CHAPTER 2- Welcome To Vance Manor
1319 Words
By the time we arrived at Mr. Vance’s estate, the sky had already gone dark. But even the nightfall couldn’t hide how beautiful the place was.
The land opened up in front of us like a private kingdom. Four enormous houses rose from different parts of the property, each one grand enough to be its own mansion. The garden stretched across the estate in a long curve, with trimmed hedges and neat stone paths brightened by the outdoor lights. And the swimming pool… it looked like a glowing lake, definitely the biggest I had ever seen.
Mr Vance was rich rich.
“Welcome to Vance Manor.” An older woman in a housekeeper’s uniform greeted me politely at the entrance. “I’m Mrs Lang, the head housekeeper. You must be Miss Bennett.”
“You can just call me Andrea.” I said with a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
She nodded briefly in response. “Follow me,” then lifted one of my bags while I carried the other, walking closely behind her.
“Your room is down the hall, two doors away from mine if you need anything,” she explained as she led me along. I could’t help but look around. The interior was far more stunning. Gold lined every doorway and staircase. The walls were covered with paintings that probably cost more than my life. Everything shone like glass, polished and expensive. I felt like I had stepped into another world, one where I didn’t belong.
“You will start work tomorrow” Mrs. Lang continued, snapping me back to the present. “There are sixty-five housekeepers here including myself, so the workload usually isn’t too heavy. Your daily schedule is on your bed. Work starts everyday at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Your uniforms are in your closet. You must wear them while on duty; after, you can wear whatever you like.”
We stopped at the door to my new room. She paused, turning to me “Do you have any questions?”
“No.” I answered.
“Good.” She swung the door open. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Rest well.”
There was nothing spectacular about the room. Plain walls, a simple bed, and bare floors. I wasn’t expecting a queen suite or a master bedroom, but after seeing the grandeur of the mansion, this felt small and cold.
I sank onto the bed and sobbed quietly. I thought of my poor dad and the goodbye I never got to say. Come on, Bennett. This is for Dad. Calm down. You can do this. I tried to cling to that thought, letting it steady me. But it barely eased the pain in my heart. The weight of my new reality pressed down hard. I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and cried myself to sleep.
I woke before the alarm and began getting ready for my first day. When I took out the housekeeper uniform, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing in disbelief. What kind of twisted joke was this man playing? The dress was far too small, far too short, and far too tight, like something made for a little girl. After everything he’d done to humiliate my father and me, he expected me to parade around like a stripper maid?
Over my dead body!
I came out in one of my everyday clothes. I hadn’t taken five steps from my room, when a guard blocked my path, broad-shouldered, with a permanent scowl etched across his face.
“Go change into your work clothes!” He barked.
“My work clothes are better suited for prostitution.” I fired back, trying to push past him.
He didn’t budge. “Mr. Vance doesn’t take lightly to defiance,” his eyes narrowed. “You know what he can do.”
I stared at him coldly for what felt like a full minute before trudging back to my room in defeat.
I already hated this place.
At about noon, Mrs. Lang and I were in the dining room getting everything ready for lunch. We were wiping down the tables when a guard walked in and came straight toward me.
“Miss Bennett,” he said, stopping at my side. “Follow me. The boss has asked for you.”
Ethan Vance was in his study, dressed in a gold silk robe that pooled around his chair. A mug of coffee steamed beside him while he flipped through a stack of documents, completely absorbed. He didn’t look up when I stepped inside.
“I was told you called for me.” I said, unsure if he had even heard me enter.
“Is that how you greet your employer?” He asked, calm and distant, his eyes still fixed on the paper.
“Good morning, employer.” I said folding my arms and letting the sarcasm drip.
He ignored me and continued.
“My stable boy is out sick today. I need you to go to the stables, clean the horses, feed them, and bag their waste for manure.”
I paused in confusion, the words hit me so hard my mouth actually fell open.
“You want me to… scoop up horse waste?’
“I didn't stutter.”
My irritation spiked. “Are you serious right now? I have a first class bachelor’s degree! I didn’t go through all that just to end up shoveling things, especially not animal waste. That is never happening.”
He went silent for a few seconds.
“Alright then,” he said in an even tone, picking his phone up from the table and tapping in a number. “I guess I’ll just call my men and have them schedule your father’s burial for this evening.”
He finally looked at me.
“Wait.” The word slipped out before I could stop it. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll go.”
I was about to leave, tugging at the skimpy dress that kept riding up, when he spoke again.
“Bennett. I need you to understand… I own you until your debts are fully paid. That means you do what I want, go where I want…”
He paused eyeing my uniform “And wear what I want.”
He returned his attention to the documents. “Shut the door on your way out.”
The stable stood at the far end of the main mansion. By the time I got there, my feet ached and sweat soaked my back. He knew exactly how far it was.
He was making me suffer.
I grabbed the tools from one of the stalls and dropped to my knees. One horse cleaned. I whispered to myself, One down, twenty-nine to go.
Hours had passed. I was buried in piles of manure, the smell thick in the air. My hands and knees sore from endless scrubbing.
A sudden noise made me pause. A harsh, dragging sound, like heavy metal scraping over wood. I tried to ignore it, but it came again, louder this time. Against my better judgement, I decided to see what it was.
I trailed the sound farther down into a dense forest. The trees were so thick that I almost didn’t notice the house at first. Its green walls blended with the leaves around it, like it had grown out of the forest itself.
I blinked in surprise. What on earth was a building doing in the middle of a lonely overgrown forest? A bold sign stood at the entrance: Restricted Property. Beware.
Every instinct I had begged me to run, but I was sure the sound was coming from inside, and I couldn’t just ignore. I crossed the warning sign, heart thudding as my hand reached for the handle, fingers unsteady.
Unlocked.
I pushed it open slowly, slid in, and flicked on the lights.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
- Writer
