I didn’t know who I was expecting to see, but it was definitely not him–the Dominique guy who’d airily walked in that night. He was sitting languidly on the sofa, dressed in blue white-washed jeans and a black singlet that showed off his toned arms, and he looked up as I walked in, a hint of annoyance in his gaze. I could tell he wasn’t happy to see me–not at all. He frowned, his eyes never leaving my body. My face flushed with heat at his intense stare and I was angry at myself for responding that way to a man who’d treated my father like shit. He wasn’t a good man, yes, but he was human and as such, he ought to be treated as one. Whatever had happened to him where he was taken to that made the animosity grow stronger towards me. I was curious to find out, but one part of me–the part that was rational–pulled me back. I didn’t want to get hurt by what I found.
Dominique looked at me like he was irritated that I was standing in his pristine living room, and I could tell by the expression he didn’t bother to conceal that I was not welcome here. His gaze fell on my torn slippers and he chuckled.
“What the hell are you wearing?” His tone dripped with sarcasm and I gulped down the bulge in my throat, looking anywhere else than his face. It put my panties in a twist that he was this handsome–blonde hair spilling over the side of his forehead, skin properly tanned like he’d spent a year out in the sun, the sharpness of his jaw giving him an edge–yet didn’t have any regard for a person’s life.
“You look like shit,” he stated blatantly, wrinkling his nose in disgust. I knew I probably looked worse for wear because of the earlier rush, but he didn’t have to make it look like I didn’t care for myself when in actuality, I tried to cover the basics of hygiene in a bid to appear presentable.
“Did you even have your bath before stepping out?” I bit down on my lips as he dished out the insults, payback for the ones I’d hurled at him. But then, I didn't know who he was. Now, I did. It didn’t change much, but there was a perspective shift which occurred.
The housekeeper remained silent, her head bowed in submission. I stared briefly at her before my gaze flickered again, lingering for a little too long on those pale blue eyes, but they were too intense and I turned away.
“Well, here,” Dominique started, sitting upright on the couch. “There are a couple of rules you have to follow. Break them, and you might not live to see another day. One of them is that anytime I’m speaking, don’t you dare stare down at me. I hate laziness. I hate untardinness and you have to look neat at all times. There is no room for inconsistencies and I like punctuality. I take it as the next best thing to godliness. Do you understand?”
I nodded at the force of his voice, my lips pressed together.
“That being said, Magdalene, please, show her her room at the outhouse,” he said with a note of finality. The outhouse? Did that mean I wasn’t going to stay inside this magnificent space? Everything in the living room gleamed with gold, except for the marble floor and the roof was glass like in a new office building. I inwardly sighed, my hopes dashed. Well, that was too bad. I was kind of looking forward to it. I’d never lived in such a big space.
I followed quietly behind Magdalene to the outhouse like a meek lamb following the sheep to slaughter. The smell of urine from nearby was the first thing that hit my nose. Rumpling my face like someone about to cry, I dropped my bag on the only bench in the room, looking around at the cement walls with holes large enough for one to peep through.
“Is it okay?” She asked, concern evident in her tone. She obviously cared–not like the others.
I wore a small smile, but inside, I was seething. This was way worse than my house back at home. How was I going to survive here? Magdalene nodded and left me to arrange my things and I blew out a shaky breath, tears rushing to my eyes again. God! How could you do this to me, dad? After everything Mom sacrificed, this is where I end up? The walls were square and boring and there was nothing to hold on to apart from an old clock which hung in the center of the outhouse, the constant ticking of the clock hands stretching the silence thin. I was about to offload some of my clothes from my box when I heard my name being called by Dominique. His voice carried across the wind to me, deep and soft and like the sound of bells tinkling in a musical hall. It would take me a while to get used to it.
I dropped what I was doing and hurried down to the house, practically flying up the porch steps. I reached the living room, panting like a dog eager for some excitement, and Dominique looked me up-and-down in disdain.
He dropped a bombshell. “I want you to prepare tacos for me for lunch.” Tacos? Haven’t heard that before. Was it the name of a local dish? And if so, how is it made? I was clueless when it came to stuff like this.
“I don’t…”
“You don’t what? Are you stupid? I told you I’m not one for excuses. Just get it done for me,” he snapped, jolting me out from my thoughts. I shuffled my feet in the direction of what I presume to be the kitchen, marble table tops shiny even from a distance. The kitchen was state-of-the-art with a large fridge and the sweep of the space was so wide that I was briefly overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to start. There was no way in hell I could prepare tacos when I didn’t have any idea of the dish, or the ingredients used in preparing it. Sighing, I cupped the back of my neck, turning to the sitting room where Dominique was, engrossed in a magazine I didn’t take note of earlier. I had to tell him.
I stopped mid-way, in case he got angry and physically lashed out at me, twiddling my thumbs nervously.
“I can’t make the tacos,” I said, my voice soft, barely above a whisper. I was pretty sure he didn't hear me because minutes passed by and he didn't reply, his gaze still on the magazine. Eventually, when Dominique answered me, it’s with a deep breath, and he straightened his shoulders.
“You can either rustle up the meal, or your father ends up behind bars and I’m sure you don’t want that.” His gaze levelled on mine as he said the last part and I gulped, knowing fully well the implication before my brain could even process it.
I didn’t have a choice. I returned to the kitchen.
Dominique took a small bite of the tacos I’d prepared–after several hours of sweating and toiling in the kitchen, finally coming up with a recipe–his forehead creased as he considered the taste. This was the moment of truth. I’d put in my best, I could only hope that Dominique liked it and didn’t complain. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than Dominique threw the food at me, soiling my clothes.
Well, shit.
DOMINIQUE.It was only when he’d left and I’d reclined to my study that I came into full realisation of what I’d done. I felt like a fool, a tool for use. I shouldn’t have let Mr. Shane go. Worse still, I’d bought into his silly idea of his daughter working for me to repay the money he owed me. How fucked up was that? Years ago when Mr. Shane and I had gone into business, I never thought things would go so awry that it’d end up with him running away with my millions on investment and it had infuriated me to no end. I had to track him down and make him pay somehow. Now, he’d found a way to buy himself out. I hit my fist on the wooden table, muttering a string of curses under my breath. Oh well, his daughter was going to suffer for it. She’d pay for the sins of her father with every sweat and tear used in building the business from scratch. I didn’t care. Someone had to take the fall. Mr. Shane had already informed me through a quick phone call made to one of my bodyguards–the one tha
Florence.I scrunched up my nose as specs of dust wafted through my nostrils. A chill ran down my spine as a familiar sensation worked its way towards my nose. I knew it was coming and I could already picture the outcome. If I didn't find a way to control it, I would sneeze out aloud again, and for the umpteenth time too. The last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to myself. No, the last thing I wanted was for Dominique to hear me. A small part of me couldn't help but think he would have a problem with me sneezing all over the place. Heavens forbid all my germs over his mansion. The moment the sensation in my nose settled, I went on dusting the furniture. I'd just finished with the center table and was currently on the huge bookshelf in the far corner. If I was being honest, Dominique didn't strike me as the kind of man who read books. Because what kind of villain read books? Okay, maybe a couple of them but you get my point. With how stuck up and ruthless he was, I doubted
Chapter Seven Dominique I stared at the bustling city through the sky high glasses of my window. The view of the lights in the city twinkling below, almost like the stars in the night sky made the end of tiring days like these, worth it. I was skeptical at first about installing the windows and allowing the view, because I hated distractions and loved to concentrate on my work and the view looked like a potential distraction. But with each passing day I spent gazing out the window, I couldn't help but mentally pat myself in the back for making the right decision. I stole a glance at my wristwatch and the hands of the clock pointing at 7:45 pm stared back at me. It was late and I should be well on my way home. I cracked my neck and flexed my muscles for a while as I reveled in the days events. It was strenuous and long as always but, something worthwhile came out of it in the end. And now, it was time to celebrate. A buzz from my desk pulled me out of my monologue. It was my p
Chapter Eight Dominique "What? What…" I watched as she stuttered, something flashing in her eyes. Her eyes darted around, somehow unable to focus on one place. Red hue tinted her cheeks as her lips parted slightly. Amidst the erratic beating of her heart against her ribcage, I watched as she squirmed under my gaze. She wanted to be everywhere but here. "Don't speak unless you're asked to." I seethed and watched as she clamped her mouth shut, her lips quivering in fear. " How many times do I have to repeat that?""I'm sorry sir." She stuttered, her voice barely a whisper. " Please." "What just happened out there, huh?" I leaned in even closer. Even the thought of it was enough to get my blood boiling all over again. "What the hell did you thibk you were doing out there?""Nothing, sir." She shook her head so hard I thought it would roll off her body. "I didn't…""Yes you did." I cut her off, my grip on her chin tightening even more. " I saw you. With my own two eyes I watched you
Florence. A groan slid past my lips the moment I peeled my eyes open, but that wasn't the weird part. The weird and excruciatingly hilarious part of all this was why I was groaning. It was literally too early, I doubted the sun had even come yet, and here I was, groaning loudly just because I peeled my eyes open at the break of dawn.It wasn't my fault. I was sure no one would blame me, because if they were in my shoes they would have probably done worse. Worse than my early morning groanings. I sighed as I swung my legs from off my bed, pushing myself up into a sittinh position. I found my gaze straying towards the direction of the clock and I let it, until I regretted it immediately. Just a little high on the rough walls, a wall clock hung, it's hands pointing at five and nine respectively. *Great. It was 5:45am and I just had to be the one in charge of that pompous guy*I wanted nothing more than to the lay on the bed, even if it was for a little while.But knowing the kind
Chapter TenFlorence. Beads of sweat lined my forehead as I clutched onto the broom, like my whole life depended on it. In a way, I could say it actually did. Intense jolts of pain spread through my hands and legs and with each sweep of the broom against the floor, I felt like I was this close to passing out. I pressed my eyes closed against each other as I bent down, struggling to catch my breath. Hot air raced in my lungs and if I didn't catch my breath anytime soon, I would definitely take a quick trip to unconscious land. "Calm down, Florence." I inhaled and exhaled, willing myself to stay on my feet. You couldn't blame me if you looked at it carefully, I'd been on my two feet all morning handling one chore or the other. "You can do this. You just need rest." But would I get it? Hell no. From the looks of things and the workload I had to deal with everyday, it was beginning to look like I was the only one here. The only maid in the entire house. But how could that be? With t
Dominique A cool breeze blew by, rustling the leaves and braches up on the tree. Although mild, it was still strong enough to shake a few things, my hair not left out. A sigh slid past my lips as I threaded my fingers through my hair. It was no doubt that it looked nothing more than a bird's nest which definitely wasn't suitable for someone like me. But I didn't care, at least not today. It was Sunday, and Sundays were meant for relaxing.A bird jumped onto one of the branches, catching my attention immediately. I watched as the almost tiny bird flapped it's wings about, its beak pecking and picking at the tree, obviously looking for something to eat. "You should have gotten a bird feeder by now." A voice spoke from behind me. If I hadn't known to whom it belonged to, I definitely would have spun on my wheel, trying to figure out who the hell had the guts to walk into my personal space, and without permission too. "Will I have to remind you again Dominique boy?""I'm not a boy a
FlorenceI swiped at my forehead with the back of my palm, letting the beads of sweat drop to the ground. The moment they reached the ground though, a wave of regret washed over me. I had just mopped there and now I would have to do it all over again*Oh good lord*I sighed as I stared at the one wet ground. If I looked closely and from a different angle, I could see that particular spot glistening under the warm glow of the chandelier lights. I was just about to swipe my mop over the spot, when a thought came to mind. Suddenly, I found my eyes darting from the stairs that led to the foyer and Dominique's room, back to the wet spot just in front of me. What if I left it just as it was? It was barely noticeable too and it wouldn't cause any harm right? Unless Dominique were to walk right through here. A small smile made its way to my lips as I allowed my imagination run wild. A picture of Dominique walking right by played in my mind and I let it.My smile grew even wider as I pictu