The new mansion

DECLAIMER!

Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Anne’s POV

The banging from the door gave rise to a groan from my tired lips. At first I found it hard to get my eyes opened due to the tedious work I had to put myself in the previous day, but when the bang came even louder than the first, I sprang to my feet in rage.

Ava, my 5 year old daughter, grumbled in her sleep as she tossed to the other side of the tiny bed in discomfort.

With the temper still in me, I marched to the door, but on opening the door, all the rage I thought I had in me melted immediately.

For the past six month, the house owner knocking on my door, made my heart skip even more than when I remembered Ava’s school fees was due.

Sleep left my eyes the same way anger did and I was forced to smile at the middle aged grumpy man who seemed like he was going to pounce on me if I made one wrong move.

“Good morning Mr Shaun” I said with the smile shaking off my lips due to apprehension, but I still tried my very best to hold my shaky lips up

“Don’t you dare!” he pointed his finger at me. “It’s been 6 months already!”

I sighed, closing my eyes briefly, hoping he would disappear by the time I had they opened. “I know. I promise_”

“I am done with promises. You promised 3 months ago too. I have a family to feed. You need to leave” my heart skipped a beat when he said that.

Mr Shaun had always been a considerate man. It had been 6 months and even though he had no bad intentions towards me, this was his limit.

I couldn’t help but feel ashamed of myself that I pushed a man to this extent. None of it was my fault. I had worked my heart out for 6 months. 3 different jobs, but it was had to meet up.

A waiter, a bartender and a house cleaner. With those kinds of jobs, it was tough to balance bills and taxes. My life was a mess.

“I need more time Mr Shaun” I pleaded, but that didn’t soften the look in his face a bit.

“No, I can’t spare more time. I am putting this house up for rent today, you have 3 days to leave!” he yelled and turned to leave. Maybe he knew I was going to fall on my knees again like I had always done and he would let me stay longer.

I swallowed hard as I closed the door and walked in. Due to the emotional stress I was going through at that point, I didn’t realize Ava was already awake. It was when her small hands touched me that I turned to look at her. Her brown eyes were saddened.

“Does he want his money again?” She asked.

I pulled her closer and hugged her.

“No he doesn’t” I assured her. The last time she found out he was here for money; she mentioned I should just pay him off.

She was just like her father. Money minded, believing it could solve everything. It wasn’t just a saying, it was sure a fact.

With money you could get what you wanted and prevent some certain things like your landlord knocking on your door as early as 6am.

Her father did buy me with that same money. Of course the love was there too which added to the happiness I never thought I would experience, being raised by a single mother who dropped me at the orphanage at the age of 9.

I and her father were supposed to get married after dating him for 3 years, but... I swallowed hard when the memories came flooding back.

He disappeared a day to our wedding and I had never heard from him since.

Who would have known that would happen to me when he promised me love forever during our 3 years of relationship. One look in his eyes the first day we met and I was mermerized.

Being the sole heir to Jagex, one of the biggest oil producing companies in the whole of united state and also the owner of Fredo_ a fashion company, I couldn't help but call myself lucky to have someone like him.

He was a kind of luck not all girl where fortunate to have. But he was still that same luck that turned into a nightmare after years of his disappearance.

“Let’s get you ready for school honey” I smiled at her as I cupped her chin, but instead of smiling back, her face fell into a frown.

“I don’t want to” she said with her head turned to the ground. I had to cup her chin to bring it back up.

“Why wouldn’t you want to?”

“They don’t like me. They keep making fun of me”

“What?” I exclaimed. “There is nothing wrong with you” I assured her, but that didn’t brighten the look on her face a bit.

“And my teachers said I should go to a public school since it’s cheaper to pay” I was speechless.

She hugged me in my devastated state. “Please don’t take me back there. Let me stay with you, I can work too” she said and tears welled up in my eyes.

My heart tore into two. She was my angel and I couldn’t take care of her the way she ought to.

This was the same reason I would curse Edward every single chance I got. She lacked the fatherly figure in her life and sometimes it did get to her, especially when we would go to pack and she would see other kids with their both parents.

“No honey, you can’t work with me” Mr Collin was already cranky enough to see me. I didn’t want to imagine how he would act if I showed up at work with a kid.

Also, a bar wasn’t an excellent place to ahow up with a kid. “What about you go to school today and when you get back, we will talk about the possibilities of changing your school” I said and watched her eyes lit up. She hugged with all her might, squeezing me tightly that I couldn’t breathe.

“Thank you mum!” she mumbled from where she hugged me.

“yes_” the door opened when I was still trying to answer her. Ava broke the hug and I turned to look at Daniela who was at the door.

Her dark eyes were filled with so much excitement and there was a wide smile on her thin lips. Now I knew something was up. Daniela had to be the happiest person I had ever met, but the broad smile on her face surely meant something.

“Hey hey hey!” she beamed as she shut the door behind her and Ava ran to her in excitement. Daniela picked her up and spun around with her. It always surprised me how a petite person like Daniela could have such an energy.

“The house owner came over” I blurted out as soon as she dropped Ava to the floor.

“Well good for him” she shrugged like it didn’t mean anything.

“Uh, we could be out on the street in 3 days” I said, but that did nothing to take away the excitement from her eyes

“Oh please” she sat on the bed as she looked at me “We just hit a jackpot” her smile widened.

I sighed. “Daniela, what did you do this time?” being my only and best friend since I was 15, she was the type who would always land in troubles. As much as I loved her, I was tired to getting dragged in her mess.

“Nothing” she frowned. “Well, the government gave some houses to some people and we were included” she articulated and watched me in anticipation of hearing what I had to say.

“How is that possible?” I asked with my face unchanged. The only thing I knew the government for where taxes.

“I got a call from a house agent about...”

“I don’t buy it” I spoke up before she got the chance to complete her statement and her face fell.

“You can at least listen” she pressured me, but all I was interested in was getting ready for work.

“It doesn’t make any sense. The government can’t just help you out of nowhere”

“I have gone there, it’s a nice apartment. Look, we can’t let go of this opportunity. Like you said, we would be out on the street the next time that grumpy man comes back” she said, already getting worked up because I failed to listen to her.

I sighed. “Fine, where is this place?”

She smiled at my attention she had grasped. “Grey’s avenue”

My eyebrows furrowed. Grey’s avenue was known for one thing _ the number of rich people that lived there. The entire houses there where top notched and it was hard to believe the government would offer one of the houses to anyone for free.

“I don’t believe it”

“We can go there right now. I can call the house agent”

“Did you perhaps give this house agent any money?” I asked and she rolled her eyes.

“No I didn’t and I am sure this is not a scam. We can go there now. It has been paid for. Try and not be sceptical about everything. This is a very big opportunity for us”.

My eyes went from Ava, who’s eyes was already lit up with excitement of moving to a new house that I would most likely not approve of and they equally landed on Daniela who was enthusiastic to hear what I had to say.

“I have until 9, so I can see the house, but I don’t think this is a good idea”

“Yes!!”Daniela cheered and Ava joined in to.

After taking a shower and also preparing my daughter. I didn’t get her dressed for school yet because I was sure she would want to see the new house too. I dressed up in a blue knee length dress and without even looking at the mirror, I was set to go

We took a cab and during the ride, I failed to be convinced that this was real. It seemed impossible for me. I was only going because Daniela was happy enough and so was Ava. I would be the kill joy if I didn’t go with them.

We stopped in front of the supposed house. I failed to believe it was the house we were standing in front of. I looked at Daniela for verification, but her eyes met with someone else instead and she called out.

“Mr Callum!” I turned to look at the man she called. He was just stepping out from a Honda civic. A blonde tall middle aged man

“That’s the house agent?” I asked even though he looked nothing like one.

“Yep”

The middle aged man walked towards us and smiled at Daniela. Did she have a thing with him and was just using the government stuff as a lie due to how much I frowned about her multiple relationships with different guys after every one month.

“Alright ladies, let’s go in” he ushered with a slight smile on his lips

“erm__” I tried to speak, but I was nudged by Daniela to keep my mouth shut as she trailed behind the man with Ava wrapped in her hand.

The premises was already enormous enough to wow me, by the time we got inside the house, I was more than amazed. It felt too good to be true.

The sitting room was as big as our entire house. It was all white, the walls, and the marble floors.

The most disturbing part was the fact that the house was furnished which wasn’t something the government could do for you, there was something Daniela wasn’t telling me and I was going to find out what.

“There’s a home theatre, a gym house, a__”

“Wait hold on” I had to stop him “how much does this house cost?”

“This house costs approximately 12million dollars ma’am” he let out.

Gravity failed me because I almost fell over at the sound of the price. I turned to look at Daniela and the uneasy expression she had on her face said it all.

“And the government paid for the house?” I referred the question to the man.

His eyebrows knitted in a confused scowl. “The government? No they have nothing to do with this”

“So who paid for the house then?”

“Edward Salvatore” he blurted out.

My heart dropped