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. Better luck next time.
I swiped away the notification again and ignored her. So, indeed I did not get the job. Dominic gave it to her, who did not need the money like I did. I continued to stalk her, and then I noticed she uploaded something on her story a few minutes ago. I pressed and viewed it and saw she was taking a video of Dominic’s large mansion and just lazing around.
Did she get the job or did they give it to someone else? Was she just sitting around to pass the time and appear that she is working when there was someone else? Was she actually chosen?
As I sat there, hearing my grumbling stomach, I continued to scroll through this girl’s page until suddenly, things stopped loading on my page. I noticed the WIFI had disconnected from my phone. I walked to the light switch and tried to flick it on but the light did not switch on. I quickly scrolled to find Adam, my landlord’s number. I called him, and it rang for about 3 times before he finally picked up.
“Holmes, you’re the person I have been waiting for.” he answered cheerfully “Tell me that you’re going to pay rent.” “No, I am actually calling to say that I think my electricity has gone off. Is it a general issue or is there a problem with mine?” I asked “Hmm… I will look into it. But, I need you to pay rent.” he replied “I will try and make a plan. But please, can I get my electricity sorted out.” I answered “We’ll see.” he said and then hung up almost immediately.
I could not continue my scanning and stalking because my internet had gone off and soon, my phone. So, I sat in my house as nighttime approached and watched how my house got darker and darker by the minute. I picked up my phone again and tried to call Adam again and it rang nonstop. I tried to call him again and he did not pick up. I tried one more time until he finally picked up.
“Holmes!” he sighed “My electricity. Any update?” “Holmes… I contacted the electricity company. There are some issues, but you seem to be directly affected because you’re right next to the wires and cables. But he will only come in tomorrow to fix things. The lights are flicking in everyone else’s houses, even mine. I am sorry.” he answered. “Except, mine aren’t flicking. They are completely off!” I practically yelled“Oh!” he exclaimed and then ended the call abruptly.
I opened my door and went down the stairs and saw my neighbours still had electricity. They did not have an issue of flickering lights. Their lights were on the entire time. I even heard them watching the television and listening to music. I walked back to my place and saw that I was nowhere near any electric cables or wires, meaning whatever Adam was talking about was a complete lie.
I walked down the stairs furiously to his place and banged on the door.
He swung it wide open and blinked at me in the nightgown that he had wrapped around his oddly shaped body.
“Holmes,” he said once he saw me“What is this crap I am hearing about flickering lights?” I asked angrily “They are flickering, though,” he replied as I saw his arm stretch out for the light switch to make his lights flicker“I see what you’re doing! And the neighbours do not have this issue. I saw. AND I am not next to any electric cables.” I answered, still feeling very angry about all the lies.
He kept quiet and just blinked at me for a while.
“Okay…” he finally said “Yes?”“Holmes, I had to cut your electricity off until you pay rent. It is long overdue. I have been giving you an extension for two weeks now.” he said “The next month’s rent will come up when you still owe for this month.”“I know but I am currently jobless. My last job promised me severance pay, but it has not yet come through.” I answered “Why would you quit your last job without having a plan of a new one?” he asked
If I had a way of controlling the things that happened to me, I wouldn’t have been the most misfortune person on the planet. I wouldn’t have been in these troubling and uncomfortable situations.
“Only dumb people do such.” he laughed “What was the plan when you quit your last place?”“It’s personal. There were some things that popped up that needed me to be on the move again.” I answered “How bad were they? You could have at least stayed there until you got your next place.” “It was bad bad. I needed to move.” “Do you mind telling me? I might help.” he offered.
I would have given him information about why I needed to run, but I knew he was probably going to sit somewhere and just gossip with other people, all for them to look at me weirdly.
“Anyway, seeing that you’re going through something. I am giving you 2 more days. If there is nothing, I am sorry, but I will have to cut off your electricity and soon your water. It is unfair on the other tenants that their payments are what is being used to run your electricity and water when you haven’t paid.” he said.
I simply nodded, walked out of his house, and dragged my tired feet back upstairs to my place. Within a few minutes, my lights came flickering on and at that moment, my phone rang.
I rushed over to pick it up and saw it was an unknown number.
“Harper Holmes?” a female said on the other end“Yes, it is me,” I replied nervously, wondering who would be calling me and for what purpose. “I am calling to inform you that you have been offered the maid job at Dominic Hall’s place. How soon can you come?” she asked.
I was too stunned to speak. I froze on the other end, not sure of what to say. I thought it was all a dream.
“Harper Holmes?” she said
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
That night, Dominic had ordered me to sleep in the very dull bedroom. The bed sheets were very itchy and uncomfortable, the pillow was very flat, and the mattress was so solid like I was sleeping on a table. Even my crappy apartment had way better things compared to the torture Dominic put me through. Because I did not have my pyjamas, I had to sleep in my threadbare underwear and wrap myself in the itchy bedding, hoping that if anyone were to randomly walk in, at least they would not see anything. On top of all of that discomfort, my brain was spiralling, still thinking about Ruby’s tiny and nude body, thinking I was Dominic. It was not that traumatising compared to the first time I set foot in this house. But, it was still something you would not want to see after being threatened for sneaking around. And the worst of the worst that also kept me up the whole night was hearing Dominic and Ruby going at it all night. The screaming, the laughing and the moaning… all the uncomfortabl
I remained seated, watching the mini-drama unfold right in front of me. “Okay, Homer, you need to get working,” Dominic said once he saw my eyes fixated on Ruby and Rebecca. I slowly got off the stool, carried my dirty dishes to the sink and then walked back to the tiny bedroom I was sleeping in. That time, I put my bag against the door so that if any of the perverted guards tried to come in, it would take some time before they finally saw my naked body. I felt dirty dressing up into other clothes without showering over the last 24 hours. But, I did not have much of an option. I knew the best thing to do was to get started on the work so that I could leave early enough and then have a shower at home. After dressing up, I slowly opened the door, peeped, and noticed that Ruby was no longer standing in the kitchen. Rebecca looked like she was telling Dominic something. But it was definitely something interesting because she was whispering. The only way to get to hear what they were d
It did not make sense. Nothing they were saying made sense. I continued to stand still in the kitchen as I tried to connect the dots. As I continued to process the most probably disturbing information, I heard chairs being pushed around and footsteps. I quickly grabbed the dishcloth and pretended to wipe the surfaces, and then Dominic walked into the kitchen. “Homer, please wash these,” he said as he handed me a saucer with cutlery and a mug. I walked up to him and got the dishes from him, and then turned to the sink. “And be sure not to break any.” He added on in a lower and more intimidating voice. I gulped nervously and then started to wash the dishes. “Rebecca, can you handle any calls for me? I have to go to work today. I have two meetings. The first one is with Nelson Avery, and then, the next one, I will meet with the interns I am supposed to employ at my company.” Dominic spoke in a hurry “Interns?” Rebecca asked with confusion laced in her voice.“Yes. Apparently, I ac