Eve's POV
    
    "Eve I am very sorry for how I have treated you" He said, avoiding to look at my face.
    This is unusual and it's making me really nervous.
  "Actually I wanted..uhm.. to apologise  yesterday when it suddenly thought of it that you are only a young girl struggling to make ends meet plus you're very worried about your life, your Dad..but..but you just fell into the wrong hands; My Dad" He paused and summon up courage to look at me.
  "I yelled at you and I even hated you for no particular reason but guilty conscience is eating me up gradually"
    "It is...It's Okay" I told him.
  "No, it's not... I wanted to make you know I didn't mean any of the insulatives words I said to you, so I tried to uhm..talk to you in the car yesterday" He said.
    "Liam.." I cut in but he continued.
 "Yet I findit really difficult to apologize that is why I said made a statement that! 'If anyone else finds out about it, they will surely react the same way I reacted to you or even more than that' . I couldn't say sorry to you and my conscience keeps eating me up, maybe that's why bad things are coming my way now... Clara broke up with me and now I am i'll..." He continued.
    
    "No Liam don't blame yourself for anything at all.."
 He wanted to continue talking but I hushed him with a finger on my lips.
  "It's enough, have some rest now" I told him. He smiled as he lie down on his bed.
    
   I opened his door and was about to step out when he asked me..
    "But have you forgiven me?"
  "Yeah I..." Helen came over.
  "I was just about to come meet you in the kitchen" I told her.
"Has he taken his drugs?" She collected the tray from me..
  "Yes he has"  I looked back to see Liam whom already closed his eyes. I smiled a bit then, left his room and gently closed the door behind me.
    
    *
    
We were setting the table for breakfast when Madam Theresa arrived; I felt a bit mortified because I remembered Helen said she told Madam Theresa how I was related to this family ... I still had the feeling that she would crucify me but she was very understanding.
    
    "Did you say Mr Maya is not at home?" Madam Theresa came back to ask us again after bringing out the cleaning equipments.
   "Yeah, it's just me, Eve, Robert and his sons" Helen responded.
    
    "Okay..good then" She gave me that motherly look then she said to me."You don't have to worry Eve. All you have to do act smart whenever he wants to take advantage of you"
    "Yes Madam Theresa" I nodded respectfully; "Helen had told me everything" I told her.
    
  "And she was just telling me last night that he harnesses her s*xually ever since she came" Helen added.
"What but..it's fine as far as I never gave in" I fired at Helen.
  "Yeah do not give in and he won't let you be if you say a simply no"
    "Exactly but then if I struggle to free myself away from him,  he'ld know that I don't ever want to repay him back with s*x " I complained to Madam Theresa.
    "Hmmmn" She sighed.
 "And..and when I ...I decided to play..along with him, I almost lost it" I stuttered, discovering that I was already starting to be free with Madam Theresa.
    "You didn't tell me that! You almost slept with that old man?" Helen looked at me in a awe.. as she opened her mouth then Madam Theresa covered it with her palm.
    
    "Don't..Judge me" I mumbled feeling embarrassed.
  "Okay, I'm sorry" Helen apologised, closed her mouth then she took off her palm.
    
    "Eve, that's why I said you have to act smart. Very smart at that.. you can ..." She lowered her voice then came closer to us and said.." You can add some sleeping pills to his meal, so he won't even get the chance to harass you" 
    "Huhh..." My eyes bulged.
"There are a lot of smart safety self defense that won't even get you into trouble" Madam Theresa added.
 "You know what's good for you" Helen said.
    
    I was about to also inform her about the marriage proof he gave to me this morning but Mark came over.
   "Wow everyone is here" He confirmed as he came closer to us.
  So we separated at once..
    "Breakfast is ready" Helen told Mark.
    
  "I'll just go resume my work" Madam Theresa said, picking up the cleaning equipments.
    
  "Let's have breakfast together " Mark suggested.
    
    "What? Why?" Helen ask.
  "Because Dad's absent?" He glared at us as if he could read our minds. Okay we are not the only one here that dislikes Mr Maya even his sons too.
    
 "C'mon everyone...Hello I'm not the one with the issues" Mark emphasized the last word and I chuckled.
   "Okay. Then I'll do the cleaning later" Madam Theresa agreed.
    
  "Good. Now Helen call on Robert"
  "What makes you think I'll join you guys?" Helen asked him.
   "Because you will" Mark smiled.
    "Ugh!" She rolled her eyes then went outside the house to fetch Robert.
    
  *
    
    We gathered around the table; I, Mark, Helen, Robert and Madam Theresa. We ate quietly, It was Robert who broke the silence first.
    "It's a pleasure to be here"
    "You had better stop being too respectful. C'mon Robert, it's makes me feel like I'm big. We are agemate remember?" Mark said.
    If everyone in the world is a replica of Mark, the world would be a good place 'cos Oh My God! Mark treats everyone equally regardless of where they came from or what they are going through.
    
    "What about your brother, Liam?" Madam Theresa asked.
    "Liam has fever" I responded before Mark could.
  "Oh My God, is it that bad?" She almost freaked out.
 "No, it's not at all. He has eaten and taken some drugs. I'll be back on his feet by the time he wakes up" Mark said.
  "What does it sound more like a bad news?" Robert said.
    "Jeez Robert!" I cautioned him.
  "I.. I meant the part he said 'Back on his feet' it goes a long way" He added then said; "Sorry" when he noticed that I was giving him an hard look.
    
    "My brother is not that bad. Or maybe he is but not as bad as you all think" Mark said.
    "Robert is sorry about what he just said" Helen said.
    
  "No it's fine. You know there is one thing about Liam.. He does crazy things in order to get some respect and..errm a reasonable space. He detests anything that could cause disorder and thereby won't appreciate it..." Mark told us.
    "What can we say, you know him best. He is your brother" Robert said.. I know he was being sarcastic.
    
    "Yeah right and..errm Liam  has been going through a lot "
    "What's that?" Madam Theresa and I asked at the same time.
  "Can one have money and still be unhappy?" Helen asked.
  "Money is not everything. Money can't buy happiness" Mark said.
   "Yeah I agree with that" I said.
    "You do?" Helen and Robert gazed at me.
   "Err.... Yes...Yes?" I know right, it depends on the situation you find yourself in, but for me.. I think Money is almost everything.
    
    "To everyone out there, they think my family is the best "
    "Well..." Robert wanted to say something again but Madam Theresa hushed him: "It's no joke, Mark is being serious " she said.
    
    "For crying out loud, what kind of father do we have?" Mark said as he stopped eating and dropped his cutlery on the plate.
 "Our Father does not even care about Liam! His health"
"Maybe because he is always yells at him" I replied innocently.
  "I am the calm one but he doesn't give a f**k about us. Dad never had this lackadaisical attitude "He shook his head in negation.
    
    " That's true. I can relate to that, I worked for Mr Maya for seven years" Helen said.
    
    "It's Saturday, he is supposed to be at home with us, or if he really has to go out... It should be work related or something even better but..but.." He paused..."He is with a woman right now, can you believe that?"
    "Huhh...What..!" We exclaimed like it's one very bad thing. Actually it is, His son is ill but his father didn't check up on him instead, he went with a woman. I am not even jealous at all, like eww eww.
    
 "My girlfriend, Jasmine lived close to a hotel, she said she saw him walk into the hotel with a young whore" He said; "I have given up on his absurd attitude but the fact that does not put his family first hits me really hard " 
    
   "Sorry Mark, He will change sooner or later, there is always a way out" Madam Theresa said.
    
  "I know we are grown up! Fine! Even when we have our own family; it doesn't mean we shouldn't look up to a father that we can genuinely tell what's going on in our life. Liam is a graduate now but Dad knows nothing" Mark let out.
    "Liam is now a graduate?! " We questioned simultaneously.
    
    "Yeah, but Dad is waiting for us as usual to leave the house, so that he can bring in his sluts... " Mark scoffed then he added; "Unknown to him that we always have our ways to find out what's going in this house"
    
    "That is the uhmm visitors I was referring to, remember when you asked me about people who visits..." Robert was talking to me and I nodded, feeling sort of distressed.
    
    "It's getting beyond control, Liam might..."
    
   "Well well and well..." Liam suddenly emerged, clapping his hands.
 "What happened to the table manners?" He quarried but we look at him shockingly. When did he get here?
    
    "Liam, you are awake! How do you feel now?" His brother asked him.
 "Very better. You know you are too loquacious Mark!" He said..then his expression suddenly changed to a stern one.
  He folded his hand and asked; "Why are you guys talking about my Dad and I? I heard everyone's voices and I know for sure that Mark didn't only do the gossiping " He said.
    
    Damn! The true Liam is back on his feet again!
    He really meant it, when he said it's gonna be a payback time as soon as he gets better.
  I thought he changed, ... Now what's with this wicked expression?