Chapter 1: Mistreatment

“How many times do I have to tell you that I need my coffee the moment I step into this villa? You even have the audacity to sleep in!” Wilma roared as she barged in Margaux's room.

Meanwhile, Margaux almost had a heart attack. Her eyes instantly snapped open as she was surprised at the loud voice of her mother-in-law!

‘Jeez,’ she thought.

Pressing her lips tightly, she hastily got out of the bed and greeted Wilma. However, the old woman gave her a disapproving look which made her lower her head and ran to the kitchen as fast as she could.

Hurriedly, she made her mother-in-law her desired coffee. She made it precisely, making sure that there was nothing wrong with it just to please her.

“Here's your coffee, Mom. I'm. . .sorry, I–”

“Cut it off. Go out and clean the pool. My niece will come and wants to swim later,” said Wilma without looking at her.

Margaux carefully placed the coffee on the table in front of Wilma and quickly dashed out of the house.

She hasn't washed her face nor combed her hair yet, but she didn't dare doing so after making coffee and went straight to the pool area to clean it to avoid getting scolded again.

“Drain the water and brush the whole pool with a sponge. Make sure each tile is immaculately clean or I will tell it to Hendrix that you disobey me,” Wilma threatened.

Margaux gasped as her heart sank. Just by looking at the ten feet swimming pool, she already feel exhausted and drained. What more after she cleaned it all alone just by using a freaking sponge?

“Finish it before five. Margarita will come at exactly five”

“But Mom. . .I don't think I can finish it today,” she immediately said in panic when she saw her walking back to the dining area.

‘It was impossible to finish cleaning that pool in just a few hours alone! It would take me three days since the pool was not small!’ she screamed inwardly.

Wilma stopped and glared at her. “Are you saying you can't do it? Then it will be better if you leave this place and never come back,” she stated, folding her arms across her chest. “You're useless anyway”

Margaux lowered her head as she bit the bottom of her lips hard. Her eyes were teary, but she tried her best not to cry in front of the evil woman.

“I couldn't really figure out why my son married you. You have nothing to offer. Even your family abandoned you because you are so useless!”

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. ‘It's fine. This is just a test,’ she reminded herself.

Slowly, she bent her body in ninety degrees and humbly apologized. “I'm very sorry, Mom. I will do my best to clean it,” she mumbled.

She didn't need to wait for her response, as she knew the old woman was just going to say nasty things again. She just turned away afterwards and briskly walked to the storage room to get some tools to drain the pool.

To say she was tired was understatement. She was extremely exhausted that she felt her soul was already leaving her body!

After cleaning the whole swimming pool area for over nine hours, her hands got cuts and bruises and they were red and swollen. Also, she was starving to death as she cleaned the whole time without any breaks which caused her almost passed out for skipping breakfast and lunch just to finish cleaning faster.

To say it in another word, she was simply a complete mess.

Her clothes were soaked with dirty water from the pool. Not to mention that she had not washed her face nor combed her hair yet. She looked like a scavenger from the street. But none of it mattered anymore as rest was more important than anything else at that moment.

She slumped her body on the sofa unceremoniously an heaved a sigh of relief. Her eyes instantly shut and was ready to take a quick nap when she heard her mother-in-law's raging voice.

“Margaux! You ingrate! Stand up and cook us some pasta! We are already starving here yet you had the audacity to sleep?!” Wilma shouted angrily. She wasn't even content with that as she grabbed a handful of Margaux's hair and forced her to stand up.

“Ouch, Mom!” Margaux screamed in pain and tried to yank Wilma's hand away.

The old woman pulled her hair even harder until she kneeled down on the floor.

“Scram!”

Margaux bit her lower lips as she struggled to stand up and walk to the kitchen.

She wanted to curse. But then she remembered as to why she was enduring all of it.

She entered the kitchen silently. Not wasting a single second, she immediately prepared all the ingredients she needed for cooking. However, it seems like peace will never be in her side upon seeing Margarita entering the kitchen.

“You look like a garbage,” she chuckled.

Margaux ignored her though, knowing full well that Hendrix's cousin was up to no good. Walking to the fridge, she continued picking some of the ingredients and pretended to not hear anything.

“Make sure to cook a good pasta or else I will throw it in your face!" Margarita hissed.

Still, Margaux treated her like a ghost.

However, Margarita suddenly pulled her hair which caused her to move backwards. “How dare you ignore me?!” she gritted her teeth.

Margaux pursed her lips as she tried to pull out her hand from her hair. She didn't want to fight with her because she knew it would only angered Wilma even more.

“Know your place! You're just a slave here!” Margarita hissed.

Instantly, a bitter smile plastered on her lips, ‘Slave?’ she thought.

Three years had passed and her position in that family never changed. Since she got married to Hendrix, everyone chastised her as if she committed a huge crime by marrying the head of the family.

“Did you know that Hendrix just married you so he could have a faithful servant and a slave for his family? It's the reason why this villa doesn't have one servant at all! Hendrix never sees you as his wife, that's also the reason why everyone never treated you as the mistress of this villa,” Margarita grinned triumphantly.

Margaux balled her hands into fists.

Those words weren't new to her anymore. How many times had she heard it from Wilma? She already lost count.

So, instead of getting affected by it, she shoved her emotion away and just flashed a smile in return, “What kind of pasta meal do you want to eat? I'm going to cook now,” she said.

Stunned, Margarita stared at her in disbelief. Then, her face contorted in anger as she couldn't accept her reaction.

“You b*tch!” she growled as she attacked her.

Margaux winced in pain when Margarita's long nails dug in her pale arm.

“Hendrix doesn't love you! He only married you to be his slave! And you have no right to be magnanimous! You're just an orphan who's ignorant and knows nothing at all!” Margarita screamed as she pulled her hair lower.

“Margarita stop! It hurts!” she cried.

Her body was weak due to exhaustion, therefore, she was immediately slammed on the ground when Margarita forcefully pulled her down with her hair.

She cried in pain.

Holding Margarita's wrists, she used all her remaining strength to take her hands off her hair.

“Ouch!” the woman screeched as she fell on the ground with a thud.

Margaux was panting as she slowly raised up. She walked towards her to help her but suddenly, a terrifying voice reverberated inside the kitchen.

“What do you think you are doing?” Hendrix glowered.