CHAPTER SIX;Behind Closed Doors,Under the Table Transactions. A Snake—A Traitor.Can be a Friend, or a Lover.You Can Never Let Your Guard Down.—"According to Mr. Brown, this lady here," the head maid pointed at Dalia. Dalia waved her hand to the maids and other personnel that was lining in front of her. She was smiling widely that even her eyes were also smiling. "This will be our new maid. Introduce yourself."Dalia stepped out, carrying herself like a fair lady. The other maid's face contorted for some reason. "Hello everyone, my name is Dalia. From now on, I will be a part of Brown's household. Please take care of me."The maids smiled reluctantly and greeted her. Although the response is not as optimistic as Dalia thought, she didn't care. She was so happy that she ceased to care about trivial things.Agnes watched from the stairs, she was peeking down to the living room, she was looking intently at Dalia, her close friend from their village.Since their marriage, which was t
CHAPTER SEVEN; They Can Smile at You But Sneer on Your Back. Act Nice at You, But Stabs You at Your Back. Who Are They? — She stayed awake the whole night- no, rather, she could not sleep the whole night. She stayed laying down on her bed with her eyes staring at the ceiling wide open. The silence in her room and in the whole mansion is, for the first time ever since she stepped in here, deafening. There was a strange calmness in her heart. No, she thought. It wasn't strange. It was her mind breaking down and turning everything off to not hurt myself further. It's my self-defense. Her last self-defense. She could not believe her ears at that time. Even her mind refuses to analyze the situation. Her feet just froze there and her hands started shaking like crazy. Her eyes were glued in front of the door and there was the urge to barge in and see if it was true. Barge in and see if her ears are not deceiving her. But she couldn't. She didn't. She stood still and her body
CHAPTER EIGHT; A Marked Contrast To What is Said To What is Meant; Irony--- — Dalia looked down on Agnes who has her face slapped by her. The part of her cheek that was slapped was reddening and her eyes were also tearing up. She was looking at her since her build was shorter and smaller than her. Dalia can't help but gloat in her mind and she can't resist the small smirk that was aching to come out. Her eyes were looking sharply at Agnes—mocking and satisfaction were dancing inside her eyes. 'That's right,' she said inside her mind. 'Look up at me. I'm taller than you—and may be higher in terms of status in this house too!' Agnes never noticed her envy and jealousy towards her even though they were always together before. Almost everyone in their school noticed it but she didn't, not even in the slightest. In conclusion: She's stupid. Awfully stupid. Despite her hate towards her, she decided to befriend her. Because, really, she gets attention and other benefits too. It's
CHAPTER NINE; Sleep tight — Dalia glared at them and she clenched her hand very hard that she can feel her nails digging in her own flesh, she wasn't even afraid of drawing out blood from it. She gritted her teeth as hard as she can that she can feel them grinding against each other, also not afraid of destroying her perfect set of teeth. Her sharp glare was trailed with them as Leon slowly descends the stairs while carrying her in his arms. She was staring very hard that she might cause a hole in their heads. 'That god-damned bitch,' she exclaimed in her mind. 'She purposely did that just to get his attention! Pathetic!' Dalia was fuming mad inside and some maid was looking in her direction with raised brows. She glared at them and they looked away. She humped, cowards, then descended the stairs too just to follow them into the living room. But as she was about to step on the last steps of the stairs, someone on top stopped and called her out. "Dalia," Dalia stopped and turne
CHAPTER TEN; Gun Fires — Dalia just stared as Agnes’ body went lip and fell like a dead vegetable. There was an awful thud as her head crashed with the table before falling completely to the ground. Dalia’s mouth twitches as she imagines how painful it is when she wakes up but she doesn’t care. It was her who will suffer. Because of the sound, the other maids went to see and were very startled when they saw the scene. Dalia sneered at them when they screamed. “Shut up, she’s not dead yet. Stop overreacting.” She tried pulling her body but Agnes was heavy for her, her face scrunched. “Despite having a small figure, you sure weigh, huh? Heh, that must be the reason why he doesn’t like you.” She kicked her. “Ugly.” She looked at the frightened maids and called out for them. “You three, help me put her down in the basement!” One of the three maids tried protesting. “Bu-but Sir Leon will—“ “Shut up!” She shouted in rage. “Leon will not mind!” Another one talked back. “He will! You
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Bang, Bang! — Dalia began to have cold feet. Something in her mind was telling her that something dangerous is coming. Her pulse began to quicken and her breath was hitching. "Where is she." She hears him ask again. Dalia gulped soundlessly. She has two options; to tell the truth or to weave a lie. Both are dangerous, but the former is riskier than the latter. So, she decided to choose the latter; weave and create a lie then pray for a miracle that Leon will accept it and believe her. "She's in her room," she voiced out shakily. She tried to smile, but even just stretching her lips was hard. Her supposedly sweet and seductive smile turned out a stiff and crooked one. It was unpleasant to see, she knows. It looks so fake. His cold eyes hovered on her, in every place they stare, she can feel that part of her skin freezing and stiffening. "Come on Leon," she moves towards him and snaked her slender arms to his. She pressed her body to him and looked at him. She w
CHAPTER TWELVE: Cleaning — The gunfire rang like thunder in a raging storm, accompanied by a flash of silvery-white lightning. It was deafening against the silence of the mountain. Crows flapped their wings in the air in fright and immediately flew away from the direction of the loud sounds. They caw as they evacuated the area and they disappeared through the night. After this noisy gunfire was a loud thud of a falling body on the floor. Like a frozen lake in the middle of the winter, Leon coldly looked at the lying body on the floor, unmoving with red liquid constantly oozing out from the bullet wound on her forehead. His eyes were emotionless, as he watched the liquid oozed from the bullet wound, he looks like he was just watching a regular tv show. Dalia has her eyes wide open and the shock in her eyes as she stared at the ceiling was still there. She seems like she doesn't know why she was killed, of course, she'll never know. She wasn’t given enough time to think about what
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A Cold Dark Scary Place — In a dark, still and quiet room, a lone body of a female human was lying on the damp floor. On her forehead, there was a trail of blood that dried over time. Her face was pale, and if you can't see her chest going up and down, you would mistake her as dead. Not so far away from the sleeping body, a large drop of water that accumulated on the ceiling fell and dropped on the small puddle on the ground, creating a popping sound that broke the silence in the room. As if it was a magic spell dispelling the magic cast on the lady, the lady's hand flinched. Then a small groan escaped her lips. The groan doesn't sound like she was hurt, rather, it sounds like a groan after waking up from a deep and comfortable sleep, despite where she's sleeping at the moment. Then, her eyes opened. It searched through the room despite the darkness. Her eyes were still foggy, it seems like she isn't back to reality yet. Then, she tried to move. She pushed her
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:---“Pardon, uh, you want to go out?” Her assistant almost stuttered, her eyes darting almost everywhere. “Did I hear right?”Not caring about her uncanny behavior, Agnes shrugged her shoulder. “Yep! I want to go out. Can you connect me to my husband, please?”Even though Agnes had permission to contact her parents, Agnes still had to go through Leon and wait for his approval before anything else. Agnes didn’t even have her phone with her and all of her phone calls are monitored. Yet, she didn’t voice out any complains and obediently follows his will.She’s like an obedient puppy with a little will that Leon lets her have.But giving that much will seems to lead her into thinking that she’s already free to do what she wants even if she needs to ask permission first.Watching how her face looks like she won’t be dropping the topic, the assistant hesitatingly withdraws, telling her that she’ll get the phone from Margaret. Seeing her approaching, Margaret raised her
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:---Night fell before she knew it. When she looked outside the window and saw that everything was painted black, she almost spilled the soup that she was carrying to taste test. Fortunately, she was supported by the person Margaret left to assist her. “Thank you,” the person only nodded her head and went back to the corner immediately. She let go of her hand as if Agnes had some disease on her, making her slightly upset.But she doesn’t want that emotion to spoil the foods she’s preparing for her yet-to-come-home husband. Agnes expelled the thoughts from her mind and went to the table to place the pipping soup. She looked at it and can’t help but reveal a smug smile. It was a clear chicken soup, a simple dish, but she was proud of it. After her ‘training’ with that cook, she can finally cook on her own, and now, she’s readying to serve this to her husband. Agnes is nervous, but also excited. She contained it before reaching for the spoon to give it a taste. Sl
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:Out of Sight, Out of Mind (02)--Agnes was giddy. She can’t wait for what to cook for Leon for dinner. There are many recipes in her mind that she was struggling to decide which one to cook. Not just that, because her experience was lacking, she can’t really choose whatever comes to her mind. The clock’s hand was slowly ticking down, and the noise of its every movement was heard inside the silent room. Agnes was the only one who was inside, making the room small yet wide. Agnes tossed and turned on the bed, wondering what will happen later in the evening.Her heart thundered in her chest, almost bursting with anticipation and excitement. “There’s no use in staying in the bed and daydreaming all day,” Agnes suddenly stopped and sat up. “The day will be gone before I knew it, so I have to think fast.”Thinking that Agnes gets up on her feet and heads to the door. They say that if you’re happy, time clicks faster than normal. But if you’re excited about somethin
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Out of Sight, Out of Mind --- That was disappointing. Agnes thought she finally found a friend in this house but it seems like she’s mistaken. She really liked the cook. She was thorough while teaching her and had very long patience even after Agnes made a mistake countless times. Agnes really thought that the cook will be her friend in that house full of stoic people aside from her husband… And, uh, her husband’s friend; Robert. Anyway, Agnes was hyped and she managed to learn quickly contrary to her normal self who would probably learn it longer than she did. Agnes was disappointed. She stomped her feet while walking away from the kitchen, a deep frown etched on her face. The other maids saw her like that but none commented. They just bowed their head respectfully to her to greet the madam of the house before going back to their own works. Agnes ignored them and ascended the stairs; she wants to stay in her room in the meantime because of what happened in t
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:A closed-off mind---“Hi!” She greeted the cook that was just preparing their dinner. The cook was startled, swinging herself to face Agnes, the knife in her hand was threateningly shiny. Agnes stepped back, glancing awkwardly at the tip of the knife.The cook noticed it and quickly hid the knife behind her in panic. Agnes was alarmed. “Ah, be careful! You’ll hurt yourself!”Watching her act like that stressed Agnes. Why does it look like the chef was looking at a ghost? Why was she so startled that she pointed a knife at her? I mean, who would point a knife at someone just because they are startled? At a normal occurrence, one won’t…Anyway, Agnes forced herself to forget what just happened and smiled at the cook. “Hey! I have a favor to ask…”“Uhm,” the cook was looking at her, her eyes guarded. She had a frown forming on her face, and Agnes looked at her curiously. It was the first time she saw someone with emotion here. Everyone here looks stoic; they all ha
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:Curiosity and Suspicions---“Mom!” She chirped as soon as the call was picked up. “I haven’t talked to you for a long time!”[“Agnes, my daughter!”] She heard her mother call her affectionately, the next sounds were her virtual kisses. Agnes giggled, missing the voice of her mom for a very long time. [“How is your daughter there?”]“I’m fine,” she closed her eyes as the gentle breeze passed her face, she glanced at her side, overlooking the large lawn and the seemingly unending trees of the forest that surrounds their mansion. The blades of grass swayed at the wind as if they choreograph a dance to offer at the blue sky heavenwards. She tucked the loose strand of her red hair behind her ears. She continued to converse with her mother with a visible vibrant smile on her lips. “Everything is going well here. How about you? And where’s dad?”[“He is here! Right beside me!”] Her mother replied enthusiastically. Her voice went far for a second, and she can hear her fai
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONETest the WatersTo Test the Waters---He stared at her for the longest time he had ever done. His black eyes stared at her like forever. Agnes felt her heart thumping fast, wondering what she did wrong…Time had slowed down as if the clock deliberately dragged its hands snail-paced.Agnes pinched her fingers, waiting for his answer nervously. Robert glanced at the two secretly before hiding his smile with a cup of coffee. It was silent, the maids were not accustomed to this silence since days ago, so they can’t help their eyes but also took a secretive peek at the two.“… Why?” Finally, words came out of his mouth, like a sharp knife cutting through a thick blanket of awkward silence. At his voice, some people that stood in the corners flinched, but they were quick in hiding their emotions, keeping them in check.“Why? Uh…” Agnes reached a dead end, forgetting that he might ask why would she like to call them. Typically, you would not ask why your partner wants to
CHAPTER TWENTY:Getting The CourageTo Face a Sleeping Tiger---“Leon!” Agnes greeted happily to her husband that just gotten off from his car. She bobbed up and down as she descends the stairs, eager to arrive by his side immediately.Every maid she passes by bows their head before her, Agnes ignored them all and pounced at her husband. The man did not fail to catch her, holding her waist for a better grasp, not letting her fall to the ground. Like they were in an open sea, she grasps his arms tightly, holding to them as if she was about to drown.“Welcome back!” She cast a wide, bright smile at the man, staring deeply at his big, black eyes.Leon stared back, his eyes curving into small crescent slits, his orbs almost hidden behind that warm smile. He spoke, his voice still low as ever, like a breeze of winter. “Good evening to you too, my wife. I’
CHAPTER NINETEEN:We’ve been told to notBelieve the words of a serpent.But are all the words theySay are lies?…Who is lying?---A maid approached them and laid down the snack and drinks on the table between them, her movements were fast, almost pouring everything on the table, and left the area as if her butt was on fire.As soon as she left, Agnes began to think about what Robert said to him, and they were shrouded in silence. Robert did not say anything and just took a glass of juice as if he was giving her permission to think.Agnes ignored him and began thinking.Fake?The word echoed inside her mind, bouncing in her ear canals. She could not understand his words. What is he talking about? What thing? What was fake?Is he perhaps talking about…?“Yes,” as if to confirm her thoughts, Robert’s