Ezra, sitting on the couch, fumes with anger as he glares at his mother for splitting out venom for his Stella.
Just the thought of her getting bothered by the words made him sigh in frustration, he's trying hard to convince her that he's a good person yet, something keeps on happening around to make the task difficult for him.
"I honestly can't understand why you would keep a girl like her to be your maid." He heard her mother sitting beside her on the couch.
He grits his teeth in anger. "You don't need to." Facing her he states, "what I do and don't should only concern me and no nobody else."
Elaine, his mother chuckles, "I'm your mother, it's my job to be concerned about you."
He smiles at the reckless state of his mother, dressed to put on a show that everything is going well and nothing can break her but in reality, her soul is frozen inside and the demon has already taken its place instead. That's how Elaine can never feel what a mother's affection should be. It shouldn't be her job but her right to be in her son's life and matters.
She wasn't always like this but things changed drastically when her husband's scandal of having affairs went viral thus, the reason why Ezra now handles the company as the board members could not trust his father. His father's actions cost him his position in his own company but he knew putting the burden on his son would be a better option.
From then the bitterness in the family spread like a plaque.
"Son, I'm talking to you, would you explain?"
He cocks his eyebrow at Elaine, "explain what?"
"That after all the fuss about having your maid raped and murdered, why would you hire such a young girl?" She states throwing her hands up in the air.
Seeing her frustration, Ezra couldn't care less, "Stella, is what I was looking for and she qualifies all the categories plus a great experience record. Why would I go for someone else?"
Shaking her head at his son, "bullshit, Carly, told your father how you selected that young woman. You fell for her innocent looks and now your manhood is itching for new prey."
"Enough mother!" He yells at his mother but she doesn't stop there.
"That woman knows everything about you, and yet, she came to work for you. Don't you think she has ulterior motives?" She asks.
"A lot of women came for the interview. Stella is anything but perfect as a worker and as a woman. I respect her as both a mother and a mother. How can you even judge my character when you didn't even say a thing against your father when his affairs were on the TV screens?"
She intakes a deep breath before looking away from his glare, "you are no different from your father Ezra, all men look for the same thing and girls like your Stella, take advantage of it."
"Apparently not, Mrs. Knight."
Ezra's gaze falls on the owner of the voice and that gets him into more tension. He knows his mother's voice for the earlier conversation wasn't that low to stay in between them only, in fact it was loud enough to echo to the kitchen.
"Oh wait, it's Ms. Cage, now, isn't it?" She cocks her eyebrows at Elaine, and Ezra gets more tensed in his seat by each passing moment. "My bad, I can't keep up with the news these days."
Elaine, snickers in anger, "of course, that's why you have landed in my son's house didn't you?"
Scarlett places the tray of tea which she was preparing in the kitchen and listens to their argument. "Trust me mam, I have known everything about my employer before applying for the job and I have more faith in him than anyone in this room."
Ezra couldn't help but smile at her words but that wasn't the case with his mother. She spits venom again, "spare me the modesty, it's not that hard to please my son to get a place in this sparkly empire."
Scarlett, pours the hot beverage down the cup before serving to the rude woman beside Ezra, she looks at him briefly, "no offense, Mr. Knight but I think your mother has a misconception on workers like us." Turning to face Elaine, she states, "maids like me, are always needed in royal mansions and popular events. As per my working experience, I have seen much more rich people in my life than you may have. So, just a big square feet penthouse does not grab my attention anymore as I have seen and been in much more sparkly empires before."
Saying that she stands straight, smiling curtly before leaving both son and mother alone but not before staring at those ocean pearls.
He mouths her, 'I'm sorry'
She replies back, 'it's okay'
Scarlett opens up the drawer which the cook of the devil's mansion asked to. The cook is anything but polite and the way she's bossing her around; to do this, to do that, wipe it, clean it, bring this to me, bring that to me- every single thing she has been asking her to do except the cooking part. That was something she had no idea of and she cursed herself for not learning from her mother when she repeatedly asked her to learn. Now, she can never learn how to cook from her mother.
Just then Matilda came in with steady steps inside the kitchen with a tray of alcohol bottles on it and an ice jug with a glass. "Scarlett, can you please come with me for a while?"
The cook instantly interjected, "no she can't, why should I do all the work alone here?"
Matilda, states simply, "it's Boss's order, I'm afraid he wants you to handle the kitchen alone for a while and wants Scarlett to attend to him."
Hearing that no one argued over it except Scarlett herself, "I don't want to go to him, please."
"I'm sorry but he demands your presence." Matilda comes forward and hands her the tray. "Don't worry child, just do as he says and he won't harm you; okay?"
She protested, "he has already harmed me and my family; he will do anything to me as he pleases. I beg you, please don't send me to him."
Matilda, sighs and tries to reason with her, "look, I promise I will come to rescue you if anything happens, okay?"
She starts to break down into sobs as fear creeps up her spine, "how will you know when to come and rescue me?"
"Just scream for help and I'll be there."
"Okay." Listening to the elder mother figure she puts her faith in her words.
She starts to travel up the stairs with a heavy heart and soon finds herself before the door to his home office. Standing with shaky hands she fears the tray might fall from her hands, her heart hates the fact that instead of feeling anger she is feeling fear.
"Okay, let's get over it." She knocks on the door and in comes his response.
"Come in."
Even his voice gave shivers down her spine but she tried to shake the feeling away from her chest. She could hardly feel anything on her palm as she pushes the door open and realizes she's numb head to toe from fear. Entering with a few forced steps she found the office quiet and empty.
Confusion creeps up in her head and looks sideways but finds him nowhere in front of her eyes, then where did the voice come from?
Just as she thought of that question a loud slam echoed through the room from behind her, making her turn immediately only to see the Devil was playing with her.
"Finally, I will be alone with my vixen and I can't wait to punish her."
"Ric- Ricardo what are you doing?"
A surprised expression appears on his face, "calling me by my name? Oh, how lovely it sounded baby, call again."
She shakes her head in denial which only angered him more.
"Are you denying me?" He came striding towards her and pushed away the tray from her hands making her gasp out loud.
Loud cries already started to escape her mouth when Ricardo grabbed her hand and pulled her onto him. "No! Let me go!"
"Begging me to let you escape?" He chuckles loudly, "the only thing you will beg me for is to- fuck you hard and I will gladly do it now." Says with his evil smirk before ripping off the cloth she wore.