Invisible
1494 Words
Silver came to consciousness with her heart thumping hard; someone was in her room. She refrained from opening her eyes, listening to the intruder's movement.
She heard them walk to the couch, they plopped down on it, and opened what she assumed was a bottle of alcohol. The scent of liquor immediately reached her nose, and Silver grew further unsettled.
She cracked one eye open and squinted in the dark room to recognize the person. It was Maya. Silver sighed.
Pushing up, she stared at her drunk friend in annoyance.
“Maya? What are you doing here?" Silver snapped in irritation, Maya belched loudly, and giggled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.” She cackled.
Frowning, Silver got off the bed and went to flip the light on. Her eyes caught the bedside clock, and she saw that it was 3 AM. What was she doing here?
“Are you okay?" Silver found herself asking as she moved closer to Maya. She didn't look good. She was still in the same clothes she had on when she left the hospital, which was two days ago.
Maya shrugged, swigging her alcohol. Silver reached out and snatched the bottle from her grip despite her protest.
“Give it back," Maya complained, holding her hand out. Silver swatted it as she sat down. Her nose immediately scrunched. Maya reeked of alcohol.
“Maya! What is going on?" Silver was alarmed now. She shook the drunk woman, who just blinked and then burst into tears.
“I'm invisible, Silver. No one sees me. Not my parents or Burke. I used to think you did, but then you left and never once reached out, and now you're back, but for money. No one sees me." Maya continued to wail, and snorts joined her now tear-streaked face.
Silver was rooted in confusion and pain. She swallowed, not understanding what had happened to the fierce and carefree girl she had left behind.
Was this her fault? Did she break Maya in her quest for justice?
Silver pulled the lady closer, shushing her as she continued to wail about being invisible and useless.
“No, Maya. You're not useless or invisible, you are my friend."
Maya continued to cry, and Silver unconsciously joined her, her heart squeezing in her chest. At some point, Maya fell asleep, but Silver kept holding her and didn't let go until the sun was out in the sky.
Her limbs were sore when she finally let go. Gently, Silver removed Maya’s clothes before she went into the bathroom and returned with a bowl of clean water and a small towel.
She cleaned Maya's body as best as she could without waking her up. Afterwards, she slipped a thick robe around her body and covered her with a blanket. Silver proceeded to shower and get ready for the day. She had a meeting with Aaron by 10 AM.
As she left her room, she contemplated dropping by Burke's to check on him, but she didn't want to risk a recurrence of last night. So she went downstairs instead to meet the nurse she had requested from the hospital. At least Maya was around, and there were dozens of staff in the house, too. Burke would be fine.
After briefly interviewing the nurse, she had Rosalie, the other housekeeper who worked closely with her mother, show Cynthia, the new nurse, to her room. As Silver drove to meet Aaron, she couldn't stop smirking.
Burke was going to lose it when he found out she had hired him a live-in nanny.
“We're all good for today, let's meet up at the same time tomorrow, alright?” Aaron said later that afternoon as Silver yawned from exhaustion.
They've had their nose buried in the dynasty's finances all morning. By noon, they went on to work on new strategy plans. Silver was going to bring them up on her first day and meeting at the head office, which was in five days.
Silver practically knew everything to expect, but still, Aaron wanted to prepare her; that was why Bartholomew hired him after all, to be her guide in this new world.
Silver yawned again and called for another cup of coffee. Her sleepless night was finally catching up with her. She had stepped away a few hours ago to check on Maya, but Rosalie said she was still sleeping.
“Alright. But we shouldn't spend this long. I know everything there is to know, already." Silver muttered, but Aaron was already shaking his head even before she finished.
“No, you think you do. But you'd be surprised by what you could find by being thorough. We are meeting tomorrow, and we'll spend as much time as I deem necessary. This is my job, so let me do it, please.” Aaron said emphatically.
Silver rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue. Her coffee arrived, and she blew repeatedly on it before taking a big sip.
“Has Maya come back?" Aaron asked casually, but his tone betrayed him, which made Silver look at him curiously. He wouldn't meet her eyes, though.
“Yes," Silver said, opting not to add more.
“Good." Aaron nodded a little too long for the short word. Silver kept looking at him, unsure what to make of his weird behavior.
She didn't understand the man.
"I should go.” She exhaled, dropping her half-empty cup.
Aaron stood up and walked her to the car, waving her goodbye as she drove off. Silver dropped by the school to check on Mathias, but she was informed he was having a nap, so she decided not to disturb his sleep. She would call him later.
As she drove to the house, Silver's mind roamed. Every day that drew closer to the official announcement of her as the new Co-CEO of the Carrington dynasty made her nervous.
Sure, she was ready, but she was also scared. Targets would immediately be placed on her back, questions would arise, and she would have to adapt to her new environment: she would have to be ruthless and relentless.
She would have to be cold and calculating. She would have to be exactly what she hated; she would have to be Burke and Silver feared she would eventually forget how to be herself after being someone else for a long time.
The car drove through the long, vast compound of the Carrington mansion, and Silver used the moment to gather her thoughts. When she finally parked her car, she was calm.
She walked inside the house and noted that it was quiet. She climbed the stairs, walking to the nurse's room first, but she wasn't in. Silver went to check on Maya, and she was still sleeping. Silver took a finger to her nose to be sure she was still breathing. She exhaled after confirming.
Bracing herself, Silver headed for Burke's room, knocking before pushing the door open.
Her eyes quickly found him in the middle of the bed, and he was dressed, thankfully. His expression was spiteful as she slipped through the door.
“You hired me a babysitter?" Burke spat as soon as she closed the door.
Silver smirked.
"I prefer the word, nanny,” Silver taunted. Burke bristled, wishing he could get off the bed, but the strain he placed on the legs after refusing the nurse's help to shower still hurts.
He couldn't believe Silver hired a total stranger to clean and care for him. He was beyond mortified when the younger lady came in, asking if he was ready to shower.
“I take it you've met her, then." Silver chirped, walking around the room.
“Yes, I met and fired her.” Burke gritted out.
Silver glanced at him in shock, but she recovered just as quickly.
"I'll hire another one.” She muttered with a shrug.
Burke fumed, struggling to keep his cool.
“And I'll fire her too, and the next one, and anyone else you hire."
“Who said it'll be a she?" Silver retorted, c*****g her head.
Burke froze, his eyes widening.
“You wouldn't!" He sputtered, but the firm flattening of her lips said she would.
Burke stared on in shock, not sure what to do at this point, throwing a tantrum clearly wasn't working for her. Maybe it was time to switch tactics.
Swallowing his pride, his face dropped into a forlorn frown as he spoke.
“I'm sorry about yesterday. I promise it won't happen again, just don't hire anyone else, please." He huffed.
Silver couldn't believe her eyes; she gaped at Burke, blinking to be sure she had heard right. She had.
Her face spread into a wide grin while Burke's deepened into a harsh scowl, but Silver couldn't care.
"No, that's not enough. Apologize for firing my mom. You have to call her and beg her to come back. Do that and I'll consider your request."
- Writer
