Chapter 2

"Who the hell are you? Are you even aware of what you have done?" the question asked in a cold voice, hinted with annoyance that also smeared on his face as he wiped his eyes.

"I'm just giving back what you did to me. How 'bout you? What do you think you're doing? Do you really think what you did earlier was acceptable? Pranking someone like that, huh?" I was fearless to let out my thoughts.

"So?" he uttered, not caring at all.

I sighed. 

He's pissing me off. He's so narcissistic.

"You were planning on doing this to my mom, right?! Are you doing this on purpose to get rid of her? Don't you feel pathetic for the people you were playing with? They're not doing anything unpleasant to you. They are people who require work to provide their needs, for them to feed their families and yet... here you are here pranking someone for them to give up..." I stopped for a moment. "You are pathetic. Didn't your parents raise you well?" I continued. 

I felt like he was stunned by the last thing I said based on how he reacted. It was harsh, I admit it. 

He quickly approached me and pulled the collar of my shirt. Due to his strong force, I dropped the glass I was holding causing it to shatter on the floor. 

"Say it again." He looks disgruntled. I wanted to hold his hand and remove its grip on me but I suddenly remembered mama’s advice that I shouldn't dare touch him... "I dare you, you quibbler."

"L..Let go of me, moron—"

"Who are you to say that?" he asked coldly. "Did I grant you a privilege to question that?" 

My eyes widened as I saw how his eyes darkened. This is the first time I've seen such emotions in him... Those various emotions, hinted with annoyance and animosity.

I couldn’t stop myself from pushing him, causing him to sat on the floor. He looked up at me, eyes were suddenly impassive.

 

I was scared. 

Due to my fear, I quickly turned around to get away but the boy pulled me back. I quickly swayed his hand away and avoided contact. 

"Don't come near me!" I spoke in fear. His face went bewildered upon my abrupt reaction. I ran out of his room. He pursued me behind and I was even more anxious. 

I was walking down the stairs when he gripped my cloth causing me to halt. "Where do you think you're going? We are still not done yet here!" 

"Let go of me, bastard!" I shouted at him. I stepped down. He also followed my steps.

"Hey... The fun is not yet done—" He grabbed me again causing me to face him. 

I grabbed his hand violently, removing it from the grip on my cloth causing me to accidentally pull him way too hard.

Our eyes both widened. Time seemed to slow down as we both stared in shock at each other.

He passed through me...

He lost his balance...

And fell.

 

I immediately put my hand on the handrails of the stairs and before I could catch his hand to prevent him from falling, it was already too late. I never did. 

I stiffened in my stance as I watched him fall down each rung of the ladder. 

Trembling, I immediately went down to check his condition. I immediately spotted him on the cold floor, unconscious. I gasped in fear, and all I could do is to scream, begging for someone's help.

Everything began with that accident. 

_

I couldn't stop sobbing as I hugged my mom. My whole body was also trembling, I could not forget everything that happened. 

It is my fault why it happened. I is my responsibility why he fell down the stairs, and it's my fault why he was taken to the hospital...

What if I had killed him? I sobbed because of that thought. 

I didn't mean to do that... I didn't want it to happen at all.

I wasn't able to talk to anyone. Even mama doesn't know how to talk to me. 

Señyora Georgina and Señor Arthur arrived a few hours ago. My eyes widened when the lady slapped my mom in front of me.

"You are incompetent! Why weren't you able to watch over my son carefully? Look what happened to Luxious! My son is currently in a critical condition!" Señyora Georgina exclaimed. 

She was furious. It only made me more frightened.

"Georgina, that's enough," Señor Arthur muttered. He touched his wife. "We don't know what truly happened. It must be an accident." 

A few days ago, I still have no news of Luxious' condition. The Villareals found out what frankly happened through the CCTV. They witnessed how Linda and Jenna ordered me to go to Luxious' room. I run away, and Luxious chased me to the stairs. That's all the CCTV witnessed. They didn’t know how I accidentally pulled Luxious. The couple thought it was an accident why he fell — because they knew he had done something outrageous again, especially since the paint in his room was the indication that he had done something to me so I ran and he followed me towards the stairs. They thought that Luxious accidentally slipped because of the red paint— which is obviously incorrect. 

Because of that, Linda and Jenna were fired for their negligence and failure to do their job properly. I haven't talk anything until now... I'm worried that even my mom will be fired because of me. If she lose her job, we will go back to our old lives and that is one of my fears.

_ 

"Luxious already recovered." I was instantly shocked to hear that from my mom two weeks later. 

"H..Huh?"

"He'll be at home the next day." She turned to me and immediately noticed the tension on my face. "Tiarra... tell me the truth, did you do something when Luxious fell down the stairs?" mama asked while caressing my cheek. 

I froze and my lips parted. I immediately shook my head to deny that. Mom stared at me for a while. I turned my attention back to my job; folding our clothes here on the bed. 

What if Luxious does sue me? I'm sure that boy would tell what truly happened. My grip tightened on the cloth I was holding. Mama will lose her job because of me... 

What should I do?

_ 

The day I feared came. Luxious will return back here in the mansion. Mama said that it was good that he only fell lower on the stairs because otherwise, it might... I might have killed him. 

I shivered.

The housemates lined up at the entrance of the main door here in the mansion, including us. All are waiting for their arrival. I hid behind my mom when I heard the sound of the car owned by the Villareal family. 

They had already arrived.

Everyone bowed down as a signed of greetings when the Villareal family arrived. Congratulating Luxious who's now in a good condition. The boy was casually walking in the middle. He doesn't even look at anyone, he only looks in front. 

I held on tightly to my mom's cloth when I saw Luxious would pass me. Before he could totally pass me, he took a glance at me with his strange shaded eyes. 

Our eyes confronted. 

My chest throbbed and I staggered to my stand because of his gaze. He's staring at me. He's staring...

His mouth lift in a mocking smirk, as if the situation was amusing enough for him to make that kind of expression. 

I am alarmed by that. 

He should have been violent on me, come to me, be hysterical, and blame me for what I did, right? But why... but why does he look amused? Is it because of my expression? That expression of terror that I'm showing, does it makes him satisfied seeing me like this? 

"Aren't you supposed to greet me?" I stiffened when I heard his voice. Luxious stopped walking and turned to look at me. I got a cold. My chest throbbed as I looked at him in shock.

 

"Tiarra ... greet the young master," mama said behind me. I did not speak. I want to run away because of ignominy, I want to avert their gazes. Everyone seems to be looking at me right now. They are looking at me right now. 

They are judging me.

They knew.

  

"Tiarra?" Luxious smiled serenely. "That's your name," he uttered. "You must be terrified when I fell down the stairs." I was even more nervous. My eyes widened as I looked at him.

Will he tell what actually happened? 

"Luxious," Señyora Georgina coldly called him causing it to interrupt our gaze on each other. I took a deep breath and immediately hid behind mama. I don't want to see him. "What are you still standing there? Let's go," I heard the lady said. 

I peeked from behind and only calmed down when I saw that the presence of that boy was now gone. The housemates immediately returned to what they had been doing. So did mama who now seems to have gone to Luxious to serve him. 

I stayed inside our room here in the maid district. I don’t want to go out. I was afraid that our paths might cross again with that boy. Nevertheless, only a few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching the room. I quickly turned to the person who suddenly immigrated. My eyes widened, horrified as I stared at him gazing at me with such disparaging expression. 

It was Luxious. Again.