Chapter 29

Nora’s POV

When I got to the kitchen, I met Lucy and two other maids preparing food.

“Hello, Madame,” they greeted, obviously surprised by my presence.

“Hello,” I replied, looking around the very large kitchen. It was so spacious that it didn’t look like a kitchen at all. It was even bigger than my father’s living room.

Thinking of my father, my mood saddened immediately. Even if I wasn’t expecting a call from my stepmother and stepsister, I half expected my dad to at least drop me a message.

Did he hate me so much now that he doesn’t give a fuck about me? They didn’t even bother to check if I was still alive or dead. It’s been days. Days!

My dad wasn’t always like this. He slowly turned sour on me with the arrival of my evil stepmother. At first, I was happy that my dad finally brought someone home. Someone I could call my own mother.

You see, I lost my mother several years ago due to some severe health issues. It started as just a casual fever, which slowly worsened. When she was taken to the hospital, the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her. As her health worsened, she was transferred to various hospitals, but none seemed to know exactly what was wrong.

She was brought home when nothing could be done.

As days turned into weeks, my mother slowly began to wither. I still remembered those painful nights when I would cry myself to bed, praying for my mom to get better.

She died a couple of days later.

A few months later, my stepmother arrived. My naive younger self was very happy, excited to have a motherly figure again.

I got even happier when I realized she also had a child that was just a couple of months older than I was. At first, she allowed me to warm up to her while she secured her place in the house. Slowly, her gaze turned cold and her eyes hardened when my dad was being nice to me.

Slowly, things began to go south, and I always seemed to get in trouble. I always seemed to be committing evil. I always seemed to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

I watched my dad slowly begin to lose interest in me as my stepmother was everywhere, making sure to put me in trouble.

“Do you need anything, Madame?”

I was brought back to the present by a voice. Lucy’s voice. For a moment, I forgot where I was.

"Oh. Uhm, nothing. I am just taking a stroll. Do you mind if I stay here a bit?" I asked as I walked further into the kitchen.

"Sure, madame, but you don’t have to be here. If you need anything, you can give instructions, and I’ll get it done as soon as possible," she explained.

"No, it’s fine. I’ve been doing nothing for hours; I want to be a bit productive," I said, getting my head back in the game.

"Oh," was all Lucy said.

"What are we having for lunch? I could help," I offered, eyeing the full chicken in the see-through oven. It smelled really nice as well.

"Oh, we are almost done. We are waiting for the chicken to be ready so we can serve you," she replied.

"Too bad," I said, thinking fast. I needed to get hold of Julian’s food. "How about dinner? When are you making it?"

"A couple of hours from now. Is there any specific meal you want me to prepare for you? Or any adjustments you would prefer?" she offered again.

"No, not really. I just want to be busy. Would it be fine if I am down here for dinner preparations?" I asked.

"I’m sorry, ma’am, but that’s not possible. Please tell me if you find my meals unsatisfactory, and I will take your corrections immediately—

"Your meals are nice, really. I just want to be working, that’s all," I said as I rubbed my neck.

"I don’t think the boss would take it lightly when he hears that you’re helping us down here. We will lose our jobs," she said this with fear in her eyes.

For a moment, I felt bad for her, but when I remembered I needed to be out of here as soon as possible, the feeling evaporated immediately.

"You didn’t ask me to help you; I did it of my own free will. You have nothing to worry about, really," I tried to convince her.

"Please, madame, we beg you. We will lose our jobs," now even the two other maids stared sadly at me like I was about to send them home. I needed to think fast.

"Fine, I won’t interfere," I began. "But I would really like to oversee my husband's meals personally. He is usually a picky eater and has made a complaint or two about some of the meals. You’re a great cook, but his meals need just a little something."

"Oh no! What improvements do I need to make? I had no idea the boss wasn’t satisfied with my cooking!" she exclaimed, looking shocked.

"That’s why I’m here now. I’ll guide his meals every step of the way. You have nothing to worry about."