Chapter 21
Valerie had always been a regular sleeper. From her school days, she had developed a habit of going to bed at 11 pm, and waking up at 6 am. This gave her enough time to clean up the house and cook breakfast for the whole family. The habit of waking up early had lasted her for many years. Valerie had been feeling more and more sleepy lately. She figured it was because of her pregnancy, but she still had to get to work
She dragged herself out of bed, freshened up, got dressed, and headed out to grab some breakfast like she did yesterday. Matthew opened the door to the room just as she returned.
“Morning, Mr. Grant!” Valerie greeted Matthew with her standard top–seller smile. She set the table and waited for him to sit down.
“Good morning” said Matthew. He glanced at Valerie’s bright smile and realized she had already moved on from last night’s incident. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Suddenly, he understood why her smile had seemed so strange to him. It dawned on him that the receptionist at his company gave him the same detached polise smile. She’s treating me like a client, he thought.
He didn’t care much because he was feeling a bit hungry at the moment. The food on the table was different from the usual sandwiches he ate. Its pleasant aroma filled his nostrils, and he started craving for the breakfast wrap he had yesterday. However, as he walked towards the table, he couldn’t help but frown
“You didn’t eat much yesterday, so I only bought two servings to
gs today in c
case of any waste,” said Valerie.
“That’s fine,” answered Matthew. He didn’t want to waste any food either “But where’s the breakfast wrap I asked for?”
Valerie suddenly remembered what he had said yesterday and quickly explained, “The breakfast wraps were sold out, so I got fried butter bread instead. Try it. It’s good.”
Matthew was lost for words, thinking. She did it again, making changes against my willl The fried butter bread looks so odly!
However, after Valerie changed the password last night without telling him, Matthew felt it was not a big deal for her to change his food today. Again, she had challenged his bottom line, but he didn’t even notice it. He picked up the fried butter bread and took a bite. It was surprisingly crispy and sweet, and the ketchup made it less oily.
Matthew was secretly impressed with Valerie’s taste in food. He watched as she took a bite of an egg wich. The pleasant smell of it filled the air Watching her devour the egg’wich with enthusiasm, Matthew couldn’t help but think, Breakfast wrap and fried butter bread are already pretty tasty, but she has been eating egg’wich two days in a row. I wonder what it tastes like?
Matthew gathered his thoughts and asked. “Have you done moving already!” He looked around the house and didn’t see much of her stuff
Valerie nodded and answered, “Yeah I don’t have many things.”
Matthew didn’t really care about her stuff. He thought she didn’t bring much on purpose so she could leave quickly after six months. But after he ate, he was in a good mood and said, “This place doesn’t have much furniture. If you need anything, tell me or buy it yourself”
Valerie thought about it. There was one thing she wanted. “I want to buy a treadmill. It can t on the balcony. I hope it won’t be in the way?”
“Okay” Matthew glanced at the balcony and nodded, thinking. She must know she eats a lot, so she wants to work our to keep fit.
However, Valerie was thinking, ‘Genting some proper exercise is good for me and the baby. But with all my work, hitting the gym just isn’t happening. So, maybe getting a treadmill is the way to go. I can walk on it every day. Also, I don’t want to gain weight and show pregnancy
After breakfast, Valerie cleaned the table, and Matthew headed for work. When he was at the door, he heard some squeaks. He looked around and found a metal cage with a soft furball on the shelf. He frowned and looked clover. The furball wiggled its bottom and raised its tiny head. It had a pointy head, black pea eyes, and two long incisors. He then remembered Valerie had a hamster.
She surprises me a lot. Even her pet is unique! he thought. The hamster thought Matthew was Valerie and came up to the cage to beg for food. It was not scared of him, just like its owner. Matthew poked the hamster with his finger, and it fell backward, flipping over. But due to its round body and short legs, it couldn’t get back up. Matthew was feeling pretty good and left.
12:16 PM c