Ever clumsy

Vanessa

I don’t even wait on a response to my knock because I know he’s so rude and might want to keep me standing for long for having taken that much time. I walk in and everyone is staring at me making me feel too conscious. 

What the hell have they been talking about? I hope they don’t think I’ve been eavesdropping cos I wasn’t. Why would I even want to eavesdrop? They were probably having a chauvinist party downgrading all the women they know. Why would I want to partake in that?

Or do I have a stain on my dress? Or is my hair out of place? I always make sure to check that I’m alright cos I don’t want to misrepresent my bosses. I really took my time this morning to fix myself up knowing we would have guests today.

 Or do they know about the crush that I’ve been nursing for Dimitri and his older brother? I know it’s twisted but they’re magnificent in their own ways especially Stefan who is so perfect and dreamy. Is that why him and his friends have that look on their faces? Do they disapprove? Who are they to have an opinion on who I have a crush on? He may be my boss but he doesn’t pay me well enough to dictate who I spend the rest of my life with. Imaginary or not.

“ Are you even listening?”

I didn’t even realize he was speaking.

“ Yes. No. What?” 

“ I said Marry me.”

Okay I’m very sure that he wasn’t speaking to me or why would he even say that. I look behind me in search of the beautiful, elegant lady he might be talking to but I’m the only female in the room. 

Wait! Is he gay? I look behind me once again and see that I’m stood between him and his best friend Carter. My eyes go wide. I always had this feeling deep down that they both had an unusual relationship with Carter calling him sweetheart and other pet names every now and then.

With the fact that they both never try to settle with one person and sometimes even share the same women. I even heard once that they used to attend the same orgies. Oh! My! God! Are they trying to make it official now that his father is dead. He probably would have disapproved which is why they had to wait till after his death. This is both surprising and beautiful. I can’t believe I used to have a crush on him.

I decide to take some steps back to give them the much needed privacy. I start to look at them both with my hand on my wide open mouth waiting for the response.

Carter turns to look at me as if reading my mind “ he’s talking to you”. 

“ No he’s talking to you” I reply immediately because why would he be talking to me. 

“ No I’m talking to you Vanessa” his rich voice fills the air consuming me whole while sending tingles down my spine with the way he drags my name. 

My momentous hypnosis wears off and I suddenly go into a fit of dry, sarcastic laughter with a straight face.

Are you seriously trying to make a fool of me in front of your friends? Marry you? Why would you ever want to do that? 

I keep laughing while slowly dragging my feet out of the study. My work there is all done so I don’t see the need to stay there and be made into a jester by the rich, spoiled and coddled idiots in the study.

I make my way back down to the kitchen with fury burning through me. What the hell was that? What was he playing at? Why did he always have to open his mouth and ruin everything? What did I do to make him think that I deserve to be made fun of like that?. I guess it’s because I’m his maid. People like that only know how to use their employees however they want and throw them away like ragdolls when they’re done.

We’ll that’s not gonna be me. I’m going to be leaving here very soon.

“ What’s wrong honey?” My mom Christina pulls me into her embrace. “ Nothing is wrong. I just feel really drained after having to serve the devil some wine. I’ll probably feel better after some time.” 

“ You’ll probably have to rest some other time. Dinner is about to begin and you know we’ll need to attend to the guests.”

“ Unfortunately.”

“ It’s a wonder that we don’t have to feed them the food straight in their mouths while patting them on the back since we have to do everything for them.”

“ Don’t complain. Just be grateful that you get to work and save money to leave here and get a better life. A lot of people don’t have that.”

“ Yeah, Yeah. I do count my blessings but I wish I could get out of her quicker."

She hugs me again and then pats my cheek “ It will all get better. I promise.” I really hope it does.

“ It’s time” we hear Marlon say and we all scurry around to make sure of a successful dinner because there’s nothing worse than a bad dinner to these high class people. Especially the women. We’re really so lucky that our boss Rina doesn’t have much care for these things so we’re not all too worried.

We walk into the dining area and the silence was so loud that you could hear the waves of it reverberating through the walls. The tension was so thick that you’ll need more than an ordinary knife to cut through it. I really hate these settings. Isn’t the death of one family member enough to bring the others together. I guess rich people are just like that.

On one end of the table sits Stephan at the head of the table, where his late father used to sit fitting the role of a responsible head of the family. Looking all beautiful and regal with the way he owns everything by just being present on that seat. I guess it’s true that a king doesn’t need to announce his presence.

His aura and demeanor is enough to make his presence know and felt. I just wish I could walk over to him, hold him in a tight embrace, console him and just reassure him that everything will get better. On his right sits his mother, Rina Ian formerly Williams. For a while, long back, she used to be Mr. Marcus Ian’s mistress.

Rumor has it that she was originally engaged to be married to him , and even pregnant with Stefan at the time. But he was forced by his father to leave her for a while, due to the responsibility of having to carry their name along with another wealthy heir through an arranged marriage, and got married to Mrs. Tatiana. He still refused accept her and kept on seeing Rina until his sworn responsibility came back to put him on a chock hold, thereby leading to the birth of Dimitri.

After Mrs. Tatiana’s death, he returned back to marry his one true love after many years apart. Honestly, despite popular opinion, I don’t think there is anyone more romantic than the Late Mr. Ian.

Seated on the left of Stephan is his baby sister, Alana. So beautiful, she’s the perfect combination of her mother and father. With a beautiful face like that of her mother’s, she had striking features like her father. With long, brown hair like her mother’s and matching color of eyes with her father which she has in common with Dimitri.

Depending on the angle you see her from, she sometimes looks like the feminine version of Dimitri. She has this hypnotic, hot femme fatale look that you can get lost staring at. I think it’s part of the reason why Trent, Dimitri’s best friend cannot keep his eyes off her. I’m sure that this will not sit right with Dimitri considering that she’s also staring at his best friend.

Are they hinting at something?

On the far end of the table sits Dimitri looking like the tyrant King that he is. His energy is enough to fill the room with darkness and make everyone and everything in it feel small and that calm and unreadable look on his face, like the calm before an unpredictable storm is really not helping ease the tension. 

It is no news how much he hates his father’s other family as he has never failed to emphasize on his sentiments towards them. There has never been a time when he backed down from letting his siblings know that they’re bastards intruding on his territory, even in public. He doesn’t fail to let them know that they would never truly be accepted into the family and his grandfather helped fuel his attitude till he died. 

He seems to hold a grudge against them for his mother’s death but in my opinion, if he was to blame anyone, be should blame the people who forced her into a marriage with someone who did not care for her and never failed to hide it.

On his right sits Carter Forbes, his ever loyal wingman. His right hand person and twin from another mother. Seated looking all high and mighty with his perfectly looking face. He has sift features despite being one of the most masculine man I’ve ever seen, especially when he smiles, with his dimples and all and I’m sure that’s what calls in the women.  Maybe that was why I thought he was proposing to him.I ’m still not convinced he didn’t.

To his farther right is Brian Bradford, heir to Bradford and Co a multi-billion dollar engineering company. Despite being blessed with wealth and all, he happens to be the level headed of the bunch and is married to Estelle who sits next to him. They have a kid on the way. 

To his left is Trent Castor. The perfect blend and balance of Carter and Brian. Is not committed to anyone right now but is rumored to be very intentional and involved in whomever and whatever catches his fancy. It’s no wonder he’s able to balance being a billionaire real estate expert and hotel managing guru while being a playboy at the same time. 

I really do wonder why he can’t seem to concentrate on anything that is not Miss. Alana.

“ So… Dimitri, are you planning on moving back home now that your father is gone?. At least to be closer to family” Rina asks breaking the silence.

“ Wouldn’t you like to know that?” He responds dryly.

“ That was a harmless question” Stefan retorts.

Dimitri let’s out a dry laugh “ Harmless. Or is she trying to know if the new owner of the house would let her stay considering the fact that she has nothing to offer now and had to coerce the former owner by selling herself off to him?” 

“ Tell me, isn’t that what you really want to know?” He says with his face still void of emotions.

I see Stephan about to get up and defend his mother but his mother wraps her hand around his to calm him down. It isn’t really working cos I can still feel the anger rolling off him in waves from where I’m stood.

“ I just really wanted to make conversation. To know if you’re moving in that’s all”.

“ Well my only family is dead and I do not need to answer unnecessary questions”. Everyone goes right back to eating quietly.  

I suddenly feel eyes on me and I can guess who they belong to. I refuse to acknowledge anything though even though it’s hard to ignore. His presence is all too consuming, like a burst of smoke engulfing you in it’s harmful and blinding embrace. 

I will not look up at him. I refuse to acknowledge what he said earlier and I’ll go on to pretend that I didn’t hear him tell me to marry him in an attempt to ridicule me in front of his friends. I would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that I am still shaken by his words.

“I would like to have my dessert now” he says in a breathy tone that sends chills straight down to my core. Why does it feel like he’s talking to me. I still will not acknowledge him.

I raise my head to look at Bianca and she motions at me to get his dessert.

Why don’t you do it yourself? I don’t want to go near that man.

I nod and force myself to move. I can’t be in defiance right in front of them. I come right back with a platter of chocolate mousse cake and proceed to cut a piece and place it on a saucer for him and go on to serve him. I am suddenly enveloped in his addicting woodsy scent and become all to aware of his presence. It doesn’t help that he reaches out and slightly touches my finger as I set down his plate.

The touch was so thin and almost non-existent and I would have thought I had imagined it if I didn’t look up straight into his eyes and saw the fiery look in them. It all happened so fast but I’ll be damned if it didn’t feel like forever. 

I mistakenly run my hand into a bottle of wine and send it spilling it’s content all over the table, running down all over his pants.

Oh Lord! This is the trouble I had foreseen! What do I do?!

“ What the hell” 

“ I’m very sorry sir, I’m so sorry”

I reach out for a napkin and try to clean the mess I started but he stops me before I’ve even made a move.

Right now, everyone has stopped whatever they were doing and watching us closely like we are their only source of entertainment. His friends pass knowing looks around each other in silent communication while trying to hide their laughter.

Seriously, what is wrong with these guys? Why do they always have to go out of their way to make me feel uncomfortable?

The others just keep looking at us.  “ Are you alright Vanessa”. Stephan asks me making my cheeks go red in embarrassment.

He actually knows my name! 

“ Yes she is alright. And I am too thanks for asking”. He looks at me “ Just take the bottle and get out of my sight.”

“ I’m sorry” I say once again as I reach for the bottle and turn around to leave. 

“ Is everything okay babe?” Tatiana asks me.

“ No. Everything is not okay. Everything suddenly became my nightmare cos I couldn’t help keeping my clumsy self out of trouble.”

“ Oh God, I’m having a headache I need to lie down."

“ Stop being a drama queen. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“ It actually was worse. I spilled wine all over his pants and with the look he gave me, I’m sure I’ll be battling ghosts and wraiths tonight.”

Leon reaches to smoothen my hair.

“ What should we do to make it feel better?” Tianna asks.

“ How about you give me a million dollars and promise not to give off my future location.” 

“ I wish I had a million dollars. I wouldn’t need to work here would I?” she responds. 

Just when I was finally starting to feel better, Marlon walks in and announces.

“ Vanessa, Mr. Dimitri would like to see you in his study in five minutes” 

“ Why do you have to always be the bearer of bad news? I just know I’m either getting fired or I’m getting a salary cut because of the expensive wine I wasted."

 I was saving for a lot of things and it will be very sad if my money is either cut off or cut short. I have to start racking my brain for the perfect excuse.

“ Three minutes now. Hurry!”

I hurry up the stairs. Better to make it early than having to make up excuses for why you were two seconds late to my tyrant boss. 

“ Come in” as if he already knows that I’m here and about to knock. 

I make my way in. “ You can have a seat. You might want to sit for this. Trust me”. I decided to take his word and sit.