Dad agreed to my request. He said he would move Simmy to his resthouse somewhere in Oslob. The resthouse was near the sea, so Dad hoped Simmy would enjoy her stay there.
I snorted at his hopeful gaze but didn’t say another word. I was just glad Simmy would be moving out of the mansion soon, and I’d never have to see her again. That way, I could finally relax.
Of course, Dad lifted my punishment. He said he wouldn’t lock me in that room anymore, but I still wasn’t allowed to leave the mansion. I had to stay inside, and I knew why.
I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I knew it.
After our conversation, I realized what Dad had been hiding. He confirmed that he was the one who killed Anthony and that he couldn’t trust me to walk right into Clasiso territory. For him, I was safe as long as I stayed inside his territory – the mansion.
I pursed my lips in frustration and stabbed a small pancake with my fork, bringing it to my mouth. I chewed, my frustration evident on my face.
Earlier, I had seen Simmy. I was coming down the stairs as she was going up. She didn’t say a thing, but she bumped my shoulder. I almost rolled down the stairs if I hadn’t held onto the railing. I glared at Simmy, but she just ignored me and continued climbing.
That made my face burn hot with anger!
She really needed to be kicked out! But Dad was still arranging things. He said he would give Simmy ownership of the resort. Well, I didn’t care if he gave it to her or not.
He owned several real estate assets, so it wasn’t a loss for him. Dad said Simmy could do whatever she wanted with the resthouse, but I guessed she wasn’t happy about moving out of the mansion. But who was she to oppose Dad’s final decision?
She should be grateful Dad was giving her a property. Acquiring real estate wasn’t easy for someone like her who couldn’t even afford one apartment unit!
“You seem really angry, Miss.”
I looked up to see who dared to speak. It was a maid. She was facing the table where I was eating the pancake while brewing coffee. She had a small smile on her lips. I raised an eyebrow.
I looked her up and down. She was about the same height as Anya. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen her. Maybe I had seen her working in the mansion, but I wasn’t sure.
I looked away. “Don’t mind me.”
“Your pout is long, Miss.” She poured coffee into a cup and added creamer. “There’s a saying that if you pout in the morning, you’ll pout all day long.” She picked up the mug and walked towards me.
She placed the cup next to my plate.
I sighed. “Thanks.” I looked up at her. “You work in the kitchen?” I asked.
She nodded. “I help the chef.”
“I see.” I nodded quickly. “That’s why you’re familiar. Do you know Simmy?”
“She’s a friend.”
My eyes narrowed at her. I looked her up and down. “Oh, Simmy has a friend. But she’s older than you. How did you become friends?”
She laughed. “She’s friends with my mother, so I became friends with her too.”
I picked up the mug. “I never knew Simmy had a lot of friends.” I sneered. “You’re too young to be her friend. Are you sure you want to be friends with Simmy? Her attitude sucks. I hate her and I don’t like her. She’ll leave the mansion soon, so you’d better keep your distance from her.”
“Simmy is a good person.” I heard her sigh. “That’s what my mother always says. She’s never been mean to me, so I don’t understand why you’re so angry with her, Miss.”
I stared at the girl. Sure, she was around Anya’s age, but the way she moved and spoke made it seem like I was talking to a woman of great experience and wisdom – like an old woman.
I averted my gaze to the kitchen counter. “She’s just annoying. No more explanation needed.” My tone left no room for argument, so the girl didn’t say anything.
I finished the pancake and drank the coffee the girl had given me. I stood up and headed back to the staircase. My foot rose to take a step, but I put it back down. My gaze followed the light coming from the big main door across the staircase.
The door was wide open, but what good was that if I couldn’t go past it?
“Do you want to go outside, Miss?” someone asked from behind me.
I turned to see the maid from the kitchen. I hadn’t noticed she had followed me. I shook my head. “No need. I can’t go out.”
She smiled widely at me. “Actually, Miss, your father said you could go out to the garden.” Her smile diminished a little. “But you can’t go outside the gate. Just the garden.”
“Are you sure?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
She nodded, smiling. “Your father told me and Simmy.”
I sneered at the mention of Simmy. Of course, I didn’t trust her. Luckily, the maid had told me. I turned around to face the main door. “Okay. But if Dad didn’t say this, you’ll be the one punished.”
The girl chuckled. “Don’t worry, Miss. I’m sure of what I heard.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips, and I strode happily towards the main door. The maid followed silently. She didn’t say anything, just accompanied me outside.
I took a deep breath and faced the rising sun in the east. The early rays softly touched my face. I closed my eyes and felt their warmth. Then I walked around the maze garden.
The green mazes were waist-high. The wind blew and played with my hair. I couldn’t help but laugh softly.
It had been a month or so since I last walked in the garden. Before, I didn’t appreciate the soft caress of the wind, the warmth of the morning sun, the smell of freshly cut roses, the feeling of freedom in that garden…
I looked up at the blue sky. There were clouds, like soft cotton flowing with the wind. The sun was still low but slowly rising higher.
Mesmerizing… nature at its finest.
“Your smile makes the morning even more beautiful.”
I blinked and looked at the maid who had spoken. She was also looking at the sky, tilting her head up to see the clouds roll by.
“You have a sweet mouth,” I said, looking back at the sky.
We stood there, gazing upwards for a few minutes before she spoke again. “Don’t you know you look just like your father, Miss?”
My lips twitched. “You’re the third person to say that.”
She turned her head to me. “The third?”
I nodded. “First was Mom, second was Japen, and third is you.”
There was silence before she chuckled. “My tongue is quite sharp today, Miss.”
That made me smile. “It’s fine. I didn’t ask you to stop talking.” I drew a breath and closed my eyes, facing the sky. “You’re sensible.”
“Maybe because I grew up early. My mother taught me to be quiet, but sometimes I can’t help but speak, especially when I’m comfortable with someone.”
“So you’re comfortable with me?” I asked, looking at her.
She bit her bottom lip. “Mmm. You’re not difficult, Miss.”
“What do you think?”
She thought for a while, then laughed. I chuckled with her and patted her shoulder. “You remind me of someone your age.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Her name is Anya.” I looked up at the sky again, a small smile tugging at my lips. “But she’s far away now, so I am alone in my room.”
“Maybe she was your only friend, Miss.”
I shook my head. “My only friend was Japen, then came Anya. But they’re gone, so I’m alone again.”
“Oh, I can be your friend.”
I blinked and looked at her. “Really?”
She nodded. “But I think you’re not the type to be friends with maids like me.”
“Who said so?” I raised an eyebrow. “Anya was a maid.”
After I confirmed that Anya was someone like her, I asked for her name. She gladly said she was Emery. She had been working in the kitchen for almost two years, which explained why she seemed familiar. I sometimes saw her while dining, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the maids.
“The sun is getting hot, Miss. You should go back inside,” Emery reminded me.
I agreed with her. She walked ahead back to the mansion, and I followed. As I followed her, I raised my eyes. I saw Dad’s huge mansion in front of me. It was so enormous that I couldn’t see where Dad’s balcony was. Maybe it was at the back. I wasn’t familiar with the mansion’s design.
“If you need anything, Miss, you can call me on the intercom.”
I chuckled. “You sure? That room’s intercom is connected to the house’s intercom. Someone else might answer.”
She gave me a hesitant smile and took out her phone. She looked at me, unsure. “Can I give you my number, Miss?”
I shrugged, took my phone from my dress pocket, and unlocked it. “Here. Save your number.”
She hesitantly accepted the phone and typed her number in the dialer. Then she saved it as Emery. She handed the phone back to me. ”
All done, Miss.”
I just smiled and grabbed my phone. I climbed the stairs without looking back. I could feel my body sweating. It’s been long since I last sweated outside. I didn’t realize I missed sweating outside.
But I hated the sticky feeling. I felt like I was trapped in a plastic bag. I could feel my skin burning hot as sweat trickled down my cheek. I heaved a sigh. I should take a shower as soon as possible.
I walked through the hallway towards the guest room. But before I could get closer to the door with chains, I saw Simmy stepping out.
I stopped in my tracks, my forehead immediately creasing. What was she doing inside that room?