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Chapter 7

  • Scarlet's POV
  • Mornings were my worst moments. I dreaded them so badly and wished they never came. If only wishes were horses. I hoped this one was going to be better than the others; slightly better, even. It did look like it. There was a certain excitement on the face of the sun as it shined its light so brightly on my face, reminding me that I didn't shut my window the previous night. It was quite hot but I was thankful for it. As harsh as the sun was, it was nothing compared to the powerful hands and legs of Layla, the head Supervisor of all the servants in the alpha's palace.
  • When I first set foot in the palace, I felt she was very nice. She had very pretty black hair that wasn't so long and her very white teeth stood out when she smiled at me. I thought it was always like that. I should have known better.
  • I liked her at that time. She looked like she was going to be very nice. She was so pretty; too pretty to ever be mean to anyone. That was what I felt. I never knew that it was possible to be beautiful on the outside and so different on the inside. I learned that through experience.
  • After my first few months, all the servants were called to assemble just in front of the palace by Layla. She said she had a very urgent issue to address and we all came as quickly as we could.
  • "From today henceforth, we'd be functioning by a new set of rules," she began. "I have noticed that some of you have chosen to always be late to work and I wouldn't be having that anymore. Alpha Isaac is not impressed by our work rate either. I heard that one of you made a horrible dish for him last night which he claimed tasted like dog shit."
  • Hahahaha
  • I placed my right hand in front of my mouth as quickly as I could. It was already too late. Everyone turned in my direction with a weird look on their faces. It was Layla and I couldn't have been in trouble, I thought. Besides, it was quite funny. What food takes like dog shit?
  • Thwack! Thwack!
  • Two hot slaps landed on my face and they did leave a bitter taste in my mouth. I guess I could say they tasted like dog shit. I had heard that slaps took people to places that they'd never been to. I heard that it took people as far as the skies. This was different. It brought the heavens to me. I saw stars dancing around my face and laughing hard at me. I was alive in Dreamland.
  • "I never want to see such a stupid attitude from any one of you from now henceforth! Am I clear?" She asked.
  • "Yes, ma'am." They all chorused
  • "I didn't hear you, Lisa. That's your name, isn't it?"
  • "It's my name, ma'am, and yes, ma'am," I answered, keen to avoid any more of what I just received from her.
  • As she returned to her exalted stand from whence she spoke, I heard a few whispers from some of the servants.
  • "What was she thinking?" One asked
  • "I don't know," another replied before going on. "She has to be either ignorant of who Layla is or just dumb and stupid."
  • "Dumb and stupid?" Asked another servant. "I can see those written all over her face. Who dares laugh when Layla is speaking? She probably doesn't have a parent. She seems to have not been well brought up."
  • That was it. The last statement stung my ears like a bee. I felt like running to the maid who said that and giving her the hardest punch that my fists had to offer. But then, I realized that it wasn't something I could do. Besides, my punch was probably not going to do much harm to her. It might have made her angry and liable to retaliate, which wouldn't be good for me. So, I thought it wise to keep my hands to myself. My ears too. If I didn't hear anything, then I wouldn't have a reason to be angered.
  • Layla got on with her announcement but I paid very little attention to whatever she had to say. I just kept staring at her, very surprised that she was able to hit me that hard. The words of those servants also made an impression on me. She already had a reputation for being notorious. How did I not see that? "It could all be hearsay," I thought to myself. After all, she might have felt I was mocking her in front of everyone. She probably had no choice but to hit me.
  • After the talk, she moved us all to the kitchen and gave us our designated tasks. Mine was relatively easy. I was to use a damp rag to clean the tables, the windows and everything else that needed to be cleaned. I got on with it as quickly as possible with the blue rag I had in my hand. It felt great cleaning those surfaces. I enjoyed the circular motion I made with my hands as I cleaned. Smiles were all over my face. The job wasn't so hard after all.
  • What was hard was what I felt on my back. It felt like a short cord, but the second time, it felt like a long whip. Before I could make a sound, I felt the same things in quick succession and I quickly turned, putting up my hands to protect my precious back which was already sore.
  • I was right. Layla did have a long whip in her right hand and a short cord on her left and she didn't hesitate to use it. I touched my back, trying to ease the pain as much as I could but it was simply unbearable. I felt something wet drop on the floor and I knew it was my blood.
  • "You do know that it's part of your job to clean that up too, don't you?" She asked. It was one of the most cold-hearted questions that I'd ever heard in my life. That was when it dawned on me that those servants were right and I was so wrong to judge a book by its cover.
  • "Yes, I do," I responded as the tears freely flowed down my cheeks.