7 Shouldn’t get too attached

Knock, knock.

A dull sound came from the door.

"Come in," Chloe said.

A woman opened the door then closed it before walking to Chloe and kneeling in front of her.

"Have you decided, then?"

"Miss, I have decided. Please save my brother."

"Are you sure? You can't go back on your decision."

"Yes, I am sure." Mary said firmly.

Chloe smiled. She opened her drawers and took out a few pieces of paper and some ink.

"Read through this and put your thumbprint on there." Chloe said, putting the items on the table.

"Yes, Miss." Mary obeyed. She slowly got up and held the papers in her hands, her expression changing to one of shock as she flipped through the pages.

"Miss, you're giving me all of the hospital fee right away? Aren't you afraid I will run away with the money?"

"That's why I made the contract. I want for us to be able to slowly build trust between us. Keep on reading." Chloe urged.

Mary looked back at the paper, turning over the last few pages. "Miss, I'm not sure what you want me to do. It says I am responsible for cleaning up messy situations and doing little things that you don't want to do."

Chloe chuckled. "Don't think too hard about that. I just want you to be my assistant, that's all."

"Okay," Mary said while decisively printing her thumb into the ink. "I'm going to sign it."

Chloe watched on with an indifferent expression as Mary placed her thumb on to the contract.

Mary only felt relieved after confirming twice that there was a dark red mark on the paper.

Chloe smiled. "Mary, are you on my side now?"

"Yes, Miss." Mary said, bowing. "I will serve you wholeheartedly."

"No need to be so formal." Chloe held her up. "How has the situation in the underworld been these years?"

The maid furrowed her brows. "The thing is, Miss, it is all very peculiar."

"Oh? What is?"

"The three big gangs have been preparing for war for a few years already, however, none of them have made a move yet."

"How interesting. Continue."

"There have been a few fights between the low-ranking members of the major gangs but there has been no fights of larger scale."

Mary paused to take a breath. "There is a lot of tension nowadays when I walk on the streets, however there is no sign that there will be a war anytime soon. The gang leaders have avoided confronting each other so far."

Someone must be controlling all this from behind the scenes, Chloe thought. But who? A government official? A wealthy powerhouse? What would they have to gain?

"Go ask around about the three major gangs in more detail." Chloe ordered. "As for Aunt Alice… report to her that a boy from an important family has started to show interest in me. If she asks who, tell her that you don't know."

"Yes, Miss."

I've thrown the bait. Let's see what she comes up with.

…

Chloe stood in front of the library, her hair and dress fluttering in the wind.

It's been a long time since I've come here, she thought.

The door opened automatically as she walked closer and closed behind her as she walked further inside. She searched the rows of desks for a boy with light brown hair.

Found him, she thought, walking over in big strides.

"Hey," she greeted, a blooming smile on her face.

The boy looked up, stunned for a moment at her arrival, before collecting himself and replying with a 'hello'.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so early," she commented as she sat down next to him.

He smiled awkwardly and spoke with an unusual rigidness. "I didn't want to be late."

"So, what did you want to go over?"

"Uh… everything?"

"Really? There must be something that you're especially not good at."

"Uh… triangles then?"

"Okay, show me where." Chloe said as she leaned in closer.

The boy blushed. "Um, it's here." He flipped his textbook and pointed to a spot on the page.

"You understand basic trigonometry, right?"

"Yeah."

"Advanced trigonometry isn't that complicated. You just have to think a bit more."

"So what you have to do is…"

As the two interacted more, things became less awkward between them. Adrian listened intently to Chloe's explanations and forgot about his earlier clumsiness. Their study session went on for a whole hour before Chloe noticed that Adrian was no longer responding to her talking.

He's fallen asleep, she thought, amused.

Adrian Lin of the Lin Family – his father is a high-ranking police officer while his mother owns a large business. He comes from one of the richest and most powerful families in this city. It's no wonder that his family is putting so much pressure on him to get good marks.

If I can build a relationship with this guy, I will probably be able to find out some clues about my parents' deaths.

"Adrian, Adrian, wake up." Chloe called as she shook the boy.

The boy slowly opened his eyes, shocked to find Chloe's face right in front of his. He jumped back in fright, only to realise how he had acted.

Blushing, the boy looked away. "I fell asleep?"

Chloe grinned good-naturedly. "I don't mind. It wasn't long anyway."

Adrian sighed in relief. That's good, I thought she'd be angry.

"What time is it? Do you want me to send you home?" Adrian asked.

"That's alright," Chloe chuckled. "I can get home by myself."

"Are you sure?" Adrian asked, concerned. "It'd be no trouble to drop you off at your house. And plus, you've done so much for me already."

Chloe shook her head. "Really, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"If you insist," Adrian said dejectedly. "I gave you my number earlier. You can call me anytime." Saying so, Adrian reached for his bag. He stiffened when his hand brushed against Chloe's, but quickly collected himself.

"Alright. You'd better go home now. It's late."

"Okay, Take care." Adrian said as he stood up.

Chloe watched him as he left through the door, a faint trace of guilt in her eyes.

I shouldn't get too attached, she thought.