6. Morning Mayhem

Delilah

My whole body felt weak, and my heart thumped loudly in my chest as Liam stared me down. I was certain my end had arrived, as there was no way my mind would tell me otherwise that Liam hadn't recognized me. I tried as much as I could to not let my nervousness show, but to no avail. I kept biting my bottom lip while also clenching my fist by my side.

"Um... When are we starting the interview?" I managed to say, breaking the rising silence in the room. I didn't even know if the interview was going to take place.

"Sure, you should start the interview. I'm going to make a few calls," the other guy said, standing up. Bile rose in my throat. Was he going to leave me in the hands of Liam? Wait... Maybe he was planning to get the attention of the police. Sweat instantly formed on my body. I opened my mouth to speak, but Liam beat me to it.

"Make sure you get me that item, Dixon," Liam said just as the Dixon guy was about to leave. The way the two were talking codedly raised a red flag. Maybe I should just tell them I'm no longer interested. I watched as Dixon sauntered his way out, not before catching a glimpse of the look of pity he sent my way. Did that mean I was already doomed?

The tension in the room then grew twofold. Many thoughts and scenes flashed in my head. What if Dixon comes back with the police? I would serve a punishment and also be asked to pay a huge fine. I don't think my father and I are ready to face that. We had been performing our operation without any tough challenges. This shouldn't be a problem, right?

"Have you ever done a housekeeping job before?" Liam's deep voice almost sent shivers down my spine—or maybe it already did.

"No," I answered shortly, trying not to give too much information. Who knows, he might not actually recognize me.

"Will you be able to work morning and night? For a month?" I gulped down my saliva. Mayor Frank said the pay is good, but would I be able to work freely without getting caught?

Come on, Delilah, if he had recognized you, he wouldn't have asked you such questions. A voice in my head said, which somehow made me relax.

"Yes, I can. As long as the workload isn't too much," I said, forming my lips into a thin line.

I could swear I saw his lips curve up into a smile, but he quickly masked it with a frown. "Can you cook?"

"What?" The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. He narrowed his eyes at me. "That's part of the housekeeping job, of course. I'm only staying here for a month, so I need someone to take care of everything. I don't want to be going around from one restaurant to another."

"Then get a wife," I retorted mentally, but I managed to say, "Yes, I can cook. Any kind of food."

"Good. Your name?"

Damn!

"Delilah." His eyes lingered on me. Thank god I hadn't told him my real name that day; it would've raised an alarm. "Have we met somewhere before?" he asked again, his brows creasing. For the life of me, my heart rate quickened.

"No. I don't think so," I replied, trying my best to keep my composure. There was no way I would allow him to recognize me.

He stared at me intently. "Well, I was conned by a young woman few days ago, and she looked just like you."

The heat of fear coursed through my body, but I still managed to keep a calm face. "People nowadays tend to look alike. Let's get back to business. Am I hired?" I forced a smile. If I stay here any longer and allow him to continue interrogating me, my cover will definitely blow up.

His eyes went calculating for a while before he met my gaze once again. "You're hired."

"Damn!" I let out aloud.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.

"I don't mean anything."

"So, can you start immediately?" My eyes slightly widened. He won't even allow me to rejoice over the fact that we passed the first stage of him not recognizing me?

"Wh-"

"There are rules before you start." I didn't resist rolling my eyes. "Rules? Do housekeepers need any rules in carrying out their jobs?"

"I work with rules. You can't get paid for nothing. First, you have to be here first thing in the morning as early as 7 AM, to make breakfast and clean the house."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You must be kidding me. Who goes to work as early as 7 AM?"

"It will happen here." There was a hint of authority in his voice. But he was sweet when we first met. Was that all an act?

I heaved out a sharp breath. "Go on," I ushered.

"You're not allowed to make replacements of anything in the house. Clean, and that's it. And for the evening time, you should try as much as you can to be here by 7 PM. You can leave by 10 PM, if you're fast enough to finish your tasks on time."

"That's ridiculous. My life doesn't revolve around here, if I might remind you," I explained.

"I'm not taking your time away from you. Your work is in the morning and at night. And you don't have to clean at night. The only thing required of you is to cook dinner," he said, rising from his seat and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I don't have a problem with the night task, but I can't be here as early as 7 AM. My sleep is important."

"So is the money you're being paid," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "I haven't been paid yet though."

"That will happen only when you work for it," he said, his tone seeming mocking. His presence was beginning to irritate me.

"I won't fall into the trap of someone scamming me again. I don't trust this community. So, if you're ready, you can start cleaning. The house is messed up. The kitchen is over there," he said, pointing behind me, then sauntered inside.

"This man must be kidding me. As early as 7 AM? In your dreams!" I hissed out and stormed toward the direction of the kitchen.

**

"Can you believe that man, Emma? He wants me to be at his house as early as 7 AM. Like I don't have anything else to do with my life," I complained to my best friend. Emma is my closest friend in the whole Roseville community and also Mayor Frank's daughter. Emma runs a pottery shop and also teaches children from ages of 7-12. I had just finished cleaning and left Liam's house when I bumped into her. She was as frustrated as I was, but I didn't give her the chance to tell me what made her frustrated. I lamented mine first because, why? He had pissed me off.

And no, Emma doesn't know about my conning job. No one knows about it. The secret is between me and my father. "Is he handsome?" I stopped walking and looked at her.

"Is that what you're supposed to say after all my ranting? Seriously?"

Emma rolled her eyes in return. "What was I supposed to say then? I don't see any problem in going to work as early as 7 AM."

"What about my sleep?"

Emma stared me down as if I'd grown two heads. "Stay at home then. I can see why you had issues with your boss. Sleep however you want. Money will come find you in your bedroom," she said, walking away.

"Are you really my best friend?" I asked, catching up to her.

"Huh?" I said again when she didn't answer me. And she did give me a silent response. I curled my hand into a fist before lunging it at her back. "What the hell!" I ran off, wiggling my tongue at her. "Catch me if you can!" I yelled out.

**

I couldn't count how many times I had hissed as I found myself outside Liam's door. I shouldn't have told my father about the job requirement. He wouldn't have woken me up so early in the morning. I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.

"Why did I even listen to father?" I muttered. I closed my eyes and opened them again before stepping forward. I made the first knock and waited for some time, but was met with silence.

He can't seriously expect me to come as early as 7 AM, yet he's still sleeping. A wicked smile curled up on my lips. I fisted my knuckle and knocked again. I didn't knock just once. I kept on knocking, loud enough to wake him up from his sleep. He can't deprive me of mine and expect me not to do the same.

"You're not going to open up, right?" I leaped forward and pushed my foot forward to hit the door, when it abruptly jolted open and my kick landed on the wrong spot—or should I say, the perfect spot. I kicked Liam's legs.