“Tomorrow is fine,” I said.
“Perfect,” she answered. “We’ll move at noon when the house is almost empty.”
Freedom. I could almost taste it.
I let out a soft sigh. “Thank you, Mia. You’re such a good friend.”
She wore that cute smile of hers. “Don’t thank me yet, ma’am, until you’re out of here.”
I hugged her again, tapped her shoulder, and then quietly strolled out of her room. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted the maid, Nikki, across the hallway, watching me. I straightened, closed the door behind me, and walked away, pretending not to see her.
Without looking back, I could still hear her footsteps behind me. When I quickened my pace, she did the same. I couldn’t understand why she was tailing me, but I intended to find out. Once I rounded a corner, I leaned flat against the wall, patiently waiting for her to appear. And she did.
A sharp gasp tore from her throat as I grabbed her hand and pulled her close, slamming her back against the wall. “Why are you following me, Nikki?” I growled.
She raised her hands in the air, a testament to her surrender. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to talk to you,” she said, her tone dripping with a Russian accent.
I glared at her for a moment, then took a step back. “So now you wanna talk?”
“Ma’am, I know you’re angry—”
“Angry?” I cut her off, my scowl deepening. “Why would I be angry, huh? Because a couple of peasant girls I once saw as friends abandoned me?”
I watched the color drain from her eyes as my words sliced her heart like a knife.
Dang it, Lettie, that was harsh,I thought to myself. But at this point, everything and everyone in this mansion irritated me.
She swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes. “In this house, peasant girls aren’t allowed to be friends with the boss’s wife,” she explained. “That’s why we kept our distance.”
“Bullshit,” I declared. “Mia’s a maid like you and Natasha, but unlike you two, she chose to be my friend.”
Nikki shook her head. “She’s not your friend, ma’am. And you shouldn’t trust her.”
I raised my brows in disbelief, a soft scoff escaping my lips. “I shouldn’t trust her?”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
“But I can trust you?”
She stuttered, “I…I didn’t—I didn’t say that.”
I huffed, combing my fingers through my hair. “I see what’s happening here. You’re jealous.”
“What?”
“You’re jealous of Mia.”
She shook her head. “No, that’s not what this is about.”
“Oh, yeah? Then what is it about?” I cast a stern glare at her.
She stood there, frozen in place, unable to defend herself.
I thought as much.
“You had your chance, Nikki,” I said, “but you blew it. It’s too late to come back now.”
And with that, I left her and walked away, still fuming inside me.
