Peter stared at the closed door of the store.
All the employees have gone already and he remained inside the store for half an hour thinking about his dilemma.
When his stepmother dumped a poor girl in his home as his bride-to-be, he was shocked and mad! With his busy life right now... getting a wife is the last thing in his mind. Hell, he can't even buy a decent pair of clothes just to balance the ledger of the store and make everything works. He has a lot of things going inside his mind.
He got to admire his stepmother for her tricks, he was already out of the mansion and living his own life away from her, and yet...she still managed to turn his life outside down by dumping a wife on his doorsteps. A huge responsibility indeed!
She knew very well that he's already struggling financially, she thinks that adding burden to his shoulder in the form of a wife and then kids, later on, will make him suffer worst than she is wrong!
He will get rid of that girl tomorrow even though she is very pretty and his heart somersaulted when he laid eyes on her pretty face for the first time! He doesn't care where she will go!
He should not be charmed by her pretty face.
When he gets successful one day, he can attract lots of beautiful women!
But right now, his situation doesn't warrant him to sustain a wife and a family. It's just troublesome!
He refused to succumb to his stepmother's scheme!
Now that he's finally on his own he will live his life the way he wants it to be and refused to submit to her stepmother's whim.
He won't give her the satisfaction of ruining his life!
The girl should leave his place tomorrow! He can't add more responsibility to his already difficult life.
He released a deep sigh. He can no longer stay inside the store, he needs to go outside and buy ready-to-eat dinner for him and the girl waiting for him inside his house.
He went to the back door and exited. He informed the guard that he will buy food in the restaurant nearby.
He walked towards the location of the restaurants and entered the first one, he ordered two sets of foods.
A few minutes later, he was already walking back towards his place. He entered the gate and went to his house.
When he entered the door... the first thing he noticed is the girl sleeping on the sofa. He closed the door quietly behind him to avoid waking her up.
Then he walked towards the kitchen to set the food on the table and voila! The dirty dishes have been washed and magically gone from the sink!
He looked at the ceiling... his curtains of cobwebs were nowhere to be seen! He stared at the floor it's already sparkling clean!
Wow! Did a fairy accidentally entered his dirty abode, got suffocated by the dust and the cobwebs, and decided to work her magic and clean the whole area?
WOW!
He was impressed beyond words by the fairy's effort!
He knew very well who is responsible for cleaning the house, it's not a fairy!
It's no other than his poor little wife sleeping on the couch due to tiredness.
After setting the plates, the dishes the fork, and then the spoon on the table he went to the sofa and looked at the sleeping girl.
He had no time left admiring her rosy cheeks, flawless skin beauty because his tummy is grumbling due to hunger.
He tugged at her shiny hair. "Helen... Helen... wake up! Time for dinner..." he said.
When her eyelids fluttered... he left the sofa and went to the table.
Helen sit upright from the couch and looked at him. "I'm sorry, I fell asleep on the couch," she apologized.
"It's okay, come here. Let's dinner together," he said, beckoning her to the table.
Helen rose to her feet and left the couch. She joined Peter at the table.
"I hope you like eating rice," he said.
Helen's eyes sparkled. "I love eating rice, all the servants in the mansion eat rice three times a day! I have grown to love it too!" she said. She picked up the fork and spoon and began putting dishes and rice on her plates.
They eat dinner in silence.
She eats ravenously and so was he.
Peter glance at her face from time to time.
After eating dinner.
"Thank you for cleaning the house, you shouldn't have to," he said.
"Thank you too for allowing me to sleep here in your place for tonight and for giving me free dinner," she replied.
Peter sighed. He felt uncomfortable touching this subject but he has to let it out from his chest. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I have to turn you down...I mean...I can't marry you. You have to leave my place tomorrow and find a place and a job for you to stay. I'm sorry for being rude..." he apologized, feeling a bit guilty.
Helen swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's okay, I understand..."
"As you can see... this whole place and even the store are still in my father's name. He started this business for me but I have to pay him back every penny that he invested in it in the next five years. So...I'm kind of short with money right now...I can't afford to feed you. I can't afford to have a wife and start a family right now at this stage of my life..." he explained repeatedly, hoping she will understand his side.
Helen smiled at him. "Peter...please stop apologizing. I understand your predicament I don't blame you," she said. It looks like her stepmother's full intention is to make her life difficult beside Peter.
"Good!" he said with relief.
"What's your story?" she asked him, curious to know why he was poor when he is one of Valeria's sons.
Peter released a deep sigh. "We have the same story. My mother was also a housemaid and got impregnated by my father inside his house. My mother vanished from the mansion after giving birth to me and I was raised by my stepmother who hated my presence inside the house. the rest is history..." he said.
Helen's eyes widened. "Oh... you and I have the same fate. What a coincidence!" she said in amazement.
They were silent for a moment.
Peter was contemplating on what to say next.
But Helen spoke first. "Can I ask you a favor? I want to look for work somewhere... tomorrow afternoon. Can I leave my things here in your place while I'm trying to find work? It's cumbersome to carry my bags while applying for work," she explained her predicament.
"Sure..." he relented.
"And if worse comes to worst and I can't find any work... can I stay a little bit longer? I will just pay my board and lodging, electricity, and water consumption by cleaning the house every day, washing dirty dishes, cooking food for you, doing your laundry, cleaning your room and etcetera? Until such time I can find a stable job, save some money and then eventually find my place to rent. Please...please..." she pleaded earnestly.
Peter sighed deeply and rubbed his chin. He fell silent for a moment.
Helen looked at Peter's face with apprehension - afraid that he will turn down her pleading.
Peter's mouth was twitching thinking about the pros and cons of having Helen inside the house. She's a big help when it comes to maintaining the cleanliness of the house which is greatly lacking due to his business and besides he can't afford a servant yet to do all the household chores while he is busy working in the store.
"Okay, fine! I agreed to all your request," he finally said.
A bright smile erupted from her face. "Thank you so much, Peter, for allowing me to say at your place. I appreciated it very much!" she said.
"No need to thank me," he replied with a faint smile. He left the table and climbs the stairs going to his room to rest.
Helen was feeling grateful to him for allowing her to stay in his house for the time being. She no longer calls him husband because he has no plan of marrying her. It's a good thing... she no longer has to marry a stranger so abruptly. Now she has an opportunity to find work, find a place of her own, and pay for her living expenses.
She now has complete freedom outside her stepmother's mansion. She can live her own life and do anything she wishes with her time.
No more insults! No more fear!
She was also thankful to Peter because of his unwillingness to marry her. Her nightmare and dilemma were finally over tonight.
Tomorrow, she will focus her attention on finding a job nearby, save some money and then find a place of her own to stay.
She rose to her feet and brought the dishes to the sink and began washing them.
A few minutes later, she was done tidying the kitchen. She locked the door and turned off the light in the living room. She climbs the stairs, went to her room, and entered the bathroom for a quick shower before retiring for the night.
She went to the closet and found an extra bed sheet, pillowcase, and blanket. She went to the bed and took the old bed sheet away and replaced them. She put the old covers in the laundry basket in the corner.
Tomorrow, she will clean her room and Peter's room, including the windows, the fridge, and everything that needs cleaning in the house.
Half an hour later, she was already lying comfortably in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Life is indeed unpredictable!
Just this morning she was living in a big mansion and now she was living in this shabby two-story house with a stranger!
She missed her pink room in Miller's mansion!
But she can never go back there anymore.
She has to face her uncertain future now. She's no longer sheltered inside the four walls of Miller's mansion.
She's about to enter another phase of her life - both terrifying and exciting at the same!