CHAPTER 003: *Meeting Stephan Gray(1)*

Before Laura’s driver arrived that morning, I had called the hotel manager to request permission to stay home due to illness. Although he agreed, he'd threatened to deduct it from my salary at the end of the month. Although I'd been managing for months, the manager was a cruel man, who enjoyed watching his employees work tirelessly for meager wages. If it weren't for the kindness of Laura Gray, I would have been trapped in a cycle of poverty and hardship. I was grateful for her generosity and saw it as a chance to change my life for the better. She was indeed a life saver.

“Here you are.” Azula gesticulated as I walked into the room after her. Just like the other parts of the house I'd seen already, my bedroom was large, beautiful and luxurious. I was grateful for a spacious room and an ultra large TV.

“Thank you."

“You're welcome, Scarlett." Azula responded. “If you need anything, you can talk to me, or any of my colleagues. We'll be glad to help. Feel at home.” She added, though it sounded stiff to my ears, like she meant the exact opposite of those words. I responded with a nod.

“This place is heaven.” I said, glancing around.

"Oh, please. It's clear that the background you come from is nothing compared to the luxury of this place." Azula's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You don't even know what real comfort is."

"What?” My mouth dropped open as I slowly turned to face the young woman, feeling a mix of shock and embarrassment. “What did you say?"

“Oh, pardon me. But I was just stating the obvious!" She said, giving a shrug of indifference, with a sarcastic expression etched on her face.

I walked to the violet couch by my window and slowly settled into it, feeling every word she spoke. I was flushed red with embarrassment, I should have known she was this type of person, it was etched on her face.

After a moment of thinking about it, I was finally able to snap out of it. I was used to being talked down to by my boss at work and by most of the hotel guests, so it didn't make a difference to me now, moreover, she was just a servant like myself in the Villa.

I got up from the couch and unpacked the few belongings I brought along. Laura had mentioned my occasional visits home. Because of that, I'd packed only a few clothes, undies and my toothbrush.

Once I was done unpacking, I sat down in the bed, took out my phone and dialed Reuben's line. The last time we spoke was the previous afternoon, while I was returning from work. We'd both been busy after that. So, I had so much to tell him. His phone rang a couple of times, then he answered.

“Hey Scarlett. How are you doing?" He sounded very cheerful today, I wondered what made him happy.

“Reuben love, I'm good. What about you? How are you studying?" I asked back, overwhelmed by the excited news I was about to share.

"I'm holding on fine." There came a little pause, and then he went on, “I'm sorry I couldn't call back last night, as I promised. Shit happened and it was beyond me.” He said.

I immediately got worried because he never complained. "What happened? I do hope you're as good as you sound.”

"Do not panic, I'm doing alright. Though last night, I got involved in a fight, and I had to spend the night at the cell—”

"Oh my God! What the fuck?! How did you get into a fight?!" I exclaimed, interrupting him.

“It wasn't the best experience, but I was bailed this morning by my friend's mom.”

"Reuben, you know how much I worry about you over there. What led to the fight? How come you never informed me? What if something worse happened to you?!” I prang up from the bed and paced the room.

“Inform you? Scarlett, there's no way I could involve you in that shit. Couldn't leave you worried all night.” He said, swearing under his breath.

“Even though, I can't imagine something like this happening to you and you didn't think of me first!"

"Scarlett, you don't understand these things. I'm not even in the right place to call. I gotta go right now. Talk to you la—”

"Reuben, don't you dare hang up yet. How do you want me to cope with what I've just learned of right now? Tell me, where are you right now? Are you safe? Are you alright?” I demanded answers aggressively. Reuben was the love of my life, and I couldn't imagine anything happening to him.

“I'm on the road, Scarlett, you panic too much. I promise to call back and give the full explanation, alright? Be calm.” As he spoke, I could hear voices everywhere and noises from cars.

“Alright Reuben. Please stay safe. And I'll be expecting your call.”

"Definitely. I love you.” He said, and that brought peace to my heart.

"And I love you square." I answered, feeling emotional.

When Reuben hung up, I continued to pace the room until I got myself back together. I decided to step out, and have a look at some things.

I found Laura at the dining table, gulping down breakfast. She seemed to be in a hurry. The moment she saw me, a smile broke across her lips and she urged me to go over.

“Have a seat, Arielle will get you breakfast in no time.” She gesticulated.

"Alright ma'am.”

"It's about time you dropped the ‘ma’am’ of a thing, Scarlett. I'm simply Laura.” She said as she took a bite of her bagel. “I apologize, I won't be around to show you what you're going to do. I'm running behind schedule and must be on my way.” She took the last sip of her coffee, pushed the rest away and stood up.

“We'll talk when I return, alright? Do your best for me. Watch over Marissa." She said to me over and over again, and I understood how important that was.

“Uhm… I can't find her around.” I asked, when I suddenly noticed Marissa's absence.

"She left for school, and will be getting back by 1pm.” She said, sipping her coffee, "One good thing, you can always step out to get some fresh air during Marissa's school hours, and any other time she's not around.”

"Wow. That'll give me some time to still be lending help to my mom at the cafè.” I said with a smile, grateful once again for the great opportunity Laura offered me.

“Talking about helping hands, don't you think your mom needs to employ some?" Laura asked, looking deep in thought. “I'll see what I can do about it."

"Oh my God, thank you so much ma'am…arh— Laura. I appreciate every single kindness towards my family and I.” I said, tearing up.

“Shsh—you don't have to thank me. It's okay."

“Mrs Gray. When will you abandon your habit of lateness?” A rich, resonant voice called from behind me. I spun around, my heart pounding in my chest, eager to see who had it. There, standing in the doorway, was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a striking, chiseled face. He was dressed in a flawlessly tailored suit, and he exuded an aura of power and authority. As I looked up at him, I felt a shiver of excitement run down my spine.

The moment he noticed me too, he stopped in his tracks. His brows furrowed as he took in my appearance from my head to my feet. Then, he exclaimed, “You?!”