"A fake pimple?" Kalix muttered.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Kalix rushed after Dariella before the unsightly woman could shut her bedroom door.
"Wait!" He caught the door and glared at her. "You?! What happened to your face?!"
"Please move, I want to go inside," Dariella replied sharply.
"Not until I confirm something." Kalix reached out, intending to touch her cheek.
"Mr. Kalix, don't be indecent," she snapped, swatting his hand away. "Stop bothering me."
Kalix studied her face intently. Beyond the matter of the fake pimple, her complexion was alarmingly pale.
"You're really pale. Probably because you were out in the rain earlier. Go wash your head and body unless you want to catch a fever. After that, come to the living room—I need to talk to you. I'm not taking no for an answer. I'll be waiting in an hour."
He turned to leave—
BRUKKK!!!!
Kalix spun around, shocked to see Dariella collapsing to the floor.
"Dariella!" he shouted, rushing to her. Without a second thought, he scooped her up and carried her into the room, laying her gently on the bed.
"God, her face is so pale…" he murmured.
Pulling out his phone, he called the CEO of J Group, requesting a doctor be sent to the main villa, along with a maid to help change Dariella's clothes.
Before they arrived, Kalix had already cleaned her face with a cleansing mask and gently wiped it down with a damp towel. He even patted her hair with another wet towel to remove the rain.
When he was done, he found himself staring at her—really staring. The ugly duckling had turned into a stunning swan.
Why does she hide her real face? he wondered.
Do you have some hidden agenda behind that outdated appearance of yours?
Her skin was smooth and fair, her lashes long and curled, her small nose delicately shaped, her lips softly full. Dariella was… breathtaking. Kalix couldn't tear his gaze away.
What reason could she possibly have to present herself like that every day? he thought. Or… could she be a spy?
*********
Half an hour later, the doctor arrived and examined Dariella. Nothing serious—nothing to worry about. The rain had simply taken its toll. The sudden drop in temperature had weakened her immune system, causing dizziness and fainting.
Once the maid had changed her into dry clothes, Kalix finally left her room to rest in his own.
Stepping out, he ran into Naka.
"There you are. I've been looking for you. By the way, are you sick? I saw a doctor outside," Naka said.
"No. Ugly fainted because she was out in the rain," Kalix replied flatly.
"Oh, so Miss Dariella's back!" Naka looked relieved. "How is she?"
"She's fine now. Oh, and we're not catching tonight's flight. We'll leave tomorrow. Call my dad and tell him to cover for me at the company."
"No need. I already spoke to Uncle Vano a few minutes ago. He said we should attend the opening of his friend's restaurant here tomorrow night. He can't go himself—he's already booked with other business meetings that day."
"When is it?" Kalix asked.
"Tomorrow night. And Aunt Aila and Grandma Irina both told me to invite Miss Dariella. I doubt they'll let her slip away so easily," Naka chuckled.
Kalix pressed his temples. "Fine. Whatever."
"You go back to your room. I'm going to check on Miss Dariella," Naka said, heading for her door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kalix narrowed his eyes.
"I just told you—I'm going to check on her."
"Are you insane? You can't just waltz into a young unmarried woman's bedroom while she's asleep," Kalix snapped.
"What are you imagining? I just want to see if she's okay. Even though I'm divorced, I'm still very much in love with my ex-wife… Ah, why am I even telling you this?" Naka grumbled.
"And why did you go into her room then?" Naka shot back with a mischievous grin. "Were you trying to take advantage of the situation?"
"I'm responsible for her, so it's justified! And get those dirty thoughts out of your head. Go back to your room—and don't you dare step foot in here. I'll be watching the CCTV," Kalix retorted before heading to his own room.
"What's his problem? Who's even thinking of doing anything? Can't even visit without feeling like a criminal," Naka muttered, retreating to his room.
.
.
At 1 a.m., Kalix was still wide awake. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't sleep—Dariella's face kept appearing in his mind.
What is she hiding that she'd go through so much trouble to change her appearance? Could she be a fugitive?
No… If she were, she wouldn't dare work at my company, especially one as large as mine. And there's no way she'd pass without using a fake identity, which wouldn't escape notice.
Kalix kept turning the thoughts over in his mind until, finally, at 2 a.m., he drifted off to sleep.
*********
The Next Morning – 8 A.M.
Dariella turned to face the man who still hadn't left her guest room.
"How long are you planning to stay here, Boss? Aren't you afraid people might get the wrong idea?" she said in irritation.
Early that morning, she'd woken up only to find her clothes had been changed. Shocked, she'd immediately gone looking for Kalix, ready to demand an explanation. If it turned out he'd been the one to change her clothes, she really would make him regret it.
Just as she was about to leave her room, she ran right into Kalix—who, apparently, had been on his way in. Without hesitation, she asked him about the clothes. Kalix explained in detail, making sure she wouldn't get the wrong idea.
Once she got her answer, Dariella turned to go back into her room and shut the door—only for Kalix to slip inside before she could close it. He insisted there was something important they needed to discuss, ignoring her repeated attempts to get him to leave.
And now, over an hour later, he was still there, silently watching her as she applied fake pimples to her face.
Dariella no longer cared that Kalix had seen her real face; she calmly continued her work. Still, the fact that he had been inside this closed room with her for more than an hour made her uncomfortable.
"Boss! Did you hear what I said?" she snapped.
Kalix ignored her. Instead, he asked a question that made her frown.
"What exactly are you planning?" he asked, his gaze steady and intense.
"What do you mean, Mr. Kalix?"
"Are you working for another company—sent to spy on mine?" he demanded.
"Spy?!" Dariella's eyes widened in disbelief.
What on earth is this robot man talking about now? she thought.
"Why are you silent? So it's true—you're a spy?" Kalix pressed, his eyes narrowing.
"I think you've been watching too many corporate rivalry movies. I work for your company purely to earn a living. I don't have any ulterior motives. Now, would you please leave my room? I'm honestly uncomfortable being in a closed space with you for this long."
Again, Kalix ignored her. "Then what's your reason?"
"My reason for what?!" Dariella's patience was wearing thin.
"The reason you disguise yourself. You do realize your appearance right now borders on deception," he said.
Dariella let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"Deception? And who exactly am I harming with my appearance? Isn't it my right to look however I want? Why are you the one making such a fuss?
And for the record, Mr. Kalix, even if I dressed like a crazy person, you have no right to comment or protest."
She shot him a sharp, defiant look. Dariella wasn't afraid of getting fired for being rude to her boss. With her work experience, finding another job wouldn't be a problem.
"I didn't know you were so interested in people's personal business," she said coldly.
"I'm not interested in other people's business—and that includes yours. I'm just curious why you hide your real face," Kalix replied flatly.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Dariella asked in disbelief.
Kalix ignored that too, his eyes scanning over her carefully.
Other women go out of their way to look beautiful. Why is she doing the exact opposite? he wondered.
"Interesting," Kalix murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips.
It was the first time Kalix had ever met a woman who deliberately hid her beauty—and it unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
"I didn't know you had so many hidden talents. How do you make those pimples look so real?" Kalix asked, his eyes still fixed on her.
Dariella turned her head toward him again. "Please… just get out."
Kalix let out a sharp scoff. "Hurry up and get ready. We're going to the hotel. Tonight, my father's friend is holding the grand opening of his restaurant, and my mother has requested that you come along." Without waiting for a reply, he strode out of the room.
"They're all the same—him and his family. Always doing whatever they want," Dariella muttered under her breath.
.
.
The moment Kalix stepped out of Dariella's room, he found Naka standing right at the door.
"What are you doing here?" Kalix asked curtly.
"So you really were in there," Naka replied with a mischievous grin. "Heard from the cleaning staff you've been inside Miss Dariella's room for over an hour. You must really care about her to stay that long. Looked pretty comfortable in there too, huh?" he teased.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Kalix shot back before moving to walk away.
"Alright, fine. In that case, I'll just go say hi to Miss Dariella," Naka said casually.
Kalix immediately turned, shooting him a deadly glare. "You try stepping in there, and you're dead."
"What? I'm just saying hi. You're acting way too possessive," Naka replied, baffled. "I was just going to tell her to get ready."
"No need. I already told her," Kalix said sharply.
"Bro, you do realize you're acting exactly like a jealous guy right now?" Naka teased again.
Kalix laughed out loud—until a few seconds later when he abruptly stopped, his gaze turning cold. "Sounds like you're getting tired of being my secretary."
Naka chuckled awkwardly. "Come on, bro, don't take it so seriously. I was just joking," he muttered.
Kalix gave him a weary look before walking away without another word.
"I swear, he really does like Miss Dariella," Naka murmured to himself, puzzled. "You can tell. Normally he couldn't care less about her, but now? Suddenly he's acting all possessive."
Naka wasn't the type to judge someone by their looks, so he wasn't surprised that a woman like Dariella could catch someone's attention. A person's charm wasn't just in their face—Dariella was kind, funny, smart, and quick on her feet. Maybe that was exactly why Kalix was drawn to her.