章 21: I WOULD NEVER MAKE YOU CRY AGAIN
That night, Cayenne went home very tired. Her shoulders were tense and her back was aching a lot from all the bending she did that day. "I will probably have a sore body tomorrow." Cayenne stated while giving her neck and shoulders a massage. She checked the time on her phone and found that it was still a little early. "Let me take a short nap." She placed her bag on the coffee table and laid her body on the soft couch. They rarely used the couch since they're only around during the night and most of the time, they were at the kitchen or in their bedroom.
She didn't bother turning on the light and just set an alarm to wake her up. She closed her eyes and gave her body a power nap before preparing dinner. Supposedly, it was a power nap but she fell into a deep sleep.
Stefan finished his work around six in the evening. He wanted to come home because it was getting darker outside and there was high chance of heavy rain. He didn't want to be stranded because of it. Chris had the car ready downstairs so that they can immediately go home.
When he arrived at their house, it was still dark, as if no one lives in there. Usually, Cayenne should be home around this time and the lights should have been turned on. He asked Chris to just drop him off and had him leave immediately. He opened the door and turned on the light in the living room. Only to find Cayenne sleeping soundly.
'Why didn't she turn on the lights?' Stefan thought but he didn't bother to wake her up. He walked to their bedroom so he can change his suit and went out again with the blanket in his hands. He wanted to turn on the aircon but it was getting a little colder due to the change of season which made him stop.
Since the chef of the night was still sleeping, he volunteered to cook for their dinner.
Cayenne felt very comfortable in her sleep. She even got a warm blanket. "Heh?!" she sat upright as soon as she realized that she indeed got a blanket on her. As far as she remembered, she didn't get any blanket from the room. She looked at the time and found that it was half an hour past seven and the lights were turned on as well.
She fixed her clothes and her hair while running towards the kitchen, enduring her body pain. She winced from the soreness she felt on her arms but when she arrived at the kitchen, she pretended like nothing happened. "Sir, sorry. I fell asleep. I can cook the remaining dishes for you."
"There's no need." Stefan responded which made her felt guilty. She was paid to help him but now, he had to cook for them.
"Don't I really have anything that I can do to help you?" Cayenne asked again. She was scared because he looked angry and he wasn't facing her either. She had no idea what to do.
"Just go to bed and sleep. I can do this on my own." Stefan answered her. He knew that there were many guests in the hotel around this time of the year so he anticipated that she'd be tired. Cayenne bit her lower lip, turned around and left.
Looking at his indifferent back made her feel even more guilty and scared. She might not know him that well but in the past week, he never treated her badly. He would always give her a faint smile and he wouldn't talk to her that way either. She went to their bedroom and laid on the bed. She even forgot to bring her bag which she placed on the coffee table downstairs.
Lost in her own thoughts of fear and guilt, Cayenne couldn't stop herself from crying. She didn't know what to do and she was afraid that he would just fire her because she neglected her work. Even if he promised her, he was still the employer and he can still fire her whenever he wants to. That was the biggest disadvantage she got and it made her feel extremely nervous around him. She had to make sure that she was doing a great job because not only this extra work, but she might lose her job in the hotel as well.
She was both physically and emotionally exhausted on that day and her body gave in to the temptation of sleep again. She curled her body on the bed and slept.
Stefan checked the living room since her bag was still there but he found that Cayenne wasn't. He went upstairs with her bag and the blanket he brought earlier; and sure enough, Cayenne was there sleeping. He placed her bag on the bedside table and placed the blanket on the bed.
"Ayen?" Stefan called her name to wake her up. When he looked closely to her face, he found that there were traces of tears on it. "Did she cry? Did something happen to her?" He had no idea that he was the reason why she was crying. "Ayen, wake up. We need to eat dinner together."
Cayenne stirred in her sleep and rubbed her eyes. She wasn't wearing any make up so, she wasn't worried about her face. "I fell asleep again." She mumbled with a deep sigh. "Sorry."
"You must be tired from so much work today." Stefan responded. "Let's go and eat."
Cayenne just looked at him and nodded her head. She didn't want to say anything that might add up his anger. She followed him out in silence and Stefan didn't ask her anything either. He wanted to give her some space just in case something bad happened.
The two of them ate their dinner in silence. Cayenne ate slowly, she was having a hard time chewing her food because her throat would constrict from guilt and she was trying to stop her tears from falling.
Stefan put his spoon and fork which startled her out of her wits. He didn't really mean to startle her but she seemed to be jittery around him this time. "Ayen, is there something wrong?"
"Ha? Uh..nothing, sir."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."
"If so, then, why are you calling me 'sir' all of a sudden?"
"That's just a slip of the tongue."
"A slip of the tongue can happen once or twice but not every time."
Cayenned swallowed her food and looked down on her spoon. "Sir, are you not angry?"
"Angry? About what?"
"About me. I was supposed to cook dinner for us. I got here early and instead of cooking, I was sleeping peacefully. Aren't you angry?"
Stefan blinked his eyes while looking at her. He didn't know that Cayenne was this type of person. Someone who has no sense of security and someone who seeks validation and approval with whatever she does. He can already imagine how hard her life was and how much she struggled with her previous works. She was someone who works very carefully because she was afraid she'd be fired. She had been telling him that she didn't want to lose her source of income.
For someone who's rich, he might not understand Cayenne's drive to earn as much money as she could, even risking her own health for a meager income. But he knew how much she strived for her family and that's what he likes about her. She wasn't selfish.
"I am not angry at you. I know that there will be many guests this time of the year and I already expected that you'd be tired from work. I was just a little worried when I arrived and the house was really dark. I thought you weren't here."
"Really? You are not really angry? I can still work here?"
"Hn. You can continue to work here."
"100% sure?"
"If you keep asking me, I will be angry. Stop asking about it and stop calling me 'sir' either."
"Okay." Cayenne smiled and she quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes which were threatening to fall. She was relieved and happy at the same time.
Even though Stefan was lowering his head, he still saw in his peripheral vision that Cayenne was wiping her tears. For some unknown reasons, it made him feel sad. He didn't want to see her cry. 'I would never make you cry again.' Stefan promised to internally.
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