CHAPTER THREE

EMILY

It was a bright morning when I woke up and yawned, feeling free because Jezebel and her two little devils, Isabella and her daughter, as I loved to call them—weren’t here to boss me around.

I felt relieved. Was this what freedom felt like?

I had only been treated badly for a few months, but it already felt like forever to me.

Feeling content and free, I went to the bathroom and took my bath. I checked the clothes I brought with me and decided I wanted to appear very simple.

So, I picked a tight blue jean and a black, tight-fitting off-shoulder top that didn’t require me to wear a bra—because I hated wearing bras.

I got dressed, packed my hair into a messy ponytail, tucked the off-shoulder top into my tight jeans, and headed out with my phone.

On my way out, I went to the receptionist’s desk and handed the key to her.

“Good morning. Here are the keys. I’ll be back before my time for payment expires,” I said, handing her the key.

“Okay, ma’am. Have a nice day,” she said, smiling.

I smiled back and thanked her. As I was walking toward the exit of the hotel, she called out to me.

“And ma’am, you look very beautiful. I’d kill to have that shape and booty of yours,” she said.

“Thanks, dear,” I replied, blushing with embarrassment, and quickly walked out as I noticed some men checking me out after she made the comment.

I tapped my cheeks for a few seconds, trying to stop them from getting redder. I couldn’t believe I was blushing just because someone said something that was obviously true.

What she said was actually true. I had big hips and a small waist, which made my curves more noticeable.

I didn’t really like that about myself, because I felt my hips were a bit too wide and it drew too much attention to myself. But surprisingly, others liked it. A lot.

What can I say? I was born this way, so I gotta appreciate how I am.

I hailed a cab and got in. “Good morning. Please, can you take me to Belford’s Mansion?” I asked the driver.

“Okay, ma’am,” he said and drove off. It was no surprise he knew the Belford’s Mansion. Besides me, I think everyone knew about it. They were just like royalty in New York.

He turned on some music while we were on the way, and the song “Waves” by Coloring started playing on the radio.

I really loved the song, and the lyrics felt so soothing at that moment. I closed my eyes and imagined that my dad and mom were the ones singing the song to me. A small smile tugged at my lips.

“I miss you so much, Daddy. Why did you die without saying goodbye? You were fine before you slept, so what happened? I promise to find your murderer,” I thought to myself.

I was on the brink of tears when the taxi driver stopped the car and turned off the music. We had arrived at my destination. I paid him and got out of the taxi.

I walked to the gate of the Belford Mansion and saw the gatekeeper coming. I quickly straightened up.

“Good morning, sir. I’m searching for a job. Would there be any chance that there’s a vacancy for a maid?” I asked politely.

I saw hesitation on his face as he looked me up and down. After a few minutes, he replied, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Judging by the way he hesitated, I had a gut feeling that they might not be in need of a maid.

Did Nanny just tell me they were hiring just to motivate me to leave home?

I felt nervous and scared that he might come back with a negative answer. I held my phone tighter, praying in my mind that they really needed a maid.

I was lost in thought when I heard the gate open. I stepped aside to make room for a Rolls Royce coming out.

But the car stopped, and the window rolled down, revealing none other than Ethan Belford.

Seeing him without his glasses, I realized he was the most handsome man I had ever seen.

His eyes were as blue as the ocean, he was well-built and clearly worked out a lot. He had a chiseled face, a pointed nose that made him look like a Greek god, and dark, finely cut hair that made him even more attractive.

The aura around him demanded respect and made him look hot and super handsome. Damn.

I couldn’t help but ogle him. It felt like I was seeing him for the first time. Now I knew the rumors were true. He was truly drop-dead gorgeous.

His intense gaze kept me frozen in place. Then he asked, after looking at me closely, “Have we met before?”

For a moment, it felt like time had stopped and it was just him and me in the world. And that voice! “I could listen to him speak over and over again. Am I going crazy?” I said in my head.

Listening to him speak calmly now was way better than the other day, when he came to the house and was yelling at me like a barking dog.

I was brought back to reality by the gatekeeper tapping my shoulder, and I realized I hadn’t answered his question.

“Huh?” I asked because I forgot what he said.

“Are you done feeding your eyes?” he asked with a smirk and scoffed. I didn’t answer. I just looked down, embarrassed that he caught me staring.

“What’s your name, and what are you doing here?” Ethan asked again, but this time with a cold and serious look on his face.

“I’m Emily Jones, and I’m here in search of a job as a maid,” I answered and gulped because of the way he was looking at me.

He gave me a cold, suspicious look from head to toe. Goosebumps ran all over my body in a pleasurable way. What’s happening to me? I need to get a hold of myself, I said in my mind.

“We don’t need a maid here, so get lost,” Ethan said, staring daggers at me. Then he ordered the driver to move. The car drove off immediately.

Okay, now that’s the Ethan I saw the other day. The arrogant, pompous, and cold Ethan. I wonder what always made him this grumpy. Or was u was one always meeting him at the wrong time?

I still didn’t understand why he disliked me. From our first meeting, we had never even had a decent conversation.

I watched the car drive away, not knowing what to do now that Ethan refused to let me work there.

He’s such an asshole! I thought and tried to keep my anger in check.

I guessed I should go back to the hotel and start searching for another job.

I turned to look at the gatekeeper. He looked at me with pity as he pressed the remote and the gate started closing.

I took that as my sign to leave, but just as I was about to turn around, I heard someone say to the gatekeeper:

“Tell her to wait!”

I turned and saw it was an old woman in a wheelchair.

…

The gatekeeper opened the gate again, and I walked in toward the old woman sitting at the entrance of the house.

I noticed how far she was from the gate. She must have had a loud voice for me to hear her from all the way there.

She turned out to be the Belfords’ Granny. She asked me what I wanted, and I told her the reason why I was there.

To my surprise, she offered me a job as her personal maid. I was so happy, and she noticed but just chuckled.

She asked me to call her “Granny” instead of “Mrs. Belford,” saying that name was for the woman who would marry her son.

She was very friendly to me, unlike Mr. Arrogant Asshole who had just left.

All I needed now was to avoid him, and maybe my stay here would turn out to be something good.

But was he going to make my life easy once he found out Granny let me work here against his wishes?