Chapter 14 The housekeeper who was bumped into had no guard up against Hailey. Being deliberately collided with in such a manner, the housekeeper struggled to keep a tight grip on the bowl in her hands, causing it to fall to the ground. The sound of the porcelain bowl shattering startled Tara and Stella, who were both preparing fruits. They quickly turned around to see what had happened. The housekeeper, who had only recently started, was already nervous about the work environment.

Now, just after joining, she had broken a bowl, a serious matter in a wealthy household where even the bowls were expensive. The bumped into housekeeper was so frightened that she was completely at a loss of what to do. She didn't understand why Hailey had collided with her. The housekeeper's panicked expression greatly pleased Hailey, as it seemed the intended intimidation had been effective.

"Watch where you're going," Hailey said with a sneer before folding her arms and walking away from the fruit bar. Stella, who had always appeared kind and innocent in the eyes of outsiders, coldly averted her gaze. Ignoring the new housekeeper's distress, she picked up the platter to take upstairs. Watching the new housekeeper tremble as she picked up the shattered porcelain pieces from the floor, Tara sighed inwardly.

She covered the washed fruits and dried her wet hands before taking out a broom and dustpan from the corner. Then, she walked over to the new housekeeper's side. The new housekeeper looked up tearfully, surprised to see Tara-someone quiet and reserved-standing before her. Tara gently moved her hand aside and said, "Don't pick them up with your hands. It's easy to get cut that way. Let me sweep them up." The timid-looking housekeeper thanked her and humbly reached for the broom in Tara's hands.

"Here, let me do it, Tara," she couldn't possibly let Tara, her senior, clean up the broken bowl for her. But Tara had already started sweeping. She didn't even look up as she said, "Go wash your hands. It'll be bad if you get shards stuck in your skin." The new housekeeper wiped her tears. "Thanks, Tara." It turned out that the quiet Tara had actually been the kind one. "Make a glass of honey lemon water," a slightly drunken voice suddenly rang out near Tara and the new housekeeper.

Tara stopped sweeping and looked toward the entrance of the fruit bar. There stood Jonah, his regal figure commanding attention, his gaze cold and aloof. "Right away, Mr. Pearson." With one hand in his pants pocket and the other massaging his weary brows, he slowly made his way toward the second floor. After she finished sweeping up the broken bowl, Tara washed her hands and went to the kitchen to make the honey lemon water. However, she didn't personally deliver it.

Instead, she handed the task to the new housekeeper who had been bumped into earlier. She texted the new housekeeper to come over. The new housekeeper arrived quickly, her expression visibly brightening when she saw Tara. "Tara, you called for me?" Tara handed her the tray with the honey lemon water on top. "Take this to Mr. Pearson, and remember to make a good impression." The new housekeeper suppressed her excitement.

She had been working there for only a short time and hadn't yet been assigned tasks like delivering items to Jonah's room. She thought that getting more face time with Jonah and the others was a good thing. "I'll take it up right away." The new housekeeper adjusted her uniform and carefully took the tray from Tara. Then, she went upstairs and knocked on Jonah's door. "Come in." Jonah's tense response from inside radiated extreme indifference.

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Nervous, the housekeeper cautiously placed the honey lemon water beside Jonah. "Mr. Pearson, here's your honey lemon water. Please enjoy." When he heard another voice, one that wasn't Tara's, delivering the honey lemon water, Jonah opened his eyes and glanced at the visibly nervous new housekeeper. He curtly said, "Okay, you can leave now." The new housekeeper nodded hastily. She was somewhat afraid of Jonah and quickly exited the room. Jonah didn't drink the honey lemon water immediately.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he recalled the scene he had witnessed at the fruit bar. Perhaps because Tara had once behaved flirtatiously in front of him, it was hard to erase that image of her overnight. Even now, his gaze remained distant. The next day, Terence held a morning meeting for the housekeepers. He specifically praised one of the new hires-the same one Hailey had intimidated the day before. "Our new housekeeper performed exceptionally well yesterday.

This month's New Hire Bonus goes to you, Betty," Terence announced. Betty Sanders, who had just started the job and was immediately bullied by Hailey, was now dazzled by Terence's praise and the unexpected bonus. She even wondered if she was dreaming, as she had thought that she would have to pay for the broken bowl, but Terence hadn't even mentioned it. Another new housekeeper looked at her with envy. At that moment, she wished she were Betty.

Hailey never expected that Betty would not only be praised by Terence at the morning meeting but also receive a bonus. Just as she was about to glare resentfully at Betty, she met Terence's gaze. His shrewd eyes seemed to have already seen through her little game. She immediately lowered her head in fear, not daring to act defiantly. "Focus on your work and cut out the drama. Don't turn the workplace into a toxic environment," Terence warned.

Terence was calling out Hailey, and she understood that it was a warning against further workplace bullying. She hung her head even lower, deciding to behave from then on. Tara stood at the very edge of the group. Ever since the new housekeepers had arrived, she had heard Gemma mention to Terence about establishing a "New Hire Program." And there was no better opportunity than having Betty deliver the honey lemon water to Jonah the day before.

As Tara had predicted, Betty was not only praised that morning but also received the bonus. As for Hailey's attempt to intimidate Betty, Tara knew that Terence was bound to find out. After all, the incident with Leah had just passed, and this was exactly the time when Terence was watching most closely, wary of anything similar happening again. Stella noticed Betty frequently glancing at Tara with gratitude. She then looked at Tara, who stood silently nearby.

It seemed that Betty could barely contain her thanks to Tara. Stella guessed that Tara must have helped Betty. She sneered inwardly and wondered when Tara had ever been that kind. After all, everyone knew that her mind wasn't on the job but on trying to seduce their employers. The morning meeting ended, and Jonah and the others were still asleep upstairs. Tara went to the staff dining area for breakfast. She sat at a random table and began eating.

Soon, Betty brought her breakfast and sat across from her. "Tara, thank you." Betty felt that she could finally hold her head high because Tara had helped her. Tara took a sip of her warm coffee. "No need to thank me. You're the one who seized the opportunity yourself-" Betty nodded at her gratefully. Yesterday, her situation had been bleak, but that day, everything felt smooth. And it was Tara she had to thank for the rapid turnaround.

Betty truly thought that Tara could help her when she needed it. Hailey shot Betty a disdainful look. It seemed that Betty had attached herself to Tara. Hailey wondered if Betty truly thought Tara could protect her here and could be targeted at any moment.