*This chapter contains sensitive content*

Chapter 2

Unbelievable, Mary thought, passing under the gallery hall into the next bright room. As she was told they entered one of a few living spaces, Belle pressed a built-in console and floor-to-ceiling glass panels slid open to an enclosed outdoor living. Roofing covered a massive lounge area where one could cozy around a fireplace under a mounted TV, sit at a dining sized table, or sit at a granite bar with a propane grill. They left the shade of the mansion, proceeded outside onto a stone slab trail past a small infinity pool flowing to the left and down a paved trail curving through more healthy green grass.

The field stretched for a few acres until it reached boundaries made of lush trees, but Mary's awe furthered when Belle pointed to their right. "Welcome to the guest house. This is where I was a year ago, but with my condition, I can't afford these extra steps."

Under the covered entry, Belle pulled keys from her cardigan pocket and unlocked the door. With enormous eyes, Mary stepped in and circled around before she pulled her phone from her back pocket. She typed quickly in her notepad app and showed Belle.

Belle smiled. "Yes, this may differ from what I originally stated in our emails. But after some thinking, it made more sense for you to have a fully private space with resources away from the estate."

She checked the watch on her wrist before retrieving her phone from her cardigan. "You must excuse me, the event coordinator has arrived at the front doors. Are you sure you're comfortable attending tonight's party?"

Mary nodded. In the last email exchange, Belle gave her the choice to start the following afternoon or join the day of a celebration. After learning Belle was the housekeeper for Nathan Vanderbilt, she knew she'd recognized his name as she had heard of him over the years, but rarely. From simple research, the splendor of the home featured in blogs about him and multi-million dollar homes in their state astonished her and her sister were. Recent news, online, revealed he won the title of 'Entrepreneur of the Year', in a famous business insider magazine–'1080 Magazine'. On the cover, he leaned against a desk in a beautiful office. His hands were in his pockets and his head tilted up. He was without a smile on his face. Handsome, but with distant eyes, she thought.

Nathan Vanderbilt–Son of an Empire.

While he didn't start from nothing, his take on real estate began early, before continuing the legacy of his late father's footsteps. Making the right connections at the right time last year, he won the contracts of two of the largest apartment developers in the coastal region by the age of twenty-eight. He wasn't just a wealthy man; he gained fame.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little afraid, but Belle had assured them there would be little interaction with him, as he was awfully busy. Though, the scarcity poked Mary's curiosity more. Who wouldn't want to see their famous employer celebrated glamorously? Plus, she came to work and learn. An event would be the perfect opportunity.

Small hands closed around Mary's palm. A key rested in the new live-in maid's hand. "Thank you for accepting this job as quickly as you did. Please, accustom yourself to the space, and when you are ready to find me, send a text."

Belle answered her phone and footed it toward the main house. After pulling her suitcase and removing her canvas shoes, Mary tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and recognized the surrounding stillness again. But this time, it filled her with excitement and emotion. To the left was a small living room with loungers and another television above a fireplace. To her right, there was the high breakfast table with four high chairs before the natural light beaming from the windows.

She ran up the stairs to the bedroom loft, where there was a queen-sized bed and a recliner next to a small vanity in the corner. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and took pictures throughout the house before sending them in a group text. Mary hurt her cheeks from smiling harder. As the next hour passed, Mary unloaded her things while on a video call with her sister.

"Show me the vanity again," Nellie said, and she flipped the camera. From the mirror, she sat on the small chair and pretended to put powder on her cheeks before fluffing her hair.

When her sister finished laughing, Mary asked, "Is he still asleep?"

"Yeah. This time he cried himself into a nap." Nellie answered and sadness took her face. "He'll be okay, as long as you call him whenever you can."

She studied her big sister's expression. Tears brimmed in her eyes, causing a moment of hesitation. "I will."

"Don't you cry too," Nellie said with a cracked voice. "I already did enough of that. It stressed me I couldn't be there to help, but I couldn't reschedule Buddy's appointment again."

A smile jerked at Nellie's mouth, but the distant drift in her eyes was familiar. Mary flattened her face into her hands and said, "I did it by myself."

"I know. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"We had to do it this way."

"No. We didn't, but it's temporary. This isn't ideal, but I love you, and your health insurance is incredible. Let me wake your nephew up so we can go see mama."

Nellie stood and whispered about calling later as she moved from the living room into her dark bedroom. They blew each other a kiss and ended the call.

Mary locked the guest house and sent a text while approaching the mansion. The outdoor living echoed with mixed voices responding to or lending commands over bouquets of flowers, floating pool decor, and string lights. Retracing her steps into the overhang, a table with white peonies called her attention. With delight, she sniffed them. If she could, she'd love to have a vase back into the guest house for her table.

"Excuse me. Where is Ms. Korhonen?"

Mary jerked around and froze. An arch-browed woman with a determined, firm jaw stared at her in question. Wearing a stylish green pantsuit and holding a tablet, she appeared important. The skin furrowed around her eyes. "Nevermind."

When the woman advanced through the outdoor living, Mary cursed under her breath. Already she messed up, she felt. If she would help, she would have to try harder. Just then, Belle replied by text, saying to find her in the chef's kitchen. She followed the coordinator's path through a secondary entrance from the outdoor living and walked into a massive kitchen. The room was busy with varying piles of ingredients, from thin slices of smoked salmon, rainbows of cherry tomatoes, miniature squashes cut in half, figs, and an assortment of nuts. She salivated at the aromas, eager to see the future arrangements for their presentation. Tearing away from the palatable wonders, she surveyed the area to realize the small woman wasn't in sight. Was this not the chef's kitchen?

From a hall across the way, Belle walked in the kitchen, peering at her phone. The woman advanced and Belle hardly put her phone away when met with two kisses on the cheeks.

Belle pulled back with a flustered smile. "Valentina. It's good to see you again."

"Same to you, Belle," Valentina said, removing the cover from her tablet. "So, let me go over the plans for the evening, give you your peace of mind, and disappear to make all the magic happen."

Belle looked at Mary and gestured that she come closer. "Uh, b-before you do that. This is the young lady I called you about before."

Valentina turned her eyes before her head. "Oh! Yes, I remember. I'm Valentina Lauren."

Mary looked at Valentina's extended hand. She shook it with barely a grip. Valentina pulled back and turned questioning eyes on Belle.

Belle finished warmly. "And she's just arrived and new to all of this."

It was then a tune-filled whistle echoed from outside before footsteps clacked into the kitchen. Valentina rolled her eyes and Belle put a hand on Mary's shoulder to exchange a look of reassurance. Mary squared her brows until she saw a tall man in a gray plaid suit swing into the kitchen.

He ripped his opaque sunglasses from his face and pointed with them. "I see beautiful ladies, but I hope this unfamiliar face isn't the size four you told me about, Belle!"

She laced her hands together and rested her chin on her knuckles. "She is, but she's not–"

"Not a size four," He finished with concern before placing air kisses with Belle. He pulled back and scanned Mary's frame. He shook his head and shooed them away from the kitchen into an interior hall.

"I'm sorry," Belle peeped.

He looked back and sighed. "Don't apologize to me, honey. Cici is the one you gotta worry about. She'll be happy and angry at the same time. It'll be amazing for me to watch."

They followed him to an elevator. Mary gently paused Belle before they climbed the first step. She quickly hunched her shoulders and tightened her face in question.

"I'm so sorry," Belle said. "Tonight we are the ladies of the house, and we'll be wearing matching ensembles. When I asked for your attendance at this party, I didn't mean to serve. Therefore, tonight you and I are not housekeepers or maids."

Mary's eyes widened. A night of fun?

"And I've obviously forgotten to ask for your dress size." Belle pressed her fingers to her temple. "Are you sure you're good to attend tonight's event? You can opt-out at any point. I'll understand."

Mary considered the option to retreat after meeting Abraham, but with what she'd seen so far, she would regret missing something magical. She was nervous, but bent down and leveled to concerned eyes. She signed and mouthed, "I'm okay."

"Oh–my–god," he purred with an open-mouthed smile. "I stan the diversity! This will be perfect for the article!"

"No, Abraham!" Belle waved with her hand. "Please, she just got here and I don't mean to turn her into some spectacle."

"Darling, do you mean to tell me you don't want the man of the hour recognized as the equal opportunity employer he already is? I just want to put a little emphasis. Is that okay..." He revolved his wrist and squinted.

"Her name is Mary," Belle said, frowning.

"That's my mother's name!" He chirped. "Are you okay with being mentioned? I mean, you might get something like half a sentence. I probably won't even use your beautiful name."

Mary shook her head. She hated to disappoint others, but there was no way she could imagine herself in an article or on the Internet.

"Abraham, I understand your duties, but please do not broadcast her or her image without permission."

He conceded with a sigh. Belle hooped her arm for Mary to link. They ascended the stairs slowly and walked into the first bedroom on the left in the west wing.

"Cici, here she is, and she's not a size four!"

"I can see! She's larger." A short woman with a heavy accent complained. She pulled back puffy hair and pressed her fingers to her dark brown forehead. Before snatching the tailor's tape from her neck. "This will not work at all."

Under the scrutiny of a frustrated woman, Mary shivered inside her skin.

"Please be gentle with her. It's not her fault." Belle found a nearby seat and said. "I am proud of Nathan, but I'll be glad when the night ends."

✧ ✧ ✧

The anticipation rose once Belle zipped the back of Mary's dress.

"You look wonderful," Belle said brightly in the mirror.

She felt beautiful, running her hands over the jade-green bodice of her dress. Mary turned her shoulders with a smile and admired the capped sleeves before twisting her hips to sway its fitted mid-length skirt.

She faced Belle and watched her pin a crystal of two lilies-of-the-valley over her right breast, matching the pin Belle also donned. Once urged to sit down at the nearby vanity while they had peace. Belle fixed her hair into a slick ponytail and added a touch of eye makeup, filled in her brow, added blush, and nude lipstick. Mary fluttered her eyes. She grabbed a tissue and hid her nervous smile behind it. With her face done up with different techniques and wearing a beautiful dress. She saw a different person.

"Oh no, dear. Don't cry." Belle gently lifted Mary's chin. "Here, let's take a picture for you to send to your sister, yes?"

Mary put on her heels with a smile, but didn't know how to pose and became more endearing to Belle, taking the picture with her phone.

"Knock knock, beauties!" Abraham interrupted through the cracked door. "It's party time!"

"Just remember to stay by me," she instructed with an arched brow. "Feel free to munch on spare food but absolutely no drinking."

Mary nodded. She didn't have to be twice to stray from alcohol. She heard the chatterings in the gallery, following Belle down the east wing to the elevator. They clicked out of the hall and into the open, filled with the aromatics of more beautiful white flowers. By the opened doors, two women worked the coat check. Caterers wove between the guests, holding champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Belle greeted, hugged, and called up to thirty guests by name before introducing them to Mary. If she could avoid engaging in conversation, she did, but more times than not, the guest gravitated towards the fresh face.

"She is gorgeously unique." A slinky woman with a pixie cut admired Mary. "Look at those eyes."

Mary shrank under another compliment, but she signed her thanks. Again, another guest became curious about her history.

"Darla, I'm sure there will be more time for Mary to divulge about herself, but she must follow me to the outdoors."

"I'll be here with my curiosity and champagne." She winked before Belle grabbed Mary's hand and shuttled her to the outdoors. A tray of what appeared to be crab on artichokes approached them, and Belle gave the small saucer to the new help.

"It's been less than an hour and I'm already tired." Mary didn't miss the exhaustion on Belle's face, and leaned forward and to the right, and pointed to a nearby seat.

"I wish I could, but–" she checked her watch. "Nathan is close to appearing and we have to be ready to introduce him."

She put the food down on a nearby surface as she immediately lost her appetite. Both of them have to introduce him?

"Ladies?!" Abraham called with angered brows. "It's almost time. We need you outside by the pool right now!"

Belle's reluctant groan caused Mary to frown. She'd seen that look of physical exhaustion too many times in her mother's face before. With her phone upstairs, she gestured for pen and paper before pointing to the phone in his hand. He pinched his eyes in confusion, but she put her hands together and wove her thumbs around. He reluctantly handed her his phone, and she opened a note app. She typed quickly and showed him. "She needs to sit down."

"Belle can sit down after the speeches." He said before raising his hand apologetically at the pained woman.

Then tell Mr. Vanderbilt to hurry!

Abraham scoffed and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked her up and down. "Okay, sis. I got you, but we have to follow the plan! Take her outside and stand by the pool. After that, do whatever you want, but we need to capture this moment for the cameras. Okay?"

Of course, cameras would be here, Mary thought fearfully. She shadowed Belle outside, but guided her to a seat closest to the pool. From sudden directions, three photographers swarmed them and asked for permission to take photos after already stealing a few shots.

"Sure," Belle frowned before sitting straight and smiling.

"You get in too. This is for the photo album, ladies!" A woman instructed Mary. They caught her under the flashes, not because she wanted to, but because she froze again. The photographers pulled back from their cameras and suggested she look less like a deer in headlights. Belle tried to veer them away from her, but Mary took a deep breath and placed her hand on Belle's shoulder. "Atta girl!" a man cheered before turning his camera with a grin. She gave the most she could in a half-smile. She wasn't used to being in front of the camera, but behind it. Feeling the trembling hand on her, Belle touched Mary. A moment of security was the cherry on top for the artists.

Like Belle, she the event already exhausted her. Abraham appeared behind them and pointed angrily at his watch.

Mary clenched her jaw while helping Belle from the seat. Standing before the pool, the photographers fired off more flashes before Mary squinted away to call the attention of a caterer passing and mouthed for water. The guests slowly filled the outside living and continued chattering until Abraham excused himself between the photographers and handed a wireless microphone to Belle.

"Hurry, Nathan," Belle said through her teeth, waving at guests. Valentina lingered by the open door and gestured inside before signaling a halt. Mary took a glass of water, but the moment she grabbed it, Abraham took it and walked away with a stern eye and tightened lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out this beautiful evening. First, let me say... on Mr. Vanderbilt's behalf that he's delighted to have each of you come to celebrate his award for the East Coast's Entrepreneur of the Year. All of you have played a part in his success, and this tonight is a thanks to each one of you. Ladies and gentlemen... your esteemed colleague and friend, Nathaniel Stefan Vanderbilt."

Just then, Mary gasped beneath the applause. A tall, dark-haired man stepped into the outdoors with a coltish, ivory-skinned beauty with black curls bouncing over her modelesque shoulders linked to his arm. He looked regal in a black, fitted suit stressing his defined frame while his date stunned the crowd in a glimmering silver dress. They were a gorgeous pair. His cheeks were like a chiseled, finely carved statue of the Renaissance. Darling dimples indented his freshly shaved skin when he revealed his first smile of the evening, and he packed his jet black waves into sleek tapered coif. Just like his pictures of his home, the images online didn't do Nathan Vanderbilt justice.

The couple moved through the crowd and Nathan gravitated to Belle's open arms. He inevitably shot a glance at her. Of all the things she appreciated the most, it had to be his dark eyes she confirmed were brilliantly blue. The color was an appropriate shade for a man so regal. Mary averted her attention and finally exhaled. From her peripheral, she saw Abraham waving from a distance. When he caught her attention, he angrily clapped, and she joined in the applause.

His curious eye lingered on her when he took the microphone. He turned to the crowd. "Thank you all for joining me this evening."

She pulled her lips in at the sound of his low baritone echoing through the speakers. There was no confusion behind his date's eyes, gazing adoringly at him.

"I'll keep this very short, but I would love to give a special thanks to my family who could make it tonight." He looked at two tall sandy-haired people who raised their short glass in the distance. They shared similar features in the face as the man of the hour, and since Nathan was the youngest of three, she was sure they were his siblings. "I know if our father were still here, he'd be proud of all of us. And I would love to share my gratitude with the women in my life who helped me come this far." He turned to his date, and they exchanged a brief kiss, arousing a wave of swoons across the audience. "Karina, you're not just beautiful, but you're amazingly resilient."

He turned to Belle. "And Belle. Some would call you my second mother, but I call you a woman who means the absolute world to me."

She waved her hand at him before he hugged her tightly. Phones raised and applause filled the air again. "Now everyone, please... eat, drink, but most importantly, don't forget to take a photo with this year's 1080 Entrepreneur of the Year!"

The extra help flitted away immediately and slipped into the kitchen to search for an empty glass. Valentina called her name, holding water and a saucer with aspirin. "You're welcome."

She returned outdoors and found Belle sitting.

"Thank you, dear," Belle said, taking the drink.

"Is everything okay with Belle?"

Mary looked up and took a step back. He batted his attention between her and Belle before wrinkling his brow at Mary. She felt her nerves clashing like cymbals. This wasn't how she wanted her first interaction to be with him, but it was too late.

"Go and enjoy yourself, Nathan. I'll be fine," Belle waved her hand with a frown. "Don't make a scene."

He tossed his head back, annoyedly. The look he threw at Mary was not kind until he saw the crystal lilies above her breast matching the one on his lapel. Luckily, Karina and Abraham pulled him away. He didn't make it easy to stay around with his concerned eye, frequently returning to his 'second mother'. A server approached them with a tray holding a stack of magazines. Belle took the print with Nathan's cover but put it on the couch immediately. More irritated, she insisted on retreating to the kitchen and took preference with a stool at the busy island. Mary pulled a few saucers of hors d'oeuvres between them and smiled.

Finally, Belle chuckled and mouthed, "Thank you."

Mary signed her thanks. Her boss perked up and tried to repeat her gestures while sharing her language. "Ole hyvä (You're welcome)."

Belle slapped her thighs and insisted on making her rounds with guests again. She urged Mary to eat more before she returned. Once she was out of sight, Mary found the elevator and she briefly disappeared to retrieve her phone from the room upstairs.

To her surprise, a quick glance down into the gallery revealed more people streaming into the house. She checked the time. It was a little past 8 PM, and when she snuck back into the kitchen, she overheard Valentina and Abraham chatting about wrapping up around 11 PM.

Mary preferred to sit in the distant corner of the kitchen and people watch. From the open door. Karina gave a short, but loving speech about how they met. Karina Burke was another name she'd heard before, yet didn't realize was as mighty until she searched and saw she was a model and socialite who amassed a huge online following and was the daughter of Rafal Burke of Reagan Digital. She was photogenic, looked happy with Nathan in their six-month anniversary picture online, and had a sweet voice that echoed through the microphone and in her inspirational captions on social media. She couldn't see Nathan as his girlfriend imparted her short but loving speech, but she could guess that he couldn't do anything but smile.

Mary was most attentive when watching Belle have a long chat with whom she assumed were his siblings. She hugged and kissed them like they were her children, but it made sense if she was with them since childhood. Using her phone to look them up online, she confirmed Joseph Vanderbilt was the oldest and a CFO to the Technical Services Unit to Smart Industries. Then Laura was the middle child and a corporate attorney to an esteemed law firm–Babu and Jones Law, LLC. They were relatively harmless children born of James D. and Bernadette Vanderbilt. Their father passed tragically four years ago, and while there were articles of his death and legacy, Mary could only read so much about it before saddening. She was glad a text from her sister came in to distract her.

She was in the middle of reading a long, worrisome text from Nellie when she heard, "I've been taking pictures all night. What do the chefs have for me?!"

Nathan made himself known before he stepped into the kitchen. Without thinking twice, she fled into the open pantry behind her.

In no time, she learned her hiding choice was unwise when crisp steps approached her hiding place. Mr. Vanderbilt paused in the doorway and leaned against the open frame. Mary held her phone to her chest. She couldn't deny that he looked marvelous in a suit tailored to perfection. His dark eyes scrutinized her, but this time, a tiny smirk accompanied them.

"I think it's time we finally introduce ourselves to each other." He laughed. "Well, you already know who I am."

Mary pulled her chin in and swallowed. He wasn't wrong. She wasn't fond of the encounter, but his low timbre still made her shiver.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked. She heard the lilt in her unsolicited nickname, and his drunken tone was hard to ignore.

She panicked and felt stiff again. He tilted his head and took a step closer, and she shouted internally to herself to move. Finally, she typed shakily into her notes app. It made more sense to explain herself in writing instead of signing in a dimly lit room.

"Are you kidding?" he said, with confusion resting between his brows.

To her luck, Belle appeared in a hurry. "Please, Mary, I need you out here."

She slinked past him and out into the cellar.

"Well, at least I know your name now?" Nathan spat after her.

"What the hell is going on?"

Belle pointed at him. "Don't use that language with me, and I'll explain later. She's clearly my hired help. Naturally, she's new and nervous. Stop scaring her."

"Are you charming more women, Nathan?" Karina interrupted, grinning at Mary until she lowered her eye on the crystal flowers.

"Feel free to retire for the rest of the night," Belle said firmly.

Mary's pale face asked without her needing to type it. Belle read her well, put her palms forward, and explained frantically, "I haven't explained to him yet. He was out of town for days before the party, and last night I allowed him to rest away from me."

She wished that relieved her. Fighting through the blood rushing in her ears, she used her phone again. "It's okay for him to know now."

"What the hell is happening?" Karina snickered with a quirked brow.

Belle exhaled and retorted. "She doesn't speak."

Nathan rolled his head back with widened eyes, and Karina scoffed briefly in uncomfortable laughter.

"What?" Nathan murmured. "Belle, what is going on?"

Mary looked down before looking around the room. From the servers to Valentina and Abraham, more eyes were on her than she would have liked. The throbbing intensified in her ears and her head felt light. Belle pleaded to her quietly with a gentle touch, "Please retire for the night. I'm so sorry. I should have said something to them before–"

Oh no, it's coming, Mary thought. The surrounding voices weakened to be fuzzy and unclear. Putting a hand over her chest, she felt the quickness of short breaths clashing with the speeding thrum of her heart. Belle anchored her away, into the closest restroom.

Upturning her head, Belle captured her attention. "We're not in the same room, we're in a quiet place."

Mary pressed her back against the wall and stared ahead.

"I'm going to hold your hand," Belle announced. "Squeeze if you can hear me."

She felt a gentle squeeze. "Perfect. Now breathe, Mary. Breathe."