Chapter 7 The nanny job
Rain's POV
Someone hit my head from behind.
That was the last thing I remembered before the world folded inward and everything went black. I didn’t even feel myself fall, only the strange sensation of landing in someone’s arms.
A flickering light bulb greeted me when my eyes opened.
The tiny room smelled like vanilla body spray and hair dye, the walls plastered with Blackpink posters. Lisa staring down at me.
Okay… this is my room, I wasn't kidnapped.
I let out a shaky breath of relief.
“Girl, what the heck happened?” Annabelle hurried over with a steaming cup of tea, her fluffy pink socks sliding on the tiled floor.
"Thank you,” I whispered, grabbing the cup and gulping down the warm liquid.
“What happened?” I asked her, my fingers trembling.
But before the question even fully left my mouth, a high-pitched spinning sound tore through my ear. It felt like someone shoved a drill inside my skull.
"Are you okay?" Annabelle asked.
"I'm having a headache." I groaned.
She dashed to the drawer, grabbed a strip of paracetamol. She popped two tablets into my palm, and handed me water.
I swallowed it immediately.
“How… how did I get here?”
Annabelle hesitated before answering. “A strange guy brought you home. He said you fainted on the road.”
"A strange guy?" I muttered, confused because I couldn't remember anything.
“Did I… know him?”
“No. That’s the weird part.” She shifted uncomfortably. “He was a vampire.”
My eyes flew wide open.
“Vampire?”
“Yeah. Creepy as hell. He kept staring at me. Like staring. He also said your blood is bitter.”
What?!
My blood?!
I shot up, hands instantly flying to my neck. I ran straight into the bathroom and leaned into the mirror, searching every inch of my skin. Thankfully there were no bite marks, or bruising.
Annabelle leaned on the doorframe. “I already checked, babe.”
“Do you think he sucked my blood?” My voice trembled.
“I don’t know. But how else would he know it tastes bitter? Unless he’s one of those healer vampires…”
“Healer vampires have been extinct for decades! No way.” I splashed cold water on my neck, scrubbing as if I could erase something invisible.
“Then explain how he knew.” Annabelle folded her arms.
I glared at my reflection. “Maybe he was just pulling your legs.”
“Vampires don’t joke.” she replied flatly.
I ignored her and walked out, drying my face.
My single-room apartment with its cluttered shelves, overflowing laundry basket, and a tiny bathroom attached felt too small for the amount of stress I was carrying.
Annabelle cleared her throat. “Anyway… I have something to show you.”
“Why am I already scared?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“You should be.” She sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Do you remember the Liota witch we visited down the hill. She spoke about you meeting your spiritual husband at a fountain. She mentioned three elements. Fountain, a kiss and a full moon."
"I thought we agreed not to take that witch words by heart"
“Wait, hear me out.” She lifted a finger. “You kissed Rosee Knight… in front of a fountain.”
My heart stopped.
Oh shit… that’s true.
“But there was no full moon that night,” I added quickly.
“Right. That part doesn’t match.” She sighed.
“And she said he had purple hair. Rosee’s hair is not purple.”
Annabelle nodded. “Yeah. His hair is black with white stripes."
I dropped my weight onto the edge of the bed. “Let’s just forget this. It had already dealt with my mental health."
“Just give it time,” she said softly. “The gossip will die down.”
"I hope so." I sighed.
But it didn't die down.
Two weeks passed and my life has been nothing but hell.
Girls attacked me on the street. Some threw trash at me. I got stalked by deranged fan-girls who believed I ‘seduced’ their idol. No one hired me. The whole city had seen the stupid viral clip.
At this point, poverty was slapping me every morning.
Annabelle typed furiously on her laptop. “Come here! Babe, come see this!”
“What…” I dragged myself across the bed.
“You got a job!” she squealed.
I narrowed my eyes. “Anna… what did you do?”
“Nothing!” She stuttered. “I just… I may have applied for a nanny job using your details.”
“A nanny job?”
“Yeah, and they accepted!” She beamed. “White Estate.”
I gasped. “White Estate? That’s the richest neighborhood in Aremuo!”
“Yep. Probably babysitting some spoiled rich kid, but the salary is insane.”
“When do I start?”
“Tomorrow, if you want.”
"Thank you so much. You are literally the best." I hugged her so tightly she wheezed.
“Anything for my best friend and half-sister.”
The next morning, I woke early feeling strangely hopeful. Maybe this job would finally be my breakthrough.
I showered, shaved, moisturized, straightened my hair, then slipped into a fitted black gown that hugged every curve. Heels, light makeup, lip gloss popping, and my best version of a cheap-yet-long-lasting perfume.
Annabelle nearly fainted. “Babe! Are you going for a nanny job or an audition to be a billionaire’s side chick?”
“I will do whatever it takes to succeed,” I said, flipping my hair dramatically.
“Just don’t seduce the father accidentally.”
“No promises.”
She laughed, then paused. “Did you get Dad’s message?”
My smile vanished. “What message?”
“His son is missing. He wants us home to find him."
"That man abandoned us. You can go if you want, after all you aren't a disgrace like me. You are a wolf and you can shift while I'm cursed." My chest tightened painfully.
"Rain, don't say that."
"That man hates me. I mean look at me. My father is the Alpha king yet I'm living a miserable life. Now he wants to find his asshole son? I'm out."
I grabbed my purse and left before she could convince me otherwise.
The drive to White Estate took an hour of mentally rehearsing answers to possible interview questions.
The cab dropped me off at House 18, a mansion so tall I wondered if clouds ever rested on its roof.
I pressed the gate button. A red laser scanned me from head to toe and after a beep, the gate slowly opened.
“Tch, wealthy people and their dramas…” I muttered.
A pot-bellied, older man walked toward me. “You are?”
“I’m here for the nanny job.” I tried to sound confident.
He looked me up and down. “You are here for a nanny job… dressed like this?”
“Weird, right?” I joked.
“This isn’t funny. You look like an errotic...never mind. Follow me.”
He led me into the house, then we entered an elevator.
“My name is Precious. I’m the butler.”
“I’m Rain.”
“I know.” His voice was flat.
“How did you...?”
“Your résumé.”
Oh, I forgot.
He answered a call, his eyebrows furrowing, then he turned to me.
“Miss Rain, I’m sorry. I have to attend to something urgently. You'll have to go on your own."
"Mhmm sir, I don't know anywhere in this big mansion."
"Don't worry. Go left, you will see two doors. One red, the other burgundy. Enter the burgundy door, turn right, then enter room 10. Wait for me there.”
Before I could even nod, he disappeared.
I stood there, confused.
Go left, burgundy door, right, room 10. Easy pezy.
I followed his instructions and everything was going well until I can't differentiate between red and burgundy color.
Damnit.
Reddish? Burgundy… what even is that? Brownish? Wine-ish? Why is one door looking like expired tomato sauce?
I brought out my phone to googled it.
Finally choosing the duller one, I entered.
But turning right, I found rooms numbered 1 to 5 but no room number 10.
“Shit… I took the wrong door?” I turned back but room 1 suddenly opened.
A tall, muscular man, wearing nothing but Calvin Klein boxers leaned on the doorframe.
His abs had mad abs and his jawline could slice bread.
“What are you waiting for?” His voice was deep, irritated. “Come in.”