Chapter 23Vanessa's POV:The drive from the store to my house was an all-too-familiar one. The city streets had a certain rhythm, a pulse I had missed more than I could admit. After spending the last week in prison, I was relieved to be back.He dropped me off a few houses down from my own, reversed, and left with a reminder of tomorrow night's event. I couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and trepidation as I walked the remaining distance.I reached the front gate and took a deep breath before entering. As I approached the door, I felt a growing knot of guilt in my stomach. My mother had no idea where I had been, and now, I had to tell a lie to shield her from the harsh reality of my recent ordeal, I doubt I'd keep a straight face to lie to her, I never told her lies but ever since I met that man, I've turned something else with concealing truths.I pushed open the front door, and there she was, my mother, sitting on the living room couch with Claire and Victor by her side. He
Chapter 24: Fall in Love after Marriage****Andre's POV:***I whistled, twirling my car key between my fingers as I made my way inside. The living room, as always, remained empty, as Elizabeth often attended social gatherings with her daughter after school, believing they needed connections to excel in class. Louisa, on the other hand, spent most of her time with her new friends in Collinsville. Meanwhile, my father was away securing a new spot for our company in the international market.As I approached my room, I noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Assuming it was a mistake by the cleaner, I entered. The lights were on, and the room smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. Someone had been here or was still here. My eyes scanned the room for anything amiss, and I quickly noticed that the balcony door was open. Without much thought, I rushed outside and found Ethan standing in front of the railing."You're here?" I asked."Yeah, I've been waiting for you for a while. Mrs. Elizabeth sa
Chapter 25***Vanessa's POV:***Sunday evening had finally arrived, and I was a bundle of nerves. Claire had spent the day helping me prepare for my boss's dinner date. Claire was a perfectionist, and I had entrusted her with the task of getting me ready, and maybe she was beginning to do too much. She turned her room upside down searching for the perfect outfit."Vanessa, how's this?" She asked, raising a very skimpy, short, and revealing dress with nude mesh. I shook my head. "Too revealing?" She inquired, and I nodded."Ok, what else do I have here?" She said, looking at the loaded wardrobe with her hands on her hips. "Claire, I told you, something moderate. I'm not participating in a pageant...""But still, you have to look pretty and show him your worth, girl- I found it! The perfect outfit for tonight!" She said excitedly in between explaining why we should do this.As the evening sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink, I stood before the mirror, barely recognizing the
Chapter 26Vanessa's POV:The night in the car with Mr. Garcia had been humiliating, and I couldn't shake off the burning heat that had crept into my cheeks. His harsh words and actions left a lasting wound, and I found it hard to forget the way my face flushed with humiliation. What did he think of me? Some toy without feelings?The following day at work, my boss acted as if nothing had happened. He was back to his usual distant and demanding self. "Why are you coming at this time?" Was the first question he asked the moment I walked through the door, his eyes staring lazily at me."Time?" I quickly stared at my watch; the time was exactly 7:59, which meant I was one minute away from being late. I was going to explain the time in the traffic, and how I had to walk here, but I'd rather not. I think the universe wants to go against me today, but I wouldn't give up."I'm early," I replied, trying to look straight into his eyes, but there was something about him that always left me intim
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
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 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 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 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