Feeling uneasy
1854 Words
Ethan POV
My gazed locked onto her before I even decided it should .
“I don’t notice people,”
“People notice me”.
But something about her feels very odd that I can’t even wrap my head over.
I studied her without moving.
Dark hair, slightly unarranged in a way that suggested she didn’t belong to vanity or luxury. Skin natural. Expression uncertain but steady enough not to look afraid.
I must admit “she really looks hot’’.
There was something undeniably magnetic about her presence—soft curves framed by the way she dressed, elegant yet subtly revealing in a way that teased the imagination rather than exposed everything.
Her skin has a warm glow under the light,and the smallest gesture; a tilt of her head,the brush of her fingers through her hair; felt almost deliberate.
She was… not what I expected.
“Who is she?” I asked without turning my head.
The butler hesitated.
“A new hire,sir.Sophia Reed.”
Sophia Reed.
The name landed somewhere in my mind longer than necessary.
I repeated it silently.
I moved closer to where she seated.
Gave her one last glance and said “She’s hired”.
And I left.
Sophia Reed (POV)
I was so excited that I didn’t know I was laugh out loud due to the excitement.
“Yes, I got the job “I mumbled.
But something feels weird the way the man I assume is my Boss looks at me.
He looks at me seductively,like he wants to have me raw but I cared less about it since I got the job.
The introduction was very brief ,the butler introduced me to other workers in the estate.
My job was to ensure Ethan Kingsley’s room was always immaculate, flawless, and ready at any given moment, as if perfection itself lived there.
Every corner had to be spotless. Every surface had to reflect order. Nothing out of place, nothing forgotten, nothing even slightly imperfect.
And it didn’t end there.
I was also responsible for making sure he ate properly—balanced meals, perfectly prepared, served on time, as if even his body operated on discipline and precision.
It wasn’t just cleaning.
It felt like maintaining a world that revolved around him.
Like if I made one mistake, the entire system of the mansion might notice.
Like I wasn’t just a maid…
but a silent guardian of his space, his routine, his comfort.
And somehow, without meaning to…
my entire day began to revolve around a man who barely even spoke to me.
I followed the butler into a smaller room tucked away from the main corridors of the mansion.
It looked like a place where decisions were made—quiet, controlled, final.
And I had a feeling mine had already been made for me.
He closed the door behind us.
The sound felt heavier than it should.
Then he turned to me.
His expression didn’t change much, but I had already learned that didn’t mean softness—it meant discipline.
“I will explain your duties clearly,” he said.
I nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”
He placed a folder on the table between us.
“This household does not operate like a normal home. You are not here as a regular maid. You are here to maintain order for Mr. Kingsley.”
Just hearing that name again made something tighten in my chest.
Ethan Kingsley
I kept my face neutral.
“Understood,” I said.
The butler opened the folder.
And my new life officially began on paper.
⸻
“His room must be cleaned twice a day,” he said firmly. “Morning and night. Even if it appears clean, it is never clean enough unless it passes inspection.”
I swallowed and nodded.
Twice a day.
Perfection, twice a day.
No mistakes allowed.
He continued without pause.
“No personal interference. No rearranging his belongings. No emotional expression in his private space.”
I blinked slightly at that one, but didn’t question it.
Just wrote it into my mind like survival instructions.
Then he turned a page.
“Now—food.”
My attention sharpened immediately.
“This is very important,” he added.
I leaned in slightly without realizing it.
His tone became more precise.
“Mr. Kingsley does not eat randomly. He eats on schedule. Late meals are unacceptable.”
I nodded again.
Then came the list.
No oily food.
No overly spicy meals.
No excessive seasoning.
Everything must be clean, controlled, balanced.
Simple proteins. Grilled options. Nothing heavy.
Even his food sounded like it had rules.
It didn’t feel like cooking.
It felt like engineering.
I exhaled quietly, absorbing it all.
He continued.
“Drinks are limited to still water or black coffee. No sugar unless specifically requested. No substitutions.”
I repeated it in my mind.
Still water. Black coffee. Control.
Everything here was control.
⸻
Then he closed the folder.
My stomach tightened slightly.
This was the part I hadn’t been ready for.
“Your salary,” he said.
I straightened immediately.
He stated the amount.
For a second, I thought I misheard him.
My breath caught before I could stop it.
That much?
That wasn’t a salary.
That was survival rewritten.
I blinked slowly.
“…Are you serious?” I asked before I could filter myself.
He didn’t react.
“It reflects responsibility,” he said simply. “And risk.”
Risk.
That word stayed with me longer than the salary did.
He then added”You will also have accommodation inside the staff quarters. You are not permitted to leave the estate without permission during working periods.”
I nodded slowly.
He said one more thing that made me curious .
“Do not enter the main study unless summoned. Do not speak to Mr. Kingsley unless spoken to. Do not interrupt his routine under any circumstance.”
He fixed me with a steady gaze.
“And most importantly…”
A pause.
“If he notices you, you do not react emotionally. You remain professional. Always.”
The butler closed the folder fully.
“You are dismissed. Begin immediately.”
I stood quietly.
“Yes, sir.”
But just as she turned to leave—
his voice stopped her one last time.
“Miss Reed.”
I paused.
“Yes?”
A brief silence.
Then:
“Do not misunderstand this place. People who work here either adapt… or they don’t stay.”
My heart tightened slightly.
But i still nodded.
“I understand.”
And I walked out.
Ethan (POV)
Later that morning, I returned to my study.
Glass walls. Black wood. Silence.
Perfect.
Controlled.
Predictable.
Except I wasn’t focused.
Which was unacceptable.
My butler spoke from the side.
My butler has been with me since I was a child.
I already saw him as my only relative because he had been there for me ever since I lost my parents in a ghastly accident.
“She has been assigned to housekeeping on the west wing, sir.”
Your permanent residence.
I didn’t look up.
“Sophia Reed,” I repeated.
“Yes, sir.”
I paused.
Long enough for him to notice.
That irritated me slightly.
“Keep her away from restricted areas,” I said.
“Yes, sir.”
But even as I said it—
I wasn’t sure why I said it.
She wasn’t important.
I stood up.
Walked to the window.
Below, I could see movement in the gardens.
Staff.
Order.
Routine.
Then I saw her again.
From a distance.
Carrying supplies.
I kept on looking at her figures and curves.
And I couldn’t stop noticing it.
⸻
That was the problem.
Not her presence.
Not her face.
Not even the way she looked at me.
The problem was simpler.
Her curves.
Her figures.
She had entered my world.
And my world…
had started reacting to her.
And I didn’t know yet if that meant she was a mistake.
I saw her paused and picks a call.
Sophia POV
I stood in Ethan Kingsley’s private hallway, carefully wiping down the polished surface of a console table. My movements were slow, precise, controlled—because everything in this house demanded perfection.
And perfection here wasn’t optional.
It was survival.
My phone vibrated softly in my pocket.
Once.
Then again.
I paused immediately.
Calls during work hours weren’t encouraged. Not here. Not in a place where even breathing too loudly felt like a mistake.
But something in my chest tightened when I saw the name.
Mom.
I glanced around quickly.
No one was nearby.
Carefully, I stepped into a quieter corner of the hallway and picked up.
“Hello, Mom?” I whispered.
Her voice came through immediately—already tired, already worried, like she had been holding her breath long before the call connected.
“Sophia… you didn’t call last night.”
“I was working late,” I replied quickly, lowering my voice even more.
A pause.
Then she sighed.
“It’s your brother.”
Everything inside me stopped.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What happened?” I asked, though I already felt my body preparing for the answer.
“He had another episode this morning,” she said softly. “The doctor says we can’t delay his treatment anymore. He needs proper medication… proper care, Sophia.”
For a second, I couldn’t hear anything else.
Not the mansion.
Not the silence.
Not even my own breathing properly.
Just my brother’s face in my mind—fragile, tired, trying too hard to smile through pain.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
But my voice didn’t feel like mine anymore.
My mother continued, softer now.
“I know you’re trying… I know you’re working so hard… but we’re running out of options.”
That sentence hit deeper than anything else.
Running out of options.
That was exactly how my life felt too.
I closed my eyes briefly.
“I’ll handle it,” I said, forcing strength into my voice. “I’ll find a way.”
A lie.
Or maybe a promise.
I wasn’t sure anymore.
Because the truth was simple—
I didn’t know how.
Not yet.
Not in a place like this.
Not with money that still felt out of reach, even when I was standing inside it.
A distant sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.
My body reacted instantly.
Straightening.
Resetting.
Work mode.
Reality mode.
“I have to go, Mom,” I said quickly.
There was hesitation on the other end.
Then her voice softened.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, Sophia.”
A small, painful smile touched my lips before I could stop it.
“I don’t have that option.”
I ended the call.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Phone still in my hand.
Breathing uneven.
My reflection faintly visible on the polished surface in front of me.
A maid uniform.
A tired face.
A life that kept moving even when I was breaking inside.
I inhaled slowly.
Then tightened my grip on the cloth in my hand.
- Writer
