.
Melvin froze, staring at the phone in his hand, sighing deeply.
Meanwhile, on Brian’s end, after hanging up, he instantly softened his grim expression from the call. He looked tenderly at Louise, who was getting an IV, and asked with concern, “How are you feeling now? Any better?”
“Was it Melvin who called? Is Grace sick again?” Louise bit her lip.
Sorry
He gently pulled her into his arms, feeling sorry for her. “You’re still worrying about her now! Okay, let’s not talk about her anymore.”
Louise rested her chin on his shoulder, a malicious smirk on her lips as she softly said, “Okay, I won’t ous smirk on her lips as she softly said, “Okay, I won’t mention hér.”
After a while, he released her and spoke gently, “We haven’t eaten much tonight. I’ll go get you something to eat.”
