14
1112 Words
Aidan’s POV
The room fell silent.
Vanessa’s words lingered in the air long after she had finished speaking.
“I want you to fire her, Aidan.”
My eyes drifted to Maya.
She stood frozen where she was, her injured hand hanging limply by her side. Her cheek was still red. She looked exhausted, like the weight of the entire world had settled on her shoulders.
She didn’t plead. She didn’t cry.
She simply stood still, saying absolutely nothing.
Almost as though she had already accepted her fate.
For some reason, that bothered me.
I had seen employees beg for their jobs before. They made excuses, blamed other people, or promised never to repeat their mistakes.
Maya did none of that.
She just stood there quietly, waiting for my decision.
“You haven’t answered me.” Vanessa’s voice pulled me back.
I looked at her. “You want me to fire her.” I said, trying to understand what she had said.
“I think I made that very clear.” Vanessa replied.
“And if I don’t?” I asked.
Her expression hardened.
“Then I’ll know exactly where your priorities lie.” She said.
I studied her for a moment.
“You’ve wanted her gone since the day she arrived.”
A flicker crossed her face.
“So?”
“So this isn’t only about today.”
She laughed.
“Of course it isn’t.”
She didn’t even bother denying it.
“I can’t stand her.” She said.
“And after today, I refuse to tolerate her any longer.”
She walked closer until we were standing face to face.
“I am your fiancée.” Her voice softened.
“The woman you’re going to marry.” She gently adjusted the engagement ring on her finger.
“I shouldn’t have to compete with a maid for basic respect.” She said.
I frowned.
“No one is asking you to.”
“Really?” She asked.
She glanced toward Maya.
“Then why is she still standing here?”
I followed her gaze.
Maya quickly lowered her eyes the moment she realized I was looking at her.
She looked terrified. Not me. But of losing this job.
The realization settled heavily in my chest.
The butler had told me about her employment records before I hired her. She had no father, a sick mother and was dismissed from her previous job after an incident with Vanessa.
She had come to the penthouse desperate for work.
At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it.
Now…
I found myself remembering the way she had begged for this job. I looked back at Vanessa.
She folded her arms.
“That isn’t my responsibility. I gave you a choice.”
“Vanessa—”
“No.”
She cut me off immediately. “This is about respect. Choose me or the maid, Aidan.” Her tone became sharper.
I rubbed my temple.
She took another step closer.
“I was humiliated today.” She said with a low voice.
“I was called a bitch.” Her jaw clenched.
“And you’re hesitating to get rid of the maid who disrespected me that much.” She yelled.
“I don’t make decisions based on anger.” I countered.
“I expect you to make them based on your future wife.” She said with a sharp, vicious tone.
The words hung between us.
I glanced toward Maya again.
She still hadn’t looked up.
The girl had been standing there for almost ten minutes without saying a single word.
She wasn’t defending herself.
She wasn’t interrupting.
She wasn’t even begging.
That, more than anything, struck me as strange.
Vanessa noticed my hesitation.
“Aidan.”
I looked at her.
“I asked you for one thing.”
“I know.” I said.
“So what on earth are you waiting for?”
She slipped her hand into mine.
“If we’re going to build a life together, I need to know you’ll put me first.”
I stared at our joined hands. It felt strangely empty.
There was no warmth.
No excitement. Only obligation.
I slowly withdrew my hand.
Vanessa’s smile faltered.
“Okay.” I said at last.
Relief flashed across her face.
“I knew you’d make the right choice.”
I turned away from her.
“Maya.”
She immediately straightened.
“Y-Yes, sir?”
For the first time since this conversation began, she looked directly at me.
There was fear in her eyes.
But beneath it…
I saw the flicker of exhaustion.
I took a slow breath.
“This matter doesn’t need to end this way.”
She nodded nervously.
“But, I won’t tolerate disrespect in my house.”
She nodded again.
Vanessa smiled behind me.
I could almost feel it.
“And because of everything that’s happened…”
I paused.
The room became unbearably quiet.
Maya’s breathing became uneven.
Vanessa’s smile widened.
I looked Maya straight in the eyes.
Then I spoke.
“Pack your things.”
Maya’s face lost all color.
Vanessa let out a satisfied breath.
“…You’re moving out of the staff quarters.”
Both women stared at me.
“I’ve decided you’ll be working in the east wing of the penthouse from now on.”
Vanessa’s smile disappeared.
“The east wing?” she repeated.
I nodded once.
“It keeps you away from the main living areas. That way, you don’t have to cross paths. You’ll only be cleaning my study and the offices around it.”
I looked at Maya.
“Is that understood?” She nodded, opening her mouth to say something but no words came out.
Then I turned back to Vanessa.
“And from this moment onward…”
My voice hardened.
“…no member of this household will be disrespected by an employee nor will anyone discipline an employee without my approval.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
“Aidan…”
She forced a laugh.
“You’re joking.”
“I don’t joke about business.”
Her composure cracked for the first time.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
Her face darkened.
“I asked you to fire her.”
“And I’m choosing to move her instead.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Vanessa stared at me as though she no longer recognized the man standing in front of her.
Then, very slowly…
A smile spread across her lips.
Not a pleasant one.
A dangerous one.
“Fine,” she said quietly.
“If that’s your decision…”
She looked directly at Maya.
“…then don’t blame me for what happens next.”
- Writer
