1 The beautiful maiden

"Please, give me more time, and I promise all the dishes will be washed. " replied the young maiden with a quavered voice. Her tear-filled eyes and dull face indicated her misery. While she cried over the dishes, She had her back facing her mistress. She knew it was pointless to display her tear-stained face to the lady in front.

" Okay, fine. But if the work isn't finished in an hour, I won't spare you. Got it?" the lady's scowl flinched the young maiden. The maiden nodded her head in answer. Her expressions displayed her weakness. She couldn't complain about her treatment. It would make things worse. It was better to compromise with the situation.

As the lady left the small kitchen, the maiden exhaled an air of relaxation. As far as her eyes could see, the kitchen was a bit messy. It had water spilled over the shelves, dirty plates loaded in the sink, and filthy window panels. She was the one who used to clean it every day, but that day she felt uneasy.

She had her body drop on the relaxing wooden chair. She managed to wipe her forehead covered with drops of sweat, but her sweaty shirt made her feel dizzy. Her hands and thighs were aching badly. She could do nothing except weep to comfort her.

While she was crouching comfortably, a sudden shriek trembled her body. " Sophia, are you relaxing again? Beware of consequences." her madam could be seen gritting her teeth. " Aunt, I was just.." Sophia rushed into the kitchen. Having known the sudden temper of her aunt, she obeyed without a word.

" Dear Sophia, what have you done to yourself? in all these years, you have been your aunt's slave. She is not the one to shower love on you. The only thing you are doing is making yourself regret." The heavenly voice of her dead father made Sophia cry. It was the previous day when she heard her mother speak too. Her mind could even recall the moments of the past.

But she could never know the reason behind her parent's death. The exact cause of their death was a mystery to her though she had been answered several times. Her aunt would talk about a car accident but never complete the story.

Her aunt only heightened her supremacy in front of the neighbors through the fact that she adopted Sophia. But nobody knew the inner story. Sophia was made to labor with the fear of being beaten.

" It was your parent's will that I should adopt you in any bad event. They even told me to treat you with strictness." Did they say these words? Sophia would doubt it in her nineteenth year of existence. She never heard them say so, and never did they treat her like that when she was just six.

As she was overthinking, her cousin threw an empty pizza box at her. " lick the leftovers." Stella mocked her. Her disrespectful behavior did not change Sophia's expression. But deep inside, Sophia was a bit mad at her. She even disliked herself for coping with her insult.

Sophia felt a need to change that day. In all her years, she acted as a slave just to ensure peace in her parents' souls. She thought that every parent was as tough and strict as her aunt. But when she observed adolescents her age, she realised her aunt never loved her. She was taken advantage of by her.

She continued to scrub the dishes while overthinking. The anxiety levels in her picked up as the clock ticked. With wide-opened eyes, she kept a close look at the clock. But since the kitchen was built on the lawn, her eyes could catch the sunlight. Sophia squinted several times to glimpse through her eyes.

"I haven't even eaten yet. I'm starving." Sophia pressed her palm to the growling stomach. Her state indicated that she would unconsciously drop the dishes in the sink the next moment. But who would be so kind as to feed her?

After finishing the dishes, she began checking the shelves for the dough. " Aunt told me to bake a cake today and even prepare the dishes. But why so? No one in the house has a birthday today." she continued to ponder over the thought while cupping her face between her thumb and finger.

Suddenly, she heard the horn of a car, making her come out of her preoccupied air. " Whose car is standing in front of our house?" as she was about to step out of the kitchen, the driver drove the car inside their house. " It's entering the lawn." she drew back into the kitchen. Sophia continued to look at the scene through the window.

The car stopped. When the car wings opened, two gentlemen in well-groomed coats, supported by a blue tie, pants, and sunglasses over the eyes, strode like a famous personality. Their manners were beyond average standards. Sophia couldn't get her eye off them.

The most unexpected thing was when one of the most charming fellows, with a better height than his companion, took his sunglasses off his eyes, revealing his beautiful sky-blue eyes.

"Ah!" Sophia moaned in pleasure. But her voice was a bit loud, and the man shifted his gaze to the window. Sophia lowered her body down. " I hope he hasn't seen me." Sophia's heart pounded hard.

"Come with me, sir. I will guide you." her fat aunt appeared in front of them, showing a courteous manner. The lady assisted them through the entrance room to the drawing room.

" Oh, these are the guests I have to serve. I am a bit nervous." Sophia's heart thumped while she spoke to herself. But inside of her assured her that everything would be fine. Even though she was panting, she was confident in doing her best.

She hurriedly placed the cake on the open shelf while arranging the dishes in order after preparing it. Everything had to be perfect because these were millionaires who required special treatment. Serving such people would be a dream come true for her.