The Topiary Surprise

Deep in thought, Julian stared at the guest room door. A sharp, distinct click echoed across the quiet hallway. She had locked it.

Julian scowled, a sudden chill running through his chest. Did that woman actually think he would do something to her in the middle of the night? The sheer audacity of her assumption grated on his nerves. He turned on his heel and walked back to his own bedroom, dismissing her from his mind.

The next morning, bright sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains.

"Daddy."

A soft, melodic voice broke the morning silence. Julian opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness. He found his son standing right beside the mattress. Hayes rarely spoke, let alone initiated a morning wake-up call.

Julian softened his usual stern expression, propping himself up on one elbow. "What is it, hmm?"

Instead of answering, Hayes reached out, grabbed his father's sleeve, and began dragging him out of bed. The boy moved with a joyful urgency, his small face lit up with an excitement Julian had never witnessed before.

Puzzled, Julian let himself be pulled out of the bedroom, down the sweeping staircase, and straight through the glass doors into the backyard.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

An incredible scene sprawled out before him. The wild, exotic plants dotting the massive lawn had undergone a miraculous transformation overnight. Every untamed bush and sprawling hedge had been exquisitely trimmed into three-dimensional, lifelike shapes.

Chubby pandas sat near the stone pathways, their leafy bellies rounded and precise. Leaping goats appeared frozen mid-bound across the grass. Delicate, beautiful fairies with detailed wings hovered near the blooming rose bushes. The layout was expertly planned, turning the ordinary yard into a wonderful, elaborate forest world.

Hayes released Julian's hand and ran straight toward a topiary goat. Overflowing with unprecedented childlike happiness, the boy beamed at the green sculpture.

"I like this," Hayes announced, his voice ringing with clear, innocent delight. He ran a small hand over the shaped leaves. "I like everything. Daddy, is this a surprise from you?"

Julian stood speechless, stunned by his son's rare innocence and sudden chattiness. The boy was actually smiling, a genuine, ear-to-ear grin.

Julian swallowed the lump in his throat. He gently patted the boy's shoulder. "Go play for a bit."

As Hayes sprinted off to inspect a leafy panda, Julian turned to his butler, Elias Rowe, who had followed them outside.

"Did you get someone to trim the garden?" Julian asked, keeping his voice low.

Elias shook his head, his eyes scanning the intricate artwork. "No, sir. I was quite surprised myself when I stepped out this morning. If I had known the young master would enjoy this so much, I would have hired a landscaping artist long ago."

Julian frowned. "Then who did this?"

"I checked the surveillance cameras," Elias replied, a note of disbelief lacing his tone. "I found out that Sylvie was the one who trimmed them."

Julian raised his brows in pure astonishment. Sylvie?

He vividly recalled his harsh command last night. He had deliberately ordered her to clean the giant villa, a monumental task designed to break her spirit. He expected her to collapse in exhaustion, perhaps shed tears of frustration. He wanted to make things difficult for her.

Instead, she ignored the mundane dusting and sweeping. She stepped out into the dark and crafted a masterpiece under the moonlight just to make a little boy smile. For the first time, Julian looked at the intricate foliage and saw Sylvie in a whole new light.

Upstairs, a loud thump echoed in the guest bedroom.

Sylvie woke with a massive shock, tangling her legs in the thick duvet and tumbling straight off the mattress. She hit the floor, groaning as she rubbed her forehead. She scrambled up and squinted at the digital clock on the nightstand.

Eleven o'clock!

She had slept until eleven in the morning! Mortified by her ridiculous oversleeping, panic set in. She was supposed to be the caretaker, not a lazy guest.

She hurriedly washed her face, threw on a simple blouse and jeans, and rushed out the door. She practically sprinted down the staircase, desperate to find Hayes.

She skidded to a halt in the living room, her breath catching in her throat.

Julian was sitting by the towering floor-to-ceiling window. The late morning sun caught the sharp angles of his jaw. He held a thick book in one hand, calmly flipping a page. He wasn't at the office. He was right here.

Sylvie flushed hot, overwhelmed with sudden embarrassment. She didn't know how to address him. Good morning? Good afternoon?

Spotting Hayes playing quietly on the rug nearby, Sylvie immediately grabbed the boy's hand like a lifeline.

"Hayes," she blurted out, keeping her eyes firmly averted from the man by the window. "I did tell you I will bring you out to buy new clothes today. We need to get going. Let's go."

She tugged gently, hoping to whisk the child away and escape the suffocating presence of the billionaire.

Hayes nodded. He stood up, dusted off his knees, and turned his head toward the window. "Daddy, let's go."

Sylvie froze stiff. The forced smile on her face cracked. Why was he inviting Julian?

Julian lowered his book, his dark, calculating eyes locking onto her panicked expression.

"I'm buying clothes for the first time in my life," Hayes explained innocently, looking up at Sylvie. "So Daddy cannot be absent. Do you not want him to come with us?"

Sylvie swallowed hard. The little boy's earnest gaze pinned her in place.

"No, no," Sylvie stammered, pasting on a strained, awkward smile. "Of course not."

Deep down, she desperately wished he would stay behind. A family shopping trip with this cold, intimidating man sounded like torture.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them sat in the spacious back seat of Julian's sleek Maybach.

Sylvie huddled as close to the car door as physically possible. She pressed her shoulder into the leather, using the curve of the seat to block her peripheral view of Julian. She kept her face turned firmly toward the tinted window, watching the passing city streets blur by.

Julian sat with impeccable posture on the opposite side, Hayes nestled comfortably between them. He observed her evasive little actions from the corner of his eye.

His expression remained blank, but his gaze grew icy cold.

He watched her shrink away, her slender frame tense, acting as if he carried a contagious disease. Shouldn't this woman be trying to get closer to him? If she was the manipulative gold-digger everyone claimed she was, this confined space was the perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation, brush arms, or flaunt her growing bond with his son.

Why was she resisting? Was she playing hard to get?

Julian narrowed his eyes, studying the tense line of her shoulders. The brilliant topiary garden, the quiet care for Hayes in the middle of the night, and now this desperate physical avoidance. The pieces simply did not fit together.

This was the first time Julian felt as though he could not see through a person.