Chapter 32Vanessa's POV:As we stepped outside, I edged away from him, maintaining a distance, wanting to create some space between us. "Sir, why are you here? I thought you don't come to places like this?" This restaurant is not a place extravagant, so I doubt he'd come here just for himself."You seem ready for a fight, slow down," he remarked casually with a smirk."Ok. Why are you here?" I asked again, trying to be as subtle as I could."You're right, I don't come to places like this, but as soon as I saw you from the glass window, I couldn't help but wonder what you're up to. Who are those guys, hmm? Tell me." His tone was more inquisitive."Well, it's nothing for you to be concerned with, I'm on my day off, and I can spend the day as I wish." I retorted he was creeping me out by interfering in my personal affairs. Spending so many hours with him throughout"Why was your friend wearing the scarf I gave you? That's stealing, did you know that?" He asked, a frown on his face and
Chapter 33Vanessa's POV:"Huh?""Do I have to repeat myself?" he asked, rolling his eyes.I remained with him while he ordered some food and ate alone since I refused to eat anything, giving annoying remarks throughout the whole meal which made me feel the urge to strangle him for real this time.After he was done, he took me back home, dropped me in front of my house, and zoomed off after ensuring that I had gone inside.Before leaving, he gave me a paper containing the list of things he wanted me to do before coming to work tomorrow: picking up new clothes he had ordered and then a box of pastries for his girlfriend.Surprisingly, my mother had been peeping from the window all along, and as soon as we met eyes, she smiled tauntingly, a wide ear-to-ear grin that I hadn't seen in a long time."Hmmm... You're now getting a free ride," she teased. I already felt disgusted as I didn't want to think of where she was driving. Me + him? Never!"Stop it, Mom. He just dropped me off," I defe
Chapter 34Vanessa’s POV:My shoulders ached as I finally finished sorting through the endless stack of papers, each one a reminder of Mr. Garcia's relentless demands. The clock read 10:30 PM, and I felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Even in this state of exhaustion, his last words echoed in my head, pushing me to finish everything. I was supposed to see a doctor for my bleeding nose, but there was no way I could leave the work halfway through. I decided to spend the night at the office and finish the work.The next morning, he was so early as always, and I had to give him the work to evaluate. While looking at the papers, the look on his face wasn't encouraging. He had this nonchalant attitude that made me regret spending my night at the office. I should have gone home and waited for him to punish me, I thought.He threw the papers to the sofa, scattering them across the room, and then turned to me."Williams, why do you look so tired?" he asked, making me feel like punch
Chapter 35 On my way outside, I met with Mr. Garcia's brat of a sister. "Look who it is," Louisa's voice cut through the silence. She was flanked by her ever-present entourage, their faces twisted with malicious glee. "The servant who thinks she's too good to follow orders." She added and they all giggled. The laugh gave me chills. I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "I asked you to bring drinks to the patio. Did you forget?" "No, I..." I started, but she cut me off. "Save it," she snapped, forcing my bag from me, and dumping its contents onto the floor. "And what do we have here?" she asked while her friends fished out the scattered things from the floor. "Some cheap makeup products, a worn-out wallet, and other nameless things," one of her friends said while the other threatened to rub my makeup on the third girl who scurried away, yelling, "I don't want to get a rash from that thing. Take it away from me," she said. Hurting. "Pathetic,
Chapter 1*Jerk!*Vanessa's POV."Vanessa, take the tray to table no 9," ordered Madam Taylor, the restaurant owner. She was usually short-tempered, irritable, and would charge at anyone for the littlest mistakes, but today she seemed oddly cheerful. It was the first time I saw her prepare a meal all by herself for anyone, it was always done by Samuel, the chef. I heard from the other waitresses that the guests over there were related to her, and she wanted to leave them extremely satisfied after today.I wrapped my messy hair into a loose bun, straightened up my collar, and wiped my tired face with my hand. I barely had any sleep last night because I was on a night shift in my second part-time job and had to rush down here as soon as the clock struck 8 Am.I was about to pick up the tray when she stopped me, "No, no, no. Don't you know anything about hygiene? My son is a picky eater, and he would never taste food from a place where there's no proper hygiene. Wash your hands clean,
Chapter 2*Shit, I lost my job!*Vanessa's POV.It had been an hour since they left and I continued to face queries.I winced in pain as Madam Taylor dragged me by my ear into the kitchen. The hot coffee still stung my face, but the pain in my ear was even worse. I tried to pull away, but her grip was too strong."Madam Taylor, please, let go," I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. "I didn't mean to insult your son, I thought he was just some jerk trying to prank me."She finally released my ear, but her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment. "You thought my own son was a jerk? How dare you? He is the most important person in my life, and you had the audacity to slap him!" I turned mute, and maybe I began to regret my decision for slapping him."What is wrong with you?! I told you my son was at the table and you purposely targeted him, now he would never want to visit me." She cried, hitting me again, not caring if her palm landed on my nose or eyes. I was unsure if I woul
Chapter 3*Settle Your Debt*Vanessa's POV:"That's ridiculous! I don't have that kind of money!""Well, then I guess you'll have to find a way to get it, won't you?" he smirked.I felt a surge of anger rise within me. This guy was impossible. Not only did he get me fired from my job, but now he was demanding an outrageous amount of money from me. I couldn't let him get away with this."I'm not paying you a dime," I said defiantly. "You can take your demands and shove them up your ass."He looked taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting such a response. But then his expression hardened and he grabbed my arm again, this time with even more force and I struggled to break free."You bitch, I said you're paying, and you will. I will make you.""I already to you I won't give you a dime, quite stressing, I lost my pay check because of you." I accused him."You're giving me the $50,000 and I want it settled from now till the next two months, everything."Andre POV:"$50,000!!! I can't
Chapter 4Andre POV:Who's getting married?!" My sister's excited voice broke through the quiet of the room, startling everyone. I hadn't heard her come in.She must have greeted our Father before now because She hurried to where our stepmother was sitting, and wrapped her in a hug. "Mother, you're back from shopping?" My sister asked, a smile on her face, and then turned to me and my father, "You guys finally found a match for Andre? That's great! What's her last name?" Was the first thing my sister was concerned with. She was like everyone else in my family who only cared about the status of the people we should be associated with."We fixed your marriage, Louisa." I taunted."You're lying, I heard Father talk about your marriage, and by the way, you're the one old enough to get married here, you're thirty, remember? And I'm just twenty-four, why will I get married before you?" She reasoned."I don't mind, Louisa," I turned to my father, "Dad, we should get Louisa married soon, do
Chapter 35 On my way outside, I met with Mr. Garcia's brat of a sister. "Look who it is," Louisa's voice cut through the silence. She was flanked by her ever-present entourage, their faces twisted with malicious glee. "The servant who thinks she's too good to follow orders." She added and they all giggled. The laugh gave me chills. I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "I asked you to bring drinks to the patio. Did you forget?" "No, I..." I started, but she cut me off. "Save it," she snapped, forcing my bag from me, and dumping its contents onto the floor. "And what do we have here?" she asked while her friends fished out the scattered things from the floor. "Some cheap makeup products, a worn-out wallet, and other nameless things," one of her friends said while the other threatened to rub my makeup on the third girl who scurried away, yelling, "I don't want to get a rash from that thing. Take it away from me," she said. Hurting. "Pathetic,
Chapter 34Vanessa’s POV:My shoulders ached as I finally finished sorting through the endless stack of papers, each one a reminder of Mr. Garcia's relentless demands. The clock read 10:30 PM, and I felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Even in this state of exhaustion, his last words echoed in my head, pushing me to finish everything. I was supposed to see a doctor for my bleeding nose, but there was no way I could leave the work halfway through. I decided to spend the night at the office and finish the work.The next morning, he was so early as always, and I had to give him the work to evaluate. While looking at the papers, the look on his face wasn't encouraging. He had this nonchalant attitude that made me regret spending my night at the office. I should have gone home and waited for him to punish me, I thought.He threw the papers to the sofa, scattering them across the room, and then turned to me."Williams, why do you look so tired?" he asked, making me feel like punch
Chapter 33Vanessa's POV:"Huh?""Do I have to repeat myself?" he asked, rolling his eyes.I remained with him while he ordered some food and ate alone since I refused to eat anything, giving annoying remarks throughout the whole meal which made me feel the urge to strangle him for real this time.After he was done, he took me back home, dropped me in front of my house, and zoomed off after ensuring that I had gone inside.Before leaving, he gave me a paper containing the list of things he wanted me to do before coming to work tomorrow: picking up new clothes he had ordered and then a box of pastries for his girlfriend.Surprisingly, my mother had been peeping from the window all along, and as soon as we met eyes, she smiled tauntingly, a wide ear-to-ear grin that I hadn't seen in a long time."Hmmm... You're now getting a free ride," she teased. I already felt disgusted as I didn't want to think of where she was driving. Me + him? Never!"Stop it, Mom. He just dropped me off," I defe
Chapter 32Vanessa's POV:As we stepped outside, I edged away from him, maintaining a distance, wanting to create some space between us. "Sir, why are you here? I thought you don't come to places like this?" This restaurant is not a place extravagant, so I doubt he'd come here just for himself."You seem ready for a fight, slow down," he remarked casually with a smirk."Ok. Why are you here?" I asked again, trying to be as subtle as I could."You're right, I don't come to places like this, but as soon as I saw you from the glass window, I couldn't help but wonder what you're up to. Who are those guys, hmm? Tell me." His tone was more inquisitive."Well, it's nothing for you to be concerned with, I'm on my day off, and I can spend the day as I wish." I retorted he was creeping me out by interfering in my personal affairs. Spending so many hours with him throughout"Why was your friend wearing the scarf I gave you? That's stealing, did you know that?" He asked, a frown on his face and
Chapter 31Vanessa's POV:The room seemed more like a fancy store than a personal closet. There were numerous expensive brands, some unfamiliar to me. The colors and varied materials made decision-making tricky.I stood alone in this extravagant place, feeling small beside the tall shelves. Swiftly, I jotted down my needs: a shirt, pants, a vest, a jacket, a tie, socks, and shoes.Most colors were subdued—beige, brown, grey, navy blue, white, and black. Perhaps he disliked bright colors altogether? That might explain why I never saw him wear any.I chose a white shirt with intricate bird patterns and checked off each item. Neatly arranging everything on the sofa, I meticulously matched the ensemble. As I sorted pants and aligned everything, the door opened."Sir, I've readied your clothes," I announced."Ok," came his brief reply.Inspecting the clothes, the next thing I heard was him yelling my name."Vanessa!" I momentarily puzzled over why he'd be calling me and rushed to address h
Chapter 30**Andre's POV:**The room was dimly lit, with a sliver of moonlight seeping through the half-opened window, casting a soft glow on her face.I admired her smooth, milky pale skin as she focused on her work with furrowed brows and a serious face. For the first time since our encounters, I felt something different about this girl, not her typical aura that I disliked.She looked different while working in silence—innocent and with a cute, petite face. Something instantly drew me to her as I noticed her hair flying over her face, must be bothering her, I guessed.Moving closer, softly brushing her face as I removed the hair and tucked it behind her ear, I unintentionally surprised her. She jerked instantly, staring at me with widened eyes."Sir, what are you doing?" she asked.Realizing I had crossed the line, I withdrew my hand quickly, scratching the back of my neck, wondering why I even cared if the hair bothered her in the first place.As I explained, her pouted lips stirr
Chapter 29Vanessa's POV:"What makes you think she's better than Stanley, brother?" She asked but he didn't give a reply. She exhaled deeply,"Anyways, In case you're firing her soon, we should offer her a job at the mansion, she looks like she fits in here more than working as your assistant. I'd like to see her refuse work from me." She was looking down on me."I'll consider it, Lou." He said, put his arms around my shoulder and we left her room. In the lobby, he spoke again, "You're so quick to find odd jobs, I guess that's why you found another one after Taylor's, just before I met you. That's an aside, you should stay away from my sister, she doesn't like you already." What do I care if she doesn't? I don't work under her, not that I enjoy working under Mr. Garcia.We walked down the corridors a bit more till we got to the room at the end of the space.He brought out the key and opened the door, and with a heavy sigh, he went inside first. He didn't take time to remove his suit
Chapter 28Vanessa's POV:Continuation...Upon my return to the office, he had already packed up. I wondered if we were done for the day. Before I could voice my question, he seemed to read my mind."Yes, we're finished. Did you treat your face?" He inquired, and I nodded in response."Pack your things quickly; I'll drop you off at your house." My spirits lifted upon realizing it was only 3:00 pm, giving me a chance to rest today and then the whole day tomorrow. The 8-9 hour workdays throughout the week were taking a toll on me. Traces of dark circles under my eyes were visible in the mirror this morning which meant I needed proper rest."You're smiling?" He quizzed with an amused expression. "Don't get too happy just yet. I'll drop you home, and at 7:00 pm, I'll come to pick you up. Pack your things for the night as well.""Huh? Where are we going?" I asked with a perplexed look; the smile I had earlier vanished."My house," he revealed. "We're working overtime tonight.""Overtime???
Chapter 27***Andre's POV:***Outside, I lit a cigarette, exhaling into the air. Just then, the gate opened with a creak, and a teenage boy stepped in. He was in his school uniform, with his bag slung over one shoulder and an AirPod in his ear. Upon seeing Ethan and me, he paused for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the ground and walked past us without a word.The first time I saw her other son, I thought. Ethan patted my shoulder. "Andre, I asked you nicely not to mess this up. Why are you acting strange?" He inquired."Did you see her son? He must be getting all the love he needs from having a complete family," I commented, changing the subject."Ethan, you know I was younger than him when my mother left me? Just a child who had to deal with things on his own. I had no one to turn to back then; my father was in his world." I took another drag from the cigarette before speaking again."I feel jealous of that young man.""Your brother?"I chuckled. "Says who? Just because he's Tayl