chapter 1 goddess

The bed was a mess.
"Stop crying!"
Theodore Zhao was somewhat annoyed by her crying. He had just helped a drunken woman, who was also a homeowner, get back home, only to be unexpectedly coerced by her. What a situation!
Esme Su seemed to accept the fact as well, as her crying gradually subsided. "Why are you being so fierce?"
Theodore Zhao sighed, "Don' t worry, I' ll take responsibility."
Esme Su wiped her tears, "Take responsibility? With what?"
Those eyes, which should have been clear, now shimmered with a frightening cold light.
She had preserved her chastity for over twenty years, only to lose it to a security guard of a residential area on the eve of her engagement.
The thought of death crossed her mind, but what problems would that solve?
Theodore Zhao earnestly said, "Any way you can think of!"
Esme Su replied sarcastically, "Any way? I am the president of the Su Corporation. Your monthly salary, even with bonuses, wouldn' t be enough to buy even one of my lipsticks without eating or drinking!"
The absurdity of the situation struck her.
"How will you take responsibility?"
"What do you propose?"
"How can you possibly take responsibility?"
She was a bit domineering by nature, but not a mean woman.
However, seeing Theodore Zhao reminded her of the previous night's madness.
She felt like a small boat in the ocean, relentlessly battered by the huge waves.
Regret, despair, and even a sense of humiliation engulfed her!
Theodore Zhao, taken aback by her questioning, then gave a self-mocking smile.
No wonder, he was just a night shift security guard at the residential property.
If not for the absurdity of the previous night, he would never have had any interaction with the woman in front of him.
She probably saw him as no different from any stray cat or dog on the street.
Esme Su didn't wait for Theodore Zhao's response.
She picked up a shirt from the bed and started putting it on.
As she spoke and got off the bed, she said, "Get out of my house, and if anyone finds out about last night, I won't let you off easily!"
Theodore Zhao, who had already dressed, tried to help her, but she fiercely pushed him away.
Esme Su glared at him, "Back off, don't touch me with your dirty hands!"
Theodore Zhao felt a bit displeased and grabbed his coat, ready to leave.
Esme Su, stunned for a moment, suddenly shouted, "Where are you going?"
Theodore Zhao replied with self-mockery, "To work! I' m not like you, a rich heiress who can live well without working!"
Esme Su, being unreasonable, ordered, "Don' t go!"
Seeing that Theodore Zhao was ignoring her, she grabbed something from the bedside table and threw it at him.
"I told you to stop!"
Theodore Zhao, hit by the object, felt a surge of anger.
But when he looked at Esme Su, the words he wanted to say were all swallowed back.
"My offer still stands. If you decide how you want me to take responsibility, you can find me anytime."
Esme Su, momentarily taken aback, then replaced by a cold sneer, "You wish I' d ask you to take responsibility, don' t you?"
Theodore Zhao didn't bother to explain, "Think whatever you want."
Esme Su was indeed beautiful and wealthy, but he was not the kind of man who would bow down for material gains.
The door slammed shut.
Esme Su staggered to the mirror.
She suddenly regretted letting him go so easily just now.
Just let him go like that? Wouldn't that be too easy for him?
No way!
Theodore Zhao had just returned to the security room when he heard someone reprimanding, "Theodore Zhao, where were you during last night's shift?"
The speaker, a chubby man, was the security chief of the Di Yuan residence, surnamed Sun. He had always looked down on Theodore Zhao.
Theodore Zhao didn't want to give Sun any leverage over him, but how could he explain?
"What? No answer?"
Theodore Zhao didn' t bother to explain, knowing it would be futile.
Sun sneered, "Absent from work once, there goes your bonus. Also, a deduction of two hundred from your salary. Next time, it's a dismissal. Let this be a warning to others!"
While he was talking, a white Porsche drove into the complex.
All the guards, including Sun, were distracted.
Di Yuan was a well-known wealthy area, mostly populated by female homeowners.
The real reason many came to work as security guards here wasn't for the meager salary. Everyone understood why.
Take, for example, the lady in the car, Rosaria Meng, a homeowner of Building 9. Wealthy, beautiful, and single.
Sun approached obsequiously, "Miss Meng, finished with work?"
The car window rolled down, revealing a charming side face. In a sweet voice, she said, "Could I bother Captain Sun to have someone deliver a barrel of water to my house?"
Sun eagerly replied, "Let me do it. I'm free anyway."
Rosaria Meng waved her hand, "How could I trouble you? Let Zhao do it."
That charming smile captivated countless souls.
Sighs of envy filled the air. There were many named Zhao in the security department, but everyone knew that the 'Zhao' Rosaria Meng referred to could only be Theodore Zhao.
Delivering water had become a routine part of Theodore Zhao's job.
Sun, the chubby security chief, was fuming with irritation. "Did you hear? Now go!"
He didn't voice it, but in his mind, he was plotting a reason to fire Theodore Zhao.
Theodore Zhao could see through Sun's intentions, but as of now Theodore urgently needed the money.
His mother's matching tests were completed. The surgery cost over half a million, not to mention the subsequent recovery and rehabilitation expenses.
At Di Yuan, he earned a salary of five thousand a month. It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't negligible either. But what would he do if he lost this job?How would he pay for his mother's medical expenses?
Sometimes, he regretted his own ineffectiveness. Five years in the military had given him considerable skills, but they were of little use in his current situation.
Now, with his mother seriously ill, he couldn't even muster a penny, which was laughable.
Lost in thought, he heard the phone ringing in the duty room.
Sun perked up when he saw the caller ID, "Miss Su, what can I do for you?"
Others also listened in.
Di Yuan had a ranking of goddesses, and Esme Su was at the top. Despite this, no one dared to make a move on her.
Today, Esme Su was set to get engaged to the young master of the Wei family, a fact almost everyone in Tian Zhou knew.
And the young master of the Wei family was a notoriously tough character in Tian Zhou.
Anyone daring to touch his woman would be courting death!
Esme Su's voice came through the phone, "Have Theodore Zhao deliver a barrel of water to me."
"Miss Su, what did you say?"
Sun was a bit frustrated. Why Theodore Zhao again?
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
Esme Su's voice was icy cold, clearly reluctant to mention that name again.
Sun, wiping sweat, replied, "Yes, yes, I heard you clearly."
"Twenty barrels, deliver them now!"
Esme Su said impatiently before hanging up.
Sun was stunned. Twenty barrels?
With a bit of schadenfreude, he ordered, "Theodore Zhao, Building 9 can wait. First, deliver the water to Miss Su in Building 5. Remember, twenty barrels!"
Everyone was taken aback. They hadn't heard the phone conversation and thought Sun was seizing an opportunity for revenge.
Theodore Zhao vaguely understood what was happening. It must be Esme Su trying to mess with him!
Damn, what was this woman's game?
Theodore Zhao knocked on the door, and a cold, beautiful face appeared.
Esme Su stepped aside as if she didn't recognize him, "Take it to the third floor!"
The third floor?
Though displeased, Theodore Zhao had no choice.
Regardless of his reasons for taking this security job, as long as he was paid by Di Yuan, serving the homeowners was his duty.
Moreover, the homeowner was Esme Su. After what happened last night, he couldn't just walk away without any responsibility, could he?
Besides, backing down wasn't his style.
Theodore Zhao carried two barrels on his shoulders each time. Even if it wasn't tiring, he was soon sweating profusely.
Actually, Di Yuan was a complex of standalone villas, each with its own private elevator. But he didn't bother to ask. Knowing her temperament, it probably wouldn't have made a difference.
Esme Su stood on the third-floor balcony, watching Theodore Zhao go in and out, his shirt gradually soaked with sweat. She finally felt a hint of vengeful satisfaction.
To her surprise, Theodore Zhao's physique was robust, not like the other security guards who were all show and no substance, especially the eight-pack abs on his abdomen, which were particularly eye-catching.
Theodore Zhao wiped the sweat off his brow and said, "It's done."
Esme Su, expressionless, commanded, "Pour the water into the bathtub."
Theodore Zhao was stunned. This bottled water was volcanic mineral water, costing over two hundred per barrel. Pouring more than twenty barrels would amount to four thousand.
Using such water for a bath?
He thought to himself, it's one thing to mess with me, but don't waste your own money!
"What are you waiting for? Do you think I don't have the money?"
Esme Su pulled out her wallet, took out a bunch of cash, and tossed it on the floor without even looking.
Theodore Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Esme, are you out of your mind?"
"I'm not crazy! I just want you to see what it's like to live as a wealthy person. You work yourself to death for a month, and it's just this much money, right?"
"It's not even enough for one of my baths! How does it feel? Do you feel utterly useless? Pathetic?"
Esme Su watched his expression, searching for a trace of humiliated anger.
"I think you're quite childish,"
Theodore Zhao said without a second thought, and proceeded to pour all twenty barrels into the bathtub.
Esme Su was so frustrated she felt her teeth itch. It felt like she had thrown a powerful punch into a pile of cotton.
As Theodore Zhao turned to leave, he said, "Keep the money. Just add it to the property fees."
Esme Su snapped, "Stop right there!"
Theodore Zhao asked wearily, "What now?"
Esme Su demanded, "Bring another twenty barrels!"
Theodore Zhao frowned, "There's no more space."
Esme Su walked up, opened the drain of the bathtub, and watched as what worth four thousand vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Now there's space," she said triumphantly.
Theodore Zhao remarked, "You really are sick, and quite seriously !"
Esme Su's temper flared. "Theodore Zhao, how dare you insult me? Do you believe I could complain about you?"
"Suit yourself!"
Theodore Zhao, looking into her eyes, continued, "If you want to take revenge on me, there are many ways. What's the point of wasting money like this? Do you know how much can be done with these four thousand in impoverished mountain areas?"
Esme Su felt a tremor in her heart, a flicker of guilt that she quickly suppressed.
Hypocrisy!
She pointed out the window, "Fine, I won't waste money. Then jump down from here!"
Although it was the third floor, given the height of each story in these villas, it was equivalent to the fifth floor of a regular building.
A fall from this height could be crippling, if not fatal.
Theodore Zhao, feeling a bit fed up, asked, "Really, if I jump, you'll stop bothering me?"
Esme Su, arms crossed, affirmed, "That's right! Jump, and we're even!"
Her tone was full of provocation, as if trying to strip away Theodore Zhao's hypocritical facade.
Without a word, Theodore Zhao turned, took a quick run-up, and jumped off the balcony with a hand on the railing.
His movements were so fluid that Esme Su was taken aback for a moment.
He actually jumped?