After Derrick left his mother's room, he decided to return to his own room to rest. The night was chilly, and it seemed like it was going to rain soon.
Derrick reflected on what his elder sister had said about dating Alexa. He liked Alexa but wanted to focus on his father's firm first and expand it to other states as well as open mini branches worldwide.
Returning to his room, Derrick noticed an unfamiliar scent lingering in the air. Flipping the light switch, his deep blue eyes darkened at the sight of a lady's gown and pants on the tiled marble floor.
Not only that, he heard a feminine voice humming from his bathroom. His room was vast and spacious, equipped with a study, a relaxation room, and a library for studying, alongside a private gym—a convenient alternative to the shared gym downstairs.
His sisters, now married, had left his mother's home. Nicole had been around last year, but after finding her partner, she moved out following her extravagant wedding. Derrick now lived alone with his elderly mother and their villa's bodyguards.
His anger boiled as he wondered who dared to intrude on his privacy and, worse yet, use his bathroom to their satisfaction.
One thing Derrick hated was sharing his personal space. He loved his mother and focused all his attention on her, uninterested in younger women. So who dared to invade his bedroom, knowing no one was allowed to disturb him?
The maids were permitted to tidy his room only when he was at work, not when he was home or somewhere on the estate.
With gentle strides, Derrick approached the bathroom door. He heard the water running, the bubbling sounds, and a lady humming sweetly.
Recognizing the voice as possibly that of the maid he'd noticed for the first time, Derrick's eyes darkened. He opened the bathroom door to deal with her personally before involving the guards.
However, Derrick didn't expect to see her naked. As the door opened, Miranda stepped out of the bathtub, shocked to see his eyes filled with rage.
Miranda was stunned as Master Derrick's eyes scanned her body. She had an hourglass figure, full, plump breasts, and hips that were exceedingly seductive.
Standing naked before him, Derrick, who had never seen a naked woman close-up, struggled to control his arousal.
Quickly, Miranda grabbed a white towel from the hanger and wrapped it around her chest to cover herself from his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to bathe here," Miranda's soothing voice broke the bathroom's silence, and she wanted to flee. But seeing Derrick rooted to the spot, making no move to step aside, Miranda grew scared.
She needed her maid job to establish herself and wasn't ready to lose it.
Derrick was on the verge of losing control. His arousal was intense. The maid's voice stirred every fiber within him, and after seeing her enticing figure, he doubted his willpower to resist.
He wished she had stayed silent, but her talking had pushed him to the edge.
"Shut up! What gave you the right to bathe here? Is this where maids are supposed to bathe?" Derrick's voice faltered. Gosh, he couldn't articulate like his usual confident self. Seeing her, his urges threatened to consume him, but he was a novice. What if he harmed her? No, this wasn't right.
"I'm sorry, sir. I ..."
"I said be quiet. Get out!" Derrick shouted, and Miranda quickly fled the bathroom, towel barely secured. She slipped and fell, hitting her head against the wall.
Derrick was horrified, thinking Miranda might have passed out from the impact. He rushed to her side, asking, "Are you alright? Does your head hurt?"
Derrick knew if Miranda died in his room, he’d be accused of murder. He had many enemies. At such a young age, he became a billionaire overnight, inheriting his father's wealth. Even his bodyguards and assistants wouldn’t stand by him—they’d likely be the first to report a murder. So he urgently checked if she was okay.
Miranda felt dizzy, seeing the house master kneeling beside her, his touch checking her head, ensuring she was alive. She wanted to play dead a bit longer, just to revel in his divine scent.
Oh, he smelled heavenly, and she was beyond eager to have him.
Miranda thought even in death, Derrick's cologne could resurrect her to be with him.
"Hey, are you alright?" Derrick caressed her cheek, unaware of his effect on her. Miranda pretended to remain unconscious, but then she moaned, prompting Derrick to pull away.
"So you were pretending to be unconscious!" Derrick snapped. He had little interaction with women, except for his mother and sisters, especially in childhood when they'd affectionately squish his cheeks.
"No, sir... I wasn't. Pre-ten-ding," Miranda emphasized, still dazed. She wanted to bask in his scent but involuntarily moaned.
Standing, Derrick ordered, "Get out, and don't try such nonsense again. Know your place; you’re a maid here. I can never have anything to do with someone like you! Is that clear?"
Miranda's heart shattered at Derrick's dismissive words. She realized she had been dreaming of someone unreachable.
Gathering the towel from the floor, Miranda stood, not caring to adjust it properly. She sobbed as she picked up her pink gown from the floor.
She tossed aside the towel, and Derrick watched her dress, unable to divert his gaze from her shapely figure. He swallowed hard as she slipped into her pink maid gown.
Derrick hadn't expected to struggle with resisting Miranda. Her allure had awakened something deep within him. Returning to his bathroom, he wanted to relax in a bath to quell his arousal but remembered Miranda had used it.Derrick had never shared his bathroom with anyone before; now a maid of low status dared to use his bathroom and his sponge and soap. Feeling irritated, he wanted to discipline her, but how could he explain this to his mother? She was already over 70 years old. What if she had a heart attack from the shock?"No, I can't let my mother find out about this," Derrick muttered to himself. He was frustrated, still feeling his body’s demand for relief."Damn it! What kind of temptation is this? I should have that maid fired tomorrow morning. Isn't she the same one who dared to rough up Melody like that? I see she's on a mission here, and I'll deal with her personally tomorrow," Derrick resolved.Moving away from the bathroom door where he'd been standing, Derrick approache
"Oh!" Miranda rubbed her sleepy eyes, wishing she could continue her wonderful dreams. But when her big brown eyes landed on the wall clock in her room, she gasped, "Oh my goodness! 10 a.m."Although it was Saturday, Miranda knew Lady Loretta often insisted she prepare her tea and attend to her other needs.Leaping out of bed without another care in the world, Miranda quickly dashed out of her maid's room, rushing past Juliet, who shook her head in disgust.Juliet was two years older than Miranda and a single mother, though she kept this secret from the Luis family.Juliet had landed a job with the Luis family after being kicked out of her parents' home. Her parents were wealthy, but Juliet couldn't identify the man who had gotten her pregnant. Having a child out of wedlock was against her parents' standards. She had spent one night with a mysterious man and believed she would recognize him if she saw him again, but five years had passed without a sighting.He was young then, probably
"Derrick, come here. I would like to have a word with you," Lady Loretta said as she called her only son back. She knew that Derrick was not pleased with her decision to pardon Miranda; however, she liked Miranda a lot. Since Miranda had not wronged her personally nor done anything wrong to the other maids, she could not just terminate Miranda's employment in her home.More likely, Lady Loretta had other hidden objectives. She could not disclose her plans yet, as she had personally taken Miranda away from the orphanage and enrolled the young woman in school.There was a time when Lady Loretta had gone to the orphanage for one of her leisurely kind-hearted works. There, she saw the beautiful young girl who was unhappy and mostly staring at the door.Lady Loretta knew the young girl's wish was to leave the orphanage and explore the world beyond to establish herself. She never disclosed to Miranda that she was the woman behind Miranda's freedom. She made an offer to the orphanage to adopt
"Mother, I would like to take a stroll outside to clear my mind on some things, as I said before," Derrick said as he immediately looked away from Miranda. He saw the pain in her eyes and how she had stared at him accusingly.'What did I do wrong to her?' Derrick wondered as he quickly averted his gaze to his mother.Miranda quickly informed Lady Loretta, "Ma, I have prepared your tea. Your breakfast is served.""Good. Derrick, come join me for breakfast first before leaving. Miranda woke up late today, and upon her rudeness last night, she decided to have me starve this morning, forgetting that she had to prepare my tea," Lady Loretta commented as she rose from the couch and strolled ahead to the dining table to have her seat.Derrick accompanied his mother, gently pulling out a chair for her to sit. He said, "And that's why I told you to fire her. Anything that causes you pain shouldn't be kept close to you.""Derrick, I would not like to think that is how you fired all your father's
Even Miranda was taken aback by the new man's words. She had just walked into the living room, slowly closing the door behind her. Miranda didn't want to believe that Alex was as troublesome as Derrick."Oh! That was a rude thing to say, Alex. You should have simply said that you dated Juliet before. I know Juliet Colton is not from a poor home like the rest. She is a classy, bossy girl who exudes an air of superiority. I did my research on her and heard she had a child out of wedlock, which is why her billionaire parents sent her away from their mansion.""She was pregnant?" Alex looked stunned, and Juliet was more than embarrassed that her life’s secret had become public knowledge. She immediately ran away from the living room to hide her shame."Juliet, where are you running off to?" Lady Loretta asked in a low voice as she called Juliet back, but the latter didn't respond and ran to her room to cry it all out.The tension in the living room intensified, and Miranda was equally stun
Looking confused, Miranda did not understand where Lady Loretta was going with her comments."I don't understand, Ma," Miranda said. Lady Loretta offered her a warm smile."I know you're upset about what Derrick said regarding lower-class families. You shouldn't be annoyed with him. It's one reason you shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations," Lady Loretta emphasized."I'm sorry, Ma," Miranda apologized, her head bowed low."It's okay. Come sit here. I've wanted to talk to you about this for a long time, but I haven't had the chance," Lady Loretta added. Miranda finally raised her head and looked at the older woman."Should I sit beside you, Ma?" Miranda repeated, unsure she had heard correctly.What if Master Derrick came in and saw her sitting with his mother? Wouldn't he fire her for disrespect? Miranda wondered, her hesitation clear on her face.Observing Miranda's hesitation, Lady Loretta added, "You don't have to worry about Derrick. He wouldn't barge in here without
Miranda returned to the maids' quarters on the left wing of the mansion. The maids were engaged in gossip about Juliet and Alex, Lady Loretta's grandson.Miranda summoned two maids to accompany her, and they went up to the top floor to Lady Loretta's room to gather her clothes and take them downstairs.As Miranda did not know which room belonged to the older lady, the other two maids showed her the way, and soon they began gathering most of Lady Loretta's belongings.Miranda thought about what Lady Loretta had mentioned earlier about adopting her because she wanted her to become her daughter-in-law.A sad smile played on Miranda's lips, as she truly admired Derrick, but she knew the housemaster loathed her the most.The girls focused on gathering the clothes first and taking them to the lower floor of the mansion.Meanwhile, Derrick left the mansion for a walk to clear his mind. He had a business meeting the following day, and he wondered how he would ask Alexa out."I have never done
Miranda wondered again what Derrick was up to. Her heartbeat was irregular, especially knowing he was watching her.'Did he wake up to stare at me again? Oh no!' Miranda bent down and resumed sweeping.She expected Derrick to have left the stairs, but he stood there motionless, watching her sweep.Alex finally walked out of the guest room he had been given. Although Alex had other plans to discuss with Derrick regarding his stay at the Luis mansion,Alex wore a white robe, paired with black trousers and black slippers. He was still reeling from the revelation that Juliet had a son. Despite confronting Juliet about the paternity of her son the previous day, she refused to speak to him.Alex didn't know Juliet's family, and he hadn't planned on becoming a father soon. His mother had suggested he undergo some business training from Derrick to impress his father and eventually run his father's company. What Alex hadn't expected was to encounter Juliet again. His past bad-boy lifestyle was