As I saw Nikolay walk out of the kitchen, I knew where the little kitten was. He gave me a sharp nod as I walked past him.
When I got to the kitchen, I was instantly transfixed by the sight in front of me. Ayla’s back was facing me and she stood beside Lena. The back of her dress was stretched perfectly over her round ass. What a view, I thought with a smirk.
Shaking my head after a few seconds, I took in a deep breath. Get yourself together.
Looking up, I saw the other two maids staring at Ayla with bored expressions, clearly not happy with another maid joining them.
“We have a new maid,” Lena announced excitedly, bouncing lightly on her toes. I couldn’t help but smile at her cheerfulness.
Lena had been working for the estate for about thirty years, since before I was even born. She had been one of the first maids my father hired. Lena had shown loyalty over the years and she quickly became our favorite maid—our mother.
“We don’t need a new maid,” Moira said, her tone snarky.
Walking into the light so they could see me, I said, “Actually, you do.”
No, they didn’t. But that didn’t matter. If I said they needed one, then none of them would question me. Questioning me meant losing their job. I wouldn’t even think twice before kicking them out.
I had zero tolerance for people demanding answers from me. My words were law.
I walked forward, sending the two maids a glare. They instantly cowered and bowed their heads, avoiding my gaze.
Now, that was better.
Lena swiveled around, hand on her hips as she stared at me. But I wasn’t looking at her. I couldn’t because the little broken girl standing beside her had my full attention. Her body had tensed at my voice and she moved nervously on her feet.
Ayla slowly turned around and we instantly made eye contact, her wide green eyes staring at me with surprise and shock. I noticed that her body trembled under my unflinching gaze.
She was definitely affected by my presence.
“Ayla is going to work here with you. Lena, you can assign her work schedule,” I continued as I kept my eyes on Ayla. She swallowed hard and squirmed nervously on the spot.
My gaze slowly made its way down her body. Her dress fit her perfectly, showcasing her curves at the right places. And her legs. Damn, those legs.
As I stared at her legs, all I could think about was having them wrapped around my waist as I pounded relentlessly into her.
When I felt myself growing hard, I quickly snapped out of my thoughts, moving my eyes away.
I looked back up and saw her suck in a deep breath. She stared at me, her eyes fearful as she took a step back.
My desire for her was written all over my face. I didn’t hide it. I let her see what I wanted and then shut down my expression again.
It was all part of the game. Let them see but not too much. Let them feel and then take it away.
I gave them a sharp nod and then started to back out of the kitchen. I saw Lena giving me a suspicious look before turning toward Ayla.
I walked out.
I would give her a week to settle. A week to get herself together.
And then I would pounce.
***
Ayla
When Alessio walked out of the room, I let out a sigh of relief. Lena noticed and gave me a strange look.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
I didn’t know if I should laugh or fall down and cry.
No. Of course everything was not okay.
Instead, I said, “Yes,” my voice small.
Lena looked at me suspiciously but didn’t push. Giving me a small smile, she turned toward the other two maids.
“This is Moira,” she said, indicating the blonde, who gave me a blank stare.
I nodded in greeting.
“And this is Milena.” The short woman with caramel skin, her black hair tied in a tight bun, waved at me with a smile. I smiled back and felt myself relax.
“Welcome,” Milena said softly.
At least there were two people who didn’t look like they wanted to kill me.
“Now that introductions have been made, Milena and Moira, get back to work,” Lena said in a stern voice.
Both women said nothing before they walked out of the kitchen. Lena grabbed my arms and gently shoved me toward the stools.
“Sit,” she said. I did as I was told.
“Did you eat breakfast yet?” Lena asked as she went through the refrigerator.
I shook my head but then realized that she couldn’t see me.
“No. I haven’t,” I replied.
“I thought so.” She closed the fridge, her arms full of ingredients. I reached out to help her, but she shook her head.
Sitting back down, I waited for her next instruction.
Lena made breakfast while talking animatedly the whole time. She was excited, as if she hadn’t had a chance to talk to someone for a long while.
She talked about everything and nothing. Sometimes none of it made sense. She told me about her experience working as a maid. I also found out that I was the youngest maid here, which surprised her.
“Hmm. Alessio never hires young maids. He says they are incompetent.”
I didn’t tell her how Alessio came to hire me, and she never asked, so I kept quiet. As she continued talking, I felt myself relaxing.
The tense muscles in my shoulders started to loosen and I sagged into my stool. Crossing my legs, I moved my elbows on the bar and placed my chin in my palms, watching Lena talk. Her voice soothed me and I smiled.
She was sweet and adorable and I felt comfortable around her. I don’t know how long I sat there and listened to her talk, but she eventually brought a plate to me. Placing it front of me, Lena smiled and nodded toward the food.
“Dig in, hon.”
The plate was brimming with toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, fried diced potatoes, and a small bowl of mixed fruits.
She watched me with a soft expression. My nose started to tingle and I felt hot tears at the back of my eyes. I sniffed and looked down at the plate of food.
Nobody had ever made me food like that. Sure, I had maids back at my father’s estate and I always had food. But no one ever prepared it with love. Nobody cared if I ate or not. I simply didn’t exist. I lived as a shadow.
My heart constricted and I held the fork with a shaky hand.
As I took the first bite, a tear fell down my cheek. Quickly swiping it away with my other hand, I took a second bite. Then a third. With each bite, it felt like my heart would burst at any moment.
When Lena gave me a gentle pat on the hand, I looked up with red-rimmed eyes. She gave me a sad smile and then nodded, as if telling me that everything would be okay. Lena didn’t ask any questions. She just accepted me.
She turned around and went back to filling the other plates. I looked back at the food, then stared at the hand she had touched.
Kindness wasn’t something I saw much of. In fact, I had never experienced true kindness in my life.
My days were spent locked in my room and my nights were filled with terrors. I didn’t know what kindness was.
But with that simple action from Lena, I saw kindness for the first time. I felt it for the first time.
Chapter 7
Ayla