Chapter 4 First day at work

• After I had settled down and freshened up, I stepped out of the room and walked down the stairs. I needed to find the kitchen. Not long, I found it without searching for too long.
• I met an older woman and a younger one who looked so much like her in the kitchen. The younger lady looked like she was around my age.
• “Hello”, I said.
• They both turned to face me and the older woman gave me a smile that warmed my heart.“Good evening Mrs King. Welcome to your new home.
• My name is Selena and this is my daughter, Mae. I’ve worked for young master since he was little. I was his nanny and maid. When he chose to have his own home, he asked me to move with him and continue working for him. I and my daughter will gladly be of service to you”, she said.
• “Please call me Jasmine and I’m happy you guys are here. Now I won’t be alone in this huge mansion. And I have Mae who’s around my age. Could we be friends, Mae?” I asked.
• “Of course Miss we can”, Mae said smiling at me.
• “Oh please call me Jasmine or Jazz”, I replied and she nodded affirmatively with a smile.“So what’s for dinner?” I asked.
• “Ma’am, it is cheesy pasta with mushrooms and minced meat.
• That’s sir’s favourite. I hope you like that or should I cook up something else for you”, Selena asked.“No, I’m fine with that. Let’s get cooking then”, I said, clapping my hands.
• “No ma’am. I can’t let you join us. You just had your wedding today. You must be really exhausted from all those wedding activities”, Selena replied.
• “No, I insist”, I opposed.
• “And I insist too. You need to have a long rest. Maybe you could join us tomorrow”, Selena said.
• “I’m not sleepy yet. Maybe I could just sit here and watch you”, I said, giving her my compelling puppy eyes.
• “Ok fine”, she gave in and my face lit up.
• We discussed a lot of things and while Selena was talking, I was reminded of Nana. A lone tear escaped my eyes and I quickly wiped it but I was too late.
• “Why are you crying, miss?” Mae said, making Selena turn to face me.
• “You remind me so much of my Nana”, I replied, looking at Selena.I told them about Nana and Papa and my parents. When I was done with my story, they gave me sad stares.
• “Oh please, don’t give me that look. I’ve accepted my fate”, I replied, cleaning my face and getting rid of all traces of tears.
• The rest of the evening went on with Selena and Mae telling me about their lives as well.
• Selena even told me all she knew about Sebastian.I got to learn that Sebastian loves seafood; he loves work more than life itself. He may act like a jerk to others but he is thoughtful and polite towards his parents and Selena.
• I learnt from Mae that Sebastian adores Selena and treats her like he treats his own mother. I also found out that he loves the winter season. It reminds him of a good memory.
• Sebastian is an adopted son of the Kings’ but they loved him like their biological child. I also learnt that he had been in an orphanage since he was born. He kept going from one foster home to another.
• He had been to the worst foster homes, he had been tortured, maltreated and assaulted and when the Kings’ finally adopted him, he was closed off.
• He didn’t open up to them at first but when he saw they were different from his other foster parents, he gradually began to open up to them. Sebastian loves winter because that was when his parents found him.
• During the winter season. I was beginning to feel sorry and thought, ‘maybe he’s not as bad as I thought he was’. Maybe he was the way he was because of what he has been through.
• I somehow felt his pain. What my parents did to me was not even half of what Sebastian suffered but it was something that shattered me too.
• Soon dinner was served; I ate alone at the dining table because Selena told me Sebastian said he wasn’t feeling hungry. I wondered what could have prevented Sebastian from eating his favourite meal.
• I hope he was okay. I might not have married him for love but I still care. I can’t pretend like I didn’t care, not after hearing his story.
• The meal was tasty and I thanked Selena and Mae and retired to bed. I was so tired after the activities of the day. I climbed on my bed and was out in no time.
• “Grnnnng”, my alarm rang and I jumped out of bed. I forgot I had set an alarm on my phone. I was still so exhausted but I had to go to work. I looked around my room and saw it wasn’t my room at my parents’ house.
• It was then I was struck with the painful reality. I got married yesterday. I looked down at my finger and saw the sparking diamond ring resting on it.
• I sighed and got up from the bed, dragging myself to the shower. I washed my body to cleanliness. I may or may have not forgotten to take my bath last night before going to bed.
• After I was done with my bath, I exited the bathroom and walked towards my bags. True to the driver’s words, some maids came to drop my bags off. I pulled out a red cotton t-shirt and a blue jean palazzo. You may be wondering why I wasn’t wearing corporate.
• At my place of work, you are permitted to dress the way you want supposing it is decent. I topped up my dressing with black sneakers. I applied my orange-scented deodorant and put on some cologne.
• When I was done, I grabbed my bag and exited my room. I walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. I saw Selena and Mae already preparing breakfast. I greeted them and washed my hands so I could join them but Selena threw me a stern look and I withdrew my hands.
• “Go sit at the dining table; breakfast will be ready in a minute”, she said and I listened like a little child who was being scolded by her mother. I walked back to the dining room and waited as she instructed me to.
• While I was still waiting for breakfast, I heard footsteps descending the stairs and I looked up from my phone to see Sebastian. He was looking so handsome in his shirt and trousers with his suit hanging on one hand.
• Now I knew the reason women flocked around him but I wasn’t that sort of woman. I’m not going to throw myself at him just because he’s my husband and he’s good-looking.
• He descended the stairs and walked towards the dining table not noticing I was there. Soon, he was standing beside me with a glare and I looked confused but didn’t know how to ask why he was glaring at me that way.
• “You’re on my seat”, he said, coldly.
• I quickly stood up from the chair and walked towards the last chair, far away from him. I sat on the opposite side of the chair he was sitting on.
• That means apparently, that we were facing each other, though from a long distance. The air was stiff and there was pin-drop silence. That was the moment Selena and Mae brought breakfast to the table. I thanked them and waited for Sebastian to start eating. I didn’t want to be rude.
• The more I waited, the more he delayed to pick up the spoon and eat. He was tapping and swiping on that phone in his hands. I was starving and my stomach was beginning to hurt.
• “You can start eating if you want to”, his deep voice said.“No I’ll just wait so we can eat together”, I said, trying to sound polite.
• “I said you can eat. You look famished, just go ahead without me and stop trying to prove that you’re polite”, he responded.
• I wanted to make a rude comment but I bit back my tongue. I didn’t want to cause chaos on the first day of my ‘marriage’. I ate in silence as I glanced at Sebastian through the sides of my eyes. Soon I was done; I picked up my bag and left the dining room.
• I went into the kitchen and met Selena and her daughter having their breakfast. I thanked them for the meal and they responded with warm smiles and ‘you’re welcomes’.I exited the mansion and took a cab. I have my car parked in the garage but I was too tired to drive.
• I gave the driver my destination address and he started the car and off we go. Not long, the cab stopped and I paid the driver and alighted. He thanked me and I responded with a warm smile and said “Have a nice day”. “You too”, he replied.
• I guess he wasn’t used to people talking to him like that because he looked dazed and had a bright smile on his face. I’m happy I was able to make someone’s day. I looked up at the towering building in front of me and smiled.
• I’ve worked in this company, Louisville Deluxe Hotel and Restaurant for a very long time; first as an intern and when they saw that I was good at what I did, they retained me.