Chapter 3

Ann's POV

I rang the doorbell at the gate of Edu Ibarra's nephew's big house with a heavy heavy heart. At first, I thought that he will simply make me the maid of his blind niece. I thought that I could be his niece's maid. I wanted to thank him because I now have a place to live while I'm here in Manila and looking for Jasper.  But when he said that I would not only be a maid but I would also play as a spy against his nephew, that's when I felt something fishy with him. He wants me to find out if his nephew can see because he thinks that his nephew is just pretending to be blind. I don't want to follow what he tells me to do because I don't want to cheat people especially people with disability. I don't want to take advantage of someone but he threatened to kill me if I refused his job offer. I was scared and worried for my safety and also I had nowhere to go because I had no money so, in the end, I was also forced to accept his job offer. He made me sign a contract saying that I am working with him and if I do my job well he will give me one hundred thousand pesos.

I don't care about his money because I am not money hungry. And even if I need money, if it comes in a bad way I would not want to have that kind of money. But I signed the document because my safety was on my mind. I thought I had escaped the bad person in my house but I ended up with an even worse person.

I couldn't help but take a deep breath while waiting for the gate to open. I thought that Edu's nephew must be very rich because his house is so big. The walls and gates are high so no thief can be able to get inside.

"What do you need, Miss?"  asked the handsome man who opened the gate. I couldn't speak for a while and stared at him. I was suddenly nervous about what I am going to do. It's my first time doing this kind of job so my knees felt jellies.

"Good afternoon, Sir. I would like to apply as your maid," I answered. I thought that the man in front of me was not Edu's nephew because he was not blind.

"How did you know we were looking for a maid? We didn't announce that at any publishment but you manage to know it?" the man asked me. His eyes suddenly narrowed. I was nervous but I didn't show it to him. I smiled at him before answering his question.

"It was Agnes who told me that you were looking for a maid," I answered quickly. Edu has already planned what should I say once I am asked about how I know that they need a maid. He already plans this kind of scene so I know what should I say. He said that his nephew should not know that I know him because his nephew will not accept me. Agnes Sanchez is said to be the former maid in this house who left because she couldn't handle the rudeness of Edu's nephew. Edu said that his nephew has become moody and grumpy since the accident, so no maid can stay longer in this house.

"Just a moment and I'll confirm it first," said the man then closed the gate. I guess that he will call Agnes to confirm if it is true that she told me about this thing. But Edu has planned everything so even if that man calls Agness, he will only know that I am telling the truth. I will only tell him that I am her friend who needs a job because Edu already gave her money to play along with his plan. A few minutes passed before the man opened the gate again and his face was already smiling when he spoke to me again. "Come in. I'm sorry if I'm a bit strict. I'm just being careful," he apologized to me.

"It's okay," I answered him with a smile. Now that he's smiling he doesn't look scary anymore so the fear in my chest slowly disappears.

"By the way, my name is Art. I'm the best friend of your future boss. How about you? What is your name?"  he asked as we walked towards the big house. I noticed that there were many men armed around the house. I couldn't see the yard from outside the gate so I didn't see that there were many people inside.  I think they are the guards of my future boss.

"My name is Ann Villamor," I answered him. I couldn't help but get nervous again when I saw the men armed with guns.  When Edu's nephew finds out that I am a spy that was sent to spy on him by his uncle, he will surely have his men shoot me.  "Why are there many men with guns here, Sir Art? They're scary. They might suddenly shoot me when they get drunk."

Sir Art laughed at what I said.  "Don't worry, Ann. Karl's men won't shoot you because they won't be drunk. They're not allowed to drink alcohol while they're inside his house. Also, don't call me sir because I'm not  your boss so just save that for your future boss."

I was impressed by the expensive things I saw when we entered the house of my future boss. It's only right that Sir Karl's gate is so high because many expensive things can be stolen from inside his house.

"It's scary to touch the things here, Sir Art. If I break even one of these things, my salary is not enough to pay for it," I commented as I looked around the spacious living room.

"Even if you want to leave, you can't leave if you break something expensive here. So be careful not to break anything, Ann. But be more careful with your boss. He bites when he's angry."

I stared at Sir Art's face. I don't know if he was serious about the last thing he said or if he was just joking with me. But I guess he wasn't joking because like what Edu told me, his nephew became moody and grumpy after the accident. What if I suddenly annoy him and he bites me literally?

"Who rang the doorbell, Art?" A man's voice echoed in the living room which cuts my thoughts.

"The owner of that voice will be your boss, Ann. When he needs something from you, he will only call you through the intercom so you don't have to ask him if he needs something from you," explained Sir Art to me. I was amazed at what I found out.  This house is high-tech. There is even an intercom to call the maid. "Alright, Ann. Go to your boss's room and introduce yourself to him. His room is downstairs so he won't have trouble going down the stairs. His room is in the third room and yours will be in the  second."

"Alright, Sir Art. I'm going to meet my future boss and I'll introduce myself to him," I said smiling at him even though deep inside I was feeling nervous. I was worried that when I entered my boss's room, I would be greeted by a flying figurine.

"Okay. Please tell him I'm leaving because I have a meeting. I'll be back tomorrow. And also, haven't I told you not to call me sir anymore? You're stubborn too, aren't you?"

"Alright, Art. I followed you. Are you happy now?" I joked with him to erase the nervousness that I felt. Art seems to be kind and easy to get along so I quickly feel comfortable talking with him.

"I like that. We will get along if you're always like this. I just hope you can tolerate my friend's behavior so that we can be together for a long time and befriend," he said with a smile before turning his back and walking out of the house.

"Is my boss really that rude?" I asked myself nervously. I hurriedly walked towards the room that Art showed me after leaving my backpack on the sofa. When I'm already in front of Sir Karl's room, I took a deep breath first before knocking on the door.

"Come in," he answered from inside the room. I turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door. I was about to speak to introduce myself but I seem to swallow my tongue when I recognized who my boss would be. The nephew of Edu Ibarra that I am going to spy on is none other than the person that Jasper and I idolized. He is Karl Ibarra. A champion and international drag racer star, Karl Ibarra.