JOANNE-I opened my eyes to see a white surface and the smell of flowers meeting my nose. My body felt like peace, and my mind was as bland as my thoughts.I blinked rapidly before fully opening my eyes and taking in the white ceilings above my eyes.“She’s awake” Hardy’s thick voice filled the air, and I quietly turned to meet him talking to another man.I slowly started to sit up, only to be stopped by Hardy.“Do not get up,” he said.I ignored him and slowly sat up, taking in the room in front of my eyes.I glanced at the door to see a plate above and the word VIP room written above it.Suddenly, I noticed the IV attached to my hand, and the memory of feeling sick and throwing up came rushing back. I realized that I must have passed out, and I was in a hospital or some other kind of medical facility. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together in my mind.The man Hardy was talking to left the room, and Hardy walked up to me.“What are you doing?” He spat. “I told you to no
-JOANNE Four days had passed since the incident in the hotel suite. Hardy and I were back in the mansion, and the tension between us was palpable. We hadn't spoken much since I challenged him to end my life, and he had walked away without comment. We both seemed to understand that it was better to give each other space, but it didn't make things any less awkward.His behavior was juvenile, moping about Lisa's death as if everyone else was to blame. At first, I thought it was jealousy fueling my irritation, but as I ruminated over the baby growing inside me, the real cause became clear: anger. Unrelenting, simmering anger that boiled just below the surface. It was infuriating to watch him wallow in self-pity while I carried the weight of responsibility, the burden of life, within me.Standing in my room and staring at the manically desired painting that somewhat gave me slight solace and redirected my anger every now and then. Trinity walked into the room, looking tired.She’s b
AUTHOR’s POV.FLASHBACK- Two years ago.-With a sense of impending urgency, Trinity sprang into action, leading a team of maids in a flurry of activity to prepare the mansion for Hardy's imminent return from his six-month vacation. As the maids worked diligently, a distinct humming noise pierced the silence, heralding the imminent landing of Hardy's private jet.Rushing outside to greet him, Trinity's dress billowed in the relentless wind, the fabric dancing in playful rebellion against her attempts to tame it. Joining the rest of the mansion's maids, she stood poised in anticipation, awaiting the arrival of her boss.She was so focused on getting her dress better that she didn’t realise when Hardy had started to walk into the mansion with a young lady beside him.And immediately, Trinity took sight of them; she hopped on her feet and dashed up to them.“Hardy. You’re home,” she sounded delighted, trying to help him with his suitcase.Hardy disagreed.“I’ll take them in myself,” Hard
Author POVFLASHBACK contd. -Trinity could feel her entire body heating up from the inside.What was going on?How did her little advances get out of the way for Lisa to notice their great deal?If Hardy were to find out about it, He’d get disgusted and throw her out of his domain.Her quietness and shame caused Lisa to burst out laughing.“Look at you. I’ve got you right where I wanted.” Trinity snapped back to reality and shook her head.“I believe you’re mistaken.” “Mistaken?” Lisa laughed.“The only mistake here is you denying it.”Trinity gently walked out of bed and shook her head.“You are deeply mistaken. And to have my beauty sleep. I would love it if you left.“So now you’re throwing me out?” Lisa scoffed.“I’m sorry.” Was the only thing Trinity said.And after a few gazes of disbelief, Lisa walked out of the room.***Hardy's wedding to Lisa was a whirlwind of excitement, the talk of the town. Everyone wanted to be in Lisa's shoes, wishing they could understand the allu
AUTHOR POV-Last part of FLASHBACK- 2years ago- - Days passed, and Trinity avoided Lisa altogether. She made sure Hardy was aware by making it explicit. She had told him, rather erroneously, that she had contracted a flu that might potentially be fatal for a pregnant woman. Even though Lisa tried to convince herself that she couldn't get sick from her sickness. As per her request, Hardy put Trinity in charge of the loo while assigning other maids to take care of Lisa. To genuinely keep Lisa at bay, Trinity had installed a new lock on her door. And when Lisa found out what Trinity had actually done to genuinely keep her at bay. She also stayed away. Under the Bensimon roof, they both became strangers, and even when Trinity's alleged sickness was curedShe and Lisa never spoke to each other properly again.- For what seemed like an eternity, Trinity languished in a bottomless pit of remorse. Until one fateful night, when she stumbled upon a scene that made her heart stop. T
I simultaneously felt the cold nail polish on my fingers and the soft brush on my hair. The strong metallic and sweet odor caused my stomach to churn, but I couldn't tell whether it was the nail polish or my nervousness that was involved.As one of the maids attempted to apply mascara to my unstable blinking eyes, I apologized after she attempted to conceal her anger by tsking incessantly."Ma’am”, please," she pleaded.I apologized again after clearing my voice.Once I had completed adorning my face, I was calmly instructed to stand and cautiously enter my luxurious purple silk gown.I was following whatever these maids in black and blue uniforms told me, and before I knew it, I looked like a completely different person as I stood in front of the mirror to look at myself."You look amazing, ma'am." The youngest-looking maid among them said, smiling at me.I wanted to thank her, but I couldn't find my voice after she continued."Master will really be pleased with you."Master...The wo
The sun had set, and the night coldness had slowly crept its way through the day.My mind was in complete havoc, and my body refused to relax.I quietly let out a grunt as Trinity, the head maid, tightened the corset around my waist. She immediately flashed me an apologetic smile."I'm sorry, beauty is pain, isn't it?" She joked and laughed to herself.I remained quiet and watched nothing but my reflection as I recalled what their 'Master' said to me this morning."I'm sure you know it's tonight." His words repeated themselves for the hundredth time in my head, and I shivered.What was tonight?What about tonight? I've had on about three outfits today in this very room, just for the sake of this master, and all the dresses were made of silk, but I only saw him once. I was very likely to meet him tonight, and that is to say, ten minutes from now.And now this third dress came with a corset that was trying to squeeze the blood out of my body, leaving me drained.Trinity quietly arrange
-JOANNEComing from a low-income back bone and being a workaholic, I was rarely exposed to luxurious places.So I gasped like a fool when I took a good look at the breath-seizing dining room in front of me. The walls were nearly as high as the sky, with strings of gold glistening on them.A large crystal-like chandelier hung from the roof, brightening the area and adding gold hues to the big dining table beneath it.The floors were wooden carpets that reflected practically everything above them, and the dining table was fit for a king and queen. Everything was deeply untouchable, and I instantly felt out of place, recalling the small, terrible apartment Bailey and I shared.I gulped.Out of all the rooms, this looked the most expensive, given that it was only a room to dine in.I haven't been in many other rooms, so I guess there is still so much I haven't seen. But heaven help me, because I wouldn't want to break anything here. I immediately noticed the man called 'Master' sitting