One Girl’s Meat, Another Man’s Poison

Kira traced her finger on the window and drew a stickman. She poked at the figure’s head and imagined it was Austyn’s noggin. The silence in the car suited her just fine. She would apologise for accidentally sitting on him. But she drew the line at apologising for eating garlic. How could Austyn look down his nose at the beloved condiment? It was wholesome, delicious and incredibly nutritious, to boot. A bowl of stir-fried noodles would be incomplete without a heaping serving of chilli and garlic. The man was just kicking up a fuss over nothing. Kira leaned closer to the window and exhaled. Was her breath really that bad? But she couldn’t smell anything. Austyn must have the nose of a bloodhound. Kira puffed out her cheeks. If he couldn’t stand the smell, why did he let her get into the car? The man changed his mind faster than a chameleon changed its colours. Besides, it was not like his own conduct was beyond reproach. He did not greet her when she got in, made no effort at small talk, and refused to accept her apology like a gracious champion. ‘What an icicle,’ Kira said to herself. Honk! Honk! Screech! Kira was tossed into the air for the second time in just as many minutes. She bumped her head against the window. Her nose and mouth were squashed against the tempered glass. She prayed no one could see her face from outside. ‘Why is Kai driving like a maniac? What’s gotten into him?’ Kira wondered as she unhitched her face from the window. She rubbed her nose gingerly, glad that she never had rhinoplasty. The impact could’ve knocked out the nose implant. Kira shuddered at the image. ‘Kai Scott!’ Austyn growled. He hadn’t missed the pained grimace on Kira’s face and the patch of red on her forehead. Kai tensed up. He could feel Austyn’s eyes boring a hole in his back. ‘Sorry, Boss. I had to swerve to avoid ramming into a scooter. It just came out of nowhere. There’s a lot of them on the road. Zipping in and out of traffic willy-nilly. The rider was dashing across the street when the light already turned red. I would’ve driven right over him if I hadn’t veered left.’ He twisted around in his seat to look at Kira. ‘I’m terribly sorry, Mrs McCarthy. Are you all right? Kira massaged her forehead. ‘I’m fine. It’s okay. I know it’s not your fault.’ ‘Oh thank you. That’s very kind of you to say. You’ve no idea how much I appreciate it.’ Kira squeezed out a smile at the PA’s effusive gratitude. Fortunately, for both of them, the rest of the car ride was without incident. Austyn and Kira arrived at the villa in one piece, to Kai’s great relief. As soon as the car stopped, Kira bounded upstairs and headed straight for the bathroom. She furiously brushed her teeth twice and sprayed a mouthful of Listerine mist until her breath was minty fresh. She exhaled against the mirror and took a sniff. Not bad. All mint. No garlic. She came out of the bathroom and checked to make sure Austyn was still downstairs. Getting on her knees, she stuck her head into the space below the king-sized bed and pulled out a box. She’d stashed her diary inside. Keeping a log of her daily activities was a habit for many years. Kira counted her earnings for the day with relish, before adding them to a small pile of cash in the box. ‘Mrs McCarthy?’ someone knocked on the bedroom door. ‘Coming.’ Kira returned the box to its hiding place. ‘Mrs McCarthy, dinner’s ready,’ Elsie said as the door opened. ‘Just a moment,’ Kira took the housekeeper’s hand in her own and gave it an affectionate squeeze. ‘Elsie, have you been with the family for long?’ ‘Oh yes, for donkey’s years.’ ‘Then you must know Austyn well.’ ‘I’ve watched over Young Master since he was a baby.’ ‘I’m curious, how did you manage to put up with him all these years?’ The man was aloof, abrasive, not to mention arrogant. What did Kayleigh see in him? Elsie booped Kira on the nose, amused. ‘You shouldn’t talk about Young Master like this behind his back. He’s not a disagreeable person, though he can appear standoffish at times. I think it may have something to do with his time in the army.’ ‘He served?’ ‘For many years,’ Elsie nodded. How did a tough-guy serviceman turn into a haughty businessman? Kira pricked up her ears. ‘Then do you know why Young Master transformed into a money-grubbing—um, I meant, an ambitious chief executive?’ The housekeeper shook her head disapprovingly. ‘You shouldn’t call him Young Master. He’s your husband.’ Kira glanced away. She just couldn’t bring herself to use the word ‘husband.’ ‘Anyway, as I was saying, what changed? Did he suffer some kind of trauma? Or did he leave the army because he’d served out his term?’ It was a big jump to trade in the olive green battle dress for a bespoke suit. Elsie sighed as her mind drifted back to old memories. Young Master’s life would have gone in a completely different direction if it weren’t for Miss Deborah Connelly… With a wistful smile, Elsie said, ‘That is not something for me to tell. If you’re interested to know why, you should ask Young Master—your husband.’ Kira locked eyes with Elsie until she was sure the housekeeper was not going to change her mind. She gave a nonchalant shrug, ‘I’m starving. You said dinner’s ready. Let’s go.’ Elsie smiled at the girl’s not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject. It was one of the reasons she adored Kira. The twenty-one-year-old was sharp as a tack, but she never overstepped her bounds. She knew when to push and when to pull back. ‘Clever girl,’ Elsie squeezed Kira’s hand. ‘Young Master will grow to like you.’ Kira kept her eyes on the floor and said nothing. She wasn’t the smart cookie Elsie made her out to be. She just had a keen sense of her place. Austyn and Kira were lawfully wedded husband and wife. But they were, in reality, strangers who shared a bed. She had no right to meddle in his business, personal or otherwise. Nor did she want to. Their relationship was born of a contract. It was her job to act like a dutiful wife. She would keep up her end of the deal, hoping fervently for him to do the same. Whatever he did to her, including in the bedroom, she just had to grin and bear it. His past was his business. She knew Elsie was trying to be helpful, but Kira knew better than to stick her nose where it didn’t belong.