"Here you are."
Juliet stood at the doorway, watching him longer than necessary before stepping in.
"I've been looking for you."
James didn't look up immediately. The newspaper rustled softly in his hands.
"You read books… and newspapers too?" she added, forcing a light tone. "Reading newspapers makes you look like men from the '80s."
There was a pause.
Then, slowly, James smiled.
"I like newspapers," he said. "They feel… more real. Besides, most of those TV stations just recycle what's already printed."
Juliet stepped closer, studying him.
"You know what?" she said quietly. "You look handsome when you smile."
His fingers tightened slightly on the paper.
"Let me wheel you upstairs."
Without waiting for a reply, she moved behind him and began pushing.
Halfway up, she froze.
"Oh no…" she muttered under her breath.
James's smile faded. "What?"
Juliet hesitated.
"I… forgot to tell you. There's no breakfast today."
The silence that followed was sharp.
"No breakfast?" James repeated, his voice lower now. "Why?"
His face hardened, the softness from before gone.
Juliet forced a laugh. "Hey—relax that face. You look ugly when you frown."
That only made it worse.
"Let's just go," she added quickly.
Outside, the air was cool, but the tension lingered.
Juliet wheeled him around the estate, the sound of the chair against the pavement filling the gaps between them.
When they finally returned, she bent slightly to face him.
"How do you feel?"
James exhaled slowly. "Stress-free."
A beat.
"You're… smart," he added. "Wise too.
Intelligent."
Juliet blinked, caught off guard. "Thank you."
For a moment, it felt normal again.
Then suddenly—
James pushed his wheels hard.
"Hey!" Juliet gasped. "Stop! Where are you going?"
He didn't look back.
"I want you to catch me."
There was something strange in his tone—challenging, almost daring.
Juliet hesitated… then ran after him.
From a distance, his mother watched.
A faint smile touched her lips—but her eyes lingered longer than they should have.
She believed her son was healing from the grief.
"You're fired."
The words hit before she even saw his face.
"You didn't knock before entering."
Juliet froze—then bolted out of the room like she'd been burned.
A second later, a knock.
Soft. Careful.
She stepped in again.
"Ah-ah…" James' voice cut through the air, sharp as glass. "Did I say you should enter?"
She flinched.
Back outside.
This time the knock came harder—louder, her knuckles stinging against the wood.
"Come in!" James snapped. "I don't want you breaking my door."
Juliet pushed the door open slowly, like it might explode.
"Good morning, sir."
A pause.
"Good morning."
The silence that followed felt deliberate… heavy.
"I—I came to return this book. The Monitress."
James' eyes narrowed.
"What?"
The single word carried weight.
"You took a book from my room?"
Juliet swallowed. "I'm sorry, sir. I forgot to tell you. I took it yesterday afternoon—you were at the office. I've read it before, I just… wanted to read it again."
He stared at her longer than necessary.
Too long.
Then—
"Okay. Fine."
Just like that.
The tension didn't leave.
Juliet let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. A small smile slipped through.
James leaned forward slightly.
"Do you have a crush on me?"
The question dropped like a stone.
"Cru—crush? No—no, sir—"
Her voice betrayed her, stumbling over itself.
"I'll… I'll take my leave."
She didn't wait for permission.
—
By the time James wheeled himself into the sitting room, Collins was already there, watching him.
"James," Collins said slowly, "you're smiling."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I mean the caregiver."
"Drop it."
But Collins didn't.
Before he could reply, Juliet appeared again.
James' mother looked up. "Where are you going?"
"Ma, I want to see my sister."
There was a brief pause—measured, assessing.
Then she handed Juliet some money. "Give her this."
Juliet hesitated just a second before taking it.
"Thank you, ma."
"Hi, boss."
Juliet turned.
James' gaze swept over her, slow and unapologetic.
"The dress is short," he said. "And your body shape—"
A beat.
"—you look like a woman who has given birth."
The air tightened.
Juliet blinked, then let out a small, sharp laugh.
"That's a very rude way to compliment me."
She held his gaze.
"But I'll take it—from you alone."
Another beat.
"I'm going to see my sister… so don't fire me before I come back."
Collins chuckled under his breath, watching both of them like a spectator at a match.
—
Juliet stepped out of the house, the tension still clinging to her skin.
"Let me take you," the driver said, already opening the door.
"I've booked a ride—"
"No," he interrupted gently. "The boss said I should take you anywhere you're going."
Juliet hesitated.
Then got in.
As the car pulled away, she didn't look back.
But inside the house, James was still staring at the door long after it had closed.