Anna’s POV
I stood at the entrance of the Grayson mansion, my heart pounding as I stared at the luxurious building. I had been so thrilled to get this job that I never paused to consider what would happen once I did. Now, standing before the mansion doors, I was filled with fear. It was eight in the morning, and I had left my children at home, rushing here to make breakfast for a man I should be avoiding. As I walked through the hallways, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made the right decision in accepting this job. This job was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to give my children the life they deserved, but I could not help but wonder if I could fit in here. “Oh, it’s you… how nice of you to join us. Keep this up, and you’ll lose your job before you even begin,” Mia’s icy voice echoed through the hallways, and I immediately turned to meet her sharp eyes, assessing me from head to toe with a coldness in her gaze that sent a shiver down my spine. “I’m sorry Ms, I had to…” I began, but the words caught in my throat. I wanted to carve a new life here and couldn’t risk exposing my children. My palms grew clammy as I fought to maintain my composure. Mia quirked her brows, her intense look demanding an explanation, but before she could say anything else, Rita appeared and quickly broke the tension. “Ms Ryan, Mr Grayson is waiting for you,” she said, handing over a stack of files to Mia just before she turned and left. Unlike Mia, Rita wore a fake, benign smile, one I was sure she must have spent hours in the mirror practicing, as she approached me. However, I could tell there was something about her that felt off and made me uneasy. “Anna, dear, glad you could make it. I see Ms. Ryan is still giving you a tough time,” she began and then leaned in, “Don’t take it personally, she’s like that to everyone. Just keep out of her way and you won’t have any problems.” “Come, let me show you around the mansion. You need to know your way around and the areas you should avoid, or you could easily get lost here.” Later that morning, after the tour of the mansion, I began my chores, dusting and organizing the shelves in the old library. Being an avid reader and lover of books, this library was a literary paradise to me. There were collections from almost every author I loved, and I found myself drawn to the collection in the east wing. I reached out to pull one of the books on the shelf when I caught a whiff of strong cinnamon oak perfume. My body immediately tensed up as I soon realized who it was, “What are you doing here?” His voice was rough and cold, and immediately I trembled in fear. Mia had made it clear: I had to stay away from her boyfriend if I wanted to keep my job. Slowly, I pushed back the Jane Austen book I was about to pick up, and turned to meet Mark’s quizzical gaze. “I-I… I’m sorry sir, I didn’t think anyone would be here,” I stammered, desperately trying to avoid his piercing gaze. He stared at me for a while, then shifted his gaze to the shelf. “Jane Austen. She’s a good read,” Mark said, picking up the book. “You can keep it,” he said with a soft look on his face and turned to walk away. I was perplexed by his demeanor and managed to compose myself enough to look up. But then, as if he had just remembered something, he suddenly stopped and turned toward me. “Oh, I noticed you were not on time to make my breakfast today. If this should happen again, there will be consequences,” Mark said and shot me a warm smile. I didn’t know what to feel or say. Despite his cold threats, his expression was oddly calm. It was safe to assume my new boss could be psychotic, yet for some reason, I felt a strange comfort and familiarity whenever I spoke to him which only made me more intrigued. My eyes trailed him as he walked towards the door, and that was when I noticed Rita staring at me with a piercing look. She handed Mark his briefcase and informed him Mia was waiting for him. As soon as Mark walked away, she quickly approached me, and this time I could tell by the evident frown on her face that she despised me. “Looks like you’re done here. Your next task is to clear out the gutter, and when you’re done with that, report to me for your next assignment,” Rita said coldly. “I’m sorry, Ms. but that wasn’t part of the roles I was assigned,” I argued weakly. Her gaze immediately turned cold as she glared at me. “Are you questioning me?” She snarled “Let me make one thing clear, Anna. Your job is to do whatever I tell you to do, got that?!” “I’m in charge here, and if you ever defy or question me again, I will have you sweating it out in the garden! Remember you’re just a common maid. Know your place.” I nodded weakly, swallowing my arguments. Her words cut deep, but I had to control my tears from forming. Eight years, I’d worked so hard and given it my all to have a better life, but still, I hadn’t gone anywhere far, and now I was just some common maid, a nobody. At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder how things would be if Luke had never called off our wedding. This was all my fault. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes now, but still, I couldn’t let myself give in. As long as I could provide for my children and pay Julia’s hospital bills, I would take their insults and abuse. I remained quiet, afraid to utter another word. Rita glared at me and then added. “Well since it is your first day, I’ll start you off with something simple. Mr Grayson will be back later this evening. Make sure his room is cleaned top to bottom before he returns.” I nodded and immediately walked out, heading to Mark’s room. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and dusting his room when I accidentally knocked over an old wooden box. Quickly, I crouched down to pick up the box and then noticed an old framed picture of Mark and some woman. Intrigued, I kept staring at her, wondering who she could be. She was beautiful, with long brown hair and caramel skin just like me. However, the most eerie part of this picture was how much this woman looked like me. Suddenly, the doors swung open, and Mark walked in. Immediately, he saw the picture frame in my hand, and his eyes darkened with a sudden rage. “What are you doing in my room? Who permitted you to be in here?”Anna’s POVMy heart raced as Mark’s piercing gaze bore into me. I quickly realized Rita had set me up, but I doubted mentioning that would matter at this point.“Why are you in here, Anna?” Mark demanded coldly, his voice rising. I froze in fear, searching for an explanation that wouldn’t sound foolish.“I-I, I thought I heard something, so I decided to check it out,” I stammered, my voice trembling, and immediately regretted my choice of excuse. I was a terrible liar, and this was the worst excuse I could come up with.‘Good going, Anna,’ I scolded myself, trying hard to maintain my composure and not give myself up.However, just as I failed terribly in staying composed, Mark saw through my shallow lie instantly.“I can tell you’re lying,” he spat in disappointment, his eyes narrowing at me.He walked past me, and stopped, staring out the open glass windows of the room.“Leave my sight,” he uttered weakly.“Huh?” I asked, unable to hear him.“Get out now!” He yelled, swinging his
Anna’s POVThe sterile smell of the hospital still clung to me as I walked through the hallways. After what happened with Mark, I should have been worried about being late again, but I couldn't care less.My mind was consumed with worry and fear for my daughter as I walked to the kitchen, hoping no one had noticed my tardiness.I made my way through the hallway and overheard the maids whispering amongst themselves. Intrigued, I moved closer and overheard them conversing about Laura. ‘Laura…Laura?” I quickly delved into my head trying to remember where I’d heard that name before. Then it hit me - ‘The picture!’“She was so beautiful,” one of the maids said with emotion “And such a sweet soul.”My curiosity grew as I leaned closer to the kitchen door, straining to hear more.The staff’s reluctance to speak openly about her only deepened my curiosity. Who was this woman, and why did she affect Mark so much? I remember how furious he was yesterday when he saw me holding her picture, and
Anna’s POVLater that evening, I was cleaning the old library, still gripped by terror from the image I saw. Why was I in that picture? What happened between Rita and me? I finally glimpsed why she treated me the way she did now. Something must have happened between us. Just then, I noticed Mark staring at me through the doorway. He seemed more relaxed and softened this time as he approached. He could notice the unease on my face and said with a wry smile, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost”I stopped and tucked my hands behind my back nervously “Mr. Grayson, I want to apologize about yesterday, I didn’t know–““Enough about that, Anna,” he interjected calmly.“I was being hard on you. I realized you mustn’t have known that I don’t allow people into my room.”I remained silent, still unable to look him in the eye. I wasn’t afraid anymore, I only tried to keep my distance. With Rita and Mia watching me, I realized if I needed to keep this job, I’d have to keep away from Mark, no
Anna's POVAs I drew closer to my room, my mind was still occupied with the unanswered questions about my past and Mark's offer.Suddenly, I heard a noise inside and stopped in my tracks, my heart pounding. It sounded like someone or something was rummaging through my things.My first thought was Rita. She had been seething with jealousy and a clear disdain towards me ever since I moved into the mansion.Though I still could not understand why she felt that way about me, I had a strong guess. Rita seemed to have strong undisclosed feelings toward Mark, and strangely, I could share in her plight. Seeing him close to someone else must have been heartbreaking.However, I didn't think it was just her feelings for Mark that caused her to despise me; our past seemed to have left a huge sting on her.These reserved feelings had driven her to snoop through my belongings, searching for anything that could give her an edge.I slowly opened the door cautiously, and just as I had suspected, I fou
Anna's POVTears streamed down my face as I reflected on the difficult choices I had to make. At that moment, I wished I was back with my ex-fiance Luke. Even though he never gave me a chance to explain myself, things would have been easier with him.Since I left Brigdon and started a new life in Delroy, we hadn’t communicated at all. It was probably for the best, it was easier to let go of him that way, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Despite my curiosity, I'd never searched for him in the years we'd been apart. I didn't know anything about his life now, and the truth was, I didn't want to.The thought that he might be living his best life, and might have moved on with someone new was just so devastating. It would only hurt to see him happy knowing my life was shit.However, sometime last year, my curiosity got the best of me. I knew what I did to him was wrong, but I didn't even recognize myself or my thoughts that night. Somewhere deep down, I still wished he'd reach out to m
Mark"What are you doing here?" Anna asked, staring at me in shock."Shhh,” I quickly placed my finger on her lips, cutting her off. A few meters away, I could hear leaves rustling and knew those men were still around."I need you to remain quiet or we'll both be found," I whispered, staring directly into her eyes.After a short while, I peered over her shoulders, scanning the park to ensure those men were no longer in view. As I listened closely, this time, the park was quiet, and after a while, I was convinced there was nobody around.She was still staring at me in confusion when I shifted my gaze back to her."What are you doing alone in the park by this hour?" I demanded. "And who were those men?"Anna pushed me back, her eyes flashing with defiance. “I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"For a girl who seemed timid, she now appeared quite fearless. I had to be cautious; I couldn't let her know I had been stalking her, especially not when she was being this fei
MarkMy hands were shaking as I pressed the ceramic tile on the bathroom sink. I breathed in and out deeply, trying to control my emotions.My mind was still fixated on what happened at the park. However, it wasn't Anna's refusal of my help that frustrated me now, although it annoyed me that she was being so difficult even when I was only trying to help.Shortly after Eric dropped me off at the mansion, I received a message from my father, Jonathan Grayson, reminding me of the annual Grayson family meeting.I'd almost forgotten it was today. I never liked these meetings. We weren't like your typical family.My family was very competitive, and these annual family events were more of a reminder that despite my accomplishments with the family business, my father was still not satisfied with them. With the board members on my neck about stepping down as the CEO of the company, I could already imagine how today would go.I closed my eyes tightly, trying to focus my thoughts. I needed to ta
MarkEveryone turned to look at her. My father’s face twisted with confusion and irritation."Who is this?" Zach asked, staring at Anna in confusion. “What are you doing here?” I asked, equally shocked. Brenda, who was sitting next to me laughed lightly and commented, "That'll be Anna, Mark's new plaything and I believe the reason he's decided not to marry Mia anymore."I shot her a glare. I never intended to marry Mia, she was just something to get my parents off my back about marriage."What is she talking about?" My father asked in a somewhat uninterested way.Anna scanned the room, looking very uncomfortable, then shifted her gaze back to me, "I'm sorry Mr. Grayson, I didn't know you were with guests," she spoke hurriedly, bowed, and turned to leave the room."Hold on dear," my mother called just before she walked out. Anna froze in her steps.I could see she was anxious and for a reason. Though, she had not met my family before, anyone would be easily intimidated by them."You'