Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Today was a national holiday.

This meant that Kendall didn’t have any classes, so would be on duty in the house all day. Before, Grayson and she had an agreement that she would be doing some household chores while staying in this house.

One of them was to cook at least one dish a day.

It was already half an hour past six o’clock in the evening. In the kitchen, Kendall was sitting in front of a table with a knife in her hand. Tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks as she sniffed.

“Have I done anything wrong to you, Esther?” Kendall suddenly asked the old maid who was busy frying the chicken.

“What? No,” Esther replied.

“Are you upset with me?”

“Of course not, Kendall.”

“Did I say something that offended you?”

“No. Why are you asking me these questions?”

Kendall wiped the tears on her cheeks. “Because of all things you could’ve told me to do, why did you choose to make me slice the onions? I’ve already chopped ten of these large, tear-jerker vegetables! Aren’t they enough?”

Esther turned around and saw Kendall’s flustered face. Her nose was already red from all the crying and sniffing.

All of a sudden, a piece of tissue hit Kendall’s face.

Shocked and annoyed, Kendall stopped what she was doing and turned to the culprit. Grayson was seated on the opposite end of the table, busy with the iPad in front of him. He glanced at Kendall with a playful smile.

“What? I’m just worried that your tears might mix with the onions. That’s gross, so wipe your tears and nose,” he said.

Kendall made a face before taking the tissue. She turned in the other direction before wiping her face and sniffing her nose. Then, she silently went back to work. A few minutes later, Esther went to her side and scanned her chopped onions.

“That’s enough, Hailey.”

Kendall’s face lit up. “Are you sure? Finally! The torture’s over!”

Esther laughed. “Yes, there are enough.”

“Hailey, do you know why Esther managed to stay with us for a long time?” Grayson suddenly spoke, but his eyes remained on his iPad.

"Why?" Kendall asked in curiosity.

“Because she’s a good judge of character. She can easily tell if a person deserves to be punished or not. I can tell why she specifically chose that task for you.”

Kendall sighed repeatedly, but she couldn’t contain her anger. “You think so? What about you, then? You’ve been hanging around in the kitchen since earlier, but all you do is annoy me! Why are you even here? If you want to play with your iPad, why don’t you stay in your room? Or the living room? Of all places, you really chose the kitchen and destroyed the peaceful atmosphere?”

“I’m guarding the food,” Grayson pointed out blankly.

“Why?” she asked incredulously.

“I don’t really trust your cooking skills. I don’t want to get food poisoned.”

Kendall was fuming with anger. She was about to say her rebuttal when Esther touched her shoulder.

“Hailey, continue frying the chicken if you still want to finish this dish. I almost forgot that I have to finish something in the garden.” Without waiting for her reply, Esther quickly left the two in the kitchen.

Dumbfounded, Kendall stared at Esther’s retreating back.

‘What should I do? I never fried a chicken in my entire life!’ she pondered.

“E-Esther, wait! I don’t know how to cook this thing,” Kendall said helplessly, but the old woman just kept walking. Kendall groaned in frustration.

“What will I do with this?” she muttered to herself as she stared at the uncooked food in front of her.

She didn’t notice that Grayson was already standing near her. He was also caught off-guard when he noticed how Kendall panicked. He was about to tell her that he would help but immediately changed his mind when he realized something.

‘It’s her job. She should do that on her own,’ he thought. So, he sat down again and looked at the panicking woman in front of him.

With slightly shaking hands, Kendall grabbed the tongs and stared at the only chicken left in the pan. ‘This just like frying eggs, right?’ she thought to herself.

So, she slowly stepped forward and tried to turn the chicken over but suddenly shrieked when the hot oil splattered.

“Oh my gosh! Why is this thing exploding?!” she yelled.

Upon hearing Kendall’s scream, Grayson quickly dropped his iPad and dashed toward her. At that moment, Kendall was also busy stepping away from the pan and didn’t notice Grayson behind her. Both of them stopped in their tracks when their bodies collided.

Grayson accidentally kissed her on the head.

For a moment, he froze on his spot. He suddenly closed his eyes and inhaled the fragrance from Kendall’s hair.

Meanwhile, Kendall also froze in her spot. She gulped hard when her body felt Grayson’s. Slowly, she turned around to see him but got confused when she noticed that he had his eyes closed.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Kendall’s voice made him come back to his senses. Grayson’s eyes met Kendall’s, and it felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Uh… It’s… I just came over because you screamed, and I got shocked so…” Even he couldn’t organize his thoughts.

Kendall blinked. “Ugh! Get out of here, Grayson! I become more stressed out because of your presence!”

Grayson cleared his throat before calmly returning to his seat. He picked up his iPad and continued what he was doing.

A moment of silence passed between the two when Kendall suddenly called his name.

“What?” Grayson was still staring at his iPad while Kendall was focused on watching the pan.

“Have you ever cooked fried chicken before?”

“Nope.”

“But you already tried eating one, right?”

"Of course! What kind of question is that, Hailey?”

“Do you remember the color of a cooked chicken?”

“Yeah? I think so.”

“Can you come here and check if this one is ready to be eaten?”

Grayson sighed and stood up. He went beside Kendall and looked at the pan. “Uh,” he paused. “I don’t think it’s cooked yet.”

“Are you sure?” Kendall asked in a serious tone.

“I think so,” he replied in an unsure voice.

Kendall handed him the tongs. “Hold this for me first. I saw Esther putting some flour on the chicken earlier. I’ll get some.”

With no complaints, Grayson held the tongs and quietly watched over the chickens in the pan. Kendall went to the table, scooped some flour, and sprinkled them on the remaining chicken thighs.

“I think it’s done,” Grayson announced.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah?”

“Then move it to the plate.”

Grayson quickly turned to her. “Why me? It’s your job, Hailey!”

Kendall rolled her eyes. “Oh sorry, Mr. Hoffman! I completely forgot about my job!” she retorted, making sure to let him know that she was being sarcastic.

“How about a thank you?” Grayson fired back before returning to his seat. But before he could even sit down, Kendall was already busy giving him orders.

“Give me a big plate.”

He put his gadget down and grabbed a plate for her. Then, he went back to his seat again. A few seconds later, Kendall called him again.

“Can you give me the remaining chicken thighs?”

Grayson stood up and took the plate of uncooked chicken before walking toward Kendall. The latter was about to grab the plate when Grayson suddenly swiped his flour-coated fingers on her cheek.

Kendall jumped in shock and touched the part of her cheek that felt weird. Her eyes slowly widened when she realized what it was.

“Grayson!” she yelled angrily.

Grayson was already at the kitchen door, laughing as if there was no tomorrow. “That’s your punishment for abusing my kindness.”

Another chore that Hailey was allowed to do at Grayson’s house was to clean at least one area of the house.

It was nine o’clock in the morning. Bullets of sweat are dripping down Kendall’s forehead as she stood in the hallway. Both of her hands were holding a mop. She had been wiping the floor back and forth but it still didn’t look clean. Sighing, Kendall dipped the mop back into the bucket of water and soap before wiping the floor for the ninth time.

Kendall paused when she saw Grayson walking toward her. Her eyes narrowed as she followed the man’s footsteps. She inwardly stomped when she saw the marks of his slippers on the wet floor.

So, she dipped the mop in the bucket again and wiped the floor to remove the slippers’ marks. Kendall spent the rest of the time cleaning and wiping the floor until the hallway finally looked clean. A small smile formed on her lips as she marveled at the result of her hard work.

Suddenly, Grayson passed by. Her gaze remained on the unfazed man. He was busy munching on a cookie as he walked. Her eyes widened when she saw some crumbs of the cookie falling on the floor. Kendall quickly bent down and picked them up.

“What’s wrong with this man? Can’t he see that I’m cleaning the hallway here?” she muttered to herself in irritation.

When she finished picking the crumbs up, Kendall started to clean the rest of the hallway’s floor. She went back and forth, scrubbing and wiping the floor until it finally looked shiny.

Grayson appeared again.

He was carrying a pen and a notebook. He was busy scribbling something on the paper as he walked. Kendall’s mouth went agape when she saw him tossing a few crumpled papers on the floor.

Kendall briefly closed her eyes as she calmed herself. Then, she dropped the mop and collected the scattered papers.

“My patience is running out here. One more silly act, and…” she angrily whispered.

She dipped the mop again before wiping the floor. Not long after, she saw Grayson innocently walking toward her again.

“Go on! Do it! Try my patience, Grayson!” she burst out.

Grayson stopped in his tracks, startled by Kendall’s sudden words.

“What?”

“I swear, Grayson, try to pass through this floor and I will whip your ass with this mop in my hands. Stop fooling around!”

Grayson clutched his chest. “What are you talking about? Can’t I walk in my own house?”

“Just don’t go here. The number of times you have to pass by this floor is unbelievable. I’m also busy cleaning here, so go away.”

However, the man just grinned and stepped back as if he didn’t hear her.

“One.”

Grayson stopped and stared at Kendall innocently. She glared at him, but it didn’t stop him. He stepped back again.

“Two!”

“Alright! This is ridiculous! I’m not allowed to walk wherever I want in my own house, now?!” Grayson exclaimed before walking in the other direction.

Kendall grinned. She grabbed the mop and continued cleaning the floor.

“Why don’t you try to mop this floor while I walk back and forth, huh? Let’s see if you can handle it,” she murmured.

Cleaning the swimming pools once a week was also a chore that Kendall could do in Grayson’s house.

It was thirty minutes after one o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was scorching hot. Kendall couldn’t feel her neck and arms anymore. She just finished cleaning a swimming pool, and now she was on her second one. Every time she wiped the pool tile, she felt as if beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

She stared at the huge mansion in front of her and sighed. It felt like the things she had to go through in this place were more exhausting than the training she went through as a police officer.

Kendall transferred her gaze to Grayson. He was quietly sitting on one of the pool chairs while reading a magazine. Ever since she started cleaning the pool, he was already lounging there. Kendall knew the reason why he was being like this. He might be checking if she was really following their agreement.

‘This cunning monkey!’ she thought to herself.

Since she was already tired, Kendall thought of a way to rest without Grayson knowing the real reason. An idea flashed in her mind. She glanced at him and smiled evilly.

“Ah! Ouch! Help me!” Kendall moaned in pain as she grabbed her right arm.

Grayson sat up straight and looked for Kendall. When he saw her pained expression, he immediately sprinted toward her.

“What happened? Is there something wrong? Are you hurt, Hailey?”

“M-my wound hurts. I think it’s cramped,” Kendall replied dramatically.

Grayson’s eyebrows furrowed as he held her arm. “You told me that your wound’s already healed. Did you lie to me? You should’ve told me earlier!”

“Y-yeah, that’s what I thought. Maybe I’m just really tired that it started to hurt.” She looked at him with puppy eyes.

Grayson sighed and took the towel from her.

“Rest. I’ll finish this.”

“Thank you,” Kendall replied softly. Little did he know, this woman was already jumping with joy inside.

Grayson started cleaning. Kendall stretched her back and neck as she looked at the poor prince trying to clean their pool.

“Grayson, there are some leaves on the water,” she pointed out.

“Grayson, that part is still dirty.”

“Grayson, you need to clean that area again!”

And the orders continued. It seemed like Kendall enjoyed it way too much because Grayson stopped and stared at her in irritation.

"You're overdoing it! You're taking advantage of me again!” he complained.

Kendall’s face suddenly turned sullen. “I’m sorry. I just want the pool to be clean,” she replied in a sad tone.

He looked at her intently. Earlier, he thought that she might be faking the pain in her arm. He glanced at her right arm and noticed that it looked just as fine. He dropped the cleaning towel and slowly walked toward Kendall. He suddenly sniffed her hair and neck. Kendall gasped and moved slightly away from him.

“Have you taken a bath already?”

“N-no,” she hesitantly replied.

“Well, I guess it’s time for you to take a bath.”

Without any warning, Grayson scooped her up and threw her into the swimming pool. Kendall screamed in protest but still landed on the water.

Grinning, Grayson turned around and started to walk away.

"Grayson! Help me! I can't swim!"

Grayson turned to Kendall. She was busy waving her arms in the water.

‘I’m not gonna buy that,” he thought.

“Please! Help!”

His eyes slowly widened in fear. It seemed like she wasn’t really acting at all.

“Grayson!” Kendall shouted before she completely sank into the water.

“Hailey!”

Grayson jumped into the pool. He dived deeper until he got a hold of her. He quickly placed the unconscious Kendall on the side of the pool.

“Hailey! Wake up!” he told her repeatedly. He held her cheek and started patting it.

Kendall slowly opened her eyes. A wide smile formed on her lips. Grayson stopped.

“I had you there, huh? Now, we’re both wet and even!”

Grayson stared at her, dumbfounded. He didn’t know if he should be angry or happy. He suddenly felt as if his chest was going to explode as his lips curled into a smile. As if it was natural, he snaked his arm around Kendall’s waist.

“Sure. Let’s take a bath together, shall we?”

He stared at the girl in a daze. He swallowed hard when her eyes also never left him. Despite the coldness from his damp clothes, Grayson could feel the heat consuming his body. His gaze slowly traveled from her eyes to her red lips.

“Hailey… Do you want me to take your first kiss back?”

The woman didn’t reply and just kept staring at him.

He pursed his lips and slowly moved closer to Kendall. He had no intention of continuing the kiss, but the overwhelming feeling inside him was uncontrollable. He didn’t know what could happen next.

As Grayson’s lips slowly approached hers, Kendall slowly rested her hand on the man’s shoulder. Then, it traveled to his neck, his ear, and stopped on its head. Suddenly, she clutched his head hard and sunk him into the water.

Using all her force, Kendall pushed his head into the water. She didn’t stop until Grayson was already struggling for air. After a few minutes, she released him. Grayson inhaled as much air as he could. His chest was moving up and down as he breathed.

“Are you crazy, Hailey? Are you trying to kill me?!” he said.

“You better answer this correctly, Grayson! Are you going to repeat what you did earlier?” Kendall asked with a serious and cold expression.

“N-no. I won’t,” Grayson replied before heaving a deep sigh.