CHAPTER 3

As Lady Loretta was busy dismissing the maids to clear the used plates and empty bottle, and to also tidy up the living room. After the guests had left her mansion. 

She noticed the young lady wincing in pain, and alighting the staircase, with so much difficulty.

"Melody!" Lady Loretta exclaimed, lookimg shocked to see how disheveled Melody looked.

"What happened to you?" Lady Loretta inquired, while all the four maids in the living room paused and glanced at Melody.

They gasped at the horror at which they saw the previously arrogant lady now appeared.

"Mother, it was one of the maids that you assigned to show me to the top floor. She dealt with me, Ma," Melody cried, managing to speak, as her cheeks were visibly swollen.

"What? You mean Miranda did this to you? How come? I don't believe it."

"Miranda is innocent and cannot hurt a fly. Ever since Miranda has been working here with us, she hasn't gotten into a fight with any of the maids, that I am aware of. Are you sure you're referring to Miranda or another maid who did this to you?" Lady Loretta inquired.

While she was busy questioning Melody, after all the guests had left the mansion, Derrick walked back into the living room. 

He looked stunned upon seeing there was still a guest left.

"She did this, Ma. I cannot lie to you. Miranda lied about me to Master Derrick, and after he left us, she pounced upon me, and dealt with me to this extent. She is evil, Ma." Melody started sobbing, upon seeing Derrick looking at her.

"What's happening here, Mother?" Derrick asked, strolling up to meet his mother.

"Mom, you know it's already late. You should get some rest," Derrick said, not casting a glance at Melody, who had expected of him to summon the maid.

After Melody lost her job, she expected Miranda to also lose her job as a maid in the exquisite villa. 

Melody knew that she didn't stand a chance of getting closer to Derrick again. He was mostly busy in the office, and attending business-class meetings. 

Similarly, she didn't have an excuse to use to see him. As Alexa was there as his secretary, and many other top female staff members longs to be with Derrick.

"Mom," Derrick said, looking at his aged mother's face, whose hair was gray.

Derrick frowned, and his mother replied, "Derrick.. I will return to my room. But where is Miranda if Melody accused her of beating her up?"

"Do not worry yourself, Mother. I will have the guards investigate what really happened. Melody, you may leave now," Derrick dismissed. He does not care to summon Miranda out.

He walked with his mother towards the stairs, and assisted her in returning to her room on the top floor. 

It took the older lady hours to climb the flight of stairs, and Derrick considered relocating his mother's room to a room on the ground floor.

Arriving at Lady Loretta Luis's room door on the top floor, Derrick paused and gently opened the door. 

The maid knew it was best to avoid him, when he was with his mother.

"Mom, you should get enough rest. I don't want anything to go wrong with you," Derrick said to his mother in a hushed tone, after accompanying her to climb on the bed.

 Lady Loretta and Derrick were both dark in complexion. 

She smiled at her son's care and replied, "I am fine, Derrick, but you know what will make me happy and rest well is if you settle down."

"Your father had worked so hard to acquire all this wealth for you. I am already over 70 years old, and you don't expect me to remain youthful."

"You should consider marrying a wife. It's not until you get to thirty years old that you should do so, my son."

"Hmmm...." Derrick sighed, holding his mother's warm left hand.

She laid on the bed and said, "My wish for you is that you should find a good woman who will love you very much and pamper you like her baby. While taking good care of you, when I am away, and watching you both from heaven."

"Mom...." Derrick scowled and interrupted his mother's words with a deep frown etched on his handsome dark face. 

"You ain't leaving me anytime soon," Derrick replied, tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. His mother mostly spoke to him, about leaving him, and he wished he could exchange all their families wealth for a longer life span with her, so she wouldn't leave him.

"It's life, Derrick... We have to go for the world to become balanced, and to allow our generations to continue from where we stopped." But I am not leaving you anytime soon. "I still want to see you settle down first, and to see the next heir of Luis firm."

"Hmm... That's fine, Mom. I guess I should leave you to rest now. Have a sound sleep," Derrick said, leaning over and kissed his mother's forehead goodbye.

 She smiled, and watched him exit her room.

*****

Meanwhile, in the master's bedroom of the exquisite mansion..

 Miranda soaked herself in a warm bath inside one of the lush bathrooms.

"Oh my goodness! This feels so good," she said, not caring for the consequences of her actions.

She had hurried into this room, and it was totally different from the other rooms that she was assigned to take care of downstairs.

"Mm," Miranda mumbled, enjoying herself in a cozy night bath. 

After dealing with the silly lady who dared to slap her, Miranda thought to show the lady what it feels like to be dejected. 

She was not a lady to take shit from others, but after coming from a lower-class family, and also becoming an orphan at a younger age...

Miranda knew the world had no respect for the poor, so she wanted to become rich, even if it meant climbing on others to attain that. 

She admires the good life, wants a good job, and wants to own a big supermarket or shopping mall in her name.

Thinking about her life struggles, Miranda didn't care how much time she had spent soaking herself in this exquisite, large, pristine bathtub. 

The bubbling waters filled with scented soap soothe her body, and accompanied by the chilly weather of the night . 

Miranda doesn't feel like coming out of the bath. 

She wanted to sleep there and forget all her worries.

She had even let her blonde hair fall behind her back. 

She was extremely beautiful, but she remembered the hard slap that Melody had given her. 

Miranda felt like strangling the lady's neck, but she knew she would be jailed and no one would come for her rescue.

"Mmmmm." Miranda enjoyed herself inside the bathtub until she heard the sound of the room door shut.

"Who's there?" Miranda asked, thinking she was in her maid room on the lower floor of the mansion. However, reality dawned on her that she was in one of the children's rooms.

"I hope this isn't Master Derrick's room," Miranda muttered. Just then, she heard the bathroom door slide open.