The next morning arrived far too early for the household staff’s liking.
At five thirty, the house was in its usual quiet state.
Light from the moon filtered softly through the large windows of the staff lounge, where Jimmy, Ryan, Laura, and Danny sat around the table with sleepy eyes and steaming cups of coffee.
Jimmy spread butter on his toast.
Laura lazily stirred her tea.
Ryan flipped through his phone.
Danny tried to stay awake by sipping his coffee every twenty seconds.
Nothing seed unusual. Just another peaceful morning before their boss woke up.
Laura lifted her head and squinted at Ryan. "I am surprised you are here this early, Ryan? I thought Lady Boss had no plans today."
Ryan placed his phone down with a small sigh. "Boss Axel asked to stand by. He said Lady Boss might go out again." He shrugged. "I do not know what for... Maybe she wants sushi again."
Danny yawned. "Or maybe she wants to hunt soone again."
Jimmy choked on his toast. "Danny, she did not hunt anyone."
"She did. Rember that ti with the thugs at Walter’s house? Did you guys forget what Lisa told us?"
"Oh, that... Well, they deserved it," Laura muttered.
"Can you guys stop speaking about that?" Jimmy scolded them. "If master Axel hears it, he might punish you guys..."
"Upss, sorry..." Laura said weakly.
Danny also nods.
Before they could continue, Jimmy’s phone vibrated sharply against the table.
He glanced at the screen, expecting a regular tir.
Instead, he froze.
"eting in my office at six. Bring Laura and Danny with you."
Jimmy blinked rapidly. Then, slowly, a frown ford on his forehead. Axel rarely called for early morning etings. And when he did, it was usually serious. Too serious.
"What is it? You look like you saw a ghost." Ryan asked when he saw Jimmy frown.
"Boss wants a eting at six. With us, minus Ryan. In his ho office."
Danny almost dropped his coffee. "Six? At six o’clock? You an this morning?"
"Did we do sothing wrong? Did soone do sothing wrong?" Laura asked, panicked.
Their eyes darted at each other.
"Alright. Speak. What did any of you do yesterday?" Ryan said, staring at them one by one.
Danny raised both hands. "Not . I did nothing. Mrs. Knight and the young master never complained about my cooking. ... Their favorite person!"
Ryan cleared his throat. "Maybe it is the fridge. I hear you guys fill it with unhealthy food."
All eyes turned to him.
He continued, "The frozen pizza. And the burgers. And the fries. And the nuggets. And the ice cream. And the fish sticks."
"What Ryan said is correct. That sounds more like a fast-food restaurant nu." Jimmy calmly said, but the worry flashed in his gaze.
"It was the Lady Boss who asked for it," Laura defended. "If Boss Axel is angry, can we say that right?"
"We will not bla the Lady Boss," Jimmy hissed. "Are you tired of living?"
Danny scratched his cheek, trying to find another reason. "What if this is about Young Master Oliver? He refused to ride his horse yesterday. Maybe the boss found out."
"Oh no," Ryan seems to enjoy seeing them look panicked. "That definitely sounds like sothing you guys should be blad for. I an, you, Jimmy..."
Laura shook her head, "Both of you are ridiculous."
Silent.
They are all drawn to their own thoughts. Completely forgot to continue their breakfast.
Soon after,
Jimmy rechecked the ti. "It is two minutes to six. Let us go before master Axel summons lightning."
They stood, straightened their uniforms, prayed silently in their hearts, and walked to Axel’s ho office.
Just as they reached the hallway, the master bedroom door opened. Axel stepped out, already looking sharp in his white shirt, sleeves neatly folded, hair styled, and expression focused.
"Morning, sir," they greeted in unison.
"Morning," Axel replied casually and walked into his office.
They exchanged glances and hurried in after him.
Inside, Axel stood near the window for a mont as if he were gathering his thoughts.
The staff sat stiffly on the large sofa, waiting for him to speak. The silence grew heavier with each passing second.
Jimmy’s heart thumped loudly. He imagined possible scenarios.
’Did Oliver break a window? Did the kitchen explode? Did soone accidentally switch Axel’s sensitive docunts with Evelyn’s skincare products again?’ Jimmy gulped.
Finally, unable to endure the suspense, he spoke. "Sir, did sothing happen? You look a bit worried."
Axel snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face them.
"Yes. I need to ask you all sothing."
Their collective anxiety reached the ceiling.
Axel walked closer, "It is about Evelyn."
Three heads imdiately lifted.
"Young Madam?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes." Axel sat down across from them. "Has she been acting differently lately?"
They exchanged glances.
"Sir... different how?" Laura asked.
Instead of answering her, Axel asked, "Is she eating more than usual?"
They frowned as they began to recall their mories.
Laura nods, "Define more. And, she is also always hungry and asks for snacks."
Last night, she felt hungry again around eleven and ended up finishing an entire dium pizza on her own," Axel said.
The staff’s eyes widened.
"The whole pizza?" Danny asked.
"Yes."
"She only eats three slices on a normal day," Laura added.
Jimmy also chid in, "Sir, Lady Boss ate six slices. That is... impressive."
Axel nodded. "And she has been easily tired these days. She also complained about feeling dizzy for two mornings in a row."
The staff silently absorbed this information.
A single thought suddenly sparked between them.
Laura slowly leaned toward Jimmy, whispering sothing. Then, Jimmy leaned toward Danny.
Danny mouthed silently, "Pregnant?"
The others stared at him, eyes huge, but none dared to say it aloud.
Axel was also surprised to hear how accurate their guess was. He cleared his throat. "I want all of you to pay more attention to her. If she suddenly feels unwell, inform imdiately."
Jimmy nodded seriously. "Yes, sir."
"And," Axel continued, "prepare healthier als for her. Do not give her too much junk food."
Jimmy gave Laura a aningful look, but she ignored him. She said worriedly, "The fridge... In the dry kitchen?"
"Yes. The fridge. Remove those unhealthy foods from there. Replace them with the new healthy ones," he said, and looked at Danny. "You need to pay attention to what she eats from now on."
"Yes, sir... I will." Danny excitedly said. He appears happy to know their lady boss is pregnant.
Axel then added, "But don’t tell her I asked you to do any of this. I hate to make her worry and ruin her mood. Besides, Evelyn and I need to reassure ourselves whether she is pregnant. We haven’t checked with the OBGYN yet..."
Jimmy bowed slightly. "Understood, sir."
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