LOGINIRENE I stood there, watching the tight expression on Amelia's face. It was as if she realised what was suddenly happening to her. She was wheezing, choking now, her hand clutching at her throat, the thin line of her jaw tightening. A thin smile crept across my face. My eyes were sparkling as I watched her desperately gasp from breath. But the smile quickly faded the instant Amelia's eyes flicked up to me, her eyes fluttering shut. Her panicked gaze made my heart leapt with joy, just watching her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words seemed to come out. She gasped, then opened her mouth to speak again. “Call… for… help…. Now.” Her voice was a hoarse rasp. Call… Con…rad.” Each word was like she was being forced while her throat was on the verge of exploding. My heart hammered against my ribs, but not from fear. It was from the realisation that Amelia was now out of the picture, and this easily. She tried to reach for me, her hands trembling. Instinctively, I p
IRENE A mild knock sounded on my bedroom door, interrupting my rest. I groaned, turning to my side. I had finally decided to stay at home and rest, yet, they wouldn't leave me alone. The knock came again, mild. Heaving, I got down from the bed, heading towards the door. I opened the door and saw the chef standing there, wearing casual clothes. She was usually wearing a white uniform and her apron. But today, she was different. “Ms. Irene, sorry to disturb you," she began, her tone soft. "But I would like to ask you for a favour." I sighed, staring at the chef. I was already pissed off about what Diego had told me the previous day, and the last thing I needed was to do a favour for someone. "Go ahead,” I said, half-heartedly. "I'm going on a leave now, and I would like you to please prepare some food for Mrs Pierre to eat. There's no one else at home to do it.” I sneered. It was always Amelia. Always about her. And I had a hollow-core hatred whenever it was always about her.
AMELIA Irene stood by the fireplace in the living room, adjusting the strap of her leather purse, with precise movements. Conrad glanced at his watch, pacing about in the living room. He was waiting for Noah to finish his breakfast before taking him to school. I sat on the sofa, my eyes fixed on Irene. Since Conrad had told her that she would be leaving soon, a week ago, she hasn't been normal. Most times, she would act paranoid, other times she would behave like her soul wasn't in her body. It was barely noticeable, but I had been observing her since then. Her posture was rigid, as she looked down at the floor. Conrad then stopped pacing and turned, his gaze settling on Irene. “Irene," he began, his tone plain. "You'll be going back to Norway, late next week. The tickets will be confirmed soon. So, use this time to get your work in order. Complete everything quickly and prepare for leaving.” Irene's hands, which have been fussing with her bag strap, stilled. She looked at h
AMELIA The bedroom door flung open, and Noah with Conrad entered the room. Noah suddenly stopped by the door, staring towards the bed, his expression surprised. “Grandpa!" he shouted, his voice pure with joy. His small shoes thudded across the floorboards, a bright grin on his face as he rushed towards Mr Colton. Mr Colton stood from the edge of the bed, chuckling lightly. Then, Noah reached him and wrapped his hand around Mr Colton's thighs. Mr Colton lifted Noah's chin with a gentle hand, ruffling his hair in a way that made Noah giggle loudly. “I've missed you, kiddo," he said, his words warm. Noah's grin widened. “Me too, grandpa," he said, pulling away from Mr Colton's legs. His eyes flickered to me. “Hi mum." I smiled faintly. “Sweetie, how are you?” "Fine,” he said, his eyes flickering from the cannula on my hand, to my face, which I couldn't tell if it was pale or not. After a minute, Mr Colton glanced at me, and I simply nodded. He held Noah's hand, turning to th
AMELIA I stopped at the bottom of the staircase, looking at Irene. She swallowed, slightly shocked by my presence. She glanced back to the entrance door, then at me, her eyes wavering. “It–it was one of the servants that works here. She told me that she wanted to quit because she was going out of the country soon.” She tried to steady her voice, but the crack in it was still noticeable. My eyes remained fixed on her as I stood there. I wondered why she was so shocked by my presence. Irene clutched the strap of her black purse in her hand tightly, while her right hand was squeezed beside her. “But why didn't she report to Conrad or I first? She should have let us know before leaving." “She was in a hurry," Irene blurted almost immediately I stopped talking. Then, she gave a faint smile. “She said she was in a hurry to leave and she didn't want to disturb your rest." I nodded, then turned around and headed for the dining room. A cannula was still fixed at the back of my han
IRENE I sat at the edge of the bed, anxiety spiking as I heard the loud knock on the door. I tried to calm myself down, but my hands trembled slightly. I remained on the bed, staring at the door. The last thing I wanted was to be on Conrad's bad side because it would never end well for me. The knock came again, louder this time, and I knew I had to just open the door. “Irene, open up," Conrad's calm voice called out from outside the door. I took a deep breath, and slowly turned the door knob, opening the door. Conrad entered my room, his eyes flickering to me instantly. I tried to mask the anxious expression on my face. “Is there a problem, Conrad?" I asked, trying to sound ignorant, despite the way my heart raced. He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “You didn't go to work today?" he asked, his tone neutral. I shook my head. “No. There was no important work to do today." His eyes then narrowed at me, slightly. “You went into the kitchen earlier today to cook for y







