I looked at the mansion in front of us. This was the biggest mansion I had ever seen. It made sense, knowing who he was.
Alpha Lionel was more of a legend than a person. Someone cold and domineering, who took over businesses left and right and built the Park into what it is today. For better or for worse.
Rumor had it that business owners were terrified of him. He was strong, calculating, decisive. He was top of his class and had spent the past few years building an empire.
Yet despite his reputation, he had gone out of his way to help us. My heart fluttered at the thought. I had to remind myself that he was miles out of my league, and since I was going to be his employee he was now definitely off limits.
I sighed, looking around at the gardens around the estate. This was already one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. And I hadn’t even seen the inside.
I walked towards the building, holding Patti close to my chest. She had seemed a bit off and I worried about the pollen count so she was bundled up in a hat, jacket, and a face mask just to be safe.
“You!” A woman’s harsh voice.
I recognized the woman. She was one of the last people I wanted to see after the night before.
It was Ginny, my former boss’ girlfriend.
“You’re the bitch that smashed a plate on my boyfriend’s head!” She snapped. “Are you trying to start something?”
I blinked at her. “Your boyfriend attacked me and my daughter last night.” I responded in a deadpan way.
“Liar!” Ginny hissed, towering over me. “He would never do something like that you lying little–“
The sound of wheels on gravel came from behind us as a sleek black car approached, driving towards the garage.
Ginny’s demeanor changed. She forced a smile onto her face. “Please vacate the premises, seeing as you have absolutely no business here.”
“Actually I–“
The car door opened and Lionel stepped out.
“You’re here.” He adjusted his cufflinks.
“I hope you found the place alright.” He said, looking up. His calm eyes met mine again and a shock went through me.
My mouth was dry as I tried to find my voice again. “Yeah– I mean, yes. Of course, this place is… hard to miss.”
If I had blinked I probably would’ve missed the way the corner of his mouth tilted upwards. Brief as it was, he smiled at me.
“Alpha Lionel,” Ginny bowed her head. “Would you like me to escort her in for you?”
Lionel nodded, then paused. He walked towards me and Patti. He furrowed his brow slightly, looking down at the mask on her face.
“Is she contagious?” He asked, something almost protective in his voice.
“No, no.” I shook my head quickly. “She’s sensitive to pollen and has a weak immune system, so I’m very careful with her.”
He nodded, his rigid posture seeming to relax for just a moment.
“Are you the one who helped us yesterday?” Patti asked, voice quiet.
“Yes, that was me.” He nodded, avoiding the girl’s bright gaze.
“If he was my daddy, I bet no one would bully us anymore.” Patti whispered loudly in my ear.
Ginny snorted. “You’re dreaming, kid. An alpha could never have a runt like you.”
Patti growled at her and Ginny flinched at the sound. I felt a small amount of pride.
Lionel frowned, glancing back at Ginny. “Please don’t speak to a child like that.”
“Sorry.” Ginny grumbled.
Lionel looked back to me, his harsh eyes softening. “You can show them to their new room. Ms…”
“Lupa.” I cleared my throat. “Nan Lupa.”
“Ms Lupa is one of our new maids.” He nodded.
I looked up at him. “So I get a room?”
“If you don’t mind.” He tilted his head. “As a maid, you’ll get room and board, plus a
stipend.”
I nodded hesitantly. “Am I going to get a contract?”
“Yes, I’ll have someone bring it to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I nodded.
“Welcome to the team, Ms. Lupa.” He stepped into the mansion. I watched him go.
Ginny huffed as soon as the door shut. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Servants entrance is this way."
She started walking down a small path through the garden. "I don't know how you got this job. The alpha hates slackers."
"Don't say that about my mommy!"Patti snarled at her.
"Sweetie please." I said softly.
"She's a meanie." Patti hissed.
"Yeah, I am a meanie." Ginny wheeled around. "A meanie who's gonna watch your mommy's every mistake."
Patti glared. "My mommy doesn't mess up. She's super smart."She showed Ginny her sharp canine teeth.
"Control your brat." Ginny finally snapped.
"Patti please." I sighed. "I know you're just trying to help, but please be kind."
"Okay." Patti said softly.
We walked through the garden towards a small side door. Ginny walked us through into the servant quarters. The servant quarters were less extravagant than the main house, but they were still far more opulent than I was used to.
Ginny opened the door into a very small room.
It was nice, clean with light blue walls. I put Patti down to look around the room.The room had a bed, a table and a dresser, and it was barely big enough to fit it all. But I didn't mind.
With our room and board being covered, I would be able to afford Patti's medicine. Besides that, Lionel was paying me more than I made at the restaurant, and I could maybe even start putting some savings aside.
"There's a uniform in the dresser. Get changed and meet me in the servants' dining room in fifteen minutes. It's just all the way down the hall."
I nodded.
"Fifteen minutes, don't be late."She said coldly.
I went back into the room and started getting dressed. "Alright, sweetie, this is where we're gonna be staying. It'll be good for us."
Patti looked around thoughtfully. "I like this place okay. It smells nice."
I smiled fondly at her. "I'm glad you think so." I chuckled.
After I finished putting on the uniform, I knelt down next to her. "Hey, can you do me a big favor?" I asked, squeezing her arms lightly.
She looked up at me, nodding and biting her lip. I reached out and swept my thumb over her mouth, getting her to stop biting it.
"First off, try not to bite your lip. Your teeth are sharper than you think sometimes, remember?" Patti nodded, opening her mouth wide to show she'd stopped.
I laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"You're ridiculous." She retorted.
I shook my head. "Big favor. I'm gonna go work for a bit and I need you to stay in here.Okay?"
Patti hummed. "But what if I want to explore?"
I looked at the clock on the wall. I had to go.
"Please, sweetie. Be good!"
I rushed out of the room.
Third Person's POV
Patti sat in the room, scrunching and un-scrunching her face in the mirror above the dresser. She was trying to be good for her mom. She huffed, flopping onto the bed and making up a song to sing.
There was a knock at the window. Patti jolted up, head snapping towards it. There was a girl out there!
The girl looked... a lot like Patti did. Same long black hair and clear blue eyes. The only difference was that this girl had something calm in her eyes.
"Hi!" Patti dragged the window open. "What's your name?"
The other little girl scrambled through the window. "My name is Vera, who are you?"
"I'm Patti. My mom works here now." Patti said.
“I don't have a mom. I just have a dad." Vera said with a small frown.
"I don't have a dad! I just have a mom." Patti responded.
"We can share my dad! Especially since you're gonna live here now!" Vera exclaimed.
"There are no other kids around here so it'll be nice to have a friend."
"We can share my mom too. Especially since I would love to be your friend." Patti grinned.
"We look so similar, I bet if we switched clothes our parents wouldn't know we were each other." Vera said, smiling. "Should we try?"
The girls swapped clothes, with Vera grabbing one of Patti's masks and a pair of sunglasses to finish the outfit. They slipped out of the room, giggling and holding hands.
Vera led Patti to her dad's office and gently pushed her towards the door.
