Bound To The Devil's Empire

Chapter 3: Her First Day

Elenia Romano woke to the sound of someone pounding on her door.

"Wake up!"

She shot upright.

For a moment, she had no idea where she was.

Then she saw the unfamiliar room.

The plain bed.

The dark curtains.

The black uniform hanging beside the wardrobe.

Her stomach dropped.

The De Luca estate.

Her first day.

"Oh God."

She jumped out of bed and looked at the clock.

Six forty-five.

She was supposed to report for work at seven.

Panic rushed through her.

She grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth so quickly that she nearly dropped her toothbrush.

Her bath was even faster.

She barely had time to dry herself before pulling on the black uniform.

Her hair was still slightly damp when she rushed out of the room.

She stopped in the corridor.

Then looked left.

Then right.

Nothing looked familiar.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

She whispered.

The person who had woken her up was already gone.

Elenia hurried down the corridor.

She reached a staircase and went down.

Then another corridor.

She turned left.

Wrong direction.

She turned around.

Another staircase appeared ahead.

She stopped.

"This place is ridiculous."

The De Luca estate was so enormous that she couldn't understand how anyone could know where they were going.

There were corridors leading to corridors.

Doors everywhere.

Paintings covering the walls.

Huge windows overlooking gardens she hadn't even known existed.

She walked faster.

Maybe she would find the kitchen.

Or the servants' quarters.

Or anyone who could tell her where the head housekeeper was.

Instead, she found herself standing in front of a massive glass door.

Beyond it was a garden.

Not an ordinary garden.

It stretched so far that the end wasn't visible from where she stood.

Tall trees formed a natural canopy over winding paths.

Flowers grew in carefully arranged sections.

There were fountains, stone benches, and what looked like a small greenhouse farther away.

For a moment, Elenia forgot that she was late.

It was beautiful.

Almost like another world.

Then she remembered.

"The head housekeeper."

She quickly turned away.

She continued walking.

After another few minutes, she heard voices.

Finally.

Elenia followed the sound and reached a large hallway where several maids were carrying cleaning supplies.

She approached the nearest woman.

"Excuse me."

The woman looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Please, I'm looking for the head housekeeper."

The woman's eyes moved over Elenia's uniform.

"You're new."

Elenia nodded.

"Yes."

"You're late."

Elenia's face fell.

"I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't find—"

"The head housekeeper is in the main hall."

The woman pointed down the corridor.

"Go straight, turn right, then take the second staircase."

Elenia nodded quickly.

"Thank you."

She hurried away.

Two minutes later, she realized she had no idea whether she had taken the correct staircase.

She stopped.

"Right... second staircase."

She looked around.

There were three staircases.

"Oh, come on."

She closed her eyes briefly.

She was going to get fired on her first day.

She turned around again.

Eventually, after several wrong turns, she heard a firm female voice giving instructions.

Elenia followed it.

When she reached the main hall, she saw a woman standing with a clipboard while several workers waited around her.

The woman looked up.

Her eyes immediately landed on Elenia.

"You."

Elenia froze.

"Me?"

"Yes. Come here."

Elenia walked toward her.

The woman's expression was stern but not cruel.

"Name?"

"Elenia Romano."

"You're the new debt worker."

Elenia swallowed.

"Yes."

"You're twenty minutes late."

"I'm sorry. I woke up late and then I couldn't find—"

"I don't need excuses."

Elenia immediately lowered her head.

"Yes."

The woman studied her for a moment.

"I'm Clara. Head housekeeper."

Elenia nodded.

"Good morning, ma'am."

Clara glanced at the clock.

"It's no longer morning for you."

Elenia's cheeks burned.

"I'm sorry."

Clara sighed and handed her a small notebook.

"First rule: learn the estate."

Elenia looked around.

"How?"

"By paying attention."

Clara pointed toward the hallway.

"This estate is divided into several sections. You will be given assignments according to your level."

She pointed toward the upper floors.

"Some areas are restricted."

Elenia listened carefully.

"Only maids specifically assigned to those rooms are permitted to enter. They have authorization and a passcode. No one else enters without permission."

Elenia nodded.

"Understood."

"Good."

Clara handed her a bucket, cloths, and cleaning supplies.

"Today you're assisting with the west wing."

Elenia looked at the supplies.

"The west wing?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

Clara stared at her.

Elenia immediately realized how stupid the question sounded.

"I'm sorry."

Clara pointed toward the corridor.

"Follow that hallway. Take the first staircase. Turn left at the portrait of the De Luca founder."

Elenia nodded.

She repeated the directions silently.

"First staircase. Left at the portrait."

"Correct."

Clara looked at her shoes.

"You've never done household work before, have you?"

Elenia hesitated.

"I've helped at home."

"That's not what I asked."

Elenia lowered her eyes.

"No."

Clara sighed.

"Then today will be difficult."

Elenia tightened her grip around the bucket.

"I'll try."

Clara's expression softened for only a second.

"Don't try. Learn."

Elenia nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned and walked away.

This time, she followed the directions carefully.

---

The west wing was enormous.

Elenia stared at the corridor in disbelief.

How was one person supposed to clean all of this?

She set down the bucket.

"Just start."

She dipped the cloth into the water and began wiping the nearest table.

Five minutes later, she realized she had forgotten to wring the cloth properly.

Water dripped onto the polished floor.

She quickly wiped it.

Then she moved to the windows.

They were much taller than the windows in the Romano mansion.

She struggled to reach the upper sections.

She stretched.

The cloth slipped from her hand.

It landed on the floor.

Elenia sighed.

"This is harder than it looks."

She picked it up and continued.

A few minutes later, another maid walked past.

She stopped.

"You're doing it wrong."

Elenia turned.

"What?"

"You're using too much water."

"Oh."

The woman pointed toward the bucket.

"Use less."

"Okay."

"And don't use that cloth for the wooden surfaces."

Elenia looked down at the cloth.

"Which one should I use?"

The maid stared at her.

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

Elenia's face heated.

"No."

The woman shook her head and walked away.

Elenia stood there for a moment.

Then she took a breath.

"Fine."

She picked up another cloth.

She would learn.

She had no choice.

Because this was her life now.

And whether she liked it or not, she would have to find a way to survive it.