Chapter 363 - 362: Your Daughter Might Not Agree

Mina stared, dumbfounded, at Jasmine Sterling. Even though she had already called out her name, she still couldn’t quite believe the person standing before her was really Jasmine.

She was dressed in a beautiful outfit, carrying an expensive handbag, and her makeup was exquisitely done—the very picture of a wealthy woman. Aside from her face, she was a completely different person from the one Mina remembered.

After a long moment, she finally found her voice. "Is... is it really you?"

Jasmine Sterling was just as shocked. She had only worked at the housekeeping company for a few days, but she still knew the rules: employees weren’t allowed to take on private jobs. Yet here Mina was, wearing a cleaning uniform from Aetherium.

"Mina, what are you doing here?"

Mina gave a bitter smile. "Cleansweep went out of business, so we all had to find other work. Someone from my hometown was cleaning here and recommended me."

"Out of business?" Jasmine was taken aback. "How could it happen so suddenly? Didn’t the manager say he was going to negotiate with headquarters about our pay?"

"Sigh, no one saw it coming. The app was shut down out of nowhere, and we have no idea what really happened. Most of us don’t have much education and no time to dig into it. We all just had to find new jobs right away, or we wouldn’t be able to get by."

"What about the manager?" Jasmine asked.

"The manager’s a victim too. He didn’t get paid either. Now the headquarters is completely empty. The manager helped us file a police report, but who knows what will come of it."

Just then, another woman walked into the restroom. Mina instinctively took a step back. "Hello."

The woman gave Mina and Jasmine a sidelong glance, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. The class divide between the two was stark; they certainly didn’t look like they’d be acquainted.

Jasmine wasn’t bothered by the other woman’s stare, but she couldn’t help but sigh to herself.

As far as she knew, Cleansweep Serenity was a very well-known housekeeping company in Lorcain, established for many years. ’To think it could go bankrupt overnight.’

"Jasmine, you’re..."

Mina finally gave in to her curiosity. Her eyes drifted over Jasmine’s expensive dress, but she was still too embarrassed to ask her question directly.

’This is the revolving restaurant on the top floor of Aetherium. The prices are astronomical. A deluxe afternoon tea set costs more than I make in several days.’

’I never in a million years thought I’d run into someone I know here, let alone as a customer.’

Jasmine caught on and felt a little awkward herself. It was a bit dramatic, running into each other again under such different circumstances.

She paused before explaining, "I’m here with some friends. Mina, the truth is, my family is quite well-off. I was misled by a recruitment agency when I went to Cleansweep looking for work. At the time, I just wanted to find something to do on my own, so I stayed."

’There’s no point in hiding it or lying anymore,’ she thought. After all, her relationship with Mina was just that of a former coworker. It didn’t matter if she was honest.

This time, Mina wasn’t too surprised. Recalling a few details, she realized there had been signs. "So that’s how it is. No wonder you insisted on buying that client’s puppy. I was wondering how you could afford it since it was so expensive. Turns out you were rich all along."

Just as she finished speaking, a toilet flushed from one of the stalls. The woman who had entered earlier came out.

Seeing this, Mina said hurriedly, "Jasmine, I’m still working, so I can’t chat any more."

With that, she picked up her tools and disinfectant and went to wipe down and sanitize the used stall.

Jasmine watched her go. The thought that Mina would have to clean and sanitize the restroom if she used it instantly made her lose the urge to go.

Even though she knew it was Mina’s job, the idea still made her uncomfortable.

So she just washed her hands and left.

"What took you so long? You didn’t get an upset stomach, did you?"

As soon as she sat down, Mrs. Fletcher couldn’t help but ask curiously.

The other women also looked over with concern. Jasmine shook her head calmly. "No, I just ran into a friend and we chatted for a minute."

"You have other friends in Lorcain?" Wendy Duncan asked, a little surprised. Jasmine had told her that Wendy was her first friend in the city, and that Wendy had introduced her to everyone else.

"Someone I met when I was looking for a job," Jasmine answered truthfully.

"Looking for a job?" Mrs. Warner exclaimed. "You actually wanted to get a job?"

Her way of thinking was clearly hard for the others to comprehend. Jasmine gave a resigned smile. "I wasn’t really used to Lorcain when I first arrived. I thought getting a job would help me fit in faster. I just didn’t expect that my first try would land me at a housekeeping company, thanks to a misleading agency."

"A housekeeping company? You mean, cleaning?"

Wendy Duncan frowned at her. "How come you never mentioned this before? No wonder there was a while when I’d stop by your place and you were never home. You were at work?"

Jasmine gave an embarrassed smile. On that topic, she couldn’t help but ask the other ladies, "Do you all normally hire cleaners for your homes?"

The ladies exchanged a look before they all nodded.

"Of course. Even though we have maids for daily tidying, our houses are just too big. So we have professional cleaners come in for a deep clean every week."

"My husband is a neat freak and can’t stand a speck of dust, so we have someone come in every two or three days."

Even Wendy Duncan chimed in, "Doesn’t our property management at Hearthstone Villas have its own professional cleaning team? You’ve never hired them?"

"We have," Jasmine nodded. "Cecilia has them come over to clean every week."

At that, an idea suddenly sparked in Jasmine’s mind.

’Cleansweep Serenity went out of business, but cleaning services are a high-demand necessity in Lorcain. Especially for wealthy families like these, who hire someone almost every week.’

’So, could I get into this business?’

"Jasmine, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing her suddenly lost in thought, Wendy Duncan asked with concern, "Is something on your mind?"

"No, I was just thinking... maybe I could try starting my own housekeeping company." Jasmine looked at the others, testing the waters. "Would any of you be interested?"

The other ladies instinctively furrowed their brows at her words.

They were ladies of high society. A housekeeping company, to put it bluntly, was a business of serving people—cleaners, maternity nurses, and the like. How could they possibly be interested in such an industry?

At the end of the day, for these wealthy women, maintaining their status and reputation came first.

Besides, their husbands would never agree to them getting involved in a housekeeping business.

"Jasmine, I’d advise against making things difficult for yourself. A housekeeping company sounds like nothing but trouble. Your daughter is so good to you; I doubt she would approve either!"