Maxon sat in the backseat of his sleek black SUV, hands over his face, trying to process the storm in his head. The packages. The mistake. Rose's coldness. His threats to Isabella and Lucas. Everything was a mess.
Frustrated, he dialed a number.
"Macus," he said when his friend picked up. "I did something really dumb."
"You mean dumber than usual?"
"Shut up and listen. I tried to surprise Rose with gifts, but somehow the wrong girl got them. Now Rose thinks I'm cheating. And I threatened the two workers responsible to fix it or lose their jobs."
Macus whistled. "Damn, man. You're spiraling. What did Demian say?"
"Haven't told him yet. I will tonight."
Later that night at the Lawal estate, Demian sat on a leather armchair, sipping whiskey. Maxon paced before him, recounting everything.
He said I tried to beg her and she is not even listening for real I really don't know what to do again,I even threatened Isabella and Lucas to get her back for me but they couldn't.
This is just too much for me for real,only if Rose could understand she is hurting me.
Demian shook his head. "You threatened them? That's low—even for you."
"They caused the mix-up!"
"And you're the one who picked two girls to send gifts to," Demian snapped. "Get your act together. You're lucky Rose hasn't gone public. Fix this without ruining innocent lives."
That same evening...
Lucas sat on his small couch, nervously scrolling through photos of Rose's house on his tablet, checking for any decor errors. His phone buzzed.
Isabella :Don't you think we should find a solution to Maxon's problem before he really gets us fired?
Lucas replied. "I've been thinking the same thing."
Lucas sighed. "We can't wait until Day Seven and get slammed. What if we try to talk to Rose directly? Maybe if we explain properly, she'll calm down."
Isabella paused. "It's risky."
"So is losing our jobs."
They agreed. Tomorrow, Isabella would try to speak to Rose.
Fourth Day on the Job
To their surprise, when they arrived at Rose's house, she was home.
Rose greeted them coldly but allowed them to work.
Isabella and Lucas moved around the living room, adjusting artwork and placing new decor items. The silence between them buzzed with nerves.
Lucas leaned in and whispered, "You sure about this?"
Isabella nodded. "Let's wait till we're done."
By noon, they finished.
Lucas approached Rose, who was lounging on her couch, scrolling through her phone.
"Ma'am, we're done for today," Lucas said politely. "But please... can you spare Isabella a moment of your time? She wants to speak with you."
Rose raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure. That shouldn't be a problem."
Isabella stepped forward, heart pounding. "Ma... I just wanted to say that everything that happened between you and Maxon... it was our mistake. It wasn't intentional."
Rose's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lucas jumped in. "Let me explain, please. The day Maxon bought those packages, Isabella wasn't feeling well. She asked me to handle labeling while she handled the queue. I mixed up the names. The romantic gift meant for you went to someone else. When Maxon found out, he stormed into our office and flipped everything. We didn't know how to fix it. It was a mix-up, not betrayal. And he will get us fired if you don't forgive him."
Rose's fingers tightened on her phone. "And what do you want me to do now?"
Isabella stepped closer, swallowing her pride. "Ma, please forgive Maxon, he is really sorry."
Rose's expression twisted. She rose to her feet.
"Forgive him? A cheater? Do you know how humiliated I felt? How betrayed? And now you stand here, asking me to forgive him?"
Her voice rose. "What effrontery do you two have to meddle in my relationship?"
Lucas stepped back. "We didn't mean—"
"Out!" Rose yelled. "Both of you! Get out of my house right now!"
Isabella's eyes welled, and Lucas grabbed her hand. "Let's go."
They stumbled out, hearts racing, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Outside, they stood in silence.
Lucas muttered, "Well... that went worse than expected."
Isabella wiped her face.
"We tried. Now what?"
Lucas sighed. "We wait... and pray we still have jobs tomorrow."