Chapter 18: ★Miss Stella is ill?★

    ~Chapter 18~

    Not long after Mr. Antonio''s departure, Miss Stella strode into the hall with the other maids, her expression filled with concern.

    So kind.

    She walked straight to me, her eyes scanning my face as she grasped my arm. "Are you hurt, did she do anything to you?" Her voice full with worry.

    My hair was covering my cheeks, hiding the evidence of the slap Miss Red had given me, and I was grateful, cause I didn''t want Miss Stella to worry unnecessarily.

    The other maids were arranging the table, and we joined in to help. We cleared and cleaned every inch of the hall, making it sparkle like new.

    Once we finished, we headed to the kitchen to tackle the mountain of dishes.

    Arriving at the kitchen, Miss Stella suddenly stumbled backward. Luckily, I was behind, and I quickly moved to catch her, along with one of the other maids.

    We held her upright, preventing her from hitting the floor. Her breathing was labored, and she clutched her chest, her face contorted in pain. It was scary – what was happening? She had been fine just moments ago.

    Carefully, we moved to the ground, "Miss Stella, Miss Stella!" I called out to her, shaking her softly.

    The maid who had helped me catch her released Miss Stella''s arm and rushed out of the kitchen, leaving me wondering what was going on.

    Why the hell was she running off to? My heart pounded in my chest as I looked around at the other maids, who stood frozen, their faces grim. Do something, will ya...?  Helpless.

    "Please, someone bring water." Stammering, I had no idea what I was doing, but water seemed like it might help bring her back. Her breathing was coming out in gasps, and I was getting desperate

    Someone handed me the glass of water, and I quickly sprinkled some on Miss Stella''s face, hoping against hope that it would revive her.

    It didn''t, "Here," the lady who I thought left me to do this alone came back with a pill in hand, running towards us and dropping to the ground. She opened two from the pill before popping it into Miss Stella''s mouth and carefully giving her water to down it.

    Miss Stella''s eyes fluttered open, before coughing hard. Some minutes later, she gazed up at me in confusion and pain.

    The lady turned to me but her eyes went behind me before flickering to meet mine. "I think it''s best Stella tells you herself." Tell me herself, so it must be serious. Oh, Lord.

    The lady pushed the door open to step out, and I called out to her, "At least tell me your name, please."

    She smiled at me before, saying"Victoria"

    "Thank you, Miss Victoria," Gratitude was all I could off as she left me. If she wasn''t here today, I didn''t know what to do, and that made me look all the more useless and worthless and stupid.

    Such a useless being, the words stung as I turned to the bathroom, dropping the towel and bowl into the sink. Turned on the faucet, before Looking up to the small mirror hanging above the sink. My bruised-up cheek greeted me that was gifted by that witch slap.

    "Foolish," I spat at my reflection, angry and frustrated simmering just below the surface. Grabbing a towel and drying off my hands before taking a deep breath, Steeling myself, and walking out of the bathroom to still find Miss Stella lying peacefully on the bed.

    "Please be okay." I reached out, gently taking her arm to check her temperature. Her skin was warm to the touch, but not alarmingly so.

    Reassured, I released her arm and turned to leave, needed to get back to work.

    I closed the door softly behind me, careful not to disturb her rest. The kitchen was my destination, but as soon as I turned a corner my tormentor was walking up the stairs. Why, isn''t he using the elevator?

    But not just that, he was completely covered in blood, looking like he had been trudging through a slaughterhouse.

    His signature cigarette was lit up on his lips, giving him that evil vibe of a man who had just committed a heinous crime, and yet, he seemed utterly calm.

    Our eyes met, and I tried stepping back. Mr Salvatore''s -I remember his name- gazed me up and down before smirking devilishly, and that damn half-covered face gave me the creeps, holding me captive, and I couldn''t look away.

    He began moving towards me, smoking his cigarette, not giving a damn about his health, just like my dead father.

    The same careless puffing their lives away, the same reckless disregard for life. Mr. Salvatore must have sensed my unease, as his smile grew wider, more menacing.

    He took a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling the smoke directly onto my face, making me quickly cough hard, my eyes stinging. I tried to step back, but he held me closer to him, pressing his blood-covered body to mine and pinning me to the wall.

    The smell of tobacco wafted through the air, mingling with the scent of blood on his clothes and now on my clothes. His breath was hot against my skin as he leaned in closer, his lips inches from mine.

    WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!