Andrew's POV
"What a way to end a stressful day!" I mused to myself.
I couldn't shake off the satisfied smile on my face as I stepped out of my room, heading downstairs to grab a bottle of water.
The encounter with Sophia had been really intense, and I was still reeling from the aftershocks. But as I saw Jade standing in her doorway, her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of shock and... something else I couldn't figure out, my smile faltered.
"Hey!" I said, trying to sound casual, but my voice came out low and husky.
"You're back early?" I decided to engage in a small chat with her, since I felt it would be rude if I just left her like that.
Jade's lips quivered, but no words came out. She just stared at me, her eyes wide and unblinking. I felt a pang of discomfort, unsure of what to make of her reaction.
At that moment, Sophia appeared from behind me and had her arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into the moment.
"Hey! Not getting the water, anymore? Then come back to mama immediately." She purred, seductively.
I stepped aside, revealing Sophia more fully, and that's when I saw the recognition dawn on Jade's face. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze turned icy.
Sophia's eyes met Jade's, and I sensed a spark of tension between them.
"Who is the new girl? Is she your new house help?" Sophia asked, her voice dripping with condescension.
Jade's head snapped to the side, her eyes flashing with anger. She gritted her teeth, and her face twisted in a scowl. Without a word, she slammed her door shut, leaving me and Sophia standing there, feeling somehow.
I felt uneasy.
"What is wrong with her? Did she eat something bad? Or something happened to her on her way from campus?" I wondered, inwardly.
Sophia's eyes lingered on the closed door, a hint of confusion on her face.
"Well, that was rude, really rude!" She said, turning to me.
"I mean, why would your house help treat me like that? Such audacity!" She hissed, angrily.
I forced a laugh, trying to diffuse the tension.
"Don't mind her, Sophia. She's just... Jade." I told her.
But my mind was already racing, wondering what had just happened.
"So the maid has a name?" Sophia narrowed her eyes and her gaze was piercing.
"No, she is not a ..." I wanted to tell her Jade wasn't a maid but Sophia had cut me off before I could finish my statement.
"Andrew, tell me what is going on between you and your house help, right now before I lose my mind." Sophia gritted at me.
I was taken aback by her statement. I hesitated, unsure of how to interpret her statement.
"What are you talking about?" I asked her.
"You sure know what I am talking about. Have you been sleeping with her?" She snapped at me.
"What? No! Why would you even think so?" I snapped back at her.
She rolled her eyes before replying me.
"Because that is the only reason a maid would look that upset to see her boss with a girl. She looks like she is jealous or something." She stated, firmly.
I laughed, trying to sound casual.
"Jealous? No, no, it's not like that. We just ... have a history, that's all." I replied her.
"A history? What kind of history are you having with your maid?" Sophia asked me, with a skeptical expression.
I sighed, already feeling exasperated. That was probably why I couldn't correct Sophia, again, that Jade wasn't a maid. More so, I knew Sophia would want to know why she was in my house if I should reveal she wasn't a maid. And since I hadn't approved of her mother's relationship with my dad, I couldn't introduce her as my stepsister.
"Look, Sophia, it is complicated. Just forget about that, alright. Let us go back to what we should be doing." I told her, dismissively.
Sophia's eyes lingered, her gaze searching for something.
"I think you are hiding something from me, Andrew. And I don't like that." She told me.
I felt a pang of discomfort, unsure of how to respond.
"Let us just drop it, okay?" I said, trying to sound firm but polite, but she wasn't having it.
"That is not why you are here, is it? I strongly believe it would be better if you face why you are here, and if you can't do that, you should probably just take your leave." I was forced to be harsh with words.
Sophia clenched her jaw, then her expression turned pouty, but she nodded.
"Fine, I'll drop it." She agreed but I could notice her eyes glinting with curiosity mixed with a bit of mischief.
"You are still getting that water, right? While at it, can you help me whip up something eatable real quick? I am starting to get hungry." She told me.
I nodded and walked downstairs, totally clueless of what she had in mind.
~
Jade's POV
I was still fuming in anger when I heard a knock on my door.
"What does he want now?" I thought and opened the door, expecting to see Andrew but I was wrong.
Sophia breezed into my room before I could say jack and closed the door behind her.
A look of entitlement danced proudly on her face.
"Hey, girl, can you get me a cup of chilled water from the kitchen? I'm parched." She said to me.
"You know the way to the kitchen, don't you?" I told her, coldly. I didn't bother to hide my contempt for her.
"No, I don't. That is why I am sending the maid." She replied me, with a mischievous smirk.
My eyes flashed with anger.
"I'm not your maid." I spat at her, my voice low and deadly.
She kept smirking.
"Oh, I think you are. You're living in this house, aren't you? That makes you the help. Or tell me, what else could you be if not the maid?" She asked, rhetorically, shrugged and continued.
"His toy? Oh, let me rephrase that... His wh**e whenever he needs to take a leak?" She asked me, the mischievous smirk still plastered on her face.
At that, I lost my calm and composure. My face twisted in rage and I clenched my fists.
"You want water? I'll get you water, then." I told her and looked around my room.
Thankfully for me, I saw the bottle of water Andrew brought for me the previous night, laying on my drawer and I grabbed it blindly.
I removed its cover and before Sophia could detect what I was doing, I poured the content of the bottle on her face.
The water not only splashed on her face but including her forehead, soaking her perfectly coiffed hair.
She shrieked in outrage, and I smiled at her, with mock sweetness.
"How do you like the water? Want more?" I asked her.
Third person's POV
Sophia's face turned red with rage, but she didn't lash out physically.
Instead, she gritted, her eyes glinting with malice.
"You think that's funny huh, you lowly maid? You think you can just humiliate me and get away with it?" She gritted out.
Jade stood her ground, her arms crossed.
"I just did, bi*tch!" Jade sneered at her.
Sophia chuckled, dryly.
"We'll see about that. You just wait and see." Sophia stated, threateningly.
And with that, she turned on her heel and flounced out of the room, leaving Jade feeling uneasy.
What would Sophia do?