"Do you have any future plans?" Olivier responded to Gwenda's question with another question. He elegantly sipped his tea.

Gwenda considered this for a moment. "I'll finish my studies first," she said. "I'm a senior next semester." She added silently, I also need to make plans and prove myself to August. Her first step was to…

"Then finish your studies. Take it easy," Olivier interrupted her thoughts.

"Why?" Gwenda asked, confused.

Olivier smirked but didn't answer. Gwenda eyed him suspiciously, then realized she hadn't finished explaining her plans. Before she could continue, he interrupted again. "I'm hungry."

Gwenda was speechless.

"Can you cook?"

"No," Gwenda replied decisively. She wasn't lying. In her previous life, before the Evans family's downfall, she hadn't known how to cook. Afterward, living alone, she'd learned a few things. But now, admitting her newfound skills might encourage Olivier's manipulations. If she said yes, would he make her cook for him? To discourage him, she decided to lie.

"Not only can I not cook, I can't clean or do laundry either. Living with me would be quite demeaning." She hoped this blatant self-deprecation would send him packing.

However, Olivier merely smiled indulgently. "That's fine; you don't need to do anything." He pulled out his phone and made a call.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Gwenda cautiously opened the door to two middle-aged women.

"One will clean, the other will cook," Olivier explained casually. "They'll be punctual. Let them know if you have any instructions."

Gwenda was exasperated. This wasn't at all what she'd intended. "What else do you need?"

"No, nothing," Gwenda said, facepalming. This guy's not on the same wavelength! she thought frustratedly.

"Good," Olivier said, smiling at the housekeepers, who immediately began their work.

Gwenda saw his determination to stay. She sighed. Fine. Let him stay. Maybe he'd get tired of it and leave eventually. Relieved, she stood. "Mr. Petit, I'm still unpacking. I'll be in my room. Help yourself."

"Sure."

A cunning glint appeared in Olivier's eyes as he watched her leave. Back in her room, Gwenda unpacked, showered, and fell asleep.

She awoke to dusk, the bedroom dim. Still sleepy, she wandered out, hair disheveled, completely forgetting her houseguest. Going to the living room for water, she paused at the balcony…

(The passage ends abruptly here.)