Where does my loyalty lie?
“Mrs. Sinclair!” I exclaimed before the doctor could physically remove me from the door. He stopped pushing me as I recognized his shocking fuck buddy.
“You shouldn’t have seen that,” Doctor Williams snarled under his breath. He seized my wrist, pulled me inside the room, and bolted the door.
I screamed, unsure of what they would do to me. The doctor’s hand muffled my screams, and he forced me to sit on a seat. Horror replaced my nosy curiosity and confusion when Mrs. Sinclair and her lover stood before me like vultures. What did they want from me? I had heard horror stories about what billionaires did to silence their helpless servants who dared to walk in on their secrets.
Mrs. Sinclair’s terrorizing and unwavering stare put concerning pressure on my poor heart. I couldn’t see an ounce of shame on her stiff face or any other emotion. Perhaps Botox was hindering her true feelings from reflecting on her face.
“Why did you push her inside instead of throwing her out?” She angrily fisted her lover’s shirt. “I have a reputation in this house. The employees are not supposed to discover what I do behind closed doors.”
I coughed. Mary had phrased it very strangely. Was it a regular thing for her? Also, from the looks of it, it seemed like I was the first person to have caught her committing adultery.
Doctor Williams scratched his neck. “Mary, when you jumped from behind the desk, she saw your face. I couldn’t have just let her go before….”
“Before what?” I screamed internally and then out loud.
They looked at me menacingly. I swear I could feel them conspiring my murder. As a filthy rich woman, she could probably get away with the murder of someone that nobody cared about.
“You must not say a word of this to anyone,” the doctor spoke firmly to me.
“Of course,” I agreed in a low, broken voice. Who was I to argue with such powerful people?
Mrs. Sinclair raised her hand, telling him to stop. “I would like to speak to Miss Walter alone. Wait outside while I do that.” Her lover immediately left the room without an argument. They seemed to have a strange understanding between them. Their relationship or agreement of lust, whatever sinfully creepy thing they had going on, must not be that new.
My heart sank when the doctor closed the door behind him. Mrs. Sinclair no longer seemed innocent. What kind of married mother has an affair with her young ailing son’s doctor?
“I truly didn’t imagine you seeing this on your first day here,” Mrs. Sinclair began. She pursed her lips and exhaled loudly. “I am an immoral whore who doesn’t care about her family and son. Isn’t this what you’re thinking about me?”
Her guess was too spot-on. Any sane person would have the same thoughts.
“No, Mrs. Sinclair. No such thought has crossed my mind. It’s not my business what you do in this house. I only came here to deliver a message and accidentally saw your face. It did shock me, but I am not judging you,” I lied through my teeth.
A corner of her mouth lifted weakly. “You don’t have to lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. You now think less of me. I don’t blame you for it. I wouldn’t be hiding if the world approved of my decision.” Her face dropped. “Well, we all love to judge and gossip. Don’t you think judging someone without knowing their story is unfair?”
The woman before me had a point. Who was I to judge her? I had just only met her. Besides, my situation wasn’t any better. I was there to take care of her son and seduce him for big bucks.
“I am sorry. You’re right, Ma’am.” I shook my head. “I promise to keep your secret safe. Uh, you can share your story with me if you want.”
Mrs. Sinclair turned around and dragged a chair close to me. Her depressing life story must be lengthy for her to sit first. I didn’t mind listening to it, but the Devil was waiting for me back in his den. I didn’t want to be eaten alive on my first day. Hopefully, she would make it brief.
“Where do I even start? My unavailable husband, loneliness, absence of intimacy, and a son who I am so afraid of losing to death? Amidst all this, I have only found comfort in Williams. He is a good man who makes me feel alive and special.” Her eyes twinkled, and she blushed like a teenage girl as she talked about him. “Just to be clear, this is my first affair after marriage.”
Her situation was understandable. I should probably keep my opinions to myself in the Sinclair estate, but I couldn’t resist the urge to give her advice. “Why don’t you just divorce Mr. Sinclair and marry who truly makes you happy?”
She lifted her eyes in surprise. No other employee was stupid enough to talk to her like that. “I wish it was that easy. Nathan’s father, James, would make my life hell if I embarrassed him like that. My son gets his stubbornness from him. Also, Nathan would never approve of my decision to leave his father. He might hate me forever.” She stopped to chuckle through the pain. “I appreciate your honesty and concern. Any other person would have nodded along with me. But you spoke your mind to me. I like you, Amelia, and I sincerely wish my son would fall in love with you. Love will make him soft and more likely to accept such a decision. Maybe you are the solution to most of our problems.”
“I don’t know about love, but your son had asked me to report back to him after handing over his message to the doctor. I should return to him before he gets mad,” I dared to say.
“Of course. Do as Nathan says. Good luck, Miss Walter. You are my new favorite,” she said with an amused and confident smile of hope.
I didn’t waste more than a moment studying her expression and ran out of the room. In the hallway, I almost rammed into Doctor Williams. Thankfully, I made it safely to Nathan Sinclair’s room without any more distractions or accidents.
I entered the Devil’s den without knocking as I expected him to be still taking a bath. Unfortunately, Nathan was sitting on his bed, fully clothed, with Frank standing on his side. I closed my eyes, prepared to get an earful from him. “Pardon me for coming inside without knocking. I thought you would still be in the tub,” I said.
“Good! You officially have your first assignment. Let’s begin with not assuming things from now on,” Nathan spoke exasperatedly. “Now tell me what the doctor said when he read my message?”
“Uh, uh, I, he,” I struggled to speak as the hickey Mrs. Sinclair gave to Doctor Williams kept coming before my eyes. “He said the message was received and closed the door.”
Nathan stared at me like I had given him the news of his mother’s affair. “Are you sure that’s what he said? Because it seems like you are hiding something from me.”
“No. I am not hiding anything. I stuttered because you were already upset with me,” I excused.
My answer was useless as Nathan’s predator-like gaze was still on me. He could see right through my lies. My loud expressions usually gave my genuine emotions away. “You’re a terrible liar. So, quit trying to create more trouble for you and tell me the truth. You have heard or seen something that concerns me, and I must know what it is,” he said.
“Sir, trust me, there is nothing to know. I would have told you if there were,” I stood firm on my lie.
“Hm. So, my caretaker is not loyal to me. Suit yourself! Keep your lips sealed. The only loss here is that you’re making it onto the list of people I dislike. You don’t want to know what I do to them. Wait, no, you have no choice.” Nathan’s eyes narrowed, and his lips slightly spread into a smile of pure evil. Because now you have one night to study Frank’s book about me. Your duty starts tomorrow morning. Let me give you a gentle warning before I dismiss you. One mistake will have you kicked out of this house immediately.”
My jaw dropped. Frank’s book was almost as thick as the thickest book I had ever seen. I could never read all that in one night.
“Sir, please spare her,” Frank came to my rescue. “She can’t read all that in such a short time, let alone memorize it and perform her duties without any mistakes. Amelia is a nice girl. However, she is a slow reader and usually dozes off reading the best works.”
“What can I say? She has made her choice by keeping things from me,” Nathan replied. “She still has a chance to save herself from this miserable situation if she tells me the truth.”
That jerk was getting on my nerves. Telling Nathan the truth was easy, but I didn’t want to break the trust of a woman who had given me hope for survival. I had no choice but to take on the impossible task of learning and performing duties flawlessly.
“I gladly accept the punishment. Since I am innocent, I have nothing to fear. I have tried to survive in worse conditions with even worse people. It is nothing for me,” I blurted out, instantly regretting it by the look on Nathan’s face. I had insulted him in clear words, which only meant heaps of more hellfire and pain for me.