"Are you sure about this?"
Sylvia smiled at her boss- well ex-boss considering she had just submitted her resignation letter.
"Yes," she replied.
Her boss, a Scottish man with beady eyes and red hair scattered sparsely across his bald head, dropped her resignation letter to the table and clasped his hands.
"If you need time off to grieve, I can give you that Sylvia. It's been a week since your Da died and I know it's hard. I can remember when I lost mine too. I was a wee lad, y'know?"
"Cam, don't make this so hard-"
"No," he said stubbornly. "You're one of our best chefs. You can't just resign. If you want time off, I'll give it to you. Go, grieve, and come back-"
"I don't know if I'll come back, Cam!" She yelled, feeling pressured and uncomfortable.
She had felt that way all week. Pressured. Carrying a heavy burden on her chest that she could tell to no one. Who would believe her anyways? Nobody. No one would. Everyone in the entire world believed that her father had slipped and drowned in a pool. The press had been at his funeral five days ago, snapping and clicking at their cameras like a bunch of crabs.
The headlines in the papers, blogs, and articles all highlighted how Ben Baker had died. Drowned in a pool.
Liars! Sylvia thought with a fury that burned and raged within her bones. All of them were liars. She knew the truth. She knew her father hadn't drowned to death. Leonard Wells may have wanted to look like an angel, but she knew very well what a devil he could be.
"What do you mean? You're moving?" Cam asked. His brows were raised so high up in shock, his eyes no longer looked beady.
"Kind of," she mumbled. "Look I just, I don't know if I'll be coming back at all Cam. It's not fair to you or the diner. I'm sure you'll find someone better."
Someone who isn't about to commit murder, she wanted to add as she walked out of his office.
She could still recall the results of the autopsy she had carried out secretly, the night before her father was buried. She could see the verdict, the black ink pressed against the white document.
Cause of death: Strangled
Her father had been strangled to death and then tossed in the pool by his murderer. And Leonard had the guts to hide that from her. He had to be guilty. There was more to the whole story and he wanted to hide it all from her!
"Over my dead body," she spat as she sprinted across the street. When she had gotten a job at Cam's diner, it felt like all her dreams and wishes had come true.
She lived across the street, with her father and finally, she could repay him for taking care of her all this while. She could be everything to him just as he was to her. Her eyes watered as she made her way into her apartment and when the door was locked behind her, she allowed the tears to fall freely.
Two years ago, after she had gotten her job at the diner, she had begged her father to resign. She had promised to take care of him. If only he hadn't been so stubborn! He would be alive and far from the evil that lived in the Wells Mansion.
But Leonard Wells had been right about one thing. Her father was loyal to him. Loyal to a fucking fault. And what had loyalty gotten him?
Death.
"I'll find him," she whispered. "Whoever did this to you Dad, I'll find him and kill him. I promise."
*****"Are the directors settled?" Leonard asked, striding towards his office alongside his bodyguard and personal assistant.
"Yes sir. Everything is set. The transfer of ownership as well is being processed." The Personal assistant supplied.
"Good," He nodded, satisfied. Things were coming into order just how he liked it.
"You have a visitor, however , sir. I've told her she cannot see you without an appointment, but she is quite insistent and said you would want to see her as well sir." His PA informed and he frowned.
Who on earth could it be? No one he knew dared to be insistent. Everyone in New York knew they had to have an appointment to see him. When they reached his office, his bodyguard pushed open the door and he walked in.
"Who is she?" He demanded, settling down in his seat. His office was on the top floor of Wells Empire, a fifty-story skyscraper that stood proudly in the center of New York City.
"Miss Baker sir,"
Leonard rubbed a hand on his forehead, feeling a headache coming up at the mention of her name. Of course, it was her. Heck, she was probably trying to leech money out of him. Disgust rippled through him. That was the way greedy paupers were. If they saw an opportunity to get a lot of money, they took it as swiftly as possible.
"Send her in, let's get this over with." He spat.
Sylvia walked into Mr. Wells's office feeling smaller with each step she took. His office was larger than her whole apartment combined. It occupied almost the entire floor and right there in the middle of it was Leonard Wells, looking godlike in his black-as-night suit.
"Welcome, Miss Baker. Take a seat."
Aware of his piercing gaze, she sat down as carefully as possible in the chair he had pointed to.
"How may I help you?"
She didn't need anyone telling her he wasn't happy to see her. His tone of voice and the scowl on his face told her everything. Ignoring them, she wore the most vulnerable expression she could muster on her face, batting her hazel eyes innocently.
"Ah... I'm sorry Mr. Wells. I didn't mean to trouble you."
The arrogant man nodded, waving his hand dismissively. "Just state what you want and be gone."
"Well," she said through quivering lips. "I got fired because I took too much time to grieve. My boss couldn't take it anymore and I," she sniffled, willing tears to her eyes. "I can't survive without a job. My dad's gone, my job's gone and I truly have no one else to turn to Mr. Wells,"
If she had thought she would see the remorse on his face, she had hoped in vain. The man before her looked like she was bringing him great inconvenience.
"And what job do you do?" Leonard asked, fed up with her sniffling.
"A chef sir," she said with a small smile. "A chef."
****"It's rare that the Master employs new people into the mansion. But you're Benny's daughter, an exception has to be made." Luna, the main chef of the Wells Mansion explained as she showed Sylvia around the house."Dear God, it's huge!" She whispered as they walked through the hallway. It was gigantic, filled with framed pictures. For all the twenty years that her father had worked for them, she had never stepped into the mansion. The night he had died had been the first time and then she hadn't paid attention to the size of the house.
After Mr. Wells had brought her with him and dumped her into the hands of Luna, Sylvia hadn't quite gotten over the size of the house. She doubted she would ever get over it.
"How many wings are there?"Luna chuckled at the young woman's awe. "Four. The East and the west wing are for visitors. The south is for us workers and the North wing's for the master and Young Master."
Sylvia frowned. "Young Master? Mr. Wells' son?"
Luna nodded and pointed to one of the framed pictures. A young man stared intensely at them. His eyes caught Sylvia's gaze first. Deep forest green eyes that stared broodingly. His brows were full and neatly trimmed. His hair, black as ever was tousled atop his head, slightly falling over his eyes. His lips were pressed into a fine line, fitting his square jaw so perfectly, Sylvia wondered if he was real or just a figment of her imagination.
He was beautiful. And he was the son of her enemy. Shaking her head, she reminded herself of the reason why she was there in the first place. She was there for her father's killer. Nothing else, not even the gorgeous David Wells, mattered.
However that night, she could barely sleep. It might have been the fact that she was homesick, or perhaps it was the large bed. Whatever it was, Sylvia found herself walking through the mansion leisurely at one in the morning, dressed in a silver negligee and a robe draped over her figure.
She had gone through her father's journal. The last entry he made was the day before he died.
'I might be killed for revealing this secret,'
"What secret?" She whispered to herself as she made her way towards the balcony.
"Oh master David," A moan reached her ears, halting her thoughts and she froze still.
Right there on the balcony, before her very eyes was David Wells pounding mercilessly into a maid against the balcony railing.
Sylvia could not look away. The pictures in the hall hadn't done David Wells any justice. They hadn't shown muscles that rippled beneath his bronze skin. They hadn't shown how powerful his arms were as they wrapped around the maid. They hadn't shown his sexy backside either. Tanned, hot, and incredibly toned. Mesmerized, she watched him thrust into the maid furiously. Watched him toss his head back in a groan, his eyes closed as he relished the feel of the maid clamped tightly against him. Her thighs clenched jealousy and she shuddered at the sensations that simmered within her. David's eyes opened suddenly, and piercing green eyes met hers. She gasped in surprise at being caught and for a minute, he held her gaze while he fucked the maid. Feeling conflicted and incredibly turned on, she tore her gaze away from his and raced back to her room. David watched the blonde run off and arched a brow, intrigued by her. Somehow the maid before him no longer seemed interesting. Heck, she had
David stiffened noticeably beside his father, his hands tightening around his fork. Sylvia frowned at the movement and then looked back at his father who gazed at her expectantly. "Sure thing sir," Sylvia mumbled and turned on her heels. "Sure thing?" Shane scoffed as soon as they were in the kitchen. "You don't say "sure thing" to the Master. That's rude and obnoxious!" Sylvia ignored her. "Luna, Mr. Wells says some June Castello is coming over-" "By God, you need to work on your filthy manners!" Shane spat. "Shane, quiet down and go join Anabelle in doing the dishes or something!" Luna chastened. Shane turned red in the face. "She has the manners of a cow! June Castello isn't some random person. She's the queen of Hollywood!" The young girl faced Sylvia, a vicious look on her face. "And you had better address her as Mistress Castello when she gets here!" Astounded, Sylvia watched the girl stomp out of the kitchen. What the hell was her problem? Was it because she had seen Sha
Sylvia shifted her gaze from left to right wondering why David, in all his sexiness was standing right outside her door, clothed in grey pajamas, staring at her intensely like a meal he couldn’t wait to devour.If he was back for another intense adventure then he had better be prepared to be slapped by a rejection. As far as she was concerned, she was in the mansion to solve the mystery behind her father’s murder not become David’s mistress.She raised a brow and was about to mumble a word when June slipped out from behind. Dressed in an emerald night robe that barely made it to her knee, June Castello had been standing behind David.Sylvia’s heartbeat skyrocketed in an instant, and dozens of questions began to flutter in her mind.Did June come to confront her about her mischief with David? Did David tell June anything? What if he lied that she seduced him? What were they doing by her door at 10 pm?Sylvia was beginning to slip into a panic. June cleared her throat loudly, jolting S
By the time Sylvia got to the kitchen, color had drained from her face. “Are you okay?” demanded Luna right after Sylvia walked in, looking startled. Sylvia realized that she had unconsciously made it to the kitchen. She lifted her head and gave repeated nods. “I’m good.” “Why don’t you fix dessert? Master David asked for it. I’ll see what Shane is up to.” Luna replied and walked up to Sylvia. She gave her a slight tap on the shoulder with an approving nod and stepped out. Poor girl! Luna thought. She must have not yet gotten over the loss of her dad. Sylvia shifted to the counter and positioned her hands on the table. She began to take deep breaths. Get a grip on yourself Sylvie she told herself. Be brave! A fact about Sylvia was that she was not adequate at masking her emotions. Whether it was fear, anxiety, or guilt. Somehow, her demeanor always communicated it. She clenched her jaw and pulled the fruit basket toward her. If she must carry out her revenge task, she knew that
The doctor checked David’s vitals and turned to June. “He’s stable now and can be discharged immediately.”“Thank you, Dr.”The doctor gave a satisfactory nod and left the private ward. David rested his aching back against the wall. The fall at the dining earlier was causing his back to ache. The last thing he remembered was slumping into a heap after taking several scoops from the bowl of the sumptuous fruit salad Sylvia had served him. He fell out of the chair after slumping. June wanted to speak but he silenced her by lifting a hand. From the moment his brain picked up a burning sensation and blood started gushing through his nostrils before he slumped, David had one thing in mind. Sleeping pills!“I know June. The reaction was caused by sleeping pills.”He had discovered his allergy in London after he took sleeping pills in his second year at college. The result was detrimental. He had always avoided it since then. June settled beside him. “All thanks to that stupid chef, we n
Sylvia stared at the yellow gloves shielding her hands with disgust. She shook her head and continued collecting the dirt she had piled into the rubbish can.She wouldn’t mind cleaning the entire Wells compound daily for weeks. As long as she’ll get to stay at the mansion.Just when she thought her hopes were shattered that morning, Leonard Wells returned to the mansion and told her that she could stay. He simply told her that his son thinks she deserved a second chance for the sake of her father. The statement sparked new hope in Sylvia. She had already packed up when the news arrived.Meanwhile, she had been pondering why anyone in the mansion would sabotage her.Was it Shane or Annabel or any of the servant’s tricks on a new colleague? That trick was way expensive. Were they jealous? That’s impossible because they know nothing about her wild night with David and this leaves her with one option.June Castello!The woman had told her that she was watching her after allWhile she tries
Flashback "Excuse me, miss Castello, you dropped your wallet." Cameron said and swept June's little wallet from the floor. He was about to hand it over to her when a passport photgraph slipped from the already open wallet and landed on the floor. "I'll get that," Cameron volunteered with a smile. They had just wrapped up their shoot for the day and June was packing up. Cameron flipped the photograph and arched a brow "Well, Well, if it's not David Leonard Wells then who is it?"June zipped up her Hermes Birkin bag and snatched the passport from Cameron. "By calling out his full name, I suppose you know him."Cameron gave a mischievous smile. He was the producer working with June on the movie she was shooting in London. She had been working with him for a week and it took her just a few days to realize that he was a loud mouth. "Of course I know him." He hummed and folded his arms across his chest. "Judging by the fact that you have his passport in your wallet, I'll say he's someo
Shane glared at Sylvia and turned away with a smirk. "It didn't take you long to fit into Luna's uniform didn't you?" Sylvia folded her arms across her chest and looked Shane straight in the face. "In this mansion, we fix things and move on and besides, once Luna is cleared of cancer, she'll be reinstated as head chef."Shane broke into a dry laugh. Shit! Sylvia hated the fact that she had to use that line thus sounding like the Wells but Shane was getting on her nerves and she needed to put the girl in her place. "I just hope you don't end up poisoning Mr. Leonard this time."Sylvia giggled. "Well, I hope it doesn't happen but good thing is, I won't get to serve anymore."Shane displayed a blank expression. Sylvia sighed and dusted her uniform. She was wearing Luna's white chef coat on black plain trousers. It was an oversized coat which she wouldn't want to temper with since Luna will return."Henceforth, I'll cook the meals and you'll serve them and do the dishes" Sylvia told S