The Heir and the Maid

CHAPTER 2

After seven long years of navigating foreign cities and grappling with the weight of corporate responsibilities, going to school at Harvard, and graduating, I found myself standing on the familiar grounds of my childhood home. The mansion, adorned with subtle changes, still echoed the essence of my upbringing, bringing so many memories of Dad and the incident of seven years ago. A bittersweet nostalgia enveloped me as I stepped inside, greeted by the lavish interior that hadn't lost its touch, and only gained a few nuances of modernity.

My mother, typically reserved, surprised me with an uncharacteristically exuberant welcome, she stood at the entrance of the curved stairway all suited up as always. Her eyes sparkled with genuine joy, a stark contrast to the formal demeanor I'd grown accustomed to. The air buzzed with anticipation as we exchanged heartfelt greetings, she ran towards me, burying me In her embrace, which was quite unusual.

"Welcome home, Mason," she beamed, her warmth filling the room.

"Thank you, Mother. It's good to be back," I replied, sensing an unspoken shift in our dynamic.

"How was your flight", "As always, very long Mother", I say.

As she led me upstairs, our conversation delved into the upcoming evening. The after-party held promises of introductions to important associates and clients, a task she emphasized with a gravity that hinted at the weight of my familial obligations.

"Tonight is crucial, my dear. You must present yourself impeccably," she advised with a seriousness that mirrored the responsibility looming ahead.

"I'll try my best mom, I'm just glad to be home and to finally see you after all these years," I say. "But you have to show the crowd that you're ready and prepared to take up the company Mason, you have to earn their trust starting from this night," she says with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry Mother, I've got this, I promise, don't you worry, we've spoken about this already "

Ever since dad's death, mom has always been worried about the company. I've never known if it was because, father never added her name to the will as an inheritif or, or she just never trusted the associates enough to run the company properly, but now that I've finally come of age according to the will, I can now take over the running of the company.

Taking her counsel to heart, I readied myself for the event. Once suited up, I descended the grand staircase, my steps echoing in the spacious hall. However, an unexpected sight in the kitchen drew my attention—a captivating stranger, reaching for a salad dressing on the top shelf, must be one of the maids I said to myself.

"Is this what you wanted?" I offered, breaking the silence, as my chest hit her back mistakenly.

Our hands briefly touched as I retrieved the dressing, a momentary connection that resonated unexpectedly. Her smile, accompanied by a playful remark, left me momentarily captivated,

She was surprised and shocked, "Umm y-yea" she said, stammering "thank you. It's just out of reach." I was faced with a stunning caramel face, dark wavy long hair, that smelled of mango, probably a mango shampoo, her light green eyes settling on me, as she held the jar in the grasp of her palms, not nearly as tall as I was, but not short either, I knew I was staring but I couldn't take my gaze off of her, she was extremely stunning, "do you.., are you a guest?, Why aren't you at the party, please come over", I say trying to lead her to the balcony before she could resist, "no- no I'm just a-", but she's immediately cut off by Mother's voice, "I've been waiting endlessly for you Mason, where have you been", I immediately turn around to see Mom, "I'm coming Mom, I just needed something in the kitchen.", I turn back around and she's gone like she was never there, I look down the hallway and see no one. Mom immediately comes over to the kitchen, leading me by the arm towards the party before I could even say anymore.

As the evening unfolded, the encounter lingered in my thoughts—a subtle spark in the midst of familial duties. Little did I know, amidst the corporate affairs and familial obligations, a chance meeting in the kitchen would become a catalyst for something unexpected and intriguing.

-

My encounter with Mason was really brief, I couldn’t even comprehend the things I said in the course of our conversation, if we even had a conversation, I had forgotten most of what happened the moment I was back in the room, all I could think about the moment I turned to look at him, was how tall he was, his deep grey eyes piercing mine, the scent of citrus coming from his pale coloured shirt, his rough-like golden hair with streaks of brown in it, he was even much more handsome upclose than what Sandra and I saw in the pictures. My thoughts were immediately cut off the moment I heard his mothers voice, I made a run for it the moment his eyes were on me, dashing straight to my room, I shut the door behind me.

“At least he thought I was a guest”; I said to Sandra, “that’s way less embarassing, than him actually knowing im a maid”, “You cant hide from him forever you know right?, Sandra asks. “I know, It doesn’t matter anyway, I cant date my boss even if I wanted to, besides I overhead one of the other maids saying there’s a girl for him already so it doesn’t even matter,”. My thoughts starts drifting off to the encounter, I shake off the thought and push it aside, reminding myself that im only here temporarily, to make enough money to send to Mama and to get back to paying rent with Sandra. I end up having dinner in a rush, decide not to return the plates, incase I run into him again, and off to bed.

-

Was she a guest?, where did she run off to?, “Mother, there’s this girl I saw, do you….?”, “oh!”, she exclaims, cutting me off, “yes I wanted to introduce you to her, but I guess she’s caught your attention already; come”, I smile, tagging along, hoping to see the wavy haired girl again. “This is Becky Harrisson, Mr. John Harrison”s daughter, one of our prominent associates”.

A blonde and brown eyed young lady turns to face us, very sophisticated, she introduces herself in a manner that seemed pre planned, she was well spoken, a graduate of Oxford, very impressive, but she wasn’t the one I was expecting, I immeediately exchanged pleasantries with her, cut the conversation short and went on to meet the other associates . In no time the night had come to an end, I retire to bed with the thought of the encounter in my head.