Her hurried paces echo through the walls as she glances nervously over her shoulder, conscious of being followed.
When the pressure overwhelms her and unease seizes her chest, Heidi breaks into a run.
She doesn’t look back. And doesn’t stop until she reaches the stair flight.
There, she bends over; hands on the knees, gasping for air but stands alert when she hears gentle footsteps approaching from the lower stairs.
At first, Heidi thinks it’s just an officer. Not until the brown-polished shoes appear on the steps below.
Her eyes travel upward—looking over the black pants to a leather belt, then the red tie over a crisp white shirt; tucked neatly into a black vest. And finally, the masculine, inked neck that introduces the face bearing a darkened eye.
“Hunter…” Heidi muttered, now exhausted.
She lets out a hollow laugh as the man stops halfway up the stairs and looks at her, cocking his head to the side.
“Come now, love,” he says flatly. “Time to go home.”
~
TWENTY-EIGHT HOURS AGO.
It’s ten in the morning, and Heidi has spent the past eight hours preparing for the most talked-about event in the country.
She stands on the balcony, clutches the handrail, and inclines on it before sniffing the fresh, crisp air; late-morning dews kissing her pretty face.
She smiles and stares at the distant foggy mountains, pleased with how the snowflakes drop slowly.
“Fuck!” Heidi curses when her cell phone dings in her apron pocket.
Her composure vanishes into thin air as she hastens to put the phone to silence so as not to piss off the person in the bathroom.
His ears are the sharpest, and so is his tongue.
He’d stroll into the room wearing underpants while slinging a towel over his shoulder.
‘The hell are you doing on my balcony, Heidi? And throw that bitch device of yours somewhere that’s not my room, will ya?’ The bugger would say with a raspy voice, just before yanking her out through the door.
Heidi unlocks her phone and reads the message:
‘When I gave you my address it was to come over, not send presents.’
Another pops in:
‘*crying emojis*’
Heidi can’t help but giggle as she types quickly:
‘Happy birthday, love xx’
The reply comes within seconds:
‘I want only youuu *crying emoji*’
‘We’ll see each other soon…’ Heidi hesitates to send it, thumbs lingering on the screen as she stretches her lips into a sad smile.
She’s been texting with her first-ever romantic partner for over a year and is certain she made the right choice, except, they haven’t met face to face.
It’s all just texts, voice calls, and video calls.
She can’t tell him she’s a servant, who can’t go out or receive visitors, as she fears it might put him off.
Hell, who’d tell their lover that?
Her strongest excuse has been that she works as a caregiver and has little or no time for herself.
Heidi erases the message. There’s no use leading him on when she may be trapped in this mansion for life.
‘You cheeky, cute thing. Do u like the gift though?’ she types as she steps into the room, but doesn’t get to send it before she hears footsteps approaching.
Heidi pretends to be busy, stealthily sliding the patio doors shut while tucking away her phone.
As she takes Morton’s well-ironed, brown Vicuña pants from the ironing board to put them on the hanger, Dad Tad opens the door and pushes his head in.
The girl heaves a sigh of relief; thankful he didn’t catch her sneaking on Morton’s balcony.
“Where’s Morton?” he inquires after glancing around the room.
“No idea,” Heidi lies.
She may be Morton’s servant, but she isn’t his bloody body camera.
The late-middle-aged man watches as she neatly puts the Vicuña pants on the hanger alongside a matching vest, a jacket, and a blue dress shirt.
Then she pats the clothing and dusts her apron with a teasing motive, standing at attention while facing Dad Tad.
Ironing Morton’s clothes is the last of her duties before she can finally have time for herself, or so she thought.
“I guess I can join the party now?”
“Hm…” The man scrunches up his face. “I say you join the kitchen maids instead.”
“But I’m no fucking housemaid.”
“I say you are today,” he insists. “Go on, run along! And be quick about it. Your first brother arrives in less than an hour, and we can’t have him witness your clumsiness,” he adds as he leaves without closing the door. His last sentence echoes down the hallway. “It’s enough that I have to tell him what a failure you are.”
Right!
“Some things don’t just settle, do they?” Heidi says beneath her breath.
She can’t seem to understand why they keep pushing the matter as if she isn’t serving enough punishment as it is.
She, Morton, and Saturn were adopted in the same year, at the same age, and lived in separate mansions for twenty years.
Being tutored on company management, the three were given shares from the almighty White Group at fifteen with the rights to manage a company of their choice.
They were to submit a report of their profits five years later.
Whoever gained as much profit as their first brother did in his time was to keep their shares and position, while the loser would end up serving the winners.
Heidi’s cruel fate lands her in the latter option. She ended up stripped of her shares, position, dignity, and last name.
“Bloody arseholes!” she spits. “You might as well lick a blobfish’s ass with your disgusting habits.”
“Shut up, woman!” Morton yells from the bathroom.
Heidi rolls her eyes as she exits the room, hitting the send button of her previous message.
She stumbles upon a group of servants running to and fro the hallway, which isn’t a surprise since no one is to be seen slacking on a day like this.
The First heir of White Group, as everyone calls him, will reveal himself for the first time. And he chose his birthday as the perfect date.
Today, the world will know his name and appearance, the company he manages, and his activities for the past twenty-seven years.
These facts are more than enough to drive the public insane, especially the ladies who are already queuing with their steezy looks.
After all, who wouldn’t want to seduce the heir of a billionaire group?
Certainly not Heidi.
She can imagine herself sitting in a corner, scrunching her face as she watches them have their fake laughs and forced chatter during the party.
They’re all bullshits.
~
Heidi’s phone buzzes as she moves in a rather slow line of maids heading to the kitchen.
‘It’s perfect, mama. Thank you. Did you see my recent post?’
She’s about to hop to his profile to see what post he refers to before he sends a video.
‘I took it for you. *video*’
The thumbnail is his addictive smile, showing a set of well-aligned white teeth—a smile Heidi can’t help but fall for every fucking time.
He wore a black eye patch over his right eye, which usually made him look mysterious. And even though he talks about letting his beard grow, he never does.
Without playing the video, Heidi could tell he was in an ice rink. That’s his preferred place to be, aside from by her side.
If he isn’t bike riding, he’s ice skating.
Sometimes, she even worries about whether he ever gets bored by it.
She decides to play the video later when she’s alone.
‘U look gud btw. Did u take d vd now?’
‘Nah. That was yesterday. I’m now heading somewhere outside rinks and helmets.’
‘?’
‘It’s just private family matters with the troubles they come with.’
‘That’s somthin I can relate to.’
When Heidi hears the maids greeting someone from the back of the line, she realizes what’s coming.
‘Can we talk later?’ She sends but doesn’t have the time to hide her phone before Saturn shows up near her.
“Oo, will you look at that; sexting a random dude while working as the perfect maid? Let me see.”
Saturn grabs the phone. Still, unluckily for her, Heidi had already pressed the power button to put it in lock mode.
Now all she sees is the handsome dude saved as Heidi’s lock-screen wallpaper with the words ‘Hunter love’ indicated at the top.
She stands contrapposto, her blonde ponytail dangling to the side when she tilts her head. Smirking, she drawls. “Hunter, spiiicy… How did you hook this man, huh? Or is he your celebrity crush?”
“Kindly fuck off,” Heidi retorts.
But the other girl is too invested in the image to be fazed. “Mhm mm. He’s gorgeous,” she moans. “What’s his username?”
“Won’t tell.”
“Great! Say farewell to this baby while I figure out the password.” Saturn waves the phone in front of Heidi’s face, giggling as she walks away. “And I’m giving you five minutes to be done with that and come doll me up.”
“Your daddy asked me to do this!” Heidi shouts after her.
If only Saturn were even a little bit shaken by that. “My daddy has no say in how you serve me, gurrl,”
“Bitchy motherfucker.”
Forgetting about her phone with the assurance that Saturn will never know her password, Heidi gets to work.
There is lots to do in the kitchen. Yet she chooses the easy one—food tasting.
After all, Dad Tad asked her to help in the kitchen and didn’t exactly say what.
Dressing up her sister is the hardest, but she’s already used to Saturn’s tantrums.
When the first brother finally arrived, Heidi hadn’t found the time to bathe, so she had no option but to join the queue of servants.
In front of the huge mansion, a convoy of dark luxurious cars stops beside the queue, each with bodyguards walking at the sides.
Dad Griffin and the rest stand eagerly at the main entrance as Paparazzi charges at the cars; crowds pushing, uniformed men doing their best to protect the White family.
Dad Tad likes the drama, while they disgust Dad Griffin. Left to the latter, this event would be safe from the glare of the day.
As the car owners step out and are escorted into the building, Heidi only notices the man who alights from the vehicle in front of her.
The dashing man tugs at the edges of his black Tuxedo jacket quarters.
Then he shoves his left hand into his pocket, which brushes back a jacket quarter to reveal his toned waist area.
Heidi’s heart races, as she can’t believe who she’s looking at.
The way this man is smiling looks too familiar to be true.
And then there’s his shiny, silver-blonde hair styled in a slicked-back pompadour with undercut.
The black leather eyepatch on his right eye can’t be overlooked either, as it’s the one she sent to her lover as a birthday gift the day before.
If this fine man isn’t her Hunter, Heidi doesn’t know who else he could fucking be.
In the valley guarded by snow-coated greens and high, misty mountains is the White family house, which they only visit during Christmas even though celebrating it isn’t a thing in the family.They do enjoy the holidays in their style nonetheless; like binge-watching rom-coms or stacking containers of Christmas cookies into the refrigerator.However, one wouldn’t find a trace of festive decorations or even hear a commentary about it in the mansion.For as long as Heidi can remember, this is her first time experiencing the White family fully celebrating something.And there are two large halls prepared for it too.She heaves a sigh of exhaustion as she stands before the mirror in the servants’ quarters.Patting her apron and gazing at the bonnet guarding her hair, her hazel eyes are nearly closing under tired lids.But that is the least of her concerns now.She needs to discard this wretched apron of woe and put on something proper—one that looks a little bit pleasing to the eyes.A whil
The clinking of cutlery ceases, and silence dominates the hall.It goes off so loud that even a pin drop can be heard.It seemed as though everyone in the dining hall had stopped moving the moment Hunter made a sudden motion.Saturn’s glare on Heidi nearly bore holes in the girl’s skin. “Big brother, did she spill anything on you?” She asks from where she sits across Hunter.The latter doesn’t respond. Instead, his eyes wander from the bracelet to Heidi’s face, locking her gaze.The girl finds herself staring into green, deep-set eyes, the brow piercing on his thick, left brow glimmering with the light, calling for her attention.But Heidi is rather engrossed in the intensity of his stare.There’s a stark contrast in how he looks at her compared to before.Instead of the warm gaze he used to give her, there’s a beguiling emptiness in his eyes—a void Heidi can’t touch.Hunter’s eyes are impassive, and his lips don't twitch one bit.The chilliest feeling runs down her spine, goosebumps e
Heidi listens to the rattle of dishes in the sink while washing the stack of tableware from lunch, relying on the blues playing in her head to drown out the chatter in the kitchen.“The man is handsome. I’ll keep saying it to the grave,” one of those who’d served lunch, a woman in her thirties, remarks.“I wonder who his girlfriend is. She has to be very lucky,” another adds with a smile. “…and really hot.”Heidi swallows her throat when she realizes who they are gossiping about.She had hoped she could toughen up and move on after the bathroom incident.But anything that relates to Hunter still seems to unravel her completely. Even now, her unsteady hands struggle to hold the plates.She spends what feels like an eternity finishing the dishes, her mind filled with the thought of a well-deserved nap.Yet, her hopes are dashed when she makes her way down the hallway, only to find Saturn standing there, casually leaning against the doorway to the servants' quarters.“Ah, Heidi. There you
Saturn's mouth gaped open, words stripped from her tongue.She turns to the door before her wide eyes look at her father with creased brows, trying to make sense of what just happened.When she doesn’t get the answer she wants, she leaves the hall with the three maids.Heidi, however, stands frozen in place. Her mind is a chaotic dwelling for contrasting emotions.She doesn’t know if to feel anger, confusion, or fear. And Hunter’s words left a lasting trail on her mind that she can’t erase.Just hours ago, he acted as though she didn’t exist—like he wasn’t the sweet guy she exchanged texts with.Now, out of the blue, he claims that she’s his.It makes no sense to Heidi no matter how she looks at it. And she can’t help but wonder what kind of twisted game he’s playing.Nighttime is fast approaching; preparations for his birthday party are in full swing.Heidi ascends the grand staircase with heavy steps, her thoughts still consumed by the baffling encounter at the cellar. She hears foo
“I hope you shit your pants!” Heidi mutters while gritting her teeth. Her hands dig into the snow and form tight fists that shape snowballs as she watches Dad Griffin disappear into the hall. She remains crouched on all fours between two parked cars, disregarding the creeping frost that would soon bite at her hands and knees. Guests and guards loiter about. Thankfully, the paparazzi have been forced to leave, which is quite relieving for Heidi because it’d be terrible to have this moment trend online. When she feels hands brush her shoulders, she thinks it’s any of Morton’s friends who sat with him against a light pole by the road.So, her instinct kicks in. She springs to her feet and hurls the snowballs at the intruder, who fluidly dodges them, raising his hands in surrender.Heidi abruptly stops. Her stance is defensive, ready to strike again. The intruder, however, looks nearly as tall as Hunter, and his black chin-length hair would have covered his face if a red headband wa
Heidi doesn’t know how long the darkness enveloped her, but she senses it’s time to wake up when she feels a hand ghosting along her jawline.Her blurry vision makes it difficult to recognize the face lingering in her front. Yet, his scent gives him away. Her senses can never forget that earthy fragrance and the feeling it stirs within her.“Hunter,” she mumbles drowsily, only now realizing that her upper body rests on the man’s leg when he moves the hand cradling her head.A smile spreads across her face as the blur clears, and Heidi’s eyes lock with the man her heart yearns for.His squared jawline complements his chiseled cheekbones, the green color of his orbs piercing hers. She can’t help but be lost for a moment in their depths.Even though Hunter stares down at her with the same expressionless face, it doesn’t bother her.As long as he’s holding her, nothing else matters. But then, the events of the past few hours crash into her mind.Heidi begins to compare the Hunter she kno
“Why do I feel so anxious?” Heidi asked no one in particular as she beat a fist on her chest.The unease felt like an invisible substance filling her lungs and knotting in her gut, making her want to puke and unable to breathe properly.Saturn raised a brow while reaching out to place the smoothie glass on the table. “Like?”“I don’t know.” Heidi shook her head. A shiver ran down her spine, chills crawling on her skin. Hugging herself, she mumbled, “I just have this… it feels like I’m suffocating. I find myself holding my breath without realizing it.”Saturn studied the girl for a while, then her lips curled into a smirk. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”“Of what?” Heidi frowned.“Me, obviously,” Saturn replied as she thrust her chin.A scoff escaped Heidi’s lips. “Nah... I’ve never been scared of you.” She shook her head dismissively, staring Saturn in the eye and watching the latter’s smirk falter at the truth of her words. “Hard pill to swallow, isn’t it?” She snickered before pushing
“Why?” Heidi asked with a mix of fear and disbelief as she watched Hunter who just walked past her, his shoes creating a soft, sickening splatter in the pool of blood. Moments later, the music stopped, plunging the mansion into haunting silence.Heidi pressed her palms against the sides of her throbbing head. “Gods above, Hunter! What have you done?” she uttered before turning to face him, hoping for an explanation; some sign of remorse, but the man was rather preoccupied.He gently rubbed his bloodied hands together while nudging the corpses with his foot, as if checking for any signs of life.But he was an idiot because there was certainly no way these people would be alive after he’d torn their hearts from their chests, was there?Heidi’s veins pulsed as she slowly slipped through the archway into the hallway, careful not to draw Hunter’s attention.She quickly made for the back door until she arrived at the mansion’s rear, where about five of Hunter’s guards lay dead atop crimson-