Chapter 1:- Cruel Aunt

“Hurry! Get them ready as soon as possible,” my aunt growled at me while pointing at chopped vegetables that were sitting on the counter, uncooked. She walked up to the pot, smelling the meat that was prepared by me for the Christmas party. “Where are the starter?”

Shit!

In such a hurry, I forgot to prepare the tomato and broad bean salad that was her favorite.

“Where the hell is the starter? The guests will be here at any moment. What’re you doing!” She yelled into my face.

I bowed my head down, fixing my gaze to the floor. “S-Sorry…” I mumbled. “I forgot to prepare.….”

Before I could complete myself, she slammed her hands against the counter, jolting me. 

“What did I tell you? I warned you that this is your last chance. Your single mistake may take you and your useless brother out of this house!”  

“Please, ma’am…” I whispered, clutching the fabric of my apron because of the terror that was gripping my chest. She was my father’s stepsister, but she had never allowed me and my brother to call her Aunt. She behaved to us like we were her pets. “It….It will be ready in time.” I couldn’t stop myself from stuttering.  

“You better prepare it as soon as you can, or else you’ll be out of this house!” She warned and stalked off the kitchen.

I glanced at the door where she had disappeared a moment ago. She was violent and often grabbed me by the hair and slapped my face, but she broke me every day through her harsh words, calling me ugly and fat. She was greedy because she wanted to get her hands on my father’s fortune, but I never let it happen and since then her resentment grew for me and I became a robot. I didn’t respond to her taunts and her hits.  

Our life was destroyed completely after the death of our father two years ago. He died of cancer. And we moved to California for a better future but who knows that we would end up in hell. She and her two sons never accepted me and my brother as a family. They treated us like dirt in their house. We didn’t get proper food and clothes. Sometimes we go to bed starving. Marina White would rather throw food in the trash than offering us. She had been holding grudges against us since the day we stepped into her house.

“Noelle!” Marina screamed my name from upstairs. “Where the fuck is my red dress?!”

Shit!

Abandoning everything in the kitchen, I ran upstairs and went to my room to fetch her dress. I forgot to put it in her closet. I picked the red velvet dress carefully from the dresser. It must have cost her fortune. She was a braggart with an ego.

Shaking away her thought, I headed to her room, but someone bumped into me.

“Watch out, Noelle!” Edgar White, the first son of Marina, said and grabbed my shoulder to balance my body. I immediately tore myself away from him and stepped back, maintaining an appropriate distance between us. He was a prick. I didn’t like being around him because he always made me feel uncomfortable with his eyes and touch.

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear before apologizing, “Sorry.”

He smirked and reached out to me, but I instantly stepped back. 

“It’s okay,” he said, coming closer to me.

I hate his touch!

Swallowing hard, I got out of his way. “Excuse me.”

But he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the wall. “Seems like you haven’t considered my offer yet?” He smirked and let his eyes run down my body. “I want my answer, Noe.”

Raw anger shot through me as I bared my teeth. “I’ll never accept your dirty deal!”

His brows snapped together as his lips twisted into a sneer. “Really?” He ran his hand over my face, and I flinched. “You’ll have to accept it sooner or later.”

“I’ll never!” I snapped, glaring right into his eyes.

“Then be ready for punishment,” he hissed.

“Noelle!” His mother called me out.

“Excuse me,” I said, and pushed him aside before heading to Marina’s room.

Edgar White was twenty-four, two years older than me. Since the day I stepped into this house, he had never taken his eyes off of me. He had a deal with me about my virginity. He knew that I was a virgin, and he wanted to be my first and in return, he would help me to get the job in Spraggins Corporation. Even though we were not blood-related but thinking of having him on my bed disgusts me.

When I approached Marina’s room, I knocked on the door. “Come in!” She shouted from inside.

I walked into her room and found her in front of the vanity, curling her hair. “Put it over the bed and get out,” She said without sparing a glance. I walked over to the bed and placed her dress and walked out of the room.

I went to the kitchen and continued my work. Since I couldn’t accept Edgar’s offer, I had to look for another job so that I could provide financial support to my brother. I quit my college two years ago shortly after my father’s death because of the financial problem, but I arranged enough money for my brother’s studies. Ned, my brother, was a shining student, and I didn’t want him to quit his studies just because we didn’t have enough money. I was ready to put everything on the line to make his dream come true. He wanted to be a surgeon and he would be a surgeon one day. Now, he was pursuing his studies at one of the best colleges in the country.

Since our father’s savings would not last long, I badly craved a new job. I didn’t know how I could find a new job!

“Noelle!” My aunt screamed again.

Ugh!

**********

“Noelle!” Someone called me out from the crowd. I hurriedly grabbed the drink and went to the person who had ordered the red wine.

“Could you please bring me a glass of scotch?” Another woman ordered me. I forced a smile and gave her a curt nod before walking to the counter to get her scotch.

I walked back to her and handed her scotch. It was not more than a second after another group of people ordered me to bring bourbon. It went on for two hours at the party. Noelle, bring me wine! Noelle, bring me snacks! Noelle, bring me juice! Noelle, bring me that and bring me those…!!!

They were ordering me around one after another.  

After a long five hours of Christmas party, finally, I got time to let out a peaceful breath. I slumped down the couch and closed my eyes, breathing calmly. Not even a servant would be treated like this. I had been working since morning, despite that, Marina found me a useless bitch.

I shook away her thought and grabbed my cell phone and punched in my brother’s number. I had been missing him for two days and I didn’t get his news since then. In two rings, he picked up my call.

“Hi, Noe,” he said, his voice was soft and alluring as always.

“Hey, Ned,” I smiled, “how are you doing?”

“Good,” he spoke. His voice sounded hesitant. “I’m good.”

Worrying, I asked, “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer me.

“Ned, everything is okay?”

And then he laughed softly. “Everything is good, Noe. How about you? I guess bitch is still troubling you?”

“A lot.” I sighed.

“Just give me a few years, Noe. One day I’ll be a great surgeon and then we’ll be out of that goddamn hunter house and will live a peaceful life. You won’t be working there and worrying about money.”

My heart wrenched as tears gathered in my eyes. “I love you, Ned.”

“I love you too, Noelle,” he paused for a moment before letting out, “I talk to you later.” And hung up.

Why did he speak like he was upset? Did anything happen to him? He was sad. Ned was never like that. He was a friendly, cheerful, and funny person.

I jolted when my phone rang suddenly. I glanced at the unknown number and picked up the phone. “Hello, this is Noelle Dolten speaking.”

“Hello ma’am, I am speaking from Spraggins corporation….”

And I paused for a moment. Spraggins corporation??? One of the leading companies in the world.

“It is our good pleasure to inform you that your resume has been selected. Our company urgently requires a candidate that will be suitable for an assistant. We would like to invite you to an interview at Spraggins office. Your interview is scheduled for coming Thursday at 3 p.m.”

What!

After a moment of silence, I said, “Ok, thank you for letting me know.”

After confirmation of a few more things, I hung up and pressed my phone against my chest, jumping like a baby.

Surprised! Surprised! Surprised!

They selected me among the thousands of applicants. How come?

After a moment, my phone rang again. I frowned when I saw my brother’s number on the screen. I quickly picked up his call and said, “Hey there.”

“Is there something you wanna share with me?” He asked immediately.

My eyebrows snapped together in surprise. “Can you believe if I tell you that Spraggins corporation has selected me? They have scheduled my interview for coming Thursday.”

He chuckled and said nothing.

“You know, I have been applying for this job for two years and when I found they selected me, It sounds unreal to me.”

“You’ve got what you deserve, Noe. You are such a hardworking lady. You have been through a lot of shit. Now, it’s your turn to enjoy your life.”

“I will never be happy until you are happy, Ned. You’re my happiness and my only family.”

“Feeling is the same, Noelle.”  

God, I was missing him so much. “When will you be home, Ned?”

“That house is not our home, Noelle.”

My heart sank.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Take care of yourself, see ya,” he said and disconnected the call.

I looked at the black screen for a moment before placing it on the table and got to the bed. But it had not more than a few minutes before my aunt’s scream pierced through the walls. “Noelle!” Her heavy footsteps were coming closer to my room. “Where the fuck is that bitch!”

I got up and sat down.

Why is she angry?

I got off the bed and headed to the door, but before I had time to open it, the door slammed open and pushed me back forcefully. I hissed due to pain that shot through my spine.

“Bitch!” Marina marched inside and grabbed me by my hair. “What did you do to my son!”

I winced because she gripped my hair. “I did nothing to your son!” I growled and tried to free myself from her grip.

She snarled and jerked my head to the side so I could see her son, who was standing near the door. It shocked me to see a few bruises on his face. How did he get those bruises? It was his trap!

Then be ready for punishment! He had told me that.

“You pushed him?” Marina growled, dragging me out of the room. “Now, you will be punished!”

Tears fell down my cheeks because I knew what she was going to do with me.

“I didn’t...” Before I could complete myself, she slapped me on my cheek, shutting me up.

“You were asked for trouble,” she growled and took me down before throwing me out of the house.

I stumbled to my feet and landed on the snow.

“Marina…” I tried to speak, but she slammed the door in front of my face and left me in the cold.

I looked down at my dress. I was just in pajama, freezing in the snow. I walked to the stable of a horse that was abandoned for years and sat on the icy floor. I curled in, but it didn’t help me get rid of the cold. It was Christmas and people must have been celebrating this day, but for me, it was nothing more than a nightmare. I didn’t know how long it would last.

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