---- Chapter 96 Tara wasn't one to shirk responsibility -especially not when Terence had given her a task. She worked there, after all, and tricking Soren wasn't exactly difficult. It didn't take long before she had everything ready- drinks and all of Soren's usual swimming essentials. She wheeled the cart over to the poolside. Someone was already in the water. Tara stopped beside a lounger, waiting for them to finish and get out for a break. As she sat and watched, her gaze lingered.

The swimmer's form was smooth, efficient-almost mesmerizing. There was a grace to every stroke, and the longer she watched , the more drawn in she became. Propping her chin on one hand, she waited patiently. Eventually, the swimmer reached the edge of the pool and climbed out. Water shimmered on his broad shoulders , the sun highlighting his fair skin. He ran a hand through his wet hair and turned-and their eyes met. Tara shot up from the lounger, her heart skipping a beat. Her breath caught.

She had almost forgotten why she was even there. ---- "M-Mr. Swain," she stammered. Lance slowly walked toward her. The moment their eyes locked, her face flushed crimson, and she took a step back instinctively. Why was he here? That would explain the unfamiliar elegance in that swimming style. Lance didn't say a word. He just kept walking closer, and the air thickened with tension until Tara could barely breathe. Then he leaned in slightly, raising his hand. "I-M-Mr.

Swain, someone might come out here and see us," she blurted out. But Lance merely reached past her for a towel and began drying his dark, dripping hair. "So what?" he replied coolly. Tara's embarrassment surged, her face turning beet red. Of course-he just wanted the towel. She lowered her head and murmured, "I-It's nothing." Lance dried his hair in silence. Then, without looking at her, he asked, "Where's my coffee?" Tara wasted no time pouring his coffee and passing it to him.

She just so happened to look into his eyes when she handed him the mug. ---- Something flashed past her mind, and she stiffened briefly before averting her gaze to the ground as if he would eat her alive if they stared at each other much longer. Lance took a sip and said, "Stop working as a housekeeper. I'll have a new job arranged for you at Swain Corp. You'll be paid ten times higher." Tara was taken by surprise. Ten times higher? She looked up at him in disbelief. "Mr.

Swain, I'm bound by an employment contract. I can't leave until then. I can't afford to pay the cost of breaching the contract either." Lance's reaction was similar to Soren's. He looked indifferent about it. "You don't have to worry about the money." To be honest, Tara was quite hesitant regarding this matter . However , it suddenly crossed her mind that he was one of the male protagonists in the story, and she quickly came to her senses. "Mr.

Swain, thanks, but I don't think I fit the job," she told him. Lance lowered his eyes as he set his mug down on the cart. "Tara, I'm serious about our relationship . I'm in it for the long run." ---- Of course, he would think of it that way for now. But it was easy for a person's feelings to change, and he was one of the male protagonists . She couldn't consider his offer. Seeing her tense up, Lance took out a black bank card from his bathrobe pocket draped over a lounger and handed it to her.

"The password's your birthday." Staring down at the card in Lance's hand, an astonished Tara waved her hands frantically to refuse. "No, I can't take this." But Lance wasn't going to give in. "You have but one choice." From his ominous tone, Tara knew that she would not be able to refuse it. She took the card from him and told herself that she would just put it back in his room when she resigned. Something wasn't right.

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Tara glanced up at Lance and asked, "How did you know my birthday?" Did he ask Gemma? The thought made Tara panic even more. Lance grabbed the bathrobe , wrapped himself in it, and tied the belt. "It's on your résumé." With her heart still in her throat, Tara asked, "Where did ---- you get it from?" Did he get her résumé from Gemma?

Lance seemed to have guessed what she was thinking because he calmly told her, "Gemma knows nothing about this." Tara barely had time to sigh in relief when she heard him say, "Are you so scared about people finding out about us? When Soren would blatantly threaten her, Lance was different in that his tone was so cold that it gave her the chills. When Tara looked into the dark pools of Lance's eyes, she fretted and stepped backward.

But this time, he didn't grab her hand to stop her from leaving. Instead, he pulled her into his gentle embrace. In a calm and soothing voice, he told her, "Tara, be good now. You can't hide." Recalling what Lance did that day, she couldn't help but bite her lower lip at how exhilarating it had been. Lance didn't continue swimming after that. He didn't force her to give him an answer right away. "You can give me your answer in two days. Don't forget my milk tonight," he told her before he left.

---- As Tara watched him leave, she finally realized how serious Lance was. It also occurred to her that he wouldn't give up so easily. The sun beamed down on the land, its rays warming the hearts of all around. Tara enjoyed the view in the backyard while dusting the antiques on the shelf. All of a sudden, Betty showed up out of nowhere and gave Tara quite a surprise when she asked, "Tara, are you okay?

You look like you're zoning out." Pulled back from her reverie, Tara continued dusting the antiques . "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the past." Betty then said, "Stella cried just now. She talked to Mr. Oakley about something , and he sighed. It didn't seem like he agreed to her request." Tara figured it was about Stella abandoning her overseas. Gemma wouldn't let that slide, and Stella must've gone to plead her case.

Still, Tara thought that the result would have been the same no matter how things had progressed. Stella was the female protagonist in the story, after all. There was no running away from that. Curious , Betty asked, "Did something happen when you ---- guys were abroad?" Otherwise , Gemma and Terence wouldn't have the heart to fire Stella. Several images flashed untimely through Tara's mind, all of which were not safe to mention at work. Tara cleared her throat to get rid of those thoughts.

"Yeah. Something happened all right." That was all Tara could say. Betty wanted to prod further, but Queenie Lewis, a housekeeper who joined at the same time as Betty, came up from behind Betty and interrupted the conversation . "Betty, hurry up and help me out," said Queenie. Betty glanced longingly at Tara before following Queenie inside. Later, Tara bent down and prodded the feather duster deeper into the wooden shelf to remove the dust.

Just then, a tall figure came up and stopped right behind her. The warm rays of the sun emphasized his air of elegance and sophistication . But under his gold-rimmed glasses, which glinted in the sun, his eyes held an ominous gloom.