4. Dinner Invitation

Ava was off duty on that particular sunny day so the pair decided to go out and have lots of fun like the old days. Ava wanted to cheer Alice up because she knew all she’s doing before her is pretending to be all strong and happy, but deep down she was really hurting. She also tried all she could to convinced her not to go the Davison mansion for their so called dinner but was unsuccessful.

To her surprise, Alice will just smile and say “I know you are worried about me and so am I, I’m very scared for myself. I know they are going to scheme against me again but I will go because the Davison wants to see me for appearance seek. Even if I don’t regard them as my parents anymore, they still gave me shelter and food since I was a baby, and so I have to go as my last respect to them.

After this, I won’t owe them anything anymore and I will remove them completely from my life. Plus I want to see nanny Syan for probably the last time”. Alice muttered with a smile on her face like she haven’t been through enough already.

What she said made sense to Ava hence she didn’t try to pursue her to stay behind anymore. Soon it was evening and Alice had to go to the Davison’s mansion for the dinner, she dressed simply. She was wearing a white sun dress that made her look more delicate than ever and left her hair on her shoulders. She hardly wore makeup but was envied by lots of girls who knew her because she was natural and exotically beautiful with clear and smooth skin.

Sitting at the back of the taxi to the Davison mansion, she thought to her herself sadly, ‘now I have to waste money I don’t even have on a taxi only to go there and be humiliated for hours. I will go there and they will just be telling me stupid things, but I have to do it and not let my heart break for the last time because of them. Huff! Gosh! This is exhausting!’

Her mind was occupied by sad memories till the taxi got to the junction of the estate. No taxi was allowed in the estate so she has to alight by the junction and make the rest of the journey by foot.

Getting down from the taxi, she took the path leading to the mansion and walked slowly, a pink Ferrari passed by her and stop with a halt.

She sighed heavily, ‘not her again, I’ve had enough of her this few days to last me a life time of hell but do I have a choose, of cos not! She shows her face to me everyday like i can’t live without her face’, she thought to herself sarcastically with a dramatic scoff.

She intended to pass by her and pretended to not have seen but Linda won’t let go any opportunity to humiliate her go by.

“Ohh Matt see who the cat dragged in, Alice fancy seeing you here, we didn’t know you’d be coming”, Linda exclaimed excitedly whilst Matthew was eyeing Alice in lust but he did so in a discreet manner so as not to anger his soon to be fiancé.

She succeed in getting Alice attention with her statement and smiled in satisfactory, knowing Alice will turn to them, she pulled Matthew into a deep kiss hoping to provoke Alice more than necessary.

Seeing the sight of kissing so aggressively, she blushed and hurried away, ‘they might as well start having sex in front of me’ she shuddered in disgust at the thought of it. She had guess the reason Linda made that comment was to provoke her to turn to them and witness such a terrible sight.

Thinking Alice was still watching them, they put up a show for her only for them detach themselves to no sign of Alice. They saw her silhouette far ahead of them without a care in the world.

That alone made Linda’s heart flare in anger, ‘she is getting bolder as time goes by, she may act like she’s unaffected by seeing me affectionate with Matt but I know she is pretending. I know for a fact that likes Matthew very much but he is mine! well at least he is mine till I find someone better and dispose of him.’ She thought bitterly to her face with a leer on her face.

She threw a sweet smile at Matthew but saw him concentrating on the silhouette ahead of them. In anger, she started the car and drove in such a speed that even Matthew was scared, he grabbed the seat firmly with his jaw clenched.

They passed by Alice with top speed but she only rolled her eyes in annoyance and continued her journey on foot in peace without any further disturbances.

Getting to the mansion, she rang the bell several but no one came to open the door. Unknown to her, when Linda arrived earlier, she had warned all the house helps against opening the door for her so when they hear the several knocking and check the security camera, upon seeing her, they simply glare at the image of her and leave with annoyance of being disturbed by someone so unworthy.

They always disrespected and looked down on her because they’ve all seen how she was treated worse than a maid in the house and gave her the same treatment because no one came to her defense when they do.

Nanny Syan was in the kitchen when she heard the door being rang repeatedly, being the head of the house helps, she questioned why they refused to open the door but they all of them didn’t say a word. When she couldn’t take it any longer, she went to open the door herself and saw Alice standing dejectedly at the door.

Her heart broke for the young girl as she now understood why the helps refused to open the door and how they didn’t dare tell her anything about what was happening. She hugged her as a tear dropped from her eyes, ‘she’s been through a lot in the hands of those who were suppose to love and protect her like their own. How unfair this life have been to this innocent and beautiful soul!’, her mind was full of memories of her suffering.

“My baby, I’ve missed you, oh my you’ve lost so much weight my dear” she said in a disapprovingly motherly tone making Alice laughed happily whilst rolling her eyes.

“ How can you be so dramatic nanny! You saw me just yesterday but you are behaving like you haven’t seen me in ages”, she muttered with a soft smile on her face.

She didn’t bother to ask why she was kept waiting for so long because she knew it might surely be the handiwork of Linda or her mother or probably both.

“Oh but it been too long my sweetheart! I’ve missed you dearly!”, Nanny Syan uttered before pulling her into a warm hug once again.

“But Nanny, you saw me just yesterday before the incident at dawn. You were even the one that brought me food. Haha!”, Alice stated.

Hearing about the incident, Nanny Syan face darkened as she recalls how the workers were so excited this morning about what they witnessed happening at dawn hidden in their rooms. She cursed herself for being such a deep sleeper, or else she would have been around to console or even help her baby.

Sensing her mood,Alice reassured her softly and soon the two were chatting happily as they walked into the room together, “what are you doing back in this hell hole, and where are you staying now my dear? I wish I could do more to help you but-“, Nanny Syan voiced out disappointedly.

Alice sighed deeply, frustration clearly lacing her voice,”Linda came to call me at Ave's place, she said her parents want me to come for dinner”

Nanny Syan sneered “they probably called you here to humiliate you as usual, the Leej family and other influential families are here for the engagement party for the two brats.”, she exclaimed angrily but Alice rather smiled softly at her but said nothing. She was busily looking around the room trying to memorize all the details of the house because it will be her last day at this mansion.

“And oh how is that sweet friend of yours Ava doing?, I haven’t seen her in a long time and thanks to her for being there for you during this rough patch in your life”, She questioned her with a cool smile on her face.

Alice nodded with a gentle smile “ She’s doing fine and has extended her greetings to you. She stopped coming to the mansion because of Linda and erhmm Nina’s behavior towards her whenever they see her around.”

“Okay, such a sweet girl! I now understand why she just suddenly stopped coming here. I knew it was probably because of how you were treated when she comes around but I didn’t know they maltreated her as well.” She voiced out with a shake of head in disappointment.

Alice kept quiet and choose not to answer because they both know it was the truth so why deny it.

“My dear, since they invited you for dinner, go to the dinner room, that’s where everyone invited dining at. But please be very careful, the house helps have been whispering to each other since morning, but it got worse when Linda called them into a room earlier after returning to the house.”

Nanny Syan cautioned her with one last hug before letting go of her to attend to her duties

Alice was nervous but not scared of what they had in stock for her, she had gone through the worse in their hands already. With all the courage she could master, she walked into the dinner room with confident strides. Dozens pair of eyes where fixed on her immune she walked through the door leading her to freeze in place.