“Maaari Ko bang Linisin ang Iyong Bahay para sa Isang Plato ng Pagkain?” — Ngunit Nang Makita Siya ng Milyonaryo, Natigilan Siya./th

“Can I Clean Your House for a Plate of Food?” — But When the Millionaire Saw Her, He Froze.

Rain poured steadily over the sleek glass roof of the billionaire’s mansion nestled just outside Seattle. Inside, Julian Maddox stood by the fireplace, sipping black coffee and staring into the flames. He was used to silence—it followed him even in a house this grand. Success had brought him money, but not peace.

A sharp knock echoed through the hallway.

Julian frowned. He wasn’t expecting anyone. His staff had the day off, and visitors were rare. Setting down his cup, he walked to the front door and pulled it open.

A woman stood there, soaked to the bone, holding a little girl no older than two. Her clothes were worn, her eyes hollow from exhaustion. The child clung to her sweater, quiet and curious.

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” the woman said, her voice trembling. “But… I haven’t eaten in two days. I’ll clean your house—just for a plate of food for me and my daughter.”

Julian froze.

His heart stopped—not from pity, but from shock.

“Emily?” he whispered.

The woman looked up. Her lips parted in disbelief. “Julian?”

Time folded in on itself.

Seven years earlier, she had disappeared. No warning. No goodbye. Just vanished from his life.

Julian stepped back, reeling. The last time he saw Emily Hart, she had been wearing a red summer dress, barefoot in his garden, laughing like the world didn’t hurt.

And now… she stood in rags.

His chest tightened. “Where have you been?”

“I didn’t come here for a reunion,” she said, voice cracking. “I just need food. Please. I’ll leave right after.”

He looked down at the little girl. Blonde curls. Blue eyes. The same eyes as his mother.

His voice caught. “Is she… mine?”

Emily didn’t answer. She just looked away.

Julian stepped aside. “Come in.”

Inside the mansion, warmth wrapped around them. Emily stood awkwardly on the polished marble floor, dripping rainwater, while Julian motioned for the chef to bring food.

“You still have staff?” she asked softly.

“Of course. I have everything,” Julian replied, unable to hide the edge in his tone. “Except answers.”

The little girl reached for a bowl of strawberries on the table and looked up at him shyly. “Tank you,” she mumbled.

He smiled faintly. “What’s her name?”

“Lila,” Emily whispered.

The name hit him like a punch to the gut

Lila had been the name they once picked for a future daughter. Back when things were good. Before everything fell apart.

Julian sat down slowly. “Start talking. Why did you leave?”

Emily hesitated. Then sat across from him, her arms wrapped protectively around Lila.

“I found out I was pregnant the same week your company hit its IPO,” she said. “You were working 20-hour days, barely sleeping. I didn’t want to burden you.”

“That was my decision to make,” Julian snapped.

“I know,” she whispered, wiping her eyes. “But then… I found out I had cancer.”

Julian’s heart dropped.

“It was stage two. The  doctors didn’t know if I’d survive. I didn’t want you to have to choose between your company and a dying girlfriend. I left. I gave birth alone. Went through chemo alone. And I survived.”

He was speechless. Rage and sorrow swirled inside him.

“You didn’t trust me enough to let me help?” he finally said.

Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t even trust myself to survive.”

Lila tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “Mommy, I’m sleepy.”

Julian knelt down in front of her. “Would you like to rest in a warm bed?”

The little girl nodded.

He turned to Emily. “You’re not going anywhere tonight. I’ll have the guest room prepared.”

“I can’t stay here,” she said quickly.

“You can. And you will,” he replied firmly. “You’re not just anyone. You’re the mother of my child.”

She froze. “So you believe she’s yours?”

Julian stood. “I don’t need a test. I can see it. She’s mine.”

That night, after Lila was asleep upstairs, Julian stood on the balcony, staring out at the storm-lit sky. Emily joined him, wrapped in a robe one of the maids had given her.

“I didn’t want to destroy your life,” she said.

“You didn’t,” he replied. “You just erased yourself from it.”

Silence stretched between them.

“I’m not here to beg for anything,” Emily said. “I was just desperate.”

Julian turned to her. “You were the only woman I ever loved. And you left without letting me fight for you.”

Tears streamed down her face.

“I still love you,” she whispered. “Even if you hate me.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he looked up at the window where Lila slept, safe and warm.

Then, finally, he said, “Stay. At least until we figure out what comes next.”

The sun peeked through the gray clouds the next morning, casting a soft golden light across Julian’s estate. For the first time in years, it didn’t feel empty.

Downstairs, Julian stood at the stove—an unusual sight in his own home—scrambling eggs. The smell of butter and toast filled the kitchen. He heard soft footsteps behind him.

Emily stood in the doorway, holding Lila’s tiny hand. The little girl was now wearing clean pajamas, her hair brushed into curls.

“You cook now?” Emily asked with a faint smile.

“I’m trying,” Julian replied, handing a plate to Lila. “For her.”

Lila climbed onto a chair and began eating like she hadn’t tasted real food in weeks.

“She likes you,” Emily said softly, sitting at the edge of the counter.

Julian glanced at her. “She’s easy to like.”

They fell into a strange, quiet rhythm over the next few days. Emily didn’t talk much, still uncertain if this was real or temporary. Julian watched her closely—every motion, every glance at Lila—as if trying to reclaim lost time.

But not everyone was thrilled.

One afternoon, as Julian returned from a meeting, his assistant Charlotte waited by the door, arms crossed.

“You’ve got a woman and a child living here now?” she asked.

Julian sighed. “Yes. That’s Emily and her daughter.”

“Your daughter?”

He nodded.

Charlotte paused. “You’re not exactly subtle. The board is already asking questions.”

“Let them,” Julian said coldly. “I don’t answer to them when it comes to my family.”

The word “family” tasted unfamiliar on his tongue—but it felt right.

That night, Emily sat on the patio, watching Lila chase butterflies across the grass.

Julian joined her with two mugs of tea. “You always loved dusk,” he said.

“It was the only time the world felt quiet.”

He took a sip. “Why didn’t you come to me after the cancer went into remission?”

She looked away. “Because I didn’t think I belonged in your world anymore. You had become… untouchable. Famous. Powerful.”

He leaned closer. “I was lonely.”

She didn’t respond.

“You could’ve come back,” he said again.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me.”

Julian stood and walked a few steps away, hands in his pockets. “And now?”

Emily swallowed. “I still don’t know if you can.”

He turned back. “I don’t want revenge, Emily. I want to understand what kind of man I need to be now—for her.”

She looked up, tears in her eyes. “She needs a father. Not a CEO.”

“Then that’s what I’ll be.”

The next day, while Julian was out on a call, Emily received a visitor.

The doorbell rang, and when she opened it, a sharply dressed woman stood outside—Julian’s mother, Diane Maddox.

She looked Emily up and down with a cold gaze. “So. You’re back.”

“Hello, Diane,” Emily said cautiously.

“You have some nerve showing up like this. Julian spent years spiraling after you disappeared.”

Emily stepped aside. “Please. Come in.”

Diane walked in like she owned the place.

“You’re not staying, are you?” she asked flatly.

“I didn’t plan to,” Emily admitted. “But… I don’t know anymore.”

“You think raising a child makes you family again?”

“I never stopped being family. Lila is Julian’s daughter.”

Diane scoffed. “And what if this is some scheme to get your hands on the fortune?”

Emily’s voice hardened. “Then you’ve never known me at all.”

Just then, Julian returned, walking in on the tension.

“What’s going on?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

“Just a family visit,” his mother said sweetly. “I was welcoming Emily back.”

Julian turned to Emily, sensing something was off. She shook her head silently.

Later that night, Emily packed her bag.

Julian found her in the hallway, zipping the suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t stay,” she whispered. “Your mother—”

“Let me guess. She thinks you’re here for money?”

Emily nodded. “I don’t want to cause problems.”

Julian gently touched her wrist. “You’re not leaving because of her.”

“You don’t understand—”

“No,” he said. “You don’t understand. I want you here. Lila needs you here. I won’t let anyone chase you out of this house again. Not even my mother.”

Her lip trembled. “You’d go against your family for me?”

“You are my family,” he said. “You and Lila. You always were.”

She broke down into tears. And this time, when he held her, she didn’t pull away.

Weeks passed. Then months.

Julian took fewer business trips. He spent more time learning how to braid Lila’s hair than reviewing quarterly reports. Emily found a sense of peace in the mansion that once felt like a cage. She began painting again. Lila giggled more every day.

And one Sunday afternoon, under the garden’s blooming magnolia tree, Julian knelt with a small velvet box.

Emily gasped. “Julian…”

“I lost you once,” he said. “I won’t make the mistake of letting you go again.”

Tears ran down her cheeks as Lila clapped, oblivious but happy.

“Yes,” Emily whispered. “Yes.