An hour before ten in the morning, the stylists were done giving us a wonderful service. They put my hair in a bun that looked like a bouquet. The bobby pins they used had small pearls on the edge that added design to my hair and believe it or not, I couldn't recognize myself. I couldn't stop looking at my reflection in the mirror. I looked blooming and younger with my makeup. I heard the stylist and her companion talk when they were deciding what suited me and the one putting so much liquid on my face while preparing it said to do Korean-style makeup. I mostly see those Korean makeups she mentioned when watching Kdrama and I was pretty impressed when they magically made me look like a Korean even though I was a little tan. I couldn't stop blinking because of the fake eyelashes I was wearing. It was a bit heavy, making me uncomfortable, but to my surprise, my eyebags and skin imperfections were hidden perfectly. It was hard to find a trace, even my pores—they made it invisible. "Y
Anita's Point of ViewFor us, overseas workers, nothing could be more exciting than going home. Being away from our family had never been easy, but it was better that way than to cry in hopelessness when something went wrong and you couldn't do anything about it. Three years was my contact as a kitchen assistant at Martin’s mansion in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. It was all a stroke of luck when I got picked by the agency to be a servant and later chosen to be the assistant of our boss’ chef, Ms. Linda Peters.My experience as a kitchen helper at the school canteen where I studied college was something they saw in my resume for me to be assigned to the kitchen. Something I never thought would push me into that position because it was only a part-time job for me while I was studying to help me with school expenses.I was only twenty-one when I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from an agency that went to our province, Tanay, Rizal. I spent two of my birthdays away from my
“Hey, Lory!” I got stunned and raised my head to check who he was calling. A woman who had just come out of the door of a coffee shop not far from where I stood stopped and searched around to see who was calling her name.“Lory!” The guy, who introduced himself as Adam shouted a name again. The woman saw him at this time, and she stepped forward after recognizing who was inside the truck. A sweet bright smile formed on his lips. “Yes, Adam? What can I do for you, sweetheart?” the woman asked sweetly.“Can you answer this woman’s question for me?” he politely requested as he pointed his finger toward me.“What is it she's asking?” the woman inquired. The smile on her lips became wider, and it seemed she had something silly on her mind.“Well, she’s asking me if I am a serial killer,” he replied, and he couldn’t contain his laughter, making his face turn red while he chuckled.The woman, whom she called Lory, laughed along with him. I bowed my head out of shame because I was the one the
As I reached the servants' quarter, I immediately changed my clothes and assembled the carton box I had brought. I secured it by covering it with packaging tape, starting from the bottom to the top and from side to side. I made myself busy with that box when the sixty-three-year-old Mexican-American chef of the mansion, Ms. Linda Peters suddenly arrived.“W-what are you trying to do with that?” I was startled when she suddenly spoke behind me.I stopped what I was doing and looked at her with a smile. She pushed the door wide open and walked in while speaking, “I thought something happened to you! One of the servants told me you came back early.”Ms. Peters seemed so worried.“W-what made you think so? I may be shorter and petite than Ms. Peters, but I could break a neck,” I jokingly told her, but if only she knew how scared I was when Adam asked me for a ride, for sure she would laugh out loud.“You’re small enough and easy to carry, my dear Anita,” she sarcastically replied.“Ouch! T
Third-Person's Point of ViewThe thought of shouldering everything was too much to bear for Anita. She wanted to cry, but she was too dehydrated at that time to shed more tears and her throat was getting dry already that was why she decided to go to the kitchen inside the servant's quarter to get something to drink."Yes, my friend's working visa already expired, but she still could work. She had been doing that for five years without getting caught." Anita knew it was her Vietnamese roommate who hadn't come back to their room to sleep.They were talking about something that grew her interest and she couldn't wait to hear more."But that's scary. What will happen once you get caught?" Someone asked."Deportation?" Anita heard as a reply.Their conversation gave her an idea. She knew it was illegal, but for her, it was better than going back home and working like there was no tomorrow just to sustain all their needs and her father's medical needs.She decided to come out to get her wat
Third-Person's Point of ViewColorful laser lights were scattered all over the place in sync with the loud music playing in a private underground country club in Cherry Hills. Everyone on the dance floor was dancing and singing to the DJ's party music like it was the end of the world.People's sweat, perfume, and hair gel scents were in the air, along with the odors of liquor and smoke from everyone puffing on cigarettes. People partying didn't care if they bumped into a stranger or got hit by another person dancing next to them.All they cared about was having fun and forgetting about life and what was outside for a while.Among the people present were these five adult men, who were sitting in their favorite corner. There was an oblong table at their center full of empty and unopened cans of different liquors and glasses from drinks they ordered.Like everyone else, one of these men had problems dealing with them that made him so annoyed that night. His problem? His father.It had alw
William was already fast asleep. It was a long tiring day for him when his phone suddenly started ringing in the middle of the night. He tried reaching for it, which he remembered he had placed on the bedside table. With his eyes closed, he grabbed the phone.His forehead wrinkled after seeing an unregistered number calling him that late. He got skeptical about who owned the number instantly, knowing he wasn't the type who handed it out to random people without getting their phone numbers as well, especially the number they were calling only for personal use.He answered the call, thinking it was from someone he knew, only to discover it was from a police officer, informing him that his son was in jail after getting involved in a drug raid at a party. Besides this, Lennon and his friend got sued for parking illegally and destroying private property.William was left speechless. His son had disappointed him again, but he tried setting that aside, and the thought that Lennon had asked th
Third-Person's Point of ViewWilliam spent the remaining weekdays thinking about a better plan, knowing his son would never agree to that setup. Still, before thinking about ways to convince him, he went back to reading what was in Anita's record.While reading, he couldn't keep his eyes off every detail written on the printed paper. It only had two pages, but the academic and leadership awards listed impressed a billionaire like William. Who wouldn't if the owner was a valedictorian from primary and secondary school and, to add to that, a summa cum laude when she graduated college?She was an intelligent girl, but William couldn't believe someone who could get so much spotlight from her achievements would only become a servant in a different country. It made him realize how overqualified Anita was. Reading everything made him curious about what kind of life Anita had back in her country. He hired a relevant person to do a background check on her, and the investigator asked him for tw
An hour before ten in the morning, the stylists were done giving us a wonderful service. They put my hair in a bun that looked like a bouquet. The bobby pins they used had small pearls on the edge that added design to my hair and believe it or not, I couldn't recognize myself. I couldn't stop looking at my reflection in the mirror. I looked blooming and younger with my makeup. I heard the stylist and her companion talk when they were deciding what suited me and the one putting so much liquid on my face while preparing it said to do Korean-style makeup. I mostly see those Korean makeups she mentioned when watching Kdrama and I was pretty impressed when they magically made me look like a Korean even though I was a little tan. I couldn't stop blinking because of the fake eyelashes I was wearing. It was a bit heavy, making me uncomfortable, but to my surprise, my eyebags and skin imperfections were hidden perfectly. It was hard to find a trace, even my pores—they made it invisible. "Y
The sun was about to come out when I opened my eyes the next day. I knew I was too early, but I had to prepare earlier for the wedding. No trace of excitement in my heart. All I could feel was this great amount of worry about how the day would end and whether Sir Lennon would appear or not. I walked near the curtain and slid it to the side. The room location was perfect to watch the sunrise and because it was only around six in the morning, I was right on time to witness a beautiful scene as the sun scattered its light into the surroundings. "Good morning, sunshine!" I muttered with a smile and I walked into the bathroom when the light was already too blinding. I took a shower as the first step of preparation. Wore the simplest dress I saw inside the walk-in closet, pairing it with flat sandals before going to the kitchen to see Ms. Peters. The servants were greeting me. They were bowing their heads as I walked in front of them. It was too uncomfortable, but I couldn't tell them
My thoughts were all over the place when I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. I rushed to open it for whoever it was and saw a servant with wide eyes right after seeing me."T-the dinner is ready, Ma'am," she announced, stammering as she bowed her head right after speaking. There was an awkwardness in her voice, but if there was anyone to feel more awkward in that situation, it was me after she addressed me as Ma'am. I was a teacher back in my country. I was used to being called that way as respect for my profession, but being called Ma'am by a servant was something I was not used to."O-okay, thank you," I replied. I waited for her to leave after getting my answer, but she stayed standing with her head lowered. When I realized she was waiting for me to come with her, I immediately excused myself. I went back inside to check how I looked in the mirror, thinking I would be facing Sir William again or if there would be someone else in the mansion who would join us for dinne
Right after Ms. Peters closed the door, my shoulders dropped. The smile on my face faded as I felt so much exhaustion after a few hours of strolling through the mall. I took a heavy sigh and turned my head to examine the beautiful room, but then thought about the wedding the next day that would eventually solve my problems.I was uncertain whether to call myself lucky or to meet such people because, at the back of my head, I was still frightened of what would happen after the wedding.While thinking about those things, my eyes landed on the large bed inside the room. The temperature inside was too cold for someone who grew up in a tropical country, even though I had never tried going home during my three years of contract abroad. It seemed like I would never get used to the low temperature.It was quite hot outside because we were in the middle of summer, but it appeared the air conditioning system inside was set too low. I tried looking around to find it, but I couldn't see anything
I had no choice but to follow Ms. Peters while carrying the things I thrifted. She took the route at the front entrance and not the back door on the cooking area. I saw unfamiliar faces around. We were greeted by servants and I didn't recognize any of them. What surprised me the most, they were addressing me as ma'am.We climbed up the stairs and when no one was around, she explained everything to me.They had already moved my belongings to one of the guest rooms. All the servants were new and the recent ones were moved to different employers.It was Sir William's order and those were all preparations for the wedding because once I got married to his son, my status and identity needed to change as well. We continued walking into the long hallway until we reached one particular door. Ms. Peters used a key to open it and the moment she pushed the door open, my jaw dropped in disbelief."This will be your room from now on," she announced, but my attention was all on what was in front. I
While on the road, I noticed how heavy the atmosphere was inside his car. All I could hear was the engine and the honking of vehicles outside.Frankly, it frightened me at how quiet Adam was. I hated the thoughts my brain was giving me at that time. I tried to move when I felt my muscles were getting stiff. A long silence passed and I was getting close to my destination. "A-are you okay, Adam?" I asked when I could no longer bear the silent treatment I was getting. That was the only moment he moved his head on my side since we sat inside the car. "Yes, I am," he answered, but with the tone of his voice, I knew it was a lie.It was my turn to be talkative. We still had more than ten minutes before reaching the mansion and I didn't want to leave him like that."Why does it seem you are not okay?" I asked. I waited for him to answer but he remained silent. "You are making me think your friend offended you a while ago. Having a relationship here is a big deal, as I observed, but in th
Anita's Point of View"Let's go!" Adam called me. I didn't know I was already spacing out while staring at the car in front of me. It was making me feel small and poor. I even thought of just walking away and calling a taxi because I felt I didn't deserve to sit inside that royal blue two-seater sports car, but when I heard another vehicle nearby Adam was blocking the way, I got forced to get in."Are you sure this is yours?" I asked out of disbelief. "Of course. Are you accusing me of carnapping now? The first time you thought I was a kidnapper." He chuckled."My bad then. I didn't mean to think like that, and besides, I'm a foreigner to this country, and I love my precious life just to let anyone abduct me in the middle of broad daylight," I said to defend myself."I let that slide because you have a great point. It was also quite smart for a woman to think that way. You're making me wonder what you were doing in the Philippines before you became a servant to the Martins." "I was
The waffle tasted amazing. It didn't taste ordinary like those packed ready mixtures available in the supermarket. There was crunch right on every corner and soft and moist inside. Not too sweet for someone who doesn't like too sweet treats and that was what I wanted."By the way, what brings you here?" I was busy identifying the ingredients they put on the waffle when Adam asked me this. I raised my head to look at him and our eyes unexpectedly met. I promptly looked away, returning to my food to avoid looking into his beautiful eyes. I couldn't deny it was truly mesmerizing and if I dared to stare at it any longer. "I was looking for something," I answered. I heard him sip into his coffee and I was about to put a slice of waffle inside my mouth when she asked, "Something or someone?" I stopped, putting my fork back into my plate to answer, "Something.""Wait, are you sure that something, nonhuman—not someone?" I didn't know what he wanted me to answer, but when I glanced at him
Anita's Point of ViewI went to the servants' quarter after tidying up in the kitchen. Another day will be over. After preparing for bed, Bian told me Ms. Peters was looking for me and she asked me to meet her in the kitchen. I didn't waste more time and headed towards where she was, wearing a pair of floral pajamas. I saw her standing next to the counter holding a folder and when she noticed me arriving, she smiled."Here is the agreement William prepared. Read it carefully tonight and read it again tomorrow when you wake up before signing it. Okay?" Ms. Peters handed me the folder."Yes, Ms. Peters," I replied before taking it. When I returned to the servant's quarter, Bian was already on the separate bed, facing the wall. She was busy with her phone watching a movie with earphones on and it seemed she didn't see me coming in. I closed the door behind me and went to my bed. I took the chance to scan what was written in the agreement. It was stated that I needed to help Sir Lennon