Love Me Or I Die

CHAPTER 12

She hugged her knees in a daze as she stared at the portrait hanging on the wall. She felt embarrassed. Looking at Sophia, she felt lost.

There was a soreness between her thighs as she got off the bed. She placed her hand on her stomach and her eyes teared up. Two streaks of tears fell like beads.

She shouldn’t be Lucia now. Instead, she should be called Crybaby. When did she become one, anyway?

Walking into the bathroom, it smelled of shower foam—green tea. Did he like this scent? She made a mental note to remember everything.

Then she showered. As warm water gushed on her body, she looked down and saw the bruises on her body. The process had been brutal, but she had already known it, hadn’t she?

She walked out after a change of clothing, and her pale complexion revealed how unhealthy she was. As she picked up a rag, she had not forgotten that to an outsider she was the wife of the CEO of Daniel's Enterprise. To Daniel, however, she was a w***e who warmed his bed at night and a maid in this villa.

She took her time to move around. There was a newspaper which made its daily appearance in the room. Every headline written was about him. While he may be married, no one had treated him so. He had endless scandals, and he constantly had a new female companion beside him.

She put her hand down and sighed as she opened one side of the window. The cold breeze drifted in and blew on her face but inside her heart, she was already moist.

The sound of an opened door came from the doorway. The maid was watching television in her seat. She put her snack down thinking it was her master. She then tidied her clothes and deliberately revealed a flattering smile. From the looks of it, she had not taken Daniel's warning yesterday with any seriousness.

A bully will always be a bully, and it was addictive.

When the door opened, the smile on her face froze.

“Mr. James. Mrs. James…”

Her lips barely moved. She saw Mr. James staring at Lucia who had half her body out of the window. What was she doing? A daughter-in-law of their family was actually wiping the window while this maid, dressed like a p********e, stood there. If one was not aware, one would have thought that she was the mistress of the house.

Dora glanced at Lucia and she blinked her eyes in unbelief. What had happened here? What exactly was her son up to?

While David, on the other hand, was already fuming.

“Mr. James, I…” Sally’s face twisted with apprehension, and she stuttered as she spoke.

Upon hearing the door, Lucia turned her head around. Two elders stood in the doorway—they were Daniel’s parents. She had seen them more than once, but she wasn’t on familiar terms with them nor were they strangers to her.

She removed her gloves and set the rag down before walking towards them.

“Dad… Mom, you have come.” It sounded somewhat unnatural and strange to address them like that. It had been a long time ago since she addressed someone in that way, especially the word ‘Dad’.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she walked over to tidy up the table. Every action had seemed so natural, like there was nothing odd about it. Sally, on the other hand, stood rooted on the spot. She was clearly unsure of what she should be doing.

“Dad, Mom. Please sit down.” She stood up. Dora tugged at David’s shirt. He was apparently still fuming as he gave Sally a hard stare. The people he hated most were the ones who acted above their status. She was just a maid. Who did she think she was? How dare she climb above her employers?

Even if she was not their preferred choice for a daughter-in-law, no one was allowed to insult her.

Lucia merely smiled, but it was not a pretty one and her face vaguely showed traces of exhaustion.

“Dad, Mom, please take a seat while I’ll fetch two cups of tea for you.” She smiled apologetically and walked into the kitchen. While Sally finally knew what was her retribution today. She was so used to giving orders that she clearly had no idea of what she was supposed to do or how she should act according to her status.

David’s expression darkened. A pair of sharp and brown eyes revealed too many stories. His son may not be simple, neither was the father.

“Who told you to behave like such? Tell me. Did our family employ you to be a maid or to rule over Daniel?” His sudden crispy voice caused the maid to shudder violently. She tightly gripped her blouse and her hands kept fidgeting.

“Y—yes… S—sir…” She lowered her head in fear and wondered where she stood in this family. In their eyes, she will always be just a maid.

Dora tugged at her husband's shirt and shook her head. That seemed to redirect his attention to the contents on the table fronting them. He knew it! This must be the making of his idiotic son. Otherwise, she would not be bold enough to act like this.

Lucia emerged from the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. She served them the tea. “Dad, Mom, please have some tea.” She smiled a rather faint smile. There was no hint of charm or flattery in her tone, only the natural display of her good manners—respect towards the elderly. After so many years of living under her family’s roof, she realized one thing: if one does not like you, no matter what you do, one will still dislike you.

It will only incur more displeasure.

“Who made you do all this?” David’s brow lifted. Compared to his son, it had more years and depth to it.

“I wanted to do it. It is a good exercise.” She had no grievances to tell and thus no guilt to hide.

She had willingly done everything.

Her smile appeared absentminded. That smile only made one’s heart ache for her.

Dora lifted her cup and placed it at her lips. She took a sip and the taste surprised her. It tasted good. And this child did not seem to be what others had described. Did she really kill her own sister?

Lucia saw the look of doubt flickering in Dora’s eyes. She could not help but let her sadness show. Sophia’s death will follow her forever. No matter what she did, everyone was convinced that she had murdered her. Moreover, she had the right motives, didn’t she?

Because she loved Daniel. Thus, she was willing to kill her sister for a man.

She was inhuman. She was ungrateful. She was vicious. She had heard too much.

She could not stop them from thinking about what they wanted to. She had a clear conscience and will calmly accept the surveying look from Dora. As long as she did nothing wrong, she did not have to feel guilty about anything.

It stunned Dora for a second. She had little contact with Lucia, but Sophia, she knew well. Frankly, she did not like Sophia because of her high and mighty temperament. She was too fragile yet over-bearing. Dora had no choice because she was the one her son had chosen. On the other hand, the aura from Lucia was not so. She had a weird feeling she had missed something.

"How can you do a maid’s work? Did you forget your status? We can employ as many maids as we want. You do not have to do the chores!” David’s face reddened. He was furious. Dora tugged at his shirt and gave him a deadly stare. He barely met her eyes. He did not have a choice. As formidable as he may look, he had a great weakness—he was afraid of his wife.

No, it was not fear. It was love.

Lucia did not reply because she knew no matter what she said, David would still be upset. Was there really a difference between a young mistress and a maid? Most likely in Daniel's opinion, she was not even a maid.

“Dad, Mom, have you had your meal?” She forced herself to smile and looked at Mr. and Mrs. James. It was their first time in the mansion, and they are also her in-laws.

“No need to fuss. We are only here to visit our son” David glared, but then he was viciously pinched on his waist. He turned and looked at his wife in pain. She was violent.

“I’m sorry. Dad, Mom. He had been really busy lately. Which was why we did not have the time to go for a visit.” She had meant every word. There was no hint of flattery. As a daughter-in-law, it was not proper for the parents to make the trip.

Daniel was really busy at work. He had been busy humiliating and torturing the woman who had killed his fiance.

She tried to smile but failed miserably. Instead, looking a bit dazed and absent-minded.

“Lucia, come and sit beside me.” Dora could feel her eyes tearing up. This child was suffering. She knew her son better than anyone. She suspected he had an ulterior motive when he wanted to marry her. And she had been spot on.

Lucia remained standing. She was vaguely unsure of what she should do. Very seldom had someone speak to her in such a manner. In her family's household, there was only place for her to stand.

All of a sudden, she could not handle the situation.

“How could you be so stupid? She asked you to sit. So sit.” David's voice deepened.

Lucia's mouth was slightly agape. But she sat beside Dora. It felt awkward.

“Lucia, tell me. Has my son been treating you well?” Dora abruptly held onto her hand and realized her fingertips were ice cold.

Was she in shock? Or afraid?

Lucia’s body lightly shuddered. There was warmth coming from her stomach. It came from Dora. A mother. Even though this was not her biological mother, she thought all mothers’ love should be the same.

She nodded her head lightly and managed to force a smile. “He treats me very well.” She purposely lowered her head, hiding reluctant tears under her long eyelashes.

“Very well indeed.” Yes, he treated her brutally well.

“That’s good.” Dora patted her hand. She was surprised that she actually liked this girl, even her smile and shyness. Everyone knew that her family had a beautiful and adorable daughter, Sophia. But no one knew she had an older sister who was really a refreshingly pure and honest girl.

As soon as he saw the look of satisfaction in his wife’s eyes, David merely pursed his lips tight. He could not bring himself to like his daughter-in-law who became a maid. However, when he thought of this, it became clear to him who had made it happen.

It was that rascal son of his.

The sound of the door opening came from the doorway. Daniel stood in the doorway, looking very smart in his suit. Something flashed in his eyes the moment he saw his guests.

He set his briefcase down. He looked slightly exhausted as he pursed his thin lips.

“Dad, Mom, what brings you here?” He sat down, natural and relaxed. However, he glimpsed at Lucia intentionally or otherwise.

She had become bold and knew how to complain.

“You didn’t come over for a visit, so we thought we should come over and see how you’re doing. You cast your parents aside and did not care about us. What were you thinking?” David looked up and looked straight into his son's eyes. His son had been outstanding. The company expanded under his leadership, and their total assets grew almost three times in estimation. Even enabling the company to gain a position in foreign countries. He may be outstanding, but he also had a temper to match.

And he had inherited his temper from his father.

“Mmm. I will pay more attention next time. Once the recently launched project in the company is completed, I will make more trips back home.”

He had called that place home. While he had treated this villa as a hotel, he even had a free p********e at his disposal. Lucia blinked. A look of self-mockery flashed past her eyes.

“Daniel, we just missed you too much.” Dora couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at her son. To tell the truth, she did not miss him. She was only worried that he might have done something that he would regret in the future. She knew her son was hard-headed and can be set in his ways on occasions.

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve made you worry.” He shed his mask of aloofness in front of his mother. He might not have laughed as much, but that was acceptable. His character was always like that.

“Alright. It is getting late and we should get going.” Dora stood up and tugged at her husband’s shirt. While he wanted to reprimand his son, he was forced to keep his mouth shut.

He stopped in his tracks when he was at the doorway. He looked at the dumbfounded maid and unhappily said, “Daniel, the next time I come, I don’t want to see this woman. She does not know her status and made your woman do a maid’s chores. If word gets out, it will be such an embarrassment for us.” He gave Sally a quick and cold glance. There was an undeniable command in his voice. Both father and son were hard-headed in their own respective methods. One should not point at the other.

“I know what to do, Dad.” Daniel merely stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. One might have mistaken his casual stance as idle but that did not mask the strength coming from him.

The door closed once again. The room fell into an awkward silence. Sally wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. That woman…

“Come with me.” Daniel removed his hands from his pockets and undo the top button on his shirt collar. He dislikes being ordered, and he hates being threatened. What he hated the most was someone putting up a false pretense of being innocent to gain pity.

Lucia lowered her head and followed him. She occasionally looked up. On her long eyelashes, something dark and shadowy lurked.

The door closed again. It was the door to their bedroom.

Sally wiped the sweat off her forehead with her hand. She leaned against the wall, and her face had paled. It was her first time meeting the dynamic father and son. As if she just thought of something, she hurriedly grabbed the rag that Lucia had been using and continued from where she had stopped. Actually, this was what she was supposed to do.

Once they were in the room, Daniel abruptly turned around and gripped Lucia’s slender shoulders. He pinned her to the wall. The impact made her feel nauseous.

“Talk. What have you told them?” He narrowed his eyes and exerted more strength on her shoulders. If she really said something, anything, then don’t blame him for being ruthless.