The lady with Ambitions

Chapter 7

Irene immediately changed into her work attire after returning from school. I go out with the list of things I need to accomplish for my shift tonight in my hand, my hair already in a low ponytail.

I felt depleted and empty.

I don't remember having any thoughts when I headed to the cleaning cupboard and grabbed everything I needed to clean the rooms. Mrs. Carmen informed me that I would have to continue cleaning the bedrooms until the other maid recovered.

I prayed none of them would be in their rooms.

"Hey, you." A deep voice resonates in my ear, and I glance up, feeling my body utterly freeze as I see Ace approaching me.

He appeared to be dressed to go hang out with buddies. His thick hair was pulled back, and he wore a cream-coloured Burberry sweatshirt and black jeans.

"Um..h..hi, Mr. Ace," I spoke hesitantly. I undoubtedly looked mad with my untidy hair and a bunch of cleaning goods in my arms.

"You keep avoiding me, why?" He asks, his hands in his pockets as he stands a few steps away from me, and I wrinkle my brows. Why did it matter if I avoided him or not? It wasn't like we knew each other.

"I. I only work here, w..why does it matter if I'm avoiding you." I respond, observing the slight smirk that spreads over his face.

He had the kind of smile that brightened anyone's day, and you couldn't help but smile back.

Except for myself, I can't recall how many times I've smiled in my life, but I doubt it's even reached 10.

"I think you're interesting, just being friendly." He shrugs and looks down at my arms, which are trying to hold all of the cleaning materials in place.

"Do you need help with that?" He asks, pulling his hands out of his pockets as he approaches me, but I swiftly back away, shaking my head no and readjusting the items in my arms.

"I. I am alright. "Thank you," I mumble, staring at the marble floor.

Why doesn't he just leave me alone? I shouldn't be chatting to him because he is so different from me. I was just the nasty girl from a dirty place with no significance to her name. I was simply another waste of space; there was nothing I could contribute to the world.

It was quiet for a while, and for a brief second, I assumed he'd left, become bored with me, or something. But when I glance up and see those ocean eyes looking back at me with the same curious gaze he'd had when I first met him, I feel something. And I rarely feel anything; everything has always seemed hollow to me.

Why did he make me feel as if my presence was wanted? As if I were not simply another bother?

"You can barely hold onto those, I don't mind helping you," he begins, and my eyes widen when he suddenly grabs a bunch of goods into his arms.

"Have you never had a friend before?" He chuckles, staring down at my stunned gaze. His filthy blonde hair went to the side, and his head followed. I tried to evade his attention, but it was difficult since no one, no male, had ever looked at me like that.

I was perplexed.

I swallow the knot in my throat and look at the goods he now has in his arms.

"Why do you want to be my friend?" "Nothing is intriguing about me. I reply, attempting to take the items from his arms, but he quickly dodges me, a laugh escapes his lips at my futile attempt.

I grimace at him, feeling my perplexity increase even more.

"Nobody ever avoids me. Everyone typically wants to talk to me, but you're always running away from me." He says this with an inquisitive expression in his eyes as he examines my face.

Didn't he see the unsightly bruise on my eye? My unclean clothes? My nails, which had never been manicured? My unkempt hair? What did it matter if I avoided him?

But why did I want to talk to him more? Perhaps I might become friends with Ace...

I almost laughed out loud at my absurd notions.

"I. I apologise, Mr. Ace, but I think I should get back to work." "I say, reaching for the supplies again." I don't even have time to think as my breath is sucked out of my lungs as I trip over myself, all of the supplies scattered on the ground as I land in a set of strong arms around my own.

My eyes widen as I gaze up at Ace, who appears as surprised by our situation.

For a few while, I felt my heartbeat quicken, and my cheeks flushed as more blood raced to my face.

My body couldn't help but become agitated; I'd never attracted a guy's attention, let alone one as handsome as this.

A loud explosion directs our attention to the devil himself, who has forcibly unlocked the front door, a black motorcycle helmet securely clenched in his damaged hand as he walks in with a bloodied face.

His grey eyes pass over our position, and I detect a little twitch of his jaw as he looks over at Ace before continuing up the enormous staircase.

Ace had not even shown surprise at his brother's condition, as if it were a common occurrence.

I clear my throat and glance down at Ace's hands, which are securely clasped around my arm. He swiftly lets go of me, and I return to my regular stance before crouching down to pick up the dropped goods.

"I apologise. I apologise for disrupting you at work. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay? He says this while assisting me in picking up the items.

He sounded different, quieter. It didn't appear like Caden and Ace were very close, and when Ace met Caden, his entire demeanour shifted.

I could only wonder what had transpired between them to produce such tension.

" Sure." I nod my head. A little smile crosses his face, and his eyes travel to the stairs. Caden had only just approached before turning away.

My attention follows his back as I see him walk out of the door into an expensive automobile blaring loud music and crowded with his pals, who had been waiting eagerly outside.

I tilt my head to the side, and for a minute, my thoughts revolved about Ace. I was wondering how a person like him could be interested in me, but then I remembered that I needed to clean Caden's room, which he had just stepped into.

And that revelation alone wrecked my night.

I recall his enraged grey eyes blazing into me in the cafeteria after I spilt my meal all over his clothing.

I was dead.

I couldn't even concentrate on cleaning when I was finished with the other rooms. I had gone as slowly as possible, thinking that as the clock approached midnight, he would have fallen asleep or departed to join whatever group he appeared to be a member of.

But all my dreams were dashed since as soon as I opened the door, his dark, brooding eyes fell on me.

I merely stood in the doorway, perplexed about what I had to do. Mrs. Carmen never informed me what I should do if they were in the room. Was I meant to keep cleaning?

I despised the way he looked at me compared to Ace.

He gazed at me as if I were an open book, able to read every emotion and discern if I was lying through my teeth or not. I despised his mocking glance and the fact that he knew I was afraid of his mere presence.

"Aren't you going to work?" He orders rather than asks, his dark stare shifting from me to the newest iPhone in his cut-up palm.

I feel my face twist up at his bloodied, battered appearance. Had his parents not known about the most probable illicit acts he engaged in?

" Yes. I apologise, Mr. Caden. I murmur as I set down my belongings, nervously heading toward the spot I was most afraid of.

I begin cleaning, attempting to ignore his presence while focusing on getting the floor as shiny as possible.

After a time, I couldn't take his gaze on my every move any longer, and I felt myself taking a big breath while attempting not to think about it too much.

I was frightened that if I turned my head to face him, he'd shoot me right there as if he'd been waiting for me to gaze up at him before firing. Or beat me up out of nowhere, as Sydney did when he became bored with me.

The ideas running through my thoughts just became worse, to the point where I didn't realise I was even cleaning until I felt Caden's tall form looming over my hunched-down body, which had been cleaning the same location for who knows how long.

My eyes meet his own, and my pulse races with panic as my hands freeze in their grasp on the cleaning rag.

"D..do you need anything?" I ask, carefully sliding the cloth in front of my chest to create a barrier between us when he abruptly kneels in front of me.

I swallow a knot in my throat as he scans my face, his gaze falling on my injured eye, which had only become worse over time.

"I never took you as the type to get into fights," Caden replies in a hoarse voice. His gaze never leaves mine own, even for a fleeting second.

I could hardly make out words as I attempted to understand what was going on. He appeared much furious up close, his dark hair tangled and his jaw clenched as he gazed down at me.

"I. I didn't...it wasn't.." I don't even have time to finish speaking when his fingers brush over my bruise, causing a faint gasp to escape my lips.

I hiss in pain as he applies pressure to the bruise and moves away from his enormous hand. He would not torment me, would he?

"Who did this to you." He instructs with no passion in his voice.

"N.N...none," I mumble, noting a tiny slant in his eyes due to my reluctant response. He knew I was lying, but he didn't bother asking me as he rose and walked back over to fetch his phone before exiting the room.

I let out a relaxed sigh, attempting to comprehend his perplexing acts. I couldn't comprehend him, but it seemed he could look right through me.