Chapter 7
“… I’ll sit next to you.” Lia awkwardly shifted in her seat, but Coby’s hand didn’t loosen its grip.
He said, “What are you so nervous about? Are you that scared of he?”
He gently squeezed her soft waist, and Lia stiffened, softly replying, “No, let’s eat.”
Coby seemed to be in a good mood and released her
Lia quickly sat in the seat next to him and helped him with some food.
“Mr. Ford, try this please,” Lia said.
“What did you call me?” He looked at her with a faint smile.
She paused for a moment before replying, “Coby.”
Lia knew he was very particular about things, but she didn’t realize he was this particular about how he was addressed.
“Don’t forget,” He smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Okay,” Lia lowered her gaze and softly responded.
His long fingers lifted her delicate chin. “Lia, you’re so well–behaved. Shouldn’t I treat you better?”
Am I well–behaved?‘ Lia never thought so. She considered this all just a job, whether at the company or at his home.
If she wanted something, she had to give something in return.
“You treat me very well.” Lia truly believed this, even though they’d only known each other for a few days
“Stay tonight,” said Coby.
She paused. “Sorry, but I have some things to do.”
Coby didn’t mind, nodding. “I’ll take you back.”
“Thank you.” Lia thought he was joking, but after the meal, Coby really did take her back.
“Sir, Miss, we’ve arrived,” reminded Lynn.
“Thank you for bringing me here. Lia bowed to thank Coby.
Coby casually glanced at the neighborhood before withdrawing his gaze.
“You live here?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Lia.
To save money, Lia rented a room in an old apartment building It didn’t have an elevator, but the price was low.
“Then I’ll head back now” Coby gave a slight nod, and after she left, he looked thoughtful
Lia didn’t enter the complex until the car drove off, her steps heavy.
She came back to change clothes; the clothes Coby had given her were too expensive for her to wear.
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Chapter 7
Though Lia worked as seergtary at Allen Group and made a decent salary compared to other office workers, she still couldn’t save much, as she covered Layla’s medical and living expenses.
Her foster parents had limited resources, so she helped them as much as she could.
Ten minutes later, Lia gathered a few things and took a taxi to the hospital.
Olive beamed with joy at the sight of Lia, Recently, she had bec staying close to Layla, hoping to eavesdrop on some gossip.
“Lia, you’re finally here! Grandina’s already asleep.”
Lia gave a faint smile. Mm, Mom, I’ll go pay the hospitalization fees first.”
“Oh, go ahead. Why do you have so many red marks on your neck?” Olive noticed something was off and immediately felt a little displeased.
Lia adjusted her clothes, but the turtleneck still didn’t fully cover the marks Coby had left.
Lia wasn’t sure why he liked to mark her neck, but there were traces of it everywhere.
It seemed like Coby had a certain fetish. As long as she didn’t protest, he would continue.
“What’s wrong? Lia, why is your face so red?” Olive, being experienced, noticed the shy look on Lia’s face and wondered if she was in a relationship.
Olive wouldn’t allow it to happen. She already had someone in mind for Lia
“Maybe it’s from mosquitoes. There have been more lately, and I forgot to turn on the mosquito repellent device last night.) Ill go pay now.” Lia hurried off.
Olive didn’t directly ask. With her husband out of work, she still relied on Lia. She would find a way to ask subtly when the time was right, since Lia was obedient and well–behaved. Maybe she’d come around.
On her way back after paying the bills, Lia ran into Remy
“Dr. Walker, hello.” She greeted him politely.
“Lia, you’re here,” Remy said.
Layla’s always in and out of the hospital, so Remy’s pretty familiar with Lia as Layla’s granddaughter.
“Yeah, thanks for taking care of my grandma, Dr. Walker,” said L
She was really grateful to Remy for helping her get medication for Layla, even when she didn’t have the money. Remy had been a huge help to them.
“It’s nothing. Every time Remy sees Lia, he felt at ease. “Lia, do you have any plans this afternoon?”
“No, is there something you need?” asked Lia.
“How about I take you out for lunch? Remy thought for a second then added. “We can talk about your grandmother’s -condition.”
Lia said, “Okay, but it’s on me this time. I can’t make you pay, De Walker”
“Then next time, I’ll treat you” said Remy.
Lia smiled and nodded, yet she knew there was no way she was going to let Remy pay.
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Chapter 7
After parting with Remy, Lawent back to the room. Olive answered a call and hurried out, leaving just the two of them in
the room
“Grandma, you’ll get better, I promise.” She held Layla’s dry hand, her voice breaking.
Lia used to be an orphan nobody wanted. Luna took her in from the welfare home and brought her to the Allen villa, but treated her like a maid eating and living with the other maids.
Why did Luna bring her in? Supposedly, Issac wanted a sister, and that was how Lia ended up with them.
But life at the Allen villa was even worse than at the welfare home. Issac would bully her whenever he wanted, and the other maids hated her because of Issac.
Lia knew from a young age that she wasn’t wanted. But she had no choice but to endure, since she had no place to complain. She had to do everything perfectly, or else she’d face endless insults.
One time, she was accused of stealing jewelry. No one believed her, even though they couldn’t find the jewelry on her or in her room.
Lia was beaten badly, her wounds got infected, and she fell into a feverish coma. Luna refused to let a doctor treat her, and it was Layla who saved her.
Layla worked in the kitchen for the Allen family. She saw how miserable Lia was and secretly gave her some medicine, and miraculously, Lia didn’t die.
Lia survived, but Luna didn’t want her anymore and planned to send her back to the welfare home. It was Layla who begged I sina to let her keep Lia.
Lia didn’t have a name, but Layla’s last name was Phillips, so that was how she became Lia Phillips
Layla gave Lia the warmth of family, something she’d never known. Even though Layla wasn’t her biological grandma, she was more so than anyone else.
The other maids kept telling Lia to stop paying for Layla’s medical bills since she wasn’t her real granddaughter and didn’t
we her anything
But they didn’t understand. Without Layla, there would be no today.
Lia was always the target of luar’s bullying, even though she was good and never fought back. It only made him more arrogant
As they grew older, Lana saw how had Issac was, so for the first time, she let Lia attend a prestigious school. That way, Lia could be more qualified to care for her precious son Lu managed to finish her studies thanks to the Allen family’s support. Lia shouldn’t complain. If it wasn’t for the Allen family, she wouldn’t have had the chance to finish school
But she thought, after all these years of being treated like a maid she’d had enough
“Lux” Layla called weakly
La quickly wiped away her tears and smiled. “Grandma, you’re awake! Are you hungry? I’ll peel some fruit for you.
“Tan not hungry, Lix you look so tired. What’s going on Layla noticed the dark circles under Lia’s eyes and felt bad. It was all because of her that Lia wAS SO WOET, OUt
Lu sast. “I’m fine. Grandma, really”
Layla reached out and gently touched her face. “You’re burning up Are you coming down with something
Chapter 7
Tin just a little warm, it’s nothing” Lia explained.
“Lia, don’t lie to me. Even though I’m old, I know when something’s wrong,” said Layla.
“Grandina, I’m not lying” said Lia,
Layla touched Lia’s head, her eyes getting misty. “I know my days are numbered. Don’t waste any more money, Lia. You don’t need to worry about me. Everyone has to face this someday, and I’m at peace with it.”
“Grandma, Dr. Walker said the surgery has a high chance of success. Don’t you want to see me get married?” asked Lia.
When she heard about marriage, Layla sighed. “I do want to see you get married, but your time hasn’t come yet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see that day.”
Lia didn’t want to see Layla so down. She gathered herself and said cheerfully, “Grandma, I already have a boyfriend. After your surgery, I’ll bring him to meet you. How does that sound?”
If telling a little white lie made Layla happy, Lia was willing to do it.
Layla waved her hand. Lit, last time you said you didn’t have a boyfriend. How could things change so fast? You don’t need
to comfort me.”
“Grandma, he’s a classmate from high school. He’s the one I ran into that night when I was delivering something to Mr. Allen. Lia told the story about Coby, mixing a bit of truth with fiction.
“Is that so?” Layla asked, happily.
Yeah. Grandma. He said he likes me. At first, I didn’t believe him, but… but… Lia wasn’t sure how to continue.
“But what?” Layla asked, curious,
Lia replied. “He said he’s liked me since high school. I’ve always thought well of him, so we’re together now. It’s just that it’s all so new, and I wanted to wait until things were more stable before telling your
Layla said, “So that’s how it is. Alright, Lia. You have a boyfriend; that’s great.”
“Grandma, you need to stay positive. After the surgery. I’ll bring him over to meet you,” said Lia
“Okay, okay. I really want to see who your future husband is. He better treats you well,” Layla was grinning from ear to ear, just talking to herself.
“Don’t worry, Grandma. He’s a nice guy,” Lia said, going along with what Layla said.
She thought, As long as Grandma’s surgery goes well, I can just get some guy to fill in as her boyfriend for now, and we’ll figure it out later
“That’s good. Lia, go take care of your own things. You don’t need to stay here with me. Don’t let your work get behind.” Layla urged.
“Grandma, I’m on vacation right now” Lia didn’t want to tell Layla she quifher job, because that would just make Layla worry more about money.
Vacation? Did Mr. Allen agree to that?” asked Layla.
She thought, ‘In the past, getting time off was like pulling teeth, so why’s Mr. Allen being so nice now?”
Lia replied, “Yes, Grandma
Layla said. “That’s good. You should really take care of yourself. Look at how thin you are! Stop always sending me
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Chapter 7
supplements. Take care of yourself for once.
Lia said “Grandma, I’ve gained weight. I’m fat now,”
“Fat? No, you are not fat; women should have some curves, said ayla
Lia had developed early and was more mature than her classes. The boys would sneak peeks, and the girls thought she was showing off. She was self–conscious about it for a while, but eventually, she got over it.
“Grandma, let me get you some warm water, offered Lia.
“I wonder how your dad’s loing at work? Has the Allen family been giving him trouble?” Layla sighed.
Lia froze for a second, then just kept pouring the water in silence
“Don’t worry, Grandma. Dad’s doing fine,” said Lia.
It was just recently that Lia had found out her adoptive father had been fired by the Allen family, but she didn’t know the exact reason. She couldn’t let Layla know about it for now.
“Alright,” said Layla. Just as she finished her water, Lia’s phone rang.
“Lia
ahead and take the call. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just sleep for a bit.” Layla knew Lia was busy and didn’t want to hold her up.
Lia said, “Okay, Grandma, I’ll take the call first.”
“Go ahead,” Layla said.
After tucking Layla in, Lia stepped outside to answer the phone
The number was familiar, but she hadn’t saved it. They’d just parted this morning, and now Coby was calling
“Mr. Ford, is something up?” asked Lia
Coby frowned slightly. “When it’s just the two of us, call me by my name.
“Coby, what’s up?” Lia still wasn’t used to calling him by his first name
“Can’t I call you if I don’t have a reason?” asked Coby.
Lia didn’t know how to respond.
Coby seemed to realize his words came off wrong, so he cleared his throat and asked, “Are you feeling better from your ,cold?
Lia didn’t expect him to call just to check on her. “Yeah, much better.”
“Your voice still sounds rough, and you’re really stuffed up. Are you sure you’re feeling better?” Coby asked again.
Lia wasn’t great at lying.
Her face turned awkward. Tll be fine by tomorrow morning. Thanks for checking in”
He rubbed his fingers together and then said, “Do you how my address?”
“Yeah.” Lia couldn’t help but wonder why he was asking that.
“Pack your stuff and move in,” said Coby.
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Lia thought she must have misheard. “Coby, why? Why should move in with you? Isn’t our relationship supposed to be a
“I have a cleanliness obsession. I don’t like making love in hotels explained Coby
鱼
