Wait, pet what? I was utterly baffled. Cole’s behavior was a complex enigma, so I remained still.
Predictably, he got upset again, muttering, “This is disgusting,” before stomping off.
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For the next few days, Cole ate on time, every time. Mrs. Miller was absolutely delighted and readily agreed to my request to have his lock repair-
- ed.
Once the locksmith reinstalled the new lock, I handed the key to Cole, telling him to keep it safe.
“See? I told you I’d do it!”
He studied me for a long moment. “Why are you helping me?”
Without thinking, I blurted, “For five million dollars.”
…Click. The door locked from the inside. He was truly impossible to mollify.
Now that Cole wasn’t starving, I tackled his insomnia. There used to be a beagle at the old training facility that would bark all night. We took turns
Jetting it chase rabbits on the hill, and it would crash the moment we brought it back. But Cole wasn’t a small animal; I couldn’t just drag him out if
he didn’t want to go.
As the comments continued their incessant chattering, the doorbell rang. When I opened it, a young woman in a floral sundress stood there, swe-
et to the point of cloying.
“Hello, ma’am,” she chirped, a sickly–sweet smile on her face. “I’m Lily White, Cole’s childhood sweetheart!”
[Ahh! The Little Ray of Sunshine is here! Our male lead is saved!] [Villainess, die already! Get out of the shot!]
Lily bypassed me, making herself at home. “Cole’s not eating, ma’am, but you can just make mine!”
She practically skipped upstairs, but at the sight of the new lock, she let out a piercing shriek.
“How could you change his lock?!” Lily gasped, breathless with indignation. “People like him can’t be locked in! Are you even a professional?”
“If something happened to him in there, you’d never be able to pay for it, not in a thousand lifetimes!”
The comments immediately rushed to Lily’s defense: [OMG, our sweet girl is protecting her man! Cole’s already unstable, this nanny is clearly der- anged.] [Did they change the story? I remember the synopsis said the heroine first met the male lead when his door was broken, and she walked in on him bathing!] [Thanks, commenter above! Villainess, give me back my iconic scene! I’m furious!]
Seriously? Are they insane? Constantly invading someone’s privacy is a surefire way to make them feel unsafe in their own environment.
Before I could even speak, Lily’s eyes welled up. “Poor Cole,” she sniffled. “It’s a good thing I’m here.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Mrs. Miller right now. We’ll get a new nanny, and you can just pack your bags and quit.”
“That’s not ” I started, wanting to explain. If she got me fired now, I’d never get my final payment.
“You have no right to dismiss her.” Cole suddenly yanked open the door, water dripping from his hair. “And she’s not ‘ma’am,‘ she’s ‘big sister.”
