Part-time

Sylvia woke up in cold sweats after dreaming of being shot at by Blake. Immediately sitting up on the bed following that, she patted on her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.

This was the first time she had seen a gun in action in real life, and the target had been her as well. It was scary to think of what could have happened if the trajectory of bullet had been different.

Then, she heard the knocks, leading her to collect herself and get down from the bed before going over to open the door. Stood before her was a woman in her mid forties, dressed in an uniform. She was most probably a maid here.

“Ms. Sylvia, you have been called for breakfast downstairs,” she enunciated.

The formal tone caused the corner of her lips to twitch, and she voiced out, “Just stick with Sylvia. Give me five minutes. I will wash up.”

°°°

Walking into the dining room, she saw her mother feeding Liam, and seeing how the man complied along with it caused Sylvia to feel disgusted at them for not acting their age. She shook her head before she realized Blake was at the table as well.

His hair was styled wildly as he sat with a casual posture. Hint of boredom was there in his eyes as he went through his phone. A wound sat on the corner of his lips. Sylvia mentally captured this image of him before thinking back to what happened last night.

Immediately, she averted her gaze.

“Good morning,” she greeted.

Liam nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Lydia responded, “Good morning. How come you’re this late? The food must have gone cold. I will ask them to reheat it.”

‘Mom, usually you don’t even care if I am having breakfast! So, why are you nagging a lot today?’

“I think it will be fine,” she said, forcing out a smile.

After what occurred, she didn’t have the courage to look at Liam and Blake. Pulling the chair, she sat down and started to slowly nibble on her food, losing her appetite due to how awkward it felt.

“What were you doing outside last night?” Liam questioned in a commanding tone.

“Exactly like a little thief,” Blake made a snarky comment.

This made Sylvia instantly raise her head and nervously reply, “Just wasn’t able to sleep last night, so wanted to walk outside.”

If she mentioned the matter of food, there was a fat chance Blake would tease her.

“Forget what you had seen,” he ordered.

“Yes, I understand, Si— I mean, Liam,” she stated, cursing at herself inside for being this embarrassing.

Reaching out for the orange juice, she took a sip when the fishy taste hit her, causing her to feel disgusted immediately. Although her nose only scrunched up slightly, she softly spat out the content into the glass, making sure to not attract attention.

Even if this came off as a shock to her, used to handling such situations, she remained calm.

Just as she was about to bite into the waffle to get rid of the taste in her mouth, her eyes met with those of Blake who smirked at her. This was enough for her to understand the one behind this.

A soft sigh escaped from her lips.

°°°

Once done with breakfast, Sylvia was quick to leave the house, carrying a backpack and leaving a message to her mother on how she would be staying outside. Because she was new, she didn’t know anyone around, but she could most probably rest at the café she worked part-time at.

She could borrow the couch for few days before finding a place to stay at.

Sylvia truly did not want to stay with the Knight family, finding them to be on the overbearing side. Her mother chose this path, so she could deal with it on her own. Sylvia hated getting into unnecessary trouble, especially when it came it with an enticement such as Blake.

“Sylvia Dear, aren’t you early today? Your shift doesn’t start until evening.”

Mrs. Parker was a lovely old woman who owned the café. The friendly woman who is generous with the paycheck was all Sylvia could ask for in a boss. Although she had only started to work here for less than a week, Sylvia found herself growing attached to the lady.

“Mrs. Parker, I am not a bother, right? I will just hang out at the locker room,” Sylvia voiced out.

“I don’t have an issue with it, but shouldn’t you youngsters have something better to do?”

Sylvia shook her head.

“Also, I know I might be asking for too much, but can I borrow the couch tonight, or for few more days until I figure out something,” Sylvia slowly said, looking down at the floor.

She did feel embarrassed to request this, but after the scare last night and what Blake pulled earlier, Sylvia wanted to stay away from the mansion for her well-being.

Mrs. Parker silently observed Sylvia for a while before saying, “Sure. However, that surely wouldn’t be comfortable or safe.”

Sylvia’s eyes brightened as she looked at Mrs. Parker with gratefulness and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Parker!”