"Where are you taking me?"

"To my house," he replied quickly.

"Your house?"

"Yes, we're in need of a housekeeper. Only if you don't mind working for us," he said casually.

"Are you serious?" There was a sense of relief when Xavier said that.

"You're not going to tell me to serve you, are you?"

"Of course," Xavier said.

"I mean serve you in another sense," Anya quickly corrected.

"Uhmm, I can't guarantee it. Are you willing to serve me?" asked Xavier as he brought his face closer to Anya's, having stopped the car in front of a park moments before.

"M-serve you?" asked Anya nervously in a stammering voice. Anya stepped back a few centimeters when Xavier's face got closer.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked with a grin, adding to the horror in Anya's heart.

"You mean I should sleep with you?" asked Anya nervously with sweat pouring down her forehead, even though the air outside and inside the car was very cold.

Xavier laughed widely while holding his stomach.

"Of course not, silly. I'm not a masher," he said.

"Then what are you doing in that place if you're not a gentleman? Or maybe you don't like women-"

"What! You mean I'm a fag?" Xavier shouted loudly, making Anya cover her ears with both palms.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Shut up!" Xavier said and drove the car back.

There was silence after that conversation. In her head, Anya only hoped for one thing, that what she was doing now was not a mistake. Isn't working as a housemaid much better than working in that brothel? It seems Xavier is not a bad person.

***

Xavier took Anya to a big house with a tight guard around it.

"Is this your house?" he asked.

"Yeah, you better shut your mouth before you drool," Xavier said as Anya unconsciously opened her mouth wide at the splendor displayed before her eyes.

"How many people work in your house?"

"Maybe forty," Xavier said casually.

"Forty? And you say you still need a housekeeper?" asked Anya incredulously.

"If you don't want to work in my house, that's fine, I'll return you to Mar's house-"

"No, don't! Okay, I want to! I really, really want to work at your house!"

"I don't want to work in that woman's house." Anya pleaded.

Xavier didn't answer, and the car he was driving stopped right in front of the mansion's door. They got out of the car.

"Welcome, young master," greeted the man with the thin mustache as he bowed his head.

"She's the new maid, take her to her room," Xavier said as he walked past the man.

"Of course, young master." The man replied as he grinned wickedly at Anya.

Anya followed the man with the thin mustache through the grand entrance of the mansion. The interior was as luxurious as the exterior, with sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, marble floors, and intricate artwork adorning the walls. The air was filled with the faint scent of expensive perfume and the distant sounds of soft music.

As they ascended the grand staircase, Anya couldn't help but feel both excitement and trepidation. She had never experienced such luxury before, and the prospect of working in a place like this seemed too good to be true. However, a part of her couldn't shake the uneasiness that surrounded her. She felt something was wrong but she couldn't explain it.

The man led her down a long corridor, opening a door to reveal a small but elegant room. The walls were painted a soft lavender color, and a large window let in sunlight, casting a warm glow throughout the room. A neatly arranged bed, a small table, and a wardrobe stood against one wall, while a vase of fresh flowers adorned a side table.

"This will be your room," the man said, his evil grin still lingering on his face.

Anya returned a forced smile, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling gnawing at her heart. She thanked the man and watched him leave, closing the door behind him. Alone in her new surroundings, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

"I'm sure I can make it, I can definitely make it through, this place is definitely a lot better than that whore house," Anya muttered to herself.

She couldn't deny the appeal of the mansion, but there was something about Xavier and the man with the thin mustache that made her uneasy. The aura of arrogance that enveloped them, their indifference towards others, everything just didn't feel right. However, she had no other choice. She couldn't go back to her drunk father's house or Margot the prostitute's house, certainly not after what had happened.

***

The morning sunlight penetrates through the gaps in the curtains, casting a soft glow on the room.

It was a new day, one that should have been full of excitement and optimism, but for Anya, the morning began with chaos.

"Wake up, you lazy bastard!" Henry's voice boomed throughout the room, as he splashed her with water and shattered Anya's tranquility in her dreamland.

Anya jerked to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest, as the ice-cold water drenched her body, from head to toe.

"You think this is a hotel, so you can wake up as you please?!" Henry snapped back in a deafeningly high tone.

She gasped, Anya's breath coming in gasps as she struggled to comprehend Henry's surprise attack.

"It's already six in the morning, and you're late on your first day of work!" Henry's voice boomed with an aura of authority, causing Anya's pulse to quicken.

"Who are you?" Anya asked.

"What, you forgot who I am?" Henry raged.

"I am Henry, the head of the household at Mr. Dviosa's residence!"

"Get up lazy ass! You must get ready now!" Henry shouted, his voice mixed with impatience. In his hand, he clenched the exact same maid uniform the girls were wearing, its pure white fabric a stark contrast to the chaos that surrounded them. Without hesitation, he threw it at Anya's face roughly, but it landed crumpled at his feet.

"S-sorry,"

Anya's voice trembled as she stammered out an apology, her words echoing in the tense silence that enveloped the room.

Henry, who had his back to Anya, raised his voice once more, his tone sharp and commanding.

"Get back to work! And no peeking!" His words hung in the air, a warning to the girls who had witnessed the scene. Like startled birds, they scattered, returning to their respective tasks as if fleeing the fury of a sandstorm in the desert.

"You must bathe first, Miss Smith. Don't let the great lord and the young masters smell your disgusting stench!" Henry's voice pierced through the bathroom door, taking Anya by surprise. How could he know the intentions stirring within Anya? That she just wanted to wash her face without bathing? Because that's the quickest way when we're late for something.