Alone, with scotch

He left me!

It had taken a nearly an hour for Shin Hye to come to her senses, standing there in the entryway of her husband’s home, along with several piles of her belongings. He had left her, with a word.

She stared at the massive oak door through which he had left for longer than she cared to admit, struggling with several key truths.

He had left me.

On my first night at his house.

Without even introducing me to the staff before leaving.

On our wedding night.

She didn’t want to think about it anymore. Kwenchena Shin hye, don’t even think about it, she thought to herself.

Instead, she focused on the fact that she was standing like a fool in the living room of her husband’s town house, where two staff stood stealing glances at her.
She forced a smile and addressed the older of the two, who could not have been more than twenty. “I guess this house has a housekeeper?”

She watched a wave of relief flood the young woman and felt a bit envious. She wished she knew how to behave in this situation. “De, m’am.”

“Excellent. Then can you call over the housekeeper?”

The maid bowed once, then again, obviously eager to do her best. “De, m’am.” She was off like a flash, her body growing more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

Shin hye knew the feeling.

But just because she was in a state of complete uncertainty did not mean the poor maid standing in front of her was required to suffer as well. “You don’t need to stand there,” she said with a little, encouraging smile, “I’m sure the housekeeper will be along presently.”

The maid—far too young to be a maid—mumbled an agreement and disappeared, nearly instantly.

Shin Hye let out a long breath and considered the entryway of the town house, all marble and gilt, the height of fashion and expense—a touch too extravagant for her tastes, but she instantly understood the décor.

Min Ho oppa might have lost everything in a now-infamous game of chance, but he’d earned it back twentyfold; anyone entering his home would see that.

Something clenched in her chest at the thought of the young man working so hard to restore his fortunes. What strength it must have taken . . . what commitment.

It was a shame he did not have the same commitment to his own wife, she huffed a moment later.

She pushed the thought aside, confronting the massive luggage that had arrived along after she set foot in the house. Thanks to her family. Well, if she wasn’t to be put in a room, she might as well make herself comfortable. She ed her coat and sat on the luggage, wondering if, perhaps, she was to live here . . . in the living room.

A commotion began at the back of the house . . . a smattering of fevered whispers punctuated by the clattering of footsteps, and Shin Hye couldn’t help but smile at the sound. It seemed that none of the staffs had been apprised of their boss taking a bride. Well she wasn’t surprised, as she herself had not expected such a thing until two days before. But she could not help but be slightly annoyed at her husband.

He could have at least taken a moment to introduce her to the housekeeper before heading off to whatever important business called to him at this point in the day.

On the day of his marriage. AISH!

She sighed, hearing the impatience and the irritation in her thoughts.

She inspected the palm of one glove and wondered how Min ho oppa might respond if he returned, hours from now, to discover her seated on her luggage, waiting for him.

The image of him, surprise in his eyes, made her chuckle.

It might be worth it. She shifted, ignoring the pain in her backside.

“Mrs. Lee?”

Shin Hye shot to her feet, spinning toward the words, tentative and curious, spoken from behind her, by the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.

It did not matter that she wore a simple uniform or that her flaming red hair was pulled back tightly into a neat, perfect knot. This woman, young and lithe, with the largest, most beautiful eyes Shin Hye had ever seen, was stunning.

Like a painting.

Like no maid Shin Hye had ever seen.

And she lived in Min Ho oppa’s house.

“I—” Shin hye began, then stopped, realizing that she was staring. She shook her head, “I—eo..de?”

The housekeeper gave no indication that she had even noticed the odd behaviour, instead coming forward and gave a bow. “I apologize for not greeting you immediately when you arrived. But we didn’t—” It was her turn to stop.

We didn’t expect you. Shin Hye heard the words even as they weren’t spoken.

The housekeeper tried again, “Min ho oppa didn’t—”

Oppa? Not Mr. Lee. Just Oppa.

Emotion flared, hot and unfamiliar. Jealousy.

“I understand. Mr. Lee has been very busy for the past few days.” She lingered on his title, to point out to the other woman who seems to have gotten her implication. “You are the housekeeper, I guess?”

The beautiful woman flashed a small smile and bowed again. “Song ji Hyo-imnida.”

The thought of Min Ho oppa with a stunning, young housekeeper did not sit well with Shin hye.

“Would you like to see the house? Or meet the staff?” Ji Hyo seemed uncertain of what came next.

“Actually I would like to go to my room right now,” Shin Hye said, taking pity on the housekeeper, who was certainly as surprised by her boss’s marriage as Shin Hye was. “We travelled much of the day, you see.”

“De” Ji Hyo nodded, leading the way to the wide staircase that rose to what Shin Hye assumed were the private quarters of the house. “I’ll have the staff bring your luggages up immediately.”

As they climbed the stairs, Shin Hye could not help herself. “Is your husband also employed here?”

There was a long pause before the housekeeper answered, “Ani, Mrs Lee.”

Shin Hye knew that she should not press. “Where does he work?”

Another pause. “I have no husband.”

Shin Hye resisted the unpleasant jealousy that flared with her answer . . . and the urge to ask more questions of the beautiful housekeeper. Maybe she is in a relationship.

Ji Hyo had already turned away, calmly opening the door to a bedroom. “This is your room.” She moved forward turning the light on to a very large room which is outfitted in lovely green and blue. “I will make a tray to send up to you. You must be hungry.” When she had completed her task, she turned back to Shin Hye, bowing.

“How long have you been here?”

Ji Hyo’s head snapped up, her eyes finding Shin Hye instantly. “With Min h—” She stopped, catching herself. “With Mr Lee?” Shin Hye nodded. “Two years.”

“You’re very young to be a housekeeper.”

Ji Hyo’s gaze grew guarded. “I was very lucky that Mr Lee employed me here.”

A dozen questions flashed through Shin Hye’s mind, and it took all her energy to hold herself back from asking them—from uncovering the truth about this beautiful