“Anya, Miss.”
I nodded and remained silent for a moment, contemplating how I could earn Anya’s trust. But why was I even worried? After all, I was the young mistress of the Briones family. Simmy was just the mansion’s manager; I could win Anya over without Simmy ever knowing.
We reached the kitchen where several maids were assisting the cook. Upon seeing me, they bowed their heads slightly and resumed their work without making eye contact. I sighed.
“Haven’t you gotten used to it yet, Azora?”
“Anya, I’d like something to drink,” I said as I sat down.
Anya swiftly moved to fetch something, returning with a glass of water. I smiled at her. I was starting to like her.
Accepting the glass, I took a sip while observing Anya. She kept her eyes on the floor, avoiding looking at me directly, but I could sense her discomfort. I chuckled softly. I hadn’t realized having an ally in this mansion could be so thrilling, anticipating what would unfold in the coming days.
Setting the glass down, a maid approached me. “Miss, would you like something to eat?”
I smirked. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to eat.”
The maid flinched. “I apologize, Miss. Madam instructed us that you would be dining out today, so we didn’t prepare anything.”
I sneered at her and waved her away. She hurried out of the kitchen. Of course, for the past few weeks, I had been having breakfast outside. They must have assumed I would continue that morning, having already eaten themselves.
Glancing at the wall clock, I saw it was almost nine in the morning. They had clearly finished breakfast and hadn’t bothered to wake me.
Furrowing my brow, I remembered Japen. He had been at the mansion earlier. Had he left already?
“Anya,” I called out.
“Yes, Miss?”
“Did the young man leave the house earlier?”
Anya was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I saw a young man leaving the mansion earlier. And I heard a car driving away.”
I nodded and gestured for her to help me leave.
Anya quickly took my arm and assisted me in standing up.
“Azora,” someone called from the kitchen entrance.
I straightened up and turned to face the speaker. It was Simmy. Her expression was disdainful, arms crossed over her chest.
I huffed. “So, you’ve finished cleaning the living room?”
Her forehead creased, which brought a small smile to my lips. I enjoyed seeing her flustered. It allowed me to see her true colors. Simmy wasn’t all bad; I just despised pretentiousness.
She was sweet when Dad was around but cold and ruthless when alone with me. While I understood her need to be strict, her arrogance was what I disliked most. She had placed herself on an equal footing with Dad and even above me. I didn’t want a social climber in the mansion, but Dad refused to let go of Simmy. I still couldn’t fathom why. I refused to entertain the idea that Dad was in love with Simmy. No, I didn’t want a stepmother anyway.
“You still have no respect, Azora.”
I pulled my arm from Anya’s grip and crossed them over my chest. “You know I respected you when I was a child. But seeing you flirt with Dad over the years…” I rolled my eyes. “My respect for you has vanished.”
She pursed her lips. “I’m not trying to seduce your father, Azora. Furthermore, you don’t respect your father either, so I don’t believe you’re disrespectful to me alone. You grew up without respect because I let you.”
“Oh, please. Don’t act like my mom because you’re not!”
Simmy narrowed her eyes at me. “You haven’t even thanked me for taking care of you, Azora.”
I bit my tongue at her words, feeling silenced. Seeing that she had rendered me speechless, Simmy smirked and left without another word. I took a deep breath.
“Anya.”
“Yes?”
“Help me get out of here. Quickly!”
Anya took my arm again and guided me out of the mansion. As I reached the living room, Simmy was nowhere to be seen. The bloodstains on the white tiled floor were gone; it was spotless. I huffed and discreetly glanced up at the surveillance camera hidden in the chandelier. No one would suspect there was a camera there, as the sparkling crystals around it served as a perfect disguise.
Taking a deep breath, we reached the front door and stepped outside into the sunlight. The sunshine bathed everything in its warmth.
Then, I remembered something. There was no car in the garage. I recalled that Mang Selyo was absent; it was the weekend, and he usually accompanied Dad. Japen had likely driven the car away. There was no vehicle in the garage at that moment.
Shaking my head, I decided not to confine myself to my room. Besides, I was hungry. I turned to Anya.
“Fetch my bag from my room. It’s on the bed,” I instructed, passing her the key to my room. “Quickly.”
She nodded, took the key, and hurried back inside the mansion. I smirked. It felt good to have someone I could rely on, and Anya seemed to fit the bill.
Moments later, I heard her quick footsteps behind me. “Miss,” she said, panting. “Here’s your bag.” She took deep breaths to recover.
Taking the bag from her, I waited until she caught her breath.
“Let’s go,” I said.
Anya nodded, took my arm, and helped me walk towards the distant high gate.