3| The suspicion

Lady Loretta was dismissing the maids to clear the used plates and empty bottles and to tidy up the living room after all the guests had left her mansion. She noticed a lady wincing in pain and slowly descending the stairs.

"Melody," Lady Loretta said, looking shocked upon seeing how disheveled she appeared, as if she had been beaten.

"What happened to you?" Lady Loretta inquired in disbelief, while all the maids in the living room paused to look at Melody, gasping at the horror of the once-arrogant lady's current appearance.

"Milady, it was one of the maids—the one you assigned to show me to the top floor. She did this to me," Melody managed to say, her cheeks visibly swollen.

"You mean Miranda did this to you? I don't believe it. Miranda is innocent and cannot hurt a fly. Ever since she has been working here, 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 and not another maid?"

While the older woman questioned Melody after all the guests had left the mansion, Derrick walked back into the living room and looked stunned to see that a guest was still present.

"She did this, ma'am. I cannot lie to you. Miranda lied about me to Master Derrick, and after he left us, she pounced on me and did this. She is evil, ma'am," Melody said, beginning to sob upon seeing Derrick look at her.

"What's happening here, Mom?" Derrick asked as he strolled up to meet his mother.

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

After losing her job, Melody expected that Miranda would also lose her position as a maid in the exquisite villa. Melody knew 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 see him, as Alexa was there as his secretary, and many other top female staff members longed to be with Derrick.

"Mom," Derrick said, looking at his aged mother, whose hair was filled with gray. He frowned as she replied, "Derrick, I will return to my room. But where is Miranda if Melody accuses her of beating her?"

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

He walked with his mother up the stairs, assisting 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 her room to one on the ground floor.

Arriving at Lady Loretta's room door, Derrick paused and gently opened it. The maids knew it was best to avoid him, especially 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 her in a hushed tone after helping her to bed.

Lady Loretta and Derrick were both dark-complexioned. She smiled at her son's care and replied, "I am fine, but you know what will make me happy and allow me to rest well is if you settle down. Your father worked so hard to acquire all this wealth for you. I am already over seventy years old, and you don't expect me to remain youthful. You should consider marrying. It’s not until you turn thirty that you should do so, my son."

Holding his mother's warm left hand as she lay on the bed, he heard her say, "My wish for you is that you find a good woman who will love you very much, pamper you like her baby, take good care of you while I am away, and watch over you both from heaven."

"Mom," Derrick interrupted her words with a frown, "You aren't leaving me anytime soon." Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as his mother often spoke about leaving, and he wished he could exchange all their wealth for a longer life so she wouldn't leave him.

"It's life, Derrick. We have to go for the world to remain balanced and 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 and witness the next heir of the Luis firm."

"That's fine, Mom. I guess I should leave you to rest now. Have a sound sleep." Derrick leaned 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 luxurious bathrooms.

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

She had hurried into this room, which was completely different from the ones she was assigned to clean downstairs.

"Mm," Miranda mumbled, enjoying herself in the warm bath. After dealing with the audacious lady who dared to slap her, Miranda thought about showing her what it felt like to be dejected. She was not one to accept disrespect from others, but having come from a lower-class family and becoming an orphan at a young age, Miranda knew the world had no respect for the poor. She aspired to become rich, even if it meant climbing over others to achieve that. She admired the good life, wanted a respectable job, and dreamed of owning a big supermarket or shopping mall in her name.

Lost in her thoughts about her struggles, Miranda didn't care how much time she spent soaking in the exquisite, large, pristine bathtub. The bubbling water filled with scented soap soothed her body, and, with the chilly weather of the night, she felt reluctant to leave 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 the slap Melody had given her lingered in her mind. Miranda felt like strangling the lady's neck, but she knew that would lead to jail, and no one would come to her rescue.

"Mmmmm." Miranda continued to enjoy herself in the bathtub until she heard the sound of the room door closing.

"Who's there?" Miranda asked, thinking she was in her maid's room on the lower floor of the mansion; however, it dawned on her that she was in one of the master's rooms.

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