Love's Wild Card

"Alright, go change into something else now!" Alex broke free from her grasp and sat back down on his Italian leather sofa.

"Wait!" Emma suddenly remembered something and rushed back to her room, returning just as quickly to flop down next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

"What now?" Alex asked, wondering if their relationship as employer and housekeeper—or billionaire's daughter and reluctant host—was becoming a bit too familiar. But if she, as a woman, didn't mind, why should he care?

"Let's take a picture to commemorate the moment!" Emma smiled, adjusting the camera on her newly bought phone.

"Why do we need pictures? No photos—if you want pictures, take them yourself!" Alex shifted away.

"No way, we have to take it together. Come on, smile!" Emma ignored his protests. When she saw him move away, she simply pounced right back, her left arm holding his arm, right hand holding the phone ready to take the picture, her head pressed against his cheek, smiling happily.

"Click!"

The photo captured a lively, beautiful sprite of an heiress happily pressed against Alex's exasperated yet indulgent face, looking unusually intimate.

"Hmm, even though your expression isn't great, you're quite photogenic! I'm going to change into the next outfit!" After successfully getting her photo, Emma stood up happily and went back to her room.

"I'm going to set this as my startup screen, lock screen, background..." she muttered as she walked away.

Hearing her words and looking at his own shirt, Alex really didn't know what to make of this situation. This romantic encounter—and not just any encounter but one most men could only dream of—was coming on way too strong, wasn't it?

"Emma, you can't just stay at home all the time. Weren't you going to look for work? How's that going?" Alex asked while watching mindless TV shows.

"Not yet, I thought I'd wait a while before job hunting, but I already bought the clothes. Look!" Emma suddenly jumped in front of Alex, blocking his view of the TV.

When Alex turned to look, she was wearing a ruffled white chiffon blouse under a black professional women's suit that took his breath away.

The form-fitting jacket was clean and crisp, with the mature black color contrasting beautifully against the low-cut white blouse beneath. The small standing collar and flowing sleeve ribbons, with the waist pulled in tight and shoulder lines tailored to perfection, perfectly balanced Emma's natural nobility with alluring charm. Below was a professional knee-length skirt that showed off her legs in black semi-sheer stockings, with black three-inch heels completing the ensemble. The combination of black suit, black skirt, and black heels revealed another side of Emma, with the deep colors highlighting her mysterious aura.

What made it even more striking was that she was wearing Alex's computer glasses, giving off an aura of capable professionalism that made her seem like a powerful career woman. This kind of presence should have been cultivated gradually in the business world, but this woman... was she playing dumb to catch tigers?

Seduction! Pure, unabashed seduction! Was this the legendary appeal of uniforms?

Alex licked his dry lips, his eyes still fixed on Emma.

"What? Doesn't it look good?" Emma bent down in front of Alex to ask with feigned innocence.

The V-neck of her blouse naturally created an enticing view as she bent forward. What made it even more devastating was that this woman in her power suit was putting on an adorable expression while striking such a seductive pose.

"You... don't go to work!" Alex finally managed after staring for a long moment. If she went to work like this, who could possibly concentrate?

"Don't go to work? Why?" Emma moved closer to Alex's face with a puzzled expression. He could even smell her faint perfume.

Looking at Emma before him, Alex's mind was in chaos. This was cruel treatment for a good socialist youth like himself. Should he? Shouldn't he? What should he do?

"You... aren't you working as my housekeeper? That's your job, you can't go slack off somewhere else, you still have thirteen years left!" Alex said, though honestly he didn't even know what he was saying anymore.

"Oh, you're right. Then I'll go change into something else!" Emma said brightly after hearing Alex's words. Did she not even think about going out to earn money to repay her debt?

"Last one, okay? I need to sleep!" Alex called after Emma. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Okay!" Emma agreed.

Five minutes passed and she still hadn't come out. Maybe because he said this was the last outfit, she was planning something dramatic? It seemed possible, given her behavior so far.

"Emma, hurry up, I want to sleep!" Alex called again.

"Okay okay, coming now!" The door opened and Alex knew she had emerged. He turned to look and his mind short-circuited.

If the business suit was the appeal of uniforms, then this maid outfit was the pure embodiment of seduction.

The pink dress paired with a white apron, topped with a white headband, looked impossibly cute. The pink maid uniform added a touch of sweetness to the classic black and white world, giving Emma a "face like peach blossoms in bloom" beauty. The pure innocence Emma exuded wasn't something just anyone could achieve. And the sheer stockings revealed an innocent sexiness that was truly mesmerizing.

'Am I having delusions?' Alex shook his head hard, but the scene before him remained unchanged.

"When... when did you buy this?" Alex pointed at Emma's maid uniform, stammering.

"At the anime store, don't you remember?" Emma smiled at Alex.

"Master, would you like something to drink?" Emma smiled sweetly at Alex, her shy cuteness barely concealing her sexy allure.

"Water... ice water... lots of ice!" Alex said dazedly. His mouth was dry, his chest was burning, his head was spinning - he needed ice water to clear his mind and cool down!

"Yes, Master. Please wait!" Emma smiled and turned toward the kitchen.

When Emma came back with the ice water, Alex had recovered some of his composure.

"Miss, stop playing!" Alex gave Emma a wry smile. "Go change out of this outfit. If people found out about this, I'd never be able to show my face in public!"

"Miss? Who's that?" Emma looked at Alex with a puzzled expression.

Alex lowered his head in defeat at her words, seeing she had fully immersed herself in the maid role.

"Hehe! How does it feel? Isn't it wonderful?" Emma suddenly sat down next to Alex and pulled his arm, laughing. So it had all been an act.

Looking at the beautiful, playful sprite beside him who could transform from elegant heiress to adorable maid at will, Alex realized he was in serious trouble. Yet somehow, he couldn't bring himself to mind too much.

"Miss, let's stop playing these games," Alex gave Emma a wry smile. "Change out of this outfit. If people found out about this, I'd never be able to show my face in public!"

"Miss? Who's that?" Emma looked at Alex with a puzzled expression.

Alex lowered his head in defeat at her words, seeing she had fully immersed herself in the maid role.

"Hehe! How does it feel? Isn't it wonderful?" Emma suddenly sat down next to Alex and pulled his arm, laughing. So it had all been an act.

"Not really... I'm getting a bit overwhelmed here," Alex admitted, trying to maintain some composure.

"Oh? Are you thinking about doing some S&M play?" Emma asked innocently.

"What?" Alex nearly choked. "Do you even know what that means?"

Emma shook her head, eyes wide with curiosity. "No, but you could explain it to me!"

Alex studied her face, wondering if this was another act, but her expression showed nothing but genuine innocence.

"SM is..." he started, then paused, wondering how to explain this delicately. "It's a type of... intimate activity where people find pleasure in... certain kinds of pain or control."

"Oh!" Emma's eyes lit up with understanding. "Like when you're mean to me but actually care about me?"

Alex stared at her in disbelief. After twenty-five years of life, could she really be this innocent? Even this basic concept was new to her?

Pure as spring water, he thought. Even purer than spring water!