Love Me Red ✔️

Burnt By The Hatred

22

Watching Mrs. Devine scolding the headmaid, Mia cleared her throat and stepped inside the central kitchen with swaying hips. Adele bulldozed her nervousness with a sigh and an eye blink and blended inside behind her. The aged woman turned quiet when she acknowledged Mia's heels clinking against the tiles. Sloping her head over her shoulder, her gaze quickly found its way to Adeline, stealing her breaths in a snap.

Adeline immediately cast her eyes down and halted behind the island. Mia walked to Veronica and pulled up a genial smile. She opened her mouth to initiate a conversation but Veronica simply brushed past her, giving zero importance to her presence. Mia awkwardly blinked and pondered over what just happened. Embarrassed, she turned around with hands clasped behind her back and watched her moving to Adeline.

Veronica had a heavy look on as she trod authoritatively toward Adeline and gauged her petite form with critical eyes. Adeline felt the heaviness crushing her from head to toe, making her gulp thickly. The woman halted right before her lawful daughter-in-law and assessed the marks that were on her neck. A wry scoff escaped her nostrils as she noticed her poor attempt of concealing them with a foundation. Her overwhelming aura was killing every chance for Adeline's heart to beat normally. Her eyes were stuck on Veronica's navy knee-length dress that mostly royals would wear.

A faint voice somewhere in the back of her head chuckled at the thought. Was there even a gap to doubt that this family was less than royalty? If anything, they were living more royally than the real ones, considering this castle-like property, their security, authority over the world and overall lifestyle that millions of people wished, including her.

Out of the blue, Adeline's lowered gaze flipped from the hem of Veronica's dress to the splatter of mug and some content of black coffee. A vague, bothered frown sat over her forehead as she side-glanced at the tainted wall. It was clear as day that someone threw it against the wall and that someone was apparently her mother-in-law.

"Helena!" Veronica shouted abruptly, stinging Adeline's ears with an ear-piercing pitch, jerking her inwardly. The middle-aged woman, who apparently was getting individually scolded among the rest, staggered ahead with apprehension freezing her features.

"Yes, yes, ma'am," She slightly stammered as she halted near them and clasped her hands, her eyes down as if it was the untold rule to follow.

"Since your staff have ruined my morning, I don't want to see your or their faces for the rest of the day nor will any of you cook," She spat it all simply while staring blankly at Adeline. The maids and cooks loured hearing her statement and exchanged a look. If they weren't going to do their job then who would?

Adele wasn't looking but could still feel Veronica's gaze on her face, "Today, a new staff member will take the responsibility," She stated with a half-smirk as her eyes bore holes in Adele's face. Everyone got puzzled, even Adeline.

Suddenly, Veronica clutched her arm in a tight grip and turned her toward the maids. "This is the new addition in your group, her name is Adeline Greene and from now on, she will make breakfast every morning. No one is allowed to help her, no one will guide her, she will learn it all on her own and whoever disobeys me will make it clear, I won't waste a second before I fire you, understood?" Veronica lectured sternly. Her stress on her surname was explicitly revealing how much she despised it.

Aghast and shocked, Adeline flapped her gaze on Veronica. Breakfast? Everyday? Alone? How was it even possible to make twenty-plus dishes every morning without any guidance, any help?

"Hand her the menu," Veronica jutted her chin and the headmaid nodded obediently and scooted to one of the drawers, producing a whole guidebook. A shiver coursed down Adeline's spine. She didn't have her right senses in check to understand what was going on.