Chapter 5 5

Chapter 5

...

"Why?" Alexander asked, his voice low and gentle. The softness in his tone was a complete contrast to his sharp blue eyes, which always seemed intimidating whenever they met Ana's.

Ana immediately shook her head. She pressed her lips together and looked at him with wide eyes.

'Calm down...'

'Don't look too excited. Just act as naturally as possible.'

'He already saved my life last night. It'll be so embarrassing if I agree right away and make myself look like an idiot.'

She quietly clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm before finally answering.

"I-I'm sorry, sir." She lowered her head politely, her smile stiff with embarrassment. "It's not that I don't want to. It's just... you've already helped me so much. I feel like accepting a job from you on top of everything else would be asking for too much."

Alexander leaned back against the sofa and tilted his chin slightly as he looked at her, carrying himself with the effortless confidence of someone who had always been in control.

A faint, mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

The morning sunlight poured through the windows, outlining Ana's graceful figure beneath the oversized white shirt she was wearing. Because she hadn't been wearing any underwear when he changed her clothes the night before, the thin white cotton revealed far more than it should, making her beautiful curves impossible to ignore.

Alexander let out a slow breath.

His throat tightened as he swallowed, trying to suppress the temptation standing right in front of him.

"If you feel that guilty..." he said with a playful smile, "then why don't you become my woman instead?"

Ana stared at him blankly.

"My... woman?" She frowned before letting out an awkward laugh. "W-Why would I suddenly become your woman?" she asked, forcing a smile. "You really like joking around, don't you, sir?"

She couldn't understand why he would suddenly make such a suggestion.

This wasn't exactly a normal conversation between two people who had only just met.

Seeing the young woman sitting nervously on his bed stirred something inside Alexander. A strange heat spread through his chest, and the desire he'd been trying to ignore only grew stronger.

He swallowed again before looking at her with complete seriousness.

His piercing blue eyes seemed even deeper than before, and the sudden intensity in his gaze made Ana instinctively sit up straighter.

"Ahem..."

Something about the handsome man's eyes made her heart tighten.

They were as deep as the ocean, beautiful yet frightening, as though they could swallow anyone who dared to look into them for too long.

"I'm not joking, little girl." His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "You only have two choices."

"You can work here as my maid..."

"...or you can become my woman." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "I saved your life last night, so you owe me, don't you?"

Ana could feel the pressure radiating from him. She swallowed hard, her fingers tightening into fists as her lips pressed together nervously.

"Hmm..." Alexander chuckled softly. "You've suddenly gone quiet."

"That's adorable." He slowly rose to his feet. "I'll count to three."

"If you still can't make up your mind..." His smile became even more wicked. "...then starting today, you'll be my woman."

"And you'll be sleeping in my bed."

"One..."

Ana's eyes widened.

"Two..."

"W-Wait!" She panicked immediately. "W-Wait a second! Why did this suddenly become—"

Alexander took another step closer.

"Thr—"

"Maid!" Ana blurted it out before he could finish counting.

"I'll be your maid!" Her voice came out louder than she intended, and her cheeks instantly flushed bright red. "There's no way I'd suddenly become your woman!"

Alexander stopped in his tracks. For a brief moment, he nearly laughed. The flustered expression on her face was simply too adorable.

He held it back and continued walking until he was standing beside the bed where Ana sat stiffly, looking more nervous than ever.

"Very well, little one."

"From today onward, you're a maid in this house." His eyes remained fixed on hers as a satisfied smile crossed his face. "But before we begin working together..."

He tilted his head slightly and leaned down just enough to meet her gaze.

Her flushed cheeks somehow made her look even sweeter.

"...shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"Ahem... y-you're right."

"In that case, let me introduce myself properly, sir. My name is Anastasya Rose. I just turned twenty, so... I'm not a little girl anymore." Ana spoke softly as she held out her hand, offering him a polite handshake.

"Hm..." Alexander's gaze fell to her small hand, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

He reached out with his own. His hand was large and warm, completely enveloping hers the moment their palms met, making her slender fingers look even smaller.

The instant their hands touched, something stirred deep inside him. His heartbeat quickened. An overwhelming urge to claim her—to keep her close and make her his—rose stronger than ever before.

Alexander couldn't understand where those feelings were coming from. He only knew they were becoming harder and harder to suppress.

"Anastasya..." he murmured, his voice low. "That's a beautiful name." He held her gaze for another moment before smiling.

"I'll be looking forward to working with you."

"You can call me Alexander from now on." He paused, then slowly leaned closer again. "And one more thing..." His teasing eyes drifted downward before settling on her chest.

"I think you should wear something underneath that shirt."

"I can see everything." A wicked smile spread across his face. "Of course... if you're showing it on purpose, I don't mind."

"I quite enjoy the view."

"And if you ever gave me permission..." His voice dropped into a playful whisper. "I might even want to hold them... or kiss them."

Ana blinked, completely thrown off by his shameless teasing. She couldn't understand why he kept saying such outrageous things.

Then...

She followed his gaze. Her eyes slowly dropped to her own chest.

Time seemed to stop.

"H-Huh?"

"H-Huh?!"

She froze... For several long seconds, her mind went completely blank. Only then did she realize that she had been talking to him the entire time while wearing nothing but his oversized white shirt.

The thin fabric had turned slightly translucent under the morning sunlight, outlining her body far more clearly than she had imagined.

Her face instantly turned bright red. She looked like a ripe tomato ready to burst.

Alexander let out a quiet chuckle before straightening up. "I think that's enough introductions for one morning." He glanced at the clock. "I'm almost late for work." He smiled at her one last time.

"See you tonight, Anastasya."

With that, he walked toward his dressing room. He still wanted to tease her a little longer, but work was waiting for him at De Group.

The moment the bedroom door closed behind him, Ana collapsed backward onto the bed.

"Ahhhh!" She buried her face in the pillow before rolling back and forth across the mattress.

Then she punched the air. The pillow wasn't spared either.

"How embarrassing!"

"How could I not realize I'd been standing in front of him like that this whole time?"

"Ahhhh!"

"I'd rather faint again and wake up with amnesia. I can't survive this embarrassment..." She covered her burning face with both hands, too ashamed to move.

After lying there for a while, another thought suddenly crossed her mind.

She wasn't wearing her own clothes. She was wearing someone else's.

Ana shot upright, her eyes widening in horror.

"W-Wait..."

"Who changed my clothes last night?" A terrifying possibility immediately flashed through her mind.

"Was it... him?"

"So he already saw my entire body?"

"W-What?!" She buried her face in her hands again, her cheeks burning hotter than ever.

"Oh no..."

"How am I supposed to face him again after this?"

She lowered her head helplessly, her face still crimson as she let out a shaky breath. She had never imagined a morning like this would become part of her life.

Just then, her phone suddenly rang.

Startled, Ana quickly grabbed her bag from the table and pulled out her phone. It was the manager from the convenience store.

"Hello?" She immediately stood up.

The moment she saw who was calling, she already knew why.

"Ana, where are you?" her manager asked sternly over the phone. "You're late. If this keeps happening, I'll have no choice but to replace you." The warning instantly made Ana tense.

"I-I'm sorry, Ms. Gwen. I'll be there right away."

"I had something urgent come up this morning."

"Give me ten minutes."

"I promise I'll be there."

She hurriedly ended the call. Her clothes were lying on the floor beside the sofa.

Without wasting another second, she glanced around the room to make sure no one was there before quickly changing back into them.

As soon as she finished, Ana hurried out of Alexander's bedroom.