Escaping Her Curse—Completed

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Peering uneasily around her, Lauren felt more intimidated than the invited guest she was. Aside from Rosy at her side, there were five others surrounding Bossman and his home. She only gave him a brief, small smile as she silently followed him inside. It was evident that even though the Undergrowth lived in poverty and filth, Bossman certainly did not. She felt like she was walking into one of the nobleman’s houses as her eyes took in everything around her.

Carpeted stairs led to a second story from the main foyer they were standing in. Lauren politely listened to Bossman explain that the library was off to the left, connecting to the study, while to the right were spare rooms for guests. In front of them was the hallway to the kitchens and formal dining room. There was a room for the men to retire to after dinner where they could smoke as well as a separate room for the women to gossip or relax in. Bossman explained that the lower floor was the servant’s quarters and that the upper floor was solely for his use only, only to be entered upon his personal request. At the end of the tour, they stopped at one of the empty bedrooms.

“And this,” he gestured into the room. “Will be your new home.”

Lauren’s face fell, but she quickly schooled her features. “Excuz me? What do ya mean?”

“Well, I thought that it only makes sense, ya know? Afta seein’ what ya can do, ya need a better place than that shabby lil’ house. It was only temporary anyway, dependin’ on what ya had to offa. Ya gots a mighty future ahead of ya now, dearest,” Bossman said, his eyes glittering uncomfortably.

Lauren shifted under his gaze. “W-will ya tell me what’s gonna be expected of me?”

“All in good time,” he answered coldly, though his eyes held a look of cunning within them that forced her to look away.

She tentatively stepped inside, quickly noticing that two of his men stood outside her door, even though he turned to leave.

“A servant will call ya for dinner in a bit. Ya’ll find some new clothes to wear in the closet. I expect ya to dress accordingly,” he called over his shoulder as the door shut her in.

Looking around the room, she immediately went to the windows above the bed. There were two smaller windows that looked over what she saw was a garden. Upon closer inspection, she found that there were no latches on the windows, meaning that she was entirely locked inside that room. Lauren felt her heart beat wildly out of control. Though she was grateful to escape the palace, now she felt as though she had fallen into a tighter trap. Perhaps she shouldn’t have trusted Lydia so quickly without really thinking about what leaving the palace meant. She’d been desperate to leave and hadn’t thought of where she could go. It would’ve been harder to become a maid again, which is partly why she’d been so eager to accept Lydia’s proposal of living somewhere not even the prince knew about. She didn’t want to think Lydia would purposely put her in harm's way, but then again, she barely knew the woman, let alone her intentions.

Slumping onto the bed, she didn’t even appreciate how comfortable it was. Her mind raced with questions about what would be expected of her and what Bossman was thinking. Lauren had already spent most of her life living as a pawn for the king, and once she escaped that life, she was finally able to live more for herself. The last thing she wanted was to fall back onto the chess board, only this time, playing for Bossman instead. There was something very unsettling about him that made the hair on her neck stand on end. He certainly gave off an untrustworthy aura. However, she would have to play the game if she wanted real answers. She’d need to dust off all the training she had learned early on in her life if she was going to try to play the player.

Lauren then sighed, filling herself with determination rather than doubt. Climbing off the bed, she made her way to the closet and was surprised to see an assortment of beautiful dresses. She didn’t expect to wear anything nicer than the shabby dress she was currently wearing. She couldn’t help but grin at the thought of clean clothes. It was a luxury that she hated living without.

There was a soft knock that caught her attention, and a moment later, Rosy entered with a bowl of water and a towel.

“To clean yerself up,” she stated, setting it down on the table near the door. “Boss wants ya lookin’ as presentable as possible. Dinner’s gonna be fancy or sumthin’.”

Lauren nodded with a smile. “Thank ya.”

“Be ready in a hour.”

The door shut behind the other woman without another word. It wasn’t that Lauren was expecting to chit chat, but she wasn’t quite expecting the abruptness she received. Shrugging the thoughts away, she quickly took off her clothes and used the towel and water to clean the dirt and dust and grime from her body. It felt incredible, and she was thankful, though sorry for whoever needed to wash the towel after her use. It was dark brown, and she shuddered at just how much dirt had been caked onto her body.

Her face then went white at the realization that Simon had willinging kissed her in such a state. Lauren then softened as her thoughts returned to him and their shared moment. She then blushed, feeling like a silly teenager again. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so giddy.

Shaking her head, she lectured herself about focusing on the fact that she was practically trapped in this house, and that she needed to create a plan to both hide from the prince, while not getting too involved with whatever Bossman wanted and was planning. She then chose a deep forest green dress that had golden flowers embroidered into the silky fabric. The bodice was a corset with gold buttons to tighten the dress instead of string. The sleeves drooped onto her arms, leaving her shoulders bare. The skirt hugged her hips and then flared out near the bottom barely kissing the ground. The gown rested gently on her skin, and it was a welcomed feeling to the itchy and scratchy dress she’d been wearing.

She quickly used the brush to comb out her knots and then braided her hair into a simple bun, teasing out a few strands to frame her face. Lauren briefly admired herself in the mirror. She hadn’t looked this polished since she’d left the palace over ten years prior, and she couldn’t lie to herself about how good it felt to appreciate what she saw in the mirror. Lauren wouldn’t say that she could turn heads wherever she went, but she did feel pretty for the first time in a long while.

Another knock sounded on the door. She then slipped into the matching shoes and opened the door. Rosy stared back at her, her eyes wide. She then let out a low whistle.

“Ya look like a lady,” Rosy said, giving Lauren a once over. “Damn.”

Lauren blushed. “I only washed and dressed in the clothes given. It’s nuthin’ much.”

“I disagree,” Rosy said quietly.

Clearing her throat and wrenching her eyes away, Rosy put an arm around Lauren’s shoulders and began leading them towards the formal dining room.

“Do ya know–”

“Best ta keep all ya questions for Bossman. He’ll be answerin’ them, I’m sure. Enjoy ya dinner,” Rosy said, pushing her into the room and closing the door behind her.

Bossman turned around to look at her when he heard the door closed. He greedily took in her figure and smiled rakishly. Lauren immediately regretted her decision to dress up. She had seen the look in his eyes one too many times, and it never ended well for the woman.

“Well, aren’t you a beauty,” he said, his voice full of lust. “I mean, I thought you had potential, but goodness me, I wasn’t expecting perfection already. You’ll do nicely.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“You can drop the bad accent. You’re clearly not from the slums, nor do I believe you’re truly Lydia’s cousin. However, especially after seeing you look like this, I can’t say that I care anymore.”

Lauren felt her mouth dry up. She attempted to swallow out of nervousness.

“Please, have a seat,” he said, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair for her.

Unable to think of a response, she followed his instructions. She now had a million questions about who he truly was. As he had dropped his own accent, it was obvious that his speech was that of a noble.

Once he scooted her in, he then took the chair at the head of the table, to the left of her own chair and sat. He beamed at her, studying her and memorizing her features. He rang a bell, and a few moments later, servants served them their meal.

“I’m sure you’re quite curious about me,” he laughed, taking a sip of his scotch. “That would only be natural, since I’ve presented myself to be completely different from who I am. Much like you, I’d say.”

Lauren carefully picked at her meal, which consisted of grilled chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes and a roll. There was also a side salad on a smaller plate. It was food that would be similar to that of the palace itself. With every second, Lauren felt more and more uncomfortable.

“How about this,” he began. “Let’s play a game. I ask a question, and then you ask a question. This way, we’ll both get a few answers from the other. What do you say?”

Lauren was quiet but nodded her head. She was still at a loss for words with how drastically this dinner had changed. She went in expecting one thing, and now, everything was flipped.

“Alright. I’ll go first. This one should be easy. I know your name isn’t Lauren. It used to be Jessie, which makes me question if that’s even your real name; however, my question is, Jessie, why is the Prince searching all of the city for you?”

Bossman was smirking at her from behind his drink, and Lauren could feel her anxiety rise. How did he know so much about her? How did he know that she was Jessie? How did he know Oliver was searching for her? Just how?