Novels by Louise

After he handed me the tiny piece of paper, he opened his arms wide and began walking toward me—slowly, almost hesitantly. I thought he wanted a hug, so I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, holding on tighter than I meant to. When I finally pulled back, I caught Dominic’s expression—he was frozen in place, eyes flicking between us, confusion clouding his face.“Bye,” Joshua said quietly, his voice low and final, before walking out of the house.I watched as he walked out the door, leaving me there, trying to process everything that had just happened. “A maid and a plumber,” Dominic muttered, his voice low but sharp, each word slicing through the silence.“Excuse me?” I asked, my brows furrowing as confusion tightened in my chest. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.“I was saying, a maid and a plumber,” Dominic repeated slowly, his voice unnervingly steady, as though the absurdity of his words didn’t even register.I rolled my eyes and carried the cleaning supplies up the

“My my, this looks cosy.” Dominic faked a chuckle. I broke eye contact with Joshua and hurried to the kitchen and reached out for a bowl. Because Dominic is much taller than me and has a certain order for how his things should be organised, he placed all the bowls towards the back, causing one of them to slip out of my hands and fall to the ground. “HOMER!” Dominic yelled at me while I stared at the broken pieces of glass right at my feet. “I am so sorry.” I hurried off to get the broom and dustpan. “It was an accident.” Joshua sighed as he came out of the bathroom to peep at what happened. Dominic, on the other hand, did not look too pleased. He had already worn his grumpy face by then and was starting to growl. “I am so so sorry, sir.” I apologised as I started to sweep up the mess. “Why are you so clumsy?!” Dominic asked angrily“Look, these things happen.” Joshua started to defend me“Joshua, it’s okay. You don’t need to speak up for me.” I quickly snapped at him“I am only

“I am sorry sir, for lying earlier. Emma Scorsone is a good friend of mine.” I finally answered “Then why do the records say that she is your sister?” he asked. I felt like everything was just getting worse and worse and going against me. Anything I said would just make everything much worse. I imagined if I had just settled for telling the truth from the start, I would not be in such a messy situation. “I don’t know. Maybe when she was arriving, she must have said something about being my sister to Wilbur and Stanley. I am not sure.” I twisted some few words around hoping it would not come back to haunt me. “Okay,” he said I remained standing above him for some more time. “Can I help you with something?” he asked “I just wanted to know where else the cameras are,” I said worriedly “They are only in the kitchen, living room, dining room and like the corridors. I am thinking of installing at least one or two in here,” he replied “So, there is none in the room I sleep in?” I as

“Homer, who is Emma Scorsone?” he asked again, only his face was starting to get a bit more serious.I knew I was definitely getting into more trouble by pretending to not know who he was talking about. “Uhm…” I still wondered what I was going to say“You know, this could end quicker if you just told the truth.” he sighed “I don’t know who Emma Scorsone is, sir?” I lied quickly “Really?” he queried I nodded. I wondered how he discovered the name and why he was asking me about her. Did the Stanley or Wilbur tell him about Emma coming over? I assumed he had surveillance cameras around the house but he would have probably asked who I was with and not the name. So, I decided that Stanley or Wilbur most probably told him about her. “Finish cleaning up the dishes and then we will come and have a talk,” he said and walked out of the kitchen. I gulped nervously. I had no way out. In times like that, I wished I did not live with him because I would have probably ran off and pretended to

“What a day!” the sound of Dominic’s voice scared me from a deep sleep. “Homer, you can’t be sleeping on the couch!”I slowly opened my eyes and rubbed them to find an angry Dominic standing above me. “There is a room for you to do all the sleeping you want to do,” he said. “I am really sorry, sir.” I stood up and apologised. He walked away, clearly irritated while I debated if I should go and take a nap, or just shower and get out of my maid uniform and call it an early night. “I am so exhausted!” Dominic groaned “How was it?” I asked “It was actually really lovely. I enjoyed it. We went to an art gallery. Her younger sister just actually just opened an art gallery so we saw a few pieces, might buy a few for my house and then we went for lunch to this Japanese restaurant. I was not really a fan of the sushi. I have better sushi but she enjoyed it and then after all that, we went to the park and walked.” he answered “So, it was a date?” I asked “No, no. Not a date. I am not th

As soon as Dominic’s car disappeared, Emma’s car showed up, all before Stan and Wilbur could close the gate. So, Dominic must have passed Emma. “Ma’am, you’re lost. You might want to make a U-turn.” Wilbur said“No, I am not lost. I believe I am at the right place,” she answered. Emma was the last person Stanley and Wilbur wanted to fight with. Even if they were just doing their job, she would still manage to find a way to fight them. “Do you know anyone here?” Stanley asked “I am here to see my sister, Harper Holmes.” She answered “HOLMES!” Wilbur called my name. I walked out of the house nervously. I did not know what Stan or Wilbur could do now that Dominic was not around and Rebecca had stopped showing up. I did not know if Dominic had left either of them in charge. “Yes?” I replied as soon as I reached them. “Well, don’t you look adorable in your little uniform,” Emma said excitedly “Is this your sister?” Wilbur asked. I mean technically she was not my sister but if I s

Bash slid the chair out beside me and settled in comfortably, leaving Roni stuck between Dad and me. With Dad already wrapped up in conversation with Katie, and me about to get completely lost in Bash, poor Roni suddenly had no one left to talk to.“Good evening, Mr. Carter,” Bash greeted with an easy smile as he turned to my dad.“Bash, how are you?” my father asked warmly.“I’m good, sir.”“Good.”Then Bash’s gaze shifted. “Roni,” he said with a playful wink.Her cheeks flushed instantly, the faintest blush rising as she tried to mask it with a small smile.My father was already absorbed in whatever Katie was chatting about beside him, hanging onto her every word with keen interest.“Where’s Jo?” my father asked, his voice carrying loud enough for all of us to hear.“Oh, she’s here,” Bash replied easily. “I saw her talking to someone outside.”“Oh, good!” my father nodded, clearly pleased.I couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks. My mind wandered back to that wild night wi

Russo’s birthday night had finally arrived. I slipped into my burgundy evening dress, the silky fabric hugging my figure just right, and paired it with my favourite heels. My hair was swept up neatly, exposing the line of my neck, giving me just enough confidence to face the night ahead.The moment I opened my bedroom door, carefully lifting the hem of my dress so I wouldn’t trip, Roni’s voice rang out behind me.“Geez, someone might mistake you for the birthday girl instead,” she remarked, her tone caught between playful and pointed as her eyes lingered on me.I forced a smile, swaying past her.Roni was still nowhere near ready. She strolled around the hallway in curlers and a towel, humming to herself as if time wasn’t slipping away.“My, my, my…” my father chuckled the moment I stepped into the living room, his eyes sweeping over me with a proud smile. He was seated comfortably beside Roni’s husband.“Too much?” I asked, suddenly second-guessing my outfit.“Nope. Just perfect,” he

I couldn’t even pretend to fall asleep. After that strange conversation with Bash, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest. My hands trembled—not just from nerves, but from something deeper, something I couldn’t even name. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, twisting and tightening until relaxing felt impossible.I didn’t know what Bash was planning to say the next day, but judging from the way he reacted when I told him my father knew about us, I already had a sinking feeling. It sounded like the kind of reaction someone gives when they’re preparing to pull away. Deep down, I knew Bash was probably going to tell me he didn’t want to see me anymore.I struggled to fall asleep, repeatedly picking up my phone to check Instagram, hoping he had left me a message or was typing. But the worst part was seeing that he had been online not too long ago.That unsettling churn hit my stomach again. I remembered how he said he preferred using that app to com

The truth was, was Bash really making me happy, or was it simply because I had never felt a rush of desire like this from any man before?The way his touch lingered on my skin, the way his gaze made my heart race, it was intoxicating. Every inch of me seemed to respond to him in ways I couldn't control, every moment with him felt electric.I remained frozen, staring at my father, unsure of what to say. My thoughts swirled, torn between the urge to pour everything out—my feelings for Bash, the intensity between us—and the fear of how he'd react. The idea of admitting that I had had sex with him, before he even proposed, felt overwhelming. I couldn’t imagine how he would take it. Would he be angry, disappointed, or worse, would he see me differently? “Relax,” my father continued, his voice calming. “Besides, she’s in a happy marriage. I’m not saying I’ll pick sides. As parents, we can’t pick sides when our kids are fighting. If anything, we should be the neutral ones. But… I think Bas

Bash quickly jumped off me, yanking his pants up in a rush, while I scrambled to pull up my jeans. My hands fumbled as I tried to smooth out my shirt and fix the cushions, hoping to erase any evidence of what had just happened. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breath was still uneven as I hurried toward the door, praying I didn't look as flustered as I felt.“When did you get back?” my father asked the moment his eyes landed on me.“Just a few minutes ago,” I replied, trying to steady my voice.“I saw a car in the yard and wondered who it was,” he said, stepping inside.Before I could respond, my gaze shifted to the man walking in behind him. My stomach tightened.Bash quickly stood up, smoothing out his shirt before greeting my father and the man beside him. His usual confidence was still there, but I could tell he was slightly on edge.“Oh! Bash?” my father said, eyeing him curiously.“Good morning, sir,” Bash replied, his tone polite but cautious.“Is Roni home?” my father aske

I knew I wanted him longer than just those 20 minutes he had planned. I needed more—more of him."20 minutes, only?" I asked, my voice betraying the shock I felt, as I fought to hold back the tear threatening to escape my eye."Yeah, I'm sorry," he replied, his tone apologetic. "My boss is back, and he's been extra strict since he returned."I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the frustration and sadness bubbling inside me. I didn’t want to seem whiny or clingy—especially not when Bash was radiating that infuriating “I don’t care” vibe.The last thing I needed was to seem overly attached, like I was desperate for his attention. He had made it clear that he had boundaries, and I didn’t want to cross them or make things awkward between us. But it was hard—hard not to feel a little disappointed that our time together was being cut short so suddenly.“So, let’s get to it before I have to go. I think 20 minutes should be good,” he said, his tone casual, almost too casual, as he walked