Chapter 5: The End of The Beginning

RICHARD WILLIAMS.

That was when it fully landed.

She hadn’t been cleaning just any mansion.

This was the home of one of the most respected families in all of Beverly Hills, and by extension, California.

The Williams family ran one of the most prominent aircraft companies in the country.

She immediately regretted how casually she’d spoken to nearly everyone in this house, everyone except Zach, who she still felt had earned it for being rude first.

“Amelia Grace Carter, correct?” Richard’s voice pulled her back.

“Yes, sir,” she answered.

“Here’s the contract. Read through it, and ask if you have any questions.”

He slid a printed document across the desk, stamped with the company’s logo.

If she hadn’t already put the pieces together before he handed it to her, she might have gasped out loud, and possibly jeopardized the offer, and the five thousand dollars along with it.

“Okay, sir,” Amy said with a nod.

The contract was dense and, frankly, overwhelming.

Deep cleaning twice a week.

Regular dusting and light cleaning as needed.

She would be required to move into the mansion for the duration of the contract.

Meals would be provided by the household chefs.

No outside guests permitted on the property.

Her mind snagged on the part about moving in, even as her eyes kept moving down the page.

“Why do I have to move in?” she finally asked.

“The position requires full availability,” Richard said simply.

Amy hesitated for another second before nodding.

“Okay.”

She lowered her eyes back to the contract.

Mr. Williams’s home office was strictly off limits.

The sons’ rooms were off limits unless she was specifically asked to clean them.

A maid’s uniform would be issued and was required at any mansion event or occasion.

Five thousand dollars a month, for six months.

That was the line she’d been waiting for, the one that confirmed exactly what she’d feared and hoped for at once.

Five thousand dollars.

Every month.

Amy blinked and read the line again, just to be sure she hadn’t imagined it.

Six months.

Thirty thousand dollars.

Nothing else on the page mattered after that. She was desperate enough to agree to almost anything if it meant climbing out of the debt she was buried in.

The contract also specified that if she resigned before the six months were up, she would owe back eighty percent of everything she’d already been paid.

She read it all, decided she could live with every line of it, and pulled a pen from her purse. She signed it and slid the document back across the desk.

“Done, sir.”

“Good. You’re expected to move in tomorrow and begin work immediately. Any issue with that?”

He watched her steadily, waiting.

“No, sir. I’ll be here first thing in the morning.”

“Good. You may go.”

And just like that, the weight she’d been carrying for months felt a little lighter. She could already picture herself debt free in a matter of months, starting fresh without the constant pressure sitting on her chest.

She was halfway through mentally dividing her future paycheck, some to debt, some to savings, a little set aside for a new apartment, maybe even the occasional dinner out, when a voice pulled her back.

“Congrats,” Jacob said, grinning.

“Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me who you actually are?”

Amy said, cheeks going red.

Jacob let out a soft laugh. “I thought you knew.”

“I would not have spoken to you so casually if I’d known. I basically would’ve kissed your feet the first time you talked to me,”

Amy said, half joking, and they both laughed.

“Even now that you know, you’re still not intimidated by me. That’s why I like you,”

Jacob said, then caught himself.

“I mean, I like how you act.”

Luckily, Amy didn’t seem to catch the slip. She just giggled.

“That’s actually why I was so impressed by the way you talked to Zach,” Jacob added.

“In my defense, he was rude to me first, and I can’t stand that.”

“Fair enough. So when do you start?”

“You seem to already know everything. Were you the reason I got this job?”

“No, that one’s all my father,” Jacob said.

“Well, it’s one of the best things that’s happened to me since I lost my old job. Maybe the best thing.”

“Glad it made your day. I hope it doesn’t start feeling like a burden.”

“Why would it?” Amy asked, confused.

“There’s a reason we haven’t kept a maid for long, Amy. Not everyone can handle this job.”

“I’m willing to put everything into it. I need this money badly enough that I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

“I like the enthusiasm,” Jacob said, smiling. “Go get ready, then. It all starts tomorrow.”

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.” Amy said her goodbyes and headed for the door.

‘Thirty thousand dollars. In six months.’

For the first time in two years, the future didn’t look like a dead end.

Zach stepped out of his wing just in time to catch the tail end of it and watch her walk out of the mansion. His eyes stayed fixed on her the whole way.

Once the door had closed behind her, he turned to Jacob.

“Why did it have to be her, out of everyone?”

“What do you even have against her, Zach? She’s good at her job, and honestly, good company.”

“Everyone’s good company to you.”

Jacob smiled.

“She brings you out of your shell, though.”

“And I don’t like it. I don’t like her.”

“Yet you just watched her walk out like she was a piece of art,” Jacob said, grinning.

Zach’s face went slack with disbelief at the implication.

“I wasn’t staring at her like that.”

“Yes, you were.”

Zach had nothing left to say to that. He turned and walked back into his wing without another word.

Jacob’s smile faded slowly as he looked toward the door Amy had just walked through.

‘Does he like her too?’