The servant's daughter and the aristocrats' son engage in a prohibited bond.
Melanie moves in with her mother to work in the Kingstons' household, who have just had their son, Kai, come back from a mysterious absence.
After Kai walks in on her at...
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The level to which I listened to my mum was unsafe.
The following Monday, after Mr Kingston’s offer, I was already standing in front of the long mirror in our room and checking out myself. My auburn hair was in a neat ponytail, and my blue eyes were highlighted with light makeup. I put on the last layer of my nude lipstick and deemed myself ready to go.
Mum entered the room just when I was about to leave. She grinned broadly.
“I haven’t seen you in a formal outfit in ages.”
I shrugged. “It’s because I haven’t had any formal occasions before.”
She walked over to me and hugged me. “I have much faith in you, Mel. I trust you will do great.”
I hugged my mother and rubbed her back. She hissed in pain when I did.
I frowned. “Are you overworking yourself? Mum, you’re not the only… worker in this place. Please don’t. Ask for help whenever you need it.”
She shook her head sideways. “I’ll be fine. I’m merely getting used to my new bed.”
“I—”
Mum interrupted my possible objection when she held my hand and squeezed it. “I love you, Melanie. This is such a proud moment for me. I’m happy I got to witness it.” She wiped the corners of her teary eyes.
I frowned at her state and hurried to hug her. I told her we deserved everything good coming our way, and she shouldn’t have expected any less. We worked hard for everything we had. I hated to see her surrendering to circumstances or settling for low expectations.
After a short conversation with my mum about the importance of self-care, I left the mansion. I strolled my way to the university with GPS help. The semester started in a few days, so I had time to register for a major and enrol in some classes.
Growing up, computer science was my passion. Although my high school wasn’t prestigious or anything of the sort, I participated in a few coding contests with it. I won every single one and earned certificates. I loved the experience. That was when I knew I wanted to pursue computer science as my career for life.
Living with my mother only, missing the father who had abandoned us, according to her, made it impossible to study for that time. However, I still tried to save as much money as possible until I could study one day.
Then, I was offered that scholarship to the most prestigious technological educational institute in my area. It felt more like a nightmare than a dream. I wasn’t the insecure type, but I wasn’t about to throw myself into situations to make me feel so deliberately. Poverty was never shameful, but I also knew my place.
