Chapter 3
1520 Words
Martina
I continue the tour until it takes me to my room. It's huge, with a white bed and a view of the garden, it has a bathroom, a dresser, and a closet. It's quite nice for staff quarters.
"This will be your uniform, miss," Mrs Margot shows me a pair of perfectly folded garments on the bed.
"You can call me Mar," I say kindly.
"That wouldn't be appropriate," she responds in a dry tone. I think she doesn't like having friends.
"You can change, tie your hair in a low ponytail, and head to the kitchen where I will give you your duties." I nod seriously, and Margot leaves, closing the door behind her.
I take the clothes from the bed: a white button-up shirt, dark blue dress pants, and black shoes.
I put on the clothes, fix my hairstyle, and head to the kitchen.
Margot is giving instructions to the girls who have uniforms with skirts and white aprons.
"Your duties are to assist if one of the girls needs you in the kitchen or with something related to the house. You'll be assigned the owner's room, and you must ensure it's perfectly tidy." I nod my head.
"This is Veronica," she introduces a lady about 47 years old.
"And this is Darling, Veronica's daughter," she introduces a young woman about 23 years old. They nod with a smile.
"And this is Tamara," she introduces another girl in her twenties who doesn't look friendly at all, as she looks me up and down with disdain.
"A pleasure, I'm Martina," I say to them with a smile.
"Darling, take the miss to the gentleman's room, please, and show her her duties," Margot requests.
Darling nods, "Come this way," she says as she walks to leave the kitchen, and I go after her.
We arrive at a huge room. It has dark curtains and gray bedding; the bathroom is as big as my parent's house. Everything screams luxury.
I'm immediately taken aback.
Darling looks at me and laughs.
"This is Mr Vincent's room. He's currently traveling and left for a month. You must come to clean every morning, even if he's not here, and when you finish, come down to assist some of us."
She's a kind girl.
"I understand," I say, looking at the place. It's gray, it feels cold and lifeless.
"Does anyone else live in this house?" I raise my hands, showing everything around me.
"No, just the gentleman," says Darling. I furrow my brows in puzzlement; it's a very large house for one person.
"Mr. Vincent is a widower. A few years ago, his wife died, and since then, he has remained alone. The only people who come to visit him are his brother Oliver and Miss Dania, who is always rude to us, but the gentleman has many considerations for her, and we don't dare say anything." She shakes her head and continues speaking.
"I understand that Mr. Oliver arrives today," she speaks and laughs.
"Just be careful with him; he's quite flirtatious. He always stays here for a while and then disappears."
"I see."
I thank her and go downstairs to gather everything I need to clean the room.
I go up and start my work, thinking it would be harder than it is. I look at the closet and find many black suits as well as shirts; it's a bit strange to me; perhaps he's still in mourning for his wife.
On the nightstand, I find a single photo of a very beautiful blonde woman smiling. I leave the photo frame where I found it and continue cleaning the room. It smells of an expensive and masculine perfume, and I inhale the scent deeply.
After I finish, I go downstairs, and we have lunch in the kitchen. Three more women and the gardener join us; they're all friendly except for Tamara, who thinks she's the boss just because she's Mrs. Margot's niece.
I'm sent to the study to organize some misplaced books. I walk in and see it has tall shelves full of books.
I approach to look at them and see many special editions, which amazes me.
Suddenly, I hear some shouting in the main hall. I hesitate about whether to go but walk slowly, then open the door and hear a woman.
"You're useless," she shouts arrogantly.
I step out and see a blonde woman with short, straight hair sitting with her back to me. Darling looks embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, miss," she says quietly.
"This is not what I asked for," she places the glass on the tray so that the liquid deliberately spills onto Darling's clothes.
I hate injustices and people who think they're better than others. I approach very annoyed, feeling my face turn red.
I grab the blonde woman by the arm.
"You have no right to treat this poor girl like that," I said in a loud tone. Darling opens her eyes and looks at me scared.
"Who are you? And where is Vincent?" She asks, trying to free herself from my hand.
"The gentleman isn't here, so you might as well leave and come back when he returns," I push her towards the exit of the house.
"Don't you know who I am? I'll make sure Vincent fires you immediately," she shouts at the door of the house.
"I don't care who you are... miss."
"What's going on here?" I hear a strong voice asking.
I turn towards the voice and see a tall man getting off a huge motorcycle. He has a black leather jacket, ripped jeans, and a white t-shirt clinging to his body.
He's blonde with green eyes and a blonde beard; he looks like a GQ model. I'm stunned for a few seconds as I look at him. I look him up and down and swallow hard, snapping out of my reverie when I hear her.
"Oliver, this little woman kicked me out of the house for no reason," she approaches him and speaks in a plaintive tone, witch!
"Dania, go home, I'll handle it," he looks at her and takes her by the arms while he speaks.
The woman looks at me with a malevolent smile.
I roll my eyes as she walks to her luxurious red car.
"Follow me, miss," the handsome man says, then I realize I didn't think about my actions, they're going to fire me right now. Why do I have to be so impulsive?
The man enters the house, and I follow him, regretting my actions.
He enters the office, walks behind the desk, and sits down in a relaxed manner. I close the door behind me and approach him, standing there.
With my hands clasped, he looks at me seriously for a moment while he pours himself a drink, downs the glass, and keeps looking at me.
His eyes linger on my chest for a moment before scanning my entire body. I feel a shiver.
He laughs and shakes his head, leaving me stunned.
"What's going on?" he asks, resting his arms on the desk. I explain what happened, but he just laughs again, leaving me confused.
"I'm sorry, sir, I know I shouldn't have acted like that, but..." I say quickly, but he interrupts me.
"I like your attitude," he says, pointing at me.
"What?" I manage to say, tilting my head to one side.
"I don't like Dania, and you put her in her place," he says with a smile. I open my mouth to say something but can't speak. So he's not going to fire me?
"Go back to your duties, we'll keep this a secret," he winks at me. "Just don't do this when my brother is around; he's a bit temperamental," he shrugs. I can only hear that he's not going to fire me, and I let out a breath. He stands up.
"Yes, thank you, sir," I say, then run to hug him. He stays still for a moment, surprised, and puts his hands on my waist. I feel the warmth of his strong body against mine. I manage to react and let go of him, embarrassed, me and my impulses.
I look at him, and he's smiling.
"Excuse my boldness," I say, turning around to open the door, only to find Margot. Damn!
"Young lady," she says as she passes by me.
"I apologize for what happened. I'll arrange for your replacement immediately," she says, looking at me.
No way!
"Nana, leave the girl alone. I'm not firing her, and I'll handle my brother."
"But..."
"But nothing, miss, go back to your duties," he addresses me. I nod and leave quickly.
"As you say," she nods, following me out.
I get to the kitchen, Darling hugs me, and Veronica smiles at me.
"Thank you for helping me," Darling says in my ear, and I hug her back.
"Thanks, dear, but don't do that again. Mr Vincent won't hesitate to fire you," Veronica says, approaching me and stroking my arm.
I doubt I can control myself, but I'll try, so I don't get fired from my first job.
- Writer
