RAVEN.

"Mrs Brant. These are the new maids." Mandy said gesturing towards the girls.

"You think I don't see them?" Lara snapped, brushing a strand of hair off her ugly face before settling her bulk on the armchair.

She glanced at the girls standing in front of her with a disdainful, uninterested look. Raven felt her eyes on her but she didn't meet her eyes — slightly afraid that that her hateful eyes would betray her.

"Okay." Lara nodded her approval, then she turned to the supervisor "Tell Jenkins he's done a great job."

The supervisor nodded in response.

Lara got to her feet "Mandy?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Take them to their quarters and make sure they get a tour of the house." She commanded, "And also make sure they know the rules they must abide by if they're to live under my roof."

And then with that, she retreated to her room.

Raven stared after her. Just you wait, she thought, you'll never see what's coming to you, Lara.

"Okay." Mandy welcomed the girls "Follow me girls."

"I'll get going now." The supervisor said, heading to the door "Behave girls."

After bidding farewell to the supervisor, she left, and the girls followed Mandy. She guided them to their assigned rooms — Raven was paired with two other girls, while the remaining three shared a separate room.

Raven glanced around the room they'd been given, unimpressed. It wasn't much — three mismatched beds, each with a small bedside table. Beyond that, the room was practically bare. No air conditioning, no closet — just the beds and tables, nothing more.

"Now get changed and be ready." Mandy ordered, "You have twenty minutes." And then she left the girls to themselves.

"Hi." One of the girls, a brunette, said, extending a hand to both Raven and the other girl. "I'm Fay. It's nice to meet with you both."

"I'm Aliya." The other girl, a redhead, shook Fay's hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"I'm Lily," Raven said, more out of obligation than genuine interest. "It's nice to meet you all."

The two girls chattered away in excitement while Raven sat on the edge of her bed, motionless, her minds reeling with plans.

She's passed the second phase. She'd managed to get into Brant's household, undetected.

The next step was to take full control of it.

She undressed quickly and threw on her maid's clothing, not wanting to join in on the conversation the girls were having.

Now fully dressed in her maiden clothes, she slipped out of the room without the girls noticing. If she was going to take control of this house, she had to know how it functioned.

She took a quick tour around the house, her eyes scanning every nook and cranny — there were security cameras everywhere, and she hadn't expected anything less. All she had to know was where the control room was.

Minutes later, she came back to her room, and to her surprise, the girls hadn't noticed her absence — they were so caught up in their conversation, and she appreciated that. It'd make things a lot easier for her.

"Alright, girls," Mandy's voice called from outside the room. "Let's go."

The six girls came out of the room, fully dressed in maid clothing.

"Alright, I'll be taking you on a tour around the house and as well telling you the do's and don't's in this house." Mandy announced, "You see, Mrs Brant is a really strict woman. So… you know."

Mandy took them around the house, showing them every corner. The girls were clearly delighted — working in a house as big and as luxurious as this one was really a blessing indeed.

She oriented them on the rules and regulations of the house, warning them about Mrs Brant's temper alongside her likes and dislikes. And about her promiscuous husband and her bratty daughter.

"Mandy? What's all these security cameras all about?" Raven asked as she stared around the place, pretending she had just noticed it.

The girls joined her, only just noticing it.

"Well, they're for security purposes." Mandy answered, "With a house as big and luxurious as this one, you don't expect it to be without a security camera, do you?"

"No, it's just that… there are too many of them." Raven said in a feigned shy voice "It's kind of overwhelming."

"Another reminder that you are all being watched… always." Mandy said and Raven couldn't help but notice the failed suppressed threat in her voice.

Well, we'll see about that. Raven thought.

"Come on, let's continue."

By the time they were done, the girls were exhausted. There were too many rules they had to abide by, and the girls were already getting cold feet.

The girls immediately got to work—cleaning, washing, vacuuming, and cooking. The tasks that needed to be done were overwhelming, and Raven didn't have a chance to collect her though...

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The clock struck 06:30 PM and Felipe Brant had just gotten home and had already parked his car. It had been a really long day at work and he was so bushed that all he could think of was to eat and rest. He got out of the car and then headed inside.

He was a tall, handsome hunk of beef in his mid-thirties with a perfectly tanned and athletic body that girls would drool over.

"Daddy! Daddy!" His little daughter, Lucy screamed and ran to him as soon as he entered the house.

He caught her and scooped her off her feet. "Who's Daddy's little princess?"

Lucy giggled happily.

Mandy approached him. "Welcome home, Mr. Brant." She took his suitcase alongside his jacket from him.

"Did Jenkins send the maids?"

"Well, yes, Mr. Brant," Mandy replied, gently taking Lucy from her father's arms. "Why don't you head on to the dining room? Mrs Brant will join you shortly."

Felipe nodded and made his way to the dining room, casually unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt.

He came to an abrupt halt when he saw the lovely figure setting up the table. He hadn't expected Lara to hire beautiful maids, especially after she'd fired the previous ones for having affairs with him.

The maid moved with effortless efficiency, and her dirty blonde hair was caught up in a messy bun on top of her perfectly shaped head, revealing a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and full, inviting lips.

She was perfect — his ideal type.

Felipe had never experienced love before, especially after being forced to marry a girl he deeply resented for the sake of family duty. Yet at this moment, as he gazed at the maid standing in front of him, he could hear his heart pounding against his ribs — and he knew, without a doubt, this was love.

And at that moment, she looked up and met his eyes — the world seemed to cease as they stared at each other — and Felipe could feel the connection between the both of them. Then he instinctively knew that this lady had also fallen for him at first sight as he had with her.

Or so he thought.