Chapter 5 L’affaire Au Pair

Moana

I woke up at 4:30 the next morning — a bit earlier than I needed to, probably, but I wasn’t taking any chances with this job. I spent the next hour practically scrubbing myself raw in the shower, fixing my hair, ironing my clothes, and taking extra care to make sure that there wasn’t a single stray hair or speck of dust on me, because today was the first day of the job that would change my life, and I had to be perfect.

I then spent the final half hour of my preparations pacing and staring out the window, willing myself with all of the strength I had to not bite my nails, as I waited for the car that Selina had mentioned. Lo and behold, as soon as the clock struck 5:59, I saw a black car slowly pulling up out front, and I practically flew out of my apartment and down the stairs so that I was opening the car door by 6:00 sharp.

“Hmph,” Selina said, looking at her watch as I clambered into the back. “Six o’clock on the dot. A little out of breath, but at least you’re here.”

“Sorry,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and buckling my seatbelt. “It’s a bad neighborhood, so I didn’t want to wait outside.”

Selina didn’t answer. The driver pulled the car away from the curb and started heading down the street.

“We’ll be stopping to sign your contract with the lawyer first,” Selina said, her voice flat as she looked out the window with a modicum of disgust on her wrinkled face. “Then, you’ll get a tour of the penthouse apartment where you’ll be spending most of your time. I suspect you won’t be needing to return to your old home to collect your things?”

I thought back to my apartment and its contents.

“Well, I have some clothes and things there–”

“Your employer will supply you with anything you need: clothes, toiletries, books, and anything else you might need or want. Unless you have sentimental belongings you need to go back for, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time and energy on such a move.”

my neck. That locket was the only sentimental thing I owned, and it was always around my neck. Everything else in that

“Very well,” Selina said.

back of the expensive town car, she didn’t turn away from the window to look at me even once. I didn’t let it get to me, though; growing up human in a world dominated

the door that read “William Brown, Esq.” Selina got out of the car without

sickly combination of mahogany and burnt coffee, and it was eerily quiet. Neither Selina nor the woman said a word; the woman only shut the door behind us and gestured toward a half-open door at the end of a short hallway, and when we entered, there was an old man sitting behind an

He was asleep.

and sat down in the chair across from him, and when he still didn’t wake, she swiftly kicked him under the

“Wake up, William!”

a laugh as I stood in the doorway, but

putting on his glasses with shaking old hands as he opened a drawer and pulled out a stack

me practically insane, as the elderly lawyer licked his fingers and flipped through the documents. Finally, after a painstakingly long time and a curt “ahem” from Selina, he produced the packet of paperwork for me and

this basic contract and an

I was not allowed to become romantically involved with my employer

are these clauses for?” I asked, pointing to them. William

“All very standard.”

“But I–”

breath.

down on the dotted line and sliding the contract back to William.

another “Hmph,” and stood, smoothing down her

politely to William, who seemed already exhausted from our brief interaction. “Let’s go,

visited the day before, but equally as massive and beautiful. Selina and I walked through the marble lobby and took the elevator up a few dozen

when we arrived. She looked much more put-together and far less feral than the night before, wearing a prim baby blue dress with ruffles and a bow in her

tight hug and then took my hand, leading me away from Selina and around the massive apartment on a tour — which took over an hour since the place was so large, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it was over. Ella’s bedroom alone was bigger than my

after she introduced me to the twin maids, Lily and Amy, Ella led me to what

stifled a gasp as I saw how spacious and beautiful it was, with even a small balcony that overlooked the city

is… mine?” I asked, unable to

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