Lillian closed the door of the guest room and leaned against it for a moment.
The mansion was finally quiet.
Sebastian had gone to bed—actually gone to bed this time—and the house had settled into a peaceful silence.
She walked over to the bed and dropped onto it with a tired sigh.
"Today was insane," she muttered.
She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, replaying the day in her head.
Sebastian sneaking off to the garage.
The electronics scattered across the workbench.
The glasses.
The movie.
And the conversation about his brother.
Lillian groaned softly and rolled onto her side.
"I need to talk to someone."
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and scrolled through her contacts.
Then she tapped one name.
Chloe.
The phone rang twice.
Then Chloe answered.
"Well, well, well," Chloe said immediately. "Look who finally remembers she has a best friend."
Lillian laughed.
"I've been busy!"
"Busy living in a billionaire's mansion."
"You make it sound dramatic."
"It is dramatic," Chloe replied. "You disappeared for days."
"I did not disappear."
"You literally moved into a mysterious rich man's mansion."
"He had surgery," Lillian said defensively.
"And now you're his live-in nurse."
"Temporary nurse."
Chloe hummed.
"Sure."
Lillian rolled her eyes even though Chloe couldn't see her.
"How have things been?" Chloe asked.
Lillian sighed.
"Chaotic."
"Oh, I love chaotic. Tell me everything."
"Well, for starters," Lillian said, "Sebastian refuses to rest."
"Shocking."
"I mean it. He tried to answer work emails right after being discharge."
Chloe groaned.
"That man has a problem."
"That's exactly what I said!"
"And what did he say?"
"He said they were important."
Chloe snorted.
"Of course he did."
Lillian smiled faintly.
"He's unbelievably stubborn."
"You sound impressed."
"I am not impressed."
"You're impressed."
"I'm annoyed."
"Same thing."
Lillian shook her head.
"You're impossible."
"Continue the story."
Lillian hesitated slightly.
Chloe noticed immediately.
"Oh my god," Chloe said. "Something happened."
"It's not a big deal."
"It's definitely a big deal."
Lillian sighed.
"I had to help him take a bath."
There was complete silence.
Then Chloe screamed.
"YOU WHAT?!"
Lillian pulled the phone away from her ear.
"Chloe!"
"You helped the billionaire take a bath?!"
"I did not bathe him!"
"You were in the bathroom!"
"He needed help getting out of the tub!"
Chloe burst out laughing.
"This is the greatest thing I've ever heard."
"It was a medical situation!"
"You saw him naked!"
"I was being professional! And he was half naked!"
Chloe was still laughing.
"Oh my god, Lillian."
"I regret telling you."
"You absolutely should not regret telling me. This is amazing."
Lillian buried her face in the pillow.
"It gets worse."
Chloe gasped.
"There's more?"
"I had to put medical cream on his back."
Chloe inhaled sharply.
"Oh my god."
"It was for his surgery!"
"Did he have a shirt on?"
"No!"
Chloe shrieked again.
"You touched the shirtless billionaire!"
"It was medical!"
"You are living in a romance novel."
"I am living in a stressful medical situation."
Chloe laughed.
"So what's he like?"
Lillian thought for a moment.
"Stubborn. Quiet. Annoying."
"And?"
"And… smart."
"Go on."
"And he doesn't know how to relax."
"Clearly."
Lillian sighed again.
"So I forced him to watch a movie."
Chloe paused.
"You… watched a movie together?"
"Yes."
"On the couch?"
"Yes."
Chloe groaned dramatically.
"This story keeps getting better."
"He hated it."
"What kind of movie?"
"A romantic comedy."
Chloe laughed loudly.
"You tortured him."
"Exactly."
"Did he complain the entire time?"
"Yes."
"That's incredible."
Lillian smiled.
"But he watched the whole thing."
"Interesting."
"And he admitted it wasn't terrible."
Chloe gasped.
"That's basically a declaration of love."
"It absolutely is not."
"Close enough."
Lillian laughed.
"You're ridiculous."
"So what else happened?"
Lillian hesitated.
"Well… this morning was interesting."
"Oh?"
"I woke up and couldn't find him anywhere in the house."
"Did he escape?"
"I thought he might have gone to work."
"That sounds like him."
"But I found him in the garage."
"What was he doing?"
"Building something."
Chloe paused.
"Wait… like electronics?"
"Yes."
"That's actually kind of hot."
"Chloe!"
"What?"
"And he was wearing glasses."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Chloe gasped dramatically.
"GLASSES?!"
"Yes!"
"Oh my god."
"What?"
"Hot genius billionaire wearing glasses while building electronics."
Lillian laughed.
"You're unbelievable."
"No, I'm correct."
Chloe cleared her throat.
"Let me get this straight."
"Oh no."
"You helped him out of the bath."
"Stop."
"You rubbed cream on his back."
"It was medical!"
"You watched a movie together."
"Yes."
"You live in his mansion."
"Temporarily."
"And he builds electronics while wearing glasses."
Lillian groaned.
"Please stop summarizing."
Chloe laughed.
"So when are you making your move?"
Lillian sat up straight.
"My what?!"
"Your move."
"I am not making a move!"
"You like him."
"I do not."
"You do."
"I don't!"
Chloe sighed dramatically.
"You absolutely do."
Lillian flopped back onto the bed.
"He's my boss."
"And?"
"And he's a billionaire."
"And?"
"And he's… him."
Chloe laughed.
"You're blushing right now, aren't you?"
"No!"
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You totally are."
Lillian covered her face with her hand.
"This conversation is ridiculous."
Chloe chuckled.
"Well, just remember something."
"What?"
"Sometimes the grumpy ones are the most interesting."
"You watch too many movies."
"And you live in one."
Lillian rolled her eyes again.
"You're impossible."
"Call me when the slow-burn romance starts."
"There is no romance."
"Sure."
They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Lillian set her phone on the nightstand and lay back on the bed.
The room was quiet again.
Her mind wandered back over the day.
Sebastian sitting in the garage.
The way the glasses had slipped slightly down his nose.
The quiet way he had thanked her after the movie.
And the moment he mentioned his brother.
Lillian stared at the ceiling.
"Chloe is ridiculous," she murmured.
But deep down…
A small part of her wondered if Chloe might be right.