Elsa's POV
“Because we are both lonely and stuck in the mansion for now.”
I could tell instantly that this man had closed many business deals in life.His smooth sailing word and clear conviction erased every objection I could think of.He looked expectantly at me and I knew I couldn't refuse his offer, not when it was so reasonable and polite.
“You have a point, I agree, but a simple clause, “no strings attached.”
“To my pleasure Elsa.”
He stretched forward his arms and I shook it. Our platonic friendship was sealed that very moment. He sat with me for another hour while I wrapped up my laundry.
Jarvis had offered me a hand but I refused blatantly. I couldn't imagine having a prince charming as him soiling his precious hands scrubbing my dresses.
Each day passes by quickly as our friendship has erased boredom, we keep meeting up every evening after Jarvis returns from work to discuss anything and everything except our private lives.
But there was a thorn in my flesh, Jethro's hate for me.
He seemed to despise even my footprint, sometimes I had to ensure he was out of sight before leaving my room. He would always pick on everything I do, especially whenever he's drunk, he called me hurtful names but I ignored it every time.
I woke up on a promising morning and I walked out of my room only to have his face shoved close to mine, accusing me of reporting him to my father who in turn reports to his father.
I was livid as I have done nothing of such, even my constant communication with my father had dwindled since my entrance into the mansion so his accusation left me confused. I couldn't accept such blemsphy about my personality so I stood up to him.
Jethro tried to intimidate me but this time around, he failed instead Jarvis intervened.
He had rushed out of his room obviously straight out of shower, but he was decent enough to have hastily put on some clothes before coming out to us. Jethro knew his brother wasn't going to support his claim so he kept pointing accusing fingers towards me.To his astonishment, Jarvis word broke his resolve.
“I told you, not her.”
I didn't see it coming and so was Jarvis.
Jethro held him by his shirt and dragged him back to the door of his room. I started screaming loudly but to my dismay, none of the domestic workers in the mansion surfaced.
He wanted to punch Jarvis on the face but stopped halfway holding tightly his clenched fist. Jarvis didn't seem surprised by the attack as the expression on his face remained bland. Jethro dropped him and walked away giving me a threatening look.
I rushed over to Jarvis who looked like he had a bruise on his left hand. We both made for the infirmary in the mansion where I wrapped a short bandage on his wound after disinfecting it. He kept apologizing endlessly to me but none of it mattered.
My father had brought this upon me!
Perhaps he had no idea of the happenings in the mansion. He had protected me all his life only to throw me into a lion's den for a whole two months.
“Are you okay?”
Jarvis said as he noticed my silence, I jolted out of my trance and threw him a reassuring smile, one that eludes my eyes and heart.
“My brother is rough around the edges, I know, forgive his misbehavior.”
“Like I have a standing choice.”
Deep down in me, I wanted to sound nice, I could see through Jarvis sincerity but I wasn't in the mood. The delinquent had accused me of being a spy. it could have been me, he could have unleashed his anger on me not his brother.
I left Jarvis in the infirmary and rushed back into my room.I slammed the door and let my tears flow, this wasn't it, what I had bargained for. I heard endless banging on my door but I didn't bother responding.
I knew one of the brothers must have stood there waiting by my door but at that time, I didn't want to see either of their identical faces. If only life had bestowed upon me its favor.
My phone chimed twice and I checked it out.
As expected, Javis had dropped more apology which I ignored, but the second message….
Another rejection!
This was the fourth job application rejection I would be facing this week, if only I was offered a chance to prove myself at all. Unfortunately, I wasn't.I needed to get my father and I out of this miserable situation.
I cried myself to sleep with my head filled with worry, the memory of having my peers jesting at me for not having a mother, the painful remembrance of my father's narrative of my mother's inhumane jilting of us, I had vowed never to end up like her.
I woke up later that evening with a gurgling sound from my stomach, I got out of bed and made for the kitchen department,bto my surprise, I saw Jarvis on my way. He looked pitifully at me and guilt filled my heart. He seemed to have skipped work for that day but I was hellbent on acting indifferent towards him.
“Elsa,I have….”
“This is not a good time Jarvis, we will talk later”.
I walked out on him despite it was to my displeasure, I was about five steps away from him when my phone chimed again, I looked at it and turned back to face him. Knowingness registered on his face.
“Yes, I was about to talk about this.”
I felt ashamed.
My application to Glassdoor empire has be
en approved and I was scheduled for an interview and,
Jarvis had helped me.
Yoka’s POVAs I watched Jethro stagger out of the club house, fresh anger surged in me. I felt my insides turn at the thought of his foolishness. That spoiled brat definitely wasn’t going to grow up anytime soon.I started undressing myself leaving my shorts on. I had to return to the inner warehouse where I was arranging my goods before he called for me. Being born poor had always been my undoing. A privilege Jethro Davidson had but couldn’t tap into it.Numbskull!“Yoka, the party is over already?” The lanky gatekeeper questioned me teasingly.“Yeah, the billionaire brat left early, he was totally drunk and out of it.” I responded dejectedly.I walked past the gatekeeper and made for my turf, it had always been the safest place for me in the world. Growing up on the streets, surviving on distributing drugs hasn’t been an easy feat for me, but meeting a spoilt brat made me envy being born in wealth so much.Unfortunately, it was too late for me.I felt my insides cringe from listenin
Elsa’s POV It has been weeks but it all felt the same, the loneliness slowly creeping into my mind. I had a million reasons to blame myself for my father’s untimely demise.I shouldn’t have allowed him to go out that day!I should have stopped him from returning to Los Angeles!But none of it feels right. Jarvis had kept on consoling me, he had told me it wasn’t our faults for losing our fathers to the cold arms of death yet, it was difficult to accept.I am totally an orphan.“Miss Williams , I have been calling out to you for some time, is everything alright?”I turned to face my colleague and forced on a smile just as I have been doing for quite awhile now. He returned my smile and walked away. Thankfully it was obvious he understood that I needed my time alone.The painful memory of my mother showing up at my father's funeral still hurts so much. The moment she had walked into the hall, I knew beyond reasonable doubt that she was my deadbeat mother.I took a glaring resemblance t
Jethro’s POV I slammed my hand on the table as fresh anger surged in me. All eyes turned in my direction but I didn’t care. I really wished father was here,I could have given him a huge chunk of my mind.“Never! I do not agree with everything!” I shouted at the top of my voice.Everyone else seemed affected by my action except one person , my twin brother Jarvis. He just stood there unshaken as if he wasn’t the exact villain in my life story.“Mr Jethro Davidson, please be seated, there is more to be said.”More to be said! What more could be said than the trashy bullshit I just heard a few minutes earlier. Father had given his entire company to my brother and then he compensated me with some measly amount of money and landed properties.Was he freaking joking!I had listened to him, when he insisted that I work at the company. I had enslaved myself by listening to him. I had shown up almost everyday, changed my appearance and even related with lowly people at the company.“Mr David
Jarvis’s POV One last look at the mirror, a teardrop on my left cheek. I took another look at myself, my black suit, bow tie and unstyled hair. I didn’t know how best to console myself because I never planned to dress for this occasion too soon.Father’s demise was a total tragedy!Unfortunately I am not alone in this, the only woman I love is also mourning. I wasn’t strong enough to hold myself together, how would I console Elsa?The day had started on a happy note, the two men had made it to drink and catch up on old times, only for us to individually receive distress calls of their demise in an accident.“Jarvis, aren’t you done yet?” I heard Jethro’s voice from the doorway.“I am ready.” I said in a barely audible voice.I had soaked my bed with tears last night. Unlike Jethro, I wasn’t strong enough to hold back my emotions. To make matters worse, when Elsa and I met at the hospital, she had paled out so much within a day.My pain intensified!I dragged my foot and made for the
Patrick’s POVIt is all so glaring now that my speculation was right, Jake Davidson had truly been remorseful. My daughter had been beaming with smiles all day, her diamond glittering ring had been the topic in the house.My companion Leila, her garrulous friend hadn’t spared me out of her impending wedding party plans. She had even described the imaginative wedding scene she envisioned, with her being the bridesmaid and me walking Elsa down the aisle to the altar, in truth, It sounds so amazing!I had watched my daughter’s reactions to it all, just as Jake Davidson had said, the last time we met, drawing up a contract that favors us was definitely going to put my mind at ease especially now that we were leaving Los Angeles.Crownstar Group, my daughter’s workplace and Glassdoor Empire had concluded their collaboration and the project turned out successful, so now it was time to return home,Strangely, it feels like home here too.I had lived a greater part of my life in this very to
Jarvis’s POV It was the day finally!I stood there in the midst of the rest of the staff at Glassdoor Empire as the sendforth party for Elsa’s team went on. I was torn between immeasurable joy and a sense of loss. She was leaving, walking out of my space again. I tried to make sense of my feelings but I guess I have gotten too attached to seeing her stunning face everyday, that was why I couldn’t bear the thought of her impending absence.“I am specially grateful to the CEO of Crownstar Group for the wonderful team he set up, the collaboration was a great success to both of our companies.”I could feel the insincerity behind my father’s words, it was true the collaboration was a success and the CEO of Crownstar empire had put up a great team, but my father definitely wasn’t grateful to him.My father had spent the better hours of his morning speaking ill of the CEO, since his team arrived at Glassdoor Empire, he had made no attempt to have a direct conversation with my father, appare