Thursday, February 2
They had stayed up late drinking and reminiscing about old times, smiling at those moments of happiness…
Both of them felt like everything was spinning, and their whole bodies ached, not only because of the bad position they had slept in—curled up against the wall next to each other—but also from the blows of their "little fight."
Maximiliano's pained groan finally woke Dominick.
"Oh, shit," Maxi groaned. "I have a damn cramp, a damn cramp in my left foot."
"This one?" Dominick asked, letting his hand drop onto Maximiliano's leg.
"Don't touch my foot!" Maxi swatted at him, and Dominick started laughing. Maximiliano shot him a glare.
"My head's going to explode…"
[...]
Jade
She had gotten up early. She had a lot of work to do and wanted to get ahead so she could say goodbye to Lennon. Her mind was filled with so many things—what had happened with Dominick, her conversation with Robinson and what it meant if her suspicions were true, and to top it all off… Maximiliano's crazy idea to make Dominick mad.
She rubbed her forehead and stepped out of the room. She had cleaned about eight rooms so far that day. She glanced at her small blue watch with golden accents. It was nearly four in the afternoon, and Lennon was leaving at six.
So, the blonde decided to clean the last three rooms so she could go take a shower. But first, she needed to find Nerea so they could both take Lennon.
[...]
An hour later, she had finished her work and decided to leave the rest for the next day. She returned the cleaning cart to its place and headed straight for the elevator. She pressed the lobby button, and as she watched the numbers tick down, she realized she hadn't seen Dominick all day. Even though his absence brought peace to her day, she couldn't deny that she missed his presence—his teasing. She was getting used to his constant sarcastic remarks and their frequent arguments, which she usually won, leaving him fuming.
She smiled at the memory. His black hair—which most of the time looked brown—had grown in the past few days. He looked great. The elevator ding startled her; she had been too distracted thinking about him.
She stepped out and headed straight to reception, where her friend was working. With a smile, she leaned on the counter.
"Hi, beautiful," the blonde greeted, making her friend smile.
"Hey, Jade. Why so flirty? What's got you so happy?" the brunette raised a brow. "Don't think I didn't notice something happened. You've been acting kind of… weird."
Jade let out a nervous laugh. She'd been caught without even needing to lie. Her friend knew her too well. The only time she had managed to fool her was when it came to Dam, and even though she didn't like hiding things from her, that stupid idea lingered in her mind—that if she confessed the truth, her friend might not take it well…
"I'll tell you everything later, okay?"
Nerea thought about it for a moment and then said:
"Deal. But I want all the juicy details. We can drop Lennon off at her new boss's place, and on the way back we can stop by a park or a café and talk."
"Sounds perfect. Shall we go? We need to shower. Lennon's probably already cleaning—she likes to keep everything shiny."
They both smiled, and once Nerea's replacement arrived, they left. Several minutes later, they were walking into their room, and as expected, it was spotless, with perfectly made beds and everything neatly in place.
Lennon was wearing her ugly brown hat again and was reading an old book.
"Hi, Lennon," Nerea greeted, startling the girl, who hadn't noticed the blonde and brunette arriving due to being so engrossed in her book.
"Oh! What a scare! I thought it was that awful man again," she smiled, placing a hand on her chest. The two girls exchanged confused looks. "I was really into it. How are you both?"
Lennon smiled broadly. Even though they had only known each other for a few days, she had quickly warmed up to them. She was a very friendly and easygoing girl.
Although she often seemed shy, she came off as very open.
"We're doing well," Jade replied, returning the smile. "Actually, we came to shower and change. We're taking you to your new workplace."
"That's not necessary, girls. I can go on my own," she assured them.
"No way," the blonde said firmly. "We're taking you. It gives us an excuse to get out of here."
"If you insist…" Lennon closed her book.
"What terrible man were you talking about just now?" Nerea asked.
"Well, yesterday when I came back from talking to you, a man dragged me and covered my mouth," she recalled, the same fear, anguish, and helplessness returning. "He asked about Jade…"
"About me?" the blonde interrupted, frowning.
"Yes."
"What did he look like?" Nerea asked.
"He was tall—very tall. I'd say around 6'2"," the redhead placed a finger on her chin, tapping it as if that would help her remember. "He had black hair, though it looked brownish. He was dressed very elegantly… Oh! He said he was your friend. He even sent me to Mr. Anderson. Also, he said he was returning your phone, broken. When I came back from the office, I found him sleeping with you, and I tucked you both in," she smiled. "Then I left again so I wouldn't disturb you.
Jade's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets... She already knew exactly who it was. Nerea's questioning gaze was fixed on Jade, who just responded with a tense smile. The brunette told her without words that they were going to have a long conversation...
"Thanks, Lenn," Nerea called her by the nickname she had made up. "Jade and I are going to shower now. I guess you'll do it after."
"Yes."
The young woman stood up and went to her suitcase… Meanwhile, Jade and Nerea entered the bathroom. The brunette grabbed her towel.
"What was Dominick doing here?" she asked, stepping into the small shower. She took off her clothes at the same time as Jade.
"I'll tell you later, but I swear I didn't know what he did to poor Lennon."
Nerea raised an eyebrow, and after several long seconds of silence—which felt unbearable to Jade—she burst out laughing.
"This is going to be so good!" she squealed, earning a confused look from her friend. "I'm already imagining all the porn-level details," she murmured, much to Jade's dismay, who opened her mouth in disbelief at what her friend had said.
Nerea was smiling enthusiastically as she turned on the faucet, and the artificial rain immediately soaked her body.
"Jade slept with Dominick, in our room…" the brunette began to sing.
"Of course not!" Jade shouted as the water ran down her skin.
"Did something happen?!" Lennon asked from the room.
"No, don't worry, everything's fine!" Nerea replied without wiping the smile off her face.
~•~
Fifteen minutes later, they were picking out outfits to leave. Nerea, a fan of jeans, wore a pair of high-waisted black ones with a white crop top that left her belly button exposed, and for the cold, she added a leather jacket.
Jade put on a blue dress—she had several in that color. Her only black coat and matching shoes completed the look.
Lennon had come out of the bathroom already dressed, her hair hidden under her brown beanie, and wearing a knee-length white dress. It was very pretty, with hand-stitched burgundy designs at the bottom.
"That dress is so pretty, and it looks gorgeous on you!" Jade complimented, grabbing her small purse.
"I agree," said Nerea, brushing her hair. "I think your beautiful hair, down, would give it that perfect final touch."
"Thanks… But I like wearing my beanie," she said, picking up her suitcase.
"As you wish," Nerea said as she applied some lipstick, and the three of them left the room, not forgetting to lock the door behind them.
The girls started advising Lennon to be careful, to not trust her boss too much or the people on the streets—people weren't always as kind as they were. She promised to take care of herself, and Jade made her promise that at the first chance she had to get a phone, she would call Nerea, since she didn't have one.
They left the hotel and got into a taxi. The money had been given to her by Gideon, supposedly as a small advance. She accepted it since it was part of her job…
On the way to the house, the girls continued giving Lennon advice. She was like a little sister to them, only twenty years old, and they were almost four years older.
Jade wrote down Nerea's number on a small piece of paper, and they promised to visit her on their days off.
An hour later, when the taxi stopped at Gideon's property, the girls got out and paid.
The mansion could be seen about twenty meters from where they were—it looked beautiful standing before them.
There was no gate, so they began walking. As they did, they admired the beauty of the place: the neatly trimmed grass, the bushes, and the flowers... The mansion was painted in shades of brown and tan, with a red brick chimney.
Lennon, amazed, looked at the place with awe. She felt like she was in a palace. She had never seen anything like it before.
"If the owner is anything like this house… give me the job," Nerea joked, and the girls laughed.
"I saw him, and yeah, he's very handsome, but I don't know," Jade looked around. "He doesn't seem like a nice person."
"Oh no, if he's a grump, then I'm out."
Lennon remained silent, observing everything, storing every detail in her mind. They reached the door, and it was Nerea who rang the bell.
Less than thirty seconds later, an older woman with a sour expression opened the door. She wore a gray skirt below the knees and a blouse in the same color.
The woman, with her hair pulled tightly into a bun, looked the three of them up and down.
"How can I help you?" she asked, scrutinizing each one. The only one who felt uncomfortable under her inquisitive stare was Lennon, while Jade and Nerea just stared at her with bored expressions.
"We came to speak with Mr. Lewis," the brunette replied, crossing her arms.
"I wasn't aware the master was expecting any visitors, or that he was meeting with women like you…" the lady exclaimed, glancing at them disdainfully.
"Listen, you old crow," Nerea hissed with the fakest smile. "Shut it, and watch your tone with us, unless you want a new hairstyle—I'll gladly yank out those three gray hairs you call hair."
The woman squirmed uncomfortably, clearly furious. She was about to speak when the arrival of a car made them all turn toward the visitor.
Gideon Lewis stepped out of the car with an unsettling calmness. He took off his sunglasses—which, for some reason, he was still wearing at that hour. He had dark circles under his eyes and his brown hair looked a bit unkempt.
Four pairs of eyes watched him walk toward the entrance. He had about three days' worth of stubble and looked like he hadn't been doing well. He looked at the four of them, realizing he'd forgotten to tell his housekeeper about the arrival of the new employee, although he was a bit surprised to see the girl from the other day and another one he didn't know.
"Good evening," he greeted, mustering what little politeness he had left. Since Agnes left, his life had lost all meaning.
"Good evening..." they chorused.
"Sir, these women say…"
"Amelia, don't worry. Miss Scoot is going to be working here. I forgot to tell you…" he said.
Nerea gave Amelia a triumphant look, and the woman shot her back a sour glare.
"As you say, sir," she muttered, faking a cheerful tone, then turned and walked away.
Gideon gave a nod.
"We just came to drop you off, we have to go now," Jade said, smiling at Lennon.
"Excuse me," Gideon muttered, entering the house.
"Well, Lenn, I hope you have an amazing time in this house," Nerea began, grabbing her by the shoulders. "And if anyone treats you badly… poison them. No hesitation. Don't let anyone mistreat you," the brunette huffed. Lennon stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm kidding!"
"Oh!" She laughed, her blue eyes squinting with her smile.
"But if you ever decide to do it, just let me know. I know a few untraceable poisons—just call me."
"Don't listen to her," Jade advised. "She's a little crazy. See you soon, Lennon," the blonde said, giving her a tight hug.
"You will," she replied from the middle of the embrace.
After saying their goodbyes, the two girls started walking toward the exit of the property, wondering how they'd get back to the hotel.
As Lennon watched them leave, Gideon observed the girl with the ugly beanie from the window of his room. He saw her smile and look around excitedly. When she looked up, he vanished...