stuttered. He was shirtless, reclining o

y brother's house," Austin answered. It was Roselle's third encounter w

them. Their presence bothered her, bu

r his body at all, as she stared at the bo

n it like tha

u trying to escape? It's your first nigh

ed, keeping her gaze lowered as she flo

. My family's clearly dysfunctional,"

do you a lot of good," he raised his glass in the air,

k for a little while,

aid, "here," he stretche

noticed a gold tooth of Austin's,

ered, her voice bar

leaned back

nk," she sim

e modest around me. Save that fo

vince him, so sh

at her, and she shook her head in the negative, slowly feeling the co

stepping out of there?" he asked, as if readin

tarted, but the

aced his hands over his eyes and turned around. Roselle smil

," she said, sup

re

Roselle took a seat on the chair next to him. The only sound tha

off guard, as a quizzical expression sat on her

rdo

e playing

what you're

ried to my brother, without a forewarning. E

here, but at Austin, whose gaze hadn't left her. She hadn'

as clueless as you

out your family being w

conscious deal," Roselle answered, her voi

hy did you agree to be

w," she managed to ans

conve

ent into the pool, and Roselle couldn't help the relief that came wit

as she got off her seat, tightly

, followed by splashing of wate

uncomfortable feeling creeping up her skin. It was

ed. She knew Nicholas would not come looking for her. She wasn't expecting

e was with, before they left for the

er, carefully tucked in between the folding in her towel. She looked around,

eems, in this house

r drama, so she reluctantly set the paper on the bed. But just t

, mid

sender wanted to meet with her. She couldn't tel

emaining few hours tossing and tu

t the letter. She picked it up from t

11:34. She had only a few minutes to

in her hands as she quietly slipped out of her room. From Carla's

and doors. Plush chairs surrounded a fire pit. It was cozy. As

th her husband, Nicholas. His gaze bo

t here, this late?" He

" she stuttered, her e

tzgerald," he sneered. She li

olas now?" she asked, her v

o your room, and don't

n his shirtless frame, and

there," she whispered, h

he spat, before walking away and le

s and commands, she never had a word of her own. And now,

around the patio, and on seeing it

e, but she never got the chance to ask him.

as who dropped the paper. Bu

? Roselle thought it was unli

was this ano

ng the warning about the house in a si

Che

and contemplated giving her a call. But she w

ll. Being a maid in the house, meant she knew much more than

le discarded the idea of calling her tha

f sleep gradually consuming her, and she allowe

fication sound. So she rubbed her eyes an

it w

ber, and when she opened it, all tra

s a p