CHAPTER TWO

EMILY

I woke up from my nap, not caring if I had overslept.

I stepped out of my room and was immediately met with the worst sight ever. The hallway and the living room were completely messed up. I instantly knew what this was about.

“I guess it’s payback time,” I muttered, already sure this was Charlotte and Amelia’s doing.

How childish could they be?

At least Charlotte didn’t go crying to her mom this time like she usually did. I guessed Isabella had already gone to work and was now sitting in the CEO’s office. The one that rightfully belonged to me.

She had denied me my right to enter the company, even though I was the true heir.

She lied to the board of directors and shareholders, telling them I had asked her to take control. She even forced me to make a video confirming her lies.

Since then, she had been giving me so many chores that even the maids felt it was too much.

She had taken away my right as a member of the house and caused me so much pain… but I was going to get it back.

I was about to start cleaning up the mess when I saw Charlotte and Amelia standing in the hallway, arms folded, smirking. I rolled my eyes. Their behavior was beyond childish.

I needed to clean up quickly before Isabella returned. She wouldn’t tolerate seeing the house like this.

I got to work, but then Charlotte said, “Don’t think this is enough payback for what you did this morning. This is just the beginning,” she laughed.

“Aww, she looks so pathetic!” Amelia added, giving me a fake pity look. They both burst into laughter. A few passing maids looked at me with sympathy in their eyes.

I felt my anger rising. “Breathe, Em. Just breathe. Don’t let them get to you,” I whispered to myself. “You just need to make it through till night. Then you can leave this house for good. They won’t have access to you anymore. You’ll never have to see their ugly faces again.”

“You two need to grow up,” I said quietly, then continued cleaning.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Isabella’s sharp voice rang out as she entered the house, horror on her face.

I sighed. “Great. The Jezebel of the house is back,” I muttered under my breath.

“I said, what’s going on here? Why is the house such a mess?!” she shouted again.

Before I could answer, Charlotte jumped in. “Mom, Emily did it on purpose! We came in and saw her scattering everything. I think she’s trying to rebel against us,” she lied.

“That’s such a terrible lie! Why would I scatter the house just to clean it up again? Am I that jobless?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“What if I had come in with an important guest? Is this what they’d see?!” Isabella fumed, trying to stay calm. “When you’re done here, clean the basement too. And no maid is to help you!” she added, loud enough for the eavesdropping maids to hear.

Charlotte and Amelia looked pleased with themselves.

“Happy now?” I snapped at them after Isabella walked away. “You know what? There’s nothing else your mother can do to me besides this constant maltreatment. But you know what? You guys will never break me.”

I didn’t wait for a response and went back to work. Thankfully, they walked away.

Later, I heard a car horn blaring outside. Curious, I went out to check. I saw a man sitting in a very expensive car. I couldn’t see his face clearly because of the sunglasses, but I could tell he was handsome.

He looked at me coldly and said, “Tell Mrs. Isabella Jones that I won’t be this polite next time. I won’t remind her about our scheduled meeting again.”

His voice was sharp, and his presence made me uneasy.

“Okay… and who should I say you are?” I asked politely.

He flared up. “I don’t know where they pick up uneducated things like you from,” he snapped.

Wow. Anger issues much?

“Just deliver the message. She’ll know who I am. Now get out of the way or I’ll run you over,” he said, turning on the ignition and speeding off.

I turned to go back inside and saw the three devils, Charlotte, Amelia, and Isabella standing at the entrance.

How did they get there so fast? Did they fly?

“You shameless bitch!” Charlotte yelled.

“You came out just so Ethan Belford would notice you, didn’t you? You bitch!” Amelia added angrily.

“What are you even talking about?” I asked, confused and shocked.

“Don’t pretend!” Isabella shouted. “That was Ethan Belford. New York’s most eligible bachelor and the heir to the Belford empire!”

I was surprised. That was the Belford heir?

“I’ve never seen him before. So how would I know who he is, let alone try to get him to notice me?” I defended myself.

Isabella just asked what he said, and I told her. After that, they all walked away to their rooms, and I went back to work.

Finally, some peace.

I was almost done and about to head to the basement when Nanny Anna passed by and secretly dropped a note on the floor.

I picked it up and tucked it into my tank top, deciding to read it after finishing the housework.

On my way to the basement, I stopped by my bedroom to ease myself.

At least they hadn’t taken my room away after my dad died. Not that I would’ve left it anyway.

While in the bathroom, I remembered the note and pulled it out to read.

It said:

“Em, honey, it’s now or never. I heard you were asked to clean the basement. You’re lucky, there’s a secret door there that leads to the back gate. This is your chance to leave. It’s getting dark. Grab your things and meet me there by 7 p.m.”

I stared at the note with mixed feelings and let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

I packed only a few things—especially the bracelet my mom gave me when I was little. I was glad I had always stayed away from attention.

Everyone knew the Jones family had an heir, but only a few knew what I looked like.

Charlotte and Amelia were the ones always flaunting our name and wealth.

I took one last look at my room and headed to the basement, making sure no one saw me. There were mice running around everywhere.

This was where Isabella expected me to clean? Seriously?

I was thinking about it when I heard Nanny Anna’s footsteps sneaking in.

“Hey, Em. Here’s what you’ll do. I’ll open the door, and you’ll go find a hotel for the night. Tomorrow, go to the Belford mansion and apply for the job. Okay?” she said.

“Nanny Anna… what would I have done without you?” I sobbed.

“Shhh. You’ll be okay. You’re stronger than you think. You’ll get through this,” she whispered, holding back tears.

“Nanny, I promise, once I get back what they took from me, and find out who killed my dad, I’ll come back for you.”

She gasped. “You think someone killed Mr. Jones?”

“Yes. When I found him dead in bed, there was a glass of juice on the nightstand. And you know Dad never drank juice at night—it gave him a runny stomach. I think he was poisoned. That juice wouldn’t kill him but just upset his stomach.”

“You’re right… but who could’ve done it?” she asked, clearly scared.

“I’ll find out, no matter what,” I said with determination.

We hugged tightly. She opened the door, and the cool breeze hit my skin.

“I’ll call you from time to time,” I told her, waving as she nodded and locked the door.

I ordered an Uber, and it came a few minutes later. I told the driver to take me to a clean but cheap hotel.

We got there in less than 30 minutes. I paid and entered.

A young lady at the reception smiled at me. “Good evening, ma’am. Do you have a reservation or would you like to book a room?”

“I’d like to book a single room, please,” I said, looking around.

She told me the price, I paid, and she gave me a key with directions to the room.

“Thank you,” I said and followed the directions.

When I got there, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and quiet. This was all I could afford.

I had always donated most of my allowance to charity and gave the rest to Kate, my best friend. I only kept five percent for myself.

That’s why I didn’t have much saved.

I sat on the bed and moaned in satisfaction because it was soft and comfortable. I yawned. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

I dropped my things in the wardrobe and lay down. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep…

Not knowing what fate awaited me the next day.