The lady with Ambitions

Chapter 10

Irene: "W...what?" I..nothing." I stagger out, avoiding eye contact so he doesn't see my fib. Although it was awful enough, I am sure he could tell.

He glances up behind me, focusing on Caden and his mother. As soon as he spotted Caden, his jaw clenched, and his eyes burned with rage as he glared at his brother.

"Do you want to go on a walk with me?" Ace asks me abruptly, still staring at his brother. I look up, surprised by the unexpected words that came out of his mouth.

"W..walk now?" I stutter, staring up at him, puzzled. It was almost one in the morning.

"Yes, now. If not, you may keep haunting my family." Ace jokes as he shrugs and turns around to stroll down a hallway.

"W...why would I want to do that," I remark anxiously, hurrying up to Ace as I begin walking beside his towering frame.

He glances down at me and gives a tiny laugh. I merely looked up at him, perplexed about what was so hilarious.

"I'm surprised you didn't ignore me again, Irene." He says this as he opens the rear door. The cold air touches my skin as we go outdoors, exposing the vast garden in the rear yard.

"I simply don't want to be fired for talking to you. Mrs. Carmen informed me they normally don't hire girls my age due to scandals, and I was afraid she'd misunderstand." I spoke quietly. My eyes couldn't remain still as they darted around the garden, attempting to take in the entire scene.

I took in the sounds of crickets chirping, the wind sweeping through the trees, and the scent of fresh air surrounding me.

I felt as if all of my troubles had vanished; I was at peace.

"Seems like Caden got a reputation with the workers here too." Ace laughs. It wasn't a normal, pleasant chuckle; it sounded irritated.

"Oh...him." I'm merely saying. I wasn't shocked that it was entirely Caden's fault that they needed to be cautious when employing young females.

At the very least, I knew I wouldn't be his next target, but not in the greatest way possible, given his desire to murder me.

I wanted to ask Ace why he had always looked so angry at his brother and what had occurred between them, but I decided it was too intimate a subject to ask, especially as a maid.

"In the cafeteria, when you spilledspiltood on Caden, he didn't say anything to you, right?" Ace inquires as we continue strolling along the road that cuts through the garden.

His gaze was fixed on me as I attempted to find out how to answer that question.

"N...no, he just told me to watch where I'm going," I said, choosing not to discuss anything else that occurred between us.

Ace appeared to be in concentration for a minute, his forehead furrowed as he glanced ahead of him while we walked.

"I. I have a question for you." I blurt out, keeping a close eye on him in case I said anything inappropriate.

He stares down at me, astonished, with a smirk on his face. "Of course, go ahead." He chuckles, and his eyes appear even more blue in the lit-up garden.

"W..why are you talking to me? I'm not intriguing; everyone else at that school despises me, and I'm simply a maid, nothing exceptional." I say this while glancing down at my feet.

My fingers had twisted uncomfortably together again as I waited for him to respond. When he doesn't, I look up to find his sparkling eyes smiling down at me with an amused twinkle in them.

"W..what?" I wonder why he's gazing at me.

"I'm just shocked, that's all." He shrugs, and I pucker my lips, bewildered by his remark.

"What do you mean?" I inquire, feeling a gust of wind rush past my hair. I could feel goosebumps on my arms rising from the icy sensations.

"I hardly know you, yet I already know you're the kindest person I've ever met, timid but easy to talk to, and, of course, gorgeous. I don't see why I, or anyone else, wouldn't want to chat with you. He says, and as I watched him talk, my heart warmed.

No one has ever said anything so sweet to me. I believe my brain was perplexed as to what to say since I had been so accustomed to foul language that I couldn't think of a response.

"T..thanks." is all my head can think of. Ace laughs at my remark, and I can already feel the humiliation rush to my cheeks, which turn scarlet.

"Let's start heading back; you look like you're freezing." He suddenly says something, and I look down at myself, only now realising my arms are securely wrapped over my freezing body.

As we turn back around to face the home, I nod my head and grin a little.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that bruise on your eye, what happened?" He inquires as we approach the door, and I conjure up any plausible tale in my imagination.

"O..oh, I fell down the stairs pretty bad and bruised up my eye." I lie, amazed that he believed it.

"Ouch, that must've hurt like a bitch." He replies, wincing as he examines the bruise more attentively. It did not appear to be as awful as it had been a few days before.

When we heard the cracking of glass, we both turned to face the kitchen. I look up at Ace, but he's already headed into the kitchen.

I follow behind him after locking the back door, letting out a soft gasp when Caden appears.

He was quite inebriated.

His hair was dishevelled, his eyes weren't as icy as they'd usually been, and he appeared exhausted and angry at the same time.

It was as if he was attempting to wage a horrific battle with himself.

Ace watches Caden from the kitchen entry, his hands curled at his side.

"Let's go." Ace mumbles, turns around and walks back down the corridor.

I gaze at Caden again; my head inclined to the side when he establishes eye contact. The blood on his face was now covered by bruises and wounds from what I assumed was a struggle.

He turns away from me, finishing the last of the drink in his palm, and I spin around to catch up with Ace.

"A..aren't you going to help him?" I ask Ace as I catch up to his huge steps, already out of breath.

I don't believe I should have said that; it just made Ace more nervous.

He says, "He doesn't want my help." I could hear the agony in his words, and I furrowed my brow as we walked slowly to my door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight Irene," Ace says, giving me a tiny smile before departing.

I groan and gaze towards where the kitchen had been.

I shake my head as I walk inside my room, recalling that he had threatened me.