Husband With Benefits-Chapter 807: Scare A Bear

Lily huffed and puffed as she dragged her suitcase behind her and wondered why she thought the distance from where she had been dropped off to this house was less. Dragging a bag in the snow was no mean feat! And the wind howling past your ears made it somehow even more eery.

However, as she saw the large mansion that she needed to manage, she forgot all about her struggle... It was beautiful! With a hand on her hip, she stood for a moment and admired it. The guest house, with its old-fashioned red brick and charming chimney, looked like something out of an English fairy tale. Its warmth practically radiated through the windows. Lily grinned to herself, shuffling through the set of keys she had been given, searching for the smaller one that would unlock the front door.

Just as her fingers brushed the key she needed, she caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat. Was someone—or something—moving toward her? The figure was far off but was definitely getting closer. Slowly. Cautiously. As if sneaking up on her.

Her pulse quickened. Was this her imagination running wild, or had she been spotted by a bear of all things? Weren’t they supposed to be hibernating by now? And were they supposed to be hovering so close to where she was supposed to live? Even though she might not have to move about, she could not stay locked inside the house, could she? Panic set in as she fumbled with the keys, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. Her breath hitched as the figure moved faster, its form looming larger with each passing second.

With wide, frightened eyes, she tried to focus on getting the key into the lock, but her hands shook so violently she could barely control them. "Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath, willing her hands to cooperate. The wind howled louder, drowning out all other sound. She could feel the figure getting closer—too close. Her panic surged.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the key slid into the lock with a satisfying click. But before she could turn it, she felt a heavy paw land on her shoulder. Her heart leapt into her throat.

She froze. No, no, no! This was it! She squeezed her eyes shut, covering her ears with her hands as she let out a scream of terror.

Lily’s breath came in short gasps, her body frozen in terror. But through the pounding in her ears, she became aware of a voice—soft but insistent. "Lily... Lily, it’s me. Open your eyes."

For a moment, she stayed in her shell of fear, gripping her ears and squeezing her eyes shut tighter. But then she realized that the paw gripping her shoulder wasn’t rough or clawed; it was warm and human. Slowly, her heart still racing, she let her hands drop from her ears and hesitantly cracked her eyes open.

There, standing in front of her, was no bear. It was him. The last person she expected—or wanted—to see. Her heart lurched, not from fear this time, but from pure shock.

Her voice came out in a breathless, confused whisper. "You’re... not a bear?"

For a split second, the man looked just as stunned as she felt. Then his lips curved into an amused smile, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "A bear? Really, Lily?" His eyebrows lifted as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "Is that what you thought?"

She blinked at him, still reeling. The cold air seemed to vanish as the warmth of recognition and disbelief flooded her. Of all the people she thought she’d run into out here in the middle of nowhere—him. She couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought.

His smile widened, lifting his whole face. "And what was your plan exactly? To scream the bear to death? Make it go deaf?" He chuckled, his grip on her shoulders gentle but firm. She became aware of how his thumbs seemed to be massaging her shoulders to calm her down... and she gulped.

Lily’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. "I..." She swallowed, the reality of the moment hitting her all at once. "What are you doing here?"

Cai raised an eyebrow, taking in her shocked expression. In fact, he should have been the one asking her that. When he’d seen her standing there, for a wild moment, he’d wondered if he’d gone crazy or something. And then, his second thought had been that she had probably come here looking for him. But now, it seemed there was another possibility.

"I think I should be asking you that. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to work." she answered slowly and tried to step away from him. Of course it was impossible because his hands were stilll on her shoulders and the door was right behind her.

She looked into his eyes then, and tried to guess as he smiled down at her," I came here for a vacation."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of their unexpected reunion hung in the air, thick and silent. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Or at least guessed.

She had been hired as the housekeeper and he was here on a vacation. Could it be a coincidence. It might have been, if she had not known the connection between Princess Dora and Cai.

Suddenly, the shrill ring of a phone pierced the quiet, breaking the moment.

Cai blinked and his hands slowly dropped from her shoulders as he fished his phone out of his pocket, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the screen. Lily seized the opportunity, her heart still racing, she turned around, her back now facing him, and pushed the door open with more force than necessary and entered the house.

However, all her curiosity was not on the house now. It was focused on the man who followed her into the house as he answred the call.

"Hello?"