CHAPTER 2 — THE NEW MAID

THE MAID'S REVENGE

Written by SIGHWRITES

CHAPTER 2 — THE NEW MAID

Serene's Narration

If there was one thing I hated more than waking up early, it was waking up early to serve people who had no idea who I was.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had signed up for.

I opened my eyes when the alarm rang at five in the morning.

For a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then I remembered.

The Chaviz mansion.

The enemy's territory.

I stared at the ceiling and sighed.

"Good morning to me. Another day of pretending to be poor."

I got out of bed, washed my face, and changed into my new uniform. A simple black dress with a white collar, a small apron, and a white headband.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

Not bad.

I almost looked like someone who knew how to clean.

Almost.

"Miss Delacruz, if you can hear me, please send help."

I grabbed my cleaning supplies and left the room.

My revenge officially started today.

By six in the morning, the mansion was already busy.

Some staff members were preparing breakfast, while others were cleaning the living room.

Mrs. Clara spotted me immediately.

"Miss Santos! You're late!"

I looked at the clock.

It was exactly six.

"Good morning to you too, ma'am."

"This is not the time for greetings. Come here. I'll give you your assignments."

I approached her.

"Today, you'll clean the second-floor hallway, arrange the living room, and help prepare breakfast."

"Understood."

"And remember, the young master is very particular about everything."

I nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

"He doesn't like noisy people."

"Okay."

"He doesn't like being disturbed."

"Noted."

"He doesn't like mistakes."

I smiled.

"Does he like breathing?"

Mrs. Clara stared at me.

I immediately lowered my head.

"Sorry, ma'am. I was just asking."

She shook her head.

"You're going to give me a headache."

I smiled again.

That made two of us.

My first assignment was cleaning the second-floor hallway.

I held the mop and started working.

The mansion was enormous. I was beginning to understand why they needed so many household staff.

One hallway alone looked bigger than our old living room.

As I cleaned, I noticed several family portraits hanging on the walls.

There was Mr. Sebastian Chaviz, his wife, Aaron, and other relatives.

I stopped in front of one particular photograph.

It showed the Chaviz family attending a business event twelve years ago.

My eyes narrowed.

There he was.

My father's former business partner.

I moved closer, studying the photograph.

"Interesting..."

"What's interesting?"

I nearly dropped the mop.

I turned around.

A young man stood behind me, holding a glass of orange juice.

He had messy dark hair and a playful smile.

I recognized him from the family photographs.

Adrian Chaviz Reyes.

Aaron's cousin.

"Oh, good morning, sir."

He glanced at the photograph.

"Are you admiring my family's beautiful faces?"

I smiled politely.

"Not really, sir. I'm just cleaning."

"Then why are you staring at the picture?"

"I'm making sure the dust doesn't come back."

He looked at the photograph, then at me.

"That's a very strange way to clean."

I nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

He laughed.

"I wasn't complimenting you."

"That's okay, sir. I accept compliments in any form."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"You talk a lot for someone who just started working here."

I smiled.

"I'll try to talk less, sir."

"Good. What's your name?"

"Serene Santos."

"Well, Serene Santos, welcome to the circus."

I blinked.

"Circus, sir?"

He took a sip of his juice.

"Wait until you meet my cousin."

Before I could ask anything, he walked away.

I watched him disappear.

At least one person in this house had a sense of humor.

At seven thirty, I was assigned to help serve breakfast.

I carefully arranged the plates and glasses on the dining table.

Mrs. Clara had given me strict instructions.

No mistakes.

No noise.

No unnecessary conversations.

In other words, I was supposed to become invisible.

Easy enough.

Until the owner of the mansion arrived.

"Good morning."

Mr. Sebastian Chaviz entered the dining room.

I immediately lowered my head.

"Good morning, sir."

He nodded and took his seat.

A few moments later, Aaron entered.

He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers. His hair was slightly messy, but he still managed to look annoyingly perfect.

He sat down and looked at the table.

"Where's my coffee?"

I stepped forward.

"Here, sir."

I placed the cup in front of him.

He took one sip.

Then he stopped.

I watched him carefully.

"What is this?"

I blinked.

"Coffee, sir."

"I know it's coffee."

"Then why did you ask, sir?"

His eyes moved toward me.

I immediately regretted opening my mouth.

Mrs. Clara looked like she wanted to disappear.

Aaron placed the cup down.

"It's too sweet."

I stared at the cup.

"Would you prefer another one, sir?"

"Obviously."

"Of course, sir."

I picked up the cup and returned to the kitchen.

Mrs. Clara followed me.

"Serene!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Why did you answer him like that?"

I looked at her innocently.

"I asked if he wanted another cup."

"Don't be clever with the young master."

I nodded.

"Understood."

Then I quietly prepared another coffee.

This time, without sugar.

When I returned, Aaron took a sip.

He nodded.

"Better."

I smiled.

"Glad you like it, sir."

He looked at me.

"What's your name again?"

"Serene, sir."

"Try not to make mistakes."

I lowered my head.

"I'll do my best, sir."

And I'll try not to pour your coffee over your head.

After breakfast, I returned to the living room.

I was arranging the decorative pillows when Beverly Usaka entered.

She wore a beautiful cream-colored dress, expensive jewelry, and a smile that looked more threatening than welcoming.

"Who are you?"

I immediately stood up.

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Serene Santos, the new maid."

She examined me from head to toe.

"New maid?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She walked toward the sofa and placed her handbag on it.

"Clean this properly. I don't like seeing dust anywhere."

"Of course, ma'am."

She looked around.

"Actually, I don't like these flowers either. Change them."

I glanced at the vase.

The flowers looked perfectly fine.

"Would you like another arrangement, ma'am?"

"I just told you to change them."

"Yes, ma'am."

I picked up the vase.

Beverly watched me carefully.

"And be careful. Those flowers are expensive."

I nodded.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll handle them with care."

As I turned around, she suddenly spoke again.

"Wait."

I stopped.

She looked at me with a small smile.

"Don't think you can become important just because you work in this house."

I lowered my head.

"Of course not, ma'am."

"Good. Know your place."

I smiled sweetly.

"Yes, ma'am. I always know where my place is."

She seemed satisfied.

What she didn't know was that I had already started making a mental list of everyone I needed to investigate.

And she had just earned herself a place on it.

By lunchtime, my arms were practically begging for mercy.

I had cleaned three rooms, arranged the living room, replaced the flowers, and carried several boxes from the storage area.

I sat quietly in the kitchen during my break.

Adrian suddenly appeared beside me.

"Hello, hardworking employee."

I looked up.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Why are you sitting here alone?"

"I'm eating, sir."

He glanced at my lunch.

"That's all?"

I looked at my plate.

"Would you like some, sir?"

He laughed.

"No, thank you. I already ate."

"Then why are you asking?"

He pulled out a chair and sat across from me.

"You're funny."

I continued eating.

"Thank you."

"You're also quite brave."

I stopped chewing.

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"Most new employees are afraid to speak around Aaron. But you seem to enjoy annoying him."

I smiled.

"Maybe he just needs more coffee."

Adrian burst into laughter.

"You're going to be interesting."

I shrugged.

"That's not part of my job description, sir."

"Too bad. I think you'll fit right in."

He stood up and headed toward the door.

Before leaving, he turned around.

"By the way, Serene."

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't let my cousin scare you."

I smiled.

"I won't."

Adrian nodded.

"Good luck. You'll need it."

That evening, I finally returned to my room.

My feet hurt, my shoulders were tired, and I had spent the entire day dealing with people who thought they owned the world.

Well, technically, they owned the mansion.

But that didn't mean they owned me.

I removed my headband and placed it on the bedside table.

Then I opened my suitcase and took out my father's photograph.

"Day one, Papa."

I smiled faintly.

"I met the arrogant heir, his suspiciously friendly cousin, and his beautiful but unpleasant fiancée."

I placed the photograph beside the documents.

"Everything is going according to plan."

Suddenly, I remembered the family portrait in the hallway.

The photograph from twelve years ago.

There was something strange about it.

My father had been standing beside Raymond Baltazar, but someone had scratched out the face of another man standing behind them.

Who was he?

And why had someone tried so hard to erase him?

I opened my notebook and wrote down another question.

WHO WAS THE MAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH?

I closed the notebook.

Tomorrow, I would continue investigating.

But just as I was about to turn off the light, my phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

I opened the message.

You should leave the Chaviz mansion while you still can.

My smile disappeared.

Another message arrived.

Your father's death was not what you think.

I stared at the screen.

For the first time that day, I had nothing sarcastic to say.

Someone knew.

Someone knew exactly who I was.

I slowly looked toward the locked bedroom door.

Then I typed a reply.

WHO IS THIS?

The message was seen.

But no answer came.

Instead, another notification appeared.

Welcome to the Chaviz mansion, Serene Delacruz.

My blood ran cold.

I immediately locked my phone.

Someone inside this mansion knew my real identity.

And whoever that person was...

They had just turned my revenge into something much more dangerous.

TO BE CONTINUED...