Twisted Games

Chapter 18 - Eve

A gentle female voice woke me up.

"I apologise, miss Wattenberg, I knocked but you didn't answer, so I allowed myself in."

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the plump elderly woman standing at the foot of my new bed.

"Who are you?" I asked, sounding raspy from deep sleep.

It's been long time I allowed myself to relax into peaceful slumber without shuddering every half an hour from every suspicious noise I heard coming outside the shed.

"My name is Mrs Coleman." The woman sent me a kind smile.

"You work here?"

"I'm the housekeeper." She replied and I noticed that she was holding the packets from a famous boutique in her hands.

"I brought some clothes for you," she placed the purchases on my bed. "You need to change quick. Mr Barrett called me early in the morning to notify that you should be ready by nine."

I frowned and didn't move an inch from my warm place in bed

"Ready for what?"

"Mr Barrett's lawyer is going to arrive in fifteen minutes." The woman replied. I could see that she was in a hurry to leave my new bedroom. "I'm going to prepare some coffee. What do you prefer for breakfast, miss Wattenberg?"

Confused I just looked at her.

"I... er... just tea, thank you."

Mrs Coleman smiled.

"Sure. I'll see you downstairs in fifteen minutes."

I rushed out of the bed the moment she disappeared in the hallway and immediately checked the contents of the packets. There were a couple of modest knee-length long-sleeved dresses, a pair of leggins, t-shirts with a simple print and comfortable moccasins. I also found a hair brush and some toiletries under this small pile of clothes.

Hot shower helped me to gather my wits together and face the upcoming challenges of the day.

I chose the dark blue cotton dress. It went with a pretty black belt which emphasized my slim waist prettily. A touch of refreshing make up, flat white slippers on my feet and I was ready.

My reflection stared at me from the mirror, looking a little lost but - I wasn't afraid to admit it - elegant. I wished I could do something with my hair though, but a simple knot on my nape would do for today. Not that I liked to fuss over it anyway.

The main floor of the house greeted me with empty silence. Figuring that Mrs Coleman might be busy with the breakfast in the kitchen I decided to greet the woman properly.

"Good morning, Mrs Coleman."

"Ah! You are here!" She exclaimed whipping the eggs in the bowl. "I see the dress fits you nicely."

I nodded.

"I apologise if my old fashioned taste is a bit too much for you. You will have all the chances of buying what suits you better later."

"Oh no!" I shook my head, wishing to reasure the old woman. "I really like your choice of everything. Please don't worry."

I sat down at the table and stared at the cup of black tea with a slice of lemon and jar of honey Mrs Coleman put in front of me. I was sure many people preferred to drink their tea with lemon and honey. To me however it reminded of my mom and her tea preference.

"The only downside of your choice of clothing would be the pricing of each item, which I gather wasn't cheap." I intentionally mentioned the subject of money. I didn't have an allowance that could cover this bill.

Mrs Coleman chuckled and poured the egg mixture in the hot pan. A mouthwatering smell of cooking omlen and fried sausages penetrated my nostrils and my stomach growled pitifully.

"I only follow Mr Barrett's orders, Ms Wattenberg. And he wouldn't alow me to shop anywhere else. In fact I was taken there this early morning by his driver. I chose the clothes and the shop assistant had to determine your size by pictures the driver was sent on his phone. You weren't wearing anything over revealing on those photos, so I stood by my choice."

"Thank you," I said wholeheartedly. "And please call me Eve."

Mrs Coleman gave me another heartwarming smile.

"Here, try this omelet." The placed a plate with rolled omelet in front of me. "Would you like anything else?"

"A piece of bread please."

The old woman's eyes shone with approval as she cut not one but three pieces of freshly baked bread for me.

The omelet was delicious, sausages melted in my mouth and the bread was soft with a crispy crust.  I ate with pleasure enjoying my company immensely. For a moment it felt like I was fourteen years old again chatting with my mom and dad as we sat together at breakfast table.

Mrs Coleman was a good-natured cheerful woman. I found out that she lost her whole family in a car crash about ten years ago and life eventually brought her to work as a housekeeper in Mr Barrett's apartment. She wasn't coming here often though. Twice a week was usually more than enough to keep the place neat and tidy. She admitted that the cleaning service was doing most of the job and she was just supervising and occasionally house sitting when MrBarretthad guests.

Time flew by. We were so engaged in our conversation that I didn't notice another person's presence in the kitchen.

"Good morning."

I turned to face a tall lighthaired woman standing in the doorway and looking at us down her pretty pert nose. By her business attire and a briefcase in hand I guessed that she was the lawyer.

"Miss Eve Hart Wattenberg?" She asked raising her perfectly outlined eyebrow.

"That would be me." I said looking at her curiously. The woman looked to be in her early thirties. She wore a grey pant suit that showed off all the right curves in all right places and a crimson shirt underneath. Her make up was stunning, her hair made into elaborate twist. She looked like she had just left a fashion show.

"I'm Amber Brown. Mr Barrett's lawyer." Her eyes in unspoken judgement briefly swept over my form then shifted to my half finished breakfast. She scrunched her nose in distaste.

"I'll be in the conference room." There was superiority ringing in her voice. "Do hurry with your meal."

She left and my eyes drifted to Mrs Coleman. Face serious and lips pulled in a tight line Mrs Coleman was scrubbing the counter top with a bit too much force.

"Come on, don't make her wait." Mrs Coleman collected the plates from the table and motioned to the door behind which the pretty lawyer had just disappeared. "Go through the dinning hall. It's faster."

I nodded. I hadn't ventured that way before. The apartment was a maze. I certainly needed someone to direct me. It didn't escape my attention that Ms Brown was quite familiar with the surroundings.

"She knows the place," I said watching Mrs Coleman closely.

The old woman shrugged.

"She was a frequent visitor before." Mrs Coleman replied and I wasn't surprised.

Like Tina, Amber Brown was a tall blonde woman with pretty doll like face and same prominent cup size in the chest area. Mr Barrett in my opinion was quite selective in his choice of women and it looked like he had his standards set. So why would he want me by his side? I was neither tall nor slim. I had dark hair and wasn't even close to those women by choice of clothes.

I didn't understand him.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs Coleman."

She beamed at me.

"Anytime my dear. Now that you live here, I'm on daily duty in this house. So don't be shy to ask for anything."

She opened the refrigerator which to my surprise was stocked with groceries and started mumbling something about lunch.

I left the kitchen with a smile on my face.