Chapter 18 At that moment, Lance's chilly aura emerged from the pool entrance. "Soren, I need to talk to you," Lance said. As Lance approached, Tara felt a strange tension ease. Soren returned to his nonchalant demeanor, hands casually stuffed in the pockets of his bathrobe. His tone was light, as if the awkwardness Tara had just felt had been nothing more than a fleeting moment. "Nothing good ever comes out of you talking," Soren remarked.

Lance walked closer, his gaze sweeping over wet Tara's face, who showed signs of unease and confusion. Soren picked up a towel from the lounge chair and casually dried his hair. Tara wanted to stop him but was too late. He had taken the towel she used to wipe her neck and her clothes. Knowing Soren was a germaphobe, Tara feigned ignorance to avoid unnecessary trouble. Soren tossed the towel aside and turned to Tara, smiling.

"Let's play together again next time." After he finished speaking, he swept his gaze over her bare feet before slinging an arm over Lance's broad shoulders. Disliking Soren's frivolous demeanor, Lance shook off the latter's arm, shot him a cold glance, and warned, "Stop teasing Tara." "Do I seem like that kind of person?" Soren acted as though he had been wronged. Soren suddenly laughed. "I guess you really understand me, huh? I can't help it, though.

Tara's reactions are just too amusing, so it's really hard not to tease her." Tara, who was standing behind them, was speechless. She wondered if he was saying that loudly on purpose so she could hear. Disapproving of Soren's behavior, Lance frowned and said, "Tone it down a little. Don't scare her." Tara was exhausted. She found dealing with Soren more tiring than half a day's work. She quickly packed up and pushed the cart away from the pool.

As she exited the pool area, she saw Hailey wiping a vase, her eyes darting toward the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the pool. Tara knew exactly what she was up to. She stopped the cart and cleared her throat. Startled, Hailey immediately retracted her gaze and continued wiping the vase. When she turned and saw that it was Tara, she gritted her teeth in frustration. Tara didn't speak; she only looked at her with eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Hailey snatched up her rag and stormed off. The vase had long been polished to a shine. Fuming, Hailey threw the rag into the sink, blaming herself for arriving too late. She hadn't seen anything, and to make matters worse, Tara had caught her. It was humiliating, to say the least. Hailey felt relieved thinking that all the men seemed to dislike Tara, especially Soren. She didn't think that Soren and the others could ever fall for Tara, even if she used countless seduction tactics.

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During the noon break, Soren was deep in sleep, his brows furrowed and the veins on his forehead faintly visible. It seemed that something in his dream was making it difficult for him to maintain control. When he woke up, Soren threw off the covers with a darkened expression and cursed under his breath. "Fuck!" He lowered his eyes, his expression temptingly grim, just recalling a fleeting moment from his dream made his gaze stormy. Tara's doe-like eyes flashed before Soren's vision.

Recently, she had sparked a bit of interest in him. Tara, busy working in the villa, had no idea that Soren had dreamt a certain kind of dream about her. Tara entered the dining room during dinner that evening and stood behind Shawn as usual. Across from Shawn was Lance, who frowned slightly with displeasure when he saw her standing there again. However, he didn't say anything. Tara moved mechanically, repeating her usual tasks without glancing at the other men's expressions.

Lance occasionally lifted his gaze to look at her, but Tara was so focused on her work that she didn't notice his repeated glances. Beside him, Soren was languid as ever, though he no longer watched her with amusement or teased her with his eyes. "Soien," Shawn tilted his chin toward the plate of ribs in front of Shawn. Shawn motioned for Tara to take it over. "Give him the whole plate." Soren lazily raised his eyes to Tara, who was just about to pick up the plate.

For some reason, he suddenly frowned and clicked his tongue. "I don't want you. That you-go bring the towel?" He called for Hailey, who was standing behind him. Hailey could barely contain her excitement. She shot a smug glance at Tara, feeling assured that Soren had thoroughly grown tired of her. She no longer had to worry about Soren showing interest in Tara. Stella smiled gently, though the disdain in her eyes as she looked toward Tara was becoming hard to conceal.

She suspected that Tara had once again tried to seduce Soren that morning, only to end up angering him. Tara herself didn't sense anything amiss, nor was she embarrassed. She simply set the ribs back down. After all, Soren had disliked her for quite some time, especially after she had stood up to him that morning. Lance's gaze held a trace of sympathy. Seeing Tara seemingly unbothered and continuing her work, he found Soren's actions even more uncalled for.

Shawn was also displeased with Soren's actions. Although Tara was a housekeeper, he thought that she still deserved to be treated with dignity. "Tara, from now on, ignore whatever Soren asks you to do," Jonah, who had been silently eating, spoke up. Tara, who was startled to hear Jonah speak to her, stopped what she was doing and looked toward him. Only when she looked up did she sense the awkward atmosphere in the dining room. Confused, she glanced at Soren again.