worshipping the devil

-one-

E L E N A

A tear threatens to escape my eye when I look back for the last time at my home.

"Miss Alexis?" The cab driver calls out to me. I quickly wipe my eyes and wrap my coat around me tighter, before turning around and giving the driver a small smile.

"Coming," I say, walking over to the cab and put the seatbelt on. Taking a deep breath, I look out the window. The glistening white snow dances in the air, the wind blowing in between the branches of the nearby trees.

I'm going to miss my house. It was lonely, though, since I lived there on my own. It's hard to believe that my dream of moving to England is finally coming true.

***

Breath in, breathe out. You got this, Elle.

I've always been bad with planes. I hate them. I know, I know. It's girly and pathetic that I'm scared of heights. The thought of being hundreds of feet up in the sky makes me shudder.

I grip the edge of my seat as the plane takes off, sucking on my sweet to take the pressure off my ears.

Reaching for my bag, I pull out the contract I had to sign for the job. I photocopied it before mailing it back because, you know, I'm a freak.

- Cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for Mr Mattioni.
- Be willing to prepare hot snacks for Mr Mattioni if necessary.
- Must wash up after food is eaten.
- Can use any equipment in the kitchen.
- Be aware of any allergies Mr Mattioni has.

I mean, it sounds simple enough. The pay is good; almost too good for what I'm doing. And I actually really enjoy cooking, which is a bonus.

Before I know it, the plane has landed. That wasn't too bad. Thank the heavens for chewing gum and Netflix, eh?

Everyone gets off the plane and makes their own way to wherever they may be going. I unexpectedly find a suited old man holding my name up on a board in a very fancy font.

"Elena Alexis?" He asks me.

"That's me. Just call me Elle, please," I confirm.

"Come with me. My name is Philip," he gestures his hand to follow him and I do. He leads me outside and to a shiny black BMW.

"This is your car?" I ask him curiously as I buckle up in the passengers seat.

"It belongs to Mr Mattioni, I'm only the driver. Nice, isn't it?" He reply's and sends me a genuine smile. I smile back.

"Very. He must be really rich to afford this." I say.

"The richest man in London, my love."

I almost choke on my own spit. What did he just say? The richest man in London? Hold up. Hold on a second.

"I'm sorry, what?" I exclaim, extremely confused. He chuckles.

"You really don't have a clue, do you?" He makes a sharp left and speeds up a bit.

"I thought I did," I say quietly. "But now I'm not so sure."

The next few minutes of the drive were in silence. I kept thinking about what I'm about to walk into. Is he nice? Young? What if he's horrible and treats me like shit? Or what if he's a serial killer and murders me in my sleep? My eyes widen at the thought and I play with my fingers, suddenly becoming nervous.

"What's going on inside that head of yours, love?" Philip says, making me jump.

"Um, I... Nothing. Nothing. I'm fine, just a little nervous." I reply, partly true.

"Don't be. Once you get to know Mr Mattioni, he can be a great guy. It's the getting to know him part that's the struggle," he says and I scoff.

"What do you mean?" I ask, not fully satisfied with his reply. But before he could answer, he entered a pin into the car and the big black gates in front of us opened.

It revealed a large garden, with 2 oak trees on either side on a gravel path. The grass was covered with white snow, and not a single footprint could be seen.

I look up and am shocked when I see a huge mansion, with long windows down to the ground and a small balcony at the front. It was painted completely white, with black shutters in front of the window. It looked modern, and expensive. Very, very expensive.

"This is where I'm going to work?" I asked Philip, completely stunned.

"Not good enough for you?" He laughed.

"No. No! It's beautiful. I'm just so... confused," I reply honestly.

"Just knock on the front door and a lady will explain what you need to do," Philip informs me.

I do as he says and as I'm walking up to the front door, it opens and I'm suddenly welcomed by a short, chubby, middle-aged lady with a warm smile on her face.

"Hello, my dear! You must be Miss Alexis. I'm Katrin, but you can call me Kat. You're probably freezing, come inside, my dear!" She says excitedly.

"Please, call me Elle," I smile.

I like it here already.

Katrin kindly brings my bags inside and shuts the door. The smell of a log fire burning fills my senses and the warmth of it surrounds me, making me feel at home instantly.

I take off my coat and Katrin offers to hang it up. I take a look around; white walls, oak furniture, a big staircase in the middle. Modern and expensive. This guy has taste.

Katrin gives me a tour of the whole house, apart from one room which is Mr Mattioni's office; he's working.

"And this, my dear, is your bedroom. You also have an en-suite bathroom and a lovely view of the garden!" Katrin opens a white wooden door.

My jaw drops as I take in my surrounding. It's beautiful.

It has oak wooden floor boards and a double bed with an oak frame in the middle of the room. A large window is on the right wall, and a window ledge sofa next to it. A tall wardrobe is next to the bed on the right side, and on the left side is a small bedside table. On the left wall is a door, which I presume in the bathroom.

"Oh my goodness, it's perfect." I say, smiling widely to Katrin.

"It is." She reply's. "I have some things to explain to you before you do anything." I nod and we sit on my bed. Katrin hands me some paperwork.

"There are some rules you need to obey in order to keep this job," She behinds and I listen carefully. "One, never give Mr Mattioni anything he doesn't like or is allergic to. Two, no excessive drinking and no drugs." I nod and she continues.

"And finally, never enter Mr Mattioni's without knocking first," she explains. "Here's a list of foods Mr Mattioni doesn't like, and here's the foods his allergic to. You start tonight," Katrin points to lists on the paperwork. She stands up and smiles down at me.

"I hope you like it here Elle, you seem like such a nice girl," Katrin walks out of my room and shuts the door softly.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

***

if you're confused, this chapter is BEFORE the prologue. next chapter will be the prologue but in elena's pov.

how do you like it so far? please leave feedback.

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- em x