007 - Young Master Daniel's New Recruit

Sitting on a rocking chair on the verandah, Daniel spun the birthday party invitation between his index and middle fingers absent-mindedly.

He was not fond of Seara Huntington, but their families had an ongoing business relationship for generations.

Since Seara personally came to invite him to her birthday party, naturally he had to come.

Daniel especially enjoyed spending time on the verandah around this time of day. The setting sun, unobstructed by skyscrapers that dotted Hillsbrook City, was a sight to behold in the countryside. He could watch it gradually disappear below the horizon, endlessly fascinated every single time.

In his pocket, his phone began to vibrate.

Without taking his eyes off the sun, Daniel took out his phone and pressed the accept call button.

"Yes?"

"Danny boy!" Brandon's excited voice was heard flowing out of the device. "Where are you? We are starting to grill the pork ribs here. Can you smell them through the phone?"

The sun had just been swallowed by the darkness.

Daniel tossed his head backward and let out a small chuckle.

"Do not stand too close to the grill with your phone. I told you many times already."

"What? Nooo, I am not close to the grill at all," Brandon denied, but Daniel clearly heard him stepping away in a hurry.

"Whatever, enjoy the barbecue night."

"What? Hey, hey, don't hang up yet! Are you really not coming?"

Daniel rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed.

"No, I am tired."

"Tired??? What have you been doing the entire day??? We are supposed to enjoy our summer holiday, alright?"

Not that Brandon did not enjoy his days apart from the summer holiday. Everyone in Hillsbrook City knew that Brandon Prescott loved partying the most.

"I am still working with the local police department to investigate the accident on the highway."

Brandon groaned.

"Daniel, what's the point of having subordinates if you need to do everything yourself?"

"You know that I have not done anything on my own. Still, someone has to review the reports."

Brandon groaned again.

"Don't blame me if summer ends and you have to go back to university in a grumpy mood," he warned.

"I wouldn't dare." Daniel let out a soft giggle. "Alright now, don't stay out for too long, hm? You need to go back to the ranch from time to time."

"Aye, aye, Captain~"

Daniel barely ended the call when a soft female voice called out to him from behind.

"Young Mast... I mean, Daniel."

Daniel turned on his heel and looked at Izabella, who was supporting herself with a crutch, and holding a stack of envelopes in her hands.

"I have finished writing the thank-you notes."

Daniel widened his eyes in surprise.

"Already? There were more than 200 names in the list!"

A soft smile formed on Izabella's lips.

Daniel took the envelopes from her hands and flipped through the cards one by one.

"Impressive," he murmured. "You took care to write personalized thank-you notes based on each person's description and background information."

He did randomly thrust the notebook containing such information into Izabella's hands, but he did not think that she would be that diligent in her task.

"I checked and re-checked everything for mistakes before coming to see you. If you find any mistake, please notify me."

Daniel chuckled.

Why would he find any mistake? The one who must go through such official correspondence was his assistant back at home.

"Thanks," he said. "Have you always been so meticulous at work?"

The question wiped all smiles from Izabella's face, then Daniel's.

"Oh."

Daniel rubbed at his jaw in regret.

"Sorry. I guess you don't remember."

Izabella wordlessly shook her head.

"What do you remember, though?" he continued. "Surely you remember something. Anything."

Izabella shook her head again.

"Nothing. If I try to remember, then my head starts to hurt a lot."

Reflexively, she raised a hand to touch the painful spot on her forehead.

"I see."

Daniel folded his arms and cocked his head to the side.

"If you don't know what to do and where to go, why don't you stay here for the time being?"

"I..."

Izabella hesitated, but Daniel did not give her the chance to say no.

"I asked Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Barnaby about you. Everyone thinks that you would make a good addition to the ranch."

He then lifted the stack of envelopes in his hand.

"I do, too. No worries, I am not going to make you do manual labor. Your handwriting is neat and you work very efficiently. I am sure that I can find you the right position to fill, along with competitive benefit package of course."

Izabella cracked a little smile.

Indeed, she had nowhere to go. If she could secure a roof over her head, three meals a day, and some money in her name, what else did she need?

"In that case, you should allow me to call you 'Young Master Daniel' now."

Daniel rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Good grief, please don't do that. Otherwise I am going to dock your pay every time you call me that."

Izabella burst into laughter.

At this point, she might incur debt before she received her first salary.

"Alright then, Daniel. I would be honored to work in this ranch."

"Great. Now, let me treat you to a wonderful meal."

"Oh?"

Izabella blinked in confusion.

"Not here," Daniel said with a grin. "Now that you are part of the ranch, naturally you need to be introduced to several new people."

Daniel gave Izabella time to change into a set of fresh clothes.

She came into the ranch without any personal belongings, so Mr. Bennett gave her several clothes that belonged to former maids.

Though well-maintained, the garments were old and worn, their age dulling the brilliance of her otherwise captivating eyes.

Tonight, she chose a plain white shirt over a bright blue skirt that extended beyond her knees. Her long, dark blond hair was secured in a sleek ponytail, with a few strands cascading down to softly frame her oval face.

She had neither accessories nor make-up on, but she looked a lot better after most of the cuts from the accident healed up.

"Does it look good?" Izabella asked hesitantly. She felt awkward standing next to Daniel, whose appearance spoke of effortless grace and understated luxury no matter what he wore.

"Of course," Daniel said as he extended an arm in Izabella's direction.

"Let's go, Bella."

Izabella took his arm awkwardly. Daniel patiently led her away from the ranch house to the sleek black car he used to commute in the countryside.

After the sun dipped below the horizon, the countryside fell silent, with most residents retreating indoors to spend some time with their families.

Daniel's car, a lone streak of motion, zoomed past the deserted street. Within an hour, they had covered a significant distance, arriving at a beach that presented a stark contrast to the emptiness they had just traversed.

In fact, it was teeming with activity, with loud music blasting from dual stereo speakers.

Heads turned when the car pulled over nearby, and then people began shouting.

"Hey, it's Daniel!"

"Brandon, your brother is here!"

Brandon Prescott, bare-footed, ran across the sand to greet his elder brother.

When Daniel opened the car door for Izabella, Brandon's jaw almost hit the ground.

"And I thought you were busy investigating the accident!" he exclaimed. "It turned out that you were busy with a girl!"

Daniel gave his brother a playful swat on the head.

"Don't be ridiculous. Don't you recognize Bella? Bella, this is my younger brother, Brandon. He was with me the night we rescued you from the car."

Brandon had yet to pick up his jaw when he surveyed Izabella from head to toe.

Behind him, a familiar young lady gasped loudly before snapping with disgust, "Daniel, why did you bring her here???"