This was it!
I took a deep breath, the crisp morning air clinging to the edges of my nerves as I stood before the imposing gates of Dominic Hall’s Mansion.
If all ran smoothly, this would be the new place I would work at. A shift in my life.
I pulled down and readjusted my blouse, exchanged glances with my reflection in the polished metal of the gate, and pressed the intercom button. The gates creaked open, revealing a whole different world. The Mansion loomed ahead, it’s grandeur intimidating yet enticing.
I stepped onto the manicured path; it felt like I was walking in a dream or an unreal place. This place was fantasy-like.
“Name!” A male voice barked the second I took more than 2 steps into the yard.
Frightened, I hurriedly looked around to see the owner of this male voice. I turned around and found a male guard standing there under some trees next to what appeared to be his little shed or building thing. Stanley. That was the name stitched and sewn neatly on his blazer.
“Harper Holmes”, I replied finally after analysing this tall man. “What are you here for?” he questioned “I- I… I am here to see Dominic Hall - Mr. Dominic Hall,” I answered nervously.
He was quiet. Just staring at me from head to toe. It was as if he had scanners in his eyes.
“Sign here” he finally stood up and handed me a clipboard.
Geez, why did we have to sign in? Was this an office or something?
I grabbed the clipboard from him and quickly wrote down my name, arrival time, and signature. I scanned the paper and saw about 2 other names on the list. Ladies. Maybe other maids also applied for the job and were there for the interview. I handed him the clipboard back and continued walking down the path.
As I approached the entrance, the towering double doors swung open. The cavernous foyer echoed with the clicking of my shoes against the marble floor. The mansion seemed to hum with stories of luxury and privilege, each piece of furniture and artwork holding a chapter of a life I had only glimpsed in my dreams.
I was now in the living room, or what appeared to be it. The living room was large, with huge couches, a huge TV screen as if it was from a cinema hall and all these beautiful house plants to cover up and hide the empty spaces.
I did not know what to do. I wanted to walk around the house a bit more and familiarise myself with the place, but then again, I did not want to be lost. He knew my interview was scheduled for this time, and even though I was about 10 minutes late, I would have expected him to be the one to pick me up from the gate or at least be waiting at the main door, but instead, he was nowhere in sight. I sat down on one of the couches and waited impatiently for this billionaire to appear.
After some 5 minutes, I stood up and walked around. I decided to start by checking out the mansion. I tried to knock gently on each door. I opened the first door I reached and found that it was a very small bedroom. Very small and plain. Zero effort was put into it. I closed it slowly, walked to the next door, and opened it and found that it was a very small bathroom. It was just a shower, a sink and a toilet. It looked as plain as mine from my crappy apartment.
There was not much to look at downstairs. There were not as many doors as I had expected, but after seeing the plain bathroom, the next door I opened, which was next to the kitchen, appeared to be the pantry. It had all these cool cereals and foods stacked and neatly placed like he was some serious perfectionist.
The next door was wide open, and I managed to peek into the room and see that it was his office. No one was there, but the chairs were left as if people had been there not too long ago. I wanted to go in and sit down on the chair to wait for him to come back to the office so that we could do the interview, but then I did not know how he would react. But my intrusive thoughts took the best of me, and I tiptoed my way into the office. I looked around on the shelves and saw all these huge files labelled with years on the spines.
I walked towards the desk and saw a paper with a list of names, including mine. There were about 6 names in total, including mine. The first 2 names, which were above mine, had ticks on them. Mine had a question mark next to it, and the ones that followed mine did not have any ticks or, stars or question marks.
Geez, so everyone had applied to be his maid? And was he cancelling on me?
I peeped over and saw a folder with the name ‘Sadie Evans’ and a passport-sized photo of a blonde girl.
This name sounded awfully familiar, but the face did not ring a bell. I scratched my head as I tried to place where I had known this name and face. I put the folder back down, and I looked over to the other side and saw my application form with my passport photo. The ugliest passport photo was attached to it but I needed to submit something quick enough.
I grabbed Sadie Evans’ folder again and pulled out her application form to see what skills she had or if she was a potential threat.
Just as I pulled it out and started reading through it, I heard a door open, and then I heard footsteps. I quickly bent and hid myself under the table while holding Sadie Evans’ paper.
From a small crack, I could see some feminine feet, with bright red nail polish on each toenail, walk into the office and then stop right at the desk. I wanted so badly to shove my face right through up to the closest bit of the crack to get a better view of the face that matched the familiar name.
Was it his girlfriend? Was it his wife? Did he have a friend over?
I held my breath so that the person would not hear me and find me hiding there in the office, snooping around. Then, through the same crack, I saw the person walk out of the office again, and then I heard the other door close. I slowly got up from behind the desk, quickly put Sadie Evans’ application form back into her folder, and tiptoed out of the office again.
I decided I was going to continue my exploring, at least on the first floor, while I waited for Dominic to appear. I continued to walk around and found another door. I slowly opened it, lest I find that lady in there. It was just a toilet and sink. Simple and small. Perhaps it was the one used when or if he ever got guests. I finally turned and saw one more door. It was the last room I had not gotten a glimpse of since my arrival.
It had to be explored.
I grabbed the handle and slowly twisted it open, and there it was. Something I was not meant to see.
I stood there as my jaw hit the floor and my eyes wide open -astounded and gobsmacked.
“Close the damn door!” the female who was in that room barked at me. With shaky hands and a fast-beating heart, I exited the room and closed the door. I was too stunned even to walk away. I just remained at the closed door as I felt the blood practically drain out of my body. What had I just witnessed? And what was that room about? “I asked you if you locked the door, and you said yes,” the male voice spoke angrily. Then, I heard things drop and make all these loud noises. I was too shocked even to address the faces that were in that room, but all I saw was two nude bodies- a male and a female. I remained at the door as I caught my breath, and panic and embarrassment began to fill my body. After finally cooling down a bit, I finally walked back to the dining room, pulled out a chair and sat down. I nervously bit my nails as I replayed that brief thing I had just witnessed. The disturbing and disgusting memory was engraved and embossed in my tiny brain. I bit each fingernail as th
“Oh my, Humiliating Holmes.” the blonde laughed the second we made eye contact. “Humiliating Holmes?” Dominic questioned as his lips curved into a smile like he was about to burst into laughter. “Yeah, she was in my grade in high school.” she laughed.Was that the same Sadie? The same one that tortured me and made me miserable all throughout school?“Why, Humiliating Holmes?” Dominic asked as his smirk got wider and wider. God, this was more humiliating than walking in on them.“It’s a long story. I should fill you in someday.” she continued to laugh. “Are you applying to be a maid?” I simply nodded. “Oh my gosh! Same.” she talked like one of those basic blondes in movies. “My husband has been on my case to get a job, and I am like, but babe, your salary is enough alone to take care of us.” “You’re married?” I questioned “Yeah, I got married to Jackson Evans. Remember the guy who was in the grade higher than us? Yeah, we got married 2 years ago.” she boasted as she waved her ri
Two days had gone by, and I was back in my crappy apartment, flipping through job brochures, scrolling through my emails, even reaching the ‘Spam’ folder and always peeping through the window, waiting for the mailman. Dominic had assured me that they would email or call me immediately if I had been accepted, but I had not received anything. I sat at my phone, pacing the room and staring at my phone screen, wishing and hoping to get an answer as soon as possible. I was hopeful through it all. As I scrolled through different things on my phone, I got a follow request from Sadie Evans. Maybe she was trying to reach out now that she had seen me? Maybe she wanted to be friends? I accepted the follow request and scrolled through her account. She was really married to that jerk and she was living the soft life. Sadie: Hey Humiliating Holmes!I ignored her message as I continued to scroll through her page, seeing the type of life she was living. Sadie: Sucks you didn’t get the job. Bett
The following morning, I woke up to my phone vibrating, seeing numerous missed calls from the same number that called me the previous night. I rolled out of bed and saw it was already past 10, meaning I was awfully late. Without having time to shower and brush my hair, I just washed my face, dressed, and left the house immediately. I walked down the road and was not able to find any taxi to take me to my destination. On other days, I would barely leave my house, and a bunch of taxis came flooding in, but that day, when I was already running late, nothing appeared. I continued to walk down the street until I finally found one and hopped into it. “Where to, miss?” the driver asked as I squeezed myself into the backseat that was awfully full. “27 Echo Street, Hall Mansion,” I answered. “Oh, so you’re the new one?” the elderly lady in the backseat questioned as she gasped. “New what?” I queried, feeling rather confused about what she was talking about. She just scoffed and then lo
“Why have you stopped working?” a male voice barked from behind me, causing me to jump. I turned around and saw Dominic standing behind me with his arms folded over his chest, wearing the angriest facial expression. I fidgeted with my phone and the cleaning supplies in my hands as I tried to come up with an answer. “What are you doing on your phone?” he questioned, sounding furious as he tried to peep at my screen. He saw a big image of him pasted on my screen, meaning I was scrolling through articles about him and whatever he had been up to. “Are you reading about me?” he continued to question. I just blinked at him. He was scary. It felt as if I had been sent to the principal’s office for doing something, and I could not bother lying, seeing that I had been caught. “Are you gonna answer me today, Homer,” he growled.I just simply shook my head, and then he walked away. I still could not shake the feeling about what he had done and how true it was.Was I ready to work for some
I followed him into the office, and I froze when I finally got a better look at the male who had been talking in the room. “Addison…” he said “Come this way.” the female quickly said as she pulled my hand to the other end of the desk. I walked towards the desk while staring at the man. I knew exactly who he was, and he knew who I was. “So, with the recent information and news that has been circulating the internet and social media, certain actions have to be taken. This will not affect you in any way, but we just need to ensure that whatever you hear, see or is done in this mansion MUST and should only stay in this mansion.” the woman spoke“Rebecca, try not to refer to my house as a mansion”, Dominic said in a low voice. “Are you even listening to me?” she snapped at me. I woke up from my daydream of staring at the familiar man and looked at this lady in front of me. She has ice-blue eyes. Big and round. The type that would make you confess everything you did and did not do jus
He finally left the room. I could not remember where I had seen him from, but the fact that he referred to me as Addison meant it was someone who knew me well. “What was Gary talking about?” Dominic asked as soon as the door closedGary… Gary… I stood there, quiet and still. The name was familiar, as well as the face, but I could not remember from where. Why was he asking if he should pass greetings and to whom? “Homer!” Dominic snapped me out of my daydream. “Sorry… what were you saying?” “What is up with you and Gary? Do you know him from somewhere?” Dominic questioned “Yes, I know him from somewhere. We have met before.” I answered “Will there be a case?” “A case?” I queried“Yes, don’t act stupid.” I was not acting stupid. I just genuinely did not know what he meant by a case. “No, there won’t be any case,” I replied, hoping that was the answer he wanted to hear. “There better not be any! I already have a lot going on. This is the last thing I need.” he groaned. I alre
Dominic immediately walked out of the room, leaving me there, too stunned to move. It was only my first day there, and he wanted me to stay over. Did he even trust me to be staying over? Did he have some evil scheme going on? Was he going to do something to me? I tried to continue cleaning, but each time I moved, I thought of his stupid ‘suggestion’ or ‘idea’. I then thought that maybe if I hurried and tried to finish everything else in about 30 minutes, I would get to go home instead. But I was trapped in his room for the next 20 minutes, first packing everything away and then laying his bed. Then, I finally got to mop and sweep the floor, as well as dust the surfaces. “Good evening!” a cheery female voice sounded from downstairs. It certainly was not Rebecca, nor was it Sadie. I carried all my cleaning supplies and peeped over the balcony, but I could not see anyone. Instead, I just heard footsteps. I left the room and walked down the corridor and then eventually down the stairs