It must have been the tea bag she had given Joe the day before.
“Mr. Martin,” Skylar greeted him as she was about to head upstairs.
Joe glanced at her. When their eyes met, Skylar felt something was different about him that day—slightly off, though that could just be his usual cold and distant demeanor.
“Could you do me a favor?” Joe asked, his voice breaking the silence.
Skylar, taken aback, replied, “What favor?” She hadn’t expected him to ask her for help voluntarily.
Noticing the frown on his face, she wondered if something was truly bothering him.
She walked closer, curious.
“I have a headache,” Joe admitted. “The massage you gave me at Pearlhall Residence last time really helped.”
Skylar’s eyes softened. “Is your headache bad? Where exactly does it hurt?” she asked gently.
Joe hesitated for a moment at her concern, then pointed to the spot where the pain lingered.
Skylar walked behind him, her hands poised to help. “Let me try,” she said. “But massaging the head only provides temporary relief. You should consider acupuncture if you have the time.”
Joe instinctively stiffened at the mention of needles. “Acupuncture?” His voice betrayed his resistance.
“It’s a traditional practice,” Skylar explained. “Sometimes it’s even more effective than modern medicine. Just relax and close your eyes.”
Joe, though reluctant, obeyed. His breath slowed as Skylar placed her hand on his head, guiding her fingers to the acupuncture points.
This time, Skylar targeted different pressure points than last time. She knew this would help alleviate his headache more effectively.
Half an hour later, Skylar stood quietly, looking at Joe, who had fallen asleep on the couch. His tall frame sprawled across the cushions, his chest rising and falling gently.
She felt helpless. Joe was over six feet tall. She couldn’t possibly carry him up to bed, and waking him up seemed unfair after he’d finally managed to sleep. His poor sleep schedule had been taxing.
Skylar’s gaze drifted to a neatly folded blanket on the nearby chair. She grabbed it and gently covered Joe before tiptoeing upstairs.
After taking a shower, Skylar lay in bed and checked her phone. Steven had asked half an hour ago if she had arrived home safely. After replying to him, she scrolled through her social media feed.
The Williams family had been quiet for almost a day, and the buzz around them had died down. In a few days, people would forget about all that had happened.
There were comments from Sadie and Samuel on her Instagram, but she hadn’t read any of them yet.
Skylar opened her chat with Caleb and reviewed the job posting he had sent her. Alexander’s team was renowned for their expertise in artifact restoration, and she wanted to be a part of that.
After considering it carefully, she revised her résumé and selected a few comparison photos from her previous restoration projects. She sent them over to Alexander’s team by email.
She then opened her Amazon account. Skylar had recently started an antique appraisal store on the platform, with prices ranging from $20 to $500 depending on the item. She accepted random orders, which was both challenging and exciting.
While on her way back to Galaxy Villa, a customer had placed an order, asking her to authenticate several items. She asked them to send more pictures and videos for a closer look. Though appraising via photos carried some risk, she had grown more attuned to spotting fakes.
After earning $50 from the appraisal, Skylar was about to get out of bed and turn off the light when she suddenly remembered Joe downstairs. She had forgotten to turn off the lights when she went upstairs earlier.
Quietly, she made her way downstairs and found Joe still asleep on the couch, just as she had left him. However, the blanket had fallen off, and he lay exposed to the cool air. He could easily catch a cold like this.
Skylar walked over to him and carefully pulled the blanket back over him. Just as she straightened up, she felt her arm being caught.
Before she could react, Joe pulled her onto the couch beside him.
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