His Secret [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Four

The best way to spend a warm weekend was by a lake with the contrasting hot sun's rays and cool breeze from the water tingling on the skin. Wearing rounded sunglasses perched on the nose, with a glass of chilled lemonade in one hand and an iPod in the other was the perfect way to relax. It had been a short two months that Sophia had been living with the McKenzies and in that time, Alan had warmed to her ever so slightly. Passing her in the kitchen in the mornings, he would greet her, and likewise at night when she made her way back to the boathouse, he would wish her a pleasant sleep. Things were still awkward but she'd expected nothing less than that and felt grateful he was giving her a chance.

He was a proud man and his pride prohibited him from accepting when he was wrong. His first impression of Sophia hadn't at all been an indication that she planned to seduce his oldest son as if she had her eye on his fortune; in fact, Sophia had been the perfect guest. She'd greeted both parents with respect, commented on the success of their charity event and even made friends with their other children. But none of those things sat right within him. Throughout Alan's career, he'd made a habit of looking over his shoulder and didn't take new acquaintances lightly. There were too many times in his life that he'd accepted people for who they appeared to be at first impression. He'd invite them into his home, have them sit around his dinner table and help them boost their careers. But then it would come to light that they had betrayed his trust and were simply after his wealth. He didn't dare repeat history. The last time it was just him and his wife, but now it was all so different. He had his family to take care of and couldn't risk losing everything and not having a safe and secure future set for his children.

What worried Alan the most wasn't Sophia's perfect manners or the fact that she never said the wrong thing; it was the way he saw his son lust after her without her attempting to even gain his attention. She stood across the room at the charity gala and they'd been away from each other for only a few minutes - she'd gone to the bathroom - and as soon as she re-entered the party his eyes settled on her and a small, involuntary smile formed on his lips. Alan had watched this from a distance, noticing how captivated Noah was with her presence, even from across the room.

The worry settled within. She'd made him fall in love with her without even trying and that was what affected Alan the most. He knew she had a good, pure heart and that, to him, was far worse than having an evil one. The downfall of his family and their reputation would be ever more infamous without there being an intention to do so.

*

After only a week of living freely at the McKenzie's, Sophia set out in search of a job with the intention of paying her way through housekeeping and contribution. The wage she received from the small part-time job she was lucky to secure wasn't nearly enough to afford rent for a place of her own and even though she was sure it wouldn't cover the expenses of the house either, she still placed three quarters of her wage into an envelope and handed them to Sherry each week and saved the rest.

The first time this happened, Sherry refused to take the payment and explained to Sophia that she saw her as a daughter-like figure and would never accept it. Sherry would push it back into her hands, telling her to save. It wasn't long before the same envelope, now a little battered and folded with Sherry's name written across the front was found all over the house. Sometimes in the kitchen under the breadbin and other times in the family bathroom or by the television. Each time this happened she would huff, pick up the envelope and march it back to the boathouse, leaving it by Sophia's bed. The back and forth continued for a while with Sophia never giving up. Eventually one lunchtime it stopped. She had left the envelope by Sherry's car keys near the front door and when Sophia had left for work she noticed it was gone.

Little did she know Mrs McKenzie was taking the money and depositing it into a small metal money box with a painting of Peter Rabbit on the front. The money tin was then slid onto the bottom shelf in the pantry behind a saucepan large enough to feed twenty and a couple of containers hidden from curious eyes. The day that Sophia would leave the McKenzie's would be the day Sherry gave the tin and all it's contents back to its rightful owner, and wish her the best with her future. She didn't know when it would be, but it gave her comfort knowing she was helping secure a decent future for a woman who seemed to have the whole world against her at each and every one of her turns.