Chapter 127 How Humble
The moment Matilda saw Brianna, her entire body trembled.
Amelia had done this on purpose. She was reminding Matilda of her origins. If Matilda dared acknowledge anything in front of these guests, the Gonzaga family would become a laughingstock. This background of hers was only fit for the lowest kind of work.
In that instant, Matilda wanted nothing more than to leave the Gonzaga estate. She was done fighting Amelia, done worrying about her future with Wentworth. If they couldn't make it work, fine. They could just never see each other again.
She stood frozen for a full five minutes. During those five minutes, she thought about what lay ahead for her and Wentworth. If she left now, she'd basically be declaring war on Amelia. The next time they met, she'd be completely defeated. Amelia would look down at her from on high. See? This is how pathetic you are. All it took was bringing in Brianna and you ran away with your tail between your legs.
She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. No. She couldn't lose. She kept working in silence.
When the setup was nearly finished, Amelia and Jessica came downstairs. Both wore flawless makeup and elegant gowns, radiating nobility and pride.
Amelia inspected the venue. Satisfied with the arrangements, she had Cathy organize the next phase—welcoming guests and serving them.
Cathy gathered all the staff together and gave strict instructions. Everyone needed to be extremely careful. Any offense to a guest would result in losing today's pay.
Matilda was assigned to the serving team, responsible for bringing food to guests. Basically, she'd be carrying trays.
"Matty?"
During the briefing, Brianna recognized her. "What are you doing working here? Did you quit the hospital?"
For a moment, Matilda didn't know what to say.
Seeing people talking, Cathy snapped, "Get to work! No talking on the floor, or you'll get docked!"
Matilda said to Brianna, "I'll explain later."
Zoey had gotten up too. There was a party today, so she'd spent forever getting ready. Once she looked perfect, she went to find Matilda. Usually at parties she had no one to talk to, but with Matilda here today, it wouldn't be boring.
She knocked on Matilda's door several times with no answer. Just as she turned around, she ran into Cathy.
Cathy smiled sweetly. "Ms. Turner, are you looking for Matilda?"
"Yeah, where is she?"
Cathy laughed. "She's outside helping out. We're short-staffed today, and since she's not great at socializing, she offered to help serve food and things like that."
"Help serve food?" Zoey looked skeptical. "Is that really what Matilda wanted?"
"Of course it is. If you don't believe me, go ask her yourself."
"Okay, I will." This was ridiculous—what would people think?
Zoey headed out to the grounds and looked around. No sign of Matilda. But she did spot Charles.
He must have just arrived. Black suit, blue shirt underneath, paired with a navy tie—the whole look was refined and elegant. Her heart skipped a beat. Forget finding Matilda. She immediately trotted over. "Charles!"
Charles looked at Zoey. She had a round face and a little extra softness to her figure, but in exactly the right proportions—not fat at all. Like a chipmunk.
Charles had no idea why he was describing her that way. But that's what came to mind.
He found himself thinking about that night they'd spent together on the sofa. She'd obviously not woken him on purpose, then lay down beside him.
Amelia had sent him photos afterward, telling him to take responsibility. He'd ignored it.
But what if he actually married her?
The thought shocked him the moment it appeared. Why was he having such inappropriate ideas? The girl in front of him might be a senior in college, about to graduate, but if he married her, the whole city would mock him.
"Charles, what are you thinking about?" Zoey noticed Charles staring at her without speaking. She felt a little shy. "Charles, you think I look pretty today, don't you? Or... do you like white?"
She was wearing a white gown today with a fluffy shawl, showing off her nice waist-to-hip ratio. But to Charles, she still looked like a plump little chipmunk—the kind you wanted to take a bite of.
Charles quickly looked away.
Zoey had completely forgotten about Matilda. She just kept following Charles around.
Before long, Mr. Turner arrived as a guest. Zoey gave her father a quick greeting, then ran right back to Charles.
Mr. Turner felt helpless. The family had been having a nice vacation by the beach when Zoey heard Matilda was at the Gonzaga estate and immediately booked a ticket back. She'd even spent New Year's there. Nothing was even official yet, and she was already throwing herself at the guy.
Mr. Turner could hear people gossiping.
"Who's that girl? Why is she following Mr. Gonzaga around like that?"
"Talk about shameless. Look—Mr. Gonzaga isn't even paying attention to her."
"Right?"
Matilda was working when Brianna suddenly pulled her aside. Brianna's tone was harsh. "Tell me the truth. Why are you serving trays here? Did the hospital fire you? I worked my ass off to put you through school—not so you could end up doing this!"
"I didn't get fired."
"Then why are you here?"
"Let me show you a couple photos in a minute. Then you'll understand." Before Matilda could finish, Cathy came over to scold them. "Didn't I say no chatting? What are you two doing?"
Brianna was scared of losing pay, so she immediately scurried off.
Matilda looked at Cathy. Her gaze held no fear whatsoever. That look actually rattled Cathy for a moment. After all, Matilda was the future lady of this household.
Cathy didn't dare say much. "It's really busy out there. Go help."
"I need to use the restroom." Matilda said it coolly and walked toward the main house.
"The staff bathroom is—"
Seeing Matilda walk away without looking back, Cathy didn't dare continue. Matilda wasn't actually staff. They couldn't make her use the servants' restroom.
As Matilda passed through the venue, someone called out, "Excuse me, could you help me—"
But Matilda didn't acknowledge them. The guest felt too awkward to get angry. Maybe she genuinely hadn't heard.
Matilda entered the living room. There was a Gonzaga family portrait on the wall—recent, from the last couple years. Charles, Holden, and Amelia were all in it.
She took a photo of the portrait, then quietly walked back out.