Leon Sterling looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, “Then give me a kiss.”
‘Huh?’
‘A deal this good!’
Hazel Sinclair’s eyes lit up.
He was the one who asked for it, after all.
She immediately threw her arms around Leon Sterling’s neck and planted a kiss right on his thin lips.
Hazel Sinclair was a total novice, so she mimicked the techniques she’d seen in movies and tentatively stuck her tongue out.
Leon Sterling had thought she would let go after a simple peck, but he didn’t expect her to make another move.
But he only froze for a second before wrapping his arms around Hazel Sinclair and taking back control.
“I’ll work hard to earn money,” Leon Sterling murmured, then lowered his head to kiss Hazel Sinclair’s tender, red lips.
When they were finished, Leon Sterling carried her to the bathroom to wash up.
After getting cleaned up, Hazel Sinclair lay in bed, her eyelids so heavy she could barely keep them open.
Leon Sterling stood by the bed and aimed the fan at Hazel Sinclair.
Only after doing all this did he lie down on the bed, wrap an arm around her waist, and close his eyes in satisfaction.
Hazel Sinclair didn’t wake up until twelve-thirty the next day.
When she did, she sat up in bed, her whole body aching.
“That beast,” Hazel Sinclair muttered, rubbing her lower back.
She was cursing him, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.
‘He’s pretty damn good.’
[Host, you…
what you’re doing is wrong.] The system chose this moment to speak up, its voice cautious.
[You should be looking for rich men to solidify your persona as a snobbish gold digger.]
Not fooling around with the male lead.
This was completely unacceptable.
But Hazel Sinclair ignored it.
‘Why would I go looking for some other guy?
The man I have at home is amazing.’
She got out of bed to wash up.
Sitting at the dining table, she saw the rice cooker had been kept on the “warm” setting.
She opened it and found steamed dumplings and a breakfast pastry which she’d been enjoying the past few days.
There were also two hard-boiled eggs.
A carton of yogurt was set to the side.
Hazel Sinclair was lactose intolerant and would always get an upset stomach after drinking regular milk.
Leon Sterling had noticed and stopped buying it.
She picked up a dumpling and popped it into her mouth.
Delicious.
After eating, Hazel Sinclair drank her yogurt and checked her phone.
The manager of The Skylar Lounge had sent her a lot of messages.
The red notification bubble showed “99+”.
This surprised Hazel Sinclair.
‘Why would the manager send me so many messages?’
After reading through them, Hazel Sinclair came to one conclusion.
He wanted her to come to the lounge because some rich heirs wanted to meet her.
If she could land one of them, she wouldn’t have to struggle with Leon Sterling anymore.
The manager had even sent her the WhatsApp contacts for three of them.
‘That manager… he’d been quiet for so many days.
Why is he bothering me again today?
So weird.’
Hazel Sinclair ignored him and closed WhatsApp to scroll through videos.
Just as she was getting into it, a friend request popped up on WhatsApp.
She glanced at it, and her eyes lit up.
‘A cash cow just delivered itself to my door!’
After accepting, Hazel Sinclair immediately sent the person a message.
[Hazel Sinclair: Hello.]
The “typing” indicator appeared almost instantly.
Hazel Sinclair’s heart pounded with excitement.
‘Another freelance gig!’
The person on the other end quickly outlined their idea and requirements, then asked for her price.
Hazel Sinclair based her quote on their requirements and the project’s length.
The video they wanted edited was quite long, so it would take more time.
Hazel Sinclair quoted 800 dollars directly.
If they agreed, she’d start work right away.
If not, it just meant they weren’t fated to work together.
To her surprise, the client agreed immediately without any haggling.
This made Hazel Sinclair even more excited.
‘Haha, I’m going to make some money!’
Hazel Sinclair lay on the sofa, propping a pillow under her lower back, and got to work.
Leon Sterling came home very early that day, carrying bags big and small filled with meat, green vegetables, and all sorts of seasonings.
“How come you’re back so early today?” Hazel Sinclair asked, looking up at him.
“Did you give up on making money already?”
Leon Sterling shook his head and placed the small cake he was carrying next to her.
“I remember you like the cake from this place.”
Hazel Sinclair glanced at the time.
It was only one-thirty in the afternoon.
He was back so soon.
She opened the cake box and took a bite.
It was delicious—not too sweet, with a rich, creamy aroma and the sweet fragrance of fruit.
Halfway through the cake, she saw Leon Sterling prepping ingredients and realized he was planning to go set up his food stall.
‘This guy…
his drive is really something else.’
‘I thought it would take a few more days before he officially started.’
“How many dishes are you planning to make?” Hazel Sinclair put her cake aside, sidled up next to him, and asked in a low voice.
“Just five.
Time is tight, so I can’t make too many,” Leon Sterling replied, glancing at the ingredients in front of him.
“Need any help?” Hazel Sinclair asked, nodding.
“No, it’s okay.
Go eat your cake,” Leon Sterling refused.
With nothing to do, Hazel Sinclair sat at the dining table, working on her video and eating her small cake.
But Hazel Sinclair couldn’t just sit there and do nothing with a clear conscience while Leon Sterling was so busy.
She became his little shadow, tailing him and helping out wherever she could.
Cooking rice, prepping ingredients, and stir-frying all took time.
Even with Leon Sterling’s quick and nimble hands, it was already five-thirty by the time all the dishes were cooked.
After they loaded everything onto the three-wheeled cart, Hazel Sinclair smiled and said, “I’m coming with you.”
Leon Sterling was about to tell her to stay and rest in their rental apartment, but before he could get the words out, Hazel Sinclair had already plopped herself into the driver’s seat.
“Let’s go!
If we don’t hurry, we won’t sell anything,” Hazel Sinclair called out, waving him over.
A smile spread across Leon Sterling’s face as he watched her.
They drove the three-wheeled cart over to the construction site, just as the workers were getting off their shifts one after another.
Several other food carts were parked nearby, with long lines of customers in front of them.
Hazel Sinclair hopped off the cart and helped Leon Sterling set out the tables and chairs.
Once that was done, Leon Sterling placed the price list he had written out beforehand to the side.
Someone noticed it was a new stall, walked over to take a look, and asked, “This is all you’re selling?”
“My husband and I are just starting out, so we ran out of time to make more,” Hazel Sinclair explained with a friendly smile.