Tessa woke up from her nap feeling hungry. At this moment, the doorbell rang.

She ran a brush through her hair a few times, casually put on an off-white fur coat, and slipped into her plush slippers to answer the door.

“Ms. Yates, hello. Mr. Jacobson hired me to cook for you.”

Standing outside was a middle-aged woman, around 50, dressed in a black cotton jacket and looking kind.

Tessa paused. “Please wait a moment, let me check.”

Since she was a stranger, Tessa couldn’t let her in casually.

“Sure thing, go ahead and ask Mr. Jacobson. I’ll just wait out here,” the woman said with a cheerful smile.

Tessa called Stephen.

“Did you hire someone to cook for me?”

“Yes, this is Mrs. Wilson’s daughter-in-law. Mrs. Wilson is getting older, and it’s inconvenient for her to come over, but her daughter-in-law has learned her cooking skills. I specifically invited her to cook for you. You should find the food to your liking.”

Tessa was stunned. She remembered Helen, who used to be the Somerton family’s housekeeper.

Her mother, Tyla, had learned to cook from Helen. Stephen had even taken Tessa to visit Helen’s house before. At the time, she had only met Helen and her son since the daughter-in-law was not at home.

She hadn’t expected Stephen to be so thoughtful as to invite Helen’s daughter-in- law to cook for her.

Women were always touched by small details like these. A soft, cotton-candy-like warmth filled Tessa’s heart.

“Alright, I got it.”

Tessa ended the call and politely said, “Please come in.”

During their conversation, Tessa learned that Michelle Mercer was 47 years old and had a daughter two years younger than Tessa, who worked as an elementary school teacher.

“Ms. Yates, I heard from Mr. Jacobson that you like these dishes, so I bought the necessary ingredients. What would you like for dinner?” Michelle said as she walked in with two large bags of fresh vegetables and meat from a supermarket.

Tessa smiled. “Since Stephen recommended it, I’ll probably like everything. You can decide.”

“Alright, then, Mr. Jacobson

Mr.

specifically instructed me to buy

ingredients from that big

supermarket in Westvale. I’d never

been to a place like that before

where you have to be a member just

to enter.

“Everything there was expensive, but the labels showed that the products were imported, organic, and top quality, so it felt reassuring to buy them.”

Michelle was warm, genuine, and naturally friendly, which made Tessa quite like her personality.

“You’re all grown up now, Ms. Yates. I wonder if you remember me. I used to carry you when you were little.”

Tessa was stunned for a moment. Since Michelle mentioned it, Tessa felt a vague recollection of her.

Tessa smiled. “You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Tess.”

“Alright, I’ll call you Tess from now on. Tess, where’s the kitchen?”

Tessa pointed her in the direction. “Over there.”

“I’ll start cooking then. Mr. Jacobson said he’ll be back for dinner tonight, so I’ll make a main, three sides, and a soup. How does that sound?”

Tessa nodded. “That sounds good.”

After finishing his work, Stephen asked his driver to take him to Grandview Garden, the villa he had prepared for Tessa.

To avoid the embarrassment of not having any clothes to change into during an overnight stay, Stephen had specifically asked someone to buy him new toiletries, robes, loungewear, and everyday clothing. Several large suitcases were packed to the brim.

Stephen rang the doorbell at the entrance.

Tessa opened the door and was startled. “Why did you bring so much stuff?”

Stephen raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile playing on his lips. “I wanted to be prepared in case I stayed over without any clothes to change into.”

Tessa thought that he’d brought way too much stuff. Wasn’t this basically moving in together? But on second thought, if Stephen proposed fiving together, she realized she might not actually mind.

Seeing that he had to ring the doorbell to enter, Tessa asked curiously, “Don’t you

have a key? Why ring the bell if you could just walk in?”

“This house was bought for you. You’re the only owner here now. I need your permission to get a key.”