11. A NEW TROUBLEMAKER
1379 Words
{LUMIRA}
It was a sunny morning, and I had been worried sick throughout last night that I couldn't get a single moment of sleep.
"What if her abductors never release her?" I asked, my voice trembling with anxiety.
Ma'am Stella had a sour expression, but she gave me a faint, hopeful smile. "They will. Kyro, Vance, and Jett are far more capable than you can imagine. They will go to the end of the world for Mirabel."
"Goodness, I should have declined her offer to get me new pads, this wouldn't have occurred if she stayed at home." I fretted, my mind riddled with worry.
Ma'am Stella took her hand in mine and said softly, "You have to stop worrying, Lumira."
"How can I? They think I'm the reason she got kidnapped."
"You're not." She interjected, her eyes glinting with seriousness. "I was there last night. Moreover, Mirabel wouldn't have listened if you had asked her not to go. She loves croissants. Everyone knows about that."
Oh— Gamma Vance mentioned that earlier.
I thumped my right leg on the ground, my knee bouncing impatiently. The time was 8:07 AM, and Mirabel had been gone since past 9PM last night.
A lot of what-ifs crossed my mind, and I really prayed none of it was true.
Ma'am Stella and I remained in the dining room, now cleaned and tidied. Her phone rested on the dining table, awaiting a call from Gamma Vance who promised to call once she was found.
The suspense in the atmosphere was unreal.
Neither of us knew whether Mirabel would return to the house today.
In the middle of our crisis, the front door flung open.
I jolted to my feet, hoping to see Mirabel emerge from the front door, or rather one of the brothers bearing the news of her situation. Instead, a redhead with curly, bouncy hair strutted in.
Her presence exuded an unspeakable aura, and the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles resonated through the air.
"Shut the door for me, Theo." She said, and a man carrying multiple luggage items surfaced behind her.
He quietly shut the door, struggling with both luggage across the living room.
"Ama," Ma'am Stella said delightfully.
"Hi, Ma'am Stella!" The lady addressed as Ama, had a grin on her face as she sashayed across the living room and engulfed the housekeeper in a warm embrace, "It's so lovely to see you."
"Lovely to see you too," Ma'am Stella responded, still smiling.
They tore apart from each other. That was when the lady, Ama, looked at me. Her mouth curled in unmistakable contempt. "And who's this? A new maid?"
I swallowed hard, but said nothing.
"Oh, no no..." Ma'am Stella did an introductory gesture. "This is Lumira. Gamma Vance's guest."
Ama's eyes lingered on me in a derogatory stare, sharp with judgment and hatred. "Oh, I thought she was the new maid. Pardon me, it's just because she looks like one."
Her dismissive remark made me feel small. As if I weren't worth much, but then again, I ought to have learned how to embrace people's disrespect towards me by now.
"Oh, she's not." Ma'am Stella defended.
Ama seemed to notice that Ma'am Stella wasn't pleased, so she laughed dryly and clapped her hands awkwardly. "I was just joking. Seriously, I wanted to earn a reaction from her." She said.
It was only then that her lips softened as she gave me a subtle smile. "Hi, I'm Ama. And you are?"
"Lumira," I answered.
"If I may ask, Lumira." She folded her arms, oozing a boss-chick vibe. "How do you know Gamma Vance?"
At first, I wanted to narrate how he had rescued me, but on second thought, I didn't feel the need to do so. "He's just a friend of mine."
"Oh, really?" Her grin widened. Something about it made my belly turn to ice. "Then you must be a really good friend of his, Vance never brings just anyone home."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I twitched my lips and remained silent.
"Miss Ama," The man carrying her luggage, called from the living room.
She turned slightly. "Yes, Theo?"
"Where do you want me to put the luggage?"
She then turned back to me. "Hey Lumira...if it isn't much trouble, can you show Theo to Kyro's room? I need to speak with Ma'am Stella."
I looked at Ma'am Stella who gave me a soft nod, and then I walked out of the dining area towards the middle-aged man, Theo.
"Uhm... do you mind helping Theo with one of the bags. He's already struggling." Ama called after my retreating figure.
I obediently took one of the luggage items from Theo's grip and led him straight to Kyro's room.
"Thank you," Theo greeted warmly once he had dropped the luggage inside the room. He gave me a polite nod which I returned. And then, he left the room.
My eyes darted around quickly, admiring the different posters of bikes on the wall, until they fell on a frame.
Beta Kyro was in the picture.
And as much as I hate to admit, he looked so sexy as hell. He stood beside a matte-black sport bike, one boot planted on the asphalt, the other resting lightly on a curb. He wore a fitted white T-shirt that stretched across his broad chest.
For some reason, I found myself swooning over his picture, and something stirred inside my stomach.
What the –
I immediately slapped my cheek back to reality.
This man hated me.
He had shown that on two different occasions, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So I ought not to admire him.
I tore my gaze from the picture and turned to leave, but froze before I could even take a step.
Ama was at the doorway, her arms folded on her chest as she looked at me. "He's handsome right?"
I swallowed hard, not knowing how to answer that.
Her lips stretched into a small grin. "You can admit it, Lumira. I saw you admiring him."
"Uhm..." I bit on my lower lip and nodded. "...Yes, he is."
Ama strutted forward, her heels clicking on the tiles as she crossed the room and paused in front of me. "Well, he is mine, and mine alone. You shouldn't be gawking at people's boyfriends."
"I-I'm so sorry." I stuttered. "I was just admiring the bike actually."
"And then your eyes sparkled and you were caught in a daze right?"
I didn't like where this conversation headed, so I muttered softly. "Please excuse me," and walked right by her.
As I moved toward the door, I heard the sounds of her heels approaching behind me.
I instinctively spin halfway to look at her and she grabs me by the arm. "You don't walk out on me, Lumira." Her soft tone had switched into something hostile now.
"Uhm, Ama," I brought myself to say, looking from her grip on my arm to her face. "I have other things to attend to right now."
I removed her hand from my arm and stepped out of her room, but still she did not stop there.
She followed right after me until I got to the stairs. And then she screamed, "why would you be snooping through my things?!"
What?
I faced her immediately, a confused frown on my forehead. "What are you talking about?"
"You were snooping through my things because I asked you to help with my luggage. Why would you?"
My brain was foggy from the dramatic shift.
"I wasn't snooping through your things, Ama." I denied it immediately while noticing Ma'am Stella, who rose from the dining chair and began to move toward the stairs too.
She grabbed my arm violently, "Were you snooping through my things or not, Lumira?"
I didn't respond to that.
On the attempt to release myself from her grip, I yanked my arm free, but the pull was strong enough to make her lose balance.
A loud yelp left her lips as one of her heels scratched against the nosing of the stairs, and she pitched forward.
Before she could fall down the stairs, I quickly threw my hand forward and caught her by the waist.
- Writer
