Dexter parked the car and went to the back of the house. The Siromanis' yard was very large. It could take up to four duplexes if he wasn't underestimating it.
The main house, where the family lived, was in the middle of the compound. It was a mansion that could take anyone's breath away. There was a two storey duplex behind it where the servants stayed. They were the gardener, the cook, the housekeeper and Dexter, the driver. There was a gate keeper but he stayed in the gate house which was at the gate. Mr. and Mrs. Siromani were rather low key people. They didn't want a crowd in their home, unlike most rich people. Most rich families filled their homes with several servants mostly to prove their wealth.
Dexter went to the servants' quarters and straight to his room. Anna's behavior today was not only strange but also uncalled for. Most rich kids were normally rude. They were so rude that he started thinking it was a matter of principle for them, but though he hadn't known her for a long time, he knew that Anna was not like that so he wondered what had gotten into her.
Annabelle was one of the most well behaved girls he had met so far. Dexter had worked with three wealthy families before he came to work for the Siromanis.
He worked for his past employers as a software developer, which was what he studied. During those periods, there was hardly anything he didn't witness. The boys in those families turned him into a play thing. They'd boss him around like he was their property. The girls were another story. They did everything they could to get his attention and when he didn't let them have their way, they would become antagonistic.
Sometimes, their boyfriends saw him as a threat and only didn't fight him because he was older than them.
The last family he worked for, the Austins, fired him because their daughter told them that he was making moves on her. That was a fat lie and Dexter expected her parents to see that.
For one, he was hardly ever in their house but mostly in office. Secondly, he hardly even went close to her to which her brother was a witness of. But they didn't believe him.
At first, Dexter was heartbroken when they fired him but he sucked it up and moved on with life. He had never liked that job but the pay was good and he needed it.
When the Siromanis came to New York and said that they needed a driver, he didn't want to go. His friends tried getting him to apply but he couldn't see himself working as a driver. Then one day, Mr. Basha Siromani came to his house to ask him if he could be his driver. Basha freaking Siromani came to his house!
He always remembered that day like it was yesterday.
Flasback
The door bell rang. Dexter was asleep and didn't want to get the door. He thought it was one of his friends. When the person at the door kept ringing the bell, he angrily went to the door. When he opened it, his jaw literally fell to the floor. Never in his wildest dreams did Dexter expect this idol to appear in front of his house.
"Uhmm, good-good morning sir", he stuttered.
"Hello Dexter", Mr. Siromani replied with a smile.
"May I come in?" Mr. Siromani asked when Dexter just stood in the doorway without saying anything.
He knew Dexter was not being rude. He was simply wondering what a man like him was doing there.
"Of course sir! Forgive my lack of manners", Dexter said hastily and led him into the living room.
The young man was uncomfortable. He wanted Mr. Siromani to state the reason for his visit and leave. He wasn't displeased with the man's visit but with his own surroundings. He felt that the billionaire would be repulsed by his home. What he did not know was that Mr. Siromani was at home with the house. After all, he had lived in a worse home once.
"You may be wondering why I'm here", the man said once they settled down.
Dexter didn't say anything but waited for him to go on.
"I'm looking for a driver Dexter", he continued, "actually, a driver for my daughter."
Dexter frowned. Not only that he didn't want to be a driver, he also didn't want someone to accuse him falsely like his former employer.
"I know you're having doubts about this because of your former job", Mr. Basha said when he saw Dex's expression.
The young man's head shot up.
"Actually," Mr. Siromani continued, "the Austins are friends of mine and they're the ones who referred me to you. They said you are trustworthy and that they found out the truth about the incident leading to your termination of contract."
Dexter opened his mouth to speak but the man signalled him to hold his peace.
"They also want to apologize for what they did. Apparently, their son told them the truth after you left", he finished.
All Dexter could say was "oh".
"So will you work for me?" Mr. Basha asked.
"Can I think about it sir?"
"Of course you can", he responded as he got up to leave.
End of flashback.
And that was how Dexter came to work with them.
On his first day, he didn't see the girl he would be driving. All Mr. Siromani did want to introduce him to his fellow workers and his wife. Mrs. Siromani was very kind to him that day and he hoped their daughter would be the same.
His prayer was answered yesterday when he met Anna. She was very polite and friendly too but he could tell she was uneasy and it wasn't because of him. Anyone looking at her would know that she was a well behaved girl and you could even mistake her for an ordinary person.
"Dex, do you have any idea what's wrong with Belle?" Kathy asked when he finally came down to eat.
"I don't know Kate. She's been like that all day", he replied.
He told her what transpired in the car on their way home was he ate the omelette she made.
Bruce, the gardener and Dan, the housekeeper weren't back yet.
"Wow," Katherine said when he was done with his tale, "something has to be wrong."
"I think so too, Kate. But I'll talk it over with her tomorrow. Let her be for today."
Katherine agreed with him, "she didn't even come to the kitchen to get her food today."
"Just let her be", he said before going back to his room.
♠♠♠
Mr. Siromani and his wife got home to a calm atmosphere. They looked at each other in shock. There was no sign of the usual destruction they would see on a normal Tuesday.
They quietly went upstairs to their room and changed, then went down to the table for dinner.
"Where is Anna?" Riley asked the cook when she served their dinner.
"She's in her room ma'am. She's been in there since she got back from school", Katherine replied, "should I go get her?"
"No, don't", Riley said with haste.
Katherine looked at her with a confused expression before leaving them.
The couple were more than happy that their daughter might be able to heal. They ate their meal with light hearts.
Katherine put some food in a plate and went to Anna's room.
The door was locked.
"I don't know what's wrong with you today Belle but please eat something", she said at the door.
There was no movement from inside the room so she left for the kitchen but kept the food at the door.
Anna listened until she heard Katherine leave then opened the door and took the food.
As she ate, she thought of how caring Katherine was and it warmed her heart. She also believed Arya, wherever she was, would be pleased that she had someone who could care for her.
Anna's POVI woke up with a smile on my face. I didn't know why I was happy. Maybe because it was a Wednesday or I because I had been successful at having substantial control of my emotions yesterday or maybe it was because I remembered Kathy's concern last night. It didn't matter what was making me smile but I was just happy. I quickly did my morning routine, wore my uniform, took my bag and ran downstairs. "Wow. You're in a pleasant mood today", Kathy said with a smile as she gave me my packaged breakfast. "Thank you Kathy", I said and hugged her. She looked stunned. Maybe she wasn't expecting that hug. "What are you thanking me for?" she asked after getting over her surprise. "I saw the dinner you left at my door", I said, beaming. Kathy's face immediately brightened up. "You're welcome dear", she said. "I'm sorry Kathy," I said when I remembered something, "I forgot to bring the plate down with me.""There's no problem dearie. Now get going. Dexter is waiting for you", she
Anna's POV A few hours later, it was time for lunch and I was starving. I went to the cafeteria, got my lunch and sat at an empty table. I had an AP Chemistry assignment due immediately after lunch break and I hadn't even taken a look at it! I brought out my notebook and began to do the assignment as I ate my lunch. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't notice someone had sat down at the table until I finished. Don't blame me, I just love Chemistry. The person happened to be Mr. Rude from my first day. What's his name? Colton? Unfortunately, I didn't know that I was staring and he took it as something else. He thought I was checking him out."I didn't know I'm this drool worthy", he joked. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right.""Then why were you staring at me?" he teased. "Because I was trying to figure out what in the world you're doing here, like, at this table", I said with a serious expression on my face. "I want to stay here", he replied.I groaned. "I thought you
The class was in an uproar when Anna fainted. The girl who was holding her before she became unconscious motioned to a boy to help her carry Anna to the school's clinic. When they got there, Anna was immediately taken to a private ward and put in a bed. The nurse checked her and asked them what happened to her. "We were just in class when she fainted," the boy answered. "But I noticed she was crying before she fainted. That was even what made me notice her amidst all that chaos," the girl said. The nurse nodded and told them to wait. "Let me go and get a doctor," she said. As they waited, the girl asked the boy. "Do you think she'll be okay?" "I don't know," he replied to her. Finally, the nurse came back with a male African-American doctor. "Good afternoon doctor," the two students greeted in unison. "Good afternoon students," he replied. He checked Anna again and faced them. "What happened to her? I need every detail of what you noticed," he said. The girl quickly narra
Anna's POV Dex parked the car in the garage and I ran out as soon as we stopped. I knew he would notice the difference in my appearance and would ask questions which I didn't want to answer. "I'm home, Kathy," I said as I passed the kitchen. I would go in and say a proper hello but I was too shaken up to talk to anyone. I didn't even know if she was in the kitchen or not but I silently hoped that she wasn't. I got to my room and flopped down on my bed after throwing my bag to some unknown corner of the room. 'How did this happen? Why did my case have to be different? Why couldn't my family be normal like the others?' I thought. "Who did I offend?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I cried. I had to put on a strong, unbothered facade with Colton and Vanessa because I didn't want them in my business but being alone in my room made the tears I had been holding for so long let loose. I was scared, so scared. Mrs. Ryan just had too many similarities with her. Simply looking at
Anna's POV It felt good to be back to school. Everyhere was looking the same but even the lockers closing was like music to my ears. I had just come out from history class and might I say that it was excruciatingly boring. Our teacher was even more boring than the subject itself! It was time for lunch and my feet took me to the cafeteria. I sighed when I finally got there. On my way, it felt like I may not make it. I was so tired that I could barely register what was going on around me. I almost walked myself right into a wall even! Oh well, that's over. The cafeteria was a lot rowdier than usual. Given how hungry I was, I shouldn't have noticed that, but the noise was too much and I naturally hate noise. I sighed again and made my way to an empty table after scanning the area for one. I didn't buy the cafeteria food that day because I brought mine from the house. I smiled at the memory of Kathy and I making my lunch. It wasn't much, just potato chips with sauce and some cupcakes
Anna's POVSchool was over for the day. I went to my locker to wait for Brooke. Mason and Colton told me they would leave school earlier than us since their grade closes two hours before others. Anyway, I was shocked beyond measure when the girl walked up to me this afternoon before Math class started. I was thinking she had been ghosting me, after all, I never saw her again after we shared Physics class on my first day at Regis. So she said that she wanted to talk to me and I told her to go on, then our stupid teacher choose that moment to grace us with his presence. I sighed as I tried to control my annoyance. Like, why couldn't he come in later? Brooke said we would talk later and asked if I could wait at my locker after school, which I agreed to. After arranging my locker, I leaned on it to wait for her. The hallway was still very busy. Athletes were going to locker rooms to get ready for their practice while the cheerleaders were doing the same thing. I got bored of just watch
Anna's POV"I'm sorry for avoiding you", she said. Say what? I thought she had some kind of massive confession to make like they do in the movies. Why else would she make me wait for ages? She was even acting nervous just for an apology? She continued before I could say anything to that. "I avoided you because Kimberly made me. At that time, I thought she had a valid point." I groaned at the mention o f Her Majesty's name. "Which was?" I asked Brooke. "What point of hers was so valid that made you act like that?" "Annabelle, do you know who your parents are?" She asked me insteadI mentally groaned. Who answers a question with another question? Brooke, obviously. Call me evil, but I wanted to strangle her that minute. What did my parents have to do with this? I left her to continue though. "Your mom is one of the greatest fashion designers in the world. Do you know how many people buy their clothes? Have you ever bothered to calculate how much Your Style makes in just a week? They
Colton's POV"Colton Morgan!" My mom yelled and I groaned. I was about to answer her when on second thoughts, I decided not to. Answering her wasn't going to do much anyway, since she was just going to repeat the same words she had been saying since I got home which were "don't make us go late".I adjusted tie I was wearing and deciding that I was looking good enough. I put my phone in my pocket and went downstairs to the living room, where my parents were seated. My dad was reading a newspaper and my mom was fiddling with her phone, probably playing candy crush. What is with females and that boring game? What do they see in it?"You're finally out", my dad said. "I was starting to think that you weren't coming." I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to go but they forced me into this. "It's not like I have a choice", I retorted.My mom put her phone in her purse and analyzed me. "This suit isn't good enough", she said when she was done. I almost fainted at that. Did she really expect me to