Freedom 2

Thick lashes fanned open, revealing a pair of blank obsidian orbs.

It was six in the morning, a few hours later than Holden's usual wake-up time, but he mused that he must have been so tired from yesterday's activities that he slept through his body clock.

Wasting no time, he swung his long legs off the bed and decided to change and head out for his usual morning run.

Meanwhile, the sun was high up in the sky casting a beam on Stellar's face smudged with drool marks down the corners of her mouth.

She kicked her legs in the air when warmth enveloped her face.

"Go away!" she croaked her annoyance, pulling the duvet over to cover her face.

She made a mental note to purchase a blackout curtain STAT. So with renewed energy, Stellar kicked the duvet off her.

Checking the time on the wall clock, it didn't surprise her it was almost noontime, so she dragged her feet downstairs to whip up something for her brunch.

To her surprise, she saw a sandwich sitting on a plate covered with a cling wrap.

"Huh?" her head angled to the side in confusion.

Did Cassy leave this sandwich yesterday?

Cassy sure loved making sandwiches, so it must be her, right?

Pulling her weight up to perch herself on the island barstool, Stellar unwrapped the sandwich and lifted the top slice with a finger to check the contents.

It's a BLT sandwich—bacon, lettuce, tomato—added with a scrambled egg and cheese. However, Stellar winced upon seeing pickles inside.

Gross.

Her face almost turned green with disgust as she picked up the pickle and dropped it with a plop on the plate.

She was in the midst of finishing her sandwich when her phone beeped.

[Auntie Lotus: Good morning, sweetheart. How was your first night in your new home? Have you met handsome neighbors? By the way, Auntie will be sending someone to tidy up the place for you. Her name is Manang[1] Juliet. Please don't be shy to ask for help from her, okay?]

Stellar frowned, her brows met as she tried her best to comprehend the message.

She knew how moms could go above and beyond with their pampering, but she felt burdened by the thought of having a helper inside her personal bubble.

Taking another bite of her sandwich, Stellar thought of a way to decline Lotus's offer.

While she was chewing the sandwich, she heard a beep from the intercom.

Walking over to the device, Stellar stood before the wall beside the elevator doors, where the monitor for the intercom was.

"Good day, Madam. We have a Manang Juliet in the lobby. Should we let her in?"

Stellar paused. Well. She had no choice but to deal with this Manang Juliet herself.

Sighing, she pressed the speaker button and told the receptionist to let Manang Juliet in.

She was rinsing the plate when the elevator doors dinged.

Drying her hands with a kitchen towel, Stellar dragged her feet towards that direction.

In her haste, her left slipper zoomed ahead of her, gliding against the marble floor and stopping shortly before a smiling middle-aged lady with a pear-shaped body.

She was holding a piece of luggage on her other hand, which told Stellar that the lady would be staying in the house as part of her job description.

Stellar bit her bottom lip, her eyebrow twitched as she received the outlaw slipper who escaped her foot. "Thanks," she said.

Manang Juliet responded with a bow. "Good morning, Young Madam Knight. My name is Manang Juliet. Madam Lotus sent me to help you in your new home." Manang Juliet flashed another smile, her eyes turned into crescents.

Her air was light and friendly, Stellar couldn't help but smile too. However, something rang in Stellar's ears.

Young Madam Knight? Who? Her?

Shrugging off the mistake, Stellar didn't want to correct the older lady and come off as snobby. First impressions last, and she didn't want to offend the older lady. "Just call me Stellar, Manang."

Gesturing towards the kitchen, Stellar and Manang Juliet walked towards it.

Perching herself on the bar stool that she was sitting on, Stellar drummed her fingers on the kitchen island and went ahead to her first order of business. Manang Juliet was standing on the other end of the kitchen island, with her hands planted on the countertop.

"How much are they paying you to tidy up this space?" Stellar asked. If this Manang Juliet would be working for her, then Stellar wanted to be the one paying for her services.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your salary. I want to know how much. Or how much you charge per hour. Honestly, I only need you to come in once a week to clean, so I will explain to Aunt Lotus later why I have to send you back."

"Oh, no. No. There must be a misunderstanding, Mam Stellar," Manang Juliet's professionalism carried on, still calling Stellar a madam even when she explicitly told her to call her Stellar.

Staff such as Manang Juliet was a gem and was hard to find. Stellar mused that maybe she couldn't afford the staff's paycheck.

As Stellar watched Manang Juliet, her eyebrows twitched when the latter reached for her purse and took out a piece of paper.

Waving it in the air, Manang Juliet then walked forward and passed it on to Stellar who almost fell on her seat.

Wait. What did she just read?

Stellar scratched her head as she read the highlighted portion of the contract. She remembered perusing it twice, but how come she didn't remember reading this clause?

[The landlord shall provide housing staff to the tenant during the term period of the contract.]

"Are you serious?" Stellar eyed Manang Juliet who bobbed her head to validate the question.

Deep inside, Manang Juliet was taken aback.

She had been working for decades for the Knight family and this was the first time a madam of the family—young or old—asked her how much she was earning.

And why would the young madam ask anyway when she was under Madam Lotus's paycheck?

Were kids these days more independent and literate in their finances than those of the older generations?

Peering up to meet Stellar's gaze, she noticed how the young madam's shoulders slacked, and how her back curved.

This young lady was unlike the other madams she encountered. All those ladies were oozing with confidence and their chins were always jutted up.

Through the years, Manang Juliet would always see a lady, sitting or standing with a ramrod-straight back, until she met Stellar.

No wonder Lotus personally sent her—a senior member of the housing staff—to take care of Stellar.

Looking at Stellar, she couldn't help but let out a sympathetic sigh. So much work to be done to the next young madam of the Knight family ah!

She then made a mental note to report her observations back to Lotus Knight later.

Stellar closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. She blamed herself for missing something as trivial as that clause.

What if she did something similar in the future and it would cost her or their business a fortune of damages?

Accepting her mistake, Stellar was left with no choice but to welcome Manang Juliet in her new home.

...

Meanwhile, Cooper, ever the workaholic, was spending his weekend at Knight Steel Corporation headquarters. His nose was buried in a government document that needed his signature when the door to his office flung open.

"What the… Did you just marathon your way from Gotham all the way here?" Cooper exclaimed, lazily tipping his seat at a safe angle.

Catching his breath, Holden glanced at his watch and exhaled loudly. "Ten kilometers. Not bad, and yes, I ran."

"You know, you're not supposed to strain your heart, right?"

Holden just shrugged. He hadn't had an episode in the last years and running kept him in shape, so he wasn't worried about his body suddenly collapsing.

Eyeing Cooper, he found his twin's reaction weird. It was as if Cooper was hiding something from him with how sinister and mischievous the grin on his face was.

Brushing away the thought, Holden spoke, "Hurry up. Let's have some lunch with Mom and Dad. I heard they're in town."

...

Later that night, Holden arrived at his penthouse suite. He halted in his tracks upon seeing a silhouette of a lady standing in the kitchen.

He didn't remember letting anyone in, and he was out all day. So who in the world was this woman?