AVERY POV

It sounded too good to be true. I have worked in many places, but I have not seen a place with these many benefits. In fact, if you see one, it usually comes with a clause.

But this,

Live-in housemaid

A very attractive salary allowance

Days off in a week

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner inclusive

It was basically all I would dream of. To me, this was not just any job, it became my last shot.

I thought about this new job all night, about all that could possibly go wrong, and I remembered my mother’s favorite word.

“Don’t be Afraid”

Whenever she used to say this, it gave me a boost to take on whatever challenge I encountered and made me stronger.

I stood at the entrance of the mansion facing the tall black gate, hesitant to press the doorbell. The wind swayed around, moving leaves around like those magical moments. Holding onto my faded duffel bag that basically had my whole life inside was a sign that this was my last chance and I had to have it.

“Don’t look small” My mother would say.

“The world will always try to shrink you”

Still, I could feel the wind overpower me as I stood like a stone in the midst of a rock. The gates were tall and wide.

“Avery Hamilton, reporting for housekeeping duty” I said as I pressed the intercom. There was a buzz, and then a silence followed.

Without any warnings, the Wide Iron Gates creaked open.

I walked into the mansion and the landscape, the trees, the beautiful flowers carefully decorated the pathway. The mansion felt like a palace carved out of a fast fine shadow of glass and marbles stretching into the sky, surrounded by beautiful trees and a sharp silence. The type of silence that exposes any secrets discussed behind walls.

Entering the main hall into the chamber swallowed me whole with the ceiling being cathedral-high, decorated with beautiful crystal chandeliers and clean and shiny stone floors that made a reflection of every breath I took while I walked through them. Every walk through this pristine hall made my shoes squeak, which is a sign that I was probably not deserving of walking that path, because the man leading me was not making a similar squeaking sound.

I could feel my heart pounding as I slowly approached the end of the hallways with a door leading to another room.

The large door opened, and I was standing face to face with an older Assistant with a stone-cold face, as though I had a hand in his mood.

“Follow me”, the old assistant beckoned, pointing in the direction in front of him.

“Do not speak until you are spoken to”, he added as he folded his arms to his back.

I was not scared because I had experienced worse conditions before, so this just felt like just another boss who was just trying to make a statement. They all do!

“Just survive this, it is nothing new” I whispered to myself, adjusting my posture.

As I walked through the grand hall, I could smell the amount of wealth that flowed in the mansion. No objects were out of place, even my shadow was aligned to a specific angle because of the positioning of the window. The paintings, the beautiful modern lamps decorated the hallway and the silence? It only became thicker.

“This is Mrs. Meyers” The Older Assistant beckoned as a woman with gray hair and dark brown eyes walked towards me with a paper in her hand.

No smile, no eye contact. I stretched my hand for a handshake but instead received the paper which had a schedule on it.

“Curfew is at 10 pm. After 10 pm, you are no longer permitted to enter the west wing of the mansion anymore. Stay out of the master’s quarters and, most importantly, SPEAK ONLY WHEN YOU ARE REQUIRED TO.”

Those last words sent a chill sensation through my blood as I looked into the schedule given to me, searching for details.

“And never, ever mention Mr. Stalwart unless you are summoned. Understood?”

I nodded in affirmation as I was too stunned to utter a single word.

As I walked the hallway with the Assistant, I could not help but think to myself who and what this Mr. Stalwart, the man behind all this wealth would look like. The man I’m yet to meet.

Walking through the dark hallways, I could only remember my first job as a housekeeper when I was taken to a square-sized room with no ventilation with a dark pathway. I broke down in tears on the first day of that job and I resigned three days later because even the dogs had better cages.

“This is it,” the old assistant said, pointing to a brown wooden door.

“Where does it lead to?” I asked curiously, looking at the door and looking back at the assistant.

“Hell” he muttered, feigning a weird smile as he turned back, leaving me standing there.

That is it. I kept on telling myself because I knew there was no going back. This is the start of something new, or at least I thought.

The room was plain, with a twin bed, a beautiful dresser and a small window that overlooked the garden on the east wing. This was far better than all the places I have stayed.

I sat on the bed, reminiscing about all the good times I have had with my mother.

“I’m in a new place, mama. " This new place is better than the other,” I said as I ran my finger through a photo of my mother which I had in my bag.

The night was getting old, but sleep was still far from me. I could not sleep. As I rolled from one side to another, scanning the room and counting the ceiling, all I could wonder was how my life would turn out in the coming years.

But one thing Avery does not know is that within this mansion there is camera and behind these cameras is someone watching every activity.

“She came”, a deep male voice said with a smirk on his face while zooming into the device and seeing Avery hugging herself.

“Let’s see how long she will last” he whispered to himself.