"So, what do you think?" Jessica asked, holding the dress to my body.I graciously took the garment into my hands and compared it to myself in the mirror. The cloth was elegant and made with a quality of the likes I'd never seen."You bought this for me?" I asked in astonishment as I dropped my mouth open.She nodded. "Of course, I did. You didn't need the added pressure of shopping. It's time to celebrate!"I giggled and said, "You're too kind, Jess.""Anytime! You're like a sister to me," she confessed. I felt a pang in my chest—not of pain but of happiness. I tried to hold back my tears. "Well don't just stand there. Try it on. I bet it fits perfectly!""Okay, I will!" I answered. Her enthusiasm was contagious.As I was trying on the dress, I asked, "Who is this party for again?""Arthur is throwing it for his father and Caroline."I felt muted joy in my stomach. It was a slight disappointment that this party was in honor of Caroline, but I refused to let
I wasn't sure if I should thank Arthur or not. For a few seconds, I couldn't speak. Working hard to compose myself, I flashed him a polite smile, purposely pursing my lips. "Thanks," I finally whispered. I rather enjoyed how much the slightest compliment from him made me feel like I was floating. It was a wondrous sensation that I wanted to enjoy. The serene moment was soon shattered by Margaret's grating presence, however. She had a knack for ruining the few peaceful experiences I had. Watching my stepsister, I cringed as she beelined to me and raised her voice. "Which butler did you sleep with to get invited here, Ophelia?" she hollered with a shrill laugh. She pointed at me, making sure everyone knew I was her target. "Take it easy, Margaret," I insisted softly. "Don't tell me what to do," she taunted. I glanced at her with wordless admonition. She saw my warning look but chose to ignore it as she continued, "You better leave before I expose you for the lowl
He watched me intently the entire time. Although I was unsure of what he was feeling, one thing was certain—everyone thought we were together. Arthur continued to stare into my eyes as he indulged in my touch. His crystal blue irises were sparkling as he looked me up and down. Any fear I had of him reacting in anger was gone. He seemed to be affable with my behavior. Margaret was fuming when she saw me touch Arthur the way I did. After smiling sweetly up at him, I took his hand, leading him away from the crowd so we could talk in private. Out of control with jealousy, Margaret stormed after us. I could hear her heels slamming against the tiles. "Ophelia, get back here!" she shouted. I ignored her and continued to walk away but I heard her pick up her pace. When she caught up with us, she said, "You're so gullible! A pretty face may be nice to look at but that doesn't pay the bills. You're still so immature. You don't know what a man is for."I couldn't help but
After the party, I went back to my normal life."Ophelia!"Hearing my name startled me. I had been walking up the driveway to Taylor's house, minding my business, when out of nowhere there was a man shouting at me.I recognized Leo. He was the one who tried to charm me at the party a few nights before. He'd mentioned us making "a good team" when we spoke. At the time, I just wanted to escape, but I'd been curious about what he meant ever since then."Leo, what are you doing here?" I asked him. "You remembered my name. I knew I made an impression on you," he said with a wink. My heart sank. I really didn't feel like having to thwart someone's advances this early in the day."I have a job to do, Leo. That's my reason to be here. What's yours?""I'm a friend of the family," he began. "When I heard you were a tutor for Taylor, naturally, I asked about your schedule.""Creepy," I uttered. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time?""I'm not the toad y
When I was finally free from Leo's pursuit, with the help of Chelsea the maid, I was able to head into Taylor's room. Fully intending that we'd be taking on some algebra, I was going over the equations in my head trying to see if my recall from my school days would be enough. I’d need to have a calculator ready and the book with me. Math wasn’t my strong suit. From the first room, I could hear Taylor coughing and sniffing. She sounded congested. That worried me. Her health was in the back of my mind after our encounter in the river. As I rounded the corner, I could see her lolling about on the couch. This wasn't like her. She was usually full of energy and ready to butt heads. "Taylor, you don't seem to be feeling very well," I said with concern. I stepped closer to her, trying to assess what was wrong. She looked gaunt and was shivering with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. "Have you checked to see if you have a fever?""Last time my mom checked, I had one,
As we wrestled, the strong scent of alcohol permeated the air. My adrenaline spiked. This meant he'd be harder to reason with and stronger than usual."Stop it!" I shouted. It was like he couldn't hear me. His eyes were glassy and vacant. I recognized the familiar look that Mike used to get when he was coming after me. Determined not to be a victim again, I fought with all my might. But with each push, he grappled more tightly. While we struggled, he hung on so forcefully, he ripped my clothes. Then he overpowered me and pushed me back inside the house."Leo, what is your problem?" I cried as he jostled my body around. "Get your hands off me!" Leo wouldn’t stop and soon he had me on the floor. I held his chest, trying to fend him off. "I'm not taking no for an answer, Ophelia." His voice was unsteady and sloppy. Had he left in the morning and drank all day? That was a terrifying thought. Unfortunately, Taylor heard the commotion. The next thing I knew she was boun
When Taylor finally came out of the exam room, I was relieved but also worried sick. I hoped the news was good. Even though it wasn't my fault that Leo did this to her, I still felt responsible. I held back my tears as she approached us. Arthur stood to see if she needed help. "So, what were the results?" I asked. "Anything major?" I swallowed hard in concern. "Nope! Doctor Sanchez took the x-ray and read the results right away. Nothing is broken. I guess I lucked out. It seems like a wasted visit for me medically, but at least I got to see some of the cool pictures his daughter has of her scorpion collection. Check this out!" She showed me a printed picture of a glowing scorpion climbing on a palm tree."He gave that to you? That's great!" I said with enthusiasm, internally sighing in relief at her jovial demeanor. "Maybe you and his daughter could contact one another sometime.""Yeah, I have the website address on the back of this picture. Her email is there too.
Arthur called his driver to show up and another servant to bring the car he'd driven back home. Once the three of us were in the limo, Arthur knocked on the dividing window. The driver rolled the tinted glass down."Sheffield, take us to my favorite restaurant," Arthur instructed."Of course, sir," the man said with a tip of his hat. He slowly rolled toward the hospital entrance with the blinker on to go left. "Hang on," Taylor began. Sheffield paused instead of pulling out. "I don't want to go out to eat. You two go on ahead of me." "Are you feeling all right?" I asked."Me? Pssssh. Of course! But I want to go to the mall. Please take me there, Sheffield.""Of course, Miss Taylor." As Sheffield pulled out on the highway, I leaned over to Taylor and asked, "How come you don't want to join us?""You get to see my beautiful face all the time," she joked, holding her hands up perching, pretending to be a model. "You don't need to drag me along." She and I sha