FORBIDDEN INTIMACY: UNCHAINED BY HIS LOVE

[~Song Recommendation: Miracle by Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding~] 

Noticing Mr.Park's beaming face, Layla once thought that it might be a better job opportunity but that couldn't happen in just a day right? So she returned the smile but remained standing by the door with a bewildered expression marking her face.

"What are you doing there? Come inside! Today I'm going to throw you a little farewell party." As soon as the words left his mouth, she felt her heartbeat rising along with her skin getting filled with goosebumps.

"Si-Sir… Is it about a new job?" she managed to utter in her ever so feeble voice because she was scared that maybe it might be something else.

"What else it could be?" 

"Really? Oh my God!" She couldn't hold back as she rushed to him and clasped one of his hands in her hold. Her eyes were filled with tears but none of those contained sorrow. 

"Thank you so much sir… I'll be forever grateful to you," she said, her voice getting cracked in between. 

"Come on now! This is the least I could do. You are like my daughter too. Never forget that," he told her as he gently patted her shoulder. But Layla was too much ecstatic about the event and just continued crying like a baby whose lollipop had been snatched.

Layla's weeping voice caught the attention of the other maids and family members of the mansion resulting in a little crowd gathering before David's room.

"Layla! What are you doing? Leave Sir right now!" Elysia's voice brought her back to reality and in no time she witnessed there was a little gathering of maids before the room; everyone held a baffled look. She realized her mistake of overstepping the boundary as she got carried away by her emotions followed by asking for an apology which Mr.Park humbly denied. 

The rest of the day, she spent time in her room inside the maid quarters, and she was discarded from her duties for the day as a small gift from David. 

Not to forget she also had earned herself a small farewell party to be held at night where every other maid would join her to wish her best wishes accompanied by snacks and drinks. Some of them envied her while others congratulated her for her new job.

*******

It was late at night and Layla just closed the door before sharing a friendly hug with a maid who was last to depart. She sighed and soon her eyes traveled to her mother who was seated by the table. Elsysia's eyes were glued to the photo of hers and Layla over the wall.

Although she's her adoptive mother, they love each other more than their life. She remembered how Layla used to cry in earlier days when she was just an infant and how she used to clutch her skin with her little hands like a baby does to a mother.

"What's wrong Mom?" 

"Nothing Layla… It's just that you'll be living alone there and who will take care of you?" she asked staring deep into her eyes.

"I'll be fine Mom; Don't worry." Layla noticed her words didn't do much to her Mom's worried expression. "I know you'll miss me. To be honest I don't want to leave either… But I have to do this so that you can be free from that filthy Robert."

Elysia left the chair and held her daughter tightly between her arms while deeply sobbing as she apologized to her because she held herself responsible for her misery. Had she not taken the loan, Layla wouldn't had to leave to work at a remote location. 

She wanted Layla to leave this place for her education, for her better future; not to end up becoming another maid to some billionaire. 

*******

The morning came earlier than expected and it marked the day for a new journey in Layla's life. She had to leave Crisitne City, her birthplace and travel to Rozenville to work in the mansion of Alfred Conner as a maid.

Thanks to David Park, who managed to get her this job where she'd be paid more than she ever anticipated, enough for her to meet her Mom's debts and seek higher education in the future.

Her luggage was ready prior to the day as Elysia secretly packed her stuff while Layla was long asleep after an eventful night. Layla got ready in no time as she exited the bathroom feeling refreshed.

She chose to wear an olive color long-sleeve floral dress which was her only best clothing for the little time she enjoyed during holidays while working in the mansion.

"Bye Mom… Mr. Park; Stay well. I'll call you guys as soon as I arrive there," she said while trying her best to hold back the tears while her throat pained. She kept staring at her mother from the car's back window who was waving her goodbyes while a few tears already rolled down her cheeks.

As soon as the car left the boundary of the mansion, Layla took out the leash holding her from crying resulting in her soft whimpering while she sniffled in between catching the attention of the driver.

"I'm fine… It's just that I've never been away from them…" She answered back gathering herself with a smile to the driver who was genuinely showing concern. She was glad that Mr.Conner sent her a car with a chauffeur to pick her up from her place. 

"He must be a nice person," she muttered inwardly while her eyes remained glued to the car window as she enjoyed the view of the passing-by landscape.

*******

The car came to a halt and before her eyes stood a massive gate hiding what was inside. Soon the gates parted automatically and as the car entered she caught sight of a marvelous estate with a pond, flower gardens, swimming pools, and the tall trees that adorned the path leading to the porch. 

She clasped her hands in pure bliss as her mouth remained agape with a perplexed look plastered on her face before the car stopped beside the porch. A butler guided her inside the mansion and her eyes kept wandering around like that of a toddler. If the exterior of the property mesmerized her, the interior was nothing less than a modern palace.

"My apologies sir, but aren't maids supposed to live in different… quarters?" she asked the butler as he guided her into a room located inside the mansion. But the butler left without uttering a thing.

"Strange," she sighed and instantly rushed towards the bathroom as she was holding her pee for quite some time.

When she was exiting the bathroom her eyes instantly noticed a bunch of papers lying by the closed door. Picking it up she started reading, her body getting tensed up as she continued until she read something that made her skin lose all its color.

"Sl-Slave…"