The next morning arrived far too early for the household staff’s liking. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
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 seemed 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 me 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 someone again."
Jimmy choked on his toast. "Danny, she did not hunt anyone."
"She did. Remember that time 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 timer.
Instead, he froze.
"Meeting in my office at six. Bring Laura and Danny with you."
Jimmy blinked rapidly. Then, slowly, a frown formed on his forehead. Axel rarely called for early morning meetings. 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 meeting at six. With us, minus Ryan. In his home office."
Danny almost dropped his coffee. "Six? At six o’clock? You mean this morning?"
"Did we do something wrong? Did someone do something 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 me. I did nothing. Mrs. Knight and the young master never complained about my cooking. Me... 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 menu." 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 blame 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 something you guys should be blamed for. I mean, 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 time. "It is two minutes to six. Let us go before master Axel summons lightning."
Last night, she felt hungry again around eleven and ended up finishing an entire medium 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 chimed 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 something. 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 me immediately."
Jimmy nodded seriously. "Yes, sir."
"And," Axel continued, "prepare healthier meals for her. Do not give her too much junk food."
Jimmy gave Laura a meaningful 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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