Chapter 4

Max’s POV

Although it had been a long ride to the city, I had withstood it all. After all, I went to that town on my own. Why did I even have to go there? Why do I keep tormenting myself over what happened there years back? Can’t I just try to move on? I thought as the taxi stopped in front of the mansion I lived in.

This place has brought me nothing but pain. If only I had known, I would have never come to this house. If only I had stayed in the orphanage… if only they hadn’t found us… He would still be here with me.

“Come on, Max. We have longed for our parents for years, and now that they are in our life again, we should take the opportunity and live with them. After all, they left us both to make it, and they did succeed. Let’s not hold any grudge against them and let’s try to make things right. I would like to live in luxury for once,” he had said. And luxury had he lived in until he lost his self-control over what he could get with money.

I walked into the house and saw my mom sitting on the couch, waiting for me to arrive. “Where have you been, and why didn’t you go to school today?” she asked me.

“No reason,” I replied.

“Max, don’t make me furious. Don’t you know how much we spend on your schooling? You have been skipping school for a week now.”

“To heck with school! If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be in this house!” I yelled at her angrily.

“Are you still angry about what happened to your brother? You should know that it isn’t our fault. We were only…”

“Save your excuse. I’m sick of hearing it. You keep on saying the same thing over and over again. I don’t wish to talk about it,” I said.

“Maximilian, you should know that I love you. I love you and your brother.”

“What a great way of showing it,” I said with venom and then went up the stairs.

***

Andrea’s POV

[One week later]

We got off the bus that brought us to the city. I had always wanted to see how the city looked. Ever since I was born, I had never left the town I grew up in, but as luck would have it, we were here now, and I hoped that everything would go well for me and my mom. We began to search for the new address where my mom would be working.

Luckily, her friend had connected her to a rich family who was in need of workers, and I was sure that my mom would be accepted. We arrived at the mansion where my mom was supposed to live and work.

The security guard let us in, and I was shocked at first by the beauty of the house. It was even more beautiful than the one we lived in back in the town.

“Mom, it’s so huge and pretty,” I whispered to her, and she gave me a smile in return, acknowledging my statement.

Just then, a lady came to meet us and introduced herself as the butler and head of all the workers in the mansion. My first impression of Butler Rose was that she was in her late fifties and that she was someone who got angry and didn’t tolerate incompetence.

She toured us around the house, making it known to us that the owners rarely lived in it except for their son, who hated it when any worker went into his room or his late brother’s room without permission. Listening to all of this made me aware that no matter what, I had to avoid this particular person. I wouldn’t like to be the cause of my mother’s dismissal. So, no matter what happened, I would always avoid him, even without knowing who he was.

After the tour of the house, she took us to our room. It wasn’t that big, but it was very spacious and accommodating. 

“I like this place better, Mom,” I said as I unpacked our clothes.

“I do too, but I’m worried about the son of our employers,” she said.

“Why?”

“I might just do something that I shouldn’t have, and I might be…”

“Don’t think about it, Mom. Whenever you see him, just ignore him. That’s what I have decided to do, too,” I said.

“I think your strategy is good. I will also be avoiding him,” she replied, and I gave her a smile.

While my mom busied herself in the kitchen, I took a tour around the garden, making sure that I didn’t run into anyone.

The garden was a quiet and beautiful place to be in. I took off my sandals and walked barefoot in the grass.

I was enjoying my solitude when I heard a voice. I stopped what I was doing and went to see who was there. As I moved closer, I kept hearing the voice, and it sounded like the person was crying. When I arrived, I peered gently around the corner to see a guy sitting on the grass with his back to me. He was crying, holding a picture.

‘He must think he’s alone,’ I thought as I continued to stare at him. 

I quickly left the garden before anyone could catch me. As I was heading back into the house, a fellow maid approached me, holding a tray. 

“Please, can you take this to the room on the left? I need to get something,” she said before running off. 

I stood looking at the tray, wondering where the room was. “Is it the room on the left or the right? I just don’t remember,” I whispered to myself as I decided to go with the room on the right. 

I knocked on the door, but there was no response, so I went inside. The room was empty, so I dropped the tray on the table, knowing that the owner would come to get it. As I was about to leave, I saw a picture on the table. It was a picture I had never seen before, but somehow, I felt like I had seen it before, especially the gaze. 

“What the hell are you doing in here?” a voice I had heard before said behind me.

I turned a bit, only to see that it was the guy from the garden. I faced the wall again, wondering what I should do to prevent him from seeing my face.