Chapter 3

Law.

“We ship on the designated route. Everything’s been handled, so don’t screw this up,” I snapped into the phone.

I gave clear instructions, yet half my crew acted like they had a collective lobotomy.

I hung up and walked through the hallway, as I scrolled through shipment logs. Leon said the new maid would start today, but from the looks of the dirty plates, and messy counter in the kitchen. She hadn’t done much. He’d lose his mind if he saw this mess.

I yanked the fridge open, so much food but none of us knows how to cook. I grabbed an apple.

Biting into an apple, I turned toward my wing when something off caught my eye.

The door to Lilith was open.

That room was sealed this morning. Nobody went in there without clearance.

A tropical fruits scent hit me as I stepped inside to peek.

Bent over the tiles was a woman wearing Silas’s black shirt and loose shorts.

She didn’t notice I was standing there.

“That’s not what you are supposed to wear.” I said.

She jolted, eyes widening as she clutched the mop handle.

“I uh… it was the only thing that fit. The other uniform was… inappropriate.”She stammered.

I took one last bite of the apple, studying her. So this is the girl Silas couldn’t kill. She looked ordinary, except there was something magnetic about her.

“Interesting choice but that shirt belongs to Silas.”I murmured.

“Then I’ll wash and return it. I won't eat it or anything.”She said firmly with a shrug.

I smirked.

“Relax, maid. If you can handle this room without flinching, you might actually last longer than the others.”I gave her a word of advice.

She frowned looking confused as I turned to leave.

~~~~~~~~

Leon

I walked into the kitchen expecting silence. Instead, a woman stood by the sink wearing Silas’s favorite clothes.

The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, collar slipping off one shoulder. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, a few strands falling against her cheek as she scrubbed the sink and one strand standing erect above her head in rebellion.

When she turned my whole body went still. At first glance, Billie looked like the kind of woman you’d pass on the street and forget two seconds later. But the longer I looked, the harder it was to look away.

Her beauty didn't make sense, as it was not perfect nor polished, but rather… haunting. Her eyes couldn’t decide if they were blue or green, and when the light hit them right, they almost looked ethereal.

“Wait. Are those my clothes?”Silas said behind me, snapping me to present.

“Yeap.”She answered confidently, her dimples deepening.

“I didn't tell you to wear that.” He spat.

“The uniform you gave me wasn’t decent. I refuse to be dressed like I'm some cheap doll.” She said plainly without shame.

“What uniform?” I cut in, my voice deeper than I intended.

Silas turned toward me, scratching his jaw. “The one I bought yesterday from a certain toy shop downtown.”

I stared at him.

“I gave you clear instructions that her uniform is in the guestroom closet. Argh! What a fucking day I'm having.” I cussed.

“Oops! I forgot.”He said plainly.

My eyes shifted to the maid, who by now should be dead if Silas didn't have cold feet.

She noticed my stare and narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Is there something wrong?”She asked.

Silas glanced between us.

I straightened my posture.

“Nothing.”I said.

She gave a small, uncertain smile.

I turned, heading for the door before I lose my mind.

~~~

Billie.

I called it a day after finishing all the chores, and cooking some crispy chicken, fried rice and stew, added extra chilli in hopes Silas was allergic and would choke on it.

I walked to the office and knocked once before stepping inside.

Leon glanced up from his desk with a blank expression.

“What do you want, Bianca?” he asked, voice flat.

“Sir, it’s Mrs. Billie Luke, actually. I’m done with work. I’d like to collect my pay for the day,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

His gaze dropped to my hand, the one with my wedding ring.

“I have your account number. I’ll send it, Miss Smith.”He replied with no interest.

So he did know my name. He just didn’t care to use it, it's just that he chooses not to call me Mrs Luke. Seems no one takes my marriage seriously.

I cleared my throat. “Um… thank you.”

I turned toward the door.

“Billie.”His voice stopped me.

I turned around, meeting his eyes.

“Don’t be late. I hate tardiness.” He said.

There was something else behind those words, but he swallowed it back.

“Noted, sir,” I replied.

I left the office with my heart racing.

~~~~~

Silas.

I watched her car slip out of the estate, then took a call and joined Law and Leon at the dinner table.

"You were one sneeze away from a HR complaint," Leon said, sipping his water.

"The bastard definitely wanted her to wear his clothes," Law added, biting into his chicken.

"I didn't think she'd actually wear them. Although she did sign her contract without reading it."I said.

Law and Leon's grins widened. That was the first step to owning our little doll.

My tablet and Law's dinged, it was a file from Leon.

"Baron ran a background on Billie," Leon said.

The report was blunt. She's twenty four, orphaned after her twin sister and parents died in a crash, tied to a church that's known to be a cult and is married to Brian Luke. I flipped through photos from school to present. Only one picture of her with her family during Christmas. Her twin sister was identical to her.

"There's nothing off," I said at first.

"Look at the school picture versus the family shot," Leon said. "See the difference?"

I zoomed in. In the school photo, her eyes looked dead and her smile was flat. But in the family photo her eyes were sparkly. The only similarity is that neither of the smiles from both photos reached her eyes, maybe because she has sanpuku eyes.

"That is the look of a defiant woman who will not be easily dominated. We need a plan before she reads the contract to make sure she stays."I said. The food was delicious, I loved the excess chili.

"Her husband is a gambler. That is our leverage."Law said.

I nodded once. A thread to pull was all we needed.

“ At exactly nine I'll send her, her work contract. Which I'm sure we will not see her for a while once she reads it.” I said.

“ Lemme guess she will quit and try looking for another job.” Leon said with a chuckle.

“I'll have that taken care of.” Law added.

“And I’ll handle the gambler.” Leon said with an eerie smile.

I gulped down the cold glass of water, reached into my pocket and took out my platinum grey card. I have about three hours left.

“ After this, we proceed to phase three.” I declared.