First Morning

The sun woke me up. Warm across my face. For a second, I forgot where I was. The bed was too soft. Too quiet. No Clara. No yelling. No floor digging into my back.

Then it hit.

The interview. The job. The mansion.

I was really here.

I sat up, blinking at the light pushing through the curtains. A real window. Real curtains. Outside I could see perfect grass, gardens, a fountain way off. Like a picture from some rich-people magazine.

My phone said six. Of course. My body was wired for early mornings. Three years of Mateo’s schedule had trained me like a dog.

I stretched, then stood there looking at the room. Small, yeah, but neat. Clean. A little shelf for books. A closet. Not fancy, but mine. Mine. That word felt weird.

The bathroom was tiny but had hot water, which already made it better than most of the places I’d been. I showered fast, dressed in jeans and a plain tee. Didn’t know the dress code yet. Didn’t care.

The hall outside was already buzzing—voices, footsteps, clattering dishes. And the smell. Food. My stomach made this awful growl.

The kitchen nearly made me stop. Huge. Gleaming. Like something off a cooking show. And there, at the stove, was an older woman. Stirring a pot that smelled like heaven. She turned when she heard me. Her face just… lit up.

“You must be the new girl,” she said, smiling. Accent soft, warm. “I’m Mrs. Carmen. Come, sit. You look hungry.”

“I don’t want to be any trouble,”

“Nonsense. Sit.”

Not a suggestion. I sat.

She slid a plate in front of me. Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit. My hand shook picking up the fork.

“Eat,” she said gently. “Then I’ll show you around before Master Kai wakes.”

“Master Kai?” I asked, mouth already full of eggs. They were fluffy, buttery, so good I almost cried.

“Mr. Rylan. We call him Master Kai. It’s… traditional.”

Traditional. Right. Mafia-lord traditional.

I ate fast, like if I didn’t finish it quick it would disappear. Then followed her out.

The tour blew my mind. The place was endless. East wing, Kai’s space. West, guest rooms. Downstairs, ballroom, library, dining room big enough for twenty people. Every corner of it screamed money.

“This is the pool,” she said, showing me an indoor pool surrounded by glass.

“Master Kai swims most mornings.”

“It’s beautiful,” I said, because what else was I supposed to say?

“And this,” she stopped at a heavy door, “is Master Kai’s office. You don’t enter without permission. Ever. Understand?”

Her tone dropped like a stone.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She studied me. Softer again. “He’s… particular. He values privacy. Doesn’t like questions about his business. And he doesn’t tolerate mistakes.”

My stomach knotted. “What happens if I make a mistake?”

Her look said it all.

“Just do your job,” she said. “Keep your head down. Don’t pry. You’ll be fine.”

Fine. Sure.

We moved on.

Thomas, the butler. Nodded, didn’t smile. Cold. Formal.

Chef Antoine. Middle-aged, scowling. Barely glanced at me, just waved me off like I was in the way.

“Don’t mind him,” Mrs. Carmen whispered. “He’s like that with everyone.”

Then Sofia.

Young, maybe early twenties. Hair pulled back, arms full of linens, and a smile like she’d been waiting to meet me.

“Oh my God, you’re the new caretaker!” she said. “I’m Sofia. This is so exciting! The last one was such a bitch.”

“Sofia,” Mrs. Carmen warned.

“What? She was!” Sofia rolled her eyes. “She spent the whole time trying to sleep with Master Kai. It was embarrassing.”

“That’s enough,” Mrs. Carmen cut in, though I swear I saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

Sofia grinned at me. “If you need anything, just ask. I’ll help you figure this place out. It’s confusing at first.”

“Thank you,” I said, and meant it.

“Come on,” she said, looping her arm through mine. “Let me show you where we keep the cleaning supplies.”

Mrs. Carmen left us, and Sofia kept up a steady stream of chatter as we walked. Who to avoid (Thomas in a mood, Antoine before coffee). Who was nice (Carmen, a few gardeners). And who was dangerous.

“Lucia,” she said, lowering her voice. “Be careful around her.”

“Who’s Lucia?”

“Another maid. Older than me, thinks she runs the place. She’s obsessed with Master Kai. Like… obsessed obsessed. She wanted your job bad.”

“Why didn’t she get it?”

“Because Master Kai and Lorenzo knew she’d be a disaster. She’s still bitter. Watch your back.”

Great. Another mean girl.

And then we saw her.

Late twenties, gorgeous in a way that was too perfect, makeup, hair, uniform tweaked to be tighter than it should’ve been. She was just… standing there. Watching me.

Hate in her eyes. Pure hate.

“That’s her,” Sofia whispered. “That’s Lucia.”

Lucia didn’t speak. Just burned a hole through me with her stare, then turned and clicked away on her heels.

“She’s going to make your life hell,” Sofia said. Like she was saying the sky was blue.

“Great,” I muttered. “Looking forward to it.”

Sofia laughed. “I like you. You’ll fit in here.”

I hoped she was right.

The rest of the morning was a blur. Where everything was kept, the cleaning schedules, Kai’s ridiculous list of preferences.

“He’s very particular,” Sofia said. “Everything has to be perfect. Perfectly perfect. If something’s even slightly off, he’ll know.”

“Got it. Perfectly perfect. No pressure.”

“You’ll be fine. Just don’t go in his room, don’t ask about his business, and definitely don’t try to seduce him like everyone else does.”

“I’m not here to seduce anyone. I’m here to work.”

“Good. Because he’d eat you alive.” She said it like she meant it.

By lunch, my head was full. In the staff dining room, I asked, “So… when will I actually meet him?”

“Master Kai?” Sofia shrugged. “Could be today, could be tomorrow. He’s been in meetings all morning. Sometimes you don’t see him for days. When he’s not busy, though…” She stopped, her face tightening.

“What?”

“Just be ready,” she said. “He’s intense. Doesn’t do small talk.”

Fantastic.

The afternoon was more of the same. Cleaning. Learning. Trying not to screw anything up. By the time I collapsed into bed that night, I was exhausted but still standing.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt it. Gratitude.

Yeah, Kai Rylan was probably impossible. Yeah, Lucia already hated me. But I had food. I had a bed. I wasn’t on a storage room floor.

Tomorrow I’d finally meet him. Tomorrow the real job would start.

But tonight? I let myself breathe.

And I fell asleep with something I hadn’t felt in years. Peace.