"Silvia, he said softly, his voice dangerously even, "why does it always have to be you?"Silvia and Donna each whirled back, their eyes widening as Ralph stood at the entrance, his expression a mask of stern disapproval. The remnants of his earlier outburst were still evident in the tight traces of his face, causing Silvia’s heart to sink. She was already soaked and in trouble; now she was caught slacking off.“We… we had been just discussing the, uh, laundry schedule,” Donna stammered, her eyes darting nervously between Ralph and Silvia.Ralph’s gaze shifted to Silvia, his eyes narrowing. And you? What do you have got to say for yourself?”Silvia swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “I… I was simply explaining what happened this morning, sir. To Donna.”“Explaining the way you found yourself on my mattress?” Ralph’s voice became dangerously low.Silvia’s cheeks flushed. “It wasn’t intentional, sir. I… I think I sleepwalked.”Ralph raised an eyebrow, his skepticism palpable. “Sleepwal
Silvia’s tears dried the moment she got into her room, drying up as quickly as they fell. She had learned that Rebecca derived a twisted satisfaction from her suffering, and so Silvia had cultivated an ability to cry on command—a haunting skill born out of necessity.The walls seemed to compress on her, adding to the feeling of isolation as she closed the door. Dealing with the suffocating weight of solitude, she wondered if maybe she could vanish absolutely by just staying there long enough.It took two to play the game Rebecca wanted to play, and if Silvia refused to play it with her, there was nothing she could do to force or frame her. She would ask for locks from Ralph to totally block away Rebecca totally, and if he asked why, she would say it was to curb her sleepwalking. Something was different about Ralph, ever since her forced three days of hunger, he had been less brutal towards her, and she hoped to use that to her advantage. Silvia was kind, but not stupid. She wanted to
Silvia held her cheeks and looked at Ralph, observing the anger on his face. To Ralph, though, she couldn’t look any less like Alexander than she did at that moment. However, the look in her eyes held something he had never seen before.Sometimes, his brother would look at him with such hatred as well. He rarely looked at him kindly, aggrieved that the world had given him a brother, even as he bullied him. Ralph knew that deep down, the reason it felt so easy to punish Silvia so badly was because she looked the most like the man he hated and loved in equal measure. His brother was a good person but a terrible brother. He had always supported Ralph's decisions and took care of him when others were watching. However, when it was just him and Alexander, Ralph realized the truth. His beloved brother regularly ensured that Ralph had no friends and remained isolated. According to Alexander's philosophy, if Ralph couldn't show affection to his older brother, he shouldn't be able to do so
Silvia woke up…lighter. The air was cool on her skin, and the sun had just the right degree of warmth. Birds never sang at her window because of where it was creepily positioned but Silvia could swear she heard birds chirping.The moment she opened her eyes, her first thought wasn’t about pain or hunger, it was about the fact that she wasn’t starving.She had opened her mouth, been stupid, the reckless-impulsive-asking for death kind of stupid, and yet here she was, very much alive, still in possession of all her limbs, and, miraculously, not locked in a basement somewhere.She was breathing.Silvia pulled the blanket over her face, smothering the strange, half-delirious laugh bubbling up in her chest. If Rebecca had her way, Silvia would probably be dead. But Ralph had let her go.More than that, he let her eat.It was such a ridiculous thing to be excited about, but Silvia had spent too much time in this house to not understand the weight of it. Ralph Spade did not forgive. He did n
Silvia pushed the door open as she tried to exit her boss's office. It was her duty to make sure she cleaned the office every morning before his arrival. Today was no different—except for the disaster that was just about to unfold.As she stepped out, she bumped into a solid object, leaving her momentarily dazed. Slowly looking up and ready to lash out at whatever that was, her heart skipped a beat as she saw what, or rather whom she had collided with — her boss, Ralph.“I am sorry sir,” she muttered apologetically. As she tried to regain her balance, she knocked over a cup of water which spilled over his crisp and expensive shirt. This was a really tense moment because she could see her boss fuming in great anger.“What in blazes is the matter with you?” Ralph asked angrily. He had just arrived at the office in a really bad mood, and this was not the best way to start his day.“I am really sorry sir,” Silvia kept pleading to receive mercy from her boss. But Ralph is a man who hardly
CHAPTER 2Silvia could not read the report she was seeing on the piece of paper. The letters and numbers jumbled together, an illegible mess. Her heart pounded against her ribs.The cold white hospital walls appeared to be suffocating her, crushing her under the burden of the news. The quiet beeping of heart monitors in the distance echoed in her ears, a steady reminder of mortality."What is this, sir?" She questioned in a puzzled manner with a very confused look on her face.The doctor slowly exhaled, as if getting ready.“Your mother...," he adjusted his glasses, "I am sorry ma'am. Your mother has an ischemic cardiomyopathy, a severe heart condition,” he broke the news to her, the words hanging heavily in the air.Silvia’s head snapped up. “A what?” Her voice cracked. She blinked, trying to shake her head as if that might somehow cause the medical jargon to make sense."Doctor, you just told me she was fine! How can she be fine if she has. that? A minute ago, you were the one telli
The office was filled with cold silence as the two parties just kept staring at each other.Ralph was trying to read her expression, while Silvia was just nervous.“I didn't hear you well. Do you mind repeating what you just said?” Ralph asked firmly. The way his tone sounded drove fear into Silvia's nerves.Silvia took a long, deep breath when Ralph asked her to explain the situation.“Please sir, I…I need… I need your help, sir,” she stuttered. It was evident that her fear had the most of her.The air-conditioning in the office was on but, she found herself sweating profusely. Sweat was running down her back, and she could sense the heat creeping up her neck under Ralph's intense scrutiny. She sat fidgeting in her chair with her legs trembling just slightly.“What do you need me to do? What is it all about?” He asked curiously.Even if he decides to help her, he needs to know where his money is going. That's how a businessman thinks.Yesterday's memory came rushing back like waves—t
Silvia found it hard to process what her boss was saying. They had never had a close discussion other than this one time, and now he was asking her to marry him.She knew nothing about her boss's lifestyle, preferences, likes, and dislikes.“Did I say anything wrong?” Ralph noticed Silvia was lost in her thoughts as she tried to unravel the mystery and reasons behind his request.After a long night of reflection, Ralph realized that proposing a contract marriage to Silvia could be a practical and mutually beneficial solution for both of them.Truth is, he had no love interest in Silvia...not at all. The marriage was a ruse. She was actually going to take on the role of a maid in his home. This would not only lighten his daily burdens but also allow him to save a substantial amount of money that he would otherwise spend on hiring additional workers.It would also reduce the unnecessary pressure on him to get married. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.The contract was going t
Silvia woke up…lighter. The air was cool on her skin, and the sun had just the right degree of warmth. Birds never sang at her window because of where it was creepily positioned but Silvia could swear she heard birds chirping.The moment she opened her eyes, her first thought wasn’t about pain or hunger, it was about the fact that she wasn’t starving.She had opened her mouth, been stupid, the reckless-impulsive-asking for death kind of stupid, and yet here she was, very much alive, still in possession of all her limbs, and, miraculously, not locked in a basement somewhere.She was breathing.Silvia pulled the blanket over her face, smothering the strange, half-delirious laugh bubbling up in her chest. If Rebecca had her way, Silvia would probably be dead. But Ralph had let her go.More than that, he let her eat.It was such a ridiculous thing to be excited about, but Silvia had spent too much time in this house to not understand the weight of it. Ralph Spade did not forgive. He did n
Silvia held her cheeks and looked at Ralph, observing the anger on his face. To Ralph, though, she couldn’t look any less like Alexander than she did at that moment. However, the look in her eyes held something he had never seen before.Sometimes, his brother would look at him with such hatred as well. He rarely looked at him kindly, aggrieved that the world had given him a brother, even as he bullied him. Ralph knew that deep down, the reason it felt so easy to punish Silvia so badly was because she looked the most like the man he hated and loved in equal measure. His brother was a good person but a terrible brother. He had always supported Ralph's decisions and took care of him when others were watching. However, when it was just him and Alexander, Ralph realized the truth. His beloved brother regularly ensured that Ralph had no friends and remained isolated. According to Alexander's philosophy, if Ralph couldn't show affection to his older brother, he shouldn't be able to do so
Silvia’s tears dried the moment she got into her room, drying up as quickly as they fell. She had learned that Rebecca derived a twisted satisfaction from her suffering, and so Silvia had cultivated an ability to cry on command—a haunting skill born out of necessity.The walls seemed to compress on her, adding to the feeling of isolation as she closed the door. Dealing with the suffocating weight of solitude, she wondered if maybe she could vanish absolutely by just staying there long enough.It took two to play the game Rebecca wanted to play, and if Silvia refused to play it with her, there was nothing she could do to force or frame her. She would ask for locks from Ralph to totally block away Rebecca totally, and if he asked why, she would say it was to curb her sleepwalking. Something was different about Ralph, ever since her forced three days of hunger, he had been less brutal towards her, and she hoped to use that to her advantage. Silvia was kind, but not stupid. She wanted to
"Silvia, he said softly, his voice dangerously even, "why does it always have to be you?"Silvia and Donna each whirled back, their eyes widening as Ralph stood at the entrance, his expression a mask of stern disapproval. The remnants of his earlier outburst were still evident in the tight traces of his face, causing Silvia’s heart to sink. She was already soaked and in trouble; now she was caught slacking off.“We… we had been just discussing the, uh, laundry schedule,” Donna stammered, her eyes darting nervously between Ralph and Silvia.Ralph’s gaze shifted to Silvia, his eyes narrowing. And you? What do you have got to say for yourself?”Silvia swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “I… I was simply explaining what happened this morning, sir. To Donna.”“Explaining the way you found yourself on my mattress?” Ralph’s voice became dangerously low.Silvia’s cheeks flushed. “It wasn’t intentional, sir. I… I think I sleepwalked.”Ralph raised an eyebrow, his skepticism palpable. “Sleepwal
Silvia wished she could have a lock on her room door to prevent people from entering whenever they wanted. What prompted this thought? She was trying to dry off after Rebecca had splashed water on her.She was thankful it wasn’t smelly water. Knowing the new Rebecca, she could have gone to invest in nasty things just to get revenge against the woman she thought was sleeping with her precious boyfriend. It seemed like she was still more afraid of offending Ralph than venting out her jealousy.As Silvia stood drying herself in front of her window, arms and legs spread wide like a star, Donna suddenly burst into her room. In that moment, Silvia felt certain she had never looked more foolish in her life—even more so than when she had been beaten. “What…are you doing?” Donna’s excited entry had reduced into a half-concerned, half-baffled whisper. Silvia couldn’t blame her. Not everybody had the unique opportunity to be woken up with Ralph’s girlfriend’s special care treatment.“Airing out
The next day, Silvia woke up drenched. Not in her own sweat. In water. She gasped as she felt the splash and jerked awake immediately. Now who was it? Would she ever have any peace in this house?“What the hell?!” She sat up and tried wiping her eyes so she could open it, forgetting to temper her tongue in case it was one of her bosses that did it.“In his bed again?! You’re dead today!”, Rebecca’s shrill satisfied voice echoed throughout the room. In whose bed? Silvia hoped she had somehow followed the driver home and his mother was the one yelling at her. Any other alternative was better than what it seemed to be.She succeeded in wiping her eyes to see a room she had prayed she would never have to see again. The universe hated her and wanted her dead, and it sent her death in the form of a witch named Rebecca, because why the hell was Silvia in Ralph’s bed again? It happened just last week and here it was again?She shot up from the bed in a hurry, colliding with Rebecca who didn’t
She walked into the main kitchen again, shivering from the pressure she felt surrounding her. Goosebumps prickled her skin, and an unsettling sensation that she was being watched lingered in the air. However, she knew she couldn't let that distract her from her cleaning duties. With a sigh, she moved on to her next set of chores.A shadow came over Silvia and she turned sharply to see a very tall, very stone-faced Ralph Spade standing behind her.“Breaking the rules aren’t you? You are not to speak to anyone unless I command it”, his voice rumbled like an earthquake as he leaned on the wall right behind her.He abruptly straigntened and began to walk towards Silvia which startled her and made her jump away from him. He just shaved about ten years off her lifespan with that sudden appearance.“S-sir, I-”“There is no excuse!”, he yelled, slamming his palm against the counter in a loud slam that made her ears pop. A small part of her hoped he had gotten injured by the sharp edges.He fu
Chapter 24 Silvia's hand trembled slightly as the overpowering smell of cows, pigs, and chickens—still very much alive—forced her to hold her breath. She knew this would lead to more problems than she wanted because when she finally had to take a breath again, she would inhale a lot of contaminated air.She rushed back inside and took a deep breath, relieved to escape the nauseating smell. What kind of wealthy people were these? They were the dirty type. She should have realized it when she was asked to clean those filthy windows. Why was the window in his own study so dirty? The man inhaled dust every day; no wonder he was acting so erratically. Was it really that difficult to ask for the animals to be washed before bringing them inside?Was she being punished extra? She couldn’t believe Donna went through this every week. The woman was strong. Very strong. Silvia was weak. Very Weak.“Howdy, I got this week’s batch of ‘nimals. Gonna sign or what?”, the driver stretched out his head
“Do your vocal cords suddenly stop working? Is that enjoyable?” Ralph asked again, his eyes flashing with an emotion Silvia couldn't name.“I don’t understand sir”.“You’re smiling”, he said, pointing to her lips and sitting on a stool. She had no idea Ralph Spade knew how to sit on a stool. Wasn’t he only accustomed to the finest things? What was an old wooden stool even doing in a mansion as fancy as this? She adjusted her smile, making her expression serious. Was smiling grounds for a punishment?“Forgive my manners sir”, she bowed her head. Sometimes she felt like she was in an ancient drama. Slave to the evil emperor. Except this time the emperor had kissed her. He was a foolish emperor.“How dramatic. I’m not asking you to stop”, Ralph’s face hardened. Silvia stretched her lips into something that resembled more of a grimace than a smile. It reminded her of the times where her mother would scold her and force her to smile. Her mother that she couldn’t see, because of this man.