Chapter Six
2441 Words
Chapter Six
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"How did you get in here?"
Alex hurriedly grab his towel and put it around his waist. He wondered who had the audacity to come into his room without knocking. Well, he definitely knew it wasn't any of their maids because it's not work hour. He went to the corner Zoe had hid her self and pulled her up.
"I'm so so sorry, I thought this was Adrie's room, I don't know how I got here, please forgive me" She panicked as she tried to cover her face with the other hand Alex wasn't holding. She managed to pull her hand free from Alex’s grip and ran out immediately.
She was almost at the door when her legs tangled, and she fell flat on the floor.
As if intruding into Alex's room wasn't embarrassing enough, she still managed to make a complete fool of herself.
She quickly stood up without looking back and ran out of the room.
The next morning........
Zoe told Adriana about her embarrassing encounter with Alex, Adriana couldn't stop laughing.
"Oh my God, Zoe!" she laughed. "You walked into a stranger's room, saw him naked, screamed at him, and then fell while trying to escape?
“I swear, Adrie, I almost died!” she exclaimed dramatically. “One minute I was looking for water, and the next minute, I was staring at a naked man!”
Adriana covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “Zoe!”
“What?” Zoe frowned. “Do you know how traumatized I am?”
“You entered the wrong room.”
“I know that now!” Zoe threw her hands in the air. “But why was he naked?”
“Maybe because it was his room?” Adrie said teasingly.
Zoe stared at her and Adriana burst into laughter.
“You're such a terrible best friend,” Zoe muttered.
They both got off the bed and prepared for the day. After bathing and getting dressed, they made their way downstairs for breakfast.
As soon as they got to the dining area, Zoe suddenly stopped. She noticed Alex was seated at the table. Immediately, she moved behind Adriana.
Adriana looked back at her. “What are you doing?”
“Protecting myself,” Zoe whispered.
“From what?” Adriana asked in confusion.
“From him!” Zoe said pointing at Alex.
Adriana glanced at Alex and immediately understood what she meant. “You're still worried about last night?”
“Of course!” Zoe glanced up at her from behind.
Chris looked up and smiled when he saw Adriana.
“Good morning, Adrie.”
“Morning, Chris,” Adriana replied with a smile.
Alex didn't look up from the tablet in his hands. “Morning, Adriana.” His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
“Good morning.” She answered back.
Alex was a workaholic, just like Max. The only difference was that Alex was more reserved. While Max made his emotions known, Alex preferred silence.
Martha walked into the dining room with a warm smile. “Good morning, girls. Please, have a seat.”
Adriana and Zoe sat down. "Morning Martha, Adriana smiled.
"Hiiiii," Zoe waved.
“For breakfast, we have pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, fresh fruits, and juice.”
“Wow,” Zoe muttered. “I could get used to this.”
Adriana laughed.
The maids began serving the food.
Chris and Adriana soon started chatting about random things while they ate.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes I did, how about you?"
"I had a great night," Chris said smiling at Adrie.
"That's great, so, how's the song you're working on?"
Zoe asked in disbelief. "You sing?"
"Ohh, yeah....I mean,I do." Chris said shyly without taking his eyes of Adriana's face.
"Hmm..hmm," Martha cut in their conversation and they looked at her.
“Table manners,” she said firmly.
"Yes ma'am" They murmured and laughed quietly.
Chris glanced at the way Adriana was laughing with her mouth full and raised an eyebrow.
Adriana immediately covered her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
"Foodie!" Zoe tried not to laugh.
As they continued eating, Zoe couldn't stop herself from staring at Alex. He is so handsome, but that wasn't what was on her mind. She couldn't stop asking herself different questions.
Was he going to recognize her?
Did he see her face clearly that night?
What if he told everyone?
Alex suddenly stood up from the table and Zoe immediately panicked.
He picked up his jacket and was about to leave for work. Then he noticed there had been two girls sitting with them.
Zoe quickly covered her face with one hand.
Alex noticed her and paused.
A small smile appeared on his face.
He might not have seen her face properly the night before, but he definitely remembered the brown hair, and those tiny hands he had held, there was no way he could forget.
He shook his head slightly before walking away.
Zoe remained in the same position, still covering her face.
A few seconds passed then Adriana tapped her.
“You can stop now.”
Zoe slowly lowered her hand.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes.”
Zoe sighed in relief.
“Thank God.”
Chris stared at her curiously. “What exactly happened between you and Alex?”
“Nothing!” Zoe said quickly.
Chris narrowed his eyes. “Hmm.”
“There was nothing!” Zoe repeated.
Chris shrugged before turning back to Adriana.
“Adrie, do you want more bacon?”
“Sure.”
Chris immediately passed the plate to her.
Then he passed the fruits, pancake, and sausages too.
Zoe watched in disbelief. “Hello?”
Chris ignored her. “Do you want more juice too, Adrie?”
Zoe dropped her fork. “Chris!”
He finally looked at her. “What?”
“If you keep passing all the side dishes to Adriana, there might not be anything good left for the rest of us.”
Adriana burst into laughter.
Chris chuckled. “You're so dramatic.”
“I'm not!”
Not long after Alex left, Martha returned.
“Adriana?”
“Yes?”
“Mrs. Williams booked a shopping appointment for you by noon.”
Adriana's eyes widened. “A shopping appointment?”
“Yes. She wants you to get a few things.”
Zoe's eyes immediately lit up. “Shopping?”
Adriana laughed.
“Yes, apparently.”
Zoe smiled excitedly.
“Well, somebody is going to have fun today.”
But not long after breakfast, Zoe's phone rang, her expression changed as she answered it.
After the call, she turned to Adriana. “My aunt is getting discharged today.”
“Oh,” Adriana said softly.
“She has been sick for a while, so I should go and help her.”
Adriana nodded. “Of course. Go and take care of her.”
Zoe hugged her. “I'll call you later.”
“Okay.”
Few minutes later, Zoe left the Williams Mansion and she suddenly felt alone again.
But then she remembered Martha's words.
"A shopping appointment by noon." And somehow she had a feeling that the day was about to become far more interesting than she expected.
Later That Afternoon...
By noon, Adriana was standing in front of one of the most luxurious fashion stores she had ever seen.
For a moment, she simply stared through the glass doors.
The dresses displayed inside looked expensive enough to pay her school fees for years.
She took a deep breath before walking in.
Almost immediately, one of the attendants approached her.
“Good afternoon, Miss Smith.”
Adriana blinked. “You know me?”
The woman smiled politely.
“Of course. We were informed that you would be coming. Mrs. Williams made an appointment for you.”
“Oh.”
“Please, come this way.”
Adriana followed her deeper into the store.
Everything around her screamed luxury, from the sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to the perfectly arranged clothes on the racks, Adriana felt completely out of place and suddenly became conscious of the clothes she was wearing.
“Would you like some coffee while you wait?” the attendant asked.
“Yes, please.”
She was led to a comfortable seat.
A few minutes later, another staff member returned with a cup of coffee.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome, Miss Smith. Our stylists are currently picking out some of our best pieces for you.”
Adriana smiled.
Best pieces? She couldn't even imagine how much everything was going to cost.
Thankfully, she wasn't the one paying.
A few minutes later, several beautiful outfits were brought before her.
Adriana's eyes widened.
There were dresses, jeans, blouses, shoes, handbags, and even accessories.
“Wow.”
“We would like you to try them on and let us know which ones you prefer.”
Adriana nodded as she picked up the first few outfits and stood up with her coffee was still in her hand.
She turned around and collided with someone.
The cup slipped from her finger making the hot coffee splash all over the person's expensive-looking outfit.
Adriana froze. “Oh my God!”
“I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!”
The woman slowly looked down at her clothes then she looked back at Adriana.
Her expression was terrifying. “What... did you just do?”
Adriana apologized immediately “I didn't mean to. I was about to go to the changing room and I didn't see you—”
“You didn't see me?” The woman laughed bitterly. “Are you blind?”
Adriana immediately apologized again.
“I said I'm sorry.”
The woman looked her up and down and curled her lip in disgust. “Of course.”
Adriana frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You probably have no idea how much this outfit costs.”
“I can get it cleaned,” Adriana said quietly.
The woman burst into laughter. “Get it cleaned?”
The woman stepped closer. “You poor little thing. Do you even know where you are?”
Adriana felt her throat tighten.
She hated the way the woman was looking at her, like she was nothing, like she didn't belong there.
“I already apologized,” Adriana said.
“And that's supposed to fix it?”
“No, but I can—”
“What? Pay for it?”
The woman laughed again. “With what money?”
Adriana went silent.
The woman looked at her contemptuously.
“You people always find a way into places where you don't belong. You see expensive things and suddenly you think you can walk around like everyone else.”
Adriana felt smaller with every word. She had been insulted before, but never like this, never in a way that made her feel so ashamed of where she came from.
“I didn't come here at my own will,” she whispered.
The woman scoffed. “That makes it even worse.”
Adriana's eyes began to sting.
Just then, several store attendants rushed toward them. “Ma'am, we're so sorry.”
One of them quickly began apologizing.
“It was an accident. Please forgive her.”
The woman turned angrily toward the attendant. “So now you're defending her?”
“No, ma'am. Of course not. We only meant—”
“Then keep quiet!”
The attendant immediately lowered her head.
Adriana looked at her sadly, the poor woman was apologizing for something she had done and somehow it made Adriana feel even worse.
The wealthy woman looked at Adriana one more time. “Be more careful next time, little girl.”
Then she leaned closer. “People like you should learn to stay in their place. You don't deserve to be here, you look so wretched and poor so just crawl back to the hole you came from.
Adriana stood frozen as tears roll down her eyes and couldn't say a word, she watched the woman turn around and walk away.
The store became silent.
Adriana stared at the floor.
For the first time since entering the Williams Mansion, she didn't feel lucky, she felt poor and she hated it.
She tried so hard to hold the tears buh they just keep rolling down her cheeks.
She walked out of the luxury mall with her head lowered, trying desperately to hold back the tears that has been rushing out of her eyes.
She wiped them away quickly, looking around as if someone might see her, she hated crying in public and hated feeling weak too.
Most of all, she hated the words that woman had thrown at her.
Adriana hugged her arms around herself as she walked down the pavement, her expensive-looking shopping bag hanging loosely from her fingers.
She had done nothing wrong
She had only wanted to buy a few things.
So why did it hurt this much?
Are rich people always this arrogant?
Her vision blurred with tears as she kept asking herself questions. She kept walking, barely paying attention to where she was going.
HONK! Adriana flinched.
Another car sped past. HONK! HONK!
She stopped walking and her breathing suddenly became uneven. She was in the middle of the road.
That sound....The horns, the screeching tires, the noise of people shouting, It was all too familiar.
And suddenly, she wasn't standing outside a luxury mall anymore.
She was twelve years old again and she could see the wrecked car, she could smell the smoke, she could hear people screaming.
She could hear the endless sound of car horns surrounding the scene.
And then she saw her parents.
"Mum..."
Her lips trembled.
"Dad..."
Adriana covered her ears with both hands, desperately trying to shut out the memories.
"Stop..." She cried heavily and her breathing became faster.
"Please, stop..."
But the voices wouldn't stop, the crash replayed in her mind over and over again.
The sound of metal crushing, the screams and silence.
"Miss Adriana!"
She wasn't sure if someone had called her name or if it was only in her head.
She stumbled backward.
The world around her began spinning and buildings seemed to tilt.
The sound of the traffic grew distant, and her knees weakened, she blinked rapidly trying to focus.
"Stop....." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Suddenly, she collapsed and everything went blank. The last thing she heard was the distant sound of a car horn.
And then....
Nothing.
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