Chapter 7: The Annoying Girlfriend

A few weeks had passed since Sarah started working at Mr. Reed's mansion, and with time, she had become really attached to Benjamin. They got really close after a few days, and the little boy was always asking about her whenever she had the day off.

The fact that his nephew was always wanting to be around Sarah made Victor incredibly curious and intrigued about what that woman had to make Benjamin so infatuated with her.

It was true that whenever he was at home, he managed to take a look at both of them to see what the nanny was doing and how she was treating his nephew. Victor also asked a few servants who he trusted the most to keep an eye on her and report everything when he got home from work.

But he never received any complaints. On the contrary, they only had nice things to talk about her. He was also frustrated at himself for wanting to know so much about Sarah, because somehow he knew it wasn't just because he was worried about his nephew, but also curious about her.

Sarah had made friends really quickly at the mansion as well, and Camila proved to be an amazing friend. She also had visited her grandmother a few times and Nana seemed to be doing incredibly well. She had started her treatment and her illness seemed to be getting better with time.

Life was actually treating Sarah pretty well for the past month, but one day something changed. She took Benjamin out of the shower and went to prepare a healthy snack for him so they could play with some puzzles in the library when she heard the doorbell ring.

Mr. Reed wasn't at home yet and she couldn't imagine who it could be. A high-pitched voice could be heard from the kitchen and Sarah frowned.

"Oh, no…" She heard one of the maids say while entering the kitchen. Sarah was chatting with Camila and finishing Benjamin's sandwich while the boy waited for her in his room. "Guess who's here?"

Sarah looked from her to Camila, unaware of what was going on. Camila rolled her eyes and dropped her head backward in a sign of frustration.

"What the hell is she doing here? Mr. Reed is not even home," she complained.

"Who is 'she'?" Sarah asked in an attempt of getting familiar with the topic of the conversation.

"Alana," the maid replied, but Sarah continued to look at her, still waiting for a full answer. "She's… What is she exactly?"

"Well, we don't really know to be honest. She's Mr. Reed's on-and-off affair. Not a girlfriend, but also not an ex. If that makes sense… Or maybe she is. Who knows?" Camila tried to explain, failing completely.

Sarah felt like her heart shrunk. It took her by surprise, especially because she didn't think Mr. Reed had anyone in his life. At least, she hadn't seen him with any woman around the mansion ever since she arrived.

But it made sense that he kept his things privately. He was an important CEO after all. And even though she didn't know why she felt sad by hearing the news, she also felt relieved to know that whoever that 'Alana' was, she wasn't his girlfriend, at least not officially.

Sarah shook her head, trying to focus on the sandwich again, convincing herself that it didn't matter if Mr. Reed had a girlfriend or not; she shouldn't be thinking about him at all.

"Anyway, we do know one thing," the maid continued, grabbing a bottle of water inside the fridge and looking back at her. "She is the most annoying person in the world. And she's also mean to the staff."

"Really?" Sarah asked, surprised. "Why's that?"

"When Mr. Reed is not at home, she treats us like we are slaves or animals, or even both. I mean, we're not her servants. We work for Mr. Reed. She has no right to talk to us the way she does." Camila said.

"And why is he with her if she's so terrible?" Sarah wanted to know.

It was odd to know that Mr. Reed was so picky when choosing his employees, but regarding lovers, he would get someone as annoying as Alana.

"That's something we never understood around here. I mean, it's probably very good sex, right? Otherwise, why would any man bear with her?" the other maid said, making Camila laugh out loud, but Sarah was only able to give a forced laugh in return.

"No one ever replied to her?" Sarah asked. She hoped none of them noticed how interested she was in the subject, so she tried to pretend it was just gossip between the maids.

"None of us dared. Since we don't know exactly what is her relationship with Mr. Reed, we just tolerate her. I honestly don't know why he's with her." Camila rolled her eyes one more time, getting up from the table and straightening her shirt. "Well, guess I'm going to offer our guest a cup of tea. I hope she accepts it and spills it all over her expensive dress."

She left the kitchen with a grimace on her face, and Sarah took the sandwich to Benjamin, appreciating the fact that she didn't have to pass by the living room to go upstairs. Otherwise, she would have to greet the woman and she was definitely not in the mood for that.

But her happiness didn't last long. Mr. Reed arrived a few minutes later and passed by the library to see how his nephew was doing.

They were both seated on the floor, putting together a very large puzzle, when the door opened and she saw Mr. Reed coming in with one of the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.

Sarah gulped, pretending not to be intimidated by the powerful couple. Benjamin was about to get up and give his uncle a big hug, but once his eyes fell upon the woman, he retreated, uttering a quiet hello to Victor and ignoring Alana.

"Good afternoon, you two. Sarah, this is Alana Campbell. Alana, this is Benjamin's new nanny, Sarah Johnson."