Chapter 3: Tyberius Taylor?

"Mhmm.." A moan escapes Itzel's lips when she feels something furry brush against her skin. Slowly, opening her eyes and then squinting them to adjust to the morning light. And the first thing that comes into her sight is the butt of Ginger. "Argh!" Groaning lightly, she picks her up in the air making her face towards hers. "What is it, Ginger?" She asks to which she meows loudly and she understands what her problem is! Ginger is hungry! She tilts her head to the side glances at the clock on the nightstand and finds that it is already twenty past nine in the morning. Uh, oh! She has slept a lot today. Not that it matters to her in any way though! Now even her parents have stopped bothering her, thankfully. Putting Ginger down on her bed again, she rubs her eyes to get rid of the sleepy haze left in them. Then something comes into her mind...yesternight, she saw Ruc in her dreams!

But why? Why after long two years, he is coming into her dreams again? It has been a long ago since she had last saw him in her dreams. And it was for the first time in a long while where she has dreamt of Ruci Dmitri! Her memory from last night is a bit fuzzy. So, she can't really figure out how he looked in her dreams but she remembers saying him that how come he looks like this in only two years of span. Feeling an upcoming hangover, she massages her temples and gets up from the bed before going into the bathroom. And as usual, Ginger follows her in! Such a clingy cat!

After doing her morning business, she comes out and finds a glass of water along with a bowl of fresh broth soup is being kept on top of the nightstand. Under the table, she finds a small note. 'Drink the glass of water and the soup after that. It will help you with your hangover.' The note reads. A frown sets across her forehead after she reads the note. Who must have done it? Surely not her mother, or her brother. And definitely not her father! Then some maid? But they will not be coming till ten and it is still five to ten. Even if they would come, no one would dare to come into her room, without her permission. Not even parents come in here or tell anyone to come without asking her first. Okay, she will ask about this to her mother but later. Because what really now matters is that she is having to deal with a terrible hangover!

Filling Ginger's bowl with her cat food, she sets it down on the floor before going to get her soup.

....

"Ma!" Itzel calls out for her mother as she goes into her room, knowing that her father would have left already for his business. Her mother comes out from the washroom and gives her an odd look. Well, not her fault! Any parent would give that look to their child if that child becomes a complete rebel and reckless. "Ma, will you tell me if any servant has gone into my room early in the morning?" She asks her mother straight forward.

"What? You know that no one goes into your room unless you need it to be cleaned. Why would someone go to your room?" She asks her back.

"That is what I can't understand, Ma! But someone has to be it, because when I woke up, there was a glass of water and a bowl of broth soup on my nightstand. Can you tell me if there is any servant who could have done that?" She shakes her head, but then her eyes widen a little bit.

"Oh, maybe there is! Well, yesterday, I have appointed a new butler in our mansion. And he stays here in the ground floor like every other prior butler here." She informs her.

"Okay...can I meet him?" Itzel asks a bit hesitantly. Her mother responds with a quick sure before leading her out of the room and down the stairs to stand infront of a certain room. It must be the room where the butler stays. They knock on the door twice and it opens wide before a man who looks like he is in his mid forties, comes into their view.

"Good morning, Mr. Taylor! This is my daughter, Itzel! You could not meet her yesterday, right?" Mrs. Singh rants on. "And Itzel, this is Tyberius Taylor! Our new butler here." She introduces him to her. But Itzel keeps her scrutinizing gaze on that poor man who keeps on shifting on his feet while gulping visibly.

"Hello, Ms. Singh! It is nice meeting you." Greets Dmitri, hoping that she does not remember anything from the last night. Because if she did, he would be done for! She does not reply to his kind greeting straight away which causes Mrs. Singh to nudge her with her elbow lightly.

"Itzel, Mr. Taylor here is talking to you, my dear!" She says to her through gritted teeth and with a fake smile plastered on her lips. Rolling her eyes at that, she nods curtly in acknowledgement before squinting her eyes at him.

"Were you the one who has kept the water and soup on my nightstand earlier in the morning?" She asks. Dmitri quickly glances at Mrs. Singh who is frowning in her daughter's way, before looking back at Itzel who raises her eyebrows at him.

"Uh, yes, Ms. Singh! It was certainly me! You see, last night I was awake when you came back home and were quite drunken. Having enough experience on how to deal with people with hangovers, I did that. I am sorry if my action has bothered you in any way though!" He tells while looking into her cold and scrutinizing eyes, trying to decipher any other emotion in them, but finds none.

"Oh, no, no! Why would your such kind action bother her? Infact, she is here to say thank you to you, Mr. Taylor! Itzel?" She nudges her again to which she squeezes her eyes shut in frustration before opening them again and forcing a tight lipped smile to her lips.

"True! Thank you so much for your kind gesture, Mr. Taylor?" She says his name much like a question. Like she is still in denial to let him off of her scrutiny. He nods at her with a smile but does not get it in return. Why has she changed this much? What has happened to her during these two years that has snatched that evergreen smile from her beautiful face only to replace it with a cold facade? "It was nice meeting you too, Mr. Tyberius Taylor!" She says without a change in her expressions before turning on her heels and going back up the stairs.

"Uh, I am sorry about her...behavior, Mr. Taylor! You don't have to mind her attitude at all. Anyway, she rarely stays at home. So, she will not cause you any inconvenience here." Says Mrs. Singh to him and he just returns it with a casual shrug and a small smile. "Please, continue doing your job just like this!" Saying that, she goes away leaving him alone, with his own thousands of thoughts swarming in his head. Has he done this to Itzel? Has his rejection caused her to become such a person? The only thing that he regrets more than anything else in his life is chasing his Itzel away from him. But even if he regrets doing all that, he can't be any less relieved that at least she is safe where she is! Or maybe not! Remembering just why he is here, he drifts his mind back to the job in hand. Soon, he will find out everything about Mr. Singh and then he will decide on how to make things right with Itzel.

---

"Ginger! Come back down right now!" She commands her kitty who has planned on completely destroy her curtains today. "No, Ginger! Come down! There is no one anymore." She says with a sigh as she takes a look at her brand new pastel pink curtains which are almost reduced to shreds hanging on to the wall. Apparently, Ginger has caught sight of a house lizard on the wall and is currently after it. But her curtains has to take the toll for her preying skills now!

"Oh, God! I need to take these curtains down now." Mumbling to herself, she brings a chair which is big enough for her to reach there, and starts taking them off. But all of a sudden, the chair loses balance which causes her to fall down on the tiled floor with an oomph and thud. She has fallen on her butt ahead! When she tries to get up from the floor, the door to her room is swing open and comes in Mr. Taylor. What is he doing here? Does he not stay on the ground floor? And her room is on the second floor!

He immediately comes near her after spotting her down on the floor, and helps her to get up to her feet. "Ah.." She groans out while rubbing her butt with her palms gently. And, Dmitri's eyes follow her motions causing them to darken with need and desire. Blinking away those unwanted emotions from his eyes, he looks back at her to find her looking at him already. "What were you doing on this floor? If I am not wrong then your room is on the ground floor, right?" She asks him.

"Yes, I do. But right now, I was checking every bathroom for any problems. Mrs. Singh has complained about some things in hers, so I thought that maybe I can check every one in the mansion since I am calling the plumber today." Dmitri pats himself on his back, mentally, for cooking up such a lie right in a few seconds before presenting it infront of his beloved Itzel!

She gives him a curt nod, like every damn time, and tells him that she is fine and that he can leave to continue his job. Indirectly, telling him to fuck off! But it is Ruci Dmitri we are talking about! How could he leave her in such a condition now? And since he knows how sensitive she is, he will do something to ease her pain a little.

"Okay, I will. But before that, let me check yours first since I am already here!" Telling her that, he heads towards her bathroom but is stopped by her midway.

"No, you don't have to! My bathroom accessories are perfectly alright. If anything happens, I will let you know. Now, you can leave." She dismisses him and starts walking towards her bed but it becomes a bit uneasy for her due to the pain down in her ass. She lets out a very inaudible hiss, but somehow Mr. Taylor hears it coming from from her. And soon, he is infront of her, asking her if she is hurt. "Uh, no. I am fine, Mr. Taylor! You may please go and proceed with your work." But he only shakes his head in a no and goes into her bathroom, inspite of her yelling profanities at him for not invading her personal space. He comes back out with a first aid kit and settles it infront of her on the nightstand. She rolls her eyes at him but still mutters a small thank you, hoping that he would take the hint and would leave. But when he does not move even an inch, she sighs and looks at him in the eyes."You may leave now, Mr. Taylor! Thank you, again." He finally nods and moves to get out of her room, with a lot reluctance though. Oh, how he would love to here her calling him Ruc again! Such a wishful thinking! He taunts himself before closing her room's door behind him gently.