Frenemies

Warning: This Chapter contains brief scenes of violence##


"Hello Mélie." Natalie greeted me as I stepped into the kitchen for a glass of water. She was dressed in her chef costume and was apparently cooking up something.

"You've been scarce these days." She said.

"Hey, Natalie...yeah, work has been taking most of my time."

"What are you making?" I asked, tilting my head to look into the bowl in front of her. She smiled and showed me her phone. A doughnut recipe flashed on the screen.

"Don't tell me you're planning to serve another plate of atrocity to those two." I said referring to the sponge cake incident and Ella and Stacy.

Natalie giggled, "No. That was your plan, remember?"

"Guilty!" I said in a high pitched voice and she laughed.

"You may not notice, but I like baking. I've always had a thing for it."
"I plan to open my very own bakery someday, you know." She added and a hopeless sigh followed.

I sensed that she had a story to tell. Not ready to open up old wounds, I quickly changed the subject, "How's little Kira doing?"

Her eyes lit up, "She's up with her nanny. I think it's time she starts pre-K." I nodded in agreement but her brows met as she continued, "But there's just one problem."

"And what might that be?"

"She's gonna make such a fuss that I'll have no choice but to keep her at home."

I laughed, "Kids can be very clingy, I admit it...and especially toddlers. But you can work your way around it."

"Easier said than done!" She said and I laughed some more. She was right. Darcy gave me a hard time when she was starting pre-K.

Finally remembering what had brought me to the kitchen, I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. The cold water hit against my throat as I gulped it down. Feeling satisfied, I said goodbye to Natalie and wished her good luck with her doughnuts before walking out of the kitchen.

When I got to the room, I found Darcy's school bag carelessly thrown on the floor along with her displaced books but Darcy was not in the room. 'She must be with her sisters or something.' I thought. Those kids loved each other so much. Especially her and Anna. I sighed at the thought of Darcy spending too much time with Anna. But they were innocent kids who had no idea what was happening in their lives. I didn't have a problem with their bond. I hope Ella and Stacy won't either.

After arranging her books in her bag and putting it away, I peeled off my clothes and walked into the bathroom for a long soak in the bathtub. The water was warm and welcoming and it felt great against my skin. I closed my eyes and dozed off.
~

Sharon and some other kitchen staff were getting the table set for dinner when I walked in. They greeted me in unison and I returned their greetings. There was no one else at the table and I wondered if I had come down to dinner a little too early. I checked the time on my phone. It was already 6 p.m

"Sharon, do you know where the kids are?"

"I saw them in the nursery earlier." She replied, "I'll quickly check up on the kids for madam."

"Don't worry, I'll check up on them myself. You can finish setting the table." I said and walked out of the dining hall. The nursery was upstairs. I made my way up the stairs as I wasn't in a rush to use the elevator.

When I got to the nursery, my hand stopped on the doorknob as muffled voices stopped me from pushing the door. I placed my ear against the door hearing the voices clearly now; It was Stacy and Ella.

Stacy: Who do you even think you are?

Ella: Oh please...we all know that you wish to be me, you wannabe!

Stacy: (laughs) You're just living in an illusion, aren't you? Thinking you can win Damien Jaeger's heart.

Ella: I don't need to win what I already have!

Stacy: (laughs high-pitch) If Damien Jaeger is going to belong to someone, it's going to be me, afterall, I gave birth to his daughter before the rest of you wannabes came tagging along!

Ella: If Elena really is his daughter, you little slut!

Deadly silence followed. Stacy's angry growl said danger and almost immediately, Ella shrieked. I instinctively pushed the door open, afraid that they were fighting in front of the children.

My eyes protruded and my jaw dropped as I saw the two friends; Stacy was pulling hard at Ella's hair which looked like it was going to ripe out of its roots at any moment. Ella on the other hand, in a kneeling position, was digging her claws into Stacy's skin as she tried in vain to free herself from Stacy's grip and to get up. As she attempted to move, the shorter Stacy pushed her back to the floor to stop her from raising to her feet.

I remained on the spot, confused at what to do. Stacy gave me a deadly look before turning her attention back to her victim. Seeing me seemed to have angered her more and she yanked Ella's hair harder. Ella screamed in pain and further dug her nails into Stacy, who gritted her teeth in pain. There was blood on her arms. Ella's acrylic nails had done the job.

"Enough!" I yelled and dashed towards them, "That's enough. Stop it!"

"Get off of me!" Stacy yelled as I tried to pull her away from Ella. She held Ella's hair like a rope.

"Help me!" Ella screamed, "This woman is crazyyyyy!" I tried again, having been pushed away the first time, to remove Stacy from Ella. Reaching for Stacy's wrist, I pulled at it in an effort to realise her grip from Ella's hair. It was all a vain effort and only caused more pain to Ella who continued screaming at the top of her voice. I dashed for the door. It was obvious that I couldn't do this alone, I needed help.

"That's right, you just run!" I heard Stacy say behind me, "And I'm coming for you too...other woman!"

I rushed down the stairs with such haste that I missed a step. My heart sank into my stomach as I felt myself falling.

"Mélie!" A voice yelled and I felt myself falling into a pair of hands so firm, yet so soft were the palms that I felt comforted at once as it wrapped around my skin.

"Damien Jaeger." I whispered in relief.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Y-Yes...I'm fine." I replied. His gaze was intense and I stared back at him, unblinking. Those eyes that I have always found fascinating, they never show the emotions of its owner. Yet staring into them gave me the same feeling as staring into the sky on a cloudless night.

My heart was still pounding in my chest as a result of the adrenaline rush. Finally, I blinked. "Stacy and Ella."

"What?" He asked. He was still holding me in his arms. He seemed lost for a moment.

"Stacy and Ella!" I said, coming back to my senses. I lowered myself from his arms, "They're upstairs in the nursery...they're fighting!"

Without waiting for me to say anything else, Damien Jaeger strode upstairs and vanished into the hall. I followed behind him. The door was wide open when I returned to the nursery. I was startled to find Stacy and Ella as meek as servants in the presence of their master. Did I miss the mediation so soon?

I remained standing by the door, deciding not to step into the room.

"Leave." Damien Jaeger said in a voice firm and filled with masculine authority. I moved back, thinking he was talking to me. Shortly after, Stacy stomped out of the nursery. She stopped by the door as she took sight of me. Her eyes held back tears. She cussed inwardly and dashed out to the nursery.

Ella looked at Damien Jaeger with guilty eyes. His back was facing me so I could not see the expression on his face. Standing beside Damien Jaeger, Ella looked like a child. I was sure she was 5"8 feet or so as she was the tallest among Stacy, Natalie and I, and had a slender figure. There was no doubt that Ella was a model.

Damien Jaeger talked to her in an inaudible voice. Her eyes sparked following something he said and she concealed them under her false lashes. Finally, Damien Jaeger was done talking and turned towards the door. His eyes landed on me and for a second, I thought I saw him pale. He quickly regained composure and walked past me. Ella, who was also leaving the nursery, flashed me a look before walking away.

What was that all about? I wondered.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me?