Chapter 6 : Days before the wedding

Mr Donovan Creed’s residence

"Damn it, I want them dead! Every single one of the Andersons... I don’t care what it takes. I will strip everything from them!" Mr. Creed snarled, his voice echoing as he slammed the door behind him. In his hand, he held a crumpled copy of the Daily Graphic, his fingers tightening around the paper as his rage boiled over. "I will end them all!" he bellowed, his eyes wild with fury.

He stormed across the room, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he glanced down at the front page....his own face glaring back at him. "Rubbish...nonsense," he growled through clenched teeth.

"Valtooooorrrrrrr!" Creed roared, his voice filled with venom. "I will make you pay! You’ve put your hands in a tiger’s mouth... you have no idea what you’ve just started." His fists shook with barely controlled anger as he stared into the void....

….………………….

Meyer Tower Hotel

"I’ve already arranged a place for you and your guests, Mr. Erik Meyer," Mr. Valtor said with a broad smile as he approached Erik, both men accompanied by their wives.

"I know, but you can’t blame me," Erik chuckled. "I love spending time in my hotel whenever I come back to town."

"Haha, I get it. You’ve got one of the best hotels in the world," Mr. Valtor responded warmly as the two men embraced.

"And where else would I stay to witness my only daughter marry the most remarkable businessman’s son history has ever seen?" Erik remarked with pride as they both settled onto the luxurious golden sofa set in the center of the VIP room.

A waitress appeared before them, bowing slightly before asking, "Welcome to Meyer's Tower Hotel. What can I bring you to drink?"

“I want the best you have here,” Mr. Erik said, flashing a smile as he waved a hand.

As the waitress poured their drinks, Mr. Erik continued, “I’ve been seeing your business trending all over... Oh, and Max Ethan... now I understand why Lena went for him. Such a fierce young man... may he go far.”

“Ah, these Gen Z kids,” Mr. Valtor replied with a chuckle, adjusting himself comfortably in his chair. “They never listen.”

On the other side of the room…

"Looking young as always, Marissa," Mrs. Julia said as she approached her, both exchanging delicate handshakes and smiles.

"Luxury keeps me young," Mrs. Marissa responded with a classy laugh. "You look good too, I must say," she added with a quick glance down at Julia’s attire.

They exchanged a knowing look, their eyes softening as they smiled warmly at one another.

Back in the center of the VIP room, Mr. Erik took a sip of his wine before speaking. "We’ll talk about the deal after the wedding and sign a couple of contracts."

"Oh yes," Mr. Valtor said with a smile as he raised his glass, Cheers to that "The wedding is going to be a grand affair, and both sides will benefit greatly."

….…………………….

Anderson’s mansion

Kristen’s hands trembled as she carefully placed the glass of water on the table next to Max. But her nerves got the best of her, and the glass tipped over, spilling water all over the pristine documents he had been reviewing.

"Oh no," she gasped, quickly grabbing a napkin to clean the mess.

Max’s chair screeched against the floor as he abruptly stood up, his eyes narrowing at the chaos she’d just caused. His jaw tightened, and without a word, he stepped closer to her, brusquely pulling the napkin from her hands and dropping it to the floor.

"Is everything okay with you?" Max asked coldly as he walked closer to her...

 Kristen instinctively backed away, her heart pounding. "You can't even handle something this simple without causing a mess," he continued, stepping even closer, his towering presence making her feel small.

Kristen raised her hands to shield her face from him, trembling as fear gripped her. She didn’t know what he might do next, her breath quickening with every step he took.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang...

“S-someone is at the door,” Kristen stammered as she briefly looked into his icy eyes and rushed out from his side.

When Kristen opened the door, a lady stood on the doorstep, wearing a polite smile.

"Hello, I was appointed by the 'Your Home We Care' agency to come as a maid, here is my letter" The lady's voice was professional, but Kristen’s mind went blank as her heart froze.

"Huh..." Kristen stammered, her eyes wide with shock. She didn’t utter a word for a second and just stared at her.

"Excuse me?" the lady asked, looking confused by the silence.

Kristen snapped back to reality, blinking rapidly. "W-we... we don’t need any maids for now," she said, her voice shaky. Panic bubbled up inside her as she tried to think of something else to say, but before she could, the lady opened her mouth to protest.

"But I was told to—"

Kristen suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Her breath hitched...

"No!" Kristen interrupted, her voice louder than intended. "We don’t need any maids! Sorry," she said as she forced a strained smile, her hand darting to close the door quickly behind her before the woman could say another word.

She leaned against the door, exhaling shakily, her heart racing from the near encounter. Her fingers trembled as she heard Max’s voice behind her.

"Who was that?" Max said, and she flinched and turned to face him.

"It was... just a mistake, probably the wrong address," Kristen said as she swallowed hard.

Max gazed at her, and without a word, he took out his phone, dialing swiftly. "Check the gate," he ordered curtly. "How on earth... make sure no one else gets through unless I authorize it." His tone turned sharp as he added

Kristen felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she heard another knock on the door. Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could control her reaction, she took a step back, visibly tense.

Max looked up and noticed how uneasy she looked. "What now?" he muttered, his patience wearing thin as he took a step toward her.

"No, no... you can’t see. I’ll take care of it!" Kristen blurted out, desperation in her voice as she moved between him and the door, her body practically trembling as she blocked his way.

Max’s brow furrowed as he reached out to pull her aside, but before he could, the door suddenly swung open with force from the outside. Kristen gasped as she was knocked backward, falling straight into Max’s chest. His hands instinctively caught her, and for a moment, everything stood still.

Their eyes met and the world around them seemed to disappear in that brief second, his strong grip on her waist steadying her. Kristen’s breath caught in her throat as her heart pounded in her ears.

But the moment shattered when Lena strode in. "Hey, my love," Lena said, walking straight up to Max with a confident sway. She barely glanced at Kristen before rudely pushing past her with her shoulder, causing Kristen to stumble back awkwardly.

"I missed you," Lena said, sliding her arms around Max’s neck and pulling him into a hug, completely disregarding Kristen’s presence. Kristen stood there, awkwardly straightening herself, feeling like an unwanted bystander...

Lena pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on Max’s cheek, and he looked at her completely unfeeling. Lena looked up at him.

"I wanted to see you and spend some time with you before our big wedding," Lena said again, raising her heels and hugging him once more…

Kristen looked left and right, feeling uncomfortable. "I will excuse myself," she said and moved away from there without waiting for any response.

Lena slowly pulled away. "Who is she?" she said softly. "Is she your new maid?" she asked.

Max looked down at her, feeling detached. "Yes, but she will be out of here soon," he said, walking toward the door.

"Where are you going, Ethan?" she called out.

"I have some important work to handle," he said. "I will come look for you when I’m free," he added without looking back.

"I guess I will have to stay here for a while," she said smugly, folding her arms.

….…….

Kristen on the phone.

"You mean you’ve gotten a job without even writing any job applications?" Noami said in disbelief. "I thought we were living in the ‘who knows you’ era."

 Kristen chuckled softly, shaking her head as she held the phone. “I know, right? It’s crazy. One minute I’m chasing my cat, and the next... I’m in this mansion, wearing an apron like I’ve been hired to clean it.”

Noami laughed. “Girl, that’s the luckiest cat in the world. So, what’s the catch? There’s always a catch.”

Kristen sighed, leaning against the wall. “I don’t know. Everything feels off, but... it’s something...I need to be extra careful, you know? It’s not like I had a lot of options.”

“Hey, it’s better than nothing,” Noami replied, her tone softening. “Just be careful. Rich people... they have secrets.”

Kristen sighed heavily. “Carefulness is one thing I need to have with me in this house, or else I’ll either lose myself or end up in jail…”

“Hahaha, he can’t be that bad…” Noami said with a giggle.