Chapter 2

Carissa's POV

The sunlight casts a soft glow on the sprawling mansion before me. I stare at it and I'm mesmerized. I try to convince myself that people actually live here. The exterior of the house is beautiful, standing tall amongst the few houses I saw on my way here. I walk towards the front door after being cleared at the gate. I'm really nervous about this interview but I try to rein it in. 

I need to be as composed as possible if I'm to snag this job which I really need. But the giant mansion and its surroundings already threatens to break the last bit of composure I have left. I take a deep breath and ring the door bell. 

The door opens a few seconds later and I'm ushered into the house by an older woman in a uniform. I'm guessing she's the housekeeper. I try not to seem too overwhelmed by the interior of the space. Everything seems huge. I'm led to an open plan living space with floor to ceiling windows and I can't help but stare.

“Please have a seat. Denise will be with you shortly” The woman says, giving me a small smile as she disappears down the hallway. I seize the opportunity to glance around from my seated position while waiting for Denise. The house is undeniably large and beautiful but it seems to lack warmth. 

I smoothen invisible creases on my skirt as I hear the sound of heels against the smooth marble floors. I stand immediately she comes into view.

“Hello there. You must be Carrisa?” Denise says as she walks up to me with an extended hand.

“Yes, I am” I shake her hands briefly.

“I’m Denise, Mr. Ezra's Personal Assistant. I will be conducting the interview. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long?” she sits directly opposite me and I follow suit.

“Oh, not at all. I only got here” I reply.

“Alright. I'm guessing you already know the specifications of the job via the email I sent earlier. So let's jump right into it”

The interview goes on for the next ten minutes and after that, I'm hired on the spot. Apparently, my new boss has a tendency of skipping meals and a horrible eating pattern so I'm here to fix that. I'm a professional Chef in need of money urgently. My parents might lose their house if we don't pay off what's left of the mortgage. The salary from the restaurant I work at wouldn't cut it so I began searching for new jobs online. 

I stumbled on this offer and decided to check it out. The only concern is the fact that it's a live-in job which wasn't stated in the job description but Denise explained that it was an ommission on her part. I only work week days and get the weekends off. My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets when she reveals the salary offer. It's ten times my current pay and exactly what I need at the moment. 

My family can't know it's a live-in job. I have to figure out what to tell them. I haven't met my new boss yet so I don't know what to expect. 

“You resume tomorrow. You'll be meeting Mr Ezra before he goes to work so you can't afford to be late. You resume by 7am every morning and close off by 7pm. Miss Michelle will show you to your quarters when you arrive tomorrow. That would be all for now” she says standing up.

“Thank you very much, Denise. I'm grateful for the opportunity” We shake briefly. She offers me a warm smile as we walk towards the door.

Minutes later, I'm seated in an Uber on my way to my current job, or should I say, former job. I mean I have a new job now. With way better pay. I smile at the thought. I have to tender my resignation letter. 

I step into my manager’s office minutes later and he offers me a seat. He’s a man in his early forties but honestly, he looks way younger. He reads through the letter and looks up at me. 

“I didn't see this coming, Carissa. At least you should have given me a heads up. Did something happen?” he asks, staring at me weirdly. 

I clear my throat. “Not really. I just got a better offer” I say, looking away from his piercing eyes. He had always rubbed me off the wrong way and I tried to stay away from him as much as I could all the while I worked here. I've caught him giving me suggestive stares on multiple occasions.

“You should have told me money was the problem. I'm willing to settle your bills only if I can have access to you whenever I want. You don't know the things that go on in my head whenever I look at you, Carissa” his voice is low as he moves to hold my hand on the table. His hand barely brushes mine when I pull back.

“I’m not sure what you mean, sir but I should be on my way now” I quickly stand up and move away from the table.

“Well, when your problems compound so much that the money from your new job can't suffice anymore, you know where to find me” he licks his bottom lip and practically undress me with his eyes. 

I don't reply him and hurry out of his office. I say goodbye to my colleagues and step into the warm evening sun. I opt to walk home just so I can enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm glad I no longer have to deal with mr. creepy.

I ring the door bell of the mansion at exactly 6:55am the next day. I told my family I'll be working mostly night shifts at my old job since I got a new one with better pay. The door opens and Miss Michelle, the housekeeper ushers me in. 

We walk through the foyer and she takes me directly to the kitchen. Of course it's large and equipped with top appliances. I mean, what do I expect from a house this huge. She shows me the Chef's kitchen through a connecting door in the main kitchen and I'm wowed.

“This would be your work station. The foodstuff is in the pantry. You can have a look and if there's anything you'll be needing, just make a list of the items and hand them to me. I'll make sure they're available” she says. I relax a bit as I look around. We take the elevator to the second floor and she opens the door to the farthest room down the hallway.

“This is your bedroom. The entire top floor is Mr Ezra's private suite and it's off limits. Please make yourself comfortable” she says. The room is sparsely decorated and twice the size of my bedroom at my parents house. 

“Thank you very much, Miss Michelle. Um, is Mr Ezra up? I haven't met him yet and Denise said I'll be meeting him this morning before he leaves for work” I ask, my voice laced with curiousity.

“About that, he had a late flight to catch last night but he'll be back tonight before you clock out for the day so you'll meet him then. Alright, I'll leave you to settle in now” she says as she leaves the room. I look around and drop my light suitcase in the wardrobe and make my way back to the kitchen to prep for the day while I wait for my boss.