Chapter 5: New Life

Sarah cleaned her throat and collected herself, trying to pretend that her laughter was not a big deal.

"Ok, Ben. So, I think your uncle must have told you that I'll be your nanny, right?" She asked calmly with her soft voice.

It was getting really hard not to look at Victor, since he was still there, frozen in the same place, watching her and Benjamin talk.

"Yes," Benjamin replied, but she could feel he wasn't feeling that comfortable anymore.

"Okay, let's make a deal? You'll let me know if I do something that you don't like, okay? We're going to be friends above anything. How does that sound?"

Sarah didn't like to be observed, and she wasn't sure if Mr. Reed was the type of boss that would interfere in her job in front of the kid, but she hoped not. It was embarrassing enough to have him analyzing everything she was doing already.

Benjamin nodded, a bit more at ease.

"Okay."

"Good. So… I'll let you spend some time with your uncle then," Sarah concluded getting up. Her legs were starting to feel numb. "I'll be back tomorrow first thing in the morning, alright?"

Now she could feel Mr. Reed's presence even closer. He was taller than her, so she couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel them still on her. Her skin was burning with his stare.

"Wait a minute." She heard his raspy voice call her as soon as she turned to leave. Chills went up to her neck, but she wasn't sure if it was out of fear or something else she didn't dare to imagine.

"Yes, Sir?" Sarah turned to look at him, feeling relieved that she wasn't so close anymore.

Victor was still holding onto the door, but Benjamin was out of sight now, probably doing something else inside his room.

"Is there anything else you need?" Mr. Reed's eyes scanned her, and Sarah felt her legs tremble a bit. Why was he being so nice to her? Was that some sort of test?

"Oh, no, everything's perfect actually. Thank you," she replied honestly. Whatever he had in mind, she wasn't going to fall for it.

"Good… Good. Have a great night then." He closed the door, leaving Sarah in the hallway, completely dumbfounded. She went back to her room at the servant's wing downstairs.

She was going to share her room with another maid, whom she hadn't encountered ever since she arrived. The woman was probably working by the time, but once Sarah got back, her roommate was there.

The girl looked as young as Sarah, with blonde hair and some freckles, and had the prettiest and kindest smile Sarah had ever seen.

"Hello, you! I'm assuming you're my new roommate… Sarah, right? My name is Camila." The woman reached her hand to Sarah, who grabbed it shyly.

"Hi, Camila, it's very nice to meet you," she replied, sitting on her bed that was now completely free from her stuff.

Camila did the same and sat on the other bed, facing Sarah and looking extremely excited to have a new company.

"So, I heard you're Benjamin's new nanny. Did you meet him yet?"

"Yes, I just came back from there actually. He was with Mr. Reed, so it was really quick, but he seems to be an amazing kid."

"He is!" Camila said happily. "He's the sweetest angel. Everyone in the mansion loves him. I don't know how that other nanny could be so impatient with him…" she contemplated. "Anyway, what about Mr. Reed?"

"What about him?" Sarah raised her brows, not following the question.

"Come on!" Camila opened the brightest smile. "He's the most handsome man you've ever seen, right? He's like a god for everyone that works here."

"Really?" Sarah asked, trying to sound surprised. Of course, she knew that would be the impact that man would have on anyone. She felt the same thing, maybe even more after being so close to him. His presence was undeniable for sure.

"Of course!" Camila's voice cracked, incredulous. "Don't you think he's handsome? Seriously?" Her brows frowned in disbelief.

"I mean… I do. I just… I mean, I didn't look at him like that." Sarah tried to explain herself, not wanting it to seem that any ulterior motive had even crossed her mind. She needed that job and couldn't afford to lose it. And she still didn't know if Camila was someone trustworthy.

"Relax, girl. It doesn't hurt to look." The girl smiled, comforting Sarah and changing the subject. "Anyway, you might feel a little lost on the first days here, so let me know if you need help with anything, okay?"

Sarah blinked a few times, not expecting to have such a kind offer from her.

"Thank you so much. Will do," she said sincerely.

A few hours later, she went to the servant's kitchen to have dinner and was able to get acquainted with some of the people that worked there. Everyone seemed nice at first and very kind to her, making Sarah feel like she could have a great life living at the mansion.

Whenever they weren't working, it was clear to her that the servants felt more relaxed. Apparently, Mr. Reed's presence made them all very tense, and that aroused her curiosity over the man even more. He was so mysterious that she couldn't help but want to know more about him.

"Mr. Reed is in a very good mood today, don't you think?" She heard one of the maids asking Camila.

Pretending to be busy with her soup, Sarah kept her head down, leaning it a bit to the side to listen to their conversation.

"Yeah. I think he got another contract, so that must be the reason, right?" Camila replied.

"It's not every day we get to see him so happy."

Maybe that's why he asked her if she needed anything else earlier, Sarah thought. She didn't know her boss well enough yet, but she could tell he wasn't a friendly and pleasant person all the time.

After the meal, she decided to take a shower and go to sleep, since the next day was going to be busy. She only hoped that she could do a great job with Benjamin.

From her brief conversation with the boy, it was easy to say they were going to have a good relationship, but she couldn't be sure. One thing was very clear though; his uncle wasn't going to take it easy on her, so she had to be very careful if she wanted to keep her job and her grandmother in that nursing home.