Owned By My Step Brother

Chapter 23 - Quitting the library

Alice's Point Of View

“Good Morning, princess,” Reynolds whispered softly, kissing my forehead as he got out of bed.

I opened my eyes just enough to get a glimpse of what was going on.

He stepped out of bed quietly, took a shower, and left the room.

Only then did I slowly open my eyes fully, rolling to the opposite side of the bed

“You have a job now,” I reminded myself as I dragged my body out of bed.

I sat down and turned towards the bedside table expectantly.

It was empty, there was no tea or note, and I frowned slightly before turning my attention to the fact that I was going to be late on my first day if I didn't run to the shower.

“I thought you were running late on your first day,” Mrs Charles joked, her eyes lighting up as she saw me.

“Good Morning, Ma’am,” I greeted happily, shooting her a knowing smile.

The day passed without incident. The work of an assistant librarian was harder than I had expected, but not too difficult.

I helped those who came to read to find the right aisles and organized a few books and other files.

“Aunty Alice, will you be back tomorrow?” Emilia asked expectantly, her little eyes staring up at me.

She and a few other children had been the highlight of my day.

“Of course, Emilia, I will see you tomorrow,” I responded delightedly, patting her head gently as her mother picked her up.

I had discovered the children's section in the afternoon and spent the rest of my day there.

Emilia and the others had become the light to my otherwise dark sky.

“You already have little friends,” Mrs Charles said with a cheerful smile.

“I'm sorry for letting you handle everything else; the children took all my attention,” I said in a low tone, lowering my eyes.

“No need to apologize to Alice, we needed help with the children anyway, besides, there is not much else to do,” she said calmly, tapping my shoulder and motioning to our usual bench.

We ate and laughed, ending the day as delightfully as it began.

“Alice, we need to talk,” My mom said sternly, her brows furrowed as I walked into our garden.

“What is it, Mom?” I asked impatiently, tapping my foot on the floor.

Based on her previous complaints, I assumed she wanted to make more comments about the time I was coming back, which was quite early for a girl my age if you asked me, but I was in for a rude shock.

“You need to quit your job at the library,” she said firmly, her eyes looking everywhere but at me.

Her words hit me like a bag of bricks. I blinked a few times, letting her words fully register.

“I don't understand,” I said flatly, staring blankly at her.

“You need to quit your job at the library,” she repeated her words fully, still not meeting my gaze.

She sounded crazy for many reasons, but I wanted to understand her a little more before I told her what was on my mind.

“Why would I want to do that? ” I asked defiantly, staring her down.

“It's not what a girl like you should do,” She answered vaguely, staring at the ground.

I let out a bitter laugh with hot tears streaming down my face.

I couldn't believe she wanted me to quit my job, the one she didn't help me get, for such a petty reason.

“How dare you?” I asked angrily, my anger beginning to boil.

“How dare you say such a thing? Do you really have no shame?” I screamed fiercely, looking into her eyes.

Silence was my answer; she stared at me for a long time before walking away.

I couldn't believe what had just happened, but I was determined not to let her ruin my good day.

Reynolds was nowhere to be found, and for some reason, it made me uncomfortable, but I was too tired to care.

“I need to leave here as soon as possible,” I muttered mindlessly, sleep engulfing me immediately after my back hit the bed.

“s**t…shit…shit!” I cursed hurriedly as I rushed out of my room.

“I'm so sorry I overslept,” I apologized profusely, as I dropped my bag and helped Mrs Charles with the cleaning.

She was unusually quiet and only nodded when I tried to explain to shut me up.

Her radiant smile was gone, replaced by a distant and unreadable expression.

I tried to make small talk, hoping to break the ice as the day progressed, but all my efforts were futile.

“Where are you going?” Mrs Charles' voice was harsh and controlling.

“Emilia and some of her friends are here. I want to help them,” I responded calmly, halting in my tracks and turning towards her.

“There is no need for that,” she replied flatly, motioning to a pile of books.

“Sort those out,” she ordered firmly, turning her attention to someone else.

“I'm sorry, Ma’am, I don't quite understand what you are saying,” I replied calmly, my eyes widening.

“Do your job, Alice,” she said harshly, slamming her fist on the table.

The noise echoed through the entire library, drawing the attention of everyone.

Embarrassed and hurt, I nodded slowly and began to sort out the pile of books Mrs Charles had instructed me to sort with tears in my eyes.

The rest of the day was worse than I had ever imagined.

“Let's go, this place isn't safe,” one mother said slyly, shooting me death stares.

Emilia kept her distance from me, not even daring to meet my eyes.

I didn’t understand why or how things had changed so much, but it terrified me

It was finally closing time, and I couldn't wait to go back home.

The library used to be a breath of fresh air, but now it was too suffocating for me.

“Is there any other thing you want me to do, Ma'am?” I asked quietly, my former confidence evaporating.

Mrs Charles didn't respond to me at first; she scanned the library to ensure there was no one left and took a deep breath.

“Alice dear,” she said in a low tone, her eyes softening.

Her sudden change in demeanor caught me off guard, and I stared at her blankly.

“I will answer all your questions, just come with me,” she said quietly, taking my hand and leading me to a part of the library I didn't recognize.

And now I was afraid of whatever secrets she was willing to spill.