It was past noon that Sheryl waked up all refresh. A good sleep it what she needed. She yum and stretch her hand looking towards the window. The curtains were close but the glaring sun ray still found their way in her room illuminating it with his light. She looked at the time on the clock on wall, it were fifty minutes past noon. She get off bed and went to take a bath.
Immediately she finish she ran down to the kitchen, she was hungry to the point she felt like she could eat a whole elephant. She enter the kitchen just to see Leila in, preparing some coffee. Sheryl lived for a period of time in the house does was familiar with most of the people working in the house.
"May I help you miss?" Leila asked even thought she had no desire to served her in any way.
"No need. I just want to prepare something to eat" Sheryl said by passing her and get to the fridge to check what was in. She was not stupid and could easily see went someone didn't like her. Due to her skin color, she was sometimes victim of hate so she learn to detect it. She wasn't sure why she was being hate by her but she knew it had nothing to do with her skin color since the boss she respect so much is just like her.
"I would call the chef then" Leila said. Even though she hate Sheryl to the core, she wasn't stupid enough not to treat her well, everyone knew just a word from her was a death sentence for any one.
"I would cook by myself not need to bother him when I was the one to wake up late" she waked up too late even for lunch.
Leila snapped to Sheryl with shocked, did she heard right? Her ears most be playing things to her because they were no way on earth the person who weeks ago would have wake up the whole house late at night because she wanted a glass of water and didn't want to leave the bed would say such a thing. Right she most have missed heard it. She wanted to say again but Sheryl spoke first.
"You should leave now or else the coffee would really turn cold" she said taking vegetable out of the fridge putting it on the counter up. Leila was speechless and silently walked out of the kitchen wondering what got into her.
Finally alone, Sheryl sighed before wearing the black apron. She planned to cooked rice as it was easy and won't take time because now her stomach was claiming for attention and didn't have time to worry about anything else. While the rice was boiling she chopped up the vegetable to prepare soup for Alfred, yesterday she barely saw him even though he was the reason she came back. Focus on her work she fail to notice the man leaning on the door staring at her as if he was looking at the most beautiful thing in the world. He looked at her in interest, following every of her movement. His gazed followed her hand as she put a spoon of what in the pot in her mouth after adding salt. It must be good he thought by seeing her eyes spackling after having a test, she looked so proud of herself. She happily mix it before covering it with it lid.
A smile broke on his face, he knew it was good. He can still remember in the past when she used to cook for him, her skilled back then was amazing for someone of her age within all these years he was sure it must have upgrade. The happy smile rapidly turned to a sad one. Every moment with her are in the past, when did his love became only a memory?
Sheryl oblivious to the pair of eyes observing, she took a plate and served herself, her stomach was growling like hell. She went to sit at the table in the kitchen before her gaze met with his.
'Since when was he there?' she asked herself. She rapidly retract her gaze and sat on the table ignoring him. She has no time nor desire to deal with him, someone was already claiming for her attention. She happily ate her food with a satisfied smile on her face. The second thing she was confident and proud of were her cooking skill with the first one being her beauty. She even thought of becoming a chef when young but she brushed off the idea, being a model was more tempting and more her style. She ignored him from the beginning to the end even thought his gaze never left her. When she was done eating when took the plate and put in the sink and start to wash it.
"Stop!! I will called a maid to do it" Liam said, taking steps to her.
"No need, I can do it myself. It's not a big deal" she said never looking at him.
Liam was beyond shocked hearing those words coming from her mouth. Since went did she become humble? That phrase was unlike the Sheryl he knows, not when she had people to do it for her. Sheryl herself was surprise, it was so unlike her. She thought it at first but now she was sure she really change and she wasn't sure she was liking what she has become. In less than a minutes she was done. She took a bowl and put the soup in. Without saying a words, she took it in her hands and was about to leave when Liam stopped her.
"What's that?" he asked blocking her the way. His tall and huge build shower over her.
"Soup, don't you see it?" she said.
"Where are you bringing it "
"To Alfred or is there a problem with that?" she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his
"Or I don't have the right to?" her voice was calm and her gaze strong. She wasn't going to bug.
Liam looked away, she took it as his answer and left without spearing him another glance. Liam turned and stare at her departing back with pain in his eyes. The gaze she gave him, her regards was full of hate and animosity, no a trace of love could be seen. How could someone change so much to the point that a gaze once full of love and affection for someone could turn to something so cold filled with nothing but hate. What did he do to earn such emotions?
Her grip on the bowl increase as she walked away from him. She wasn't oblivious, she could see the love and affection in his eyes all the long.
'How hypocrites' she wants to scream in his face. How dare he look at her with such adoration and care as if she was the most precious thing for him in this world when he kill her father. How could he not feel guilty seeing her face every day knowing what he did to her, he knew more than anyone how much her father meant to her! She searched in his eye a trace of guilt but never found one. He was such a monster.
Detestable!!
Arriving in front of Alfred room, she expired to calm herself down, they were no need to get angry because of such things. She open the door and walk in and was surprise to see someone in. She was a nurse, Sheryl concluded seeing her attire.
"How is he?" she asked putting the bowl in her hand on the table beside his bed.
The nurse look at her with sharp eye, scrutinizing her. It took a couple of second to remember where she saw the face before.
The boss lady and the person responsible for the state Alfred was in, she thought as she recall seeing a picture of her when they were searching for her. Seeing her in person made her understood what made Alfred do such a stupidity, the boss lady beauty was mesmerizing. The white lady nurse turned her head to look at the sleeping Alfred, just a look at him make one imagine just how much pain he went through.
'The boss was really merciless towards you' she thought seeing her friend in such a state but she hold no grudge for Liam as Alfred brought it to himself, who was stupid enough to do what he did.
"As you can see no good" she said before explain what he went through. By the end of it Sheryl eyes were already moist who took the nurse by surprised. She never interact with her but she heard from everyone just how arrogant and self-sufficient the lady boss was. She was a self centered person who cared for no one but her. She didn't believe it at first but if thousands of people say the same thing there must be a truth in it. If so why was she now crying for someone else? She wondered as she saw tears running down her cheek and her eye red.
'It must be out of guilt' she conclude and didn't pay any more attention to the hypocrite in front of her. She finish her business and left the crying Sheryl without saying a word.
'I really became a cry baby' she thought as tear didn't stop flowing no matter how much she wipe it. Guilt was eating her up. All these were her fault, she was the cause of his misery. She manipulated him, seduce him for her on benefit as she did with so many men in her life. She has long stop considering herself a good person and the scene in front of her was just the proof of it. For her liberty she scarified an innocent.