The Billionaire Maid: Christmas with the Devil and his Wife

Leila’s POV The mansion had always been the same. The marble tiles gleamed from the soft rays sifting through the open windows. The thick Persian rug muffled the quick steps of the house staff, as they went about their duties. However the wall, a dull grey usually adding a dark ambiance to the mansion, now seemed to be softened by the long strands of twinkling fairy lights, rich green garlands, and bold crimson ribbons draped along the corridors. Tall trees stood proudly in the corners of the hallway and beside the grand staircase, their branches decorated in gold and red, its lights reflecting off the floors and glass windows, making the entire place sparkle like a dream. It was that time of the year, when the entire mansion felt magical. Christmas. I embraced the chilly air, which wasn’t stifling but it still made it hard for me to breathe. I watched the female staff giggle as they walked past, turning around to steal admiring glances at the beautiful man in the lobby. It was always like this every time he visited. I knew the maids bickered amongst themselves who’d tend to him. All apart from Ms. Vane, my personal maid. My young mind couldn’t comprehend why at first. He appealed even to thirteen year old me. Maybe because she was older and didn’t find men like him attractive. Still… His well tailored suit fit his toned frame snuggly, his long muscular legs filling out his fitted pants. With his slick blonde pompadour, he looked like the hot actors in the magazines I read. He stood calmly, his fingers swiping across the screen of the phone in his large palm. Eric Barrington, my father’s most trusted business partner. He was no dumb fine boy. He was calculative, strategic and a risk taker, according to Dad. Those didn’t matter to me though. Dad had first brought him home four years ago, and I fell in love. That afternoon, I’d been upstairs. My elbows rested on the bannister, my palms cupping my cheeks. Thirteen-year-old me couldn’t take her eyes off him. My mind ran with multiple scenarios of him at the altar while I walked up to him in a flowing white dress. I would be older and he’d remain the same. A man like him could never age. That stunning angular face would look at me with pure joy and longing. “Ms. Reise…” Ms. Vane called from a doorway behind me. At the same time, his eyes snapped up and those electric blue eyes stared at me. My hands dropped and my spine straightened. I felt like a deer caught in headlights. My breath stilled and sweat from nowhere peppered my nape. He held my gaze, the corner of his lips tugging up in a gentle smile. Then he lifted his free hand and waved at me, mouthing a ‘hello.’ I smiled back and lowered my gaze, certain that my cheeks were now a bright pink. Before I could react though, Ms. Vane tugged at my arms, pulling me out of my trance. “I leave you for one second and you disappear on me.” She chided. But when she looked downstairs, she turned back to me with a knowing smile. “I see now, eh?” Yes, I’d run out of my room as soon as I heard the distinct roar of Mr. Barrington’s dark green Lambo racing down our very long driveway. He’d always join us for lunch on Saturdays. Afterwards, he and Dad retired to the study to go over the company’s weekly stats. “He can’t see you like this…” too late. “...you haven’t even showered yet,” she said, almost aloud. However, the ceilings were too high and the echo carried. He must’ve heard but I was too embarrassed to peek and make sure. Why hadn’t I freshened up first? Only today was Thursday and I was still in my school uniform. He rarely visited on the weekdays. Of course, I wasn’t expecting him. But I wasn’t complaining. Any day to set eyes on him was a treat. “Come on, child. Let’s get you cleaned up. Your bath is ready.” Ms. Vane gently pulled me along. I turned around one more time, to wave at him. But he was already gone, walking into the sitting room, my Dad’s arm around his neck. In less than five minutes, I was freshly showered and in a towel. I sat at my dresser, running a comb through my slightly damp hair. A large zit on my forehead caught my attention. Why why why? I almost cried as I pressed a pimple patch over it. “Do you like this, Miss Reise?” Ms. Vane asked from the other side of my bedroom. I’d looked up to find her holding up a woollen long sleeve gown, smiling patronisingly. She’d already known I wouldn’t go for that, especially with Mr. Hotshot in the building, but the plea in her smile was evident. Shaking my head, I dropped the comb, then approached her. Scanning the outfits she’d laid out on my queen sized bed, I didn’t find any that suited my mood for the day. I turned around and stepped into my walk-in closet, Ms. Vane closely behind me. My eyes caught an olive strapless playsuit. I simply pointed to it and the taller lady pulled it down for me. Her eyes rounded as she stared down at me. “You can’t be serious.” She gasped incredulously and I nodded. She shook her head, her fingers running down the silk material. “Child, it’s cold out today.” “Well, we can turn on the heating,” I countered. “Miss Reise…” she wanted to say but my arms were folded and my lips in a firm pout. “Dad would ensure I’m comfortable.” He would do anything for me, I had believed. She smiled widely, the crinkles in the corner of her eyes deepening. “I’m sure he would. However, you could still get a chill. We’re deep into winter. Something thick…” she pulled a cashmere two piece, “... is much better.” “Ms. Vane, I’ll be fine.” I insisted and she dropped it. I swiftly changed into the chiffon playsuit and sat down by the dresser for my maid to finish up my hair. Her deft fingers worked my tight red curls, about to put all my hair in a ponytail when I stopped her. “I’d like a side-part please.” “Okay.” “And some hair over my face please, to hide the zit,” I added and her eyes met mine in the mirror but not a word. As soon as she clasped the thin gold chain around my neck, I bolted out the room, down the stairs to the dining room. However, there was no one at the table. “Is Dad not joining me?” I asked the butler who was setting the table for one. “No, miss. He’s in a meeting.” Just as he said that, the door to the library swung open. I jumped out of my chair and rushed to the doorway when Dad marched out. The frown etched on his face was unlike any I’d seen before. “Get out!” His voice boomed. Dad never shouted like that, not even when the stock dropped. What’s happened? “I cannot believe I let a snake like you into my company, my life…” My ears rang. The walls seemed to vibrate with his fury. Who was he referring to? “You would do this to me? I trusted you!” Dad’s eyes were bloodshot. “Mr. Reise, if we can talk…” “I took you under my wings, brushed you until you became a diamond… And what do you do, Eric? Go behind my back to ruin me, take it all from me? The empire I built for my daughter?” It was torturing to hear the painful echo in Dad’s voice. Mr. Barrington? I refused to believe the source of my father’s anger was the one man he spoke highly of, the ruthless businessman Dad would do anything with, my first crush. Even when it was in the news the following week, that Dad was under investigation for fraud and his company was under a new CEO, I still couldn’t process it. Until one night, a month later, the butler had found Dad in his study. An open bottle of his insomnia pills scattered on his desk. He couldn’t bear the pain anymore, he had overdosed.