Chapter 3: Employed

Eden's POV

I can't believe it!

I've been offered a job at the Calloway mansion!

This feels like a dream come true!

Three months ago, while I was still working at the diner, I heard about an opening for a maid. Actually, I saw it in the newspaper a customer was reading. Even though I felt like I was unqualified and inexperienced for the job, I still decided to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did.

I've never worked as a maid before and I've never worked for such rich people before. The Calloways are the richest family in New York. I've heard their mansion is like something out of a fairytale, that their doors are made of gold and their staircases spiral into the sky.

I've also heard that their chandeliers are made of diamonds and that their garden alone is as large as a football stadium. I don't know how true any of that is but the craziest thing I've heard about the Calloways is that they can buy the whole city if they wanted to. How crazy is that?

And now, I’m going to work for them. I'll be living in their mansion, wearing a fancy uniform and I'll get to see all of the mansion for myself. But even better, I'll be getting an incredible pay—$50,000 a year! I've never earned that much money in my life.

I could barely make ends meet working at the diner but now I'll be able to save up and maybe even go back to school. No, not maybe, I'll definitely go back to school. All I have to do is work so hard and do everything within my power to avoid getting fired.

While packing my bags, I can't stop myself from thinking. The Calloways—what are they like? Are they kind people? Or are they the kind of people that treat their servants like garbage? I haven't heard much about them.

Well, I certainly hope for the best but I also have to prepare for the worst. When you live with an alcoholic father who turns you into a ragdoll whenever he's in the mood, then you get used to preparing for the worst.

I finish packing my bags, get dressed and spend almost twenty minutes covering up the bruises on my body with the remnants of my cheap concealer. I'll finally be able to afford some nice things—a little makeup, new shoes and a few dresses.

And I'll be free from my father. He doesn't know about my new job and I have no intentions of telling him. Maybe this is the sign I've been waiting for to leave him. But I can never leave him for good. I'll drop in every once in a while and send him some money to get by.

I tiptoe out of the house, not wanting to wake my dad up and I hurriedly flag down a cab that takes me straight to the Calloway estate. This is it. My life is about to change for the better. And hopefully, this is just the beginning of my fortune.

When I reach my destination, I'm in awe. The mansion is majestic, it's like a massive white palace and a hundred times better than what I imagined it to be. It has towering spires and sparkling windows that seem to stretch up to the sky. I feel like a tiny ant compared to it.

I gawk at it for a while before I snap back to reality and head inside. The interior is just as awesome as the exterior. The chandeliers really look like they're made of diamonds. There are more windows than I can ever count. The place is so huge, I can probably fit my entire apartment inside the foyer alone.

As I'm still admiring the place, a woman walks up to me, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “Welcome, Eden,” she greets me, her expression neither cold nor warm.

“Thank you, ma'am,” I reply, fidgeting with my bag.

“I'm Pearla, the head of the staff. I'm in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly around here. And I expect nothing but perfection from my staff. Do I make myself clear?” she says monotonously, her voice firm and commanding.

“Yes, ma'am. Absolutely,” I respond, trying to sound confident.

Pearla hands me a uniform, a schedule and leads me to the staff quarters. “You'll be starting immediately. Your duties will include cleaning, laundry and assisting the other staff members. I expect you to be punctual and efficient. Any mistakes will be dealt with swiftly.”

I won't lie, I feel intimidated by Pearla's strict demeanour. If a worker is this uptight, I wonder how the members of the Calloway family are.

“Thank you, ma'am. I won't let you down,” I pipe.

“See that you don't. Now, get to work.” She waves her hand and leaves.

I quickly change into the uniform, a crisp white button-up blouse with a black skirt that falls a little above the knee, paired with black stockings and black flats. It fits me so well like it's actually made just for me.

I get to work, making sure to strictly follow the schedule Pearla handed to me. An hour later, I find myself walking into the next room scheduled for cleaning—Oliver Calloway's bedroom.

My jaw drops as soon as I enter. It's a complete mess. The sheets are twisted, tangled and half-off the bed which looks like it's been through a war. Clothes are scattered on the floor, wine bottles and glasses are everywhere. I've dealt with messy rooms before but this one takes the cake.

“Looks like there was a storm in here,” I mutter to myself and inhale a deep breath, instantly getting to work.

I put away the clothes and make sure to dust and vacuum every inch of the room. And then my eyes catch a bright red torn fabric on the floor just beside the bed. I crouch down to pick it up and I let out a loud gasp as I realize what it is. It's a thong, a ripped thong!

Goodness gracious! What happened here? Why is there a woman's panty in this bedroom? And why is it torn up like that?

My imagination begins to run wild but I shake it off and focus on the task at hand. Whatever happened here is none of my business, I think inwardly. My job is to clean and not to ask questions.

I toss the panty into the trash, my lips twisted in disgust. As if things can't get any worse and more cringesome, I accidentally clamp my hand against something soft, wet and slimy while reaching for a shirt on the floor.

I let out a loud scream and jerk my hand back, my face scrunched up in disgust. “What in the world?!” I exclaim, my eyes scanning the floor to see what I had just touched.

And then I see them—three used condoms, each one filled with a creamy white substance. I let out another scream, this one louder than the first, and quickly jump up from the floor, my heart throbbing.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” I chant, my hands shaking frantically.

I can't believe I just touched that!

In a swift motion, I grab some paper towels and wipe my hand clean, trying to get the feeling of the slimy texture off my skin. I'm mortified. What kind of people am I working for?! I think to myself, my mind whelmed with all sorts of wild thoughts.

I make a mental note to myself to wear gloves from now on when cleaning. I don't want to touch anything else that might make me scream again! When I'm done cleaning the room, I head for the bathroom. I push the door open and that's when I'm greeted with the shock of my life.

Standing under the shower is a man, a naked, tattooed man! This must be Oliver Calloway. His eyes meet mine and he just stares at me, not even half as shocked as I am. For a moment, my eyes trail over his body, from his wet brown hair to his muscled body, all the way down to his huge...

Oh no!

“I'm so sorry,” I mouth.

A sly smile spreads on his lips and I don't wait for another second before scurrying out of the bathroom in embarrassment. I have to get out of here! As I'm rushing out of the room, I trip on I don't know what, and almost fall, but manage to catch myself just in time.

“Seriously?!” I grunt, shaking my head.

This room is a disaster! I make a quick escape, shutting the door behind me and taking a deep breath to calm myself down before running off with my tools.

Barely five minutes after I ran out of Mr Oliver's room, one of my colleagues, Nancy, walks up to me and says, “Hey, Eden, Sir Oliver wants to see you. He's in his bedroom waiting for you.”