LISA'S POV
After leaving the private room, I headed back to my room.
I locked the door and leaned against it.
I didn't know how to react.
What had just happened?
The anger in his voice. The way he demanded to know what happened. His outburst. His rage.
I couldn't believe that he was so angry.
He was worried about me. He cared about me. The emotion in his eyes.
It had surprised me.
How he had yelled and punched the wall in rage. How he had yelled at me and gripped my chin. But the fact that he cared about me.
That he had shown emotion, because of me. That made my heart ache.
Why was I getting close to him?
It wasn't the smartest idea.
In fact, it was a stupid decision.
And yet, my heart raced whenever he was near.
I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. I was attracted to him. I couldn't resist him.
No matter how hard I tried.
His presence alone, made me melt. I could feel myself giving into him. I was falling for him.
Falling.
No.
Stop, Lisa.
STOP.
I couldn't allow myself to fall for him.
Not Mr Jackson. Never Mr Jackson. It was wrong. It won't work out. A man like him wouldn't end up with a woman like me. Right?
I had to stop myself. Before it was too late.
Before my feelings got the best of me.
I thought Mr Jackson was just fcking me. Introducing me to his world of pleasure and pain. But his emotion. The look in his eyes.
This was more than that. His concern for me was real. It was evident.
I slowly stood to my feet and walked to the bed. I sat on it.
My back ached. The bruise hurt.
I didn't want to tell Mr Jackson that it was Mary, one of the maids, who had pushed me against the table and the wall
He would be so angry. I wondered what he would do to her. He would probably fire her or even worse, hurt her.
I heard of what he did to the guard that tried to r-ape me. How he beat him up the next day. How the police and Mr Henry had to stop him from almost murdering him in the mansion.
I didn't want that to happen.
So I lied and told him it didn't matter. I didn't want to be a burden to him. Nor did I want to be a liability.
I didn't want the other maids to see me as the reason why they would be punished or fired. Or like a little child who ran to Mr Jackson at the slightest inconvenience.
No.
I didn't want them to resent me. And I didn't want Mary to lose her job.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door.
'Was it Mr Jackson?' I thought. Did he come to speak to me again?
I got up from the bed and hurried to the door.
I was eager to open it, but I didn't want to show him that.
So I opened the door, slowly.
I opened it wide enough for my body to be seen and peeked outside.
It wasn't Mr Jackson. It was Henry.
Henry looked at me and smiled.
"Lisa." He said. His hands were behind his back and there was an older man behind him.
The man was wearing a white coat and was holding a black leather bag.
Henry and the man walked into my room and the man closed the door.
"Good evening Lisa." Henry said. "We have been sent here by Mr Jackson. He wants the doctor to examine you."
"Examine me?" I asked.
"Yes. Mr Jackson wants the doctor to see if you are alright." Henry replied.
"But…But I'm okay." I muttered.
Henry raised an eyebrow. He stared at me and shook his head.
"Clearly you're not, considering you have a bruise on your back. Mr Jackson is just looking out for you, Lisa. There is nothing wrong with letting him care for you, now is there? He's your boss after all." Henry spoke.
I sighed. There was no use arguing with him.
So I nodded and walked into the bedroom, where the bed was.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and the doctor approached me.
He put his bag down and pulled out a pair of gloves.
"Please remove your dress and lay on the bed." The doctor instructed.
"Remove my dress?" I asked.
"Yes." The doctor replied. "How else am I going to examine you. I can't see anything with the dress on."
I sighed. I was getting embarrassed.
"It's ok." Henry said. "Go ahead and undress. It's nothing the doctor hasn't seen before. Don't worry."
I took a deep breath. Why was I acting so immature and shy?
I was an adult. This wasn't a big deal.
The doctor was only here to examine me.
Nothing more.
So I pulled off my dress and lay on the bed, covering myself with the sheets.
The doctor moved closer and began to examine the bruise on my back.
He applied pressure and I groaned in pain.
The doctor nodded and continued examining me.
"I can see it just happened recently and some first aid has already been administered." The doctor spoke.
"Yes. Enzo did it. He took care of the bruise when it happened." I replied.
"Ahh...Mr Enzo. I remember him. I met him when he first started working for Mr Jackson. He is quite handsome. Very polite and kind too. A very sweet man."
I turned to him.
"Really, Doctor?" I asked. This was the first time I was hearing someone talk about Enzo.
He really was a sweet guy. He was polite and kind.
"Yes, very much so. Now, please tell me when this happened." The doctor continued.
"Who did it to you?" I heard Henry ask.
He walked closer to the bed.
"It was nothing." I replied.
"Lisa, please tell us who did it." Henry said.
"Mr Henry. I don't think it's any of your business. I am fine, actually." I spoke.
"Oh, but it is my business, Lisa." Henry said.
"I'm the head of the employees in this mansion. And that means, whatever happens to any of my workers, is my business. So, let me ask again. Who did it?" Henry asked.
I didn't answer.
"Lisa…" Mr Henry was still talking when my bedroom door opened and Mary walked in.
Mary was carrying a tray of food and a bottle of champagne.
Her eyes grew wide as she saw the situation. The doctor was leaning over me, his hands on my body.
I was lying down. And Henry was standing near the bed.
"Mr Henry. I came with the food and drink you requested." Mary spoke, her eyes darting between me and Henry.
"Yes, leave it on the Lisa's bedside table. It's for her. She got a bruise on her back. The doctor is examining her right now." Henry said.
He paused for a moment and then spoke again.
"Mary." Henry called her name.
"Yes, Mr Henry." Mary replied.
"Do you know how Lisa got this bruise?" He asked.
Mary froze. I could see the look of fear in her eyes.
"Mary, I've seen how close you and Lisa are. So I can tell that you know what happened. Please, tell me what happened to her." Henry pleaded.
Mary was silent. She stared at the floor, avoiding his gaze.
"Mary, tell me. Please. You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, right?"
Mary looked up, shocked. Her hands were shaking and I could see sweat beads forming on her forehead.
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked.
"I need to know who hurt Lisa. I will make sure that person gets the full punishment. Mr Jackson specifically requested for the name of the person. Not only will the person get fired, but Mr Jackson also wants to make sure that the person is never able to work again. So, please Mary, tell me what happened." Henry said.
"Henry..." I started to say something but was cut off.
"No. Lisa. I can't have you protecting this person anymore. You have been trying so hard to hide the name. And Mr Jackson is worried."
I turned to Mary. Her eyes were pleading…begging. She was scared.
The thought of losing her job was making her panic.
She was looking at me, begging me with her eyes not to say anything.
I could see her fear.
But she had no right to fear.
She was the one who had hit me. She had pushed me and even threatened me.
She had been mean and vile. She was the one who didn't have the right to fear.
But still, I pitied her.
I couldn't allow her to get fired.
"Mr Henry, there's no name. Its my fault. I accidentally banged into the wall. My back got a bruise from the impact. It was just an accident. So, you don't need to worry. Plus, it was just a minor bruise." I spoke.
"See." Mary said, pointing to me. "Its just a small bruise. Nothing major. She is fine. I will leave now. Enjoy the food and the drink, Lisa."
Mary quickly left.
I sighed and laid my head on the pillow.
This wasn't the best feeling.
To know that the only person I considered as a friend in the mansion had betrayed me. She had hurt me.
And the fact that I was still protecting her.
The fact that she knew and still had the audacity to act like she didn't.
Finally, the doctor was done with the examination.
He packed his things and turned to Henry.
"I am all done." He spoke.
"Well. What's the diagnosis?" Henry asked.
"Everything is ok. She doesn't have any broken bones or fractures. There is a bruise and it will take some time to heal, but other than that, there are no injuries. She just needs some rest, ice, and some painkillers."
"Thank you, doctor." Henry replied.
"Anytime. Now, I will leave. If you ever need anything, let me know." The doctor said.
"Sure. I will have the guards walk you out."
Henry picked up his phone and called the guards.
They walked into the room and escorted the doctor out.
Once the doctor was gone, Henry sat on the bed.
He took the tray and placed it on my lap.
"Eat, Lisa." He said.
I stared at him and then picked up the glass of champagne.
I poured myself a glass and gulped it down. The taste was delicious.
"Lisa." Henry spoke.
I looked at him.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked.
"Why are you protecting whomever did this to you? Playing the hero won't help, Lisa. Not giving me a name won't do you any good either." He said.
I sighed and set the glass down.
"It doesn't matter. No one has to know." I muttered.
"It's enough that everyone in the mansion knows that I'm h-ooking up with Mr Jackson. I don't want people to also think of me as a snitch. Or that I tattle tales or cry. I want to keep a low profile. Just let it go, Henry. It doesn't matter." I explained.
Henry sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Lisa. I told you from the very beginning that having anything with Mr Jackson is a bad idea. That it will only bring you nothing but trouble. I warned you and yet, you went ahead and did it anyway." Henry spoke.
I could see the disappointment in his eyes.
"But…" I trailed off. A single tear rolled down my cheek.
I didn't know why.
But his words had affected me. I didn't understand why.
"Mr Henry." I said his name.
"I think I'm beginning to fall in love with Mr Jackson. Is that bad? Is it bad that I'm in love with my boss. That when I hear his voice or when he's so close to me, that my heart races? Is it bad to feel this way. That I just want to be in Mr Jackson's arms all day. That I want him to fck me forever. Does that make me a s-lut?" I asked him.
"No. Of course not. You can't help whom you fall in love with." Henry replied.
He moved closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Falling in love with Mr Jackson is actually so easy. For some reason, most women find themselves falling for him." He said and smiled weakly.
"My daughter was one of them." He spoke.
My eyes went wide.
Henry had a daughter? Why had he never mentioned her before?
Where was she? Why had he never told me about her?
And she was in love with Mr Jackson??!!!
Before I could ask him, he continued.
"My daughter, Amelia fell in love with Mr Jackson. She loved him so much. I've never seen her happier. But unfortunately, he broke her heart. She became so depressed and sad. She was a mess. Then she ended up taking her own life." He explained.
He sighed and then continued.
"And now, the same thing is happening to you. It will happen again and again. This will continue happening, until Mr Jackson decides to change. I hope that you won't end up like my daughter. Please, don't make the same mistake she did."
His voice cracked and he looked away.
I didn't know what to say. Hearing Mr Henry talk about his daughter and the way she died.
I couldn't imagine the pain he had gone through. I could see the tears in his eyes.
The thought of losing a child. A loved one.
Someone so dear to you. That would be devastating.
I couldn't begin to understand the pain.
And yet, he was warning me.
Trying to prevent me from ending up like his daughter.
Henry turned to me and looked me in the eyes.
"Lisa, I want you to register something in your brain. You and Mr Jackson can never end up together. Especially with the new development. I want you to know that this little fling the both of you have is temporary. There's no happy ending for you with him. Definitely not with the way things are going."
With that, Henry got up and began to walk out.
I wanted to stop him. To talk to him some more.
I wanted to know what he meant by 'especially with this new development.'
What did he mean by that? Which development?
But before I could say anything, Henry had left the room.
I sighed. So much was going on. My mind was confused.
No matter what, the fact that I had fallen for Mr Jackson was undeniable.
But, Henry's words were also true. They were so true that they hurt me badly.
Why did he have to say it so bluntly?
So directly.
Did he have to remind me that Mr Jackson and I could never end up together?
That he was a rich and powerful man and I was just a maid. That we could never be a couple.
It wasn't the best feeling. But that didn't change the fact that I was in love with him.
Even though it was wrong.
I was hopelessly, foolishly, madly in love with Mr Jackson.