Chapter 49: 49.Smiles under fading sunlight-3

"There must be some mistake."

"No mistake, sir," the man replied, checking his monitor. "The system shows your registration was revoked, and your fees have already been processed for a full refund back to the primary account."

Coming out of the mess hall with an empty stomach and a growing bad feeling, Mylo pulled out his phone and dialed his mother.

"Hello, Mom. How are you doing?"

​"Oh, Mylo, my baby boy! Mom is doing fine, just preparing dinner for your father."

​"Oh, good. So... I was actually calling to ask about the mess hall. The receptionist told me my registration was canceled."

​"Yeah, I asked your father to handle that."

​"Huh? Why? Where am I supposed to eat then?"

​"Your mother was worried about you eating that greasy cafeteria food every single day. So, I decided to hire a housemaid for you."

​"What? Come on, Mom... You didn’t even tell me. Besides, I don’t need-"

​"Shut up!"

"Do you have any idea how worried I was after seeing you cry like that? You might be getting older on the outside, but you’re still a child on the inside.’’

’’That’s why I hired her! Now stop complaining and head straight to your apartment. She’s probably waiting for you right now."

​Mylo winced slightly as her loud, scolding tone echoed through the speaker.

​"And don’t you dare talk back to me, young man, or I’ll take a train down there and slap some sense into you myself!"

​"Mom..." Mylo could only mutter weakly before the line went dead with a sharp click.

​Sitting down on the low porch outside the building, he stared blankly at his phone.

A tight, painful lump formed in his throat, and his eyes stung, turning faintly red.

His lips twitched as he fought back the sudden wave of emotion threatening to break through his composure.

If only I could jump into her arms right now...

The happy pleasurous feeling of getting mom’s scolding was too much for him.

​Pressing his lips against the ’Mom’ displayed on the screen, a single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek.

​Wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, Mylo pulled himself up and began walking toward his apartment building.

The darkness was slowly blanketing the city as streetlights fought back, leaving only a faint ray of red sunlight highlighting the final minutes of the day.Reaching his apartment building, Mylo spotted kind Uncle Joe entertaining a woman near the entrance.

​She wore plain, modest clothes and appeared to be in her early thirties, her hip-length black hair tied back simply.

Hanging on her shoulder was a moderately sized shopper bag.

​"Aha, you’re here!" Uncle Joe called out, gesturing toward Mylo. "This is Mylo. She’s been waiting for you."

​Looking at the woman, realization hit Mylo.

"Are you the housemaid my mom hired?"

​"Yes," she replied with a polite smile. "I’m Meha Dansy. I was told to wait here for you this evening."

​"Pleased to meet you. Sorry for keeping you waiting."

​"No, no, it’s quite all right. I only arrived a few minutes ago," she said gently.

Her voice was mature, her features clean and pleasant, radiating a friendly warmth.

"This gentleman here didn’t make it feel like a wait at all."

​"Happy to hear that," Uncle Joe chuckled, tapping Mylo on the shoulder. "Anyway, Mylo, make sure to register her name at the front desk. Otherwise, the night security won’t let her up."

’’I’ll remember that. By the way, here,’’ Mylo took a chocolate bar out and pressed it towards uncle Joe.

’’Ah? Another one. If you keep giving it then, I will really have to worry about her, haha.’’

​After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mylo took Meha Dansy inside the building.

​Uncle Joe watched them walk through the lobby in absolute silence as he put chocolate bar in hid jacket.

Once the elevator doors slid shut, he turned and walked around the side of the building, heading toward the secluded backyard-an area cluttered with rusted scrap metal and trash bags.

​He unlocked the metal door to an old storage shed and stepped inside.

​Lying on the dirty floor were two blood-soaked men, Bob and Mike.

​"The boy looked fine," Joe murmured to himself. "Though there were traces of blood on his back hair, and the heels of his shoes."

​Walking past scattered nails on the floor, Joe pulled a thin, sharp metal rod from his jacket pocket. He crouched down beside the barely breathing survivor.

​"Thanks for the info.’’ he whispered, driving the rod cleanly into the man’s neck. ’’Rest well for now. Don’t try to stalk childern in your rest life.’’

​Stepping back out into the cool evening air, Joe pulled a cigarette from his pocket and flicked a lighter. He took a single drag, only to violently cough up blood into his palm for several seconds.

​"Ha-ack! Ha-ack...! Ha... can’t this body even handle a single puff?"

Wincing, he crushed the burning tip against the brick wall, extinguishing it.

​He raised his head, staring at the horizon where the sun was taking its final breath.

​"What have you gotten yourself involved in, my dear Mylo?"

​His caring smile returned as the last ray of blood-red sunlight faded completely from his eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Please come in," Mylo said, gesturing with his arm as he held the door open.

​Entering the apartment, Meha’s eyes gently scanned the room while Mylo followed behind her.

​There were many conflicting thoughts racing through his mind. On one hand, he felt imotional that his mother cared so much about his well-being. On the other hand, hiring a housemaid felt like an unnecessary expense, especially after how much money he had burned through recently.

More than anything, having a complete stranger living or working in his personal space was something he wasn’t used to, nor did he want to get used to.

​"Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?" Mylo offered.

​"Thank you for offering, but you don’t have to be stiff with me," Meha replied with a gentle smile. "I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of those things for you from now on."

​"Yeah... about that, I actually wanted to discuss something with you."

​For a brief second, Meha’s smile flickered. It was as if she could instantly sense where the conversation was heading.

"If you’re worried about payment, you don’t have to be. Your father has already settled everything with me."

​"Well, it’s... it’s not really about the payment," Mylo admitted, his eyes on wondering around. "It’s...uh, here, why don’t you sit down first?"

​She quietly sat down on the edge of the sofa.

​"Actually, the thing is... I don’t really..." Mylo trailed off.

​Seeing his troubled expression, Meha’s shoulders dropped slightly.

​"You can be frank with me," she said softly. "If you don’t want me working here, it’s really okay. You can just say so."

Her words stung Mylo in a strange way. Before he could even defend himself, she quickly followed up.

​"No, if you’re struggling to say it, then my presence must really be a problem for you," she said, shaking her head. "I shouldn’t have put you in an awkward position. I’m sorry."

​"No, wait, I think you’re misunde-"

​"I think I’ve figured it all out!"

​She shot up from the couch. Mylo’s head jerked back, his eyes tracking her sudden, dramatic movement.

​"Your father must have forced me on you!" she declared passionately. "He did mention wanting me to keep an eye on you! That’s why you’re so stressed, isn’t it? You can’t say no to me because you’re afraid your father will get even angrier at you!"

​....Huh? What on earth is she talking about?

​"Please, don’t worry about it," she continued, clasping her hands together. "I will personally refuse your father and make him understand how crucial it is to let young adults live on their own!"

​"Hey, hey, hey, calm down first," Mylo pleaded, holding up his hands. "You really don’t have to-"

​"No, I have to do this," Meha insisted, her fist tightening as intense emotion surged through her.

"Honestly, it hurts to lose this job because I’m really tight on money right now, but I refuse to let your father push you around like this!"

Where did the calm, mature woman from two minutes ago go?!

​"Please excuse me then," she said solemnly, as if delivering a tragic goodbye, and marched toward the exit.

​Mylo stood there, completely clueless. He dragged a hand over his face, rubbing his temples before letting out a long, defeated sigh.

​As Meha reached for the door handle, Mylo darted past her, throwing himself in front of the exit and spreading his arms wide to block her path.

​"Please, stop and just listen to me for one second!" he gasped. "You’re misunderstanding almost everything. But let me make this crystal clear..."

​He took a breath, meeting her eyes.

"I don’t want to fire you.’’

’’Eh? You don’t...?’’

’’Yes! In fact, I want you to work here. I want you to take care of me."

​Hearing those words, Meha’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

She gasped, bringing both hands over her mouth as a crimson blush spread across her face.

​"D-Don’t tell me..." she stammered, taking a step back in sheer shock.

"But... but I’m an older woman! You’re still so young... You can’t fall for me like this!!"

​"...HUH??!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Report chapter

Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter