Isabelle arrived at the Penthouse late in the night after promising to come back as early as possible. She had prepared her mind for whatever might come her way. Helping Sabrina to sail through the police investigation had made her tired and hungry, making her wonder about the last time she had eaten a good meal.
“Welcome, madam” a young voice greeted the moment Isabelle strutted into the living room. The lady was dressed in the same uniform which Penelope used while she was still working in the house.
“Thank you .. ehn” Isabelle hung on her words as she tried to guess who the lady was.
The lady noticed her confusion and quickly introduced herself” I’m sorry. My name is Anastasia. I’m the new maid assigned to work for you and Mr. Callahan”
“Oh! Right,” Isabelle exclaimed in realization. She had forgotten about the new maid Liam told her about. “Can you please leave the way, I want to go in”.
“Ahhh… I’m so sorry” the lady apologized with a soft voice that made Isabelle think that she had seen wrong, the disdainful gaze the lady had directed at her.
As Isabelle walked to her room, she felt a disturbing feeling towards Anastasia, the new maid. The feeling was persistent no matter how hard she tried to shake it off. Even her opinion would not matter if she told Liam about her concern so she was just going to have to bear with it.
Her gaze darted to the paintings she had made within a day. Her emotions were deeply engraved in it because she had poured out her heart during the process. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. It was the new maid at the door.
“Ma’am…. Dinner is ready” Anastasia announced with a disrespectful tone in her voice. “Mr. Callahan is waiting for you.
Isabelle was frozen on a spot as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Did the maid just snort at her?…. “It must be the stress I’ve been going through these past few days” she muttered convincingly to herself.
Isabelle strutted down to the dining area where Liam and his mother were already settled.
“Good evening” she greeted but got no response, only a scornful glance from Rose which reminded her of the painful words she had hurled at her. Her gaze rested on Liam whose eyes were glued to his phone like she didn’t exist.
She sat down, gritting her teeth in pain as the maid began to serve the food she had prepared. Isabelle was hungry but her appetite was ruined, she could only pick up the food in a daze.
“Hmm… Anastasia. You’re a great cook” Rose complimented the maid who blushed shyly but the scornful words that followed were clear and audible. “At least I don’t have to eat that bland and tasteless food anymore”
Isabelle did not need anyone to tell her that those words were directed at her. She knew her meals were still good enough, even though not top notch but still good. Why was the greedy woman making a big deal out of it? She wished she could retaliate but her confidence was gone, she was just a shadow of herself.
“Um… I also made some green tea” Anastasia said with an enthusiastic tone, obviously enjoying the treatment she was getting from Rose. “It’s natural. Would you like to try it?”
“Of course, yes” Rose nodded in affirmation. “Serve everyone”
The hot green tea was first served to Rose who complimented her endlessly while Liam just gave a cold nod and continued enjoying his meal.
When Anastasia got to Isabelle’s side, the teapot slipped from her hand and landed on poor Isabelle’s little finger, scalding her without mercy.
“Oh! I’m so sorry” Anastasia apologized with a tear-filled eye but her tone was far from sincere. Isabelle ignored her and held her hands in pain. She knew the slipping was never a mistake and couldn’t help but wonder what she had done wrong to deserve the I’ll treatment from a maid.
“You should watch your steps” Liam uttered with a warning tone that made Anastasia flinch. “I’m not paying you to be incompetent”
His words made Anastasia blush in embarrassment. She knew at that moment that she had crossed the line and bowed her head in apology.
Isabelle heard the scoffing sound from her future mother-in-law and helplessly stood up from the dining table, heading to her room. The cold treatment was tearing at her heart. She wasn’t treated any less than a maid. Even Liam had ignored them without sparing a glance at her.
“Ma’am wait” she heard Anastasia’s voice, which halted her movement. “You can use this ointment, it works well for scalds like this and it will leave no scar”
Isabelle couldn’t refuse her and muttered a “thank you” before heading to her room.
She sat down in front of a canvas, a stroked it with the brush in her palms. She kept on stroking and stroking with different colors until the canvas was destroyed. Then, for the second time that night, another knock came on her door. She thought it was Anastasia.
“I don’t need anything. You can leave” she uttered dismissively without looking up to see who the person was.
“How’s your hands?” She heard a familiar voice and abruptly turned her face to meet his
“Liam…” She called out in surprise and began to stutter “Um… It. It’s fine. I mean….”
“Did you use the ointment?” He interjected her with a cold voice. “I don’t want you moving around with scars. Your appearance speaks a lot about my image”
“Huh….” Isabelle’s hope was dashed by his words. How could she keep forgetting that they were bound by a contract? “I’ll use it now”
“If it doesn’t work. Let me know” Liam uttered, walking out of her room without waiting for a reply.
Meanwhile, Isabelle’s phone rang out, echoing around the room.
“Hello…” She muttered with a nervous tone as soon as she recognized the caller.
“Yeah… Have you decided between the two options?” The caller on the other line asked with all levels of seriousness.