Chapter 2
1151 Words
The sound of relaxing music echoed throughout the spacious living room. The room was so vast that it could easily accommodate at least eleven families and still have space remaining.
Seated on a couch, a woman held a wine glass between her fingers. She wore a fitted romper and a pair of high heels, appearing somewhat preoccupied as she gently caressed her temple.
"Excuse me, ma'am!" Her butler called out as he entered the room. The woman didn't respond. "Excuse me, ma'am," he tried again. Slowly, she looked up at him, giving him a stern look.
"What is it that you want?" She asked coldly.
"I apologize for disturbing you, ma'am," he said, slightly intimidated by her gaze. "Miss Juliet is here to see you," he added.
"Juliet," she repeated the name.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied.
"She can come in," she approved, signaling for him to bring Juliet inside.
"The butler announced, "Miss Juliet is here, ma'am."
The woman looked at Juliet with a puzzled expression, trying to remember where she knew her from.
"I'm sorry, but I don't seem to know who you are," she stated with confusion.
"I'm the girl who helped you when your car broke down. You promised to offer me a job," Juliet reminded her of their encounter.
"Ohhh... I'm so sorry that I forgot about you so soon," the woman sighed apologetically.
"It's fine, but I'm glad you remember now," Juliet replied with a faint smile.
"Please have a seat," the woman offered Juliet a place beside her. "You can leave now," she told the butler.
"You have a beautiful house, ma'am," Juliet complimented, her eyes wandering around.
"Thank you. I must say I'm happy to see you here and thank you for accepting my job offer," the woman said with a smile. "I've been worried about finding a new housekeeper. The applicants so far haven't been up to par, and some couldn't accept my requirement for them to be married before taking the job," she added, sounding exhausted.
Juliet's eyes widened after hearing the woman's words, but she quickly regained her composure.
"What do you mean by 'married'?" she asked, confused.
"After what has happened between my son and many of the girls who came here, I've decided that I only want married women to work for me," the woman announced.
"I have something to tell you. I should have mentioned it earlier, but I didn't know I would consider this job," Juliet began, earning a strange look from the woman.
"You don't want the job?" the woman interrupted.
"No, it's not like that. I want the job, but it's not for me," Juliet confessed.
"I don't understand what you're trying to say," the woman frowned.
"I already have a job, and I'm grateful for it. I'm only here because my friend really needs this job," Juliet explained, her smile fading.
"I'm afraid I can't help you with that," the woman stated coldly.
"Please, ma'am!" Juliet pleaded, dropping to her knees. "This is the only hope my friend has right now to escape from her evil aunt."
"That has nothing to do with me. You should stand up right now!" the woman commanded.
"You made a promise that you were going to help me no matter what happens," Juliet was on the verge of tears.
"Fine, is she married?" the woman sighed.
"Yes, she is married," Juliet stated without hesitation.
"I'm glad to hear that, but that doesn't change the fact that she isn't you... Ijust wanted you to work for me," the woman uttered, unimpressed.
"We're best friends, so you can say she's just like me," Juliet assured her.
"What does her husband do for a living? Would he be happy to know that his wife wouldn't be around all the time?" the woman asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.
"Her husband doesn't have a problem with it. He's in the army, so he isn't around all the time to take care of her, and that's why she really needs this job," Juliet lied, avoiding eye contact with the woman.
"Very well, she can come in. I'd like to interview her," the woman gave her approval.
As Juliet rushed in to find Annabel, who was lost in her own thoughts, Annabel's mind wandered.
'Where is she?' Annabel groaned, pacing impatiently while waiting for Juliet to return.
Suddenly, she bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry," she apologized immediately, gazing down.
"It's fine. I should have been more careful," a masculine voice declared.
The voice was strong and pleasant, causing Annabel's heart to skip a beat. She fought the urge to look up and see the person behind the angelic voice.
"They never look where they're going. What a peasant," another masculine voice spoke, sounding irritated and disgusted. Annabel was compelled to look at the person who owned that voice.
When she raised her gaze, she was captivated by two handsome young men standing in front of her. She couldn't find the words to speak; they were the most beautiful men she had ever seen.
"Are you okay?" the first voice asked with concern. Annabel still couldn't find her voice.
"Maybe she's mute," the second voice uttered with irritation. "I'm out of here," he said as he walked away.
"Are you okay?" the first voice asked again. Annabel nodded slowly.
"Don't mind my brother. He can be a bit much at times," he told her with a smile.
Annabel couldn't keep her lips from parting; her mouth hung open. It felt like she was drooling. "Are you drooling?" he asked, breaking her trance.
She immediately closed her mouth and wiped away the drool that was about to fall.
"I... I wasn't drooling," she stammered.
"I'm glad to know you can talk," he smirked before walking away.
As soon as he left, Juliet rushed in to meet Annabel, who was still lost in her daydream.
"Annabel! Annabel!" Juliet called out.
"Yes, what's the problem?" Annabel stuttered.
"There's a problem," Juliet said, her face filled with worry.
"What do you mean, a problem?" Annabel asked eagerly, her head raised.
"Don't get mad, okay? I know how much you desperately need this job. So, I might have told her that you're married," Juliet confessed, closing her eyes.
"You said what!" Annabel snapped, bewildered.
"Why would you do that?" Annabel added.
"She wouldn't give you the job unless you were married, and I had no choice but to tell her you were married," Juliet explained apologetically.
"So what happens now when she finds out I'm not married?" Annabel shivered at the thought.
"She doesn't need to find out. You just have to be careful at all times," Juliet assured her.
"You still haven't told me how you guys met," Annabel said, eyeing Juliet suspiciously.
"That's a story for another day. For now, she wants to see you," Juliet replied, entering the house with Annabel following close behind.
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