His Obsession, My contract.

Chapter One I hate mornings like this—the kind that feel too shiny, too bright, too optimistic, the kind where ideas pop in, dreams are made, and fortunes are built. Only, on mornings like this, am I reminded of what I lost: the only thing I loved but never truly appreciated, my parents. It has been two years now, but the memories never leave, and I don't want them to. The vivid feelings and memories are all I have now, and oh, does it hurt... I really miss them. While deep in my thoughts, somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear my name called with such venom, and without a doubt, it's my aunt. "EVELYN! EVELYN!! EVELYN!!!" Oh, how much I hate being called that name, especially by her; it's infuriating. My name is Evelyn Ashford, but I prefer Eva, as my Mom would call me. "I'm awake, no need to yell down the building!" "Well, I also do not want to destroy my precious building because of you, lowlife!!!" I roll my eyes. Yeah, of course. It's not new; the demeaning words have become a norm now. It's become a second skin after hearing them for two years straight. I went down the stairs to the corner of the house where my precious name was being murdered; there she stood fuming, but honestly, I do not have the strength for anyone's bull-s**t this morning. "Yes, Aunt May." "What have you been doing? I have been calling you. "I heard; here I am." "You're late on your half of the rent, and part of the feeding bills. When will I get it?" "Soon, Aunt May. I just need to be paid, and I will send it." "I just hope you remember that I'm not housing you and your siblings for free. I have said this countless times: if you must stay here, you must pay bills". Yeah, like I ever wanted to stay with you, ever. If not for that "Child Protective Services" nonsense, my siblings and I wouldn't be here facing this sh*t. I didn't say it out loud, of course. I have school, work, and my siblings to think of; I can't make any mistakes. "Yes, Aunt May, I will never forget; you're too generous." I almost puked. "Get out of my sight; you disgust me." Right back at you, bi*ch, again in my head. Sorry I lack the confidence to say swear words out loud. "Yes, ma'am." But that doesn't make me forget that we only ever started living with Aunt May because she thought she could get money from us as our Legal Guardian. But my parents had other plans; they made an educational trust fund, which indicated that every single dollar in the trust was to be dedicated to school and school expenses only for me and my siblings, and made me the legal trustee once I turned eighteen years old. During the same period they left us, even though we did not have enough, my parents always thought far and beyond for me and my siblings. Remembering this always brings tears to my eyes, because what would I have done all alone with nothing, and my siblings, who were nine and ten at the time, Hudson and Bella? Aunt May, finding this out, was red with anger; she couldn't even contain it. I didn't know when I laughed out so heartily. "What's so funny, you C*NT?" I ignored her and continued laughing; her face that day was so hilarious. Aunt May was my Mom's younger and only sibling. She used to be really nice to my siblings and me, or so I thought. Now, she looks at us like she might as well just cook us and eat. My watch beamed, "Shoot, I'm going to be late for work. I ran upstairs to get ready; Hudson and Bella were already in school. Thirty minutes later, I was done. I stared at myself in the mirror; staring right back at me were deep blue eyes, the kind that darkened almost to navy at the edges, except right at the corners, where a warm chestnut brown bled in, like even my own eyes couldn't commit to being one thing. Mum used to say I got the blue from my father and the brown from her, like I was some living compromise between the two of them. My hair, a wild, unrepentant ginger, caught the little bit of morning light coming through my window and threw it back copper and gold. It fell past my shoulders in loose, uneven waves. My face wasn't anything special; I could see the sharp line of my cheekbones, more defined lately from skipping meals. My jaw had a stubborn set to it, the kind of expression I wore even when I wasn't trying to. My mouth curved easily into sarcasm, less easily into anything resembling a real smile these days. I let my eyes drop lower, taking in the rest of me almost like I was looking at a stranger. I wasn't tall, never had been, but I stood like I was, shoulders back out of habit rather than confidence. My frame had curves I'd spent years hating in secondhand clothes that never fit right, a slim waist, hips that rounded out beneath it, the kind of shape that used to embarrass me in school uniforms, two sizes too big or too small, never quite right. But today, for some reason, I enjoy looking at myself. "Beep, beep." "Oh no, I'm late!" I ran out of the house and, thankfully, was able to get to the bus. "Eva, you're late." "Sorry, Mrs. Morris, Traffic" "Yeah, RIGHT, get the boxes inside; they just arrived?" "YES, MA'AM." I love Mrs. Morris because she always lets me breathe, which is not something I do most often, especially not where I call my habitat, which I'm grateful for. Now let's get to work. "Hi, welcome to D&D Convenience. What will you be needing today?" And just like that, the hours of the day have passed, and it's 4 p. m. "Eva, darling, here you go. I added a little extra for you." Well, well, if it's not my Almighty pay. "Thank you, Mrs. Morris. I'm really grateful; you're such a darling." "What are you, Charmer?" "Go on now, you need to rest." "Will it be weird if I said I didn't want to go home?" "Well, I would love to have you stay as long as you want, but will I be arrested for overworking an employee? You wouldn't want this old lady in bars now, would you?" "No, ma'am, anything you say, ma'am." We laugh. Working with Mrs. Morris has always made me so glad; thankfully, we don't have a miserable Employer-Employee relationship.