122There was a ceiling to floor mirror in the room and a walk in closet. Luxury clothes hung on the wall and the serving uniforms hung next to the clothes. She almost squealed and remembered that she had worn her brother's clothes for the longest time and he probably had no idea about it. He had been stuck in outfits for long periods. His Blink 2.0 t-shirt reeked of whiskey and weed and it had been on him for days. That was probably the only shirt she had refused to wear. No matter how hard she tried to wash off the smell, it never went away. "Is this how the rest of the rooms are?" She asked in disbelief. Lee smiled and nodded. He stepped in and shut the door after him."Yes, all the rooms are fully furnished with state-of-the-art decor. What did you expect? Prison walls and bare ventilation?" Lee asked."Uhm, I did not really say that…" Maria felt like a deer caught in headlights. She did not want to look like she had made presumptions about who she thought Bruce was. She had bee
Maria settled into the room. She took off her clothes that were three times her size but looked trendy because baggy was the new normal. She walked into the bathroom. There was a bathtub, a massive shower stand and jars filled with different oils. There was a body wash, face wash and different body scrubs. It looked like a woman's heaven. She took off her clothes and turned on the tap on the tub. She had no idea what to pour into the tub, so she stepped in when it got filled. It felt so calming, she released a sigh of relief. Her shoulders sagged into the water and she had the strongest urge to go under the water. She went under and came back up when she had to catch her breath. She laid her head on the edge of the tub and took deep breaths. She knew Mr Steele would be calling soon for updates on what was happening. What could she say? The young master is not the devil you say he is? Steele had sent her here for a reason and she wished she knew why.She stepped out of the tub and step
124"You remembered. I was thinking about you. I was wondering if you would burn down the room with that fiery ball of rage you try to keep hidden somewhere inside your chest. I wanted to tell you to consider the rest of us, we probably have nowhere to go if you run this house to the ground." Lee said. She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed."What are you? Some psychic?" Maria asked. They were walking back to her room. She was eager to try out the dresses she had found there. She had never gotten around wearing much girly clothes. Their father who was the older version of her brother, always high and unable to move a limb, died from an overdose. The landlord had moved their things out of the rat's nest they had always paid an inconsiderable amount of money for. He had left the one arm chair that he claimed that he had worn from a sale. Her father had broken into the house without the landlord's knowledge, sat on the armchair and wailed like a child. He then took out the drugs in hi
Maria walked to the dinner hall and found Bruce at the table, his head buried in a book. He sensed her presence when she walked in and he raised his head to look at her. He gave her a smile that disappeared as quickly as it came. She unconsciously rubbed her hands on her clothes and walked forward."Did you call for me, young master?" She asked, trying to portray timidity. He only stared at her for a while."Come, sit." He gestured for her to sit on the seat right next to where he was seated. She would have gone there with no reservations but she had to think. Was this a test of some sort? Was she being pranked? "Uhm, May I ask why? … Young master?" She felt inclined to ask. She was certain servants did not just sit anywhere with their employers. Bruce smiled at her hesitation. He took her hesitation as a good sign. He had placed a call to the phone number of her neighbor and it never went through. He wondered if her neighbor was also a junkie."Alright, then. I tried reaching your
One could clearly sense that Claire was getting tired of their gig. Bruce would obviously never trust her enough to let his mental walls fall. He would never trust her enough to let her woo him. They could get used to everything else. The expensive foods, the maids waiting on them at every turn, the wines straight from fresh grapes into a bottle. They would get used to all of these and it would lose its appeal. For the first time in a long while, herself and her mother were travelling out of the country to Beijing on a whim with no worries about costs, accomodation or what to eat. This lifestyle was easy to settle into."I do not understand what you mean. You have wanted this for the longest time. You have wanted this life for the longest time. When I was sick and almost died, I thought you would get sick of caring for me. You would probably stay with and care for me out of guilt but feel like I have chipped away moments of your life from you. I thought you would hate me You never wa
They drove in separate cars to the airport. Bruce came in twenty minutes after Claire and her mother had arrived. His excuse was a buisness meeting but he was only avoiding having to stay in a confined space with Claire and her mother. It was bad enough that he would spend hours in a plane with them. Who knew what they would do to him?He nudged himself for thinking such silly thoughts. It was his plane, his captain, air hostesses. He had at the top of the power balance. They could not do anything crazy to him up there. He walked up to the airplane and into it. He saw Claire and her mother already settling in. Claire was taking selfies. Her Instagram feed was beginning to get interesting. She had to thank the almost limitless black card he had given her for that. He walked past them and chose a seat far from them but close enough to see whatever they were up to. He needed a break from all the drama happening in his life. Maybe Beijing was the place to forget these two and just live.
Maria's room never rang since the last time. She wondered why. She had expected to be worked like a mule. But, considering there were less people to attend to and more floors to clean, it made sense they had not ringed her yet. She tossed around her bed impatiently and then stood up from the bed. She walked around left and right. She knew Steele would call soon, asking for information about Bruce. She had nothing to give him. She could not wait here, he could put his threat into action and the identity she had worked so hard to maintain would be destroyed.She stepped out of her room and knocked on the door next to hers. The blonde smiley girl. She was not looking forward to seeing anyone but she had to do this. Just as she had predicted, the girl had opened the door with a wide smile already on her face."Hey Maria. How are you doing?" She asked her and Maria nodded awkwardly."I am alright. I have just been wondering. No one has rang for me in a long while, the last time was just an
"Look at me being a bad host. Would you like anything to drink?" She asked and stood up immediately so she could get whatever Maria requested."Aurora, I live literally next door. You do not have to play beneficial host. Trust me." She said this with a scoff and Aurora smiled. "I will get myself a drink and then we can continue our talk." She left Maria there and went to her little fridge in the corner of her room. She produced a bottle of root beer and opened it with her teeth. Maria was glad to see this side of her. This was the Aurora beneath the cute hair and flawless skin. She took a long swig and set the bottle on a table close to where she was seated."Is there anything else you would like to know?" Aurora asked. Maria nodded as and Aurora opened her hands in acceptance."Be my guest." She said."Where is the young master now? I have not been seeing him around." She hoped she was not sounding like Sherlock Holmes on an investigation. "How would you see him around? You barely