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The thought hits me so hard that it winds me. If I don’t marry, then I’ll have to let Amelia go. I’ll have to stop employing her and let her go. And if I do that, I’ll never see her again. She’d hate me anyway for ruining her life.
I clench my fists. My father has really backed me into a corner. Maybe he knew that I’d react this exact way. Maybe he could read my mind more easily than I thought. If he knew that I want Amelia, then I guess he’s trying to steer me toward someone else.
Could I do it? Marry someone and pretend to love them just to keep Amelia in my life? Even if she’s only with me because I employ her, I can’t stand the thought of her walking away. I need her. She’s been on my mind every single day for a year, and I know this lust I have for her isn’t going anywhere. And since I can’t cure myself of this feeling, I guess I’m just going to have to learn to live with it.
With or without her beside me.
Chapter Two
Amelia
My back hurts. My shoulders hurt. My knees hurt. Scrubbing out the grand fireplace in the dining room is my least favorite job in the house, but I always land it. The rest of the staff have taken a dislike to me over the time I’ve worked here, and I always get saddled with the worst tasks out of everyone.
Now, as I finish up, I feel like I’ve been worked to the bone, and it’s only eleven AM. I slump where I’m sitting for a minute, trying to compose myself, but there are tears in my eyes. I hate working here. This house is so big and it feels like the job is never ending. It’s long, boring hours and since I live in the house too without any friends, I feel unspeakably lonely.
“Slacking on the job, are you, Amelia?”
I turn and see Rachel and Dan at the door, both of them smirking down at me. I hate them the most out of all the staff. Rachel isn’t much older than me in her twenties, but as the head cleaner, she’s the one that gives out the tasks every day. She’s had it in for me ever since our boss, Mr. Harris, smiled at me once on his way to his office. I blush even thinking about it. Our handsome, hard-working, enigmatic boss rarely smiles, but that day, he had a smile reserved just for me. I was already falling for him by then, of course.
I fell for him the day we met actually. When I first turned up looking for a job here. That day gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe he could fall for me too…
But Rachel resented the idea. She hated that I got the attention she was craving from the boss. She spends half her days trying to catch his eye, flirting shamelessly and making a fool of herself. So basically, she hates me because she knows deep down that she doesn’t stand a chance with him.
“I’ve been working at this all morning,” I say wearily. “I’m just taking a breather.”
“Well, don’t,” Rachel smirks. “You wouldn’t want me to report you to the boss, would you? I’m sure he’d love to hear about your poor work ethic.”
“You know that’s a lie.”
Dan smirks. He never really says much to me when Rachel is around, simply following her lead, but when he gets me on my own he treats me like a piece of meat. He took an interest in me since the day I arrived and he’s been skulking around ever since, looking for ways to interested me. Well, him following Rachel around like some kind of sidekick certainly isn’t helping his cause, not that I care.
“So what? I’m in charge here. I can do whatever I want,” Rachel smirks. She walks over to me and kicks over the bucket of coal on the fireplace, sending coal dust flying everywhere. I choke as it coats my face and spills all over the floor. Tears sting my eyes.
“Why did you do that?”
“Oops. My mistake,” Rachel grins. “I guess it’s time for you to clean up this mess, isn’t it?”
I feel utterly defeated as she leaves the room. It feels like every day is like this. Me suffering at the hand of Rachel. Cleaning up the messes she makes. Waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and save me...but he never shows.
I know that if I went to Mr. Harris, he’d save me from this. Something about the way he smiled at me that day months ago told me that he’d do anything to help me if I asked. But I can’t run to him every time someone hurts me. He’s not interested in the trivial issues of a lowly maid. He doesn’t care about the petty feud that Rachel has created in the workplace. In fact, if I complained, he’d probably just think I’m pathetic. After all, it’s my job to clean. What else am I good for?
