5

I stand up and I can barely contain my rage, “I’m sorry. Repeat yourself.”

Anthony raises an eyebrow and holds up a hand, “It’s just a job, Violet. You no longer need it. I did you a favor by-”

“You,” I cut him off as I take slow steps toward him, “Didn’t do shit for me. You have basically ruined everything that I worked so hard to keep. I didn’t want to get married, much less to a rich prick like you. I didn’t want to leave my home. I didn’t want to leave my job. I left everything I loved because of you. I hate you.”

I can feel the tears in my eyes spill over in my rage and I was close enough now to jab a finger into his chest with every sentence. 

“Violet,” Anthony starts, holding his chest in shock, “Look, it may not be ideal but you are in a situation where you can have anything that you want. I can give you everything. And you didn’t even have to ask for it!”

“Exactly!” I yell, “I didn’t ask for it and that is what I hate. People shoving free things at me, thinking it’s what I want. I might have been born into this life, but I certainly don’t choose to stay in it. Not once did anyone care for what I wanted in any of this. You know what? Someone did care. And that someone was my boss, who I no longer work for thanks to you. I didn’t even get to say a proper good bye to her. You have ruined everything.”

With that, I walk up the stairs, my tears bliding my vision but I count the doors to get to my room. I slam the door shut behind me and slide down the backside of it, not bothering to be quiet with my sobs. I start to take my shoes off, throwing them to the side as I start to fumble with my corset. I manage to get the strings undone and I slip out of the dress, throwing it to the corner of the room where I hope to never revisit. 

I wipe my tears away and see my mascara on my fingers. I sigh and take a proper look around the room. Anthony was right, the room really was bare. It did have a very pretty vanity, complete with a swivel stool and a mirror. The bed looks to be a queen size with a white bed set and I hate to admit it but it looks very comfortable. I approach the vanity and look through the drawers, finding some make up and make up remover in one of the drawers.

I take off what is left of my make up and decide to explore two doors that are attached to the room. One opens to a large walk in closet, some of my clothes hang amidst designer brands and other things of a similar nature. I wasn’t one for fashion but I did appreciate the time taken to put all of the effort into giving me new clothes. I exit and go through the secondary door, revealing a large bathroom with a soaker tub and separate shower. I smile as I peel off the rest of my clothes and take a shower to get the nasty feeling of Anthony’s touch off of me. The shower didn’t last long as an incessant knocking became louder from the bedroom door.

I wrap myself in a towel and stand in the bathroom doorway, “What do you want?”

I can hear Anthony clear his throat, “I wanted to apologize.”

I scoff and start to dry myself off, “Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it. I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

“But,” Anthony starts, “There are certain things-”

“Yeah, certain things we need to do together,” I finish his sentence almost mockingly, “Which is fine and dandy but I don’t even want to hear your voice anymore. I’m sick of it, sick of you and we haven’t been married for less than twelve hours.”

At this, he goes silent and I smile, faintly hearing his retreating footsteps. I go back into the closet and really look at the clothes, searching for a pair of pajamas that I can just throw on. I find a set that looks like it’s made of velvet and is very soft. I put it on and admire a gown that catches my eye, the light blue fabric seeming to draw my interest even though it is a rather revealing piece of clothing.

I exit the closet, closing the door softly behind me as I start to hear voices beyond my bedroom door. I push my ear against the side of it and make out two voices, both male that seem to be speaking about a meeting of sorts. It’s muffled and the fact that Anthony is already speaking about the business just goes to show he really means that he didn’t care about me. I wonder why he even tried to offer an apology in the first place.

A loud slam interrupts my thoughts and the penthouse is silent. I creep up to the door, cracking it open to ensure that Anthony was really gone before making my way down the hallway to explore my new home. I don’t really care for the bedrooms on the second floor so I make my way down to the foyer again. I breeze past the living room, not wanting to be reminded of the earlier conversation that took place, and head into the kitchen. 

My eyes land on the large island with every kitchen appliance under the sun, making a genuine smile appear on my face for the first time today. Maybe I can practie my cooking here. I open the fridge, seeing a wide variety of ingredients and I nod to myself. Oh yeah, I’ll definitely spend my time working on my kitchen skills.

“Master Daniels didn’t know what you liked to eat so we filled the fridge with potential for different kinds of cuisine.”

A femal voice makes me jump and slam the fridge shut, turning to see a slightly older woman in a black uniform.

“You didn’t need to do that. I-” I cut myself off, “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“My name is Hestia,” The woman smiles, “Your new best friend. Would you like a proper tour?”

I chew on my lip as I process her words, “My new best friend?”

“Yes ma’am,” Hestia nods, shifting her weight onto her right leg, “Master Daniels has entrusted me with your wellbeing. I can cook and tell you anything you’d like to know.”

“Ah,” I say, amusement behind my voice, “Well, I would like a tour. And you’ll have to give me some time to think of some questions to ask you.”

“Of course, I understand,” Hestia smiles, “Well, you can see that this is the kitchen. Fully equipped to become a bakery or a pizzeria at any moment.”

I look across the room to see a brick pizza oven that I hadn’t noticed before. She continues the tour by taking me to another room with two desks with computers, calling it the office. I’ve never seen an office as bare as this one and I hope that I won’t need ot use it often. In the same hallway, she takes me to a movie theater and I roll my eyes, who needs a private movie theater in their home?

“Master Daniels has his sisters come over often for movie nights,” Hestia explains, as if reading my mind, “Us workers also get to partake in the festivities and enjoy ourselves. My, it has been a while since they have had one though.”

“He has sisters,” I ask, raising an eyebrow as we walk back through the kitchen.

“Oh, yes,” She nods, “He has four sisters. The youngest being 26. They’re all close in age, I’m sure that you will get along swimmingly.”

“If they’re anything like Anthony, I highly doubt it.” I mutter.

Hestia doesn’t seem to hear my comment and we make our way to the third floor, where the roof is. Hestia looks at me as though she can’t wait to show me the balcony, opening the door with a grand gesture. I blink in awe as string lights come into view, hanging over a small sitting area with a barbeque pushed into the corner. Looking out over the city, it seems as though we are truly at the top of the building.

“Hestia, what floor are we on?” I ask, cautiously trying not to look iver the balcony.

“We are situated on the 50th floor of Daniels tower,” She says, “I do hope you aren’t afraid of heights.

I turn around and see the top of the building, a spire sticking straight up and seeming to disappear behind clouds. I try to move to a better position to see it better, I want to see if there is a flag of some sort at the top of it.

“Not particularly of heights but I do have a fear of-” My sentence cuts short as I feel myself start to fall as the back of my foot reaches an edge.