Chapter three

OLIVIA (Victor’s Younger Sister)

I smiled widely as I inhaled the fresh air from the atmosphere of my birth state and city, the place I call home. Yeah, I’m back in New Mexico and I can’t wait to meet my family, especially my elder brother – Victor, it’s feels like ages since I’d last seen him.

“Oh, it feels so good to be back home Liv” Bayley said beside me, we were just coming out of the airport back on break from college, probably the last break we’d have before graduation.

Bayley and I had been friends since our high school days and we are just about to round off with college, give or take a year, now we are back in our great home city of New Mexico on break and I can’t just wait to go wild with her and probably with my brother too (even though passing a camel through the eye of a needle would be easier than convincing him to join us girls in our wild activities across town, ever since he became a hotshot celebrity, he now has to watch out for his “reputation”)

“Yeah Bayley, home sweet home it is” I said while still in my daydream of adventures all across town, I took in another deep breath and exhaled with delight.

“Oh princess Olivia, your majestic ride is waiting for you already ” Bayley said in a singsong voice as if she was a cartoon character, I knew she was only teasing me but the title of princess really got into my head, my family does own the city (in a manner of speaking) so I guess if my parents are the king and queen then of course that makes me the princess doesn’t it…

“Oh? Ok then, guess we’ll chat later on right?” I said and gave her a warm hug as she replied her yes with nods. Then the bodyguards that came along with the ride took my luggage to the black luxurious limo - one of the many that belonged to my family- and I followed them, I wish they had just brought my own car so I could take a joy ride around the city first, but no, they would make sure I got home first.

Before entering the car, I turned to see Bayley still waiting for her ride, she had ordered an Uber and it seemed to be taking longer than is supposed to.

“Hey Bay, why not join me uhn, then you cancel the ride and like give him one star along with a lateness review” I said and smiled wickedly.

“Ok, ok, I guess you’re right Liv because I truly can’t bear standing here any longer, but if you on the other hand stayed a bit longer, I’m sure the paparazzi would descend on you” she said chuckling as she walk to me with her luggage which the guards helped her with after which we entered the car, she wasn’t wrong about the paparazzi though, I could already see a few taking long ranged shots probably out of fear of my bodyguards, so its better to leave before the bolder ones arrived. I could imagine the headlines already “Daughter of top prestigious family in Santa Fe arrives back in city” it made me smile with satisfaction.

It was very exciting staring at the city as we drove past a lot of interesting places that I knew very well and I just couldn’t wait to get settled and then come back to explore them all, the city had undergone some changes as well now, I could see the hand of my family on a lot of said changes as well, it had been almost two years now since I left after the previous break we had that I came home for as well (because I don’t come home for all the breaks)

We finally got to the mansion and a guard came around to open up the car's door for me. I walked out majestically and stared in awe at the mansion as if I was seeing it for the first time. Victor had really done a great job taking care of it since the job fell to him whenever I wasn’t around.

It actually looks more beautiful than the way I had left it, he really did have a good eye for beauty after all, well, now the mistress of the mansion is back, I can’t wait to do some ordering around, I had really missed the royalty treatment.

“C’mon let’s go inside, so you meet my family, you can go home later in the day” I said to Bayley and we walked inside together hand in hand, I could see in her eyes a glint of happiness that could start a wildfire, and I knew it was because of my brother, Victor.

**

Layla

I was feeling really exhausted already from just sitting down here after crying to my heart’s content. I didn’t get to eat much with my family this morning because I didn’t want to be late for the job interview, only for me to get into trouble and get locked up in here, I couldn’t even see what the time was but I knew hours must have gone by, ‘this isn’t humane’ a thought pushed through, well I guess he must have chosen his maid already by now. Today is just not my lucky day, in fact I regret ever getting a hold of the ticket, I brought it out and tore it to pieces out of annoyance and frustration. My stomach grumbled for like the hundredth time and I held it tightly. Dammit, I’m so hungry.

I bent my head down thinking about my life (actually I was thinking about eating the pieces of the ticket, at least they gotta be good for something right?) But then, I heard the door being unlocked. I raised up my head but didn’t see anyone because everywhere around me was dark and it seemed like it was dark outside too, it couldn’t possibly be nighttime yet could it? probably they switched off the corridor lights.

Then suddenly the light was switched on, and I was right, the first thing I noticed was that corridor lights were off, the lights seemed to pierce my eyes as they tried to adjust from the pitch black of the dark room to it being really bright and when they finally focused and I saw Victor Lockwood and some guards with him. Dammit, there was actually a light switch in the room that I could have used to turn on the lights all along, what sort of mind games is going on here actually? I asked myself, me to my seemingly stupid mind only.

I took a glance around the room and saw that there were different torturing instruments and a bed at the end of the room, now my mind didn’t take that information well, and I was really close to panicking, what if I had discovered the light switch and turned on the lights only to discover this?

“What’s your name uhn?” Victor asked me, startling me out of my thoughts once again, he came close and squatted in front of a frozen me, his voice was actually soft and soothing, not how the voice of a torturer should sound. “Layla… Layla Vance” I said with a hoarse and quavering voice. He was also really close to me, so close that I could smell his Eau de cologne, I only knew what brand it was because he is the Santa Fe ambassador of the brand. “Layla uhn? So what do you know about being a maid?” he asked me while looking straight into my eyes with his perfectly light brown irises glinting at me as the light bounced off of them.

“I’ve never had to work as a maid but I know that basically maids are to run errands for their employers, clean the house, cook the food and also probably be the first to attend to visitors, helping mostly with everything the boss doesn’t have time to do or is too menial for the boss to do” I recited not bothering to question the randomness of the question, it was something I had rehearsed over and over while preparing for the interview, right now though, the situation is that I was about to be tortured so I’ll take as many questions as possible to delay the inevitable.

“Wow interesting, well, to add to that, you should know that for a personal maid it runs a tad bit deeper than that, personal maids are and will be required to offer up their bodies entirely to their

bosses, their will is not theirs anymore but that of their boss, do you understand?” he said and I couldn’t help but just to keep staring down at his face, taking in his perfect features.

My rational self had a thought though, ‘What does he mean by offering up their bodies? Is he a perv or something?’ I thought, what’s he talking about? I’ve never heard about maids offering their bodies to their employers, is he just telling me this to scare me or what?

“Sir I’ve… never… heard of that” I said picking my words carefully. “Sir I really don’t understand” I said to him with a less shaky voice, somehow he had managed to get me calm with his voice despite being about to be roasted on a spit. But then I wouldn’t want to say anything that could get him angry or in a bad mood because I want to just leave here and never come back again. So if he could only just forget about the torturing, I’ll be very glad. Besides, why does he keep asking me maid questions as if this was an interview, I know that by now the job had already been offered to someone else.

“Oh, I see, hear that guys she has never heard of that” he said to the guards, making them laugh to what I don’t find funny in the least. But it was silent after that and I seized the opportunity to beg the begging that I was supposed to have begged him earlier in his very elegant office.

“Please sir, I’m really sorry about what I did to disturb the mansion residents and I understand I won’t get the job I came here for, so please sir, just allow me go home to my mother and brother, you’d never hear of me or see me, ever again, I swear it” I said with fresh tears in my eyes, if I’m killed here, they’ll all get away with it, my mind informed me much to my dread.

He was about to say something when a maid walk in and sought his audience. “Yes Martha, what is it?” he asked just as calmly as he had been talking to me but with a firmer voice.

“Young master, your sister just arrived and has been requesting to see you” she said whilst bowing her head and wringing her hands.

“Oh? Alright then, do tell her that I’ll be with her in no time” he said to which the maid took another bow and started to take her leave, “Oh and Martha, how many times do I have to tell you, to you, it’s just Victor, not young master, please and thank you” he added and the slightly elderly maid nodded and smiled before exiting.

“And as for you Layla Vance, you’re going to be working as my personal maid from this day onward” he said simply and stood upright.

Wait what?!