The Billionaire’s Gilded Debt

Chapter 14

The sun that always shone down upon Aethelgard felt almost artificial, as if even the sky needed to seek permission before it would cast its rays upon Elias Thomas’s estate. I perched on the edge of my bed; sleep gad eluded me because every time I shut my eyes, the sounds returned— Julian’s nails scrapping. What if he killed him? What if…

An insistent knock, sharp and rhythmic thumping at my door interrupted my thoughts.

It could be Daisy again. opening the door revealed Kaya, one of the cleaners. She didn’t talk like Tina with such spiteful venom; her gaze was just as cold though—an icy stare that mirrored the rigid hierarchy within the house.

"Marcus has called a mandatory servant meeting in the lower hall," she said flatly, Everyone is already heading down. Don't make him wait." She left without waiting for any response from me and hurried away towards the staircase, her footsteps loud against the polished floor. I slipped into my charcoal cashmere dress —the one that always felt like a beautiful lie—before joining her.

The lower hall was frigid, reeking of floor

wax and discipline as we stood there in an unkempt line: Lina looking fierce while wiping her hands on her apron, Daisy giving me a small encouraging smile Kaya and Kate, hovering around like shadows behind us.

Tina didn't just stand; she posed. Her uniform looked so stiff it could be armor while those eyes fixed on me were filled with concentrated malice.

At the head of the room stood Marcus. "Miss Clara’s role has been clarified by the Master," he started off with him booming echoing voice. "She is the Personal maid to Mr. Thomas which entails direct assistance even off-site assignments to. “He let that sink in before continuing, She is not to be tasked with general housework. Direct order only.

Any interference would be most unwelcome. The moment Marcus stepped out, the air turned sour. "Personal maid," Tina spat. She took a step closer to me, her heels clicking on the stone floor like the ticking clock of doom. "Is that what they call a charity case these days? Someone who sleeps their way into a title?" I tried to move past her, but she blocked my way. "You don’t belong here, Clara. Just look at you! Wearing his clothes and pretending to be something you’ll never be—a princess! You’re just a slave with a silk leash around your neck. Why don’t you do us all a favor and quit? Rush back to your little bus stop before you get hurt! You’re after a man who’ll never want someone like you." "I’m not after anyone!" I whispered, my voice barely making it out of my throat. It shook so badly that I thought I might cry again. "I’m just trying to survive." "Survive?" Tina laughed harshly as if the very idea was ludicrous. "You’re nothing but an ungrateful parasite living off of his generosity while those of us who actually work for a living sweat our asses off so that people like you can enjoy their luxury!" Kaya and Kate cackled at her side, their eyes glinting with cruel amusement in the same way that vultures watch a dying creature. I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. I felt small and powerless.

"That’s enough, Tina!" Daisy said as she stepped in front of me.

Daisy was blushing; she was grabbing my arm—her touch was warm and real. She didn’t have to do this for me, but here she was anyway. "She’s not a parasite! Why don’t you go polish the silver until you can see your own ugly attitude reflected back at yourself?"

Tina looked taken aback for once, but before she could say anything back, Daisy was dragging me toward the back of the house.

"Don’t listen to her," Daisy said quietly as we walked quickly down corridors lined with portraits that seemed more judgmental than usual today; they probably were just painted in terrible moods though because for once someone else had gotten close enough to Master’s ear after three years—and that someone is you! "She knows it’s true though—that’s why she acts all tough."

"I don’t have his ear; nor do I want it," I replied, hastily brushing away another tear before it could fall onto my dress and ruin its pristine state any further by adding an extra shade of dampness onto what already looked distressed from running through hallways filled with such high society worries about who would marry whom next season instead of focusing on things like survival! "I just want to be left alone."

Daisy stopped in front of a pair of tall, carved mahogany doors. "Then you need a place to hide," she said. "Do you want to see my hideout?" She pushed the doors open to reveal the general library—three stories high, with books that filled it like a cathedral. "Nobody comes here," Daisy said, pulling me toward a dark corner. "The Master has his private study, and the others can’t read anything but tabloids. It’s the only spot where you can breathe." We sat on the floor behind an old row of encyclopedias, where for a moment the morning’s horror and humiliation faded away. I looked at Daisy wondering why she was risking Tina’s wrath to help me. "You’re not like them," Daisy said as if she had read my thoughts. "And in this house, different people must stick together." She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "But you need to be careful, Clara. Tina isn’t just jealous; she has been here long enough."