"Harry, we will miss you... so much..." a woman clad in black broke down on her knees, held by her daughter, Harley, as she sobbed. "Mommy, I miss you..."

"I-I gave them a message," Louis, her husband, said as he stroked her back. "Everything will be fine."

"Yes, ma, it'll all work out in the end. We need to go back…" Harley comforted her mother, "I'm sure Harry understands."

"We sacrificed our son..." Maharlika wept.

"He's the only one... there's nothing we can do but hope," Louis said, biting his lower lip and clenching his fist from the bitter truth.

"Mom, have faith," Harley added.

Meanwhile, HE received the message at the clan.

"They lost a son in the middle of the year. Pity, an oracle has been lost," the man says as his shadow guard waits, bowed on his knees. "Well, there are a lot of them anyway, and Leila is dead."

"Tell them I agreed for them to return home," he added. "However, they must send me whatever oracle they receive as long as they haven't stepped foot on their mountain."

"Yes, master,"

....

AT THE MANSION

"What's going on? Why are they taking our jobs?!" A maid inquired, her eyes teary.

"I'm not sure. Even Paris was stripped to her position," a gardener said with his voice trembling.

Claude appears out of nowhere and informs them that they would be forced to leave, leaving only a handful to be replaced. He may have already reimbursed them, but the news was so unexpected that not everyone was able to react.

"W-wait, what are we going to do?! A decent mansion like this is already difficult to come by. I have three school-aged children!"

"My mother is sick..." cries another maid.

"Well, sir Claude mentioned he'd left few of us remain," some of them tried to keep everyone upbeat by being optimistic. "Those who needed it could be able to stay. Don't worry, he might be able to help us in finding another job."

"Madam Leila does that…" a security guard blurted out, "Sir Claude has never dealt with our application and has never bothered to look into it. The first time he got something done for us was when we got our paycheck the other day. Then there was this..." as he stated the truth, the entire room became silent.

His friend nodded and agreed, "Now that Madam Leila isn't here, there's no one to back us up," he sighed, "…expect for the worst."

"Not quite," Paris entered the room with a folder in her hand. Everyone's gaze was drawn to her. "I have some news for you all. Well, the last time I could do that as head maid, Madonna to be exact," she says.

"First and foremost, the new Madonna will be Lalita Janine," she stated.

Hearing her name, Lalita in the throng flinched. They all congratulated her, but none of them were overjoyed, nor could they pretend to be. All had a bitter smile on their faces, knowing that the majority of them will be sacked.

"Miss Annalisa will assist you in place of Madam Leila," Paris continued. "So, if you're ready, you can go to her right now. I assume you'll begin tomorrow."

Lalita nodded, "T-thanks."

But before she could leave, Paris called her name, "Lalita, I really congratulate you. And I hope you'll look after those who are still able to work here."

"I'll do my best," Lalita responded as she walked away, her face solemn. Whether she felt remorse or pity, none of it matters to everyone. They wanted to know what had happened to them.

"Now, as I state your name, it implies you can stay in your job, but you should wait for additional information on whether you'll stay in your position or promoted or demoted," Paris opened the folder she was holding as everyone fell silent, holding each other's hands, waiting for their names to be called. "Sophia, Karyll, Ricardo…"

A few names were called, and the majority of those who had not been called cried... even if they were men.

"For those that I called, I would appreciate if you all returned to your stations and waited for more information. The rest that I didn't call, please give me some of your time to stay here." Paris said, closing the folder with a poker look. She's trying to keep her emotions in check because she's still on duty.

All of the names were called did as what she requested and left, saying goodbye to the rest.

Paris sighed as they walked away, glancing at them.

"What are we going to do, Ma'am Paris?" A security guard asked.

"If you trust me, I can help you all find new jobs," Paris said.

Everyone's eyes sparkled when they heard what she said, except one... Liliana, who was also fired. Even so, she has someone else who backed her up.

"However, if you want my help, I want all of you to keep quiet about this," Paris concluded.

Every single person in the room was frowning. "These are Madam Leila's plans for us if the day comes when they can't sustain all of our jobs," Paris continued. "She has known how to assist us in case of an emergency."

"She gave it to me a year ago because she trusted me with these documents. But she requested that I keep it a secret," Paris sighed, "...and I hope you would as well."

"Does it have anything to do with Sir Claude's affair?" Liliana blurted out.

No matter how hard Claude and Annalisa try to keep it hidden, everyone knows about it. But they couldn't talk about it since they didn't want to become involved in the concerns. Except telling Paris, Madam Leila's right hand. Hoping she would tell her in their place.

However, based on Madam Leila's reactions over the years, they believe Paris did not inform her of the same reason they do, and thought Madam Leila was unaware about the affair.

"M-madam, knew?" The gardener was taken aback.

"She knew for a long time," Paris replied. "But right now, all we have to worry about are all of your jobs."

If Madam Leila knew, then why letting it be? Their thoughts were racing with questions, and some were even concerned. Was it just a fluke that she vanished? Is she truly dead?

Or was it just an accident at all?

Paris let their minds wander and concentrated on everyone acquiring a new job, just as Madam Leila had instructed to her.

Meanwhile, Li Shun and Par-chan tracked down someone at the rear of the forest where they were meant to meet their master, Carla.

"How are we going to deal with this kid?" Par-chan asked yanking the unconscious boy with a stick.

"We can't just abandon him here. His face is pale… Let's bring him inside the hut first and inform Master when she arrives," Li Shun suggested. "He's not dead yet, right?"

"He's still flinching," Par-chan said with a shake of her head.

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KircheLeaf
Volume 2 The Divorce

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~ END of CHAPTER NINETY- SEVEN ~