CH3: The Distance Between Us

After that incident in the library, things felt different between Siren and Simon, even though they barely spoke to each other. Simon started finding reasons to be near her. He would pass by the area where she was working, he would ask her to serve him meals personally, and he would ask her simple questions about her day, her work, and how she was feeling.

At first, Siren was confused and nervous. She could not understand why the great Simon Agreste was paying attention to her. She thought maybe he was just being kind, or maybe he was just treating her differently because she had been working there for a long time. She never imagined that his actions were actually the beginning of his love for her.

But even though Simon was being nice to her, Siren still kept her distance. She knew very well who she was and who he was. He was the boss, the master of this house, a powerful and wealthy man. She was just a maid, a girl who was sold by her own family, with nothing to her name. There was a huge wall between them, built by their status, their backgrounds, and the society they lived in.

He is just being good to me because he is a kind person, Siren told herself every time she felt her heart flutter when he smiled at her or spoke gently to her. He will never see me as anything more than a worker here. I should not get my hopes up. I will only get hurt if I think otherwise.

One evening, Simon invited Siren to the garden, saying he wanted to talk to her about something important. Siren agreed, her mind full of worries. She thought maybe he was going to give her more work, or maybe he was going to tell her that her contract was ending and she needed to leave.

When she arrived, Simon was sitting on the bench, looking at the beautiful flowers and the bright moon above. He gestured for her to sit beside him, and Siren sat down carefully, keeping a safe space between them.

“Siren,” Simon started, looking at her with eyes full of emotion. “I have been wanting to tell you this for a long time. Do you know why I am talking to you differently? Why I pay attention to you more than anyone else?”

Siren shook her head slowly. “No, Sir. I do not know. I thought… maybe you are just being kind to me because I have been working here for years.”

Simon shook his head. “It is more than that, Siren. Much more than that. You see, for a long time, I have been looking for someone. Someone who is real, someone who has a good heart, and someone who will love me not because of what I have, but because of who I am. I met so many people, but all of them only cared about my money, my power, or my name. I thought I would never find that person, until I saw you.”

Siren’s eyes widened in shock. She did not expect him to say something like this.

“I know who you are,” Simon continued. “I know your story. I know you were sold by your parents. I know you work hard every day. I know you are poor and I am rich. I know there is a big difference between our ages and our positions in life. I know that many people will say it is impossible, that it is wrong, or that it will never work. But Siren… none of those things matter to me. Not anymore.”

He turned to face her fully, his expression serious and sincere.

“I fell in love with you, Siren Dawson. I love your kindness, your patience, your hard work, and your pure heart. I love everything about you. I know you are scared, I know you think you are not good enough, and I know you think the distance between us is too big. But I am telling you now… I am willing to cross that distance. I am willing to break all the rules, fight against all the people, and do everything just to be with you. All I ask is… will you give me a chance? Will you let me love you?”

Siren sat there frozen, tears forming in her eyes. She had dreamed of being loved and valued, but she never thought it would come from him. She wanted to say yes immediately, her heart was screaming yes, but her mind was stopping her.

“Simon…” she whispered, using his name for the first time. “You do not understand. You are the most powerful man, and I am just… me. People will talk badly about you. Your family will hate me. They will say I am using you, that I am after your money. They will look down on me and treat me like trash. And what about our age gap? You are thirty, I am only nineteen. You have lived a life that I have not even experienced yet. I am afraid… I am afraid that one day you will wake up and realize that I am not what you really need, and you will leave.

to be continue...

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