"Mrs. Williams? I am here to take Miss Rose to Mr. Zedon's bungalow." A smartly dressed man spoke.
Mrs. Williams looked at the man in awe. He looked smart and well-groomed and she slightly caught a glimpse of the beautiful carriage standing outside with its two beautiful, white horses.
She then quickly composed herself, "Sure, she is waiting for you."
Rose was standing with her friend Angel. She had packed her bags last night and was mentally preparing herself for this new phase of life. Angel had tears in her eyes. Both of them had been inseparable since childhood but she was happy for Rose. Finally, her childhood friend was getting a chance to start her life afresh. Away from the humiliation and loneliness of this orphanage. She hugged her tightly. Both the girls were emotional but they knew it was a good opportunity.
"Take good care of yourself! Always remember that I am here for you." Angel spoke amidst tears.
"I can never forget our friendship. We will always remain the best of friends." Rose spoke softly.
"Enough girl! This is one opportunity that you're lucky to get. Otherwise, I do not know why should such a chance be given to you!" Mrs. Williams spoke harshly.
The man took Rose's bags and placed them in the waiting carriage. She slowly stepped into the carriage and sat down. She looked outside at her orphanage one last time as the carriage rode away to a place unknown but that was soon supposed to be her new "home" if she could call it that.
She saw a large mansion appear before her. The building was huge and bigger than any of the houses that she had seen lately. At first, she thought that she had arrived at a King's Palace! How can that new businessman stay at such a lavish-looking structure?
As she was lost in thoughts, amazed at the view, the carriage door opened, "Miss Rose, we have arrived. Mr. Zedon will see you inside." The man smiled crookedly. She quickly came back out of her web of thoughts and slowly stepped outside.
The servants arrived to take her luggage away.
"Please send these to the guest room." She heard the man order the servants. She slowly entered the mansion, taking in the surroundings. There were huge paintings on the walls, and a large chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. The mansion was well-lit from the inside. The place was exquisite. It was a treat for the eyes.
Rose saw a lady approach her. She was a middle-aged woman, short and plump. She looked about 50 years old and her greying hair was tied in a bun. She was wearing a white apron.
"Miss Rose, I see you're the new housekeeper. Welcome to Mr. Zedon's mansion." She spoke in a cold voice.
"I am Martha, the head of Housekeeping. Follow me." As soon as she said this, she turned around and started walking briskly. Rose had to almost run to keep up with her.
"It is a 24 X 7 job so you should be on your toes. Mr Zedon is a man who loves his privacy so do not talk or approach him unless he calls you specifically. You're expected to get ready by 5 am daily and retire once your tasks for the day are done." Martha kept on speaking nonstop. Rose was already nervous and Martha's demeanor made her all the more scared.
"Here," Martha handed over a sheet on a clipboard to her, "You will be handed Task Sheets every day to keep you well informed of your duties throughout the day."
Rose read over the contents -
1) Wash the laundry
2) Water the flowers in the evening
3) Clean Mr. Zedon's bedroom
Rose's eyes widened as she read the last line. She hadn't liked Zedon one bit. The man was audacious, arrogant and thought that he could have anything he wanted. He selected her of all the people and did not once ask her what she wanted. Now she had landed up here in his mansion amidst people she didn't know.
She heard fingers snapping. "Are you clear?" It was Martha's annoyed tone.
"Y-yes Ma'am" Rose responded nervously.
"Today is your first day so not much has been assigned to you. After your work is done, you can go to the servants' quarters. Your luggage has already been sent." With this, Martha walked away.
Rose started with washing laundry. There was a huge pile in front of her. At first, she was shocked. How can a single man have so many unwashed laundry clothes? She saw a maid pass by.
"Excuse me, do these belong to Mr. Zedon?" She inquired.
The maid looked surprised at being interrupted, "Oh yes of course! Master has loads of outfits. He has quite a collection!"
"Oh I see!" Rose spoke thoughtfully. She hadn't expected a lonely man to possess so many outfits.
"Well, I guess I should start now otherwise who knows how long will this pile take!" She furrowed her eyebrows in slight worry and approached the pile. She took a handful of them and started washing.
It was a struggle to wash the entire pile but Rose managed to do it. She collected the washed clothes in a big tub and started carrying them towards the terrace. She lifted the tub in both her hands, carefully balancing it.
She then started taking slow steps up the stairs. The terrace was on the fourth floor. She was panting and stopped to catch her breath after the first flight of stairs. Tiny drops of sweat formed on her forehead. She placed the tub down for a few moments. After about a minute or so she lifted the tub to climb the second flight of stairs. Like that, she managed to reach the fourth floor. By this time she was sweating profusely.
There was a long corridor that led to the terrace at the end. There were many rooms on each side of the corridor. As she walked slowly, exhausted from all this physical labor, she passed by a girl who looked about the same age as her.
She was wearing maid's clothes and had black hair tied in a bun. She was carrying a duster in her hand. She stopped as she saw Rose struggling with her tub of clothes. Her heart filled with pity.
"Hi, My name is Becky. I see that you have your hands full on your first day. " She remarked jokingly.
"Well, I guess a big mansion means big tasks!" Rose replied.
"Hahaha, I like you already. Let me help you with this. You can keep the pile in one of the rooms here and I'll come back for them. It's your first day, you'll learn everything along the way." She smiled and pointed her to a room at the far end.
Rose followed her pointed finger and nodded her head, "Thanks, Becky!" She spoke gratefully. Becky smiled and went away.
Rose carried the tub and started walking towards where Becky was pointing. As she drew closer, she got confused as to which of the doors was Becky pointing at. There were many doors here and she had no idea which door would lead her where. Then she saw a large wooden door. Not thinking much, she gave a gentle push and the door opened.
To her horror, Zedon was standing with a girl pinned to the wall. The girl was moaning in pleasure as he sucked on her neck, his hand firmly holding a handful of her black hair. They both turned to look at Rose who was now going red in the face, her eyes shifting uncomfortably. Not knowing how to react, she stammered, "S-ss-sorry! I came to keep the clothes."
The unknown girl gave a soft gasp in shock. Zedon gave a crooked smile, "Keep them in the next room."
Rose's eyes dilated in surprise but she quickly recovered herself, "Y-yes Master!" She then quickly closed the door behind her. She was aghast. This man was not only arrogant but also a womanizer. Where had she landed herself? She pondered in agony. How she wished she was back at her home, in the orphanage, among the people she grew up with but it was useless to think all of that now. She had to start earning too. One day or so, she had to start living on her own and if this was her reality then so be it.
She then opened the door to another room. Thankfully it was empty, no unwanted sight welcomed her. It was a vacant bedroom, probably meant for guests. She kept her tub on the floor and exited.
Zedon caressed the cheeks of the girl. She was annoyed, "Couldn't she have knocked?" She made a face and her eyes narrowed. She was still pinned to the wall. Zedon released her and took a few steps back to create space between them.
"You may go, love." He said.
"What?" Her eyes dilated in shock and her mouth dropped open.
"You heard me. You may leave." He stated curtly.
"B-but, we've just started," She said quickly, "Come on now darling, I was just a little miffed. You know how I love spending time with you." She wrapped her hands around his neck and batted her fake eyelashes.
Zedon gripped her arms and released himself as he chuckled, "Spending time? We have never met before." His voice then turned cold, "Leave or I'll have to ask my guards."
The girl was stunned. Her face then contorted in anger, she quickly grabbed her heels and her purse and exited the room in a huff.
Zedon watched her go. There was a cigar placed on a table nearby. He quickly lit it up and began blowing out puffs of smoke. His mind went back to the face of that new maid. Her face had turned red upon seeing him with a girl. He chuckled to himself. Being a King, he already had five wives at home but he was entitled to be with any woman whom he desired. He was alone away from his kingdom and met this girl while touring the city on foot. She was instantly attracted to him and so he brought her home.
That was another thing that the girl was stupid and boring so he got rid of her quickly. His mind then went back to Rose. She had interrupted them and her face had turned red with embarrassment. He chuckled at the thought as he blew out another cloud of smoke.
He slowly walked towards the window. It overlooked the garden below. He saw Rose watering the flowers. The breeze gently blew her hair as she bent down to water the flowers. Suddenly another girl arrived and placed both her hands on Rose's eyes.
"Guess Who?" The girl squealed in excitement.
"Becky!" Rose grinned. The girl named Becky let go of her and both the girls started giggling.
Zedon was amused to see this. His eyes were fixed on Rose. Her hair seemed to flow freely in the cool breeze. Her laugh was infectious. She took a little water in her hands and splashed it on Becky.
Becky screamed. Wanting revenge, she snatched the water jar from Rose's hands and poured the entire contents on her head. Rose stood transfixed for a few seconds. She was completely drenched.
"Becky!" She screamed and started running after her. Becky gave a loud squeal and started running around. Zedon, who was enjoying the whole scene was a little surprised at the turn of events. Was Rose alright? He decided to check himself and quickly made his way to the garden.