Bound By Contract

Chapter Ten

Christina's P.O.V.

The ride to Neverland is short, being as the private jet we travelled on landed at the nearby Santa Maria airport. As we got out of the car in the carport of Neverland Ranch, Michael touched my arm softly and smiled warmly. "I had a lot of fun spending some time with you, Christina. Really."

"Oh, yeah, um me too," I say. The first thing he's said to me since landing. To me it seems like he's trying to tell me something. But what? What is he up to?

He beams his signature charismatic smile at me before turning around and making his way up to the main house. As he approaches the front door, his children Prince and Paris having anticipated his arrival and run outside of the house to greet him. He bends down and picks up the two kids joyfully to kiss them. Putting them down, he turns around. My heart skips. 'Oh my God he saw me watching him,' I think to myself and look away quickly. How completely embarrasing.

Looking at my wrist watch to my surprise I realize it is only 9 in the morning. There is a 3 hour time difference between California and Indiana, California being behind 3 hours. So what am I supposed to do now? This is about the time I'm supposed to be here for work, and it is Thursday. I might as well start working my shift, since Michael hasn't told me to do any different. I make my way towards the shed and collect my things and start my usual routine of dusting my two rooms, with the endless amounts of knicknacks and furniture they contain.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, Christina?" Luisa yells angrily from the hallway. Startled, I spin around and see Luisa, her face bright red, charging towards me with her hands on her hips; of course. I'm used to her harsh looks and ugly grimaces, but never before has she welcomed me so, well, unwelcomely.

"What?" I murmur, absolutely confused.

"You just disappear for a few days and decide to come on back to work as if nothing happened?" My eyes peel open wide with the realization of what is happening. Oh my God. Michael must not have told Luisa where I would be going. And truthfully, I had never even thought of what I would say to her when I came back. I guess I just assumed Michael had taken care of everything. The wheels in my head start turning a thousand times a minute yet physically, I stand speechless.

"Get out of here!" she hisses pointing downstairs towards the exit. "I don't think I have to tell you your services are no longer needed."

Hearing all of the commotion in the upstairs hallway, Michael comes out of his study. "What's going on up there?" he calls out as he climbs the stairs and towards us. I turn and look at him; my jaw has literally dropped in disbelief.

"It looks like I've just been fired," I say to him as calmly as I can, although my nerves have been riled up. I never get used to someone yelling at me. It makes my whole body vibrate with emotion. I never have gotten into so much trouble in my entire life.

"What? Why?" Michael asks, looking back and forth between the two of us, confused.

"She didn't show up to work all week," Luisa fired back without hesitation. "Now she's here as if nothing happened." She flings her hand in my direction as if she were referring to some unimportant 'thing' instead of me.

The confused crinkle in Michael's nose softened and Michael began to laugh. "Oh, that," he said between giggles, covering his mouth, embarrased.

"Yes, that," I say, rolling my eyes at him. Here I am being reprimanded, and might I add it's all his fault, and all he can do is laugh.

He stops laughing, trying ineffectively to regain his composure before responding to Luisa's accusations. "Luisa, I knew about Christina's absence," he says now serious. "She's staying," he adds.