Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Do Laundry and Cook? Serve Them?

A nanny? Do their laundry and cooking? Wait on them?

What made them think she would agree, and why were they acting like they were doing her a favor?

Yvonne Sutton let out a speechless laugh. She couldn’t even be bothered to reply and just turned to leave.

"Yvonne Sutton, I considered you first because we’re friends. You don’t have to worry about the pay; I won’t shortchange you. You shouldn’t let your pride get in the way. Just think it over. After all, the rent for this villa you’re in must be quite expensive."

Wendy Winters’s voice trailed after her, but Yvonne Sutton quickened her pace and finally shook the sound off.

See? The world was so quiet, so wonderful.

Yvonne Sutton shoved her hands in her pockets and walked home with a light step.

The next day, she started painting the walls. The original walls were all white. The first-floor living room was fine, but she wanted to paint the second-floor bedroom and small sitting room a light blue.

After mixing the latex paint, Yvonne Sutton carried it to the second floor and began painting. It didn’t go smoothly at first, but after watching a few more tutorial videos, she slowly got the hang of it.

But she was too slow on her own, so when Leo Flynn called, she told him to hurry over and help.

Leo Flynn didn’t come alone; he brought Joshua Hale with him. When the two saw the fruits of her labor, they gave her an impressed thumbs-up. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"But Yvonne, you’re just renting. Do you really have to go through all the trouble of redecorating?" Leo Flynn asked while stirring the latex paint.

Yvonne Sutton replied casually, "If I’m going to live here, it should be comfortable."

"True that."

Joshua Hale was more experienced than the other two. He corrected their technique and smoothed out the spots Yvonne Sutton had previously missed.

"The owner of this house must be an unhappy person," Joshua Hale said.

Yvonne Sutton tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

"Look at these stark white walls, the grayish-white floor tiles, and the empty rooms. What does it remind you of?"

"What?" Leo Flynn asked curiously.

"A morgue."

"Huh?" Leo Flynn glanced around and couldn’t help but shiver. "It does feel a bit like one."

"So, how could someone living in a place like this every day be happy?"

Yvonne Sutton looked around the house as well. In truth, from the very first day she moved in, she’d only had one feeling: cold.

It lacked warmth, feeling lifeless and stagnant.

That was why she had immediately agreed when Wyatt Shaw said she could redecorate. In any case, she couldn’t live in a house like this for long. She was afraid she would start to blend in, slowly becoming cold herself.

And eventually become... a walking corpse.

The thought of that word made Yvonne Sutton shudder.

’Wyatt Shaw... does he even have any warmth in him?’

’When he typed "Okay," "I’ll cook for you when I get back," and "Let’s get married," what kind of expression was on his face?’

’Or maybe... he had no expression at all...’

’All that tenderness, affection, and warmth were just products of her own imagination, her own wishful thinking.’

’And Wyatt Shaw... he was like an electronic fiancé.’

"The color of the walls doesn’t match the floor tiles at all. Are you planning to replace the tiles too?" Joshua Hale asked as he painted.

Yvonne Sutton shook her head, amused by her own wild imagination.

"Oh, I’m planning to put in flooring."

"Both upstairs and downstairs?"

"Yep."

"Then you should probably hire professionals. This villa is just too big."

"I’ve already had someone help me get in touch with some."

They had a simple lunch and continued painting in the afternoon. With three people working, they moved quite fast, and by nightfall, they were finally done.

They rarely did this kind of manual labor. Even the two men, Leo Flynn and Joshua Hale, were exhausted, to say nothing of Yvonne Sutton. She simply ordered takeout, set up a table in the yard, and the three of them ate, drank, and chatted.

"I’m thinking of building a small flower bed on each side," Yvonne Sutton said, planning how to fix up the yard.

"I saw there’s another yard out back. It’s huge, and it has a swimming pool," Leo Flynn said after taking a sip of beer.

"Yeah, but the pool is empty, and the yard is completely overgrown," Yvonne Sutton shrugged.

"This is Seacliff Villa, you know! A small unit here goes for twenty or thirty million. This one is not only in a great location but is also probably the biggest. It has to be worth fifty or sixty million, right?"

"Is it really that expensive?" Yvonne Sutton asked, a little surprised.

Joshua Hale nodded. "At least that much, if not more."

Yvonne Sutton pursed her lips. ’A house this expensive... Wyatt Shaw must have taken out a loan to buy it. He’s probably still paying off the mortgage.’

"I think you should still ask the homeowner before you renovate the front and back yards. See if they’re okay with it, just to avoid any trouble," Joshua Hale said to Yvonne Sutton.

"Uh, actually, this house belongs to my fiancé. I’m redecorating it to be our new home," Yvonne Sutton confessed.

"Fiancé? Since when do you have a fiancé?" Leo Flynn looked at her suspiciously.

Joshua Hale looked just as disbelieving.

Yvonne Sutton huffed. She was pretty sure she’d mentioned it to them before, but they had just assumed she was saying it out of anger.

"My aunt introduced us."

Joshua Hale and Leo Flynn exchanged a look, then clinked their beer bottles together before taking a drink.

"I’m not lying to you! I’m really getting married!" Yvonne Sutton said angrily.

Leo Flynn stopped drinking mid-sip, turned to her, and asked seriously, "You said you’re getting married soon. When?"

"The same day as Vincent and her."

Leo Flynn froze for a second, then his expression shifted to one of concern. "Yvonne, are... are you okay?"

"Of course I’m okay!" Yvonne Sutton glared at Leo Flynn, then turned to Joshua Hale. "Do you believe me?"

Joshua Hale watched Yvonne Sutton quietly for a moment, then nodded. "I believe you."

Yvonne Sutton was about to let out a sigh of relief when Joshua Hale added, "As long as you’re happy."

Yvonne Sutton rolled her eyes. He clearly still didn’t believe her!

Just then, Vincent Reed’s car pulled up across the street. He got out and looked over in their direction.

Leo Flynn gave him a wave, and he started walking over.

Yvonne Sutton shot Leo Flynn a glare. Leo scratched his head and whispered, "It would’ve been rude not to say hi."

Vincent Reed was dressed in a black suit, his hair slicked back. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, exuding the air of an elite professional, but his eyes were cold and sharp.

He stopped at the entrance to the yard. His gaze first swept over the brightly lit villa, then the messy yard, and finally settled on the three of them, his eyes landing on Yvonne Sutton.

"Have you considered Wendy’s proposal from yesterday?"

Without even looking at him, Yvonne Sutton answered, "I haven’t considered it. I refuse."

"You can name your price for the salary."

"I’m not that desperate for money."

"I hope you’ll reconsider."

Yvonne Sutton scoffed and turned her head to look at Vincent Reed. "Do you two just enjoy bullying me? Is it fun for you?"

"Wendy meant well."

"Then tell her to keep her good intentions to herself. I don’t need them!"

Vincent Reed nodded. "That house of your parents... I’m planning to tear it down and rebuild it as a coffee shop. What do you think?"

Yvonne Sutton shot to her feet. "Vincent Reed, you promised you’d give that house back to me! You’re going back on your word!"

"I did promise you. But you’re not unaware of how severe the impact of that photo you posted was, are you?"

Yvonne Sutton took a deep breath. ’So he’s just determined to make my life miserable, is that it?’

"Fine, I’ll do it!"

’If he won’t let me live in peace, then no one gets to live in peace!’