Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The next second, Samantha’s face scrunched up once that strange smell assaulted her senses. She spat the soup back out immediately.

The taste was just disgusting!

Samantha glanced in the direction that Timothy went. How could a man as picky as him ​​manage to stomach all that?

She thought about it for some time but still could not figure out why. She guessed that he wanted to achieve his purpose of enslaving her at all costs!

In that case, she wanted to see just how long he would be able to hold out!

Samantha cleared the table, did the dishes, and walked out of the kitchen.

A man’s voice rang from above. “Ms. Samantha.”

Samantha looked up and saw Timothy standing on the second-floor railing with one hand on the rails. He looked at her and requested, “Bring me a cup of coffee.”

‘Hehe, he’s really taking every chance he can to order me around.’

Samantha smiled back at him and replied, “Okay, Mr. Barker. Coffee’s coming right up!”

She turned and went back to the kitchen.

Timothy had always preferred americanos. He hated sweet stuff so he always made sure no sugar was added into his coffee.

Once Samantha made the coffee, she filled two-thirds of the cup with sugar and stirred it well.

Just to make sure, she picked it up and tasted it slightly. At that moment, it was so sweet that she felt as though her teeth would have melted.

Samantha hurriedly drank a glass of water to wash it down.

‘Let’s see if you can handle this sweetness!’

…

Samantha carried the coffee up and walked into the study.

Timothy was sitting behind the large desk. His dark gaze was looking at the computer as his slender fingers tapped quickly across the keyboard. It seemed to be some important business.

Samantha looked at his focused side profile, and for a brief second, was nearly smitten by his charming appearance.

His tall nose, light pink lips, and sexy jawbone were all masterpieces carved by the hands of God.

The reasons she liked him so much in the past owed a large part due to his angelic looks.

“Am I that good to look at?”

The sudden question prompted Samantha to instinctually reply, “Ye—”

Before she could complete the word ‘yeah’, she suddenly realized and instantly snapped back from her absent-mindedness to look at Timothy.

His attention had been shifted onto her at some point and he was gazing at her teasingly.

Samantha poured scorn on herself deep down. She was playing a game of chicken with Timothy and she should never let herself be fooled by her enemy’s beauty.

A scumbag with good looks was no less a scumbag!

Samantha placed the coffee cup on the table and said respectfully, “Your coffee is ready, Mr. Barker.”

“Thanks,” Timothy answered faintly. He did not drink it immediately but simply said, “You may leave.”

‘He learned from his lesson, did he?’

Samantha was not going to leave that easily. She reached out and pushed the cup forward to Timothy, saying, “You should drink it while it’s hot, Mr. Barker. This is the perfect temperature to savor its aroma.”

Timothy’s fingers continued tapping for a brief moment against the keyboard keys. He then looked up at Samantha and immediately spotted her calculative intentions.

“Sure,” he replied.

He held the cup and immediately took a big sip. The sickly-sweet taste filled his mouth, but his face remained as indifferent as before with hardly any other emotions present.

Samantha looked at Timothy without blinking out of eagerness to see him make a fool of himself, but none of that happened at all.

She glared at him resentfully and continued to stare at him.

Timothy drank half the cup, placed it back down, and commented, “Not bad.”

Samantha was speechless.

As she went out of the study, she did not give up and continued to lay against the door of the study. Peeking in through the crack of the door, all she saw was Timothy drinking the rest of the coffee in one gulp.

She more or less started to doubt everything in her life.

…

For the next few days, Timothy continued ordering Samantha around at every opportunity he had.

At times, he would ask her to massage his shoulders, slice some fruits for him, or act as his secretary to read out the documents for him. At other times, she served as his support when he walked in the yard…

Throughout the day, all her plans to mess with Timothy were taken by him in stride. It made her feel powerless because nothing she did seemed to work.

She not only failed to irritate him, but ended up making herself tired and confused.

It was not until Timothy had to do a video conference that she managed to get some time for herself and slump on the sofa.

She took out her cell phone and searched angrily for the Barker Group.

In her mind, the Barker Group must have been on the verge of bankruptcy if Timothy could do wicked things to her in such a leisurely manner.

However, her search results on Bidoo showed that the Barker Group’s performance was on a daily rise rather than going bust. She was nearly blinded by the company’s value on the market.

Timothy’s net worth was much, much, much higher than two years ago!

Samantha was so angry that she wanted to smash her cell phone. She became so poor after the marriage was broken off, but that scumbag became richer instead. How unfair of God to show such kindness toward a heinous man!

In the end, she could not bring herself to smash her phone because she was too poor. If her phone was destroyed, she would have no money to buy a new one.

Night soon came.

Samantha finished showering and came out, sitting in front of the dressing table to dry her hair. After doing her skincare routine, she was about to go to bed when Timothy walked in.

A frown appeared across her forehead and she wondered how she could have forgotten to lock the door.

In order to prevent Timothy from requesting more stuff from her, Samantha preempted him and said, “Mr. Barker, even a caregiver has designated work hours. My working hours today have exceeded the standard, and I have to rest now. If you have any requests, save them for tomorrow!”

Timothy did not stop walking and continued until he was inside. His black pupils stared at her and he said, “A caregiver must be on standby for twenty-four hours.”

She knew that the scumbag was being shameless and only wanted to exploit her all the time.

Samantha laughed despite her anger. “And? Do you want me to accompany you in bed at night?”

Timothy did away with the courtesies and nodded, “That’s the correct understanding. That’s the most convenient way for you to handle any problems at any time.”

‘Dream on!’

She had to sleep with him in the same room and the same bed when Old Madam Barker was around, but since it was one of those rare occasions that Old Madam Barker was not around, what reason did she have to sleep with him?

Was she supposed to get a free pass to a night of nightmares by sleeping next to him?

Samantha agreed to be a caregiver to mess with Timothy, not to add more trouble for herself. For that reason, she would never agree to his request!

She stood up, looked into his black eyes, and said with a forced smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Barker, but I’m unable to comply with your request. I’m really exhausted after an entire day’s work and I need to rest. If you’re not satisfied, my advice to you is still the same as before: you are free to look for someone more qualified than me!

“Good night, Mr. Barker. Sweet dreams!”

‘Or not! Better for you to have endless nightmares!’

As soon as she said that, she took a few steps forward, picked up her pillow from the bed, and headed straight out of the master bedroom.

Samantha was not expecting him to give up the master bedroom for her, and being the mature adult that she was, there was no point in being petty with him. She could just go to the guest room and sleep.

The man did not stop her at all and merely stood there lazily. He watched as she walked past him, headed straight to the door, and was about to leave the room.

Timothy’s thin lips parted slightly and he spoke coldly, with a hint of provocation and mockery.. “Are you afraid of sleeping with me, Samantha?”