Page 2 of The Brutal Arrangement

Come on, Luce. Suck it up. No gloom. Just focus on working as hard as you can. One day at a time. And… carry on.

A heavy sigh left my lips as the car slowed to a gated entrance.

“Yo, are yousurethis is the right place?” the young man driving the Uber asked as he braked.

“Yes. Just pull up so I can speak to the guard.” I lowered my window to tell the burly guard why I was there. “Hello, I’m Lucy Forden from the Cardinal Staffing Agency. Ms. Joann is expecting me for my first day.”

The gruff man gave me a derisive glance, as if I were a headache he didn’t want to bother with. Working at properties with security teams wasn’t anything new. They still intimidated me, but in the last six and a half years of working as a maid, I’d learned to associate my employers with power, money, and security forces.

“Go ahead,” he told the driver, indicating which end of the drive to aim for.

Once he pulled up, awestruck at the massive mansion, he parked and idled as I got my suitcases out.

“Hey, yeah. I’d offer to help you with those, but, uh…” The driver furrowed his brow at a pair of burly guards at the front door. “I’m, um… I don’t wanna interfere or anything.”

Interfere?I did a double-take at the guards, wondering why this guy was so nervous.

“Oh,” I said instead of asking for him to help me with the heavier duffle bag that I’d put another pair of shoes in.

“I don’t wanna linger in this place either,” he said, frowning at me in the mirror. “So if you can, like, hurry up…”

Jeez.

Figuring out why this dude was skittish would have to wait for later. Between juggling my two bags and getting out of the car, I had more things to focus on. As soon as I was out of the car, I heaved out an exasperated breath and turned to close the door.

The second the back door closed, he sped away.

“Damn,” I muttered. I had paid in advance, but he was awfully hasty to bolt.

Maybe he’s nervous to be near security guards or something.

Facing the mansion, I grabbed my bags and approached the front door. The huge, beefy guys at the door noticed me but made no move to help me with the bags.

Like me, these guards were supposed to blend into the background, not look like individuals to speak to. But I had to at least explain who I was.

“Hi, I’m?—”

“Joann is waiting for you,” one said bluntly, opening the door.

“Thanks,” I muttered meekly.

Great. This is going to be another one of those kinds of places.Where the staff had to look like statues, no emotion allowed.

Stepping over the threshold, I scanned the elegant and spacious foyer, instantly knowing all that intricate molding and framework would be a pain in the butt to dust and polish. It looked immaculate in here, but it would be partly up to me to keep it so tidy.

“Lucy?” An older woman with a gentle smile and wiry white hair pulled back in a bun greeted me. Dressed in a maid’s uniform,she cut across the marble floor with her gaze locked on me. “Welcome to the Kozlov home. I’m Joann.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled, straining to keep my bags in my hands. Sweat slicked my hands and it didn’t help my grip.

“Let me get one of those,” she offered sweetly.

“Oh, no. It’s all?—”

She took one before I could stop her, and I was immediately impressed that she didn’t struggle. Despite her age, she was strong.

“Malcolm? She turned toward a butler near the back of the foyer. “This is Lucy, the new maid for the household. Could you please take her things to the maid’s quarters while I get her acquainted?”

I thanked Lurch for taking both bags, again impressed when he didn’t flinch under the weight.

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