“This will be your personal room. Since you only need to be in my room at night, you’ll have your own bed, a mini living room set, a walk-in closet, and your own bathroom. There’s also an intercom in case you don’t feel comfortable going downstairs; you can ask anyone to bring you what you need,”
I’m here now in Grayson’s house, with my clothes and a few belongings. It’s only five in the morning and he called me, saying he’s already outside the hospital. He asked if he should come in, so when I said no, I hurried to get ready.
Jane went home last night, and Kei arrived, so maybe Jane stayed at Kei’s house. I haven’t talked to Kei about it yet because I know he’s tired. I’ll just call him later. But what will I say? That I agreed to sleep beside another man for six months? Worse, someone I don’t even know? Ugh.
“If I’m not around, you can tell Nana Jo,” an elderly woman approached us. She had the aura of a mother, so warm and comforting, “She’s my most trusted person here,”
“Welcome home, Miss,” she greeted me. I felt a bit shy, so I just smiled and nodded. I didn’t know what else to say; I’m not used to having someone serve me.
“I’ll ask some helpers with your stuff. You can freshen up and eat downstairs. I have some business to attend to. You have my number, so you can call me if it’s urgent,” he emphasized the word ‘urgent’, as if I would call him without reason. Is he made of gold or something?
I won’t call him unless it’s about my brother. I wouldn’t agree to this setup if it weren’t for my brother. Even though something happened between us that I deeply regret, I’d still keep my distance from him. Who knows if he’s a serial killer? What if I don’t wake up? Anyway, I’ll just be cautious.
It’s been almost an hour since Grayson left, but I’m still in the living room, wandering around. Nana Jo has also left, so I’ll just wait until she calls me for food. But since I’m bored, I decided to go to the kitchen. I didn’t know exactly where it was, but I followed Nana Jo’s gaze earlier. I saw her go through a door, so I followed.
And I was right. I passed by a long dining table. It looked so elegant, probably made of mahogany. It reminded me of my dad; he liked these kinds of materials when he was still alive. Our house was mostly filled with wood like this.
“Oh, dear, what are you doing here? Didn’t I say I’d call you when it’s time to eat? Why did you come here? Are you going to smell like food?”
I couldn’t help but laugh because she sounded just like my mom. She hated it when we were in the kitchen while she was cooking.
“I’ll help you, Nana Jo. I’m not doing anything anyway,” I shifted my gaze to the four helpers who were doing chores. Even though they were busy, they kept glancing at me, as if they were uncomfortable with a new face in the house. “Hello!” I greeted them. They seemed shy, so they returned to their tasks.
“These kids are really shy, especially the one with long hair tied in a braid,” Nana Jo pointed to the girl who was wiping plates, “That’s Janice. She’s only been working here for two years. She’s the daughter of the laundry woman in the next subdivision,”
“Why is she working here instead of with her mom?” I asked because when we had helpers, we usually took their kids too, so they could be together at home, but we paid extra for it.
“She didn’t want to. Her employer was a pervert, and I know him, so I brought her here. They both come from the province. Her brother works as a security guard in your husband’s company,”
“What?! Husband?!” My soul almost left my body when the girl beside me suddenly screamed, still holding a knife. She was still holding it because she was chopping vegetables, “Who’s the husband?”
“That’s Karen. She’s been here for four years. She ran away from her employer who was abusive,” Nana Jo explained and took the knife from Karen’s hand, “Before you scream, let go of the knife first. You’re scaring your mom,”
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized, realizing what she did, “I was just really surprised by what I heard,”
I shook my head and smiled, “That’s alright,”
“She’s the village gossip,” another woman with blonde hair spoke up. She was standing next to another woman who looked almost identical to her, “If you want to know something, just go to her. She knows everything,”
“We have CCTV cameras here, so she’s the one who walks around,” the other woman added.
“Eva has a mole on the side of her lip, while Ava has a birthmark on her forehead. They’re twins, as you can see. They’re like mosquitoes,”
“Nana Jo!” they both shouted at the same time, and then looked at her accusingly, but she just shrugged and went back to mixing her afritada.
“Don’t mind these three. They might infect you with their gossip. Be careful, or you’ll be like them. You’re in trouble with Grayson,” I looked at Nana Jo, who was asking for help. It seems she got it because she quickly pulled me closer to her.
“Taste this first,” she said, handing me a tasting spoon, “And you three, stop meddling in other people’s lives. You have so many questions. Maybe you want to see their marriage certificate to believe that they’re married?”
“Nana Jo, we just want to know. Since we started working here, Sir Grayson never mentioned having a wife. We thought he was single,”
“Oh, now you know. He’s a married man. So stop fantasizing about getting noticed by your boss. Now, back to work!”
I laughed as they reluctantly followed her orders. Somehow, I feel at home, knowing that there are people like them in this house. At least I’ll have someone to talk to.