CHAPTER 4: OLIVER TWIST

"Audrey, don’t be ungrateful. Listen to yourself; you should be thankful for the opportunity to work as a cleaner in this company. Your qualifications don't meet the standards for the position I gave you, so be appreciative and stop behaving like Oliver Twist," Alan stated boldly.

Me? An Oliver Twist? I graduated from one of the world’s top universities, and I hold both a master’s and a PhD. Yet here is Alan telling me I don’t meet my own company’s standards. I simply smiled at him without saying a word. For a week, I continued working as a cleaner, addressing Alan as 'boss.' Only his close friend, Steve, who was made supervisor of the cleaners, knew I was his wife.

I have the power to take everything away from Alan because I secretly provided him with everything he has. With just one phone call, he could be out of my company and back to where he started, but every time I consider making a rash decision, I feel pity for him. I love him and believe he’s being naive and misled by his friends. Little did I know, worse troubles were on the horizon from his family. As for Samantha, I could end her chapter anytime, but I’ll wait for the right moment. For now, I’ll let things go and play along.

While I was cleaning at work, I overheard my colleagues, Jessica and Emily, talking about the tycoon’s daughter.

“Emily, I heard the tycoon’s daughter, who runs this company, never shows her face here,” Jessica said with enthusiasm.

Emily nodded eagerly. “Yes, Jessica, you’re right! I heard she only calls in to give orders on a secure line.” They both clasped their hands and jumped in excitement.

“She must be incredibly beautiful. I heard she has two siblings, and they each manage their father’s companies remotely,” Jessica added with a sense of familiarity.

“You’re correct! I haven’t seen her siblings, but I bet they’re cute too,” Emily chimed in.

I chuckled to myself, relieved they weren’t saying anything negative about me. I thought, “Everyone talks about the tycoon’s daughter. Wow, I’m like a celebrity, and soon everyone will know who I am.”

Just then, I coughed and stepped out from where I was hiding, giving them a cheeky smile. They stared at me as if they’d seen a ghost. “Oh my gosh, we were just talking about you, Audrey, the tycoon’s daughter!” Jessica exclaimed, causing my heart to race. I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words, my eyes wide with fear as I thought, “How could they know I’m the tycoon’s daughter?”

They burst into laughter. “Got you, girl!” Jessica said, pointing at me and laughing.

Emily clapped her hands. “It’s a prank! We were just teasing you. You wish you were the tycoon’s daughter, didn’t you?”

As they continued to laugh, I joined in, saying, “Yes, you both got me! Nice prank, by the way.” I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.

When they calmed down, Emily patted my back. “Don’t worry. When the tycoon’s daughter finally shows up to take charge of this company in person, our hard work will be rewarded.”

Hearing this made me wish I could reward them now, but it would reveal my identity. I smiled and nodded. Just then, our supervisor Steve yelled from a distance, “The dirt here won’t clean itself! You three idiots get over here and do your job!”

My colleagues grabbed their mops. “Come on, let’s go!”

“You all go ahead; I’ll catch up,” I said as I exhaled. They hurried off, and I turned and stare at Steve. “Oh boy, me, an idiot? Steve, you’re on my blacklist,” I muttered to myself.

When I joined my team, Steve glared at me. “You! Go clean the CEO’s office,” he ordered, pointing at me. I complied and headed to clean the CEO’s office, which just happened to belong to my husband.

As I cleaned Alan’s office, he pretended not to know me, despite being alone. I tried various ways to get his attention, but nothing worked. When I finished, I puckered my lips, hoping for a kiss, but he pushed me away and ordered me out. “What happened to the man I married? The one I helped get this job even though he didn’t meet the criteria?”

I felt heartbroken and pained. Just as I was about to leave, a woman entered and looked at me with disgust. "Could it be Samantha?" I wondered.

Then I heard her say, “Shut the door behind you, servant girl.”

“Jesus Christ! Why is everyone so rude?” I exclaimed, losing my temper.

The woman paused, turning to me. She wrapped her left arm around her belly and placed her right hand on her cheek. “What did you just say?” she replied, her voice echoing with authority.

Before I could respond, Alan signaled for me to be quiet and said, “Just ignore her, Cassandra. She’s just stressed and foolish.”

I rolled my eyes and mimicked him silently, but then Alan snapped, “How dare you speak to my chief adviser in such a disrespectful manner. Now get out of my office before I take drastic action!” He pointed towards the exit.

“Oh, so Cassandra is one of my staff, Alan’s chief adviser,” I thought. I carried my cleaning tools out of his office, feeling betrayed. Just when I thought he might support me, he added ‘foolish’ to his comments. I realized it was my fault for not adhering to the boundaries we set—at work, he was my boss, and at home, my husband. As I walked out in shame, I covered my face with my hands and slammed the door behind me, making sure he knew I was angry.

Back at my workspace, I leaned against the wall and looked around, seeing Steve yelling at the cleaners. I thought, “I need to completely change the staff. How did I hire such rude and disrespectful people?”

Lost in my thoughts, Jessica approached me, calling my name twice. When I didn’t respond, she tapped my shoulder, startling me.

“Lost in thought, huh? What happened in there?” Jessica asked, and I smiled, showing my teeth.

I told her I was exhausted and needed to lean against the wall to collect my thoughts. Jessica said if I needed someone to talk to, she was there for me, and I nodded appreciatively.

When work ended, I decided to visit Jessica’s apartment to unwind. She was thrilled to have me over, and we talked for a long time. During our conversation, I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was late. “Oh no! Jessica, why didn’t you wake me?” I asked as I hurriedly got up.

“I didn’t want to disturb your peaceful sleep. You deserve a mind at rest and a soul that can breathe freely. Even the sky takes breaks between storms,” Jessica replied with comforting words that seemed to resonate with my situation. I was at a loss for words and hugged her tightly, needing her support.

“You can stay the night if it’s not too much trouble,” Jessica suggested.

“No, Jessica, I would love to stay, but I really need to go home,” I replied with a forced smile.

“Why?” she asked, waving her hands in concern.

I took a deep breath. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then help me understand, Audrey, because you seem like someone carrying a heavy burden.” Jessica’s concerned expression made it clear she cared, but I wasn’t ready to share my secret.

I composed myself and said, “Soon you will understand,” smiled, said my goodbyes, and left.

When I got home, I noticed a woman’s clothing on the floor. Picking it up, I realized it wasn’t mine. As I looked ahead, I saw a pair of panties and a bra, which I inspected closely but confirmed they weren’t mine either. My heartbeat quickened, pounding loudly in my chest. I exhaled, held my chest, and told myself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the bedroom, but what I saw there was beyond belief…