1: The Caregiver

A V E L I N A

The sun shone harshly above me, making me sweat even more. I stood outside the huge mansion I’ve grown accustomed to for the past six years.

I walked towards the gate of the new building, excited to see the woman who has easily fit in the role of a mother figure in my life. At this moment, I was thankful Margaret refused to let me dress like the other maids in the house, because I couldn’t imagine wearing that tight constricting dress in this harsh heat.

Her reasons were valid though, I wasn’t just a maid in her house. I was also her personal caregiver. And she always mentioned how much I reminded her of her granddaughter who she hasn’t seen in ages.

Finally standing outside the big black gate, I placed my hand on the little doorbell that was placed close to the gate.

The warm and familiar voice of the security guard filled the intercom. “Avelina? Always early and punctual as usual?” He said warmly as the remote controlled gate started sliding open.

I stepped into the building, a smile on my face. “Good morning, Matteo. You know I wouldn’t hear the last of it if I came a little later.” I said with a smile on my face.

He laughed, nodding his head. "I agree. Grandma Maggie can be a little hard headed sometimes."

"But I love her regardless." I said, meaning every word. Grandma Maggie met me at the lowest point of my life. Safe to say she was my saving grace. She picked me up from the slump and gave me a job and shelter. Right before I could get into college, my father died, leaving my siblings and I with our mother.

My mother did her best to provide for us, but her pay could barely feed us for a month.

Having a three square meal a day became a very difficult task for us. We couldn’t even afford a good home to live in, instead we stayed in a shitty apartment and did our best to survive.

I had just graduated highschool and all my dreams of going to the university were crushed. My mother couldn't take care of us three all alone. My twin siblings, André and Lani, who were only eight as at then, couldn't look for a job at that age. I had no other choice but to look for jobs to support my mother. And it was at one of those jobs I met my helper and I couldn't be more grateful to Maggie.

She took me in six years ago when I was 19 years old and treated me like her very own child. She paid off my family's years long mortgage and made sure my siblings went to school. She helped my mom get a job after she got fired in her previous one. She helped my whole family in so many ways, that I would forever be in debt to her.

I shook myself out of the thoughts and looked at the security guard. "Is she in the living room?" I asked him.

"Yes." He answered.

"Okay. Thanks." I replied. There was a new black car sitting in the garage and I smiled, Maggie must have gotten another car again. For an old woman, she was strangely obsessed with cars.

I made my way towards the huge doors of the building. I pushed the doors open and walked in, heading straight for the living room.

As I got closer, the voices of two people filtered into the air. I stopped at the entrance of the living room and peeked in. There was a man standing in the middle of the living room, his back facing me. He wore a white button up shirt and black pants.

I assumed it was the new bodyguard Margaret had told me about a few days ago. I knew she was expecting him today, but he had arrived earlier than I thought.

The man turned and locked eyes with me, a blank expression on his face. A silent gasp slipped past my slips as my mouth slightly parted at the sight of the Greek God standing in front of me. His dark eyes bore into mine and his hair was combed neatly.

He had a sharp jawline and a strong nose. His eyes were the most striking part about him, they were grey. But not the kind of grey that you see on a stormy day.

No, his were a very unique color. A mix between grey and silver. It was as if a cloud of smoke was swirling in his iris, creating that beautiful mix of color.

They were beautiful and breathtaking.

He was the first to look away, clearing his throat and looking away. He nodded towards Maggie and walked out the living room, walking past me.

I felt my heart thud in my chest as he walked past me. I stood frozen in place, unable to move as he disappeared around the corner. I didn't even notice I had stopped breathing until a cough came from inside the living room.

I quickly turned back and smiled apologetically at the older woman. "Sorry, I was caught up in a little day dream." I said, trying to make my face not look so hot.

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Um, is that the new bodyguard?" I asked, pointing towards where the man had left.

She laughed and I scrunched my brow, wondering what was funny. "No, silly girl. That's my grandson. The one I've always told you about."

My eyes widened and a flush covered my cheeks. I opened my mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, not knowing what to say.

She smirked and chuckled, "Well, it seems he made quite an impression on you, didn't he?" She said.

I sighed and walked closer to her, sitting on the couch beside her. "Well, how do I say this... your grandson is gorgeous." I whispered, making sure no one could hear me.

"Yes, he is." She agreed, nodding her head. "And it seems he's got an effect on you. It's been awhile since I've seen you blush this much."

"I'm not blushing, Maggie." I denied, knowing fully well that my face was as red as a tomato. "Why- why didn't you tell me he was arriving today?" I said, still feeling flustered from the way he had stared at me. His grey eyes had bored into my very soul and it was as if he could see right through me.

"I didn't think it mattered." She said with a shrug. "Did he make you feel uncomfortable? Because if he did-" She said, her voice changing from teasing to worry.

"No! No, he didn't. It's fine. I- I just wasn't expecting to see him today." I explained.

"Well, you're about to see him a lot more often now that he's here." She said.

"Really? Why is that?" Seeing his every single day? I didn't think I could handle that. Just five seconds of being in his presence and I was already a mess.

"Because, there's a possibility that he might be the next heir of the business." She explained. "He has already started learning everything and is working to take over the business."

My eyes widened. "Are you sure you can trust him with the business? Isn't that a little too risky?"

"I have five grandsons, Avelina. I cannot just give the family business to who I know isn't capable of it. They all have to show me they can do it before I make any decisions." Maggie said, her face serious.

"So... you mean all five of your grandsons are in town?" I asked, my throat feeling dry.

"Yes, including my only granddaughter. They all arrived yesterday."

Fuck.

"O-okay." I squeaked out, swallowing my nervousness.

"Are you okay, Aveé?" Maggie asked, her eyes suddenly on me as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered. She stared at me for a while, then nodded. "Okay, let's just get on with the day. We need to get going for my check up." She said, trying to stand on her feet. I immediately rushed to her side and helped her up while she tried to shush me away. I gave her walking stick to and she frowned at me a little.

"I'm not a child, Aveé. I can perfectly stand on my own feet without any help." She said stubbornly.

"I know you can, Maggie. But please don't put too much pressure on your legs, you can't risk hurting them again."

She huffed. "Fine."

I chuckled, helping her walk out of the living room. I knew she hated showing weakness in front of anyone. It was a sign of vulnerability and Maggie hated being vulnerable.

She was strong willed and independent, but the doctors said she could only keep her leg if she had physical therapy and stayed off of it for a while. It had been months, but the bones were still fragile and could easily break if not taken care of properly.

"Can you walk down the stairs, Maggie?" I asked her as we reached the top of the staircase.

"Of course, I can, Aveé. Who do you think I am?" She snapped, rolling her eyes at me.

"Okay, okay." I said, raising my hands up in mock surrender.

She slowly and carefully made her way down the stairs and I held onto her arm tightly. We finally made it down the stairs and I sighed, happy nothing had gone wrong.

We walked towards the new car and I helped Maggie sit in the back seat. Closing her door, I opened the front door and slid in. As soon as my door was closed, I raised my head up and froze.

It was him. Sitting in the driver's side and looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as he stared at me, then stared at the leather seats.

His hands tightened around the steering wheels as he stared at me in... disgust? If I thought his face aura was scary, then his voice was definitely scarier as he growled in a low deep tone, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"