Chapter 2 The Overbearing Tenant

The sudden scream startled Klein.

Acting on pure instinct, he snatched a rag off the couch, rolled forward in one swift motion, and appeared right in front of Carol. He stuffed the cloth into her mouth while slamming the villa door shut behind him.

"Quiet!"

His voice was low, but his eyes instinctively swept toward the windows.

Over the past six months, he really had let his guard down.

Back in the old days, anyone dumb enough to walk in without knocking would've gotten a bullet through the skull.

Carol froze completely.

She hadn't even seen how the man moved.

Only now did she truly notice his eyes.

Cold. Alert. Like a beast ready to pounce on its prey at any second.

A few seconds later, Klein suddenly caught the faint scent of perfume.

Not the cheap, overpowering kind.

This one carried a cool woody fragrance.

The tension in his heart eased slightly, and he pulled the rag out of her mouth.

At least she didn't seem like an assassin.

And while the woman in front of him was almost absurdly beautiful, she clearly had no professional training whatsoever.

"Can you let go of me already?!"

Carol finally broke free, her face flushed red with anger.

Only then did Klein take a step back.

The room fell silent for two seconds.

Carol's gaze instinctively drifted downward before she immediately turned away, blushing furiously.

"W-Why aren't you wearing clothes?!"

"This is my house."

Klein glanced down at himself, sounding completely justified.

"And you're the one who barged in out of nowhere."

Carol choked on her own words.

The worst part was that she couldn't even argue with him.

Klein casually grabbed some clothes from the couch and pulled them on, though his expression remained sour.

"Now explain why you're in my house."

"If you don't have a good reason, I'm calling the cops."

Klein walked over to the couch and reached for the phone.

Carol hurried toward him, trying to snatch it away.

But Klein sidestepped effortlessly.

Carol lost her balance and crashed hard onto the couch.

The fall sent her tight skirt riding upward, revealing purple lace panties beneath her black stockings.

"Don't call the police! I'm the tenant—I'm here to rent a room!"

Carol hurriedly explained. The last thing she wanted was to get dragged away by the police. That would be humiliating.

But then she realized Klein's eyes were fixed on her lower body.

She glanced down and instantly noticed her underwear was exposed.

"You pervert!"

Carol screamed angrily.

But Klein suddenly rushed forward and yanked her off the couch.

"My breakfast! I spent all morning making that!"

"And the beef was on sale yesterday at the supermarket!"

Klein held up a crushed paper bag and pulled out an equally crushed sandwich.

At that moment, Carol heard his stomach growl.

Only then did she realize the guy probably hadn't eaten anything all morning.

'Oh my God... he was staring at his breakfast, not me. What was I even thinking?'

Carol suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

She even started to think the man looked kind of pitiful.

"You should leave. I don't want a rude tenant like you."

Klein stood there holding the paper bag, still looking furious.

"I'm sorry. I'll pay for your breakfast, and I'll add extra rent as an apology."

Although Carol had been spoiled growing up, she wasn't actually rude.

"How much can you pay? The rent here is very expensive."

"Will this do?"

Carol pulled out a thick stack of cash from her handbag and placed it on the table.

The moment Klein saw the money, his eyes practically turned into dollar signs.

He snatched it up immediately and only needed a quick flip through the bills to know exactly how much it was.

Carol suddenly realized her earlier sympathy might've come way too soon.

'Father was right. This guy really is desperate for money.'

"This is enough for three months. But during those three months, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."

Klein immediately stepped in front of her.

No matter what happened today, he was keeping this gorgeous tenant.

He desperately needed the money.

"I probably won't stay for three months. But don't worry—even if I leave early, the money is still yours."

Carol clasped her hands behind her back and walked toward the stairs.

"Carry my suitcase upstairs. Oh, and which room is mine?"

"Certainly, beautiful lady. Happy to be of service."

Klein lifted Carol's suitcase with one hand and pointed toward a room at the corner of the second floor.

"Your room is over there!"

Carol's eyelid twitched.

Her suitcase wasn't filled with clothes.

It was packed with delicate scientific equipment.

The thing was seriously heavy, yet this man had picked it up with one hand.

"I don't like that room. I want the biggest room on the third floor."

Carol pointed upstairs.

Klein hesitated.

That room was his.

It had a private balcony and even a beautiful loft space.

"What? Not happy about it? Fine, then I won't rent the place after all."

Carol turned as if she were about to head downstairs, but Klein quickly stopped her.

"Please wait a moment. I'll clean the room out for you right away."

A flattering smile appeared on Klein's face.

For the sake of those damn property taxes, he'd endure it.

Besides, it was less than three months.

"Do you have any other requests?"

Klein asked while carrying the suitcase toward the room.

He regretted the question almost immediately.

"Actually, I do have a few."

Tilting her head, Carol began counting on her fingers one by one.

"You must prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me. You may not knock on my door without permission. No loud noises after nine p.m. Also, you must shower once a day—I care a lot about hygiene. The villa must be cleaned daily, too. No prostitutes allowed in this house. I can't stand the smell of cheap perfume. Any future tenants must be women, and they need my approval before moving in... That's all I can think of for now. If I come up with more, I'll let you know."

Klein opened his mouth.

For one terrifying second, he felt the overwhelming urge to throw both the suitcase and the woman attached to it straight out of the villa.

Just as he was about to do exactly that, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Another tenant?"

Klein quickly set the suitcase down, eager for any excuse to escape this spoiled woman for even a moment.