Chapter 4 : The Rules

Rosa was having a headache. She bury herself on the contract and the rules that her sister had make her signed. She regret for not making a copy! She had been cheated! She had been read the contract again and again to find a mistake on it so that she can terminate the contract without pay any penalty, but it was worthless! Her sister had made the contract carefully like it was a project contract that cost millions of dollars!

They were in living room, her baby giggled and babble a lot on Louis laps. Louis didn't even talk and play with the baby only letting the baby play his beard. Rosa remember the written rules. She slide the document and look at the rules. She hit her head and curse, why am I so stupid!? The rules are too suspicious! I had a bad feeling when I read it at first time, but I am blinded by this perfect house!!! Argh!! Rosa has you turn stupid after being a single mother!? She read again the rules.

RULES

1. The tenant will make a breakfast every day for landlord.

2. The landlord will make a dinner every day for the tenant.

3. The tenant is responsible to clean the house.

4. The landlord is responsible to throw out the garbage.

5. The tenant and landlord are not allowed to come back after 10.00 pm. Only emergency or approve by each other.

6. The tenant and landlord are not allowed to bring opposite sex inside the house.

7. The tenant and landlord are not allowed to smoke and drink an alcohol inside the house.

8. The tenant and landlord will accompany each other to shop at the grocery store and take turns to pay once a week.

9. The tenant and landlord must respect each other and no violent are allowed.

10. The tenant and landlord are not allowed to fight each other, peaceful talk will do.

PS: These rules are to make sure the tenant and the landlord will have a harmony healthy life. Good Luck!

Rosa put down the phone on the table aggressively. She glare at her big boss, who had fallen asleep while her baby still playing with his beard. She don't understand why her baby was very obsess with the beard. She stand up and walk towards him.

"Mia. Come here." Rosa make a gesture to pick her up.

"Eh!" Her baby look at her mother for a while and turn her head back to play with the beard.

This little girl! She pick up her baby and instantly her baby cry out loud like she had been bullied badly by her mother.

Suddenly Rosa feel hurt on her wrist, Louis who had been awake by Damia cry had grab Rosa wrist reflexively. After saw Rosa hurting face, he let go his hand and apologize.

"Its ok." She pat her baby to calm her down. However, her baby pushing her body and look at Louis with a lot of tears falling. She is begging for Louis to help her.

Seeing the baby pity crying face, Louis pick her up and put the baby on his chest and pat the baby gently. The baby hugs his neck with a shiver sob.

Rosa almost wanted to puke blood, her baby act like she had been tortured by her! Seeing how natural Louis hold her baby, she can't stop wondering and ask him.

"You so good at handling a baby. You have a baby before?" Rosa had learned some information of her big boss before. He is 30 years old. Single. His hometown is in WWW country which was not very far from here and he had graduate at very popular university and he is genius too! She always wonder why her big boss is such a lazy bum.

"No. I don't have any baby and yes I am good at handling baby because I have been experience a lot from take care of my nieces."

Rosa give a sigh and sit. "So, big boss, you had signed the contract, do you still want to follow the rules? The rules are quite weird."

"No. I don't find any problem with it."

"What?" Rosa never expect that. "Wait! You serious? Don't you find the rules are absurd? How about your girlfriend? It looks like the rules want us to live like a family!"

"I don't have any girlfriend. It's not bad to live harmony healthy lifestyle."

Rosa slap her forehead. This man is crazy. She has crazy housemate and crazy big boss!

"Listen here big buddy. I may sound rude and overthinking. I warned you, I am a single mother with 2 children. Yes. I abandon another child. Yes. I am bad mother and bad wife. So, don't ever pity a single mother like me. And big NO for romance between us. I clear myself. I am here only to make sure your café will rain with money and only… only living peaceful and happily with my baby. Are you clear?"

Behind the thick beard, Louis had amused smile on his lips. "Yep, you had overthinking. I am willing to follow the rules because you are the mother of this child. I had been marked by her and I just wanted to make sure I have harmony healthy lifestyle together so that your baby will not blame me. I respect your ambition and I gladly root for you. An exchange, you can do whatever you like with the café and I gladly will stay in the house and serve my little lady here."

Again Rosa felt like the world had turn upside down, how can suddenly this shameless men make an exchange like that and what did he mean by being marked by her baby! My baby was just drooling on your beard because her tooth is growing!

Suddenly he put her baby back on her arms. "I am serious. You might had aware how I had handle my café before. Its not my thing. You really can do whatever you like as a manager. I will inform it to Zack. If you need me, I will be here, 24 hours per week. Excuse me now, I still had some jetlag and my little lady also seems sleepy." He turns and walk towards a guest room.

She look at her baby wiping her face to her cloths. Her baby does look sleepy. Slowly she turns towards her master room and wonder if this is a good path or bad path for her new life.

After her baby naps, she and her baby left the house and go to the café. As usual, the café don't have many customer and this make Rosa easily to discuss her planned with the workers. The workers are of course only Zack and Sophia. Zack is the bakers of this café and Sophia had been work here from start as part timers but after graduate, she works here full time. Sophia graduate in digital design, gladly Rosa used her to design an advertised and promotion for the café. Rosa had learnt a lot about business marketing when she was working with her ex husband before. She had feel ups and downs of the business, so, now she didn't hesitate to used her experience.

Zack is still young, his cakes has a perfect taste. The only he lacks is his presentation of his cake. The cakes look boring and lonely. In this era, unique and pretty is very important. That's why she can accept the name of the café, 'Guilty Pleasure Café', people who had try to eat here must had been disappointed with the cafe that didn't match with the name.

Lastly, the decoration of the café. She likes it a lot but it not suitable for a café. This modern design might had confused the customer and she must do something with it! They had lack of workers so, this will be her top priority. When she started a business with her ex-husband before, she had used to be all parts of department as they can't afford any workers that time. She don't mind it, it makes her happy. She likes to work.

To have comfortable place for herself and her baby, she had made Louis office like a kindergarten. She works on the floor with her laptops and notes. While her baby also like her, sitting on the mat, babbling and squeezing her toys earnestly like having a serious job. She never disturbs her mother.

Knock. Knock.

A door open before she could answer.

"Madam, It already 8 o'clock."

Rosa look at her watch and look at her baby. The café closed at 7 o'clock, her baby already fall asleep by herself. She feel bad for her baby. Usually her baby can only sleep when she been hug by her. After she come here, her baby can sleep by herself. She was glad by it but remember how her son was very pampered baby before, she feel guilty with her little princess.

She wonder if her daughter behavior was effected by her temper when her baby still growing in her stomach. She had been accused by her husband that the baby was not his, she also lost her mother at that time, so she don't have anyone to share her problem. She endure it patiently while her husband will come home only to tortured her physically and mentally. She endured it for her sake of her son and her future baby. She had hate the baby so much but she always remind her that the baby is innocent and she feel pity for the child as she had been abandon by her father even before getting born.

When she enter her rented house, she smell something burnt. With her daughter still on her chest, sleeping, she run towards the kitchen. She saw a tall man wearing a black apron pouring a water to the burning kitchen. Quickly she open sliding door and window to let out the smoke, afraid that it will suffocate her baby. Then she put her baby on the master room.

"What are you doing?�� Rosa ask when she saw Louis had a rejected look on his face.

"I don't know how to cook."

"Then why are you playing in the kitchen?"

"The rules said the landlord has to cook dinner."

Rosa chuckled and shake her head. "Then you should say so, we can ignore the rules."

"No. I will not disobey the rules." He said seriously.

Why does she think that her housemate behavior just like her son? Very stubborn. She inhale deeply and exhale heavily, shaking her head to forget her son. "Ok. Wash the pot first, I will help you to cook. So, what are you planning to cook?"

Louis show his phone and she saw a chicken recipe and she laugh and understand what makes him burnt the kitchen.

"For beginners like you, you should try to find simplest recipe."

"What food can be cook simple?"

"Just type simple recipe for beginners!" Rosa laugh at Louis. He really like her son. Very simple minded.

Patiently, she teach him basic ingredient for food and share some tips. After an hour, their food finally can be eat. She wakes her daughter and put her on her baby chair and give her a broccoli. Her daughter was still sleepy but after being greet by Louis, her face lit up and gazing excitedly at Louis. Her face told, I miss my new toy!