Bounded by Duty

Chapter 14: Buried Assumption

Amaya’s POV

For the umpteenth time today.

I woke up to my dad's calls, not just a missed call, but calls.

At this point, he might’ve come into my dream to call me, because tell me why I woke up to twenty missed calls.

Twenty goddamn missed calls!

I decided to call him back this time.

“Where the hell have you been? Were you intentionally ignoring my calls?”

The moment I heard his voice, I regretted calling him back. I should have known, right?

“Good day to you too, Dad. Yes, I'm fine. I slept peacefully. It was a good nap. I even woke up with nice pillow marks on my face,”

I rolled my eyes. I knew he didn’t care.

“How’s the plan going? How close are you to getting them?”

I'm just a tool to him. He doesn’t give two f***s about me.

“I'm still in the honeymoon phase, Dad. We’re both at home.”

“Honeymoon? Honeymoons are for couples that are in love. Not arranged!”

He sounded agitated, like the idea personally offended him.

“I just received news that he’s in the office today.”

Damn. I didn’t think he had an informant.

“Dad, please. Do you want a clean job or do you want to get caught?”

He went silent for a moment before responding.

“I want a clean job, Amaya… but I want it as fast as possible. Don’t forget what’s on the line.”

“I won’t forg—”

He hung up before I could even finish my sentence.

Sometimes, God help me. I want to strangle my own father. Just once.

You know… intrusive thoughts.

But I’m not there yet. No, I’m not that type of person.

It’s just noon, and again I have nothing else to do. I can’t keep staying in this house every day.

My so-called husband has dropped the honeymoon facade and gone back to work.

I don’t even know what’s stopping me from returning to mine.

And I can’t quite process this new trust and friendship I’m supposedly building with Nathan.

If I want to stay married for two years before divorcing him, I need a strong backup.

Nathan’s the only option. Ethan won’t even bat an eye for me.

I need to start making plans now before those two years fly by. Because if I don’t, I might just end up hunted down and killed by someone’s twin.

“Just smile, be nice, and everything will turn out well.”

I reassured myself in the mirror.

“Just hang on there, Amaya. You can do it,” I reaffirmed.

I stared back at my reflection and forced a smile.

“I'll be fine,” I whispered.

I needed to get out—for my own sanity.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and found a beautiful young girl there, refilling condiment containers and sorting spices from the grocery bags on the counter.

“Hey, beautiful.”

My voice must’ve startled her, because she jumped.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I haven’t seen you around here since I came in.”

“That’s because I don’t work here. I only come in once a week to see my mom.”

She rolled her eyes gently.

“Ohhh… I don’t think I’ve met your mom.”

I walked around the kitchen to grab an apple from the fridge.

“Of course, you wouldn’t remember the servants who help lessen your burden and take care of the house,”

She muttered under her breath.

I blinked.

“What did you say?” I asked, just to be sure.

“What? Did you hear something?” she asked, looking around innocently—like she hadn’t just insulted me to my face.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

A heavy breath escaped instead as I turned and walked out of the kitchen.

.

My shoulders fell back, heavy with disappointment.

I was happy to see her in the kitchen. I thought__just for a second, that I finally had someone I could relate to.

But she clearly didn’t like me.

And now I can’t stop wondering… why?

Looking around the house, it hit me. I’m locked in.

I can see the gate, but I can’t walk through it.

I can’t even have a decent conversation with anyone—not even the staff.

Did Ethan say something about me? Something crazy?

Fueled by that thought, I turned on my heel and marched back to the kitchen. Head and shoulders high.

“Hey! You don’t like me, do you?”

I held my breath, letting the words leave my mouth.

I needed to know why everyone avoided me like the plague.

Even the ugliest person alive couldn’t have been avoided like this.

She turned to face me, her eyes cold, burning with something else, too.

Jealousy? Or… love?

“Funny you’re just figuring that out.”

The words hit like a slap, but I wanted to know more.

“Why? We’ve never met. I’ve known you for, what, twenty minutes?”

“Why?” she laughed dryly.

“Because you're full of yourself and don’t know how to treat people.”

I flinched, blinking quickly to hide the sting.

Her voice didn’t raise, but her words were like daggers piercing through me.

“Everyone in the house doesn’t like you. They only respect you because of Mr. Nathan. You think you’re better than everyone else, but your character? It’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen. And your heart?”

She looked at me all over, disgusted.

“I’m sure it’s worse. Your brain? I don’t even want to imagine.”

“You’re the worst match for him. I’m sure he had no other choice but to settle for your bossy-ass self. And you know what? I fear he already regrets marrying you.”

She took two steps forward, now face to face with me.

Her eyes… they didn’t just glare. They burned.

Not the kind of fire that warms. The kind that scorches and melts everything, every wall down.

“I haven’t heard one good thing about you. And do you know the worst of it all?”

She paused.

I stood there, livid, my mouth hanging open, heart racing as I tried to breathe. Just breathe.

I reminded myself

She kept going like loose gunfire, and I was honestly shocked she had more to say about someone she barely knew. About me.

“You don’t deserve what you have. You don’t even know the value of the position you’re sitting in. I can smell the entitlement on you from a mile away. You’re two-faced. Miserable. You think life revolves around you but—”

“LIV!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?”